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"Light Is Easy to Love, Show Me Your Darkness..." - R. Queen
Introduction
Welcome ladies and gents to that spooky time of the year! At Aeipathy we like to test our skills, as well as improve ourselves as writers. We don't focused 100% all the time on our rp characters - we like to work on the skill of writing itself and how we can become better at this craft we all love so much. Plus, we also like to shake things up now and then, to keep things fresh! So, what better time of the year to buck the trend and be a little odd and off-pace than Halloween? Mwahahahaaaaa *voice echoes and fades into eerie silence*.
So! Here's how this year's contest will go...
Take your Aeipathy characters and throw them lovingly out the window. Unlike last year, there is no Aeipathy going on here, AU or otherwise. We thought it would be fun to throw you all into some new ideas and hey, you never know - spark some concepts for new characters if people grow to like their creations for this challenge and want to adapt them to an ancient world setting...
Once your lovely Aeipathy creations are merrily hanging from the tree outside like pinatas in the wind, say hello to your new Event partner. That's right, this is a two person team up challenge! You'll need a partner to help you out. Get friendly with them because they'll be your bud until the 31st of this month! Here's a tip... as you'll be creating a character each plus half of the plotline of your Event entry, it might be a good plan to team up with someone with different strengths to you. If you're not as good at character creation but like working on stories, find someone who can work out good and in-depth characters quickly to help you out in your duo-pair. Try not to pick members who work exactly the same as you, but stretch your creativity and writing sphere by working with someone who compliments rather than repeats.
The Challenge
Now that you have your buddy, here's the challenge you'll be taking on... You'll be telling a gothic cliffhanger in just two posts. That's it, just two. In homage of the victorian gothic genre's love of duality, you'll have just two posts to set up a story. And there are some key focuses to work on, so that you guys aren't just left in the dark... There's a structure and a semblance of ideas to get you started and then you work from there! So, make sure the read the following in formation closely.
Post One The purpose of post one is to set the scene and introduce one of two characters. It must be over 1,000 words in length and must fulfil the following criteria:
-- Introduce Character One. This character can be male or female. They cannot be your character from Aeipathy and they cannot be a fan-creation/variation of a character already in a novel of gothic genre. They can hold similarities to other fictional characters but please try to make them your own (this goes for the second character too). This post should give a little of Character One's background and current situation in life. How obvious or subtle you make this is up to you - just so long as we get a general idea of Character One's current circumstances.
-- Describe Character One's appearance. This is a key element to the challenge. Find a creative and clever way to detail what Character One looks like without a long list of features or details.
-- Choose a setting for the story to take place. Character One must be new to the setting in which you write them. They might be like Jane Eyre exploring Rochester's estate for the first time, or a character who knows the manor in which they live very well but has never explored specifically the West Wing... or this might be someone breaking into somewhere that they are not allowed, or an adventure like that of Cathy finding a hollow on the moors not yet noticed. Consider common settings for this era of story: London (both the poorest and richest areas), country estates, the mines of Cornwall or Wales, the leisurely pursuits of Bath or the shoreside towns of Plymouth and Lime, the industrial towns of the North... Choose a setting - indoor or outdoor - and be sure that Character One is new to that setting or area. The only rule? Your post and its description must have a building or shelter in it somewhere. They don't have to be there the entire duration - they can go outside from an indoor place or come across an indoor setting from the exterior. So, if you want to explore a woodland area, perhaps a little cottage? The moorlands, then maybe a cave or hiding place? Either way, Character One cannot have been there - either the outdoor or indoor place (or both) - before.
-- Witness or encounter Character Two. Character Two can be male or female, they do not have to make a male/female pairing. They must be stumbled across or stumble across Character One - ergo, the meeting cannot be arranged. A meeting can be arranged with someone else if you wish this to be a driving motivation or plot-point but Character One cannot expect to meet Character Two, in any circumstance. They can know them previously, or they can be a new acquaintance, but this meeting must be a surprise.
-- Give Character One's Perspective/Appreciation of Character Two. This is an element of the challenge that is important to work with the reverse in Post Two. Show the appearance of Character Two through the eyes of Character One, emphasising if and how it is different so Character Two's perspective of themselves.
Post Two Post Two must follow on smoothly from Post One. Unlike in roleplay where you can go back a bit chronologically and offer their own path/story up until you meet with the information from the previous post, in this challenge, the post must follow on smoothly as if written in a book. You can refer back to past events and moments leading up to this time period but only in between the current happenings. It must be over 1,000 words long and contain the following criteria:
-- Introduce Character Two. As with the first post, this should give a little description of their background and state of life. This will need to be worked into the current action of the scene. This information does not need to be communicated to Character One but must be communicated to the audience. It can be thrown in your reader's face and made very obvious or it can be subtle and hinted at. Provided your audience gets a good impression of the situation at hand, you tick the box.
-- Describe Character Two's appearance. Like with the first post, be careful and creative in how you describe the character's physical appearance. This should mesh but also in some ways contradict Character One's perspective of Character Two's appearance. Don't give this in an info dump - find a creative way to work it into your post.
-- Explain Character Two's presence. Whilst you don't need to give a long backstory or complex plotline, remember to explain how Character Two comes to be there. You can keep it simple or mysterious... but don't have them simply fall out of the sky.
-- Describe the setting. Depending on the attention this has been given in Post One, this might not be so needed in Post Two - it depends where you and your partner, as a team, feel it best to place the description and how you might divide it between the two of you.
-- Use dialogue to create a cliffhanger. A key element here ladies and gents! Whilst your characters don't have to say a single word more if you don't wish to, the ending of your story has to create a cliffhanger fuelled by dialogue. It can be as simple as "Luke, I am your father." or it can be something that works in juxtaposition to the verbal lines... "No, there's no-one here but me..." *insert thump from upstairs*... Either way, the dialogue should be integral to creating a cliffhanger. And here's the real kicker... The cliffhanger needs to relate to something mentioned in Post One by Character One. So... if the mysterious death of an uncle is mentioned in the background information of Character One, and Character Two suddenly says... "I *am* your uncle..." Dun dun duuuuuun.... that's the kinda thing you're looking for - the connection needs to be there, whether Character One and Two have met each other before or not...
The Aim of the Game
Just to be clear... the above is a step by step guide on the info you need to include in your Event entries but they are not a paragraph by paragraph instruction guide. Here's how to win the Halloween Event...
-- Include all the above information in a natural manner. Drop in a bit of appearance here, a bit of history there... make sure to describe each thing as it will naturally come into the character's perspective or view... don't info drop everything in a checklist fashion - write with a natural and fluid style whilst checking that you include all of the above.
-- Write with an air of the gothic... Consider a mix of Bronte, Austen, Stoker, Rice... keep your language formal and elegant and the tone mysterious and dark. Embrace the darkly exotic and the creeping sounds of melancholy and heartbreak... This is where you can have fun playing around with this genre and being mysterious and creepy. Feel free to add in any creeptastic additions - gypsies, witches, palm readers, mediums... whatever you want to add in, you're welcome to. Just remember that the gothic style was more about the perception of the supernatural, not actual magic or supernatural beings. Also - remember that gothic characters are not always likeable. In fact, more often than not, they are decidedly *unlikeable* but they hold a certain seductive sway over their audience... Try and reach for this in one or both of your characters.
-- Description, description, description. This Event is going to be hugely judged on language skill. Yes, good characters are a bonus and yes we want an interesting plot and cliffhanger... but if you want to know where to put the largest bulk of your time and effort - it's on the setting and the descriptions of your characters. Capture your audience with your prose and style your words in a manner that is both whimsical and enlightening, as well as dark and moody. We're looking for someone who can weave a spider's web of linguistics to ensnare their reader and draw them in one thesaurus chosen word at a time and make them hunger to read on beyond the cliffhanger.
-- Perspectives. Remember to describe your characters both from their own perspective and each others, as well as the setting from each. Duality is the most common theme in gothic stories - Jekell and Hyde for example. This is why the challenge is in two posts and only two posts. We want to see the flip side of that same coin and see a story shared between two partners.
-- Style match. We all have our own styles of writing and obviously each post will read a little differently as they are from different perspectives and this is fine, but try to match each other in basic style - the gothic style. Whilst each character might have a different tone and language in their internal dialogue, make sure that it doesn't sound like you just stopped and picked up a different book to read entirely!
Additional Rules
-- You can absolutely GM each other's characters in your own posts. Remember that the perspective should remain with your own - Character One or Character Two - but you can have the other character do whatever you like in your own post - normal rp rules do not apply. Work together with your partner to work out the best place in the story to switch perspectives for the right tone and atmosphere.
-- Whilst each post must be over 1,000 words, the submittance of the two-post story must be over 4,000 words. Ergo, if you want to split the writing 1,000 vs. 3,000 because your partner is busier than you or because that's just the best place for the story to be broken up, then go for it. But no partner can write less than 1,000 words.
-- Connected to this, no entries where both of you have written both posts. Each do your own work <3 Work together but don't re-write or co-write each post.
-- Entries MUST be submitted by 00:00 GMT on the 1st November. That's the night of the 31st October, early morning of the 1st November. GMT. Any threads that are not posted within this board with two posts to their name by that point will not be entered for judging.
-- You can post your threads here in this board at any time and edit them and work on them here if you would like. We also recommend Google Docs for the same purpose. No work will be judged until after the deadline.
-- Staff members may enter this contest but only staffers who have NOT entered may be part of the judging team for the awards at the end of it. <3
Hope you guys like this fun new challenge and we look forward to seeing your creepy, mysterious, erotic (if you like), exotic, bizarre, enigmatic, spooktastic entries to this year's Halloween contest: Show Me Your Darkness.
Have fun y'all! <3
JD
Staff Team
JD
Staff Team
This post was created by our staff team.
Please contact us with your queries and questions.
"Light Is Easy to Love, Show Me Your Darkness..." - R. Queen
Introduction
Welcome ladies and gents to that spooky time of the year! At Aeipathy we like to test our skills, as well as improve ourselves as writers. We don't focused 100% all the time on our rp characters - we like to work on the skill of writing itself and how we can become better at this craft we all love so much. Plus, we also like to shake things up now and then, to keep things fresh! So, what better time of the year to buck the trend and be a little odd and off-pace than Halloween? Mwahahahaaaaa *voice echoes and fades into eerie silence*.
So! Here's how this year's contest will go...
Take your Aeipathy characters and throw them lovingly out the window. Unlike last year, there is no Aeipathy going on here, AU or otherwise. We thought it would be fun to throw you all into some new ideas and hey, you never know - spark some concepts for new characters if people grow to like their creations for this challenge and want to adapt them to an ancient world setting...
Once your lovely Aeipathy creations are merrily hanging from the tree outside like pinatas in the wind, say hello to your new Event partner. That's right, this is a two person team up challenge! You'll need a partner to help you out. Get friendly with them because they'll be your bud until the 31st of this month! Here's a tip... as you'll be creating a character each plus half of the plotline of your Event entry, it might be a good plan to team up with someone with different strengths to you. If you're not as good at character creation but like working on stories, find someone who can work out good and in-depth characters quickly to help you out in your duo-pair. Try not to pick members who work exactly the same as you, but stretch your creativity and writing sphere by working with someone who compliments rather than repeats.
The Challenge
Now that you have your buddy, here's the challenge you'll be taking on... You'll be telling a gothic cliffhanger in just two posts. That's it, just two. In homage of the victorian gothic genre's love of duality, you'll have just two posts to set up a story. And there are some key focuses to work on, so that you guys aren't just left in the dark... There's a structure and a semblance of ideas to get you started and then you work from there! So, make sure the read the following in formation closely.
Post One The purpose of post one is to set the scene and introduce one of two characters. It must be over 1,000 words in length and must fulfil the following criteria:
-- Introduce Character One. This character can be male or female. They cannot be your character from Aeipathy and they cannot be a fan-creation/variation of a character already in a novel of gothic genre. They can hold similarities to other fictional characters but please try to make them your own (this goes for the second character too). This post should give a little of Character One's background and current situation in life. How obvious or subtle you make this is up to you - just so long as we get a general idea of Character One's current circumstances.
-- Describe Character One's appearance. This is a key element to the challenge. Find a creative and clever way to detail what Character One looks like without a long list of features or details.
-- Choose a setting for the story to take place. Character One must be new to the setting in which you write them. They might be like Jane Eyre exploring Rochester's estate for the first time, or a character who knows the manor in which they live very well but has never explored specifically the West Wing... or this might be someone breaking into somewhere that they are not allowed, or an adventure like that of Cathy finding a hollow on the moors not yet noticed. Consider common settings for this era of story: London (both the poorest and richest areas), country estates, the mines of Cornwall or Wales, the leisurely pursuits of Bath or the shoreside towns of Plymouth and Lime, the industrial towns of the North... Choose a setting - indoor or outdoor - and be sure that Character One is new to that setting or area. The only rule? Your post and its description must have a building or shelter in it somewhere. They don't have to be there the entire duration - they can go outside from an indoor place or come across an indoor setting from the exterior. So, if you want to explore a woodland area, perhaps a little cottage? The moorlands, then maybe a cave or hiding place? Either way, Character One cannot have been there - either the outdoor or indoor place (or both) - before.
-- Witness or encounter Character Two. Character Two can be male or female, they do not have to make a male/female pairing. They must be stumbled across or stumble across Character One - ergo, the meeting cannot be arranged. A meeting can be arranged with someone else if you wish this to be a driving motivation or plot-point but Character One cannot expect to meet Character Two, in any circumstance. They can know them previously, or they can be a new acquaintance, but this meeting must be a surprise.
-- Give Character One's Perspective/Appreciation of Character Two. This is an element of the challenge that is important to work with the reverse in Post Two. Show the appearance of Character Two through the eyes of Character One, emphasising if and how it is different so Character Two's perspective of themselves.
Post Two Post Two must follow on smoothly from Post One. Unlike in roleplay where you can go back a bit chronologically and offer their own path/story up until you meet with the information from the previous post, in this challenge, the post must follow on smoothly as if written in a book. You can refer back to past events and moments leading up to this time period but only in between the current happenings. It must be over 1,000 words long and contain the following criteria:
-- Introduce Character Two. As with the first post, this should give a little description of their background and state of life. This will need to be worked into the current action of the scene. This information does not need to be communicated to Character One but must be communicated to the audience. It can be thrown in your reader's face and made very obvious or it can be subtle and hinted at. Provided your audience gets a good impression of the situation at hand, you tick the box.
-- Describe Character Two's appearance. Like with the first post, be careful and creative in how you describe the character's physical appearance. This should mesh but also in some ways contradict Character One's perspective of Character Two's appearance. Don't give this in an info dump - find a creative way to work it into your post.
-- Explain Character Two's presence. Whilst you don't need to give a long backstory or complex plotline, remember to explain how Character Two comes to be there. You can keep it simple or mysterious... but don't have them simply fall out of the sky.
-- Describe the setting. Depending on the attention this has been given in Post One, this might not be so needed in Post Two - it depends where you and your partner, as a team, feel it best to place the description and how you might divide it between the two of you.
-- Use dialogue to create a cliffhanger. A key element here ladies and gents! Whilst your characters don't have to say a single word more if you don't wish to, the ending of your story has to create a cliffhanger fuelled by dialogue. It can be as simple as "Luke, I am your father." or it can be something that works in juxtaposition to the verbal lines... "No, there's no-one here but me..." *insert thump from upstairs*... Either way, the dialogue should be integral to creating a cliffhanger. And here's the real kicker... The cliffhanger needs to relate to something mentioned in Post One by Character One. So... if the mysterious death of an uncle is mentioned in the background information of Character One, and Character Two suddenly says... "I *am* your uncle..." Dun dun duuuuuun.... that's the kinda thing you're looking for - the connection needs to be there, whether Character One and Two have met each other before or not...
The Aim of the Game
Just to be clear... the above is a step by step guide on the info you need to include in your Event entries but they are not a paragraph by paragraph instruction guide. Here's how to win the Halloween Event...
-- Include all the above information in a natural manner. Drop in a bit of appearance here, a bit of history there... make sure to describe each thing as it will naturally come into the character's perspective or view... don't info drop everything in a checklist fashion - write with a natural and fluid style whilst checking that you include all of the above.
-- Write with an air of the gothic... Consider a mix of Bronte, Austen, Stoker, Rice... keep your language formal and elegant and the tone mysterious and dark. Embrace the darkly exotic and the creeping sounds of melancholy and heartbreak... This is where you can have fun playing around with this genre and being mysterious and creepy. Feel free to add in any creeptastic additions - gypsies, witches, palm readers, mediums... whatever you want to add in, you're welcome to. Just remember that the gothic style was more about the perception of the supernatural, not actual magic or supernatural beings. Also - remember that gothic characters are not always likeable. In fact, more often than not, they are decidedly *unlikeable* but they hold a certain seductive sway over their audience... Try and reach for this in one or both of your characters.
-- Description, description, description. This Event is going to be hugely judged on language skill. Yes, good characters are a bonus and yes we want an interesting plot and cliffhanger... but if you want to know where to put the largest bulk of your time and effort - it's on the setting and the descriptions of your characters. Capture your audience with your prose and style your words in a manner that is both whimsical and enlightening, as well as dark and moody. We're looking for someone who can weave a spider's web of linguistics to ensnare their reader and draw them in one thesaurus chosen word at a time and make them hunger to read on beyond the cliffhanger.
-- Perspectives. Remember to describe your characters both from their own perspective and each others, as well as the setting from each. Duality is the most common theme in gothic stories - Jekell and Hyde for example. This is why the challenge is in two posts and only two posts. We want to see the flip side of that same coin and see a story shared between two partners.
-- Style match. We all have our own styles of writing and obviously each post will read a little differently as they are from different perspectives and this is fine, but try to match each other in basic style - the gothic style. Whilst each character might have a different tone and language in their internal dialogue, make sure that it doesn't sound like you just stopped and picked up a different book to read entirely!
Additional Rules
-- You can absolutely GM each other's characters in your own posts. Remember that the perspective should remain with your own - Character One or Character Two - but you can have the other character do whatever you like in your own post - normal rp rules do not apply. Work together with your partner to work out the best place in the story to switch perspectives for the right tone and atmosphere.
-- Whilst each post must be over 1,000 words, the submittance of the two-post story must be over 4,000 words. Ergo, if you want to split the writing 1,000 vs. 3,000 because your partner is busier than you or because that's just the best place for the story to be broken up, then go for it. But no partner can write less than 1,000 words.
-- Connected to this, no entries where both of you have written both posts. Each do your own work <3 Work together but don't re-write or co-write each post.
-- Entries MUST be submitted by 00:00 GMT on the 1st November. That's the night of the 31st October, early morning of the 1st November. GMT. Any threads that are not posted within this board with two posts to their name by that point will not be entered for judging.
-- You can post your threads here in this board at any time and edit them and work on them here if you would like. We also recommend Google Docs for the same purpose. No work will be judged until after the deadline.
-- Staff members may enter this contest but only staffers who have NOT entered may be part of the judging team for the awards at the end of it. <3
Hope you guys like this fun new challenge and we look forward to seeing your creepy, mysterious, erotic (if you like), exotic, bizarre, enigmatic, spooktastic entries to this year's Halloween contest: Show Me Your Darkness.
Have fun y'all! <3
Halloween Event 2019
Show Me Your Darkness
"Light Is Easy to Love, Show Me Your Darkness..." - R. Queen
Introduction
Welcome ladies and gents to that spooky time of the year! At Aeipathy we like to test our skills, as well as improve ourselves as writers. We don't focused 100% all the time on our rp characters - we like to work on the skill of writing itself and how we can become better at this craft we all love so much. Plus, we also like to shake things up now and then, to keep things fresh! So, what better time of the year to buck the trend and be a little odd and off-pace than Halloween? Mwahahahaaaaa *voice echoes and fades into eerie silence*.
So! Here's how this year's contest will go...
Take your Aeipathy characters and throw them lovingly out the window. Unlike last year, there is no Aeipathy going on here, AU or otherwise. We thought it would be fun to throw you all into some new ideas and hey, you never know - spark some concepts for new characters if people grow to like their creations for this challenge and want to adapt them to an ancient world setting...
Once your lovely Aeipathy creations are merrily hanging from the tree outside like pinatas in the wind, say hello to your new Event partner. That's right, this is a two person team up challenge! You'll need a partner to help you out. Get friendly with them because they'll be your bud until the 31st of this month! Here's a tip... as you'll be creating a character each plus half of the plotline of your Event entry, it might be a good plan to team up with someone with different strengths to you. If you're not as good at character creation but like working on stories, find someone who can work out good and in-depth characters quickly to help you out in your duo-pair. Try not to pick members who work exactly the same as you, but stretch your creativity and writing sphere by working with someone who compliments rather than repeats.
The Challenge
Now that you have your buddy, here's the challenge you'll be taking on... You'll be telling a gothic cliffhanger in just two posts. That's it, just two. In homage of the victorian gothic genre's love of duality, you'll have just two posts to set up a story. And there are some key focuses to work on, so that you guys aren't just left in the dark... There's a structure and a semblance of ideas to get you started and then you work from there! So, make sure the read the following in formation closely.
Post One The purpose of post one is to set the scene and introduce one of two characters. It must be over 1,000 words in length and must fulfil the following criteria:
-- Introduce Character One. This character can be male or female. They cannot be your character from Aeipathy and they cannot be a fan-creation/variation of a character already in a novel of gothic genre. They can hold similarities to other fictional characters but please try to make them your own (this goes for the second character too). This post should give a little of Character One's background and current situation in life. How obvious or subtle you make this is up to you - just so long as we get a general idea of Character One's current circumstances.
-- Describe Character One's appearance. This is a key element to the challenge. Find a creative and clever way to detail what Character One looks like without a long list of features or details.
-- Choose a setting for the story to take place. Character One must be new to the setting in which you write them. They might be like Jane Eyre exploring Rochester's estate for the first time, or a character who knows the manor in which they live very well but has never explored specifically the West Wing... or this might be someone breaking into somewhere that they are not allowed, or an adventure like that of Cathy finding a hollow on the moors not yet noticed. Consider common settings for this era of story: London (both the poorest and richest areas), country estates, the mines of Cornwall or Wales, the leisurely pursuits of Bath or the shoreside towns of Plymouth and Lime, the industrial towns of the North... Choose a setting - indoor or outdoor - and be sure that Character One is new to that setting or area. The only rule? Your post and its description must have a building or shelter in it somewhere. They don't have to be there the entire duration - they can go outside from an indoor place or come across an indoor setting from the exterior. So, if you want to explore a woodland area, perhaps a little cottage? The moorlands, then maybe a cave or hiding place? Either way, Character One cannot have been there - either the outdoor or indoor place (or both) - before.
-- Witness or encounter Character Two. Character Two can be male or female, they do not have to make a male/female pairing. They must be stumbled across or stumble across Character One - ergo, the meeting cannot be arranged. A meeting can be arranged with someone else if you wish this to be a driving motivation or plot-point but Character One cannot expect to meet Character Two, in any circumstance. They can know them previously, or they can be a new acquaintance, but this meeting must be a surprise.
-- Give Character One's Perspective/Appreciation of Character Two. This is an element of the challenge that is important to work with the reverse in Post Two. Show the appearance of Character Two through the eyes of Character One, emphasising if and how it is different so Character Two's perspective of themselves.
Post Two Post Two must follow on smoothly from Post One. Unlike in roleplay where you can go back a bit chronologically and offer their own path/story up until you meet with the information from the previous post, in this challenge, the post must follow on smoothly as if written in a book. You can refer back to past events and moments leading up to this time period but only in between the current happenings. It must be over 1,000 words long and contain the following criteria:
-- Introduce Character Two. As with the first post, this should give a little description of their background and state of life. This will need to be worked into the current action of the scene. This information does not need to be communicated to Character One but must be communicated to the audience. It can be thrown in your reader's face and made very obvious or it can be subtle and hinted at. Provided your audience gets a good impression of the situation at hand, you tick the box.
-- Describe Character Two's appearance. Like with the first post, be careful and creative in how you describe the character's physical appearance. This should mesh but also in some ways contradict Character One's perspective of Character Two's appearance. Don't give this in an info dump - find a creative way to work it into your post.
-- Explain Character Two's presence. Whilst you don't need to give a long backstory or complex plotline, remember to explain how Character Two comes to be there. You can keep it simple or mysterious... but don't have them simply fall out of the sky.
-- Describe the setting. Depending on the attention this has been given in Post One, this might not be so needed in Post Two - it depends where you and your partner, as a team, feel it best to place the description and how you might divide it between the two of you.
-- Use dialogue to create a cliffhanger. A key element here ladies and gents! Whilst your characters don't have to say a single word more if you don't wish to, the ending of your story has to create a cliffhanger fuelled by dialogue. It can be as simple as "Luke, I am your father." or it can be something that works in juxtaposition to the verbal lines... "No, there's no-one here but me..." *insert thump from upstairs*... Either way, the dialogue should be integral to creating a cliffhanger. And here's the real kicker... The cliffhanger needs to relate to something mentioned in Post One by Character One. So... if the mysterious death of an uncle is mentioned in the background information of Character One, and Character Two suddenly says... "I *am* your uncle..." Dun dun duuuuuun.... that's the kinda thing you're looking for - the connection needs to be there, whether Character One and Two have met each other before or not...
The Aim of the Game
Just to be clear... the above is a step by step guide on the info you need to include in your Event entries but they are not a paragraph by paragraph instruction guide. Here's how to win the Halloween Event...
-- Include all the above information in a natural manner. Drop in a bit of appearance here, a bit of history there... make sure to describe each thing as it will naturally come into the character's perspective or view... don't info drop everything in a checklist fashion - write with a natural and fluid style whilst checking that you include all of the above.
-- Write with an air of the gothic... Consider a mix of Bronte, Austen, Stoker, Rice... keep your language formal and elegant and the tone mysterious and dark. Embrace the darkly exotic and the creeping sounds of melancholy and heartbreak... This is where you can have fun playing around with this genre and being mysterious and creepy. Feel free to add in any creeptastic additions - gypsies, witches, palm readers, mediums... whatever you want to add in, you're welcome to. Just remember that the gothic style was more about the perception of the supernatural, not actual magic or supernatural beings. Also - remember that gothic characters are not always likeable. In fact, more often than not, they are decidedly *unlikeable* but they hold a certain seductive sway over their audience... Try and reach for this in one or both of your characters.
-- Description, description, description. This Event is going to be hugely judged on language skill. Yes, good characters are a bonus and yes we want an interesting plot and cliffhanger... but if you want to know where to put the largest bulk of your time and effort - it's on the setting and the descriptions of your characters. Capture your audience with your prose and style your words in a manner that is both whimsical and enlightening, as well as dark and moody. We're looking for someone who can weave a spider's web of linguistics to ensnare their reader and draw them in one thesaurus chosen word at a time and make them hunger to read on beyond the cliffhanger.
-- Perspectives. Remember to describe your characters both from their own perspective and each others, as well as the setting from each. Duality is the most common theme in gothic stories - Jekell and Hyde for example. This is why the challenge is in two posts and only two posts. We want to see the flip side of that same coin and see a story shared between two partners.
-- Style match. We all have our own styles of writing and obviously each post will read a little differently as they are from different perspectives and this is fine, but try to match each other in basic style - the gothic style. Whilst each character might have a different tone and language in their internal dialogue, make sure that it doesn't sound like you just stopped and picked up a different book to read entirely!
Additional Rules
-- You can absolutely GM each other's characters in your own posts. Remember that the perspective should remain with your own - Character One or Character Two - but you can have the other character do whatever you like in your own post - normal rp rules do not apply. Work together with your partner to work out the best place in the story to switch perspectives for the right tone and atmosphere.
-- Whilst each post must be over 1,000 words, the submittance of the two-post story must be over 4,000 words. Ergo, if you want to split the writing 1,000 vs. 3,000 because your partner is busier than you or because that's just the best place for the story to be broken up, then go for it. But no partner can write less than 1,000 words.
-- Connected to this, no entries where both of you have written both posts. Each do your own work <3 Work together but don't re-write or co-write each post.
-- Entries MUST be submitted by 00:00 GMT on the 1st November. That's the night of the 31st October, early morning of the 1st November. GMT. Any threads that are not posted within this board with two posts to their name by that point will not be entered for judging.
-- You can post your threads here in this board at any time and edit them and work on them here if you would like. We also recommend Google Docs for the same purpose. No work will be judged until after the deadline.
-- Staff members may enter this contest but only staffers who have NOT entered may be part of the judging team for the awards at the end of it. <3
Hope you guys like this fun new challenge and we look forward to seeing your creepy, mysterious, erotic (if you like), exotic, bizarre, enigmatic, spooktastic entries to this year's Halloween contest: Show Me Your Darkness.
