DISCUSSION THREAD -- September 2020 75-Word Writing Challenge

[Ambrose]

On balance I went for @Elckerlyc. The ending makes it for me.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

My short list:
Heads in the Cloud - @Bren G
Field Test - @Daysman
Wayvestream - @Hopcyn Miller
Cerebralnimbus - @Moonbat

And my vote:
It's Only Natural - @paranoid marvin

And a special prize to the most blatant attempt to garner votes
They only fade away - @Danny McG -

Many thanks to @Parson and @Victoria Silverwolf for the wonderful reviews as always

 

[The Judge]

Well, plenty of cloudy skies around for this one, though it must have been my clouded mind which meant I didn't understand all the entries. Anyway, my shortlist is short but very select.

BT Jones -- The Electric Sea​

Cat's Cradle -- Those that Drift​

chrispenycate -- A star is born​

Guttersnipe -- Rainy With a Chance of Sun​

Moonbat -- Cerebralnimbus​

Victoria Silverwolf -- Aphrodite Awaits​

I loved Moonbat's advert and he was a close runner-up, but my vote went to Cat's Cradle for sheer surreal daftness!

I was utterly stumped for a story this month, so I'm pleased that my take on the Met Gala attracted some attention -- wispy cirrus glory thanks for the mentions/shortlistings Parson, johnnyjet, nixie, Chris p and CC!

 

[-K2-]

Thanks for the reviews @Parson and @Victoria Silverwolf . They're as fun to read as the entries.

K2

 

[Bren G]

Thanks for the stealth vote @C.C. !

Now in striking distance. Hear my thunder! Fear my lightning!

 

[JJewel]

Damn I am falling behind, my dreams of glory shattered and destroyed like the Graf Spee at River Plate! Curse you all!

I have to say win or lose this has been a fun experience and I am looking forward to the next one, bring it on, I will reek my rev-enge!!!

 

[Bren G]

Damn I am falling behind, my dreams of glory shattered and destroyed like the Graf Spee at River Plate! Curse you all!

I have to say win or lose this has been a fun experience and I am looking forward to the next one, bring it on, I will reek my rev-enge!!!

If memory serves JJewel, the Spee was never 'destroyed' but rather scuttled. Don't push the red button...don't give up hope!

 

[JJewel]

If memory serves JJewel, the Spee was never 'destroyed' but rather scuttled. Don't push the red button...don't give up hope!

Okay destroyed /scuttled, should I amend it to Bismarck then? .

But seriously doesnt really matter it was a fun little poem about my daughter was all and people actually voted for it so that in itself was flattering, I consider myself a newbie compared to most of you leviathons so for me a good result.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Thank you massively for the vote @Daysman and @Ambrose!
I'm getting nervous...

 

[Astro Pen]

Thank you @Cat's Cradle for both the vote and the lovely review.

( also to @Hopcyn Miller @Marvin @johnnyjet and @BT Jones for the long/short listings. )

 

[Ursa major]

It seems that we have a tie, so a tie-breaker poll, to settle who wins this month, will be put up soon(-ish).

 

[Ursa major]

The tie-breaker poll is now up. It will be open until 23:59 GMT on September the 30th 2020:

Tiebreaker Poll -- September 2020 Writing Challenge​

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[Ursa major]

I hope the above link works now (after having to change it three times and it reverting back to a previous one for some unknown reason).

 

[Bren G]

This is very exciting. May the best pen win!

 

[BT Jones]

How exciting; a tie-breaker! What a tight round. Thanks to @Daysman And @The Judge for the shortlists. It's always initially so disillusioning to get zero votes. Then I look at the poll and realize just how many entrants there were and how much esteemed company I am in!

 

[The Judge]

Ooh, the thrill of a tie-breaker poll! They seem few and far between nowadays, when once they seemed to happen every other month (and me on the losing side more often than not)! Anyhow, good as Elckerlyc's story is, I shortlisted Moonbat's advert and I've gone with him again.


When I posted my shortlist last night I forgot to apologise to Parson for sending him running to Wikipedia! In case anyone else was baffled by my story but forewent the pleasures of looking things up, I'd better explain. I'd actually got the title "Trailing Clouds of Glory" in my head early on (from the Wordsworth poem), so it was a question of trying to find a plot that matched. I spent ages ripping off ... um ... paying homage to a clever structure mosaix has used to tell a story via snippets of various reports, but trying to condense it to 75 words was impossible. Then for some reason the annual fundraising event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art aka the Met Gala popped into my head complete with images of the ludicrous dresses worn by the rich and/or notorious and/or eccentric so I went with it (though the raw meat dress wasn't actually one of the Gala's offerings). The trailing of the clouds comes from the fact the narrator wanted a bridal train on his/her costume, which was meant to be cirrus (like lace) but the nephologist** trapped cumulonimbus which are heavy rain-bearing clouds for the train, and when his enmeshment failed in the middle of the Gala the clouds burst and flooded everywhere. Parson would not have been able to find any mention of Annaz Wintry, but for the avoidance of doubt I have no knowledge of any bumpy clouds engraved on any part of the real person who might or might not have been an inspiration for this character.



** one who studies/is an expert on clouds, from the Greek nephos meaning cloud, and not to be confused with a nephrologist who is an expert on kidneys -- but wouldn't it be wonderful if there's a meteorologically-minded doctor somewhere who is a nephologist nephrologist...

 

[Elckerlyc]

** one who studies/is an expert on clouds, from the Greek nephos meaning cloud, and not to be confused with a nephrologist who is an expert on kidneys -- but wouldn't it be wonderful if there's a meteorologically-minded doctor somewhere who is a nephologist nephrologist...

So, now we have to think of a word describing a person who studies the effect weather has on kidneys (and what this means on the long term in view of climate-change.)
A nephropholist?

 

[Wayne Mack]

Thank you for your votes: @mosaix, @Hopcyn Miller

And thank you for your kind mentions: @Parson, @Victoria Silverwolf, @Marvin, @Starbeast

I feel encouraged by your feedback and I hope my story provided some enjoyment.

 

[Starbeast]

@JJewel Thank you gigantically for the vote. You made my day shine bright.

@The Judge "nephologist" - I looked it up too. Interesting definition.

@Wayne Mack Nice to meet you. You're very welcome. Stay awesome.

WOW! Another tied challenge. Good luck @Elckerlyc & @Moonbat

@Victoria Silverwolf & @Parson Excellent reviews.

 

[Joshua Jones]

Great work all on this month's challenge! I was hoping to enter, and was even bitten by the muse, but simply ran out of chronological units of any denomination to accomplish the task.

Unfortunately, I also missed the first round of voting, but weighed in for @Moonbat in the tiebreaker. Both stories were excellent, though, and well deserving of their place in the tie breaker!