2015 Best of P2TM - DISCUSSION

[Cerillium]

nominations

when

when the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums
*shrug*

Speaking of the form, perhaps a good idea to add a tag (like 429 or #TAGTHING or something) at the bottom, so that a counter can just search that tag and find all votes, and thus make vote-counting a bit less soul-destroying?

The only ones that should post nomination totals are the ones managing the event. The nomination form already has a hashtag for that purpose. (Minties have a preview of the finished OP in our sekret forum. It looks awesome.)

Sentinel's original thread had a running vote count from the peanut gallery. It was often inaccurate, and it served little purpose other than to clutter the thread and upset players will low votes. It came across as trifling.

I'd like to see two or three official "counters" using Google spreadsheets to keep everything transparent.

My suggestion is "vote and be done". More effort goes into this year's awards. The counters sweep through and, as Mod's do in the sig report thread, post "caught up". Any prior nomination form changes made after that time stamp will not be recorded. We don't have time to read, re-read, and read again each form. A final sweep of the entire thread is made immediately after nomination period closes.

My other suggestion: we need make certain people know to link individual posts rather than just linking the IC thread itself (unless the thread itself is up for nomination). As an OP, I refuse to waste time hunting through threads to find a player's "example posts". Likewise the judges and contest managers should not waste their time. Improperly linked nomination? Nomination dropped.

nominations

when

Perhaps as early as Monday or Tuesday? Don't quote me on that.

I don't have any reason to doubt the competency of any of the judge volunteers either but if the reason for the introduction of judges is to avoid biases then I am not sure volunteering is the best way to accomplish that.

Maybe each of the volunteers could write a paragraph on why they'd make a good, mostly-impartial judge. Then someone (Swith? another Mentor?) could go through and select them based on that and their RPing ability.

And really, as long as we have a wide variety of judges, any one judge's bias probably won't have any meaningful effect on the outcome. Plus, I'm pretty sure a score given by any judge can be vetoed as long as a good reason is given to do so (e.g. "the judge gave this post full marks, but the tense was switched three times throughout the post for no reason").

Judging
We use the following for my gamer's forum annual awards. Perhaps it would benefit us here in P2TM?


1) An Editor that reads every single nomination for each post/scene/collab contest prompt. The editor looks for grammatical errors, improperly written sentences, punctuation errors, text walls with no visual breaks, dialog walls that read like scripts rather than scenes, spelling errors. This is strictly due to the category. "Best post should reflect quality writing".
2) That Editor flags the first round of finalists.
3) A second and third Editor that double checks the first Editor's picks and either adds or deletes nominated work to the finalist pool.
4) This revised pool of contest finalists goes before the judges. Posts are scored. Highest score wins for each category.

Positive Criteria
Creativity
Descriptive language
Good diction
Valuable content and/or research incorporated into the post
Clear presentment
Impact
Interest (does the post hold the judge's interest or do their eyes glaze over half way through)
Spelling/Grammar/Mechanics
Total:

Negative Criteria
Post is primarily exposition (Show, don't tell)
Post is too verbose (writer rambles, writing isn't tight, writing is overly complicated and cumbersome)
Dialog is not defined by speaker or action/Dialog reads like a script
Speaker's dialog is denoted by colored fonts or formatting rather than a simple "Sam said". (Note: telepathic dialog is often italicized and thus poor marks will not be given)
Action is denoted by asterisks.
Total: (number is then subtracted from positive criteria score total)


We also have a "Collab Category". This is an extremely strict one, difficult to win. The entire collaborated post must flow as one piece. Readers should not be able to determine which authors wrote whatever portions.



Role Play Selection:

I would like to see this one sifted through somehow. Currently the winner is the RP most nominated for its category. This galls me as a GM and player.

• Infinite Justice: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=335292 - Quality posts throughout. Players put effort into their characters and stories.
• The Elder Scrolls: Ascension viewtopic.php?f=31&t=349608 - As above. Delightful
• Personification Life Part Deux: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=204017&hilit=cheshire - I picked this as an example of what true shit looks like. This belongs in F7. Skilled writers cranked out shitposts "because lazy". This RP has many players. It would win due to popular vote IF every participant nominated it. I honestly would be offended were I a member of the two RPs listed above this.

And now to save face, as PL is my RP: Personification Life: Epic viewtopic.php?f=31&t=354357 (shitposts no longer allowed)

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

Ho-hey, my RP got mentioned!

Criteria look good to me - everything seems to be considered pretty well.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

I like that criteria, Cer.

For the Roleplay Selection, perhaps we could do the following: for each roleplay, a group of judges unaffiliated with the thread (as in, the less likely to be biased while judging the thread I mean) is chosen and randomly picks a range of pages (10 pages tops? obviously the number should be the same for every RP, but it can be decided on later I guess), perhaps with a randomizer or something (for added transparency the page range chosen can be posted publicly). In addition, we may or may not want to consider allowing members of said roleplay to submit to the judges any material they think relevant. This is tricky because I assume we don't want to overload the judges with work, even if they're volunteers (this has lead me to think that if we adopt this procedure we could definitely use a large number of judges).

Just an idea I had. Take it and tweak it as you will (or dump it, I don't mind).

On that note, I would like to volunteer for judging. I haven't been on too many different RPs this year (I think, god knows my memory's pudding), and I should have enough free time for it.

[SaintB]

I could volunteer to be a judge.

[Cerillium]

I like that criteria, Cer.

For the Roleplay Selection, perhaps we could do the following: for each roleplay, a group of judges unaffiliated with the thread (as in, the less likely to be biased while judging the thread I mean) is chosen and randomly picks a range of pages (10 pages tops? obviously the number should be the same for every RP, but it can be decided on later I guess), perhaps with a randomizer or something (for added transparency the page range chosen can be posted publicly). In addition, we may or may not want to consider allowing members of said roleplay to submit to the judges any material they think relevant. This is tricky because I assume we don't want to overload the judges with work, even if they're volunteers (this has lead me to think that if we adopt this procedure we could definitely use a large number of judges).

Just an idea I had. Take it and tweak it as you will (or dump it, I don't mind).

On that note, I would like to volunteer for judging. I haven't been on too many different RPs this year (I think, god knows my memory's pudding), and I should have enough free time for it.

Colorful edits above are mine.

People should really include material to support their nomination. I'll pick on Elfen High here (because I belonged for a short while):

"I nominate Elfen High as best school rp!"

Why?

"Because Khan is awesome!"

Not good enough. We all know he's awesome.

"Because it's funny and long-running!"

So is NSG.

"Because..... here's a link to the post where Crowley dies. It made me cry so hard. And here's a link to a funny post Nat made. Oh, and here's a link to ____ doing something potent! These are all from 2015. Plus, look at this link! Khan touched upon EVERY P2TM RP that EH ever had dealings with. That was clever, IMHO."

Yes, now that's what we're looking for!

This is only if we use judges to determine this award, of course.



Quality RP aren't necessarily "heavy" either. Light, whimsical posts make sense in a light and whimsical anime-based RP. We really should look at the spirit of the RP rather than the post length for that reason.

[Occupied Deutschland]

As others have mentioned, shooting a line of interest in towards the Writing folks in A&F could be a good idea to get some fresh-faces involved in judging, and hey, if it's supposed to show off the multiverse, what better way to do it than get folks from outside involved? One could potentially extend a similar request to the II forums, potentially, though I have so little experience over there that I don't even know how much overlap there is between people that participate in P2TM and II.

I'd also encourage judges to take a page from the short story contests and render specific criticism/review of RPs and/or RP writing they're asked to judge (this would be especially important for the more 'subjective' categories there are, as an explanation of reasoning and personal likes/dislikes that lead to the judgement makes it better for all involved, and one could encourage a HEALTHY discussion of differences of opinion between judges or those being judged).

Zark mentioned judges of the RP category choosing/being-assigned 'sample sections', and I like that idea. For longer-running RPs one could potentially take samples from a wide time period (one page/section from January, one page/section from June, etc.) in order to account for any declines/increases in quality that take place? Dunnow how to handle that.

I'd be willing to volunteer as a judge, as well. I usually have free time in January and enjoy reading.

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

Question- Does it hurt someone's chances if they've only been involved in one RP?

Follow up. Should it? The Best of P2TM is for forum-wide awards, right? So if a person isn't involved in the community, just one roleplay, should they be eligible? I ask this as someone only involved in one roleplay, not the community.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

I like that criteria, Cer.

For the Roleplay Selection, perhaps we could do the following: for each roleplay, a group of judges unaffiliated with the thread (as in, the less likely to be biased while judging the thread I mean) is chosen and randomly picks a range of pages (10 pages tops? obviously the number should be the same for every RP, but it can be decided on later I guess), perhaps with a randomizer or something (for added transparency the page range chosen can be posted publicly). In addition, we may or may not want to consider allowing members of said roleplay to submit to the judges any material they think relevant. This is tricky because I assume we don't want to overload the judges with work, even if they're volunteers (this has lead me to think that if we adopt this procedure we could definitely use a large number of judges).

Just an idea I had. Take it and tweak it as you will (or dump it, I don't mind).

On that note, I would like to volunteer for judging. I haven't been on too many different RPs this year (I think, god knows my memory's pudding), and I should have enough free time for it.

Colorful edits above are mine.

People should really include material to support their nomination. I'll pick on Elfen High here (because I belonged for a short while):

"I nominate Elfen High as best school rp!"

Why?

"Because Khan is awesome!"

Not good enough. We all know he's awesome.

"Because it's funny and long-running!"

So is NSG.

"Because..... here's a link to the post where Crowley dies. It made me cry so hard. And here's a link to a funny post Nat made. Oh, and here's a link to ____ doing something potent! These are all from 2015. Plus, look at this link! Khan touched upon EVERY P2TM RP that EH ever had dealings with. That was clever, IMHO."

Yes, now that's what we're looking for!

This is only if we use judges to determine this award, of course.



Quality RP aren't necessarily "heavy" either. Light, whimsical posts make sense in a light and whimsical anime-based RP. We really should look at the spirit of the RP rather than the post length for that reason.

I see nothing else to suggest or object (except not mentioning blowing up the moon 0/10), then. -nods-

Question- Does it hurt someone's chances if they've only been involved in one RP?

Follow up. Should it? The Best of P2TM is for forum-wide awards, right? So if a person isn't involved in the community, just one roleplay, should they be eligible? I ask this as someone only involved in one roleplay, not the community.

I don't see why it would or should hurt someone's chances, if there's going to be a judging process. Ideally the only criterion here should be quality (which is a vague term, but you get my point).

[The Starlight]

I'd also encourage judges to take a page from the short story contests and render specific criticism/review of RPs and/or RP writing they're asked to judge (this would be especially important for the more 'subjective' categories there are, as an explanation of reasoning and personal likes/dislikes that lead to the judgement makes it better for all involved, and one could encourage a HEALTHY discussion of differences of opinion between judges or those being judged).

I like this idea.

[Nature-Spirits]

Maybe each of the volunteers could write a paragraph on why they'd make a good, mostly-impartial judge. Then someone (Swith? another Mentor?) could go through and select them based on that and their RPing ability.

And really, as long as we have a wide variety of judges, any one judge's bias probably won't have any meaningful effect on the outcome. Plus, I'm pretty sure a score given by any judge can be vetoed as long as a good reason is given to do so (e.g. "the judge gave this post full marks, but the tense was switched three times throughout the post for no reason").

I am not so concerned (and again, I am not really concerned about anything, just airing some thoughts really) about the individual biases of judges as I am about the demographics of the judge panel as a whole. Practically by definition a group composed of volunteers is not going to be representative of the larger population they come from.

Your proposal for a vetting process seems mostly good to me. It would mean making judges a kind of elite group of people considered especially capable to judge. I am onboard with that, I would take greater pride in getting an award from such a group then one made up solely of volunteers or from just anybody, but it would probably also turn the Best of P2M into even more of an exclusive old boys club then it is.

I agree with everything you've brought up. Such a vetting process would have both pros (i.e. making the judging potentially less biased and the awards more prestigious) and cons (i.e. making the awards too exclusive). It's a tricky issue, to be sure.

spreadsheets

*nerdgasm* Spreadsheets are love, spreadsheets are life.

My other suggestion: we need make certain people know to link individual posts rather than just linking the IC thread itself (unless the thread itself is up for nomination). As an OP, I refuse to waste time hunting through threads to find a player's "example posts". Likewise the judges and contest managers should not waste their time. Improperly linked nomination? Nomination dropped.

Yes. All the yeses.

Maybe each of the volunteers could write a paragraph on why they'd make a good, mostly-impartial judge. Then someone (Swith? another Mentor?) could go through and select them based on that and their RPing ability.

And really, as long as we have a wide variety of judges, any one judge's bias probably won't have any meaningful effect on the outcome. Plus, I'm pretty sure a score given by any judge can be vetoed as long as a good reason is given to do so (e.g. "the judge gave this post full marks, but the tense was switched three times throughout the post for no reason").

Judging
We use the following for my gamer's forum annual awards. Perhaps it would benefit us here in P2TM?


1) An Editor that reads every single nomination for each post/scene/collab contest prompt. The editor looks for grammatical errors, improperly written sentences, punctuation errors, text walls with no visual breaks, dialog walls that read like scripts rather than scenes, spelling errors. This is strictly due to the category. "Best post should reflect quality writing".
2) That Editor flags the first round of finalists.
3) A second and third Editor that double checks the first Editor's picks and either adds or deletes nominated work to the finalist pool.
4) This revised pool of contest finalists goes before the judges. Posts are scored. Highest score wins for each category.

Positive Criteria
Creativity
Descriptive language
Good diction
Valuable content and/or research incorporated into the post
Clear presentment
Impact
Interest (does the post hold the judge's interest or do their eyes glaze over half way through)
Spelling/Grammar/Mechanics
Total:

Negative Criteria
Post is primarily exposition (Show, don't tell)
Post is too verbose (writer rambles, writing isn't tight, writing is overly complicated and cumbersome)
Dialog is not defined by speaker or action/Dialog reads like a script
Speaker's dialog is denoted by colored fonts or formatting rather than a simple "Sam said". (Note: telepathic dialog is often italicized and thus poor marks will not be given)
Action is denoted by asterisks.
Total: (number is then subtracted from positive criteria score total)


We also have a "Collab Category". This is an extremely strict one, difficult to win. The entire collaborated post must flow as one piece. Readers should not be able to determine which authors wrote whatever portions.



Role Play Selection:

I would like to see this one sifted through somehow. Currently the winner is the RP most nominated for its category. This galls me as a GM and player.

• Infinite Justice: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=335292 - Quality posts throughout. Players put effort into their characters and stories.
• The Elder Scrolls: Ascension viewtopic.php?f=31&t=349608 - As above. Delightful
• Personification Life Part Deux: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=204017&hilit=cheshire - I picked this as an example of what true shit looks like. This belongs in F7. Skilled writers cranked out shitposts "because lazy". This RP has many players. It would win due to popular vote IF every participant nominated it. I honestly would be offended were I a member of the two RPs listed above this.

And now to save face, as PL is my RP: Personification Life: Epic viewtopic.php?f=31&t=354357 (shitposts no longer allowed)

I'm liking all of this. Out of how many marks would each criterion be scored, though? 1? 3? 5? We could just do each one out of 1 for "present" (1/1) or "absent" (0/1), but this isn't as precise as I would like, personally: it disallows giving credit for decent -- but not exemplary -- demonstration of the criterion. If we did a larger number, I think that a simple scoring rubric (giving details beyond "good", "very good", etc., since those are quite subjective) would be ideal, so that the judges have guidelines on how to give scores.

I'd also encourage judges to take a page from the short story contests and render specific criticism/review of RPs and/or RP writing they're asked to judge (this would be especially important for the more 'subjective' categories there are, as an explanation of reasoning and personal likes/dislikes that lead to the judgement makes it better for all involved, and one could encourage a HEALTHY discussion of differences of opinion between judges or those being judged).

I agree.

[Lavan Tiri]

As others have mentioned, shooting a line of interest in towards the Writing folks in A&F could be a good idea to get some fresh-faces involved in judging, and hey, if it's supposed to show off the multiverse, what better way to do it than get folks from outside involved? One could potentially extend a similar request to the II forums, potentially, though I have so little experience over there that I don't even know how much overlap there is between people that participate in P2TM and II.

I'd also encourage judges to take a page from the short story contests and render specific criticism/review of RPs and/or RP writing they're asked to judge (this would be especially important for the more 'subjective' categories there are, as an explanation of reasoning and personal likes/dislikes that lead to the judgement makes it better for all involved, and one could encourage a HEALTHY discussion of differences of opinion between judges or those being judged).

Zark mentioned judges of the RP category choosing/being-assigned 'sample sections', and I like that idea. For longer-running RPs one could potentially take samples from a wide time period (one page/section from January, one page/section from June, etc.) in order to account for any declines/increases in quality that take place? Dunnow how to handle that.

I'd be willing to volunteer as a judge, as well. I usually have free time in January and enjoy reading.

I agree with all of this.

Also, Miss Swith? Can I un-volunteer as a backup and then re-volunteer as a regular judge?

[Cerillium]

I am not so concerned (and again, I am not really concerned about anything, just airing some thoughts really) about the individual biases of judges as I am about the demographics of the judge panel as a whole. Practically by definition a group composed of volunteers is not going to be representative of the larger population they come from.

Your proposal for a vetting process seems mostly good to me. It would mean making judges a kind of elite group of people considered especially capable to judge. I am onboard with that, I would take greater pride in getting an award from such a group then one made up solely of volunteers or from just anybody, but it would probably also turn the Best of P2M into even more of an exclusive old boys club then it is.

I agree with everything you've brought up. Such a vetting process would have both pros (i.e. making the judging potentially less biased and the awards more prestigious) and cons (i.e. making the awards too exclusive). It's a tricky issue, to be sure.

spreadsheets

*nerdgasm* Spreadsheets are love, spreadsheets are life.

My other suggestion: we need make certain people know to link individual posts rather than just linking the IC thread itself (unless the thread itself is up for nomination). As an OP, I refuse to waste time hunting through threads to find a player's "example posts". Likewise the judges and contest managers should not waste their time. Improperly linked nomination? Nomination dropped.

Yes. All the yeses.

Judging
We use the following for my gamer's forum annual awards. Perhaps it would benefit us here in P2TM?


1) An Editor that reads every single nomination for each post/scene/collab contest prompt. The editor looks for grammatical errors, improperly written sentences, punctuation errors, text walls with no visual breaks, dialog walls that read like scripts rather than scenes, spelling errors. This is strictly due to the category. "Best post should reflect quality writing".
2) That Editor flags the first round of finalists.
3) A second and third Editor that double checks the first Editor's picks and either adds or deletes nominated work to the finalist pool.
4) This revised pool of contest finalists goes before the judges. Posts are scored. Highest score wins for each category.

Positive Criteria
Creativity
Descriptive language
Good diction
Valuable content and/or research incorporated into the post
Clear presentment
Impact
Interest (does the post hold the judge's interest or do their eyes glaze over half way through)
Spelling/Grammar/Mechanics
Total:

Negative Criteria
Post is primarily exposition (Show, don't tell)
Post is too verbose (writer rambles, writing isn't tight, writing is overly complicated and cumbersome)
Dialog is not defined by speaker or action/Dialog reads like a script
Speaker's dialog is denoted by colored fonts or formatting rather than a simple "Sam said". (Note: telepathic dialog is often italicized and thus poor marks will not be given)
Action is denoted by asterisks.
Total: (number is then subtracted from positive criteria score total)


We also have a "Collab Category". This is an extremely strict one, difficult to win. The entire collaborated post must flow as one piece. Readers should not be able to determine which authors wrote whatever portions.



Role Play Selection:

I would like to see this one sifted through somehow. Currently the winner is the RP most nominated for its category. This galls me as a GM and player.

• Infinite Justice: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=335292 - Quality posts throughout. Players put effort into their characters and stories.
• The Elder Scrolls: Ascension viewtopic.php?f=31&t=349608 - As above. Delightful
• Personification Life Part Deux: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=204017&hilit=cheshire - I picked this as an example of what true shit looks like. This belongs in F7. Skilled writers cranked out shitposts "because lazy". This RP has many players. It would win due to popular vote IF every participant nominated it. I honestly would be offended were I a member of the two RPs listed above this.

And now to save face, as PL is my RP: Personification Life: Epic viewtopic.php?f=31&t=354357 (shitposts no longer allowed)

I'm liking all of this. Out of how many marks would each criterion be scored, though? 1? 3? 5? We could just do each one out of 1 for "present" (1/1) or "absent" (0/1), but this isn't as precise as I would like, personally: it disallows giving credit for decent -- but not exemplary -- demonstration of the criterion. If we did a larger number, I think that a simple scoring rubric (giving details beyond "good", "very good", etc., since those are quite subjective) would be ideal, so that the judges have guidelines on how to give scores.

I'd also encourage judges to take a page from the short story contests and render specific criticism/review of RPs and/or RP writing they're asked to judge (this would be especially important for the more 'subjective' categories there are, as an explanation of reasoning and personal likes/dislikes that lead to the judgement makes it better for all involved, and one could encourage a HEALTHY discussion of differences of opinion between judges or those being judged).

I agree.

We originally had 1-5 for marks.

Positive criteria: 1 = poor, 2 = below average, 3 = average, 4 = above average, 5 = Outstanding
Negative criteria: scale of 1-5. (1 = could be improved - 5 = dismal/epic failure; 0 if not applicable)

We probably won't need the two scales. My group used them because the average post nomination ranged between 900-2000 words. The negatives counted harshly.


Example:

TELL ME SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
OH, TELL ME SOMETHING REAL
TELL ME NO MORE MAKE BELIEVE
I JUST WANT TO FEEL.

FILL IT FULL OF HORROR
FILL IT FULL OF LIFE
FEEL IT FULL OF FEELING
THERE'S MORE HONESTY IN STRIFE.

APARTMENT 4J

I knew him the moment he arrived in Bielefeld. He arrived old and frail; my own color had long since faded. He shuffled to the desk and spoke, and in that moment I remembered what it meant to breathe. I couldn’t believe that he was real. I couldn’t understand why fate would return him to me, and why, of all places, he would turn up here.

His sudden embrace stripped away painful and uncertain years. It was an odd sensation. Metal here, organic there. Bit and pieces and funny little machine parts that fashioned him as a being - a self-constructed construct. His scent brought back dormant memories. The Dystan library and that nation's jovial king, discussions revolving around road maps, tales of the Spire and the risks therein, reckless Jeep rides, and finally... the ship. I pinched my eyes closed to block out the sorrowful moment only to find my mind reaching for a blank section in my data. Metal here, organic there. Water cascading like tears across cheeks.

No, that’s not right. It’s tears that cascade like water, isn’t it?

Scel held the key. She had always done so, and now she’s gone. Damn you! Couldn’t you have told me before you left? Couldn’t you have explained why every rain shower reminds me of him, and why the same two words spring to mind when I gaze into the mists? Would it have killed you to do that, Scel?

Sentia bolted as the shattered teacup shards came to rest near her bowl. Splattered tea marked its flight path and collision point, dotting the clean floor and cabinetry. Neste breathed heavily, her pale claws gouging the desk’s corners as she once again confronted the gaping hole where memories should be. She lifted her eyes to gaze into the morning mists. A lip curled in frustration as the words once again taunted her.

Philia and… Eros

Septimus had never spoken these words yet her mind breathed them in his voice. The sensation of rain always followed, without fail. And then, inexplicably, the snippet unraveled until nothing at all remained.

Neste’s claws rattled the desk as she extracted them one by one. His cloak’s heavy material became her sanctuary. She wrapped it more tightly about her. Doxi would not wait. She needed to finish her thoughts.

My first memory of Earth does not include Septimus. Diplomacy is the furthest notion in my mind. I have come to correct a grievous error.


Exos paw the ground, their nickering rising in volume as drones roll through the gates to take up positions on the drop barrier. Low growls betray Scel’s impatience. I feel her weight shift as she snaps at the less experienced constructs flanking her.

The drums beat and mix with our jubilant screeches. This is the right hand of god come to pay gruesome visit on the heretics and swine. This is their absolution. This is their dissolution. This is for their own Good.

We part the sky under the cloak of our psionics, our minds and technology dampening us as we fall in tune with the Perseid meteor shower. One hundred five kilometers above the planetary surface, my body shivers as it makes contact with the atmosphere. I tuck my wedge head and present wide shoulders and back to the world below. The resulting hypersonic shockwave cushions me and disperses the hot gases until they lap around my balled form. Oblivious to the planet’s heat licking at the hardened scales, I use the brief fall time to recalculate my target. At sixty meters per second, one isn’t accorded much.

Not all my sisters will make it past the Kármán Line. Agony-laced voices split the night air as many of my sisters auger-in. Fools. They overcompensated during rotation. Let them burn. Only the cunning survive atmospheric entry.

Spent ablative scales fly from my body as I elongate my form. The double boom serves as the only warning they have that I have come for the witherwardians. The sky fills with the bangs, first my own, then my sisters’. Vengeance moves at ultrasonic speeds, and our psionics propel us. Our blunt bodies gobble up the distance at a respectable 8.5k m/s. My sisters deploy wings and dampeners, snapping atmospheric drag to retard their speed before reaching target. I do not. I am point.

Rigid canards rise from my head and neck to aid devastation. I do not slow until Cyfoeth is but one hundred kilometers away, and I engage psionic brakes as I skim Aberbrays’s cityscape, shattering windows and rattling doors in my wake. Praelitia is my target. I curl into a ball and strike the coastal city at a respectable seven hundred miles per second, leaving a water-filled hole and spewing toxic gases across the surrounding area. I obliterate every last man, woman, and child. The Nifid are come; now is the hour of reckoning.

The pen’s scratching ceased as Neste collected her thoughts. The details were unimportant beyond that point. Standard operating procedures hadn’t changed; the Nifid seldom veered from what worked best.

This was by no means a bloody campaign by Convocation standards. During the course of a decade, we decimated the population. However, we were limited in the amount of damage we could do. The planet was home to other species. The Nifid, in their infinite understanding, would not subject minor, unaffiliated species to the same internal cleansing.

I can’t recall how it ended. I woke and set off as I did each morning. The day was different. It felt different. Even the taste was off. This is the day treachery intervened on the witherward’s behalf. This was the day we were betrayed, and the day that I sought to escape only to find myself enslaved.

The punishments leveled at me did not fit my supposed crimes. No, death by my hand was swift and merciful, unless I was required to extract information, and so each life was quickly snuffed. I won’t kid myself or pretend that I didn’t employ methods considered criminal by the witherward’s evil standards, though.

Why engage our forces in trench warfare when we can draw them out by impaling their dead mothers and children on spikes? Why expose ourselves to IEDs when we can set their homes aflame?

But I get ahead of myself.

It was Aubrey DeStephano that changed my life. That damn, zit-faced zealot! I slaughtered her father. I crushed her brothers. I tore her life from her and turned her world upside down. Yet she believed. BELIEVED beyond all shadow of a doubt that we constructs were more than our design. We were sophont. We had feelings. We were merely shackled and oppressed by the Nifid and, if given a chance, we could become exemplary members of the community. She proclaimed this while prostrating herself across my muzzle, as if shackling herself to my exo in protest would actually cause her words to hold truth.

They didn’t hold truth, of course. As any fool will tell you, machina mortifero are machina mortifero, and not cuddly puppies or misunderstood slaves. Don’t put us in your pocket and then bitch when the we annihilate your atoms. Higher constructs are engineered creatures containing a storehouse of genetic information gathered from various sources. We absorb genetic samples from unfamiliar or new species, sequence it, and intertwine it with our own strands. In this manner, the universe is cataloged and preserved. N-Series – the first machina mortifero - were built for the singular purpose of annihilation. I am a weapon in that regard, capable of warping biomatter into a drone swarm under my direct psionic control. And yet here was sweet little Ms DeStephano, freedom fighter and PC activist, insisting I was capable of being trusted. How that little shit was appointed as the Minister of Ambassador and Consulate Affairs is beyond my comprehension.

They agreed with her demands. They hadn’t much choice. She was the witherward’s savior. She patted my nose and departed after they gave her assurances regarding painless reeducation.

Then they tore me from my exo, bludgeoned me until I maxed my regeneration cycle, tore memories from my mind, drilled holes in my skull to house their control devices, and robbed me of the ability to act in any way that wasn’t sunshine and daisies. They sent me to their Academies, because an educated citizen is a proper citizen, and crammed my head full of useless bullshit that has – as of this very day – not been helpful in any given situation.

No, I take that back. I can tell a good cheese from a bad, and have an appreciation for yarn now.

Suffice to say, by the time I met Brother Septimus Itum, I was a shell of my former self. I lacked confidence. I lacked self-esteem. I dreaded interaction. I feared offending, for offenses were punishable by the control devices in my brain. I was not permitted to own any possessions other than my sleeping basket. I was not permitted to read. I was forbidden to write. DeStephano thought she had done me a favor. It was Septimus that salvaged me, however.

I met Septimus and I saw parts of myself in him. I met him and I remembered the Convocation. More than that, I met a man that would one day learn of my past and not punish me for it. In turn, I would help him atone.

Through him, I discovered that the witherward could not purge my innate curiosity nor could it control my desire to explore. It took me from my logical counterpart, but could not steal away my childlike joy upon encountering new things.

And now, in the final hours before doxi, I know with absolute certainty that it can never strip away my love for him.

That is why I must succeed. The alternative is to have Bodkins scrape what’s left of me up, perhaps returning me to that horrid witherward. Septimus would not be there. Control devices and cruel handlers await me. I would rather render my personality void and embrace the machina mortifero existence than live a day without knowing Septimus’ love.

I place my faith in Dr. Trilb. I place my faith in his belief in doxi. If I survive, I will have a chance to live out the rest of my days with Septimus, my friend and lover, the only being in this universe capable of overlooking what I am in favor of who I am inside. If I fail, I will also be free, having gone beyond Bodkin’s reach.

And that, my dearest Septimus, is why I have chosen to do what I have chosen to do. I elect to spend my lifetime with you. This is the only free choice I have ever wanted to make. I’m not allowed to make it, either. If I succeed, you must free me. Please, free me.

The pen grew silent once more. Time had run out. She hadn't completed her thoughts. The construct tucked meager notes into an envelope before slipping everything into the box that once contained her tail. To it she added her screwdriver and a few trinkets collected over time. Tired hands folded Septimus' cloak. She pressed her nose against it a final time, inhaling his wonderful scent before placing it and the box on the bed.

Naked but for the woolen long coat she purchased shortly before leaving Bielefeld, she felt both liberation and dread. Her hand patted the pocket. Good, FUBAR's gift was still there. She added a grey carpule to it.

"Goodbye, Sentia. I'm sorry if I startled you," she called out to the cat. "You were always a good kitty. You take care of Septimus, alright? Make sure he knows when the toilet paper's running low, and please don't let him put Titus back in the freezer. That... just made me sad."

Neste allowed herself to have one final look around the apartment before the door gently snapped closed.

Why was this post nominated? It's the final in a series where a character is considering suicide as the only option. The character is a machine programmed to present smiles and dole out helpful tidbits. She only learned the power of love through interaction with another character (a cyborg) over a course of time, but characters had those memories were erased. Machine and man met up once again, and Fate could not keep them from falling in love once more. The character has never been fully honest about her past deeds, however. This post is the completion of her suicide note, and is meant to be exposition.

Positive criteria: 1 = poor, 2 = below average, 3 = average, 4 = above average, 5 = Outstanding
Negative criteria: scale of 1-5. (1 = could be improved - 5 = dismal/epic failure; 0 if not applicable)

Positive Criteria
Creativity 4
Descriptive language 3
Good diction 3
Valuable content and/or research incorporated into the post 4
Clear presentment 3
Impact 4
Interest 4
Spelling/Grammar/Mechanics 3
Total: 28

Negative Criteria
Post is primarily exposition 0 (post is intentionally exposition)
Post is too verbose 2
Dialog is not defined by speaker or action/Dialog reads like a script 0
Speaker's dialog is denoted by colored fonts or formatting rather than a simple "Sam said". 0
Action is denoted by asterisks. 0
Total: 2

Total score: 26

Someone else might judge it differently, which is why a pool of judges works best. Highest and lowest judge's scores are discarded. All remaining scores combined to give final score.

Question- Does it hurt someone's chances if they've only been involved in one RP?

Follow up. Should it? The Best of P2TM is for forum-wide awards, right? So if a person isn't involved in the community, just one roleplay, should they be eligible? I ask this as someone only involved in one roleplay, not the community.

Forum-wide for the P2TM forum. If someone invests their time and talents into a P2TM thread, they are part of the community.

[The Burning Sun]

Is there a specific process for selection of judges? I volunteered, but like a few others I'm not listed.

Oh, and Cerillium - I think the remaining scores should be averaged, not added. I could be wrong, but I think averaging is more representative and less vulnerable to weird data distribution, and perhaps easier for the spectators to read.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Is there a specific process for selection of judges? I volunteered, but like a few others I'm not listed.

Oh, and Cerillium - I think the remaining scores should be averaged, not added. I could be wrong, but I think averaging is more representative and less vulnerable to weird data distribution, and perhaps easier for the spectators to read.

I think that's what Cer meant by "combined". Or at least that's how I read it.

You're not there because updates are not immediate and Swith might miss you. These things are neither perfect nor instantaneous. Just insist (within reason) and you'll be heard.

[The Burning Sun]

Is there a specific process for selection of judges? I volunteered, but like a few others I'm not listed.

Oh, and Cerillium - I think the remaining scores should be averaged, not added. I could be wrong, but I think averaging is more representative and less vulnerable to weird data distribution, and perhaps easier for the spectators to read.

I think that's what Cer meant by "combined". Or at least that's how I read it.

You're not there because updates are not immediate and Swith might miss you. These things are neither perfect nor instantaneous. Just insist (within reason) and you'll be heard.

Well, this would be my insistence, then. I should hope that it would be within reason.

Expanding on my original question, is there a specific process for the selection of judges assigned to each individual nomination? There was plenty of discussion about who could or could not judge specific nominations, but no mention of how the judges would be chosen from the remaining pool, or whether or not there are a set amount per entry, etc.

Although I could have missed it, I suppose. I'm certainly no Swith, and if she can miss things, I miss far more.

[Nature-Spirits]

I think that's what Cer meant by "combined". Or at least that's how I read it.

You're not there because updates are not immediate and Swith might miss you. These things are neither perfect nor instantaneous. Just insist (within reason) and you'll be heard.

Well, this would be my insistence, then. I should hope that it would be within reason.

Expanding on my original question, is there a specific process for the selection of judges assigned to each individual nomination? There was plenty of discussion about who could or could not judge specific nominations, but no mention of how the judges would be chosen from the remaining pool, or whether or not there are a set amount per entry, etc.

Although I could have missed it, I suppose. I'm certainly no Swith, and if she can miss things, I miss far more.

We've actually been discussing this.

Regarding the number of judges, I think we're all in agreement that a large pool of judges would be ideal, so as to minimise individual bias (which we shouldn't have anyway, but precautions are always good) and to eliminate the outliers (i.e. especially high or low scores won't affect the average score assigned to an entry to any significant degree).

[Ularn]

I, of course, am a fully capable and trustworthy judge. Says so right in my signature!

[Swith Witherward]

I think I've got the list updated now. TG me if you volunteered and aren't yet on the list.

The scoring. The forum it's taken from usually has an ungodly amount of entries, so it's literally all judge scores get combined. There are eight judges on a genre panel. Highest and lowest are thrown out, leaving the combined total of the other six. A max score is 240 (never seen one in 5 years!) Because it's based upon points rather than averages, and score sheets are public (well, if you belong to the gaming group), people can clearly see where points mattered. Accountability is further maintained because each judge's name is on the score card. So, if I'm a judge and the nomination is from my RP, if my scores seemly overly high compared to the other judges', we can pretty much assume I'm behaving in a biased fashion. If they are the highest scores, they get thrown out anyway.

Posts aren't in competition with each other. Each post is judged independently based only on outlined criteria. We won't see "Next up, Swith vs Esty". The nomination should contain a bit of info about the post (provided by the person nominating it) and only that info is passed along. Cer's example above is usually how it looks. Spoilered post, nominator's run-up and comments, judge's score.

Judge selection... whoever serves as a judge has got to have some competence (reflected in their own work). They should have a pretty good grasp of the things found in Esty's Book of the Multiverse, particularly this. They also can't dawdle and leave everyone hanging for days.

[Finland SSR]

Post is too verbose (writer rambles, writing isn't tight, writing is overly complicated and cumbersome)

*slams table*

Son of a Classicist...

This is exactly what I suck at. Actually, I suck at everything, but that's not important.

[Constaniana]

Colorful edits above are mine.

People should really include material to support their nomination. I'll pick on Elfen High here (because I belonged for a short while):

"I nominate Elfen High as best school rp!"

Why?

"Because Khan is awesome!"

Not good enough. We all know he's awesome.

"Because it's funny and long-running!"

So is NSG.

"Because..... here's a link to the post where Crowley dies. It made me cry so hard. And here's a link to a funny post Nat made. Oh, and here's a link to ____ doing something potent! These are all from 2015. Plus, look at this link! Khan touched upon EVERY P2TM RP that EH ever had dealings with. That was clever, IMHO."

Yes, now that's what we're looking for!

This is only if we use judges to determine this award, of course.



Quality RP aren't necessarily "heavy" either. Light, whimsical posts make sense in a light and whimsical anime-based RP. We really should look at the spirit of the RP rather than the post length for that reason.

I see nothing else to suggest or object (except not mentioning blowing up the moon 0/10), then. -nods-

Needs more Cricket Sword too.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Post is too verbose (writer rambles, writing isn't tight, writing is overly complicated and cumbersome)

*slams table*

Son of a Classicist...

This is exactly what I suck at. Actually, I suck at everything, but that's not important.

Don't worry, I have a problem with that specific criterion too.

[Nature-Spirits]

*slams table*

Son of a Classicist...

This is exactly what I suck at. Actually, I suck at everything, but that's not important.

Don't worry, I have a problem with that specific criterion too.

Me too....

I think we can all agree, however, that JRR Tolkien surpasses us all in that department.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Don't worry, I have a problem with that specific criterion too.

Me too....

I think we can all agree, however, that JRR Tolkien surpasses us all in that department.

Likely.

I haven't actually read his works.

[The Starlight]

Me too....

I think we can all agree, however, that JRR Tolkien surpasses us all in that department.

Likely.

I haven't actually read his works.

WHAA???

How I ever considered you a friend, I will never know, Zark. *shakes head and walks away*

[Nature-Spirits]

Likely.

I haven't actually read his works.

WHAA???

How I ever considered you a friend, I will never know, Zark. *shakes head and walks away*

I stopped reading LotR about halfway through The Two Towers, myself. I got bored, frankly. The chapter that's literally only about making rabbit stew was one of the last straws.