The Keep:Habitican Exploration and Research Organization (H.E.R.O.)/Challenge 2:Weapons of Mass Distraction

(Somewhere in the Inn At The End of the Road...)

"The road to get anywhere is paved with good distractions, to subvert a phrase." the Wandering Storyteller said. "Indeed, if the journey were simple, getting from point A to point B without any stops along the way, how interesting would that be?"

She was a well-aged woman, with a pile of journals stacked around her on the bar, like some librarian's fortress, and yet she had written every single one of them.

"But the point is to accomplish your objectives!" said the Artful Codger. "What good is using the excuse that you were distracted when it comes to being late to something, or missing it altogether?"

He was an old man, dressed in the worn leathers and lace of a bard, and his ridiculous hat lay on the table next to him. But his smile was eternal, and his hands were still quite quick.

The Wandering Storyteller said, "Nobody is perfect. Perfect is boring. So is simple. Humanity is fascinated by problems, puzzles, and emboldened by challenges that test them, so much that they forget where they were going in the first place."

"Pah." the Codger said. "Shinies. Mere illusions of the moment. Hinderances from bettering yourself through normal means, like practice and hard work."

"You are outnumbered." the Storyteller said. "I say there are more people willing to be entertained than engaged in actually achieving their goals. We would rather sit and watch someone else play a sport excellently than attempt to excel at it ourselves.  Stories are about what went wrong, and how we overcame our difficulties."

The Codger said, "We agree to disagree, Lady.  I say that heroes are the people who overcame temptations and pushed themselves harder to avoid them, and went farther than people who let themselves be led astray."

"Well then." the Storyteller said. "Let's find some ordinary heroes, and see how they answer the question."

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Inspired by Dan O'Dea's entry to Challenge 1: Get Lost!:,  Weapons of Mass Distraction has four components.

1)The Beast, Incarnate: Name your biggest time-sink distraction, either in the Guild or as a topic reply.  Why is this your personal Vice?  Is it something you are actively trying to cut down doing, or is it something that you acknowledge as an integral part of who you are?

2)Wanted, Not Wanted: Find or draw a picture online that best personnifies your personal distraction.  The picture must have no words on it; this is not as simple as finding a logo of Facebook or the like.   It could have nothing to do with the actual item, but if the feeling is there and it matches your idea, it still counts.  Link in the guild, or as a topic reply.

3a)Get Theme Behind Me: 250 words or better, posted as a topic reply: Talk about a distraction that you have successfully conquered.  Something real, something that others might relate to (and possibly still find addicting.)  What made you decide to kick the habit of doing such a thing? If tempted by said thing again, how hard would it be to resist?

3b)Walking on Frozen Water: 250 words or better, posted as a topic reply:  Talk about a goal you achieved despite having distractions trying to pull you away.  Maybe it was studying for exams, maybe it was setting an athletic record, or maybe it was meeting a community service goal -- how did you avoid distractions?

Complete at least #1 or #2 to be eligible to win the challenge -- this one has a way for visual artists and savvy web surfers to contribute. Pick ONE of 3a or 3b (but not both) -- the most complete from those two indicates whether the Storyteller or the Codger is right, and will determine the nature of the next Challenge.

Challenge Ends November 7th.