Mirage_GSM wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:51 pm
According to the Prof there should have been 18 submissions in total.
We know gibzx, WillDFly and Visionary have received a story but have not yet submitted any; there should be one more.
I think WillDFly should have written the one for monkey, because apparently there were three late applicants.
Not sure if we can yet expect those submissions at this point...
Confirmed - I received 18 prompts (15 on-time submissions, and 3 late submissions). The following participants have not received their story yet:
ProfAllister
scratchminus
QuietlySomething
monkeywitha6pack
Of the participants who have yet to submit, 2 have provided excuses, 2 have provided radio silence.
On balance, 18 volunteers to participate is itself amazingly successful. A 78% completion rate is also a pleasant result. A couple people have contacted me privately volunteering to cover the delinquent prompts. At this point, I figure I'll most likely release (i.e., give to a volunteer) the silent prompts; still trying to decide on the excused prompts.
Anyway, my take on what we do have completed:
Fresh Snow - Considering the number of attempted pseudoroutes, I have trouble swallowing HisaoxMiki as "unusually paired", but I leave it to the prompt writer to cry foul on that point. A standard does of the cute sugary sweetness we expect this time of year.
Our Holiday Vacation - I personally prefer my own Secret Santa-Prompted Shizune Proposal fic, but it's amusing that something so specific happened more than once. It's fun, and sweet, and has a few nice touches here and there. Like a few others, I was distracted by the idea of expensive jewelry being given for free as an apparent impulse, especially something as specific as a sapphire S, but there are worse things than a little bit of Hollywood here and there.
Unlikely Shopping - It's always fun to jump into Misha's head (unless Doomish is writing). Shizune seemed a little "off", but not too bad.
From Time - It's always refreshing when someone takes a simple, straightforward prompt, and takes it new and interesting places. The idea is excellent. The execution was a little rocky with clarity and readability, but overall very well done.
The Christmas Party of the Yamaku Anime&Manga Club - You took a rather challenging prompt from a very demanding reader, and did a good job with it. Not much I can add to what Mirage said.
Better Than A Blanket - I've said before that Lilly and Hanako fluff isn't exactly my cup of tea (geddit?), but this is probably strongest for its look at a healthier Hanako.
Shizune's Silent Night - Short and sweet. You may feel bad about not writing a novel, but bite-sized is often all you need. That and it's a clever twist on the prompt.
The New Year - Nothing like obsessive stalkers spying on you from the bushes to get you in the Christmas spirit. Taking open-ended prompts in an unexpected direction is half the fun of this format, so good on you.
Pet Story - Rin is one of the most inconsistently-written characters from author to author. That's part of what makes her so fun/interesting. Lots of typos, but that's almost your "thing". It pretty much hits the main notes of the prompt and nothing more, but it fleshes everything out so much that there's no reason to complain - it does what was asked for, and does it well.
Lights Out - A few of the prompts were practically begging for sexytimes, but no one bit. This one throws a bit of a curveball by going AU on us, but no harm done. Well-written, and different enough to catch your attention, kind of leaving you wanting more.
Dark Winter Sky - Plenty of praise for this one, and all well-deserved. A bit of a rollercoaster, especially the several unexpected swerves, but that's hardly a bad thing.
Two Turtledoves - Blind POV and dealing with the ever-popular phantoms of Hisao's past. Very nicely done. My only complaint, and a mild one at that, is that it almost feels that every encounter between Hisao and his past is nearly identical, no matter who's writing it.
Truth and Consequences - I'll be honest: I read the prompt and thought "How the hell would I work with
that? Glad I didn't draw it." Natsume's presence and semi-prominence threw me off a bit, but I must say that I'm impressed with how you pulled off a difficult prompt in a very satisfying manner. Hat's off to you.
And with that, I feel we can safely formally adjourn the 2018 Seasonal Solstice Secret Santa Short Story Sharing Session. As for what that means, just that I'm done with any formal organization duties. People are more than free to finish their submissions if they're late, write consolation submissions for the prompts that are released, and (of course) continue to comment on the stories.
