Story Contest: The Bridge Builders

[Meiscool-2]

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. Winners: Moosetroop11 and CoasterKrazy

Judges - Meiscool - gemini - Rowan

I liked reading stories wrote by people in the last contest, so I figured I would make a second type of contest where the more writing than graphically tallented may show their skills.

The rules are simple. I'll show a few screenshots showing various pictures. It's your job to come up with as creative of a story as possible using one of the pictures. The only thing I require is that you tell me which picture you are using, and that you follow a specific theme in your writing. The theme of this contest is bridges. This means that your writing must somehow tie around a bridge, be it people building a bridge, crossing a bridge, taking one down, ect. Some pictures will be easy to make a story up about bridges, some will be a bit more difficult. I will keep this in mind while I am judging your stories. A few more rules are:

Stories cannot be more than 1000 words. It shouldn't ever get to be more than that, but I'm including it because I don't want to read a freaking huge fable. These are ment to be short stories.
You may only enter one story. If you wish to change your story, you may post a new one. I will only rate the most recent post you made.
If a screenshot has already had a story made about it twice, you cannot use that screenshot. This is made to both pressure you into making your story before others, and to ensure that I'm not reading about the same thing over and over. If all screenshots have been used twice already, you may choose whichever one you want. I will take into consideration which screenshot you use while I'm making my ratings, but a great writer can make anything work

If you're planning on making a story for a map and are concerned that the screen will already have been used twice by the time you have finished your story, you can call "Dibs" on the screen. Dibs will stay effective for three hours. After the three hours are up, the screen is fair game again. You may only call Dibs once.

Here are your screenshots to use. Yeah, they're from my game. Deal with it.
#1

#2

#3

#4


Enjoy. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas to make this contest better/flow more, please suggest. This contest was made sorta on an impulse, so some things might seem unplanned or put together funny.

[Rowan]

I suggest maybe adding like a very short description (like a sentence or 2) to tell what is going on in the screen. It could greatly help spark an idea or 2 then just shoving slightly random screens in their face.

I say this because theres a difference in the other contest and this one when it comes to creating stories. The other one had the user creating the map themselves thus making them more aware on the story behind it and how it ties with their own vision. In this case the maps were already precreated thus limiting the users knowledge a bit on what supposed to be going on.

[Meiscool-2]

I suppose. However, if I did that, I run the risk of all stories being the same. I'd prefer it if people look at the screens and come up with their own preception of it. I see this as a way for people to really express originallity.

For example, on the third screen, there is a broken bridge, some people holding wood, two guys hammering, and a distant background. Someone could make a story about the world's highest bridge, or someone could make a story about a bridge connecting two floating islands. Someone could go deeper and say there was a fight on the bridge and the bridge broke, making the fighters fall to their doom. Legend says that those two fighters and still battling, awaiting their sudden impact with the ground far far below.

I won't hold any bias as to what the screen actually is in my game. I just thought that this would be another cool little contest. I'm thinking of making a spriting contest as well. Of course though, if I have that many contests open at once, I'll have to increase the ammount of time they are open for or else fewer people will enter each contest.

[Rowan]

I agree. Other then the description thing, I can clearly see the restrictions you placed upon them to help the story creator be even nore creative. It will help show who are the best creative when faced upon these rules.

[Ben]

The whole point of the Screens is to leave it open ended for the imagination of the participant.

EDIT:
Lucas, you should participate anyways. A good story is a good story...Im sure we can overlook the odd lost-in-translation descrepancy. Perhaps write it in Your own language, and use a translator program. Get the ball rolling, as it were.

[Krynth]

But I'll be out of the town visiting friends this weekend so I may or may not have an entry....

Personally I like the restrictions it keeps me from doing the same stuff over and over and like said it helps us to be more creative...

So bridges huh?

More a question to myself but still curious...

Can the bridge be some form of symbolism or does it have to do with an actual bridge object-wise?

Edit: Alright then cool...I was going to more likely end up writing that way anyhow just wanted to make certain to avoid confusion...

Thnx for clearing that up Gemini!

[Ben]

Dude......Just Roll with it. A metaphorical Bridge is still a bridge

[Meiscool-2]

I'll allow a symbolic bridge. The screens don't leave a whole lot of room for something like that, so I'm kinda interested as to what you might be making.

[coreystranick]

I'm gonna use Screenshot 1. Assuming that the bridges are connecting the trees.

Once long ago, the wood elves lived in peace with the wild land animals.
But that all changed when a wood elf awoke Kane, the ancestral being of the land creatures, known to have a horrible demeanor towards anything but his kind.
Kane started a war with the elves. But the elves, being a race of peace, were massacred by the ferocious beasts.
In turn they looked up, to the trees, their only save bet from these vile creatures. Now they walk along bridges that string the trees together so that the elves do not go the ground below.
Visitors rarely visit this land, because it is said that Kane still reigns deep in the forest, where the elves’ bridges dare not go.
Are you ready to go where those bridges dare not?

[coasterkrazy]

Cool. Sounds fun. I'll try to get something in soon.

[Krynth]

Originally posted by Meiscool
I'll allow a symbolic bridge. The screens don't leave a whole lot of room for something like that, so I'm kinda interested as to what you might be making.

Provided I get the chance (should be back Sun. afternoon) I'll see what I can do and make sure it does'nt look rushed and all but with my style  it may look it even if I do have time...

So yea I'll think of something while I'm gone, so yea gonna give the 2nd one a shot first since it doesnt have a bridge at all..(unless I'm blind and there is one)

[MrMister]

#4 : one time there was a waterfall. nice     then a bridge happend

[Ben]

The use of my smiley DOES get you bonus points

[coasterkrazy]

Ok since #4 has already been taken once (I'm assuming that counted), I might as well call dibs on it now.

Also, this isn't just a background story, correct? Because I'm writing this as a third-person story where the screen is just something that could be an illustration of it.

Oh, btw, I see plenty of room for a symbolic bridge.

[Meiscool-2]

Any story you want. You really don't even have to tie the picture into the story, but that's what you're rated on. How good the story is, and how well it matches the picture.

And yes, MrMister's story does count.