Winter Holiday Fan Fiction Contest -- WINNERS!

Here it is, get your keyboards ready!

The Winter Holiday Story must be at least 3 posts long (it can be longer) and must be concluded by midnight of December 31st, board time. Vignettes are not eligible (to make it more of a challenge).

The entry should begin with this sentence: "The candle in the window could be seen in the distance, a beacon of warmth and welcome to the weary travelers."

And the all of the following THEMES must be incorporated:

1. candles
2. holiday
3. reunion
4. gifts
5. light

Entries must have a LINK posted here in this thread. Scoring will be on a scale of 1-10 in the following categories:

Technical (grammar, etc.)
Originality
Comprehensibility
Adherence to themes (are all incorporated?)
Characterization/adherence to GFFA (does it feel like Star Wars?)

Scoring perfect in all categories would give you 50 points. The judges include myself, Darth Ishtar, and _Derisa_Ollamhin.

On your marks, get set, GO!

(And yes, stories from all eras are eligible.)

 

Hmmm... I'll keep this one in mind.

 

Ooh! I have an idea for this!

One question though... can I alter the first sentence slightly to have only one traveler?

 

I have a question, too. What do you mean by "originality." That's one of those tricky words. Like "imgainative."

Oh, and do we send a link when we have the first post up or after all three are up?

~Inyri

 

Having a set sentance like that to three sets the story direction in stone, pretty much. There has to be three characters?

 

Hi, all.

1) Yes, you can alter the sentence to include only one traveler. But no other alterations.

2) Originality is originality. I can't be specific. I mean, you know it when you see it.

3) You can post the link when the first post is up. You have until the 31st to complete the story. We just want people to stretch beyond vignettes, though those are very popular, and fun to read (I mean, I enjoy them!)

4) 3 posts, not three characters. You can have as many characters as you want.

The sentence doesn't necessarily set the story in stone; the "originality" bit comes from what people do with it. Will it be dark? Will it be dramatic? Will it be mush? Will it be humor? It all depends on you...

Good luck, all!

 

Thanks... that means I don't have to come up with a lame way to give the main character a companion.

 

Ooh! This is going to be a fun one.

Do there have to be canon characters? Or will the presence of a Jedi constitute enough Star-Wars-y-ness?

 

Ooh, I can see a Christmas-y fic taking shape in my dusty, cobwebbed mind...

With one of my favorite Original Characters, no less. Oh, this'll be so much fun. Now I just have to think about what to call my winter holiday... "A long time ago" pretty much rules out Christmas itself. "Jedi Day" seems to obvious. The old standard "Life Day" doesn't make it as culturally meaningful, though...

Oh! And the titles are popping into my head like blackened toaster pastries!!

 

Love that imagery, Ty-Gon. Gosh, I can't wait to see this take form. Seeing the results of Halloween was crazy enough, but fanfic writers let loose on the Holiday Season. I'm hoping for Darth_Fruitcake to make an appearance with something like "A Christmas Eve with the Skywalkers/Solos." Opening scene: Santa tries to come down the chimney and falls off the roof and all you hear is MY ROSES!

 

Oh, and Ish, this gives us a chance to throw around some more Latin!

 

LENGUA ROMANA VIVIT!

 

Fiat!

 

Sith!

I have an idea, but with two software betatests and X-mas I just don't have time ...

 

The more I think about it the harder it is to come up with a name for this winter holiday on my planet... Visigoths!!

Sorry. I remember that someone once posted that in response to Sith as a Star-Wars-type expletive... would we use an ancient barbarian race that way? Now that comes to mind every time someone uses Sith that way.

 

Tygon, it's because it has the same letters as another expletive, you know which. I always swear by drinks--HOLY SNAPPLE!--or in spanish--Para llorar en voz alta, para el amor de la fuerza, santa vaca. I know some proper expletives in English, Spanish, and Greek. We had fun learning that if you want someone to go to he**, you tell them to go throw themselves to the crows.

As for holiday names, I tend to go by seasonal changes. Like in one story, I referred to something as the Equinox Formal, meaning it was around Eastertime. Try solstices or such things.

 

Ooooh, I got a great idea! I might participate - if I have the time. I signed up for an early exam date (December 19) for Mathematical Analysis, so I have two weeks to prepare for it...

 

So does the winner get a prize?

 

I think it's the VIP-ship and colors, as usually.

 

Oh! I thought of a holiday that's good for my little alien culture, and I even named it... (though I named it in an earth-language, it's one that reminds me of the alien culture -- they're partly based on this earth culture). It's also, still, a little bit Christmas-y.

EDIT: Just, in advance, let me offer my apologies in that, written out for the board format, it's going to be a really ugly word. It's lovely to say, though. "Svazdipir."

 

I'm so glad that this contest is here. I was going to do a Christmas fic anyway, but this should give me motivation to actually sit down and write it... unlike the Thanksgiving one I was going to write.

 

Can we write more than one entry? I have two plot bunnies pulling me in opposite directions...

 

Ty-gon: I like it! "Svazdipir". Sounds a bit Russian to me...

 

Mar: Wow, you're good. I got that by running together the Russian words for "Feast" and " of a Star." It's going to be the festival celebrating a miraculous event heralded by the appearance of some sort of celestial event that can't be explained...

"For we have seen His star in the east, and have come to worship Him..."

 

Hurray! I can set a story on my farm planet involving my Jedi! Huzzah!