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Post by agedbeauty on Apr 27, 2020 15:40:44 GMT -5
...Clearly my endings are off base in the present iteration of the STC. But that foolishly probably won't stop me from trying. Or maybe I should just try for non-ending slots, heh. Here's the ending that I'd written for the last story, anyway: ..."Find me the thief." He stared her right in the eye as she listened intently. "He came and robbed me of my healing potion -- what should have been my healing potion -- and in the process he broke it, unleashing this permanent fire." He frowned and shook his head. "We both escaped, but he ran off with the remainder of the herbs. Find him, so I can use the herbs to make an antidote!" He quickly opened his sketchbook of botanical alleviations and showed her his sketch of the herb. "They are very rare and in season once a year. But I picked them all -- there will be no more until next spring."
The Kougra nodded slowly at him. "So, you just want me to find the thief, and procure the herbs?"
"Yes, Linae. I am old and frail, but you are comparatively young, and much quicker than I. Go, find him. Find him quickly, before he gets too far away!" The Ruki practically pushed her off.
She glanced back at him and furrowed her brow. "I don't even know what he looks like--"
"He looks like a thief, a scoundrel!" he castigated. "You'll know him when you see him. Now go!"
The Kougra frowned at him almost pleadingly, before turning around and jogging off. She ran the distance around Shenkuu twice, but found no one she believed to be a thief.
"What are you doing, tile-face?" asked Hoban as she started her third circuit.
"Nice to see you too," Linae sarcastically replied as she folded her arms and stuck her tongue out at him. She explained everything that Anshu had said to her. "So, I'm TRYING to find the thief that broke Anshu's failed healing potion, which set fire to his place, so that I can get back the herbs and undo this whole mess," she finished.
A pause.
"You don't believe that, do you?" It was the navigator's turn to be derisive.
"That Remarkable Restoratives is on fire? Er, duh." She pointed vaguely to the smoke and red glow coming from the healer's hut.
He shook his head. "No, silly, that Anshu failed making a healing potion."
The Kougra took a figurative step back. That did seem... odd, now that the Aisha mentioned it. He was not one to simply mis-prepare a potion. He might be "old and frail" but he had his wits, and many years of brewing under his belt.
She looked back at him, wide-eyed. "Could the thief have startled him and caused him to err in its creation?"
"It's a possibility I suppose, but..." He shook his head. "I don't know. The idea there was a thief at all seems somewhat sketchy to me. Do you really think a thief would have survived in Shenkuu for very long? It's all bridges and steep inclines here. He would have had to be as skilled as Princess Terrana to even get in and out without anyone noticing something was amiss -- and a skillful thief wouldn't have broken what he was trying to steal WHILST trying to steal it."
Linae frowned deeply.
"Anshu's a kook, but you're crazier than he is if you're going to go along with this!" He walked away with his arms in the air.
The legendarily unstable Hoban calling HER crazy? ...Now that was a new low, for her. She sighed and turned back toward Remarkable Restoratives... only to notice that, though the smoke was still thick, the red in the air had relaxed to a more usual hazy yellow shade.
She gaped and ran to the shop. Anshu was nowhere to be found -- but neither was the fire. Relief flooded her, but also anxiety. "What happened? Where is he?" she started, turning to one of the young Ogrins.
"He walked toward your hut, Miss," the firefighter explained, "as we tried unsuccessfully to battle the blaze. When he returned he had liquid in a flask, which he threw onto the fire and blam -- kaput. It was out. We tried to ask him what it was, but all he would say was 'the antidote'. We're just writing our reports now, and then we'll go. But if you want to talk to him, he's in there, Miss." He pointed to the store.
The Kougra frowned pensively -- or was it disapprovingly? -- and walked into the gutted store, the inside completely turned to ash.
Anshu turned to greet her. "Oh, Linae!--"
"Stuff it," she interrupted with a scowl. "What happened? What REALLY happened?"
"Like I said before, a thief came--"
Linae huffed and pointed at him. "You said about the thief, that I would 'know him when I see him'. Well, I think I'm looking right at him."
He breathed a heavy sigh and his fu manchu drooped. "Alright. Listen to me, and don't ask me anything until I've finished elaborating."
She nodded crossly at him, awaiting his reply.
"I was set to make the greatest healing potion in all of Neopia -- nae, this side of the galaxy patrolled by Mira. I have studied my entire life for this. Making potions, perfecting healing... It was all leading to this. To finally discovering just how to unlock the magic in those herbs that only grow in a small corner of my homeland." He looked off to the side. "But the herbs did not work the way I imagined. Not only did it heal, it made one stronger, faster, more powerful... But just as healing can be a great power, a great good... it can be a grave evil in the wrong hands." He looked into her eyes. "A weapon. The potion was simply too powerful to risk it EVER falling into ANYONE'S hands." He turned around and looked away from her. "A thief came. He stole what would be my success. He stole my dreams and my life's work. And the thief was me. I sabotaged my own research, in the process adding too much of the herb and creating a fire, burning all my records and written knowledge about it. I needed you gone, so I could go into your hut to craft the antidote to the fire without anyone knowing." Still looking away, he pointed to his head. "All my life's work is now up here, and here it will remain, until I am gone."
A pause -- one much heavier than between her and Hoban.
"Any questions?" he asked.
Silence.
"That's what I thought," the Ruki finished, still with his back to her. "Now, leave me to sort through the scorched remains of my former glory."
She nodded -- though he could not see it -- and stepped out of the shop. The firefighters were long since gone, and the sky was a dark red -- the earlier smoke and fire mixed with the now late-afternoon sky. It would be evening soon.
After today, she wasn't sure what to make of Anshu. She wasn't sure what to make of the entire day. She would try and be there for her friend when he needed her -- whenever that would be -- but for now, she knew how she was going to spend her evening.
She took out her favourite Kou-Jong set and started layering the tiles.
THE END Short seems to be the preferencce lately - I've noticed none of my longer entries get picked, but my shorter ones do. I vaguely recall one Storyteller sharing that they were shifting to prefer those because longer entries intimidated newer writers. Might still be true? But I love your entry! Thank you for sharing! kat, what was yours?! (If you don't mind sharing!) On another note...how many authors can an NT series have? I've always vaguely loved the idea of a band of writers doing an NT series where they pass chapters back and forth...but I think it would work best with several writers rather than 2, so everyone writes one chapter.
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Post by Stephanie (swordlilly) on Apr 27, 2020 22:10:59 GMT -5
Happy to see they updated Storytelling, though slightly late. And even though I expected either Kat or Rielcz to win, I'm not disappointed by the entry that won! They picked an opening about issue 900 too I hope this means the acceptance/rejection letters will be going out soon.
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Post by Kat on Apr 27, 2020 22:24:14 GMT -5
...Clearly my endings are off base in the present iteration of the STC. But that foolishly probably won't stop me from trying. Or maybe I should just try for non-ending slots, heh. Here's the ending that I'd written for the last story, anyway: ..."Find me the thief." He stared her right in the eye as she listened intently. "He came and robbed me of my healing potion -- what should have been my healing potion -- and in the process he broke it, unleashing this permanent fire." He frowned and shook his head. "We both escaped, but he ran off with the remainder of the herbs. Find him, so I can use the herbs to make an antidote!" He quickly opened his sketchbook of botanical alleviations and showed her his sketch of the herb. "They are very rare and in season once a year. But I picked them all -- there will be no more until next spring."
The Kougra nodded slowly at him. "So, you just want me to find the thief, and procure the herbs?"
"Yes, Linae. I am old and frail, but you are comparatively young, and much quicker than I. Go, find him. Find him quickly, before he gets too far away!" The Ruki practically pushed her off.
She glanced back at him and furrowed her brow. "I don't even know what he looks like--"
"He looks like a thief, a scoundrel!" he castigated. "You'll know him when you see him. Now go!"
The Kougra frowned at him almost pleadingly, before turning around and jogging off. She ran the distance around Shenkuu twice, but found no one she believed to be a thief.
"What are you doing, tile-face?" asked Hoban as she started her third circuit.
"Nice to see you too," Linae sarcastically replied as she folded her arms and stuck her tongue out at him. She explained everything that Anshu had said to her. "So, I'm TRYING to find the thief that broke Anshu's failed healing potion, which set fire to his place, so that I can get back the herbs and undo this whole mess," she finished.
A pause.
"You don't believe that, do you?" It was the navigator's turn to be derisive.
"That Remarkable Restoratives is on fire? Er, duh." She pointed vaguely to the smoke and red glow coming from the healer's hut.
He shook his head. "No, silly, that Anshu failed making a healing potion."
The Kougra took a figurative step back. That did seem... odd, now that the Aisha mentioned it. He was not one to simply mis-prepare a potion. He might be "old and frail" but he had his wits, and many years of brewing under his belt.
She looked back at him, wide-eyed. "Could the thief have startled him and caused him to err in its creation?"
"It's a possibility I suppose, but..." He shook his head. "I don't know. The idea there was a thief at all seems somewhat sketchy to me. Do you really think a thief would have survived in Shenkuu for very long? It's all bridges and steep inclines here. He would have had to be as skilled as Princess Terrana to even get in and out without anyone noticing something was amiss -- and a skillful thief wouldn't have broken what he was trying to steal WHILST trying to steal it."
Linae frowned deeply.
"Anshu's a kook, but you're crazier than he is if you're going to go along with this!" He walked away with his arms in the air.
The legendarily unstable Hoban calling HER crazy? ...Now that was a new low, for her. She sighed and turned back toward Remarkable Restoratives... only to notice that, though the smoke was still thick, the red in the air had relaxed to a more usual hazy yellow shade.
She gaped and ran to the shop. Anshu was nowhere to be found -- but neither was the fire. Relief flooded her, but also anxiety. "What happened? Where is he?" she started, turning to one of the young Ogrins.
"He walked toward your hut, Miss," the firefighter explained, "as we tried unsuccessfully to battle the blaze. When he returned he had liquid in a flask, which he threw onto the fire and blam -- kaput. It was out. We tried to ask him what it was, but all he would say was 'the antidote'. We're just writing our reports now, and then we'll go. But if you want to talk to him, he's in there, Miss." He pointed to the store.
The Kougra frowned pensively -- or was it disapprovingly? -- and walked into the gutted store, the inside completely turned to ash.
Anshu turned to greet her. "Oh, Linae!--"
"Stuff it," she interrupted with a scowl. "What happened? What REALLY happened?"
"Like I said before, a thief came--"
Linae huffed and pointed at him. "You said about the thief, that I would 'know him when I see him'. Well, I think I'm looking right at him."
He breathed a heavy sigh and his fu manchu drooped. "Alright. Listen to me, and don't ask me anything until I've finished elaborating."
She nodded crossly at him, awaiting his reply.
"I was set to make the greatest healing potion in all of Neopia -- nae, this side of the galaxy patrolled by Mira. I have studied my entire life for this. Making potions, perfecting healing... It was all leading to this. To finally discovering just how to unlock the magic in those herbs that only grow in a small corner of my homeland." He looked off to the side. "But the herbs did not work the way I imagined. Not only did it heal, it made one stronger, faster, more powerful... But just as healing can be a great power, a great good... it can be a grave evil in the wrong hands." He looked into her eyes. "A weapon. The potion was simply too powerful to risk it EVER falling into ANYONE'S hands." He turned around and looked away from her. "A thief came. He stole what would be my success. He stole my dreams and my life's work. And the thief was me. I sabotaged my own research, in the process adding too much of the herb and creating a fire, burning all my records and written knowledge about it. I needed you gone, so I could go into your hut to craft the antidote to the fire without anyone knowing." Still looking away, he pointed to his head. "All my life's work is now up here, and here it will remain, until I am gone."
A pause -- one much heavier than between her and Hoban.
"Any questions?" he asked.
Silence.
"That's what I thought," the Ruki finished, still with his back to her. "Now, leave me to sort through the scorched remains of my former glory."
She nodded -- though he could not see it -- and stepped out of the shop. The firefighters were long since gone, and the sky was a dark red -- the earlier smoke and fire mixed with the now late-afternoon sky. It would be evening soon.
After today, she wasn't sure what to make of Anshu. She wasn't sure what to make of the entire day. She would try and be there for her friend when he needed her -- whenever that would be -- but for now, she knew how she was going to spend her evening.
She took out her favourite Kou-Jong set and started layering the tiles.
THE END Short seems to be the preferencce lately - I've noticed none of my longer entries get picked, but my shorter ones do. I vaguely recall one Storyteller sharing that they were shifting to prefer those because longer entries intimidated newer writers. Might still be true? But I love your entry! Thank you for sharing! kat, what was yours?! (If you don't mind sharing!) On another note...how many authors can an NT series have? I've always vaguely loved the idea of a band of writers doing an NT series where they pass chapters back and forth...but I think it would work best with several writers rather than 2, so everyone writes one chapter. It seems that short is the new norm, yeah. My accepted entries were usually pretty long, and the last one I got was probably one of the shortest winning entries I ever had. I wasn't able to copy-paste my ending (I finished it at midnight and shoved myself into bed afterward), but my ending was that Anshu asked Linae to look for the thief by looking for someone who had black stains on their hands from the special herbs, and the culprit was found among the folks who were helping fight the fires; he tried to make off with some of the herbs in an empty water bucket, too. I thought it was okay because I managed to throw in a lot of references to the previous parts but that's how the cookie crumbles. Also, the rule used to be that up to two authors can collaborate on an NT piece, but I'm not sure if they've started allowing more. Happy to see they updated Storytelling, though slightly late. And even though I expected either Kat or Rielcz to win, I'm not disappointed by the entry that won! They picked an opening about issue 900 too I hope this means the acceptance/rejection letters will be going out soon. Yeah, the ending was pretty good, at least. And some folks on the Neopian Writers board are posting their acceptance letters now so letters for issue 900 are flying now!
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Post by agedbeauty on May 1, 2020 9:27:00 GMT -5
Oh well, I struck out on this story - no time to try for an ending today, but I wrote for every other slot. Oh well ^^;
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Post by Kat on May 3, 2020 1:19:30 GMT -5
Well. Decided to try to write a beginning. Not sure if I'll submit a second version of this. Daybel smiled with elation under her ornate black and gold mask as she surveyed the guests in her dining hall. Sparkling lanterns lit the area, colorful banners and streamers were everywhere, and the buffet table could almost sag under the sheer volume of delicacies and beverages set upon it.
Everyone at the banquet was clad in their best party attire, and every single one of them wore masks, as well. Different types of masks, from those adorned with vivid faerie wings to the simpler black ones that only covered one's eyes, yet still managed to lend an air of mystery.
Daybel herself was wearing a black silk gown to match her mask, and was greeted by another Lupe in the exact same outfit, down to the identical golden curlicues on her mask.
"I'd say our masquerade party is a success," the second Lupe remarked, wearing an equally identical smile. "What do you think, Daybel?"
"I feel the same way, Lally," Daybel replied, nodding with approval. "Everyone, including the Neopian Times, will be talking about this for days - no, weeks to come!" She paused. "Do you have the winners of the costume contest?"
"Right here," said Lally, producing a crisp white envelope. "Let's announce the - "
But Lally's voice died on her lips when she saw a guest break away from the crowd milling about in the hall. She and Daybel watched the figure leave furtively - a figure also wearing a black and gold mask, and a black silk gown.
And judging from the ears and the tail, a third Lupe...
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Post by Bananas on Jul 16, 2020 19:08:38 GMT -5
...welp, it's been ages since I submitted a Storytelling entry. My last win was 739; the last one before that was 514 (where I wrote the beginning). (I completely missed the Potato Entry of 538; I only discovered it had happened by looking back through this thread today. That was... quite something. ) I popped back in on a whim after literal years of not entering... and though I noticed that the sections were much shorter than in the Olden Days, I somehow didn't quite catch on to the fact that it's one new story section a day, now, rather than two. Would have tried to progress the plot just a bit more, but too late now. DX Things have certainly changed from the days when I was a regular fixture on the Storytelling scene. Ah, the memories...
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Post by Kat on Jul 17, 2020 5:41:35 GMT -5
BANANAS HEY I missed ya. My last win before I managed to get a recent one in weeks ago was in the 400s before I vanished for actual years.
The atmosphere was certainly much different back then. And much as I'd like to carve out more time for Storytelling now, I haven't had much luck sending in beginnings and I've been up to my ears editing a chonky NT series I wrote after coming back. Also, it's been a bit difficult for me to get back into the storytelling groove, honestly.
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Post by Bananas on Jul 17, 2020 13:36:16 GMT -5
*waves back* Something about The State of the World does seem to bring people back to old Internet haunts, doesn't it? Fewer, shorter entries does change the game quite a bit; fewer chances to get in, less room to develop characters and plot. But it does probably make it less intimidating for newer writers, requires less of a time investment for entries that don't wind up making it in, and makes it easier to jump in late in the week. Still... I remember having a lot of fun with it years ago. But the only constant is change. (I'm certainly having fun looking back at old competitions.) I'm very, very slowly plunking away at an NT series myself (16k words down, an indeterminate amount to go!); if I can manage to get it finished, edited, and published, I'll finally get that sweet ten-things-in-the-NT avatar! (I've been stuck at nine for so very, very long! XD)
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Post by doctortomoe on Jul 21, 2020 2:12:16 GMT -5
I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things and enter more STCs.
Though I will also admit, I'm sort of drawing a blank on the poetry contest, having done so many of them that I feel like I've run out of ideas for most without going back to old wells.
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Post by Kat on Jul 21, 2020 9:23:47 GMT -5
*waves back* Something about The State of the World does seem to bring people back to old Internet haunts, doesn't it? Fewer, shorter entries does change the game quite a bit; fewer chances to get in, less room to develop characters and plot. But it does probably make it less intimidating for newer writers, requires less of a time investment for entries that don't wind up making it in, and makes it easier to jump in late in the week. Still... I remember having a lot of fun with it years ago. But the only constant is change. (I'm certainly having fun looking back at old competitions.) I'm very, very slowly plunking away at an NT series myself (16k words down, an indeterminate amount to go!); if I can manage to get it finished, edited, and published, I'll finally get that sweet ten-things-in-the-NT avatar! (I've been stuck at nine for so very, very long! XD) I actually came back just before the world went Crazy after I got super nostalgic (and after I got my life together). Yeah, what I noticed was that it was now friendlier to newer writers. It's a bit weird trying to tailor my style to newer storytelling competitions considering a number of my entries were very long. I do get nostalgic about previous competitions too...remember good ol' 400? Good times, good times. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SERIES GO GET THAT NT STAR AVATAR aaaaaa I am not yet done with editing I GOT SLUGGED IN THE FACE WITH MORE STORY IDEAS I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things and enter more STCs. Though I will also admit, I'm sort of drawing a blank on the poetry contest, having done so many of them that I feel like I've run out of ideas for most without going back to old wells. Hopefully more of us means more people to bug me to try and enter when I'm not doing NT stuff. I got to 100 NT publications, I think, long before I could win Poetry or Storytelling, so I'm more, IDK, used to doing NT whatevers. Haven't always had luck with Poetry but I still manage to get in from time to time. I gotta go back to my brand which is "open up IDNQ and write about a random NQII monster" EDIT: Blah. It's 10:43 pm and I do have to sleep in a bit for work, so I'm not very proud of it. But I can't pass up a Meridell storytelling competition. As Jeran and the Draik soldiers walked through the rolling green hills and fields of Meridell, they noticed a marked change in the mood of the citizens. The closer they got to Meri Acres Farm, the more disconcerted and fearful the crowds seemed to be - and for good reason, for a veil of darkness hung over the area where the farms ought to be.
"Could it be magic?" wondered one Draik, keeping a claw on her sword just in case. "Darkness swallowing up farmers and crops..."
"But who would do such a thing?" a second Draik asked.
They plied the passing citizens with these questions, but to no avail. Jeran and his troops received mixed answers - some that confirmed the rumors about the shadowy creatures, others that claimed the whole thing was a ruse cooked up by a disgruntled mage, and still others that ranged from a potential new invasion of Meridell to Jhudora deciding to encroach upon Illusen's territory at last.
That is, until they encountered one particular farmer - a Poogle whose eyes darted this way and that in fright and who clutched his rake as though it would protect him from all danger.
"Do you know anything about what's happening in Meri Acres Farm?" Jeran asked him slowly. "About the vanishing crops, the missing farmers..."
The Poogle looked up at the Lupe knight with a wide, blank stare before responding with a hoarse whisper.
"I do, sir. The farmer shuddered. "All them stories about monsters lurking thereabouts are true. I know, 'cause I managed to escape the darkness..."
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tttxyv
Frequent Visitor
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Post by tttxyv on Jul 28, 2020 21:55:29 GMT -5
Thought I'd get back into things after a LONG break by writing a piece for the second slot this week. Unfortunately not chosen Anyone know if they're choosing shorter pieces now, or if there have been any major changes to the way the STC works? I'm woefully out of the loop lol Seconds later, Peopatra was outside, a length of silk cloth wrapped about her neck as an impromptu scarf. The Peophin had, to this day, never seen snow—much less experienced it firsthand—but she knew that if the flurry got much worse, she’d regret not bundling up when she’d had the chance.
As her eyes adjusted to the harsh desert light, Peopatra felt a sting of cold touch her nose, then her cheek, then the sleeve of her dress. She shivered. Snow in the Lost Desert... but why? How?
The Horus let loose another shrieking call, and as she looked towards the marketplace, Peopatra saw the bird alight atop a cart on the side of the road.
Wasting no time, she hurried towards it, bustling past fellow shopkeepers enraptured by the falling snow. Does no one but me hear the Horus? she thought. Does no one else know how dangerous this situation could be?”
As she neared the cart, Peopatra became increasingly aware that, in fact, even she did not recognize the enormity of the situation before her. For all she knew, the Horus was signaling the end of Neopia—no, the end of the world as she knew it—and the snow was just the opening act...
Peopatra was so occupied in her thoughts that she didn’t see the Eyrie in front of her until she’d right about slammed her nose into the back of his trenchcoat. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered, rubbing the site of impact with a forearm. “I really should be more careful with myself, I don’t know what I was thinking...”
From the corner of her eye, Peopatra saw the Eyrie turn to get a better look at her. His expression, initially dark and unreadable, softened when he saw the makeshift scarf wrapped around the Peophin’s neck.
“Cold out, huh?” He tugged at his own scarf, which looked at least twice as bulky as Peopatra’s: How the Eyrie wasn’t burning up in all his layers was anyone’s guess. “Glad someone came around once they heard Theo’s whining. I thought I’d have to wait a lot longer.”
“I... uh...” Peopatra was dumbfounded. “That’s your Horus?”
With a grin, the Eyrie looked at Theo, who had, in his newfound roost atop the cart, taken to snapping individuals snowflakes out of the sky. “You betcha. Little guy’s flown all the way from Terror Mountain with me to figure out what’s going on here with all this snow.”
“Yeah, about that,” Peopatra said, crossing her arms as the thoughts of Armageddon returned to her. “What’s going on here, exactly?”...
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Post by Kat on Jul 28, 2020 22:07:13 GMT -5
Thought I'd get back into things after a LONG break by writing a piece for the second slot this week. Unfortunately not chosen Anyone know if they're choosing shorter pieces now, or if there have been any major changes to the way the STC works? I'm woefully out of the loop lol Seconds later, Peopatra was outside, a length of silk cloth wrapped about her neck as an impromptu scarf. The Peophin had, to this day, never seen snow—much less experienced it firsthand—but she knew that if the flurry got much worse, she’d regret not bundling up when she’d had the chance.
As her eyes adjusted to the harsh desert light, Peopatra felt a sting of cold touch her nose, then her cheek, then the sleeve of her dress. She shivered. Snow in the Lost Desert... but why? How?
The Horus let loose another shrieking call, and as she looked towards the marketplace, Peopatra saw the bird alight atop a cart on the side of the road.
Wasting no time, she hurried towards it, bustling past fellow shopkeepers enraptured by the falling snow. Does no one but me hear the Horus? she thought. Does no one else know how dangerous this situation could be?”
As she neared the cart, Peopatra became increasingly aware that, in fact, even she did not recognize the enormity of the situation before her. For all she knew, the Horus was signaling the end of Neopia—no, the end of the world as she knew it—and the snow was just the opening act...
Peopatra was so occupied in her thoughts that she didn’t see the Eyrie in front of her until she’d right about slammed her nose into the back of his trenchcoat. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered, rubbing the site of impact with a forearm. “I really should be more careful with myself, I don’t know what I was thinking...”
From the corner of her eye, Peopatra saw the Eyrie turn to get a better look at her. His expression, initially dark and unreadable, softened when he saw the makeshift scarf wrapped around the Peophin’s neck.
“Cold out, huh?” He tugged at his own scarf, which looked at least twice as bulky as Peopatra’s: How the Eyrie wasn’t burning up in all his layers was anyone’s guess. “Glad someone came around once they heard Theo’s whining. I thought I’d have to wait a lot longer.”
“I... uh...” Peopatra was dumbfounded. “That’s your Horus?”
With a grin, the Eyrie looked at Theo, who had, in his newfound roost atop the cart, taken to snapping individuals snowflakes out of the sky. “You betcha. Little guy’s flown all the way from Terror Mountain with me to figure out what’s going on here with all this snow.”
“Yeah, about that,” Peopatra said, crossing her arms as the thoughts of Armageddon returned to her. “What’s going on here, exactly?”...
There's definitely been some changes especially for me, as the last time I was active in the STC was during the 400s. I won once a few months ago but since then I haven't gotten in again or haven't found the inspiration. Each day has one winning entry instead of two so the stories wrap up faster, and I think they've been trying to make the competition more inclusive to newer writers. It's a good intention to be sure, as someone who had difficulty getting into the STC in the past and who had so many failed tries before finally winning, but honestly the quality has gone down with some entries not proofread before being published, or with some entries being REALLY short. It's been difficult for me to readjust after having adjusted years ago to the previous caliber of entries and two entries chosen per week considering I like to write long entries. They don't always choose shorter pieces but there have been more of those chosen. Anyway, I wrote a beginning this week but it wasn't chosen. "There you are."
The Amateur Insider nearly jumped out of her fur at the voice. She whipped around with one paw already in her purse, only to relax when she saw that the voice belonged to a blue Blumaroo in a dapper suit and carrying a fancy walking stick.
The striped Xweetok clutched her heart, her fear evaporating into mild annoyance.
"Don't surprise me like that," she chided the Blumaroo as she pushed him into the nearest dark alley of Neovia.
"I'm sorry, but I have more surprises for you," the Charming Subversive replied smoothly, dusting off his coat. "The Duchess is now expecting those plans on her table by tonight, and you know we cannot be late." They traded a look at the word "late" as though it were a secret code for something...or had a much more sinister meaning. "Those plans are key to our strategy in the upcoming battle for the Obelisk. Do you have them?"
She scowled at him and dug into her purse. "Of course I do!" But when the Amateur Insider had pulled out the sheaf of papers, her face fell.
The Charming Subversive had not missed the change in her expression. His brow furrowed. "What is it?"
His companion held up the papers... With me being strapped for cash, I should really try to get back into the loop of things myself but it's been hard to find the inspiration, also work + my NT projects. (I've always preferred the NT as I had complete control of the story.)
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Post by June Scarlet on Oct 20, 2020 12:39:50 GMT -5
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Post by Parrot on Oct 20, 2020 14:10:09 GMT -5
Wow Storytelling seems to have evolved in a different direction in the years I've been away. One of the first things I did upon logging into my old account was see if i could take a crack at submitting again. Right away i noticed looking at past submissions that they were notably shorter, both in chapter size and in how many chapters occur a week.
Looking through this thread I see I'm not the only one nostalgic for the ten piece epic sagas we used to get into. Was that just a gradual shift over time? I guess being more welcoming to newcomers makes a lot of sense. When I was starting out it felt nigh insurmountable to keep up with the "legends." But in a way that pushed me to try even harder and made it all the more worthwhile.
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Post by Kat on Oct 20, 2020 19:39:58 GMT -5
Congrats, Rabbit! I tried to come up with something last night but I didn't get in, alas. Wow Storytelling seems to have evolved in a different direction in the years I've been away. One of the first things I did upon logging into my old account was see if i could take a crack at submitting again. Right away i noticed looking at past submissions that they were notably shorter, both in chapter size and in how many chapters occur a week. Looking through this thread I see I'm not the only one nostalgic for the ten piece epic sagas we used to get into. Was that just a gradual shift over time? I guess being more welcoming to newcomers makes a lot of sense. When I was starting out it felt nigh insurmountable to keep up with the "legends." But in a way that pushed me to try even harder and made it all the more worthwhile. Yeah, that was my mood when I showed up again. I think one of the factors is that Aesop, the current STC judge, also runs Poetry and the NT so he has less time than the previous STC judge to spare for reading entries. I also think that was an effort to make the STC more inclusive as it was more difficult to break into the competition before. I know that feel, believe me, haha. Once you managed to get in a few times, the real challenge was becoming consistent - unfortunately I couldn't manage that long-term as I eventually left Neopets. But you're right. The fact that the standards were so high was what pushed us to try harder and harder each time. We also think that not all entries are read because of the time Aesop can spare for the STC. And there have been instances where we've written long entries that would've been par for the course for the previous STC standards, but lose out to much shorter entries. Like, my entry was a glowing pond that supposedly shows a glimpse of a different world but is also rumored to harbor a scary monster, then the protagonist looks into it, sees her reflection, and then the reflection opens its mouth to speak. I had a kind of good feeling about it but I didn't win. Meh. It happens.
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