Discussion Thread -- September 2016 75-word Writing Challenge

[Cory Swanson]

As always the quality of ALL the stories is annoyingly good. Some of you should write the occasional stinker, just to mess things up a bit. Works for me. Anyhoo, congrats to all on another bumper crop. Sigh. Here we go again:
Honorables: Wruther, Victoria, Reiver, Mosaix, Thomas, CC, Ashley, Chrispy, JJ, Cul, AJB, Andrew L, Justin S, Cory, Moonbat, DEO, Warrior, Her Honor, Jo and Alice. Yeah, I know it's a long short list but I canna cull no more.
For hitting all the marks and putting me on the floor I am compelled to cast my vote for the Beast.

Oooooo.....a phantom mention. Mine got taken down for having an extra word, so you either read it during the hour it was up or meant to mention someone else. Either that or I'm just so good people mention me even when I don't have a story up. In that case, my legend builds. BWA HA HA!

 

[mosaix]

Mine got taken down for having an extra word

Sorry to hear that, Cory. Always sad.

 

[Cory Swanson]

Sorry to hear that, Cory. Always sad.

Perhaps I'll learn how to count one of these days.

 

[Coast]

Wow, heaps of great entries again, and a lot of comedy in the mix this month!

Well, no risk of missing the target answer this month - not a record (probably)

What is the record? And the target is around 42 I thought I read some other time?

Anywho, I managed to get my list down to five this month,

Thinking - Cathbad
Lucio Argento etc - Starbeast
Stage Fright - Moonbat
Checkmate - StilLearning
A Cold Day in Winter - Jo Z.

Vote went to Moonbat, because it was good, and because a couple days after reading it, I had to use a public bathroom and couldn't help giggling to myself thinking of the story! PSA: Public toilet is no place for giggling!

 

[Elventine]

So I voted! But not going to say who though...

 

[Justin Swanton]

This was tough - a lot of really good entries. You can see it by the fact the votes are all over the place. I boiled my favorites down to:

The Phantom of the Space Opera
Broadcast
In Officio Apparatus
The Results are In
Life's but a Walking Shadow
Checkmate

I chose Broadcast, purely because I loved the irony of the herald of a conquering alien species being nervous to tell humanity they're toast.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

So I voted! But not going to say who though...

You can run, but you can't hide.

 

[Elventine]

You can run, but you can't hide.

Not unless I use my Invisibility Suit!

 

[Droflet]

Not unless I use my Invisibility Suit!

Only works in the real world. Here at Chrons, we know ALL. Muuuhhhhhaaa!

 

[Elventine]

Only works in the real world. Here at Chrons, we know ALL. Muuuhhhhhaaa!

Darn! *puts on thinking cap...*

 

[Glen]

My vote is in. There were lots of excellent stories, but my favourites were:

• reiver33 - reverse theme
• mosaix - rocket stage
• Old_Man_Steve2016 - page not found
• Droflet -“You should be on stage!…The first stage out of town.”
• Coast - punched in the gurterine
• Bowler1 - not very specific on what kind of weapons used, could be anything…
• Ihe - got any jokes?!
  
• Moonbat - shy bladder
• StilLearning - “Golly, my emotion chip is on overdrive!"

 

[Droflet]

Ha. Thanks for the mention, Glen. Didn't expect anything this month. Yay.

 

[Wruter]

My first shortlist was over 20, which I ruthlessly cut down to:

Victoria Silverwolf (best prose)
Cathbad (best space opera)
Elventine (best theater)
Starbeast (best comedy)
johnnyjet (best political satire)
Vaz (best horror)
LittleStar (best character)
Ihe (best technology)
Mr Orange (best narration)
TheDustyZebra (best interpretation)
Mad Alice (best song)

And my vote was:

Jo Zebedee

 

[Elventine]

My first shortlist was over 20, which I ruthlessly cut down to:

Victoria Silverwolf (best prose)
Cathbad (best space opera)
Elventine (best theater)
Starbeast (best comedy)
johnnyjet (best political satire)
Vaz (best horror)
LittleStar (best character)
Ihe (best technology)
Mr Orange (best narration)
TheDustyZebra (best interpretation)
Mad Alice (best song)

And my vote was:

Jo Zebedee

I got a mention! Thank you!!!!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thank you @Wruter

 

[Ihe]

Nice stories. There were some that didn't quite nail the theme and/or genre for me, but nevertheless, top quality as always. Everyone on this list could've had my vote. This was more like a vote + 9 by-the-skin-of-my-teeth 2nd places. One of the hardest decisions in a 75er I've had to make, if not the hardest, since I started on this forum.

Shortlist and vote:


-Cathbad (simple story, complex implications)

-Starbeast (had a good laugh. But did you mean to say coulrophile instead of coulrophobic? Am I missing something? Even with this perceived trip-up, my vote goes to you sir. Excellent delivery at the end)

-Coast (I actually feel for the poor alien conqueror)

-Culhwch (the lackadaisical and completely unhelpful attitude of the interlocutor is pure genius)

-Bowler1 (that's a show I would probably die to watch, literally)

-AJB (profound take, with eternal stakes)

-Justin Swanton (it's all about the twist with this one)

-Perpetual Man (laughed. We should have a thread were we think up of shamefully ridiculous things pioneers on the brink of important breakthroughs could accidentaly say, instead of proper phrases for posterity)

-Moonbat (ceiling urinals? What wonderfully disturbed mind could come up with this stuff apart from a Chronner's?)

-TDZ (unique, literal interpretation of theme. Kudos)

 

[johnnyjet]

Thanks for the mentions Droflet, Justin & Wruter. And a special thanks for the vote, Parson! Much appreciated.

Now I have to get reading!

 

[Droflet]

Wow, a vote. Thanks for the stealthy Vince.

 

[Ursa major]

Many thanks for the stealth vote, DEO.

 

[Justin Swanton]

-Justin Swanton (it's all about the twist with this one)

Oh yeah!