Sekrit Santa - the guessing thread

[Kissmequick]

Yup on both counts!

 

[Mouse]

Yay!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

As a newbie here, I won't even try. I will note that, of the two people who guessed at my contribution, one is correct and one is incorrect. The incorrect one doesn't sound like my style at all, I think. In fact, of all the stories I didn't write, the one which sounds the most like me (to my ear) is the one I received as a gift! The writer noted that it was a departure from his/her usual style, so that may be throwing everyone off.

I will also note here that you people sure can write! I'd like to see all the stories in complete form sometime. I'll gladly post of all of mine somewhere here when the guessing is over, although I realize that many of you may prefer to send them out to prospective markets.

 

[Mouse]

I think I'm right. Was fairly confident early on that 1 is Victoria. *winces as waits to be told she's wrong!*

 

[ratsy]

Yeah that is what i would guess from the remaining....i do see that my first guess for Victoria is nothing like your usual stuff...but hey we were writing someone elses story so I threw everything i thought out the window!

 

[Glisterspeck]

Well, Victoria has been pegged as 1 or 11, and she said one is right and one wrong, and anyway, I think we know who 11 is!

I'm also in Victoria's boat, having only just started posting regularly and taking part in critiques and challenges. I like to think I would have known Springs's, as it fits with some of the stuff of hers I've critiqued, but I was fortunate enough to receive hers as a gift and couldn't wait to read it. (It was well worth spoiling my one chance at an educated guess.)

Edit: I'd gladly share mine, too.

 

[Kissmequick]

Victoria is indeed number 1

Leaving Glisterspeck, ratsy and Mouse to be guessed, with stories 2, 7 and 8.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I think I had Mouse right as my 3rd one as number 7. (I hope I did, I went for the one with only one adverb.)

Of the other two, I don't know Ratsy's writing outside of the challenges, really, or Glisterspeck's (thankyou for the lovely comments, it was a perfect thing to be asked for with loads of room for imagination) I'm going to say Glisterspeck is 2 as I think the names sound like something he'd come up with and Ratsy as 8, but as neither are sci fi writers (I don't think) I could be very wrong.

Of all of them, I found Hex's the easiest to identify, and Alc's the one that surprised me most.

 

[ratsy]

Well Alc called me from the start...so well done.

 

[Kissmequick]

I think I had Mouse right as my 3rd one as number 7. (I hope I did, I went for the one with only one adverb.)

Well Alc called me from the start...so well done.

Tada!

Here's the final list:

1 – Victoria Silverwolf
2 – Glitterspeck
3 – Phyrebat
4 – Tactical Loco
5 – Dusty Zebra
6 – Hope
7 – Mouse
8 – Ratsy
9 – Allmywire
10 – Hex
11 – Springs
12 – Alchemist
13 – Me

 

[Mouse]

Didn't do too bad then!

Hopefully some of the others will have a bit of a guess.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Very cool.

It might be fun to list what the requests were, too.

For my own contribution, I received this request from springs:

I would like a story about sexy mutants. I would like a frisson of oooooh, didn't expect that.

 

[alchemist]

Of all of them, I found Hex's the easiest to identify, and Alc's the one that surprised me most.

Given I even told you the title last week?!?!

Mouse wrote my story, but it had her little mousey pawprints all over it, and I'd have recognised it straight away!

Must go and look again, armed with the knowledge.

 

[Mouse]

I thought yours was for springs, Victoria.

Mine was for alchemist.

 

[ratsy]

I wrote mine for Tac, his request

Please make mine a space opera with a forgetful MC. A busty, sexy side kick is just a plus.

I loved writing it and it really knocked down a wall I had been having with writing.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Given I even told you the title last week?!?!

Mouse wrote my story, but it had her little mousey pawprints all over it, and I'd have recognised it straight away!

Must go and look again, armed with the knowledge.

I was very good and deliberately wiped it from my mind... I had an inkling about the bridge but it didn't read like yours. Victoria wrote mine and it was fab and terribly moving.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

So of my original guesses, outside of the two I knew for sure (mine and the one I received), I had Hex right and nothing else.

I think we've conclusively proven that I am an idiot.

I thought Victoria's was for you, Mouse! (Urban fantasy, pretty man)

Mine, as I shouldn't have mentioned before, was for Hex -- science fantasy with maps. And I received one of Hope's, which I later got confused about because it fit Kylara's description of dragons, fish and chicken (although I do see that it was mentioned in the email that it was for a non-responder, which means that was right and I really am an idiot).

 

[alchemist]

I wrote for Victoria: "For me, how about something that would be realistic near future science fiction, or, if you prefer, magic realism"

For some bizarre reason, I went for magical realism. Experience: one 75 word story. But I enjoyed using a different voice quite a lot.

 

[Kissmequick]

I loved writing it and it really knocked down a wall I had been having with writing.

It's a really good exercise ust for that -- if I'm feeling a bit 'meh' about my writing I find a prompt (Old Man! Give me a subject! This has its drawbacks when he suggests a story about colourblind hedgehogs exploding) and try to writ in a certain style that isn't my usual. It usually loosens things up a bit.

So of my original guesses, outside of the two I knew for sure (mine and the one I received), I had Hex right and nothing else.

I think we've conclusively proven that I am an idiot.

Every time I've been a guesser in one of these things, I have failed to guess anyone correctly!

 

[Mouse]

phyrebrat did my story and it was brill. Psychotic gay photographer as the MC and full on quirky weirdness going on. Loved it.