I'll be going through and critiquing entries as well.

However I wanted to leave a synopsis for my entry before I do. Mostly because there seems to be confusion over the title and also out of fear for being disqualified for having no clear connection to the prompt.

[@PlatinumSkink]
Because I like titles that are ambiguous, I chose a title that was both thought provoking and served as a hint to the inspiration behind my piece. "Potatoes" refers to the popular toy and "Toy Story" characters [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/b/b4/Mr-and-mrs-potato-head-620x350.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140128191745]Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head[/url]. At the surface of my story, it's simply a day in the life of an office full of Potato Heads. Mr Potato Head is going around giving parts of himself to others where the others can just swap out broken parts for new ones.

[@SleepingSilence][@BrokenPromise][@Shienvien]
The prompt is heavily implied and to understand where it is, you have to understand the deeper meaning behind the interaction of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. The idea here is that he is giving himself to everyone and everyone is taking from him without stopping to wonder if maybe they should give something in return. If you notice he has no voice and that is done on purpose. The entire piece is Mrs. Potato Head explaining why she's standing in front of him. There are no breaks. No interruptions. No one is stopping her because essentially Mr. Potato Head can't. He doesn't have a mouth. In the same way that people who have given everything and received nothing in return feel defeated and drained, he too feels the same way. "There's nothing left." It's like he's dead. So when she gives him her smile, that's the major change... He's been given something in return. A smile or maybe a means to actually say what he wants to because he has a mouth now.

In our lives we often spend so much time taking from others and we never stop to give back. Giving someone the time to express how they feel can change their life. Giving someone something as simple as a smile can save a life.

I think that meaning is lost if I actually spelled out the change. Originally I had him speak. He was going to actually ask her out to get coffee once he got a mouth but although it would have been rather sweet, it also felt wrong. Once again he'd give her what she wanted (even though I suspect Mr. Potato Head actually wants to get coffee with Mrs. Potato Head). Also the same question from the start reappearing at the end created this circle that I wanted to avoid. Circles are nice but a new beginnings is about leaving that circle. The writer in me told me to just end it there, their final exchange the beginning of something entirely new. A change in their old routine ushering in a new relationship. Ushering in a new beginning.

It's not the most apparent connection to the prompt but I think discovering it makes it more powerful... plus the prompt itself did say "semi-obvious". So... after much internal debate, I entered it as is.

Of course thanks to all of you who critiqued my entry. I'm working on my critique for all of yours as well.