Last fall, I hosted a story contest that turned out to be a big hit. I’ve had multiple people asking for a second cycle of it and finally decided “hey, why not”. So, this time, we’re doing the hero addition!

Heroes are those amazing people that somehow are placed in really crappy or extraordinary circumstances and manage to work through it all, typically for the better, even with the odds stacked against them! Sometimes they are ordinary people who just happen to fit the bill, sometimes they are blessed with supernatural powers or superhuman abilities.


I will preface this entire thing by stating that this is HARD work. You will be writing an entire short story in as little as 10 weeks (2 weeks per round). That’s, at the very least, 5,000 words overall with at minimum, 50 or so pictures. If you do not think you will have the time, please be courteous and do not enter. We would love to have you and understand if something comes up during but if you know you have other priorities (school, work, vacation, etc) please take that into consideration.



Each contestant will create a main character (see rules below for guidelines) and write a story about them in 5 chapters. Sounds easy? There are some twists: each round will consist of certain events/things that need to take place in the story as well as incorporating a certain line/excerpt from a song that will have to be in the contestant’s entry. The story must flow from round to round, with the same main character, finally coming to a conclusion. It can be a happy ending, or tragic or a cliffhanger (maybe this will prompt people to continue in the Sims Stories forum) or somewhere between those.

The contest will be set up in 5 rounds; starting with your introduction and ending with your conclusion. Each round will be 2 weeks long. Extensions may be granted but are not likely so please use your time wisely!

*If you participated in the first cycle, please read through the rules and scoring anyway. This is not the same contest but rather a continuation and rework of the first and some things have been changed!*

Rules
Contest Rules:
1. Forum rules apply.
2. Sims 2 and 3 allowed.
3. One entry is allowed per person. Round 1 counts as your application round.
4. Any and all custom content is allowed. See below for scoring related to CC.
5. There will be no eliminations, however entries are capped at 20 participants.
6. Photoshop is at the extreme minimal. By this, I mean that you can add a border to your pictures, but that is it. No words, no adding images, no changing backgrounds, lighting, etc. If you are doing a flashback, you are permitted to change it to greyscale or sepia and smudge/fog the borders but please be conservative in your use of this. No full chapters as a flashback.
7. No recycled or “borrowed stories”. All stories must be original and new. If you have a story in the Sims Stories forum you MAY NOT use it. If I find you have (or have borrowed a story from the forum or anywhere else) you will be disqualified.
8. There will be a photo limit per story as well as word limit per picture. This will be stated per round. Compliance to these limits is scored. To get your word count, either use Microsoft Word, if you have it, or Word Counter. Pictures should follow upload guidelines: minimum of 800x600 up to a maximum of 1280x1060.
9. Grammar and spelling will NOT be judged. Please try your best but it is more important that the story is understandable and flows.

Story Rules:
10. Stories may be whatever genre and setting each contestant desires: drama, romance, fantasy, etc but make sure it can flow throughout the rounds and that CC adherence is possible.
11. Likewise, characters may be any age or species. Remember, the story will come to a conclusion; young adult or adult sims may be easiest but selection is up to the contestant’s discretion.
12. All main characters must be made by the contestant and must fit your story. Additionally, they must be one of the 4 listed main subtypes. See Below
13. Stories may be written in first or third person. Again, this is up to contestant discretion but be consistent throughout all rounds.
14. Events/things and excerpt must be included each round. Excerpts must be written exactly the way they appear. If you choose to change the tense or wording, that is up to you but you risk losing points.
15. Story must be PG-13. Also, please keep cursing to a minimum and RELEVANT to your story or character. I'm not saying you CAN'T use curse words but please be thoughtful in how/why the character would use those words.
16. Bonus Rounds may include introducing a character or incorporating a second line into the story. Bonus Rounds are done in conjunction with your entry, not as a separate one.

Round Explanations:
Each round will be explained in detail below. There are 4 Hero Subtypes listed below. You will choose one of these and they will be the main character of your story. Each subtype will have 10 events/ themes to choose from. Some of these might overlap through characters. Each round, you must select one from YOUR chosen character’s list and it must appear in that chapter. You do not have to specifically use the same phrasing but it MUST BE CLEAR what you have chosen. Additionally, you may not reuse any idea in subsequent chapters; once YOU use it, it's gone. Previously used themes may be discussed in subsequent chapters as long as there is a new one. Nothing, even if it alludes to an expansion, requires an expansion pack. Use your imagination, get creative! That’s what this is all about!

Hero Subtypes:

• The Badass Bookworm: This one doesn’t look like much and may be classified as the nerd. Possibly shy character who looks unimposing but has hidden strength and/or practical skills. Examples: Indiana Jones, Tony Stark, Willow from Buffy, Liana T’Sori from Mass Effect, Mr. Spock.
• The Chosen One: Victim of “because destiny says so” and the only one able to save the world/defeat the bad guy, etc regardless of their desire to be said chosen one. Examples: Neo from The Matrix, Harry Potter, all 3 (4?) sisters from Charmed, Emma Swan from Once Upon a Time.
• The Knight in Sour Armor: Idealists who have discovered that the world is a dark, cold place and replace their shining armor with pure cynicism. Fight because it’s the right thing to do, not because they believe they can make a difference. Examples: Shrek, Dr. House from House, Garrus from Mass Effect.
• The Atoner: Used to be the villain, realized his evil ways and wants to redeem himself. Struggles with massive guilt and falling back into old habits. Examples: Angel from Angel, Richard Alpert from Lost, occasionally Cole from Charmed, Brigid Tenebaum from Bioshock, Mordin Solus from Mass Effect 2.

The Badass Bookworm	The Chosen One	The Knight in Sour Armor	The Atoner
Mysterious Past	Mysterious Past	Mysterious Past	Mysterious Past
Finding Judas	Finding Judas	Finding Judas	Finding Judas
Heaven Only Knows	Heaven Help Us	Heaven Forbid	Move Heaven and Earth
Mind Over Matter	Evil Twin	Evil Twin	Mind Over Matter
Class Reunion	Rematch!	Not You Again!	Redemption Quest
Minored in Ass Kicking	Love Triangle	Good is Boring	The Cake Was a Lie
Time Travel	Kidnapped	Embarrasing Rescue	7 Deadly Sins
Blondes are Evil	Family Secrets	Get Out of Jail Free Card	Karma's a Bitch
Makeover	Beware the Nice Guy	Meet Cute	Last Chance
Playing Both Sides	Lottery of Doom	One Born Every Minute	Pride Before A Fall

Please remember that these do not have to be taken literally and at face value. They also do not need to happen directly TO your character.



Judging Parameters
1. CREATIVITY 45 points overall:

• Originality of story 15 points: Is your story unique and interesting? If it is a specific archetype do you use an unexpected twist?
• Use of excerpt 10 points: Is your excerpt expected? Does it blend in with the story or is it plopped randomly in?
• Development of character 10 points: Are your characters flat, one sided sims or realistic and multi-faceted? Do they have believable reactions/dialogue? Are the extraneous characters fluff or do they add to the story?
• Events 10 points: Do the events you choose work well with the overall plot? Are the two themes tied together well? Do they make sense to be used together?

2. SCENES 30 points overall:

• # of pictures 10 points: Did you have the correct number of pictures for the round?
• Mood, storyline 10 points: Did your words mentally set a stage for us? Did the use of descriptive words help us “feel” the scene?
• Use of props/staging 10 points: Did you choose appropriate scenes/props for the mood you were going for? If you are doing medieval, did you have a TV in the background? Are your angles relevant to the specific scene they are portraying?

3. FLOW 20 points: Does the story flow cohesively from one point to the next? Are your rounds consistent with each other?

4. RULE ADHERENCE 4 points: Were the events and excerpt included in your entry? Did you use photoshop? Are your word limits in line with what is stated each round? Did you use the entry form? (It is up to each judge to determine how much to penalize if a contestant goes over the word max up to a max of 4 points)

5. CC 1 point: Exclusion of CC makes creators really think and be creative with what is in game. Therefore, contestants will receive 1 point if no CC is used and 0 points if any is used. You MUST state if you used CC at the bottom of your entry. If you do not, it will be assumed that it has been used. Note: Custom worlds, poses, OMSPs, and store content do not count as CC. Skin/hair/eyes can be used without penalty but please be sure to let judges know that you used them. Other CC, including build/buy content or clothes/accessories will count towards the points. For contestants with TS2, recolors for Maxis objects are also allowed and will not be counted as CC.

6. BONUS 5 points: Did your use of the bonus content really help move your story along? If so, how well? Was it used in an expected way? (Judges may award between 0 for no use at all and 5 for well incorporated, creative use of bonus)

Scores for each judge will be added together and averaged so each round you have a possible of 100 points. Constructive criticism from the judges is encouraged but not mandatory.


1. How to Write a Good Story: Used for the Sims Stories Forum but useful here as well. Continuity and Picture chapters are particularly helpful.
2. Picture Taking Tutorial: Can be used in Conjunction with above to get great pictures.
3. Elements of a Short Story: May help you better plot things out and get a better of idea of how to navigate a short story.

Round 1 – Prologue – TIMER
Guidelines: Round 1 should set the tone of your story. From here, readers should be able to get a general idea what genre you are going for. This can be set up through a prologue or just diving straight into your first chapter. Maybe this is where your hero first becomes a hero. Maybe this is another adventure for an already existing hero. Remember, each subsequent chapter will need to add to this one. From here, we should know what type of hero you have (even if you don’t jump straight into it, there should be some clues) and at least have an idea of the struggle your hero will face in the future. Between 1,000 and 1,500 words and 10 to 15 pictures. Anything above or below this numbers will result in loss of points.

Excerpt: Choose ONE of the following quotes. If it has an ellipsis, you may finish the sentence however you like as long as the quotations appear correctly.
“I tell myself that I'll be strong.”
“Bless your soul, you've got your head in the clouds.”
“God knows I'm tough enough…”

Round 1: Bonus Worth 5 points: Also introduce your hero’s sidekick. You have 5 choices, some will work better than others for your hero. They do not have to be the same age, gender, or even species as your main character. Again, you should not have to CALL your sidekick the name above but it should be obvious what role they are playing.

• The Damsel in Distress: Who your hero usually has to rescue. Can be Dude in Distress if you like.
• The Moral Compass: This one keeps your hero in check. Voice of reason.
• The Reckless Companion: Guns/powers blazing, rushing in without thinking.
• The Hypercompetent: Does all the work and makes your hero look good.
• The Comic Relief: Does this need explaining?

Round 2 – Rising Action – TIMER
Round 2 should be where your audience can begin to see what the climax of the story will be. You should be building up to figuring out who your villain is or masterminding the attempt to take him down. This should be the planning and plotting chapter and, because of that, the word count has been increased a little. Between 1,200 and 1,700 words and 10 to 17 pictures. Anything above or below these numbers will result in loss of points.

Excerpt: Choose ONE of the following quotes.
“He's a devil in disguise…”
“I remember you said "Don't leave me here alone".”
“I'm just like you, only prettier.”

Round 2: Bonus Worth 5 points Hero costume time! Introduce an outfit (it doesn’t have to be a permanent choice) that your hero could use as his/her costume.

Please include a brief summary (around 100 words) before your entry. This will NOT be counted towards your word count.
Also, please include information listed below your entry:
Current Plot Point: What did you use this chapter?
Previous Plot Points: Here you will keep a running list of what you have already used.
Word Count:
CC Used: Allowed ____. This can be as simple as a yes/no response

Round 3 - Climax - TIMER
This should be the center conflict and turning point in your story. Maybe you finally “unmask” the villain. Perhaps you struggle with the villain for the first time. Maybe your true love has been kidnapped? Who knows? Leave your readers hanging on the edge of their seat! What could happen? Will things be resolved or not? Between 1,200 and 1,700 words and 10 to 17 pictures. Anything above or below these numbers will result in loss of points.

Excerpt: Choose ONE of the following quotes.
“You can sound the alarm…” - Eminem, Won't Back Down
“Do it one time for the underdogs." - B.o.B f/ Taylor Swift, Both of Us
“It's too damn late to apologize.” - NERD, Rockstar Poser

Round 3: Bonus Worth 5 points Choose an extra theme from the table above to place in this chapter as well. Extra fun? Choose from ANY of the events, not just those listed in your chosen Hero’s section. This means that you will have to have 2 plot points in your next chapter.

Please include a brief summary (around 100 words) before your entry.
Also, please include information listed below your entry:
Current Events: What did you use this chapter?
Previous Events: Here you will keep a running list of what you have already used.
Word Count:
CC Used:


Round 4 – Falling Action – TIMER
Will your conflict that has been introduced be resolved? Will the villain be defeated or will there be a rematch in the future? Your readers should be able to tell where the story is going and if your hero will be able to settle the issues and save the day! Between 1,000 and 1,500 words and 10 to 15 pictures. Anything above or below this numbers will result in loss of points.

Excerpt: Choose ONE of the following quotes.
“Carry on as if nothing really matters…” Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody
“Who knew the other side of you?” Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dani California
“Maybe you're strong, but you don't stand a chance.” Volbeat, A Warrior's Call

Round 4: Bonus Worth 5 points Choose ONE of the excerpts below:
“I don’t know who made the rules but they’re wrong.” Robbie Nevil, Fifteen Minutes
“Surely you can take some comfort knowing that you're mine.” The Used, Smother Me
“If your body matches what your eyes can do…” Finger Eleven, Paralyzer

Please include a brief summary (around 100 words) before your entry.
Also, please include information listed below your entry:
Current Events: What did you use this chapter?
Previous Events: Here you will keep a running list of what you have already used.
Word Count:
CC Used:


Round 5 – Conclusion – TIMER
This is the final series of events. Will your hero have a happy ending? Is everything all wrapped up in a neat bow? Whatever direction your story took, your readers should feel some sense of closure. If you choose to make it a cliffhanger, close out the direction your story took to begin with and make the cliffhanger a new twist. Between 1,800 words and 2,500 words and 18 to 25 pictures. Anything above or below this numbers will result in loss of points.

Excerpt: Choose ONE of the following quotes.
“If happy ever after did exist…” Maroon 5, Payphone
“Help me, I’m no good at goodbyes.” Train, 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
“Would you have it any other way?” Florence + the Machine, What the Water Gave Me

Round 5: Bonus Worth 5 points
Incorporate a brief scene from the antagonist’s point of view. This should be done in conjunction with your normal round and should flow smoothly. If you choose to do this, add in an extra 300-500 words and 3-5 pictures. The scene can be one compact scene or you may space them out through your chapter. However, spacing them out through your chapter may prove more difficult when it comes to natural flow. Overall, if you do the bonus, you will need 2,100 to 3,000 words and 21 to 30 pictures.

Please include a brief summary (around 100 words) before your entry.
Also, please include information listed below your entry:
Current Events: What did you use this chapter?
Previous Events: Here you will keep a running list of what you have already used.
Word Count:
CC Used:

Contest approved - do not post until the host checks in or your genitals will be eaten by giant cyborg rat-spiders with laser beams for eyes and candy confetti shooting out of their nipples.

Alright everyone! Time to get this party started! Or at least extreme brain storming session! As linked above (before the cyborg rat-spiders), you have until July 1st, midnight, at Pacific Standard Time. In case you missed it, or were so overwhelmed by the awesomeness that is the first post, here is the TIMER again. Have fun and I look forward to seeing what everyone can come up with!

A quick question, because I'm new to this:
Do OMSPs (regular, tippy) count as CC as well?

No, I wouldn't count those as CC. I'll amend that in the rules. Thanks for asking!

CC used: store items, custom eyes, OMSP, tipsy OMSP, skin by HP
Plot point: Mysterious Past
Word count: 1,380.

Freaks and Monsters
Chapter One

---

Life never really works out the way you want it to. One minute you’re top of your class at the police academy, well on your way to making a real difference in the world... the next you’re choosing between death row or life as a government pet. Get out of jail free card? Not quite but thats the way they’d worded it.




Flash forward a few years and you might just find yourself in the home of a suspected bio-terrorist, ready to do something you swore you’d never do. There had been a line once, but that line was long since gone, and all that’s left is a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach that you’re now used to ignoring.




Three years ago she wouldn’t have done this job for all the money in the world. But ever since her little trick was discovered she hadn’t had much choice in which jobs she was given. And unfortunately for her, her trick required skin on skin contact to work.




It made her skin crawl to feel this bastard’s hands on her body, but she’d already managed to pull out the location of his next target, the local college. The rest of the information was harder to find.

He was insane, she’d felt that without even having to touch him, but now that she was in his mind all she could see were a blend of faces and colors, nothing linear or easy to understand. He was paranoid and was already confusing her with other girls he’d been with, both real and imagined. All the better for her really, it was usually pretty hard to cover the imprint of her mind on his, his insanity would make things a lot easier.




But before she could cover her tracks she’d need to finish the job, and in order to organize his thoughts she’d need to do a bit of leading. “So what do you do for a living anyway, hot stuff?”

He smiled, and she saw a flash of faces, making notes of each to sketch out later. “I’m a biological chemist, baby. If I wanted to, I could kill half the world’s population with a single vial of the things I work with.”

“Mmm wow. That’s so hot. I love a man with power.” She almost threw up in her own mouth with that line.




All of a sudden she saw a flash of red in his mind. Usually that meant panic but physically he hadn’t reacted at all. “Hun, is everything alright?”




He pushed her off, throwing himself onto the ground next to her, his head in his hands as if in pain. “My... my head... it’s exploding!”

Fuck. She knew now what that flash of red had meant.




“James?” She used his real name, the one from her files, not the one he’d given her. “Hey, look at me.”

He couldn’t, his entire body shaking under her touch. Soon enough his mind would collapse in on itself, and any secrets he had would be taken to the grave. She could easily touch his face and take the secrets herself but she couldn’t bring herself to move her hand from his shoulder. She was... scared. Not for the first time a man was dying in front of her eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it.




When his body went still and tipped towards her she let him fall to the ground. He seemed almost innocent, curled up as if he’d just fallen asleep. Only the small dabs of blood beginning to leak from his nostrils indicated anything was wrong.




She pushed him onto his back, staring at him for a long moment before moving to her feet, perched over to him delicately, as if he would come back to life at any minute. Eventually - and with a very shaky breath - she reached out, placing a finger on his bare neck. She wasn’t searching for a heart beat, she was looking for mental activity... and in any case she found neither. He was dead. Once again she’d killed a man without meaning to. But this time she hadn’t even been on the offensive... she’d just been skimming his mind.




She grabbed her burn phone, dialing her partner’s number.

A girl’s voice answered. Girly, sounding a lot younger than its owner really was. “Juliette? Is everything alright?”

“It happened again.”

She didn’t need to say anything else. “I’ll be there in a minute. Don’t kill anyone else in the meantime, okay?”

“That’s not funny, Dene. Hurry up.”




Denebola was there in seconds, almost tripping over James’ body before backing up, stroking her chin as she looked down at him. “Oh wow. You weren’t kidding. Did he figure out you were playing him or something?”

Usually Juliette could handle Dene’s stupidity but today wasn’t one of those days. “Don’t be a moron. I can handle paranoia, I can handle fear. Hell uniformed officers could have been in the same room and I could have made it so he didn’t suspect a thing!”

“Then why’d you kill him?”

“... I didn't mean to. It just happened.”



At the very least Dene knew not to ask any more questions now. “Um... I can call it in if you want to get dressed.”

“Sure. Thanks.” She slipped out of her lingerie, replacing it with another, tighter outfit. Neither she nor Dene had any sort of official uniform to wear, but their division did have outfits specially catered to their specific... needs. Juliette’s left her arms uncovered, and allowed her enough movement to fight back if she needed to. Dene’s showed a lot more skin, and was made from inflammable material, not that they’d really needed to test that yet.




As Dene put her cell away, Juliette was already walking past her. “And where do you think you’re going?

“I didn’t get the information we needed.” She answers. “You think I want to stay here for that lecture? No thank you. I’m going to see the doc, get myself checked out.”

“Okay... so what should I tell the boss when he figures out you took off? He’ll be pissed. He hates the doc.”




Juliette almost scoffs. “What’s he going to do to me? He’s already got me doing all his dirty work, and god knows I’m tough enough to deal with whatever punishment he can think up. Just don’t tell him where I’m going and give him my love, that'll calm him down.”



---

Current Events: Get out of Jail Free
Previous Events: N/A
Word Count: 1081 words, 15 photos
Hero Type: The Knight in Sour Armor
Sidekick Type: Comic Relief
CC Used:
- Allowed: Skin by Ephemera, CC and store hairs, OMSP, Poses

Welcome splad and Reya! I am so happy to have my first 2 contestants! Looking forward to reading more of each of your stories!

Good to see you two girls joining in!! If I had more time I would so be in!!!! But I can judge instead if you like Heaven! I am sure I qualify haha~



Oh... But..... I want to enter..... GAH

Well, take some time to think about it. The Round doesn't close until the 1st which is still 11 days away. I, for one, enjoyed your story last time and would certainly love to read another.

Am I able to judge heaven? Since I'm working on a novel I really shouldn't be focusing on any other stories that pop into my mind until I finish. *also wants to join, but knows he cannot*

Sure! If LA still wants to judge, she can EJ with me. Am hoping this forces her to join though!!! Muahaha!

Ugh I'm sooo tempted to join but I'm really afriad to have something coming up later and be obliged to drop out >.<

Come on, Jay! Joooin us! You know you want to...

Yes, but did you see the warning up top? We understand if something comes up unexpected. Sounds like you don't have anything right now to worry about.

It really is a timely project but Reya is right, we'd love to have you.

Ok, I am in, BUT only if I can manage to get it in before then (its Tanishas birthday) Other wise..... It shall be hard - I have many ideas for this project. I am going for a dark story this time. see how it pans out huh :P

Aw, yay! I am so excited that you will join us again. And happy birthday to Tanisha!!!

Erm, I cant even make sims...... *sad face*

Prologue



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plot Point: Mysterious Past
Word/Pic Count: 1498 words, 14 pictures
Challenge Excerpt: Bless your soul, you've got your head in the clouds.
CC Used: Custom world - Moripiko Island by bakafox. No other CC used this round.

Camp, can you please note whether you used CC or not? If you don't note it, it will be counted that you did use it.

Everyone else, we've got about a week left. I know that it takes a lot of time to get an entry together so I'm trying not to panic yet but am hoping I have at least 7 lurkers in the shadows!

Sorry, heaven! Updated the entry to include the CC note.

If you can give me a week extention - I can get your in a chapter so I can sort out my game and get rid of some stuff.
This week is the busiest week until the end of year, I will have lots of time for the rest. Its just this one week - I dont have time to mess around trying to fix my game.
If not its all good I will just be EJ.

I might could swing that. Let me talk to another mod about it. I don't want to be seen as bypassing the rules of getting enough participants in a certain number of time.

Are there other people who are specifically working on an entry that are seeing issues with the July 1st deadline? I know it's a lot to put together in 2 weeks. Please let me know.

Thank you love! Last week of the semester is always a killer!

Okay, there is a NEW deadline that is now July 8th. Check the timers in the check in post or the Round Description for the official countdown. This gives everyone 2 weeks to enter, instead 1. Also, if you have already submitted your entries, you are allowed to edit them up until the round closes. This will be the only extension given for the first round so, please, make it work!

Everyone, please share the contest with your friends, in your signatures, wherever. It's tons of fun, just ask anyone that participated before and I don't want to have to cancel if we don't get our 10 participants.