ForumsArt, Music, and WritingWritten Nothings

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Gantic
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Gantic
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King

An Introduction

He hadn't written anything in nearly a year. No. That wasn't entirely true. He had written something. Many somethings. Many somethings tantamount to nothing. They were no more than writing exercises. He would start with an idea, a wonderful idea, a brilliant beginning and it would go nowhere after a day. His flirtatious romance with inspiration was just that. His obsession with her kept him in withdrawal when she left and his sense of direction deteriorated. In his languor, he wondered why he kept to such deleterious circumstances. And then, she returned.

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Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

And that is why if I get a three word answer as feedback I feel sick in my stomach D:

Gantic
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Gantic
11,892 posts
King

Because you've eaten raw eggs before?

Irony? I typed up something here about criticism. Unknowingly deleted it. Can't retrieve. Fudge. Accidentally closed the tab after typing up something new. Definitely can't retrieve. Double fudge.

Three-word responses are a dread. Sometimes people don't have the right words or knowledge to apply. My opinion of music is certainly restricted to one-word answers.

Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

Because you've eaten raw eggs before?


Never!

Criticism is a delicate thing. Five words. That's okay.
Gantic
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Gantic
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King

Stupid technology. Is radio even a real word anymore?

The Summer During Spring

Tamarind sounds like some far off place, maybe romantic. I love the shade. You see that cat over there? Where do you think it's going? When you see a cat, don't you always wonder where it's going? In broad daylight it just walks along with its tail in the air like its got some place to go. Where do you think that is? I'd like to go somewhere, but it's like a radiator out here. One of those old ones you see in classrooms, on when it's hot and off when it's cold. It's always cold in computer rooms, the tech stuff. Chilly in there. Don't want anything to overheat. Gotta keep it cool. Gotta love it when the radio isn't on.

Gantic
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Gantic
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King

I am going to be snarky again.

A "short" "story" is not necessarily a "short story". What is a "short story"? The specifics are subject to opinion. What sort of opinion? Heck if I know. What do I think it is? A focused, self-contained work of prose fiction that can be read in a single sitting and leaves an impression upon the reader. What does focused mean? A short story contains one plot and at least one character and revolves around one event involving the character(s). There wouldn't be multiple tangents and subplots. What does self-contained mean? The short story is everything that is there and needs to be there. There is no continuation, no prologue, no epilogue, no prequel, no sequel, and definitely no chapter the next. How long is a single sitting? Up to an hour, which is about up to 10000 words. Now, what does leave an impression upon the reader mean? One quote about short stories: "Something that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime."

Now I just feel about tempted to host and/or judge my own short story competition on Armor Games, but I doubt anyone would join because there is (a) no actual short story, (b) atrocious grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc., (c) pretentiousness (on whose part I leave for you to decide). It, of course, would be different from what runs now or is proposed to run, but I doubt that would actually matter.

Strop
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Strop
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Bard

I wouldn't normally make this known, but that sums up a large part of my hesitation over the notion of a "writing contest" on these forums. The "short story competitions" I am used to would run far differently and in a manner which I am unsure the majority of users would relate to, which is part of why it mightn't matter.

As you may be aware I have been forwarded some guidelines which I am mulling over, subject to the above consideration. If you'd like to act upon your frustrations, you are naturally invited to make your own input directly, as the process is still very open-ended at this stage.

Gantic
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Gantic
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King

I'll have to think about it and go over the proposal.

On another note:
One of the most intriguing things I've ever come across is "Who is that girl in that Sun Chips commercial?" It is almost on the same level as the ever-present "What is that song?" but one step removed. With "What is that song?" it is rarely, if ever, asked "Has anyone figured it out yet?"

(If you're wondering, the song is "The Only Other Thing" by Orba Squara, a different version of "The Only Thing" by Orba Squara on the Sunshyness album.)

Answers usually come to me in time through the cooperation of serendipity and perseverance, even the more obscure things that make me wonder if there is someone else who shares my madness. (I think this is the only time I've used serendipity in the first sense.) This usually only applies to instances with mental reference points used as anchors for maximizing the chances of actually finding what is sought. Such thoughts are mostly for entertaining a mind that requires distraction, or perhaps as fodder for this next piece:

The Idea Machine

I forgot what I was going to put here. No, really.

Gantic
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Gantic
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King

The End

--So, it's over then?
--Yeah, it's been a good one.
--It was alright, I guess.
--But just think of all the things we did to get here, all the things we did while getting here, all the things we did because we got here.
--I want my money back.
--Me too.
--Where do we get our refunds?
--Back at the beginning.
--That's stupid.
--Or at the very very end, but I'm not sure about that.
--Ooh, clever.

Gantic
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Gantic
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King

The End

--We can't keep coming back here. It's been a while since last time, but we both know where this is going.

--We don't do anything. It's comfortable. That's all that it is.

--You can't live the rest of your life in false comfort. It takes more than just the stress away.

--You don't even listen to yourself anymore. These aren't my words. These are yours.

--When a door closes in front of you, do you rush forward to keep it open? Let it close.

Gantic
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Gantic
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King

This is a throwback to "L'esprit de l'escalier".

My entry to the nostalgia theme might have been much better if, perhaps, I highlighted the fact that I am a product of the nineties.

Cartoons were a million times better and not purely inane American cartoons and/or nondescript redubbed anime. And there were better drawn comic book superhero cartoons!! Pokemon was not redundant.

Super Mario World for the SNES was the best game in the entire universe to infinity.
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" evoked Sonic the Hedgehog (the cartoon more than the game series).

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a trillion times better than everything that came after Power Rangers in Space combined. (Alright, so Turbo did come before Space but that's not the point.)
TGIF was TGIF.
Fresh Prince. nuff said.
Saved by the bell meant more than the end of class.

Yeah. Pogs were everywhere. I got pogs from a local news station. POGS!

Caveats: Half of everything nineties was actually eighties. This was in the US. Some points may be vastly exaggerated but are nonetheless factual.

I don't want to think about what it would actually mean to be a 00s kid.

The End

Gantic
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Gantic
11,892 posts
King

Chapter Three

The presence of the tangerine sun held the dark sky aloft as it faded slowly to a fluorescent blue. He lay awake wondering, thinking about all the little nothings. Three months ago, he, Writer, would have lain awake in melancholy. Routine should have brought order and purpose but it only fueled his existential crisis. His internal engine found no external road to travel, and though it was as robust as the winds the billowed sails, wind was nevertheless air. Today he was thinking about her. What did he want to say about her? She smelled nice. Yes. No sweet fragrances. No, she didn't need that. She smelled... human.

Gantic
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Gantic
11,892 posts
King

I realized what was "wrong" with the last entry. Substitute real for human. Still sounds a little off. Connotation. Denotation. Understanding.

I haven't a clue what to do about ROaTNO since the site changed so much in four months. I wonder if I can resurrect that thread, not that it would do anything. Skip four months? I've skipped a couple weeks. Other than that, I haven't much fodder material seeing as... although... to the Nemesis Machine! Would anyone remember it?

thisisnotanalt
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thisisnotanalt
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Shepherd

I would like to leaf through ROaTNO, and I'm too lazy to look for it- resurrection would e fine by me. (Just don't tell the fundamentalists.)

Strop
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Strop
10,817 posts
Bard

Maybe "alive"?

You could transform the setting into a post-apocalyptic world, hahahaha.

thisisnotanalt
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thisisnotanalt
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Shepherd

Human or Alive would be the best for it- there aren't any better matches I can think up at the late nigh- I mean, early hours of the morning -after about a minute. And the poist-Apocalyptic setting would be perfect, lol- OR, the world could be in a nuclear winter after the Obama, Biden, Pelosi, and every cabinet member was impeached and George W. Cheney-Reagan-Christ becomes president and nukes Saudi Iranistan.

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