Oh look, a quest! Round one (now with results!)

[Grumblesnakes]

Good job, everyone!  Just a heads-up, because it didn’t occur to me that with the change to the forum this wouldn’t be a given based on board settings: from here on out, assume no editing once your post is made.  I obviously won’t penalize anyone who edited so far, as I didn’t state it before.  But from here on out, once you hit post, your entry is in and should not be edited.  Thanks!  Okay, on to results!  For the record, this was way harder than I expected it to be.  You are all fantastic, and I appreciate your participation.  I had a lot of fun reading your posts, and I am so excited to see what you guys come up with for round 2!  Unfortunately, I have to eliminate a few of you if this quest is ever going to end.  

• Erebor – His voice, oh my god, I’m dying! Prin is the best, and I love Teddy.  I want to squish him and cuddle him and sic him on all my enemies.  Super creative solution, very engaging, and fun characters.  You’re through to the next round!
  
• Smother – Those trolls were creepy. Just saying. XD Some grammar errors, which was a little distracting.  But an interesting solution!  And I like that you really get into Smother’s head and show us what she’s thinking.  I like the idea of using a ton of different toys, but the trouble with that is it doesn’t give you room to develop depth with those interactions, and it turns the background into a bit of a blur.  It’s minor, but in the end it came down to minor things.  I’m sorry, the quest ends here for you.  Grumblesnakes will drop you back off where he found you, whole and intact and much more colorful than before.  This color will fade over the next BQ year back to your original color, all except for a jewel mark on your belly like the creepy trolls had.
  
• Shannisoran – The horde of Barbies was disturbing.  Good job. > Clever solutions, nice mislead, and I like the mangled rampaging princess.  You’re through to the next round!
  
• Engelsfors – Some grammar issues, switching back and forth with tenses a bit, that sort of thing.  And please be careful to follow directions closely.  That said, I really like the way she struggled with the unfamiliar shape of her body early on.  Nice job getting some light in the dark toybox.  I loved the use of the army guys!  I like the atmosphere you gave the toybox. Very creative, good job with that.  Here’s the thing.  Referencing Nerissa was totally fine.  Great for adding tension, shaping the mood of the post, building the world.  If you’d left it at the ominous sounds, the shaking of the box as in response to her vague actions that you couldn’t really see, that would have been okay.  But actually bringing her in was taking a bit too much liberty with her.  I’m sorry, the quest ends here for you.  Grumblesnakes will drop you back off where he found you, whole and intact and much more colorful than before.  This color will fade over the next BQ year back to your original color, all except for an army man on your ribcage, just like the ones that helped you survive the Toybox.
  
• Sleaze – Can I just say, you are good at creepy, haunting, disturbing. Horror is kind of your wheelhouse, huh? Oh my god I love Pennywise.  That was just.  Fantastic.  Yes, you took a few more liberties with Nerissa than I might have wanted for the sake of plot, but it was pretty minor, all took the shape of background information, and frankly it was fantastic. I can’t wait to see what you do with the next round.  Because you’re going to be writing in it.
  
• Dagny – Awesome disorientation, love the added drama that this is her first time being separate from her twin.  There is something both sweet and fascinating about her innocence.  Very nice work. You’re on to the next round!
  
• Shaytan – Aaaaahhhahaha, a Furby! I love it! Couple of minor grammar things (tense switching, lapsing into first person for a moment, that sort of thing) but overall this post was very creative, very engaging, fun to read. And I love that you made her encounter a giant bunny. XD Nice work! You’re on to the next round!
  
• Ephrelle – Okay, so that was adorable. I thoroughly enjoyed the post, and the characters, and just all of it.  Great job.  Great writing.  Welcome to round 2!
  
• Wichita – Don’t apologize. That was wonderful. You did a great job bringing in a variety of toys, really using the environment, and you told the story of your round one in a way that made me want to keep reading.  Good work! You’re on to round 2!
  
• Sinder – Okay, so a quick note. Please be careful to follow directions carefully.  Sinder was asleep from the moment he was taken in the Deserts until he was inside the toybox (by itself, not a huge deal), and also you were supposed to stop when you got the lid open.  That said, his reaction to his color change was fantastic.  The toy that hit on him was amusing. XD I liked the creepy raggedy doll, and the toys trying to keep him there.  I really enjoyed your writing!  Ultimately though, I would have liked to see more development of the characters you introduced, and more careful following of directions.  I’m sorry, the quest ends here for you.  Grumblesnakes will drop you back off where he found you, whole and intact and much more colorful than before.  This color will fade over the next BQ year back to your original color, all except for a penguin on your shoulder, so you can never forget the slinky who helped you, just like she asked.
  
• Syl – Ahahaha, yes! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  Excellent choice.  I like her reactions, her panic and confusion.  This post was fun, good work.  You’re on to the next round!
  
• Yronwood – He’s very sweet and innocent.  It was a nice post. Good use of the environment, good solution. Nice work! You went a little past where I told you to stop, but given the end of your post it was pretty logical and not too big of an error.  You’re on to the next round.
  
• Munroe – Quick note: you switched tense back and forth a lot, sometimes mid-sentence.  That said, it was an engaging and entertaining read, and I like what you came up with for a solution. Good work. Be careful about the tense switching, okay? You’re through to the next round!
  
• Speck – So, you switch tense back and forth some.  Just something to be aware of.  If you read through the other results, you’ll see you’re not the only one.  Other than that, though, it was fun to read.  Speck is adorable, and I like her optimism.  Good job.  You’re through to the next round!  Watch the tense switching next time, though!
  
• Erling – I love Erling.  I lost count of how many times I thought that to myself while reading the post. He’s fun and ridiculous and just the cutest thing.  Good post, creative and hilarious. You’re through to round 2!
  
• Malis – Um. Will you write me a story?  That was beautiful.  I loved it.  You’re through to the next round.
  
• Fraktyr and Storybook – Because you didn’t respond, you have been eliminated. Your color is back to normal, and you have been given the following defect: Living Plastic – you are made of plastic, but with the ability to move normally.  You have no sense of touch aside from the most basic ability to feel pressure (bumping into something, the ground beneath you, that sort of thing); you cannot, however, feel pain, temperature, someone touching you, the wind in your hair…just the basics needed for survival.
  

Round two will be coming very shortly.  I just have to write it up.  But I figured since I finished this part, I’d end the suspense.  Thank you all so much for participating.  And to those who were eliminated, I’m sorry that I had to make cuts.  Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the beast.  Better luck on your next adventure!