DISCUSSION — May 2018 75-Word Writing Challenge

[Calliopenjo]

CONGRATULATIONS CAT'S CRADLE!

Does that mean my story normal? Really? That's strange. OK. lol.

Thank you, everyone, for reading my story. I do appreciate it.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Congratulations to CC on a most excellent win!

Huge hugs to all the lovely folks who mentioned my story, and some extra cake to Littlestar and Luiglin for the votes!

 

[Joshua Jones]

Congratulations, @Cat's Cradle, on your deserved win, and my apologies for being "that guy" who forgot to utilize his democratic privilege this time around. In an attempt to dissuade the masses from lobbing vegetables and meat byproducts in my direction, I will vote in something which I may or may not have entered, May 100 Word Anon Challenge - Story Thread. There is still some time to vote for your favorite story, btw, for anyone else who would like to join in (or who is pleading with an angry mob for pardon).

(Editor's note: having just voted, we now have a 4 way tie for first. Who is willing to help break the tie while we wait for the next challenge?)

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Thank you Calliopenjo, thank you Dusty, thank you Joshua.

And Joshua, I will be voting later today.

 

[Dan Jones]

Hi all, I'm very sorry for not voting this month. I know it's poor form but I can only offer up the excuse that work has been rather atrocious the last couple of weeks and I've been doing lots of late nights and Chrons has resultantly been knocked a few pegs down the pecking order of my life. But it will start to climb up again very soon.

Still, having finally read through the entries, I can't say I'm surprised at the win, CC. I think that's one of the most brilliant 75 worders I've ever read, up there with Harebrain's cricket one (and I'm biased about that one because it's got cricket in it). So massive congratulations!

ETA: Oh, and thanks to Starbeast and Phyrebrat for saving me from the dreaded 0-0 with your mentions! Never had one yet, but that was a close one...

 

[Cat's Cradle]

First, sorry work's been so difficult, Dan. A hectic/harried pace at work is one of the things that can most truly and immediately affect our lives. I hope the situation resolves in your favor very soon.

And thank you for the high praise for my story. It means a lot. Do you know - if I'd have had ten more words for the thing, I'd never have excised that cricket sub-plot.

 

[Mr Orange]

umm.. not sure i have said it, so congrats @Cat's Cradle! a well deserved win

i struggled more than a bit with the genre this month. i'm still not entirely sure what weird fiction, although i could definitely recognise it in CC's story. i was scraping the bottom of the barrel with a few hours to go and had beyond the veil on my mind. so i started writing, it turned into some kind of verse and i was done.

 

[Peter V]

Well done CC

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Thanks Mr. Orange and Peter V! And Mr. Orange - your story worked for me...pretty darn weird, pretty darn creepy, pretty darned effective - well done.

I am very drowsy on Ambien, and must try to get to sleep....see Roseanne, a person CAN be civil on Ambien!

 

[D.A. Xiaolin Spires]

The Dance, @Luiglin – A lascivious, bewitching tale of a performance so alluring that it strips away not only the dancer’s outfit but the viewer’s very soul.

Release, @Stable – When a not-so-innocent accident releases something truly terrible upon the world, the poor, hapless soul who unleashed it is forced to watch.

The Invisible Hand, @D.A. Xiaolin Spires – An artist’s calling is an enigmatic thing - what drives them to create their art is as strange and varied as the work itself. In this artist’s case however there may be something even stranger at work.

Thank you for these reviews, Shyrka!

 

[D.A. Xiaolin Spires]

Congratulations Cat's Cradle!

 

[Ursa major]

The Kitties and the Cities, @Ursa major – Invaders from beyond come to threaten our very existence. But not our cats. Our cats are fine.

As it happens, the idea for my entry came from something that was niggling me about China Miéville's book, The City and the City... or, rather in its four-part adaptation, which has recently been on the TV here. (Note: China Miéville is a well known New Wierd author.)

I definitely don't want to spoil anything for those who have yet to read, or see, the story (not that the stories in the book and the TV programmes are identical...), so all I will say is that I wondered how the situation in Besźel and Ul Qoma would affect pets... and, specifically, cats, who are less likely to heed the call of their owners (unless they expect something good to come from it).

And thus the idea came to me that the organisation ("Breach") that plays its part in enforcing whatever it is that is going on in those two cities, would need to deal with cats that stray (which most of them do, albeit only for the odd hour or two in most cases). And thus was born the Cat Rescue division of Breach.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Thank you D.A., Mr. Orange, dannymcg, Calliopenjo, and to all I may have missed.