♛ 9th of March - In-Cabin Daily ♛
602 words

First sentence:

The bullet pierced the window, shattering it before missing Danny's head by mere millimetres.

Last sentence:

He fumbled in the darkness looking for the light switch, but when he finally found it, there was someone already there.

Story:

The bullet pierced the window, shattering it before missing Danny's head by mere millimetres. Danny shot up from his chair, panic banishing the seep from his eyes. Scrambling to grab a weapon - anything would work, anything, even something as flimsy as a pen - he backed into a corner, eyes darting around wildly. The sound of sirens blared through the midnight air.
“H-hello? Who's there? What's going on?” he called out, brandishing a long paintbrush.

A figure leapt through the broken window into his room. Danny screamed.

“Shh-!” hushed the figure in black, clamping a gloved hand over Danny's mouth.
“-Mmmfff! Mm- What do you mean shush? What's going on? Who even are you?” he gasped out, breaking free. He glared at the mysterious figure. They shook their heads, pressing a finger to their lips. They tugged at Danny's hand. He rooted his feet to the floor.
“I'm not going until you give me some answers!” he said, pulling his hand free and crossing his arms.

The figure groaned and grabbed it again.
“Look, mate,” they hissed, breaking into a run with Danny being pulled along behind him. "I'm really sorry I dragged you into this, but unless you want to end up dead or interrogated, you're going to have to come with me,“
Danny shot them a reproachful look, eventually convincing his feet to stop stumbling and start properly sprinting with them to an alleyway across the street.

Together, the two threaded through winding cobbled paths and damp, rinky-dink twists and turns. Rain pounded their wet backs, clothes sticking to their skin and socks thoroughly waterlogged.
”Where are we going?“ Danny demanded after several minutes.
The figure stayed silent, plowing on despite his reluctance and the yelps he let out every time he tripped on some pebbles. Eventually, they slowed down in what looked like a dead end. The only other things besides them were a door on the right wall and a large dumpster that stung their noses.

Danny whirled around incredulously. ”Why are we in a dead end?“ he questioned. His companion paused, pulling their hands from where they'd been rummaging for something in their pockets.
”Hang on, will you?“ they chastised, evidently giving up on their pockets. They took off a shoe and began looking around inside it.
Danny made a face. ”Won't stopping here just make it easier for them to find us?“ he asked.
They sighed. ”Just trust me,“ they said, then cried out in triumph. ”Aha!"

Pulling something out of a hidden pocket in their shoe, they gestured for Danny to come to them at the door. He wrinkled his nose. Who would hide a key inside their shoe, of all things? No matter, he decided, going along with the craziness. As long as he didn't end up dead, he could handle some weirdness. Hopefully.

The figure popped the key in the lock and turned it. The quiet sounds of thousands of mechanisms undoing and unlocking themselves followed. The door swung open.
“Are you sure it's safe in here?” Danny asked, eyeing the dark room below. He could barely make anything out.
“This is safer than any other place I know,” his companion replied. Danny shrugged, then froze.

Down in the abyss, the faint outline of a person could be seen. Something that looked like a gun was held in their hands.
Surely we haven't been caught already? he shook his head. The silhouette had disappeared. He sighed in relief. I must have been imagining it.

With his newfound companion at his heels, he stepped cautiously into the building. A near silent click echoed through the room. Danny stopped in his tracks. Oh no.

He fumbled in the darkness looking for the light switch, but when he finally found it… there was someone already there.

Sun, Star, Paper and other random universe facts

Sun is the star of our solar system which means all celestial objects in our solar system revolve around it. It is a lesser hot small red star of our galaxy milky way. Sun will be alive for atleast five trillion years. Sun is a very precious resource without which we would not have been there as our planet will also not be here. We should take care of it.
Stars are a part of universe which have varying colour from blue the hottest and red the colder ones. Even red star have temperatures of atleast 5000 degree celsuis. Sun is the nearest star to our planet. It will take nearly 5000 paper folds to reach to sun with the thickness of 0.1mm of paper. The world record of folding paper is 12 times.

Running Wild ~ 1226 words

“CLOVE!” I wake up looking at the source of the noise, it’s Mum. A gush of wind shakes the old, wobbly house. She runs to the next room, Matthew’s room. I chuck the covers off and follow Mum, clinging to the walls as the house shakes. “Go wake, Eleanor.” she says to me urgently. I do as she says and run to Mum and Eleanor’s room, I walk to the corner hoping that the house won’t shake, and I reach into the broken wooden cot. I pick up Eleanor and wrap her in a blanket to keep her secure. Mum runs out with Matthew and passes him a backpack, she does the same to me, but she takes Eleanor out of my arms.

“Clove, if anything happens read this.” She passes me a dirty envelope and I tuck it in my pocket. We run down the stairs, into the old storm bunker. Mum closes the door firmly behind us. “Mum- what’s happening?” Matthew asks, “There’s just another storm” she says making Matthew smile a little. I rummage through the bag, some flashlights, a radio, a few packets of jerky, two filled water bottles, an empty bottle, and four old blankets (possibly for Eleanor). Mum sees me looking through the bag and says “Just in case” she smiles and hugs Eleanor.

After she says that, she fixes my messy brown hair, and does the same the Matt, we all sit in silence for a while. I open my mouth to speak but then the bunker shakes, “Mum-” I am cut off by Mum who says “We need to go” I take my backpack and Matthew’s, so he does have a heavy load. Mum opens the bunker door with a struggle and climbs out with Eleanor in an arm. I let Matthew go up first, then I start climbing.

The wind has changed, it’s very strong so I take hold of Matthew’s hand and pick him up, Mum is already walking towards the Neighbours, who have seemed to come out of their bunker, I run so I don’t get lost in the wind. I stop in my tracks as I hear a creak, Mum looks my way. I run nearly tripping. Bits of houses fly everywhere. A scream comes from in front of me, the Neighbour’s house looks as if it’s about to give up, it leans towards Mum and the Neighbours, Mum doesn’t see neither does the Neighbours, but the Neighbours daughter tries to get their attention.

Something breaks, and the house falls I run over, the neighbours and Mum are trapped under a pile of wood, I place Matthew down and I try to lift the wood up, Mum grabs my arm “Don’t-, leave us, get to safety- read the note” She passes me Eleanor through the small gap, I tie the blanket so she is strapped to me and so I can hold Matthew’s hand. We run to the small woods and take shelter under a big rock; I untie Eleanor so I can look in Matthew’s bag. His bag has bunch of food, water, spare batteries, another flashlight, and a knife. A place the bags down beside me, to read the letter, it reads:

Dear Clove,
Run towards the sandstorm, it’s the only safe place. I know it seems crazy just do it, trust me. Keep your brother safe, Eleanor doesn’t need protecting she’s the key.
Love, Mum

What does Mum mean? Eleanor’s the key? What’s happening right now?
“Clove will we be, okay?” Matthew asks.
“Y-yes” and I give a small smile. “We have to run to the- sandstorm" I say.
“The letter it-it said to”
“You sure?”
“Yes” and he doesn’t say another word.

I pick Eleanor up after I put the bags back on, I take Matthew’s hands and we run. The wind is powerful, and Matthew is struggling to keep up. Eleanor cries as the wind whips us in the face, the big, orange, cloud of sand is coming closer by the minute. “Matthew we’re nearly there-” I am cut off by screams in the distance, the house that collapsed on Mum, isn’t to be seen… I realize that I stopped as soon as my little brother tugged on my sleeve. “Clove!” he screams.

“Sorry” I say loudly, suddenly a giant gust of wind pushes us over. I lose my grip on Matthew’s hand. “Matthew!” I shout, the sand surrounding us. “MATTHEW!” I shout louder, I feel for the blanket that is wrapped around Eleanor, and cover her face, “MATTHEW!” I scream his name- “CLOVE HELP!” I follow the sound, I finally see a vague outline of him and reach my hand out, struggling to walk to him. He sees me and grabs my hand; I pull as hard as I can.

I finally get him to my side, “you, ok?” I ask
“got a few scratches, is Eleanor, ok?” Matthew says as we begin to run to the cloud of sand.
“Yes, she’s the key”
“The what- “Matthew is cut off by a small cloud of sand hitting us. We keep on running, I trust Matthew to run on his own, so I hug Eleanor tightly. The cloud is coming closer each second, now it’s a few metres. Matthew stops in fear. “Matthew come on!” I shout
“A-are y-y-you sure… -we r-run i-i-into i-it” he stutters
“Yes, take my hand” I’m only holding Eleanor with one hand now. Matthew’s courage sparks and he runs to me and Eleanor, together we run into the cloud.

BOOM! Noises like cannonballs, yell in my ears. I can’t hear anything else. I wonder if Eleanor is ok, I try shouting, but I can barely hear my own voice! I feel Eleanor moving around, and Matthew struggling in the wind. Suddenly Eleanor stops moving, and I feel a tug, Matthew collapses by my legs. I feel dizzy- “M-Matthew… E-Eleanor” I can barely make out the words. BANG!

“They’re still asleep-“
“I know”
“How did you even find me”
“Clove said something in her sleep”
“Did Eleanor keep them safe”
“No scratches, Matthew is fine, so is Clove”
I hear voices, I sit up and rub my eyes. “Mum is that you-“
“Clove you’re awake” a voice says
“I’m here” Mum says “So is your father”
“Father?” I say confused
“He saved you-“mum was cut off by the father who left us. Ugh.
“Eleanor saved you” my ‘father’ said.
“Speaking of Eleanor where is she” I asked, waiting for an answer.
“Safe” Mum said
“Safe where?” I asked
“Nowhere” ‘father’ says
“What do you mean nowhere?” I ask
“Nowhere, as in the state” Mum says “Just know that everything is ok now, you’ve done your job”
I sit, leaning against the side of the jeep, and listen to everything Mum says. We finally arrive in Nowhere; I look back to and see a huge orange cloud of sand- the same as the one l saw back at my house.

“Mum-“I am cut off by the amazing view of a city, I see a huge screen, with a tape of Me, Matthew and Eleanor running toward the sand cloud. I realised everything would be ok, and Mum and ‘Father’ would explain it to me. I couldn’t wait to hug my siblings. Everything is ok. I am safe. My siblings are safe. We can relax.

Random writing, ~1154 words

faer keeps me underfed and overworked – i worked very hard to escape the poverty of my home country and faer gives me vietnam flashbacks

faer also keeps me sleep deprived she has taught me how to summon the sleep paralysis demons

faer making me not sleep and do the weekly instead works better than the hallucinations

The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics says that I must be compensated for working overtime https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime . Faer is being discriminatory by not paying me over time due to the fact she thinks I'm more expendable. I understand that male polar bears are more likely to die than female polar bears, but that does not make me any less valuable. Faer is also a proven homophobe and purposefully ignores the minorities in this country. Me being underfed proves how Faer is both homophobic and racist – Faer is playing into the stereotype that 80-90% of Chinese people are poor ( https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2021/01/25/deep-sixing-poverty-in-china/ ) due to American standards compared to the 0.6% of Chinese people considered living under the poverty line (https://www.statista.com/chart/25138/people-under-poverty-line-china/ ) . Faer believes that Chinese people should be underpaid due to the low poverty line in China, but this simply is just stereotypical and discriminatory. We Chinese polar bears (not to be confused with pandas) should not be subjected to lower paid due to our perceived race. It is crucial for the hosts of SWS to look into this horrendous acts against humanity. Faer not only believes that minorities should be underpaid, but further develops the idea that climate change is not real. Polar bears are dying of starvation due to climate change, but Faer does not believe this and does not offer compensation.

On top of being underfed and and underpaid by Faer, I would like to file a complaint on the discrimination I have encountered working under Faer. Faer has only asked me to do all the heavy-lifting of her cabin and gives less work to the other co-leaders. Faer thinks I am worse than the other co-leaders, therefore she is giving me more work in order to prove my worth. Faer refuses to message the other co-leaders to update them, and instead, discriminates people who use ~~removed site name~~ by making people who use ~~removed site name~~ have more work. I am working overtime, and I am not being compensated for this. This is unfair.

Lastly, Faer's profile encourages violence and manipulation. Her about me says she is a “tired fae” but she is not tired at all – if anybody should be tired, it should be the polar bear she is stacking papers upon papers upon work on. I am not a desk to put your work on top of! She is gaslighting by saying she's tired because in actuality I am the one who is tired. Her about me has the quote “no more waiting to become, just simply be.” This is encouraging manipulation because it is clearly a lie. Faer should simply be more nice and less-discriminatory, but she is not. What is she waiting for? Why can't she become a better person now? Her about me proves she is saying random inspiration quotes in order to look quirky and impressive, she does not actually walk the walk.

exhibits + explanations

Exhibit 1:
“yea i'm quitting tmr obviously *rolling eyes face*” - Faer

This is evidence of Faer's gaslighting and manipulation. I was doing the right thing by notifying Faer that it was time to change the cabin description. She does not respond, therefore I ask her if she is quitting the cabin. This quote demonstrates how she gets angry at me for questioning her leadership, but can you blame me? Faer has been bullying me the entire time since I've been her co-leader. When I try to stand up for myself and question Faer's behavior, she shuts me down with sarcasm and manipulation. This makes me sad.

Exhibit 2:
“we're last *sobbing face* pls do weekly” - Faer

I told Faer that I was sad and in piano lessons. She does not care about the responsibilities I have, nor does she care about my mental well-being. I told her I was very upset that day due to personal issues, and Faer overlooks this and only cares about her own needs. She tells me to do the weekly when I need time to be happier. She does not care about me wanting to be happier. She doesn't care about what I am going through. All Faer focuses on is her own reputation, and thus she does not pay any attention to my mental health.

Exhibit 3:
“i told kenna not to tell u ” - Faer

This shows that Faer gossips about me behind my back. Kenna is a good friend, therefore, she notified me of Faer's nasty comments she was sending about me. Faer thinks that drama and gossip are things to be passed around like pamphlets. Too bad she isn't as good as a writer as Hamilton with his Reynold's Pamphlet because her pamphlets backfired on her. Faer gossips because she doesn't think I deserve to be co-leader and thus is making fun of my ability to co-lead. She gossips behind my back because she doesn't like me, and this shows her true intentions. Her gossiping proves she has bias against me.

Exhibit 4:
“JKDHAFKLSJDHFLAKJSDFHLAKJSDH” - Faer

This just shows how Faer doesn't like talking to me. Faer talks regularly with everybody else, but to me, she types in a foreign language so I don't understand her instructions. That way, she can have “proof” of my incapability as a co-leader and ruin my chances of running as co-leader ever again. She is sabotaging my career. This purposeful attack on my career demonstrates her malicious thinking and her desire to stay in power. She knows how much potential I have, so in order to downgrade my chances, she does whatever she can to take me down. These unclear instructions Faer gives me proves how little she thinks of me, to the point she thinks I don't deserve to be dealt with as a regular, functional polar bear.

Exhibit 5:
“but be quiet pls” - Faer

Faer is telling me to be quiet of the abuse that I am going through. Faer is the reason why people don't come out with their abuse stories. Faer threatens me to not tell others about the horrendous acts she has done to me in order to save her reputation. She wants me to keep quiet about the terrible work conditions I am forced into, and will do anything to make sure nobody sees the true side of her. Earlier in this voice call, she even threatened to demote me for trying to bring into light that suffering Faer puts me through. This form gives me the opportunity to shed light on the inhumanities and acts against humanity Faer has committed, and I hope action will be taken against her.

This is clearly satire scratch please dont ban me thx

Word War (Lost)

It's a common belief that extraterrestrial life may be present on different planets and also that they are the reason by which life originated on earth. This theory is called panspermia. According to this theory, life was sent to earth through meteorites. There are two types of theories for Panspermia- the first is that life was carried by meteorites or comets accidentally whilst the other theory, which is called directed Panspermia, says that extraterrestrials sent life to earth on purpose through meteorites or comets.

+84 words

Me and the person are still roleplaying..here's part 2 and the mystery is getting spicy :))))
704 words

“Alright.” The pixie said, with a wave of determination.
“Let's go. Can you show me where it is?”
“It's a five minute fly from here, in the best conditions, but you can't fly, can you” Bee remarked, not cruelly. “By walk it's… I'd say thirty minutes”
“Well, I have these-” Alicia opened her backpack and lifted out a set of QuadWings4000, a set of four powerfully woven wings that combined magic and technology to hold all but the most heavy users. “They're all charged up, on 100%,” She strapped them on her back.
Bee let out a small squeal, “How do you have these? They're so crazy expensive and everything…”
“Oh, I've been saving up for one since I was young,” Alicia explained. “On the day I turned old enough for it to be legal for me to own one, I bought one. I've practiced every day. You see, I've always wanted to fly. So I bought one of these and flew around! Now, back to the case at hand…let's visit the center.”
"That's a very inspiring story! Flying is fun, except when it's rainy, that really depends on your wing type, you know? Another friend of Ire's, Arch, he was born with butterfly wing types, , can't even fly through a heavy rain without stopping, but oh well, genetics.“ Bee shrugged, getting a bit more cheerful at the mention of flying.
Alicia wanted to cherish this moment of joy, but ultimately had to bring back the issue at hand. ”Um, we have to visit the Center..“ she said, knowing she would have to kill Bee's happy smile.
The pixie's smile, did, in fact, disappear, and Bee sighed. ”Right. Well, it was fun talking about flying, one of the greatest things to do, really" And her wings started beating, incredibly, incredibly fast. They were a vivid color, similar to a Bee Hummingbird's
“yeah,” Alicia said, and they began flying.
Bee seemed to love doing tricks, little loop de loops and turning around and flying backwards, which seemed to be therapeutic for the pixie, and somehow didn't take up time.
Alicia tried copying her once or twice, then almost crashed into a building and resolved to fly normally, while enviously watching Bee's tricks.
Bee had simply watched, winced, and then explained that machines probably couldn't master the mechanics of hummingbird wings .
Alicia sighed and resumed watching Bee. Soon, the Center loomed in front of them, large and shining in the sun.
It was moderately large, and still feeling the effects of the m*rder. Half of one of the wings had been closed off, and what probably should have been a busy day for the hospital, was practically deserted.
Alicia looked around carefully. There didn’t seem to be any KEEP OUT or ACTIVE INVESTIGATION yellow tape, so she cautiously proceeded to the front door.
Bee stared at the building for a few minutes, adjusted their glasses, and stumbled after Alicia.
Alicia looked back at her, then opened the front door and went into the lobby. “Can you direct me to the exact place where…it happened?” She murmured to Bee.
Bee nodded, walking towards the west wing, where there was practically no-one.
Alicia noted the lack of people, inferencing that the closer they were to the place of the m*rder, the less people there would be.
“I guess they decided to avoid this place, I don't blame them, it's creepy.” Bee whispered. The ward was perfectly normal, shining and clean like any of the others, but once one realized the information surrounding it, well…
Alicia walked ahead, trying to notice details.
Bee seemed to be doing the exact opposite, looking everywhere but the floor.
Alicia examined the white walls meticulously.
They had been, unlike the other wards, left uncleaned, presumably for any lasting evidence.
Alicia swabbed five parts of the wall with DNA testing swabs, in case any DNA of the killer could've been left on the wall. A flake of skin, perhaps a scale from a reptile species, or a feather, anything.

“Hello, is anyone home?” The pretty girl with silky long blonde hair called, rapping smartly on the door with her fist.
The wind blew through the home, lonely and empty. All the windows were dark and no talking or soft laughter filled the halls. The people that had once been there were there no more. The loving family that took in every child and prepared warm, love-filled meals for them had vanished into the night air as quickly as the fall of night.
“Girl, don't bother those kind spirits,” said a passerby.
“Whatever do you mean?” The girl replied, a bit desperately. She wrung her fair hands and her blonde hair was no longer gleaming as a cloud covered the moon. “I was told the family here took in lost children?”
“Only during the day, child,” The old woman clucked her tongue and shook her head. “During the night, the entire family leaves and nobody knows where they go.”
“But..but..” The girl gestured at the rusted lamps, the spiderwebs. “They have to have been gone, gone for months for their house to be in this disrepair?”

Weekly 1 - March 2022
Total Words: 2774

Part 1
Poetry (yes i can actually write proper poetry i just didn’t get time okay >:))))
338 words

Ode
i dedicate these lines of ode,
to the masterpiece which is your soul.
your yellow yolks are as bright as the sun,
i really, truly, do love you a ton.
when i first saw you, it was a normal day
but as soon as i looked closer, the normal washed away.
i cracked you open like any other normal egg,
expecting one yolk, but i was surprised instead.
two circles of yellow, it didn’t make sense
i’d never seen this before, not through all the twists and bends.
you – my love – i discovered you were a double-yolked egg,
your beauty was more incredible than anything that’s ever been said.

Haiku
waves crashing on shore
thundering past behind me
a storm on the ground

water sweeps my toes
white foam bubbles with the tide
sand and blue connect

Sonnet
her eyes are not an ocean, not a meadow, not a storm
they are universes in their own right, journeys to be taken
the cool tones of baywaters and the gold of suns so warm
glints and echoes held within, a world to yet awaken.
through the colours i can see a brutality,
a fire burning, revelling in her iris
but they also paint a sort of morality
through it all, they show a kindness.
every time she blinks, it’s as if a whole world disappears
a parallel universe just for a few moments, ceases to exist
but then arises again, with a simple flick of spheres
as if it was never gone, but it was surely missed.
the worlds she holds are her own, not to be perturbed,
from the angels they have come, and back they have returned.

Limerick
from the sky there seemed to be,
a bug that flew right over me!
he buzzed and soared above my head
and he laughed at me, and then he said:
“your hair looks atrocious, you see!”

Acrostic
B uzzing constantly, dancing in the flowers
E dging their way through the pollen
E xtremely fast, they must have superpowers!



Part 2
Essay
503 words


You’ve probably heard the debate before. The constant fighting, the stream of surprised faces as they learn of new evidence and facts about the case, the heavy deliberations. The heated discussions all featuring one thing in common – a red fruit. Or is it a vegetable? That’s the thing – will we ever truly know? Will we ever be able to truly agree? The answer is yes to both questions, of course, as long as you’re a co-operative participant in the argument. If you’re willing to listen, you will always, always find, that the common everyday tomato is in fact a fruit, despite common beliefs.

First and foremost, we need to look at why most everyday people automatically assume that the tomato is a vegetable. Tomatoes are generally treated as a “vegetable” in cooking, used in savoury meals, dinner servings, being in an ingredient in a wide variety of cooked dishes. Therefore, it makes sense that most would intuitively consider the tomato to be a vegetable. But people assume a lot of things, and it’s never good to judge a book by it’s cover, and this is certainly the case with the tomato. Because, despite it’s typical usage, the tomato is genetically a fruit. The conventional culinary classification is simply wrong. If we take a look at the physiological characteristics of the tomato from a botanist’s point of view, we would find that tomatoes have seeds. Obvious, right? But that’s just it – that’s what defines fruit. If something has seeds, then it can be classified as a fruit. Some may still disagree, of course. “But fruits are sweet! They’re eaten as snacks! We don’t eat them for dinner!” And yes, while this is true for the most part, there are always exceptions. Just because tomatoes have a lower level of fructose than most other fruits, and are therefore less sweeter to the taste, doesn’t mean that they aren’t fruits. We can’t just isolate a whole entire species of fruit from society simply because of such a small, insignificant, and purely irrelevant difference of detail. That would just be species-ist. Plus, we can’t just deny the fact that tomatoes do have seeds, and will therefore always genetically be considered a fruit, based on literal pre-existing definitions.

To sum it up, tomatoes are, always have been, and always will be, vegetables. The evidence shown in this text, and the evidence shown in previous discussions over the past few years, only does more to prove this already obvious fact. They have seeds, and are therefore classified as a fruit, despite their typical culinary use, and despite the protests of many chefs, nutritionists, and common people. You can’t argue with a botanist – a person who is an expert in the field of flora and an expert in classification. Regardless of their lack of fructose and consequent lack of sweetness, tomatoes are still genetically considered a fruit – it’s an undeniable fact, and I hope that you hold this same viewpoint after all the information and evidence presented to you today.



Part 3
Script
746 words
(based off an old fanfic i wrote last year)

FOREST - TWILIGHT
ARTHUR lays on ground with MERLIN kneeling beside him.

MERLIN
Arthur, NO, please! Arthur! (emotional, shouting)

ARTHUR’s eyes flicker open. He remains silent.

MERLIN
Stay with me. (quiet, tearful)

ARTHUR dies, going still.

MERLIN
Arthur… ARTHUR!

MERLIN looks up to sky, crying. He then collapses onto the floor beside Arthur’s body, contemplating the horror.

Through MERLIN’s crying, a TARDIS noise is heard. It gradually grows louder and louder. Merlin fails to notice the sound.

THE DOCTOR walks comes out from behind the TARDIS. He stares at Merlin on the floor for a moment before speaking.

THE DOCTOR
I thought you might need a doctor. (calm, collected)

MERLIN finally takes notice of his surroundings. His head snaps up from where he was laying.

MERLIN
G-Gaius? (tentative, unsure)

THE DOCTOR
No, I’m not Gaius, Merlin. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help. (steps closer, coming into full view of the audience)

MERLIN stands up and backs away from THE DOCTOR. He bends down and draws the sword from the belt of ARTHUR’s dead body. He attempts to wield it threateningly but fails miserably. Still, he holds it poised.

MERLIN
Tell me your name. (demanding)

THE DOCTOR
Jeez, that’s a very warm welcome for someone who just wants to save your little (pauses for a moment, does finger quotations in air) “friend” here. But seeing as you asked so politely (sarcastic), the name’s the Doctor.

THE DOCTOR holds out a hand to shake.
MERLIN ignores the outstretched hand. He points his sword at THE DOCTOR.

MERLIN
(looks THE DOCTOR dead in the eyes) Just the Doctor? Doctor who?

THE DOCTOR
Ah, classic. They always ask that. It’s always Doctor who, not ever Doctor how or Doctor Why! (rambling now, shakes his head) Now if you’d move, I would actually be able to help your friend here!

MERLIN despite the situation, holds back a laugh.

MERLIN
Do you really think I’m that stupid? Why would I even think about trusting you? (glances at Arthur) Besides, even if I did, there’s nothing you could do. He’s… (pauses, trying not to get teary again) dead. Not even the ancient magics can bring him back now.

THE DOCTOR
(huffs, nearly rolling eyes) Well it’s lucky that I don’t work with the ancient magics then!

MERLIN is staring at ARTHUR holding back tears. He looks back to THE DOCTOR.

MERLIN
(very shaky, stuttering) Wh- Where do you work fr- from then?

THE DOCTOR
Up there! (cheerful, not matching the given situation)

THE DOCTOR points towards the sky.

MERLIN
Th- the stars?

THE DOCTOR
(smiling) Yep! (leans closer to MERLIN) Now let me show you what they can do.

THE DOCTOR steps back. MERLIN appears confused.
THE DOCTOR begins to glow. His body stretches as the light travels. MERLIN stays rooted to the spot, astounded.

THE DOCTOR
Watch this.

THE DOCTOR’s glow begins to spread to ARTHUR’s body. The whole room lights up as ARTHUR becomes illuminated.

MERLIN
A- Arthur? (bends down to ARTHUR’S level, grasping for his hand)

ARTHUR
(still laying down, eyes flutter open) Merlin? (dazed) What just happened?

MERLIN
You- you’re alive? (raspy)

ARTHUR looks puzzled, staring straight through Merlin to THE DOCTOR behind.

ARTHUR
Merlin, who is that?

MERLIN turns away from ARTHUR, remembering THE DOCTOR. He’s still cradling ARTHUR.

THE DOCTOR
Hello Arthur! (bright, cheerful) I’m the Doctor, and I, (smug) just saved your life. How about that? Power of regeneration really is a blessing. (talking fast now) Timelords don’t usually like to share it, but well, I’m always the exception, aren’t I?

ARTHUR
Wha- what? (confused)

MERLIN is still beside ARTHUR, still and silent with shock. THE DOCTOR sidles back to the TARDIS.

THE DOCTOR
Oh, I forgot to introduce you! Arthur, Merlin, this is the Tardis. My Tardis (doesn’t turn around as her walks) Tardis, this is Merlin and Arthur. (talking to the Tardis)

ARTHUR
Tardis? (struggles to say the word) T-A-R-D-I-S. (sounding it out)

THE DOCTOR
(babbling) Yep, yeppity yep. (running back to MERLIN and ARTHUR) Why don’t you come take a look inside?

THE DOCTOR practically drags MERLIN and ARTHUR up and over to the TARDIS. MERLIN still appears to be in shock. THE DOCTOR hauls MERLIN and ARTHUR inside the TARDIS.

TARDIS – INTERIOR

THE DOCTOR
Well, what do you think?

MERLIN
(whispering) It’s… it’s bigger on the inside.

THE DOCTOR
Uh-huh! (dancing around childishly, pushing and pulling levers on TARDIS console) Oh, Merlin, Arthur… (sighs) You’re going to love it out there.



Part 4
Non-Fiction
1187 words

Academic Sub-Genre (this also doubles for a school assignment so YESSSS less work!)
703 words
There are a multitude of reasons why those from other countries may be pushed from their homes, migrating to Australia. One of the largest waves of international migration to ever arise in Australia occurred during the 1940s through to the late 1960s to early 1970s. This wave was brought on the aftermath of World War 2, which ended in 1945. The end of the war signalled peace for many, but certainly not all. Post-war austerity ran rampant throughout all of Europe, with many people negatively affected by new oppressive government policies, the persistent unstable environment, poor living conditions, lack of employment, and constant political unrest. Some countries even faced the threat of another war ensuing, with the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States on high ranks. Many of the citizens living in these countries became known as “Displaced Persons” - a variety of people fleeing their home countries that had been either destroyed by the war or become overrun by the Soviet Union during the cold war. Australia took in 170,000 “Displaced Persons” between 1947 - 1953, one of the largest waves of refuge-seeking migrants it had accepted so far. Others, who had not been displaced by war but instead were affected by the push factor of the post-war stringency of new government policies, poor living arrangements, or absence of job opportunities, sought out the promising living conditions and employment options Australia seemed to boast. Australia accepted in approximately 2 million of these opportunity-seeking migrants between 1945 and 1965, providing temporary housing and jobs to most upon arrival. Many of the migrants came from urban backgrounds, with 82% of British migrants having lived in cities in their own home country. Due to this factor, plus the easy housing and work opportunities provided by the city, most people moving to Australia migrated directly to urban areas, further reinforcing urbanisation. Having left their unfavourable homes, the migrants began to build a new life in Australia, shaping our country to be what it is today.

Pushed from their homes by the damaging effects of the war, many migrants sought to migrate to another country that claimed better opportunities than their current home. As well as these “war migrants” fleeing from the consequences of the recently ended World War 2, many other people from Europe sought to move to Australia, seeing the same opportunities available for them. Australia took this chance in leaps and bounds. Shortly after the end of the war, on July 13 1945, Ben Chifley established the first Department of Immigration, appointing Minister Arthur Calwell. Calwell held the view that Australia had “25 years to populate the country” with European migrants; otherwise, it would soon become overtaken by the nearby Asian governments. Calwell's aim was to increase Australia's population from 7 million in 1945 to 20 million by the end of the 20th century, growing it by 2 percent each year. This aim soon became known as the “Populate or Perish” project, a strategy which catalysed many other schemes into action. One of these plans was known colloquially as the “Ten Pound Pom” scheme - it involved an offer of assisted migration from Britain to Australia by the Australian government, for the cost of only 10 pounds. In return for this assistance, migrants had to give up their passports on arrival and sign a contract to stay in Australia for a minimum of two years before having the opportunity to return home. During those years, the government would provide employment for the migrants, and most would stay in the “migrant hostels” in cities, which offered basic temporary living arrangements. This scheme only reinforced the pull factor of Australia to European, particularly British, migrants. Having guaranteed employment and easily accessible living arrangements on arrival only emphasised the positive prospects of migration to Australia to prospective Europeans. The scheme worked, too, with Australia's population growing from 7 million in 1945 to 12.5 million by 1972, primarily due to the immense influx of international migration. Over the years, Australia has been shaped to become the diverse and prosperous country it is currently due to these pull factors of early opportunities European migrants pursued, providing a foundation for our successful nation to grow on today.



Philosophy Sub-Genre (focusing on scientific theories)
484 words
Misophonia is a condition experienced when certain sounds, typically soft sounds like eating, cause a person to have extreme negative emotions / reactions that are out of proportion to the situation at hand. The person may feel anger, disgust, panic, and even fear when hearing the so-called “trigger” sounds. An involuntary reaction occurs in the brain similar to a typical trauma reaction, bringing the “fight-or-flight” response into action. Due to this fight or flight response in the brain, many people with misophonia will either flee the scene of the trigger noise, cover their hands with their ears, or even lash out at the person / thing making the sound due to the “fight” portion. This condition causes severe distress in a misophonic person’s life, causing relationships to be unsustainable, work to become impossible, and a normal life seemingly unattainable.

But what causes misophonia? The thing is, we don’t really know. And without knowing the cause, it is nearly impossible to find a clear-cut treatment that is effective for the majority of those who experience the condition. While there are many experimental treatments available, but their effectiveness is questionable. To find relief for people with this disorder, we must first find the root cause.

The overriding theory for the cause of misophonia is some sort of misfunctioning in the brain. One theory of this misfunctioning is that rather than the trigger sound being processed like any other sound, where the brain first hears the noise then begins to disassemble what it actually means, the trigger sound directly activates the Autonomic Nervous System located in the brain stem, and the Limbic System which is associated with emotion, causing both a physical and emotional reflex response. But why does this activation happen in the first place? It is unclear.

Another theory similar and maybe even interconnected with the one described above, suggests that a hypersensitive connection between the auditory cortex which processes sounds, and the salience network which is responsible for determining what sounds need attention, may be the culprit. This unusual connection could cause increased activity in certain areas of the brain, producing the intense response those with misophonia experience when exposed to triggers.

Some studies even suggest that misophonia may even be associated with a larger amygdala, the part of the brain which processes emotions and determines what stimuli may be threatening or frightening to. This, along with irregular brain connections, may all play into the reasons why misophonia is experienced.

While there are many other theories, often involving the comorbidity rate which cannot be ignored of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, anxiety disorders, and Tourette’s syndrome, the three described above are generally the most widely accepted today. While we may not know the true cause of this highly distressing condition right now, that doesn’t mean we never will, and hopefully one day we can discover a way to find treatment and relief for those affected by misophonia.

LOST word war
WC 205

“Why are you so keen on ruining my life?” Those were the words Alexandria Steele said to her teacher the day he decided to give her a C. A C was the worst. A C meant that Alexandria would go home to her mom and dad and have to tell them that she was a failure. Because Alexandria Elizabeth Steele had never, in thirteen years of life, gotten a C- except that one time in first grade.
“I am not. All I want to do is have an accurate report for your parents. Would you sign here, please?”
Alexandria growled, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it. She took the pen in her hand, which was shaking with rage, and forced herself to write her scribbly, scrawly signature. She hated her signature. She hated her hair. She hated her grades, now, too. It wasn’t even like her parents cared. Sure they did, they wanted her to learn, but they wouldn’t think that ONE C was a big deal.
Well, Alex was a big overthinker. She thought that a single C meant no career path. No life. She did NOT want to be stuck working at… like, McDonald’s, or something dumb like .

Half word war I forgot to set the timer on, half Dollhouse fanfiction
WC: 342

Scarlet stormed away in a fit of rage, her footsteps splashing into deep puddles. Considering she always wore boots, that did not hurt her or even get her wet, so she continued doing it. It was almost midnight, the moon was shining bright and the rain was falling gently. What could have been a perfect night had proved to be a terrible one.
Because her one greatest enemy stood at her doorstep.
“Alexander Wayne.” She growled, turning to see him. “Why are you here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You’re needed again.”
She stared at him with mock bewilderment. “Me? Needed? No!” She dug the heel of her boot into the wet ground and crossed her arms. He was such a stupid man. He wasn’t particularly pretty, either. He was tall in the worst way, he had such strange limbs, he always wore particularly ugly trenchcoats and hats that were mismatched- as though he thought that would strike fear.
And even though scarlet told herself that it one hundred percent did not, it really did. He was a figure worthy of fear. She was a person who was to fear him. It was all so simple.
“WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING HERE TO RUIN MY LIFE?”
“You’re needed.” Was all he said.
“I am not a Doll.” She stared him in the eye.
A smile touched his lips, if only for a second. As though he knew something she did not. As though he thought he was better than her.
“I’ll put a fist through your face.” She threatened, turning up the front stairs of her porch. “You won’t even know what hit you.”
“I know everything about you.” he said suddenly.
“Wait, no. No- don’t you dare. ALEXANDER WAYNE, DON’T YOU DARE-”
“Scarlet Alison, born March 17. Aged 18. You like cats and cappuccinos, you have a weak side you never show to anyone, not even your loved ones, and you’re obsessed with some dumb TV show called… what is it? Castle? Yes, I know who you are. I know everything about you.”

(wip im NOT done yet) 2nd part of weekly

Why you should drink enough water (something I totally do)

Drinking enough water is an important part of staying healthy. Not drinking enough water can do damage to your life routine and your overall health in general. If your body doesn't get enough water it can make functioning difficult. Some side effects of dehydration are headaches, pain and cramps, problems with constipation, fatigue, weight gain, a dry mouth or sore throat, and many other consequences. Drinking too much water can also come with nasty consequences as well such as water poisoning, intoxication, and cause problems with the way your brain functions. The right amount of water depends on the individual person's height, weight, daily exercise, and other factors. Making sure you're taking in the correct amount of water each day is important to your health.

Finding out the correct amount of water for you is extremely easy with a few things you can use to calculate. Depending on your gender you need to drink a different amount of water each day in order to remain healthy.

Weekly #1

five types of poetry

(315 words in total)

Sunset (ghazal)
I love to watch the ocean sing sunset
To see the waves reflect - bring sunset

I sit on the pale sand of this beach
Alone, lost, to it I cling - sunset

Wondering, what is the true meaning
Of a long life whose end brings sunset?

Why can’t I understand all of it?
I sit, gaze at the dancing sunset.

It teases me with it’s beauty.
Many colors - a bully, sunset

But it’s beautiful, and maybe it
Can teach me - that weathering sunset

Because maybe what I’m searching for
Is just this - a homecoming sunset.

Happiness (septolet)
Laughing
with friends;
Hearts take flight
At such joy

Sunny days
Filled with
Happiness

A world full of strange (free verse)
So many things are strange
And why they’re strange is a good question.
But sometimes questions themselves
Can be strange, which is
Somewhat of a conundrum
– at least to me.
Weird conversations with friends
That turn into wonderful nonsense.
Statements made by young children,
Glorious in their peculiarity.
Fear with no explanation.
Joy at strange times,
The eye of an evil, dark
Storm of someone’s life.
Strange sounds and songs,
Strange words that fit together
With the flow of my pen.
A fight between squirrels,
Observed while you walk,
Strange because it mimics
One of your earlier battles.
A strange world in which
Many peculiar things happen,
Often wonderful for no clear reason,
Often determined with no clear goal,
And we often get strength from no clear source.
And yet we all go on
In this complicated world,
Because what else is there to do
But embrace the strangeness,
Especially those little moments
That each hold their own
Kind of glorious song.

Anne of Green Gables blackout poem
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657026166/

Sing (haiku)
Sometimes when I sing
I feel so alive I dance
To that harmony

An essay about why you should recycle and compost stufff - (509 words)

Note: yes I know this really isn't very good, I was rushed and had a lack of ideas.

Although it might seem complicated to keep garbage, recycling, and compost separate in your house, it’s really not that hard, and much better for the environment. We humans produce so much waste, and recycling/composting when we can helps to reduce that amount. It’s as easy as rinsing out a can of baked beans and putting it in a separate recycling bin, instead of just tossing it in the garbage. It’s as easy as putting leftover food in the compost, so it can be turned into fertilizer for plants. We have the ability to do these things, and we should.

Some people might consider recycling to be too much work, or even pointless. It takes more time, makes disposing of trash more complicated. You have to wash out containers before recycling them, and compost can attract fruit flies. But in reality, these cons are minor compared to all the good things that come from recycling. Humans produce a lot of garbage every year, and it is important that we reuse as much as we can, to reduce that amount of waste. Sometimes, that could mean getting clothes from a thrift store instead of buying them new, or reusing parts from an old bicycle instead of throwing the whole thing out. In terms of garbage, it means recycling. In my experience, it is really not that hard, and can even help things feel more organized. An extra recycling bin doesn’t take up too much space. If you have an organized system, and once you get used to that system, you barely have to think about it; it’s simply a matter of getting into a new habit. It’s only a tiny bit of extra work, and by doing as much as you can, you are helping to make a difference. As for compost, if you think about it, you are giving back some of what we have taken from the earth. When it’s turned into fertilizer, it helps new plants grow. If you are careful, it will not attract fruit flies, and it is so much better than just throwing it in the garbage, where it will be sent to a dump where it might not decompose into the ground like it could.

In conclusion, doing these things is so much better for the earth, which we keep hurting so terribly. It is important to do what we can to fix this mess we have made, or at least try to stop it from growing, and recycling/composting is a really good way to contribute to that. It's really easy, and it’s something that a lot of people have the ability to do. So if you have that ability, you should do it. Even if it’s slightly easier in the short term, throwing out everything isn’t sustainable in the long term. We need to reduce the amount of new things we are producing, reuse as much as we can, and recycle everything that can be recycled. So set up a recycling system in your house, and do your part to help the world.

A script based on something I wrote a while ago - 880 words

Interesting fact: This is actually based on the story I submitted for the writing comp in November

SCENE ONE

KATH stands at the center front of the stage, gazing out at the audience. ZO stands beside her, and GABRI crouches over some bags off to the side.

ZO
Will they be here soon?

KATH
Yes, if they’re coming.

ZO shifts nervously.

ZO
Maybe we should have gone by land…

KATH
That would be too dangerous. It’s a risk we can’t take. We’re going this way… whether we like it or not.

As she speaks, KATH grips the hilt of her sword, which hangs, sheathed, from her belt.

GABRI
Well, I hope the riders get here soon - there’s a storm coming.

Everything is quiet as the three of them gaze out at the audience. After a moment, KATH starts to turn away, but then there’s a loud roar. KATH spins back around, and after a moment, smiles.

KATH
Dragons.

KATH, ZO, and GABRI watch dragons fly over their heads. KATH crosses her arms and frowns.

GABRI
Are you okay, Kath?

KATH
Yeah… it’s just been a long time since I’ve ridden a dragon… I doubt the Dragonmaster has forgiven me.

GABRI
I didn’t know you knew her.

KATH
Yeah, well. This meeting could go in two very different directions…

Projected on the back wall of the stage, we see the silhouettes of dragons landing. The dragonriders come out from the wings. CARA, their leader, steps forward.

CARA (flatly)
You requested passage for three through the Nothern Dragonsway. Is this correct?

KATH
Yes, Dragonmaster.

CARA
Then you may board.

CARA motions to two riders, who lead ZO and GABRI to the edge of the stage. Then she looks at KATH.

KATH
Where should I go?

CARA
With whoever will take you.

KATH looks around at the other riders, but none of them offer to take her.

KATH
I guess that’s it, then. (Sighs.) Keep my friends safe for me, though, will you? I know I don’t deserve your trust, but… they do.

Kath starts to walk away.

ZO
Wait, Kath, what’s going on?

Before KATH can respond, JAYDA interrupts.

JAYDA
I’ll take her. I’ll take Kath.

CARA
Okay, then.

KATH (whispered to JAYDA)
Thank you.

JAYDA doesn’t respond.

CARA
Everyone, to your dragons.

KATH, ZO, GABRI, CARA, JAYDA, and the rest of the dragon riders exit the stage, which then goes dark.

SCENE TWO

The stage lights up. A scene of a cloudy sky is projected onto the back wall of the stage. The sound of blowing wind is audible.

CARA enters from stage right on her dragon and calls to the other dragonriders.

CARA
There’s a storm coming in quickly. We’ll have to go above the clouds. Stay in formation!

CARA exits on stage left.

ZO and GABRI enter on stage right, seated on dragons behind dragonriders. ZO is breathing quickly and loudly. They all exit on stage left.

KATH and JAYDA enter from stage right on JAYDA’s dragon.

KATH (quietly)
Wow.

JAYDA
What?

KATH
It’s just… been so long since I’ve been up this high.

JAYDA
Had you forgotten what it feels like?

KATH
No. I remembered it exactly.

They’re both silent for a few moments.

KATH
Do you think it’ll be long long before we outrun this storm? Zo and Gabri don’t know the breathing techniques to use in such thin air.

JAYDA
We’ll be past it soon. And besides, Cara will keep an eye on your… friends. It’s a dragonrider’s duty.

KATH (somewhat sarcastically)
I’m well aware.

JADYDA turns to face KATH.

JAYDA
This situation is different from any other - you know that. Our duty was unclear. But our duty is to grant passage to all people in these lands and beyond, and as you are no longer a dragonrider, you fall into that category. I knew I had to take you, but you can’t blame the others for not wanting to - not after what you did.

KATH
You think I don’t know? I’m surprised you took me.

JAYDA
Then I guess all those years away have weakened your faith.

JAYDA and KATH exit on stage left.

The stage darkens, and the sounds of wind grow louder.

CARA’s VOICE (from off-stage)
We’ll land on that hilltop and make camp for the night!

Everything goes quiet.

SCENE THREE

The stage lightens, revealing a forest clearing. Around the clearing, dragonriders unpack bags, collect firewood, etc, with CARA directing it all.

KATH stands at center stage, looking lost. Finally she walks over to where GABRI and ZO are sitting.

KATH
How was the ride?


ZO (excitedly)
Overwhelming.

GABRI
It was… astounding.

KATH
That about sums up dragonriding.

GABRI
How was it for you?

KATH
That’s… a good question.

KATH sits down beside ZO and GABRI. None of them speak for a little while.

KATH
We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.


ZO nods.

GABRI
Do you think we’re ready for it?

KATH
I’m not sure. But I do know one thing. I know I won’t make the same mistakes I made in the past - long before I knew you.

KATH looks down, as if embarrassed by her sudden outburst of words.

KATH (quietly)
Just, whatever happens, I’ll stick with you till the end, okay?

ZO nods and puts a hand on KATH’s shoulder. GABRI puts a hand on KATH’s other shoulder.

GABRI
Okay.

Narrative memoir type thing - 517 words
The pandemic came with lots of changes for everyone, and my life was no exception.
I remember hearing about the corona virus in early 2020, about the kids talking about it in my gymnastics class. It seemed far off and not like something that could affect my life in any major way. Later that day, on the way home from gymnastics, my mom and I talked about it in the car. We didn’t think it would amount to much.
And then the pandemic hit. March break came, after which school went online. Now, I was homeschooled, but, despite many people’s assumptions, I had as many changes as anyone else. I used to take lots of extracurricular classes, but that year they all canceled the spring session. It would have been my last year before I got too old for my drama class and nature class, and I didn’t even get to finish. I was kind of upset about that. I’d been excited for one last play.
Still, even with those changes, I still had a lot of hope. No one thought the pandemic would last long, and for a bit I even hoped my classes would start again before the end of the school year. We started out watching a bunch of movies (many of which were Star Wars), and just relaxing. But as time passed, I think we all started coming to the realization that we needed to keep going in a semi-normal way, because this could last quite some time.
We still hoped it would end by summer, until summer came and went. I got to go canoe camping for the first time, but, despite being glad to the experience, it didn’t really make up for all the things I didn’t get to do that summer. In the fall, I started an online class and a new history course, which were interesting and helped fill up my time.
But it was never the same. I missed the friends and family members I couldn’t see. I missed going out to places, seeing plays in a theater. I started having more video chats with the friends I couldn’t see, but video chat burnout isn’t hard to get, at least for me, and with so much online, it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. I felt frustrated.
And walks. Let me explain about walks. See, I used to have multiple outdoor programs I would go to, but when everything shut down, I didn’t really have anything to do outside. My mom taking us (meaning me and my siblings) on walks sometimes, but my younger brothers weren’t really cooperative with that. It took a long while before I started going on walks by myself (not because I was scared or anything, but just because walks had never been my favorite thing.)
But there were good changes, too. Because of the video chats, I actually started speaking more with some friends. And my school schedule actually became more organized, and I got more work done.
But I still greatly missed everything, and hoped for the day when life would return to normal.

A sort of humorous, semi-opinionated informational piece about Christopher Columbus - 446 words
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, and he killed a lot of people, too.
Like my new rhyme?
Okay, let's bust some myths about Chrisopher Clumbus. There are quite a few big fibs about him that have been going around for, what, a few hundred years?
Number one: he was trying to prove the earth was round.
Let’s get one very important thing straight: no educated person in Columbus’s time thought the earth was flat; in fact, people had been aware that it was round for a really long time! Apparently, the ancient Greeks figured it out with calculations about shadows and stuff.
The myth that Columbus was trying to prove our planet was round actually comes from a nineteenth century writer, Washington Irving, who wrote a biography about the famous explorer which included some, er, not-so-historically accurate events. The book became a bestseller, and people started to believe it was true - probably in part because it cast the famous explorer in an even more daring light.
Number two: Christopher Columbus was a brave, awesome person who treated the indigenous people he encountered nicely and definitely didn’t hurt or take advantage of them!
Well, truth is ol’ Chris wasn’t the ‘courageous adventurer’ he’s so often made out to be. People like to portray him in that light because it makes us feel better about ourselves and the fact that we’re living on stolen land that was taken by acts of genocide. Yeah, not a nice thing to think about. But all those things started way back when with Columbus. After landing in the Bahamas, he enslaved the indignenous people there, and punished them with the loss of a limb or death if they didn’t bring back enough gold. Because yeah, he really wanted gold, and so did the Spanish monarchy, who he was working for.
So yeah, there are a lot of untrue facts we learn about Christopher Columbus, because it is nicer to think about him as the courageous explorer who “discovered” America. But it’s not better. These stories need to be brought into the light as the lies they really are, and Columbus needs to stop being idolized as a hero, and we need to tell the true stories of the Americas - like those of the indigenous people who have been there for thousands of years. The problem is that so many of these lies are in history books and school curriculums, and have been told to countless generations, making it hard to make people believe the truth. But it’s important that we continue working toward that, and that the people who were hurt by colonization get to tell their stories.

Disclaimer: This isn’t my story. I’m not speaking for indigneous peoples. I’m not at all qualified to do so. This is just information I learned from my history class, and the internet (speaking of which, I’ll try to add links to sources later.)

In cabin daily
233 words
“SHUT UP SILVIE!” Beth yelled as I was about to hit the buzzer. The question read ‘What is Louisa M. Alcott’s, writer of Little Women, middle name?
“God Beth, I know what it is! I read Little Women!” Before she can say anything, I hit the buzzer. “May.” I say, to which Arlie says, “That is correct! 20 points to Fae’s Library!”. I smirk at Beth. This is the first trivia night that we have had in Real-Fi academy. It’s the East Wing vs the West Wing vs the Library. The questions are basically about all kinds of pop-culture things. Beth appointed herself the team leader, and we all are answering questions.
“ALRIGHT! Next up is Arlie’s East Wing!” Shouts Scarlet, and I turn my head to see them. They all chatter for a moment, and one of them says, “We would like Animals for 50.”
“Alright! Animals for 50! What are the only two egg laying mammals?” Oh man, I know this. They think for a minute, and then Scarlet turns to her group. “West Wing! Can you steal?” They mutter for a second, “Platypus and…giraffe?” They question. “I’m sorry, that's INCORRECT! Library, can you steal?” I hit my buzzer like a crazy person. “Yes, the Platypus and the Anteater.” Scarlet cheers. “That's 50 points for the Library!” And just like that, I know this is going to be an amazing sesion.

March 8, 2022

Word count: 299

Word war

I stare out the window, watching the drops come down slowly. THe wind is blowing loudly, i can hear it through the window. I think hard about what had happened that day. I got abandoned. With no reason, no response. How? Why? I have to get there, I have to get back. I can’t though. If I wa just left here, why do I have to get back? I know htat I’m the key, but if they deserted me, that means I’m not need anymore right? Arg, it’s so confusing. Everything from the past two days has been, well, a rollercoaster. It’s been going from one pplace to another, one after hte other. I haven’t had rest and I wake up and what do yu know? I’m left all alone! Hah! Just what I airways wanted after being kidnapped and taken 3000 miles away from home. Nothing could have been better if I hadn’t been kidnapped and escaped with my family! Wait do I even know where in the world they are? NO! Of course not! Last I heard from them was what, 3 years ago? WHat’s the use? I’ve been abandoned, nobody to go to, not knowing exactly wrhe I am. Thye kept dragging me around, from here to there. Wad it yesterday or the day before yesterday that we passed through the Frost Mountains? My mind is confused. It’s been way too long before I had asked much about their plans, there’s not way that I could catch up with them even if I wanted to. I look out the window once again, looking as the palm tree blows in the harsh winds. I wonder what it could have been if I had been there. How would my life have been different? What could I have done?

For Horror Rubies - 4,050 words in schoolwork - I just want a matching pfp lol - <3 <3 <3


Children’s relationships with their peers are very important. That is something Margot never got with William, and probably never will, because he hates her, and also stopped her from seeing the sun.


William is responsible for keeping Margot from seeing the sun. First, he locked her in a closet. He was jealous of her because she was always the teacher's main ‘favorite child’. She got special attention, and William was overlooked, pushed aside into Margot’s shadow. Yet, that was no reason to stop her from seeing the sun, something that only happens once in seven years.

Many things could’ve been done to stop this from happening. The children could’ve let her out of the closet, instead of just letting her sit in there. The Teacher could’ve been more watchful of the children- she should’ve known William hated Margot, and that Margot was not outside with them. Another thing is the children shouldn’t have forgotten about Margot and her being locked in a closet.

As you can tell, William is responsible for Margot's being locked in a closet, not being able to see the sun for the once in seven years the sun comes out. Like I said, their relationship with each other really played a role in this event.

William
William was jealous of her because of the attention she got from the teacher, and locked her in a closet
45%
The Teacher
She was not supervising the children fully, and saying Margot was amazing and brilliant, making other jealous
15%
Micheal
He told the other kids and agreed with William, saying when they locked her in the closet, “It’s just a game” and never let her out.
20%
Paula
She left Margot alonne in a room with all of the kids that didn't like her, or did idk, and locked her in a closet.
5%
The Door
It was the doors fault because the door locked in on her and she couldn’t get out because of the door.
15%
The Watsons are an unusually close family, with strong emotional connections. The relationship between Byron and Kenny goes through a surprising change in the novel. At the beginning, Byron seems to dislike Kenny and often tries to use his position as older brother to get out of doing things that are his responsibility.
When the boys are supposed to share the job of scraping ice off the Brown Bomber’s windows, Kenny says, “I’m not going to do your part, Byron, you’d better do it and I’m not playing either.” Byron’s response is, “Shut up, punk.” (Curtis 7)
Clearly Byron feels superior to his little brother, and is planning to get out of his responsibility knowing that Kenny will eventually give in, as he has in the past. But this time, Byron ends up in a difficult position; Byron’s lips become stuck to the Brown Bomber’s side mirror and the only one who can help him is Kenny.
Rather than using this situation to his advantage, Kenny quickly comes to his brother’s aid. “I could have done a lot of stuff to him. If it had been me with my lips stuck on something like this he’d have tortured me for a couple of days before he got help. Not me, though,” Kenny says, “I nearly broke my neck trying to get into the house to rescue Byron.” (Curtis 13)
Throughout the book, there are many instances in which the reader glimpses Byron’s true feelings about Kenny. It is only at the end of the story, when Byron helps Kenny through his grief about the Birmingham church bombing, that we see real evidence of just how much he loves his little brother. When Kenny truly needs Byron’s support, Byron is there for him.
Byron and Momma also share an important relationship. One of the most intense scenes in the book is after Momma discovers that Byron has been caught playing with fire after being told again and again not to do this. For his punishment, she plans to burn his fingers.
We all nearly jumped through the roof when the snake-woman voice came back into the room and said, “Joetta, move away from him.”
Momma was carrying a piece of paper towel, a jar of Vaseline and a Band-Aid in one hand and a fresh, dry book of matches in the other. She wasn’t even going to take him to the hospital! She was going to set him on fire, then patch him up right at home! (Curtis 69)
This harsh punishment is the high point in their constant struggle for power.
Finally, Momma and Dad decide to make a huge financial sacrifice that they feel is necessary for the good of the family: They take Byron to Birmingham, where he immediately starts to behave better and obey his parents. Wilona Watson’s relationship with her mother, Grandma Sands, is very close.
“Grandma Sands and Momma would get yakking to each other and we could only understand half of the things that they said.” (Curtis 165)
These close family relationships help the Watson family overcome the difficult obstacles they face during the course of the book.
Grief: Greif is the feeling when someone has been lost, or when you know you’ll never see someone again. In some circumstances, people never fully recover from grief, making their life full of grief. Grief is something that if you have it for too long, it can take over your life. Grief is mostly seen in people who have lost someone dear to them, and then they feel an overwhelming sadness. Grief is a deeper sadness than others, one that you can’t really hug a pillow and get rid of it. Family is something that will never leave you.
1 to 47 degrees or 46 degree difference
25 to 48 degrees or 47 degree difference
67 to 90 degrees or 89 degree difference
(1 + 24 + 47 + 23) / 4 = 23.75 degrees
( 25 + 48 + 71 + 47 / 4 = 155.75 degrees
( 67 + 90 + 67 + 89 / 4 = 246.25 degrees
0 to 637 W/m2 or 637W/m2 difference
302 to 650 W/m2 or 650 W/m2 difference
854 to 947 W/m2 or 854W/m2 difference
(0 + 285 + 637 + 269) / 4 = 297.75 W/m2
( 302 + 650+ 883 + 637) / 4 = 618 W/m2
( 854 + 947 + 854 + 947) / 4 = 900.5 W/m2


Complete these statements:
i. The sunbeam inclination range at the equator is greater than it is at Chicago or the Arctic Circle.
ii.The sunbeam inclination average is greatest at 90and least at 1
iii. The irradiance range at the equator is less than it is at Chicago or the Arctic Circle.
iv. The irradiance average is greatest at 854 and least at 0
What occurs near each of the dates used: Dec 21 Sunbeam inclination Mar 21 June 21 Sept 21
Why are the Mar 21 and Sept 21 data nearly equal at each location (both degrees and W/m2)? They are similar seasons
Why are the Dec 21 and June 21 data so drastically different at Chicago and the Arctic Circle, but equal at the equator? They are different seasons
Explain how this data helps us to explain why we experience seasons (use the data and our calculation in your explanation):
Response: The sunbeam inclination and tilt/horizontal irradiance shows us why we experience different seasons and weather each month and year.
Chinese Rivers
Sam and Cole
The Yellow River was called the Yellow River because the land around it was somewhat yellow. The ancient Chinese were “created” by the spirits as clay figures.
Chinese Rivers
Pedro
The Yellow River is similar to India because they both have rivers, and is different because of the length of those rivers. Floods were seen as a punishment by the gods.
Chinese Rivers
Jasmin
The Chinese built their first civilizations by the Yellow River. The Yellow River was extremely destructive, destroying houses, killing animals and humans, and more.
Tour of China
Kylie and Tori
The Great Wall of China is over 13,000 years old. The Great Wall was built to stop people from invading- at the time, people from inside the multiple states in China. The Gobi Desert is large, cold, and very dangerous due to poisonous animals and plants.
Tour of China
Riley
The Zhaozhou Bridge is a large, and long, arched bridge. The Marco Polo Bridge is located next to Beijing and it bridges over the Yongding river. The Lugou bridge is a large bridge, bridging over a vast river.
Tour of China
Shyanne
The Taklamakan desert is the second largest shifting sand desert. The Yellow Rivers water carries silt, which gives it its yellow-ish brown watercolor.

Chinese Geography is a confusing and difficult thing to understand. The four sides of the compass all have different and difficult things to cross, unless by plane or boat. The Northern and Western ends of China are each surrounded by dry, most uninhabitable deserts. The Eastern end of China is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. The Southern side of China is surrounded by impassable mountains.
There are many pros, and cons, for China’s geography. I will be listing a few Pros.

- China’s Geography has one, quite obvious, pro. The hard-to-navigate mountains, sea, and deserts, make it quite hard to invade China. That is, if your not already inside China’s borders.

- China’s Geography also has quite good resources. Fertile soil, good land for growing crops, and many more.


- China having so many water sources leads to it being a bit hard to run out of water- I would think droughts are not very common, at least in certain parts of China.
There are many cons, and pros, for China’s geography. I will be listing a few cons.

- The first con of China’s geography is that there are many hardships to face just getting to China- making it hard for traders and others to get in. Though you can also say it can be a pro.

- Even though it can be a bit difficult to invade, there are certain spots where you can invade somewhat easily. For example, part of the northern border is a bit open to land-based invasions, and the border at the Pacific Ocean.

- Another con is the fact that there are chances for a lot of natural disasters. Like Tsunami’s, coming from the coast, and earthquakes shaking boulders from the mountains, and many more natural dangers.
It could be said that China’s geography was a curse. It could also be called a blessing. Let’s look at the reasons it could be a blessing. They live almost right next to the Yellow River, which has rich, fertile soil around its banks. When the rivers surrounding the area floods, it is seen to the Chinese as a ‘gift’. Plus, the silk road makes passage to China quite the bit easier. Now, there are blessings, for sure, but there are also many curses. Sure, the soil around the Yellow River is good for farming, but only around 1/10th of it can even be used, because of the surrounding areas. Yes, the river flooding is a good thing. But it can also be a bad thing. Every few years the river explodes it’s banks and causes massive flooding, and mass destruction. Farm animals and humans, dead. Houses and yards, destroyed. The surrounding deserts are home to poisonous plants, animals, and snakes. With high heat in the day and freezing cold in the night, PLUS the massive sandstorms that roll through deserts quite frequently, China’s deserts are not very safe. Plus, before the silk road, you could barely get in nor out of China. This is why, in my eyes, China’s geography is not a blessing. In my eyes, China’s Geography is more of a curse than a blessing.
The Great Wall of China. On one hand, it was good for keeping invaders out, and tourist attractions. But, if someone wanted to get in, and is SUPPOSED to get in, and their on foot, they can’t really pass the great wall. Plus, it’s quite the something that you’d have to pass, if for any reason your going that way or going on foot in the general area.

The deserts surrounding China are dangerous and stop movement in many ways. But, they also help movement. If someone was good at traveling in deserts, or had the supplies, they would have a pretty good way of getting in and out.

The mountains that surround China are very hard to diverse- even Google says so. They have steep cliffs, deep holes you might fall in and possibly break your neck,and many more challenges. Now, with some effort and probably a lot of skill, you could get over the mountains. I mean, not all of them are as tall as The Himalaya Mountain range.

The people in China live next to the Pacific Sea. Obviously, in Ancient China it was hard to travel by sea, but now, traveling to and from China by going through the Pacific Sea is something someone could easily do. I would still just fly in by plane, though.
Hi, sister. I’ve had fun so far on my trip to India- so many new things! Instead of boring you about what i’ve traded so far, I’ll tell you an interesting fact. Did you know India has invented so many things so far? They’ve invented the best steel in the world! Can you believe that? They came up with the number zero, decimals into math, plus cataract and plastic surgery! Didn’t you get plastic surgery that one time? You promised to tell me about it before I left- write me back about that one! ANyways, they invented games, too! Like card games, chess, checkers, snakes and ladders, and so many more things, as well! I wish you were here with me, and I cannot wait to get back home! Hopefully talk to you soon, Scar!
Love, your favorite sister, Jenny.
Dear Mother, I wanted to talk to you about the system they have here in India- I find it quite odd. The Indians call this thing the Caste System. There’s- 6, no, 5 levels, and then the untouchables. The highest level is called Brahmins- their, like, priests and scholars, those types of people. The next one is called Kshats- that’s not their full name, I just don’t know how to spell it, and I don’t want to bother the people near me. Their the rulers and knights. Then there’s the V-Vaisyas. Sorry, I forgot to spell for a moment. Their the farmers and crafts people. Then there’s the Sudras- their the labor-worker people. Then, off the entire system, there’s the untouchables. Their so low, no-one wants to touch them, and they have to sweep their own footsteps.
Happy wishes from your lovely son, Francis.

Hinduism
Buddhism
Origin: No founder, comes from around 1,500 BCE, and from Vedas, one of the oldest in the world
Origin: Prince Siddhartha Gautama - 6th Century BCE- around 3,100 years ago
Over 1 billion people
Millions of people
Mono/Polytheistic/Both?: Both
Mono/Polytheistic/Both?:
Main Beliefs/End Goal: Liberations after death and birth - They believe in a spiritual horse called Brahman - The main goal is to reach a spiritual state- your soul to become non-reincarnation able.
Main Beliefs/End Goal: To rid self-issues/problems like jealousy, and envy, and anger, hate for a certain person, waste, greed, and eating too much food as well. It is a spiritual self-improvement. To reach the state of Nirvana- peace and happiness.



They had many trade routes to many places, leading them to having many resources and items from trade. They lived in neighborhood-like places, their houses sometimes stack on top of eachother, other times they just owned the whole 3 floors. {NOT very often.}
There were many theories about what happened to ancient India, like war, tectonic plates, a large amount of climate change, atomic wars, trade with places like Mesopotamia, their main trade partner, and more. Scientists and historians think that climate change is the most likely over the other theories, though.
The Indus River Valley people traveled mostly by the rivers and bodies of water that surrounded them. They lived close, not TOO far, but not TOO close, to Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia, making trading exceptionally easier for them. Egypt traded papyrus, grains, and more. India and Mesopotamia also traded things that they think are valuable, or things only they can get or have access to.
India

An achievement of the Indus River Valley is teaching the world to count. Meaning, they came up with the first counting method. Another one was making the best steel in the world, back then. They also came up with adding the number zero to math. In addition to adding zero to math, they also added decimals. If that wasn’t enough, they came up with binary code, as well. Guess what? They also came up with ruler measurements. And they came up with the theory of an atom. They came up with plastic surgery, as well. Oh, and cataract surgery. Iron cased rockets, square roots, algebra, the number system 1-9, sewing needles, over 1000 cures for diseases, chess, checkers, playing cards, snakes and ladders, buttons, polo, karate, the spinning wheel, shampoo, diamonds used in jewelry, the first flush toilet, and more!
Egypt

Ancient Egypt had a lot of achievements, but we don’t know what all of them are, to this day. Despite that, we do know that they invented many things. For instance, ink and, well, the first type of paper. Cosmetics, the toothbrush and toothpaste, and the old types of breath mints are all things they’ve invented. Many household items were also among the many things the Ancient Egyptians created- like hand held mirrors, and, as I said, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Another example that Ancient Egypt is rather known for, is it’s pyramids. Ancient Egyptians invented many things we use today- but some things are more important than others. Like, the plow, lever, the ramp, and mills are a bit more important than the handheld mirror and wigs, which the Egyptians also invented. A couple more things they invented were eye makeup, the shadoof, writing, the calendar, bowling, hair cuts, and door locks. Some things are a bit more important than others, huh?

Mesopotamia

Some inventions for the long-lived and long-lost civilizations of Mesopotamia are pottery, another type of writing, types of engineering, the chariot, the plow, textile mills, mass-produced bricks, metallurgy, mathematics, and much, much more. Mesopotamia was a very important time in history, having over 100+ achievements. Some more of those accomplishments are The wheel, the sail, true arch, irrigation, farming implants, cities, maps, time and clocks, astronomy, astrology, surgery, and medicine/drugs.
Similarities

I’m not going to say there are so many similarities between these three places- there aren't. But there are some. All three invented a different type of medicine, writing, and language- if that language is still around or not is anyone's guess. {Though most early stage languages aren’t around anymore} Mathematics is something that they all somewhat worked together with- meaning they all invented a different part of mathematics, with other early-eon civilizations. That's another thing in common. They are all civilizations. There are more similarities, but that's all I'm going to… Write? Say? Write. That's all I'm going to write.
Rivers
1. Brahmaputra River:
What does it run through?: Snow capped mountains, like the Himalayas.
What does it border?: The northern border.
2. Why are monsoons important?
When the river floods it recedes, leaving minerals behind.
3. Ganges River:
Where does it start?: It flows across most of northern India and starts in the Himalayas
What is the soil like?: Very good, fertile soil, using rich minerals to help the farmers farm. Known as some of the most fertile land in the world
4. Indus River
Where does it begin?: In the Himalayas
What is it compared to?: The Ganges River
Plateaus
1. Deccan Plateau
What is a plateau? An elevated or raised area of land flatter than a mountain.
What are the characteristics of the Deccan: Fairly dry, a few rivers, monsoons provide most of the water. The soil is black, yellow, or red. Large granite rocks, formed by volcanoes.

2. Is the Deccan Plateau good for farming? Why or why not?
No, because the soils there don’t have enough minerals for good farming. The black is used for growing cotton, but the red and yellow are lacking key minerals for farming.


Mountains
1. Eastern and Western Ghats
What is the main difference between the Western and Eastern Ghats?: One is west, one is east. The Eastern Ghat is not as wet as the Western Ghat.
The Ghats also have rivers flowing through them. Are these rivers useful? Why or why not?: Not really. They rarely flood, and are unstable.

1. Himalayas:
What is the importance?: Highest mountain range in the world. Heavy with minerals.
What is the meaning of its name: Home of Snows
Why are the Himalayas important for rivers?: Feeds northern India’s major rivers

2. Hindu Kush:
What is the Khyber Pass: A gap in the mountains, which is 30 miles long
Characteristics of the Hindu Kush: Some peaks go 5 miles into the air, and is a very tall mountain range
Deserts
1. Thar Desert:
Where is it located?: Northern India
What are the characteristics of this desert?: Huge sandumes, little plant life, extreme heat, variety of birds, other larger animals.
What plants and animals live there?: Birds, Gazelle, Lizard, etc.



What is original horizontality? Layers of rock deposited horizontally

How are superposition and original horizontality related (what is similar)? Both are lid in horizontal fashion

What is an example of a cross cut we have learned about? Igneous intrusion/a fault

What is an inclusion? When pieces of one rock are inside of another. The inclusions is older than the rock its inside





What is permineralization (mineralization)? If something dies and is buried in a stream the minerals may harderden it and become almost like a rock

What is an example of a fossil made by permineralization (mineralization)?
What is a trace fossil? It's kind of like when a leaf is on stone, stepped on long enough, that when it finally deforms or flies away, the stamp is left in the stone.

What is an example of a trace fossil? An insect covered is amber

How are preserved fossils (original material) fossils formed? Something falls in ice and remains frozen, or something that is covered in amber. I do not think they age at all.

What is uniformitarianism and how does it help us explain the past? The geological time scale is basically a scale of uniformity
Part II: Apply and Retell What You Know


Answer Below


Identify 1

Explain which Rock layer is the oldest. Q
The chunks of different types of rock found in layer “M” are known as Inclusions. What are older chunks or the surrounding rock? The chunks.
Explain what the letter “P” represents and how it got there The P represents an Igneous Intrusion
Explain what layer of rock is used to determine the age of “P” and why. Q,O,N,M,L because it goes through them, making it younger
Why might layers “L” through “Q” be angled the way they are? Horizontal malfunction or pressure







Identify 2

The orange rock layers in Texas and Montant don’t line up. Based on the Law of Superposition and/or index fossils, explain how we know those layers existed at the same time? The color in the age groups/shadows

Explain why we don’t find a pink, blue, and light brown layer of rock in Texas? The rock there isn’t as old, or the pink/blue rock washed away




Era
Period
Percent of time - mya=million years ago
Starts this Distance from Today
Cenozoic
Quaternary
1.8mya / 4,600mya =.0004
0.03m
Neogene
23/4600= .005
0.33m
Paleogene
66/4600= .019
0.94m
Mesozoic
Cretaceous
146/4600=.032
2.09m
Jurassic
200/4600=.043
2.87m
Triassic
251/4600=.055
3.60m
Paleozoic
Permian
299/4600=.065
4.29m
Carboniferous
359/4600=.078
5.15m
Devonian
416/4600=.09
5.97m
Silurian
444/4600=.097
6.37m
Ordovician
488/4600=.106
7.00m
Cambrian
542/ 4,600=.1178
7.77m
Precambrian


4,600 / 4,600=1
66m

560 words for encanto fanfic!



“And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not
And you know it
I don't know why it's so hard to admit it”

-Truth Be Told, Matthew West


“What do I do?” Mariano asked Dolores after the long, long silence.
“Don’t steal it.” Dolores replied tartly.
“I know, but then she’ll use her power against me forever! And if we do, she’ll be nice to us, to everybody! She does deserve a second chance, after all. Pepa and Alma were wrong to ban her.”
“They had their reasons, I’m sure,” Dolores sighed. “Look, just don’t do it. Fate will find some way.”
“But she could be so much better! She deserves it!” Mariano sighed, too. “She doesn’t deserve hateful power!”
“THE PROPHECY!” Dolores yelled suddenly. “My Tio Bruno,” she shouted, “said there would be a dark shadow over Robert! THAT IS MIRABEL!”
“The future can be changed?” Mariano tried.
“You askin’ me, or tellin’ me?” Dolores snapped.
“Uh. Um.”
“Yeah, so don’t.”
“Let’s just roll a die,” Mariano suggested. “We’ll see what happens?”
“Okay, okay,” Dolores gave in. “But whatever happens, I’m not part of it, okay? And if it works, we’ll get Mirabel’s good power protection, so..”
Mariano wrote, 1,3,5- go at midnight to steal the candle for mirabel. 2,4,6- don’t go. Dolores nodded and picked up the die.


“Did you do it?” Luisa smiled and asked the seven-year-old peering up at her. They weren’t in class, the kid had just stopped her on the side of a busy road and burst out her pressure-free story. It was about 10am, just after Dolores and Mariano had left breakfast.
“Yes, Miss Luisa!” The emo kid grinned, pushing back locks of black hair. “I told my parents about my stressure! They’s listened! And now I have lesser res-ponsa-pilla-tees!”
“Your…stressure,” the strongwoman repeated.
“Stress. Pressure!” The kid nodded. “It’s stressure, Miss!”
“Okay. Yeah. Stressure. Go on.” Luisa nodded encouragingly. “You were saying your parents gave you less responsibilities? Which ones?”
“Wee-ell, I had-ta take care of Millie, Lillie, and Dillie. They’re my new triplet sisters! My momma didn’t know there would be THREE kids, and I HELP HER! But it was super stressure! I told my momma and she agreed that poppa can help also!!”
“Wow!’ Luisa praised. “Good job!”
“And now I have more free time to play! I hear lots of fun things!” The little child leaned in close. “Guess what???”
“What?”
“I heard Miss DoloRESS talkin’ to MISSter Marry Ano! They’s were having a long, long, conversation. But it was SO boring. All they said was Mirabel, candle, Miss Pepa-'' the kid paused. “- well, they didn’t actually say Miss Pepa they just said Pepa but you know, I’mma call her MISS Pepa because, like, respect. Yeah.”
“Basically, they were talking about Mirabel, the candle, and Pepa.” Luisa confirmed. Her eye began twitching slightly.
“Yeah, Miss!” A nod.
“Okay, run along now. See you in stress-free school tomorrow!” Luisa ushered the child off and hurried into a side alley, breathing hard. Her mind was carefully piecing together the mystery.
After her powers had faded a bit in the construction of the new candle, she had tried to devote herself more and more to mental skills, the one area in which she wasn’t strong. Luisa practiced Wordles, crossword puzzles, and even attended an Algebra class.

Word War with @mossflower29
No prompt, 5 minutes

Written by Wari
238 words

Shoalpaw crept along the lakeshore, searching for prey. The calm waves lapped over the smooth pebbles, making them slippery, but she stepped carefully. The sunlight’s warm rays dappled her pelt, making her stop for a moment to savor the feeling. As she watched, birds flew between branches, singing joyfully. It’s a good day to hunt, she thought, shaking herself to get back to what she had been doing.

She swiveled her ears, trying to pinpoint a prey-creature’s tiny heartbeat within the rustling of the forest. There. A mouse scrabbled near a burrow, eating a nut ravenously. She crept up to it, making sure to stay downwind of the prey. Her tail and belly low, she crept closer until it was almost time to pounce. She leapt, landing on it with a satisfying thump.

Shoalpaw buried it, and then moved on. A bird fluttered to the ground, pecking at the forest floor. Shoalpaw neared it with light, quick movements. But as she neared, an excited flick of her tail disturbed some fallen leaves, and they clattered noisily. The sparrow bolted with a squawk, flapping away in a whirl of feathers. Shoalpaw hissed under her breath. She’d have to catch something else.

As she kept going, a squirrel caught her eye, foraging at the roots of a pine. She crept toward it, swiftly leaping forward to catch it before it noticed her. She succeeded, and felt a thrill of accomplishment.

March 9, 2022

Word count: 133

Word War

“Come look!” someone shouts, “Over here!”
I follow the voice, climbing over the pile of ruble in font of me. “What is it Terrance?” I ask.
“Sir, it looks like it’s a building! Oh look!” he answers.
I pace forward, carefully navigating my way through. “I’ll be right there. Everyone go to whre Terrance is!” I call out to the others behind me.
I find Terrance at a little clearing, some others already be hind him looking at what he had uncovered. ‘Summers Middle’ it read.
“Let’s keep digging!” Elisha says, excitedly.
“Yes, what she said,” I reply and we get out our equipment from our pockets.
After an hour or so of digging, Damien had found a little capsule. “Um, I think I found something important!” he calls. We all rush over

Weekly 1
TOTAL WORDCOUNT: 2448
Redirect to main page
Time taken: too long


Poems: (329 words)



Poem 1: alarm clock (haiku)

it's in the morning

i'm awoken by your sound

leave me let me sleep



Poem 2: SWC (limerick)

I came here to write

many cabins in sight

am I about to go here?

away from the place I hold dear?

Let's hope this is right.





Poem 3: Obsession (sonnet)

It is a book

All of those on my shelf

Do you know how much time it took

I got them all by myself.

Cat purring on my bed

Sitting here all day

Not much else to be said

I don't care much anyway.

Everything around me is magic

All of it sparkles and gleams

But all of this is tragic

It's only ever in my dreams.

All of this was just a rant.

Can I write sonnets? No I can't.





Poem 4: Computer (acrostic)

Come every day here.

On it for fun and for school.

Many hours I have spent here.

Provided with all the materials I need.

Up is my ceiling, not the sky.

The never ending cycle

Even though, I enjoy it

Read, step away and read!





Poem 5: Rambling (free verse)

Leaves get whisked away by a gentle breeze

Finally I don't have to rhyme my poetry

Leave me be in my fantasy cottagecore world

This is almost going to be half of my poetry word count

It feels nice to just write what your heart desires

Only picking up your hands to click delete every once in a while

Rambling on to no one who will listen

After all, who cares what you write

They don't have time to read two thousand three hundred words

Do they?

I did stretch out that number for the means of adding more to my word count

Selfish, selfish selfish.

Myth asks for their weeklies to be done, and I hate letting people down

Selfish, selfish, selfish.

I'll be playing minecraft not to long from when I'm writing this.

Selfish, selfish, selfish.

This free verse is going to be done all in one go.

No stopping, not even changing to another tab

I've paused for barely a second to collect my thoughts and they come rushing.

And now i'm over the minimum.

Actually, I was quite a while ago but I had to much to think about because you know when

your brain works like clockwork.

Sometimes it doesn't but right now it is.

I'm going to stop now.







Essay: (510 words)

Overpopulation. It is a growing concern for me on our earth. It's always been something that's been on my mind, but I haven't seen a reason to write about it until now. Now I have my chance to show how huge this issue is.

Let's begin. I'm coming from the point of an aroace woman, meaning aromantic (you don't feel romantic attraction). and as*xu*l (meaning you don't feel s*xu*l attraction). Some people might say i'm a biased source, but there's more info than just me out there. Why do you need children? There are ways for straight people to do the you know what without possibly having offspring. Do what you want, I'm fine with that, live your life how you'd like to. But there is another way that's just as capable. According to the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, there are 18.5 million orphans in need of new parents. And I'm sure they won't turn out to be brats because you gave them a home, and they know what pain feels like. Now let's switch gears to overpopulation itself. According to the World Economic Forum, in just 10 YEARS (2010-2020), the population of the U.S. has gone up by a huge 7.4%, or 22.7 MILLION people! Now everyone's like, oh I've heard the number million too often, that's just a normal number, whatever. Imagine the number of people in your school. Let's say it's 500 at max. That's enough people to fill up 2,000 schools, and 500 is probably too big of a number anyways. Just think of 2,000 different schools filled to the brim with kids. Now don't think I forgot. This is 22.7 million, not just 1 million. That's around 4,200+ schools a year with 500 kids each. That would be mental! Check out World o Meter online and you can see that the number of people dying is way slower than the number of people being born. Even with COVID, so many are being born every year, and so many are neglected in need. But we are a newer generation. We have the power and capability to change things. All you have to do is, well, nothing! You actually have to do pretty much nothing. Just don't have a kid. It's that simple, but none of the public listens. Get other people to join this movement. Be. That. Change.

As I said, there are many other ways to get a kid than just birthing one. Adoption is a good way to solve two problems in one. You get a child, a child gets a new home. I don't think that we need to have more babies that could possibly be too much for the earth. Have a limit on 2 for a perfectly stable environment that keeps the same amount of human beings. And It's so easy, I don't see why more people don't do it. You there, reader. Have you taken all of this to heart? Are you going to ignore the easiest solution to one of the biggest problems on this planet? Or will you help?







Script used (around 800 words, many mistakes):

“Wake up!”

Silverpaw opened her eyes. Mothfoot was above her. Silverpaw cranned her neck and looked out of the den. Little speckles of sunlight peaked out.

Silverpaw rested her head back on the moss. “It's early dawn,” She groaned. “I'm tired. Whatever do you need?”

The urgency in Mothfoot's eyes quickened. “It's Willowkit! She's gone!”

Silverpaw suddenly came alert and got up. “Where when why?” She asked all at once.

“Shhhh!” Mothfoot looked around. “Don't wake anyone else!”'

“I had woken up early for a dawn patrol and decided to survey the camp. When I checked the nursery, Willowkit was gone!” She explained.

Silverpaw got to her paws. “Where is she?”

“I don't know,” Mothfoot answered truthfully.

“Well we'd better get goi-” Silverpaw's mew was sharply cut off by a cry.

“That's Willowkit!” Mothfoot realized and they ran in the direction of the noise.

It wasn't long before they reached the kit.

“Willowkit! What are you doing here?” Mothfoot scolded. “Get back to camp right n-”

“What's that?” Mothfoot asked. There was a red berry in Willowkit's mouth.

Silverpaw's eyes widened with horror. “Kits are taught about this berry when they are very young.” She took a shaky breath. “That's a deathberry!”

“What's that?” Mothfoot asked.

“Very poisonous and will kill any cat within a few minutes. Its especially dangerous to kits and elders,” Silverpaw explained. “We have no time to waste!”

“Maybe we should call Rosekit?” Mothfoot asked.

“No, it's early, she'll be tired and she may be too far away,” Silverpaw dismissed the idea. “What if…”

“What?” Mothfoot pressed.

“Well what do we need to cure her?” Silverpaw started.

“Yarrow. She needs to get rid of the poison,” Mothfoot decided firmly.

“Well, I don't know where Rosekit got the yarrow, but she may have dropped some of it where we were before,” Silverpaw meowed.

“It's our best shot,” Mothfoot agreed. “Stay here and watch Willowkit. You get the leaves.”

Silverpaw nodded vigorously and ran off. A kit's life was on the line.

She finally reached the area and tasted the air. Sure enough, the sour tang of yarrow was in the air. Silverpaw picked up all the leaves she could find lying around and sped of back to Mothfoot.

“Her condition is becoming worse,” Mothfoot fretted.

“I have the leaves,” Silverpaw meowed, after dropping the leaves out of her mouth. “Let's just hope that's enough.”

Mothfoot took the leaves and fed them to the kit. Willowkit was so hurt that she didn't protest.

They waited for the result. Willowkit's eyes closed. Silverpaw took a huge gulp of air. Had it worked?

The kit's eyes fluttered open like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. “Why are you here..?” It mewled slowly.

“I could ask the same to you,” Mothfoot replied evenly.

“I want my mommy!” The little kit wailed.

“Shhh….It's early dawn and you're away from camp,” Mothfoot mewed. “Right now, we're bringing you back to camp.”

Willowkit grumbled as Mothfoot picked her up by the scruff. They made their way back to camp as the dawn patrols were about to leave.

“There you are!” A full-grown she-cat ran over to Willowkit. Silverpaw shot Mothfoot a questioning look.

“Ravenflight, mother of Willowkit and Minkkit,” Mothfoot quickly explained.

“Did that clan cat steal my kit?” Ravenflight demanded.

“No, no, quite the opposite,” Mothfoot answered. “Willowkit left on her own and we got there just in time to cure her of poison.”

“Thank you, both of you,” Ravenflight dipped her head politely.

“Hey, Willowkit!” another kit ran over. “What happened?”

“Well..” Willowkit began, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “I saw a red berry and I ate it. Next thing I knew, the world went black.” She pretended to faint. They both began to purr with laughter.

“Kits,” Ravenflight rolled her eyes.

“Well,” Silverpaw looked up. “We better be going soon. There's no time to waste.”

“Thank you,” She continued. “We are grateful.”

“You saved my life,” Mothfoot pointed out. “It's the least I can do.”

“Hey, what did I miss?” A little mew came from behind.

“We have to leave soon,” Silverpaw meowed.

“Awww,” Rosekit complained. “Well I'm staying a little longer to tell Mothfoot some herbs.” Her decision was final and they began to chatter away.

Silverpaw caught everyone up on what had happened.

“Well, now Graybird cannot be mad at us,” Leafpaw joked.

“Could be true,” Silverpaw responded.

Once they had made their goodbyes, they headed off farther into the tall grass. Everything was quiet, unlike the bustling noises of the camp.

“I'm thirsty,” Cloud finally said.“

”Alright, we can take a break,“ Dawn meowed.

”I'll scout ahead,“ Leafpaw ran off. Moments later she returned.

”Just a little left of us there's a small puddle,“ She informed. ”It's water looks safe to drink.“

Cloud immediately ran off. They waited for him to return. Then they heard a meow of surprise.

”HELP!“ A voice meowed desperatly.

They ran over. ”Cloud?“ Silverpaw looked around.

”Down here!“ He answered.

”Silverpaw peered down. A wide hole was just in front of her. She took a few steps back.

“I'm stuck!” Cloud called.



Script writing (Exactly 700 words):

MOTHFOOT

Wake up!

MOTHFOOT prods SILVERPAW with her paw.

SILVERPAW opens her eyes and squints out the den, then lays her head back down.

SILVERPAW

It's early dawn. I'm tired. What do you need?!

MOTHFOOT

It's Willowkit! She's gone!

SILVERPAW gets up quickly

SILVERPAW

Where? When? Why?

MOTHFOOT

Shhhh!

MOTHFOOT looks around

Don't wake anyone else!

MOTHFOOT

I woke up early this morning for a dawn patrol and decided to survey the camp. When I checke d the nursery, Willowkit was gone!

SILVERPAW

Where is she?

MOTHFOOT

I don't know.

SILVERPAW

We had better get go-

SILVERPAW and MOTHFOOT hear a cry in the distance that sounds like a kit. They run off into the distance.

MOTHFOOT

Willowkit! What are you doing here? Get back to camp right n- (gets cut off)

MOTHFOOT pauses.

MOTHFOOT

What's that in her mouth? (to SILVERPAW)

SILVERPAW

Kits are taught about this at a young age. It's a deathberry!

MOTHFOOT

A what now? What's that???

SILVERPAW

Very poisonous and will kill any cat within a few minutes. It's especially dangerous to kits and elders. We have no time to waste!

MOTHFOOT

Maybe we should call Rosekit?

SILVERPAW

SILVERPAW shakes her head.

No, it's too early. She'll be tired and far away. What if….

MOTHFOOT

WHAT?

SILVERPAW

Well, what do we need to cure her of the poison?

MOTHFOOT

Yarrow. Yes, she needs yarrow. It'll make her barf out the berry.

SILVERPAW

Ewww!

SILVERPAW

Well, I don't know where Rosekit got the yarrow, but she may have dropped some of it where we were before.

MOTHFOOT

It's our best shot. I'll stay here and watch Willowkit. You can get the leaves.

SILVERPAW

SILVERPAW runs off to go get the yarrow.

SILVERPAW tastes the air, finds it, and runs back to Mothfoot.

MOTHFOOT

Her condition is becoming worse…

SILVERPAW

SILVERPAW drops the leaves.

I have the leaves. Let's just pray to LightClan that they help her.

MOTHFOOT takes the leaves and gently places them in between the kit's jaws.

SILVERPAW inhales a big gulp of air

*Pause*

WILLOWKIT

WILLOWKIT's eyes open slowly.

wh- why are you here..?

MOTHFOOT

I could ask the same of you.

WILLOWKIT

I want my mother!

WILLOWKIT starts flailing.

MOTHFOOT

Shhh….It's early dawn and you're away from camp. Right now, we're bringing you back to camp

WILLOWKIT grumbles.

MOTHFOOT carries her lightly by the scruff.

They all make their way back.

RAVENFLIGHT

There you are!

RAVENFLIGHT runs over to the group of cats.

MOTHFOOT

(To SILVERPAW) This is Ravenflight, the mother of Willowkit and Minkkit.

RAVENFLIGHT

Did those clan cats steal my kit?!?

MOTHFOOT

No, no, quite the opposite. Willowkit left on her own and we got there just in time to cure her of poison.

RAVENFLIGHT

RAVENFLIGHT dips her head with respect

Thank you both. I owe you.

OTHER CLAN KIT

Hey Willowkit! What happened?

WILLOWKIT

WILLOWKIT has a smirk to her face.

Well, I saw a red berry and ate it. Next thing I knew, the world wet black.

WILLOWKIT pretends to faint.

Both kits start laugh purring.

RAVENFLIGHT

RAVENFLIGHT rolls her eyes.

Kits.

SILVERPAW

Well, we'd better get going soon. There's no time to waste.

Thank you for having us. We are very thankful.

MOTHFOOT

You saved my life earlier. It's the least I can do.

ROSEKIT

Hey, what did I miss?

SILVERPAW

We have to leave soon.

ROSEKIT

Awwww.

Well, I'm staying a little longer to tell Mothfoot about some herbs.

SILVERPAW

SILVERPAW catches everyone else up on the morning events.

LEAFPAW

Well, now Graybird can;t be mad at us!

SILVERPAW

Could be true.

They make their goodbyes and leave the camp. Things go silent.

CLOUD

I'm thirsty!

DAWN

Alright we can take a break.

LEAFPAW

I'll scout ahead.

LEAFPAW looks ahead for some water and returns shortly.

Just left of us there is a small puddle. It looks safe to drink.

CLOUD

CLOUD runs off.

CLOUD meows in surprise in the distance of the group.

HELP!!!

The group runs over to his rescue.

SILVERPAW

Cloud?

SILVERPAW looks around for Cloud but can't find him.

CLOUD

Down here!!

SILVERPAW

SILVERPAW looks down. She sees a wide hole and takes a few steps back.

CLOUD

I'm stuck!





Nonfiction #1 - Memoir - Connect 4. (Exactly 500 words)

5th grade.

Connect four tournament.

I knew this was to be predicted. I was decent at Connect four, and slowly making my way up the ranks. I could have stopped this, of course, and made myself forcefully loose, but in my secret desire, I did want to win.

Not that I had much of a chance. I would have been crushed by the person who would eventually win the tournament, but that's getting ahead of myself.

Now, I don't exactly remember everything that happened since my brain sucked (and still does), but I do remember destroying everyone in my class. The finale was over and I didn't loose a game.

Perhaps it runs in the family. My dad was good at Connect four, and so were me and my brother.

I won on a Friday.

That meant that the quarterfinals were on Monday.

Now you may not know me, but I have major social anxiety. I don't like being under pressure, or having lots of people focused on me. I dress simple, and don't get into trouble.

I act as if the outside world doesn't exist.

Monday comes. My anxiety grows greater.

My class cheers me on as I enter another classroom for the semifinals.

People are looking at me. Of course they are. I'm the girl that won her class. The only girl, in fact in the quarterfinals.

S*xism is bad, but some of it looks too real to not be true.

There's a big promethean board in front of me. I sit down in the chair, everyone's gaze still fixed on me.

Pressure, pressure, pressure.

Why did I put myself in this position?

The game begins.

Now we can pretend there was a dramatic scene here, but really, I forget most of it, and I like it that way. To even write this story, I have to recall stress.

By some utter miracle, I win. The crowd goes wild! But then, my science teacher says

“We've got enough time. How about we play another game?”

Those words. Have been clued into my brain. Forever.

Notice how that's the first piece of dialogue I remember

It's like someone gives you ice cream, but right as you're about to eat it, they take it away from you and throw it on the floor and stomp on it, 5 times for good measure.

We play the next game.

I accidentally said the wrong column for it to go in. I don't mean that column, I mean the other one, and moments before, enough for the teacher to put it somewhere else, I say

"Wait! Put it in . I meant ."

The teacher tells me I've already made my choice and puts in in the wrong one.

The class is yelling at her now.

She tries to reassure me that it's fine but it's not.

That was a vital piece.

I could have won.

And then I lose. And I lose the next one.

And it's over.

This story is already too long.

I end up winning 3rd place by a landslide, easy.

But this memory is still going to tear at my confidence years from now.



Nonfiction #2 - 54th Massachusetts - 409 words

July 18th, 1863. Battery Wagner.

Shaw's regiment, the 54th regiment is ready for their first major battle. All eyes are on them, as they are the 2nd all black regiment to fight in the Civil War. The eyes of the North don't know what to think of these newcomers, who get released by the Emancipation Proclamation.

But the 54th are ready and determined. Ready to fight.

Shaw leads his mean into battle, unusual for a commander, who usually follow their men, in hopes that they have a shield of soldiers.

But Shaw was born and raised an abolitionist, to free the black peoples of the United States of America.

Atop a hill now, he yells, “Onward, 54th!”

Seconds later and he's shot down by the confederates.

Commanderless, the 54th still battle their way through. They are not reliant on one man to hold them together, they are capable.

As their flag bearer is struck down, William H. Carney grabs the flag, and gets shot twice in the leg in the process.

They eventually have to retreat, Carney is still injured, but still carries the flag to safety. It's said that he held onto it even when they came back to camp.

Carney receives the Medal of Honor from Theodore Roosevelt in 1900 for his great duty to the flag.

The Union soldiers return from the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in defeat.

281 casualties. 54 k*lled or fatally wounded, dozens not accounted for.

Even for their defeat, the 54th is praised for their bravery, leaving a lasting impact on the whole world. Shaw is a martyr, and a honorary statue is constructed.

A commanding officer for the confederate side tells Shaw's parents that he "buried shaw with his “, to with the parents respond that they are lucky for Shaw to be ”buried by such brave soldiers."

The regiment leaves a lasting impact on the world, big or big (I mean, big or small), and is a definite name alongside the famous military units. It even gets a movie made after it, Glory (Rated R for violence though).

Order 9981 is issued to de-segregate the military, and it is suspected to be because of the 54th and other prominent units.

Who knows, maybe there is a person who made their 7th grade history project about this. I wonder who? This person must know a lot about the 54th, right? Did they write this nonfiction? If you didn't get the hint, surprise, it's me! I totally didn't stall for words!

Word Wars - Five Minutes -

She felt horror. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, on, no! This can't be happening! NO! Why, god, why? Why me? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?!” Penny screamed in the distance. “No! Not penny, too… please. Please, please, please, stop this madness! Please!” SHe begged. “Hah! No.” a masked figure grinned. “You get to suffer as much as my Mother and Father did when your family and friends killed them.” “They thought that your parents were witches!” She screamed. “It's the WITCH TRIALS, please! My family is innocent, please!” She begged. “No. You need to suffer as much as your family and friends made me suffer when I was your age. They killed everyone that I loved, destroyed my house, food, water, and everything. Everything that could've reminded me of them. Now, you will have to pay the price. So will your parents and friends. I will do to them and you what they did to me, and my family. Nothing will EVER be ok again, girl.” He smiled. “Please, please!” She screamed. She heard her parents screams get cut off. “NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!! PLEASE, NO!” The horror in her voice suprised him. He thought he would feel happy, feel justice. All he felt was remorse. “What have I done?” he murrmerred.

229 words!!!! WW with - @Sandy-Dunes

Good job!!