DISCUSSION THREAD -- February 2020 -- 75-Word Writing Challenge

[Shyrka]

Quite a few made my shortlist this month for a variety of different reasons. Some were evocative, some funny, some touching and some just plainly well-written. However, even as I was re-reading everything, I knew in my heart that I was going to fall for one particular fairy tale offering.

Shortlist:

If I was, @dannymcg
The Red Knight, @M. Robert Gibson
Till Death, @Victoria Silverwolf
Love, Eternal, @Culhwch
A Kingdom Ring, @Ian Fortytwo
Love Requited, @Vince W
And Now For Something Completely Different, @Mr Orange
With this Token of My Love, @Peter V
Knight Error, @TheDustyZebra

Favourites:

As True As Stone, @Cat's Cradle
Boyhood Treasure Box, @DannMcGrew
Quiet Love, @Marvin

Vote:

One Pair of Glass Slippers, Worn Twice, @Teresa Edgerton

 

[Daysman]

AFK@SFF this month... been reading up on UHD TV as my other tech increasingly refuses to talk to my early 21st century telly... a new purchase is in order, but as always it seems timing is everything...

As for the challenge, it's another vote for the Arthurian coconut shells...

Thanks for the mention @chrispenycate !

Oh, and I seem to have confused thy and thine in my own bit... so it goes.

 

[Marvin]

Honourable mention for:
@TheDustyZebra
@Peter V
@Teresa Edgerton
@elvet

Vote goes to:
@M. Robert Gibson

Many many thanks to:
@Teresa Edgerton
@elvet
@Shyrka
For giving my entry a mention.

 

[elvet]

Thank you so much @Marvin for the mention and for sparing me a shut out on my own challenge.

 

[Mr Orange]

Many thanks @Calliopenjo and @Daysman for the votes! 5 votes for such silliness, who would have thought...

I obviously wasn't thinking of serious fantasy this month and couldn't go past @StilLearning for my vote, mostly for the first and last lines...

 

[StilLearning]

Many thanks @Calliopenjo and @Daysman for the votes! 5 votes for such silliness, who would have thought...

I obviously wasn't thinking of serious fantasy this month and couldn't go past @StilLearning for my vote, mostly for the first and last lines...

Now I'm flattered, I was content with just the mentions I've got ! Many thanks

 

[Mr Orange]

Now I'm flattered, I was content with just the mentions I've got ! Many thanks

My pleasure. My brain can't cope with deep and meaningful at the moment but your story cut through the haze nicely. I think i even chortled at the last line. Also, beyomd the humour there was a proper story

 

[Stable]

I think there's a poem hiding in Shyrka's shortlist:

Knight Error
If I was The Red Knight Till Death
With this Token of My Love, Quiet Love
Love, Eternal, Love Requited,
As True As Stone Boyhood Treasure Box
And Now A Kingdom Ring(s)
For Something Completely Different

One Pair of Glass Slippers, Worn Twice​

 

[nixie]

Another stealth thank you @mosaix .

 

[Shyrka]

Can I just throw in a vote for public decency here, and say I was rather surprised to see something that explicit in a family-friendly forum?

I think there's a poem hiding in Shyrka's shortlist:

Knight Error
If I was The Red Knight Till Death
With this Token of My Love, Quiet Love
Love, Eternal, Love Requited,
As True As Stone Boyhood Treasure Box
And Now A Kingdom Ring(s)
For Something Completely Different

One Pair of Glass Slippers, Worn Twice​

That's amazing! Now, if only I'd meant to do it!

 

[chrispenycate]

Last voting day and it appears: BigJ, Cat's Cradle, Elckerlyc, Jesse Harris, JJ Maier, johnnyjet, LittleStar, Luiglin, Star-child, StilLearning, The Judge and Ursa major have not yet voted, so everything could (potentially) still change.

Well, all right, it's not all that likely, but…

 

[Luiglin]

Last voting day and it appears: BigJ, Cat's Cradle, Elckerlyc, Jesse Harris, JJ Maier, johnnyjet, LittleStar, Luiglin, Star-child, StilLearning, The Judge and Ursa major have not yet voted, so everything could (potentially) still change.

Well, all right, it's not all that likely, but…

I got excited for a moment and thought I'd got a mention. I suppose I have, but not the good sort

 

[StilLearning]

My vote is in - my list was just under 50% of the entries, and I felt I'd been a bit unfair to 4 or 5 that also caught my imagination then. Will put it up tonight when I can fix the spelling mistakes, have to take the wee one to the doctors in a bit (croup, although not too bad at the moment, else I'd not be posting!). Day in the parenting life...

 

[johnnyjet]

I got my vote in. My list was too long to post, so I'll just say I voted for @nixie with @Teresa Edgerton, @StilLearning, @Victoria Silverwolf, and @Luiglin as close runners-up.

 

[Elckerlyc]

No long list this time. Not even a short one! It was nearly impossible to make a preferred choice between the many memorable mementos that were poured into this challenge this month.
But in the end I fell for @nixie princess.

 

[nixie]

Thanks @johnnyjet and @Elckerlyc for the vote, also @Margaret Note Spelling for the stealth vote.

 

[mosaix]

So, at the moment, just two entries have attracted 40% of the votes! Well done both.

 

[The Judge]

A good mix of stories this month. My shortlist:

BigJ -- The Swordsman​

Culhwch -- Love, Eternal​

DannMcGrew -- Boyhood Treasure Box​

JJ Maier -- Untitled​

Luiglin -- Sealed With A Kiss​

mosaix -- ...Before You Find Your Prince​

Teresa Edgerton -- One Pair of Glass Slippers, Only Worn Twice​

Victoria Silverwolf -- Till Death​

I was tempted for a while by Victoria and her somewhat cynical tale of love and death and then I yearned over Dann and a mini-mermaid, but my romances with them were mere flings, and my heart was given to Cul and his immortal, forever loving and losing, and he has the memento of my vote.

While not as white-knuckled-last-minute as TDZ's tale, my story was distinctly a rushed affair that suffered from being so cramped (the original version was on its way to 300 words...) so I'm delighted to be able to give arboreal carved-heart thanks for the shortlisting, Teresa and Hugh, and whispering-leaved memento thanks for the lovely ninja vote, sule!!

 

[LittleStar]

Just a quick head-poke before closing time.

Shortlist
Nixie
CC
Victoria
Luiglin
Shyrka

But my vote went to Teresa this month

 

[StilLearning]

I was unsure of the theme and genre this month, especially where to draw the boundary between 'romantic fiction' vs 'fiction about romance'. Every story I've read this month has been enjoyable and well crafted so, given the preceding sentence, I think it's fair of me to say that chron's membership has crushed it this month - a genuine congratulation to every entrant. In the end I voted for 'Quiet Love' by Marvin: A lot of pain is implied by this tale, but also something very uplifting about the dignity and selflessness of love.

My list - I could have made this even longer, easily, but have to draw the line somewhere:

Parson

Little star

Culwhich

Luiglin

Johnnyjet

Mr Orange

Peter V

Ian Forty Two

Danny mcg

Scarpelius

Guttersnipe

Nixie

Azoraa

M Robert Gibson

Mosaix


My short list:

Victoria Silverwolf

Teresa Edgerton

Vince W

The Dusty Zebra

Alex the G and T