Battle of Genre Round One : Sci-Fi
Rokon Versus KamirooWolf
Click me for the BoG R1 Main Thread for additional info!
Welcome to a Round One Battle Thread for the BoG Tournament! Be mindful now, as your votes are the determining factor to who takes the win!
For a few reminders though:
Spoiler for REMINDERS:
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Votals
Each vote is 5 points.
Comment and Critique
CnC is important for a writer to flourish and grow in his craft. Giving some will benefit the writer and you as well! A point will be given to you and tallied overall at the end of the tournament [this is a separate tally]. If your CnC proves to be substantial [ergo something that helps the writer improve rather than just saying its good or my favorite part is this] an additional point is awarded.
Now without further ado here are the works of our would-be Masters of Genre!
Rokon - Arthur
Spoiler for arthur:
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The stars sit off in the distance. The large blue planet called Earth makes its way into Arthur’s field of vision. A blue planet, because the water is such an uncommon thing it justifies ignoring all the other colors that can be seen from just outside the planet's atmosphere. That's how Arthur’s parents would say it at least.
Arthur was space born, a common occurrence from what his parents would tell him. The galactic paver association would send out teams of astronauts into the black pit of space for long periods of time to see if there was anything worth finding. Naturally the people would get close, and after that children would start appearing on the ships. Arthur had never been to earth, despite his parents being scheduled to return 16 years ago. “There's too much left to see” they would say. Every time those words went through Arthur’s head he would get upset.
His parents had seen so much but they kept going to see more. Then they got careless and went out into a planet that wasn't meant for humans. They didn't return to say the least. Arthur was the sole survivor of the S.S. Excalibur and since he had never been to earth he decided that he should return with all the data and discoveries of his parents.
The S.S. Excalibur was once a beautiful golden ship with a variety of details in a variety of colors. Purely for aesthetics of course. Yet now it was an old, just short of rusting, ship that clearly outlived its expectancy. Especially considering it hadn't been repaired since the demise of its crew.
Arthur watches the blue planet as his ship propels itself towards its atmosphere. “Well I guess this is really happening” Arthur says after a sigh. He stands and walks through the ship to the control room.
Arthur flipped switches and adjusted levers until the ship was ready for a successful landing. The rockets shut down as gravity dragged the craft down. Arthur clipped his seatbelt on as the gold craft fell. The S.S. Excalibur was slowed as a it's landing protocol activated. The ships thrusters pushed it out of its fall and landed it safely at a GPA landing zone
Arthur walked through the halls of the S.S. Excalibur for what to his knowledge could have been the last time. The ship's hangar door opened and Arthur stepped off of the ship. He took a deep breath. The landing zone had an odor similar to that of a mechanic's shop, not a smell Arthur was a fan of but one he could more or less identify.
a woman about twenty years old made her way to Arthur and looked him over. “You must be Arthur. I'm glad you were able to get here safely.” the woman said as she looked back and forth between Arthur and the Excalibur.
“I'm Arthur, yeah” Arthur said looking over the woman. “and you are?”
The girl smiled and gave Arthur a salute. “I am Lilane of the galactic paver association's ship return unit” she claimed. “When your message notifying us of your return came in I was given the job of making sure you were able to settle in on earth and turn in the information from your ship's journey” she added gleefully
Arthur released a heavy sigh and looked at the girl. “The data is all neatly organized in the ship.” he began. “For every file on the computer there's a printout. I'm not interested in continuing work with the pavers” he said
Lilane’s smile faded. “Well that sucks” she said. “maybe for you guys,” Arthur replied dismissively. “I'm done with space”
Arthur walked off. He left the majority of his belongings on the S.S. Excalibur but material objects were replaceable. What he really needed was to readjust to people being around and to figure out how things on Earth actually work. Everything he knew about it he learned from his parents and he was confident that the information was outdated considering how long they had been away.
Lilane ran up behind Arthur. She was determined to finish her assignment even if he refused to continue with the pavers. “Arthur, you don't have to work for the GPA anymore. Just let me show you around so you can get settled in” she said.
Arthur looked at the girl. If her helping him adjust was something that could be done even if he refused to continue working with the GPA then there was no reason to refuse. “fine,” he began, “you can help me, but remember, I'm not working for the GPA anymore” he added as he looked at Lilane. “then I should take you to the resignation office” Lilane said, her smile returning.
“Fine, lead the way” Arthur said as he waved Lilane along. The girl started walking in front of Arthur. She walked to an elevator and pressed the button for it to come. “The elevator will take us right to the office” she told the man.
Arthur nodded. He just wanted it to get done. How it got done was irrelevant to him. The elevator doors opened and the pair entered. The girl pushed a button and the elevator lifted before moving to the side, taking a number of turns and stopping at the office.
“I see elevators are different now” Arthur scoffed before stepping off the elevator. “they're called track elevators” Lilane responded as she stepped off the elevator. “they change directions more or less the way a train does” she added. “you'll see them all over”
“Hmm, okay. What's next?” Arthur asked, feeling like knowing that was making some form of progress. Lilane showed him to a desk with a screen on it. He walked up to the screen and looked it over. “You say your name and tell it you are resigning. Then you're done and I'll show you around” she said.
“Arthur of the S.S. Excalibur” he said not knowing of any last name he may have. The screen lit up and showed a picture of him from a few years before. A list of options was displayed. “resign” he said.
KamirooWolf - A Dream I Had
Spoiler for A dream I had:
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Gary's bones crunch between the massive ape's gargantuan molars, the once shrill and frightened screams drowning amidst the blood and viscera leisurely sliding down the gorilla's crimson maw. The beast lazily adjusts his mouth, sliding a mangled limb of unidentifiable characteristics between the cracks of his lips as he does so. The body part slaps against the scorched soil, expunging any aspiring blazes beneath it's impact with a vicious hiss. His crewmates, terrified and awe-stricken, make a move to cry out his name in utter despair, but the heavy stomps of not-so-distant approaching behemoths reminds them quickly that their tears have no meaning in this moment.
Cry later, live longer.
Marines, physicists, botanists, and even a few athletes can do nothing as the towering colossi close behind scoop them up. One by one they are all taken. One by one they are all silenced with an excruciatingly thick crunch or a disturbingly satisfying “pop". Blood is unavoidable. Several pacifists have their white lab coats stained, only having time worry about how the splattered organs of their friends will weigh them down as the gorillas behind thunder ever closer. Fifteen men. Fifteen women. Seven children.
The gorillas' hefty feet make all attempts at running futile, lifting any fleet feet higher and higher off the ground with each closing inch. Children trip, parents stop to save them; and neither survive. It doesn't take long for the remaining three humans to rush into a thicket of brush taller than the apes themselves, bawling like newborns as they dive underneath an above-ground root acting as if an open blanket cover to offer false invisibility.
Seconds pass as if hours, the fear of the unknown never leaving the shelter of their pores as the three men huddle close underneath a root the size of a regular earthen oak tree. One man, Davies, yanks a relatively large wooden cross from his necklace and begins gnawing away at the corners with blood stained fangs, refusing to be taken as easily as his wife and daughter. The next, Bruins, buries his ashen face into the rich soil beneath, shouting muffled prayers to his God in heaven. The final man, Lakshma, sits in a cross-cross manner; his fingers neatly contorted into stereotypical signs for meditation. His outfit matches the action, his baggy brown and white cloths akin to monks who spend their lives devoted to some belief. None of them speak, but each and every one of them cries. Their tears overwhelmingly riddled with salt, yet the pain and confusion infusion spike the flavor just enough to emerge from the depths tainted with sodium chloride.
A clock sounds somewhere in the universe, and two of the three men feel their final hour come to an end as a massive footstep shatters the silence like a thin, inexpensive glass. A pair of gray, scarred hands wrap around the thick root overhead and in an instant the three stragglers are revealed to a band of simians. Davies is the first to break formation, charging the nearest ape with bloodlust gone mad in his opal eyes. Before the weighty beast can react, the holy shank in his possession is lodged deep within the creature's fur lined...ankle; a mere pebble in the road for a man. The gorilla wears a bored expression, wrapping it's thick digits gently around Davies' skull before the sad, sad man is but the remains of a wasted grape between the beast's fingers. His body is tossed aside as if rotten, contaminated fodder, and the two remaining men are quickly left with two decisions.
Run for dear life and prey the other man just happens to be slower...
Or
Accept death and journey to the other side in hopes that God is a merciful reality rather than myth...
The decision is made quickly, and Bruins feels a tinge of remorse as he kicks dirt up onto a surprised Lakshma without warning. The rich fertiliser and relatively miniscule bugs within blinding his vision just as a wide fist into the ground sends he and his freshly ruined attire to the other side for inspection. Perhaps the blindness to rapid death was a blessing...perhaps his anonymous end was a curse, all Bruins knows is that, in that moment, he is alive. His feet tear through the sod and assassinate as many critters below as necessary to rip through the dense jungle, flashes of his life and his accomplishments flying in the opposite direction as a clearing comes into view. It's not much, but even the smallest of phenomenon can be considered a beacon of hope to a man with nothing to lose. His legs tense on the verge of cramping, but the African American male forces them to push harder than they ever have before, tearing something without shame as sunlight plants a long, enchanting kiss on his sweat-soaked dark skin and standard military uniform as he nears the clearing. He can taste salvation, tears forming in his eyes as the pounding of approaching feet and primal roars near.
It takes a matter of seconds, but Bruins curses God and all under his name as a massive snow white tiger throws itself in his path, it's size laughable compared to the apes but terrific in the eyes of a normal man. Bruins attempts to keep charging, only to be felled immediately with a swift swipe of the creature's paw. It pins him down, making no attempt justify its actions before raising its majestic crown and arching its back. The first gorilla at the front of the troop hesitates, faltering slightly just before he is hit with a storm unlike any other.
The tiger's entire body vibrates, and Bruins can feel his soul being wrenched within his body as the mighty monstrosity bellows a roar so intense, so powerful, that even the apes ten times its size are launched onto their hinds. For the duration of the roar they screech and cry back at the declaration in fear, kicking violently into the black and brown soil as they shift direction completely, an expression of everlasting disbelief mixed with relief etched into their once vicious and twisted faces. Fear follows them as if a ghost latched onto the nape of their hairy necks as a parasite feeding off of their weakened hearts and underdeveloped brains.
As their sound akin to thunder in the darkest of storm clouds fades into the noise of other creatures going about their natural lives, Bruins can feel all the stress and fear instilled within his heart alleviate almost immediately under the large cat's weight. It doesn't hurt, his chest, but the grown man can quickly feel his adrenaline being sapped as a sharp pain stretches across the length of his right leg. There are several smaller injuries unrelated to the apes, but for now all the black man can do is take one last glimpse of the beast before him and half-heartedly thank his savior before darkness envelops his vision absolutely.
“Rest...take...child...child..." are the last words Bruins hears before his body goes limp and his consciousness goes blank.
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The muggy swamp water soaks into Bruins skin and the man can feel it seeping into his pores as foreign aquatic life forms brush past his stretched out arms. He is sprawled out in the center of the deep dank dark greenish-blue water, his own dark skin blending into the sections of the liquid shrouded in shade. Algae swims alongside the unknown creatures, and for a moment, the former squaddie of Spacial Expedition Brigade Squad C feels a flush of peace wash over his body. Through his finger tips and down his thighs, soaking into his uniform tan camouflage pants and staining it's matching shirt. His eyes begin having parasites sap at their vision, but the grown adult soon realises that he is merely crying. Realisation of his situation flowing faster than memory itself, and in mere moments Bruins remembers the thundering apes. He remembers the blood and guts of his gored comrades. He remembers the screams of a few of his close friends on board the ship. He remembers...a snow white tiger coming to his rescue. A spiny, urchin like slug clambers onto Bruins' wrist, and the space cadet quickly pulls away from its off-putting appearance to rise and grasp his surroundings.
Majestic, rich trees lined with moss and markings of untold age, greenery and vegetation as far as the eye can see, and a noble beast resting silently on a throne carved of stone and lazily splashed with random colors in haphazard sections. If Bruins had been obsessive compulsive, he would have had a seizure gazing upon the chair, but just as he shifts in the water he can only flinch as the beast's midnight orange eyes explode from the cover that was once their eyelids. The creature stares into Bruins' soul, but the human does not falter. His steely dark gray eyes meet the tiger head on.
“I like those eyes," The tiger speaks, instantly rupturing the tension and disassembling our protagonist's focus. “I see...humility and longing; a desire to be adored despite years of mediocrity in the shadows of others. I like your eyes, human...I like them an awful lot. And for that reason and that reason alone I have decided-" The tiger rises from its sitting position and proceeds into a light hop, being caught just before his fur-covered paws can be soaked in the unworthy, soiled water. Beneath each pair of paws are perfectly subjugated alligators, their edgy eyes never sliding down from their master's presence. Once settled, the tiger clears his throat before speaking once more. “To bestow my grace upon you."
The beast beckons and Bruins quickly rises to his to feet, the mud in his boots shifting underneath his weight as swamp water pours into the military-style shoes. His right leg is light and carefree, and Bruins feels nothing so much as a tingle related to pain as he follows the still, supposed monarch of the jungle. They wade through the muck for a short distance before the cat leaps from his stepping stools, landing on the soft soil running along the edge of the wide river the two have found themselves on.
“There is a darkness dwelling within the hidden recesses of your heart, my child. This troubles me. Come. Walk with me and ask as many questions as you need on our way through your new home." Its voice is smooth and educated, chiseled precisely with a blade of wisdom and equally as intimidating in its own still, refined manner. Bruins directs his gaze away from the tiger's fiery ember pupils and notices a path of stepping stones set in the center of the calm river. Each slab looks carved expertly, prompting the squaddie to wonder as to whether or not he was the only human in the area, only having the wild calls of beasts unknown reassure him. Without hesitation he takes to the stones, carefully treading over each as the murky swamp water begins to rush in the direction he is heading. It slaps against his mud-covered boots, gracefully attempting to swipe at any grime and/or filth contaminating their light brown hue as he walks. On the right side of him struts the magnificent beast, gazing ahead with sure eyes as the two of them follow the water.
“You wonder where it is you are, first and foremost." The feline examines. “And that, my dearest disciple, is information easily conveyed. It was a rift in the fabric of space, as you most likely recall, that tore you out of the universe your kind had become accustomed to. Your ship was unable to withstand the force of gravity INSIDE the void's vacuum and as a result you crash landed into the nearest planet within the fresh solar system. No casualties from the impact and, from there, you most likely remember what followed."
To be frank, Bruins can't seem to think of anything but the swift decimation of his crew as his covered, soggy feet slosh across each stone rectangle. Close by his feet follows a diarrhea colored alligator, eyeing his every movement with precise reptilian eyes and keeping pace with him as if a carefully calibrated machine. The gator notes every wrinkle in his attire, every crevice in his skin, and growls for every evidence of creasing in the young cadet's brow, until the beast finally lets loose a snort of satisfaction, the murky water covering the lower half of its nostrils bubbling as it does so. Its analysis complete, the creature swiftly turns tail and rushes against the flowing current.
“While your silence is certainly intriguing, young one, I would very much appreciate it if we could clear our slate of any queries you may have before we approach our destination. Please do not hold back, for I am the god of this universe in its entirety, and I will do all in my power to bring peace to my newest child." Bruins' leg stiffens slightly and the the cadet is forced to adjust his footing at the tiger's gravely serious remark.
The African American male shakes his head violently, the mangy hairs on his chin scratching the broad of his skin-covered collar bone. Majestic and godlike, certainly, but God himself? Preposterous. There is only one true God, and I pray he watch over my fallen loved ones and thank him for this blessing of life he has given me. The thought breezes through Bruins' brain and he picks up on the internal prayer through bits and pieces, but he can feel the tiger's emblazoned eyes scorch the misplaced praise to ash.
“Praying to your God in the presence of another. Disgustingly disrespectful of you, but I am both a merciful and graceful omnipotence. Come, Steven Bruins. I have something you need to see." The tiger starts off again, his paws leaving much more prominent imprints in the soil following his wake. Bruins trails him along the river path, asking questions with his mind and minding any movement of his lips as the mud in his shoes form a second layer of socks in their partially dried state. The water cuts short, and at first all Bruins' eyes can perceive is a thicket of trees walling off the rushing river abruptly. The murky water even slaps against the jungle wood, climbing to no avail against the bark and drenching any part of the tree unlucky enough to be caught in it's struggle during the process. The soil beneath the trees is black, and Bruins can't help but stare in awe as xenomorphic insects of varying shape and size burrow deep into the rich nutrients and come out bearing fruit, nuts, and other insects fattied after partaking of the forbidden fruit gluttony.
“Eyes on me, human, and I advise they watch what they see closely." The beast barks, his eyes focused on the wall of lumber and vegetation at the tip of his muzzle. Without warning, the large feline approaches the thickest of the trees and bares his fangs before the trunk, rushing and leaping into the obstruction without so much as a moment's hesitation. His body splashes through the bark, sending countless waves of ripples across the holographic jungle wall before Bruins, and before the grown man knows it he is staring down the topiary alone and confused.
A roar emits from behind the imaginary wall, but before he tries anything foolish the human first reaches out only to place his hand on the rough bark, the cuts and indentations of the tree dragging across his senses as his fingers trace the dark brown wood.
I could run now, He realizes. I could take off and test the legitimacy of this self-proclaimed god... Bruins considers the thought seriously for a moment. It's brief, but for a second the cadet smiles and entertains the thought of charging back into a towering gorilla's arms with his own outstretched. The first ridiculous thought since the crash-landing. Progress in it's own sense.Yeah, right. I'll stick with the talking tiger.
Bruins swears once and narrowly bends down on the slender stepping stone underneath him. The water slaps up against the exposed skin on his legs and the human too charges the massive tree. He, like the tiger, can feel his gullet tumble as if caught in an avalanche as he roars in the silent antagonists face, poking a hole in the law of physics as he, quite literally, walks into a tree.
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It's indescribable, and if Bruins had had any words to say to the giant, omniscient cat beside him, they were instantly lost at the sight of the beast's noble dwelling. A mountain with a flat peak stands before the two of them, immense at the base and equally as splendid at the top. Clear, crisp, and holy water cascades down every cliff, creating gentle ponds and bountiful lakes for each level of the monumental homage to this world's God. Any doubts he once had are cleansed, and the African American male can feel his mottled clothing and rough skin break away as he rises to his feet beside the majestic, snow-white lynx beside him.
His militarized tan brown shorts and shirt flake away piece by piece in the gentle, inviting wind and his mud encrusted boots peel away from his feet as if bruised skin on the most delightful of fruit. His heart, once heavy and perplexed, is light. His clothes are replaced with a long, pristine smoke-white garb masterfully woven of the finest material available.
“Your heart has been cleansed, my child. Your God is no longer a factor in your life. I have many stories to tell, and many things to explain, but for now I lay you to rest among your loved ones. May your nirvana be pleasant and eternal, Steven Terrell Bruins."
The words burn into his soul, and Bruins accepts them as fact without question as his body is lifted onto the mountain. He floats delicately over a pond of amethyst water, staring without pain into the fresh, vibrant sun above. Euphoric whispers stimulate his ear, and in a brief second Bruins splits the veil between dream and reality. They are the cries of his fallen friends, comrades, and colleagues. Many wail in eternal agony, while others rejoice in eternal rest...all of them, however, shed tears. Bruins' mind tells him to weep alongside the dead, but all he can do is smile and laugh as they scream and cry.
He is with them, and they with him. And that is all that matters.
“Blessed be the name..."