Writing Challenges
After paying their respects to our runners-up with some brief thoughts and analysis, David, Allen and Abysmii reveal the campy, colorful and comical 1st-place winner of our New Pulp Writing Challenge. A sincere parody of the genre’s most over-the-top material, we (re)join Cannon Washington as he stoically challenges the Uber-Kremlin’s dastardly schemes in: Justice for All! Part 17: Man Waits for No Time.
Story submitted by Daniel Scamell.
The 2nd-place winner of the New Pulp Writing Challenge is another cosmic nightmare, but this time witnessed through the disjointed epistolary of a mad(?) professor. David, Allen and Abysmii try to put the pieces together and revel in the elegent use of ambiguity in the unknown.
Story submitted by ClericofMadness.
Check out The Fog Report of Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor here.
After some careful consideration, David, Allen and Abysmii begin the process of revealing and discussing the winners of our New Pulp Writing Challenge. And this 3rd-place entry is an eldritch nightmare that evokes an alien city and an exacerbated game of cat-and-mouse with the story’s namesake fiendish entity. But what does this creature want with our protagonist? And why does this story bring up a tangent about Animorphs? (Spoilers: because the hosts are dumb)
Story submitted by A. S. Evans.
Doctor Satan presents the Creative Horror Network’s New Pulp Writing Contest! Indulge in the tales of yesteryear with our newest creative writing challenge and try your hand at the new pulp fiction renaissance.
2023 kicks off with something not quite Short and Shivery. David shares one last bit of SS1 emulation with Allen, and bonds will be tested.
Stories submitted by Troy Wullbrandt:
”We Won’t Leave Orbit Until My Son Learns His Lesson”
"Whole Foods Is Milking Something It Shouldn’t”
”My Daughter Loves The Snow Too Much”
”The Voices In My Walls Say Fight On”
David, Kaela, Allen and Seid read a story penned in one hour with no proofreading or editing to see if the Shortstory1 effect applies; instead we get a new addition to the Wendigo Cinematic Universe.
Story submitted by Troy Wullbrandt.
The incredibly mysterious author of a past DisneyPasta Challenge story asks us for some feedback, and David, Kaela and Benjamin provide… while falling into a fair amount of tangents since this is a much shorter story. Beware of silly padding!
Story submitted by Shark Cake.
This unusual final chapter of our Cryptid Writing Challenge comes to a close as the missing four stories are documented and barely survived by our expert team of Kaela, Kylie, Eli and Ben. Which story will leave the biggest impact on our judges?
“Karen” is by Skill Flea.
”Pale Gorgon” is by HyperThermal.
”South Milwaukee ‘Alley Man’ Still At Large” is by Rika.
”Top 10 Cryptids I Just Created to Potentially Win Third Place in a Writing Challenge” is by Zath.
A trio of mysterious entities from the Cryptid Writing Challenge are brought to light by Kaela, Eli, Kylie and Background David as we look at some of the runners up.
“The Halifax Howler” is by Beth Morton.
”Ethylene Oxide and The Swamp Clown” is by Daniel Scamell.
”The Drudge” is by Plaggus.
But these aren’t are only elusive creatures… Check out our Lost Cryptids Challenge for more info.
We asked, you answered. We have sifted through a number of uncanny accounts of strange creatures and eerie beings unclassified by science, with the three stories herein the judges’ favorites. Join Kaela, Eli, Kylie and sorta-there David as the winners of our Cryptid Writing Challenge are revealed.
3rd place - “The Detroit Harvester” by Dylan Walters
2nd place - “Frosty” by Troy Wullbrandt
1st place - “Thyliidae Africanus” by Schultz
There’s an awful lot of pudding left over from the challenge, and Allen, David and Kaela are going to have chosen their personal favorite flavors from among them to showcase. As it turns out, a lot of our entrants really enjoy pudding-related prompts.
We finally serve you the winners of our Creepy Cooking Staff Writing Challenge! Allen, David and Kaela have tasted nine dishes based on previously-concocted prompts from the CCS recipe book, but only three can appease the staff!
3rd place - “I Named Him Eddy” by Kylie Keen
2nd place - “Bumble Buddies” by Eli Edgerton-Jones
1st place - “The Road Trip” by Beth Morton
The time has come at last for Allen and David to deliberately dumpster dive. With a challenge to write an intentionally bad Creepypasta that seems earnest, eight brave souls rose to the occasion, and all eight entries will be read on this episode. But which will come out on top?
David, Kaela and Papreeka have a hankering for some seafood this episode, but do they plan on going out to eat? Where’ the fun in that? Fortunately they have a handy guide submitted during the RitualPasta Challenge to aid them in this difficult task.
Story by RabidRadioactiveRaccoons.
Taking a critique request from a previous DisneyPasta Challenge-entrant, David and Kaela invite Eli and Kylie from Cinema Nippon and Animal Fact Files to stand in line with them for Pirates of the Caribbean… or at least read a story about standing in line for Pirates with a spooky twist.
David, Kaela and Seid read their chosen Honorable Mentions from the challenge with a little help from Abysmii.
David’s Pick: “Does anyone know this mascot??” by ClericofMadness
Seid’s Pick: “Why I hate working alone at night in Tomorrowland” by Katie Wiykovics
Kaela’s Pick: “The Land of Mice” by Talos
Spinawah (it’s been a while) but we’re back, and just in time for Halloween! David, Kaela and Seid reveal their winners of the DisneyPasta Challenge posed during the summer, and Allen is the sounding board for the truly blind read. Also, some housekeeping and news about where the show is going from this point forward.
3rd - “A Shitty Vacation” by Daniel Scamell (Urkelbot666)
2nd - “He Has The Whole World In His Hands” by Schultz
1st - “The New Mickey Mouse Club Member” by Dartmouth & Friends
Though we announced it in the last episode, here is a formal issue of our next writing challenge, asking our courageous writers to pen a dark Disney tale.
Prizes: First place winner receives $50 USD, Second Place receives $25 USD and Third Place receives $15 USD. Winners will receive their cash prizes through PayPal, so you must be able to provide a PayPal in order to receive it.
Only one submission per writer
Word Count: 2,000 word maximum, no minimum
Due Date: July 17, 11:59PM PST
Sending Your Story
-Send your story to midnightmarinara@gmail.com
-All stories must have titles
-Send preferably as a .doc or .pdf, but can be put in the body of the email
-Please only add your name in the subject area of the email. Do not put your name anywhere in the story, whether it is in an attachment or in the body of an email.
Writing Rules/Guidelines
-It has to be set in the parks. It can be about a ride or experience, or it could just take place within the context of the parks. It should have its main incident within a Disney park or resort property.
-Avoid writing only about Marvel, Fox, or Star Wars (The idea behind a Disney Creepypasta is the juxtaposition between a corporation, normally seen as “magical” and “innocent”, and unexpected terror. Focusing on the above franchises alone defeats the purpose).
-Can be as realistic or as supernatural as you like
-We’re looking for engaging stories, that capture that creepiness factor about Disney that people often forget. The story should easily interweave the family-friendly reputation of Disney with horror
-Judging criteria might favor stories that have a sense of grounding and detail, but that's based on understanding the setting and tone.
The nefarious cult that is Creative Horror congregates around Archdeacon Abysmii, as they judge the worthiness of several submitted tales of rites and rituals. Herein are contained honorable mentions, as well as readings of the Top 3 Submissions.
