BlackAdder's Cantina Space Opera Contest

October Entry:

Contest Entries  (13+) Most entries are going to be E rated but some may go beyond that. #2208434 by Angelica Weatherby- Snowangel

September Favored Tale:

The Conscript  (18+) A warrior has an experience that affects his training #2281506 by BrokenPen

September Entries:
"The Conscript"  [18+]
"The Leader of Javin"  [18+]

August Favored Tale

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August Entries:
"Invalid Item" 
"Once a NewsFinder"  [18+]

July's Favored Tale

In the margins  (18+) A story of a man's escape from a harsh planet and how he became a smuggler #2277591 by BrokenPen

July Entries:
"The Martian Privateers"  [13+]
"Against the Protectors No More"  [18+]
"In the margins"  [18+]

October 2022 Prompt
People love to whine about how much better life in the past was. People tell me they wish life was simpler, freer, and that we didn't have all the kingdoms and federations up in our personal business, with AI watching our every breath - and sometimes our thoughts. But let me tell you my favorite thing about the time we're living in: the transportation.
It used to be public transportation meant sitting 3cm away from coughing strangers on the way to get your groceries. Now it means an hour in your own private cabin on the way to a beach 20 light years away. But the new hot rods! I look outside my little cantina and I see sleek racers and big buses, cheap sedans and ex-military fighters hot off privateering in the Rim. So I gotta ask: what are you driving? And where are you going?



September 2022 Prompt
Dirty deeds and they got done cheap. Now I know many of the folks hear went to the school of hard knocks. As for those knocks, some of you have been giving and some have been taking. Have any of you ever been paid to cause pain - or been hit by someone who had money to gain by it? If so, bring it by the bar! The next round of drinks is in the honor of whoever brings the best tale of paid woe!

Example Entry:

All's Fair  (18+) Tale for BlackAdder's Cantina #2281609 by BlackAdder

August 2022 Prompt
Since you're here, you might know, but I wanted to set up my cantina somewhere I could keep my finger on the pulse of the "trade," if you will, right by the Nexus of Star Nations, where the Crilllian Empire's border meets three of its neighbors. It used to be four, of course, but I haven't drunk enough yet to go on about Strigia or the terms of amnesty that keep me from moving on to greener pastures, so to speak.

Now I'm hungry for news, always have been, but even more so with how tight the Empire clamps down on journalists these days. So spill it! There's a round for any sort of rumors of the state of the Empire you won't hear through official channels: whether it's Alarian spies in high tech, the military actions on the southern border with Myrnal, rumors of unrest out by Glenhaven, or something else juicy and unofficial. Let's hear what you've got!

August Example entry:

Love for the Empire  (13+) Example entry for BlackAdder's Cantina #2277880 by BlackAdder

July 2022 Prompt
What?! You need a prompt too? Well, here's your prompt. We've got a few in the room who knew some smugglers once upon a time. Tell us about your encounters with the Law. Or, if you're the respectable type, maybe you've got a friend whose story you can share...
Or wait a few days for an example - someone's sure to speak up. Just make sure you make your little contribution by the end of July.

In fact, there's a gentleman with a story to share right now:

First Run  (13+) Example Entry for BlackAdder's Cantina #2275826 by BlackAdder

I'd like to try something a little different.
Each entry that is written for specifically the contest (entries previously written for other purposes are not allowed) and is less than 2K words long (including lyrical poems or short stories but not screenplays) will receive a rating. If that rating meets or exceeds 4 stars, it will receive a (hopefully) thoughtful review.

Other entries will receive a short response. Any entry that meets or exceeds a 4-star rating will become canon in the universe of BlackAdder's cantina and will begin to flesh out that place (I welcome naming suggestions for worlds and locations within that universe). My hope is to build this universe over multiple months as the contest goes on.

All legal entries will be rated. As long as at least one entry with a 4-star rating or better is submitted, the contest will be considered valid, and one reward will be given to the chosen entry - this will include an awardicon worth at least 10K and a GP prize of 20K. Let the stories begin!