[NilsDesperandum]

Welcome to the voting thread!

The stories entered in this month's contest, based around the theme Deception, are listed above in order of entry.

Please read all stories in both A and B threads (you'll need to set some time aside!) before casting your vote. If you can find the time to offer your opinions, appraisals, suggestions etc. I am sure that it would be appreciated.

N.B. PLEASE VOTE IN ONE THREAD ONLY! ;)

This thread will be open for your votes until 11th August.

Thanks in advance for voting and good luck to all who entered. :D

ND

[kater]

Really, really tough choice this one, seems everyone I 'know' is in this thread. As usual Sue and Dan have waved their mischief, also Steve's Steele Belle just made my smile like a big kid. I enjoyed A Bittersweet Anniversary, understated and well constructed. Tomorrow was a heartbreaker, can't have been easy to write. Everyone deserves credit, I was surprised by the variety of the stories :)

[Ariana]

I am going to read these at leisure, but from first perusal I'd say we have a lot of talent here!!!
Hugs:p
Ariana

[Mistress Maerad]

Wow!!! Sooo many good entries, and it was a wonderfully fantastic contest! Congratulations to everyone. :)

Tomorrow almost made me cry, it was really sweet, and there were many 'complex' ways in which it referred to the theme Deception.

[Gkarlives]

It came down to three for me. All were good, but Bittersweet took it. Tomorrow and Death, Love were the other two in the running for me.

[dArkNESS rISiNG]

I liked most of them, but the ones that really stuck out were Tomorrow, Superior Tech (which I voted for), Bittersweet was another good one. Really, all the stories were great! ;) Keep up the good work!

[King Bonez Xx]

damn, this is some good stuff here. i liked all of them, honestly. great job to all participants.

[SuperFede]

People.... I know you are all eager to read and vote, but keep in mind Thread B. :)

I only see comments on this thread!!!! 19 stories is a huge number and reading them all takes some time. and deciding takes even more time!!!! lots of good entries.

[NilsDesperandum]

Fed is absolutely right!

Please do take a look at the stories in both threads before casting your vote, and post comments relevant to the B Thread stories in that thread. A lot of effort has gone in and no entry should be overlooked. Having said that, I know nineteen is a lot to get through so why not take your time and read, say, three or four per day/night. There are thirteen days available yet so don't rush it! :D

ND

[MrBF1V3]

Our friendly little flash fiction contests are quickly becoming a scribbling rivalry:) Like others, I'm impressed with the variety and the quality. And since one of the perques is a chance at meaningful feedback, I'll give my take on the stories.

Keep in mind this is just one poor soul's opinion,

1 Hereford Eye: Superior Technology
Considering the nature of most of the stories in this and similar threads, I half expected someone to be burned at the stake or be thrown into the midlands by an errant spell. But no. You did it. Deception, and no one gets shredded or eaten or anything. It was a breath of fresh air.

2 Kater: No More Heroes
If you picture the comic book frames the story gets better. As it is, the writing is a little disjointed. The story, however, is good, and at the end, presents an unsettling premise.

3 Fung Koo: A Bittersweet Anniversary
Interesting use of the word "homeostasis," indicating the world has it's desperate physiological processes. Don't let anyone kid you, you're not a cynic, you're a sarcastic pragmatist. You present the picture of a man enslaved, then quietly expand it, both to every word and action of your characters, and to everyone. You've consigned the entire species to a living hell, well done.:rolleyes:

4 NilsDesperandum: The Transporter
I loved the premise of this one. You took longer to get to the point than I would have. On the other hand, the bureaucratic details are as important as the technical ones. One cannot help but feel sorry for that poor man who thinks he's getting the recognition he deserves, but is so not.

5 MrBF1V3: Steele Belle
I've been working with a rather dark story lately. I needed this one, if for no other reason, to prove to myself that I can write something nondark.

6 mylinar: Tomorrow
This is a good story. The conversation seemed a bit stilted, perhaps that is what you were aiming at, but I would go over it a few times to smooth it out. (Use some contractions.) In reading I knew this one would bite me at the end, it was easy to tell the man was not being honest, but I wasn't sure exactly what it would be. You pulled me in, and made me feel it at the end.

7 Salsa Dip: Spin
See? I always knew mathematics was bad for me. This story was well staged, the end, while not completely surprising, was explained and unsettled at the same time. You just wonder, was he really on to something, or just on something?

8 dArkNESS rISiNG: A Most Horrible Fate
All you need is the soundtrack, "You can't always get what you want". Good job at putting me, the reader, into your character's head, and then make me want to vacate that place as quickly as possible.

9 Holbrook: Softly the pipes play
I'm glad you don't enter these contests very often. There's not a wasted word, and not one out of place. It's more poetry than prose. The turnaround, if one could call it that, may be a bit abrupt, but all too understandable. Wonderful work.

10 SuperFede: Payback
A double, double cross. Well written, the set up was good, and the unexpected turn about was well thought out. Although I had a hard time seeing Carla in this, her reactions were detached and her turn was somewhat indefinite. Put a sharp point on it, and drive it home.

That's all for this thread, to be continued on the other.

B5