[Writing Contest] - THE ARENA

It was a tough choice. Both really well written, but the first was a better story.

24 hours after the second story is posted makes sense.

24hrs once the second story is posted seems like the best way - gives people a chance to read them both...
Can't believe how close this one is - 6 votes a piece...
What happens if there's a tie? Fight to the death?

And what happens if they tie?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkuCPYf16xI

Antilles wrote: »

7-6, not too bad!

Congratulations, Fewcifur. I hope you have as much difficulty coming up with something for your first challenger's theme as I had for yours

Thanks Antilles, it was a close thing, which is always nice. I've no doubt I'll be off the hot seat in no time.

Daleno wrote: »

AWOOOGA!

I challenge Fewcifur. The theme; Death!

Can I just use the same story again

Let's Dance good sir, let's dance.

Seems odd writing about the theme of Death in light of the news we got around here yesterday. I wrote this with senseless death in mind...



**** The Council of 13 ****

The Council of 13 assembled as they did every century since man began to remember. 13 dark wooden chairs stood empty around a simple round wooden table. Slowly, at the appointed time, the council members appeared.


It was tradition to introduce themselves. Their ranks changed each meeting, depending on new ideas, new people and dying dreams.


The first to sit was the first to speak.


“I am that which was feared but now sits iconic on man's creations. Only when I collect do they know reality” he sat pale of skin and robed in black, his scythe lay tall against the table and his proud white horse stood behind.


The next was similar to the first, but no flesh covered his body and his robes were torn. “I am that which cursed the middle age of man, when plague gave me my colour and my stock.” his voice was as deep as the first despite his skeletal appearance.


The third was completely different. His beard was long, his voice was filled with wisdom “I am Father Time. Man does not fear me as he did, nor associate me as much with death, but I am eternal.” He wore heavy dark brown robes, once rich but wearing thin and in front of him was an hour glass.


“I am Azrael” said the next, assuming all knew the angel of death, black winged and bearing a blade.


Yama of the East spoke next, “I still ride my black buffalo and lasso my souls, as I have always done.”


An old ugly woman, with a long blue nose spoke next and when she did all could see the poisonous purple tongue in her mouth “I am Giltine of the Balklands. My people have travelled far and I with them.”


A winged man, fair of face, stood and introduced three “I am Thanatos, sworn to Hades. To my left is my sister Keres, violent of nature and finally to my right is Mors, who is but me in a different land.” Mors was in truth like the speaker, though androgynous and Keres was bestial, with talons, fangs and blood soaked robes.


A shadow stayed silent, but they all knew it as the first death, a primordial thing with no name.


The eleventh was biblical, his pale sickly green horse pronounced him as one of the four. “I am he who will come at the end to cleanse the world of life” he said before laying a long sword on the table with a thin dead hand.


Anubis was twelfth. He was one of the few who ruled a land of the dead but still attended the council. He was a king among knights, but he showed due respect. His voice was heard first in an ancient tongue, but then the echoes were of the common tongue. His bare flesh was tanned and healthy, but his head was that of the black jackal.


They looked to the 13th seat where once sat Aukon, the gravekeeper of the Celts. It appeared empty.


The Reaper spoke “we are one short”


The response was a voice tiny and yet everywhere, the voice of nothing and yet billions.
“I am the host that man now fears the most. I am that which grows infinite. From cancer to AIDS to the simplest germs, I am that which modern man fears. They fear me because I am nothing yet many. I am legion. I have no name or image, yet I am on every man's mind. I take the innocent, the pure, the corrupt and more. I strike without warning and without reason. How can man fight that which he can't see and that which keeps changing. Last century and the next are mine. I am senseless. I AM DEATH.”


And the council commenced.

Memnoch wrote: »

Fewicur -

I don't mean to be controversial here, but I did not vote for your last story because it felt like Terry Prachett. The idea of playing games with death and trying to cheat death was something that he explores a lot in his novels. The idea of different deaths of Azael etc is also something that he writes a lot about and again at the start of the new story you have posted I kept getting the feeling again...

Maybe you've never heard of him and this is all in my head. And isn't all fiction derivative anyway?

I'm a big Terry Pratchett fan, I've read all of his books, but Terry Pratchett's death is not any death I've written about. If anything the first thing that popped into my head with the first story was "Bill and Teds Bogus Journey" (I think that's the name of the 2nd one?) where they play death in a load of games. But the idea of playing a game of chess is an old one, made iconic in the film The Seventh Seal http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050976/ back in 1957, long before the Discworld took shape.

With the same logic you could say Antilles story reminded you of numerous scenes from The Diary of Ann Frank, The Book Thief or any number of WWII pieces.

As for this story, I moved on from my first, since the theme was Death I stuck with the idea of personification. Then I spent the night reading about the boards member who died of food poisoning and the idea of a death for the modern age came about. I then decided on the council of 13 (unlucky number yada yada) and then I spent a good two hours researching the personification of death in modern cultures. I decided to stay away from Hades and Hel, seeing them more as lords of the underworld (something which makes Anubis' presence special) and focused on different personifications of death, rather than the devil.
So, don't vote for it if you don't like it, but please don't trivialise it as a Terry Pratchett copy.

Antilles wrote: »

Fewcifur, your story is 633 words long. It's supposed to be "around 300"...

I was going to say something about that. :P

I had my story written out and it was about 500+ words, cutting it down made it a bit weak I think. 300 is just too little in my eyes.

I was going to say something last time too but didn't want to look like I was trying to do in my opposition, heh. To be honest, I like 300 words. I really had to work hard to get my stories that tight. Ignoring the limit feels like taking the easy way.out and doesn't fit the spirit of the competition.

Pickarooney, what are your thoughts?

Antilles wrote: »

I was going to say something last time too but didn't want to look like I was trying to do in my opposition, heh. To be honest, I like 300 words. I really had to work hard to get my stories that tight. Ignoring the limit feels like taking the easy way.out and doesn't fit the spirit of the competition.

Pickarooney, what are your thoughts?

Word counts dominate my day job, I guess I just came to the creative writing forum to write for the craic. I've no problem bowing out and letting it revert to Antilles.

But for what it's worth, I think 300 words is too limiting for a short story challenge. There's a difference between a scene and a scene that tells a tale.

I'd prefer we keep it to a set word limit, though if you want to up that limit that's cool. Or in fact if you want to get rid of the limit entirely, that would also work. I just don't see the point of having a limit if you can double it (sorry Fewcifur!) and the only negative is that people who remember the limit might choose not to vote for you.

For what its worth, I'm not suggesting Fewcifur steps down as champion. I just think it needs to be clarified. Why should somebody work for ages to get a story to a set limit just to have somebody else completely ignore it and win anyway?