Discussion thread -- seventy-five word challenge October 2013

[Ursa major]

Many thanks for the vote, Bowler1.

 

[Abernovo]

Thanks for the mentions, sooC, Brev, and Bowler1.

 

[Tywin]

Thanks for the listings Brev and Bowler.

And of course many thanks to sooC for the vote!

 

[alchemist]

Time to divert from the scary stuff and cast a vote for this month's photo challenge. Theme: Secrets...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thanks for the mention, Sooc.

 

[Remedy]

Thank you so much for the vote Brev, much appreciated

 

[ratsy]

I really had a hard time choosing this month. There was a nice variety and all were great stories in their own way

Here is my short list

Remedy - Pleasure's Price
TDZ - Joint Tenancy
DEO - What I did on my Halloween
Alchemist - The Ballad of Bobby Ballentyne
Culwich - Ghost Stories
Tywin - Streetwalker
The Judge - Unlucky 13

I voted for DEO after much deliberation...it was touching and sweet

A very close second was TJ with a great story with a great layout

 

[johnnyjet]

All were well done & there were many unique offerings! Again a tough decision. But ultimately here is what I came up with:

Long List, Short List and ***Favorite***:
1. Cursed Pleasure – springs
2. Pavane for a Dead Princess - Victoria Silverwolf
3. Pleasure's Price – Remedy
4. Choice – Juliana
5. Joint Tenancy – TheDustyZebra
6. Streetwalker – Tywin
7. Love Goes By Haps - paranoid marvin
8. Mer-Murings – Tisiphone
9. Spiritual Release – Abernovo
10. All the Fun of the Fair – nixie
11. What I Did On My Halloween - David Evil Overlord
12. The Ballad of Bobby Ballantyne – alchemist
13. A Real Ghost Story – Parson
14. *** Girls and Boys Come Out to Play - Perpetual Man ***
15. The Caretaker – AMB
16. Nine Points of the Law – chrispenycate
17. Unlucky 13 - The Judge
18. Tea and Ghosts – AnyaKimlin

 

[Parson]

Well I've voted and this was hard once again. For me the best stories all had rather sexual overtones which makes me go "hm... do ghost stories and erotica fit together in a way I didn't understand?" I'd hate to think it was just me.

Short list

Springs - Cursed Pleasure
The Dusty Zebra - Joint Tenancy
Tywin - Streetwalker
The Judge - Unlucky 13
Dream Walker - A Spirited Relationship

In the end I judged The Judge had the horror overtones that one would expect of a ghost story, while bringing a warped (and what might be viewed as just) pleasure into play.


(A sincere thanks to JohnnyJet for the long listing.)

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thanks for the mention JohnnyJet and Parson.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

yay I got a mention thanks Johnnyjet

 

[Perpetual Man]

Wow! Another vote. Thanks Johnnyjet, very greatly appreciated.

And my shortlist:

Remedy
mosaix
Tywin
PM
Andersson
Nixie
alc.
Chris
TJ
Brev

Those in bold just claim the lead:

Tywin - Just the right amount of sleaze, mixed with the sinister and spooky, well constructed and a kicker of an ending.

PM - I'm sure I've run out of ways of appreciating PM's poems. The man is a god. Really.

TJ - A well constructed tale, that turns terror on it's head as the killer becomes the victim of his own victims.

It was a hard call and I vacillated from one to the other, but in the end, thanks to the final line, PM just gets my vote. (If I had left it any longer it could have gone to either of the others and back again)

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Well I've voted and this was hard once again. For me the best stories all had rather sexual overtones which makes me go "hm... do ghost stories and erotica fit together in a way I didn't understand?" I'd hate to think it was just me.

It's just you. There was no sex in any of our stories -- where is your mind, man?

Thanks for the shortlistings, Parson, sooC, ratsy and johnnyjet!

 

[Abernovo]

Thanks for the listing, johnnyjet.

 

[Mith]

Well after much rereading and pondering I believe I finally have my vote for the month.

But before posting my list I would like to thank starbeast for the review, very much appreciated And to Glen for the mention.

And here we go:

The Bronze List

Victoria Silverwolf ~ Pavane for a Dead Princess
Bowler1 ~ Ghost Jokers
reiver33 ~ With Eyes Of Midnight Blue
nixie ~ All the fun of the Fair
alchemist ~ The Ballad of Bobby Ballantyne

The Silver List

Juliana ~ Choice
TheDustyZebra ~ Joint Tenancy
Tywin ~ Streetwalker
starbeast ~ Castle of Dracula

The Gold List

Remedy ~ Pleasure's Price
Boneman ~ Keep Your Spirits Up
Perpetual Man ~ Girls and Boys Come Out to Play

The Glorious Champion

The Judge ~ Unlucky 13. A wonderfully creepy story, I have good reason to believe it influenced my nightmare of last night.

 

[Tywin]

Ratsy, JJ, Parson, PP, and Mith - thanks for the mentions/listings.

 

[Juliana]

Thank you very much for the listing, johnnyjet and Mith.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Oooh Gold! Thanks for the placing Mith

 

[Mr Orange]

thanks for the runner up'ing remedy, glad it gave you chills. the original was twice the word count to begin with and twice as chilling at the extended length...

thanks for the shortlisting anya kimlin and tywin, and the longlisting phyrebat.

i just need to start converting these mentions into votes!

off to read through the entries and cast a vote.....

 

[Mr Orange]

right, my short list:

andersson - the seance
glen - in the garden
perpetual man - girls and boys come out to play
the judge - unlucky 13

but, one story made me laugh out loud, and when i read it i thought, this is the story i'm voting for, and that was brev's the deviant....