The Spirit Of Disaster (Competition 2012)

[rasburn]

Fairy tales of innocent children
I've already reviewed this, but after reading through this thread I remembered another thing. I still think it's great,
but one thing that was just a slight bit off-putting was that Dani used a bit more formal language than I'd expect from a child.
Just a minor remark though.

The Day I Died
Wow, this was short. Also, interesting. The introduction was pretty standard, but I really liked the turn of events. It was all so sudden.
Compare this to the other entries where the introduction of the plot can be even longer than this entire entry. I didn't actually expect the character to die
when I read the entry of this name in the list. Though the entry was brief, I think it did well enough to define the characters. What did I feel? Most of
all, a positive surprise from the cleverness of the entry.

The visual flash effects were nice, but technical level was pretty average. One thing that annoyed me mildly was that I had to push space to read "I'm going to die"
so many times.

On the whole, I liked it. How to say this... Because it's so short, I wouldn't say it's one of the best few entries.
But, I would say that in it's brevity it is excellent. If that makes sense.

Oh, and also: I found it weird that the "happy" music was playing when the MC was startled by the spirit after the break-and-enter.

[rasburn]

The Face of Tragedy
The first impression I had when playing this was that I thought it was weird that the sad/serious music was playing so much in the beginning
(when the MC should rather be idle/surprised). The next thing I noticed was that the use of the prompt was pretty standard, and I felt I had read this before.
However, after that things got a bit more interesting. I think the spirit was one of the more interesing of the entries I've read so far. She seems
to have a personality and she's pretty reserved at first (though not rude). She's a bit of a cynic, something which can be changed a bit in some of the endings,
and then there are the endings that make things worse.

Ah yes, the endings. Definitely one of the strengths of this entry. There is a good mix of good and bad endings, and they are reasonably predictable from the actions.
The endings also tell slightly different sides of the story, and affect the spirit in different but interesting ways.

All in all the entry was average but enjoyable, and well-executed.

[Sapphi]

Disaster Reborn
I'm not sure how to feel about this one.
I liked that the protagonist is not a high-school or college student.
However... it seems as though it was written in such a way as to make use of nearly every single background in the folder, which makes it seem like some elements of the story were thrown in simply to justify the use of resources.

For example, a point is made to narrate about the origins of the burned-up Women's College ("College"? Wasn't it more like a dorm?) and the fact that lots of girls died in a fire that happened in the 1950s. I thought to myself, "Since the story went out of its way to narrate this to me, this is surely going to affect the plot. The spirit will probably turn out to be a girl who died in the fire." But that didn't happen. Regina had held the Spirit of Disaster position for 187 years, so if she was the one who caused the fire, that would make sense, but that was never mentioned, either. So what was the point of the fire?

And continuing on that note... why was there a random robber in the woods? I could see it happening in a dark alley, but in the woods? What does he do, just hide out in the forest at night like some kind of Dark Robin Hood waiting for helpless women to wander into his clutches?

The story even makes it a point to tell me that she's armed and is conscious of that fact before she goes into the forest, but once he gets his hands on her, she forgets all about it... (BTW, it's spelled "mace" )

Since this comes right after the mace comment, I have to comment on it:

This is a story being told from the first person point of view. There is no "in retrospect" in the first person point of view! If you want the narrator to reflect on the story as it's told to us, you need to write it in the third person.
EDIT: I wrote the wrong thing. I meant present and past tense, not first and third person

Then...

What! Who would want to go to bed rather than going to investigate a fallen UFO?! I can get behind the idea that the protagonist is severely overworked and sleep-deprived, but for me to believe she would just wave off the crash of a space object in favor of going to bed... you would really have to play up her weariness. Otherwise she sounds like one of the most boring, unadventurous people on the face of the earth.

The ending was not a complete shock to me, but I'm having trouble comprehending the rules that are governing the world of this story. Regina claims that since she's overstayed her term, she's losing her ability to control disasters. But given the classroom scene and the scene on the street, it seems that she's perfectly able to control them. I'm also a little confused as to what "controlling disasters" actually entails... does it mean causing them or stopping them?

Overall, this was an entry that, in technical terms, was not badly written although it suffered from some editing errors and the occasional hiccup in word choice ("absently" instead of "absentmindedly", for instance). However, the story itself was pretty thin. It was composed mostly of "things happening" but failed to really draw me in with any strong characterization or lasting meaning. The choices at the end only served to weaken it, IMO, especially since they didn't differ much from each other.

I like the idea of a position in the spirit world for keeping tabs on disasters, and I like the idea of there having to be a successor. But I want to know more about what that position is like. How does it feel to have that position? Is it rewarding? Frustrating? Heartbreaking? What would it be like? If I had personally written this story, I would have dropped the bomb in the very beginning, and had Regina spend the rest of the story instructing Cassandra on how to fulfill the requirements of the position as well as discussing her personal experiences with the job, because I feel like it ended as soon as it started getting interesting.

[junna]

Fragile

Synopsis: You play as Tom who is trying to try and date Alice. Runs into trouble with Scott, his old middle school friend. Then things spiral pretty much out of control from there.

How well is the story fleshed out? Do you have a clear sense of the setting and characters? How was that accomplished? (Specifics are good here!)
I felt like there are holes in some plots (Alice is missing and nothing actually happened to her anyway since she just voicemailed me...and Tom was just being an emo brat? ughh. and yes, I'm thinking of each branch as separate storylines, he's not a killer in that branch just a depressed, introverted, emo guy) while there are just too quick of resolution in others (Tom suddenly realises he's been tricking himself into believing Kat and now he's a killer? and it was cry for help? but he killed his mum anyway? err...umm...nah, was an abrupt end for me). To me, this story could have delivered a bigger impact if it's straight KN with foreshadowing and intentions to put Tom as a killer. Tom? From my preliminary insight based on this story, he's a psychopath and somewhat depressed. The setting is slightly weird, maybe because I think Tom was a bit childish as a Uni student but then I'm a final year student whereas if I do some guiding thing for first years...they are really children in large skins.

What sticks in your mind? What affects your emotions? Why and how?
Emo, psychopath, depressed, introverted which hardly fits the profile of a serial killer who people don't realize is a serial killer (since he would be the first person people think about, the 'strange one'). It reads like a documentary in Discovery Crime and Investigation's "Most Evil" for 'Crime of Passion'. Nahh, he'd be a killer but not really because he's psychologically inclined to.
It was interesting but...I've had a better experience with "Who are you?" right before this VN. So, nah. Oh yeah...psychologically speaking, psychopaths are relatively more calm and calculated. He would not have turned into out of control serial killer. Because serial killers are a) above average intelligence b) so bloody calm, collected and plans everything. Tom was passionate.

Characters: Tom, Alice and Scott. Not really high impact characters. I felt Alice is rather bland.

Technical presentations: MUSIC TRANSITIONS could be done better. Maybe add a fadein/out affect? and you do know you could actually lower the volume of you game from the script itself? That way, overly loud music like 'Little Swing' and 'Romance' is not too...jarring when they transition in and out.
Otherwise, just the average use of technicality.

Limitations: It did not hold my attention too long. But it made me think of all the psychology books I had to read and psychoanalyse everything he did. So sue me.

How well does the author make use of the limitations they were presented with in this competition - the prompt, the limited resources, etc?
Average in all counts for presentation. But it was a good idea/concept.

Themes: Kill or die?

Uniqueness: Spirit of disaster is....a figment of his own imagination.

Overall: I find the story stimulating. But not in the way the author probably intended to. lol.

[Daggio]

wow, only about 7 hours and it's 3 more pages? It's nice to see the discussion is going actively

I think people can guess who wrote what as long as they keep it to themself. Yeah, I know maybe we can reveal which is ours when the discussion ends and the winner's announced. I think people can guess which entry is mine if they read this thread from start to end, the clues are there!!

*ahem*

Disaster Reborn

For example, a point is made to narrate about the origins of the burned-up Women's College ("College"? Wasn't it more like a dorm?) and the fact that lots of girls died in a fire that happened in the 1950s. I thought to myself, "Since the story went out of its way to narrate this to me, this is surely going to affect the plot. The spirit will probably turn out to be a girl who died in the fire." But that didn't happen. Regina had held the Spirit of Disaster position for 187 years, so if she was the one who caused the fire, that would make sense, but that was never mentioned, either. So what was the point of the fire?

true, the point of the fire in the past and at the time the story took place never made clear. I was hoping for more dramatization about the fire but that didn't happen. It's disappointing because, at first, the story seems to revolved around the fire.

The ending was not a complete shock to me, but I'm having trouble comprehending the rules that are governing the world of this story. Regina claims that since she's overstayed her term, she's losing her ability to control disasters. But given the classroom scene and the scene on the street, it seems that she's perfectly able to control them. I'm also a little confused as to what "controlling disasters" actually entails... does it mean causing them or stopping them?

I think she couldn't control her powers. Like, what happened in the woods, she tried to only stop the firefighter but she ended up nearly killed him. In the classroom she caused panic instead of having fun with the wind. On the street she tried to stop just one car, but ended up caused traffic accident to a lot more cars. So I get the impression that she can't control herself.

[lordshadowisle]

Disaster Reborn

What It Is:
The MC chances upon a spirit of disaster after a bad day. The spirit is invisible to everyone but the MC, and has control over disasters. The spirit's interference worsens the MC's day. Eventually, it is revealed that the spirit's tenure is over and needs the MC as a replacement, for the greater good.

What Is Good:
I found the ending to be a surprise. In hindsight, it is compatible with the spirit's behavior. The spirit, though in general having a negative impact on the MC's life, never appeared to be malicious. Well-meaning, though incompetent, possibly through a combination of loss of powers and her relative youth (at point of death). Fridge brilliance, perhaps?
The writing was in general smooth, nothing much stood out that really interrupted the flow of the story.

What Is Bad:
The spirit doesn't actually communicate that she needs a successor until the very end. Does she have her priorities right? As mentioned by Sappi a few posts up, I would have thought that Regina would have spent time smoothing the transition, or demonstrating the moral consequences of her power. As it is, it is too abrupt.
Story-wise, the appearance of the robber just near the old college building is too much of a coincidence.

Nitpicks:
Title gives the ending away (I was surprised by the ending only because I forgot the story title).
The cropped off head is probably to hide the cat ears, but it is distracting.
Some of the final ending options don't really have any effect.

Final Thoughts:
Disaster Reborn is a decent piece of work. I felt that the story had more potential to be fleshed out; possibly in future editions?

[lordshadowisle]

This is a story being told from the first person point of view. There is no "in retrospect" in the first person point of view! If you want the narrator to reflect on the story as it's told to us, you need to write it in the third person.

Why not? Things are said in hindsight. Still, given that it's said immediately after, it does weaken it a bit.

The ending was not a complete shock to me, but I'm having trouble comprehending the rules that are governing the world of this story. Regina claims that since she's overstayed her term, she's losing her ability to control disasters. But given the classroom scene and the scene on the street, it seems that she's perfectly able to control them. I'm also a little confused as to what "controlling disasters" actually entails... does it mean causing them or stopping them?

A fair point. I don't think she has the ability to stop disasters, but it's not really the ability to cause them either. It felt more like the ability to influence or redirect the (inevitable) disasters. This needs to be clarified or fleshed out.

I like the idea of a position in the spirit world for keeping tabs on disasters, and I like the idea of there having to be a successor. But I want to know more about what that position is like. How does it feel to have that position? Is it rewarding? Frustrating? Heartbreaking? What would it be like? If I had personally written this story, I would have dropped the bomb in the very beginning, and had Regina spend the rest of the story instructing Cassandra on how to fulfill the requirements of the position as well as discussing her personal experiences with the job, because I feel like it ended as soon as it started getting interesting.

As mentioned in my review, I agree with you.

For example, a point is made to narrate about the origins of the burned-up Women's College ("College"? Wasn't it more like a dorm?) and the fact that lots of girls died in a fire that happened in the 1950s. I thought to myself, "Since the story went out of its way to narrate this to me, this is surely going to affect the plot. The spirit will probably turn out to be a girl who died in the fire." But that didn't happen. Regina had held the Spirit of Disaster position for 187 years, so if she was the one who caused the fire, that would make sense, but that was never mentioned, either. So what was the point of the fire?

true, the point of the fire in the past and at the time the story took place never made clear. I was hoping for more dramatization about the fire but that didn't happen. It's disappointing because, at first, the story seems to revolved around the fire.

I think it's very good to NOT have the spirit be a girl who died in the fire. That's the obvious link, and too predictable. I agree that there's a missed opportunity for the story here; the fire could have been caused by the spirit, or failed to be stopped/redirected by the spirit, and this could have served to demonstrate the responsibilities of the job or regrets of the spirit.

[OokamiKasumi]

Lonely Spirit

What I really liked about this entry is that despite the 'cute' sprite, this creator dove straight into a horror plot. Something else I found impressive was the way the creator used somewhat subliminal text to convey the feelings the main character was being bombarded by. Also, this entry was done entirely in nvl mode, which I found rather refreshing. However, I strongly feel that there could have been far more use of nvl clear after a few of the paragraphs. In particular, before background changes.

Unfortunately, this is also one of those where the MC happily takes the spirit home with them for no apparent reason, and quite casually invites her to stay as long as she likes because she's 'cute'. Seriously, does anyone actually do this; invite total strangers --bizarre total strangers-- into their homes just because they're attractive?

To my surprise, Lonely Spirit turned out to be a 'Power of Love' story. Unfortunately, it wrapped up far too quickly. Instead of giving out clues to suggest that something else was going on beyond the spirit's 'evil power', so to speak, and allowing me (the player,) to figure out that the bad things happening around the two of them might not actually be the spirit's fault, it simply info-dumped that there was a whole second plot going on behind the scenes.

And that, is a crying shame because this entry had enormous potential to be a supernatural mystery; an utterly fascinating supernatural mystery, instead of merely a supernatural romance.

Truthfully, though, I strongly suspect that the tight word-count limit might be the culprit behind the truncated ending.

I sincerely hope the creator remakes this one and uses all that potential to turn it into the supernatural mystery it should have been to begin with.

[Sapphi]

This is a story being told from the first person point of view. There is no "in retrospect" in the first person point of view! If you want the narrator to reflect on the story as it's told to us, you need to write it in the third person.

Why not? Things are said in hindsight. Still, given that it's said immediately after, it does weaken it a bit.

Oh boy, I completely screwed up, lol! I didn't mean "persons" but "tenses"! I wasn't thinking when I wrote that comment. (In my mind, I equate "present tense" with "first person" because you rarely see present tense used with third person) So yes, you can write "in retrospect" in 1st person POV. I'm so sorry I'll try to explain what I really meant.

"I feel for the can of mace in my bag and urge myself forward. In retrospect, I can't believe I compromised my survival instincts so easily."

The problem with this writing is that so far, we have been following the present tense in which nothing bad has happened yet, and before that bad thing happens, the narrator cuts in to give us her view, in retrospect, on how she should have been more careful. But that means she is looking back on something that hasn't happened yet. It would be different if the story was written in the past tense, because then it would read:

"I felt for the can of mace in my bag and urged myself forward. In retrospect, I can't believe I compromised my survival instincts so easily."

In this case she would be presently relating a PAST story to you, so she would be able to give you her view on her actions in retrospect.

Of course, we can remember that even in a story told in the present tense, flashbacks are possible and so the narrator who is telling everything in the present tense can think retrospectively about the events in the flashback, like so:

"I go to the bakery every day, but they never have the kind of bread I want. Never! When I was a child, I used to think that bakeries were required by the Caesar to bake every kind of bread that existed in the world. In retrospect, that was a ridiculous belief, but if you ask me, Rome would be a better place if it were true."

Hopefully I explained it properly this time

For example, a point is made to narrate about the origins of the burned-up Women's College ("College"? Wasn't it more like a dorm?) and the fact that lots of girls died in a fire that happened in the 1950s. I thought to myself, "Since the story went out of its way to narrate this to me, this is surely going to affect the plot. The spirit will probably turn out to be a girl who died in the fire." But that didn't happen. Regina had held the Spirit of Disaster position for 187 years, so if she was the one who caused the fire, that would make sense, but that was never mentioned, either. So what was the point of the fire?

I think it's very good to NOT have the spirit be a girl who died in the fire. That's the obvious link, and too predictable. I agree that there's a missed opportunity for the story here; the fire could have been caused by the spirit, or failed to be stopped/redirected by the spirit, and this could have served to demonstrate the responsibilities of the job or regrets of the spirit.

I agree that it is predictable, but being predictable is not necessarily bad. I guess this is where genre comes into play... if you write thriller or mystery stories, for example, predictability is something you want to avoid, because it makes the story less exciting. But other kinds of writing depend less on the unpredictability of the plot and more on the characters and message of the story. In these stories, the importance of twists and turns become secondary, and even after you know the ending, they are still enjoyable to read again and again. Most animated Disney films, for example, have very predictable plots, but they are still enjoyable to watch because of their high focus on character and moral lessons.

I'll admit I have a huge bias toward the latter category that dulls my enjoyment of the former. I like for there to be a lasting idea or a transcendent point to stories; thriller stories are all about goosebumps and adrenalin. While reviewing I should probably remind myself that not everybody is aiming to write the kind of stories I like best.

[Anarchy]

For example, a point is made to narrate about the origins of the burned-up Women's College ("College"? Wasn't it more like a dorm?) and the fact that lots of girls died in a fire that happened in the 1950s. I thought to myself, "Since the story went out of its way to narrate this to me, this is surely going to affect the plot. The spirit will probably turn out to be a girl who died in the fire." But that didn't happen. Regina had held the Spirit of Disaster position for 187 years, so if she was the one who caused the fire, that would make sense, but that was never mentioned, either. So what was the point of the fire?

I think it's very good to NOT have the spirit be a girl who died in the fire. That's the obvious link, and too predictable. I agree that there's a missed opportunity for the story here; the fire could have been caused by the spirit, or failed to be stopped/redirected by the spirit, and this could have served to demonstrate the responsibilities of the job or regrets of the spirit.

I agree that it is predictable, but being predictable is not necessarily bad. I guess this is where genre comes into play... if you write thriller or mystery stories, for example, predictability is something you want to avoid, because it makes the story less exciting. But other kinds of writing depend less on the unpredictability of the plot and more on the characters and message of the story. In these stories, the importance of twists and turns become secondary, and even after you know the ending, they are still enjoyable to read again and again. Most animated Disney films, for example, have very predictable plots, but they are still enjoyable to watch because of their high focus on character and moral lessons.

I'll admit I have a huge bias toward the latter category that dulls my enjoyment of the former. I like for there to be a lasting idea or a transcendent point to stories; thriller stories are all about goosebumps and adrenalin. While reviewing I should probably remind myself that not everybody is aiming to write the kind of stories I like best.

Eh, I think your point still stands even without taking your personal taste into account. The story put a lot of energy into describing the fire and what happened there - and then the whole thing was completely ignored later. That's just bad storytelling, to be honest. Every single element in a story needs to have a specific function, whether it be evoking emotion or setting up for a later plot development or whatever, but the whole story about the fire... what purpose did it serve? To add some background details? But why would that be necessary? It just seems out of place when you look at the story as a whole. It should either be cut completely or modified to tie in more with the story.

As for this entry in general, I thought it was one of the better-written entries, at least from a technical standpoint. Didn't do anything too original or interesting - having a more grounded, mature protagonist doesn't automatically make a VN special, really. The tense goof was cringe-inducing though, as was "mase".

[lordshadowisle]

The tense goof was cringe-inducing though, as was "mase".

It could have been a pirated knockoff .

[junna]

The Day I Died

Synopsis: You play as umm...someone I'm not sure male or female but yeah who meets a spirit who tries to hold back the day you die. Reminds me of "Accuracy of Death" - Japanese Drama - Main actor: Takeshi Kaneshiro.
Then...you die

How well is the story fleshed out? Do you have a clear sense of the setting and characters? How was that accomplished? (Specifics are good here!)
It's a story which has been used before but...I felt like the author could have added a bit more personality into the story. But that's just me.

What sticks in your mind? What affects your emotions? Why and how?
It was over a bit too soon for me. TT_TT I wanted it to be a bit longer. I was annoyed with the "I'm going to die!" part. I felt like it was story padding to get through the minimum 1000 words but then I though back about it, I just thought...nah, must be author's way of freaking out.

Characters: Me...I guess and Spirit.

Technical presentations: An NVL! Yay. But as someone who personally goes through VNs using the Auto-read function (and I just go nuts when there isn't an autoread. TT_TT) I felt like the writer could have done a better job if she paced her story and only make the click-to-continue function at the ends of a whole NVL page. And I maybe used variable text speeds to convey emotion?

Limitations: So much clicking... other than that, I'm fine.

How well does the author make use of the limitations they were presented with in this competition - the prompt, the limited resources, etc?
Average in all counts for presentation.

Themes: I'll be dying.

Uniqueness: It's short.

Overall: I find the story unsatisfactory. Although it was a really good idea. But I'm just feeling soo...unsatisfied.

Others: AGHH! SO much DYING! I'll come back to reviewing in 5 days. Til then, I'll be babysitting and enjoying singing Elmo's World and other kiddy songs with my dear 1 year old kid (well not mine, but I think of her as mine). See you guys, Friday.

[Daggio]

because fragile seems to be kinda long story, I wanna review while it's still sunday. Live commentary coming up!

Fragile

Rating at the beginning? that's something new

Okay, another entry with a college student as protagonist

Unrequited crush, reminds me of someone I know... which is myself actually .___.

DON'T SLOW DOWN! IF YOU DO YOU'LL MISS YOUR CHANCE! BELIEVE ME!

Using coffee as an idea to ask her, nice move buddy!

There's a thing called tuna salad? Isn't the idea of salad is to serve it meat-free?

hohoho, that's a nice date.

Good morning in the middle of the night? Seems like another clumsy spirit

The first thing he asked is what is she doing in the middle of the night? Why don't he ask something more important, like THE EARS, doesn't he find that odd?

Okay Kat, what I can tell from your clothes is that you're from Japan, other than that? Nothing else.

What do you mean you worried about Tom? I don't like the sound if this.... the music I mean, tells me something bad is gonna happen.

The MC asks Alice again, and she accepts again. Great!

Em... the movie probably about some people trying to make a VN in less than a month

a movie for sexually frustrated teenager? what kinda movie is that? masturbation?

Kat is talking about negative energy again, the MC doesn't seem like a pessimist or a jerk or anything negative though, I wonder what caused the negative energy? (besides the movie, of course)

oh, now she starts to sound like a pessimist

oh, she'll talk to you again. She's just upset about the movie, not you

what do you mean "What's up?", Scott? you're the one who recommend that masturbation movie! And no, Scott, I'm not gonna thank you!

so there was a gangbang ninjas scene in the shower? seriously?

okay... the negativity is getting worse

don't just walk out like that, he's trying to apologize

oh crap, more reason to be negative

Don't leave you idiot! confront them! if he really was trying to steal Alice from you, you can at least punch him in the face!

okay, he's not so negative again

Why do I get the feeling that what Alice wants to talk about Scott is not what Tom thought the subject is about?

okay, Scott's missing. I knew it wasn't like what Tom thought it'd be!

no, it's not Alice's fault. It's YOUR fault Tom, for jumping to conclusion.

what do you mean "problem taken care of", Kat?

wait... it wasn't Kat who did it?

okay, I got ending 4

okay, it's pretty much a disturbing story, the message at the beginning didn't lie. I didn't thought the story would turn up to be like that, the ending was so unpredictable and made me want to throw up as well. The story is carried out in a nice way, I enjoy reading it, like a smooth sailing (okay, I never sail, but I thought the metaphor helps my explanation)

This is the second story that has the spirit of disaster as a hallucination of the MC, but unlike It's your fault, this time the MC created her unknowingly, where as in It's your fault the MC created her on purpose. One thing I'm wondering is that... when did the murder take place? Because the MC's activity doesn't leave holes for his second personality to take over and do it without him noticing, it's only in the ending that it's implied implicitly that the MC has holes in his memory, about something he (or rather, his second personality) did.

It's a really nice story, but I don't think I want to read it again...at least for a short time

[papillon]

There's a thing called tuna salad? Isn't the idea of salad is to serve it meat-free?

Quite a lot of salad includes meat, even the "mostly leaves and vegetables" kind of salad often has bits of chicken or bacon added to it. "Salad" is a complicated word which seems to end up being used in many cases just for "a lot of things mixed together" (like "word salad"). Wikipedia says the definition is anything which STARTS with raw vegetables mixed with sauce and has at least three ingredients.

In any case, in American/English cuisine you will still commonly find some things that don't look like a pile of vegetables at all:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_salad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuna_salad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_salad

Completely unimportant, but food culture variation around the world interests me.

[junna]

There's a thing called tuna salad? Isn't the idea of salad is to serve it meat-free?

Quite a lot of salad includes meat, even the "mostly leaves and vegetables" kind of salad often has bits of chicken or bacon added to it. "Salad" is a complicated word which seems to end up being used in many cases just for "a lot of things mixed together" (like "word salad"). Wikipedia says the definition is anything which STARTS with raw vegetables mixed with sauce and has at least three ingredients.

In any case, in American/English cuisine you will still commonly find some things that don't look like a pile of vegetables at all:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_salad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuna_salad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_salad

Completely unimportant, but food culture variation around the world interests me.

variation of salad includes some are spicy and some has soy sauce or fermented things used as a salad dressing since oil and salt and lemon is just unheard of. I actually like to drizzle sweet chilli sauce over my salads. >__< hehehehe