DISCUSSION THREAD -- 300 Word Writing Challenge #55 (October 2024)

[Ursa major]

The poll has closed and we have a two-way tie (and were within a whisker of having a three-way tie).

The tie-breaker poll will be up shortly.

 

[Ursa major]

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The tie-breaker poll is now up. It will be open until 23:59 GMT on November the 20th:[/INDENT]

Tie-breaker Poll -- 300 Word Writing Challenge No 55​

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[Astro Pen]

This was particularly difficult because I had voted for both stories. In the end @Victoria Silverwolf 's imagery just clinched it for me.
But it is nice that two favourites are contending, we shall see, @mosaix may yet cut it....

 

[Rafellin]

...in the end I settled on Raffelin's paranormal intervention, though I'm still not sure if that intervention is for good or evil...

Both, yer 'onour: evil ways, good ends. (From their point of view, at least.)

 

[Parson]

I voted for @Victoria Silverwolf again. But @mosaix was within an eyelash on the first vote and also on the second.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I voted for @Victoria Silverwolf

 

[THX1138]

For the Tie-Breaker @mosaix

Thanks again for the votes @Ursa major, @AnRoinnUltra, @Karapace, @RTGR
And thanks @Starbeast for the long list.
Glad you enjoyed my story!

Congratulations to @Victoria Silverwolf and @mosaix on the tie, and good luck to you both on the tie-breaker!

 

[Pyan]

I voted for @Victoria Silverwolf again.

Ditto.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Well done, Victoria Silverwolf and mosaix on reaching the tie-breaker, with two fine stories.
I went with Victoria in the opening round of voting, and I voted for her again, now. Good luck, both of you!
@The Judge, I was very pleased to receive your first vote, thanks so much! And thanks for the kind words on my story. I liked this one more than a lot of my recent entries, and it all goes back to the way the inspiration photo affected me.
TJ, I tried to Google the photographer, Mike Masnick, but couldn't find a match that seemed appropriate... is it possible to give a bit of background on who this person is, or would TDZ be able to tell us?
Another really enjoyable Challenge, good work, all! CC

 

[farntfar]

Both magnificent stories in the tie, and hard to choose.

But I voted for @mosaix again, here.

 

[The Judge]

TJ, I tried to Google the photographer, Mike Masnick, but couldn't find a match that seemed appropriate... is it possible to give a bit of background on who this person is, or would TDZ be able to tell us?

I know TDZ came across the photo on bsky.social last year, but I don't know more than that. I'll ask if she knows anything else about him.

 

[Rafellin]

Tie breaker goes to @mosaix as per my original votes.

Huge thanks to @Parson @Aethel @Pyan @Peter V and @The Judge for their votes, with additional thanks to @Parson for the fine compliment.

Thank you to @farntfar and @Cat's Cradle for honourable mentions.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

It's okay, TJ. I wondered if maybe they were a member (though usually that would've been mentioned), or if they maybe published photos at somewhere like Twitter or Instagram. But I am likely leaving Twitter for Bluesky next week, so I can look for their Bluesky listings when I get there. Thanks for the reply, CC

 

[Phyrebrat]

Congratulations Victoria and Mosaix. Mosaix was one of my first votes so I went there for the tiebreaker.

Eternal thanks to @nixie and @Cat's Cradle and for the reviewers. Particularly thanks to CatsC for such lovely words. I found it quite challenging to write as it’s semi autobiographical from my sister’s point of view. When we were away I spoke to her a lot about the implications of her diagnosis and that convo lead to my story of wet-nursing a stillborn foetus.

My votes, favourites* and shortlist

@Rafellin

@THX1138

@Cat's Cradle

@AnRoinnUltra

@Starbeast

@mosaix *

@The Judge*

@Elckerlyc

@chrispenycate *

@Bren G *

@johnnyjet

@Ursa major

 

[THX1138]

Thank you very much for the shortlist @Phyrebrat!

 

[Starbeast]

Congratulations Tie Champs
@Victoria Silverwolf & @mosaix

Silver Medals - @Parson & @The Judge
Bronze Medals - @Karapace & @Cat's Cradle

@Luiglin - Thanks tremendously for the stealth Vote!
A ginormous THANK YOU for more listings and mentions

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@Starbeast .... Blade Runner 2166 .... This is a story which is filled with life and love and purpose and peace and much better than the original.

My Story: Blade Runner 2166
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I'm certain there are some here who have never seen the original 1982 movie, Blade Runner. Never the less, I'm still a huge fan of this sci-fi detective drama. In my opinion, director Ridley Scott did an astonishing job filming this outstanding movie that etched itself into my memory. So when I looked at Mike Masnick's 300 Challenge photo, three ideas popped into my mind. I chose the one with a positive ending. I didn't want to follow up on the sequel Blade Runner 2049, which I did not care for. Instead I wrote my own tale further in the future with a different detective, Scott Harrison.

 

[The Judge]

The tie-breaker is a tie at the moment!

And I've got another vote -- Mega-Mist-Missed-Witch Thanks, pH!

When I posted my story I commented that it arose from memories of early morning journeys to work some years ago. I used to drive across part of the New Forest and despite the area's name, it isn't greatly wooded on that stretch, but is more heathland/moor. My drive took me along a ridge of high land -- unsurprisingly in one section called The Ridge -- which falls away into boggy valleys on both sides. Often of an autumn/winter morning, one particular valley would be full of mist, which always brought to mind the scene in Excalibur when Merlin calls up the dragon's breath to allow Uther to ride across to Cornwall's castle -- it really did look thick enough to walk on.

One high point on the drive which I appropriated for my story is called Deadman Hill, though in reality the gallows was probably a couple of miles away at a road junction on lower ground, and the name of the hill might have arisen from dastardly deeds rather than executions. I made one other change to the area, calling the valley Deadman's Vale. There is in fact a Deadman Bottom, but the imagery that brought up rather killed the mood of the story!

Someone made of sterner stuff than me (and undoubtedly with better boots) has walked around the hill and some of the boggy valleys, and her photos might be of interest, though there's no thick mist: #40 – Deadman Hill

 

[Parson]

As @The Judge has described the idea behind her story it must be kosher to do this now.

The Genesis of my story is really quite simple. The picture (and a wonderful picture it was) showed me a cold desolation interrupted by an impossibly bright light as a person stands a good distance away. My thoughts immediately went to 1 Timothy 6:16: "Who (God) alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen" and I thought of what it might mean to gaze at the light as God breaks through in a life and how this is often seen in common things, and there you go.

I was so pleased that it received so much attention. Seven people voted for it and for me that's a very wonderful result. They were @Pyan, @paranoid marvin, @Luiglin, @Victoria Silverwolf, @Ian Fortytwo, @THX1138, and @RTGR. Thanks so much all of you.

 

[Ursa major]

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The poll has closed and, we have a winner:

Congratulations, mosaix!​

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[THX1138]

Congratulations @mosaix!
And a well-deserved second place to @Victoria Silverwolf!