The bags full of used up Christmas cheer
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The bags full of used up Christmas cheer were bundled near the door. The use of wrapping paper always sank his mood. For a brief moment, someone smiled, but through it, not at it
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He needed a drink and egg nog wasn't going to cut it. He could only think about and remember the last Christmas present she gave him--that triptych of photographs from
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when he was a fat kid. The one the broke his heart was seeing himself, devouring a cheesey-bite Pizza Hut meat lovers orgy. The grease drizzled down his chin, staining his spider
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man t-shirt, but he didn't care. He devoured the pizza with a hunger stronger than any lust he'd had for her. His passion had the unexpected effect of arousing her. This could be
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the start of something big. Well, average at least. Her new found lust seemed out of place. It just didn't feel natural. Fortunately unnatural acts were something he'd learned
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in clown school. He'd leave the school after a long session of pinning tails on donkeys and would wonder when he'd meet a lady like
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Sir Elton John. But clown school represented a major departure in Danny's world view. He saw life through water-squirting glasses now that
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he had been accepted into the prestigious Grimaldi Clowning Institute. He still felt faux-funny, like his jokes were laminated cards he kept stuffed in his oversized pockets.
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And clown-shoes were, by their very nature, too big for anyone to fill, especially him. There had to be some exploding rubber key that could unlock his comic genius, some ritual
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that was written somewhere in the image of the comic book. He dug around his closet and found what he was looking for. Aha!!!
4
- Started
- 2010-12-22 03:50:22
- Finished
- 2010-12-29 13:33:40
13 Comments
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dogtrax Dec 29 2010 @ 13:35
Interesting ... funny how the story wanders when you only see the fold above yours, and not the entire story
aniemela Dec 29 2010 @ 13:44
i think it can help teach that whole "read the lines, read between the lines, and read beyond the lines" concept. but then, the one you're reading has to follow the same concept or you've got nothing to go on to write your own. It's esp funny/effective when the one above has several ways to interpret...i can see students having fun w/ that
NixonBlack Dec 31 2010 @ 11:54
I think there are some turns that intentionally ignore those above them, despite all the hints in the world. :) Also, if you don't mention the theme in some way, it gets lost. In any case, it's usually fun to watch.
Euphorium Dec 31 2010 @ 12:17
Great points, my friends. While it's somewhat amusing when a wrench is folded into the story, by way of complete randomness or disregard for the preceding characters / theme / tone / tense / setting, etc. etc., I keep hoping we'll all challenge ourselves a bit more to consider the integrity of the whole, rather than merely being satisfied with the shock-value or cleverness of a single fold. By its very nature, this game results in bizarre twists & double-entendre. Do we really need to force those elements? I think this is a good opportunity to hone our skills, rather than just engage in a literary circle-jerk. Not complaining (much); I suppose it all serves to exercise the creative muscle. Peace & blessings to all.
dogtrax Dec 31 2010 @ 12:56
Good points. The game does have turns built in, and no need to force them.
NixonBlack Jan 01 2011 @ 15:57
I wonder if we could get someone to add that to the description of the site. Then again, the highest rated folds are usually pop culture or sexual references. The exception right now is the one on top, which reminds me a lot of an XKCD strip that's similar. That tells me that to some extent, people are most amused or impressed by that kind of stuff. So then you get to the question of whether you want the site to grow, or remain a smallish group of more serious minded people.
Euphorium Jan 01 2011 @ 17:00
I have a feeling that "serious-minded" people are a larger "smallish group" than one might assume. And then, there's texting funny & there's Oscar Wilde funny. Even sexuality & pop-culture, if addressed in a serious manner, could be sublime rather than merely LOL. The rating system, as it stands, is quaint, but doesn't really measure the story's success as a whole. Perhaps a sort of metascore could be generated, based on several 5-star-possible criteria, say: originality, continuity, cleverness, tone, etc. Or would we just be polishing turds? Perhaps we should just enjoy scrounging around the junkyard & not try turning it into Sotheby's. Peace... dp
kyerinn Jan 01 2011 @ 21:47
I admit, I get disappointed when I read a fold that's completely unrelated to the previous in a way that smacks of being very deliberate. I am much more amused by those stories that flow more sensibly within the confines of the game. But what can be done about it? I'm not sure that anything can be, sadly. Nonetheless, there's a regular group of folks who I enjoy participating with here. Always look forward to the game. :)
RhettOracle Jan 01 2011 @ 22:46
For me, it's not the destination, but the journey. To the extent that I can carry on the theme from fold to fold, I try to, but I frankly enjoy the challenge of imagining what was in the fold just prior and what my post can hopefully bring to the fold just one or two after mine. To the extent that we (or at least I) try to do anything more grand with this game I think may defeat its simple charm. To me, this is a fun grade-school game with MANY good collegiate/post-grad writers. Let's not overthink it, and just have fun. That said, while I generally go along with the string in most posts, I am guilty of deliberately changing the subject mid-fold when the prior post is utterly non-sensical. I view it as reviving the foldstory when it has died midfold. I also am guilty of pop culture references at times for simple ease in context. I view them as unavoidable, and welcome them as a vehicle to move a story along. Anyway, great discussion and great game!
Euphorium Jan 01 2011 @ 23:27
Well said, dwe. We're all guilty of just about everything in this game. That IS the fun of it, after all. There's a rules-be-damned nihilism at the roots of this surrealist invention -- we mustn't wreck it with a heap of conditions & formalities. What's best is the way we have to shift out of our own cliches and comfort zones in order to deal with what's coming at us. That said... it's just a wish... but if we're going to write outside of the box, let's go way-the-hell out of the box & challenge each other to be WILDLY original. You're quite right to suggest keeping the fun in it, not overthinking. Keep those great folds coming! (And HAPPY NEW YEAR to all you adorable lunatics!)
NixonBlack Jan 02 2011 @ 00:26
I'm starting to look forward to the first FoldCon in a year or two :D
MoralEnd Jan 02 2011 @ 01:10
Happy New Year!
NixonBlack Jan 07 2011 @ 12:28
This may be my favorite sentence on the site right now: "And clown-shoes were, by their very nature, too big for anyone to fill, especially him."