The Clock Stops

-Front Page|Rules and Information|Auditioning Information|FAQ|Competitors|Story|Finale |-

Although our time draws to a close-
Like the lifetime of a flower-
Permit us these, our final words,
And give the actors their last hour.




Aureus  Mama





with


I’ve always found it very easy to read your entries; it never became too heavy and had a nice structure. Mama has also been a very unique character to follow and I’ve always been curious to see where you would go with her story. Unfortunately, it felt like Mama didn’t get a very a big role in your final entry as she should. While cameos are nice, you had a lot of them and put focus on characters the seemed unnecessary.

The final “battle” seemed a bit anticlimactic as there was a lot of jumping from room to room but with little progress. I felt that the end, however, was a very interesting way to go. Mama’s actions were certainly not expected and fitted with the theme.



Mama's entry was a bit slow to start, but seeing old faces is always fun. The tension of everyone uniting (or trying to) made the round feel like it really was the deciding point for the fate of all the competitors, not just the two finalists. I think football!Thief made me laugh aloud because of the sheer hilarity of it, a nice moment of comic relief in the fight. The anguish that both Mama and Aureus have to face desperately finding any way, any means possible to get back what they've fought so long for is palpable. Mama putting her own eyes out was a grim though interesting way of demonstrating that her story had come full circle. Though it was sad – if understandable – that no one got anything back from the Thief, the fact that Mama realizes that what she's gained is more important. A motivation to kill, lost – a realization of what she really needs, found. Also, I really have to wonder at how much time it took to think up all those rhymes. Hats off to Shink.
-

Mama's final round was action packed and it felt like a lot was being done to end the finale with a bang. It's been a quite a journey for Mama, she certainly isn't the same pakpak by the end that she was at the beginning. Looking back on that growth throughout the tournament is very satisfying. However, at times there wasn't enough focus on Mama in the final round itself, other characters seemed to overshadow her. Mama's involvement in the plot seemed to get diluted by the plethora of other characters competing for roles in the finale. This made it difficult to reconnect with her again at the end when her character development was at it's most crucial.
-

Oh Mama. You’ve always had a way of bringing in and bridging elements from other entries and characters, as well as lamp shading various elements that perhaps didn’t make much sense. But I feel the former has also been the biggest flaw of your entries. Ultimately, we want to engage with Mama as a character, but so much time is spent on other characters. There are so many characters and so many different things going on that your entry was very difficult to follow, and with so many characters we really don’t feel a connection to any of them. It’s spread far too thin, and often the dialog ended up feeling very false. There were also times where we had to scratch our heads, like characters randomly finding their objects and using them as major plot points. Your entry did feel like a genuine finale, with high stakes and interwoven plots, but there was just too much going on. And what was going on was not focused enough on our protagonist: Mama.
-







with



One of your main problems has been fillers but you’ve really listened and your final entry ran very smoothly. It’s been really interesting following Aureus journey since you gave him such a different backstory, being from a completely different time.

While you made sure to put him in focus in the finale, it seemed almost like you forgot about his opponent and Mama became more of a side character. The final fight ended up a bit anticlimactic with the bird and the Thief’s quick death, but I do love the way you wrote how he died as well as the last thing about his smile. It gave a nice impact to the end and left the reader with the creepy feeling the Thief always seemed to give everyone.
-

Aureus's entry did not have pages of self-reflection! Blasphemy! No, in all seriousness, I love how the round began with Aureus returning Boo's clock. It was a very nice bit of continuity. While the mist jay's arrival seemed a bit out of place and I wish our beloved Mama had been shown more, the coliseum itself was fascinating to read about, as well as the Thief speaking about how the tournament came to be. The death of the Thief genuinely stunned me when I first read it. I had no idea what was going to happen next, and it was amazing. In a way I couldn't believe it was over so easily, but in another I felt as relieved as Aureus must have. It was sweet to see he and Rose interact  - both out of their time and unsure of where to go, but at least friends. Perhaps the most memorable thing of all, what haunted me as it will Aureus, was the dying grin of the Thief.
-

One of the things I enjoy about the rounds with Aureus is that they always play with interesting themes and utilize the setting in entertaining ways, the final round did not disappoint in this respect. It was great seeing more focus on Aureus this time around; especially in those tense, emotionally charged scenes. But it didn't seem like Mama got enough involvement and I would've liked to see more between Aureus and Mama. There was decent build up before the final showdown but the conflict itself proved a tad anticlimactic. If felt like there was too much restraint in the resolution and the finale is no time for tiptoeing. All in all, the round was nicely wrapped up and provided closure for both Aureus and the tournament.
-

I have always felt that your entries have been more of stage piece than anything. And what I mean by this is that I’ve always gotten more out of the atmosphere than I have of Aureus. Up until the very end, we really did not get much out of Aureus as a character than the person we met from the audition. What made reading the entries enjoyable was the description. And not in the “this is so descriptive, I can see it all perfectly in my mind” way. It really is about the atmosphere that you establish that is very unique, and very fitting for Aureus. However, one of the biggest reoccurring problems we had with your entries was the massive amount of padding and pointless fluff. Now on one hand, you’ve certainly cut that out for the final. But I feel we’ve gone from one extreme to the other, in that your entry was not only lacking a lot fat, but a lot of the meat. Mama has very little influence in the round, and the Thief’s death feels very sudden to say the least. It’s nice to see you taking our advice, but you took it a little too far. There are certainly some interesting ideas at play, but we could have used a little more content.
-






And with all our words said, we finally come to our decision…















Congratulations to Canis-ferox for placing in first, and much applause to Shinkoryu14 for her continued hard work and diligence. It has been an honor and pleasure watching both of you throughout your rounds. With both sorrow and pride, we may finally say: Lost and Found is now officially over. Thank you everyone for everything that you do. We will be accepting misc. submissions for one more week, and after that all submissions will be closed forever, with an exception for prizes. Whatever character artwork you have, be it your own character or someone else, submit it within the week! All those who have placed in first, second, and third, be sure to send notes to those who have volunteered for prizes!

I have also asked our staff if they’d like to give any final words on the tournament. If and as those become available I will either paste them below or link to their journals, so please keep your eyes open.

First Place: Canis-ferox
Second Place: Shinkoryu14
Third Places: Nothofagus-obliquaHereLiesDeadSquirrel


Final thoughts by goudanewt here.
Final thoughts by Songdogx here.
Final thoughts by Snowwire here.


As ancient cities do crumble and fall
All things must meet their end.
Though it saddens and pains us, seekers all,
We cherish the time that we spend.

So while the pages turn to blank
The curtain meets it's inevitable drop.
For your hardship, we give thanks,
But now the clock will forever stop.