A Matter of Opinion [ Winners posted, page 24! ]

Do you want me to post all the results on the thread as opposed to PMing them individually? Also, do you want to know the R3 prompt?

Poll whore.	8.7%	[ 2 ]
Yes; yes.	56.5%	[ 13 ]
Yes; no.	0.0%	[ 0 ]
No; yes.	17.4%	[ 4 ]
No; no.	0.0%	[ 0 ]
Don't care.	17.4%	[ 4 ]
Total Votes:			[ 23 ]

[[ .days. ]]

Introduction

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT (July 15th):
See here for updated prizes and other information.

ANNOUNCEMENT (June 26th):
I would like to have at least five people qualified and participating in the third round. If five people do not have a round one and round two entry in by July 14th, the prizes will be adjusted (but not by much), and judging will be slightly modified. Under this modified judging, there will be a prize for the top story in round one and round two. From there, I will have to wait and see what other prizes I want to give out, but there will be more than the two I mentioned in the last sentence.

ANNOUNCEMENT (June 15th):
Due to a lack of entries in the first round, I will rearrange the structure of the first two rounds of this contest. The prompts for Round Two are posted. From here, both round one and round two entries will be due on the Round Two deadline (July 14th). I will not take points off for lateness. I am doing this because round three requires that you have both entries for rounds one and two completed.

This will all be updated in the following posts. Any section title with an exclaim beside it has been edited.

---

Ah yes, another contest by moi. This one came to me after I-don't-know-what, honestly. But oh well. I like the idea.

Anyways, this contest will deal exclusively with time-related prompts. That means that yes, you can dig out your vampires and immortals and whatnot if you want. So read on and decide if you want to join or not.

Introduction | Basics | Prizes and Judging | Prompt and Entrants | Round One Prompt

[[ .days. ]]

Basics

exclaim Due Date
First and Second Rounds: July 14th, 11:59pmEST
Third Round: August 14th, 11:59pmEST

Late Deadline: August 21st, 11:59pmEST, for all rounds (details below)

Word Limits
Minimum: 500 words
Maximum: 5,000 words

Prompt Details
There will be a prompt, yes. The prompt for the third and final round will tie in to the time aspect of one of the previous two entries, and that will be the only tie-in I ask for. If you want to make your stories related, go ahead, but I would rather that you didn't use the same characters in the same situation (like a continuing series). If you tie your stories together, please make sure that they are separate entities that can be read as such.

exclaim Late Entries
Late entries will have 5% of their score deducted, no matter how late they turn the entry in. No late entries will be taken after August 21st.

General Rules

1. No plagairism.
   
2. No fanfiction (see here)
   
3. Do not quote the first page.
   
4. Entries are to be posted on the thread.

exclaim Entry Format

• Please keep your entry left-aligned. Anything other than that will not be judged. (Scene breaks and other things like that can be left centered if you wish.)
  
• Use the entry form that goes with the round.
  
• Keep your entries in a black font, size 11 or 12.

Introduction | Basics | Prizes and Judging | Prompt and Entrants | Round One Prompt

[[ .days. ]]

Prizes

First Place - Thank You Letter For March 2007 (containing Mythic Hair or Spirit Falcon) or gold equivalent*
Second Place - Thank You Letter for July 2007 (containing Fire Flower, Enchanted Strings, or Mecha Form) or gold equivalent*
Third Place - Thank You Letter for November 2007 (containing Wild Things or Autumn Glory) or gold equivalent*
Honorable Mentions (x3) - 5,000g each

Judges' Choice (one for each) - 3,000g each

First Place for Each Round - 5,000g

Prizes are subject to change at the end of the contest depending on inflation and such by that point. A specific margin will remain between the prizes, however: ~5k between each step (excluding Honorable Mentions and Judges' Choice).

*Gold equivalent to be determined at the time of judging

Judging

• Quality of Entry - 5 points - How well did you use the prompt in your entry?
  
• Adherence to the Rules - 5 points - Did you fill out the form correctly? Did you fill in all the fields on the form? Try to fill everything out. Ask if you aren't sure. One point per field.
  
• Grammar and Spelling - 5 points - Use spell check and you'll be fine.
  
• Plot - 5 points - The plot is what the story builds on. If your story lacked a plot, it lacked an interest factor.
  
• Interest - 5 points - This is simply a scale of how interested in your story that you had me. Was it interesting, is basically what this is.
  
• Total - 25 points

Judging will be carried out by myself and knight_of_chivalry. Our scores will be averaged to select a winner, and you will submit a judge's choice winner.

Introduction | Basics | Prizes and Judging | Prompt and Entrants | Round One Prompt

[[ .days. ]]

Prompts

Round One: Located here, or in the next post.

Round Two: Select at least one prompt from each column to use as a guideline. If they fit into conversation, go ahead and use them. If you want to use them as themes, go ahead. I don't care, as long as it is in there. I would like you to use them exactly as they are listed, meaning no changing genders, tenses, etc. If you would like to alter it slightly, tell me in the thread what the alteration is, and how it will be used in the story.

Parenthesis in a quote mean that the portion contained in the parenthesis is optional. Sometimes, as with the 20th prompt in column one, this will change the meaning of the quote, or add to or take away a certain feeling or whatever. You may use the parenthetical portions, or you may not. I don't care.

Slashes represent different words or phrases that can be used in the same place. These are usually pronouns, with the exception of prompt 19 in Column 1. Again, if you would like to use a different pronoun, tell me and show me the usage. I will decide if it can be changed or not. Most of the time, I will be lenient.

The following links lead to complete lists of all the possible prompts for this contest. These lists will take all possible combinations of parenthesis, slashes, whatever, and it will list them out for you. Column One | Column Two

Sources are credited after the quote. Usually, the source will show you what I have in mind when I see the quote. Listen for it if you want. These, however, are not concrete meanings--you can decide what you want the quote to mean.

Column 1

1. More than ever, I hope to never fall where enough is not the same it was before. ("Carnival of Rust" by Poets of the Fall)
   
2. Until you see, how could you believe? ("Savior" by 30 Seconds to Mars)
   
3. I'll become what you became to me. ("Black Balloon" by the Goo Goo Dolls)
   
4. You're/He's a time bandit.
   
5. Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in. (Andrew Jackson)
   
6. The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. (Albert Einstein)
   
7. (This is) the end of (the) innocence. ("The End of the Innocence" by Don Henley)
   
8. The first crystal tears fall as snowflakes on your body; first time in years to drench your skin with lover's rosy stain. ("View to a Kill" by Duran Duran)
   
9. Right now, she's dancing in the middle. ("Weigh Me Down" by the Working Title)
   
10. My heart is naked for the first time. ("Weigh Me Down" by the Woking Title)
    
11. What do you remember? ("Pieces of the Night" by the Gin Blossoms)
    
12. (Turn to) face what you've become. ("Feeling a Moment" by Feeder)
    
13. Peace for the moment. ("In Love with a Girl" by Gavin DeGraw)
    
14. I've waited far too long for something I forgot was wrong. ("Until I Fall Away" by the Gin Blossoms)
    
15. They say the worst is over. ("Desperately Wanting" by Better Than Ezra)
    
16. We don't need the world right now. ("All I Need is You" by the Click Five)
    
17. (I've found) the one I've waited for. ("Gorecki" by Lamb)
    
18. All this time, I've loved you and never known your face. ("Gorecki" by Lamb)
    
19. The drumming...Will it stop?/I want the drumming to stop. (Doctor Who)
    
20. Look around when your heart beat(')s empty; look around if it's/you're guilty. ("Over" by Sugarcult)
    
21. I was not the answer, so forget you ever thought it was me. ("Here Is Gone" by the Goo Goo Dolls)
    
22. Would you believe me if I said I'm tired of this? ("Sick Cycle Carousel" by Lifehouse)
    
23. (My final wish will/I will guide you out) before the ocean breaks apart (underneath me/you). ("Sacred" by Tokio Hotel)
    
24. (One day,) the sea will guide you back to me. ("Sacred" by Tokio Hotel)
    
25. All your little songs have meant everything to me. ("Perfect Memory" by Remy Zero)
    
26. (So) go on, with yourself/let it be. ("This Time of Year" by Better Than Ezra)

Column 2

1. You've left your mark on everything around you.
   
2. I'd settle for a lie. ("Special" by Better Than Ezra)
   
3. The child who will die in battle (Doctor Who)
   
4. You're/He's/It's worth the monsters. (Doctor Who)
   
5. We hold empty names. (The Name of the Rose)
   
6. Is it really worth a universe of monsters for the sake of one angel? (Doctor Who)
   
7. Run (for your life). (Doctor Who)
   
8. I forgive you. (Doctor Who)
   
9. What (the hell) did you expect to find? ("Pieces of the Night" by the Gin Blossoms)
   
10. Foreign to their world. ("At the Stars" by Better Than Ezra)
    
11. Everybody loves to love you when you're far away. ("At the Stars" by Better Than Ezra)
    
12. Am I just like you? ("Feeling the Moment" by Feeder)
    
13. We'll let our heartbreak guide us through the dark. (Just trust me.) (["1,000 Oceans" by Tokio Hotel)
    
14. There was so much handwriting on the wall that even the wall fell down. (Christopher Morley)
    
15. Realize(,/;/ - ) it's okay. ("Heart Attack" by Beyond the Fall)
    
16. I know there's so much more than me. ("Truth Is A Whisper" by the Goo Goo Dolls)
    
17. It's real to me. ("Until I Fall Away" by the Gin Blossoms)
    
18. If you don't expect too much from me, you may not be let down. ("Hey, Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms)
    
19. Would you like to lose control? ("Bullet Proof" by the Goo Goo Dolls)
    
20. Out loud, we're telling your secrets. Out loud, to the lovers and thieves. ("Riot" by Sugarcult)
    
21. This secret/sacred/broken dance of silk and skin. ("Don't Cry Out" by Shiny Toy Guns)
    
22. Shout me out loud. ("Make Me Over" by Lifehouse)
    
23. (Stop,) you don't have to save my world. ("Run to Me" by Clay Aiken)
    
24. (To) look at me and make me wrong. ("Run to Me" by Clay Aiken)
    
25. Even the saints had to crawl from the floor. ("Perfect Memory" by Remy Zero)
    
26. Can I open up your eyes only when the clouds break?/Can I feel the light even though the world shakes? ("Echo" by Vertical Horizon)

Entry Form
Use the following entry form when submitting.

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Round:[/b]
[b]Title:[/b]
[b]Time:[/b]
[b]Column One Prompt(s):[/b]
[b]Column Two Prompt(s):[/b]

[size=18][align=center][b][u][i]Title Goes Here[/i][/u][/b][/align][/size]

Entry

When listing the prompts, please list the exact prompt you used. If you did not use the part in parenthesis, do not put the parenthesis. Again, you can use the full list of prompts to select the one(s) you used (Column One | Column Two).

I realize this is confusing. There is really no other way I can explain it. Ask me questions here in the thread if you need to. I will help you figure out what to put.

Round Three: n/a

Entrants

Username | Round One Entry | Round Two Entry | Round Three Entry

1. Niyari | For Love of Childhood
   
2. Jonni Mnemonic | Momento | The Pawnshop
   
3. Deadbride9 | I Don't Want to Give Up
   
4. Wynnidele | Perennial | Legend of Larc
   
5. Ivydoll | Gone By
   
6. Sarcastic Butterfly | Love Full
   
7. Imoto Lehcar | Bread and Bones | Crawling the Walls
   
8. Narisha | Tonight. Forever. | Inevitable

There is no limit to the number of contestants.

Introduction | Basics | Prizes and Judging | Prompt and Entrants | Round One Prompt

[[ .days. ]]

Round One Prompt

For round one, you will be writing a story based on a song. The song you select must be related to time in some way or another. Here are a few examples:

• "Time Machine" by The Click Five | Fanfiction will be accepted for this prompt only, and only for Doctor Who (Ninth/Tenth Doctor) and Torchwood
  
• "Times Like These" by the Foo Fighters
  
• "Time of Our Lives" by Paul van Dyk

You may use other songs, but I would like to approve them first. Post them here and I'll let you know whether or not you can use them. Any song dealing with time or relative time will work. In most if not all cases, I will allow the song.

Themes that will be accepted:

• Beginnings and ends ("The End of the Innocence" by Don Henley)
  
• Tomorrows ("Save Tonight" by Eagle-Eye Cherry)
  
• Yestedays ("From Yesterday" by 30 Seconds to Mars)
  
• Prospects ("Ripoja Akmens" by Andris Ērglis & Cacao (translation))
  
• Somedays ("Learn to be Still" by the Eagles)
  
• Reunions ("Remember Me" by Hoobastank)
  
• Parallels ("Black Balloon" by the Goo Goo Dolls)
  
• "What If"s ("Michelangelo" by Emmylou Harris)
  
• etc.

To repeat: You do not have to use the songs listed above and you do not have to use the themes. They are simply there for inspiration.

Entry Form
Use the following entry form when submitting your Round One piece.

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Round:[/b]
[b]Title:[/b]
[b]Time:[/b]
[b]Prompt:[/b]

[size=18][align=center][b][u][i]Title Goes Here[/i][/u][/b][/align][/size]

Entry

Introduction | Basics | Prizes and Judging | Prompt and Entrants | Round One Prompt

[[ .days. ]]

You're the voice try and understand it.
Make a noise and make it clear.

O h h . . .

Open?
Oui!

W h o a . . .

We're not gonna sit in silence.
We're not gonna live with fear.

[Niyari]

Juliet loves the beat
And the lust it commands

time is a deep subject. I like it.

the wonders of days strike again! congradulations on another strong contest.

Drop the dagger
And lather the blood on your hands, Romeo

[Houkito]

Nice contest.
I was wondering though,
exactly how are song-fictions organized?
Besides the story having to relate to the song,
I've seen people adding the lyrics to a song in their stories.
But I don't really know...

[[ .days. ]]

You're the voice try and understand it.
Make a noise and make it clear.

O h h . . .

Niyari: Haha. Thanks.
Why do you seem familiar? Did you change your username recently? I know I should recognize you, because I recognize your post style.
sweatdrop

Houkito: It doesn't matter to me. Personally, I prefer it if the song is not included in the story as lyrics, rather as a theme or a basis. You can do it either way, but I find it more creative if the story is inspired by the song rather than written around it, if you know what I mean (no sexual innuendo there, I promise).

W h o a . . .

We're not gonna sit in silence.
We're not gonna live with fear.

[Houkito]

Ohh, I see.
Thanks. 3nodding

[[ .days. ]]

You're the voice try and understand it.
Make a noise and make it clear.

O h h . . .

No problem.
^__^

Looking forward to an entry.

W h o a . . .

We're not gonna sit in silence.
We're not gonna live with fear.

[Niyari]

Juliet loves the beat
And the lust it commands

oh, Days, I'm hurt. you honestly don't remember me?

just kidding. maybe you'd recognize my old account name, Neko_Hito?

Drop the dagger
And lather the blood on your hands, Romeo

[[ .days. ]]

You're the voice try and understand it.
Make a noise and make it clear.

O h h . . .

Neko!
*glomps*

I thought you left Gaia?

W h o a . . .

We're not gonna sit in silence.
We're not gonna live with fear.

[Psychotic Maniacal Sanity]

One question haunts and hurts
Too much, too much to mention:
Was I really seeking good
Or just seeking attention?

It's time to trust my instincs.
Close my eyes, and leap!
It's time to try defying gravity....

Oooooh. Well, due to exams I might not be entering, but I'll definitely be sticking around to read everybody else's entries xD
Nice idea Days. Very nice.
:3

Nothing matters
But knowing nothing matters.
It's just life
So keep dancing through...

Is that all good deeds are
When looked at with an ice-cold eye?
If that's all good deeds are
Maybe that's the reason why
No good deed goes unpunished

[Niyari]

Juliet loves the beat
And the lust it commands

*is glomped*

wow. I feel so loved! I did leave Gaia, but life calmed down for me and I missed all the writing contests and silly banter of the writers forum. so I came back!

Drop the dagger
And lather the blood on your hands, Romeo