Rules for Applying and the Application Categories

[Airan]

Rules for Applying:

?   There is a 650 word limit to your application. This tight word limit is designed to see how well you can write under pressure, and how much you can make your character's personality and traits shine through despite not having much room to do so. Don't panic though. There's still plenty you can do with it, but while writing, you must simply remember what is important and what isn't. Don't worry though, once you make it into the contest, the word limit will be much less restrictive.

I will be using this site to check how many words you use: http://www.wordcounter.net/

?   You may not apply with a character you've already used in an RP in another site or forum. Also, if you're new to the forums and just now registering, don't give yourself the same name as the character you're applying with.

?   Once your application is finished, email it to mossflowerodyssey3@gmail.com with the character's name in the subject. Be sure to include in the email:

Your name on the forum
The Character's name
Character's species
Character's gender
Character's age
The category you're applying to

?   You may submit up to three applications total, but only one per category.

?   You must register for an account on the forums. You are not required to post or anything, but I need a name to put next to your applications so that I can make sure everyone is only sending in just 3.

?   Please do not tell anyone which characters you have written, as it has the potential to skew voting. If, however, you have discovered the identity of another character or writer, please respect it and keep the knowledge only to yourself. Anonymity is key in these contests, and I should be the only one during the judging and application process that knows your identity. As is usual, I am taking this rule very seriously, and if it's not respected, I can and will have you expelled from the competition or banned from the forums.

?   Applications and story posts must be written in the 3rd person perspective.

?   The rating for this story will be the same as the books, PG, meaning no sex, very minimal swearing, and no insane violence. I don't mind slight ventures into PG-13 material, but I would prefer they be kept at the minimum so that more people are willing to read and participate in the contest.

?   Anyone can take part in the voting. You can vote for your own character to make it into the top 10 if you would like, or participate in the 'death' vote at the end of the week, even if you're one of the writers.

The Categories:

There's a little bit of missing context that doesn't come into the story until the second prologue, but I decided to go ahead and open up applications, as some of my judges have tight schedules next month.

In this contest you will play a member of one of two ships, both searching for the fabled Lost Treasure of Captain Blade, all searching for it for different reasons.

The Waverunners: The title given to the joint military between members of the Long Patrol and the Rogue Crew who protect the seas and shores of Mossflower under the command of the Badgerlord: Atlas Stormstripe. Despite being once primarily made up of otters and hares, positions among the crew are now open to any woodlander who believes they are brave and strong enough to fight vermin on a daily basis. Positions include:

?   A Soldier
?   A Cabin Boy
?   A Navigator
?   A Healer
?   A Stowaway - A wildcard category of sorts. Here you can be pretty much anything, woodlander or vermin. In the context of the story, maybe you're a woodlander looking for adventure, a young beggar looking for a better life, or a vermin eagerly accepting the call of treasure.

The Corsairs: Pirates and wavescum, broken and scattered since the crusade of Atlas Stormstipe and the death of Pirate King Captain Blade. Though any real form of organization is dead, the thought of treasure is enough to have caused many to finally crawl out from under the bilges, ready to sail, kill, and plunder once more across the seas. Here you will play the crew of the pirate ship known as The Silver Maiden, a small, rickety, and rather insignificant vessel that is trying to make a name for itself by being the first to claim Captain Blade's treasure. Positions include:

?   The Captain of the Vessel
?   A Slavedriver
?   A Quartermaster
?   A Cook
?   A Prisoner on Board - another wildcard. Maybe you're a disorderly crewbeast constantly getting himself thrown in the brig, a rival captain taken on board after a raid, or even a woodlander slave.

Applications close on May 29th at 11:59 pm EST

[Airan]

Once your application is finished, email it to mossflowerodyssey3@gmail.com with the character's name in the subject. Be sure to include in the email:
The Character's name
Character's species
Character's gender
Character's age
The category you're applying to

Whoops, sorry, made a bit of a mistake here and forgot to mention: please also include the name you go by on the forum in the email.

[SonikBoomTube]

For the world limit, will it still be OK if we're only a few words shy of being within the 650 word limit? Is that part mostly just up to you?

[Airan]

For the world limit, will it still be OK if we're only a few words shy of being within the 650 word limit? Is that part mostly just up to you?

Hey there, Sonik. Good to see someone commenting. I'd say so long as it's nothing too far over the limit, it'd be fine. Maybe about ten words at max though.

[Rascal]

Howdy! This is my first time trying for something like this. It is very exciting!

I'm sure I will have more questions later on but first I just have a more simpler one about how the characters would look.

I have noticed that the books tend to vary in how anthro the characters are. In some books characters resemble people with animal characteristics. In others they are like disney characters, basically animals that are realistic sizes and wear only belts and vests or just a shirt to prove that they are civilized.

It is a slight question but it can make an impact on the story in some areas, especially when smaller woodlanders start interacting with larger vermin. Like a fox and a mouse :)

[Airan]

Hey, Rascal, glad to see you made it :)

When it comes to character appearance, we usually stick to a sort of Disney style with the characters walking upright but still maintaining most of their animal qualities. In terms of clothing, we tend to have fully clothed characters, asides from certain species where it's not practical, like birds and the like. In terms of sizes, I've always pictured the sizes of each species to be pretty close to this chart: https://www.weasyl.com/~briarwood/submission/349953/briarwood-redwall-species-lineup-1242478.jpg though I would say that I think the Mouse and Shrew might be a little taller.

[Rascal]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Perhaps you can answer another odd ball type question Though. Out of curriosity  how long exactly has it been since Blade was killed? How long does 10 seasons translate into real time? 10 years or 2.5 years (4 seasons per year.)

[Airan]

For this particular contest, one season will be the equivalent of a year in terms of character's ages and whatnot, as animals age much faster than humans. While in reality only two and a half years would have technically passed since his death, in terms of everyone's lives in the story, it's been about ten years.

[Poko]

Hey, Rascal, glad to see you made it :)

When it comes to character appearance, we usually stick to a sort of Disney style with the characters walking upright but still maintaining most of their animal qualities. In terms of clothing, we tend to have fully clothed characters, asides from certain species where it's not practical, like birds and the like. In terms of sizes, I've always pictured the sizes of each species to be pretty close to this chart: https://www.weasyl.com/~briarwood/submission/349953/briarwood-redwall-species-lineup-1242478.jpg though I would say that I think the Mouse and Shrew might be a little taller.

Ooh I love the natural look of that work of art. Such confidence! Marvelous anatomy and the seemingly masterful understanding of clothing and fabric folds makes me envious! I wonder about birds though. Especially big birds. They were always portrayed as much larger (actual size) in the books, but this chart seems to be trying to even out the sizes a bit more (which I favor).

[Airan]

Ooh I love the natural look of that work of art. Such confidence! Marvelous anatomy and the seemingly masterful understanding of clothing and fabric folds makes me envious! I wonder about birds though. Especially big birds. They were always portrayed as much larger (actual size) in the books, but this chart seems to be trying to even out the sizes a bit more (which I favor).

Oh, yes. It's definitely one of my favorite size charts and reference pics for Redwall. Briarwood's gallery on Weasyl is pretty great, albeit a little small.

[Rascal]

I have another question :D

We can send in a total of 3 applications (one per selection) but only 1 can be accepted right?

[Airan]

All three can be selected into the top 30, but only one can be selected into the top 10. So, if you managed to get all three into the top 30, then you're chances would obviously be much higher.

[Airan]

Sorry, yet another update.

It's been brought to my attention that I didn't give enough detail on the pirate ship the crew members would be a part of for the Corsair categories. So, while I've gone ahead and edited the rules above to include more detail, I'll also briefly summarize the pirate ship you'll be a part of, just in case you wish to write your application while your character is currently on this ship. Luckily, I haven't gotten any Pirate applications yet, so this shouldn't affect too much hopefully. But anyways, you'll be a member of The Silver Maiden. It's a small ship, with an equally small crew, rickety and insignificant compared to the large, majestic vessels used by the Waverunners to patrol the seas and shores and keep them safe.

[Rascal]

This is actually helpfull.

I have morequestions but they are mostly of the fluff detail and technical kind. Like how long as the ship been to sea?

Also thank you for clarifying that we can write our characters already on the ship and, presumably, already preforming their duties.

[Airan]

I have morequestions but they are mostly of the fluff detail and technical kind. Like how long as the ship been to sea?

I won't really specify a time, just so it's more flexible, but I'd say no more than a couple of seasons at max.