Discussing: Make 'Em Laugh Challenge
Re: Make 'Em Laugh Challenge
Re: Make 'Em Laugh Challenge
The campfire story, name of which I forget, is a perfect Pippin-teaser... and I can imagine him very persistent, not in trying to become a ranger, but trying to figure out what the mouse is all about!
I'm not going to ask the question. Am not. Er. Anyone lend me a sword?
A.I.
Re: Make 'Em Laugh Challenge
I see you've entered two stories into the challenge. Haven't read both of them yet, although I remember "Tale of A King" from way back when. Somebody had posted a link to the list and advised us to go check it out for a laugh. And I did. I love your retelling of the Beren-Lúthien tale--it is a wonderful reversal of expectations, witty, and well thought-out. However, for the purposes of this challenge, I would question whether Morgoth would tell it to anyone (except in a metafic sort of way, as you've done) with the intention of making him/her laugh.
Not that I don't love the story or find it a riot, but I'm not sure it fits the challenge requirements. The purpose is to write a funny story, but within the constraints of a particular character's sense of humor, through the stories he or she tells. Conceivably, if a character is twisted enough or isolated enough, s/he might tell a story and not get any laughs at all (Túrin comes to mind--can't you just see him telling the world's worst jokes? Continuously? And everyone going, "Uh-huh... sure... why is this funny again, Túrambar?").
So there is a definite tension to this challenge--funny story, but also and more importantly to my mind, an exploration of the character's sense of humor. If you're looking to deal with a Dark Lord, might I suggest Sauron in his Annatar form? Surely he'd have a wicked sense of dark humor as such....
I haven't had a chance to read the other yet, but I'll get there! Faramir and Merry, is it? This should be an interesting tale....
I'm not going to ask the question. Am not. Er. Anyone lend me a sword?
I'll give you a pen. You can then try to write out what a mouse would be good for at that time of year, in that part of the woods. ;-)
Campfire Story was a hoot, and I can see Aragorn telling just such a joke. As I've said elsewhere, I knew I should've seen that sucker punchline coming, but I'm just clueless enonugh that I didn't. Now if Meg would just give Boromir a funny story....
'Mering Market' is very, very strong on characters. Aragorn and Denethor are themselves, and the story is worth a royal audience!
Thank you. Aragorn is relatively easy to write in that story, and Théoden as well. Denethor is a beast, until you roll over and just let him do as he will. [mind out of gutter NOW ;-)] I wasn't sure he would take the 'poetry' for awhile, either, until the children's rhyme angle came up. At that point, he got all cooperative, and now we all know why.
Which leads to the true moral of the story:
Go not to the Steward for humor, for he will be both funny and not.
Re: Make 'Em Laugh Challenge
Well, first I've got to convince him that I'm not going to blush when he tells 'em. There actually may be one from Éowyn before there's one from Boromir.
He seems convinced that I'm nice, sweet and ladylike. Where he got that notion from I've no idea, but it's a bastard to uproot from his head. I'll see about getting Éowyn's story sorted out - for her it's basically a job of finding the spot where she'd tell it, and who'd be the company.
Hang on, I've got her whispering in my ear now... Dwim! I'm at *work*, dammit!
Meg (telling Éowyn to hold off for about an hour, then I'll start scribbling)
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Re: Make 'Em Laugh Challenge
Re: Make 'Em Laugh Challenge
Well, it took a bit of time, but have a look at "Bad Jokes". Would you believe that Boromir gets stage fright? I tried to get him telling a joke or a story on his own, but he just *wouldn't* come across with anything. Then Merry got into the act...
Sometimes I wonder at what goes on in my head.
