DISCUSSION THREAD -- December 2017 75-word Writing Challenge

A good challenge this month and have really enjoyed all of the entries. I seem to have garnered a lot more mentions than I have of late, for which I am incredibly grateful.

And I have managed two votes from Reiver and Chris, thank you very much gentlemen.

My shortlist:
Nixie
Cathbad
dannymcg
Dragon Aether
SPoots
PeterV
Stable
Vaz
Phyre
TJ

I'm well aware that I'm seeing things a bit... differently at the moment, but I found myself constantly gravitating to one of the above, the dark humour kept pulling me back to it... so despite the proclamation earlier in the thread my vote is going to Dannymcg :)

A special mention for Victoria who seemed to be channeling Starbeast, who should himself always get a mention for being so damned inventively crazy each month.
 
I voted, I voted – and, from my difficulties in classing storoies from the back seat of a tight-packed car as it traverses potholes, hub-deep puddles (funny, they didn't mark a ford here) and traffic snarls I sympathise with those who haven't yet managed to - But there were (according to my count, and probably changed by the time this is written) twenty-one submitters who have not voted - that's half a universe, life and everything!

My short list contained:- Cat's Cradle, Culhwch, LittleStar, Mad Alice, Perpetual Man, Peter V and The Big Peat with the vote going to Perp, who's already received it.

So, those whose votes we still await (or at least awote when I started typing) are: Ajid, Ashleyne, ASleepyGiraffe, Bob Senior, Cat's Cradle, Culhwch, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, DragonAether, HazelRah, Heijan Xavier, John K, johnnyjet, juelz4sure, LittleStar, Mad Alice, Shyrka, SilentRoamer, SPoots, Suzanne Jackson, The Judge and Ursa major, While thanks are due to TitaniumT and Hex, for their unsolicited votes.

Personal thanks to Starbeast and Phyrebrat for the mentions, and massive ones to Cathbad for the vote.
 
Yeeeeeessss!

I got me a vote after all!!!

Thank you very much PM, great guy who appreciated my brutal dark humour

(I was gonna call my evil and paranoid character Supreme Commander, just to get the Santa initials SC - however Great Leader seemed to fit so much better)

Also thanks to others for the mentions, it's nice to be noticed :)
 
A fun challenge - mosaix, nice choices! As always, it's been tough culling, but here are my lists, and vote:

Shortlist:
SPoots, Glen, Peter V, mosaix, Stable, Parson, Teresa Edgerton, The Judge

Finalists:
Victoria Silverwolf, Perpetual Man, reiver33

I could easily have voted for any of my finalists, but reiver33's story resonated just a hair more, after multiple readings. A really nice concept, I think.

I want to thank Vaz and DragonAether for the votes - how wonderful! :) And also a big thank you to Glen, mosaix, Peter V, Talysia, Joshua Jones, Stable, Teresa Edgerton, and chrispenycate for the mentions. Wow, it's been a good month. Best of luck to all in the voting...looks like another close one!
 
As ever, one or two entries which for me missed the genre, wide as it was this month, and one or two more my food-addled brain couldn't quite grasp, but even so my first shortlist was a lot longer than usual, thanks to the cleverness of the theme -- for which mosaix is to be congratulated -- as well as the quality of entries, and I had to carry out some immediate pruning to make it manageable.

So, as we're in the midst of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Twelve Shortlisted Tales:

Cat's Cradle -- Moments of Home
johnnyjet -- In the Present
Joshua Jones -- Sir Albert Dragonbane, Dragon-hunted
LittleStar -- Christmas Time
Perpetual Man -- Paradoxical Present
Peter V -- I am the Ghost of Christmas Present
Phyrebrat -- In the Rafters of Tibet
reiver33 -- Living In It
SPoots -- Your New Present
The Big Peat -- The Martyr's Fire
TheDustyZebra -- Twelve Days
Vaz -- Only The Winds​

Peter's desperate haunting tale stayed with me from the first, though Joshua's sly wit only caught up with me on the second read when I realised the point of the dragon's threat, and they are joint runners-up, but fittingly, the metaphorical glorious Partridge in the Pear Tree for me was TDZ's story of time-delivered presents running amok, and she gets my vote.


Many beauty-grace-and-iPod thanks for the mentions/shortlistings Titanium, Peter, mosaix, Starbeast, Droflet, Phyrebrat, Joshua, Vaz, Perp and CC! Oh, and I've got a stealth vote! Giant witty and interactive-android thanks, Luiglin!
 
There were four stories which tied for first place in my head. In order of entry:

Living In It, by reiver33: the classic warning to be careful of what you wish for is never so true when dealing with a trickster, and this was perfectly realised;

In the Rafters of Tibet, by Phyrebrat: I loved the ambiguity of the snowbound, trapped mountaineer -- having sat through a short whiteout in a snow hole, it resonated with me;

Wanted: a Drone from a Crone, by The Judge: the, erm, frustrated princess made me laugh with the image of fairy godmothers turning up at the wrong moment; and

Twelve Days, by TheDustyZebra: turning *that* song into gift ideas felt recognisably and hilariously inept, as well as possibly grounds for thoughts of murder.

Not saying a pin and a blindfold were involved in choosing, but anyone got a plaster? Vote goes to Phyrebrat, as first among equals this month.
 
Here are my favourites:

Perpetual Man - Paradoxical Present
ASleepyGiraffe - As The Clock Ticks
Peter V - I Am the Ghost of Christmas Present
Reiver33 - Living In It
Teresa Edgerton - In Memory of the Princess’s Birthday

And my vote: Culhwch - The Omnipresent

Thank you for the mentions, Starbeast, Parson, and Teresa Edgerton, it’s lovely to receive them.

And thank you, Victoria, for the review.
 
Wow, a stealth vote from Heijan Xavier! :)

Thanks. I'd given up on getting a vote this month.

Edit: Not a stealth vote after all, I spoke too soon.
 
Last edited:
A quick ninja vote and list before the polls close.


Short list
CC
Asleepygiraffe
DA X spires
Mosaix
Vaz
Big Peat

But my vote this month falls Peter V's way.


Well done everyone for a great year's worth of entries, and thanks all the great reviewers over the months... But most of all thanks to everyone, because you all make these challenges such a joy to join in :)
And here's to another great year of writing challenges(y)
 
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