Usually, when I see a pet in news who won the spotlight, I can guess what the story is about before clicking. This is bad, because yeah, some themes are more "desirable" and popular.

There are a lot of 1st degree wins, and I know a lot of people with more inventive ideas pretty much gave up on the spotlight.

Why is it always coffee shops? Predictable heterosexual love stories? Cute little girls with no problems in the world? Maybe it's just me, but there's a lot of repeated themes used often, and it's a bit of a turnoff when none of my pets really fit the popular winning molds. :/

Pets aren't allowed to win if their story is too "dark". Even if its allowed on Subeta, the Spotlight has different rules for what's okay to win. When the Spotlight first came out I had a pet rejected for that. Its probably a factor in why so many cookie cutter pets win.

The sad part about the spotlight is how it discourages diversity, not only the themes but also the styles. And the causes are not only the official rules, but also the reaction/feedback from the general public. It is kind of an unavoidable destiny for contests that largely depend on very subjective judgement. Over time, a certain norm and "unwritten law" will be established and followed.

I stopped participating in the spotlight after I realized how it was forcing me to change my style. I was worried that if my story was too long, if I needed to buy art, or if my characters were too dark. I'm not saying that my style is the worthy or good one, but it is my style after all. It's wonderful that a part of the subeta users will fit right into the spotlight culture without any problems. But some of us will have to give it up altogether to enjoy working on pets again.

This is why I hated the way the Subeta Spotlight works from the start. Its too rigid and narrow. I always preferred the Neopets model, where anyone could win. As long as you put in the effort to write a story and draw a piece of art, you'd eventually win. You didn't even have to be good!

I don't write stories anymore. I don't order art most of the time. Generally I just do a big, huge, amazing TC and a relatively simple profile. If I cared about the Spotlight I doubt I'd ever win because my style doesn't fit the super strict guidelines.

I could have sworn that was how the spotlight was suppose to be when it was first debuted? I don't remember the first few pets being so cookie cutter like what is spit out now for winners. Though I do have a bad memory over things like that. Then some got to complaining right away, "Why did this pet win? There's no story/art/whatever." Then the rules started to get stricter. It was like a scramble to get the rules up after the fact and suddenly every pet had to have award winning writing, art, and coding. I know I was excited for it and it actually helped me get over my fear of putting up my writings for my pets. Now days, no. I've actually taken a couple of pet stories down.

Oh man. As I'm thinking back, my pet Paper Witch has been in and out of the spotlight queue ever since it was started. Each time it was kicked out had nothing to do with the pet, it was because staff cleared the queue. Except for the last time it was kicked out because of coding issues with something onsite screwing up the profile. My friend nominated it like a couple of days after the spotlight went live. And look where I am today. I forgot to disable nomination when I changed the profile up so it's back in the queue. lmao And as I've posted before, Princess Butterball was in the queue for months before the spotlight went to three days a week.

The whole "too dark for subeta/spotlight" is the main reason I've been debating with myself over completely changing Ah-Dol. Maybe I'll just change him and all my pets into the cookie cutter baker type pet. ;) Though I have no idea what I'd do with all his minions. I'm in no hurry as he'll never be up for the spotlight. I'm not really motivated to work on my pets anymore. Not to do much with the spotlight reasons but other reasons.

I will not deny that I am a Spotlight supporter and have been for awhile. When the last major change occurred to the rules, I was pretty ticked and did NOT like it. However, I've grown to understand some of the changes and requirements.

What bothers me is how negative people who dislike the Spotlight are towards people who make cute or adorable or coffeehouse pets. It is their bloody pet idea. I doubt anyone goes into it and says "Huh, this is a cute idea and I'm sure Subeta will LOVE it because of how cute it is." People make characters for themselves and have some attachment to them. Each and every single time the anti-Spotlighters come in you crap all over those beloved ideas because you don't feel like they're deep or worthy enough for YOUR standards. Stop trying to make people follow your expectations and start respecting every single person's choices and interests. Not everything is for you!

- Now onto why I pinged you, when I read your reply the only thing I could think is that perhaps you're reading too much into the Spotlight. You made comments about second guessing your own decisions and personal choices because it seems you worried you didn't fit into the "mold" of the Spotlight. The Spotlight is not just coffehouse and serial pets but when you're so focused on only seeing those types of pet is seems like that is all there is! Gabbo, who won last week I believe, isn't either of those types and has likely been the most well received pet on Subeta.

The Spotlight is not about fitting into some phantom cookie cutter or is it trying to change you and your styles and beliefs. It has rules because like all contests there have to be some limitations and expectations of participants. I have been basic pets win, I've seen pets where the owner has done little but create a TC, I've seen one paragraph story and massive TC win, I've seen it all, and honestly, there is not a damned thing wrong with any of them winning. The Spotlight is about showing off your creation, your idea brought to life on the pages of Subeta.

If you have to give up the Spotlight to enjoy working on your pets again, please do, but don't blame it for the reason why you stopped. There is nothing in the rules that says you have to buy art, have a graphic profile, or a limit to the number of pages you want to write. There is a rule about the nature of the content because well it is a pg-13 site and writing about sexual assault just isn't a good idea.

This is going to be blunt, but stop being scared of what others will think of you, and start thinking that if you go for the Spotlight, you do it for yourself and no one else. And if it doesn't work out, then fuck Subeta for missing out on you and your amazingness!

- Where do you get super strict guidelines? Because the only really explicit no-no on the rules is about the nature of the content. From one human being to another, I do not want to read erotica on Subeta or about graphic sexual assault. Rape can be talked about, and people do in their writing but it is a very, very tactful way. Same thing for alcohol and drugs. I've read Spotlight stories that mention these topics but they do it subtle and it is fine.

You say that Neopets requires you to draw a picture and write a story. Subeta says write a story, but nothing about how long or short it has to be and Subeta says nothing about you must draw a picture. Art is not a requirement, just that if you do it, try and make sure it looks decent. So far, Neopets is more constricting to me than Subeta but I don't play Neopets, so I don't know if that is accurate or not.

We're not against cute, or adorable, or coffeehouse pets. We're against completely cookie-cutter cute, or adorable, or coffeehouse pets, where when you see one, you are "wow, I saw this story ten or fifteen times before", where the only difference is the name of the pet and the art on the profile.

When I am to the point of "Wait, didn't that pet won already" because the story is terribly generic, the treasure chest has no personality because it's just generic cupcake, this isn't what the spotlight should reward to me. There is a degree of originality that must be respected, and I feel like the originality isn't there when I see a serial killer with a treasure chest full of knives.

I do not enjoy seeing more of the same things, with nearly identical stories, nearly identical layouts, and nearly identical treasure chests. I don't have enjoyement reading the same story, over and over, and this is something that happens a lot with pets that are either very gory, or very very happy-go-lucky. It's like seeing remakes of the same ten movies over and over again.

It's the same story of either a complete psychopath who kills for the lulz in really gory ways, or a silly cute underdog pet who manages to make their way into the baking world with their spunk and skills. The world isn't all serial killers and bakeries, and yet, it seems this is all I ever see.

, By some coffeehouse pets I can only like the layout or the overlay, but indeed those story's are too similar. The language must be very poetic if I want to read.

I mean if somebody doesn't like a kind of ganre/style than he/she could skip, stop to read. I'm absolutely not charmed on each write style, but who am I to judge about? I'll just skip. Most of the time I don't know why I like a style or not. I can also understand not everybody will like my style. It's just impossible to please everybody.

I wasn't only talking about the official rules. I mentioned the public receptions, and the norms and "unwritten laws" derived from the spotlight culture, and I think they can play a big part on how people perceive the spotlight. I didn't mean to blame it all on the spotlight itself, and I apologize if I sounded like that.

Of course, there are pets that don't fit the "mold" winning, including my own seven pets, but the percentage of these pets is shrinking over the years. And apparently, something is keeping some pet people away from the spotlight. We might all be too scared of the popular opinions on subeta, or we just don't perceive the spotlight as something meant for us anymore.

I wish everyone views the spotlight as positive as you are, then, there might be more acceptance, participation, and less drama.

- All you see is "serial killers and bakeries" because it is all you ever WANT to see. I've said this to you every single time your negativity comes into a Spotlight topic because you are so blinded by your dislike that you make everything fit into the round hole. Not every pet fits into the mold. You just keep focusing on pets that fit that mold you keep trying shoving them into.

I'll say it again:

If someone wants to write a happy pet, let them. If someone wants to write about a cannibal serial killer, let them. If someone wants to write about a bakery, let them.

It is their idea and they want to show it off. Originally comes in many forms, stop trying to take away the uniqueness of someone's idea just because it is a bakery or serial killer.

Do realize that every time you make a post about this, which there have been a few now, you essentially tell someone that their idea and character sucks? It is like you think your standard of pet originality is the only one that should exist and all pets must be judged by it. It is so bloody disheartening. I don't even have a baker or serial killer pet and it still breaks my heart. Your comments are likely just as much as deterrent of people not trying for the Spotlight because they get judged by you and your uppity standards as how bad the Spotlight is right now with the queue and need for revamp. Offer something helpful for once rather than keep calling for the Spotlight to burn because you think its only cookie cutter pets.

That's true, but I think that leads to the question of "where do we draw the line?" and the necessity for better-defined limits. I've got pets that very clearly have a taste for human blood and an absolutely vicious manner -- one, Nue Houjuu, won the spotlight awhile back -- and it's made clear how dangerous they are in their story. I've got a pet in the works that's canonically a victim of child abuse and will mention genocide in their story, although neither topic will be elaborated too deeply on. My pet in the queue right now has a succubus for a familiar, but the sexual nature of things is never made indepth; but would that alone discount her?

It's just... mmmm. The guidelines need to be fleshed out more, I think that's one thing that's holding me back.

I'm given the feeling that it'd be totally okay for multiple fanpets of the same character/source could win, as long as they're not carbon copies of each other. I wouldn't be surprised if it's happened so far -- I don't really pay attention to winners as much anymore -- and they were just different enough in presentation to work out.

and re: the debate up above:

There it is. I'm all for people making what they love, but this seems more like a staff issue than a contestant issue. It feels like these pets win so often because their concepts have won before and so can be easily approved because they fit the mold.. and the odder concepts end up taking longer to get through, or don't get through at all. That only reinforces people to adhere to tried-and-true standards even more, even if they don't want to make a baker or a serial killer or whatever, so they'll be able to actually win.

Nobody's happy with this.

I get them from the Pet Spotlight page, where the super strict rules are posted. If you don't think they're strict at all, that's fine. But I don't agree and that's perfectly okay. I find them to be excessively controlling and I don't like them as a pet person.

Subeta is a PG-13 pet site aimed at adults and teens. If you don't want to read adult stories then perhaps you shouldn't look at other peoples' pets? Sex, drugs, and rock n roll are completely allowed here. Pets with those kinds of characters are just as valid as yours, whether or not you like them. As you've said the point of Subeta pets isn't to please other people, its to make a pet that the owner likes for any reason they want.

Plenty of people aren't interested in reading sweet, frilly stories either. Its not hard to simply not read a pet's story or close the page if you're not interested in them. But its pretty disheartening if you're trying to get a more unique idea to win but keep getting rejected for a reason no one can figure out (which seems pretty common) while all the winners you see are cookie cutters. And before you get on my case about that, I have plenty of cookie cutter pets because what I care about is HUGE TCs (500-1k+) and there's only so many items. I have generic alcohol/pirate, foodie, carnival, music, and nerdy. I think the rest are slightly more unique, but they also mostly have much smaller TCs.

Neopets is not more controlling, not by a long shot. You don't need to have a fancy profile and fancy art and a fancy story. Anyone on Neopets will win if they put in the effort themselves, no matter how "bad" the final product. But on Subeta your pet must be "good", as decided by some judges who don't provide any feedback about what's "wrong" with your pet. Even the tiniest error will get your Subeta pet kicked out but that is not the case on Neo. (Or at least it wasn't. I can't say what its like now since Jumpstart is killing the site. But I'm specifically talking about the Viacom run Spotlight that I adored.)

Why did this turn into players bickering at each other? :/

rock and roll doesn't have any rules about it, so that one is completely allowed here.

Huh. I guess those rules aren't enforced very well then. I've seen a lot of drugs and hacking on pet profiles.

Yeah that's a completely different story. Inconsistent enforcement. But the rules are there and we are pg-13, not R. We can't support anything we want willynilly, there have to be some boundaries.

Yeah, I know there's boundaries. I'd never expect like, a graphic description of someone doing drugs to be alright. But I've seen quite a few not-at-all subtle addict pets. It would be nice to have that either enforced or clarified so we're not left even more confused.

Yeah I know what you mean. I talked to who was supposed to have a meeting about certain rules awhile, so maybe I can talk to her about it. The rules really should be clear and enforced the same way every time.

Well as someone who owns multiple questionable pets just on name alone (Sperm, Masturbate, Condom) but also maybe pushing pg-13 (Minion). I can state that it is possible to get everything under pg-13. Although Masturbate is gonna be put up for approval prior to anything being put up live because it is damn hard to not cross a line. Sperm who won, has a story about bullying but I still made some jokes in it. If you think it is questionable have someone else read it prior to putting it up. Also it doesn't have to be subtle it just can't be explicit in detail.

Regardless of the nuances of the "too dark for Pet Spotlight" rules, I still don't get why disallowed-for-Spotlight stuff is even allowed on Subeta at all. It just doesn't make sense. If a pet is not allowed to "represent Subeta" because of the content of their profile, why allow them at all? Anyone can still find that pet and have it "represent" the site for them. If the profile isn't actually against the rules then why is it so bad?

I very rarely put stories on my pet profile anymore so it doesn't really matter to me, its not like I'm trying to bend the rules or anything, but I just don't get it. Imo it would just be easier to have everything clearly defined and identical across the board.

what about pirated rock-and-roll?

Yeah, the whole "illegal activity" thing makes me wonder a lot.. is it promoting that stuff if it's illustrated in a story? All the alcoholic items on the side, as well as the hookahs and other things like that, lend making it easy to make addict pets. Does it all ride on the portrayal/is it case-by-case? Mildly concerned about the hacking thing too? So much for making that pet of my IT specialist OC that sometimes helps out her spy roomie with illegal information distribution. :')

Aaahhh, vagueness. How far is too far? How far does everything extend?