WOOHOO!!! We had three strong entries this week! If you missed any of them, you need to go read them first here. Done? Now let's read what the judge had to say:
I had so much fun reading these! And with three wonderful
pieces to work with, I didn’t have to resort to the e-babysitter this week (for
that I am grateful). I realized when generating the prompts, I may be…
alienating some folk with genre. Maybe I should have bracketed
[extra-terrestrial] as it pretty much shoe-horns creativity into SF (unless,
like one dragony entry, one brings fantasy into the mix too). I’m sure our late Mr. Nimoy appreciates those
voyaging few who boldly went there (I certainly did). So, since everyone gets
some sort of recognition, let’s get right to it:
Honorable Mention: "Letter from Home" by
RTayaket—What a great concept for an alien race! The idea of regularly swapping
genders reminds me of an Ursula LeGuin series. I adore the way SF can cast new
light on our preconceived notions. The way you end ties the whole thing
together. Since it begins with a focus on the alien’s gender and ends with the
feeling of acceptance, it makes me think that gender-issues are what might make
the MC character feel like an outsider. Thus the ending answers many of the
questions raised during the tale: the MC’s quiet curiosity and acceptance of
the alien, his/her apathy over the poodle, the immediate focus on the gender
switch (rather than the more immediately obvious purple skin), the willingness
to reject Mom’s ultimatum (and Mom’s willingness to pose one). I would love to
see this theme explored in a longer piece.
Special Challenge Champion: "Returning to the Stream" by
Foy—Oh, this one made my trekkie heart just sing! (I might even dare to
"squee" but we’re in Nimoy-mode, and out of respect, we simply cannot
go there). Incorporating the Vulcan language in the psychiatrist’s dictation
(and that you made it instantly recognizable in your description) the allusion
to Amok Time (sniff) and Returning Home, the evocation of cool logic right down
to the very glacial eyebrows and lips of the psychiatrist—all worthy of Trek
fan-fic (a tough crowd to please)! I love the way you explore the concept of
what psychiatry might be like to such a stoic species—no empathy, no
encouragement to let it all out. The ending made me sniffle a little, as it
welcomes Nimoy into the world he made famous. This is such a sweet tribute.
Grand Champion: "Honali" by Rebekah Postupak—The spelling
of Honali with an "i" almost threw me off, I was ready for Puff, and
the sealing wax references. I loved the weaving of fantasy and SF, here. [After
seeing who wrote what: Ha, ha! Why am I not surprised?] What sold this for me
was the wonderful balance of dialogue, internal dialogue, and action that all
lay out a complex friendship between an elf and a dragon. You caught me right
up in this world—and I didn’t care from whence references might have been
drawn. The conflict comes right away with the contrast between the first spoken
and unspoken words we get from the elf. And with every new contrasting layer
between the said and unsaid, the tension grows up to the heart-wrenching moment
of the elf’s silent, "Don’t leave me". The twist is a happy one and
even though it is unexpected, there are hints that lead up to it that sell the
twist (particularly the dragon’s warm-not-mocking voice). So well crafted!
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