Activities 101: Fiction
Fiction in the Brotherhood
Fiction in the Brotherhood normally happens in the context of site-based competitions. Fiction competitions can range from writing stories centering around your Dark Jedi Brotherhood character to writing Star Wars haiku. You can even team up with friends or unit members to write a collaborative story or challenge another member to a combat writing duel between your characters.
Story
A standard fiction competition will present you with a prompt that asks you to write a specific kind of story using the character you created when you joined or through the character sheet creation process. A prompt may include background fiction to set the scene for your story or it may simply present a scenario in which to write your character. As such, writing for fiction competitions is a great way to get to know and develop the character you’ve created by putting them in unique and challenging situations or exploring their history. The prompts may also give you a chance to become familiar with the context in which your character lives, as you may be asked to write about traveling to a specific world or day-to-day life on your Clan’s homeworld.
Fiction competitions like these will usually require you to write a minimum of 500 words, but possibly more. Many will ask you to select the character loadout for the character you used in your story; we’ll cover what that is and how it’s done in the next major section.
To learn more about story writing and the Brotherhood’s fictional “sandbox,” be sure to check out the writer resources at the end of the course.
Poetry
Poetry competitions are another type of writing competition that will test your knowledge and skill in various forms of poetry. You’ll find a variety of prompts within this type of competition, both in form and mood. Many competitions of this type will ask for Star Wars-themed haiku or limericks meant to be humorous (we’ve even been known to host rap battles), while others may ask you to write more complex verse from the point of view of your character after having survived some traumatic ordeal.
If you find you need to brush up on your poetry, the Shadow Academy offers a Poetry Studies course.
Collaborative Fiction
In addition to personal fiction, we encourage you to take part in collaborative storytelling to engage with fellow members and connect your character with the broader plots and schemes of their units and the Brotherhood. This is most commonly done through competing in cooperative fiction and run-on competitions, where you compete as a team against other teams.
As an aside, please note that it’s also perfectly acceptable to form teams and tell stories like this purely for fun and character development, outside of any formal competition. While not eligible for competition awards, this kind of activity can count toward Journeyman promotions.
If you’re interested in working alongside others, you should also look into roleplaying on Discord.
Cooperative Fiction
Co-op fiction is generally written by two to three members, though competition organizers may allow more, on a collaborative platform like Google Docs or Discord. It is an engaging way to tell a story while learning about the characters created by other members and potentially developing relationships and story arcs for your own character.
There are a variety of ways to approach this style of storytelling, though typically it will begin by brainstorming and plotting the major points of the story with your teammates – which is perhaps the most important part! From there, writers may break the story into large, equal chunks that follow one another, or they may choose to take turns writing in smaller increments.
Tip! You may be tempted to write exclusively about or from your character’s point of view, but you’ll craft a more cohesive story if you learn to write other characters, as well. Take the time to learn about your teammates and try including their characters in your writing. You’ll find it’s a very useful skill in run-ons and competitive ACC battles!
When writing for competitions, you’ll want to ensure that all members of your team contribute equal effort to the story, that each member writes the minimum number of words specified by the competition, and that you include all character sheet snapshots (more on this later!) in your document. You may also be asked to provide both a “clean” copy of your story as well as a link to the collaborative document that shows things like edits, comments and color coding to clarify individual member contributions.
Run-ons
Run-ons are very similar to co-op fiction, but they typically involve larger teams and are posted turn-by-turn in a roleplay-style thread in the Brotherhood’s #rp-lobby on Discord.
These competitions are common during Brotherhood-wide events like vendettas, where a whole Clan will form a team to write a single story to compete against other Clans. You’ll also encounter smaller versions in House or Clan competitions, where you’ll be awarded for your contributions and efforts to craft a cohesive story. Though single-unit run-ons are technically a competition between unit members, they are still great for building camaraderie and should be viewed as a cooperative effort.
If you’re looking to interact with members outside your unit, you’ll also find club-wide run-on competitions hosted throughout the year, outside of the larger vendetta events. These competitions will typically ask you to form your own small teams to compete.
Rules for run-ons may vary from competition to competition, but there are a few standard rules you’ll see frequently:
- Each member must contribute a minimum of 500 words in the [IC] thread.
- Each member must post a snapshot of their character in the [OOC] thread. For more information on how these systems work, see the Roleplaying course.
Competitive Combat Writing
The final type of writing is combat writing. These types of competitions and activities are often hosted by the Antei Combat Center (ACC), the Dark Brotherhood’s system of fiction-based, competitive dueling, which is governed by the Combat Master.
While the ACC does run events with the opportunity for placement in tournament-style competitions, it is most commonly used to allow members to challenge other qualified members to fictional duels without the need for a formal event.
Most battles are one-on-one competitions in which members write a collaborative, turn-based combat engagement between characters. The strengths, abilities and equipment that your character brings to the fight are determined by your character sheet and loadout, but battles are judged on your combat writing ability, so it’s entirely possible for you to win the battle even if your character is outmatched!
To spice things up, the Antei Combat Center offers various fictional venues in which your battles may take place, as well as several dueling “halls” that allow for different modes of competition, including cooperative battles, prompt-based battles, tournament-style competitions and an unconventional “funderdome” for more light-hearted scenarios.
To get an idea of how ACC battles are written, visit the ACC and click into one of the halls. From there, you can view Active and Completed battles from their respective tabs simply by clicking on the names of the participants. If you view completed battles, you’ll also be able to see comments from judges to become familiar with how battles are scored.
Participation in the ACC only requires an approved character sheet and loadout. Members can also take the option ACC Combat Studies course to ensure they have the best chance of success in one of the most nuanced types of fiction competition offered by the Brotherhood.
Competing in Fiction Competitions
Now that you’re aware of your options, there are a few things to know before you’re ready to compete.
Finding Fiction Competitions
There’s almost always a fiction competition running in the Brotherhood – you just have to know where to find them!
Competitions Page
The competitions page on the Dark Jedi Brotherhood website lists every competition currently running, as well as upcoming and finished competitions. You’ll find this page under the Main drop down menu on the website.
The default page lists all currently running, short-duration competitions that are relevant to you, including the title, status, running time, target audience (entire DJB or specific units), organizer and type of each competition. Be sure to check under the Long-running/Series tab, as well! If there are a number of competitions running at once, you can quickly filter the list by clicking the filter icon in the top right. To search for fiction competitions, select the checkboxes under Limit Competition Type. For our purposes, those would be Fiction, Poetry, Run-on and/or ACC.
Once you’ve found a competition you might like, click on the competition’s name, read over the prompt and instructions, and click the Subscribe button at the bottom. This will let the organizer know you’re interested in competing and add the competition to your Administration page to help you remember to submit before the deadline.
In addition to finding fiction competitions in which you’d like to compete, you can use this tool to view completed competitions from the Finished tab. This can be helpful to see how similar competitions have been run, and it also gives you a chance to view the entries of members who elected to make them public. To view all competitions, including those in which you could not compete because they were specific to another unit, click the green person icon next to the filter.
News Page and Reports
Even if you’re not actively searching for fiction competitions on the competitions page, you’ll often find them announced on the homepage of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood website. These announcements are typically included in unit reports from your Clan, House or Battleteam, or they may be announced by a Council member if they are larger, Brotherhood-wide events.
You’ll also likely receive unit reports (or links to the unit reports) via email, so be sure to read those for updates and competition announcements.
Fiction Chat
Another great place to hear about upcoming or current fiction competitions is in the #fiction-chat on our Discord server! If you’re unfamiliar with Discord, check out our Discord course. If you’re already on Discord, you can find the #fiction-chat under the General/Society Chats category.
ACC
Even if there’s no formal fiction competitions running, you can always count on the ACC to provide an outlet for your creative energy. Once you’ve created an approved character sheet, visit the ACC from the Main menu of the website. From there, you’ll see a secondary ACC menu. Click Battles, then select Challenge if you’d like to challenge a specific member or Open Challenge if you’re open to dueling anyone.
For direct and open challenges, you will be presented with various options for your battle, including things like dueling hall, match venue, post count, etc. For more detail on these options, see the ACC Guide.
Character Sheets & Snapshots
Many fiction competitions will require you to attach a snapshot of your character sheet and loadout to your submission. If you’ve not yet created a character sheet and loadout, it’s a good idea to take this step first. Most grading rubrics include how well you adhere to your character sheet, so having a firm grasp on that before you begin writing will help!
The Shadow Academy offers two courses to walk you through building character sheets, loadouts and snapshots for these types of competitions:
Character Sheets 101: Introduction – Learn to build your character sheet, including your character’s species, physical description, personality, skills and Force powers (if applicable).
Character Sheets 102: Possessions & Loadouts – This course will teach you how to earn credits to buy possessions and create various “loadouts” of equipment like weapons, armor, accessories, droids, companions, etc. You’ll also learn how to create snapshots that save your character sheet and loadout as an easy-to-use reference for graders and ACC matches.
Once you have your character sheet and loadout, attaching them to your submission can be as easy as checking a box! After you’ve subscribed to a competition and attached your submission, you’ll see a Snapshots section below in the submission text box. Just check the box next to the name of the loadout you referenced to write your story.
Co-op fiction and run-ons will require you to provide a link to your snapshot. This process is explained in detail in Character Sheets 102, but once you have your snapshot created, all you need to do is go to your Administration page, select Possessions & Loadouts from the Characters menu, select the Snapshots tab, click the link of the Snapshot you wish to use for the story, then copy and paste the URL into your document. If you’re writing in a Discord thread, simply run the /rp snapshot command from your run-on’s [OOC] thread and select the loadout you want to use.
Grading Criteria
Every competition in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood will include rules to qualify for participation in the competition which you should read carefully! They will also include guidance on how the entries will be graded for placement. These rules and grading criteria can vary by competition, but most fiction competitions have standard rubrics that are used by many organizers.
If you’re looking to compete or just improve your writing, it’s a good idea to become familiar with the rubrics typically used for grading, so we’ve included them here.
Submitting Your Work
For stories, poetry and co-op fiction, you’ll return to the competition page to submit your work. If you subscribed earlier, you’ll find a link on your Administration page. If not, just look it up again on the Competitions page.
The competition page will provide you the option of uploading a file and/or using the submission box to copy and paste your entry. You may also use the submission box to provide additional notes to the grader or a link to a Google Doc, if allowed. In the case of a Co-op Fiction, typically only one member of the team will submit the entry – usually as a “clean” PDF as well as a link to the collaborative Google Doc to show member contributions. The competition organizer will manually add all team members, so you’ll be counted and graded together.
The preferred submission format for fiction entries is PDF, but if the organizer allows, you can also upload other text formats. Double check the competition instructions for details on accepted file formats before you submit.
Tip! If you need to quickly create a PDF, paste your entry into a Google Doc and click File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf).
Click the Browse button to select your file or just drag and drop it into the box. If required, select the name of the loadout you’d like to use, use the checkbox to control whether you want to allow all members to view your submission after it's been graded (a personal choice with a discretion caveat – see below), and click create submission!
A Note On Discretion
Because the Dark Jedi Brotherhood is a club that includes minors, it has adopted a website content policy designed to keep the rights and protections of those members in mind. As such, you are free to write on mature subjects, but we ask that if the content could be considered above the “PG-13” level, that you opt to not publish your submission. To do that, simply uncheck the Visibility checkbox.
Because your submission will still be viewed by the competition organizer, it is also courtesy to use the submission box text field to warn the organizer about any content in your submission that could be objectionable, inappropriate or triggering.
Run-on Submissions
Run-ons are not submitted through the website in the way that normal competitions are. Typically, the instructions for a run-on will ask participants to use a pair of threads in the #rp-lobby created by the competition organizer. These threads will include a [OOC] thread for out-of-character discussion and planning, as well as snapshots of your characters; There will also be a [IC] thread for the in-character posts that make up the run-on. To participate, you only need to post to the [OOC] thread per the rules outlined in the competition. If you’ve met the minimum number of minimum for participation, you’ll be manually added to the list of participants by the competition organizer.
Rewards for Fiction Competitions
Rewards for fiction competitions include more than just the competition medals associated with placement in any competition. You will also earn a Cluster of Ice for every 500 words you write – word counts get banked across competitions until they reach the award level, and some major competitions even award bonus Clusters. Competing in fiction competitions will also help you climb the ranks of the Inquisitorius society and check off some requirements toward Journeyman promotions!
Check out the links below for more details on how each of these rewards are earned.
Resources for Writers
Finally, we’ve compiled a small list of resources that may help you write your stories, both in craft and in the context of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood universe.
Writing Department – This Shadow Academy department has courses designed to help you improve your writing and storytelling, with more to come.
DJB Wiki – The DJB Wiki is a great resource to search for information on the Brotherhood’s fictional characters, locations, ships and more.
Fiction Center – Visit the Fiction Center to get caught up on the current story arc of the Brotherhood, explore previous storylines and learn about important factions and characters.
Star Wars Terminology – Star Wars has its own unique language that can be fun to include in your stories. Get inspired with these lists of in-universe slang terms, substances, technology, creatures and foodstuffs. If that’s not enough, Wookieepedia’s List of Star Wars equivalents to real-world objects and List of phrases and slang are extremely comprehensive.
Next Steps
After you complete the exam, put your knowledge to use and participate in a fiction competition! If you haven’t yet created a character sheet, start here to learn how.
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