Pod Castle Flash Contest - Rules

[Unblinking]

Now the world shall know the terror of The Bonnacon League!  Cower before it's 13 entries!

Also, cower before it's poo.

It's going to turn into poo? Ewww.....

My apologies, "its poo"!  Funny the grammar allowed the other way to mean something too.

[Whiskerwing]

I'm finding it more and more difficult to vote on things. I don't know about the rest of you, but sometimes my tiebreakers are decided more by the fact that this is a podcast competition -- which stories have lush language that I'd love to hear read aloud.

Some of these stories are fantastic fun to read, but some others are slightly more fun to LISTEN to. I kind of wish I could go back and vote differently on a few pieces that I was waffling on.

So much talent here! Very glad to be able to participate and read so many wonderful stories.

[Devoted135]

Now the world shall know the terror of The Bonnacon League!  Cower before it's 13 entries!

Also, cower before it's poo.

It's going to turn into poo? Ewww.....

My apologies, "its poo"!  Funny the grammar allowed the other way to mean something too.

Sorry, I was just too amused by the alternate meaning to pass it up.

[Cutter McKay]

Hey Dave, I noticed today that you've begun commenting on the stories in the now-closed Group 5. But there are still a few stories in Group 4 that didn't get the much anticipated DKT comment, mine included. 

[DKT]

I cannot believe I missed that. Sorry, man!

I think I've got 'em all now. If in the future I skip your story, it's because I messed up, not because of your story. SERIOUSLY. So ping me, or comment here. Cause I really want to comment on 'em 

[Varda]

I cannot believe I missed that. Sorry, man!

I think I've got 'em all now. If in the future I skip your story, it's because I messed up, not because of your story. SERIOUSLY. So ping me, or comment here. Cause I really want to comment on 'em 

Point of information - looks like you also overlooked "Talking Walls" as well. One of my faves from this round, am looking forward to hearing the editor's take!

[DKT]

Heh. That one was a victim of my lunchbreak. I'll be with it shortly

ETA: Although in retrospect, I guess it was fairly anticlimactic editor feedback!

[Ocicat]

Did you know that some kinds of geese don't hatch from eggs, but instead grow from barnacles?  Find out in Group 8!  Also read and vote on some stories.

And say goodbye to the Bonnacon.  Today is his last day on the boards - I'm afraid we're going to have to let him go.

[MCWagner]

And say goodbye to the Bonnacon.  Today is his last day on the boards - I'm afraid we're going to have to let him go.

It was inevitable.  I've never seen an animal harder to housetrain...

[Whiskerwing]

It is INCREDIBLY difficult to not vote for a friend's story, especially when it's up against such strong competition! Those of you who've already posted about not voting for friends/family, I tip my hat to you.

[Ocicat]

A reminder, as Wiskerwing notes above: if a story is from a family member, friend, or you otherwise know the author of a story DO NOT VOTE FOR IT.  You may vote for your own stories.

Also, the rules stated that if two voters are in the same household, you are to email me and let me know.  There have been two instances where I have noticed accounts sharing an IP address that I wasn't previously informed of.  This is very dangerous and can get your story disqualified.  At the very least, votes from your household for your story will be disqualified. 

All that being said - please welcome the Group 9 mascot, the ferocious if obscure Pard.

And of course, today is the last day of voting in the Siren League.

[Moritz]

Oh no, I missed the Siren league voting deadline... 

[Ocicat]

Oh no, I missed the Siren league voting deadline... 

That's a shame, since it was a really close group!  Make sure you vote now for Barnacle Goose League - not too much longer to go on that group now.  Those that fall in the sea will live, and those that fall on land will die.

[Varda]

Those that fall in the sea will live, and those that fall on land will die.

 

[Ocicat]

The final group of the first round is up!  All stories from the contest have now been posted.

And it is indeed the last day to direct the poor barnacle geese to the water.

[Unblinking]

The final group of the first round is up!  All stories from the contest have now been posted.

And it is indeed the last day to direct the poor barnacle geese to the water.

And I have read them all! 

Really there were a lot of solid stories, a lot of other stories I liked but which had a fatal flaw.  Really, there were very few stories that I just plain disliked.

Maybe now that I don't have new batches of stories to read all the time I'll get back to the Escape Artists feature stories threads again--between this contest and paternity leave before it, I haven't visited most of the threads in months!

[Cutter McKay]

Maybe now that I don't have new batches of stories to read all the time I'll get back to the Escape Artists feature stories threads again

Me too. I haven't listened to any of the regular stories for like, three weeks now.

[Unblinking]

Maybe now that I don't have new batches of stories to read all the time I'll get back to the Escape Artists feature stories threads again

Me too. I haven't listened to any of the regular stories for like, three weeks now.

I've been listening, because I do that on my commute anyway--but I have limited time to screw around on forums, and I've been stretching that just to be sure I can read all the contest entries. 

The problem with that is that by the time I get to comment on some of these stories, they'll probably be more than 3 months since I've listened to them.  If it's a not a particularly memorable story, I  have trouble recalling what the story was about at all when I go back to comment!

[Wilson Fowlie]

For all the authors:

It's not as easy as it looks!

[Varda]

For all the authors:

It's not as easy as it looks!

HA! 

While we're swapping comics about writing, this one is my all-time favorite (okay, it's generally about creativity, but go with it). FYI: Contains profanity and humping beavers, in case you're at work.

[MCWagner]

Just curious:  in the last flash contest, when stories moved to the next round, I think I remember that all advancing stories were mixed thoroughly and then re-sorted into new sets so it wasn't Group 1 winners vs. each other and Group 2 + Group 3 winners, but rather 2nd place from Group 1, 1st from group5, 3rd from group 2, etc. 

I was just wondering if that was going to be done for this contest the same way...

[Ocicat]

It's going to be all mixed up, yes.  Probably not exactly the same way.  But each semi-final has three basic rules:

1. Have one story from every first round group
2. Have a more-or-less even distribution of winning stories, second place stories, and third place stories.
3. No two stories from the same author.

I should also note that if Group 10 doesn't need a runoff, I may start the semis ahead of schedule.  I also now plan on having each group be up for a vote for 8 or 9 days, so we have a longer window with all three up for voting before the first one closes.  I might also switch to just two days between posting groups.

[Ocicat]

Last day of voting on the first round!

[Unblinking]

It's going to be all mixed up, yes.  Probably not exactly the same way.  But each semi-final has three basic rules:

1. Have one story from every first round group
2. Have a more-or-less even distribution of winning stories, second place stories, and third place stories.
3. No two stories from the same author.

I should also note that if Group 10 doesn't need a runoff, I may start the semis ahead of schedule.  I also now plan on having each group be up for a vote for 8 or 9 days, so we have a longer window with all three up for voting before the first one closes.  I might also switch to just two days between posting groups.

That all sounds good to me.  There'll be less stories, and all of them I'll have read before, so shorter intervals is fine.

[Cutter McKay]

It's going to be all mixed up, yes.  Probably not exactly the same way.  But each semi-final has three basic rules:

1. Have one story from every first round group
2. Have a more-or-less even distribution of winning stories, second place stories, and third place stories.
3. No two stories from the same author.

I should also note that if Group 10 doesn't need a runoff, I may start the semis ahead of schedule.  I also now plan on having each group be up for a vote for 8 or 9 days, so we have a longer window with all three up for voting before the first one closes.  I might also switch to just two days between posting groups.

That all sounds good to me.  There'll be less stories, and all of them I'll have read before, so shorter intervals is fine.

Agreed, now that round one is complete, let's speed this up a bit. I get why you went with three days between groups, and I agree for the most part, but that third day, spent waiting for the new group, tended to be agonizing. Especially while waiting to see what groups my stories would end up in