SIYE Challenges [416] Stories written in reponse to a SIYE Challenge or contest.
Post-Hogwarts [235] All stories that take place after Harry would have completed his 7th year at Hogwarts, or graduated, but has nothing to do with book 7.
Post-DH/AB [280] All Canon stories that take place after DH was released and continues after the last chapter where the final battle ends.
Post-DH/PM [50] All Canon stories that take place after DH was released and picks up at the Epilogue or after, Harry & Ginny married with children.
Post-OotP [1193] All canon stories that take place after OotP was released.
Post-HBP [905] All canon stories that take place after HBP was released.
Pre-OotP [123] All Canon stories that take place before OotP was released.
Holidays [22] Stories centered around the observance of a cultural or religious holiday such as Christmas, Halloween, Valentines Day, etc. This does not include vacations, breaks, trips, etc .
Trophy Room Stories and Authors that have been recipients of Silver Trinket Awards
RSS FEED
Mary Sue Challenge Closed
It’s now time for Mary Sue to take a bow. Her Challenge is now closed. At the end of the day, or midnight as it may be, we have 19 stories to compete for the coveted title of Best Overall, Best Comedy, Most Insane, and Most Profound Social Commentary. I do not envy our judges on this one. Nervous breakdownns, hysterical laughter, and everything in between will not stop our hardy judges from picking the best submissions.
I know reading and judging has already started. I suspect they will need all the time available. I will receive their results by Tuesday, July 14, so I may tally up the scores and post the winning entries on Wednesday, 15 July. So watch your calendars.
I wish the judges some very good luck and skill and a robust thank you for Torak for his creative thinking of this Challenge. He is two for two in designing Challenges for SIYE.
Sir Ollivander on 2009.07.01 - 05:59PM (3 Comments)
Mary-Sue Challenge (2009-3)
If you've ever read a story with a Mary-Sue, you know what to do here. Set during the time period covered in either HBP or DH, your challenge is to write a story spoofing the concept of Mary-Sue. Exchange students; Muggle technology at Hogwarts; Goth original characters with outlandish names inexplicably hooking up with the main characters; they're all yours to play with.
Plot-wise we're not too bothered. But we're going to try something new: go to the List of Titles and pick one. The only requirement for plot is that it should fit the title.
But we're not looking for just any Mary-Sue, oh no; we're looking for spoofs of the highest order, parodies of such magnitude that our sides should split within the first paragraph. So, here are your guidelines.
1. One way or another, show how the exaggerated attributes of the Mary-Sue don't fit into the established world. 2. Include at least three of the following fanfic clichés: a. Author insertion (Bonus points for writing Sovran into it as well.) b. Implausible parentage (Bonus points for including the phrase "Harry... I am your father.") c. Suddenly fix Harry's eyes d. Make the two leads Head Boy and Girl and stash them in a shared Head Student dorm e. Ginny skipped ahead a year f. Harry/Ginny bonded (Bonus points for creative typographical conventions for "thinkspeak".) g. An OFC (Original Female Character) scoring 40 or more on the Mary-Sue Litmus Test h. A MAHOOOSIVE inheritance for Harry, including at least two major global landmarks... and Potter Manor i. Recurring confusion within the story as to the gender of Blaise Zabini (Bonus points for making it "none".) j. Multiple variations of Ginny's real name, at least one of which should be "Cyril" 3. Include at least one of the following clichéd archetypes: a. Super! Harry b. Elemental! Ginny c. Dark! Ron d. Makeover! Hermione e. Leather Trousers! Draco (Bonus points for bringing him down to earth with a thud. Automatic loss for any story mentioning the word "ferret".) 4. Break at least three rules from the Evil Overlord list (or one of its spinoffs); list which rules at the end. Alternatively, 5. Find at least three fanfic clichés of your own and use them in the story; in each case, have a character remark upon them with some variation of "Oh god, not another..."
Rules:
1. All general submission rules apply. Huge stories over 10,000 words are discouraged but not prohibited. R-rated stories are allowed but discouraged. Judges are not required to read stories over 10,000 words or any R-rated stories. 2. All entries must be submitted under Mary-Sue Challenge (2009-3) sub-category under SIYE Challenge and be submitted by midnight, Tuesday, June 30, 2009. 3. Multiple chapters are allowed as long as all the requirements are in the chapter(s) that are submitted by the deadline. 4. The categories for judging are Best Overall, Best Comedy, Most Insane, and Most Profound Social Commentary.
This is a rather looser challenge than usual... a bit of an experiment. Let's see what you can make of it. If you have any questions or comments, just post in the comment thread or contact me.
Not exactly the Pulitzer Prize in news reporting, but a very tight race for our four story-tellers. The thirteen judges had a difficult time with just a few, good candidates to pick from. But in the end, the winners were quite clear. I would like to note our seasoned authors were bested by a relative newcomer to SIYE with his first, posted story. Good show! And now the results…
The winning stories are now prominently listed in our Featured Stories section. Those of you that have multiple chapters or need to do some editing may continue at this time. The Challenge category is back open. If your story is completed, please ensure it is edited and YES, as completed.
The 2009-3 Challenge is coming very soon. We’re getting back on track.
I would like to thank my many judges who worked hard for this Challenge: BP, CM, CP, EB, GC, JH, JML, KC, LN, LW, NSL, RS, & YC. You know who you are. Thank you very much for all that reading and judging. The Challenge would not exist if nobody judged them.
Some authors have asked if I would tell them how well they did in the judging. If you wish, e-mail me and I will tell you your results.
PS: Judge JML, you picked ALL first place winners! Most Excellent!
Sir Ollivander on 2009.05.15 - 06:01PM (7 Comments)
The Interview Challenge Closed
So, the second Challenge of the New Year is now closed. At the last minute, we now have four submissions to challenge our fine judges. These four will be competing for the title of Best Overall, Drama, Security, and Some Serious Newspaper Editing. The judges for this Challenge are experienced in writing stories and judging such contests.
By the time you read this, the judges have already begun to read all the entries and marking up their scores for judging. Their votes will be submitted to me by Thursday, May 14, so I may post the winners on Friday, the 15th.
As you may know, this was not the scheduled Challenge for April. We will try to get back on track and have the correct Challenge for June.
Good luck to both the judges and all authors.
Sir Ollivander on 2009.05.01 - 08:05PM (9 Comments)
The Interview Challenge Update #2
“Ah. There it is I bet.” Mr. McGregor said as he noticed Hermione approaching him with some parchment in her hands.
“Yes, sir. Just as you asked for. I broke it down in groups as to how close each person is to Harry and then by what House they’re in.” Hermione replied.
Mr. McGregor, the outside news reporter, had asked for a list of names of fellow students of Harry’s that would be in attendance. He wanted to start with those surrounding Harry and work towards his inner circle. Hermione immediately volunteered. Looking briefly, he noticed one name from a different house but was in the second group nearest Harry.
“I see that Miss Luna Lovegood is unique on this list.”
“You have no idea.” Harry’s best friend answered.
There are many ways to tell this story. This is but one idea to get you thinking.
Sir Ollivander on 2009.04.20 - 08:30PM (6 Comments)
The Interview Challenge Update #1
Security was totally the Twins idea.
Everybody that was invited was showing up in ones and twos at one of the bigger rooms at the The Leaky Cauldron. George, or was it Fred, and Lee Jordan met each person at the entrance of the room, shaking hands and thanking them for coming. After a little chatter, they were led to a table full of used and discarded kitchen utensils. They were the Portkeys that would take the guests to the actual location of the main event. Each person was to take one item. Then Fred, or was it George, touched the hand holding the utensil with his wand, it glowed a light blue for a couple of seconds, and then they disappeared.
All but two individuals made it to the event. One was a party crasher who just happened to be in The Leaky Cauldron for a couple of pints. The other was a reporter for the Daily Prophet. How he found his way in was not known at the time. But neither of them were getting out of their temporary holding cell for the next 24 hours.
It was later revealed that the utensils were not really Portkeys at all. It was the invisible sticking powder on Fred, or was it George’s, hand. He shook hands with only two people that day.
Authors can come up with many ways to tell this story. I hope this will give you some ideas to go on.
Sir Ollivander on 2009.04.10 - 08:24PM (7 Comments)
Rules Revision in the Works
We've had our site rules in place and largely unchanged for some time now, and we've recently decided that it's time they got a facelift. So we've set up a committee to review the rules as they stand and recommend a new and revised ruleset to the administration.
The committee, chaired by me, consists of five SIYE staff and two authors. We'll be holding discussions over the next few weeks, and will hopefully end up with a recommendation that Robert L Scott, SIYE President, can ratify.
Now, here's where you come in. Is there anything you'd like to see mentioned in the new rules? Any rules you think need changing, anything we should tighten up? Let us know, either in the comments below or, preferably, by email to RRC@siye.co.uk
Please do not debate the rules in the comments; to make it easier for us to list things, please keep it to suggestions only, no back-and-forth. We will moderate this particular comment thread heavily.
Recently, SIYE has developed a strange bug which makes some users unable to post chapters. The chapter looks fine when they upload and preview it, but once they actually submit it, the chapter text disappears. For an example, click here. In some other cases, an author tries to edit an existing chapter, and either the author cannot edit the text, or part of the text vanishes and the author cannot edit the text.
This bug does not affect all user accounts, but thus far we have been unable to detect a pattern amongst the accounts that are affected. The only way to test accounts to see if they’re working properly is for the authors to attempt to post a chapter or story.
For the moment, we do not have a reliable workaround. If you try to post a chapter and find that you’re affected by this bug, please let me know via PM or email (or you can reply to this post). We are working to address the root cause of the problem, and we’ll keep you updated if the process takes more than a few days.
UPDATE: (April 6) We think we have mostly fixed the problem. Please continue posting here or contacting me if you encounter any issues of this sort.
The fourth Challenge (5th year) of the Retro series: After the incident at the Ministry’s Department of Mysteries at the end of his fifth year, numerous libelous and slanderous stories come out in the Daily Prophet about Harry Potter. To get the truth out, Harry and his friends ask Mr. Lovegood, editor of the Quibbler, to bring in an outside, non-partial, news correspondent to interview Harry and his friends that wish to participate. The idea is to show Harry as a normal teenager.
The author’s challenge is to write a story to include:
1) The story is to be formatted (as best possible) and written entirely like a newspaper article. Also posted in any Wizarding newspaper.
2) For security purposes, the outside news correspondent and other invited friends will be port-keyed somehow to a secret location for the interview.
3) The secret location will be any social function where everybody invited can relax and be themselves and talk to the reporter. The social function could be anything (Example: Harry’s birthday party, a dinner and dance, outdoor picnic, etc.)
4) Some topics that are answered but guarded are 1) anything to do with Sirius Black, 2) events leading up to and including what happened at the Department of Mysteries, 3) why the students were not in school at the time, and 4) the prophecy.
5) The time frame is the summer after Harry’s fifth year. The story telling can be anytime. (Grandchild finds old newspaper in attic).
The Rules:
1) All general submission rules apply. Stories over 10,000 words are discouraged but not prohibited. This is not a limit. R-rated stories are allowed but discouraged. Judges are not required to read stories over 10,000 words or any R-rated stories.
2) All entries must be submitted under The Interview Challenge (2009-2) sub-category under SIYE Challenge and be submitted by midnight Thursday, April 30, 2009.
3) Multiple chapters are allowed as long as all the requirements are in the chapters that are submitted by the deadline. Completed stories are highly encouraged!
4) The categories for judging are Best Overall, Drama, Security, and Some Serious Newspaper Editing.
Bonus phrases for extra creativity are the following. Using any or all of them is not required. A good, creative story will always count much stronger than any bonus.
1) “I love [blanks]…everyone should own one.”
2) “It has to be true. I read it in [blank].”
3) “Always beware of [blanks] between March and July.”
4) “The suspense is killing me, but I guess that’s better than [blank].”
5) “You’d make a great cowboy [blank].”
6) “I told you not to touch your tongue to that!”
7) “I love you! Come closer! I want to kill you!”
Sir Ollivander on 2009.04.01 - 08:39PM (8 Comments)
Author's Notes and Story Summaries
Hi folks!
Just a quick reminder to let you know that your story summaries and author's notes are being held to the same standards as the main body of your work. If we see netspeak such as "ur," "chappie," and other forms of slang, the chapter/story will need to be resubmitted just as if we found these sorts of errors in your story itself. Also, please remember not to embed any links in your story, including author's notes!
On a cold February night after Voldemort's defeat, Ginny Weasley finds that her heart had never truly left Harry Potter.Rating: PG-13 Category: Post-HBP, Post-HBP Genre: Drama, Fluff, General Warnings: Sexual Situations Words: 1033 Chapters: 1 Published: 2006.04.04 Updated: 2006.04.04 Hits: 1595 Reviews: 9
Harry went into the forbidden forest to let Lord Voldemort kill him, but he was taken prisoner, instead. One year later, the wizarding world teeters on the edge of chaos as the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters continue to gain power. With Harry believed to be dead, those closest to him — Ginny, Ron, and Hermione — have broken apart as they struggle to find a way forward.
This is a novel-length story. While it contains some action, it mostly focuses on character-driven scenes involving Harry and Ginny, and to a slightly lesser extent, Ron and Hermione. Canon is strictly followed up to Chapter 34 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The R rating and warnings are used as a precaution for some scenes, but the story in general doesn't carry a strong theme of adult material.Rating: R Category: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe Genre: Angst, Drama, Romance Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Sexual Situations, Violence Words: Chapters: 6 Published: 2009.03.03 Updated: 2009.07.02 Status: Work in Progress Hits: 4870 Reviews: 83
The summer after the Chamber of Secrets was hard on everyone. How come no one can remember what happened?Rating: R Category: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe Genre: Romance Warnings: Intimate Sexual Situations Words: Chapters: 13 Published: 2009.05.10 Updated: 2009.07.02 Status: Work in Progress Hits: 8916 Reviews: 59
Ginny Weasley used to look forward to that day every year. Now she wishes it would never come.Rating: G Category: Post-DH/AB, Post-DH/AB Genre: General Words: Chapters: 1 Published: 2009.07.02 Updated: 2009.07.02 Status: Completed Hits: 455 Reviews: 4
Sequel to Innocence Lost. Read that one first. Harry's fifth year. More surprises are in store for Harry and company. Harry has to learn how to handle an evil teacher, an evil wizard who wants him dead. He finds the answers to why he and Ginny can practically feel the others' emotions. Oh, and Harry's parents are alive? He has a sister?Rating: R Category: Post-OotP, Post-OotP Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Sexual Situations, Violence Words: Chapters: 22 Published: 2008.12.24 Updated: 2009.07.01 Status: Work in Progress Hits: 20027 Reviews: 136
How on earth can Voldy get at Harry? Simple... all he needs is a plan, a can-do spirit and an amazingly beautiful girl who can do nearly anything.Rating: PG Category: Mary Sue Challenge (2009-3), Mary Sue Challenge (2009-3) Genre: Comedy Warnings: Mild Sexual Situations Words: Chapters: 1 Published: 2009.07.01 Updated: 2009.07.01 Status: Work in Progress Hits: 187 Reviews: 2
Many things make Harry go back to Hogwarts his 7th year. Not a real good summary. Read it! Its better than it sounds!Rating: PG Category: SIYE Challenges, SIYE Challenges Genre: Action/Adventure Words: Chapters: 2 Published: 2009.07.01 Updated: 2009.07.01 Status: Work in Progress Hits: 274 Reviews: 1
"Why won't you DIE?" Can Lord Voldemort discover the secret to Harry Potter's resilience? Or the other secret that's not in his head? How did Sirius manage to drive back through the veil? Is Ginny really stuck on Harry? How far will Mr. Lovegood go to save his daughter?
These and other inane questions may or may not be answered in this tortured tome. Read at your own risk.Rating: PG-13 Category: Mary Sue Challenge (2009-3), Mary Sue Challenge (2009-3) Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor Warnings: Mild Language Words: Chapters: 1 Published: 2009.06.30 Updated: 2009.06.30 Status: Work in Progress Hits: 138 Reviews: 1
** Winner of Some Serious Newspaper Editing in The Interview Challenge **Xenophilius Lovegood has arranged a special interview for Harry and his friends, and the results are reprinted here.Rating: G Category: SIYE Challenges, SIYE Challenges Genre: Comedy, General Words: 1965 Chapters: 1 Published: 2009.04.28 Updated: 2009.04.28 Status: Completed Hits: 1374 Reviews: 7
** Winner of Best Overall and Best Security in The Interview Challenge **Two months after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries Harry and his friends set the record straight.Rating: PG Category: SIYE Challenges, SIYE Challenges Genre: Action/Adventure, Fluff Warnings: Violence Words: 4314 Chapters: 1 Published: 2009.04.29 Updated: 2009.04.30 Status: Completed Hits: 1797 Reviews: 17
** Winner of Best Drama in The Interview Challenge **An outsider's introduction to the famous Chosen One.Rating: G Category: SIYE Challenges, SIYE Challenges Genre: Drama, General Words: 1281 Chapters: 1 Published: 2009.05.01 Updated: 2009.05.01 Status: Completed Hits: 1334 Reviews: 16
