[Prose] Where in the World? [Contest] OVER

[Stelle Cadenti]

RESULTS POSTED

 

[Stelle Cadenti]

Welcome, to Where in the World Prose Contest.

There are only two stops left on this subway ride, it's getting late and you need to get off. The closest stop is the one that you know will bring you closest to home, it's familiar territory. The train is approaching its destination, you can see the light of the stop up ahead. To get off of the train all you have to do is leave, don't read on. The train screeches to a stop.

You can get off now.

The tunnel ahead is dark, more so than usual. The light offered by the subway station practically invites you off of the train. You've never been to the next station though, it's always been one stop farther than you've needed to go. The darkness looms, thick shadows cling to the graffiti covered walls. Curiosity grabs you.

You can keep going.

Leave

Or

Stay

The choice is yours, really.

 

[Stelle Cadenti]

So you decided to stay on the train, did you?

For this prose contest you will be expected to write an original short story following certain guidelines, you will be expected to write something to the best of your ability, though I won't mind it it ends up a bit smudged from the subway ride.

.Rules.

.follow the Gaia ToS, I would expect that you wouldn't need reminding about that anyway.
.Your entry must be an original piece of work, plagiarism is a serious offence.
.Entries must be a minimum of 1000 words.
.Be respectful to all participants, commenting is fine, but no flaming or the like.
.One entry per person.
.You must use the prompt provided.
.This contest will end once a certain number of entries has been met, the number is to be decided until the amount of interest has been properly determined. Edit: Deadline is February 5th.
.Send me a pm when you post your entry here so I know to check.

It looks like you're the only one left in the train car.

 

[Stelle Cadenti]

Have you ever noticed how loud the squeals of the train seem when you're alone?

Now to get down to business. Your piece can be any style, can be about anything, anyone, anytime, but not anyplace. The setting of your story will be dictated by myself, I will list some very detailed, very specific places that your story will have to take place in. It doesn't have to be fully set in the prompt setting, but it must be a major place for the story. You will choose only one from the list below. There aren't many, so choose carefully.

.Prompts.

.1.
At the side of a road there is gravelly dirt that has seeped onto the road itself, dust clouds rise whenever a car passes. The dark night sky gives little away as to what is in the distance, a scrubby copse of trees can be seen just beyond the gravel. The road has only two lanes, no buildings can be seen along its length. The lack of tall trees or other hindrances alows for a panoramic view of the star speckled sky, not even a telephone wire can be seen. The road is unkempt, in obvious disrepair. It goes down in a dip right by the gravelly area, going up in a slight incline into the distance.

.2.
Heavy curtains are closed over the windows at the far wall of the room, they're a deep burgundy colour. An antique sofa in the same colour sits against the left wall adjacent to the window. Rich pillows are strewn over it in a haphazard manner. The floor is a dark wood, covered in the center of the room by a lighter, cream coloured carpet. The only other furniture in the room is a wide bookcase set against the wall opposite the sofa, and two small end tables on either side of the sofa.

.3.
There a mountains just barely visible on the horizon, haze and twilight obscure them. The ground around is flat, a plateau. Scrubby plants cling to the wind-whipped land. Dust rises constantly, giving the air a brownish cast, the fine powder clings to everything. The last rays of the sun colour the sky in pastel shades. On the other side of the expansive horizon a mountain looms, the coloured sky is blocked from view. The plateau ends steeply on either side, a cliff and a mountain. Stray rocks are scattered about, varying in size from pebbles to boulders.

.4.
Structural beams break the window wall into sections, each showing scenes of the thriving city below. Nearly two storeys tall, the room is stark and minimalist. There are more beams like those supporting the one window wall running across the ceiling. The other three walls are painted white, they are nearly bare except for the one to the left of the window, a large archway seperates the room from a kitchen. An oversized mahogany table sits in the center of the room, eight chairs sit around it. Three flank each side, one at either end. They are antique looking chairs, contrasting the modern look of the room, carved of a light wood. Turquoise upholstery on the seats is the only bit of bright colour. A large mirror hangs on the wall apposite the archway.

.Note of Importance.
You must describe these places in your own words in your stories, many points will be deducted if you just copy and paste my descriptions into your entries. Use these places creatively, because if there ends up being a decent number of entries these places will be used repeatedly. It's your job to make your story stand out.

The sound leaves a ringing in your ears.

 

[Stelle Cadenti]

The train takes and turn and seems to be going deeper.

.Judging.

The judging for this contest will be done by myself and the other mods, we will follow this set of criteria:

Quote:

Prompt: _/10 (If the prompt is there or not, easy points, really.)
Title: _/5 (I do judge books by their covers. A good title helps the story.)
Grammar/Spelling: _/10 (Self-explanatory.)
Characters: _/10 (The characterization, the believability.)
Setting: _/10 (How you describe it, how you are able to transport the reader.)
Plot: _/20 (How it flows, how it works for the story.)
Style: _/10 (How your writing is other than just grammar and spelling.)
Integration of Prompt: _/15 (This is where originality comes into play into how you use the setting prompt.)
Interest: _/10 (How intriguing your story is.)

_/100

.Prizes.

First place: 50k
Second place: 20k
Third place: 5k

Honourable mention x2: 2k

The gloom outside the windows isn't able to get any darker though.

 

[Stelle Cadenti]

.Entries.

Post your entries in the thread with a title and word count.

Kelethor - Fools, All of Us
fallenangel_Asha - My Last Train Ride
Evermore Reality - A Silent Sense of Awe
Jedit Ojanen of Efrava - The City of the Lost
Alanora Calaran - Otherworld Effects

 

[Stelle Cadenti]

.First Place.
Evermore Reality - A Silent Sens of Awe

.Second Place.
Alanora Calaran - Otherworld Effects

.Third Place.
Kelethor - Fools, All of Us



.Honorable Mentions.
fallenangel_Asha - My Last Train Ride
Jedit Ojanen of Efrava - City of the Lost

 

[Stelle Cadenti]

Reserved

 

[crimson_kanji]

What is the deadline for this contest? And what is the maximum word count? Any more restrictions?
(I like this, by the way! Clever intro... XD)  

[Stelle Cadenti]

I'm going to decide on the deadline once it's all set up and I have the poetry contest running as well. It will most likely be sometime in August, or manybe later because I won't be able to be online in August...

There is no maximum word count, I don't believe in them. And nope, there are no other restrictions. 3nodding  

[IvyStarling]

I think I'd be interested in this ^^  

[Emmerah]

well, I'm interested. And I think I've got an idea!!!!!!!!! is there a deadline yet?  

[Rachetgirl11]

I've got two ideas, one for each setting. Can I submit both?  

[Stelle Cadenti]

Ooh, crud. I kind of forgot I had this all up already. Prime example of bad planning. This isn't open yet, it will be soon, hopefully very. I still need to add many more locations and do the rules and make this thread nice and functionable for a contest.

@Rachet, I only allow one entry per person in my contests, sorry. But that way you can spend more time on the one and make it marvelous.  

[Stelle Cadenti]

This contest is officially OPEN!