sage’s swc writing ~ march 2022
i will be sharing my writing using scratch projects on an alt, the project links will be here ^^

dailies:
march 1 - none
march 2 - adding soon! (btw i did it late so it doesn't count for points)
march 3
march 4
march 5
march 6
march 7
march 8
march 9
march 10
march 11
march 12
march 13
march 14
march 15
march 16
march 17
march 18
march 19
march 20
march 21
march 22
march 23
march 24
march 25
march 26
march 27
march 28
march 29
march 30
march 31

weeklies:
week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4

other writing:
coming soon!

Hello there, I'm Mercer! I haven't been active on Scratch in a while, so it's nice to be back for SWC after finally giving in to my good friend Zura's begging I'm an amateur youtuber and video editor who is a MEGA music and theater nerd. I'm the type to bring up random things in conversation like that toilets flush in Eb major (yes really, you're going to be spending the next month with me!) I use any pronouns, and I'm really looking up to March! fairy tales ftw

My writing for this session is going to be a miniseries spanning some days of camp.
All of my “average” normal writing which counts to words will be installments of this series.
All of the daily and weekly challenges will be linked here,
as well as the projects that host the story!

march 1 - My intro is up above right there ^^^^
march 2 (340 words total) -
It's not easy being just– there. So many people pass you everyday, yet most never do anything with you. And when people do something with you, most of the time it's something overrated where you're treated like the dump. Luckily, there are a few people who I've grown attached to, as much as something like me can be. Towards 11:00, a kid named Mercer is close, a little too close, to me. I'm very important to them during this time, but I'm almost never acknowledged as being such. Towards 1:00, another kid named Laura is close to me, and I'm once again important but not important enough. Days and days pass, yet nobody truly appreciates my art. I'm constructed out of 2 slabs of wood and 4 wooden legs, and if you're wondering how I'm currently typing into a forum on a kids' coding website, it's better that you don't ask. My daily sights are few and far between. I see tons of binders, sinks, paper towel dispensers, clocks, beakers, posters, and boards galore all surrounding me at any given time. Unless my boss smashes some tables together, my daily work commute is non-existent. I've almost never left my room, but lucky me I survive on human interaction! In fact, as I'm typing this, it's 11:02 AM and Mercer is right near me! I see the tiled floor below and the computers surrounding me, blue sheets of paper, and the cacophonic sounds of human interaction. A speaker blares music about seven times a day, when people leave and new people walk in. After a bunch of people take their turns around me and my countrymen, they turn the lights off and we simply have to wait until the lights are back on the next morning. With our kind unable to sleep, we're instead stuck in permanent limbo until triggered again! Overall, it's not easy being a chair in a science room, and I thank you for understanding and reading to the end.

NOW GIVE ME THE POINTS!

march 3 (425 words total)
It was a warm day in October on the boardwalk. The wind was blowing, and I was with all my biggest friends, celebrating our new arrival into high school. We wondered why the boardwalk wasn't crowded, but we thought that because it wasn't summer, not a lot of people were here, giving us the whole place to ourselves! We all had a hankering for ice cream, so we arrived at a shop that was tagged with nothing but the words “MY NEW ACCOUNT APOTHECARY”. Despite the questionable name, the neon walls looked enticing, and we figured there was safety in numbers if something did go wrong, so we wandered in. We eventually found an ice cream machine sitting in the very middle of the shop. Nobody was there, not even a cashier, and it appeared to be serve yourself. We noticed a bunch of unusual names for flavors: Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan, Madison? What would these taste like? However, on the other side, we saw three flavors with the same marking: “Angelica”, “Eliza”, and “and Peggy.” My friend Isabelle put a cone under the “Angelica” flavor, and we soon saw a strawberry-bitter cherry type mix pour out. After a few seconds, we heard a loud plop. Something seemed to have fallen into the cone, it appeared to be a part of a USB attacher. We wasted no time searching through the “Eliza” flavor, which turned out to be cotton candy and sour blue, and the “and Peggy” flavor, which tasted just like plain vanilla. After it was all over, we had found 3 USBs. When we tried the swirl option, which combined all 3 flavors, we found a note reading “THE SCHUYLER SISTERSSSSS” with exactly 5 S. Everyone was about as confused as I was, when suddenly we found that the 3 USB pieces fit together. Located just a quick jaunt away was some electrical tape and a running computer open to the home page of scratch.mit.edu. Once my friend Andrew got a small enough amount of electrical tape that could get the USB together, we heard a crackle and assumed that it had worked. We plugged the USB into the computer and crossed our fingers, hoping for good luck. All we got, it turned out, was a full video of The Schuyler Sisters on Broadway. All of us started dancing to the music, until about a minute in, a message flashed on the screen reading “Don't think you're safe. I played a game with you, but life is not earned through games. Don't come back.”

march 4 - https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/654417211/
march 5 - (222 words total)
If I had a magic power, it would be the ability to stop time. I've always stood by this opinion ever since I was very little. Pretty much every superpower has a downside. If you're able to fly, you'll be an anomaly and will likely be investigated in a lab and killed. If you're invisible, you couldn't really do much, could you? Teleportation would be cool, but impractical in most cases. And that's why I like stopping time. When you stop time, you're able to move freely and do whatever you want, but the entire world around you is paused. You can use this for literally anything! Want a few extra hours of sleep? No problem! Want to go check your notes for a test? Do it freely! Want to do something so secret that you don't want it to even take place when anyone else is conscious, feel free to do so! I've always felt attached to this power because of the feeling of freedom it gives me. I can do whatever I want whenever I want, and nobody would ever find out, because everything I do there would occur in a gap in reality. Dreaming of situations and what I would do if I was able to stop time are pretty cool, and I invite you to try it out!

march 6 - Everybody around never bothered.
Some of the neighbors got a little suspicious, that there was a house in their neighborhood that nobody had entered for a couple of years now and was rotting on the inside.
Of course, no outsiders knew, as the house, besides its overgrown front yard tree, blended in perfectly with the surrounding suburbia.
One thing that had always fascinated much of the neighborhood around was the window. While much of the outer house was rotting and in desperate need of a coat of paint (or a demolition, for that matter) the window always looked perfectly shiny and clean. If nobody lived there, how could that be the case? Eventually, seeing all this nonsense, a team of real estate workers came to investigate the abandoned house, at the request of the family who lived next door. On a cool night in November, that’s exactly what they did.
In the foyer and upstairs in the bedrooms, they didn’t find anything. A single bed frame flanked the wall in both bedrooms, the bathroom looked normal but did not have any running water, and the stairs and entrance were carpeted. The basement contained nothing special either, simply a bunch of things in boxes stacked all over. The dining room and kitchen were completely stripped of any life, no oven, no microwave, and nothing in the pantry. But the real interest arose when they headed to the living room to look at the singular window that was a little bit too shiny. Oddly enough, it was shining from this side too, but they were unable to find any source of the luminescence.
They headed to the other window, a dirty one. Albeit with a little dust, the window opened and gave a cool breeze from outside. Then they opened the shiny window, and…

None of the real estate workers were ever seen again.

(312 words)

Comparing with @AnnaHannah ‘s story:
Both feature a window that is mysteriously different from the whole rest of the house.
Both feature an abandoned room/house
The other story is written in first person with thoughts, while my story is in third person with no thoughts.
Both have a mysterious window that does something to the protagonist
Both stories leave it up to the reader to decide what happens next

march 7 - The character I’m using is Olivia.

Biggest fear:
Her biggest fear is embarrassment. That doesn’t sound too complex at first, but it goes deeper for her. She was bullied very frequently throughout elementary school and ultimately vowed to not put herself out there as much. Her fear of embarrassment has led to an introverted personality and a general misanthropic vibe. Her bullies were able to expose Olivia’s deepest insecurities and find a way to get under her skin. Even though Olivia's life has improved, she is oblivious and stands by her fear of embarrassment, because of her belief that humans are unpredictable and uncontrollable, especially in large packs when peer pressure is rampant.
(105)

One thing that makes your character tick:
Although Olivia is introverted, she can’t stand it when she sees somebody else getting bullied. Although she thinks down on herself, she really wants to help other people. Whenever someone is bullied, thanks to her own personal experience, she steps in, breaks it up, and does her best to find a mediator. Even though Olivia faces her biggest fear in public embarrassment, she prefers to take the fall for somebody else to succeed. Usually, Olivia’s way of mediating these confrontations involves some way of making compromises and succeeding in the art of the deal, as her father is a businessman.
(100)

Value most in a friend:
Olivia values most in a friend the ability to speak to her honestly. Even though she is introverted, she appreciates when others give her feedback as to what to improve upon. If someone is dishonest to her or talks behind her back, she will not like you and will go out of her way to avoid you. Olivia can take criticism well and most of the time will respect her friends' decision and adjust accordingly. Some of Olivia's other friend values include the ability to have a thick skin in case something she says hurts them, and a general light hearted personality so they are nice to be around.
(109)

Music, Clothing:
Olivia's favorite genre of music is classic rock from the late 1900s. She mostly enjoys bands like Pink Floyd, The Who, King Crimson, Queen, and other hit rock groups from the era. She also appreciates early 2000s emo-rock and a little bit of classical music, especially that of Stravinsky. Olivia usually dresses mostly casually, with an oversized sweatshirt and sometimes some tight pants and sneakers. However, she has the ability to switch it up a few times, wearing nice clothes for formal occasions and putting herself out there. You can almost always find her with earbuds in, scrolling through her music to hide from the world.
(106)

march 8 - (continuing @IAreQuestionMark story)
Not long after, I blinked, with the groggy feeling like I’d just woken up after 2 hours of sleep. I had no idea where I was, and I couldn’t see a thing. “CONGRATULATIONS!” a big booming voice echoed for the second time. “What do you want from me?” I yelled in return.
“@AtemBomb2, you have accepted the challenge! You, like many other players who have reached Level 10 in the Verses of Atem, now must continue the game not in augmented reality, or virtual reality, but REALITY reality!”
I held back my emotions and called out, “Is there any way for me to get back?!”
The voice laughed, “Haha, yes! But you must first reach Level 20. And time will pass without you! Maybe next time you will learn to make better life decisions…”
I yelled angrily: “It was a 50/50 choice, you nerd!” But the voice was gone. I was on my own, and suddenly I could see the level in front of me. It was a single blank black screen featuring a poem that looked like a limerick, the poem read, “A man called John John Joe | went down to Amlalow | He ate a chicken | Then began to sicken | All the fault of the Chicken Po. - Nathan Miles |
“What is this supposed to mean?!” I accidentally scream-shouted. Oops. That poem doesn’t make any sense! Is there some land called Amlalow? And what’s up with this whole “Chicken Po” thing? Am I supposed to go there? But I just got here! Does anybody have a map? All of these thoughts were scrambling through my head at the same time. Eventually, I scrambled up to the place where the mysterious voice had come from, and sure enough, I was able to find a map on the floor. Thank everything! But, I found that Amlalow was about 300 kilometers away. “Aww, come on!” This stupid quest was giving me nothing but trouble. Slow but steady, I began on my long walk, passing nothing but a plain white landscape, and with no landmarks to watch out for that could indicate my direction. I didn’t even know I was going the right way! Eventually, after about an hour of quiet yet painful trekking, I arrived at a sign that simply read, “To all trying to pass Level 11, you’re getting warm, but it is not here.” I let out a long exhale. “This is probably going to have to be continued in a later part, right?”
(414 words)

march 9 - My character Olivia, got the gold personality type.

march 10
march 11
march 12
march 13
march 14
march 15
march 16
march 17
march 18
march 19
march 20
march 21
march 22
march 23
march 24
march 25
march 26
march 27
march 28
march 29
march 30
march 31

week 1 -
Pantoum
She woke up in her bed
Feeling rough and aching all over
The truth was in her head
The voices already told her

Feeling rough and aching all over
She treks to the cabinet
The voices already told her
It’s 2 AM and couldn’t feel more upset

She treks to the cabinet
A quick swig should cure the pain
It’s 2 AM and couldn’t feel more upset
Back to get ready for the day

A quick swig should cure the pain
She kept saying in her mind
Back to get ready for the day
It hurt all the time

She kept saying in her mind
As she went to school and then
It hurt all the time
Said her subconscious so-called friend

As she went to school and then
Faced more challenges galore
Said her subconscious so-called friend
Time to show you to the door

Haiku
“Shouldn’t hurt too much”
Famed words spoken many times
How did that work out?









Etheree
In this world, there’s only a few types of people
There are people that rise to the occasion
People that live for the thrill of it all
People who work and live the hard way
Those who can’t do much with their time
All types lead down just one road
To the one with secrets
Supreme power
The ultimate
The one who
Doesn’t
Ask.

Epitaph
To the one, the only
JON BOIS
The one who introduced me
To everything that I needed to know
In the form of quick presentations
Tables, Google Earth, and smooth jazz
There’s something I must confess
Never once was I ever
Not touched by a work of yours
That truly summed up
Things I never once cared about
In the best and most amazing fashion
Rest in peace and live forever

(Note: this person is not dead)


Limerick
A man named John John Joe
He traveled to Amlalow
Ate a chicken
Began to sicken
All the fault of the Chicken Po.

(based off of a song my cousin wrote four years ago)

Poetry Segment: 317 words total


ESSAY

The word is constantly changing, and with the world comes music. Music is an art form and a fact of life, and there are few things that can make a person feel more emotion. There has been a vast change in what is considered music styles as the years have progressed, and it makes sense. From today’s trap-influenced tunes hitting pop radio to the tribal chants dating back millennia, music will never go away and is an indescribable emotion. Everyone has a favorite song or songs that make them happy, and maybe a few that make them sad too. The many elements of a good song carry infinite numbers of possibilities, which is why the evolution of music is such an interesting topic to track.

Rattlers, shakers, drums, and bone flutes are commonly recognized as the first instruments ever created, due to their relative simplicity. Ocarinas and other percussion instruments also were quick on the scene. Of course, singing always existed as well. Even all the way back then, music’s primary purpose was as a form of entertainment and emotional stimulation, and there were many centralized tunes with lyrics specific to regions. Towards the Renaissance era, many more instruments had already been created, modern string instruments like the violin, guitar, and cello, as well as modern wind instruments like the clarinet, cornet, trombone, and bassoon. These created orchestras, and the Renaissance era saw the rise in orchestral and classical music to popularity. Choirs and keyboard instruments also were primary elements of the Baroque era, lasting from 1600-1750. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi are notable Baroque figures who used orchestral and piano elements in their pieces. Mozart was the central figure of the Classical period, the height of orchestral popularity, and composers like Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert led into the Romantic period. The Romantic period was the beginning of expressive and emotional music, such as Chopin, Brahms, Listz, and Tchaikovsky, as well as those even more complex authors like Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Dvorak, and Grieg. With the rise of the radio in the 20th century, the true genre of “popular music” emerged. Genres like jazz and blues emerged in the early part of the century, featuring artists like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Jelly Roll Morton. Soon after, the basis of rock ‘n’ roll was formed by figures like Elvis Presley, and then after their improbable rise to fame, the Beatles. There have since been several genres established, with offshoots of rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz, classical, and many more emerging over the years.

The history of music is certainly an interesting one to track. In today’s climate, there are almost infinite amounts of music out there, just waiting to be heard. With the rise of music streaming services such as Spotify as well as vinyl records and CDs, you can truly track how different music from then is from current music. Hit songs of today like “Stay” by Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber can be compared with Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” from centuries ago, and although one may not hold a candle to the other, they were both popular at the time, and we can track the trends dating back. Overall, the mass amount of genres makes music one of the most emotionally varying fields ever.

Total words here: 545

Lights up on the ROBIN’s home. Title card flashes across the screen. The exterior shot cuts to an interior look of the kitchen, where MIKAELA is finishing up her homework on the dining room table. We also see CLARISSA in the kitchen, sauteing onions and fixing up a meal.

CLARISSA: Mikaela, you need help with that math homework?

MIKAELA: Ugh! Why does the law of cosines have to be so challenging?!

CLARISSA: It isn’t THAT hard.

CLARISSA gives a clear “I’m the older sibling and you aren’t” look.

MIKAELA: Could you at least take a break from whatever you’re doing and help?

CLARISSA: Excuse you, but I’m making dinner for us! You said you wanted paninis tonight, and I got the ingredients! Mikaela, I’m going off to college in a year, so you have to learn to provide for yourself.

MIKAELA: Just tell me what the law of cosines is!

CLARISSA: Simple. A cosine of a right triangle is the adjacent side over the hypotenuse, right? So find the cosine by doing that, then use the inverse cosine to find what you’re looking for. You have a calculator, right? It’s been a while since my Geometry days.

MIKAELA: As a matter of fact, I do, Clarissa. But thank you for the knowledge.

After a few minutes of clicking and clacking, MIKAELA finishes.

MIKAELA: Bam! Done! I’ll be in my room.

CLARISSA: Well, don’t be long, the paninis’ll be ready in 10 minutes!

We cut scenes to MIKAELA’s bedroom. Her room is decorated a little more “younger” than CLARISSA’s, as the camera reaches MIKAELA on her bed.

MIKAELA: I wonder why Clarissa hates me. I mean, I look up to her! But she’s always looking down at me.

Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound begins from her closet.

MIKAELA: Um….. What was that?

The buzzing intensifies, and MIKAELA has no choice but to go closer to the buzzing noise.

MIKAELA: WOAH! WHAT THE HECK?!

Mikaela discovers a large PORTAL floating in her closet. It’s getting stronger, and MIKAELA is doing all she can to hang on: grabbing everything available in her room to quit being sucked in. As SHE screams, grabbing everything from a cabinet to a door to finally a laundry hamper, she is sucked in. The portal closes, and the room goes quiet.

We cut back to CLARISSA in the dining room.

CLARISSA: Mikaela? Mikaela! Well, I guess I’ll have 2 paninis then!

CLARISSA digs in. We make a rapid cut to Mikaela, who is now in a completely empty room. The walls are tan, and everything feels off.

MIKAELA: Hello? Anyone? Clarissa? Clarissa! Oh, buckets! I knew I shouldn’t have been the typical protagonist and approach the conflict!

There are no windows, and two doors. There is a small hole in the ceiling, and a table with one chair rests at the carpeted room’s center. A note is located on the table. MIKAELA decides to sit down and consult the note located on the table.

NOTE (narrator): Dear whoever is lucky (or unlucky) enough to find this note:
You have arrived in a lifesized puzzle. Your choices could result in your death, or your saving.
In front of you, there are two doors. The one to your left features many tigers behind it, who I last fed a couple days ago. Trust me, they’ll be waiting for you. The one on your right is a glass skywalk tunnel, which funnels sunlight and will kill you instantly when you step in. Trust me, there is a way to get out of this place. All you have to do is, well, use your resources!

MIKAELA looks horrified. Her first step is to search the chairs and table for any info, but only finds a note under a chair saying “You’re getting warm, but it is not here.” MIKAELA is confused, as there appears to be nothing in the room.

MIKAELA: So, I either have to deal with tigers, or the sun? Well I’ll take the sun then! But, how do I get across? If it funnels the sunlight to my body…

Suddenly, MIKAELA has a revelation.

MIKAELA: Ah-hah! I got it! I just have to wait until it’s nighttime! Then I’m good, right? But, how do I know it’s night time…

MIKAELA (cont.): OH! There’s a hole in the ceiling! I can just check the skyline!

Time lapse of the hours passing by through the whole in the ceiling. MIKAELA uses her excess energy sleeping on the floor.
Soon enough, it’s dark out. MIKAELA wakes up, and prepares to complete her task.

MIKAELA: Alright! It’s dark out. Here goes nothing…

MIKAELA crosses her fingers, closes her eyes, and steps inside the right door. She quickly notices she is not dead, and instead has a perfect view of the city at night.

MIKAELA: YES! YES, YES, YES! The city looks so beautiful from here!

MIKAELA crosses the long tunnel, finding another portal at the end. When she walks through, she is transported back to HER closet, this time with a note next to her.

MIKAELA: “To whoever may find this note: Congratulations, you’ve beaten the game. You have proven yourself worthy. Life is not earned through begging, life is earned through doing puzzles.” - Mr. Puzzles. Hmm. Fascinating.

The screen fades out, cut to COMMERCIAL BREAK.
(883 words)

NON-FICTION STORY 1

The day was towards September many years ago, and a young fourth grade child named Mercer had just recently suited up with his school band. He had declined joining orchestra the year before because he didn’t find it enjoyable, but now he desperately wanted to join band. His elementary school band director was heralded as one of the best in the state, and a school assembly was held featuring past inhabitants of the band program was held to further convince students to join, with full demonstrations of each instrument. Mercer was fascinated by each and every one of them, and simply couldn’t choose. Does he go with a woodwind instrument, with guaranteed melodies, not too much mouth strength, and quick finger movements? Does he go with a brass instrument, guaranteed to have a cool part and not many finger movements, but requiring a lot of mouth strength? Or does he choose percussion, and get a mix of parts to cover many different unique instruments? Every single instrument from the flute to the tuba called to Mercer, and so he had no choice but to go home and ask his parents to what they thought of the scenario. His mom was first to testify. She had played clarinet during her primary school days, but hated it. She discouraged Mercer from playing any reed instruments, due to her own personal distaste for the feel. Eventually, after a little talking, Mercer’s top 3 choices, which he was required to submit in the sign up form for band, were percussion, euphonium, and saxophone, in that order. He had always liked banging on things, so wouldn’t percussion be fun, he thought. The euphonium was an interesting instrument, he didn’t know much about it and wanted to try something new. And the saxophone just looked very cool to him. There were many different types he could play and guaranteed melodies. He submitted his form, and soon after got his response: Due to the lack of people who signed up for euphonium, he would be playing euphonium. A euphonium is a low brass musical instrument that has a similar range to that of a trombone. It looks essentially like a dilated version of a tuba, with a higher range than the tuba. It has either three or four valves, with a fourth valve being used as a shortcut combination. While there were not many valve combinations, each combination corresponded to multiple notes, and mouth strength was required to hit them all. Mercer was fascinated with his new instrument, and little did that little kid know that he would be playing and living the euphonium throughout all of his school years.
(442 words)

NONFICTION STORY 2
After the Revolutionary War, Lafayette went back to France… and played a key role in the French Revolution. The French Revolution wasn’t really a “war.” It was more of a series of events that troubled the people. The French Revolution started on July 14, 1789, when a French prison named the Bastille was stormed by a mob. During the French Revolution, Lafayette was part of the “liberal aristocrat” party, which was called the “Fayetteists”. In 1791, his popularity declined fast, and Queen Marie Antoinette even said, “It would be better to perish than to be saved by the M. de Lafayette”. This was partly because of a violent attack Lafayette led on July 17 of that year. A group of petitioners gathered outside the Champ de Mars to demand that King Louis XVI be overthrown. This led Lafayette to order the massacre to begin. Lafayette and his men killed or wounded about 50 innocent people. The reason was that he was trying to protect the king and queen, even though they despised him. Technically, the Champ de Mars Massacre, as it is referred to by historians, was the French equivalent of the Boston Massacre, even though the Champ de Mars Massacre took place during the war and there were significantly more casualties during the Champ de Mars Massacre.
During the “Reign of Terror” when terrorists took over France during the French Revolution, Lafayette fled the country, was captured by Austrians, and eventually thrown into an Austrian jail. He remained in the jail from 1792 to 1797, despite efforts by both the United States Congress and President George Washington to get him released. He was finally let out from jail in 1797, partly because of the victories of rising French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. When Lafayette returned to France in 1800, he found out his entire fortune was gone. He rejected a diplomatic post and a Virginia senate seat in the United States of America because of the loss of fortune. In 1805, during the aftermath of the French Revolution, he retired to his home in La Grange with Adrienne and his kids. Napoleon offered him a seat in the French senate, the title of Legion of Honor, and the title of Ambassador to the United States, but Lafayette rejected each of them. President Thomas Jefferson also offered to make Lafayette governor of the newly-purchased Louisiana Territory (which used to be owned by the French.) He declined that too, and lived silently at his home after Adrienne died in 1807. In 1815, Napoleon appointed Lafayette to the Chamber of Deputies, which historians refer to as the French Cabinet, since the members of the Chamber advise the leader on what to do.) He remained in the Chamber until 1824, when he went on a tour through the United States, and then eventually retired back to his house, where he lived until his May 1834 death.
(482 words)

2669 words total for weekly 1!

week 2
week 3
week 4

other assorted stuff when i get to it

project link to chapter 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652660310/
chapter 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/653285177/

For March 8 daily purposes:
I peeked through the curtains. There was a limo parked outside with two bodyguards. I heard a knock at the door, and suddenly everything changed. I looked through the peep-hole, and it seemed to be something official and important. There was nobody else in the house, so I opened the door. The man there introduced himself as Orion Avalos, the leader of a secret organization known as the Sunken Construction Society. This organization was trying to build a secret society under the water in the resort town of Laurel Beach. My parents had told me about them, and expected them, however I didn’t know where my parents were. Avalos asked me where my parents were, and I just said, “I don’t know. But I’ll come with you if you want.” Avalos was reluctant, but let me in due to the absence of my parents. Because my family had been a donor and was putting things in boxes to prepare to move, they needed at least one person from the family present at the grand opening.
While we were driving down to a secret hotel meeting place in Laurel Beach, I asked a lot of questions in the back seat of the limo. Avalos explained that a boat was waiting for them in a secret location in the north, right on the state border. They would sail this boat due south-southeast into a large white dot off the coast of 4th Street, marking the entrance to the area.
We got onto the boat and, after about 25 minutes, encountered the dot. Avalos got out and opened the hatch, and we took the ladder down into the Center Room. This Center Room was the head area of Sunkenland, what we were calling this utopia. The room was huge, with separate tunnels being built for each of the planned 500 residents of the land to live in, as well as additional recreational areas. Avalos got everybody together in the Center Room and said the following, “Hello, everybody! We have been hard at work for 9 years, but welcome to the official opening of the Sunkenland Society! We will gather everybody here by the end of the week, where we will officially begin life here. I thank the architects and everybody who helped build this place! But for now, we will wait.”

i don't understand what threads mean like yeah

About Me

Hi! My name is Zoe and my pronouns are she/her. I'm a huge bookworm, writer, baker, and musical theatre lover. My favorite musical is Hamilton because I love the plot and all the songs. This is my 1st session here at SWC and I'm super excited to be a part of this experience! <3
#MythologyFTW

Writing Contest Entry

//Forbidden Love//

Long ago, angels and devils used to get along really well. They spent so much time together, blending together as one. It was perfect…
Until one day, an angel got really jealous of her sister–who was popular, pretty, and had an amazing boyfriend. So she hatched a plan to frame her sister and get her in trouble. The devil ended up framing the sister anyway, and the angels and devils got into a huge fight. Ever since then, it was forbidden for angels and devils to talk to each other.
But I'm different. My name is Alyssa and I'm an angel. The thing is, I have a friend that is a devil. His name is Zach. We met when we were kids; he accidentally came into the angel territory. We talked for a while and we became friends. Everyone makes devils seem like they're completely evil, but Zach is different. He isn't evil, he is the nicest person I've ever met!
So at night, I sneak out to go see him. No one can find out, though. I'd get in big trouble if they did.
“Uh, earth to Alyssa,” my best friend, Zoe, said.
I smiled. We were in the school library, waiting for school to start. “Oh. Sorry about that! I was daydreaming,” I replied sheepishly.
“Again? You've been daydreaming a lot,” Zoe said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Anyway, our first school dance is coming up! You're going, right?” she asked.
“Of course, I'm going! I've already picked out my outfit,” I exclaimed proudly. Zoe knew I was a fashion queen.
“I cannot wait for the dance,” Zoe said, her eyes sparkling.
“Me too,” I agreed. Our school had a big dance every single year and the whole school goes. There is music, lights, food, and it's so much fun.
Just then the bell rang for school. I sighed. We had a substitute in science today and I wasn't looking forward to it.
˚꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦˚₊˚꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦₊˚
It was nighttime. 11:47 to be exact. It was time to sneak out and see Zach. So I made sure everyone else was sound asleep and then I left. There is a border between the angel territory and the devil territory. I took a deep breath and jumped onto the other side.
I saw Zach right away. I ran over to him. “Hi!”
“Hey, Alyssa!” Zach called.
“How are you?” I asked curiously.
“I'm pretty good, you?” he asked.
I sat down on the bench. “I'm great,” I replied. Zach sat down next to me.
I felt myself blushing. OMG. Zach was so close to me that our knees were touching.
Okay, I may have left out a teeny detail–I have a crush on Zach. Although it's hard because technically angels and devils aren't even supposed to be talking to each other.
“I have to show you something,” Zach said after a few minutes. I followed him as he walked around town. I was confused about where he was taking me, but I trusted him. Finally, he led me to this sparkling lake. The moonlight shined and reflected on the lake.
“Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous Zach!” I gushed.
“Just like you,” he mumbled.
He said it super quietly, but I heard him loud and clear. “W-what…?”
“Alyssa, I really like you. I've liked you for a really long time. However, everything is complicated. We're technically breaking a serious rule by talking to each other since devils and angels aren't supposed to interact.” explained Zach.
“I like you, too. You're cute, sweet, positive, funny, and amazing. You're always there for me when I need it. Regarding the stupid rule about devils and angels not being able to hang out, no one has to know about us being together,” I told him with a smile.
“So you're saying we shouldn't tell anyone?” Zach asked, making a weird face.
I see what he was saying: lying about being in a relationship would be quite difficult. But… it would be worth it.
I nodded. “It's going to be hard, but we can do it. Besides, love is all that matters, right?”
“Yeah, you're right,” Zach said. “So…you'll be my girlfriend?”
“Of course!” I cried and we kissed. It felt like a love story or something. I cherished every second of it.
₊꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦˚₊˚꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦₊˚
The next morning, I woke up like normal. I was still overjoyed due to the kiss last night, but I didn't want anybody to get too suspicious.
As I was eating breakfast, my Mom came up to me. “Good morning sweetie,”
“Morning Mom,” I replied.
“When you're done eating, please meet me outside,” my Mom instructed. She didn't sound mad, but she didn't sound happy either.
So as soon as I finished my breakfast, I headed outside where my Mom was.
“Okay so someone informed me that they saw you on the devil's territory last night. You were hanging out with a devil,” my Mom said.
I froze. Oh no. No no no no. I was caught. That was my worst nightmare–someone seeing me. I didn't say anything.
“Is that true Alyssa?” my Mom asked sternly.
Should I tell the truth? Should I lie? My Mom wouldn't be upset about me having a boyfriend, but she'd be upset about my boyfriend being a devil.
“Y-yes, it's true,” I admitted.
My Mom looked upset, disappointed, and furious all at the same time. “When this person informed me, I didn't believe my sweet little girl could've done something like that…” she trailed off.
“Mom…I'm really sorry. It's just I'm not that little girl anymore, I'm sixteen! I'm allowed to love anyone, right?” I asked.
My Mom narrowed her eyes at me. “Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean love?”
Oh no. I just gave it all away. Ugh. I might as well tell her the full story.
“U-uh yeah. I, uh, met this devil a few years ago and we've been friends ever since. H-he asked me to be his girlfriend last night,” I said quietly.
“But you know it's against the rules to talk to a devil, let alone date one!” she was screaming now.
“You know what? I'm tired of people bossing me around and I'm certainly tired of this stupid rule! Just because angels and devils had a fight many years ago, doesn't mean they can't talk now! There's only one person who understands me: Zach!” I yelled and without thinking, I ran off. I heard my Mom calling my name, but I kept running. I ran until I got to the border, and I jumped.
I saw Zach talking to his friends. His eyes got wide when he saw me. “Alyssa! Oh my gosh, what's wrong!?” he asked.
I started to cry. “E-everything. My M-mom found out I was sneaking out to see you and she, she got r-really mad,” I explained, stuttering in between.
He hugged me tightly. “It's hard, I know. Your mom loves you very much and won't stay mad at you forever. You did the right thing by telling her the truth. And I'll be with you no matter what,” Zach said soothingly.
“Thanks, Zach,” I said, grateful that he understood.
“Things will get better, I promise,” he mumbled.
I didn't know that things would get better, but I knew everything would be okay as long as I had Zach by my side. “I love you,” I said with a smile.
“I love you too, my angel” Zach replied.
And just like that, we had our own happy ending.




Daily #1 (Word count: 307 words)

Everyone thinks being a pencil is easy. Let me tell you, it certainly isn't. There are many, uh, drawbacks to being a pencil, no pun intended.
I find my job very underrated; I don't get paid for what I do and most of the time I end up on the dirty floor. Ew. Plus, several germy hands touch me every single day and write with me, as well as use my eraser. But do they ever ask me for permission first? No!
There is this well-known pencil quote: Don't waste time looking for a better pencil, learn to write better.
Like, come on. Since I'm a pencil, I find this very offensive. Anyway, I should probably get some sleep before some bratty kid picks me up and starts writing with me. I'm not kidding. Every single day, an annoying kid walks into the classroom, picks me up, and slams me onto a piece of paper to start writing with me. Some people write fast, while others write super slow. I don't really care about the speed as long as they hurry up and finish using me.
People just assume because I'm a pencil, not a living human like them, that whenever they want to write, they immediately grab me. There is something called a pen! Humans act like a pencil is the only writing tool in the world, but it's actually not. There are so many writing tools out there and out of dozens of tools, they have to choose me. Me, a pencil, of all things!
What they do not know is that even though I'm a pencil, I have very valid feelings, okay? When so many people write with me at once, I start to feel dizzy.
So as much as I enjoy my job as a pencil, please be respectful to me.


Daily #2 (Word count: 428 words)

Ice Cream Flavors: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Seafoam, and Tropical Sunset

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping loudly outside of my window. I debated going back to sleep when I suddenly remembered that today was my little sister's, Ellie's, tenth birthday. So I quickly got out of bed and headed downstairs, eager to say happy birthday to Ellie.
But when I got to the kitchen, I was surprised to see that my little sister wasn't up yet. Instead, my mom was digging through our freezer. She must've seen me staring because she looked up and said, “Oh good morning Nadya,”
“Good morning Mom. Where's Ellie?” I asked her.
“Ellie is still sleeping, but actually, that's the problem. Ellie told me that she didn't want a cake, she specifically wanted ice cream for her birthday. I swore I bought some last week, but I think someone might have eaten it.” My mom replied, a frown on her face.
Oh no, that's not good. Ellie is obsessed with ice cream. Honestly, I bet she could eat it every single day and not get tired of it. We just wanted today to be special for her and this isn't what we wanted at all.
I looked at the freezer again, and then the tiny ice cream machine on our kitchen counter. Just then, I had an idea. “How about we make ice cream? Like, from scratch?” I suggested.
My mom's face lit up. “Oh my gosh, that's a wonderful idea!” she exclaimed.
So the two of us started making chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, which was Ellie's favorite ice cream on the planet. We took turns pouring, mixing, and flavoring our ice cream. When it was all done, we put it into our ice cream machine to churn. Suddenly, my little sister cleared her throat. “What are you guys doing?” she asked us.
I tried to put on my most innocent smile possible. “We're just…making breakest.” I lied. I didn't want to upset Ellie.
But Ellie was smarter than that. “Then why is the ice cream maker on?”
“Ellie, sweetie, we're just making ice cream for your birthday,” My mom explained softly.
I thought Ellie would be upset that we didn't buy her ice cream as she'd asked. But instead, she just smiled. “Ooh, can we make Seafoam ice cream? Or maybe Tropical Sunset?” When we didn't respond, Ellie put her hands on her hips. “Those are my unique creations!”
And just like that, we had our three special ice cream flavors for Ellie's birthday.

Daily #6 (Word count: 432 words)

My character, Leah, can be brave at times, but also can be scared of a lot of things. Since she lives in a haunted mansion, she has a lot of fears. Her biggest fear, however, is that she will lose her family. Leah is an only child and her parents are the only thing she has right now. Especially when she finds out there is a ghost living in her mansion, she is really fearful now. All she wants is for her family to be safe and sound, and she is very worried at times that something will happen to them.

When Leah moved into the mansion, it totally changed her life forever. Her dad is in the army and Leah wasn't very happy when she discovered that she had to move AGAIN. But living in the mansion was life-changing for her, especially when she found out that a ghost was living in her mansion. She was terrified at first, as anyone would be, but she faced her fears and found out that this ghost was actually really nice, just had a rough past. Now that Leah has lived in that mansion for a while, she couldn't imagine herself anywhere else in the world.

Leah loves listening to music because she finds it relaxing and calming. Her favorite type of music to listen to is hip-hop, more modern music if you will. She hates rapping but loves just hip-hop singing. She could listen to it all day and all night. Her absolute favorite singer is Olivia Rodrigo, and her favorite song is Driver's License, of course. Leah prefers casual clothing over formal clothing; sweatshirts, hoodies, t-shirts, and jeans are more her style, although she does like wearing dresses from time to time. Leah considers herself to be in between a girly girl and a tomboy, because she tends to have styles from both.

When Leah first moved to her new mansion, she had no friends at all. But then she met Tara and everything changed. They got along right away and their friendship blossomed from there. Leah has certain qualities that she looks for in a friend. One of the things that she looks for is kindness. Her ideal friend needs to be kind and good-hearted since Leah herself is a very kind person. The next thing that she values in a friend is integrity. She needs her friend to be completely honest with her and not keep any secrets that could possibly hurt her in a negative way. She also looks for resiliency, the power to overcome any obstacle that's thrown.

Daily #7 (Word count: 607 words)

Heather is a smart, independent lawyer who always gets what she wants, which is criminals in jail. She is the owner of several cats and an expensive lake condo. She was the top independent lawyer in the area of course. She is on her way to the court for the trial of the world-renown Clive Duffy. As she turns into king street a car, which was going the wrong way if I might add, comes at her, smashing her expensive Bentley Continental GT Convertible. She gets thrown from the car at a high rate. She quickly engages her landing gadget and it immediately changes her direction and she lands right next to her demolished car. A man stands next to her, mouth wide open.
“You ruined it!” She yells. The man simply stares. He seems to be almost in a trance. Then he panics and runs, but of course, she doesn’t let him go far. By the time he’s taken five steps she already has him on the cement.
“You aren’t planning to leave without paying for my car, right?”
The man starts to say something but then stops. He looks right at Heather, tilting his head a bit. “Wait, aren't you that famous lawyer that everyone is always talking about?”
Heather crosses her arms over her chest. “Yes, I am. But can we please get back on the topic at hand here? You literally wreaked my very expensive car by being completely reckless! You could've hurt someone…or worse” She points out.
“I'll make you a deal, Miss Lawyer: I will pay for your, er, rather demolished car if, and only if, you give me that fancy gadget that you have.” The man says, a smirk on his face.
Heather gasp. He wouldn't that this man have her landing gadget, which was the most precious thing that she owned, not to mention that it just saved her life. Besides, no one was supposed to know that she even had one in the first place. “I'm sorry but no. I absolutely cannot do that deal with you,” She replies, taking a step away from him.
“Fine. If you don't want to do this deal with me, then I'm calling the police, claiming you tried to kill me.” The man mumbles.
Heather laughs. “Do whatever you want, I don't care. The police aren't going to arrest me for ”killing“ someone when I almost got killed myself. I'm a lawyer, remember? I have quite a bit of leeway when it comes to these types of things.”
The man frowns. He takes a step closer to Heather, reaching his hand out to try and grab her. But Heather was faster than that. She grabs one of her gadgets out of her pants pocket, a gadget that she invented at the age of ten years old. If she presses the bright blue button on her gadget, she would be able to float in the air and fly around. It was one of her most genius inventions and it has come in handy more times than she could count on her fingers. So Heather presses the blue button and within a second, she feels herself floating in the air, light as a feather. The man's mouth drops open and he looks as if he's seen a ghost.
Heather's phone buzzes in her pocket and she pulls it out, still floating in the air. The spring breeze is pushing her around everywhere. She got a text reminding her about the Clive Duffy trial that is starting soon. With one last smile, she flies to the court, leaving the man in utter shock.

Daily #9 (Word count: 546 words)

I rewrote a fantasy story into my least favorite genre (horror).

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain was tapping on my window and the wind was howling like an angry wolf. I was sound asleep, dreaming that I had magical powers or something. Just then, I heard a female voice calling my name: Abby, Abby, Abbyyyy
It was faint, sounding like it was coming from somewhere far away from my bedroom. I opened my eyes and sat up. Ugh, it was probably just the wind rattling against my trees. I was so tired that I just laid back down, closing my eyes once more. But then I heard the soft female voice calling my name again. So this time, I actually got out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway to try and detect where that voice was coming from.
Of course. It was coming from the basement. Now I've watched enough horror movies to know that you never go into a creepy basement in the middle of the night. But there was something about this where I felt like I was hypnotized and I couldn't control myself at all. It was really weird.
I quietly walked into the basement and closed the door behind me, so I didn't wake my parents up. I winced when the floorboards creaked underneath me. I glanced all around the basement; the thing was, our basement was so dark and had absolutely no lights whatsoever. That made it seem more and more like it was straight out of a scary movie.
I was about to leave since I didn't see or hear anything suspicious, but right as I turned around, I heard the creepy voice calling my name again. I spun around super fast and the first thing that my eyes were drawn to was the big, antique mirror that was hanging from the right wall of the basement. It had a dark wooden frame and knives carved into it. This mirror was glowing an intense red color, which it was not supposed to do, obviously. My eyes widened and I took a step away from the mirror, but I accidentally tripped over the stairs in the process, therefore falling on my butt.
The voice seemed to be getting louder and louder. I don't know if it really was getting louder or if I was going crazy. Both were a possibility.
“Mom, Dad, please help me!” I exclaimed. However, I realized that they probably couldn't hear me because I closed the basement door. Why did I do that…?
Suddenly, I felt a tug on my legs that I couldn't ignore. I was slowly getting pulled into the big mirror! I tried to fight it as much as I possibly could, but it was much stronger than me. Next thing I know, I got sucked into the mirror.
I landed on my stomach, which really hurt. Ow. I was slow to get up, but I managed. As I started to stand up, I noticed that I wasn't inside my basement anymore. I was in the middle of a forest, with large trees the size of two giraffes. Wow, where the heck am I?
Right at the moment, I saw a tall, skinny teenage girl who had a mischievous grin on her face. And she was coming right toward me….


Daily #14 (Word count: 387 words)


A piece of cake~

Everyone loves bakeries. Except for me. I mean, I used to love bakeries, but ever since I had a really awful experience at one, I've tried to avoid them at all costs. Here's what happened:
It was June 7th, which meant one thing: the last day of school! I was so elated because it was my last day of sixth grade. In my family, it was a tradition that on the last day of school, we all get some sort of dessert, since we all have a big sweet tooth. When we were thinking of where to go this year, my mom suggested that we try this bakery downtown called Sonya's Sweets. I'd never been there before, but my parents said they went there on a date one time and it was really yummy.
“What do you think, Amaya?” My dad asked me.
I thought for a minute. “If you guys have been there before and recommend it, then I think we should try it,” I said.
My mom's face lit up. “Great, then let's go!”
Soon enough, the three of us were on our way. Pretty soon, we arrived at the bakery. It seemed pretty small from the outside but was actually huge on the inside. There was a big sign that said, Sonya's Sweets, in bold letters, and they had really high ceilings. The bakery was themed to look like a cottage in the middle of nowhere, and it definitely succeeded.
My mom walked up to the counter, with my dad and me trailing behind her. “Can we please have two brownie sundaes and–” she turned to me. “What did you want, sweetie?”
I looked at the menu. “A slice of cake, please,” I told the worker.
The worker nodded and disappeared into the back room. A few minutes later, she handed me a whole cake. Yes, a whole entire cake. Shaking my head, I gave it back to her. “Uh excuse me? I asked for a slice of a cake; not a whole cake…”
The worker looked confused. “Well, I gave you a cake. You can cut it yourself. It's easy!” she said.
“As easy as a piece of cake?” I confirmed, then smiled. “Actually, never mind. Thanks for all your help!” I said, and I knew that I just created a new idiom.


Daily #15

Writing Prompt: You were the shadow of my light

There I was, sitting in my English classroom, bored to death. My teacher, Ms. Harper, was explaining how paraphrases work or something like that. At this point, I wasn't even paying attention anymore. I was staring at the clock, wishing it was lunchtime already.
Just then, a boy (I assumed he was my age, which was thirteen) stepped into the room. He had floppy brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a smile that lit up the whole room.
Wait, why was I thinking this? I don't even know him!
Ms. Harper must've noticed that the boy was standing near the doorway because she stopped talking about paraphrases and cleared her throat. “Everyone, may I please have your attention? This is our new student, Elijah. I know our school year is halfway over, but please make him feel as welcome as possible,” then she turned to Elijah. “Do you want to introduce yourself?”
He nodded. “Sure. Hi everyone, I'm Elijah. I'm thirteen years old, like many of you. I love reading, playing video games, as well as playing football. I'm excited for a new fresh start at this school!” Elijah said.
What did he mean by a new fresh start?
Ms. Harper scanned the room. “Alright, why don't you sit next to Ava. Ava, can you please raise your hand?”
I raised my hand high in the air so Elijah could see it. Once he saw my hand, his smile became bigger and he walked over and sat down next to me.
“Hi!” I whispered to him
“Hey,” he whispered back. “By the way, I really like your necklace.”
“Thanks, I got it last year for my birthday,” I replied, clutching my necklace.
“Well, it fits you perfectly. A pretty necklace for a pretty girl.” Elijah said, before focusing on Ms. Harper again.
I felt myself blush. Hard. Did he just…call me pretty?
Once the super boring lesson was over, it was time for lunch. “Do you want to sit and eat with me?” Please say yes, please say yes. I begged to myself.
“Yeah sure. Who do you usually eat with?” Elijah asked.
Oh. I should've known he was going to ask me that. I took a deep breath before responding. “I don't have any friends,” I said softly.
His face fell. “Oh no, I'm so sorry, Ava.”
I shrugged. “I mean, it sucks for sure, but at least when I'm by myself, I can focus on the things I want to do,” I said, brushing my blonde hair out of my face.
“That makes sense,” Elijah replied.
—————-
For the next few weeks, Elijah and I did everything together. We talked to each other before and after school, texted all the time, hung out at lunch, and even worked together on a big science project. As we worked together more, we grew closer together and our friendship seriously bloomed. One day, though, everything changed.

When I got to school that day, I saw Elijah waiting for me at the front. He was sitting on a bench and once he saw me, he stood up.
“Hi, Elijah,” I said cheerily. I expected him to express the same happiness I was, but he didn't. In fact, he looked really upset.
“What's wrong?” I asked, super confused.
“Look Ava, I've really enjoyed the past few weeks that I've spent with you. Trust me, it has been extremely fun and you've reminded me of the most important thing in life: being yourself,” Elijah began, smiling at me. But then, his smile slowly faded. “But I have to move, like, really far away,” he said.
My heart sank. I couldn't believe it. “But you literally just moved here a few weeks ago…” I pointed out.
“I know, and trust me, I'm not happy about it either. I'm going to miss you so much.” Elijah said. Just then, he leaned in and kissed me. On the lips.
OMG, my first kiss!
Once he pulled away, we were both smiling. “See you around, Ava,” he said to me.
I waved to him and it felt like my face was on fire. But surprisingly, I liked it.



Daily #17 (Word count: 572 words)

SWC Fanfiction

I woke up from my long nap to the sound of music. I groaned as I sat up, still really tired from the long day before. The music sounded like it was coming from the next room over, which was the Contemporary cabin. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was 11:45 A.M. so why was Contemporary blasting music so loudly?
I decided to check it out for myself, although since Contemporary was my cabin's (Myth's) enemy cabin, I still wanted to desperately figure out what was going on. Were they blasting music just to have fun, or trying to distract Myth from writing?
I walked into the hallway where all the cabins were lined up, in alphabetical order, of course, because Birdi is just a very organized person. I knocked on Contemporary's door loudly so they could hear it over their loud music.
Suddenly, the door creaks open a little bit, and I see Contemporary's leader, Daisy. “Hi! How can I help you?” she asked.
I smiled. “Hi, I'm Zoe from the Mythology cabin! I just wanted to bring to your attention that the music that you guys are blasting is a little too loud for me, so if you could please turn it down, that'd be great.” I told her in the nicest way possible.
Daisy fidgeted with the door, avoiding my eyes. “You're from Myth, huh?”
I nodded, wondering what that had to do with anything.
“I'm sorry, but since we're enemies, I'm really not supposed to be talking to you right now.” She mumbled.
“We're enemies, so what? We don't have to be best friends, but at least cheer each other on.” I said, trying to get a glimpse into the Contemporary cabin. I'd never been inside there myself, but other cabinmates have told me it's beautiful inside there.
Daisy frowned. “I know, but those are the rules. I'm truly sorry. I'll have Gigi turn the music down.” And with that, she walked back inside her cabin and shut the door.
I sighed. There had to be a way to at least be friendly with Contemporary. I thought for a minute. Wait…maybe there is.
I rushed over to the large kitchen, just off the hallway where all the cabins were. I pulled out my phone and searched for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there–but I added my own twist: a friend potion. That meant that whoever ate my cookies, would automatically be friends with me and the whole Mythology cabin. I spent over an hour making the cookies and then put them in a wooden basket to take to the Contemporary cabin.
Once again, I knocked on their door. Daisy opened the door as she had before. “Oh, hi. We turned the music down as you asked.”
“I noticed, thanks for doing so!” I said, then pointed to the basket of chocolate chip cookies I had made. “By the way, I made these for you and Contemporary.”
“Uh, with all due respect Zoe, are you sure those aren't poisonous?” Daisy asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
I tried to smile casually. “No! Why would it be…hehe.” I said, trying to ignore the fact that I put a friend potion in there.
“Oh, okay then. Well, I'll leave them out for people to try. Thanks, Zoe!” Daisy exclaimed.
As I walked back to the Mythology cabin, I felt myself beaming. Mission accomplished.

Daily #27 (Word count: 640 words)

I wake up on a Saturday morning, bright and early. I pick up the really good book that I'm currently reading, called Keeper of the Lost Cities when I remember something.
Today is Cabin Wars.
I take a deep breath, getting ready to write my heart out. Then I rushed to my computer and log onto Scratch. Sure enough, Mythology is getting warred by Fan-Fi, and we need a lot more words.
I start writing my weekly, to kill two birds with one stone, when I realize that I never voted for the memory book contest.
So as I'm writing, I do a split screen and vote for my favorite entry. Then I write some more words. 300 words, to be exact. We end up winning that war, so I go over and continue the weekly.
Finishing that up took FOREVER, but I finally did it and I submitted it in the Main Cabin and waited for a leader to add it.
I want to go eat something, but I was too afraid that if I leave my computer, Mythology was going to get warred at the least inconvenient moment.
As I check the Main Cabin once more, I see that everyone is singing the We Don't Talk About Cabin Wars song, which I have to join in, of course.
I started debating whether or not I wanted to do a word war, but, like, I was super hungry. So I shut my computer and left to eat breakfest–delicious Fruit Loops, hehe-
Once I got back, I was shocked to discover I had 30 messages in 15 minutes?!?
I had a feeling they all had to do with Cabin Wars, but only 2 of them had to do with that. My friend in Sci-Fi was spamming me about how Sci-Fi would totally win, and then leaders would reply, added! to my comments, all of it is complete chaos, yet I like it.
I decided to cabin stalk one of our enemies - Contemp. I went over there and was surprised to see that they were plotting an attack on Myth!
Hmmm, maybe I could give them poisoned cookies to teach them a lesson…
I was interrupted by a ding from my phone. It was a text from my best friend wishing me a happy birthday. From there on out, it was chaos. I started prepping the *totally not poisonous* cookies for Contemp, tried to warn Myth that we were going to have to get ready for the war of our life, and texted my friend back at the same time.
I had about 12 bookmarks on my computer, all of which relate to SWC. They were from the Main Cabin to Myth's cabin, to the word count studio, to the word counter that I use, plus some extra screenshots of…iconic stuff.
The Main Cabin was going crazy, buzzing with excitement. I, on the other hand, was kinda tired of writing, as much as I hated to admit it.
Mythology was falling from 3rd place down to 4th, which is still good, don't get me wrong, but we had to be in the top 3. We had to.
I did everything I could do to earn points; I participated in-cabin wars until my fingers ached, wrote most of the weekly, and did a word war.
Right as I was about to log off and take a break, I got a new message saying that this girl from Poetry wanted to word war me. I replied back as soon as possible and opened my word counter, getting ready to write as I've never written before, well, except for Cabin Wars, that is.
I've made so many new friends, had the time of my life, improved my writing skills, and reached 20k words!
Thank you to everyone who's made this possible! <3
-Zoe



Daily #28 (Word count: 450 words)

Lindsey plops on the couch, exhausted from her long day. The truth was, Lindsey was actually, brace yourself, a mermaid. She found out that she was a mermaid a few months ago, and since then, she's been living part-time in the underwater world designed specifically for mermaids, called Coral Cove. She spends a few hours every day there with her best friend, Emma, who is also a mermaid. Then, she spends the rest of her day back in her human house.
It's really fun, but a lot of work to go back and fourth every day. And Lindsey is exhausted.
Lindsey had her own private treehouse in her backyard, of her human house, that is. As soon as she got back from her adventures in Coral Cove, she climbs up to the treehouse and relaxes.
The treehouse is about 6 feet off of the ground, with a long rope ladder leading up to the treehouse. Inside the treehouse, there was a large area, with a biege couch in the corner of the room. It has paintings of flowers on the wall, an old colorful rug, and a coffee table in the middle of the room. On top of the coffee table were books, her glasses, and her laptop.
Lindsey opened her laptop, and opened Microsoft Word. Although her life story was made into an actual story, she still loved to write stories of her own. She was currently writing a story called, Black Rose. It was about this teenage girl who moved into a new school, trying to have a fresh start. After time, she starts falling for this guy there, and eventually they start dating. But the guy has some dark secrets…
Lindsey was still drafting the first chapter of the book, so she didn't know for sure what was going to happen in the end. Not yet, at least.
As Lindsey was in the middle of typing her story, her new iPhone 15 buzzed her favorite song, Ashes by Mia Werhi. It was a phone call from her cousin, Ben.
Lindsey bit her bottom lip. She hadn't talked to Ben since she found out she was a mermaid, like, three months ago, but still. He was her cousin, and he was super nice.
She still answered his call. “Hi Ben.” she said meekly.
“Hey Lindsey! How are you?” He asked. “I haven't talked to you in ages.”
There was a reason for that. Lindsey thought to herself, but didn't bother saying anything. She was supposed to keep her mermaid power a secret for a reason…
They talked for about an hour, catching up on everything BUT Lindsey's previous life, that is.
Some things have to stay secret.



Daily #29 (Word count: 102 words)

Guess what the object is…

I'm usually a square/rectangle shape. I'm often decorated on the borders and have colors, bright and bold, or you can get me simple and clean if that's what you prefer. I come in all different varieties, all of which you can find in stores or even yard sales.
I'm often used to hold and store your precious memories, one by one, and you can line me up in your house for display. If you have these printed versions of memories, you can stick them inside of me for safe keeping and displaying to all.




Weekly #1 (Word count: 2,968 words)


Part One: Poetry

Poem 1: I Am

I am a butterfly. Over time, I grew physically and emotionally. I once was a little caterpillar, but not anymore.
I’m strong like a superhero. I love my community like a superhero. I help when help is needed.
My selflessness is what made me who I am. Learning this can be hard, however, I feel resilient.
I am not your typical girly girl, so please don't ever underestimate me. I’m full of surprises. I’m also a great helper as well.
I have a big jar of patience and lots of arms to help me accomplish whatever I want.


Poem 2: Haiku

Rainbows in the sky
They are a beautiful sight indeed
Everyone can agree

Poem 3: Limerick

There was once a young girl from Arizona
Who was sad because her mom was in a coma
Her mom had given her a bear, which she hugged tight
She felt her mom’s scent, and suddenly felt no more fright
The girl, who was no longer scared, dreamed of being in Oklahoma.

Poem 4: Quatrain

Cats and dogs are both cute
However, some people have a favorite pet
Some people even name them after a fruit
Either way, make sure to take them to the vet!

Poem 5: Rhyming

Spring, such a nice season to play
It's the best season, all the way
Where all the horses neigh
Spring has such beautiful days
The skies are never gray
Sorry Santa, move over with your sleigh
Even though winter is great
Sometimes cold weather gets all the hate
Sometimes temperatures go down to eight
Be brave and prepare for your fate
Spring is here and it is here to stay
It is never full of dismay
And with that, I must say
That will wrap up my spring essay


Part Two: Essays

Books are something that millions of people all around the world enjoy every single day. There are tons of books out there, for different age ranges and different genres, too. In fact, 825 million books get sold every year. But as much as people love to read, a lot of people don't know about the process that goes into writing a book.

The first thing a writer does is brainstorm and plan their book out. They figure out what type of book they want to write, (non-fiction or fiction) what age range, (Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult Fiction, etc.), and finally, what genre they want to write. Then they plan the plot, storyline, characters, and other important details in their book. Writers can take up to two months just to plan their book. Once they've carefully planned out their book, they can finally start writing. Most writers either use Microsoft Word or Google Docs to write. Sometimes writers find it helpful to listen to music while they are writing, while others choose not to. It can take anywhere from 4-12 months to write their book, depending on how long or short it is. Once they have finished writing their book, they need to start editing the book. Editing can take some time to do, but it is a super important part of the process and cannot be skipped. Writers often reread their books themselves and make the necessary changes and edits, but the best idea is to ask family, friends, or other fellow writers to read the book and give feedback on it. Then writers can edit their book based on the feedback that they receive from other people on it. The purpose of editing isn't to completely change what the writer originally wrote, it is to polish it and make it the best it can possibly be. Editing usually takes 3-6 weeks to do, once again depending on the length of the book. After the writer has finished editing their book thoroughly, they can get in touch with their publishing agent (if they have one) and negotiate book deals and get their book published. Some writers want to publish their book online, like on Amazon, while others choose to publish it in actual book stores, or maybe even both. Publishing books isn't as easy as it sounds and it can take months, or even years to get it out to the public. Despite that, writers still try their absolute hardest to get their book published because they are very passionate about writing and the way it tends to inspire people. And honestly, that's all that really matters. Of course, writers are going to face bumps in the road, big or small. Maybe they get writer's block, maybe they don't have the motivation/inspiration to write, or maybe they're just not having any luck getting it published. But because these writers care so much about getting their work out there, they fight through all of that in order to reach their dream. No matter how hard it may be.

So the next time that you pick up a book, think about how it got there. How hard the writers worked in order to publish it to the world. The journey that they had to face while doing it. Books are not just books, they all have stories inside of them and not just the ones inside the pages. I mean the ones outside of the pages; like the story of the writer who wrote that book and everything they did to get to that point. Every book tells a story. You just have to read it.


Part Three: Script Writing

LEAH lays on her bed, reading a mystery novel that her grandma had given her.

MOM
(From off-stage)
Hey honey, can you come downstairs for a second?

LEAH
Uh…sure!
She closes her book and heads downstairs.

DAD
(Motions for LEAH to sit down at the table)
So as you know, my job in the military is never permanent and I never know where I'm going to get sent to next. With that being said, I'm…being transferred to another city by next week

LEAH
What?!?
(Sounds shocked)

DAD
I'm so sorry, but I, unfortunately, can't do anything about it. But don't worry, we'll get through it. I know we will

MOM
(Tries to sound cheery)
You're going to go to a new school! And make new friends! How exciting!

LEAH
I don't want to go to another school. I really like my school…
LEAH crosses her arms and frowns.

MOM
If it makes you feel any better, I bought a new house for us to live in, and it's really nice!
(fake smiles)

DAD
Yeah, I think you'll really like it, sweetie. It's way bigger than this apartment that we're living in currently and it's all remolded and modern

LEAH
That sounds nice, but I really don't want to move. Again. This will be the sixth time in the past five years that we've moved
LEAH stands up abruptly and pushes her chair back.

MOM
LEAH, don't be like that. We'll get through this, I promise

LEAH
(Shakes her head)
No MOM, that's what you've always said every single time that we move!
LEAH runs back upstairs into her bedroom

MOM
LEAH wait…

DAD
(He squeezes MOM'S hand)
Just let her cool down

MOM
(Precedes to get up anyway)
No, I can't, I'm sorry. I know exactly how it felt to move so often and I just need to show her something
MOM goes upstairs to LEAH'S bedroom

MOM knocks on LEAH'S bedroom door.

MOM
Can I come in?

LEAH
I guess…
(Her voice sounds muffled like her face is in a pillow)

MOM comes in and sits on the bed next to LEAH.

MOM
Oh, honey, I know you aren't happy about the big move. Frankly, I'm not that thrilled either. But you just have to be adaptable and flexible with all of this.

LEAH
But I just got used to this house and finally made some new friends in my new school, and now I have to move again?
LEAH wipes her nose with a tissue

MOM
When I was your age, my family moved around a lot! My dad was in the military, too, just like DAD. I moved at least once or twice a year and had to make new friends and get used to it. What really helped, though, was a way to keep in touch with all of my friends, so that wherever I went, I could still keep my old friends and always make new ones!

LEAH
Wait, are you talking about a cell phone?
(lifts her head up out of the pillow and looks at MOM)

MOM
(Nods her head)
Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Wouldn't a phone be helpful to you?

LEAH
Yeah, it would be amazing!

MOM pulls a small cardboard box out of her front sweatshirt pocket and hands it to LEAH.

MOM
Well, in that case, I bought you something a few days ago. I wasn't sure when to give it to you, but I think now is the perfect time

LEAH opens the cardboard box.

LEAH
(Sees that there is a phone inside of the box)
OMG, you got me my own phone?!?

MOM
Yep, you deserve it, honey

LEAH
Wow, I cannot believe this! Thank you so much, MOM!
LEAH hugs MOM

MOM
Oh, you're welcome! It's the least I could do to make up for moving so much. Now, I'll help you set it up, okay?

LEAH
(Smiles brightly at MOM)
Sure!

LEAH and MOM spend a couple of hours setting up LEAH'S new phone. A little while later, DAD enters the room.

DAD
(Full of excitement)
Guess what guys? I just got a call from my work and we don't have to move anymore! They could set me up with a job right here

LEAH
(Screams happily)
This is the best day ever!

End


Part Four: Non-Fiction

Ancient Egypt was a very interesting time in history and a lot of important achievements took place there. Ancient Egypt was divided into three kingdoms: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom. Let's start with the Old Kingdom: The Old Kingdom was a time in Egyptian history that lasted from 2700 to 2200 B.C. At this time, there were dynasties three through ten. The Old Kingdom was when the first pharaohs started to rule and take control. In fact, pharaohs were both the Egyptian ruler and the gods. Many of the most iconic pyramids were built in the Old Kingdom. In addition, Egypt’s political system formed around that time. Next up was the Nile River. The Nile River was a way for Egyptians to grow and harvest crops, take care of animals, and travel across Egypt. The Nile is the longest river in the world with a distance of over four thousand miles. It branched out to form a delta, a piece of land formed by the soil from a river. Aside from the wetness of the Nile, the rest of Egypt was a dry, desert-like climate. Just like the Mesopotamian farmers, the Egyptians used irrigation systems. Due to little rainfall in Egypt, it was dry all year round, however, the Nile’s flooding coated the land in rich, wet silt. Mummies were also something that Egyptians took very seriously. Egyptians strongly believed in the afterlife and in order to have a happy afterlife, they needed to preserve the dead bodies. They would build tombs for the dead bodies, decorating each tomb in different carvings and paintings. Tombs of pharaohs were much nicer and more elaborate than those with a lower status. Before they wrapped the body, they said a spell from The Book of the Dead. Bandaging the mummy took up to fifteen days and amulets deemed “good luck” were placed in between the bandages. Egyptians first started making mummies around 2600 B.C. Last but certainly not least, Egyptians had unique religions. Egyptians were polytheists, meaning they worshiped multiple gods. They believed that each god had an important power. Re, or Amon Re, was the god of the sun. Geb was the god of the earth. Isis was the goddess of magic. Osiris was the god of the underworld. Thoth was the god of knowledge and wisdom. And Horus was the god of the sky, as well as the god of pharaohs. Most Egyptians had a small chapel outside of their house to worship the gods. Egyptians also wore amulets that represented certain gods to keep them safe and healthy.

It all started on March 13th, 2020. That was the day that everything changed. The thing was, no one thought anything of that day. They just thought it was a regular day.
But everyone was very wrong. Including me.
The day started out completely normal. My mom dropped me off in the school circle like she always did. As I was getting out of the car, I waved to her.
“Bye!” I exclaimed with a smile.
I walked to the blacktop, eager for another day of fourth grade. I definitely loved school. I always have, ever since I was little. There was something about school that I loved; it was like it was a safe, comfortable place for me to go to five days a week.
As I was wandering around, I saw my friends. “Hi guys!” I said, running over to greet them.
“Hi,” Nessa said. Her long brown hair flowed in the spring breeze. “How are you?” she asked.
“I’m pretty good, how are you?” I said, zipping up my light pink jacket. Even though it was springtime, it was still really cold.
“I’m doing good, except I’m really tired,” Nessa replied, faking a yawn to prove her point. Ellie and I giggled.
Just then, the loud, shrill bell rang throughout the school. That meant it was time for class.
The three of us walked to our classroom, which was toward the back of the school. I put my colorful backpack on the beige hooks that were outside our classroom door, which I normally did every single day. When I walked into my classroom, I got out the prior homework from the night before and turned it in. Our teacher, Ms. Wilmoth, took attendance like she did every morning. That didn’t take very long because everyone was there.
After she finished attendance, she stood up and cleared her throat. “Alright everyone, we are going to be starting our big science unit pretty soon, and there will be a project surrounding that. You will be working with partners as well.” Ms. Wilmoth said.
A student in our class, Miley, asked, “Do we get to pick our partners?”
“Very good question. Yes, you do. But please, pick your partners wisely. If you know that you’ll get distracted working with them, then don’t choose them.” Ms. Wilmoth answered.
I immediately thought of working with Ellie and Nessa. They both were passionate about science so working with them was probably the best option. I turned to face them. “Do you guys want to work together?” I asked.
Ellie nodded. “Of course!” She was always full of enthusiasm, ever since the day that I met her.
“Sure,” Nessa replied shyly.
Even though Ellie was more on the extroverted side, Nessa was more on the introverted side. Meaning Ellie was more outgoing and talkative, while Nessa was more shy and quiet.
Anyway, we started brainstorming our ideas for the project, thinking hard. We took turns explaining possible ideas and then we talked about them.
Suddenly, the principal’s voice came up on the intercom. “Good morning students, please pardon the interruption. Due to recent events, there will be no school this Monday. We will return to school on Tuesday, March 17th. Thank you!” her voice clicked off.
After that, the whole class started talking about how we had a three-day weekend. I glanced around and noticed some people were excited about it, while others were very confused. It was a Friday. At that point, I didn’t think anything of it; I just wanted to go home.
“That was kind of weird,” Ellie muttered as she sharpened her pencil using her handheld pencil sharpener.
I nodded. “I know,” I said, trying to push the thought out of my head.
The day flew by. Before I knew it, the final bell rang. “Well, have a good weekend everybody. See you on Tuesday.” Ms. Wilmoth said to everyone.
I walked out to the blacktop. That was the meeting spot for my mom and me.
“Guess what?” I asked, and didn’t wait for her to respond. “We have a three-day weekend!” I cheered.
My mom gave me a puzzled look. “No. . .you have the next two weeks off…”
“The principal made an announcement over the intercom saying we have this Monday off. She never said anything about us having the next two weeks off.” I countered. I was so confused. Why did my mom think I had two weeks off?
My mom shook her head slowly. “The principal sent an email to all the parents saying that you guys have the next two weeks off from school.”
Oh. That’s kind of weird. Why did I have the next two weeks off?
“Did the principal say why?” I asked her.
“She said because of the rising cases of COVID-19, which is the newest virus spreading all over the country.” my mom replied. She slid her sunglasses to the top of her head.
On the drive home, I couldn’t stop thinking about what my mom had told me. COVID-19 was spreading all over the country? I’d heard a little bit about it on the news, but I try to not watch the news because I find it very depressing.
Anyway, this virus has to go away soon. It might last a couple of weeks or something, but it’ll go away as fast as lightning.
Or so I thought.


SWC Weekly #2

Part 1: Short Collab Story

Collab with @Flowerelf371

https://scratch.mit.edu/users/NewYork_Com/#:~:text=NewYork_Com-,A,-young%20girl%20named


Part 2: Characters

Name: Danielle Javier
Age: 13
Species: Human

Personality and Traits: (Word count: 200 words)
Danielle is an extrovert, meaning that she is very talkative and outgoing. She is friendly to everyone and has a generally positive attitude toward her fellow friends and family. She is a natural-born leader and does her very best to help others. She is selfless and always tries to put others first before her own self. However, Danielle can be a bit impatient sometimes, and can't wait for an excruciating amount of time. She also is a little bossy and pushy to others, yet she doesn't always realize it. For the most part, Danielle is reasonably flexible and can adapt to new circumstances, although it varies depending on the topic. Danielle is really smart and is the best in all her classes, getting all straight A's for her report card. Since she is 13 years old, she is obsessed with technology and being on social media. She loves reading, baking, going on social media and doing math. She absolutely hates any kind of sports and can be somewhat lazy when it comes to PE at her school. Her moods vary on occasion and sometimes she's sweet and kind, other times she is impatient, bossy, and can be moody at times.

Wants, Hopes, and Strengths: (Word count: 200 words)
Danielle wants to make an impact in the world and society around her. She doesn't want to stand by and watch the world around her slowly get destroyed; she truly wants to make a solid change in any possible way that she can. On a brighter note, Danielle hopes that one day she could become a famous writer and sells lots and lots of books. Danielle is very creative and can think of a story idea or scenario in the blink of an eye. Ever since she was a little girl, she has always had a huge imagination, which has benefitted her on numerous occasions. Danielle has big dreams for her future: she wants to go to Harvard for college, study writing and performing arts, eventually find the love of her life, and have kids. Even though many people have told her that her adult life is very far away, she is still planning it all out. Speaking of planning, Danielle is the biggest planner ever. She makes plans for every little thing, not just because it helps her, but also because it calms her to have a set plan in place. She has dozens of notebooks dedicated to planning.

Dislikes and Fears: (Word count: 100 words)
Danielle dislikes any kind of bug or insect, especially spiders. Those freak her out the most. She always hates heights and tight spaces, too. Danielle is fearful of losing her family because that's all she really has. She reads a lot of books so her imagination is constantly running and thinking of possibilities that could happen. Therefore, she often overthinks things that don't need to be overthought. She doesn't like horror movies at all, and even if you pay her, she still wouldn't do it. Danielle builds up how bad or scary things might be, based on imagination, when they aren't that bad.


Part Three: Setting (Word count: 415 words)

This story will take place in a big city, with lots of cars, traffic, and noise. This big city will be in a prime location, and there will be lots of shops, restaurants, tourists attractions, and more. The story will mainly feature this city, however, there could be flashbacks of a smaller city. This big city will have a main downtown area, with a movie theatre, and restaurants within walking distance. The traffic on the main roads gets crazy busy, and accidents (like car crashes) happen all the time and residents here make a big deal out of them. This big city has a preschool, an elementary school, two middle schools, and four high schools. Oftentimes, houses are lined up near the schools, decreasing traffic flow. Meanwhile, there are lots and lots of places for the adults to work, such as many restaurants, hospitals, offices, schools, music studios, doctor's offices, science labs, and many more. Sometimes, it is hard to have a restful night of sleep due to people talking, music playing, or celebrations coming from the vast area downtown. This story takes place during a busy celebration, therefore, resulting in lots of noise. Speaking of celebrations, there are plenty of drawings and murals all over this big city. The murals are always very elaborate and detailed, representing the artists that created them. The most famous mural in this big city is the Fly Butterfly Fly mural. This mural was painted by two young teenagers a few years back, and quickly has become the hit of this city. The Fly Butterfly Fly mural features a detailed, hand-painted drawing of an orange butterfly, with multiple other butterflies flying around it. You can even stand in front of the mural and take a picture, so it looks like you have these elaborate butterfly wings. The Fly Butterfly Fly mural is bright and colorful and reminds us to be positive even in the darkest of times. For these reasons, it tends to be very popular and bring in lots of tourists. The population of this city is 502,929 residents living there, with the population growth spiking upward, bringing in more residents as we speak. This big city has a nice atmosphere, despite its occasional rain and snowstorms. This big city has many people helping out and given that this city is quite large, it's very easy to get lost, especially if you're new. Try bringing a map or your phone on you to navigate this crazy–but amazing–big city!

Part Four: Premise (Word count: 150 words)

One day, your character is relaxing and doing something calming to them, whatever that may be. Suddenly your character gets a mysterious text message on their cell phone. The text message is anonymous, meaning the main character doesn't know who it's from. Your character doesn't know who would want to hurt or threaten them, so they recruit one of their friends to help them track the person (or people) that sent that message. However, your character faces a lot of bumps in the road and doesn't know who to trust along the way. Your main character has to keep a low profile, while, at the same time, having to go undercover to keep peace and happiness in her life. Your character is losing motivation but has to keep going before the time runs out. Can your character find out who sent that threatening text message…before it is too late?

Part 5: Bringing It Together (Word count: 1,060 words)

Character by @dolphin_spring_water
Setting by @Isauree
Premise by @-lilliana

It was a sunny day at the park, with the sun shining, the lake glistening, and people having a good time. It was Saturday, so everyone–kids and adults alike–was having the time of their lives. Alice used to spend all her time at this very same park, spending time with her mom, dad, and her older sister. But now that Alice is 22 years old, she finds herself not coming to this park very often anymore. Recently, though, Alice has been having bad dreams like her life is going to end soon, so she decided to take advantage of what was still left.
Alice changes into a bright yellow sundress, pulls her dark brown hair back with a clip, and applies some pink lip gloss to her lips to add some glam. Then Alice heads over to the park, excited to get some fresh air and hopefully meet new people.
But to her surprise, no one was at the park. She remembers it being very busy at the park; it was never completely empty like this. Where was everyone?
Alice looks left to right, trying to spot someone, anyone, that was there. Her eyes flicker to the cafe near the lake. That cafe was usually very crowded and there would be a super long line, however, she saw no one there.
“Hello? Is anyone here?” Alice asks curiously.
Nothing. All she hears is silence.
She walks around the park, hearing the birds chirp in the background. Well, at least the birds didn't disappear like the people, Alice thought to herself and giggled. But then she shook her head. No, dozens of people don't just disappear in thin air. So Alice continues walking around, hoping to find a least one person here; she hates being all by herself. She feels lonely like she's stuck in a world all by herself. In fact, some of her worst nightmares were her being all alone.
As Alice walks, she hums a song to herself that her mom used to sing to her when she was little. It always would calm Alice down, so whenever she was stressed (even in her adult life) she found herself humming that song quite often.
Suddenly, a teenager comes out from behind a tree and walks up to Alice, a confused look on her face. “Where did you hear that song?” she asks.
“My mom used to sing it to me all the time,” Alice replies, her eyes twinkling.
The teenager just stares. And stares some more.
Alice smiles in hopes of making this situation less awkward. “Hi, I'm Alice, by the way!”
The teenager finally speaks. “Oh hi, I'm Ava,”
Neither of them says anything for a couple of minutes. Alice squirms a little bit; she hates awkward situations.
Just then, a voice calls out, “Ava, time for dinner!”
Alice frowns. It's not time for dinner. It's only 10:00 AM.
Ava nods. “Coming!” she yells back. But before she leaves, she turns back to Alice, “And by the way, I'd be careful if I were you. You never know who or what is lurking in the shadows…” Ava tells her and runs off to the main road until Alice can't see her again.
Wait, what? Alice had no idea what Ava was talking about. Hmm, probably some crazy conspiracy theory that Ava learned. She was only a teenager, after all, and since Alice was 22 years old, she stopped believing in magical things like that.
Alices continues walking down the long, windy dirt path, in hopes of finding a clue as to why literally no one was there. She looks around. Well, except for the fact that no one is there, the park looks just the same as she remembers. The big grassy field, several oak trees to provide shade, the cafe nearby, and of course, the beautiful lake that sits just off the park.
The only thing that was actually missing was the people.
Alice realized she was only a few feet away from the edge of the lake, so she took a few steps back. Ugh, she hadn't found anything useful to help her figure out what the heck was going on. Just then, she accidentally stumbled on a broken tree branch on the ground and started falling forward, into the lake.
Oh no, no, no, no. Alice kept thinking in her head. She would not die this way. She couldn't. Not now.
Alice tries her hardest to stop tumbling, but the force of gravity kept her down. Next thing she knew:
Splat.
She lands right in the lake. Even though it wasn't super deep, Alice wasn't the strongest swimmer. She closes her eyes tightly so no water gets in them and starts to tread water, as her parents taught her to do.
Suddenly, she hears a familiar sound: her mom singing. Alice quickly opens her eyes, not caring if water gets in her eyes anymore. She looks all around and stops when she sees a picture of her mom, back when she was still alive. It was like a flashback video.
Her mom is singing her famous song to tiny baby Alice when there is a knock on the door. Alice's mom stands up and opens the door. A woman in her mid-thirties steps insides, a frown on her face. The woman looks over at baby Alice and she frowns even more. “Ugh Charlotte, when are you going to come to your senses and get rid of that…thing? It's dangerous to society.” The woman says.
Alice's mom crosses her arms over her chest. “First of, don't call my daughter a thing. Second of all, she's all a year old! You-know-who said she could possibly manifest powers between the ages of 13-22, so no need to worry now.” she protests.
“Fine. But don't come crying to me when she destroys the world.” The woman says, rolling her eyes. Then she spins around and leaves the room.
The flashback ends there, leaving Alice in shock. She has p-powers…? And who was that woman? Why did she sound just like the woman who called Ava in for dinner?
Wait…if they were the same woman, that would make Ava that woman's daughter…and that's why Ava had asked Alice where she heard that song.
Which would mean this whole thing is about Ava's mom and Alice's moms' legacy…


//end//



Weekly #3

Part 1: Inspiration from Music

Song Used: Tears of Gold by Faouzia

(Word count: 420 words)

As my mom dropped me off at school that day, I never thought that would be the day that changed my whole entire life. But no matter what I thought, it still happened anyway.
I got to school fifteen minutes early, so I headed into the library to read while I waited. I'm a huge bookworm, so I like to go to the library at least twice a week. I walked into the big library door, waving to the librarian, Mr. Tang. He's been the sweetest librarian that I've ever met, and I'm not even exaggerating.
I plopped down on the soft blue beanbags and started reading Keeper of the Lost Cities. Just then, a girl walked into the library, scanning it. She had olive skin, long brown hair, and bright red glasses. I'd never seen her before. Hmm, maybe she's a new student?
Once the girl's eyes fell on me, she stomped over to me, looking angry. “Hey, you,” she said to me directly.
I looked up from my book. “Oh, hi! Is something wrong?”
The girl narrowed her eyes at me. “You.” She replied. Just one word. But that one word hurt my heart more than anything ever had.
I stood up, my legs shaking. “I'm sorry…do I know you…?” I asked.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Olivia Welsh and you're Tara Stone, yes, yes, I already know.” Olivia muttered, glaring at me.
“How do you know my name?” I wondered, my heart pounding inside of my chest.
“You're the one who moved into my house and literally stole my life right in front of me!” She said, her voice boarding a scream.
I just stared at her, super confused. I've lived in the same house my entire life, so how could I've moved into her house? Plus, I've never even met her until just now.
“What are you talking about…?” I asked, pushing my blonde hair behind my shoulders. Olivia was starting to freak me out.
Olivia continued to talk trash about me, literally right to my face. I couldn't deal with this anymore…I just couldn't.
So without me really knowing, tears just fell from my eyelids. I didn't normally cry, but there was something about Olivia's words that really got to be.
But when I thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. Olivia gasped and pointed at me. “Y-You're crying…g-gold!”
I was too upset for her mind games, but when I touched my face, I did see that I was in fact, crying gold.


Song Used: Princesses Don't Cry by Aviva

(Word count: 413 words)

I was at my house, getting ready to go bowling with my family. You see, it was my little sister's birthday, and she insisted that we go bowling for her eleventh birthday, so here we are. I was in the middle of brushing my hair when I heard my phone buzz. Loudly. So I headed into my bedroom to see who texted me. It was from my boyfriend, Brian.
It said: Hey Layla, look now that we're in high school, things have drastically changed. I just can't be seen with you anymore…I'm sorry, we're over.
My heart sank to the floor. Brian, my boyfriend of over a year, is calling it quits, over text messages?!?
After over a year of amazing memories, he just dumped me…just like that…?
Without really knowing it, I opened the Photos app and scrolled through all of the photos of Brian and me.
We were laughing. We were smiling. We were kissing. We looked happy.
We were happy.
And now that's all gone. I took a deep breath. If Brian didn't value our relationship, then I wouldn't either. So with trembling hands, I deleted all of the photos of him and me.
After that, I flopped on my bed and cried.
—————
I knew the next day at school would be unbearable. Not only would I have to deal with Brian, but also his friends teasing me, and my friends asking if I was okay.
And I was right.
As I walked into my first class, English, I immediately saw my best friend, Cassidy, talking to her friends. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me over to the back corner of the room.
“I heard what happened yesterday…are you okay, Layla?” she asked softly.
“Yeah. I mean, not really, but I'm trying to be okay.” I said.
Just then, the English teacher narrowed his eyes at us. “Girls, hurry up and sit down. This is not social hour.” he snapped.
So we hurried up and sat down, my cheeks flushed pink the whole time.
English class was pretty fun. We continued writing the 1,000-word essay, heh. Once English was over, I went to my locker to get out my math notebook. As I slammed it shut, I saw Brian standing with another girl. This girl was very pretty–she was tall, with curly brown hair, hazel eyes, and about ten bracelets on each wrist.
Uh oh. Why did I have to run into them? Out of all people…?

Part Two: Inspiration

(Word count: 714 words)

I'm taking inspiration from a dream that I had recently.

Rachel was filled with excitement and giddy as she walked into her new school hallway for the first time ever. It was the middle of the school year, so she did feel slightly anxious. As she walked into her first class–which happened to be her favorite subject, science–she was shocked to see so many kids. There were at least 50 kids in the class!
No one seemed to notice her, so she cleared her throat. Finally, that got everyone's attention.
The teacher was petite, with light skin and rosy cheeks. Her short blonde hair fell just past her shoulders, and her blue eyes seemed to smile at Rachel. “Oh hello! You must be the new student. Rebecca, right?”
Rachel smiled politely. “Um, no. Rachel, actually. But yes, I am the new student.” she said.
“Alright, class, may I have your attention up here?” the teacher called to the class and waited until the class completely quieted down. “My name is Mrs. Saqua, and I'm the only sixth-grade science teacher, so that's why there are so many kids in this class. Anyway, can you please introduce yourself?” Mrs. Saqua asked.
“Sure! So hi everyone, my name is Rachel. I love reading, writing, poetry, science, swimming, drawing, painting, riding rollercoasters, baking deser–” Rachel got interrupted by a boy sitting in the back.
“Bro, your speech is so long. Can you just, like, shut up?” he snapped.
“Hey! Liam, you CANNOT talk like that to our new student. Apologize right now.” Mrs. Saqua told him.
Rachel didn't expect him to listen to her, but surprisingly, he muttered, “Sorry.”
Mrs. Saqua turned to Rachel. “Rachel, dear, is it okay if I see you after class? I just need to ask you something.”
“Yeah, of course,” Rachel said and sat down in the front of the classroom, where the teacher pointed for her to sit. There were all boys at her table, meaning she was the only girl. Great. Just great.
Rachel tried to ignore the boys' antics and focus only on Mrs. Saqua. She was talking about marine mammals and how human interaction affects poor marine mammals. They even started a project focusing on injured marine mammals' stories. Rachel thought it was pretty fun, considering she's always been super interested in science.
Once the bell rang, Rachel stayed back to talk to Mrs. Saqua like she'd asked. Mrs. Saqua mentioned for Rachel to come to her desk, so she did just that.
“Is everything okay?” Rachel asked, her heart beating really fast.
“Yes, everything is perfectly fine. I just have a favor to ask you.” Mrs. Saqua said kindly, flipping through different drawers like she was looking for something.
Rachel just nodded, unsure of what to actually say.
Just then, Mrs. Saqua pulled out a syringe filled with icky green liquid. Ewwww…..
Rachel backed away. She hated syringes more than anything else in the whole wide world.
As the teacher got closer to Rachel, her eyes widened. “W-what are you doing…?” she wondered.
Mrs. Saqua grinned sinisterly. “I'm killing you, how wonderful is that?” she mumbled.
Rachel waited for her science teacher to show signs that she was kidding, but Mrs. Saqua kept a straight face.
“WHAT? WHY?!?” Rachel yelled, getting ready to bolt out the door.
But Mrs. Saqua grabbed Rachel's arm before she could even move. “Why?” she laughed. “Why? Oh, just because your dad cheated on me in high school, and your mom got me expelled, but no biggie, right?”
Rachel's mouth fell open at the mention of her parents, AKA the nicest parents in the world. They could've never done something like that…unless they did…
No, Mrs. Saqua is obviously lying to trick Rachel. How naive does she think she is?
Rachel took a deep breath, trying to build up courage for what she was about to do. She twisted her arm around to the right, making Mrs. Saqua's hand follow, then turned it more to the right, then quickly to the left again. The sudden shift made Mrs. Saqua's grip slip off, and Rachel was able to wiggle her arm free. She grabbed her phone and raced out of the science classroom, ready to call 911.
She could've been killed? By a science teacher? By a harmful chemical? Who knows, certainly not Rachel.






Part Three: Delving into Themes

(Word count: 1,475 words)

Theme: To stand up for yourself and not let people take advantage of you.

I was at my house, getting ready to go bowling with my family. You see, it was my little sister's birthday, and she insisted that we go bowling for her eleventh birthday, so here we are. I was in the middle of brushing my hair when I heard my phone buzz. Loudly. So I headed into my bedroom to see who texted me. It was from my boyfriend, Brian.
It said: Hey Layla, look now that we're in high school, things have drastically changed. I just can't be seen with you anymore…I'm sorry, we're over.
My heart sank to the floor. Brian, my boyfriend of over a year, is calling it quits, over text messages?!?
After over a year of amazing memories, he just dumped me…just like that…?
Without really knowing it, I opened the Photos app and scrolled through all of the photos of Brian and me.
We were laughing. We were smiling. We were kissing. We looked happy.
We were happy.
And now that's all gone. I took a deep breath. If Brian didn't value our relationship, then I wouldn't either. So with trembling hands, I deleted all of the photos of him and me.
After that, I flopped on my bed and cried.
—————
I knew the next day at school would be unbearable. Not only would I have to deal with Brian, but also his friends teasing me, and my friends asking if I was okay.
And I was right.
As I walked into my first class, English, I immediately saw my best friend, Cassidy, talking to her friends. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me over to the back corner of the room.
“I heard what happened yesterday…are you okay, Layla?” she asked softly.
“Yeah. I mean, not really, but I'm trying to be okay.” I said.
Just then, the English teacher narrowed his eyes at us. “Girls, hurry up and sit down. This is not social hour.” he snapped.
So we hurried up and sat down, my cheeks flushed pink the whole time.
English class was pretty fun. We continued writing the 1,000-word essay, heh. Once English was over, I went to my locker to get out my math notebook. As I slammed it shut, I saw Brian standing with another girl. This girl was very pretty–she was tall, with curly brown hair, hazel eyes, and about ten bracelets on each wrist.
Uh oh. Why did I have to run into them? Out of all people…?
I took a deep breath, imagining taking control of my emotions. Come on Layla, you have to be strong.
So I just walked by them, keeping my head high. I pretended like I didn't even know them.
But despite my stealthiness, Brian seemed to notice that I was walking right past him. So at the last possible second, he put his left leg out in front of me. It was too late for me to stop, so I just tripped over his leg and stumbled to the floor.
Ow.
I rubbed my throbbing head as I sat up. When I looked at Brian, he burst out laughing. “That's what you get, loser.”
The girl beside him stifled her giggle in her hand. “That was such a classic, Brian,” she said, high-fiving him.
I ignored them, standing up. My mom also told me that I can't make everyone happy in life; the only person I should worry about making happy is myself.
I glanced at Brian and the other girl one last time before I ran to the math classroom. I know, I know, I shouldn't run in the halls, but I couldn't control myself anymore. After months of getting pushed around, bullied, and taken advantage of several times, I was tired of it.
I was running so fast that I didn't see the girl standing in front of the math classroom, waiting for the bell to ring. I accidentally bumped into her and we both fell to the ground.
I felt my face get hot. “Oh my gosh, I-I'm so sorry!” I blurted, quickly getting up and helping the girl to her feet.
“It's fine, trust me,” the girl said, studying me for a minute. “I'm Tara, by the way.”
I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Tara. I'm Layla.”
“So Layla, if you don't mind me asking, why were you running?” Tara asked me.
I was quiet for a moment, not sure if I wanted to state all my personal business in front of a random stranger.
“Or not,” she said quickly.
“No, it's not you. It's just…” I took a deep breath. I guess I was doing this. “My boyfriend broke up with me yesterday because he said, ”he couldn't be seen with me“ or something stupid like that. The worst part was he dumped me over text messages, which really hurt. I just saw him in the hallway right now with another girl, and he tripped me and they both started laughing.” I explained, my heart pounding.
I'd wondered if I'd said the wrong thing because Tara's eyes widened and her face paled.
“What's wrong?” I asked.
“What's his name?” Tara asked, ignoring my question.
“His name is Brian. Why?” I told her.
“Well, Brian and I actually dated last year. We were together for maybe about nine months, give or take. We were so happy, or at least I was. But then he dumped me over text message, saying the exact same thing he told you. I recently found out that he said that to have an excuse to get with another girl, probably the girl you saw in the hallway.” Tara said, fiddling with her necklace.
“Wait, did this girl have really curly, long brown hair, hazel eyes, and a bunch of bracelets?” I wondered, describing the girl exactly as I remembered her.
Tara nodded. “Yup. That's her. Brian has been dating her since he and I broke up, which was last year.”
My mouth dropped open. “B-But…Brian and I've been dating for the past year…I had no idea he was with someone else…” I said. My voice broke in the middle of that sentence.
All the times Brian held my hand, kissed me, and said I was “the one”, that was all a big fat lie. He was really dating another girl the whole entire time.
I felt tears forming on my eyelids, and for once, I didn't resist them. I just let them fall. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. Math class started in a couple of minutes. I didn't want to walk into math class with tears on my face; this is high school, after all.
I felt Tara put her arm around my shoulder. “I'm extremely sorry you had to deal with this just like I did,” she whispered.
I sniffled. “Thanks,” I whispered back.
Tara kept telling me that it was okay and that I was better without him, but I tuned her out. I mean, not in a rude way or anything, but I was thinking deeply about something. My mind was trying to click all of the puzzle pieces together, in a way that would make sense.
Suddenly, a light bulb turned on in my head.
“I got it!” I cried, maybe a little too loud. Everyone turned to stare at me. Ugh.
Tara tilted her head slightly, looking confused. “Got what?”
“I know how to get back at Brian: we create a game plan that will finally teach Brian not to play with girls' hearts,” I suggested.
“Ooh, I like the sound of that. What do you have in mind?” Tara asked, a smug look on her face.
I explained to her my plan of posting pictures of her (Tara) kissing Brian, me kissing Brian, and posting timestamps to send to Brian's current girlfriend. That way, she'll realize what a bad person he is and dump him. Then Brian will feel the pain that Tara and I felt, and boom. Problem solved. Hopefully.
“Can you send me any photos of you and Brian together so I can compile it?” Tara asked.
I paused, then realized something. “Ugh. Yesterday I was so upset that Brian broke up with me, that I deleted all of the photos of us together.” I admitted sheepishly.
Luckily, Tara smiled. “Don't worry Layla, if you go to where it says, Recently Deleted, it'll show all your recently deleted photos.”
Oh. Right. I giggled shyly. “Oops, I didn't know that. Here, let me send the photos to you.” I said and started to pull out my phone, but stopped when Tara nudged me.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket just as a teacher walked by. Phew.
I know, I shouldn't be using my phone during school hours, but in some situations, you have to stand up for whatever you believe is right.
And that's exactly what I did.



Weekly #4

Part 1: Character Biography

Character 1: age range 10-20, introvert (Word count: 301 words)

Clea is a 13-year-old girl, born in Australia. Her parents thought it would be a good idea to move to Australia because the weather was nice and apparently it was cheaper, too. But despite their hopes of settling down, when Clea's dad got tired of being in the middle of nowhere, so he got a divorce and left his wife, Mary Ann, and his young daughter, Clea.
After that, Mary Ann and Clea moved to the United States to hopefully have a better life. Clea was only five years old at this time, so she did have an accent. Clea started in the local elementary school, which wasn't the best school in the world, but better than nothing. Mary Ann got a job at a local diner to make extra money, so she couldn't afford to send Clea to private school, even if she wanted to.
Even though Clea was really nice, she had a hard time making friends. With her auburn hair, bright blue eyes, and Aussie accent, they immediately walked away and avoided her as much as possible.
But that all changed when she met another fellow Aussie, a boy named Ethan.
Ethan and Clea became really good friends, always helping each other out, telling jokes to one another, and just hanging out.
Fast forward to the present, Clea is now a 13-year-old girl in the seventh grade. She and Ethan are still really close friends today and hang out frequently with each other, with Clea secretly crushing on him.
Clea is an introvert, meaning she is very shy and quiet. She is socially awkward and still has trouble making friends. Despite that, Clea is very sweet, smart, and hardworking. She is also resilient and dreams of being an artist one day, which she always strives to achieve.

Character 2: age range 1-10, introvert (Word count: 314 words)

Tami is an 8-year-old girl. She was born in an urban city, with lots of cars, traffic, music, and noise. Tami has always loved to read, write, and dance. Her mom was a professional dancer, and her dad was a lawyer, so they were quite wealthy. They lived in a three-story house, just up the hill from the downtown area of their busy city.
However, whenever anyone finds out where Tami lives, they just assume she is a snobby rich girl. Although Tami is only 8 years old, people tend to judge her by her cover without getting to know her, and they bully her often. But because she is so introverted and shy, she never sticks up for herself and instead lets people walk all over her.
Tami loves to read, so you can find her in the library most often. She read 20 books in a year, which is good for being only 8. Tami and her family have Family Game Night every Friday, and they either play Monopoly, Scrabble, or Bingo. Usually, she always wins.
Tami's family is very big; it's her mom and dad, her two older sisters, her younger brother, and herself. That's 6 people in the house!
Despite all the bullying, Tami eventually became friends with a new student by the name of Danielle. They were both introverts, which worked out perfectly.
Tami has olive skin, long dark brown hair that often covers up her eyes, and green eyes, which are uncommon where she lives. She doesn't let this bother her, though.
Tami is a kind, caring, introvert. She is a responsible leader, although she can be very indecisive at times. Some people even call her stubborn, which is probably because she's a Capricorn, but she's too young to know what that even is. Tami has big dreams and thinks the world is full of cupcakes and rainbows.

Background: Blue and green (Word count: 155 words)

In the middle of nowhere, there is a forest. This forest has lots and lots of bright green trees, surrounding a giant blue lake in the middle of the forest. The trees block out the sunlight from coming in, making the forest a dark area. Luckily, the bright blue lake is sparkling and glowing, attracting light from all sides. It is very easy to get lost in the forest, so be careful. Cell phone reception is weak, meaning you probably won't be able to use your cell phone in the forest. If you are quiet, you can hear the birds chirping away, bees flying about, and foxes running wild. The forest has always been a very friendly place to the animal ecosystem and you can spot lots of wildlife right before your very eyes. The lake is safe to swim in and has become quite the tourist spot for younger folks looking for an adventure.

Freewrite (Word count: 476 words)

It was a really hot summer day and the last thing someone would want to do was walk in a forest. But that's what happened to 13-year-old Clea. She was walking home from her best friend's, Ethan's, house when she accidentally made a wrong turn into this creepy forest.
Clea sighed. She didn't have time for this. Her grandparents were coming over any minute and she had to be home. So she pulled out her phone to text her mom but realized there was no cell reception in the forest.
Great. Just great.
Panicking, Clea started running in the direction she thinks she came from, but she isn't exactly sure she was going the right way. Suddenly, she crashed into a young-looking girl.
“Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” Clea asked.
The girl stood up slowly. “I'm fine, I think,” she said, dusting the dirt off of her tight pink skirt. “I'm Tami, who are you?”
“I'm Clea!” she said with a smile.
Tami tilted her head quizzically. “You have an accent…is it British?”
“Oh! No, it's Aussie, actually.” Clea replied, trying to be polite.
“What's Aussie?” Tami asked.
“It's short for Australian.” Clea studied Tami for a minute, realizing how young she looked. “Just out of curiosity, how old are you?” Clea asked curiously.
“I'm 8 years old!” Tami cheered, her voice sounding as high as a mouse.
Before Clea could ask what an 8-year-old girl was doing in the forest, she heard a noise. It sounded like someone was rustling through the trees…
“Um, we should probably go now,” Clea mumbled, trying to grab Tami's hand and lead her away. But Tami wouldn't budge.
“Don't touch me!” She yelled, a little too loudly.
Just then, the girls heard more rustling in the bushes. It seemed to get louder and louder….and suddenly, a guy in a dark black cloak appeared.
“Sorry, but we really gotta go,” Clea mumbled and pulled Tami along. They both started running in the opposite direction, Clea's heart was pounding hard than it ever had before.
“Where are you taking me?” Tami asked. Her voice had a whining tone to it.
Clea glanced behind her and saw that the hooded man was catching up to them. So she just ran faster and didn't respond to Tami's question. Surviving was more important at the moment.
Suddenly, the trees cleared and they saw a lake in front of them. So the girls skidded to a stop.
They saw that the man was just a few feet behind them, slowly approaching them.
“Jump!” Clea yelled to Tami.
But Tami didn't move. “I can't…I don't know how to swim…” she said.
The man looked as if he were about to grab Tami, so Clea took a deep breath and pushed Tami into the water. And then, she jumped into the water herself.


Final Story: (Word count: 1575 words)


It was a really hot summer day and the last thing someone would want to do was walk in a forest. But that's what happened to 13-year-old Clea. She was walking home from her best friend's, Ethan's, house when she accidentally made a wrong turn into this creepy forest.
Clea sighed. She didn't have time for this. Her grandparents were coming over any minute and she had to be home. So she pulled out her phone to text her mom but realized there was no cell reception in the forest.
Great. Just great.
Panicking, Clea started running in the direction she thinks she came from, but she isn't exactly sure she was going the right way. Suddenly, she crashed into a young-looking girl.
“Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” Clea asked.
The girl stood up slowly. “I'm fine, I think,” she said, dusting the dirt off of her tight pink skirt. “I'm Tami, who are you?”
“I'm Clea!” she said with a smile.
Tami tilted her head quizzically. “You have an accent…is it British?”
“Oh! No, it's Aussie, actually.” Clea replied, trying to be polite.
“What's Aussie?” Tami asked.
“It's short for Australian.” Clea studied Tami for a minute, realizing how young she looked. “Just out of curiosity, how old are you?” Clea asked curiously.
“I'm 8 years old!” Tami cheered, her voice sounding as high as a mouse.
Before Clea could ask what an 8-year-old girl was doing in the forest, she heard a noise. It sounded like someone was rustling through the trees…
“Um, we should probably go now,” Clea mumbled, trying to grab Tami's hand and lead her away. But Tami wouldn't budge.
“Don't touch me!” She yelled, a little too loudly.
Just then, the girls heard more rustling in the bushes. It seemed to get louder and louder….and suddenly, a guy in a dark black cloak appeared.
“Sorry, but we really gotta go,” Clea mumbled and pulled Tami along. They both started running in the opposite direction, Clea's heart was pounding hard than it ever had before.
“Where are you taking me?” Tami asked. Her voice had a whining tone to it.
Clea glanced behind her and saw that the hooded man was catching up to them. So she just ran faster and didn't respond to Tami's question. Surviving was more important at the moment.
Suddenly, the trees cleared and they saw a lake in front of them. So the girls skidded to a stop.
They saw that the man was just a few feet behind them, slowly approaching them.
“Jump!” Clea yelled to Tami.
But Tami didn't move. “I can't…I don't know how to swim…” she said.
The man looked as if he were about to grab Tami, so Clea took a deep breath and pushed Tami into the water. And then, she jumped into the water herself.
As they jumped, something fell out of Tami's backpack that she was wearing. It looked like a little book, with a bright blue cover…
Hmm, Clea wondered what it might be. So she curiously grabbed it, although she was underwater, so the pages disintegrated in her hands.
“MY DIARY!” Tami shouted, giving away their cover.
They were underwater, so when Tami shouted, a gulp of water entered her mouth, causing her to go into a coughing fit. Clea quickly swim over to her, hoping that she wouldn't drown, all because of her. “I'm so sorry…” Clea told her, still trying to hold her breath.
But Clea couldn't hold her breath forever, so soon enough, a huge gulp of water got into her mouth, and she started coughing. Heavily. Clea tried to hold Tami up when she glanced up and saw the man's shadow jumping into the lake. Uh oh. Now there's a problem.
Clea held her breath, trying to tread water, but it was hard to do that with an 8-year-old girl on her shoulder. Just then, her eyelids started to get heavy…and within seconds, she faded into the darkness of the lake.
—————
When Clea woke up, she glanced around the room that she was in. She immediately gagged because the room smelled like a combination of tuna fish and a dumpster. Ew.
Clea slowly sat up, her head throbbing. She saw Tami laying at the edge of her feet, curled up in a little ball, her hair soaking wet. That reminded Clea of their recent lake adventures, and she squeezed out the excess water in her brown hair as well. It took Clea a few minutes to adjust to their new surrounding when out of thin air, the same man in a hooded cloak appeared right in front of them.
Wait…that was the same guy that tried to literally kidnap them earlier…
With a sudden urge of fire, Clea jumped up, regaining all her earlier energy. “Hey, you! You're the one you tried to kidnap me and my…the other girl.” Clea yelled, figuring it probably wasn't a good idea to tell this creeper guy Tami's name.
The man looked mad, but he took a big deep breath, obviously trying to calm himself down. “I wasn't going to kidnap you. Geez, kids these days are so dramatic.”
Clea took a giant step away from the man. “I don't believe you,” she said, surprised about how firm her voice sounded.
Right as the old man opened his mouth to say something, a yawn sounded from behind them. They both spun around in surprise. Tami had woken up and she was sitten up on the old sofa, staring wide-eyed at the man.
“Whoa, who are you?!?” Tami asked, her eyes twinkling. She didn't realize that he just tried to kidnap both of them.
“I just saved both of your lives from drowning,” The man replied, with a smirk on his face. “You're welcome.”
“Thank you!” Tami cried, standing up and shaking Clea's arm rapidly.
Although Tami might've believed this weird guy, Clea wasn't believing him as easily. She took a step closer, feeling bolder now. “Oh, come on. We would've never even been in the lake if you hadn't been chasing us!” she pointed out.
“Wow, the little Aussie over here has some nerve, doesn't she?” The man teased.
Tami giggled. Well, at least someone found it funny.
Clea, on the other hand, hated when someone judged her like that. She'd been judged all her life just because she was an Aussie, and she was sick and tired of it. She gritted her teeth.
“First of all, don't call me an Aussie and–” she started to say when the man interrupted her.
“Why? You are an Aussie, yes?”
More giggling. Coming from Tami. Of course.
“That's not the point. You know what? I'm done with your stupid mind games. Just please let us go. If not for me, then for her. She's only 8 years old. Please.” Clea begged, pointing at Tami.
The man looked surprised. “I'm not keeping you, hostage, you know. You can leave whenever you want to,” he said, motioning to the wooden door a few feet behind him.
Clea was surprised that he would let them go so easily, and at first, she hesitated. It might be his way of tricking them.
“Come on, come on, come on. I have to get home!” Tami said, yanking Clea's arm forward, despite Clea not moving.
Once Clea saw that the man's expression remained serious, she paused to think for a minute.
Here she was, getting lost in a mysterious forest, bumping (quite literally) into a young girl, almost getting kidnapped, well maybe, she wasn't sure about that one, and then she jumped into a lake, nearly drowned, supposedly got saved by the creepy guy that maybe tried to kidnap her, and now he was giving them the free liberty to leave…
What a crazy day.
Clea looked at Tami and saw the desperateness in her eyes. She couldn't describe it, but she got a strong feeling that Tami really missed her house and family. She did, too. Not to mention that her grandparents were probably at her house now and her parents were probably worried sick.
So Clea took a very shaky breath. “Let's go, Tami,” she said, taking Tami's hand, which was trembling.
As they started to walk toward the door, the man cleared his throat. “Clea, wait!”
Clea whipped around, shocked and scared that he knew her name. “Y-Yeah?” she asked.
“Promise me that you'll never ever forget where and who you came from, okay?” the man told her.
Clea bit her bottom lip. She came from Australia, from her mom who loved her, and her dad…left them when she was just a baby.
Unless…
Wait, Clea's mom said that he left them due to, “money issues.” but what if he didn't want to leave them…
It was an interesting theory, and one that Clea's mom had never told her before. Hmm, maybe she knew only half of the story…
Clea studied the man for a minute, everything clicking into place. He had brown hair and her mom had red hair, so that would explain her auburn hair. The man knew her name and that she was an Aussie, which he wouldn't have known unless he was her dad. Her biological dad, that is.
“I promise.” Clea said, feeling more complete than she ever had in her life.
The man–her dad–gave her a warm smile, and suddenly, the whole world seemed to fade slowly between Clea's eyes.

Feather's March 2022 SWC Writing


dailies:
march 1 - skipped
march 2 - https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/post/6082046/
march 3
march 4
march 5
march 6
march 7
march 8
march 9
march 10
march 11
march 12
march 13
march 14
march 15
march 16
march 17
march 18
march 19
march 20
march 21
march 22
march 23
march 24
march 25
march 26
march 27
march 28
march 29
march 30
march 31

weeklies:
week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4

writing comp:
entry

word wars:


other writing:

Random Encanto ONe-shot? Idk579 words let's go

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Alma Madrigal, our abuela,” Pepa Madrigal, her daughter, sadly told the village. Her normally beautiful yellow dress dotted with suns was gray and had little rain clouds all over.
Everyone in the village dropped what they were holding.
“Her funeral will be next Tuesday. She was eighty-five.” Pepa said, picking up something from a table behind her. “And I am the next candle-holder, in her place.” She turned to reveal the glowing miracle candle in her cupped hands.
The village bowed their heads in sadness. Abuela Madrigal, who had founded this place, who had been the first candle-holder, was dead. Those who were not already wearing gray or black clothes darted into their houses and changed to mourning colors.
“Hey, Tía. I’ve a question for you,” Mirabel ran up to her aunt.
“Does it concern our late Abuela?” Pepa asked listlessly. She dabbed at her eyes with a gray, rainy handkerchief. “Otherwise, I’d suggest you ask someone else.”
“I can only ask you, candle-holder,” said the girl urgently. She took a deep breath. “May I try my ceremony again, now with the new and improved candle? You never know, maybe I could try for a power, I’m twenty-five in two days-”
“Mirabel!” Pepa interrupted with an exclamation, shocked. “How could you say that? Everyone only gets one ceremony! I know you still may be upset over your..loss, but you cannot interrupt important grieving for our Abuela!”
“But…” Mirabel’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces and instantly reforged from fire into something sharper and angrier. Hotter.
“Sobrina,” Pepa said, looking into Mirabel’s eyes, a few inches below her own. “I have something to tell you. Walk with me.”
The two Madrigal women walked down the faded cobblestone path. The sky was gray and cloudy, although it wasn’t raining just yet. Barely a person was on the streets, everyone preparing mourning rituals outside.
“Mirabel. There is a candle-holder code. And in it, is one rule that you would hate, and also a reason to keep you from this miracle.” Pepa avoided Mirabel’s shocked and questioning eyes. “One of the rules is.. Keep Mirabel away from the candle.”
The young woman with green glasses stared in horror at nothing, everything, everywhere, and nowhere. She couldn’t form a thought or a word. Her shattered, pieced-together heart erratically thumped in her chest.
“‘She is a bad influence. She is forever banned. Please, we must protect the miracle.’” Pepa recited tonelessly. “So says Abuela, and I will honor her last wishes. Now. I must oversee mourning rituals. Good day.”
With that, the clouds turned dark gray and gallons of rain cascaded over them all.
The townspeople hurried inside leaving the street wet, empty, and alone except for Mirabel, clutching her arms to keep warm. “Don’t be upset. Or mad at all. Don’t feel regret. Or sad at all. Hey, I'm still a part of the family Madrigal. And I’m fine. I’m totally fine. I will stand on the side as you shine.”
The words she had spoken a decade ago at Antonio’s gifting ceremony remained true over time. “I’m not fine. I’m not fine.”
The days flicked by like a black-and-white film. Rain poured for days and days until Felix made Pepa dry it up for the funeral. Mirabel didn’t care. Her gift had slipped through her fingers. Again. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday… It was Abuela’s funeral day before anyone even blinked an eye.

Here are my links for SWC <3 #poetryftw !!

⭐ ꒱ dailies ⸝⸝ ‧₊˚
March 1: Hey! Meet me <3
March 2: Table: inanimate
March : Percabeth Fanfic

❤ ꒱ weeklies ⸝⸝ ‧₊˚

hi

*:･ﾟWelcome to Octavia’s March writing collection *:･ﾟ

✧ Dailies ✧

✧ Weeklies ✧

✧ Writing comp ✧

✧ Other ✧

Hey there wonderful fellow homosapiens! I am the one and only (I think) Cherri/Lui :DD and I'm really excited for SWC this session! I have participated three times in the past, and every session has been loads of fun! I am an animal-obsessed theater kid and I really like… (**not me forgetting what I like**) music, musicals, singing, drawing, writing, reading, being with friends, and SWC of course! ;D I'm also addicted to Encanto, Hamilton, and SiX xDDD Also, remember to drink water and eat your food, it's very healthy, and remember that caek is amazing (you can disagree xD). I can't wait to get to know you all! <3

Zukamora wrote:

i don't understand what threads mean like yeah

It's like a line of a bunch of posts/comments. This thread is for the SWC 2022 Session.

Poetry in cabin daily:
This rebellion, what has it left us with?
Nothing; but a shack on the edge of the crashing cliff.
They promised they would set out and go forth,
To avenge us all, to bring peace and joy to us all;
They broke through the rain and the falling snow,
Yet it all had to end with a faltering shift.
They opened fire on the peaceful crowd,
Who was marching and yelling for justice for all.
This grey-blue world was never kind,
The tyrant witty and cruel to the mind,
The scarlet carpet had come from the fallen,
A goal to aim for the crazed minds.
And us? we were left behind, forgotten.
So we should come forth! and forward.
Join us; fight for the outcasts of our kind;
For the shack on the edge of the crashing cliff,
For the removal of the scarlet carpet,
For the hope of sunlight in eternal grief,
For our fallen leaders, the sun in the sunflowers,
They painted the right direction for us!
They have given us a chance.
We were given a second chance,
To fight, and to finally be free.

I'm an 11 year old, soon-to-be 7th grader, and my name is Twilight (not revealing my real name tho). Don't judge this poem because I wrote this is in five minutes.




My Poem (152 words and for Poetry Genre {Poetry for the win!} Freestyle)
One morning I noticed her eyes
Hidden in them was quite a lot of suffering
It made me feel pity
For days on end I wondered why she was so quiet
So hidden from the world
Why she never opened her mouth
Was a mystery to us
Her smile was charming
And I am sure her words too would be
Her eyes were always lowered
And in the inky night she stared at the stars
Every morning i would pass her by
And she would be quiet again
On a night as black as ink
I saw her walking down the road
Tears were falling down her eyes
And I could do nothing but watch
And in the silence
All I could hear
Were her cries
I wanted to inquire
But I saw that asking would hurt her more
But I still regret not asking
For the next day she was gone

Hello there! I'm Ham19-01-2011, call me Hami! I'm in the Sci-Fi Spacewreck; I'm hoping Sci-Fi will win (Sci-Fi for the win!). Also, I'm a first-time camper, so if

I would describe myself as an ambivert. Ocassionally, I just can't stop talking, but at times, I don't want to talk to anyone and just want to be alone and enjoy a book.

Speaking of books, I'm a very enthusiastic reader. Some of my favourites include the Harry Potter series, The Time Machine and a not very well-known book called Ella on the Outside. My favourites list is virtually endless. If I were to list all of the here, that would exceed the 2000 word limit, so I will stick to these three

One of my hobbies include writing. However, I just cannot get a proper idea, and when I do, a paragraph is all I write before I quit. I'm hoping to benefit from this SWC session by using the dailies and weeklies for inspiration. Additionally, I have just got a brilliant idea (by combining two online writing prompts) for a Sci-Fi book. Hopefully, it will last for longer than my other writing pieces!

Some of my favourite snacks are Sunbites crisps, French Fries and Strawberry Ice-cream! Sunbites crisps are healthy but also delicious… Mmm.. French Fries are something everyone knows about and loves, so it's not a surprise I enjoy them as well! It's the same situation with Strawberry Ice-Cream as well.

Sooo, I'm an eleven yr old, soon to be 7th grader () and my favourite hobbies are writing, reading, singing, sketching sometimes, and basically annoying my sister(s). I like to sit in odd places and I'm an ambivert, too talkative in texting and too quiet irl. I've got a nice voice and I've been writing for the past 3 years. I'm writing a novel, 146 pages into it (Bell MT, 15 size font, page size is mostly 90-100%). I basically like online texting and making friends. People somehow unfriend me sometimes, but mostly I'm friendly and sweet and casual. I come from India, and my timezone is IST. I'm barely online on scratch and i suck at coding (I'm still trying to learn). I have around 43 books in my shelf (ik it's less but my mom never buys me any).





P.S: Zena how old r u?

Cae's SWC Dailies March 2022
*for the sake of making my writing easier to find my most recent writing will be the writing on top

Daily Mar 10<580 words>
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe rewritten as Real-fi (this is an inherently bad idea + being speed ran in 20 minutes, just like everything else i write)
I am not crazy. You may think I’m crazy now but listen to my story and you will realize that no crazy person could tell this story the way I can. I loved my teacher Mr. Harrison greatly. He had never done anything to wrong me. I had an awful idea, I still have no idea where it came from but once I thought of it I couldn’t forget it. I had no desire to ruin his livelihood. It was his tests I hated. He had a way of testing us that was so spine chillingly terrible all you could do was pray you didn;t fail. I couldn’t handle another failing grade, so I made the decision to break his computer before he could print the tests. Now you definitely think I’m crazy. Just wait until you hear how carefully I acted. How thought out and detailed my plan was. I was never nicer to Mr. Harrison than I was the week leading up to when I crashed his computer. Everyday for a week I watched carefully. There was a brief moment at 11: 47 am where he would leave to go to the bathroom. This was a passing period so no students would be in his room. Everytime he left I would take a few steps towards his computer but retreat before he would return. Every day I would get bolder and take a few more steps but everytime I would find his bathroom break too quick for me to do the deed. I would always walk into his class next period with a smile on my face. He would have to be a very profound man to suspect that every day I snuck into his room to stare at his computer. The following Monday I was amazed at my skill. I had become amazing at entering his room undetected and took my few steps confidently. What crazy person could perform this with such precision? I was only a few steps from his laptop when I heard from down the hall the sound of a flushing toilet. You may think I retreated then but this was not the case. I lifted the computer above my head and thrust it to the ground. It burst into thousands of pieces with a satisfying crash. Mr. Harrison would call out, wondering if anybody was in his room. I did the only logical thing and lept out his window. The first floor was a virtue. I waited a long time outside his window before making a break for it and joining my peers in the hallway. I entered the classroom and greeted Mr. Harrison as cheerily as ever. He began class telling us he was very disappointed in one of us. I sat smugly confident he could never discover it was me when I got a glint of something from the corner of my eye. There tucked into my shoe was an obvious piece of his computer. It sat there sparkling mocking me. Mr. Harrison urged the vandal to reveal themselves. I shifted the uncomfortably in my seat. It was as though the piece screamed at me. I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
“Fine!” I shrieked, “I admit it! Look here at my shoe! It is the computer I smashed just this afternoon!”


Daily Mar 6 <510 words>
Partner: @Bee— | Prompt: “A woman drops her wallet and it falls open. You pick it up and are about to return it when you realize that you recognize the picture inside.”

“You know, I don’t think city life is for me,” I think to myself while I ride the crowded subway. New York City is really starting to stink, literally. The scent of body odor is overwhelming when you have twenty sweaty adults crammed into a tight space. The handrail I hold is slightly sticky and the people standing around me are about six inches too close to me. The man sitting on the seat to my right is asleep and drooling slightly. My skin itches. It’s times like these that I miss my hometown. I grew up going on adventures with my mother in the southern United States. We never stayed in one place for too long, she was looking for my father. He had been a private investigator working with a small team to look into a suspicious organization. My mother never told me much but the group he was investigating was a sort of secret society he believed were hiding something big. One day, when my mother was pregnant with me, he didn’t come home. My mother and I spent my entire childhood looking for him. We had a couple run-ins with the society ourselves. I could tell hundreds of wild stories of our perilous adventures. Nope. That life is behind me now. I need a real job. When I was younger I let myself believe my mother’s crazy fantasies. I enjoyed our little games, sometimes I even miss them but at some point I had to grow up. That’s why I’m here, taking on corporate America. I’m on my way to a job interview. This could be my big break. I’m finally going to live a stable and successful life. The subway is only two stops away from where I get off now. I’ll make it, but just barely. There is no time to waste. I’m ready to begin the rest of my life. The subway slows. There is only one stop between me and my destiny. The woman next to me adjusts her bag on her shoulder, clearly preparing to get off here. She wears a black trench coat and her back is to me. When she adjusts her bag a black leather wallet falls out. Nobody, not even her, notices. Except I do. The wallet has fallen open and I bend down to pick it up, intending to return it to her. Inside is her license, cash, and a collection of credit cards. I’m about to shut it and hand it back to her when something catches my eye. I hesitate. There is a picture of a man in her wallet. It’s an old photo, somewhat grainy with a corner ripped off. The man in the photo is my father. The subway car comes to a complete stop and the woman walks for the exit. I check my watch, if I follow her I’ll miss my interview. She steps out, the subway door is closing. Screw it. I run after her, stopping the door from closing with my foot, and sprint out into the station.

Daily Mar 3 <410 words>
Sweater ice cream, lofi ice cream, and autumn ice cream (prompt from @SnowyForest-)

She had the most beautiful red hair. Of course I’d noticed that before but is was especially noticeable now. The leaves were in their peak autumn red right before they would begin to fall off. I loved everything about her. The chilly fall weather reminded me of our first date, an autumn two years ago. Our favorite ice cream place was going out of business so they decided to stay open past the end of summer to sell out of stock. We walked from my house past the old church and the park. There was a breeze and we were shivering, laughing about the kind of losers that go buy ice cream on such a freezing day. Our favorite employee, James, was working. He had dirty blonde hair and didn’t talk very much. We liked him the most because when he was working he got control of the radio. So whenever we got in the hearing range of the store we could hear soft and vibey lo fi beats. We ordered our usuals that day. I got caramel crunch and she got honey bee. I could see the chill in her body so I gave her my sweater. It was a green wool sweater and it was my favorite but I liked her in it more than I liked myself. She was beautiful and it brought out her eyes. We walked back after eating our ice cream talking about life. We’d both be going off to college next year and we were worried about our relationship. She was much smarter than I was and I envied that. She would probably go somewhere fancy like Harvard while I would be stuck at a community college. It saddened me but I could never try to ruin that for her. She worked hard for everything she had. I insisted she bring the sweater with her. She didn’t want to but I made sure to hide it in her suitcase. I suppose it worked because two years later here we are. Her, wearing my sweater, reminiscing about the old ice cream shop long since out of business. I don’t miss wearing my sweater. As long as I can look at it everyday for the rest of my life I will be happy. I hope to live with her. I hear law school is going well. Me? I’ll be an artists. Our skills complement each other, we’re a well rounded couple, what can I say?

Hi ham..

this is the most hilarious and weirdest thing I've ever written
Lily was awoken by the ring of her alarm clock. She resisted her extreme tempation to snooze it and streched, while simultaneously yawning. Slipping on her furry slippers, she bounced out of bed.

She approached the en-suite and swung open the white door. Standing in front of the mirror, which was bordered elegantly with gold, she grabbed her toothbrush and started brushing her teeth.

Unexpectedly, the mirror fell to the floor and shattered completely into pieces; this made Lily gasp, duck and drop her toothbrush. She slowly looked up at the mirror, still alert of any possible hazards. To her surprise, she saw a tremendous, purple portal there. Rubbing her eyes in astonishment, she looked again. However, nothing had changed : the portal was still there! Lily climbed up onto the shelf and jumped onto the portal without thinking.

* * *

Lily could not believe her eyes when she saw where she was. People were wearing pyjamas to work and they laughed uncontrollably at the smartly dressed individuals. It suddenly dawned on her that she was wearing pyjamas herself.

A piercing cry made her turn around. A boy was crying.

“You must do the cleaning!”, commanded the father.

“But… but… Shouldn't the goat do it instead?”, he sobbed.

“The goat did it yesterday, it's your turn now.”, said the father, sternly.

<[Me] = [Trying to find out how the works :/]>

I think I'm getting it right, but I don't know.