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

First of all I want to say thank you all for indulging me. I’ve had an absolutely wonderful time reading these.

Second of all, I want to clarify that I didn’t enter not because I was concerned about wanting to win, but because it just seemed bad sportsmanship. As I said, I don’t expect anyone to understand my madness but hey, there it is.

So here are my: favourite stories, shortlist*, very shortlist* and winner. It was a draw between Ursa and another. I’ll explain my choice after voting ends.

VS

Cc

Astropen

THX1138 *

Swank — I knew what a La Grange is!! Your story made me feel clever after I got it. (It took a couple of reads and a moment for the Penny to drop. Cool image, too)

Big J **

DEO

Genelewis**

Nixie

Stillearning*

Starbeast** — I loved these lyrics! Felt like they could be in a Stephen King book — you know, the way he uses them. Awesomely cosmically waveeeey

Johnnyjet *

Mon0zero**

Lacedaemonian

Mosaix *

M Robert Gibson **

Pyan *

Parson ** — after all that worry about genre and you create this gem. In my top 3. Brilliant.

Peat*

Ursa Major — should we be worried about Ursa’s take on cosmic horror? As if… ;)
 
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Thank you everyone for my monthly flash fiction anthology :D , it is much appreciated and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every one of them.

Short list:
Anopheles -- @genelewis

A Cosmic Horror Story -- @Ursa major

The Earthworm -- @Perky

Starbucks 0958am Monday 23rd -- @Hugh . I would love to know what blend your barista used

Splinters -- @Yozh . As an obsessive person with a horror of splinters this is uncomfortably near to reality for me.

Worlds Apart -- @David Evil Overlord



Vote: Tāwhirimātea, the Storm God, and his Lesson -- @Parson . That does sum up something key about cosmic horror for me: Indeed, we are not. And, indeed, there are no sacrifices that will offer any kind of guarantee.
 
Many thanks for the short-listing, StilLearning... :)

...and many, many thanks for the votes, Phyrebrat and BigJ. :):)
 
Really enjoyed the genre and theme, and reading all the entries.

Shortlist:
David Evil Overlord, genelewis, emrosenagel, Hugh, Perky, Parson, Ursa major

My fave this month was from sule, and I voted there.

Thank you sule and Phyrebrat for the listings. :)
 
This month's genre is not my thing. I am not a fan and perhaps, I wonder, I misunderstood the general concept. It may be the reason why I didn't get some of the stories.
Anyway, my shortlist and vote:

@emrosenagel - A Single Feather to Hold Up the Universe
@Starbeast - Cosmic Evil Blues
@Ursa major - A Cosmic Horror Story
@genelewis - Anopheles
 
I voted for @genelewis 's wonderfully inventive Anopheles

Runner up: Peter V. I loved the last line

There were two others that at one point I thought might get my vote. I really liked both of them, but my muddled brain could not find our theme in them (which doesn't mean to say it isn't there):
@AnRoinnUltra 's The dán of Bridy Sneachta. A wonderfully light touch and any spacer called Bridy Sneachta gets my interest
@M. Robert Gibson At The Mouth Of Despair. I thought this was excellent. Reminded me of going to work pre-retirement.

Others that caught my eye for whatever reason:
@Luiglin
@StilLearning
@Ursa major
@Christine Wheelwright
@johnnyjet
@Mon0Zer0

But there were a number of others that I also liked. I thought it was one of the best month's for stories that I can remember, and I'm not a fan of horror.

And, ever so many thanks @chrispenycate for your surprise ninja vote. A great joy.
And, multiple thanks to @Cat's Cradle , @genelewis and @StilLearning for your generous listings. Really appreciated.
 
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Many thanks for the short-listing, Elckerlyc :)

...and many thanks for the mention, Hugh. :)
 
My vote: Good Job the Kids weren't Home! by @Peter V

My shortlist: But they said it wouldn't rip a hole in reality... by @BigJ, Anopheles by @genelewis, Who's afraid? by @sule, The dán of Birdy Sneachta by @AnRoinnUltra, Cosmic evil blues by @Starbeast, Old Earth, new birth by @Provincial, and Red state by @Mon0Zer0.

Thanks for the votes @Lacedaemonian, @johnnyjet and @The Big Peat! Much appreciated :giggle: And thank you for the shortlists @Yozh, @nixie, @genelewis, @THX1138, @Cat's Cradle and @Elckerlyc! This story got much more love than I expected.

Awesome stories all around! As you can tell from my long shortlist, I had some trouble picking a favorite, but we got there in the end.
 
Nothing like peer pressure. Sorry it's not got the lycicism you mentioned @Parson but I only came up with this today and normallly I sit on em for 2-3 weeks!
So then, Boils and Ghouls...here's a little tale I call...

Et tu, Pluto?
It had been categorised as Dirty Snowball, just like all the others thrown out from the Oort; just another celestial body.

When it split into eight, then changed direction, heading to the planets of the solar system, people started to take notice. The impacts made Schumacher-Levy resemble grit thrown onto a lake.

Our blue marble wasn’t targeted — not by the comet, at least. But the other planets…

The other planets now migrate towards Earth…

Sentient.
 
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