Humor... Return to Sanity(Discussion/Challenge/Index)* Sep 22, *New Topic/Challenge*

LOL! BarenCoop, I love mighty specific challenges! This one is actually quite fun. I was amusing myself while I was writing mine; I was pretending to be a comb.

I look forward to reading your entry! (P.S. I loved your other ones, they were hilarious!)

Trimaj:

welcome, welcome idrelle, your participation is definitely desired, as it is with all who post here.

Thanks, Trimaj!

also, loved your response. had me in stitches almost.



Thanks!

 

That is just brilliant! Great job! Love the comb wishing to be back
in the Fjords!

 

congrats you two! fiftieth and fify-first posts repsectively. thanks for helping to make this a success so far. without ya'll this kinda falls apart.

 

The Humour Index of June


Author: Jade Pilot
Title: Three, Antilles, Goat's Stuff
Timeframe:
Characters: Wraith Squadron, Wedge Antilles
Summary: Wedge returns from a vacation to find his office is not like he left it.
Status: Finished


Author: Valairy_Scot
Title: Two Shifts at the Ladies Only Bar in Mos Eisely
Timeframe: Intertrilogy
Characters: Obi-Wan and some others
Summary: Obi-Wan has to find a way to support himself in exile on Tatooine. Fate steps in.
Status: Finished (probably)


Author: Valairy_Scot
Title: A Padawan's Misadventures, or And That's When I Got Thrown Out of the Jedi Order. Again.
Timeframe: not specified. Saga?
Characters: some hapless padawan
Summary: This padawan is lucky the rest of the Jedi didn't kill him.
Status: Finished (probably)


Author: Valairy_Scot
Title: Dear Di-ary: Confessions of a Teenage Padawan
Timeframe: Saga
Characters: Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Summary: Anakin's record of his time outs.
Status: Completed (probably)


Author: Valairy_Scot
Title: Dear Diary: Confessions of Getting Old Before His Time Jedi
Timeframe: Saga.
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker
Summary: Obi-Wan's diaries
Status: Finished


Author: Idrelle_Miocovani
Title: When Characters Are Victimized
Timeframe: post-AOTC/ANH/random time
Characters: [Star Wars] Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Leia Or-gana, Luke Skywalker, [Harry Potter] Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Buckbeak, [Lord of the Rings] Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, [Pirates of the Caribbean] Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, [Doctor Who] the Doctor (#10), Rose Tyler, [OCs -- sort of] the Fan Fic Gods.
Summary: Anakin and Obi-Wan crash-land on a mysterious planet. After their arri-val, weird events take place and land several others including "wizards", "primitives" and drunken pirates on the planet with them. Ships begin eating rocks, dictionaries fall from the sky, Anakin meets his son who is the same age as him, and the Fan Fic Gods are a-bout to find out what happens when "characters are victimized."
Status: WIP


Author: Kissa
Title: Fel Babies
Timeframe: Post TUF
Characters: Jag, Jaina, Han
Summary: Han catches Jag ?making babies? with his daughter and is forced to dis-cuss the issue.
Status: Finished


Author: Kissa
Title: Chak Goes Crazy For Hutt-Smut
Timeframe: Pre-NJO
Characters: Chak, Jag, Cherith, Soontir
Summary: hak finds a new addiction
Status: One-Shot


Author: Kissa
Title: Darth Gipper
Timeframe: Post-DN
Characters: Palpatine, Maul, Dooku, Plagerous
Summary: The Sith Lords of the past aren?t impressed with the new Dark Lord.
Status: One-shot, challenge response


Author: Trimaj
Title: [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=23463910&brd=10476&replies

 

Great job on the index, Lanna!

 

indeed lanna, good job. i'll try to have those other links done up as soon as possible.

~trimaj

 

Excellent job, Lanna! I'm really glad to see the index up and running!

Now... I wonder if anyone else is up to taking the perspective of an inanimate object for the day while they write their response to the challenge...

 

Coming back to the discussion of slap stick...

I realizd I actually do it a little. But only one or two lines and then I'm back to other humour (of which I hope to learn the proper terms here sooner or later.)
I agrre that the execution is even more important than the action itself. (Maybe that's why I can't write any?) I imagine that reading a script for the 'Three Stooges' was probably pretty boring most of the time. But with the right execution... you know the results.
For easy slap stick I'd say it'd best be:
1) unintentional
2) stupid, and
3) it's gotta hurt. (You don't laugh about the guy who slips on a banana and falls onto a big cushion...)

 

I posted my story Unleashing The 'Humorous' Side.

Let me know what you think.

 

MsLanna: I realizd I actually do it a little. But only one or two lines and then I'm back to other humour (of which I hope to learn the proper terms here sooner or later.)
I agrre that the execution is even more important than the action itself. (Maybe that's why I can't write any?) I imagine that reading a script for the 'Three Stooges' was probably pretty boring most of the time. But with the right execution... you know the results.
For easy slap stick I'd say it'd best be:
1) unintentional
2) stupid, and
3) it's gotta hurt. (You don't laugh about the guy who slips on a banana and falls onto a big cushion...)

Hmmm... I probably would. Especially if it was a randomly materializing cushion...

Just kidding!

Slap stick comedy is definately one of my favourites. I use it some times, although how many times, I don't know; I don't actually pay attention to what type of humor I'm using when I'm writing humor!

Some of the best examples (for me) of slap-stick comedy is some of the stuff that Monty Python has done. For example, I find their How Not to Be Seen episode hilarious, although it gets to be a little out of hand near the end.

Anyways, I definitely agree with the way slap-stick comedy is executed. Taken to the extremes, I don't find it funny (ie. someone getting beheaded with a lightsaber is definately not funny, whereas an old cabinet collapsing on top of Jaina after she runs headlong into it may be, depending on the circumstances and how the story is narrated ). With proper handling, slap-stick comedy is very funny, but otherwise... ::shrugs:: I'm probably just randomly talking now and making no sense whatsoever.

Conclusion:

Insert picture of a large, brown paper-wrapped package with a sign.

SLAP-STICK COMEDY: HANDLE WITH CARE.

 

*chuckles* good points there you two. i must admit, it must be handled with care. i've done precisely one thing that had slapstick in it, and that was... a bit long to post here.

anyways, the three things that you listed, MsLanna are exactly what has to be there for it to work. the three stooges is a great example. everyone has a pretty good idea what's coming, but add in the expressions and everything else that they did so well= gold.

if you found a section of it idrelle help you with it some if you wanted, after all that is part of the threads purpose.

you also bring up a very important point, the narration is as important as the execution in writing. after all, if it's presented in an entirely clinical manner then it's not likely to be funny. if you do it in a more expressive narattive it has a greater chance. if you go for an off the wall narrative then you've likely got it. you're challenge submission is a good example.

that was good rx, i enjoyed it greatly.

 

Tell a story from the point of view of any normal inanimate object, be it the holovid display, the couch or the table.

Display its horror at watching the Solo kids going on a rampage

Things that must be used:

Creds
Boogers
A vibro-blade
Carving
Paint
Something Collapsing

Phrases needed:

Ah frell...
I didn¡¯t do anything!
What happened to the snake?
Didn¡¯t you put that over there?



I'd write something, but I don't know anything about the Solo kids. Somebody call me when the challenge gets to some familiar territory...

 

I believe it was Peter Sellers of "Pink Panther" fame who said, on the topic of slapstick - it has to look overly painful. If you think you've made it look too painful, you haven't made it painful enough. There's a point where the character onscreen is suffering so much, the audience quits cringing and starts laughing. That's what you want.

That's pretty much what the stooges did anyway.
But there's lots of slapstick that isn't painful too; stuff that revolves around blocking characters and other clever visual stuff that is really hard to do in writing. The thing about violence is that writing "So-and-so then ran around on fire." is instantly entertaining...nonviolent slapstick just doesn't have that convenient distraction to help keep the reader from realizing he'd rather just see this stuff happen. Ultimately, most slapstick, violent or otherwise, is insanely difficult to portray in writing unless you're Terry Pratchet. Our medium is just isn't designed for most visual comedy.

But every once in a while, it doesn't hurt. Especially if the comedy you're writing is long. A three stooges moment might just be the thing to keep a chase scene from becoming repetitive. I'd suggest checking out comedies done during the silent era for inspiration. I highly recommend Buster Keaton. Charlie Chaplin and so on are great, but Keaton's my fav, and the most physical. If you have no patience for films that ain't talkies, then go with Ace Ventura, or Liar Liar. Both of those have some great examples of good slap.

If you're all about the nonviolent slapstick, I'd go for any british sex farce you can get your hands on. They got the formula down. So that's the best way to learn how to keep a scene from being 'and this guy walked out the left door just moments before that guy walked back in the right door, blah blah'. And then there's Pink Panther, of course. The first one. Fast forward through the first half, though.


I can't believe I didn't see this thread earlier. I may have found another hangout.

 

And then there's Pink Panther, of course. The first one. Fast forward through the first half, though.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again is the funniest of them all! Inspector Clouseau rules!

P.S. Steve Martin's Panther sucks!

 

Hey now, let's not be dissin' my good buddy Steve just because he chose a poorly written, poorly directed movie to star in. Yeah the film sucked, but he nailed that over-the-top accent. (although, someone's really gotta talk to the guy about picking movies more carefully..)

I'm personally a fan of 'a shot in the Dark'. But it's the third one, "Return of the Pink Pantehr", that has the highest quality animated opening of any pink panther movie, though. It was done by Richard Williams, who had previously worked on the roadrunner cartoons, and who would go on to direct the animated sequences of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" Some people just know their stuff.

 

Yeah, but Return failed to bring back the original Mr. and Mrs. Phantom and it forgot the history between Mrs. Litton and her former husband, Clouseau.

And yes, A Shot in the Dark IMO is the 2nd best of the Panther movies.

Did you see Alan Arkin in the movie Inspector Clouseau in 1967 ('68?) It had it's funny moments even though it was panned by critics and movie goers alike. I even thought Son of the Pink Panther was funny too.

 

nope, missed those. Actually, I don't remember much about 'return' either. but yeah, 'strikes back' had the one-up of actually continuing the story. As did 'strikes again'. I think 'shot in the dark' in my favorite simply because everybody dies in the end. I laugh every time.

ah, death is funny.

 

Hm. Let me check my notes...



ah. yes, 'stating that death is funny could potentially kill unsuspecting threads'
I knew I had something like that written down somewhere. Should've highlighted it.

*looks around*
Ooo, boy. We're windswept. But not a hard fix!
*puts Panther convos back in their cages and tranquilizes them. Sweeps up any leftover off-topic debris that collected in the lull*
Luckily, this was caught early. But the thread's still in a precarious condition. I recommend lots of liquids, and perhaps a new Discussion Topic to kickstart the immune system back into gear.
Begin the meds as soon as you can. If you start seeing side effects, call me in the morning.

...

I won't pick up, but I've recorded calming and assuring things on my answering machine. It'll make you feel better about the tongue-swallowing and explosive diarrhea.

 

*enters thread*
*slips on newly swept floor*
*slides through half the thread*
aaaaaaahhhhhh

*tries to grab hold of something to stop her*
*grabs Yod*
*makes the unsuspecting patron stumble while she takes up more speed whirling in circles around him*

*a geranium drops out of nowhere but fortunately turns into a melon before it hits her head*
*trying to steady himself, Yod steps into his sweeping bucket, naturally the foot sticks*

*Lanna lets go of Yod, trying to pry the melon from her head*
*rushes headfirst into a palm, and ends up tangled under it*
*the obligatory cocnut falls*

*Yod clanks around one foot in the bucket*
*he bumps against the palm, which breaks*
*everything lies in one tangled heap*

*Lanna says: oops*

Now, back to topic.
What was the topic?

 

*falls over laughing*

my apologies. i've neglected far to many things lately. i'll try not to let it happen again.

new topic, and comments about current ones coming soon.

 

"What was the topic? "

Haha! I think that was the topic!!

 

Only when it takes a holiday!

 

He, Jade_Pilot. Only if he takes a holiday -- and calls himself Bill Door for the occasion.

That's actually the kind of humour I appreciate a lot: take some rather stupid idea, like Death being a 'person' (can I use antropomorphic personification here?) and see it through. Play out all the mad things that would probably happen, if it was 'real' and had to cope with a 'real' world. Of course, more fun is guaranteed if you make that world a disc, but I think that's plagiarims then anyway.

And understatement. Now THAT'S what I call funny.

 

wait, death took a holiday?? Do we know which one?
I hope it's not Halloween. Man...I loved Halloween.

Heh, kinda ironic though: Halloween, R.I.P.
So, uh, will there be a viewing, does anyone know?

 

::cracks up::

Oh, I love this thread!

MsLanna -- That's actually the kind of humour I appreciate a lot: take some rather stupid idea, like Death being a 'person' (can I use antropomorphic personification here?) and see it through.

I seem to remember Monty Python doing something like that in The Meaning of Life (I don't really like that movie too much, and I've only seen parts of it, but I remember they did something with the Grim Reaper crashing a house party... or something like that.)