Oktoberfest 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, damned!!!
As some of you may have noticed, the community damned was created exactly four years ago from today, October 1st, and has been going strong since then!
I think you veterans know what that means...
No, it has nothing to do with liederhosen or German beer festivals, but it does have a lot to do with FIC-WRITING and IN-GAME PRIZES!!! (It's also a good warm-up for NaNo!)
Basically:
EVERY PARTICIPANT WHO WRITES A FIC FOR OKTOBERFEST WILL EARN ONE OF THEIR CHARACTERS THEIR OUTFIT FROM THEIR CANON
RULES FOR THE FIC
1) Your fic must be over 2000 words in order to be eligible. We want to make sure people make a genuine effort to earn the participation prize!
2) Your fic must take place in the Landel's Damned setting. Your characters must either be in the Institute or the established area around it. Now, take into account that when we say "area," we mean the entire world--so a fic where the characters have escaped and are searching through the same world as Landel's is okay. The furthest from the setting you could get would be an ending where the characters make it back to their own world, but you couldn't write the entire fic in that setting.
3) Your fic must include characters who are actually at Landel's. While you can include characters who aren't on the Landel's roster on a sort of what-if basis, your fic should primarily focus on characters who are or have been in the RP.
4) As long as it meets the above criteria, your fic may include any plot and characters you want! So let loose! Stay on topic, but have some fun doing it!
5) If your fic, when posted, doesn't meet all of the above criteria, the mods can and will consider you ineligible to receive the participation prize. Just giving you fair warning here!
6) While it isn't mandatory, we strongly encourage you to write about characters other than the ones you play. After all, this is a chance to write about things you normally couldn't!
DUE DATE
In order to be eligible for a prize, all fics are due at 0:00 AM PST November 1st--that is, midnight on Halloween. (Spooooky, right? |D) However, you may post them whenever you want throughout the entire month of October.
FORMAT
When done with your fic, please post it with the following format to damned_lounge. (We do this on the lounge instead of the cafe since it's an official event and it'll only spam your flists this one time a year. \o/)
Subject Line: Oktoberfest '10: [Title of Fic] by [your name/username]
Title:
Author:
Beta: (if applicable)
Word Count:
Rating:
Character(s):
Pairing(s): (if applicable)
Summary:
Notes: (if applicable)
( Text of fic under a cut. )
Find the code here:
Title:
Author:
Beta: (if applicable)
Word Count:
Rating:
Character(s):
Pairing(s): (if applicable)
Summary:
Notes: (if applicable)
Text of fic here.
---
Any widely applicable questions that people ask in comments or that have been posed during past Oktoberfests can be found in the FAQ below. (Please check it over before you ask something!)
FAQ:
Q: Would my character get to wear the outfit during the day or only at night?
A: Your character could feasibly wear their outfit during the day, but if they did, it would be confiscated by the first nurse who sees them and be lost forever. HOWEVER, if your character's outfit gets trashed during the nightshift, it shows up in perfect condition the next morning in whatever hiding place they keep it! WOO!
Q: Is there a limit to the outfit prize? As in, can you write a fic for each of your characters and outfit them all as they're accustomed, or can you only get one outfit period?
A: Although a player could write as many fics as they wanted, each player can only receive a total of one outfit for one of their characters. Sorry!
Q: I assume weapons are not included in outfits, no matter how intrinsic they are to the outfit itself, right?
A: Yup! As said in another comment: You get the WHOLE OUTFIT, except that it'll be modified so that it doesn't give your character any significant offensive/defensive advantage over anyone else. So basically, no weapons, and accessories may or may not be possible, depending on what they are.
Q: Probably a given already, but if we do write about our own characters, we still get to decide who we want to give the prize to, right? Like, say... I center my fic around Character A, and it's eligible for the prize. But, I actually want to give Character B her outfit. Would I be able to do that?
A: That would be perfectly acceptable!
Q: I understand that magical or high-tech defensive enhancements are out with integrated weapons and the like, but what if the outfit just has plain ol' metal plating or something?
A: A defensive advantage is still an advantage, so while the metal plating could still look pretty much like metal, it'd be very brittle and break really easily when under attack.
Q: Okay, I know you said that a character gets to keep their outfit but it's modified so they don't have any actual advantage. What about those characters whose outfits are full suits of armor or any other protective material? Are they basically ineligible for being chosen?
A: If your character wears a full suit of heavy armor in canon, then yeah, it poses a problem, and we'd have to work out either an alternative outfit or the possibilities with that player's other characters.
Q: What if the outfit has defensive advantage instead of combative advantage? Like a shield or something? I'm thinking of metal-plated gloves.
A: Again, a defensive advantage counts too, though something as small as plated gloves we might be able to allow. It all depends on the context!
Q: Is there any in-game explanation for this?
A: The outfits will just mysteriously appear in the patient's closet the next time they look in it. :X
Q: Would it be possible for me to pick any of that character's canon outfits or just the one they wear the most?
A: You'd have to pick the costume they wear the most unless you can convince us mods that a different decision would be equally or more reasonable. (For example, if your character were one of the heavy armor wearing types.)
Q: Are we talking cast list characters only, or are we also allowed to write about doctors and/nor nightshift only characters?
A: Anyone in the Landel's Damned environment is fair game, so yes, writing about Head Doctor, Mr. Radio, regular doctors, and Nightshift-Only characters would be totally okay!
Q: I was also wondering if it'd be cool to do a joint project like a short comic (maybe 5-10 pages) or an illustrated story?
A: Illustrations and joint projects are totally fine so long as the effort put into the illustrations is clear and the word count of joint fics is multiplied by the number of authors involved.
Q: Could you reserve the 'prize' for a character you have yet to actually apply for yet?
A: Yes, you may! However, if you give your outfit to a character and drop that character, you cannot reclaim the outfit for someone else. Be careful who you give it to.
NEW QUESTIONS:
Q: If players participated in the last round, are they banned from doing Oktoberfest this time?
A: Of course not! Everyone can participate every year.
Q: Can you write anyway even though you have no one to give a prize to?
A: Of course!
Q: Can someone not in the game yet but that's apping this cycle participate on the off chance that they'll get in?
A: It's okay if someone not in the game participates either for fun or for the prize, and if they meet the requirements, they can have an outfit on hold for their character that will appear for them their first nightshift if their character is accepted.
Q: Are we allowed to do a packet of artwork for instead?
A: Yes! So long as you put in a comparable amount of effort, that's cool too! We're just choosing to put the emphasis on writing instead because it's easier to quantify with a wordcount.
Q: For the fic submissions, would a collection of vignettes adding up to match the word count be acceptable instead of a single fic?
A: Yes, a series of smaller fics are fine so long as they add up to the designated wordcount! Just either put them in the same post or link them together so that we can easily double-check the wordcount when we need to.
Q: What about if a player wants to give an outfit to their non-human character who has no clothes in their canon? What would happen then?
A: We'd of course prefer it if a character gave canon clothes to one of their characters who could get them, but if that isn't an option, the player could give their character some civilian clothes consistent with their characterization so long as they run them by us first.
---
We're so grateful for everyone's support over the years and we can't fully express how overjoyed we are that the game has lasted this long and that we have so many awesome players to thank for it. We will continue to try our best to make damned a fun place to be and here's to another happy year for the game. ♥ ♥ ♥
Thanks so much, everybody, and have fun with the ficathon! :D
As some of you may have noticed, the community damned was created exactly four years ago from today, October 1st, and has been going strong since then!
I think you veterans know what that means...
No, it has nothing to do with liederhosen or German beer festivals, but it does have a lot to do with FIC-WRITING and IN-GAME PRIZES!!! (It's also a good warm-up for NaNo!)
Basically:
EVERY PARTICIPANT WHO WRITES A FIC FOR OKTOBERFEST WILL EARN ONE OF THEIR CHARACTERS THEIR OUTFIT FROM THEIR CANON
RULES FOR THE FIC
1) Your fic must be over 2000 words in order to be eligible. We want to make sure people make a genuine effort to earn the participation prize!
2) Your fic must take place in the Landel's Damned setting. Your characters must either be in the Institute or the established area around it. Now, take into account that when we say "area," we mean the entire world--so a fic where the characters have escaped and are searching through the same world as Landel's is okay. The furthest from the setting you could get would be an ending where the characters make it back to their own world, but you couldn't write the entire fic in that setting.
3) Your fic must include characters who are actually at Landel's. While you can include characters who aren't on the Landel's roster on a sort of what-if basis, your fic should primarily focus on characters who are or have been in the RP.
4) As long as it meets the above criteria, your fic may include any plot and characters you want! So let loose! Stay on topic, but have some fun doing it!
5) If your fic, when posted, doesn't meet all of the above criteria, the mods can and will consider you ineligible to receive the participation prize. Just giving you fair warning here!
6) While it isn't mandatory, we strongly encourage you to write about characters other than the ones you play. After all, this is a chance to write about things you normally couldn't!
DUE DATE
In order to be eligible for a prize, all fics are due at 0:00 AM PST November 1st--that is, midnight on Halloween. (Spooooky, right? |D) However, you may post them whenever you want throughout the entire month of October.
FORMAT
When done with your fic, please post it with the following format to damned_lounge. (We do this on the lounge instead of the cafe since it's an official event and it'll only spam your flists this one time a year. \o/)
Subject Line: Oktoberfest '10: [Title of Fic] by [your name/username]
Title:
Author:
Beta: (if applicable)
Word Count:
Rating:
Character(s):
Pairing(s): (if applicable)
Summary:
Notes: (if applicable)
( Text of fic under a cut. )
Find the code here:
Title:
Author:
Beta: (if applicable)
Word Count:
Rating:
Character(s):
Pairing(s): (if applicable)
Summary:
Notes: (if applicable)
---
Any widely applicable questions that people ask in comments or that have been posed during past Oktoberfests can be found in the FAQ below. (Please check it over before you ask something!)
FAQ:
Q: Would my character get to wear the outfit during the day or only at night?
A: Your character could feasibly wear their outfit during the day, but if they did, it would be confiscated by the first nurse who sees them and be lost forever. HOWEVER, if your character's outfit gets trashed during the nightshift, it shows up in perfect condition the next morning in whatever hiding place they keep it! WOO!
Q: Is there a limit to the outfit prize? As in, can you write a fic for each of your characters and outfit them all as they're accustomed, or can you only get one outfit period?
A: Although a player could write as many fics as they wanted, each player can only receive a total of one outfit for one of their characters. Sorry!
Q: I assume weapons are not included in outfits, no matter how intrinsic they are to the outfit itself, right?
A: Yup! As said in another comment: You get the WHOLE OUTFIT, except that it'll be modified so that it doesn't give your character any significant offensive/defensive advantage over anyone else. So basically, no weapons, and accessories may or may not be possible, depending on what they are.
Q: Probably a given already, but if we do write about our own characters, we still get to decide who we want to give the prize to, right? Like, say... I center my fic around Character A, and it's eligible for the prize. But, I actually want to give Character B her outfit. Would I be able to do that?
A: That would be perfectly acceptable!
Q: I understand that magical or high-tech defensive enhancements are out with integrated weapons and the like, but what if the outfit just has plain ol' metal plating or something?
A: A defensive advantage is still an advantage, so while the metal plating could still look pretty much like metal, it'd be very brittle and break really easily when under attack.
Q: Okay, I know you said that a character gets to keep their outfit but it's modified so they don't have any actual advantage. What about those characters whose outfits are full suits of armor or any other protective material? Are they basically ineligible for being chosen?
A: If your character wears a full suit of heavy armor in canon, then yeah, it poses a problem, and we'd have to work out either an alternative outfit or the possibilities with that player's other characters.
Q: What if the outfit has defensive advantage instead of combative advantage? Like a shield or something? I'm thinking of metal-plated gloves.
A: Again, a defensive advantage counts too, though something as small as plated gloves we might be able to allow. It all depends on the context!
Q: Is there any in-game explanation for this?
A: The outfits will just mysteriously appear in the patient's closet the next time they look in it. :X
Q: Would it be possible for me to pick any of that character's canon outfits or just the one they wear the most?
A: You'd have to pick the costume they wear the most unless you can convince us mods that a different decision would be equally or more reasonable. (For example, if your character were one of the heavy armor wearing types.)
Q: Are we talking cast list characters only, or are we also allowed to write about doctors and/nor nightshift only characters?
A: Anyone in the Landel's Damned environment is fair game, so yes, writing about Head Doctor, Mr. Radio, regular doctors, and Nightshift-Only characters would be totally okay!
Q: I was also wondering if it'd be cool to do a joint project like a short comic (maybe 5-10 pages) or an illustrated story?
A: Illustrations and joint projects are totally fine so long as the effort put into the illustrations is clear and the word count of joint fics is multiplied by the number of authors involved.
Q: Could you reserve the 'prize' for a character you have yet to actually apply for yet?
A: Yes, you may! However, if you give your outfit to a character and drop that character, you cannot reclaim the outfit for someone else. Be careful who you give it to.
NEW QUESTIONS:
Q: If players participated in the last round, are they banned from doing Oktoberfest this time?
A: Of course not! Everyone can participate every year.
Q: Can you write anyway even though you have no one to give a prize to?
A: Of course!
Q: Can someone not in the game yet but that's apping this cycle participate on the off chance that they'll get in?
A: It's okay if someone not in the game participates either for fun or for the prize, and if they meet the requirements, they can have an outfit on hold for their character that will appear for them their first nightshift if their character is accepted.
Q: Are we allowed to do a packet of artwork for instead?
A: Yes! So long as you put in a comparable amount of effort, that's cool too! We're just choosing to put the emphasis on writing instead because it's easier to quantify with a wordcount.
Q: For the fic submissions, would a collection of vignettes adding up to match the word count be acceptable instead of a single fic?
A: Yes, a series of smaller fics are fine so long as they add up to the designated wordcount! Just either put them in the same post or link them together so that we can easily double-check the wordcount when we need to.
Q: What about if a player wants to give an outfit to their non-human character who has no clothes in their canon? What would happen then?
A: We'd of course prefer it if a character gave canon clothes to one of their characters who could get them, but if that isn't an option, the player could give their character some civilian clothes consistent with their characterization so long as they run them by us first.
---
We're so grateful for everyone's support over the years and we can't fully express how overjoyed we are that the game has lasted this long and that we have so many awesome players to thank for it. We will continue to try our best to make damned a fun place to be and here's to another happy year for the game. ♥ ♥ ♥
Thanks so much, everybody, and have fun with the ficathon! :D