The Ink Games

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The Ink Games Rules

1. Only novels and novellas are allowed.
Both originals and fanfics are welcome. Sorry, there's no space for short stories, one-shots, or poetry this time.

2. Books must be in English.
Sadly, I still haven't mastered French or Korean (though not for lack of trying). If your book is in another language, I simply won't be able to read it.

3. Your book should ideally have over 30k words (that's over 2.5 hours of reading time).
A little less is fine, but if you're far below that, you'll either need to keep writing as the competition goes on or risk being at a disadvantage.

4. You can enter up to two books total.
Just remember: if you're entering a second book, you'll need to complete the additional payment listed below.

5. No books that romanticize or glorify harmful content.
That means no romanticizing toxic relationships, rape, abuse, bullying, suicide, or drug use. Please make sure your story follows 抖阴社区's Content Guidelines.
I'd hate to disqualify you, but I absolutely will if necessary. And yes—I'll also be reporting the book.

6. No AI-generated or plagiarized content.
If any part of your book was created or rewritten by AI, don't submit it. Your story must be 100% your own work.
Exception: You may use AI for basic SPAG correction (that's spelling, punctuation, and grammar). That's it.

7. Fill out your forms neatly and completely.
If something's missing or your form is a mess, your entry won't be accepted.

8. Complete all payments before submitting your entry form.
I repeat: payments first, submission second. Otherwise, your entry won't be accepted.

9. If you change your username during the competition, tell me ASAP.
If you don't, I might lose track of you—and that means automatic disqualification.

10. No reviews this time.
After writing over 50k words for the Golden Awards, I am burnt. To a crisp. The Ink Games are about bringing the fun back—enjoying great stories and celebrating your work without me collapsing from essay fatigue. Plus, skipping reviews means more spots, more mini categories, and more events for everyone!

11. Be kind and respectful.
To me (your lovely host and judge), and to your fellow participants. Making friends, supporting each other, and cheering people on is highly encouraged!

12. Add this book to your library.
That way, you won't miss important updates, announcements, or results.

13. For participants of Golden Awards.
I recommend applying with a different book, unless you've done a major rewrite. Also, try not submitting a book that previously won in Golden Awards, share your other work!

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The Ink Games Payments

There's only one payment—quick and simple:
Follow my main account alexmasonfics
Make sure you follow from the account where your book is! No backup accounts, please—that makes things much easier for me.

Make sure it's a permanent follow.
Please don't unfollow after the awards are over—I'm putting a lot of time and energy into making this an amazing experience for everyone. The least you can do is stick around!

⚠︎ Anyone who withdraws payments (aka unfollows) will unfortunately be blacklisted from future awards.

For the duration of The Ink Games, I'll be following all participants back from this account (makes tagging you a whole lot easier).

Optional but Highly Appreciated:

➤ Promote The Ink Games on your message board to spread the word.
➤ Vote or comment on the chapters of this awards book to boost it in 抖阴社区's algorithm.

Additional Payment (for submitting a second book):

If you're entering just one book, your only payment is the follow.

If you're entering two books (giving you double the odds in The Ink Arena and allowing you to apply for two Ink Vote categories instead of one), then please do one of the following in addition:

➤ Cast 10 votes on any chapters of Hot-Hearted (on my main account alexmasonfics)
OR
➤ Read and leave 2–3 comments on any two chapters of Hot-Hearted.

I think that's a fair trade for what you're getting—double the entry, double the fun! And if you don't feel like doing votes or comments, no problem—just stick with one book.

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