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

[johnnyjet]

Congratulations to all on a very creative and fascinating mix of tales. My Long List, Short List, and ***Favorite***:

The Engraver and the Mechaniman - Cat's Cradle
A Sandsail With a Flaw – Rmetrics
*** You Complete Me - Bren G ***
The System Goes Online on August 4… - Danny McG
I Remember It Well… - Hugh
Steam and Mirrors – CarBear
Timing is Everything – Daysman
An Armed Society is a Polite Society – Parson
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry - M. Robert Gibson
Be Careful What You Wish For - paranoid marvin
In Which the Rather Too Numerous Cook Family Initiate the Launch of One of Her Britannic Majesty's Space Ships Whilst Employing Pithy Aphorisms - The Judge
New Fangled Machines – nixie

 

[paranoid marvin]

Thankyou for the mentions johnnyjet and Provincial massive thanks to Joshua for the vote!

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

I would appear to have a penchant for puns, judging from the majority of my shortlist

The system goes online on August 4th... - @Danny McG
How many mad scientists does it take to change a light bulb? - @Marvin
But Not Flying Saucers… - @mosaix
How to Make a Forum Groan. - @Perpetual Man
Be Careful What You Wish For - @paranoid marvin

And the vote goes to
A Technical Problem - @Victoria Silverwolf

 

[elvet]

That was an enjoyable read, lots of puns this challenge.
Mentions:
@AMB
@Danny McG
@mosaix
@paranoid marvin
My vote went to @Perpetual Man It hit all the right notes for me.

 

[Peter V]

This is hard. Quickly I feared a not so short list and a difficult decision and this has proved to be the case.

@ Cat's Cradle Nicely worked and powerful.
@ Astro Pen Imaginative, amusing and clever
@ Bren G An enjoyable, not so shaggy dog story
@ Danny McG As dark as I have come to expect
@ Victoria Silverwolf as ever hard to ignore, the choice of words elevates this, starting with the name of our protagonist.
@ Provincial outrageously constructed punchline that I would not have seen coming in a month of Sundays!
@ Eclectic Dragon Clever and it's about cats, which always gets me onside
@ mosaix What can I say. Brilliant use of (a bloody nice) confectionery.
@ Perpetual Man A witty love story, hopefully a lasting love with visits to AA together, forever
@ The Judge Is there an award for proverb overload? Thankfully it is not quantity over quality

Lot's of other good tales and clever ones too but the above were those that most immediately grabbed my attention on a first read (and in the most part, understood). I will now digest and re-read and see if I can narrow it down for my vote. This will not be easy.

 

[Danny McG]

I got a vote!
@scarpelius thankee sai

 

[Bren G]

Here are is my short list and votes. A really cool theme this week which lead to many amazing storys. If I could only give them all a home...

@Victoria Silverwolf - A Technical Problem : A new take on an old adage. As a watch enthusiast, was thrilled to see she used the term escapement in the story!

@Guttersnipe - "The Victorian da Vinci" - well written and pleasing to read with a neat surprise at the end.

@The Judge - Initiate the Launch of One of Her Britannic Majesty's Space Ships Whilst Employing Pithy Aphorisms In Which the Rather Too Numerous Cook Family . Very creative and whimsical. Jam packed with the theme's contents.

@Parson - An Armed Society is a Polite Society. Tied the theme in with top marks for contenmporary relevance in a well written package with a humorous bow on top.

My Vote goes to :

@scarpelius - Mr. Cogs ate so many apples - Another story pleasant to the reading eye, humorous and creative. The apple of my eye in such a large basket of shiny fruit.

Wonderful work all!

BG

 

[Bren G]

Congratulations to all on a very creative and fascinating mix of tales. My Long List, Short List, and ***Favorite***:

The Engraver and the Mechaniman - Cat's Cradle
A Sandsail With a Flaw – Rmetrics
*** You Complete Me - Bren G ***
The System Goes Online on August 4… - Danny McG
I Remember It Well… - Hugh
Steam and Mirrors – CarBear
Timing is Everything – Daysman
An Armed Society is a Polite Society – Parson
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry - M. Robert Gibson
Be Careful What You Wish For - paranoid marvin
In Which the Rather Too Numerous Cook Family Initiate the Launch of One of Her Britannic Majesty's Space Ships Whilst Employing Pithy Aphorisms - The Judge
New Fangled Machines – nixie

Thank you so much @johnnyjet for your kind words and vote! Much appreciated!

BG

 

[Bren G]

Interesting batch of stories. But oh, so many of went for the pun road.

Short list:

The Engraver and the Mechaniman by @Cat's Cradle because it lifted up a world altering proverb.
You Complete Me by @Bren G because it showed a sacrifice of love.
A Technical Problem by @Victoria Silverwolf because it ended with the prince of surprise puns.
How to Make a Forum Groan by @Perpetual Man because it did exactly what it said it would.
In Which the Rather Too Numerous Cook Family - Initiate the Launch of One of Her Britannic Majesty's Space Ships - Whilst Employing Pithy Aphorisms by @The Judge because it had the most proverbs and the title with the most.
New Fangled Machines by @nixie because it used it's proverb by the letter and yet left it humorously misunderstood.

Everyone of my shortlisted stories had something in it that could have easily enticed my vote. In the end I voted for the one that most appealed to me. You Complete Me by Bren G.

THank you @Parson! You made my day!

BG

 

[Bren G]

I voted for @Bren G : truly lovely story. For me it reached the places other stories didn't.

Others that caught my eye in no particular order:
@mosaix
@Perpetual Man
@Eclectic Dragon
@Astro Pen
@The Judge
@Victoria Silverwolf
@Ambrose
@Guttersnipe

I was initially dismayed by the genre (a not unusual experience), but then appreciated that this particular one had not been chosen for over two years . Also, I remembered that on that occasion I wrote one of my very favourite stories, one that still regularly intrudes into my mind and makes me smile (Queen Gagool in Windsor Castle). That's for me the unexpected joy of these challenges and the varied genres. That story was one of those that received no votes or mentions (which doesn't mean it wasn't appreciated by some), showing yet again that what really matters is one's own pleasure in creation.

@Hugh - Thank you so much for your vote and putting me in with such great company!

 

[Eclectic Dragon]

Wow, thanks to @Hugh, @Peter V, and @Joshua Jones for the mentions! Personally I don't care if I win anymore; I got the validation I needed that someone enjoys my work!

 

[mosaix]

I have a stealth vote. Thank you, @Ambrose

 

[nixie]

Thanks @StevenF for the ninja vote.
To tired for a shortlist but @mosaix gets my vote.

 

[scarpelius]

@Bren G Thanks for the vote and for the kind words

 

[CarBear]

These were all such fun to read! think I enjoyed reading them more than writing this one.
In the end I narrowed my picks down to:

Necessary Madness by @-K2-
Be Careful What You Wish For by @paranoid marvin
You Complete Me by @Bren G

I chose -K2-‘s story largely because the words were laden with an adventure to come. I found it exciting!

 

[-K2-]

Well thank you so much @CarBear ; you place me in some mighty fine company there, I'm flattered.

K2

 

[Peter V]

This is hard. Quickly I feared a not so short list and a difficult decision and this has proved to be the case.

@ Cat's Cradle Nicely worked and powerful.
@ Astro Pen Imaginative, amusing and clever
@ Bren G An enjoyable, not so shaggy dog story
@ Danny McG As dark as I have come to expect
@ Victoria Silverwolf as ever hard to ignore, the choice of words elevates this, starting with the name of our protagonist.
@ Provincial outrageously constructed punchline that I would not have seen coming in a month of Sundays!
@ Eclectic Dragon Clever and it's about cats, which always gets me onside
@ mosaix What can I say. Brilliant use of (a bloody nice) confectionery.
@ Perpetual Man A witty love story, hopefully a lasting love with visits to AA together, forever
@ The Judge Is there an award for proverb overload? Thankfully it is not quantity over quality

Lot's of other good tales and clever ones too but the above were those that most immediately grabbed my attention on a first read (and in the most part, understood). I will now digest and re-read and see if I can narrow it down for my vote. This will not be easy.

I have narrowed it down to two... This is not proving easy because I really want to vote for both

 

[Starbeast]

Internet issues prevented me from being here more often.

I had trouble thinking of a story. Most Proverbs I read to get ideas, were very sad and some even related to the worlds current problems. It put me off a bit, but I pushed on. I had story written on the final day, with three hours to spare for posting, but, a friend called me and needed my help. So, I skipped posting and aided my friend.

I still voted. I liked a multitude of stories. Lots of excellent tales. If I only had twenty more votes to give.

 

[Astro Pen]

It is in my character to support the a the overlooked but worthy underdog which I usually do.
But I'm also a big softy. So this month it goes to @Bren G

 

[Bren G]

It is in my character to support the a the overlooked but worthy underdog which I usually do.
But I'm also a big softy. So this month it goes to @Bren G

From one big softy to another - thanks @Astro Pen!