Mid-Realm Bardic Madness X Challenges

	Mid-Realm Bardic Madness X Challenges

The purpose of today's challenges is to encourage the participants' creativity and artistic growth. They are not meant to be competitions - everyone who takes part can consider themselves a winner.
Your response to the various challenges may be in many different forms. Song or story are the most obvious choices; however juggling, magic, instrumental, or dance can also express an idea or tell a tale. All of these could be used to answer a given challenge (though perhaps not all at the same time :-). Our desire here is to be inclusive rather than exclusive. If you have something to share that doesn't quite fit or that stretches the definitions a little, then fire away.
It is our wish to create a "bardic safe zone" - a friendly place where you may feel free to experiment and try new things. If you've never performed before, now's your chance. You'll be hard pressed to find a friendlier and more supportive audience. We would be delighted to see lots of first time performers.

Please remember, in order to make sure as many gentles get a chance to perform as possible, we ask that you limit your performances so that they run less than five minutes.

Fyt the First:
Pass the Tale	All those who wish to participate get up together, and tell a tale from beginning to end. The challenge's patron will 'conduct' by pointing to the person whose turn it is to continue the tale, and deciding when it is time to end.
Teaching Ballads	Songs have long served as an excellent mnemonic device. They have been used to teach things like multiplication tables, parts of speech, and the preamble to the Constitution. Borrow a page from Schoolhouse Rock, and teach us something.
Prior Proper Preparation	Some say a journey begins with a single step. True enough - however, that step is usually preceded by a flurry of packing, planning, and remembering to turn off the gas. Tell us of all the adventures that occurred on a journey prior to that first step.
Fyt the Second:
Stir Fry	Given a list of words, do something artistic with them.
Pictograph	It is thought that storytelling pre-dates language. Here is one such example. The pictographs on the left were carved into the rock over four thousand years ago. Whatever meaning they had has been lost to the ages. In song, story, or poem share with us the tale these images might tell. For the curious, this is a photo of some of the images on the Atlatl Rock in the Valley of Fire.
Are We There Yet or The Left Toin at Albequoykey	Sometimes, getting there is half the fun - at least, that's one theory. Tell us of a journey and what trials and tribulations might have occurred along the way.
Fyt the Third:
Mazacroca	Given several texts to choose from in foreign languages, "translate" one of them and explain what it "really" means.
The Third Side of the Triangle	Write one or more triads about any subject. Elements of a triad: It consists of three things, Describes a specific subject, And contains well balanced lines. The above description of a triad is, in fact, a triad.
Period Piece	Perform a documentably period piece of music, story, or song (poetry, prose, and so forth are good too). Dig out those reference books, blow off the dust (try not to sneeze), and see what wonderful and magical treasures you can find in them. There is a staggering amount of fantastic material out there. Find something, be it silly or sublime, and amaze us with it.
Fyt the Fourth:
Bard Scribe Illuminator	Given a subject in the morning, compose, calligraph, and illuminate a text on that subject. This may be done individually or as a team.
Vittles	The Roman army marched on its stomach. You won’t get far without munchies or a map to the local tavern. Serve us up something about food.
Journey's End	Every journey eventually reaches a destination. Sometimes the one you planned, sometimes not. Tell us of conclusions – of a road traveled, or a path walked.

Challenge General Rules

Challenges are not contests. You win by entering and striving to do the best you can.
Challenges are designed to encourage you to try your hand at something new, to stretch yourself, to enjoy, and to celebrate the creative spirit.
Read the guidelines for the challenges carefully, like most exercises, they are designed to help you develop in specific areas. Try to follow them as closely as you can, but stretching them in unexpected directions is good too.
Individuals are welcome and encouraged to give recognition to those performers whom they especially enjoy.
In order to allow the largest number of people to participate, challenge entries shall be limited to five minutes or less. Each person may enter a maximum of one piece in each challenge and a maximum of eight challenges.

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Last updated: 2016-05-06