The winner of the third contest is [b]NarayanK[/b], who gets the jackpot of [b]two[/b] credits, and the runner-up is...man, it was a difficult decision this time, but the runner-up is [b]Prince of Seraphs[/b], who receives [b]one[/b] credit.  Narayan's entry really jumped out at me because of how convincing the conflict was.  At her core, Sangue seems a conflicted individual, with a very dark past.  Who is there better to take her on and 'slay the beast' than someone obsessed with heroism?  Moreover, you didn't only allow your own character to lose, but you allowed her to be in the wrong, and in the end she atoned for her misdeeds by allowing the hero to win.  Sorta resounds the theme that while heroes almost always win, the villains can be very sympathetic too.  Also loved your setting, it helped solidify the whole 'wounded' theme I think you've got going on.

When it came down to selecting the second place, what ultimately cinched it for me was the act of betrayal.  I took a look at the reasons: a drug-addled haze for Forsythe, an outburst of jealous passion for Guess who, and a simultaneous act of jealousy and authority for PoS.  While you did a good job, Forsythe, your situation ultimately seemed inorganic.  This contest, whether I said so or not, was an opportunity for the personalities of two characters to clash and play off one another, and a hallucinogenic high could have happened to anyone.  Robert's struggle with Greyson over Priscilla's affections, while certainly entertaining (love the X-Ray and Vav reference, a pity the season was only four freakin' episodes) similarly lacked that sort of personal depth, and the whole idea of the situation being a fanfiction was a creative if weird idea.  Prince of Seraphs created a piece unfortunately fraught with typos but fortunately also fraught with the kind of conflict I was looking for.  Does Gren, at first glance, seem like the type to try and murder a teammate because of her callousness and position of power over him?  No.  But could he, sufficiently motivated by the hurt of people he cares about, the abuse of that power, and his own problem with authority, ultimately rise up and do the thing?  Probably, yeah.  Plus your fight scene was well-written, not mostly dialogue, and lasted more than two paragraphs.


The next challenge will be created and arbitrated by Forsythe!