After the final entries have been submitted, voting begins. Each person may vote only one entry. All entrants are permitted to vote as well, but you may not vote for your own entry. There will also be no comments involving attempts to coax the votes in somebody's favour, as making such comments will remove your votes or (should it be an entrant who does so) entry from the competition. We want this to stay fair for everybody.
When voting, please write down the username of the entrants and the title of their entry, like so:
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Like the entry phase, all votes must be posted before 11:59:59 PM PST of May 30. Any voting after that will be void.
felix - Emperor of One (Act II - The Chaser)
Spoiler for Hornests' Nest:
Emperor of One
Act II - The Chaser
Hornests’ Nest
“Where do you want me to start counselor?” said Kou
“Anywhere is fine. How about right after you had that meeting with professor Nicholas?” said Isolde
“Very well.” said Kou
“It was right after school, and as you know already, I was persuaded to follow Mao. Everything seemed pretty straight forward. I already knew all of her friends so I just did the obvious thing, I asked them…”
“And they just, answered?” asked Isolde
“They did. Yes.” said Kou
“Mao’s relationship with even those somewhat close to her is, how you would put it, professional.”
“I didn’t ask for anything special either. Just chatted about what clubs she was in.”
“Afterwards I checked the club schedule. The times she got off were very discouraging. I was planning on just accidentally leaving school at the same time and accidentally going the same direction home.”
“Couldn’t you have pretended anyway.” said Isolde
“The last club she was attending just happens to be the only one to end that late.” said Kou
“You, could have joined the club perhaps.” said Isolde
“I took it into consideration, but the ballerina skirt didn’t quite fit me.” said Kou
“I see, please continue Mr. Kou.” said Isolde
“Tailing her in the evening, on almost empty streets would be a pain. To make matters worse, that day they stayed up longer. By the time she left it was getting dark, and all the shops were closed. Bumping into her under those circumstances would draw too much attention. So, I did the only thing to do. I ran.”
“You went home?” said Isolde
“No, I didn’t.” said Kou
“It seems I got ahead of myself, let me clarify.”
“Normally I would trail her using the crowd, noise, and such; however this time non of that was feasible. So what I thought to myself was, ‘what methods have now become feasible that weren’t earlier’, and so I came up with the method of running. I went and changed to my sportswear at school and ran two blocks in front of her to the nearest intersection. I waited a while until she was near me, gave her a look, then ran forward towards the next intersection.”
“What if, she does’t go forward.” asks Isolde
“If she goes left, I don’t stop and just go left as well at the next intersection.” said Kou
“Same procedure if she goes right.”
“Won’t she be suspicious of you bumping into her so often?” said Isolde
“Since I always go forward, in that situation she looks like the one intercepting me.” said Kou
“I suppose it’s it does make it hard to draw accusation when you are neither hiding from her, nor trailing her.” said Isolde
“I find it hard to believe it was that effective, however.”
“Well, about that…” said Kou
“After pulling off this little dance about four times, I lost her. So now the normal conclusion here would be, that I found her home. However, the buildings in the area dead. They not just merely unsafe, they are uninhabitable, nobody could live there even if they wished to. I looked over map when I got home, in hopes of finding some information on the buildings, however what I found instead filled me with dread. It’s not immediately apparent when you simply walk initially into the area, but out of the roads, only two lead into and out of it. Even more so, the one she used was only recently cleared, so previously the one I had used was the only entrance and exist out of tha area. I could pretend I was jogging if she asks, but it would be very strange if I was just randomly wondering, and that place is no place anyone would plan as a route. In other words the little witch got me into checkmate position and then vanished.”
“So anyway that’s the story, can I go now?” said Kou
“That’s very hard to believe.” said Isolde
“It’s the truth counselor.” said Kou
“I swear it!”
“Oh, I’m sure it is.” said Isolde, sipping more tea
“What’s very hard believe is the story ends there.”
“Do please continue.”
“Is there something I should know counselor?” said Kou
“Now, now, I asked you first?” said Isolde
“Very well.” said Kou tacking a deep breath
“After that bitter defeat, I had Mercury—think of her as the equivalent to your Walter—make some tracking devices, like cameras and sensors, from the usual trash she picks up. And it shames me to admit it but she did it again, that day she simply went the complete opposite way she went the day before. So I had Mercury make even more devices, and covered both paths. I thought that would stop her but no, she again went a completely random path.”
“At this point I didn’t care about the Nicholas bastard anymore, it was personal. Seeing as all the direct attacks failed miserably, the obvious rational thing to do is to change strategy to more indirect attacks. However, my pride wouldn’t take it. So, rational planning aside, I yet again went with a direct approach. It took a full three days to prepare but I was sure it would not fail again. What I had done is create a super scent. To our primitive nose it would be unnoticeable, but given the right equipment you could follow a fly if it had just an ounce of the stuff a thousand kilometers away. The problem now was simply delivering it, so that’s how I joined the martial arts clubs she was in. Initially I joined only one; sadly she kicked my ass the first day, and then the second day as well. So I stated all the others she was in, Now, I don’t even recall if that decision was rational. It makes sense to do that, but after getting several bruises all over my body, all I could think at the time was how much I wanted to win against her in a match. On the weapons at best I got a tie, but barely. And out of all the others I only managed to best her at hand to hand combat. But it was enough, I had accomplished my goal. What do you think happened counselor?”
“I don’t suppose your plan worked this time?” said Isolde
“Actually, every technical detail worked perfectly.” said Kou
“You don’t sound very happy saying it.” said Isolde
“Because I’m not.” said Kou
“That day she asked me for a favor.”
“I agreed; it was the logical choice. Although looking back it would have probably been better if I hadn’t.”
“Favor which involved going with her to her workshop, which just happens to be her house as well.”
“And guess what we do there…”
“I suppose cake is out of the question.” said Isolde
“She handles me a bunch of posters and has me follow her around town putting them up.”
“They were more or less directions towards her repair workshop. Complete with a stupid map no less.”
“Mr. Kou. May I ask something?” said Isolde
“Yes?” said Kou
“Don’t you think it might have been better to ask her where she lives to begin with?” said Kou
“Well…” said Kou
“I did ask her.”
“She just called me a idiot in return.”
“I asked the school too, at the time at least there were no records.”
“I see. So what happened next?” said Isolde
“I went to see Lore with my so called findings.” said Kou
“He pretty much told me to get the hell out and continue with the task.”
“That my job was to follow her, not stalk her, or some such nonsense.”
“Well I suppose Sir Nicholas can be ambiguous at times.” said Isolde
“He was happy with the location for some reason, even though I explained I didn’t find it by myself.”
“It’s okey Mr. Kouro, let’s just continue with the story”
“Up to the middle of the second week nothing really happened, not until that day.”
“Ah yes, that unfortunate incident.” said Isolde filling her cup back up
“Isn’t that the real reason I’m here?” said Kou
“I’m sure it’s not really worth your time to worry about old farts playing pranks on their students.”
“Heh. Yes, I guess that would explain a lot of what happened to you.” said Isolde
“So is that what you think happened.”
“No.” said Kou
“But at the time it was a very compelling possibility.”
“Well, until that happened anyway.”
xObserveRx - Closer
Spoiler for Closer:
Closer
I've been in love with the same girl for over three decades. We do everything together: eat, sleep, play baseball, go to the movies, you name it, we do it. We even go to the bathroom together. That might sound weird to most people, but when I think about it, we're close enough to do that sort of thing. In fact, I think we're about as close as any two people could be -scratch that, we're closer.
Now I'm guessing you're wondering just how close we are. Well, to answer that question, we have to go back to my sophomore year. I was a pretty impressionable boy, more so than most that age. If you did something, said a phrase or even wore something that was considered “cool”, I would've been doing, saying or wearing that exact same thing by the end of the week. Let's just say I tried way too hard to be cool. It paid off though; I met Lucy, the girl of my dreams by imitating the “cool” people.
I can still remember that day. It was late April. The winter blues had lifted a few weeks before and spring was moving in with a vengeance. The temperature that day was just right for my new pair of cargo shorts, another embodiment of my quest for cool, and although they were uncomfortable -I had a lot of trouble walking in them due to my short legs, I felt good wearing them; like part of the in-crowd.
Being a smoker, I'd spent a lot of time in the designated smoking area just off the school's west parking lot. The upside to this, besides making sure everyone could see you in your new cargos, was that I had perfected my eagle-eyes to zooming in, picking out and creepily staring at the hottest girl, or girls, that would hang out next to their cars in the nearby lot. This is how I discovered Lucy.
I know this might sound cliché, but I swear this is true. Apparently Lucy knew who I was, or so she tells me now. I guess we used to play together a lot back when we were younger. It makes sense now that I think about it; we do live on the same block. At the time though, I didn't know this, nor did I know that she had grown up into a real hottie. So anyway, what happened was I saw the back of this girl and was immediately drawn to her. You know how it is. If my life would be made into a movie, there would definitely be some sappy music playing at this moment of the story. What I did next however, was anything but normal for me. I tossed my smoke aside, early if I recall correctly -something else I never do, and went over to talk to her.
Now maybe it was just the cargos taking over, but I suddenly felt on top of the world -another cliché, I know. But apparently Lucy must've thought the same thing, because she didn't laugh at me, give me any rude looks, say mean things to me or anything like that. In fact, she actually started talking to me! Yeah, this was somewhat of a miracle to me. When I think about it now though, I understand why she did this. She definitely knows how to show a guy a good time... Look at me, getting all nostalgic. Anyway, back to my story. I walked up to the girls in mid-conversation. Lucy, and her two friends, I think their names were Brittney and... Something else, we'll say Heather for the sake of the story, were discussing something about Cherrywood Street, a sort-of local attraction. I guess one of the houses near the end of the road is haunted; kids play hide and seek in its front yard when they're feeling brave, teens hang out there at night to smoke pot or make out and stuff, typical haunted house things. Everyone knows the house isn't haunted, but an invitation to go there was never something to turn down and that's exactly what Lucy gave me, an invitation.
I could tell by the way she dressed that Lucy wasn't into drugs. She wasn't exactly the preppy-type, nor was she a hippy, goth or metal chick. She was just… normal I guess you could say. She had on a nice pair of tight jeans with a single color tank top, green I think it was. Yeah, definitely green, it went well with her blonde hair. Anyway, knowing she wasn't looking to get high, this invitation could only mean one thing: I was in for a good night.
When I showed up at her house, she greeted me at the door. She told me she needed a few minutes to take care of something and left me on the front porch. Inside the house I could hear a faint sound of laughter, a couple of loud clangs, and then silence. At first I thought she had been playing a joke on me and the cops were going to show up and hassle me for loitering or peeping or something, but she did return a few minutes later and apologized. She stepped out and brushed pass me, leading the way toward Cherry Street. I probably should’ve paid more attention to what had happened while I was standing around on her front porch, but one whiff of her perfume as she passed by me made me forget all about the odd moment beforehand.
When we got to the supposedly haunted house, she asked me if I believed in ghosts. I knew where this was going, so I decided to play along. Looking back at this, I'm surprised she held herself together so well, I mean the statement really was quite ironic. However, she was very good at pretending to be uneasy. It didn't matter though; we both knew that wasn't why we were here.
The Victorian-looking house had been abandoned for years, maybe even decades, but it had held up surprisingly well. I was a bit nervous about climbing the stairwell off the main lobby, but kept my cool. I wasn't about to mess this up less than ten feet away from a bedroom door. I could feel my palms getting sweaty. She led me into the bedroom and went off on some story about what had happened in this house a long time ago. I don't remember the story very well, as I was distracted by her pretty face and low-cut shirt, but I think it had something to do with a man murdering his wife and kid -something gruesome like that. Just as she had finished the story about the horrible ordeal, a branch blowing in the wind rattled the nearby window. Startled, she grabbed onto me.
I wasn't exactly used to this kind of situation so I sort of just stood there. Lucy giggled a bit and then moved in for a kiss. I know people always talk about their first kiss as something amazing, but to be honest, mine was a little too hard, happened real fast and was generally awkward. Lucy must have noticed, as she pulled back and giggled a little more. She knew that I was new to this sort of thing and told me that she'd help me out. She moved in real close and told me something I'll never forget. Staring into my eyes with an entrancing look, she said “I’ve got a confession to make. This house isn’t haunted, but I am.”
I looked at her and chuckled. She smiled and laughed again. She leaned in for another kiss. This was the one that people talk about in movies and diaries and all that. It was perfect in every way. I remember feeling my mouth getting warm. I didn’t even notice my skin starting to disintegrate. I was in a moment of paradise. I’m glad I didn’t open my eyes; after years of seeing what happens during this part, it really would’ve ruined the moment. As I disappeared into Lucy, I remember thinking that this was what love felt like.
I later found out that I was something special to Lucy as well. She normally didn’t “take anyone with her”, as she put it, she usually just consumed their energy. We’ve been back to that house on Cherry Street 63 times over the past 34 years, as well as a few other locations like it. Every time we consume another helpless chap, I fall in love with Lucy all over again. Whenever I ask her why she didn’t just consume me like all the others she smiles and replies with the same answer, “I don’t know, I guess it must have been the cargo shorts.”
If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.
papermario13689 - The Rivalry
Spoiler for The Rivalry:
"As the law states, Sir John of the Williams family will be executed for high treason against our majesty, the King and Queen. In three days time, he will be given a fair trial and a chance to plead his case."
It was obvious that no true cause of guilt should have been placed upon his shoulders, but the rivalry between Sir John and the monarchy was also clear. For several years, King Bradley III had taken a strong disliking towards John's free spirit and what he considered to be "blasphemous speech"; to an embarrassing point had the rivalry lived on, and whispers of the system becoming corrupt had spread like wildfire across the city.
"Sir, surely you can't believe that this act was the doing of this man?" questioned a nearby wanderer.
"You'll mind your business from royal affairs if you treasure your life, knave."
After the sharp retort, the wanderer made sure to remember his place. In this world, there was royalty, and the rest were slaves.
"Why would the worthless slaves who toil in the fields have anything important to say?" the king would always ask.
"If they actually had even an ounce of knowledge within them, they wouldn't be slaves."
Secretly, the city highly respected Sir John Williams and his optimistic outlook towards the world. They had always offered support while the monarchy continued to punish him for unjustly reasons. This time though, they had gone too far; false accusation of high treason was no simple affair, and it was death that Williams faced on this occasion.
As the date of the trial drew nearer and nearer, the city began to buzz with quiet chatter.
"They've gone too far this time; the king must be brought down!" shouted one man.
"That's right! Sir John has done nothing wrong!" replied another.
In a well hidden area, they gathered and plotted the destruction of the monarchy; for three nights they detailed every single step that would be taken.
"Everybody clear on the plan? The stronghold is the castle; we'll smash it to the ground and force the king to surrender his position."
A flood of cheers erupted from the large group, and they held their homemade weapons in the air in early triumph.
When the sun went down and the clock struck 8 PM, the rebellion began. From within the castle walls, both Sir John and his mortal enemies were unaware of what was occurring. It all became evident however, when multiple guards were found murdered outside the stronghold. Blinded by their rage, the slaves had given up their morals, their pride. Destruction came first, and nothing seemed to matter to them anymore. The human mind is fragile, and the simple idea of rebellion sparked a dangerous hatred that clouded basic judgement.
As the outer walls shook, the structure soon began to crumble under its own pressure, unable to support itself with a damaged foundation. A large boulder descended from the roof and smashed through Sir John's cell, allowing him to escape. He had perfect knowledge of what was occurring outside the walls, but he had no intention of participating. Following an unbelievable sprint, the king's throne was in view. Williams stretched out his left hand and said: "Your Majesty, we must escape 'fore this haven becomes our grave!"
No hand reached back; the king simply dropped to his knees and wept tears of realization.
"I finally realize...what you were saying. Freedom, slavery and those who stand between. Power, money, control, who needs it? It's brought me nothing but loneliness and hatred. All this time, I thought I hated you for being different. Now I realize...I was wrong."
No other words were spoken. Instead, Sir John Williams took his majesty's hand into his own, and gave an expression of gratitude and forgiveness. His final resolution to save his changed king never came to fruition, as the entire castle fell upon them.
It was truly a night of sorrow.
lordshadowisle - Zexox
Spoiler for Zexox:
So, you really want to know? No, that's not it. You don't really want to know how I'm living a dream life. You don't really want to know how to make your fantasies come true.
What you want is to live it, now. It's the ends that matter, not the means. But you know that too. That's why you're sitting here, listening to me with a semblance of patience. I know. I have a lot of experience reading people.
I'll ask one last time. Do you truly wish to know? There's no turning back after you hear the truth. That's the nature of things, boom or bust. What's your decision?
Very good! This dinner shall be most excellent. Your life will change, surely, after tonight.
First, are you interested in mythology? No? I thought not. It is unlikely that you know the story then. But I shall ask nonetheless.
Have you heard of Zexox?
No, no, that's not my name. Neither am I a Zexox. I'll rephrase my question. Do you know what a Zexox is?
Haha, no, that's absolutely incorrect. A Zexox is not a machine, not least one so mundane. A Zexox is mythical creature, dating back to times before civilization itself. Unfortunately, the time of the Zexox is long past, and almost none remain; thus there are few records, save some cave drawings shrouded in prehistory. But at the same time they are not all gone, and occasionally Man does encounter a Zexox. On those rare occasions tales of the Zexox pass into apocrypha, to be read and disbelieved.
Now, what is a Zexox? Let's just say that is a creature that plays a role similar to that of a trickster in fiction and myth. Its form is variable with its whim, and is limited by neither shape nor size, by neither color nor age. A shape-shifter, if you will. In earlier stories a Zexox often takes on the form of an animal, perhaps a coyote, a spider, or a lion, and sometimes even a mix of these and other creatures. During those times Man was simpler— we were more naive, more easily impressed by majestic forms.
Yes yes, you don't want to hear those ancient tales. Admittedly they are too old to be of much relevance. I too want to skip them, but you'll just have to hear me out. Where were we... ah yes, about the Zexox of yonder. The Zexox don't appear as beasts anymore, not since late antiquity. Even the most recalcitrant of their number take on partly human forms, whether as half-animal, half-human crosses like centaurs or minotaurs, or as creatures that are sometimes man and other times beast, like werewolves.
What's important is this— the Zexox are magical creatures. They can grant wishes, though none do so willingly. Of course, what's relevant to you here is how to get a wish off a Zexox. Of course it sounds like it's no mean feat, and that's even assuming you've managed to find one in the first place, but actually... it's actually surprisingly easy, if you know how.
No, what do you think the Zexox are, leprechauns? You can't just catch one and expect a pot of gold! That's not how it works! Well, you can try, but it'll probably turn into some greater beast and consume you. Which they do, though it is not well recorded in written history. Not surprising, since only successes are chronicled, and failures forgotten.
The Zexox are whimsical, and yet one property distinguishes them from other mercurial creatures of myth. They seldom lie. Not because they have some queer and incurable obsession with the truth, surely not. If anything they find it tasteless and repulsive. No, the reason is quite different. You see, when the Zexox were crafted during the late days of Creation, they were made to carry a curse. It is a curse that runs counter to their blood, one imposed perhaps to check their very nature. A Zexox may be bound by its lies; that is their curse.
Nothing really happens when a Zexox lies; it is not hurt, damaged, or banished. After all, lies are just words, and who is ever hurt by mere words? Things are different, though, if a Zexox is caught lying. Then they are beholden to the exposer of their lie, and like other tricksters in ancient lore, are obliged to grant that person a single wish.
Bullshit, you say? I'm not lying about that. They really do grant wishes, fair and square, if you catch them correctly. They don't always give you such an opportunity, though; they have no particular desire to be bound to the whims of others. And yet they sometimes do lie, willingly. But that's not a good sign either.
Think about it. Why should a Zexox lie if it could help it? There is no reason for such careless indiscretion. It is only sensible to think that they must have something to gain. And indeed they do, though the facts are barely referenced in myth.
Don't you realize it yet? There are few stories where someone fails to uncover a Zexox's lies. Surely it's not the case that each and every lie was exposed? No, think about it. Think again, harder. The reason is simple. Nobody survives getting it wrong.
They don't just kill. They consume. They are creatures of great intelligence, perhaps surpassing that of Man, but ultimately the Zexox are bestial in nature. It is merely that they are forced to grant their prey the chance to turn the tables. But after the centuries the Zexox have grown cautious; now they do but lie once per hunt. Miss that lie, or accuse it of the wrong untruth, and your fate is sealed.
Thanks for the tally. I don't think it was the theme that slowed down this month's competition, but rather the fact that we're nearing grad and entering exams. I'm glad I wrote my entry early, or I wouldn't have had any time to do so later.
As for suggestions, I don't really have any at the moment; will post if I do.
Do you seek to dominate, to rule? What do you control? Or, are you even the sovereign of your own actions?
The theme for June is power and control.
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Unrelated tidbit: Dominion is a fine card game, everyone should check it out.
2011-05-15, 19:53
Graphic Designer
I don't think it was the theme that slowed down this month's competition, but rather the fact that we're nearing grad and entering exams. I'm glad I wrote my entry early, or I wouldn't have had any time to do so later.
