Alrighty, I'm finally ready to make my vote! As always, lots of excellent stories.
First of all, my long list:
Hugh: The Pier
Stable: Horseplay
Coast: Leadership
The Judge: The Sea Horse
Glen: Glue
Old_Man_Steve2016: Who lives, decides your history
Victoria Silverwolf: Layover
johnnyjet: The Large Horse
Heijan Xavier: The Gift of Pure Contamination
Mr Orange: Almighty Equarth
For the shortlist:
Peter V: A Gift From the Gods- This one made me giggle. I loved the idea of the statue--which is taken very seriously on earth--is just a fallen chess piece!
Perpetual Man: The Lesson of the Toymaker (Subsection B of the most holy litany of St Francois, Inquisition Master and complete Bas***d)- I enjoyed the narrative, and an interesting ending.
Aquilonian: The Awakener- This one created a very strong mood for me from the first paragraph, which continued throughout the story. I felt I was able to connect strongly with the protagonist in a very short amount of time.
mosaix: So, It’s Come To This.- I really liked how much of a picture this painted in my mind through just dialogue. I liked the transition of the android from important jobs to an eventually somewhat demeaning job, and his realization that perhaps he will not always be useful after all. I found it interesting that though there is no description or dialogue from the person he is speaking to, I still felt like I connected to and was interested in both the speaker and his silent listener. (Also my runner-up for a vote)
My Votes:
Luiglin: Behold!- I thought it was quite clever to have these fierce and intimidating warriors being placed in such an awkward and uncomfortable situation. The discomfort they feel, the obliviousness of the MC, the discovery of the mistaken order... Clever, fun, and a nice take on the prompt!
Cory Swanson: Dear Edna- There is something delightfully clever about having a very run-of-the-mill type character discuss such bizarre events in such a casual manner. The fact that the letter was written in the way one might discuss losing their sock or catching a bad cold (with no surprise or shock given to the extraordinary events that had taken place) seems rather brilliant to me. It was funny, interesting, and very enjoyable to read!
Phyrebrat: Oh, Jump, and I’ll Come to You, My Love- finally, the undisputed winner of my votes. Firstly, the prose is flawless, with a subtle but impacting rhyme scheme, and a fluid and mesmerizing rhythm to the prose. It flows easily, and creates a strong and vivid picture with its beautiful and haunting imagery. The final few lines were heartbreaking, and I had to reread the story immediately, seeing the verses cast in an entirely new light that only made it more profound. Beautiful, tragic, haunting, and brilliantly written. Well-deserving of its vote.
