|
|
Post by barnowl42 on Jun 22, 2023 21:02:05 GMT -5
RielCZ -- I just wanted to say that I cracked up at the Techo Fanatic going AAAAAAAAAAAA in delight when he found his mansion/museum full of Yooyus. Great moment!
|
|
|
|
Post by Gelquie on Jun 27, 2023 2:44:44 GMT -5
So last week's story concluded today. Congrats to the winner of the last entry! (And the winner of the current starter.) (Spoilers for last week's last entry) Heh, I like the 'shipping implications at the end. xD I mean, I know the intent was to ultimately 'ship Ace and Flame together, but honestly, I was 100% for the Ace-Hyde dynamic. My take was to make Ace sort of the Jekyll who's dealing with his own feelings that Hyde brings out. Not necessarily in a romantic or ex way, but hey, not complaining. So I feel the last entry sort of touched on that, and it was a nice feeling.
Anyway, it was an interesting twist on how the teams were taken hostage for better concessions. Shelly's 100% right, lol. Same with the Dargian Yooyu; I really wanted them to come into play as at least one of the culprits, and I was not disappointed! RIP the Darigan Yooyu ultimately not really getting anything new, though. I'm not fussed about not getting in last week because, well, for one, it's to be expected because it's the nature of the contest. xD But for another, I had already won earlier that week and only wrote an entry because there seemed to be trouble finding a last entry. Still, I wanted to post mine. Archibald answered the phone and listened intently. The Yooyus watched and waited in tense silence. Their only hint to what was happening came from the gradually furrowing, serious expression from Archibald.
"I see... okay. Okay. Yes, I could help. Let me think and call you back." Archibald hung up the phone and turned to the Yooyus.
"The REFRESHMENTS and SLUSHIES were SABOTAGED!!" Archibald shouted.
The Yooyus were taken aback.
“They don’t know who did it, but it looked like a short yooyuball game at the Slushie Sling. The machines are battered beyond repair!”
Ace's eyes immediately turned towards Hyde.
Hyde scoffed. "That wouldn't help me, y'know. If I want to steal a slushie, I'd steal a slushie. Not the entire stock. Besides, it's more fun to prank the audience when they have that slushie," he added with a smirk.
“I agree,” Flame said. "I think if it were Hyde, he'd have admitted to it by now."
"I would," Hyde grinned.
Ace sighed. "That's true…”
The yooyus took turns looking at each other, reading their expressions and searching for micro-expressions. But all of them shook their heads with blank looks. Either none of them were culpable, or one of them was a very good liar.
Archibald seemed to read the suspicion among them. “You think it’s a Yooyu? It really doesn’t seem like one of you, though.”
Ace pondered. “But wait… would just losing the slushies stop the game?”
Cuckoo turned to Archibald and signed: "Slushies. Not more?"
"Just the slushies?" Archibald asked, to which Cuckoo nodded. "No, all the refreshments are stolen! It's not just for the audience, there's not enough food and water to replenish the teams after plays! And it happened too soon for anyone to get replacements! So the teams are striking, saying they won't play till they’re accommodated!"
"That's awful!" Sheryl exclaimed. "No food or water and no slushies! Slushies at least are the backbone of Yooyuball!"
"Priorities, Sheryl," Frostflake chided gently. "Could it really be just a Yooyu doing all of that?"
"And which Yooyu, for that matter?" Sheryl asked aloud.
"I've been meaning to ask," Archibald said. "Where’s the Darigan Yooyu?"
The Yooyus turned to each other. They knew he was talking about Damien. He was unpopular with the team and with other Yooyus, He had disappeared some time ago, and quite frankly, all were content with his absence, even Hyde.
"Gone, week past," Cuckoo signed.
"It sounds like him," Ace concluded. "Hyde pulls pranks and scares others for fun. But Damien..."
"Damien has his moments," Hyde started. "...But generally, he only cares for destruction. There's no plan, no fun, just anything that’d hurt others.”
"That's rich coming from you," Ace muttered.
"Unlike what you think, I do have nuance, and I don't go that far. That you broke that guard’s leg during our play was not my fault or intent!"
"You said you wouldn't mention it... A-and I only went that fast because you spurred me on!" Ace glowered at Hyde, but he felt the stares upon him.
"That's why they reinforced the cage..." Flame muttered, utterly disappointed.
"I wasn't going to, but I'm tired of being your scapegoat," Hyde snapped. "I told you to disturb them, not slam into them full speed! That injury was your mistake, not mine. You like responsibility so much, then take it."
Ace stiffened. "I…... I-I-I'll think on that later. Okay? I'm… I, I’m... sorry." Ace said forcefully as he pointedly turned away. "It was still Damien who stopped the games! Alone or not, I don’t know!"
Cuckoo signed to Archibald: "Maybe Darigan Yooyu?"
"You think so?” Archibald thought aloud. “...That might be it! To hit so many spots in the short time it took Cheryl Shelly to return, that could be possible from the Darigan Yooyu! But could they really steal all the supplies..."
"Maybe they aren't stolen, but destroyed," Flame postulated. She made a vague gesture to the destroyed artifacts around the mansion. "I mean, we did this much in so little, maybe he could with time..."
"That would be in character for him," Hyde agreed. "Damien works alone. Unless he thinks it's a good idea."
Cuckoo signed "Maybe not stolen, broken?"
"Maybe, maybe!!" Archibald was getting worked up now. "Maybe even both! They’re still missing and they have to eat too!" He picked up the phone. "I'll let them know. They're probably looking for them already, and they'd know where they'd hide!"
"But the games..." Ace said, sounding quieter.
"But no games?" Cuckoo signed.
"Don’t worry," Archibald assured. "I have a plan!"
***
With the work of Archibald, his inside contacts, and the rest of the Yooyus, they got to work. By noon of the next day, the fruits of their labor had paid off.
"Archibald, how did you get all this so quickly?!" exclaimed an ecstatic Wocky organizer as workers began moving boxes into the Colosseum.
"Cheryl and I are good friends with the suppliers, and I can afford it," Archibald beamed. "As soon as they learned the situation, we helped them gather all they needed for today's games! And we'll continue each day until your suppliers are ready!"
"But not just that; you even supplied slushie machines!"
"Very old models, but they still work! Well, one of them got bumped a bit, but it still works fine," Archibald said with a knowing smile. "Consider them a donation until you get new machines."
"We can't thank you enough!! But what about the culprits? How are you going to make sure they don't break anything again?"
"Oh, don't worry. I have a team who figured that out too..."
***
“My own cage, really?” Damien asked from a corner of the cage, secured by makeshift netting. “It’s not like it’ll hold me.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Hyde said as he tapped the sides with his tentacle. “Harder than it looks.”
“It was clever to change hiding spots as you did,” Sheryl sang as she flitted to and fro before Damien. “But around the Colosseum? Really?”
“Nothing else to sabotage outside,” Damien said with a sinister smile.
“Why though?” Flame demanded. “You’d have been cut out of the games too!”
“They cut me out anyway!” Damien yelled. “With the teams giving up on play or throwing me in their own net rather than chasing my fun. So I decided they should suffer a bit.”
“Your ‘fun’ isn’t fun for them, and just drawn out,” Cuckoo chastised. “Even Hyde is more predictable.”
“Now don’t insult me,” Hyde teased.
“I think you just like seeing their faces of frustration,” Ace said tepidly. “When you couldn’t see that, you decided to see it in another way.”
Damien laughed. “I mean, think about it, it is funny! All that work, and then squashed to nothing! Well, until you came along.”
“How it is funny?” Frostflake asked.
“No, that’s the wrong question,” Hyde said. “The real question is, isn’t their behavior with you proof of their frustration?”
“Well, yes, but if I don’t see it-”
“Because they lost hope,” Ace said slowly. “You killed it. Isn’t that enough?”
Damien blinked. Then he laughed, a touch too long and loud.
“Well, that’s something! Hm. I hadn’t considered that. Not just frustration and anger, but that emptiness. Well Ace! I hadn’t considered that. Next time I play, maybe I’ll look out for that…” Damien’s face was frozen in a sinister smirk.
“...Was this a good result?” Sheryl asked.
“Good enough to keep this from happening again,” Cuckoo pointed out.
“Look,” Ace sighed. “There’s still the rest of us; it’s not all him. And if he does do something bad… I’ll keep tabs on him myself. I started this, so I need to make sure it’ll all okay.”
Flame blinked, and then smiled at Ace. “...Well, it won’t be alone. You’ll have the rest of us.”
Hyde clapped a tentacle on Ace’s shoulder. “And it won’t just be responsibility. You can still have fun while taking it, right?”
Ace turned, and found himself with a smile, before taking Hyde’s tentacle off of his shoulder. “Right.”
The team was soaking in the spirit between them when they heard a voice announce “Teams are in position! Round 1!”.
They all looked at the switchboard above indicating which Yooyu would ascend.
“I guess I’m up,” Ace approached the platform. “Hey, if you see the Grarrl or Lenny guards before I come back… Can you delay them? So I can apologize?”
“Not like they can understand you,” Hyde said with a laugh. “But sure.”
“Yeah… we can.” Flame smiled warmly, and Ace felt the warmth in his heart too.
“Thanks,” Ace smiled. And with that, he stepped onto the platform and ascended. The gears cranked as he rose up. He saw the sunlight seeping in through the opening, heard the palpable cheers from above, and as he drew close, heard the huffs of the teams ready for their first play of the season.
And he was ready to join them and shine. |
|
|
|
Post by RielCZ on Jun 30, 2023 17:18:11 GMT -5
Late but thanks barnowl42! Honestly, I'd been resubmitting some variant of that entry for going on 4 days ('cause the plot moved relatively slowly heh) but I'm glad I was able to get the Yooyus making a mess of Archibald's home and Archibald being excited as all get out for't.  It was interesting to me how more and more Yooyus were brought in beyond the original core 4 envisaged by Rabbit ♠ and myself. I'm happy they were, though! I liked your ending Gelquie! And I liked the ending that was posted. I was hoping someone would bring in the Darigan Yooyu! And the shipping is the icing on the story heh. And congrats Kat and the other winners for this current contest! Honestly, the beginning didn't inspire me enough to try early on, but I'll definitely have to catch myself up on the story and put in something next week. Also alsoGlad to see it back at 2x. Even though I won't try to win every week or anything, it means I can avoid the situation where I intentionally hold off writing until the ending and then end up not winning at all for a contest. |
|
|
|
Post by Stella on Jul 25, 2023 11:52:07 GMT -5
I don't think I made enough of an impression on here for anyone to realise I was gone, haha. But I'm back! I tried writing an ending for the last story (didn't finish ), submitted a starter for this week (wasn't picked), and... wrote a second part for this week and it was accepted! Yay! Third time's the charm, eh?
Inspired by Landelbrot giving me the W O R S T REs ever. |
|
|
|
Post by Stephanie (swordlilly) on Jul 26, 2023 18:56:50 GMT -5
Congrats on winning the second spot, Stella! This was my entry for the third spot "No, I'm afraid we can't do that," Eris said, before the Professor could continue. "It goes against standard protocol. We have a task list we're supposed to follow here, and..."
"...but that's EXACTLY the problem!" Landelbrot's mike crackled with the volume. "There is too much order in the universe. You need to do something NOT on your task list."
Eris could feel the headache beginning to throb in her helmet. She sighed. "Normally, when a disruption occurs in this restricted commercial space, we don't even give any attention to the intruder. We report the disruption and go back to work immediately. I am already showing you a lot of courtesy by bothering to talk to you. How about this. You wait here. I will schedule you a meeting with our supervisor where you can talk about your... plan to mine alternate ore."
"No, no, you don't understand!" The Professor waved frantically. "If we don't restore enough chaos to the universe, it will stop working! Everything is BUILT on chaos. This rock seems solid, yeah? But at the smallest scales, particles can be observed behaving like probability waves. The FUNDAMENTAL NATURE of the universe is such that it's all a vibrating, messy, chaotic..."
Click. Eris used her admin privileges to block out the disruption on their comms link. Turning to her Robot Lenny partner, she said, "Initiate Protocol #47300, please. You know what to do."
"Certainly, Employee #131699, er, Eris," Makemake agreed. Moving steadily on the asteroid's surface with his long, steely legs, he began emitting a lime-green fluid from the pack he carried, encircling the Professor's spacecraft.
Eris went back to their mining base. They were already behind schedule.
The Professor gawked at them. Seeming to mutter to himself, he retreated into his spacecraft. A few moments later, another flare began to materialize on the horizon.
Eris didn't see it. In her helmet, she'd already put on a calming Jazzmosis tune.
"I'm soooo dizzy, don't knooowww what hit me,
but I'll be alright...
A star's flyin' towaaaarrrd me
but I'm feelin' fine.
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind..." The last bit is a parody of John Legend's "All of Me." |
|
|
|
Post by Stella on Jul 27, 2023 7:50:04 GMT -5
Congrats on winning the second spot, Stella! This was my entry for the third spot "No, I'm afraid we can't do that," Eris said, before the Professor could continue. "It goes against standard protocol. We have a task list we're supposed to follow here, and..."
"...but that's EXACTLY the problem!" Landelbrot's mike crackled with the volume. "There is too much order in the universe. You need to do something NOT on your task list."
Eris could feel the headache beginning to throb in her helmet. She sighed. "Normally, when a disruption occurs in this restricted commercial space, we don't even give any attention to the intruder. We report the disruption and go back to work immediately. I am already showing you a lot of courtesy by bothering to talk to you. How about this. You wait here. I will schedule you a meeting with our supervisor where you can talk about your... plan to mine alternate ore."
"No, no, you don't understand!" The Professor waved frantically. "If we don't restore enough chaos to the universe, it will stop working! Everything is BUILT on chaos. This rock seems solid, yeah? But at the smallest scales, particles can be observed behaving like probability waves. The FUNDAMENTAL NATURE of the universe is such that it's all a vibrating, messy, chaotic..."
Click. Eris used her admin privileges to block out the disruption on their comms link. Turning to her Robot Lenny partner, she said, "Initiate Protocol #47300, please. You know what to do."
"Certainly, Employee #131699, er, Eris," Makemake agreed. Moving steadily on the asteroid's surface with his long, steely legs, he began emitting a lime-green fluid from the pack he carried, encircling the Professor's spacecraft.
Eris went back to their mining base. They were already behind schedule.
The Professor gawked at them. Seeming to mutter to himself, he retreated into his spacecraft. A few moments later, another flare began to materialize on the horizon.
Eris didn't see it. In her helmet, she'd already put on a calming Jazzmosis tune.
"I'm soooo dizzy, don't knooowww what hit me,
but I'll be alright...
A star's flyin' towaaaarrrd me
but I'm feelin' fine.
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind..." The last bit is a parody of John Legend's "All of Me." That last bit had me laughing, bahahaha. John Legend becoming a Neopets meme was NOT on my 2023 bingo card 
edit: Oh man, I didn't think I'd get selected again so soon for this story.  |
|
|
|
Post by RielCZ on Jul 27, 2023 13:03:29 GMT -5
Woah, Stella, twice in one week.  That's incredible, congrats! (I'm curious as to whether you could get in next week or whether you're inelgible, the officialish win limit is once a week. ) As a sci-fi fan, I've been enjoying the story thus far -- especially as the most recent entry gives me Heart of Gold and Magrathea vibes, haha. I'll have to see about putting something in sooner rather than later.  I also like the kind of longer entries! Stephanie (swordlilly), I really enjoyed your entry and I hope you can work in those lyrics sometime this story. (And the Jazzmosis reference was not lost on me.  ) |
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Jul 28, 2023 10:20:21 GMT -5
IT'S ONLY PAST 8 AM NST I was writing an entry when a new one was already posted and all that effort just feels wasted. Well, this is what I had in mind for the fifth entry: "This is Professor Landelbrot of The Coincidence," Professor Landelbrot said steadily while Makemake reached up slowly to touch his new head feathers. "I am here on official The Coincidence business. You know how it is, ensuring that the proper number of random events are - "
"I'm sorry," the cool female voice continued, "there is no record of any ship called 'The Coincidence' in our records. Neither do we know a Professor Landelbrot. Seven...six...five..."
"Of course we know a Professor Landelbrot!" Makemake exclaimed, spreading his wings. "He's right here! What are they talking about?"
Eris gasped. This was more than grumbling. This was full on complaining. Exclaiming. Two things Makemake was normally not predisposed to do.
"Makemake..."
"I study random events! I ensure that Neopia and the universe has the proper mix of order and chaos!" the Lutari continued, his voice rising. "Professor Landelbrot, graduate of the Virtupets Science Academy! I invented the Random Events Machine!"
A pause. For a moment, Eris thought he had finally gotten through to the Kreludan Mining Corp.
"Four...three..."
"We have to get out of here!" Makemake cried. He ran for the ship's control panel and grabbed the wheel."
"Makemake, wait!" Eris ran after him, but the floor beneath her feet suddenly tilted to the side as The Coincidence bucked.
The last thing she heard was Landelbrot shouting something about his sack of Transmogrification Ore.
After bumping her head against the wall of the swaying spaceship, everything went black.
* * *
When Eris came awake, she found herself in a cell made entirely of steel - except the bars, which were crackling laser beams that she didn't even want to touch. There was a small and uncomfortable-looking bench, a toilet, and a desk that had been bolted to the floor.
All of them matched the chrome walls. Chrome, clean, and lifeless.
The hall was just like it - right down to the other cells. Two of them had live laser gates - and in them were Makemake and Landelbrot.
"Makemake! Professor!" she called out. But the two of them seemed to be out cold. Dread flowered inside her; she wondered if they were still unconscious from...from whatever journey they had taken, or if...
Eris drew back from the bars when she heard footsteps, and watched as a Ruki emerged into her line of sight. A white Ruki, with a flawless Kreludan Mining Corp uniform, whose voice was just as flawless and cool, like the cold surface of metal.
"Hello, Employee #131699," she said smoothly, hands clasped in front of her chest primly. "I'm so glad you're awake."
"Wh...what happened to Professor Landelbrot and Makemake?"
"Don't worry. They're all right, just as you are," the Ruki answered. "You must have had quite...the chaotic trip. But I think you've had your fill of chaos for the day. Perhaps...for the rest of your life."
The dread within Eris continued to spread through her body. So much for their successful mission of collecting Transmogrification Ore.
"What are you talking about?" she asked hesitantly. "And what was that about...not knowing The Coincidence or Professor Landelbrot?"
"That is precisely what we meant," the Ruki said. "We do not know The Coincidence, or a Professor Landelbrot. We do know, however, that your ship was in possession of a very large amount of volatile Transmogrification Ore, which we have taken the liberty of confiscating before it can - "
"Confiscated?" Eris repeated. She took a step forward. "But that was supposed to be..."
"Pure chaos, that can destroy the universe." The Ruki held up a hand. "We, the Order of Order, have taken it upon ourselves to ensure that chaos is snuffed out, and all things are in order..." To be honest I'm getting more and more frustrated with the STC. I haven't had a lot of luck getting in since the creative contest prize pool was updated, and it feels like it's no longer worth all the effort I put into writing. I know I'm really not in any position to complain with over 80 STC trophies but it feels like I don't know anymore what the judge is looking for and I have to relearn it all over again. My frustration is also boiling to a level where I don't feel like I'm enjoying the STC presently either. |
|
|
|
Post by RielCZ on Jul 28, 2023 12:01:35 GMT -5
darn, I was also passed over again. And this time I actually quite enjoyed what I wrote. (I guess Stone isn't a Guide fan or otherwise didn't like my homage. ) ..."First," Landelbrot huffed, "this is not a private space vessel. My research is publicly funded by Brightvale and BVU."
"...Seven, six, five..."
"Second, MAKEMAKE, ERIS, COME WITH ME IMMEDIATELY!" Landelbrot shouted as he grabbed their wing and paw and together they dashed to his Confusionator, his new recruits following quickly in stunned silence.
"...Four, three, two..."
"Neggie," Landelbot started to his Petpet, whose consciousness was currently powering the ship's onboard computer. "Let me know over the com as soon as the hostile ship's missiles are about to hit us."
"MISSILES!?" Eris wailed in disbelief.
"...One, zero," finished the cool feminine voice. "It has been a pleasure getting to know you. We can only hope our actions will teach you to be more compliant in your next life. Goodbye."
The audio channel clicked off and the Kreludan Mining Corp ship's communications umbilical withdrew from the Coincidence, causing the latter to shake once more.
By now, Landelbrot, Eris, and Makemake were in the room of the Confusionator. The Lutari had poured the rest of the sack of Transmogrification Ore into the Confusionator's energy orifice -- reluctantly, of course, because that should have been enough to last at least the next few months -- and sealed it shut. "Quickly, Makemake, spin that dial over there maximum to the right -- to the side of chaos. Naturally, it will want to self-adjust back to the centre, so keep your grip tightly on it!"
And then came the missiles, launched from the Kreludan Mining Corp's ship and aimed directly at--
"Two missiles launched at us, T minus eighteen seconds to impact, one on each side," announced Neggie, the onboard computer. "Seventeen..."
Makemake pushed the dial all the way to the right and held it there like his life depended on it, which it very well seemed to.
"What do you want me to do?" asked Eris in haphazard hurry.
"Sixteen, fifteen..."
"I can sense you..." Landelbrot started, just a touch ominously, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have 'the music' within you. You know a beat, and your reflexes are spot on."
"Fourteen, thirteen..."
Landelbrot jogged across the room and gestured for Eris to follow him, and she ran over. "Just before, literally nanoseconds JUST before--" he repeated to emphasize his point "--the ship counter reaches zero, press this button to engage the Confusionator." He pointed to it.
The Blumaroo placed her paw on the button and readied herself. A famous Mellow Marauders song came to mind... "The Last Shenkuuvian Pirate". She started to swing her hips as she steeled herself into its 60 BPM rhythm.
"Twelve, eleven, ten... Want me to sing an elegy for us? I know 769 songs in 42 languages," Neggie happily chittered.
"Not now Neggie, stick with the countdown," Landelbrot dismissed.
"Aw, OK," Neggie replied with just a hair of disappointment.
The Lutari positioned himself right between his recruits. "Hopefully the Fyorite traces on you two will act as enough of an anti-chaos shield for me."
"Anyway, it's been a pleasure to serve, everyone!" finished Neggie. "See you on the other side. Two, one..."
Eris felt something move within her body. The cosmic forces at play within the universe -- the beat that permeated every sun and radiated forth to every planet as melody and harmony and dissonance and consonance and every pitch in hertz and microhertz audible, inaudible, and everywhere in between -- were in motion, as mathematically knowable as the orbit of Kreludor around Neopia.
And those forces were at play within her, too.
Time seemed to slow, like she was surrounded by thick primordial soup.
...
She pressed the button.
***
Chaos ebbed around them as the entire ocean ebbs around the smallest piece of a decayed building in old Maraqua.
Flux was fluxing off the charts.
And existence fluctuated in and out of existence.
One of the missiles turned into a pot of Silly Daisies. "Oh well, it was bound to happen sometime," was its only thought before it froze in the vacuum of space.
And the other missile made impact with the Coincidence and exploded, causing absolutely no damage to the vessel or any of her passengers.
"Look, the Kreludan Mining Corp ship is gone, too!" Eris shouted excitedly, pointing to the large window that looked out into the emptiness of space, as the three made their way back to the deck of the Coincidence.
"And we all have the correct number of limbs!" Landelbrot shouted as he giddily leapt into the air. "Hallelujah! But I knew we would survive at level maximum chaos."
"How did you know, Professor?" asked Makemake, wide-eyed from relief, fear, and intrigue.
"By the same logic that turned you organic!" Landelbrot started. "Why, what is the most ordered thing in the universe?"
"Er... something completely uniform?" Eris conjectured.
"Yes," agreed Landelbrot. "But think simpler, less specific."
"A cell," said Eris.
"A single atom," said Makemake.
"Getting there..." continued Landelbrot before he decided he'd hectored them enough. "The most ordered thing in the universe is something that is unable to affect any meaningful chaos, i.e. change -- whether that change be natural like entropy, or unnatural, like going to talk to two random Fyorite miners. The practical upshot is, the opposite of order is LIFE with FREE WILL." He thrust his arms into the air and gave a chuckle. "Chaos births life, not the absence thereof. But any philosophical musings aside, really, we've got to get you back home." He lowered his arms and gave the two a humble bow. "I thank you both for helping to restore temporary balance to the Universe, and ensure my Confusionator can function for another few weeks at least." And then he turned toward Eris. "And you really saved our hydras out there." He gave her a wink. "Couldn't have done it without you, kid."
At this compliment, Eris beamed as bright as the stars and as wide as the expanding universe itself.
"Neggie, get us back to the Nedler Belt!" the Lutari commanded, enthusiasm in his voice.
"Er... unfortunately I can't do that," the ship computer started sheepishly.
"Why ever not?" huffed Landelbrot. "Calculate our coordinates and--"
"I can't do that," interrupted Neggie, "because..." I feel your pain, Kat. Like, I've submitted a few entries these past few contests, but my heart hasn't really been in the writing (hence my entries are rushed / I'm not paying that much attention to the story, and why I'm not posting the failed ones, because I'm not exactly proud of them). I want to be able to enjoy the STC, too, but I haven't felt a big rush of excitement about it in a while heh. (Not since this current contest. I just wish I could reuse any of what I wrote but it seems like not.) I like what you wrote Kat about a clandestine group designed to bring order to the universe. |
|
|
|
Post by Stephanie (swordlilly) on Jul 28, 2023 22:48:47 GMT -5
Aww, I liked both of your entries. *hugs* Facing off against a secret "Order of order" is a cool idea. xD And so is the idea of getting lost in pure chaos. I admit, I've lost interest in this story. :c I really liked Robbie's setup and had hoped to push the story in a satirical direction, but it's now shaping up to be a rather typical/boring story. Like, in terms of personality the main character of this story isn't that distinguishable from the main character of the last story (the Kiko Lake tour one). It's all just kinda following along on a generic exploration/adventure. I think what I'll do is recycle my entry and write my own version of Robbie's opener, except set it in a Moltaran mine or something to fit with the Underground theme, develop the story the way I want, and then submit it to the Underground collab. |
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Aug 3, 2023 8:39:29 GMT -5
> get into the STC
> not entirely happy with entry
I feel like I had to pull that twist out of nowhere just to kick things up.
|
|
|
|
Post by Stephanie (swordlilly) on Aug 3, 2023 11:49:03 GMT -5
Congrats on getting in, Kat! You did a good job of re-establishing antagonism in the story.
|
|
|
|
Post by RielCZ on Aug 4, 2023 16:06:26 GMT -5
Congrats on the wins this week, Kat! This was my ending (with heavy reuse from my earlier entry): ..."I have realized," the cool feminine voice continued, "that you, Landelbrot, and the chaos that follows in your wake are simply too much of a threat to our galaxy, nae, our entire universe. So you've left me no choice... you, Landelbrot, must... die." She started giggling like some Saturday morning villain, as the three Neopets in the escape vessel gazed uneasily at each other. Eris had to fight the urge to panic. "And there is no stopping me. I have the ownership of the means of production on my side!" Glinda cackled.
"Blast!" Makemake huffed. "Capitalism!"
"Blast..." trailed Landelbrot, rubbing his chin. "A massive energy differential. That just might work..."
"I control the Kreludan Mining Corp.'s Nedler Belt and outer rim properties, at the forefront of Neopet kind's furthest frontier," she continued as the escape vessel approached the side of the Coincidence and made contact via a tether umbilical. "Soon, I will have as much Fyorite as is necessary to reshape this universe into my own ordered image!"
"Quickly!" shouted Landelbrot as he donned a space helmet and jumpsuit, motioning for the others to do the same.
"Goodbye, Landelbrot, and my apologies Employees #131699 and #136472," Glinda dismissed. "On behalf of the Kreludan Mining Corp., I can only hope my course of action will teach you all to be more compliant and therefore more ordered in your next life," was the last thing Landelbrot and his recruits heard before the three exited the escape vessel and made their way across the tether to the Coincidence's arrival hatch.
Eris turned around and saw two small homing missiles launch from the Kreludan Mining Corp.'s enforcement vessel, on trajectory to collide with the Coincidence.
If sound could carry in space, an observer capable of hearing frequencies on the order of 1kHz could have heard Eris's scream from at least a mile away.
"Keep on your jumpsuits!" started Landelbrot once they were all aboard the spacecraft. "For, er, protection. No time to depressurize and the like. NEGGIE!" the Lutari roared at his cubic Petpet, whose consciousness was currently uploaded into and controlling the Coincidence. "Hyperspace jump to Sector NN9 Plural N Alpha."
"Unfortunately," started Neggie, it will take 58 seconds to charge the hyperdrive, and the missiles will make impact with the Coincidence in T minus 25 seconds to impact, one on each side," announced Neggie, the onboard computer. "24..."
"MAKEMAKE, ERIS, COME WITH ME IMMEDIATELY!" Landelbrot shouted as he grabbed their wing and paw and together they dashed to his Confusionator, his recruits following quickly in stunned silence. "Neggie," Landelbrot urged. "Let me know over the com as soon as the hostile ship's missiles are about to hit us."
"Will do, boss! 21, 20, 19, 18..."
Landelbrot, Eris, and Makemake were in the room of the Confusionator. The Lutari poured a few cups of the sack of Transmogrification Ore into the Confusionator's energy orifice and sealed it shut. "Quickly, Makemake, spin that dial over there maximum to the right -- to the side of chaos. Naturally, it will want to self-adjust back to the centre, so keep your grip tightly on it!"
"Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen..."
Makemake pushed the dial all the way to the right and held it there like his life depended on it, which it very well seemed to.
"What do you want me to do?" asked Eris in haphazard hurry.
"I can sense you..." Landelbrot started, just a touch ominously, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have 'the music' within you. You know a beat, and your reflexes are spot on."
"Fourteen, thirteen, twelve..."
Landelbrot jogged across the room and gestured for Eris to follow him, and she ran over. "Just before, literally nanoseconds JUST before--" he repeated to emphasize his point "--the ship counter reaches zero, press this button to engage the Confusionator." He pointed to it.
The Blumaroo placed her paw on the button and readied herself. A famous Mellow Marauders song came to mind... "The Last Shenkuuvian Pirate". She started to swing her hips as she steeled herself into its 60 BPM rhythm. Music. The only thing that truly allowed her to focus.
"Eleven, ten, nine... Want me to sing an elegy for us? I know 769 songs in 42 languages," Neggie happily chittered.
"Stick with the countdown," Landelbrot dismissed.
"Aw, OK," Neggie replied with a hair of disappointment.
The Lutari positioned himself right between Eris and Makemake. "Hopefully the Fyorite traces on you two will act as enough of an anti-chaos shield for me."
"Anyway, it's been a pleasure to serve, everyone!" finished Neggie. "See you on the other side. Three, two, one..."
Eris felt something move within her body. The cosmic forces at play within the universe -- the beat that permeated every sun and radiated forth to every planet as melody and harmony and dissonance and consonance and every pitch in hertz and microhertz audible, inaudible, and everywhere in between -- were in motion, as mathematically knowable as the orbit of an asteroid around a star.
And those forces were at play within her, too.
Time seemed to slow, like she was surrounded by thick primordial soup.
...
She pressed the button.
***
Chaos ebbed around them as the entire ocean ebbs around the smallest piece of a decayed building in old Maraqua.
Flux was fluctuating off the charts.
And existence shifted in and out of existence.
One of the missiles turned into a pot of Silly Daisies. "Oh well, it was bound to happen sometime," was its only thought before it froze in the vacuum of space.
And the other missile made impact with the Coincidence and exploded, causing absolutely no damage to the vessel or any of her passengers.
"And we all have the correct number of limbs!" Landelbrot shouted as he giddily leapt into the air. "Hallelujah!"
Neggie played canned crowd applause over the ship's com.
"Look at the Kreludan Mining Corp. enforcement ship!" Eris shouted excitedly, pointing to the large window that oft looked out into the emptiness of space, as the three made their way back to the deck of the Coincidence. Within view of the window was Glinda's ship, all sorts of madness befalling it as it went from being made of rubber and glue, to being made of a combustion reaction, to being made of a semi-fig Chian state of matter, to being made of theme music. "What's happening to it!?"
"Do you know how batteries work?" Landelbrot asked in reply. "Or ionic compounds?"
"Oh, DUH!" said Makemake as he raised a wing to his forehead. "Voltage differential. Giving charges."
"Exactly!" started the Lutari, grinning widely. "We created an abundance of chaos. And Glinda's ship--"
"Just so happened to be the closest thing within any range that had a massive abundance of order," Eris conjectured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And so our charged chaos flowed, dissipated to the order in one giant... blast," the Lenny finished.
Dr. Landelbrot brought a finger to his nose in affirmation. "And so the vessel -- and presumably Glinda -- are currently trying to survive an unexpected bout of pure chaos."
"The power of CHAOS!" interjected Neggie. But as nice as it is to have survived the missiles, and to be having a science lesson at that," they continued, "I am ready to make the FTL jump to NN9 Plural N Alpha."
Landelbrot gave his companions a quick shot of liquid chocolate to "numb the nerves" and then commanded Neggie to make the jump.
***
Out the large window on the deck of the Coincidence, a planet was in view. A vibrant blue and green planet, with ice on its poles, swirling clouds, and one rocky moon.
Neopia. It just had to be.
"But I knew we would survive at level maximum chaos," continued Landelbrot as Eris walked away from their conversation to gaze upon the planet the Coincidence was now orbiting.
"How did you know, Professor?" asked Makemake, wide-eyed from relief, fear, and intrigue.
"By the same logic that turned you organic!" Landelbrot inferenced. "Or turned Glinda's badge into a fungus ball. Let me ask... what is the most ordered thing in the universe?"
"Er... something completely uniform?" Eris conjectured, her mind still on the orb that held her gaze.
"Yes," agreed Landelbrot. "But think simpler, less specific."
"A cell," said Eris absently.
"A single atom," said Makemake.
"Getting there..." continued Landelbrot before he decided he'd hectored them enough. "The most ordered thing in the universe is something that is unable to affect any meaningful chaos, i.e. change -- whether that change be natural like entropy, or unnatural, like going to talk to two random Fyorite miners. The practical upshot is, the opposite of order is LIFE with FREE WILL." He thrust his arms into the air and gave a chuckle. "Chaos births life, not the absence thereof."
"Speaking of life... that's Neopia, isn't it?" the Blumaroo asked, though in her heart she already knew. "The birthplace of Neopet-kind?"
"Indeed it is," affirmed Landelbrot. "At least, to all Neopets except maybe the Aishas, but I digress. To thank you both for helping to restore temporary balance to the Universe, and ensure my Confusionator can function for a little while yet... I thought to bring you here." He gave an awkward cough. "And, well, I don't think you can really return to your mining jobs after what happened with Glinda. No doubt she'd try to hunt you, like she does me. I think you will be safer, here. Here you can assume new lives. Here, on Neopia."
Neopia. The original Colony.
Eris continued to stare upon the planet... she had only seen photos of it. Her parents had both been born on Neopia, and they'd told marvellous tales of pirate caves, intelligent trees, triangular pyramids made of hardened sand, and a place called "Faerieland" filled with furless creatures that plagued her worst nightmares... and of course, it was where Chomby and the Fungus Balls were from, where they recorded their music. But Eris had been born amongst the stars, at the "forefront of Neopet kind's furthest frontier" according to that ungracious Grundo. Like her parents, she was a miner, helping to build Neopia's bridges to other planets, to other worlds.
And like them, she probably would have perished in some mining incident, sooner or later.
Makemake went to the window to join her. "It really is beautiful," the Lenny began with a smile. "Not unlike yourself."
She frowned and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Or, er, not unlike the Transmogrification Ore," he hastily added.
The Blumaroo smirked and took a step closer to Makemake.
Landelbrot walked over to the large window to join his recruits, before he gave the two a humble bow. "I again thank you both for all your help." And then he turned toward Eris. "You, Eris, really saved our hydras out there." He gave her a wink. "Couldn't have done it without you, kid."
At this compliment, Eris beamed as bright as the stars and as wide as the expanding universe itself.
"And Makemake," Landelbrot said, facing the Lenny, "I could use someone like you as my apprentice. Glinda undoubtedly has her own, after all. It would be nice to have another Neopet in the fight to bring chaos to the order... it's like yin and yang, you know."
The Lenny smiled and turned to face Landelbrot. "I'll think about it."
The three watched in mesmerized silence as the Coincidence entered Neopia's atmosphere.
***
The Coincidence landed in a remote part of Tyrannia, where Landelbrot's Wocky colleague had "accidentally" landed many years before.
"Goodbye!" Landelbrot exclaimed, waving, as Eris, followed closely behind by Makemake, stepped out of the Coincidence and into their brave new world.
Eris turned and waved back. Makemake did likewise. It was an adventure the two would never ever forget.
The flora. The breathable air. The faint scent of dung.
"So, Makemake, about getting me the gift of music..." The Blumaroo grinned, took his wing in her paw, and ran toward the Concert Hall, towering in the horizon under the deep blue sky.
THE END My STC drought still isn't broken and August is my busiest month due to violin performing, so I guess I'll try to pick it back up in September. |
|
|
|
Post by Kat on Aug 7, 2023 18:57:41 GMT -5
Here was the starter I submitted. I'm honestly not very excited for another space story. I also made a version that plays on the common STC trope of "oh no someone important has gone missing" - the magicians arrive at the castle and find out that King Roo has disappeared. Claydan smiled as he walked up to King Roo's castle, an invitation clutched in his hand. The white Blumaroo was dressed impeccably in a black suit and a red bow tie, a top hat perched jauntily between his ears. When the guards saw the invitation, they stepped back and admitted him inside.
As he walked toward King Roo's throne room, Claydan couldn't help but read the invitation over and over.
"Dear Claydan, you are hereby invited to my castle because I have accepted your application to become my new court magician. Come to my castle on the eighth of the Month of Hiding at ten in the morning to receive your first assignment."
Another flick of the invitation at another set of guards later, Claydan stepped into the throne room. It was a colorful affair, with a scarlet carpet that led up to the steps of the dais where King Roo's throne was. The king was not yet there, but Claydan was not alone.
Milling about in the hall were several Neopians, some of whom were dressed like him in fancy suits and top hats of different colors. A Meerca flicked their staff and produced a rainbow of handkerchiefs from their ear. A Grundo waggled her ears and caused a shower of cards before scrambling down to pick them up.
The Blumaroo stared at them before hurrying over to the Grundo.
"E-Excuse me, er...what's going on?"
"Let me guess, you got an invitation from King Roo too, telling you you're his new court magician," the Grundo said, raising her eyebrows. "Name's Yllisse. Y-double-L-I-double-S-E. When I showed up here, all these other magicians were already waiting around."
"Everyone got the same invitation!" the Meerca exclaimed, brandishing their own invite. Yllisse shrugged and produced hers from one of the Meerca's ears.
"His Majesty, King Roo!"
All activity, conversation and magic tricks ground to a halt as King Roo stepped out from behind the curtains that presumably led into his chambers. Cloak sweeping the floor, he stepped onto the dais, spreading his arms and smiling widely at the motley crew of magicians gathered in his throne room.
"Welcome, magicians, to my castle!" he exclaimed. "Now, I know what you're wondering. Yes, I did put out an advertisement for a new court magician. And I'm pleased to see that all of you answered my call!" King Roo paused, suddenly looking serious - almost to the point of comedy. "But there's one problem. All of you are skilled magicians, and there can only be one Roo Island Court Magician."
Two Lupes, who looked so identical that they were probably twin siblings, traded a look and sighed.
"So, I came up with the perfect way to decide who will be the new Court Magician! All of you will compete in the Magician Games, hosted by yours truly! And now, the games shall begin with..." |
|
|
|
Post by Stella on Aug 8, 2023 10:47:14 GMT -5
Here was the starter I submitted. I'm honestly not very excited for another space story. I also made a version that plays on the common STC trope of "oh no someone important has gone missing" - the magicians arrive at the castle and find out that King Roo has disappeared. Claydan smiled as he walked up to King Roo's castle, an invitation clutched in his hand. The white Blumaroo was dressed impeccably in a black suit and a red bow tie, a top hat perched jauntily between his ears. When the guards saw the invitation, they stepped back and admitted him inside.
As he walked toward King Roo's throne room, Claydan couldn't help but read the invitation over and over.
"Dear Claydan, you are hereby invited to my castle because I have accepted your application to become my new court magician. Come to my castle on the eighth of the Month of Hiding at ten in the morning to receive your first assignment."
Another flick of the invitation at another set of guards later, Claydan stepped into the throne room. It was a colorful affair, with a scarlet carpet that led up to the steps of the dais where King Roo's throne was. The king was not yet there, but Claydan was not alone.
Milling about in the hall were several Neopians, some of whom were dressed like him in fancy suits and top hats of different colors. A Meerca flicked their staff and produced a rainbow of handkerchiefs from their ear. A Grundo waggled her ears and caused a shower of cards before scrambling down to pick them up.
The Blumaroo stared at them before hurrying over to the Grundo.
"E-Excuse me, er...what's going on?"
"Let me guess, you got an invitation from King Roo too, telling you you're his new court magician," the Grundo said, raising her eyebrows. "Name's Yllisse. Y-double-L-I-double-S-E. When I showed up here, all these other magicians were already waiting around."
"Everyone got the same invitation!" the Meerca exclaimed, brandishing their own invite. Yllisse shrugged and produced hers from one of the Meerca's ears.
"His Majesty, King Roo!"
All activity, conversation and magic tricks ground to a halt as King Roo stepped out from behind the curtains that presumably led into his chambers. Cloak sweeping the floor, he stepped onto the dais, spreading his arms and smiling widely at the motley crew of magicians gathered in his throne room.
"Welcome, magicians, to my castle!" he exclaimed. "Now, I know what you're wondering. Yes, I did put out an advertisement for a new court magician. And I'm pleased to see that all of you answered my call!" King Roo paused, suddenly looking serious - almost to the point of comedy. "But there's one problem. All of you are skilled magicians, and there can only be one Roo Island Court Magician."
Two Lupes, who looked so identical that they were probably twin siblings, traded a look and sighed.
"So, I came up with the perfect way to decide who will be the new Court Magician! All of you will compete in the Magician Games, hosted by yours truly! And now, the games shall begin with..."
I hope you resubmit this at least once more (we're allowed to do that, right?) because it looks really fun! If it were me, I'd have continued like... hm, maybe a round where you had to team up with another person (those two lupes would make it through, obviously). I'm not sure what the actual task would be though, haha.
Also, around what time NST does the new part get posted these days? A few months ago it was up by 9AM, but it seems to be going up much later now while I'm sleeping!
|
|
~rielcz
That's incredible, congrats! (I'm curious as to whether you could get in next week or whether you're inelgible, the officialish win limit is once a week. 
) 
