Project Proteus (competition today only!)

A phone call.

A meeting at the docks.

A mysterious test, and a strange request.

Only two words lead you on: Project Proteus.

***

Project Proteus is my latest work of interactive fiction, and while it may not be the most ambitious (Outpost is going to be hard to top when it comes to that), I do feel as though it’s probably the most responsive. I’ve put a lot of effort into shaping the text itself around the various choices you’ll have to make in order to explore the mysterious Project Proteus.

Taking on the role of a journalist chosen to announce a staggering new discovery to the world, Project Proteus is, in many ways, a story about telling your own story. With that in mind, I’m running a (very) little competition:

In 500 words or fewer, write your own response to Project Proteus.

I’m hoping that at least one person will actually tackle the kind of article that the protagonist of Project Proteus might write to bring their startling revelation to the attention of the general public. However, I realise that might be quite an unfamiliar style for most people, so straightforward fiction is also entirely acceptable.

At the end of the day–you have until midnight on April 1st in your time zone–the competition will close, and soon after I will choose a winner. The prize will be a mention in one of my stories for Flash Fiction Month 2016, which is fast approaching. I will incorporate either you/your name or a fictional character of your choice. You will also receive 100 deviantART points. This competition is also open to non-deviants, so in the event of the overall winner declining this portion of the prize, the points will go to a runner-up who does (giving you guys two chances to get something good!).

Though not a requirement to win, I’d also very much appreciate it if entrants (and people who enjoy the story in general) could do a little something to spread the word about Project Proteus and this flash fiction competition. I’m setting an extremely close deadline partly because I think we all have a tendency to leave things to the last minute anyway and I hope this will spur on people who otherwise would have put it off indefinitely, but on the other hand that also runs the risk of the opportunity passing people by before they even know about it. If you have any friends you think might be interested in the story or the contest, please do send them a link.

Tell your story. And give other people the chance to tell theirs.

I will accept competition entries in any form that is readable by the internet at large. Submitting it as a deviation would be ideal, but blog posts or even tweets would also be fine. Entering is as simple as letting me know your piece exists: ideally in the comments below. As long as it reaches me and you send it before midnight, you’re in!