Welcome to Gaia! ::

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

TABLE OF CONTENTS and STATUS

1. Table of Contents and Status(you are here)
2. Rules

• Basic
• Game
• Bumping
• Mini-Contests

3. Announcements
4. Entering

• Game
• Bumping
• Mini-Contest

5. Voting
6. Prizes

• Game
• Bumping
• Mini-Contest
• Suggestions for future prizes
• The Math

7. Frequently Asked Questions
8. The Picture
9. Entries
10. Past Winners

• Game
• Bumping
• Mini-Contest

11. Misc. Info

• Credits
• Top Bumpers
• Donators
• Events
• Banned
• Kudos
• My Quest

12. Advertising
13. Archives

• Announcements
• Mini-Contests

Status: Currently Offline.

This Contest is also in the writing contest area and it will be run in both places, here is the link for it in the writing contest, but all the information is the same here as it is there.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

3. Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Friday November 19



Tuesday November 16


Monday November 15 2004


Friday November 12 2004


Thursday November 11 2004


Wendsday November 10 2004

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

5. Voting

VOTING

Voting will take place on Fri/Sat/Sun and will be done by a poll at the top of the page.
If there are more entries then there are poll spots then it will be done differently and I will post those rules when we encounter that problem.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

7. Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

question Why did you start this game?
arrow I started this game to encorage people to write. Also I am questing for a Demonic Pitchfork which I will buy from the marketplace.

question What are you going to do with the profit?
arrow Any profit I make will either be used for personal use or will go to a charity.

question How many times can I enter?
arrow Please, only one entry per account per picture.

question When will the winner be announced?
arrow Every Monday after the voting is done I will announce the winner. This may change depending on how many slots are filled and how quickly they are filled.

question Will you accept items as my entry fee?
arrow Yes, please PM me with the item you wish to use. Also if the item is worth more then 50G then the left over will go towards your next entry. (ex: You trade me an item worth 150g. The extra 100g will be a credit towards your next entry.)

question What if i don't like the picture?
arrow If you do not like the picture please say so, if enough people don't like it I can and will change it.

question The deadline is too close, how can I write a short story that quickly?
arrow Give it a try, and you never know you might get lucky. If you are really worrying about it, PM me and I might consider pushing the deadline back.

question What if my story is 149/1001 words?
arrow I will accept the story if it is within 5-10 words of my limit depending on the story.

question I have bad grammar, will that count against me?
arrow To help minimize this problem I will edit your submission for mistakes in spelling and grammar if you want me to.

question Will you help me with my submission?
arrow To a point I can help you, if you want to send a submission to me to have it checkd for grammar I will do that, I will also give you advice on how to make it better, only if you ask me to though.

question Do I send the trade and/or submission to you?
arrow Please see the area on entering to answer this question.

question Can we title our story and if so does it count towards the word limit?
arrow Yes, you may title your story. No, it will not count towards your word count. (This is to keep people from writing 144 words and then having a 6 word title.)

question I want to guote something in my story, may I?
arrow you may as long as you give the author due credit. There is an excelent example of this in the entries for this week. Giving the author credit like that does not count towards your word count.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

9. Entries

ENTRIES

1. Submitted by Neko-Chan666
Tonight their family was to have company come over, and Meena's mother, Kotoko, wanted everything to be perfect. Kotoko sat outside near the pond with her daughters, fixing their hair so it would be just right. She ran a brush through the youngest daughter's long silky black hair.
"Meena, you look just like I did when I was a girl," she told her daughter, still fixing her hair.
"What about me mama? Do I look like you?" Kaoru asked her mother, pulling her hair up into an elegant bun.
"Of course you do my dear daughter, you have my beautiful eyes and silky hair."
Kaoru smiled, it meant a lot for her to get praise from her mother, everything seemed to be focused around Meena all the time, not like she was jealous, she loved her sister dearly. Sometimes she just wished they'd pay a little more attention to her. She watched as her mother pulled Meena's hair into a beautiful bun, adorning it with her favorite set of combs.
"There, now with the right kimono and you'll look absolutely wonderful," her mother cooed, standing before them. "Now hurry up, our guests will be here soon."
They hurried to their rooms to get changed, but Kaoru wasn't as eager. Who is coming that mother is so eager to impress, and why is she so set on making Meena beautiful, Kaoru thought as she walked to her. She put on her best evening wear, a stunning kimono of dark azure with a lighter blue dragon print. She felt very good about herself, until she saw her sister's kimono. Hers was a deep emerald, to match her eyes, with a beautiful azure sakura print and a lighter green obi.
"What do you think sister, it used to be mama's," she asked, looking at her hopefully. She couldn't tell her sister what she really thought, it would break her heart.
"It's beautiful Meena, you look stunning." Her sister's eyes swelled with tears as she hugged her.
"Thank you sister, that means so much to me. I've always looked up to you, you're so pretty and you always know the right thing to say." She was some what shocked to hear her sister say this, but pleased all the same. She had never known that Meena looked up to her, for she had always looked up to her. They heard footsteps and looked up to see their mother.
"Come girls, our guests have arrived, and remember to be respectful." Be respectful? She?s never told us that before, I wonder if this person is really important. As they entered the room she had to suppress a gasp. The emperor was in their house! They all kowtowed to him and waited for him to sit down. He had brought his son, the next in line for emperor, and now she understood why her mother wanted Meena to look so beautiful.
It was known through out the land that the emperor's son had been looking for a bride, and that him and his father were going to houses with eligible women for dinner. And now they had come to our house. Meena will be picked for his bride, no doubt about that, she thought glumly.
After dinner, Meena and Kaoru were sitting out by the pond while their mother and father spoke with the emperor and his son. Meena was sitting near the pond, watching her reflection in the pool of water. But Kaoru was never like her sister, she was laying on the grass star gazing dreaming of what it might be like to be the emperor's wife. She watched the full moon, it looked so inviting, so willing to grant her every wish and dream. Then they heard footsteps on the deck, and Kaoru shot up to see who it was. It was the emperor's son!
"Meena, might I speak with you sister alone?" He asked politely, watching the young girl by the pond as she stood up and bowed.
"Yes, your highness." She glided gracefully across the lawn and left them. Kaoru quickly sat up on the bench, her cheeks burning from embarrassment. The young emperor sat down next to her, casually leaning back as they sat in silence.
"Beautiful night isn't it, the moon and stars are very bright." Still in a slight state of shock, the only thing Kaoru could do was nod. Why does he want to talk to me and not Meena, does he prefer me over her? Have the stars answered my prayers, she wondered.
"Kaoru, I want you to be my bride." His statement sent her into another state of shock, and it kept echoing through her head, over and over again.
"But I couldn't, I'm not worthy," she could hardly believe the words coming out of her mouth. This is what she hoped for, what she had just dreamed about. Why was she now rejecting the idea? Was she truly not worthy of it, was her sister more fit to be his bride?
"You are perfectly worthy, I've loved since the moment I saw you. You were down in the market place shopping. I started searching for a bride because I wanted to find you. You are perfect, and I would like nothing more than to have you as my bride." His words drifted through her as she tried to understand them. Of all the people in China, he wants to marry me, the thoughts kept drifting across her mind.
She was lost in her own train of thought that she didn?t pay attention to any of her surroundings. So she didn't hear him say he loved her. But she did feel him turn her head and press his soft lips against hers. It was a wonderful sensation, it felt as though she were floating on air. It felt the same when they were wed.

2. Submitted by: StitchesAlana
The Siren's Song
It was early morning, and the sunlight trickled down in dancing rays, illuminating all it touched with an almost holy light. There were faint sounds of birdsong, the gurgle of the nearby stream, and musically lilting voices that blended smoothly into one another, punctuated by occasional gasps or laughter. I peeked over the fence and, sure enough, our new neighbors were there, dappled in the shadows of the bluebells and trees. One of them said something in a half-whisper, and her sisters answered her in giggles.
One of the girls looked up and spotted me. She gasped lightly, freezing mid-brush of her hair with wide eyes like a deer and just as deep. Her siblings, one brushing the other's hair, both turned shocked eyes to me as well, as though I had witnessed something I was not supposed to. The jaw of the oldest sister, dressed in blue, had dropped slightly. I looked away quickly, turning red, and mumbled an apology.
As I turned to go back inside my own house the first girl who had spotted me called out after me in mild tones, "Wait!" so I paused mid turn and came back to the fence dividing our houses.
She stood and moved to the fence, and her sisters contented themselves by watching me. "What is your name?" The girl asked me, now standing on just the other side of the wooden barrier.
"Paul." I said, still embarrassed. She smiled at me.
"I am Mona, and they are Gen and Celenia." She gestured back to her two sisters, who now smiled at me as well. She looked back at me. "Would you like to come and sit with us? We are so new here that we don't know anyone."
It struck me that there was something slightly odd about her smile that was so inviting, but the feeling was fleeting. I felt drawn to these sisters, who were so kind. I nodded, and Mona pulled open the gate between our houses.
"Thank you!" I said quietly, stepping into their yard.
The grass was stiff and slightly yellow once I crossed from my property into theirs. I looked down at it, slightly shocked. Mona took my hand, bringing my attention back up to her. "Is something wrong?" She asked, still smiling.
"Oh, er... no, not at all." I said, blinking. I must have been hallucinating. The grass was soft and green once more, and their side of the fence was threaded with a rainbow of flowers. By the bluebells, Gen and Celenia laughed like ringing bells and Celenia had resumed brushing Gen's hair, both of them sneaking glances at me often.
I became memorized by the regularity of the movement of Celenia's arm. Her skin was catching the early morning light with each upward sweep, and looked like porcelain when illuminated. My eyes moved to Gen's hair, which looked as fine and soft as shimmering velvet. Gen was singing softly, I realized, and my attention turned to the soft sound of her voice.
"Steer hither, steer, your winged pines, all beaten Mariners. Here lie loves undiscovered mines, a pray to passengers!"
"Come Paul, sit with us." Mona was saying and I sat on the ground at Gen's feet, entranced by her song. I laid my head on her knees and my eyes half closed. Mona smiled over my head at Celenia, who began to sing as well in round with Gen.
"Perfumes far sweeter than the best, which make the Phoenix urn and nest. Fear not your ships, nor any to oppose you save our lips, but come on shore, were no joy dies till love hath gotten more."
"Steer hither, steer, your winged pines, all beaten Mariners. Here lies loves undiscovered mines a pray to passengers!"
"Are you happy, Paul?" Mona was asking. I nodded, hardly hearing her. All I could hear was the harmony of Gen and Celenia's voices, the ebb and flow of the words. What were they singing? I didn't care I realized with a content sigh. Wasn't I doing something before? I couldn't remember. I must have looked thoughtful, because Mona reached foreword then and stroked my cheek softly.
"Don't try and think, Paul. Be happy and stay here with us."
"For swelling waves our panting breasts, where never storms arise, exchange; and be awhile our guests. For stars gaze on our eyes." Gen was singing, and Celenia in the round still sang quietly:
"Perfumes far sweeter than the best, which make the Phoenix urn and nest. Fear not your ships, nor any to oppose you save our lips, but come on shore!"
"Stay with us!" Mona was saying in soft tones, "Stay!"
(Siren's Song taken from http://www.fionasplace.net/song_of_the_sirens.html )

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

11. Misc. Info

• Credits
• Top Bumpers
• Donators
• Events
• Banned
• Kudos
• My Quest

MISC. INFO

There will be a post in the writing section forum for this soon, so bumps will carry back and forth.

CREDITS
IrisSatari --------> 500g credit for the banner
Neko-Chan666 --> 100g credit for using a Pearl Castaway Shirt worth 150g as her entry fee.
StitchesAlana ---> 250g credit for hosting the banners, making the bumps, and hosting the bumps.

Some people may recieve Credit towards their next entry fee either by donating or my paying their entry fee with an item. I will keep track of the credits here.

TOP BUMPERS
As of Page 16
Neko-Chan666 ----> 54
DrefanKearse -----> 25
TheDemolisher ----> 24
IrisSatari ----------> 16
DamianKearse ----> 14
StitchesAlana ------> 10
Tsukiyama-Chan --> 1
NovaMaster0 -------> 1

DONATORS
None

EVENTS
Pink Link:
Enchanted Chest:
Pink Box:
Blue Box:
(If you get an event please let me know.)

BANNED
None, let's hope it stays that way.

KUDOS
IrisSatari for the banner, You ROCK!

MY QUEST
Demonic Pitchfork which I will need 8000 for.
Currently at: 3588
Still need: 4412

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

13. Archives

• Announcements
• Mini-Contests

ARCHIVES

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MINI-CONTESTS
The third Mini-Contest is being sponcered by a good friend: AphroditeJune
Rules:
The first person to submit their story and it has exactly 777 words in it wins.
All the words must be part of the actual story. (No 500 word story and then random words untill you hit 777 words.)
Neko-Chan cannot enter because her submission is already in.
Prize:
777g pure. No option to take credit.
Winner:
StitchesAlana on November 11 2004.

The second Mini-Contest is being sponsered by me.
Rules:
The first person to send me a submission that uses the word "kowtow" correctly in a sentance will win.
Prize:
Their choice of 500g or 5 free entries or it can be split up (ex: 300g and 2 free entries).
Winner:
Neko-Chan666 on Novemeber 11 2004.

The first Mini-Contest is being sponsered by Krista_Kinda.
Rules:
Only one bump per post.
The first person on page 10 to say the word "Undulated" will win.
In order to win you must either donate to ~Marshall_Bakers~'s game or participate in it.
Prize:
500g or an item of your choice from all the items I currently have.
Winner:
Neko-Chan666, on November 10, 2004.