Mushroom Men
Fan fiction contest winners revealed.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cockpit, Austin, TX – August 20, 2008 - A long time ago, in a room far, far away Gamecock Media and Space Squid, a fine purveyor of hand-scrubbed sci-fi and hijinx, had a private meeting to discuss the fate of the Mushroom world. The plan they hatched was so outrageous, that only the greatest minds in the fan fiction world could ever hope to win the grand prize. Hundreds wrote in, but only one would come out as top ‘shroom.
Space Squid asked their readers and contributors to craft outlandish tales from the three inch perspective of Mushroom Men! When the writing had ceased and the dust settled; they collected, read and evaluated these tall tales of mushroom mischief. They spent hours whittling down the list until six contenders were left afloat on a sea of hopes and dreams. With a renewed sense of vigor, the Space Squid team took to picking the grand prize winner and the 5 runner-ups. Now without further ado, we present winning titles in order:
Grand Prize
"The Legend of Shiitake" by Christopher J. Oatis
Runner-Ups
"The Reply of Margarita Amanita" by Aaron DaMommio
"Roger Works, Man" by Andrew Godsey
"The Fleet Bolete" by F.W. Choi
"Tales From the Suburbs" by Justin Gordon
"Fun Guy" by Derek J. Goodman
Check out the full stories here: http://www.spacesquid.com/contest/
With his vivid and insane imagination, Christopher J. Oatis from Roosevelt, NJ has taken the top prize with his story “The Legend of Shiitake.” By completely delving into the world of Mushroom Men, Christopher crafted a tale of danger (tobacco), intrigue (Compost Heap Canyon) and action (Amanitas riders on spiders) all the while conveying an important message of responsibility and honor (lone wolf mushroom kicks ass). As the Grand Prize winner, Christopher receives a brand spankin’ new Wii, a copy of Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars and a guest post on Destructoid.com; his reaction, "I'm the Mushroom Man now, dawg!”
Runners up Aaron DaMommio, Andrew Godsey, F.W. Choi, Justin Gordon, and Derek J. Goodman receive a bag of swag that includes clothing, games and limited edition Mushroom Men autographed posters. These works of art are signed by none other than Les Claypool (of Primus fame); the musical mastermind behind Mushroom Men’s out of this world soundtrack.
PAX attendees will be able to pick up an exclusive limited-edition Mushroom Men book with art and these stories at the Gamecock booth.
About Mushroom Men
Mushroom Men gives players the opportunity to jump into the fantastic microcosm that is the backyard battlefield. Take control of the crusade, creating devastating weapons from everyday items and teaming up with other sentient plant forms that’ll leave the enemy sliced and diced. Let the stylus be your rapier and the Wii Remote your bazooka as you cut down the multitude of household pests that threaten our very existence!
Mushroom Men - Rise of the Fungi for Nintendo DS is shipping October 14, Mushroom Men - The Spore Wars for Wii is shipping November 14.
Learn more about Mushroom Men here: http://www.mushroommen.com
About Space Squid
Space Squid is a hybrid publication of speculative fiction and humor. Surely you've seen the 'zine at your local 'zine superstore? Of course you were amazed at our snarky, outrageous stories, comix, and art. We've published work from Bruce Sterling (father of cyberpunk), Chris Roberson (Clockwork Storybook), Jay Lake (Campbell Award winner), Jennifer Pelland (Nebula nominee), and a lot of other cool people. Now visit www.spacesquid.com
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Contact:
John Kopp
Sandbox Strategies
415.673.3455
john@sandboxstrat.com