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Welp, folks, here it is, the first competition of 2023, and it's a fun one!
According to the internet, March 20th is Alien Abduction Day, so what better way to celebrate with a competition built around stories about all things extraterrestrial in origin?
Concept: The Earth is a very small place in a very big universe, and your protagonist is about to find that out. Write an alien abduction story. Is your MC a human taken up to the mothership? Or, perhaps, an alien, visiting our world, who gets in over their head?
Story length: 1500-25k words, single posting.
Rules: Contestants may enter any number of stories they desire into the contest: however, when polling takes place for contest winners, only one story will be considered eligible for inclusion in the voting. Stories must be original pieces written for the contest. While stories can be spinoffs or fanfiction, stories should not otherwise be part of another longer-running series, but able to stand on their own.
Deadline: Stories must be posted between March 1st and March 20th (Alien Abduction Day!) Voting begins March 25th, and ends on March 30th.
Prizes: Prize announcements will be made at a later date.
And that's it! We're looking forward to seeing what people come up with for this one, and if it goes well, we may just have a few more contests planned over the next few months....
Photo 150547115 / Alien Girl © Irina Kharchenko | Dreamstime.com
Comments
This Sounds Great!!!!
I wish I was as talented a writer as Emma Tate. Her Maximum Warp is a masterpiece in this category.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Almost a shame, ain't it?
Though I think Maximum Warp is, perhaps, a bit too long for this particular challenge anyway :)
Melanie E.
Thanks, Jill!
No-one’s been abducted in MaxWarp . . . well not really. Or, not yet . . . Or. Well.
Yeah. It’s getting long, too. :)
The challenge sounds fun, Melanie! Thanks for putting this together!
Emma
Hocus Pocus and Santos
by Laika Pupkino
.
The space aliens, being unfamiliar with the concept of lying, had heard of Congressman Santos' many adventures and decided that he would be the perfect human specimen to add to their collection.
They beamed him on board their flying saucer, and when he realized he was destined to end up in their intergalactic zoo he tried desperately to explain to them that none of the things he'd said were true; but the whole notion of deliberate saying things that you knew weren't true was just too alien for them to comprehend, and he eventually gave up, resigned himself to his fate and started playing Yankee Doodle on his harmonica.
The aliens started screeching in pain + begging for him to stop using his "sonic weapon" on them, because for some reason harmonicas are deadly to these extraterrestrials. Realizing this specimen was every bit as formidable as all his boasts indicated they returned him to his home in New York, apologizing profusely + feeling lucky to have escaped his wrath with their lives.
But when George tried to tell his fellow members of congress about his harrowing alien abduction the next day they all laughed and slapped him on the back, telling him this latest tall tale was his best whopper yet!
"NO, IT REALLY HAPPENED!" he kept insisting, but they all knew better... in The Twilight Zone.
Then he turned into a girl for no apparent reason. THE END
And remember...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifLqzLEB3E0
Nice!
Unfortunately, over a week early. But a lot of fun nevertheless!
(Never change, Laika. Never change.)
*hugs*
Melanie E.
That's an old Yahoo News comment of mine from early January
It's also 99.9% plagiarism,
(Hocus Pocus and Frisby by Rod Serling)
which is why I didn't try to work in a transgender angle,
flesh it out into a story and enter it in the contest for real.
But it really does work as a joke about ol' Georgie...
~hugs, Ronni
And remember...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifLqzLEB3E0
According to your rules
hmmm
So, Laika can submit more than one story? Check!
Stories must be original pieces written for the contest? Check!
"but able to stand on their own"? Check!
Nowhere does it say the story can't have been submitted too early, only that it "must be original pieces written for the contest." As this is part of the contest in that it contains the rules, it must be counted as part of the contest and the story's inclusion herein complies with that rule.
Am I missing something? :D
Hugs,
Diana
The rules clearly state
that stories must be posted between March 1st and March 20th. While one could argue it's always between SOME March 1st and 20th... I think the context makes it clear.
I appreciate your attempts to finagle the rules though :P
Melanie E.
But, it does not specifically preclude
Resubmission of the previously time/date challenged submission, does it?
ps My DM hated me :p :D
Yep
Submitted for our approval!
Love, Andrea Lena
Andy
Devine
Love, Andrea Lena
If John Waters had re-booted The Twilight Zone...
I'm sure he would've re-cast that episode with Divine in the Somerset Frisby role in place of Andy Devine.
Hugs,
Sammy
Picture what is the picture from?
That’s an interesting picture what is it from.
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna
Credits are at the end of the blog.
Joyce found the picture on Dreamstime with a search for "Alien Girl." :)
Melanie E.
Story contest
The story doesn't have to be trans?
Melanie
I didn't specify that, did I?
That's honestly a simple oversight on my part, but after discussion with Joyce we decided to stick by the letter of what I posted.
So, no: stories don't have to intrinsically be trans in nature, though I feel an argument could be made that lacking that particular element could be considered hamstringing oneself given the nature of the site. :)
Melanie E.
Its too bad my muse got abducted
she's now touring the universe, so I doubt I will be able to participate
There will be other opportunities.
I'm aiming for doing a small contest every month, so no worries hon.
*hugs*
Melanie E.
Try: "A Love Letter and Lamentations to My Abducted Muse"
On Planet Fungi, co-existing with our own Earth, some of the Principalities of Fungi have 10 genders.
- And Abductions are by human Mushroom Hunters. "Bring them home before they go in the soup-pot!"
- "Mom-T1 Dad and Dad-T3 and Mom-T4 ... I don't want to spend my life growing out and spreading out as mycelium. I've known since I was 2 weeks old that I want to fruit and spore. Didn't you ever see me trying on my sister's Cap? Or when I'm always trying to grow upwards as a Stem?
=== ===
"Hello, Dorothy's Muse. Myself, and the entire Psychology Department want to extend our deep appreciation to you for your time and willingness to talk to us. But there is simply no place for you in our society. Please come this way, we have a Messenger Pod waiting for you. Your transit time back to Earth should be approximately 27.32767 Earth Standard hours from Vulcan."
Your story has muchroom for development
Oh Alan, please write and enter that spore of an idea!
It reminds me of Issac Asimov's semi-autobiographical story
about an asexual species encountering 2-sexed humans for the 1st time
entitled What is This This Thing Called Love or Playboy and the Slime God
depending on where you read it. Casting humans as the weird aliens could be so much fun!
~hugs, Veronica
And remember...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifLqzLEB3E0
I do so hope
She at least is sending you postcards
"See the attached pictures? And here are the ships off the shoulder of Orion, still burning; so beautiful!
Love, your Muse
ps Wish you were here! xoxoxo"
Jack and the Bean Stock
A long time ago, I'd had a story idea about an interstellar smuggler named Jack, who came across someone on an underground stock market, who was interested in trading in some very "special" beans only available on a banned planet. Jack decides the risk of tracking down the beans was worth the huge reward the buyer was offering, so he goes to the planet, and winds up getting "adopted" by one of the giant natives to that planet. There's more to the story (including a TG element), but that's the start of it. Would being adopted by the alien count as being abducted?
Sure thing!
Go for it!
Melanie E.
Hope you are satisfied
Yeah, you, the one with the smug mug! I wrote the story, now what do I do with it? After 3 rewrites and 2 nights of editing, at least it don't stink... At 6300 words or so, maybe I can hold on to it without losing it for, one sec, HOW MANY DAYS?!? How am I supposed to keep my attention on it for that long? It's hopeless! [flounces, swirls, and swoons] {{THUD}} Ouch! Hey! Who moved the couch?!?
Diana
HAH!
Well, at least if it's ready to go you don't have to worry about rushing it at the last minute, right?
Melanie E.
Brilliant idea for a contest
As it happens (blows dust of old filing cabinet) I have a story filed away that was supposed to be a multi-part epic but it never went past the first part.
It is written very much tongue in cheek so I hope that it brings a smile to the readers. Is it of high enough standard to win? I doubt it but it was fun writing it. All I need to do is add an ending and it should be good to go.
Thank you.
Samantha
I'm looking forward to seeing it!
glad to give you an excuse to air it out :)
Melanie E.
I'm a real fan of SCI-FI
Alas, I've never had any inkling of an idea in that genre. So I'll not participate as an author, though as a reader I look forward to seeing what those conversant in the genre come up with.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Beam me up
Okay, I’ve written a story to suit the brief: just waiting for the start date to come around, now. The theme offers lots of scope for us and I’m hoping to read some great solos.
Have fun, everyone!
B.
Sugar and Spiiice – TG Fiction by Bryony Marsh
First In
It appears I have submitted the first entry for the contest.
Thanks Mel.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)