Discussion Thread -- August 2017 75-word Writing Challenge

[The Judge]

Welcome back, Bob! I trust Paw will make another appearance!

 

[Luiglin]

This is bleeping annoying. Whatever I write is coming out as sentimental codswallop. I may have to settle for the least swallopy cod.

 

[Shyrka]

Steampunk or cyperpunk? No fair! I've been wanting to do a cyberpunk challenge for ages but how am I supposed to resist the urge to make a pun about steam locomotive tenders??

 

[chrispenycate]

Steampunk or cyperpunk? No fair! I've been wanting to do a cyberpunk challenge for ages but how am I supposed to resist the urge to make a pun about steam locomotive tenders??

Because (Looks smug) I have already written it - in what might not be a Chrons record - and posted it

You could probably do a better one - I'm afraid speed took precedence over quality, as I knew perfectly well someone else would spot the logical links - but it will always look like plagarism.

 

[Shyrka]

Yeah, you've covered pretty much all the bases with that one!

 

[Shyrka]

I should thank you really, you've freed me to pursue my 16-bit neon, dial-up fantasies.

 

[Dave Barsby]

Not that au fait with cyber or steampunk so just taken a punt on what I think fits the genre (along with my now-traditional skewed interpretation of the theme, of course)

 

[Luiglin]

I'm in. It won't win any awards but at least it's not the sentimental rubbish that I was coming up with earlier.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

chrispenycate -- This intricately crafted poem brings the non-living to life.

Ashleyne -- This portrait of a dark future shows us that kindness can come from unexpected places.

Abernovo -- This tale of sacrifice takes the reader deep into the hearts of its characters.

Ihe -- This story of an act of desperation reveals the lengths to which devotion can go.

Cathbad -- This fable of the nature of humanity shows how even the hardest heart can soften.

dannymcg -- This apocalyptic shocker reveals how cruelty has no limits.

Dave Barsby -- This surreal vision of a very different world paints a portrait of survival at a terrible cost.

Luiglin -- This ironic account of a twisted reality demonstrates how our actions do not always match our words.

 

[Parson]

Okay, 9 entries in the 24 hours I'm away? At this rate we are going to have roughly 97 entries. That would be a record! And I would not be able to keep up the review schedule.

Howdy,
Anyone remember Bob S.?, been gone for a long time.
I hope my head is clear enough to come up with a worthy story (I take a lot of pills)
So, if'n mah brane kin stay on track long anuff ta put tagetter 75 werds in da kirect auder ah'm gunna rite a storie!!!

Thanks for the Christmas card Dusty.

Bob

Bob! so good to hear from you again. I was wondering if your health problems had silenced you. So glad that they haven't.

 

[Danny McG]

Thanks Victoria, that review sums up my thoughts on how I wanted my tale to be perceived

 

[Abernovo]

Abernovo -- This tale of sacrifice takes the reader deep into the hearts of its characters.

Thank you for the review, Victoria. Always interesting to see what different readers take from the same story. Perhaps a discussion for another time. ;-)

Great choice of subject and genre from @Joshua Jones. First time I've been tempted to enter for a while.

 

[Shyrka]

Tendering my resignation, @chrispenycate – Showing alarming “tend”-encies to go to any lengths to squeeze in a pun, this cute little locomotive-based rhyme rattles along, full steam ahead, railroading us toward the conclusion that the tender was the star all along.

RNB, @Ashleyne – A machine comes to the rescue of a helpless orphaned baby, showing compassion & mercy where its compatriots showed none.

Ae Fond Kiss, @Abernovo – A scientist’s desperate attempt to save a consciousness from destruction is laced with curious intentions borne out of… love?

ELSA, @Ihe – Despite the best efforts of the local constabulary, a misunderstood engineer succeeds in freeing his love from the ‘curse’ of a flesh and blood existence.

JUST ANOTHER BOUNTY, @Cathbad – It may have been just another bounty, but this one triggers memories of another loss of life, both literal and existential.

COUNTDOWN, @dannymcg – The destruction of the human race is halted by a momentary act of compassion. Humanity’s end, scant seconds later, is almost certainly another.

 

[Stable]

I had a solid start for this month, but it turned into a gingerbread man story, and I don't think BakePunk is a thing.

 

[Shyrka]

Waiting On A Moment Of Tenderness, @Dave Barsby – A disturbing tale of decay and degradation with an alarmingly culinary twist.

Iron Justice, @Luiglin – Automation & mass production were the hallmarks of the industrial revolution. Mercifully – in our reality, unlike this tale – they were never applied to the penal system...

Experience, @Victoria Silverwolf – Becoming something else is the only way to find oneself in this evocative story of the seductive power of virtual reality.

 

[Shyrka]

I don't think BakePunk is a thing.

It really should be.

 

[Calliopenjo]

OK, I had no idea what I was writing. Not unusual, but in this case, it may be a little more obvious. lol. Anyway, it's up and posted.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I'm posted, too. I was going to go with humor, but I saw that Luiglin had done so, with a better idea than my own...so I went dark instead.

It's okay, I hope...but it's all I had in me at the moment. Good luck writing, everyone!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Calliopenjo -- The author offers a philosophical meditation on the nature of the relationship between humans and their technology.

Cat's Cradle -- This story of anonymous cruelty cleverly reverses an urban legend and teaches us to extend empathy to all.

 

[Luiglin]

I'm posted, too. I was going to go with humor, but I saw that Luiglin had done so, with a better idea than my own...so I went dark instead.

It's okay, I hope...but it's all I had in me at the moment. Good luck writing, everyone!

Nothing better than a dark tinge to a tale.