DISCUSSION -- February 2015 75-word Writing Challenge

[Luiglin]

To me it's all about the Grand Masked Balls and less about the parades. I was tempted in a variation on the Mask/Masque of the Red Death but it sounded far to morbid for a Fat Tuesday.

 

[Michael Colton]

I thought it was about voodoo.

*flees*

 

[Parson]

@Parson but mardi gras also heralds lent - it's the traditional shrove Tuesday. it's one of the reasons I included it - for the breadth of connotations.

"heralds Lent?" --- I'd always understood it to be of the same ilk as Halloween a "devil's last chance" to run around wild before a time of concentration on God's work. Among the Polish (of Detroit at least) Shrove Tuesday was known as "Fat Tuesday" and it was a day to gorge yourself on "paczkis" (Jelly filled donunts) because you would have to "give up sweets" for Lent.

(My Evangelical Christianity hardly knew what to do for Lent. It took going to seminary to get in touch with this part of church history.)

 

[Jo Zebedee]

"heralds Lent?" --- I'd always understood it to be of the same ilk as Halloween a "devil's last chance" to run around wild before a time of concentration on God's work. Among the Polish (of Detroit at least) Shrove Tuesday was known as "Fat Tuesday" and it was a day to gorge yourself on "paczkis" (Jelly filled donunts) because you would have to "give up sweets" for Lent.

(My Evangelical Christianity hardly knew what to do for Lent. It took going to seminary to get in touch with this part of church history.)

Interesting. Here, Shrove Tuesday (in my understanding) was a means to use up the larder ingredients before the fast of lent. (Just checked it with English Mr Springs who had the same understanding.) There seems no connection to having a party -pancakes of themselves are pretty frugal - but rather a preparation period for the penance ahead. Perhaps that may give a nice sermon...?

 

[Juliana]

In Brazil you're supposed to party hard from Saturday to Tuesday, and then stumble in to church with a hangover on Ash Wednesday to receive ashes on your forehead and go to work in the afternoon (Monday and Tuesday are holidays and Wednesday a half day).

I never really went in for the whole Carnival thing though, so usually just travelled with a group of friends to the beach or something. Cold beer and sunshine to celebrate the end of summer and the real start of the year (as nothing really gets going before Carnival).

 

[Dan Jones]

@Tywin - The Arcane Art of Feminine Enhancement - ah, more beads! This sexy story gives us two saucy, siren-flashing sirens, adds lashings of Tabasco-hot southern juju, and gives us the mammarable message that the old ones really are the best. This is one story where the all the boys reading really do want show-not-tell!

@telford - Two Dollar Special - I feel this ought to have come with an advisory warning, if only for the sake of @HareBrain. I'm tempted to think of this as a screwy, scuzzy, scatological scat - after all, Carnival's all about showing us all human life, from the top to the bottom, and this one really shows us the bottom. And it gives a whole new meaning to the word lagomorph...

@johnnyjet - The Parade Of Spirits - A moving meditation on the mortality of the masses. Once again the themes of life, death and rebirth are dealt with, this time showing us the breadth of emotions coursing through the reliquaie, the ones who remain. For each ghost a mirror; in seeing them pass we're reminded of our own finitude, and to enjoy life while we're able. As the song says: "enjoy yourself, it's later than you think!"

 

[Tywin]

Thanks DG

 

[Perpetual Man]

Dropping behind at the moment with these, but here are a few more:

Juliana – There is a beautiful simplicity to this story that catches the mix of the magic and mundane perfectly. It almost feels real that one accepts the dolphin made man without batting an eyelid, in the same manner, the final outcome seems to fit perfectly.

Springs – The making of pancakes can often seem like some kind of magic, the way the mixture turns into something sweet to eat, and of course the obligatory tossing. Here we get to see something that might just be a great toss, but with that seems to be a little bit more as well.

Michael Colton – Kids often have rivalries, whether they are siblings or friends. It seems that one always have to have something bigger, better… and this captures that brilliantly, the idea of Pixies being the competitive things is good, but the father’s reaction, like so many when it comes to pets is spot on perfect.

Anne – The wonderful image of a carnival passing by is somehow caught here, the image desired is well portrayed, so is the underlying horror of something that it seems never ends, a glittering never ending procession, where one figure leaves to be replaced by a similarly bedecked reveler.

Victoria – Another excellent idea, brilliantly realised and executed. There is a real feel of personality and we can immediately identify with someone who makes a fool of himself in such a manner. Of course the payoff here is both perfect and humorous, narcissistic and catches the characters foolishness perfectly.

CC – Not only do we have a great story of spirits and the like free to roam on one of their few nights of freedom in a year, but we have it told with style and panache and in rhyme which works perfectly, in both the way the story is constructed and in the way it is told.

Kerrybuchanan – A whirlwind romance told in the moment. It really catches the feel of something that is nebulous, it could easily be Astrid’s imagination carrying her away as she dances with her creation, but at the same time it gives us that possibility of something more, something… magic.

*****​

I've got mine written, but suddenly find myself wondering whether I've misjudged the theme a tad...

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Thank you, Perpetual man. Great review x

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thank you lovely perp.

 

[Michael Colton]

Danka, PerpMan. I say PerpMan because it sounds cool. Like a superhero.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Thank you, Perpetual man. Great review x

My pleasure

Thank you lovely perp.

That's ice blocks for feet, freezing perp...

Danka, PerpMan. I say PerpMan because it sounds cool. Like a superhero.

Thanks. A superhero eh? I can live with that.

 

[Juliana]

Thank you Perp! Love the review.

 

[Tywin]

Danka, PerpMan. I say PerpMan because it sounds cool. Like a superhero.

I always like "Perp", because it's what they call the criminal in all the cop shows.

 

[Michael Colton]

So PerpMan is like, um, an anti-superhero?

 

[Tywin]

He's the perp. You hear it when TV police are making official-sounding reports: "The perp broke in through the back door with a crowbar and ran off with a couple hundred bucks worth merchandise."

 

[Juliana]

It's because he perpetrates great reviews (and great challenge entries, too!)...
(and a couple hundred bucks worth of merchandise doesn't hurt, either!)

 

[Anne Martin]

Thanks for the review Perp!

 

[High Eight]

Hello everybody - long time no see.

After being missing from this forum for a couple of years, I thought that I ought to make a comeback of sorts. I'm not sure if my story really fits as it is fewer than 75 words (71, I think) and not about Mardi Gras (it is about a festival, though.) - hope it is OK, but whatever the verdict, I'll try to be a good boy and post regularly from now on.

 

[Droflet]

Thanks for the review, DG. Opps. I didn't think of the affect it would have on Harebrain. Sorry mate.