horrorcrafter

Fidelity, I am still true to you. I'm afraid I was away from the computer desk for a while... sorry. I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm spending WAY too much time on this website... when I'm away for a night, folks started getting pissed off. Guess at least I'm wanted somewhere.

Well, Fidelity, I can say that there were objective criterion for this task, and I did not really explain them at the beginning of the thread. You had to BUILD something, using at least some MAGIC. It had to be SUBTLE, and a I was looking at the VERBS used in the construction. Those verbs had to be ACTIVE and EVERYDAY, in other words, they had to be verbs which people are used to and do everyday. Most importantly, the verbs have to make it seem possible to do. I want the reader to suspend belief for only so long... to think they might just go outside and try it.

You wrote several interesting sentences, most of which were about God building something. Thats the best model we have, but I think its a whole different category, because people know they cannot do the things God could do, if he existed.

I DO wish I had never posted this damned task. I'm really sorry to all those I offended in any way. I mean that.

Fidelity- some of your responses were absolutely hilarious.
Squirting, farting, pissing... all very funny, very active verbs. The problem is nobody would go outside to try it! Those bodily functions are amusing but they are not magical, no matter what Ace Ventura says. By age three, we all know what can and cannot come out of our bodies. But, I must award you the PRIZE for the funniest submissions.

Congratulations, and now get back to work studying for your finals.

Harlequin- You were right about everything you said. And yes, I'm a guy. You get the PRIZE for mindreading, but you probably knew that already. You also stood up for me when I wasn't around. Thanks. By the way, I think you really understood this task very well.

Oracle- you see the problem now? Can you see why I regretted posting this stupid thing? Of course it's almost impossible, because magic is not real. I was essentially asking folks to explain Magic with rational terms, which is utterly impossible. By the way, 'focused' is confusing to me.
But, you get the PRIZE for best color-word. Do you know lots of neat color words like that? I could use some help in that department. Please contact me if you'd like to teach me some neat color-words. Maybe I knew them before but I have forgotten them and would appreciate any help.

Kevin- You had some pretty funny sentences, too, but I'm afraid they were also confusing to me. What is a butt-plug, by the way. Is that a tool used for boat-building? Anyway, you get the PRIZE for knowing words I don't.

Daniela gets the idea... and the PRIZE for being the best Mentor I know! I think Daniela could be a great sorceress if she ever quit writing. Thanks for sticking up for me, too.

To all- I am going to re-write the section of "The Legend" where the monster-pirates build the boat. I want it to seem like magic was used in her construction, so people might be a bit more afraid of her. When the pirates walk up to add their frame, I want to spend exactly ONE sentence on their magical contribution. And I don't want it to be corny or hoky or Walt-Disneyish. I want the reader to think boat-building is a partially magical act, which they can learn and do on their own.

Anyway, folks, I already posted my favorites, although I'm not sold on them. I like the idea of channeling, or directing, a;lthough they are not specific. I also found two in a Kabbalah book, namely, sweep and spit. Think about these two for a moment. Imagine you are a impressionable reader, learning that if you spit in a certain way, you can create magic. Can't you imagine that FOR A SECOND, JUST FOR A SECOND, you would believe it? Well, I do.

Sorry for posting this thread. I'll nver ask this question again, I promise. But thanks to all who tried. You guys are tops. Now let's forget this ever happened and all get back to work on our stories/poems/term-papers/finals.

Yours Gratefully,
Horrorcrafter

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Canadian Lynx are beautiful sensitive creatures which are very good mothers and they make a wide variety of sounds such as meows, purrs, cough-barks, growls, and screams like a woman. She is the next mammal to become extinct in North America largely because we waste so much paper. Please reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cheers, Horrorcrafter

Fidelity

Hold it.

You haven't given us YOUR response to your OWN prompt.

No, you can't leave yet, otherwise you've also failed at this task like the rest of us.

Also, do not ask what a butt-plug is. All I can say is, it's sort of related to anal sex. That's all I can say without getting a slap on the wrist, unless a moderator'd like to explain it.

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Status: Advanced Consciousness Hibernation
Current Brain Contents: ... recovery ... hack ... cough ...
Badges: Completed HC's magic writing prompt

Fidelity

Like I said, I am NOT giving up.

Then, learning something from daniela's post ...

"Under the moonlight, while silently and inwardly chanting the name of the Greek moon goddess with my heart and mind, I pricked my finger with a silver needle, collected the blood in a vial, mixed it with mud, poured the sticky mixture into my mouth, swished it around with my tongue, put a hand into the mixture, and slowly drew forth a long, slender blade of glowing blue steel and the last of the mud exited my mouth as a beautifully jeweled hilt and handle of the sword bearing the name of Selene."

I'm guessing something like that? Let's go down the list.

I built something: The sword from the blood-soaked mud.

I used magic that was subtle: Silent/inward chanting of the name of the moon goddess. This is commonly used in meditation, so anyone who picks up a book on meditation can do it in ten minutes. It's clear the chanting did the magic, since the "bearing the name of Selene" makes that clear.

So. Subtle and magical.

Verbs which people are used to and do everyday: To meditators, chanting the name of a goddess or deity in worship is everyday. For example, India has many such worshippers. The US also has many such people. "Drew forth" is also everyday ... "Sean drew forth his pen" ... Also, both verbs are active. "Drew forth" and "chanting".

So, there. Everyday, active verbs. It's at night, too, when no one is watching, so you'd feel okay about doing this little ritual in, say, your backyard.

Must seem possible: Nothing in my sentence isn't possible, other than the actual drawing forth of the sword. There is no arguing with this. Hey, an expert sword-swallower could even fake it by hiding a smallish sword in his throat beforehand, though that'd be risky and dangerous.


See? I think I caught everything this time.

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Status: Advanced Consciousness Hibernation
Current Brain Contents: ... recovery ... hack ... cough ...
Badges: Completed HC's magic writing prompt

horrorcrafter

Hey Fidelity- I think your sentence... "Under the moonlight..." is fantastic, absolutley first-rate. If you wrote stuff like that, you'd have all sorts of readers going out to put mud in their mouths to see if it works. Amazing, the power of good writing, isn't it? Now, if you ever decide to write about magical acts, you will know exactly how to describe those acts to make folks believe in the stuff. Great job.

By the way, I have not yet written those sentences about the pirates building the boat with magic. This whole thread was in preparation for that. Now I have much ammunition with which to attack those sentences. I think I will go with your idea to involve bodily fluids. To see my final results you would have to read "The Legend" in about a week or two, that is if youre interested in that kind of stuff. I can tell you that the verbs will be: fast;channel;direct;spit; and sweep.

Anal sex, Fidelity? I thought you were an innocent young writer/student. Why don't you get back to your finals now? You are probably procrastinating studying for those tests by spending so much time on magical verbs. Talk to you later, and good luck on those tests. Where are you from, by the way? Yours Truly,
Horrorcrafter

__________________
Canadian Lynx are beautiful sensitive creatures which are very good mothers and they make a wide variety of sounds such as meows, purrs, cough-barks, growls, and screams like a woman. She is the next mammal to become extinct in North America largely because we waste so much paper. Please reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cheers, Horrorcrafter

daniela

Hi Horrorcrafter,

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for posting this task. You really made me think about exactly what I was writing and I think I'm a bit of a better writer because of it. It was a great challenge. Feel free to post more anytime you need to.

Thank you.

--DM--

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"When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them—then the rest will be valuable." - Mark Twain

tj

i know your closing this question now, but i havnt just read the last three pages for no reason.

for magic to seem real you need to have an open mind and belive in it. its something which cant be explained in one sentance, thats why everyone has been having trouble. but basically magic is about focusing, or controlling engery, which can be found in anything, mainly the four elments, earth, air, fire and water. once you have a stronge energy force, the power of it will be able to do anything your mind wishes.

you want this boat to seem like it was built by magic.i cant think of a realistic way it could happen. however there could be some magical covering of the boat which would stop it sinking, kind of like a spell or curse.

or there could be some magical repair, like if it got a leak, a group of worker sat in a circle around the whole, raising energyand imagining the whole getting smaller untill it was closed, and thge boat repaired:


'earth, air, fire, water, earth, air, fire, water' jane chanted, with her two friends on either side, they were raising energy. finally they opened their eyes, each in turn spat into the dark hole, imaginning their spit to form a web, which would pull the sides of the hole together, and sealing it, just like an envelope seals when licked


i know that is two sentances but you could probably drop the first sentance once put into a story, but i think it was needed there to show what was actually happening.

i hope this helps

tj x

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life is short, dont waste it

Fidelity

So this means I've succeeded, Horrorcrafter?

I've passed instead of failed at the prompt you gave?

Can I rejoice now?

__________________
Status: Advanced Consciousness Hibernation
Current Brain Contents: ... recovery ... hack ... cough ...
Badges: Completed HC's magic writing prompt

horrorcrafter

A+ to Fidelity!

From,
Horrorcrafter

__________________
Canadian Lynx are beautiful sensitive creatures which are very good mothers and they make a wide variety of sounds such as meows, purrs, cough-barks, growls, and screams like a woman. She is the next mammal to become extinct in North America largely because we waste so much paper. Please reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cheers, Horrorcrafter

Fidelity

*pumps fist*

OH YEAH!

(I must say, all this is making me mighty interested in Selene herself. Research, research, here I come ... )

__________________
Status: Advanced Consciousness Hibernation
Current Brain Contents: ... recovery ... hack ... cough ...
Badges: Completed HC's magic writing prompt

KevinTufo

Eh....
Please don't tell me your serious.

Oh and Fidelity, that thing you wrote about that crap that guy puts in his mouth really made me think it was real, I already felt me throat burning in souer. (Now I'm trying to do the same with you. )

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All hail Rico!!

Ralizah

His mind was one of black wonders, in communication with all forms of death, physical and spiritual, and the cadavers of ages past rose from the ground at his command, millions rising into the air - then, with the clench of his fist, the signal required by the blackest of arts to form into architecture with the held substance whatever the sorcerer might be imagining, they began a ring of bodies on the ground, then continuing with hundreds of rings upon eachother, the deathly arms clenching other arms, their mouths buried into the cold flesh of their lifeless brothers, until it became a tower of human bodies linked unto one another that rose hundreds of feet into the air, casting a chill of evil energy and the stench of decaying flesh into the night.

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Thoughts: Philosophy is the basis of human morality and thus it is also the basis of human life; loving life is a result of applying a healthy philosophy.

KevinTufo

That's one long freakin sentence...

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All hail Rico!!

horrorcrafter

well, here is the result...

The air was brimming with static charge, barely visible currents of ionic disturbance, crackling, swirling voltage in the skies raised to a millionth power. It was a rare opportunity to gather nature's vast strength with Hunchback's long sweeping motion. As he marched down the dark lane with the fantail section he swept the towering, loyal strength of the Buffalo into the thirteenth station's chiseled socket. Around us there were bolts of lightning leaping up from the dunes to meet their mates from the black heavens. Hunchback was quiet, even sad, most of the time, but he understood the forces of nature better than any other in the crew, and we treasured each droll word which passed his shaggy brown beard. He sent a beam of clear potent spit down on the fantail frame after we fastened it to the keel with two-foot-long carriage bolts. "Let this be so for the Bison," he cried to the darkness with his hands aloft, and took his place among us.

How the hell I vould take a nice writing exercise like this and turn it into something sick and twisted like this, I just don't know...
Horrorcrafter

__________________
Canadian Lynx are beautiful sensitive creatures which are very good mothers and they make a wide variety of sounds such as meows, purrs, cough-barks, growls, and screams like a woman. She is the next mammal to become extinct in North America largely because we waste so much paper. Please reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cheers, Horrorcrafter

KevinTufo

That's more then one sentence!

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All hail Rico!!