The Royal Academy of Bards

is proud to present

The Bard Challenge #16: Solstice from A to Xe

The Roools

The Challenge is to take a minimum of 24 words (one for each letter of the alphabet listed below) and insert them into a story.

The catch? There isn't one. LOL

There are two categories of competition.

Category 1: Best story (voted upon by the public)

Category 2: Most overall words used (highest count/verified by the Academy Roools Committee)-Everyone who enters competes in this one.

ROOOL #1a: ALL entries must contain a minimum of 24 words (one for each letter of the alphabet listed- A to Xe ). We have given you 5 words choices per letter. Who says we can't be nice? Don't bother answering that question after you see the list <.beg.>

A) abyss, airplane, appendectomy, apple, asteroid
B) beer, bible, bizarre, bodacious, brandy
C) calamity, cantaloupe, cantankerous, Cornelius, conundrum
D) debutante, Diablo, donnybrook, doozy, dragon
E) effigy, effusive, elephant, everlasting, expectorate
F) fantastical, fiasco, fierce, flabbergasted, frou-frou
G) geometry, girlish, gnome, gourd, grievous
H) hapless, happenstance, harness, hillbilly, hippo
I) ice cream, icicle, indigo, invective, irascible
J) jack, jelly, jewelry, juicy, jurisprudence
K) kangaroo, kick-ass, killer, knocker, knockwurst
L) leprosy, liberal, licentious, limbo, luscious
M) manacle, middling, mischievous, monastery, Montessori
N) naval, navel, nimble, no-man's land, noxious
O) onomatopoeia, opaque, optical, optimum, ovary
P) paradise, parasite, pest, photon, putter
Q) quarter, quartet, quasar, queasy, queen
R) Rastafarian, reflective, restitution, revolution, rhubarb
S) slush, snarky, sparkle, subtle, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
T) tambourine, tater tots, torque, truism, tunnel
U) umbrage, underlying, unicorn, unique, unity
V) vacate, vent, viceroy, victorious, vine
W) waltz, whitewash, willful, wipeout, wombat
XE) Xena, xenia, xenoliths, xenon, xenophobia

ROOOL #1b: You may insert as many of the listed words as you can into your story.  The more the merrier.  The highest overall count wins CATEGORY 2.   All stories entered are eligible to compete in CATEGORY 2. Using the same word off the list more than once, still only counts as one. You need only underline it once.

ROOOL #1c: No just “listing” the words. I hope we don't see a bunch of stories about spelling bees. <.g.> You must use them in the context of the story. Also the words must appear in the story spelled as they are in the list. That is not to say that you cannot pluralize a word or change a verb tense somewhat. IE: if the word SWIM is on the list… swim , swim s, swim ming, swim mer are all fine. Underline the letters S-W-I-M and you fulfill the requirement. SWUM is not fine.

ROOOL #2a: Participants are limited to only one entry. Please UNDERLINE all listed words used. Also please list your final count at the end of your story.

ROOOL #2b: Entries can be classic X&G, Uber or original…thy choice is yours. However, mention Amazon(s) and get a bonus. Why? Because it's my challenge and I said so. <.bg.>

Also, the story DOES NOT have to be Solstice/Holiday related but tis the season, y'know.

ROOOL #3a: The writing entries in the competing category (CATEGORY 1) will be posted anonymously. These stories are also eligible for the CATEGORY 2 prize.

ROOOL #3b: If you choose to participate but not compete in the voting category (CATEGORY 1), your entry will be posted with your identification on it. Since it is not anonymous, you are allowed to use any characters that belong to you. Your entry will only be eligible for the overall word usage prize (CATEGORY 2-winner determined by actual highest count as verified by Munchkins). Please indicate, clearly on your entry whether or not you are competing.

ROOOL #4: Story length is a maximum of 25 pages, normal margins and minimum of 11 font. (Steph “da boss” says so.)

ROOOL #5a: If you are competing in Category 1, please do not reveal your participation to anyone who has the potential for being a voter…the only exception being…

ROOOL #5b: You may use a beta reader, but please keep the number of beta readers to a reasonable limit…anything more than three will be considered a violation of…

ROOOL #5c: Posting any of your entries on any other sites or lists (private or public) before the end of the contest is a BIG NO NO.

We ask that entrants who are only participating in CATEGORY 2 also voluntarily obey this roool for the duration of the contest.

ROOOL #6: There is no number six.

ROOOL #7: Please do not stuff the ballot box or lobby for votes...we at the Academy have gotten very good at identifying this behavior. We won't publicly embarrass you but we will quietly eliminate you from the contest.

The Academy folks are everywhere and know everything…we will find out.

ROOOL #8: The "Roools Committee": aka the Munchkins and I, reserve the final say on everything and anything concerning this challenge.

It's our sandbox <.Nyah.>

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS DECEMBER 17 TH …Send it to: academy_contest@yahoogroups.com

I will acknowledge receipt of it within 24 hours, if I do not…please send it again to or contact me at PHIL728@aol.com

Winners (top in each category, plus an honorable mention each category) get some nifty prizes from the Academy Vault, as well as a gift certificate from their choice of one of several popular online retailers. Top in each category will also receive a special Tile Box commemorating their win.