Just giving this a "bump" since I am finding more and more situations where I miss having this capability. I guess it's because I have it on almost every other social site I am on except this one (and its NSFW sibling, of course).

Quote by OpheliaTusk

I was asking because circumstances like having spotty wifi, or having wifi cut off, because of not being able to pay a bill may prevent one from answering quickly and I wonder if circumstances like that are taken into consideration at all.

I imagine Molly would leave it out there and just go ahead with the announcement but I'm not sure. I suspect she would give it some time in hopes they were just away and would eventually respond. Hopefully she sees this and chimes (once again, we need tagging).

It's likely they would eventually get connected somehow. Libraries and similar institutions often have free wi-fi and encourage people in those situations to avail themselves of it (at least around here). Even the malls around here have it.

Lake cabin is more my speed. Remind me of my family cottage. Nicer scenery, too.

Read and relax or activities on the lake (canoeing, kayaking, whatever)?

Quote by WriterGirl

Fifteen glorious entries!

Who else is in? Me and my shrivelled grapes might finish last in this one, and that’s okay! A fun comp with a group of the best stories I’ve read in a while. All different, too.

Oo, thanks. I haven't got around to checking this morning. A couple more would be nice but 15 is a good number for this place.

Trek, though I am a bit tired of both. Both seem a bit past their expiry date (but I feel that way about some much newer franchises, too, like MCU).

Hit the dance floor at a party or just enjoy the music and company?

Quote by OpheliaTusk

Question - is there a time window to accept the prize money if you win? Like if it goes unclaimed after x amount of time it will be given to someone else?

Interesting question. Has anyone ever not accepted the prize money? Molly messages you before posting the results and I tend to reply fairly quickly to thank her and tell her how to send the award (PayPal in my case). But since one option is SS Coins, I would think that if someone didn't respond, they would default to adding it to their account in coins (which, of course, has only been an option for the past couple years). Watching for Molly's response.

Quote by WriterGirl
I poked him early on and he said he was looking at it.

Shouldn't you say you ... 😎 ... pinged him. 😀

And I am caught up again so more, please. 😊

Quote by rolandlytle

Tina Guo celloist

I love Tina. Fantastic cellist and utterly fearless in her choice of repertoire.

Traditional cello works (e.g. Elgar)? Check.

Movie soundtracks? Check

Rocking out to metal? Check

The latter is one of the inspirations for a story I wrote. Thought it would be my comp entry but went in another direction for that so it will come out later.

Tina actually co-wrote this with film composer Hans Zimmer. It's Wonder Woman's theme from the last round of DC movies (so Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman).

And some of the aforementioned metal, a collab with German band Lord of the Lost that will appear on their next album.

Quote by rolandlytle

Going to watch the Fantastic Four movie today. I hope it turns out well despite them screwing up the Silver Surfer storyline.

The buzz on rpg.net, where there are tons of comic books geeks, is generally positive. And the Surfer is apparently the best character for some of them. They're pretty happy with the FF, too, this time. And no one could possibly screw it up as badly as the 2007 Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Of those two, running. Not great runner but I'm definitely not a swimmer.

Binge a TV series or watch an episode at a time to stretch it out?

Quote by WriterGirl
I have still heard 2 more are possibly coming.

LOL. You mentioned that before so I assumed TheShyThespian was one of those. So still could be two more coming. This comp is doing well, for an SS comp. Like it. I still haven't caught up with the ones that came in after mine so this weekend I have some reading material.

Quote by CuriousAnnie
Good question, which in part depends on what you want to see.

Oo, thank you. Figured it would be a bit complicated given the size. It's interesting how many places are better to visit in Spring or Fall. Greece is like that. Summer is hot and crowded so a lot of people recommend May-June or Sept.-Oct. We're going in September.

I am ... winding down at the end of the day.

Check out the comp page, folks. Two more entries from TomEccleston and KatarinaTechGoddess. This is looking good. Still a week and a bit to go if you're not already entered.

And Kat's in, too, so we're up to 13. Keep going, folks. I'll get to the new ones tonight, I hope.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/realistic-fiction/jelly-belly-and-summer-dog

Cycling, though I don't even do much of that these days. Mostly walk/hike for exercise.

Scary story or cheery story?

More more more!!!! We wants more!!!!

Yeah, I've read all the entries now. Who else is joining in the fun. It's a good slate. I don't envy the judges having to pick three of them, even if I have thoughts on possible podium entries.

RIP, Ozzy. Rock on!!

There should be a choir for people like us. They'd have to lock us in a soundproof room to avoid noise complaints, but it would be fun. 😀

Quote by CuriousAnnie

Evening all, I've not been around these parts as much as I should. And like it's winter (I mean the temperature falls to 10 degrees C and there is no negative in front of that) and Molly wants a summer story. I've read all the entries and loved them, so many diverse takes on the theme. Do read mine if you haven't: The Rules of Attraction but most of all read all of the stories.

Take care xx

I am working up from the bottom (i.e. in order of submission) so I should hit yours tonight. We'll see. I didn't sleep well so might not be up for heavy reading tonight. 🤣 And I'll happily take your winter over mine. We do have the negative sign in front of the ten. 😕 When is the best season to visit Oz? Might get down there someday. One of the managers who report to me is going to New Zealand in November so I might start contemplating a trip down myself (to both countries).

Good morning! We are getting some nice weather right now. Which is good because as I write this, two guys are busily tearing up my driveway. First step towards replacing brick with concrete. Brick looks nice at first but it is prone to shifting and heaving, which makes it look like hell and leaves edges that catch the shovel when I'm clearing snow. Concrete should stay relatively pristine for the foreseeable future, hopefully until long after I've sold the place and moved on.

Fresh pot of Nicaraguan dark roast is brewed. There's Irish Breakfast and Buddha's Blend teas. Fresh lemonade and iced tea are in the fridge.

Have a good one!!

Welp, I'm over halfway through the comp entries. Loving it so far. So many approaches to the theme, too. From the love of baseball to some really nice, interesting romances. Keep 'em coming, folks. Still more than a week to go. 😊

"Beam me up, Bear," said WG as she stood sweating.

Quote by Sherzahd
I was born with the rhythm of a broken washing machine and the vocal range of a confused goose during mating season.

Yay. Someone else who makes self-deprecating comments about their musical abilities. 😊🤣

Quote by Meagananne1986

Remember, Mendalla. Molly told us the story doesn' t have to lead to romance. Your entry is very good!

Oh, that's not Calico Cupid I am talking about there. That story got dropped from being my comp entry fairly quickly. Besides the lack of any real connection with the theme, it probably needs a couple thousand words to be done right. It will go up after the comp and after the other story I decided not to enter, so maybe later in August. 😊

Quote by WriterGirl

The Odyssey due out next year.

I don't know. Nolan doing Homer is interesting but Damon as Odysseus? Not sure about that one. And Tom Holland might be getting a bit old for Telemachus but I can kind of see it.

I have had poems that I kind of set to tunes in my head but have never really set out to deliberately write a lyric. That said, I love a good lyric and some of my favourite lyricists are also published poets (Leonard Cohen, for instance) so I think the idea of approaching it as poetry is a sound one. If I was going to try writing lyrics, I would probably listen to and read the lyrics of some of my favourites in the style of music I was targeting to get into the mindset, then see what came out of me rather than thinking about it too much. The thinking would come afterward when I started editing and trying to make it fit a tune. But more likely, I would just write poetry that had a nice, regular pattern so could be fitted to a tune easily. Among my current poems, Spooky People is the one that I can most easily see becoming a song.

Quote by gillianleeza
It became an issue when we realized they have well water, and when the power is out, it can't pump water to the house.

Ugh. Been there, done that at our family cottage. Instead of well water, though, we're pumping water up from the lake into a treatment system. We didn't have showers there in my day, though. Just used the lake as a bathtub.

Mine is up!!

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/humor/calico-cupid

Quote by WriterGirl

And then there were ten! :worship:

And eleven is in the queue. 😊 (and maybe more, I can only speak to one)

Quartet. Piano is nice but I love hearing how the instruments in a small ensemble interact.

Modern (20-21st century) or "Classical" (19th and earlier) classical music?