A Contest We Shall See · 10:15pm Oct 21st, 2012
So.
I have, thanks to Zanzibar, two Humble Indie Bundle keys in my posession. I don't want them. Don't have enough time to play them all, and the ones I'm most interested in I already own. Thusly, I'm going to give them to you.
Well... Sort of. I'm not gonna go first come first served, that'd be unfair. My last contest went quite well, and that only had one key. Now I have two, so let's ramp this contest up to eleven and get making some awesome things. Last time I did a general "things that were cool" contest, but this time I think we'll go a little more structured. See, I want horse stories to read. I don't want any more 3,000 word [random|comedy] stories, and I don't want any more February Fictions, I want some nice, fat, adorable horse stories with some real story in them. So, let's give this a try.
The contest
Write a story. Write an adorable story, shipping two (or more! Bonus points for each additional horse) ponies that aren't shipped all that often. ApplePie, not AppleDash. However, and this is an important constraint, no crack ships. If it doesn't feel like it could work, then you won't win. Simple as. I want something that feels like it could work. I don't really care how you pull that off, however I will impose one major additional constraint: Nothing under 10,000 words. Whether those 10k words are in one chapter or ten, I don't really mind. Longer stories are great, but only so long as the length is well used. Don't go stretching it out thinking you'll get points, because you won't. At the same time, if you try to pack too much into 10k words, that won't do you favours either. Write something as long as it needs to be, and no longer. Making your prose purple and your descriptions overdone will grant you no favours. No shipping cop-outs: They end the story together. Whether they start it together or apart is up to you, but they end it happy.
I realise that this is not something you do over a weekend. As such, the closing date will be November the 28th. That's a lot of time to take your time and make something amazing.
The prize
First Prize
A first-class (With any extra games) Humble Indie Bundle key, advertisement on this here blog, me owing you a favour, and knowing you beat over eighteen hundred people at writing horse stories.
$40, delivered to your paypal, to do with what you wish.
Second Prize
A second-class HIB key, advertisement underneath first prize, and me owing you a few spoons of ice cream
$20, delivered to your paypal, to do with what you wish.
Everyone else
Exposure from the blog, assuming your story fits the criteria for involvement, my gratitude, and the enjoyment of a job well done
tl;dr rules
Content
Shipping, whether heavy or light, of 2+ ponies in a combination that hasn't been done to death. Bubble Berry x Rainbow Dash, Applejack x Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle x Princess Cadence are all okay. TwiDash, AppleDash, Twilestia, et cetera are not.
Ending
2+ ponies shipped. None of this falling out rubbish, whatever happens between the beginning and end, they have to be together when it's over.
Length
10k+ plus. If you feel your story works best in under 10k words, then get in touch, I'm not going to be stringent on this. The restriction is mostly to ensure people know that I don't want bitesize stories, I want something with a bit of meat on its bones.
Prize
Humble Indie Bundle keys and delicious exposure
Judging
I'll judge on the idea behind the story, and how well executed said idea is. Grammar is lovely, but so long as you're above a readable standard it shouldn't come into play too much. Bonus points for pulling off realistic polyamory, especially if you can keep it interesting. The story doesn't have to revolve around the ship, so long as it's there. Make it a secondary background-thread if you want, all the constraints are only really there to try and get something interesting and new out of people. Take the main six on an epic adventure through the Badlands and have them all slowly realise their friendship runs deeper than they thought if you want, you'll get a x6 polyamory bonus and maybe even a triple word score.
Basically, I'll judge on how good it feels to read and how good the characters and setting feel.
Okay!
That's about all! Anybody wants additional clarification on anything, ask in the comments below.
I don't even want a prize, but I've been looking for an excuse to write exactly this ApplePie for sometime. It's like you knew, TAW
Ten Thousand words? A bit imposing...but I'll try!
Otherwise...what is a Humble Indie Bundle?
If only I wrote ship fics.
*Sigh*
Oh, well.
What if I just gave you $10, would that work?
Will you enter yourself, come on. I challenge you to enter this contest yourself
Twilight X Cadance fics are alright, eh?
Fantastic, I'll get right to it.
386124
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw3381-zecorascreen.png
Yeah, I would join this if I had less life to do and more ponies. Sadly, I have life.
I HAS A QUESTION.
Are we allowed to ship fillies????
386150
i love it when ponies send me broken image flies
386133 Nothing's stopping you!
386169 I love it when they aren't broken for me
Have the image link
Would Princess Celestia x Queen Chrysalis be an acceptable pairing? It's certainly obscure enough to qualify, but would it be considered a crack pairing?
extra points if entry also includes Cupcakes-level gore, crosses over to Star Trek: Voyager AND Robocop, and introduces an angsty teenage HiE shipped with my OC alicorn, right?
386135
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lus5zshaQv1qafrh6.jpg
*makes rocket ship noises*
I have yet to start writing, but this makes me want to sooo badly.
Ah, well. Happy competing!
clopfics can be shipping right?
Does Twolight Sparkle work?
because I actually have yet to see one that goes through the full ramatifications of that ship
386187 I was just being silly... IGNORE ME!
Hmm.... if I win, but all I want is the exposure, can I ask you to give the ticket to someone else?
386208 I know you were, and I got a good laugh out of it. Carry on, my good fellow!
One quick question...
How does one submit the story for your appraisal, TAW?
386129
A bunch of indie games for the computer. Here's the website with the list of games you'll get from TAW's key.
You want us to do what you should be doing and at a large word count?
For !@#$ing indie bundle keys?
You have been having a little bit too much tea, British.
encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRPIM2xLPamjuohIH_YBH09jrcC-X3rXet069L4S4bpEy83ToMu
Romance involving clop allowed?
386124
I just saw that.xD
386341
congrats
Could we do a Mac fic?
Because Macintosh is Macgic.
So, quick question:
What if I happen to have an AppleShy fic that I started writing for a previous contest that was similar to this (the recent one by Kits, to be exact), but due to reasons beyond my control never got beyond the first chapter and never got entered in that contest. If I finished the rest of it now (and it gets beyond the set 10,000 words) would it be alright for me to enter it in this contest because the vast majority of it was written for this, or would you not allow it because the story was started before this contest?
Polyamory challenge accepted.
/Can it be a sequel?
I would jawdrop so hard if I finished List 2 by the 28th.
Hmm, do one of the characters have to be a part of the main six, or can we keep this to background ponies if we wanted to?
Doesn't really matter much, I have plenty of ideas (regrettably, most of them being TwiDash), but it'd be nice to know before hand.
Anyway, this is just another little piece of motivation to get writing, I'll take it
Ok, this may sound like a stupid question, but what are these key things?
Also, hmm....
I may give it a shot. I've been wanting to try and write a story anyways. 
Someone should write GildaPie for this! Now that would be original! I mean... I personally wouldn't read it but it would certainly be original!.. I'm sorry.
Ignore me, I'm extremely drunk. Um, if you want to I mean... that would be ok with me... SORRY!!!
twilight.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/133944790110.png
>Write a story
Fuck
Me no can wright
386551
Delicious exposure...
How out-there of a ship does this need to be? I mean, I can think of, say, 5 ships that I would think of as the most common, but a lot of others that I would consider "common". Do you really want us to aim for "rare" ones, or do you just want us to avoid the most common ones?
What comes to mind as "common" ships to me are ones like SoarinJack and TwiLuna.
386601 //dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_RageFace.png
What's the date this has to be done by?
This sounds mighty interesting, though I have no idea what the prizes really are but in all honesty I don't really care. Just sounds like fun. However, I do have a few questions.
1. Is Raridash considered uncommon enough to work for this? It's far from as common as I'd like it to be, being my favorite ship and all, but it's not exactly a rare ship either.
2. By closing date do you mean that the story needs to be completed in full by then, or that needs to have at least been started and meet the 10k word requirement? Such as with an unfinished multi-chapter story.
Well, I had an idea floating around for an Apple Pie fic, and now this gives me an excuse to actually put some words in it.
...instead of just doodling pictures of Pinkie wearing AJ's hat in the margins of my homework.
...
Yeah, ok
Challenge accepted.
10K words with stringent guidelines featuring subject matter people never touch should be easy for a first time fic, right?
(I also look forward to you somehow reading and judging the monstrosities produced by such a contest)
Hmm. *tacks 500 words on Mood Wings to get to 10k words*
There, done!
Have some DeLight shipping! 
"Nothing under 10,000 words."
Wow. Good luck, everyone else.
Oh pony, I don't understand what the prize is, but I wish I could write. This sounds fun, and needs a bit of Twijack (applesparkle?)
You're amazing for doing this, TAW :3
387019
"I realise that this is not something you do over a weekend. As such, the closing date will be November the 28th. That's a lot of time to take your time and make something amazing."
386135
I don't know, try it.
386137
I'm not an unbiased judge. I want to leave last place for somebody else.
386167
Yes. If you make it clop, however, you will not win. Personal taste, but I'm the judge.
386183
I say "crack" in execution, not the pairing. If you think you can make Snails x Celestia feel realistic, then do it. I just won't accept any story that relies on the absurdity of the ship as its plot. Cadence x Celestia could be amazingly interesting if pulled off well, ideas like that would get so many bonus points.
386185
Something like that. You'll also win a free visit from me. And a baseball bat.
386202
Yes.
386261
The keys are a token gesture, nothing more. The real prize is your own accomplishment.
386203
Basically, take this thought process if you're asking "how would it work?" then it's fine. If it works, that's awesome.
386358
Sure. FlutterMac is a bit too done to be special, but other Macs are cool.
386373
Submit your 100k fic you've been secretly writing since s01e01, I don't mind. I don't really care, two months is plenty of time to polish something over the length limit so I think all that extra time will grant you is length, which is not explicitly an advantage. Thus, it's fine.
386374
Write FOE 5, Return of FOE if you like. Just... make it good.
386403
You can do background characters. Give them strong, likable characters, and I won't even penalise for it. Might be harder, though.
386410
It's a small collection of indie games. Something to ensure any winner never has time to write again.
386723
I don't want to be too constraining here. TwiLuna has a lot of stories, I'd call that common. TwiCadence doesn't, I wouldn't call that common. Make your own judgement here, and I'll make mine. Feel free to contact me with inquiries on specific ships, but be aware that something almost-nearly common but pulled off with amazing style and fresh concepts will not do at all badly.
387042
RariDash is common? I wouldn't say so, really, unless I've missed a lot. Feel free to RariDash.
The closing date is the date I want it done by. If you're 10% off of the ending of an amazing multi-chapter fic, then tell me, because I will not be unmoving over these things. If you need another few days, that's fine--it'll take a while to judge anyway.
387174
It contains AppleDash. Insta-fail.
387223
<3
I feel bad for locking out artistry this time around, but last time was mostly art so I figured I'd switch it up. You non-write guys are still awesome in my books!
387283 Maybe you could count it as an incentive to update a certain Twidash fic *Blatant Hint* *Hint*
387288 or a certain Crysalis fic