It has been noted of late that as new players have joined Shartak, others have left, some of them, quite well known and respected. Still others have remained, but allowed their more significant characters to fall into disuse. That those who have been around long enough remember them with sentiment and melancholy suggests something I have believed for some time now; that the game has, in it's relativity short existence, developed something of a unique, internal culture.
This is a subject that I have long been interested in; the players and characters we miss form a sort of mythology of heroes and villains that those of us who have been around long enough share as a cultural memory. But the thing about cultural memory is, that if it's not actively maintained it will fade rapidly, as has been noted in that there will be or is an entire wave of players who have never feared The Butcher, or addressed The Queen, or hated Serious Sam. If those of us who hold the memories do not repeat them, then should we leave, the stories will die.
It is with an eye toward these truths, that I have created this contest. It's purpose, however, is not so much to maintain memories of past events as it is to maintain the names of those involved. It is to further the ingame culture, by furthering the ingame mythology. It is less to remember the history of the game, which in many instances is already recorded, than it is to remember the characters who made the history, and shaped the microculture. All submissions that I receive will be preserved for all to read as long as there are players in the game, and, it is my hope that they will be repeated in the game, allowed to grow and mutate in the way that mythology does with each retelling, keeping the names alive, and elevating them into legends.
This is essentially a fanfiction contest focused on idled out playercharacters. If it is well liked and successful, I hope to make it an annual event.
Rules. The following requirements govern the eligibility of submissions, any submission not in accordance with them will be rejected. Note however, that these rules only go into effect at the close of the deadline, as such a story may be entered which is not technically eligible at the time of submission, so long as it becomes eligible at or before the end of the submission period. Likewise, it is possible that an eligible story may become ineligible between the time of entry, and the end of said period.
-The deadline for submissions is
March 7th. No entries will be accepted after that date.
-Entries must be submitted to me directly via private message through the forum, before the deadline closes.
-All submissions must focus on one or more actual characters from within the game, and include a link to said character's profile page (for -verification purposes).
-In order to be an eligible protagonist, said characters must meet the following requirements when the deadline closes:
--Character must be idled out for a minimum of three months. Thanks to the gracious indulgence of Simon, this information is now viewable on each idled out character's profile page.
--Character must be at a minimum of level five.
--Character must be at least one full year old at the time of the deadline.
-Entrants may submit multiple stories, but will only be eligible to win once. In the event that one submits multiple winning entries, the highest ranking will be retained, while the others will be relegated to the status of 'honorable mention'.
Guidelines. The following suggestions are meant to clarify the desired spirit of the competition. They are not official rules either either because they were deemed to be overly restrictive or subjective, or because they were deemed too easy to circumvent, or not universally enforceable.
-Entrants are requested to please refrain from submitting stories about their own characters. The contest is not a forum for developing one's own back story.
-Protagonists should be well known enough to be recognized by readers who have never met them in game.
-While ineligible characters may be included, stories should be primarily focused on the stated protagonist/s.
-While a first person narrative is acceptable, stories should not be told from the stated protagonist's point of view. These stories are meant to be repeated by others, not dictated by their subjects.
-While stories should be based on the manner in which characters have been known to conduct and describe themselves, as well as popular perception of them, inaccuracies and artistic license are permissible. Less history, more mythology.
-While accounts of actual historical events, or stories based around other existing material are acceptable, they should endeavor to offer some new insight into the stated protagonist's involvement with said events.
Victory Conditions. Winners will be selected through a vote on the forum. The voting period will begin immediately after the submission period ends, on March 1st. The length of the voting period, and the manner in which the vote is conducted will be decided upon at a later time, based on the number of submissions received.
Prizes. Currently, only limited outgame prizes are being offered, however, this may be subject to change (see below)
-Third place winner will receive a character sketch by myself, based on whatever character or description said winner wishes.
-Second place winner will receive two of these.
-First place winner will receive three of these, and in addition, the winning story will be fully illustrated by myself.
Additional Prizes. The above are the only prizes currently available, however, if anyone would like to enlarge the prize pool with their own contributions, they may contact me via private message on the forum. They have until the end of the submission period to do so.
I am only able to furnish outgame prizes at the moment, as such I am looking primarily for people willing to offer their time and creative energy to the winners. These may include, for example illustrative services (soas to give the winners their choice of artist to furnish their prize), avatars or signature images for the forum, or inclusion in a future work. If anyone has other ideas for prizes, please contact me.
I would like to offer ingame prizes too, but do not currently have a practical means to administer this. However, if I am able to find one, I will announce it here, and it will be open to donation as well.
Note: I have extended the submission deadline by seven days, more details
here
