Flash Fiction Festival
A globe of dry ice sublimes atop the center of a coffee table.
A photographer's anger dilates as the dark room's door is opened prematurely.
The trapeze artist hangs, motionless, at the apex of her parabola.
A perfectly frosted first-birthday cake rests before a confused toddler.
There are moments that expire between two passing flutters of a heart. Can you make all your words count, while we count all your words?
Saddle the horse that best catches your fancy, msg your colors in order to ante, and race your story like a masked vigilante.
You've such limited funds to get words onto the page
and decisions as well: to be wry, pithy, or sage.
So whether you offer a drama or comedy
reach deep and trot out a tale of great quality
Where will your horse take you?
ríða hestunum
The Rules
Reserve your place in the Cup by msging myself with your desired horse and what coloured silks you will be riding in. This step is first claimed, first awarded on basis of time stamp if two noders are competing for one title. Enter Prosenoder's Cup 2020 by submitting a work of flash fiction to that node AFTER the contest has officially opened at midnight server time March 1st. The title of your work must be the name of one of the horses listed below (please make your title bold and aligned left at the beginning of your entry). Your entry may be of any genre desired, but is limited by design to be 300 words or fewer. This is flash fiction in the poetic sense of the word. Stories should flash like ancient camera background lights; stories should simmer like sublimating ice. See also: postcard fiction.
Note: All entries will be posted within the node Prosenoder's Cup 2020. I'll be linking from this page to that one by way of [Prosenoder's Cup 2020[by everyone]|Title below].
The Race
The contest is officially open March 1st, at zero hour server time (entry will be open until March 15th midnight, giving two weeks and a day of community judging). The gap between this announcement and the contest opening is to give all participants plenty of time to prepare their submission, as ideally all entrants will be posting sometime early in the month. The first writeup of the Prosenoder's Cup 2020 node will be 1) a reference guide for readers, sharing knowledge of the rules 2) a starting gun for all eager racers. Do not post a writeup before this definition entry, we're trying to keep the air time of all writeups as equitable as possible, with no false starts.
Speaking of we, the proactive and omnipotent Tem42 has agreed to bestow honours to the most deserving of word jockeys:
All entrants will be judged based upon their net reputation at midnight server time March 15th (15 becoming 16):
Winners' Circle
Show: 400 gp!!
Place: 1,000 gp!!
Win: 2,000 gp!!!
Bonus awards
Most C!s: 250 gp
Highest Goodness: 250 gp
Per C!: 10 gp
Per Net Reputation: 1 gp
Per Entrant: 1 egg
The earlier you submit your work, the more time the E2 populace will have to upvote your brilliant submission.
You are going to submit something brilliant, aren't you?
Remember - this is not a contest about telling horse stories. This is a contest about riding stories like horses.
Write light, write fast, and be sure to lean into the finish.
ríða orðunum
The Rides
Metaphor? I barely know her! This festival contest is a race, upon a racetrack. The authors are, for a little while, riders and their titles their steeds. Skilur pu? Let's begin.
Potential Title by YOUR NAME HERE, riding in adjectives.
- Thousand Words, by Auspice, riding in pallid silk and furious oaths
- Silver Prospector by The Custodian, riding in kevlar and golden orb-weaver silk
- Storm the Court by Andycyca, riding in jadestone green and sapphire blue
- Shoplifted by Rancid_Pickle, riding in stolen transparent silk underwear
- Silver State by raincomplex, riding in black with white pinstripe
- Eight Rings by Chord, riding in snurple
- Dennis' Moment by npecom, riding in forest green and sunflower gold, trimmed with jet black.
- Year of the Tiger by jessicaj, riding in jet black with a sash the color of melted jewels
- Tiz the Law by wifey riding in a beret with no pants
- Authentic by etouffee riding in neon blue silks
- Armory by Zephronias riding in a Crusader’s outfit that probably isn’t authentic
- Alson
- Anneau d'Or
- Armory
- Authentic
- Azul Coast
- Café Pharoah
- Camora
- Daimei Corrida
- Dieu du Vin
- Ecrivain
- Enforceable
- Gold Maze
- Gold Street
- Iberia
- Independence Hall
- Innisfree
- Kameko
- Longonot
- Major Fed
- Max Player
- Maxfield
- Modernist
- Mogjul
- Mr. Monomoy
- Shekkem
- Shotski
- Sole Volante
- Tagano Beauty
- Tiz the Law
- Vacation
- Victor Ludorum
2020 Kentucky Derby
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