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| Who should be the winner of the contest? |
| Unearthed Truth with Stolen Time |
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50% |
[ 1 ] |
| ll Earl Grey ll with 2.0 Breakfast |
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50% |
[ 1 ] |
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| Total Votes : 2 |
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Silvermoonfall Vice Captain
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 Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 5:41 pm
Hey all!
I thought it would be fun to have a short story contest, so here it goes!
RULES:
1) Follow Gaia TOS
2) No higher than PG 13, keeping in mind we have some younger members.
3) 600 1100 words or less, no less than 250.
4) Has to be Steampunk oriented (obviously sweatdrop )
5) Have fun!
Deadline is August 31st September 15th
- Grand Prize is Sir Ceph the Dapper Octopus!
- Second Prize is 15k!
- Third Prize is 7.5k!
Winners will be determined via poll set up on September 1st. Voting will last until September 15th.
Please post your stories here and try not to forget paragraph breaks to make it easier to read ^_^.
I can't wait to see what you all come up with! Happy writing!
P.S. If there are any questions, feel free to PM me. I will post questions with answers in the following reserved post.
Please post your entries in this thread
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 5:44 pm
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Silvermoonfall Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:14 pm
This 600 word limit is killer....
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:43 pm
I agree with Earl. 600 words is actually rather small for a short story.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:50 pm
Can we bump it up to maybe a thousand? I actually already wrote the story the second I saw the conest, but I am having trouble cutting it down even close to 600.
But maybe I am the only one who feels that way.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:40 pm
Sure thing. This has now been extended to 1100 words. Sorry about that, all. Guess I'm still used to class assignment length short stories sweatdrop .
Thank you for the quick feedback, all ^_^.
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Silvermoonfall Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:54 pm
~2.0 Breakfast~ His gloved fist came down quickly onto the hot metal, sparks flying across the room, the light reflecting brightly off of his goggles. He wasn't sure how long had passed since he began but he knew that it had already been too long and he needed to finish. As he spun the finished product in his hand he knew that the edges had finally been smoothed out and the shape was right. With the swiftness of a shark he plunged his arm into the barrel of water as white hot steam flooded the room. The once glowing red orb of hot metal quickly grew dark under the black shimmering liquid, the steam slowly ebbing away. Triumphantly he pulled out a perfectly shaped bright copper tea kettle as he slid up his goggles and rushed out of the room and back into the main house. The eggs were still simmering on the stove in a large pot of water, tiny hot droplets of water occasionally jumping onto the hot griddle with a loud SHHHHH noise. The completed pancakes sat in a steaming stack next to griddle alongside a toaster with fresh bread sticking out of the top. Everything was as he had left it several minutes ago, except for one critical factor. The sunbeams which had before only just barely invaded the windows had now fully reached across the room to the doorway he was entering from. He was out of time and he knew that, the masters would be up soon and expect their usual breakfast. But the eggs needed to be finished, the toast needed to be reheated, and of course the tea was completely unmade. When he ran off to fix the dent in the kettle he knew he would be out of time, but if the mistress knew that he had dropped her mothers old tea kettle he would be out on the street for sure. Doomed if he did and doomed if he didn't, however at least with fixing breakfast he had a last resort. He strode over to a small door opposite the one he had come from and opened it up. There she stood, as silent as a statue. Automated Lightweight Intelligence Controller Entity, or as was emblazoned on her chest in silver letters, A.L.I.C.E. . With the dawn of a new century just around the corner the desire for greater technology had run rampant throughout the queens empire. Steam powered horses drew carriages down the street, clockwork birds flew overhead delivering messages across the city, and automated servants like this were considered the absolute crown jewel for anyone in high society. She was only a few months old, but he didn't like her at all. Polished brass limbs, nodules of expensive crystals, plush velvet fingertips, and substantially less intelligence and grace. In the month she had been there her finest accomplishments had been to burn two dinners, dismantle the masters car, and repaint the children's room with motor oil. He didn't want to activate her, but it was his only choice of finishing on time. The design was extremely simple, only four buttons were standard on all automatons. A red button for shut down, a green button for power up, a yellow button to receive verbal commands, and a blue button to receive visual instructions. He reached out and pushed her green button, and then took a step back. As she whirred to life and her eyes brightened up he quickly pressed the blue button. He lifted up the kettle and made a motion to express that she had to make tea, and then he sped off. He focused on getting everything done, ignoring the crashing sounds behind him, the boiling water that gets splashed on his arm, the loud earsplitting whistle of the tea kettle for a full minute. He sets everything up on the tray and looks up at the clock, only one minute until breakfast. As he turns she stands behind him, holding out the tea kettle, the subtle aroma of properly brewed tea. He nods slightly in thanks and reaches out with both hands, one takes the kettle and the other pressed the red button on her chest as her eyes dimmed and her limbs slackened. He walked up the stairs, balancing a tray of food in one hand and the hot steaming kettle in the other. As he reached the top of the stairs and entered the dining room the master was opening the paper and the mistress was trying to get the children to get into their seat. He sat the kettle down at the center of the table and set each plate in front of the family, then he returned for the kettle and poured them a fresh cup. The people chattered away, not even glancing up towards him,, as they began to nibble on toast or crack their eggs open. He looked up at the clock, not even one second late with the meal despite all that had happened. He walked over and stood next to the master, waiting for instructions as to what to do next for the family. But without even looking from the paper the master reached out and pressed the red button on his chest.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:15 pm
~Stolen Time~
A blackened, charred landscape stretched out before her as she hobbled across a very defined line in the earth. Cog-wheels whirred and clicked as they interlocked and separated allowing her injured leg to support her weight. Behind the young woman, past the gently rolling hills, further yet beyond the rugged low mountains which stood silently- rose a glorious city. Literally rising from the earth mechanically, slowly creeping towards the now setting sun. Dim lights began to blink on, illuminating the monstrous buildings and statues that dominated the landscape. The girl pushed on forward, her back turned to the lights. A long deep blast of sound rang out from the metropolis and travelled across the earth with a force that shook the ground. The girl stopped in her tracks and turned to face the orange glow of the suns final rays cast down upon the now utterly enormous buildings. A plume of smoke and dust billowed out from the nearest edge of the city. Her eyes widened, emerald green with flecks of gold. The cloud grew larger and larger as it approached. The fear holding her in place loosened it’s grip for a split second as she turned around and began to run faster than she’d ever ran before.
A gentle breeze swept across the obsidian wasteland, carrying a scent of death. The girl ran so fast against this wind that the small particles of sand and ash stung her face and eyes. Pulling a pair of goggles down from her forehead to cover her eyes she kept good pace. With each footfall from her left, she leapt forward with veracity. The mechanical leg which she possessed worked much better under heavier stress. The pins glided without a hitch, the metal slowly warming as it worked with her to achieve freedom. Behind her a hum which grew increasingly to become a roar was bearing down quickly. A near silent click triggered an explosion of light which engulfed the girl as what now appeared to be a vehicle tore towards her. The sun had now completely vanished without a trace- the new focal point of light was a large statue of a Well-Dressed Man holding a cube and a sphere in the center of the city on the horizon.
“STOP!” screamed an unknown voice through a loudspeaker. A four wheeled menace of a vehicle skidded sideways mere inches past the now terrified girl. A massive spotlight on the back was trained on her, blinding her completely. A man jumped out of the vehicle and rushed towards the girl.
“I WON’T GO BACK” she screamed, petrified in place. She began to shiver violently, not from the cold, but rather her machined leg. Overworked and worn down a small spring popped out and a pin slid from its bearing. The girl collapsed instantly without the help to stand.
“Raine…” the man spoke softly now, as he leaned down towards the helpless wreck- “Raine let’s go home.” the tone of his voice was both tender and firm. It was the voice of a concerned father. “Kill the light, she’s not going anywhere now.” he said with a wave of his hand. A faint click and the light dimmed to a near nonexistent glow.
“Why won’t you just let me go? I can’t go back…” Raine pleaded. Her head hung towards her chest, refusing to look up at the man kneeling in front of her. She pulled off her tear filled goggles and threw them at the dusty charred ground.
“Please understand, we must go back. You will not survive out here- There’s nothing left. Look around you Raine!” he motioned to each of the 4 corners of the terrain, nothing but blackness and silence.
“There’s nothing left because HE-” Raine jutted a finger towards the glowing city “-DESTROYED EVERYTHING!” where the clear center of attention was on the overbearing statue of the Well-Dressed Man. A small object appeared in the mans hand, and quickly pricked Raine in the shoulder. Before she could get a word out she collapsed fully, out cold.
“That man is the only reason you and I are even alive.” the man quietly responded as he picked himself up. Grabbing Raine under the arm he lifted her limp body and placed her in one of the seats. He himself sat in the passenger seat and sighed heavily.
“Are we okay?” asked a womans voice from the drivers side. The man lit a match, the light glinted off his green eyes.
“I don’t know.” he responded solemnly as the vehicle shuddered into gear and began to roll back towards the city of light. “I don’t think he will forgive her for abandoning again.”
Within a massive room of marble, the walls covered in clock faces all tuned precisely in time with one another- but none of the hands moving. Steps rose from the floor in the centre of the room towards a throne made of polished hunks of metal. The seat seemed as though it was within a bubble, the light around it slightly warped and bulging, obscuring the person sitting. Every now and then a spark would leap from the metallic seat to the curved light around it. Two loud knocks echoed through the empty room. Large unseen mechanisms set in motion began to pour steam up through neatly cut holes in the marble floor. Two doors split and began to open, a man and a woman entered, carrying between them a young woman whose legs dragged across the smooth floor. The doors shut behind them with a soft thud as they stopped, halfway to the throne before them. Zaps of electricity began to pop more frequently from the chair.
“We apologize for the actions of our daughter, we are humbled to be in your presence yet again… regrettably so under these circumstances.” the man with the green eyes spoke with his head down. All of a sudden the bubble around the chair literally popped with a soft glow. The instant this bubble popped the hands of the clocks in the room began to move. A man sat in the chair and looked down upon the three. His black shoes polished, pants with a crisp fold line in them still, pinstripe jacket and golden pocket watch. His young face was clean shaven all but for a perfectly groomed black moustache. He gazed at the three before him with a look of sternness. The sound of every minute hand in the room clicking into place simultaneously seemed to kickstart the heart of this Well-Dressed Man.
“You bring me your daughter, now.” he growled.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:30 pm
Booyeah 1100 words- Man it's impossible to write with a constraint like that lol. I had to leave it at a cliffhanger ending and leave out SOMUCH MINBLOW.
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 10:25 pm
Unearthed Truth Booyeah 1100 words- Man it's impossible to write with a constraint like that lol. I had to leave it at a cliffhanger ending and leave out SOMUCH MINBLOW.
Since this was the first writing contest, I'm still testing out what constraints work out and which ones don't. I definitely do thank you all for bearing with me through this process!
We always have our lovely Steampunk Writings subforum that could use some attention sweatdrop . That and it would be nice to know what happens next!
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Silvermoonfall Vice Captain
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Silvermoonfall Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:32 pm
Congratulations to Unearthed Truth for winning the Short Story Contest!
Sorry for the delay in sending out the message and prizes!
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