Hey! This is where I'll post examples for the Challenge of the Week OωO You can post your own responses to the challenge of the week here as well, or submit them via a project or a comment/ comment chain on the studio!

(Challenge of the Week is a weekly activity in the studio, for which you have to create a piece of writing based on a given theme, word, phrase etc. The best story/ poem/ prompt etc. will receive 10 points. The person with the most points altogether by the end of the week will be the Writer of the Week. You can gain extra points by: writing tips (+2), writing three prompts within a week (+1), engaging with QOTD (+2) and putting the WOTW in a prompt (+1). Good luck!)

Want to participate?

This forum is solely for members of the Writers Unite studio to post their COTW responses. If you would like to join in with these challenges, please go to the studio and say the dedication pledge – which can be found in the description – to join! Here's the link: https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/4405831/

Keep writing, y'all! UᵔᴥᵔU

COTW: Write a story based on the word ‘reflection’.

Example:

“It'll take more than to get the best of me,” He cackled. “I'll give you one last chance.”
“Fine,” Adira gritted her teeth, preparing herself for what she knew would be the hardest challenge yet. “What is it?”
“Tell me, dear sister, are you good at riddles?”
“If it's coming from you, brother, I'm sure it won't be too difficult,” Adira grinned, creating an orb of light and tossing it from hand to hand. “Bring it on.”
“Alright then,” Haloi smirked. "You'll only have ten seconds to solve the riddle and avoid the attack. Are you ready?“
”As ready as I'll ever be,“ Adira answered. ”Hit me.“
”I hope you're prepared,“ Haloi made an orb of darkness in his hand, building it up until it was relatively big. ”Now, here's the riddle; I follow you everywhere you go, but you can't always see me. From outside I am created solely by light and I can be seen, but I cannot make a sound. From inside I can only make a sound and I cannot be seen. In both cases, I can be redirected. What am I?“
”Wait, what d-?“
”Ten… Nine…"

You've got to be kidding me right now…!

“…Six… Five…”
“Wait, can you say the riddle again?”
“…Three…”

Think, Adira! Hurry!

“…One… Zero!” Haloi exclaimed, smiling smugly as he forced the orb to stop milliseconds before it hit his sister, causing it to disappear into the air. "Well, well… It would seem that you're not quite ready to try to join the legion, Adira.“
”Aw, seriously? I worked so hard for this!“
”Keep training, little sister,“ Haloi laughed. ”Maybe next year, eh?“
”Yeah…“ Adira sighed. She wrinkled her nose as a question entered her mind. ”Hey, Haloi?“
”Yes?“
”What was the answer to the riddle?“
”Reflection.“
”Reflection? I don't get it.“
”In order to activate the power you needed to avoid getting hit, you had to answer the riddle correctly. A reflection, outside your mind, is caused by light bouncing of a surface. However, within your mind it is a detailed, long track of thoughts considering something. Both can be redirected, via interruption. Had you figured that out, you would have been able to use your powers to reflect the orb before it hit.“
”Yeah, thanks. I hardly understood a word you said, but I'll figure it out someday. However long it may take.“
”Sure you will,“ Haloi rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. ”Let's get out of this clearing now; I'm starving."

°✿｡✯.*ﾟ+✧
Yee, so that's what I came up with XD I posted this a little (okay, very late ( ͡°ᴥ ͡° ʋ) Sorry XDD), but oh well. The word ‘reflection’ was my basis for the riddle, as an explicit use. For a more implicit use, it was implied that Adira would have to mentally reflect on herself and her abilities ('I'll figure it out someday. However long it may take'. The first sentence is implying she will think about it, and the second sentence is a connotation to how long reflecting usually is, linked to Haloi's line of ‘…within your mind it is a detailed, long track of thoughts considering something’) so she could join the legion soneday.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this short story I created. I have no idea how or why the word reflection made me create this, but COTW is supposed to get your brain ready for writing, and enhance your ideas, so I guess it makes sense XD

Bai! OωO

more of a prompt than a story i guess, but…. here we go!

“look. see. see who you really are, behind your wall of lies and pretence. for how can you understand other people, when you don't even understand yourself?”

I swallowed numbly, as the words echoed around my mind, like a tiny drop of water tumbling into a cave. that's how i felt, small, insignificant, a naive nobody tumbling headfirst into a world too big for me.
And yet.. here i was, stood between to mirrors, staring into the infinite expanse between them. infinite duplicates of the small gap between them, stretching out into the distance, forever and ever.
I could see my reflection. I could see my reflection's reflection. i looked into my eyes, and a million eyes looked back.
which was real? i caught myself thinking, as i stared into the darkness of my eyes, which one is the real me? are any of these real? or is this all just a reflection? Am i nothing more than a reflection of a memory, or a stray thought?
The darkness of my pupils seemed to swallow me, and in that instant i saw everything. I saw me, staring into my reflection, seeing myself reflected in my own eyes. Forever. infinite copies of me… infinite people like me.
I took a deep breath, and pulled my gaze away, stepping out from between the two mirrors as i did.
Infinite worlds, infinite space, forever… but there was only one me. maybe this world is just a reflection of another, maybe i'm trapped in someone else's memory, or maybe i'm not. I'll never know. but there's one thing i do know.
I am real.
And now i understand.


welp, there ya go. that was kind of a mess XD but enjoy reading about my random character having an existential crisis from standing between two mirrors. by the way, have you ever tried doing that? it's so weird, but really cool XD just being able to see infinite clones of you stretching off into the distance.

This is probably a little on the darker side, but… here you go!

I kneel at the side of a lake, my breath creating clouds in the air. It's quiet, only the occasional warble of a bird. The ice that covers the lake is as smooth and clear as glass. Leaning closer, I gently touch my fingers to it. My eyes meet the eyes of my reflection, and I feel a searing pain between my brows. I let out a sharp cry, and everything goes dark.
I awake to the feeling of floating. Looking around, I notice something strange. I'm no longer on land. Instead, I'm surrounded by water. When I glance down, I notice that deep below me, there's the bottom of a lake. Reeds wave back and forth, slowly, and eerie music arises from crevices. I shiver, but not from the cold. Something moves below me. I tear my eyes away and look up.
Terror rips through me. I'm under the ice. Trapped. I push my fingers against it, waiting for it to budge, but it doesn't. I push harder. Still nothing, not even a crack. Finally, I slam my fist as hard as I can against it, my last resort. But nothing happens. I want to cry, to scream, to do something. Only there's nothing I can do. Any remaining hope drains from me, and I look towards the sky, to see the sun one more time. That's when I notice the figure above me.
It's me.
No, not me. My reflection.
They grin at me, and my face contorts itself into the same grin. They raise their arm, and mine shoots up like a puppet. Horrified, I watch as they clap their hands together. I copy them step by step, perfectly.
I'm a puppet. Attached by invisible strings, controlled by my reflection. I am helpless. Alone. They move, I copy them. They talk, my mouth moves. Every single thing they do- I must do as well.
They turn to move away, and I realize as they walk back towards land, I'm being pulled along with them. By my feet. My feet! I push away from them, trying to break the bond that keeps us together. I reach and grab my boot- maybe it's the shoes that keep us together- and I watch as my reflection does the same.
So I still have some control! This thought fills me with hope, and I let go of my boot, a plan forming in my head. It will be hard, but possible. Quickly, before my reflection controls me again, I swim into a kneeling position. They copy me, and I notice the fear in their eyes. I reach hesitantly for the ice, take a deep breath, and look straight into their eyes.
A burst of pain- a sharp cry- and-
Darkness.
My eyes flutter open, and I groan. I'm lying on the ice, my arms spread-eagled. The realization that I'm not underwater anymore hits me like a thunderbolt, and I gasp. Quickly, I stand up and look at my reflection. They are motionless, and when I raise my arm, they copy me. I sigh gratefully, relieved that my plan worked.
It's quiet again, only the occasional warble of a bird. The ice that I stand on is smooth and clear as glass, and my breath creates clouds in the air. A slight smiles curves my lips as I step back onto shore, and begin to walk towards home.

Well, that was definitely dark, I honestly wasn't expecting to write something that creepy but it was the best I could come up with. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about my character who was just controlled by their reflection. :)

@cjbspider

woah, thats so good! :0 i love the idea… and now i feel really bad for my reflection XD
or wait… am i the reflection??

I would do this but I don't have any ideas

Puffin43 wrote:

@cjbspider

woah, thats so good! :0 i love the idea… and now i feel really bad for my reflection XD
or wait… am i the reflection??

Thanks!

Uh so this is a true story

Keep a smile on your face.

That was rule #1 of How To Fit In, a book I’d made in my mind. It was to shield the pain that I had accumulated in the previous years.

Oh my goodness. Middle School. I am so not ready. I’d have to do everything virtual, while my “friends”(yeah, right) were in-person, risking their lives.

My face was weird. Pimples dotted my face, and I dreamed of the face cream my parents would never get me.

I wanted to scream. I wasn’t content with the body I had, and the only thing I was good at was lying. That was me. A weirdo.

And yet as I looked at my reflection, I got a flashback of all the bad things that happened to me. I’d been gossiped about last year. I tried to be brave, but had gotten betrayed the year before that. And 3rd grade… let’s not. Okay?

Most people said, “It's not that hard! Elementary school was nothing.” I'd look them dead in the eye, and say, “You don't know what I've been through.” They'd leave it at that.

But I couldn’t cry. I wouldn’t feel sorry for myself. I held my head high.

And I made sure of it.

Hey y'all! New week, new challenge, new story to tell! For those of you who haven't seen yet, this week's COTW is to write a story with the prompt: One day you woke up tied up in your old bedroom. Your younger self walks into the room and demands that you tell them the truth. The second strangest thing is, you don't recall doing this when you were younger…

Here's the slightly dark, confusing, weird and wonderful idea I came up with for this week! XD

°✿｡✯.*ﾟ+✧

“Please let me go… I've been here for far too long now…”
"What? You dare to defy me? I told you not to ask for such a foolish thing again!“ A voice growled back. It felt both familiar and foreign at the same time, though I couldn't fully recognize it.

All I knew was that I didn't like the hint of menace it portrayed.

”You will stay here until you regain the ability to leave,“ The voice continued. ”If you do not, you will simply stay here forever. It's all down to you.“
”But where will I go when I leave?“
”Your ability is fading. If you want to go back, you must hurry.“
”Go back where?“ I mumbled. ”I don't know anywhere else but here…" The darkness tightened its grip on me, the decision made.

It wrapped me within its folds, determined to keep me there for all eternity. I no longer knew why I was there or how I got there; I just knew – from somewhere deep within – that somehow, I didn't belong.

I wasn't meant to be part of this world.

Yet I made no effort to separate myself from the eerily comforting shadows that had embedded me into their harmony, clutching onto me, begging me to stay.

Should I stay? I pondered. Or should I leave? Which was the right thing to do?

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open for what felt like the first time in an eternity. It took a while for my eyes to fully adjust to the light, but when they did I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

I was in my old room.

But how? This house burnt down years ago…

Naturally, I wanted to get up and walk around. To see everything again, to touch everything again… Just to be around the precious things I'd thought I had to give up forever once again. But there was one teeny tiny issue that was preventing me from doing so.

I was tied up.

Considering how my wrists and ankles ached as a result of the ropes that were binding them, I was flabbergasted by the fact it had taken the desire to walk around for me to realize that I was tied up and gagged.

In a bedroom that had been burnt to the ground seven years ago.

On a hard, wooden floor.

How oblivious could I get? I mean, surely even I should have been able to notice something like this.

Then again, I just failed to do exactly that.

How long have I been here? How did I even get here? Is this some kind of crazy dream? I spent a moment thinking the last question over. No, it can't be. These ropes really hurt. But if it's not a dream, how is it possible.

My hope for answers ignited when the bedroom door slowly opened.

I blinked, expecting to see some futuristic time traveller, or a wizard, something completely unexpected, unordinary, and illogical.

Well, what I got was definitely all those things, but not in the way I had expected.

“You're awake now? Awesome!” A younger me gushed. He, no I – no… Ugh, what am I supposed to call a younger version of myself?

Anyway, he took the gag, which turned out be some kind of kitchen cloth.

Ew.

"First of all, how dare you put that dirty cloth on my face? Secondly, how am I here? Thi-“
”Shh!“ Younger me hissed. ”You ask too many questions!“
”Well, if you were the one tied up in the corner, you'd want answers too!“
”Yeah, but I'm not the one tied up in the corner. So unless you want to keep those ropes on, you'd better be quiet and listen to what I have to say.“
”What are you, eight? You're talking to the older, smarter and better looking version of yourself you know.“
”What? ‘Older, smarter and better looking’?“ Eight year old me scoffed. ”I've seen trees that are smarter and better looking than you. Geez, this is what I'm going to end up as? I pity myself."

I was definitely not like this when I was a kid… I frowned. And I certainly don't remember kidnapping fifteen year old me as a kid either… What's going on?

"..-And for your information, I'm nine.“
”Wait, what?“ I gaped. ”But the fire happend when I was eight! This whole place burnt down!“
”Oh, yeah, that. I may, or may not have something to do with that…“
”What do you mean?“
”Seriously? You're the one who gave me these stupid powers!“
”Powers? There's no such thing as superhumans.“
”Enough with the act! I'm not messing around pretending that we're the same person anymore! I've tied you up in here for a reason, and now that you've been awake for a while, I think it's time to cut to the chase. What did you do?“
”What did I do? You're the one who brought me back in time, tied me up and-“
”Stop avoiding the question! What did you do with everyone? Where are my parents? Bring them back!“
”Now you're just spurting out nonsense! I-“
”I said enough with the act," Eight – no, nine – year old me growled. His eyes began to glow, changing from their usual forest green color to a bright purple. “Now, I'll only ask your one more time. Where. Are. They?”
“I-I don't know what you're talking about…!”
“Don't waste my time like this. I know you took them. You're the only person with enough power to do something like this.”
“But I don't-”
“Dustin Ace Thorington. That's your name. More commonly known by your code name ‘Dark Venom’. You travel between different time eras and dimensions, manipulating people into unknowingly helping you erase all the Power Holders, and in some cases, everyone in that era or dimension. I was the last Power Holder left. I only figured it out when it was too late. But you can I only achieve your goal of you take back the powers you gave me.”
“For the last time, I-”
“Obviously you can't win now that you're tied up in the corner of my room.” Well, it's my room, actually, but okay. “Kid, I don't know what-”
"Give it up, Venom! Can't you see that it's over? I got the best of you! I dragged you out of the dimension you were hiding in and tied you up in here! I took the Energy Store from your wrist!" He took the silver watch I'd gotten on my thirteenth birthday out of his pocket and dangled it in front of me.

Being in the situation I was in, I couldn't help but notice that it glowed a dull golden color each time it got particularly close.

Hmm… Peculiar…

“Look, younger version of me-”
"Did you hit your head or something in that other dimension? I. Am. Not. You.“
”We literally look identical! Green eyes, black hair, a mole under our right eye-“

The younger ‘me’ shapeshifted into a kid with blonde hair, dark violet eyes and skin that was a couple of shades paler than mine. ”Oh. So if you're not me and I'm not you, what are we doing here in-"

Raising an eyebrow, the unidentified, unnamed kid somehow made the room transform into something entirely different as well.

Well… At least that makes a little more sense now.

"What is room?“
”Don't play dumb. I know you've seen the Store room thousands of times; more times than I have. It's literally where you store all the power you steal.“
”I've told you that I don't s-“
”I don't recall you denying anything I said about you earlier.“
”Yeah, well that's because everything you said was completely absurd.“
”So I take it your name isn't Dustin Ace Thorington?“
”Well… It is, but that's the only thing that's true. I-“
”If you don't tell me how to get everyone back, I'll-“
”I'd be careful with what you plan, if I were you,“ I smirked. ”If you hurt me in any way I might not be able to tell you ‘what I did with everyone’.“
”So you're finally admitting it," The kid frowned, narrowing his eyes. Uh-oh… That backfired. Big time. “Alright then. Tell me where everyone is.”
“Untie me first.”
“What, you think I'm stupid? The second I let you go, you'll finish what you've started! Stop with the games and tell me how to get everyone back.”
“Okay, fine you win,” I sighed, pretending to be somewhat irritated. The boy's eyes lit up, and his eyes finally stopped glowing. “All you have to do is send me back to the dimension you kidnapped me from.”
“Really? Knowing you, that's probably a lie. It's never that simple.”
“Well, this time it is.”
“I don't believe you.”
“Look kid, if you wanna see everyone again you'd better just do as I tell you to. You know what I can be capable of…”

Wow, I really need to get a career in acting!

“Fine. But if you've lied to me, you'll regret it. This is your last chance.” I remained silent, daring to glare straight at the boy, determined not to be the one who broke eye contact. “You were warned.”

*

My alarm clock woke me up at eight thirty, the same way it did every morning.

I yawned, turning it off. I couldn't hear my sisters' usual bickering or my brother's yelling. Maybe they were still asleep?

Strange… I'm usually the last to wake up. Eh. Whatever.

It was only as I was getting out of bed that I remembered about the weird dream I'd had. My right hand was absent-mindedly rubbing left wrist, and it was then that I noticed that the marks from the ropes were still there.

I gulped.

There was someone ringing the doorbell. I looked outside to try to catch a glimpse of who it was, but to no avail. Unlike most other days, there was nobody on the street. No stray cats, no young children chasing each other, no friends catching up; nothing.

Before I had the time to fully process everything, the doorbell had stopped ringing, and there was someone knocking on my bedroom door again.

I shrank back, ending up in the corner.

Something wasn't right about all this.

Just as that thought entered my mind, a voice that was both familiar and yet foregin spoke. “I thought I told you,” It growled, "Not to lie to me…"

°✿｡✯.*ﾟ+✧

Yeah, so that's what my slightly insane self created XD I honestly was not expecting this story to take such a turn when I started writing it, and it was quite a bit longer than I'd originally expected, but I guess that's the wonder of story writing; you never know where your stories will take you.

Well, I hope you were able to enjoy my nonsense XD

Now go forth and seek your story's path on a new adventure! XD Keep writing! UᵔᴥᵔU

JollofRice123 wrote:

Hey y'all! New week, new challenge, new story to tell! For those of you who haven't seen yet, this week's COTW is to write a story with the prompt: One day you woke up tied up in your old bedroom. Your younger self walks into the room and demands that you tell them the truth. The second strangest thing is, you don't recall doing this when you were younger…

Here's the slightly dark, confusing, weird and wonderful idea I came up with for this week! XD

°✿｡✯.*ﾟ+✧

“Please let me go… I've been here for far too long now…”
"What? You dare to defy me? I told you not to ask for such a foolish thing again!“ A voice growled back. It felt both familiar and foreign at the same time, though I couldn't fully recognize it.

All I knew was that I didn't like the hint of menace it portrayed.

”You will stay here until you regain the ability to leave,“ The voice continued. ”If you do not, you will simply stay here forever. It's all down to you.“
”But where will I go when I leave?“
”Your ability is fading. If you want to go back, you must hurry.“
”Go back where?“ I mumbled. ”I don't know anywhere else but here…" The darkness tightened its grip on me, the decision made.

It wrapped me within its folds, determined to keep me there for all eternity. I no longer knew why I was there or how I got there; I just knew – from somewhere deep within – that somehow, I didn't belong.

I wasn't meant to be part of this world.

Yet I made no effort to separate myself from the eerily comforting shadows that had embedded me into their harmony, clutching onto me, begging me to stay.

Should I stay? I pondered. Or should I leave? Which was the right thing to do?

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open for what felt like the first time in an eternity. It took a while for my eyes to fully adjust to the light, but when they did I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

I was in my old room.

But how? This house burnt down years ago…

Naturally, I wanted to get up and walk around. To see everything again, to touch everything again… Just to be around the precious things I'd thought I had to give up forever once again. But there was one teeny tiny issue that was preventing me from doing so.

I was tied up.

Considering how my wrists and ankles ached as a result of the ropes that were binding them, I was flabbergasted by the fact it had taken the desire to walk around for me to realize that I was tied up and gagged.

In a bedroom that had been burnt to the ground seven years ago.

On a hard, wooden floor.

How oblivious could I get? I mean, surely even I should have been able to notice something like this.

Then again, I just failed to do exactly that.

How long have I been here? How did I even get here? Is this some kind of crazy dream? I spent a moment thinking the last question over. No, it can't be. These ropes really hurt. But if it's not a dream, how is it possible.

My hope for answers ignited when the bedroom door slowly opened.

I blinked, expecting to see some futuristic time traveller, or a wizard, something completely unexpected, unordinary, and illogical.

Well, what I got was definitely all those things, but not in the way I had expected.

“You're awake now? Awesome!” A younger me gushed. He, no I – no… Ugh, what am I supposed to call a younger version of myself?

Anyway, he took the gag, which turned out be some kind of kitchen cloth.

Ew.

"First of all, how dare you put that dirty cloth on my face? Secondly, how am I here? Thi-“
”Shh!“ Younger me hissed. ”You ask too many questions!“
”Well, if you were the one tied up in the corner, you'd want answers too!“
”Yeah, but I'm not the one tied up in the corner. So unless you want to keep those ropes on, you'd better be quiet and listen to what I have to say.“
”What are you, eight? You're talking to the older, smarter and better looking version of yourself you know.“
”What? ‘Older, smarter and better looking’?“ Eight year old me scoffed. ”I've seen trees that are smarter and better looking than you. Geez, this is what I'm going to end up as? I pity myself."

I was definitely not like this when I was a kid… I frowned. And I certainly don't remember kidnapping fifteen year old me as a kid either… What's going on?

"..-And for your information, I'm nine.“
”Wait, what?“ I gaped. ”But the fire happend when I was eight! This whole place burnt down!“
”Oh, yeah, that. I may, or may not have something to do with that…“
”What do you mean?“
”Seriously? You're the one who gave me these stupid powers!“
”Powers? There's no such thing as superhumans.“
”Enough with the act! I'm not messing around pretending that we're the same person anymore! I've tied you up in here for a reason, and now that you've been awake for a while, I think it's time to cut to the chase. What did you do?“
”What did I do? You're the one who brought me back in time, tied me up and-“
”Stop avoiding the question! What did you do with everyone? Where are my parents? Bring them back!“
”Now you're just spurting out nonsense! I-“
”I said enough with the act," Eight – no, nine – year old me growled. His eyes began to glow, changing from their usual forest green color to a bright purple. “Now, I'll only ask your one more time. Where. Are. They?”
“I-I don't know what you're talking about…!”
“Don't waste my time like this. I know you took them. You're the only person with enough power to do something like this.”
“But I don't-”
“Dustin Ace Thorington. That's your name. More commonly known by your code name ‘Dark Venom’. You travel between different time eras and dimensions, manipulating people into unknowingly helping you erase all the Power Holders, and in some cases, everyone in that era or dimension. I was the last Power Holder left. I only figured it out when it was too late. But you can I only achieve your goal of you take back the powers you gave me.”
“For the last time, I-”
“Obviously you can't win now that you're tied up in the corner of my room.” Well, it's my room, actually, but okay. “Kid, I don't know what-”
"Give it up, Venom! Can't you see that it's over? I got the best of you! I dragged you out of the dimension you were hiding in and tied you up in here! I took the Energy Store from your wrist!" He took the silver watch I'd gotten on my thirteenth birthday out of his pocket and dangled it in front of me.

Being in the situation I was in, I couldn't help but notice that it glowed a dull golden color each time it got particularly close.

Hmm… Peculiar…

“Look, younger version of me-”
"Did you hit your head or something in that other dimension? I. Am. Not. You.“
”We literally look identical! Green eyes, black hair, a mole under our right eye-“

The younger ‘me’ shapeshifted into a kid with blonde hair, dark violet eyes and skin that was a couple of shades paler than mine. ”Oh. So if you're not me and I'm not you, what are we doing here in-"

Raising an eyebrow, the unidentified, unnamed kid somehow made the room transform into something entirely different as well.

Well… At least that makes a little more sense now.

"What is room?“
”Don't play dumb. I know you've seen the Store room thousands of times; more times than I have. It's literally where you store all the power you steal.“
”I've told you that I don't s-“
”I don't recall you denying anything I said about you earlier.“
”Yeah, well that's because everything you said was completely absurd.“
”So I take it your name isn't Dustin Ace Thorington?“
”Well… It is, but that's the only thing that's true. I-“
”If you don't tell me how to get everyone back, I'll-“
”I'd be careful with what you plan, if I were you,“ I smirked. ”If you hurt me in any way I might not be able to tell you ‘what I did with everyone’.“
”So you're finally admitting it," The kid frowned, narrowing his eyes. Uh-oh… That backfired. Big time. “Alright then. Tell me where everyone is.”
“Untie me first.”
“What, you think I'm stupid? The second I let you go, you'll finish what you've started! Stop with the games and tell me how to get everyone back.”
“Okay, fine you win,” I sighed, pretending to be somewhat irritated. The boy's eyes lit up, and his eyes finally stopped glowing. “All you have to do is send me back to the dimension you kidnapped me from.”
“Really? Knowing you, that's probably a lie. It's never that simple.”
“Well, this time it is.”
“I don't believe you.”
“Look kid, if you wanna see everyone again you'd better just do as I tell you to. You know what I can be capable of…”

Wow, I really need to get a career in acting!

“Fine. But if you've lied to me, you'll regret it. This is your last chance.” I remained silent, daring to glare straight at the boy, determined not to be the one who broke eye contact. “You were warned.”

*

My alarm clock woke me up at eight thirty, the same way it did every morning.

I yawned, turning it off. I couldn't hear my sisters' usual bickering or my brother's yelling. Maybe they were still asleep?

Strange… I'm usually the last to wake up. Eh. Whatever.

It was only as I was getting out of bed that I remembered about the weird dream I'd had. My right hand was absent-mindedly rubbing left wrist, and it was then that I noticed that the marks from the ropes were still there.

I gulped.

There was someone ringing the doorbell. I looked outside to try to catch a glimpse of who it was, but to no avail. Unlike most other days, there was nobody on the street. No stray cats, no young children chasing each other, no friends catching up; nothing.

Before I had the time to fully process everything, the doorbell had stopped ringing, and there was someone knocking on my bedroom door again.

I shrank back, ending up in the corner.

Something wasn't right about all this.

Just as that thought entered my mind, a voice that was both familiar and yet foregin spoke. “I thought I told you,” It growled, "Not to lie to me…"

°✿｡✯.*ﾟ+✧

Yeah, so that's what my slightly insane self created XD I honestly was not expecting this story to take such a turn when I started writing it, and it was quite a bit longer than I'd originally expected, but I guess that's the wonder of story writing; you never know where your stories will take you.

Well, I hope you were able to enjoy my nonsense XD

Now go forth and seek your story's path on a new adventure! XD Keep writing! UᵔᴥᵔU

Whoa that’s l o n g

Once again, a challenge I literally can't do because 1~ me now would just give smol me a lecture on OC making and 2~ HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING FOR THIS (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻

dinoqueen wrote:

Once again, a challenge I literally can't do because 1~ me now would just give smol me a lecture on OC making and 2~ HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING FOR THIS (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻

That's why it's a challenge XD

JollofRice123 wrote:

dinoqueen wrote:

Once again, a challenge I literally can't do because 1~ me now would just give smol me a lecture on OC making and 2~ HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING FOR THIS (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻

That's why it's a challenge XD

An annoying challenge ಠಗಠ

Also- this is unrelated but it's pOSSIBLE AND GOOD HECCING GORB I SERIOUSLY HOPE NOT

dinoqueen wrote:

JollofRice123 wrote:

dinoqueen wrote:

Once again, a challenge I literally can't do because 1~ me now would just give smol me a lecture on OC making and 2~ HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING FOR THIS (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻

That's why it's a challenge XD

An annoying challenge ಠಗಠ

Also- this is unrelated but it's pOSSIBLE AND GOOD HECCING GORB I SERIOUSLY HOPE NOT

Lol, true.

dinoqueen wrote:

JollofRice123 wrote:

dinoqueen wrote:

Once again, a challenge I literally can't do because 1~ me now would just give smol me a lecture on OC making and 2~ HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING FOR THIS (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻

That's why it's a challenge XD

An annoying challenge ಠಗಠ

Also- this is unrelated but it's pOSSIBLE AND GOOD HECCING GORB I SERIOUSLY HOPE NOT

LOL I literally like cannot do this-

Here's my inane 1,185 word long thingy.
One day you woke up tied up in your old bedroom. Your younger self walks into the room and demands that you tell them the truth. The second strangest thing is, you don't recall doing this when you were younger…

I open my eyes sluggishly. My mind explodes in confusion. I am seeing my oldest memory. I am looking up at the ceiling that was in my room when I was 3. I had only ever brought up blurry colors before, but this seemed real. There are fairies floating around in a perfectly blue sky. They seem to be playing hide and seek in the clouds. There’s some unicorns too. I blink, and nothing changes. I try to move my hand to pinch myself. That’s when I realize I’m tied up in the rope that I pulled my dog around in as a six year old. Then I feel the strange tingling sensation I’ve felt off and on ever since I was six.
I start to panic. “Is anyone there!? Help! Help me I’m stuck!” I yell. “I know that.” Says a soft voice with a hint of malice, that seems to be all around me. “Where are you?” I ask, confused. “Right now I’m in a couple places. I’m watching TV in another house, I’m here in this room with you, and I’m following a tour of an Ancient Egyptian Pyramid.” The voice answered. “How can you be in multiple places at once?” I wonder out loud. “Because I’m not a physical anymore, and because I learned how.” That’s creepy. I think. “Who are you then?” I ask. The voice laughed now. “You of all people should know that!” “Why?” “I am you.” “WHAT?!” I scream. “Yes” Different Me replied. “How?” I breathed. “Let me tell you a story….” Different Me said.
“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Silvia Rose Smith-” “But that’s me!” I interrupted. “SHUSH!” Different Me shrieked. I fell silent. “And Silvia Rose Smith looked up to a certain Mrs Olean who was very smart and ran a blog that she read out loud on her very own TV show. The blogs were about random topics. Silvia Rose Smith greatly respected and believed Mrs Olean’s word. If Mrs Olean read in a blog that black and purple are the same color, Silvia Rose Smith would believe it. Saturday, September 8, she did a blog on fantasy things. She gathered opinions of many people smarter than herself.
‘And so now I shall conclude this blog with the fact that fantasy is fantasy, fiction is fiction, fairy tales are fairy tales, and fairies, witches, wizards, unicorns, pegasuses, and all other mystical things are not real.’ Those were her very words. Many people thought that that blog was a waste of time, for everyone already knew everything that Mrs Olean had said. But young Silvia Rose Smith had wanted to be a mystic master when she grew up, and had a true passion for reading fantasy that was much beyond her level of reading. But when she heard this, she accepted what Mrs Olean said, simply because it was Mrs Olean saying it.
That day, Silvia Rose Smith gave up her passion, and a part of herself, she gave up a part of her soul, and went on with her life without fairies. And so she had her ceiling painted pale gray, which was her favorite color. And it was Mrs Olean’s favorite color. The End. So, Silvia, do you know who I am now?” I looked around the room, looking for Different Me in horror. “You’re the part of my soul, the part that I lost.” I whispered in horror. “Yes.” Part Of My Soul said cruelly. “I am your lost passion for mystical things.” “Then how did you get powers?” “I’m not a superhero!” “How did you survive without me?” “Because of your passion, I wanted to learn. You remember that passion still, yes?”
I thought back to when I was young. Memories flooded my mind, I was always something mystical for Halloween. I was always trying to find new books that might have a scrap of information. Then the old passion came flooding back to me. Suddenly there was a flame burning inside me. “Yes” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “That is what led me to learn. Your world only scratches the surface of what happens in the world. I am what is known as a soul in my world.” “Your world?” “Technically, this world. But there are many similar things that float around and are mystical.” “Oh.” I say. I wanted a more interesting answer. “Don’t you miss being physical sometimes?” “It’s not impossible for me to be physical.” “Really? Can you show me?”
A faint outline of a person shimmered into view. The outline slowly grew more firm. Then color started to head for the center, when it got to the center, there was a bright flash of light. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing the light would go away. A moment later, the light disappeared. I opened my eyes to see a girl probably about age ten, with wavy light brown hair and pale blue eyes. I recognized her at once, this was what I had always wanted to look like. She was wearing a t-shirt and a skirt over cropped yoga pants. There was a silver chain on her neck, and I knew there was a heart on it too, tucked safely under her shirt. She had on brown knee-high boots with wide kitten heels.
“Do you remember me?!” The voice accused, no longer came from all around me, but only from the girl’s bright red lips. “Of course I do!” I said. “I always have.” I whispered. The girl’s narrowed eyes studied me, as if trying to see if I was telling the truth or not. “My name is Rosa now.” She said in a guilty tone. “Why did you change it?” I asked. “I couldn’t change it completely, but I was angry, so so angry that you gave me up. I hated you, and I didn’t want to be a lost part of you, but some part of me was still part of you, so I couldn’t change all of it. So when another spirit came up to me and asked my name… I said it was Rosa, and then there was no going back.” She explained. “Oh” I said softly. “I get it.” We spent the next few minutes in an awkward silence.
“I have a question for you, Silvia. All I want is an honest answer from you. Do you promise to give me an honest answer?” “Okay.” “Promise?” “I promise.” I say. “What’s the question?” I add.
“Which life would you choose to live? A life of magic or regularity?” “Would I have to be a spirit?” “You could turn yourself into a spirit, then back into a physical existence.” “Then yes.” I say, “The only reason I gave it up before was… her. But that was a lie.” “Would you like to start learning now?” “Of course.”
Now that that craziness is done, good luck everyone!
Bye!

Hey y'all! New week, new challenge, new story to tell! For those of you who haven't seen yet, this week's COTW to create a piece of writing based on the concept that you should ‘be careful what you wish for’.

Yeah, idk how or why I came up with this, but here it is, another overly long story XD

“The breeze is pretty refreshing, don't you think?”
“Yeah, I guess. I prefer winter, though. It's colder and darker; usually the perfect excuse to wrap yourself in blankets with hot cocoa and laze about whilst watching TV.”
“Ah, well, summer does it for me,” Lidia laughed. “Back home it was basically always summer, so winter comes as a bit of a shock when it comes around.”
"I suppose so. But this is your home now.“
”Yes, it is, isn't it?“ Lidia smiled jubilantly, before frowning, her expression slowly warping into a less bright and cheery picture. ”But is it really home without Toby?“
”What? Are you serious?“ Ian snorted. ”Don't mention his name! He ignored my warnings and he paid the price. We don't have anything to say to or about him.“
”Ian, he's your brother! How could you act like you don't care at all?“
”Simple,“ Ian answered. ”Because I don't. He took all the care I had for him when he left. It's not my fault he wouldn't listen.“
”You can't possibly mean that… Can you?“
”Yes. I can and I do.“
”Are you really that heartless?“
”Are you really that naïve?“
”He's your brother! You must care! You have to! That's what siblings do!“
”Toby is a lot of things, but one thing he isn't is my brother. He's a stranger to me now.“
”But-“
”Can you just stop? Just stop talking about him! I don't want to hear his name!“ Ian snapped. He sighed when Lidia flinched, avoiding her gaze. ”Let's just drop it, okay? It's clear we're not going to have any peace with each other if we don't.“
”How could you say those things about your own brother?“ Lidia whispered. ”Did you really push him away when he apologized?“
”Yes, I did. I wanted nothing more than to get him out of my sight.“
”Why? You two used to be so close! You always looked out for each other! Then Toby makes one mistake, one, and you completely shut him out?“
”His one little mistake nearly cost the lives of my friends and family,“ Ian growled. ”Just to impress a bunch of lunatics who had no idea what they were doing. And even when I warned him not to, even when I said it was dangerous, even when I begged him not to do it because he could get hurt, he still ignored me. He got what he deserved.“
”Do you really mean that?“
”Of course I do. In fact, I hope I never have to see his face again. Maybe then I'll finally be able to forget about all this.“
”Be careful what you wish for,“ Lidia muttered quietly. ”You just might get it.“
”Hmm? What was that?“
”I-I… I just need some time alone,“ Lidia mumbled. ”Excuse me."

Ian sighed as Lidia stood up, running through the grass with tears brimming the corners of her eyes.

It wasn't his fault that his irresponsible younger brother had messed everything up.

“Toby? Toby, where are you? We're about to start!” Ian walker at a relatively fast pace, dodging branches and trees as he went. He sighed, calling out again, “Toby! We're going to miss out!”

Why did his brother just have to vanish minutes before the most exciting part of the night was about to begin?

Of all the times to disappear, he had to go then?

“Toby! Where are you?”
“Hey, Ian, I'm over here!”
“Where is ‘here’?” Ian muttered. “This forest is huge.”
“Ian? Where'd you go?” Ian opened his mouth to reply, but thought better of it when he heard another voice, one he didn't recognize in the slightest. “Don't encourage him to come back! Didn't you hear? They're about to start? Hurry up!”
“Yeah, um, are you sure this is a good idea…?”
“Of course we are!”

So there's more than one of them, Ian noted. He sighed, moving as silently as he could through the forest. I have a bad feeling that something not-so-good is about to happen…

“Hey, uh, Darren? I'm still not sure about this. I mean, what if something goes wrong?
”What do you think is going to happen?“ Darren snorted. ”That thehe whole forest will go up in flames?“
”I mean, yeah, kinda…“
”Seriously?“ Another voice laughed.
”Aw, Toby's too scared!“
”Go on, it's just a harmless firework! It'll be nice, they'll have a wonderful firework display to look at from camp. They'll thank you for making the night even more marvelous!“
”I don't know…“ Toby muttered, still hesitant about the whole thing. ”Like, where did you even get these fireworks from?“
”Just set them off already! You wanna our friend, don't you?“
”Well… Not anymore…"

I should step in before he does anything stupid, shouldn't I?

“Toby?”
“Ian! What are you doing here? I thought you'd left already-!”
“Ugh, you took too long!” One of the boys yelled, as Ian finally emerged through the trees. They'd set up they're own mini camp, with a campfire, tents and pretty much everything else you'd expect to see when a couple of friends went camping.

Except, these people weren't Toby's friends.

“Toby, put those fireworks down.”
“Who do you think you are, barging into our mini camp uninvited?” One boy snarled.
“Yeah, get lost!”
“Don't shove your nose into our business!”
“Don't ask my brother to do dangerous things and think you can get away with it,” Ian shrugged. “Fireworks aren't allowed here. Toby, go back to camp. I'll be reporting you lot to the-”
“Be quiet and just let us have our fun! Toby, the fireworks.”
“Are you sure this is safe?”
"Yes! Don't you understand what ‘yes’ means?“
”Well, okay then…“
”Toby, stop! Don't light those fireworks here!“ Ian yelled. ”You could set the whole forest on-“
”Shush! Just let him do it!“
”You know what? Ian's right. This is dangerous. I don't want it be part of this anymore…“ Toby muttered. Ian heaved a sigh of relief whilst the other boys groaned.

Then Toby made the biggest mistake he could have made in that moment.

”Here are your fireworks. I don't want them anymore.“
”Toby, don't give it to them! They'll just set them off and put everyone in danger, including you! Toby, stop-“

It was too late.

”Thanks Toby! I guess we'll have our fun after all!“ One of the boys hollered, chucking the fireworks into the campfire. ”I hope you're ready to run! This is going to be epic!“
”Huh? What?“
”Toby, run!"

Ian shook his head at the memories. Of course, the boys who had thrown the fireworks into the campfire had been fined. Toby managed to scrape past having to be one of them, though he still received his own punishment.

But the wildfire caused by his one mistake had been devastating; eight of the twenty-five campers had been injured, and the firefighters had barely been able to put the fire out in time.

One small mistake.

Ian's phone vibrated as it received a message. He sighed, reaching into his pocket to pull it out.

Just stop talking about him! I don't want to hear his name!

He got what he deserved.

I hope I never have to see his face again.

I hope I never have to see his face again.

I hope I never have to see his face again.

Ian dropped his phone in shock.

Ok, let’s try this in some other way….

It was my fifteenth birthday when my world fell apart.
Shattered.
Broken.

Dead.


- - - - -

I’ve always wanted to live without being under twenty-four hour surveillance. Being the daughter of two great political leaders, it was as if my personal day-to-day activities were the matter of the public.
I don’t even know how they got a picture of me blowing out my fifteen candles. Me being me, I had to blow them out one at a time, and was wearing a fun yet embarrassing pink cone hat as I had for the fifteen years of my life.
I found out when my friend showed it to me on the bus to Orchard High to next day, cracking up like it was the funniest thing in the world.

“What are you wearing, Cynthia?” She chuckled. “It looks like you just dunked your head into your own cake!”
“Shut up,” I grumbled. What she was wearing herself was skinny jeans and I crop-top— clothes I despised. I guess all my real fears have to come true.
Sally Wallace hasn’t been like herself since we started this year— it was a full transformation that made me feel shab and lonely in the awful world of high school. The first day of school, she’d come all decked up with foundation and eyeliner, her belly exposed like all of the other girls.
I hated it.

I looked down to see my own gray sweatshirt that was neither too short or too long— my ideal for a long while. My hair was not styled— just open into my regular “style” without even a proper brushing,
The weird part is, sometimes I even want to try being like Sally— and other times, I despise it.
I guess it’s just the way my parents brought me up and the way kids stare at me all day— it makes me feel jealous and all scared inside. I sat in the rest of the ride in silence, not wanting to trust my voice as I watched everyone on the bus laugh at my picture on front-pages of the local online newspaper,
What I didn’t know is that I’d be on the front page tomorrow, too. And not for the reason I expected.

- - - - -

When I got home, there was a note stuck to our refrigerator. I recognized my mom’s handwriting immediately, but it looked slightly rash and rushed.

Going out. Lock the doors. We’ll be home soon.

I didn't think twice about it.

That was the worst

It’s A WIP

YEAH OKAY WELL-


I stared at the rain. It was sideways, and was falling on the gravel beneath my window. I sighed. Our mailbox was drenched.
I wished it couldn't rain that much, because it made life depressing. And our neighbors would always ask for tea. Why did Mom have to live in the UK? It was pretty, sure, but the rain…
“Erin? Erin?” my mom called.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“Get ready. We're going to the book store.”
Yes! I thought. It had been months since we went. I put on a sweatshirt, wore my dirty sneakers, and picked up an umbrella. Apparently there was a place to keep it. People called it an “urn”. It looked like my grandma's porcelain vase to me.
BING! My phone had a notification. Naturally, I checked it.
How's school? :P it said. From Dad.
My fingers danced across the keyboard. Saturday. No school. Here its 1 day fwd. :/
His reply came quickly. oh, it said.
bye were going to bookstore, I typed. I hit send as we got into the car.
I saw a lady and a toddler in the rain. Nobody would give them an umbrella, but they didn't seem to care. How? It's rain. It makes everything smell and be sticky. It makes you sick. But the lady crossed the street, holding the toddler's hand.
I sighed. We were here.
“Remember, Erin, get books of your age. No romance novels or books with curses and-”
"OKAY, Mom, I get it.“ I strolled off to the teen section. My mom followed me, holding a book. ”You'll like this!"
I stared at the cover. Henry Loses a Tooth! “Mom, are you kidding me? I'm 12, not 6.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
I picked up another book. Broken, I read. It was written in white font across the cover. By Ivan Aptil. A girl was looking in a mirror and was touching it, as if it were an entrance to Narnia or something.
I loved it.
Stuffing it into a basket, I walked toward the Graphic Novels section. I saw more books I'd seen in the US. I picked a few, then went to the Gamers' Section.
Ooh, yes. A handbook for my favorite game. I chucked it in. Stickers from one of my games. I did the same.
Taking out my phone, I texted Jessica. hi
I got a reply. bruh its like 10 in the night so like ur lucky my parents let me stay up this late
lol I replied.
so hows england treating u? do u drink tea
lol no, its DISGUSTANG
lololololol cya gtg
b4 u go hows middle school I asked. She didn't answer. She was probably asleep.
But no. parents were in room she explained. so i hid phone now theyre gone
phew
ok so theres this group who is like ToXiC and this girl Ella is the leader or smthg and she says my name with a french accent smh hbu?
u have any classes w/ her?
yeah i have ela w/ her
oof f to the chat
gn she typed.

I followed my mom to the cashier. We checked out the books and went out the door. I instinctively opened my umbrella, but outside it was… dry.
How?
There wasn't a single puddle.
I checked the weather app, but there wasn't a sign of rain yesterday, or earlier in the day.
I closed my umbrella. I shouldn't have worn my sweatshirt; I was starting to sweat.
“Funny weather, huh?” Mom asked.

LOL YA NOOB YOU THINK?! I wanted to shout.

“I like this weather.” I replied. “I wished for it.”
“You should be careful for what you wish.” Mom said.
“Eh, whatever.” But the car temperature was starting to rise. “Mom, can you increase the AC?”
“Sure.” She did. “Whoa, it's 89 outside.”
“Farenheit or Celsius?”
“Farenheit. Which means it's…”
“Roughly 32 degrees celsius.” I answered, doing the math in my head. "Okay. That's hot. Are we in Arizona or something?“
”It's 34 now."
The temperature started to increase until I started feeling feverish. But it really was hot.


My friend Maddie was texting me.
omg its so hot
ikr I texted back.



WILL FINISH LATER

Aight I'm gonna try and probably fail :'3

Also Change of Fate is in a third-person perspective, not first-person, but I decided to hop on a bandwagon weeeeeee fun

Don't worry, this isn't canon, I'm having mercy on most of the cinnamon rolls this time

—
I sat on a cliff overlooking the rest of the City of Tears, swinging my legs back and forth a bit. Tears of Void dripped from the corner of my eye a bit, and I wiped them away, leaving a black smudge on my shell. I heard footsteps and looked behind me. It was Vigdis, and I mentally sighed with relief. She sat down next to me. “So, are you okay?” She asked. I paused, before nodding slowly. “Yeah, why…?” I asked. “Well, we saw what happened earlier…” Vigdis said, fumbling with her sleeve. I sighed. “Everyone did.”
“This is true…”
“…Why?”
“Why, what?”
“Why do you think Boletus-Bestia decided to overgrow Enoki?”
My question seemed to hit Vigdis hard, like a nail to the shell. After hesitating, she spoke. “We don't know either…” She sighed. I blinked, before faltering. “Oh…” I said sadly. Vigdis awkwardly fidgeted with her sleeve. I thought about what had happened yesterday… Frankly, I wanted to forget. I huffed a little and turned to face Vigdis. "You know how I said we had to keep all all the gods alive?“ I said.
”Yes…? How is that important?“
”Forget that. Boletus-Bestia possessed my best friend. I don't care if he stays alive or not.“
I was surprised at my own words, but at this point it was true. I paused. ”And frankly, I would prefer if he didn't!“ I blurted out, fighting back tears. Vigdis's eyes widened, and she looked surprised.

”Aloysius… What do you mean?“ She asked. ”You know Enoki was chosen to protect Boletus-Bestia, that Hallownest will fall completely if we lose another god. Or the sanity of one, since technically the Pale King just went insane.“
”I mean exactly what I say. Enoki's spent most of his life protecting Boletus-Bestia, and guess what! He got possessed. He attempted to break your shell against his will for Gorb sake!“
”It wouldn't be that bad. I'm better at navigating the dream realm anyway. If I had to stay there for the rest of my- well, technically not life if it happened, but if I had to stay there it wouldn't be that bad.“
”You're denying it.“
”Enoki's life depends on Boletus-Bestia staying alive at this point!"
Vigdis glared at me with a look I'd never seen on her face before. Pure rage. Evident readiness to draw her nail at any time. And I was up against someone who'd carefully observed… Probably every battling style in Hallownest. Not having any other choice, I fled. Maybe there's a way that Enoki will stay alive even if Boletus-Bestia doesn't. There has to be, right? I thought, not stopping. I knew I should be careful what I wished for, but…

It probably wouldn't come true, right?

Enoki would stay alive. He had to. I wouldn't let him lose his life, no matter how much I wanted Boletus-Bestia to.

But unfortunately, things happen when you least expect them, leaving little more than a shell.
—

I tried TTwTT

Edit: OH MY GORB I STARTED A NEW PAGE . happy screaming .