Viintage-Darling wrote:

mossflower29 wrote:

[i-snip-

Moss great in-cabin weekly! Just a quick question how long does the short story have to be??

Oops sorry, I forgot to say that! I'll add it to the weekly, but it's at least 1k words

Oh gosh- I can't write sci-fi for the life of me Guess this is gonna be a learning experience!

Ballerina622 wrote:

Oh gosh- I can't write sci-fi for the life of me Guess this is gonna be a learning experience!

Good luck xD

Another daily! My words were: Flowers, notebook, city, night. Thanks @HydroHype !
The city was just as horrible in the night as it was in the day. You would think that the darkness might mask the unappealing trash strewn over the streets, the rats scampering between gutters, the peeling paint on the sides of the buildings, but there never was any darkness in the city. Every square inch of ground was bathed in cold light from the lampposts lining the streets. The lingering smell of last week's trash remained in the air, and blaring horns could be heard even through thick glass windows and tightly closed shades. An old leather-covered notebook lay facedown in a pile of mud, whatever worlds it held within now long forgotten. The moon and stars weren't visible through the thick covering of black clouds crammed into the dark sky, which threatened yet another heavy rain.
Slowly, an empty trash bag made its way into the street before being caught on the windshield of a speeding car, which swerved, narrowly missing an impact with the curb. A lone walker, their dark hooded coat obscuring their face, marched by, their hands shoved into their pockets, heading who-knows-where. A bird screeched overhead and they hardly noticed, too wrapped up in their own thoughts to care.
The tall buildings looming above gave off no additional light. Each window was obscured by thick curtains, and the only thing visible through them were the shadows of the people within. A scrawny cat raced across the street, avoiding the speeding cars and the splashes they created from driving through puddles. It barely survived the journey, but took no time to breathe before it disappeared into an alleyway.
The pavement was cracked, revealing hardened dirt and small pebbles beneath. Under a bench, a dot of pink provided an unexpected burst of color. A single flower, missing three of its petals, managing to cling to life.

Our last main cabin weekly :( I came up with this weekly :))


First up, my rewrite of the unclear dialogue:

“What are you doing?” I grabbed his hand in midair, and he froze, dropping the sheet of notebook paper he held.
He stared up at me with wide eyes, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes—a nervous habit. “Nothing…” he gulped.
“Come on Brian. That can't be true!” I exclaimed, reaching down to the floor to grab his paper, running my hand through the indented spaces between the tiles before picking it up. Brian's usually so calm, if he's showing any sign of anxiety this must be important.
“It's true!” he protested, wrenching his hand out of my grip. He grabs the paper, shoving it in his back pocket. “Come on, June, just trust me.”
I reached out lightning-fast, trying to snatch the paper from his pocket. He turned to evade my attack. “You're trying to tell me that's unimportant? Then why won't you let me see it?” I asked.
He nodded frantically, pressing the page even deeper into his pocket. “It's important to me, but it shouldn't be to you. Why do you have to care so much, June?” he looked up at me, a confused and sad look painted on his face. He pushed his hair out of his eyes a second time.
“Anything that matters to you matters to me too,” I replied, trying to make my voice sound soothing, “so don't try to tell me that it isn't important.”
“But this shouldn't matter,” he told her. “Just this one thing. I promise, you can see anything else I'm trying to keep from you, anything but this. Please, June.“
I relent, taking a step backwards from my friend and closing my eyes for a moment. ”Okay, Brian. I won't try to find out what it says." But both of us already know I will.
Exactly 300 words! xD


Next, my two different pieces about people feeling a specific emotion. I chose anger! My first character's name is Elias, he's from a story I wrote for NaNoWriMo last July called The Shadow Mage. The second one is about Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows
TW=Knife mentioned, person is jabbed in the wrist with a cane. (You don't want to meet angry kaz…

“I- I don't know what to say,” I flap my hands up and down helplessly.
Ariana stares at me, her eyes hard.
“How- how could you do this?” I somehow manage to find the right words among the thousands rushing through my head. “I thought you were on our side.”
A smile curls across the woman's face, a snake rising up, ready to strike. “Oh, Elias. I thought you understood by now—I don't pick sides. I'm on my own.”
I let out a sharp huff of annoyance, my heart pounding even faster in my chest. I attempt to calm myself down, closing my eyes as I take a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to close my eyes while a villain was nearby—that's what she was now, a villain—but I was past caring. “Ariana…” I begin helplessly.
Another sentence left unfinished, just one more way I've failed. She should have stayed with us. She would have if it wasn't for me.
I inhale, trying to blink the tears out of my eyes. “Why did you leave?” Despite my best effort, my voice cracks in the middle of my sentence.
She shrugs. Of all things, a shrug! She's known me so long, I thought she would understand how much that would get on my nerves. Or maybe that's why she did it.
“Give me a reason.” This time, I manage to make my voice cold and unfeeling. Like it should be. Like I should be.
Why do I care so much about this, anyway? About her? It's not like she was important to me. It's not like we were friends. All she ever thought we were was passerby, somehow linked, forced by destiny into working together. And here she is, going against our destiny.
I turn around, racing through the forest, past the pine trees, away from my real friends' desperate calls. Anything to get away from her.


I slammed my cane onto the ground, and Robbie flinched. “Explain.”
“I- I-” Robbie took a step back, and I stared at him. He surreptitiously pushed his hand into his pocket.
Though I noticed, I made no comment. I was curious as to how he thought this would turn out.
Faster than I thought a man of his size could move, Robbie pulled a small knife from his pocket and lunged towards me.
With a quick movement, I jab my cane upwards and into his wrist. With a yelp, he drops his knife, and it clatters against the floor. I smile a bit as he bites bak a yelp, crumpling to the floor as he clutches his arm.
That's going to leave a nasty bruise.
“I'll ask you one more time. Explain,” I stared at him, my deep brown eyes hardening as I take a step towards the mess on the floor.
“I- I'm sorry,” the man whimpered. “I- I don't know what you're talking about.”
I bent down, just out of range from feeling his gasping breaths on my face. “Who are you?”
“Alexander- Alexander Tregan,” he gasped.
I held my cane to his neck. “Are you sure?”
“Yes! Yes, I promise!” he replied quickly, scrambling backwards. “Are you looking for my brother?”
“Your brother.” I easily keep myself from showing any sign of surprise, despite the confusion inside. “Well, Alexander, what do you say we give you some kruge to keep this quiet?”
He nodded frantically. At this point, they accept anything to get away from me.
I gestured to the man standing in the corner, and he left the room, quickly returning with a cloth bag.
“Th- thank you,” Alexander muttered, grabbing the bag and taking a small step towards me, holding out one trembling hand.
I refuse to take it, responding only with a tip of my hat as the man runs out the door, his knife still lying on the ground, forgotten.
Those two are a total of 655 words!


Finally, my short story with dialogue! Not a WHOLE lot of dialogue, but it's still pretty important to the story.

“Come on, Alex!” I bounced up and down, filled with excitement (and a little anxiety) to be home again.
“Not now, El…” Alex was sitting down on top of one of our suitcases, playing one of those online games he liked so much.
“Ughhh,” I replied, words muffled by my mask. I shrunk back as another wave of people flowed past us, almost running to the exit of the airport.
I used to think times like this were so fun—seeing people, being among an enormous crowd, but now it was just scary. Every little sound made my nervousness worsen, every cough or clearing of the throat made me want to run away.
Alex switched his phone off, standing back up and setting the suitcase back on its wheels. The line moved forward a little.
I dragged my feet as I walked forward.
“Come closer, El,” Alex said. Apparently I didn't move far enough. Though my brother was only a year older, he acted like he knew everything. As if I wasn't the smart one in our family.
Still, I knew he was probably right, and I squeezed up a little closer to him, looking back worriedly at the horde of people behind us in line with a small shudder.
The line moved forward yet again, and suddenly we found ourselves standing at the front. Alex adjusted his mask again—putting his hands on the front. I sighed, offering him some hand sanitizer.
He took it as we walked up to the counter.
“Hello,” he smiled winningly at the person behind the desk, his mask crinkling a bit.
He responded only with, “Where are you heading today?”
“Back home to Chicago,” he said.
“Name?”
“Alex and Eliana McClellan.”
With a nod, he typed a few things onto his keyboard and handed us two paper tickets.
Alex set his suitcase on the scale, and I crossed my fingers as the weight ticked up and up, finally stopping just short of the limit.
With a nod, the person set the suitcase behind him, and I watched as it was carried away.
We repeated the process two more times for our remaining suitcases—I still couldn't believe two kids needed this much stuff for a one-week visit to their cousins' house.
We consulted a map of the airport, finding our next stop and heading towards it.
I looked down at my ticket. “The flight leaves in an hour, Alex.”
He shrugged. “I never understood why you and Mom insist on getting through all of this so early.” But still, he followed me as I marched through the airport and into our second line of the day.
Luckily, this one moved much quicker than the first, and within only a few minutes, we were removing our coats and shoving them into baskets to go through the Magic X-Ray Tunnel, as I had named it when I was younger.
I started to walk through, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding when the scanner was silent.
Alex followed behind me, also setting off no alarms.
“Come on,” I say, speeding up as I noticed the sign hanging from the ceiling, leading us to our section, E2.
Alex followed behind me slightly slower, and I was forced to adjust my own speed so I wouldn't lose him.
However, E2 ended up being pretty close by.
We scanned the packed waiting area for a group of seats next to each other, coming up short.
“How ‘bout over there?” Alex pointed to two empty seats sandwiched between two very large men.
As I watched, one of them spilled half of his soda on the seat Alex had suggested, then rummaged in his pocket and set a paper napkin on top. The orange liquid quickly soaked through it.
I shook my head. “No thank you.”
We ended up sitting on the floor in the corner, far away from all the scary people. Alex took his phone back out to play his game, and I just sat and watched.
It was crazy to be around this amount of people—especially for the second time this week—after having been alone for so long. There were so many people, crowding the chairs, the benches, what seemed like every square inch of the room. I shuddered wrapping my arms around my chest and reassuring myself that we’d be out of here soon.
As if reading my mind, the loudspeaker crackled on. “Flight 1893…”
I nudged Alex with a smile.
“Your flight has been unexpectedly delayed.”
My face fell.

The strangest daily of all time…

Original: Seven foot frame, rats along his back (indent) When he says your name it all fades to black. Translation: The lion was two meters long and was on his knees (indent) Adjustments. (The size changed from seven feet to seven meters to eight feet to two meters, and the frame changed to picture then tapeworm (?) then mouse then tiger then lion!)

I adjusted my binoculars, squinting through them to see what looked like a lion. However, this lion seemed to be walking around on his knees. Strange. I didn't even know lions had knees, let alone that they could walk on them!
The other lions swarmed around him, in awe of their friend's new discovery. As I watched, another lion stood up on her knees. Proud and surprised, she stumbled around, heading right towards me.
I quickly ducked behind a grassy hill, peeping off the top to see that the lion was getting closer and closer to me. She hobbled up the hill and I flattened myself to the ground, hoping she wouldn't notice me.
With a surprised look on her face, she peered down at me, front paws waving helplessly on the ground.
Her shadow fell on me, and she wobbled, tipping downwards. I barely managed to roll out of the way in time to avoid her enormous body falling on top of me.
My expensive binoculars tumbled to the ground and I scrambled after them, dusting off the lenses and slipping them into my pocket before considering the lion.
She lay on her back on the ground, seeming surprised to have flipped over. Paws waving in the air helplessly, she almost looked like a stranded turtle.
Though I knew I shouldn't stay so close to the lion, I couldn't help but take a step closer.
“Do you need help?” I asked.
She looked at me with an irritable glint in her eyes, then, with a mighty push, flipped onto her stomach. Scrambling to get back up on her knees, she then serenely licked her front paws.
I watched with wide eyes as the majestic lion knee-walked away from me, her back fading into the sunset…
Wait.
A rustle sounded from behind me, and I spun around.
The whole group of lions were crowded behind me, angrily looking down at me. Sometime in the last five minutes, when I had been watching their friend, every one of them had learned to walk on their knees.
They wobbled towards me, getting closer and closer.
I took a step back, head bumping against yellow fur.
What could I do? Was there any way out of this?
Thinking fast, I dropped to the dusty ground, pressing my knees into the dirt. I rose up, joining the lions in their strange knee-walking ritual.
The male lion who had been the first to walk like this dipped his head to me, and, together, we wobbled away into the sunset.
My eyes jerked open to a dark room, and I blinked quickly, rubbing my eyes. That was probably the strangest dream I've ever had.

Another daily! Can't tell if I love it or hate it…

I wave frantically into the darkness. No response comes from my friend.
“I know you're here, Alex,” I murmur, squinting into the darkness to no avail. Everything remains hidden from my eyes—I'm only human, after all.
The person who brought me here may still be watching, so I have to stay quiet, but I can't help hut sigh in exasperation.
Finally, a footstep hits the floor, somewhere near me. I whip my head around, heart nearly beating out of my chest in surprise.
“Alex?” I dare to whisper.
No response.
I squint even harder, trying my best to separate Alex's tall form from the shadows. Where is he? He has to be down here, he came with me. Unless the person who took me somehow missed him, he's got to be her… Right?
“Lia…” A whisper floats into my ears. Alex.
“ALEX!” I yell, done with all the ‘being quiet’ nonsense.
“Shh!” a hand is pressed to my mouth, his familiar calloused palm breaking off my cry.
I let out a long breath that I didn't know I was holding. “Why didn't you come sooner? Why didn't you answer me?” I say, voice muffled. I don't care, I only care about him.
“I didn't want to betray my position.”
I look up at him, at the near-invisible curve of his nose, the flash of his golden eyes in the dark. “Alex. Silence is betrayal.”
He has the sense to apologize—not profusely enough, in my opinion—before unsheathing his knife and cutting the ties from my hands.
I stretch my fingers out, they are so relieved to be free.
Leaping from the seat, I do my best to ignore when my back pops in protest. I'd been sitting in that chair for hours, maybe days, of course my body would ache.
We steal through the darkness, Alex's glowing eyes providing the merest semblance of light in the eternal night of the cave.
I stumble along behind him, nearly tripping on the rocks. He manages to stop me before my nose hits the floor and breaks for the second time in one day, then decides to grab my hand and pull me along behind him.
Finally, after what seems like hours of twisting and turning through the tunnels, light.
Even a single beam of it hitting the rocky floor nearly gives me a headache, but Alex pulls me on. Pulls me into the light.

Since JWC is coming to a close (*cries*), I thought I should send some thank you's to everyone! Even if you aren't mentioned here, if you've talked to me, you've provided some much-needed motivation! This has been such a great experience and I've made so many new friends, thank you all for being open to talking to me and for being such awesome campers/leaders. <333
Some of these are WAY shorter than others, I was trying my best not to repeat myself TOO much. If yours is shorter, I hope you still know how much I appreciate you. <3

Host:
Dawn- Hey, Dawn! First, I just want to thank you for being the best host we could ask for. When JWC's creator left, you were ready so quickly to take over and answer our questions, help us out, and make time to help create your own cabin! I'm completely in awe of everything you've accomplished! You've made so many great suggestions for JWC, and this whole camp would probably be collapsing right now if it wasn't for you. xD
Second, you're such a kind and motivational person! You're always willing to explain things thoroughly and make sure everyone's staying on track. It's amazing how calm you always are, with all of the responsibilities that come with being a host AND everyday life, I'm surprised you're holding together as well as you are.
Finally, your cabin is AMAZING. The theme, the description, and the dailies make it look so cool and professional! I would definitely want to join your cabin if I was a camper!
Again, I can't thank you enough for all of your hard work making JWC what it is. You've given at least 60 people such an amazing experience, and we're not going to forget it anytime soon. <3


Leaders:
Ash- Hi, Ash! You're such an amazing and kind person, and despite attacking you a lot, your cabin was a great ally! You seem like you've been really helpful and motivational to your campers, and you seem like you have everything together despite (I think?) not having been in a Scratch writing camp before yourself. Also, you have a really nice voice, and I've been occasionally listening to your projects while I write. XD Thanks so much for creating an amazing cabin and working hard to keep it running!! <3

Pineapple- Ooh the Frost leader, our neutral nemesis… your cabin is doing seriously awesome. Your theme and dailies and everything you've put into Frost looks absolutely amazing, and though I personally don't love poetry, I think I would have had a lot of fun in your cabin. Despite the name, you all seem so warm and welcoming, and I'm so glad that you were able to inspire so many people! We haven't talked much, but you seem like a really awesome person! Thanks for all your work in your cabin, you're doing amazing!! <3

Jean- Hey, Jean!! You're such a kind person and a great leader! You have so many great ideas, and you seem to be doing great with the memory book committee! Thanks for all the work you've put into JWC and Cowboy Cabin, it really seems to be paying off! <3

Sushi- Hii Sushi!! Thank you so so much for leading me to JWC! I happened to talk to and follow you a few days before you found the studio, and I'm so glad I did! This has been such a great experience, and I never would have found it if it wasn't for you <3 Also, I absolutely loved your cabin! I was impressed by your activity at the start, and all the fun activities and role-plays going on in Angel looked like so much fun! If I had been a camper, I definitely would put your cabin as one of my choices. <3

Mayhem- HEYY SIBLING CABIN LEADER!! You did SO great with your cabin! You seemed like such a good leader, your theming and dailies looked awesome! You were also such a nice person to talk to, thanks for being so kind, fun, and motivational! <3


Wonderful Camper People:
Mar- It was so nice to get to know you!! You're so kind and productive and motivational, our cabin is so much better with you in it! I feel like you've improved a lot as a writer this month, hopefully you've achieved some of the goals you set at the beginning of the month. Thanks for all the kindness you've shown me and the rest of our campers, I appreciate you so so much! <3

Lillian- Lillian, you're such a great person and writer! I've really enjoyed reading everything you've shared with us over the month! Thanks for your activity and hard work, you're the best backup camper (who joined before we actually started…) that I could have asked for! <3

Cloudy- Hi Cloudy!! You've gotten SO much done this month! As well as writing a lot, you've been a genuinely kind and fun person to be around. Thanks so much for being an all-around amazing camper! <3

Pup- Hi! Even though you didn't reach your goal, you've still written so much! I hope you feel like you've been productive this month—you totally have!! It was so great to get to know you this month! <3

Maya- Hey, Maya! It was so great to have a familiar face from Adventure Mountain join my cabin, thanks so much for choosing Snooze! XD You've accomplished so much this month, thanks for persevering and getting so many words! <3

Charlie- Hi, Charlie! Even though you didn't reach your goal, you've still written so much, and I loved everything you shared with the cabin!! It was great to get to know you and read some of your writing, thanks for working so hard this month! <3

Cocoa- Hi Cocoa! Although you didn't reach your word goal, you were such a kind and funny part of the cabin! It was so great to roleplay with you and get to know you in December, you seem like such a great person! Thanks for joining Snooze, hopefully I'll see you again sometime! <3

Ly- Hello, Ly!! I know you haven't been super active in JWC, but it was still nice to get to know you! Thanks for completely saving Snooze Cabin during the first cabin wars, I really appreciated your help! XD It was also really nice to meet a fellow crocheter, thanks for talking to me about that before camp started. <3

Wizzle- Hi Wizzle, congratulations on beating your word goal!! You got a lot of writing done this month, and I've really enjoyed talking to you. Thanks for all of your contributions to the cabin! <3


Other:
Nayeli- Hiii Nayeli!! We obviously weren't in the same cabin, but you were such a great friend to me this month! I'm always so happy to see a message from you, and you never fail to make me laugh or keep me motivated. Also, you've written such an impressive number of words—I still don't know how you do it! Thanks for all the fun you've brought me throughout the month, I'm so glad to have you as an (online) friend. <3 Looking forward to seeing you around in SAC! <3

Last main cabin dailyyy it's so sad :(
IF YOU SEE THIS SNOOZE CAMPERS I'M GOING TO MISS YOUU <333

I scrolled through my phone, looking at these strange pictures of something that was apparently called a ‘tree.’ Long and thin, their ‘trunks’ stretched to the sky, their tops covered with some strange green blobs. I furrowed my eyebrows as I saw the timestamp on the picture—only three hundred years ago, these strange organisms walked the earth. Or did they walk?
Shutting off my phone, I stare out the window at my natural view, the metal wall of the building next to mine. WIth a sigh, I turn the phone on again, uploading the video of a ‘forest’—a group of trees, as the description explains—onto the window feed. I stare out longingly at the green space, at the color I barely see anymore, wishing that something like this existed in the real world.
Unfortunately, these ancient relics of the old world are lost now, only existing in imaginations like mine.
A particularly loud noise that sounds like a “CHIRP!” sounds from through the feed, and I jump. I'm used to complete silence in my home, even the smallest noise is quite startling. I mute the feed quickly. What was that? What strange sort of human or machine was able to produce a “CHIRP!?”
I try it out myself, but my vocal cords far fall short of the melodic noise the feed sent into my ears.
Sighing, I slump into my cozy sofa, made from woven strips of plastic. You wouldn't think it from hearing about it, but these new developments in PlasTech have made my couch softer than I thought possible.
My friend calls me, her face appearing on the wall with a soft chime. I show it a thumbs up, and the call goes through.
“Hello!” she smiles at me, waving excitedly.
“Hey, Luna!” I reply.
“What's up?” she asks.
“Just sitting on my new couch,” I say, moving aside a bit and gesturing to the invisible cameras to give her a good view.
“Nice!”
“Hey Luna?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you heard of ‘trees?’”
“Trees?” she asks, furrowing her eyebrows. “I can't say I know what that means.”
“Like this,” I say, tapping the video of the forest to transmit it to her device. It chimes, and I see her pick it up, looking curiously at the moving images.
“Oh, right, trees!” she says. “I have heard of them, some people say that they were everywhere in the old days.”
I chuckle and nod. My research has told me the same thing.
“So, why are you looking at them, anyway?”
“Did you see that news article from yesterday?”
She shakes her head.
“They say that one of these trees is alive somewhere in the world. That there are people who are keeping it alive, feeding it… whatever trees eat.”
“Really?” she gasps.
I nodded with a smile, happy to for once have heard of something she hadn't.
“I didn't know things like these trees were around anymore!” she replies. “I thought they were all gone, like the animals!”
“What's an animal?”

Woah, this is like, the coolest thing I’ve read all day

-Seaweed_brain_101- wrote:

Woah, this is like, the coolest thing I’ve read all day

Oh wow, thanks! The latest one?

This is SAC but I'm still adding it here xD

Dear Moss,
You are honestly so cool! Your writing is amazing and your art is getting better every day. You're super optimistic and kind. Despite what you might think, you're actually really friendly and have a lot of people to talk to. Just be friendly and you'll find a lot of nice people! Also, you're doing really great in these scratch camps! You're both motivated and motivational, and I'm so proud of how you've met your goal every time. You were also a really good leader—I'm so impressed with how you were able to keep track of everything and be nice to your campers
Love,
Moss

Hello! Here are my writing samples for my July 2022 SWC leader application! I hope you enjoy them!


I chose a myth that I wrote because, well, I'm hoping to lead the mythology cabin! This is an example of my more formal writing.

It was a warm day when the wind first came. Weaving through the town, it carefully ran its hands along each plank of the homes, through the freshly planted flower beds, across the colorful curtains. The townspeople didn't notice it at first—its voice was only a whisper then.
Then, the wind got courageous. As it grew, so did its effects on the land. It found joy in creating deep furrows in the ground and pushing tiles off roofs—sometimes directly down onto their occupants. Often the townspeople woke to their newly planted crops destroyed and their windows rattling with the wind's force.
As you can imagine, the townspeople quickly tired of the wind's games, and one night, they plotted to end its tricks.
“Why not banish it?” asked a plucky warrior. “It never had a home here; why can't we force it to leave?”
The town's leader shook her head, sighing deeply. “We have tried that already. Every time, the wind slips through our grasp, hides somewhere. It's impossible to stop.”
From the other side of the licking flames, huddled in a blanket, a girl spoke up. “What if we just asked the wind to leave?” she said in a small voice.
“Asked it?” the leader turned on her. “Are you mad? Whenever we try to speak to it, it carries our voices away on its invisible wings.”
Curling deeper into her blanket, the girl fell silent. She listened as the conversation twisted and turned before them, before finally falling into an uneasy silence.
***
The next morning, the girl woke to a tap on her shoulder. She pushed her eyes open to see the leader standing above her.
Scrambling backwards on the dirt, she asked, “What do you want?”
The leader sighed, reaching a hand to pull the girl up. “Your plan was the best we had. Are you willing to carry it out?'
The girl nodded quickly, her mind already filled with possibilities of how to tame the wind. She took the leader's hand and stood up.
Bidding the girl farewell, the leader left her to her task.
That afternoon, the girl began her plan. She had spent most of the early morning hidden between the crowded houses, and the sun had finally climbed to its highest point in the sky. Though the sun was hiding behind a cloud, fragments of its warmth still hovered in the air, comforting the girl.
She stared up at the tall oaks surrounding the homes, watching carefully until, suddenly, a leaf trembled. It drifted slowly towards the ground, the girl tracking it with her eyes. As she watched, it began to float up.
”There's the wind,“ she whispered, squinting at the leaf as it bounced in the breeze.
Stealthily, the girl pressed her back to the wall, scooting towards the trees.
Her foot crunched into a pile of leaves, and she flinched, body going perfectly still. Daring a glance upward, she saw the leaf, hovering directly above her head.
She gulped, quietly reaching her hand down into her pocket.
The leaf floated towards the ground, landing unsuspectingly at her feet.
Scanning the tree line, she realized that the wind could be anywhere.
There!
A rustle sounded from a bush, a single branch bending sideways.
The girl pulled a rope from next to her, hurling it over the bush. She gasped when it held, then rushed upwards, pulling tightly around the edges of the invisible force.
She held tight, digging her feet into the ground when the wind tried to escape her grasp.
The rope cut into her hands, but still she held on.
Suddenly, the wind began to spin. The rope wrapped tighter around it, then ripped out of the girl's hands as the wind rotated faster and faster, coiling itself into a frenzied spiral of floating leaves, flying dust, and furious air. The funnel rose upwards, its thin body easily squeezing out of the loosely knotted rope.
”How dare you…“ the spinning storm growled at the girl.
She took a step back, pressing herself to the wooden plank walls. ”I- I only wanted to talk.“
”Why have you done this?“ the wind screamed, buffeting the girl with its icy breath.
She winced. ”Hear me out. Please.“
The wind kept spinning angrily, but quieted down.
”You are destroying my village,“ she began. ”Just look around you. We put so much work into making this place a home, and then you blow it all away.“ She gestured around her, at the ripped-up plants, the barren trees, the toppled signposts. ”You need to stop.“
The wind whirled faster, as if considering. ”What are you to do in return?“
The girl had come prepared. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a long, straight piece of driftwood. Hanging from it were several shorter pieces, carefully tied on with string.
Curious, the wind faded back into its calmer form, blowing carefully towards the wood. The girl flinched when the frigid breeze hit her face but managed to hold still as the wind explored. When it hit the sticks, they knocked into each other, creating a cheerful clink. Muttering in pleasure, the wind circled the toy.
Gathering her courage, the girl quickly shoved the chimes back into her pocket. ”If you want these, you must calm down. You must stay away from our village, our people. I will hang the chimes from homes, but only if you promise to play with them instead of hurting us.“
The wind grumbled and groaned, lifting a thin layer of leaves off of the ground and letting them float gently back. ”Fine,“ it said curtly. ”I will agree. But if I cannot find my toys, I will turn my back on your village, I will spin away from you and take all you love with me.“
Carefully, the girl backed away, dipping her head to the wind. The agreement was made. The town would be safe.
***
That night, the girl spoke up at the fireside meeting.
”I talked to the wind,“ she began, barely holding back a shudder at the thought of the wind spiraling ever higher, bearing down on her with its frigid breath.
Murmurs echoed through the circle.
”We have an agreement,“ she continued, heart pounding as the entire town stared at her. ”The wind will stop tormenting us as long as we leave these out every night.“ She held up the chimes, showing them to her people.
The leader nodded sagely. ”Thank you for your service."
With a smile, the girl sat back, staring at the licking flames of the fire, listening to the soft clack of the wind playing with the chimes in the distance.
***
Though the chimes kept the wind busy for months, there came a day when the girl had to take them down for repairs. She thought that the wind would take no notice, but it did. Once again, it worked itself into a frenzy, sweeping across her village in search of its toys.
From then on, the village lived in constant fear of the storm's return, wishing that it could remain calm forever.



Next up, I have an example of my usual writing style, where I have a more lighthearted tone and use humor when I can :) It's a star wars fanfiction from the point of view of a lightsaber.

It's pretty annoying to constantly have a beam of blue light burst from your head, but I guess I've gotten used to it over the years. I've learned to prepare myself for the moment of misery every time Luke picks me up from the table, holds me aloft, and pokes his finger into my eye. The buzzing of the light beam must cover up my screams, because Luke sure doesn't seem to notice them.
I know I'm helping to ‘save the galaxy,’ or whatever, but knowing that doesn't help.
One day, as usual, Luke picks me up and carries me down the road, disregarding the fact that my head is swinging around wildly through the air. Though I try to signal for him to stop, the fiercely blowing wind must block out my cries for help.
Wow. It's only eight a.m. and I already have a headache.
The sand kicked up by Luke's sturdy boots blows directly into my eyes as we roam through the desert. Suddenly, I feel the ground start to rumble as a small ship touches down in front of us. Bracing myself as best I can, I wonder whether this ship contains a friend or a foe.
My question is answered when the door slides open, revealing an upside-down view of one of Luke's best friends.
Jovially flinging his arms out, Luke greets his friend, letting go of me and throwing me out into the endless sand. I groan as I fly through the air and land on my side, rolling a bit before coming to a stop. More sand blows into my eyes.
Muttering something under his breath, Luke excuses himself before rushing to pick me up, not bothering to brush the sand out from my cracks. It's times like these when I really wish I had arms.
Luke mentions the new tricks that he's been practicing with me, and I gulp when he offers to show them off. Holding me in the correct (or so he thinks) position, Luke shoves his finger into my eyeball, turning on the sword of light. The sensation is no less excruciating than the other thousand times, but the fact that Luke had forgotten to turn me right side up still makes me chuckle.
Apologizing to his friend, he turns me over, leaving a line of scorched black glass where the blade dragged through the sand.
Luke begins to clumsily swing me through the air, and I resign myself to another day with absolutely no respect for the hardships I go through.

I hope you enjoyed reading these! Thank you for your consideration! :D