CERAMIC DM March 2012

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

For Gregor:

[sblock]Glad you enjoyed it.

In terms of inspiration, I went from candy monsters to lich Willy Wonka in about 3.2 seconds. Other than "Mind over Matter, where the bridge image just clicked right away, I don't think I've ever settled on the topic for a Ceramic DM story so fast.

Actually, in the first draft, Charlie accompanied Miranda on her adventure. But I thought that split the focus, drew attention away from Miranda, and made a short story too crowded. I also thought it would give the surprise away too soon; few people would recognize Miranda Piker, but Charlie Bucket would have been spotted instantly.

As to brevity, I can only plead 'it's Ceramic DM'.

[/sblock]

 

[SteelDraco]

For Gregor:
[sblock]
Yeah, you're totally right that I was rushing to actually get to the end of the story and submit something. Totally my fault, but I wanted to have something to post. Didn't end up getting done. Honestly I took too much time with my setting and introduction, but I was having enough fun with it that it was hard to tear myself away from that and get to the rising action. Writing the characters and dialogue ended up being more enjoyable to me than getting to the end of the story - something I should have been better about. I knew fairly quickly that I was in trouble, since I could tell that it was going to be pretty long and I didn't really get writing until the evening before the story was due.

Still, glad you enjoyed the setting and characters. I'm trying to get into writing RPG stuff - I sent off my first submission out last month (to Wayfinder), since it's a New Year's resolution of mine to get published somewhere this year.
[/sblock]

 

[steeldragons]

Round II: Match 2

Rodrigo Instalindir’s Revenge is a Dish Best Served Sticky
vs.
Daeja’s Untitled...(I'll refer to this as "Jack" for simplicity's sake)
vs.
SteelDraco’s Shards out of Bond

Let's to it...shall we?

1) Writing Skill/Style: Not much to say here. You three are excellent, capable and knowledgeable in the ways of the pen (or keyboard, these days, I suppose). Descriptions are clear and engaging. Characters are rounded, particularly well for a series of short stories, I might add, and believable, sympathetic and horrifying (where they have to be). The writers are bringin' the thunduh to this match. Moments of lightheartedness, unspoken love, friendships, horror, fear, desperation, humor, nostalgia...You guys have covered it all! I really have no idea what I'm gonna do with the three of you...let's see how the rest pans out.

2) Picture Use: The pyramid is a setting piece. Each story used it as such as the foreboding site of adventure I had no doubt it would be. It's use as the home of the Oompa Loompas in Sticky was a particularly fun touch. But then, the burial tower in Jack was a colorful tidbit to the setting. I do very much wish we would have gotten to see a bit more (interior) of Shard's lich-lord tower. But those deadlines are there for a reason. More on that later. I think there is no edge for this one.

The white...ball...glob...things. Loved 'EM! Their use in all three was spot on, creative, and took a completely bizarre "unbelievable" kind of image and made it totally believable! As the knids, the curious scouting spell (which I am TOTALLY stealing to use in game, btw) and, perhaps my favorite, the arguing bound goblin souls which had me just chuckling away. All three were brilliant. Again, no edge, three way tie of AWESOMESAWCE here.

The skeleton guy was an interesting addition in both Jack and Sticky (since we did not get around to seeing him in Shards). He is a solid character for both. I think the Gentleman Jack portrayal, as a one-time hero laid under a curse, gives him a bit more depth and, as the hero vs. the villain of Wonka-lich, he becomes completely accepted by the reader...Whereas Sticky's use of him as the eternal Wonka was just steeped in fantastically dark whimsy, and his "skeleton-ness" (?) is not at all lost or forgotten...which I think it does, a bit, in Jack.

The red crystal, similar to the towering set-piece, is what it is. A big stone with a red crystal on it. It was used just fine in all three. I think Shard's introduction of it early as a great treasure was well done. The saving crystal needed/sought out by Jack gives it a bit more plot significance in Jack...but we might have seen that in Shards at some later point had we had the pleasure of a completed tale. Its use in Sticky as Wonka's 'phylactery', for lack of a better term, was similarly well done, but did feel a bit forced in there. It has a definite plot purpose...but it feels, I dunno, just shoehorned in, to me.

I don't know...I'm still not getting the "this one has an edge" that I was really hoping for, by now.

3) Personal Enjoyment: What's to say? These are three great stories. The horror-nostalgia of Sticky's "look into what happened after" the chocolate Factory was just genius. It was, sincerely, "creepy" in all of the fun-yet-horrific ways creepy can be.I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gentleman Jack gave us the tidbits of what seemed to be a well thought out greater world and a past that entices the reader to desire it explored. The "what happened between Jack and Beth before?" and "what will happen after they get out of this?" are just wonderful questions to make a reader wonder...To really enjoy looking into that snapshot of time of the short story and be interested and excited and wonder about what happened beyond that snapshot. That takes real talent and excellent craft. (which, to be clear, I believe all three of you have.)

Shards was really really getting my gaming juices flowing. The characters, the friendships, some past experiences that the reader are "let in on", the relationship/exchanges with the transmuted goblins, the subtle detail of the clockwork bird, the description of Cole walking through the bustling streets...there's just an amazing setting here waiting to be played in! It feels "full", for lack of a better term. It's fleshed out and has a depth. As the reader, I want to go explore more of it.

I very very much hope, Steel Draco, you will indulge us all and complete the story. It really was off to such a great start. I am terribly sorry that its lack of use of all the images is the biggest minus to scoring, for me. Perhaps even moreso than the story being incomplete.

And, if I haven't said it already, I know others have, KUDOS and honorable mention for submitting what you had vs. just "bowing out". I, for one, am very happy that you did.

But, at the end of the day, when it's all said and done...I do have to pick just one of you, don't I?...with a pure "personal enjoyment" miniscule hair of preference...

Steel Dragons' pick for winner of Round II: Match 2 goes to...
Daeja

 

[Piratecat]

Suspense! Can't wait to see Mirth's decision.

 

[steeldragons]

Suspense! Can't wait to see Mirth's decision.

We aims tuh please.

 

[Mirth]

Mirth - Judgment

Round 2, Match 2

Rodrigo Istalindir vs. Daeja vs. SteelDraco

Man, I need to clone another me to get this done or start drinking more heavily… Sorry peeps for not distilling the knowledge on time.

Style -- These three stories are killers. So hard to choose because they all ooze style (in a good way). From the first moment I realized what was going on in Rodrigo's Evil Wonka tale, I was hooked. Dahl was all over that piece. Those who haven't read his work may not realize how dark Dahl can really get, but I felt Rodrigo captured the duality of cruelty and heroism that Dahl tried to instill in his writing and played it out to its inevitable end. Kudos for a job well done. Directly after that, we have the completely well-rounded, fascinating, and compelling tale of a skeletal gentleman adventurer and his ex-girlfriend, who is a true witch (iykwisaittyd). Beth and Jack's story is captivating and we gobble up all the sweet morsels of background as they are slowly doled out during the course of the story. Totally entertaining from beginning to end. Lastly, we have SteelDraco's equally well-drawn tale of treasure unbound and evil unmatched waiting for the right set of heroes to seize the day. The characters were multi-faceted and definitely not stereotypical. I want to find out so much more about the world they live in. Great stuff. Whew. Tough.

Picture use -- Ah pictures. Sometimes they can bring a writer to their knees. Other times they can take the story to places we never saw coming. Mostly, these stories fall into the latter category. The many-windowed hill was used so well in all the stories, from skin-lightened pygmy hive to burial tomb of horrors (!) to the towering home of the lord of lichs. That last one never made it far out of the gate, but the idea was strong, and the other two stories really made it an undeniably invaluable set piece. The jewel-encrusted rock was also made much of in all of the stories, first as Wonka's reanimation foci, then as the blood crystal which doubled as Jack's salvation and Kamila's doom, and finally, as the title suggests, a major plot point and serious piece of treasure in Shards Of Bond. At this point, we get to the white balls with mouths -- great picture and GREAT use in each story. The knids were brilliant, the magic scouts with ear, eye, and mouth were genius, and the polymorphed-against-their-will goblins were insanely inventive. Lastly, we have the bony, dandy, mister moneybags. Rodrigo casting him as an undead Willy Wonka is beyond crafty, Daeja's Gentleman Jack is thoroughly charismatic as lead, sadly we don't see SteelDraco's lich in the flesh (so to speak), so we have to infer how awesome he would have been. Still, all in all, the picture use was extremely well-done and without that deadline causing one downfall, I feel confident in saying that we might have had another 3-way face-off.

Personal connection -- All three tales pulled at different connective heartstrings in me. I loved Rodrigo's sinister chocolatier to death, but I also loved the unrequited love story at the center of Daeja's potboiler, and I loved the setting and characterization in SteelDraco's sadly truncated jungle jaunt. Each were so well-written and I enjoyed reading them all so much, it made my job fun and sucktastic at the same time. I mean, I HAVE to choose a winner, right? Sucktastic, folks.

Final judgment - We know that SteelDraco is unfortunately out of the running. I want to give a shout out to him regardless, because what we did get belied such a wondrous story that I am sorely disappointed that we had to stop reading when we did. Mucho thanks for giving us what you could SD. So it comes down to Rodrigo and Daeja. Of the two, I enjoyed the fully-realized, Romancing-The-Stone style of Jack and Beth bunches and bunches. I felt truly depressed when Jack made the ultimate sacrifice and then joyous when he started to come back to Beth. Fantastic stuff. But when Rodrigo turned the darkness meter on my Wonkavision goggles up to 11, he stole the show. Everything about the tale was just … perfect. The chanting, unseen Oompa Loompas, the fizzy-lifting potion, the three-course-meal candy, and Evil Willy himself. Just brillig.

My nod for Round 2, Match 2 goes to … RODRIGO ISTALINDIR!

And it looks like RODRIGO is the winner of the match and moves on to the final round vs. PIRATECAT!!!!

I WILL post the pics for the final round TOMORROW, once both Rodrigo and Piratecat have checked in.

Let's hear it for all of the contestants so far, in what has to be one of the best Ceramic DM competitions ever! WOOHOO!

 

[UselessTriviaMan]

Congrats to both PC and Rodrigo! Well fought, well played, and well-crafted, gentlemen. I can't wait to see what's in store for the finale...

 

[Hellefire]

In Anchorage and exhausted. But alive . Long drive!

Great job PC and Rodrigo!

 

[maxfieldjadenfox]

Lots of fun reads in this last round! Congrats to PC and Rodrigo - looking forward to seeing what you cook up next.

 

[Daeja]

Congratulations Rodrigo! A well deserved win! I knew when I read your story that I was in trouble. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you and PC come up with in the final round (and am looking forward to playing along without all that pressure!)

To the judges: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all of your kind words. I really tried to take your comments in the first round to heart so that my second round entry was as much improved as possible. I really appreciate all the effort that was put into the judgements and the feedback therein. Good luck making a decision on what I'm sure will be a very exciting final round!

Thank you everyone for including me in the contest - I've really enjoyed myself even when I was panicking over what I was going to do with the images. You're a very welcoming, friendly bunch, and I hope to participate in future CDMs! For the moment, however, I will happily sit back and play along with the final round, without all that pressure to perform well.

Good luck PC and Rodrigo! Can't wait to see what the judges give you guys!