So I finally emerge... · 5:41am Sep 3rd, 2015
...from the fields of prose battle after almost 4 months of this.
I'm talking of course about the OC Slamjam that Obs organized. Ye gods.
Yes, it was fun, and yes it was challenging and we made a small community inside our small community but it was intense! I don't think anyone in this contest had it easy, and we were kinda vicious when it came to the votes. The back-and-forth debates were awesome at times, frustrating at others.
There were a whole bunch of OCs that I would have loved to write against: Booster Bones, Luster Lock , Evergreen... the list continues, but yeah. As much of a challenge they would have been, the biggest enemies I had to deal with were writer's block, lack of time, and my own frustration at not finishing stories with enough time to do a thorough check on them in addition to just how insanely long this was.
I'll be posting my entries soon as a single story, with an appendix containing the character sheets as well as my thoughts of each opponent.... in the meantime, I'd like to congratulate all the participants in this contest. It sure wasn't easy for anyone and the further you got, the harder it was! Like I told Obs at one point: It's less a writing contest and more of an Ironman competition.
If anything, it really taught me a lot about condensing short stories into more effective narration. I sadly wasn't able to do my best each and every single time, but rest assured the lessons were learned.
To my opponents, Candy Cane, Rachis Barbule, Haystacks, Summer Heat, Lilligold and—last but not least—Firefly... you were a tough bunch to handle and each round I was sure was going to be my last. And had I lost, I wouldn't have felt bad at all... you were all great opponents. Thank you for participating!
Edit: I also learned that I'm really not made for competitions!
You're my buddy Mango? Whoda thunkit?
Oh, and congrats on freaking winning. That too.
That feeling where you would have gone up against Wanderer D in the slamjam if your writing were just a bit better. That's the feeling I'm getting right now.
Well, I still got to have fun losing to Rachis Barbule as Obvious Question. I wonder if anyone will do a comprehensive blogpost on who owned each OC? Probably not.
And I do remember loving the bits of Mango that I did read. That was some good stuff.
3366120 Like this one?
3366026 I'm as stunned as everyone else XD Thanks for the support man!
Maybe your entries would have had better proofreading if you weren't writing them on the way back from Bronycon
w-whoa
You were Mango?
I was so fucking wrong, it's pathetic. I guess Tac really wasn't blowing smoke. D:
3366465 What was your theory if you don't mind my asking? And did Tac guess it was me?
3366475
I realized in round two that, hey, Tac is Hawaiian! And I just praised this story for its depiction of Hawaiian culture! And Tac is lambasting it for not being Hawaiian enough! Who the fuck else would know? Obviously he is blowing smoke to set people off the trail that he is Mango.
But how wrong I was. :B
You really went the extra mile in throwing people off your trail by talking down to your own sock puppet. Never would have guessed you were Mango Leaf. Heck, for the longest time I didn't even think you were actually in the contest.
Oh, and congrats for winning.
3366838 Thanks, Raz. TBH, that frustration and talking down to Mango was real. A couple of times I was ready to throw down the towel.
3366384
Yeah, more-or-less like that.
Definitely was an awesome time, and I think we all learned a lot, in some way or another. Good victory to you, sir, and good job to all of us.