disperser 17February2022 Fiction, Seven Deadly Sins, Short Stories, Writing

The Seven Deadly Sins Challenge: links to all of the stories and a bit more

Note: I had a lot of trouble with this post. I was editing in Classic (easier for this type of post) when I tried to cut and paste something and it “cut” the entire classic block . . . and when I “pasted” it back, it converted everything to blocks, messing with the format and links, and colors. I was not happy. But more so, it reverted the title to the post I had copied (the Alphabet Stories links post). I have corrected it, but the notice went out with the wrong title.

Readers may have a favorite sin story, favorite multiple sin stories, or favorite Seven Deadly Sins Challenge writer. This post is for them readers.

Also, for new subscribers (the rare ones who aren’t subscribing just to sell me something), this is a convenient post should they be moved to read all the offerings.

If you only want to read — and want links to — the individual stories grouped by writer, keep reading.

For readers who just care about reading the winners for each sin, I label how each story placed in the voting. Note: one round had a tie.

I assume regular visitors have read all the stories, but for the few unlucky (or lucky) souls stumbling on this post without prior knowledge — and who might be moved to read the offerings —see below.

The writing challenge has no restrictions and the stories span a gamut of genres. The stories occasionally push into the soft R-rating, but most are closer to a PG-rating. Some readers might find a few of the stories disturbing because of the topics and/or plot points, and if so, stop reading and move on to the next offering.

Stories range from 666 to a whopping 13,000+ words, but most hit the 3,000 to 6,000-word count and are about a ten-to-twenty minutes read (if you’re a slow reader). Meaning, they are the perfect break from the hustle and bustle of life.

OK, enough preamble . . . each of the following links will open in a new tab or window. Enjoy.

No, wait . . . one more thing; votes are nice and all, but all three of us appreciate feedback on the stories (good or bad). If you leave a comment, the writers will usually respond.

Ok, enough post-preamble to the preamble . . . enjoy.

Perry Broxson’s stories

A quick note about Perry’s contributions . . . Perry’s seven stories come together to become a novella. That means that while somewhat self-contained, they each are a segment of a larger story.

The Hunt for Lust <<link (placed second — LUST)
Writer: Perry Broxson
Word count: 3,671 words – approx. reading time: about 14 minutes based on 265 WPM

Punishment for Glutton <<link (tied for first — GLUTTONY)
Writer: Perry Broxson
Word count: 7,610 words – approx. reading time: about 29 minutes based on 265 WPM

Greed is good <<link (placed second — GREED)
Writer: Perry Broxson
Word count: 9,170 words – approx. reading time: about 35 minutes based on 265 WPM

Liar, Lia r <<link (placed first — WRATH)
Writer: Perry Broxson
Word count: 8,820 words – approx. reading time: about 33 minutes based on 265 WPM

Envy the Dead <<link (placed first — ENVY)
Writer: Perry Broxson
Word count: 10,130 words – approx. reading time: about 38 minutes based on 265 WPM

The Brothers Proffit <<link (placed third — PRIDE)
Writer: Perry Broxson
Word count: 12,250 words – approx. reading time: about 46 minutes based on 265 WPM

The Sloth Queen <<link (placed second — SLOTH)
Writer: Perry Broxson
Word count: 13,190 words – approx. reading time: about 38 minutes based on 265 WPM

Gary Broxson’s stories

Number 9 <<link (placed first — LUST)
Writer: R. G. Broxson
Word count: 4,620 words – approx. reading time: about 18 minutes based on 265 WPM

The G.O.A.T. <<link (tied for first — GLUTTONY)
Writer: R. G. Broxson
Word count: 5,682 words – approx. reading time: about 22 minutes based on 265 WPM

The Why Files <<link (placed first — GREED)
Writer: R. G. Broxson
Word count: 6,140 words – approx. reading time: about 23 minutes based on 265 WPM

Hell Hath No Fury <<link (placed second — WRATH)
Writer: R. G. Broxson
Word count: 5,360 words – approx. reading time: about 20 minutes based on 265 WPM

Twinvy <<link (placed second — ENVY)
Writer: R. G. Broxson
Word count: 4,335 words – approx. reading time: about 16 minutes based on 265 WPM

Pride and Joy <<link (placed first — PRIDE)
Writer: R. G. Broxson
Word count: 5,130 words – approx. reading time: about 19 minutes based on 265 WPM

The Slow Start <<link (placed first — SLOTH)
Writer: R. G. Broxson
Word count: 6,400 words – approx. reading time: about 25 minutes based on 265 WPM

E. J. D’Alise stories

LAADs <<link (placed last — LUST)
Writer: E. J. D’Alise
Word count: 4,210 words – approx. reading time: about 16 minutes based on 265 WPM

MEHBO <<link (placed last — GLUTTONY)
Writer: E. J. D’Alise
Word count: 2,010 words – approx. reading time: about 8 minutes based on 265 WPM

Greed Will Cost You <<link (placed last — GREED)
Writer: E. J. D’Alise
Word count: 666 words – approx. reading time: about 3 minutes based on 265 WPM

Wrath Will Cost You (Parole) <<link (placed last — WRATH)
Writer: E. J. D’Alise
Word count: 2,785 words – approx. reading time: about 11 minutes based on 265 WPM

Two Tales of Envy <<link (placed last — ENVY)
Writer: E. J. D’Alise
Word count: 2,160 words – approx. reading time: about 8 minutes based on 265 WPM

The Ghost of Solstice Future <<link (placed second — PRIDE)
Writer: E. J. D’Alise
Word count: 2,960 words – approx. reading time: about 11 minutes based on 265 WPM

Ultimatum <<link (placed last — SLOTH)
Writer: E. J. D’Alise
Word count: 1,865 words – approx. reading time: about 7 minutes based on 265 WPM

Note: I think (and hope) all the links work. If something doesn’t, let me know in the comments.

Now, on to other stuff . . . namely, the reminder photos. I could do a gallery of all the photos, but it’s easier to link to the SmugMug GallerY (LINK).

That’s 258 photos for you to peruse, and since there are no other graphics in this post — and no one usually visits the SmugMug gallery — I’m embedding a slideshow of all the photos in the order they appeared (in case you got nothing else to do).

Note: the transition is set to 1sec, but — if you move the cursor anywhere within the photo — there’s a pause button on the lower left, and, once paused, you can use the left and right arrows on both sides of the photo to navigate the slideshow. I hope this works.

Note 2: That didn’t work. Well, it kind-of did . . . meaning, I used an HTML block to embed the SmugMug slideshow. I hit the preview option on the block, and there it was . . . a lovely slideshow, right in the post . . . but, when I published the post, it disappeared. I was told that the embed feature only works with the Business Plan. Them bastages claim the “security” and “malicious code” risks are just too great to allow regular users to embed stuff . . . unless you shell out mucho denaro. Then, once you pay, they apparently don’t care about said “security” and “malicious code” risks.

So, here’s a direct link to the SmugMug Slideshow <<link.

And here’s a photo so that there’s at least one photo in this post.

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

<><><><o><><><><><o><><><>

Note: if you are not reading this blog post at DisperserTracks.com, know that it’s copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intentions, like attracting you to a malware-infested website. Could be they also torture small mammals.

Note 2: it’s perfectly OK to share a link that points back here.

<><><><o><><><><><o><><><>

If you’re new to this blog, it might be a good idea to read the FAQ page. If you’re considering subscribing to this blog, it’s definitively a good idea to read both the About page and the FAQ page.

15Comments

Add yours

1

crowcanyonjournal on 18February2022 at 1:15 AM
Reply

Hey, I went to Smug Mug and saw all 258 photos! Nice slide show! The pictures looked great on my 4k 27″ monitor.

LikeLike
- 2
  
  disperser on 18February2022 at 9:35 AM
  Reply
  
  Thank you, ccj. Few people ever go to SmugMug, and fewer know that all of the galleries can be viewed as a slideshow.
  
  Not to brag, but there are at least a few decent photos in them galleries.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
3

JenT on 18February2022 at 2:10 AM
Reply

Well, that’s odd! SmugMug is listed as a supported embed. Rather than adding an HTML block, did you try just dropping the link on its own line and making sure that it wasn’t an active hyperlink?

Really appreciate all the work in putting everyone’s stories like this. Will be busy revisiting the stories this weekend when I have more time. Friday is the busiest day of our week.

LikeLike
- 4
  
  disperser on 18February2022 at 9:58 AM
  Reply
  
  SmugMug is listed for embed, but only for individual photos (which I did for the deer photo). Attempts to link the slideshow don’t work unless you’re on the Business plan.
  
  The frustrating thing is that if I use an HTML block and preview the block while in the Edit mode, the slideshow works very nicely . . . but if I do a preview of the whole post (or publish it), then the HTML block is cleared and ignored.
  
  Not sure what “dropping the link in its own line” means, but I tried a number of options (while on a chat with support), and, basically, while I can link the slideshow as I did (so that it opens the actual SmugMug slideshow in another tab or window), and while I can link individual photos, I can’t hotlink the slideshow so that it appears on the body of the post . . . unless, again, I pay for the business plan.
  
  Their reasoning (citing security and malicious code concerns) is self-serving and specious since they allow embedding of that exact code if you pay.
  
  Remember, I explored this issue with SmugMug embedding before with the Gallery block (doesn’t work with SmugMug, and even if it did, it would add the photos to my Library).
  
  And, you are welcome.
  
  This list (and the similar one for the Alphabet challenge before) is more for the writers to share with friends (or for them to have a place to quickly find their stories) than for readers of the blog since very few people ever avail themselves of them. But, glad you may find it useful.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  - 5
    
    JenT on 18February2022 at 11:16 AM
    Reply
    
    The whole “paste the URL on a separate line and make sure it isn’t hyperlinked” is the oembed method. Works for a lot of places. If that doesn’t work for you, did you try the embed block?
    
    I had the same issue with an embed appearing in the Editor and not in the actual post and was told there’s an issue with http and https. Again, no timeline to fix or if it will be fixed.
    
    The Gallery block specifically can only take images that exist in your Media Library. Nothing else. Oh, and I just realized something, that’s also true for Featured Images. Eureka!
    
    LikeLike
    - 6
      
      JenT on 18February2022 at 11:18 AM
      
      And forgot to mention that the embed showing up in the editor and not showing up in the post was when I had a Business plan on my site.
      
      LikeLike
    - 7
      
      disperser on 18February2022 at 11:46 AM
      
      Like all the other options, the embed block generates a blank space where the gallery should be.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 8
      
      disperser on 18February2022 at 11:51 AM
      
      If I use Edge, I also get a shadow-box with the words “This plugin isn’t supported”
      
      From that, I deduce the issue is at WP’s end.
      
      At this point, I’m just happy I can link a single photo in the comments, something that I previously had to do by loading it to the library and then linking to it.
      
      LikeLike
    - 9
      
      disperser on 18February2022 at 11:58 AM
      
      Adding the URL without it being a hyperlink (adding it as plain text):
      
      Once I hit preview or post, the text is converted into a clickable link.
      
      LikeLike
10

AnnMarie on 18February2022 at 11:07 AM
Reply

As one of your regular visitors to SmugMug, I believe that this reminders gallery has something for everyone!

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 11
  
  disperser on 18February2022 at 3:50 PM
  Reply
  
  Thanks, AnnMarie. I had forgotten many of the photos (like the deer) so I also enjoyed going back through them.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
12

doesitevenmatter3 on 18February2022 at 2:40 PM
Reply

So good to have it all in one place/post…easy access for us to do some rereading and some relooking and some reenjoying! I love looking at your photos in SmugMug! Today I especially enjoyed reseeing the mug, the leaves, the seashells, and the buttons and sewing stuff!
Thanks and Happy Fri-YAY and HUGS!!!

LikeLiked by 2 people
- 13
  
  disperser on 18February2022 at 4:14 PM
  Reply
  
  Thank you, Carolyn, and I’m glad you liked the stroll down memory lane.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
14

Maddie Cochere on 18February2022 at 3:42 PM
Reply

Phew! I only had time today to read a few stories, so of course I started with yours! All seven of them! Wow, you’ve got some wild stuff rolling around in that head of yours. 🙂 Very creative, and I enjoyed them all. I was also reminded of what a good writer you are. How did you finish last on most of them? Did you ever do anything with the book you let me read? I still think it was a winner and definitely worth publishing – even self-publishing. Thanks for the entertainment. My favorite was Two Tales of Envy. Thanks for putting the image of … er … never mind. I’ll try to read the other entries soon. Really neat writing challenge.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 15
  
  disperser on 18February2022 at 4:33 PM
  Reply
  
  First, thanks for reading, Second, lots to unpack here, so let’s go in order . . .
  
  1) you used “wild” but I’m sure you meant “weird” . . . do you want me to change it, or leave it as is?
  
  2) thank you for the compliment.
  
  3) I finished last because more people liked the other stories than they liked mine. If you read them, you’ll see they’re nothing like mine. As to whether you’ll like those better than mine, that depends on your tastes. There’s also the thing that my head wasn’t into this challenge much (didn’t like the concept) so each of my stories were written in a few hours, usually just before the deadline just so I’d have something (we had four weeks to write each story). The stories from the other writers are more ambitious, involved, and with greater depth. If you like simple, you’ll like mine. if you like complex, you’ll like the other stories.
  
  3a) I did a little better with the previous challenge (the Alphabet challenge – 26 short stories roughly every two weeks). If interested, here’s a link to all of those:
  
  The Alphabet Challenge: links to all of the stories and a bit more
  
  … and, if you’re interested in the 10 I consider my best (although there are roughly as many more that I really like):
  
  My 10 Favorite Alphabet Short Stories
  
  4) I don’t remember which book of mine you read . . . I now have three, and many short stories. But, to answer your question, I keep threatening to “do something” but so far I’ve not. I’ll likely try to shop them around . . . then I think I’ll self-publish them . . . then I think no one is interested . . . then I think “Bastards! WHY AREN’T THEY INTERESTED?”, then I remember I’ve not done anything and no one knows about them, then rinse, then repeat . . .
  
  5) It’s ‘nose’ … the word you’re thinking of is ‘nose’.
  
  6) I know you’re busy and under a deadline . . . if you read them, fine, but don’t put yourself out.
  
  7) frankly, I thought the Alphabet Challenge was much better and allowed for more creativity. I thought this challenge was too narrow in focus.
  
  Thanks for the comment.
  
  LikeLiked by 2 people