Weekly II - 7.9.22 - 7.15.22
Historical Fiction Cabin || phoceanic
Newspaper
Total word count: 2,320 / 2,300
Points: 3,500

Part I - 807 words

In an unfortunate weather disaster, sixteen people are found dead and hundreds more are injured in the Kashmir region in northern India. Dozens more are still missing as a result of torrential rainfall in the region, with some areas receiving as much as ten inches (twenty-five centimeters) of rain in only three days. Key emergency workers saved numerous lives as they rescued several thousand people, who were all on their way to a Hindu religious pilgrimage. However, even more rain — as many as three inches per day for the next several days — may stop emergency workers from finding missing people. The Hindu devotees endured heavy rainfall for more than two days for an annual religious pilgrimage named Amarnath Yatra. Amarnath Yatra is an important part of Hinduism; the pilgrimage is a journey to the Amarnath Temple, which sits at an altitude of 12,756 feet (3,888 meters). Most of the year, the Temple, a cave, is surrounded by glaciers and snow except during the annual pilgrimage. Several hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make the trip annually and it usually lasts from anywhere from twenty to sixty days. In addition, the grueling trek is twenty-seven miles long (forty-three kilometers) which presents various health hazards and takes anywhere from one to three days, depending on what route is taken.
The path to the Temple is extremely prone to flooding, as it is very hilly, so only a small amount of rain can trigger a flash flood, which happened during this year’s annual pilgrimage. As many as sixty people were injured as a result of the flooding on the multi-day trip.
Because of the heavy rains causing dangerous travel, authorities have paused the pilgrimage for two days, and at this time, it has resumed.
A Hindu ascetic has told the Associated Press that he had “never seen such an incident in life” and “everything” was covered by a mound of mud and rocks.
With the help of thermal imaging, search dogs, and radar technology, rescuers could help and locate the stranded travelers. Debris brought down by fast-moving mudslides have immobilized as many as fifteen thousand travelers, which rescue teams have freed.
Fortunately, tens of thousands of travelers have already made it to Amarnath Cave Temple safely, but authorities have estimated that as many as a million people — which would be the most ever recorded, and the most since more than six hundred thousand pilgrims made the trip since 2011, eleven years ago — have made the trip to the Temple this year.
Unfortunately, this is not the first-time people have died on the trek to the Amarnath Cave Temple. In the past, hundreds have suffered from pure exhaustion or some other form of weather; twenty-six years ago in 1996, as many as 250 people died in a snowstorm in the area.

In other weather-related news, the southern and southeast region of the United States could be heading towards multiple rounds of rain and thunderstorms. These factors can also increase the likelihood of localized flooding; it can also increase the chance of tropical development in the Gulf Coast.
Some areas that are affected by this weather system include a small portion of eastern Texas, southern Louisiana and Virginia, the lower half of both Mississippi and Alabama, the majority of North and South Carolina, and the northern half of Florida.
As moist air travels north over the Gulf of Mexico, some areas affected by drought in the last few days will be relieved; however, there is still the danger of flash flooding due to scattered, sometimes severe thunderstorms, which will cause some travel disruptions.
Not everyone in the southern region will be affected by extremely heavy rain for severe thunderstorms as they are forecasted to be scattered and not consistent.
It is suggested that travelers be careful when driving on the roads during this time, as localized heavy rainfall can quickly and easily lead to flash flooding; only six inches of rain can float a car.
The rain isn’t all that bad for states such as Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, or South Carolina, as they at least have experienced more than eighty percent of their land being either abnormally dry or in some state of drought.
Later this week, the focus will be more on the southern regions of states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; as well as the Florida Panhandle as more of the consistent, heavy rainfall will be located there. This will again cause flash flooding and rough seas, leading to more travel delays. During that time, there will be a low but slight risk of tropical development in the Gulf of Mexico.
Lastly, there haven’t been much notable tropical activity in the southern and eastern coasts of the United States during this tropical season, but this round of storms could stir up some activity sooner rather than later.

Part II - 801 words

What comes to your mind when you think of technology? Do you think of phones, tablets, computers, or any other type of electronic screen? Or do you think simpler and think of wheels, telescopes, and/or windows, even doors or the lightbulb? By definition, “technology” is “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.” All of the examples I gave could arguably fall under this concrete definition of “technology.” However, the question I am asking is not what the definition of technology is. It is, rather, is technology beneficial to humanity itself? Because “technology” could have a variety of ways to be interpreted, I asked the question at the top. Now that you have some examples and know exactly the concrete definition of what technology is, let’s continue into my opinion.
The year is 2022. Technology allows us to fly to places on the other side of the world. Technology allows us to observe space several hundred light-years away from our home on Earth. Technology makes life a lot easier and simpler. Technology can … destroy humanity? Can it?
In some respects, yes, certainly technology can destroy humanity. Us humans have invented devices that can eradicate entire cities; that is undoubtedly technology and undoubtedly horrendous for humanity. You may be thinking, the definition has the word “practical use” in it. How is that kind of invention a “practical use?” That is a good question, but definitions can be interpreted in several different, but similar, ways.
The question which I have an opinion on is narrower. It concerns the application of devices such as phones or tables in everyday life. I’m sure you’ve heard of the question whether online communication is just as good as physical, face-to-face interaction. My question is similar to that.
How can the application of online communication be both harmful and beneficial to humanity, or society as a whole?
I believe that the usage of online technology and communication is beneficial to humanity, to an extent. In today’s time, it is entirely possible to communicate with people all over the globe without knowing anything personal about that. That can be good — making digital friends can be nearly (not exactly, in my opinion, but I’ll get to that later) as beneficial to someone as making friends in the real, physical, face-to-face world. That can also be bad, with this worldwide technology of global communication, there are people around the globe hunting private information of people they don’t know. But I won’t get into that too much yet.
Online communication has another practical (there we go back to the definition) use, which was demonstrated nearly everywhere in the globe during the pandemic. Education was virtually (no pun intended) impossible without the application of online communication devices. It could also allow for people to connect with their loved ones that they couldn’t visit due to the pandemic.
What about other online communication? Calling has been with us for nearly 150 years! Mailing letters to people have existed for even longer, which has evolved to sending electronic mail, known as email, a digital way to send those exact letters, but instantly. A letter that had to travel all the way around the globe back then would’ve taken a few weeks or even months! With the invention of email technology, you can send a message in mere seconds, no matter where the receiver is located! Soon, even email has evolved, this time, into texting. Texting was a way of sending short messages to someone, which allowed for entire conversations that used to require physical and personal interaction. It paved the way for emojis, which helped indicate the tone of the message you were sending, since it is impossible to hear tone in a message you can only see. It also made the way for acronyms, the most popular one being “lol,” or laugh out loud, used to express laughter in an entirely digital form.
Soon people relied on texting instead of going out to physically meet face-to-face. It was simply easier. You literally don’t have to move an inch to talk to whoever you need to talk to. You could be so lazy that you text with someone who is five feet (or 1.5 meters) away from you. Why? It’s easier! This, unfortunately, eliminates any personal connection you make to the person you are texting to. It’s hard to actually connect with someone you can’t see.
The pandemic forced us to go back to online communication nearly entirely. We saw that, hey, online communication isn’t all that bad. It wasn’t great either. We missed really seeing our friends and loved ones — actually seeing them, not on a screen. We’ll continue to advance technologically but let this remind us that the personal connections that we make are the most meaningful.


Part III - 512 words

Question from @wxtrmlxn- : “What are some strategies for overcoming a writer’s block?”
My answer: I’m no expert on the art of literature, but I have some experience with the phenomenon writer’s block. I find it helpful to simply take a break from writing at all. Consider even taking a nap if writing (or something else) has previously deprived you of sleep. If you have been taking a break from writing for more than a few days and still struggle with literature ideas, possibly doing another hobby can get you inspired. On another note, if you have been writing a story and feel stuck, writing about an event later in the story might also get your literary mind churning. If all else fails, write something simple. It could be your current environment, the scenery outside, your dream home, anything!

Question from @TheWarriorCat0416 : “My pet rock isn’t growing at all! I’m worried it’s not a real rock, but a stone. What should I do?”
My answer: Unfortunately, there have been some instances of people purchasing a pet rock only to find that they have been sold a fake, which are stones as you mentioned. It appears the problem here is that the rock is not growing. Make sure you are feeding it at least three times a day (however, some species may only need two) in a comfortable environment for the rock. Also, maybe sure your rock is not dehydrated, or it may not feel motivated to eat or grow. Maintaining proper hygiene and cleaning it thoroughly with your rock is also important. If you are worried that your pet rock is a stone, you can simply ask for replacement; if it has not grown in ten weeks, then it is probably a stone.

Question from @creatiivity : “i have a pet rock called fish. fish cannot walk!! what should i do?”
My answer: Rocks that cannot walk are also, unfortunately, a common occurrence. However, I have some solutions that could benefit your rock’s ability to walk. Firstly, consider changing the rock’s name or start to call it to something else that can walk. Calling your rock “human” is not recommended. Next, if changing the name doesn’t work, consider taking your rock to a rock treatment center for a checkup; the experts there may find the solution better than I can. If you know someone else that has had problems with their rock walking, possibly reach out to them and ask how they were to successfully train or get their rock to walk. Lastly, there are a few species of rock that are unable to walk, and it is possible that your rock is one of those immobile species.

Question from @FairyAyla : “can someone tell me what to do, there are big fish my house! help!!!”
My answer: Fish attacking your house can pose a serious problem to your well-being. Especially if they are large in size. The first step I would recommend is to dial the emergency number in your location, and calmly tell them what the problem is. Secondly, close the blinds in your home; they may think that no one is inside the house after a while. Third, if the fish are still present, try to evacuate the house only carrying necessary things through an alternate door. There is also the possibility that you are dreaming of this scenario. Try to pinch yourself and wake up. Lastly, fish cannot survive out of water for long, so if you cannot leave the house, just wait patiently until the problem is resolved.


Part IV - 200 words

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hi-fi ftw!

random proof stuff:
1) Yesterday, Bertha’s cat, Ronald, went missing. While at work, Bertha “usually Ronald at home alone,” and has never encountered any sort of problem with her schedule so far. She has been doing this for around five years, and, although she says Ronald can get a bit sad and lonely at times, he is usually fine at home alone, since Bertha usually only leaves the house for around three to four hours each day, aside from other activities that are unrelated to work, such as grocery shopping and going for walks. The six-year-old cat, though, has never run away or showed signs of wanting to or attempting to escape. When Bertha returned home from work Tuesday evening around 7 p.m., she was naturally very excited to be able to see her cat again, and certainly wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes Ronald can be a bit difficult to find when she comes back from work, so Bertha checked all of the usual spots, such as on a chair or stool, under the couch, behind the tv, and inside of a cupboard. When she couldn’t find him in any of those locations, she checked the closet and bathroom. When he still wasn’t anywhere to be found, Bertha began to worry. She called the police after looking around for a few more minutes. While the police determined that there were no obvious signs of a break-in or a catnapping, they admitted that it could be possible, although an escape would also have been equally probable. Bertha mentioned in an interview that Ronald’s collar has a tag on it with her name, address, and phone number, so if you happen to find Ronald, or a cat who you think may be Ronald, check the collar first. According to Bertha, Ronald is a full-grown bright orange tabby cat with darker orange patches. His collar is electric green and very noticeable. He walks slowly and acts lazy most of the time, but he is actually an incredibly fast runner, particularly if people are trying to catch him or to pick him up.

2) Hello there! once upon a time, there was a person named me. Right now, I am supposed to be researching what to do today, since I am on vacation with my family. Instead though, I am participating in this word war since I love to procrastinate, like any good swc child should. Don't worry, I am mostly joking - procrastination is a very bad habit to have and you definitely should not do it if you can avoid it. Of course, I am saying this as I procrastinate. I suppose I have gone a bit far into the land of amazing procrastination to be saved from that - it was inevitable. But you should not start procrastinating, since it is often very difficult to stop once you have begun. Anyways, aside from my like multiple sentences of sort of ranting about procrastination, I should probably continue with my story of my day. Although I suppose getting sidetracked is not the worst thing ever. Look at me, procrastinating on my procrastination word war. I know, that is so cool, right? Actually it is not but whatever. Alright, so I am supposed to be researching what to do today, right? I came up with a few ideas, of course, before I gave in to the procrastination, since I am a very good child like that. So, I had to come up with ideas of what to do since we did not really plan out our trip before we came, leading to a very poorly researched vacation. The owner of the house that we are currently renting recommended to us that we visit this nearby island, so that was what we were planning for today. Of course, though, today happens to be the one day where they are hosting a jazz festival - just our luck. This means that the island will probably be super crowded and loud. Plus, the town was mostly made up of beaches anyways, and we went to the beach yesterday. So, now that we can't do that, we have no idea what to do instead. This is why I was googling what to do. On google, I discovered that there are a bunch of nearby hiking trails, which we might do some of. There are also a few cute little towns and villages nearby that we could visit. After that, I think the day will probably already be over since it is already almost noon here, which is why I really should not still be procrastinating on this. We might go out to dinner somewhere nearby, but I do not really need to research that since there are a ton of small restaurants that are about a five minute walk from the house that we are renting. And, uh, anyways, I guess I'm not really sure what else to say about my trip so yeah bye.

and then I had some random rant-type things (totalling 1563 words) that had some personal info and stuff so I'm not sharing those

Scratch Writing Camp, commonly referred to as SWC, is a triannual virtual writing camp in which cabins compete to earn the most points. Campers complete short or long tasks to earn points for their cabin, and at the end of the month, the cabin with the most points wins! This exciting event is something looked forwards to by hundreds of Scratchers on the platform, and for good reason- not only it is a fun and engaging way to improve your writing, all the people who participate- weather camper, host or leader- are kind and full of excitement! SWC is a must for all aspiring authors on Scratch.
Right now, we are almost halfway through the July session of SWC for 2022. We're on our second ‘weekly’- these are tasks that gain a lot of points for the camper's cabin- and the memory book cover contest, as well as the writing competition, have just been released! Points are starting to rack up, and currently we have one cabin that's reached over 100,000 points- our current leaders are Mythology at 113600 points! Coming in at a close second we have the one and only Thriller cabin, with a whopping 97200 points, but that's not all- in third, with the incredible amount of 88350 points, we have Sci-Fi! Don't underestimate any of the other cabins, however- it's an incredibly close game right now, with some cabins less than 1000 points away from overtaking others! Truly, the session has had a shocking and engaging first half.
A real point-booster came just two days ago- Cabin Wars! This event happens for two days in the month-long session, on the second and fourth Saturday- usually- of the month. This Saturday, when 12:00 UTC came around, the camp erupted into chaos over wars that were being hurled around everywhere. True allies and enemies were discovered as betrayals were employed on so-called ‘friends’, and cabins closer to the bottom of the leaderboard made a comeback based on the wars they won.
Overall, only two cabins ever lost a war- a stunning phenomenon of intense work by all campers. Sci-fi dropped from second to third based on a dropped war, and Poetry dropped to 15th place, catapulting the Realistic Fiction cabin out of last. The Horror cabin used cabin wars to launch themselves two places up, and Adventure made a notable climb to fifth place. Mythology, the current leaders, didn't drop a war- however, that would have been difficult to do, considering that they didn't recieve many! On the Saturday, almost all of the other cabin decreed that Myth had grasped hold of too much of a lead- and they refused to war the cabin, so as not to allow them points! Despite many protests and requests from hyperactive Myth campers, some of the only wars they received were from close allies, and they were denied much of the chance to pull even further ahead. @cb2jkl, who goes by CJ, is a Mythology camper who responded with this when asked about Cabin Wars: “…cabin wars went pretty well for myth though *cough* someone kept telling people not to war myth lol. cabin wars kinda burned a lot of people out tho…” The latter sentiment is shared by @LUR10934, stating that “…I think Cabin Wars were fun, but tiring…”. Overall, it seems that many people are taking a while to recover from the intensity of Cabin wars, this also being due to two rather difficult dailies in the immediate aftermath of the day. It's been relatively quiet, although the pace of the camp is sure to pick up towards the end of this week, when a horde of weeklies will be submitted on the final day! It's true, we don't know this fact for sure, but in the nature of procrastination we can assume an avalanche of desperate campers will be finally relaxing after a hard week of work.
The relaxation won't last for long, however! Today, the Writing Competition was opened, and campers have only one week to compose their entries for submission! This competition is a HUGE point-grabber, and easily take a cabin from the low leaderboards to first place! Next Monday, UTC, the competition will close, and judging will begin- all campers will be waiting with baited breath for the results, which may dictate the winners of this session!
A break from writing comes in the form of the Memory Book cover contest- this friendly art competition provides the chance to have your art featured on the front- or back- cover of the SWC memory book! It's an amazing opportunity, but currently, the number of entries is surprisingly low- SWC leaders are calling all artists to submit their entries for the contest!
That's it for this paper, but be sure to check out the next issue, which will cover the newest weekly, more predictions on which cabin will win, and will detail all about the Postscript! See you there!

823 words

Music Reviews

All Eyes on Me - OR3O
This song is a fan song of the video game Bendy and the Ink Machine- specifically, Chapter Three. It's a song talking about Alice Angel, the main antagonist of this chapter. The lyrics are detailed, and describe perfectly her desire to become the ‘perfect Alice’ as well as the desire to be famous amongst the cartoon industry and achieve the fame that she was going to achieve if Bendy had not stolen her spotlight. The lyrics are also written in the mocking, sadistic style she (Alice) acts in. The song is based on 1930's jazz music, with a heavy use of trumpets and piano solos. Backing vocals are also prominent, but less as a harmony than as little details here and there. A heavy beat and drums feature throughout the song. The vocals are sung loudly and clearly, with some rasp to them in some places. They are the main feature of the song and are pulled of excellently. Sometimes effects are employed to make it sound like it is coming from an old tape recording. The song features a beginning section which features a different, slower tempo and less base. You can hear finger snaps upholding the beat in this section. It it also counted in by a tapping of what sounds like an old fashioned snare drum. The visuals of the music video are images taken from Bendy and the Ink Machine gameplay, as well as sepia-toned backgrounds and stages in both monochrome and colour. Little stickers of Alice Angel and Bendy feature prominently. The lyrics are shown in a chalklike font. It's truly a headbanger, and an absolute bob! I've listened to it so, so many times. This song is absolutely amazing! It fits the theme of Bendy and the Ink Machine so well. It feels as if it's from the BATIM era, the 1930's, but it's still clean. The vocals contain so much raw talent, it's simply amazing! Please go listen to the song, even if you haven't played or seen BATIM. It's truly incredible! Huge props to the artist, OR3O, who said it was her first fully original song! Seriously, this is one of my faveourite songs EVER.

Labyrinth - CG5 (Ft. Dolvondo, Dawko, DAGames, Chi Chi, Caleb Hydes and Fandroid)
This song is based off of the game ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s: Pizzeria Simulator'. It features many different singers and producers who all play the parts of different characters in this Five Nights at Freddy's game. In my opinion, the voices perfectly match the characters, and all off the vocals are compelling and strong. The introduction, voiced by Dawko, sounds exactly like the original game narrator, but the backing track is more childish and suits the happier mood more. The lyrics contain references to lines said in the games as well. A key change leads to an instrumental part which highlights the beginning of a new part to the song, and then CG5 comes in with a more musical-ish voice, laying the base of the typically FNAF bit of the game. Visuals match this scene. An octave change- the vocals go higher- lead in to the more rock-type singing chorus sung by DAGames. The backing track not changing much lends to the contrast of the song. In the build up, you can hear mechanical beeps fading in louder and louder before the chorus. In the chorus, backing vocals can be heard softly wailing, symbolizing the children's voices. After a short instrumental bit where the beat becomes less prominent, the drums are back and Chi Chi is voicing Scrap Baby. This singing is lighter and breathier, whilst still commanding a strong presence. Shortly after, Fandroid and CG5 come in together singing with a machine-like reverberation echoing between the two. After four lines, everybody comes in to sing the next bit. Chi Chi's higher-pitched vocals over the top really make this part of the song special, and it's my faveourite part of the whole song. The chorus repeats, this time sung by Caleb Hydes, and after this there's the usual outro stuff, like a bass boost, electric guitar solo, re-sung and emphasized parts of the chorus and a cliffhanger on the end. In the end, the original minimalistic and childish backing track plays, with Dawko singing three more lines as the narrator again. The last line, ‘Thank you, for all you’ve done,“ seems to me to be a goodbye to Scott Cawthon, creator of Five Nights at Freddy's, as this was going to be the last game made. I love the different parts of this song- they're all so unique, but fit together so well. As mentioned, the part where everyone sings together is simply phenomenal! If you read this, I'm BEGGING you to listen to both of these songs!

800 words exactly!

Welcome to CD's advice column! Today, we'll be covering some of the most important questions submitted to my newspaper. So, buckle in, and get ready to be enlightened to a whole new world!
QUESTION ONE: ”I accidentally time-traveled to 2016, what do I do?" Submitted by @phoceanic on Scratch.
Well, first of all, make the most of it! 2016 was an amazing era and now that you're (probably) not as cringey as you were in 2016, it's all yours to enjoy. This was peak Five Nights at Freddy's period, so get into the fandom, and get on that Sister Location song train! Also, and you probably care slightly more about this, as not everybody is as obsessed with indie horror games as I am, this was the year of the Rio Olympics! Go book a ticket to Brazil, and cheer for your nationality as they compete! These are the last Olympic Games before Covid hits the planet, so enjoy! As well as this, I'm gonna tell you this straight. Literally half of Scratch Writing Campers are HUGE musical theater nerds- so you may not be surprised to know that this was the year that the hit musical Hamilton blew up. So go- see it when it's the world's newest sensation at Broadway! You'll love the debut of this hit musical.
Wait. You don't want to stay in 2016?
Okay! I mean, I don't know why you'd want to leave 2016, but fine! Here's how to no-clip through reality in a few simple steps.
If you didn't know what no-clipping is, it's basically moving so fast through reality at a certain spot that is less strong in the fields of reality that you fall through the layers of reality into a different space or time. Got that? Great! So, how do you find a weak spot in the folds of reality, and how do you get through it?
It's simple- just identify an area you want to search, and then completely block out all light! Let it be known that most thin reality spots are located outside, so you may need to hire a building company to build a room that completely blocks out all sunlight from entering the place that you want to search. Then, shine a blacklight over ALL of the room at once. If you see any black splotches on the floor, congratulations! You've found a perfect place to no-clip! If not, destroy your building, pick a new spot, and build another room!
When you've located your no-clipping spot, all you have to do is hire your building company again to build a really, REALLY tall diving board, and then skydive into your ‘reality hole’! Alternatively, hire a helicopter to get you into the sky- although let it be known that the chances of you missing the reality hole are significantly higher when jumping from a moving object- and you do NOT want to land on solid ground from a skydive without a parachute.
If you do manage to maneuver into the hole, you'll feel a brief sensation of falling before you black out. When you open your eyes-
oh dear.
Oh deary me.
You may have just found your way into the Backrooms.
Uh, thank you for reading my advice column! I'll see you next time!

549 wordss

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Are you a science teacher? Scratch that, so you know anything about science? Here at , we're so short-staffed that we're desperately hiring anyone who wants to to become a teacher! Please, join our friendly and welcoming staff! And please don't leave at the end of the year- we have literally nobody left! If you're interested, please call XXX-XXXX. Thank you! -
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202 words!

total of 2383 words!

proof - july 12
warred: @opheliio
words: 142
status: lost

“Got it!” April pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. The paper was filled with diagrams of lines and circles with the occasional dot or triangle (but mainly unconnected lines and circles that were either filled in or left empty), and she couldn’t understand why Keith wanted it. But whatever worked, she supposed.
“Here you go,” she said as she handed it to him.
“Thank you,” Keith said. “I guess I’ll start decrypting it now or something.”
“Okay,” April said, and she left the room. The lines were a code of some sort- now she knew that, at least. Another secret that could possibly be used in Keith’s downfall.
If April wanted to bring about Keith’s downfall, you ask, then why is she handing him scrolls and doing favors and talking to Keith like a friend?
Well, the answer is simple. Trust-gaining.

writing critique of this piece - 256 words

First of all, I absolutely loved your story! It was so beautifully written and I really felt like I was fully immersed in the story as I read it. There's honestly not much I would say about it, but obviously I am supposed to be critiquing it, so I would say that the sentence “but it's not soon before I stop smiling” confused me a bit. I felt like it kind of broke the rhythm of the story as I stopped to try to understand what you were saying. This was not really a big thing, but I just thought I would mention it since it was pretty much the only thing I found. I also really liked how you added the repetition of the last two paragraphs - it really shows the character's endless cycle of thoughts as they try to convince themselves that that is the truth. Since you were asking for stuff about length though, if you were trying to shorten it a bit (I'm not sure if that's what you were trying to do - the part about length confused me a little) that would probably be a good place to do it, since I'm not sure you need all of the repetition to convey the intended meaning. If you aren't trying to alter the length though, then I think it sounds really cool! I also loved your word choice throughout the story - it really helped to convey the mood of the room, especially when you used words like “haunting”, “ethereal”, and “oppressive”.

ic daily - july 12
words: 221
cameo by: desk

“Proposal approving of the idea that we in the Writer’s Room request

Everlasting inks and other such materials that will then be used to create

Never fading, easily-noticeable, bold, and ever-visible

Captions in a legible font, preferably sans serifs and in bold, that will be used

In the process of the documentation of the world’s

Life by yours truly and other anonymous writers as a script or

Story that will make use of acrostic-style words and captions written with.”

I grinned proudly and returned to my desk.

“Why are you writing about pens?” hissed a writer sitting next to me.

“I’m writing about pencils,” I replied.

“But pencils fade,” they asked again.

“Exactly,” I said- it had been the point of my presentation.

“The prompt was a pencil,” they continued, seemingly unaware of the real meaning.

“I’m writing about pencils,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

“No, you aren’t,” they argued.

“I am,” I replied calmly.

“You speak of pencils and write about penwork.”

“I both speak and write about pencils,” I argued. Wasn’t it obvious?

“You speak one and write another.” They were getting frustrated.

“I speak AND write ONE,” I emphasized.

“That is inconceivably wrong,” they said, looking very confused.

“I don’t think-,” I began as soon as they finished their sentence.

“Please, no,” they sighed.

“…Okay.”

Part 1
Fake Crime
814 words

A terrible crime has been reported in the usually peaceful town of Mangoville! This morning, inhabitants of the iconic Mangoville Street have reported that all of the mangoes in their mango gardens have gone missing without a trace. A few sighted a masked thief lurking behind the street the night before, who appears to be behind the crimes. The police are on the lookout for the offender, and are calling for members of the public to help the search.
Meanwhile, the residents of Mangoville Street are calling for help. Without their mangoes, they are afraid they will lose their magical ability of being able to write until 3am for cabin wars. And the rest of Mangoville are scared that their mangoes will be next.
A crime on this large scale is nearly unheard of in the area, and the search is, admittedly, leaving the police rather baffled. Who would steal other people’s mangoes when there are so many to spare? Conspiracy Theories are running amok throughout the town, these strange monsters spreading misinformation to whoever listens to them. One reporter from our very own Mango Press has cornered one in an alley and attempted to interview them.
“It was the flying fishes, it was!” The Conspiracy Theory claims. “Those good-for-nothing sea dwellers need to get their floppy fins out of other people’s business! We should cook them all, I say, cook them all!”
Another Conspiracy Theory has decided that it must have been the famed Tyrants, the beloved yet tyrannical mayors of Mangoville. “‘Twas not a flying fish you saw, brother, ‘twas two flying birds! Those tyrants have been too tyrannical for too long. They turned on their own people, they did!”
“Did they?” Asks another Theory. “Both of you are wrong! The mangoes simply grew legs and ran away, I saw them. Those Housedwellers should take better care of their fruit!”
The three Conspiracy Theories, who all seem to be related to each other in some way, promptly began to fight, causing such a ruckus that they got themselves arrested and are currently in Mangoville’s local jail, being kept company by a few criminal spiders. They do not want their names to be revealed. And the reporter, who witnessed the fight and also wishes to remain anonymous, has lately been very ill with a severe case of Conspiracy Theory-itis, and is away from the office at the present moment. She does not wish to disclose anything more.
A slightly larger neighbouring town, by the name of Cain Mabin, is conducting its own investigation. The government there is also partly composed of the suspected Tyrants Birdi and Robin, although the rest of Cain Mabin’s government is strongly opposed to this theory and as of date are not letting the police or any private detective’s question the two birds. Instead, they are sending winged spies to watch the Mango gardens to see if they can catch the masked thief red-handed.
But many other townspeople from both Cain Mabin and Mangoville suspect there is a bigger plot than just stealing mangoes. Some think this could lead to the very downfall of the prosperous Safety Wanting Continent, or SWC, itself.
Surrounding towns had mixed responses to the crimes. The large city of Mythology, which is famous for its iconic maze layout, is partnering with Cain Mabin in their investigation, while the spread-out streets of Thriller claim their dear leader, Harry the Capybara, will be able to figure everything out. Many claim Sci-Fi, too, is to blame - as they have had many hastily-covered up disappearances lately. And yet Sci-Fi argues it isn’t them, and is in fact a curse born of the Conspiracy Theories themselves, which Fantasy backs up.
In fact, some Conspiracy Theories also support this theory, which causes those in question to promptly have an identity crisis. With Safety Wanted Continent not so safe anymore, the towns arguing, the Tyrant’s suspected of betrayal, Conspiracy Theories all over with their numbers multiplying every week, the Continent is quickly losing its prized reputation. The police are still scrambling for clues, birds are spying on everyone, and the government recently declared the entire issue is officially A Mess. The people have started their own petition, demanding it be updated to A Catastrophe and hoping it will persuade the nearby country of Safety Achieved Continent (SAC) to help them.
Meanwhile, there’s a half-price discount on Mango-Away Spray, the deadliest item on the black market. A word of warning to everyone - symptoms of Mango-Away Spray inhalation include a sudden dislike to the flavour of mangoes as well as vomiting, diarrhoea, and allergic reactions to sunlight. If you show any of these, it is recommended you visit your general practitioner and/or the hospital intensive care unit immediately.
Keep reading the Mango Press for more updates on this crime crisis, and make sure to donate to the unfortunate residents of Mangoville.

Part 2
Scratch Opinion
809 words

(Please note- all of this is a joke. No offence to Thriller, we love Harry <3)

George the Unicorn is a far better mascot than Harry the Capybara - which means that therefore Mythology is a far better cabin than Thriller.
Firstly, unicorn’s are much more useful than capybaras. And George is a very special unicorn, as he has three heads and a fish tail, which makes him superior ✨. Capybaras only laze around eating sugar cane, while unicorns can poop cupcakes for the entire cabin to share. Capybaras take up vital sugary resources that could have been used for speed writing weekly’s, which makes them a burden on their entire cabin. Also, unicorns are a lot more colourful and this again makes them superior to the large fluffy rodents of Thriller. Another bonus with unicorns is that you can ride them. George is especially good to ride because he can go underwater as well as on land, using his speedy fish tail to propel himself along, his pace rivalling that of an olympic swimmer. And with three heads, he can breathe through a total of six nostrils at the same time as his three mouths, which means he never gets out of breath. There is so much evidence that proves that unicorns are better mascots and pets than capybaras.
Secondly, George the Unicorn has three heads, and therefore, three brains. Harry the Capybara only has one head and only one brain, which makes George three times smarter than Harry, and Harry three times dumber than George. This means that with George’s three heads, he can write three parts of the weekly at once, and Harry can only write his weekly one part at a time. This is very unfortunate for Harry, but very fortunate for George, because with George helping Myth Cabin, Myth will get more points and be overall smarter than Thriller. Although Harry is a very cute mascot, he just cannot compete with a magical unicorn with three heads and a fish tail that is three times smarter than him. And although Thriller is a very nice cabin, Myth is much smarter and superior-er, because of our amazing mascot. Harry should invest in two more heads and a fish tail before he can compete with our beloved George in this category. Short stumpy capybara legs and a short stumpy capybara brain are unfortunately inadequate for a writing camp, or any camp at all, really. We love Harry, but George is simply better and smarter and he is one of the many reasons our cabin is in first.
Thirdly, Harry is a capybara, and capybaras are rodents. Rats are also rodents, and no-one likes rats. Therefore Harry is related to animals that no-one likes. Rats also spread the black plague and killed millions of people, so Harry is related to murderers. No unicorns have ever murdered anyone, so it is safe to say that unicorns are a much safer and nicer species than a species of rodent like a capybara. Also, everyone likes unicorns. Unicorns are pretty and sparkly and sparkles always make everything better - while capybaras are a dull, boring brown and related to very ugly rats. Unicorns are related to horses, which are beautiful graceful animals, so it is obvious that George has better relatives and that Harry’s family is trash. Harry, get a new family. Unicorns are also magical beings, while capybaras have no magic so they cannot go to Hogwarts to learn the necessary skills to becoming a Scratch Writing Camp mascot. With a lacking education, capybaras will not be able to meet the required standards of mascot-y-ness and may bribe you into hiring them, when in reality they will only eat all your sugarcane and lower your points with their non-magic bad vibes.
Lastly, it is easy to see that Myth’s mascot is better than Thriller’s mascot because guess who’s in first In the nicest way possible, Myth is beating Thriller (ya losers) because of their very much SUPERIOR mascot, and there is no way to argue against this evidence. Myth is just overall better, smarter and has more points. We suggest Thriller get a unicorn as a mascot instead (or don’t, we’re fine with you being in second) and wish our allies the very very best as they scramble for a higher ranking with a simply un-superior (yet very cute) mascot. Also, you’re not allowed to catch up with us because it is Robin’s birthday soon and you’re not allowed to make her sad Turn her frown upside down by dropping to third place and letting us win this session <3 We respect you and your rodent mascot, because we are allies and we have to, and we hope you come second, but all our evidence points to the fact that George the Unicorn is best, and Myth is better than Thriller. It is also my opinion, and my opinion is superior.
Also you are lesser beings.
Ava out.

(Again, this is a joke, we love yall thrillians, truly xD)

Part 3
Advice Column
623 words including the questions from others, 536 only including what I’ve written

(DISCLAIMER- The email address and phone number are both completely made up. Don’t email/text them.)
(And this is also all meant as a joke, please don’t take offence.)

Welcome to the advice column! Here, you can send in your dilemma’s and our certified Wisest Old Man, Ava, will provide you with the wisdom you need to solve whatever terrible problems you have. Please email us at avathefish@mangopress.com with your questions, or text her at 001 234 5678.
“I want mangoes, but my dog ate my homework. Then my dog turned into the yummiest mango of all time, what should I do?” -@DashingDiamonds
All you need to do is capture your dog with a suitable trap, and consume/eat him/her/them/xem/zir. Your craving for mangoes shall be quenched at the same time as having your homework inside you, which will obviously make you very smart and educated. If your teacher demands to see said homework, let the teacher eat you, too, and they will feel your miraculous brainlyness inside their stomach. Hope this helped!
“are_space_keys_edible_(ps:_should_i_be_concerned_if_somebody,_say,_…ate…_mine)” -@Peach_Drawing
Space keys are, indeed, edible! They make a very tasty snack on-the-go or at home, and you can buy them off ebay for 99 cents per packet. I, myself, have an unfortunate addiction to the coloured sort when slathered in fresh mango juice. But sometimes someone else eating your space keys can be terribly bothersome, especially if you are trying to use the device which has the eaten space bar. There are many troubleshooting methods, including getting a new space key glued onto said device or making an offering to the High Lord to space keys, but the one that I find works the best is to locate the person who ate your space bar and press them whenever you need a space. The space key will react inside of them if you press the person hard enough, giving you a space if your device is within close range. Hopefully you get it all worked out soon, and have a nice day!
“Look, my toes keep telling me they want some privacy. But the thing is, as soon as I put on those individual toe socks, they have attachment issues. I don’t know what to do!” -@BooksDontHaveTitles
Fortunately, there is a very simple solution to your problem, which you can do in two easy steps. First, ask your toes very nicely if they want privacy from the other toes, or if they want privacy from you. If you are having trouble with this, you can purchase this handy guidebook here, which explains how you can speak the language of your toes in ten days. No refunds given. Secondly, you must cater to each of your toes’ different wants and needs. If a particular toe wants to be separated from its companion toes, give it covid so it can go into quarantine and have some alone time. You can easily get covid by going out into the sunlight without your tinfoil hat, so you can be exposed to the magnetic rays being beamed from the roof of parliament. (This is a New Zealand inside joke) And if your toes want to be separated from you, well I’m sorry, buddy, but you’ll need to cut off your foot. Toe lives matter, you see.
“My toilet won’t stop talking to me – I kicked it and it just makes it talk louder!” -@Polarbear_17
This problem also has an easy solution! You simply need to feed your toilet and then it will be fed and happy. I trust that you know how to feed it? If you don’t, here’s a toilet training for dummies book. You also need to apologise for kicking it. Toilet’s don’t like having their feelings hurt. Befriending your toilet can also work like a charm. I’m confident this will help you and improve your situation.
Yours Truly, Ava.

Part 4
Horoscopes
265 words

Capricorn, you will have an amazing week this week. You will make a new friend in a stuffed animal, and be very happy.
Aquarius, you will have a rivalry with a Capricorn over a stuffed animal this week. Be careful, as Capricorn will be lucky this week and your luck will plummet.
Pisces, you have a high chance of exploding in the next seven days. Be careful what you eat.
Aries, you have some good luck this week. You will finish your weekly and do at least one daily, which will give your cabin points it needs.
The planets are frowning down on you this week, Taurus. I am sorry but there is nothing you can do.
If you are a Gemini, rejoice! This week will be full of cake.
A warning for Cancer! Don’t let Gemini steal your cake!
Leo, do not let pigs take advantage of you. All they want is your hair to build their nests.
Virgo, you will have a goodish week this week. Someone else’s cabin may catch up or nearly catch up to yours, but you can defeat them with that cheese you keep under your bed.
The planets are aligned in a very interesting way for you, Libra. If you eat at least five mangoes, all will be well. If you do not eat any mangoes, your luck will come tumbling down!
Scorpio, it is a good idea for you to watch Encanto this week.
Sagittarius, our telescopes are blurry and we don’t even know where your planets are. Come back next week and clean your blurry windows.

tw : ideas of suicide mentioned below!! (not really heavy, pretty light but proceed w caution if necessary)

- - -

Leftovers of Warmth
- - -

He turned, facing her, as his feet continued to inch backwards towards the cliff edge, with a smile on his face that still wasn’t able to conceal the emptiness and betrayal in his eyes.

Intertwined with thousands of thoughts, his eyes still reddened slightly, involuntarily, his lips trembling, struggling to maintain the smile plastered on his face.

He still owed her too much. Way too much, it would be impossible for him to return all of them in just this lifetime.

He took a step back. Only two feet away from the edge.

Another step. One foot away.

And another.

In the face of death, all he had was cold indifference, maybe even with the slightest twinge of yearning, as if he really didn’t care about whether he lived or died. He held the concept of death in his hands so carelessly, as if it had no value. As if it was nothing but relief and liberation.

And now he could finally be free.

He closed his eyes and imagined himself as a dove, flying free over the waters, beautiful and unrestrained.

If he could, he would become a bird in his next life, always flying, soaring over blue and green, into the limitless open air above.

But when he opened his eyes, the only thing that appeared was the girl in front of him, as if his brain was constantly attempting to remind him of what she had done to him, shattering once again the dreams that had long been drowned by blood and trauma, suffering and anguish.

Once upon a time, she had been the fire in his soul, the one keeping him fighting, helping him return from the eternal darkness to the illuminated world above.

She was the sun that kept him alive, the one that had stayed with him as thousands of clouds passed through his life, never stopping once to help him when he was in need.

She was willing to become a candle, lighting up the way for him in the seemingly endless, dark tunnel, if only he could look forward, put down the past, and let go of himself, running towards that small spot of brightness in the distance. She was willing to burn up her whole life, waiting for him to realize that hope had been there all along, that the sun he had been waiting for had always been by his side, silently protecting him.

Gradually, she had burned through his life, becoming the wind, becoming the hour, becoming the water that flowed through his fingers, the light that passed through his hair.

She became his day, his night, his dawn and dusk, his past and present.

But people will always want to extinguish a fire, no matter how weak or vulnerable it was, and clouds will always manage to hide the warmth of a sun, never stopping once to consider how important they might have been to somebody else.

And yet they still managed to hold onto each other tightly, like two broken fragments of metal that had found each other, inseparable, making up the broken parts in their heart that had been empty for too long.

But they were still destined to have no ending, as was clear when he called out her name, his hand reaching towards hers in a last sliver of desperate hope, but she pulled hers away, turning instead to walk towards another person, leaving him alone in the dust, to live the rest of his life in solitude.

It might have been that day, the winds so strong that they blew away his youth and childhood, blew away everything in the past, blew away all the memories they had left of each other.

And just like that, she disappeared, bringing with her all the hope and emotion he still had for life.

Only later as he was trudging through the journey of life, did he realize that there was no way for him to look back.

What was once thought to be a blessing from fate remained in the depth beneath the light, nothing in the future except for loneliness and solitude, heartache and suffering, and after all this time, it was not the beauty of blooming flowers and warm sunlight that he saw, but rivers of blood, and hate so dense that it covered everything, leaving him with nothing but desperation and pain.

That was the price. And in the end he still failed to run away from it, being forced to stay back and pay the consequence.

But nothing mattered anymore. The story of the boy and girl, running together towards the light in the distance, saving, liberating, completing one another, stopped here.

In the end, the light still seemed too far away, the time that had been stolen still returned to the original owner, sunken into the darkness, never to be seen.

He looked at the girl one last time, her hand outstretched towards him, her eyes reflecting fear and panic as her mouth was open in a silent scream. Her lips moved, but he couldn’t hear her, as if his ears were failing to function properly. Everything suddenly became so quiet, even the wind, whistling high-pitched in their ears, had now dulled, so that the sounds his shoes made as he turned, facing the cliff edge, was ever more distinguishable.

“If… we have a next life…”

He closed his eyes as he tilted his body forward, the trace of a faint smile, a splash of blood red the last thing that remained before he plunged into icy water, thousands of feet below.

In this world, snow still fell, the summer heat still came and went, flowers still withered and bloomed, and nothing had ever changed, everything still going along as they normally would.

Except what used to be theirs was now gone forever.

word war with @LUR10934

please don't read

85 words
The air was cold. The wind blew in my face as I shivered. Why was it so cold? I asked myself. I was wrapped in layers of clothes, sweatshirts and jackets and pants and furry shoes. It felt like the arctic here. It surprisingly wasn't snowing, despite all the coldness. It also wasn't raining. But there was strong, cold wind everywhere. It blew my face and I shivered, hoping I could make it inside. Why did I ever come out here? I asked myself yet

word war with @softlysinging

please don't read lol

92 words
I'm in the middle of a word war right now. I should be doing my weekly but you know, me being me, I don't feel like it. I also don't know why I'm writing in first person. I hate writing in first person for some reason, even though I like writing about feelings. First person is just a bit personal, I guess? I don't know. Grammarly (yes I have Grammarly) keeps correcting first person to the first person for some reason. Now this is just a long rant. But anyways, time is

Ghost's SWC Writing Log!

About me
Hello there! I'm Yana but you can call me Ghost, Midnight, Zero or Icy! I use she/they pronouns and I'm really excited to be perticipating this session! I enjoy video games, writing, reading, coding on Scratch, drawing, adventure, cars, sports, and relaxing! I am also neurodivergent! I was supposed to be a camper here, but I dropped out and since my days are no longer busy, I decided to become a backup camper again! Poetry shall win this session! #poetryftw

Stats
Cabin: Poetry
Role: Backup Camper

I should have claimed a writing thread a long time ago, XD
=============================
CONTENTS:

Dailies:
➽

Weeklies:
➽

Word Wars:
➽

Writing Competition:
➽

Poetry Activities:
➽ Poetry Weekly Activity | Week 2
➽

Thriller Rift Challenge III

6:40 - My human is waking up now, finally! Time to start our first day of vacation.

7:55 - My human’s family decides what they want to eat for breakfast. Boring… shadows can’t eat. I slip off to further explore the rental house, getting acquainted with all the local shadows. They may not be able to move (they belong to furniture and houseware, which aren’t alive), but they have lots of interesting stories about the home’s past residents.

8:20 - I continue to chat with the house’s shadows while the humans eat breakfast. My human’s family’s shadows join in the conversation, with the shadow of their dog running around at our feet. The baked goods on the breakfast table look delicious, and I try not to focus on them too long. Shadows can’t eat, sadly; it’s our one flaw. There are times I have almost wished to be human, just so I could feast on the food they do. Almost.

8:40 - The humans start getting ready for the day. My human checks her Scratch messages and does the Wordle, then hurries into the bathroom for a quick teeth-brushing. Apparently we’re going to the beach today! I wander the house impatiently, playing hide and seek with the other moving shadows. The humans are being especially slow today. Will they ever finish getting ready?

9:35 - Finally, the humans are ready to leave! We climb into the car. My human sits on top of me, and I grunt, squeezing under her to the car floor. The spaces beneath the seats are tight, the vehicle jostles me uncomfortably, and I’m already sore from yesterday’s four hour drive. Yay, car rides.

9:45 - We’re finally here, at the beach! I slide out of the car, stretching out behind my human. We stroll down to the sand, and I writhe happily among the cool, dry grains. It feels amazing. I can’t even remember the last time I went to a beach. The humans walk along the shoreline and take pictures. My human’s sisters gather up colorful shells and sea-smoothed stones. Her dog runs across the sand, sniffing excitedly and staying far away from the water. The tide sneaks up on him unexpectedly, and he jumps away, wet and none too pleased about it. Spread out among the sand grains, I laugh. The dog’s shadow scoffs at the behavior of his fur-and-blood counterpart, but I can tell he’s embarrassed. He’s a brave and adventurous soul, so unlike his dog. I don’t have a lot in common with my human, either; she’s much less social and fun-loving than I am.

11:00 - The humans are ready to go home. I reluctantly follow them, stealing one last look at the sand and roaring waves. So long, beach. May our paths cross again one day soon.

11:05 - Back at the car, the humans take a ridiculously long time cleaning up, wiping the sand from their feet and shoes. I sulk beneath the car. Humans can never get anywhere quickly, can they? The other shadows sympathize with me. They’re itching to get on the road again, too.

11:30 - And we’re finally off again! I squeeze beneath the seats once more, listening to the rumble of the road beneath our tires. Fortunately, the drive from the beach to our rental home isn’t too long.

11:35 - Back home. The humans apparently haven’t finished cleaning up yet - now they’re using the hose in front to rinse off (and water the plants, it seems). My human sits down with her phone, her thumbs flying furiously across the screen. She’s doing something for that writing camp, from what I can tell. Boring. I take the opportunity to explore the neighborhood. The shadows of the family next door are quite friendly, and we talk for a while. It’s a shame my human isn’t staying in this area longer; I like it here.

12:50 - The humans are leaving! My neighborhood exploration forgotten, I scramble into the car just as the doors slide shut. That was close. I wonder where we’re going?

1:05 - The humans are getting lunch, apparently. The restaurant they chose faces the ocean. While they order their food, I run beneath the tables and take a dip in the water, which is deliciously deep and warm. I dry out on the rocks with a few other shadows, then dart back to my human as she takes a seat at the outdoor patio. I lie comfortably beneath the table while she and her family eat.

1:40 - The humans finish eating and get up to explore the area. The sun is out, and I slip beneath my human, gliding on the sidewalk just ahead of her. While she and her family check out the storefronts, I let my mind wander. There’s still some adventuring left to do in the neighborhood - I want to meet as many shadows as possible before we leave. And of course there’s the shadows of the local pets to play with. Maybe I’ll do that when we get back to the house.

2:10 - Back at the rental home. My human perches on the edge of her bed, tapping on her phone again. She’s been writing all day, and it doesn’t look like she’ll stop anytime soon. I slip outside to tease the shadow of the cat next door. My human’s dog’s shadow joins in, and we have a lot of fun running around the block together. Chasing cat shadows is an excellent way to spend an afternoon.

4:45 - That was fun, but now I’m exhausted (and the cat’s shadow hates me!). I slink inside the house, where my human is still staring at her screen. I don’t even think she’s writing anymore. I soak into the blankets beneath her to rest for a bit. They’re a blue-grey color and very soft. I could stay here for a while.

5:45 - At last, my human is getting up. I stretch into place beneath her feet as she rises, strolling to the living room. It’s evening now, and my dark form lies thick on the ground, reflected by the electric lights that have been switched on overhead. My human wanders around the house a bit, stretching her legs, and I follow. After resting for an hour, it’s nice to be moving again.

6:00 - My human showers, writes some more, eats dinner. I settle in the pantry with the shadows of her family and the kitchenware, and we talk about our day. They laugh at my story about the cat, and the dog’s shadow chimes in. The still shadows are completely enthralled by our tales of the neighborhood and the beach, and I feel a little sorry for them. It must be a sad life, trapped in this pantry and unable to move. I’m lucky, to be the shadow of a human.

8:20 - My human brushes her teeth and reads aloud to her sisters. I stretch out on the bedroom floor to listen; the book is Keeper of the Lost Cities, and I always appreciate a good story. Maybe tomorrow I’ll tell the kitchenware shadows what happened in this chapter. It’s an interesting one.

9:00 - My human is ready to sleep for the night. I crawl into bed beside her, sinking straight through the fluffy pillows. It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted. I can’t wait to see what kind of fun I’ll have tomorrow…

Word count: 1244

Myth Maze Cabin Challenge:156 words

Crossbow, Bommerang.


I am good with both, but I hear you asking me: “Croosbow, Boomerang? Why not a bug chunky sword??”

Well, let’s put it this way. A crossbow was one thing that s good for aiming and stuff, and boomerangs are quick to knock out enemies.

So, as good as a big heavy sword. And better, as that is heavy.

Now, I need to go and sort out these ancient Egyptian gods with my pals who are with me in the Maze. I have no idea how I could do that, but I guess there could be some plan or other to stop Ra and the other one from picking a fight with us.

Someone needed a song of of insanity, someone with a fire spell, sow won Edith a light spell, someone with a crossbow and someone with a boomerang. I’ve got both boomerang and crossbow, but that’s a two-person job, according to Robin.

The Disappearance of A Pie
Written by Feather Greene

Millions upon millions of spectators have stood in awe of the artworks of Dovey Castle. Her art has been hung up in museums on every continent, all paintings larger than the last. Most recognized for its beauty is a collection of 12 by 20 feet paintings of kitchen appliances and food. This collection was named “The Art of the Kitchen'' in March, and Castle (who is also known to be a part time chef as well as an artist) acknowledged that this was one of her most favorite pieces yet.
These large paintings, specifically the foods, have made the mouths of people water in just the mere sight of them. Paintings like The Apple are realistic pieces, while paintings such as Cake in Space are of surreal desserts not existing anywhere on earth.
”Ever since I was a little girl, I would always wonder what aliens would eat, and well, one day, I decided to paint it,“ Castle explains in a recent interview on The Wonders.
However, two days ago, in a museum in Paris, France one of the newer additions of the collection was taken, and 17 more of Castle's paintings have been vandalized. Police have been vigorously looking through security feeds to find the culprits, but they found that the person was dressed to cover all parts of their body that could be identified as theirs. The person had also worn gloves, making the caper even more difficult to solve. However, Officer Paulina, the head of the investigation claims to have a lead for this almost impossible case.
”In the ten second video, we see the person wearing accessories that were easily identified,“ she says, ”For one, they are carrying all their supplies in a $1,000,000 Gucci bag, and it seems to have a price tag on it, meaning that it might have been bought in person.“
”We went to the nearest Gucci shop available near where the crime scene took place. There was only one shop nearby, and it was fairly new, only been in business for about two months.“ ”When we searched through the history of buyers, only one person bought the same bag.“ ”His name was Altec Rou, and we kept this person in mind during the whole investigation.“
”This was the only lead we had after more intensive searching, and we decided to bite the hook.“
Officer Paulina and five other police officers dug a little deeper into Altec Rou, and found that he lived in a city very near the museum. They soon got permission to search through the house, and so last Tuesday, they knocked on Apartment door 483. They waited for minutes, but there was no answer.
”We believed that he was either resting, or knew that his jig was up and wasn't answering, but we were wrong.“
The group of police officers gave a warning, but there was no response, so they opened the door using their tool, and walked inside.
”It was so strange,“ Officer Handle said in a news report, ”The apartment was absolutely empty, with only a strange note left on the floor.“

The note said the following:

To whom this may concern,
You may be here, in this apartment to find the missing painting, and to find the culprit who has done it. However, you will never find me, or the painting without a price paying for it. What I have done is reasonable, but like everything, this statement is most likely very controversial. If you are looking for someone to blame for all this, I suggest you blame the very person who ”created“ the painting, Dovey Castle. She seems innocent, just another brilliant artist, but be no fool, she has committed far more crime than me.

- ”Altec Rou“


This seemed to be a dead end, another unsolved mystery that no person could figure out and take the ”un“ out of unsolved. Of course, that was until Officer Delancy decided to dust the paper for fingerprints, and sure enough, they had found ”Altec Rou“ of guard. After a thorough background check, they learned that the so-called ”Altec Rou“ was impersonated by American Tiger Aslan Eathen. Throughout the next couple of days, they found Eathen boarding in a hotel in New Jersey. She was arrested and relocated to prison.
When asked why she stole and vandalized Dovey Castle's paintings, she answered vaguely.
”Why not? I have done it for a reason and no one shall know until the end of time.“
And as for the missing piece, The Apple, it seems to have been gone from the face of the Earth. Many are still speculating what had happened to something as large as,
The Apple, had it been burned, thrown to sea, destroyed by a hammer? It seems that no one will know, except the very person who has done it.

A Review of Scratch
By Feather Greene

Scratch is a wonderful website for young aspiring coders to pursue their dream to code. I was first introduced to Scratch by a younger cousin of mine, and once I started Scratch, I knew I loved it. At first, I loved the coding aspect of Scratch, which is its main purpose. As my username is Magnolia012, I planned on being an interily ”pro plant“ content creator. I found myself posting my first project, In the Garden, and many more. However, as a year went by, I realized that making projects entirely on Scratch was difficult and sooned drifted away from that, and instead focused more on the art aspect of Scratch.
I love Scratch for its vector designs, creating with just shapes is simple, but it can be made into really beautiful things.
Along the way, I stumbled upon a Kart Kingdom Fandom, a former PBS multiplayer game. There, I found many of my friends there, and I soon requested to be invited. There, there was a specific user, I will not mention, that had a pretty profile picture. I clicked on it, and saw that she was in a cabin, in what was called, SWC? I read about SWC, and I learned it was a writing camp, and at first, I was not impressed. Writing, who likes that? But after meeting a teacher who sparked my interest in writing I decided to give it a try, but it was too late. I decided to join the July 2022 session. I asked for a reminder and waited.
I slowly forgot about SWC in the coming months piled with homework. The reminder wasn't coming, so I only remembered it until it was too late, again. This time, I was really devastated; I had no plans over the summer, and this was my only hope. Then came what was called, The Backup Sign Ups. I stalked the project till it opened, and I was the first one to sign up. I waited some more, and I was invited to Nonfiction! How exciting that day was! I was watching Youtube videos, when I had the thought of going on Scratch, and I got the message.
Now to review Scratch, I would say that it is an amazing website full of opportunities. Scratch is a great community for people with similar interests to unite, and make friends! Camps such as SWC are wonderful and provide an opportunity for Scratchers to harness their inner writer and learn to be a good author through lessons and critique from their peers. Scratchers are respectful to one another, and help each other when someone needs it the most.
I would also like to say that Scratch is a wonderful opportunity that will help you later in life. In a recent resume, I added that I have experienced coding through Scratch, making me the best to be in the position, and I believe that is partly the reason I got in. I think that knowing computer language is an important thing you need to know in a life revolving around technology and advancement, even if it is just block coding. Block coding still teaches us important principles like functions, but it is simple enough for anyone with the desire to learn and willingness to practice to become a coder.
Watching animations done by other people and games made by Scratchers gives me the motivation to keep going. It also is a learning opportunity. I can see inside the project and figure out how the project works, and improve my projects through that.
In addition to that, Scratch is a fun website to share. Many Scratchers focus on art, and instead of using Scratch as a coding platform, they use it as a way to share their art safely. This helps everyone. Scratchers may find art styles they love and learn from the artist, and the artist gets positive feedback that may inspire them to do more.
To do more is always a problem for people. They find themselves with an art block, a writer's block, or simply put have no ideas and motivation. However, Scratch solves all of that using the follow, heart, and star feature. Knowing that there is an audience that appreciates you and likes you is helpful. Joy does come from doing what we love, but it also comes from people who admire you for doing the thing you love well.
To finish, Scratch is a wonderful opportunity to learn from others, and have a purpose in life. Becoming a ”content creator“ is difficult because there are websites where language and ideas are inappropriate for young kids, but in Scratch, Scratchers may experience creating for an audience in a safe kid friendly platform while learning to be a good online citizen.

Advice Column: Writing Tips
By Feather Greene

Phoceanic:

Why do I struggle with writing non-fiction? Am I writing too much realistic fiction / fantasy?

This is a great question!
When I was in third grade, my class was assigned to write a nonfiction piece on a topic of our choice. My partner and I came to the choice of Paris. During the whole month, I struggled to get it done, and make it seem complete, and the final product was (in my opinion) terrible. I always wondered, ”Why did that happen,“ but I now know.
To write a good nonfiction piece, you need to start with an easy, straight forward topic. For example, my original topic was Paris, which was very vague and very challenging for my skill level at the time. Instead, I should have chosen Paris's culture or Paris's history, which is much less vague than Paris. You need to find something in your skill set that you are also interested in.
I also learned that to write nonfiction, you have to have a good reliable source. Sources such as Wikipedia are fine, but sometimes they go too in depth and require a lot of time to sort through the information. Again, if I am going with the Topic, Paris's History, I may look at the government website for Paris, and look for information there. Actual books are helpful too.
For the question ”Am I writing too much realistic fiction / fantasy?“ this depends. It may be true that you need to practice as much nonfiction as you do with fiction, but I disagree with writing ”too much" fiction. I suggest that you set up a schedule, maybe on a specific day you try nonfiction and others you continue with fiction. This can help you to be a better writer in both genres.

owlgoing-

How do I get ideas for stories? I'm so stuck-

Aaahhh, yes, writer's block, something that happens to every writer.

When I have writer's block, it can get really frustrating, but forcing ideas isn't the best way. I have a few ways to fight writer's block, and here they are!

1. Dreams

Dreams are the perfect ways to get ideas, because they are so absurd and strange. Whenever I have an especially weird dream or a terrible nightmare, I write it down, describing what I saw and what happened.

2. Items

Sometimes I like to create a character first, and the plot second. I usually look at my surroundings to find the perfect name. If I see a case near me, I make the first name Cassie, and for the last name, I see a lightbulb and so it becomes Light. Cassie Light, a pretty neat name.

3. Generators

Theme generators are interesting, letting what to write be in charge of a single button. It is really fun seeing what I get!

4. Read Books

I like to read books to get inspired! If I like a part of a book, I may make my story based on that!


Feather's Smoothie Recipe!

During a hot summer day, smoothies are an amazing treat to drink to cool off. Ready in under 30 minutes, the results are as good as smoothies from your local shops! In the comfort of your home, make this delicious recipe that is both healthy and easy to make!

Items:

1 cup of Frozen Berries (assorted)
2 cups of Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1 Frozen Banana
1 teaspoon of Honey (Optional)
Nuts (Optional)
Ice Pop Molds (optional
Blender

Instructions:

1. A day before, peel a banana and freeze it overnight.

2. The next day, put your frozen banana, 1 cup of frozen berries, and 2 cups of nonfat Greek yogurt in a blender and blend until smooth. It should be a mauvish color.

3. Take a spoon and taste your smoothie. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, keep adding extra berries, bananas, or yogurt.

4. When you are happy with your smoothie, serve it in a cup, or if the smoothie is thick, serve it in a bowl, and top it with nuts, and drizzle it with honey! This is like a healthier version of frozen yogurt!

5. If you have any leftover smoothie you cannot finish that day, put it in some ice cream molds and freeze! Make sure to finish them before a week.

ic daily - july 13
words: 343

Peachi walks through the halls of the government headquarters, feeling bored out of her mind. After the Government’s first anomaly simulation, the next one is all they’ve been able to think about for a while, and they have spent the past few days mainly wondering what world the next one would simulate- and who would venture inside.
Suddenly, the world around her starts blurring as though there’s another on top of it. They stumble, caught up in the wild jumble of objects and colors, and when they look around they realize that they aren’t where they used to be anymore.
Peachi pushes herself to her feet, but stops when she notices that she isn’t wearing the uniform of a Government Peacekeeping Agent anymore. Instead, they are wearing a black jumpsuit with some sort of badge that looks like a stylized trident- a symbol they recognize as a rebel signature.
She looks down at her hands and realizes that they aren’t hers, and she starts to panic. The new area doesn’t have any mirrors, but they gather from their different hairstyle that they aren’t in their body anymore.
This is bad. Is it one of the rebels’ inventions? What is the other person doing right now? What if they learn how much progress we’re making- or worse, sabotage our simulations? Then it would get pinned on me! she worries, but forces herself to regulate her breathing anyways.
“Oh, Siri! Thank goodness you’re here,” somebody with a similar uniform calls. “I found some leads on Katie’s disappearance that might pan out, and our representative just came back from the simulation. We need all hands on deck right now. Let’s go!”
Siri, huh? So, that’s the name the other person uses. Peachi then realizes that they don’t seem to know it isn't really Siri, and that the rebels have opened up a simulation- likely one made from anomalies. And whoever Katie is, the rebels are down a member. She takes a deep breath and smiles internally. Well, I guess it’s time to spy on the rebels.

Daily #13
maps my beloved <33

Main Cabin Weekly: Newspaper

Part 1: Main Informational Article (SWC news)

843 words

Quick Links: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

As the clock ticked toward midnight UTC on July 9th, campers and leaders all over SWC wrapped up one of the most iconic events in this camp: Cabin Wars. This cabin wars has been very memorable for each of its participants, whether it was those writing as fast as they could to complete a war, or the ones who had waged it. No cabin was spared, and each has its stories of battles, betrayal, and persistence. Today, we shall explore key events within every cabin during the most recent Cabin Wars, so their story can be shared. However, since this weekly is written by the Fanfiction Cabin leader, and I do not have time to do proper journalistic research, be warned that this article has a high risk of bias and will not offer an accurate view of every cabin’s participation in cabin wars.

First up, let’s talk about Myth, the reigning champion of SWC at the moment. Unbeknownst to this relentless cabin, Birdi, the leader of Thriller and one of the hosts of SWC, made a secret pact with all the other leaders to not war Myth. Although this sounds like a counterintuitive strategy, it is actually quite logical. Since Myth is very likely to complete all wars that they are given, warring them will only give them more wars and motivation. Many leaders agreed to this strategy, but, regardless, Myth received many wars anyway, particularly from campers and coleaders who had not received Birdi’s message. During cabin wars, Myth increased their whopping lead over the other cabins by reaching an unprecedented 100,000 points. It seems that in this session, there is little that will slow the writing monster down. The true uncertainty, it seems, will not be which cabin is first, but which one is second, which is where I direct the next section.

Thriller and Sci-fi have long been locked in an intense battle for second, and cabin wars was surely a reflection of the rivalry. Moonlit, coleader of Thriller, could be seen warring nearly every other cabin on July 10th, apart from Myth (due to Birdi’s aforementioned strategy), Fan-fi (since we had a deal), and Script, probably because they also had a deal but nothing is confirmed because I’m too lazy to ask. Sci-fi, famous for backstabbing everyone before SWC started by being hostile neutrals to all cabins, received numerous wars, and reportedly lost a couple.

Adventure, known for being the first cabin to war Fan-fi during cabin wars >:(, received the war that requires four people to each write 1k words, just when there was only one member online. Sadly, the revenge plot was thwarted, and the campers of Adventure succeeded in completing the war. In fifth place, Hi-fi, a cabin that usually contains many inactive campers but seems to be doing quite well this session, reports not having lost a single war in the entirety of the day. Good work, Hi-fi.

Next up, Non-fi, led by the famous Addie that wrote a LOT of words in the second March ’22 cabin wars in Poetry, as well as being one of Fan-fi’s cherished siblings, seems to also have done quite well, even though they were attacked by Moonlit in a vicious betrayal. Script also didn’t lose any wars, and their campers and leaders seem quite happy about it from my investigative journalism.

Now, since I don’t really have any ideas about what to talk about for Fairy Tales, Dystopian, Mystery, or Real-fi, let’s skip to Fantasy, one of Fan-fi’s enemies. Fantasy, one of the first to war Fan-fi during cabin wars, later received a brutal 1k-four person war from Fan-fi, the third they had received that day. However, with their determination and persistence, they completed that war, and therefore deserve grudging respect.

Horror, led by the wonderful Luna, survived cabin wars despite the difficulty of losing one of their coleaders, whose account seems to have been mysteriously deleted. At the very end of cabin wars, they requested an extra war to write for, to which I graciously obliged the 1k-each-for-four-people war (yes this was my favorite war to give, but not my favorite to write for).

Now, without further ado, let us discuss the most wonderful of the cabins: Fanfiction! Fan-fi, despite having received 6 wars over the day, did not even come close to losing a single one. Most were completed before the shield even went down, thanks to the efforts of our incredible campers. Campers from every word group pitched in to help, especially during the two 1k wars that we received. In addition, Willow, one of Fan-fi’s coleaders, was instrumental in making sure that no wars were lost while most of the campers and leaders were asleep, so she deserves great thanks and recognition, as do all the Fan-fi campers. You all did amazing, and I am proud of you.

On a final note, there is no telling what will happen in the next cabin wars, but it will certainly hold great action, adventure, and surprises. I can confirm that. ;)

Main Cabin Weekly: Newspaper

Part 2: Main Opinion Article (Restaurant Review)

802 words

Quick Links: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

In this article, I shall be reviewing my recent experience at the Real-fi Restaurant, a local establishment that is well-known to all Scratch Writing Campers. The restaurant is easily accessible from the Scratch Writing Camp main cabin, and, upon my arrival, I was cordially received by one of the new interns at the restaurant.

It seems that most of the employees are new chefs and do not have much experience, but that did not take away much from the overall quality of the restaurant. Each of the people that I interacted with were very friendly and accommodating, and even waived their usual poisoned cookie appetizers, despite my being a leader of an enemy cabin.

In addition, the restaurant itself has a very nice aesthetic. Its warm colors create a comfortable and relaxing ambience which is very pleasant to dine in. The seats and tables are well placed for comfort and mobility, and everything flows very well.

After I entered and was seated, it wasn’t long before one of the Real-fi interns came to take my order. They had a wide variety of main dishes, including Neon Horror Noodles, Lia’s Lobster, and Zai’s Lasagna. I also found it a nice touch that each dish was named to honor one of the cabins or leaders of Scratch Writing Camp. I ordered a plate of each, and found each dish to be just as delicious as the names made them sound. The noodles were perfectly cooked, and, despite the flamboyant neon colors that they were colored with, it tasted the same or even better than the normal, non-colored dish.

The lobster was also cooked to perfection, and was neatly arranged on the plate. While not the best seafood I have ever tasted, it certainly exceeds standards for a new restaurant such as this one. In addition, the lasagna, named after one of the great lasagna masters of SWC, was even better than I expected, which is another point in favor of this restaurant. While the server assured me that they had other options as well, they did note that they were not experienced enough to prepare any more, which may be a concern for you if you would like to visit the restaurant.

However, as more time passes, the new chefs are bound to gain more experience, which leads me to believe that this restaurant has a very promising future.

On another note, I also requested a menu of the desserts that the restaurant offers. Many of them are composed of mangos, a quintessential crop of Scratch Writing Camp. While all the mango desserts are quite delicious (I sampled the Mango pie), it was initially disappointing to see that there were no other varieties. But it appears that there was a slight mix-up, and they actually have very creative options such as motivation muffins, cookies, strawberry shortcake, and Vi Sponge Cake. I requested a batch of motivation muffins to go, and I must say that it worked wonders for my writing!

In terms of appetizers, the creativity of the Real-fi Restaurant continues with delights like Adventure Ambrosia, Rainy Crab Cakes, Robin Raisin Bread, and Crispy Aria Sandwiches. While I was not able to try all of these plates, I observed other customers eating them, and they seemed quite pleased with the experience.

Unfortunately, the restaurant seemed to be having technical problems on the day I visited, and the machines were down, so no sides were available. I was unable to inquire to the frequency of such issues, or about how long the problems would last. This may be something to consider should you want to visit the Real-fi Restaurant, but the staff seems rather diligent, and I believe they will resolve this issue shortly. As I finished making my order, I was treated with a pleasant surprise: the food was an extremely good price for being such high quality, and they even accepted Duck Deity Tokens from the Fan-fi Republic as currency.

Overall, I give this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars, but I expect that rating to rise as it becomes more well-known. The service was excellent, and, even though the staff doesn’t have much experience, they show great promise and creativity. Technical problems and said lack of experience may limit some of the meal options, but there is plenty more on the menu to choose from. I would recommend this restaurant for those who are looking for a cheap, yet quality meal. The atmosphere also makes it a very good place to bring friends and family, and I have no doubt that you will have a very good time.

I look forward to seeing how the restaurant grows in the next month, and I plan to return to Real-fi to check on their progress (and sample their cuisine) again in the near future.