Music Poll: Hans Zimmer

[Velox]

Vote here for your favorite Music story; entries have been randomized. Please MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL ENTRIES BEFORE VOTING.Voting begins now and will end on June 10th at 3:59 PM EST. Entries that do well will move on to the Music Final Poll, which will be posted at the conclusion of the 12th round preliminary poll.

• [*]Song of Light In perfect silence, Krakua slipped through the tunnels of the Archives. He needed to leave Metru Nui, and he had heard there was an old chute system nearby. He edged cautiously around a corner. It seemed probable that Makuta wouldn't be noticing these obscure tunnels. Still, it was as well to be cautious. Even without the threat of a hostile "Great Spirit," this was dangerous. After all, it was the Archives. Still, he wasn't sensing any sonic vibrations around him, so there shouldn't be anything nearby. He rounded another corner. Standing in front of him was a black-and-yellow Rahkshi. He stared at it. But I still can't hear it... Then he remembered what power black-and-yellow Rahkshi had. He had no time to think it over, though. The Rahkshi moved toward him and...Spoke? "Welcome, Toa," it hissed. "My Master, Makuta,will be pleased by your death." Krakua stared. "You can't talk," he told it blankly. "I am a Shadow Kraata, fool," it said contemptuously. "My Master's highest servant. I am at least as intelligent as you are." Then it attacked, with a sonic scream. He blocked it out with his own powers over sound. Wonderful, he thought, screaming back at it. A Rahkshi with Toa-level intelligence and my own power. I've heard of Shadow Toa, but this... As the fight progressed, it became clear the Rahkshi knew sonics as well as he did. It parried his attacks without difficulty, and its own discordant screams were devastating. I'm a Toa of Sonics, he thought angrily, struggling to withstand the cacophony of sound. This thing is fighting me my way - and winning. I hate it. He opened his mouth to let loose another ugly scream - and stopped. Was it fighting his way...or was he using its tactics? He ran over their respective attacks in his mind. They had both been using ugliness and discord..Makuta's territory. He had been giving in to despair and hatred. No wonder it had been winning. But perhaps he could still win this...like a Toa. He silenced the tunnel...and began his attack. The tunnel was filled with sound, but not the screeches and howls of a moment ago. This was harmony, beauty. It was a music. It began softly, but quickly grew. It held the notes of all instruments, and some notes which had never been made by any instrument. It held voices, among them Krakua's own, as he sang. He straightened, pouring the melody out of himself. Never before had he realized the extent of his power. He was creating beauty greater than he had ever imagined, save in dreams. The Rahkshi cowered away from him, striving...but failing...to fight against this melody. His music sang on, of hope in the darkness, of love for one's comrades, of honor and loyalty and selfless sacrifice. It sang of all that was best and purest in living beings. It was a Song of Light, and the creature of the darkness could not withstand it. The Song ceased. "I am sorry," Krakua said quietly to the fallen Rahkshi. "Sorry that the Music brought you pain. Surely if there had been any good in you, it would have been strengthened, not destroyed." He walked on down the tunnel. His heart was still filled with the Song, and he felt more hope than he had since the Kraahkan had appeared in the sky. Somehow, he knew that the Song would always exist, in true heroes' hearts...and while it did, the Shadow could never be said to have truly won. ------[*]He wandered over to the blue-tinged portion of the city, where a magnificent temple stood. Two Ga-Matoran stood at the gate. "Excuse us" said one of the guards. "You really...shouldn't...go in there. Turaga Nokama is making sure that some records are being preserved. Please don't disturb her." "Okay" said Tarduk. "Anywhere I can help?" "I don't know" said the guard. "Maybe you could just...take a boat. Lend a pair of hands to the Matoran carrying things out. " "Go talk to Macku." suggested another guard.”She's in charge of boats these days." So he wandered down to the boat dock.”I'd like to...um...get a boat?" "Sure." Moving along the island of Matru Nui, he spotted a cave opening slightly above the water. He beached the boat, eagerly pulling out a lightstone to examine the cavern walls. The Agori recognized some of the lettering, but he was unable to tell the exact meaning. From the diagrams, some were plans for beasts, others notes on Matoran anatomy, and a clear warning about something, although Tarduk could only guess at what. One of the letters, though, looked familiar. Where had he seen that before? He couldn't remember. He continued wandering. An old storage room, bare and empty. A bad cave-in to his left. Further along, dead moss draped over carvings - Tarduk touched it and it disintegrated into dust. He kept walking. After some time, he came upon a stack of canisters, menacing creatures contained within. In front of them, however, was an odd collection of junk, scattered about. A heatstone, chucked in one corner. A surfboard. A tablet in those strange letters. And...a flute. Tarduk picked it up, blew the dust out. Blew into it, mashing random keys in likely the most obnoxious flute solo ever played. Examined it again. There were two songs in it. Played the first one. Nothing. Tarduk looked up. A gateway, behind him, half open. He shoved it open the rest of the way, looking up into the Spherus Magna sky. Played the second song. And then something happened. A bird swooped down out of the Spherus Magna sky. Nuzzled him. Tarduk stumbled away in fright, falling over. Getting up, he slowly backed away from the bird, which was slowly walking toward him, and the Agori could have sworn he had a confused expression. "Villager!" shouted Turaga Matau. "Quick-dash this way." Tarduk complied, although it was a tricky task on the sloped and pitted robot face. "That tune you played there is an old summoning call for that Rahi." Matau reached out and petted the bird. "It expects you to ride." Tarduk grimaced. "How do you ride - a bird?" "Well, the same way you quick-ride any other thing - hop on!" And with that, he hopped on to his bird, which popped up in the air and circled about. Tarduk nervously approached the bird. It made no threatening moves, and let the villager settle on its back. The bird squeaked a few times, as if to ask in bird language where to go. "Down.” said Tarduk in Agori. Apparently the bird at least understood the vibe of the message, for the Rahi swooped down off the robot face and deposited the nervous villager on the ground. Tarduk got off, trying to pass the flute of to a nearby Le-Matoran. He waved him off. "You ever-keep Takua's flute. He would have been sure-proud to see you wind-fly." Tarduk shook his head. "I'd rather not, if you don't mind. " "Ever-scared of heights? Not-matter; me worse-scared. Best flute-keep." Tarduk smiled at that. Maybe the newcomers weren't so different after all. -------[*]First Time This was the day. The was not just the day, as that would be a vast and uncompelling understatement. This was the day of all days. This was the day that would containthe moment, that magical moment where the curtain would open and he, Rakai, would officially become part of the Le-Koro Wind Orchestra. Words would have a hard time describing Rakai's elation. He had been an amateur flute player for ages, working his way up in skill as he met the right Matoran. For the longest time, he couldn't get into the Orchestra, though he tried his hardest to get into it. There was a pecking order, and while he knew that all of the players in front of him were good, he considered himself on par with or even better than some of them. But, hey, they'd been around longer. They'd paid their dues, and now they got their shots. One of the longest-standing members of the Orchestra, Vyll, abruptly retired, citing the sometimes grueling schedule of the Orchestra's travels about the island, and specifically its effect on his aging body. This led to a hole that needed to be filled, so Rakai was asked to become a member. Before he knew it, it was evening, and nearing the hour of the performance. As the hours zipped by, he went to the amphitheater where their concert would be held. As he saw the sun set, excitement gave way to nervousness, and when he was nervous, he usually passed the time by polishing his flute. He had never polished that thing so hard in his life. As he was vigorously rubbing, he felt a hand alight on his shoulder. Spooked, he turned around to see who the culprit was. To his great surprise, it was Vyll. "I know that you'll play great-well," he said, leaning over a little bit. "I had a first time too, you know. It was scary-frightening, and I missed many-lots of notes, but everyone thought I played great-well, for some reason." Patting Rakai on the back, he smiled and began to walk out the door. "Vyll?" "Yes?" "What are you doing here? Not that I mind your presence-appearance, but I thought-knew you retired?" "They invited me back, one-time only. They offered me the conducting role-spot, but I'd rather listen-hear. I got front-row seat-chairs." He glanced at the sundial outside. "Almost time," he winked. "Better get yourself out there." Rapidly finishing his polishing job, he adjusted his Kakama and darted out. He got to his seat in the back, going through a few warm-ups before the audience began to applaud, the sure sign of the conductor's first appearance. He introduced the Orchestra, including a short spiel on Vyll's retirement and Rakai's first appearance, with his bombastic voice. Slowly, painfully, the deep green curtains that concealed the Orchestra from the eyes of the audience opened. The moment was rapidly approaching. Rakai felt his heartlight flutter and then sink. He felt a little nauseated, and his limbs shook a little bit no matter how hard he tried to fight it. First time jitters. All he needed to do was focus. This was the moment. The conductor rapped his baton upon a railing as Rakai raised his flute to his mouth. Exhaling, he began to play. -------[*]Tunes to Live For “My name is Boros; I’m a De-Matoran from a faraway land. These two fellow villagers are my companions.” It wasn’t a lie, though depending on who was asked, who bore the title of “companion” varied. “What are you doing in these parts? We don’t usually get many tourists.” “We’re minstrels.” “Minstrels?” Music was practically unknown to the Steltian miners. For those in their line of work, it virtually didn’t exist. “We haven’t had music in this island for millennia. We’re under a tight schedule, but I think it’d be good to let the workers have a distraction. Do you think you could play for us?” “Certainly. That is, after all, our job.”

**

The Steltian chief spoke with Boros as he oversaw the work. “As you can see, we lead an isolated life. We’re laborers for Vortixx weapon manufacturers. It’s a tough existence, but we get by, and so long as we do our work well, we’re left alone.” “Is your work here important?” “Relatively speaking. The ore we dig out is used in many of Xia’s weapons, but this isn’t the only deposit, though it is one of the largest. If Xia lost the colony they’d be facing some problems. But we’re skilled in fighting as well as mining, so we’re not defenseless. We can protect this place, though so far there has been no need to do so.” Boros only nodded. “By the way, what would be your price? I don’t suppose you work for free, do you?” Boros smiled. “For the time being, we’d be content with an audience and a place to stay the night.” “Good. We can provide both.”

**

It was late in the evening, after the workers had all finished their work, and the Matoran sat on a small platform facing a large courtyard. In front of them were gathered the entirety of the workers in this island, which, unknown to its inhabitants, had recently become the target of Dark Hunter operations. Boros and his companions, however, were aware of the situation. They were too aware. Wordlessly, they began to play. The three were Matoran of Sonics, so their ears were extremely sensitive. It had taken them years to become accustomed to normal speech levels, and even longer to master their instruments. They were simple, relatively crude flutes. However, the music they played was neither crude nor simple; they played a complex, mesmerizing piece, a masterful sound that resounded through the night. Every person present was caught up in the music. They were too caught up, in fact, to notice when Boros and his two companions, slipped small devices over their ears and attached a sleek, square device to the end of their flutes. In one last movement, the three blew into their flutes to the full of their capacities. The special Xian devices they had used in conjunction with their flutes recalibrated the sound into a special frequency, which hit the Steltians in full force. The courtyard was then full with many, many unconscious bodies. The three were content. The unfortunate Steltians would most likely lose their jobs, but they would live. The courtyard was relatively far from the mines and storage rooms, far from the Dark Hunters’ path. There would be no confrontation. They had been doing this for some time, trying to figure out the Hunter’s goal and preventing it from escalating into a battle. Sometimes they were successful, other times, they were not. Today they could be glad that they had saved a few souls with their music. It was all they could do. -------[*]The Day the Music Died. A Le-Matoran hummed silently to himself, sitting in the forests of the jungle he called home. I was that Le-Matoran. Life had never been easy, but I kept on living. Monstrous creatures roamed the land, under Makuta's mighty control. But brave heroes were here to fight him. It hadn't always been that way... It seemed a long long time ago, when things seemed completely without hope... I can still remember those days, back before the Toa had arrived on the island. They had been dark, and filled with challenge, but we had survived, most of us... I closed my eyes, humming the song that filled my mind, a small smile crossed my face as the memory of the melody echoed through me, a song of days long past My mind drifted back a few hundred years, to a time when Matoran had no fear. The Rahi attacks did not dissuade us in the slightest. We stood bravely against the darkest of shadows. How I wished for that time, when I myself was into the music. I had always wanted to play music, to make others dance, especially during that dark time that had passed over us many years ago. That time was when music was needed the most, when everyone needed something to cheer themselves up... but not much could have even done that. That was when the island learned the news of the deaths of the Le-Matoran Pao, Ga-Matoran Puha, Ko-Matoran Waiata, Ta-Matoran Oriori, Po-Matoran Whiti, and Onu-Matoran Haka. The traveling band called The Islanders. They had traveled the island, bringing cheerful music to everyone. I was sent to the other Koro as a messenger, it was up to me to spread the news to the entire island. I was to travel and tell of the death of the heroes of music, telling their homes of their tragic demises. A boat wreck off the coast, between Le-Wahi and Ko-Wahi, an infected Tarakava... it was too late for anyone to save them, it didn't matter if they could swim or not, Makuta didn't want them alive, and his beasts made sure his will was accomplished. It was in Ta-Koro when I couldn't take it any longer. I broke down is misery. The Islanders had been friends of mine, always encouraging everyone they met. I had said the story so many times, and it was just too much for me... I couldn't take the pain. I can't remember exactly what happened, I'm unsure if I held my composure or broke down crying... it was just... they kept a smile on everyone's faces... but they were... gone... Visiting Ta-Koro had to be the hardest on me, the whole Koro came to hear the news... they all knew Oriori personally. He had been a friend to everyone, as cheerful a Matoran as you could ever find. Something changed that day, in all of us, nothing would be the same. We had lost all of the island's greatest musicians in a single day... nothing could change that, but everyone wished they could... it was like the island's spirit was gone. That was the day... that was... the day the music died. -------

[Ballom Nom Nom]

Voted for four, mainly due to its originality compared to the others.~B~

[Sumiki]

Shamelessly self-voting for my own entry, number three in this poll. Four was awesome, though, I have to say.

[Aderia]

Nulled, but Hans Zimmer FTW!!

[Excelsior]

I voted for 4.May the best story win!-Excelsior

[fishers64]

Shamelessly self-voted, although 1 and 6 both stood out for orginal thinking.

[Velox]

Voted for #3.Polling period over; poll closed. Oh oops. Still has like 12 more hours left on this. =P I'll close it tomorrow, then...Okay, poll closed.

Edited June 10, 2012 by Velox