Discussion Thread -- JULY 2020 -- 300-Worder Writing Challenge (#38)

[Joshua Jones]

So, what of all that prevents me from being a moderator? We're not speciest here, nor is mental health obligatory. And cats would make excellent moderators, if they read science fiction and fantasy (they are shameless, hedonistic romance readers, despite starring in more SF books than I could shake a broomstick at. The only questionable statement involves the regularity of my creating anything, except possibly my monthly seventy-five word offee in on the basis of my musical rings. I am not actually a writer - Brian conned me in on the strength of my musical experience, then didn't go anywhere with it, and I only started writing to give those I critiqued an opportunity for revenge.

Never said you couldn't be a moderator... these traits might actually be beneficial. Significantly more important, though, is that you JUST ADMITTED MY THEORY WAS CORRECT!!!

 

[Astro Pen]

edit: On second thoughts I'm keepin' outta this

 

[AMB]

Mods aren't real. They are a product of the subconscious desire for order. The fact that we are all subconsciously coming up with the same rules, and the same imaginary enforcers can only mean one thing.

We are in a group hallucination.

 

[-K2-]

We are in a group hallucination.

I told ya...

K2

 

[Ursa major]

I've met (at least**) two other mods in real life -- and, even more amazingly, they've both met me -- so there must be at least three of us.



** - Not being an elephant, I'm capable of forgetting all sorts of things (including, sometimes, very important ones).

 

[AMB]

I've met you Ursa, although i'm not convinced it was real. I remember a road, and nothing but impenetrable mist on either side.

I might be mixing it up with a near death experience.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I've met (at least**) two other mods in real life -- and, even more amazingly, they've both met me -- so there must be at least three of us.



** - Not being an elephant, I'm capable of forgetting all sorts of things (including, sometimes, very important ones).

I’ve met two at once. They both appeared to be real.

 

[Luiglin]

I've been a mod on another forum, years ago, in another lifetime. We even worked under hidden users (very toxic forum at the time cause of a few idiots spoiling it for everyone else). We were based around Reservoir Dogs, and I took the moniker of Mr Blue, having never seen the film at the time and not realising he was in it only for around 5 mins. Do that count or does that make sound old?

 

[Danny McG]

I've been a mod on another forum, years ago, in another lifetime. We even worked under hidden users (very toxic forum at the time cause of a few idiots spoiling it for everyone else). We were based around Reservoir Dogs, and I took the moniker of Mr Blue, having never seen the film at the time and not realising he was in it only for around 5 mins. Do that count or does that make sound old?

I was a mod on one, we all took cartoon characters and constantly bitched at each other

 

[Ursa major]

The challenge is now closed and so the voting is open.

To cast your THREE votes, use the link below.

Please vote for your top THREE choices; note that all three votes must be cast AT THE SAME TIME to count.​

​

 

[Rafellin]

Interesting crop this quarter.

So, top of the stack goes to Daysman.

Joint second: Guttersnipe and Jo Zebedee.

Honourable mentions for Tywin and mosaix.

 

[BT Jones]

What an astonishingly good round. In this instance, EVERYTHING was on my long list.
Shortlist in bold, votes emboldened, underlined and italicized. There was something for everyone this month. Again, testament to a great photo ripe for multiple interpretations.

@Rafellin – Subtly heart-wrenching.
@Trollheart – Like an ambient, organic Pink Floyd VR experience!
@Guttersnipe – Shattering.
@Cat's Cradle – Wow. Just wow. Tragic, heartwarming and so very human. (If only I had a 4th vote!)
@Provincial – Simultaneously urgent and tranquil. I felt the burden of the journey, but the release in the surrender.
@MikeAnderson – Shades of Saturn and the real life spectacles we’ll never get to see. But I was waiting for the tragicomic twist at the end.
@Ashleyne – (in the voice of David Tennant’s Doctor) WHAT! Quite possibly one of the most confounding but entrancing things I’ve ever read.
@Victoria Silverwolf – At the burgeoning risk of sounding sycophantic… A tale with ethereal, mystic majesty to spare.
@-K2- - This took me completely away to that hillside. Incredibly visual and the dialogue was perfect. And quite a twist!
@Elckerlyc – A masterfully evocative tale, cynical and world-weary.
@Luiglin – Another comedy mishap. Was this one inspired by an online gaming own goal as well?
@Phyrebrat – A vividly lyrical tale of ancient times (so glad it wasn’t about the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas)
@Calliopenjo – I couldn’t escape the suffocating pointlessness of war on this one. Vivid.
@chrispenycate – It’s often, I think, that I miss the point on some stories; when even the reveal eludes me. Yours didn’t and was the icing on a glorious little love letter to wintry nature.
@Starbeast – Just… what?
@Iwroteathing – Welcome, welcome, debut SFFer. I loved ‘a less stabby journey’. Delightfully bloody.
@Ian Fortytwo – Colourfully surreal.
@Astro Pen – A somber lament to the eventual death of that which permits all life. I feel that you and I saw something similar in the picture.
@johnnyjet – A helter-skelter ride through a tormented mind.
@Tywin – A tense and expertly staged suspense thriller.
@CarBear – As is often the case for me, I feel ignorant that the relevance of the reveal as escaped me. I loved the story, nonetheless.
@mosaix – A chiller from the twilight zone.
@Daysman – Curious and enchanting.
@Jo Zebedee – Grim, silent horror of the worst kind: rejection.
@AMB – Oh, the dread of the pinnacle one can never reach!
@Joshua Jones – Stirringly cinematic with fantastic stage direction, and a tragic twist to boot.
@sule – A post-apocalyptic steampumk (to my eyes) tale of ecological tragedy. Another with vivid scene-setting.
@Parson – Truly glorious. An intoxicating sci-fi fantasy hybrid. It’s not often that anything involving Fairies rings my bells, but this one was a knockout!
@dannymcg – Darkly wicked, as ever. Short and sweet to boot.
@Perpetual Man – A subtle but spooky X-Files-style tale.
@Peter V – A hauntingly vivid riff on love everlasting.
@M. Robert Gibson – In contrast to the July 75, a very light and funny story amidst many weighty entries. I loved the opening crawl.
@Ursa major – A curiously disturbing take on the ‘careful what you wish for’ adage.
@The Judge – A brilliantly poignant moral tale with a wonderfully graphic setting.
@Mad Alice – A wild cinematic fantasy.
@Land Under Wave – Sibling love knows no bounds.

 

[Parson]

Truly glorious. An intoxicating sci-fi fantasy hybrid. It’s not often that anything involving Fairies rings my bells, but this one was a knockout!

Thanks! I think I might get this quote framed. It truly made my day!

 

[Joshua Jones]

What an astonishingly good round. In this instance, EVERYTHING was on my long list.
Shortlist in bold, votes emboldened, underlined and italicized. There was something for everyone this month. Again, testament to a great photo ripe for multiple interpretations.

@Rafellin – Subtly heart-wrenching.
@Trollheart – Like an ambient, organic Pink Floyd VR experience!
@Guttersnipe – Shattering.
@Cat's Cradle – Wow. Just wow. Tragic, heartwarming and so very human. (If only I had a 4th vote!)
@Provincial – Simultaneously urgent and tranquil. I felt the burden of the journey, but the release in the surrender.
@MikeAnderson – Shades of Saturn and the real life spectacles we’ll never get to see. But I was waiting for the tragicomic twist at the end.
@Ashleyne – (in the voice of David Tennant’s Doctor) WHAT! Quite possibly one of the most confounding but entrancing things I’ve ever read.
@Victoria Silverwolf – At the burgeoning risk of sounding sycophantic… A tale with ethereal, mystic majesty to spare.
@-K2- - This took me completely away to that hillside. Incredibly visual and the dialogue was perfect. And quite a twist!
@Elckerlyc – A masterfully evocative tale, cynical and world-weary.
@Luiglin – Another comedy mishap. Was this one inspired by an online gaming own goal as well?
@Phyrebrat – A vividly lyrical tale of ancient times (so glad it wasn’t about the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas)
@Calliopenjo – I couldn’t escape the suffocating pointlessness of war on this one. Vivid.
@chrispenycate – It’s often, I think, that I miss the point on some stories; when even the reveal eludes me. Yours didn’t and was the icing on a glorious little love letter to wintry nature.
@Starbeast – Just… what?
@Iwroteathing – Welcome, welcome, debut SFFer. I loved ‘a less stabby journey’. Delightfully bloody.
@Ian Fortytwo – Colourfully surreal.
@Astro Pen – A somber lament to the eventual death of that which permits all life. I feel that you and I saw something similar in the picture.
@johnnyjet – A helter-skelter ride through a tormented mind.
@Tywin – A tense and expertly staged suspense thriller.
@CarBear – As is often the case for me, I feel ignorant that the relevance of the reveal as escaped me. I loved the story, nonetheless.
@mosaix – A chiller from the twilight zone.
@Daysman – Curious and enchanting.
@Jo Zebedee – Grim, silent horror of the worst kind: rejection.
@AMB – Oh, the dread of the pinnacle one can never reach!
@Joshua Jones – Stirringly cinematic with fantastic stage direction, and a tragic twist to boot.
@sule – A post-apocalyptic steampumk (to my eyes) tale of ecological tragedy. Another with vivid scene-setting.
@Parson – Truly glorious. An intoxicating sci-fi fantasy hybrid. It’s not often that anything involving Fairies rings my bells, but this one was a knockout!
@dannymcg – Darkly wicked, as ever. Short and sweet to boot.
@Perpetual Man – A subtle but spooky X-Files-style tale.
@Peter V – A hauntingly vivid riff on love everlasting.
@M. Robert Gibson – In contrast to the July 75, a very light and funny story amidst many weighty entries. I loved the opening crawl.
@Ursa major – A curiously disturbing take on the ‘careful what you wish for’ adage.
@The Judge – A brilliantly poignant moral tale with a wonderfully graphic setting.
@Mad Alice – A wild cinematic fantasy.
@Land Under Wave – Sibling love knows no bounds.

Wow! Thank you so much for the vote and the comment! As much of a challenge it was for me to get anything in, I'm floored!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Wonderful reviews, @BT Jones; thank you for the kind words on my story.

Terrific entries, congrats, everyone. It was very hard narrowing things down, and I still listed many stories (and could have added more). Here are my lists:

Honorable Mentions:
Victoria Silverwolf, Luiglin, chrispenycate, CarBear. mosaix, Parson, Peter V, Land Under Wave

Semi-finalists:
Rafellin, sule

My Most-Beautifully-Written:
Phyrebrat

If-I-Had-A-Fourth-Vote
Starbeast (also my choice for funniest; loads of smiles, here)

Votes:
Ashleyne - what a unique entry - probably my favorite of the Challenge.
Jo Zebedee - a powerful story - loved this, Jo.
The Judge - So much story in 300 words. A wonderful ending, too.

So, who will win?? We have another 2 weeks till we find out. Best of luck, all, in the voting, CC

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

What a wonderful crop of entries. Some lovely evocative descriptions, magical flights of fancy, dark and light places

Makes it very difficult to choose, but I managed to whittle them down...

Contenders
The Last Day - @BT Jones
Expiration Date - @Cat's Cradle
The Ultimate Calling - @Astro Pen
Predator and Prey - @Tywin
Second Chances - @CarBear
Surplus To Requirements - @mosaix
Incident 0013429 - @Joshua Jones
Literally - @Mad Alice

Runner-up
The Exam - @Luiglin

Vote Winners
Like Diamonds in the Sky - @MikeAnderson
NATURALLY GREEN FOLK - @Iwroteathing
Delusions of Control - @Parson

 

[Joshua Jones]

What a wonderful crop of entries. Some lovely evocative descriptions, magical flights of fancy, dark and light places

Makes it very difficult to choose, but I managed to whittle them down...

Contenders
The Last Day - @BT Jones
Expiration Date - @Cat's Cradle
The Ultimate Calling - @Astro Pen
Predator and Prey - @Tywin
Second Chances - @CarBear
Surplus To Requirements - @mosaix
Incident 0013429 - @Joshua Jones
Literally - @Mad Alice

Runner-up
The Exam - @Luiglin

Vote Winners
Like Diamonds in the Sky - @MikeAnderson
NATURALLY GREEN FOLK - @Iwroteathing
Delusions of Control - @Parson

And now a mention! Thank you so much!

 

[Iwroteathing]

What a wonderful crop of entries. Some lovely evocative descriptions, magical flights of fancy, dark and light places

Makes it very difficult to choose, but I managed to whittle them down...

Contenders
The Last Day - @BT Jones
Expiration Date - @Cat's Cradle
The Ultimate Calling - @Astro Pen
Predator and Prey - @Tywin
Second Chances - @CarBear
Surplus To Requirements - @mosaix
Incident 0013429 - @Joshua Jones
Literally - @Mad Alice

Runner-up
The Exam - @Luiglin

Vote Winners
Like Diamonds in the Sky - @MikeAnderson
NATURALLY GREEN FOLK - @Iwroteathing
Delusions of Control - @Parson

Wow many thanks! This means a lot to me, mucho cheers

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Oooh, unexpected votes - thank you so much Rafellin and Cat’s Cradle

 

[Parson]

I love starting a day by giving thanks for really wonderful surprises.

Thanks to @Cat's Cradle for the shortlist.

And Big Thanks to @M. Robert Gibson for another precious vote.!