Jo Marshall

Well done folks! Well deserved awards there! @Alora DeVeau Smashed it!

Congratulations everyone! Massive well done and well deserved!

I do love this sim. It underpinned the feelings going on for @Doz Finch in that moment; the inevitability of time and the human experience of loss, as well as the friendship between Doz and Meru. Beautifully written, as always! -- ((Corridors, USS Gorkon)) After leaving the library, with a last and quick glance towards her most dear friend Tahna, Doz found herself in the corridor, its walls imbued by the red alert and the passing silhouettes of officers hurriedly going to their stations and duty posts. To her right and further along, she could see Vylaa already making headway having departed moments before her, the woman's soul no doubt torn to shreds by the reality that her children were now desperately unsafe, and even more dismally, on borrowed time. An officer passed her by, dropping one of his many PADDs, and she knelt down to pick it up for him, the pinches of her cheeks rosy and smiling, his the same in gratitude. She’d known that feeling well for quite some time. Living on borrowed time; as soon as she had turned sixty, it had been as though an invisible clock had started to tick. The inevitability of time…the inevitability of being Human…and the inevitably of being Doz Finch. She was sure of it, you see, because once there was no one else for the universe to take away from her…who else could it take but her? Another officer, this time a Caitian, lost her balance along the wall but was held up just in time by the diminutive engineer who waited with her, until she had gathered enough confidence to carry on. As she began her journey towards the nearest turbolift, her pace a tad slower than some of the others, thoughts coursed through her mind. About how cruel and deeply unfair it was. All of the loss she had gone through. All of those she had loved. Family, friends. As if she was constantly being tested by something…unknown. Something callous. It had to be callous to repeatedly strip a person down and expect them to carry on with their Humanity. And many often couldn't carry on. Confusion from a junior scientist this time, who had wandered out of a holodeck suite with a pale expression, hand shakily gripped around a cocktail. She couldn’t have left him standing there. Not in that state. So instead she stood with him, hand on his shoulder, and for the next few minutes explained what was going on and what he should do next. She thought next about how much Tahna had unintentionally helped her. How she’d properly introduced her to the Prophet’s…maybe even reintroduced faith into her life, assuming that she’d ever had it to begin with. She had gone through so much, you see, that the idea of a benevolent anything felt puerile. Who could have faith in a universe that could so willingly bombard a singular soul with so much grief? It had been a miracle that she hadn’t turned morose, frankly. Well, part-miracle anyway. Her intention had always been not to become that way. Time was ticking. Her colleagues would probably start wondering where she had gotten to. Before reaching the turbolift, she paused next to a viewport…to take one last look. And as she did, everything around her disappeared. The blaring alerts. The shuffling officers and the swooshing of doors. And she just stared. Silent, still, with her arms flat to her sides. Into a galaxy ruled by Borg. Into the face of a universe that had taken so much from her. Alone. Fin - End Credits -- Lieutenant Doz Finch Assistant Chief Engineer USS Gorkon NCC-82293 C239809SH3

Our judges have spent the last week deliberating through all the entries and finally revealed that the winner of the Writing Challenge 2024 is... Jovenan, from the USS Artemis-A! @Jovenan's story "The Diary of Your Dead Lover" is a heart-wrencher, shepherding the reader through twelve diary entries spanning seven harrowing and emotionally charged years of the writer's life. From a perilous rescue mission containing vivid descriptions and skilled storytelling immersing the reader in the tension and fear, to the sense of urgency and the palpable danger are sewn into introspection. Through a nightmarish, surreal dream sequence, we're catapulted forward into a high-stakes mission. This narrative is a masterful blend of action, emotion, and psychological depth, making it an unforgettable journey. It's an absolute experience! Well done, Jovenan! Our runner-up this year is @Evan Ross onboard Starbase 118 Ops! They've nabbed the runner-up badge for their story "The Epilogue", a deeply moving story capturing the essence of nostalgia, identity, and heroism through a series of reflective moments in a collapsing mirror dimension. Revisiting familiar places in a hauntingly quiet aftermath of a perilous mission, bringing to life the forest with vivid description, all as a backdrop for tender dialogues. An emotional journey marked by a profound sense of introspection. An unforgettable read. Brilliant work, Evan! For this year, we've also got a special mention for @Haukea-Willow's poetic entry, "Interstellar", for their clever use of humour, action and character depth, and @Gnai's entry, "Fractions", for making us all a little emotional over a jellyfish! Story craft incredibly done! All the entries for the challenge are fantastic, well-thought-out, and wonderfully written! It's been a pleasure to read them all, and each one deserves a little recognition. Thank you for contributing your pieces, allowing us inside the worlds of your spotlighted characters, and providing us with a taste of what goes on behind the scenes. So, a big thank you to all of you for sharing your awesome pieces and letting us immerse ourselves in these captivating worlds! Thank you again to @Karrod Niac, the provider of the marvellous prompt! The winner, runner-up and judges, are in receipt of one of the following badges! Thank you once more for making this year's challenge so successful and enjoyable! We look forward to seeing even more incredible entries next spring! Please join me in congratulating the winners!

Welcome to the Writing Challenge 2024! Brace yourselves, for the annual Writing Challenge is back, ready to propel your creativity into the furthest reaches of the galaxy! Remember the electrifying stories that left us speechless last year? We're still basking in the afterglow of the laughter, the tears, and the sheer brilliance you shared with our incredible community. Feeling the grip of writer's block? Yearning to unleash your inner wordsmith and leave your mark on the literary cosmos? This is your moment! Dive deep into those simmering plot ideas, unearth your most intriguing "what ifs," and prepare to craft something truly extraordinary. This year, at the helm of our creative voyage, stands none other than our very own Captain @Karrod Niac! "We watched the wormhole close for the last time... ...and knew there would be no going back." Wow. Just that simple sentence evokes a powerful emotional punch, doesn't it? Can you already envision the dramatic possibilities swirling in your mind? This prompt has the potential to spark stories that explore the profound impact of missions on our characters, the choices they make during shore leave, or even a character's transformative journey of self-discovery. Perhaps it will delve into themes of loss, redemption, or the ever-present question of mortality, reminding us that even the smallest details can hold immense significance in the grand tapestry of life. As always, the heart and soul of this community lies in the brilliance of its members. From prose that tugs at your heartstrings to plot twists that leave you breathless, we encourage you to push the boundaries of your creativity and boldly go where no writer has gone before! Whether you prefer to embark on this solo adventure or join forces with a fellow wordsmith, we welcome all entries, from individual masterpieces to collaborative epics. The esteemed judging panel eagerly awaits your submissions for this epic writing challenge. Rules & Guidelines: Word count should be a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 3000. One judge will be chosen from each ship to help select the winner. Members are welcome to submit solo stories, or team up with a buddy to submit a collaborative epic, but only one story per person, please! Your submission should be in the format of a short story. Prose, not sim formatting. (See here for examples.) All members are welcome to submit entries for the community to read, but only those from active simmers will be reviewed by the judging panel for the final winner selection. If you want to submit a story but don't want to enter it into the challenge, prefix the forum post with the tag "showcase" and let us read your good stuff! Submissions are, by default, non-canon – if you find a way to shoehorn this into your own backstory, you're free to use it if you wish, but certainly not a requirement. You can create whatever characters make sense for the story. You don't have to use or reference any of your current characters. Rank is not an issue here – write as an Ensign or a Captain, civilian, horta, whatever makes sense for your story! And you're free to use characters you've already written for in sim, but please don't include anyone else's. Submit your story directly into the first post of a new thread. Use the following format for the thread title: [Primary Character Name(s) of author(s)]: "My Story's Interesting Title" e.g. Tristan Wolf: "Five Ways to End Your Starfleet Career" All stories must be submitted by Sunday, April 14th at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Good luck!

👻 AND THE WINNERS ARE... 🎃 One sec! Before we get to the winners, we've got some folks who need to be thanked: Graphics creators: We've been doing this graphics things for a few years now, and every year I'm blown away by the astounding creativity from each corner of the fleet. All the time and love that goes into these contests year on year truly make it a fabulous time to get together and do something fun, creative, and chucking us all into a web of spooky unity! Judges: One member of each ship participating in the contest carefully reviewed all of the entries and come up with our winners. Huge thanks to them for taking the time to participate in that! Ship staff: It's easy to forget that our ship staff have to do a lot of pushing, cajoling, helping, and facilitation to make this contest a success! And this year, many members of your ship staff were part of a long and detailed discussion about how to improve this contest, so thanks to them for sticking it out through that process. ALL OF OUR MEMBERS: We sincerely appreciate your participation every year in this game that helps build our fleet fellowship! Please refer to the rules above to learn more about the two categories we judge: Design and Originality, and how the final scores are modified by the number of people participating. So now... . . . . . . . . . . Who won? First, honourable mentions through the season this time! Having just launched, the Ronin couldn't participate this year, so their first dive will be next year! Astraeus were wanted for crimes against... crimes! Approach with caution! That hair! Those eyes! Legit needs to be a mission now. Absolutely amazing work all round! Loved every single entry this year and it looks like the Judges had a hard time, too! All the votes are in, the maths is done, and the calculator is put away from next year. And so, the winners are: Remember that both winning crews can add the "Winner" badge, while anyone who created avatars can add that respective badge, as well. Thank you again for another fun contest, and congratulations to the winners!

Ever thought the universe of Star Trek was all phaser battles and philosophical ponderings? Well, occasionally it tosses in some eerie tales from the crypt keeper. As we get closer to the chills of Halloween, let's navigate those episodes where Starfleet's bold journeys felt more like spooky detours. The iconic TOS episode "The Tholian Web" kicks things off. Captain Kirk has gone missing, and now there are eerie doppelgangers aboard? Here, Captain Kirk's haunting apparitions create a spectral atmosphere after his mysterious disappearance in an alternate dimension. With the Enterprise trapped in the mesmerizing snare of the Tholians, one can't help but feel an impending sense of dread. And, let's face it, a ghost Captain Kirk really gives the Enterprise a haunted mansion vibe! But, if you thought things got weird there, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s "Schisms" takes the eerie cake. Alien abductions? Check. Creepy examination tables? Double-check. While it's a tad unsettling, it does make you wonder if the Enterprise crew might have benefited from a space neighbourhood watch program. As the crew grapples with memory lapses and the disturbing realization of being abducted and studied by aliens, the episode masterfully constructs a chilling environment where the known universe's boundaries seem to blur. Our voyage takes a terrifying detour with Star Trek: Enterprise's "Impulse". The discovery of a Vulcan ship with its crew transformed into violent, mindless beings serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable dangers lurking in space's uncharted territories. Imagine visiting a ship only to find its Vulcan crew has gone full-on zombie mode. If there ever was a "turn the spaceship around" moment, this was it! But, as if to remind us that not all that's unsettling is necessarily tangible, Star Trek: Voyager presents "The Haunting of Deck Twelve". Our ghostly bard Neelix's recounting of an electromagnetic lifeform's eerie presence aboard the ship merges the essence of a classic ghost tale with the limitless enigma of space, making us question the very nature of the stories that echo through the galaxy's corridors. Ancient mariners would nod in approval. Lastly, but definitely not least, the abandoned setting of "Empok Nor" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) eerily resonates with themes from classic horror narratives. As the crew finds themselves hunted in a desolate Cardassian station, the sense of claustrophobic terror reaches its zenith, culminating our trek through Star Trek's darker episodes. It's all fun and games until the lights go out. From spooky spectres to zombified Vulcans, Star Trek's brilliance lies in its diverse storytelling, sometimes making us marvel at space's beauty and at other times making us apprehensive of its unpredictable abyss. Join in the fun, cast your vote for the most unsettling-yet-quirky episode, and remember - in space, no one can hear you scream... Or can they? 🌌🎃🖖

"I never thought it would end this way, gunned down by Santa Claus."

This thread is for each member of the crew to check in with their new avatar on their profile. For a check-in to count, each crew member must include a funny quote, quip, or greeting (i.e.- "Trick or treat!") that matches the character or theme. The more people you have checked-in, the higher your overall score! Please read these instructions very carefully – missing any step may disqualify your crew! Participants must be checked-in to this thread by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Avatars must remain in their costumed forms until at least Tuesday, October 31 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Do not post anything except check-ins here – no other discussion or joking around, please! Players can only check in ONCE per contest. If you're playing two characters on two different ships, you have to decide which ship you want to participate with. Your participation will not count against your second ship. We'll discount the other ship's roster to account for your participation on this ship. If you have crew members who cannot access the forum due to accessibility issues, the CO must notify FltAdml. Wolf. The second post in this thread must contain the following: A clear and direct announcement of the ship's theme. Confirmation that your crew followed the "Halloween Avatar Contest avatars uploading process" exactly – use the "Section 3. Check your work" checklist to ensure you've not violated any rules. Here's an example:

This thread is for each member of the crew to check in with their new avatar on their profile. For a check-in to count, each crew member must include a funny quote, quip, or greeting (i.e.- "Trick or treat!") that matches the character or theme. The more people you have checked-in, the higher your overall score! Please read these instructions very carefully – missing any step may disqualify your crew! Participants must be checked-in to this thread by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Avatars must remain in their costumed forms until at least Tuesday, October 31 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Do not post anything except check-ins here – no other discussion or joking around, please! Players can only check in ONCE per contest. If you're playing two characters on two different ships, you have to decide which ship you want to participate with. Your participation will not count against your second ship. We'll discount the other ship's roster to account for your participation on this ship. If you have crew members who cannot access the forum due to accessibility issues, the CO must notify FltAdml. Wolf. The second post in this thread must contain the following: A clear and direct announcement of the ship's theme. Confirmation that your crew followed the "Halloween Avatar Contest avatars uploading process" exactly – use the "Section 3. Check your work" checklist to ensure you've not violated any rules. Here's an example:

This thread is for each member of the crew to check in with their new avatar on their profile. For a check-in to count, each crew member must include a funny quote, quip, or greeting (i.e.- "Trick or treat!") that matches the character or theme. The more people you have checked-in, the higher your overall score! Please read these instructions very carefully – missing any step may disqualify your crew! Participants must be checked-in to this thread by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Avatars must remain in their costumed forms until at least Tuesday, October 31 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Do not post anything except check-ins here – no other discussion or joking around, please! Players can only check in ONCE per contest. If you're playing two characters on two different ships, you have to decide which ship you want to participate with. Your participation will not count against your second ship. We'll discount the other ship's roster to account for your participation on this ship. If you have crew members who cannot access the forum due to accessibility issues, the CO must notify FltAdml. Wolf. The second post in this thread must contain the following: A clear and direct announcement of the ship's theme. Confirmation that your crew followed the "Halloween Avatar Contest avatars uploading process" exactly – use the "Section 3. Check your work" checklist to ensure you've not violated any rules. Here's an example:

This thread is for each member of the crew to check in with their new avatar on their profile. For a check-in to count, each crew member must include a funny quote, quip, or greeting (i.e.- "Trick or treat!") that matches the character or theme. The more people you have checked-in, the higher your overall score! Please read these instructions very carefully – missing any step may disqualify your crew! Participants must be checked-in to this thread by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Avatars must remain in their costumed forms until at least Tuesday, October 31 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Do not post anything except check-ins here – no other discussion or joking around, please! Players can only check in ONCE per contest. If you're playing two characters on two different ships, you have to decide which ship you want to participate with. Your participation will not count against your second ship. We'll discount the other ship's roster to account for your participation on this ship. If you have crew members who cannot access the forum due to accessibility issues, the CO must notify FltAdml. Wolf. The second post in this thread must contain the following: A clear and direct announcement of the ship's theme. Confirmation that your crew followed the "Halloween Avatar Contest avatars uploading process" exactly – use the "Section 3. Check your work" checklist to ensure you've not violated any rules. Here's an example:

This thread is for each member of the crew to check in with their new avatar on their profile. For a check-in to count, each crew member must include a funny quote, quip, or greeting (i.e.- "Trick or treat!") that matches the character or theme. The more people you have checked-in, the higher your overall score! Please read these instructions very carefully – missing any step may disqualify your crew! Participants must be checked-in to this thread by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Avatars must remain in their costumed forms until at least Tuesday, October 31 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Do not post anything except check-ins here – no other discussion or joking around, please! Players can only check in ONCE per contest. If you're playing two characters on two different ships, you have to decide which ship you want to participate with. Your participation will not count against your second ship. We'll discount the other ship's roster to account for your participation on this ship. If you have crew members who cannot access the forum due to accessibility issues, the CO must notify FltAdml. Wolf. The second post in this thread must contain the following: A clear and direct announcement of the ship's theme. Confirmation that your crew followed the "Halloween Avatar Contest avatars uploading process" exactly – use the "Section 3. Check your work" checklist to ensure you've not violated any rules. Here's an example:

This thread is for each member of the crew to check in with their new avatar on their profile. For a check-in to count, each crew member must include a funny quote, quip, or greeting (i.e.- "Trick or treat!") that matches the character or theme. The more people you have checked-in, the higher your overall score! Please read these instructions very carefully – missing any step may disqualify your crew! Participants must be checked-in to this thread by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Avatars must remain in their costumed forms until at least Tuesday, October 31 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Do not post anything except check-ins here – no other discussion or joking around, please! Players can only check in ONCE per contest. If you're playing two characters on two different ships, you have to decide which ship you want to participate with. Your participation will not count against your second ship. We'll discount the other ship's roster to account for your participation on this ship. If you have crew members who cannot access the forum due to accessibility issues, the CO must notify FltAdml. Wolf. The second post in this thread must contain the following: A clear and direct announcement of the ship's theme. Confirmation that your crew followed the "Halloween Avatar Contest avatars uploading process" exactly – use the "Section 3. Check your work" checklist to ensure you've not violated any rules. Here's an example:

This thread is for each member of the crew to check in with their new avatar on their profile. For a check-in to count, each crew member must include a funny quote, quip, or greeting (i.e.- "Trick or treat!") that matches the character or theme. The more people you have checked-in, the higher your overall score! Please read these instructions very carefully – missing any step may disqualify your crew! Participants must be checked-in to this thread by Monday, October 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Avatars must remain in their costumed forms until at least Tuesday, October 31 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Do not post anything except check-ins here – no other discussion or joking around, please! Players can only check in ONCE per contest. If you're playing two characters on two different ships, you have to decide which ship you want to participate with. Your participation will not count against your second ship. We'll discount the other ship's roster to account for your participation on this ship. If you have crew members who cannot access the forum due to accessibility issues, the CO must notify FltAdml. Wolf. The second post in this thread must contain the following: A clear and direct announcement of the ship's theme. Confirmation that your crew followed the "Halloween Avatar Contest avatars uploading process" exactly – use the "Section 3. Check your work" checklist to ensure you've not violated any rules. Here's an example: