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NeoGAF Creative Writing Challenge #67 - "The Beginning"

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C

Cyan

Banned
Theme - "The Beginning"

Word Limit: 2000

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, 2/9 by 11:59 PM Pacific

Voting begins Thursday, 2/10, and goes until Sunday, 2/13 at 11:59 PM Pacific.

Optional Secondary Objective: In Soviet Russia, trope uses you!

Pick a trope. Any trope you like. (Warning: this site is a 10 on the black-hole-o-meter. Seriously.)

Now flip it. Subvert it. Double-subvert it. Deconstruct it. Play it for laughs. Mess with it however you like.

Here are a bunch of possible ways to play with tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithATrope. Hell, play it straight if you like. Or use more than one. Keep us on our toes!

Feel free to discuss afterward (or beforehand!) what trope you were using and how you decided to mess with it.


Submission Guidelines:

- One entry per poster.
- All submissions must be written during the time of the challenge.
- Using the topic as the title of your piece is discouraged.
- Keep to the word count!

Voting Guidelines:

- Three votes per voter. Please denote in your voting your 1st (3 pts), 2nd (2 pts), and 3rd (1 pt) place votes.
- Please read all submissions before voting.
- YOU MUST VOTE in order to be eligible to win the challenge.
- When voting ends, the winner gets a collective pat on the back, and starts the new challenge.

Writing Challenge FAQ


The Entries:
ronito - "The Sixth Day"
ZephyrFate - "The Sound of the Card Flip"
Ashes1396 - "Falling in love quietly"
Puddles - "Sara"
John Dunbar - "The Green House"
Tim the Wiz - "Happy Illusions"
viciouskillersquirrel - "Interlopers"
Zoramon089 - "Piano Black"
Irish - "Not Over"
Tangent - "Aaron Cry Teddybear” or “Picking the Wrong Battles”
bengraven - "Evil Speaks"
Botolf - "The Impiety of Blood"
Dresden - Untitled
Bootaaay - "Unmutual"
Cyan - "Meteorology, Inc."
 
C

Cyan

Banned
R

ronito

Member
oh man.....my first idea was returning to Al Roker, "The Beginning" is a lot like "The Return"

But there goes my first idea. The trope idea is fascinating. I wish Scribble was still around that'd be something he'd just knock out of the park. Gumshoe though holds promise.

Sign me up for the assigned trope!
 
Z

ZephyrFate

Banned
Deconstruct, you say... ?

I suppose I could write another superbly esoteric and abstract piece brimming with estranged noir.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
ronito said:
oh man.....my first idea was returning to Al Roker, "The Beginning" is a lot like "The Return"
Click to expand...
Ha! I was calling back to "The End" from way back when, but yeah.

Sign me up for the assigned trope!
Click to expand...
Right on! I'll think about how best to implement this.
 
S

Scribble

Member
Thanks, ronito. I doubt I'd get the story part right though, haha.

I'd like to give this a try too, Cyan. There's waaaay too many tropes for me to pick one.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Scribble said:
Thanks, ronito. I doubt I'd get the story part right though, haha.

I'd like to give this a try too, Cyan. There's waaaay too many tropes for me to pick one.
Click to expand...
Scribble! Awesome, this is gonna be fun.
 
V

Vamlock

Member
I told myself I was gonna finally try to join in on these before the last topic started, but then the topic turned me off. This one, however, seems like a very good place to start.
 
Y

Yeef

Member
New members are always great. Hopefully you'll be more reliable than me, Vamlock!

With that said, as always, I'm going to try to do something for this one, but I'll likely put it off until I forget about it.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Ok, I think I've found some tropes that will be interesting and fun without constraining story possibilities too much.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
crowphoenix said:
I'll do it. Anyone that wants a trope picked for them, just say the word.

Edit: beaten by the man, the myth, the legend.
Click to expand...
Awesome! I already got one from ronito, but why don't you do the next person to ask for one?
 
S

Sibylus

Banned
Stayed out of the last one because my story idea didn't mesh with the theme at all, but it'll fit nicely with this one. I like this secondary objective, because it's something everyone will accomplish without even trying.

(page is empty, much sadness)
 
C

Cyan

Banned
Something fun for the folks discussing really long sentences a few challenges back: The Fulcrum.

And yes, if you're wondering, I came upon this via a long and convoluted TV Tropes-related path. Should've listened to my own warning!
 
B

British Monsoon

Member
Congrats on the win Cyan and nice theme, although I'm drawing blank trying to think of something to write about.

superfly said:
Do we have to use tropes?
Click to expand...

I don't think so, that's just the optional secondary objective.
 
C

crowphoenix

Banned
Sent tropes to Yeef, Dresden, and Tim. I tried to pick ones that could be done in a short time frame and would be fun both inverted and played straight. The Beginning can have many implications so I didn't particularly bother with that.

I've collected a large file of tropes if anyone wants one or another.

John Dunbar said:
is there some difference between a trope and a cliche?
Click to expand...

I don't believe so, but if there is a difference it's that a trope is usually extremely specific and doesn't have quite the connotation of sloppy dullness that cliche has.
 
Y

Yeef

Member
My trope was already deconstructed on Archer last week. I'm going to have to maneuver around their take on it. :]
 
C

Cyan

Banned
superfly said:
Do we have to use tropes?
Click to expand...
It's optional. For fun, for extra challenge, or just for something different to try. Feel free to completely ignore it and just write to the main theme, if you like.
 
R

ronito

Member
since we're posting tips. I'll post one of mine:

Get text to speech. I have horrible grammar but before I submit a piece I go to Voz Me and have my piece read back to me.

It really helps with awkward wordings and repeated words and such. It's no substitute for proof reading but having it read back to you helps you find things you might have otherwise missed.
 
R

ronito

Member
Scene: a lush garden. A woman (lillith) is asleep in the grass. In the corner is a man wearing a fig leaf slumping dumbly and paying attention to the vegetation. An unseen voice booms.

God: "Lillith awaken!"
Lillith: <yawning>"Where am I?"
God:"In a garden I have created for you, it is the Garden of E"
Lillith: "Wait who are you?"
God:"I am Alpha and Omega. Your God. Now look around at the gar"
Lillith:"But you have one voice. How can you be two people and have one voice?"
God:"I never claimed to be two people."
Lillith:"Alpha AND Omega. Why use 'and' if you're not talking about two people."
God:"It's Greek and it"
Lillith:"What's Greek?"
God:"A language."
Lillith:"But I don't speak Greek."
God:"It means 'the beginning and the end'"
Lillith:"Well, one, that's sorta silly giving me a name that means something in a language I don't even speak. And two, you can't be both the beginning and the end."
God:"I am God I can do anything."
Lillith:"No you can't. You can't be both the beginning and the end.They're mutually exclusive."
God:"It means that I'm eternal."
Lillith:"But you just said you're not."
God:"I did no such thing."
Lillith:"You just said you were the beginning and the end."
God:"Correct. I am."
Lillith:"But if something ends it can't be eternal can it? In fact, that'd mean it's the opposite of eternal."
God:<after contemplating for a few seconds>"....If you have an issue with Alpha and Omega you may call me 'I am'."
Lillith:<stifling laughter>"I am?"
God:"What do you find humorous?"
Lillith:"You can't have a verb for a name."
God:"I am God I can do wha"
Lillith:<laughing> "What's your last name? Silly?"
God:"It is a title of respect. In years to come thousands will be lead out of the desert following the prophet of the great 'I am'"
Lillith:<still laughing> "Hey since we're using verbs as names can I be 'laughing'?"
God:"Look my name isn't important what is important is this garden that"
Lillith:<getting under control>"What is it with you and silly names? Are you hiding your real name?"
God:"Of course not."
Lillith:"I bet you make up all these ridiculous names to compensate for a crappy real name."
God:"I'm God I don't need to"
Lillith:"What is it?"
God:<sighing>"My name isn't important what I'm trying to tell y"
Lillith:"Norbert is it Norbert?"
God:"No. Look, this garden you're in"
Lillith:"Oh oh is it Homer?"
God:<sighing>"No. Look I've created you to be a wife for."
Lillith:"Plinious?"
God:"No, please listen to me I'm very busy and"
Lillith:"Come on I wont laugh."
God: "That man over there is Adam and he is"
Lillith:"Come ooooon"
God: "Look I need you to"
Lillith:"Come ooooonnnnn"
God: <sighing>"Fine. Elohim. My name is Elohim."
Lillith:"......Elohim?"
God:"Yes now if can turn your attention to"
Lillith:<bursting out laughing>"Eloheeeeeem? BWAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAA"
God:<sighing>"Gabriel, GABRIEL!!!"
Gabriel the angel enters stage left as Lillith continues laughing.
Gabriel: "Yes my lord."
God: "Lillith isn't working out. Please escort her out of the garden."
Gabriel: "Yes my lord."
Lillith:"Elohe-he-he-he-immmmmm HHAHAHA!"
Gabriel grabs Lillith and drags her off stage left.
God: "Adam."
Adam: <picking his nose> "Yeah?"
God: "I will make you a new wife. A better wife."
Adam:<still picking his nose.> "OK."
Eve suddenly appears on stage sleeping leaning against a tree.
God: "Eve awaken!"
Eve: <yawning> "Where am I?"
God: "In a garden I have created for you, it is the Garden of Ede"
Eve: "What's your name?"
God: "I am call Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end."
Eve: "How can that be? I mean if they're opposites you can't really be both. It doesn't"
God: <exacerbated> "Oh forget it."
Suddenly an huge apple falls from the sky hitting Eve on the head knocking her unconscious.
God: "Adam! Adam! Oh look a yummy apple! Adam want the yummy apple?"
Adam nods
God: "Go Adam! Go get the apple!"
Adam stops picking his nose and starts walking towards the apple. Curtains close.
 
R

ronito

Member
sorry for the quick entry. Been working on something that will take up a lot of time. You guys will see it in the next few weeks if you're attentive.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
ronito said:
sorry for the quick entry. Been working on something that will take up a lot of time. You guys will see it in the next few weeks if you're attentive.
Click to expand...
Iiiinteresting.

If we're attentive? Hmm.
 
A

Ashes

Banned
I woke up this morning... took a walk to think things through...

I've decided that I should get back to my novel. I've been working on it for god knows how long. I took a break a few years ago. 1 year became two. And two became 4. And now that I think about it, I don't want to say how long it is that I had been working on it... :/
Believe it or not, it broke my heart when I thought I lost all my backups last year. I know it's only a story but whatever.
As such, I may not be able to enter this week or the forthcoming weeks. I say that I *may* not be able to, because it is my intention to continue writing stories for neogaf, but you never know.
I *have* been working on a short story this week. I don't think it has high literary value, nor did I have a subject I wished to explore, or something I wished to say about society or comment on the human condition*; in fact I didn't think about the audience at all. I thought for once, what do I want to read? What would please me? I forget sometimes that I'm also a reader. :)
From the last three stories, it seems that I like sad, down beat endings these days, so it may not be to everyone's likeing.. :(
Anyways, good luck, this turned out to be longer then I expected.
Spoilers to my story:
gotcha! :)
*If it has this stuff in it, then it's cause this kind of stuff interests me. :)
edit: scratch writing for my self. I think I'll do something about 'love' etc., instead.
 
A

Ashes

Banned
dragonlife29 said:
What does this mean?
Click to expand...

ops are cursed by evil witches from the west (or was that from the east? I can't remember). The spell cast means that they fail to bring their best about in the challenge they create.*
It is the rare op that wins the challenge he/she sets.

*If you didn't know, the winner of this challenge will create the new thread. He or she is statistically challenged (or should that be statistically provoked?) to fail in the next thread. Ere go when they themselves are the op, th op curse is upon them.
 
I

Irish

Member
If I ever win and don't quit the challenges at that point, I plan on creating a topic that I feel I can excel at instead of one that actually challenges me like most people would. You see, I'm a chump. :p
 
Y

Yeef

Member
Ashes1396 said:
ops are cursed by evil witches from the west (or was that from the east? I can't remember)
Click to expand...
West and east are the same. It's all a matter of perspective.
 
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