carpedavid
First Post
Rodrigo Istalindir said:
Thanks! Good luck to you as well!
Ceramic DM Winter 07 (Final Judgment Posted)
Thanks! Good luck to you as well!
I just wanted to post and say that I'm ever impressed by the ability of the CDM writers. This particular session seems to have been fraught with stress both inside and outside of the competition and most everyone rose to the challenge. The stories posted, regardless of their level of completion, have been thoroughly entertaining. (Mythago, you piqued my curiosity and now I may have to follow Sialia's conspiracy laden links and hints to try and figure out where you were going with your story.) Cheesy as it sounds...bravo everyone!
Oh, and I think Dave really has run out of words. His conversational skills over the past month have been reduced to grunts and hand gestures.
Oh, and I think Dave really has run out of words. His conversational skills over the past month have been reduced to grunts and hand gestures.
Sialia
First Post
I'm pleased enough with both of these stories that I'd be willing to attempt a piece of art in appreciation for each of the finalists.
It doesn't have to be of your finalist story. Go over to my miscellaneous doodles thread and make a request for a doodle on any subject, and I'll take my best stab at it.
Congrats on fine, fine efforts in a demanding competition.
It doesn't have to be of your finalist story. Go over to my miscellaneous doodles thread and make a request for a doodle on any subject, and I'll take my best stab at it.
Congrats on fine, fine efforts in a demanding competition.
Gulla
Adventurer
Wow!
I'll comment on these in the evening, but looking at them I couldn't stop reading. Two wonderful stories, and since all CDM stories also depend on the pictures I really want a full competition with (almost only) Siala pictures. I'll sneak over to the other thread and comment on the wonderful pictures there as well.
Thanks to both the wonderful artist and the magnificent authors.
Håkon
I'll comment on these in the evening, but looking at them I couldn't stop reading. Two wonderful stories, and since all CDM stories also depend on the pictures I really want a full competition with (almost only) Siala pictures. I'll sneak over to the other thread and comment on the wonderful pictures there as well.
Thanks to both the wonderful artist and the magnificent authors.
Håkon
Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
yangnome said:
No different, really. Maybe a little easier, since despite being art, they were still reasonably concrete representations. Not as challenging in a masochistic sense -- I ddn't feel the 'oh crap' response that some picture combinations have inflicted in the past.
Gulla
Adventurer
So, it's finally afternoon here, and I should be writing something else, but I'll have to get this off my chest first. Sblocked for the judges, of course.
[sblock]
I'll do these the oppisite way since that was the way I read them first. So I'll start with
Rodrigo Istalindir (who really could use a nice, short screen name that was easy to spell
).
The start of this story is very familiar, and my first impression was "this is a Princess Bride rip-off". I love the story (and the movie) but it didn't feel right (or maybe just too ambitious) to try following in those footsteps. Fortunately, you didn't try that, and the story has a very different feeling. And I was pulled in as soon as the introduction faded.
I do have a vague recollection of some real-world myths about love between the sun and the moon, but I cannot recall from where, and the love story is very nicely written. Yet I felt the toatlity was a little bit off from perfect.
Having now read it a couple more times I think that the problem actually is the "Princesse Bride framing" of the story. I don't think it adds anything of substance. We get to see too little of the girl and the background to really care, and then it just feels like an unwanted distraction from the very good farie tale in the middle. I think you should have trusted the farie tale to stand on its own, and dropped the frame. And if you absolutely wanted to keep it, give us a little bit more, so we care.
Carpe David (who at least has an easily spellable name, event though it isn't short ).
Oh, that is just sad. In a "you made this puppy cry" way, or something. (That was ment to be positive feedback...).
The world of Esmeralda Santiago is very interesting. At first I was in doubt about what to think, but to me the view of Esmeralda felt corect. When Luna told us “There are no fairies, Da!” I thought she would crush out the wonderful world of Esmeralda, or that the illness was just lack of faith. And then Luna dies. For real
When Esmeralda kept her faith and her world view through this and conquered the wraith (of doubt? of sorrow? or illness?) it felt like a very important victory.
I cannot really analyse this story as I feel it hits me on a more emotional level, but I think the story flows well, and I really get to care about both Esmeralda and Luna, but most I care about the way Esmeralda see the world. A very good story, since I still cannot quite wrap my mind around it but it feels good. In a sad way.
So since this is the last pairing I'll do a little judgeing. I cannot do worse than guessing wrong and noone will remember till next time anyway
At the first reading I always end up with a gut feeling, and this time it was that Rodrigo Istalindir had the best story, but since reading them earlier today Carpe David's story has grown and grown. It would not leave me alone, and after reading both a couple of more times now, in the afternoon, I think I would give this one to Carpe David, and use what I feel is the unnescessary framing of Rodrigo Istalindir's story as the excuse. But it is very close, and I guess this one will come down to what type of story each judge preferes.
[/sblock]
Håkon
with another warm "Thank You!" to all participants and to Siala for the last pictures.
[sblock]
I'll do these the oppisite way since that was the way I read them first. So I'll start with
Rodrigo Istalindir (who really could use a nice, short screen name that was easy to spell
). The start of this story is very familiar, and my first impression was "this is a Princess Bride rip-off". I love the story (and the movie) but it didn't feel right (or maybe just too ambitious) to try following in those footsteps. Fortunately, you didn't try that, and the story has a very different feeling. And I was pulled in as soon as the introduction faded.
I do have a vague recollection of some real-world myths about love between the sun and the moon, but I cannot recall from where, and the love story is very nicely written. Yet I felt the toatlity was a little bit off from perfect.
Having now read it a couple more times I think that the problem actually is the "Princesse Bride framing" of the story. I don't think it adds anything of substance. We get to see too little of the girl and the background to really care, and then it just feels like an unwanted distraction from the very good farie tale in the middle. I think you should have trusted the farie tale to stand on its own, and dropped the frame. And if you absolutely wanted to keep it, give us a little bit more, so we care.
Carpe David (who at least has an easily spellable name, event though it isn't short
). Oh, that is just sad. In a "you made this puppy cry" way, or something. (That was ment to be positive feedback...).
The world of Esmeralda Santiago is very interesting. At first I was in doubt about what to think, but to me the view of Esmeralda felt corect. When Luna told us “There are no fairies, Da!” I thought she would crush out the wonderful world of Esmeralda, or that the illness was just lack of faith. And then Luna dies. For real
When Esmeralda kept her faith and her world view through this and conquered the wraith (of doubt? of sorrow? or illness?) it felt like a very important victory.
I cannot really analyse this story as I feel it hits me on a more emotional level, but I think the story flows well, and I really get to care about both Esmeralda and Luna, but most I care about the way Esmeralda see the world. A very good story, since I still cannot quite wrap my mind around it but it feels good. In a sad way.
So since this is the last pairing I'll do a little judgeing. I cannot do worse than guessing wrong and noone will remember till next time anyway
At the first reading I always end up with a gut feeling, and this time it was that Rodrigo Istalindir had the best story, but since reading them earlier today Carpe David's story has grown and grown. It would not leave me alone, and after reading both a couple of more times now, in the afternoon, I think I would give this one to Carpe David, and use what I feel is the unnescessary framing of Rodrigo Istalindir's story as the excuse. But it is very close, and I guess this one will come down to what type of story each judge preferes.
[/sblock]
Håkon
with another warm "Thank You!" to all participants and to Siala for the last pictures.
carpedavid
First Post
yangnome said:
The all art round felt about the same as a normal round, honestly. The task is the same whether the images are illustrations or photographs. The only difference, I would say, was that I felt a greater sense of responsibility to be true to the images, since I knew that the main artist would be here watching the results.
carpedavid
First Post
While we're waiting on the judgment, I want to thank all of my fellow competitors. Your high level of creativity and skill made for one of the more exciting competitions I think I've seen.
Also, thanks to everyone who commented throughout the tournament. Whether positive or negative, it's great to know that someone is reading your work. A special thanks to Gulla, who managed to provide insightful comments from start to finish!
More after the judgment hits...
Also, thanks to everyone who commented throughout the tournament. Whether positive or negative, it's great to know that someone is reading your work. A special thanks to Gulla, who managed to provide insightful comments from start to finish!
More after the judgment hits...
