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Come one, come all, for an unofficial storygame contest! Do you want to get your writing noticed? Here's your chance!

This is an unofficial storygame contest for experienced writers and new arrivals to show CYS their skill. Here are the rules:

1. Your storygame must be 5/8 length or under. 

2. Your storygame will be judged on wit, creativity, and powerful and meaningful speech.

3. Your storygame cannot be a quiz. (duh.)

4. Once you are ready to begin writing your story, please PM me. 

5. Once you are done with your story, comment the link below.

6. Your storygame must be completed by August 31, 2015. That's plenty of time.

7. Have fun with this! :)

The winner and runners-up will be announced in a separate thread. Good luck, everyone!

---

BZ Sanctioned Event! (Provided at Least 3 Stories are presented to be Judged by the end of the Contest)

15 XP to 1st Place
10 XP to 2nd Place
5 XP to 3rd Place

Nuh-uh. Won't be joining this since my storygame is extremely long and I begin writing it since 2 months ago. I don't want to waste my time to make another storygame that can disrupt my main project either.

Six days? You sure encouraging short stories is a good idea? The WC lurks....

Six days? Are you kidding me? That's not enough time!

Fine, fine. August 31, 2015.

Also, there are good short stories out there (ever read the New Yorker?). I'm not encouraging sloppiness, I'm encouraging powerful words and phrases. Snow is a good example of the kind of thing I was thinking of... but you're right, a short time limit won't help anyone.

So everybody, the new deadline is August 31, 2015.

That's in, like, a month, bro, that's not long enough.

Well, at least it's longer than 90 minutes :). I'm not asking anyone to write an epic. That would need a deadline of something like August 1, 2016. But these will just be short stories, little tidbits of creativity.

I'm pretty sure you should set it back further to November, that way the writer has lots of time to edit and remake and rewrite all he wishes.

Hmm... okay, good point. I don't know if I will be able to review them as easily during the school year (homework and stuff) so I'll go ahead and make the deadline the end of August. Sound better?

Yes, much better. I really WOULD like to participate, but the story I might be entering might take a long time, considering Mardox isn't finished with his part yet...

Sorry, but my answer is still a no. Not my kind of contest that I will join.

Will there be prizes?

Well, unless an admin notices this and decides to give the winners points, no. It's just for fun. 

Instant duel winnings.

...good idea, but is that allowed? Also, it would drain my someone else's points. 

Ask BZ. @BerkaZerka

I PM'ed him. Hopefully he accepts!

Anyway, I was thinking 10 points for the winner, 5 for whoever's in 2nd, and 3 for 3rd.

It's not allowed; it's considered cheating.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

BerkaZerka accepted my request, and will be giving out prizes to winners if this gets big enough.

C'mon, people, let's make it big and get some delicious XP!

nope. not allowed.

Already said that, breh.

Okay, everyone, I promise this is the last time I'm changing the deadline.

Here it is:

AUGUST 31, 2015!

I won't make it any longer or shorter than that.

Still a no. I've done 330 pages and it's still like 1-5% to completion.

(Does Kirby die? Kirby must not die!)

(Kirby dies, whoever he is! )

(*sobs* KIRBY NO!)

Kirby's name changed to Mitchell. He won't die since he acts as one of the playable characters in Chapter 3: Operation  Dragonslayer. He wears his face mask all the time when in combat.

Why Mitchell? Kirby is better! Come ON, a little pink bubble guy that can swallow stuff and turn into them? KIRBY!

I think Mitchell sounds cooler and better for his role. He is one of the few characters that actually an anime fan.... even though he seems to be not the kind of person that likes that.

 Okay.

Don't worry, he is guaranteed to be one of the best characters in there for a masked guy in combat. The military in the storygame is a little bit fictional and sci-fi. But mostly resemble nowadays weaponry and soldiers.

That's okay. Good luck writing your story- sounds like an impressive feat! 

Good luck with the contest too! 

If you're going to push it off that long you might as well give an extra month so that people could submit something to IFComp as well. CYS could use all the 'good' traffic it can get (plus there's prizes so there's more of an incentive).

Expand the deadline, and I'll join.

EDIT: Well, shit, never mind. I guess I'll join if I have over a month to write.

Over a month?  Is that Common Core math?  By my rough calculations, it's just over two weeks unless I missed a deadline somewhere...

New deadline is August 31st.

Yep.  I didn't have a chance to change it before you edit blocked me.  Haha!

I'd love to do this, but ... there's just no way. I can't write short stories.

It's okay, Kiel. We still like you. 

Sounds like fun! I'd join if my storygame wasn't so long and drawn out. It's taken me months just to gather information for it and flesh out the world and characters. But all the best to everyone entering the contest! Have fun! :)

Yeah what the hell. I'm in - are there any themes required? 

Nope! It just has to be 5/8 length or under.

Shouldn't be too hard. Heads up that I'm scum and might not find the motivation to actually complete a decent entry. Still, I'm gonna try :)

 

I'm only slightly worried about having Dispiteous 2: The Extra-Gory-and-Incesty Sequel. Good luck!

Also, even though I know you're competing, could you PM me so I can keep track of everyone in my messages? 

Have fun!

"Dispiteous 2: The Extra Gory and Incesty Sequel"

If Insanebutvain writes something like this and does a really good job, she'll be on the path to gain my trophy.

The 18+ bit got me tempted, but now it's sold.

Gonna read her(?) story now.

 

*basks in glory* Your wish is my command, O almighty leader of CYS. 

*puts on EndMaster costume*

Try to eat a Boeing 747 over the course of six months!

I will not conform to the pathetic commands of scum such as yourself. 

Now that wasn't very nice :(

Damn it, she could tell the difference. My costume of a black sheet and hoodie must not have been good enough.

Yeah I guess she isn't blind and knows the difference between a god and a peasant. 

Well, my priest told me I should be open to new stuff before my mommy changed us churches, so what the hell, I'll think about this.

Ain't like watching True Blood is all that more productive.

I'm in

Short stories with good writing (or at least not so bad as to encourage someone to lynch me) sounds like something I could do.

It's great you're encouraging authors with competitions like this

Indeed, it'd be awesome to see some new stories out there from the people who've entered thus far and our community can always use a little motivational boost, I think.

I am no longer in. This would have given me the motivation to write and publish a story, but I bitched out.

Fuckin' hell, fam.

Okies.

I am in. Not sure about the length restriction though.

Hey, quizzes can be legitimate stories, you dolt! (See my game for a poor example. See Will's JTR game for a good example.)

For the record, I liked A Quiz I Made for the Blatant Hell of it All, but I preferred Randomly Walk 2: The Epic Sequel. :)

PM me if you are officially going to join!

You have enough Participants to make this a BZ Sanctioned Event! (Provided at Least 3 Stories are presented to be Judged by the end of the Contest)

15 XP to 1st Place
10 XP to 2nd Place
5 XP to 3rd Place

Yay! Thanks, BZ!

Here are the people who have PM-ed me and are thus officially in the contest:

insanebutvain

Rosetail

Will11

Bluefur 

TheNewIAP

Negative

Malkalack

Ogre11

 

New contestants: Negative and Malkalack!

Well, I'm creating something bizarre.

you're making a bazzare? I'd like to have a reserved spot for the strawberry pudding stand!

I'll make the berries stand- "Barry's Berries," I'll call it. 

My name isn't Barry but I couldn't care less. It rhymes. Deal with it.

'Dignitaries Berries' ryhmes too.

This is now an officially sancioned BZ event! To quote BZ:

You have enough Participants to make this a BZ Sanctioned Event! (Provided at Least 3 Stories are presented to be Judged by the end of the Contest)

15 XP to 1st Place
10 XP to 2nd Place
5 XP to 3rd Place

Eh...

I might go on to join.

Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!

Still got some judge positions open?

@GMB13carat

Might join....I NEED INSPIRATION FIRST!

You can do it!

*sigh* I got nothing.

Here you go:

A psychiatrist and an intellectual gold digger combine forces to go on a bender.

A ninja and a happy-go-lucky heavy combine forces to go on the rampage. The circumstances are made difficult by an arrest.

An heroic political activist has 24 hours to prove their theory. The story is extended by a car crash.

A disorganised nun and a heavy form an alliance - after their father dies unexpectedly - to lose a fortune. The situation is concluded by the arrival of the cavalry.

I'm interested, but the length requirement does make it difficult, especially since you don't get a reported length until after you actually publish your story...

That would be one of the reasons I'm not participating--in connection with the fact that every story I make seems to grow like fungus on super steroids. (The other being that I refuse to work on anything else until TOW is done.) 

I'd hate for the first entry I actually completed to be disqualified on a technicality.

Disclaimer:  The author of this post is in no way committing himself to the completion of mentioned and still theoretical storygame referenced in this post in no way, shape or form.

So... you're in?

I've already got several pages of brainstorming done.  Now, I have to figure out a way of putting it together into a more coherent form.  Then, all that's left is ... second guessing myself and chickening out at the last minute.

I believe I might join. I'm not sure what kind of story I would make, but hopefully I will be able to make something good! It is my first storygame after all.

Uh ... unless you have a decent amount of experience writing, and perhaps a little experience writing on a deadline, I'm not sure that's a wise idea for your first game here. I'd recommend familiarizing yourself with the editor--particularly the advanced editor--before attempting to join a contest. Not to discourage you, just friendly advice.

Good point. I do have some experience with writing; I'm writing a book at the moment, and I've programmed games before. They're kind of different though. I think I'll write a game, and if it works with the contest, I'll join. Thanks for the advice! ^_^ I definitely appreciate it.

That's cool. I've tried writing an actual book more than once, but I just ... haven't managed yet. Maybe some day. (Again, not questioning your capabilities--I just personally value making a good first impression and it does seem to matter here.) Sounds like a solid plan. Good luck with your story, especially if you do enter the contest. :D I will say, it'd be pretty neat to see a new member win one. 
 

Thanks, and yeah, I would love to be able to win one of these things. 

I always thought writing for a deadline is better for a first-time writer since it both encourages him to make something decent and also encourages him to finish since it's in a group atmosphere.

Er ... while your logic might work very well for a procrastinator who needs the motivation of a group activity to produce quality ... have you been reading the new games here? Nearly every bad writer who's come here has rushed through making their games. No proof-reading, no fleshed-out pages, hardly any branching paths, exc.

I am trying to discourage people from rushing until they have a good grasp on what they're doing. I realize your first game was a contest game and it was excellent, but it seems pretty clear that you are an exception, (albeit a notable one) not the rule.

The new games here aren't being made for a contest haha. The writers don't worry about their quality because they aren't ranking it up against anything. Completely different than writing for a contest, where you have a month and a half (already more time to be worked on than most games here) to make sure you make something readable.

Granted, but I've also seen people half-ass contest entries, too, in desperation to put something out there, when taking their time would've produced a better game and made a better impression on people. Again, if you need that kind of motivation and it would help you instead of hinder you, that's great, but the biggest mistake I've seen people make with any form of art is rushing it.

So hey -- who are the judges? How are the entries going to be submitted? Are they all going to be published on Aug 31?

Ugh...too much stuff. I could judge instead of entering, although that kind of won't be fun.

You aren't exactly qualified.

That too.

Unless someone PM's me and sends qualifications, I'm the only judge so far. Entries can be published at any time before or on Aug 31.

Can we have help/co-authors? Are we allowed to have others test or preview the stories?

Is this contest still actually happening?

For the first one... eh.. hrmm... previewing is allowed, but I feel co-authoring gives a bit of an unfair advantage.

And yes, this contest is still happening. People are working on stories already.

Just bumping this one up ... still going on, I presume?

I'm almost done with my entry, but I suppose I shall wait until Aug 30 or so to publish it so it can compete properly with the other entries.

Any updates on the competition (who is writing a story for this contest)?

You're almost done already?

I need to get to work on page three! Now!

I'm such a slacker...

Well it did say "short" story. :)

I'm bitching out. Considering that school just started, I'm not going to be able to put much effort into my stories because I'm gone from nine to four. Also because Dragon Age: Origins is killing my productivity.

Ha, school here starts August 24th.

June 1st, motherfuckers!

It starts June 1st? How?

...Why the fuck did I write that? o_e

September 8th.

Am I going insane?

Yes, another competitor out (I'm going for the win by default here)!

Still going, right?

Hey, does someone have to specify a story specifically to be included in this contest? Or will every story published in August automatically be entered?

Can authors have more than one entry?

I am also intrigued about this, do we have to publish on 31 August or will any user with the numbers 11 included in his name count as automatic winners?

That certainly sounds fair.

Please PM me once your story has been published so I know what's what, and label it if you could. :)

Also, authors can only have one entry, since multiple entries would grant a higher chance of winning. :\

Oh shit, totally forgot about this. I guess I'll see how fast I can complete my story...

Entry.

Funny stuff!

Thanks! That was the goal of the contest, right? :)

Congrats on getting something done. :D (*too focused on writing to do a full review atm, but later...*)

On my second thought, I just get an idea to make a storygame based on school, where the player plays as a troubled schoolgirl. And yes, it is far shorter than Frontlines. Not sure if I can finish it until the deadline ends though.

Yup... almost all of my storygames have females as main characters.

One week to go!

It focus on having problems and sh*tty days at school, with a few fights and a scene involving possible lethal conflict. At the end, the MC can get either a relationship with a boy (straight) or girl (lesbian) as the ending.

Let's see if I can finish it up in less than a week.

Go, team, go!

First, let me kick homeworks and exams out of the way. When I'm sure that I'm free of them, I'll do the storygame. It may be late for me to join, but I'll try my best! Thanks, Ogre11! 

Good luck.

When I made the deadline August 31, I probably should've considered other people's back-to-school dates as well... but it looks like everyone's fine, for the most part.

I've only done two pages for the storygame, and total words are about 800 words long currently. I see that many contestants chicken out from the contest due to school, leaving me, Ogre11, and maybe a few others to stand out.

There are no limits on word count, right?

It just has to be under 5/8 length.

>_< .... Screw it then. I'm not joining since it probably ends up in 6/8 in length.

You never know how long a storylength is going to be. Go ahead and get that thing done and published, then you'll see how long it is!

Around 1.700 words have been done, and it's just five pages and still in the introduction. Definitely gonna be far longer than yours, and receive a 6/8 in length or above.

Edit, edit, edit!

Or, if you want that story to be a long one, find a way to write up a shorter version, or a semi-chapter or something. Maybe a prequel to the story!

Cannot comply! I can't stand making it to be even shorter. Even should I be forced to quit from the contest, I'll try to make it to be as good as possible.

Yes, make it good!

Now write a short-story prequel for it for the contest!

Can't do that since I ain't done yet. Plus, it'll lose most of the interesting elements if it's too short.

... I could probably finish "Wine or Cheese?" in 5 days if I really, really tried... But that's a stretch. XD

Finally... Delta-senpai cares about storygame contest! Or maybe not...

Sounds like you're whining... Ah Ha!

So, uh, hmmm....

2 days left.

Anyone else? Anyone at all?

Alright, I think it's time to drop the ball. I'm may get past page two, but there's no way I can complete the story.

I'm such a slacker...

We don't have anyone left? What about Will?
..there's gotta be somebody...

Will's entry got wiped out with the new site guide lines.

Maybe he has a back-up plan?..

..he's gonna need a back-up plan. Also, that sucks pretty badly.
Has everyone else bitched out of this?

I chicken out since my entry is too long.

Chris chickened out.

Negative chickened out.

I dunno about Malkalack.

So I guess I can claim to be the winner... first place out of one! This is the second contest that I've won... by being the only entrant...

Well, Bob, it sure beats a sharp stick in the eye!

Seems like Berka can keep the points..

Ogre automatically wins since the others quit, including me. But the reason I chickened out is because I found out writing really short stories is not my thing. Others are busy with school too.

My WC parody story wasn't going to win against Ogre's anyway and I had a sneaking suspicion that this competition would generate a winner by default. All the things I'm working on at the moment are large-scale projects but I definitely think even with opposition Ogre would have won this competition anyway (unless Seth wrote Snow II or something :) )

Thanks for the kind words, Will!

Well, I suppose (If I read this correctly) Ogre wins. and Maybe Will gets 2nd Place?

Do we have a 3rd partial story at least?

Even if we don't, I think Ogre deserves points for actually completing a story.

Raven has something, it's just too long.

Yeah, and I found out that writing short stories isn't my thing. That's why the length will be above 5/8. It's "Keira's Saga".

Well I haven't written or submitted anything but I am quite happy to get a second place prize, ideally an award or cash payment of some kind :D I have my acceptance speech written and divided into chapters and look forward to taking my non-existent story on tour :D Haha, no I wasn't able to come up with something in time but I agree Ogre11 definitely deserves some points for his story.

Congrats Ogre!  ^v^

Thanks so much! I didn't really expect points since no one else entered, but I'll sure take them.

Now, on to plotting how to get the fancy Contest Winners Trophy... ;)

And I'd like to thank the academy and all the little people out there that I had to trample on my way to the top. And let's not forget to thank Rita, the star of the show who went above and beyond to ensure the success of the story, of you know what I mean.

Rita: I do not. What do you mean?

Bob: Anyway, back to the acceptance speech, Ogre.

Oh, right. Thank you all who supported me through my trying times while writing the story. And I also want to thank the staff at the Betty Ford clinic who helped me when I had struggles during the writing of the story. Without them, I don't think the story would have been completed.

I also want to thank our sponsors, RonCo. Please, folks, if you need a new vegetable knife, go get a RonCo!

I don't think anyone's ever gonna get the contest trophy. Need a successful contest haha.

I wonder if we make a contest so easy that people enter it without knowing they enter it, if that will work:

The "ALL" contest. To enter, you just have to publish a story, any story, in any category, any length. In fact, any story actually published between the contest start date and end date will automatically be entered in the contest. Then we will roll some dice to determine the winner of the contest...

Even then, I don't think so.

Unless 3j can, none of the admins has the ability to award the contest trophy.

Ah, good to know. I thought any trophy owner could issue trophies. I guess they (you) can only give out your OWN trophy!

Now, on to the next contest!

Contest trophy requires a bigger win than this. Needs to have a much larger number of competitive entrants.

Still, congratulations!

I thought as much, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try!

Now where's that next contest? :)