Talk about the exciting events of round 2!

Share predictions!

Roleplay with your sockpuppets!

GET HYPE!

Here are some observations:

The southwest bracket has lost Aurora-Borealis (Rachis), leaving Haystacks, whoever he is, as the one to beat. And I get to be the one to face off against him if I win and my predictions are right.

Northwest lost Aquaman in the first damn round, and then we lost Heather Rose. I predict Luster Lock vs Liligold in the quarterfinals, but that was no doubt the roughest quadrant in the game.

The east is wall to wall wildcards IMO, with none of them showing themselves as standouts to my eye, especially with PresentPerfect gone. But we do get an Evergreen vs Redwood matchup! That's gonna be a good one.

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/493358/oc-slamjam-author-roundup#comment/3153998

We've got some real ringers lurking somewhere in the ranks.

4485385 What am I, pickled Mango?

4485351
4485732 Copycats.

4485768 You inspired me.

4485777 I was inspired by Oddluck Glad I could, then.

4485732

just don't ever use slang that is inherently tied to pidgin sentence structure again.

4485832 I promise! Unless I can write a whole sentence in pidgin in a proper way, I won't even consider it. And that is not bound to happen.

Speculation, huh? Well, let's see...

Vanilla vs Luster: No challenge. No offense to Vanilla's author, but you really need to step it up if you want to win that one.

Wispy vs Lilligold: Not sure how this one will go, tbh. I liked Wispy's entry last time, but Lilligold did own the last round. I'm hoping Wispy.

Haystacks vs Mango: I'm kinda annoyed with this one since I liked Minie's story a lot more, but whatevs. Haystack is pretty much Big Mac most of the time, and Mango is... Mango.

Summer Heat vs Quick Study: Summer's last entry had some issues for readers... tbh neither participant seems particularly strong. Summer's last entry was very good when compared to Iron Curtain's, but the latter had some clear issues. And zombies. Quick Study was an enjoyable story but I have yet to see where the author can take her.

Loud Mouth vs Ace: Either way, I don't really remember either character as strong participants.

Redwood vs Evergreen: I honestly don't envy anyone going against Evergreen. She's way too popular, and sometimes I wonder if people can ignore that fact and vote accordingly. I saw plenty of votes in the last round that had little to do with objective choosing.

Tidy Till vs Falcata: No idea. I didn't even bother to read their entries last time. They both passed because their opponents left, so I have no clue what they do right.

Edit: I had forgotten Firefly vs Mild Manners: I'm more inclined for Firefly because I like the character better, but Mild Manners was pretty solid. Whoever wins this one, I'll be okay with it.

4485865

Summer's last entry was very good when compared to Iron Will's

Accompanying meme and further speculation coming soon.

4485860 Great job, man. Go drown Haystacks in froyo. I will be very disappointed in both of us if you lose.

4485874 Oops?

4485888 Discrimination against bipeds is more rampant than you realize. (I'm on mobile, not bored enough to try linking an image)

4485874 Thanks! it was an honor to compete with you! I'll do us both proud!

4485865

Oh, Evergreen will destroy me in a fair contest, no doubt about it. I barely even beat Wind Whistler, let alone the contest favourite. But that's okay, because I plan to win this next round by default! If I've learned anything from my heroes, it's that if I'm losing, I can always fall back on black magic.

Pic related. I pray to this man for victory every night.

4485913 You know he was abandoned and is most likely dead right?

4485918

Y-yes....

I WON'T BELIEVE IT UNTIL I SEE THE BODY

4485918
Is that what the show is up to nowadays? Wow. What a weird departure from the books.

4485926

I'm pretty sure that the books were going there anyway. It's just that the show has now overtaken the books, so they're no longer working on a solid source material, but instead on interpretations of GRRM's notes.

4485926 We didn't see the actual killing stroke, plus they already caught up to the books, so they're departing from the book-canon

4485913

Black Magic is always an answer : D

If you want to go the trap route, poutine NEVER fails to bait a Canadian. Trust me.

4485385 I was afraid I was going to have to be the one to start this thread again. Thanks for beating me to it!

Warning: brutal honesty ahead.

I'll be honest, I still haven't read a story about Vanilla Skies, Ace Artisan, or Falcata. Vren, if one of those is yours, I'm sorry!

Based on what I've seen in the comments, though, I don't like Vanilla Skies's odds against Luster Lock. Of course, I was proven completely wrong multiple times in Round 2, so I may be pleasantly surprised again! Definitely looking forward to a third good entry from LL (you guys don't know what you're talking about. Her Round 2 was just as good as her Round 1).
Vanilla Skies vs. Luster Lock
Winner: Luster Lock

Overall, this is the hardest round to predict so far. Take Wispy Willow vs. Lilligold, for example. Wispy was mildly impressive both rounds, but I don't feel like we've seen all he has to offer yet. Lilligold could be the opponent he needs to show us what he's really made of. Lilligold, on the other hand, disappointed in Round 1 and made a legendary comeback in Round 2, so who knows what she'll bring to Round 3. We at least know that she's capable of some high-caliber stuff. Unless you don't agree with me that Lilligold Round 2 was phenomenal.
Wispy Willow vs. Lilligold
Winner: Lilligold, very close

Let's all be honest now, Minie Ball totally would've won if Magello hadn't pulled her out halfway through the judging. It wouldn't have been a landslide since it was another one of those weird opinion-splitting pairs, but I would've put more money behind Minie beating Haystacks than me beating Mango. Still, Haystacks is no lightweight. I liked his Round 1 (though my opinion more often than not does its own thing), and his author showed great talent in setting a scene and giving taking the reader on a memorable ride. His Round 2 was completely different (odd how that's the case with so many authors), making the whole delivery subtle instead of slipping subtle awesomeness into a power-packing narration, and, for me at least, coming off as less impressive. Still, again, we know what this author is capable of, and we can't safely expect anything like what we've gotten. This contest is something new for all of us, and we're figuring out the tricks as we go. I think it's safe to bet that Round 3 will be the best so far from most of these authors.
So Mango, the guy who beat me. Round 2 for us was a whole bucket o'mess, which was entirely my fault, but it makes it tricky to judge Mango accurately. His Round 1 was pretty good, and his Round 2 was another innocent slice-of-life, though with a much different feel and flow to it. To be honest, even though I want someone from my corner of the bracket to win this thing and I'll be rooting for him, I don't know if Mango will stand up with the Evergreens and the Lilligolds. But judging by past upsets, Mango is probably up next in the line for random crits, and I was wrong about Haystacks in my last prediction. Random crits is not safe betting, though, so I gotta go with my gut.
Haystacks vs. Mango Leaf
Winner: Haystacks
Prove me wrong, Mango!

Summer Heat vs. Quick Study
Hoo, boy. Remind me again, was Summer Heat a DQ win Round 1? I don't remember, and looking it up is something I can more easily delegate to you guys. I do remember Quick Study's Round 1, and TBH, it's still coloring my opinions here. Her Round 2 wasn't bad, but it was just about as not-bad as Booster Bones's, so it wasn't particularly impressive beyond improving greatly. She's had a lot of luck in the brackets so far, but that ends here. I loved Summer Heat's Round 2, even if you didn't. Whether or not you agree with some of her creative choices (something I'm very familiar with), you can't deny her author has writing talent. Quick Study will need to improve even more to compete with her.
Winner: Summer Heat, landslide

Loud Mouth vs. Ace Artisan
Like I said, I don't really remember who Ace Artisan is. I'll have to re-read the character sheet before I read the entry. Loud Mouth is pretty good, more so in Round 2 than Round 1, and can easily learn from the feedback she's gotten. I want to read more from whoever wrote that Round 2. I really can't speak for Ace, so my prediction here is not one I plan on standing by. Whatever happens, I'll get to read something new, which is always fun.
Winner: Loud Mouth

Redwood vs. Evergreen
I am so looking forward to tree jokes. If it was me writing this pair, my first thought would be to explore Redwood's origin and explain her name, maybe making them close relatives. Spoilers in the futile hope that if that story actually gets written people won't hate it because I had the idea. I want to read that now. Anyway, no matter what Redwood's sockpuppet says, I think these OC's are about equally loved at this point. People in general liked Evergreen from her bio and Round 1, but I didn't join the bandwagon until Round 2. People in general hated Redwood's bio but loved Round 1, and mostly liked Round 2. I liked the bio well enough and loved both stories a lot. This is my favorite matchup of the entire contest so far. If you read nothing else this round, read this one. Of course, looking back at Round 2, I would say that about Lilligold and Minie Ball, but beforehand I would never have considered the thought, so we might be randomly disappointed, I guess.
Winner: Redwood, very close

Firefly vs. Mild Manners
Right after those last two, this is frankly the lower pair of the round. Both exhibited decent writing, but suffered from some large-scale problems that can easily be learned from. If Mild Manners can add some more flavor to his work and Firefly balance out his focus, either of these two could go on to give their Round 4 opponent a run for their money, but only if they do something different.
Winner: Firefly

Tidy Till vs. Falcata
Aside from a gender swap and change of occupation, Tidy Till is basically Caps Lock as far as Falcata is concerned. This is another one that will require creativity. Tidy Till apparently has more than enough of that, but I think it's the wrong sort for what this match will require. Falcata can make her characters dance if she gives them enough attention, but she has a problem with holding our attention. This will be interesting, if nothing else. At least as interesting as any other Falcata/Loosestrife story. I have a feeling we'll all be tired of out-of-time tropes by the time this is over.
Winner: Falcata, close

4485712
Bob has been eliminated, as Booster Bones.

As for my own predictions...

Luster Lock over Vanilla Skies, easily.

Wispy Willow and Lilligold will be hard. Lilligold has the popular support, but I haven't drunken from that Kool-Aid, it seems? I don't really get her massive support, although her entries have been very solid and good. Just not crazy stellar. Wispy has had a lot of strength, but also some glaring issues, especially in the last round, when I felt he shouldn't have had much issue against Mizuko. I want to say Wispy, if he can come up with a decent setting for Lilligold. But, again, popular opinion seems to go Lilligold.

Haystacks vs. Mango Leaf: My personal preference is for Mango, but Haystacks will probably take it.

Summer Heat might take it over Quick Study, but this is another that's largely up to personal preference.

I'm going Ace Artisan over Loud Mouth, myself.

Redwood vs. Evergreen.... I think Evergreen will pull it off, but Redwood might take it. They both have good writing, but a few things about it that bother me. I dunno, I do look forward to both stories, though.

Firefly vs. Mild Manners. Largely no opinion, but Firefly will take it, based upon writing quality.

Tidy Till vs. Falcata. Falcata, for sure. DON'T DIE, TIDY TILL'S AUTHOR!

Guess I'll make some predictions here too! Seems like fun.

Vanilla Skies vs. Luster Lock
Pretty sure the consensus here is that Luster Lock's gonna dominate. Her author is clearly a strong contender, and the only story we've seen from Vanilla Skies's author was pretty weak and amateurish, I'm afraid. Mizuko's author proved that anyone can make a comeback, though, so we'll see.
Winner: Luster Lock

Lilligold vs. Wispy Willow
This might end up being one of the most interesting matchups of the round. Wispy Willow's author is proficient, but they've still had a lot of issues with their stories, and I think luck's been on their side so far. You could say the same for Lilligold's author, actually, but I think they're a bit more of a wild card. If Lilligold can break from the mold of her previous stories and make it work, it might be another blowout. Otherwise, I think Wisp could take it.
Winner: Wispy Willow

Haystacks vs. Mango Leaf
Mango Leaf's author has a similar issue to Lilligold's—they've both stayed in their comfort zones so far. Both of Mango Leaf's stories have been low-stakes slice-of-life tales, and while they've been solid enough, I think the author will need to do more to take on Haystacks. Haystacks's author has proven to be a favourite, and even if I'm not completely sold on their ability, I gotta admit that they're a tough opponent. I'm rooting for Mango to break from his shell and surprise us here.
Winner: Mango Leaf

Summer Heat vs. Quick Study
I actually missed out on both of these authors' Round 1 stories, so all I can go off of is Round 2. And by that, I think Quick Study is my pick here. Her story was actually among my favourites in Round 2, and I was very happy to see her advance. I don't think Summer Heat's gonna be easy to take down by any stretch, but I think Quick Study can handle it. After the way she handled Booster Bones, I've definitely gained a fondness for her.
Winner: Quick Study

Loud Mouth vs. Ace Artisan
In contrast to the last matchup, I've only read these authors' Round 1 stories. From that, I think Loud Mouth is honestly gonna take this pretty easily. Ace seems like a very forgettable character to me, but maybe that was just his luck in Round 1. I remember his author seeming decently proficient, with no glaring issues. But Loud Mouth's entry still sticks out in my mind—granted, it's mostly because of the portrayal of Glyph Dance. While it wasn't a perfect story, it felt dynamic. All in all, I just haven't read enough of these two to make a call.
Winner: Loud Mouth

Redwood vs. Evergreen
Pfft, these two were made for each other, if only for their names. I honestly think Redwood's got this one in the bag. Evergreen seems to be the fan favourite, and I'm not entirely sure why. Her author's writing seems clunkier than a lot of the others in this contest, and her Canadianisms can only carry her so far (maybe I'm more impervious to them, being Canadian myself). I think Redwood's author is honestly much more capable, and they'll be able to handle Evergreen with aplomb, I'm sure.
Winner: Redwood

Firefly vs. Mild Manners
These two I don't have any huge opinion on, honestly. Though I do still have a sour taste in my mouth after how badly Firefly's author butchered Melon Rind's character in Round 1. If for that reason alone, I'd like to see Mild Manners take it.
Winner: Mild Manners

Tidy Till vs. Falcata
I took some time tonight to actually go and read Falcata's stories—her rounds were won by default—and I was decently impressed! They weren't stellar, but I still think they could've won if either of her opponents had shown up. Tidy Till has also proven capable, though. I hope his author doesn't try to build OCs from previous rounds into their story, though. That could end in disaster. Otherwise, these two are on pretty even playing ground. I'm kinda stumped.
Winner: Inconclusive

Can't wait to find out how wrong I am!

I was doing well in not being active in (and/or a member of) this group, but trying to call out 4486472 seems as good a reason as any to join, I guess. I seem to be doing it a lot, Aurora, sorry…

Let's all be honest now, Minie Ball totally would've won if Magello hadn't pulled her out halfway through the judging.

Before Magello withdrew, the vote was four to nine, Haystacks. While other characters did manage to come back from significant vote gaps, it's not exactly a given, man.

If Mild Manners can add some more flavor to his work and Firefly balance out his focus, either of these two could go on to give their Round 4 opponent a run for their money, but only if they do something different.

This was an aspect of the criticisms leveled against Firefly's author's entry last round that I didn't really follow. People were saying that Firefly didn't do enough direct interacting with Gross Product, but as far as I'm concerned, built-in side characters like his daughter, or Bristle's son, or Price Back's editor can sort of be considered as part of the package that is the character they're attached to. Used properly, they can serve just fine as vehicles for the characterization of who they're with—when Firefly interacts with Gross Product's daughter, he and the audience learn about Gross Product, and it's more story-relevant than if Gross Product had been revealing to us the same facts about himself. It's serving the same purpose as direct interaction would, and it's entwining the characters, so this is the kind of situation where greater direct interaction isn't a necessity, in my eyes. As a contrast, look at the way that Lucky Stars' author utilized Figgy in round one: she was an end in and of herself rather than a means to characterize Foxglove, so that story would have benefited from the direct interaction it lacked.

Moreover, I'm a little surprised that you in particular seem to be sharing the "he should've interacted with Gross more" perspective, Aurora.

And I guess I might as well do predictions.

Vanilla vs. Luster: Vanilla's author is either the luckiest or the unluckiest participant, depending on how you look at it. He or she got the only non-disqualification-based bye in the first round, and was lucky in that sense—but that meant that Vanilla essentially became the most overlooked character in the whole round. Second round, Vanilla's author got a disqualification-based bye—but his or her would-be opponent wrote (to be blunt) one of the weakest entries in round one, so Vanilla still could have won with the entry her author did wind up writing, and the lack of an opponent meant that she went largely ignored and under-criticized again. So here we come to the third round with her author having written a comparatively weak entry last round but having received very little criticism for it, while Luster's author was pretty good to begin with and has had two very close rounds that were jam-packed with criticism for him or her to learn from. Unless A.) Vanilla's author is secretly great and was just holding back because he or she expected Hazel to be an easy opponent, B.) Luster's author makes some gigantic, unforgivable mistakes in the characterizations or something, or C.) the unthinkable happens and Vanilla gets a third bye because Luster's author drops out… then this round is likely going to Luster's author. And I suppose I'm happy for them for that; having the closest pairing in both of the previous rounds must have been truly nerve-wracking experiences.

Wispy vs. Lilligold: Tough. 4486484 mentions "popular support" for Lilligold, but as far as I've interpreted, that's mostly limited to her author's round two showing, and at least some of that was from Price Back's author's comparatively lacking performance. Wispy, to me, is actually a bit of a wildcard—so far, his author has gone against what I've seen many consider to be two of the more poorly crafted OCs, and he or she made them work well enough regardless. Writing for a more solid character like Lilligold could come more naturally to him or her, and so we might well get something of a considerably higher level than his or her showing in the previous two rounds, whereas Lilligold's author has already shown us her take on two relatively decent OCs. Of course, Lilligold's author certainly seemed to do a good deal better in the second round as compared to the first (in terms of story quality and not only votes), so maybe that's a trend that will continue. What's most interesting to me about this pairing is that both authors have been criticized for having very similar basic plots and settings in their entries for both previous rounds—I predict that they're both going to take that criticism to heart and write something more unique, and so it's practically impossible for me to satisfactorily predict which will come out the winner.

Haystacks vs. Mango: Here we have two authors who trend heavily towards slice of life, though the latter with a little comedic spin. I'd also go as far as to say that both have tended to go for fairly simple plots, but there's a key difference between them in that regard. Haystacks' author takes his or her time with description to surround the simple plot, filling up scenes small in scope with some comparatively meaty prose and giving the entries an all-around slow pace. Mango's author, on the other hand, has seemed to be trying for plots that—while simple—are made for longer stories than what's been allowed in this contest. Scenes have a faster pace and a less well-established setting, which clashes with the rapid changes of scenery required to follow through on the plot. I would give the round to Haystacks' author's smoother, more careful style if it weren't for the fact that the word count continues to grow. I do see Haystacks' author winning if Mango's author doesn't make sure to fully capitalize on the story length and maybe tone back his or her entry's scope, but if that does happen, it's anyone's match, in my book.

Summer vs. Quick: Another tough one, in my eyes (gonna be a lot of those from here on, I would hope). This prediction's pretty much down to my personal opinion. I find Summer's author to have written more interesting, more creative entries, but I find his or her characterization to be lacking in some ways—namely that it annoys the hell out of me. But no, genuinely, I find Summer's author's characterization to revolve around fairly simple, limited interpretations of the characters. That worked in the second round, with the borderline joke character that was Iron Curtain, but I think that portraying Quick in a way that's interesting (which would probably require some more complexity than I've seen so far) might pose a challenge. And as for Quick's author, I haven't found their stories to be particularly creative or interesting—maybe in some of the details, but not on the whole—but his or her characterization last round (though not first round) was just fine. I think I want to say that Summer's author is my pick for the match, if only for his or her better track record, though it could definitely be a close one and I'm not one hundred percent on this assessment.

Loud vs. Ace: I think this matchup is going to surprise people. Ace has been more overlooked than many of the characters in this contest—for the second round disqualification bye, the simple conversation plot present in his author's first round entry, and the general mundanity of the character—and Loud is one of the more normal/believable characters we've got, but between their authors, we've got four solid entries, at least one apiece against what I'd label a difficult-to-write-for opponent. Both of these characters, I would fully believe as human beings, so I think we're in for a pair of very relatable, well-executed stories. Probably though not necessarily slices of life. I genuinely don't think I could pick between the two so early—both of their authors demonstrated in the second round that they're capable of coming up with some interesting situations in which to place their given characters, so we don't really have that as a deciding factor between them like we've had for some others. I'm feeling hard pressed to come up with other deciding factors.

Redwood vs. Evergreen: I wasn't a huge fan of either of these authors' entries in the first round, but was more than pleasantly surprised in the second. Evergreen's author went from what I took to be a nothing plot with a tangential conflict to a plot interesting enough to me that I could've seen reading it outside of this contest—it did something few entries have managed in actually making it feel a bit like the characters were made for it rather than the other way around, at least to me. Redwood's author tends to be pretty solid, and seems to have a love of building up to the introduction of his or her character, but I found it to have been in a much more narratively satisfying way on the second attempt. One could potentially attribute the (what I'm only declaring in my own opinion) bigger jump in quality that Evergreen went through in comparison to Redwood as being a function of the greater quantity of criticism received (Redwood having gotten a bye in the first round and all). If something like that's the case, then round three could have them as a pretty even matchup, but if we see something like the same relative jumps in quality, I'm handing it to Evergreen's author.

Firefly vs. Mild: Here, I think I have to limit my lens to the second round. First round, Firefly's author made some huge mistakes that they clearly learned from and applied, and Mild's author's entry didn't even seem finished (because they found out early they were getting a disqualification bye, I assume). And in that second-round lens, I'm picking Firefly's author as being the stronger contender, and this is a simple personal comparison of the stories they wrote. Firefly's author's entry was solid all around, excepting an issue or two I had with something like the side character characterization, while Mild's author's entry—though it portrayed the characters to my liking—was a bit underdeveloped in premise and pretty much lacking in terms of a satisfying ending. I feel like those entries are the only fair things I can go off of to make this prediction, so it's that simple. We'll see how good Mild's author is at learning and adjusting now, I suppose.

Tidy vs. Falcata: I wasn't much a fan of either of Falcata's author's entries, less even in the second round than in the first, but… the same is pretty much true for Tidy's author. I don't feel particularly invested in this matchup, myself. What I will say is this: if Tidy's author tries to do this round what he or she did in the previous round, I can't imagine this one won't go to Falcata's author. Two byes for Falcata is definitely a handicap, but Tidy's storyline is just untenable (and pretty insulting to those who've lost, as far as I'm concerned). If Tidy's author goes for something else, the round could go to either, but my firmest prediction is that, whichever wins, they're probably not making it out of round four unless they really shape up.

It's a damn shame that the southeast corner lost PresentPerfect. He had a very strong bid for the round of 8... and then Caps Lock no-showed! I definitely think that Caps would have beaten Falcata.

4486484

Bob has been eliminated, as Booster Bones.

Another one bites the dust. Poor Bob. He had a fun character.

4486807

I was doing well in not being active in (and/or a member of) this group, but trying to call out >> Aurora-Borealis seems as good a reason as any to join, I guess. I seem to be doing it a lot, Aurora, sorry…

That's the whole reason I say things, Sudoku_Panda!

Before Magello withdrew, the vote was four to nine, Haystacks. While other characters did manage to come back from significant vote gaps, it's not exactly a given, man.

You should know by now that I never check my facts. I liked Minie's story more, and that always colors my remembrance. And I got the feeling that her supporters were more staunch than Haystacks's.

Moreover, I'm a little surprised that you in particular seem to be sharing the "he should've interacted with Gross more" perspective, Aurora.

Actually, I'm not, though I'm glad you know me well enough to predict that. I was just giving advice to win over all those voters who thought that, but I didn't really care about it, myself.

4486832
Merlos was super disappointed he couldn't finish on time.

4486484

Wispy has had a lot of strength, but also some glaring issues, especially in the last round, when I felt he shouldn't have had much issue against Mizuko. I want to say Wispy, if he can come up with a decent setting for Lilligold.

4486472

Wispy was mildly impressive both rounds, but I don't feel like we've seen all he has to offer yet. Lilligold could be the opponent he needs to show us what he's really made of.

4486807

Wispy, to me, is actually a bit of a wildcard—so far, his author has gone against what I've seen many consider to be two of the more poorly crafted OCs, and he or she made them work well enough regardless.

Something I realized when brainstorming a scenario for my round 2 entry against his author is that Wispy Willow is very charismatic on a psychological level. It became very apparent to me that in order to sufficiently characterize him, the story needed to revolve around his ghost-hunting escapades because that's what his entire profile is based on. This presents an interesting dilemma for opposing authors, because it limits what setups they can use and hope to win and ideally, they'd want to find one where both characters can shine. I've mentioned before that I had an idea for a haunted sunken ship premise for round 2, but I didn't use it because I had trouble envisioning a complete story using it.

The biggest challenge of this contest isn't so much properly characterizing opposing OCs, but crafting a story where both of the characters' profiles can be showcased in a cohesive manner. To use my round 1 entry as an example, the biggest issue everyone had with it was the lackluster setup, and then went on to say I improved massively in round 2. The truth of the matter is that my first round entry was subpar less because of my story-telling skills, and more so that Oddluck was a hard OC to work with because there wasn't much of her to work with (I know who her author is, and I already let them know how I feel about Oddluck's profile; they were cool with it). I found myself lost as to what kind of scenario would be appropriate to showcase both a benevolent introvert and a lucky mare with a rather average personality, eventually writing the story you all came to dismiss as amateur. When it came time to write for Wispy Willow, though, I found it much easier to envision a scenario where both his and Mizuko's characters could be sufficiently showcased. Had I followed through with the haunted sunken ship premise, I honestly believe I would've won round 2.

What's interesting is that Lilligold's profile is much the same as Wispy's for being charismatic; ironic given her personality. She also demands a plot revolving around her interest in plants/romance, which puts both her and Wispy's authors in an interesting situation of having to find a bridge to connect their very distinct characters together. Given how utterly contrived the scenario Wispy's author used to get him and Mizuko together in round 2, I imagine this will present a greater challenge for them than Lilligold's author, but we'll see in about a week.

Also, I'm not doing any winner predictions, as I'd rather not upset anyone with my subjective opinions.

4487452 That about sums it up, yeah. That's why my settings were so out-there, because I didn't want to only go halfway with putting two random OC's together. I would've loved a sunken ship story, but it would've been hard to pull off.

4487452

Given how utterly contrived the scenario Wispy's author used to get him and Mizuko together in round 2

I'm going to put it out there that this is the criticism that made me know you were Mizuko, when you said this to me in private and I recalled seeing it in your main account's comment on the pairing. As far as I can recall, nobody thinks that the scenario was unacceptably contrived but you, man…

Like, in Wispy's author's story, Mizuko has an established reason for being in the area she is—she's diving for pearls. Wispy, too, has an established reason for being where he is—he heard the sawmill was haunted. The only thing I'd argue as a 'contrivance' is that an act of god (the storm) forced Mizuko to seek shelter in the sawmill, and that would still be a pretty weak argument. Wispy'd presumably been where he was for some hours already, and Mizuko showed up around the time of the storm (a storm which didn't occur on, like, the first day she was there or anything), so the contrivance of timing is minimal.

In your story, Wispy has the same reason for being where he was—he'd heard the place he was going to was haunted. Mizuko, though, had no reason for being where she was—no established reason she was in Trottingham, and no reason to be going past the graveyard (and certainly not at the exact moment Wispy was). They bumped into each other at the perfect time in the perfect place for no established reason. If we're talking about contrivance…

4487480 Hence why I didn't make the attempt. In hindsight, I wish I'd had more gumption to do it.

4487525 I remember you said that to me yesterday.

I agree that having Mizuko just bump into Wispy on the sidewalk next to a cemetery in Trottingham is contrived (really, it's destined to happen in these kinds of match ups), but at least it's over and done with in just a couple of paragraphs. In hindsight, I could've had her wear a Trottingham University headband or backpack or something and that would've probably been enough to satisfy people's need for an explanation on why she's there.

What I took issue with in Wispy's author's entry was how much space was used to needlessly explain how Mizuko wound up at the sawmill. Just saying she got caught in a storm and had to seek shelter would've been fine, but devoting so much space to explaining why she's outside of the city (something that doesn't need explaining in her case) is wasting words that could've been used to have them interact more. The story was another instance where the author was thinking "gotta check off everything on this character's profile", without making sure it all came together in a cohesive manner. As the voting can attest, more people weren't turned off by this than those who were, which is fine, because this whole contest is inherently very subjective. I'm not upset I didn't win, just pointing out what Wispy's author needs to improve upon if they want any chance of winning this whole thing.

And I've been meaning to ask: are you participating in this contest? I can't recall if you ever said you were.

4487643 I actually liked that Wispy took the time to tell us why they were both there. Obviously I have less of a problem with OC's not interacting than most people, but I liked knowing that there was a reason for both of them that I could get behind. But, you know, different readers look for different things in an entry.

And I've been meaning to ask: are you participating in this contest? I can't recall if you ever said you were.

...
That is a very good question.

4487665

But, you know, different readers look for different things in an entry.

Like I said, this contest is inherently very subjective.

If Burraku's in the contest, I have a good idea of which OCs are possibly his.

4487675

If Burraku's in the contest, I have a good idea of which OCs are possibly his.

Me too, and the thought scares me even though I'm off the hook.

4487643

Just saying she got caught in a storm and had to seek shelter would've been fine, but devoting so much space to explaining why she's outside of the city (something that doesn't need explaining in her case) is wasting words that could've been used to have them interact more.

I mean, I'll agree it went on too long for my liking, but how did that make it more contrived? And why doesn't it need explaining, her being outside the city?

The story was another instance case where the author was thinking "gotta check off everything on this character's profile", without making sure it all came together in a cohesive manner.

It factored into the story's setup just fine, so how was it just checking off a box and how wasn't it cohesive?

I promise you I'm not Wispy, by the way, no matter how much defending I'm doing. I really just don't understand your points.

And I've been meaning to ask: are you participating in this contest? I can't recall if you ever said you were.

(Poking 4487665)
I did say exactly once (at least here on the site) that I'm participating in the contest, though I'm not going to say whether or not I still am until it comes to a close. Some people know my bracket, so at this point, they'd have too good a chance at guessing who I am if I still happened to be in it and they knew so. And past next round, the same would be true for anyone. Best to keep folks guessing.

4487675
4487686
I'm very interested to hear your guess(es). I'm not going to respond to them, though. Edit: I'd also prefer it if you don't provide any context to your guesses.

4485865 4486807 4486472 4486484 4486729

We shall see... if your predictions are right or wrong XD.

4487713 I have a bad tendency to equate contrivance and exposition with each other at times. In this case it's needless exposition that fuels contrivance, so I guess that's where I got the 'more contrived' point from. Sorry about that.

It doesn't need explaining because: 1. I made it clear in Mizuko's profile that she isn't a sociable person, and that she's happier in water than on land. 2. I portrayed Mizuko exactly as an anti-social person with a penchant for being shy would act when put in a large crowd of people in a bustling city in my first round entry, even making it a point that she wants out of the city asap. Anyone can easily deduce why she's outside of the city.

Wispy's author could've just said Mizuko heard tell of pearls in the river outside of Manehattan and decided to dive there. Everything about Manehattan gaining a vibrant pearl-diving community (like, what?) was unneeded.

It factored into the story's setup just fine, so how was it just checking off a box and how wasn't it cohesive?

I'm referring more to the story as a whole with this point. Wispy's author used a lot of Mizuko's unique character traits, yes, but rarely ever in a way that aided the story. For example, the part where she and Wispy meet and he explains to her that he's a ghost hunter, she remembers Neighponese culture's stance on spirits and the like. This part doesn't add anything to the story, only being there to remind readers of her Neighponese heritage. Similarly with the opening, about how it seems to only exist to let the readers know that, yes, Mizuko isn't very comfortable around other people on land, but it's all told through exposition and didn't even need to be explained, as I said above.

Basically, I felt like Wispy's author wasn't trying to put together a cohesive story using only what traits from Mizuko would serve the narrative, like her experience as a diver. The reason I didn't make use of many of Mizuko's unique character traits is because I couldn't find a purpose for them, though that wouldn't have been the case had I gone with my original premise.

The voting showed there's a split between the people who value a cohesive story that may not make use of all of a character's unique traits more than one that does make use of them but not in an organic way, and vice versa. As it turns out, there's more people who value the latter over the former, but I imagine future rounds aren't going to be so black & white. Wispy Willow's author can't hope to make it to the end without stepping up their game, so we'll see what comes of it next week against Lilligold.

I'm very interested to hear your guess(es).

I'd be genuinely surprised if yours isn't the one that wins the whole thing.

4487713

I'm very interested to hear your guess(es). I'm not going to respond to them, though. Edit: I'd also prefer it if you don't provide any context to your guesses.

What, like "OC1 or OC2," just here in a comment? I don't know if I could do that. Especially if you're not going to comment. Then I'd just be coloring people's perceptions for the next round, and no one would actually benefit but you. I might be willing to PM, though. Or maybe I'll comment if Razalon posts his guess at the same time.

4487878

I'd be genuinely surprised if yours isn't the one that wins the whole thing.

Very flattering.

4487910
Yeah, a PM would be a better plan, if you care to send one. You could even give me the context then, if you want. I still wouldn't respond, though. Mostly, I think I'm just personally wondering who's able to guess right before the contest ends. I myself have been right on the money with a lot of my guesses, including on you, Razalon, Aqua, Captain Unstoppable, Magello (though I don't fully remember whether I guessed him as Minié as a joke or not…), and a couple of others.

4488031 Oh, I don't have any context to give, really. You're the only one I've actually given thought to, aside from vren55, because he gave me big hints.

4488031

I guessed PresentPerfect for Iron Curtain and I was wrong. I took a guess at Mango Leaf and I was wrong.

4488031 4488144 4488720
I'm curious if anyone's been able to peg me. I like to think I've stayed pretty neutral.

4488909 I almost want to list my guesses as to the identities of several OCs.

4488936
I wouldn't mind seeing that. I haven't even attempted to guess any identities so far. I'm so bad at trying to read people like that.

4489000 I don't think it would be a good idea though, I mean I had guessed Mizuko/Raz and Aurora, but I think 4488031 is right in that it's probably not a good idea to make them public. Things get tense as it is and if we started accusing a user of being a certain OC, it might start a brawl of some sort. We should probably keep our guesses to ourselves and just cheer silently if they're confirmed.

4489022
I can definitely respect that.

From this point on, it's going to start getting easier to guess anyway, as the number of competing authors is shrinking. We know all but six of the authors who are in the third round, and I'm pretty sure I know the identity of at least one of the "Sinister Six". When this round ends, I won't be informing anybody about whether I won or lost this time. From here on out, it'll just be too obvious.

4489343

What? I want to know who you are! Also, how do you know so many? Do you have me pegged already? Are the Sinister Six Iron Curtain and Minie Ball and company? What's going on? D:

4490018

Nah. Iron Curtain and Minie Ball are already outed.

In this blog, you can learn the names of sixteen authors who are confirmed to have been in round two but who still aren't identified by character. Some may be eliminated round two characters who just haven't come forward yet, while others have moved onto this round. Totalling them up, there are six remaining authors (the Sinister Six, who I previously called the Zodiac back when there were twelve of them) who as of the end of round two still haven't come clean about being involved in the contest. Doubtless, most of them are probably still playing.

If you analyse samples of writing from an author, you can identify their tics - common patterns to how they approach writing. It's not foolproof, as I did get at least one round two loser's identity wrong, but it does give a lead, which can be helpful in deciding how to approach certain opponents. I don't know who all sixteen of the known authors are. You, for one, I still only have suspicions for. But I'm pretty confident about at least five of my guesses, and that includes one of the Sinister Six. But since they apparently desire total anonymity, I won't be naming them or their character. But that person should still feel totally paranoid right now, because if I'm right, then one of their future match-ups is going to be real interesting.