Fireside Storytelling Contest
I’m in search of myths and legends harking back to the beginnings of Subeta, those half-forgotten stories a grandparent might have whispered in your ear while gently lulling you into sleep. And tales of bravery and adventure too of course - variety is the spice of life after all! Although the spices of Fireside are also quite lovely; I’m quite partial to cinnamon myself. But I digress.
So please, if you have a spare moment or two to gather up an old tale and write it down for me, I’ll be ready to accept submissions in about a week and get started on turning them into a proper collection. Let’s work together so all Subetans can enjoy sharing some new tales from around the globe this Fireside!
How to Enter
Write a short story about a NEW Subeta myth or legend for one of the following categories:
- Celestial beings (Sun/Moon/Stars)
- Water (Ocean/Rivers/Ponds/Rain)
- Natural Disasters (Volcanoes/Hurricanes/Storms)
- Nature (Plants/Animals/Geography)
- Magic (Spells/Charms/Curses)
- Supernatural (Spooky, Unnatural, Unliving)
1. Story should be 600 characters or less
2. Please keep story content to a PG level to help keep entries as reader friendly as possible.
3. Enter once Alexander opens up submissions! (This will be in around a week’s time, and submissions will be open for another week after that.)
4. One entry per person.
5. Users will get to read and vote for their favorites!
Prizes
12 lucky winners will have their entries used in Alexander’s upcoming storybook collection and will receive a complimentary copy of the entire set of books. All participants will receive a storybook themed to their entry category and a special forum title.
All prizes will be attainable after the contest ends, and the winning stories will potentially be used as inspiration for further content in the future - so please don’t submit something you wouldn’t want to be used!
Posted by 
[NPC] Alexander
Hazit
i was struggling for a solid minute earlier because i misremembered the limit as being 60 characters and boy am i glad its actually 600, haha
0
Krynne
I may have a problem... I managed to write a tiny 600 character story (whoot)! However... my tiny story could be used in at least 3 of the topics we can write for. I can't figure out which topic it should be entered under!
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Witchy
oh man. I thought it was WORDS. (600 words) oh man. How in the world am I going to cut this down!! lol
1
StarShadow
As I see it, the challenge isn't creating a story, it's crafting one that makes sense with only 600 letters. ;)
3
StarShadow
I sure hope only letters and punctuation count and not spaces because I'm still about 10 letters over. :(
2
StarShadow
My word processor counts words in a document but not characters. But if spaces count then I'll have to delete at least 1/3 of my story.
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Cliodna
I really love the idea and will definitely take part. I just wish there were more submissions allowed per person, like two at least. I've got competing ideas and I'd love to have a chance to share more than one of them. :D
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Nebet
Thanks for doing this contest. I wrote something up, it was hard though...600 characters goes by so quick.
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Felix-Felicius
november: PERFECT timing for all the ppl who couldn't participate in nanowrimo. good luck everyone :eyes:
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honey_bear
I used to do NaNoWriMo every year, but haven't had the time or energy to do it for the last 3 years or so. I miss it. This will be a great way for me to get my "creative writing" fix! Love this idea and can't wait for submissions to be open :). Good luck, everyone :)
0
demon
@frederick according to my word count that I was using, the buffer only counted for one character, despite being a new break. Regardless, I played it safe and kept mines around 550 characters while still keeping cohesion. I'd err on the side of caution and keep it under 600 characters unless something does awry. I'm assuming we'll get more details once the submission page is up. Maybe they'll code in a counter that will tell you if you've went over the character limit?
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Yuzu
Never mind - I did Maika's story for a warm up and then came up with something better and original to submit. I'm ready!! :D
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demon
@frederick i know, i'm just goofing. i'd assume it'd take spaces as characters or else the finished product would be unreadable. my submission has breaks in it but that didnt affect word count.
I have it like this, just for ease of editting, and that space didn't count. hopefully this is helpful ;v ;
I have it like this, just for ease of editting, and that space didn't count. hopefully this is helpful ;v ;
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demon
@Frankenchokies it IS a paragraph! about 95-100 words. it is actually quite a fun writing challenge, to have something invoke something with such little words, like those two paragraph horror stories. It's a good exercise to be concise with your words, yet still make sense and leave a mark.
9
Frankenchokies
600 characters?! That's... that's like a paragraph. That's nothing. How can you possibly write something compelling and interesting in that tiny allotment? How could you possibly get into it, and enjoy it, and express yourself, with that absolutely insignificant amount allowed? DX
This comment has been 323 characters. More than half gone.
This comment has been 323 characters. More than half gone.
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MrsLuciel
Okay... i will try, im not good on english, but i will do my best for try to done something good :)
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Isilven
Got caught by inspiration and wrote mine already ^.^ Good luck y'all, may the plot bunnies be kind!
2
Evalynn
This sounds so fun! Can we create myths/legends around existing Subeta characters? Provided it still falls within a category listed?
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Yuzu
MAGIC????? MAGICCCCCCC. THIS IS MY GENRE.
*cracks knuckles* Since I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year, this'll be a great opportunity for me to stretch the creative brain muscles.
*cracks knuckles* Since I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year, this'll be a great opportunity for me to stretch the creative brain muscles.
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StarShadow
I'm at work (shhh) so can't read through dozens of comments, but I was just wondering when it says "new" myth does that mean we make up a brand new story/character/whatever or do a story about an already existing one that is new/recent to the site.
5
FCoD
What fun, wish I were feeling more inspired these days so I'd give it a try.
Good luck everyone!
Good luck everyone!
1
Clea2003
Sounds good. So basically a 100 word drabble challenge.
A question - you have 6 categories and there will be 12 winners. So, does that mean two winners from each category, or will there be more in the categories that have more entries? (Say there were 30 entries for Nature, and only 6 for magic as an example) Or will it simply be the 12 most popular overall?
A question - you have 6 categories and there will be 12 winners. So, does that mean two winners from each category, or will there be more in the categories that have more entries? (Say there were 30 entries for Nature, and only 6 for magic as an example) Or will it simply be the 12 most popular overall?
0
Werewolf
Oh, wait. I definitely missed that line. Wow. Okay. Narrowing this down to one idea is hard!
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Meowstic
I will participate, try my best, I will have to work on my spelling and grammar, but it makes me happy to be able to let my imagination run wild on this time of years.
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Sneaky
Wait, does this mean the 2018 Morostide items and those two minions will be given out as prizes for Carnival games? In that case, I guess I should keep saving my tokens...Unless it's something else.
Also, my earlier question about making up your own characters didn't get answered.
Also, my earlier question about making up your own characters didn't get answered.
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Kinky
This is so hard. I did it, kept it under 600 characters and 100 words, but good lords... That was hard to do! I started to really get going, only to have to cut it short XD. If we title the story, do those characters count, or could that just be the name of the book and they don't count? Asking for a friend...
1
Krynne
This sounds awesome! And finally something I can try that does not need to be drawn! My challenge is definitely going to be how short it will have to be... 600 characters is very tiny for sure. I don't know which theme to write for though... they ALL sound interesting and I have ideas for all of them! I may just write up one for each theme then see which one comes out sounding best lol!
Good Luck to everyone entering!!
Good Luck to everyone entering!!
1
Faber
@MarissaUnderground the trick is to summarize but leave enough vague that you just get the gist in an interesting way, look up micro fiction if you need ideas!
3
Johnny_673
Alexander is a blessed soul. I can't wait to to read ALL OF THEM. *can barely type a news comment*
1
Muerte
Bug
@o0SnowyOwl0o
No, you won't need to upload a .docx or any file. There will be a submission form where you can paste your story in plaintext. :)
You may use sCode to bold, italicize, and underline text; however, this will still count towards the character limit. No sCode other than bold, italics, and underline will be allowed. We will make sure to mention this on the submission form as well once submissions open.
No, you won't need to upload a .docx or any file. There will be a submission form where you can paste your story in plaintext. :)
You may use sCode to bold, italicize, and underline text; however, this will still count towards the character limit. No sCode other than bold, italics, and underline will be allowed. We will make sure to mention this on the submission form as well once submissions open.
3
DarkVixen28
So something between mini-fic and incredibly short ficlet depending on the words one uses. Hmmmmm. Mayhap....mayhap.
I'm intrigued.
90% sure my use of fic terms here are outdated....its been a ridiculously long time.
I'm intrigued.
90% sure my use of fic terms here are outdated....its been a ridiculously long time.
3
Dannica
@Lost_Sanctuary
You're welcome to make use of elements from more than one category! However, you will only be able to select one category for submission.
You're welcome to make use of elements from more than one category! However, you will only be able to select one category for submission.
1
Victoria
Man why can I not be a creative person?
So as long as we participate(even if it totally sucks) we will still get a book? Asking for a friend Haha.
So as long as we participate(even if it totally sucks) we will still get a book? Asking for a friend Haha.
5
Immortal
What a cool contest! Hopefully I can contribute something meaningful to it. /crosses fingers
2
Austria
Oh man that says 600 characters, not 600 words. Okay. *rolls up sleeves* I can do it. Good luck everyone!
8
Julie
I’m up for the task. I think I have about 100 words in me. 600 characters worth. Good luck everyone!!!
2
ScoutHiro
Oh too bad my english is not good enough to write something like this >: Translators can catch misspelling but not really bad grammar or things like that..
1
Lost_Sanctuary
Any idea if we can cross over the catagories? Like plants having been created by a celestial body or a spirit sort of thing. (Feel free to use this idea as it's not what I'm going to go with I think xD )
1
frafty
Maybe new lore can be about why the Carnival is still in it's spooky haunted Morostide phase.
6
Marcus
I'm so excited! The short length will be a challenge for me as well, but I'm hoping to tackle it nonetheless.
So, to clarify--submissions will be open on November 14? When will the last day be to submit stories?
So, to clarify--submissions will be open on November 14? When will the last day be to submit stories?
2
Laurey
So yeah, I would guess probably item descriptions or some sort of have the book in your inventory and you can go to read the story on another page. I think they've done that before in the past for like books that were used as plot items or something.
0
Laurey
@Samwise @Abel
It seems like since there are going to be 12 winners, there are going to be 12 books to go along with the winning stories. Each of those 12 people will then receive the complete set of 12 books as a prize.
Everyone who participated will receive 1 of the books hat goes along with which category they wrote their story for.
And then for people who don't participate, or who want multiple copies of the books, they'll be available to buy or earn from somewhere after the contest.
At least that's how I interpreted it. ;~;
It seems like since there are going to be 12 winners, there are going to be 12 books to go along with the winning stories. Each of those 12 people will then receive the complete set of 12 books as a prize.
Everyone who participated will receive 1 of the books hat goes along with which category they wrote their story for.
And then for people who don't participate, or who want multiple copies of the books, they'll be available to buy or earn from somewhere after the contest.
At least that's how I interpreted it. ;~;
1
Diprosopus
omg i didnt realize it said 600 CHARACTERS until i read the comments... that makes things easier for me lmfao
2
Samwise
kind of confused about
Quote:
so, are the winning entries going to end up being item descriptions, for books? Should they be similar to items like these?12 lucky winners will have their entries used in Alexander’s upcoming storybook collection and will receive a complimentary copy of the entire set of books
5
innamoramento
@Lexiana invent your own. and make sure you're ok with staff possibly using it in the future ;)
600 characters.... better have said 100 words, but it's alright. Guess we can't go too deep into details.
Challenge accepted >.< /determined! (if i actually have time to spare from work, lol)
600 characters.... better have said 100 words, but it's alright. Guess we can't go too deep into details.
Challenge accepted >.< /determined! (if i actually have time to spare from work, lol)
2
Laurey
I know 100 words or so is pretty short, but I think it's partly to encourage participation on the voting side of things as well. I would love to see some longer writing competitions in the future, but I probably wouldn't want people to vote by just reading the first few lines without really reading the whole story.
If they're able to gradually increase the length limit for future contests while still keeping voter participation up, then hopefully it works out to do that. :)
I'm looking forward to seeing the stories for this anyway! It would be cool to get some new ideas for mythology and folklore for the site.
If they're able to gradually increase the length limit for future contests while still keeping voter participation up, then hopefully it works out to do that. :)
I'm looking forward to seeing the stories for this anyway! It would be cool to get some new ideas for mythology and folklore for the site.
8
SYLVAN
Oh wow, this is so cool! 600 characters is pretty small though, but I can understand the limit when staff have to read hundreds of entries. Hopefully I can get something together in time. <3
5
Rex_974
So for clarification, are we meant to be writing about EXISTING Subeta lore, or making up new myths?
5
Sneaky
I'm not sure I can think of anything for this specific theme, but I'm sure I'll read what other people come up with
0
wraith
Man 600 characters is super limiting for me, don't know if I'll be able to get anything cohesive done in that short a frame. That's like... 2 Paragraphs at most. Although considering these are for item descriptions I suppose that makes sense.
4
Rah
It's 600 characters - about 100 or so words. We have to start small to see how a writing competition goes. It is a challenge!
18
demon
fuck, I was able to get a sortof cohesive story/legend with 545 characters.
literally good luck everyone x__x
literally good luck everyone x__x
7
surutyo
Definitely going to give it a try, though my gosh, the real challenge will be to keep the story so short ;P
3