Us and Pigs [an unofficial challenge]

Hello Vocal Creators! Welcome back for another challenge!

TW: This post will have brief mention of SA.

For those just tuning in, I post unofficial writing challenges regularly every month! I post (always) on or around the 1st of each month, and then (sometimes) on or around the 15th. Each challenge stays open for a month to gather entries, and then the results are posted (about) a week after the deadline!

For this challenge, I'm thinking of doing something a little different. Instead of picking a general prompt for you to work your stories off of, I am basing my inspiration off of a song.

You might not have heard this song, but you don't actually have to hear it. You can take a listen if you'd like, but I really recommend you read the lyrics alongside and try to take inspiration from there (like it's a poem, if you will).

So, let me give you the official prompt!

The Prompt

Write a story based on and/or inspired by the lyrics of Sofia Isella's "Us and Pigs."

To celebrate her opening for Taylor Swift during the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium in London this past month, I am dedicating this challenge to 19-year-old songwriter Sofia Isella's "Us and Pigs."

You can listen to the song here on YouTube, or read the lyrics on Genius below.

"Us and Pigs" is a powerful song about feminism and patriarchy, specifically the way that men desire women, and what happens to women who have been SAed. Sofia creates a social commentary, comparing present society's treatment of women who openly speak about their SA experiences to past society's treatment of women who were alleged witches. She also compares men's treatment of women to the relationship between a farmer (or butcher) and his cattle.

There are so many amazing lyrics to take inspiration from in this song, and this prompt is a little bit loaded, so let's break it down a little with some tips!

Some rules and tips for inspiration:

• You can take inspiration from the entire song as a whole, if you'd like, or just a couple of lines.
• The message of your story can be completely different from the message of "Us and Pigs," as long as it is still related to the song. You can grip on to a couple of lines that spoke to you, and go from there!
• Having said that--! The inspiration that you took from those lines should still be the center of your plot. This means that you should not alter one of the lines of the song for a line of dialogue, and then never return to that theme again. It should be integral to the story.
• You do not need to have lines (or even any words) from the lyrics in your story at all. That means if you were inspired by the line "So, burn the witch alive, drink our dirty water," you do not have to include any part of that line in your story.
• Also, for this prompt, the genre is yours to choose. It can be a horror, a diary entry, a romance even, but I would encourage that the story be of a DARK nature, rather than a light-hearted one, just because I think trying to make something light out of this might make it too loosely related to the prompt.

Here are some loose ideas that might spark some inspiration in addition to the lyrics (but you don't have to use any of these):

• dystopia
• feminism
• patriarchy / matriarchy
• lust as hunger
• sex as consumption
• women as witches
• SA victims as witches
• women as food
• women as cattle
• humans as cattle
• desire | lust | hunger
• sex offenders as butchers
• sexism / racism
• underprivileged and rich | cattle and butchers
• women and men | cattle and butchers
• sexual offense | slaughter
• men's power over women
• society quieting women/people
• one group's power over another
• etc etc etc

This prompt is definitely a lot darker and different from what I usually prompt you with, so if you have any questions, please please ask!

The only thing I really want to reiterate is that this is not a story of "Us and Pigs." This can be anything you want it to be. It doesn't have to be about women. It doesn't have to be about any of the suggestions above that I gave you. As long as there is some sort of a connection between your story and the lyrics of the song, I am perfectly good with that!

Again, having said that--! Something that might be helpful is if you wrote a rationale at the end of your story about why you chose to write what you did and how it connects to "Us and Pigs." I won't make it a requirement, but if you find it helpful, you can absolutely write one. I would encourage it! But note that the rationale will not be included in the total word count, to give you more room for creative space.

The Criteria

Word Count: 350-2,000 words!!! (Minimum 500 recommended!)

• In the past, I have not been picky about word count. But the minimum should be 350 at the VERY LEAST. I would prefer that the minimum be around 500, but if you'd like to attempt a concise microfiction, be my guest! Just please keep in mind that you might be up against some longer stories.
• As for the maximum, I am going to ask now that you please do not go over 2,000 words. The reason for this is that 2,000 is about an 8- to 9-minute read, and I'd like to see something that is still relatively a short story, and as life gets a little bit busier, I think it'll help all of us to keep it shorter. If you post your story on Vocal and were not keeping track of your word count, I would suggest that a 10-minute read is the very max. Please do not submit anything longer!
• BUT as I stated earlier, if you write a rationale blurb at the end of your story, it will not be included in the word count! So if you have 2,000 words already, and still have a rationale you want to write, don't sweat it! It will not count towards your word count.

Link back: Just a nice touch!

• This is definitely not a requirement, but is a nice touch for me! If you could, please embed the link to this post in your entry so that others can easily come back to this challenge if they are interested in entering themselves, or want to read more entries.
• If you can't embed a link, I would love to see you at least mention my challenge somewhere in your entry! Thanksss!

Comment: To submit!!!

• Come back after you have published your submission and comment the link to your entry! If you don't do this, I won't know you entered and won't see your submission!
• NOTE: I will be adding all of the entries to the bottom of this post. If on the day of the deadline you do not see your entry listed, it means I might have missed it!

A note on editing: I won't be reading stories until after the deadline, so you are free to edit your work up until that point, but please DO NOT edit your submission between the deadline and the release of the results!

FAQ

Can I make more than one submission? Yes, you can! I welcome more than one entry if you have multiple paths of inspiration. I just have one rule! In the case you do enter more than once, only one submission per creator can be featured in the Top 3!

Can I submit a story I have already written? If you have a story that fits the prompt and meets the criteria, go for it!

Important Dates

Deadline: This challenge will close on Monday, September 30th, at 11:59pm MST.

• I will send out reminders (to those who have stated interest in entering) one week before the closure date (on September 23rd)!

Results: The results for this challenge will be posted on (or around) Monday, October 7th.

• This post will include the Top 3 entries (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners), as well as little blurbs rationalizing my choices. There will be links to all submissions included at the end.
• Prizes? Currently, my prizes are community-based, not monetary. The prize goes to the 1st place winner, in which I will read, like, and comment on five of the winner's works that I have not read yet, as well as subscribe if I have not already.

I think that's all I gotta say! I hope you have a lot of fun with this prompt! (I think it kind of calls for a niche audience, but we'll see!) If you have any questions about the prompt, the challenges, or any feedback on my series, feel free to comment below!

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Happy writing, everyone!

♡♡♡ Belle ♡♡♡

The Entries

(All entries will be listed here in the order they are submitted.)

1. Sarah Parker "Chauvinist Pig"
2. Jaye Pool "Soulmate"