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Alternate Universe Final Poll


Alternate Universe Final Poll  

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Vote here for your favorite Alternate Universe story; entries have been randomized. Please MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL ENTRIES BEFORE VOTING.Voting begins now and will end on June 17th at 11:59 PM EST. The entry with the most votes will be the winner of the Alternate Universe theme and will then be either judged or polled against the winners of the other themes.

  1. For Lack of a Chisel For lack of a chisel... "Take this Copper Mask of Victory," Turaga Onewa said, "crafted in the shape of my own. It is the greatest honor Po-Koro can give. May it bring you good fortune in your travels." Takua accepted it with pleasure. Takua was lost... Takua frantically dug through his bag, searching for something, anything, that could save him. The insectoid things were coming closer... The flute? The heatstone? One by one, every item he owned was discarded, while the strange creatures grew nearer, and nearer... He held the Copper Komau in his hand for a moment, gazing at it. Then he flung it away. Mask of Victory, indeed...he thought, leaning despairingly against the pedestal. Absolutely useless. His mind traveled back longingly to the gnomon he had once carried. Something pointy might have fitted into that space in the pedestal... Then the swarm was upon him, and he knew no more. For lack of Takua... The Great Kolhii Tournament began, with Hewkii and Hafu representing Po-Koro, Hahli and Maku from Ga-Koro, and Matoro and Kopeke from Ko-Koro - the three best teams on Mata Nui. In the stands Jaller watched glumly, a spectator. Yet again, he wished Takua had lived. Maybe if he had been Jaller's teammate... And then the Shadow fell across the Stadium... the island was lost... Pohatu was surrounded. He didn't think he would make it this time. He had been on the move, running, fighting, since the night of the Tournament. The night the Rahkshi came. There had seemed to be hundreds of them as they swept down over the field, blotting out the stars. Kraata, jumping on masks and bodies. Corrupting, enslaving... One by one, they had all fallen, until Pohatu alone fought the darkness But how, he thought, could one fight darkness without light? Now, even as he fought, a kraata leapt upon him. for lack of the island... Makuta surveyed his realm, and was well pleased. He called the Toa Nuva to him, and they came. He smiled upon them "Go, my heroes," he commanded them. "It is time to fulfill your destiny." Mata Nui was lost... Mindlessly, the Toa Nuva fed their energies into the lightstones of the Codrex. They did not know of the Av-Matoran outside their enclosure. Nor did they know that they were bringing into being massive energy storms, which would be the destruction of those Matoran - and of them. But if they had known, they would not have cared. The great robot rose from the depths of the endless ocean. And its eyes were red. for lack of Mata Nui... Makuta laughed as he felt his power. This was even greater than he had dreamed. Within his body and without, his power was limitless. He looked at the stars, with the eye of a conquerer. Spherus Magna was lost... Raanu groaned to himself. Only a week ago, the Skrall had conquered Vulcanus. Now its former leader was rebuilding their defenses, for the benefit of their conquerers. I would welcome an invasion, he thought bitterly, if anyone could conquer the Skrall. Our lot can hardly get worse. But it could, as he was shortly to discover. The rule of the Great Makuta, when he found his way to Bara Magna, would be worse than even the Skrall could imagine. And all for lack of a Po-Koro chisel. -------
  2. The Toa and His Reflection The glimmering silver pool sat central in the ancient chamber. Only one even knew of its existence on the small island. He was a Toa, the conqueror of his world, a ruler with an army so strong that none would ever think to stand against him. This world was his... but he wanted more, much more. There was nothing left to conquer in his land. But through the silver pool, he could see something different. It was a world like his, only there was peace, no one ruled over them, there was a void that could be filled. He wanted to reach through, into this other world, and seize it in his grasp, rule it as his own. They wouldn't be expecting it, never know what they were dealing with when he entered into their peace and shattered it under his heel. But always when he looked into the pool, he would see another being staring back. It was himself, but different. He looked less menacing, less terrifying. He looked weak. He tried touching the pool, seeing that the other did the same. Then a thought crossed his mind. Perhaps it crossed the mind of the other him at the same time, he expected that it did. He would plunge into the pool, coming out on the other side, where he would conquer their world for his own. He would become the king of a second universe. They would learn to fear the name of Shoxip as their word crumbled around them. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, and saw as the other him did the same. They were going to swap worlds with each other it seemed. But he wasn't thinking of that, he was only thinking of the power he would gain within his new kingdom. Maybe another Nui-Stone? He would enjoy having a second, it would make him far more powerful than he could even imagine. The thought made him smile inwardly. He would be beyond comprehension in his strength, and then perhaps find another world, where he would find more. With a grin, the Toa with dreams of power beyond even the Great Spirit's jumped into the silvery pool, quickly sinking to the bottom. But there was nothing there, nothing but disorienting silver liquid. He couldn't find his way out. His power of flame did nothing at all the the dark clutches of the liquid, until his flaming spark of life finally faded away into the dark depths. The other Shoxip stood watching from his side of the pool. He had stopped himself moments before jumping in, when a thought crossed his mind. What if he was unable to fix the damage to that other world, what if all he was doing was letting a twisted version of himself into his world. Could he sentence his own world to ruin for merely the chance to save another? He found that he could not. With a sigh, he walked away from the pool. There was nothing he could do. The other him had leaped into the water, and not shown up in this world, or back in his own. Wherever the dark Shoxip was, Shoxip hoped that his dark counterpart would never again harm anyone again, as he had seen through his own silver pool many times before. The Emerald City of Gold ------
  3. Mirror I stared into his eyes and he stared back. Emerald eyes glowed behind his virescent Noble Kadin. He was me; but he wasn't; yet he was. It was as if I was peering at the surface of a still pond, into the depths of a world where everything is inverted. Here in my world, in my universe, I am a scholar, a chronicler, and a storyteller. I am but a simple Matoran living a simple life of simple joys. In his universe, where it is the Matoran who command the elements, he wielded his powers of The Green with a fist of hardwood. He was a ruthless tyrant who ruled over his world; suppressor of freedom, pitiless enslaver, hater and destroyer of all knowledge among the common people. He was devious and cunning, two things I was not; and he was most certainly evil, a trait to which I am proud to lay no claim. He admired his new surroundings with surprise, wonder . . . and rapacity. Though his eyes glowed with the same hue as my own, they gleamed with an eager malevolance and an iniquitous joy at the prospects before him. "A whole new world to conquer," he sibilated. "When that fool appeared with that Olmak, I thought it was but another mad scheme of deposition. Mad as it was, it took his madness to show me what has been right beneath my Kanohi all these many years. . . . I have grown weary of ruling a universe with nothing but senseless rebellions to quell beneath my heel. The life of an absolute is dull, at best. But I should have seen it sooner! Why limit my kingdom to one universe--when I could control them all?" "Are you insane?" He smiled at me. It was the tenuous smile of a crack in the earth, a deceptive crack that you know will any moment yawn into an abyss of endless shadow any engulf you; and in spite of this certainty, you do not flee, for their is an inexplicable beauty of a macabre tenor to the crack, an enthralled awe awaiting the opening of its sublime mouth. "You should know full well that--we--are quite insane." "You can't possibly rule two universes!" "That batty Turaga--for your sake I hope he exists not in this universe--was right about one thing: I--excuse me, we­--can do anything we put our minds to. I do not intend to rule two universes at all . . . but far more." He cocked his head at me. "You are me, are you not? I am you. We are . . . one. We should work together. You could join me . . . together we could be absolute across all the dimensions! You and I could become far more than mere Matoran. We could transcend the Great Beings themselves." I was not going to listen to another word of this. I screamed "Never!" and unsheathed my blade and lunged. The next thing I knew I was hanging upside down, entangled in vines. "So you are not me, after all. . . . A pity. This, then, is good-bye. I have a universe to conquer." And then he was gone. I did not think as I freed myself from my bonds. Perhaps I had already resigned myself to my unruly task. Like it or not . . . I knew that I was the only one who could stop myself. But one question did press at the corners of my mind: Which of us was the real Nuile? ------
  4. Artificial Intelligence Ackar was quietly reading when he heard a noise behind him, a light metal scrape and the unnerving whirr of mechanical joints. It was something he had grown to live with, but he still found it unsettling. He breathed in and turned to the little mechanical creature standing beside his chair. They were odd creatures, certainly. Hey had come from the metal giant that had touched down on the planet and healed their world by reuniting the three pieces of the planet. Then, its duty done, it shut down, and the parts were scrapped by the celebrating Agori. But not before they discovered the creatures. They lived in cities, working to keep the robot running. But they were mindless, it seemed; they did not speak unless asked a question, and they seemed to have no will of their own. So, they were taken from the robot and used as drones, as robotic servants. Ackar had been issued one of the species ‘Matoran’, but he didn’t much like having it around. The thing wore red armour and an odd mask, and it seemed an expert in metalwork. It repaired armour and weapons with remarkable ease. When Ackar asked its name, it had replied with a monotonic “Matoran_Vakama”. Now, as he looked at it, he found himself feeling guilty. It really DID look like some sort of child, and he felt terrible for sending it to sleep in the closet every night. It disturbed him with its blank expression and dull eyes, but it could not be helped. It was here to stay. “You, uh, finished the repairs on my armour?” Ackar asked it. It nodded, and Ackar glanced away. “… Ah. And dinner is prepared?” It responded with “System_task: ‘Prepare Dinner’ completed.” “Oh, good.” Ackar rose, and Vakama dutifully placed his book back on the shelf. The red warrior sighed and stretched his aging limbs. “All right. Thank you.” He was about to head off for the kitchen when the communicator on his table buzzed. He pressed a button on it and spoke into the receiver. “Hello, this is Ackar.” “Yeah, I know, I called your number.” It was Kiina, and she sounded peeved. “What’s wrong?” “My Toa, Helryx, that’s what! It’s REFUSING to spar with me!” “Refusing? Are you using simple words with it?” “Yes, but it’s still saying ‘Request denied’ or something like that.” It was then that Ackar heard something behind him. The softest of clicks. He spoke softly into the receiver, “Kiina, I’ll call you back. Be careful.” “What-“ He hung up the phone and turned, ready for a surprise attack. What he saw was Vakama, wielding a sword made from scrap metal. The Matoran hadfire in its eyes, and it was burning brighter than any sun. The hand wielding the blade was shaking terribly. It said, in a tone that, for once, wavered with emotion, “System_task: ‘Fight For Freedom’ in progress.” Ackar looked at the small creature, which stared back with the eyes of a frightened child. He smiled weakly. “Here’s a new system task for you, friend: go free.” The robot dropped the weapon, unbelieving. Then, without another word, it ran. Ackar watched it go, and silently wished it a safe journey. -------
  5. Vezon's Utopia Vezon was just about as happy as he ever could be. For one thing, he was flying through a void. Voids always excited him. They were there, but yet they weren't really anywhere. Plus, they were just lovely little things. Vworp, there's a void, then vworp again, you're not there anymore. Easy transport. For another, he had a mask attached to his face. To be honest, he was kind of missing a mask stuck to his face. The Ignika had been there for a while, but then it got ripped away, then he got this lovely Olmak, which he liked because he could actually do something with it. The Ignika just sat there doing nothing. He couldn't finish thinking up and listing out what all he liked about flying between two dimensions and two eternities when, all of a sudden, he had reached the other side, plopping down unreasonably hard upon what looked at first glance to be soft and lush grass. A swarm of fireflyers rushed out around him, surrounding his face. To Vezon's surprise, every individual fireflyer featured none other than his smiling face. "Ooh, this is a big'n. Nice and thick for the barbecue," one said. "Yeah, but he's got that thing in his head. Looks like a cookie," another chimed in. "I wonder if it's a lemon." "I like pancakes," muttered another. "'Scuse me, little ones, but I don't suppose you're fans? Just remember that autographs are five widgets each," Vezon said. "Oh, except for Vezok's spine. That I would pay you to let me sign." "It speaks!" "You mean it's alive?" "Are we going to have pancakes or not?" The swarm of Vezon fireflyers was in disarray. Mentally discombobulated as ever, Vezon ambled off into the nearby city. He entered the main street and found that he fit right in, for every single living thing, regardless of species, was in his image. Everywhere he looked, there were copies of his visage. Vezon worked his way to the town center, where a disorienting and downright bizarre sculpture dominated the foreground. Though Vezon was insane, he was still cunning, albeit in a twisted way. Using his Olmak powers, he opened a portal and sucked away the statue. All of the Vezons in the city focused their attention on this newcomer and his powerful abilities. This was the beginning of something excellent. *** "What is it?" Jaller asked. "I have no idea," Nuparu responded. "It looks like ... well, I don't know what it looks like, really." Jaller nodded. "It kind of looks like something that Vezon would make if he had a bunch of free time," he said after a while. Nuparu's eyes got narrower as he smirked slightly. "Somehow, I think you may be right." Behind them, unheard and unseen, a group of fireflyers swarmed out of a dimensional hole, one of them muttering something about pancakes. *** Vezon could get used to this. He had successfully convinced the inhabitants of the city to let him become their ruler, as he had abilities no one else did. He became their ruler years ago, and every day since then had been filled with sitting on his opulent but chaotic-looking throne, ordering his subjects around incoherently, and occasionally sucking up things or subjects in order to send them off into another dimension. The first living thing he did that in his rule was to those unruly fireflyers, and its novelty hadn't yet worn off. He had indeed gotten used to it, but somewhere within the warped and twisted corridors of his mind, he decided that he'd never grow tired of it. And if he did, he was only a wish away from the next universe over. -------

"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake." ~ Aimee Bender

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Really, you're asking me to choose between Vezon chasing copies of himself in another dimension, an novel concept of Matoran servants going free, and a lyrical concept of how one simple thing can change everything? That's way too hard. If everyone is voting for 1, however...then 5 is my choice. (It's hilarious!)

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Hey! All my competition is good? How is that fair?Anyway, I voted for 2. I did like them all, though. 3 was an intriguing story - similar to 2, actually, and I had a hard time choosing between them. 4 was cool, though puzzling. Here the MU inhabitants aren't sentient... or wait, now they somehow are? 5, of course, was pure Vezon craziness (and yes, that is a compliment).May the best story win!-Excelsior

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My writings:

The Toa Ekara - Visions A short story. Ga-Koro Mobs My entry for the LSO Comedies Contest. Team Extempore's entry for the LSO Epics Contest

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I recall being rather disappointed I didn't have time to enter this one, but it looks like there's no way I'd have made it this far anyways against competition like this.It was down between 4 and 5, both great little ideas for a story, and both had some wonderful images (frail little robot-Vakama trying to rebel and Vezon-land). Ultimately, I'll give 4 the nod, though.

Hey: I'm not very active around BZP right now.  However, you can always contact me through PM (I have email notifications set up) and I will reply as soon as I can.


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I voted for my own entry, though #4 came close. I was surprised by the similarity #2 had to mine. It's like . . . an alternate version. But is it like mine . . . or is mine like it? One question does press at the corners of my mind: Which of them is the real story?

From the desk of Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

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When I know I can't live without a pen and paper, when I know writing is as necessary to me as breathing . . .



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I know I am ready to start my voyage.



A Musing Author . . . Want to read my books?

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