Cats and Captains, Corvids and Clowns

How did the group get its name?  As Antonia explained, it was started by Lily Childs as Friday Prediction, back in 2010. You only need have a look at Lily’s ‘Feardom’ blog to see the scale and breadth of words  she regularly used (memo to self: must try harder!)  Although ‘Friday’ was dropped, I am loth to lose ‘Prediction’ it in case it prevents long-lost members finding us again.

It’s one of those never-lost members who pips the rest of you at the post this week – Antonia for yet another solid episode of The Captain’s adventures in Infinity  181 – but the rest of you are snapping at her heels, giving us all an excellent week’s entertainment.

Words for next week:  devastate essence joint

Entries by midnight Thursday 19th January, new words posted on Friday 20th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media.

Maybe bold and tricky better than too bland

Antonia, Chris and William might concur with this.

I looked back at the prompts offered in 2012 by Lily Childs (Prediction’s originator - check out http://lilychildsfeardom.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/lilys-friday-prediction.html for a taste) and Phil Ambler. Rarely were they innocuous or multi-interpretable as have been offered here lately, and I’m wondering whether stronger, less compromising words might be better received. To which end I plan to separate and stir and occasionally re-offer some of these old ones for a bit and see what happens.

That said, this week’s planned words are challenging enough for me to have to look up the meaning of one of them! And, bland words or not, you all managed to make something entertaining. By the usual whisker, for the lightness of his rhymes and the weightiness of his message I declare  William’s  ‘Bitter Illusion’ this week’s winner.

Words for the coming week are: bracket, diagnose, ludic

Entries by midnight Thursday 5th May , new words and winners posted on Friday 6th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialized fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever so