Official Crime and Punishment 2025 Story Event Support Thread

[Kumquatqueen]

OK, after a long stretch of failing to write, I'm 2000 words in...

Not sure it'll have much sexual content beyond kissing - hope that won't disappoint people too much! 8 days to go...

 

[TheDeepThinker]

I may or may not publish my next story under the Crime and Punishment event since it only features two people affected by a crime and not the crime itself, but I'd still like to use this opportunity to raise awareness about a particular form of crime: Honor Killings.

Would you be surprised to learn that thousands of women are murdered by their own parents every year? And, far from being abhorrent, it is often seen as something to be admired?

The most commonly used term is 'honor killing', but the more accurate term is 'perceived shame killing'. In some communities, particularly in many rural parts of Asia, shame is felt collectively by the family. A woman who engages in a shameful act (such as premarital sex, wanting a divorce from an abusive husband, or becoming pregnant as a result of rape) is perceived to have tarnished the reputation of everyone from her cousins to her grandparents. In the eyes of the community, the only way the family can restore their honor is by killing the family member who brought this shame upon them. As a result, perpetrators are often shielded from law enforcement, since their behavior is seen as justified. The UN estimated that five thousand women are murdered by their own family each year in the name of honor, and that's considered the absolute bare minimum since most honor killings go unreported.

Often, a mere allegation is enough to earn a woman a death sentence. Every year in Pakistan, there are girls who are publicly stoned to death by crowds chanting "Prostitute!" who are posthumously proven to have never engaged in any form of sexual activity. Even then, her family feels no remorse. The crime wasn't being guilty of premarital sex; the crime was being the victim of rumors. As long as other people in the village were whispering behind their backs, it made no difference to the rest of the family whether their daughter was guilty or not: the damage is the same, and the only way to end the gossip is by killing her.

Honor killings are often associated with Islam because most stories featured in Western media involve Muslims. That is incorrect. Honor killings are found across multiple religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, and Hinduism. In Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, honor killings are nearly nonexistent. By contrast, Arab Christians are statistically just as likely to commit honor killings as Arab Muslims. In fact, probably the most illustrative example of an honor killing comes from a Palestinian Christian living in the West Bank. When this man tried to force his daughter into marrying her cousin, she reacted the way any teenager living in the 21st century would: somewhere along the lines of "I'm fucking fifteen! I'm not getting married!!" For that, her own father tried to kill her. However, she survived, fled, and found refuge with a Bedouin tribe. For those who don't know, the Bedouin are these nomadic, desert-wandering tribes that Arabs hold in high regard, not unlike the way Americans view cowboys. More importantly, they have special status with most governments in the Arab world, so when this tribe announced they had given sanctuary to this young girl, she suddenly gained a very powerful guardian angel. The father (whom I don't regard as worth the effort of memorizing his name) told the tribe he was only interested in finding a solution. He gave the Bedouin chief his word that no harm would come to his daughter as long as she returned home. Not one hour after she was back, the girl was dead.

This shows how the word "honor" doesn't necessarily translate into our concept of it. To us, publicly proving your personal promise has absolutely no value whatsoever is about as dishonorable as you can get. No one in their right mind will do business with you, trust you to repay your loans, or agree to marry you or let their daughters marry you. But in the patriarchal village this man came from (and countless others like it in the Middle East, Pakistan, and India), the crime of dishonesty was lesser compared to the crime of allowing his daughter to successfully defy him and get away with it. In many Old World villages, there is no concept of a strong woman, only a weak man. When a woman says, "This is wrong!", that doesn't prove she's brave for having the courage to speak out; she's being disobedient, which is in her nature as a woman. Instead, it only proves that her father or husband failed to control her. And why would anyone want to marry the other daughters of a weak man, knowing there is no guarantee they will obey you?

Just to be clear: I THINK EVERY SINGLE BIT OF THIS IS COMPLETE MISOGYNISTIC BULLSHIT!!! I do not condone or approve of any of these indefensible practices, beliefs, or worldviews. I'm only trying to help people understand just how deeply ingrained the notion that women are property remains in many parts of the world. It's a tradition that predates the rise of Islam by thousands of years. I can count on one hand the number of honor killings where religion was a factor. By contrast, almost every honor killing I've ever heard of has involved the words "arranged marriage" at some point in the story. Whether the victim was attempting to leave an arranged marriage or refused to enter one, nothing seems to anger parents more than saying, "I have a right to choose who I marry."

That's the number one thing to be aware of if you want to help potential victims of honor killings and honor-based violence (HBV). If a young girl (particularly of Asian background) suddenly stops attending school or shows up with unusual bruising, that may be a sign she is about to be forced into marriage and possibly murdered if she refuses. If someone tells you, "My parents are going to kill me", don't just automatically assume that's teenage drama. In many parts of the world, that is deadly serious!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I hope everyone enjoys Crime and Punishment 2025.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well the timing is opportune and I need a break so here goes:

"Sydney Chiang - Class Tease" - Teasing your Teacher is a Crime

 

[Voboy]

Submitted!

I don't know why I waited this long. Laziness, probably.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Draft just about done! 10k of lesbians being reasonably happy (cf other thread), but still not much sex...

 

[latent_heat]

I think I'll write something for this event. It will be my first submission for a challenge, but I like the prompt. I'm experimenting with the idea of a gorgeous party girl seducing a nerdy and horny chemist (male) to get some high quality drugs for a rave. Obviously things will get out of hand Hopefully not leaning too hard on tired tropes.

...And it's submitted! "The Molly Plot" in Erotic Couplings

 

[NoTalentHack]

I've sent the story off to the beta readers. I'm sure I'll poke at it a bit more, but I expect to submit it in the next few days. 10K of a Loving Wives/Erotic Horror hybrid about two men fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well the timing is opportune and I need a break so here goes:

"Sydney Chiang - Class Tease" - Teasing your Teacher is a Crime

Well I got my rough draft done, the entire story changed from start to finish as I wrote and it's now titled "A Good Year for the Roses"

Diving in now to edit and finalize and make sure I didn't miss anuthing.

 

[TheRedLantern]

I got a draft done, too. I wasn't planning to write one for this, but a little angel appeared on my shoulder this weekend and said "write a story for an event whose deadline is in less than a week". Maybe it was a devil. I don't know, it all happened fast.

But now I have a 5100 word draft of a story that seems like it wants to be called "Kibun," since I used the word 14 times in a 13 page Google doc manuscript. It's a Korean word, so I wanted to overuse it a little to get the reader to internalize the concept.

I will start revising tomorrow. It's only a first draft and some of the writing causes about a 5 out 10 on the medical pain scale, but I know that I like what I've got in general.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Submitted. Lesbian's experience of three Pride marches over 25 years. Not that much crime and punishment in it, not that much sex either, but it's kinda a sweet story.

 

[latent_heat]

...And it's submitted! "The Molly Plot" in Erotic Couplings

Accepted! Due to be published on the 22nd, though the category has changed to Reluctance/Non-Consent (which... is fair, there is enough of that to be triggering to those who despise dubcon. Though I did not write with the Reluctance/Non-Consent audience in mind specifically, so hopefully there's enough of in there for them... oh well!)

Good luck to the other authors--those who are who are still writing, and those who are now waiting!

 

[ChloeTzang]

Accepted! Due to be published on the 22nd, though the category has changed to Reluctance/Non-Consent (which... is fair, there is enough of that to be triggering to those who despise dubcon. Though I did not write with the Reluctance/Non-Consent audience in mind specifically, so hopefully there's enough of in there for them... oh well!)

Good luck to the other authors--those who are who are still writing, and those who are now waiting!

I think mine's going to be in Reluctance/Non-Consent.

 

[ChuckWolf]

Just submitted my entry, Hot Trouble In Cooter County to the contest.

 

[NoTalentHack]

"Xenia," a nice, laid-back story about two old friends fishing... mostly... has been submitted.

 

[dream_yahoozie]

I know I'm cutting it close to the end of the event submission. I just had a quick question. Despite having a heavy bit of lesbian sex at the beginning, it's mostly just a heist story. What category should I put it in? I feel novels and novellas is the best option.

 

[iwatchus]

If it's long enough for a novella, you will be safe there. But if you care deeply about views, N&N is a category that does not deliver many views. Good ratings though.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well I got my rough draft done, the entire story changed from start to finish as I wrote and it's now titled "A Good Year for the Roses"

Diving in now to edit and finalize and make sure I didn't miss anuthing.

And now I can't get the song out kf my head LOL - the Elvis Costello version, not the George Jones one

 

[dream_yahoozie]

This is something new I'm trying, so I'll mark it as N&N.

 

[ChuckWolf]

Hey, my story will be published in 9/22 in the Exhibitionist/Voyeur category.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Pride and the Police will be published in Lesbian Sex on the 22nd.

 

[dream_yahoozie]

Submitted. Kind of excited to be in a contest, see how I compare to others who have been doing this longer than I have.

The Heist in Venice

(Hey google: set reminder to self to edit this comment if a publish date gets posted, haha)

 

[Eisenloewe]

Submitted. Kind of excited to be in a contest, see how I compare to others who have been doing this longer than I have.

The Heist in Venice

(Hey google: set reminder to self to edit this comment if a publish date gets posted, haha)

This one isn't a contest, though, right? Just a compendium?

I mean, everyone can compare ratings but no one needs to worry about getting 25 or 50 ratings and there won't be an official "winner."

 

[Eisenloewe]

I just submitted my story as well. It's been a while since I've written anything for the site, but a seed took root for this one and grew into 30k words. My second-longest work ever submitted here. Looking forward to reading the rest of the challenge entries.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

This one isn't a contest, though, right? Just a compendium?

I mean, everyone can compare ratings but no one needs to worry about getting 25 or 50 ratings and there won't be an official "winner."

Correct. Everyone who manages to write a story for the deadline is a winner!

The last two years produced a bunch of interesting stories which I enjoyed, up there with the Pink Orchid events. For some reason these collections tend to appeal to my taste much more than the main Lit contests entries do.

 

[Actingup]

I guess the deadline is today US time. It’s already tomorrow Australian time, and I’ve just got one scene left to write of a cheeky second story, destined for Loving Wives. I’ll see if I can slip it in this morning (so to speak), and I’ll see how it goes.