silverstone

Love it—a judgy dragon 😂

The dragon heard someone disturbing their hoard. Looking in, they saw a knight checking a bejewelled sword.

"There you are! May I buy this?"

"You have a sword," said the dragon.

"It's for a valentine!"

"A sword?"

"What better gift to give?"

"Hm. That one is blunt. I'll find a sharp one."

"I have questions about this interstellar travel form," the human said. "What should I put at 'Rose'?"

"The star system you are traveling from," xFfy said.

"I see. And at 'Violet'?"

"The one you're traveling to."

"Ah. Who translated this form?"

"Our best poets, well versed in human poetry."

"Does the role really require a woman?"

"No?"

"Or youth?"

"Er... No?"

"Is being royal or nobility a must?"

The dragon hesitated. "It's traditional..."

"We can mention that it's a position traditionally filled by a princess," the HR consultant said, "but we do welcome all applicants."

"Okay."

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other is green. In this one, Blue and Green are laying on the floor, lounging on atop of each other. Green: Did we have anything planned for this weekend? Blue: Not that I remember. Blue picks up his phone, looking at the screen. Green peers slightly into the same direction, but does not move from his place across Blue's back. Blue: Oh, mom texted me. Green: What is it? Blue: My cousin's birthday party has been cancelled. It would've been tomorrow. Green: I completely forgot that. The foxes continue lounging on the floor. Green: ...So we have no plans? Blue: None that I remember.

I have been trapped for ages. I grab a door handle; it breaks off. It's chocolate.

"Ahaha!" The mad chocolatier's laugh rasps from hidden speakers. "Everything here is made of chocolate!"

I stop. Everything? I focus on my fears... They manifest as chocolate monsters.

I eat them.

"You're free."

"Oh," the emperor of the galaxy said, "what happened to that monkey world?"

"Our agents infiltrated them some eight thousand years ago."

"Have they taken over the world?"

"Not yet."

The emperor licked a paw and started washing his ears.

"I'll still count it as one of mine," he purred.

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other is green. In this one, Blue and Green are walking somewhere, both wearing warm winter clothes. Blue is wearing a bright yellow reflective high-visibility jacket. Green: Your high-vis coat is so convenient at big events like this. Blue: It's warm. Green: It also makes it easy to find you in a crowd. A third fox, of a soft rosy pink colour, appears to ask Blue a question. Rose pink: Excuse me, where will the men's choir sing? Blue: I don't know. I think it's over there? Blue and Green carry on their merry way. Blue looks horrified by a sudden realisation. Green: I think she mistook you for a staff member. Blue: ...Oh no.

Cornflowers, nigella, sweet peas & Russian sage on a brown sketchbook page with my drawings of them on the opposite page

A spring collection of nature finds with my illustrations of them alongside and my watercolour palette and paintbrush in the top left hand corner

Five summer garden flowers (lavender, borage, Alchemical mollie, fever and viola) on a sketchbook with my pen and ink drawings of them alongside, a small garden posy above on a white tablecloth and a cup of tea in the top right hand corner of the photo

Summer garden and hedgerow botanical and nature finds with my drawings of them alongside on a piece of white sketchbook paper

I still have a few spaces on my 28 Feb botanical illustration & mental health w'shop
I teach you
🌿how to break plants down to simple shapes & add shading
🧠how creative activity alters brain biochemistry to improve mental health
Earlybird price expires 14 Feb
workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/bota...

"Sure," said the rocket scientist, "we can send rockets to the moon."

"We can build a city there," said the engineer. "It'll be expensive, but we can do it."

"But why?" said the economist. "What would you mine there you can't get on Earth?"

"One thing," said the billionaire. "Respect."

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other one is green. In this one, Blue and Green are sitting down while facing each other. Green: You've got yogurt on your chin. Blue: Do I? Blue leans back cautiously as Green leans towards him eagerly. Green: Can I kiss it away? Blue: No. Blue keeps leaning back as Green keeps leaning forward, stretching further than should be physically possible. Green: Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease? Blue: No. Stretching out to almost twice the length of their regular bodies, Blue frowns while Green still stares eagerly at him, leaning forward as much as Blue leans back. Blue: I am not going to let you lick my face. Green: Why not?

The alien ambassador sidled through the museum in awe.

"You Humans have so much art! Do you have machines to make all paintings, poems, stories and songs?"

"We experimented with that, briefly," the guide said. "But humans are both cheaper and more creative. And, well, we will make art regardless."

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other is green. In this one, Green is taking a shower with the lights off, while a text above him narrates. Surrounded by pink soap bubbles, Green sighs as the soap he had been holding bounces off to somewhere unseen. Narration: Showering in the dark is nice until you lose the soap. Green: Ah, no. As Green is fumbling for the soap in the dark, his nose starts dripping something dark. Narration: Or get a nosebleed while looking for it. Green: Oh come on. Once Green steps out of the shower, Blue zips past him into the bathroom. Green looks towards him in alarm. Narration: Or you only have one bathroom Green: Wai- Blue: My turn! Green looks to the direction of the sound with an unreadable expression as Blue screams from the bathroom. Narration: And you didn't warn your partner fast enough.

A gravelly voice spoke from under the mayor's bed.

"I hear you need a monster hunter."

The mayor sat up.

"What? Who?"

"I'm a monster. I hunt. What do you need hunted?"

"Beklo the Ogre, but..."

"I'll bring you its head."

"How..."

"I am a monster under the bed. If it sleeps, I can find it."

"I was told you're a monster," the hero said.

"So they say," said the monster.

"But you're beautiful!"

"Thank you."

"Have you always been a monster?"

"Heh. I was a young maiden. But I did something forbidden."

"And became a monster?"

"Got named a monster."

"What did you do?"

"I hit back."

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other is green. In this one, Blue arrives ont he scene as Green is cutting a random chunk of plastic, pieces of it flying everywhere. Blue is holding both of his eyes closed in order to protect them from impact, while Green is squinting with one eye, peering his work with the other. Blue: What's with the plastic shrapnel? Green: Arts and crafts. I'll clean up later. Blue sits down, looking at Green questioningly. Green - who has stopped clipping - frowns at his craft. Blue: How will you find them if you don't see where they go? Green: From the bottom of my foot. Green resumes clipping as Blue looks at him, stunned. Eventually, he manages to put his thoughts into words. Blue: ...You have feet?

"How about I kidnap the dragon," the knight said, "and you come to rescue them?"

"It's still the same story," the princess said.

"No! We're all subverting-"

"I am tired of being in stories," the dragon said.

"What?"

"If you're not in a story, what even are you?"

"I'd like to find out."

Spaceship lands in the park. A door dilates. Alien comes out. Says to the gathering crowd:

"I've been all over the universe, seen everything. Can you entertain me?"

Someone in the crowd shouts: "Great clown Pagliacci is in town, jokes out of this world!"

Alien starts crying. "But Earthlings..."

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other is green. In this one, Blue looks at Green over his shoulder as Green looks at a tiny cut on his tail. Green: Oh huh, a tiny cut. Blue: Let me get the wound spray. Green begins to lick the tiny cut, while Blue looks shocked. Green: Nah, it's fine. Blue: Don't lick it!! Blue frowns at Green as Green looks up from the cut. Green: Your own saliva is actually better for your wounds than someone else's. Blue: That doesn't make it good for you! As Blue leaves to get the wound spray, Green calmly continues to lick the wound. Blue: You stop that! I can hear you!

The message from the stars was very long and complex, but contained instructions how to decode and parse it incrementally.

There was an image, of a very cute furry creature. And a text, which loosely translated said:

"Send cat pics please!'

#MicroFiction

It was the kind of audacious idea that can make a fortune. Combine a widely loved concept with a just as widely loved item. What could go wrong?

Pre-opening sign-ups filled up in minutes.

In practice, though, they couldn't make the cat library work.

"They won't stay on the shelves."

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other is green. In this one, Blue and Green are laying down, with Blue flopped over Green, who is still awake. Blue is sound asleep. Green: Goodnight. Green looks uncomfortable as Blue begins to radiate heat. Green: Eeeugh. How are you this warm? In vain, Green tries to wiggle himself free, but Blue, laying solidly on top of him, neither moves nor wakes up. Green: Hnnngyäääh! Green gives up, while Blue, still peacefully asleep, only continues to glow hotter. Green: How can you sleep comfortably in a puddle of my sweat?