SF's "Write Your Butt Off!" Writing Competition XIV

[Percivalé]

hmmm I might try this out.

it'll probably be at most 2k-3k words because I'm busy/a minimalist but hopefully I can get it done in time.

[blah the Prussian]

Title: Steven

Fandoms: None

Characters: Steven, Narrator

Words: 1127

[spoiler=Steven]This is a story about a young man named Steven. Steven lived in the city of Norwich, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He was born in 1919, a year after the Great War had devastated Europe. His father was shell shocked due to his experiences in the war. Steven and his brothers always had to take care of him. Steven’s mother earned the money in the family.

Growing up, Steven was a charismatic, athletic boy who made friends easily. In Elementary School, Steven would learn about the colors, and addition, and subtraction, and Purple, and such a wonderfully wide variety of subjects. Unfortunately, he also made fun of a homosexual boy named Ted repeatedly. Did anyone ever find out? No .It is doubtful they would have cared, based on the attitude towards homosexuality at the time. Ted, however, would carry the bullying with him for the rest of his life. And so Steven made his first real impact on a person. Unfortunately, it was not positive.

During Middle School, Steven began to expand his horizons. He joined his school’s Football team, and acquitted himself quite well. In Mathematics, he began to learn about the quadratic formula, and Algebra, and Graphing calculators. He learned about the Crimean War, and Napoleon, and geology, and biology, and chemistry, and an even wider variety of subjects. He also got his first girlfriend (and I use that term loosely) in 7^th grade, but broke up with her at the start of 8^th.

During High School, Steven won several games for his football team, and got another girlfriend. This was really quite good for Steven, and made him happy. During this time, Steven’s grades took a turn for the worse as school became harder and harder, and Football practice took up more and more of Steven’s time. He didn’t care. He believed he had found his true calling in the form of Football.

He went to college at Oxford University, hoping to become part of the English Football team, and win the World Cup. He had another girlfriend there, named Mary. They met each other when they were both eighteen years old. Why is she the only girlfriend to be named? Well, because she will stay with Steven for a long time… relatively. In any case, Steven drunk alcohol illegally, he became involved with fraternities, he failed to show up for class repeatedly… all normal things that college students do. As of now, Steven is twenty years old. His future seems bright.

Having read all of this, do you feel you have some form of preliminary understanding of the life of Steven so far? You have? That is wonderful news! As such, I can ascertain that it may in fact interest you to know that none of what I have told you about Steven matters. Why, you ask? That is rather simple to answer. In less than a year, Steven will be dead.

The story of the death of this boy that we have grown to know rather well starts, it can be said, with the beginning of Human Civilization. To document all of that, however, would be rather challenging, and would almost certainly break the 10,000 word limit. So I will not document it. Suffice it to say, the story of the death of Steven really picks up in September of 1939, when the German Third Reich invaded the Republic of Poland, starting the Second World War.

Of course, Steven had read the papers. He had looked on with concern as the German regime persecuted the Jews, and as they annexed Austria. He cheered when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proclaimed “Peace in our time”, holding a treaty of appeasement aloft. However, he hadn’t really paid attention. He was just a simple football player. Nevertheless, one day in September Steven was informed that he was now a soldier, sent off to fight the Nazis for King and Country. So he picked up his rifle and was sent to France.

Despite all of this, Steven didn’t see all that much combat for a while. France and Britain, you see, had taken a defensive stance towards the Germans, preferring to hide behind France’s Maginot Line, as opposed to actually fighting the Germans. And so Steven, in his bunker somewhere in France, read of how Poland fell to the Nazis. He read of the fall of Denmark to the Germans. He heard of how Norway, despite British help, was forced to surrender. And, through all of this, he must have thought, “Is it not a good strategy for fighting a war actually FIGHTING A WAR?!”. Steven was impatient like that. This cycle of boredom that was what Steven’s life had become at this juncture would continue until one fateful day in May.

The date was May 10, 1940. On that day, the armies of Nazi Germany invaded the Kingdom of the Netherlands, smashing the majority of Dutch forces aside with ease. The Netherlands fell four days later. The German Wehrmacht then proceeded to invade the Kingdom of Belgium. Sweeping through the country, they encircled the British troops in the north of Belgium, and pushed through the forested south of the country. They then penetrated into the Ardennes forest that acted as the border between Belgium and France. Sweeping aside the meager French forces that were defending the area, the German Panzers pushed through northern France almost completely unopposed. The seventeenth Panzer division headed towards the city of Rheims, in Picardie. Standing against them was the fourth British Infantry division, of which Steven happened to be a part. It was these circumstances that directly lead to the death of Steven.

Steven’s division took up defensive positions around Rheims. They got behind their anti tank guns, prepared to fight. They were ready to give their lives for their country. They would take anything those Nazi bastards could throw at them, and throw it right back! They would fight, by Jove, and they would win!

As the first Panzers came into view, Steven scrambled down, ready to fire. He waited for his partner to load the gun, and fired. Miss. Steven’s heart sank. The Panzers drove closer, brushing away all fortifications like they were nothing. Steven couldn’t believe how something so large could move so fast.

And then, Steven noticed something. Something out of the corner of his eye. In the grand scheme of things, it really does not matter in the slightest if Steven noticed it or not. It would not have changed anything. But, regardless, Steven noticed it.

It was a Panzer. And it was pointing it’s gun right at him. It fired. And, in an instant, Steven was gone.

And that is the story of the death of a young man named Steven.

My thoughts: I got this idea from pondering the pointlessness of war. The choice to have there be no dialogue was intentional. The story is mainly about the narrator. You can decide for yourself who he is.

Edited March 26, 2015 by blah2127

[Etria]

Just to make sure: this is a general contest, right? Not just FE, but all fandoms and original (if you want)?

[Anacybele]

That's what the OP says, yup. "Anything goes!"

[Sunwoo]

For this week, yes, anything goes. It doesn't have to be about FE, nor does it have to be about any fandom in particular. However, the host of each week will change, since the person who wins the previous competition gets to host the next competition, and the other hosts may decide to hold a thematic competition in which your scope is limited, so just be sure to pay attention to the week's theme.

[Magical Glace]

Speaking of host changing, it's all in this thread, correct?

The reason I ask is because of the Roman Numeral I in the title.

[Florete]

Oh, this seems like a neat little thing, and I want to be writing more. One question, though: who are the voters?

If I get inspiration I might write something, but it doesn't just come to me when I want it so I might wait for a more specific topic in a later round.

[Sunwoo]

Speaking of host changing, it's all in this thread, correct?

The reason I ask is because of the Roman Numeral I in the title.

I'm debating on whether to leave it all in this thread or create a new thread for every week. Since each cycle runs for 2 weeks, the clutter shouldn't be ~terrible~ and written works is a slow section as is, but if people think that it's better to keep it in one thread I'll just include a link to the beginning of each week in the OP.

Oh, this seems like a neat little thing, and I want to be writing more. One question, though: who are the voters?

If I get inspiration I might write something, but it doesn't just come to me when I want it so I might wait for a more specific topic in a later round.

The voters are anyone who cares enough to read through the entries and put a vote down. It could be the entrants, would-be entrants, or random people coming by to read stories. I'm a bit worried that this system could be abused in some way, though, so if this system doesn't work or continue to hold up I'm always open to suggestions on how to make a better voting system.

[Magical Glace]

It feels kinda spammy to have a new thread each week, so I'd say keep it here. Your call though.

[Sunwoo]

Well, I'll ask all the other entrants which option they think is better. If we do keep it in this thread, at some point we'll likely want to make a new one if it gets too huge.

[Anacybele]

I don't see why we can't have a new thread for every contest. This is how it's done with the spriting contests, so...

[eclipse]

I'd keep it to a single thread, and if you're not around to update, I can help~!

(in the middle of writing something)

[Sunwoo]

In that case, we'll keep it to a single thread for now. But if the thread passes a certain number of pages, like say 50 or so, we might want to consider starting a new thread just so things will be easier to find and keep track of.

[Dragoncat]

I am now entering! Expect it soon.

[blah the Prussian]

I'd recommend a single thread to start with, but change to a new one once the thread gets too big.

[Anacybele]

Meh, I would still prefer separate threads, but it's your contest, Sang...

[Snowy_One]

Late entry thingy... Might be willing to join in if it's not too late, though I somehow suspect it is.

[Magical Glace]

Late entry thingy... Might be willing to join in if it's not too late, though I somehow suspect it is.

you should be fine, so long as you submit by March 29, 11:59:59 PST.

[Anacybele]

Don't worry, the deadline isn't until the 30th, I believe. Sangyul's OP says contestants get one week to submit their entries. She posted it on the 23rd. A week is seven days. 23 + 7 = 30. So you have three days. :)

[Magical Glace]

Don't worry, the deadline isn't until the 30th, I believe. Sangyul's OP says contestants get one week to submit their entries. She posted it on the 23rd. A week is seven days. 23 + 7 = 30. So you have three days. :)

The post after my entry was:

Rules have been updated, I assume it won't affect most of you but take a look if you wish to do so.

Also, those wishing to enter need only to post their writing in a spoiler tag once they are finished with it. I will be accepting entries until March 29 11:59:59 PST, so there is still time left. Glaceon's entry is a good example to follow for future entrants.

[Anacybele]

Um, okay? I don't see what your point is other than to prove me correct. I meant that entries have to be in by the 30th, not on the 30th.

[Magical Glace]

Um, okay? I don't see what your point is other than to prove me correct. I meant that entries have to be in by the 30th, not on the 30th.

Oh, never mind then.

I misinterpreted, I usually consider the due date to be the final day you may submit on.

[Anacybele]

Ah. I guess I should've been a bit more clear myself then, my apologies. xP

[Florete]

Um, okay? I don't see what your point is other than to prove me correct. I meant that entries have to be in by the 30th, not on the 30th.

I do believe the point is that, despite your math being correct, the due date is written out.

Although it would be better put in the OP.

[Anacybele]

Yeah, I understand that now. :P Admittedly, I missed Sangyul's post on the due date, so my bad for that too.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Anacybele