Click

Hmm, very tough decision between 1 and 6, which both were well written and have great alternate universe ideas, leaving mine aside of course . I had to settle with 6, but it's still pretty hard to decide.

Well, this was another interesting idea that was a combination of a lot of my other ideas, and I thought it worked well. I had to bring a GLaDOS AI back in, of course Member Name: ClickTheme: UltimatumWord Count: 600 (again)Story: Marathon's GauntletJust another day at work; I had arrived early to get another project done, threw my suit coat over the chair, and opened my computer.That’s where the normalcy ended, with large red flashing letters taking up my entire desktop:Damian Gayer, The situation had become critical, and we need you. Attached to this message is another message for you to take to the next city, Newark. We don’t have time to send it electronically; you will need to run it. If I were you, I would begin now. Failure will only bring death not only to you, but to both cities, and possibly many more. Run now, Damian. You have been put on Watch, so if running from the AI isn’t enough, you have the law to deal with. Our hopes lie in you.It was unsigned, but I knew who it was from. The attachment was quickly printed, and my suit coat went on. It was going to be a long run, but I had been ready for this for months.By the time I got to the front door, the metallic feet were already ringing down the block, accompanied by explosions, gun fire, and screaming. I decided the back door would be a much better option if I wanted to survive.My company’s underground tunnels had been built for two reasons: one, in case a mass exodus from New York was needed, or two, in case of this exact situation, where we knew we had fallen and there was only one more hope, and I had the entire city resting on my shoulders as I ran like I had never run before, the steady clomp of heavy feet above me providing a great motivation.Eventually, I had to surface to cross the Upper Bay into New Jersey, and I could see the gleam of metal on the horizon. The AI’s bots were fast, I’ll give them that, but I was faster. By now, I had lost my suit coat to the tunnel and my pants were beyond repair from numerous puddles and trips, but all of that was past me. I had to get to Newark, or thousands more people would die in this coup d’état of humanity.Gasping for air, I made it to my destined location in Newark. The council seat at my company’s branch was taken up by a large man in a bursting suit who was noisily munching on an apple. A massive glass window took up the rear of the room, revealing a spectacular view of the company’s décor and inner workings. Breathlessly, I handed him the small piece of paper that had caused this entire thing. After a brief read through, he nodded and was getting up as I finally noticed a reflection of two red lights in his window. We both stared in shock at the invader to our meeting.“There you are, Damian. We have been looking all over for you and that piece of paper you have there.” The AI’s voice seemed to come from everywhere in the room as its servants marched into line around the perimeter of the room. We now faced a gauntlet of shining automatons with charged weapons, ready to take us out at the first sign of movement.“Since it seems you are not willing to comply with my demands, I will make you an ultimatum: Hand over your ultimatum, and you will live. I have heard that death from my weapons is unpleasant.”I had already made my decision, months ago when my company planned for this. I took my final steps…

Unfortunately, your wish translated into CAD Ogre, and now you're left with a poorly made 3D model of an ogre that is having fun destroying all of the files on your computer.I wish Minecraft had more official blocks and mobs.

I'm pretty proud of how this one turned out, except I had to rush the ending and I couldn't explain everything I wanted to, but I like the idea enough to continue it, maybe even in an epic.Member Name: ClickTheme: Alternate UniverseWord Count: 600Story: MindscapeThe Toa have failed us, and we can no longer trust them. What scattered few survived the Death of Mata Nui and the resulting chaos now live in the crumbling ruins of Metru Nui. “Our Great Hero,” the one destined to awaken Mata Nui lies on the shores, stoned to death the moment he arrived on the island, the Kanohi Ignika still in his grasp.I guess some might say that we need their help, because Matoran have started disappearing. I have no reason to fear, because I know exactly where they’re going.Years ago, when the Matoran’s protodermis supplies began running low, the old Onu-Le-Koro Highway was expanded in a desparate attempt to scavenge any last remnant of the life blood of our civilization. What we found was much more shocking.At first, it was simply a spot we could not penetrate, but as the tunnels webbed over and around, soon eyes, mouth, and nose took shape. A few brave Onu-Matoran ventured inside a small hatch, and discovered the massive robot was the being we called Mata Nui. They also discovered a large, rotating sphere that must have once glowed with the energy of the Great Spirit. Upon a touch, the Matoran was sucked away into another world.Mindscape. A virtual world inside our Great Spirit full of infinite possibilities, the place I was going today. The only way to get there was to get around a barricade into the lost tunnel, and into a dismal room filled with the limp bodies of Matoran who entered earlier. With a simple touch, my Kanohi dissolved into Matoran symbols, and a deep voice I could imagine was Mata Nui announced “Now entering Mindscape: Name: Therikh; Element: Iron. The Matoran symbols vanished, revealing a dark street criss-crossed with lit panels through my visor. My mask had changed slightly, and my body had become black with glowing rust-red lines representing my element. Then I knew everything had changed.It was then that a Le-Matoran startled me as he crashed into me. “Go back!” He repeatedly shouted. “It isn’t safe here; it isn’t the utopia you’d…uh!” A blast of shadow hit him from behind, suffocating him as he collapsed. A being stepped out from the same alley and almost pitifully gazed on the now dead Matoran. The body had collapsed into more symbols, and the being casually kicked aside the mask.“Pardon me, but I thought as ruler of this place, I would formally welcome you to Mindscape. You’ll be here for a long, long time.”The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn’t until his lights on his body lit up that I recognized him. The lights seemed to suck away from the dim panels, darkening this world further, and then his Kraakan lit up.“Makuta…” I gasped.His large grin confirmed my statement, and I immediately began running, expecting to be blasted down any moment, but Teridax just shouted “The Matoran are building a statue in honor of me; I would be very offended if you didn’t join!” I somehow knew it would be very bad if he was offended. --<>-- Eventually, I knew I had to stop running when I came to the aforementioned statue. Lightstones were just being added by the skilled Po-Matoran when a cloaked figure caught up to me. He quietly bid me follow him, and soon we found a small hut on the outskirts of the large city.My mysterious greeter took off his hood to reveal the Le-Matoran Teridax had killed. In a hurry, he quickly handed me a Toa stone and a new destiny to kill Teridax…

Hmm, I usually try to not vote for myself, unless I was sure that I was the best, so I voted for 5. The plot was cool, interesting, and a different twist on the theme.

Now the projects are being reviewed quarterly. Each one won't start getting reviewed until June. See this blog for more info.

Okay, I can't begin to describe how epic that is. The Bohrok are always so hard to remake because they're already epic, and they use a lot of large pieces that are hard to replace, but this is so cool! The only way it could be cooler is if it still rolls into a ball!

Hmm, I had a good idea for Flight, but I procrastinated, and then had Writer's block at the last moment. Ah well, Alternate Universe sounds pretty cool, I've got a few ideas...

So, Raiden, I was working on your banner, but those pictures of the swords weren't editing well with the shadow, and I don't think I would do much better, so instead I made it in Blender! (click for bigger)With this model, I can now change the color, add some ambient glow, and even make it reflect the background. If I feel really ambitious, I might do the same with the mask, but not likely, although I would like to have the mask facing forwards (I could do an image of the Axalara version if you want it forwards). What do you think, and do you want any special effects like the ones mentioned?

True, but that's pretty much the worst thing about it. You just need a fast computer and some time to kill. You could use it for CGI, like powers, teleportation, or other things you don't want to make in 2D

Is it 3D animation, or 2D? Doing it all in Blender would be awesome, and you could most likely borrow some of B:NG's models!

Oh, I'm so sorry. I missed your request, and the shop's a bit short handed right now (I'm not even an official worker, I'm just trying to help Reznas catch up!), I'll see if I can have all the previously requested banners finished by the end of the week, starting with yours! Thanks for being patient!EDIT: You know, if Reznas is here, I think it would be best if he did that one to keep the style the same, since I don't know what effects he used to make it. If not, I'll do my best!

Yeah, I know, just wondering. So basically they would die from something like Decompression Sickness, or The Bends? Well, to make this even more theoretical, what if they thought it through and took decompression stops as modern day divers do, and survived to the surface? And I meant that they would either stay on the surface of the water, or even go onto land, and then copy the ability from the "general environment" of air.Another question I just thought of. If they were on the surface floating in water, could they copy abilities from both air and sea creatures, being in both "general environments" at once?

Okay, I was wondering, since the Faxon can"mimic the powers of Rahi that share their general environment,"According to Biosector01 (quotes not working!), then in theory, could Hahli Mahri or Lesovikk surface, and mimic the power of air breathing, temporarily reversing their mutation?

Member Name: ClickTheme: The GameWord Count: 600Story: Beating the SystemPlasma sears my face as I barely manage to pull a Matrix underneath it. The twisted old hag opposite me grins grimly.“Okay, sonny, NEW GAME!” Her hands rise to the sky, summoning down lightning, forcing me back over the cliff behind me. Lights flash and I find myself surrounded by code. The lines fluctuate as a feminine voice comes on.“Nice seeing you again, John. How far did you make it this time?”I had heard the same line hundreds of times. “You know exactly where, ALEXOS. Now just let me out of here because your little game isn’t going to work.”“Did I ever tell you you have beautiful eyes?”“I thought you were above flattery. Where’s the threat?” “If you escape me, I’ll have to borrow them for a vicious medical experiment.”“And there it is.”“Shall I respawn you again?”“I’d say no, but I tried that about the forty-third time, didn’t I?”“Forty-fifth, but nice memory. Respawning…”The feeling of sparks jump up my body as the coding disappears and I materialize in a small clearing. “Level one, John. I know you’ll make it through this time.” <(O)> “Okay, sonny, NEW GAME!” I was almost prepared for the old witch’s powers, but this time, I had a secret. ALEXOS had been trying to break me for a while, something about some access codes I have in my mind, but she finally messed up. Repetition allows me to gain more knowledge about this place, unlike her previous Tactics. I gladly open my arms to receive the thousands of volts of electricity that course through my digital body.“Hello again, John. How far did you make it this time? It seems like you weren’t even trying.”I open my eyes to the same code and the same voice. I’m still panting from the stress of this Repetition.“John, you seem tired. Are you ready to give up? All it takes is the twenty digits, and I will let you go.”Without paying attention to her voice, I look around the coding. A specific phrase seems familiar, and I reach out, and “pull” it from the stream.“Wait, what are you…d-doing? J-J-John? J-J-oh-n-n?” The room blanks out, and I am left alone in the darkness, an endless void extending in all directions.“That hurt John. Ah well, it was time for a new Tactic anyways.” I swung my arms in the direction of her voice, but felt nothing but empty space.“Get ready for FEAR, John. I will take pleasure in watching you suffer.”Nothing but emptiness everywhere, none of my senses doing me any good. This was going to be a long Tactic. <(O)> I can’t keep track of how long I’ve been wandering. ALEXOS voice had all but stopped, but I continued in what I hoped was one direction. The only feeling was some hard, cold surface underneath my feet, but in this digital world, hunger, fatigue, thirst, none of it exists. I was ready for a change.“You know John, you are getting nowhere. And I just turned you to the left back there. Probably should just go back, unless you’re ready to be broken, of course.”Her voice surprised me, but what it said only convince me to keep going. She was getting more desperate, and I could use that to my advantage.“No, John, look at me. Come get me.” The voice was right behind, but I kept going.“Fine, I will be glad to have the storage space when you’re gone.”I felt a door, and walked through it without a word. I'm free.

Member Name: ClickTheme: Legends of LhiiWord Count: 600 exactly! Story: Lhii and the Proto Drake“Gathered friends,” Turaga Vakama began, “listen again as I tell you another legend of the Bionicle.” Yellow eyes peer in from the darkness, either eager to hear the story and get away from work. Vakama‘s staff plunges into the fire and he begins telling his story…A usual sight on Mata Nui is the scaled head of a Proto Drake breaking the surface of a lava pool. Sometimes they are regarded as good luck with Ta-Matoran, but today its crazed eyes and thrashing movements did not bode well. A large fin swept overhead, dripping lava on a lava farmer as it crashes nearby.The red Matoran panicked and ran to Vakama, the terror in his eyes immediately quenching Vakama’s usual calm assurances. The Turaga of Fire gazed out from his hut for someone willing to combat the foe, and he found Lhii waiting for the Turaga’s instruction, Lavaboard in hand.Knowing he would need more help, he took Nidki, the expert on Rahi from Le-Koro, Neh and Tohe, the best surfers in Ga-Koro, four Matoran of Ice for their quick sight, and three others strong enough to grab the beast.By the time the Matoran had reached the lava pool, the Proto Drake had beaten the lava into a hurricane-like storm, with twenty bio tall waves crashing against the edges. Lhii took one look and jumped into the fray, with the two Ga-Matoran following after. The anxious Ko-Matoran, already feeling the heat, tried to keep awatchful eye on the surfers and Rahi.Days turned into weeks as the small group tried to break through the waves and get to the Rahi. Lhii’s Onu-Matoran netter clung onto the board, exhausted from the motion, while Lhii himself shot ahead, flying over wave after wave, but getting stopped at the last moment by the Proto Drake. These ceaseless attempts were just enough to keep the Rahi from flying off and wreaking havoc in another Koro.Finally, an exhausted Lhii cried “Fall back!” and the surfers rode with their netters to the shore where sleeping Ko-Matoran waited. It was not to stop their efforts, as the rest of the group unhappily found out, but to strategize a better way to get into the clear zone. During this break, the Proto Drake dodged underneath the lava into volcanic tubes leading under the island, shocking the Matoran. Without hesitation, in all his bravery, Lhii started paddling furiously into the calming pool. The Ga-Matoran tried to follow, but stopped as he disappeared on the Rahi’s wake.The four Ko-Matoran ran back to tell Vakama what had happened. All of their discomfort was forgotten, and they ran as fast as Pohatu carrying their news of Lhii’s supposed death. Vakama began walking to the lava pool along with the rest of Ta-Koro when suddenly, the pool below boiled and the Proto Drake shot out of it, its pained eyes set on the village of fire. The Ta-Matoran and their Turaga could only watch as the beast charged at their home, until a scorched Lhii followed after it. His armor was red hot and covered in ash, and yet with the strength of Onua he grabbed the clawed tail of the Proto Drake and hung on.The momentary distraction diverted the Rahi, and it began flying in circles trying to rid itself of the weight. The Ko-Matoran took their cue to trap it with a spare net. Lhii gratefully dropped off onto Ta-Koro’s bridge, eager for rest. The Matoran found him burned, but alive, his fire resistance and the Rahi’s large wake in the slow-moving lava saving his life.------------------------------------Well, I tried to add in a little more at the end, but realized I was at 630 words, and had to cut it all out . Ah well, I think it was a great legend (based on the Kanohi Dragon). Very interesting theme, I can't wait to see who wins.

Hmm, I might be able to go if I can convince my parents it's for "driving lessons" so at least I have a chance for it, but maybe not since the 3rd is my brother's birthday and I'm finishing school.

Okay, I've actually been planning on writing the Legend of Lhii for a while for B;NG. As an extra incentive, I can get the winner of this contest a pretty good chance of being used in the Makoki Stones B:NG movie, as long as they're okay with it.

Member Name: ClickTheme: TreasureWord Count: 599 (I actually had to cut it down!)Story: Green GoldI saw something I’ve never seen before today.It began when a classic “medicine man” show came to town. Even here in 2046, it’s hard to find entertainment on the forgotten planet of Earth. The whole town of 500 showed up to see him bring the dead to life and predict the future, child’s play for today’s technology. Finally, he knew he only had one chance to wow us and get his day’s worth of standard credits.A gleam of vibrant emerald shone in holes from his moth-eaten jacket, and he pulled out the strangest thing. It sat in a small transparent Thermocup apparently full of dirt, its long green stalk rising out of it sprouting two shells on top. He called it a “plant,” and apparently they were common in our area before the Age of Skyscrapers took hold, covering all fertile soil with plates of fine steel. The crowd gawked at the seemingly insignificant thing, which apparently could make its own food and reproduce thousands of itself.The man was dead by morning.Apparently, some country numbskull heard about the “magical” properties of this plant, and set out to make it his, gaining wealth and fortune with his plant, not to mention using its properties for his own gain. I read the holoscreen one more time just to laugh at the absurdness of the story. No person could be so foolish as to kill another for a simple plant.And then it happened again.I was shocked to know that it was an old professor of mine who did it this time, all in the name of science. He was well respected around the town, and I had often waved to him on my way to work. His sentence of death row shocked us all, and the action was held out in town square as a wall of energy painlessly disintegrated his body, and we all thought it was over.But of course, it wasn’t. The sheriff had found the plant on the crime scene and neglected to turn it in as evidence to his superiors. He had convicted the old professor to death so that he could have the treasure all for himself. The holoscreen of this report showed a man I almost didn’t recognize as he fondly stroked his prize, its perfect leaves garnished with drops of crimson blood. He was discharged from duty for this selfish act; and last I heard, he was slowly going insane in the nearest Asylum.Finally the epidemic was over. The plant had been taken out of town to be kept in a protected museum. I was almost not surprised to hear that a guard failed to show up to work, and the plant had gone missing. He was an old friend of mine, and I knew him from a very young age. I was sorry to see him succumb too.I decided to stop by for a visit, and after a quick search, found his address. The moderators hadn’t come yet, and so it was just me, him, and the plant. It gleamed in the shine of the single padlight in the house, and my friend stood over it, watching and staring at its wonder. At the opening of the door, he looked over, and his haggard face twisted into murderous jealousy.Before I knew it, he was on the ground, not breathing, and the plant was in my grasp. Its soft leaves, now crumbling from the dark, seemed to wave their thanks to me. It’s mine now, but they come for me; they want to steal it.A very interesting idea, a little more dark than I usually write though. Mostly based on the plot that there's always someone willing to kill for treasure, and after reading a few of these stories, I got some very different plot ideas.

Technically, Metru-Nui wasn't on the moon at that time, because if the moon was Aqua Magna (based on the blue coloring here, then Metru-Nui was on the moon when the Mata Nui Robot was on it, but when Makuta took over, any island (like Mata Nui) that was on the surface was destroyed, and any island inside (like Metru Nui) was taken up with Makuta to Bara Magna. It was inside his head when the moon hit it, and so Metru-Nui was probably mostly destroyed. As Biosector01 says: So you can take that as truth.

Oh, great. I decided to add in spaces between paragraphs, and finished editing 3 min. after the limit. Is that okay? I really hope so, because that story took me a whole 20 minutes!

Member Name: ClickTheme: VisionsStory: Rock of AgesIt had fallen without warning in the middle of the night, nearly crushing Gekara on her way home, and neatly slicing a half off of Verius’s hut; luckily he wasn’t home. From a distance, it had a boring appearance, like any rock you might find at the edge of the Black Spike Mountains, but on closer inspection, became a powerful enigma for the inhabitants of New Atero. The entire boulder was covered in writing in an unknown language; the only pictogram of a stout little being with a triangular head and a disk in one hand. Once Solis Magna had risen, it revealed a large crowd of Matoran and Agori crowded around, torches slowly going out over their silent vigil.“Stand aside, villagers, stand aside!” A towering Glatorian of Fire broke the silence as he broke through the mob, wading up to the rock. A wizened old Turaga followed, and then a small Matoran of Ice.“What happened? What is this?” The Turaga immediately burst into questions, to which followed an explosion of stories and alibis, which were silenced with difficulty by the Glatorian. The Matoran was furiously taking notes on a small tablet. “Call on Nokama, she might be able to read this.”A flurry of motion and talking passed as a group of Matoran ran off to the north bringing the word. A hot hour passed before a light blue Turaga walked into the circle, villagers spreading to give her room. The group grew tense as they awaited something to happen, and Nokama furrowed her brow in intense concentration. After a few minutes passed by, she stood up in defeat and shook her head.“Mata Nui will not grant me a vision of its meaning. Perhaps, by knowing its past, we may be able to understand its purpose.” At those words, another group of Matoran broke off in search of a Toa, bringing back a Toa of Plasma wearing the Mask of Psychometry. As the orange being tried to break into the center, all eyes were on him, waiting to see the result.The Toa nervously glanced first at the crowd, and then at the Turaga, Glatorian, and Chronicler in the center. He tentatively reached for the stone, drew back for a moment, and then allowed the power of his mask to show its past to him. He first started shaking, and then his free arm started a spasm as elemental energy cracked through the air. His eyes widened, then his mouth gaped and a low moan escaped before he shot backwards into the crowd, smoking. The surprised villagers jumped back, and a few reached out to catch the limp Toa. All wide eyes were on the charred armor as one Matoran pronounced he was dead.“The vision must have been too much for him. This seemingly common rock may have an interesting history indeed,” said the first Turaga. At the sound of this, the Toa shook momentarily, and his heartlight flashed just long enough for one word to escape his sealed lips.“He…lp.”The pictogram flashed and a hairline crack grew from it, enveloping the whole stone until it collapsed in on itself in a shower of dust. After recovering from shock, the anxious crowd peered into the clearing hole.Inside was a rectangular pod with a clear covering, revealing a being like the one pictured on the stone. A disk flashed across as the being’s eyes opened, and the crowd saw a distant planet, split into seven elemental fragments and a race not unlike themselves…(589 words , 3 guesses what the being is )EDIT: All I did was add in enters in between paragraphs.

Are we still open to send in MOCs? I might have just missed the deadline, and for all those Prototypes!! Please can I send it late?

So, I'll see if I can send it today and hopefully it will be there before the 30th. Is that too late? I have some pretty cool things I just remodelled, expect functions

Okay, I'll see what I can do.Quick Preview:How's the format, font, and images? I'll still clean it up a bit more, add the glow, and finalize it. Just want to know how you like it.