Application Info

[Opal]

So, looking to apply, eh? For any new people among us, I do apologize for the wall of text below when you've probably already got a lot of questions, but this contest is going to be a bit different. There are going to be some different rules in place, some old school rules brought back, and so forth. So bear with me.

- For the first time in...a very, very long time...there will be a handicap favoring those that have never been in or have never placed highly (5th place or lower) in a contest. Buut since the app numbers are so low, I doubt we will need this rule, so we'll just skip it for now. :)

- Because of this, it is very important that you are truthful about your identity when you apply. It does matter that I know how well you've done in contests past this time. Previously I had this rule because of an incident in a former contest where a staff member entered under a false name, but I am putting much more emphasis on it this time. I must stress that I will be the only person that knows your identity; the other judges will be left in the dark, so as to remain as impartial as possible...which is why I have judges in the first place. If I find out at any point in the competition that you have hidden your true identity from me (even if it is the last week), I will automatically assume it is because you decided to cheat to get around the handicap, and you will be disqualified from the competition. So while you still can make a false identity to fool your fellow contestants and such, I, at least, need to know your actual identity.

- There will be a cap on word counts in posts, and it will be enforced. If you are a wordy birdy, beware. I will not say the exact limit here, lest the audience take it upon themselves to vote based on word count (DON'T. **bap**),  but it will be under 3500 words a post. The structure of the contest will be a bit more fast-paced than usual, which will hopefully make this very easy adhere to.

- Applications (and story posts) are to be written in third person perspective. This has always been the accepted norm of contests, though up until now it has never been an actual rule. You will not be the only author in this contest, and though writing styles invariably...vary...from person to person, I feel it makes it just that much more important to at least have a uniform perspective. Plus, the Redwall books are not written in first person. I tend to cringe at apps written in first person anyway, so trust me, this rule is going to save you some grief in the long run. :P

- Yeah, you'll be expected to behave and work with everyone in the contest. I trust everyone that has applied so far will be wonderful, so this rule does not need to be stressed.

- Please respect the anonymity rule. If you discover a contestant's identity before they are allowed to reveal it to the audience, keep it to yourself. There has been a tendency in the more recent contests to be very lax about this rule, with identities being bandied about willy-nilly amongst contestants and audience members alike, but I'm kickin' it old school. Make no mistake, I am taking this rule very, very seriously. If you give away anyone's identity prematurely, it could result in your expulsion from the contest. If you are not a contestant, then it could result in your banning from these forums. Just...don't do it.

- This contest will be much faster-paced than previous contests. Extensions will not be given, apart from a period of a few days that will be given to the contestants to use when and however they wish. Death posts that are not up in 48 hours will be subbed. Due to shorter post lengths, keeping on top of things should be easier than usual.

- The rating of this contest, like the Redwall books, is PG. This means very, very minimal swearing (if it doesn't pass the board filter, it ain't allowed in a post), no sex (and keep the innuendos to a bare minimum), no over-the-top violence...Basically, if you can't imagine the late Mr. Jacques writing it in a book, it probably isn't allowed here. I'm not doing this because I'm a prude and I never personally swear or make "That's what she said" jokes or what have you (anyone who really knows me would quickly correct you on that XP), but because that is how I've always done it at RedVenture. I like to keep this site available to younger people, and to avoid the wrath of any nervous parents out there. ;)


And now, these are the categories you may apply for!

- Male Beaver
- Male Fox
- Male Mink
- Male Owl
- Female Badger
- Female Crow
- Female Rabbit
- Female Rat


You may write up to three applications (not for the same category!). Applications must be no more than 600 words long. Applications must be for one of the set categories above, and must not stray from said categories (no male rats, no female owls, no species not on the list above, etc.). Your character(s) must be completely original and new, and NOT ones you have used in another RP or contest! Recycled apps are fine, as long as no one knows that you wrote said app. While applications can be set somewhere other than Kotir and its immediate surroundings, be forewarned that by the start of the contest, your character must be inside Kotir. This is due to the setup and more fast-paced setting. Your application must be set at some point before the prologue takes place (minutes, hours, days, whatever works best for you). Again, this is due to the setting. I prefer italics to be done in the forum code ([ i ] this, but without the spaces [ / i ]), but I definitely won't count it against you if you do them a different way!

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 11:59 PM EST ON OCTOBER 16TH.

Please note that this is set about a century before Verdauga ever comes to Mossflower. Martin the Warrior does not exist yet. Most of Mossflower's residents are scattered about in small tribes and villages (many living under the protection of Kotir in exchange for goods and services), and Spearlady Gorse is the Badger Lady of Salamandastron (no, sorry, you may not apply as her). In terms of numbers, there are a total of five wolves in the pack (all considered to be higher ranking than the rest of the guard), around fifty guardbeasts (assorted vermin; some recruited from Mossflower, most from Rolf's kingdom), and around twenty slaves (most have been freed at this point, and only those putting the finishing touches on the castle remain). Since you will be expected to be inside Kotir by the beginning of the story, here are some suggested roles for various categories:

- Slave/servant (woodlanders, but possibly vermin/birds)
- Messenger (birds, most likely)
- Guard member (vermin, most likely)
- Cook, entertainer, or other service provider (could be any)

Your apps do not necessarily have to show them in this role in your application, but you will be expected to integrate them into the setting in some way by the start of the competition.



Because the form I used to use always gave one or two people problems, this round I'll just have you email them to me. So, when you're finally ready to apply, fill out the following form and email it to redventureATgmailDOTcom:


Your ROC name(s):

Your email:

Character's name:

Category:

Application:

[IPlanToBiteYou]

Assumption time: The 200-beast vanguard will not arrive before the beginning of the main story?

[Opal]

You assume correctly! Depending on how the contestants decide to end things, they probably won't show up until near the end.

[Stonewall]

There will be a cap on word counts in posts, and it will be enforced. If you are a wordy birdy, beware. I will not say the exact limit here, lest the audience take it upon themselves to vote based on word count (DON'T. **bap**),  but it will be under 3500 words a post.

Noooooooooooo! What sort of devilry is this?!  :o

[Opal]

Mwahahah. It's the kind that hates reading 7000 word posts, Stoney-baloney.

No, but seriously, I'm sort of trying to get back to the old days, where posting under 2000 words wasn't an automatic death sentence. Just spread your action out over a couple of posts during the week if you need!

[Sycamore]

Hmm, I don't necessarily agree with that. I think the increase in word count per post has come with the growing of ourselves as authors and the complexities of the stories that we're writing.

But even so, it has always seemed more dangerous to me to write a longer post than a shorter post. I don't think I've ever seen a character voted off simply because his chapters were not as lengthy as others.

[carelesswhisper]

I feel like this is a fairly frequently asked question, but I just want to make sure - does the application have to feature the character while they're already at Kotir?  Or can it take place any time, and they just have to be there in the first post? 

[Opal]

It can take place any time, but they must be there at the start of the story. And I should clarify that the story will pretty much be happening right after the prologue takes place. So if your character is from a distant land and your application will be taking place there, I'd recommend setting it far enough back that they'll be able to realistically make the journey to Kotir.

[Balmafula]

I agree with Sycamore.  In fact, that's one part of earlier contests that sort of irritated me, just how ridiculously short some of the posts were.  But, that being said, 3000~ words doesn't sound unreasonable, and it might be a little easier on the writers' nerves to not have to cram so much into one post. 

[Opal]

I hope it keeps things moving behind the scenes, too. That's one thing that's annoyed me about later contests, when a draft of a post sits up on the contestant board for ages holding everyone else up, because so much is being covered that it just takes ages to write/edit. Shorter posts will hopefully mean less time spent writing and editing, and a more even spread of plot points covered in each post. But hey, this is totally experimental. We shall see how it goes.

[Airan]

Please note that this is set about a century before Verdauga ever comes to Mossflower. Martin the Warrior does not exist yet. Most of Mossflower's residents are scattered about in small tribes and villages (many living under the protection of Kotir in exchange for goods and services), and Spearlady Gorse is the Badger Lady of Salamandastron

I love this.  After MM, RS, TED2, RR, and MM2, its nice to see a contest that doesn't take place a bit distant in the future.  No syringes here.  No pawheld dragons.  I like the change of pace.

As for the word count limit, I know I'm a victim, or rather the audience of RR was a victim, of my incredibly long posts during that contest so I can agree with it.  It's a pretty generous limit luckily as, depending on what the contestants decide during the story, it should be easy to fit a post in 3500 words, unless you're  just a wordy birdy (AKA. Me.) >.<

[Balmafula]

Hey, syringes aren't as bad as all that.  The Romans were using piston syringes, and the Egyptians were actually using hollow ones, so I don't see how they're impossible with a bit of ingenuity and manipulation.

[Dewy]

- There will be a cap on word counts in posts, and it will be enforced. If you are a wordy birdy, beware. I will not say the exact limit here, lest the audience take it upon themselves to vote based on word count (DON'T. **bap**),  but it will be under 3500 words a post. The structure of the contest will be a bit more fast-paced than usual, which will hopefully make this very easy adhere to.

This is the best news I've heard out of these contests in a while. 7000 words may be part of your coming of age as a writer, but from an audience perspective I've got to say that nothing turns me off more than having to read a post longer than about 4K words. Even 4K is too many for me, and often murders my audience interest.

Not that I intend to be an audience member :)

[Jarrtail]

Quick question: What season does the prologue take place in? Because I felt like a was getting a bit of a wintry vibe from it, but there doesn't seem to be anything in the text that supports that.

[Opal]

It takes place in the tail end of fall. Think early Decemberish. :)