Discussion -- May 2015 75-word Writing Challenge

>>>>>>>Signal Interupted*<<<<<<<...Returned to site just now.



*Alien ship had a flyby.

Note: List of favorites - see future post (time machine optional)

Congrats Victoria!

Congratulations Victoria!


Now that the voting is over I can say that I found my inspiration for Last Boarding Call remembering how my son and I parted after a fun weekend over mothersday. I found it interesting how many people read it as a love story, then thinking it over, I liked the assumed equality inherent in such a relationship.

I own that just before I submitted it I knew that it would take knocks for not having fantasy/scifi elements to it, then decided that it was as good a story as I was going to come up with this month and posted. So I'd like to thank again (beyond the Like button when mentioned) all those who were moved by my story this month.

CONGRATS VICTORIA, well done.

Chrispenycate, I just saw your list, THANKS MAN, FAR OUT

Bob

Congratulations Victoria! Well done.

Congrats Victoria! I loved the logic. Travelling forwards poses no problems, except, there is no 'undo'. Great story!

EDIT: Geeze I wish I could edit my life like I can edit my posts! (sighs) On the bright side thought, I just travelled into the future!

Congratulations Victoria.

Congrats, Victoria - a very good story, and one that was definitely on my short list. I was happy to see such a wide range of stories this month - it's always nice to get such a positive response to a theme!

I think my own story may not have been quite as clear as I'd hoped, if Parson's interpretation is indicative. Some time early in the month I got it into my head that I wanted to do a superhero story, and so to fit the theme I thought having one hero departing a team after a tragedy would make for a good story. So the cape wasn't just a cape - it was symbolic of being a costumed hero.

Congratulations, Victoria.

Congratulations, Victoria!

Ok, I'll at least explain my title, since it pleased me so much but was probably incomprehensible to anyone who wasn't inside my head.

The Death's Head Moth (that's the one in Silence of the Lambs) comes in three kinds -- Acherontia Styx (that's for two rivers in Hell), Acherontia Lachesis and Acherontia Atropos (two of the three Aspects of Fate, the ones who determine the length of life and cut the thread), so I extrapolated and made another one that specializes in young, beautiful women (Clotho, the young and beautiful Aspect, who spins the thread). I know a moth isn't a butterfly, but the wings might be taken for that in a painting. Anyway, it tickled me.

As for where my story came from, I just pulled it out of... never mind.

Thank you everyone who mentioned my story and Juliana for the vote, which I was really not expecting. I was conscious that the tone/voice of my story was very flat, this month, but that is what I was after.

I borrowed virtually all of my ideas for this one.

The Australian band Redgum, are probably most famous for their anti-vietnam war song, I was only 19, which starts with the line:

"Mum and dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal"

I've always loved the stacato miltary rythm of that line and borrowed it for both the opening and the name of one of my characters. The song goes on to, amongst other things, tell us about Frankie, who stands on a land mine, just before he is shipped out home. I borrowed that too. The song is on spotify, if you want to listen.

I was also reading a Sharpe novel at the time, and either in that book or somewhere reading around it I saw mention that it was only recently that most soldiers get killed in battle, they were traditionally much more likely to be killed by disease. i figured that was even more likely on an alien planet. So I borrowed that.

In terms of the disease, older Chrons members may remember that before he did ASOIAF GRRMartin, edited/created the wildcards shared universe, in which an alien virus is let oose over new york, truning soem into Aces (superheros) some into Jokers (deformed mutants) and killing some horribly, the latter were said to have drawn the black queen. I borrowed that.

CONGRATULATIONS, VICTORIA. Once again, I loved your story. That final image was truly unsettling.

Congratulations, Victoria -- a really powerful, chilling story!

(and commiserations to Jo -- a very close run!)

For some reason as soon as I saw the theme I thought of that bit from Thomas the Rhymer --

and then where the blood would go (only my version of Elfland was floating in the sky, not under the ground).

Thank you very much for the vote, Cascade!

Congratulations, Victoria! What a close-run competition between two great writers and two brilliant stories. Well done, Jo, for your close second.

Thank you to Ursa for the last minute vote there - a lovely surprise - and thank you to everyone who shortlisted or mentioned my story. I don't think it needs any explanation (I'm a simple soul).

Congrats Victoria. A well deserved win. I'm still itching to know what happened during that missed day?

@hopewrites, I admit I read it as a love story, but my partner, looking overly shoulder, said after reading, "I really like that one. It doesn't have to be romantic, it could be saying goodbye to a child." So it's all there, I just wasn't smart enough to see, like she is

Congrats, Victoria! And many thanks to everyone who mentioned and voted for mine, and the kind words.

Congratulations Victoria!

Yes, CONGRATULATIONS VICTORIOUS VICTORIA!

I'm afraid I might be in 'verse' mode for some time, considering my previous record with limericks - some of you have been around long enough to remember. I'm attempting 'filk', and as I walk along it's in iambs; when I need dactyls, I skip. I'm aware how annoying this can make me, yes, and will attempt not to hum as I waltz round the Chrorridors seeking rhyme.

It might be easier if I were a poet.

Congrats.

All I can say about mine is sorry. I would promise never to use such an awful pun ever again but we all know that would be a lie.

There was method in my madness though and it's based on Christmas cracker jokes. The reason why they are so bad is that everyone can groan at a bad joke but not everyone will get or appreciate a good one. That is the reason why all cracker jokes make you groan, so that you're all unified in appreciating their awfulness

Well done, Victoria! And commiserations to Jo.

Thanks to VB and Bowler for voting for my entry, and to those who listed it. As for its inspiration, I can do no more than gesture vaguely towards the cheese counter.