{"sf1_id":1968746,"sf2_id":"3egZGWd1","title":"Expansive Imprint - Thursday Writing Prompt","author":"LuMan","words":1219,"posted_at":"2023-03-23T16:06:00.000Z","tags":["Bovine","Bull","Comedy","Expansive Imprint","Fox","Sculpture","Thursday Writing Prompt","Todd","Vulpine","artist"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1968746-expansive-imprint-thursday-writing-prompt","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/3egZGWd1","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/df/f5/dff556f1-814a-45c7-9ea6-c0279b648613","description":"So, over on FA there's a group called \"Thursday Writing Prompt\". A group where you write a story every thursday based on a given word, phrase or image. I posted this story over there, and figured \"what the heck, why not share the love?\" So here it is, my take on this weeks theme: Expansive Imprint.\nCritiques are always appreciated.","content":"\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; There are faux pas, and then there are _faux pas._\u0026nbsp; Certain things one absolutely did not do.\u0026nbsp; For example, if you are touring someone else's \"artist loft\" as they call it, you are careful.\u0026nbsp; You do not touch things.\u0026nbsp; If you do touch things, you certainly don't go traipsing around with little regard to the owners property.\u0026nbsp; If you do, go traipsing around, you certainly have the dignity and respect to be careful and graceful with your traipsing.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; So leave it to Jonesy, A rather large bovine of a particular aloof nature and expanded waistline, to not only arrive at Alex's loft uninvited, but to begin touching everything.\u0026nbsp; Statues the grey fox had built with meticulous care - carving the details out of clay using his very own sharpened claws, Paintings that weren't quite dry yet, and even had the audacity to sit upon what he thought was a \"stool\" that turned out was Alex's very first art project.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You absolute ingrate,\" Alex shouted, pointing down at the ruined mess.\u0026nbsp; \"How could you!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I...I'm sorry,\" Jonesy said, bolting upright quickly.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Now, before I begin telling of the next events I must clarify that in all due respect, Alex had told him to stop by anytime in the past.\u0026nbsp; And it certainly wasn't Jonesy's fault that Alex had such a small work space.\u0026nbsp; His \"Artist Loft\" existed in the upper attic room of a cheap and old home, once owned by an eccentric old hound who enjoyed her clutter.\u0026nbsp; No one called her a hoarder, but when she died everyone did question why she needed decades of copies of old locally distributed magazines and newspapers.\u0026nbsp; Or why in the world anyone would keep a couch that was in such poor condition, it regularly \"swallowed\" any poor victim who sat in the middle of it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; It was small and cramped crap is what I'm saying, so it's only understandable what happened next.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jonesy bolted upright, shouting apologies and stepped backwards without looking where he was going.\u0026nbsp; His hoof landed on a broken easel (another victim of Jonesy's visit) and tumbled backwards, arms pinwheeling, his massive posterior crashing down upon something soft, and half formed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; A cry rose in Alex's throat.\u0026nbsp; His ears flattened on his skull.\u0026nbsp; There was a snarl on his muzzle and a twitch to his tail that Jonesy had never seen before.\u0026nbsp; Before you could shout \"Don't say it!\" It was out of his mouth.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You complete imbicile!\u0026nbsp; You stuttering graceless bafoon!\u0026nbsp; How dare you come trampling around my Artist Loft!\u0026nbsp; You destroy everything you touch, you bull-headed idiot!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jonesy winced at every word.\u0026nbsp; His ears folded back at the slur.\u0026nbsp; \"I am a bit of a klutz.\u0026nbsp; I'm sorry for that,\" he mumbled, his nose pointing downward.\u0026nbsp; \"I never mean to break anything.\u0026nbsp; I always pay for everything I break.\u0026nbsp; Does that warrant insulting me with such ugly words?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Alex took a deep breath, and sighed, blowing the air through his muzzle.\u0026nbsp; His lips rippled a bit as he did so.\u0026nbsp; \"Look, I'm sorry for saying it.\"\u0026nbsp; He replied.\u0026nbsp; \"But you positively destroyed my shop!\u0026nbsp; And right as I was about to give a prestigious critic a very important glance at my latest...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; **\\*BING BONG\\*** The doorbell chimed, interrupting the vulpine.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"work!\"\u0026nbsp; He shouted.\u0026nbsp; \"Oh my God what will I do?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Uh....I'll clean up!\"\u0026nbsp; Jonesy stammered.\u0026nbsp; \"Go downstairs and stall them!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; He flew down the steps, racing towards the front door as the door bell chimed loudly again.\u0026nbsp; Past the living room with its boxes of stuff still piled up, ready to be hauled away at some future date.\u0026nbsp; Past the relatively clean kitchen, through the dining room, over towards the front door.\u0026nbsp; Alex winced as he heard a rush and tumble of things from the attic being thrown together.\u0026nbsp; As he put his paw on the knob to open the door, there was a great _Crash_ that came from upstairs.\u0026nbsp; He half expected to hear Jonesy's deep voice declaring \"I'll pay for that,\" as he opened the door.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Why Olivia,\" Alex said with a smile.\u0026nbsp; \"I didn't expect to see you here so soon!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Oh,\" she said, \"Is it not two thirty?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The vulpine grasped her paw delicately and shook, before bending down to give her a kiss on the knuckle like a gentleman out of his own time.\u0026nbsp; The professionally dressed vixen had a bored look upon her, as she stepped inside the door with her nose held high, and ignored the gesture.\u0026nbsp; \"Please, Alex,\" She grumbled.\u0026nbsp; \"Just show me to the piece.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"B-but,\" Alex began as Oliva pushed past him with the barest of a flick of the tip of her tail.\u0026nbsp; \"Don't tell me you're one of THOSE guys, Alex.\u0026nbsp; I know the way up.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"B-but, I was going to make tea and discuss,\" he began, following closely behind her as his tail quickly began to tuck between his legs.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"And don't patronize me, young Todd,\" she sneered, dragging out the word 'Todd' to make it sound like the deepest insult.\u0026nbsp; \"Just show me the piece.\u0026nbsp; I haven't got all day!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"But, I need to talk about the inspiration!\u0026nbsp; Prepare you for what you're going to witness here.\"\u0026nbsp; Alex stammered, all the way up the steps.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Please,\" Olivia groaned, rolling her eyes as her ears folded backwards.\u0026nbsp; \"One does not need preparation for good art.\u0026nbsp; If I need to be prepared for it, I need to...\" she stopped, at the top the stairs to the art loft.\u0026nbsp; Jonesy sat back in the corner, opposite of the art piece, waving politely, a pile of things shoved behind him.\u0026nbsp; Opposite of him was the sculpture of a vixen.\u0026nbsp; Her hand was raised in the air, as if struggling beneath a weight.\u0026nbsp; Her body had been smashed by pair of massive cheeks and a thick, bovine tail.\u0026nbsp; Her top and legs were still discernable; looking as if she had been in mid-pose at the time of the incident.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I...I...\" Olivia stammered.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm speechless.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I can change a couple things,\" Alex said as quick as he could.\u0026nbsp; \"I can re-sculpt it if you just give me a little more...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;She rounded on him, her eyes flared with anger, her ears folded into her fur.\u0026nbsp; \"You will do no such thing!\"\u0026nbsp; She snarled.\u0026nbsp; \"You will not!\u0026nbsp; You will fire this piece, and present it as is!\u0026nbsp; It is perfect, you hear!\u0026nbsp; Once you got something perfect, _Todd,_ you DO not touch it.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Alex dropped his mouth open in surprise.\u0026nbsp; Of all the reactions he was expecting, this was certainly not it.\u0026nbsp; Laughing maybe.\u0026nbsp; Snickering perhaps.\u0026nbsp; The knowing nod of someone who has seen the worst an artist can possibly do, the quiet scribbling as the greatest possible insults a critic could muster is written down as fast as their brains could work.\u0026nbsp; All of that he expected.\u0026nbsp; But not praise.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"But what do you call this piece?\"\u0026nbsp; She asked, her head tilted quizzically.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Alex glanced over at Jonsey for a moment, taking in his massive waistline, his shy nature, and said the first thing that came to mind: \"Expansive Imprint.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n  \n\n"}