Winter 2018 Short Story Contest

[Kannap]

I remember these from a few years ago - just searched the forums and the last edition I could find was Summer 2015, but I thought perhaps I could bring a return of this series. I'll be using this thread to gauge interest in such a return of these contests. I must admit this idea is partly also motivated by seeing the horror short story contest that just recently occurred, as it reminded me to seek out when these ones used to exist.

RULES

• Writing deadline is January 15, 2019 - your entry must be submitted by then and entry posts may not be edited past this date.
• 500 word minimum; 7,500 word maximum.
• Works must be your own (no fanfiction, no characters from published works, etc.)
• The story must be original (not published or previously posted on the internet)
• All forum/site rules apply, of course.

BANNED USERS
Infected Mushroom

JUDGING
For this contest, we'll have three judges. I will be one of the judges and two more will be selected. If you wish to be a judge, you may request so but judges will not be permitted to submit a short story for the contest. People may also request to be judges if we already have three selected in the case that back-up judges are needed to step in and replace a selected judge.

SCORING

Code: Select all

[b]Characters:[/b] /20
[b]Plot:[/b] /20
[b]Setting:[/b] /15
[b]Creativity:[/b] /15
[b]Style[/b]: /20
[b]Grammar and Spelling:[/b] /10

[b]Total:[/b] /100

The scoring will be based on this scoring rubric. The categories, I believe, are sufficiently self-explanatory. Judges are encouraged to explain their reasons for scoring for all categories of the score they give. It is up to judges as to how much or how little commentary they wish to write.

Each entry will receive three scores - one from each judge - and the scores will be averaged out to equal one overall score for the entry.

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

Summer 2015
Winter 2015
Autumn/Fall 2014
Summer 2014
Winter 2013
Summer 2013
Winter 2012
Autumn/Fall/Halloween 2012
Summer 2012
Spring 2012
The Short Story Contest (Winter 2011)

[Kannap]

The Running Man
By: Pan-Asiatic States

---

The Last Battle
By: Pax Nerdvana

---

If in doubt, ramble.
By: Little Tin Hat

[Pan-Asiatic States]

Huh. Interesting. Let's give this contest a try. I presume the greenlight has been given to post?

I wrote something a little abstract a little over a week ago, and I think it'd be good material for this contest.

Nevertheless:

The Running Man
By Pan-Asiatic States

---

On my recent trip from the Moon, two of my pets came with me. My rabbit, Lev; and my most trusted steed, Luisito, whose smooth mane was browner than the fields of Manhattan on a midsummer afternoon. That was the story I was telling Juno that cool autumn evening. It was quite a magnificent exchange of words.

Juno was a mighty princess whose walled bedroom concealed her from the outside world. I liked her smile. Maybe it was her father's marble walls which shined brighter than the moon's glow which made her smile, or perchance it was the feathered headrest she offered me every night; that single consciencsably charitable act which she let me and my compatriots have the pleasure of experiencing every time we came back from one of our little adventures.

That night, she put me to bed once more, and I held my tears in anxious joy- I could not await to wake up again and glance at her face once more! But I was also sad, for I would be without her again, for a very long time.

Of course, every night too, Juno would sing me a lullaby- she knows I'm anxious. A sweet, sweet lullaby that would put me back to sleep every time I felt anxious joy; she played it on her enchanted flute, that emptied every drop of its magic through its shiny tail.

But sometimes, it did not work, and I did not tell her those times. I didn't want her to think her magic did not work. That would make her feel bad too. What if they give her a lullaby too? I would not be able to speak to her, then.

Of course, they, is her father, Oranos. During these nights when the lullaby could not lull me to slumber, the shouting between the two often gave me nightmares. Those nights, I longed for Artemis to shoot her arrow down to Earth for me to grapple back unto the moon; the moon which takes away all wounds, the moon which grants sanctuary to the suffering.

I remember those nights when I longed for the moon. I remembered those nights when the sun was scorching, when it wanted to touch all and grant all cultivation. But I did not want to be cultivated. I told Apollo to stop, but he did not heed me. He fired his arrows again and again and again.

Tonight, the air is different. The moon was hidden beneath the clouds. The shouting in Olympus was roaring. I had never heard such a display of dismay before.

I wanted to fly away. So I ran away from the bedroom of marble, I ran and I ran and I ran. I reached the stables, and I took Luisito. I embraced my sweet Lev. I wanted out. We flew up above on our fiery chariot, and we did not look down. We kept going. I was scared. I was very scared.

The fire had caught on. I didn't think we could make it. It didn't feel like we could. When I looked into the sun, all I could see was the face of Oranos, who kept telling me to drop the reins. No. No. I don't want to. He'll have Juno lull me again, but I'm not sleepy, neither do I want to be. I just want to get back to the moon! My sweet moon...

As we pierced through the atmosphere, I felt myself running out of breath. No, not like this.. Please. I could almost touch the moon with my fingers..

But I was all out of time.

Olympus kept screaming in a high-pitched noise. I fell down to Earth, my body caught by little angels, who placed me on a pedestal of laurels. Oranos proclaimed the time. One-o'Clock. I could feel Juno's soft bare fingertips upon my eyes one last time before I exhausted my final breath. Damn...

I couldn't even make it to the morning.

---

"Is.. is this thing on. Ah, we're live? Okay. Good morning. Disaster struck Harlem today after the local Veteran's Hospital reported a case of murderer-turned-murdered to the police authorities. The perpetrator, Tray Birnamwood, a Purple Heart holder who had led the counteroffensive in Guadalcanal 31 years ago, had allegedly suffered from some advanced strain of psycho-emotional traumatic shell shock. He had been in treatment ever since the victory over the Rising Sun in '46. Last night, the late Wartime Hero had supposedly assaulted one of the hospital's armed guards with a syringe, tried to run for the back entrance, and was eventually caught- and shot by-accident by Dr. June Jefferson, the resident ward-to-ward therapist. As of the moment, Ms. Jefferson claims a case of innocence for being tried for murder, as the city jury struggles to figure out whether the act was completely done with the intent of self-defense.

And, that was your morning news update. Chet, back to you."

[Kannap]

Welcome! Your entry has been added to the list above.

[Pax Nerdvana]

Color me interested. I have a short story I did for an assignment a while ago. I'll use that, as soon as I can find it.

The Last Battle
By Pax Nerdvana

Whoever finds this, I want you to to know what happened during the final battle of the Third Interstellar War. Our ship, the USS Patton, of the Terran Alliance, was hurtling towards Earth. We all knew we wouldn’t be coming back when we answered the Fleet’s call for every ship to rendezvous for a last stand in the Terran system. Upon getting the message, we jumped into hyperspace. We were out near Betelgeuse, so it took us a week to get there. We didn’t know what we would find.
We dropped out of hyperspace, right into the middle of a massive battle. The call to general quarters went out. As soon as the alarm hit, I ran to my station as a gunnery lieutenant on deck seven. There was a bug frigate nearby, hanging in space like some predatory bird. Plasma lit up the area, and nukes detonated with a puff of light as they hit their targets. It was chaos. Orders came down from the bridge to fire on the frigate. I ran my fingers across my console, flipping switches. Following that, I pressed the fire button, sending a pair of nukes on their way. Just at that moment, the ship shuddered.
Our shields had taken a hit from enemy plasma guns and a nuke, and I saw the blood red shielding flicker. The shields would hold out for at least a while, so we were fine for the time being.
A voice crackled over the comm unit,”Missile battery 7a, target six nukes on that frigate. Aim for the engines. We want her disabled, so we can board her.”
I replied, “Wouldn’t it just be easier to eliminate the frigate?”
“Yes, that would be easier, but that’s not what the brass want.”
I shook my head in disgust, and said,”I’ll do it, sir.” My fingers danced across the console, punching the proper buttons, flipping a few switches, and pressing the fire button, sending the nukes on their way. The nukes detonated against the bug ship, causing the glowing blue shields to ripple. Our shields shuddered again, as hot plasma slammed into them. The lights went out for a second.
Just then, another bug frigate appeared, next to the first. The bugs were beginning to notice us. The second frigate unleashed a broadside of missiles at us. The comms were filled with chatter and swearing. I launched six more nukes at the first frigate. My battery only had six left, with no hope of getting refilled.
I targeted them carefully on the first frigate. I carefully inputted the data into the targeting computer. I pushed the “ARM” buttons for each launcher. I flipped the safety switches off. I pressed the “FIRE” button and the six nukes shot out of their tubes into space, riding columns of fire. They impacted on the frigate’s shields, shortly followed by a barrage of plasma. The blue shields fizzled and went dead.
There was a cheer from everyone. We focused our fire on the damaged frigate, pouring plasma and nukes into it. Its reactor went critical. It detonated with the light of a nova. The other frigate intensified its fire on us. Our shields began flickering and shuddering. The lights went out for a second. And all I could do was watch, as my battery had no missiles left.
After one final barrage, our shields flared, flickered, and faded. Plasma blasts and nukes shook the ship. The lights flickered, and began failing.
The captain’s voice came over the intercom, ”All systems are failing. We’re losing power, artificial g, and oxygen. Prepare to abandon ship. Calmly make your way to the nearest escape pod and evacuate.” I stood up out of my seat, and began quickly walking out into the hallway. There was an escape pod nearby, so I headed there.
I wasn’t the first to arrive. There were already six people there, but there were still a few free seats in the pod, so I climbed through the hatchway, and went to a seat. I strapped myself in, and readied for breakaway. One more person came running through, just as the lights failed, followed by the red emergency lights coming on. In the red glow, he dogged the hatch behind him and strapped in.
Someone called out,”Ready for breakaway? If not, we’re still breaking away.” He flipped a switch, and the pod’s engines ignited, breaking us away from our dying ship. We floated there for what seemed like hours, watching the battle from the portholes, watching as our ship’s reactor go critical and detonate with a bright flash.
That’s when I started typing this. Our pod doesn’t have the supplies to last more than another day or two. I want whoever finds this to know that we tried our best, and gave it our all. It’s over -- finished.

Gunnery Lieutenant David Smith, signing off.

[Cupofchar]

You've got your work cut out for you if there are as many entries as in Winter 2011.

I'll have to have a mosey through the entries in it's previous incarnations. From what I glimpsed already I hope Astrolinium gets involved in some way.

I take it that it's one entry per person/nation?

[Kannap]

You've got your work cut out for you if there are as many entries as in Winter 2011.

I'll have to have a mosey through the entries in it's previous incarnations. From what I glimpsed already I hope Astrolinium gets involved in some way.

I take it that it's one entry per person/nation?

Yeah, I'm hoping to get a good turnout this year, and if we do then this can become a common contest again. Though if it doesn't get off the ground, then we can rest assured the concept is really dead.

And yeah, Astrolinium is a really good writer, so it'd be great to see him get involved. Also, looking to acquire two more judges and a few backups in case somebody can't judge come January. So if people are reading this/looking at this thread, you can reply to this to claim a judge's seat.

And, yes, for this edition I'll say one story per user. We'll see in the future about a potential way to permit users to write more than one story via puppets... or not. Nobody knows how things will turn out.

[Pax Nerdvana]

You've got your work cut out for you if there are as many entries as in Winter 2011.

I'll have to have a mosey through the entries in it's previous incarnations. From what I glimpsed already I hope Astrolinium gets involved in some way.

I take it that it's one entry per person/nation?

Yeah, I'm hoping to get a good turnout this year, and if we do then this can become a common contest again. Though if it doesn't get off the ground, then we can rest assured the concept is really dead.

And yeah, Astrolinium is a really good writer, so it'd be great to see him get involved. Also, looking to acquire two more judges and a few backups in case somebody can't judge come January. So if people are reading this/looking at this thread, you can reply to this to claim a judge's seat.

And, yes, for this edition I'll say one story per user. We'll see in the future about a potential way to permit users to write more than one story via puppets... or not. Nobody knows how things will turn out.

Hopefully everything will go well.

[Kannap]

Yeah, I'm hoping to get a good turnout this year, and if we do then this can become a common contest again. Though if it doesn't get off the ground, then we can rest assured the concept is really dead.

And yeah, Astrolinium is a really good writer, so it'd be great to see him get involved. Also, looking to acquire two more judges and a few backups in case somebody can't judge come January. So if people are reading this/looking at this thread, you can reply to this to claim a judge's seat.

And, yes, for this edition I'll say one story per user. We'll see in the future about a potential way to permit users to write more than one story via puppets... or not. Nobody knows how things will turn out.

Hopefully everything will go well.

I've added your entry to the entries section.

[Xmara]

Ooh, I want to enter! I have a story I'm working on, but it might end up being too long.

[Kannap]

Ooh, I want to enter! I have a story I'm working on, but it might end up being too long.

Entries are open until mid January, so if it turns out too long, you can start a new short story for this contest if you wish to enter. A month and a half to submit an entry because I know people can't just churn out short stories overnight.

[Pax Nerdvana]

Hopefully everything will go well.

I've added your entry to the entries section.

Thank you!

[Xmara]

Ooh, I want to enter! I have a story I'm working on, but it might end up being too long.

Entries are open until mid January, so if it turns out too long, you can start a new short story for this contest if you wish to enter. A month and a half to submit an entry because I know people can't just churn out short stories overnight.

Great! Thanks!

[East Fredonia]

(Tagged for future reference, don't have time to submit anything now. I'm definitely interested.)

[Little Tin Hat]

just wanting it near the top - if I see it it'll remind me to start clarifying my thoughts- hopefully i'll get round to it. If not I'll have a read of what's been entered already.

This will hopefully help you to get volunteers to be judges with you.

noticed Astrolinium was an ex nation earler today- only about 3 days though- so might hopefully they might return.

[Kannap]

just wanting it near the top - if I see it it'll remind me to start clarifying my thoughts- hopefully i'll get round to it. If not I'll have a read of what's been entered already.

This will hopefully help you to get volunteers to be judges with you.

noticed Astrolinium was an ex nation earler today- only about 3 days though- so might hopefully they might return.

Hoping this contest gets a lot more interest.

[Major-Tom]

Currently swamped with finals - but I'll be done come Wednesday. After that - I'll have my short story finished for this contest. Good luck to all the contestants, I know there are some solid writers here on NS!

[Pan-Asiatic States]

/bump to get more attention from NS Writers

[Kannap]

/bump to get more attention from NS Writers

Thank you, on that note and seeing the date today:

There is now one (1) month until the deadline for entries.

[Pan-Asiatic States]

/bump to get more attention from NS Writers

Thank you, on that note and seeing the date today:

There is now one (1) month until the deadline for entries.

Biggest oof.

[Sacara]

Is there some sort of theme I'm supposed to write about, or is it just whatever I would like?

[Kannap]

Is there some sort of theme I'm supposed to write about, or is it just whatever I would like?

Whatever you want, as long as it doesn't break forum rules of course.

[Xmara]

Ugh, haven’t had any time to work on my story. Christmas has kept me super busy.

[Infected Mushroom]

Well, it looks like I cannot participate in this one due to some personal issues.

That’s really unfortunate.

[Kannap]

Well, it looks like I cannot participate in this one due to some personal issues.

That’s really unfortunate.

You seem to have no problem posting in this thread, don't stop the fun of entering your submission on account of little ol' me.

EDIT: Better yet, since you seem to like to haul petty drama across multiple forums, consider yourself banned from this thread and any short story contest threads I host in the future.