Faithless - May/June Community Contest

[AdmiralPiet]

@Lucius: Thank you!

[Claire]

I didn't know the term faithless elector until I read this story, so the title was a bit lost on me at first. But after googling it, I find it quite clever.

A bold move to lean so heavily into contemporary politics. That certainly risks upsetting some people. I wonder whether the story would have done even better in the contest if you hadn't done that.

I had to look up what even the prompts were for this contest. The inclusion of the revenge and blackout prompts was pretty straightforward, but linking college to electoral college... that is sneaky. I wanted to give the story two points, but let me make it three for that prompt use. That's the good stuff.

Without the political and contest context, it becomes a fairly conventional home invasion story. I appreciate, though, that you resisted to go down the tired forced orgasm route despite the forced arousal.

[Shocker]

That was a rather successful contest with three stories shooting up to popular right away.

[AdmiralPiet]

I didn't know the term faithless elector until I read this story, so the title was a bit lost on me at first. But after googling it, I find it quite clever.

Originally I wanted to do students taking revenge on their college professor, but then it struck me.
Original plan was for them to cut the power line too as part of the plan.

A bold move to lean so heavily into contemporary politics. That certainly risks upsetting some people. I wonder whether the story would have done even better in the contest if you hadn't done that.

I doubt it.
The faithless elector as such is something very american. I could have skirted around it, or go back in time a bit. But usually the electors don't switch the party if they become faithless, they rather vote for another one of their own party. And they are pretty rare in the first place.
I needed some "betrayal" that was egregious enough to Eagle and Star to serve as a motive.

From there the rest kinda falls in place. Since the Governor and Vice-Governor are not real, I could also mean another (fictional) president. Had I skirted around it even further I think it would have become too apparent that I tried to avoid contemporary politics. Or I would have needed way more setup why Mel switched her vote, and why the rapists where so angry about it.

I had to look up what even the prompts were for this contest. The inclusion of the revenge and blackout prompts was pretty straightforward, but linking college to electoral college... that is sneaky. I wanted to give the story two points, but let me make it three for that prompt use. That's the good stuff.

Thank you!

Without the political and contest context, it becomes a fairly conventional home invasion story. I appreciate, though, that you resisted to go down the tired forced orgasm route despite the forced arousal.

I like the basic idea, but think in a story that is more serious and/or grounded in reality the trope doesn't work as well. It is why I alluded to the corrupting influence of the Warp in "Freyas new Slaves" (should I abbreviate that to FNS? )
And this one having the forced arrousal is a direct influence of reading "Record Chaser". Them just slamming it in didn't feel right here, but I didn't want to do a slower approach like Marks "Siege".

Quite surprised this is the one that got to 30 Rep first. Didn't expect it to do that well.