SA Prompt | SA Results | BB Code
Date: 12-24-2012
Word Limit: 1000
Words Written: 13,743
Judges (crits):
The Saddest Rhino
Peel
Chairchucker
The Saddest Rhino
Peel
Chairchucker
Week Archivist:
Kaishai
Kaishai
SYNAESTHESIA noun ?si-n?s-?th?-zh(?-)?
1: a concomitant sensation; especially : a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
2: the condition marked by the experience of such sensations
One of the best stories I have ever read about the phenomenon of synaesthesia is The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford. You can read the full story in the link, but here’re the introductory lines if you do not have the time:
Are you familiar with the scent of extinguished birthday candles? For me, their aroma is superceded by a sound like the drawing of a bow across the bass string of a violin. This note carries all of the melancholic joy I have been told the scent engenders-the loss of another year, the promise of accrued wisdom. Likewise, the notes of an acoustic guitar appear before my eyes as a golden rain, falling from a height just above my head only to vanish at the level of my solar plexus. There is a certain imported Swiss cheese I am fond of that is all triangles, whereas the feel of silk against my fingers rests on my tongue with the flavor and consistency of lemon meringue. These perceptions are not merely thoughts, but concrete physical experiences.
SCOPE OF TASK:
FIRSTLY: Write, in one thousand (1,000) words or less, a story which revolves or involves a condition where the senses and stimulation operate in a way that is uncommon. You may choose to go with synaesthesia, or any other condition such as sensory deprivation, exaggeration or something you made up completely.
SECONDLY: If you choose to explain how it came about, the sensory condition cannot arise from speculative means. No horror, fantasy or sci-fi allowed. This means (for illustration purposes) your character cannot be smelling farts when watching cartoons because the Gods of Intestinal Indigestion wanted to be mean to him.
THIRDLY: NO JASON BOURNE PILLS/INJECTIONS/VIRAL.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
1: a concomitant sensation; especially : a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
2: the condition marked by the experience of such sensations
One of the best stories I have ever read about the phenomenon of synaesthesia is The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford. You can read the full story in the link, but here’re the introductory lines if you do not have the time:
Are you familiar with the scent of extinguished birthday candles? For me, their aroma is superceded by a sound like the drawing of a bow across the bass string of a violin. This note carries all of the melancholic joy I have been told the scent engenders-the loss of another year, the promise of accrued wisdom. Likewise, the notes of an acoustic guitar appear before my eyes as a golden rain, falling from a height just above my head only to vanish at the level of my solar plexus. There is a certain imported Swiss cheese I am fond of that is all triangles, whereas the feel of silk against my fingers rests on my tongue with the flavor and consistency of lemon meringue. These perceptions are not merely thoughts, but concrete physical experiences.
SCOPE OF TASK:
FIRSTLY: Write, in one thousand (1,000) words or less, a story which revolves or involves a condition where the senses and stimulation operate in a way that is uncommon. You may choose to go with synaesthesia, or any other condition such as sensory deprivation, exaggeration or something you made up completely.
SECONDLY: If you choose to explain how it came about, the sensory condition cannot arise from speculative means. No horror, fantasy or sci-fi allowed. This means (for illustration purposes) your character cannot be smelling farts when watching cartoons because the Gods of Intestinal Indigestion wanted to be mean to him.
THIRDLY: NO JASON BOURNE PILLS/INJECTIONS/VIRAL.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
14 Total Submissions, 0 Total Failures:
1.
9.
14.