Forums » Art & Creativity » Official Contest: Short story contest 2025

And by short story, we mean really short stories. The shorter the better. I loved what you all did with this one the last two years so much I decided to bring it back, but with a new set of theme words.

• One entry per user.
• Only users, no posts from characters will count.
• Roll a 1d10 in this topic. Whatever number it comes up on, that’s the theme or inspiration you need to write your story on. You do not need to include the actual word that prompted you in your story.
• Entries should not an exceed a PG-13 rating.
• Edit the post where you made your dice roll to insert your story into it when it’s done.
• Maximum 100 words! Here's a site that might help you: https://easywordcount.com/
• Your story must have a beginning, middle and end.

Themes:

1. Preservation
2. Water
3. Fire
4. Earth
5. Wind
6. Heart
7. Combining
8. Solidarity
9. Trouble
10. Protest

Prizes:

• 2024 RPR tote bag (Real life prize - we’ll ship one to you) Totebags won in contests have some surprises inside them!
• Greater Wand of Epicness - Grants 6 months of Epic Membership
• Wand of Epicness - Grants 3 months of Epic Membership
• Oil of Epicness - Grants 1 month of Epic Membership
• Dragon's tooth - 5 extra permanent character slots
• Box of Rocks - Contains 5 random pet rocks, including a chance for special color variants only available via a box.
• Throwables collection composed of Glitterbombs, snowballs and fireworks

The first place winner will get to pick any one of these prizes. Then second place picks from the remaining prizes, then third, etc. There will be FIVE winners. However, there are more than five prizes so the fifth place winner still gets a choice!

Deadline:
The last day to post a submission is May 26th

I'll give it a try this year.

* - Subject is Solidarity! Story to come.

This sounds fun!

My word is Heart!

Giving this a try.

FIRE!

For the first time, Lucian soared on his newly obtained wings. The freedom! The wonder! It was like nothing he’d experienced before!

But what was that up ahead? A bright, mysterious light! So beautiful, so warm, so inviting…the promise of a glorious new paradise to explore. Eager to experience this divine luminescence, Lucian adjusted his course to go in for a closer look.

The candle flame flickered slightly when the moth named Lucian dived into it and extinguished his brief life.

Let’s see what we’ll have to talk about :

Wind…

…blowing through the canopies

This is going to be fun🙃

[edit]
My little story :

“Aside, aside, I’m hurrying, I’m rushing!"
Leaves tremble and twirl through the air, grass, flowers, branches,
or even trees bend and sometimes break.
Reed moves in waves like the water that surrounds it.
The boats on the water tangle and progress, the sails swollen.
“I’m fast and strong, I wipe away anything”
Anything that is not fixed will clapper, tingle or fly.
Papers and dust dance with the leaves before hitting the ground again.
Rain or snow will do a sideway move, hats flee from their owners.
“Out of my way, don’t stop me, I’m the wind!”

Let's see what my word is!

Edit: My word is combining!

---

Is there a way to say she loved them and...she still loves them? The puzzle pieces she's known for so long.

She tries to push the squares together, but the edges don't line up.

Can they exist at the same time? Not together, just sitting side by side, having touched but never fitting.

The pieces were once forced together in a messy way. Smashed and crinkled, with smooth cardboard edges made jagged and frayed.

She smooths her own piece out the best she can, but the other piece...that piece she puts back in the box. It doesn't fit, and it never will.

Let's see what I get

Edit: Preservation, hmm.

Hmm. I’ll try this. Should be interesting.

Edit: my word is Combining

heck yeah, my favourite contest!
solidarity... story to be added later...

Might as well enter!
Heart, huh? I can work with this

Here's something with a newer oc of mine:

Andrew sat on his old leather couch, reading an old book. He's an old dog, grey hairs littering his muzzle. He looked up from his book and towards the coffee table in front of him, on which is a dusty photo of him and a woman.
He smiled a sad smile. "I'll miss ya, Barb." He said.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of little feet, pattering against the floor. A little kid jumped up onto his lap.
"Oh! Hey little guy!" He said, his smile shifting to a true one.
Although he lost someone, he still has someone to love.

Oh boy! Writing!

Earth, huh? Alrighty, let's see here...

(Word Count: 98)

---

Mother Earth is an unpredictable mistress.

On some days, she's generous and beautiful. Others, she's wicked and cruel. The only thing that hasn't changed after all these years, is that she is our home. I try my hardest to take good care of her. I want to show her that I love her. I've planted trees, I've cleaned up litter, I've cut back on using plastics.

And how has she thanked me for my hard work, you ask?

With a nice, hot sunny day... which caused a drought that killed my plants.

...Thanks, Mother Earth. That was rude.

My word: Combining

---

'
Mei tried combining her two hobbies: baking and karate.

"Behold!" She shouted, tossing dough into the air with a spinning back kick. "Banana bread with discipline!"

The loaf landed, sizzled, then leapt out of the oven, narrowly missing the cat. Her husband, Duho, ducked. "Mei! It’s bread, not Bruce Lee!"

Mei bowed. "I call it... Karaté Croissant."

Duho sighed. "Just open a bakery dojo already."

And then she did. Combining Karate and bakery? Business was kicking.

((LOL))

Lessee... 4 gets me securely grounded on Earth.

---

Enjoy these 98 words where I tried to be a little extra literal. ^^



Once, I could look out over the crowns of rolling hills. That ended when a mudslide swept me down into a valley. I spent ages buried amidst the dirt and rock. In time, a river cut its way through and washed me out to a beach. I moved between land and sea, pushed and blown while the water rose and fell, just another grain of sand along the stretches of the coast. I caught a ride on a traveler's foot, and then another, and more. I rode upon a boot up to a mountain peak, where I began.

Time to do the thing!

Alone he stood…

The sound of the mob in front of him was a cacophony of angry noise, threatening to overwhelm him. They need only trample over him to get to their desires. Only his status as hero gave pause.

Arms outstretched, stance resolute, gaze firm; he wouldn’t bend here. They shouted and pointed, some even throwing objects. Yet, he stood firm.

Behind him, a young girl accused of witchcraft, was cowering. Eventually, the crowd quieted and dispersed, unwilling to attack. The hero sighed in relief. Sometimes, only one is willing to do right, but right must be done nonetheless.

okay i got protest. lets go

Andrew hated his father, but there was one thing he admired about him.

He was perfectly fine with being hated.

Achilles glanced out the window as the crowd loudly protested, before he turned to face his son.

“Aren't you upset that they hate you?” The boy asked quietly.

“They are nothing. I am their king and there is nothing they can do about it.”

Andrew had always thought he'd be just as fine.

So why was he crying now as he heard the shouts?

_”The Levis are no more!”_

He threw the crown to the ground.

Let’s see what I get. Combining

Two boys sighed to each other as they ate their lunches. One only ever had slices of meat; the other warm bread. Both were tasty but flavours turns bland when there’s nothing else to eat.

“That’s it!” One cried out. “I can’t take any more of this. It’s boring and I don’t want it!”

The other looked at his own lunch, then at his friends, an idea forming already. “How about we try a bit of the others?”

He nodded and tried the other’s with his. It was delightful. “Try some, it’s perfect.”

Indeed the sandwich was very delicious.

Let’s see what I get

Oof. Combining. That’s the one I had the least idea on

For the theme!

I’ll throw one in! Word: Preservation. 100 words

---

She could not bear to watch her girlfriend die. Every moment of Lily's agonizing death seized her head; screaming, until she wanted to stick it underwater and succumb to silence.

But there was a man, who offered her everything. A simple vial of an unknown substance that very well could have been poison or piss.

But maybe it did work. Maybe dousing the bottle over her girlfriends lifeless body would preserve her forever. She could not consider a life without Lily.

A deep breath, the vial was poured on her girlfriend. She had to do this. It had to work.

By your powers combined...

We'll see if I can throw a thing together.