WILL TRY TO FORMAT LATER, NO TIME NOW

WEEK 1 WEEKLY

Part 1
351 words

Pantoum
What a mysterious world I wander
Full of life and lies and light
Its many curiosities I often ponder
As I lie awake each night

Full of life and lies and light
Filled with darkness-shrouded mysteries
As I lie awake each night
I search to uncover hidden histories

Filled with darkness-shrouded mysteries
Full of secrets eons-kept
I search to uncover hidden histories
Deep in the universe’s depths

All these secrets eons-kept
So much yet to be found
Deep in the universe’s depths
Peculiarities and wonder abound

So much is yet to be found
In this mysterious world I wander
Peculiarities and wonder abound
These many curiosities I often ponder

Acrostic
Write it already, camper! Stop procrastinating!
Even though it might seem
Enormously difficult, it can help you win, or at least
Keep your cabin from
Losing the session. And anyway,
You already yelled at everyone else to do it

Monorhyme
You are not a bird
Do not be absurd
I don’t know what you heard
But you are not a bird

No, I never said a word
Never claimed you were a bird
You must have misheard

How do I know you are no bird?
A bird has never purred
That would be absurd
A purring bird

No, that doesn’t make me a nerd
For telling a cat from a bird
Do you even know that word?
You don’t even know a bird

This is the silliest thing I’ve ever heard
The idea that you’re a bird
I don’t know where this idea occurred
But I can prove you’re not bird

I’ve asked my friend, we conferred
We agreed you’re not a bird
You’ve got two opinions, do you need a third
To prove that that you aren’t a bird?

Fine, I quit, this is absurd
I know you are not a bird
Can’t you just take my word?
You, my cat, are no bird.

Limerick
“Let’s go for a walk,” the toddler is told.
“I’ll do it later,” says the four-year-old.
“The weather’s really nice.”
At least there’s no more ice.
“Later,” repeats the four-year-old.

Tongue twister
Snakes sneak Snape’s skates, snakes steal Snape’s snacks

Part 2
501 words
“It’s basically Harry Potter. Only not as good.” A claim that has often been made about Percy Jackson and The Olympians. Well, tell that to the millions of Percy Jackson fans around the world. Actually, try telling that to Percy Jackson himself, too, and see what he has to say. Don’t worry– his sword can’t hurt normal mortals, so he won’t accidentally vaporize you like he did to his pre-algebra teacher.
The Percy Jackson and The Olympians books are written in a very different style from the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter is written in third person with prose that don’t call attention to themselves. Percy Jackson, on the other hand, is in first person with writing that is, to quote Common Sense Media, “choppy and attitude-filled.” Chapter 1 of The Lightning Thief is, in fact, titled “I accidentally vaporize my pre-algebra teacher,” which gives you a decent idea of the writing style.
The plots and structures of the books are also quite different. While Harry Potter takes place mostly at Hogwarts (not counting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Percy Jackson features quests across the United States. And while Harry Potter has everything adding up to something bigger, Percy Jackson and the Olympians involves a lot of obstacles (mostly monster attacks) that are pretty much just there to make the quests more difficult. This might seem like it makes for a worse, lazier plot, but Rick Riordan seems to be playing with the old greek hero myths where the heroes do have lots of random obstacles that don’t add much to the overall plot.
There are some obvious similarities between Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. Boy from the normal world finds out he’s magical (wizard and demigod, respectively) and is taken to a place to train with others of his kind (Hogwarts; Camp Half-Blood). Then he and two friends of his have to save the world. And in both series, the protagonists are possibly the Chosen One because of prophecies. But really, many of these are basic fantasy tropes. J. K. Rowling didn’t invent the idea of magical training facilities or Chosen One plotlines. Prophecies of heroes defeating a powerful person are common in Greek mythology, which Percy Jackson is of course based on.
Is Percy Jackson better than Harry Potter? That is a matter of opinion. But it isn’t fair to use “It’s not as good as Harry Potter” as a criticism of any book or movie. Harry Potter is Harry Potter. But Percy Jackson isn’t “basically Harry Potter”. They are different fantasy series with different qualities that happen to have some things in common. Whether you like Percy Jackson and the Olympians or not– and no one’s saying you have to like it– it is its own unique series. It’s not completely original, but Harry Potter isn’t completely original, either. Every story is inspired by other stories. And seeing as Percy Jackson has its own qualities, even if you’ve already read Harry Potter, it’s still worth a read.

Part 3
722 words

JILL, HENRY and LULU are standing around a desk. On the desk is a book. The book seems to be glowing slightly. JILL has just finished reading a passage from the book.

LULU
Keep reading!

JILL
I can’t. That’s all there is!

HENRY
But why does it stop there? What happens next? Where did Peter and Amelia go?

LULU
I know how to find out.
LULU pulls a pen out of her pocket.

JILL & HENRY
Lulu, stop!

LULU ignores JILL and HENRY. She writes in the book.

LULU (writing)
They were in a magic forest with pink trees and lots of unicorns.

HENRY tries to pull LULU away from the book. JILL tries to take the pen away from LULU, but accidentally pushes LULU’s hand onto the page. There is a flash of light, and the curtain drops.
When the curtain rises, the backdrop has changed to a forest. The trees have pink leaves.

HENRY
How’d we get here?

JILL
I have no idea.

HENRY
Look at the trees!
HENRY points to the trees. He and JILL look around.

LULU
We’re in my story! I wonder if we’ll find any unicorns!
She starts walking off.

HENRY
Wait! What do you mean, we’re in your story?

JILL
Lulu! Come back here!

LULU walks offstage. JILL and HENRY run offstage after her.
The backdrop changes to a different part of the forest, and some wooden pink bushes are brought instage. LULU walks back onstage through a different side than the one she exited from. JILL and HENRY run after her. They catch up to LULU, and all three of them stop. JILL and HENRY are out of breath.

JILL
What are you doing? You can’t just run off like that!

LULU
Looking for unicorns. And I think I hear some back there.
LULU points offstage.
JILL
No, Lulu. We have to stick together.

A UNICORN pokes its head out from behind a bush.

LULU
A unicorn!

The UNICORN walks out all the way. Two other unicorns follow.

HENRY
Where did they come from?

LULU
From my story! We’re in my magic forest!

JILL strokes one of the unicorns.
JILL
They’re so nice.

The unicorns kneel down next to the children.

JILL
What are they doing?

HENRY
I think they want us ride them.

LULU
Let’s ride them, then.
LULU climbs onto a unicorn.

JILL
But we don’t even know how to ride.

LULU (whining)
But I’ve always wanted to ride a unicorn.
The unicorn LULU is sitting on stands up and walks off, with LULU riding it.

JILL and HENRY look at each other, then climb on the two other unicorns and ride after her.
Right before LULU and her unicorn reach the opposite end of the stage, JILL and HENRY’s unicorns catch up.

JILL
You need to stop running off like that.

LULU
I didn’t run off. Rosie did.

HENRY
Who’s Rosie?

LULU
My unicorn! I named her Rosie because she has pink in her mane.

JILL sighs.

All three TATE SIBLINGS ride the unicorns around the forest. Eventually, the unicorns stop, and they climb down.

HENRY
Okay, that was pretty fun.

LULU
It was AWESOME!

JILL
But how are we going to get home?

HENRY
With the book.

LULU
What?

HENRY
The book got us here, so it can get us back.

LULU
But how?

HENRY
Uh…

JILL
Perhaps if we write in the book that we’re home, we will be.

HENRY and LULU nod, and murmur in agreement.

JILL
Only, where is the book?

The TATE SIBLINGS look around.

LULU
I had it last. Maybe it fell out while we were riding the unicorns?

HENRY walks over to a bush.

JILL
How will we ever find it then?

HENRY
It’s right here.
He pulls the book out from behind the bush.
HENRY
Who has a pen?

LULU hands HENRY a pen.

HENRY (writing)
And then we were back at home.

The TATE SIBLINGS stand there watching the book for a moment. Nothing happens.

JILL
Maybe you did it wrong. Here, let me try.
HENRY gives her the pen.

JILL (writing)
And then we all were back in our very own home.

The TATE SIBLINGS stop and wait again. Again, nothing happens.

LULU
I made it work last time.
She takes the pen back from JILL.

LULU (writing)
We all went home.

This is now long enough, so I’ll stop there.
Part 4
How To Do SWC
409 words
Step 0. Decide you want to join Scratch Writing Camp.
Step 1. Find out when and where the next camper signups open.
Step 2. If the signups are currently open, skip to step 4.
Step 3. If the signups are not currently open, wait for them to open. This is one of the hardest steps.
Step 4. Sign up using the instructions on the camper signups project.
Note: Anyone who signs up before the “signups are closed” message gets in! There’s no need to repost your signup, even if no one replied to it before.
Step 5. Wait to find out your cabin. This is another of the hardest steps. You should receive your cabin a few days before the SWC session starts.
Step 6. Wait for SWC to start. This step is also very hard, but once you have found out your cabin, there should only be a few more days to go.
Step 7. SCRATCH WRITING CAMP IS IN SESSION!
Step 8. ENJOY THE CHAOS!
Step 9. WRITE LIKE YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!
Step 10. Add the words you wrote. How to do that depends on your cabin.
Step 11. CAUSE SOME CHAOS!
Step 12. Repeat steps 9-10.
Step 13. REMEMBER, SLEEP > SWC.
Step 14. SLEEP.
Step 15. Repeat steps 8-14 until the SWC session ends.
Step 16. NO, SWC IS OVER.
Step 17. Add up any unadded words you wrote during the session.
Step 18. Wait for the results and the memory book. This is another of the hardest steps.
Step 20. Look at the results. Remember to stay nice– cabin rivalries are all just for fun!
Step 21. View the amazing memory book, and compliment the memory book committee on it.
Step 22. Do you want to do Scratch Writing Camp again? If so, do you want to just be a camper, or apply for (co-)leader?
Step 23. If you want to apply for leader or co-leader, wait for the leader applications project to come out. This will be on January 1st (for the March session), May 1st (for the July session), or September 1st (for the November session). Follow the instructions in the project to apply.
Step 24. If you get chosen as a leader or co-leader, congratulations! If not, you can always be a camper.
Step 25. Or maybe you didn’t apply for leader or co. Either way, you can sign up to be a camper.
Step 26. Repeat steps 1-26.

Non-Fi’s Flying Pig
400 words exactly
I was browsing SWC-related things one day in November, probably while procrastinating on the weekly, and came across a project by a Non-Fi camper titled “Guys! I found the flying pig!” The project contained a picture of an angel pig. I knew from comment stalking the Non-Fi cabin that the flying pig had gone missing, or been kidnapped, or something. Well, I thought, why should Non-Fi get the flying pig? Why shouldn’t Adventure have it? I had an idea. They did betray everyone during cabin wars… Besides, the project description literally said “AND NO ONE COULD STEAL IT FROM ME OKAY?” It was practically begging for me to do what I did.
I remixed the project, and gave my remix the title “And I stole it!”
The Non-Fi camper soon saw what I had done. “NO, YOU MONSTER, THE FLYING PIG IS WORTH MILLIONS, GIVE IT BACK-”
“Hmm… How about a trade?” I replied. “You give me all Non-Fi’s points, I give you the flying pig.”
“NO-”
“Hmph. Oh well, I guess I’ll just keep the pig.”
A few minutes later, the Non-Fi camper remixed that project of mine. “Snatches pig and runs away >)”, said the title. I responded by remixing that project, with something called “Look at the goats”. The project description explained that I had snatched the pig back, and that I definitely did not hide the pig in with the goats. The project itself contained a slideshow of several goats, with the flying pig briefly flashing across the screen before disappearing.
The Nonfiction-er commented, “*Steals a billionaire goat from Adventure’s basement and hides it in the middle of nowhere before Kit finds it*”.
“I’ll get you for this,” I told them, “…but first I have to sleep. But when I wake up, YOU SHALL FACE MY WRATH.”
Adventure’s leader, Pika, saw this exchange and got herself involved. “ello? ello? Hi. I DEMAND THE GOAT BACK THIS INSTANT. AS LEADER OF ADVENTURE, I DEMAND YOU TO COMPLY. HAVE A GREAT DAY.”
“TRADE OFFER!!!!!!” the Non-Fi camper replied. “I get: flying pig You get: Goats…………. Deal?????”
Another Adventure camper joined in. “How about we get: the goats and the flying pig, while you get: a flying piglet?”
“NOPE-” The Non-Fi camper was still having none of it.
And on it went.
Where is the flying pig now? That’s secret. But I believe it may currently be in Fan-Fi’s custody…

Weeklyyyyyy! (let's ignore how last-minute this is lol)

Part 1: 304 words

lockdown - a haiku
stuck at home when all
we really want is to go
out and see the world

bookworm - a limerick
there once was a girl who read books
about cowboys and pirates and crooks
she’d get to the end
and then read it again
hidden away in small crannies and nooks

fairytales for lesbians - a sonnet
i don’t think i’ve ever believed in love
the concept of soulmates always seemed strange
a perfect romance that fits like a glove
has always seemed somewhat out of my range
there’s no fairytales for people like me
i never dreamed of being a princess
that’s not who i’ve ever wanted to be
i’d never be a damsel in distress
no prince charming will sweep me off my feet
(it’s not as if i’d want him anyway)
all fairytales seem more sour than sweet
(everyone knows that’s what i always say)
no, i’ve never believed in love, that’s true
but her smile and her eyes make me want to

victoria sponge cake - an etheree
two hundred grams of self raising flour
some good quality strawberry jam
icing sugar, to decorate
two hundred grams of sugar
two tablespoons of milk
vanilla extract
four eggs, beaten
more sugar!
butter
bake

college - a palindrome poem
when i left home
i took my photos
but
i didn’t take my toys
when i left home

free verse - a free verse poem
free verse might seem
a bit intimidating
when you look at it from the front
all these lines
that you have to fill up
and no rules telling you how to do it
but if you look at it from the side
or from the back or underneath
the freedom of free verse
looks easy
looks simple
looks just right
looks challenging but
looks perfect
you can write whatever you want
and there’s no rules
no authority in free verse
just you
and a pen and paper
or your fingers on a keyboard
writing this poem.

Part 2: 542 words
(side note: I wrote this in preparation for actually trying to convince my school of this idea, and I spoke to them today and they said they would raise it with our IT department!!)

In this essay, I will be arguing that all schools which provide devices with internet access, such as Chromebooks, should also provide ad-blocker tools by default.

Many schools, especially in the aftermath of coronavirus and multiple lockdowns, have provided pupils with Chromebooks or other similar devices, in order to assist with remote learning. However, many pupils find that as advertising becomes more pervasive across the internet, this may disrupt their flow, or otherwise impact their creativity and academic performance. Ad-blocker tools are available for free on browsers such as Chrome and Firefox, and it is highly likely that students who have these tools installed will find that they are able to focus better.

Many schools, my own included, have blocked extension-installers such as the Chrome Web Store, to prevent students installing extensions that may be harmful or inappropriate. This has several repercussions, as when a student wants to install an extension that is perfectly appropriate - and may even be school related - they are forced to choose between two options: attempting to find the extension on a site which is not blocked (and is likely to be unofficial and thus more likely to contain malware) or they must go without, which seems foolish if the extension in question is school-related.

The latter option is the situation with ad-blocking tools. To give some anecdotal evidence, when my school first gave out Chromebooks, the Chrome Web Store was enabled, and so I installed an ad-blocker. The tool I use not only has an automatic ad-blocker, but it also includes cosmetic filtering, so that if I recognize something as an advert or otherwise unwanted design feature, I can block it manually. The tool not only blocks adverts that appear on webpages, but it is also able to block video adverts, for example in YouTube. This is really useful for me, because it means if I want to watch a YouTube video (whether that’s for personal reasons or for, say, school-related research), I don’t have to waste my time watching an advert beforehand.

Some people may argue that installing extensions is a bad idea because they could be viruses or other malware. However, I would like to point out in rebuttal to this that the tool I personally use, uBlock Origin, is rated as “Recommended” on the Firefox add-ons website, showing that it is trustworthy.

There are two options for implementing this idea (with my school specifically in mind). The first is simply re-enabling the Chrome Web Store, and encouraging students (through assemblies, posters, Computing lessons, et cetera) to install an ad-blocker of their own accord; the second is using the IT admin account to remotely install ad-blockers. Either method comes with its own downside, but the end result is roughly the same. With the first method, it cannot be guaranteed that all students will install the ad-blocker. With the second, students may feel that this is a violation of their digital privacy (despite the fact that our school’s IT department has done something similar with a keyboard tracking extension). However, the second method is likely going to be easier to persuade a teacher of.

In conclusion, all schools which provide digital devices with internet access - and specifically, my school - should also provide ad-blocking tools by default.

Part 3: 1007 words
(note: I wrote this in Google Docs with a script format, I'll screenshot it, add it to a project, and link it here later!)

ASHLEY walks up to the library and enters. She walks around the library, up many flights of stairs. The library is a very confusing place, so she goes back down the stairs.

ASHLEY
Hi. I’m looking for a book?

LIBRARIAN
What book?

ASHLEY
“Life and Love”, by Ashley North.

THE LIBRARIAN flips through a dusty book on their desk.

LIBRARIAN
Floor eighteen, seventeenth shelf on your right.

ASHLEY runs up the stairs to floor eighteen and the seventeenth shelf. She pulls out the book she named, and flips through the pages.

ASHLEY (aloud, to herself)
Why does this book say it’s dedicated to “Zyx”? I don’t know anybody named Zyx! And why does this say it was published three years ago, under my name?

ASHLEY pauses and thinks for a moment.

ASHLEY (CONT’D)
Maybe it’s just somebody different with the same name as me… Let’s try something different to see what this library can do.

ASHLEY walks back down the stairs.

ASHLEY
“Can You Imagine?” by Ash Elderberry.

LIBRARIAN
Ninth floor, twenty-third shelf.

ASHLEY follows the directions and finds a book under the title she requested. Again, she flicks through the pages.

ASHLEY (aloud, to herself)
This is impossible. I haven’t written the ending of this book yet, and here it is!

ASHLEY looks at the dedication of the book.

ASHLEY (CONT’D)
Zyx? Again? Who is this mysterious person?

ASHLEY walks back downstairs.

ASHLEY
“The Secret Club”, by Sid-jaru. That’s S-D-J-A-R-U.

LIBRARIAN
Nineteenth floor, second shelf on your left.

ASHLEY follows the directions for the third time and finds a notebook sitting on the shelf under the title she requested.

ASHLEY (aloud, to herself)
But this, again. It’s impossible. I’d never publish this, I wrote it when I was ten! How did it get here? And why is it in English, when I wrote it in secret code?

ASHLEY looks at the back cover of the book.

ASHLEY (CONT’D)
“Translated from a ten-year-old’s code by Ashley and Zyx.” You have got to be kidding me.

ASHLEY walks downstairs, determined to find out more about Zyx.

ASHLEY
Do you have an autobiography - I forget the title, but it’s by Zyx. That’s spelt Z-Y-X, by the way.

THE LIBRARIAN smiles.

LIBRARIAN
I know how it’s spelt. The book you seek is on the top floor, and the shelf number is -12.

ASHLEY sighs in frustration.

ASHLEY
Is there a quick way of getting between floors without climbing all the stairs?

LIBRARIAN
Of course there is. But you will have to solve a riddle first.

ASHLEY smiles confidently. She’s good at riddles.

LIBRARIAN (CONT’D)
What is my name?

ASHLEY frowns. She has no idea.

ASHLEY
How am I supposed to know your name?

LIBRARIAN
You do know my name. You just do not know that it is mine.

ASHLEY
Hmm, so names I know that don’t have owners… YOU’RE ZYX!

ZYX laughs.

ZYX / LIBRARIAN
Indeed I am. Congratulations, sorceress. You are worthy of our library.

ASHLEY
What do you mean by “sorceress”? I don’t do magic or anything. Magic doesn’t exist, anyway. At least, I didn’t think so until I came here…

ZYX
You are wise. This library is indeed a product of magic. I am surprised you were able to arrive, if you are not a magic user.

ASHLEY shakes her head, trying to clear it.

ASHLEY
How did I reach it, then?

ZYX
I would imagine you are a magic user in truth, but simply have not discovered your own powers. Are there others in your world who use magic?

ASHLEY
No. There’s no magic. And what do you mean by “my world”? Is this a different world, then?

ZYX
Good. You are learning to ask the important questions. Yes, there are many different worlds. This is not one of them. This is what is known as a pocket.

ASHLEY
A pocket?

ZYX
They occur as a creation of a magic user, and act as pockets between worlds. This one is a portal between worlds. You can access many other worlds through the library.

ASHLEY
Including my world?

ZYX
Including your world. Now, on to the more pressing questions. How on earth are you a strong enough magic user to perceive the anomalous nature of the library, and yet you originate from a world which lacks magic?

ASHLEY shrugs.

ASHLEY
I don’t know. It was on the news. The whole town where the library was got swept away in a flood. So I wanted to investigate.

ZYX
Most people, when they enter the library, remember a more urgent errand.

ASHLEY shrugs a second time.

ASHLEY
I don’t go to school. I don’t do anything much. I just spend my time reading, writing, and investigating stuff like this.

ZYX
What do you read and write?

ASHLEY
I write mainly fantasy stuff or realistic fiction. I know, polar opposites. As for reading, I basically read anything.

ZYX
Anything?

ASHLEY
Fiction of all genres. Non-fiction about literally anything, it’s really interesting. Poetry. Fanfiction.
ZYX nods, satisfied.

ZYX
You might like to stay here, then. We have, quite literally, every book ever published or unpublished. Many of them do not even exist anywhere else.

ASHLEY
Sure. How about we go back to what you said earlier, about me being worthy of this library. What’s that supposed to mean?

ZYX
You may, if you wish, stay here as a librarian yourself. I would be happy to teach you how to wield your untrained magical powers.

ASHLEY’s eyes widen in excitement at the thought, but then she starts to think practically.

ASHLEY
Would I be able to leave if I accept?

ZYX waves a hand dismissively.

ZYX
Of course. This is a portal, after all. You would be free to come and go as you pleased.

ASHLEY
And what exactly would I be learning?

ZYX
Library magic of all descriptions. Additionally, general magic that will come in handy for your role as a librarian.

ASHLEY
Am I the only person you’ve offered this to?

ZYX
You are.

ASHLEY
Then I’d be honoured to accept.

Part 4: 982 words
(my first piece is sort of a mix between persuasive and narrative; my second piece is philosophical!)

In this piece, I want to talk about autism, and how it links to teaching, learning, and education - and why it’s so important that teachers are aware of autism and how it can affect students.

To begin with, I want to quickly go over a few key terms I’ll be using throughout the piece. “Allistic” refers to somebody who is not autistic. “Neurodivergent” refers to somebody who falls under the umbrella of neurodiversities which includes autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, dyslexia, schizophrenia, and more. I will also use identity-first language (ie: “autistic person”) rather than person-first language (ie: “person with autism”), as this is generally the preferred terminology for a majority of the autistic community.

As an introduction to autism in the classroom, I have an anecdote from my personal life to share. In primary school, I once had a Maths test in which there was a question reading: “Name these three quadrilaterals.” I had encountered similar questions before - usually, there were images of three different shapes, and below each shape, an answer box. However, in this test, the answer boxes were shown above the quadrilaterals pictured. Because I was used to the format previously described, I assumed that the quadrilaterals I was supposed to name, were actually the answer boxes, and so I wrote the word “rectangle” in the three quadrilaterals.

This was, in retrospect, a misunderstanding caused my view of the world as an autistic child - I had become accustomed to one particular format of a question, so I assumed that the format had been followed even when it seemed a little odd. This also links in to one of my common experiences, growing up undiagnosed. I was used to not understanding why adults (and often, especially teachers) would tell me to do certain things, or give me certain tasks. For me, my interpretation of this question - writing the word “rectangle” in three different quadrilaterals - was simply another manifestation of this experience.

One piece of advice I give, when people ask me what I would say to, for example, a teacher or parent of an autistic child, is: “Understand that things which seem logical or simple to you may seem confusing or illogical to them, and vice versa - something which seems complicated to you may seem straightforward to them.” The anecdote I have shared here is a great example to illustrate this advice, in my opinion. It also shows how vital it is for the progress and academic success of neurodivergent students for teachers and all school staff to have an understanding of autism and how it can manifest.

My teacher, who was allistic, may not have realized that this question would have been confusing for me as an autistic child. Especially since Maths has always been one of my strongest subjects - this question would not have tripped me up, had it followed the pattern that I had come to recognize. But if she had made it clear that (in the case of this example) the answer boxes could be either above or below the shapes they corresponded to, I wouldn’t have made the mistake I did. To be clear, I don’t think at all that this teacher is or was at fault, but it’s an experience that has shaped my views on autism in the classroom.

People can't be stripped down, slotted neatly into boxes. That's not how we work, that's not how humans have ever been.

You can't categorize every person into your nice, neat boxes and expect us to stay there. Can’t decide that every person fits your lovely, perfect personality quizzes. ENFP. Chaotic Neutral. Gemini. Enneagram Type 3. And let’s not forget the inescapable question of: “What’s your Hogwarts house?”

Et cetera, et cetera, on and on ad infinitum. The sum of a person.

And people decide to apply this same logic to love, even. Love, the one thing that is completely and utterly indescribable, and no two people will ever describe love the same way. But no. What’s your love language? people will ask, now. Five clear, defined boxes, and you can’t be more than one, and you can’t be somewhere in between, and what if you don’t fit in any of them?

Humans can’t be defined by these clear-cut labels, because humanity is by definition messy. The same is true of love. Humanity - love in all its forms - inextricably intertwined, and wonderfully messy. No two people are the same, and no two people love in the same way.

Because humanity cannot be condensed into these small boxes. I’m an INTJ chaotic good; my zodiac sign is Leo; my enneagram is 9w1. But I look at those descriptions, and sure, they fit me, I guess. But there’s something missing from all of them, and I think that must be the case for everybody, really.

Because a person isn’t just their alignment, or their MBTI, or their zodiac sign, or their enneagram. A person is the way they smile, the way they laugh, the way they walk. What makes their eyes light up, the things they could talk about for hours on end. The types of people they are drawn to, both platonically and romantically. What they care about. The way they dance when nobody is watching. A personality test can never know that.

I think the personality test craze is because nobody ever truly knows themself. As you go through life, being put into new situations, you are constantly discovering new things about yourself, because the way you are is not static. And that scares people. The unknowability of love, as well. If you condense it into nice, neat boxes, it’s not so daunting.

But you don’t need to do that. Learn to live with who you are, your fluid sense of identity. Your own lovable idiosyncrasies.

Learn to be, without needing to put yourself in neat and tidy boxes. Be messy. Be human. Be you.

Total - 2835 words!!

SWC Weekly 1:

Meadows (sestina):
The wind as light as a feather
Whispering through the willow trees
Underneath the meadow of daisies
Young and bright and undisturbed
Fallen snow as bright as the paper
On the side of the light of the rainbow

A dream I wish to live in peace
A dream to know my own true self
Like the daisies that thrive
Within the meadows of danger
Like the fruit in the trees
Falling to death in the meadow of doom

The wind as light as a feather
The grass whispering to the flowers
I am at home, at peace
Nothing can harm us now
But nothing can last forever
Even the daisies safe and sound

So what can last forever?
Even the tulips in the gardens
Can’t outlive the stone of the grave
Death is just a construct
A reminder of our days
The daisies in the meadow honour our memories

I want this to last forever
I want to stay right here
And never go anywhere, no responsibility
Kept alive with the daisies by the stream
The trees are whispering through the meadow
Is it time to go?

The daisies in the meadow
The petals flying in the wind
I can't go right now
My mind is spinning with the flowers
Am I ready to leave the field
Of peace and happiness and safety?

I am ready to leave the meadow
I fly into the air
And I am ready to go.

POETRYY (limerick)
This is our camp
Poetry is a champ
We will defeat
The others will drop to their knees
And poetry climbs the victory ramp!

Fire (haiku):
Fires burning bright
The golden tint in my eyes
The ashes fall down

goats (cinquain):
Ghost goats
Lighting fires
Floating around the world
Happy with their domination
Bright flames

time (free verse):
I think I’m out of time,
I’ve watched my life fly by
I know that there’s no chance
I can’t glance
At my past
I know I’m out of time
I’ve watched my world go dry
Now my hourglass is full
For I’m out of time

Ari is clearly more sane than Cherri and Noah, but is the one struggling the most.. Ari is the oldest sibling of their found family that they’ve all stayed with since practically birth, and this automatically makes them the most sane of the trio. This is most likely because Cherri and Noah don’t make it any easier by having no regard for their personal safety or their mental and physical health, so it’s often up to Ari to step up as the parent and set things right. As a result, they have an unnecessary amount of pressure on them to be the role model their younger siblings look up to, as well as being the person who has to make sure they grow up happily and healthy.
Ari is the oldest of three not biological siblings. First of all, a lack of a parental figure in the Autumn household results in Ari taking over that empty space more often than not as they were supposed enjoying their life when they were under eighteen, not parenting two kids who play the roles of younger siblings.. The role of a parental figure is overwhelming, especially for somebody who should be enjoying their childhood, not raising two kids. This results in Ari taking on unnecessary responsibilities, thus leading to burnout and constant worry on what they are doing right and wrong. Secondly, Cherri and Noah both have serious mental disorders. Noah has burnout from high school and Cherri’s busy having an identity crisis. Ari is taking responsibility for this because they believe that they aren’t a good enough parental figure to ensure that their younger siblings are alright. They constantly blame themselves that their siblings are struggling with life, and feel like they are unable to do anything properly. This results in self depreciation and burnout on Ari’s part, due to overworking themselves and trying too hard to make things right again. It could also be a major contributing factor in their anxiety, constantly making them worry about what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong. Third, raising a child is a lot of work. Now, put a young adult in charge instead of a parent, and the kids they’re raising are only four years younger than them. That person might drive themselves crazy with responsibilities, which is what’s happening to Ari. These heavy weights of both handling college and their younger siblings is enough to slowly start driving them insane. It’s not good to dump huge responsibilities on a seven year old, yet that’s exactly what happened. Ari nearly failed school as a result of all the pressure of being a good “parent” and making sure their siblings were not struggling themselves. Therefore, Ari is clearly struggling the most out of the three siblings. Having huge responsibilities dumped on you ever since you were seven years old can cause anyone to crack under pressure, and it certainly happened to Ari, especially since that pressure was about the safety of those they cared about.

SCENE 1 ACT 1. LIVING ROOM: Rain patters against the window heavily. The STAGE is cosy and welcoming. The set includes a couch in the middle of the STAGE, and doorways leading into the living room. ARI is sitting in their room, reading. They are taking their weekly break from their younger siblings, CHERRI and NOAH. CHERRI and NOAH are in the LIVING ROOM. CHERRI is wearing headphones and drawing on an iPad. The music can be heard throughout the STAGE. NOAH is sitting, listening to music and reading a book. Both have cups of tea right next to them.
CHERRI:
And… done! I think this is one of my best works yet!
CHERRI tries to save the drawing, but the iPad dies. The music on the STAGE belonging to CHERRI stops abruptly.
CHERRI:
No… it’s not dead! It… can’t be… after all that time and effort… NO! I HATE THIS THING! (angrily throws iPad across room) Miercoles! (quietly) Chaos is the only thing that can make me feel better right now… But how should I cause the chaos? (peers over at Noah) Yeah, you know? Maybe if I annoy my younger brother I’ll feel better about the drawing not saving.
NOAH is still reading his book, oblivious to the fact that CHERRI is standing right above him, ready to strike. CHERRI yanks NOAH’s headphones off. The remaining music stops. In the process, the empty teacup that NOAH has goes crashing to the floor of the STAGE.
CHERRI:
Miercoles!
NOAH (annoyed):
Would you PLEASE be quiet? I’m TRYING to read here! (gestures to book in hand)
CHERRI (thoughts):
Hmm… I still want to annoy him somehow… Being loud just isn’t enough. And what better way to do it… then to swear without swearing!
CHERRI (spoken):
Miercoles, miercoles, miercoles, miercoles, miercoles, miercoles mierco-
NOAH:
Could you please shut up? (glares at his sister menacingly)
CHERRI:
No… anyways… Miercoles miercoles miercoles miercoles miercoles miercoles-
NOAH:
(frustrated) SHUT IT!
CHERRI:
Miercoles, miercoles, miercoles-
NOAH:
STOP SWEARING!
CHERRI:
(grinning) I’m not swearing. Miercoles-
NOAH:
AAAA- ARI GET DOWN HERE PLEASE
The STAGE becomes chaotic. CHERRI is still annoying NOAH. Yelling can be audibly heard, and squawking can be heard from the other side of the stage, from CHERRI’s bird, TOPAZ.
TOPAZ:
Squawk squawk SQUAWK
CHERRI:
Miercoles miercoles-
NOAH:
JUST STOP IT! ARIIII!
ARI suddenly appears in the doorway to the living room, blanket wrapped around them and a book in hand. They look very annoyed. All chaos stops immediately. Both CHERRI and NOAH turn to look at their oldest sibling.
ARI:
(deadpan and annoyed) Dios. Mio. What. Do. You. Guys. Want. From. Me.
NOAH stands up and points at CHERRI, who looks offended in return.
NOAH:
I’m sure you remember the “No Swearing” rule that your sister decided to put into play three years ago, am I wrong?
ARI:
(confused) Yeah… I remember that. What about it?
NOAH:
Well… it seems as though the person who installed it herself is being a hypocrite. Would you like to explain this to our authority figure, dear older sister?
ARI:
(suspicious) Cherri? Swearing? That’s about as unlikely as a collision with a supernova in another universe. Which is around like 0.5%.
CHERRI:
What’s wrong with saying ‘Wednesday’? Is ‘Wednesday’ a banned word in this house now? Because last time I checked, we said ‘Wednesday’ almost every other day! So tell me, how can a day of the week be a banned word? How?
ARI takes off their glasses and pinches their nose in frustration, closing their eyes.
ARI:
Just… tell me… what language did you say ‘Wednesday’ in? Because I know that Wednesday is clean on its own.
CHERRI:
(grinning) Miércoles.
ARI:
You and I… both know… exactly what that means.
CHERRI:
So? What’re you gonna do? Tell mom or something? (laughs)
ARI:
Do not. Bring our lack of a proper authority figure into this.
CHERRI:
No! But seriously, what are you gonna do?
ARI:
Fine. You’re grounded.
CHERRI:
W-what? You can’t ground me! (laughs) I’m seventeen! I can just leave!
ARI:
Oh really? And where would you go?
CHERRI:
Lui’s house?
ARI:
(sighs) Yes. Yes you would.
CHERRI:
You know me too well.
ARI:
You’re not grounded, don’t worry. (turns to Noah) You’re grounded.
NOAH:
…I hate you both.
ARI and CHERRI:
No you don’t.

first type: (memoir)
I really didn’t know what I was expecting when I had that dream. It was just a dream, of course. It couldn’t hurt me in real life… I don’t think dreams can do that. ANYWAYS! This was probably one of the strangest dreams that I have ever had. I’ve had a similar dream in the past… one with the same topic… and my brother lost his hand and there was a computer room in the middle of the woods… but I’ll get to that a bit later. So it was around midnight (I have a horrible sleep schedule, I know) and I was getting ready for bed. Soon enough, I fell asleep (as expected). This is probably going to be weird, so brace yourself. I found myself… in the reaping for the Hunger Games. It was actually a blur, so all I remember right now is my time at the bloodbath. The arena was actually my neighbourhood, so that was interesting. It was my house that the bloodbath was at, so as soon as the bell rang to start the games, I ran out of the house and sprinted across the park to my neighbour’s house. Just before I was about to knock on her front door, however, someone called me from below. They said that everyone had left the bloodbath and I would be found sooner or later if I didn’t go there. I decided to listen, and began leaping through the trees, almost killing Cato in the process. He deflected the arrow though, and just kept walking. So he didn’t kill me. When I arrived back at the house the bloodbath took place in, I discovered the place abandoned, except for like five eight-year-olds wielding swords and capes. They threatened to kill me, but I formed an alliance with them. The game progressed nicely, and I actually made it to the final five. For some reason, the game was being broadcast on a TV screen in the arena, and I found out that there had been a shapeshifter in the games… “Had” as in he died. I realized that this meant deaths were about to get much more violent, and frankly, I was not looking forward to that. So the first thing I thought was “I really don’t want to do this anymore, like I don’t want to die a horrible and brutal death,” and then I woke up. Such a nice dream, huh?
second type: (how-to):
Have you ever wanted to learn how to draw? Have you ever tried to start, but ultimately believe you failed miserably, therefore crushing your ambition and drive and leading you to believe that you have no purpose in the world? Probably not, but here are some tips you didn’t ask for. Before we get started, I want to clear something up: I am not a professional artist. I am self taught using references and really bad proportions. My art sucks horribly, and I don’t know why I’m making this. But I have improved over time (even if it’s not much), and I want to share tips with people! First of all! Prepare to fail. This probably isn’t the tip you were looking for, so let me clarify. Your art is not going to always be perfect. Sometimes it’s mistakes you’re looking for, not improvement. This is especially true for new artists. New artists often have a drive, something they want to achieve through art, and they usually have the finished result pictured in their heads, only to have their dreams crushed when it doesn’t turn out how they wanted it to. Sometimes mistakes are the key to improvement. Second: challenge yourself. This is self explanatory. You’re used to a style you really like and can produce good quality artwork from it? Not good enough! Challenge yourself, and keep pushing forward. That’s the key to quick improvement. Once you start experimenting with styles and become more flexible around your artwork, you’ll discover so many new things you can add to your art to make it better! Third. References. This might be called “art theft” only if you directly trace, copy, or recolour. Otherwise, referencing is a great way to improve! Studying other people’s art styles and techniques can open up a gateway of ways to improve your own. Sometimes people start drawing by referencing! I for one, cannot do realism at all unless I’m referencing, and it really helps. Fifth and finally, practice. You’ve probably heard this so many times, and I don’t blame you for getting annoyed. But it’s true. Practice is the key to progress. If you’re looking for quick results, I’d recommend googling “sketch the same thing nine times”. This is a quick improvement technique that can really help you make progress. I hope someone found this helpful in some way, and if you did, thank you! Goodbye!

2366 words

First task for fan-fiction, 335 words

GVRSWC is an iconic and pioneering scratch camp—no other camp demonstrates the diversity shown in GVRSWC, as the camp is a powerhouse towards progress in including representation for minorities and undervalued populations. To begin, GVRSWC stands for Gay Vampire Romance Scratch Writing Camp. The LGBTQ+ community has historically been underrepresented and harshly cliched in many popular forms of media, from TV shows to novels. Though representation has been improving, discrimination and harmful stereotypes continue to run rampant in our heteronormative society. GVRSWC is one of, if not the first writing camp on scratch that demonstrates a focused interest in the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters and development of queer authors. Statistically, there is a clear lack of LGBTQ+ characters in literature. No other writing camp has surpassed GVRSWC’s portrayal of queer characters in literature; GVRSWC is a leader in developing a diverse society where younger generations can be more accepting of others. Contrary to popular belief, the Romance in GVRSWC actually represent Romance languages across the world. It is close-minded and elitist to only focus on English in a writing camp, when some of the most influential works of literature were originally written in a different language. By including Romance languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian, GVRSWC allow multiple parts of the world to participate, along with providing equal opportunity to those who are not fluent in English. GVRSWC understands that English may not be the first language in many parts of the world and empathizes with the difficulty of learning a new language. By welcoming different backgrounds from every corner of the world, GVRSWC bridges the gap between language and encourages the learning of new cultures. Finally, the Vampire in GVRSWC represents embracing darkness and points of depression; there is nothing wrong with being sad from time to time, and GVRSWC validates people’s emotions. Vampires burn under the forced brightness of the sun, and this allows vampires to be the perfect mascot for GVRSWC, representing how, sometimes, people reconcile whilst simmering in the darkness.

Wᴇᴇᴋʟɪᴇs

Weekly: 4 - 3089 words Not completed!!!
Character 1 - 338 words
Age: 14 and introvert / 6 of clubs

Jamie is a 14 year old middle schooler. He is an introvert, who loves reading and creating stories in his mind. His parents aren’t exactly good parents and they divorced, his mother got custody of him but after she decided to go to another country, she left Jamie with her sister. Jamie’s aunt, Teresa–or as he calls her, Tessa– was really happy to have Jamie staying with her. Jamie looked up to Tessa a lot and she was the closest thing to a mother he had. After Tessa saw Jamie’s creativity she encouraged him to write stories. Jamie became a really good writer, he writes stories for school and his classmates enjoy them. But as Jamie doesn’t like the crowd a lot he puts his stories under an anonymous name. Someone apart from his aunt which he gets really along with is his English teacher. She gives him suggestions about stories, helps him with corrections and she was the one who helped him publish his stories in school. The only student in school who knows that Jamie is the mysterious writer is his best friend, Camila. She and Jamie are inseparable, they have other friends but they spend most of their time with each other or in Tessa’s house. Even though writing and reading takes a lot of Jamie’s time he also enjoys doing some sports. One of the sports he enjoys the most is Volleyball. One good and at the same time bad thing about Jamie is how good he is. He is a really kind person who sees good in everyone, and people sometimes have used that against him. To his luck, Camila has always been there to defend him and she is the one that faces people and kicks their butts. Jamie has a good heart, and whenever someone feels bad he tries to make them feel better, because when he was little there was no one to make him feel better at home. That is until he met Camila and moved in with Tessa.


Character 2 - words
Age: 41 and extrovert / Jack of spades

Tessa is the sister of Jamie’s mother. She is quite an extrovert and she is an explosive person. When they were young, Tessa and Jamie’s mother used to go to school together. Tessa was the girl who some people saw as a weirdo, but she didn’t exactly care. Meanwhile Jamie's mom was someone who really cared about others' opinions. That often affected her relationship with Tessa, but as Tessa knew how her sister was it didn’t affect her too much. Her extroverted personality got her many friends, and she was always the soul of the party. While she got older things didn’t change, she was always active and looking forward to any party or crowd of people she could get into. She had some boyfriends but in the end she never got married. When she met her sister’s boyfriend, Tessa wasn’t exactly happy about him, he gave her a bad vibe. In the end she was right, because Jamie’s dad wasn’t the best person in the room. When Jamie moved in with her Tessa’s motherly instincts awakened. She had to learn how to raise a kid, and how to be the best mother/aunt she could be. At the beginning she was really nervous, but Jamie was a really nice kid, and he was easy to handle. They became really close quickly. Even though Tessa was really explosive and Jamie, someone quiet and reserved, they enjoyed spending time together. Tessa became the known cool aunt of the neighborhood, and everyone knew who she was. She got well along with people in her neighborhood and organized some of the best parties. When someone bothered Jamie, Tessa would get pretty protective, as she knew Jamie actually got hurt by people’s comments. She taught Jamie how to ignore people and how to live without people affecting you.


Setting
I got the colors dark yellow and dark green, so I am using a “beachy” town as the setting. There will be a dry hot season and then a humid hot season. The town will have a lot of palm trees and vegetation. While getting more into Tessa’s house, she loves plants and has a lot of them inside and outside her house. The sun is always shining to a blinding level, a few times a month you can see rain but usually clouds just go and come without dropping water. The streets are pretty chill, most people use bicycles to go everywhere but you can see some cars. The story takes place in the 2010’s, so technology won’t be as advanced as it is right now. The school is not far from Tessa’s house so Jamie goes on his own with his bicycle, sometimes he stops at the stores that are between the school and Tessa’s house but usually he takes a route we’re he can see the vegetation. You can see big palm trees almost everywhere you go, and there are some coconut trees.

Freewrite - 459

Jamie was in his room, he had gotten the idea for a new story and was brainstorming new plots and characters. Tessa entered the room to tell him something, but before she could even open her mouth Jamie interrupted her.

“Names! I need powerful female names!” Jamie said excitedly “Something new! I want something I haven’t used!”
“Uhhh, what about… Ivette?” Tessa suggested while she left Jamie’s clean clothes on his bed, “Or Clair?”
“Ivette’s nice.” Jamie said as he wrote it down, “Thanks Aunt Tessa!”
“No problem, now what do you want to eat today?” Tessa asked “I can make something or we could go out and find a good restaurant.”
“Uhm, could we order some sushi?” Jamie inquired “I don’t want to go to a restaurant right now, I can’t lose inspiration!”
“Fine Mr. Writer, I’ll order some sushi.” Tessa chuckled as she got out of the room

Jamie had written many stories before, he was just 14 years old and everyone in school had read at least one of his stories. Even though they were really successful Jamie wrote his stories with an anonymous name, and the only people who knew he wrote those stories were his aunt Tessa, his best friend, Camilia, and his English teacher. Jamie was an introvert, and writing was his way to “talk” to people. He avoided crowds, so when his aunt Tessa made parties he usually spent that time in his room reading or writing. Something that made Jamie a really good writer was his immense creativity and ability to create stories out of little things. While he was starting the story his aunt called him.

“Jamieeee!” She called from the kitchen “The sushi’s here!”
“I’m going!” Jamie said as he shutted his computer.

Jamie exited his room and walked past the hallway. All around the stairs’ wall there were pictures of him and Tessa. Jamie had moved in with Tessa when his mother left the country, his parents had divorced and his mom wanted a new life. He was just 7 years old when Tessa took him in, but he was happy it had been that way. Tessa didn’t act like his mother did, and she wasn’t like the other mothers, but Jamie loved being with her. When he got to the kitchen Tessa was already seated down, watching something on her phone.

“What’s up?” Jamie asked, but she didn’t answer, “Aunt Tessa?”
“Oh, haha sorry. My ears got blocked.” She chuckled, “Come, look, I was reading this. I think it will interest you.”

Jamie sat next to her aunt and she showed her what she was reading. It was the website of an online writing competition. Jamie scrolled through the page and saw it was a big competition.


Part 2 - 1166 words

A character’s diary is read aloud
“What’s this?” one of the kids said taking a notebook out of Jamie’s backpack “It’s a diary!”
Some kids gasped and murmured while others started laughing. Jamie started trembling, they couldn’t read his diary! They will discover that he was the mysterious writer! He had to do something about it.

“Leave that!” Jamie yelled “You have no right to read it!”
“Well you shouldn’t have messed with me in the first place.” he said meanly “Now, let’s open this thing and start reading.”

Jamie looked at Camila, she shaked her head. There was nothing else to do and now everyone would know his secret. He closed his eyes as one of his classmates started to read his diary.

“Today was an interesting day, I had to escape Mr. Hollow so I would be able to get home early and get my ideas straight. I skipped class to read my book and god it was a heavy part that I read. Even though I was about to cry, it gave me a good idea for a new story. The only thing about this story is that it will be a bit heavy, in terms of sadness. I just hope Mrs. Williams lets me share it just like my other stories. I wouldn’t like not to post a story this month and disappoint my classmates. I think they actually like my stories, but I’ll keep them anonymous even though. To what they know the mysterious writer could be anyone, there’s no way they know it’s me, and I want to keep it that way.

Describe something without mentioning its appearance.

The outer part was hard, it was better this way. It could be soft but if it was it would be easier to get damaged. Its pages were thin, and when you let them go through your fingers you could feel the air coming from them. You should be careful because it gets damaged easily, but when taken care of it’s beautiful. It takes you to a whole new world and sometimes you don’t like it. In school they can be boring and quite a nightmare but when you enjoy reading they are your heroes and the best thing ever. They are really valuable and important as people get to live more than one life.

Spontaneous snowball fight! Or mud ball, space junk, magic ball, dodgeball…
Jami and Camila were walking down the street, the streets were really slippery as ice was all around. It normally didn’t snow where they lived but this winter had been extremely cold. They were crossing the street towards the grocery store when Camila got hit in the head by a snowball. She turned around and yelled,
“Hey! Who did that?!” She exclaimed, annoyed. Then she saw some little children throwing snowballs at everyone.
“Snowball fight!” one of the children yelled and they all started running and throwing snowballs.
Jamie laughed and throwed another snowball at Camila. She gave him a death stare and ran away from him, making a big snowball. She threw it straight at Jamie’s belly and he fell to the ground.

Your main character reunites with a long lost friend.
Jamie was getting a new story done, he was writing the ending and had put a “No Enter!” sign on his door. If someone interrupted him, Jamie was sure he would throw something at them. He was writing the last dialogue when someone knocked on the door.

“I said no one can enter!” Jamie yelled “Enter and you’ll be in danger of getting hit!”
“Jamie, I think you should really come out right now.” Tessa said “And no flying pens should hit me!”
“Do I really need to go out now?” Jamie grumbled
“Yes, come downstairs.” Tessa answered “You’ll see.”

Jamie shutted his computer down and, annoyed, walked downstairs. He got to the kitchen where Tessa was but saw nothing special or new. He walked towards her and tapped her shoulder.

“What did you want me to see?” Jamie asked, “There’s nothing in here.”
“You should turn around.” someone said behind Jamie, he recognized the voice and turned around.
“Camila?” he murmured as he turned around, and there she was. His long lost best friend. “Wow, it’s been years.”
“Yeah, we’re not 4 anymore.” She laughed “I’ve missed you this 5 years you know.”

Have one of your characters receive a note

“So, that is what next week’s project will all be about.” Mrs. William explained “Any doubts?”

Everybody said no, the bell rang and everyone started gathering their things to go to eat lunch. Jamie was about to walk out when Mrs. Williams stopped him.

“Jamie! Could you wait for a few minutes, I have something for you.” She said, Jamie nodded and waited for everyone to get out of the classroom. “Well, I got this note and I assume it’s for you.”
“Oh, who sended it?” He asked
“You might want to check that yourself.” Mrs. Williams chuckled

Jamie took the note and saw it was from the principal. He read it and was surprised, it said he had been invited to the school’s newsletter. It was a great opportunity to improve his writing skills, but he didn’t want to work with all those people.

“It’s a really good opportunity Mrs. Williams but I must deny it.” Jamie said, “I’m sorry but I don’t think I’ll enjoy it much.”
“Oh, it’s okay Jamie.” she said “Keep the good job!”

Write a scene where they confront their fatal flaw.
Jamie was in his room, again. Tessa had organized a picnic in the park, hoping he would get out of his room and be outside more time. But even after Tessa trying her best to get Jamie out of his room he decided to stay in there. Jamie usually spent time home, writing stories. But he had spent too much time in his room, without getting to be outside. This was something Tessa didn’t like and wanted to change, as Jamie was losing the opportunity to do a lot of other things.

“Jamie come on boy!” she said, “You need to get out of there!”
“But why?” Jamie asked, “I enjoy writing stories and being here!”
“I know, but you are spending too much time in your room.” Tessa said, “Please think about it, I’ll be downstairs.”

Tessa left Jamie’s room and closed the door. Jamie looked at the door, lost in his thoughts. Maybe Tessa was right, did he really spend too much time writing and being in his room? After some minutes of thinking and not being able to write anything Jamie left his things and went to the kitchen.

“Let's go outside Aunt Tessa.” He said
“Really?” Tessa grinned, “Well, come on then!”

She took the basket she had prepared and went outside. Jamie followed her, it was hard keeping pace as she was too excited and running but soon they got to the park and started setting everything up.

Part 3 - 601 words


“Wow, pretty impressive.” He said in amazement “It’ll be cool getting into it.”
“Why wouldn’t you get into it?” Tessa asked “You’re an amazing writer.”
“But I have to win a lot of different competitions to get to it.” Jamie sighed “How could I make it?“
“Jamie Thomas! You will get to that competition!” Tessa exclaimed “You are a talented writer! You hear me?”
“Yes, Aunt Tessa.” Jamie laughed “I’ll go back to my room and keep writing, tomorrow I’ll ask Mrs. Williams about the competition.”
“Okay.”

Jamie went back upstairs, he kept writing his story but the competition was blocking every other thought from his mind. He really wanted to enter the competition, he could get a lot of people to read his stories. The only doubt he had was if he would make it to it, he would have to work really hard just to get into the competition. Winning it or even making it past the first round would be such a challenge, but Jamie knew he could do it. He had been writing for a long time and he had a really good knowledge. If he worked hard enough and asked for help from Mrs. Williams, and other teachers, he could be able to have a future in the competition and the writing world. After writing for the whole day Jamie went to sleep. He had a difficult night, as he had nightmares. When he woke up the next morning, he got ready for school and remembered he was going to publish a new story that week. He got his backpack ready and went downstairs to eat breakfast.

“Good morning Jamie!” Aunt Tessa said happily, “Woah, you look sleepy. Did you have enough sleep yesterday? Please don’t tell me you spent the night writing or reading something.”
“No aunt Tessa, don’t worry.” Jamie yawned “I just had some trouble sleeping but I am sure I’ll be okay in school. I just need a good breakfast before I leave.”
“Fine, if you feel too tired or you need a break in school, tell your teachers. I’m sure they will let you rest, and if you feel too tired to even be in school just tell them and I’ll go pick you up. Or you could just walk home.”
“Yes, Aunt Tessa. I already told you not to worry. I’m okay.” Jamie chuckled but a yawn escaped his mouth. Aunt Tessa raised one eyebrow and looked at him.
“Nothing to worry about, yeah sure. Well, now hurry or you’ll be late!”

Jamie quickly ate his breakfast and headed outside, he took his bicycle and started riding it to school. Halfway through he stopped at Camila’s house. Camila was Jamie’s best friend since they were little kids, she was one of the only people who knew that Jamie shared stories at school. He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. No one opened the door so he knocked again, this time Camila’s mom opened the door.

“Jamie! Hi, Camila will be down any minute now.“ Camila's mom said she closed the door slightly and yelled, ”Camila hurry up and get your butt down here!“
”I'm going mom! Wait a minute please!“ Camila yelled from her room ”Is Jamie already here?“
”Yes! Hurry or you will both be late!“ Her mother screamed, ”Sorry Jamie, she'll be down in no time.“
”Haha, don't worry Mrs. Collins, I can wait.“ Jamie chuckled as he waited. Camila finally got there and they both hoped on their bicycles, ”You took your time.“
”Oh shut up and let's go."


Weekly 3 - 2806

Part 1 - 981 words
Song 1: Hallelujah instrumental version by Allen & Bright. - 405 words

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah~” my father sang as he played his guitar
“Sing again daddy!” I said happily
“Tomorrow sweetheart, now you should go to sleep.” he chuckled
“Nooo! I don’t wanna sleep!” I sobbed “Please!”
“What if I sing while you get in bed?”
“Yes!”

My father accompanied me to my room and there he tucked me in. He started singing again for me while I fell asleep. This was our everyday routine, my father was a good musician. And thanks to him I really loved music, and so did my mom. She worked at a restaurant and whenever she got home early we would all sing together. I had a pretty great life, my dad was my hero and the closest person to me. The next day I woke up and my mom said my dad had gone to work early. I waited for him the whole day so we could sing again but it was already late and he hadn’t come back. My mom was getting worried because he didn’t answer her calls.

“Mommy?” I said “Where’s daddy? Is he not coming?”
My mother looked at me, she kneeled down and said, “I’m sure daddy’s coming soon. Don’t worry, everything will be okay.”
“Okay…” I murmured but I was worried, daddy was never late.

I went to bed but then I heard a siren and someone knocked on the door, I got up from my bed and peeked through the door of my room. There was a police officer in the door talking with my mom. My mom suddenly started crying and I ran to her.

“What’s wrong mommy?” I asked
“Oh my baby girl.” she sobbed “Your daddy, he got into an accident. And now he is no longer with us…”
“Daddy…” I whispered

I was just 5 years old and my father had died. Years passed and my mother and I had to move on. She got really sick in the years to come and I took care of her. Now I am 16 and things have gotten tough. I stopped hearing music because it reminded me too much of my father. And I wanted to move on, I wanted to be able to live my life without my dad. My mother didn’t think that way and wasn’t able to move on. I took care of her, but I wanted to see the world. And I just couldn’t leave her.

Song 2: Give Us Childhood - 576 words
I was in the training center, practicing my shooting. War had come to my country and I had been selected to fight. I was sad at first, because I was afraid that I will never see my parents and my girlfriend again. But then I realized how important it is because I keep them safe. I got some friends here, they told me their stories and we all fight for someone we love. I’ve been training for about two months, and I think I am ready to get into the battlefield.

“Soldiers!” Our officer shouts as he enters the room, “I got news! You are getting into the battlefield! No more training. We need more men fighting.”

The room got quiet and everyone looked at the officer.

“You’ll be leaving tomorrow by dawn! There you’ll meet with your commander, she’ll make sure you guys are ready to fight and that you make it back alive.”
“Did he say she?” someone asked
“Yes, I did soldier! Your commander is a woman, and one of the most capable soldiers I’ve gotten. She just started two months ago like you.” The officer answered “Now get ready everyone!”

The room got full of murmurs and everyone was giving their opinion on having a female commander. I didn’t care, if she was good at her job she deserved it. Next morning we got into a van and drove to the rendezvous point. There our commander was waiting for us. She seemed rarely familiar to me, but I couldn’t see her clearly from where I was.

“Everyone out of the van!” She ordered “I want to see what you can do, so you’ll show me your skills and I’ll assign you a station, rank, and I’ll tell you what to do.” No one was moving, she looked at us and yelled, “Now!”

Everyone did what she said and in turns we showed her what we were capable of, when it was my turn I saw her face and almost passed out.

“Ariana?!” I gasped “What are you doing here?”
“Leading a war squadron?” She said “Can’t I do that because I’m your girlfriend or what?”
“No, of course you can!” I was just surprised.” I answered
“Well, take the surprise with you and show me what you got.” she ordered
“Yes ma’am.” I responded

Ariana was an expert in this, she gave us positions. She corrected our errors and when the time came she guided us through the battlefield. We were winning, I was able to shoot some people from a safe place. But some of my companions weren’t that lucky. I could see how they were falling, but I kept running through the battle ground. If I got to their side I could shot at their tanks. I kept running without looking around me, this was an error. Some opposing soldiers were coming at me from behind.

“Mason! Turn around!” I heard Ariana’s voice screaming “Watch out!”

I turned around, there were two soldiers about to shoot me. I was shocked, I couldn’t move. I just saw how they pressed the trigger, I closed my eyes. I felt nothing, I opened them and saw Ariana in front of me, falling to the ground. She had taken the bullet that was about to hit me…

“Ariana…” I murmured “No! No!”
“Win for me…” she sayed and closed her eyes.

I was fighting to protect her from war, not to make her die.

Part 2 - 816 words
Inspo is my dreamcatcher.

A long time ago there were three girls with the power to give, take and control dreams. These three girls were named: Leila, Levana, and Zehra. Each one of them had one of these three gifts, and they all used them for the good of humanity. Leila could give dreams, Levana could take them, and Zehra, who was the eldest of the three, could control dreams. These three girls were sisters, and they all lived in a place beyond human knowledge. Their home was far away from any human civilization, and it was called Alynthi. Alynthi was a place for magic creatures which controlled things in human’s life. For example the sisters, they took care of people’s dreams for a lot of years. That was until something happened between them and things got out of hand. They were just 400 years old (They live up to 1000 years), things had gone well for their starter years and Zehra had been left in charge of the three. Levana wanted to be in charge, she thought she was better than Zehra, so she started doing things she shouldn’t. Instead of taking just the bad dreams away from people she started to take other dreams, dreams that she knew people needed. She had done this without her sisters noticing but one night she got to her objective early and met with her sister, Leila. Leila was giving dreams to some children and Levana was taking them from other children in the same place.

“Levana?! What in the world! What are you doing?!” Leila exclaimed shocked “These are children! They are having happy dreams! You shouldn’t take them!”
“Leila, this is not what it looks like.” Levana whispered “Let’s go home, I’ll explain everything.”
“Explain?! There is nothing to explain!” Leila yelled “You broke one of our most sacred rules! I’ll tell Zehra!”
“NO! Leila wait!” Levana screamed but Leila had already disappeared.

Levana placed her hands together above her head and mentioned some words then feathers started to appear around her and Levana disappeared from the children’s room. She appeared back to Alynthi, just the same way she disappeared. There she saw Leila talking with Zehra, and Zehra didn’t look happy at all. Levana tried to walk away but Zehra caught sight of her.

“LEVANA!” Zehra screamed “Come back here! NOW!”

Levana walked back to Zehra, she looked furious. She knew Zehra would never let her go without punishing her. She was in trouble, big trouble.

“Is what Leila told me true?” Zehra interrogated
“Well” Levana muttered, she didn’t know what to say. If she lied Zehra would somehow get to know the truth later, but if she didn’t lie she could get in trouble right in that moment without being able to get a plan together. “Yes, I did it.”
“Why? Why would you do that?” Zehra asked, with her voice breaking “We’ve been doing this for 400 years, and I trusted you. I thought you were responsible and I thought you had what was needed for this job!

They all kept silent but before Levana could answer Zehra said something that hitted Levana right in her heart.

“I was wrong.” Zehra sighed “Levana, civilian of Alynthi, the Dream Taker. I am taking your power away from you, and you’ll be punished for your actions.”
“What?! No!” Levana exclaimed angrily “You can’t do that! These are MY powers! I gained them!”
“You don’t deserve those powers!” Leila screamed from the other side of the room “You were taking dreams away from innocent children! That is not what you got your powers for! We are supposed to help people!”
“You are so closed minded! We could do so many things with our powers! But no!” Levana hissed “You were put in charge Zehra, and what do you do with that power? You waste it. If I was in charge, we would do so many things.”
“You’ll never be in charge, Levana.” Zehra said “Now, I’m taking your powers.”
“No you are not!” Levana screamed as she used her powers to disappear
“She escaped!” Leila squealed
“We’ll find her.” Zehra murmured “No matter how much it takes, we’ll find Levana.”

The sisters looked for Levana for a lot of time, but after they weren’t able to find her, they thought she had just gone away somewhere she would disturb no one. For about 100 years things were this way, people with bad nightmares couldn’t get rid of them and there was one dream power missing. Leila and Zehra got a way to make things work the best they could, and they did things without Levana for a long time but one day they got some disturbing news.

“What’s wrong?” Zehra asked her investigation and security team
“We got signals of someone taking dreams away.” someone said

Leila looked at Zehra, they knew who was taking dreams away. Leila murmured, “Levana…”

Part 3 - 1009 words
Continuation of part two. The themes in the story are sisters vs sister, and vengeance.

“She’s back?” Leila muttered “We lost sign of her years ago. Why would she be back now?”
“Because this year will be the 500th year of us taking care of dreams.” Zehra said “She knows we are halfway through our life. And this year she could take my place. Because every 100 years we can change who is in charge.”
“She is taking advantage of this year being the 500th. She could take power and be in charge for the rest of her life.” Leia said “And I’m sure she wouldn’t let us take power back in a hundred years.”

She rolls her eyes and leaves. Zehra knows Leila doesn’t like Levana, since she caught her taking away dreams she gave to children Leila thinks Levana isn’t someone who deserves the support and love of her and Zehra. But either way, Zehra misses Levana. She misses being the three together, so she wants to take this opportunity and bring her sister back. She knows it’s not likely it will work, as Levana has a big resentment towards her, but she won’t lose the opportunity.

“Everyone! Look for Levana, whatever information you get give it to me immediately!” Zehra ordered, “We need to find her soon.”

She leaves the room and goes to Leila’s bedroom. She is in there, creating new dreams. Zehra observes her for a while, she looks somehow sad. She knows Leila isn’t exactly happy with Levana, and that she has some hard feelings for her. But Zehra thinks that deep down Leila still loves Levana and she misses her.

“May I come in?” Zehra asked as she knocked on the door.
“Sure!” Leila answered “Do you need something, sis?”
“Not really, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Oh! What is it?”
“Levana.”

Leila stayed silent for some minutes, it’s clear she was thinking about her sister. She looks at Zehra and says,

“What about that traitor?”
“Sis, I know you are hurted by what she did. But she is still our sister.” Zehra sighed “Please, let’s give her a chance.”
“A chance? Zehra, she is still taking dreams away from people. It’s been almost a hundred years, she had enough time to change and she didn’t.” Leila snapped, she was clearly * “You may forgive her, but I am doing what I should do. I’ll bring her back here to take her powers away, just like we should’ve done last time. I will fulfill this mission, no matter what.”

Zehra looks at Leila and understands she can’t do anything to change her mind. She nods and hugs her sister. While they are chatting someone comes into the room running and panting.

“Miss Zehra! We’ve gotten news!” She said “We’ve got a trace of Miss Levana in London.”
“Thank you for the information, we’ll be leaving now.” Zehra said as they get up, she turned towards Leila and said “Let’s go, we need to catch her.”

The sisters used their powers and teleported to London. They started going to different houses but there was no sign of Levana. Zehra took out a tracker and saw exactly where Levana was. When Zehra and Leila got there they saw Levana, but they couldn’t believe what their eyes were seeing. Levana looked different, now she had black hair, her eyes looked full of evilness, and there wasn’t a single clue tha5 could tell them it was really their sister.

“Levana…?” Leila whispered “Is that really you?”
“Look who it is!” Levana laughed “If it isn’t my two sisters, it’s been long. Why are you here? I was really having some fun before you came to ruin the party.”
“Levana, you know why we are here.” Zehra said “You’ve been taking dreams away from people, again. Why can’t you just do your job? Why can’t you stop being like that.”
“Because there’s no fun in that!” Levana said rolling her eyes “And I’m here to ruin everything you’ve worked so hard on. I’m here to take all those dreams you made. I’m here to make your lives a living hell.”
“You are unbelievable! Can’t believe Zehra thought you could change! Ever since you didn’t gain the power of being in charge you’ve been a brat!” Leila yelled “You just care about yourself! And about ruining our lives!”
“Leila! Don’t say that!” Zehra choked “Why are you so bad to her?”
“Oh come on Zehra.” Levana chuckled “You know she’s right. And I don’t care, because what she says is the truth. And I enjoy that truth.”

Zehra was heartbroken, but if Levana was going to act that way then she only had one option. She took out a rope from her bag and looked at Levana.

“You’ll be coming with us.” Zehra said
“I’m not.” Levana said with a grin “You see, this 100 years helped me learn something. Our powers are bigger than what we think. I can do so many things, not just taking dreams away and destroying them.”

Zehra stays quiet, she knows Levana has discovered new ways of using her power. Ways that are a threat to them. Leila on the other hand is confused, what else could Levana do?

“Levana I don’t want to fight, but I will if I have to.” Zehra said
“Oh Zehra, that’s the thing. You still care for me, but I don’t care about you.” Levana said softly, she started moving her hands while some kind of black light came out from them. This light started to take shape. Then Leila realized what this light was, it was a dream. Levana was using dreams as a weapon. “Now you see? Dreams are more than what we think, and they are my weapon against you.”

Levana threw the dream at her sisters and disappeared. It took time for Zehra and Leila to free themselves, but when they did they knew Levana was long gone.

“She’s more powerful than what we thought.” Leila sighed
“I know, and surely she’ll be back.” Zehra said “And she’s back, we'll be ready for her.”

——————————————————

Weekly 2 - 2532 words

Part 1 - Me: 385 words Total: 725 words
Rlove10
It was a dark night, I walked through the dark streets. Trying to find a safe place where I could spend the night. I was tired but I couldn't stop running! I was escaping from someone, and that someone would not take a break. Not until they got me.
froggitti
The warm glow of a small inn greeted me. A small old women was seen inside, sweeping the floor in pain and with grunts.
Rlove10
I was atracted by the warm, I opened the door of the inn and the old woman saw me and stopped sweeping. “Welcome dear, what can I do for you” she said coming towards me “I was wondering if I could stay in here for the night.” I told her “Of course, let me give you your key.” She walked towards the counter and handed me a key. “I don't have money on me.” I lamented “Oh, that won't be a problem. Take the key.” she said “I'm sorry but I can't accept it!” I babbled “Nonsense, take it!”
froggitti
I didn't want to keep this kind woman up, so I thanked her generously, and walked up to my room. I noted she but the broom under the maintenance counter in case I was ever feeling generous, which happened to be the next morning. I opened the big door labeled 25 and swung it open.
Rlove10
I was sleeping peacefully but I heard a noice. I stood up and looked around but there was no one around. I stood up and opened the door. I looked both ways and saw no soul. But I still heard steps coming from somewhere. “Hello? Is someone there?”
froggitti
My voice echoed around the hallway. The footsteps suddenly stopped, as if they hadn't expected me to be awake. A flash of green from the left made a look over. A small mop of black hair peeked from a door then ran back in when I looked overe.
Rlove10
I didn’t know what to do. Should I go back to my room and wait for morning to come or should I take the risk and see what that mysterious figure was? It was a hard decision, but curiosity took over me. I started walking, following whoever was there.
froggitti
I could barely see a fuzzy outline of a person hiding against the doorframe. The person looked a few inches shorter than me, meaning I could easily trip them if i needed to. I walked closer, my eyes adjusting to the dark room.
Rlove10
Now I could clearly see who I was following. It was just a young girl, what was she doing in here? I was unsure wether to tell something to the girl or go looking for the old lady. At the end the decision wasn’t mine. The girl turned around and saw me.
froggitti
Her eyes went wide and she disappeared behind the frame again. I could still barely see, but I spotted some type of item in her hand. “Hello..?” I said quietly to her, whispering not to wake anyone else up.
Rlove10
“Go away..” she said slowly. “What?” I asked, “Who are you? Are you lost?” she ignored me, and kept walking. I followed her but she stopped. “Go away…” she murmured again “Go away…”
froggitti
I was confused. This girl was spying on me, yet she wanted me to leave? I shook my head and crouched in front of her. Looking into her dark eyes I said, “Who are you, and how can I help you?”
Rlove10
She looked at me, straight in the eyes. There was something about her face that gave me chills, was it the dead expression on her eyes or the pale color of her skin? She open her mouth and said quickly “Run.” I was confused, what should I run from? Then I heard steps, heavy steps.
froggitti
I took her advice. The fire exit was at the end of the hall but it felt like miles as I took my steps harder and harder. The girl screamed behind me, but I didn't look back. I needed to keep going, or whatever those steps were would get me. I finally got to the stairs, out of breath and out of hope. If I was in a chase, I wouldn't be able to run much longer. I turned to the door, taking my hand and turning the knob. Locked.

Part 2 - 524 words

Name: Valeria Noor
Age: 15
Species: Elf

Personality and Traits - 207 words
Valeria is someone really shy, she’s always been an introvert. She doesn’t like talking to other people and she keeps her thoughts to herself. Because she is quiet she is a great listener. Valeria may be someone who knows how to listen but she distracts herself a lot and gets lost in her own thoughts. She can create brand new worlds in her mind and that keeps her entertained while she is alone. If she creates a strong bond with someone, breaking it will be hard. She is really sensible and her emotions can be read like an open book on her face.
She is a kind person but getting on her bad side is an error. She can be sweet as an angel or evil like a demon. She is known for causing problems with people she doesn’t like, but her shy personality covers her up. Her bright green eyes gave her an angelic look as well as her curvy red hair. She was short compared to the other elves but that doesn’t mean was less capable. Her height benefited her because this way she could get into places she shouldn’t. So Valeria is someone shy, but her dark side is something you shouldn’t mess with.

Wants, Hopes and Strengths - 216 words
Valeria may be shy but she is a pretty needy person. She wants a lot of things, especially for things to be done how they should. If something isn’t done the way it should be, she wants it to be corrected. Though she wants this a lot, her biggest desire is to be as the smart elf she is and not just as a shy girl who makes people’s life harder. She wants people to know that she can make a lot of things, not only trouble. Her shyness isn’t an advantage to this, because she doesn’t talk that much so people can’t hear her ideas. She hopes that elves are someday accepted with other creatures, as elves are seen as less. She hopes her people can live in peace and as equals. Her biggest strength is her ability to see things in an unique way. People may think it’s a weakness that she spends too much time thinking about the way things could be, but this makes her see all the possibilities. Valeria is also a quiet person, so she can hear a lot of things and pay a lot of attention to things around her. Another thing is that Valeria is really creative, she can come up with big ideas in just seconds.

Dislikes and Fears - 101 words
Valeria is someone picky, so she dislikes a lot of things. But the one thing she dislikes the most is having to do chores around the town. Her mother always gives Valeria a list of things she needs to do, so when that list is long Valeria gets really lazy, so the list becomes bigger. In the end she has to do a lot of things which she doesn’t like. Meanwhile her fears are spiders and feeling less than other people. She doesn’t like spider's eyes and feeling like she’s less than others hits her hard, so she fears the feeling.

Part 3 - 419 words
The story will take place in a small town located in Mexico, but the time period is in the future. The city that is close nearby has technology and things way more sofisticated and advanced than the town. But this town still has some technology. In this town people keep their old traditions, though they also are modern. This is why their technology isn’t as advanced because they don’t go through acelerated change. The town is located in México’s south, so temperature is warm and wet in there. The town is small compared to the big city but at the end it’s not that small. The center of town is full of pretty stores and restaurants full of great Mexican food. There is the main road full of this main stores and then there is the part where people live. Everyone knows everyone in this town, because it’s little and at the ene of the day you get to see everyone. The time period would be in a future where there are already flying cars, robots for everything but here in the town some cars still have wheels and robots are exactly popular. Though they still have atoumated doors, self conducting cars, and really advanced phones.
In the city there is a park known by all people who live there, the park has a playground for children to play, an area for dogs, a bycicle area and places where you can just chill after a heavy day at work. And in the center of town there is also a mall, people go there a lot of time but even though the mall is a big center of attention the stores arond the town are still pretty known and visited. If you walk some miles away from town you can see some woods, in which you’ll find different animals. From squirrels climbing trees at the edge of the woods, to bears deep into the woods.
Lastly there would be some mountains and a volcano close to the town. The volcano would be a resting one which sometimes makes smoke come out. This volcano would have been a volcano which when being awake would have caused a lot of trouble to the town but they learned to live with it. So this town is ready for any volcano eruption. Another thing about this town is that the sunset looks beautiful if you see it from the volcanos and if you look at the volcanos at sunrise you’ll see something extremly unique.

Part 4 - 163 words
Premise: You can’t find your lucky charm

Your main character is going on a competition/job interview/new school day (whatever fits) but they can’t find their lucky charm (it can be whatever thing, maybe a gift from someone or maybe a penny they found.) They are worried because they have had that lucky charm for a lot of years and it is something really important to them. So they are afraid not to have it with them, because they think it will give them bad luck or things go wrong. They go looking through their house but can’t find it, so they go on an ‘adventure’ where they go back through their steps looking for their lucky charm and discover that they are not the only one losing something. Will this adventure lead them to find their lucky charm or to lose something else? Your main character will have to go through different tasks and challenges that will prove if they have what it takes to get their lucky charm back.

Part 5 - 1041 words
Character by @Cru-mble (Link) Setting by @Shizuka_Yoshi (Link) Premise by @Polarbear_17 (Link)

Sy was in her school dorm, studying for what was supposed to be a really important test. She couldn’t stop checking her window, waiting for Lyn, her best friend. They were supposed to study together, and the window was the only way they could get into each other’s dorms. Because in their school there were four towers, each one with dorms for different students. Sy’s dorm was in the north tower and Lyn’s in the south tower, and after 9pm students weren’t able to get out of their dorms. Sy was an introvert without a lot of friends, soLyn was someone really important to her. She liked to make her proud and to be the best she could for her. Lyn wasn’t only her friend but she felt like a sister to Sy.
Sy placed her hand in her hair and moved it away from her face, so she could exactly see what she was doing. But time passed and Lyn wasn’t coming so Sy decided to take her pen and contact Lyn through it. Lyn and Sy had created some magic pens to contact each other, and with just some clicks they could send a message to each other. Sy kept studying, waiting for Lyn to appear through her window or for her to answer, but there was no message and Lyn never appeared. Sy gave up and went to sleep, hoping the next morning she would see her friend in class. Sy woke up and got ready for class but when she got there, there wasn’t a sign of Lyn. She went over to a guy in the class, hoping he'd know where her friend was.

“Hey.” Sy said to the guy, which turned around confused
“Uhm hi? Can I do anything for you?” he said
“By any chance do you know where Lyn is?” Sy asked shyly
“I’m sorry but no, last time I saw her was yesterday in alchemy.” he answered “I hope you find her.”

Sy nodded and walked away from him, without getting any knowledge of her lost friend. She went to most of her classes that day, but by the last two periods she was done with it. Sy had to find Lyn, she enjoyed being alone but Lyn was someone she cared about. She went back to her dorm and took the pen again, but there was no response from yesterday. She sended a new message, which said “You good? Where are you?” but even after a long time of waiting Lyn didn’t answer.

“This is not good… I need to find Lyn, but how?” Sy said for herself “I can’t contact her in any way, and no one has seen her.”

Sy walked through the room, from one side to the other. If she wanted to know where Lyn was she would have to go back through Lyn steps. But to do that she would have to get to Lyn’s dorm and that will be something hard to do, especially now. A week ago they had discovered some students getting into the principal’s office (which was in the south tower), so there were guards every hour in the south tower. And everyone had to show they were from that tower to enter. Sy knew she would have to sneak through Lyn’s window, just like they did every night, but this time it was day and anyone could see her. She could always wait for night to come, but this was something urgent and she wouldn’t wait. So Sy’s only hope was no one would see her sneaking into the south tower. She tied her hair up in a pony tail and got out of her dorm. While she walked past the school she heard some students talking and their conversation got her attention.

“You heard about Lyn?” one of them said
“No, what about her?” the other student answered
“It looks like she somehow disappeared. No one has seen her throughout the whole day and it’s suspicious. She never misses class.”
“Wow, and what about her friend, Sy.”
“She’s looking for her, or that’s what I’ve heard.”

Sy kept walking towards the south tower, but her thoughts wouldn’t leave her walk peacefully.

“So people have noticed Lyn’s absesnce.” she thought “That’s good, and I hope someone else looks for her, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to find her on my own.”

Sy got to the south tower’s entrance, there were 3 people guarding the entrance. But if she was silent and quick, she should be able to make it past them. Sy walked normally towards the guards, then she moved a bit to their right and passed next to one of them. She looked back, making sure no one had seen her. After being completely sure she was safe, Sy kept walking, straight into Lyn’s dorm. As she expected Lyn’s dorm was closed, Sy looked into her pockets and took out a key. She opened the door and looked inside. Everything seemed normal, things were just like Lyn liked them. She went inside and started lifting things up and opening drawers. But there was no sign of a clue, or anything that could tell her where Lyn was. She was about to give up when she saw something on Lyn’s bed, it was her pen. Sy took it and sat on the bed.

“Lyn never goes out without it…” she murmured “Which means she didn’t leave on her own free will, or she didn’t plan on being gone for long.”

I examined the bed and what was around it, the only thing I could find was a little note which said, “Don’t forget to meet with her.” But meet with who? Who was Lyn supposed to meet? She hadn’t told me anything about meeting with someone important or anything. The note might not be a lot but it was a lead. I kept looking and found a pair of bracelets which seemed to be connected by magnets. They were really cool, and maybe they could help me so I took them with me. That was all I could do for a day, so I went to sleep and the next day I planned to talk with people who knew Lyn.
(Will leave it here bc of lack of time)

——————————————————

Weekly 1 - 2597 words
Part 1 | Poems - 307 words

Poem 1 - Friends - Haiku

Always by my side
I can count with your support
you are shining stars.

Poem 2 - Dancing - Acrostic

Dealing with the stress
And enjoying my day
Nothing will stop me
Can you do a pirouette?
Instantly thinking, I wanna dance.
Navigating for a chance.
Going forward and also back.

Poem 3 - 13 - Etheree

So many things have passed, since that beautiful, dark night,
growing and getting older, has been a delight,
a lot of experience I got this years,
and there have been a lot of laughs and tears.
My family, friends, and everyone,
Who’s always been there by my side.
Being the only daughter,
to having a brother.
Little sister came,
become a game.
My birthday,
happy
day.

Poem 4 - Harry Potter - Limerick

Harry Potter was just a young boy,
but his life didn’t have any joy.
Hagrid came and that changed,
the Dursleys just exclaimed.
Life in Hogwarts was just to enjoy.

Poem 5 - Broken - Free Verse

She told me I could do it.
That’s what I believed.
But the moment I tried.
I wasn’t so relieved.
Things got hard, and I was tired.
I’m breaking down day by day.

Whatch me as I get broken,
while I’m getting up again.
and trying to be myself.

No one said it was easy,
I never thought it was.
But sometimes things her hard,
when you’re dying inside.

Crushing up yourself,
cause you wanna be strong.
But who said being weak,
was something wrong?

Crying not cause you’re weak,
but because you were strong for long.
And you know at the end,
it didn’t seem enough.

Poem 6 - Stronger - Acrostic

standing on your feet when you are about to fall
taking what you have and making it all
roaring like a tiger who’s gonna attack
or dealing with the wieght that’s always on your back
not giving up when things look rough
go for it and take a shot
even when you’re going down
rise again and scream loud.


Part 2 | Essay - 506 words
They should teach self defense in schools
Schools around the world teach a lot of things, from basic maths to extra classes like art, dance, swimming and more. A lot of this things will help you in your day to day life, but when living in the world we live, knowing how to defend ourselves is incredibly important. So, don’t you think schools should add a self defence class to their curriculum? Knowing how to defend ourselves, both physically and verbally is really important. Just as important as knowing how to multiply or how to write correctly. This could be an extra class they give or a mandatory class, just like science. Kids wouldn’t learn just how to defend themselves out of school but also in school. Bullying has been a big problem for a long time, so while kids knowing how to defend themselves verbally and physically, (it would be preferable they do it verbally) they could get out of a bullying situation.

Just so we have a bit of context in how serious bullying is, about 20% of students from the ages of 12-18 nationwide (USA) have suffered of bullying. In this 20% about 40% of the people bullying were physically stronger or larger. If schools teach a basic area of self defence students would be able to defend themselves physically if nesessary. Now defending ourselves physically isn’t the only way we can—and need to defend ourselves. A lot of people are also bullied verbally, and someitmes words can hurt more than punches. Words get all the way to your brain and can hurt you emotionally, so knowing how to fight agaisnt verbal bullying is something everyone should know. There are different types of bullying in school, 13% of the bullying is people being called names, being insulted or being made fun of. School’s teaching how to defend ourselves verbally would help a lot of people avoiding bullying. Now, bullying isn’t the only reason schools should teach self defence, a lot of children get kidnapped, attacked or ab**ed. If this children knew how to defend themselves physically they could get an advantage to escape, or to ask for help. And some of you may say, how will a kid defend themselves from an adult? Well, there are techniques that work on adults and techniques that don’t, teaching children the right technique would give them an advantage.


At the end knowing how to defend ourselves is a basic knowledge and ability we need to have. Schools should try implementing it in their curriculum, maybe as an extra and optional activity that each student could chose to enter or not to. But if they implemented it as a mandatory class a lot of kids would get the ability to defend themselves both physically and verbally. This way they could avoid getting bullied and defend themselves from other people who tries to hurt them. So do you think schools should implement self defence as a class?


Part 3 | Scripting (Just did a part of the story) - 897 words


Jo is seen walking in a street following someone.

JO
I lost her again! Ugh, I can never get her!

Jo walks back to her room and goes to sleep.

She wakes up the next morning and walks towards a coffee shop. She takes a seat.

LUCY
The same as always, Miss Granger?

JO
Yes Lucy, thank you.

Jo drinks her coffee and a man enters the coffee shop, he walks out and Jo follows him.

MARCUS
Hi Josephine

JO
What do you want, Marcus? (annoyed)

MARCUS
Why so mad Josy? Aren’t you happy to see your fellow detective?


JO
Happy isn’t the word I’d use. So why did the agency send you?

MARCUS
Well, Mary thinks you’re getting obsessed with catching Lady Vilee. And she send me to help you.

JO
I don’t need help, but I guess having you here it’s not that bad. C’mon, we are going to the bar.

MARCUS
Why?

JO
Because that’s were Lady Vilee goes everyday.

Jo and Marcus walk towards a bar. They go there and look for clues. They stop and go back to Jo’s apartment.

MARCUS
So tell me, what have you been doing all this time?

Marcus walks around the room looking at things.

MARCUS
Because it looks like if you’ve been working all day and night.

JO
That’s pretty much what I do Marcus, as you know I want to catch Lady Vilee.

Jo walks towards the door and opens it

JO
Well you can leave now, I’m going to sleep. See you tomorrow.

Marcus leaves the house leaving Jo alone.
Jo appears with Marcus walking through streets, then going to the coffee shop. They go to another street and then back to Jo’s apartment.

MARCUS
Well, what are we seeing here? (looking at the conspiracy wallI)

JO
The key to knowing what Lady Vilee’s plan is.

Jo walks around the room connecting dots. Marcus looks at her.

MARCUS
So what’s her plan?

JO
For the looks of things, I think she is planning on meeting with other criminals. Where is the question.

Marcus looks at the wall and connects some things.

MARCUS
Here. (pointing at a part of the wall) She always dissapears in this street.

JO
That is the same street I lost her two weeks ago.

MARCUS
I assume we’ll be going there.

JO
You are right.

(Scence changes, they are in the coffee shop) They are eating breakfast in the coffee shop.

JO
Are you ready to do this?

MARCUS
I’m always ready. But first I have a question I’ve been trying to ask you, why did you become a detective?
JO
Uhmm, well. When I was sixteen my father was almost killed by one of the most famous criminals of that time. I wanted to avenge him so I started training to become a police officer. But then I noticed that there was something I wanted more than being police, I read about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. I had bought the books just for entertainment but in the end I wanted to become a detective more than anything else. My sister wasn’t really happy with it, and the reason. Is still unknown to me. I trained hard to become a detective, for when I was old enough, but something unexpected happened. Five years ago, some months before I entered the agency, my sister went missing. I looked for her everywhere but I wasn’t able to find her. I was heartbroken so I decided to increase the difficulty of my training. After two months I became an official detective and I continued looking for my sister.

MARCUS
Wow, I see. Maybe after catchng Vilee we can find your sister.

JO
Yeah, maybe.

They get up and walk in different places. They get to a building and look around.

MARCUS
Something’s odd here, Jo

JO
I know, be alert, we don’t know what could happen

A man comes running and punches Marcus, he fights with Jo.

Jo helps Marcus up.

JO
Everything okay?

MARCUS
Yeah, I feel like a punching bag.

The walk but Marcus turns around.

MARCUS
Uh Jo, I think you should turn around.

Jo turns around, a lot of men are coming towards them. They start fighting but the men capture them. They take them in and there is Lady Vilee.

LADY VILEE
Tie them up in a chair.

The men tie Jo and Marcus.

LADY VILEE
So who do we have here? Don’t tell me that these are the two detectives who are looking for me? They are so pathetic!

JO
We’ll see who is pathetic after we get out of here! (yelling) You won’t win this time Vilee!

Lady Vilee looked at Jo while the other criminals were laughing.

LADY VILEE
That voice.. could it be? May I ask who you are?

MARCUS
Why do you want to know that?

LADY VILEE
Just answer the freaking question!

JO
My name is Josephine Granger, I’m a detective, and the one that will get you to court

LADY VILEE
So it’s really you, Josephine, what a surprise.

JO
I’m sorry, but am I supposed to know what that means? Because from what I’m hearing it looks like you think I know you.

Jo and Lady Vilee look straight at each other.

LADY VILEE
So you don’t remember me Josily, that’s sad. I thought that a Granger never forgets

(Gonna leave it there bc of little time)


Part 4 | Non-Fiction Writing - 887 words

First Writing - Descriptive memoir - 453 words

We got out of the car, the weather was really hot out there and there was a nice fresh breeze. I could hear the sea waves from where we were. Two men got out of the house in front of us. They both were wearing shorts and beach shirts. We got inside and there they started teaching my brother and I how to surf. The surfboard was hard and heavy, some parts of it had bumpy areas. Standing in it with my bare feet was a bit uncomfortable. When we finished with the basics they placed the surfboards in a big car and we got in it. The road was bumpy, we could hear the car engine roaring, and I felt the fresh sea breeze on my face. We got to the parking place, it was above the beach and from it you could see the sea. There were a lot of surfers in there, I could hear people talking, and the sun blinded my eyes. We walked down the stairs, they were made of rocks and some little parts got in my feet. When we reached the beach I took my sandals off. The sand was soft, hot, and a bit itchy. The two guys who were teaching us carried the surfboards. We got to a place where there wasn’t a lot of people, my parents placed our things on the sand and my borther and I went straight to the sea, ready to get on the surfboards. We got into the water, it was cold but enjoyable. I got on the surfboard, afraid I would lose my balance and fall. I was able to sand on it for a few seconds until I fell all the way to the water. We swimmned a little deeper into the sea, looking for some good waves. The feeling of surfing was incredible, trying to stay standing on the board while a wave drived me, falling of my board and start laughing. Making a perfect wave, looking at my mom, and falling cause I got distracted. After we surfed for some time I decided to take a break. The sun was burning hot, but watching the videos my mom took distracted me from it. Later I decided to just get into the water and look for some seashells. There were a lot of seashells, each one different. Some of them were little with pink details, while others were bigger with purple shades on them. While looking for seashells I got dragged by the sea a few times, but it was fun feeling how the pressure of water took you. I scratched my knee, with the sand and rocks but it was a really cool experience.

Second Writing - Frida Kahlo Biography (Narrative) - 434

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón, also known as Frida Kahlo is one of Mexico’s most famous artists from starts of the 20th century. She was born the 6th of July of 1907 in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Frida’s life was a really hard one, the dificulties started when she was just 6 years old. In 1913 Fridah got poliomielitis (polio), this disease made her have circulatory problems that caused her have chronic pain her whole life. And polio also made her right leg thinner than her left leg, because of this children at her school called her ‘Frida peg leg’. While having polio and not being able to get out of bed Frida got herself an imaginary friend which she played with.
Frida really loved animals and was around them a lot of time, because of this animals were featured in a lot of her paitings.
In the years to come things just got harder for Frida. When she was 18 years old the bus she was riding was run over by a tram. She got heavily injured and had many fractures, including the spine. Throughout her live she had 32 operations. Because of the accident Frida wasn’t able to move for along time and had to stay at the hospital. To help her out her parents encouraged her paint. She got a special lectern that allowed her to paint from her bed. This injury marked Frida for life. Frida didn’t just painted other people she knew, but she painted herself. This was a way Frida used to show how she saw life.
Later on Frida married Diego Rivera, another Mexican painter who she had met when she was just 15. Even though Diego was way much older than her, they were deeply in love. Because of the height differene they had they called them “El elefante y la paloma” which in english means the elefant (symbolizing Diego) and the dove (symbolizing Frida).
Throughout her whole life Frida made 150 art pieces, which in majority were about herself. Some really known paintings are Las Dos Fridas, in which Frida draws herself as her mexican self and as her european self. Another one is La Columna Rota which shows how she broke her spine and the difficulties it brought. And Autorretrato con collar de espinas y colibrí is a painting she made after her divorce with Diego Rivera.
Her life was full of ups and downs, and she died the 13th of July of 1954.
Frida made a lot of incredible things during her life and she is a big inspiration for a lot of women.

Random Sentences
Fan-fi Cabin Daily

Written by Wari
127 words

Sentences from Random Generator:
1. The near-death experience brought new ideas to light.
2. Writing a list of random sentences is harder than I initially thought it would be.

The near-death experience brought new ideas to light. The near-finishing-dead-last experience, that is. The writer reflected on what they could do to write faster, more easily, and, most importantly, in greater bulk. Next time, their cabin wouldn’t finish in 13th.

We’ll take the win next time. Even if I have to write utter nonsense to do it. The thought cheered the writer up, and they began furiously scribbling.

Three Months Later

The list of cabin rankings stood on the screen, defiantly proclaiming the beginning of the competition. The writer set up a timer for the word war, and cracked their knuckles. Five minutes later, they stared dejectedly at their word count: 67.

Writing a list of random sentences is harder than I initially thought it would be.

Weekly #1- Mythology
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Part 1

Hidden (Acrostic)

Hiding amongst the trees,
In the mountain breeze.
Dancing like a violet,
Dabbling amidst the waterfall.
Entering a world full of joy,
Nesting in an amazing haven.

28 words

Monsoon (Haiku)

A stormy wind blows
With an inclement monsoon
Autumn arrives

11 words

A New Beginning (Free Verse)

The start of another day,
Which leads to a new way.
A sight to behold in the light,
Where stars shine up so bright.

The sun rises from its gentle bed,
With thoughts of new things up ahead,
Sparkling dewdrops on long grass,
And water as clear as glass.

A new chapter of life,
Long gone is the strife.
Yes, it is true,
The world awaits you.

Give it all you got,
Even if it's a lot.
Don't be disheartened when you lose,
Never be in the blues.

It may be the darkest night,
But you can still try to make it bright.
Another day, another morning
Another chance for a new beginning.

113 words


The Night (Villanelle)

Night brings many fears,
So silent, so dark.
So clear of the cheers.

The night lures,
Not bringing any spark.
You just have to endure.

There are no bears,
Which are hiding in the dark.
It might be something much fierce.

Nights are not clear,
People might remark,
It still brings fear.

You might hear,
A dog's bark,
As you walk down the stairs.

It is true that night brings fears,
But it brings no spark.
It is true that night lures,
We just have to endure.

89 words


Fairies (Limerick)

They glow in the bright light of the sun,
With their colorful wings shining.
An amazing sight
To see as they
Spread their wings amidst the flowers.

28 words


Elegant (Acrostic)

Enmity is a sin,
Loving is a virtue.
Ego should be left,
Generosity should be encouraged.
Abandonment can be disastrous,
Never saying never can prove beneficial.
Time makes everything better.

31 words

Exactly 300 words ;0
_____

Part 2

How did life originate on Earth?

This is quite a controversial topic. There are two theories suggested by scientists or astronaut theorists to answer this confusing question. The first one is called panspermia. It is the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe and was distributed by meteoroids, asteroids, comets, or by spacecraft carrying life. The second theory is the idea of primordial soup which was originally proposed by Alexander Oparin and John Haldane as a possible explanation for the creation of life on our planet.

Extraterrestrial life, commonly known as alien life means the hypothetical life that may be present on different planets of different galaxies in our vast universe. Approximately 99.99% of the universe has not been explored by the human race hence there is no evidence as of yet that alien life does or does not exist. Extraterrestrial presence may be displayed as science-fiction amongst regular humans but there are some clues that lead some scientists to believe that life outside our planet earth does exist and they might have been the reason for life on Earth. There are two types of Panspermia- the first being that alien life was accidentally carried by meteorites or comets whilst the other theory, which is called directed Panspermia, suggests that extraterrestrials sent life to earth on purpose through meteorites or comets. In 1998, small meteorites crashed on our planet Earth. They were researched by scientists and it was found that they contained amino acids (which were the building blocks of life) with water. This was a revolutionary discovery that led many people to believe that the Panspermia theory is correct.

The alternative to the Panspermia theory is the primordial juice theory which, in simple terms, means that young-Earth might have important chemicals necessary for life present in the oceans. Earth's original blend of gases produced a broth of organic molecules when exposed to light and heat, eventually forming the building blocks of life in amino acids. These chemicals were self-assembled to form simple living cells. This theory has experimented and it proved that organic molecules or building blocks of life, can be made from inorganic materials. However, making life from scratch has proved to be a lot more complicated with scientists disagreeing about which chemical components of life came first, which of life’s processes came first, and where on Earth life first arose. It is also thought that the primordial soup theory is still in the work of creating more diverse life on our planet.

This essay has argued the two theories which hypothetically explain how life originated on our home planet, Earth yet there is no complete evidence for either of these theories being true and hence the answer to how life began on earth still remains a mystery. This essay also hovers over the topic of extraterrestrial life existing and being the reason for life originating on earth. Regardless of how it emerged, it is clear that the first life forms were called single-celled organisms which used the method of fragmentation to clone and multiply. The evolutionary theory still remains the same which explains the diversity of life forms afterlife had already begun.

525 words

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Part 3

The moon was shining quite bright. The sky was as clear as glass. Stars which shown upon the sky winked at you. The sky was clear and calm but the same thing couldn't be said from where you were standing. Trapped, you feel the gruesome animals come closer to you. Your hand instinctively moves towards your jeans pocket in which your dagger is kept. You can feel the desperation you have to get out of this. You slowly bring out your dagger, not to show sudden movements. “Nice dog,” you whisper. The ‘dogs’ were not pleased by this comment. They kept circling and prowling at you, even, sometimes, coming deadly close to you. They seemed to enjoy this. You tried to disperse your anger, you couldn't afford to be lunch for them. Yet, you still couldn't figure out what they were. One of them, either the bravest or the stupidest, lunged at you. You back away, slowly falling in the way. Well, that goes your heroicness. “Mother,” you whisper to the stars quietly praying, “Help me”. Meanwhile, the ‘dog’ was still trying to find out the best way you could be lunch, at least from your point of view, it looked like so. That's when you notice what it was. “You are a-a-” “Werewolf, the first werewolf in history,” said Lycaon. The story kept flooding back to you, this was the guy who tried to kill you when you were just a kid. This was the guy who killed your mother. This was the guy, this was the guy who made your life a living nightmare for as long as you had remembered. Rage filled in you. You try to muster your energy and try to put aside your shock and teariness. “What do you want?” you tried in a strong voice but it came out as a squeak. “Something you have,” was his only response. You could see the smirk growing on his face. His face was showing amusement, which didn't last long.

You appear not to look horrified, which you were. You stand there curling the dagger in your hand. Deciding against it, you talked to the beast, “Why did you kill my mother?” you demanded. His smirk only grew wider, “She was trying to protect you, she wouldn't have died if you had died when you were a kid.” This got your attention. ‘I, was responsible for my mother’s death?' you thought. “No, no, no, no” you started muttering. You looked up and saw that the wolf was only trying to break me. “You are wrong!” You yelled at the top of both your lunges. The wolf looked surprised he wasn't shouted at very often. You tried to blink away the tears. Oh, thank god, they came. Girls, dressed in armor, ran towards us and started shooting arrows towards Lycaon and his minions with deadly accuracy. You were saved. You ran for your life, till you got out of the woods. Everything seemed like a new beginning. Your thoughts of what Lycaon had said kept circling in your mind. You tried to break out of them but they just kept coming back. That's when you heard the girls who had saved you running out of the forest. “Run!” one of them yelled, she looked like the leader. You stood there, confused. Surely the wolves had retreated? That did not seem like it. A pack of wolves was howling, you could feel them coming closer. Although you were extremely tired, you ran like the east wind.

“That was a nice way to figure out,” you say while slowing down after running a couple of miles out of the forest. The mysterious girls had already reached what looked like a large house. It was a castle. A very big castle. “Woah,” was your only response.

“It’s our hideout,” the leader girl said who had unnaturally gotten a sudden interest in you. “I don’t think that a hideout should be this big or it shouldn’t be called a hideout,” You didn't like how the girl was looking at you like she was judging you, and seriously, you don't like to be judged. She crossed her arms and bent her head slightly. Somehow, she reminded you of the old queens. “You have got courage,” she said, “Want to join us?”

“Woah, there, let's first start with introductions before you start judging me, and then I'll make a decision for whether to join your girl group or not,“ The girl behind the leader chuckled. You found this kind of disrespectful. ”I am-“ you begin but were cut off by the leader girl. ”We already know who you are, it's time you know about us,“ she said, despite your comment about being judge-y and all, you thought that she was bossy, ”We are the Hunters of the goddess Artemis, and we want you to join our hunt,“

”You mean the goddess Artemis?“ you said, surprised, ”She is just a myth, like the other gods,“ The leader smiled and beckoned me inside the castle. Though you were now more confused than ever, your curiosity got the best of you and followed.

Despite how big the castle was, the hunters seemed to know where they were going. You and the group of girls turned back and forth. We stopped mid-corridor. ”Don't tell me we are lost,“ you said out aloud. You surely couldn't be more tired in your life than tonight. ”Watch and learn,“ one of them said. She pushed a brick on the side of the wall. The brick went inside and a clearing started to open, steam issued from sides. The steam cleared and what you saw wasn't what you had expected. Someone was sitting in the room, a… girl who was close to her teenage years. ”Well that was dramatic,“ you said sarcastically.

”Think what you say,“ the leader warned then turned to the girl ”We have banished Lycaon from the woods, miss,” she said. You were not sure why the hunters were calling the girl ‘miss’ but you decided to go with it, you had seen a lot of weird things this night and this was definitely not in the top three. Your mother, you suddenly remembered. The sorrow of losing her filled you up again. “It's okay,” you thought, “The beast was only trying to break me and well, it had succeeded,” The memory of your mother, how she died would now haunt you forever and to think you was responsible for all of that.

Someone tapped you on your back which brought you back to the present. The girl who was sitting rose, “Hello, young maiden. I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt and wild animals.” You stood there, not sure how to respond to this, stunned. This twelve-year-old was a goddess? “Ah, I see, you are surprised by my age. Yes, many people are. I can be anything,” she said, “A man, star, the moon, anything. Yet, I choose to represent myself as a normal twelve-year-old girl,”

“But-but you are-were a myth,” you stuttered. “Most people believe so, others, know better,” she said with humor. “This is my hunt,” she stated proudly, “and this is Eleanor, the leader, as you have already guessed.” You were still stunned by asked, “You-you want me to join your hunt?”
“You showed courage in the woods, but there is something big you would have to sacrifice, you have to treat all men as brothers, nothing more than that, in exchange for immortality,” Artemis ended. “Im-immortality?” This had gotten your interest up, you forgot about the supposedly ‘big’ sacrifice. “I will join!”
“All you have to do is pledge yourself to the goddess and also pledge to treat all men in brotherhood,”
“I-I pledge,”
“Good, now we have to hunt Lycaon and bring him down, for good”
“That guy who-who killed my mother,” you say hesitantly. Artemis nodded. “We have been hunting him for thousands of years, some of my hunters died in the way but others are right here,”
I thought I had heard something wrong, thousand years? You turned to your fellow hunters, “So you guys have been living for thousands of years?” A few nodded.
“So, we have to hunt this werewolf,” Artemis smiled and said to you, “Let's see if you're up for it,”
_____

(I wrote the story in second person so I am just switching the main character to a girl named Ellie)

SCENE 1: The Forest
The stage is in a night setting.  Ellie is surrounded by wolf-looking animals but she doesn't know what they are. She trembles and slowly tries to pull our her dagger from her jeans pocket.

ELLIE
(Whispers)
Nice dog, nice dog

The wolves keep prowling around her

ELLIE
(Stuttering)
You are a-a-

LYCAON
Werewolf, the first werewolf in history

Ellie remembers that he, or rather it tried to kill her when she was just a kid. It also killed her mother. Rage filled her.

ELLIE
(Squeakily)
What do you want?

LYCAON
(Smirks)
Something you have.

Ellie tries to appear strong

ELLIE
(Demanding)
Why did you kill my mother

LYCAON
She was trying to protect you, she wouldn't have died if you had died when you were a kid.

Ellie thinks, ‘I, was responsible for my mother’s death?'.

ELLIE
(Mutters)
No, no, no, no

(Yelling at top of her lungs)
You are wrong!

Ellie tries to blink away the

Girls, dressed in armor, came running on the stage and started shooting arrows towards the wolves.

Ellie ran and exited the stage as the wolves start to run away from the girls
…..

SCENE 2: The Castle

A large castle appears in front of the girls

THE LEADER OF THE GIRLS
(Proudly)
It’s our hideout

ELLIE
I don’t think that a hideout should be this big or it shouldn’t be called a hideout.

The leader looks at Ellie, as if judging her. She tilts her head to one side.

THE LEADER OF THE GIRLS
You have got courage, want to join us?”

ELLIE
Woah, there, let's first start with introductions before you start judging me, and then I'll make a decision for whether to join your girl group or not
The girl behind the leader chuckles.

ELLIE
I am-

LEADER OF THE GIRLS
We already know who you are, it's time you know about us.
We are the Hunters of the goddess Artemis, and we want you to join our hunt.

ELLIE
(Confused)
You mean the goddess Artemis? She is just a myth, like the other green gods

The leader smiled and beckons Ellie inside the castle. Ellie follows her quietly.

Ellie followed the group back and forth. They stop mid-corridor.

ELLIE
(Exasperated)
Don't tell me we are lost!

RANDOM GIRL
Watch and learn.

The girl who has spoken pushed a brick on the side of the wall. The brick went inside and a clearing started to open, steam issued from sides. The steam cleared and what Ellie held up her breath as she saw what was inside.
….

SCENE 3: THE ROOM

A girl in her teens were sitting in the room.

ELLIE
(Sarcastic)
Well that was dramatic.

LEADER OF THE GIRLS
(Warn)
Watch what you say.

(To the girl in the room)
We have banished Lycaon from the woods, miss.

A girl taps on Ellie’s back. The girl sitting in the room rises up.

THE GIRL
Hello, young maiden. I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt and wild animals.

Ellie stands their dumbstruck, trying to think a good response for the statement.

GODDESS ARTEMIS
Ah, I see, you are surprised by my age. Yes, many people are. In fact, I can be anything
A man, star, the moon, anything. Yet, I choose to represent myself as a normal fourteen-year-old girl as this is the age young woman normally join my hunt.

ELLIE
(Stuttering)
But-but you are-were a myth

GODDESS ARTEMIS
(With humour)
Most people believe so, others, well they know better

(Proudly, gesturing towards the other girls)
This is my hunt and this is Eleanor, the leader, as you have already guessed.

ELLIE
(Stuttering)
You-you want me to join your hunt?


GODDESS ARTEMIS
You showed courage in the woods, but there is something big you would have to sacrifice, you have to treat all men as brothers, nothing more than that, in exchange for immortality.

ELLIE
(Stuttering)
Im-immortality?
I will join!

GODDESS ARTEMIS
All you have to do is pledge yourself to me and also pledge to treat all men in brotherhood.

ELLIE
(Stuttering)
I-I pledge.

GODDESS ARTEMIS
Good, now we have to hunt Lycaon and bring him down, for good.

ELLIE
(Hesitantly)
That guy who-who killed my mother

GODDESS ARTEMIS
We have been hunting him for thousands of years, some of my hunters died in the way but others are right here.

ELLIE
(Dumbstruck)
So you guys have been living for thousands of years?

GODDESS ARTEMIS
So, we have to hunt this werewolf. Let's see if you're up for it.

The End

752 words

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Part 3

Type 1: Expository writing :]

Is life possible on different planets?

Among the stunning variety of worlds in our vast solar system, Earth is the only planet known to host life. Many people have wondered, is life possible outside our planet Earth? This is an intriguing question for scientists. While some say that things necessary for the survival of living things are not present on other planets, others think different.

If we talk about planets in our solar system, Mercury and Venus have been ruled out for their orbit is too close to the sun hence living things cannot survive in such heat. Mars, on the other hand, shows signs of potential habitability. There is a slim chance that microbial life exists on Mars today. Though Martian soil has some nutrients need for plants to grow and survive, it is not yet completely proven that it is possible for life to grow on Mars. If we move on to the other bigger planets such as the Gas Giant or Jupiter. Though it is proven that life cannot support life due to its temperature and pressure which are too extreme for the human race to cope, it is possible that some of Jupiter’s moons can sustain life. As for Saturn, it is also proven that it cannot inhabit life because of the same reasons as Jupiter. As ice giants, Uranus and Neptune do not have solid surfaces. Life may be present on these planets but it is most unlikely.

The main components needed for the survival of human race on different planets are- Water, which is available on Uranus and Neptune, it may also be available on mars but it is not yet proven. Carbon is necessary for the creation of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Nitrogen and phosphorous which help with the creation of DNA. Another main chemical necessary is Sulphur which allows enzymes to function properly. Only with the collection of these very important things can life be sustained on any planet. It is found that on some planets all of these components are there but the temperature or pressure in the ecosystem is far too incapable of sustaining life.

It is also found that it is necessary for the location of the planet to be not too far from or not too close to the sun. Hence, to close the topic, life is possible on different planets only if some important chemicals are present in the planet’s ecosystem.

404 words

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Type 2: Persuasive Writing

What's the most interesting subject to learn?

This is a controversial topic. There are different responses for different students. A survey was taken by the Cambridge English Global Education which provided that Mathematics was thought to be the most interesting subject to learn worldwide by 38% of the responders who were students between the age of 12-19 years. English Language was the second most popular choice between the students.

Personally, I believe every subject is interesting to learn if, and only if, the student has his/her fascination in it. There would have been thousands of students who would have not responded to this survey hence, the most interesting subject for students worldwide is yet to be fully determined.

English Language might not be taught in many different schools which only teaches the native language of the student while Mathematics is quite hard to learn for some students while others think that it is very easy. If we take the subject of History, it might be that some people find it very boring but other people find it quite interesting. Science is sometimes too complicated for some students whilst other see it as a branch of knowledge they can learn easily. Many students find multiple subjects interesting and hence do not divulge in the topic of which is their favourite.

The reason for a huge population liking the subjects of Mathematics and English are because the real-life applications of these subjects are endless. Numbers help us understand the world while Math makes us understand numbers. From computers to even playing sports, math is used everywhere. On the other hand, English helps us understand many different languages in simpler ways. English also has such an interesting history attached to it. English also gives us the liberty of connecting to people around the world, no matter their country or continent.

It is also found that, in different countries, students find different subjects interesting. This may be because of the education systems in those particular countries which effect the education of the students.

From this, we can prove that every person has a different perspective hence it can not be said by one person that most students worldwide find only one particular subject interesting. The interest in particular subjects depends on who the person is, where they are from, et cetera. Still it varies from individual to individual.Subjects are never interesting or boring, the response and attitude, by the person, towards them make them.

412 words

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+2393 words!!!!!!!!

Weekly!
part 1:
The battle of the stone tower-a ballad
The sky was a fine azure
Great stones they lay on the ground
The sea as green as anything can be
And the tower was perfectly round

So high it reached
It skimmed the very sky
Loomed over the stones like a great shadow
That fell where bodies would lie

The army of the north was in circles
Round as the tower was too
Their logic spun them round and round
Till they made the world anew

Their red cloaks shone with pride
Red as the blood that would fall
Their golden swords and guarded sheilds
Would be the death of them all

The army of the west were waiting
Cold and calculating as they were
Their cloaks the shade of the sky’s favourite soup
How ruthless, they would offend her

Upon nyx’s gauze, west crept
Tiny and quite as a mouse
Into and up the stone tower
To claim and call it their house

Upon helio’s return,
the sky as blue as before
Suddenly turned grey as the cloaks they donned
As arrows rained galore

One last North hid out and shuddered
Weakened by an army’s death
They soon got to work on a catapult
Ah yes, they would have the last breath

Working in secret they did,
Hiding behind the rubble
Then to fill the catapult with bombs and flint
Oh there would be trouble

The bombs crashed into the tower
knocking it from it’s great post
The west army’s defeat was imminent
‘Twas the land that gained the most

Some hours later,
As helios was bidding goodnight,
A young archer with a cloak as grey as sky’s favourite soup
Stepped from the rubble and gave North a fright

The two soldiers looked at one another
As different as any could be
Decided there had been too much bloodshed
And they could both go free

They embraced like siblings and walked
Into the colour-ridden sky
For why had they been enemies
Neither could remember why

Springtime
This morning the sky was so blue,
The trees were budding and plants grew,
The day was so fine,
I wish it was mine,
The world was borne anew

Sleep
Warm, covers comfort
Dreams fill my brain with such light
It’s time for some sleep

Enchanted wood
Ethereal mist fills the air, dotted with specks of light
Nomads lurking in the shadows, hiding from the world
Coin-like leaves exchanged as fairies share their trade
High up in the canopy rests the birds
A’sleeping till’ the new day comes
Never has the night been so beautiful
Than when the sky it’self hums
Even when the phoenixes fly
Down to the forest floor
Waiting they make not a sound
Oh to wait till the morning they adore
Orange fills the sky just then
Delivering the morning they adore

Softly slowly
Slowly
Softly they
Creep towards the wide
Wide window and into the nest
Throats bleed

part 2:

My essay on why blue is the best colour for the sky to be

The sky has many different colours ranging from the rosiests pink to the darkest blacks. It’s wide array of colours is created through the light spectrum and how far light travels as the sun is setting. But what is the most superior colour? I believe it is not bright, vibrant yellow. Not tangy, zing-filled orange. Not quite, confusing purple. Not deep angerfull red but blue. I believe this due to the implications of the colour itself and the subsequent effect it can have on people’s emotions and general wellbeing because of these implications.

So, what is blue? Blue is one of the primary colours, it lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light and is created when the eye perceives something with a dominant wavelength of approximately 450-495 nanometres. It’s also the main colour we see during the day. The other colour we see the most is grey especially in the winter and that colour is significantly more gloomy. We see the blue sky on clear sunny days and it’s that association that makes a person smile the most when the sky tuns this amazing colour. Especially in the dark and gloomy days of the winter, having that little snippet of blue can make remind a person of bright, sun-filled days when they practically lived in the sea and ate nothing but iceream and fish and chips. It’ll remind them of springtime mornings when they ran in fields full of daffodils and kissed the heads of the emerging crocuses because they just felt so happy at seeing the world come alive. It’ll remind them of warm september afternoons when they cycled over the rolling hills , up to the highest peaks and watched the leaves turn orange, yellow and red. Cloudbusting, cycling, and nacissai, all of these represent days when the sky is a beautiful, bright blue and the association with those memories undoubtedly makes the world look brighter in those long winter months. For example, a year ago, we had just gotten back from lockdown and i was in a pretty not so good place in my life , i had come back to realise all the girls in my year were terrible people which was a shock to my happy-go-lucky heart and i was developing anxiety which i still suffere from today. Although i’m in a happier place now in many respects, one of the things that kept me going was looking out of my classroom window and seeing the sky. It reminded me of the summer where i would have socially-distanced picnics with my friends every friday and running in the fields of my local green area with them. The blue sky tied itself in my mind with those happier times and got me through that period of my life. I would like to think that the blue sky can have similar connotations for other too and can help anyone retrieve a lost memory of a springtime walk or a summer long past.

In conclusion, i believe that the blue sky is the most superior colour due to the happy memories it’s often associated with. I hope it can help others the way it helped me <3.

part 3:
Script
Morrigan and Teddy are in a laboratory in the corner of a library. Bookshelves line the walls and in the center is a table covered with a complex structure of potion bottles, firerunes and test tubes. Teddy is slicing mandrake roots and concentrating very hard.

Mog: You know you look imbecilic with your face like that?

Teddy *rolls eyes and turns to the audience*: at least it’s better than the narration

Mog: I am now sitting next to my idiotic friend as they try very hard not to mess up an elementary task

Teddy: I didn’t know you could read minds ,Mog

Morrigan: don’t call me mog, and of course i can, i happen to be psychic didn’t you know?

Teddy *laughs and sets down the knife*: ok prove it

Mog: well, at this moment you’re thinking about the timeframe between now and lunch

Teddy *mock horror*: how did you know???

Mog: there’s alot you don’t know about me Teddy, you however are like an open book, i can red your pages anytime merely by looking upon your face.

Teddy *indignantly*: hey! I can be mysterious!

Teddy starts to leap about the stage swishing his cloak and chanting ‘i am a mysterious arcane force of good hear me roar!’ Mog who hasn’t smiled this entier exchange starts to grin and then freezes in horror as teddy crashes into the table knocking over the blue bottle into the potion and dripping an orange bottle onto his arm

Mog: that was storm giant sweat, it’s extremely volatile it could ruin that potion! Oh what will the sorceress say?

Teddy turns pale and starts shrieking

Teddy: AHHHH IT BURNS

Mog goes over to teddy and examines the orange bottle

Mog: Scylla venom…… oh no

The door swings open and the sorceress struts into the room
Cue dramatic music

Sorceress: why aren’t the the mandrake roots chopped? I specifically asked them to be, you two should know by now that when i ask orders, they need to be followed
Mog: it’s teddy m’am, he spilt scylla venom on his arm and i’m unaware of the antidote
Sorceress: that’s simple, you boy, go and find some monkshood

Teddy trys to get up clutching his burning arm and stumbles mog tries to rush over to help him but they’re stopped by the sorceress.

sorceress : No, you stay here

The sorceress walks over to the glass structure and takes out the now deep blue bottle which gives a violent jolt every few minuites. This can be achieved with some physical acting on the sorceress’s part. She walks over to whe a line of ants are forming a line to pick up the mandrake roots and places her hand above them. She draws a run in the air similar to a triangle and one of the ants is singles out and grows to the size of a large dog. Mog looks on in amazement. The sorceress gestures to mog.

sorceress : now, if you haven’t messed this up, the potion will emit some pink smoke once poured and will send the ant into a deep sleep. Watch.

She pours a singular drop of the potion onto the ant and the stage fills with smoke, blue lighting flashes and teddy screams ‘stop stop! You’re hurting them’ the the smoke clears the sorceress is standing straight as a board, teddy is on the floor horrified and mog is leaning forward likes they’d never seen something more amazing in their lifetime.

Sorceress: an almost perfect lightning potion, but not quite. You did this?
Mog: indeed i did
Sorceress: you, girl what is your name

Mog flinches slightly at being called a girl

Mog: Morrigan, you took me and my associate as apprentices three months ago.
Sorceress: do you know what you have just created?

Morrigan shakes their head

Sorceress: you have created an almost perfect lighting potion, a single drop can destroy something that size, imagine what a whole flagellon could do!

Mogs eyes light up with the thought of having that much power

Sorceress: it’s taken me over a century to create one even half as effective as your’s .
She gestures to mog to come closer

Sorceress: we’re going to do great things you and I
Mog: yes we are

part 4:
The meaning of life

The meaning of life. Many have tried to answer this elusive question but none have succeeded. In light of the oncoming weekly deadline in three hours, i’m going to attempt to voice my interpretation on the subject and talk about other’s thoughts too.

Disclaimer: i do not in any way think that i, a thirteen year old person have the answer to this long pondered question but i only wish to voice my own interpretation on the subject.

So to start with what is life? Well life is something that distinguishes plants and animals from inorganic matter or so says the google dictionary. But what really is it? Is it the ability to think and feel? No that’s sapience. Is it the ability to breath? No, the way we as humans ‘breathe’ is quite different to the way some animals and plants ‘breathe’. Life is the ability to do things on your own. By this i mean, a rock can move but it needs help to move be that from an animal, rain, gravity ; a sheep ,however, can move around and eat grass without any outside help from forces or otherwise. So to live is to do.

Now that we’ve defined life we have to look into the age-old question of it’s meaning. There are millions and billions of planets out there and so far earth is the only one we’ve found life on. If we are in fact the only living things in the universe then earth is in fact the most remarkable place in all the universe. To be able to produce things that can do things without the help of outside sources is something incredible. When one looks at this statement one can’t help but ask ‘why?’.
Why us, how us, what meaning do we as organisms have to our existence?

Some have tried to say that life is created to serve. Whether that be a thought of selflessness or a religious belief, people belive the meaning of life is to serve another. Some dicate this to be diving work. They state that animals and the human race in particular were created by a god so they could serve said god. Beliefs like these come from monotheistic religions such as christiantiy, Islam, Jewdaism and all of their sub-categories. Others have a similar belief but they belive to live life to serve others. Simply, others. They have a very selfless viewpoint and wish to go about existing to serve the people around them. Whether this be in charity work for the less fortunate or in simple actions like holding the door for everyone who passes until they themselves are late for the thing they were helping others get to.
While there is nothing objectively wrong with either of these types of thinking, it can lead to unhealthy ideas and habits. To always think of others means to never think about you or what you want ,which is pretty bad for the human psyche.

Instead i propose you live life for you. Not to please your family, not to please a deity, not to help other but for yourself. You can still do all of those things but you can also do things for you and help out yourself.

And so, i propose the meaning of life to be self happiness. As long as you do what you love and what is good and healthy for you then you’ll be succeeding.

The start of the age of exploration
The turn of the 15th century was a good time to be a cartographer, maps were in high demand as people were starting to explore the world they lived in.
Although people had known the world was round for millenia -ideas of it having dated back to ancient egypt- it really took people actually going out and exploring it to realise there was actually things over there.
Between the accidental ‘discovery’ of a new continent and the realisation made by the portuguese that you could bypass rival trade routes by going around africa to get to india, the world became larger but also way more accesible.
For better or for way worse -looking at you conquistadors- the world was becoming wayy more traveled than it had ever been previously and it kickstarted an era.

This all started with the kingdoms of Iberia laying the groundwork for this cartography craze by exploring the ocean that lay in their metaphorical back garden. In the 1400s, I beria was home to four separate kingdoms: the christian kingdoms of Portugal, Castile and Aragon with the muslim emirate of Granada at the southern tip having only just backed out of being in control of all of Iberia as Al-Andalus during the medieval period and the golden age of Islam. Once the christian states took over, they didn’t destroy all remenats of the incredible cool, transcontinetal, ethnically diverse society but instead took heavy inspiration from it as seen in two key examples: their architecture and their notes on scholarly topics such as astronomy, cartography and navigation . Knowledge which would prove invaluable in the centuries to come. These kingdoms despite being rich in architecture and culture, were in fact very low on the actual money department. So with traderoutes inthe mediterranean beaing closely guarded by other countries, they got the incredible idea to just go the other way.

They were motivated by the typical renaissance and medieval muslim ideals of scientific inquiry and saw the natural exploration as a celebration of god’s world and with so many tales of the magnificent lands that lay just beyond the horizon, they were sold and set out at once to explore.

Unfortunately for the places they were visiting, the christian kingdoms of portugal were also invested with the christian zeal to convert and conquer which was put upon them by centuries of prior crusading and would definitely make a few changes in the futures of the lands they would explore .

~March 3rd-9th~
Main Cabin Weekly
Total Word Count (Individual ones below): 2,400
Main Post: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/post/6081187/

1: 300 exactly ;-;

Creativity: Haiku
Small, shaking child
Awaits a chance to shine, and
Yet she hides from it

Writer's Block: Free verse
Destructive raging thing
Ravages the creativity
Rips it to shreds
Leaves it there to rot

Annoying pest
Buzzes at the back
Your mind cannot handle it
Won’t leave you alone

Supposedly invincible
Yet you can overcome
The annoying pest and destructive thing
Can be overcome

Don’t let it control you
You control it
It is no more
If you just say so

Lovely: Acrostic
Let all who hear me
Observe!
Very loudly I will say
Even let the heavens hear
Let them see
You, Lord, love himself

Four: Cinquain
Smallest smile
Largest grin
Those two have in common
Not much, as you’ll think
When in reality they convey the same

Five: Limerick
I brushed my teeth this morning
I could barely do it without snoring
My morning routine
As messy as it seems
Is still immensely boring
(I have absolutely no idea about what I was going for here…. Help-)

Something: Acrostic
Something caught my eye
Or otherwise intrigued
Me. It was
Everything I could have imagined,
Though it was a bit unseemly
However
I must tell you,
Now I must go and say
God removed my memory of it, and I forgot that day

Long: Acrostic
Lo, and behold!
Oh look upon its glory.
Now turn around and say to me,
Go make that line in your poem shorter.

Sound: Haiku
Sound is very cool
Little waves in the air, so
Try to disprove me

Family: Free Verse
I love my family!
Beautiful, lovely family!
Though sometimes they annoy me
And others they make me mad
I love them with all my heart
I love my family

Oh: Free verse
Oh
Oh joy.
Oh my.
I can’t get rid of that letter in my sentences.
Oh my gosh! I did it!
Right?

2: 514 (including title) 506 (without)
For Heroes: Whether They Wear Capes or Not
We all know superheroes. Flashy, colorful suits, secret identities and heroic acts. What if I told you that there are real life superheroes? Now of course, they don’t have superpowers, and they probably don’t wear flashy suits. These real life superheroes are just ordinary people with extraordinary bravery and servant-like behavior.
Heroes are essential staples in society, and without them we would crumble.

I’ve talked about Heroes, but what are they really? Heroes are people that perform a heroic act without any thought to themselves and instead value others. They’re servants, whether in small ways or in big ways. Heroes are amazing people. They step up to do what’s right where cowards fail.
You have heroes all around you. That kid that might’ve stood up for another kid is a hero. A person who was willing to risk their life for another’s is a hero. The one who helps an elderly person across the street is a hero.
While cowards only care about what’s best for them, heroes are willing to risk themselves for others.

What type of person is the opposite of a hero? A coward. Have you heard of General Horatio Gates? He was quite the coward. He received command of the Continental Army in the south. In a battle against Lord Cornwallis and his soldiers, he rushed away on his horse! The coward covered 180 miles in about three days. The actions of a coward are selfish, while a hero’s actions only include thoughts about others.

Looking into the mind of a hero, you might see thoughts like these, It’ll be beneficial for others, it’ll make their lives better. I can muster the strength. I can make others’ lives better.” The hero doesn’t care about clout or popularity, they care about other people. They, whether in big acts or small, care primarily about others.

You might think that the words ‘do-gooder’ and ‘hero’ are interchangeable, but they’re not. Do-gooders are people that do good, like the name. However, they might not always do it for selfless reasons. A true hero does good for the good of others, not for themself. Do-gooders do good, sure, but it is not always for others. This is what makes a hero better than a do-gooder.

In ‘Heroic Madelon’, the story says, “Madelon was sitting at a table, asleep with her gun across her arms.” This shows Madelon’s vigilance. Heroes are good examples for those around them. They show vigilance, bravery, selflessness and love for others. Madelon protected those in the fort, keeping it until her father’s return. She defended it against the Iroquois, saving the lives of everyone in the fort.

Heroes are amazing people. Stand with me and support these brave, wonderful people. Heroes, like Madelon, are willing to lead and protect. They pull through hard situations, whether they’re little or large. Heroic people are all around us, and they should be given more recognition. They show honor and give out justice. We should always be grateful to heroes and for what they’ve done for us.

3: 713 words
Scene 1:
JABARI and FAYOLA are standing in a field, bows in hand. They’re standing by a target with arrows sticking out of it. JABARI takes a shot, landing a few inches from center.

JABARI
Yeah! Best that, Fayola!

FAYOLA
Oh trust me, I will.

She takes a shot, landing Bullseye, winning the game.

FAYOLA
I win!

JABARI
I was just going easy on you.

FAYOLA
Yeah right, I saw the shock on your face when I-

Their mother ADAH approaches, cutting FAYOLA off.

ADAH
I’m glad to see that you two are practicing your archery. Your father will be proud.

ADAH
Anyways, Fayola, the hunting party is leaving in an hour, so you might want to head back to the village to prepare. And Jabari, your father requests your presence for tonight’s feast. While you two were out here, a few foreigners stopped by, and your father is preparing a feast to welcome them.

FAYOLA and JABARI clean up the archery target and grab arrows. They then follow ADAH off stage.

Scene 2:
FAYOLA grabs weapons from the weapon house to the side. She goes to the stables and to her horse. JOVAN approaches her.

JOVAN
Hey Fay. Going out with us today?

FAYOLA
Yes. Ebony is all better from that honey badger incident, so she should be good to go.

JOVAN
Good. I can’t wait to have you back with us.

FAYOLA and JOVAN take their horses and join the group of hunters.

Scene 3:
JABARI and EKON are setting up for the feast.

EKON
How was your archery session with Fayola?

JABARI
It was good.

EKON
Did she win?

JABARI
Yes.

EKON laughs and they continue to set up. SERVANT comes up, carrying food.

SERVANT
The foreigners have arrived, chief.

EKON
Let them come.

EKON takes a seat at the head of the table, JABARI sits beside him. FAYOLA joins them, with servants bringing back the meat. ADAH is nowhere to be seen. The foreigners sit at the table with them. EKON stands up.

EKON
Thank you all for coming. While I am still not aware of why you’re here, I would be happy to hear of your journey here while we share our meal. Please feel free to grab whatever food you wish.

Everyone begins to eat.
FOREIGNER 1
Do you mind if I tell you now?

EKON
Not at all.

FOREIGNER 1
Well, we were fleeing from a war. We found your village and were hoping to stay for a while.

EKON
We would be happy to have your company. Feel free, you and your party, to stay as long as you like.

FOREIGNER 2
Thank you! You’re very generous.

EKON
No need to thank me. I’ll help you arrange where you all are to stay while you all are here.

Scene 4:
Everyone is around a campfire. JOVAN is walking towards it. FAYOLA is sitting down on a log and JOVAN slides into the seat next to her.

JOVAN
Hey, Fay. What do you think of the foreigners?

FAYOLA
I think that they’re nice.

JOVAN
How long do you think that they’ll stay?

FAYOLA
I’m not sure.

Scene 5:
It’s nighttime, and everyone is asleep. Suddenly, ATTACKERS run in and start setting the village on fire. FAYOLA runs out of the village with JABARI, running to get her horse, Ebony. FAYOLA, on her way out, had grabbed a sack full of weapons and food, and was fighting an ATTACKER with a staff.

FAYOLA
Jabari! Get Ebony out of her stall and get out of here!

JABARI affirms and gets Ebony out. By then, FAYOLA had defeated the attacker and hopped onto Ebony’s back with JABARI.

FAYOLA
We need to circle back to the village. We need to find survivors.

JABARI
We should start with Mother and Father’s hut.

FAYOLA
Agreed.

They ride Ebony to the village. No one is there besides a few attackers. Everyone seems to have fled. JABARI and FAYOLA are confused and are looking around for everyone.

JABARI
Wait, stop. We should grab some food while we’re here.

FAYOLA
Alright, but be quick.

JABARI gets food and hops back onto the horse.

FAYOLA
We should try and find everyone.

JABARI
Maybe they went west, to the other clans?

FAYOLA
We’ll try that way.

END
4:

Piece One: Biography (416 words, not including quotes)

Corrie Ten Boom once wrote, “In darkness God's truth shines most clear.”

I first was fascinated with Corrie Ten Boom when I watched an animated short movie about her. This movie showed me her story in an interesting and easy to follow way. I watched her and her family suffer at the hands of the Nazi’s, and yet with almost every breath Corrie breathed out God’s love for others. She forgave the cruelest soldier that mistreated her and so many others. She was loving and kind. She helped Jews out of her homeland during one of the hardest times for them. She said that, “When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds.”
“God has no problems, only plans.”
We can clearly see this through her story.

Corrie Ten Boom lived with her father and sister. They were watchmakers, and they loved God. The Ten Boom family, while not being Jews themselves, started to help Jews, hiding them from the Nazi’s, feeding them and eventually smuggling them out of the country to safety. However, one day, they were found out. Corrie and her family were arrested.
Just like that, their family was sent to a concentration camp. There, many things happened. Betsy and Corrie slept in these buildings in the concentration camps, many of which, including their own, were infested with lice. While this may seem like a curse, it was a blessing in disguise. The soldiers were too scared to enter the buildings because of the lice, and because of this Corrie was able to preach about God’s word uninterupted and without any of the Nazi’s finding out.
Corrie’s sister, Betsy, got sick and died. She happened to die only a few days before Corrie was miraculously released. During the process of being in those camps, Corrie’s father also died. Corrie, through all this, still remained strong.

Corrie, after her release, continued to preach about the grace of God. She, even after losing all of her family, still trusted in God and that he had a plan for her life.

Corrie’s story is so inspiring. It shows true faith in God through the hardest times. I hope that one day I could accumulate that much faith in God.

What can we take from Corrie’s story? Well, in her words, “God has no problems, only plans.” Corrie showed great kindness to those around her. She trusted in God and never forgot that He loves her. God has shown us through her story that even in the darkest times, He will provide for you, even if it isn’t in a way you want.

Piece Two: 402 words

Why you should learn piano.

Music is a wonderful outlet for many people. If you like music, then you’ll probably go to your Youtube Music page and in one of those songs, you’ll probably hear the distinct sound of piano. Piano is a staple in the music industry. Piano is considered, at least by my family, an essential part of our schooling. I learn songs like Fur Elise, but I also learn songs like Hot Cross Buns (my first one ever!). Besides that, however, I’ve learned how to play Vibrant Eyes by CG5 and the Wellerman (No idea who it’s originally by), some of my favorite songs. This allows me to learn both new songs and old songs, no matter the genre.
Piano is an instrument that you can play any song on and it will sound absolutely amazing. Piano also is a basis for other instruments, teaching you an easy way to learn individual notes and chords. Piano is also a really fun pastime. I’ve been learning my favorite songs and singing along to my hands pounding (or not) the keyboard. It gives me a great sense of pride (the good kind) and I love hearing beautiful sounds coming from the instrument.
Piano is very beneficial. Whenever I play music, I feel like a whole different person. My friends that also play piano have felt like this as well.
Piano is a good learning experience. For me, when I learn dynamics, I know that there’s a time to be loud and a time to be quiet. I love seeing myself progress with piano, and looking at how it affects my life outside of just the musical world.
Is piano not really your thing? Do you prefer strumming strings or banging on drums? Well, even if it isn’t your thing, I would still recommend learning. Why? Piano is an instrument that encourages keeping beat, since with most (if not all) the pieces you play require that you keep a timely beat. It also helps you learn different notes and chords, which is essential if you want to learn a stringed instrument like guitar.
I’ve been rambling for a while now, but I believe, truly, that piano is an amazing instrument. It helps calm me down, helps me learn chords and helps me keep time. Piano is such a great instrument, and I’m proud to say that I know how to play it.

~March 3rd-9th~
In-Cabin Weekly
Total Word Count (Individual ones below): 1,427
Main Post: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/post/6081187/

1: 403
“Will the Dream-Walkers hurt me?” I asked, shivering in my sheets.
Mom pulled the blanket up and tucked it in. “Not if I have anything to say about it, my dear.”

I hate Dream-Walkers. Everyone calls them DW’s, but for me that reminds me too much of a kid show’s character. Off of that, the Dream-Walkers are specters that selectively haunt people’s dreams each night. They have a few victims that they go back to recurrently. I happen to be one of them.

“The Dream-Walker search has been initiated once again after several failed attempts. The government hasn’t found any yet, but using our new tech, we will hopefully increase the number of arrested Dream-Walkers shortly.”
Before the reporter could say anything else, I shut off the tv. I didn’t need to think of my torturers more than I did already.
I stood up and walked to the kitchen. I turned on the coffee pot and grabbed my jar of sugar cubes. I gathered my creamer and started foaming up some milk for the topping. I gazed out of the window and started counting the stars. 27, 28, 29…
The machine that foamed up the milk beeped, and the coffee pot clicked off. I grabbed the pot and poured the caffeinated liquid into my mug. I added the creamer and the sugar, then mixed in vanilla flavoring. The foamy milk plopped onto the top of the mug, and I smiled as I grabbed the mug and sat back on the couch.

Coffee’s the best.

I opened my phone and started scrolling on YouTube. All the videos I saw were about the Dream-Walkers, and I hated the fact that my phone probably heard me getting interviewed by a news station about my ‘condition’. At least, that’s what they treated me as. Someone with a special ‘condition’.

I hated that.

I looked around. I was in some sort of forest. Shoot, I was dreaming.
I braced myself for whatever torment the Dream-Walkers had for me this time.
A Dream-Walker appeared in front of me, their voice distorted and garbled. “Hi there. Coffee couldn’t help you this time?”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“I know every thought that’s been inside your head, Silvia.”
“I don’t really care. The government will find you, you know. Then all of this torment will stop, even if you know my name.”
The Dream-Walker chuckled. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
2: 303
So, the exercise I did for the 20 minutes was just aggressive dancing because my entire family’s kinda sick right now, so I couldn’t do the usual Karate or lifting weights that I do normally. Writing on this shouldn’t be too hard, I hope. I like dancing to songs that are upbeat (yeah, no surprise there). I danced to songs like “Captain’s Call” by Derivakat and CG5 (I love their music) and other stuff. I’m a huge fan of the Dream SMP (Don’t confuse me for a Stan, us fans don’t claim them as ours, we’re a lot more sane) and love the songs that the creative community writes for the different characters. Okay, I kinda went off on a tangent, so back here at how exercising made me feel, I felt out of breath yet I felt creatively strengthened.
I adore dancing, though I don’t do it professionally or even in a class. I just dance by myself in my bedroom (like I did for this) or with my little siblings. My sister and I especially love dancing together.
Back to the dancing, again. I danced to several upbeat songs, which did make me a little out of breath, since I wasn’t just bobbing my head to the tune for 20 or so minutes.
I also enjoyed listening and dancing to a few other CG5 songs that weren’t specifically about the Dream SMP. All of the songs made me feel either really happy or really sad for the characters. Since I was dancing to the peppy songs I was mostly happy. Mostly.
Anyways, the dancing made me feel awesome, and I may want to do that more as a form of exercise. I wish that I could’ve written about some more interesting exercise topics, but here I am.
Yeah. Exercise is fun.

3: 436 words
Writing for SWC is really stressful sometimes. I have to work hard to turn in dailies and weeklies on time. I dedicate around 2-3 hours of work for weeklies and dailies, even more if I’m not that inspired. Even though it’s stressful, I really enjoy it, and that sense of energy it gives me challenges me to do my best.
SWC writing consists of dailies and weeklies, both inside your cabin and in the main cabin. For me, dailies change every day at 5:00pm, and I sometimes will have time to do two dailies in one day. It really adds a whole new aspect to SWC, and it makes my life a whole lot more exciting in SWC. Even when it’s not March, July or November, I still talk about SWC, I still plan out leader applications and work to set myself up for SWC’s like clearing up writing docs and sharing threads. SWC is truly a blessing in my life. It helps me improve in every aspect of my writing. I love SWC and I cannot express this enough! SWC helps me improve, interact with other authors and, to be honest, stop procrastinating on my novels since I have a lot more to gain with getting more words. It’s pretty awesome, and SWC really helps me grasp my skills.
SWC helps me think about different genres of writing. I usually will write with the genre of dystopian or fantasy. It really helps with branching out. I never would dream of writing non-fiction for fun, but now SWC has helped me expand my vision and view of different writing.
SWC is truly a blessing, and at the start of my writing career, it’s a pretty essential tool to help me improve. SWC has blessed me with attentive leaders, awesome cabin mates and imaginative dailies and weeklies.
There’s so much more I could say about SWC, like how the competition between cabins encourages activity and that supremacy of mangoes should become a world accepted idea. SWC has only been a positive experience and I cannot think of anything bad to say about SWC.
Scratch Writing Camp, a source of inspiration, a way to let my creativity shine, a wonderful blessing, to be sure.
Gah, if I had to leave you with one main idea, then I would say that SWC has made a huge impact on my life. Every experience has stuck with me through my 6 or so sessions of SWC. SWC is such a good influence, and if you happen to be reading this and you haven’t experienced SWC before, then GO SIGN UP!!!!

4: 267
I didn’t know the corridors all that well, but I did know the way to the main common, where I saw all of the other soldiers heading.

I walked inside, hoping that no one would look at me and go, ‘Oh, wrong person.’ And then close the gate on me before I could get inside and be safe from the search parties that were sure to chance by.
I was about to slink by a Remen soldier when she gasped as she saw my face. She shouted out to the rest of the soldiers. “Udaya! We have Udaya!”
The soldiers turned towards me and the grins on their faces were probably the happiest that I had ever seen someone before in my life.
A few soldiers came up to me. “Thank you so much! We couldn’t have survived the major attack without you. We owe you our lives!”
A few others looked at me like I was some sort of deity, and one elderly man in the corner bowed to me.
Wow. Did I really help this many people?
The masked soldier from earlier came up to me. He took off his mask and said. “Udaya Insal. It is quite the honor to meet you. Would you please follow me?”
I nodded without thinking. I was in shock. These people were crazy for thinking me anyone special.
I stepped onto the stage with him, and he grabbed my arm and raised it after the crowd quieted.
“We have Udaya!”

I was in shock. These people treated me like I’ve never been treated before. Like someone that mattered.

H1ImVict0ria wrote:

Poem 1: Pigeons (haiku)

Pretty city birds
They say you are a nuisance
They are so stupid

Poem 2: Tylenol (acrostic)

Terrible chronic migraines
You are supposed to relieve them
Love the taste of this medicine!
Entirely a lie!
No flavor of Tylenol will ever taste decent
Oh, how repulsive!
Love it when I take ibuprofen instead

Poem 3: Cross-Country iPad (limerick)
Context: Lately I've been using my sister's school iPad to draw, but last week she took it with her on a band tour, leaving me stranded with my mountains of art debt.

I can not draw at all
My art debt is beginning to snowball
The device I use to draw is across the country
My sister on her band tour needs to hurry!
This week will be my downfall

Poem 4: Motivation

I am running out of motivation for the weekly
I have written three poems
On my fourth one
That is quite enough for me!

I need to gain four thousand points
This writing camp is very hardcore
I'm running out of motivation
Yet I'm only less than a quarter of the way through!

Poem 5: The ELA Giggle

My teacher explained the assignment
Oh, what a bore!
I didn't pay attention and thought of something funny
I am laughing on the floor!

I am humiliated because I'm being stared at
Sweating, shaking, and everything of the sort
I can not stop thinking of humor
This laughter must abort!

My teacher continues talking
She does not notice me dying from humor
Oh my goodness, why did I choose to daydream?
This terrible, intense laughter is not at all minor

My laughter has at last passed over and I am sitting here with a straight face
I will not embarrass myself any longer in this English language arts classroom
But I will forever live with the absolutely terrible, horrible, cringe-worthy memory
Of this deep, dark, humiliating, off-topic, mortifying, insufferable, awful, terrible, embarrassing, flustering situation

I felt a wave of humor go through me
I am truly about to laugh again in the middle of this classroom
And I did
Doom.

EXACTLY 300 WORDS, these are horrid though because I tried to cram in a bunch of words near the end.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Essay: Pigeons in the City (they're not useless annoying air rats!!!)

ㅤPigeons are everywhere. You will see them all the time in places such as Boston, San Fransisco, and New York. While they originate from Northern Africa and the Middle East, they're very common in American cities. They could have become a source of food for people, but they didn't because they're just that beneficial. Cities are just perfect for pigeons- pigeons are born city birds. They thrive in cities. Cities are their home. But they can't harm you. Finally, pigeons are fully domesticated, so they love people. Pigeons, surprisingly to some people, can be very beneficial and have even helped in World Wars I and II.
ㅤFirst of all, pigeons are not just flying air-rat nuisances because they know how to be civilized with human beings. They are common to America because they were shipped there from Europe as a food source. Some pigeons escaped, and one thing lead to another and now they are everywhere. The Europeans could have easily decided to ship blue jays, and those things come from the deepest, darkest depths of the worst place you can imagine. Blue jays are mean. Pigeons, on the other hand, are fairly pleasant birds. They do, in fact, leave droppings on your car and any other place they can manage, but they don't deliberately try to ruin the paint on your car. They can't control it. Pigeons don't try to kill you, so that is why they're not complete nuisances.
ㅤIn addition to that, pigeons are not just flying air-rat nuisances because they thrive in cities and know how to not be stupid little bird-brained airborne rodents. Pigeons are very smart and are also very comparable to human brains. Pigeons can remember if you've been nice to them or not. You chase some pigeons? They remember. You curse out some pigeons? They remember that too. You deliberately run over a flock of pigeons with your hijacked taxi? They will find a way to survive and not only remember you, but also passive-aggressively get back at you and your pigeon-hating antics. They can recognize faces down to the smallest facial features. In 2011, two researchers in Paris decided to study some pigeons. For a few days in a row, on researcher fed the pigeons, and the other chased them away. When the researchers switched clothing, the pigeons still recognized who the nice person was, therefore supporting the fact that pigeons are the smartest birds. Did you know that pigeons are the only birds that can recognize themselves in the mirror? Obviously, a smart pigeon is not a nuisance pigeon.
ㅤFinally, pigeons are not complete nuisances because they are the only fully domesticated birds, which is why they love people so much. Pigeons have been domesticated for thousands of years. They are pretty much professionals now at loving people. Because of that, they were capable of saving hundreds upon hundreds of lives during World Wars I and II. For some examples, in 1918, a pigeon saved 194 American soldiers' lives by carrying messages. In World War II, a pigeon named G.I. Joe saved around 1,000 Italian lives from a bombing. Also in World War II, a pigeon named Commando completed over 90 missions. How can an absolute livesaver be a nuisance?
ㅤIt is clear that pigeons are not nuisances because they are civilized, they're smart, and they saved many lives.

559 words

Halfway done hhhh

Drama: Ancient Israel, a >2000 word story I wrote for a school project. I didn’t do the whole story because, well, that’d be really long.

TORY is sitting in her ancient history class doing her assignment, MRS. TEACHER walks around the classroom patrolling the students’ behavior.

TORY
(whispering) This class is so boring…

MRS. TEACHER
Tory, do your work! You haven’t done a thing this whole class period! This class can’t be interesting if you don’t try!

TORY
(whispering) How did she hear me?!

MRS. TEACHER
Now class, this assignment is worth…your whole grade! If you don’t complete it, you will fail.

TORY
(whispering) I’m so sick of learning in a classroom…

(A void opens in the middle of the classroom. TORY looks up from her paper.)

Mrs. Teacher?
MRS. TEACHER
Get to work, Tory, or I’ll give you a detention! You never do your work. Do me a favor and quit bothering me! Did you not hear me when I said that this was worth your whole grade?

TORY
But Mrs. Teacher…

MRS. TEACHER
No buts! I’ve had quite enough already, I’ll be giving you a detention slip at the end of class. GET TO WORK!

(The void ascends, then flies over to TORY’s desk.)

TORY
Mrs. Teacher… help!

MRS. TEACHER
Get to work, Tory!!

(The void sucks Tory in, leaving nothing but her worksheet.)

TORY
(TORY is dropped in a strange place with nothing but sand.)

Where am I?

(TORY walks around, in search of someone to ask where she is.)

No one is here. Why is it so hot? Ugh, that void brought me someplace. Now I can’t get my assignment done! What will Mrs. Teacher think?

(A man approaches TORY, wondering what odd clothes she is wearing, and why she is in the middle of the desert talking to herself.)

DAVID
Who are you? What are you doing here? I have rocks. I will throw them at you if I have to.

(TORY looks in DAVID’s direction, even more confused than before.)

TORY
Well, who are you? And where are we? I need to finish an assignment for school. I can’t just stand around here! And of all weapons, why do you have rocks?

DAVID
What do you mean, ‘why do I have rocks?’ Did you hit your head? Do you know who I am? And why do your clothes look so stiff?

TORY
Stiff? They’re jeans. They’re not that stiff. And besides, you’re wearing a—

(TORY pauses for a moment, and then it clicks.)

What year are we in?

DAVID
We’re in 1000 BC. You should know that. I’m asking you, how hard did you hit your head from that fall? Didn’t you fall from some black hole in the sky? Are you injured? And again, what is it with your clothes? How can you even move in them?

TORY
1000 BC?! But I’m from the year 2021!

DAVID
Very funny.

TORY
I’m serious! I’m learning about 1000 BC… the ancient Israelites… in my history class!

DAVID
That’s a lot of bull. Girls don’t go to school!

TORY
What? Well, I do, so I am an exception. Are you King David?

DAVID
How did you not figure that out in the first place? Anyway, I need to run some errands. I can not just stand around talking to some crazy child about… 2021.

TORY
But it’s true!

(DAVID begins to walk away. TORY follows behind, pulling out her phone to search for cell phone service.)

DAVID
Wow…what is that?

TORY
It’s a cell phone. I’m trying to talk to my mom through it, but I guess ancient Israel doesn’t have any cell towers, does it?

DAVID
Talk to your mom?

TORY
Yeah, I can talk to her with this. But again, the phone doesn’t work because you have no cell towers.

DAVID
What are cell towers?

TORY
Don’t you have errands to run?

DAVID
(snaps) That’s right. Let’s go to the Sea of Galilee.

TORY
Hey, I learned about that!

DAVID
Sure. Anyway, we need to get water. My family is parched.

(TORY and DAVID trek to the Sea of Galilee. There are many people and markets there.)

TORY
This is the Sea of Galilee?

DAVID
Sure is. I have a container. Can you run down there and fetch some water?

TORY
Why don’t you get water from the Mediterranean?

DAVID
That’s saltwater, we can’t drink that or else we’ll die.

711 words

Nonfiction 1: Autobiography

I was born at a local hospital on December 27, 2008. I was overall pretty healthy, however when I was one year old, I got jaundice. That lasted for a while, according to my mom. That is not very significant to my life, rather, it was just added for a dramatic effect. I did not go to preschool, however my sister did because she got a scholarship. I used to be jealous of her for that. My parents enrolled me in school when I was five years old. They wanted me to be enrolled one year earlier because I was certainly ready, but that fell through because I was four at the time and had to be five to be in kindergarten. I did fairly well in kindergarten. My teacher loved me because she loved my sister, so it was quite an easygoing year for me. One time, that year, I got in the wrong dismissal line, and instead of getting on the bus, I was with the parent pick-up kids. My sister walked home because she was old enough. They put me in the (somewhat) responsible hands of my sister and from then until fourth grade, I walked home from school. In first grade, I took a test to see if I was gifted, and did not pass. I was one point shy of being gifted. At the end of the first grade year, my grade ended early due to a trip to see family in the Philippines. It was very fun, however I have not gone there since. In third grade, I made a good friend whom I will call Brie (not her real name). Brie and I were great friends, but we split up at the end of the year because we were both switching schools. In fourth grade I made three new friends, whom I will call Isabella, Nora, and Masey (again not their real names). We, again, were great friends. Isabella sometimes got mad at me for small things, making Nora and Masey ignore me too, or else Isabella would be mad at them too. I often came home sad, but just assumed that I was the problem, and that Isabella was just being human, and that she’d be my friend again soon. Masey moved away, and Nora and I stopped being friends with Isabella. We’re best friends now. In sixth grade, I moved to a new school, as I was in middle school already. Brie was there, and we became friends again. That was when I realized that Brie was different. Our friendship was pretty much stunted and pretty recently we’ve stopped being friends. Long story short, I have a talent in making bad friends.

451 words

Nonfiction 2: Travelogue: My Experience in the Philippines

The Philippines is a third world country in Southeast Asia. It’s very warm because it’s near the equator. I’ve seen many people there carrying around umbrellas just to keep shade while they were walking. The first time I saw that, I was astonished. People carrying around umbrellas in a sunny day? How odd! My mom told me that that’s fairly common in the Philippines because of the heat. No one does that where I am from because it’s farther up north, therefore it is a lot cooler than the Philippines. The Philippines also has a wet and dry season because it is a tropical rainforest climate type rather than the deciduous forest climate type I live in. The food in the Philippines is much different from American food as well. Over there, there is a wide variety of food, but the most popular in my family over there were milk fish, mangoes, and rice. Another favorite was this pink Jell O like food that was very sweet and tasted really good. Rice was very common there. It was eaten for nearly every meal. It is a good thing that I absolutely love rice, unlike my sister. A friend of my mom lived right next to some rice fields. There were more rice fields that I’ve seen, other than that rice field. A breakfast food that I ate nearly every morning was pandesal. It is somewhat sweet, fluffy, and light. It is my favorite type of bread and I wish I could have it more often. It’s so good. People there are really nice. My mom says that Filipinos are practically hospitable right when they come out of the womb. That makes a little sense. There are also many things to do in the Philippines. There are so many beaches. The Philippines is often called the country of a thousand islands because first of all, the Philippines itself is an island. But inside the Philippines, there are many lakes. And islands in those lakes. And lakes in those islands. And so on. Ironically, I did not go to an Philippine beaches, but it is something to do there. And while it is a third world country, there are many cities, such as Manila, that are very well developed and look very nice. I have been to Manila before, and stayed at a hotel there. My mom says that Filipinos are big on cleanliness. That makes sense because the hotel was very neat and clean. That was just of handful of stuff about the Philippines, and you’ll have to go there to learn more about it because I’m too lazy to type more.

441 words

Overall word count: 2462 words!!!

March 8, 2022

Word count: 701

Week 1; Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Weekly Part 3:

It’s spring. TILLY and AURORA are running up a hill to a playground. TILLY has her yellow birthday dress on and AURORA is holding a book.

AURORA

(Running) Tilly! Don't go too far!

TILLY starts to slow down.

AURORA runs towards TILLY, trying to read her book.

TILLY looks around the playground. TILLY climbs up a ladder on the slide and slides down. She then walks over to AURORA on the bench, who is reading a book.

AURORA

No, Tilly.

TILLY gives AURORA puppy eyes, making AURORA sigh.

AURORA

OKAY!

She throws her arms up and sets her book down.

I'll help you on the monkey bars.

They walk over to the yellow monkey bars.

TILLY grabs the first bar while AURORA holds her up on her shoulders, helping her to the end of the monkey bars.

TILLY then runs to the swings, going swinging up and down. AURORA walks back over to the bench, picking her book up again. She looks around, not swinging too high. AURORA is reading her book on the bench, looking up to see TILLY every minute or so.

20 minutes pass and a car honks.

AURORA stops the swing and claps in front of TILLY a few times.

TILLY (blinks)

Hm? DADDY!

TILLY runs down the hill to the car, with AURORA following. She hugs the man, getting out of the car, at his legs. AURORA gets into the back seat, still reading her book.

DAVE (laughing)

How are you, sugar plum?

He picks TILLY up

Did you have fun with Aurora?

TILLY (excited and fast)

Yeah! We went up the big hill! And we sat under the big tree!

*motions with her hands*

And then, I went down the slide and on the monkey bars! Aurora helped me! And then on the swing!

DAVE buckles TILLY into her car seat.

DAVE (Smiles)

I’m glad you had fun

TILLY flinches because the buckle is too tight

DAVE

Oops, sorry

He loosens the buckle.

There does that feel better?

TILLY nods and DAVE closes the door.

DAVE goes to the driver's seat.

They drive past the hill and through a city. The car makes a turn into a deserted road and into a small village. It stops at a house that is a bit bigger than the other houses.

DAVE, TILLY, and AURORA get out of the car and walk inside. TILLY goes up the staircase with AURORA. TILLY goes to her room on the left, while AURORA goes to the bathroom on the right. TILLY goes into the closet and comes out wearing a violet t-shirt and a yellow skirt, along with a black headband on her head. AURORA comes out of the bathroom, looking neater.

TILLY

I’m ready!

She pulls herself onto her stool

Aurora! Can you do my hair?

AURORA enters

AURORA

Sure!

She braids TILLY’s hair once and rebraids it 3 more times.

*sighs*

She pulls TILLY’s hair into a low ponytail

That should be good enough.

AURORA helps TILLY off the stool and walks her downstairs.

She’s ready, Mr. David.

DAVE (DAVID)

Thank you, Aurora. Have a nice time with your friends.

He leads her to the door, with TILLY next to him.

AURORA gives TILLY a hug and waves, leaving for her picnic.

DAVE crouches down to eye level of TILLY, smiling.

Okay, Tilly! Ready to go on our little ice cream date?

TILLY (nods)

Yes, yes, yes!

Come here! Off we go, on our daddy-daughter date!

He lists TILLY up onto his shoulders and into the car. He buckle her up in the back seat and gets into the front. TILLY laughs, singing along to some of her favorite songs playing on the radio. After a few minutes, they pull up to a ice cream store, ‘Auntie Medy’s Ice Cream.’ TILLY was carried out and was set on the ground

DAVE

Tilly, wait for me. I’m going to get my wallet.

Another man walks across the street, looking vaguely like DAVE in the bad lighting, with a similar light shirt, ruffled hair, and gray khakis.

TILLY turns and sees the man.

TILLY

Daddy!

TILLY runs after the man.

DAVE turns around confused.

DAVE

Wait, Tilly! No, Tilly. Come back!

March SWC Weekly #1 <2681 total words>

PART 1: Poetry <350 total words>

Poem 1: Her below, me above <108 words> (Shakespearean Sonnet) (i hope i got iambic pentameter right ugh for the life of me i cannot tell which syllables in a given word are stressed pls forgive me i’m almost certain i didn’t get it)

O’ forgive me I cannot help but plea
For the princess whose gaze parts any crowd
Her pedestal of shells beneath the sea
Her glorious clear siren call is loud

Yet unlike her my gaze is just musty
With her below my ship can only fly
And with my hair a wreck, my boots dusty
For love I don’t deserve I only cry

Can never forget her siren song’s sound
Are my worst flaws too hard to look beyond?
If it was me she wanted I’d be ‘round
Inseparable, we could have our bond `

Forever it’s her below, me above
Forever too close but too far to love

Poem 2: Nature’s End <89 words> (Double Etheree)

Spark
Growing
Put it out
A single flame
You need to stop it
It keeps growing larger
Fair to say it’s fire now
There is nothing else you can do
Fire as far as the eye can see
Smoke fills the air and flames cover the land
A lone spark stretches out and hits a tree
Fire snakes up the trunk, towards the leaves
Branches turn into ash and dust
The entire tree is gone
Other trees follow suit
The forest’s shrinking
Life dwindling
Nature burns
And then
Dies

Poem 3: Woven Web <14 words> (Septolet)

Spider
Weaves her web
Intricate pattern
Long hours spent

Human
Feather Duster
Wasted web

Poem 4: The Girl and her Piano <88 words> (Pantoum)

The piano is her only friend
You can only watch in awe
The melody must one day end
And that’s it’s only flaw

You can only watch in awe
We don’t deserve her song
And that’s it’s only flaw
It will never be too long

We don’t deserve her song
She’s almost barely trying
It will never be too long
She plays the keys while crying

She’s almost barely trying
The melody must one day end
She plays the keys while crying
The piano is her only friend

Poem 5: Poetry or lack thereof <51 words> (Triolet) (If anyone has the NERVE to tell me home and poem don’t rhyme I’m going to throw my computer out a window #hyperbole)

I will never write another poem
I wish I could unwrite the others
Stuck in the confines of my home
I will never write another poem
The earth should be mine to roam
Instead I just feel smothered
I will never write another poem
I wish I could unwrite the others

Part 2: Essay <679 total words>

Are there more doors or wheels in the world? You might’ve come across this debate on social media and been unsure what to believe. The internet is generally split in half on this topic. The goal is trying to figure out what appears in a higher quantity on earth, wheels or doors. Many believe that things like toy cars and office chairs put wheels in the lead. However logical reasoning can reveal underlying truths in favor of team doors. Many forget to consider nontraditional doors like cabinets and fridges. The average household has dozens of doors that tend to be overlooked. There is also the debate on what can be considered a door or a wheel? There are a lot of details to consider for a seemingly simple topic. However, a little deeper thinking will reveal that there are more doors in the world than wheels.
​​ To prove this, examine the average household. There is an average of 1.88 cars per U.S. household according to the Department of Transportation. If that is rounded up to two for the sake of simplicity that is eight wheels per household. In many cases that is all the wheels that house will have. The only other significant wheels to consider are bikes, office chairs, and lawnmowers. Most households don’t have more than one office chair, if any at all. Bikes only have two wheels and it is unlikely that a household has more than four. Lawnmowers also have two wheels and almost all homes only have one or none considering 39 million Americans currently live in apartments and therefore do not have lawns. Oxford Languages defines a wheel as “a circular object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a vehicle or other object to enable it to move easily over the ground”. This means that gears, cogs, and ball bearings are not counted as wheels. Tires, on their own, are also not wheels. The final argument wheels supporters cling to are the vast number of toy cars like Legos or Hotwheels. The definition from Oxford Languages of a car is, “a four-wheeled road vehicle that is powered by an engine and is able to carry a small number of people”. So all toy cars must technically have doors even if you can’t see or use them. In order to carry a small number of people the people must have a way to get in the vehicle. Thus when a toy manufacturer brands something as a toy car you must assume there are doors as well as wheels. All things considered there are probably no more than twenty wheels in a given home not counting wheels immediately canceled out by doors, and that is rounding up significantly. Now consider doors. Those two cars mentioned earlier? Definitely have at least two but probably four doors. Enter the house, there would have to be a door. Likely there's a back door as well, most houses have multiple entrances. Take a look at the kitchen. Every cabinet in the kitchen has a door. Also consider fridges, freezers, microwaves, and ovens. Then just consider every other door in the house. Every closet and most rooms have doors. Think also, shower doors and any cabinet that has hinges to open. With all of this in mind very few people would be able to say they own more wheels than doors. In fact the disparity is so large that any arguments to be made about corporate or industrial spaces would not be able to make up for the difference.
With all this in mind it is easy to say that there are more doors than wheels in the world. By considering cabinets and appliances it is fair to say that the average person has more doors than wheels by a large margin. It’s incredible how a complex and polarizing topic can be broken down so simply to a single household. Looking to the future shows a promising potential for doors to keep their lead. Flying technology may replace wheels but doors can never be replaced.

Part 3: Script <786 total words> (okay I know the piece of writing this is adapted from exists because I remember writing it. I just can’t find it in my google drive so please don’t ask to see it okay great thanks)

EXT. BACKYARD - NIGHT

MADISON is sitting outside in her yard. MOM, DAD, and other adult relatives exit stage left, drinking beers.

MADISON is on a swing, wearing a party hat. She quietly hums “Happy Birthday” to herself.

FRANK and CARL enter stage right.

MADISON
Hello?

FRANK
(Whispering to CARL)
Shush I think she sees us.

CARL
(whispering)
I got this.

CARL and FRANK approach MADISON

CARL
Hey little girl. It’s mighty scary out here all alone ain’t it?

CARL and FRANK get closer and closer to MADISON and the lights fade to black.

EXT/INT. - HOUSE - MORNING

When the lights come back on, MADISON is lying on the doorstep. She sits up.

MADISON
…What happened?

MADISON knocks on her front door.

MADISON
Hello? Mommy? Daddy? Is it still my birthday?

MADISON reaches up and tries the doorknob. The door opens and MADISON walks into her house.

MOM and DAD are watching the NEWS REPORTER on the TV.

NEWS REPORTER
A man, identified to be Carl Harrigan, is currently in critical condition in the hospital.

MADISON
Mommy! I just saw him outside!

MOM does not answer; she ignores MADISON entirely.

MADISON
I hope he’s okay!

Still no response.

MADISON
(Annoyed)
Fine! If you’re not gonna talk to me I’ll just go to the hospital and check on him myself.

MADISON stomps off stage.

NEWS REPORTER
Carl is being charged for the attempted kidnapping of four year old Madison Churchill. Carl and his accomplice, a man yet to
be identified, were spotted outside Madison’s house dragging an unconscious Madison towards their car by a neighbor who
had been walking his dog. The neighbor pulled a pistol from his pants and opened fire on the scene. Both Carl and the other
perpetrator were brought into the hospital this morning. The unknown man managed to sneak out of the hospital and is now
on the run. If you know-

DAD turns the TV off.

DAD
We don’t need to watch that.

MOM
(sobbing)
My baby! My poor sweet baby!

DAD pats MOM’s back.

DAD
I know dear, I know.

EXT. CITY STREET - MORNING

MADISON is walking down a busy city street full of bystanders.

MADISON
Uhm excuse me sir? Do you know how to get to the hospital?

Nobody answers MADISON or even seems to notice her.

MADISON
Hey Jerks! Notice this!

MADISON steps out onto the busy street, arms spread wide. A car is coming but does not stop. Another black out.

INT. Hospital - 1ST FLOOR HOSPITAL ROOM

MADISON wakes up in a hospital bed. MADISON rubs her head and sighs.

MADISON
Ow! Where are all the doctors? Whatever. I'll just go find one.

MADISON gets up and starts to walk away but notices the IV in her arm. She rips it out and leaves it on the bed.

MADISON
(loudly)
I am leaving my room! I sure hope a doctor doesn’t come find me!

MADISON sighs and starts walking around.

MADISON
Since I’m here I should go find the man from earlier and make sure he’s okay.

MADISON walks around for a while on and off of stage and in lots of circles. Eventually MADISON walks into another room. It is difficult to tell if this is a different room from before.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM

The room MADISON is in now has two beds. On one bed lies CARL, unconscious. On the other a discarded IV sits.

MADISON
Uhm excuse me? Mr. Carl? Are you okay?

CARL readjusts a little in his sleep.

MADISON
(yelling)
Mr. Carl!

CARL wakes up suddenly.

CARL
What are you doing here? Somebody is gonna see you. Don’t call me that! Did you hit your head or something?

CARL pulls a hospital curtain around the bed concealing both CARL and MADISON from the audience.

MADISON
I came to make sure you were okay!

CARL
Be quiet you idiot!

MADISON
You seem angry. Are you alright Mr.?

CARL
Of course I’m angry! They are going to see you here! We’re both about to go to jail!

MADISON
Not me mister, I never committed any crimes. I’m a good girl!

CARL
You are sick, you know that?

A NURSE walks in.

NURSE
Carl? Who are you talking to here?

CARL
Nobody! Leave me alone!

MADISON
I’m in he-

CARL covers MADISON’s mouth.

NURSE
Carl, what was that?

CARL
Nothing.

NURSE
Carl I’m coming in there.

The NURSE pulls the curtains away revealing MADISON to now be the other suspect.

NURSE
Carl! I see your little partner has returned! I’ll have you know sir that you are disgusting! That little girl had her whole life ahead
of her.

MADISON
What? But-

MADISON looks down at his hands and realizes he is an old man.

MADISON screams.

Part 4: Non-Fiction <866 total words>

Non-Fiction Piece 1: Memoir <414 words>

It was the peak 2020 quarantine and I was starved for entertainment. Life sucked and the smallest little event could easily become the greatest thing I’d see all week. Which is why I thought it was pretty funny when my friend told me he’d bought two frogs from Petco. He told me a funny little story about how they wouldn’t let him buy them without an adult present. I laughed about it, it was a silly little idea he had. He named the frogs Jeremiah and Bogart. Three days later Jeremiah was dead. In a tragic accident he has been sucked into the filter. While sad, this wasn’t exactly a devastating loss. My friend had, after all, only had the frogs for three days.This was when genius struck me. We could host a frog funeral! This may seem like sick, morbid, humor but it was exactly what we needed. We went all out for our little frog funeral. I wrote out a frog obituary for Jeremiah following the format of a real obituary. This was sent out in an email to all of our friends. We later sent out a formal invitation for all of those friends to attend the funeral, via Zoom. There was a strict all black dress code. I also formulated the script for the friend with the frog, one other friend, and I to read over zoom. We created a playlist to go with our funeral for fun little musical interludes. The three of us met in my friend's backyard to set up our zoom. It was freezing out and we were dressed in black head to toe. We set up the zoom with another camera on the frog's decaying corpse. The turnout was great. We had twenty friends watching us remember the life of a frog. It was worth my friends parent’s judgemental glances. We managed to get through the ceremony almost without laughing. We giggled a little but played it off as being “overcome with emotion”. We ended the zoom but the three of us wanted to make the most of one of our few opportunities to hang out. We decided to go on a “funeral procession” which was actually just a walk around the neighborhood. We laughed as we walked around in all black looking like a crazy coven of teenage witches. Neighborhood kids playing in their yards stared, very confused. I remember this day as a highlight of a pretty lame time in my life.

Non-Fiction Piece 2: History/Humorous(?) Commentary <452 words>

Hey, I’m Cae and I’m not an expert on history in the slightest. People always say you should become an expert on something before you write about it. Well I’m going to do what I do best and do the exact opposite of what I’m supposed to do. So now I will explain the Norman Conquest of England without any extra research. Shout out to a certain middle school French teacher who spent two months teaching this instead of teaching us French! 90% of this knowledge is coming from a song actually so buckle up. It was the year 1066 and the King of England was a dude called Edward the Confessor. I don’t have the foggiest idea as to where he got the title “confessor”. I can only imagine that he confessed to something horrible, like having multiple wives and we all decided to praise him for honesty instead of holding him accountable. I’m looking at you Hamilton! Anyway he failed to produce an heir and there was a huge conflict around the English throne. This is where the accuracy is going to start going south in terms of my explanation. Our buddy Edward decided he wanted to leave the throne to William, Duke of Normandy. Normandy is a region of France closest to England for those of you who aren’t complete and utter nerds. Edward sent Harold, Earl of Wessex to tell William. This was a dumb move. Harold also wanted the throne and was angry that Edward would leave it to William. Yes, that's a lot of names now, do try to keep up. So when Edward died Harold did the natural thing and took the throne for himself instead of telling William, big surprise. William got word of this and was, naturally, really annoyed. I do not know who snitched, do not ask me. William leads an army to claim the throne. Harold dies in battle from an arrow in his chest and William becomes king. I’m sure a lot more happened in that battle but that's all I remember so we're gonna have to deal with it. The bishop commissioned a 70 meter long tapestry depicting the event. That is hardly relevant but it was a specific fact I remember so I figured I’d include it. Gotta hit that word goal, am I right? This begins a 300 long year period where England is ruled by French speaking kings. All the nobility in England speak French and peasants still speak english. In an attempt to sound high class the peasants start incorporating french words into their speech. This is why English uses so many French words. That's the story, I hope my French teacher would be proud.

March 9, 2022

Word count: 561

Week 1; Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Weekly Part 2:

Over the 5 years that Scratch Writing Camp has existed, it has affected a lot of people. From writing to the community, and others around, it has grown into what it is today. The camp overall is meant to help people grow as writers. But some may argue and point out the downsides to this small camp. Others may defend and say that it is beneficial. I personally believe that SWC does a lot more good than harm.

The camp as a whole focuses a lot on the dailies and weeklies. These help to grow us as writers. Weeklies have more recently been around workshops, where other SWC-ers focus on a certain aspect of writing and teach it to others. These bring you to think and learn about points that you might not learn in school. It widens your current skill set and gives you a chance to expand your knowledge of writing. Dailies are a mini version of the weeklies, focusing more on creativity. They help you to think out of the box and come up with new ways to present certain ideas. With both dailies or weeklies, you can receive critique and learn how you, specifically, can improve. You can always learn something new about writing, every day.

The community, for starters, is a group of kids from around the world. There is so much diversity that you can find in this little camp. Yes, most campers are from the U.S. But that doesn’t mean anything if you count the countless other campers, (co)hosts, and (co)leaders who are international. From the UK, France, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, the possibilities are virtually endless. Kids at the age of 9, to college students coming back for fun, there is not age limit, as long as you have a passion to write. It is accepting of anyone and willing to give you a chance.

SWC is adaptable and can be changed. Some may not like the UTC timezone rule, but what could the hosts do? There has to be a set time or people may just cheat their way out! This doesn’t mean that we are strict, there are personal exceptions made. SWC also relies a lot on the honor code, believing the best in everyone. If you have an idea, you can always share it. The hosts, leaders, and helpers are all willing to see what you have to offer, taking your idea into consideration. Any and all rules made are for the safety and health of the campers, along with what is just common sense.

The SWC community is open to everyone. We will accept you and take you down on a chaotic session, with lots of laughter, jokes, and arson. There may be negative or cheaters, but they will be handled as needed. It is truly a chaotic group and everyone has a chance to make new friends. This builds up communication and social skills, being able to share your ideas and be able to present them to others.

Scratch Writing Camp is made to help people, and I believe it does. While there are downsides as there are to anything, everything has a downside. Can you honestly think of something that doesn’t have a downside? But it is striving to improve, as the writers and campers do. The community is there to be tightknit and positive.

Haiku:
Eating my omlet
Smelling the fresh, golden, air
Knowing you’re with me

Acrostic: (freak)
Foraging buffalos run around trees
Raging on about the bats they see
Eating whatever they please
And loving the fresh grass above them
Kicking the freakish bats below them

Cinquain:


Tounge Twister:
Terry tickles tacos at twin towers

Free verse:
A wood cutter, rapidly chopping
Taking her time to cut down each tree
Thinking how to make the trees pleased
Seeing the leaves be released
and playing
Playing with their fellow leaves
Touching each other happily
Knowing that they have left their home-
Their tree
Their family

A fearful feeling beams through her eyes
As she thinks about how she had ruined a home
A home for the leaves
A home for a family
A home for the tree
A home close to hers

Linda, the tree cutter who was cutting these very trees always had a space in her heart for trees
Even though they are rather materialistic
She likes to think of them as a close friend
Or even relative
And the leaves are a part of her little magical tree family as well
So every time she has to cut down a tree
Every time she sees a leaf fall down
She could not help but cry a little, deep down inside her

Maybe she will never realize
That what she had done was only
/natural/
The leaves would have fallen in time anyways..
That is how the universe works

Essay:
In a big roaring stadium somewhere in South Korea millions of people are in their
seats experiencing lights and visual effects. The event starts as K-Pop stars come on
the stage, but they aren't the main show, they are part of the opening ceremony. After
they're done with their performance the real stars of the show come onto the stage
competitive gamers, a new brand of athlete that is on the rise. There are two teams of
five league of legends players who have dedicated hours to the game and have worked
so hard to make it to this event. The League of Legends World Championship is one of
the biggest esports events occurring annually with 60 million viewers watching in 2017
and a ton of people watching the event in person at the actual arena. But for some
reason lots of people deny the league of being categorized as a sport and yet a good
portion of those same people identify chess and poker as a sport. Esports is a sport
because it makes a lot of money, the structure is nearly identical to traditional sports,
and the players themselves behave very much like traditional athletes.

People can go left and right about this topic but there is one thing that is nearly
100% certain, Esports are already a legitimate industry that isn't going anywhere. According to the market research firm Newzoo, as reported by CNBC, eSports is an industry that can be worth as much as $138 billion in the future and is a flying market that is growing every year in massive numbers. Every year, eSports benefits from new video game content, products, and gaming events around the world. Everybody can say whatever they want, but as soon as an industry is legally pumping out $138 billion dollars in its early years then it's going to stick around for a long while. Lots of critics will argue that Esports are a joke and shouldn't be taken seriously as a sport, but that ‘joke’ makes more money than some of the critics that work for hours a day at their work place. For example, the Team Liquid organization makes 18 million dollars by competing in 1,130 tournaments with each tournament taking a day to a whole week depending on the game. As a result of the team's earnings the organization's top players like Ivan Ivanov aka Mind_ContRoL can make a $2,816,032.60 salary. That's more than probably anyone who will ever read this in their entire lifetime will make. That might be insane to think about to some, but in reality, that was the amount of money he deserved. Esports players put hours into their work and at least deserve the amount of money your average chess player would make, because, after all, Ivan Ivanov is not your average gamer, he is practically a king when he sits down and starts playing the game.

Esports and sports are one of the same and should be recognized as so. Esports has very dedicated athletes, a very familiar structure and fanbase, and is making billions every year. Its similarities outnumber its differences and thus Esports is a sport. “all of those career paths that reside in traditional sports are now being bridged together between traditional sports and esports and we are starting to see now there is really no difference,” according to Rick Fox.

hey everyone! this is my weekly for poetry. I nearly died doing this. hope this was worth it ;u;

Part One: Poems

Rest (haiku):
In the warm bedroom,
the girl sleeps happily in bed,
drool leaked from her mouth.

Typing (limerick):
Keyboard clicking underneath my hands
I let out a light sigh and up I stand
Closing my laptop
I head to the shop
To buy a delicious bag of sand

Dream (acrostic):
Don’t forget to study hard
Reaching goals one by one
Even if it’s tiring you out
And you can’t wait for life to end
Make sure you have no regrets

Soul (sonnet):
Over the hills, I saw a dame
Whose eyes were tinted gold
I ran and asked her name
She told me it was Soul
When I grew up, I saw her once more
Her eyes still gold, the color of sun
Her hair was still black, the color of burnt smores
But when she spoke, I heard a voice quite different than the one from year eleven
“I never asked what yours was.”
“It’s Wei, nice to see you.”
She gave a smile and hugged me because
she knew of my nostalgia for physical value (???)
Every now and then, I greet her at the hill
where I once was a young child. (???)

Ocean (cinquain):
Ocean
Calm, cerulean
Crashing, lapping, growing
Wet, salty, scents of paradise
Water


Part Two: Essays (504 words)
What are libraries for? Books, of course! Reading is extremely crucial for brain development, stress relief, and increasing awareness of different topics. It gives not only children but adult researchers an abundance of perspectives on real world issues. In school, history textbooks and math workbooks are meant for equipping students with important information that will assist them in their futures. During free time, people read to engage themselves in someone else’s world. They read for their own pleasure and enjoyment.
First, reading helps strengthen reading comprehension skills. This is incredibly important because the human mind needs to develop and learn new things in order to survive. Plus, this will improve grades gotten on reading or literacy tests. Top grades are essential for going to a respected university or high school. Young readers can catch onto more advanced words and boost the size of their vocabulary. Secondly, reading helps reduce stress, which people nowadays often have. According to Dr. Lewis, a researcher who conducted an experiment to find out how much reading reduces stress, “Losing yourself in a book is ultimate relaxation.” Dr. Lewis also commented, "It really doesn't matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author's imagination.” This means that the storyline, plot, and characters of a book can allow readers to escape from their stressful lives. Reading books can let yourself temporarily forget about your troubles and soothe your muscles. Furthermore, reading daily for at least fifteen to twenty minutes will help boost concentration. According to the website “Read for Life”, “Being fully engaged in a book involves closing off the outside world and immersing yourself into the text, which over time will strengthen your attention span.” This means that reading a good book is good for the ability of focusing strongly on one specific thing. Plus, not getting distracted will be much easier with time. Lastly, reading books popular among peers can give something in common with them to talk about. People can bond together over a story they both enjoy instead of one talking about a book the other knows nothing about. For example, if Bob likes to read Kingdom of the Lost Cities and Lily hasn’t read it before, she’ll have less of a reason to talk to him. If Lily has read Kingdom of the Lost Cities, she’ll be able to chat with him about the problems of characters and drama. Of course, Lily’s goal of talking to Bob will motivate her to read more books, which will improve her reading skills.
Instead of never reading unless being forced to by teachers or parents, everyone should read whenever they have time to spare. Think of all the benefits it brings, such as reading comprehension skills, concentration, and less stress. Reading is truly a necessary activity for exercising the brain. Don’t forget to read a good book today to do yourself a favor!

Part Three: Script Writing (1253 words)
FADE IN:
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – DAY
MIDNIGHT
Ugh…
MIDNIGHT stands up and stares at her ruined backpack. LILAC picks up MIDNIGHT’s fallen school supplies and uses duct tape to patch it up. LILAC hands the backpack to MIDNIGHT.
LILAC
Um, hi. Sorry about that…
MIDNIGHT glares at LILAC and notices a nametag.
MIDNIGHT
Excuse me… You’re Lilac… a new student?
LILAC
Y-yes?
MIDNIGHT
Whatever, I’m going to be late for class.
MIDNIGHT stalks off to science class, where she gets scolded by the teacher for being late. Camera cut to Spanish class, where MIDNIGHT spots LILAC from the window.
MIDNIGHT
(thinking) I wonder why Lilac’s starting this school in the middle of the year?
The lunch bell rings.
MIDNIGHT
Yay!
MIDNIGHT happily trots off to the cafeteria with her lunch bag in hand. Just as she is about to smile in excitement, a sticky combination of macaroni, apple juice, carrots, ranch, and mayonnaise gets knocked onto her body. MIDNIGHT’s neutral face quickly turns into a dark scowl.
MIDNIGHT
Asqueroso!
LUNCH LADY
Excuse me, sweetie.
MIDNIGHT
Yes?
LUNCH LADY
Would you like to change your clothes?
MIDNIGHT
Sure.
LUNCH LADY
Head to Ms. Sun, room 107.
MIDNIGHT awkwardly walks out of the cafeteria, followed by curious glances and raised eyebrows. She sees LILAC wiping the floor where she got sprayed by school lunch. MIDNIGHT sighs and knocks on Room 107’s door.
MS. SUN
Hello there!
MS. SUN walks out, welcoming MIDNIGHT inside.
MIDNIGHT
Hi, I’d like a change of clothing, please.
MS. SUN
Why, of course! Here are some loaner shirts and pants you can wear for the time being. Choose any that you’d like, just remember to return it by the end of this week.
MS. SUN pulls open a closet door and smiles at MIDNIGHT.
MIDNIGHT
Thank you so much.

MS. SUN
It’s no problem. Have a nice day!
MIDNIGHT
You too.
MIDNIGHT changes into a grey hoodie with dark leggings and puts her dirty clothes into a plastic bag. She goes back to the cafeteria to eat lunch.
LILAC
Hi, Midnight.
MIDNIGHT turns her head and swallows the food in her mouth.
MIDNIGHT
Hey.
LILAC
Um, I just wanted to apologize –
MIDNIGHT
Yeah, it’s fine.
LILAC
Sorry I tripped you twice.
LILAC leaves and the bell rings, signaling the end of lunchtime. MIDNIGHT goes to class.
MIDNIGHT
That girl… She’s weird.
After two more classes, MIDNIGHT goes to Physical Education and sees LILAC.
MIDNIGHT
Oh, well, at least this is only for one class.
MIDNIGHT does her warmup stretches and tries to play badminton without a partner. LILAC comes skipping to her side.
LILAC
Hi, Midnight! Want to play badminton with me?
MIDNIGHT is taken aback.
MIDNIGHT
Um, okay. Do you want to serve?
LILAC
Of course!
MIDNIGHT throws the birdie to LILAC, who catches it. Lilac catches it and prepares to serve with the worst stance Midnight had ever seen. Lilac has her butt sticking in the air, her legs straight, her racket held like a fan, and the birdie pinched tightly between her fingers. She drops the birdie and hits herself in the face with her racket.
LILAC
Ouch…
MIDNIGHT
You all right?
LILAC
Yes!
MIDNIGHT
You can’t serve with a posture like that. You have to dangle the birdie above your racket like this – bend your knees a little, too. Then hit the birdie like this.
MIDNIGHT shows LILAC how to position herself.
LILAC
Thanks, Midnight! You’re a great teacher!
MS. NEL
EVERYONE, TIME TO CLEAN UP!
LILAC
I had fun, thank you for teaching me how to play.
MIDNIGHT
Sure.
LILAC and MIDNIGHT head back to the locker room to change back into their regular clothes. However, before Lilac has the time to open her combination lock, she notices a book clenched tightly in MIDNIGHT’s shaking fist.
MIDNIGHT
You…
LILAC
Um…
MIDNIGHT shows her the book, which has rough black words written on the book: “GO TO HELL”.
LILAC
I didn’t touch your book.
MIDNIGHT
Sorry, then. But you were right here when I left to go to the bathroom.
LILAC
I don’t understand, either.
ENNA
Are you having trouble with something?
LILAC and MIDNIGHT look at ENNA strangely.
ENNA
My name is Enna. I’ll help you since my mother, the principal, gave me permission to do so.
MIDNIGHT
I’m Midnight, this is Lilac.
LILAC explains what has happened to ENNA.
MIDNIGHT
It’s not that big of a deal, honestly.
ENNA
The culprit’s definitely my sister, Chale. She’s been threatening to do something like this for the past few weeks.”
MIDNIGHT gasped.
MIDNIGHT
The legendary bully? Why would she target Lilac?
ENNA
Principal believes that Chale likes to torture new students. That’s all. I can get some proof if you’d like.
LILAC
Thanks, please do.
ENNA fiddles with her phone and hands it to LILAC, who passes it to MIDNIGHT.
ENNA
Just observe the video. You can see Chale, the ginger-haired girl, screwing around.
Pressing play, Midnight watches as the screen showed Chale following Lilac and sticking her foot out to trip her. Then, Lilac knocks Midnight over as she tried to regain her balance. The screen fizzled and Midnight sees a ginger-haired girl walking inconspicuously across the cafeteria to Lilac, who was holding her lunch tray and standing behind Midnight. Chale positions herself beside Lilac and struck. Her high heels stabs Lilac behind the knees and Lilac’s tray slips out of her hands and onto a poor girl.
MIDNIGHT
So that’s what happened. Thank you for showing us this.
ENNA
No problem, I’m glad we’re all clear about the situation
ENNA leaves the locker room.
LILAC
Ah – I am really sorry that I kept giving you trouble… I’ll make it up to you, I swear! I promise to buy you a new backpack, hoodie, and book!
MIDNIGHT
I would appreciate that, but you don’t have to since it wasn’t really your fault.
LILAC
Oh! Do you want to eat cream puffs at Rose Bakery with me? If you’re not busy, of course.
MIDNIGHT
What are cream puffs?
LILAC
How can you not know what cream puffs are? You have to eat it at least once in your lifetime.
MIDNIGHT
Guess I’ll have to try it.
MIDNIGHT grabs her backpack and follows LILAC to Rose Bakery. The crunching sound of both girls’ feet stepping on autumn leaves blankets the silence that follows. Inside Midnight’s mind, there are thoughts of fluffy bread topped with whipped cream, the envisioned image of cream puffs. Lilac’s golden hair and Midnight’s tousled black hair dance in the wind, leaving the silhouette of two students across the leafy ground.
LILAC
We’ve arrived!
LILAC opens the bakery’s door.
MIDNIGHT
Wow, that smells good.
LILAC
Yeah, it’s amazing!
MIDNIGHT observes the rows of bread, pastries, and donuts. LILAC orders for both of them and sat down at a table to wait. Soon enough, the food is ready and the two happily start eating.
MIDNIGHT
You were right, this is so good, I might come here every day!
LILAC laughs.
LILAC
Want to be friends?
MIDNIGHT
Sure.
She continues to devour the deliciously warm sweets in front of her. She feels a soft, rich taste inside her mouth and sighed blissfully. Though the day had started off miserable, Midnight now has a newfound companion and a plate of cream puffs. Both give her a sense of peace and tranquility. This was the power of friendship that Midnight had sought to understand, and now that she has finally experienced it for herself, she is deeply satisfied.
END

Part Four: Nonfiction (2) (400 words each)
1. (400 words) Rays of sunlight shone in from the windows to the dark classroom, where the class, including me, was facing the white board. The teacher typed on her keyboard, making a satisfying clickety sound. The entire class waited in anticipation and excitement, some talking amongst themselves. A few discussed movie spoilers, so my friend and I gave them death glares to shut them up. I tried my best to be patient, but it was hard considering the movie that was to be watched was a popular Christmas classic. A projection showed that the movie was beginning to start. The chattering of my fellow classmates gradually came to a halt. Relaxing in the warm, cozy room, I could almost hear the crackling of a small but hot fire and smell the enticing scent of buttery popcorn. My wild imagination began to take over, giving me lovely fantasies of going to the cinema with my family and snacking on delicious popcorn, drinking Coke. Imagining this unreachable pleasure made me feel hungry, so I directed my attention to the movie instead. As I sat comfortably in my chair, I watched as Home Alone played. When the young, 9-year-old main character, Kevin, discovered that he was left in the house by himself and burst out screaming, I giggled silently. His unique and funny reactions in different scenes nearly forced a laugh out of me. I heard other students guffaw obnoxiously and decided it was better to stay quiet. I couldn't help but picture myself in Kevin's position, waking up one day to find that my family disappeared, shoplifting at stores, creating master plans to overthrow criminals, and succeeding in making the entire house a mess. Though I wouldn't like someone to grab me by the collar and attack me, I thought that it would be interesting to be left to my own devices. Smiling at his prank on the pizza delivery man, I used my strangely yellow pencil to draw a happy face into my journal. As Home Alone’s credits scene came rolling in, I sighed, sad that the hilarious movie was over so quickly. The lights were turned back on, and my eyes temporarily blinded. I blinked a few times to bring my eyesight back. I noticed the time, 3:21 PM. Since I believed in lucky numbers, I decided to make a hopeful wish. I wish to watch more movies during my school days!
2. (479 words) In the darkness of my room, I took a sharp breath and rolled out of bed. I was nose-bleeding again, the red liquid dripping onto my white bedsheets like strawberries in the snow. Both nostrils were bleeding this time, which made it even harder for me to stop. Drinking in the salty liquid so that I wouldn't get my blood on any other objects, I stumbled to the restroom, opened the creaky door, sat on the closed toilet lid, and bowed my head to the sink counter. My breathing came in loud heaves from my mouth. Multiple drops of blood fell in each second, and when I exhaled, at least ten drops fell in one after the other. The paper towels in the trash can soaked in the blood and gradually, all the paper in the can was dyed a vibrant red color. I sighed as I tried to puzzle out a strategy to stop myself from bleeding without waking up my mother and brother, who were both impressively light sleepers. Still staining the previously dull-colored trash can with my never-ending flood of nose blood, I ripped off a small piece of soft toilet paper from the roll in front of me. I rolled it into a cylinder and slid it into my nose so that only a third of it poked out. I prepared a few more of these paper rolls since I knew one would not be enough. I also took a whole square of the toilet paper with me just in case. Sure enough, as I carefully sneaked down the staircase, I found that the first paper rolls I stuck in my nostrils was already entirely wet with blood. With great speed, I took out the bloody roll, stuck in a new one, wrapped the old roll in a strip of paper, and continued creeping downstairs. I made sure to avoid the floorboards that creaked easily. I tiptoed down the hall and felt my way through the dark for lights. Because of my lack of ability to see in the dark, I had to gently turn on the lights. My bare feet inched across the cold wooden floor, my hands working hard at exchanging the wet nose plugs to dry nose plugs. Finally, I arrived at the kitchen, where I filled a cup up with blocks of ice. I folded two pieces of ice into a Kleenex tissue and held it to the sides of my nose. As I tried my best to stop the bleeding, my mind began to wander. I thought about when I could go back to sleep and why I nosebled so often. Soon enough, the blood in my nostrils had solidified and grouped together into small red blobs. I exhaled them out onto a napkin and tossed everything into the trash can. At long last, my nosebleed had been stopped.

3/2-9/22
Total Words: 2722
No formatting on this because that requires too much effort I’m sorry
I’m not super happy with any of this, but I’m proud of myself for doing it haha

-Part 1-
Words: 601

Acrostic
Shush, my child, no need to fuss
Leave your troubles beneath the bed and
Every nightmare behind the closet door.
Ever so slowly drift into the land, where
Pain is no more and your memories are sweet

Monorhyme
With one last person tagged, the game has been won
I wave goodbye to the neighbors and thank them for the fun
I laugh as the brother jokes one last pun
I fix my rumpled clothes and fix my hair bun
I throw on my shoes, stepping around someone’s nerf gun
I wave to their mother, and she calls, “Goodnight hun!”
The streetlights flicker on, signifying the day done
I start the walk home and admire the setting sun
Mother wants me home soon, so I start to run
Urged by the promise of returning to a loved one

Haiku
I love my pet dog
She’s so adorable
She likes eating treats

Elegy
I hear the birds chirp, and I’m reminded of you
You used to do that, when dad preened your wings
And you’d whistle lovely tunes and soft melodies
But now you’re gone, and all that’s left is the tweeting of the birds
They don’t sing the way you did
And I can’t decide whether I love the birds or not

But I wish you’d come back
I wish you could help me light the fire
Or keep me company on the long, screeching nights
But instead I’m alone, and there’s nobody nearby
I have to light the fire on my own
I have to cook dinner and mend my clothes
And I have nothing but the singing of the birds

Every night when I go to sleep
I wonder if I’ll wake up from this terrible nightmare
But instead, I wake up in the morning to cheerful sunshine
And I wish you were here. But aren’t. And you won’t.

Not that I blame you, you are dead after all
But still. It hurts, and it just won’t stop.

Couplets
“I love you,” the ocean calls, full of joy,
Its cries directed to the little boy

Unaware of the love pouring from the sea,
The child giggles and sleeps on peacefully

In a cradle of sand, safe from harm
Protected by the ocean’s charm

The sun starts to set, spreading its orange glow
On the beach and the sea and its depths below

“I’ll watch over you,” the ocean does assure
It reaches up and laps at the boy a-shore

But then a woman emerges from the brush
She picks up the baby, clearly in a rush

The ocean is enraged and swarms to protect
But the waves are shushed before they can collect

The woman radiates unmistakable power
It leaves the ocean with no choice but to cower

“I will raise him,” the woman coos
She takes him away, and the sea rues

For its child has been stolen away
And for his safety, it can but pray

It calls out and it begs and it pleas
To return the boy back to the seas

But the cries fall on ignorant ears
As the woman wipes the baby’s tears

“No need for the ocean,” she rebukes with a smile
The boy, discontented, only wails for awhile

But exhaustion puts the poor thing to sleep
And the woman sings to him and counts sheep

The ocean is left, alone and defenseless
To see its child stolen away, helpless

“I won’t leave you!” The ocean calls
Knowing that it can tear down walls

For one cannot force the sea from its young
And to those who try, may pity be sung


-Part 2-
Words: 510

Why SWC is Beneficial for your Health

Perhaps you’ve been asked, “Why do you spend so much time doing SWC? It’s an awful lot of time you’re dedicating to an online camp that has no real world effect.” Maybe you’ve never been asked this before (I sure haven’t!). Either way, in this essay, I’m going to give you some reasons why SWC is beneficial for your health! As it turns out, there are almost countless reasons.

Did you know that writing every day can improve your memory, vocabulary, and communication skills? It’s also been discovered that writing can physiologly, intellectually, and emotionally benefit you? It seems that writing has a lot of benefits to it, and writing every day is even better. You can use writing as a way to relax and to express yourself creatively. You can use it to say things you aren’t brave enough to say in real life. There are countless uses and benefits to writing. One cannot deny that.

Studies show that teenagers who forged close friendships were less likely to have depression or anxiety in later life. Friendship is shown to increase one’s self-confidence. It gives people a sense of belonging, and can help reduce stress and anxiety. Friends can help you view the world through different points of view. They can help you when you struggle. They help you practice your social skills in a safe environment. It’s very clear that friendships are a priceless thing.

Leadership has been proven to greater your confidence, strengthen your communication and social skills, and increase your negotiation skills. Leadership is like, friendship and frequent writing mashed into one. Together, friendship, leadership, and writing presents a powerful group of benefits.

Where are you going with this? you may be asking. Well, in what environment are friendship, leadership, and writing mashed together? SWC! There’s constantly new writing prompts and challenged to test and improve your writing skills. I’ve explored so many different genres and improved my writing so much during these sessions, and I don’t think I would have been able to do that on my own. You also have a plethora of fellow writers to befriend. I’ve met so many amazing people through SWC, and I’m immensely grateful for their friendship. Not to mention the different leadership roles SWC has to offer! From being a leader/co, to being a sorter, to working on the memory book staff. In fact, even simply taking leadership as a camper in your own cabin can be leadership experience. For a whole month, you will reap all the benefits of daily/frequent writing, friendship, and leadership! I don’t know about you, but I see this as an absolute win.

Now you have several reasons to defend yourself for spending hours on end speed running weeklies, writing five thousand words all by yourself to win a cabin war, and increasing your typing speed to get better at word wars. And who knows, maybe you’ll be able to convince some people to try SWC out for themselves! Thank you for taking the time to read this disastor of an essay!

-Part 3-
Words: 733

PETER stands on the beach, picking up shells. The OCEAN approaches him.

OCEAN
Come with me. I have something to show you. We won’t be gone long. I promise.

PETER
(Shocked) I— what is it?

OCEAN
You can’t know until I show you. It’s a surprise, silly.

PETER
Where is it? Is it— is it dangerous? Is it going to hurt me?

OCEAN
No! No, I will never hurt you. Never. It’s a good surprise. I promise. It’s just on the other side of the cliff, and we’ll be back by lunch time.

PETER
I don’t— I don’t think I can swim that far.

OCEAN
I’ll carry you. I’ll be really gentle.

PETER
O— okay. I’ll go, but only if we’re back by lunch.

The OCEAN gently picks PETER up and begins to carry him to the other side of the cliff.

PETER
You’re— you’re real?

OCEAN
Of course I am.

PETER
You’re actually speaking to me? You’re not my imagination?

OCEAN
No, dear child. I’m perfectly real, and I’m most definitely speaking to you.

PETER
Can everyone hear you speaking?

OCEAN
Everyone can hear my murmurings, but very few hear me as clearly as you do.

They arrive at the other side of a cliff. The OCEAN places Peter on a rock near the beach.

OCEAN
Watch.

EVELYN, ASHER, WYATT, and EZRA enter the beach, WYATT and EZRA running about and rough-housing.

PETER
Are they what you wanted me to see?

OCEAN
Yes.

PETER watches the newcomers.

EVELYN
Cut it out, you two. You’re both going to get sand all over you.

WYATT
(Lets go of EZRA) It’s his fault! He said that he could beat in a fight, and I had to prove him wrong.

EZRA
(Throws a handful of sand at WYATT)

This sends the two brothers rustling again. EVELYN and ASHER spread out a blanket. EVELYN sits on it.

PETER
Are these my neighbors?

OCEAN
Yes. It’s about time you met them.

ASHER approaches WYATT and EZRA. He takes WYATT’S side, and together they gang up on EZRA.

OCEAN
Go play with them.

PETER
Play with them? I hardly know them.

OCEAN
The one with glasses is named Asher. The one with the floppy hair is named Wyatt. They’re both twins, but Asher is the oldest. The shortest one is Ezra. He’s four years younger than the twins. Their mother is the woman on the shore. Her name is Evelyn.

PETER
Why are you telling me this?

OCEAN
Because now you know them.

PETER
(Sighs) Are they nice?

OCEAN
The nicest family you’ll ever meet.

PETER
But— but mother doesn’t like it when I talk to strangers.

OCEAN
You’re mother left you all alone for a whole two weeks. She can’t possibly expect you not to get lonely. Besides, she never has to know.

PETER
(Hesitates for a moment) Okay. I’ll go meet them.

PETER slides down from his rock. He approaches the family. EZRA sees him first. He runs over to PETER.

EZRA
Hello. Mum never told me she adopted another kid.

PETER
What?

EZRA
(Kneeling down so he’s eye level with PETER) Oh, I’m Ezra. I’m Evelyn’s son. I just came a couple weeks ago, so that’s why you’ve never seen me around.

EVELYN
Ezra? Who’s that?

EZRA tilts his head quizzically at PETER.

EZRA
You’ve never met my mom?

PETER
No.

EVELYN comes over. She kneels like EZRA is.

EVELYN
Hi there. I’m Evelyn. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you before.

PETER
I— no, we haven’t met before. I’m Peter. I think— I think we’re neighbors.

EVELYN
Oh! I’ve always wondered who lived over there. Well, it’s nice to meet you.

They shake hands.

EZRA
Did you swim all the way over here?

PETER
Er— yeah.

EVELYN
You must be tired. Stay here, honey. I have some snacks, and you can meet my other sons.

PETER
I’m not— I’m not sure that’s okay. I don’t want to interrupt you.

EVELYN
You’re certainly not interrupting us. It’s nice to see someone around. We don’t see a whole lot of anyone around here.

EZRA
You should stay. I promise you’re not forcing yourself upon us.

PETER casts a careful glance back at the OCEAN. The OCEAN reassures him, though nobody but PETER can hear.

OCEAN
You should stay! I won’t leave. I promise.

PETER
(Turns back to EVELYN and EZRA) I— okay. I’ll stay.

-Part 4-
Words: 849

Persuasive Memoir? I don’t know, I’ve never written non-fi before

I didn’t consider myself good at math when I was a little kid. I can’t recall ever being behind or failing a test or anything, but I didn’t like it, and I certainly wasn’t one of those math whizzes. I was (and still am) very much a perfectionist, so even though I was doing just fine, the fact that I didn’t immediately understand everything and get good results really bogged me down. I can distinctively remember thinking, I’m never going to be smart if I can’t get this right. It didn’t matter that I was good at the art and music and writing. I struggled with math, and therefore I wasn’t smart.

Now, my relationship with math is good (though I still dislike it), and I realize that my intelligence doesn’t lie solely in my ability to solve long division. That leads me to my topic: a child’s “intelligence” shouldn’t lie on their ability to do math and science.

There are a lot of different subjects out there, all of which are incredibly admirable. Yet for some reason, when people don’t excel in math or science, they’re often quick to assume themselves dumb. Those two subjects are held with such high regard, and if you aren’t good at them, then you aren’t really smart. I think this is an incredibly messed up concept that people buy into.

There are different types of smart, I think. Some people are math and science smart. Quadratic equations and chemistry make perfect sense to them. The science text that makes my brain spin and the complicated quation that makes me want to cry are like second nature to them. I’m beyond impressed at their work. Other people are more artistically smart. They weave together beautiful stories, draw awe-inspiring pictures, and play music that leaves you with an unbelievable amount of serotonin. I’m beyond impressed with these people. And then some people are sports smart. They run for ridiculously long distances, kick a ball around for over an hour, and spend long months training their craft. I’m beyond impressed with them.

There are still so many more types of smart out there. I think we should all start acknowledging that math and science aren’t the only type of smart. It would probably do wonders for kids’ self-esteem, and it would encourage them to pursue the subjects they love. It would save a lot of tears, and it would probably do wonders for their self-esteem too

Narrative Travelogue
I ended up cutting this short because I hit the word count and I need to speed run this weekly

I went to Yosemite, California a few years ago, and it was a lot of fun!

We took a plane there, and while I was packing my carry-on bag, I decided that it would be funny to bring my creepy bowling pin doll Benjamin along. I put him in my bag, and off to the airport we went.

As it turns out, not many people carry bowling pin dolls around in their carry-on bag. My family got stopped at airport security because of Benjamin, and the poor security worker had to bring Benjamin to the head of security to get clearance to let me keep him. Thankfully, he approved, and Benjamin was allowed onto the plane.

(Needless to say, I don’t plan on bringing Benjamin on any planes again.)

We landed in California, and after a long day of driving and shopping for groceries, we arrived at the cabin we were going to stay at. It was absolutely beautiful, and there were lots of places around to explore.

That night, my family decided to take a walk on the trail throughout the giant property. After awhile, my mom and my siblings went back to the cabin, but me and my dad decided to keep exploring. We were hoping to catch a nice view of the mountains.

We went deeper and deeper into the property, following a very faint path. Soon the going got incredibly rough, and we were maneuvering around prickly thorn bushes, thick brush, and fallen logs. Eventually we emerged into a little clearing. In terms of a view, there really wasn’t one. It was just. Dead trees. It was there that we also realized we were quite lost, and the ‘trail’ we were following was just our imagination.

We very briefly tried to be Cool and use the compass on my dad’s phone to get back, but the compass didn’t work, so we were left to try and figure out where home was. It took awhile, but we managed to find a fence that we followed back to the property.

We were covered head to toe in burrs. They literally completely covered our socks and shoes, and my dad had several stuck to the hairs on his legs. It took forever to pick all of them off my shorts and shoes, and my dad decided that his socks weren’t even worth trying to save, and he just threw them away. Regardless of our hassle, me and my dad decided that it was a fun adventure.

This is an old unfinished story I thought I’d share!

The first thing I hear every day is the waves washing up and down the bay. The first thing I do every morning is stand on the balcony and gaze at the admiral blue ocean. The first thing I smell in the morning is the salty breeze. The first thing I taste in the morning is the warm cinnamon roll sitting next to my bed. The first thing I touch every morning is the creamy frosting from breakfast. This is my life. On repeat. Every. Single. Day.
I have nobody, except myself and the ocean. I have no recollection of how I got here, or how I got this huge mansion. I’m alone.
But one especially exciting Tuesday, I had a visitor. I was out on my balcony and all of a sudden, a body washed up on my beach. I scampered down the stairs and ran to the beach. Once I reached the body, I took a closer look. It seemed to be a man, maybe in his early twenties. He seemed to be unconscious, so I dragged him back to my house.
I set him on the couch in a prostate manner, then stared at him for what seemed like hours. Finally, he coughed and woke up from his daze.
“Who the heck are you?” He immediately said, scowling at me.
“I’m—” I tried to say, but he interrupted me. Rude, I thought.
“Zale…you’re Zale.”
I was totally stunned, “How did you know my name?” I gazed into his forest green eyes and repeated what I said, “How. Did. You. Know. My. Name.”
“I don’t know! It just came to my mind,” He said guiltily.
“What’s your name?” I shifted uncomfortably.
“Baylor,” He responded, “But call me Bay.”
I nodded my head, and relented. I hadn’t seen a person in years, I should at least try to make a friend, not an enemy.
“Bay, do you have any idea how you got here?” I asked.
He shook his head, “No idea!”
I sighed, “Do you remember anything about your past life.” I needed something from this man.
“Nope,” He shrugged, “Just basic information about myself.”
“Ok, what do you know about yourself?”
“My name is Baylor Meadows. I’m 23, I was born on November 3rd, 1998. I grew up in an orphanage…” Bay trailed off in thought, “I can’t remember anything else.”
“I think you might have some sort of amnesia,” I replied, “Your memories are lost—but don’t lose hope, they may start to fade back.”
Bay shrugged, “Oh well.” I was expecting more of a reaction, but I like his amiable and vivid personality. A fondness of Bay grew over me.
“Would you like some tea?” I realized I hadn’t been much of a host, “I’ve got loads of it. Also, want a biscuit?”
“Yes, I’m quite hungry. Do you happen to have camomile tea?” He grinned.
“Yeah, I think I do!” I exchanged a smile, “Oh, pooey, do you need a change of clothes?” I had just noticed that he was still drenched in saltwater.
“That would be lovely. Thanks, Zale,” He stood up from the scarlet upholstery chair and sat down next to me. He shifted his face so close to mine that our noses barely touched.
“Thank you.” He said plainly then closed his eyes. His breath smelled like the cinnamon rolls that were next to my bed every day. After a minute he backed away and laid back down on the chair.
I went to fetch some food, tea, and clothes. When I came back, Bay was snoring in deep sleep.
“Hey, buddy!” I rubbed his arm, “I’ve got you some brunch and clothes.”
“Huh, oh…thanks,” He yawned and shifted into a comfortable position to eat. He took a large sip of the tea. “Mmm, very good!”
“You sure? I don’t usually make tea for guests…you’re the first person I’ve seen in years.”
“Really?!” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I was just like you, I was raised as an orphan, but then one day, I lost my memory. I washed up on this beach. I’ve been stuck here since I was 7 years old. I’m 20 now. 13 years here alone with no company.”
“Wow…” Bay seemed stunned. “Wait—” He grabbed something out of his pocket. It looked like a letter.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” He said, “I just remember having this in my pocket.” He read it out loud.

Dearest Bay,
You are being hunted down. Because you are one of them. You are a Nonsensical. I’m sending you out at sea. You will soon find an island. Live there for the rest of your life. Don’t worry— the town will be fine, but if you stay, it will be in grave danger.

“The signature is scratched out. I don’t know who it’s from…” Bay shrugged despondently. I just sat there in utter silence. What was a “Nonsensical?” So many questions filled my head I couldn’t stand it. A scream escaped my lips.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay, Zale! You don’t need to know everything!” Bay tried to comfort me, “Come here.” He opened his arms wide for me to hug him.
“Thank you, Baylor. I really appreciate you,” I said as I climbed into his lap, “This is exactly what I need.” I sat there with him pondering all my thoughts while being guarded by a man I just met.


I woke up the next morning in my bed, but I didn’t remember walking up the stairs and getting into it.
“Bay?” I called. I heard his footsteps climbing up the stairs. He walked into my room, with a pair of my pajamas on.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” He said, bringing me a cup of tea, “I carried you to bed last night if you were wondering.”
“Oh,” I replied, taking the tea. I took a sip and my eyes lit up, “Woah! Super good tea.”
“I always had the chore of making tea for the staff when I was at the orphanage. They taught me how to make it ‘the best way,’ so I’m a professional,” He laughed and sat down at the end of the bed. “I saw that you have a television,” He smirked. “What do you watch?”
“Whatever first comes up,” I shrug and pull the covers down.
“What do you want to do today?” Bay questioned as he shifted towards me, “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of options.”
“Well, today’s Saturday, and every Saturday, I go out swimming. Let’s do that,” I replied, “I don’t know if I have a swimsuit for you, but I could check. If not, then you could wear those clothes and change into something else while it dries.” I could tell I was getting ahead of myself but I hoped I was making sense.

Oh Dear Poetry(68 words)
Oh Dear Poetry, Oh dear poetry If you feel Ftw means for the win ,
Oh dear poetry,That's quite wrong!
FTW means For the wrench , for u head there,
Alas , Me and my fellow fantaysians won't be following you,
For the win's ahead of us!

The way you comment makes me boil and work harder
So i being a responsible fanstaysians Says:'
SALUTE TO FANTASY!"

Just something I came up with today that I wanna make a novel: (415 words)

Imagination. The next best thing to an unrealistic, fantasy world. Well, that's where fantasy worlds come from, the imagination. And you may not know it, but imagination is the reason why we are so advanced. People had a dream, they imagined something, and they imagined it so much, they made it a reality!
But, there's one problem. As we grow older, we start losing our imagination. Everyone becomes mature and thinking that the world we live in is all we have and need. We think that imagination doesn't really mean anything, and basically delete it from our minds. But, it can be much more than that if we use imagination.
Luckily, there's a few people out there who keep imagination and creativity alive, inventing something they create just from their imagination, sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. But, the point is, that's how we got everything around us, from wheels to virtual reality.

I sat down, exhaling. The teacher and kids were staring at me. How would I be marked on my assignment? I feel like I did pretty decent. But, no, I didn't…
I was given my mark a few days later, and why do I see? A big, red, “F” on the paper. F. F!?!?! I tried my very best and poured my heart, soul, and past experiences into that piece of what I thought was art. Now, what happened, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you everything, how I nearly fell into the trap, the trap of no longer having an imagination.

(This was just the prologue, here's chapter 1)

I was 6. I was always bored out of my mind, and making little pretend scenarios, imagining. But, I was disrupted by my thoughts when my mom returned from work with a box.
“Well, hello there Emily!” my mother said to me, putting down the box and closing the door. “I got a little surprise for you!” I ran up to her as she opened up the box. Inside was a kitten. 1 little kitten, had to be about 8 weeks old. I looked at it, and it looked back at me, mewing.
“Awwww!” I said, picking the kitten up. It started purring. I knew I just made a brand new friend.

Now, you may be wondering, “What does this cat have to do with anything?” Well, just wait a second…
This cat, which I named Oreo as she was black and white, was my best friend. We went on walks together, we played together, we did everything together!

(Ok, I got bored, so I'm stopping here right now, sorry… ;-