Once Upon A Time

Written by: PPT Divas/PPT Guys (PPT, really!)

Hey, welcome to another month's competition round wrap-up. For those of you not familiar with this game, this is a story-telling competition between the Guys and Divas. One group gets four people to write up four parts of the story, tacks on three extra names as red herrings, then sends them to the other group to guess who wrote what. Points are given to both teams- the guessing team, for guessing correctly, and the writing team, for completely incorrect guesses. Then the roles of each group switch (on a five-day basis) and it keeps going till the end of the month. :)

This month's (well, last month's) game consisted of twenty-four parts in six rounds (four parts per round). The Divas won last month eleven to nine, but the Guys won this month seventeen to sixteen, even with a -5 point deduction due to a delay and a tied guess on the last round (causing the game to go one way or the other)! For winning, the Guys received an NP prize and a button for their sigs...while the Divas received an updated button as a "consolation prize". ;)

So congrats to the Guys for making a comeback, and good luck to both groups in the coming round. For now, you guys can read the story from the January game- continuing on the story of Dalia and Yolande from December. You can read that here.

So, we'll be starting off from Part 17, and ending at Part 40. Please note that the following parts are unedited; they are in the state that they were in the game. Also, there was a bit of gender confusion with the characters- ignore that. :P

Oh, again, try to guess who wrote which part. :)

Part 17.

Yolande woke up in cold sweat. He distinctly felt someone - or something - touch him surreptitiously just when he was lapsing into slumber.

This had been happening for the past few nights, thus he was sure he wasn't just dreaming. Every time, just when his eyes were shut, on the verge of falling asleep, he would feel that cold, clammy touch on his chest. It felt like a human hand - yet not so human.

Yolande reached to switch on his table lamp, though he was sure that as usual, he would find no sign of the spooky hand that touched him.

Part 18.

Right then something that was very rare in Yolande's life occurred.

He was correct.

There was no trace of any spooky hand anywhere near him. There was no trace of any large monster, no trace of a witch-like being or any trace of any random member and/or symbol of the occult floating near him. Unfortunately that was part of the problem. There was no trace of anything. There was no table lamp, no table where a table lamp would sit, or any room where a table holding a table lamp would sit. Yolande was in the middle of nothing.

On the bright side, Yolande was right about the whole spooky hand thing.

Part 19.

If there was one thing that Yolande disliked more than midnight proddings, it was waking up in the void. This time was worse than usual as he normally could get some sleep beforehandPun Yolande swam about in the lonely recesses of wherever, eventually one way or another he'd escape. Sometimes something would kill him, sometimes he'd find a piece of his furniture floating around nearby, nevertheless he remembered that it could take what seemed like days.

"All that crap is in your head kiddo" his father had kindly explained when he was younger. As Yolande aged the weirdness got weirder and he had refrained from speaking about it to anyone for years. A ghostly image of an Ewok zoomed by, hissing at him. The images he'd see gave himself the impression he was in his own head, unfotunately that had never helped.

Part 20.

Afterall, blaming this strange limbo and the various gibbering apparitions within, on some outside force would be comforting in comparison with confronting the thought that it was all somehow the product of his own inner demons. Any Hollywood movie star would have that wonderful vision of how this sort of thing would all play out. Of striking that heroic pose after conquering their hellish predicament, and then letting the credits role. All Yolande had to look forward to was lengthy self-psycho-analyzation to try and determine what an image of an overly hairy and obviously distressed space midget meant about his mental well-being.

He wondered if there would be references to this in one of those "Understand Your Dreams" books.

Probably not..

Usernames to choose from for Round 1:

Chao

Christopher

coming2atvnearu

Jim

plducala16

Qanda

simsman24000

Part 21.

Suddenly, Yolande felt the hand touch him again. He jumped and looked up. Then he saw that the hand was actually a finger. The finger was part of (you guessed it) a giant hand! The hand was white, and it looked sort of like a ghost, but only sort of.

Then the hand spoke.

"Yolande. I have come to recruit you to battle against the bunnies that are slowly taking over the world. You cannot say no." And it floated out the window, leaving a very confused Yolande, to its next recruit, Dalia.

Part 22.

The hand knew Dalia well, it had guided her through her troubling dreams, most recently a dream depicting Dalia as a hobo. Dalia had done well in this dream and the hand knew that the overseers were pleased with her progress. It was time.

The hand found Dalia sitting on her bed, her pretty face twisted in concentration as she worked on her Ancient History homework. The only light source came from the desk lamp situated on the far side of the room leaving plenty of shadows for the hand to study Dalia for a few moments.

Dalia sensed something watching her and froze, her mind filled with the millions of bunnies that she had seen only a few nights previously. Shaking her head nervously she tried to tell herself that she was only imagining it, it would have worked if the hand hadnt chosen that exact moment to come forward and speak.

Part 23.

"Dalia." That was only the first word that the hand spoke, but it certainly got her attention. She jumped, scattering her papers all over the desk. She started to gather them all up again, but the hand moved in her way.

"Dalia," the hand repeated. "The time has come for you to meet your ally in your journey to defeat the rabbits. Yes, it was you who helped released them, and so it is you must defeat them. I've brought someone over to help you."

Dalia opened her mouth to speak, but the hand made a movement to quiet her. Then it pointed to her bed. She looked over, and there wasn't anything there. And then, a few seconds later, a boy popped out of nowhere! Dalia gaped, beginning to think she had gone crazy.

Part 24.

Yolande saw Dahlia. Dahlia saw Yolande. They both saw the hand. "Um, what's with that?" Yolande asked.

"I have no idea. It just appeared," Dahlia answered and shrugged. "Want to get a pizza?"

"Sure," Yolande replied. They got up to leave the room. The hand grabbed them and pulled them back. It pushed them onto the bed.

"You must defeat these rabbits. You are the chosen ones," it said.

"Riiiight . . ." they answered in unison. They tried to get up again, but the hand pushed them back down. They bumped against each other and blushed.

"You remember that vision you had about being a hobo, Dahlia. That is what the world will be like if you two do not defeat this threat. The world will eventually disintegrate into the void Yolande experiences when he dreams. You must find the Ramen Master. He will instruct you further. Travel east to the land of the blue sky and you will find what you seek." The mysterious hand disappeared.

Yolande looked at Dalia. Dalia looked at Yolande. "So, you want to get some pizza?" she asked.

"Sure," Yolande answered.

Dalia picked up the phone, while Yolande examined his new surroundings.

Usernames to choose from for Round Two:

fzun

Igg

Jasujo

Lillie

Twizzler0171

tymaporer

xjox

Part 25.

Yolande looked around, as Dalia phoned the pizza parlour. He started thinking about what the hand said, as her voice buzzed in the back of his mind.

"Travel east to the land of the blue sky and you will find what you seek."

Wait! There was a problem. No, two problems.

"Dalia!"

Dalia looked up and faced him, a little distraught that Yolande would interrupt her just as she was listing out the toppings.

"Dalia! Where's east?"

Dalia was bewildered. He interrupted me for this?! She turned and pointed towards- wait, where WAS east? All around her was a desert, with nothing visible but a horizon.

"And how's this pizza gonna get to us?"

Part 26.

Dalia stood confused for a while. Eventually she gets an idea. "Well... if they don't get here in 34 minutes, the pizza's free. So they'll get here someway, somehow."

Yolande looked upon Dalia with a confused look, wondering if the hunger was going to her head. Actually, she was hungry too. Really hungry.

Dalia then shouts out, "We can ask the pizza man to help us!"

Yolande rolls his eyes and looks back out in the surroundings...

Part 27.

"This feels so Alice-in-Wonderland-ish," Dalia said as she stood up. Walking around in the sand, she stopped as her food bumped into something in the sand. "Hey, check this out!" she exclaimed as she reached down and found a handle. Pulling it up, she uncovered a trap door leading down a hole with a weird green light reflecting off of the rough hewn rock walls.

"I wonder how far down it goes?" Yolande asked.

"Ya, and if the pizza guy is down there," Dalia added.

Part 28.

As of a sudden Yolande falls into the hole dragging Dalia with her. As they fall down they see flashes of red, purple and lots and lots of green off the cave. THUMP!

"Oww.... why'd you push me in?" questioned Dalia

"I needed something to grab onto, and you were the closest thing to me. I also felt a hand or something push me down here." muttered Yolande.

"Well standing around ain't gonna do anyone good. Lets explore this place a bit." said Dalia

All of a sudden a shadow appears before them and says,

Usernames to choose from for Round Three:

Tested

timkhj

Yoshi

ScottNak

Blk Mage

Hunter Lupe

simsman24000

Part 29.

"I am going to keeeeel you!"

The shadow cackled and stepped out of said shadows. Ripping back his head, he shouted, "MWAHAAAA! MWAAHAAA! MWAHAAAHAA!" He suddenly choked, coughing madly. "Ooopsies."

Part 30.

The shadow continued choking and coughing, until suddenly what looked like a round ball fell out of its throat. "Sorry about that. Now, where was I?"

Dalia looked around nervously. "Uh. You were just about to let us go past..." Yolande nodded in agreement.

The shadow appeared to be disappointed. "I was? How depressing. I never let anyone go past."

Dalia, with more confidence now, said, "You told us that... but you thought we were a special exception."

"I did?" The shadow asked. "That doesn't sound right.... Now I remember! I'm going to KEEEELLL you!"

Part 31.

"Run for it!" screamed Dalia as she grabbed Yolande's hand. They bolted. Where they were bolting to, they weren't quite sure. All that mattered was getting away. Away from what? They weren't quite sure of that either.

"Great," panted Yolande, "We're never getting that pizza."

"How can you think of food at a time like this?" asked Dalia.

They followed a meandering rocky corridor lit with eerie green-ness and purple-ness. One would call them lights, instead they didn't actually do real lighting of any sort; they just greened and purpled. Suddenly, everything got less green and purple. It all went black.

Part 32.

Dalia screamed as the green-ness and purple-ness stopped.

"Where did the lights go?!" Dalia gasped. Yolande felt around but all he felt was the rocky cave wall.

"I don't know..." Yolande responded.

Suddenly they heard distantly "I'm going to keeeeeeeeeel you!" They started running faster. They didn't know where they were running to, but they hoped they were running away from the shadow.

Usernames to choose from for Round Four:

...Alex

Alex

hyperflutterby

Lost

Nikita

ScottNak (<--it was a joke!)

Sock

SpiraLethe

Part 33.

The Voice boomed louder, "Keeeeeeeeeeeel Yooooooooooooooooou!"

Dalia and Yolande ran blindly through the darkness.

They found a corridor to the right and ran into it.

Dalia spoke first. "Yolande, I can't see anything."

Yolande then struck a match that he had for some reason.

"Now, we have to remain very still and quiet...", Yolande whispered.

Daria brushed against Yolande as she tried to peer down the hall.

"AHH!!!!! DRACULA-STEIN!!!", howled Yolande, catching his clothes on fire.

The Human Fireball flew ito the darkness.

Meanwhile, 5 feet away...

"Kee..-AHH! SATAN! HE'S COME TO KEEEL ME!", the figure managed to blurt out, before being tackled.

Part 34.

Suddenly rain fell down and woke their dreams. Dalia and Yolande woke up from the bed.

"Ooh, what a scary dream."

"Yeah."

"Why don't you just close your eyes and kiss my lips and let it go, just let it flow, it's what I'm waiting for!"

"Here we are face to face, same energy! You and me don't wanna be enemies!"

Dalia slapped Yolande. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm an angel, I'm a devil, I am sometimes in-between!"

"Don't spit on me and shame yourself, because you wish you were someone else."

"Ok then," said Yolande.

Part 35.

"Aw, wat the heck," said Dalia.

She leaned in close to Yolande, hovering above his lips, and then kissed him lightly.

"Mmm... I love you, Dalia"

"Woah, loverboy, slow down..."

"Hehe, I was only playing."

"Well, cut it out. Besides, I'm hungry," complained Dalia.

"Oooh lets get some CHIPOTLE'S!!" exclaimed Yolande.

"That sounds excellent. Oh and for starters, don't ever think that you're allowed to kiss me ever again. You have onion breath."

Part 36.

"Onion breath ?!?" exclaimed Yolande. "I haven't had onions in weeks though!"

"Must just be you," said Dalia playfully as she slowly pulled him out of the room.

As the two walked down the street to the nearby Chipotle selling outlet, Dalia giving Yolande a few playful shoves causing him to fall off the sidewalk along the way, a mysterious voice was heard from above them.

"I'll keeeeeeeeel yooooou!! There is no escape from I."

Usernames to choose from for Round Five:

Adam

Chao

Craghack

kngsofcomedy

Qanda

simsman24000

the_dog_god

Part 37.

Yolande's eyes became round and fearful, as Dalia clutched his hand.

"This can't be a dream!" cried Yolande.

"IIIIII KEEEEEELL YOOOOOOU!" screamed the voice.

Dalia pulled Yolande up, and they ran. They didn't know where they were going, and rain was pouring down so hard that they could barely see, but they had to get away from the voice. Dashing through the cobbled streets, they bumped into so many people, but they had such little time. They came to a muddy hill, so slippery, but then the voice rang out again.

"IIII KEEEEELL YOOOOOOU!"

Without hesitation, Dalia and Yolande forced themselves up the hill, mud slooshing into their sneakers. As they neared the top, they spotted a small cave inside the hill. They almost hadn't noticed it! With the voice coming nearer and no-where else to hide, they bolted into the damp, dark cave, and huddled together in the corner, hardly daring to breathe.

Part 38.

Suddenly, Dalia felt herself falling backwards, away from Yolande. At the last second, she managed to grab his arm, yanking him with her.

“Ow, I think you just dislocated my shoulder!�

“Would you rather be back there, chased by some freak who wants to “keel� us??�

“Actually, we fell back. That’s front.�

“…Whatever. C’mon, let’s see where we are.�

Dalia and Yolande cautiously stood, the latter grasping his shoulder in pain that did not seem entirely genuine. Suddenly, Dalia screamed. Yolande, looking up from his muttered complaints, abruptly stopped, his eyes widening.

Part 39.

The voice once agian ensued "IIIIII KEEEEEELL YOOOOOOU!" from outside of the cave.

Yolande went to reach for Dalia's arm, finding that she was no longer nearby "Dalia," he cried out with fear looking around the cave.

"Yolande," he heard the faint call of his name. Yolande looked around, and quickly spotted Dalia and rushed towards her. Noticing what Dalia had found, Yolande stood in awe. "It's some sort of door," Dalia told him as she gave it a little push.

The door swung open and Dalia and Yolande stood to see...

Part 40.

"Greetings, children. My name is Shouyu. I am the Ramen Master and I have been awaiting your arrival." The boy and girl stood in the doorway, mouths agape. The old man smiled. "You have travelled far. Please come in." Yolande and Dalia felt a pull on their arms and looked down. A young boy and girl were leading them into the room. "These are my apprentices. The boy is Shio and the girl is named Miso." The little children bowed and motioned to two large cushions on the far edge of the small room. One cushion was navy blue and the other was maroon. They seemed to be made of a soft, velvet material. Yolande and Dalia shrugged and sat down.

They watched the old, asian man softly close the door and mumble a charm. The Master and his two apprentices all wore brightly colored, silken clothes. As they moved, arranging things around the room, nothing was disturbed, not even dust. They seemed to float as they walked. The children brought over two trays laden with beautiful jade bowls filled with ramen soup, white rice, and small jade cups filled with steaming tea. The delicious aromas pervaded every corner of the room.

"Go ahead. Eat as much as you please. You must be hungry. I have set a charm on the door to camouflage it from your pursuers. You may eat and rest. Then I have much to teach you. You have come just in time." The master winked at them and walked to the small, wooden table to pour himself some tea. "I think you might actually have a chance in defeating those Leporidae." Master Shouyu smiled and sat on his deep green cushion. He watched his new students eagerly dig into their food. He lifted two withered hands to his mouth and sipped the hot tea. This world might actually have a chance after all.

Usernames to choose from for Round Six:

Cassi

fzun

Jasujo

jellyoflight

Nikita

Twizzler0171

xjox

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Answer Key:

17. Qanda

18. coming2atvnearu

19. Christopher

20. Jim

21. tymaporer

22. xjox

23. Twizzler0171

24. Jasujo

25. Yoshi

26. ScottNak

27. timkhj

28. Blk Mage

29. Sock

30. Alex

31. SpiraLethe

32. Lost

33. Chao

34. Qanda

35. kngsofcomedy

36. the_dog_god

37. jellyoflight

38. Cassi

39. Nikita

40. Jasujo

Got a lot of 'em right? Maybe you should try participating in the next round, where we'll be starting a new story! In the meantime, have a great Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day! :)

Note: Thanks fzun for making the icon! Sources used for the icon, if any, are not credited. This month's article was compiled by Yoshi.