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Contest October-November 2019 Short Story Contest (Entries closed)

Slann

Scalenex

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The theme for our th seasonal short story contest determined by a select committee of my choosing is"Alternate Settings"

The Rules
-We would like you to try to keep your story between 500 and 2000 words. I am requiring that entries do not exceed 2400 words. This is counting title, poems, quotes, any add-ons. If I get a submission that exceeds 2400 words, I will trim it till it meets the limit, and you may not like what I choose to cut.
-Your name must appear nowhere with the story. There is no point in having an anonymous competition based on skill if we know whose entry is whose.
-You must send your story via private message to Scalenex before midnight (US Central time) on October 31st
-The story must be new. No dragging up a story you wrote months or years ago.
-No plagiarism. This means no stealing a story verbatim. You are free to use characters or settings from other works including other writer's fluff pieces and past short story contest entries.
-The story must involve Lizardmen (or Seraphon or Salamanders or Saurian Ancients), at least a little and given this topic, you have A LOT of leeway on this rule.
-The story must stick roughly within the theme, at least a little.
-No comics or illustrations. This is a short story contest. Visuals are limited to fonts and text colors.
-Only one entry allowed per person.

I will do my best to providing proofreading and general advise to writers who ask for it though real life is full of many challenges for me right now. If you wish me to provide a detailed edit, please try to get your draft to me as muc before the deadline as possible. You are welcome, nay encouraged, to ask anyone else you wish for help or advice.

Once again, the winner of this contest has the honor of choosing the next contest theme if they so choose. This time because I do not want to be saddled with coming up with a last minute topic. If the winner does not give me a topic, I will pass this burden honor on to the runner-up.

If you want to talk about the theme or your eagerness to write or read something. Please do so below!
 
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Bah I think this contest theme is too restrictive!

I mean yes, an alternate setting could involve Lizardmen in an environment they are not often seen like the lands of some other race...

Yes, it could involve Seraphon in a really weird subrealm...

Yes, it could involve invaders or visitors to Lustria who rarely come to Lustria...

Yes, the story could cover the Southlands somehow...

Yes, the contest theme could cover ANY story involving Salamanders or Saurian Ancients given how rare we see fluff for this.

Yes, it could involve the transition from Lizardmen to Seraphon...

Yes, it could involve Lizardmen in 40K or Blood Bowl...

Yes, there could be a story with a tie-in to the Total War video game...

Yes, we have had past stories involving Lizardmen in different genres including noir detective, space operas, samurai epics, pirates stories and yes Scalenex, our handsome moderator, did mark all the alternate setting stuff magenta in the Lustriapedia, so they are easy to find, and yes, it could inspire people to mix Lizardmen with even more genres....

Yes, Scalenex wrote a lengthy thread brainstorming a Wild West Warhammer setting available here....


But apart from all those things there is no possible way to work with this contest's theme. For shame...
 
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Highschool AU with all of the warhammer races it is then :smuggrin:

I'd like to see a college setting. I imagine Dakka House throws some wild frat parties. Though I suppose high school would be more maneagable for a short story because you'd have individuals representing the various warhammer races rather than fraternities and clubs of them.
 
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I have zero submissions as of yet, but I'm not too worried. Usually by this point in the contest I've gotten one or two submissions from early birds, but in every contest the vast majority of entries arive in the last 72 hours before the deadline.

For what it's worth. Early bird submissions are disproportionately likely to win even though I never reveal the order of entries so yeah...
 
Shocker but I finished mine early this month... usually I am one of those "start writing a day or two before the deadline" writers... :joyful:

well-done-sir-well-done-indeed-13537536.png
 
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