Discussion -- 75 Word Challenge -- APRIL

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This was too tough. After days of over-thinking.. I reverted to my typical state of responding to stories on a visceral level; rather than analytical.

Votes:
The Kings Shilling stuck with me from first reading. An elegantly smooth flow dropping sweetly into the allusion to the Einstein quote. (Nice "hook" that, as they say in the music biz.) The reader can't help but feel a bit clever and a smidge smug to recognize the referent. Speaking for myself, anyway.

Freak I dunno.. We're all feeling about a half a step from freakishness. (or we wouldn't be here.)

How the war between the Centaurs and Monkey-Men Began clever and cute.

***

so here's the raw version of my shortlist..
Nixie freak
procrastinator blessed
Paranoid Marvin The Kings shilling.
Moonbat The Pledge 12
Perpetual motion Dying wish.
Tactical loco Hostile takeover
DOE first Law
reiver 33 Hitchhiking to hell
Hopewrites monkey men
Stormfeather A new Hope
Mosaix
Azzagorn I don't know where the hell is Swindon; but I know a few places like that well.
 
My three, chosen after much re-reading:

digs -- from distant memory of his previous entries, I'd say post-apocalyptic was digs's genre of choice, so it should be no surprise that he's produced such a poignant, clever piece. I hope it won't be another nine months before his next one.

Aun Doorback -- I loved this the first time I read it and every time since, but one thing I like about it only struck me this morning. When someone says "burn rubber" you expect to see a low rear-end shot of a car, its back end fish-tailing across the road as its smoking tyres struggle for grip. And this side-to-side movement is exactly what you get with a knackered shopping trolley! Perfect.

Hopewrites -- this is like one of those quirky little pictures in a gallery I want to own every time I see it, without really being able to say why. So I've given up trying to explain it to myself and just decided to vote for it.
 
I'm much too lazy to make a shortlist or list my reasons, but my votes went to Hare o' the Brain, Scott Are Fo' Sho' and Culhooch (am I saying those right?)

Oh, and thanks so much for the votes and the mentions!
 
Okay, my final list is comprised of one sad, one hopeful... and one funny story:

Hex, Ursa, Digs.


Yes, Ursa, it was enough to coin my vote! Also, Bowler1 made it to the last four, so deserves a mention here for such a brilliant story - but tiny little grammar errors swayed my vote to the others.
 
HighEight -- thanks for the mention (especially of the last line!)

And Leisha -- thank you very much for the vote.

It's so exciting... very very close. Who's going to win? Bittersweet tragedy or horrible horsemen? (or will the shopping trolley make a dash through to the finish line?!)
 
Thank you Leisha for the 4th place which really is close but no cigar. Will watch for errors next month. Well looks like I'm not going to win this month!!!

Keep pushing Aun, one more day of voting to go.
 
Thank you for your vote, Tisiphone! I'm going to be grinning for the rest of the day now. :)
 
My 'short' list:
reiver33 - Hitchhiking To Hell
StilLearning - Hope
Abernovo - Anniversary
Warren_Paul - That Darn Zombie Novel
StormFeather - A New Hope
Hex - The Promises
Scott R. Forshaw - The Last Ride
Grizzgreen711 - Unsuspecting Victor
Anthus - Second Chance
mosaix - There’s None So Blind…
Vertigo - Reparation
paranoid marvin - The King's Shilling
Ursa major - Irredeemable
nixie - Freak
digs - Broken Things
Boneman - Heaven on Earth
The Judge - Genesis 9:13

And votes:
Leisha - The Rose
The Procrastinator - BLESSED
Aun Doorback - Soul mate


And many thanks to Bowler1, Vertigo, TacticalLoco for votes, and thanks to those who mentioned my story!
 
Your welcome, ahhh, Platty?? Even better as you voted for Aun as well, the trolley is not quite there yet but there but has a chance now.
 
Thanks so much for the vote, Leisha. :):)


And thanks for the shortlisting, TSP. :)
 
Thank you heaps for the vote, Tisiphone, and the mention, Leisha (and anybody else too; there are so many pages, it's hard to see)
 
So, the spreadsheet having done a first triage (as always inadequate, but, when there is only one vote in play, a good indication), I was left with a short? list of Abernovo, Bob S Sr., Culhwch, David Evil Overlord, digs, Harebrain, Hex, Parson, Scott R Forshaw, StilLearning, the Procrastinator and The Spurring Platty. And felt quite upset about the excellent ones who should, by all justice, have been on the list.

Then I voted, and discovered I hadn't changed the outcome in any way.

So I went back and looked at the poll; 75 entries, 55 voters, means 20 not yet voted, right? Wrong; there are three votes from those not competing – no, that suggests a spirit I don't really feel in this endeavour, "participating" is better – this month. So, not yet voted (no pressure, plenty of time yet, and a weekend coming up):- AMB, Anthus, AnyaKimlin. Bob S. Sr, Culhwch, DrGorakk, James Coote, juelz4sure, Kamosis, Kiffinyjean, luci2also, Lucifal, MemoryTale, Nott Hraezla, paranoid marvin, Perpetual motion, reiver33, slindeman, Starbeast, StilLearning, StormFeather, Swamp Fox, The Judge and Ursa.

Rather a lot of those not being our traditional last minute holdouts being first time submitters (see colour). I'm wondering if this is due to shock from discovering the joys of establishing a hierarchy, or inability to find and follow the instructions…;)
 
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I dunt unnerstand all these spreadsheets. I just vote for what I likes bested.

I just went and had a look at the poll and seen someone's been sneaky and gone and voted for me! (Was it an accident?) Ta, Aaron.
 
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