Writers round table

[seradhe]

I'm not sure if this has popped up before (and obviously before my time if it has), but I have to try.

One of my favorite writing practices in college was the round table. the entire class sat in a circle, the teacher gave us the opening line, and passed the paper all the way around. Everyone added 1-5 sentences continuing the storyline, and the final product was read back at the end of the day.

I've never done this on a forum (though I am sure it has been done before someplace), but I think it could be fun. And the potential for the story to be near-endless is too good to pass up.

rules.
These are open for variation, since I'm new to the mechanics of something like this. I'm using corrupt-a-wish as a basis for some of the rules

1. Keep it between 1 and 5 sentences each post. This is not gonna be heavily frowned upon if broken, but at the same time, a multi-paragraph post is a no-no
2. Try not to follow yourself in posting. I see this as a variation on rule #1. but if no one adds a line for weeks, and you want to, go ahead
3. be considerate of the storyline. This could potentially go anywhere, but "and suddenly a ninja jumps out" would look kinda hokey.
4. quote the last line before your addition. This is just so we can all read the story in sequence, filtering out posts not part of the round table.
5. if, when you post,you get the "warning, a reply has been made recently", please take note if this is an addition to the story and don't post yours. I know this is a nasty rule, especially if this thread gets some high traffic. but this isn't an addventure, and things could get really messy really fast.

Let me know what you all think, if there is a definite positive opinion on this, I'll post the first line and let go of the reigns 

[Murphy's Stunt Double]

Well, come on then, bring it on!

[tagnizkur]

Oh I have done stuff like this, but they made it harder.  It was called the one word story.  Each person was allowed to add only one word.  Around and around it went until the whole page was filled.  So yeah, start one up!

[Ryan]

It was a dark and stormy knight, and unfortunately, as far as I knew, Batman was fictional. And didn't rock chainmail. Or the weather.

[meg_evonne]

It was a dark and stormy knight, and unfortunately, as far as I knew, Batman was fictional. And didn't rock chainmail. Or the weather.

I looked out my bedroom window and couldn't believe that an honest to God knight was literally standing out in the rain in a huge puddle.  I mean I'm up for a little role playing now and then but this was ridiculous.  Who the heck was he waiting for?  His normally (assumed) cocky feather was limp and gave him a generally demoralized look, not at all the image of a mighty knight.  The rain had to be dribbling all over him inside that suit and I wondered how much water was filling up inside his boots?  The guy had to be lost.   Should I invite him in to dry off and if so, could I do it without laughing at him?

[Ryan]

Shrugging into my lime green PVC raincoat, I realized that I was a pot and he was a kettle (granted, more literally on his end, more kitschily on mine) and laughing would be wrong, or at least really hypocritical. Still, a depressed-looking knight in your yard-- it's inherently funny, and I probably wouldn't have been able to help myself, until I tossed my kitchen for a flashlight and found it, all corroded to hell by battery acid. Which meant... Crap.

I went back to my room to retrieve my Force FX lightsaber. If it was going to be a duel for the silliness mantle, I was totally bringing it.

[Meowsan]

"And Suddenly A Ninja Jumps Out" was shining brightly on the billboard by the highway not far from here i as glanced out the window. Just Great, another cheesy movie by John Woo. My jaw dropped as I noticed the fact that the ninja on the billboard was none other than... Sylvester Stallone? My freaky little Mr Potato of a God, what have Hollywood done to the legendary man? My mind was pondering away on how evil hollywood was and maybe i should finish up writing that raving protest letter to George Lucas after going through the new Star Wars Series that a moaning shawdowy lump of something the size of a mini van crashed through the wall with the window towards me. Without my realization, my very first reaction was flicking that Force FX lightsaber to life. Then perhaps a big old by the book gulp.

[seradhe]

Without my realization, my very first reaction was flicking that Force FX lightsaber to life. Then perhaps a big old by the book gulp.

The FX Lightsaber illuminated the room in a wavering green glow, showing me a mass of thick fur covering whatever had crashed. two bright dots, reflecting the light, centered on me and the whole bulk of it began turning. What could I do? in sheer reflex I lunged with the my mockery of a weapon, the dull plastic tip poking the thing right in the eye. It roared, and I was gone, already leaping out the hole in my wall and towards that depressing knight. He just stood there.

[meg_evonne]

edited: forgot to quote the last line...  Dah...  "It roared, and I was gone, already leaping out the hole in my wall and towards that depressing knight. He just stood there."

I yelled at the knight, "if that f***** THING that just crashed into my house has anything to do with you, I am seriously suing your metal arse!"  The THING was hot on my heels and my plastic light sabre was not going to work as a surprise weapon twice--unless the THING was a complete idiot.  I raced past the knight, shifted my mighty Star Wars weapon into my left hand, and struggled to find my car keys in my jeans pocket.  I heard the knight moving at last and it wasn't towards the THING.  He ran fast, I'll give him that, noisy clanking sounds, but fast. He was beside me, easily keeping pace, but at least his sword looked like it was the real deal.  THING was close enough I could hear it breathing and growling behind us.  "Growling? Geez, where the heck did I park the D*** Scoobi Van?!?"  I sincerely hoped it hadn't been towed again...

[Kristine]

He was beside me, easily keeping pace, but at least his sword looked like it was the real deal.  THING was close enough I could hear it breathing and growling behind us.  "Growling? Geez, where the heck did I park the D*** Scoobi Van?!?"  I sincerely hoped it hadn't been towed again...

The knight turned his metal and feathered head to glance at me.  A movement I heard more than saw as I was trying to run, find my keys and look for the van at the same time.  The growling seemed to be getting further away but louder.  Maybe the THING didn't like the rain.  The Knight pointed to our left and I felt a thrill of relief as I saw my dark blue-with-neon custom painted van.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw that my neighbor, who had let out his cocker spaniel to pee, was standing behind his screen door staring at me with his mouth wide open.  Or maybe he was staring at the forlorn looking knight, or the THING still growling that was behind us.  Damn, I hoped it was one of the other two as I didn't need anymore problems with the neighbors.

[Meowsan]

Damn, I hoped it was one of the other two as I didn't need anymore problems with the neighbors.

I slammed onto the driver's side of the van to unlock the door as quickly as I can with the knight just stood there beside me just I ripped it open and jumped onto the driver's seat. I gestured to the knight to get into the van but instead he laid his hand on the windshield and I felt a sudden dizziness fell upon me. It felts like going on a roller coaster once to many times. I had to close my eyes and try to concentrate not to throw up on the spot. I felt the van went tumbling down and landed with a thud on something soft like grass. Swallowing hard, I opened my eyes to look out. It was foggy, I could barely see a thing from the inside the van. I jumped as the knight knocked on the window with his iron fist. I rolled the window down with my innocent trembling hand and stared at him with a stupefied look on my face. In his dark malicious voice he said, "You are now being retained by the Fifth Order of the White Circle for the destruction of the Wildflower, and to be added to the charge, you have directly assaulted the messenger hound. You are to surrender your metal chariot as the prove to the crime and your weapon."

The fog parted and my jaw dropped.

[meg_evonne]

"Holy UN Interpretor Error, Batman."  The THING sat beside the knight, the neighbor's cocker sniffing at it's nether regions without recrimination.  Alright, at that point I did laugh, a going over the edge of sanity laugh.  My neighbor called his dog and they both disappeared back into their house.  I wondered if my chariot insurance will pay for putting my van upright again. My head was still spinning and my laughter slowly faded and I leaned over giving in to the overwhelming need to empty my stomach.  Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed. 

The knight punched through the window and shattered glass fell everywhere.  He grabbed me by the neck and hauled me out, back into the rain. I tried to swing my legs to kick him but all I connected with was open air. 

[tagnizkur]

It had become one of those moments you only see on TV.  Hero, Heroine, trapped in a situation far to fearful to cinematicly capture.  So the director just shows a quick shot and fills the scene with blackness and then all you can hear is noise.  These are the thoughts raging through my head as I dangle there.  The rain building small puddles upon my face that try desperately to cling to my face but fail miserably falling to the earth to join the forming puddles like discarded spartan babies from that 300 movie. 

[Qualapec]

These are the thoughts raging through my head as I dangle there.  The rain building small puddles upon my face that try desperately to cling to my face but fail miserably falling to the earth to join the forming puddles like discarded spartan babies from that 300 movie.

Time seemed to slow. It reminded me of all those people who talk about how their lives flash before their eyes as they die. Only my life didn't flash before my eyes, I spent those endless seconds pondering the world around me and a movie I saw. As you might imagine, up until this moment my life had been rather dull. No wonder I didn't want to waste time reflecting on years that I had spent bored out of my mind or erased with beer and pizza.

The knight's hand tightened on my throat, reminding me that I was in the middle of a rendition of Clint Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High", minus the rope, plus a screwed in the head paladin wannabe as wide as I was tall.

[Kristine]

The knight's hand tightened on my throat, reminding me that I was in the middle of a rendition of Clint Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High", minus the rope, plus a screwed in the head paladin wannabe as wide as I was tall.

"I surrender" I tried to choke, but it cam out more as "Iaaasrrrner" and I held up my hands in a surrendering gesture."  He seemed to nod in acceptance of my surrender but instead of letting me go he lifted me one-handed to pin me against the bottom of the van.  I made a few gargles of protest as some of the fragments of auto glass got under my t-shirt and beneath the waste band of my jeans.
     "you, the metal chariot and your...weapon," he disarmed me of the light saber I had managed to keep a loose hold on, looking at it as if it might do something dangerous on it's own, "will return with me and the messenger hound to the realm of the Wildflower where you will face the consequences of what you have done.  You will be allowed to tell your reasoning for the destruction you have caused before you will repent with shame in your heart and gladly be executed."
     Then he let me go and I almost fell to my knees.  Air.  Sweet humid clean air.  I gulped lungs full of it for a few seconds and managed to choke out "What...?"  I wanted to say "what the hell are you talking about" but my abused throat objected and I started to cough.