News: The Contest’s General Category Winners have been announced!

The General Contest has come to a close!

And I have had to make some impossibly difficult choices. Still, after much consideration and tallying of votes (why was first place a 4-way tie?!) I’ve come to only one plausible conclusion.

We’re getting two first-place winners!

The most expensive option, but honestly, these stories deserve it.

But before I dive into who won, let me highlight some other stories that did fantastically well! Not to say that I’m not proud of all the participants…

Actually, a bit on that before I move on. I’m genuinely amazed and a little humbled by the sheer potential I saw over the course of this contest. So many of my readers, as it turns out, have fantastic amounts of skill. Some of it needs nurturing. I left notes for all of those writers on things they can work on. But what really took me off guard were the number of unique and powerful voices and styles I saw. Some were rough, sure, but it felt like I discovered two dozen really strong writers who just need a bit more practice and time to refine themselves into… competition? Wait, maybe I shouldn’t be encouraging you guys after all… hmm.

Anywho~ Let’s highlight some stories that came very close!

Tarnished Honor, by the WackyWombat is… genuinely gripping, fast, well-told, and might very well have taken this entire contest if I wasn’t cheating and metagaming as a judge. This story deserves your attention. Wombat has been writing SCS stuff for a while, but this story really highlights how much they’ve grown as an author. It’s just good.

The Antithesis Caused My Mid-Life Crisis, by DoomToaster struck a chord with me too. Maybe not as polished, but just brimming with potential. It’s worth giving it a try as well.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author’s work.

A few others that came close… Undercity Ronin, Most (Un)Manly, and CyroGhost. All super cool and unique takes!

But, we’re here for the winner(s), so, without further ado…