Mid-Realm Bardic Madness IX Challenges

	Mid-Realm Bardic Madness IX 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.
Third Times the Charm	Genies grant three wishes per person - no more, no less. Several other mystical wish fulfillment agencies also follow this same pattern. In song, story, or poem tell us how such a tradition came to be.
The Joys of Sea Travel	Sirens, cyclops, and eating other people's cattle; these are among the many perils that can be encountered on a long sea voyage. Tell us of some nautical nightmare encountered while sailing stange and wondrous waters.
Fyt the Second:
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words	Members of the populace will draw pictures for this challenge based on the theme: a great journey (feel free to define this broadly). Participants will pull both a drawing and a song out of a hat just before the challenge starts. Write two verses and a chorus about the picture using the tune.
Petrarch's Favorite	Write a sonnet about any mythical or legendary person or event.
Delving into the Decameron	Boccaccio described a group of ten young Florentines who left the city to escape the Black Plague. To pass the time, they danced, sang, and challenged each other to tell stories on a topic di giorno - a week-long bardic circle!! Our challenge comes from the eighth day. In story, song, or poem tell us of the tricks that people are forever playing upon each other.
Fyt the Third:
Mazacroca	Given several texts to choose from in foreign languages, "translate" one of them and explain what it "really" means.
On the Other Claw	Heroes slay monstres - it seems to be part of the job description. Whether their names be Beowulf, Odyssyus, or Sinbad; monster slayage seems bound to occur. Tell us what the creature community thinks of this heroic pasttime.
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.
Riddle Me This	Write and perform a riddle in any style.
I Fear They'll Go on All Night	We've heard of stranded travellers passing the time by swapping stories at an inn. Suppose you were one of the staff and not part of the tale telling. In song, story, or poem; tell us what you think of all this.

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.

Bibliography

Beowulf
Bulfinch's Mythology
The Decameron
The Mabinogion
The Odyssey
The Pentameron
Tales from the Arabian Nights

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This page maintained by Cerian Cantwr, cerian@minstrel.com.

Last updated: 2016-05-06