DISCUSSION -- July 2015 75-word Writing Challenge

[Luiglin]

Towels, flip flops, beach mat, all packed? Inflatable Ingrid and the puncture repair kit? Excellent. Before we go I suppose we should finish our reviews. Carry on Minion…

Culhwch
Why is it that we look forward to holidays all year round and then moan about them while we’re there? This sounds like one of those adventure holidays. You know the one that is normally emblazoned “Holiday of a lifetime”. I suspect that the lifetime is quite short though.

chrispenycate
I couldn’t help but sing along to this which put me in a goo… a goo… a fine mood, which then put me in a foul mood. So well done there.

Ursa major
Hmm... someone that says they lie badly are obviously lying; for in lying badly they are laying on a sheen of insincerity disguised as sincerity. I think.

alchemist
Leprechauns, damn tricky little bleeders and I love them to bits. This just goes to show that you don’t need to have huge armies, world shattering spells or baneful swords of dark design to be truly evil.

Tim James
What a fool. Why ruin immortality by giving up power? Sorry? He could have been one of those nice kings and weighed down by the power he wielded? Minion, wash your hands. That's a disgusting thought. Hold on, isn't the wandering tinker who washes the windows called Cranibar?

TheDustyZebra
Here's a cautionary tale for any wannabe evil ruler. Some think it's the epitome of evil style to turn and stalk away. It's not, just ask Ming the Merciless. I'd advise anyone that if you throw someone to their doom make sure that their doom actually occurs.

Right, all done, let's get going, the beach awaits. Where did Norman book us into? Imilkah? Now why does that ring a bell?

 

[TitaniumTi]

Long short-list:
The last evil adventure of Askrad the black magician. -- Venusian Broon
Lady's Choice -- Mad Alice
Go Softly, My Dear, Go Softly -- DG Jones
The Robot's Answer -- Johnnyjet
A Confession -- Moonbat
Satan Said -- David Evil Overlord
The Famed Golden City of Imilkah -- Culhwch
Diversification -- alchemist

Vote: iBelieve in a better future -- HazelRah

 

[Luiglin]

Has he gone? Thank God for that. I'll make sure that he stays away next month.

Right, my vote went to Glen. I enjoyed the interchange between the rhyme and the reality. It was nicely balanced which, in turn, made the tale so easy to read.

 

[Bowler1]

Mentions
Will Wallace, Droflet, Victoria, DOE, Mosaix, Alchemist and TDZ.
In the running were VB, Cascade and Ratsy.
Past the final hurdle was VB - what can I say, completely unexpected.

A grand total of 52 this month so I can put my RAY GUNS away this month. A pity, as I had all my battery packs fully charged up and ready to go.

 

[Droflet]

Thanks for the mention, you (ray) gun totting hit man. Always an unexpected surprise.

 

[Venusian Broon]

My first long list was really a very long list. So after humming and hawing I persevered and found a shorter list of candidates.

So I'd love to give a shout out to some of those on that: Droflet, TitaniumTi, David Doherty-Jebb, ratsy, Kerrybuchanan, Alchemist and Tim James. It was so difficult whittling you all away as I put together the next short list...

Which included: BigJ, DG Jones, Harebrain and Culhwch.

But I had to give a vote to someone, although I would have dearly loved to have two votes this time and have given one to my 'runner-up' Moonbat.

But I was compelled (or nudged/guided?) to give my vote to the cold small hands of Michael Coorlim's Sisters.

 

[Droflet]

Thanks VB, another treat I wasn't expecting.

 

[Dan Jones]

Big thanks to TitaniumTi and VB for the mentions

 

[Twistedlemon]

Twistedlemon, nice story. I was "sucked in" too. I surely did not see a devil's maniacal laugh coming.

---

Welcome to Chrons! Our second story by an almost absolute newby! Good stuff!

Never realized someone saw it. Thank you! I based it on local folklore.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

alchemist -- In what science fiction author David Brin has called "The Transparent Society," where technology has made virtually everything available to the public, deception may seem impossible. If one is clever enough, however, one may be able to use this openness to one's advantage.

Tim James -- The price of fame is the loss of privacy. One way to avoid this is to deceive the public by disguise or subterfuge. In an extreme case, one may leave one's original identity entirely.

TheDustyZebra -- Under oppressive forms of government, underground movements often arise which deceive their rulers through secrecy. In addition to this, they may use the government's own strengths against it.

___________________________________________________________

Short list:

Juliana

DG Jones

ratsy

mosaix

Tim James


VOTE:

"Why Stop Now" by willwallace

 

[Dan Jones]

Thank you for the shortlist mention, Victoria!

 

[HazelRah]

Thank you TitaniumTi, for the vote
I feel very honoured, and equally as surprised

 

[HazelRah]

Okay. So after a lot of thought and re-reads, I've narrowed it down. Phew.

Honourable mentions go to:
Holland - Mind Tricks -- after several reads it still tickles me, which is a rare thing
A. Fare Wells - Enlightenment -- beautifully naive and realistic deception
Luiglin - No Fairytale -- a fun twist on something so well known

And the final three, I really struggled between...
DG Jones - Go softly, my dear, go softly -- a well written balance between sad and beautiful
Mad Alice - Lady's Choice -- I loved the concept, and the poetic sadness which I find inspiring
Littlestar - In Time, The Hidden You -- this is my vote, for the cleverly executed and original style.

 

[David Doherty-Jebb]

There were a few good uns this time, but I voted for HareBrain this time simply for the conniving, Celtic legend-ness of it all

 

[willwallace]

I was happy getting a couple of mentions from bowler1 and Droflet, with so many entries this month (thanks to both, btw).

My day is then really made with the vote from Victoria. Thanks very much

 

[Dan Jones]

Thanks Hazelrah, for making it into your shortlist!

 

[Glen]

wotalotofstories.

my favourites this month were:

• Michael Coorlim - always good to learn a new word, and this sent me for my dictionary on a dark and stormy night.
• Cat’s Cradle - it would be good to get this universal *%$@#&% translator turned onto some of our local propaganda.
• BigJ - ai with heart.
• Robert Mackay - “Foes' gifts are no gifts: profit bring they none”, Sophocles.
• Ihe - our recent friend metafiction, high comedy, but oh the disappointment to find no hermaphrodite wizards or maser cannons.
• * DG Jones - I like the stories where deception is for good not ill…but nevertheless hope the protagonist has one of those maser cannons to hand.
• Cascade - great dialogue.
• Remedy - self-deceipt
• holland - lol
• ratsy - the call of duty
• StilLearning - comic yet dark
• Teresa Edgerton - more metafiction. Tricksy.
• alchemist - ah, to be sure.

There were a couple of stories I liked but I didn’t think they were close enough to the theme. [I thought the same about my own story but posted it anyway].

* my vote winner, DG Jones, for a well-crafted story, with depth and a roller-coaster of emotion.

PS - thanks, Luiglin, for the vote.

 

[LittleStar]

Just a quick post before work.

Another great month, some really good stories.
Contenders were holland, TDZ, Alc (almost got my vote two months in a row...), Tim and ratsy

But my vote goes to DGJones. A great story with real emotion, so hard to pack that in to just 75 words. And I do love a bittersweet ending.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

My favs were DEO, Droflet, Michael Coorlim, Alc and VB's but Mosaix's made the most impact and got my vote.

 

[Droflet]

Thanks for the mention, Jo. To be mentioned among that lot is flattering indeed.