Discussion thread - SEVENTY-FIVE WORD WRITING CHALLENGE August 2013

[Tywin]

Thanks for the listing Ronin!

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Thanks to our lovely reviewers for their commentaries, and to I Voyager, Tywin, johnnyjet, stormcrow, Lenny and Phyrebrat for the shortlistings/mentions!

As for the voting...wow, it's a five-way tie for first, with two votes each! And only 22 votes going into the last day is running pretty short. As an aside, I believe this is the shortest discussion thread in history, as well. Must be summertime and all that. I couldn't remember who had the votes, and thought surely my vote would bring one to the lead, but alas, I discovered I was only adding another "one" to the collection.

Tywin -- Rehabilitation
*Victoria -- Election Day*
Hex -- All the Way In
jastius -- When Sally was Three...
BigJ -- A Change of Heart
chrispy -- Plus c'est le meme chose
mosaix -- Thanks for the Memories
Lenny -- Healthy Small Talk
reiver33 -- Red Star, White Heat
TJ -- Under Pressure in the Mariana Trench

 

[Abernovo]

Not sure when I'll be on next. Connection issues among other things.

Perp, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I got it down to a list of six:
Hex, Dream Walker, stormcrow, Scott R Forshaw, chrispenycate, reiver 33, and The Judge.

Any of those could have got my vote, but in the end it was a choice between two stories, Hex's and reiver's. The coin flip went to Hex.

A special Honourable Mention to Perp, simply for his use of Babbage's machine! Always good to see. Although, the piece itself was excellent, as well.

Thanks for the listing, Starbeast. Much appreciated.

 

[Tywin]

Thanks for the listing TDZ!

 

[ratsy]

Thank you so much for the Shortlisting Phyrebrat, this page of discussion has been good to me

Lenny, I so appreciate the vote. That is just fantastic

 

[Luiglin]

Tops for me ...

Tywin - a nice touch of urbane horror
Starbeast - Carry on ... Star Mad Wars
reiver33 and vote - like a scene from the 80s Soviet mish mash of Allo Allo and Star Trek - Zdravstuvji Zdrsvstuvji Zvezda Puteshestviye (apologies to any Russians)

Thanks for the mentions folks.

 

[jastius]

list time .... short /shorter/ dwarf/ hobbit/munchkin / vote
Rehabilitation -- Tywin
9 to 5 -- Luiglin +
The Long Haul -- Glen
Curtains -- johnnyjet
Dragon Gas -- Perpetual Man
Unborn Hero -- JordanSC5
Thanks For The Memories -- mosaix
Under Pressure in the Mariana Trench -- The Judge
Inalienable Rights -- Phyrebrat
The Outside -- Kylara +
When the Time Comes -- Abernovo +
For Whom the Bell Tolls -- Bowler1 +
The New World Order -- Karn Maeshalanadae +
The Meeting -- TacticalLoco +
Exile Awaits (75 words) -- BetaWolf+
Untitled -- Alex, The G and T ++
Aiming For The Perfect Human Psychology -- Venusian Broon ++
Famous Last Words -- paranoid marvin++
Election Day -- Victoria Silverwolf++
Untitled -- J Riff ++
Plus c'est le même chose -- chrispenycate ++
‘Chew Your Bit To Save The Planet!’ -- Culhwch ++
Healthy Small Talk -- Lenny ++
A Time to Mourn -- Parson ++
Red Star, White Heat -- reiver33 ++
A Sacrifice on the Altar of Trade -- Ursa major ++
The Apostate -- Scott R. Forshaw +++
All the way in -- Hex +++
Outside In -- stormcrow +++
We Who Are About To Dine, Salute You. -- David Evil Overlord +++
Off the New Assembly Line -- I Voyager+++
Anything you say.... -- TheDustyZebra +++
A Town called Change -- Mr Orange ++++
The Falcon Hangs a 180' -- Starbeast ++++
A Change of Heart -- BigJ++++
Untitled -- sinister42 ++++
Wallet and Grimace -- Boneman ++++
Classes are Grate -- ratsy +++++

you guys are just so brilliant my head spins trying to decide between you. its like trying to decide between batman and superman ironman wolverine and thor. ( well, not the ben afflack batman..)

 

[Boneman]

I'm so glad I didn't read the entrries before I wrote my own challenge, would have been nigh on impossible. Weirdly, the first few entries are all on my finalists list. I don't have any other list, just finalists, because it's so hard to choose between them. Any of these 7 could have won, and I had to re-read them all a few times to decide. I honestly wish I had seven votes, because they are all deserving of one each. But, there can be only one...

Finalists:

Springs
Abernovo
Bowler 1
Venusian Broom
Mr Orange
Sleepy Doormouse
The Judge

So difficult to choose one , but there was something a weensy bit magical about Sleepy Doormouse's entry which put it about 0.00001% ahead of the others, and got my vote this month. It's the reflective whimsy, I think...

And thank you for the shortlist/mention and... munchkin.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Woohoo, I'm a hobbit!

That is a truly impressive list, jastius. You put a lot of work into that!

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for the dwarf-listing, jastius.

 

[stormcrow]

Woop Woop! Thank you so much Culhwch!

And thanks also to Abernovo for shortlisting and jastius for hobbitting my entry!

jastius - love the classifications! T-shirt sizes next month?

 

[Mith]

Well I have finally completed a house move and have a internet connection again (I've missed you internet). So I am here again and just in time to vote

Firstly though, thanks for the reviews Victoria and Starbeast, very appreciated Thanks to Karn for the vote, 'twas an extremely nice thing to be greeted by when I logged in, muchly appreciated

Here we go, the shortlisting:

Rehabilitation ~ Tywin
For Whom the Bell Tolls ~ Bowler1
All the way in ~ Hex
Peace at last ~ Sleepy Dormouse
Chew Your Bit To Save The Planet ~ Culhwch
Thanks For The Memories ~ mosaix
Famous Last Words ~ paranoid marvin

All worthy story's and I could have voted very easy for any of them
But my winner, by a loud chuckle is...

When the Time Comes ~ Abernovo

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Lenny, Phyrebrat, Boneman, thanks for the shortlisting!

Ooh, close. Tiebreak?*

*I'll vote for a Scot, maybe? They're getting away from the field.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Thanks for the shortlistings, SB Ronin, Justius and Mith.

Mosaix and Perp had really good entries this month, but one stood head and shoulders above all else; Reiver you get my vote for a great entry.

 

[paranoid marvin]

And having voted I see that I have (unintentionally) caused a tie; having been in one myself , I know how nerve-wracking those last few hours are. Plenty of time - and votes (only 30?)- still to go though!

 

[ratsy]

Thank you so much Jastius for putting my little story at the top of your beautiful colored chart. That just makes my day. Two votes!! woohoo

 

[alchemist]

If anyone wants a break from the tension, and time to reflect, there's a photo challenge needing votes.

 

[SleepyDormouse]

Thanks for the short listings and mentions Victoria, Glen, JohnnyJet, RoninJedi84 and Mith. Also thank you for the vote Boneman

My shortlist (first time I've done one)

Luiglin
Hex
Perpetual Man
Mosaix
Boneman
The Judge

Springs came a very close second. How would it be to love and yet not be able to grieve, it seems impossible to have one without the other, adjusting to living without one set of emotions would be horrendous. It also made me think about how many different forms of "pain" there are.

and my vote went to * Lenny *. It loved that it made me think about how an android/cyborg community might learn and develop as a whole. The way the conversations where depicted so factually was quite chilling too, there was no real humanity, just an attempted copying of it. It makes you realise how very complicated, and emotional, all human interaction is.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Ty for the runner up, Sleepydormouse. I think I've rarely had a month with so many shortlists and so few votes. (although I'm delighted with them all and hope that sounds grateful and not petulantly outclassed, which I would never be.) i wonder if TJ still has that nice pink dress...

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Thank you Jas, for the hobbit shortlisting, from the bottom of my hobbit knobbit...