[@shylarah] At least I keep the theme constantly in mind when I read the entries. Often it isn't a problem, but sometimes it can appear one where I'm like... "... And this relates HOW to the theme?"

In those cases, I'm bothered by it and will likely not vote for it, regardless of how good the entry was.

And, those that do something really clever with the theme automatically get bonus-points in likability and are therefore more likely to get my vote. Haha.

I will have to say, though. I do somewhat miss the required components thing. It gave less freedom, sure, but it did give more incentive to actually stick to the theme and give a nice little base to build up awesome ideas from. It was easier, somehow, because the first step was already taken, and then the voters could consider the components while also reading the entries. There was more of a desire to actually use the components then compared to simply the bonus categories.

But, this works fine, too! A bit of extra freedom, simply, which means it just requires me to build up a base as well! It should also mean more varied stories, and who knows what else? Haha!