Contest July-August 2025 Short Story Contest, (entries close August 2nd)

Ooohw, that is an interesting and frightening theme.
See what I can do

Grrr, !mrahil

 

*Claps hands together and starts the menacing rubbing*

Yees... Non-conformity, a theme near and dear to me. Today, I shall be perusing my mind through my library of ideas for one best suited for the task, and tomorrow? Tomorrow I shall commence with the writing? And the day after!? Why, I shall rule the world! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

*cough*

I'm pretty sure that would be conforming to his whims and desires for Dawi-Zhaar to be the main stars of this forum. So by saying no, I am not conforming... but then it gets tricky, because if everybody else does the same, does that mean we happen to be conforming to a cultural desire to object to Dawi-Zhaar? It's like a paradox! What came first, the chicken or the egg? I say neither, I dispute this notion and refuse to conform to the idea that either was the start of the circle, but instead what came first was THE BIG BANG! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

In seriousness... got a few ideas, need to juggle them in my head to determine which ones are most likely to be actual short stories when written and which ones would inevitably end up as a "prologue of something larger".

Maybe... Hmm, maybe not... But that one... Mayhaps...

 

It all depends on the perspective from which one views it. Inclusion of the mighty Chaos Dwarfs:

• would be conformity to the NIGHTBRINGER's ideals...
• ...but, the NIGHTBRINGER is the forum's equivalent of an agent of chaos. Chaos = non-conformity. So conformity to NIGHTBRINGER's ideals is conformity to non-conformity, and hence non-conformity.
• most people (despite the awesome win rate) do not include Chaos Dwarfs in their stories. So stories without Chaos Dwarf inclusion would be the short story norm. Therefore, including them would be a deviation from said norm, ergo... non-conformity.
• since the short story contests typically have somewhere around 3-6 contestants, and typically only have a single winner; winning is in some way non-conformity. Due to the fact that Chaos Dwarf stories nearly always win, including them in a short story results in the non-conformity of being the singular winner from amongst a field of losing entries.

Might... as in the sun might rise tomorrow. It's almost a certainty. For the couple of years that I've followed these contests, I've only ever seen a Chaos Dwarf story lose twice. We can discount one of those as it was to another story that also included the Chaos Dwarfs (which was the only instance of ever of having multiple CD stories in a single contest). So against non-Chaos Dwarf content, the Chaos Dwarfs have only failed to win once.

Scientifically speaking, the egg came first.

 

But conformity to non-conformity is still in itself conforming to that. When everybody conforms to non-conformity, does that then make conforming to the previously established standard itself a form of non-conformity, for you are not following the conformity...

So... by not conforming to Dawi-Zhaar inclusion in my work but somebody else conforming to their inclusion, and yet if I still win, then I am being not then being non-conforming to historical precedent?

Dang it... that word is starting to lose meaning XD

 

In (unlikely) large enough numbers, I'd agree. Once my viewpoint becomes the norm, conforming to it can no longer be defined as non-conformity. My previous equation of conformity X non-conformity = non-conformity would become conformity X conformity = conformity.

That is of course only if my viewpoint remains static. I am Chaos.

Yes, in that scenario, IF you managed to pull off the massive upset, that would be a clear case of non-conformity. However, that is a colossally big IF. For that to occur, three things are required:

1. you can't include CD content in your story (this one is easy and fully in your control)
2. someone else must include CD content in their story.
3. this is the big one, you must somehow defeat a CD story with a non-CD story...
   Spoiler

   

 

Mwahahaha!

I've got it! I have two ideas. One of them I have more of a preference for, but I can't be certain whether I'll do it justice, so fortunately for me, depending on how well it turns out (or doesn't as the case may be) I have a backup plan!

On the morrow, I shall commence with the writing of a non-conforming story the likes of which you've never before seen conforming to the written word!

 

In the same logic will writing a story about a different theme, thuss not confirming to the given theme, be confirming to the given theme?

Grrr, !mrahil

 

I suppose it would. For it to work, the chosen theme would have to be conformity... which in turn would be non-conforming to the contest theme of non-conformity. In which case, any and all themes would be fair game...

• if you write a story featuring non-conformity, you meet the specified theme requirements
• if you write a story featuring conformity, you don't meet the specified theme requirements, however that in and of itself is non-conformity to the theme, so you meet the specified theme requirements

I guess that's it, we've broken the contest. Either that, or we are just playing semantic word games at this point.

 

Hey, @NIGHTBRINGER, you could non-conform to your own rule and actually write an entry in this contest. It would be thematically appropriate.

I'm sure you are pleased at the chaos that this prompt has garnered. And it wasn't even an intention. Tzeentch must have had a hand in this.

 

Unfortunately I have too much mischief to attend to.

 

I look forward to reading such an unorthodox idea. You will undoubtedly be a significant hurdle for those who participate in this contest. With your record, I get the sense that your inclusion is the activation of hard mode for most people.

 

Hmmmm.... maybe it turns out that Hashut is an old one. A survivor left behind and twisted by the power of Chaos.

 

Hey, that was a good, and unconventional idea... maybe you should have written such as an entry

 

I release the rights to the idea. Free for anyone who wants it!