Yahoo Forum Archive

This is an archive of the MEFA Yahoo Group, which was shut down by Yahoo in 2019. The archive can be sorted by month and by topic ID. You can use your browser to search by keyword within the month or topic you have open.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2004---18210426558925263362316285
20051895610753834744697276194358565136
200623166277611713912756676615979
200720257-297299143318583103
2008561335424014127477516090106
2009283-39194101722722153624
201067-14103138129321316330
20111-172625906132758
201230---812276-----
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2014---------1-2
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2017------------
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2019---------1--

Msg# 1

New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 22, 2004 - 13:37:49 Topic ID# 1
Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the MEFAwards
group.

File : /Rules and FAQs/Awards FAQ.txt
Uploaded by : ainaechoiriel <ainae@earthlink.net>
Description : MEFAwardsFAQ 1.0

You can access this file at the URL

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/files/Rules%20and%20FAQs/Awards%20FAQ.txt

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/files

Regards,

ainaechoiriel <ainae@earthlink.net>

Msg# 2

Welcome to the list! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 22, 2004 - 22:39:25 Topic ID# 2
Welcome to the list!

We're just getting started. So things are kind of plain here and on my site. Fortunately, in my work as tech support technician, I have a lot of down-time. So I'll try to dress up the site and this place a bit as time goes on. I do want to be ready to start nominations by May 1.  To that end, I have already created the Nomination Form.

If you would, could you do two things for me? 1) Introduce yourselves. I want this to be a friendly place. And 2) Read over the FAQ and the Nomination Form.  We only have a short time to make any changes that might be necessary.

So, I'll introduce myself to those who might not be familiar with me. I'm Ainaechoiriel, though my MAE (Mortal Alter Ego) is Gabrielle Lawson, who writes mostly Star Trek DS9 fanfiction. That is how I became familiar with the comment-based awards at alt.startrek.creative. My first story was posted in 1996 and I won Best DS9 Story that year. I won again in 1998 and then won Best MIS Combined (for Miscellaneous--meaning not a particular series of Trek, and Combined--meaning two or more Trek series crossed over.) for 2000 with the first part of my trilogy. Sadly, the other two parts didn't do as well. They didn't place at all.  Still, I have never gone without at least a few "votes" so I got treasured feedback even when I didn't win. And that is what makes these kinds of awards special, I think.

As Ainaechoiriel, I have written four short stories, Immortal, Myth and Memory, Namesake, and the Lure of the Darkness.  All can be found on HASA in some fashion and all are on www.fanfiction.net and my own site (in my sig.)

I've been a member of HA for at least a year, maybe two.  I found some familiar faces there from the Trek fandom (Una McCormick and Matt Edwards, in particular).  And, of course, I've made a lot of good friends.

I've created a Welcome message (using this message as a base) and also a Tips for Voting message, that will get automatically mailed out to all new members.


Thanks for joining. I hope this list grows big, because that is the best way to run these kinds of awards I think.  Every voter is a judge, so the more we have, the more stories we can cover.  (I'll talk about that more in the Tips for Voting message).

Well, enough of that for now.  Mae Gaevonen (I don't pretend to know how to spell Elvish). ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr  Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com




Msg# 3

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 23, 2004 - 9:01:18 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Just for fun (has no bearing on the
contest), are you a fanfiction writer,
fanfiction reader, or fan artist? Or
some combination of all three?

o Fanfiction Writer
o Fanfiction Reader
o Fan Artist


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1213139

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 4

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 23, 2004 - 9:06:20 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Just for fun, do you write (or draw) in
other fandoms?

o No, just LOTR
o Yep, one other
o Yes, 2-4 fandoms
o You betcha! More than 4 fandoms!


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1213141

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 5

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 23, 2004 - 9:10:16 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Just for fun (and anonymously), if you
write fanfic or draw fanart, do you
also write or draw professionally?

o Yes, nonfiction or journalistic
o Yes, technical writing
o Yes, fiction
o Yes, I'm a pro artist.
o Both!


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1213144

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 6

New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 23, 2004 - 12:59:00 Topic ID# 1
Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the MEFAwards
group.

File : /Admin/Q&A.txt
Uploaded by : ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>
Description : Questiosn & Answers

You can access this file at the URL

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/files/Admin/Q%26A.txt

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/files

Regards,

ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>

Msg# 7

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 23, 2004 - 14:49:21 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

What do you think of the proposed
schedule? Is 2 months too long for
Nomination Season?

o Yes, 1 month would be fine
o No, It's just right
o No, make it longer


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1213394

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 8

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 23, 2004 - 14:50:04 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Voting Season. Too short? (Presently
set from Oct. 1-Nov. 15th)

o Yes, give it 2 months
o Yes, but we need to hash it out more
o No, it's just right.
o No, it's too long.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1213396

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 9

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 23, 2004 - 14:54:09 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Would you be willing to be Staff? You
may choose No. If you choose Yes,
check which activities you'd be willing
to help with.

o No
o Yes, moderating the group
o Yes, contacting authors for approval
o Yes, categorizing stories
o Yes, counting votes (can be divided by categories, if needed)


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1213398

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 10

Intros anyone? Posted by ainaechoiriel April 23, 2004 - 15:47:30 Topic ID# 10
Well, there are nine of us here now. Anyone want to introduce
themselves?

I did in an earlier post and, I, believe in the Welcome message you
would have received upon your subscription. I recognize a few
loginnames here, but others may not. I hope we'll get a lot more
people by the time the awards start and even during them.

So, who are you? ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel
MEFA Admin

Msg# 11

A good reminder from Dwim Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 23, 2004 - 17:39:27 Topic ID# 10
I was talking to Dwim on my way home today and she brought up a good point.
If you are thinking of a great story you're going to recommend, but it's not
on a publicly accessible site (where no logins are required), you might want
to contact the author and ask him/her if they'd be willing to post it
somewhere public, such as fanfiction.net.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 12

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by sulriel April 23, 2004 - 19:47:55 Topic ID# 10
> Well, there are nine of us here now. Anyone want to introduce
> themselves?
>
> I did in an earlier post and, I, believe in the Welcome message you
> would have received upon your subscription. I recognize a few
> loginnames here, but others may not. I hope we'll get a lot more
> people by the time the awards start and even during them.
>
> So, who are you? ;-)
>
>

*waves* Hi ... its me. Becky. .. mmmm... intro. 39yo wife & mother
of 2 kids (boys 8,12) small-time horse breeder/trainer . - oh! ..and
Tolkien fan.

...next...

Msg# 13

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by lindorien2000 April 23, 2004 - 21:59:06 Topic ID# 10
Hi. I'm Lindorien.

Rules for things like this must be explained to me in short clear sentences.

If those sentences rhyme, I am even happier.

If those sentences rhyme and are funny...

it's entirely possible I wrote them.

Is the nominations list public? That is probably a ridiculous question because
we are the ones who are supposed to vote with our commentary.

Strike that.

I write humor.

I am usually nice.

Really.

Ignore anything to the contrary you might have heard.

Seriously.

Okay, anybody else out there?



--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
> Well, there are nine of us here now. Anyone want to introduce
> themselves?
>
> I did in an earlier post and, I, believe in the Welcome message you
> would have received upon your subscription. I recognize a few
> loginnames here, but others may not. I hope we'll get a lot more
> people by the time the awards start and even during them.
>
> So, who are you? ;-)
>
> --Ainaechoiriel
> MEFA Admin

Msg# 14

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 23, 2004 - 22:28:33 Topic ID# 10
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lindorien2000 [mailto:lindorien@cox.net]
> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 9:59 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Intros anyone?
>
> Hi. I'm Lindorien.
>
> Rules for things like this must be explained to me in short
> clear sentences.

Hmm. Short clear sentences. Not sure if I can do that, what with the
GigaStress making it hard to read and all. But I'll give it a try.

Nominate a story. Nominate another story. Nominate another story.... You
get the idea.

Read stories. Read more stories. Read more stories. Sensing a pattern?

You write what you like about a story. If you like the second story better,
you write more. Etc.

The more you write, the more points for the story.

The one with the most points wins.

Actually the three with the most points win, for each category.

> If those sentences rhyme, I am even happier.

Sorry, rhyming is right out. ;-)

> If those sentences rhyme and are funny...

I've occassionally be accused of being funny. Just maybe not tonight.

> it's entirely possible I wrote them.

Ah, then I'm off the hook. :-D

> Is the nominations list public? That is probably a ridiculous
> question because we are the ones who are supposed to vote
> with our commentary.

It will be somewhat public in that our archives are public. I can also post
them on the website (http://mefawards.agreatserver.com

I don't think it would hurt. But to vote, you must be a member. All voting
will be done here, on the group list.

> Strike that.
>
> I write humor.
>
> I am usually nice.
>
> Really.
>
> Ignore anything to the contrary you might have heard.

;-D Nice to have you!

> Seriously.

But I thought you write humor?

> Okay, anybody else out there?

I hope so!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 15

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 23, 2004 - 22:29:32 Topic ID# 10
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sulriel [mailto:Sulriel@htcomp.net]
> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 7:48 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Intros anyone?

>
> *waves* Hi ... its me. Becky. .. mmmm... intro. 39yo wife &
> mother of 2 kids (boys 8,12) small-time horse breeder/trainer
> . - oh! ..and Tolkien fan.

Hello Sulriel. I think we are familiar with each other from certain hot tub
parties. Or do you prefer Becky here?

Glad to have you either way.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 16

Dropping in briefly Posted by dwimmer\_laik April 23, 2004 - 23:16:36 Topic ID# 16
Hi!

Thank God for summer, or I probably couldn't manage the reviewing part
of these awards, is all I can say.

Thanks, Ainae, for setting this up!

Dwim

Msg# 17

Re: Dropping in briefly Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 24, 2004 - 9:04:46 Topic ID# 16
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dwimmer_laik [mailto:dwimmer_laik@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 11:16 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Dropping in briefly
>
> Hi!
>
> Thank God for summer, or I probably couldn't manage the
> reviewing part of these awards, is all I can say.
>
> Thanks, Ainae, for setting this up!

You're welcome. So I'm guessing the Reading Season isn't too long for you?

And now I see that Jillian and Sorne have arrived. I'm a little worried.
Am I going to need to make an Orc category? ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel
MEFA Admin...still looking for volunteer Staff

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 18

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by sulriel April 24, 2004 - 9:15:44 Topic ID# 10
> >
> > *waves* Hi ... its me. Becky. .. mmmm... intro. 39yo wife &
> > mother of 2 kids (boys 8,12) small-time horse breeder/trainer
> > . - oh! ..and Tolkien fan.
>
> Hello Sulriel. I think we are familiar with each other from certain
hot tub > parties. Or do you prefer Becky here?
>
> Glad to have you either way.
>
> --Ainaechoiriel
>
>


I'll answer to either. ...but don't worry, 'Sulriel' is only allowed
online for the parties, otherwise, she is confined to her story. -She
took my id before I knew she had a story, and both of us are too
stubborn to give it up.

Msg# 19

Artists in Residence Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 24, 2004 - 9:15:52 Topic ID# 16
So far, Gonzai and Jillian are the only members that I know do artwork as
well as write. Do either of you (or anyone else here) work with graphics?

I'm trying to promote the Awards and it would be great to have a banner or
button to share with other websites. Parma Eruseen, for instance, has said
they'd put info up on the Awards. I'd told them I'd be happy to link them.
So a button-swap it should be.

So anyone got the appropriate talent to come up with a button?

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 20

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Kate April 25, 2004 - 2:10:31 Topic ID# 10
> Well, there are nine of us here now. Anyone want to introduce
> themselves?

Hello everyone,

I signed up the other night right before I went to bed, and then I
went to a 21st last night, so I haven't been able to introduce myself
until now!

I'm Kate, though I usually go by the penname of Pervinca (or
brachan90 on ff.net). I really liked the sound of these awards, so I
joined up! I'm a hobbit-writer, and tend to favour the Tooks.

Ainaechoiriel, I believe you were asking for volunteers to assist you
with these awards, and I'd be happy to help. I'm not exactly sure how
much of my time I can donate, but I'll do my best, even if it is just
counting the votes. Let me know what you'd like me to do. :)

- Pervinca

Msg# 21

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Jillian Baade April 25, 2004 - 2:15:56 Topic ID# 10
Hi Everyone,

And thanks for the invite, Ainae!

Jillian, or Jilian Baade from FF.net here. Mostly write first age, and
elves, but have dabbled in many things Tolkien.

Looking forward to seeing how we get on.

Oh, and a question: Can we nominate our own fics?

Jillian
>
> > Well, there are nine of us here now. Anyone want to introduce
> > themselves?
>
>Hello everyone,
>
>I signed up the other night right before I went to bed, and then I
>went to a 21st last night, so I haven't been able to introduce myself
>until now!
>
>I'm Kate, though I usually go by the penname of Pervinca (or
>brachan90 on ff.net). I really liked the sound of these awards, so I
>joined up! I'm a hobbit-writer, and tend to favour the Tooks.
>
>Ainaechoiriel, I believe you were asking for volunteers to assist you
>with these awards, and I'd be happy to help. I'm not exactly sure how
>much of my time I can donate, but I'll do my best, even if it is just
>counting the votes. Let me know what you'd like me to do. :)
>
>- Pervinca
>
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
SEEK: Now with over 50,000 dream jobs! Click here:
http://ninemsn.seek.com.au?hotmail

Msg# 22

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 25, 2004 - 2:35:00 Topic ID# 10
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jillian Baade [mailto:jilba25@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 2:16 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [MEFAwards] Re: Intros anyone?
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> And thanks for the invite, Ainae!

Thank you for answering it. I was beginning to fear I was being ignored on
HA.

> Jillian, or Jilian Baade from FF.net here. Mostly write first
> age, and elves, but have dabbled in many things Tolkien.
>
> Looking forward to seeing how we get on.

Me, too!

> Oh, and a question: Can we nominate our own fics?

Absolutely!

Just don't vote on them. ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 23

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 25, 2004 - 2:39:19 Topic ID# 10
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kate [mailto:bra_chan90@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 2:10 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Intros anyone?
>
> > Well, there are nine of us here now. Anyone want to introduce
> > themselves?
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I signed up the other night right before I went to bed, and
> then I went to a 21st last night, so I haven't been able to
> introduce myself until now!
>
> I'm Kate, though I usually go by the penname of Pervinca (or
> brachan90 on ff.net). I really liked the sound of these
> awards, so I joined up! I'm a hobbit-writer, and tend to
> favour the Tooks.

Welcome!

> Ainaechoiriel, I believe you were asking for volunteers to
> assist you with these awards, and I'd be happy to help. I'm
> not exactly sure how much of my time I can donate, but I'll
> do my best, even if it is just counting the votes. Let me
> know what you'd like me to do. :)

I certainly could use help, though there's nothing to help with right now.
Once Nomination Season opens, though, I could use help contacting authors
and the like. Getting categories right, etc. Right now, I just need to make
sure the FAQ is accurate and agreeable.

Once Voting Season starts, I will need help counting votes. It should be
pretty simple if you have a word processor that can do character count, such
as MS Word. (I believe Word Count is under Tools and character count with
and without spaces is shown. We'll use the without spaces count. Look up
the total characters on the points/characters chart and figure up how many
points the vote gets. Pretty simple really.

I'd be grateful for any help you can give.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 24

Greetings Posted by Soledad April 25, 2004 - 3:44:04 Topic ID# 24
First of all, thanks for the invitation, Ainae. I appreciate that,
for more reasons that I'd like to discuss at the moment. :))

Some of you might know me already, but anyway: I write under the name
Soledad, across all Ages and genres of the Tolkienverse, from 3-page-
ficlets to twenty-chapter monstrosities. I run several Tolkien-
related groups, like Mirkwood Castle (well, that one is more run by
my gracious admin, the Wild Iris, actually), Edhellond and the
Edhellond Newsletter.

I also write in other fandoms, like Star Trek (original and Voyager),
Babylon 5, Kindred: The Embraced, Buffy, Angel and the likes. I also
run a Star Trek AU and Crossover group named Memory Alpha. English is
my third language, my original fiction is written in my native
Hungarian and in German.

My work is mainly published on ff.net and my own website (which,
sadly, hasn't been updated for ages). Some of my Tolkien-related
stories also can be found in "The Stories of Arda" or "The Trees
Remember" archives.

So, this was probably more information than any of you wanted,
consequently I'll shut up now.

Ainae, if you can use any help that *doesn't* include web skills or
any technical aspects, I'll be happy to contribute. Alas, with
anything that is related to technical things, I'm completely
hopeless. (I'm the person who can't even make pictures appear on her
own Geocities site - you get the idea, eh?)

Soledad

Msg# 25

Re: Artists in Residence Posted by Jillian Baade April 25, 2004 - 5:05:20 Topic ID# 16
Nope, sorry you've got me wrong, I'm a member of Tolkien Fan Art alright,
but only to look at otherss poeple's pretty pics. I definately don't draw!

Sorry for confusing you,

Jillian
>
>
>So far, Gonzai and Jillian are the only members that I know do artwork as
>well as write. Do either of you (or anyone else here) work with graphics?
>
>I'm trying to promote the Awards and it would be great to have a banner or
>button to share with other websites. Parma Eruseen, for instance, has said
>they'd put info up on the Awards. I'd told them I'd be happy to link them.
>So a button-swap it should be.
>
>So anyone got the appropriate talent to come up with a button?
>
>--Ainaechoiriel
>
>"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said,
>"for
>it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.
>
>http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
>Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
Impossible is nothing with Adidas. Have you got a story of inspiration that
you can share with others? Click here http://www.adidas.com.au/impossible
for a chance to win a sporting odyssey and a $1000 Adidas wardrobe!

Msg# 26

Re: Dropping in briefly Posted by Jillian Baade April 25, 2004 - 5:07:26 Topic ID# 16
An Orc category, hell yeah!

Just joking,

Jillian
> >
> > Hi!
> >
> > Thank God for summer, or I probably couldn't manage the
> > reviewing part of these awards, is all I can say.
> >
> > Thanks, Ainae, for setting this up!
>
>You're welcome. So I'm guessing the Reading Season isn't too long for you?
>
>And now I see that Jillian and Sorne have arrived. I'm a little worried.
>Am I going to need to make an Orc category? ;-)
>
>--Ainaechoiriel
>MEFA Admin...still looking for volunteer Staff
>
>"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said,
>"for
>it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.
>
>http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
>Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
Protect your inbox from harmful viruses with new ninemsn Premium. Go to
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Msg# 27

FAQ update--spelllings, mostly Posted by ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 0:44:34 Topic ID# 27
Dwim and I corrected some spellings n the FAQ, so it is now version
1.1. Also, we replaced the secong Tar-Miriel Award (in Drama) with
The Nimrodel and Amroth Award, though that one changed to 3rd Place,
leaving Frodo Baggins for 2nd.

Nothing else has changed thus far.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 28

About those awards Posted by lindorien2000 April 26, 2004 - 1:30:09 Topic ID# 27
Okay, perfect example here of needing explanation in short, clear sentences.

those awards that are listed. Are they just the names of the awards you are
giving out?

I will save my other Very Stupid Question for later. Wouldn't want to convince
anybody too soon that I have any clue what I am doing.

Seriously.

Next Very Stupid Question in a day or two. One never knows. Perhaps the
light of divine insight shall visit me in the meantime I can avoid that doom.

Lindorien


--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
>
> Dwim and I corrected some spellings n the FAQ, so it is now version
> 1.1. Also, we replaced the secong Tar-Miriel Award (in Drama) with
> The Nimrodel and Amroth Award, though that one changed to 3rd Place,
> leaving Frodo Baggins for 2nd.
>
> Nothing else has changed thus far.
>
> --Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 29

Re: About those awards Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 11:50:03 Topic ID# 27
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lindorien2000 [mailto:lindorien@cox.net]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 1:30 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] About those awards
>
> Okay, perfect example here of needing explanation in short,
> clear sentences.
>
> those awards that are listed. Are they just the names of the
> awards you are giving out?

Yes. In light of not having a nifty overall name for the awards themselves,
I, with a friend's help, came up with all those names for the individual
awards. Note that if a category gets subdivided, all the subcategories will
have the same awards titles as the main category. Because it could get
very, very complicated to make up three names (not to mention banner
graphics) for each sub category.

> I will save my other Very Stupid Question for later. Wouldn't
> want to convince anybody too soon that I have any clue what I
> am doing.
>
> Seriously.
>
> Next Very Stupid Question in a day or two. One never knows.
> Perhaps the light of divine insight shall visit me in the
> meantime I can avoid that doom.
Don't worry about asking questions. It gives me insight into how I might
update the main page of the web site and also add things to the Q and A
page. Other people may have the same questions and just aren't brave enough
to ask.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 30

Re: Greetings Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 11:56:46 Topic ID# 24
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Soledad [mailto:annaliess@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 3:44 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Greetings
>
> First of all, thanks for the invitation, Ainae. I appreciate
> that, for more reasons that I'd like to discuss at the moment. :))

Understood and you're welcome!

>
> I also write in other fandoms, like Star Trek (original and
> Voyager), Babylon 5, Kindred: The Embraced, Buffy, Angel and
> the likes. I also run a Star Trek AU and Crossover group
> named Memory Alpha. English is my third language, my original
> fiction is written in my native Hungarian and in German.

Very cool! Ever been to alt.startrek.creative? And what did you think when
they killed off Doyle (on Angel)?

> Ainae, if you can use any help that *doesn't* include web
> skills or any technical aspects, I'll be happy to contribute.
> Alas, with anything that is related to technical things, I'm
> completely hopeless. (I'm the person who can't even make
> pictures appear on her own Geocities site - you get the idea, eh?)

Can you handle cutting and pasting comments into MS Word? If so, you can be
a Vote Counter! Ideally, we should have several vote counters to ensure the
accuracy of the count.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 31

New Member, Hi All!! Posted by Stella April 26, 2004 - 12:56:08 Topic ID# 31
Hi to everyone,
Thank you for appoving my request to join. This is a very cool idea,
as there are not enough awards in the Tolkien fandom world, and those
that exist seem to have the same winners year after year (but we
won't go there).

A little about me, as boring as it might be. I've been reading and
writing for years uncounted. As much of it as I can for pleasure,
but a whole heap of it has been in my chosen vocation. I fell under
the spell of Lord of the Rings twenty years ago but never dared to
write in that world until about four years ago.

I post mainly at ff.net and Stories of Arda, but I have original work
at fictionpress.com. While I'm rather "internet challenged" I would
be happy to help in any way possible.

Stella (aka lasse-Lanta)

Msg# 32

Re: New Member, Hi All!! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 13:51:49 Topic ID# 31
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stella [mailto:lasselanta02@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 12:55 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] New Member, Hi All!!
>
> Hi to everyone,
> Thank you for appoving my request to join. This is a very
> cool idea, as there are not enough awards in the Tolkien
> fandom world, and those that exist seem to have the same
> winners year after year (but we won't go there).

Thank you, and welcome!
>
> A little about me, as boring as it might be. I've been
> reading and writing for years uncounted. As much of it as I
> can for pleasure, but a whole heap of it has been in my
> chosen vocation. I fell under the spell of Lord of the Rings
> twenty years ago but never dared to write in that world until
> about four years ago.

Glad you decided to dip your feet in the water. I admit I was very
intimidated at the thought of trying to write Tolkienesque. I was
established in the DS9 fandom, but a complete novice at Tolkien and LOTR.
But I dipped my feet in finally and found that the water's were indeed fine!

> I post mainly at ff.net and Stories of Arda, but I have
> original work at fictionpress.com. While I'm rather
> "internet challenged" I would be happy to help in any way possible.

We're glad to have you! Can you e-mail authors of nominated stories to ask
their approval to be included in the Awards? And, of course, we can use
more vote counters. If we get enough, we can subdivide, so that the same
three or four aren't having to do all the categories.
--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 33

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 26, 2004 - 14:52:11 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Nominations: Public or Private? Should
we make the list of nominations public
on the MEFA web site? Or should it
only be listed here, on the YahooGroup?

o Public
o Private
o Not sure, let's discuss it


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1215743

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 34

Just a Suggestion Posted by Stella April 26, 2004 - 14:52:25 Topic ID# 34
Ainaechoiriel,
I wanted to make a suggestion to you about the Awards website and if
this has already been discussed and final decision made please just
ignore me. I find the black background and orange lettering on the
opening page very hard to read. I know young eyes probably have no
difficulty, but we who are over 40 with our eyesight going rapidly to
heck have a bit of a problem sorting out the words even with our coke
bottle bottom glasses.

The reason I mention this, is not only for me, but it can be
detrimental to aquiring new members. If you can't read something
comfortably, then you may not bother trying to find out what the site
is about.

Btw, I'd be happy to contact authors and count, I left my vote on
your polls.

Stella

Msg# 35

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 15:11:08 Topic ID# 34
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stella [mailto:lasselanta02@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 2:52 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Just a Suggestion
>
> Ainaechoiriel,
> I wanted to make a suggestion to you about the Awards website
> and if this has already been discussed and final decision
> made please just ignore me. I find the black background and
> orange lettering on the opening page very hard to read. I
> know young eyes probably have no difficulty, but we who are
> over 40 with our eyesight going rapidly to heck have a bit of
> a problem sorting out the words even with our coke bottle
> bottom glasses.

Well, it's actually a dark green background with brownish lettering... ;-)
But really, don't feel bad about mentioning it. I just did some quick copy
and convert from my own fairly bare LOTR fanfiction website. I'd happily
take suggestions on colors or background images or anything like that.
Suggest away! Rmember that I only built this whole awards thing up from an
idea less than a week ago. ;-)


> The reason I mention this, is not only for me, but it can be
> detrimental to aquiring new members. If you can't read
> something comfortably, then you may not bother trying to find
> out what the site is about.

Understood. Just please not black and white. But I would love to dress the
site up more.

Check out this page: http://www.maran.com/colorchart/ and pick some colors.
There are three text colors necessary (though we could add a fourth for
Headers): Plain text, link, and visited link.

There is also background color or background image. I do have a program that
can take a photo and "emboss" it so it looks like etched metal. Check out
this site for an example of the embossed background:
http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/travel/index.html

As I said, I'm very open to ideas, but let's try and get these things ironed
out before Nomination Season begins, which is next week!

> Btw, I'd be happy to contact authors and count, I left my
> vote on your polls.

I saw that. Thank you! I've given you the illustrious title of Assistant
Administrator. Kate and Soledad have also offered to help but we need to
finalize their duties.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 36

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by Stella April 26, 2004 - 15:35:49 Topic ID# 34
> Well, it's actually a dark green background with brownish
lettering... ;-)

Oh my word! Well doesn't that just tell you the state of my eyesight
*g*

Rmember that I only built this whole awards thing up from an
> idea less than a week ago. ;-)

And you've done a find job for such a short time.

> Just please not black and white.

Agreed, just too boring. I've always liked the colors used
at 'Stories of Arda', the background in particular is very easy on
the eyes, something in that color range would be good. I looked at
the colorchart page, but considering I see dark green as black maybe
someone else should choose. :-)

I do have a program that
> can take a photo and "emboss" it so it looks like etched metal.
Check out
> this site for an example of the embossed background:
> http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/travel/index.html

I've seen that site before, very interesting, however the lettering
over the image gets a little busy and you run into the same problem
of it being hard to decyhper. Maybe something like that could be
done with the headers, if the lettering is larger and bolder.

> Thank you! I've given you the illustrious title of Assistant
> Administrator.

(Blushes) Wow, I've never been Assistant Administrator, I vow to try
to live up to the title. (Ahh, what are my duties? oh mighty list mom)

Stella

Msg# 37

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 16:05:52 Topic ID# 34
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stella [mailto:lasselanta02@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 3:35 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Just a Suggestion
>
> > Well, it's actually a dark green background with brownish
> lettering... ;-)
>
> Oh my word! Well doesn't that just tell you the state of my eyesight
> *g*

Not to worry. It looks darker on one of my monitors than it does on the
other. Almost black, even. So it may be your monitor and not your eyes.

> And you've done a find job for such a short time.

Thanks. I know some Awards had committees debating for weeks before
actually getting started. I'm far to impatient for that. ;-)
> Agreed, just too boring. I've always liked the colors used
> at 'Stories of Arda', the background in particular is very easy on
> the eyes, something in that color range would be good. I looked at
> the colorchart page, but considering I see dark green as black maybe
> someone else should choose. :-)

They have a gray background with some nice leaf designs. That, I'm afraid
would take someone with more graphic talent than I have. Anyone? Bueller?

> I've seen that site before, very interesting, however the lettering
> over the image gets a little busy and you run into the same problem
> of it being hard to decyhper. Maybe something like that could be
> done with the headers, if the lettering is larger and bolder.

Admitted. That is one of my earliest sites!

> (Blushes) Wow, I've never been Assistant Administrator, I vow to try
> to live up to the title. (Ahh, what are my duties? oh mighty list mom)

Just what you volunteered for: contacting authors for approval and counting
votes. ;-)

I've also played aroudn with the Q and A page. It now has the parchment
background and dark green text. Just experimenting. I'm still very open to
suggestions.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 38

Experimenting with backgrounds Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 16:46:29 Topic ID# 34
Most of the pages at http://mefawards.agreatserver.com have the parchment
background now. I've been experimenting though. I found a site with some
free backgrounds. I haven't played around with Text Color too much yet.
Just backgrounds. Take a look at the following pages at the site (URL
above) and let me know what you think:

Links (greenish side border)

Staff (leaves)

Q and A (leaf side border)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 39

Re: Experimenting with backgrounds Posted by Stella April 26, 2004 - 19:21:07 Topic ID# 34
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
>
> Most of the pages at http://mefawards.agreatserver.com have the
parchment
> background now. I've been experimenting though. I found a site
with some
> free backgrounds. I haven't played around with Text Color too much
yet.
> Just backgrounds. Take a look at the following pages at the site
(URL
> above) and let me know what you think:
>
> Links (greenish side border)
>
> Staff (leaves)
>
> Q and A (leaf side border)
>


Oh yeah, that looks great. Very easy to read and the green borders
look rather celtic, perfect.:-)
Stella

Msg# 40

Re: Experimenting with backgrounds Posted by sulriel April 26, 2004 - 20:16:40 Topic ID# 34
http://www.theoriginalseries.com/earendilbackground.htm

http://www.theoriginalseries.com/findrod1background.htm

http://www.theoriginalseries.com/findrod2background.htm

here are some Tolkienesque sample backgrounds ... apologies to
Finrod for misspelling his name. I think Finrod1 is too contrasting
and distracting. The others look better to me.




--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Stella" <lasselanta02@y...> wrote:
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Most of the pages at http://mefawards.agreatserver.com have the
> parchment
> > background now. I've been experimenting though. I found a site
> with some
> > free backgrounds. I haven't played around with Text Color too
much
> yet.
> > Just backgrounds. Take a look at the following pages at the site
> (URL
> > above) and let me know what you think:
> >
> > Links (greenish side border)
> >
> > Staff (leaves)
> >
> > Q and A (leaf side border)
> >
>
>
> Oh yeah, that looks great. Very easy to read and the green borders
> look rather celtic, perfect.:-)
> Stella

Msg# 41

Re: About those awards Posted by lindorien2000 April 26, 2004 - 20:23:53 Topic ID# 27
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:

> > I will save my other Very Stupid Question for later. Wouldn't
> > want to convince anybody too soon that I have any clue what I
> > am doing.
> >
> > Seriously.
> >
> > Next Very Stupid Question in a day or two. One never knows.
> > Perhaps the light of divine insight shall visit me in the
> > meantime I can avoid that doom.
> Don't worry about asking questions. It gives me insight into how I might
> update the main page of the web site and also add things to the Q and A
> page. Other people may have the same questions and just aren't brave
enough
> to ask.

Actually, I probably should have just hopped in with both feet and asked that
Very Stupid Question (VSQ) for I can no longer remember what it was.

However, I shall substitute it with another VSQ...What exactly ARE the
categories. I thought maybe the awards were the categories. But, apparently
they are not. So what ARE the categories.

As soon as I become Very Annoying, let me know and I shall sit quietly and try
to figure it out on my own. Believe me - it is unlikely ANYBODY can get as
confused as easily as I can.

Go ask Dwim what she went through trying to explain where challenges go
when they die, or what a nazgul is. I see there is new thing called Oliphaunts.
I simply won't even go there.

Dwim, I hated to admit it to you then, but I still haven't the foggiest notion what
you were trying so valiantly to explain to me. But I had to admire your
continued efforts.

So Ainae (Is it all right to call you Ainae, because I am not at all certain how to
spell your handle, nor how to pronounce it) at whatever point you decide that I
am a hopeless case, I shall understand.

In other words, the rules are probably so simple a seven year old could
understand. So, if worse comes to worse, I'll have my twins go through them
with me.

Lindorien - who is hoping that in all of that, Ainae understands that she really
can't figure out what the categories are, but further understands it is likely not
a problem with how anything is worded.

Msg# 42

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by lindorien2000 April 26, 2004 - 20:41:19 Topic ID# 34
Okay, I'll stick my hand up as being a 'rapidly visually declining old person'.
Don't let the Miss Clairol and Botox fool you, my ability to read in low light is
rapidly passing into mere memory. Neither can I operate a computer in a
darkened room. Further, I have actually found that there now are scripts too
small for me to read - for when I bring it closer to discern, it all goes blurry.

In other words...

I'm Lindorien and I am 45 years old.

That said, the parchment background is MUCH easier to read. I sorta don't
like backgrounds at all though, because my eye finds them distracting. I was
actually going to suggest black and white and then saw Ainae blanche. So
will also mention the SoA colors are very easy on the eyes.

Will also mention that vision decline was very rapid. One day I could see fine,
and then the next I was holding things away from my eyes. I was 42. It was a
depressing day.

Yes yes - am planning to see an opthamologist soon.

Yes yes - this has now gone off topic.

I am old. My mind wanders.

Lindorien

Msg# 43

Re: Experimenting with backgrounds Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 22:22:45 Topic ID# 34
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stella [mailto:lasselanta02@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 7:21 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Experimenting with backgrounds
>
> > Links (greenish side border)
>
> Oh yeah, that looks great. Very easy to read and the green
> borders look rather celtic, perfect.:-) Stella

If you mean that one, it's personally my favorite, but I've got three ayes
for the parchment.

Let me make a poll out of this.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 44

Re: Experimenting with backgrounds Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 22:23:42 Topic ID# 34
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sulriel [mailto:Sulriel@htcomp.net]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 8:17 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Experimenting with backgrounds
>
>
> http://www.theoriginalseries.com/earendilbackground.htm
>
> http://www.theoriginalseries.com/findrod1background.htm
>
> http://www.theoriginalseries.com/findrod2background.htm
>
> here are some Tolkienesque sample backgrounds ... apologies to
> Finrod for misspelling his name. I think Finrod1 is too contrasting
> and distracting. The others look better to me.

Those are nice, but I have a feeling the designs have something to do with
Noldorin? I'm a bit anti-partial to the Noldorins. Don't let that worry
you about the awards contest. I'm not the only voter and I have been known
to like a Noldo now and then (Voronwe of Gondolin, for example. Turgon
didn't seem a bad sort either. But don't even get me started on those
Feanorians....)

I'm going to make a poll for the green border with gray background, the leaf
border and the white background, and the parchment. We'll let democracy
decide.

Remember with the side bordered backgrounds, I should be able the text over
so it's only on the light part. And the text color is still up for grabs.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 45

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 22:30:07 Topic ID# 34
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lindorien2000 [mailto:lindorien@cox.net]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 8:41 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Just a Suggestion
>
> Okay, I'll stick my hand up as being a 'rapidly visually
> declining old person'.
> Don't let the Miss Clairol and Botox fool you, my ability to
> read in low light is rapidly passing into mere memory.
> Neither can I operate a computer in a darkened room. Further,
> I have actually found that there now are scripts too small
> for me to read - for when I bring it closer to discern, it
> all goes blurry.

Poor thing. I used to wear contacts until I got a new pair of glasses as a
backup. I have an astigmatism and the contacts just couldn't get things
perfectly clear (I'm nearsighted, BTW). The glasses though...whoa! 20/15!
It's incredible what I can see now. ;-)

>
> In other words...
>
> I'm Lindorien and I am 45 years old.

Well, I had my first gray hair recently. I'm a little miffed at you older
people now. No one told me gray hair goes coarse! I knew hair went gray.
But coarse?!!!

And of course all that is my Mortal Alter Ego speaking. We Elves don't have
these problems.

> That said, the parchment background is MUCH easier to read. I
> sorta don't like backgrounds at all though, because my eye
> finds them distracting. I was actually going to suggest black
> and white and then saw Ainae blanche. So will also mention
> the SoA colors are very easy on the eyes.

Ah, yes, I do blanche. I just hate a plain B&W site. Would you consider
the parchment or one of the others if they had black or another very dark
text?

> Will also mention that vision decline was very rapid. One day
> I could see fine, and then the next I was holding things away
> from my eyes. I was 42. It was a depressing day.

Oh dear.

> Yes yes - am planning to see an opthamologist soon.
>
> Yes yes - this has now gone off topic.

;-) It's not like we get so much traffic we can't handle a little bit of OT
once in awhile. That may change though once Nomination Season starts.

> I am old. My mind wanders.

My MAE is 32 and her mind has wandered for years! Moreso since the
MegaStress. Why just this evening she locked her keys in her car. Again. At
least it wasn't running this time.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 46

Re: Experimenting with backgrounds Posted by sulriel April 26, 2004 - 22:45:38 Topic ID# 34
>
> Those are nice, but I have a feeling the designs have something to
do with> Noldorin? I'm a bit anti-partial to the Noldorins. Don't
let that worry> you about the awards contest. I'm not the only voter
and I have been known> to like a Noldo now and then (Voronwe of
Gondolin, for example. Turgon> didn't seem a bad sort either. But
don't even get me started on those> Feanorians....)
>
>

actually, the first is the emblem of Earendil (grandson of Turgon,
father of Elrond/Elros .. not to mention the evening star) and the
second and third are Finrod, admittedly Noldorin, but the one that
discovered the Edain, and gave Barahir the Ring of Barahir. .. died
saving Beren in Sauron's werewolf pit.

But I really do like the parchment if you'll darken the font, I just
wanted to offer some alternatives.

Msg# 47

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 26, 2004 - 22:49:16 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Backgrounds: Three Choices. Go to
http://mefawards.agreatserver.com/test.h
tml. Choose A, B, or C.

o A, Parchment, black text
o B. Leaf border, black text
o C. Green border, Black text


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1216081

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 48

Re: Experimenting with backgrounds Posted by ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 22:54:49 Topic ID# 34
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "sulriel" <Sulriel@h...> wrote:
> >

> actually, the first is the emblem of Earendil (grandson of Turgon,
> father of Elrond/Elros .. not to mention the evening star) and the
> second and third are Finrod, admittedly Noldorin, but the one that
> discovered the Edain, and gave Barahir the Ring of Barahir. .. died
> saving Beren in Sauron's werewolf pit.

Well, I did say Turgon was likable, and yes, I think Earendil is,
too. Finrod is one of the better of the Noldorin also. But I still
like the Sindarins better! ;-)

> But I really do like the parchment if you'll darken the font, I
just
> wanted to offer some alternatives.

Check out the test page at
http://mefawards.agreatserver.com/test.html". You'll see the three
backgrounds for the poll, all with black text. Parchment is the
first.

Personally, after seeing them again, I like the leaf border better
than the greenish. The gray is rather dark on the latter. Thus, I
voted for B.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 49

Re: About those awards Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 26, 2004 - 23:00:25 Topic ID# 27
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lindorien2000 [mailto:lindorien@cox.net]
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 8:23 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: About those awards

> Actually, I probably should have just hopped in with both
> feet and asked that Very Stupid Question (VSQ) for I can no
> longer remember what it was.
>
> However, I shall substitute it with another VSQ...What
> exactly ARE the categories. I thought maybe the awards were
> the categories. But, apparently they are not. So what ARE the
> categories.

They are the headers above the award titles. If it would be easier, go the
Database section on the YahooGroup. Then open up the 2004 MEFA Winners
table. Category is the first column.

> As soon as I become Very Annoying, let me know and I shall
> sit quietly and try to figure it out on my own. Believe me -
> it is unlikely ANYBODY can get as confused as easily as I can.

;-) I might be able to beat you. I had to read your e-mails twice to
understand them. It's the reading problem I've been having since the
GigaStress. Either I can't read individual words, or I can but the
sentences don't make sense until a second run-through. Kind of disturbing
if I contemplate it too much.

> Go ask Dwim what she went through trying to explain where
> challenges go when they die, or what a nazgul is. I see there
> is new thing called Oliphaunts.
> I simply won't even go there.

I don't know what the Oliphants are, either.

> So Ainae (Is it all right to call you Ainae, because I am not
> at all certain how to spell your handle, nor how to pronounce
> it) at whatever point you decide that I am a hopeless case, I
> shall understand.

Ainae, is fine. Pronounced Eye-Nigh. The longer version, Ainaechoiriel, is
Eye-Nigh-Coy-Ree-el

> In other words, the rules are probably so simple a seven year
> old could understand. So, if worse comes to worse, I'll have
> my twins go through them with me.

> Lindorien - who is hoping that in all of that, Ainae
> understands that she really can't figure out what the
> categories are, but further understands it is likely not a
> problem with how anything is worded.

Huh? Ah, okay. Again, had to read it twice. You wording is not to blame. My
brain is.

But I still say don't worry about asking questions.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 50

Volunteering Posted by Kate April 27, 2004 - 3:02:34 Topic ID# 50
I have officially offered my services to these awards! Lol. I
definitely agree, though, that there should be more than one vote
counter - maybe three, and gather an average, or something like that.
I'm also offering to help categorize the stories, but I dunno how
well I'll do at that. I'm the sort of person who has trouble trying
to decide (sometimes) what to category to post her own stories under!

Oh, I also have a question. This may have been on the FAQ, but I
can't remember. Do the story nominations have to be completed works?
I know of one or two fabulous (hobbity :P) stories that aren't yet
finished. I can understand, however, if you'd prefer completed works.

I really hope other people are planning on nominating themselves,
because I'd hate to be the only one guilty of SSP!

- Pervinca

Msg# 51

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by nerwen\_calaelen April 27, 2004 - 3:44:34 Topic ID# 10
Hi

I'm another new person. I usually go by Nerwen or Nerwen Calaelen in
fanfic, Jennifer in real life. I still count myself as a relative
newcomer to fanfic, having been involved for a little over a year.
I decided to come and get involed because I liked the idea for these
awards in that it sounds friendly and that anyone's stories can be
entered and will get feedback.
I've said in the poll that I'm prepared to help, but that does partly
depend on where I actually am by the voting time. (I'm a student and
finish university this summer).

Nerwen

Msg# 52

Re: Dropping in briefly Posted by Sorne&Enros April 27, 2004 - 4:18:59 Topic ID# 16
Hi Everyone!
Sorne and Enros both here - we're a bit like Smeagol and Gollum for those of
you who haven't met us before :)
Sorne writes romantic and angsty fluff, and Enros writes dark, orc-centric
stuff, often violent and disturbing. All of our stuff can be found at
Henneth-Annun, although not all of it in the public archive, most stuff is
also at FF.net, Sorne's epic has it's own website with artwork by the
talented Anna K, and Enros' stuff is in various Orc archives.
Since buying my horse about a year ago, I have had a lot less time for
writing, but I still love it, and still do it.
Very pleased to be here among such illustrious company :)

Sorne/Enros

PS Enros probably would appreciate an Orc category, but not if she's going
to be the only one in it! LOL!

-----Original Message-----
From: Ainaechoiriel [mailto:mefaadmin@earthlink.net]
Sent: 24 April 2004 15:06
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [MEFAwards] Dropping in briefly




> -----Original Message-----
> From: dwimmer_laik [mailto:dwimmer_laik@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 11:16 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Dropping in briefly
>
> Hi!
>
> Thank God for summer, or I probably couldn't manage the
> reviewing part of these awards, is all I can say.
>
> Thanks, Ainae, for setting this up!

You're welcome. So I'm guessing the Reading Season isn't too long for
you?

And now I see that Jillian and Sorne have arrived. I'm a little worried.
Am I going to need to make an Orc category? ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel
MEFA Admin...still looking for volunteer Staff

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said,
"for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Yahoo! Groups Links

a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/

b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
MEFAwards-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 53

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by dwimmer\_laik April 27, 2004 - 9:29:52 Topic ID# 34
Well, the parchment is certainly brighter than the green and brown.
May make for a more cheerful reader.

On the order of possibly silly suggestions, Ainae, do you think it
might be a nice idea to put the website affiliated with this yahoo
group up in the description of the group? Those of us who are having
issues of "mailbox too full!" and who are deleting fast and furious
tend to delete the postings that have the website address in them...

On an off-topic note, if anyone *does* want an explanation of HASA
Oliphaunts, contact me off list or drop a line in one of the HASA
forums dedicated to Q&A or post a question on the HA list, or use the
contact form in HASA for "Challenge Manager". <pants, is out of
breath> Heck, I'll go post an attempt at explanation now, since people
seem to be slightly shy. I promise, I don't hand out nuzgûl as the
price of tech support!

Anyhow, looking good, everyone. This will be very helpful, I think, as
it will *force* me to take notes as I read, a habit I tend not to
cultivate outside of my studies.

TTFN,

Dwim

Msg# 54

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 10:14:14 Topic ID# 34
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dwimmer_laik [mailto:dwimmer_laik@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 9:29 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Just a Suggestion
>
> Well, the parchment is certainly brighter than the green and brown.
> May make for a more cheerful reader.

Sigh. Put your vote in on the poll. I may be the only one who likes the
leaf border.... If that's the case, I can a;ways use it for my own LOTR
site.

> On the order of possibly silly suggestions, Ainae, do you
> think it might be a nice idea to put the website affiliated
> with this yahoo group up in the description of the group?
> Those of us who are having issues of "mailbox too full!" and
> who are deleting fast and furious tend to delete the postings
> that have the website address in them...

I thought I did once. The "test" page, at any rate, isn't linked on the
site iself. You manually have to enter in "test.html" on the address bar.
Also, the site is in the URLs or LINKS section on the YahooGroup. I'll try
the description again.

> Anyhow, looking good, everyone. This will be very helpful, I
> think, as it will *force* me to take notes as I read, a habit
> I tend not to cultivate outside of my studies.

Thanks. Do, everyone, check out the Voting tips document in the Files
section, Admin folder. It should help coming Nomination and Reading
Seasons.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 55

Re: New poll for MEFAwards Posted by Viv April 27, 2004 - 10:15:24 Topic ID# 3
I think this poll question centers around the purpose of the awards.
If you mean to act as a recommendation service for readers, a public
listing of nominations is a great idea. If you are mostly concerned
with gold-starring stories and writers, keeping nominations private
is less work for you and has less chance of inviting complaints.

By the way, I've been lurking here for a while. I'm viv (and
recognize a few names from other lists). *waves*

viv


--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com wrote:
>
> Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
> MEFAwards group:
>
> Nominations: Public or Private? Should
> we make the list of nominations public
> on the MEFA web site? Or should it
> only be listed here, on the YahooGroup?
>
> o Public
> o Private
> o Not sure, let's discuss it

Msg# 56

Public or Private Nominations: a discussion Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 10:38:59 Topic ID# 3
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Viv [mailto:spacellamaprincess@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 10:15 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: New poll for MEFAwards
>
> I think this poll question centers around the purpose of the awards.
> If you mean to act as a recommendation service for readers, a
> public listing of nominations is a great idea. If you are
> mostly concerned with gold-starring stories and writers,
> keeping nominations private is less work for you and has less
> chance of inviting complaints.

Hi, Viv! Yes, it does sort of center around the purpose of the awards, and
I myself am for making them nominations public. Why? So new potential
members can see how it works and be encouraged to join in. And so that even
those who don't join might want to read those stories and see what all the
hullabloo is about. So authors can see that their story was indeed
nomninated and join or not join and still see if it was put in the right
category and/or how it faired. These kinds of awards work best the more
voters we get. No one person can generally read every story. You may read
only 10% of all the stories. If we have 100 voters reading 10% each, the
likelyhood that all stories will be read by at least one pair of eyes is
greater. The nominations work as nominations but also as promotion. Of the
Awards, but also of the stories nominated. The main purpose of
comment-based awards is feedback. The contest is a strong but secondary
purpose.

Counterpoint, anyone?

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 57

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 10:41:59 Topic ID# 34
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "dwimmer_laik" <dwimmer_laik@y...>
wrote:

> On the order of possibly silly suggestions, Ainae, do you think it
> might be a nice idea to put the website affiliated with this yahoo
> group up in the description of the group? Those of us who are having
> issues of "mailbox too full!" and who are deleting fast and furious
> tend to delete the postings that have the website address in
them...

The link is now showing in the description! it was in the "related
links field" of the settings, but that didnt' show up. So now it's
in both places.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 58

Re: Volunteering Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 12:06:33 Topic ID# 50
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kate [mailto:bra_chan90@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 3:00 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Volunteering
>
> I have officially offered my services to these awards! Lol. I
> definitely agree, though, that there should be more than one
> vote counter - maybe three, and gather an average, or
> something like that.

Almost lost this one in my inbox. Thank you, Pervinca.

> I'm also offering to help categorize the stories, but I dunno
> how well I'll do at that. I'm the sort of person who has
> trouble trying to decide (sometimes) what to category to post
> her own stories under!

Well, this should be easier because the authors can decide. Actually, first
nominators choose a categorie (and a 2nd and 3rd choice). Then when we
contact the author, the author can override any of that and choose another
category. The only time we'd have to step in is when we 1) have too many
stories in one category and need to subdivide, or 2) We don't have enough to
fit the 5 stories by 2 authors rule to be a viable category and so we have
to consolidate.

> Oh, I also have a question. This may have been on the FAQ,
> but I can't remember. Do the story nominations have to be
> completed works?
> I know of one or two fabulous (hobbity :P) stories that
> aren't yet finished. I can understand, however, if you'd
> prefer completed works.

I prefer them, but I'm making provision for WIPs. They may run one year as
incompletes. They can only run again once they are complete. So, if it
takes an author three years to complete, it can run the first year (or--but
not and--2nd) and then the third year (when it is finished).

> I really hope other people are planning on nominating
> themselves, because I'd hate to be the only one guilty of SSP!

Have no fear. I'll be nominating all four of mine. I'm trying to recreate
the alt.startrek.creative thing here,. In that, you only have to post your
story to the newsgroup. We don't have a newsgroup, so we have to nominate.
I *could* start my own archive and only have stories posted to it eligible,
but I don't want that kind of work or expense (as I'm sure it would soon be
out of my free website capabilities). So here we can nominate our own as
well as other people's. The point is to build a pool of stories to vote on.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 59

Volunteers Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 12:33:21 Topic ID# 59
We presently have five Staff volunteers (besides myself), so thanks to
Nerwen, Viv. Soledad, Stella, and Pervinca. We'll be putting you all to
work shortly. ;-) Contacting authors will be the first order of business,
but categorizing will fall in quickly. Vote counting, of course, won't
happen until Voting Season, though we might have a few practice runs to
callibrate ourselves, so to speak.

What could we use more of? Author contacting could use a few more. It's
not critical, but the more we have the less work we each have to do. Vote
counting can always take more. Then we can divide up by categories and
spread the workload.

No one has checked the Moderating task. I can't see it as beingtoo much
work here. Just approving new members when they show up and keeping heads
cool. Presently, I've not denied anyone membership. We just want to make
sure there are no sock puppets (duplicate members) and other such cheating.

I recently had another thought. I could probably use some help collecting
nominations. But then I do have these Obsessive Compulsive tendencies. I'll
probably want to put everything into an Excel spreadsheet so they can be
organized by category and then title. ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 60

Files moved a bit Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 12:37:42 Topic ID# 50
I moved some files around to their more appropriate folders. Vote Tips and
Q & A have been moved to th Rules and FAQs folder.

And anyone who's new or just joined, do stop by the Polls section and weigh
in. There are some just for fun polls that have nothing to do with the
awards really, but there are also some polls to help make decisions azbout
the Awards. So weigh your opinions in.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 61

Re: Volunteers Posted by sulriel April 27, 2004 - 13:16:28 Topic ID# 59
sorry, I thought I offered earlier and didn't get assigned yet. I'm
not good at picking a job, just let me know where you need me.


--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
> We presently have five Staff volunteers (besides myself), so thanks
to
> Nerwen, Viv. Soledad, Stella, and Pervinca. We'll be putting you
all to
> work shortly. ;-) Contacting authors will be the first order of
business,
> but categorizing will fall in quickly. Vote counting, of course,
won't
> happen until Voting Season, though we might have a few practice
runs to
> callibrate ourselves, so to speak.
>
> What could we use more of? Author contacting could use a few
more. It's
> not critical, but the more we have the less work we each have to
do. Vote
> counting can always take more. Then we can divide up by categories
and
> spread the workload.
>
> No one has checked the Moderating task. I can't see it as beingtoo
much
> work here. Just approving new members when they show up and
keeping heads
> cool. Presently, I've not denied anyone membership. We just want
to make
> sure there are no sock puppets (duplicate members) and other such
cheating.
>
> I recently had another thought. I could probably use some help
collecting
> nominations. But then I do have these Obsessive Compulsive
tendencies. I'll
> probably want to put everything into an Excel spreadsheet so they
can be
> organized by category and then title. ;-)
>
> --Ainaechoiriel
>
> "This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond
said, "for
> it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.
>
> http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
> Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 62

Re: Volunteers Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 13:43:22 Topic ID# 59
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sulriel [mailto:Sulriel@htcomp.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 1:15 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Volunteers
>
>
>
> sorry, I thought I offered earlier and didn't get assigned
> yet. I'm not good at picking a job, just let me know where
> you need me.
>

Sorry if I missed you. My memory does tend to get a bit flaky. Well, do
you think you might be any good at sniffing out sock puppets? That is the
same person sighing up 2 or more YahooID's. If so, I can add you as a
Moderator.

Otherwise, we'll just put you down for Vote Counting and backup-categorizer.
How does that sound?

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 63

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by lindorien2000 April 27, 2004 - 14:35:55 Topic ID# 34
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>

>
> Ah, yes, I do blanche. I just hate a plain B&W site. Would you consider
> the parchment or one of the others if they had black or another very dark
> text?

Probably anything that makes the other 'visually challenged old person'
happy will make me happy.

BTW, Gray hair does go coarse, but not after it is colored. Try natural instincts
- its semi-permanent and is WONDERFUL for the hair.

I had my first gray hair in my twenties sometime. It mostly stayed that way until
I got past 35 and one day realized I either color or join the American
Association for Retired People. So I colored. For years I convinced myself that
I only had 'a little gray'.

All right - here's the shocker. A few months ago, I looked at my roots and
realized 'Hey! Its all gray under there! When did THAT happen?' seriously,
people think I am in my early thirties, but the few times I've, um, failed to run
the Natural Instincts through it fast enough...

Well - let us just say, it wasn't pretty. So use a good quality semi-permanent
color. Don't try and go lighter, just blend with your natural color. - No
coarseness.

And those are our beauty tips for the day, ladies.

Now then - further proof of my age and also in general complete stupidity
regarding pop culture...

What does MAE mean? And 32 is a spring chicken.

Shall try to stay on topic from now on in.

Thanks Ainae!

> My MAE is 32 and her mind has wandered for years! Moreso since the
> MegaStress. Why just this evening she locked her keys in her car. Again. At
> least it wasn't running this time.
>
> --Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 64

Re: Just a Suggestion Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 15:04:59 Topic ID# 34
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lindorien2000 [mailto:lindorien@cox.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 2:35 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Just a Suggestion
>

>
> Probably anything that makes the other 'visually challenged
> old person'
> happy will make me happy.


Check out the test page (http://mefawards.agreatserver.com/test.html) and
see how the three choices work for you. They all use black text, some bold
and some plain.

> BTW, Gray hair does go coarse, but not after it is colored.
> Try natural instincts
> - its semi-permanent and is WONDERFUL for the hair.

Oh,. Good. Thanks. Don't need it just yet. Only found that one so far, but
I'll keep it in mind.
>
> Well - let us just say, it wasn't pretty. So use a good
> quality semi-permanent color. Don't try and go lighter, just
> blend with your natural color. - No coarseness.

Well, I generally go for my natural blond now. In my family, blonde gets
darker withage. My brother's hair is near black by now. Mine leans into the
lighter shades of brown. So I keep it in the dark but not darkest shades of
blonde.

> And those are our beauty tips for the day, ladies.

Thank you.

> Now then - further proof of my age and also in general
> complete stupidity regarding pop culture...
>
> What does MAE mean? And 32 is a spring chicken.

Don't feel bad about not knowing that one. I think I made it up.
Ainaechoiriel is an Elf. MAE is her Mortal Alter Ego, which is often the one
talking about growing older, having the flu or bad eyesight. Or writing
about Star Trek.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 65

Re: Volunteers Posted by sulriel April 27, 2004 - 18:24:53 Topic ID# 59
sniffer I'll be ... I just got back from the store with a load of
sinus pills, so point me in a direction.


.... love the feeling of Power ... POOOOWEERRR!!!! .... /ahem/


(do I get a pretty ring to wear?)



Awards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...> wrote:
>
> >
> > sorry, I thought I offered earlier and didn't get assigned
> > yet. I'm not good at picking a job, just let me know where
> > you need me.
> >
>
> Sorry if I missed you. My memory does tend to get a bit flaky.
Well, do> you think you might be any good at sniffing out sock
puppets? That is the> same person sighing up 2 or more YahooID's. If
so, I can add you as a> Moderator.
>
>

Msg# 66

Re: Volunteers Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 22:28:03 Topic ID# 59
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sulriel [mailto:Sulriel@htcomp.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 6:25 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Volunteers
>
>
> sniffer I'll be ... I just got back from the store with a
> load of sinus pills, so point me in a direction.

Ah, I try to only buy the ones that are non-drowsy. The drowsy ones make me
loopy.

> .... love the feeling of Power ... POOOOWEERRR!!!! .... /ahem/

> (do I get a pretty ring to wear?)

Sure! If you go buy one, I won't keep you from wearing it. ;-)

Welcome, co-Moderator!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 67

New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 27, 2004 - 22:43:28 Topic ID# 1
Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the MEFAwards
group.

File : /Rules and FAQs/sock-puppet.txt
Uploaded by : ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>
Description : No-Duplicate Members Policy

You can access this file at the URL

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/files/Rules%20and%20FAQs/sock-puppet.txt

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/files

Regards,

ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>

Msg# 68

Re: New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 22:46:34 Topic ID# 1
This is the one hard, draconian rule we have here at the MEFAs. I may add
it to the texts that get sent to users as they join. This is the one thing
that is "unforgivable". And we hope it never occurs here so we never have
to enforce this rule.

Please give it a read, just to be clear.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled positive atmosphere.

Thank you.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



> -----Original Message-----
> From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 10:43 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] New file uploaded to MEFAwards
>
>
> Hello,
>
> This email message is a notification to let you know that a
> file has been uploaded to the Files area of the MEFAwards group.
>
> File : /Rules and FAQs/sock-puppet.txt
> Uploaded by : ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>
> Description : No-Duplicate Members Policy

Msg# 69

Poll updates... Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 22:56:42 Topic ID# 69
***Nominations:
Question: Nominations: Public or Private? Should we make the list of
nominations public on the MEFA web site? Or should it only be listed here,
on the YahooGroup?

So far, we have 4 votes to discuss it and 1 vote for Public. I've posted a
discussion post. Feel free to add to the discusstion.

This poll won't end for some time now.

Also,
Question:What do you think of the proposed schedule? Is 2 months too long
for Nomination Season?

Presently, 2 votes say it's fine at 2 months, but 4 votes think 1 month will
do. Weigh in if you haven't. This poll ends on Friday.

***Voting Season:
Question: Too short? (Presently set from Oct. 1-Nov. 15th)

Presently, 1 thinks it could use 2 months, and 5 say it's just right at 1
1/2. This poll will end 5/30, so you still have time to think about that
one. However....if Nomination Season gets shortened, obviously, every other
season gets moved up on the schedule. If the vote stays as is, Voting Season
will stay 1 1/2 months long, it just won't be from Oct. 1-Nov. 15th.

***Backgrounds:
Question:Backgrounds: Three Choices. Go to
http://mefawards.agreatserver.com/test.h tml. (If you can't get the page to
come up, remove the space between the h and the tml). Choose A, B, or C.

You all are surprising me! We presently have 4 votes for the leaf border
and 1 vote for the green border. 0 votes for parchment

This poll ends in two days, so if you'd like to weigh in, ya better hurry.
;-)

Ah, I do like seeing democracy in action! (Helps indecisive people like me.)
;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 70

More inbox stuffing.... No really Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 27, 2004 - 23:15:41 Topic ID# 69
Just thought I'd mention here that I added a bit to the Vote Tips document
in the Files section. I can't believe I left out the biggest tip:

"Vote early! What do I mean by that? As you read a story during Nomination
Season and
Reading Season, write your comments and save them in a file on your hard
drive. Then when Voting Season comes, you need only copy and paste your
votes into the ballot. You can 'vote early' all year long for next year!"

For example: DS9 fanwriter Nostalgia wouldn't have gotten a single vote from
me this year if it wasn't for this. Fortunately, I'd written my comment
earlier. By the time the awards came around at alt.startrek.creative, I
couldn't remember what her story was about. But there was my comment, just
waiting there. So she got the vote. And I even think she won some awards.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 71

Re: More inbox stuffing.... No really Posted by Kate April 28, 2004 - 5:53:03 Topic ID# 69
> Just thought I'd mention here that I added a bit to the Vote Tips
> document in the Files section. I can't believe I left out the
> biggest tip:
>
> "Vote early! What do I mean by that? As you read a story during
> Nomination Season and Reading Season, write your comments and save
> them in a file on your hard drive. Then when Voting Season comes,
> you need only copy and paste your votes into the ballot. You
> can 'vote early' all year long for next year!"

That certainly is some good advice! I have a memory like a
sieve...and I'm only 20! So don't feel too bad all you oldies ;P j/k!

I've fotten really excited about these awards!

And, now, it's back to the books *grumbles about her lousy anatomy
exam*

- Pervinca

Msg# 72

Re: New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by Soledad April 28, 2004 - 7:13:44 Topic ID# 1
An excellent rule, Ainae! This way a lot of bad blood can be avoided.
I'm liking your Awards more and more with every new addendum.

Soledad


--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
> This is the one hard, draconian rule we have here at the MEFAs. I
may add
> it to the texts that get sent to users as they join. This is the
one thing
> that is "unforgivable". And we hope it never occurs here so we
never have
> to enforce this rule.
>
> Please give it a read, just to be clear.
>
> I now return you to your regularly scheduled positive atmosphere.
>
> Thank you.
>
> --Ainaechoiriel
>

Msg# 73

Reference sock-puppets Posted by lindorien2000 April 28, 2004 - 8:25:11 Topic ID# 73
Thanks for posting that, Ainae. Somebody had made mention of sock-puppets
and your explanation saved me the embarrassment of adding the VSQ to my
list of them:

What is a sock-puppet?

Also, what is a MEA? - you can answer me in email if you want. No doubt
everybody else in the world knows what that is.

Regarding public nominations. Since I ran screeching from the Mithrils
because the nominations list was not public, I voted for public nomination.
Now then - the COMMENTS don't have to be public. I mean, nobody has to
know that somebody's fic had absolute pages of expository adulation written
about it to some fic of mine getting; "Pretty good story".

So maybe keep the comments private until the end and then whoever the
'winners' are could have all their great commentary made public and nobody
has to know my fics got no more than a cursory, "very nice."

hehe - now then you don't have to make it known who the nominators are.
Then we can all maintain the illusion that it was our adoring public and not
ourselves who nominated our fics.

Okay - should I have any other pearls of wisdom or proofs of personal idiocy
to add, I shall.

I have this picture of you quivering in your shoes thinking "please, Eru, do not
let Lindorien volunteer to help, for I shall not live long enough trying to explain
to her how this thing works."

I shall not volunteer, unless you think there is a unique place that a person
who can barely find her way around the new HASA might be of use. If that is
the case - then my simple mind and open heart are held open for you.

Believe me, I won't be insulted if you choose to pass that offer up.

You are probably wondering how one of such simple and easily confused
mind managed to get as far as I have.

You are not alone.

Lindorien

Msg# 74

Re: Welcome to the list! Posted by Marta April 28, 2004 - 8:33:11 Topic ID# 2
> If you would, could you do two things for me? 1) Introduce yourselves. I
> want this to be a friendly place. And 2) Read over the FAQ and the
> Nomination Form. We only have a short time to make any changes that
might
> be necessary.
>

As to #2 -- I've glanced over it, and it looks good.

As for #1. Many of you already know me, but in case you don't. I'm
Marta. Over at Henneth-Annun.net I'm one of the two Challenge
Managers, and I of course write my own fanfic (have been writing
Tolkienverse for around thirteen months now). I did write some DS9
fanfic back in high school, but that was strictly offline, and I won't
be sharing it any time (it's pretty bad).

At any rate, I'm looking forward to helping however I can.

Cheers,
Marta

Msg# 75

Re: Welcome to the list! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 9:10:32 Topic ID# 2
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marta [mailto:MartaL0712@netscape.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 8:33 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Welcome to the list!
>
> > If you would, could you do two things for me? 1) Introduce
> yourselves.
> > I want this to be a friendly place. And 2) Read over the
> FAQ and the
> > Nomination Form. We only have a short time to make any changes that
> might
> > be necessary.
> >
>
> As to #2 -- I've glanced over it, and it looks good.

Thanks! And a public Welcome to you, Marta! And to all the other new
members. I've seen Avon and Elvenesse have joined and only my iffy memory
keeps me from naming everyone else. I'm glad you're all here.

> As for #1. Many of you already know me, but in case you
> don't. I'm Marta. Over at Henneth-Annun.net I'm one of the
> two Challenge Managers,


Oh, you. Hmmm...maybe I'm not so glad.... Just kidding! Just keep the
nuzgul-flinging to a minimum over here. We'll have our hands full in less
than a week as it is! ;-) By the way, I flung one toward the hutch, but
couldn't find the hutch's door. I could only find a Suggest a Challenge, so
I flung it there.

> and I of course write my own fanfic
> (have been writing Tolkienverse for around thirteen months
> now). I did write some DS9 fanfic back in high school,

Woohoo!

> but
> that was strictly offline, and I won't be sharing it any time
> (it's pretty bad).

Well, now that Tolkienverse has sharpened your skills, will you be picking
up a pin for the Niners again anytime soon? And hey, if you don't have
enough to read, can I interest you in my stuff? (SSP, of course)

> At any rate, I'm looking forward to helping however I can.

Well, I think I've said we could use more vote counters. And then there are
PR people, which I only just thought of in reply to Lindorien. Din't I say
somewhere else that we could use a few more to categorize or to contact
authors? Ah, my aching memory. It was one of the two.


Anywho, welcome to the madness!!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 76

Re: New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 9:11:55 Topic ID# 1
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Soledad [mailto:annaliess@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 7:13 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: New file uploaded to MEFAwards
>
> An excellent rule, Ainae! This way a lot of bad blood can be avoided.
> I'm liking your Awards more and more with every new addendum.

Thank you. I think we have to Lindorien some credit for at least some of
these addendums. Her questions do seem to bring addendums out of me. ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 77

Re: More inbox stuffing.... No really Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 9:40:51 Topic ID# 69
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kate [mailto:bra_chan90@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 5:53 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: More inbox stuffing.... No really
>
> And, now, it's back to the books *grumbles about her lousy anatomy
> exam*

Anatomy, huh...... I'll have to remember that, should ever I get the
inspiration to torture Legolas. I must say he's overdue. My other
characters (Bashir, Buck and Doyle, mostly, but some of the others, like
Formenos and Tsingras) are getting jealous of his good treatment.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 78

Yet another call for help... Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 10:12:50 Topic ID# 69
So today, I've put out the call for PR people and just now I've thought that
it would be good to have another Moderation, but not one in the US, or even
Canada. Someone on the other side of the world. Someone who is awake when
Sulriel and I are asleep. Far different timezones.

PR people would contact fanfic archives and message boards and the like and
get the word out about the awards. We can build a table in the Database
area for keeping track of who has been contacted and who has not. I think
1-3 PR people would be a good range. But then, what do I know. I'm not a PR
person. ;-) I'm a history loving, Museum-studied, computer tech who
hapopens to write fiction and the occasional God-inspired poem.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 79

Re: Reference sock-puppets Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 10:13:41 Topic ID# 73
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lindorien2000 [mailto:lindorien@cox.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 8:24 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Reference sock-puppets
>
> Thanks for posting that, Ainae. Somebody had made mention of
> sock-puppets and your explanation saved me the embarrassment
> of adding the VSQ to my list of them:
>
> What is a sock-puppet?

That is explained in the document I uploaded called sock-puppet.txt.
Basically, it's a second you. You have signed up with your lindorien2000
profile. If you have or set up a second YahooID/profile so you could use it
to get more votes, that second profile would be your sock-puppet. It's a
way to cheat.

> Also, what is a MEA? - you can answer me in email if you
> want. No doubt everybody else in the world knows what that is.

Nope. I don't even know what it is. I think it must be a typo, either of
MAE (Mortal Alter ego) or MEFA (Middle-Earth Fanfiction Awards).

> Regarding public nominations. Since I ran screeching from the
> Mithrils because the nominations list was not public, I voted
> for public nomination.

I saw that. Not that *you* voted, but that someone else had.

> Now then - the COMMENTS don't have to be public. I mean,
> nobody has to know that somebody's fic had absolute pages of
> expository adulation written about it to some fic of mine
> getting; "Pretty good story".

Here I disagree. It's those comments on alt.startrek.creative that drove
some people who hadn't to read my stories. Just as some of those comments
made me think, "Wow. That must be a great story. I should go read it."

I think they will definitely be "public" to this list. In other words,
you'll cast you vote by posting them to the list in reply to the ballot.
But we don't have to make them public on the web-site.
Alt.startrek.creative doesn't do that. However, anyone can come by the
newsgroup at awards time and read them. There's no security keeping anyone
from lurking. There is security here in thisYahooGroup, but I do have the
archives set to public.

> So maybe keep the comments private until the end and then
> whoever the 'winners' are could have all their great
> commentary made public and nobody has to know my fics got no
> more than a cursory, "very nice."

You never know, you might get some great comments, too. Alas, I have been
on both sides of that coin. I have had four or five page-long votes for my
magnum opis of a Trek story and then just two tiny comments for the end of
my trilogy. Sigh. (I did get a third from someone who had voted too late,
missing the deadline. It wasn't tiny and it was really wonderful and could
have put me in third place. Sigh again.)

> hehe - now then you don't have to make it known who the
> nominators are.
> Then we can all maintain the illusion that it was our adoring
> public and not ourselves who nominated our fics.

Absolutely, I don't see posting the nominator's name along with a list of
nominees to the web site. The only way anyone could see that is to read the
archives here. Nominations, like votes, will be posted to this list. And,
like I said, don't feel bad about nominating your own. I'm going to
nominate mine. Nominations here are not like nominations at the Mithrils.
We are just building a pool of stories for the vote. Alt.startrek.creative
has one built in. We do not, so we have to build one. We can all just
throw our stoires in the ring. It has no bearing on how they'll do. I plan
to throw mine and a whole bunch of others in. I'm going to go through my
favorites on ff.net, look at my review history there, my recommendations on
HASA, etc. If I liked it, I'm going to nominate it, unless someone else
beats me to it.

As I understand it, at the Mithrils, the number of nominations your story
gets might make a difference on whether or not your story makes it to the
Short List. Not so here. I've got a table all set up in the Database area
for story nominations. I'm hoping nominators will check there first before
nominating a story. One nomination is plenty. No need to double up.

And if you look at the table, I don't think there's a field for Nominator.
So that will be nearly-private.

> Okay - should I have any other pearls of wisdom or proofs of
> personal idiocy to add, I shall.

Do, please. As I've said on HA, discussion makes my mind go. So when you're
asking these questions, it gets my mind going. I may have explained
something here that I hadn't thought of before you asked.

I'm going to add to either the FAQ or another document information on how
nominations and votes will take place, in plainer English.

> I have this picture of you quivering in your shoes thinking
> "please, Eru, do not let Lindorien volunteer to help, for I
> shall not live long enough trying to explain to her how this
> thing works."

Not at all!

> I shall not volunteer, unless you think there is a unique
> place that a person who can barely find her way around the
> new HASA might be of use. If that is the case - then my
> simple mind and open heart are held open for you.


Well, the simplest job I can think of right now is contacting authors. Or
Promotion. Hadn't thought of that one. I've been sending e-mails to some
fanfic archives owners to see if they'd put a blurb or button up about the
MEFA's. Would you be willing to take on that task? I can tell you who I've
contacted already. You could go find other archives and ask them. I can
provide you with the blurbs and the buttons. You could be the PR guro of
the list!

> Believe me, I won't be insulted if you choose to pass that offer up.
>
> You are probably wondering how one of such simple and easily
> confused mind managed to get as far as I have.

:-P I don't know how far that is.

> You are not alone.

You have got to be the humblest person I've ever met. :-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 80

Re: Welcome to the list! Posted by Marta April 28, 2004 - 10:20:41 Topic ID# 2
Completely random comment, but the internet radio station I'm
listening to just played "Concerning Hobbits." So I'm smiling.
Something about hearing the soundtrack songs on the radio, when I'm
not expecting it, just makes me very happy.

Yes, I know I'm easily entertained. Onto the business at hand.

> > As for #1. Many of you already know me, but in case you
> > don't. I'm Marta. Over at Henneth-Annun.net I'm one of the
> > two Challenge Managers,
>
>
> Oh, you. Hmmm...maybe I'm not so glad....

*snork*

> Just kidding! Just keep the
> nuzgul-flinging to a minimum over here. We'll have our hands full
in less
> than a week as it is! ;-)

No problem. I keep my nuzgul-flinging activities confined to HASA.
That's not to say I won't use the knowledge gained of your likes and
dislikes to achieve my own, CM-related objectives.

> By the way, I flung one toward the hutch, but
> couldn't find the hutch's door. I could only find a Suggest a
Challenge, so
> I flung it there.
>

Would that be the "An Elf Can Hear the Stones?" one? If so, it's in
the Hutch.

> > and I of course write my own fanfic
> > (have been writing Tolkienverse for around thirteen months
> > now). I did write some DS9 fanfic back in high school,
>
> Woohoo!
>
> > but
> > that was strictly offline, and I won't be sharing it any time
> > (it's pretty bad).
>
> Well, now that Tolkienverse has sharpened your skills, will you be
picking
> up a pin for the Niners again anytime soon?

Heh. You see this nuzgul list? (Marta holds up several sheets of paper
filled with scrabbled plot ideas) DS9 can join the list. The bottom of
the list. Meaning it's gonna be a while. ;-)

>And hey, if you don't have
> enough to read, can I interest you in my stuff? (SSP, of course)
>

I always have enough to read, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be
willing to read some of your DS9 stories. Do you have any particular
suggestions? Feel free to contact me off-list if you'd rather.

> > At any rate, I'm looking forward to helping however I can.
>
> Well, I think I've said we could use more vote counters. And then
there are
> PR people, which I only just thought of in reply to Lindorien.
Din't I say
> somewhere else that we could use a few more to categorize or to contact
> authors? Ah, my aching memory. It was one of the two.
>

I'll be glad to help. Contacting authors sounds doable, or counting
votes, or whatever. I will have significantly more time in about two
weeks. (Last final is Monday May 10.)

>
> Anywho, welcome to the madness!!
>

Madness? It should fit in quite well with the rest of my life, then.

At your service,
Marta

Msg# 81

A Question Posted by Stella April 28, 2004 - 10:52:11 Topic ID# 81
As to contacting Authors, there are some authors from my other group
whose stories I would like to nominate. Can I go ahead and get their
permission now, to sort of get a jump on the process? And what kind
of contact proof would you want when I put in their nominations once
the forum is open? Or would you need it since I'm going to be one of
the persons contacting authors?

Also, great statement added to the FAQ about the vote stacking, while
I hate to think anyone does this, it's good to be up front about it
and to be serious about the penalty.

Stella
(Who likes the leaf border too)

Msg# 82

Re: A Question Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 11:16:26 Topic ID# 81
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stella [mailto:lasselanta02@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 10:51 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] A Question
>
> As to contacting Authors, there are some authors from my
> other group whose stories I would like to nominate. Can I go
> ahead and get their permission now, to sort of get a jump on
> the process? And what kind of contact proof would you want
> when I put in their nominations once the forum is open? Or
> would you need it since I'm going to be one of the persons
> contacting authors?

Well, since you are an official author contactor, I suppose it's fine. If
anyone else wants to get permission ahead of time, just forward the
permissions on to me (oh, hey, let's everyone do that. I'll collect 'em all
on my horrendously big hard drive until after the awards are over.) at
mefaadmin@earthlink.net. Just be sure to put Author Approval in the subject
line. I'll set a rule to collect them.

And just to be clear, it is authors approving us, not the other way around.
;-) And, of course, if you nominate your own stuff, we'll assume you
approve.

And (I do like that word!) be sure to suggest they join the group and
participate themselves!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com


>
> Also, great statement added to the FAQ about the vote
> stacking, while I hate to think anyone does this, it's good
> to be up front about it and to be serious about the penalty.
>
> Stella
> (Who likes the leaf border too)
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits
> for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com.
> Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
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> http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/wx3olB/TM
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -------~->
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

Msg# 83

Re: A Question Posted by Stella April 28, 2004 - 11:42:51 Topic ID# 81
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
>
>
> Well, since you are an official author contactor, I suppose it's
fine. >
> And (I do like that word!) be sure to suggest they join the group
and
> participate themselves!

Thanks Ainae, it will help me to devote more time to this group when
the time comes. Soledad has been encouraging participate at our
group but I know some of the people I'd like to nominate are swamped
by RL.

Stella

Msg# 84

Re: Welcome to the list! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 13:03:55 Topic ID# 2
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marta [mailto:MartaL0712@netscape.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 10:21 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Welcome to the list!
>
> Completely random comment, but the internet radio station I'm
> listening to just played "Concerning Hobbits." So I'm smiling.
> Something about hearing the soundtrack songs on the radio,
> when I'm not expecting it, just makes me very happy.
>
> Yes, I know I'm easily entertained. Onto the business at hand.

That is cool! I'm easily entertained, too.

>
> > Just kidding! Just keep the
> > nuzgul-flinging to a minimum over here. We'll have our hands full
> in less
> > than a week as it is! ;-)
>
> No problem. I keep my nuzgul-flinging activities confined to HASA.
> That's not to say I won't use the knowledge gained of your
> likes and dislikes to achieve my own, CM-related objectives.

I'll be sure to keep my ankle guards on when I go over to HA or HASA.

> Would that be the "An Elf Can Hear the Stones?" one? If so,
> it's in the Hutch.

That sounds like the one. My suggestion to the site authors: Please make it
clear that you can suggest a nuzgul for the Hutch there. As it stands it
only looks like challenges. So, has anyone adopted my little tike yet?
(I'll have to go check....)

> > Well, now that Tolkienverse has sharpened your skills, will you be
> picking
> > up a pin

I did, of course, mean "pen"


> > for the Niners again anytime soon?

> Heh. You see this nuzgul list? (Marta holds up several sheets
> of paper filled with scrabbled plot ideas) DS9 can join the
> list. The bottom of the list. Meaning it's gonna be a while. ;-)

IS that all? Well, I'll hold up my spreadsheet! Of course it's not stories
to write but stories to read, but hey, there are at least 800 stories listed
on that spreadsheet!

> I always have enough to read, but that doesn't mean I
> wouldn't be willing to read some of your DS9 stories. Do you
> have any particular suggestions? Feel free to contact me
> off-list if you'd rather.

Here's fin until Saturday, besides I'll probably not mention it aagain here.
I have the whole gamut. Short short to very, very long. My proudest is the
very, very long, called Oswiecim. But if you can't find time for that one,
one of my short stories might do, perhaps Healer or First Consdiration or A
Clever Plan.

All available at ff.net under my MAE's name: Gabrielle Lawson.

> I'll be glad to help. Contacting authors sounds doable, or
> counting votes, or whatever. I will have significantly more
> time in about two weeks. (Last final is Monday May 10.)

A little late for contacting authors, but not for vote counting so we'll put
you down for vote counting. Thanks!

> > Anywho, welcome to the madness!!
> >
>
> Madness? It should fit in quite well with the rest of my life, then.

:-D

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 85

Re: Yet another call for help... Posted by Soledad April 28, 2004 - 13:37:41 Topic ID# 69
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:

> So today, I've put out the call for PR people and just now I've
thought that it would be good to have another Moderation, but not one
in the US, or even Canada. Someone on the other side of the world.
Someone who is awake when Sulriel and I are asleep. Far different
timezones.

I'm not exactly sure how much I can contribute, but if you want
someone on the other side of the planet, I'd certainly qualify. I've
already alerted the Edhellond group, and I'll put up some
advertisment on my LJ as well, if you want me. The only message board
where I'm more or less active is Chaos Citadel, but how much *that*
would bring, I'm not entirely sure.

> PR people would contact fanfic archives and message boards and the
like and get the word out about the awards. We can build a table in
the Database area for keeping track of who has been contacted and who
has not.

Yeah, that'd be certainly practical.

> I think 1-3 PR people would be a good range. But then, what do I
know. I'm not a PR person. ;-) I'm a history loving, Museum-studied,
computer tech who hapopens to write fiction and the occasional God-
inspired poem.

Well, in that case I'll have to disappoint you. I'm not a PR person,
either - a lack of gifts I sometimes feel keenly in my civilian
profession. But hey, we do our best, don't we?

Soledad

Msg# 86

Silly me... Posted by Soledad April 28, 2004 - 13:46:40 Topic ID# 86
Can you help me?

I'm sorry for being such a stupid git, but I seem to remember that
there was a page somewhere where you explained what the various award
names actually meant (categories and such). Now I wanted to take a
second look at it (with the evil hidden agenda to nominate some of my
own stuff if possible) and can't find it.

Has it been taken down or am I simply an idiot? If - what is the more
likely case - the latter is true, can you point me into the right
direction?

Thanks,

Soledad

Msg# 87

Re: Silly me... Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 13:53:24 Topic ID# 86
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Soledad" <annaliess@h...> wrote:
> Can you help me?
>
> I'm sorry for being such a stupid git, but I seem to remember that
> there was a page somewhere where you explained what the various
award
> names actually meant (categories and such). Now I wanted to take a
> second look at it (with the evil hidden agenda to nominate some of
my
> own stuff if possible) and can't find it.
>
> Has it been taken down or am I simply an idiot? If - what is the
more
> likely case - the latter is true, can you point me into the right
> direction?

Well, I did just move it, but I didn't change the file location, just
the link. Anyway, you can look in the 2004 MEFA Winners database (in
the Database section) to see all the main categories and the awards
for them listed.

Otherwise, they are in the FAQ.

--Ainaechoiriel
who has lost connection to her home computer. Sigh.

Msg# 88

Re: Yet another call for help... Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 14:00:12 Topic ID# 69
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Soledad" <annaliess@h...> wrote:
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
> wrote:

> I'm not exactly sure how much I can contribute, but if you want
> someone on the other side of the planet, I'd certainly qualify.
I've
> already alerted the Edhellond group, and I'll put up some
> advertisment on my LJ as well, if you want me. The only message
board
> where I'm more or less active is Chaos Citadel, but how much *that*
> would bring, I'm not entirely sure.

Than a Moderator you shall be. Mostly your duties will entail
approving new members and generally keeping the peace. If I can get
back to my home computer, I'll send you some more information
privately. Thanks!

>We can build a table in
> the Database area for keeping track of who has been contacted and
who
> has not.
>
> Yeah, that'd be certainly practical.

Done. I've entered what I can get or remember from the ones that
have answered my request, but without my home computers, I can't see
who else I've contacted who hasn't answered yet. Darn it. I feel
like someone tied one arm behind my back.

> Well, in that case I'll have to disappoint you. I'm not a PR
person,
> either - a lack of gifts I sometimes feel keenly in my civilian
> profession. But hey, we do our best, don't we?

Exactly. I didn't mean to imply that somone had to be a professional
PR person. No sir. Just someone willing to promote the group. And
you certainly qualify there. I was speaking more to my "1-3 people"
request. I could be wrong and need a dozen. ;-) Shall I call you a
PR Rep as well, then?

--Ainaechoiriel
who will edit the web page when she gets her computers back, or when
she gets home to them.

Msg# 89

Re: Silly me... Posted by Soledad April 28, 2004 - 14:00:41 Topic ID# 86
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:

> Well, I did just move it, but I didn't change the file location,
just the link. Anyway, you can look in the 2004 MEFA Winners database
(in the Database section) to see all the main categories and the
awards for them listed.
>
> Otherwise, they are in the FAQ.

Yes, I found the listing at the first time, too, that's not my
problem. But I seem to remember that there was some sort of
explanation to the individual award names, like which one was for
Silmarillion-based stories, or for Elven stories or for Gondor-
related ones or Hobbits or stuff.

It's entirely possible, of course, that I'm mixing it up with some
other awards, in which case I apologize.

> --Ainaechoiriel
> who has lost connection to her home computer. Sigh.

Autsch! Hopefully, it doesn't mean that you have lost any data as
well?

Soledad

Msg# 90

Re: Yet another call for help... Posted by Soledad April 28, 2004 - 14:05:52 Topic ID# 69
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:

> Than a Moderator you shall be. Mostly your duties will entail
> approving new members and generally keeping the peace. If I can get
> back to my home computer, I'll send you some more information
> privately. Thanks!

You are welcome. I'm glad I can help. More info is good, too, but be
prepared that I might have other stupid questions. Understanding
written instructions is *not* one of my strengths, not even in my own
language. :((

> Done. I've entered what I can get or remember from the ones that
have answered my request, but without my home computers, I can't see
who else I've contacted who hasn't answered yet. Darn it. I feel
ike someone tied one arm behind my back.

Oh, dear! That must be annoying!

> Exactly. I didn't mean to imply that somone had to be a
professional PR person. No sir. Just someone willing to promote the
group. And you certainly qualify there. I was speaking more to my "1-
3 people" request. I could be wrong and need a dozen. ;-) Shall I
call you a PR Rep as well, then?

Whatever rocks your boat. I'm just happy to be part of this thing.

Soledad

Msg# 91

Re: Silly me... Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 14:11:47 Topic ID# 86
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Soledad" <annaliess@h...> wrote:
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
> wrote:
>
> Yes, I found the listing at the first time, too, that's not my
> problem. But I seem to remember that there was some sort of
> explanation to the individual award names, like which one was for
> Silmarillion-based stories, or for Elven stories or for Gondor-
> related ones or Hobbits or stuff.

Hmm...I don't know if there was such a thing. My memory is iffy at
times. But we can certainly discuss it. I'll post another post on
this while I'm waiting for my computers to show up again.

> Autsch! Hopefully, it doesn't mean that you have lost any data as
> well?

Oh, no. So far it just means that my computers are apparently not
getting the internet. Thus GoToMyPc.com can't reach them. And since
I'm sitting at work, that means I can't reach them. I miss them. :-(

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 92

Re: Yet another call for help... Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 14:14:55 Topic ID# 69
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Soledad" <annaliess@h...> wrote:
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
> wrote:

> You are welcome. I'm glad I can help. More info is good, too, but
be
> prepared that I might have other stupid questions. Understanding
> written instructions is *not* one of my strengths, not even in my
own
> language. :((

Not a problem.

> Oh, dear! That must be annoying!

Yep. I think I'm going into withdrawal.

> Whatever rocks your boat. I'm just happy to be part of this thing.

In that case, I hereby innaugurate you as our first Promotion
Representative!

I'll get that up on the staff page tonight.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 93

How the Award names came into being.... Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 14:26:13 Topic ID# 93
It all started with an Instant Message between Rachel and I. I catch
her on IM now and then. We tried to think up a catchy overall name
for the awards and were stumped. I came up with an idea I worried was
too epic: Titles for the individual awards.

So we brainstormed some categories and how to represent them with
Awards titles.

Men was pretty easy: The Faithful of Numenor, The Kings of Gondor
and Arnor, and the Ruling Stewards. The good-guys of Men-dom.

Elves were trickier, seeing as I'm anti-partial to the Noldor. But
we ended up with Elven rulers of three different realms: Ingwe in
Valinor, Elu Thingol in Doriath, and Turgon in Gondolin.

Hobbits were also easy: The Ringbearer of BagEnd, perhaps one of the
most famous (though perhaps overlooked in the Shire) hobbits, and
then Merry & Pippin in their eventual titles: The Master of Buckland
and the Thain of Tookborough.

For cultures, we picked Rohan and Numenor. Rohan was also easy with
the triumvirate of Theoden, Eomer, and Eowyn. For Numenor, we picked
only those of the Faithful: Elros, Tar-Palantir, and Tar-Miriel

For genres, we went with Humor, Drama (where we'll store Angst as
well), Romance, and Adventure.

For humor we nearly stumped ourselves, and I could still entertain
suggestions for changing out Quickbeam. Tom Bombadil is, by far, the
most humorous character, I think. Bilbo was fairly amusing as well.

Turin Turumbar obviously wouldn't fit in Humor, but he's a shoe-in
for Drama. We original had Tar-Miriel picked again because hers is a
sad story, but I changed it to Nimrodel and Amroth so as not to
duplicate award titles. And then of course we have Frodo, who can be
quite angsty in his own right.

Romance was pretty easy, too. The most famous Elf-Man unions: Beren
& Luthien, Tuor & Idril, Aragorn & Arwen.

I almost went with the Three Hunters as the first prize for
Adventure, but I couldn't come up with a 2nd and 3rd. We finally
decided upon the big battles of LOTR: The Black Gate, Pelennor
Fields, and Helm's Deep.

Crossovers is perhaps my favorite (amusement-wise). What other
movies have the cast of LOTR been in? Well, PoC, of course, and
Hidalgo is still in theaters. Had a little trouble with the third,
wanting it to be something recognizable to just about everyone. And
in the end, we went with the three hunters as JRD was in Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade.

Then for general categories, LOTR broke down easily, being a trilogy
and all: FOTR, TTT, ROTK. Rachel suggested the Ainulindale,
Valaquenta and Akallabeth for the Silm, and I picked major places
along the journey for Bilbo: The Shire, Mirkwood, and the Lonely
Mountain.

Now, we just need artists to make banners for all of these. ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 94

Re: Yet another call for help... Posted by Soledad April 28, 2004 - 14:56:46 Topic ID# 69
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:

> In that case, I hereby innaugurate you as our first Promotion
> Representative!

Wow! Sounds... important, whatever it is. <g>

BTW, I posted a link to the award page on the Edhellond newsletter as
well (this is the page where we announce story updates, news about
the Edhellond and the Dúnadan Project archives and stuff).
Unfortunately, the Edhellond archive is clinically dead at the
moment, due to technical difficulties. :(( But I can ask Casey to put
up a link in the DP archive.

BTW, shoud we also mention on the data table the Yahoo groups we have
contacted, or only the archives?

> I'll get that up on the staff page tonight.

Hopefully, that won't make my head swell with foolish and undeserved
pride. <g>

Soledad

Msg# 95

Re: How the Award names came into being.... Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 15:04:36 Topic ID# 93
Oh, I forgot the Horror genre. Titles named after the evils of Arda,
of course: Morgoth, the Eye of Sauron, and the Witch-King of Angmar.

--Ainaechoiriel
still cut off from her computers.

Msg# 96

Re: Yet another call for help... Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 15:07:05 Topic ID# 69
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Soledad" <annaliess@h...> wrote:
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
> wrote:
>
> > In that case, I hereby innaugurate you as our first Promotion
> > Representative!
>
> Wow! Sounds... important, whatever it is. <g>

I have a thing for important sounding titles. ;-)


> BTW, I posted a link to the award page on the Edhellond newsletter
as
> well (this is the page where we announce story updates, news about
> the Edhellond and the Dúnadan Project archives and stuff).
> Unfortunately, the Edhellond archive is clinically dead at the
> moment, due to technical difficulties. :(( But I can ask Casey to
put
> up a link in the DP archive.

Sounds good!

> BTW, shoud we also mention on the data table the Yahoo groups we
have
> contacted, or only the archives?

Good idea. No need for the URL then. Just say YahooGroup there, I
suppose.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 97

Let the Art Begin! Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 15:56:25 Topic ID# 97
calling all Artists, and all Wanna-be artists! All those who can do
wonders with computer graphics. Or those who can work in PowerPoint.
Calling anyone with even a smidgen of artistic talent!

I hereby challenge you to create Awards banners! I am hoping to have
at least 2 submissions per award title. Toward that end, I have put
my meager talent with PowerPoint to work. I have created six banners.

You my view them in the Photos | Awards Banners section of the
YahooGroups site. They are subdivided into the categories. So far,
I've just done the three Rohans and one each for Romance and Men.
Surely you can do better than me!

All submissions should be banner-shapped (rectangular, though a fair-
sized square could work, too). But there is not hard and fast rule
on the size. Just keep them smallish to be banners, not page-sized
bohemoths or anything. We want these to be something winners will
want to post on their sites along with their stories. They should be
in a .jpg or .gif format.

Banners should have the following Words in them: (the award
title), "2004", and "MEFA". They should be geared to the individual
award. For example, a Witch King banner for The Witch-King of Angmar
Award, not a collection of Orcs.

Some may have to drawn as Peter Jackson hasn't made a Silmarillion
movie or The Hobbit--yet. But anything LOTR can be drawn or created
by using a graphics program (or PowerPoint) to edit/splice/overlay
existing .jpg or .gif files.

We have quite a while to work on these. We'll have a contest for the
banners immediatly after (or during--perhaps a poll) the Voting
Season.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 98

Re: Let the Art Begin! Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 16:03:21 Topic ID# 97
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:

PS. When uploading banners, see what is already there. For example,
if you are going to upload an Eomer banner, check the Rohan folder to
see if there are already Eomers (at present, there is one Eomer
banner). Number yours accordingly (so yours would be Eomer #2).
Then once it's uploaded, open it up, click Edit Name and, in the
description, type "by (your name)."

Thanks.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 99

New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 28, 2004 - 16:11:09 Topic ID# 1
Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the MEFAwards
group.

File : /Rules and FAQs/ArtContest.txt
Uploaded by : ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>
Description : Let the Art Begin! (Submission rules, etc.)

You can access this file at the URL

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/files/Rules%20and%20FAQs/ArtContest.txt

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/files

Regards,

ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>

Msg# 100

Re: Dropping in briefly Posted by ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 16:39:40 Topic ID# 16
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Sorne&Enros" <Sorne&Enros@m...>
wrote:
> Hi Everyone!

Hi. Sorry I missed this Sorne (and Enros). The spam filter in my e-
mail ate it.

> Sorne and Enros both here - we're a bit like Smeagol and Gollum for
those of
> you who haven't met us before :)
> Sorne writes romantic and angsty fluff, and Enros writes dark, orc-
centric
> stuff, often violent and disturbing. All of our stuff can be found
at
> Henneth-Annun, although not all of it in the public archive, most
stuff is
> also at FF.net, Sorne's epic has it's own website with artwork by
the
> talented Anna K, and Enros' stuff is in various Orc archives.
> Since buying my horse about a year ago, I have had a lot less time
for
> writing, but I still love it, and still do it.
> Very pleased to be here among such illustrious company :)

And we're pleased to have you.

> Sorne/Enros
>
> PS Enros probably would appreciate an Orc category, but not if
she's going
> to be the only one in it! LOL!

We'd have to have 5 stories by at least 2 authors to have a separate
category. And then I'd have to come up with Orc Award titles. ;-)
We'll just have to wait and see.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 101

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 28, 2004 - 20:11:10 Topic ID# 10
Another post I realize I missed in reading when it was posted.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nerwen_calaelen [mailto:nerwen_calaelen@yahoo.co.uk]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 3:44 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Intros anyone?
>
> Hi
>
> I'm another new person. I usually go by Nerwen or Nerwen
> Calaelen in fanfic, Jennifer in real life. I still count
> myself as a relative newcomer to fanfic, having been involved
> for a little over a year.

Hello, Nerwen and thanks for volunteering to help. So what have you thought
of this phenomenon called fanfiction?

> I decided to come and get involed because I liked the idea
> for these awards in that it sounds friendly and that anyone's
> stories can be entered and will get feedback.

Exactly. That's why I love the awards at alt.startrek.creative so much. I
wanted to share that in this fandom as well.

> I've said in the poll that I'm prepared to help, but that
> does partly depend on where I actually am by the voting time.
> (I'm a student and finish university this summer).

Does that mean you'll be graduating? What do you study, if I may ask?

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 102

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 28, 2004 - 23:17:40 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

FanArt contest. When should it run?
During the fanfic Voting Season or just
after, before the winners are announced?

o During Voting Season
o Just after Voting Season, before Winners are announced.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1218092

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 103

A few questions Posted by Soledad April 29, 2004 - 9:18:30 Topic ID# 103
Yes, I1ve finally gone through the FAQ with the fine-toothed comb -
does it tell anything about me when I admit that I had to print it
out first to find all details I needed? I guess it does... *sighs*

Anyway, I'd like to ask a few additional questions. The answer
probably is already in there, but be merciful with my lacking
language skills. Better ask twice stupidly than make mistakes, right?

So, here it comes.

I. ELIGIBILITY
4. Stories may compete in only one category.
Q: Can the same author have two or more stories in the same category
if nominated?

III. NOMINATION FORM
B. Preferred Fields.
Q: What is a sub-category? Is it, for example, "Men" in the Races &
Places" category?

IV. CATEGORIZATION
A. All category set up by a lower level can be changed by a higher
level.
Q: Does this mean that the staff can put a story in a different
category if they find that it has been nominated for the wrong one?

V. VOTING
3. Tie Breakers
Q#1: What is a tie, to begin with? (Aside from being a piece of
clothing for men, of course...)
Q#2: What does point d) mean? My trusted old dictionary lay its
weapons down facing that sentence. Of course, it is a *really* old
edition...

VI SCHEDULE
B. Check Ballot Season
Q: What is a check ballot? I mean, I do have a vague idea about what
it *might* be (after an hour and a half spent with going through all
documents with coloured pencils and stuff), but I'm still not
entirely sure.

I'm sorry for being so bothersome, but you must understand that
certain expressions that seem completely normal for a native speaker
can be a puzzle for me. *ducks*

Soledad

Msg# 104

Re: A few questions Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 29, 2004 - 11:31:46 Topic ID# 103
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Soledad [mailto:annaliess@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 9:17 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] A few questions
>
> Yes, I1ve finally gone through the FAQ with the fine-toothed
> comb - does it tell anything about me when I admit that I had
> to print it out first to find all details I needed? I guess
> it does... *sighs*
>
> Anyway, I'd like to ask a few additional questions. The
> answer probably is already in there, but be merciful with my
> lacking language skills. Better ask twice stupidly than make
> mistakes, right?

Right. And I want to iron out any problems in the FAQ and/or add Qs and As
to the Q & A sheet.

>
> So, here it comes.
>
> I. ELIGIBILITY
> 4. Stories may compete in only one category.
> Q: Can the same author have two or more stories in the same
> category if nominated?

Yes. Remember the rule for a viable category is 5 stories by at least 2
authors. Which would have to mean one author wrote more than one story in
the category if there were only 2 authors and 5 stories.

> III. NOMINATION FORM
> B. Preferred Fields.
> Q: What is a sub-category? Is it, for example, "Men" in the
> Races & Places" category?

Those will most likely be made by us, though the nomintor can suggest this.
Basically they divide a category down further. Some examples:
Category Romance, subcategory Slash.
Category Men, subcategory Gondor.
Category Silm, subcategory 2nd Age.
Category Horror, subcategory Orcs.


> IV. CATEGORIZATION
> A. All category set up by a lower level can be changed by a
> higher level.
> Q: Does this mean that the staff can put a story in a
> different category if they find that it has been nominated
> for the wrong one?

Yes, and an author can override as well. Or say an author corrects a
category from Romance to Men, but there aren't 5 stories by 2 authors for
Men (I hope there will be as that's a main category!), so the Men category
isn't viable. We'd have to make a decision on a different category with or
without the author's opinion. Preferrably with.

>
> V. VOTING
> 3. Tie Breakers
> Q#1: What is a tie, to begin with? (Aside from being a piece
> of clothing for men, of course...)

If two stories end up with, for example 20 points. Neither one is an
obvious winner. They have tied.

> Q#2: What does point d) mean? My trusted old dictionary lay
> its weapons down facing that sentence. Of course, it is a
> *really* old edition...

I had to look up d): d. A tie in one placing will not negate the next
placing

An example, if two stories tie for 1st place. There will still be a 2nd
place and a 3rd place. Some awards/contests will skip a placing if there is
a tie: 2 1sts, no 2nds, 1 3rd.


>
> VI SCHEDULE
> B. Check Ballot Season
> Q: What is a check ballot? I mean, I do have a vague idea
> about what it *might* be (after an hour and a half spent with
> going through all documents with coloured pencils and stuff),
> but I'm still not entirely sure.

We'll send check ballots before the voting ballots to make sure the ballots
are correct. It's a last check for authors to see that their story is in
there correctly, to see if any one or anything is missing.

> I'm sorry for being so bothersome, but you must understand
> that certain expressions that seem completely normal for a
> native speaker can be a puzzle for me. *ducks*

No a problem. I feel that way about Czech, French and German. ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 105

Re: Questions & a suggestion Posted by Soledad April 29, 2004 - 13:21:05 Topic ID# 103
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:

> Yes. Remember the rule for a viable category is 5 stories by at
least 2 authors. Which would have to mean one author wrote more than
one story in the category if there were only 2 authors and 5 stories.

True, true. And I haven't realized that. *sighs*

> Those will most likely be made by us, though the nomintor can
suggest this.
> Basically they divide a category down further. Some examples:
> Category Romance, subcategory Slash.
> Category Men, subcategory Gondor.
> Category Silm, subcategory 2nd Age.
> Category Horror, subcategory Orcs.

I see. Can I suggest a Mystery category or subcategory? I've seen
people categorizing their stories as Mystery a few times. And I could
think of a few plots that would fit: Dagor Dagorath stories, for
example, as there are only rumours and prophecies concerning that
event.

> Yes, and an author can override as well. Or say an author corrects
a category from Romance to Men, but there aren't 5 stories by 2
authors for Men (I hope there will be as that's a main category!), so
the Men category isn't viable. We'd have to make a decision on a
different category with or without the author's opinion. Preferrably
with.

Let's hope there won't be need for that. Let's hope we'll get many
excellent stories to choose from. But it's a wise precaution
nevertheless.

Thanks for clearing up the other questions. I'll skip them as I now
do understand the details and don't want to take up valuable space.

Soledad,
who is enjoying this whole thing way too much <g>

Msg# 106

Re: Questions & a suggestion Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 29, 2004 - 14:33:55 Topic ID# 103
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Soledad [mailto:annaliess@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 1:19 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Questions & a suggestion

>
> > Those will most likely be made by us, though the nomintor can
> suggest this.
> > Basically they divide a category down further. Some examples:
> > Category Romance, subcategory Slash.
> > Category Men, subcategory Gondor.
> > Category Silm, subcategory 2nd Age.
> > Category Horror, subcategory Orcs.
>
> I see. Can I suggest a Mystery category or subcategory? I've
> seen people categorizing their stories as Mystery a few
> times. And I could think of a few plots that would fit: Dagor
> Dagorath stories, for example, as there are only rumours and
> prophecies concerning that event.
Well, if we're going to add Categories, today is the time to do it.
Saturday being the start of Nomination Season at all. Let's see, can we
come up with 3 good Award titles for Mystery? Have there been any bonefied
"mysteries" in the Silm, LOTR or The Hobbit?

If we can't make a Category, I'd say it can probably be a subcategory of
Horror or Drama.



> Thanks for clearing up the other questions. I'll skip them as
> I now do understand the details and don't want to take up
> valuable space.

You're welcome. I'm going to add some of those qustions to the Q and A page.


> Soledad,
> who is enjoying this whole thing way too much <g>

Now that is good to hear!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 107

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Nerwen Calaelen April 29, 2004 - 14:35:17 Topic ID# 10
----- Original Message -----
From: Ainaechoiriel

> Hello, Nerwen and thanks for volunteering to help.
So what have you
> thought of this phenomenon called fanfiction?

Amazed - both by how much stuff there is and how good
and bad it can be.
I'm so glad that I decided to stay around - I
discovered it totally by
accident - and now couldn't really imagin leaving
soon. Looking back I'm
suprised how little time it took me to become involved
and make friends ...
and how much more confidence I now have in my writing.

> Does that mean you'll be graduating? What do you
study, if I may ask?

Yes. Down to my last month or so and only exams left
to go. Maths - Pure
and a little bit of Statistics.

Nerwen






____________________________________________________________
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Msg# 108

Mystery award names Posted by Soledad April 29, 2004 - 14:53:58 Topic ID# 108
Randomly inspired by Michael Marinez' article "Cryptic Tales of
Middle-earth":

"The Shadows of Cuiviénen Award" - as this was the birthplace of
Elves and their first experience of mystery and fear;
"The Barrow-Wight Award" - as we never really learned what these were;
"The Púkel-men Award" - another mysterious people, existing only as
withered statues in the Third Age;

Well, these are probably not the most clever ones, but a beginning
anyway.

Any other ideas, anybody?

Soledad

Msg# 109

This sounds *so* good! Posted by jodancingtree April 29, 2004 - 14:55:50 Topic ID# 109
Just want to say thank you for coming up with this - I love the idea
of awards that are all about feedback. I treasure every comment I
receive about my stories - even the negative ones at least show that
someone took the time to read it!

I don't want to go and volunteer to do stuff I don't know how to do,
or won't have time to do - and yet, I don't want to just sit here and
let everyone else do all the work. I guess I could help categorize,
if you still need that (although here I sit, wondering where on earth
I would nominate my newest story. Would you consider taking Orcs out
of the Horror category? They're not always horrible - besides my own
Canohando, I've met a couple of other fanfic orcs who were quite -
er - engaging...)

Anyhow, I think this whole MEF Awards process sounds like a ton of
fun, and I'm glad to be involved.

jo
(jodancingtree online and Jo Conkle otherwise, but jo either way)

Msg# 110

Important: Motion for a new Category! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 29, 2004 - 15:36:54 Topic ID# 108
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Soledad [mailto:annaliess@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 2:53 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Mystery award names
>
> Randomly inspired by Michael Marinez' article "Cryptic Tales of
> Middle-earth":
>
> "The Shadows of Cuiviénen Award" - as this was the birthplace
> of Elves and their first experience of mystery and fear; "The
> Barrow-Wight Award" - as we never really learned what these
> were; "The Púkel-men Award" - another mysterious people,
> existing only as withered statues in the Third Age;

Well, those are rather mysterious, I'll grant you. Let's make this
official:

Soledad has motioned for a new Mystery Category with the award names of "The
Shadows of Cuivienen Award, The Barrow-Wight Award, and The Pukel-men
Award."

If someone (other than myself) will second it, and we get two more Aye votes
(so basically four people have to want this, Soledad is one), I will call
this an official Category!

(I just made this stuff up right now. ;-) It's kind of fun being a listmom.
Gives one a sense of power....)


> Well, these are probably not the most clever ones, but a
> beginning anyway.

I think they are clever.

> Any other ideas, anybody?

Or hey, other Awards titles are still an option. I'm still not wholly
satisfied with Quickbeam as the 3rd place Award for Humor. Who else was
funny in Tolkien's work?

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 111

Re: This sounds *so* good! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 29, 2004 - 15:40:55 Topic ID# 109
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jodancingtree [mailto:jodancingtree@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 2:55 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] This sounds *so* good!
>
> Just want to say thank you for coming up with this - I love
> the idea of awards that are all about feedback. I treasure
> every comment I receive about my stories - even the negative
> ones at least show that someone took the time to read it!

Me, too. I've recently built a Feedback Database to put it all in and it has
been so rewarding to relive all of that feedback, from more than 700 people
over the years.


> I don't want to go and volunteer to do stuff I don't know how
> to do, or won't have time to do - and yet, I don't want to
> just sit here and let everyone else do all the work. I guess
> I could help categorize, if you still need that (although
> here I sit, wondering where on earth I would nominate my
> newest story. Would you consider taking Orcs out of the
> Horror category? They're not always horrible - besides my
> own Canohando, I've met a couple of other fanfic orcs who
> were quite - er - engaging...)

How about we leave you as an On-call Volunteer? Then, if we get into a bind
with categorizing, we'll give you a ring. As for Orcs, I'll give you the
same answer I gave Soledad for Mysteries. To make a Category, we'd not only
have to have at least 5 stories by at least 2 authors (Sorne/Enros also
writes Orc stories)*and* 3 new Awards Titles. And we have to have that
figured out by well, today. Tomorrow at the very latest. I could see one
as The Uruk Hai Award, perhaps, but we'd still need two others. I'll leave
that up to your Orc-folk to figure out.

Otherwise, they could be a subcategory of Drama, or Adventure, or even just
one of the books, like LOTR or The Silmarillion. The same 5 X 2 still
applies.

> Anyhow, I think this whole MEF Awards process sounds like a
> ton of fun, and I'm glad to be involved.

And we're glad to have you.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 112

Poll update: Important Awards-set-up stuff. Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 29, 2004 - 16:27:54 Topic ID# 112
This is your last chance to vote on a background for the web site. Resently
Leaves are ahead with 4 votes, but Green is running a tight second with 3.
Remember to think of ease of reading for those with troubled eye-sight while
also thinking of aesthetics.

This poll will close at midnight (US Central, I'm thinking).

Another poll is ending soon: asking about how long Nomination Season should
be. Presently there are 5 votes for making it shorter (1 month instead of
2) and 3 votes for leaving it as it is (2 months).

This poll will close Friday.

If you haven't voted on either of these, please do so soon.

Also please take a look at the FanArt contest poll. Only 2 votes so far,
and this one ends mid-May.

Thanks.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 113

Re: Important: Motion for a new Category! Posted by Stella April 29, 2004 - 16:40:11 Topic ID# 108
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
>
> Well, those are rather mysterious, I'll grant you. Let's make this
> official:
>
> Soledad has motioned for a new Mystery Category with the award
names of "The
> Shadows of Cuivienen Award, The Barrow-Wight Award, and The Pukel-
men
> Award."
>
> If someone (other than myself) will second it, and we get two more
Aye votes
> (so basically four people have to want this, Soledad is one), I
will call
> this an official Category!


Ok, I'll second the motion.

Stella

Msg# 114

Re: This sounds *so* good! Posted by Stella April 29, 2004 - 16:49:21 Topic ID# 109
As for Orcs, I'll give you the
> same answer I gave Soledad for Mysteries. To make a Category, we'd
not only
> have to have at least 5 stories by at least 2 authors (Sorne/Enros
also
> writes Orc stories)*and* 3 new Awards Titles. And we have to have
that
> figured out by well, today. Tomorrow at the very latest. I could
see one
> as The Uruk Hai Award, perhaps, but we'd still need two others.
I'll leave
> that up to your Orc-folk to figure out.

How about The Shagrat and The Gorbag Awards, named after our two
favorite Captains at the Tower of Cirith Ungol?

I've read some really fine snuggly (bleech) orc stories *g*.

Stella

Msg# 115

Re: This sounds *so* good! Posted by sulriel April 29, 2004 - 17:19:25 Topic ID# 109
I'll 2nd (or 3rd) an Orc category. At the very worst, it won't get
the five stories and will have to be canceled.

>>The Shagrat and The Gorbag Awards,

third place can be The Filthy Maggot Award, or how about The Cursed
Vermin Award?



--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Stella" <lasselanta02@y...> wrote:
> As for Orcs, I'll give you the
> > same answer I gave Soledad for Mysteries. To make a Category,
we'd
> not only
> > have to have at least 5 stories by at least 2 authors
(Sorne/Enros
> also
> > writes Orc stories)*and* 3 new Awards Titles. And we have to have
> that
> > figured out by well, today. Tomorrow at the very latest. I
could
> see one
> > as The Uruk Hai Award, perhaps, but we'd still need two others.
> I'll leave
> > that up to your Orc-folk to figure out.
>
> How about The Shagrat and The Gorbag Awards, named after our two
> favorite Captains at the Tower of Cirith Ungol?
>
> I've read some really fine snuggly (bleech) orc stories *g*.
>
> Stella

Msg# 116

Hi! Posted by Alicia Melton April 29, 2004 - 17:39:49 Topic ID# 103
Just wanted to say a quick hello since I just joined the group. I'm looking forward to
helping with these awards. So now I'm off to catch up on all the posts that I've missed
so far.

:)
Arquen

=====
"If you're trying to please everyone, then you're not going to make anything that is honestly yours." - Viggo Mortensen




__________________________________
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Msg# 117

Hello, MEFA! Posted by Chathol-linn April 29, 2004 - 17:58:08 Topic ID# 117
I have just joined this group. It sounds exciting, and I'd like to thank
the owner and administrators for all their efforts.

I first read LotR at age 16 and was knocked out by the rich detail,
especially the invention of actual languages. I loved and still love the
Elves most of all. Peter Jackson's first film in the trilogy, FotR,
caught my imagination more than any movie has to date, and I'm a serious
movie buff. I started writing fan fiction in February, 2002. I love to
take the little-known areas of M-E and fill in the gaps. My favorite
characters are Arwen (easily the superior to Juliet as a dramatic love
interest, in my opinion) Elrond, a tragic figure, Legolas, and a long
list of others. My literary influences are JRRT of course, Shakespeare,
Marion Zimmer Bradley, Stephen King (especially his book "On Writing"),
the legends of Robin Hood, the King Arthur legends, and readings in
mythology, especially western European.

Best of luck to everyone who is entered in the contest. I love to get
e-mail. Feel free to drop me a line to chat, either on list or at
chathollinn@comcast.net.
Regards - Chathol-linn


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 118

Volunteering Posted by lindorien2000 April 29, 2004 - 21:05:23 Topic ID# 50
Hi Ainae,
I am traveling so am reading sporadically and quickly everything. I
shall happily help with anything you think I won't screw up.

I'm not certain what it is you wanted me to do, however. Small
sentences, remember? I, um, actually know very little about the fandom
or about various fan sites or fanlists. I wouldn't even know where to
find them.

So maybe I should count things? Because nobody really knows me out
there and if I showed up on a list and tried to explain these things,
I'd probably get them wrong and everybody would be saying, 'And who IS
this person anyway?' I am still trying to work it out myself.

Um, both these awards and who I am.

There HAS to be a short story in there somewhere.

Oh dear. I'm not much help here, am I?

So - I'll volunteer, it just has to be something that I can figure out
how to do and won't screw up.

and - the new award names sound fine. Now then there is a new mystery
category, but it doesn't have to be about the Pukel men and
Barrow-wights? The story, I mean. Those are just the names of the
awards for those categories?

Msg# 119

Re: Hello, MEFA! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 29, 2004 - 21:22:06 Topic ID# 117
Welcome! And to Arquen, too!

Good to have you both!

Chathol-linn sent me some good questions that I'm going to add to the Q and
A page, so you all might want to look it up. She also brought up the point
that I didn't mention poetry. While I never meant to exclude it, I assumed
it would fall into a subcategory. But I really should say something. So I
will be adding poetry into the FAQ. I don't think it should be a main
category any more than Story should.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chathol-linn [mailto:chathollinn@comcast.net]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 5:45 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Hello, MEFA!
>
> I have just joined this group. It sounds exciting, and I'd
> like to thank the owner and administrators for all their efforts.
>
> I first read LotR at age 16 and was knocked out by the rich
> detail, especially the invention of actual languages. I loved
> and still love the Elves most of all. Peter Jackson's first
> film in the trilogy, FotR, caught my imagination more than
> any movie has to date, and I'm a serious movie buff. I
> started writing fan fiction in February, 2002. I love to
> take the little-known areas of M-E and fill in the gaps. My
> favorite characters are Arwen (easily the superior to Juliet
> as a dramatic love interest, in my opinion) Elrond, a tragic
> figure, Legolas, and a long list of others. My literary
> influences are JRRT of course, Shakespeare, Marion Zimmer
> Bradley, Stephen King (especially his book "On Writing"), the
> legends of Robin Hood, the King Arthur legends, and readings
> in mythology, especially western European.
>
> Best of luck to everyone who is entered in the contest. I
> love to get e-mail. Feel free to drop me a line to chat,
> either on list or at chathollinn@comcast.net.
> Regards - Chathol-linn
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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Msg# 120

Re: Volunteering Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 29, 2004 - 21:22:20 Topic ID# 50
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lindorien2000 [mailto:lindorien@cox.net]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 9:05 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Volunteering
>
> Hi Ainae,
> I am traveling so am reading sporadically and quickly
> everything. I shall happily help with anything you think I
> won't screw up.

That's fine.

> I'm not certain what it is you wanted me to do, however.
> Small sentences, remember? I, um, actually know very little
> about the fandom or about various fan sites or fanlists. I
> wouldn't even know where to find them.

;-) Okay then. Not a PR person.

> So maybe I should count things? Because nobody really knows
> me out there and if I showed up on a list and tried to
> explain these things, I'd probably get them wrong and
> everybody would be saying, 'And who IS this person anyway?' I
> am still trying to work it out myself.

Counting is fine. And I think it would be pretty easy. I'll coach you
through it when it starts. Remind me. I don't always remember things well.

> and - the new award names sound fine. Now then there is a new
> mystery category, but it doesn't have to be about the Pukel
> men and Barrow-wights? The story, I mean. Those are just the
> names of the awards for those categories?

Exactly, just the award names. Did we get the other two people to approve
the Mystery Category? Looks like we have two for the Orcs. Though, I'm not
quite satisfied with the names. If we go with the two Shagrat and Gorbag,
then we need to go with another individual Orc name. If with Uruk Hai, then
we need two more names of group.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 121

Re: Volunteering Posted by sulriel April 29, 2004 - 21:27:19 Topic ID# 50
>
> Exactly, just the award names. Did we get the other two people to
approve> the Mystery Category? Looks like we have two for the Orcs.
Though, I'm not> quite satisfied with the names. If we go with the
two Shagrat and Gorbag,> then we need to go with another individual
Orc name. If with Uruk Hai, then> we need two more names of group.
>


<snicker>

ok then .. how 'bout The Snuggly Snaga Award (?)


....... durnit ! I'm going to be helpful, I am, I am ....

....Just gotta try harder...

Msg# 122

Nomination Season begins, 5/1/2004, 12:00 am Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 29, 2004 - 23:57:40 Topic ID# 122
Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of MEFAwards
Nomination Season begins

Saturday May 1, 2004
All Day
This event does not repeat.

Event Location: On-list
Notes:
Story nominations open. Will run through midnight (Central-US) on June 30, 2004

Yahoo! Greetings
Send a Yahoo! Greeting.
Birthday Reminders
Set up birthday reminders!


Copyright ©  2004  Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy - Terms of Service

Msg# 123

Poll results for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 0:00:27 Topic ID# 123
The following MEFAwards poll is now closed. Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: Backgrounds: Three Choices. Go to
http://mefawards.agreatserver.com/test.h
tml. (If you can't get the page to
come up, remove the space between the h
and the tml). Choose A, B, or C.

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- A, Parchment, black text, 1 votes, 12.50%
- B. Leaf border, black text, 4 votes, 50.00%
- C. Green border, Black text, 3 votes, 37.50%



For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards

For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/

Msg# 124

Re: Poll results for MEFAwards Posted by ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 0:08:42 Topic ID# 123
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com wrote:
>
> CHOICES AND RESULTS
> - A, Parchment, black text, 1 votes, 12.50%
> - B. Leaf border, black text, 4 votes, 50.00%
> - C. Green border, Black text, 3 votes, 37.50%

As you can see, the leaf border one by a small margin. The site is
now changed over to the leaf border. It was actually quite easy once
I thought about using a table to scoot the text over. Then it was
just copy & paste. I love computers.

The poll about Nomination Season ends tomorrow at this time. As it
stands the schedule will be changing, and the Nomination Season will
end on May 31st. There's still 24 hours to the end of the poll
though, so we'll see how that goes.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 125

New file uploaded to MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 0:30:15 Topic ID# 1
Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the MEFAwards
group.

File : /Rules and FAQs/Awards FAQ.txt
Uploaded by : ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>
Description : MEFAwards FAQ Version 1.3

You can access this file at the URL

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/files/Rules%20and%20FAQs/Awards%20FAQ.txt

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/files

Regards,

ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net>

Msg# 126

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 0:35:10 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Proposed New Category: In Genres:
Mystery. Motioned by Soledad. Seconded
by Stella. Two Aye (yes) votes will
create this new Category.

o Yes
o No, we have enough.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219134

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 127

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 0:36:18 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Proposed New Category: In Races &
Places: Orcs (still requires Awards
Titles) Motioned by jodancingtree.
Seconded by Stella. Two Aye (yes) votes
will create this new Category *if*
suitable Awards Titles are found.

o Aye
o Nay, we have enough already


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219137

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 128

2 Short Polls on New Categories Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 0:44:24 Topic ID# 128
There have been two motions for new categories: Mystery and Orcs.

Mystery has the required three Award Titles. It has been motioned and
seconded. It now needs just two more Aye votes. [How this happens may
change next year. But this year I'm just making stuff up as I go along. ;-)
]

Orc has two good Awards Titles or one, depending on how it goes. It has
been motioned and seconded. It now needs to finalize the Titles and gain to
more Aye votes.

Both polls will conclude in just under 24 hours as we want the categories
finalized by the time Nomination Season starts.

Those who motioned and seconded should not vote in these polls.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 129

Re: Dropping in briefly Posted by Sorne&Enros April 30, 2004 - 2:46:03 Topic ID# 16
Let me pry under a few stones and see if I can persuade any more fellow 'orc
authors' to join us....

If you still need list moderators (I'm in the UK) then I can volunteer for
that, but it would be unrealistic of me to take on anything else, since I'm
pretty maxed out at the moment and what free time I do have I need to use
for writing.

Sorne
-----Original Message-----
From: ainaechoiriel [mailto:mefaadmin@earthlink.net]
Sent: 28 April 2004 22:38
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Dropping in briefly


> PS Enros probably would appreciate an Orc category, but not if
she's going
> to be the only one in it! LOL!

We'd have to have 5 stories by at least 2 authors to have a separate
category. And then I'd have to come up with Orc Award titles. ;-)
We'll just have to wait and see.

--Ainaechoiriel



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 130

Re: This sounds *so* good! Posted by Sorne&Enros April 30, 2004 - 2:46:30 Topic ID# 109
Well you could have three places where different types of Orcs hang out:
Moria, Isengard and Mordor; or you could have three of the big names in
Orcdom - Ugluk, Grishnak and Shagrat; The three fortresses: Isengard,
Barad-dur (Lugburtz) and Minas Morgul. Orc emblems: The White Hand, The Red
Eye and....pox, can't think of a third....

Enros
-----Original Message-----
From: Ainaechoiriel [mailto:mefaadmin@earthlink.net]
Sent: 29 April 2004 21:38
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [MEFAwards] This sounds *so* good!



figured out by well, today. Tomorrow at the very latest. I could see one
as The Uruk Hai Award, perhaps, but we'd still need two others. I'll
leave
that up to your Orc-folk to figure out.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 131

Re: 2 Short Polls on New Categories Posted by Soledad April 30, 2004 - 3:13:10 Topic ID# 128
It seems we do have the necessary votes, Ainae: 2 for mystery and 3
for the Orcs. *does happy dance* And Sorne (or her evil half) has
even suggested more Orc award names.

Soledad


--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
>
> There have been two motions for new categories: Mystery and Orcs.
>
> Mystery has the required three Award Titles. It has been motioned
and
> seconded. It now needs just two more Aye votes. [How this happens
may
> change next year. But this year I'm just making stuff up as I go
along. ;-)
> ]
>
> Orc has two good Awards Titles or one, depending on how it goes.
It has
> been motioned and seconded. It now needs to finalize the Titles and
gain to
> more Aye votes.
>
> Both polls will conclude in just under 24 hours as we want the
categories
> finalized by the time Nomination Season starts.
>
> Those who motioned and seconded should not vote in these polls.
>
> --Ainaechoiriel
>
> "This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond
said, "for
> it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.
>
> http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
> Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 132

A quick note Posted by Kate April 30, 2004 - 5:02:26 Topic ID# 132
I was going to make a suggestion for the title of the Orc awards, but
somebody beat me to Grishnak :P

However, I do have a suggestion for another award. In another
fanfiction awards thing that I have taken part in (for another
fandom), they had two overall awards, that each of the winners in the
categories were eligeble for. I realise that these awards are more
about feedback than anything else, but what would everyone think
about having a Best Epic and Best Short Story awards. I figured
that "The Red Book Award" would do well enough for the Epic category.
I don't have a good suggestion for the short story - except something
to do with halflings, 'cos they're short :P - and I'd love to hear
any other suggestions!

As for another humorous character to replace Quickbeam, personally, I
always found that Gandalf always amused me. Gandalf the Grey, of
course, I mean there! I also might suggest the Gaffer, Samwise or
Barliman Butterbur (all of which have their own comical moments!)

Oh, and Ainae, I want to correct you on something. Don't feel too
bad, because I'm quite obsessive when it comes to the Tooks. You have
the third hobbit awards listed as "The Thain of Tookborough" award.
The actual name of the town that I think you mean is Tuckborough, and
there isn't such a title as the Thain of Tuckborough. The Thain is of
the Shire, though I suppose the Thain of Tookland or the Thain of the
Great Smials would work too. Again, I say don't feel too bad - I'm
sure I'm the only one who picked up on that, and it's only because of
my (somewhat fanatic) love for the family of Master Peregrin!

Well, that note didn't end up being so quick after all!

- Pervinca

Msg# 133

Re: This sounds *so* good! Posted by draborgieuk April 30, 2004 - 8:08:09 Topic ID# 109
Orc emblems: The White Hand, The Red
> Eye and....pox, can't think of a third....

The only other one mentioned is Death-Face-Moon, which belongs to
Minas Morgul and Gorbag.
Grond

Msg# 134

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by draborgieuk April 30, 2004 - 8:21:31 Topic ID# 10
Guess I'd better say my piece.

Hi. I'm Grond (the Draborgie-thing is from an earlier persona). I'm
UK based, and probably old enough to be everyone's Auntie, if not
Granny. I write slash for bad-guys in an ever-increasing number of
fandoms including LOTR (some of the others are a bit left-of-centre:
Georgette Heyer, HP Lovecraft). My aim is to subvert, shock and
titillate (probably in that order). Currently working on "Harry
Potter" *cringe*.

And I know a lot of you from other listings.
*Waves*
Grond

Msg# 135

Re: Dropping in briefly Posted by ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 9:23:24 Topic ID# 16
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Sorne&Enros" <Sorne&Enros@m...>
wrote:
> Let me pry under a few stones and see if I can persuade any more
fellow 'orc
> authors' to join us....
>
> If you still need list moderators (I'm in the UK) then I can
volunteer for
> that, but it would be unrealistic of me to take on anything else,
since I'm
> pretty maxed out at the moment and what free time I do have I need
to use
> for writing.


For some reason, your two messages didn't hit my inbox. Hmmm....

Anyway, I think we're good on moderators, but I do hope you can take
on these two very important tasks: Nominator and Voter! :-)

Bring on them orcs!

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 136

Re: This sounds *so* good! Posted by ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 9:25:48 Topic ID# 109
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Sorne&Enros" <Sorne&Enros@m...>
wrote:
> Well you could have three places where different types of Orcs hang
out:
> Moria, Isengard and Mordor; or you could have three of the big
names in
> Orcdom - Ugluk, Grishnak and Shagrat; The three fortresses:
Isengard,
> Barad-dur (Lugburtz) and Minas Morgul. Orc emblems: The White
Hand, The Red
> Eye and....pox, can't think of a third....

Hmmmmm...Well, the emblems arent' doing anything for me, but you have
several good ideas there. Short (very short) poll anyone?

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 137

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 9:28:10 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Orc Awards Titles> Pick your favorite
grouping. This one closes today!

o Ugluk, Grishnak, Shagrat
o Barad-dur, Minas Morgul, Isengard
o Mordor, Isengard, Moria


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219376

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 138

Poll results for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 9:28:21 Topic ID# 123
The following MEFAwards poll is now closed. Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: Proposed New Category: In Genres:
Mystery. Motioned by Soledad. Seconded
by Stella. Two Aye (yes) votes will
create this new Category.

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Aye, 3 votes, 100.00%
- Nay, we have enough., 0 votes, 0.00%

INDIVIDUAL VOTES
- Aye
- Sulriel@htcomp.net
- Sorne&Enros@magic-tortoise.co.uk
- nerwen_calaelen@yahoo.co.uk
- Nay, we have enough.


For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards

For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/

Msg# 139

Poll results for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 9:28:37 Topic ID# 123
The following MEFAwards poll is now closed. Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: Proposed New Category: In Races &
Places: Orcs (still requires Awards
Titles) Motioned by jodancingtree.
Seconded by Stella. Two Aye (yes) votes
will create this new Category *if*
suitable Awards Titles are found.

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Aye, 4 votes, 100.00%
- Nay, we have enough already, 0 votes, 0.00%

INDIVIDUAL VOTES
- Aye
- Sulriel@htcomp.net
- Sorne&Enros@magic-tortoise.co.uk
- annaliess@hotmail.com
- nerwen_calaelen@yahoo.co.uk
- Nay, we have enough already


For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards

For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/

Msg# 140

Re: A quick note Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 9:53:29 Topic ID# 132
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kate [mailto:bra_chan90@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 5:02 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] A quick note
>
> I was going to make a suggestion for the title of the Orc
> awards, but somebody beat me to Grishnak :P

Yep. I did just change the poll a slight bit. I changed this one Barad-dur,
Minas Morgul, Orthanc. Because Barad-dur is a tower, and so Orthanc is the
tower of Isengard. If anyone knows if Minas Morgul's tower has a name, that
should be the one for it, I think.

>
> However, I do have a suggestion for another award. In another
> fanfiction awards thing that I have taken part in (for
> another fandom), they had two overall awards, that each of
> the winners in the categories were eligeble for. I realise
> that these awards are more about feedback than anything else,
> but what would everyone think about having a Best Epic and
> Best Short Story awards. I figured that "The Red Book Award"
> would do well enough for the Epic category.
> I don't have a good suggestion for the short story - except
> something to do with halflings, 'cos they're short :P - and
> I'd love to hear any other suggestions!

Hmmm...I just got a little upset this morning, remembering my infamous
spreadsheet. Hundreds of storeis that might be good that I just haven't got
around to reading yet. So I have another proposed change in the rules.
Yes, you know me, it will be poll: This year's awards are for stories
posted up to today. But how about if next year's aren't limited to those
posted from May 1, 2004-April 30, 2005. They could just be any story posted
before April 30, 2005 AND that wasn't previously nominated.

So, now on to your suggestions. I think we need to discuss more than just
vote on it. So I will make a separate post on the subject.

> As for another humorous character to replace Quickbeam,
> personally, I always found that Gandalf always amused me.
> Gandalf the Grey, of course, I mean there! I also might
> suggest the Gaffer, Samwise or Barliman Butterbur (all of
> which have their own comical moments!)

Well, I feel Gandalf, even the Grey, is far too important to be just for
humor. But you've got something there in Barliman Butterbur. We don't
actually see much of the Gaffer. So I'm going replace Quickbeam with
Butterbur!

> Oh, and Ainae, I want to correct you on something. Don't feel
> too bad, because I'm quite obsessive when it comes to the
> Tooks. You have the third hobbit awards listed as "The Thain
> of Tookborough" award.
> The actual name of the town that I think you mean is
> Tuckborough, and there isn't such a title as the Thain of
> Tuckborough. The Thain is of the Shire, though I suppose the
> Thain of Tookland or the Thain of the Great Smials would work
> too. Again, I say don't feel too bad - I'm sure I'm the only
> one who picked up on that, and it's only because of my
> (somewhat fanatic) love for the family of Master Peregrin!

(Ainae hides her face in shame) Oh, you found me out! Yes, I'm a charlatan!
(she raises her head) Actually, I just absolutely hate research. Yes, even
Tolkien research. So far, since starting these awards I haven't even
cracked a book. Okay, I did look at the cover fo the Silmarillion to get the
spelling right, but that's it! I rely on the expertise of those who do love
research. So, listen up all of you who like research or just magically
memorize every spelling including all the diacriticals....

I need help! We absolutly must find out what, for sure, Pippin becomes the
Thain of. Don't make me call Dwim! Also, please, please, [please, go over
all the Awards titles with a find toothed comb and tell me where I need
umlauts and the like. I will be adding the Mystery category here in a bit,
and the Orc Category once we've settled on the Awards titles. I'll conclude
that poll when the whim hits me.

> Well, that note didn't end up being so quick after all!

Oh well, neither was mine.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 141

Overall categories Posted by ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 10:18:34 Topic ID# 141
Okay, Pervinca suggested this and I think it needs some discussion.
It's not a bad idea, but it can work or not work. We tried this one
year in the alt.startrek.creative awards and it proved to be far less
than popular. Some who didn't win awards felt it was a bit much for
someone to win two for the same story.

And if we did that, wouldn't we need "Best Poem" as well?

That said, we do keep the Overall Best Author award and the Best New
Author award. I don't think we can do the latter here as we're New
awards to begin with. But we could institute The JRR Tolkien Award
for Overall Best Author. And then next year come up with something
for New Author and say that have to have posted their first LOTR-
based (or Silm/Hobbit)) story between May 1, 2--4 and April 30, 2005.

So, those are your topics:

1) Overall epic/overall short story
2) OVerall Best Author.

Discuss.

--Ainaechoireil, trying to catch up this morning....

Msg# 142

Nominations: Public or Private. Discussion needed. Posted by ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 10:34:56 Topic ID# 142
You know the poll says 5 votes for needs more discussion, but I
haven't seen any discussion here. What I'd hope for is enough
discussion to completely eliminate that third choice so we're only
left with Public or Private.

Now, I posted a post some time ago to start the disucssion. Let's
start discussing it. I think, I'm going to be changing some dates on
the polls as they are just out too far and I'm too impatient. ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 143

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 10:51:48 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Proposed change: THe 2005 awards will
cover any story/poem posted publically
by April 30, 2005 and not previously
nominated in the MEFAs. This doesn'
tnot change the 2 times max rule for
WIPs.

o I'm okay with it. Make the change.
o Don't change it. I thin it's best to stick ot only stories written that year.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219438

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 144

Re: Nominations: Public or Private. Discussion needed. Posted by dwimmer\_laik April 30, 2004 - 11:11:52 Topic ID# 142
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...> wrote:
> You know the poll says 5 votes for needs more discussion, but I
> haven't seen any discussion here. What I'd hope for is enough
> discussion to completely eliminate that third choice so we're only
> left with Public or Private.
>
> Now, I posted a post some time ago to start the disucssion. Let's
> start discussing it. I think, I'm going to be changing some dates on
> the polls as they are just out too far and I'm too impatient. ;-)
>
> --Ainaechoiriel

I say nominations should be public.

As I understand it, one of the main things that is supposed to
distinguish this contest from Mithrils is that this is a purely
democratic contest. This means: no individual or group of judges is
privileged (other than the minimal requirement that they join this
list) and the number of nominations for a story is irrelevant. every
voice counts, and all operations are transparent, i.e., there is no
anonymity because all voices count equally and no negative comments
are permitted (well, they are, but you'll help your least favorite
story win, which is counterproductive).

A contest that completely eliminates the notion of a privileged set of
judges and readers must, to be legitimate, be open--secrecy and
insularity at major stages of the contest undermine the credibility of
the awards in the eyes of readers. It'll still be great for authors,
one suspects, but if this contest is to be for readers as well, then
it must stand under the public gaze at all major stages, including
nominations. Readers and would-be participants must see what is going on.

Now, there are some other, slightly less weighty philosophical
concerns as well that hinge on publicity. If the point is that number
of nominations has been rendered irrelevent (every voice counts
equally), then avoiding duplication of nominations could potentially
lead to a much more diverse set of fics, all being judged by whatever
reader cares to leave a comment. I believe that was also a latent
point of Ainae's, that selection will be broader than for most other
awards, and there's more scope for unusual fics to win some feedback
and official recognition, since all feedback is 'official' in the MEFAs.

And from a purely practical standpoint, since nominations are not
limited to just the best fics you can think of, it might be nice to
have an official tally of what has been nominated already, so that, as
the awards go on, people will (probably) submit fewer nominations,
since the fics they would've nominated have been nominated already and
posted publicly for all to see. This might cut down, later, on some of
the work that the MEFA staff has to do. This could be a very good thing.

Finally, if the point of the awards is to give authors some
encouragement, then assuming they didn't nominate their own stories,
then just the fact that someone nominated the story and that everyone
knows this ought to give that person a little boost. Somebody liked
the story enough to nominate it, even if no comments were forthcoming.

Such would be my arguments for publicity at all levels, not just the
nomination stage.

Dwim

Msg# 145

Re: Nominations: Public or Private. Discussion needed. Posted by dwimmer\_laik April 30, 2004 - 11:15:34 Topic ID# 142
>
> And from a purely practical standpoint, since nominations are not
> limited to just the best fics you can think of,

Addendum, because that may sound insulting by implication. The point
there was that you aren't forced to choose among several good fics
because you may only nominate one fic per category.

Msg# 146

Re: Overall categories Posted by Stella April 30, 2004 - 11:30:33 Topic ID# 141
--- Some who didn't win awards felt it was a bit much for
> someone to win two for the same story.
>
> And if we did that, wouldn't we need "Best Poem" as well?

I tend to agree with the sentiment that it's a bit much for the same
author to win two awards. Which is also why I like the idea of a
story only being in one catagory. Some of the bad blood in other
awards comes from just these two situations.
>
> That said, we do keep the Overall Best Author award and the Best
New
> Author award. I don't think we can do the latter here as we're New
> awards to begin with. But we could institute The JRR Tolkien Award
> for Overall Best Author. And then next year come up with something
> for New Author and say that have to have posted their first LOTR-
> based (or Silm/Hobbit)) story between May 1, 2--4 and April 30, 2005


Good idea, the JRR Tolkien Award for overall best author and then
next year have a best new author award.

I also liked your other idea in a previous post about nominating.
There is a tremendous amount of great work out there that was written
several years ago. As long as it wasn't nominated previously I think
it should be eligible each year.

Just my two centavos, any other ideas?

Stella

Msg# 147

Re: Nominations: Public or Private. Discussion needed. Posted by Stella April 30, 2004 - 11:41:35 Topic ID# 142
>>
> Such would be my arguments for publicity at all levels, not just the
> nomination stage.
>
> Dwim


Well said, I can't add anything to this opinion as it hits every
point I can think of. I agree with all of it, one of the things that
will distingish this set of awards is the openness of them and the
fact that the winners are derived from the comments of the readers.

Stella

Msg# 148

Re: Nominations: Public or Private. Discussion needed. Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 12:15:13 Topic ID# 142
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stella [mailto:lasselanta02@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 11:41 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Nominations: Public or Private.
> Discussion needed.
>
> >>
> > Such would be my arguments for publicity at all levels, not
> just the
> > nomination stage.
> >
> > Dwim
>
>
> Well said, I can't add anything to this opinion as it hits
> every point I can think of. I agree with all of it, one of
> the things that will distingish this set of awards is the
> openness of them and the fact that the winners are derived
> from the comments of the readers.
>
> Stella

Yep. And I think I'm going to add this to the FAQ:

The Purpose of these Awards:

To:

Encourage feedback
Encourage others to read
And to recognize excellence in Middle-Earth (not to exclude Numenor and
Valinor) fanfiction.


Surely, that can be worded better, but I think makingthe nominations public
serves the second, encouraging new readers to check out these stories. And
if the authors themselves can go and see the nominations, they also might
be encouraged to join the group and nominate and vote with the rest of us.

And then there is the topic of public or private archiving of the comments.
Next post.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 149

Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 12:25:28 Topic ID# 149
I think when this was first mentioned I said that ASC didn't do that. And
then I remembered that they did. At least for a time. So I can't remember
where I left off on this one.

Without question, comments will be available in the YahooGroup archive, at
least until it's full and starts removing old messages. But will those
comments be collected and archived on our site, at least for a time?

That is a possiblity. ASC posts daily digests of all comments to the
newsgroup (as the voting used to be on the group but is now on the web, this
lets the group community see the comments. Which equates to use voting
on-list). But I did notice that this year, you could pull up a list of
comments by category (not by story) on the web. I don't think those
comments will stay there. I think perhaps they were also used as an audit in
a way, a confirmation that yes, your votes were counted.

Why are the comments shown at all and not just counted and forwarded on to
the authors? To encourage more reading, of course. So do we want to only
encourage our own group to more reading, or the fandom at large?

I'm for the fandom at large. To save web space, I'd agree with a term limit
on how long they stay on the site, and I'd even say that when put on the web
site, the names of the commenters are kept anonymous. But I do think it
would be a good thing to make the comments public.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 150

April 30th: A busy day! Posted by ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 12:35:51 Topic ID# 150
Today is the day I want to try and work out all the kinks and get
ready for the Awards Kick-Off by setting out some specifics.

To that end, I printed out a calendar of May-November 2004 , and
divided up the alphabet among 6 Author Approval volunteers.

Each of you will be in charge of contacting authors of nominated
stories and poems for authors whose names (first name or online name
as not everyone writes with a first name/last name name) begin with 4-
5 letters as assigned below:

Nerwin A-D
Viv E-H
Soledad: I-L
Stella M-P
and our newest volunteer (thanks!!!) Shiekdesigner: Q-U
I will take on V-Z

If anyone gets horribly overwelmed, call out for help and I'm sure
we'll find someone to take up some slack.

Presently, the Voting Season is from Oct. 1-November 15th. I don't
think it will get any shorter, but it might get longer, depending on
the poll. Thus I have sorted out the 6.5 weeks in that period and
how we might make the voting as organized as possible without taking
the fun out of it.

At ASC, they have four sections of voting: (TOS & ENT) (TNG & DS9)
(VOY & something else that I can't remember) and (MIS & OVR). They
each run in two week times, overlapping a week or so to all fit in
just over a month, I think.

So I have found a way to split ours: Races and Places (6 categories),
Genres (7 categories) and Time/Book (3 categories)

Races and Places Oct 1 - 15th (11:59pm Central US)
Genres Oct 16-Nov. 3rd.
Time/Book Nov. 1 - 15th

Genre has the most categories so it's getting about 2 weeks and 5
days. Races and Places has just one less category, so it is getting
2 weeks and 2 days. Time/Book has the fewest; it gets 2 weeks.


If we shorten Nomination Season or it seems that there are way more
stories in a category (like LOTR, for example) we will have to tweak
the schedule to compensate.

As it stands the FanArt contest will run from Nov. 15-30th and will
be simple vote, not comment. But first, we need something to vote
on. So encourage the people you know who are artistic to take up the
call. We need 12 more award banners than we needeed before (which
was already a lot) because we added two categories.

That's enough for right now.

--Ainaechoiriel

Msg# 151

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 12:46:16 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Vote Counters: We presently have 8,
with 16 categories, that's 2 apiece,
but we want three people per category
and we want them to overlap. Which
means, ideally, we would want 32 vote
counters. When we hit 16 new
volunteers (please, please, please), I
will close this poll. You will be
volunteering to count just two
categories, if my brain did the math
right.

o Yes, I can help! Sign me up!
o Sorry, I just don't think I can.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219521

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 152

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 12:51:50 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Vote Counters: We presently have 8,
with 16 categories, that's 2 apiece,
but we want three people per category
and we want them to overlap. Which
means, ideally, we would want 18 vote
counters. When we hit 10 new volunteers
(please, please, please), I will close
this poll. You will be volunteering to
count just two categories.

o Yes, sign me up
o Sorry, just can't


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219526

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 153

Re: Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Jo Dancingtree April 30, 2004 - 12:52:23 Topic ID# 149
I think I'd like to see the comments public - as you said, to encourage more reading by the entire fandom. And to encourage writers to improve their writing - to see what works for readers, and what doesn't, and not only in my own stories.

jo

Ainaechoiriel <mefaadmin@earthlink.net> wrote:
I'm for the fandom at large. To save web space, I'd agree with a term limit
on how long they stay on the site, and I'd even say that when put on the web
site, the names of the commenters are kept anonymous. But I do think it
would be a good thing to make the comments public.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?







---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 154

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 12:54:55 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

We still need Promotion
Representatives. Are you really into
the LOTR fandom? Vitist a lot of
sites, message boards, archives,
groups? Then you'd be great at this!
Just contact someone in charge at those
places and see if they'll puyt up a
blurb and/or a button or at least a
link to us. (And of course offer that
we'll do the same for them.)

o I'd be a great PR!
o Sorry, too much of a lurker
o If I wasn't so busy already....
o Well, I'm at all those places, so I guess I could do it.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219528

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 155

Re: New poll for MEFAwards Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 12:55:21 Topic ID# 3
Sorry, threw this one out and chaged the number before putting it back
atain. Darn. I think I did it again. I'll go change it. We need 26 total.
18 new.

I hate math.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 12:46 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] New poll for MEFAwards
>
>
> Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
> MEFAwards group:
>
> Vote Counters: We presently have 8,
> with 16 categories, that's 2 apiece,
> but we want three people per category
> and we want them to overlap. Which
> means, ideally, we would want 32 vote
> counters. When we hit 16 new
> volunteers (please, please, please), I
> will close this poll. You will be
> volunteering to count just two
> categories, if my brain did the math
> right.
>
> o Yes, I can help! Sign me up!
> o Sorry, I just don't think I can.
>
>
> To vote, please visit the following web page:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219521
>
> Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are not
> collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo!
> Groups web site listed above.
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
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> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

Msg# 156

New poll for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 12:57:43 Topic ID# 3
Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
MEFAwards group:

Vote Counters: We presently have 8,
with 16 categories, that's 2 apiece,
but we want three people per category
and we want them to overlap. Which
means, ideally, we would want 26 vote
counters. When we hit 18 new volunteers
(please, please, please), I will close
this poll. You will be volunteering to
count just two categories.

o Yes, sign me up!
o Sorry, just can't right commit right now.


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/surveys?id=1219531

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Msg# 157

Re: Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 13:09:02 Topic ID# 149
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jo Dancingtree [mailto:jodancingtree@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 12:51 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] Public or Private Archiving of Comments
>
> I think I'd like to see the comments public - as you said, to
> encourage more reading by the entire fandom. And to
> encourage writers to improve their writing - to see what
> works for readers, and what doesn't, and not only in my own stories.

Well, just to be fair, you'll see more of works than what doesn't because
negative comments are counterproductive. There are quite a few new folks,
so I epxlain this again.

Because we count characters to determine the point-worth of a vote, positive
or negative words will still be made of characters. 70 characters of
positive and 70 of negative carry exactly the same weight. By writing
negative commentsor even just constructive criticism, you could be helping a
story you don't like to win. That said, many of us are writers. I think we
can be creative in our feedback.

But the Golden Rule works here: If you can't think of anything good to say,
it really is best not to say anything at all. ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 158

Re: This sounds *so* good! Posted by Sorne&Enros April 30, 2004 - 13:19:02 Topic ID# 109
Thank you Grond!! I thought there was one in there somewhere.......got it
now! Tower of Cirith Ungol: "Two liveries Sam noticed, one marked by the
Red Eye, the other by a Moon disfigured with a ghastly face of death"

Enros
-----Original Message-----
From: draborgieuk [mailto:ralph.henning@btinternet.com]
Sent: 30 April 2004 14:07
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: This sounds *so* good!


Orc emblems: The White Hand, The Red
> Eye and....pox, can't think of a third....

The only other one mentioned is Death-Face-Moon, which belongs to
Minas Morgul and Gorbag.
Grond



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Yahoo! Groups Links

a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards/

b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
MEFAwards-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 159

Re: Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Dawn Martinez-Byrne April 30, 2004 - 13:36:10 Topic ID# 149
I dunno. I think that if the judge knows that the comments are going out for public
consumption, they may be less candid than if they were being kept private.

And saying nothing says volumes, of course, which may also add unneeded
pressure. To say nothing of the potential for public humiliation for the authors.

Just my .02 worth...

khazar

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 160

Re: Nominations: Public or Private. Discussion needed. Posted by Dawn Martinez-Byrne April 30, 2004 - 13:40:58 Topic ID# 142
There are two sides to the public list of nominees.

One: Everyone knows what's been entered, and can nominate accordingly.

Two: Everyone knows what's been entered, and can quickly see who made
the loser's list.

There's a reason that the Oscars don't give out the list of nominees: to spare
feelings. The whole idea of this is to make people feel good. The last thing we
need to do is to make it clear that, in the words of Rodney Dangerfield,
"You may already be a loser!"

just my .02 worth..from someone who's been in the trenches, as it were...

khazar

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 161

Re: Intros anyone? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 14:25:57 Topic ID# 10
> -----Original Message-----
> From: draborgieuk [mailto:ralph.henning@btinternet.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 8:21 AM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Intros anyone?
>
> Guess I'd better say my piece.
>
> Hi. I'm Grond (the Draborgie-thing is from an earlier
> persona). I'm UK based, and probably old enough to be
> everyone's Auntie, if not Granny. I write slash for bad-guys
> in an ever-increasing number of fandoms including LOTR (some
> of the others are a bit left-of-centre:
> Georgette Heyer, HP Lovecraft). My aim is to subvert, shock
> and titillate (probably in that order). Currently working on
> "Harry Potter" *cringe*.


Well, I don't know Yahoo's rules on subverting and shocking, but you'll have
to keep the titillating to a minimum here. It's not an adult group. ;-)
And we wouldn't want to courrupt the list-mom's virgin eyes would we?

But nice to have you anyway! And the other new folks as well!

I will take this opportunity to state that part of the rules though, just in
case someone here hasn't read the FAQ: G-R stories are eligible. NC-17's
are not. And while some really racy stories may be nominated and read, the
comments must remain fit for a non-adult group. But remember also that
strange characters (~@#$%^, etc.) won't be counted in the comments. So,
play fast and loose with the euphemisms if you have to, folks!

> And I know a lot of you from other listings.
> *Waves*
> Grond

I've been seeing quite a few familiar "faces" here, and it makes me smile.
So do the new folks that I'm not familiar with. I want these awards to
reach farther than just the few LOTR-based groups I'm on.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 162

Re: Nominations: Public or Private. Discussion needed. Posted by Stella April 30, 2004 - 14:26:53 Topic ID# 142
--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Dawn Martinez-Byrne"
<dlmbyrne@g...> wrote:
> There are two sides to the public list of nominees.
>
> One: Everyone knows what's been entered, and can nominate
accordingly.
>
> Two: Everyone knows what's been entered, and can quickly see who
made
> the loser's list.


Well not really, just being nominated should make people feel good
already. All of what is being nominated is already out there in a
public forum as the rules state, and is open for praise or critique
through those venues.

Stella

Msg# 163

Re: Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Stella April 30, 2004 - 14:33:08 Topic ID# 149
> Why are the comments shown at all and not just counted and
forwarded on to
> the authors? To encourage more reading, of course. So do we want
to only
> encourage our own group to more reading, or the fandom at large?
>
> I'm for the fandom at large. To save web space, I'd agree with a
term limit
> on how long they stay on the site, and I'd even say that when put
on the web
> site, the names of the commenters are kept anonymous. But I do
think it
> would be a good thing to make the comments public.

Yes, agreed. Perhaps they could stay on the site for say a week? Just
a suggestion, as I said I'm fairly challenged when it comes to web
site designs or logistics.

Stella

Msg# 164

Re: Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 14:40:24 Topic ID# 149
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dawn Martinez-Byrne [mailto:dlmbyrne@gte.net]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 1:36 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] Public or Private Archiving of Comments
>
> I dunno. I think that if the judge knows that the comments
> are going out for public consumption, they may be less candid
> than if they were being kept private.

Yes, but those comments generally come out not only as comments but also
recommendatiosn and that's not a bad thing. You're basically not


> And saying nothing says volumes, of course, which may also
> add unneeded pressure. To say nothing of the potential for
> public humiliation for the authors.
>
> Just my .02 worth...

As someone who has had experiece at these kinds of awards, you hardly have
time to count other people's comments. The only one that really counts
(other than vote counters) is the author getting the comment, or not. Since
people can nominate their own stories, no one gets left out as "not
nominated" unless they don't want to be. This isn't like the academy
awards. And trust me, even when you don't win, you are thankful for even
the small comments. Sure, getting pages is better, but even getting a
little makes you feel good. I have been involved in awards like this at
alt.startrek.creative since 1996 and it has always been a positive
experience. Even when I didn't even have an eligible story.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 165

Re: Overall categories Posted by Soledad April 30, 2004 - 15:11:27 Topic ID# 141
I've just staggered down from our annual cultural performance with
the school and am dead on my feet, so I'll be short. For a change.

Stella wrote:

> I tend to agree with the sentiment that it's a bit much for the
same author to win two awards. Which is also why I like the idea of
a story only being in one catagory. Some of the bad blood in other
awards comes from just these two situations.

I very, *very* much agree.

> Good idea, the JRR Tolkien Award for overall best author and then
> next year have a best new author award.

I personally have my little problems with the overall best author,
but it's probably just me. The New Author award is a great idea,
though.

> I also liked your other idea in a previous post about nominating.
> There is a tremendous amount of great work out there that was
written several years ago. As long as it wasn't nominated previously
I think it should be eligible each year.

I second that, too. More when my brain actually works.

Soledad

Msg# 166

Re: Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 15:16:55 Topic ID# 149
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ainaechoiriel [mailto:mefaadmin@earthlink.net]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 2:38 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [MEFAwards] Public or Private Archiving of Comments

> > I dunno. I think that if the judge knows that the comments
> are going
> > out for public consumption, they may be less candid than if
> they were
> > being kept private.
>
> Yes, but those comments generally come out not only as
> comments but also recommendatiosn and that's not a bad thing.
> You're basically not

Sorry. Got busy at work and forgot to finish my sentence. You're basically
not just writing to the author but writing to the audience: This story was
fantastic. Author really knows how to drive a pace and not lose her readers.
The characterizations were just perfect, just like I see them in the cinema
in my head. And the dialogue! How author could balance scuh seriousness
with such deft humor, I'm not sure I'll ever know! It was perfect! Etc."

(No, that is not a real comment. I made it up just now with no particular
story or author in mind. That, obviously, is a glowing vote and would be
worth a few points.)
And about stories not getting any votes...That happens at ASC because any
story posted, crap or not, is eligible. The cream generally comes to the
top. Here, we nominate. True, we can nominate our own, as can anyone who
joins. But hoepfully, we'll be thinking about the cream and leaving the
drek out. Hopefully there will be few, if any, stories with absolutely no
votes. This could happen, however, even with good stories for these two
reasons: No one will likely have time to read every story. Only those who
read a particular story will vote on it. If a story doesn't get read, for
whatever reason, it will likely not get any votes.

I think I wrote a darn good story this year, if I do say so msyelf. Still,
on asc, it got two rather short votes. Maybe some didn't read it. I know
that some of those who did read it didn't vote because RL just wouldn't let
them. I got a third vote the day after voting was cut off because the voter
had the date wrong. So it didn't count. None of that makes me think less
of my story. It's just circumstances, and there are a lot of factors that
go into why something doesn't get a vote. Was it posted too early and no
one remembers it? Was it posted too late and no one had time to read it?
Were there other voters like me who tried to catch up on all the reading
during award time and thus, only read the short stories? Was it that most
of the voters this year hadn't read the other two parts of the trilogy?
Valerie is homeless and couldn't get to a computer at the library. It
*could* be because the story, well, stunk, but it doesn't always mean that.

Maybe someone who read those two short votes decided to give my story a
read. I know that one person I commented for decided to give a different
story of mine (that ran 6 years ago) a read. My best story. And so far,
he's impressed. I treasure even the short comments. And the longer one
that didn't count.


And LOTR fanfiction is a bigger fandom than Trek is nowadays. We have the
potential of nominated hundreds of stories. No one is possibly going to be
able to read all of them. Some stories may not get votes simply because of
the size of the pool, though I hope every story will have at least one
reader. I don't want to limit the size of the pool though. That one
special as-yet-undiscovered gem might get left behind.

--Ainaechoiriel
Who posted another Helm's Deep banner and an Eye of Sauron

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 167

Re: Overall categories Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 15:51:29 Topic ID# 141
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Soledad [mailto:annaliess@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 3:10 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: Overall categories
>
> I've just staggered down from our annual cultural performance
> with the school and am dead on my feet, so I'll be short. For
> a change.

Hi!

> > I tend to agree with the sentiment that it's a bit much for the
> same author to win two awards. Which is also why I like the
> idea of a story only being in one catagory. Some of the bad
> blood in other awards comes from just these two situations.
>
> I very, *very* much agree.

Which is why I don't think this one will even make a poll. I don't want to
generate bad feelsings, but good ones.

>
> > Good idea, the JRR Tolkien Award for overall best author
> and then next
> > year have a best new author award.
>
> I personally have my little problems with the overall best
> author, but it's probably just me.

I admit, it's a bittersweet thing for me as well. Even in th eawesome year
of 1995 when Oswiecim won by a long shot Best DS9 Story and people were
saying they thought it was better than the pro books, I still have never won
the Best Author Award. That said, they do have a nice aspect: If someone
has ever won before, they can receive comments, but not win the award ever
again.

> The New Author award is a
> great idea, though.

Sigh. I never won one of those either, even though I won Best DS9 Story that
year, too. And I'll never be eligible again. Sigh. Oh well. I still hope
for that Overall Best Author award someday. But, then, who wouldn't.

> > I also liked your other idea in a previous post about nominating.
> > There is a tremendous amount of great work out there that was
> written several years ago. As long as it wasn't nominated
> previously I think it should be eligible each year.
>
> I second that, too. More when my brain actually works.

Thanks Stella and Soledad. I thought this one would be pretty acceptable.
And the poll seems to be saying that as well.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 168

New Member Introduction Posted by Larien April 30, 2004 - 15:53:52 Topic ID# 168
Hi Everyone,

I am Larien. I have been reading and writing Tolkien fan fiction for
just over a year. I saw a post on Larian's lj about this group and I
think it is an excellent idea. I am a voracious reader, I love
Tolkien, mythology (Greek, Roman, and Arthurian legends), and classic
and modern literature – in short, there are few forms of literature I
don't read.

I have only been nominated at one awards site since I started
writing, and that was for Tella's My Precious Awards were I was
nominated in the Slash Category for three of my stories: "Bound",
"Tattoo", and "Love and Agony". I was also nominated in the Writer's
Special and Beta Readers categories. I have a website with my fan
fiction, Rhovanion, and most of my work is archived at Of Elves and
Men as well.

I look forward to reading and nominating stories for this award, and
again, excellent idea.

Larien

~Public Relations representative and slave writer for his majesty,
Thranduil, King of Mirkwood
~Keeper of Thranduil's libido
~Watcher of Legolas

Rhovanion: Tolkien Fan Fiction by Larien Elengasse,
http://rhovanion.nimnastian.net/index.php

Msg# 169

Intro and comments. Posted by Larian April 30, 2004 - 16:25:19 Topic ID# 169
Hi all,

I'm Larian. I archive fics for four yahoo groups
(LOTR_Adult_Fiction, the_northern_fences, OEAMslash, and
Adult_Marton_Csokas) so I handle a somewhat large pool of fics. The
archive is at Of Elves And Men (http://www.ofelvesandmen.com) and
includes any manner of LOTR or LOTR actor related story; so we accept
fictional as well as real person slash and het of any rating.

Anyway, I think these awards are a great idea. Seems like they'd
combine the best of the popular type voting and judging, not to
mention giving the authors some great feedback.

I can pimp the awards on my lists, though I'm very very heavy with
the elf-centrics lists. I also belong to several tolkien communities
on Live Journal. If there's a standard introductory note explaining
everything about the awards (specifically, how they go about
nominating/voting) I'd certainly be happy to post it to the
appropriate places.

I think it would be a good idea to keep the feedback public. Seems
there's less room for someone crying foul if it's public, as well as
giving the author a boost.

Oh...on the nomination form in the files, near the bottom it says
Romance Parners. On the site it says Romance Codes. I'm not sure
what is meant by either of those. (is that like Romance-Slash,
Romance-Het?)

I do have a question about the fan art contest. The artists are
supposed to draw banners, right? Will those be used as banners for
the winners? I guess I don't understand the sense of having that
after voting, if the winners are supposed to be able to use them on
their sites? (But maybe I'm missing something, I read through
everything quite quickly).

So, glad to be here, I have a good feeling about this :)

Larian
larian_elensar@yahoo.com
Keeper of the OEAM archive http://www.ofelvesandmen.com

I also figured I could count votes come that time.

Msg# 170

Re: New Member Introduction Posted by Larian April 30, 2004 - 16:25:50 Topic ID# 168
I KNEW I should have differentiated between us..I posted right after
you did..*grin*

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Larien" <larienelengasse@y...>
wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I am Larien.




Larian
larian_elensar@yahoo.com
Keeper of the OEAM archive http://www.ofelvesandmen.com

Msg# 171

Re: New Member Introduction Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 16:38:06 Topic ID# 168
Hi Larien and Larian and my gosh I think we're going to have to give you
each nicknames! ;-)

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larian [mailto:larian_elensar@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 4:26 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: New Member Introduction
>
> I KNEW I should have differentiated between us..I posted
> right after you did..*grin*
>
> --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Larien" <larienelengasse@y...>
> wrote:
> > Hi Everyone,
> >
> > I am Larien.
>
>
>
>
> Larian
> larian_elensar@yahoo.com
> Keeper of the OEAM archive http://www.ofelvesandmen.com
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits
> for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com.
> Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
> http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
> http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/wx3olB/TM
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -------~->
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

Msg# 172

Re: Public or Private Archiving of Comments Posted by Dawn Martinez-Byrne April 30, 2004 - 16:44:47 Topic ID# 149
As someone who has had experiece at these kinds of awards, you hardly have
time to count other people's comments. The only one that really counts
(other than vote counters) is the author getting the comment, or not. Since
people can nominate their own stories, no one gets left out as "not
nominated" unless they don't want to be. This isn't like the academy
awards. And trust me, even when you don't win, you are thankful for even
the small comments. Sure, getting pages is better, but even getting a
little makes you feel good. I have been involved in awards like this at
alt.startrek.creative since 1996 and it has always been a positive
experience. Even when I didn't even have an eligible story.

--Ainaechoiriel

Sounds fine to me, then.

khazar

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 173

Re: Intro and comments. Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 16:51:28 Topic ID# 169
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larian [mailto:larian_elensar@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 4:25 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Intro and comments.
>
> Hi all,
>

I think I'm going to have to call you Larian A and the other Larien E to
keep you straight.

> Anyway, I think these awards are a great idea. Seems like
> they'd combine the best of the popular type voting and
> judging, not to mention giving the authors some great feedback.

Thanks you.

> I can pimp the awards on my lists, though I'm very very heavy
> with the elf-centrics lists. I also belong to several tolkien
> communities on Live Journal. If there's a standard
> introductory note explaining everything about the awards
> (specifically, how they go about
> nominating/voting) I'd certainly be happy to post it to the
> appropriate places.

Yay! To that end, I hereby pronounce you a Promotion Representative and
Vote Counter! Thank you on both counts. Also, there is a table in the
Database area of the Yahoo site called MEFA Promotions. In there you'll see
who has already been contacted and how they responded. When you contact
someone, please enter it there so we don't double-up and browbeat anyone.
;-) Also, if they respond positively, get a link and button/banner from them
(if they have banner or button). Put the Link in the Link section and
e-mail me that information as well as the banner/button and I'll get them up
on the web site.

> I think it would be a good idea to keep the feedback public.
> Seems there's less room for someone crying foul if it's
> public, as well as giving the author a boost.

True, and it can be anonymous and we don't have to leave it up forever.


> Oh...on the nomination form in the files, near the bottom it
> says Romance Parners. On the site it says Romance Codes.
> I'm not sure what is meant by either of those. (is that like
> Romance-Slash,
> Romance-Het?)

Sorry, I'll make those both Romance partners. Aragorn/Arwen is an example,
as is Aragorn/Legolas. Name the people involved with each other. (At ASC
we have codes to keep down the number of keys one has to type: O/K is
Odo/Kira, etc.)


> I do have a question about the fan art contest. The artists
> are supposed to draw banners, right? Will those be used as
> banners for the winners? I guess I don't understand the
> sense of having that after voting, if the winners are
> supposed to be able to use them on their sites? (But maybe
> I'm missing something, I read through everything quite quickly).

Yes, the banners are for the winners, but if tehre are two per prize, then
we'll have a vote on the banners themselves to see which one will be the
prize. And the contest for that would be (according to the poll so far0
from the end of the Voting Season for fanfic to when the winners are
announced, which is about a week and half later. (Gives us vote counters
time to get our acts together!)

> So, glad to be here, I have a good feeling about this :)

Thanks, me, too, and that's what I want to keep!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 174

Re: New Member Introduction Posted by Larien April 30, 2004 - 17:10:47 Topic ID# 168
I tell ya... this happens to us all the time... perhaps I should
start signing my name LariEn... but that may not be enough. ; )

LariEn

~Public Relations representative and slave writer for his majesty,
Thranduil, King of Mirkwood
~Keeper of Thranduil's libido
~Watcher of Legolas

Rhovanion, Tolkien Fan Fiction by Larien Elengasse:
http://rhovanion.nimnastian.net/index.php

--- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Ainaechoiriel" <mefaadmin@e...>
wrote:
> Hi Larien and Larian and my gosh I think we're going to have to
give you
> each nicknames! ;-)
>
> --Ainaechoiriel
>
> "This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond
said, "for
> it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.
>
> http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
> Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Larian [mailto:larian_elensar@y...]
> > Sent: Friday, April 30, 2004 4:26 PM
> > To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [MEFAwards] Re: New Member Introduction
> >
> > I KNEW I should have differentiated between us..I posted
> > right after you did..*grin*
> >
> > --- In MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com, "Larien" <larienelengasse@y...>
> > wrote:
> > > Hi Everyone,
> > >
> > > I am Larien.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Larian
> > larian_elensar@y...
> > Keeper of the OEAM archive http://www.ofelvesandmen.com
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> > ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits
> > for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com.
> > Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
> > http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
> > http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/wx3olB/TM
> > --------------------------------------------------------------
> > -------~->
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >

Msg# 175

Re: Hello, MEFA! Posted by Chathol-linn April 30, 2004 - 18:27:21 Topic ID# 117
Sounds good! A lot is happening at this new Tolkien fan site. All the
polls and the preparations! Many thanks, Ainaechoirel, for all your
efforts. Regards - Chathol-linn

PS - tonight is May Eve and Beltane. Enjoy your evening, pink roses. and
your cup of May wine and sweet woodruff. :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Ainaechoiriel [mailto:mefaadmin@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 10:23 PM
To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [MEFAwards] Hello, MEFA!

Welcome! And to Arquen, too!

Good to have you both!

Chathol-linn sent me some good questions that I'm going to add to the Q
and
A page, so you all might want to look it up. She also brought up the
point
that I didn't mention poetry. While I never meant to exclude it, I
assumed
it would fall into a subcategory. But I really should say something.
So I
will be adding poetry into the FAQ. I don't think it should be a main
category any more than Story should.

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said,
"for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chathol-linn [mailto:chathollinn@comcast.net]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 5:45 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] Hello, MEFA!
>
> I have just joined this group. It sounds exciting, and I'd
> like to thank the owner and administrators for all their efforts.
>
> I first read LotR at age 16 and was knocked out by the rich
> detail, especially the invention of actual languages. I loved
> and still love the Elves most of all. Peter Jackson's first
> film in the trilogy, FotR, caught my imagination more than
> any movie has to date, and I'm a serious movie buff. I
> started writing fan fiction in February, 2002. I love to
> take the little-known areas of M-E and fill in the gaps. My
> favorite characters are Arwen (easily the superior to Juliet
> as a dramatic love interest, in my opinion) Elrond, a tragic
> figure, Legolas, and a long list of others. My literary
> influences are JRRT of course, Shakespeare, Marion Zimmer
> Bradley, Stephen King (especially his book "On Writing"), the
> legends of Robin Hood, the King Arthur legends, and readings
> in mythology, especially western European.
>
> Best of luck to everyone who is entered in the contest. I
> love to get e-mail. Feel free to drop me a line to chat,
> either on list or at chathollinn@comcast.net.
> Regards - Chathol-linn
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits
> for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com.
> Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
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> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -------~->
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>




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Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 176

Categorizers: Are you ready? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 18:57:04 Topic ID# 176
Our categorizing volunteers are

Myself (Ainae)
Nerwin
Viv
Soledad
Andreth/Anna
Pervinca

Take 16 categories and divide that by 6 and you get
2.6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666. but you get
the picture. So technically, we each need to take 2 2/3 categories. That's
sort of silly. So I will take three and let's see where that leaves us.

Assigning arbitrarily by the order on the FAQ:

I will take Men, Elves, and Hobbits.
Nerwin, you get Orcs, Rohan, and Numenor
Viv: Humor, Adventure, Drama
Soledad: Romance, Horror, Mystery
Andreth/Anna: Crossovers, The Silm, and LOTR

And one of us can volunteer to take the one remaining category: The Hobbit.
Who wants it?

Feel free to trade, so long as you do it politely.

The way I see this working is this:

When you see a nomination come in, and it has the 1st choice category as one
of your assignments, grab it. Copy and paste it somewhere if you like. Put
it in an Excel Spreadsheet or a table in Word, etc. I'm going to go with
the spreadsheet, because I like to be able to easily sort things
alphabetically. If anyone has Excel, but doesn't know how to make a
spreadsheet, I can make one up blank and send it to you. Just let me know.

Okay, so now you've got the information in the spreadsheet. Be sure to also
put it in the Nominations table in the Databases area of the Yahoo Site.
That is mainly to help people know if a story has already been nominated, so
that should go up pretty quick.

As you begin to gather nominations, you should perhaps start seeing some
similarities and groupings. Some nominators and/or authors will suggest
subcategories (such as Poetry or Filk). You may need to follow a link just
to get an idea of what kind of story it is. Start grouping them together.
If an author wants to change the suggested category, let them. Forward that
nomination on to whoever is assigned to that category.

By the end of the Nomination Season, we should have at least a starting idea
of the subcategories. Then we'll go over them all, checking for the 5 X 2
rule (five stories by at least two authors) for viability. Any subcategory
that can't make the 5 X 2 will have to be tweaked, maybe merged into the
main category or moved into a similarly fitting category or subcategory.

We can work on that in the Database Nominations Table if need be. We might
even schedule a chat sometime toward the end of Nom. Season.

Good luck!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 177

A sample nomination... Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 19:22:34 Topic ID# 117
This will be a sample nomination, using my four stories (which will be
actually nominated soon), just so it will be fairly clear how to do it.
Note, I'm going to use two URLs. One for ff.net where everythings plain B&W
for easy reading and one for my own site which isn't plain B&W and maybe not
easy reading. You don't need to use two. One will suffice.

You can use the author's description if the site has one, or write one of
your own. Any author can override summaries for his or her own works. (same
with categories)

Okay

We start by copying the nomination form (from the Files section, Forms and
Ballots folder) or the web site. Then we fill it out (remember that all
fields with * are mandatory). Pasting it in as many times as need be. Let's
keep it to 5 per post, though, please.

And here are my sample nominations:

----------------------------------------------------------------

Story Nomination Form

*Nominator's name: Ainaechoiriel

*Story Title: Immortal

*Story Author: Ainaechoiriel

*Author's E-mail Address: ainae@earthlink.net

*Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=944263
or
http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr/stories/immortal.html

*Category Choices (see Categories File or FAQ for choices)
*1st: Drama
2nd: Lord of the Rings
3rd: Hobbits
Subcategory (suggest something): 4th Age, Friendship, short story

*Rating: PG

Reason for rating (violence, graphic, etc.): (Rating for dying characters.
No actual death portrayed.)

*Romance Parners (for Romances Only): N/A

*Summary (not a recommendation. Save that for the vote):Merry and Pippin,
approaching the end of their lives, have a request to make of Legolas.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Story Nomination Form

*Nominator's name: Ainaechoiriel

*Story Title: Myth and Memory

*Story Author: Ainaechoiriel

*Author's E-mail Address: ainae@earthlink.net

*Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1256706
or
http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr/stories/mandm.html

*Category Choices (see Categories File or FAQ for choices)
*1st: Rohan
2nd: Drama
3rd: Adventure
Subcategory (suggest something): War of the Ring, 1st Person narrative,
movie-verse, short story

*Rating: PG

Reason for rating (violence, graphic, etc.): N/A (this is mainly for R's)

*Romance Parners (for Romances Only): N/A

*Summary (not a recommendation. Save that for the vote): A young door warden
of Rohan and his friend observe a certain Elf on the way to Helm's Deep.


----------------------------------------------------------------

Story Nomination Form

*Nominator's name: Ainaechoiriel

*Story Title: Namesake

*Story Author: Ainaechoiriel

*Author's E-mail Address: ainae@earthlink.net

*Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1359677

*Category Choices (see Categories File or FAQ for choices)
*1st: Rohan
2nd: Drama
3rd: LOTR
Subcategory (suggest something): First Person narrative, vignette

*Rating: G

Reason for rating (violence, graphic, etc.): N/A

*Romance Parners (for Romances Only): N/A

*Summary (not a recommendation. Save that for the vote): A companion piece
to author's other story, Myth and Memory. An old man speaks to his
grandchild, remembers a fallen friend.


----------------------------------------------------------------

Story Nomination Form

*Nominator's name: Ainaechoiriel

*Story Title: The Lure of the Darkness

*Story Author: Ainaechoiriel

*Author's E-mail Address: ainae@earthlink.net

*Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1489653
or
http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr/stories/lure.html

*Category Choices (see Categories File or FAQ for choices)
*1st: Horror
2nd: Drama
3rd: Elves
Subcategory (suggest something): Mirkwood, pre-WoTR

*Rating: R

Reason for rating (violence, graphic, etc.): Mirkwood Spiders

*Romance Parners (for Romances Only): N/A

*Summary (not a recommendation. Save that for the vote): Pre-WoTR: In the
time of the Necromancer, an Elf child goes missing. Legolas and a patrol go
looking for her.





---------------------------------------------------------------

Msg# 178

Another volunteer! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 19:34:17 Topic ID# 117
Thank you, Cheysuli, for volunteering to be a Promotion Representative!

As I told Larian, there is a table in the Database area of the Yahoo site
called MEFA Promotions. In there you'll see who has already been contacted
and how they responded. When you contact someone, please enter it there so
we don't double-up and browbeat anyone.
;-) Also, if they respond positively, get a link and button/banner from them
(if they have banner or button). Put the Link in the Link section and
e-mail me that information as well as the banner/button and I'll get them up
on the web site.

Welcome aboard!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 179

Orc Award titles? Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 19:56:00 Topic ID# 117
Give me just three more votes and (provided I'm home to be on the net) I'll
call it done!

So what shall it be? Which shall be the names of our Orc prizes?

(And while we on the subject of polls, the Nomination Season poll is tied.


--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 180

Hello to the new folks! Posted by Ainaechoiriel April 30, 2004 - 20:05:43 Topic ID# 180
I have been amiss! I'd like to welcome everyone who has joined this month,
and I want to start to welcome all newcomers each day.

So today, I'll say welcome to

Tavia
PurpleSnorkel
Larien
Thegriffinwithagun
Grond
lizallinos (aka Llinos?)
And Cheysuli

Anybody after that I'll welcome tomorrow.

But anyway, welcome to the group and the MEFA Awards. Take a look around
the Yahoo site and the web site: http://mefawards.agreatserver.com Some of
the stuff is the same in both and some is different. For example, the polls
and tables are at the Yahoo site, and the one place where you can see all
the present banner submissions (for award graphics) on one page is on the
web site. So is the list of staff.

Check out the polls. There are some closing quite soon, and others that will
close sooner than they say, mainly because I'm impatient that way! ;-)

Volunteer if you'd like. There are some spots open (see the polls). Also,
if you or someone you know is good in art, please encourage them to make
some banners for our Awards graphics. We'd like to get at least two per
award title so we can have a contest of it.

And most importantly, Nominations start very soon! So, traffic here should
pick up quite a bit from where it already is. You might want to consider
making a separate folder from your inbox.

Welcome again and thanks for joining!

--Ainaechoiriel

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://www.stormpages.com/gabrielle/lotr Land of Myth and Memory
Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Msg# 181

Poll results for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 22:41:59 Topic ID# 123
The following MEFAwards poll is now closed. Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: Orc Awards Titles> Pick your favorite
grouping. This one closes today!

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Ugluk, Grishnak, Shagrat, 2 votes, 22.22%
- Barad-dur, Minas Morgul, Orthanc, 4 votes, 44.44%
- Mordor, Isengard, Moria, 3 votes, 33.33%

INDIVIDUAL VOTES
- Ugluk, Grishnak, Shagrat
- dwimmer_laik@yahoo.com
- Sulriel@htcomp.net
- Barad-dur, Minas Morgul, Orthanc
- lasselanta02@yahoo.com
- mefaadmin@earthlink.net
- annaliess@hotmail.com
- larienelengasse@yahoo.com
- Mordor, Isengard, Moria
- jodancingtree@yahoo.com
- larian_elensar@yahoo.com
- cheysuli@gvtc.com


For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards

For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/

Msg# 182

Poll results for MEFAwards Posted by MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com April 30, 2004 - 22:48:35 Topic ID# 123
The following MEFAwards poll is now closed. Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: Proposed change: THe 2005 awards will
cover any story/poem posted publically
by April 30, 2005 and not previously
nominated in the MEFAs. This doesn'
tnot change the 2 times max rule for
WIPs.

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Don't change it. I thin it's best to stick ot only stories written that year., 0 votes, 0.00%
- I'm okay with it. Make the change., 6 votes, 100.00%

INDIVIDUAL VOTES
- Don't change it. I thin it's best to stick ot only stories written that year.
- I'm okay with it. Make the change.
- dwimmer_laik@yahoo.com
- Sulriel@htcomp.net
- lasselanta02@yahoo.com
- jodancingtree@yahoo.com
- mefaadmin@earthlink.net
- larian_elensar@yahoo.com


For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MEFAwards

For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/