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THUNDERDOME! IT IS TIME. Go forth. And remember the rules: In the form of a Battle Hymn. Do not loving disappoint me, Domers. Do not loving dare.
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Nov 28, 2012 01:09
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 22:38 |
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 WHERE IS THE PROMPT POST IT IS RIGHT HERESince I've failed my way to the top, that means everyone who wants in on TD this week has to write stuff I like to read. You poor bastards. Title: I Don't Know You Prompt: A man comes home to find a girl there. The girl's not supposed to be there. By the end of the story, one of them will leave. They'll never see each other again. There's your scenario. Here are your stipulations! First, no other characters can exist in this story - not presently, retrospectively, speculatively, or in somebody's imagination. As far as your narrative is concerned, the world consists of these two people, in this place, at this time. Dance around this rule as much as you feel like risking, but if I see any other specific characters mentioned, even something vague like an uncle/aunt who reminds somebody of [x], I'll drop you down the memory hole. Second, and most importantly, these two people must be complete strangers to one another. That means no shared relations, friends, or God help us, long-lost et cetera. No passing glances on the street or muttered rumors pertinent to either of them prior to this date. What's more, neither of the characters can even suggest they know each other. They have nothing tying them together in any way. Everything else is up to you. Be as ambitious as you like with the details. A lot of the Thunderdome entries up to this point have been strongly concept-based, so this is the other side of the coin. What I want to see here is how you establish, develop, and terminate a connection between these two people in 1000 words or less. Light a candle in the dark, and then blow it out. Everything else comes down to the strength of your prose and whether whatever narrative skullduggery you pull/don't pull impresses me or not. Did I mention the word limit is 1000 words or less? Word Count Limit: 1000 words Signup Deadline: Saturday, December 1 11:59 EST Submission Deadline: Sunday, December 2 11:59 EST Your judges are me, The Saddest Rhino, and SurreptitiousMuffin. Incidentally, I'm both very picky and outrageously passionate about prose that meets/fails my standards, and I know you'd like to know what those standards are, but you people are strangers to me. So you'd better get to work. Participants Jeza (submitted_ Benagain (submitted) Jonked (submitted) EchoClan (failed to submit) V For Vegas (submitted) sentientcarbon (submitted) Etherwind (submitted) dromer (submitted) Zack_Gochuck (submitted) Stuporstar (submitted) The Saddest Rhino (submitted) (also judge) SaviourX (submitted)
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Nov 28, 2012 01:46
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Prompt looks cool. In. Prepare to maybe quite like something I wrote buddy.
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Nov 28, 2012 02:10
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I'm in, I haven't been failing at life sufficiently lately. I could use some harsh judgment.
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Nov 28, 2012 02:22
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Chickencheese is here!  I realize that this is old hat for Thunderdome, but I
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Nov 28, 2012 02:31
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Oh what the hell is this I guess I'm in.
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Nov 28, 2012 03:03
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I'm in.
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Nov 28, 2012 03:59
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Hello everyone I am a co-judge for this week. I shall look at your writings and touch them. It may or may not be considered part of the judging process or criteria, but if you do not post writings on the chickencheese thread, let's just say I would not be pleased. To be direct I would just put a horn up your rear end in a top hat, shitmongering fuckface. Thanks everyone I hope you all enjoy this week as much as I intend to 
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Nov 28, 2012 04:04
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Proposing peculiarly prescriptive prompts promotes passionate participation. I'm in.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:07
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Should I sign up? I'm not sure about this thread yet.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:09
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Also co-judging. Posting in the chickencheese thread is not required. You could not post in the chickencheese thread. It's an option. It's an option that there, if you were that way inclined. Not saying anything about any particular judgements we're going to be making about your ancillary fiction work. Think about it, kittens. The clock is ticking.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:10
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Black Griffon posted:THUNDERDOME! I don't know what is a battle him so I posted dystopian chickencheese violent fiction namaste
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Nov 28, 2012 04:19
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I'm so goddamn in. (oh no what have I done  )
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Nov 28, 2012 05:53
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quote:They have nothing tying them together in any way. Not even... fate?
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Nov 28, 2012 06:28
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:
I was rebelling by not doing what you told me. Man. You're not, like, my dad. I don't have to clean my room if I don't want to. Also you clearly lied by telling me I was special, jerk. I thought I was the only one. You took something from me and I can never have it back!  Oh also not in because I'll be in various places with no internet for a bit.
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Nov 28, 2012 07:05
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Chairchucker posted:I was rebelling by not doing what you told me. Man. You're not, like, my dad. I don't have to clean my room if I don't want to. Also you clearly lied by telling me I was special, jerk. I thought I was the only one. You took something from me and I can never have it back!
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Nov 28, 2012 09:48
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I don't generally come in here, but I noticed this thread due to the Chickencheese thread coming to Creative Convention, and I'm actually quite interested. Since I'm a complete newcomer/moron, can I ask for clarification concerning the contest rules? As far as I've determined, entrants have to confirm entry by December 1st and submit their entry by December 2nd. The word count limit is 1000 words (questions: is that a hard limit, and is there a minimum word count?) and the subject of the story has to be a man coming home to find a woman present. The catches are that neither the man nor the woman can know the other, that no other characters can be introduced, and at the end of the story one of them must leave. The first submission is final, and no third-party editing or review can be involved. Am I correct? Am I missing any other rules or elements that have to be present in the story, or stylistic assumptions that everyone participating usually works to? Assuming I've not completely missed the point (and given my track record, that's a pretty big assumption), I'm thinking of joining in for this one. Thanks to whoever responds.
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Nov 28, 2012 10:45
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Sounds about right. The thing you're missing: winner gets to set the prompt and judge next week's, while the loser gets an embarrassing custom title. If you miss the deadline for signups, you can still enter but you're eligible to lose and not eligible to win. If you sign up and miss the submission deadline, you automatically lose. We tend to do a lot of shitposty trash-talk but don't take it too personally: Thunderdome loves someone who can give as good as they get. If someone has a go at you, shiv him in the eye to show everyone who's the real boss.
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Nov 28, 2012 11:05
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Okay, that works. I'm going to sleep on this and see if it's still a good idea when I wake up, but I have a half-baked idea already. I'm probably not going to trash-talk much because I always, always pitch it completely wrong and just end up being offensive. Regards my word limit questions... well, are there any answers?
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Nov 28, 2012 11:10
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Hard limit, no minimum (unless specified.)
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Nov 28, 2012 11:11
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Etherwind posted:Regards my word limit questions... well, are there any answers? IN the Thunderdome, the correct answer to anyone saying "You can/cannot do X" is  Do whatever, deal with the consequences  PS I have plans for conceptual Chickencheese because I don't know what a Battle Hymn entails and I don't care to find out. 
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Nov 28, 2012 15:47
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Etherwind posted:I don't generally come in here, but I noticed this thread due to the Chickencheese thread coming to Creative Convention, and I'm actually quite interested. Since I'm a complete newcomer/moron, can I ask for clarification concerning the contest rules? I don't understand the point of this post. WRITE OR BE DAMNED, FOOL. vvvv BETTER vvvv
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Nov 28, 2012 21:02
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Okay, I have an idea. Spoilers: no chickencheese. Consider me in.
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Nov 28, 2012 21:40
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I'm in
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Nov 28, 2012 23:20
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I was thinking of working on this a little longer, but I decided to leave it mostly raw. 991 words. There was actually a little more I wanted to do with this, but I'd have needed another two hundred or so words to make it work.Etherwind posted:Bad News
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Nov 29, 2012 01:22
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I've just belatedly realised I may have screwed up part of the challenge:quote:Second, and most importantly, these two people must be complete strangers to one another. That means no shared relations, friends, or God help us, long-lost et cetera. No passing glances on the street or muttered rumors pertinent to either of them prior to this date. What's more, neither of the characters can even suggest they know each other. They have nothing tying them together in any way. I'm not convinced that having a reason to seek a stranger out in their residence necessarily violates this implicitly, since it'd rule out any meetings other than utter randomness. It's the judge's call. If I've inadvertently disqualified myself, fair enough, I'll accept the loss and the custom title.
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Nov 29, 2012 05:03
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Etherwind posted:I've just belatedly realised I may have screwed up part of the challenge: That randomness was intentionally one of the main points of the prompt, because it shifts focus onto character interaction rather than easy motivation for the meeting. I'll keep you in, but suffice to say I'll be taking this into consideration on my evaluations.
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Nov 29, 2012 05:12
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What I took from it was the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of two strangers in an unusual situation, and the absence of a reason is something I tried to keep in the perceptions of the protagonist. As far as he's concerned, it is a random intrusion, and anything else is subtextual. I'll message you the rest I had in mind.
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Nov 29, 2012 05:16
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Etherwind posted:What I took from it was the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of two strangers in an unusual situation, and the absence of a reason is something I tried to keep in the perceptions of the protagonist. As far as he's concerned, it is a random intrusion, and anything else is subtextual. I'll message you the rest I had in mind. Word of advice before you bother PM'ing me: it's generally a bad idea to try and justify your stories after the fact, unless explicitly asked. Otherwise it's like trying to explain a joke that nobody laughs at. At best they'll start to pity you, but they still won't laugh. I could've written a defense of my losing story half as long as the story itself, but I did not. I took the condemnation because I am a serious man who does serious things like balance a checkbook and stare contemplatively out the window. Your story will go through the careful ministrations of the judges just like everyone else's.
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Nov 29, 2012 05:40
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I'm cool with it sucking, that's not what I was about. Thanks for the heads up.
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Nov 29, 2012 05:46
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I'm in.
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Nov 29, 2012 13:16
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Etherwind posted:I'm cool with it sucking, that's not what I was about. Thanks for the heads up. Ok you're saying you're ok with sucking but you seem to care about it quite a lot. This isn't your 5th grade persuasive essay contest, kiddo. This is hairyass balls to the wall un-loving-apolo-loving-getic mayhem. If you think the prompt is balls, or even if you just find that your story went in a different direction than you intended, just post that poo poo and let the judges figure out if your rear end-to-keyboard musings are worth the sweat you worked up typing them. If you want my recommendation, you should keep posting in this thread until your ego is numb from the crusted layers of callus built up from your writing being raked over the hot bed of coals that dwell in the unforgiving eyes of each judge. You should post until you win. You might get a stupid avatar, people might say mean words about your writing, but if you aren't a better writer after a few weeks of this poo poo then at least you know you didn't run out of an internet thread like a scared babby. Anyway it's not the worst piece I've seen here. So there's that.
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Nov 29, 2012 22:41
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I'm going to hang around and keep participating, but I'm not really interested in the faux-machismo.
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Nov 29, 2012 23:06
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Speaking of crit, are the other judges from last week going to give us anything?
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Nov 29, 2012 23:06
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Etherwind posted:I'm going to hang around and keep participating, but I'm not really interested in the faux-machismo. Our faux-machismo is 100% bullshit, and we all know it. Come on, get into the spirit of things. Also, I'm in. 
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Nov 29, 2012 23:15
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Stuporstar posted:Come on, get into the spirit of things.  Okay, just this once.Look, I can't help it if your brain's so atrophied from sipping lattes in Barnes and Noble that you can't spot the difference between some mewling gently caress trying to justify his writing as good and the confidant, give-no-fucks attitude of a writer who knows his poo poo ain't roses but wants to talk all the same. Whether you're brain-dead or just dead-eyed after all the hours on the Kindle literotica store, I don't care: you should tell the difference between "This poo poo is totally fine for the contest, and here's why," and "This word-salad is the linchpin of my ego, pray, tread lightly." What the gently caress do you think I am - a mirror? gently caress no. ...And that's why, as a rule, I don't do faux-machismo.
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Nov 29, 2012 23:24
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Etherwind posted:...And that's why, as a rule, I don't do faux-machismo.   
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Nov 29, 2012 23:28
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Etherwind posted:..or just dead-eyed after all the hours on the Kindle literotica store... Can't speak for anyone else but it's after those hours that I feel the most invigorated and ready to get my machismo on.
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Nov 29, 2012 23:40
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:Speaking of crit, are the other judges from last week going to give us anything? I was hit with poo poo tons of schoolwork and a terrible flu at the same time, I'll see if I can finish my crits soonish
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Nov 29, 2012 23:45
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 22:38 |
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Stuporstar posted:Our faux-machismo is 100% bullshit, and we all know it. Come on, get into the spirit of things. The hell are you talking about? Mine is for real. Edit: Oh, I get it. A classic case of penis envy, thus no real machismo.
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Nov 30, 2012 00:10
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