Even doing so, my brain doesn't seem to pick up on certain things that seem obvious to everyone else. It's part of the reason why I don't post that often.
That's unfortunate, Durinde, since
your writing has
won the competition!!! 
That's right, folks. All good things must come to an end. Especially The End, for obvious inherent reasons.... I've gotta say it's been a long time since we've had as many works of such high quality. EXCELLENT writing everyone. If I could listen to audio books without falling asleep I'd subscribe to all three of your YouTube channels in a heartbeat.
I don't actually have any trophies on me ATM.
I think I left them in my other pants.... I'll try to get them posted shortly.
As for the breakdown of votes, it came down to just one vote right at the wire.
Durinde is our winner with 12 votes by my counting. Although you eked out a victory by only the narrowest of margins, I think the voters made the right choice. I for one liked the abrupt start to your chapter; indeed the first five sentences concisely imply a huge amount of backstory. I've got a soft spot for flowery language, so the purpleness of your prose was no drawback for me. The twist of the dragon actually being Samantha's father was inspired. Congratulations on a well-deserved victory!
In second place by a hair we have
Mandle with 11 votes. I thought your narrator, whoever he was, locked down the best character category with his raw honesty. Yeah he's a chicken who probably left his friends to their doom, but he wears it proudly. I also liked that in the end his mindset was flexible enough to see a new path forward in joining with the devil rather than being perpetually haunted by him. He's despicable and opportunistic, but say what you will he's also a realist and a survivor. If I wanted to read about how to agonize over making the right choices in life I could just read the Bible: your character opens up so much more potential for insane adventure. You are also to be commended for your clever twists of phrase, although I too would recommend dialling back the swearing enough to enhance its impact. The twist at the end was also great.
Unfairly placed in distant third place was
Sinitrena. I really liked how you presented the back-of-book blurb first, as realistically that's where a prospective reader would look first. Knowing the overall direction of the story first made the last chapter more powerful, in my opinion. I found the harshness of Wilfred's punishment at the end shocking, but I suppose the reader would slowly learn of the strictness of the society throughout the book. Nevertheless, I thought it made for an intensely abrupt ending, which was perfect for this competition. I thought your imagery of "walking out of the suffocating smoke of a forest fire" was brilliant for the end of an intensely emotional firestorm.
But, alas, there can be only one winner. So now it is incumbent upon
Durinde to start a new competition with a theme of his choosing. Thanks for the great stories and for all the thoughtful votes, everyone! I hope to see you all out for the next exciting instalment of....
