Discussion -- 75 Word Challenge -- July

[stormcrow]

I love this point in the challenge. This month, no exception - never mind 50 Shades of Thingummy, I'd sooner have a few dozen shades of quickfire imagination.

Going to need planning permission for an extension to the mental shortlist....

Phyrebrat - Thanks for that. Means a great deal.

 

[Ursa major]

One more hour to go...

 

[Culhwch]

The challenge is now closed, and the poll is up: http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/537256-poll-july-75-word-challenge.html

 

[Parson]

At least you have something to draw upon. Justice and injustice are things that happen to other people. I've never experienced either

Hmmm! Justice is when you speed and the constable pulls you over and gives you a ticket.

Injustice is when someone passed you shortly before you were pulled over.

Mercy is when you are only warned, when you could have been ticketed.

Grace is when your significant other doesn't take away your driving privileges after said ticket.

So, surely you've experienced some variety of all of these.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

My shortlist:

Silvermoon -- capturing all the subtle nuances of the orcish emotional range.
RcGrant -- standing on the shoulders of giants, you still manage to pull the rug out from under the reader's feet.
Hex -- creating a character who begs for the justice he can only receive from the pointy part of a sword.
Teresa Edgerton -- remembering justice doesn't always mean punishment.
Crystal Haven -- capturing all the subtle nuances of the ogling teenage boy.
kiffinyjean -- revealing the true reason heroes rescue those distressed damsels?
Perpetual Man -- is a god nothing more than a mortal with the power to get away with anything?
Kylara -- playing dice with the fate of worlds.
Moonbat -- one man's hero is another man's scrumper.
Ursa Major -- taking inspiration from the Muse of Inspiration...and Puns.

And the vote goes to.....

StilLearning -- for returning Fire to the gods...with interest.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

My long list:

Luighlin, I thought this had a lovely modern myth feel to it
Grimbear, really nice, I know the story and this was a lovely take on it.
Crystal Haven, made me have a giggle
All my wires, I liked the description
Glen, I don't think I ever read yours without a smile, this one was no exception, hideous pain, de nada, a spaceship: cooooool.
Stil learning: I thought they made a great combination, there could be a whole new race of gods
Parson: a classic take on Justice, the last line worked so well.

My short list:

Moonbat: scrumbled is now officially in my list of words to be used at least daily....
Harebrain: this one grew on me, I wasn't sure at first and then read it a few times and got the rhythm, and really enjoyed it.
Alc: I liked it as soon as it was put up, and still do, just as much.

So, slept on these, checked on any late entries, and after an hour of tearing hair out, I'm voting for Alchemist.

(can I have a Gruff car sticker and small cuddly toy now, please.... )

 

[Kylara]

So many to choose from...shortlist was a little preposterous for my first list, but here is my much whittled down shortlist:
Sapheron
kiffinyjean
Perpetual Man
StilLearning
Glen

But my vote goes to mosaix for evoking so much with so few words; and it made me laugh, which is a hard thing to do...

Honorable mentions to Phyrebrat, High Eight, Icyphoenix, Vertigo, johnnyjet and Gary Compton.
I never thought choosing would be so hard!

And many thanks DEO for the shortlisting!

 

[alchemist]

So, slept on these, checked on any late entries, and after an hour of tearing hair out, I'm voting for Alchemist.

(can I have a Gruff car sticker and small cuddly toy now, please.... )

Not yet, I'm afraid. First, small plastic Gruff toys will be available with kids' meals in your local international fast food outlet, then we hit the shops.

Thank you very, very much for the vote. And the same to Karn.

 

[mosaix]

But my vote goes to mosaix for evoking so much with so few words; and it made me laugh, which is a hard thing to do...

Many thanks for the vote, Kylara.

 

[Hex]

So many brilliant entries -- I loved the stories by RcGrant, springs, Stevietee, alchemist, Grimbear, DEO, Teresa, crystal haven, amw, r j dando, Vertigo, Aun Doorback, Abernovo, Glen, kiffinyjean, StilLearning, Phyrebrat and TDZ. (shorter list bolded).

I voted for Harebrain's mind-slithering entry. Read it, loved it (right down to the formatting), came back thinking it couldn't be as brilliant as I remembered, and it was. For me, despite the amazing standard of entries, this was one of the easier months.

 

[Perpetual Man]

With the thunder of a steam train thatjust will not stop (then grinds to a sudden halt at the buffers):



stephen.samuels – possibly one f the shortest entries this month, but that does not mean anything. There is a simplicity in it that catches the theme, while the style itself is spot on. A nice example of how terrible a war can be. There is no mention of him going to find glory, just that he is going to war to die. And just how true is that? Excellent first attempt at the challenge.

BM – A really grim feeling to this one, talk about harsh justice and a system where the survivors become judges, but it seems that they do not learn from their experiences. In this case, Judge Fingers seems to be as brutal as those that strung him up. One a harsh an imaginative judicial system – gives a whole new meaning to the term trial (Or perhaps taking it back closer to its roots).

James Coote –I think the idea at the heart of this story is a clever one, and a good starting point for a longer story. (There seem to have been a few of those this month). The idea of a stone that lists past monarchs is nothing that new, I suppose. After all it is little more than a record of what has gone before, but one that lists the names of future kings – that’s a totally different kettle of fish. I think wiping clean the slate was the best thing that could have been done. Well thought out and great idea.

Parson – (I’m not going to forget this one again!) And I’m glad I didn’t. What a wonderful little tale. It seems to be taking us down a dark path. There is almost a logic to a system where the ultimate reward for kindness and giving can only be death, but the ending where mercy supersedes all is like a beautiful light shing in the darkness, hope where it seems there is none.

MB – Ahh a classic myth catches up with modern times, and the juxtaposition works so very, very well. I cannot help but chuckle at the outcome of the twelve labours. IN a world where Herc should have been celebrated he instead becomes a pariah. A clever way of looking at the world as it was then and as it is now, showing just how much things have changed, and a great story to boot.

Ursa – An extension of mythology perhaps. Just what happens after the men of the world outgrow their need for gods and move on to other things, what do the gods do. Perhaps they leave men behind themselves. Almost inevitably though, they are not going to like what they find when they come back. There is almost an ominous ending when we are told that man has taken the universe away from the gods. A true metaphor for the rise of science, perhaps.

TDZ – A good argument for the role of women in classic story, and in this one at least the idea of justice is achieved. I think what I liked most of it was the way my imagination showed me an image of what was not written. A teacher telling a group of wide eyed kids a story and then one of them, a plucky young girl questioning the outcome. Her own end of the tale is an excellent one, and showed a different path to the perceived one, and probably all the better for it.

TJ – When we talk about myths and legends it is eay to forget that there is a time further than the classics that we can go back to, something a little more basic, more primal that is at the heart of all those stories that follow. And this is a story that harks back to those. Something that is trying to explain something, driven by things that are not really understood as man tries to make sense of them. A clever and fresh idea, well presented.

High Eight - It is the kind of modern legend that exists, so much so that it feels right at home, familiar when you read it. The old cursed vehicle. The cleverness here is the way that it is told – you can just imagine the tale being relayed again and again using the same kind of words as the modern legend grows and grows. (A Perpetual aside – I used to have a picture of a Vincent on my wall when I was younger – indeed I still have it somewhere, so I was smiling by the time I finished the first line.)

mosaix – I’m impressed that even at this late stage of the challenge there are still those fresh and original ideas coming through. I can almost imagine the story of a base on Mars being circulated – even today there are all kinds of modern myths about the Moon and the like, so it is not too far of a stretch. But a man prepared to pay so much to get there is also not unbelievable. It’s nice to see he got his just desserts. How to raise money to build a base on Mars. Circulate rumours so people will pay to go and then tell them it’s non-refundable…

Cul – And last but not least. We’re given a final tale with a distinctly Australian flavour. I’m sure there are plenty of stories about the goings on in the hard to reach places of the world, and what could be more just than a ghost of a man coming back to condemn his lying killers?

 

[Bowler1]

Mentions
Hex
Springs – I think! I have a feeling I should know what your piece is about, but I don’t.
Paranoid Marvin
Crystal Haven
RJ Dando
Aun - again, well done, mate.
Alchemist
Boneman and my vote, the punch line was cool.
Judge
High Eight
Mosaix

I thought this was a difficult challenge. Despite that the standard was as ever very high. I think my plan to conquer the 75 word challenge will have to wait till next month now!

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for the mention, DEO.

 

[Perpetual Man]

With thanks to kylara and DEO for the mentions, and straight up comes my shortlist (as I make it as I do my comments I can post it straight away and then cogitate on what I'm actually going to vote for).

As always I'm sure it does not need to be said that even making a shortlist is getting harder and harder as the entries just become that much better. So everyone take a bow, you're all on the longer shortlist!


Reiver33
Luiglin
RcGrant
Grimbear
Stevietee
Springs
PM
Teresa
Abernovo
Alchemist
Icyphoenix
Brev
Phyrebrat
Highlander
Phoenix
Parson
TJ

 

[Luiglin]

One stands out for me but before I get to that here's my top three;

RC Grant - nice twist on an old tale
Paranoid Marvin - clever rhyme
Scott R Forshaw - good use of the keyword

Top of the entries though and my vote - alchemist - from a trippin' ode to a humorous ditty ... excellent.

 

[Abernovo]

Thanks for the mentions, Perp and Hex. So, down to voting.

Eep! My so-called short list was over ten names long and even that was difficult to get down to. A brilliant challenge people. All who entered.

Right, Honourable Mentions go to RcGrant, nixie, Hex, rj dando, alchemist, pyan, Phyrebrat and mosaix.

I whittled the final choice down to Vertigo, The Dusty Zebra and The Judge. Ultimately, The Dusty Zebra won it with her tale of judicious revision.

 

[johnnyjet]

Again, a very difficult decision. So many excellent stories. But here goes ...

My Favorites:
1. Justice will come from the heavens and be carried by an Angel... – Gary Compton
2. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - RcGrant
3. The Justice Tree - stevietee
4. Baptised in Blood - springs
5. Just Innocent Bystanders – David Evil Overlord
6. Old Yarns – Bowler1
7. Undying Love – juelz4sure
8. A Cold Wind to Valhalla – Aun Doorback
9. Trickster Trap - Abernovo
10. Devotion - jimness
11. Gruff Justice – alchemist
12. Untitled – pyan
13. The Golden Rule – Lilmizflashythang
14. The Greatest Battle – kiffinyjean
15. Urban – HareBrain
16. Wild Western Hero Adventurers – StarBeast
17. You've been Hacked: The legend of Koji ‘Samurai’ Mitsuhide - Brev
18. The Game of the Gods – Kylara
19. Urban Myth - PhyreBrat
20. The Greatest Play - Phoenixthewriter
21. Set in Stone - James Coote
22. A Hero's Welcome to the Jungle – Moonbat
23. Maid to Order – TheDustyZebra
24. First Among Equals – The Judge
25. Tarnished Soul – High Eight
26. You Can’t Take It With You … - mosaix

MY SHORT LIST:
1. Justice will come from the heavens and be carried by an Angel... – Gary Compton
2. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - RcGrant
3. Undying Love – juelz4sure
4. A Cold Wind to Valhalla – Aun Doorback
5. Urban – HareBrain
6. The Greatest Play - Phoenixthewriter
7. A Hero's Welcome to the Jungle – Moonbat
8. Maid to Order – TheDustyZebra
9. First Among Equals – The Judge
10. Tarnished Soul – High Eight

MY TOP FAVORITE:
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - RcGrant

 

[Abernovo]

Thanks for the kind mention, johnnyjet.

Hmm, your favourites list looked my initial 'short' list.

 

[Kylara]

Thanks also johnnyjet, for the kind mention. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Cheers to Hex for the shortlisting, Perp for the long listing and Bowler for the mention (don't worry, btw, it's one of my more obscure moments...)