The Aster Awards 2023 [CLOSED]

: ̗̀➛ BEST FIRST LINE

1. When Last Night Didn't End by Exequinne
The line: It was because of the darkness of the city outside the window that I prayed for light.

The sentence has me hooked. It makes me wonder about the darkness. Why is the city in darkness? Is it always in darkness since the MC is praying for light? What might the darkness stand for metaphorically? Also makes me think that the main conflict of the story will be defeating the darkness.

2. Bear you in by lookinprettyGrim
The line: From an early age, trouble always seemed to follow me.

It's a short and very clear first sentence that hints towards the coming conflict and what the MC needs to overcome. There's a beauty in the simplicity of it. The idea of "bad luck", or in this case "trouble", following the MC is fairly common.

3. The Cursed Gift by footnoteofhappiness
The line: Fourteen years later, in a flash of red hair flying across the village, the community's emergency sirens began going off in all directions.

The sentence shows that the story starts in action that makes you wonder what made the sirens go off. The flash of red hair also makes me intrigued about what that might represent. It does, however, throw me off that it starts with "Fourteen years later". Reading the prologue, I make the assumption that the "fourteen years later" refers to the end of the prologue. But since the first chapter is truly the start of the story it feels weird to start it with a reference to something earlier in the story as there is no earlier.

4. The Nanny by ONE_H_
The line: Loud, panicked voices filled the whole Osiele street and mine came out louder despite being muted in my throat.

The start of the sentence captures my attention. However, the second part just leaves me confused and uncertain about what is meant. "Being muted in my throat" is especially the part that confuses me. Does it mean that the MC is mute? If so it's an odd way of writing it and when I read it, my mind goes to how you can mute a TV or similarly.

══════・❃・WINNERS・❃・══════

First Position - When Last Night Didn't End by Exequinne

Second Position - Bear you in by lookinprettyGrim

Third Position - The Cursed Gift by footnoteofhappiness

══════・❃・CONGRATS・❃・══════

Thank you everyone for your cooperation and also a special thanks to High_Priestess_Elena for judging this genre!

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