Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Komachi wrote:
I totally agree that the fanfics might be limited, but for the fanarts and sprites I thinks it may be better to leave the options to the artists-long character backgrounds are intend to be ignored. They are taking risk for doing so.
Intend to be ignored? Huh? Why write them if they want them to be ignored? I'm just suggesting to boil it down some, and giving the full version in spoiler tags. Some people have the time to read it, but others don't. If they have time, they'll read it. IF not, leaving it as it is now is very TLDR.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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I disagree with that point regarding the fanfic section, though. I think it's best to leave it limitless as they mainly rely on words to sell their characters, as opposed to the fanart and sprite sections which lean more towards visual appeal.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Nii wrote:
I think she meant writing lengthy bios are prone to be ignored, and the entrants are putting themselves at risk by doing so.
I disagree with that point regarding the fanfic section, though. I think it's best to leave it limitless as they mainly rely on words to sell their characters, as opposed to the fanart and sprite sections which lean more towards visual appeal.
I disagree with that point regarding the fanfic section, though. I think it's best to leave it limitless as they mainly rely on words to sell their characters, as opposed to the fanart and sprite sections which lean more towards visual appeal.
People still have to read all the fics to decide which they like the best. That can take a while.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Nii wrote:
I think she meant writing lengthy bios are prone to be ignored, and the entrants are putting themselves at risk by doing so.
I disagree with that point regarding the fanfic section, though. I think it's best to leave it limitless as they mainly rely on words to sell their characters, as opposed to the fanart and sprite sections which lean more towards visual appeal.
I disagree with that point regarding the fanfic section, though. I think it's best to leave it limitless as they mainly rely on words to sell their characters, as opposed to the fanart and sprite sections which lean more towards visual appeal.
I disagree. Most professions that rely on words (books, film, television, etc.) actually have to rely on few words to sell their stories. You don't submit a whole novel to an agent. They usually want a summary and the first three chapters. When you go to pitch a movie to a studio, you don't throw the whole script at them, you have a minute or two to describe the movie in the best way that you can so that they want to buy it.
I think that's the hardest part about an original character contest in the first place. You have to get people interested in a character they don't know, and you have to do it quickly or they'll lose interest and move onto something else.
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Croik wrote:
Long bios can be tough to get through sometimes, but I don't think putting a cap on it is necessarily an answer. If you start reading but lose interest and scroll past, that speaks to the quality of the entry, doesn't it? It's one more thing people should consider when they enter.
Well, are we saying that people that have good OCs, but aren't good at sumerising them should be aware that their epic novel length back story may get ignored by half the viewers? What I'm suggesting is KEEP the epic bios, but have it in a spoiler tag with a bio WITH a limit as the ones people see. That way if the reader is captivated, they can read more, or keep going if they've had their fill. It's like on art sites- you don't flood the viewer with epic sized art all over the page. You post thumbnails of the art, and they can click on on the thumbnail if they're interested. Does that seem better? ^^;
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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I'm rambling again, aren't I?
So, uhh... yeah. Best of luck again to all the finalists!
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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1) the vertically-oriented listing and
2) listing/attention span being dependent on biography length
Basically, anyone with an involved or lengthy biography is crowding out their competition. The effect of burying other content under text can negatively affect others as much as it might affect oneself. It's one thing to have an entry that is negatively affected by its own bloat, as that is the creator's decision, but it is definitely not fair for contest staff to force other entries that saw just as much if not more effort be punished for their brevity!
Of course, if one were to consider rearranging the contest listings into a format that better serves equality, we run into that problem of needing to abbreviate entry information (or rather the labor involved which I'm certain none of the staff have been apt to take up). But as stated by another user here, professional publications use abstracts and catch-lines all the time. Is it unfair to ask OC creators to create a splash blurb to advocate their character on the listings?
The advantages of having a more egalitarian page layout using OC abstracts/summaries:
- OC biographies and descriptions retain their unlimited status, due to having a separate page devoted to the full biography
- Unlimited biographies are judged on their own terms, and no longer negatively affect each other on the page
- All OCs within a division are immediately visible on the listings page
- Having all OCs clustered closer together makes it easier for voters and future visitors to appreciate OCs
- OC creators must rely on blurbs/sell lines/"thumbnails" to be their first impression
- Voters not as likely to be "forced" to view all entries due to voting link being buried at bottom of listing
- Site staff need to arrange a new listings setup and maintain a separate page for each OC
The cost of maintaining separate pages is a one-time thing, and being mostly text as they are now they probably don't take up much memory to begin with. These pages will only archive contest entries as they were received and won't be updated to reflect any changes in development, etc. The extra work put in would be minimal, comparable to the current workload of setting up all the text and content of the entries as they are now.
The main reason for the listings being as they are now is to force people to give each OC some amount of time, but it does not guarantee that they are given equal time, and certainly does not guarantee them equal space or representation. If it's easy to scroll past a long entry, it's exponentially easier to scroll past a short one (and ultimately easier to hit the "End" key and skip everything altogether). Given the layout issues discussed earlier, the current listings setup in fact does not guarantee any time/attention for any of the OCs listed. By creating a separate space for lengthy biographies, OC creators are actually given more freedom in deciding how best to represent and describe their character.
The benefit of having OCs stand on equal visual ground with each other is not only that it is more fair, it is also more friendly. OCs will no longer border out each other with competing visual space; they will be amiable neighbors in a neat little gallery, lined up next to each other like a smiling yearbook of memories. More than anything else, the purpose of this OC contest is to commemorate the strength and creativity of this community, and the OC listings can be changed to better reflect that attitude.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Arkillian wrote:
epic novel length back story
/sob I'msosorrypleasedon'thateme /sob
Although in my self defence, I think it's because I wrote mine in the midst of doing my SUPERDUPEREPIC miliion page thesis, and I got carried away...
Man now I feel like I did something bad and should be punished for it. I'm so sorry for my verbosity. ):
Just gonna stand there and watch me burn?
But that's alright because I like the way it hurts
RIP Tobi Wong
But that's alright because I like the way it hurts
RIP Tobi Wong
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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hoshihoshi wrote:
Arkillian wrote:
epic novel length back story
/sob I'msosorrypleasedon'thateme /sob
Although in my self defence, I think it's because I wrote mine in the midst of doing my SUPERDUPEREPIC miliion page thesis, and I got carried away...
Man now I feel like I did something bad and should be punished for it. I'm so sorry for my verbosity. ):
I'm not pointing fingers hon ^^; There were quite a few that I considered too long. Some people like to read a full back story on characters all at once, but I'd rather get the bullet points, get the idea, and if I want more, I'll look for it.I think the long back stories should be for the stories they're in :) I want to know all about them when I read what they belong to. I mean... if you were to describe your character to someone in conversation, that's how you do it, right? Talk up the character, give the hook line, and grab their attention before giving the spiel?
Anyways- yours certainly wasn't the longest, so don't sweat it, k? :) It's a pet peeve of mine, and I thought I might announce it incase others were too afraid to. I'm all for hearing about characters. Hearing about 10 at once is alot of info to process at once though.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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I think this year it's still not bad though...I think people will start to realize that they should take the readers reaction into consider. So maybe we don't need to worry too much about this now?
Whoops I haven't voted yet!>_<*runs*
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Arkillian wrote:
I'm not pointing fingers hon ^^; There were quite a few that I considered too long. Some people like to read a full back story on characters all at once, but I'd rather get the bullet points, get the idea, and if I want more, I'll look for it.I think the long back stories should be for the stories they're in :) I want to know all about them when I read what they belong to. I mean... if you were to describe your character to someone in conversation, that's how you do it, right? Talk up the character, give the hook line, and grab their attention before giving the spiel?
Anyways- yours certainly wasn't the longest, so don't sweat it, k? :) It's a pet peeve of mine, and I thought I might announce it incase others were too afraid to. I'm all for hearing about characters. Hearing about 10 at once is alot of info to process at once though.
Anyways- yours certainly wasn't the longest, so don't sweat it, k? :) It's a pet peeve of mine, and I thought I might announce it incase others were too afraid to. I'm all for hearing about characters. Hearing about 10 at once is alot of info to process at once though.
Actually I wanted to ask if I could put my summary into the character sheet itself because that's what I'm used to - not a separate form. But I doubt that'd be allowed, so I didn't lol. I always figured that the background stuff was extra material to help with the voting/judging process but not mandatory reading (unlike the fanfic section), especially since it's the fanart/sprite sections so technically the art, and whatever is written in the character sheets should be the main considerations, not the written summary. I didn't realise it'd cause so much upset. I'm really sorry everyone for wasting your time and the inconveniences I've caused. T_T If I ever enter again I'll try to have less than 3 sentences for each section. Or maybe dot points?
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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It doesn't affect how good the sprite/fanart is anyway because most of the people voting on them are looking for a well made entry. If people don't want to read the bio, fine. But the bio is there if people want to read it.
Personally I don't read them because most are boring, but if I entered, I'd want people to judge me on my sprite anyway, not my character's story.
But that's just my opinion.
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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.:looby:. wrote:
....why does it matter how long the bio is?
It doesn't affect how good the sprite/fanart is anyway because most of the people voting on them are looking for a well made entry. If people don't want to read the bio, fine. But the bio is there if people want to read it.
Personally I don't read them because most are boring, but if I entered, I'd want people to judge me on my sprite anyway, not my character's story.
But that's just my opinion.
It doesn't affect how good the sprite/fanart is anyway because most of the people voting on them are looking for a well made entry. If people don't want to read the bio, fine. But the bio is there if people want to read it.
Personally I don't read them because most are boring, but if I entered, I'd want people to judge me on my sprite anyway, not my character's story.
But that's just my opinion.
I on the contrary think that the bio is an important part of a character. It just makes them much more interesting
and makes it seem like they have a life. Bios are also important to give an overall view of the character to the audience.
Just looking at his design doesn't tell me much or not everything. A character I don't know anything about is just boring.
Udgey has also a boring design but still he is a very cool character because of his personality.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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hoshihoshi wrote:
T_T If I ever enter again I'll try to have less than 3 sentences for each section. Or maybe dot points?
Urrrgh- Please don't make me regret bringing it up hon. I'm talking a paragraph of writing. Not three bullet points or anything less. Bios are VERY important, and you should write all the information that is needed. Perhaps not intricate details of all the events, but a paragraph of description. Please don't twist my words to make it look like I want little to no information at all. I'm actually a keen supporter of OCs, and treasure background stories the most.
Also- I'm not pointing fingers at ANYONE, so please don't single yourself out for the reason I brought it up at all T.T
.:looby:. wrote:
....why does it matter how long the bio is?
It doesn't affect how good the sprite/fanart is anyway because most of the people voting on them are looking for a well made entry. If people don't want to read the bio, fine. But the bio is there if people want to read it.
Personally I don't read them because most are boring, but if I entered, I'd want people to judge me on my sprite anyway, not my character's story.
But that's just my opinion.
It doesn't affect how good the sprite/fanart is anyway because most of the people voting on them are looking for a well made entry. If people don't want to read the bio, fine. But the bio is there if people want to read it.
Personally I don't read them because most are boring, but if I entered, I'd want people to judge me on my sprite anyway, not my character's story.
But that's just my opinion.
Actually, the voting SHOULD be based on the CHARACTER of the character- not the talent of the artist. You may vote on artistic talent, and you may not be the only one, but the bio is essentially the only thing that can tell you if an OC is interesting or not.
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Arkillian wrote:
Actually, the voting SHOULD be based on the CHARACTER of the character- not the talent of the artist. You may vote on artistic talent, and you may not be the only one, but the bio is essentially the only thing that can tell you if an OC is interesting or not.
But then you could make a shit sprite/drawing and win. We're not all imaginitive with writing and coming up with good character bio's so I personally think that's a little unfair to be honest. I was put off entering because first off, I wasn't happy with what I had, but mainly because I couldn't think of anything to write for the character. Now I'm glad I didn't bother because my character description would have been really shit. For the fanart and art entries I think it should be based on the talent of the artist.
Like I said though, it's just my opinion, everyone else probably does judge them based on the character story
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There seems to be a dichotomy of interests here: is this a sprite/fanart/fanfiction contest, or an OC contest? If it were the former, then yes, we should focus more on the work itself. If it were the latter, then the biography/description becomes essential. A character itself isn't defined by a single item; remember that Miles Edgeworth's backstory and involvement with Phoenix Wright was inspired by his youthful and austere redesign, rather than the writing coming first and then having a pretty face slapped on it.
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...If that makes any sense. I'm a little out of it today, though I hope what I was trying to say was somewhat clear. 8D;
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Kaiyumi wrote:
JUST MY TWO CENTS, but I personally look at both the sprite/fanart itself, as well as the bio -- especially if I can't decide between a few entries. I personally see it as a sprite/fanart contest, where the most creative and artistic entry gets my vote. However, being the indecisive person that I am, I usually have two or more entries that I like, so it's the combination of good art and a well thought out bio that wins my vote. O:
Pretty much this. While I may find an art/sprite that's visually appealing if the bio doesn't attract then it takes away some of the enjoyment. Part of having a well thoughtout bio is just about giving life to the character instead of it just being a sprite/art.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Of course, everyone who votes in the contest is going to apply their own set of criteria, and that is just fine. Quality, creativity, and continuity mean different things to different people, which is why we do a vote rather than let the judges determine everything.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
They don't :c
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I dunno about the other sections, wasn't checking them (I only really care for sprites, honestly), but this is too suspicious to ignore. Is it possible that such a gigantic turnaround happened in two days? I knew something like this would happen when I saw that voting didn't require any registration... But whatever, just saying that for fairness' sake. I'll completely understand if nobody replies to this, since I don't really care for the Contest either.
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But we do look at the voting carefully, and just because the poll results look a certain way doesn't always mean that's exactly how the ranking will end up when the winners are announced, which will be....Sunday Evening. Our judges still have a few votes to hand out themselves.
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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But that's alright because I like the way it hurts
RIP Tobi Wong
Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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Re: OC Contest Voting is open!!
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