Fox Tales WK#39 : Announcing contest winners and a new story image!

---

If you love writing stories then this contest is for you! Write a short story about the image pictured above. Be creative, think outside of the box and follow the listed rules!

---

Hello writers and fellow art lovers! I’m having difficulties getting my Smart Keyboard to work on my iPad. It’s a bummer because I don’t have a laptop so I’m stuck typing on the screen. It’s kind of annoying. Hopefully I can figure out if this is a software or hardware issue. Until then, I’ll deal. I hope you enjoy this week’s image prompt!

---

It’s been awhile since I’ve presented an image this sketchy. It was really fun to draw loosely.

---

The progress...

_{All my drawings are original sketches drawn digitally by me on the Procreate App using the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil.}

---

Like my sketch from earlier today, I drew a general outline, mapping out the entire shape of the upper body.

Then I did a rough shade.

It took me awhile to get the positioning of the eyes and hairline right.

I added some shadows with the round brush and then began to darken her features with a deeper colored pencil.

I wanted to continue to add contrast with the darker pencil but keep it sketchy and loose.

Shadows, again with the round brush with that same dark shade.

I outlined the image with shapes, a splash of background color to the side of the face and a vibrant outline. I used the gouache brush, round brush, and studio pen. Now she’s no longer floating!

Then I finished the image with a white highlight using a gel pen tool.

---

Prizes:

---

1st // 5 STEEM
2nd // 3 STEEM
3rd // 1 STEEM

---

Contest Rules:

---

• Upvote & Resteem this post.
• Create a separate post with your short stories.
• Maximum length 300 words. (I’ll be monitoring this closely!)
• Use the #foxtales tag.
• Usage of the current story image in your post is optional.
• Submit your post in the comment section below. (I’ll sharing links to the stories submitted this way in the following Fox Tales announcement post!)
• Maximum of 3 entries (only one story per person will qualify for a portion of the prize pool each week.)
• Deadline is this post’s payout.

---

WEEK #38 WINNERS & STORIES!

---

1st place // @theironfelix “On Saturdays”

---

_{Her house door screams shut, long legs moaning mercilessly on each egregious stiff step. High heels fearlessly flying and whistling wide thanks to furious feet banishing them. Tight tights yanked by aching arms off, serious stress turned to the pleasurable persisting pains of recovery. Wild wig suddenly spun away, the flowy fire colour of her hair silently supplanted her shoulders. Ears, eyes, esophagus: all finally free from crass conditions. Her dress coat carefully feeling the hanger, her mellowed mind mercilessly hung them both back up to this closet - one she'll come back and fix as she wakes up the next day. Pretty piffy pencil skirt, hazel hues like her hazel rose on her ears, began falling off as her hazel rose was whiskered to the plant pot. Taking tiredly her dress-shirt, her gaze got nabbed by the bathroom mirror and a thought rang inside her dome. Body collapsing, her hands caught the cold counter before meeting the careless concrete. Lifting herself up, the tiring thought attacked her again and she screamed silently to the air as her bathroom became broken belatedly. Searching surroundings, she finally forced the fair breathing to come in the place of the fast heaving dread beat. Her eyes gazed upon the mirror, she managed to arise so fast but then came the obvious obtuse ones that are always asked. Yet with how easily they came to her head, so suddenly she shot them all down without a thought. Then came the pin-point precise problems that stumped her for her words, but soon with her mind above the clouds had her questions finally dissapeared. Shoulders loosening with every question, tears came racing out and her voice-box uttered gratitude for the self-fortitude to keep up the charade of which had been her dangerous tapeworm eating her away.}

---

2nd place // @cyemela “Untitled”

---

_{Do you know what happened to Laura Palmer? She hadn’t heard that name in a whale’s age. The shock of the sound contained in the syllables of the name Laura Palmer sent her head snapping back. She met the gaze of a lost friend from long ago in Twin Peaks. She now lived in the Twin Cities. She had just dyed her hair red, only botched the job, and it almost looked pink; still a drastic difference from having black hair. Yet this man knew her from a distance while walking behind her. He approached confidently, never hesitating in his strides to make up the distance between them. They collided like neutron stars. Only their meeting painted her body in gold. Days later her body washed up on the icy river shore. Her body blue with lifeless calm, much like her dear friend, Laura Palmer. The difference being that under her index finger nail the small square tile was engraved with the letter “o”.}

---

3rd place // @sarez “Kidnapped”

---

_{Jabin seemed to shrink from the accusation in her eyes. They were in a nondescript motel room, she had just awakened from the drugged slumber and sat on the bed blinking and trying to fully wake up. "Why Jabin? I always trusted you?" Siera rasped out the words. Jabin brought her a glass of water , which she gladly gulped down; realizing that her left hand was cuffed to the bed post. She shouted at him "What the FUCK is this?" "There was no other way to make you listen Siera. For eight years I have been with you, I couldn't let him destroy you." "Oh Jabin! Not that again. Benji loves me. You are not there to judge him or me!" Jabin shoved some papers at her. "I am not going to sit and listen to your nonsense." Siera screamed at him. Jabin sighed and closed his eyes, his hands massaging his temples. He spoke in a flat barely controlled voice. "SHUT UP and LOOK! PLEASE! The first is the analysis of your hi-tech water-bottle- the one he gifted you. The water has a very high level of mercury. The second page is his personal account summary- he is overdrawn. The third is the bill for 150gms laboratory grade mercury- this I traced to the shop and looked at the CCTV footage- it is Benji. When you removed me from your personal detail I did not have any choice. I had to get you alone, away from the house- that place is bugged all over, I can show you." Seira went over the papers taking time to make sure she was reading correct and to harness her emotions into a cold anger. Jabin unlocked the cuff and was moving away when Siera said "Thank You."}

---

Thanks so much to all the writers who participated!

_{⬇️ Please take the time to visit the links to their stories below!⬇️}

_{Writers listed in alphabetical order.}

---

“The Wait is Over” 

@chinyerevivian

”Glory The Enchantress” 

@chrisbarth

”Untitled” 

@cyemela

”SÖJFN: Anhelo de Amor...” 

@oscarina

”Kidnapped” 

@sarez

“Red is the new Pink” “On Saturdays” “Gaze” 

@theironfelix

“Maelstrom” 

@vasigo

---

---

Thanks for stopping by and good luck to those who decide to participate!
Do you have any questions? 🦊

---

---

Check out some of the previous #foxtales posts!

---

_{Fox Tales #38} 

_{Fox Tales #37} 

_{Fox Tales #36} 

_{Fox Tales #35} 

_{Fox Tales #34}