The Square Enix Winter Story #1 (Rebel Rinoa Heartilly Wins)

[Rebel Rinoa Heartilly]

Thanks for making this contest, it was tons of fun. Though I think I'm going to be stuck in rhyme-mode almost all day now. lol.  

[Princess Augustine]

I personally blame myself and random busy spells that distracted me from my follow-up post. It should be up before the gathering starts (Key word there is 'should'. >_>; )

 

[Princess Augustine]

The first thing I could remember coming out of my slumber was the murmur of voices. I shifted in the direction from where the voices were coming from. When I did, the voices all hushed. I groaned. Now I wouldn’t be able to find them. I tried opening my eyes. The light that accosted my vision was painfull, and I squeezed them shut again. “Marion..!” A light voice breathed abruptly. It was obviously a woman’s voice, and it was very close. I croaked again, lifting a hand up. When I moved my fingers, I felt something constricting my fingers. Wait, constricting. Like a snake, like the fiends. I bolted upright. I chose to brave the bright light and opened my eyes all the way. The combination of the sudden change sent shockwaves through my head, and everything I could see past the glare burns blurred in and out. I brought my hands up to my face, clutching my temples. There were bandages wrapped around my hands. In confusion, I forgot my pain and squinted at my hands. “Save your strength!” a frantic voice said. I felt a hand gently push me back down onto my back. Again, At this point, the glare burns were receding. A woman stood over me, her dark hair shifting as she cocked he head to one side. “You’re very lucky, you know.” Tifa Lockhart said, adjusting the bandages on my left hand. I stared dumbly at her, eyes wide. This wasn’t real. It was some kind of bad dream.

The woman looked into my face and smiled cheerfully. “Your Winterdream Crystal led us to where you had fallen. The snow covered your footprints.” She placed her soft hand over my bandaged one comfortingly. “Wha--?” I started, looking around the room. I was again stunned by who I found in the warm room. At the foot of the bed sat Terra Branford, a bowl of water in her hands. Beyond her stood the paladin of the Fourth Fantasy, Cecil Harvey. Movement caught my eye, and I noticed the High Summoner Yuna enter the room with six cups of something steaming on a tray. Firion followed close behind her. I felt my jaw drop. “This has got to be some kind of mistake!” I finally managed, trying to get up again. I succeeded in fully sitting up before Tifa could try to push me down again. She murmured something softly that I couldn’t hear, perhaps to calm me down. The two that had just come in approached the bed in case Tifa needed more help restraining me. I looked from face to face again. “N-No. There were the arch-fiends, and buses full of monsters. But they don’t operate unless Golbez or Garland or—“ Every allusion to story continuity I could make only turned over a new, dire detail. I began to recollect the details on attacks and trajectories I learned from the games. Over the buzz of my own mind, I could hear my own breathing, which was coming in quick gasps.

I was broken from my thoughts when the other four shifted to loosely surround my bed. I quickly stopped talking and looked up. Hopefully, my expression implored them to explain more.
“It’s over. They’re gone now.” Cecil said with a slow nod. I gave him a long look. “You’re sure?” he nodded again, a slight smile coming to his lips.

The next three hours were a long process of asking many questions. As it turned out, we are all connected to their world. If we wished it hard enough, our individual bonds would strengthen enough to allow people to pass between the dimensional gap on this connection. In my case, the connection was strong enough to allow five and only five characters through. However, the two sets of Elemental Arch-fiends rode the tail end of the connection in search of the power that made the connection possible. Luckily, my five guests were able to beat them back over the dimensional gap.

The conduits of these connections were small material things that mattered a great deal to an individual. My necklace, a blue quartz prism pendant was that conduit. They explained that I wished for their companionship most in the wintertime, and that they understood that my connector was a crystal-like item. Thus, they dubbed it the ‘Winterdream’ crystal. The name was a little too flashy, but they promised we’d come up with a better name for it.

Once I had finally calmed myself down, I found that the room were in was a actually one of several rooms. We were in a place that floated between my world and theirs. So we technically resided in our respective planes of existence, but not fully. It was also unplanned in that The Arch fiends of the First and Fourth Fantasies would make an assault. This lodge-like area was temporarily cut off in the sense that we could not pass back into our own worlds. Luckily, there was no danger to us here. The passing of the current season would renew our abilities to completely return home.

Yuna made a guess that this pocket-existence was located over Macalania. She was right, since the outside of the lodge were staying in was reminiscent of the crystalline woods, blanketed in luminous white snow. It was like being in a dream. It snowed in the daytime, so we didn’t go out as much. At nighttime, though, the clouds fled the sky like clockwork. The moon would dust everything in silver light. We would take trips into the surrounding forest, each time finding some new treasure. To our mutual surprise, the six of discovered that we didn’t know how to play in snow. We taught ourselves how to make snowmen and snowwomen. The back of the lodge was kept exclusively for our jointed snow-sculpture efforts. The first sculpture was more like a blindly- carved pile of snow. As one’s eye progressed across the clearing, our snow people gradually looked more like people. With the help of a few weak spells, our later sculptures actually took on real details. My favorite technique was to use a controlled fire spell to melt trails of snow, then the refreeze it with a blizzard spell. The most recent one has swirls and minute details in solid ice.

Weeks passed by like nothing. However, there would be nights when I would wake up with a start, nightmares of being chased by evil itself causing me to rise from the deepest of slumbers. But whenever I did, I would bundle up and go outside. The sight of the silver-lined snow on the trees would calm me. Here, I wasn’t afraid.

I have this feeling that when Springtime comes and we all go home, I won’t be able to remember my dream world. I would think that amnesia of the event would allow me to remain at least tolerant of reality. Until then, I’ll make the memories of my Winter dream the best they ever could be. For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t alone during the holidays. After this, I know I never will be alone. Not anymore.  

[Princess Augustine]

Author's Commentary.

-Okay, I started Winterdream far too late, then got too busy to flesh out the ending. So, Part Two is a lousy abdrigement job.
- I also know I didn't acknowledge Marion's previous season traditions, or why Cecil, Terra, Tifa , Firion and Yuna knew Marion's name in the first place. As a matter of fact, Ididn't even mention how theose particular five came to be so comfortable with one another. We'll just assume that it's a Dissidia-esque situation. Everybody knows everybody else.
-Playlist can be found here.

 

[The Real Raijin]

Rebel Rinoa Heartilly

Thanks for making this contest, it was tons of fun. Though I think I'm going to be stuck in rhyme-mode almost all day now. lol.

Your welcome. Rhyme mode huh?
I think your story had good energy also and a nice twist.  

[The Real Raijin]

Leading Ladies

Author's Commentary.

-Okay, I started Winterdream far too late, then got too busy to flesh out the ending. So, Part Two is a lousy abdrigement job.
- I also know I didn't acknowledge Marion's previous season traditions, or why Cecil, Terra, Tifa , Firion and Yuna knew Marion's name in the first place. As a matter of fact, Ididn't even mention how theose particular five came to be so comfortable with one another. We'll just assume that it's a Dissidia-esque situation. Everybody knows everybody else.
-Playlist can be found here.

It's alright. It was still interesting and had an emotional ending. Good luck!  

[Rebel Rinoa Heartilly]

The Real Raijin

Rebel Rinoa Heartilly

Thanks for making this contest, it was tons of fun. Though I think I'm going to be stuck in rhyme-mode almost all day now. lol.

Your welcome. Rhyme mode huh?
I think your story had good energy also and a nice twist.

Thank you. mrgreen
I love to rhyme, so sometimes when I spend a lot of time writing something that rhymes, I end up thinking in rhyme. My thoughts also end up having a different kind of flow.  

[Cora Merle Seraph]

Couldn't get the time to finish what I was writing bewfore the voting started oh well. It work well enough without the x-mas theme. So shall still write it out and post it in the guild somewhere else at a later date.  

[The Real Raijin]

Rebel Rinoa Heartilly

The Real Raijin

Rebel Rinoa Heartilly

Thanks for making this contest, it was tons of fun. Though I think I'm going to be stuck in rhyme-mode almost all day now. lol.

Your welcome. Rhyme mode huh?
I think your story had good energy also and a nice twist.

Thank you. mrgreen
I love to rhyme, so sometimes when I spend a lot of time writing something that rhymes, I end up thinking in rhyme. My thoughts also end up having a different kind of flow.

Ah, I see. Interesting. So your more like a poet.

Cora Merle Seraph

Couldn't get the time to finish what I was writing bewfore the voting started oh well. It work well enough without the x-mas theme. So shall still write it out and post it in the guild somewhere else at a later date.

SOrry. I had to end it. It had already gone on longer than a week....  

[Laura_the_Pixie]

bummer i have something i wrote but its a play instead of a story and it doesnt quite fit the quota but its a winter one lol  

[The Real Raijin]

Yuna_braska213

bummer i have something i wrote but its a play instead of a story and it doesnt quite fit the quota but its a winter one lol

It's quite interesting to see you back around yuna_braska.
Perhaps there will be a another story contest in March. There will be many things planned for March. I hope you will be able to attend.  

[Laura_the_Pixie]

The Real Raijin

Yuna_braska213

bummer i have something i wrote but its a play instead of a story and it doesnt quite fit the quota but its a winter one lol

It's quite interesting to see you back around yuna_braska.
Perhaps there will be a another story contest in March. There will be many things planned for March. I hope you will be able to attend.

I hope that's a good thing lol that you say its interesting to see me back around. just let me know when the next one is i so wanna put my play into it ^_^  

[The Real Raijin]

Yuna_braska213

The Real Raijin

Yuna_braska213

bummer i have something i wrote but its a play instead of a story and it doesnt quite fit the quota but its a winter one lol

It's quite interesting to see you back around yuna_braska.
Perhaps there will be a another story contest in March. There will be many things planned for March. I hope you will be able to attend.

I hope that's a good thing lol that you say its interesting to see me back around. just let me know when the next one is i so wanna put my play into it ^_^

Oh? ....is the boogy man was after you? he is pretty sneaky these days.
On the other hand. I am...very observative and live life very strategically.
Will do...for the story contest. I will probably have to let you know early because I will have to keep up with 400 other people very soon.
In the March gathering March 11th and 12th that is.  

[Laura_the_Pixie]

The Real Raijin

Yuna_braska213

The Real Raijin

Yuna_braska213

bummer i have something i wrote but its a play instead of a story and it doesnt quite fit the quota but its a winter one lol

It's quite interesting to see you back around yuna_braska.
Perhaps there will be a another story contest in March. There will be many things planned for March. I hope you will be able to attend.

I hope that's a good thing lol that you say its interesting to see me back around. just let me know when the next one is i so wanna put my play into it ^_^

Oh? ....is the boogy man was after you? he is pretty sneaky these days.
On the other hand. I am...very observative and live life very strategically.
Will do...for the story contest. I will probably have to let you know early because I will have to keep up with 400 other people very soon.
In the March gathering March 11th and 12th that is.

thanks i wish to give a preview but then someone might take the idea lol  

[The Real Raijin]

Yuna_braska213

The Real Raijin

Yuna_braska213

The Real Raijin

Yuna_braska213

bummer i have something i wrote but its a play instead of a story and it doesnt quite fit the quota but its a winter one lol

It's quite interesting to see you back around yuna_braska.
Perhaps there will be a another story contest in March. There will be many things planned for March. I hope you will be able to attend.

I hope that's a good thing lol that you say its interesting to see me back around. just let me know when the next one is i so wanna put my play into it ^_^

Oh? ....is the boogy man was after you? he is pretty sneaky these days.
On the other hand. I am...very observative and live life very strategically.
Will do...for the story contest. I will probably have to let you know early because I will have to keep up with 400 other people very soon.
In the March gathering March 11th and 12th that is.

thanks i wish to give a preview but then someone might take the idea lol

That is true. Perhaps write in your journal, to prepare.
I think there may be a March gathering and possibly an April gathering.