"Setting Fire to Slippery Slopes"

Quite appropriate given that this little blog is on a slippery slope and that Colorado is going up in flames. Time to unleash the hidden pyromaniac, reignite the creative flame. Half Moose with a Twist invites us to burn it up with:

"Setting Fire to Slippery Slopes"

Burn baby burn....rip it up in a blaze of glory because where there's smoke, there's fire.

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This is the first of our 'monthly muses'. We're trialling giving you a little longer to write, post and read. Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 14th. Voting begins on the 21st!

-10thDoM

"Testing the Friendship"

Not everything is always as it seems. There's an old African proverb that says "Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet.”  As many have discovered, sometimes it's best not to put even a friendship to the test. Well, not unless it's in the interest of a good story.  And that's just what our friend Baino hopes to see with this muse.

"Testing the Friendship"

Image from WikiMedia Commons

So go ahead, jump in with both feet. Toss your characters into a testy situation, and let's see what happens.

Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Link in as soon as you're ready.  We'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM

"Tattoos and Teardrops"

Got ink? Of course you do! But if you’re in tears over a tattoo run amuck, Tom of Half Moose with a Twist suggests that now is the time to put things right.  Grab your pen – or quill, if that better suits your style – and give us a tattoo you can be proud of.

 "Tattoos and Teardrops"

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1798-1861

Source: WikiMedia Commons 

So no more tears over spilled ink. Wipe those eyes and get to work. Let’s see what shape your tattoo will take.

Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th!

-10thDoM

"Under the Water's Surface, Heartbreak; The War That Follows"

It's time for war. JeffScape has once again proven a formidable foe in the 10thDoM Muse wars. What heartbreak can you bring? Or would you prefer a glass of water?

"Under the Water's Surface, Heartbreak; The War That Follows"

What's lingering beneath the surface of your inner wars? Let's see what heartbreaking weapons you have to show us!



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM

"Rearranging the Heavens"

Stars, nebulae and galaxies or heaven on earth...she taught every Angel to rearrange the sky. Or perhaps like Richard Saunders, she has been contemplating more than her navel and mapping the stars of the body.  Born of a dream about whirling Dervishes and constellations, our Artist In Residence, Jayne Harnett-Hargrove has been inspired into;

"REARRANGING THE HEAVENS"

Loads of potential in this one punters, whether beauty spots or black holes, reach for the stars and shake up the cosmos.

Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th

-10thDoM

"Choirs of Shadow Flying by Violent Eclipse"

Yeah, we know... Brave indeed are those who dare to enter the uncharted frontier that is the mind of our Cerberan Hound. How 'bout it, folks? Are you up to the challenge?

"Choirs of Shadow Flying by Violent Eclipse"

(Image from NASA Images)

So dig deep into your creative psyche and see if you can get in touch with a tale worthy of this fantastical muse. Ommm...



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM

"Blasphemy and Unicorns"

The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. (Psalms 22:21) 
Holy Moly! The horned ones are in the Bible? And we thought it was a work of fiction! Blasphemy I hear you say? I think not baby puppies. The Wuestmeister has chosen....

"Blasphemy and Unicorns"

*image taken from here

Apparently the Big Guy In The Sky has the strength of a Unicorn and their tears can heal all. Pulling the two together might end up being a miracle but hey...sometimes magic happens. Break a horn punters and do your damndest. (God, we're blaspheming again!).




Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th

-10thDoM

"The Language of Bouquets"

Whether whispered words of romance and seduction or offers of  apology or condolence, bouquets speak many languages. Perhaps the favorite bouquet of all for this crowd drifts like a genie from a bottle of wine to woo us with promises of deliciousness and merriment.

"The Language of Bouquets"

Photo: Dale Chihuly glass sculpture by Ed Schipul
(Source: Flickr Creative Commons)

So what does your bouquet have to say for itself? Baino wants to know.



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM

"Right of Qi"

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Qi-Tom! Our resident theoretical mastermind of the inner working of the.. well.. mind is back at it, bringing his thought provoking muses along with him. Our next muse is:

"RIGHT OF QI"

So round up all your Qi to 'right' your best works yet!



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th!

-10thDoM

"Coed Naked Armageddon"

We came in naked, we frolicked through time naked, and according to Tom and other artists, we’ll go out naked. (But, hey, it was fun while it lasted, right?)  So what about you? What's your end-of-world scenario?

"COED NAKED ARMAGEDDON""

Detail from The Last Judgment
by Jacob de Backer (c. 1589)

Will Good and Evil engage in the battle to end all battles? Will it be a somber wake for life as we know it?  Or will the end come with one last fling as we go out with a bang (so to speak...)?  How do you picture it?



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM

"Beneath the Pools of Another Moon"

Ground pools of liquid erupting beneath the icy surface of Enceladus or shadows cast by an orbiting satellite? Another moon crowns the sky so perfect, white and cold it shines. Time to move right out of your comfort zone and breach the final frontier. She Writes has us pondering the celestial and the subterranean in:

"BENEATH THE POOLS OF ANOTHER MOON"

*image taken from here

Keep it clean, there are so many interpretations of 'moon' this could be an incredible journey!

Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th!
Happy New Year to you all!

-10thDoM

"Smiling as the Sparks Fly Upwards"

Baino knows you've got them. You know you've got them. Well, maybe you don't know, but trust us on this. Your muse has been firing off so many creative sparks in that head of yours, it's a wonder you haven't burst into flames. It's time to share.

"SMILING AS THE SPARKS FLY UPWARDS"

(Image taken from Wallpapers-Free)

Don't let your muse have all the fun. Let those creative sparks fly and bring a smile to our faces.

Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM

"Under the Cover of Time"

You can't change it, you can't own it, you can't control it. You can only waste it, lose it, watch it....perhaps you can bend it or cheat it, but can you hide beneath it? Time to deliberate, and take action... Pattiken has us trying to beat the clock:

"UNDER THE COVER OF TIME"

Image taken from here

Time waits for no man, woman or child, so crack on with it punters...stop wasting it.

Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th

-10thDoM

"The Curious Case of the Brown Shoes"

Paris in winter is not a city you would happily wander without your shoes. So how did this pair and their wearer become separated? Murder, mystery, mayhem or just a barefoot bandit. Bimbimbie challenges us to solve:

"THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE BROWN SHOES"

What mystery was afoot here? Whatever mystery you can conjour. The shoe's now on the other foot, run with it!



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

"In Love, In War, For Lust, Forewarned"

JeffScape fears that mixing love and war could make for a dangerous situation, and as he often is, he might just be right. Be vigilant, lest your sweet nothings whispered in the heat of battle or the height of passion lead to dire consequences.

"IN LOVE, IN WAR, FOR LUST, FOREWARNED"

Image taken from WikiMedia Commons

Where will your story lead us? Are we headed for the battlefield or the bedroom?



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th!

-10thDoM

"The Harmony of Liquid and the Melody of Light"

JeffScape's chosen musical allegory to soothe the soul or drown your sorrows. Whatever cadence you select, bathe it in sunshine, drown it in passion. Sink into its depths or burn within its light, reveal the soundtrack of your life.

"THE HARMONY OF LIQUID AND THE MELODY OF LIGHT"

"Water Candy" by Sortvind at DeviantArt.com

We ain't talkin' lava lamps here . . .stretch your imagination and let the music play.



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 28th!

-10thDoM

"Concrete Butterfly"

Mind or soul? Does Tom of Half Moose agree with our favorite Greeks who believe the butterfly is a symbol of the mind or psyche?  Or does he fall on the side of others around the globe who see it as a symbol of the soul? There’s one thing for sure, though. Tom isn't picturing a butterfly with gossamer wings for this muse.

"CONCRETE BUTTERFLY"

So which is it for you?  Will you present the saga of a soul hardened to stone or spin a tale of a psyche cast in concrete?  Put that chisel to work and fashion your vision for all to see.



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th!

-10thDoM

"Deathbed Revenge"

It's a death! It's a bed! It's revenge! It's...

"DEATHBED REVENGE"

OK - it's really just Tom's muse, but you almost thought it was some strangely morbid new superhero, right? Right? Oh, well... Get off your deathbed and seek your revenge on 10thDoM!



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM

"Infest, Infect, Inflect"

Cockroaches under the sink or rats in the rafters, an infestation of any kind will overrun and overpower. This muse is guaranteed to cause transient malabsorption and more than superficial damage. No species is immune to the infection of politics and the corruption of power. Deviate from the straight and normal with JeffScape's impossible muse:

"INFEST, INFECT, INFLECT"

*image taken from Kat at Deviant Art

Who knows what he's intimating with such insidious insight . . . .



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 7th. Voting begins on the 11th!

-10thDoM

"Two Glass Houses and Twenty Stones"

Two glass houses and twenty stones? What has Baino delivered upon us but an apparent war of words? Perhaps we should proceed with caution.  You know what they say about people in glass houses. On the other hand, they – and you know how they are, always ready with a proverb to fit the occasion -- also say “he who hesitates is lost.”

"TWO GLASS HOUSES AND TWENTY STONES"

(image taken from Public Domain Pictures)

So what the heck. Go ahead, arm yourself and take your best shot.



Remember, don't sign up until you've posted the entry on your site and link that entry directly (not your blog home page). In the meantime, leave a comment and let us know you're game!

Post as soon as you're ready, and we'll post a reminder on the 22nd. Voting begins on the 26th!

-10thDoM