Tempmas 2013, Week 2: A Tempmas Story

[Sterling]

The Joy of Christmas​

Christmas. It's a time of giving, happiness and joy. What if you have nothing to give? What if you're alone, hopeless? Let me tell you a story of a man with nothing, giving something.

...

The dirty grey sky darkened as we walked past an alleyway. “Hey, let's carol over there,” I said to my friends.

“I don't think we should, Jay,” said Jim as he looked at the dirty people crouched around a flaming barrel.

“Honestly, Jim.” Joy shook her head. “They'd appreciate a little company.”

I nodded. “Definitely, let's go.”

Jim grudgingly followed us. We spent most of the night in that alleyway. We sang, and surprisingly enough, the homeless did too. Some, more spry than others, actually danced. Even as snow started falling, we all celebrated without worry. Some people even joined in from the street.

When the celebration ended, the bitter chill brought shivers from the homeless. “Something has to be done,” Joy said storming off.

“Wait up,” I called after her. “Come on Jim!” I frowned glancing back. Despite shelter, these people had an unbreakable spirit. They smiled and laughed just like everyone else. Perhaps, we made them happy, and nothing mattered for a scant few hours.

...

Joy plopped several bundles of clothing and quilts in front of us. We'd walked down the street to the local donations store. Here, the prices were lowest, but not low enough for those with nothing. “Stop complaining,” I said walking out the door.

Jim sighed, hefting his weighty bundle as he followed.

We stayed only long enough to distribute the clothes. “Thank you,” a grizzled old man said to Joy as we left. “You remind me of my daughter.”

“I do?”

“Yeah. “She was about your age when she joined the Red Cross.”

“She's very brave.” Joy smiled and hugged him.

“She was indeed.” He began to cry and squeezed her tighter. “I can barely remember her face it's been so long... I wonder where she was buried.”

“Oh!” Joy frowned, tears springing into her eyes. “I'm sorry for your loss.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “You've reminded me why Christmas is more than material goods. We'll not soon forget your kindness.”

We waved goodbye, and made our way back my home. “We should do this again next year.” Joy smiled.

“Yeah.” Jim nodded. “Some of it was unexpected, but honestly, I had fun.”

“Oh, please,” I said laughing. “You'd love to clean up your image on GBAtemp.” I high-fived him.

“Yeah, and this was the way to do it.” Jim smiled.

“It's awesome to see our community make the world a better place.” Joy smiled and laughed. “I never liked either of you, but this changes a lot.” She turned around and walked away. “You're good people.”

“She has a heart of gold.” I shook my head and smiled.

“Why not ask her out?” Jim asked.

“Uhh...” I immediately turned red.

“Just kidding.” He laughed and turned around. “I have to catch a train home. Remember, I sang the best.”

I nodded. “Sure, and Tempy is the real Santa Claus.”

“You never know.” He waved disappearing around the corner.

I sighed, and walked home. After I lit a fire, and sat back with warm cocoa, I posted a recap of the night. I finished with a satisfactory feeling.

Two hours passed and Jim's post showed up. What the hell? I thought. Joy lives down the street, but Jim had to ride a train home. Why is he first?

A cold feeling of worry sunk into my stomach. I knew where she lived, so I threw my gear back on and walked out the door. Snow swirled all around me like a blizzard. The soft flakes, belied the ferocity of the howling wind as I crunched my way through large drifts accumulating in the streets and sidewalks.

When I got to her house, I stood like a deer caught in headlights. What now? My hand grasped the knocker. The loud noise echoed through the home, and footsteps sounded on wooden floors. A gruff man opened the door, frowning at me. “What do you want?”

“Sir, I caroled with Joy earlier. Is she home?”

“No. She she should have been back hours ago. He sighed and shook his head. “She can take care of herself, but she's not even answering her phone. If either of you...”

I held up my hands. “Look, we didn't do anything. I'm worried too. We planned on sharing our results online, but she hasn't made her post yet.” I turned around. “I'll go look for her, call the police if she doesn't show up soon.”


…


Joy walked around the block again. The homeless man's words rattled around her head. She felt bad for stirring up those hurtful memories. The wind pierced her small jacket, sending shivers down her arms and legs.

A slight crunch of snow drew her attention to a ski-masked man creeping up behind her. “Gimme all your money.” He said, pointing a .45 at her chest.

Joy gazed into the bore as if it were a black hole. “I d-d-d-don't have any money,” she stuttered, backing away slowly.

“Reverse your pockets, and stop moving,” he said and gestured with his gun.

She did as told. Nothing but lint and moths. In her haste to turn them out, she dropped her cell phone, which shattered on the ground. “O-o-oops,” she whispered, bending down to pick up the pieces.

Gunfire rang out, and a bullet ricocheted off the sidewalk near her. “You bitch, that's mine. How dare you break my phone?”

“Y-y-you asked m-m-m-me to turn out my pockets.” Her stuttering worsened.

“You sayin' it's my fault?” He waved the gun around. “I oughta shoot you now.”

Her eyes widened as he aimed the weapon. She turned to run, expecting death to lodge in her back. The gunshot came, but the bullet did not. Instead, she heard a grunt, followed by several sickening snaps.

She turned and found her assailant on the ground. Both his arms hung oddly, and the gun teetered near a storm drain. Her savior kicked the weapon away, and collapsed on the ground.

Joy ran up, crying. It was the gaunt old homeless man, whose strength belied his age. “Why?” she asked eying the growing blot of red that crept across his chest.

“Because, you remind me of someone I once knew, and cared for. You and your friends made me feel like someone worth something. I am glad my life could be used to shield another, just like my daughter did.” He coughed up blood, and smiled as he brushed her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Jane.” His hand fell limply.


I stood around the corner against a brick wall. Thick tears ran down my face as the events I'd seen hit me. Merry, Christmas.

​

 

[icharleslin]

Merry Tempmas​

Two weeks ago, in the town of Plainsville lived a tall, scruffy fellow, with a beard as long as his growl, named Grumpy. He lived in the Inn above the pub because he was the town drunkard, and was unwanted elsewhere, "Get me 'anota beer!"

The owner, Grinny, was unfortunately Grumpy's brother. He was always cleaning up Grumpy's messes and watching over him, "Brotha, you don't need another beer. Go look after mum."

Grumpy glared at the remark, and went up to look after their mother, whom has been battling bronchitis for months now.

Grumpy's mother smiled as she saw him coming upstairs, "Grumpy, do you remember your father? Before, when you were younger, your father was so humb-"

"I know motha'. He was so great! The government banned all video games, consoles, and flash carts. So on Christmas, he gave away thousands of them." Sarcastically saying, "Unfortunately, he has been gone for over 20 years, and I've never met the man."

"Grumpy, its all true." She said, coughing into her hand, "I think it is time for me to tell you the truth." The wooden floor creaked as they heard Grinny come upstairs, "Your father went missing, 20 years ago, because he was a pirate with a heart of gold. He wanted you to be his legacy, but I told him it was too dangerous. I'm getting very old Grumpy, and I don't know how much longer I am going to live, but I wanted to at least give you the location of his ship and a map to his treasure." She reached it to Grumpy.

"I've been wantin' to know what my fatha' has been doing for this long and you never told us?" Grumpy's frown turned neutral, "But, I can't be mad at you mum, I understand"

"Okay Grumpy, let me rest now." She laid on her bed and quickly fell asleep.

The brothers went to bed, and in the morning they found out their mother had unfortunately passed. In the evening she was buried, both men crying, "Oh mum, I'll neva' drink again." said Grumpy, "I'll make it up to you" he paused, "Somehow."

That night, Grinny didn't see Grumpy drinking, or causing a mess. He saw him writing on gbatemp, a website about people reminiscing about the "good old days", private messaging everyone about a suicidal mission. Grumpy invited them to his brother's pub, and in days, thousands of people were at his front door from all over the world.

Grinny was amazed at the turnaround from Grumpy. His heart had grown 10 fold. He was no longer the town drunkard, he was a saint.

Grumpy came up to the stand, "Alright men and women. Christmas is six days away, and our mission is to prove that video games can be good. We are here to prove that THIS generation is good. We are going to spread the video game spirit to EVERY BOY AND GIRL" The crowd was in an uproar from Grumpy's speech. For minutes, you could hear nothing but cheers, that this was going to happen, and then the crowd settled, "We are going to take my ship to the Missingno Island, get the treasure, and then send all of the consoles all over the world. Now, this mission is dangerous, we may not come back, but if you are willing to die for what you believe in, then JOIN ME!" The crowd's uproar was even louder than before. They knew that Grumpy was the savior of video games, and they believed in him.

"I believe in you Grumpy!" Said Grinny, as people started boarding the boat, "We prove that people are bad, not video games!"

"Aye." Grumpy winked. The boat was off, smoothly sailing across the Atlantic. Everyone on the boat was jolly, talking and reminiscing, feeling nostalgia, or hearing the stories of video games, for the first time.

"Land Ho!" One of the ship mates said. There was an aura around the island that was ahead, as if it were shining.

"Let the anchors down and get this treasure!" said Grumpy. With the anchors down, Grumpy led down everyone down a trail literally made of old cartridges and CDs, 8-bit Grass, trees, and animals. Grumpy smiled as if he had never smiled before, knowing that his adventure was almost done.

Grumpy finally made it to the cave, and then, silence. The ground gradually start shaking, gradually louder, and out came a man, at least twenty feet tall, with a crimson red and white suit, a fluffy white beard, and a cloth cone hat, whom didn't seem happy, "I am the guardian of video games, and you woke me from my slumber! I am here to keep video games holy! Go back, or face death!" The man said with a roar.

Grumpy smiled and looked at the fellow saint, "We are here to spread the video game cheer, and to show that video games can be used for good," the crowd behind him cheered, "Our governments have banned video games long ago, and I want to continue the work my father--"

"Your father?" The man dusted his coat, "Are you," tearing and then wiping his tears, "Grumpy?"

Grumpy, in disbelief, nodded and continued, "We need all your video games, consoles, handhelds, and flash carts, to save our future!"

"Alright Grumpy, LETS SAVE VIDEO GAMES!" Grumpy's father roared, running to the dead end of the cove, punching the wall several times, revealing the treasure. Every console, game, and flash cart you could have imagined, and some you have never heard of, brand new, and in their boxes. It was every gamer's dream.

They took as much as they could and set sail. Neither Grumpy, nor his father, knew what to say each other until his father spoke up, "I can't change the past, but I can be there for you now. I love yo-"

BOOM! The ship rumbled back and forth, "Captain, we've been hit!" a random shipmate said. Another pirate ship was ahead, hitting them with one cannonball after another, "Captain what do we do?"

"Aye, I'll hold that to ya!" Grumpy quickly hugged his father then jumped into action, "Fill them holes and fire our cannons with whatever we got!"

Grumpy's ship started firing their cannonballs, making direct contact to the enemy ship. It seemed to be a miracle, the enemy retreated, and everyone cheered.

The ship finally made it home, with Christmas Eve tomorrow. Everyone gathered at the pub to hear Grumpy's last orders, "We need to smuggle these video games, and prove to these governments that people are bad, not video games! So I have put you all into groups to spread the cheer! On Sonic, Mario, Link, Megaman, Sphiroth, Master Chief, Lara Croft, and Pikachu!"

The groups dispersed, and on Christmas Eve, homes were broken into to give video game cheer to boys and girls. News outlets all around the world were reporting about this event, "Merry Tempmas". Governments once again allowed industries to publish games and consoles, and that was how video games were saved.

 

[kuwanger]

There are times in life when you have a moment of clarity. Sometimes it's just a flash and too quickly forgotten to act on. Sometimes it's the result of mulling over a problem for days. These can be life changing moments of clarity. These can be almost tunnel vision remembering, "Oh, yea, I put on black socks today."

Well, today was one of the latter. Easter was upon us and it was clear to me that I should do something different. I wasn't the sort to really get into the spirit of things, as I wasn't exactly the most devote of believers. And even if I had been, I sort of knew that all the festivities had more to do with a celebration of spring time rather than the resurrection of Jesus.

Still, I figured I'd do something a little different this year and maybe paint some hard-boiled eggs. It wouldn't be extravagant, since I'm not really much of an artist. It would be pretty wholesale plagiarism, but then it didn't really matter since it was all just for family anyways. They'd not really understand that goofy pixilated Metroid--pixilated conveniently not just for the retro look but to match my said artistic skills.

Still, it seemed something was missing. So, I decided to look around on GBATemp for ideas. After all, GBAtemp is (plug)the independent video game community(/plug), with people always willing to listen to your potentially silly video game related idea. So, I scrolled down the forum like I usually do, and I saw there was more activity about the Boktai 3 translation again.

And that's when it hit me: Django on the cross. Well, do I have to say it?

Spoiler

Django turns to a vampire in Boktai 2, but he can switch back and forth at will. Unfortunately, he only powers his weapon that way and so there's no real resurrection potential.

Oh, right, this is Easter, not Halloween. Entirely the wrong holiday, and it'd probably be some sort of blasphemy too. Maybe

Spoiler

Django in his coffin that walks

? In the end, I had to give up on the whole idea because I couldn't well draw what I wanted worth anything. And as we all well understand when it comes to GBATemp, plagiarism isn't tolerated.

But, maybe the good people at GBATemp will grant me a Christmas wish and I'll get a stocking full of Django on the cross pixel art? Well, there's always next year.

PS - No, I don't really want that. And please, no sending me strange yaoi pictures of Django and Otenko or Sabata or whatever. There's been enough moments of clarity of my life to know about rule 34 and never to actually ask for that sort of thing. But I know that no matter what happens, the fact that GBATemp is a testament to the real truth and potentially real clarity: video games are important enough not just to me but to a large community of people who all...don't want to see yaoi pictures of Django and...--you get the idea.

PPS - The PS is part of the story and still true outside the story. Am I cheating enough, yet still following the rules?

 

[MarkDarkness]

“Time to Grow”


In the dark he tripped on a loose string of Christmas lights that hung from the tree, letting the heavy box in his hands slip away. As it hit the floor, a dreadful noise resonated across the room. Prying the box open hastily, he checked every single game case contained within it to see if any had shattered due to that careless mistake. After what felt like hours, he put the final case back inside the brown box crudely labeled in his undecipherable handwriting “Games”, sighing in relief.

Sitting on the living room’s floor in his worn out sweatpants, he thought about how the certainty of that night had long been coming. “It is time to grow”, leave childhood behind. It was no longer about his mother ranting on and on about his hobbies, or addictions as she liked to call them. No, soon enough he would be a married man, submerged in responsibilities and a bunch of other frightening thoughts. That enormous pile of beautifully colored game boxes had to make way for all sorts of books with difficult-sounding names and such.

They had not been the first ones to go, though. The Nintendo Power posters had been the inaugural casualties, followed by the action figures — first the big ones, then the small ones. Now with a heavy heart he carried decades of gaming history to the basement. It was a strangely painful moment. It felt like leaving beloved friends behind. He could reminisce the story behind every single game he had collected, which made the whole affair feel more like an elaborate betrayal than simple space management.

He knew that the gifts that now laid under the tree were very different from the ones from just a few years ago. What was even worse was that now he actually looked forward to getting new clothes. Damn, that was inexcusable. Where did time go? How long had it been since the cartridge for Diddy's Kong Quest had rested peacefully (and so beautifully) under that once sacred place?

Too long. He got up, not daring to look back a second time. If he did, he would just give up like last time. It was almost Christmas, and he had all those brand new socks to look forward to. Great. The box found its place comfortably in a secluded corner of the basement where he knew no sunlight could harm it. Closing the door with a sense of solemnity, he felt a bit silly about the whole thing.

As he ascended the stairs back towards his room, he felt his back pocket for the DS. It was still there. Grabbing the laptop that sat beside the bed, with a smug smile he logged into GBAtemp. There he found every little piece of code that would allow that wonderful palm-sized machine to run all those great games from long ago, as well as some brand new ones created by a thriving community.

It was like some strange, wicked magic. He had let all those great cartridges go to rest… they had fought the good fight. Now this tiny blue two-screened clamshell would be the one device to keep him close to those cherished memories. It didn’t matter. He knew of a place chockfull with people who understood him, and on whom he could count to help him keep on living that gaming dream, even as life showed its rougher edges.

It was time to grow, yes. But then again, what is life without good friends?

 

[KineticSonata]

The bitter winter wind hit Alex sharply, making him wrap his coat around him that much tighter. As he trudged down
the thickly populated city street, the sounds and lights of the holiday all around him, he felt anything but
festive. New York City was an amazing place, for tourists or those that hadn't lived here long enough for the
constant noise and hassle to erode away their patience. And on top of that, it was Christmas, which not only meant
unbearably cold weather, but having to swim through a sea of yuletide cheer just to get to work and back. Alex had
been working at the Ruby Tuesday on Broadway for a few years now, putting up with terrible hours and poor tippers
just so he could afford a cramped one bedroom studio that cost him a small fortune to maintain.

But despite his seasonal woes, as soon as Alyx broke the threshold of the apartment hallway and entered his place,
his very own place, everything else seemed to melt away. Here was his sanctuary, his fortress of solitude. This is
what he worked so hard for.

The video games were everywhere. Systems old and new lining the floor in a loose semicircle around his large television, cords
tracing like veins back to it like a lifeline. The television was on, the current game he had been playing paused.
Alex had shelves built to cover the entire adjacent wall, and on it was hundreds, perhaps thousands of games, each and every
single one played and beaten by his own hand.

Alex sighed, shedding off his thick coat and taking his seat on the recliner,
picking up the controller and playing. It was here that he was content. It was here that he was at peace. When he was here,
his crappy job was worthwhile. When he played, his absent dad and drunk mom seemed like someone else's problems.
He could go anywhere, be anyone. He could save the day a million times over, demonstrate his tact and skill, and most
importantly, he could escape this dreary world, if only for a little while.

The next morning, Alex awoke from the recliner where he had fallen asleep, ate and showered, and got bundled up to
go downtown. He had the day off today, which meant a trip to the game store. Once he got outside, a curse left his lips.
It was perhaps the coldest day yet, with ice slicking the sidewalks and the chill air stealing his breath.
Alex walked, the same walk he made twice a week, down to Nick's Shop, the used game store he frequented for years now.
The people sparsley populated the streets, a testament to just how cold it was.
As Alex fought back a shiver and turned a corner, someone slammed into him, knocking him back. His footing slipped, and
Alex fell on his backside with a whump. Farther up the street, an angry bellow echoed in the frigid morning air.
Lying there on the sidewalk in front of Alex was a young boy, maybe eleven years old. He was wearing a thin, worn out looking
jacket, thin blue jeans, and old sneakers. He had no winter hat, and as he locked eyes with Alex, hot breath escaping him
in misty gasps, Alex knew immediately what was going on here.

The boy was a thief, and perhaps even homeless as well. Winters were hard on the homeless of New York City during
the winter, many of them allowing themselves to be caught doing some petty crime so they could go to jail and at least
have someplace warm to sleep once the shelters became too full.

The boy leapt up, sliding and skittering as he dashed into the street. Alex didn't even have time to let out a warning
as the boy darted in front of an oncoming taxi, barely making it past, the car's horn startling him. The boy stopped
short to let another car pass him, before sprinting recklessly into another store that Alex recognized instantly.

Alyx crossed the street as well and entered Nick's Shop, the cold and unfriendly atmosphere outside instantly
replaced with warm air and the sounds of game consoles running demos. It was an average sized place, with racks of games
circumnavigating the perimeter. Shelves of used systems sat stacked behind a wide glass counter, and Nick himself sat
behind it, reading a magazine. He was an older fellow, and although he neglected his personal hygeine, he was
nice, and just about the only person Alex talked to.

And there, walking through one of the thin aisles, was that young boy wearing the worn out clothes, absently looking
at games while he hungrily ate a candy bar. Alyx understood. He had stolen food from the convenience store up the street.
Alex went to the counter, and when Nick saw him, he let out a laugh, stroking his grey beard and smiling all the while.

"Hey, if it isn't my best customer!" He bellowed. Alyx winced as the scent of onions and body odor wafted over him.

"Hey Nick. You know that kid over there?" Alyx replied, nodding his head towards the boy.

Nick nodded somberly. "Yeah...that's Jimmy. He lives at the orphanage over on 24th. He sneaks away and runs the streets
until they call the cops and bring him back. He's harmless."

Alex looked again at the scrawny kid, now playing a display model Wii, grinning with glee as he navigated Mario from
planetoid to planetoid with surprising skill.He was pretty good.

Something came over Alex then. He watched that boy play that video game, and suddenly he saw himself, another kid that
no one cared about, that no one noticed. But when he played that game, his face lit up. It was like all the
hardships of his life simply ceased to be.

"Oh, and by the way, I found it." Nick said, giving Alex a wink, bringing him out of his nostalgia. Alex looked long
at the old man, not sure what that meant exactly. Realization dawned over him as the gaunt man reached under the
counter and produced a golden box with a very familiar logo on it.

"You...you found it?" Alex said, his breath barely above a whisper.

"I did. Legend of Zelda, N.E.S., golden cartridge, sealed and unopened." Nick said proudly. "Took me a few months, but I found it."

Alex was speechless as his hands wrapped around the game. He let out a small laugh, his eyes scanning the box, taking
in all the details. "How much was it?" He said, hoping it wouldn't cost him as much as he feared it would.

"Well, in the spirit of Tempmas, and for my best customer, today it's free." Nick said. Alex's mouth dropped. Was he serious?

"Wait. What is Tempmas?" Alex asked, still holding the game in his hands.

Nick let out another chuckle. "I forget that you don't get out much. It's sort of like Christmas, but it's for the
select few that come together under a common banner of interest. An interest that you have in spades."

Nick produced a bag, and Alex carefully set the game inside, still in diselief at such a thoughtful and generous
display. Smiling, Alex made his way to the door, the actual reason why he had come here long forgotten.

"Oh, one more thing, Alex." Nick said. Alex turned and looked at him, the store door half open, spilling frosty wind into
the store.

"Games are wonderful. They help you learn, play, imagine, and experience. But there are lots of kids out there that
won't get the chance to enjoy that. I know you've had it hard, but there are people out there that wish they could
be you. Remember that, and have a merry Tempmas."

Alyx nodded, sort of confused, and braced himself against the cold as he went baack out into the street. Putting
the precious bag in his coat, he started to make his way home. But as he did, something caught his eye. There was that
young boy again, leaning against a building up the way a bit, asking people for change as they bustled by. Alex actually
walked by the boy himself, giving him no mind.

But then he stopped. Turning, he looked again at the boy, rubbing his arms frantically to stay warm. Everyone seemed
to ignore him. Alex knew what that was like. He felt like it wasn't fair. Letting out a sigh, Alex went back to the
kid, looking down at him.

"Got a dollar, mister?" Jimmy said, his teeth chattering as he spoke.

"What do you need it for?" Alex shot back curiously.

"I want one of those games in the store. Gotta buy it myself. Got a dollar?" Jimmy pressed, holding his hand out eagerly.

"You want a Wii?" Alex said. "Those are expensive. You're gonna be out here a while."

"Yup." Jimmy said, letting out a sneeze. "Either here or at the orphanage. There's just about as much to do here."

Alex let out a sigh. "Look, Jimmy. It's freezing out here. Let me make you a deal. Come on over to my place. You can play
games for a few hours, an then I'll call the orphanage to pick you up."

"What games do you got?" Jimmy said.

Alex only grinned. "All of them."

Once Jimmy saw how many games Alex had, he cozied right up on the recliner and played. And played. And played. His smile
never once faded as he played on, Alyx watching all the while. They drank hot cocoa, ate frozen burritos, and played
for hours. Alex did call the orphanage, and they gratefully thanked him for notifying them.

So they waited outside Alex's apartment building, the sun already retreating past the distant horizon. The cold was
intense, but Jimmy's smile made his face seem as warm as an August afternoon.

"I'm in big trouble." Jimmy finally said, as big fluffy snowflakes began drifting down. "Miss Schultz said if I snuck
out again, I couldn't leave the house for three months."

Alex wasn't sure what to say. "Well, Christmas is in two days. You'll get some nice stuff to make it go by faster."

"No I won't" Jimmy said, his head hanging low. "We don't get Christmas presents. Can't afford it."

Just then, a car pulled up, and an older woman got out, bundled in knit scarves, shouting obscenities at the now timid
young boy as he got in the back. She said nothing to Alex as she sped away, leaving him in the cold street to ponder
what the boy had told him.

Alex worked the next day, Christmas Eve, but he was merely going through the motions. His mind was awash with conflict.
His Christmases growing up were always dissapointing. His Mother was always hung over, he never knew his Father,
and his Christmas morning usually consisted of fighting back tears while he watched the other kids outside playing with their
new toys.
By the time his shift was over, Alex knew what to do. He got home and made his plans. The next day would be a big one.

Jimmy got out of his bed and looked sadly out the window, overlooking a park courtyard now lightly swept with snow.
There were kids out there on new sleds, laughing merrily with their warm winter hats and gloves, shiny boots and
puffy coats. They all looked so happy. Jimmy stifled a sniffle, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and heading
downstairs to get something to eat.

But what Jimmy saw when he got downstairs was like something from a dream. There in the center of the living room was
a huge flat screen television, with all the other orphan kids standing around it, chattering loudly. And standing in the
center of them was that older boy Jimmy had met yesterday, the one with the apartment full of games.

"Alex?" Jimmy said, wondering if he was still asleep.

"Hey." Alex said happily. "We've been waiting for you to get up. Ready to play?"

Jimmy looked on the floor to see a box shaped system he had never seen before. "What is that?" He said.

"A Nintendo." Alex said. "A good place to start.

And the children of Sunny Day Orphanage rejoiced on December the 25th, for they recieved a gift that none of them
would ever forget. They rescued princesses as Mario and Luigi, Protected the triforce from evil as Link, and dared to
oppose a hostile roboticized takeover as Mega Man. They controlled battling toads, lone ninjas of legend, and even a vampire
hunter exploring a cursed castle. They commanded parties of midevil warriors of sword and sorcery, combated aliens
as a female bounty hunter, and even delighted in the adventure of a greedy duck that worked to reclaim his fortune.
And when the day had grown late, and Alex announced that they could keep this gift forever, the children cheered.
And as Alex made his leave, Jimmy hugged him tightly, tears in his eyes.

"Merry Christmas." Jimmy said to his new friend.

"No." Alex replied, smiling widely. "Merry TempMas."

 

[MelodieOctavia]

A few of you did not read the maximum word count. I don't mind it going over a bit, but when your story is 150% or even 200+% the max word count, I can't count those.

I would advise taking a look here: http://www.wordcounter.net

 

[Sterling]

.

 

[DJPlace]

well this is one steam game i would like but it's five bucks...

also are you going be picky about about putting . and ? marks behind words for Browine points?

 

[MelodieOctavia]

I am capable of reading, yes. The rules were the same last year too, and no one had any qualms with 150% then. My entry last year was also about 1,500 words, and I know there were others. To be honest, a 2000 word ceiling is optimal for a oneshot short story. I'll pare it down, but at least tell us what leeway you're giving us, because I spent a few hours last night writing this, and another couple getting it below 1500 words in the first place. It's going to take some massive editing to pare it down even more.

100-200 words over the limit max. I was very lax last year. I'm tightening it up a bit this year. I think the limit is fair for a short story. If you disagree, I respect your opinion, but the limit still stands. If you would like to discuss it further, feel free to PM me. I'm sorry you had to work so hard to pare it down, but you still have plenty of time to edit your short story.

well this is one steam game i would like but it's five bucks...

also are you going be picky about about putting . and ? marks behind words for Browine points?

Proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling does count. I won't be too strict about that either(Honestly, even I make a lot of mistakes), but please don't make it look like it was written as a text message by a 12 year old.

 

[xxNathanxx]

Spoiler: ultraswag2000

Christmas Day three years ago
Overlord Nadrian was banned but never did he go
He said he would
But never could
What a hissy fit he did throw
Perhaps he is on the blacklist
That would probably make him pissed
Luckily I am not him
For I have evolved
In a whim
All problems were resolved
Those last two lines made no sense at all
Perhaps I should've studied English instead of play ball
Just kidding
lol
So far you might think
This has nothing to do with GBAtemp, you stink!
You would be right
But this poem is fuckin tight
Anyway let us continue our beautiful journey
Through all these words
In the hope that I win this tourney
From all these nerds
Actually that's a lie, I don't really care
But is Santa in Australia a koala bear?
Holy damn 500 words is a lot
Luckily I'm pretty hot
If I say so myself
Someone else who said it was Santa's elf
And Santa himself
I think he might be gay
But that's okay
So whatever, I need to write more words about this site
I think it's quite alright
But where is everyone I knew
Out of the cuckoo's nest they flew
Into the vastness of life
Armed with a custom made butter knife
Tempmas is love, Tempmas is life
Wait, am I just rhyming life with life
Oops, I did it again
Shit man
And I just stole that saying from last week's winner
I'm such a beginner
No wait, apparently I am a member
My birthday's in December
Sinterklaas too
And Christmas as well
This poem is poo
I hear you internally yell
Man, I hope I'm halfway already
Queen's singer was called Freddie
I don't like Queen though
I think they suck
That's just IMO
But if you like them your taste in music is yuck
That's just a joke, if it wasn't clear
You can hold on to that tear
My dear
Have no fear
I am here
Hear hear, a cheer
Why are you still reading this
It's poor as piss
Doesn't even have a lot to with GBAtemp
Except the opening and closing lines
I think the only word that rhymes with this site is hemp
It must be one of the signs
Like the devil
At the end of the level
Or whatever, I don't know
Last I played a game was 2004
That's not true, I played Pokémon X
It was like sex
But on a Nintendo 3DS
And not really real, yes
Is it Tom Nook that talks like that
Or some other video game character with a funny hat
I actually forgot
Please help me o(u)t
I will thank you, but nothing more
So don't help if it's not something you adore
Four to the floor
Roar
Oh shit it's that song by Katy Perry, what a
Sore
Haha
I can't remember if I ever won anything from Tempmas, but I don't care
That's not at all what it's about
It's about the fun you share
Peace out

Spoiler: ultraswag2001

Shit it should be a story
Now I wasted a lot of time
Oh well, at least I get glory
For my sick rhyme(s)

 

[icharleslin]

Revised. I think it worked out for the best.

 

[Lacius]

He was making his list. He was checking it twice.
He was gonna to find out who’s naughty and nice.

Santa picked up his list. He gave it a scan.
Behind it, a second list. This wasn’t part of the plan.

“Antonio, what’s this?” Santa asked aloud.
“Ah, that’s a list of a most peculiar crowd.”

"Tempmas?” Santa asked. “What the fruk is that?”
“It’s Christmas on this site where people like to chat.”

“What do they chat about?” Santa asked with a furrowed brow.
“Computers, video games. Basically anything’s allowed.”

Santa asked, “What’s so special about these nerds?”
“I think they’re our ticket to spreading the word.”

Antonio, one of Santa’s elves, had come up with a plan.
To get as many people to believe in Santa as Antonio can.

“Many of them are adults, but 90% still play games.”
“I don’t think that’s sufficient for making this list of names.”

“Wait! There’s more. You’re gonna be glad…”
“…Half of them still live with their mom and dad.”

Santa’s eyes widened. He finally got it.
Santa headed to his computer with the Tempmas list in pocket.

“These Tempers might be just what I need…”
“…To open the door to getting adults to believe.”

Santa powered on the computer. He smiled with glee.
“These gamers might be predisposed to believing in me.”

Santa logged on. He was ready to post a thread.
He was about to see if his dream was alive or dead.

“Ho-ho-ho, Tempers! This is the one and only Santa Claus,” he boasted.
“I wanted to see if you still believed in me. Oh, and sorry I double-posted.”

“inb4 flaming,” one Temper said.
“stfu troll,” said another as he jacked off in bed.

“Hey guys, what he’s saying might actually be true,”
Said Xuphor with a smile as everyone booed.

“It looks like you’re all Santa Claus-trophobic,” Gahars said when he was expected to strike,
His post garnered about thirty or forty likes.

“Pics or gtfo,” the Tempers began to chant.
Things weren’t going the way Santa had planned.

"Guys! I’m just trying to spread the Christmas cheer!”
TwinRetro chimed in. “They don’t think you’re sincere.”

Just then, someone posted who could turn things around.
“He might be the real Santa. Everyone needs to calm the heck down.”

Santa asked, “Who is this person? Might he be my Christmas miracle?”
“‘A Gay Little Catboy’? That goes against my Christian principles!”

“Well then, I guess it’s good I practice Satanism of the LaVeyan variety.”
“This forum is filling me with endless anxiety!”

Santa turned off his computer, and he let out a deep sigh.
“They could have gotten presents if he had only been bi.”

Santa threw the Tempmas list into the trash. “They were the worst!”
Antonio walked in after the other elves had dispersed.

“I’m guessing from your demeanor that it didn’t go well.”
“Nobody believed me. It was a living Hell.”

Santa lit a match and threw it in the trash. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
As all the Tempers around the world played free games on their USB loaders.

 

[DJPlace]

100-200 words over the limit max. I was very lax last year. I'm tightening it up a bit this year. I think the limit is fair for a short story. If you disagree, I respect your opinion, but the limit still stands. If you would like to discuss it further, feel free to PM me. I'm sorry you had to work so hard to pare it down, but you still have plenty of time to edit your short story.



Proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling does count. I won't be too strict about that either(Honestly, even I make a lot of mistakes), but please don't make it look like it was written as a text message by a 12 year old.

hmmmmmm... with my mindset in a 30 year old body... i'm not sure if i should try this out...

 

[moerik]

The Importance of TempMas.

Have you ever heard a story, so controversial that it bonded together Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft fanboys alike? That is what let up to a festive event enjoyed by thousands today what you all call, TempMas.

It all started the day the Video Game market crashed in 1983, over-flooded by thousands of awful consoles and awful games that created a new cult dedicated to ban and harass video games and gamers, they named themselves The Trolls. Event after event they showed no mercy, taunting video game stores by burning it to the grounds, raiding tournaments, assaulting gamers and hating on everything deemed remotely successful. Despite their efforts, they just could not keep man-kinds desire to play video games, and as a response to that desire came many new video game companies meant to fill up the void in their hearts. Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, Atari. These brave new Gods appealed to the gamers needs and gave them what they lofted the most, but over time the faith in some Gods dropped and left only 3, now known as the Big Three. Nintendo to please ones inner child, Microsoft to make one feel connected and empowered, and Sony to feed the most graphical demanding gamers. The rise of forums giving home to gamers to feel free to discuss all what they want without persecution from the general public, with the greatest of them all... GBATemp.

GBATemp has tested the sands of time, standing tall over a decade, fending off attacks from The Trollz, and lack of sponsorship. GBATemp has seen many civil wars of its own you see. Even gamers, can turn onto themselves, internal groups of 'Fanboys' harassing those who do not appease the same God, and with a new war every 5 years guaranteed with Nintendo Fanboys, the largest faction, clashing posts and launching flame-strikes on the Xbox-pire, and the Sony-Federation. Not even waiting every 5 years appeased them, they felt the need to go to war for every news article where Nintendo is not 100% favored, and if it as much as hold Sony or Microsoft up high, will be raided and pillaged to the bone. It was up to the forum-police to instigate peace and balance between the three factions. Yet not even they can contain all of the hate and discrimination as this was proven during the 2008 flame-war. The Kings of GBATemp came together for a meeting and have decided to create a new festive event meant to bring together the warring factions into a time of peace, with the elusive chance to win free gear and bragging right. They called it TempMas. For 4 years they have hosted TempMas one after another, with winners here and there and taking home their booty. Great new pieces of art, poetry and social interactions between 'Tempers has come, forming a new culture that all three factions had in common, the ability to hoist sail and pirate some games off the digital seas. Despite the passing of members, and new members moving in. With all three factions feeling mostly united TempMas becomes more powerful every year.

That is if the balance remains intact between the big three, which is under a new greater threat then every other threat ever seen, The Sony Mafia, Big Brother Gates, and that one reporter that hates everything relating to video games. It is so bad I do not even know where to begin as to how horrible of an experience it will be... Yet I know it will be just like DayZ, except there are no video games. That is what TempMas is, a grace to prevent the worst everyone can possibly fear, an apocalyptic world without video games, for Sudoku and Monopoly are illegal board games, and that is what will be left.

And good luck to the Moderators having to read all of this.
And happy holidays to the people who reads this.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

I know it says no plagiarism (which I had to look up the spelling for because it is really weird), but how do you feel about parodies of well-known stories? Obviously some of it is going to be another person's work, but the vast majority of it is mine.

 

[xxNathanxx]

stuff

Hahaha nice you should win this week.

 

[Jean Karlo]

I know it says no plagiarism (which I had to look up the spelling for because it is really weird), but how do you feel about parodies of well-known stories? Obviously some of it is going to be another person's work, but the vast majority of it is mine.

A parody is not plagiarism, is a... Parody?

 

[bjorno]

Santa3D story​

It is almost time for christmas, but this year there is a HUGE problem. We are currently in an economic crisis, and even Santa has been affected by this… Last year, Santa had to limit himself to the amount of presents he was able to give, but this year it has become even worse. He won’t be able to purchase all kind of new games and especially the next generation consoles, since those are all so expensive. Santa does not know what to do, however, his assistant elf Dominic has a great plan this year.

Santa: “what shall I do? How can I give everybody presents? Lots of gamers are waiting for their fancy next generation consoles but they are all so expensive! This year they will call me a total noob....”

He was crying out very loud and also very angry with himself because he had to spent lots of money last year. He heard that certain system updates had to be installed into the consoles before it could play any new games, so he had decided to update all consoles before shipping them out to all gamers last year. The sad thing was, that he was updating them all at the same time and the power plant couldn’t handle it. He had to pay all repair costs of thousands of bricked consoles after the failed firmware updates.

Suddenly Santa heard footsteps which were coming closer every second. It was at such a high speed, you could even hear the tremendous heartbeat, and the wind was flowing in into the room.

Dominic:”Santa!!! I—I’ve found it! The solution that will solve all of our problems!”
“Really?! ARE U SERIOUS MY FRIEND?!?!?“ Santa was so happy that he didn’t know what to say about the solution and waited for his assistant to take over.

“Wel... I’ve found an awesome website called GBAtemp. They even got a ShopTemp which is listing all kind of different shops that are selling stuff for gaming consoles. I’ve heard that those shops are making tons of money by selling flash cards”.
“Hmm.. so what are we able to do with this GBA thingy?”

“It’s GBATemp. Well.. I’ve seen that all tempers are waiting for a 3DS flashcard that is able to play all games. There is a 3DS flashcard called Gateway, but it doesn’t seem to support all recent games or online play. With my programming and hacking skills, and your network of contacts we should be able to make lots of money”.
“That’s a GREAT idea! Let’s do this hacking shit!”

So, Santa and Dominic started to make their own 3DS flashcard named Santa3D. They finished the product and managed to do a mass production. It’s time to launch it. Santa went to GBAtemp and added his own shop to the shoptemp list as an “excellent and trusted seller +++”. Thereafter, he opened a new thread and typed the following.
“Ho-ho-ho Tempers! I, Santa has hacked the 3DS and here is the link to Shoptemp to view all details and to buy the 3DS flashcard!”

Santa was expecting a lot of happy reactions but instead it went the other way around.
Temper1:”obviously fake. Gtfo noob, thread reported”.
Temper2:”trollolollol.

Santa didn't know what to say. He was heartbroken, but suddenly, a hero arrived. His GBAtemp forum name was Twinretro.

Twinretro: ”wait guys no, this shit is the real deal!”.
Temper3:”OH MY GAWD!! Itz real!”

All gaming forums were flooded with the breaking news that the 3DS has been finally hacked, money was flushing into Santa’s pocket. His money problem is over now, however, that didn’t last for long until something terrible occurred.

"Dominic!, oh no! I—I just saw a flashcard called Santa 3D ultra oh and the Santa 3DS ultra and the 3DS super ultra” which were all using the Santa firmware".

By the look of Dominic’s face he wasn’t open-eyed at all, instead he started to grin with his mouth.

“Hihihi, I knew that would happen, and that’s why all new coming firmware updates for our flash card, the so-called Santa firmware is ONLY compatible on the ORIGINAL Santa3D. So, go tell the awesome news to our Tempers Santa”.

Santa was very happy to hear that from Dominic and decided to post an awesome message to his Temper friends, so he went to GBAtemp and posted the following message.

"Ho-ho-ho Tempers! Future Santa firmware updates won't be compatible with the Santa3D clones, so be sure to grab the original one! Oh, and one last thing, because it is Tempmas, we will be giving out FREE Santa3D flashcards away to the EVERYBODY who is participating in the Tempmas event! Stay tuned! Merry Tempmas!"

 

[TyBlood13]

If I didn't have other things to this week, I would've written a true classic: How the Guild Saved Tempmas.

Oh well, there's still two more weeks of Tempmas

 

[Domination]

Spoiler

David typed furiously on his keyboard as he fended off trolls from GBAtemp, a deed which he felt extremely proud of, as he always knew that was his calling; he picked the usernmae of "TrollsSlayingWhiteKnight" when he signed up for the site. Fighting trolls was tolling and he was deeply fatigued after hours of his display of chivalry. He had a long day, having to fend of the trolls and to entertain his "social responsibilities" of having dinner with his parents on Christmas eve.

I mean, Christianity is bullshit, why would anyone with IQ higher than 50 celebrate Christmas?

David saw that it was close to midnight, and decided it was time to sleep. David turned off his computer hesitantly and hopped into his bed as gently as possible to avoid waking up his mother who was sleeping upstairs, but the flimsy bed creaked and echoed through the basement under his abnormally excessive body mass. He tucked himself under his Pokemon blanket which had seemingly outgrown his tummy, and turned off the lights.

"Dav.. David... David!"

An overwhelmingly authoritative voice hollered at him. David's eyes were quickly split apart by the shock, and his mouth was split apart as well not long after. He was staring down the face of a lion with a majestic mane and wearing a santa hat.

"Hello David."

David was shocked by the speaking lion and tried his best to hide his shocked expression.

"It's alright, David. It's me, Costello."

David was even more shocked by the revelation that the Lion that could speak was none other than the admin of GBAtemp! To what did he deserve the honour of basking in the glory of the almighty dictator of the best internet forum that has ever existed?

"I am here to express my gratitude to you. GBAtemp is once again safe from the dangerous and demonic trolls thanks to you. You saved us from Communism. For that reason, I would do whatever you want me to do as a Christmas present to you."

David thought for a second and immediately arrived at a reply.

"Make me an admin!"

"Your wish is granted. Hohoho Merry Christmas!"

David was so elated and started shaking in excitement. Shaking faster and faster and harder and harder, until he... woke up?

In truth, David was being shaken by a Narcotics Bureau agent and he was being arrested for being a drug trafficker and drug addict. He had taken a lot of drugs earlier that day, and his parents called the cops on him. Those fucking narcs. (Also: God sent them to punish David for not celebrating Christmas)

David spent his Christmas in jail, and was incarcerated and spent the rest of his life in jail without access to his beloved GBAtemp. He lived his days thinking of the trolls destroying his utopia, and he kept reminding himself of "Costello"'s promise of making him an admin. Also, he was anxious to know whether he won a prize in Tempmas 2013 where he had entered the best story he has ever written. He soon became delirious and lost his mind 3 years later at the young age of 48, and killed himself soon after ().

"Merry Christmas tempers" Were his last words, scribbled haphazardly onto a napkin with his excrement. Ew.

The trolls won, man. They fucking won.

I was actually gonna write something serious then gave up halfway (read: 2 sentences in) and just started bullshitting. Not gonna win but it's cool.

P.S. I don't actually think GBAtemp is the best internet forum that has ever existed.

P.S.S. David is an homage to TrolleyDave. And a parody of pathetic internet losers. Which Dave is.

P.S.S.S. You should just let me win anyways.