Painting Fate: Fantasy

The letters were painted on smooth. Sun-tzu squinted through the magnifying glass that he held above the grain of rice, and after a long moment of study, he nodded his head in satisfaction. It was good. He had succeeded in painting every stroke perfectly, every character formed with intention and beauty. He set down the magnifying glass and looked up at his customer. "It is done," he said quietly. He knew that his life would end, now--it was that sort of client. He had prepared his son to follow in the trade, and he had warned him that one day, a client would come whose request would mean the end of his life. He hoped that he had trained his son to recognize that this was the way things were, not something to be grieved. Something to be hoped that it would be delayed, of course--

Inspiration: "Secret Message" by Rasputina--really inspired more by the little dialog she has before the live version.
Story Potential: High.
Notes: At first, I thought that he was painting a grain of rice that would be used as a component in some sort of magic, perhaps.... Perhaps. Perhaps something else. Either way, Oriental setting, magic, etc....I like.

Diplomatic Tickle: Science Fiction

The tickle at the bottoms of her feet moved up along the sides. She bit back a giggle. This was a serious diplomatic matter, and giggling would offend the Da'Shnir. It wasn't their fault that their rituals involved tangling foot tentacles in a manner that tickled any human foot that tried it. No doubt they thought that the humans had very sad, pathetic little tentacles, unable to grasp things well and not capable of fine manipulation. She bit her lip and tried to keep her sides from heaving as a feathery touch moved along the underside of her feet. She had only a little longer--

Inspiration: None.
Story Potential: Low.
Notes: Kinda cute idea, but not only does it not have legs, it takes the legs from other stories and destroys them.