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Post by Kwan on Feb 8, 2014 15:10:40 GMT -5
On this day, I do crown as Queen of the Writers, the Poets, and the Role Players, Survivor of the Thunderdome and Champion of the Arena ... REFFUMZ! You may now go back and claim stories and reviews from previous rounds as you own. |
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Feb 8, 2014 15:11:34 GMT -5
Hell yes! Well done Ref.
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Post by Kaez on Feb 8, 2014 15:28:29 GMT -5
Woooooooo! Wooo! I can take claim of the beginnings for: Agincourt, San Jacinto, Austerlitz, and the Thunderdome. And the entries: Breitenfeld 1 and, obviously, Leyte Gulf 2. I dropped out of the Thunderdome. I felt weird writing a story for my own beginning, I spent a good 60 hours of the writing time driving back and forth between Indiana and Pittsburgh due to the sudden hospitalization of a family member, lost my inspiration. Aw well. Ref won and that makes me happy. |
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Feb 8, 2014 15:44:49 GMT -5
Woooooooo! Wooo! I can take claim of the beginnings for: Agincourt, San Jacinto, Austerlitz, and the Thunderdome. And the entries: Breitenfeld 1 and, obviously, Leyte Gulf 2. I dropped out of the Thunderdome. I felt weird writing a story for my own beginning, I spent a good 60 hours of the writing time driving back and forth between Indiana and Pittsburgh due to the sudden hospitalization of a family member, lost my inspiration. Aw well. Ref won and that makes me happy. So... You are the one who beat me, and then dropped out. I'm making snarling faces at you now. |
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Post by James on Feb 8, 2014 15:45:33 GMT -5
Well done, Reffy! I'm super pleased for you.
I was entries: Saratoga 2, Austerlitz 2 and Thunderdome 1.
I suspected Reffy might have made her way to the final and I really think that last story of hers was pretty great (I loved the tavern concept so much). On that note, when are the reviews being posted, Kwan?
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Post by James on Feb 8, 2014 15:57:07 GMT -5
Hall of Fame is updated! Reffy has ended the Admins' stranglehold on competitions!
Also, everyone needs to go and reveal themselves. Because I got quite lost by the second round (though I did get Pete right both time).
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Post by Kaez on Feb 8, 2014 16:00:45 GMT -5
Woooooooo! Wooo! I can take claim of the beginnings for: Agincourt, San Jacinto, Austerlitz, and the Thunderdome. And the entries: Breitenfeld 1 and, obviously, Leyte Gulf 2. I dropped out of the Thunderdome. I felt weird writing a story for my own beginning, I spent a good 60 hours of the writing time driving back and forth between Indiana and Pittsburgh due to the sudden hospitalization of a family member, lost my inspiration. Aw well. Ref won and that makes me happy. So... You are the one who beat me, and then dropped out. I'm making snarling faces at you now. I felt really shitty about dropping out. Like, it kind of ruined my whole day to do it. But I had shit to take care of, and it was my own beginning and if I'd won I would've felt weird about that. And, frankly, I just didn't have any good ideas for it. Hall of Fame is updated! Reffy has ended the Admins' stranglehold on competitions! Also, everyone needs to go and reveal themselves. Because I got quite lost by the second round (though I did get Pete right both time). I thought both of my stories were very me-ish. I know a lot of people feel that way, but I'm glad to not be entirely wrong. For the record, I predicted both of yours as well, outside of the Thunderdome. |
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Feb 8, 2014 16:02:19 GMT -5
So... You are the one who beat me, and then dropped out. I'm making snarling faces at you now. I felt really shitty about dropping out. Like, it kind of ruined my whole day to do it. But I had shit to take care of, and it was my own beginning and if I'd won I would've felt weird about that. Is alright, I had it coming. I think I did something similar last year. |
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Post by James on Feb 8, 2014 16:06:04 GMT -5
And, frankly, I just didn't have any good ideas for it. Yeah, I think coming up with ideas for that beginning was really hard. And I tried to be too clever and wanting to take it away from that initial D&D set-up. Also, I know nothing about D&D. So I doubt the feasibility of what I wrote. I thought both of my stories were very me-ish. I know a lot of people feel that way, but I'm glad to not be entirely wrong. For the record, I predicted both of yours as well. Your second story was very obvious. The first round story didn't quite stick out as much. And damn. My formatting changes and American spelling was for naught. (well, I just saved the story, changed to US Spelling, make changes... never save such blasphemy.) |
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Post by Jenny (Reffy) on Feb 8, 2014 18:13:55 GMT -5
Dafuq? Uh? Re-count ... I really struggled with that starter. I wrote like 5 different stories - only came up with the final one lunchtime of the last writing day. There were so many initial characters, and all had to have 2 names, and 2 relationships (elf archer, bard halfling, etc), and the fact it started with no real action or aim at action - ick! It was really difficult. I honestly cannot believe it.
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Post by Kaez on Feb 8, 2014 18:15:14 GMT -5
Dafuq? Uh? Re-count ... I really struggled with that starter. I wrote like 5 different stories - only came up with the final one lunchtime of the last writing day. There were so many initial characters, and all had to have 2 names, and 2 relationships (elf archer, bard halfling, etc), and the fact it started with no real action or aim at action - ick! It was really difficult. I honestly cannot believe it. I hate that starter. I thought it was really fun, but once I tried to write something for it, I realized it fucking sucks. Still, I voted for your story. I think you did something nice with it. Not great, but good enough to edge out. |
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Post by James on Feb 8, 2014 18:19:01 GMT -5
I hate that starter. I thought it was really fun, but once I tried to write something for it, I realized it fucking sucks. It was probably your weakest starter. |
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Post by Jenny (Reffy) on Feb 8, 2014 18:23:11 GMT -5
I hate that starter. I thought it was really fun, but once I tried to write something for it, I realized it fucking sucks. It was probably your weakest starter. It was an excellent challenge though! Starters I wrote:
Crouched beneath the windowsill, Freddy took the moment to consider how he’d arrived at this point in his life, while he waited for the family to settle down and fall asleep. The contract could wait and he’d only cause a ruckus if he rushed in there.
As he grew up he wanted to be a scientist or a mechanic, something that required brain-work - not that his current position didn’t need a whole lot of planning and thinking! He could remember taking apart his first wireless radio and putting it back together again and how proud he felt at that exact moment. He’d even showed his father even though the old man didn’t understand it. His teenager rebellion years had been slightly geeky and spent in a garage tinkering with things.
This job was far from what he’d wanted to be but it was what paid the bills. It had happened by accident, just as he entered his twenties, helped along by a little pushing from Idris. Once he’d completed the first mission there was no turning back. Freddy wasn’t even sure how he’d managed to kill a human being, let alone as many as he had done, but that was the work of an assassin. Now they required him to kill the daughter but never gave a reason. She’d be asleep soon and in the room above his head, according to the briefing.
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“How fast can she go?” Juliet shouted over the chuffing and clacking sound that the beast made.
“Not sure. Never really pushed her,” the man shouted. He was covered in soot on all sweaty and bare patches of skin. He was busy shovelling coal into the roaring furnace as they spoke, taking only short breaks to answer questions or show off another point, which he’d spent years designing and preparing.
“She’s amazing, Rich, abso-bloody-lutely amazing! Imagine the possibilities. She could transport so much; shorten the travel time; take people places!” Juliet spoke quickly until she was lost for words. She clung to the edge of the machine letting her head lean from the carriage just enough to let her hair get whipped around by the rushing wind.
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Feeling drained from the busy day, Ian leaned his head against the window of the train for some brief shut-eye. He didn’t want to fall asleep but the gentle knocking and rocking of the train was lulling him away. It was pitch dark outside save for the occasional orange light that zipped by.
He snapped his head up as another train passed in the other direction. The noise was deafening. Outwardly it looked like any other South-West train. It was what was inside the train carriages that had disturbed him. Each compartment was a sinful red, filled with what looked like body-parts hanging from hooks, and other unidentifiable shapes; they all moved in a jerky fashion.
As soon as it had shown up the train was gone, clacking and rumbling as it went. Hurriedly Ian looked around his carriage; nobody else appeared to have seen the horrific sight. He wondered if maybe he’d imagined the train, doubting his own eyes.
Whatever it was, he wrote it off to dreaming. Sometimes it was better not to know.
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“Praise be unto him!”
The crowd roared as his holiness stepped from the darkened doorway with his arms raised. His pearly white robes hung from his upheld arms in huge loops that draped on the floor while a simple red stole hung around his neck and traced the front of his body until it rested gently on the ground. He had a calm and pleasant smile on his face and soft eyes with brazen blonde, cropped hair. The crowd silenced, recognising that the man, a gift from the Gods, wanted to speak. Several there hushed the rest as it spread away from the main building in a reverent wave.
“Thank you all for coming …
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Beneath the ground something dark slithered and crawled its way out and into the new world. With a face full of fangs, and more legs than possible, it pushed at the earth in stabbing movements, keen to be released. Up there, on the surface, were things, things worth eating, things that might be tasty.
Only one person would even be aware of its coming and that would be its Master. All else would fall prey to its dagger-like teeth and viscous drool. It was the dark, the nightmares were made real, fashioned in to a beast, and it had a name. Azmol.
In its wake cities would fall and families be extinguished; just as Master planned. Nobody would stand in her way anymore. Nobody would hurt her; nobody would dare.
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Post by James on Feb 8, 2014 18:24:54 GMT -5
I really liked the train one.
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Post by Jenny (Reffy) on Feb 8, 2014 18:26:42 GMT -5
I really liked the train one. It was something that I wrote on the way back from the NaNo day out in London. I was feeling tired and got shock awoke by a train headed in the other direction. It was inspiration. I intended it to be a flashy but I think it has a lot more potential to be something else much, much bigger. |
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