I seem to be having a good run

As I write this, You Remind Me Of You is not quite finished with its five-day Featurebox run — but my big recent news is actually about two stories which got an order of magnitude less attention.

Last weekend, Cynewulf released the results for her worldbuilding contest — and my strange "how gothic clubbing destroyed the Crystal Empire" romance Queen of Clubs came in first place!

And this weekend, Aragon wrapped up his comedy contest — awarding first place (and many superlatives, echoed by the comments section) to my Terry Pratchett homage Watch! Watch!

If you skipped those — especially the latter — this is an excellent time to rectify that. First, because when I say that they're enjoyable stories, there's a total of $225 in prize money backing me up. And more importantly, because I've just hit publish on WW's epilogue!

The comedy contest rules limited entries to 12,000 words, and I ran long, so with the deadline closing in I snipped 600 words of denouement and ended just past the climax, planning to publish the rest later on for a full "director's cut" edition of the story. That's up now — and further edited and expanded, bringing the story to a proper close with a new 1100-word chapter.

(Yes, this means that I won the contest with a technically incomplete story. I prefer to think of it as "my story was so good that Aragon paid $200 to see the ending". Seriously, though, it really is among my best; I've added Watch! Watch! (and Administrative Angel) to my userpage in my Greatest Hits box.)

Comments

[Skywriter]

Could not happen to a nicer dude.

[horizon]

4815022

[Super Trampoline]

4815022
Seconded

[Czar_Yoshi]

If You Remind Me Of You places as well... what are you even going to do with all that prize money? Use it as the prize pool for another contest?

Either way, stringing contest wins is ridiculous. Congrats!

[horizon]

4815025
I have considered it! But first, there's some pony merch a modest portion of it is earmarked for.

And ... well, without getting too much into the details, in a couple of months either I will be doing very well for myself employment-wise or I will no longer have a job, and I have no idea which way those scales are going to tip. So I might have to use my winnings to pay bills — which, ironically, would be the least desirable and yet most writer-like possible outcome. :-p

[FanOfMostEverything]

4815022
Thirded.

[PaulAsaran]

Have I ever mentioned that in contests I see you as major competition? You're the Twilight to my Trixie. So whenever you see my name in a contest, feel free to imagine me as a little Trixie in the crowd shaking my tiny hoof-fist at you and crying out a barely audible "Next time, Sparkle! Next time!".

Although I didn't enter either of those contests, so it's a moot point, I suppose.

[River Road]

4815035
In Aragon's contest we were all Trixie. We all juggled and magicked and blew through our smoke bomb budget for the whole month, and the moment Twilight 'Horizon' Sparkle came on stage and said "Watch! Watch! this" we all knew that it's gonna be another long time of pine cones for lunch.

[CoffeeMinion]

Congratulations! Sounds like there is Time Enough For a great deal of celebration.

[Lurks-no-More]

Congratulations!

Also, this reminds me that I should finish "Watch! Watch!"

[hazeyhooves]

awesome!

now bet it all, double or nothing

[Aragon]

4815035
What! Son of a -- you told me I was your main rival last contest! Was it all a lie? All those nights lovingly throwing darts at each other's portraits, all those hours carefully picking clothes in complementary contrasting colors, did they mean nothing to you?!

4815028
Ay shit, here's hoping you don't get the shaft then. You made the contest a pleasure, and I'm glad you seem to be winning shit left and right. I can think of very few people who deserve it more than you.

[PaulAsaran]

4815059
Now, now, calm down, Aragon. You'll note I called horizon 'major competition'. That does not mean 'greatest competition'. All this means is that there are two portraits on my wall with darts being thrown at them with great regularity. I have no problem at all conjuring fell schemes of literary revenge against more than one individual. Is there some rule stating I cannot expand my goals and loathe more than one author of questionably superior talent while wallowing in my own inadequacy?

...we're still on for our dueling keyboards, competitive gloating, and witty-but-petty insulting later, right?

[Loganberry]

Yay, congratulations!

That was a short comment, as I'm now off to read the rest of Watch! Watch! It's quite some while since I've been as excited to see a complete-but-not-really-but-you-know-how-it-goes story finshed-or-finished-again-or-whatever.

[Bad Horse]

Horizon--the Tiger Woods of ponyfic.

[PaulAsaran]

4815059
Wait, if horizon's the Twilight and I'm the Trixie, does that make you the Sunset?

[Horse Voice]

Congratulations are in order.

But you know what this means? You're the new Cold In Gardez!

(Edit: Whoever downvoted this, by all means PM me. I meant no offense with this joke.)

[Bad Horse]

4815143 There can be only one.

I believe choice of weapons goes to CiG.

[Skywriter]

4815035
OTOH feeling impotent rage and jealousy at your defeat in a contest you didn't even enter is very Trixie.

[Skywriter]

4815239
By all means, get into duels with the LITERAL SOLDIER.

[Axis of Rotation]

first place

first place

Pfft. Neeeeeeeerrrrd.

[BlazzingInferno]

4815029
Fourthed

Sounds like double rainbooms congratulations are in order

[GaPJaxie]

Last weekend, Cynewulfreleased the resultsfor herworldbuilding contest— and my strange "how gothic clubbing destroyed the Crystal Empire" romanceQueen of Clubscame in first place!

And this weekend, Aragonwrapped uphiscomedy contest— awarding first place (and many superlatives,echoedby thecommentssection) to my Terry Pratchett homageWatch! Watch!

orig00.deviantart.net/e294/f/2012/035/d/c/twilight_spittake_by_betweenfriends-d4ol7tw.jpg