matthew

in my eyes, she is still 5... I swear she is...

Dragon

The first time I really felt like an adult in my dad's eyes was when he offered to make me a Non-virgin Ceasar. I was about 23 too.

Dragon

Hey Ron, didn't you say you were picking your successor today, any decision yet? We're just here, hangin'

midnightpoet

-waits patiently for a successor to be announced and a new word list to be posted-

solosater

Ron's got 7 seconds then I'm declaring him dead and we'll elect a new king!

solosater

Make that 4.

solosater

Hasn't he been having some trouble with his computer/connection? We could be here all night!!!

I'll try to be patient.

There will be no declaring Ron dead, that’s just mean. Sorry Ron. Won't happen again my liege.

anotherronism

I'm here. Except - I'm not. I got called to my Dad's house (2 and a half hours away) to fix his internet connection.

I think we're online now (at least - I got here) but I've got a program running trying to salvage his 8,939 e-mail messages. This program is chewing up the 'puter.

I'll pick a winner and soon. But I need to review and this connection SUX right now...

So hang wid me!

anotherronism

I already know but... I just copied and pasted the actual story submissions into a word doc.

But I already know. Always have...

But I'm going to be fair...

So give me half an hour.

solosater

I guess I’ll take this opportunity to catch up since I’ve been off for a couple of days:
Login, you’re absolutely correct, when you’re all stresses out the last think you need is a slow connection, a toaster that burns on every setting, a cell (mobile) phone that drops all your calls, et cetera, et cetera.

Ron you may call me Hans so long as you understand I’m really a Gretel. I’ve been called way worse.

And midnightpoet, thanks, I need a hug sometimes. I know your whole family is in need of hugs right now so I’ll send one your way as well.

solosater

Yes, yes, I know, I've been off for more that a couple of days.

But really, I went to the ER for my headache, I was pretty sure it was gonna blow, and whatever they gave me has had me in bed for about 48 hours, still with the headache mind, but sleeping anyway...

Whatever!

solosater

And now I'm doing that me me me thing Marg was talking about...

I'll stop now.

anotherronism

I'm reading these in order. I'll comment on each:

Midnightpoet's untitled pice about evil dwarves and fashion-conciousness is very, very funny. But strangely - I'm not sure that was the intent (sorry midnight if I'm wrong.) However - you did say "excellent glittery trees". So some points for that

Then there's Five's "Contemporary Art".
I'll be honest here. I don't like this piece. But it's compelling even so. I read it with such ease. So there's art there. And I can at least respect that - even if I don't "see" it.

Five comes back with another: "A Question of Miracles"
Well - Dang! That just sticks in the mind. 200 words and the story is actually layered; and deeply at that. Who is father? Father? Gramps? Wow! Maybe a winner. Maybe.

Then there's solosater... "You Wanna Bet"...
What can I say? It's touching and poingant and descriptive. But it's just a snapshot isn't it? I'm not taking anything away from it solosater - but it is just a day-in-the-life right? Or a day-in-the-death. Sorry - this piece is too visual for me... I'm moving on.

Five: "Tonic"
Excellent. Except. I just didn't get the mood in so short a space. I'm not considering this piece. Sorry.

Solosater: "The Small Cottage"
I so wish you had managed to squeeze in that this was a wheelchair-bound person's previous abode. I'm not into extemporising... I felt your love and hate for the place - but they why was left wanting. Sorry.

Then we arrive at midnightpoet's untitled piece. None of Your Beeswax...
Well darn. Let's look at "Learning to Pee" and relate it to this. To points of view of the same thing maybe? Midnight - your main character is so unavailable to me... But the little brother is so well-drawn that I feel he IS me. This is nice!

Moving on the Mostblessedone's "Rocko"
This is my favorite "serious" submission. I don't even know why. Except to say that it is paced well and reading it never becomes a chore.

Five's "Poor Stan"
Five. This is compelling. But you drew me as a judge. And this is not "me" at all. I do get it. I respect is and acknowledge it. It's good. But it's just not for me.

Then There's This: Mostblessedone has to go and spoil the party with an actual good story. In 200 words no less. "The Quilt" has found it's way into my heart though on 1st reading I din't care for it one bit.

Then here comes Dragon: This is a loose "tie" with The Quilt for good storytelling... Maybe I'll read this again when I'm done with my 1st pass...

F-You Solosater. "Thwollen"'s been my fave all along. But now that it's judgin time - Hmmm...


Midnightpoet: "It's Not Easy Being Two" is great. Except. I've known two year olds. I've never known this one. Maybe at four or five. But at two? This concious?

Dragon: I love "Death of a Triangle" but it's not gonna win. It just ain't. Sorry.

Dragon: You come right back with, easily, the longest title yet: "The Angry Witch and Why You Should Never Order a Familiar From E-Bay"
This is so harry potter that it makes me laugh... Don't know yet if it can win. It might. But I just don't know. But you WILL get a 2nd reading... "1 melancholoy rat" - really?

Solosater: "The Faerie Flies at Midnight": One piece of advice - never submit poetry if I'm a judge. Yeah - I write crap myself - but I HATE poetry... This didn't do a single thing for me. Sorry. Love ya!


And again, Solosater - You're reaching Dude. "The Absolute Truth" shouldn't have been submitted. (Four out of five of my own shouldn't have either...) I'm NOT being mean... It just doesn't stand up to the competition... Sorry.

Well then. The list is done...

And while I thought I knew. I no longer know...

My favorite is still a front-runner.

But "The Quilt" is oh, so good.

I'm gonna submit this and think for a bit...

Good luck everyone.

And - to anyone I was harsh to - this is just my own "take" on your stuff - soo infused, as it were, with my own ridiculousness.

anotherronism

Oh! It's official. The torch shall be passed to:

Mostblessedone for "The Quilt"

Everyone else - well -dang!

Mostblessedone. You must create a topic now called ThinkWrite III - etc...

Give us a wordlist and a word count.

I may or may not submit but I cannot win - as I gave you the title your giving it to me might seem "appreciative"...

There are NO winners. Only Torch-Bearers. It's the only control I retain.

Congratulations. The Quilt was excellence.

solosater

Congrats mostblessedone, "The Quilt" is a beautiful story and absolutely deserved to win.

Can't wait for your new list!

solosater

This is really gonna sound like sour grapes but it's not, really. No really, just some rebuttal.

“The Faerie Flies at Midnight” was not ever intended for this challenge but was, as I stated, a poem written for a pic I submitted to the mugdots challenge, which prompted YOU to open the Think Write Open thread, great idea, wish I'd had it!

“The Absolute Truth (except for the part about the evil dwarf and the magical cure)!” was never to be taken as a serious submission it was a post about why I felt I couldn’t write any more stories at that time. As I was writing my post (about my lack of sleep and my raging headache and all my other issues) I thought it was funny how I could get almost every word into an otherwise normal post. It was purely for fun and not even thought about as a sumbission to the challenge.

Again, I think you chose a great story in “The Quilt” and one of my favorites to win and this is not intended to say, “No, I wanna win!” just that, like in the gallery, we don’t give one star votes to pics we know weren’t meant to be considered we shouldn’t castigate people here either for work that isn’t meant as serious or even for this challenge.

midnightpoet

Congrats, mostblessedone...I think "The Quilt" was my favorite out of this batch, too.

A couple replies to your comments on my submissions Ron...Yes, the untitled one about the evil dwarf WAS intended to be funny. And on "It's not easy being two"...maybe you've never known that two-year-old...but that's my baby, seriously.

Dragon

Congrats mostblessedone, "The Quilt" was a lovely piece. Can't wait to see your wordlist and start coming up with new stuff.
Actually after seeing solosater's "Thwollen" I was sure that was going to be the pick, it was inspired and it made me laugh. I'm honoured to have been considered among this varied and wonderful field.

Qsilv

I just HAVE to say, "The Quilt" worked soooooooooooo well for me that it just stopped me in my tracks.

Congratulations, mostblessedone. And... thank you.

...apropos the 2-yr old...
there are a few who are every bit that deep. I've known 'em, and yes, I have memories of my own thoughts at that age (earlier, too) that remind me never to underestimate those little beings! They live in a world of relatively limited experiences, so every new happening looms large. But their thoughts CAN be ...infinite.

;>

anotherronism

My only comment here is this. And it'll be short.

I never, ever wanted this ThinkWrite to be a challenge. At least twice I've insisted there would be "No winners".

But a number of people seemed to really want some kind of "challenge" so I relented and made a challenge.

A winner can only be picked by some sort of a judge. In this case - that unwanted task came down to me.

Solosater - it isn't sour grapes at all. I was very direct about your piece. But I was trying to say something about every single piece and I was trying to let people know that it's my own tase, NOT the actual merit of a piece which I must rely on.

Maybe I didn't type it out well but my intent was to say that I don't like poetry and MY poetry is crap. And I cannot see through that lens without it affecting what I see.

So PLEASE accept my apology if my comment seemed mean.

And as for two-year-olds. Ok. Ok. Maybe there ARE intelligent, sesnitive, bright two-year-olds out there. And maybe if I had one myself I'd know this. But every two-year-old I've ever known was, in short, a body-fluid geyser waiting to erupt from one orifice or another. That pretty much sums up my experience with them

I am SO glad to no longer be the Torch-Bearer in this thing...

And hey - where's the new list.

Anyone know mostblessedone? Can get in touch and light a fire