[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun

Inner Senshi Admin Activities Director

It's been a while since we've had a writing contest in the more traditional format. When I was updating the Writing Guild Writing Contest Winners Thread it was so much fun reading all the things that had been submitted in years past! Let's get some nostalgia (after all, we'll be having the 2018 Great Hardcore Event Reread, as well!) and do some writing!

Hmm, perhaps someone could challenge themselves to do just one thing by entering the Contest...

What is a contest?
A contest is an event where Writing & Roleplaying Guild members submit secret entries, based on criteria, and then vote for a winner.
Find out more about Writing and Roleplaying Guild contests: Guild Challenges, Contests, and Games!

What are the requirements for this contest?
Submit an entry that conforms to the rules in the table below, related to this theme:

Fun in the Sun

Entries must be less than 1500 words.
Entries must be rated PG-13 or lower.
Entries must be new and written specifically for this contest.
Submit a maximum of one (1) entry.
Entries must be kept secret until the results of the contest is announced. Voting for the contests are blind—the authors identities are kept secret until the voting period is over and a winner is decided. This helps to even the playing field and avoids favoritism as no one knows the identity of the authors.
Sailor Moon-themed entries are encouraged, but not required. There will be two voting categories, one for Sailor Moon-themed entries.
The winner of the contest receives a personalized winning signature and qualifies for a stamp based on their number of wins.

How do I submit an entry?
PM entries to Sailor Mercury with the title "June Contest" no later than Tuesday, June 26, 2018!
Please include a title for your entry.

How do I vote on this contest?

Look at the wonderful entries, posted in this thread!
Please, don't vote for your own entry!
Vote in the poll before Friday, June 29 ends!
If you want to hear double voting points, submit feedback (via PM) to Sailor Mercury! Feedback will be provided to willing entrants!
Good luck, everyone!

Important Dates
Last day for entries: Tuesday, June 26
Voting begins: Wednesday, June 27
Voting ends: Friday, June 29
Winner announced: Saturday, June 30

Remember, participating in and winning a contest earns points and helps you collect the super cute Writing and Roleplaying Guild Sanctioned Contest Stamps!
[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun UBEjo7B

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun UBEjo7B

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun Ry555Qh

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun YOh8WMo

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun X8BGQEA

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun RKtUK7z

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

IT'S A 1500 WORD MAXIMUM, BLESS

Inner Senshi Admin Activities Director

Last day for contest entries! Send them in!!

Inner Senshi Admin Activities Director

Entry A

Entry A wrote:: Author suggested background music: Icarus by Bastille

The battle spread out beneath him, an army as far as the eye could see, writhing and raging, pushing forward through the darkness, lunging closer by leaps and bounds towards the precipice upon which he perched. Twisted faces screamed and groaned their cries of challenge as they scrambled to meet him, to tear him limb from limb, to rip him to shreds for being the forward scout. Heart hammering in his chest, their cries reverberating through him like hundreds of hammers striking hundreds of gongs, he pressed himself to kept control of his breathing, waiting until they reached the exact line in the black, rocky surface - and then stood proud against them. He quickly pressed his horn to his lips and blew, the pure tone cutting through the air above the gluttoral cries like a laser light cutting through the dark and then, on queue, the first rays of dawn crested the horizon behind him.

Warm light flooded the barren scape behind him - he could see it reflecting off their shining eyes and matte-black bodies as they renewed their screams in rage, climbing up his cliff to seek revenge before the true battle again, but he was prepared for that. Slipping his goggles into place and dropping the trumpet to hang on the string against his shoulders, he took in a deep breath, ran, and jumped from the ledge, spreading his arms wide. As he left the ground beneath his feet and fell towards the writhing horde beneath him, a shiver traveled from his shoulders to the small of his back as the tattoo of wings shimmered in gold and then freed itself from his body, becoming appendages as real as his own arms and legs, twitching once in the sudden freedom from his skin. His mouth a grim line of determination, he locked his wings in place and glided down to gain speed, then angled up, staying just out of reach of their cruel claws. He tilted, turning a tight circle to head back towards the cliff face, soaring above it to bask in the glow of the brilliant sunrise. Peace overtook him and he smiled, relaxing as he coasted back towards the source of that sunlight - the source of alllight in his life:

Sol Apollo.

The young ruler rode forth to meet him, his sun-kissed skin glowing in the light of the dawn he brought with him, his Stars riding their own steeds at his side; the sight was enough to bring tears to the eyes of poets, to stop mortals in their steps for sheer awe of the heavenly sight, and yet the guardians themselves never seemed to notice or give it any mind as they raced forward to fight the forces of the Night and bring peace to their budding Star System.

Venus was brightest among them, the long blonde hair whipping out behind her nearly as bright as her eyes and the grin of challenge as she rode into battle, her whip held at the ready, sunlight setting afire her tresses and making the golden laurel wreath upon her brow glow. Mars, beside her, looked on dispassionately as her steed raced forward, her own hair dark as night, the golden laurel the only shining thing about her other than the tip of her arrow, alight with literal fire as she aimed and loosed a shot into the horde of creatures behind him. Mercury rode on his other side, bright blue eyes searching the line with determination, her fingers racing along the strings of her lyre nearly as quickly as the thrumming beat of their horses’ hooves across the carbon rock beneath their pounding feet. The last of them - Jupiter - urged her horse forward, sparks of electricity arcing along her crown until she pointed a graceful finger and lightning shot away from her to crash into the enemy’s flank.

These were the guardians of this new Solar System, the senshi that would win it for the Light and allow life to flourish within its borders, led by their King, the guardian of the life-giving Star itself, the very man who looked up at him now with those golden eyes and gave him a cocky smile. “Icarus!” he called, and the white-winged scout dove to meet him, as able to resist the call as rocks were able to resist the pull of gravity. Sol Apollo reached up and Icarus reached down, his heart racing for more than just the adrenaline of the upcoming standoff as his hero gripped his forearm and pulled him down to ride behind him on his white steed. As his wings disappeared in another ripple of sensation across his back, he wound one arm around golden-clad torso of the would-be King and raised the horn to his lips with the other and blew once more, the brassy command joined by the whooping call of the Guardian of the Sun as he braced before him, leaning low over the equine creature with his long spear pointed forward. Icarus braced as they crashed into enemy lines with the sun at their backs, tearing through forces as easily as parting waves.

On his left Venus stood upon her steed and whipped her chain around her, the steel slicing through anything it touched, the wound burning with light even as the creatures fell. Mars’s arrows flew into enemies both far and near, the arrows sinking into the ground far into the distance exploding in an inferno as the Guardian of War picked her next target. The music Mercury played emboldened him in a way that his horn could never hope to imagine, and somehow her cold words were heard easily above the din as she pointed out weaknesses in their defensive lines - weaknesses Jupiter immediately sought to take advantage of, grinning madly as lighting sprung from her fingers to turn the creatures back to black dust.

When the first creature survived their leading line Icarus turned back, only for a second, to see the warriors made of golden sunlight quickly engage them, following their creator’s whims as surely as the beings of darkness were driven by their own orders.

How lucky was he to be chosen to be here? To serve any part in this war to claim the territories hitherto left to chaos was an honor, but to be chosen to serve them directly? To be given wings and the ability to call them forth, to ride with them into battle, to witness their acts from a position directly behind him… behind Apollo…

As though able to read his very thoughts, the tall rider turned back, the shining sun-pointed earcuff sparkling in the light of the risen sun behind them, his golden eye-makeup somehow still perfect against his dusky skin despite the battle raging around him. He smiled, at him, and Icarus’s heart seemed to stop. “Isn’t this fun?” he asked, and Icarus could not answer, his tongue somewhere between swallowed and paralyzed. Sol Apollolaughed, and it was like colors came back into the world, his head growing lighter to the point that he wondered if he was breathing. Apollo twisted and ruffled Icarus’s white hair with a golden-cuffed hand, his spear balanced on the back of the horse’s neck as he joyously proclaimed, “Don’t worry, Icarus, we’ll make a Helios of you yet.”

‘If it was for him,’ Icarus thought, his breath and heartbeat returning as the king turned back around and Venus’s blue gaze met with his to deliver a knowing wink that made him blush. He held tighter to the man in front of him - as tight as he dared - and swallowed, knowing, if nothing else, that this was true. ‘If it was for him, I would be Helios for eternity.’

Author: Sailor Uranus (Kyra)

Entry B

Entry B wrote:: "How could anyone want to do something when it's this hot outside," Ves complained. The red-haired girl lay draped across the patio chair on the small deck outside the "historic" Tsukino home, now used as a hideout. The air felt eerily still, thick with the muggy summer weather. The open sliding door provided no additional flow. Ves's two sisters and their princess seemed to have taken a page from her book, listless and vacant-eyed as they tried to do anything but focus on the oppressive heat.

The teenagers didn't even move when the front door slammed shut and footsteps pounded their way over.

"Everyone! Nana and Ruru won tickets to a huuuuuge festival! Palla wants to go!" the blue-haired girl announced enthusiastically.

Jun barely lifted her head. "It's too hot."

The pink-haired girl crumpled on the floor, her pose almost mimicking an area rug, nodded wearily. Even the yellow bows in Cere's hair seemed to sag. "Can't move," agreed a muffled voice.

Palla covered her mouth coyly, the sly expression on her face distorting her features to nearly qualify for a new horror film.

"What a shame," she yawned. "Palla will go to Crystal Tokyo Large Sight alllll by myself and enjoy that air conditioning without you."

The youngest (in how she acted, at least) of the sisters pranced back towards the front door. Cere sat up violently, narrowly-avoiding knocking her head into a low-positioned lamp. Chibi Usa shrugged, but decided it sounded better than their other options. The bait Palla had selected seemed perfectly suited to the companions she fished for.

It only took a few more minutes for the group to board a bus and head on their way.

"Girls!" cried the voices of Nana and Ruru, their chipper voices in unison as they ran over. The teenagers they greeted didn't seem quite as spirited, but they hardly looked as despondent as they had at the house. Even the brief time in the air conditioned interior of the bus seemed to have provided some level of restoration.

"We were so afraid you wouldn't be interested!" the pair sniffled dramatically, clutching hands.

Chibi Usa offered a smile, covering up for the others: "Palla made it sound very nice."

Behind her, Jun released a small sigh of relief. Cere nodded eagerly at the explanation. Ves crossed her arms over her chest, biting her tongue to hold back a comment asking why they weren't meeting inside the convention hall.

"Who wouldn't want to attend the Dermatological Technology Expo!" piped up a familiar voice, followed immediately by the glasses-dominated face of Umino. He had been standing behind the twins, both girls taller than him by a few inches.

Ves slowly turned her head back to face Umino, the first of the group to break their intense stare-down of the giggling Palla.

"Yes, let's go inside. There's so much to see," she replied through gritted teeth. Anything had to be better than standing out here where the harsh summer sun beat down on them, boiling them inside their own skins.

"It's not all that bad," Chibi Usa tried, thanking Jun with a nod of her head as the brunette brought back ice cream from the nearby "Crystal Sixteen Ice" vending machine. The taller girl took her seat opposite the temporarily-incognito princess, unwrapping her own ice cream cone without a comment. Ves declined the offer of frozen treats, lounging in one of the chairs and attempting to maintain a look of blasé disinterest. Cere took a large bite of her own popsicle, wincing at the sudden brain freeze, before protesting.

"Yeah, it is cooler in here, but it's also super boring!" she whined. Chibi Usa attempted to shush her, blushing brightly as heads turned their way and other patrons whispered.

"Is... is Palla still in there?" Jun asked, looking around.

Ves shrugged. They had politely followed their hosts for a few aisles of booths, but although she might have been entertained by a comic book festival, this didn't quite fit her usual criteria. Palla seemed content to stay with the pair—Umino certainly seemed to be enjoying himself—so they let her know where she could meet them.

"Palla found a thing!" called a familiar voice. Doctors and other medical professionals furrowed their eyebrows, a few of them narrowly avoiding collision with the running girl. Palla skidded to a halt just in time to stop herself from crashing into the table, but she reached out for Chibi Usa's hand and almost yanked the pink-haired girl right across the surface. "Follow Palla! It's so cool!"

Ves raised an eyebrow. "What... what is this?"

The young woman in the stylish yellow nurse's uniform gave a small smile and gestured to the device.

"It's called Violetta," she explained. "It detects UV damage to skin. We hope to introduce it to more clinics to use during routine screening for skin cancers."

Cere nudged Jun. "It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie! Like that 'Cryogenic Monsters from Beyond Mars' one we watched the other week!" The other girl nodded; she couldn't deny the similarity.

"We're offering free trials to show off its capabilities. Perhaps the clinics that you work for would be interested in installing one. Would you like to try it?" the saleswoman offered.

"I don't know..." Chibi Usa trailed off, eyeing the metal box suspiciously. It looked large enough to fit a car!

"UV imaging can be used to help prevent aging—" the woman began, but before the sentence was finished, another voice cut her off.

"Oh yes! Our clinics would love to learn more! Let's go!" cheerleaded Cere, grabbing the arms of her friends and practically dragging them with her. Those magenta eyes burned with the fire of a thousand updated beauty regiments. Her captives rolled their eyes, but played along—Palla absolutely gleeful.

The inside of the machine looked as metallic and sterile as the medical facilities it was intended for. The girls huddled together, Nana, Ruru, and Umino occupied elsewhere in the expo. The woman peeked her head in, made a few small requests, and then slid the white curtain across. They could hear her typing on some kind of keypad outside, and then the thing whirred to life, lights suddenly visible as they illuminated to near-blinding.

"Cere, what have you—" Jun started to protest, but as the white light surrounded the quintet, her words were cut off as her eyes rolled back into her head and her body slumped to the floor.

"Wait, look out—" Ves gasped, falling prone.

"What's going on?" Palla wailed, staring at her fallen friends as the tears gathered in her eyes.

"There's something evil!" Chibi Usa gasped, dodging to the side as she sensed something charge at her. Ruby eyes locked on a strange mechanical-looking creature, in concept vaguely familiar, exuding enough evil energy to make it completely clear what she grappled against. "Quick, transform!" she called, hoping the others could hear her.

"Ceres Power, Make Up!"

"Pallas Power, Make Up!"

It was too bright for Chibi Usa to see any elements of their transformations, even the usual flashes of light.

"Frozen Spear!"

The icy projectile whipped past, narrowly avoiding swiping Chibi Usa in the face, but she didn't have a moment to critique her teammate. The creature had released its hold on her, recoiling for a moment, and she called out her own transformation phrase.

"Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"

It screamed—she realized that the monster had been buffeted by another attack. Sailor Moon didn't see it, but she could still sense it was near. She stepped backwards, bumping up against Sailor Ceres. Ceres heard a noise and spun around, sending a blast of petals out at the monster that raced towards them.

"Sailor Moon!" Pallas called. "Here!"

"Moon Princess Splendor!" she cried.

Beautiful pink energy surrounded the thing, hearts and petals everywhere. Thankfully, her aim was true. The beast dissolved, and as it did so the light that had filled the machine faded.

Sailor Moon knelt down near her fallen friends, thankful to find that the two were easy to rouse. When the group of five exited the machine, providing support for Jun and Ves, they were not terribly surprised to see that the woman from before had disappeared. The booth looked deserted.

"Palla, what were you thinking?" hissed Cere. The blue-haired girl's eyes filled with tears.

"Palla just wanted to..."

She paused, midway through her sentence. "Why is Cere so red?"

"What?" cried the girl, fumbling for her mirror. She was red—crimson.

"Usa, too!"

"Palla... Your face..."

Even Jun and Ves shared the same look—as though they'd collectively fallen asleep on the beach, without a smear of sunscreen between the five.

"Detects UV damage, huh?" Chibi Usa sighed. "Let's go. Maybe Mercury has aloe. Gallons of it."

Author: Sailor Mercury (Aurae)

Entry C

Entry C wrote:: “Go on Minako! They said anyone can try!” Makoto pushed Minako toward the makeshift stage, ignoring the way sand clumped behind her feet.

“I'm going! You don't think I'm going to turn it down, do you?” Minako bounced in place, which only made Makoto more determined to push.

“But you are taking too long! Go!”

Rei absently sipped her soda and watched the dramatics. Upon seeing blonde pigtails approaching, she decided to speak quickly. “We all know that you are going to go on that stage – even if you are interrupting our volleyball game to do it. So just get up there.”

Rei scuffed her foot through the sand when Minako's eyes caught hers. “You sing,” Minako muttered.

Rei shook her head, glancing over at the sea. She had considered watching from the water, but this could be a good chance … she did sing. She liked to sing. Singing competitions didn't occur at the beach often, and it might not coincide with their trips for a long while.

“Yeah, you want to do something with her?” Makoto asked.

“Why not?” Rei shrugged “What do you want to sing?”

Minako froze, and Rei rolled her eyes. “You didn't think about that,” she stated. Minako shrugged.

“It's not that big of a deal. I mean, we know lots of songs!” Her chirpy voice made Rei sigh.

“We're only singing one today,” she pointed out. Minako nodded.

That was as far as they got before Usagi reached them. “Hey, what's going on?” she asked a few feet away from them. Then she bound closer, grabbing Makoto's arm.

“Minako and Rei are going to sing on stage!” Makoto laughed, which made Rei glare at her. She wasn't sure what was so funny about them deciding to have a little fun. Her glare did absolutely nothing to Makoto, who continued to chortle.

“Oh, did they say we could try? I must have missed it,” Usagi pouted for a moment before she brightened again. “Oh well, I know now! I'm going to go put my name down!”

Sipping on something that she must have purchased while she gone, Usagi dashed over to the small tent at the foot of the stage. Rei could see the way her weight kept lunging over her feet. “She is going to fall on her face running like that,” she observed.

“It wouldn't be the first time,” Makoto sighed.

Looking at Makoto, Minako asked, “So, are you going to sing?”

“I think I'll sit this one out. Come on, let's go see if Ami is interested.” Ami was laying on a beach towel back from the water, where she wouldn't have to worry about moving for the tide. Minako led the trio over to her, all of them moving at a brisk pace.

“Hey, do you want to come sing? Rei is going to sing with me, and Usagi is going to do,” Minako paused for the barest moment, “Well, I don't know what she is going to do, but she went to sign up.” Flopping onto the ground, Minako repeated, “You want to come?”

Ami smiled up at them, sitting up slightly so she could see Rei and Makoto. “I am happy here, thanks. But I'll watch,” Rei noticed that she had tucked a finger in her book, clearly marking her place.

“Yeah, you'll watch us around your book.” Realizing only after she said it that the words could be harsh, she grinned at Ami to take any sting out of them. Not even bothering to face her, Makoto threw a handful of sand at Rei's feet.

“Be nice!” she chastised, and Rei hissed a little at her. Makoto didn't know Rei well enough to tell when she meant for her words to bite. Rei sighed. Friends were a somewhat novel experience, and having this many of them...Rei wasn't sure if this was how it was supposed to work. She wasn't even sure if this was how she wanted this to work.

Ami, at least, seemed to understand. Of course, she had seen Rei smile, so maybe that helped. “I don't mind, Makoto,” Ami shrugged a little, and Rei waved a hand at the quietest of the group.

“I didn't do anything that wasn't nice,” she argued, and then she pushed gently at Makoto's shoulders. “And if you aren't going to sing, you can keep her company.”

Makoto nodded easily, stretching out on the ground. “Works for me. Maybe I can get a little more sun.” She pillowed her head on her hands, weaving her fingers through her ponytail.

“Okay you two, have fun sitting here.” Minako giggled, and Rei huffed. Minako could never be mistaken as unfriendly. Rei seemed to lack that gift, though it normally didn't bother her. At least people didn't try to make Rei talk to them. “Let's go, Rei!”

Rei followed. Her heart was starting to speed up, and she could feel a smile playing around the edges of her lips. Following orders was never Rei's method, but this order didn't seem too bad.

Signing up didn't take long, and Minako finally chose a song. Rei didn't really care about the title, as long as she knew the song. She could make whatever Minako chose work. So could Minako, for that matter. And before Rei had time to think, she was standing on the stage.

The sun was shining in Rei's face, and the heat played across her skin in ways that forced her to smile. She turned the smile to Minako beside her, who grinned back. She hadn't told Rei what she had chosen for them to sing, so Rei cocked her head to hear the opening bars.

Even when she realized that Minako had taken the chance to chose a song she knew Rei disliked, Rei still had to smile. She disliked the song, but Usagi loved it, and Rei knew what to do.

She even knew the dance, and she shook her hair out a little bit as she started, letting her skirt swirl around her with every spin. She could feel the sand under her feet, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Minako's blonde hair and red ribbon twirling.

Vaguely, Rei could hear the sounds of people playing, and sea birds calling. She could hear the constant rush of the ocean. But all of it was completely unimportant when there was the music and the movement of her body over the stage. The awareness of Minako's movements, enough to make sure they didn't run into each other, to make sure their voices mingled in just the right way – it all overtook any awareness of their surroundings.

Rei couldn't have told anyone what happened outside of the stage from the time the song started until the last notes faded into silence. But she could catalog every breath of her body, and she knew that she had never stopped grinning.

It was all brilliant, and she couldn't remember when she had had so much fun. Perhaps this odd five-way friendship was going just the way it should, then.

Author: Sailor Arkas

Lotus Crystal

Voted!

Inner Senshi Admin Activities Director

Voted!

Lotus Crystal

voted

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

Voted!
~~it may have been a thing I did on monday~~

Lotus Crystal

Voted!

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

A tie!!!
Quick! Someone read the entries and vote!

Inner Senshi Admin Activities Director

Oh no, we have a tiebreaker trend continuing!

Please vote in this thread to break the tie!

Inner Senshi Admin Activities Director

Thank you very much to everyone who participated and voted!

The June winner is...

Sailor Mercury (Entry B)!

Congratulations!

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun U6Q1G4x

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun U6Q1G4x

Lotus Crystal

Congratulations!

Outer Senshi Admin Roleplay Director

I LOVE YOUR ENTRY SO MUCH

IT IS ENGAGING AND EXCITING AND FUN AND ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE AN EPISODE

I ADORE IT. Confetti yay!

i've been psyched about your entry since i read it and was holding in my reaction for eonssssssss ILOVEITOKAAAAAY the end

Inner Senshi Admin Activities Director

Sailor Uranus wrote:: I LOVE YOUR ENTRY SO MUCH

IT IS ENGAGING AND EXCITING AND FUN AND ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE AN EPISODE

I ADORE IT.

i've been psyched about your entry since i read it and was holding in my reaction for eonssssssss ILOVEITOKAAAAAY the end

Awww, thank you so much! That is very high praise that I certainly don't deserve. XD I'm very happy that you (and clearly others) enjoyed it!

Lotus Crystal

Yay! Congratulations - you had an amazing entry. I love the combination of humor and action; I agree that it reads like an episode. Not to mention that the idea of using sunburns and UV rays sound both so much like Sailor Moon and like something I can see someone actually advertising in the real world, which makes it even more awesome. Brilliant!

» [Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun - Tiebreaker Voting!
» [Contest] April 2018: Storyline Storytime Contest - Winners Announced!
» [Contest] February 2018: Mystery Date Night Contest
» [Contest] May 2018: Be Prompt Contest - Tiebreaker Voting!
» [Contest] May 2018: Be Prompt Contest - Winners Announced!

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun

[Contest] June 2018: Fun in the Sun

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