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It's that time of year, people are going back to school (if they're YOUNG and GROSS) and the apathy of the summertime becomes but a fond memory. Instead of procrastinating on writing, the youth can now procrastinate on their schoolwork WITH writing while also becoming RICH in collaboration with their fellow Cystians, in the Summer's End Synergy Contest, in a beautiful surprise twist to close out the season.

Naturally, the reward for winning the contest is fortune, glory, and prestige.

However, to spice things up this time around, I've cooked up some bonus incentives in order to increase our numbers.

BONUS INCENTIVES! (No, they don't stack)

1. If there are at least 10 successful contest entries, the top five will receive 50 points, while all other valid participants receive 25 points.

2. If there are at least 15 successful contest entries, the top five will receive 75 points, while all other valid participants receive 50 points.

3. If there are at least 20 successful contest entries, the top five will receive 100 points and guaranteed story commendations, while all other valid participants receive 75 points.

Prompt: A recent event has caused the protagonist to go through a difficult change.

It's a pretty open-ended prompt, there are a lot of directions you could go with it. Just as long as you don't tuck any relevance of the prompt away hidden in one specific page in a sub-branch, you're going to be okay, I promise, just stop freaking out, just calm down.

I should also note that while anything above minimum site standards technically qualifies as a valid entry, any 3.01/8, 2000-word slop will be thoroughly looked down upon by my higher council, and I might just feed your points to @ISentinelPenguinI out of spite. Do yourself a favor, start early!

The deadline will be October 31st at 11:59 PM (PST), just in case the default spookiness of other deadlines isn't enough for you people.

Best of luck!

I'm in. 200.

:^)

As I don't have any points to bet, I will be betting using the rest of Suranna's points. Thanks.

Locked, best of luck!

I'm in

Locked, good luck!

Count me in! :D

Locked, glhf!

I'm in.

Good luck to everyone!

I should also note that while anything above minimum site standards technically qualifies as a valid entry, any 3.01/8, 2000-word slop will be thoroughly looked down upon by my higher council, and I might just feed your points to @ISentinelPenguinI out of spite. Do yourself a favor, start early!

I agree that it wouldn't be fair to the real entrants to cut down on the number of "successful entries" over this. But I'm just making any would be offenders aware that if you knowingly serve up steaming garbage on a platter, I'm coming after you, personally.

The contest host and anyone kind enough to do early reviews should not have to divert their attention from the real efforts to something that's getting yanked down an hour after judging, just take the SHAME you deserve without wasting other people's time please.

mmMMmm... steaming garbage on a platter...

I'm in

Who are you?

Well, good luck lol

New site user. Just joined. how do you submit story to contest? Do you have to send a link or do you just write on top "For xyzed" contest

Both is the norm, just write in your story description that it's for the contest and post a link in this thread when you publish!

Thanks sherbert

Just post the link here, but usually people also note that it's for a specific contest in their description. There's a contest entry tag too if you want to really go all out.

Oh, and it you're writing the story offline and do the procrastinating till the last minute thing everyone likes to do, make sure the game you'll be pasting it all too is still actually created a couple of days in advance. There's a 48 hour delay before a newly created game can be published.

I will definitely not procrastinate. Obviously I won't finish too early, I'll take time. This is the most fun thing I've been involved in in a hot minute

Thanks Mizal, appreciate the help

I’m in. Nothing spookier than a deadline, fr.

Locked.

I suppose ill join too. 

Locked

I dont know what i was thinking, im actually a fool, smh. 

I feel like perhaps more than just you knew this

lol, perhaps time will be the healer to my foolish nature. Im currently reading in moonlit waters, but once im done with that and finished reviewing it (halfway through). I think ill finally head on to reading some of your stories. 

Just pointing out that if you guys get your stories out early, you miiiight catch some comments from Darius and Mystic as they fight for the review contest win .

Locked, good luck have fun

delicious, finally some good fucking poopybarf

Have I ever claimed to be capable of finishing a story?

You have a double digit amount of published games, which makes you in the top 5% of CYS, and I've heard recently that anybody who can complete a story about anything has no excuse to not enter.

A ford story sounds fun. 

they're only good for three pages max before I leave my desk and forget what it was supposed to be about

And it's always impressive how distinctly obvious that is when reading them.

are you joining then mizal?

Apparently.

hmmmm, lol. I expect you to deliver something, please? 

Sign me up

Going for the win this time?

I'm in

Locked. Good luck!

Last contest, I got second to last. This time, I’m going to redeem myself. Count me in.

Locked, good luck!

After some internal debate, I'm in. How could I not contribute my efforts to such a worthy cause?

Locked, best of luck!

Hi I'm quite new here, but I want in. Could I join the contest?

You're in, have fun.

im a newbie too, good luck man

Thank you, good luck to you, too.

I really love this prompt, because I keep looking at it and going, "Okay, time to write a story about ...
...
[BLANK]"

You really have to have something of your own in mind already, and the prompt will fit it, but it's not there to hand your lazy ass any ideas.

I think it's because the prompt is so broad. You can almost write about anything, which is both an advantage and disadvantage lol. 

The Participants (So Far)

 

Suranna

Ford

Yummyfood

Clayfinger

WizzyCat

RKrallonor

granolagoth

mrcrimsonclean

Mizal

Orange

Marte

ItzSugar

MiltonManThing

Fabrikant

bezro

Abgeofriends

Cat2002116

15 entrants so far! Just enough to get the second bonus incentive on the table.

I know I'm late but I would like to join the contest

Already deep in the shit, might as well go big or go home right?

Locked in, good luck!

I've written about 2k words, which is something, but I should probably pick up the pace if I'm gonna get it done in time.

Well...

I had actually written about two-thirds of my first story when the contest was announced. The story kind of fit the theme so I thought I might as well join the contest and post it as my contest entry so it would get more eyes on it when published. The story is actually finished and ready to publish but after consultation with a proofreader here, I got the feeling that it was a bit too short.

Since I still had plenty of time, I thought I might try my hand at a longer story for the contest. I've almost mapped out all the paths I want the story to take. Just need to get around to actually writing it now. Hopefully, I can get it finished before the deadline but even if I can't, I still have the first story as a backup so I will submit something for sure.

So, to answer your question, I have both already finished and not yet started XD

Funny thing is, a lot of people will talk about using this strategy of writing a quick short game first and then setting it aside to try and tackle a more ambitious one. But usually they don't start early enough or run into some other issue with finishing even that one that leaves them flailing at the finish line the same as everyone else. Good job successfully pulling it off, I bet the week before the deadline will feel great without all the panic and regret. (Not that I would know.)

Haha, thanks. I think the best part is that I can make sure the second one is a good quality story without having to rush to get it out before the deadline.

Actually, I was a bit hesitant to ask but is it possible for me to change the story I want to submit for a contest after I've already submitted a story? If yes, then I could post my first story right now as my contest submission. If I happen to finish the second story before the deadline, then I can have that be my entry instead. I wasn't really sure if this was allowed, so I've been sitting tight.

Probably simplest to just enter both stories, Sherbet will end up reading them both anyway if one is published early. Or at least it seems like entering then withdrawing then reentering might make things unnecessarily confusing. But it's Sherbet's contest so it'd be his call.

Yeah multiple entries is fine, as long as they're both good.
Especially considering a big goal with this contest is storygame quantity, I do like the sound of multiple entries. What I don't want to encourage is people submitting short 3/8ish placeholder games to save themselves while the 'real' story may or may not happen.

So yeah, in other words, go for it, but the first submission should still be up to contest standards.

Well, here it is: https://chooseyourstory.com/story/ignis-and-aero

Hope you enjoy :]

damn that has to be the fastest entree submission ever on cys

I always finish fast B)

Wait, that didn't come out right. Fuck!

Hah, you just called yourself out

Honestly? I'm inspired to try two entries as well. Since Clayfinger had most of his first story done before the contest was announced, can I do the same thing with one of my stories I've had sitting around for a couple years? I'm also working on a new one that was started after the contest if that helps.

What I mean is, after I finish the newer story I'm working on, may I use one of my older, pre-contest stories as a second entry as long as they both fit the prompt? 

Not me, sadly I've been super busy, working, and then after working I'm studying. That grocery store job is so shit, I'm sorry I bothered, you were right. I've had many jobs before, but this job is an actual sweatshop job. It's such a time crunch, it's 1 person doing a 3 person job. Undoubtedly my least favourite job so far, the customers need to stop talking to me, they're assholes and im too busy to help, all they do is make me either go home late or feel like shit when I couldn't finish my work and force it on another staff member. Shite job, I'm just gonna give it a few more weeks and then quit I think. Not for me. Impossible workload. Realistically I'd have to not have my 30 minute lunch break to finish or even get close to finishing what they need me to do. Which is what the girl before me was doing lol

 

Today some old ass man with a cane was walking super slow, and blocking up the staff door, so I subtly squeezed passed him and I shit you not he said "what an ignorant piece of shit" Like wtfff, I'm just shocked at the nerve of some people. 

Lol

locked?

He already joined, he was just going on about how he's going to get SHAMED due to his shitty job where he hilariously gets called named by old people.

*one to two days a week

No more three day work weeks! Lol 

You realize the old guy was terrified of you?

I think he just felt like I invaded his space, I didn't even touch him. 

You were there I wasn't. But if you say he was walking very slowly I am thinking he is probably in pain, possibly chronic maybe recent surgery or something. He may have been thinking something like, 'if that guy bumps into me I might fall and that means straight back to hospital' or something. The response you quoted sounded very aggressive and aggression often is a response to fear. (Or he was just a jerk, who knows)

I just like to imagine this is all going on with everyone sounding like a bunch of cockney gangsters and chavs.

I'm surprised you even know about chavs and cockney accents. I do live more up North, so I do meet some people with more 'harsh' accents, like the scousers, one of my dad's ex wives was a scouser, VERY distinctive accent (think paddy the baddy pimblett). Chavs are something else, we call them road men here now  and you can almost always spot them by the way they dress and talk, which once again, Is like another language. They're usually hyper aggressive - also known as lovers of petty crime. 

My grandmother was from a small town in England. (Probably not as small anymore)

Also Briar's a chavette so we're quite familiar with them.

Plus she'd say all of you that live up north are a bunch of poofters and wankers.

Count me in! I already have a started story game that fits this prompt well. So I suppose you can count me in!

 

Locked.

Good luck!

Wavering a bit, but I'm in. Hopefully, I will actually be able to finish something this time!

Oh hello, it's that IS refugee again.

Good luck!

I'm in. I need a bit more of a push to work on my current story.

Locked.

Good luck!

The Participants (So Far)

 

Suranna

Ford

Yummyfood

Clayfinger (DONE)

WizzyCat

RKrallonor

granolagoth

mrcrimsonclean

Mizal

Orange

Marte

ItzSugar

MiltonManThing

Fabrikant

bezro

Abgeofriends

Cat2002116

sitelung

benholman44

Payaso

fresh_out_the_oven

Why do you have to scare us by putting a giant list of our names like that? It makes us feel like if we didn't start, we're being called out by our conscience.

Lol

Then start

good point, thank you

RKRALLONOR

^

you are being called out because we know you ain't done shit yet.

At least he wrote your name right.

Hint: If you hear your conscience, it belongs to you and no one else. If you feel guilty, just write. You got this.

Hello, I am your conscience, please remove these two gay wolves in here with me - they're making it really awkward.

I might start today.

Maybe.

Still tons of time really.

Fuck it. I'm in. Also, I'll bet 225 points I can submit a valid contest entry. I figure that should be enough to motivate me to not slack off like I have in past contests. 

Locked

Ok. 1,500 words in three days. Meeting my goals so far. Now all I have to do is resist the urge to procrastinate for long periods of time after I start off strong like I've done in the last two contests.

1,500 in three days?? That's like one page a day

500 a day, yeah. I know it's small, but I have this issue where I write a bunch in the beginning and then get burnt out and ignore it till the very end of the contest. I think by pacing myself I'll be fine. Besides, 500 words a day is the minimum amount. I'm planning to write more than that.

With a month left and 19 (ALLEGED) participants, surely a brave hero will come forth and push us to 20.

I don't know man, coming up with an event that caused a difficulty might all just be a little too much.

No excuses anymore, twenty one ideas right here for people who are struggling.

1. The protagonist's life is turned upside down when they receive a terminal diagnosis.
2. After a car accident, the protagonist is left to navigate life with a permanent disability.
3. The sudden death of a loved one forces the protagonist to reevaluate their life choices.
4. The protagonist is betrayed by a close friend, leaving them questioning who to trust.
5. The protagonist’s family moves across the country, uprooting their life and relationships.
6. A breakup shatters the protagonist’s sense of self, pushing them into emotional turmoil.
7. The protagonist’s best friend gets married, and they feel left behind.
8. A natural disaster destroys the protagonist’s home, forcing them to rebuild from scratch.
9. The protagonist’s sibling goes missing, and they must deal with the emotional fallout.
10. The protagonist's parents get divorced, forcing them to choose sides.
11. The protagonist loses their sense of identity after a severe injury changes their appearance.
12. The protagonist’s child is diagnosed with a rare illness, and they must navigate the medical world.
13. A lifelong dream is dashed when the protagonist suffers an unexpected physical setback.
14. After witnessing a crime, the protagonist must deal with trauma and fear of retaliation.
15. The protagonist discovers they were adopted, leading them on a journey of self-discovery.
16. The protagonist is abandoned by their partner, leaving them to rebuild their life alone.
17. The protagonist’s romantic partner cheats, and they must confront the end of the relationship.
18. After being diagnosed with a mental health condition, the protagonist struggles to accept it.
19. The protagonist’s life is forever changed after they become the caretaker of a terminally ill parent.
20. A house fire leaves the protagonist without a home or possessions.
21. The protagonist loses their memory after an accident, struggling to reconnect with their past.

Did you think of these yourself?

The first five, I realized the class was almost up and I didn't want to bring it to another class so I told some chatbot to finish the list and I looked it over briefly. Why, is it a bad list?

idk I didnt read it

Do i have to submit an application or is me saying I'll do it enough to qualify entry? I'll do it :]

You're in. Don't fuck this up.

Oh fudgecicles :[

1) isn't that just Breaking Bad

Just write a breaking bad fanfic

Drug empire gets shut down. Gay and De-methed.
Anyway, locked. Good luck!

Wait

No

Shoot

You've been here long enough to know better.

It'll be alright. Looks like you already probably have more written than most of the people who have been in the contest for a month now.

Daily word count!!!

Oct 3: 1331
Oct 4: 954 so far (2285 total)

How can you actually see how much you got?

... and now I can't edit my post.

Anyway, every page tells you the word count, so just add those together. Don't respond to this post (:

Oct 3: 1331
Oct 4: 1799 (3130 total) Yay, I reached and surpassed my total word count goal for today.
Oct 5: Today was the final tennis meet of my high school career. I've been busy, I'm tired. But hey, I won! Also, 567 (3697 total) Also also, I'm past the "oh my gosh I'm so good at this look at me go" stage and to the part where I'm more like "oh my gosh I suck at writing and this is trash". Most of all, I SUCK AT DESCRIBING THE SETTING. In my brain it's just not important. I don't picture it, I don't care. I skip over that kinda stuff when reading half the time (makes reading Tolkien a lot faster for sure). But that's the #1 comment I get on all my writing– all they get is talking heads. I don't know what the classroom looks like. It could be any classroom, it doesn't matter! Why is it so vital?? (Wasted all these words and all this time ranting when I coulda been working on my story)

Not sure if you've read the article yet, but Mystic wrote a very good one that explains the exact situation you just described and how to overcome it. I'll leave the link in case you haven't seen it yet, and I hope it helps some.

As for lack of description in setting, I admit I myself have had that problem, and I prefer stories that have little to no description of a setting to give my imagination more license to visualize the story. I guess you could picture a scene in your head and write a few sentences giving a basic summary? Idk

https://chooseyourstory.com/help/articles/article.aspx?ArticleId=4345

Haven't read that, thank you! 

Word Count
Oct 3: 1331
Oct 4: 1799 (3130 total)
Oct 5: 567 (3697 total)
Oct 6: :P (3697 total)
Oct 7: 1069 (4766 total)
Oct 8: 19 (: (4785 total)
Oct 9: 0 (4785 total)
Oct 10: T-T maybe just 500 a day wouldn't be so bad
Oct 11: 821 (5603 total)
Oct 12: 243 (5846 total)
Oct 13: 154 (6000 total)

A small sketch of my main character I did instead of writing greater than 20 words yesterday!

Just hover over the '?/8' next to 'Play Length' on the title page.

What
I didn't know that

Nice, thank you very much!

Word count so far,

51,345 words

can I make it to 100,000k?

Probably not

 

But I wrote that over the last year or so

 

50k?!? Holy

The Participants (So Far)

Suranna

Ford

Yummyfood

Clayfinger (DONE)

WizzyCat

RKrallonor

granolagoth

mrcrimsonclean

Mizal

Orange

Marte

ItzSugar

MiltonManThing

Fabrikant

bezro

Abgeofriends

Cat2002116

sitelung

benholman44

Payaso

fresh_out_the_oven

Since some people have been asking about how allowed it is to submit stories they were writing before the contest was announced; you are allowed to submit a story that you started before the contest, but the majority of your writing should take place during the contest period.

Granted, the fact that Clayfinger was about 2/3rds done with his story beforehand slipped by my radar at the time (I think I interpreted it as a much lower fraction in a state of exhaustion), but his wasn't especially long, a good portion of the writing happened during the contest, and he's apparently working on submitting a second story in addition to it.

I'd really like not to encourage people to prewrite and sit on storygames waiting for contests to roll around, so yeah- just make sure most of the writing happens between the announcement and the deadline, and all will be well. Cheers.

Ahh, I see. Noted. Sorry, I'm new to writing storygames, let alone participating in contests. Hopefully, I will be able to get my second story done in time. If not, I will publish it after the contest ends anyway. I honestly don't mind being disqualified if I'm unable to publish my second story, though I do dread dropping into the shame pit :(

I don't think yours was an issue, he was just needing to speak up on the subject now that other people were doing it to a more extreme degree.

Hmm, I see. Well for what it's worth, I promise to keep my writing within the contest time for contest storygames going forward.