C: Jokers Three (continuing - 2 player)

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Team Challenge
September 2024 - November 2024

Please take some time and choose a team name. You will also need to choose which clown you want to catch first. Choose wisely because some clown require more than others. As such, those clowns will net more points. Let me know when you have made your choices.

Team
Jackie
Kirsten
Lisa

Important Links
Prisoner Drop Off (Check-in Thread)
Scoreboard
Q&A
Collectibles
Feedback
SS: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...


Rules
⛓️Each clown has specific chains and/or tasks that need to be completed.
Examples:
1. Create a chain of 3 using titles consecutively (ABC)
-All the Light We Cannot See
-Becoming Mrs. Lewis
-Catching Fire
2. Create a chain of 3 with "dog" in the titles
-Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
-The Dog Stars
-Hot Dog Girl
⛓️One person should NOT complete a whole chain by themselves. This is a team challenge. However, if a clown has multiple chains and a slower reader can only/want to only read for 1 or 2 chains (they must read at least one), then the other two faster readers on the team can complete the other chains between the two of them.
⛓️You may choose which clown from the list to capture first but you MUST complete it BEFORE starting a new clown.
⛓️You may use or drop articles: A, An, The
⛓️If you somehow manage to incorporate a Buddy Read into a chain, you can earn points based on the BR tier system.
⛓️Standard Rules Apply
⛓️At the end of the official challenge (last day of November), your team may choose to continue on at your own pace. There will be no points accumulated after November but you can finish any clowns that you didn't get to during the challenge.

Scoring
You will get 3 points for every completed book (9 per completed chain) PLUS page points.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

The Clowns

*Sweet Tooth
*Pennywise
*Killjoy
*Kent McCoy
*Stitches
*Art
*Captain Spaulding
*Jojo the Klownzilla & the Klowns
*Violator
*Twisty
*Joker
*Cleaver & LIl Miss Cleaver
*Ribcage
*The Heads
*The Lunatics
*Horny
*The Laugh
*Shivers
*Tickles
*Jack

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Submit your team name and 1st clown choice in the check-in thread.

[Jackie]

I’m here!

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

Here!

[Jackie]

Any team name ideas?

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

I am horrible at those. I'll go with whatever you and Kirsten decide.

[Jackie]

Kirsten always has good ideas for names. Hope she has something because I’m coming up blank.

[Jackie]

Here’s what I have

Perilous Pranksters
Just Clowning Around
Just Fooling Around
Jokers Three
Motley Murderers

[Kirsten]

Hi, I am here, and thanks for the email, Jackie--I so often miss these threads opening.

I like Jokers Three a lot. I was all ready to come up with a name and saw that and it just clicked in my brain.

If that works for you, Lisa, I definitely vote for it.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

I'm good for whatever.

[Jackie]

Works for me. Which clown should we start with? Start at top?

[Kirsten]

I always just start at the top and work down so we don't have to keep track. Or we could shake things up and work up from the bottom!

[Jackie]

Let’s do it, start from bottom. I’ll let Donna know.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Jack

Jack is a demonic entity bound to a toy box. He uses the jack in the box as a vessel to claim souls. The cursed toy is both his prison and his method of hunting. Anyone who winds up the toy and releases him becomes his next target.
Jack's curse has a set of rules. He must claim six victims before he can return to his box. The person who opens the box is the final victim. He uses brutal violence and psychological manipulation to claim victims.
Jack is purely malevolent. He delights in the fear and suffering of his victims. He is patient and will slowly pursue his prey, appearing in & out of the box. He is cold & calculating each move, toying with victims and instilling them with fear before finally killing them.

Complete these tasks
Arm 1: Read a chain of 3 books where a character goes hunting
Arm 2: Read a chain of 3 books with a 6 in the page count
Leg 1: Read a chain of 3 books with a character under a curse in the story
Leg 2: Read a chain of 3 books with a toy on the cover

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Your spreadsheet is in message 1

[Kirsten]

I’m reading a hunting, can easily find a curse and a 6, but the toy might be harder. As I understand it, we could read for 2 in the same chain but not all 3?

[Jackie]

That's the way I understand it.

[Kirsten]

Ooh! Got a toy! There’s a chess set on one of my SH books. I’ll do my 4 and then pick up as needed.

Full disclosure: I hate the way page counting works in this challenge and can’t get super competitive about it. I can read long books, but it honks me off that 489 is worth as many points as 302.

[Jackie]

I feel the same. I wish there was just a multiplyer by page count.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

Me too. I'm gonna try for 300ish pages, but I am trending under that for the most part.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Oh ladies, I can't please everyone. First of all, I don't steal from other challenges. That would be wrong. I play that challenge also. I make my own scoring system (which I have shared with mods here at HOB willingly). Second, it would be boring if all challenges were exactly the same and scored exactly the same. Don't you think? Variety is the spice of life, so they say.

That said... Lisa, that is an admirable goal. I don't know if you will be able to do that for every clown. Twists and all, you know. Good luck with that!

[Jackie]

I should have my last one finished tomorrow.

[Kirsten]

You read some really long ones, Jackie! No rush.

[Jackie]

You know I like those big books!

[Kirsten]

I know. I am super busy at work and am not able to sustain much over 300 right now. I am hoping things even out in a few weeks. They should--I have to get over the first tenure and promotion push (next week I'll clear that until mid-October).

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

This poll ends tomorrow night. Come and have your voice heard.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

[Jackie]

Finished and checked us in.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Tickles

Tickles the Clown also known as "The Mauler of Innocents" was once an ordinary man who performed as a clown for children's parties. A traumatic event triggered a psychotic breakdown and he gained infamy for abducting and murdering children in brutal and grotesque ways.
He targets not only children but anyone who crosses his path in a deranged need to "preserve" innocence by snuffing it out. He is a very cunning and deeply sadistic person. He takes pleasure in the fear & suffering of his victims. His version of "tickling" is more like torture. His personality is a mix of dark humor and psychopathy. He taunts his victims with mocking laughter and twisted jokes.
Tickles has a terrifying, demonic appearance with exaggerated black eye sockets, a jagged red mouth smeared with blood, and a cracked, grimy white face. His wild matted hair and worn costume just make him look unhinged. His maniacal grin adds to the menacing look that will haunt you long after he is gone.

Complete the following tasks
Arm 1: Read a chain of 3 books with TICKLES in the title/series
Arm 2: Read a chain of 3 books with a maniacal grin on the covers (your interpretation)
Leg 1: Read a chain of 3 books that haunt you (scary to you)
Leg 2: Read a chain of 3 books that start with a letter in MAULER (everyone can choose a letter of their choice)

[Kirsten]

Um, Jokers, I'm not afraid of the clowns but they are so ugly that I hate looking at them. Any chance we could switch to no pictures?

Also, do you think it has to be the word "tickles" or the letters tickles?

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

It's letters.

[Kirsten]

Donna wrote: "It's letters."

Thank--that will be easier for sure, but still hard.

[Jackie]

Good, that should be easier.

I’m okay with no pictures, either way is fine.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

What? You guys don't like my lovely clowns? They are so pretty!

[Jackie]

I don’t mind them but pretty isn’t the word I’d use to describe them. Lol

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

I don't care either way about the pictures.

I'm out of town, so I probably can't select/read u til tomorrow night.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

Kirsten...I picked two of your same books. Should we do a buddy read and get more points?

Zachary and The Sceptic.

[Kirsten]

Yes… where are the buddy read rules? I just looked and couldn’t find them. I’ll do it regardless; I was just trying to remember.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Kirsten wrote: "Yes… where are the buddy read rules? I just looked and couldn’t find them. I’ll do it regardless; I was just trying to remember."

Rules as in the tiers? The tiers are in message 1.

[Kirsten]

Yes, and thanks. I’m dumb.

[Kirsten]

We should see if Janine or Amanda are reading either of these.

[Kirsten]

I reread The Sceptic. I have my comments behind spoilers.

(view spoiler)[
1. I kind of can’t believe that the person who wrote Merry Measure (my first) and The Sunny Side (my current fave) wrote this. Those are so light in tone, even when the subject matter (as in Sunny Side) is kind of heavy. And this book gives me chills. The dread I feel with the stuffed dog—and then when it comes back—is huge. And knowing that Sophia didn’t close down the Ouija board— and Mia in the room getting colder— so much of this was terrifying and I felt it all. I think this was way more atmospheric than her other books.

2. And for all that she sets her books in Cornwall so often (the gang’s all there), I can imagine York so much better. Perhaps because I’ve looked up so many different of the sites reading this and Blue, but it feels like if I visited I could find my way. And I want to visit. This book and Blue’s books have moved York onto my bucket list.

3. But for all the ways it’s different, it’s the same. Reverse cowboy is her favorite sexual position. One hero is dark haired and the other light; one is big and the small; the characters are vers, but one reluctantly so. And there’s something about the way the characters describe one another. I feel like I’ve read these passages in basically every book she’s written:
“He’s one of the most charming men I’ve ever met, and it’s made even better because it’s a natural charm.”

“But he treats my love as adeptly as he does everything else, and I know he keeps my feelings as safe and carefully as he does his camera. I know if I give him my love, it will be safe with him. He will take care of my heart, because I know to him it’s precious.“
I mean, I love her, but there’s definitely a formula.

4. It was a little hard to buy that Tarquin would just give him a flat, but it wouldn’t be a Lily Morton book without some house porn. Thank goodness we got to hear about the colors of the wainscoting.

5. I need to read the 3rd Black and Blue (maybe the whole series) and I really want the next book hinted in this one. For all the similarities, there’s enough difference to keep me really engaged.
(hide spoiler)]

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

I think we need a Buddy Read Thread in order for it to count. I can start it later today.

[Kirsten]

Oh. I had no idea. Thank you.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

BR Links:

Sceptic: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Zachary: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

When do you want to start Zachary? I can probably start tomorrow.

[Kirsten]

I can start tomorrow, too. I would like to get this monster and as many SHs knocked out ASAP.

Also, friends, I think I am going to switch my TICKLES book to a shorter, lighter one. With the demands of the job, I think I need an easier book. I have one in reserve, but was trying to go for a 300+. I know we're on a competitive team, but... I'm not super competitive.

I will wait and see how things shake out, though, because it works for TW.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

Finished and checked us in.

[Kirsten]

Yay!

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

Shivers

Shivers is a sadistic, twisted, and relentless killer. His costume is grim and tattered making him look demonic. His wild messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and twisted smile create a chilling look that emphasizes his malevolence. He relies on his menacing presence and brutal violence to terrorize his victims. He is very straightforward in his evil. He is obsessed with causing pain to those who fear him. He stalks people afraid of clowns and uses their fears against them. It is their fear which attracts him.

Complete the following tasks
Arm 1: Read a chain of 3 books with a character that has messy hair (your interpretation)
Arm 2: Read a chain of 3 books with a stalker
Leg 1: Read a chain of 3 books with the author's initials in FEAR
Leg 2: Read a chain of 3 books that starts with a letter in DEMONIC (team must pick one letter)

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

For Leg 2 I could Use:
Out of the Blue
Mystery Magnet