What do you want to see?

[Opal]

Let me kick this discussion off with an old favorite. What do you want to see in this contest? What types of characters? Where do you want the story to go?

Personally, I want to see more of a throwback to older contests. Shorter posts, multiple ones a week. I want to see a group of contestants that trusts each other enough to write their characters and doesn't have to screen every little action and line of dialogue, so we don't wait days and days between posts. If someone screws your character up, you retcon and move on, IMO.

Also, I want to see RELATIONSHIPS. Not of a romantic nature (necessarily), but I want to see EVERYONE interact with EVERYONE. It's so sad when a contest has ten or so characters that are all supposed to be in the same boat, but some of them never interact, or in some cases, never even MEET. I want everyone to have an established relationship with everyone else. I want to see friendships form, rifts drive characters apart. That sort of thing.

Anyhoo, what do y'all want to see?

[Balmafula]

I want romance :D But... I realize this isn't always possible and sometimes there's really no reason for it at all. But do it right and I will love you forever. Reena and Tristan (TeD1) were a bit derpy but they were absolutely adorable. Although it was also kind of a one-sided doomed relationship right from the start. Those are good too.

I don't mind longer posts, just as long as it isn't all rambly inner monologues and exposition.

As far as characters go, I'd like to see some nasty vermin. Give them complexity, sure, but lately we've had too many "mild" vermin characters. Give 'em some teeth. Likewise, I want to see some woodlanders who aren't jerks.

[Opal]

Likewise, I want to see some woodlanders who aren't jerks.

Unless you're Desmond, of course. <3

[foxpen]

Tara, you nailed it with the relationships. Interaction and development used to move these contests along.

[Sycamore]

If there's romance, I'd rather not it be interspecies. Call me old fashioned, but that's just my preference. Interspecies stuff can happen outside the story, though, hee.

[Opal]

Yeah, interspecies is awk. Reena/Tristan was cute, but only because it was so ridiculously improbable and never led to anything.

I still like action though, too! Character interaction is great, but it can get stagnant if everyone just stands around talking for posts on end. Keep it movin', yo.

[Alan]

I think I shall have to sit this one out.  Having a baby in 5 weeks would seriously put a crimp in my writing.  AND I'm waiting till then to write Alan's last epilogue that way I can get properly intoxi-er hydrated so as to do it justice. 

Ahem.  I want to see...  cool stuff, original stuff that isn't ikky, and brilliant writing.  yes.  And possibly a love story.  A good one.  With drama.  And kits.  I like kits.  I think every story should have one.

[Nallmian 2.0]

I agree wholeheartedly with Balmafula about wanting vermin with teeth. There is absolutely no conflict between giving them complex motivations and relationships and giving them that sharp edge that vermin have. The Emperor's Decree 2 did a great job with this. The characters in general, and Seth, Gloria, and Steep in particular were all very, very distinct from woodlander characters. What I like about musteline characters is the manic sense of fun and sarcastic sense of humor that you see in a lot of vermin characters.

My feelings are mixed about romance; I don't specifically want to see it, but that does not mean that I do not want to see it. I do think Player/NPC romance would probably work better than player/player, both on screen and behind the scenes; it just seems like that sort of thing might damage the cohesion of the cast. I don't necessarily have a specific objection to interspecies relationships, because I kind of figure that they probably do happen from time to time, given how much time beasts of different species spend together. It's hard for me to believe that nobeast ever falls for someone outside their species, especially in, say, a horde type environment. Basically, I take the same view of inter- and intra- species romance: if it's done well, it can be fun to read, if it's done poorly it's obnoxious.

Another thing I want to see: a highly coherent plot. What I mean by this is that I want all of the subplots and side stories to directly contribute to the main narrative, without characters wandering off on their own and becoming irrelevant, and without messing loose threads. This last thing was the most serious problem in my own abortive contest, Redscape: I threw way too many subplots and side quests at the contestants, and as a result, they got bogged down and the progression of the story stagnated. By contrast, Midnight Mossflower did a great job of making sure the contestants were all traveling down the same road. Contestants who spend too much time away from the main story are often the ones I try to vote off.

Lastly, another thing I am very fond of is worldbuilding. I want to get a sense of culture and context out of the story. I don't expect a society of anthropomorphic animals to be a perfect analogue of any human culture, but I do expect it to feel as immersive as possible.

[Opal]

I agree. Please do not force romances. They only work when they like, y'know, work. If that makes sense. Don't try to force two characters with nothing in common together just to try and please the audience. Unless it's totally one-sided, or love-hate. Then it's just kind of funny and sad. :P

But if a true contestant romance blossoms organically, that would be fantastic! I'm not anti-romance either, but there are so many other equally interesting stories to tell.

[Aleisou]

I agree with Tara that I would like to see shorter, more frequent posts. I'd rather contestants wrote two or three 2000 word posts a week than have to wade through 5000+ words at a time. I can't cope with that amount of text!

I too want a really nasty vermin character, one that could function as the story's actual villain, rather than just mooching along with the woodlanders in a somewhat snarky, self-serving manner. And I'd also like to see some actually heroic woodlanders. Some people almost treat it as a weakness for a good guy to actually be good, but that doesn't mean flawless - I just want to read somebody who I can really root for.

I would also like a strong, linear plotline that doesn't focus too much on NPCs. I know they are essential, but I think it's disappointing when authors spend more time developing relationships with NPCs than with each other. The fun is having such a mis-match of characters being forced to work with each other.

Also, in terms of applications ... I personally don't care if a character concept isn't particularly original. I'd rather see the same set of warriors, healers and assassins brought to vividly to life than a bunch of gimmicky professions, which will become redundant as soon as the story starts. I think I'll end up voting for apps with vibrant personalities, great dialogue, and a clear relevance to the plot, but then again, I'm just one vote. :)

[Saveaux]

Realize this thread might be a bit cold, but wanted to throw in my brief two-cents.

What I really would like to see, or rather what I don't want to see, is dead characters cast asside right after they die. It's annoying, both as a reader and as a writer (though it didn't happen much when I was an author of a dead character) when a character gets offed and the rest of the cast reacts to the death for all of a moment before moving on. Particularly if that character was in the midst of priming a checkhov's gun before it got a chance to fire off.

For example, let's say that all of the characters are about to face down an army. Character A has a concrete battle plan with which to deal with the opposing force. But, unfortunately, Character A gets killed. The other characters, after Character A has expired and they've mourned him for the standard half-hour, ditch character A's plan and go forward with something completely different. This isn't the best example, but I hope you get the idea. It kinda sucks when a writer starts a sub-plot that could be relivant to the story or character or whatever and lead to a really cool reveal, only to have it never pay off because the remaining authors aren't following the "yes, and" rule...

...

I should explain the "yes, and" rule, shouldn't I? It's essentially the most basic rule of improv. Let's say you're in a scene with another actor. The other actor turns to you and says, "Aren't you a Doctor?" If you follow "yes, and" your reply should be something like, "Yes, and I'm also an origami champ!" If another performer gives you something to work with, go through with it and don't just ignore what they've set up or tried to put in place to help you.