RPGC #10: The Moon!

[RomanAria]

(Please pardon the mess. MDK and I have both been out of town for a good portion of the preparation time so... formatting and prettiness is slightly less than up to standard. Forgive us!!!)

Welcome, everyone, to the lunar adventure of a lifetime. Welcome all Tragedians, especially -- now you can relax and drop the weighty mantle you bear. Because it's time for....

RPGC #10: THE MOON!

Prompt:

You know. The moon. That big shiny white thing in the sky at night (or sometimes during the day.) It's not that hard, people.

Awards:

People's Choice -- The main prize of the series, decided by votes cast at the end of next week.
Bonus Categories -- An optional thing to pursue -- these awards are to be decided by the judges.

The Bonus Categories:

(Theme songs included!)
Bark at the Moon -- Wild and free things revel in the night, and not all of them are good

Waxing and Waning -- Big things become small, and small things become big.

Made of Cheese -- It doesn't make sense and it doesn't have to. Write about a place where the ridiculous isn't just possible -- it's natural.

The Man in the Moon -- The moon is as old as time and there are many legends about it. Reimagine one, or several.

First to the Moon -- What lies on that unnaturally smooth, white orb? Journey forth and see -- we expect reports back, however.

Entry Rules:

Follow all general contest rules.
Send your entry to @RPGC Entry with the title of your entry in the subject line by Midnight, June 19th (meaning 'end of the day on Sunday)
You MAY win more than one prize! Bonuses are VOLUNTARY as always – no bonus is required to enter or win the public vote.
All entries will be posted after the submission period ends on June 19th, after which everyone can read, discuss, and of course vote for a winner!
NOTE THIS CHANGE -- we're bringing our 'anonymous' policy in-line with The Twelve Labors, to make things more uniform across the subforum. All entries will be assumed anonymous, unless you specify otherwise.

brought to you by

The contest crew of @mdk, @darkwolf687, and @keyguyperson. Special thanks to @Terminal of The Twelve Labors for helping with scheduling, and our admin-sama @Mahz for, y'know, running the forum.

[shylarah]

@RomanAria

I'm looking at this, and I have a couple questions. Firstly, I take it this is more of a popularity contest, as the guildfolk vote on winners, yes? Secondly, for the theme. Must the story focus upon the moon, include it as a noticeable object/theme, just make passing mention of it...? I gather it's limited to one entry per person?

[RomanAria]

@shylarah The guildfolk vote on winners, yes. It's rather subjective, in that people can vote on whatever criteria they choose. Most error-free presentation, most creative idea, best embodiment of the theme, even what resonates personally with you. It's all criteria that people use to determine who gets their vote.

In regards to your second question, there is no restriction on how your entry needs to fit into the theme. Metaphorically, physically. It doesn't even need to be featured at all. That's more of a brainstorming prompt-- we welcome all takes on the theme.

Yes, it is limited to only one entry per person. That said, if you are so motivated as to write two or more separate entries, I'm sure a provision could be made (where only one was eligible for the popular vote, or somesuch) I'd have to talk to the other contest staff about it, as it's never been something that's come up before.

[shylarah]

@RomanAria We'll have to see what I come up with. ^.^;;

It's unfortunate there's not standard criteria voters should take into account for this, because that makes it very hard to aim to win in terms of votes. I mean, obviously the skill level of the story is going to be a significant portion, but other things that play into it -- what specifically people feel makes a story better suited to this particular contest -- would help. I can't help but think that if the theme doesn't play a significant role that votes will be scarce.

How does the voting itself work?

[RomanAria]

@shylarah Votes are cast publicly in the discussion thread. You can look at past RPGCs for reference on how it has been done. Typically people review all the entries, then cast their vote, but some people might not get around to reviewing and some might review without voting. Each vote is worth one point; at the end of the voting period someone from the staff (usually it's me) goes through the thread and adds them all up.

[Terminal]

Time for dancing in the moonlight.

[shylarah]

@Terminal I love that song. <3 *sings Dancin' in the Moonlight* o/`

Yeah, I will possibly write a few things or rewrite some old things (toon world and the wrong side of the page are gloriously sensible in a senseless sort of way~) for this. <3 *wiggles*

[mdk]

@RomanAria We'll have to see what I come up with. ^.^;;

It's unfortunate there's not standard criteria voters should take into account for this, because that makes it very hard to aim to win in terms of votes.

@shylarah

We've played around with that before a few times, mixed results.... A pretty common comment during those contests was "Gosh, I like your story and wish I could vote for it, but the rules say I have to pick the best ______ instead, sorry."

The readers do a pretty good job of picking great entries, and my feeling is that voters don't need any help from the staff when it comes to picking a winner -- BUT this is a community contest, and we're adaptable. If we all want to try something like voting criteria in the future, that can always happen.

[Ellri]

Why do we feel there is something going bump in the night where this is concerned?

[PlatinumSkink]

@shylarah At least I keep the theme constantly in mind when I read the entries. Often it isn't a problem, but sometimes it can appear one where I'm like... "... And this relates HOW to the theme?"

In those cases, I'm bothered by it and will likely not vote for it, regardless of how good the entry was.

And, those that do something really clever with the theme automatically get bonus-points in likability and are therefore more likely to get my vote. Haha.

I will have to say, though. I do somewhat miss the required components thing. It gave less freedom, sure, but it did give more incentive to actually stick to the theme and give a nice little base to build up awesome ideas from. It was easier, somehow, because the first step was already taken, and then the voters could consider the components while also reading the entries. There was more of a desire to actually use the components then compared to simply the bonus categories.

But, this works fine, too! A bit of extra freedom, simply, which means it just requires me to build up a base as well! It should also mean more varied stories, and who knows what else? Haha!

[Vilageidiotx]

I might do this one. Have to see.

@shylarah At least I keep the theme constantly in mind when I read the entries. Often it isn't a problem, but sometimes it can appear one where I'm like... "... And this relates HOW to the theme?"

@PlatinumSkink

I always purposely forget the theme when judging. Like, we are judging the writing here, the theme is just an excuse to write. It's whatever to me if that decides the votes, but I never was a fan of people writing reviews that are nothing but an argument about the theme. Like, I ain't here to figure out how good I or others are at coloring in the lines, I want to see what people's opinions are about the writing itself.

[Gwynbleidd]

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance.

[Melo]

@Romanaria Just to be certain. Is the theme THE moon (as in our/the earth's moon) or simply a moon. Could I, for example, write a story about the second moon of Jupiter and still be considered relevant to the theme? :P

[mdk]

@Romanaria Just to be certain. Is the theme THE moon (as in our/the earth's moon) or simply a moon. Could I, for example, write a story about the second moon of Jupiter and still be considered relevant to the theme? :P

@Melo

The answer is 'yes.'

Wherever 'the moon' takes you, that's where you should go. Liberal interpretations are absolutely welcome.

[mdk]

Just for everybody's awareness, I'm gonna be out of town (and without reliable wi-fi access) for the next couple of weeks. The RPGC volunteer staff is basically pro at this point, and they can handle any issues that pop up while I'm away. I'll check in from time to time when I'm able, just direct any time-sensitive concerns to one of the staff (ie, @RomanAria, our champion of things)

[RomanAria]

O-O

I'm...

I'm s-senpai's....

I'm senpai's c-ch-champion?!

*faints*

[Silver]

So, having largely taken a leave of absence from RPG after the Great Archive Purge of some years ago, I'm a little confused on exactly how to submit an entry. Is it via PM?

[RomanAria]

@Silver Yes, PM it to @RPGC Entry.

btw I love your user title. A good motto, isn't it?

[Silver]

@Silver Yes, PM it to @RPGC Entry.

btw I love your user title. A good motto, isn't it?

@RomanAria

Thanks! Yes, it's among my favorite of ancient proverbs (whether Hannibal really said it or not). I've been casting shy glances at the Writing Contests section ever since I first realized it existed and I'm very excited to finally make a submission.

[Silver]

...that went quicker than I expected. Will I receive some sort of reply to inform me that it was accepted?