Writing Contest: Good night little child

[Zha Hong Lang]

Contest over since earlier this day. Received a grand total of 10 entries!

Expect results in a future some time away.

Yay! ten entrants is really good for all the applications

By the way, could you update the front post to show who got in, possibly?

[bbbrrr_it_cold]

If anyone wants to read mine sooner rather than later (assuming that's allowed...?), I can link to the google docs version of mine. I posted it for my friends to read through (the intention was to finish it early and get some help proofreading, but real life decided that wasn't possible) and I can re-post the link here too if y'all want.
I mean, at least as long as you don't mind that it has been mildly marked up by one of said friends via suggested edits.

[Willhart]

I'm looking forward to the results too. There were a lot of familiar names on the list of entrants on the first post.

[Zummorr]

I will have to keep an eye out for something like this contest in the future, considering that it kinda ended when I joined the talkhaus. I'm curious to see the results as well.

[Zha Hong Lang]

last place here I come :D

[DoctorSponge]

last place here I come :D

pfft, last place is for people who didn't even finish. like me.

[Mikkofier]

last place here I come :D

pfft, last place is for people who didn't even finish. like me.

pshaw, last place is for people who slapped their story's ending together in seconds after learning the contest was ending.

[Zha Hong Lang]

pffff, last place is for those who hadn't even typed a story at all and made the entirety of it in <6 hours.

[Pikabread]

I can't wait to audiobook all of these

[DoctorSponge]

Any update on the judging progress? I'm sure people are busy with school and work and stuff, but it's been almost a couple of weeks since we've last heard anything.

[Clamestarebla]

Expect results and the final product to be available for download by the end of next week approximatively. Thanks for y'alls patience

[FrozenQuills]

I predict

someone got in the top 10.

[Zha Hong Lang]

The thought of winning first place fills you with determination.

[Wolfolotl]

I hope I won

[RedMageSusie]

I'm really excited to see how I did and to see everyone's stories. Good luck to everyone!

[HamsterZerg]

There needs to be a talkhaus reading of the entries that got submitted.

[RedMageSusie]

That would be kinda cool, but it might also be a bit long. Maybe a just a "best of" collection of snippets people enjoyed the most from each story?

[Clamestarebla]

I'll ask all of you for a little more patience but it will be worth it I promise

[Zha Hong Lang]

I'll ask all of you for a little more patience but it will be worth it I promise

LAST PLACE HYPE :D

[Clamestarebla]

Results are out

http://www.mediafire.com/view/5som9h20x ... ontest.pdf

[Mikkofier]

Thank you.

[Pikabread]

even if you never read this

I respect your decision

we quarreled sometimes and we didn't always get along

but I still thought you were a nice person I'm glad to have met

I'm sorry that I didn't submit something to your contest

talkhaus will always be my chillplace but I respect your choice completely

if someone suspected something like that from me I don't know what I would do

please, continue having a good life wherever you go

Thank you and goodbye, mon ami

[RedMageSusie]

First of all...

Omg first place?! I felt pretty good about my submission, but this made my day in a sad cheesy sort of way. The comments made me feel great, especially after a long, stressful, not so great week. Thanks so much for hosting! It was a lot of fun pumping it out.

I look forward to reading all the entries and also posting my comments along with them. And also to hear what everyone else thinks of all the other stories.

And on the flip side, I did skip ahead to see the host submission, and it was...really sad. I hope you get to see this at least. I know I didn't know you well, and didn't we didn't talk much, but you seemed like a decent guy. It's a shame to see things turn out this way. I wish you the best and hope you feel better soon.

[Zha Hong Lang]

Hey, you made a good decision. This is the internet, and if some place becomes too stressful, then it's all right to leave. You chose to be here in the first place. I can say with certainty that this is a good thing to do, having done it before.

It's too bad I wasn't able to get a better submission in. I had a lot of ideas for something bigger, but I couldn't flesh them out in time for the deadline. So, like I said in my PM, I just made a silly improvisation, to show I still cared. I hoped that you would like something FLCL quality, and turns out you got a kick out of it, if I read your comment correctly. I'm glad of that. :)

[DoctorSponge]

I had secretly been hoping that this contest would confirm my suspicions that my writing was worth something. Apparently it is, so I'll probably be able to use this as motivation to keep moving forward with it. Perhaps I'll be able to make something out of it in the future. I sometimes wonder if I could make it into a good comic series, since I have a lot of plans for the world I've been building. If you do decide to host another contest, wherever you may go, don't forget to let me know. I could always use another reason to write.

Having read the final story, and not wanting to see anyone suffer the same ways I suffered, I would offer my advice, not just to Clem but to anyone: In short, nothing you do or say will change the past. What's done is behind you, but you can't forget about it nor continue to dwell on it. If you take anything at all from the not-so-great experiences, take with you the lessons you've learned and let them serve as reminders of what could happen again should you let it come to that. Become a better person than you were before and make no excuses to justify being any worse. Hold no grudges and be excellent to others (and to yourself) in whatever you choose to do. Be mindful of who you choose to open up to and the manner in which you do so, for that is when you are most vulnerable. Seek out friends who understand you, who make you laugh, and whom you admire.

There will always be those who do not understand, who choose not to be excellent to others, and who seem to only try to get under your skin and make you fume. Surround yourself instead with excellent friends, and seek to understand your foes instead of fighting them on their level for they will drag you down and leave you in a pit of despair. If you can determine there is no room for reasoning with them, dismiss them and move on, for they are not worth your time nor emotions. Hold yourself higher than petty squabbles and do not hesitate to apologize earnestly for any fault. Harbor no hate in your mind or heart (if you believe in that kind of symbolism). There is a time for sorrow, but it should not linger and get in your way. Accept and learn, then look forward to the good things in life.

Take it easy~

But let's be honest, such levels of drama tend to be quite silly if you think about it once you've moved on. Like "jeez, I used to do that? Man, I've come so far since then, I can't believe the things I used to think. What a relief that I didn't let it get to me."