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Question has been asked a few times re: flash rules. When I hand out flash rules, they will not be rules that affect the overall theme or whatever of your story. Feel free to start writing now. At present there are only two people in line for punitive flash rules.
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Feb 19, 2014 06:52
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WeLandedOnTheMoon! posted:Is it bad form to ask for a point of clarification? Should these Lego stories be devoid of any humans, or are Toy Story scenarios acceptable as well? Is this open to interpretation? I only ask because I haven't seen the Lego movie yet. I thought my example would've cleared that up, but I'll try a simpler example. Let's say I picked this set: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/3274_Bob_and_Muck_Repair_the_Barn This set contains a barn in a state of disrepair, a builder minifig and a construction vehicle of some kind. Therefore, my story would be set in or near a barn in a state of disrepair, and my sole character would be a builder, unless I decided to make the construction vehicle a sentient construction vehicle. In my story, should I write this (I won't be doing this, however) I would make it an actual barn, the construction worker would be an actual human construction worker, and the construction vehicle would be an actual construction vehicle, although I would possibly make it sentient on account of the appealing smile it is sporting. Should you wish to not have your characters be human that is A OK as long as they are recognisable in the minifigs in your set, in the same way that the minifig in this set is recognisably a builder. What I will certainly not have: Any characters that are not represented in some way by figures in that set. A minifig or obviously significant piece of a set that is missing from my story. I hope this clears things up a little bit.
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Feb 19, 2014 13:25
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This, right here, is how you do a restrictive prompt. 
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Feb 19, 2014 13:29
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Chairchucker posted:What I will certainly not have: Erogenous Beef posted:Paladinus - Guevaran revolutionaries. May not be set in Latin America. Uhm, I have a (stupid) question now. I'm pretty sure there are no sets about Guevaran revolutionaries, so would it be alright if, say, the farmer from your example was actually a retired Cuban military officer?
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Feb 19, 2014 13:34
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Oh, goody
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Feb 19, 2014 14:19
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Paladinus posted:Uhm, I have a (stupid) question now. I'm pretty sure there are no sets about Guevaran revolutionaries, so would it be alright if, say, the farmer from your example was actually a retired Cuban military officer? Make sure your story is clearly inspired by and drawn from your Lego set; perhaps not as precisely restrictive as El Chuckero has described, but as close as you can hew without writing a lovely story. For example, if you pick a set that's a lego man in a jet fighter, I don't expect you to have a lone man sitting in a jet fighter floating around in space with nothing happening. However, the story better drat well be centered on a man and a jet fighter. If you picked man-in-a-jet-fighter and your story is about a farmer milking a cow, and a jet fighter flying overhead is used as a "dog barks" throwaway detail, the judges are going to be cross. If you pick a lego set that has a lot of ninja figurines, your story should include a lot of ninjas - perhaps not a one-to-one mapping of figurines to characters, but include multiple ninjas. If your set is a firehouse, include no ninjas, but the firehouse should be a prominent part of the story/setting. As CC said, if you picked the Bob the Builder set, you'd damned well include a construction worker, a bulldozer and a barn somehow. They should be major and prominent parts of the story. I will amend one thing CC said: Any characters that are not represented in some way by figures in that set. - This rule should be bent if you need additional supporting characters to tell a decent story. Keep the theme consistent. If you picked a firehouse set, I wouldn't mind firefighters which aren't shown on the box, but ninjas would be right out. Your primary character should certainly be drawn from the included figurines. The Prime Directive: Clearly inspired by and drawn from. For the flash rules: Figure out some bizarre way to incorporate the curveball I've thrown at you. I not only expect some creative bending of rules/words, I encourage it. Find a clever way to throw the rules back in my face. This is why you're getting completely off-the-wall things. In the specific case you've given, I'd say that's fine. Just make sure he's not still living in loving Cuba. More flash rules will come later, when I'm not nuts-deep in work.
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Feb 19, 2014 15:19
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 Oh god more flash rules Starter Wiggin - Ski jumping, or ski jumpers. Incorporate. Little Mac - There is darkness in the deep. Interpret and incorporate. Lake Jucas - In addition to your chosen Lego set, incorporate Earth Defense HQ into your story. Yes, you’re working with two sets. Your other set may not be from the Alien Conquest series. Techno Remix - Pachelbel’s Canon in D is important to your story somehow. Ursine Asylum - Bees. Story must include bees. No wicker man fanfiction. Crab Destroyer - Redemption of a debt. No money involved. Noah - Growing pains. Interpret however you like. Anathema Device - A character is destined for/achieves/has achieved greatness, thanks to clerical error. Jeep - Your story takes place at high speed, high altitude, or both. Curlingiron - Marxism-Leninism. No political manifestoes. Baudolino - Main character is, was, or will be a lumberjack. No Monty Python references. Sitting Here - Story begins or ends with a stampede. Somehow, rabbits are involved. Ugly In The Morning - A roller coaster is important to your story. Alternate option: your story must be akin to a roller coaster: a ride of thrills and chills with ups and downs! Do not declare which one of these you’re using. Benny the Snake - Story involves trains. I don’t care how. Fanky Malloons - Equal-opportunity witchcraft. Quidnose - Incorporate bare-knuckle boxing. No fight scenes. Sebmojo - What would a pizza delivery service run by Maori warriors look like? Jonked - A briefcase of mistaken identity. Jay O - A forensic examination is important to your plot. Entenzahn - Story hinges on a minor thing that spirals/has spiraled out of control. Think “For Want Of A Nail”. Fumblemouse - Thor does not use credit cards. Tyrannosaurus - Incorporate Johnny Thunder into your story. This means you get TWO lego sets - whatever you choose must be combined with the one I’ve linked. You may not choose another Dino-themed Lego set. Eastdrom - A friendship which has long grown stale. The Great Moo - A valiant struggle against an intractable problem. The News at 5 - Story opens with a betrayal. No violence, no inter-character arguments. Barracuda Bang! - Pretend that a magic dragon has been added to your Lego set. If your choice of Lego sets already contains a dragon, then there are now two dragons, and at least one must be magical.
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Feb 19, 2014 17:40
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Welp, I decided it would be a good idea to do what some other people are doing and hit the random button on that Lego page and going with the very first thing it gives me. The gods of lego have thus decided that this is my destiny. Truly I have sinned. Please bombard me with terrible flash rules so I can hate those instead of myself.
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Feb 19, 2014 19:19
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I'm in. Flash me, please.
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Feb 19, 2014 19:38
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crabrock posted:I will give you a free PRE-crit this week. just gave out a 1,100 word crit of somebody's story. Take advantage of this time-limited offer!
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Feb 19, 2014 22:28
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Erogenous Beef posted:Fanky Malloons - Equal-opportunity witchcraft. I also used the random page function to choose my LEGO. Hmmmmm.
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Feb 19, 2014 22:51
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lol j/k
curlingiron fucked around with this message at 06:29 on Feb 21, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 23:09
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All aboard the Western Train set! EDIT: Do I have to stick exactly to what's in the set, or am I just using it as a base? Because I want to write a Lego train robbery and this was the closest set I could get to a period appropriate train. Benny the Snake fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 23:34
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In. http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/2698_Farm_Set <-- just to remind me what I'm doing Flash rule me please.
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Feb 19, 2014 23:46
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Benny the Snake posted:All aboard the Western Train set! Everyone's already got more prompt-coaching than the entire year to date, so just read what's been written by the judges and do that.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:12
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Benny the Snake posted:All aboard the Western Train set! Erogenous Beef posted:Make sure your story is clearly inspired by and drawn from your Lego set; perhaps not as precisely restrictive as El Chuckero has described, but as close as you can hew without writing a lovely story. For example, if you pick a set that's a lego man in a jet fighter, I don't expect you to have a lone man sitting in a jet fighter floating around in space with nothing happening. However, the story better drat well be centered on a man and a jet fighter. If you picked man-in-a-jet-fighter and your story is about a farmer milking a cow, and a jet fighter flying overhead is used as a "dog barks" throwaway detail, the judges are going to be cross. Additional bold added for the illiterate. More flash rules Junipercake - Baked goods are an important detail in your story. Steriletom - Your story takes place during the Mexican-American War, but need not be set in North America. Elfdude- A shady business transaction either precipitates or is the inciting event in your story.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:13
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 We will be visiting Gold City Junction for my Mercury Seven inspired story.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:38
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crabrock posted:just gave out a 1,100 word crit of somebody's story. Take advantage of this time-limited offer! (srsly though thank you the crit was amazing and i promise to not disappoint)
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Feb 20, 2014 01:45
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Got my flash rule, and I will be tackling this set: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/6520_Mobile_Outpost
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Feb 20, 2014 01:56
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Thanks for clearing that up, Beef 
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Feb 20, 2014 01:59
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http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/3713_Gabriel_the_Monkey_and_His_Drum_Set Not sure why everyone posts their sets beforehand, but I do that not to lose it before I even start writing.
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Feb 20, 2014 02:07
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in to get better and politer
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Feb 20, 2014 06:04
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I have chosen my set! (So...dibsies if anyone else was considering it but doesn't want it to be a double, I guess?) Had this one as a kid. I don't think I was aware that it was supposed to be a "time train," though. The emblem from the medieval sets and the spiral from the space sets just confused me.
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Feb 20, 2014 07:11
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Put my name on the list.
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Feb 20, 2014 07:27
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You guys are picking lovely sets. Here is a list of amazing sets to base your story off of if you haven't picked something already: http://brickset.com/sets/6305-1/Trees-and-Flowers http://brickset.com/sets/6310-1/Road-Plates-Junction http://brickset.com/sets/6316-1/Flags-and-Fences http://brickset.com/sets/809-1/Doors-and-Windows http://brickset.com/sets/6347-1/Monorail-Accessory-Track http://brickset.com/sets/6319-1/Trees-and-Fences http://brickset.com/sets/2181-1/Infomaniac
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Feb 20, 2014 08:08
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OK I can't be bothered waiting until submissions close. So here they are, here are the punitive flash rules, AKA A Trap For Americans. curlingiron posted:legos. You two jive pluralising suckas have only 400 words, enjoy! I suppose this means not many other people will be silly enough to earn this flash rule, but whatevs.
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Feb 20, 2014 13:48
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Entencedes Kinnhakenbrawljudgment I went back and forth on this pretty much up until right now. Both stories were flawed in their own unique ways. I had to sit down and write full crits, and, in writing, each crit argued for the other story to win. Ultimately, it came down to the person who had the clearer, better-organized character arc. One person introduced their arc midway through their story, the other left it buried until the final scene. TL;DR: Winner is Mercedes, by the slimmest of margins. Crit for Entenzahn So, this story seems to largely hinge on the "first shot" pun. It doesn't land for me; for that sort of device, you want to lead off and end on the same note, but we don't get a whiff of the alcoholism until late in the first scene. The bigger issue here is that the story feels disjointed, five fragments loosely tied together by alcoholism. We get the guy taking his first drink during the revolution, but being sad for some unknown reason (is he a communist at heart?). Next we drift on to martial trouble, the introduction of AA to a newly-capitalist society, and then it ties up with the guy crying his eyes out at the grave of a dead friend, whom he presumably killed via friendly fire when they were stationed at the border. Characters appear and disappear; we don't get a sense for Anna or Karel as we really don't see them in action much. Pavel pops up literally at the last moment. Universally, you resort to telling us about these characters instead of showing us how Miroslav pushes them away, and so they feel flat: drunk friend, shrew wife, dead guy. The biggest problem is the end - all of a sudden, the whole thing twists away from the alcoholism theme and is now about regret for a nebulous incident in the pre-Revolutionary past. I think Miroslav shot Pavel accidentally? If you want to couch your story around this, show me pieces of his life leading up to his redemption-moment, and tie those pieces to coping with regret over the loss of a friend. Basically, we need to know WHAT Miroslav regrets and WHY he regrets it in the first scene, and then we should be SHOWN HIS STRUGGLE with that regret until his somehow OVERCOMES or IS DESTROYED by that regret. First scene checklist: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY. Instead, you dance around the whole thing, and so none of the scenes feels well-developed - they don't link together in a satisfying way. Further, if you're resorting to summarizing actions and thoughts this much (i.e. telling), then you may be trying to accomplish too much in one scene. The story often reads much like an outline rather than a story unfolding before us. There are some minor issues with grammar and stilted phrasing, but these pale in comparison to the unfocused plot and blurry characters. Prompt Checklist: Velvet Revolution, Rollerblades. Both are mostly incidental details, but passable. Crit for Mercedes From a purely mechanical point of view, this is a complete mess. You infodumped on me _right in the first sentence_. Your sentences are very rough and don't flow naturally, and your exposition veers between face-crushing, flow-breaking interruptions and over-vague piddle: quote:"Just put your dick in her," (thought 1) Ezra, a fat marmot (interrupt! thought 2) who served as Javi’s conscience (BWUH?), (back to thought 1) said with a snicker. It’s (TENSES, HRRNG) been four years (vague - since what? since he had sex? is this a goon virgin story?) and Javi still waited to hear the voice in the other ear. (VERY vague - I have no idea what this means at this point. You haven't introduced the idea of two animals at all, and this isn't enough of a hint.) The story is about Javi trying to let go of his feelings for Christina, which seem to have led to a self-destructive spiral of depression, and by letting go of Christina, he reclaims a shred of self-respect and breaks out of his self-entrapment. At it's core, that's a very good and solid character arc. We even see all the individual bits of it, and that's good. What I don't like is your first scene. Reading back over it, you're trying to give the character some immediate crises, but the story takes a hard left turn with the Christina thing in scene 2, and that's where the more effective character moments are. I want to see the Christina bits of the story earlier, and I want to see those bits linked to Javi's regret and self-loathing. The animal-based take on angels/devils sitting on shoulders is amusing, but you play it almost too straight. I don't see the significance of the other girls having squirrels and ravens as their animals. It's simply there, imparting nothing in particular to the proceedings aside from punctuating dialogue. Some of the exposition explaining the spirit animals is OK, some is confusing: quote:On her shoulder, a squirrel whispered into her ear while a second squirrel was passed out on her lap. The good familiars never handled liquor very well. Keep your terminology consistent; in my mind, "familiar" and "conscience" aren't synonymous, so it took me a bit to connect the two. Clarity! Prompt Checklist: Marmot (and a very singular one), Rollerblades. Your take on the marmot was good, and I like how you played with my phrasing of "singular" - this marmot is singular in both senses of the word. I appreciate prompty wordplay like that. The rollerblades were incidental, but no more incidental than EZ's.
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Feb 20, 2014 14:43
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I am either tremendously relieved or vaguely disappointed that what I half-remember posting in a delirious haze last Sunday was a backing-out post rather than a story. Either way, I'm in this week with a  I suppose.(I have chosen my set but will keep it to myself for now, as (a) I am too lazy to hunt down the link at the moment and (b) it increases the chances of a hilariously inappropriate flash rule).
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Feb 20, 2014 15:03
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Yet More Flashing Arkane - The seizure of breakfast food plays a significant role in your story. V for Vegas - Either your protagonist or antagonist lives in the sea. Not both. docbeard - Your story includes an enchanted leather sofa. Further details are up to you; no infodumps.
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Feb 20, 2014 15:40
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Who wants extra Flashecedestm Rules?
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Feb 20, 2014 16:52
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Flashcedes me up this what.
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Feb 20, 2014 19:00
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Mercedes posted:Who wants extra Flashecedestm Rules? Flashez-moi mon cher negre.
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Feb 20, 2014 20:02
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Black Griffon posted:Flashcedes me up this what. One of your characters must be a fake thug. Think Vince Vaughn in Be Cool. sebmojo posted:Flashez-moi mon cher negre. Death by baguette. Interpret this anyway you deem fit.
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Feb 20, 2014 20:38
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crabrock posted:You guys are picking lovely sets. Here is a list of amazing sets to base your story off of if you haven't picked something already: Soundtrack for writing about said choices.
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Feb 21, 2014 02:38
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Mercedes posted:Who wants extra Flashecedestm Rules? Do me. 
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Feb 21, 2014 02:43
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Fanky Malloons posted:Do me. Oh yea. You got a Casanova on your hands. He's blind.
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Feb 21, 2014 03:28
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'Sup people. In the Christmas of 1998, a young Muffin received the very best present ever: not love or any of that sentimental horseshit, but a LEGO ninja bridge-tower with a big trap door in it and a bad horse guy who wanted to get across. Now, in the year of our lord 2014, he has written a story about his very favourite LEGO set, which might in fact be the most awesome LEGO set ever. It is called 6089 Stone Tower Bridge and it is even better than Pokemon Blue version and heaps better than Pokemon Red Version which my dumb sister has. Also there's something about Robert Fortune who was a Scottish dude who went around Asia and brought tea back to England and was apparently very into eating trees or something. I dunno Beef flashed me and then he told me to. Here is the story I wrote. It has about seven hundred and thirty words in it. I hope you like it. If you don't, you're a total egg. --- Never interrupt teatime, especially if you are a ninja Ito paused a second, with a drip of poison hanging from the bottle’s lip. He felt for Komojin Money-San. Though the foreigner was a stranger, he was passionate, especially on the subject of tea. He was a child stumbling through a quiet battlefield, thinking the men at play. Ito cursed his crescent-moon hands and block feet for taking him this far. He moved the poison away from the boiling tea, and let the drop fall into Chief Kendo’s cup only, then two more drops into the sake. The drunkard ronin who’d come in with the chief would surely guzzle it down without a thought. It was riskier than poisoning all the tea, but Ito could not bring himself to kill an innocent. He brought the tray out where the men were seated. The drumming rain on the roof was almost pleasant, though Ito could not forget his grim task. “Honoured Kendo-tono,” he said, bowing at the waist, “I am honoured that you have graced us with your presence. Please, drink.” Chief Kendo was not honourable, nor particularly graceful. A brute of violent and artless aspect; his single skill was killing men more honest than himself, which was everyone. He spat on the floor-bricks and grinned. “Gi-dan wouldn’t deign to have us lick his boots six months back, but now we’re closing on 6083 Samurai Stronghold and he sends out his fanciest man to take tea,” he said, “how very noble of him.” One of the ronin had already snatched up the sake. He poured himself a generous cup, then passed the bottle around. It stopped at Money-San, who sniffed the bottle and smiled. “Och, finally,” he said, “I thought you lads were afraid of strong drink.” Ito realised his hands were shaking, rattling the tea tray. “Well now,” said Kendo-tono. He thumped the floor twice, “looks like Gi-Dan’s got some real stones. I almost thought I was gonna be bored. Ninja-desu; cute. Would be a real shame if we saw that one coming a mile away.” Ito saw a shifting shadow on the floor. One shadow more than he’d counted when he came in. He dropped the tray and stepped to the side just in time for an arrow. The pounding rain formed into something different: hoofbeats closing on the bridge. But how could they cross? Kendo-tono’s one eye seemed to stare straight through him. “My boys unlocked the gate while you were getting drinks. We’ll be at the Stronghold before sunrise. You failed, kid,” said Kendo. He leered, then gestured to his men. “Disassemble him,” he said. The ronin stood, drew their weapons and stepped forward, spilling the tea-tray and its contents. “NO,” bawled Money-San. He drew a pair of fine matchlock pistols. “WE WERE HAVING TEA, YOU POORLY-CONSTRUCTED SCUNNER! YE SKELPED THE HEID OF THE WRONG SCOTSMAN!” The first bullet went into Kendo-tono, who was reaching for his weapon. He was blasted clean through the wall and out of the tower. After a few seconds, there was a splash. The second bullet went straight between the eyes of the foremost ronin, whose head popped clean off and rolled on the floor, cursing. Ito leapt and drew his dagger, slicing through the rear wall. He darted through the halls, moving as quickly as he could down towards the secret basement room. The bridge shook, not from thunder but the hooves of a hundred horsemen. From the tea room, he could hear shouting, and the sound of weapons being clipped into hands, followed by “PUT ‘EM UP YA WEE BAMPOT! THIS ONE’S FOR MUM, AND THAT ONE’S FOR TEA!” The bookshelf was in disarray, but the secret switch hadn’t been discovered. Ito threw aside Principles of Construction and pulled the lever. The wall rumbled and spun, disgorging Ito into the hidden room. He ignored the rubber band catapults and weapon racks: the Big Red Button dominated the room, raised in the centre like an altar. Ito clambered onto it and jumped. Gears ground deep within the workings of the bridge: a hundred small pieces working towards a greater whole. There was a sound of mighty hinges swinging, then a moment of silence, then the screams of horses and men as they plummeted into the river far below. 6083 Samurai Stronghold was safe for another day. ---
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Feb 21, 2014 11:11
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In.
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Feb 21, 2014 22:45
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I'm not in this time, but anybody whose story is based on Amazon Ancient Ruins becomes my best Thunderdome pal and gets a line-by-line crit!
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Feb 21, 2014 23:22
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 02:00 |
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Oh. Hey. Sign ups are closed. Punitive flash rules have already been doled out or whatever, get writing.
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Feb 22, 2014 06:58
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