chelydra

We can return to Roman numerals next time — it'll just be C. I think 99 must be IC, but that doesn't look right, does it?

Anyway, let's see if we can get at least two entries this time around.

For a word list, I decided to google: Speech January 1913 — and sure enough what popped immediately were eight or ten made by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, on Jan 8th 1913 - a century ago today.
This list is from Winnie's response to a Parliamentary query about negligence in Royal Navy's dockyards. I suppose I should have gone back 99 years for the 99th ThinkWrite. But never mind.


archer
boil
breakdown
discovery
lord
sea
stripping
torch

444 words exactly

chelydra

DEADLINE!!!

Rebel Sun's super-generous deadline apparently made everyone too relaxed to write anything last time around, so your punishment is to have a tight deadline now: Just six days! Monday the 14th of January!!! And if there are no entries, I will toss it over to Marg because her liking my story made me feel okay about "winning" by default.

chelydra

NO EXTENSIONS! Just in case I didn't make that entirely clear, if no stories show up in the next six days, your laziness will NOT result in any tampering with this deadline. 14 January regardless of response.
Good luck, enjoy, bye. See ya then.

marg

Do I get a special exemption - and anyone else who shares my liking for limited (or responsible use of) verbosity - say 111 or 44 words ?

Pretty please ?

chelydra

well, i already decided that if no one at all enters, I'm passing the torch to you (your prize for complimenting my lonely story in challenge #98) when the deadline arrives... BUT if you start bending the rules (even if you charm me into letting you do it), AND someone else arrive wih an entry that goes along with the rules, then THEY automatically win. So of course, you're free to do what you like, and if no one else bothers to submit anything, you'll win — in other words, it will not jeopardize your winning status if you actually write something (unless someone else does too, in which case we go back to legitimate judging)...
The short answer is: Sure, 111, 44, whatever... but I will only be judging stories that follow the rules. Hope that was clear, it's been a long long day...

chelydra

Don't get me wrong — I really would like to see what you with 44 words or whatever. I'm just being rigid about rules and deadlines because I think I have a duty to try get ThinkWrite back on track after it got becalmed over the holidays, and after I so flagrantly disrespected the word count in the only entry... But rule-breaking entries are always welcome --- as long as the rule-breakers know they won't win against rule-followers, right?

ladyhwin

A Perfect 444 words, all mandatory words included. I have not written in five-six months. Enjoy.

***
Lightning ripped through the midnight sky, illuminating the forest in its eerie glow, followed only moments later by the ominous rumble of thunder, distant yet, but coming nearer. The light disappeared as quickly as it had come, just in time for the young girl to see another shadowy archer before her and veer her course to the left. She could hear her pursuer’s heavy footsteps not far behind her and she weaved desperately through the trees, hoping to lose him in the heavy blackness, yet knowing it was only a matter of time before she was caught. The thought brought tears of anguish to her eyes, mingling with the rain that already coursed down her face and soaked her clothes. Weariness was starting to overcome her and with a cry, she tripped in a bramble and fell heavily to the ground. Dazed, she lay still for a long moment, gasping for breath, before fear gripped her and she scrambled to her feet, turning her path in a completely different direction.
In the back of her mind, she thought she could hear her name being called, and she nearly cried out in reply, desiring nothing more than escape, when suddenly she was stopped short by a new flash of lightning, for she saw that directly before her was the edge of the forest, and just beyond that the sea. Her body screaming for respite, she whirled around in a mighty attempt to get away from the boiling, raging waters, yet even as she turned, she caught sight of a torch drawing near. She was trapped; her master, the lord of the sea behind her, his assassins before her. She screamed in terror, looking wildly for an escape, even as a gray-feathered arrow buried its head in the tree next to her.
And then, she was certain she heard her name, somewhere off to the north. She tried to move towards it, but found she could not as a heavy arm caught her about the waist and a raspy voice muttered threats in her ear. Moments later she was surrounded by armed men, and still she could hear her name called, nearer now. Savagely, they stripped her of her outer clothing, searching frantically for their prize. Upon the discovery that she had no papers upon her person, she was struck heavily to the ground, and as she fell, she saw the sea again, rising to strike.
“Christine!” the call was close now, and she caught sight of her guardian upon a horse, riding to her aid. She tried to call a warning, but too late. She heard the swish of an arrow, then all went black.

chelydra

I'm just adding this to say thanks to ladyhwin for an involving tense contribution, and to bounce this back up above the previous ThinkWrite, in hopes of drumming up a little more business. (And to say to Marg, I really do want to see what you'd do with 44 words!)

Qsilv

With each leap upward, above the roiling boil of wave tops,
the sea lord's dolphins made a new discovery...
an archer looming over the cliff edge,
stripping off her flimsy capelet,
wrapping bits 'round arrows
sent spiralling outward...
each flaming torch
heralding the
breakdown
...

marg

“Sire, you are the most puissant lord in the four kingdoms! You command both the land and the sea and each new discovery increases your domain!”

Canute looked at Egbert with acute dislike – the man was a positive boil that needed lancing by a non-too-skilled archer. Egbert, however, was his wife’s nephew, so stripping him of rank and holdings (and preferably life), would probably cause a breakdown in the treaty with his father-in-law.

Egbert was wittering on.. “Your wisdom shines like a torch across the realm and your word is the law! At your command, the clouds disappear, the birds are silent and even the waves retreat.”

Canute gazed wistfully down at his ankles, now completely submerged by the incoming tide. If only..

chelydra

My resolution to automatically rule out entries that don't follow the rules precisely (as long as there are others that do) is feeling shaky. Great stuff!

marg

Hail, Anteros – winged archer rising above the bustling boil of Piccadilly!

Yours, Lord Ashley, the discovery of humanity's breakdown in the filthy factories and asylums..

..yours the torch revealing child abuse, stripping away society's scales;

-- yours, too, the dream to restore the Sea of Gallilee.. ?

chelydra

Here's a compromise to make everyone eligible to win who wants to be, without actually compromising my rules (much): A series of entries from one author adding up to a total of 444 words will be fine. (I'm hoping this will turn ThinkWrite back into a buzzing beehive of industrious activity).

Here are some more words, which like the first batch were taken from Winston Churchills speeches in Parliament in January 1913 (as this expanded word-list indicates, Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty at the time, and had to answer a lot of questions about battleships). These words can be distributed however you like among your entries as long as they're all included.

This list is intended for people submitting a whole bunch of different little stories adding up to 444 words — Use all the original list, plus most (or all, if you can) of these additional words, and you can distribute all the required words any way you want as long as you end up with all of them somewhere.

(If anyone else follows Ladyhwin's shining example and actually follows the original rules with a single 444-word story, just use the original word-list, but of course you can feel free to add any of the new additions that strike your fancy.)

Indian
waters
charge
people
enormous
dismissal
drunkenness
dockyard
coast
guard
dread
naught
invincible
indomitable
inflexible
supurb
vanguard
Neptune
indefat igable
Hercules
colossus
Orion
lion
monarch
conqueror
thunderer
princess
royal
centur ion
audacious
iron
duke
tiger
valiant
Rheinland
ersatz
Gibralter
right
honourable
ge ntleman
defence
home
distances
time
purpose

chelydra

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO WENESDAY 14th OF JANUARY AT MIDNIGHT GREENWICH MEAN TIME (That's Wed., 7 PM Eastern Standard Time in the US, and 10 AM on Thurs. in Australia if I'm not mistaken)... due to busy-ness until then.

(Hi again Marg! Your 2nd one showed up while I was studying dreadnaughts.)

Anyone who's submitting a series can keep substituting new and better stories as long as the total word count of the whole series ends up at exactly 444. This should help loosen the inhibitions - toss in all the rubbish you want, because you can toss it out again later if you get a better idea.

If you're allergic to microsoft word and need to get a word count, do a Google search for "word count" — you'll get a quick easy way to check. You can even revise within the word-counter so you don't have to keep going back and forth with copying and pasting.

chelydra

16th that's supposed to be. At the end of Wednesday (midnight, 0 hrs GMT).

marg

Hey, buddy -

.. I think you may be destroying your own challenge - a list is as given, not as changed or added to - and 52 words - are you joking ?

I actually don't want to gain the baton on this one, so I'll bow out as I've shown willing. Bonne chance !

chelydra

I was just to trying to accomodate (and legitimize) those of you who prefer to write short things.
If I'd thought it thrugh, (or seen you 2nd story at the time) I might have realized that doing a whole bunch of miniature stories with one word list (recycled over and over and exhausting all possibilities) could be a more interesting challenge than a wider choice.

Qsilv

...as per Chel's last and what marg says! There is NO way I can steal the time to work with 50+ words. But it IS tempting to take a short word list and mangle ...er... I mean... work with it in various ways!

So, as I see it--
ORIGINAL WORDS LIST...
WEDNESDAY JAN 16th DEADLINE...
ADD ANY 2 WORDS FROM THE EXTENDED LIST...
444 --OR-- 44 WORD COUNT...
MULTIPLE ENTRIES...
BONUS TO ANYONE FOLLOWING THE RULES...
EXTRA BONUS TO ANYONE SUBMITTING MULTIPLE ENTRIES THAT ALTOGETHER TOTAL 444...
...and poor ol' Chel has to verify those totals...
......and WE can still be the brats we've always been!

;>

marg

Hmm.. so sorry for the late comment, ladyhwin, but I think your entry was just brilliant - not sure how may times I've read it, but it's gripping and dark and violent. I guess that (personally) I think that if you removed the words 'in a bramble' it would be almost perfect, as the bramble bit just seems too mundane for me.. but maybe in a bigger context it would make more sense ?

Qsilv.. LOL.. I like to think that I could have written your beautiful contribution.. except for lines 4 and 5..

umm.. exactly what 'bits' was this ogre-ish (looming) lady wrapping around the arrows ? .. and just what was she wearing under her flimsy capelet ? Ye gods, your epic little entry could spawn a whole showcase, if my imagination is anything to go by

Rebel_Sun

Oh, thou indomitable Neptune, lord of the boundless sea,
As we launch our ships from our dockyard home, we send our prayers to thee.
Colossus of the waters, dread god of the depths unknown,
Protect us as we sally forth to wherever the winds have blown.
We sail on to the rock of Gibraltar, past the pillars of Hercules
And though the distances daunting be, be with us, hear our pleas.
Oh, Jupiter, thou thunderer, royal invincible sire,
Guard us on our audacious quest from thine formidable ire.
Monarch of the stormy skies, we pray for favoring winds,
Be the lion in our vanguard and the tiger of where we’ve been.
We charge thee, honorable gentleman of the Olympic host,
To be with us both for every day ‘til again meet those we love most.
Mercury, thou fleet of foot, hoist thy torch for us each night,
And like the shoes that wearest thou, help our ships take flight.
Help us reach the coasts we seek and return in record time…
Be those lands of the far off Indians or north to the land of the Rhine.
To all those in the pantheon, our offerings and our love.
We ask of ye but trifles, oh ye valiant rulers of the above.
Athena, princess of the wise, help us to choose the right.
Bacchus of the heady vine, help our crew’s drunkenness be slight.
Apollo, our fair gold charioteer, shine down ‘pon us from on high.
Minerva, light our darkened skies while Apollo’s horses retire.
Vulcan, make our breakdowns scarce, or better, make them naught.
Ares keep our defenses strong and our iron sharp and hot.
Cupid, cherubic archer, until in port and looking for a maid,
Keep your quiver to yourself, for peace and heaven’s sake.
Pluto, duke of darkness, if perchance one of ours is lost,
We pray thee take our brother in…we’ll pay the ferry’s cost.
Conquerors of Titans, beloved of the people below,
Look over us and guide our paths withersoever we go.
Of our past-done wrongs dismissal give or a bit of a reprieve,
Inflexible be not we ask, yea, those of us that do believe.
We reject the ersatz divinities of lands afar forsworn,
Our loyalty like that of the centurion, indefatigable in service yourn.
The ropes are new, the sails are taut, the hands are seamen true,
The wind is strong, the hold is tight, the seas are crystal blue.
Our father ship, the “Orion” named, our purpose is discovery.
Our pitch is boiled, stripping timber decks, we’re ready for the sea.
Enormous is our undertaking, and our captain’s skill, superb,
So help us safely complete our quest and return to those we serve.

444 words, all 53 included (I took a little liberty with "Rhineland")