SF's "Write Your Butt Off!" Writing Competition XIV

[blah the Prussian]

YES! YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES YES!

My only question is this: can we outline the history of the world after this divergence?

[eclipse]

So it's a 'for want of a nail' type thing then?

I, uh, am not sure what you mean?

So are we writing prose - with dialogue, action, and whatnot? Because "outline" makes me think more of a summary of events, like an entry in a history book. For instance: "Many Air Nomads lost their lives the first night of the Fire Nation invasion."

Just wanted to be clear on this prompt.

As long as you explain what happened, and how it changed everything, it's fine. How you explain it is up to you!

What I don't want to see is the divergent history, with no explanation as to what caused the change.

YES! YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES YES!

My only question is this: can we outline the history of the world after this divergence?

DEFINITELY!

[blah the Prussian]

I, uh, am not sure what you mean?

"For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of the shoe, the horse was lost. For want of the horse, the battle was lost. For want of the battle, the Kingdom was lost. And all for want of a horseshoe nail." Its a famous poem thats probably the first instance of your prompt in literature.

[Ragged]

I, uh, am not sure what you mean?

As long as you explain what happened, and how it changed everything, it's fine. How you explain it is up to you!

What I don't want to see is the divergent history, with no explanation as to what caused the change.

DEFINITELY!

That clears that up. Thank you.

[eclipse]

"For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of the shoe, the horse was lost. For want of the horse, the battle was lost. For want of the battle, the Kingdom was lost. And all for want of a horseshoe nail." Its a famous poem thats probably the first instance of your prompt in literature.

Gotcha~!

And yep, that sort of thing. For example, what if the nail had existed? Or what if the horse that needed the nail went lame a week before battle, thus forcing the soldier to get another horse? That sort of thing~!

[Dual Dragons]

If I'm understanding this correctly... I might come up with something.

That's if I'm understanding it correctly. It's basically what one (insignificant) event in history did, what paths it created in history, and like.

Though I might have a problem considering what is "insignificant" in the grand scheme of history.

[Rapier]

YES! YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES YES!

My only question is this: can we outline the history of the world after this divergence?

You know, the most ironic thing is that it made me think of Franz Ferdinand. Apparently the simple fact that he went in the wrong direction made WW1 happen. Then I remembered you. :v

I may use my original fic concept since it hinges in this very idea (a single event leads to a very tragic slippery slope of events).

Edited May 12, 2015 by Rapier

[Snowy_One]

There are many other 'nail' scenario's that can be used. Like, what if Charles DeGaulle (sp?) had one of the many assassination attempts attempted on him succeed robbing France of it's leader in WWII? Or what if the Norman invasion failed at the battle of Hastings? Or if the Canterbury Tales had actually been finished? Plenty of possibilities.

OOOOO! Here's a good one! What if Napoleon had been born one year earlier, when the place he was born on wasn't quite considered 'French' territory yet and, as a result, he couldn't be a citizen?

Edited May 12, 2015 by Snowy_One

[eclipse]

If I'm understanding this correctly... I might come up with something.

That's if I'm understanding it correctly. It's basically what one (insignificant) event in history did, what paths it created in history, and like.

Though I might have a problem considering what is "insignificant" in the grand scheme of history.

It doesn't have to be RL history, either!

For example, what if Uhai had bled out before he was able to direct Eliwood and Co. to the Dragon's Gate?

[blah the Prussian]

You know, the most ironic thing is that it made me think of Franz Ferdinand. Apparently the simple fact that he went in the wrong direction made WW1 happen. Then I remembered you. :v

I may use my original fic concept since it hinges in this very idea (a single event leads to a very tragic slippery slope of events).

Spoiler warning: my entry is NOT about Franz Ferdinand. There are myriad excellent alternate histories written about FF surviving. No, I'm doing one that involves the Second World War(again!) but it is a fairly original POD.

[Acacia Sgt]

Man, I should've kept a more constant vigilance on this. That's a prompt I want to join in. Well, there is still time for that, hopefully I can still write up something...

[blah the Prussian]

Man, I should've kept a more constant vigilance on this. That's a prompt I want to join in. Well, there is still time for that, hopefully I can still write up something...

What if Acacia had enjoyed doing the Victoria 2 LP, perhaps?

[Snowy_One]

What's funny is that I actually have a game based around this idea, making small changes in the past to alter the future. Anywho, I've got my plans made and twin backups. Blah. I hope to challenge you well!

[blah the Prussian]

What's funny is that I actually have a game based around this idea, making small changes in the past to alter the future. Anywho, I've got my plans made and twin backups. Blah. I hope to challenge you well!

Chalenge accepted, Snowy. I think I'll win for most original, at least.

[Acacia Sgt]

What if Acacia had enjoyed doing the Victoria 2 LP, perhaps?

Is that sarcasm or...?

Anyway, I doubt I'll finish this one time... or at all... sorry, but I don't think I could participate on this one.

[blah the Prussian]

Is that sarcasm or...?

Anyway, I doubt I'll finish this one time... or at all... sorry, but I don't think I could participate on this one.

Nah, just a joke. In all seriousness, it would be cool if you did one continuing the story of the Danube, a really brief summary of course.

[eclipse]

Is that sarcasm or...?

Anyway, I doubt I'll finish this one time... or at all... sorry, but I don't think I could participate on this one.

Chances are the deadline will be extended (thanks finals).

[blah the Prussian]

So is it safe to ask what the new deadline is?

[Magical Glace]

Eh okay whatever.

Title: No title yet. Help me.

Setting: The world in the prompt

Characters: Chrono, his mother.

Words: 1377

Chrono Jikan wandered through the halls of the facility, his shoes clicking against the decorative flooring. He didnt quite understand the point of the Gateway. The timestream was perfect, it had been flowing exactly as the Historians had predicted for he didn't even know how long. He wasn't really a grade-A student in his history classes, despite being a Historian.

Maybe he could escape. Maybe he could go live as a human, they wouldn't know he was actually Historian.

Smirking, Chrono darted to the portal to the Human World, hiding behind a wastebasket to observe the guards. They were diligent, Chrono knew they wouldn't let a random Historian child like himself go to the world the Historians were supposed to monitor.

However, despite his age and failures in history class, Chrono was known to be one of the most potential-filled Historians ever born (a fact Chrono himself resented, it made many of the other children fear him and caused the adults to be wary of his capabilities). Chrono quickly froze time, darted by the guards, and resuming the timestream just before his toes hit the portal, leaving behind the two panicked guards.

...

Chrono landed with a thud in the center of a lively town square. People darted to and fro, finishing their errands and avoiding children running through the streets. Chrono gazed about, fascinated by the new scenery. He began to run about, not paying attention to the odd looks his Gateway of History uniform, concisting of a black jacket, white dress shirt and black slacks, were gaining him.

"Hey!" Chrono looked up. Looming above him was a tall, slim man with brown hair, snakelike black eyes, and a mustache. "Watch where you're going, kid! Who are you anyway?"

Chrono hesitated. Should he say his name? Give a pseudonym? After a moment of thought, he decided that the man knowing his name did not matter; it wasn't like anyone in the human world would know of it.

"Chrono Jikan," he said plainly.

"Chrono, eh? Strange name, if you ask me, but whatever. Come with me, were finding your parents." The man smirked.

"No! I don't want to find my parents!" Chrono cried, without thinking a second. The twelve-year-old wanted nothing to do with his parents, the cold people whose only love was their perfect timestream.

Several pairs of human eyes stared at the young Historian.

"So you don't want your parents, hmmm? The man grinned. Well then, I have an offer for you, boy."

...

The klaxons blared throughout the hallways of the Gateway of History. Lepto Jikan, the president of the facility, hurried her way to the primary observation deck.

What happened? she demanded, wiping some strands of pitch black hair from her face.

It seems a curious Historian child slipped into the Humans World, sighed a worker. He has bumped into a radical reformist in the city of Eidos.

Lepto's face paled. The reformists weren't supposed to win the upcoming war. But with a Historian helping them, child or not, there was no telling what might happen in the future. There was no room for deviation in the long timestream written by the Goddess of Time. She didn't expect anything to stray from her perfect prediction; the Historians existed to ascertain it.

"Who is it? We must retrieve him or her--"

The worker glanced away before cutting her off to respond. "I'm not sure how you'll take this, but the child in question is your son."

"...Chrono." Lepto darted out of the primary deck, straight for the portal to the Human World.

...

"So if I help you eradicate the king, you wont turn me in to the police?" Chrono asked.

"Yes. You wont have to see your parents if the police don't take you to them."

Chrono glanced at the man, before nodding.

"Good boy. Now, Ill take you to the palace gate. If youre caught from there, youre heading to jail. So after that, its all up to you."

"Right." Chrono had confidence he could eradicate the king for the man. Time was at his command, after all.

...

Chrono stood before the throne of the palace at Eidos, a bloody knife in his left hand and a pocketwatch in his right. Whew he sighed. "I wonder what would have happened if I didn't do this. Too late now, I suppose. Even I cannot undo what has been done."

"Chrono!" A voice yelled from behind him, causing the child to turn around. His jaw dropped when he saw his mother running toward him.

"M-mother!" He gasped. "What are you doin--" he was cut off by a sharp slap to his cheek.

"The person who was supposed to attempt this act was not you!" She seethed. "The child who was supposed to try this was meant to be caught. But you, but you..."

Chrono looked at his mothers fuming face. "Let me guess. Youre here to take me back to the Gateway."

"Of course I am! I cannot allow my own son to continue murdering the timestream!" She roared.

Chrono stared at his mother. "Is that really what you think?" he asked.

"Yes!" Lepto grabbed her son's arm. "Now come!"

Just before Chrono tried to jerk away from his mothers grasp, the two were already back at their family's room in the Gateway. Lepto quickly locked Chrono in his room, resulting in door-banging and protest from the child, before returning to work without a second thought.

"She'll never care for anything else." Chrono thought coldly, as he heard his mother contacting the Gateways police force.

-50 years later. Original Timestream-

Grey clouds hung low over the gloomy city of Eidos. The people gathered as they watched the latest of the executions. The poor economy and harsh conditions led several people to rebel, but the rebels were forcefully crushed and sentenced to public execution, one by one.

Astra, an elderly woman of around sixty-two, was the victim of the new days execution. At the age of twelve, she had been sent to assassinate the king.

Since, she had become a symbol of the war. She was only kept alive and jailed as a taunt, as the king waited for the rebels to be completely crushed. Her time had come.

Proudly, she looked up. Despite all the cruel punishment she had faced, she would never break.

Chrono Jikan watched the scene nonchalantly. Checking the timestream's writing, he nodded.

"Exactly as written," he sighed. "I wonder if it would have been different if the Historians were allowed to intervene."

-50 years later. Rewritten-

The city of Eidos bustled in prosperity. After the previous king had been mysteriously assassinated, his younger brother ascended to the throne, ushering in a new era of peace and encouraging the people to get over the sorrow over the king's death.

Astra wasn't walking to her death. In fact, she wasn't doing anything special at all. Only peace had ruled Eidos since the assassination.

Chrono Jikan remained locked in the basement of the Gateway, calmly staring at the wall he had been viewing the past fifty years.

"I wonder what effect my deed had?" he mused, as a young Historian jailkeeper walked into his cell.

"It's time, Mister Jikan," she mumbled.

"Oh, has the extent of the effect of what I did finally been decided?" Chrono asked.

She nodded. "I'm so sorry, sir. But what unfolded after you killed that king was such a break from what was written... your brother decided..."

"I am to die." Chrono finished. "I see."

"Yes, sir... this way."

"My brother sounds exactly like her." Chrono thought as the girl led him toward the looming guillotine.

"Chrono Jikan." A voice boomed as Chrono took his place behind the guillotine. "First son of Imera and Lepto Jikan. Are you aware of the ripple your actions fifty years ago caused?"

"Yes." Chrono answered, knowing without looking that the voice was that of his younger brother.

"Do you accept this consequence?"

"Yes. But hear this! Which do you think the humans prefer? What they have? Or what was written?"

"Silence him!" His brother ordered. "I ask again, do you accept your death without question?"

"...Yes."

And with that, Chrono was promptly executed, his black hair covering a small smile as the blade made contact with his neck.

[spoiler=Stuff I have to say for myself]I like Chrono, but I didn't feel as if I had enough room to expand on his relationship with his mother while still focusing on the prompt. I do think I got his view of her across decently, however.

As for the alternative results, what was supposed to happen and what actually happened, they were supposed to convey how the Historians only cared about their precious timestream, even if the damage wound up making the humans' situation better than it was in the original timestream. I hope that came across well.

I might expand this later, to add more focus on Chrono's relationship with his mother. Maybe.

Edited May 30, 2015 by Glaceon Goddess

[eclipse]

So is it safe to ask what the new deadline is?

I'll wait until Sunday (that's about twelve hours from now) to figure it out.

[Ragged]

All I ask is for is a push back to at least Monday.

[eclipse]

All I ask is for is a push back to at least Monday.

ONLY Monday?

Due to the fact that I've got to deal with my own school's graduation. . .

New end time is May 24 at 10:00 PM HST. That's roughly a week from now.

[Jotaro Kujo]

I'm probably going to not participate this week, I can think of things that caused a ripple in time but they're much more significant than someone stepping on a butterfly in prehistory and stuff

Good luck to this week's entrants!

[Kriemhild]

What can a single ripple do?

Those at the Gateway of History monitor the flow of time. One day, a shrill klaxon rings through the halls. Somehow, a single, insignificant action in a world's timeline has triggered the History Write Protection - a divergence so great that it threatens to overwrite that world's established history.

Outline the single, insignificant event that altered the course of history for any given world (this one, another fictional world, or a world of your own imagining, though the last one will take a lot of creativity to pull off), and why that small change was so very devastating.

The tentative end date for this competition is May 17 at 10:00 PM HST. It's finals season, so writers may be much more busy than usual.

I have a question regarding this prompt (that may be relevant to future rounds as well). In this case, if we are using a setting that is already established, would it be okay to include some background information outside of the entry itself so that readers who do not know the setting will be acquainted with it well enough to appreciate the entry? Or would we have to incorporate all the necessary background information into the actual entry itself?

For example, if I wanna write about a change in the history of Weyard and I will need to provide background information for readers that did not play Golden Sun. Can I include this background information separately or do I need to rely on the entry to explain all that the reader needs to know to appreciate the divergence?

[blah the Prussian]

I have a question regarding this prompt (that may be relevant to future rounds as well). In this case, if we are using a setting that is already established, would it be okay to include some background information outside of the entry itself so that readers who do not know the setting will be acquainted with it well enough to appreciate the entry? Or would we have to incorporate all the necessary background information into the actual entry itself?

For example, if I wanna write about a change in the history of Weyard and I will need to provide background information for readers that did not play Golden Sun. Can I include this background information separately or do I need to rely on the entry to explain all that the reader needs to know to appreciate the divergence?

For that matter, if we are doing a complicated alternate history can we provide Wikipedia links to any historical figures appearing, just so the readers can get a feel for who they are like? Mine is more of a scrapbook of accounts of events, so exposition would be hard and break up the flow of things.