DISCUSSION — May 2018 75-Word Writing Challenge

[Hugh]

Many Congratulations Cat's Cradle!

​

 

[chrispenycate]

Big fleas have smaller fleas
upon their backs to bite 'em
And these have yet smaller fleas
and so ad infinitum

Well done CC

 

[Shyrka]

Phew, congrats @Cat's Cradle - I adored the sheer scale of your entry and the Lovecraftian tone was perfectly-pitching to my ear. Combined with that itch-inducing last line, it's a worthy winner.

Sorry for the radio silence up until now - I was away over the weekend and tried to get my vote in via phone (which looks as if it succeeded) but didn't have chance to write up any sort of list. In short, @The Judge, @Luiglin, @M. Robert Gibson & @unbusy thing were all close to stealing my vote but it went to @Cat's Cradle in the end.

 

[Shyrka]

In other news, it appears that I came second! Wow, I thought I might get a couple of votes but that's better than I'd imagined. Huge thanks to everyone for the votes and shortlistings. This month's effort was a classic case of what I felt was a decent idea crammed into far too few words. In an effort to channel James and Lovecraft, I came up with a story featuring an Oxbridge scholar who had delved too deeply into the occult and attracted the attention of something ungodly. The unseen captors are meant to be the acolytes of said ungodly thing, bringing its desired bride-to-be* before it. Sadly, the tyranny of the word count destroyed all my world-setting so I was forced to shoe-horn a giant chunk of context into the title which I felt extremely guilty about but hey, it seems to have worked!

* Not that the scholar was necessarily intended to be female - ungodly things don't care about such trivial things so neither did I. I wasn't sure how that would come across but no one seems to have minded.

 

[The Judge]

Congratulations, CC! An excellent tale!

Congrats, too, for a good second place, Shyrka.

Chris, I was going to quote that verse, too -- we're probably the only two people on Chrons who knew it! Parson, think of CC's story as the fleas of the verse Chris has quoted -- the giant Lovecraftian entities have lesser entities upon them, and so on down to the narrator who has some creature of his own burrowing into his head.


I mentioned The Breadwinner being in part the inspiration for my story, and I'd urge everyone to see it. The Breadwinner (film) - Wikipedia It's an animated film in which a young girl has to disguise herself as a boy in Taliban-controlled Kabul in order to work and buy food, otherwise her family will starve to death, since without a man to escort them, the women aren't allowed to leave the house,. In my original version of the story, there's a reason for the man being redesignated female -- the powers-that-be need to satisfy the public's blood-lust with more stonings, but only women can be stoned to death, and there are no more women. But gruesome (and horribly plausible) as that was, it's actually somewhat rational, not weird, so I had to get rid of the explanation to come within the genre.

And I'm glad I did, as it gave me so many listings! And more unveiled and emotional thanks for the mentions Ursa, Starbeast and Shyrka!

 

[Shyrka]

Weirdly, yellow is my favourite colour.

 

[Hugh]

Many thanks indeed for the vote @Ashleyne . Made my day. Truly.

And many thanks also @Phyrebrat , @Starbeast , and @Ursa major for including me in your lists.


As I've probably said before, I'm always surprised to be able to produce a story for these challenges, and get a lot of pleasure from realising that I've managed to create something that I like. This self-belief/ narcissism is, perhaps fortunately, seldom reflected on the leader-boards. So I'm really chuffed when I garner a vote or a mention.

 

[Culhwch]

Congrats, Cat's Cradle! Say that ten times fast!

Many thanks to nixie and Mr Orange for the votes, and thanks as will for for shortlist and mentions! I really didn't think I'd get a story in this month, but after vowing to enter every month this challenge year I knuckled down and get something out. I wasn't sure if I'd sufficiently hit the genre to be honest, so I'm glad at least a few folks thought I did!

 

[nixie]

Congratulations @Cat's Cradle

 

[D3athw4lker]

Congratualtions @Cat's Cradle, well deserved for a thoroughly chilling yet enjoyable story. Any time I get an itch now, it gives me pause for thought...

So I'm a bit late to the show and still getting used to the procedures etc. but I thought I'd post my honourable mentions. It was incredibly hard to choose a shortlist (it's not even that short, I apologise) let alone a winner which only goes to show the high standard on offer across the board. Well done to everyone for letting me read some great shorts!


@TheDustyZebra – Journy to the Centre of the Self
@The Judge – To be – veiled – or not to be
@Victoria Silverwolf – The Discovery
@Luiglin – The Dance
@dannymcg – Manna
@Hugh – Inagaddadavida
@Peter V – In the Eye of the Beholder
@M. Robert Gibson – Dance of the Seven
@johnnyjet – When the veil was lifted
@Shyrka – Seek Not, Lest You Draw Their Attention
@Phyrebrat – The Jilted
@Bob Senior – Has Anyone Seen the New Guy?

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Ah, I tend to write too much, so forgive me. First, thank you, everyone, for the congratulations...it makes me very happy. Thank you Onyx, Sum Dude, D3athw4lker, Stable, Peter V, johnnyjet, The Judge, Phyrebrat, and Shyrka, for the votes (I think that's the order they were placed). Thank you Hugh, TDZ, Mr. Orange, and Starbeast for the listings (apologies if I've missed anyone, here). Finally, thank you to the folks who said nice things about my story...not enough nice things are said in the world, so merci.

I wanted to thank the community, too, and for a very real-world reason. Last week my wife and I took one of our beloved pets to the vet, thinking the small discomfort she was exhibiting must be a kidney or bladder infection...it turned out to be advanced lung cancer (which hadn't manifested obvious symptoms till then). In the vet's opinion, our Illusia could be at home for a short while, with pain meds, and not suffer any more than the mild discomfort she'd let us see. So this past weekend was a very difficult one for our household, and the voting for the challenge - once I received my first few votes - was honestly about the only distraction we had from just feeling gobsmacked and wracked with sorrow over Illusia's terminal illness. Shyrka, I was very excited when you were catching up with me, and came within a few votes. I was pulling for you!
This place is a wonder of support for those actively, openly seeking it, but it also provides amazing comfort even when no one is aware it is needed but the seeker.

So, wow...I won! Dang. Apologies that I made so many heads itch. And thank you Chrispy and TJ for helping answer Parson's post. I was afraid I was going to have to write too much about that, too. There are other things I could say to explain it, but I'm just too wiped out.

I will try to pick a genre/theme pairing for June that inspires you wonderful people.

 

[nixie]

So sorry to hear about Illusia's illness. Losing a pet is heart breaking.

 

[Hugh]

Yes, really sorry. Very sad.

 

[johnnyjet]

Congratulations, @Cat's Cradle, on the well-deserved win. I did manage to get my vote in for your story, but didn't have time to finalize my short list.

Also thanks for the great comments on my entry, Victoria, Parson & Shyrka. Thanks for the mentions by Hugh, Victoria, The Judge, Mr Orange, Phyrebrat, and D3athw4lker. And a special thanks to @dannymcg for the surprise stealth vote!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Thanks so much, nixie and Hugh. And thanks for the congrats, johnnyjet.

 

[Ursa major]

we're probably the only two people on Chrons who knew it!

Oi!

I even recall using the rhyme eleven years ago in a four-page synopsis when trying to describe the the nature of the various deceits being played out in my WiPs.

 

[The Judge]

Three of us know it!

Next up, who else knows the two "purple cow" verses?! (No connection at all with the fleas one, and a wholly different level of daft!)

 

[Hugh]

Oi!

I even recall using the rhyme eleven years ago in a four-page synopsis when trying to describe the the nature of the various deceits being played out in my WiPs.

It was popular in my school in the early 60s.

However I'd never heard of the purple cow poems. Sadly, if I've understood my googling right, the author threatens to kill you if you quote them. In his case this would be from beyond the grave. I'm not about to risk it.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

First off, well done Cat's Cradle. you were on my shortlist

When I saw veil I immediately thought of Dance of the Seven Veils.

Same with me, then I remembered a schoolground myth about only having seven layers of skin. Some quick research and to my 'joy' I found out we do indeed have seven layers of skin (Five epidermis and two dermis, as if you didn't know!). The last line came to me first and so every other line had to have 12 syllables and off I went.

 

[Shyrka]

Shyrka, I was very excited when you were catching up with me, and came within a few votes. I was pulling for you!

Thank you, you're too kind. If only I hadn't gone and voted for you...

Very sorry about Illusia. I'm glad you were able to find a comforting distraction or two.