G.I.S.H.W.H.E.S.
On Saturday I was asked to contribute a small thing to this year’s G.I.S.H.W.H.E.S. (The
Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen): a 140 word science fiction short story. The Facebook page for the scavenger hunt describes it as:
An annual global scavenger hunt hosted by actor Misha Collins and his unseemly cohorts.
Sprung forth whole and immediately deranged from the twisted mind of Misha, GISHWHES now lives and breathes in the global community of GISHWHESHEANS. We abhor all things boring and status quo and embrace all things bold, unnerving, quirky and made of kale.
GISHWHESHEAN has 4 mottos. These mottos change in content and number frequently and irregularly based on the Jupiter moon Ganymede’s cycle and the tea leaves regularly read at the bottom of a cup drunk by this dude named Wallace at Bakker’s Brew Coffee House in Battle Mountain, Nevada:
Motto 1: Death to normalcy!
Motto 2: If we’re not GISHWHES, who will be? Really. Do you know anyone who would actually do this? If so, let me know. I want them on my team.
Motto 3: We make art because cool people can’t.
Motto 4: My life and my art for Miss Jean Louis! That sassy **tch!
According to Wikipedia:
On the first day of the week-long competition, a list is posted on the GISHWHES website with over 150 different tasks for competitors to complete during the hunt, which Collins and his friends, including co-coordinator Jean Louise Alexander, have devised prior to the beginning of the competition. Teams then submit photos or videos of themselves completing the prompts at the contest’s website, receiving points for each item completed. While literal interpretations of prompts are preferred, judges will sometimes award points for especially creative responses. Prizes for the team with the most points at the end of GISHWHES have included a trip to Scotland for a slumber party with Collins and a trip to Vancouver for a “Viking surprise”.
Teams consist of 15 members who may come from different countries. Individuals may prearrange teams or sign up individually, in which case they are randomly grouped into appropriately sized teams. As of the 2013 contest, signup costs ran $19 per person with participation fees going towards Random Acts, a non-profit run by Collins that aims to encourage random acts of kindness.
Buzzfeeed.com had an article about the response of authors to the request to contribute a short story. They asked me the day the scavenger hunt began on August 2. I enjoyed getting to contribute. I thought it was fun. In fact, the whole scavenger hunt reminded me of being back in college and some of the fun things we used to do. And besides, this is for charity: it’s a good cause.
Send to Kindle
