Jump to content

Winter Solstice [Writing Contest]

Agro

By Agro
in Creative Writing

Recommended Posts

Agro Newbie

Agro

Posted
Posted

Since Rinne's contest in October didn't garner ANY attention until after it was cancelled, I've decided to give the YCM populace a second chance. Contestants will produce a written work under the following guidelines:[list=1]
[*]Must have themes related to [u]Winter[/u]. You can take this metaphorically or literally, and this does include any of the holidays this time of year stretching from December through January. There is a very broad range to which this can be taken. However, I don't want you to simply say "it takes place in winter" and leave it at that. The fact that it's Winter, in the case that the main connection to winter is the time of year the story takes place, must play a much larger role than simply that.
[*]Unlike Rinne, I will not be forcing you all to write specifically 1,000 words. Instead, you will have a range of [u]2,000 to 3,000 words[/u] to write your piece. Make good use of it. [u](subject to change)[/u]
[*]Must be [u]stand-alone[/u]. It cannot be set in a universe of anything you're writing now.
[*]Remember proper formatting for a forum. Indenting each paragraph will not show once you post so make sure that you [u]hit return twice after you finish a paragraph to space out each of them.[/u]
[/list]
All submissions are due by the end of New Years Eve, [b]December 31, 23:59[/b]. Feel free to revise any bit of your piece after you've posted, as long as it's before this deadline. After the deadline, there will be a voting process where anyone can vote on their favorite piece. The voting process will take between a week or two, depending on the amount of votes received by the end of the first week. Submit your written work directly in this thread (please use spoilers for those of us who like to not see the page too cluttered)

Rinne has kindly offered to stick any one story or RP for one month (redeemable at any time) of the winner of this contest.

Submissions are now being accepted, and you can ask any questions right here. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 51
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Agro Newbie

Agro

Posted
  • Author
Posted

[quote name='Lord English' timestamp='1354525864' post='6084019']
Just a quick question, what if you live in Australia? Winter is in a different time of the year, and plus I'm pretty sure Australia, because of time zones, is a day earlier than the United States of America.
[/quote]Write about Winter anyway. If there's something someone wouldn't normally associate with winter in the Northern hemisphere that you're using as the theme in your piece, then make it known outside the piece when you submit it, preferably before the story so we can see it and understand heading in.

As for figuring out time zone stuff, look at a world clock to figure out what time you need to turn it in by. (if you need to use a city to figure that out, use Chicago)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Agro Newbie

Agro

Posted
  • Author
Posted

[quote name='Rinne' timestamp='1354539451' post='6084056']
Hey, the "exactly 1000 words" contest had worked before. Just... didn't work this year. //sobforeveralone

[b]I know, but I prefer this just cause it seems like it'll give a more in depth story... or something like that.[/b]

I'll try entering this one, and if I don't, I'll still offer up [b]the ability to stick one story of the winner's for a month[/b] as the first place prize.
[/quote]And thanks for that, seriously xD

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Agro Newbie

Agro

Posted
  • Author
Posted

[quote name='Mako109' timestamp='1354558892' post='6084205']
Is it possible to join this, under the condition of "I may or may not get the submission in"?
[/quote]That's fine. You won't actually join the contest until you submit your work, but this isn't a club or anything. Anyone can submit a written work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ListenToLife Newbie

ListenToLife

Posted
Posted

The prize of Stickiness; does it have to be to the winner's work? Or can it be given to a friend. Not sold; I wouldn't do that. But I have no real interest in stickying any of my stuff, cos I rarely have stuff.

Basically: Can I use it as a sort of Gift Card or something; give it to a friend and all that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Agro Newbie

Agro

Posted
  • Author
Posted

[quote name='DaWeirdGuy' timestamp='1354570765' post='6084343']
The prize of Stickiness; does it have to be to the winner's work? Or can it be given to a friend. Not sold; I wouldn't do that. But I have no real interest in stickying any of my stuff, cos I rarely have stuff.

Basically: Can I use it as a sort of Gift Card or something; give it to a friend and all that.
[/quote]I don't have a problem with that, though Rinne would have the final say on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Thar Apprentice

Thar

Posted
Posted

[spoiler=Let this be the first submission]
[center][size=5]A Dish Best Served Cold[/size][/center]
[center]~by Stone Cold Loki[/center]

[center]~[/center]


Winter came almost overnight; faster than those who worked the night shift could get home in the morning. It was a close call, for the ground was layered in several inches of snow within a matter of hours if not minutes, and the roads got slippery to the point where elevated roadways were a lost cause. Plows were summoned almost immediately, mounding the sides of the roads and leaving them as valleys.

While it was hell for the rush hour, the suburbs marveled it. Besides the roads that separated the line of driveways, every square yard – or meter – of the landscape could be compared to an angel’s wing: soft, sparkly, and heaven-like. As if another day of this was non-existent, all the children in every neighborhood ran out with smiles stretched from cheek to cheek, laughing with joy. Most went right to the typical snow-day activities: snowball fights, snow angels, and snowmen.

In one neighborhood, a boy no older than six was dressed in a bulky, navy blue coat that gave him barely enough movability to trot his snowy yard. The bulky fashion was complimented with his snow pants and boots, topped off with a generic cotton hat covering the tops of his ears and wool mittens that was knitted just for him by his mother, whom was watching him from the front porch, drinking a cup of hot cocoa.

“Wanna make a snowman?” she called out, smiling after the boy nodded vigorously in agreement. She set her cup down on the flat, wooden railing and strutted down into the yard, ignoring the fact that her tight jeans were going to get soaked. She was not wearing mittens, but she formed a ball of snow in her bare hands nonetheless, packing it as tightly as she could while the boy tried to make one of his own, struggling to get it to stay together.

“Here, let’s start rolling this one,” the boy’s mother began ever-so-gently rolling the snowball along the ground, making it gradually grow. The boy giggled in delight of seeing the base of the snowman take form and started running away from it, getting more excited by the sound of his mother saying, “It’s gonna crush you. You better get out of the way.”

Soon they finished, using rocks they found on the road as eyes and a short, thick stick as the nose. A semi-jagged mouth was drawn by the boy’s cushioned thumb, which had pieces of wood chips put in for teeth. The end result looked like one of those people dwelling in the alleyways cause they couldn’t afford a place to live.

“Good job,” the mother said, patting the boy’s shoulder, “it looks great.” She went back inside telling the boy that it was time for lunch, and he followed. The snowman sat alone in the front yard overlooking the streets as its body began to glisten, as if it was subjected to magic.

[center]~[/center]

The sun was later skimmed over by a passing cloud, shading the ground below and filtering out the sparkles and glare of the snow. Appearing along the visible end of the neighborhood road, a somewhat run-down pick-up truck cruised along the side of the road, almost touching the edge of the grass in some yards. The speakers’ bass was turned up to max, vibrating the areas it passed, and the passengers were yelling drunkenly.

As they passed the yard with the snowman, they stopped the truck in the middle of the road, getting out on all sides and looking at it with sarcastic, mean looks. The one closest to it looked back and made a fist, receiving nods of agreement as he jutted half his arm through the snowman’s torso.

“Hey snowman! I have your heart!” Everyone laughed at the remark as the guy pulled his arm out, but not all of it. A foot of his arm remained in the snowman’s chest after pulling and grunting to get it out without success.

One guy scoffed, “Dude, you’re weak as an anorexic weasel!” he grabbed the other guy’s arm and heaved, but his arm wouldn’t budge. The rest of the gang backed off with strange looks beaming at the snowman. Its eyes shifted to an angry look while its head tilted to look at the struggling pair. Eyes wide, the guy with his arm stuck stuttered in fright as the snowman grew an arm of snow in place of the stick that was placed, grabbing the arm and ripping it off, making the guy flail in pain as blood spurt out and stained the yard red. The gang scurried back to the truck and sped off, leaving their crippled friend behind to run off screaming.

The snowman eyed the fleeing truck and shifted its abdominal ball into legs, running after them. Very few people were outside on the street, so no one was there to witness the unnatural presence of a living snowman.

It was not far from the neighborhood where the snowman reached a local park where the truck had parked. About an acre of what would’ve been grass surrounded the parking lot and was bordered by a forest bare of leaves from the season. The snowman sunk into the thick blanket of powdery substance and crept along to the edge of the forested area, spotting movement in a tree house perched up on a tree deep within the territory.

The snowman smiled despite its lack of mouth and moved into the woods, reassembling itself behind a tree and forming several snowballs. It caressed them and made them sparkle, throwing one into the wall where it exploded on impact, sending burning splinters flying in all directions. The gang inside screamed in terror and jumped down, almost twisting their ankles and bolting further into the woods. The snowman readied more snowballs and threw them close enough where the blast radius was just inches from their feet, knocking them down in their tracks. It crept close to the gang as they struggled to get up, shooting chunks of snow at their feet and freezing them in place, immobilizing them. To the snowman’s satisfaction, it crept back through the park back to the boy’s yard.

However, it didn’t get far before it heard sirens careening the corner to where it was standing. The gang behind it was screaming for help as the officer got out of the car, “Police! Is anyone there?” he shouted, hearing the gang reply with beckons of being freed. The officer rushed to them, but was cut off by a snowball to the face. The snowman revealed itself and froze up the snowball just after the officer called for back-up, and froze his mouth shut along with his eyes and nostrils, blocking the air from getting into his lungs and making him fall prone to death.

More sirens could be heard from the parking lot across the large quantity of parkland. The gang continued screaming for help, but the snowman threw more snow at their faces and froze their air holes shut. Officers approached with their guns drawn and pointed towards the forest, shouting “Police! Come out with your hands behind your head!” The snowman chuckled and remained stationary sunk into the snowy grounds as the officers entered the forest, “Come out now, while you still have the chance before we rip this place apart!” The intimidating remark didn’t faze the snowman as the imprisoned gang muffled with freezing tears dripping down their frost-bitten cheeks.

“Good god!” one officer gasped as he approached the gang, “who the hell DID this??” The question regarded with both the half-frozen gang and with the half-destroyed tree house along with the burnt debris littering the ground around them. The officer heard scuffling nearby, pointing his gun in its direction, “Police! Stop hiding and show yourself, NOW!”

The snow beneath the officer’s feet rose up and began to engulf him. He shot his gun at it with no effect whatsoever as he stood knee deep in consolidated snow, unable to move. The other officers skimmed the area in search of this unnatural behavior, “SHOW YOURSELF, GOD DAMN IT!” Indeed, the snowman rose up from the ground behind them, removing its arm and shifting it into an axe, ready to swing. The trapped officer pointed in disbelief and horror, making the other officers turn around in time to duck under the massive swing of the axe.

The officers took the snowman’s recovery time to fire at will at its head, knocking off chucks that only molded over to keep its spherical shape. Without warning, the snowman lunged the non-bladed end of the axe up into one officer’s chin, sending him flying back with a backflip before slamming into a tree. The other officer along with the one trapped in snow fired mercilessly, landing the blows that continued to regenerate with the bullets still inside. The officers soon ran out of ammo and reached for another clip, but the snowman appeared to be taking a deep breath before spitting out bullets from its mouth with the same power as the actual gun, knocking them dead.

The gang was now quiet, weak from frozen limbs and faces. Looking at all the dead and dying bodies, the snowman smirked and crept back to where it was originally made in the boy’s front yard. But the blood that stained the yard had already been reported, for it was swarmed with police and investigators. The snowman felt it unnecessary to start another ruckus where the boy would see it, so it snuck around into the backyard, shifted its form back to traditional balls, and stood lifeless.

[center]~[/center]

Meanwhile, the boy was sitting at the meal table, staring at his vegetables with a grimace on his face. His mother was cleaning up when she looked at her son hesitating to finish his lunch.

“You need to eat your vegetables,” she said, gesturing with the wooden spoon that she was wiping clean, “it’s good for you.” The boy shook his head and pushed the plate away, crossing his arm with the same grimace on his face. His mother put the spoon down and sat next to him, giving him a partly stern look, “If you don’t eat your vegetables, you won’t get a piece of pie.” The boy responded with a whiny grunt, making his mother stand up and return to work, “Fine. No pie for you.” She took the plate from the table as the boy wailed his way up to his room, where he looked out his window into the backyard and sobbed. But just as he was about to jump face-first into his pillow, he saw the snowman he made. But it was in the front yard, he thought, how did it get back there?

The boy put his coat on and ran outside to the snowman, curious as an ape-man in a metropolis. The front yard that was being investigated was where it was originally, but how it managed to get back here was beyond his understanding. Regardless, his sniffed and hugged his snowman.

“Mommy’s making me eat vegetables,” the boy snarled, “vegetables are icky. I don’t like them.” The boy sat down on the snowy ground and pouted some more, looking up at the snowman’s face, “Do you like vegetables? If you do, I can bring them out and you can eat them for me,” the snowman said nothing, “okay, I understand. You don’t eat vegetables. You eat snow.” He laid down and looked up at the partly cloudy sky, sighing, “Sometimes I just wanna run away. My parents are very mean.”

The boy closed his eyes and drifted off into a nap. The investigators were now in the house asking the boy’s mother questions about the happenings with no real answers. Hearing this, a finger from one of the gang member’s hands slipped out. It quickly reacted by covering it up with more snow with the boy still asleep next to it, snoring.

The snowman felt a melting sensation inside of it.
[/spoiler]

Can we make separate threads for submissions before they are judged?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Agro Newbie

Agro

Posted
  • Author
Posted

[quote name='Agro' timestamp='1354524983' post='6084015'][list=1]
[*]Unlike Rinne, I will not be forcing you all to write specifically 1,000 words. Instead, you will have a range of [b][u]2,000 to 3,000 words[/u][/b] to write your piece. Make good use of it. [u](subject to change)[/u]
[/list]
[/quote]Thank you for reading.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...