"The Last Stand" Rules violation

[Chairman Goodchild]

Cat with Blue Fur Contest Rule 6: Story must have a character named the "Cat with Blue Fur" in it that is, in fact, a cat with blue fur...initially... or would at least appear to be... Your stories do not necessarily have to be be "about" the Cat with Blue Fur; he and his friends could just be tangential players in a different story. For example, the real characters of your story could just crash land at the farm where the Cat with Blue Fur lives, and have relatively brief interactions with him.

The contest submission in the lead for first place in the science fiction section, "The Last Stand", is a blatant rules-breaker. There's a woman named Catherine who works a blue docking door in a space station, and her job title is an acronym for fur. That's it. Catherine at no point even appears to be a cat. That doesn't even come close to what the rules state.

I worked very hard on my submission, and I'd rather not lose to someone who didn't obey the rules of the contest and gets to walk off as the winner. I'm sure that other people who worked very hard on their own stories and took time to follow the rules feel the same way.

I'm very surprised that this story was even allowed to be voted on.

[SpareInch]

I can see your point, but I saw it more as a stretching of the rule, rather than a breech of it.

The space station is known as Blue FUR, the character is the only person aboard called Cat. So in that regard, she is the Cat with Blue FUR.

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

I worked very hard on my submission, and I'd rather not lose to someone who didn't obey the rules of the contest and gets to walk off as the winner. I'm sure that other people who worked very hard on their own stories and took time to follow the rules feel the same way.

I hear you, and that story is the subject of discussion behind the scenes. Awaiting an executive decision.

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

The contest sponsor (Bart) has decided that, even though the story doesn't quite meet the letter of Rule 6 published by Norm, it's good enough and close enough in spirit that he will allow it.

However, if this story should tie with one that follows Rule 6 exactly, then the latter story will win.

[AbscessMinded]

How would I be "walking away" with anything? That pun took a lot of time to come up with, I'll have you know!

Also, I didn't expect drabblecast listeners to be upset with bending the rules, if it's still in the true spirit (which it pretty clearly is).

But I lost, so shows how much I know. :Shrug:

[DKT]

Hey Abscess Mind - FWIW, I voted for your story Really enjoyed how much you squeezed into that word count.