Weekly Creativity Challenge #4

Despite the initial suggestion that this contest would focus on knees and all their anatomical wonders, I was clearly joking. The actual topic is
THE QUEEN.
The recent interview featuring Prince Harry & Meghan Markle, hosted by the prominent Oprah, has sent shockwaves through global media. The royal family is reeling, Britons are revolted, and public opinion remains fractured. This drama serves merely as a springboard for our theme. Feel free to get creative—whether through prose, photography, links, or any other medium—to express your perspective on the Queen as an individual, the monarchy, history, or her specific role. Perhaps someone will find a symbolic connection to the knee... anyway, do you have a "queen" figure in your own household or family?

I know how talented and imaginative you all are. The regulars here certainly have plenty to say about this! 🙂🙏
Submissions are open until March 19th. Following midnight, we enter the election silence. Voting takes place throughout the weekend from March 2nd to the 21st.
If we want to make things easier on ourselves, we can just resort to copy-pasting rules.
The rules are straightforward: one post per user, one vote per person. The winner determines the next Weekly Challenge.
Deadlines are set by the moderator, who will also launch the poll. He might even need a manual on how to actually do this: as curated by Ruby Soho halfway down the page.

Enjoy yourselves. 🎉 🙂 🎉

Good grief, I’ve lost count!
Weekly Creativity Challenge 4: The Queen
hiddenmarlin14 has me stuck in the past 🤣

No worries, I fixed the title.

Can we use the word Queen in a different context, maybe something that isn't all about monarchy and snobbery?

It works in any context. You can interpret the word Queen however you want. Just chill and enjoy it.🍿

Charles Bailey2 said:No worries, I fixed the title.

Your hands are clean for once.😁
Thanks! The moderation team really keeps things running smoothly.🙂

Sarah Mendoza22 said:Can we use "Queen" in a different context, without it being tied to monarchy or elitism?

Of course. It seems this guy caught the point immediately. I suppose some people just have experience dealing with Queens.🤔

Megan Gray4 said:Sure, I guess... he caught the point immediately. Maybe the guy just has experience dealing with Queens. 🤔

He’s always got plenty of inspiration for any given topic. 😁

Good grief!
Where are my chat queens to spice things up?
🙂
There isn't even a king in sight...

Oh, please...
Give me a break, just give me a break.
Snow Queens 😁
This is just next level, honestly 😁... you've really picked a hell of a topic here. It’s easy for you, though—you’ll probably just head down to a local fish market in Seattle, snap a photo of some farmed sea bass, and try to pass it off as the Queen of the Ocean... you'd even claim it was wild-caught if you could get away with it. $67It says 64.99 a pound, but what am I supposed to do with that? If I had actually had a daughter, maybe I would've had a little princess on my hands, haha... but hey, we'll see. When some people can't even find a spark of romance or anything decent by springtime, how am I ever supposed to find someone worthy of being a queen... they'll show up eventually, I guess, haha

The Queen and the Politicians

She’s retired now. There was a time when she was the absolute terror of the music department—the longtime head honcho. She was a short woman with messy, indeterminate gray hair and eyes that could cut through you like a razor. She had this sharp little nose perched between two puffy cheeks and a smile—yeah, a smile—but it was always cynical and dismissive. Her figure was round, and she seemed to exist exclusively in shades of gray, wearing nothing but t-shirts and elastic-waist trousers, regardless of the season. Just basic tees and comfortable, baggy pants, all in gray, draped over a frame that was perhaps easier to overlook than to actually face. Yet, despite everything, she had long, elegant, slender fingers.
That year, we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of a major department at the university. It also happened to be the year the folks in D.C. tied up some "austerity packages," hinting that our specific department was on the chopping block. There were student protests, chaos, the whole nine yards.
What sticks in my mind is the concert held for that aforementioned anniversary. We had a massive project underway, and I was singing in a choir assembled specifically for the celebration.

The hall was packed; there wasn't a single empty seat. The front row was reserved for certain politicians who, by some stroke of luck, decided it was vital to show up, pay their respects to the university, and pretend they actually give a damn about cultural and musical heritage.

The concert kicked off. After the first choral piece, we remained standing on stage while one of those high-ranking politicians climbed up to a small lectern with a microphone. He began his speech. Then, suddenly, a small procession entered from the other side of the stage, walking with slow, solemn steps, heads bowed, carrying wreaths and a casket. And that little professor was among them. There was a stir in the audience, though I can't recall how the speaker reacted. They placed the casket in the center of the stage with wreaths on either side; the casket was marked with the department's name, its founding year, and the current year. Once everything was set, people approached the casket one by one, pausing to bow their heads as if it were an actual funeral service. The politicians in the front row sat right behind them.
Finally, the professor approached the casket. She removed her small black hat and bowed so deeply her head nearly touched the floor.

The politicians were right behind her. As she bowed toward the casket, she simultaneously gave them a full view of her backside, which was, for once, clad in wide black trousers.

From that day on, she wasn't just someone to fear. She became someone I truly admired.

The Queen...

well..it finally happened...

driftingmarlin44 said:Give me a break.
Total nonsense. Just total nonsense.
Snow Queens.😁
This isn't even a fair fight, it’s just ridiculous 😁..you’ve really picked a hell of a topic here..it’s easy for you, though. You could probably walk into a local Whole Foods, snap a picture of some farmed sea bass, and try to sell us on it being the "Queen of the Ocean." You’d probably claim it was wild-caught, too.$67 It’s priced at $64.99 a pound, and I’m left wondering what I’m supposed to do with that. If I had actually had a daughter, maybe she’d be a princess or something, haha..we’ll see about that. When some people can't even find a little bit of luck or love when spring rolls around, how am I ever supposed to have Nadoć for a queen..well, Nadoć will come eventually, I guess. hahaha

😁

The Queen without a crown
Hair smelling like tuna
Not even a ribbon to my name
Just making polenta for the kids
Stains on my shirt
My nerves are frayed
The baby won't sleep
I feel like a total wreck
And then you show up
Telling me I look beautiful
Saying the smell of fish doesn't even bother you
And that I’m the queen of your world

Drew Ross2 said:An unsung queen
Hair smells like canned tuna
Not even wearing a headband
Making cornmeal for the kids
Stains on my shirt
My nerves are shot
The baby won't sleep
Feeling like a total mess
Then you show up
And tell me I look gorgeous
That the tuna smell doesn't even bother you
And that I'm the queen of your world

Elizabeth for friends of luxury III 😁

I’m really enjoying N/A’s story—it’s quite impressive 👍

What a total reversal! Three applications 🎉
N/A, I am curious about how much truth actually exists in your story 👍

N/A, king. 🙏🙏

When N/A is involved, everyone else might want to stay home to avoid the embarrassment. 😳

Megan Gray4 said:Wow, what a plot twist! Three different reports 🎉
N/A, I'm curious how much truth is actually in your story 👍

My parents raised me to be honest, so in my eyes, that professor really was who she said she was, and the whole thing happened 🙂—or at least, that’s how I remember it 🙂 😍

EDIT: Chloe Cooper10, that professor was legendary 😉 and towards the end of my studies, we had a talk about a certain awkward situation; she went out of her way to help me out, even though she didn't have to and I hadn't earned it 🙂

hiddenmarlin14 said:My parents raised me to value nothing but the truth, 🙂 so from my perspective, that professor is exactly who she seems, and what happened actually occurred, 🙂 or at least, that’s how I remember it. 😍

EDIT: Mia, that professor is legendary 😉 and toward the end of my degree, we had a talk about an uncomfortable situation; she was incredibly accommodating, even though she wasn't obligated to be and I hadn't earned it. 🙂

Forget the professor. When you write for those challenges, you just sweep everything else aside. 🙂 You're clearly a natural at this. 🙂