Mirth - Judgment
Round 1, Match 5
UselessTriviaMan vs. maxfieldjadenfox
I'll spare the excuses and get straight to the biscuits...
Style -- The Gods are with us in these stories. We have UTM's freshly reincarnated boy-god vs. mfjf's reborn ancient god. It really is something to see the ways in which these pictures can craft stories of high dissimilar themes, like some of our previous matches have done, or ones with tangential themes, like these, that still develop in different ways. In UTM's story we start with the lowest rung of the ladder, street urchins, and work our way up to a being of the highest order. In mfjf's tale, the plot hinges on a forgotten god who awakens at the beginning and works to reclaim what was lost to him, his followers. Both stories ooze with creativity and I would be hard pressed to find fault with either one. I enjoyed each immensely, both as stories unto themselves, and also as touchstones for rpg world-building. Bravo on a job well done to both contestants, there is no clear winner here.
Picture use -- I also found the picture use to be very well handled in both stories. In UTM's story the temple was used to great effect as a set piece the main action, as was the head priestess with her antlers and her cruel smile. The beggar, which I thought at first was a throwaway, came back very deftly as the major cause of conflict in the story. The only issue I have was that the gnome and his device were sort of stapled on to the main narrative. However, the picture was still fairly well used, it just pales in comparison to the extremely well thought out use of the other pictures in UTM's story. In mfjf's story we see the astrologer, the last true believer of the forgotten god, as both the man with the device and the man in white robes later, which was a very clever way to tie the two pictures together and make them both relevant to the main plot, in fact, that character sets the plot in motion. Before we see the temple as a picture in the story, we have already "seen" it because mfjf set up the setting so well that it just confirmed our already preconceived notion of what the temple would look like. Again, very clever. Lastly, when I thought we would have another throwaway pic, mfjf brought back the antlered woman as the surprise daughter-goddess, a very nice trick to pull off. I would have to say that both were evenly matched in this category.
Personal connection -- So … we come down to my personal preference. I felt a strong connection to mfjf's story of godly reawakening and redemption. There was something palpable about the way the god was described as he rose from his slumber that spoke to ancient cultures and dead civilizations which I found most intriguing. But I also was captivated by UTM's narrative voice, which made me walk in his street urchin's footsteps, look through his eyes, and take in his world, all the while plotting and scheming against me as a reader and pulling a fast one on me at the end. This has been the toughest round for me so far. If I had the choice, I would call this one a draw. If find them equally good, with so few flaws that neither of them is a decisive champion.
Final judgment - But I don't have the freedom to call a draw, so I will go with my gut on this one. Although mfjf's tale was solid, practically flawless and highly entertaining, I found UTM's story to have a slightly better execution of craft in characterization and plot.
My nod for Round 1, Match 5 goes to … UselessTriviaMan!
EDIT: Having read the other two judgments, it looks like ...
THE WINNER OF ROUND 1, MATCH 5 IS USELESSTRIVIAMAN!!!