Discussion Thread -- September 2017 -- 75 Word Writing Challenge

[David Evil Overlord]

List

Cull
Luiglin
Dusty
Abernovo
Hope

Vote

Alice


V

Not sure if something's wrong with the poll or not, but on my laptop, Alice is showing with no votes in the poll.

And Vaz's vote isn't showing up anywhere else in the poll.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

P.S. Thanks for the vote, Dave Barsby.

 

[TitaniumTi]

Thank you to Victoria and Tim for the reviews. Thank you Cathbad for the mention, and thank you Victoria for the vote. (Yippee!)

Favourites:
The Red Hood
Folderol
Perfection
Dinner Bell
Jack's Last Request
Downsized
The Guilt of Hindsight
Heading for Delinquency
Comments and Disclaimers
Ripped From Home

Almost:
The Failure of Rocker B(i)

Vote:
Cornered by the Worst Guy at the Party

 

[Parson]

@Ursa major .... Makes us all groan as he reminds us of the dangers of "The Failure of Rocker B (i)."

@DragonAether .... Gives us the surprising answer to "What Happened to MacDonanld?"

@Abernovo .... shows us how Goldilock's tale explains "Faerie Politics, or The Gentry Opposed to Gentrification."

@The Judge .... Lets us know that the Hydra's demise is explains Ring Around the Rosie as we "Ring a Ring O’ Sacrifice."

@TheDustyZebra .... Reminds us that what the kids bring home in one dimension wreaks havoc in it's own dimension "When It's Ripped from Home."

@TitaniumTi .... Tells us the sad story of "The Last Fairy in England."

@Mad Alice .... The sleeping beauty is actually a Sleeping Princess who can change the world by a "Sleep Surrender."

 

[TitaniumTi]

Thank you for the review, Parson.

 

[Danny McG]

Not sure if something's wrong with the poll or not, but on my laptop, Alice is showing with no votes in the poll.

And Vaz's vote isn't showing up anywhere else in the poll.

Ditto

 

[Ursa major]

Many, many thanks for the stealth vote, DEO.

 

[Ursa major]

I can't see Vaz's vote for Mad Alice either.

Perhaps @Vaz didn't actually cast the vote....

 

[Shyrka]

Here, we know it as... @Old_Man_Steve2016 – A faithful genetically-engineered supernatural guardian is remembered, not by its designation, but by the name given to it by those it protected.

Cheese is a Dish Best Served Cold, @Heijan Xavier – This tale of mice and men finally explains why a bunch of persecuted rodents would choose to help a certain young servant girl.

Heading for delinquency, @farntfar – The travails of a lone parent are explored in this story of drunken fathers and wayward sons.

Comments and Disclaimers, @Bob Senior – This story details a whole slew of individual tales, transposed into a punchy format all-too-familiar to modern eyes.

The True And Unfortunate History of Copyright Piracy, @David Evil Overlord – A young woman goes back to the past in an attempt to cash in on fairytales. Like so many things that involve time travel, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Morning Bells, @LittleStar – A wistful sci-fi story of an order of monks, instrumental in brokering galactic peace, where morning bells are soon to become mourning bells.

Weapon of Social Cleansing, @Phyrebrat – The destruction of a set of run-down districts with strangely-familiar names forces this particular leopard (or wolf?) to change his spots.

 

[nixie]

Favourites

Hope
Ursa
TJ
Vote
Cul

 

[Vaz]

Apologies... Again.

I make my choices and post them and then vote.. But I always forget to actually vote. I have voted now!

Sorry

v

 

[Parson]

I thought this was a hard challenge. There are only so many familiar nursery rhymes and fairy tales and then with the proviso that you tell the real story behind them, and not just rewrite them.

Short list:

Culhwch.... "Not So Fair" ... The True Red Riding Hood Story.
D.A. Xiaolin Spires .... "Tight fisted Networks and Cheap Facades" .... Reality TV, the most perfect oxymoron
StarBeast .... "Curious George in "Wacky Time" .... Revenge against the Yellow
Ursa Major .... "The Failure of Rocker B(i) ..... And down will fall baby horrendous pun and all.

Runner-Up .... The Judge .... "Ring a Ring O'Sacrifice" ..... A more postive turn on the Rosie song, then the true story.

Voted for .... Joshua Jones .... "The Cost of Provocation" .... The ruination of the gentle "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for making my story one of your favourites, nixie.

And thanks for the shortlisting, Parson.

 

[Shyrka]

The Cost of Provocation, @Joshua Jones – A harrowing sci-fi story of the consequences of an alien attack, this tale shows that sometimes it’s better to keep wondering what something is than to find out.

I Have A Cunning Plan… @mosaix – The true reason for all those ‘we want your first born child’ stories becomes all too clear in this revealing correspondence.

Little Miss Musket, @johnnyjet – In this nightmarish world of Cyclopean mutant creatures, being frightened away by spider makes a lot more sense.

The Traveller and the Native, @HazelRah – Two creatures from different worlds (literally) part in this beautiful romantic scene that shows the heart-break of sorrow and the call of duty.

Cornered By The Worst Guy At The Party, @Stable – This puntastic story, littered with rhyme-references, details something from our worst nightmares.

Power, @Cody Drinkwater – A twist on a classic Arabian Nights tale, this story details what happens when the hero isn’t who we expect it to be.

The Failure of Rocker B(i), @Ursa major – Ripe with puns so sharp they almost draw blood, this story of a doomed freighter details a potentially-deadly failure of communication.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Firstly I think I'm going to give a big nod to LittleStar. It isn't easy to come up with these challenges, and we got something fresh, different and fun. As soon as I saw the Challenge I knew it was going to bring out the best in everyone, and I was not wrong.

I think this has to have been one of my favourite challenges in a long time, and it resounded with everyone who took part. There was not a weak story amongst them, better yet every story was strong, solid and a classic in its own right. (With the possibility of that Perp fellow letting the side down )

Indeed they were good enough to drag the creaky old reviewer out from his semi-retirement and in keeping with the theme (sort of), offer them comments in the form of rhymes. I hope they offered sufficient entertainment. I can't guarantee to do something every month, especially as our regular reviewers all do such a good job, so hat off to Victoria, Shyrka and Parson, thank you for your time and effort.

With the stories being so good it has been a nightmare to create a short list, picking a winner even harder.

In the end I offer a list of the ones that I enjoyed, purely subjective.

Cathbad
Vaz
Cul
Peter V
D.A. Xiaolin Spires
SB
Chris
Bob (Special mention)
LittleStar
HazelRah
Stable

With the following three involved in a bloody skirmish for the vote

Ursa
SB
Chris

In the end I went for Chris. Just.

(Just noticed I've received a stealth vote for Pedro Del Mar. Cheers!)

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks (I think...) for being allowed into the bloody skirmish for your vote.

 

[nixie]

That pep fella is heading for a slap.

 

[Perpetual Man]

That pep fella is heading for a slap.

I haven't had one of those in ages... (Does not mean I want one though)

 

[Stable]

This month I seem to be mostly impressed with stories that surprised me somehow. Don't have time to make an exhaustive list, but the three frontrunners are:
@Travis Woodward - Fantastic sourcing for Dickory
@Ursa major - Perfect setup for a fall
@TitaniumTi - Murderous moggie provides probably the most realistic story this month.

With vote going to Ursa major.

 

[TitaniumTi]

A big thanks for the mention, Stable