DISCUSSION THREAD -- JANUARY 2023 -- 75 Word Writing Challenge

[Parson]

@Shyrka .... Dwindling Resources .... Shyrka reminds us that value grows with scarcity.

 

[cyprus7]

Hugh: An unreliable narrator, perhaps?

Peter V: Who would ever doubt the divine right of Kings?

Venusian Broon: Watching it all fall apart

Vince W: Tempting Ate

Luiglin: Orcestrated Madness

paranoid marvin: The Strangest Creature

Bren G: Batteries not included?

Parson: Cosmic Jelly Babies

Shyrka: Terminal Love

Well done, writers!

 

[Parson]

@The Judge .... La Chasse à la Licorne .... T. J. mucks around and marries a myth to the most mythical of creatures, and a perfectly gracious attitude.

 

[OuttaInc]

I do think that some entries greatly benefit from a bit of background information, but those are the rules, and part of the Challenge is to make it understandable without the need for an explanation.

Indeed. It's a skilled writer who can conjure a well-known trope/cultural reference to help paint the picture without sacrificing novelty or freshness of story.

 

[Ursa major]

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The challenge was closed to new entries at midnight GMT and the poll is now open at the link below:

POLL -- January 2023 75-Word Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!​

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[Luiglin]

Indeed. It's a skilled writer who can conjure a well-known trope/cultural reference to help paint the picture without sacrificing novelty or freshness of story.

Stale and mouldy, it's the latest trend. Why be bold when you can ride on the coat tails of others?

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Voted for @Cat's Cradle

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

The Judge reveals how a dream is sometimes not worth chasing.

Outtalnc teaches how the wondrous can become mundane.

Ursa major warns against excessive skepticism.

_________________________________________________________________________

Vote goes to Ashleyne

 

[Bowler1]

Lots of mentions as being last seemed to have struck a creative sweet spot:
THX, Ashleyne, AnRoinnUltra, Crispy, Phyrebrat and Parson.
Super close were PM and Judge.
Hugh, well done.

Remember to vote (ahem... for me) and take part.

 

[Parson]

*Thanks for the mention @Bowler1.

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@OuttaInc .... The Magic is Over ,,,, Outtalnc writes us a tale of the loss of innocence and gullibility.

@Ursa major .... The Salesman Who’s All Soul .... U. M. points out that the best salesman has the only viable product.

 

[nixie]

Favourites

@Ashleyne
@chrispenycate
@mosaix
@Phyrebrat
@Vince W
@The Judge
Vote
@Victoria Silverwolf

 

[THX1138]

Voted for @Shyrka


Too many for a short list that also came in close for me so, the rest I liked:
@Belake
@Victoria Silverwolf
@Iwroteathing
@cyprus7
@BigJ
@Venusian Broon
@VRlass
@Elckerlyc
@Cat's Cradle

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Stories that caught my eye:

@Victoria Silverwolf
@Ashleyne
@Yozh
@JS Wiig
@Troyzan787
@VRlass
@Bren G
@Ursa major

In the end I decided to vote for @cyprus7 . I could think of more than one possible interpretation for this story, which might normally be seen as a demerit. But in this case, each was equally intriguing. I particularly like the idea of the last surviving human being decommissioned by his sex robot.

 

[johnnyjet]

My Long List, Short List, and *** Favorite ***:

The Last Escape - THX1138
Yes, We Have No Mañanas - Victoria Silverwolf
*** SAVE THE LAST DANCE – Ashleyne ***
The Museum of Last Things – Guttersnipe
Souvenirs - Cat's Cradle
eSpace: The Final Frontier - cyprus7
A Day at the Zoo - Bowler1
The Last Post – chrispenycate
Endlings – Marvin
You Said It – Guanazee
To Be or Not to Be? I Have No Choice – mosaix
Asteroid - Christine Wheelwright
The Last baby Move-Over – Parson
Dwindling Resources – Shyrka
La Chasse à la Licorne - The Judge

 

[AnRoinnUltra]

Some great stories, and a few bleak ones in the mix this month too. I really liked But with a whimper by @M. Robert Gibson, which seemed to stealthily bring up the questions of life, the universe and purpose. I almost voted for To everything, turn and fall by @Phyrebrat -I thought it was a really well written cautionary tale that wouldn't be out of place in a school textbook. In the end I voted for something similar in Song of the old man by @johnnyjet because I thought it was a well written tribute to the power of nature.

Thanks all for all the stories, and to the reviewers (and mods for keeping the show on the road)

 

[Yozh]

Short list:

@chrispenycate
@Victoria Silverwolf (especially the title!)
@The Judge

voted for

@Christine Wheelwright I liked the doubling up of the last record on the last day, and the image (to me) of a parent making happy last moments with a child.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Antepenultimates
SAVE THE LAST DANCE = @Ashleyne
I am the Last One - @Troyzan787
Endlings - @Marvin
Last, but not Lost - @Elckerlyc
Asteroid - @Christine Wheelwright

Penultimates
Yes, We Have No Mañanas - @Victoria Silverwolf
Great Grandma's Legacy - @Daysman

Ultimate
Following in the Footsteps - @Yozh


ps.
Yes, I had to look-up antepenultimate

 

[Parson]

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to vote I go. 18 past the hour, let's see how long this actually takes.

Shortlisted because:

eSpace: The Final Frontier by @cyprus7 because it left me wondering about what happened either of two sad endings are equally possible.

Great Grandma's Legacy by @Daysman because of the purely weird and yet somehow believable story of the last of the sausage.

You Said It by @Guanazee because it has a nice balance between human behavior and alien insight.

To Everything, Turn and Fall by @Phyrebrat because it captured the pathos of seeing the end of your species.

La Chasse à la Licorne by @The Judge because living by one's moral convictions may be unrewarded externally, but it always rewarded internally.

Hard choice again. And there's probably a greater variety in the stories than usual, and there's usually a nice variety.

In the end I voted for @Phyrebrat's "To Everything, Turn and Fall"

Special Mention to @Victoria Silverwolf for the most clever title: Yes, We Have No Mañanas

And I'm done in 55 minutes. Not bad.

 

[Parson]

Parson hangs his head in shame. When I started reading through the stories some seemed like the first time I'd read them so I went through my mini reviews of the stories and found that somehow I had missed reviewing several of the stories. I am well aware that I am human, and humans make mistakes, but I am profoundly disappointed in myself and ask for pardon from

@Guanazee
@M. Robert Gibson
@VRlass
@mosaix
@Phyrebrat

I shall try to do better.

 

[Guanazee]

Stories were fun to read. For me, runner-up is @Vince W for Mother Mary, for the interesting take on the theme.
Voted for @Ursa major for The Salesman Who's All Soul for conciseness and voice.