OKAY SO, I have all of the judge comments ready, but I have to compile them for posting. That actually takes a surprising amount of time and right now I have to write a history paper that I've been putting off. HOWEVER, I'll probably have 'em up for your viewing pleasure sometime tomorrow night. Damn you classes, damn you.

In other news, I'm also trying to get a solid list of HMs together. The judges and I were so wound up trying to get the entries read and judged that we sorta forgot to suggest HMs on the first go. Whoops. Well, everyone's in the process of voting now, so I'll start cooking up the image and then I can just tally stuff and insert some names when the judges get everything to me.

HOSTING A TOURNAMENT IS FUN. No really it is I promise this is the easy part.

Oh yeah (excuse me for I am on some sort of wonderful collegiate sleep-deprived high so I'm kinda jumpy) for all of you not competing in Round Four, here's an update: I sent a note to each of the Final Eight competitors, asking them if it would be better for me to A) write the prompt ASAP and get it up before Thanksgiving, or B) give everyone a break, write the prompt over my Thanksgiving break, and post it shortly after.

They voted, and the overwhelming majority (all except two) decided that B would be easier for them. I don't think this should be a problem for the two that voted for A, but if it is (you know who you are) then please let me know so we can work something out. I'm trying my best to be a super accomodating tournament host, and since we're down to the Final Eight (holyshit) and I don't want any forfeits this round (ಠ_ಠ so please please please NOTE ME if this timeframe is going to be a problem for you.

Long story short, I'll be posting the prompt shortly after I return from my Thanksgiving break (probably Monday, Nov 30 or Tuesday, Dec 1). THIS MEANS that the deadline would be like Saturday, Dec 12, but here's the thing: For one, I promised you guys no stupid Saturday deadlines, and also Dec 12 is a shitty deadline for me because I'll be traveling like all day to get my sorry butt home for WINTER BREAK (oh college breaks how screwy you are) and I don't want to bludgeon the lot of you into posting your shit while I'm riding across the Sahara on the back of a donkey or wherever else I might end up.

So, if I get my shit together on time, I'mma give you happy people a solid two weeks again and the deadline will be Dec 14, which according to logic would be a Monday.

LONG STORY SHORT FOR THE SECOND TIME (sorry) shit will be posted after Thanksgiving and I'll give you forever to work on it, timeframe is looking to be Nov 30 - Dec 14 or so and if that doesn't flow with whatever you've got going on, note me beforehand and we can work something out. Keyword beforehand, I can't help you after the round starts and the sooner you contact me, the more likely it is that your issues will be resolved.

OKAY BACK TO HISTORY PAPER WRITING OH GOD RAMBLING BYE

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BAM MARIO KART SCOREBOARD
OH AND THEN ROUND THREE RESULTS AFTER THAT HURRR.

GOLD MEDAL: ~Demoness-Melody!
SILVER MEDAL: ~AlternativeFate!
BRONZE METAL: ~Scribbleykins!
~~~
Fourth place: =Tamasha!
Fifth place: ~AmandaLyn11
Sixth place: ~BlueLibrarian
Seventh place: ~bouncymischa

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AND NOW without further ado, these are the fine folks who shall be competing in Round Four:

MATCH #1 - A Separate War [link]

MATCH #2 - & It's A Jungle Out There [link]

MATCH #3 - For the World is Metal [link]

MATCH #4 - Families [link]

MATCH #5 - Balancing Act [link]

MATCH #6 - Thunderstruck [link]

MATCH #7- Decay [link]

MATCH #8 - All Fall Down [link]

Wow, guys. Talk about hardest round ever to judge. These entries were all top notch, and I don't think any of them were easy calls in the slightest. BE PROUD OF YOURSELVES. You've done something awesome here.

Judge comments and honorable mentions will be posted within the week. Hang tight.

There are no words for how awesome you guys are.
Mippins

All Round Three entries must be in by:

The night of November 3 at 11:59 EST (GMT -5)

For those of you having timezone trouble, here's a nifty map:
[link]

I'm located in the purple strip on the eastern side of the United States. In Ohio.

If that isn't specific, I don't know what is.

Convert my time to your time right now. Then get a sticky note, write YOUR deadline time on it and slap it on the side of your monitor, on your desk, on your face, on your dog, whatever. Write it on your calender and put it in the alarm on your phone. Do whatever you need to do to keep track.

This is serious now, guys. This is a real round. I can't take late entries anymore, and the excuse "well I'm in a different timezone and I got confused" isn't going to cut it. I'm giving you plenty of time and all the necessary resources to figure this out. Take advantage of that so you don't screw yourself over later.

If you have questions, note me. Preferably now and not like, a half hour before its due going "AHH WHAT TIME IS IT IN EST-LAND?"

Before you read this, go read the prompt. Seriously this is just here for clarification. In writing this, I've assumed that you've already read the prompt itself. Plus, this isn't nearly all you need to know to write your entry. All of the necessary tools are in the prompt, and this is just the plainspeak version of the OBJECTIVE, not the SETTING.

Anyway.

The objective for this round can also be described in three words:

Push the button.

GREEN ROOM
The button is way the hell up on the top of the ceiling, surrounded by all kinds of nasty mechano-plants and possibly some particularly vicious mechano-jungle creatures. How you get up there, stay up there, and hold down the button is up to you.

YELLOW ROOM
The button is way the hell down in the middle of that huge fan, with all kinds of aerial menaces and giant rotating metal blades to put a damper on your plans. How you get down there, get back up, and hold down the button is up to you.

The contents of the rooms are expected to vary between entries. What I gave you in the prompt is food for thought. Feel free to play with the setting and add/subtract stuff, so long as it's still a mechanical jungle from hell or flying-debris wind tunnel of death respectively and contains things you might actually find therein.

Both the Black Door and the White Door will remain bolted shut until the button is pressed. Again, the buttons absolutely have to be held in place for the doors to remain open. This applies to the ENTIRE round, meaning, no, the doors won't magically stay unlocked once your characters pick a door.

What you have to include
-Your opponent (duh)
-The specified setting (duh)
-Pressing the button
-Which door your team picks (if you don't include this in your entry, you need to put a quick note in your artist comments to declare a path. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT since it will directly impact the next setting. I will be keeping track of this and you are bound to your decision.)

Optional
-Everything else

Other than that, everything is entirely up to you. Including your opponents, what sort of mayhem a room full of mechano-jungle or a room full of wind and flying stuff could cause, even how easy it is to get from the R1/R2 rooms to these new areas. Be creative. Don't be afraid to toy with ideas and think out of the box.

Now go defy physics!

The roster is a good place to start.

Through the Twilight [link] A Separate War [link]

& It's A Jungle Out There [link]

Symphonie Fantastique [link] For the World is Metal [link]

Families [link] Rock You Like A Hurricane [link]

Balancing Act [link] Color of Treachery [link]

Thunderstruck [link]

Decay [link] Garden of the Damned [link]

All Fall Down [link] God Demands Sacrifice [link]

Got questions about the round? GOOD, note me! If they're something that could apply to more people in the tournament, I'll list them here for your convenience.

1. What if my opponent didn't pick the same door as me?
   
   Write your entry in the room you picked, and your opponent will write theirs in the room they picked. It might mess with continuity but you are all a bunch of smart little nuggets. I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work. If not, it messes with continuity a bit but such is the way of the tournament. Don't sweat it.



2. Do I have to sacrifice one of my characters to move on?
   
   Not if you're creative. That was my original intention when I came up with this round, yeah, but you aren't bound to it. Also, just because I think it would be super cool to scrap a teammate here, that doesn't mean a) you will instantly receive my approval and win if you do it, or b) sacrificing a teammate will be considered the "unoriginal and expected" solution to the challenge. Really, it's up to you. Just do something awesome.



3. How much force is needed to press down the plate?
   
   Hm. Not like, copious amounts of strength or anything. You may have to lay into it a bit, but it could be accomplished with one hand. Maybe it would require the same amount of pressure as opening a somewhat tricky pickle jar? Or if you like, set a textbook on it or something. IS THAT HELPING?



4. Does the button open the doors or does it just unlock them?
   
   OH right yes. The button unlocks the doors. They still have to be physically opened by the characters.