Now this is the Law of CYStia -- as long as literacy stands; And the Noob that types well may prosper, but the Noob that shitposts be banned. As the comments that girdle the branches, the Law judgeth day and night -- For the strength of the Site is the Writing, and the strength of Writing the Site.
Well we've had a lot of newbies pop up here in the last few months as well as returning olbies. Things have been pretty weird out there and so in recognition of that we have welcomed and coddled these refugees from reality. But CYS has never been a soft cuddly place full of hugs and puppies. It's a harsh unforgiving wilderness where the only ways to gain merit and recognition are by clawing your way to the top, ripping out the jugular of anything that stands in your way--
--yeah usually it's just an ordinary sloth, but picture something more intimidating I suppose if that helps.
Uhh, sure.
And occasionally you must even do battle against your fellow CYStians, drag them to the top of the ziggurat and carve out their still beating hearts to please your gods.
This is one of those times.
Unlike normal contests, this one will just be for new writers on the site. That is, for anyone who's joined in 2020, but also for anyone who's been here however many freakin years but doesn't have a published storygame yet because...well you know. That darn SLOTH, it's a menace!
So any entrants don't need to feel intimidated; except for those brief moments you manage to be entertaining, you're all at around the same level, in the same place of being a lesser being. Unknown, unappreciated, and held in vague contempt when your betters even think of you at all. But by simply stepping up (and over the mangled corpses of your fellow noobs) you can change all that.
THEME: Welcome to the Jungle
(Any genre or setting. You will be judged in part on the theme, but it's a pretty broad one with many ways to interpret it.)
DEADLINE: July 5th 11:59PM Central Daylight Time
RESTRICTIONS: Storygames should have an overall word count somewhere between 9k and 40k words.
(You can view this when you go to read it by hovering over the Play Length number with your mouse.)
PRIZE: The usual pointless points and TRIUMPH, GLORY and SMUGNESS. Maybe a few Steam bux depending on how poor I am once July rolls around.
Oh and although this is a contest for newbies, we're still playing by big boy rules and it's a good time to introduce you to them:
Minimum 25 point entry fee to join. (This will be refunded upon successful completion and publishing of a qualifying game, plus a small bonus depending on the amount bet.) If you're brand new, you can literally just create three blank storygames and then read and rate one other person's game to get there. (If you've dueled your 15 free newbie points away, well now is the time to apply hard work and GUMPTION to get some more. But I'll actaually give anyone who enters 5 points if they can simply read this far and message me the original source of that poem on top of this post.)
Once you join, you're locked in. You must produce
something capable of passing minimum site standards before the deadline, or else you shall be tossed into the pit of eternal SHAME to be laughed and jeered at by your fellows who actually managed to follow through.
So when you do submit an intent to enter, edit lock your post immediately afterwards by posting something in reply to it. If you see someone who has forgotten this all important step, go ahead and help them with it. There will be no take backsies here.
Finally, there are a few members who don't
technically qualify to enter, but because of their exceeding specialness, I shall make an exception and allow them in. That would be @Chanbot, @SpartacustheGreat, and @Micropen.
Well anyway, fight well and have...fun.
Update: Discussion of this one got a little scattered. See the
Noob Contest Roll Call and
Newbie Contest Q&A for more. (Particularly the latter thread as it contains Enterpride's entertaining
stalking assessment of contestants and his best guesses at their chances.
