I would have to agree with you on the shallow nature of such characters.
Prose that Blows 9!
Sun, 07/08/2012 - 08:21
#3
BTBLL
Sun, 07/08/2012 - 18:13
#4
I think the contest is worded openly enough that there's a lot of space to find a story you're interested in telling. The rule is just that there has to be at least one superhero or supervillain. It doesn't specify it has to be a four-color comic-styled character. I'd take it just to mean that the story has to deal with a larger-than-life heroic or villainous character. It's not specified that they necessarily have to have superhuman powers, or wear a costume. Nor does it specify the form their heroism or villainy has to take, other than that it goes beyond the everyday. That leaves things open to a lot of different styles of stories.
Though if I'm wrong and the contest is specifically supposed to be about typical western comic book superheroes and supervillains, that should probably be made explicit in the rules. And though I think even in that case, there's still a lot of leeway for different sorts of stories, I admit I'd be a little less interested too if that was a limit.
Tue, 07/10/2012 - 07:59
#5
notsosupersaiyan, BTBLL, I hope either of you don't mind me saying this but I'm a little confused about you guys saying that Superheroes tend to be one-dimentional or shallow. I don't read comic books and admittedly I don't possess an impressive knowledge on the matter but I would think the complexity of such characters would depend more on the writer than the genre itself. In a lot of inflation stories I read, the characters in them usually don't seem all that fleshed out and captivating to begin with and I'm guessing that is often the intention, choosing instead to focus on the inflation and whatnot (although I'm certain there are a number of exceptions where the characters are indeed the focus) and I don't quite get how a superhero theme could really diminish this standard. If anything, I figured it would encourage more interesting characters for inflation stories. If I'm wrong or missing something here, by all means, go ahead and say so.
Regarding as to what defines a superhero / supervillian, I can't speak for DI or anyone else really but when we were coming up with the contest, I pretty much assumed Super = costumed individual who attempts to affect the well-being of the residency or people around them. That's pretty much the only kind of super I'm aware of. If that's wrong or if I'm being too vague, speak up.
Tue, 07/10/2012 - 12:58
#6
RenegadeKamui
Just to clarify, I wasn't talking about actual comic books, but about superhero-themed inflation stories. Actually, it's not even limited to inflation -- I've read stories related to other fetishes, and the superhero-themed ones often seem to prefer self-referential irony to character development. And I don't mean to assert that all superhero stories suck, just that they seem more prone to these pitfalls than other stories.
As it so happens, I finished my entry in one night. I'll hold on to it for now in case I want to tweak it, but I guess writing a superhero story isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Tue, 07/10/2012 - 21:17
#7
I suppose I could see how that might be annoying if not done particulary well. My apologies for my previous post if I had misunderstood your argument and/or brought up something unrelated to what you were discussing.
Thu, 07/12/2012 - 05:25
#8
Real life intervene? Well thanks for running these competitions, hopefully they've succeeded in encouraging more people to write and sparked some creativity. To you and to Pakona too.
Fri, 07/13/2012 - 20:38
#9
doubleintegral
Re: the contest - Pakona pretty much already answered it, and Rathani guessed it right.
As for my involvement in PTB... there are a number of factors at work, and burnout (just with writing at all, and, to a lesser extent, fetish activities in general) is certainly one of them. However, the primary reason is that I'm starting a couple of new business ventures and the Integral family is soon growing in size from 3 to 4, so my free time will be even more limited than it is now.
This doesn't have to be the last PTB contest; it would be great if Pakona wants to team up with someone else, or if someone entirely new wants to carry the torch. I just don't think I will have the time to help coordinate or participate in future contests.
Sat, 07/14/2012 - 04:16
#10
Well, congratulations to both you and Mrs. Integral, doubleintegral!
May there be all the drooling, gurgling, and crawling your heart could desire from the newest member of the family.
Wed, 07/18/2012 - 13:41
#11
He hasn't specified there will be a baby, he just said his family is increasing in number by one. Maybe they're kidnapping someone, or creating a golem.
Wed, 07/18/2012 - 18:35
#12
Re: the golem:
In which case the 'crawling and gurgling' could still apply depending upon their level of success in creation.
Fri, 08/03/2012 - 11:50
#13
doubleintegral
Funny shit.
Sun, 07/22/2012 - 21:13
#14
darth_clone19
If I dont participate in this Im gonna really hate myself.
Thu, 08/02/2012 - 04:54
#15
Just a reminder for everyone. PtB entries are due by tomorrow.
Fri, 08/03/2012 - 19:53
#16
darth_clone19
Damn, I thought it was August 5 and I havent finished :S Guess I better get to typing.
Sun, 08/05/2012 - 08:41
#17
RenegadeKamui
Still waiting to vote...
Sun, 08/05/2012 - 10:09
#18
doubleintegral
Working on posting the stories now. Sorry for the delay.
Tue, 08/07/2012 - 19:47
#19
doubleintegral
Sorry for the further delay. I've been trying to contact one of the authors about a problem with their submission. I will not say their name, but suffice it to say, if you submitted a story please check your e-mail to see if you have an e-mail from me addressing this problem.
Because of this, and because I want as many people as possible to participate, and I don't want to reject any current entries, I am extending the deadline for another week. Stories will now be due on Friday, August 10 at 11:59pm Eastern (US) Time. Authors who already submitted a story may submit any revisions they want, and the author in question should definitely submit their revisions by then. Others who did not participate may send in their stories as well.
Wed, 08/08/2012 - 08:50
#20
CorpulentArtifice
Well, if the deadline's being extended, I might as well enter.
By the way, does the 1250 word limit include the title? I've drafted something up, but it's 1249 words and I'm worried about going over the word limit by adding a title.
Wed, 08/08/2012 - 19:33
#21
The title shouldn't count regarding the word limit.
Thu, 08/09/2012 - 07:01
#22
CorpulentArtifice
Okay, thank you. I actually found that mentioned in the general rules right after I posted. XD
But I reduced my word count by a little bit while I was editing, so in the end it didn't really matter whether the title counted...
Fri, 08/10/2012 - 21:56
#23
doubleintegral
Stories are now posted and ready for voting.
http://prosethatblows.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/prose-that-blows-9-voting-now-open/
Fri, 08/24/2012 - 21:00
#24
doubleintegral
The votes are in and the results have been posted. EmperorNorton ran away with this thing, winning two categories outright (including Best Story), shared the title in another, and was the runner-up in another.
Thanks to everyone who participated!
http://prosethatblows.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/prose-that-blows-9-the-results/
Sun, 08/26/2012 - 20:08
#25
darth_clone19
Got to agree with the results. Wicked Game was brilliant.
Is there any particular reason you're not doing any more contests? Just sort of burned out on them?
I'll give this one some thought, but superhero stories have never really been my favorite. They just seem to encourage one-dimensional characters and ironic detachment, neither of which I enjoy.