[Flash Sentry Contest] Results! · 5:39am Feb 23rd, 2023
copied from the forum post below the break, because i really need you all to read these amazing stories!
firstly, ugh, so sorry for blowing past the results deadline! when i set it, it was contingent on me having a normal set of weeks, and that has not been true recently. i’ll try to be better next time. and thank you so much to my co-judge daOtterGuy for both the work of co-judging and actually being the one of us to make the deadline!
as for the stories, oof, you really didn’t make it easy! i know i say often that it’s so difficult to do these rankings because it always results in leaving out so many great stories, but it’s somehow even more true for this one. of the six entries, not one of them failed in bringing something great to the table, and i do beg you all to read them.
and it pains me to even have to choose two to declare the winners. i wish we could pick three, or four, or five, or all six! but three winners means three people feel like they got no higher than fourth, et cetera, when in reality this was a tough choice. i really did love all of them!
so here are the prizes:
- First Place: $50
- Second Place: $30
and here is a blurb for each entry in reverse order of submitting, followed by the winners:
Honorable Mention: Flash Memory by SilverNotes
though we don’t see much of human Flash Sentry in canon, we do get a better sense of his vibe and background due to the American/Canadian high school tropes that Equestria Girls draws upon. we don’t have this with pony Flash Sentry, but boy does this story provide it, fleshing out his backstory and Equestrian culture in a way that made me feel immersed like few other fics manage to do. if you love good character pieces and cultural worldbuilding, i can’t recommend this enough!
Honorable Mention: Soul Bound by Moproblems Moharmoney
this piece really stood out with the vividness of its idea and setting, casting Flash Sentry as a put-upon shōnen animé protagonist soul-bound to a Demon Sunset Shimmer he can’t get rid of. the elements of Equestria Girls translate all too well into this vibe, and though this story is only a glimpse into its world, the possibilities are promising and exciting.
Honorable Mention: The First First Meeting by EileenSaysHi
An excellent contender with an incredibly strong emotional core and introspective look into Wallflower working through the ramifications of her choice to use the memory stone. Her and Flash's interactions were wonderful to read as Flash acted as his usual considerate self and Wallflower panicked as she tried to figure out how to salvage one of her better relationships that she had unfortunately removed.
Honorable Mention: A Spectator's Sentryence by gapty
This entry was bonkers and I loved it. The setup is misleading with an excellent payoff that is resolved with one of the greatest and dumbest solutions I could have possibly believed. It has a decent dose of humour and an excellent breakdown of Flash's perceived feelings of worthlessness in the face of literal magical girls. A fun ride start to finish with an intriguing and terrifying villain.
Second Place: An Unpleasant Reflection by Tumbleweed
A regular writer of a particular brand of Flash Sentry, and one of the best interpretations out there. This is a good foray into the verse of this particular author and expertly done comedy fic. The laughs hit right every time with a brilliant sense of timing. Flash is the specific kind of machoism in this fic that just comes off as incredibly hilarious and Carrot Top is a banger of a character in this as the straight pony of the crew. The plot is simple, but the characters are fantastic and draw the reader into a stellar comedy. Absolutely fantastic read and deserving of its podium placement.
this story was my intro into the long-running series of The Flash Sentry Papers, which made it all the more impressive how quickly and easily i got sucked into the tale and its world. the voice of pony Flash Sentry as the self-aware, self-deprecating, and self-preserving cad of a narrator really made this piece shine, as he deals with the mere existence of naïve high schooler human Flash Sentry. the short arc of its “adventure” not only fits thematically with the contrast between the two Flashes Sentry and their respective worlds, but also ends neatly and hilariously, highlighting just how well-drawn all of the story’s characters are.
First Place: Flashing Before Your Eyes by FanOfMostEverything
A solid fic about the multiverse and the universal constant is a kind and annoyingly understanding Flash Sentry. The humourous tones hit all the right notes over the course of the plot and do a wonderful job of introducing Flash in all of these different contexts and planes of existence. Our main protagonist is the ever lovable Derpy whose growing frustration is amusing to watch as she zips from plane to plane. I can also assure readers that you do not in fact need to be familiar with the world of Oversaturation to enjoy this fic and this is still well worth the read and potentially an excellent opener to the greater verse this fic is based in. Regardless, it's a fun ride from start to finish and well worth the read for the chuckles.
it’s fitting that the winner of the contest is the story with the most Flashes Sentry in it! i just loved how well this piece immersed me in a brand-new world through that world’s Flash Sentry’s eyes before zipping off to the next, the worlds themselves spanning a range from the just off-IRL mundane to the delightfully creative and strange. in that, this story is not only an exploration of what it means to be Flash Sentry in an AU setting, but also feels just as much like a love letter to the genre of speculative fiction. and the Flash Sentry of it all is wonderful, so i am happy to award it First Place.
and that's an (overdue) wrap! see you all for the next Personal Contest, or how about one of the following ongoing ones:
- Reactception's Sunset X Former Relationships Contest ending 2023 Mar 05.
- my Science Fiction Contest II ending 2023 Apr 02.
- Mockingbirb's Arboreal Yearnings Contest I: "I'd like to be a tree..." ending 2023 Apr 22
peace out, and keep on Flash Sentryin'!
