Got this idea from the Fallout forums - but I owe most all of this to ThoseTolerableNoobs, lebiro, and TheLexicon, all of whom came up with great ideas to make this work proper. Cheers guys!

February Edition

How does it work?

Each month, a topic will be given where you (our dashingly handsome writer) may submit a piece of writing that suits in with the month's topic. By the end of the month, submissions will be closed and ThoseTolerableNoobs, lebiro, TheLexicon and Schmuty Buncis our current overlords judges will decide between themselves a winner. And if you win? For a start, you have bragging rights. More importantly, you get to select the next topic for the following month. However, we ask that you choose topics and themes more closely in line with TES lore, be it events, religion, culture and what have you.

Regarding voting, there will be two systems. A Judges' Choice, which is 'official', and the People's Choice, which is for recognition. For the latter, I may open up a poll in this thread where y'all get to pick.

We will have a maximum term of 2 months for judges, and winners of the previous 2 months will be offered seats if they wish to take it (though, you don't have to). If people are interested, they need only post in the discussion thread. Judges who step down are then ineligible to seat for a further month. The reason for maximum terms and rotating judges is so that others may have a chance and maintaining impartiality. That being said, a judge may seat over 2 months if there isn't enough interest, so this is the exception. Other than that, a judge may also step down before their 2 months are up. Furthermore, judges are allowed to submit...but cannot vote on each other.

Just for fun, judges may, every now and then, have a writing style for writers to follow by. So, that may be second person, present tense and so on.

If you have any questions or need us to clarify/elaborate something, just give us a shout in the discussion thread.

THIS MONTH'S THEME: 'The Battle of Red Mountain'

As TTN says:

"Participants must write their own interpretation of the events at Red Mountain, obeying any of the established viewpoints (Nords, Vivec's, Ashlanders etc), and they will be judged on their characterization of those present, the morals and motives presented for the characters, upholding of the lore, and their descriptive ability."

Rules:

1. The word count is 3000.

2. Judges are ineligible to have a judging seat after stepping down for a month.

3. Stay within the topic

4. No submissions/topics of explicit nature.

This is awesome, I'm in. When is the actual deadline for submissions?

Oh oh sign me up 4. No submissions/topics of explicit nature. Well there goes my Vivec idea .

Seriously though this sounds great. I'll definitely join in, and I'm happy to judge the one after as well (I'd off to judge this one but Red Mountain..really!).

I'm in, but I have one question: are there nibbles?

You have my keyboard. This sounds like a worthy endeavour and I'll do my best to whip something up.

Good to see people interested! Can't wait to see your submissions :3

Good question. Maybe EST 11:59 Feb 28? Most people here are Northern Hemispherians from the US or UK, and Europe so hopefully that'll slot in well with most. But I'm terrible with timezones, so


>_>

Sweet! I'll have you clocked in till then.

Sorry to rain on your parade - I just didn't want to having this devolve into the stereotypical 'soft-porm' fan fictions you get in some deep, dark corners of the web. The focus should be on character and description, and of course lore, not how well you can...hmmm...incline you reader?

EDIT: @Schmuty I think I'll exercise my right to step down next month, as 4 judges may be a little too many. I would step down now to keep a triumvirate, but since I gave the idea I don't think it's fair.

I'm assuming, for the sake of unbiased voting, there will be one person who gathers all the writings through PM's and re-posts them here in the RP so they remain anonymous? This said person should neither be a judge, nor a participant. This person should also be given cookies for the great sacrifice he/she makes.

Of course, that's just an added little spice, but I do think it's necessary to give all stories a fair chance and an even play-ground.

I believe we had something like that last time, or do I remember wrong?

Seeing as I'm not a judge, and I won't have the time to participate myself, I could give the contest the anonymous nature it needs.

I'm not aware of any great feuds between RP'ers, and since we don't know each other personally on these boards (As far as I know) screen names are as close to anonymous as I care to get. We're just going to have a submission thread, and as Schmuty says, have a judges and a people's choice. I think that's much easier - but thanks for your offer!

Heh, well I believe we do know each-other pretty well (as well as two+ years of RPing together can make you know another person), at least some of us

You are underestimating the power of personal bias, a thing you can't control and aren't for the most part even aware of.

Well thank you for your warning, I will try and...become aware of it.

Happy contest everyone! It looks like a pretty darn tough topic to write about, I look forward to reading them even though I won't be participating!

Huh. I thought everyone knew me and Vincent hate each other so much we try to ruin every RP that we're in together.

What about the deep, dark corners of http://www.imperial-library.info/content/thirty-six-lessons-vivec-sermon-fourteen, or even http://www.imperial-library.info/content/real-barenziah-part-4?

I'm kidding. Mostly. The whole Vivec as the God of six/death/poetry has been overdone anyway, and really that stuff comes later. I'm still scheming as to what my subject will be. Definitely on the Chimer side, I can tell you that much.

RE: anonymous submissions, I personally trust the judges that I've Rped with before to be impartial (we are a pretty lovely sort in this forum), and besides, some of us do have pretty recognisable writing styles.

So - (if I am reading this right) where do you send stories?

"It was a dark morning - the whole place looked like a crypt. I picked up my axe and studied it - cracks in the blade.

~I guessed I needed a new one... That's iron for ya - soft metal that won't hold up."

Just curious, what should we do if we manage to win, but don't want to/can't pick the topic?

"Participants must write their own interpretation of the events at Red Mountain, obeying any of the established viewpoints (Nords, Vivec's, Ashlanders etc), and they will be judged on their characterization of those present, the morals and motives presented for the characters, upholding of the lore, and their descriptive ability."

I think I am misunderstanding the description of the topic, but the above sounds very restrictive. Does it say that the participants have to follow the lore and write a 'school essay' on the war?

Less a school essay, more an 'inside view' I suppose. TBH the Battle of Red Mountain isn't my favouritest part of TES lore when it comes to writing snapshots of it, because the number of wildly different accounts is too damn high, but there does happen to be a whole bunch of people to write on. It could be Nerevar's final moments, it could be a lament for Wulfharth, or even (if you're particularly mad) the Dwemer battleplans.

At least, that's the way I take it, and the way that makes most sense for this forum. Getting people to write different historical accounts on the matter would be better suited to the lore subforum.

I thinks it just means "Write a short piece (3000 word max) set in or around the events of The Battle of Red Mountain, and write it real good". That's what I'm gonna do, anyway.

Ah, sure thing. You can still step down now, if you like, since we're still starting out. (Wait, wait, I'm not trying to get rid of you ) But yah, good point on keeping the numbers smaller.

Emo Vivec?

Hey there! Welcome. Stories should be posted in this thread and should follow the topic of this month, 'The Battle for Red Mountain.'

Good question. In cases like that, the decision can be left to the judges. I'd normally lean more towards letting interested to-be-participants and whoever else decide or having judges post up possible topics and letting the people decide - but that can take some time and slow things down a little. But, if everyone thinks otherwise, I'll change it.

Nah, you're not expected to write a school essay. Much like what PFA and VmC have said, it's more of an inside view, a short piece or prose.

Alright, inside view. Does the story have to have a clear connection to the BORM (following a general, fly on the wall in Dumac's court, Nerevar's fall, etc) or can it be a more free story that just takes place in the area while the war is raging?

I suppose it's up to your discretion, however if running parallel to the events I'd imagine the end of your story would result in half of the characters dissolving into ash