Battle Lines Drawn, Battle Lines Crossed (Contest)

~*~ INTRODUCTION ~*~
First off, thank-you whoever has entered any previous contests and all of you that are actually going to read this and actually follow the rules and are actually going to enter something here that is at least remotely close to pertaining to this contest.  Oh yes, and for those of you that all ready know how my intro works, skip on down to where the normal stuff is!  (That would be the Options and Listings sections....go on...you know who you are!)

If you aren't going to do all of that above, have fun DQing and all that stuff.  I'm quite serious about it, too.  Don't read the whole thing and you might just miss something very important.  I'm rather strict with my contest-running, but that doesn't mean I don't make exceptions...for polite, understanding peoples that convince me...

WARNING!!!
    I will remove whatever works I choose from this contest if I feel they do not fully comply with it.  If you leave nasty comments to me, I'll notify a Moderator.  If you leave nasty comments to others, I will notify a Moderator.  If you continue to enter your work even after I remove it the first time, I will let it sit there and then remove it when I close this contest.  If you choose to do anything I find unacceptable, I will do something about it.  Unacceptable to me is very hard to do, but it has been done before so don't try it.

Here's the line up for this contest:

1. ( ) Introduction
2. ( ) Options and ( ) Listings
3. ( ) Requirements
4. ( ) Rules
5. ( ) Later Additions


~*~ OPTIONS ~*~ and ~*~ LISTINGS ~*~
Options are your choices.  Chose at least one of these to put into your write.  Listing (if available for the option) will be listed under the respective option with a letter or number as well.  You must choose however many the option says.  Information for your Option(s) and Listing(s) must be present (that means the numbers/letters at the very beginning of the option and listing) either at the beginning or end of your write to be entered for points.  You can put in as many as you please, but if it makes the story/poem make absolutely no sense, then it's DQ'd.  Remember the basics before you decide on your option(s) and listing(s).  Meaning make sure it's what this contest is for.

This is a POEM contest.  That means I want a POEM.  P-O-E-M!!

1. ABC Choice.  Choose at least three of the following things to put in your poem.  You must write about these objects somehow.  Be creative and think outside of the box.  You MUST either use these things specifically or describe them specifically.
    a] Applesauce
    b] BackStreet Boys (group of singers)
    c] Cornstarch
    d] Dolphin(s)
    e] Elephant(s)
    f] Flamingo(s)
    g] Grins
    h] Hamburgers
    i] Ice
    j] Jub-Jub Bird (from Alice in Wonderland)
    k] Kangaroo(s)
    l] Lion (or Lioness)
    m] Mountain Range(s)
    n] New York, New York (the city, in other words)
    o] Octopus(octopi?)
    p] Peppercorn(s)
    q] Quilting
    r] Racing
    s] Shania Twain (the country singer)
    t] Telemarketing (or Telemarketer)
    u] "Under the Sea" (from the Little Mermaid by Disney)
    v] Video Game(s)
    w] Waterfall(s)
    x] X-anything (aka, ex-girlfriend, ex-best friend, ex-home...)
    y] Yo-yo (the toy!)
    z] Zebra(s)

2. Counting.  You remember the whole "One, two, buckle my shoe?"  Or the "Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate?"  This is it for you, then.  Write one like that.  It must be a continuous sort of listing of numbers.  Like one, two, three, four (etc) or one, three, five, seven (etc) or two, four, six (etc)...you get it, right?
    a] Count up from either one (1) or zero (0)
    b] Count down to either one (10 or zero (0)
    c] Count up to ten in any fashion.
    d] Count down from ten in any fashion.
    e] Count by two's (two, four... or one, three)
    f] Count by five's (five, ten... or something)
    g] Count any other way in your poem, but make it with realistic numbers.  No imaginary or whatever.  No i or pi or square roots and all that!

3. Love and Marriage.  I don't know much about the latter, but the first I've had my young life's share.  So give me your take on both.  I want something that shows what happens to a love after marriage...the wedding and all of it.
    There are no listings

4. Proposing.  Never have had this happen, but I want you to describe the exact way this happens.  The mushy, sweet...awwww sort is perfect here.
    There are no listings

5. Hiring a Star.  Choose a character below and write an epic about them.  I've included basics like eye color and some of their personality where I have set such things...some are just bare, scratch characters who don't have this.  In which case, you may come up with it as you please (unless it's listed that they are a certain way or not).
    a] Tyke--7--boy with ability to read minds.  Tends to speak without thinking what he says through.  Very honest and child-like.
    b] Calroy--18--boy with easy-going nature.  Tends to protect the weaker.  Heart of gold. Blue eyes, black hair.
    c] Alexia--13--girl with quiet personality.  Tends to avoid loud people/things.  Chronic Liar.  Wheat-blond hair, very thin.
    d] Gabrielle--16--Girl overly involved in self.  Tends to think of only herself.  Greedy, but not underhanded.  Brown eyes and hair, chunky.
    e] Terri--30--Girl/Guy that's just the average Joe/Jane.

6. Choose an adventurer.  Choose a kindred below and create a story about this kin's past.  Be it a legend or actual origin or whatever, it must be of this kin's past in some way.
    a] Fairy.  The tiny humanistic creatures with butterfly or dragonfly wings.  Tend to have magical powers, but they don't have to.
    b] Dwarf.  The chunky, stout humanistic creatures with beards (both genders).  Tend to be good with metals and live underground, but they don't have to.
    c] Elf.  The lithe humanistic creatures with pointed ears and sharp cheekbones.  Tend to be forest sprite like and magical, but they don't have to.
    d] Hobbit/Halfling.  The half-sized humanistic creature about the size of a four/five year old child, but fully grown proportionately.  Like Frodo and them folk from LOTR (Lords of the Rings).
    e] Youwarkee.  The humanistic creatures with large feathered wings.  Pretty much like angels, but mortal.  Magic is optional and all can fly.  Think of that hawk-girl from those comic books...the one that fights with the mace...with Superman and everything...
    f] Dragon.  The reptilian creature that plagues every society, past and present in legend and myth.

7. Choose a place.  Choose a place below and write something about it.  Whether it be happening there or it could happen there or whatever.
    a] A Mountain.
    b] An Open Plain.
    c] A Desert.
    d] A Plateau.
    e] A Riverbank.
    f] On the Ocean.
    g] An Iceberg.
    h] A Dense Forest.
    i] A Deserted Island Jungle.
    j] A Densely Populated Jungle.
    k] A Ravine.
    l] An Empty Parking Lot.
    m] A Movie Theatre.
    n] A Garden.

~*~ REQUIREMENTS ~*~

I would love for you to do these things below, but they aren't required, but hey, selfish publicizing and such things...  That means you won't get disqualified for not doing these things, but I figured, it's free publicizing of certain things, so why not?

1. Read and comment on one of my running series, __Rayne, Child of a Thousand Years__ __Magician Chronicles__
2. Read and comment on any one of my own or the contestant(s) other writes.
3. Donate points to me.  This will just make this contest have more points (given to Silver and Bronze)
4. Apply to my group, "Masters and Mistresses of Writing"  (It's listed under the group type "Organization."  Here's the link: http://allpoetry.com/Application/1065209
5. Request a pre-judging critique (only available during certain times of day/night, and not available during the last 24 hours of this contest.
6. Read something from Rose Dark Thorn's lovely bookshelves.  She's my sissy, so you be nice to her!
7. Give me suggestions for the next contest.  I may do what you suggest...I have the points, after all.
8. Give me suggestions on my writes.  I may do what you suggest and you just might get something like points out of it too!


~*~ RULES ~*~
These are a must.  If you don't follow these, you are going to get disqualified.  That's that.  I have these for a reason and if writers didn't give me reasons to have rules, then there wouldn't be any rules, but there are, so live with it.  However, you MUST NOT DO RULE NUMBER ONE.  I put that there to see if you've actually read my contest.

1.  Write the following in your comment box:
           "Speak from the heart, and let all hear you."
                                          -dragondancer-
2. All information as to the option you selected and what of the listings you chose must be in the comment box.
3. Grammaticks.  You must have a sense of spelling and grammar.  If you don't reading your work will be much too difficult to me and I shall skip it and go to something easier on my eyes.
4. Sticky Caps.  I haven't the slightest understanding to why someone uses this stuff and I don't like it.  It's hard enough to read have the things anyway, I don't want more trial than need be for it.
5. Comment Box.  You must use it in some fashion or another.
6. Prewrites are allowed at this moment.  I may not be allowing them later on if I receive too many of them.  Anyone that posts a prewrite may later be removed on my own discretion.  I will not be notifying anyone if I do this.
7. Negative and/or Non-Building Comments.  I don't like mean comments or whatever you want to call it.  If you leave a note via IM or commentary, then you're DQ'd.  I will not deal with people that are rude or what have you.  That means to myself or on other entries to this contest.  I don't deal well AT ALL with negativity.
8. Anything over PG-18 will be DQ'd unless it is really really really good.  That means if it were in a movie or some such and someone that is 18 wasn't allowed in alone, it's not acceptable unless it's really really really good.  Also, cursing must be kept at a minimal.
9. Adult Language and Context.  This is a big no-no.  Don't do it.
10. All poems are allowed as long as they fit the stuff above and are somewhat understandable.  I don't mean that I want something a first grader could read, but not something that seems to be either hyper-college or rocket scientist based either.  And I mean, serious, I'm not Shakespeare or whatever, so try to make sense!
11. Proof of Reading.  Write whatever you want, but say that you have read all the rules.  Place this in your comment box, please. You MUST do this.  You'll be DQ'd otherwise.
12. No abstract, comprehensible works.  This is a rule for a reason.  Because I want to understand what you're saying.  You can write poetry all you want, but it must make at least a little sense to me.
13. *YOUR ENTRY MUST HAVE WHAT OPTION AND LISTING YOU CHOSE.  IF YOU DON'T PUT THIS IN YOUR COMMENT BOX, YOU WILL BE DQ'D AND I'LL REMOVE YOUR WORK THE MOMENT I READ IT.


~*~ LATER ADDITIONS ~*~
At this time, there are no later additions.  However, it is your responsibility to check back to see if there are any later on.  If you all ready posted prior to the alteration, then you will be exempt from the alteration provided I do not personally IM you otherwise.

Enjoy, have fun and all of that stuff...but most importantly, may I gain many a write of great value and worth and may I have such a hard time deciding the top three that everyone gets points because of it!