Re: Discussion September 2011 Writing Challenge
Parson – A great entry from Parson, the absolute belief that mankind is supreme and so clever that everything he does comes from his own ingenuity is well played, with the man behind the curtain (or deity) is quite happy to let them take credit until a certain point. I suppose looking at it from a slightly different angle, this God could seem slightly threatening!
Abernovo – Another first timer and another good, solid entry. Once more we are shown the invisible workforce who are only doing their job if we don’t see or take notice of them, only assuming that things are working smoothly, forgetting all the people who make sure that is the way things are. Loved the description of moles – I’m not sure if that was just a bit of description, but it gave me a very cool image of little creatures doing the ‘dirty’ work.
BookStop – This is a rather open story, that I interpret differently each time I read it, one of those great nebulous tales that lends itself to so many different ideas. Could MegaMart be a massive corporation slowly conquering a fantasy world with its nefarious expansion; or perhaps it is in a future where marketing is becoming a controlling influence; a corporate indictment of the superstore slowly destroying the small local businesses... gulp.
mosaix – A great mind twisting piece from mosaix. A robot programmer slips away leaving a robot copy of himself in his place, but the robot decides it can do the same thing and programs another... does the robot know it’s a robot, is the ‘original’ having lunch with his wife actually a robot? Mind bending fun!
TDZ – Well! Really! What a naughty unicorn! Are they all like that? A fun and somewhat unexpected story, some really clever word usage from the TDZ. Very entertaining, fun and serious at the same time. Everyone sees the virginal one gallop off with the unicorn, but it’s what you don’t see...
Karn – I thought about this one for a bit and felt that there was an element of truth in the story, the generals sitting in comfort, making their plans then sending the men off to do or dir. It felt like World War I in a fantasy setting, and gave me the sudden urge to punch a poncy elf.
Quokka – Another interesting take on the theme; a feeling that there is a lot more to myth and religion, that our races oldest beliefs are subject to perceptions of something that we may not truly understand. Either that or the ancient gods have a wicked sense of humour when they are drunk.
Devil’s Advocate – Hmm, a missing scene from LotR perhaps? Or a slightly different take on the subject. Probably just me but I felt as though there was a sinister undertone to the conversation, the wizard and the ranger pulling strings for different reasons than we might believe.
Boneman – The things we do not see, eh? Another thought provoking story showing that there is a lot more going on when a baby is born than one might expect. I’m not sure if the implication is that it is like this for every child born, but at the same time I did feel slightly spiritual overtones, but that could just be me.
Ökuþórr – A good first attempt. A nihilistic view of the passage of time, and a believable one at that. Somewhere, someone or thing watches humanities unending crawl of conflict and failure, watching rather than participating. Dark, but well handled.
AnyaKimlin – Another first timer, but a light almost fun if somewhat chilly entry this time. There are so many different interpretations of the theme this month and it is great to see another one. It is easy to forget just how much goes on behind stage, or that a determined controller can put his cast through hell to get what he/she desires. Even if it is a bit chilly...
Hex – Another great entry from Hex, and yet another different use of Behind the Scenes, although it is also beneath here! Away from manipulation, observing, there are almost insignificant happenings. Who would have thought anything about tiny wood munchers before an epic battle? Not many people I guess, which is why this is such a good tale. Unless you were standing on the bridge.
