DISCUSSION — May 2018 75-Word Writing Challenge

[TheDustyZebra]

CC -- The Cosmic Matroyshka
Onyx -- Metamorphic (so close -- awesome story and the title is simply exquisite)
Danny -- Manna
*Shyrka -- Seek Not, Lest You Draw Their Attention*
TJ -- To Be -- Veiled -- Or Not To Be

 

[chrispenycate]

So, my short(ish) list contained:- Bob Senior, D3athw4lker, Luiglin, mosaix, Pedro Del Mar, Peter V, Shyrka and The Judge. Finally I went for Shyrka.

But there are lots of people who hadn't yet voted when I finally did:- Ashleyne, AstroZon, Bob Senior, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Dan Jones, Harpo, johnnyjet, Joshua Jones, LittleStar, Luiglin, mosaix, Mr Orange, Pedro Del Mar, Perpetual Man, Phyrebrat, Shyrka, Starbeast and The Judge. And there isn't all that much time remaining. And thank you David Evil Overlord and Graymalkin, for voting despite not having submitted this time - we'd be quite happy to have a few more of you

 

[Luiglin]

So, my short(ish) list contained:- Bob Senior, D3athw4lker, Luiglin, mosaix, Pedro Del Mar, Peter V, Shyrka and The Judge. Finally I went for Shyrka.

But there are lots of people who hadn't yet voted when I finally did:- Ashleyne, AstroZon, Bob Senior, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Dan Jones, Harpo, johnnyjet, Joshua Jones, LittleStar, Luiglin, mosaix, Mr Orange, Pedro Del Mar, Perpetual Man, Phyrebrat, Shyrka, Starbeast and The Judge. And there isn't all that much time remaining. And thank you David Evil Overlord and Graymalkin, for voting despite not having submitted this time - we'd be quite happy to have a few more of you

I ninja voted for @TheDustyZebra late last night but was too tired to wax lyrical.

 

[mosaix]

Thanks for the reminder, Chris.

 

[The Judge]

I expected to have a hard job this month, as weird tales mostly leave me cold so I'd be hard-pressed to shortlist them, yet if the tales weren't weird, I'd have to disqualify them as not meeting the genre. In the event, it was the latter consideration which kept me most busy as many of the stories didn't have the surreal quality I was looking for to be truly weird. Fortunately, there were enough stories which hinted at surreal without going into full-blown bonkers!

​

Anyhow, my shortlist:

Cat's Cradle -- The Cosmic Matryoshka​

johnnyjet -- When the Veil Was Lifted​

Luiglin -- The Dance​

M. Robert Gibson -- The Dance of the Seven...​

Mr Orange -- Beyond​

Phyrebrat -- The Jilted​

TheDustyZebra -- Journey to the Center of the Self​

unbusy thing -- Veil Wars 101​

Ursa major -- The Kitties and the Cities​

​

Deciding on the vote was easy. I did enjoy the oddness of unbusy thing's spectral war, and I was smug in getting the Mieville allusion in Ursa's tale of moggies straying from one city to the other, and they are runners-up for the vote, but the victor beyond any doubt was Cat's Cradle for his surreal and monstrous living Russian dolls (though I nearly disqualified him for making my head itch...)

As I mentioned, I was far from sure my tale would fit the genre, even when calling it Kafkaesque, so I'm delighted it appeared on some lists. So emotional and unveiled thanks the mentions/shortlistings Heijan**, Hugh, Victoria, Parson (I'm so glad you loved it!), Stable, nixie, CC, TDZ and Chris p (goodness, the most mentions I've had in ages!) and truly female hysterical () thanks for the wonderful votes Cathbad, and for the stealth votes RJM Corbet and Abernovo!


** thank you for the kind words, but cheat? Moi?! As if I would...

 

[Mr Orange]

thanks to @Graymalkin, @Cat's Cradle, @The Judge and anyone else that mentioned my story. and thanks to @Shyrka, @Parson and @Victoria Silverwolf for the excellent reviews. oh, and many thanks to @Calliopenjo for the stealth vote! yay!

i'll admit this was a month when a lot of the stories didn't gel with me, either because i couldn't see the theme or genre (or my interpretation of the genre at least) in them, or because of readability issues. however i do ahve a short short list:

@Cat's Cradle - The Cosmic Matroyshka: wow, that language, well done sir. Genre hammer meet genre nail head.
@johnnyjet - When the Veil was Lifted: a great idea that you got down well on electronic paper
@Culhwch - Truly Monstrous:This really drew me in and made me want to read more.
@TheDustyZebra - Journey to the Centre of Self: Great imagery adn another great last line from the stripey one.

oh and I voted for one of them.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Snuck in with a quick vote for Victoria, and leave with a thanks to mosaic for the vote!

 

[Bob Senior]

Chris, thank you for the listing, made my day, you are much too kind.
Thanks to Parson, Victoria and Shyrka for the reviews, don't know how you do it but it sure is appreciated.

 

[Phyrebrat]

After my brutal criteria was put into servive: vote, runner up*, shortlist.

CC
Luiglin*
Hugh
Nixie
Dan
Perp
Johnnyjet*
Artoriarius
Cul
Unbusy thing*
TDZ

I was delighted in a totally schadenfreude-ish (schadenfiendish? ) way to see people struggle with the style; weird fiction is my favourite, most-read genre, and seeing my struggles of trying to do fantasy or sf finally repaid with you all having to do 'weird' made my misanthropic, malcontent's life complete

A billion thanks to @HoopyFrood for such a great pairing of genre and theme!

And CC, wow.

pH

 

[Ashleyne]

My favourite stories this month are:

In the Eye of the Beholder

Wedded Bliss

A Lifetime

I voted for Inagaddadavida.


A massive thanks to all the reviewers and an extra ginormous thanks to Heijan Xavier for the vote!

 

[nixie]

Thanks everyone for the mentions and @Starbeast for the stealth vote.

 

[Ursa major]

It's time to reveal, not to say unveil, the results of the Ursa Jury (in which the stories are in posting order within the categories):


Honourable Mentions:

• Inagaddadavida by Hugh
• The Jilted by Phyrebrat
• Has Anyone Seen The New Guy? by Bob Senior
• Journey to the Centre of the Self by TheDustyZebra

Runners Up:

• Manna by dannymcg
• Salome by chrispenycate
• To be - veiled - or not to be by The Judge

Winner:

• Proof At Last. by mosaix

​

 

[Ursa major]

The poll has now closed and we have a winner:

Congratulations, Cat's Cradle!​

​

 

[Danny McG]

Well I got a vote this time, also a couple of mentions and I made it onto a list or two. Quite happy.

CatsCradle ..... awesome story, well done! (I'm not at all in envy of your talent )

 

[Bob Senior]

Congrats cats cradle
Thank you Ursa major for the listing

gotta try to enter earlier next round instead of cutting the grass and picking dandelions

 

[Stable]

Congrats CC!

 

[Parson]

Congrats @Cat's Cradle ... Your story was truly weird. But I have to admit that I still don't understand it. Since you won, obviously you were brilliant.


And just why do I continue to hear @Phyrebrat cackling?

 

[Starbeast]

Congratulations Cat's Cradle
@Cat's Cradle​

Weird List

@Ashleyne
@Cat's Cradle
@Victoria Silverwolf - thanks for the Reviews
@Harpo
@dannymcg
@Hugh
@Parson - thanks for the Reviews & Finalist
@chrispenycate
@nixie - VOTE - Creepy Cool
@M. Robert Gibson
@Vaz
@Dan Jones
@Perpetual Man
@Heijan Xavier - Finalist
@Shyrka - thanks for the Reviews
@Phyrebrat
@Bob Senior
@Culhwch
@The Judge
@Mr Orange


My Story: I pulled in elements from Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Star Trek, Jack the Ripper, that wonderful song "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett, a (giant green) Red-Jawed Bearded Wishbone Spider, AND, the Creeper from Scooby-Doo.

 

[Luiglin]

Congrats @Cat's Cradle.

Thanks for the mentions folks. I tried to go with a standard Lovecraftian theme of someone losing their mind. When I saw veil I immediately thought of Dance of the Seven Veils. Attempted to twist that into some poor soul losing their mind to a Cthululian nightmare performing the dance.

 

[mosaix]

Congratulations, CC!

And thanks for the vote, U.M.