Hoist the colours, proud fiction writers!

Our 50th Edition of Finish The Story has been a smashing success! @Brisby here and I want to thank you all for joining in the festivities and making this round one to remember! We had 16 fantastic entries in response to @F3nix's irresistible prompt offering. With so many good tidings and exciting news to share, I'm forgoing a fancy tie so that we get right to it!

First, let's raise our pints of banana grog in congratulations to @Calluna, @Pokerm, @Maparari, @Randomwanderings, @Gaby-Crb, @Dirge, @Sarez, and @Tristancarax for receiving votes from the @Curie community for their splendid stories!! This is a Finish The Story Record with 8 Curie votes given to authors in a single round! 🎉

Second, thanks to the generous donations of @Randomwanderings, we have an increase in the rewards chest for this edition! Raise your pirate hats and let's hear it for Randomwanderings! 🎊

Our 50th treasure chest of gleaming delights contains:

1st place: 8 STEEM

2nd place: 5 STEEM

3rd place: 3 STEEM

Popular Vote: 3 @Steembasicincome shares

Best Comment: 3 @Steembasicincome shares

All other qualifying entries: 2 Steem Basic Income shares each!

What's boiling in the bananafish kitchen (the news!)

• Let's hear those cheers of appreciation for the gift of featuring @Bananafish in an upcoming article as well as 50 STEEM per each of the next two months from @C-Squared / @c-cubed community courtesy of @Randomwanderings! 🙌 We're blessed to have the honor of not only the recognition but the sustain they've bestowed upon our tribe! Dedicated to supporting quality works on the Steem blockchain, those in the C-Squared community put in hours of tremendous effort each and every day. We love what C² is doing, and urge our writers to please consider voting for the @c-squared community witness!
  
  
• Keep those cheers coming for @Josephsavage and @Steembasicincome! 🎉 Joseph was kind enough to gift an additional 50 SBI units for our golden yellow deity to distribute unto the fabulous writers in our community! Anyone who has been on the blockchain longer than a minute can see what a precious gift this is! Our sincere gratitude to you, Joseph!
  
  
• The Bananafish acolytes are blessed by upvotes. Those of the generous @co-in and also those of our amazing witness @crowdmind. Thank you to the wondrous @crowdmind community for the support they've given to the Bananfish Tribe! Their mission to empower crowdsourcing initiatives is of tremendous benefit to the Steemit community. Check out their blog and consider as well a vote for their witness, @Crowdwitness. Let's raise a pint of our finest to @svemirac, @hidden84 and the Crowdmind Community for their sustain! Cheers to you!
  
  
• Curie factoid: we have been supported by the amazing Curie community with 71 upvotes in 50 editions.The rate is increasing lately..we have now more than an average of 1 curie upvote per edition! @Sarez and @Tristancarax are tied out in front, closely followed by @Brisby, @Calluna, and @Cyemela. I can't express enough how encouraging the support of the @Curie community has been to the wonderful writers of the @Bananafish community! Let's show the amazing Curie community our solidarity and vote for @Curie as one of Steem's witnesses! 😎
  
  
• Have any of you braved the - Banana Grog?
  
  
• Don't forget to join the Realms, where you can promote yourself and meet all of us strange creatures!

..And the winners of this enhanced potassium rich edition are:

• GRAND PRIZE - 8 STEEM: @Pokerm
  Pokerm gave us an unexpectedly beautiful story! Instead of a tale of mounting horror this author tells of how one kindness is repaid in Joelle's transition from her life after battling cancer. A precious giving of peace for the terminally ill girl. Perfectly paced, she learns the old man is in truth her guide through death. The ominous box is revealed to be a benign gift for him to help her reach an understanding of the next journey awaiting her. Ending on a bittersweet note, you'll feel the warmth of Pokerm's story long after reading the last line.
  
  
• SECOND PRIZE -5 STEEM: @Dirge
  Dirge delivered to us his offering of mounting tension and thrilling action. Without a word wasted, he gives an answer to the mystery of the bones within the box and reveals Joelle to be less a helpless victim and more a plucky heroine! Fighting for her life, we find that the world Joelle inhabits is full of supernatural wonders (like a cursed grimoire) and the dangers they invoke. It's the kind of tale you tell on a dark night, with your audience perched on the edge of their seats in anticipation. Who will be victorious, the predator or the prey? Only an author of Dirge's caliber could pull off an ending like this and once you read it, you'll agree.
  
  
• THIRD PRIZE - 3 STEEM: @Calluna
  I have to quote @F3nix's comment as he said it best. Calluna's tale was "Hypnotic. Disturbing. Crawling and progressive." The scene unfolds and we're unable to look away as Joelle is overcome with an unnerving desire to feast upon the bones within the box. An enchantress with words, Cal's descriptions reach deep into the gut and fill the reader with unsettling dread. With her deliciously twisted feast of horror, you'll find yourself fully sated.
  
  
• POPULAR VOTE - We have a tie with 3 SBI going to both @Raj808 & @Adncabrera
  Raj's story is phenomenal! He weaves his tale with a skill that is a herald of master storytellers. We're taken on a journey within Joelle's memories as the demon warps her recollections to its own amusement. Each paragraph, drenched in the macabre, transports us to the dreadfully perfect ending. All I can say is 'if only the horrid 500-word count wasn't a consideration'! Trust me, after reading Raj's ending, you'll never hear 'Pop Goes The Weasel' the same way again!
  
  
  Adncabrera's endingwas lush with vivid descriptions and a smooth transition from the interior of the train to that of a carousel. The music swells and the lights flash with the reader pulled along with Joelle into the surreal world within the box. It's a treat to read each lovely line of this terrific piece!
  
  
• BEST COMMENT - 3 SBI: @Seesladen
  The gift poetry that is inspired by one's writing is truly a treasured gem. Seesladen's poem for Calluna's story was one of appreciation and a depth of understanding. A lovely and heartfelt present that she was truly touched in receiving. It's sincere comments like these that make our community shine!
  
  
  HONORABLE MENTION: @Sarez
  Unfortunately unable to place due to exceeding the word count, this fantasy by Sarez deserves a shoutout! Within, he creates an entire world rich with lore and tradition. The man, tasked with a sacred mission, and Joelle, who is revealed to be the only one able to see the bones (therein proving herself to be the chosen Royal Huntswoman) are given depth through their conversation. A choice is made with Joelle ready to accept her new role as a warrior for balance and light. There are so many incredible places this story could go and I hope that Sarez will carry it on!
  
  
  SPECIAL 50th EDITION PARTICIPATION REWARD - 2 SBI each: @Cyemela, @Gaby-Crb, @Randomwanderings, @Vasigo, @Maparari, @Sarez, @Gwilberiol, @Jadams2k18, @Theironfelix, and @Oivas

Thank you all for your incredible stories!





Sustain the @bananafish project through your delegations! We're a selfless inclusive and decentralized community, we put our heart in what we do and a lot of passion and everyone will be abundantly rewarded for their generosity as the @bananafish will keep growing. Here you may find a guide by @marcoriccardi on how to sustain this project.

A special thanks to @felt.buzz, @gwilberiol, @dirge, @theironfelix, @raj808, @brisby, @maverickinvictus, @cyemela, @marcoriccardi, @hidden84, @calluna, @oivas, @f3nix, @khasa, @vdux, @anixio, @ntowl, @tristancarax and @blueeyes8960 for their precious delegations, making this project a reality!
If you like this contest..SPREAD THE GOSPEL! We're grateful for your resteeming and word of mouth. Everything helps to grow together!

SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR EDITION #51, BRAVE WRITERS OF THE REALM!