The polls for the”O” Stories are now closed.

You can check the results of the voting HERE<<link. Since few people click on links, here are the results.

Here’s a photo before I continue . . .

It’s a rock treated to Topaz Studio 2.0, as are the other photos in this post.

So, what does the voting mean for the writers? Well, outside of a few bragging rights, not much. But, let’s proceed with the reveals, the answer to “Who wrote which stories?” question.

“O” Stories writers and scoring:

Oblivious<<link That would be me. I get 3 points for the first-place finish.

Oswald<<link That would be Perry. He gets 2 points for the second-place finish.

Outcry<<link That would be Gary. He gets 1 point for the third-place finish.

With 25 votes cast, we return to what is about average for our stories. I had hoped we’d retain the numbers from the last round, but given the current amount of effluent striking the rapidly rotating blades out in the real world, I’m grateful for what we got.

I should mention something about us writers. Perry and Gary are more likely to take risks in their writing. Risk-taking has the characteristic of either winning big or losing big. They are also edgier which, again, can be hit or miss.

Although, even as I say that, my record tends to be grouped at the ends (first or third place and a tie for first) and I write fairly bland stories. But, that too could be due to their writing style rather than mine since voting could both reflect someone liking a particular story more than the others or hating one less than the others.

Gary leads in the scoring, helped by more ties and more second-place finishes than Perry or me (fewer losses).

I mention the risk-taking because, for the second time in this challenge, someone received no votes.

This is not a reflection on their writing. Outrcy is an adaptation of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the poem that gave us the phrase “albatross around one’s neck”, an apt description of our political reality (President and Congress), and much like Perry’s earlier Masque of the Red Death adaptation, it takes some risks in the retelling. It worked in Perry’s case, but not here. Then again, Gary’s other adaptations have done well.

Perry’s and Gary’s aptness to do “retellings” of well-known works is way more ambitious than anything I might try. Simplicity is my game, emotions are my currency.

I use the term “ambitious” because you have an equal chance to either annoy or delight fans of the original. Anyway, enough mindless observations.

So, what are the standings?

There are a total of 11 rounds remaining. The maximum number of points any one writer can earn from here on — presuming they win all remaining rounds — is 33. I mention that because, obviously, no one is yet out of the race. If anything, it’s even tighter than before with only a 2.5 points spread from first to third.

Anyway, the earliest the “P” stories are likely to go live is sometimes tomorrow.

Take care of yourselves first, and if these offerings don’t sit well on your plate, that’s fine. Regardless of your participation, thank you for stopping by.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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