Discussion Thread - SEVENTY-FIVE WORD WRITING CHALLENGE May 2013

[Perpetual Man]

Perp – is back!!!!!

What? Has he taken rocket fuel in the month off? He'll spend the rest of the month sulking at rushing his entry now!

BM – A true fantastical romance, that is as much about love as it is of securing a legacy for your children to inherit. There is a beautiful undercurrent of emotion, the feeling that sometimes sacrifice is worth it, especially if that which you let go is not permanently lost.

Luiglin – Ah. Lovely. Not just the legacy that a father leaves for his child, but on a larger scale a suitable footnote for one of the classic SF movies. By dropping speech there is the feel of a peace, a silence perhaps, that adds to the emotions for those to come. Great idea and wonderfully presented.

Bowler1 – For me at least there is a feeling of great sadness here. The final fate of the machines we build, left to slowly decay; left to their own devices all they can do is cannibalise themselves, the strong preying on the weak, hoping to extend their existence for just a little longer, the greatest irony being 'upgrade or die,' probably the whole reason they were cast away was that they had already been replaced by the newer model.

Springs – A beautiful reflection that shows the power of memory, served up in something that feels like a requiem for the world in general and a family in particular. Showing just how the things that people just do can become part of them, and can be passed on to others as time passes by, and sometimes those legacies can be useful.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I really enjoyed that, springs. Legacy through a sense of what you take with you when everything is gone.

That's really kind, thankyou. I have a little bit of it that means something to me that I'll share at the end.

Perp – is back!!!!!



Springs – A beautiful reflection that shows the power of memory, served up in something that feels like a requiem for the world in general and a family in particular. Showing just how the things that people just do can become part of them, and can be passed on to others as time passes by, and sometimes those legacies can be useful.

Yay! Welcome back. And thankyou as always.

 

[Bowler1]

What can I say, Perp, the throw away society. Thank you for the review and welcome back.

 

[Boneman]

Perp – is back!!!!!

What? Has he taken rocket fuel in the month off? He'll spend the rest of the month sulking at rushing his entry now!

BM – A true fantastical romance, that is as much about love as it is of securing a legacy for your children to inherit. There is a beautiful undercurrent of emotion, the feeling that sometimes sacrifice is worth it, especially if that which you let go is not permanently lost.

Thanks so much Perp, and welcome back... here's payback:

PERPETUAL MAN - A sting in the tale of a wonderfully precise vignette that leads us neatly up the garden path, thinking the legacy is as it should be, only to discover it's a poisoned chalice - the final legacy of revenge is wonderfully realised.

 

[Parson]

Your mice do just fine, you get very regular mentions from me.

I still have to ask, having read a lot of the stuff you've posted, are you using three blind mice?

No, the mice aren't blind but the connection between the computational nexus and the informational praxis is non-optimal.

Originally posted by Boneman

Well, in a month I couldn't come up with an idea for the 300 word, and this one hit me, so I ran with it - was 97 words when I started out...

Recycling at its finest!!

Originally posted by Luiglin

I get a few ideas almost instantly. Whether I do them justice is another matter. I've only ever had one that I thought was a pile of gently steaming dung (in my semi-rose tinted specs anyway)

Eyes? That's not the ultimate organ for recognizing gently steaming dung.

 

[Luiglin]

Luiglin – Ah. Lovely. Not just the legacy that a father leaves for his child, but on a larger scale a suitable footnote for one of the classic SF movies. By dropping speech there is the feel of a peace, a silence perhaps, that adds to the emotions for those to come. Great idea and wonderfully presented.

As always cheers for the review Perp. I see that you spotted one movie ref but did you spot the second that I couldn't resist not adding?

 

[Perpetual Man]

As always cheers for the review Perp. I see that you spotted one movie ref but did you spot the second that I couldn't resist not adding?

Oooh, I might have done. (Which is code for I'm going to have another look later

And thanks for the review BM, it is nice to be on the receiving end!

 

[ratsy]

I am posted, and on the first page again....

 

[Luiglin]

Eyes? That's not the ultimate organ for recognizing gently steaming dung.

lol ... I've got a cold

 

[Starbeast]

Do you people have stories for all ideas filed away on your computers? Com'on Man, us mentally challenged Parson types have to let the three mice loose in the confines of our cranium to start the wheels working first.

As for me, I had an (unsaved, but an instant thought that struck me like a willing finger into an electrical socket. And strangely it was the only one that came to mind. I don't know what that says about me, other than my goopy (goopy - a. meaning unusual amount of imagination b. floating in a swamp of watery soda pop and popcorn kernels c. goofy person d. donkey intellegence) brain is working on a high octane fuel, with a little fuel injector cleaner mixed in.) idea, wrote it (typed it actually, and counted each word many times since I became paranoid that I might miscount. I don't have a word counter, but I do have a spell checker which is great because I make typos some of the time. Blah) and posted it within a few hours.

You've got lot's of time to create. If you're having trouble trying to think of an idea, just clear your mind and dont think about. The idea will arrive when you least expect it.

I was not surprised to see others who have posted immediately. Some of these people are like lightening bolts. Ka-Pow! And they appear.

Plus I see the mighty Perpetual Man has returned!

You mentioned cranial mice.

What do they look like? Do they have names? Do they swim in brain juice? Are they like ghosts in the machinery? Am I talking too much?

 

[EloiseA]

Off to a legacious start!

Perpetual Man -- succinct and pithy revenge saga.

Boneman -- tender and nostalgic quest for the unicorn. Fantasy always gets me

Luiglin -- 'Huey, Louie and Dewey' cracked me up! Very good futuristic spin

Bowler 1 -- there was an article in the Guardian a week or so ago about how many people have empathy for robots (a fondness for R2D2) and this made me wince for poor old mugged ButlerBot

springs -- evocative and scans beautifully. Elegaic note sustained

Starbeast -- this was really funny and caught me off-guard. Best line so far: 'Please join us, as dinner.' Shades of the good old Rocky Horror Show

fishii -- a dying mother like a selkie -- that cloak of bear. I find this conceptually exciting, the animated bearskin

ratsy -- very sharp and cleanly written, transmission of memories as a new way of fathering

 

[Perpetual Man]

As always cheers for the review Perp. I see that you spotted one movie ref but did you spot the second that I couldn't resist not adding?

I think I got the second, but not one hundred percent sure, so I'm keeping my trap shut. Then when you tell us when voting is over I can pretend I was right all along

 

[Luiglin]

Luiglin -- 'Huey, Louie and Dewey' cracked me up! Very good futuristic spin

Cheers EloiseA ... here's me trying to be serious and I get a smile ... win all way round

I think I got the second, but not one hundred percent sure, so I'm keeping my trap shut. Then when you tell us when voting is over I can pretend I was right all along

Sounds fair ... it is a real geeky one

 

[Bowler1]

Bowler 1 -- there was an article in the Guardian a week or so ago about how many people have empathy for robots (a fondness for R2D2) and this made me wince for poor old mugged ButlerBot

I've seen some interesting reports on robots, most of them on here if you want to check them out. Harpo has been keeping a lonely thread in the science/tech section about current robot development. I didn't see that Guardian article, if you want to post it I'd be interested.

 

[Parson]

You mentioned cranial mice.

What do they look like? Do they have names? Do they swim in brain juice? Are they like ghosts in the machinery? Am I talking too much?

Answering the questions in reverse order.

yes,
no,
no,
yes,
I don't know.

 

[ratsy]

ratsy -- very sharp and cleanly written, transmission of memories as a new way of fathering

Thank you for the comments Eloise

 

[Brev]

Some cracking entries already; Perp and Boneman setting things off to a fantastic standard. Going to have to up my game this month.

 

[EloiseA]

Bowler 1 -- re empathy for robots, the Guardian Tech piece was just a mention that went back to this from the Smithsonian blog

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/sci...-explores-why-humans-feel-empathy-for-robots/

 

[Bowler1]

Thank you, EloiseA - an interesting read.

 

[Starbeast]

Starbeast -- this was really funny and caught me off-guard. Best line so far: 'Please join us, as dinner.' Shades of the good old Rocky Horror Show

Thanks for the review, you made my morning!

I'm one of only a few people that didn't like Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I did enjoy the Time Warp song, which is still stuck in my head (the only thing I remember besides a grinning Tim Curry).

Answering the questions in reverse order.

yes, no, no, yes, I don't know.

Responses to answers - D'oh!, Hmm, Ah good, Cool, ok.

LEGACY​

Perpetual Man - Whoa! Your story hit me like a bullwhip. TWACK! That ending made my jaw drop with your stunning and hilarious zinger. Great surprise ending! Good stuff!

Boneman - Such a beautiful and romantic fantasy tale. My heart warmed with your magnificant story which flows with powerful love for a wife. (sigh) Excellent!

Luiglin - You're tugging at my heart with your wonderfully written message from a father to his daughter. With a delightful hint of a couple of movies makes for a nice touch. (sigh) Wonderful.

Bowler1 - Mechanical marauders attack for survival in your cyber science fiction tale! Excellent robotic action! Smash! RIP! Clang! Dent! RIP! Intensely cool!

Springs - Marvelous poetic story which saddened me and yet, made me feel good from the strong message which will outlast the radioactive fallout. Dramatically tremendous!

Starbeast - My idea popped out like a watermelon seed between your fingers, then it stuck to the wall. So I grabbed a damp napkin, cleaned it up, and pitched it here, then a mod chased me with a stick.

Fishii - Very intense and emotional heart-grabber you have written. The love from the mother made my eyes watery. Fantastic science fiction tale of love. Awesome!

EloiseA - Astonishingly unique story which is a sad science fiction drama, but highly entertaining! Memories of a lover that can be entered into the mind and never having to detach again! Nice work.

Ratsy - Like a story from Outer Limits, your tale shines bright with great imagination, about astounding cybernetic birth. I wish this was a 300 word challenge, because I want more!