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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Aug 11, 2022 12:30:34 GMT -5
Riel told me I should post my entry for the penultimate STC slot here because it was good. Am kinda bummed it didn't get picked, but oh well. "...and it's neither of them."
All eyes focused on her. Adelaide was at first unnerved by the looks, but quickly regained her composure.
"Adelaide, what do you mean by that?" Ronzo asked.
"Ronzo, don't you remember? The Duchess would never have a meeting like this out in the open. I believe that the one letter I got was correct, but she wouldn't just meet at the front of the Obelisk, especially if there was worry about the Sway being under attack. It's simply too dangerous." A small smile crept across her face. "I would know. I'm the one who organizes her meetings."
"What?" the Left Duchess squawked indignantly.
"Adelaide, I am the real Duchess," Right Duchess said.
"No! Neither of you are! You can't fool me."
Now the real question was where would the real Duchess be?
Before Adelaide could figure out an answer, a barrage of fire came flying towards her and Ronzo from both Duchesses. Ronzo and Adelaide were able to mostly dodge the fiery attack and run away from their pursuers. While running and dodging magical attacks, Adelaide found herself losing Ronzo in the commotion. She hoped to Fyora he would be okay.
After some running, Adelaide managed to lose whatever fake Duchess was chasing her. She leaned against nearby rock and took a few deep breaths in. She needed to think. She needed to find the Duchess, she needed to find Ronzo, she needed to stop Rasala.
As she rested, something perched on her shoulder. She turned to see it was another Crokabek. It nuzzled up against her cheek. Adelaide gently gave the Petpet some scratches on the head.
"I see you were able to tell that both of them were fakes."
Adelaide looked up to see another visage of the Duchess walking towards her- no... It was the real Duchess. Adelaide was sure of that. As the Duchess walked closer, the Crokabek hopped off of Adelaide's shoulder and flew onto the Duchess's.
"Oh Duchess, I am so glad you are okay," Adelaide breathed. She was so relieved to see her, she threw all etiquette to the side and hugged her.
"My dear, I am glad you are okay," she said, as calm and poised as usual. "I am glad you remembered that detail about my meetings."
"After being your secretary for so long, it's hard not to." Adelaide's relief slowly melted away. "Duchess, what are we going to do? Two wizards from the Order are after us. And Ronzo-"
The Duchess held up a wing, indicating her to stop. "It's okay, Adelaide. I have a plan for them. And I'm going to need you."
Adelaide's voice got caught in her throat. "M-me?"
"Yes, dear Adelaide. I know you have seen yourself as a pawn in this chess game of the Sway, but now it's time for you to be a queen..."
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Post by Kat on Aug 13, 2022 0:01:14 GMT -5
I REALLY wanted your entry to get in, Rabbit. It's a good twist.
I'm honestly not entirely satisfied with some of the directions this story took but them's the breaks, as they say.
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Aug 15, 2022 12:08:04 GMT -5
New STC, new entry from me. ..."Hannah! I knew I'd find you here!"
Hannah's eyes widened as a familiar Bori crested the hill. He was young, younger than her, but much older since the last time the two had seen each other. The Bori heavily dressed, as if he didn't expect the weather in Shenkuu to be so mild. On his belt was a slingshot and a pouch of what appeared to be pebbles.
"Armin!" Hannah cried. She ran up to the young Bori and hugged him close. "It's been so long!"
"I know and I'm sorry for not writing more often," Armin said. "I know you travel and I never know where to send the letters."
"No no no, don't worry about that." Hannah stood up. "What are you doing here? Terror Mountain is so far away."
"I knew when the stars began to disappear, you'd try to figure out what was going on. The observatory seemed like the first place you'd go."
Hannah and Armin looked up at the sky. They always expected the night sky up on the mountains of Shenkuu to be breathtaking. Now the sky was dim and ominous. The missing stars were made even more apparent by the sliver of a crescent moon, disappearing into a new moon.
"You still haven't lost that intuition of yours," Hannah chuckled nervously. She looked back down at Armin. "Armin, I'll be fine. You know I can handle pretty much anything."
"I know you can." Armin flexed what little muscles he had. "I'm here to help!"
Hannah smiled. Even after all these years, he still had an adventurous personality. She promised him many years ago that when he was older, she'd take him under her wing and teach him how to be a proper adventurer.
"Thank you, Armin. I'm sure I can use the help." The Usul ran her fingers through her hair. "In all honesty, I don't even know where to start."
Armin's ears flattened against his head and his face grew tense. "...I do. And that's also a reason why I came to find you."
Now Hannah grew uneasy. "What is it?"
"These stars disappearing. I've heard about this before." Armin took in a deep breath. "This is the work of the Bringer of the Night..."
---
Part of me feels like at least a couple entries would involve Kanrik because OTP, but I love Armin and thought he'd be cute to add in.
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Post by Kat on Aug 17, 2022 6:29:20 GMT -5
Eyyyy we had the same idea, Rabbit! Armin > Kanrik, do not change my mind. "Hannah!"
"Armin?" Despite the dire predicament before her, she couldn't help but break into a smile at the sound of her old friend's voice. "What are you doing here? Wait, does this mean you already know - "
The Bori nodded. "Yes. The Keeper of Time has noticed the stars disappearing too, one by one. He sent me to find the Wise Gnorbu to find out more."
Hannah deflated. "Three hundred stars have disappeared since last week. He asked me to solve this mystery, and we have only four nights until the last star vanishes." She took a deep breath. "But I told him I'll come back in three."
"Are you sure you can solve it in three nights?" said Armin, scratching his ear. "If both the Wise Gnorbu and the Keeper can't..."
"We can," the Usul answered, placing her hands on his slender shoulders and stiffening her resolve. "We'll work together, just like old times. What did the Keeper tell you?"
Armin furrowed his brow and dug through his pack for several sheets of paper that turned out to be star maps. Many stars were already marked from the charts, and lines were drawn connecting the unmarked stars - presumably the ones still twinkling in the sky.
"He said that maybe there is a clue in the order the stars disappear. We can't see it yet, but..." The Bori gazed upward, squinting. Two more stars had already begun to flicker. "Ah, Hannah, mark those stars on the charts!"
"Got it!" Hannah reached into Armin's pack and pulled out a pencil which she used to encircle the corresponding stars on the map. "I hope I got them right..." Her voice trailed off as she scrutinized the pattern created by the remaining stars.
Armin glanced at her. "Hannah? What's wrong? What did you - " He gasped when he looked at the chart she was holding, because the stars that continued to shine in the sky formed a... I feel like I'm all storytelling'd out after the last one but we'll see if I'll take a stab at it again.
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Post by RielCZ on Aug 25, 2022 21:37:45 GMT -5
I finally got a chance to catch up on the current story. Congrats Kat , magicalkitties3 , and especially Stephanie (swordlilly) on the penultimate slot! I feel freaking ill right now but I have an ending idea. Actually, I have 2. But the second one involves Kanrik getting a redemption arc and I am not going to make my entry twice as long just to accommodate that son of a should've-been-Armin. Clearly Kanrik must succumb to the peril of the stars.
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Post by Kat on Aug 26, 2022 7:04:30 GMT -5
I finally got a chance to catch up on the current story. Congrats Kat , magicalkitties3 , and especially Stephanie (swordlilly) on the penultimate slot! I feel freaking ill right now but I have an ending idea. Actually, I have 2. But the second one involves Kanrik getting a redemption arc and I am not going to make my entry twice as long just to accommodate that son of a should've-been-Armin. Clearly Kanrik must succumb to the peril of the stars. IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ARMIN!!! I say let him. I never even shipped Kanrik and Hannah anyway. Honestly I'm more interested in an ending that plays right into how Stephanie leaned into Kanrik's not-very-honorable side.
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Post by RielCZ on Aug 26, 2022 12:40:16 GMT -5
Well, despite taking it a completely different direction from mine, the ending that won was really quite good. Congrats safyrra! Here was mine: ...Kanrik paused as he noticed Hannah's charging tail.
She was getting agitated. He could use that to his advantage.
"I will be honest, my dear mate," he started as he spun to face her more squarely. "On a recent expedition to the Neopian Plaza, right under an old bed that hadn't been slept on in eons, Sabatha of the Thieves' Guild unearthed an old chest containing a scroll. The one I casually placed at the entrance to the Faerie Caves before we went back there. THAT scroll, right there." He pointed to the parchment carefully gripped by the Usul's fast-clenching paws. "It was shortly thereafter that the stars started to fall from the sky, with increasing rapidity... Stars, just ripe for the taking, if only I could find where they were. Stars worth Fyora knows how much."
Hannah scowled and took a step backward. "So you were never on my side, the whole time."
Kanrik grinned slowly as he stepped forward. "I wouldn't say that, sweetie," he continued, exhibiting the charisma of a certain Ixi thief who left Kanrik's employ more than a decade ago. "You wanted to find the stars. I did too. That makes us on the same side, does it not?" Before she could refute his statement, he continued. "As leader, the scroll was brought to me, of course... I tried my best to decipher it, but couldn't get past the first riddle: 'Though the stars fall / An adventurer they shall call.' At least, I knew I couldn't get past it by myself. That's when I called on you. When I planted the seed for the Gnorbu to call on you, first."
"This whole time, you were in it for profit. Not for the good of Neopia." She was almost in tears. Almost.
"Come now Hannah," the Gelert cooed with a dismissive wave of his paw. "I would have split the profit with you. 60%-40% in your favour! You know, a nice finders fee. And who do you think is going to miss those stars in the sky? We have technology now, no one navigates by them these days. The part of the Altador plot that requires stargazing doesn't even work anymore. Living beneath an ink black sky never hurt the Krikkiters." He stretched out his paw. "Join me, wee one. And let's literally take back the night!"
The Usul swallowed the bit of hope she had been holding... hope for the Neopian she had once called her soulmate. "You're a monster, Kanrik." She frowned. "Did you even once stop to think about the stars' natural beauty? Of each love song and poem written during a starry night? Or all the times Neopians have gazed upward and pondered their place in the universe, in reality, and what more there could be... out there?" She took two confrontational strides forward. "You haven't changed, not at all," she spat.
"And it's such a shame you did," Kanrik replied with a staccato tsking. "Where's the boldest barmaid I know? The fearless lass who would brave the nastiest pirate, ice, or even space caves just to bring home a treasure haul worth the world itself? Where's the woman I fell for on Terror Mountain?"
With those words, Hannah tossed down the scroll and rushed up on him. "She's right here!" she yelled, followed by a variety of colourful expletives.
Kanrik was expecting this -- she was a cannon just waiting to burst since her earlier inquiry -- and he easily dodged her attack. This went on a few more times, and Kanrik continued to outmaneuver her.
Hannah realized she was out of shape, and the two were well matched... Panting, she noticed the scroll on the ground was glowing. She ran up to it, grabbed it, and gripped it tight.
And then she heard distant words echo through her head.
Beware, adventurer, the thief of the stars, But he will never escape far. And when with him you're seal'd in spar, Simply call on the pow'r of the stars.
Mustering her strength, the Usul ran to Kanrik and called on the stars. Immediately, the shimmering golden heap flared into a spiral and started circling the Gelert. He screamed as he was engulfed in the mass of shine, almost as bright as the sun.
Hannah turned away. She had to shield her eyes, look away, anything... And then just like that, the whirling twinkles died down.
Gingerly, she opened her eyes. The stars were falling -- no, dancing -- about the room. About the moonlight, pouring in through a plate-sized hole in the ceiling.
And where Kanrik had been standing, a Wand of Nova now floated in its place. With simultaneously growing trepidation and clarity, Hannah walked over to and took the wand in her paws.
But the thief will never escape far. Betrayal will cause everlasting scars, Though the adventurer's soul has too been toss'd; Back are the stars, will she find what she's lost?
She hoisted the wand high in the air, and the glittering stars started to ascend.
***
Hannah waited outside the astronomer's door at the third night. Sure, the stars had returned a night ago already, but she was nothing if not true to her word.
Except...
She really didn't feel like opening up to the Gnorbu. He would undoubtedly ask how she did it, what she did to save the stars.
And she wasn't ready to talk about that. Especially not with him.
She was still processing the events that took place in that cave... trying not to think of... Him.
Yes, she said she would be back in 3 days, and that much was true. She didn't say she would actually stop in for a visit. With a pensive swallow, she turned away from the entrance to the Observatory.
Just a moment before her conviction had a chance to strengthen, a familiar voice stopped her on her toes.
"Hey Hannah," Armin started, an elated smile plastered over his little face -- though somewhat less little than last she saw him. "Are you heading in? The Gnorbu has this whole surprise party planned for you, and--" He hurriedly put his paws over his muzzle. "And you didn't hear that from me!"
The Usul cracked a quick smile. "Actually... Armin, let's say you and I get away from the party for a little bit. Just you and me, old pals." She started to walk away from the observatory.
"What party?" childishly inquired the Bori as he followed her.
"Exactly."
In a comfortable silence, the two crossed through the Shenkuuvian streets, bathed under the light of a sea of stars.
THE END "The Krikkiters" is a blatant reference to Book 3 of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy. Them not having any stars actually did go OK for them... until it very much didn't and the galaxy was brought into a major war heh. On an unrelated note, trying to write an ending whilst being really quite ill (the virus going around >_>) made me realize I think I want a break from the contest for a little bit (though maybe I'll toss in a beginning here or there). At least until October and Halloween shenanigans.
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Post by Stephanie (swordlilly) on Aug 26, 2022 22:28:01 GMT -5
Thank you! It’s the first time I’ve won in months :0 I was quite surprised (and grateful!) to finally be included again.
I liked the idea of evil Kanrik xDD The one that won is good too, though. Congrats to safyrra!
I hope you feel better soon, Riel. Get lots of water and rest
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Post by Kat on Aug 27, 2022 0:38:33 GMT -5
Get well soon, Riel! I can confirm that writing a storytelling entry while not feeling good is usually not a good idea - but apparently staying up way past my bedtime still works. This one could've had two endings but that's just me. Super liked your ending though, Riel - ARMIN IS IN IT. GOOD. Safyrra seems to be a first-timer, though, so even better!
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Post by RielCZ on Sept 23, 2022 18:44:15 GMT -5
Congrats on the ending and your first win, Gelquie ! I still haven't really followed the last 2 STCs and I probably won't follow the next one, but I do have to say that drafting my thesis has made me realize I need to list the STC in my Acknowledgements for teaching me how to tie a bunch of disparate points into something actually cohesive.
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Post by Gelquie on Sept 23, 2022 19:02:00 GMT -5
Thanks, Riel! This is exciting; my first attempt in recent days and my first win! I'd been following the past two for a while, but I didn't have any ideas for a new entry until that round. Some commentary on my entry. I think if I were to edit this one more time, I'd have the principal give more resources to Nadaba; I just had trouble thinking of what could be available. But this morning I realized that he could direct her to the adventurer's guild if she's ever in a bind and needs to contact someone right away, and also give her direction if she needs it. Maybe she wouldn't do it right away but I think she'd fit right in to that. Still, I definitely didn't want to leave her in a lurch if her idea didn't work out, so I really wanted him to make some sort of offer and leave a door open. Maybe he'll follow up with her a few times, or catch her before she leaves to offer those.
Also, I did do one edit run-through (in part to reduce the word count), and I did find a "Nabada" (my original read of her name) at the last minute that I changed to "Nadaba" and went "phew, changed before submission! I'm glad I gave this an edit run and now there are no typos whatsoever. =D " ...And then this morning I find an incomplete thought in the middle of a sentence. And it was in the document file I saved to post here if I didn't make it in, so I know it was me. xP
My editor brain from my thesis-writing days may have never turned off. xD Still, first win! Hooray! ...Also. I was a good dutiful student through school and I have a Master's degree; how do I keep writing drop-outs lately? xD Also, yes, STC is very good at training one to weave the points together. ^^
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Post by RielCZ on Oct 5, 2022 15:40:05 GMT -5
Interestingly, I also went with AAA, and so it didn't take much to revise and resubmit my entry for the previous slot. Having been rejected twice though (and not accepted on a day when the STC was skipped), I don't think I'll revise and resubmit again. Clearly my attempts at intergenerational humour failed heh. ...The trip was considerably longer than he expected, eventually requiring him to take the ferry to Roo Island. But Nigel was smart, he was savvy... he could ask for directions when he needed to, and even acquired a somewhat updated paper map of the Roo Island region along the way.
By midday, he had found himself outside the Arcade -- colloquially known as the Games Room. He mustered his courage and, with a brief shudder -- for this was clearly outside his element -- he swung open the glass doors to the building.
Nigel gaped at what he saw. Rows upon rows of terminals with screens and buttons... crazy machines that Nigel couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams. And all but 14 had been turned off.
"Excuse me," the Skeith asked a little girl playing a game called "Destruct-O-Match III"; he tried not to show his disapproval that neither versions I nor II of the game seemed to be present, which to him was bad bookkeeping. "Do you know where Ari-- er, Triple A is?"
The Techo stuck her tongue out at him and ran off... but not before quitting her game and taking out a fistful of Neopoints.
Neopoints?
The bank manager sniffed the air... he could smell the money in it. He was greatly intrigued. Playing that game... it just gave her money..?
"Can I help you?" came a voice behind him. "I'm Abigail. I think you asked about my brother?"
Nigel turned around and came face to face with a blue Aisha. She was maybe a little older than Trudy... Other Nigel was right, they were just kids.
"Yes!" Nigel replied with a grin. "I'm looking to have an app developed, and Triple A was referred to me as the 'best in the business.'"
Abigail grinned. "You've got that right, Triple A Game Studioz is without a doubt the biggest player in the game production and gamified app dev market!" She handed the Skeith a business card. "I'm his secretary. His office is downstairs."
Nigel frowned as he put the card in his pocket. "I thought he lived and worked in your parent's baseme-- er, 'base of operations'?"
The Aisha suppressed a groan and folded her arms. "Yeah, we're Millennials, we've both got student debt, and the economy is trash." She refrained from adding "no thanks to you." "But between work from home and the Games Room being largely abandoned, we just got the basement of this place as a corporate HQ for a steal. Triple A thought the investment was a worthwhile one to grow the business."
The Skeith nodded approvingly and unremorsefully. "When can I meet him?"
The Aisha checked her smartphone. A few seconds later, she replied, "He says he's ready to see you now." She smiled.
Abigail led Nigel downstairs.
***
"Hey there bank fam," Trudy started to the National Neopian's Neopian Central Branch's five employees. They were a little more... "mature" than she was, but she knew she could win them over. "I've called this weekly meeting to, first things first, introduce myself. I'm Ms. Trudy, your new manager." She shook their hands. "But to me that title just feels formal and stuffy, so you can just call me Trudy. Or maybe, 'Funager'. Or 'Bank Slayer'?"
She grinned and flossed. Her actions were met with silence. Her grin fell and she slowly stopped vibing.
"Wait," started one of the tellers, "Did you say this was weekly? I don't think I want to meet every week."
"That's not very Neocash-money of you, Maurice. A weekly sync like we're having now will help get our energies aligned, you feel me? And these meetings won't last long."
There were some grumbles. Afraid of losing her crowd already, she brought up some of the new benefits she devised. "Y'all've heard about Taco Tuesdays, right? Well..." She spread her arms with feigned confidence. "I bet you haven't heard of Taco Hump Days! A great mid-week pick-me-up!" She pulled at her collar. "With gluten-free shells, of course."
Mrs. Mary, the chief loan/mortgage specialist, raised a hand. "Yes?!" Trudy exclaimed. Had her efforts at being dietarily-inclusive pierced the cold hearts of the National Neopian's Neopian Central Branch's financial incumbents?
"...Is Hump Day a bank holiday?" the Skeith asked, unconvinced. "Because if it is, I'd just prefer time and a half to tacos." She looked pensive a moment, then added, "Besides, I'm on a non-carb diet, so I'm not sure about that food aspect..."
"Well, how about Casual Fridays?" Trudy tried, struggling not to pull her fur in exasperation. "I bet you're looking forward to shedding those Mynci suits, am I right?" She gently nudged Maurice's ribs.
Now the security guard raised a concern. "If we're dressed like regular customers, how will anyone know who to get money from... or, in my case, who to fear?" They shook their head. "It's just unfathomable. Dare I say... unprofessional."
Trudy frowned and realized that attempting to liven the work environment might be harder than she anticipated. "Well don't worry about those for now, fam, we'll smooth out the choppy waves as we surf over them!" There was no response from her "fam". "Er, let's just adjourn the weekly sync for... this week." She grinned anxiously and prepared to fist-bump the Neopet who did janitorial and maintenance duties.
The Shoyru scoffed and flew a step back. "Are you trying to punch me?"
Trudy gaped and flung her hooves into the air apologetically. "Oh no no! I would never hit you, that's harassment!"
The other teller snickered. "In my day that was just called 'workplace discipline'."
The Ixi frowned with greater resolve. "OK fam, meeting actually adjourned." She turned on the heels of her ankle-high boots and strode back to her office, trying not to let any sense of dejection show.
***
"So Ari-- er, Triple A... tell me what it is you do here at Triple A Game Studioz," Nigel the bank manager inquired to the Blumaroo opposite him. The atmosphere reeked somewhere between man cave and technological bomb bunker (after the bomb went off), which generally displeased the Skeith -- this was the complete opposite of his tidy bank branch. No... Trudy's tidy bank branch. He grimaced.
He was trying to keep an open mind, and knew he had to have an "app" before he could continue his entrepreneurial journey and grow his company... but hiring a Millennial seemed almost worse than just working for a Gen Z'er.
"I specialize in overseeing the design and publishing of video games," replied AAA. "But I also lead a bustling app dev group that focuses, of course, on retention and community growth via gamification."
Games. Nigel thought back to that Techo girl's Neopoints from earlier.
"So you'd be designing some sort of game application?" the Skeith inquired skeptically, but with growing curiosity.
AAA smiled. "Both me and my cousin, Lulu, yes. She's the front-end girl." The Blumaroo grinned and shook his head bemusedly. "Ah, Lulu... Who would've thought that raging ADHD makes a great UX designer?"
Nigel, ignorant of the terminology but nevertheless believing this to be some sort of joke, forced a slight chuckle.
"Anyway, what sort of application did you want to build?" AAA asked as he sat back in his oversized, overtly-angled chair.
"I just want to grow a company that can save Neopets money through some digital means," he said genuinely, a sparkle in his eye.
"Ah, Fintech? Great, that's totally doable." The Blumaroo grinned.
Fintech? The Skeith blinked. "I want an app or game or whatever that can help make Neopets richer," he reiterated.
"Right," AAA continued, his face neutral. "As I said, that's great."
Nigel sensed he may have performed some misstep. "Ari-- Triple A, between my own money and an investor," he assured almost pleadingly, "I have the Neopoints to pay for the development and buy out the IP. Don't worry about a thing."
AAA chuckled. "Very good. I like a Neopet who knows what they want -- and have the funds to do it." He paused. "Anyway, Nigel, how about we arrange a brainstorming session between you, Lulu, and myself and hash out just what you desire your app to look like and do?"
With growing confidence in this venture, the bank manager replied, "Yes, of course. When can we start?"... However, considering the current story ends in 2 entries, and now Nigel has to fulfill a quest from Abigail, chat with AAA and get the app developed, grow his company and sell the app (?), and try to get his job back... and it would be nice if some of Trudy's experiences were described... Yeah, good luck to whomever tries wrapping this up. (Admittedly, I think the current STC judge needs to work on pacing heh.)
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Post by June Scarlet on Oct 5, 2022 21:17:21 GMT -5
I read your storytelling bit with no context, RielCZ. And I'm pretty much like, "What kind of story did I walk into?" It's pretty wild, but I found your bit of it entertaining, even though it didn't make the cut. I'll have to catch up with the story in the morning.
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Post by RielCZ on Oct 7, 2022 3:02:20 GMT -5
June Scarlet , your comments were very encouraging and you prompted me to try and figure out a new angle for a revise and resubmit. And as tttxyv said -- third time's the charm! This really is a wild story. 2 entries were skipped, and my penultimate slot had to be massive to ready the story for its climax, but I'm quite happy with how this story has progressed... More or less on par with what I envisaged from my winning second slot: a tech-driven intergenerational romp paralleling the real world. Good luck to whomever attempts an ending!
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Post by Kat on Oct 11, 2022 10:26:32 GMT -5
It looks like I have to adjust my storytelling schedule. A new entry just went up as soon as I submitted mine for the second slot. So, if anyone wants to see what I had come up with late at night: As a young faerie, Illusen did not have the same appreciation for all seasons that she did now. Spring brought with it the thrill of new blooms and burgeoning greenery. Summer was warm and lovely - but it meant autumn lurked just around the corner, when the leaves would change color and the flowers wilt. How could she enjoy the bountiful harvest knowing that the cold would arrive and eventually rob nature of its splendor?
But she always had the powers of earth by her side, and she used them to great effect.
"Spring, spring, gentle and green, Bring me the prettiest trees you've ever seen! Let the flowers bloom near and far, As numerous as the twinkling stars!"
One autumn day, many years ago when Illusen had just settled into Meridell, she spoke her magic words and willed her new home to remain green and bountiful, even as everywhere else, the leaves had begun to turn yellow, red, orange and brown. Why did the seasons have to change, the leaves have to fall, the sun have to wane?
What was the point of her being an earth faerie when she could not even preserve her own little world?
Time seemed to stop in Illusen's Glade in those days. Anyone stepping into her abode would feel the cool spring breeze, smell the flowers, see the green grass and trees. She gave out her quests and felt her spirit lift whenever she saw a Neopet's face light up as they entered her home, saw them take off their coats and marvel at how she had created a bubble of spring - or early summer, should she prefer - even as the seasons chased each other ever so quickly.
And so it went. Illusen's Glade was somehow warm and sunny all year round.
But the warmth and the greenery came at a price.
As Neopets filed in and out of her glade for quests - or simply to seek advice, which she was unsure she could give at this time - Illusen noticed that the Neopets were more warmly dressed as they arrived. Simple coats became fur-lined coats. Hats and scarves started becoming common - and the wind blowing into her glade seemed colder than before.
Then one Eyrie, who seemed too bundled up for an autumn day, swooped into her glade with some foreboding news.
"Miss Illusen!" she cried. "Miss Illusen, something is happening!"
Something was always happening, somewhere in Neopia, the earth faerie thought, but she kept that to herself. She recognized the Eyrie who had come to see her, and...what was that bit of white on the Eyrie's shoulder, which melted away when brushed off?
"Kharan? What is it?"
Kharan promptly shed her furs and her jacket once she was well and truly inside, breathing in and sighing.
"You have to do something," Kharan pleaded. "It was only supposed to be autumn, but winter has already come..."
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