Fanfiction Prompt Challenge Voting

OwlsCantRead · **Reply #80 on:** September 16, 2019, 11:00:41 AM

The responses were varied and wide this time, I'd say!

I blame the numerous different prompts leading to the vastly different tones and stories we got this time.

The Circle of Life is my choice for this special prompt contest, but it was a really, really close choice between this and Sovereign's, which is another just plain well-written story. While it is relatively short piece, it left a profound impact on me by defining and reflecting on the paradigm shift between the old and the new, with a callback to the series' classic 'Circle of Life moves on regardless' reality check that really lends an edge to the fic by correlating it to real life.

The old adage of "one door closes another door opens" really sells it in my opinion, so I will give this my vote.

DiddyKT2 · **Reply #81 on:** September 16, 2019, 12:24:50 PM

Just writing a story for this one was difficult enough to say the least, but voting for one may be just as challenging with so many potential candidates.

It may not seem as if I've read all of them due to the lack of reviews I've left, but I have read them all. I slowly limited myself to just a few very strong candidates until I was left between Sovereign and Ducky123's entries. In the end, I decided that Sovereign's The Birth of Something Beautiful should get my vote.

Here, we see something that hasn't really been explored extensively in fanwork, and that is how Littlefoot's parents first got together. Bron had to deal with several tough challenges and his future mate had to make some difficult decisions before they ultimately won each other's hearts and bonded to become one of the least-explored relationships in the series, other than the fact that their relationship led to the birth of the undisputed leader of the Gang and most prominent main character in all of The Land Before Time. We also got to see Littlefoot's curiosities about how his parents first got together and what they had to go through before their relationship blossomed. Sovereign once again does a great job at setting aside his typical disinterest in romance stories to write one that put a smile on my face, and for that reason, he gets my vote.

Sovereign · **Reply #82 on:** September 16, 2019, 03:12:38 PM

I second what others have said about the turnout. It's good to see people were still eager to join the exchange prompt and maybe we'll have even more participants next year.

As for my vote, I have to cast it to OwlsCantRead's Boundless Curiosity. Of the stories submitted, it was the best-built one and its premise of portraying the "new Gang" and the young rainbowfaces' relationship was an extremely interesting one. Of the participants, Owls built the most complete and intriguing story while also deepening the Hunters-saga's overlooked side-characters' personalities in a way that does justice to the original story. For all of these reasons, my vote goes for his story.

Sovereign · **Reply #83 on:** September 27, 2019, 10:37:34 AM

@Ducky123 @LeventeII You haven't yet cast your votes.

LeventeII · **Reply #84 on:** September 30, 2019, 05:35:57 PM

I apologize for the delay!

It was really exciting to read these stories. They were all interesting and exciting in their own way. That made it even harder to make a decision, especially because each story had its own focus on a different topic.

I vote for Ducky's "The Circle of Life".

Although all the stories were exciting and I was always curious about the further development, this story, despite its shorter length, deserved my point especially because of the awakened feelings. There is a successful connection to the Journey through the Mists, which supports this effect even more. In addition, despite the length, the plot is extensive, which further enhances the reading experience.

Nevertheless, the other stories were a great experience and it was a lot of fun to read them. However, the story mentioned above has caught me the most.

Ducky123 · **Reply #85 on:** October 01, 2019, 11:32:23 AM

This by far isn't an easy decision to make.

Levente's story, although speckled with many beginner's mistakes, had an interesting concept and I enjoyed the story regardless of the poor writing which reminds me a lot of my early days as an author. Levente could be a diamond yet to be polished if he keeps at it

DiddyKF1's story was a little below my expectations given his earlier short stories but it was still a decent read

Both Sovereign and Owls have written amazing stories that would easily score a 9|10 in my book, however trying to find that one thing destroying the current equilibrium in my mind is hard.

The birth of something beautiful provided us with an incredible tale about past times when Bron met Littlefoot's mother. Not only did he write exactly the kind of story I was hoping to get from this prompt but he also managed to sell the romance, the tragedy, the brotherly conflict and the action scenes really well.

Owls has surprised all of us with a story set in the arguably most popular universe this Fandom has to offer and not only managed to write a fun and intriguing story but also beautifully adapted rhombus' writing style, giving this the feel of the original story.

Both stories are equally well written in my opinion but I would like to commemorate Owls for achieving this extremely well done adaption of the TSH universe with my vote for BOUNDLESS CURIOSITY

(in my honest opinion both are much better than the story I entered, hands down)

rhombus · **Reply #86 on:** October 26, 2019, 10:54:33 AM

@OwlsCantRead @Sovereign @Anagnos

My apologies for the delay, everyone. I have been distracted with work and the forum awards and as a consequence I forgot that the voting for the summer prompt challenge had concluded. As the result of this vote was a tie between Boundless Curiosity and The Circle of Life. Though both of these stories were great in their own right, with each showcasing the excellent writing of their respective authors, I absolutely adored how OwlsCantRead's story explored the personalities of characters who have until now not really had a chance to shine in the source material. As such I cast my tie-breaking vote for his story.

Your two-star Taunt banner is attached to this post.

For the August 2019 challenge there were only two entries, which means that I need to also determine a winner between the two participants. Both of these entries were incredibly strong and had their own merits, and as such it will take me a few days before I announce my decision for that month.

rhombus · **Reply #87 on:** November 10, 2019, 05:17:04 PM

Well, this was certainly one of the most difficult tie-breaking decisions that I have had to make for the prompt challenge. Though both of the entries for August were incredibly strong entries that provided deep insights to their selected characters, ultimately I feel that Sovereign's story, Of Hubris and Submission, deserved the win in this case. Congratulations, Sovereign, on becoming the first five-star winner in the history of the fanfic prompt challenge!

And with that the fanfic prompt challenge for 2018-2019 comes to an end. I will have a post up in a few minutes detailing the proposed prompts for the 2019-2020 prompt challenge. I look forward to seeing what all of you come up with next year!

Sovereign · **Reply #88 on:** November 10, 2019, 05:26:32 PM

Thank you a lot for the decision, rhombus!

I had expected Anagnos' story to win but at least now my banner looks more complete.

In any case, we'll see if I'll reach this milestone again next year... or whether I'll even add a sixth star.

rhombus · **Reply #89 on:** February 03, 2020, 01:11:35 AM

@Anagnos @Ducky123 @DiddyKF1 @OwlsCantRead

It's now February and that means it is time for...

Sigh... yes, it is time for the February prompt... including the one on eggs. But it is also time to consider our entries for December and to begin voting on which entry all of you feel best fits that prompt. Here were our entries for that month:

Breaking Strain
Author: Anagnos
Description: When a viscous disease invades the Great Valley, the answer to their problem is far out of the imminent reach. Petrie, hellbent on saving his beloved mate from almost certain death, suddenly finds himself in a situation to salvage the essential cure for the problem, that even the governance of the valley itself is beginning to believe cannot be stopped by any means necessary.
Gang of Five link: http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16570.msg497465
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13447379/1/Breaking-Strain

Of Loss and Discovery
Author: Ducky123
Description: The two swimmer children Nishir and Takari couldn't be more different but, regardless, they're very close friends. Living in a small, sheltered valley near the coast with their small herd, their life is full of games, laughter and ridicule for those two. Nishir hates Takari because of her passion to make fun of him whenever physically possible. She's always pranking, teasing or embarrassing him as well as winning most of their games, however he is also enticed by her ways and her good looks. Too shy to admit his feelings and too afraid to be the center of the girl's ridicule, their relationship stalls despite Takari's obvious hints and Nishir reluctantly accepts the frequent humiliation. However, things change dramatically for the two swimmers when, suddenly, they lose everything they ever cared about. Left with only each other, their despair and a faint hope of a new land across the Big Water, they set out on a journey not only to find a new home but to find themselves as well.
Gang of Five link: http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16580.0
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13453403/1/Of-Loss-and-Discovery

We All Have Dreams
Author: DiddyKF1
Description: For the December 2019 prompt. Set one year after "Hurting of Desire," and my first post-Secret Love story. Petrie revisits a certain cave just so he can see someone he wishes could be with him. However, when he decides to bring Ducky along to see the cave, they have no idea just what little adventure it may lead for their friends.
Gang of Five link: http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16581.msg498201
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13455601/1/We-All-Have-Dreams

Weathered Gorge
Author: OwlsCantRead
Description: One crass comment from Gyro was all it took for Petrie to snap. But what continually bugged him afterwards was whether his callous sibling was right after all… was he a failure of a flyer, just like his father? The only way for a troubled Petrie to refute those claims and exonerate himself was to venture to where his father had lost his life… and conquer the deadly Weathered Gorge.
Gang of Five link: http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16592.msg498732
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13469178/1/Weathered-Gorge

So please cast your votes below. Likewise, for those of you who told me that you are planning on posting a late prompt response (which I am guilty of as well

), please feel cordially invited to do so. It is always better late than never.

OwlsCantRead · **Reply #90 on:** February 04, 2020, 10:22:33 AM

Deliberated and mulled on it for quite some time, because I really liked all of the entries for this prompt for a host of different reasons. So much so that I'm actually gonna list out what I liked about each for once.

Breaking Strain: Really liked Petrie growing a spine and taking charge of a bad situation. So much for the bystander effect. That part sold this story and is a great Petrie character study.
Of Loss and Discovery: Loved the belligerent bantering, the third-person limited works very well for suspenseful comedy and introspection, and especially complimented the characterizations of Takari and Nishir.
We All Have Dreams: all-around great characterization and dialogue for the gang, more so then any other fic thus far from this author. Could feasibly pass for as an episode for the TV series.

I had to debate this innately for a while, but I've decided tol vote for Ducky123's Of Loss and Discovery this month. I'm a huge fan of mutual pining slow burn stories (surprise, surprise), and while unfinished, it is still invigorating, and the two introduced OCs are really swimmers you get attached to and root for.

DiddyKT2 · **Reply #91 on:** February 06, 2020, 01:54:31 PM

Well, getting back into the prompts did seem pretty challenging for me, not just in writing, but in voting, too. All three of my fellow entrants came up with fantastic stories to kick off the new year, and having to choose one is something to feel excited about, but also regret toward those I don't vote for.

This one seemed just as much a Petrie month as last year's December prompt. It seems that December seems to be the best time of the year to write about our favorite Flyer.

.

After much self-debate, I've elected to vote for OwlsCantRead's "Weathered Gorge". This one really went into such great detail about Petrie's many misgivings and his doubts about his own self. Everything from the "Sidekick Effect" to his troubled past were very nicely explained as it gives us a clearer picture of why Petrie looks down on himself and strives to be something he can't quite be, as we find out in the end. Although the gorge itself may have been a little rushed, the ending with Petrie finally accepting the way he is was great redemption, not only for the story but also for the Flyer we've all come to love. I would say that the motto for this story is that you should be happy just the way you are no matter what others say about you, and Petrie learned that lesson the hard way.

"Breaking Strain" was a very interesting story in that we get to see Petrie take a role no one would have ever expected, but "Weathered Gorge" gets my vote for being a great Petrie character study.

Anagnos · **Reply #92 on:** February 15, 2020, 07:25:13 AM

I feel like it's about time that I finally cast my vote, lest I completely forget about it and people get mad at me for that mistake.

So, a new prompt season is off to a rather good start. There have been relatively few entries, but all of them have explored royally important and intriguing plot points. And while most of us (I blame no one for being a copycat

) went for Petrie centered stories for December. It'll be mildly interesting to see whether we'll be able to keep this trend up, but in the meantime, time to cast our votes for this year's prompt season.

Confession time, it wasn't exactly hard to decide whom I was going to vote for in this prompt, and while people may point their finger at me for this decision, I feel like the best December entry was Diddy's We All Have Dreams, which is why I don't hesitate to cast my vote for him.

rhombus · **Reply #93 on:** March 03, 2020, 10:10:46 AM

@DiddyKF1 @Anagnos @OwlsCantRead

Well, well, well... it looks like we have another 3-way tie, as Ducky123 will not be available to cast a vote for the December voting period. I will allow people 24 hours to change their votes if they wish and thereafter, if we still have a tie, I will cast a tie-breaking vote.

OwlsCantRead · **Reply #94 on:** March 03, 2020, 10:29:23 AM

Well, I'm the one who actually is forced to change their vote, since my original vote was for Ducky's story and that would be invalidated without his vote.

My new vote will be for DiddyKF1's We All Have Dreams, then. The gang was really in character throughout, and the way that they react to their dreams and aspirations as a collective and cohesive group was very poignant and well-written.

Anagnos · **Reply #95 on:** March 03, 2020, 10:48:28 AM

But what if all of us suddenly decided to change our votes? This is starting to become quite excruciating. My eggs-hausted brain can't handle the stress.

DiddyKT2 · **Reply #96 on:** March 03, 2020, 10:53:59 AM

For me, reviewing a story seems just as difficult as simply getting out of my soft, comfy bed in the morning. I'm certainly not one for a game of Shuffling.

rhombus · **Reply #97 on:** March 04, 2020, 09:40:37 PM

@DiddyKF1 @OwlsCantRead @Anagnos @Ducky123

With OwlsCantRead changing his vote due to necessity, the winner of the December prompt challenge is DiddyKF1. Congratulations!

You may contact DarkWolf concerning your one-star banner, whereas all of the other participants may do the same concerning your participation banners.

I will be waiting until Tuesday, March 10 to open up voting for the January 2020 prompts so as to allow everyone the chance to read the stories which were posted right before the deadline.

rhombus · **Reply #98 on:** March 12, 2020, 09:55:28 PM

@Sleeping-force's-inside @Anagnos @Sovereign @rhombus @OwlsCantRead

My apologies for being two days late, everyone. But on the bright side this should have allowed everyone the chance to review the stories that we had on offer from January. For the January prompt we had five strong entries and quite the selection of explored themes and characters. For this voting period (which will end at 11:59:59 PM forum time on March 26, 2020) each of you will have the opportunity to vote for the following entries:

Trapped (chapter 3)
Author: Sleeping-force's inside
Description: Collection of One-Shots in 'Greatest Sacrafice'-trilogy. Characters & Genre related to latest installment.
Gang of Five link: http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16527.msg499093#msg499093
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13370607/3/Trapped

Ballad of Endless Remorse
Author: Anagnos
Description: Remorse is virtue's root; its fair increase and fruits of innocence and blessedness touch all living creatures. Days after his expulsion from the valley, luck of fortune grants Pterano a chance to finally put his past behind him once and for all, but will it prove to be his downfall once the dark past he concealed is brought up from the shadows of his failure?
Gang of Five link: https://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16607.msg500969
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13487818/1/Ballad-of-Endless-Remorse

A Gliders Long Day
Author: Sovereign
Description: In this prelude to the Great Day of the Flyers, we see a small glimpse of who Guido truly is… or at least used to be. After being tricked by false friends into trying something he wasn't ready for, he ends up losing his old life only to find a new one.
Gang of Five link: https://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16613.msg501461;boardseen#new
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13492310/1/A-Glider-s-Long-Day

Hidden Needs (chapter 2)
Author: Rhombus
Description: A slice of life addition to the story, Hidden Needs. We all know that Petrie's kind were likely omnivores or carnivores in real life… but what if that was also true in the LBT narrative as well?
Gang of Five link: https://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16584.msg503673#msg503673
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13459031/2/Hidden-Needs

Snowballed Lies
Author: OwlsCantRead
Description: A chance encounter with a wise wanderer enabled a young child's inner propensity to get what he desired by acting in certain ways. But when those tiny lies end up snowballing into an impeccable façade that is constantly being maintained by an increasingly paranoid individual, what happens when it all comes crashing down? Prequel-of-sorts and a different POV to Five Stages of Grief.
Gang of Five link: https://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=16713.0
Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13514349/1/Snowballed-Lies

OwlsCantRead · **Reply #99 on:** March 12, 2020, 10:59:19 PM

Despite the prompt for January being perplexity, the real perplexing thing is how all five stories end their story conclusions with at least some form of ambiguity.

What an unexpected surprise. (gets shoved out of door)

In all seriousness, my choice for this month is Sovereign's A Glider's Long Day. The choice of Guido as the star and the focus on his unexplored past might seem like a perplexing (haha) choice, but I do really like how the focus of the fic shows how dangerous the concept of social exclusion is as Guido finds himself pressured and coerced into something he would not normally do by his peers just to feel included, something which eventually backfires on him when his fair-weathered friends flee for themselves after things go south.

While it mainly meets the quote prompt and does not fit the key main prompt as well as other entries, the tragic intones of the loss of Guido's old life and potential to expand beyond its initial idea gives it quite an edge overall, and thus it is my choice for this month.