IsabellaRose

Now here's what I would have submitted. It's a little over 650 words, so probably not ideal for this contest, but it's what came out. __________________________________________________ Sara couldn't believe what she'd just read. The words on the page had shocked her so thoroughly that she did nothing but stare blankly for long moments. Anyone could have come in and found her in the bedroom, and she would have no excuse for being here. She stood slowly from the edge of the bed, crossed the room, and placed the diary carefully back into the cabinet where she had found it. She closed the door, turned the key in the lock, then pulled it out and hid it back in the drawer beneath the frilly satin and lace undergarments. She hurried out of the bedroom and back across the hall into the bathroom, the place to which she had excused herself far too long ago. She leaned heavily on the sink, hands on either side of the small basin, staring at her own reflection in the oval mirror. The mind that could compose such entries in a diary as if talking about common daily events was dangerous indeed. Did she dare return to the others? She ran through her options. The plan was to return to the dinner party, let the night play out, then head home like everyone else, leaving their target none the wiser. But if half of what she read was true, she was in a far more dangerous situation than she'd imagined. She could cut and run now. She ran through a scenario in her head: Rebecca cutting the power, Kat getting rope up to the bedroom window, a quick escape while the security system was down. No, scratch that. The target would know she had done something, discovered something. They may not know what, but her cover would be completely blown, and they still needed to maintain the integrity of the Countess cover for the next part of the plan. She could call in an attack, play herself off as a victim, seek to escape alongside their target during the utter confusion of an apparent raid. But that would pose its own risks. She would be alone with the target, cutoff from support, and likely unable to report in as she dropped even deeper into her cover. No, none of these ideas were good enough. She would need to stick to the original plan and overcome her trepidation as she had overcome so many obstacles in order to get here. She straightened her back, lifted her chin, and allowed herself to settle back into the Countess persona. She could do this. She had to. It was more than just her own life on the line. As she returned to the dinner party hosted by the most debased human she had ever met, she saw the guests were all rising and filing through a door in the far wall. She had no idea what was beyond the door; it wasn't where they had come in. "Countess," said one of the guests, "you’re just in time. Our hostess just made the announcement." The over-eager young woman took Sara's arm and nearly pulled her through the door. “Tonight’s entertainment promises to be something the likes of which we have never seen." Sara found herself ushered through a set of double doors and into a garden of some sort, surrounded on all sides by towering hedgerows. The guests were lining up along one side of the open space, holding drinks and chatting quietly. She couldn't see her hostess anywhere, and fear rose within her as she remembered the things she had read, the plans this devious woman had made. Was this another of her dog and pony shows designed to pull the wealthy and powerful under her control? As Sara's eyes cast about the area for their target, the hostess of this event, the woman in question strode out into the opening. She was naked as the day she was born, only an open umbrella concealing her nudity from the crowd gathered in the small space. What the hell was this?

As the only submission before the deadline, MultiChara69 is the winner!

In less than 1000 words, write a short story inspired by the phrase "taking chances." Use any format, genre, or setting you prefer.

Last night. Home alone for the first time in months... When was the last time you tried something new?

show him what it means to be in the bad gang

Today's challenge is a 10-Word Challenge. In about 500 words, write a short story that includes the following 10 words: cabinet compose cutting scratch integrity utter obstacle announcement pony umbrella If it doesn't feel challenging enough, try including the words in order. Deadline is 02 Sep 2020, when this thread will be closed and voting will commence. Good writing!

Sure! I had a couple prompt ideas... theme challenge, 10-word-challenge, photo challenge, starting sentence challenge... what sounds good?

I thought it was success that is 10% inspiration... Honestly, half my ideas aren't worth commitment. But I don't have the time or energy to put into most of the rest. If I did, I could probably finish outlining more original worlds than mot successful franchises. But I know I'll never be successful as an author, or an artist, despite how much art also pours out of me. Sadly, it's in too many different mediums for me to focus on any one and be successful as an artist, either. No one wants a multi-disciplined artist. They want a painter, or an illustrator, or a guitarist, or a singer, or a sculptor, or a dancer... not a generalist who does them all. I will always enjoy my creativity as a hobby, but I will leave this world knowing that most of my creativity will never be seen or enjoyed by anyone else. C'est la vie.

Settings and ideas just explode out of me most of the time, even when I can't muster the energy to write them down. More ideas have been lost to my depression-induced malaise than will ever be used.

Yeah, definitely. My own entry is getting away from me... I'm going to have to edit it down. It's full of unnecessary world-building details... much like all of my D&D campaigns.

I don't think we're voting on this one... this was just a primer. I was going to put up a poll in each thread once I locked it for further submissions.

I can't be with someone who won't just stick my fruit in their mouth and start eating without being invited.

I can't be with someone who won't let me share my fruit with everyone.

I'll check it out after work when I can read it!

This one has no limits or rules other than use the words for the title. You could write anything from a haiku to a epic-length poem, from flash fiction to a novella. I think for the ones we're going to ask people to vote on, we might want to set a word limit so people can actually read them all!

It's not in reference to anything at all... just the phrase, "the vessel." What does your imagination conjure when you hear those words? Do you picture a pirate vessel, filled with brigands? A earthenware vessel hand crafted by a primitive society? Do you imagine the structure known as the Vessel in Manhattan? My best suggestion would be to use the definition and see if it spurs any ideas. In fact, I'll add it to the challenge post. vessel, noun 1. a craft for traveling on water, now usually one larger than an ordinary rowboat; a ship or boat. 2. an airship. 3. a hollow or concave utensil, as a cup, bowl, pitcher, or vase, used for holding liquids or other contents. 4. Anatomy, Zoology. a tube or duct, as an artery or vein, containing or conveying blood or some other body fluid. 5. Botany. a duct formed in the xylem, composed of connected cells that have lost their intervening partitions, that conducts water and mineral nutrients. Compare tracheid. 6. a person regarded as a holder or receiver of something, especially something nonmaterial: a vessel of grace; a vessel of wrath.

Write something erotic or echhi inspired by the words "The Vessel." Post it here. There's no deadline for our first challenge. This is just to get your juices flowing. What does your imagination conjure when you hear those words? In case it helps, here's the definition. vessel, noun 1. a craft for traveling on water, now usually one larger than an ordinary rowboat; a ship or boat. 2. an airship. 3. a hollow or concave utensil, as a cup, bowl, pitcher, or vase, used for holding liquids or other contents. 4. Anatomy, Zoology. a tube or duct, as an artery or vein, containing or conveying blood or some other body fluid. 5. Botany. a duct formed in the xylem, composed of connected cells that have lost their intervening partitions, that conducts water and mineral nutrients. Compare tracheid. 6. a person regarded as a holder or receiver of something, especially something nonmaterial: a vessel of grace; a vessel of wrath.

Post all your questions, comments, and discussions here.

I would keep him all to myself.

I thought I stepped in a hole, but it turned out to be a monsters' eye socket, and now I'm feeling kinda grossed out. Just hold still so I can (blank) your (blank) properly.

It's over. We're entirely TOO compatible. It would never work.

You can't dump me, I'm dumping you because of all that "missing" bacon.

Would it kill you to knock off that terrible impression of a bird being murdered? I'm trying to masturbate here! How many times do I have to tell you? You put the (blank) in the (blank), not the other way around!

It's over! You let someone else eat all the cheesecake I made for you!

I couldn't stand after you tied my knees together. If you keep don't stop (blank) I'm going to (blank) you.