If anyone hates this...blame it on Nash. haha.
Seriously though, this was such a fun chapter to write. I admitted in a previous comment that I was skeptical at first however I was obviously looking at this the wrong way. The project idea was awesome. Honey’s kick-off chapter provided the perfect amount of details…and the two chapters before me were fantastic. I tried to draw up an adequate character sketch while also playing into some of the hints left by others. I laid a deeper foundation for a plot line while still leaving it open for the next two writers interpretations. There are still some mysteries to be solved. And I left it with a twist I felt was almost begging to be made. WWB gave us Miriam and even portrayed her as being a little on edge with the Priest. (remember their exchange when the Priest was trying to abort the ceremony?) So I figured, why not include her further in this mess. After all, it is law that there needs to be at least one witness to the ceremony other than the priest…so she would have to be present anyway. .
The sad part is that I did cut a few paragraphs out. One entire scene actually, where it showed more of a developing relationship between Lacey and Todd. I write my chapters in MS Word and from past experience, I know that when I reach page 5 I have usually exceeded the SM limit in terms of chapter length. So I edited the crap out of this before posting it. Only after did I re-read WWBs chapter again and it dawned on me how much longer it was. I compared word count. SM must have extended its limits? Anyway, as a reader, I would knock my chapter for the same reason that some folks knocked hebe’s: there is no courtship or relationship development between Lacey and Todd. That was the scene I cut. It was just romantic goo anyway. haha
So I hope this is as well received as the other two. I look forward to reading the remaining chapters!

Okay, so here is my effort. It was quick and dirty. Because of the awesomeness of the first two chapters I wanted to put this out there and absorb any feedback before publishing. I’m fresh and new to this project and don’t want to step on any toes. If you think I missed the pulse on this one let me know and I’ll rework it. Thanks!

Oh, as a side note, I found the whole earring bit comical…in both this chapter and WWBs. It may in fact be a location taboo, (I am originally from the Mid-West), however, as far as I’ve always known in popular American culture, (at least in the 80’s and early 90’s), a single earring in the right ear was an indication of homosexuality. The left ear meant straight. However, prior to the ‘glam’ days of the 80’s I believe a guy with either ear pierced was consider to be ‘gay.’
Fast forward to the late 90s and beyond, (Beyond is where I’m assuming this story takes place), and neither ear means a thing…although you typically don’t find many guys who only have the right ear pierced, unless in fact they are gay. Most guys that choose to pierce their ears nowadays get them both done. Right?

hebe6405 – Another spell binding addition, I thought. I wont belabor the previously mentioned points of the Tony/Todd name change and the lack of courtship; I’ll just say that I too was mildly distracted. Beyond that, wow…I loved it. I think you added some great depth to it by dropping tasty little hints and clues. I echo the above sentiments that your dialogue was terrific. I wanted to call out a particular exchange because I found it masterful:
** The blink was slow, “Only losers say they’re close to winning. You can’t come to Vegas and think you’re going to leave rich. Oh, by the way, I’m getting married.”
“Really? That’s great.” Tricia took the bill and left. **
I read that bit several times. I just thought it was so awesome.
WWB set the bar really super high however I think you definitely held your own. Great job!

Holy shizzit WWB. I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this. I found your chapter disturbing and positively riveting. I was breathless man. I thought you went beyond the call of the project by providing such a terrific character sketch. I admit, I was mildly skeptical of this after reading the intro. (No offense to HoneyG…but I was just sort of like, ‘ehh…okay. Decent idea but I don’t see it blossoming into anything too entertaining.’) Boy was I wrong. (just goes to show how important it is to always keep the creative juices flowing). This chapter really set the whole project ablaze. You added some wonderful clues and some even better mysteries. I find myself intimidated at the prospect of trying to create a chapter worthy of being in the same storyline as this one. Really, really great job man!

Thanks for the welcoming enthusiasm guys! I’d be happy to take both on. I’ll get to work this evening and fill both slots by the end of the weekend. Is that sufficient?

Honey, would be happy to fill in wherever needed if you havent found a replacement yet. Let me know...here or via email.
11

A well deserved selection! I thought this was a smooth, seamless transition from chapter two and along with eternal_flame, had it in my personal top two favorites. Congratulations my friend. The only bummer is now I wont be able to read entries from you for the up-coming chapters.

Here’s an uplifting little holiday tale. Ho-ho-ho. I’ve had this scene in my head for a while. It is actually a smaller chapter of a much larger piece…so if you feel disconnected from the main character, that’s why. Your only getting a taste of who he is here and why he does the things he does. Even so, I thought it was mildly chilling and entertaining enough to share.

Thanks again to all the judges for such well thought out critiques. It’s like having your own built in proof-readers! Naturally I don’t agree with everything that was said, ‘Clichéd,’ ‘Cheesy,’ ‘Comic-bookish’, (okay, well maybe the comic-bookish), but you gotta love the in-depth coverage!
I had a lot of fun in this round seeing all the different directions people took this. Can’t wait for ROUND 4!