Welp, I am caught up in the comp again. I think I might have my picks for the top 3. And no, I'm not one of them. We'll see though. I am generally terrible at picking comp slates. Two more days if anyone else wants to jump into the ring.

I came here to read stories and kick a$$ and I'm all out of stories. So how about some more stories? Because I'm actually kind of meek and not really into kicking butts. Two days left (assuming the deadline is end of day August 1). Anyone else?

I am ... feeling better than I expected after a meeting with a bunch of execs (including our group's CEO) today.

OMG, they've gone to the War of the Worlds well again. And they've added some weird new element about the aliens feeding on data???? The war machines look great, though.

I mean the novel is public domain and is the root of the whole alien invasion subgenre but it still seems a bit overdone and most recent versions have pulled in elements from other alien invasion movies to the point of losing H. G. Wells' original story and point. IOW, they might as well call them something else and just cite Wells as an influence. Oh well, so goes Hollywood. I suppose this means we'll get half a dozen more "adaptations" as happened when the Spielberg-Cruise version came out (which, to its credit, was actually a decent modernization of the original).

Snow skiing, but cross-country. Downhill would almost inevitably end in disaster for me.

Pie alone or pie a la mode?

Cookout. Unless I felt too tired, then restaurant as backup.

Buffet or a la carte?

Quote by verbal
I will try to write that cat scene though!

Do it! You know you can. Cats are fun to write for (says the guy who has cats as major characters in two of his last four stories).

Oh, I love Ping stories. They sometimes go way off the beaten path for this place, but they are usually amazing, imaginative pieces.

Depends where I am. In North America, I usually drive. Overseas, usually do a bus or other tour where someone else handles the driving.

Visit historic sites or nature preserves?

Welp, the title might raise some eyebrows but Ping is in the comp. Bracing for impact. Hopefully will have time to read it today. Any more? There's still time.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/dcks-tts-swastkas

And good morning. Fresh pots of tea and coffee are on. And there's cookies.

16!! And it's a Ping story!!

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/romance/dcks-tts-swastkas

Quote by rolandlytle
The Mets are playing well and had a great chance to make the playoffs. With Judge out, the Mets are the best team in NYC.

After all these years of listening to Verbs moan about the Mets, I now feel like I have stepped into some weird alternate reality.🤔😁

Quote by verbal

Nevermind

Yep. That's it. The flerken may actually be the best character in the movie. 🤣

This one looks like fun. Soldiers in Vietnam apparently end up in the Cretaceous or something. Dinosaurs galore and the effects look pretty good, at least in the trailer. And some of the dinos have feathers!! A known, demonstrated fact about dinosaurs that the Jurassic Park/World movies haven't really touched yet. It's low budget, so may not be exactly Jurassic Park level but give me some well done dinos (WITH FEATHERS!!!!), and I'll be in.

And, yes, I think the "This ain't no walk in the park" line is a dig at those Jurassic movies.

Quote by verbal
Too busy trying to describe what a cat with tentacles coming out of her mouth would look like.

Watched Captain Marvel (MCU movie from 2019 starring Sam Jackson and Brie Larson)? If you haven't, do. It has exactly what you describe.

Welcome back. Sounds like a fun trip. Fossil redwoods sounds cool.

You've got lots of reading to do. 15 entries in the comp and 5 days left. And, of course, an entry from you is always welcome but I know you're just back so we'll excuse you this time if you don't.

And Happy Birthday!! Steak and cake sounds pretty good for a celebration (and rhymes nicely).

Submersible. I'd be terrified but being "inside" would be less terrifying than standing out in the open on a mountain like that. And I'm fascinated by marine life so I would hopefully be too glued to the window/monitor to notice how much water I am under. 😋

Explore an uncharted part of Earth or head to Mars (I'm sure Elon could arrange it)?

I'm an early riser pretty much all the time. Even on vacation.

Exercise first thing in the morning or later in the day?

Pretty hot here, too. Still waiting for my new concrete driveway. Too hot to pour again (for the workers, not the concrete). Crossing fingers we get it this week.

Fresh Haliburton Highlands coffee is brewed. There's some Assam Organic and Scottish Breakfast for teas. Pitchers are fill to the tippy top with lemonade and iced tea. Soda stock looks good. Put some popsicles of assorted flavours in the freezer given the weather some of us are experiencing. There's ice cream, too.

Quote by Meagananne1986

My photo for my entry to the competition has disappeared from the story. Anyone know why?

I still see it. Or did it get fixed overnight?

Quote by rolandlytle
It was very different from the original Fantastic Four mythology, but they covered it at the start of the movie by noting it was Earth-282. This is not the universe of the original FF.

The Marvel Universe has been changed, spun off, merged, etc. so many times that the MCU has become a real mashup of different iterations. Fury as Black, for instance, is apparently from the old Ultimates universe which eventually got merged back into the main universe. When I was a kid, he was a white WWII veteran and they even had a series of war comics chronicling his war service. Of course, the MCU has its own multiversal shenanigans happening, too.

As to upcoming movies, it's only just announced so probably a way's off yet, but Toho Studios, owners of the Godzilla IP, are finally doing a sequel to the wonderful 2016 Godzilla reboot Shin Godzilla. Looking forward to see if lightning can strike twice because Shin Godzilla is my favourite since the 1954 original (though I haven't seen Godzilla Minus One yet and it has also been highly praised).

RV. My back won't take laying on the ground anymore.

Carry a camera or just use the one on your phone?

Just giving this a "bump" since I am finding more and more situations where I miss having this capability. I guess it's because I have it on almost every other social site I am on except this one (and its NSFW sibling, of course).

Quote by OpheliaTusk

I was asking because circumstances like having spotty wifi, or having wifi cut off, because of not being able to pay a bill may prevent one from answering quickly and I wonder if circumstances like that are taken into consideration at all.

I imagine Molly would leave it out there and just go ahead with the announcement but I'm not sure. I suspect she would give it some time in hopes they were just away and would eventually respond. Hopefully she sees this and chimes (once again, we need tagging).

It's likely they would eventually get connected somehow. Libraries and similar institutions often have free wi-fi and encourage people in those situations to avail themselves of it (at least around here). Even the malls around here have it.

Lake cabin is more my speed. Remind me of my family cottage. Nicer scenery, too.

Read and relax or activities on the lake (canoeing, kayaking, whatever)?

Quote by WriterGirl

Fifteen glorious entries!

Who else is in? Me and my shrivelled grapes might finish last in this one, and that’s okay! A fun comp with a group of the best stories I’ve read in a while. All different, too.

Oo, thanks. I haven't got around to checking this morning. A couple more would be nice but 15 is a good number for this place.

Trek, though I am a bit tired of both. Both seem a bit past their expiry date (but I feel that way about some much newer franchises, too, like MCU).

Hit the dance floor at a party or just enjoy the music and company?

Quote by OpheliaTusk

Question - is there a time window to accept the prize money if you win? Like if it goes unclaimed after x amount of time it will be given to someone else?

Interesting question. Has anyone ever not accepted the prize money? Molly messages you before posting the results and I tend to reply fairly quickly to thank her and tell her how to send the award (PayPal in my case). But since one option is SS Coins, I would think that if someone didn't respond, they would default to adding it to their account in coins (which, of course, has only been an option for the past couple years). Watching for Molly's response.

Quote by WriterGirl
I poked him early on and he said he was looking at it.

Shouldn't you say you ... 😎 ... pinged him. 😀

And I am caught up again so more, please. 😊