THE WAR STORY CONTEST WINNERS FEATURE
FIRST PLACE >>>
A moment on the road
On a road from Loimola towards Suvilahti, early March 1940...
Something blew up ahead on the dark blue road. Rucksacks no longer felt heavy as their carriers threw themselves into the ditch, crawled behind rocks and trees. Snow fell from the nearby spruces like a white powder. Some were still covering their heads and rifles with their hands, as some lifted their faces from the ground. Men stared at each other's faces with uncertainty.
What should we do? Was the enemy somewhere near? Was someone hit? Did someone else piss his pants?
As the ringing echo of the explosion disappeared into the night, distant gunfire was heard ever clearer now.
by *
tuomaskoivurinne(In the words of the judges, =
doughboycafe and/or ~
CJWilde)
Why it won: Absolute realism, in both military structure, behavior, and in war itself. I saw these kids clearly in my mind's eye marching to war. Also, clear wording, no bones made about the war, could have been the set up for a novel.
Best Line:
It was their first day and they hadn't even reached their Company yet. They were fresh. Still in their boyhood. The 2nd Company had been mauled pretty badly. More men were needed. SECOND PLACE >>>
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by ~
PlayinTheDead(In the words of the judges, =
doughboycafe and/or ~
CJWilde)
Why it won: This gets my Above and Beyond award. The attention to every little detail is amazing. It's a full fledged, start to finish story with very good characterization, and the setting is fully realized in every possible way. It is a little dense, but it is so well worth the read, for all the sadness and story it gives you.
Best Line:
«He's dead.»
«Ah. Is he?».
«Yes.»
I open my eyes to the dark room. They fell on the window. There are lights through and beyond the pane, small globes like fireflies.THIRD PLACE >>>
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by ~
Snapcat456(In the words of the judges, =
doughboycafe and/or ~
CJWilde)
Why it won: The writing. ~Snapcat456's imagery was brilliant and I cannot say that I enjoyed a single second of reading this, which really, is what war fiction is supposed to do: You are never supposed to enjoy reading it. You are supposed to cringe away from it because it's too close to home, because it's so ugly, and we certainly weren't spared that here. Plus it had hands down the best opening line, see below.
Best Line:
Lieutenant Charles Meriwether died on some day in August, 1917 in Festubert, France and I couldn't be stuffed to care about it.HONORABLE MENTION >>>
having held on forever to the hope of knowingyou read arrows, archer, from some secret sage;
before the battle, my teacher took your thumb from the bow,
(sound spying, how your arrow went whistling)
recalling the rush in your five-full fist.
so I, archer became, yet you brave,
never bitter for the bow, fought the forfeit feud.
you have history’s heart: and I won a war.
by *
Vigilo(In the words of the judges, =
doughboycafe and/or ~
CJWilde)
Why it won: I couldn't let this piece go. I love it too much. It is a story of course about an epic war, but for only having seven lines it captures the main character so very vividly and related back to the contest prompt so well, that I had to place it.
Best Line:
you have history's heart: and I won a war. PS
(I would be so very humbled if you took the time to check out lovely =
doughboycafe's feature and interview of the
Grand Prize Winner,
who unbelievably, turns out to be =
Sammur-amat-ME
Hear me make a silly sap of myself over HERE-->>
The War Story Contest: Grand Prize ShowcaseI wasn't planning at the outset of the contest to give a grand prize, but, along came one entry that I changed my mind. I felt very personally attached to it, for reasons some of you may know, and I did not feel I could judge it with the rest of the entries. However, that being said, I believe this piece needs to be showcased, as I am hoping that the author will pursue it and expand it; it's well worth your time to read.
Congratulations, :iconSammur-amat:.
What immediately struck me about this piece was the fact that it did not back away from what is a topic of modern-day relevance, and one that is still a very contentious issue in certain parts of the world. Certainly the Gulf Wars are not easy for anyone to talk about without firing up a heated discussion. But the piece is daring, and I appreciate the frankness and the boldness of it.
Second is the 'time-lapse' effect the piece had; so long after the fighting the results of the war are still very apparent, on
Thank you to infinity and beyond Ms. Jen and all you other darling members of this dA family of mine
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CELESTIAL MEMORIES- Big Contest(Win 1 Year PM) WINNERS FEATURE
FIRST PLACE-----------------------------SECOND PLACE-----------------------------THIRD PLACE
---------------:thumb342151619:---------------
BY
*
SprinkleSprankles----------------!
Kymira12--------------------------------~
laexdreamHONORABLE MENTIONS
Chosen by ~
FinalLegacy1:
Celestial MemoriesThis is a story
I'm sure you all know,
About a lovely little woman
And her Mr. Scarecrow.
It all began
In a small town like any other.
Where our main characters lived:
A little girl, her father, and her mother.
The family lived
In a small farmhouse,
In a tiny little town
[Yes, fit for a mouse].
The children who lived there
Were very close-knit,
But when Tabby wanted to join
Her father threw a fit.
He would sit her down
And tell her ever so nicely,
"You don't need friends,
All you need is family."
Then, little Tabitha
Would walk to her shelf
And play with her toys...
All by herself.
Her mother was the only one
Who noticed Tabby's loneliness.
She was the only one
Who understood her stress.
She tried her best
To distract Tabby's mind.
They played games
Like pretend and search and find.
Sometimes Tabby's mother
Would teach her new things:
Like sewing, and farming, and working with hay,
[The basics for living a pretty nice life]
So that maybe, just maybe, on one fateful day,
Tabby just migh
-----
Celestial Memories When I was little, I used to want to be a ballerina.
I was so convinced I would be, in fact, that I walked on my tiptoes everywhere I went, no matter what I was doing. I eventually grew out of that dream, but I never stopped tiptoeing around.
Partially because it had become a habit, but more so, I think, because it was and is so useful.
Right now, for instance.
Have you ever been so incredibly curious about something that you just couldn’t help yourself? That you just had to know, no matter what?
That would be my excuse, so I hope you keep it in your mind.
I am currently standing outside my parent’s bedroom. You wouldn’t be wrong to say I’m eavesdropping.
Why? I was walking by, minding my own business, when I heard my name.
“… all because of Rhea…”
I c
-----
GoneThe night sky loomed above, overcast with the recent showers. Fog gathered in clusters, suffocating the base of the mountains of the surrounding valley. Thousands of luminous lights dotted the charcoal sky, as if leading a wanderer to the goal of their expedition.
In the center of it all, the world falls away, worries are forgotten, simple anxiety is melted away. Memories tasting of nectar fill the mind, drawing a smile from dissatisfied lips.
Stretch out against the flourishing hills, let the pasture pillow a descent as a breeze carrying the scent of lilies makes its way into the secluded area.
Watch the remaining light of the sun seep in
-----
To the little girl I once was To the little girl I once was, and I will never be again- this is for you.
One day you will look to the sky; dwelling in what are now celestial memories, they are stardust now. There will come a time when you will be too tired to function; living will seem futile, no life will seem futile- all that work, and you will still just die and be part of the great nothingness of the past. You will look back on memories; and cry for them; because all the happiness all the emotions they once held have died all too long ago. The people in them are no longer your friends, their surface scratched away years ago, and they left dents in your heart tha
Chosen by ~
intricately-ordinary
Celestial Memoriestrust flees from the Earth, dodging the pale moon and
arcing over gaseous planets, setting out to escape this
galaxy…searching for binary stars to settle upon, twin
infernus spheres interlocked with each other’s life…
Greeks believed the Sun revolved around we[aklings],
shoddy excuses for forms of life…knowledgeable of the
world yet ignorant of themselves (and others)…forsaken
intelligence lost amidst bleeding hearts and decaying
cerebral cortices—trapped in pyramidal waves where the
sun hid between bleached stones, shifting sands framing
golden rays—beauty lost in the span of a millennium nev
-----
SupernovaeWhen Lydia burned out the other day
As adolescence aired its final fumes,
Her crimson casing's cauterizing flame
Congealed into her caustic, cosmic tomb.
But following her nebulous display,
We'd found she'd blossomed beautifully--her plume
Escaped description, though to our despair,
We found no Lydia retained in there.
-----
Burnt Sienna IIBurnt Sienna
feet stride slowly along
a trail of sand that stretches past the horizon,
past suns obscured by occasional eddies of stardust.
The traveler makes it all the way to a sizzling, melting moon
before it sends her sloshing back to earth and
crashing once more into the land where the only noise is heat.
The unfortunate soul spits sand and liquid moon rock from cracked,
clay-covered lips and wishes it tasted more like chocolate
than centuries-old copper.
Searing the soles of the wanderer’s feet,
sand scrapes against blisters long popped,
but she rubs lukewarm poultice to stave off the pain.
The motion conjures recollectio
Chosen by ~
NinjaWarrior13
The universeThe magic of the universe is that it never ends
No matter what depths you're in you'll always find a friend
The magic of the universe you can never stop exploring
You could twirl about the milky way, through stars you'd be soaring
The feeling of the universe, soft and gentle skies
Has secret hidden but never telling lies
The feeling of the universe so kind and at bliss
The royal stars my face they did kiss
The wonder of the universe it holds one and all
I'm just something little, something small
The wonder of the universe its galaxies are millions
The length is light years by the trillions
The music of the universe so sweetly it d
-----
A celestial songOnce upon a time when deep Voices spoke to me from far away, I was grateful to these listening.
It was like an anxiously waiting, all my thoughts were moments when everything was sublime.
And now that the Voices are gone I still remember it in my mind.
These are my memories, when the World was closer to the chaotic stars, before it took its present form. I was alone and I was waiting the Voices.
I admit that I hadn't link with this World that was growing, but this was the era when the Voices rang loud and uninterrupted. Only in stillness I had the opportunity to realize that there was a small silent planet near me.
This was a long time ago, b
-----
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"I want to kiss you like a song" CONTEST WINNERS FEATURE
FIRST PLACE ♥
Kiss you like a song
I've seen you when you're listening. Your eyes close, and you grow still. You let the words, the melody, wash over you. You let go. Sometimes you sway a little, like you're slow-dancing with the neighbor's ghost. You once told me that you could taste it, if it was loud enough. You said you could feel it; the electricity in the air, the shiver that goes down your spine.
You know, when I see you listening like you do, I can't help but envy the lyrics that fill your head. I wish I occupied your thoughts as much as your favorite songs. I wish you would carry me in your heart like the tunes that hold your best memories. I wish I could move you
♥
Kiss you like a song by ~
pierdepoule FIRST AND A HALF PLACE ♥
Like a SongI want to hold your hand,
like a song
that we compose
under candlelight stars.
Your major thirds
clash with my perfect octaves.
And as you take my hand,
you lose yourself
In the crowd of people dancing.
I want to embrace you,
like a song,
tenderly kissing my lips
with sweet ecstasy.
Your crescendos
meld into my decrescendo.
And as you hold me,
I lose myself,
In the warmth of your wool sweater.
I want to kiss you,
like a song,
embracing my ears
with dulcet tones.
Your harmonies
intertwining with mine.
And as you twirl me around
we lose ourselves
in the arms of our winter melody.
©2013
♥
Like a Song by ~
LoveislightblueSECOND PLACE ♥
Happy New Year, loveSuddenly, the nights seem to end so much quicker and the days just keep dragging onto forever. Futility overcomes me as I continue being spread too thin and snap. I am caught in these moments where I finally forget all the rules, all that need not- cannot be spoken, and capsize under the bludgeoning weight of your smoldering stare. Don't you dare; my body is drenched in crude kerosene holding a matchbox in one hand and a single stick in the other, waiting on your signal to strike. 12 seconds are all I need to grab you by the shoulders, push you against a wall, unbuckle your calm and composure, wrinkle away your wry smile, place my hand upon y
♥
Happy New Year, Love by =
Sammur-amatTHIRD PLACE ♥
♥
Stuck in My Head by ~
SingWithTheWindHONORABLE MENTIONS
MiscommunicationsI want to kiss you
like a song
but not this one—
with the minor chords
& ailing octaves
that you misread
as romance.
Winter is doing
its slow crawl
across the sky
like wool
& I cannot eat
any of the stars
you’ve seen in
the gnarled woods
you call a home.
You like
the overcast
like overcoats
on the ceiling
& I never knew—
I always imagined
a sun large enough
to swallow us both
like an atomic bomb.
This song smells
like last embraces
& my ceiling is
covered in snakes
thick as telephone wires
crossing over my head—
I’m always pressing
my ear to the pillow
to hear you
& your skeleton
that strums itself
by ~
schriftsteller ♥ ♥ ♥
Android LoveThey say it's bound to fail
Like I'm loving chainmail
But I surely affirm
That they are wrong
I want to kiss you like a song
Her perfume makes me smile
It's found in the mechanic aisle
Although I haven't known you long
I want to kiss you like a song
Some think it's rude
But Asimov would approve
She'll party dusk to dawn
I want to kiss you like a song
by *
Blacksand459 ♥ ♥ ♥
existing in a nightmare of romantic schizophrenia.brokenhearted metaphors litter
the floor she paints her
pictures, little bits of
memories scattered through
a room that is colder than
the fingertips of the artist.
hands are beckoning, but
there are no sweet nothings
murmured into the ear of
the catatonic lovechild
unable to process compassion.
heart to heart, head to
cheek, cheek in tongue as
the improprieties that
once arose are cremated and
tossed into the air of
the present, not saying a
word, but deafening silence
envelopes these children,
i want to kiss you like a song.
hands will intertwine as
the flesh of the past
is rubbed down raw from the
incomparable love of the
artist, breaths
by ~
otakuplaywrightCONGRATULATIONS TO ALL YOU WONDERFUL WINNERS
`anmari has been spreading her infectious positivity throughout our community for over 6 years. Throughout this time Ana has been at the core of all things devious, passionately developing an eclectic gallery, helping organise devmeets, participating in chat events and also recently completed dedicating her time as a Community Volunteer. We are absolutely delighted to bestow the Deviousness Award for May 2013 to `anmari, congratulations! Read More
Sta.sh
this feature and these wonderful works of art, thank you!
by *tuomaskoivurinne
<3
Congratulations once more!