Hello all, and welcome!

I don't often bring it up, but the reason that I really got involved writing fanfiction in the first place is that I loved the cuddle stories on FimFiction a little too much. Authors weren't turning them out at a rate to satiate my potentially mental-illness fueled addiction to reading about soft, snuggly ponies receiving hugs. So...I started making cuddle stories myself. To keep the ball rolling, I am holding a contest to jumpstart the next generation of the best and brightest fanfic writers to get into the cuddle business themselves!

In an exciting turn of events, I have two guest judges who will be joining me on grading the entries! First, The Abyss and I have called a détente in our snuggle-fiction cold war, and he'll be onboard as our first judge! He's the author of a number of fantastic cuddling/snuggling stories, including (most recently) The Royal Belly Scratcher. Second, I've brought on board Jake The Army Guy, of Obscure Shipping Contest fame! I'm excited to have such an experienced contest organizer/judge helping me out!

So, I know you're all thinking: what are the Prizes!?

PRIZES:

First Place/Grand Prize: Money. More specifically, $50 of it. Under the table (I spit on the US Federal Gov't).

Second Place: A Full color commission from Tumblr artist Probablydnon (I can't link to her here because she occasionally posts NSFW, but look her up. She's fantastic- for instance, she made the group icon of Celestia giving a spook snuggle to my OC Wave Function). This will include up to TWO characters (perfect for, I dunno...a picture of two ponies cuddling, perhaps!?).

Third Place:A one character sketch commission from Probablydnon (color included if you so choose).

Honorable Mentions:If the judges agree that your story deserved recognition but didn't place, you will receive a STUNNING prize of 5 (five) United States Dollars delivered directly to you via paypal or venmo (Don't have paypal or venmo? Tough, get one of them). The number of these prizes is not set and will vary depending on the number and quality of entries. Could be none, or more than five. Depends. So, even if you don't feel like you can win, write a quality story and enter!

In addition to all these prizes, the judges will write brief reviews of all placing and honorable mention fics in the prize announcement post. Futhermore, The Abyss will blog about the winning stories- and he's got plenty of snuggle-hungry followers!

Okay, so...what are the rules?

1. All stories must PROMINENTLY feature the theme of Cuddling, Snuggling, Hugging, Affectionate Rubbing, etc. What form this takes is up to you. It can be a parent and foal, a couple sharing a romantic snowy evening, one friend comforting another, or even something wacky and crazy you wouldn't expect (a good example would be Luna's Cuddle Dungeon).

2. All stories must be written explicitly for the contest. In addition, the story must be added to this group under the contest entries folder, and you should link to the contest group in the long description of your story and indicate it is written to compete!

3. All entries must meet FimFiction rules, which means no greentext stories, script format stories, etc. , and must be complete at the time of entry.

4. There is an upper word limit of 10k. In addition, Fimfiction rules dictate that all stories must be at least 1k words in length.

5. No overtly rule 34 content. There was some discussion around this, but ultimately sex is going to draw the focus away from cuddles and so won't be allowed. However, there is no rating limit, which means as long as you're not posting clop, things like suggestive themes, drug/alcohol use and adult language will be allowed. Just make sure they fit well into your story.

6. The deadline for submissions is November 24 in the Year of our Lord 2017 at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). Hope that was clear enough. Please note that the potential exists to extend the contest entry date to November 30th, but only if exceedingly few entries are received...so DON'T count on this! If you need an extension due to extenuating circumstances, contact me via PM on site.

So, is EQG allowed?

Not sure why anyone would prefer anorexic, pastel humans to warm, snuggly pones, but yes, EQG stories are allowed.

What about HiE/R63/Crossovers/Universe tie-ins?

You do you, my dude. Just deliver me some good snuggles, and make sure the entry is Friendship-is-Magic oriented.

Judging Process:

Each fic will be rated by all three judges in four categories: Mechanics, Cuddling, Entertainment, and Thematics/Depth. In each category, each judge will assign a score of 0-10, with 5 being 'average' (except for maybe mechanics...see below).

Mechanics:This is your standard story organization, spelling, grammar, etc. As long as English is your first language, this should be easy points for you (9-10 from each judge). If English is not your native language, I'd advise that you find an editor (which is a good idea to have anyway, now that I think about it). If for whatever reason you feel that getting a good editor is not possible or there is another extenuating circumstance, PM me directly and I will talk over what to do with the other judges.

Cuddling: This is what we're all here for (what I'm here for, anyway). The judges will rank the quality of the cuddles/snuggles/other within your story. Are the actions immersive and engaging? Is the writing descriptive, and does it invoke the senses? How does your cuddling tie in with your plotline, and cooperatively improve the other parts of your story?

Entertainment: You can write the most literarily compelling story of all time, but if all it does is leave me bored and confused, it's like I'm back in high school English class. Alternatively, filling your story, game, or film with compelling characters, good conflict, and (potentially) gratuitous amounts of explosions can help to cover up imperfections. Please note that you don't have to make a Michael Bay film here to get 10/10- if a Slice of Life story keeps me anxiously reading, it will score very well here.

Thematics/Depth: This is the sort of je nais sais quoi category- does your story make me really think? Do the characters develop? If it's more a comedy or adventure geared story, do the jokes land and make you say 'gee, this author really grasps humor well!'? If your story is truly quality and it wasn't reflected in the other categories, it will be reflected here. On the other hoof, if your story was written like a checklist and scored well without being inspired, it'll suffer here.

After some fancy mathematics to mutter the issue, each judge will give your story a score out of 100, and either a total or an average (doesn't really matter which) will be used to rank your story.

Do I get extra points for putting your loving pone waifu Princess Luna in the story?

Absolutely. No. As much as I love Lulu, I shall remain impartial. I hope.

That is all! If you have any questions, comment on this thread or PM me directly. I can't wait to see your submissions!

Yo, this'll be fun to follow. I'm still illiterate (except when I'm an editor) so I don't think I'll join, but I wish everyone the best of luck!

When you say explicitly for the contest does than mean I can't add it to other groups even after the contest is over?

6165557
You can add it to other groups upon publication.

6165519
Well you seemed to have brought me back from the dead. This shall be fun!

6165519
I got this.

6165519
Hold my beer...

6165561
Thanks! I think I'll give writing a shot!

*cracks knuckles*

Well I haven't written in a while, but I did just order a Luna plushy online that's specificity designed to be cuddled, so I'm in

Hmmm, I've been meaning to try and do a Luna-Snuggle fic anyway, this is a great reason to actually get it written!

6165744

I'll be sure to give it my best shot!

6165519
Screw it;

Idea!

I'm determined to win this thing (and by win, I mean come in second-to-last, and not last).

6165519
... Another contest?

Fine, I guess I'll give it a go. I already had something in the works anyway.

Oh hey, lookie. More contests. But more importantly...

A contest I might actually dabble in because I could use the practice. Doot doot!

Get sp00ked

6165519
Question: How do we submit the writings to your folder only?

6169970
Not sure what you mean- put it under the contest submissions folder in this group when you're done. You're welcome to add it to other groups as well, just make sure the rules above are followed :)

6170398
Welcome aboard! We're glad to have you!
Don't feel like a failure if you feel like you can't 'win'- if you write a good story, there's a solid chance you'll be an honorable mention! And, regardless of the outcome, contests are GREAT practice.

6165519
Let's do this.

6172696
:D

Welp, I said I would try and I will! I’ve already written the story, just gotta put a little more polish on it. And probably throw up from how nervous I’m gonna be, first story and all.

6165519
Is there a limit to the number of entries a single person can make?

6177738
One entry per pony!

6177750
Okay, thanks. Scrapping my old idea for the time being. I wouldn't of been able to properly plan it out anyways. Just going to add lots of cuddling to another, possibly cuter story. Might even work better.

6165519

Count me in.

6165519
Let's say, what if anon entered and won 1st place but didn't want money. Could that person just take the second place prize and allow the 2nd place winner to take the 1st place prize?

6179924
Awesome, glad to have you aboard!

6179947
I think if both parties agreed that would be allowed. Alternatively, you could use the $50 to purchase an art commission and/or I'd be happy to donate it to a charity of your choice if you'd prefer. You can PM me if it comes to that and we'll figure something out.

6179996
Okay, just wanted to know. Because I don't really want money (if I even win) but I would like an art commission.

6165519

Hm. Cuddle stories? With cute ponies? Is interesting to me.

May try this contest. No promises, though.

6180043
Please do enter!

6180565
I think I liked your old avatar better lol.

I still got time, excellent!
I've got an idea and everything, just got to, you know... actually sit down and write it.

Well, my entry is up, now to see what else comes out and how I do.

6165519
Another question: If the story were complete and turned in before the deadline, would it be possible to make small edits and brush ups before the final date?

6184266
Yes sir- as long as all the edits are complete by November 24 in the Year of our Lord 2017 at 11:59PM EST.

6165519 As with all the contests on the site, I'll promote this one on my userpage in an attempt to get you more contenders. Good luck!

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For those of you who have commented on this thread and displayed interest in participating (and haven't already submitted)- this is just a quick reminder that you have ELEVEN days (until Nov. 24th in the year of our Lord 2017 at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time) to submit your cuddle fictions to the group folder for consideration! Even if you're not sure about submitting, let me assure you that myself and the other judges would LOVE to see your entries- so PLEASE do submit something!

6165519
Alright, I don't know if it's what you're looking for out of this contest, but I'm submitting it anyways.

Sorry, not much of a cuddler, so I improvised a little.

6209630
Glad to have your submission!

Is the story deadline going to be elongated or not? I'm almost done writing my story, but I've been busy.

Unless you have an extension, submissions are now closed! Thank you everyone for your entries!

I sent mine in! :D

6200154

Sigh. Missed out again. If it's any consolation, I was at least inspired enough to write and publish something in response to the contest, even though it broke the word limit rule. So there's that, at least.

6223270
I'll make sure to give it a read anyway! :D I'm glad it got you writing!

Too bad I didn't find this sooner, fluff is my forte'. Ah well! We seem to be kindred spirits, Grant, so perhaps I'll keep an eye out for future opportunities.

6223339
Ooh whoops! I just realized something after seeing Impossible Number's comment! My story is 1,000 words over the limit...can I still be qualified?

Also, is the winner going to be announced on Monday?

6227287
We'll get the results to you ASAP, but Monday is probably a little too early for us to finish up judging.
As for your story, I didn't even notice it was over the limit until you brought it up- so I guess it's okay

6227583
Ok, that's fine...just wondering!

And, thanks!