Discussion -- 75 Word Challenge -- June

[Azzagorn]

This month has been great. The competition really came alive with some truely amazing work from everyone. I'd like to thank those who took the time to read my entry, those who mentioned or short/longlisted me. It meant a lot to me to get those especially here.

My short list is indeed short. I kept it to four, these are the four stories that either made me laugh, shudder or think.


Shortlist:

Luiglin - Really liked the idea of there being no virgins left to sacrifice and that last line was priceless.

Hex- I liked the PoV for this one .It gave us a true sense of terror, Fantastic.

Ratsy- I mean seriously who hasn’t forgotten to pass a message on… right.

Kaal- Now that was sinister. Loved the menacingness (is that a word?) of the small child.

Winner: Ratsy it was a close fought thing but in the end I went for the story that reminded me more of myself.

 

[The Judge]

Thanks for the vote, MemoryTale! I hope the meteorite didn't hurt too much.

Thanks for the shortlisting, Grimbear, and the special mention, HB -- I'll take "clever entry" any day.

Keep us updated on your health, ratsy...


I've read all the stories, but I really need to go through and read them all again at least once to try and crystallise my thoughts. Still quite a few of us to vote, though, I think.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

My short list (a lot of stories just barely missed out on this one):

Luiglin
James Coote
Gary Comptom
StilLearning
Boneman
Arkose
chrispenycate
mosaix
Perpetual Man
Culhwch

Which I eventually reduced to a very short list:

Luiglin
Arkose
Perp

I don't usually vote for the humorous stories, but this time I couldn't resist.

My vote goes to Luiglin and Inflatable Ingrid.

 

[Aun Doorback]

David Evil Overlord - Really liked your story (That doesn't really do it justice) There was a tale there that I wanted to read more of (Unless it was just a shaggy dog story?)

Culhwch - Your tale was sad and I love it for that reason.

Thank you both for super entries.

My vote goes to RCGrant for a very descriptive use of 60 odd words? Combined into a very clever story.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

David Evil Overlord - Really liked your story (That doesn't really do it justice) There was a tale there that I wanted to read more of (Unless it was just a shaggy dog story?)

Aun, thank you for the (very) short listing.

There was more, but I had to keep within the 75-word limit.

I'll post more after the voting closes.

 

[Luiglin]

Thanks for the mentions and votes. I've played around with this sort of idea before in the form of a daily diary of a dark lord. It's on a memory stick somewhere.

Vote went to Grimbear ... echoes of Soylent Green and Resyk from Judge Dredd.

My other top five were James Coote, Hex, David Evil Overlord, Aun Doorback and Welsh Andy.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Thanks for the shortlisting, Luiglin.

 

[RcGrant]

My vote goes to RCGrant for a very descriptive use of 60 odd words? Combined into a very clever story.

Thank you, Aun Doorback; I'm honoured.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Thanks for the short, then very short-listing Teresa!

 

[Ursa major]

As per usual, I'm guilty of voting on the last day, but given the subject, I've not procrastinated as long as I normally do.

The entries are listed in date-of-posting order within each category:



Honourable Mentions:

• Chosen by Teresa Edgerton
• The Eye of the Beholder by chrispenycate
• A Taste Of The Unnatural by The Spurring Platty
• The Caper by kiffinyjean

Runners Up:

• Like A Lamb... by mosaix
• Après moi le deluge by Hilarious Joke
• Already Lost by Culhwch

Winner:

• What's the world coming to ... by Luiglin (for its brilliant punchline)

 

[ratsy]

Thank you for the mention Stevietee, and Azzagorn you really made my morning with the vote. That and the fact that it is a beautiful sunny summer day here in Canada. But mainly the vote. Thanks again.

And if you ever want to remember a message just tie a string around your finger...it works better than a rope around a neck...just ask they guy in the gallows

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

A lot of (potential) voters haven't voted yet, and there are not many hours left to do it.

 

[Brev]

A lot of (potential) voters haven't voted yet, and there are not many hours left to do it.

It's shaping up to be a real nail biter.



Huge thanks to Perpetual Man, Moonbat and stevietee for the votes.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I think this is the latest I've ever voted! I've been really busy since the voting started, so last night was the first chance I've had to go through all the stories at once. I finally gave up and went to bed with only the shortlists in place and no idea what to do from there. It's still mindbogglingly difficult, but I'm out of time and have to do something.

First, a word of apology to Vertigo -- it appears my subconscious lifted a phrase from your story for use in my own! I wondered at the way it jumped in there, during something like my fifteenth rewrite, and when I read your story again, there it was!

And a special mention to Perpetual Man for the stunningly brilliant "est ce libre" -- I will probably never hear the word "Excalibur" again without "knowing" where it came from.

I'm also quite taken with the storyline created by Bob, Alcubierre and TJ with their titles. I think the story changes drastically depending on which one you start with!

So here we go:

springs -- Mummy's Boys
Hex -- Sarah's Trial
StilLearning -- The Jurys Verdict
TE -- Chosen
ratsy -- Life is a Piece of Pie
stevietee -- The Soprano
DEO -- Distress Call
*Brev -- The Sacking of Shenmeni*
HareBrain -- The Sin Eater
Boneman -- The Observers
TacticalLoco -- Whose Innocence?
Phoenixthewriter -- Preventive Measures
Starbeast -- Absence of Essence
TSP -- A Taste of the Unnatural
mosaix -- Like a Lamb...
Bob S. Sr -- Past Lost -- Innocence Gained
Grimbear -- Recycled
AlcubierreWarp -- Innocence Regained, Innocence Lost
kiffinyjean -- The Caper


Many thanks to Hex, crystal haven, Starbeast and DEO for the mentions!

 

[chrispenycate]

An especially difficult vote this time, with almost all the stories worthy of a short list, getting dropped because of a missed apostrophe – yeah, that close.

My top section (all within a couple of points in the high nineties) were Aun Doorback's amputation optimism, Azzagorn's judgement, Brev's hide and hide more, Grimbear's recycled granny, High eight's orcward piece, Hilarious joke's weary monarch, Hope's lack of sense, Kiffinyjean's jokicorn, Memory tale's birthing agonies, Teresa's damsel and dragon and the Spurring Platty's carnivorous ovines; But my vote went to Hex's Witch acquittal, with its consequences.

My thanks to Johnnyjet, Starbeast, Teresa and Ursa for the mentions, and much more to Phoenix the writer and StilLearning for the votes (who have obviously not been around long enough to know why it is very dangerous to vote for a Chrispy).

Now, according to my little chart (which I had to bring up to date, not having had much Chrons time (like free time, but more restricted) recently, can't curl but can swim – sorry, submitted but have not yet voted are:- Arkrose, Aun Doorback, Boneman, cmharrogate, Gary Compton, High Eight, Highlander, Hilarious Joke, Hopewrites, kaufmannp, Mith, Parson, reiver33, The Spurring Platty, Warren_Paul and Welsh Andy. I apologise in advance if I've not got this perfect; her Honour was on it until I posted and discovered the error…

 

[The Judge]

A read through this afternoon, and another now gives me:

Brev -- the Sacking of Shenmeni. -- the child's voice caught wonderfully
crystal haven -- Pure of heart -- I loved the atmosphere and the blood guilt
Culhwch -- Already Lost -- the simplicity of the lines and the repetition make this
Glen -- Dereliction of Duty -- obeying orders isn't an excuse, nor for the interlocator...
HareBrain -- The Sin Eater -- I love the idea of a vengeance-taking golem
r j dando -- A New Dynasty -- a great first line
Teresa -- Chosen -- a moral as well as a neat inversion of myth

A hard choice, but in the end, it woz the golem wot won it...

 

[The Spurring Platty]

Finally got a chance to read them all. A lot of great stories, as usual!

Short List
Hex - Sarah's Trial
Lilmizflashythang - Daddies Fix Everything
ratsy - Life is a Piece of Pie
David Evil Overlord - Distress Call
paranoid marvin - The Beginning of the End
hopewrites - Your going where?
Brev - The Sacking of Shenmeni.
HareBrain - The Sin Eater
TacticalLoco - Whose innocence?
Starbeast - Absence of Essence

Shorter List
Grimbear - Recycled
Hilarious Joke - Après moi le deluge
* The Judge - Knowledge Gained = Innocence Lost

(And thanks to those who short-listed me)

 

[TacticalLoco]

Thank you harebrain, Dusty and Platty!

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It's getting exciting in the final hours, with a good chance of another tiebreaker!

 

[Vertigo]

First, a word of apology to Vertigo -- it appears my subconscious lifted a phrase from your story for use in my own! I wondered at the way it jumped in there, during something like my fifteenth rewrite, and when I read your story again, there it was!

No need to apologise TDZ I never even noticed and I read yours twice!
So it clearly worked in yours perfectly well And besides t's not that uncommon an expression so I wouldn't worry!