date: 7/15
name: SWC July 22' Daily #16
section: camps

With each step I take, my white sneakers slam into the hallway floor. As Ms. Hart starts to take attendance, I duck into class, a whole five minutes late.

“I thought you were murdered,” My best friend, Kenzie, whispers from the side of her mouth.

I tilt my chair backwards, towards Kenzie's desk. “My mother—Here!—almost did,”

“Girls!” Ms. Hart taps her pen hardly, on her desk.

A few minutes after she finally relaxes, Ms. Hart hands out sheets of paper. “Finish this English assignment in exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds,” she (attempts to) smirk(s). “Fill out whatever you can possible do! The task is to write about an experience you have faced, or want to face. The timer starts in three.. two.. one.” She presses the start button on her Apple watch, and the timer begins.

As soon as it did, the room was full of silence, except the sound of students typing away on their computers.

2 minutes and 20 seconds went by faster than imagined. When the alarm went off, plenty of students cried, ‘No, I didn’t finish yet!' or ‘I need more time!’, except me. I believe that's what Ms. Hart noticed; There were still 29 seconds left, but I had already finished typing up my answer.

“Excellent!” Ms. Hart ignores the student cries. “Who would like to go first?”

Three student rose their hands.

The female teacher smiles. “Maryam, McKenzie, and Brave.” she spread her hands on top of the desk, each hand on the corner of the opposite side. “No one else?” She chuckles. “Well, then. Maryam,” pause. “Wow me with what you wrote,”

I gulp and stand up from my blue-coloured seat. “Usually, when the question, ‘Imagine if you were telling someone about yourself using only a story about a brief, two-and-a-half-minute experience - what would you tell them about?’ is asked, people would go around spilling about amazing experiences or a challenge they have faced,” I read off the Google Docs of my Macbook. “I'm here to explain something different. I may not have followed the assignment the way others did, but I followed it the way I understood it. My way.” I pause and look at my classmates around me. “I'll put it this way. Would you rather be exploring a jungle, or exploring yourself? You may choose ghost hunting, or even swimming by the beach, but I would rather try to figure out who I am, because in reality, who are we? Who am I? Who are you? We need to discover who we are, before discovering the world. That itself is an experience for me. Thank you,”

date: 7/14
name: July 22' writing comp entry
sections: camp

snip

I loved your story Brave, and the idea was awesome. Firstly, I really liked it how you connected emotions every now and then, also using good language to show the character, and by the end of the. story, I felt like I was a part in it. A few sentences in the middle here and there didn't really make too much sense, and there also a few small errors such as grammatical and spellings which you might want to take a look at. I'm sure you could easily edit it after you re-read is once. Otherwise, great job, you're a great budding writer!

date: 7/16
name: OC Phoenix Bio
section: other

____________________

https://cubeupload.com/im/23Braveaheart/Untitled12.png
____________________

Name: Phoenix
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Straight
Role: High School Student
Age: 17
Birthday: January 5th, 2005
Home Country: Georgia, America

Appearance: The young teenager was born with a unique appearance. From a young age, she had silky, sandy-brown hair, light blue-grey eyes, and a light beige skin tone.

Personality: Phoenix is known for being a trouble-maker. She's tough, witty, overconfident, quick-witted, bloody-minded, bolshy, crude, cantankerous, difficult, dour, and sarcastic. Although she has a “bad girl” persona, she can also be aesthetical, loyal, kind, caring, imaginative, creative, artistic, and protective.

Hobbies: Photography, music, dance, art, blogging, reading, and playing hockey.

Relationships:
- Family: Mother (Winter), Father (Kai), Brothers (Ash and Felix), and Sisters (Aria and Brooke)
- Friends: Maya, Aubrey, Joshua, Hope, and Blake
- Romantic interests: Joshua (Crush), and Ezra (Ex-Boyfriend)

date: 7/18
name: SWC July 22' Daily #18
section: camps

Note: I used the red riding good fairy tale <3

________________

Realistic fiction skipped along the concrete path that stood in front of them, their brown hair blowing in the wind behind them. The cabin carried a woven, red-beige basket that held their cabin's overall words, which they were directed by the host of SWC to bring to the main cabin.

Real-fi cabin felt electrified to bring their words to the main cabin; The campers had been working on earning them for the past week. Most of the hard earned words came from working on the fairytale-themed weekly, dailies, word wars, and the writing competition.

Determined to reach the main cabin, Real-fi followed the map that was given by the (other) host, Robin. With each step the cabin took, they felt closer to their destination.

________________

After a long time of walking, real-fi's whole body felt weak, and their legs started to wobble, uncontrollably. Due to the unbearable pain, they decided to take a break inside of the forest. As they looked around the dark forest around themselves, they felt an adverse feeling in the air, and decided it wasn't worth losing any of their words.

As real-fi stood up, they gazed at the different paths in front of them. The two paths read “SWC JULY 22' MC” and “Please stay out,”. Real-fi looked below, at the map in their hands for the answer of which was the correct path. Unfortunately, the path through the forest wasn't on the map. Real-fi knew it was too late to turn back and that the deadline of turning in the words was soon, so as the adamant cabin they were, they decided to choose the path which they thought was correct; the SWC MC path.

To their surprise, instead of the main cabin, there stood an old cottage, by the edge of the cottage.

'They must have renovated the main cabin,' Real-fi thought as they walked on a path that was between a pink flower garden. They hurried up to the front door, and immediately spotted a white, puppy. “Aw, baby,” They cried in awe, rubbing against the puppy's belly. “Procrastination” the collar read in bold letters. Real-fi laughed at the name. “This is definitely the SWC main cabin,”

Real-fi walked into the cozy cottage, prepared with what they had to say. “Excuse me,” they called out.

“Hello, dear. Are you here to add.. words?” Real-fi had never heard a deep voice before, from any of the cabins.

Nonetheless, Real-fi turned to the room in which the voice came from. They spotted the first-place, Mythology, sitting by the main desk.

”Your voice sounds so deep!“ Real-fi exclaimed, taking off their red clock. ”I almost thought it was an.. imposter cabin“ They laughed. ”Though, I'm not sure that I knew mythology was adding words today,“ They handed the basket full of words to Mythology.

Mythology smiled and snatched the basket out of their ally's hands. ”The better to hear you with,“

”And-and, what a big room you have!“ Real-fi looked around. They didn't suspect anything suspicious.

”All the better to plot in, Realistic Fiction.“

”What big hands you have!”

“The better to steal your words, Realistic Fiction.” Mythology whispered.

One by one, the words in the basket started to disappear, and so did Mythology.

“What big trust you have,” They laughed, evilly.

Wide-eyed real-fi fell to the floor in surprise, confusion, and fear. “No- our.. our words!”

here's your critique! i really liked it, there were just some rushed things and a few confusing things, but overall its really good <3

I avoid the deadly stares. She would always narrow her eyes at me as if we were predator and prey.

- I don't really know why ‘deadly’ is italic? It sounds a bit odd with a strong stress, and I think it works better not italicized.

She is my best friend; Kenzie.

Wrong.

Ex best friend.

- This is probably just personal preference, but I think something like ‘It’s Kenzie - my best friend. Well, she was my best friend.’ would flow better

“Do you want to talk about it?” She closes her locker that was next to mine.

- ‘which was next to mine’ makes a bit more grammatical sense and flows more

“Ahh!” I jump back.

- I find saying something like ‘I yelp and jump back’ works better and reads clearer as a yelp or scream than ‘aah!’

I hate being scared.

- I don't think this line is necessary - who likes being scared?

Marie (Mah-ree) is a nickname only McKenzie (Me-Ken-zie) calls me. I used to have a nickname for her too before the ‘incident’.

- The pronunciations are kind of distracting and not very necessary.

I couldn't help but grin. What a great way to start the week.

- This is a very fast change - one second Maryam is looking towards her friend for guidance and is confused and afraid, the next she’s grinning because she’s sitting with the popular kids? It doesn’t make much sense to me. I’m also not sure why Kenzie is suddenly friends with Maryam again, it doesnt look like she has a motive.

I have no idea how this happened.

One second, I’m a nobody, and the next, I'm officially part of the squad!

Was this only because of Kenzie?

Probably not, I reassure myself. I’m sure I qualify with or without her.

I do have to admit though, Kenzie and I haven't been on the best of terms since I was invited to the squad, which means she had no reason to drag me. Although I technically was invited, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be popular and accepted anyway.

Since I've joined the squad, I've been getting more attention, but also less attention from others. cough Hope cough.

- Like i said before, why is Kenzie suddenly friends with Maryam?

I roll my eyes, walking out of the room.

- I dont think rolling your eyes really fits the dialogue? I feel like a sigh would work better.

I’m a part of the squad! The thought feels unreal and ABC gives me a look.

- There’s a double space before ‘look’ and after ‘squad’

Neither of us say anything else, and I look around, starting to feel awkward. The halls are empty, and if I don’t get to class soon, I’ll be tardy; and Mr. Stewart doesn’t let tardies pass easily.

- You could show them both feeling awkward instead of saying they’re starting to feel awkward. Show don't tell!

pause.

- this needs to be capitalized

(insert all italic in part 3 here)

- Why was that all italic? I dont really understand ^^’

thats all! i hope this was helpful, and remember to take my critique with a grain of salt haha

date: 7/18
name: July 22' word war w/ @scratch_warrior_cat
sections: camp

Quick, run! Who's that behind you? Ready to attack? Is that the evil government party? They're never up to any good! You'd better hurry up so they don't get your hands on you. They might force you to vote for them in the next election! You know.. then the whole country would be ruined, even though you'll be outnumbered by millions! We have to get away! Why you ask? Well, we must keep you safe!

You're the face of the revolution, the one who can make the oppressed people rise up against the oppressive government! Oh, you're super stealthy, you say? Awesome! You'll be assigned to the most important intelligence-gathering job, despite knowing nothing about the place you have to blend in to, and standing out way too much with that cool-looking outfit. Wait! It's not the government at all, it's…

Another cabin? Oh, right! They're probably here to introduce you to camp. Well, seeing as you're still alive, why don't you come in? Bring your books, and we'll help with everything else. So you want to look around? Perfect!

The admins will give you a tour, your cabin, leaders, and fellow camper-mates. Have fun; wwelcome to Scratch Writing Camp!

date: 7/18
name: July 22' word war w/ @22shock
sections: camp

“Mummy,” The three-year-old tugged on her mother’s long, black fall jacket, as the mother and daughter entered the Ice cream shop. “Ish Cwem,” Brave put her face to the glass window that separated between the different ice creams and customers.

The lady behind the counter smiled. “How could I help you?”

Brave giggled. “Ish Cwem, pwees.” She pointed to the chocolate cookie dough. “Shakit one,”

The shop-lady's turned around to take a cup. “And what would you like, ma'am?”

“No thank you, I'll share with my daughter” The mother took out her white-coloured, glittery wallet.

“Your total is $2.35” The cashier popped open and the lady took the car out of the mothers hands. “Have a nice day,” She handed the cups full of ice cream.

date: 7/19
name: July 22' word war w/ @Sandy-Dunes
sections: camp

You stand by the shore of the beach, in your light green bathing suit, while the cold water splashes on your feet. As you start to walk further inside, the salty scent of sea water fills the air. While looking around, you suddenly hear loud seagulls flying in the sky. As you look up, you find dirty, white seagulls circulating above your head.

Your focus turns back to the water and you start to walk deeper into the ocean waves. The hard, uncomfortable rocks underneath your feet start to disappear and your feet start to sink into the soft, light caramel sand, instead. You allow your body to fully dunk inside the water, until your shoulders. You smile at the beautiful scene in front of your to, green eyes. By the time you look up, you see a huge wave, way bigger than you, coming in your direction.

Why don't we have some real fun <3

date: 7/19
name: critique for @Magnolia012
section: camp

Hello - Here's the critique as you requested ^^

To start things off, I love the plot you thought of, and the general storyline. There were a few minor mistakes such as grammar mistakes and sentences that could have been worded better, and I realized there were a few unnecessary words in your story, but overall I really enjoyed it! Keep writing <3

____________________

I have always had one of those a type of smiles that purposely makes my expression look really happy full of excitement. My dimples become canyons and my pale, blue eyes make the shape of an upside down U change their shape, into an upside down U. (suggestion that you can write that the eyes look like a umbrella, or sideways/upside down C, instead).

Just seeing me might make you think that I'm the most jubilant person on earth, but looks can deceive. I'm sure (and don't try to correct me) that giving one glance at how I look (suggestion: do NOT) will frighten you. Your first thought might be about how I look like the most jubilant person EVER, but trust me, looks can deceive.

(you can add something like “I'll start with telling you about myself.” here) I live in Lavender Lane, which is NOT as beautiful and dainty as it sounds like. It washasn't been the most prosperous community in the country, but after the Depression hit the community, (ahahaha I'm sorry, but is this a name of an event that happened in the past, or did depression randomly hit the whole community?? /gen /ref /i) the citizens have been struggling. Many of them couldn't weren't able to afford food for their families, and are were barely surviving on rations and. It made the situation worse that all our clothing hasd been overused and ripped to shreds, so. This made it difficult, because now, people have to wear thick clothes, to avoid having to go going naked for the number large amount of hobos unfortunate citizens (when using the word “hobo” , it can be taken in a defensive way) who lininge the streets increase by the day and clutter the sidewalks. Many of them have a crazed look in their eyes and beg for food and money. , because they can't afford to buy themselves a shelter.

Every night for the past few weeks, I've been sneaking out of the house and to try to give everyone at least a nickel, though but I'm soon going to go broke. (add something here like, “Oh well - Looks like I'll need a job. and soon.” )

Things haven't been going well for schools either. Our The public school I attend, Poppy Field Elementary, closed down recently, so now kids stay at home to help out their parents and occasionally manage to set up contraptions to give flies an unnecessarily brutal death efficiently.

However, Every once in a while, however, something interesting happens (just like the Annual Coin Show, which that changed my life forever.)

(if you want, you can put everything below (only the past memories) in italic, and can remove the “if I remember clearly” and all, and only keep what actually happened)

I think If I remember clearly, it was a Monday afternoon (maybe Tuesday.) when my mMa, pPa, mMy sister, (add her who Mercedes is. You can say “and my sister, Mercedes” or something like that. ) Mercedes, and I (of course) myself walked to the local park, where the coin show was hosted. The grass that used to be a dark jungle green was now brown and very shriveled up. The giant Bbirch tree stood tall and proud, and somehow surviveding without much water. You could see tell that it was very resilient, though it showed a hint of melancholy and hardship.

Near the ____ , (add if it was a building, tent, etc.) everyone from our the community was gathered together in a close huddle around the several tables displaying “rare” coins.

The coins all had dates next to them. Tthough, they couldn't be confirmed by the public, since they were only displayed to show their tails side, only.

While my mMa and pPa were looking around and talking with other grown-ups, Mercedes and I wandered around, when she spotted a strange man.

“Hey Christian, wanna have some fun?” she asked me.

We followed the man all around town. He went through alleyways, jumped over sleeping hobos citizens of the community, and crossed streets, when he stopped in front of a closed thrift store. He got took out a key hanging around his neck, and went inside (without locking the door behind him).

Mercedes and I counted until a hundred seconds, before deciding to enter the store.and finally went inside.

The room was quite dim and there was a constant flicker. A couple of dirty, grey rats were scurryinged by, and it took all of Mercedes's might strength to hold in her scream. to not scream.

We then went through the first and only door in the thrift shop, and went inside. We saw coffins concealing the walls of the room, and we then heard a loud thump.

Suddenly, we were being tackled to the floor, by the man who we followed here. The man we were following tackled us to the floor and took us captive.

“Who are you?” he said asked, rather calmly to my annoyance.

"Who are you?“ my sister shot back.

”Nothing is ever free in this world. “ He paused. ”Especially at times like this, and I need something to get done. I will free both you and your brother, and will even give you information with the condition that you finish what I have started.“

It was unanimous.

”Fine.“

”I will begin then," His deep, raspy voice started. he started, "I am Rumpelstilskin, the forgotten brother of the seven dwarves. Many in my land know me as the ruthless and conniving dwarf who tried to steal a baby from Queen Grace.“ he said quietly.”Which is partly true," He paused again. "But not the whole story. You see, I was friends with Grace, and she had promised me to give me all the riches I desire with the condition that I have Princess Snow White, her arch nemesis, killed. I cursed the Evil Queen to have a hatred for Snow White, and attempted to murder her. My plans crummbled, however, when the foolish huntsman failed to murder her and my incompetent brothers took her in. I told Grace about this, and she was furious. She later was in a dilemma, where she needed to spin straw into gold, and I helped her three times in order to regain her friendship. sShe soon became queen, when I remembered that she had promised me her firstborn child, after everything had subsided. I was sure that she remembered, so the day she gave birth to her firstborn child, I came up to her and told her to give him to me. She must have forgotten, because she blamed me for lying, made a ridiculous story about me, and had me banished from the kingdoms and sent to live in the Fugitive Forests. Ever since, I have a hatred for queens and seeking revenge. I stumbled upon a portal to your world so here I am. I have been going back and forth and making the finishing touches on a spell. Now that you have gotten your information, please get the last ingredient for my spell: the prized possession of Queen Grace." He shoved us into a portal, and soon we vanished from Lavender Lane.

The inside of the portal was dark and was a world of nothing.

Literally.

Time seemed to warp, and gravity vanished. All we could were able to see was the bright inevitable ending leading to the other world.

We were dropped into a place unlike any other. There was no depression, hunger, fear, and everyone seemed content. Trees engulfed the village. The soft breeze rustled the leaves, and softly caressed our faces sending an exciting shiver down us. In the distance, we could see a quaint palace glimmering under the sun.

Mercedes flagged down a carriage and asked the man sitting on it where we were.

“The Muffet Confederation, ma'am,” he answered, “The home of Queen Grace.”

“Well please, kind sir, take us there!” I said.

We arrived in the evening and everything was dark again. We followed a trail of stones leading to the castle entrance, and soon reached the entrance and went inside, which no one was protecting it.

Unfortunately, our timing was awful and it was when the new guards on shift came and caught us. Soon, we were thrown into the dungeons and were living with the rats.

“Give us mercy, we will explain!” We both cried, but there was no answer.

A night at a dungeon does things to people. We could hear sounds, see phantoms, and turn blue, from the cold. We eventually got went to sleep and woke up from the bright morning sun. A guard came to provide us breakfast, but soon was followed by a woman in her mid thirties.

“Hello, children,” she started, “We normally don't have prisoners here after our Law of Order, so I have decided to come to hear your story, but first, finish your breakfast.”

Mercedes and I quickly devoured our food, and explained everything.

We told her our life, where we came from, and our mission. She never interrupted, and listened intently. After we finished, she promised to help us. She got out a key and unlocked us.

“Follow me,” she ordered.

We took a winding walk all over around the palace, and Queen Grace told us about her life.

“My world is a world different from yours, with one major difference, it seems: We have Magic. You said that you needed my most prized possession, and that is my muffet. Even the cruel rhyme that Rumpilstilksin made has some truths.”

“Little Miss Muffet
She sat on her tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey:
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her.
And frightened Miss. Muffet away.”

“I loved eating outside on my tuffet and I loved seeing the wildlife, but I especially loved spiders. He made this rhyme to mock me that I loved a spider more than him and- oh, we are here,”

We came into a room full of bottles, and jars. The room seemed to be illuminated by a light iridescent glow, which came coming from the large cauldron in the middle. Queen Grace put some liquids inside the cauldron, explaining they were puréed herbs, and put the finishing touches with a snapdragon (the flower of deception and graciousness), a bird's-foot trefoil (the flower of vengeance), and a birch branch (the tree of hope). She used a spoon to pour a drop of the liquid on a piece of fabric from her muffet and gave it to us.

“Here, give this to Rumpy and see what happens.” she said mysteriously.

“Thank you?” We started, but Queen Grace sent us back before we could finish.

date: 7/19
name: SWC July 22' Daily #20
section: camps

The cartographer’s apprentice leaned back, squinting at the parchment that sat before her (insert colour) ____ coloured eyes. Rough lines and curves squiggled across its transparent surface, on its way to forminge the shapes of wide continents and small islands. Or at least, that’s what they were supposed to do. The apprentice’s drawings looked less like landmasses—what they were meant to be— and more like pools of runny egg yolk.

She let out a frustrated sigh. This was an important assignment that she had to complete, to impress the senior cartographer. The senior cartographer He trusted that she knew about cartography to make a finally make a map. A complete map. A real map. Her work had to impress.

She The apprentice ground dug her pencil into the parchment, as if darker lines would somehow make the sketch look better. The graphite tip of the pencil she was using snapped off, flying across the room and flew across the room. She bit back a scream and reached for her sharpener. Why did mapmaking have to be so hard?

————

“Breaking news!”

The newscaster’s voice cuts through my concentration. I glance up, pencil hovering above over my paper. On the television screen, a young woman stares solemnly at me, into right through the camera, hands folded on the table before her. “Breaking news,” she repeats, “tThe world appears to be… " she pauses, clearing her throat, as if trying to make a distraction. "Folding in on itself.”

My eyes blink open and close in skepticism, and the pencil in my hand drops hard, onto the desk. “Uh, wWhat did she just say?” I ask, certain I misheard. my voice full of uncertainty.

“I repeat, the world is folding in on itself.” She immediately repeats, as if she was able to hear my question. Surely, I'm not the only one. Though the news is jaw-breaking, I know she is trained for these types of news, because it surprises me how well she reacts, herself. The calmness of her face and voice don’t match the words coming out of her mouth. She could be talking about the weather, for how unruffled she appears.

I leap to my feet my pencil drawing all but forgotten. “ ‘The world is folding in on itself?’ What does that even mean?!”

My family doesn’t respond. Their eyes are glued to the TV screen, fixated on the news report.

“As you can see, satellite images show that our planet is mysteriously turning inwards, potentially harming many lives in the process.” Photographs taken from space appear onscreen, showing that the world is in fact folding up into the shape of a lumpy, irregular sphere. It looks like a crumpled wad of paper, actually. Folds of water and land are wrinkled up and pressed together. They suddenly reminding me of all the drawings I’ve given up on and thrown away. “Indeed, our flat world seems to be turning into one of the round planets from myth,” the reporter continues, still impossibly calm. “The government has tried to reach out to countries that appear to be, ah, more affected by this cataclysmic event. As of now there has been no response.” The photographs zoom in to the more severely wrinkled areas - thankfully, nowhere near where my family lives. “The outlook for our future is not good. Indeed, our own country is one of the only-” Abruptly, the news reporter’s voice is cut off with a fizzle of static. The TV screen shudders, then goes dark. before shutting off, completely.

“Um, what happened?” I ask, nervously. My palms have beguan to sweat, but right now at the moment, that's should be the least of my worries.

“I don’t know, Sammy,” mMy dad hesitates, before answering, says weakly. “I guess it's like the news reporter said. The outlook isn’t good.” Thought his voice sounds anxious, the honesty in his voice scares me even more than anything else I’ve heard tonight.

“Daddy?” My little brother murmurs, anxiously. disturbed. “Are we going to be-”

With a crunch like paper ripping, the ground tips over sideways. I shriek and grab onto the nearest coffee table, trying to keep my balance. I hear my dad yell something, as I slam into the wall, though I can barely hear it over the noise of my own internal panic. As the world folds in over my head, I only have time for one last thought: Why is this happening?

————

The cartographer’s apprentice dipped her pen into the inkwell. She still wasn’t satisfied with the outcome of her map. The graphite had smeared, and it was difficult to tell where land ended and muddy grey ocean began. She didn’t know wasn't quite sure how to make the drawing look decent, if not better,. hHowever, and it had to be completed by sunrise, tomorrow. Well, no one could say she hadn’t tried.

She shut her eyes closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Then, she lifted her pen and placed it on the parchment. Jaw clenched, she began to trace the swoop of a gently curvinged coastline.

Focus, focus… The words kept repeating over and over in her head.

Her arm trembled ever so slightly, and ink spattered across the entire page. She stared in horror at her ruined map, anger and despair warring within her. Then sShe picked up the parchment, crumpled it into a ball, and hurled it across the room. All that hard work, and she wouldn’t even have anything to present tomorrow. She stalked out the door, furious.

Why had she ever decided to become a mapmaker?

date: 7/20
name: July 22' word war w/ @scratch_warrior_cat
section: camps

My eyes force open and the top half of my body leaps up from the bed. My heart beats rapidly as my hand reaches for my drenched-with-sweat forehead.

Relax, Maryam. I try to calm myself. It was nothing but a dream.

I grab my phone and check the time. ‘7:48am’ it reads.

I realize there is more than an hour left for school and manage to convince myself to go back to sleep. As I attempt to fall back on the soft mattress, my custom ringtone goes off. “Unknown Caller ID” it proposes to me, in advance. I groan, before answering my phone, still dressed in the dark blue and grey maple leaf PJ's I was wearing. Instead of a spam call,—what I expected—I hear a male voice on the other end of the call line.

“Hello there, Maryam,” says a deep voice. "My name is Felix and I'm calling from the Police Department in Downtown Toronto, Canada. The reason for this call is because we found camera footage, proving that you were the last person in contact with the eighteen-year-old Asher Brooklyn Chase, before he disappeared. Can you confirm?"

Since when did Asher go missing disappear?

I gulp. “I wasn't aware about his disappearance, but am able to confirm that we met two days ago, on Friday night.”

“Thank you for your answer,” Felix continues. "It was reported by his parents that he went missing on Saturday early morning, at 4 in the morning. By any chance, do you have an idea what happened to him?"

I was totally surprised by the news. My crush, Asher, went missing the day after we met.

“Oh my- I'm so sorry, but I don't know what happe-,”

He cut me off. “Thank you, Ma'am. Though I trust you're not lying, we'll need you to come downtown to the Police Department, with a legal guardian.”

The call ended.

date: 7/22
name: critique for @Sandy-Dunes
section: camp

Hey Sandy :] As you requested, here is the critique ^^ I mainly focused on the theme, word choice, grammar and punctuation, plot coherence, and syntax.

(sorry for taking long – I ended up falling asleep after doing half xD also, thank you for the critique you've given me!)
_______________

To start things off, let's discuss about the main theme of your story. I like how you started the story with an introduction about the little girl, moved onto a little bit about her, and then to the actual story part. My only concern is that the story is too faced-paced. You started off with the little girl wondering where her parents were, and then suddenly wrote about the “shadow” and her becoming close. Other than this minor concern, this is a fabulous story! I love your writing style – Keep writing <3
_______________

Next, I'll combine word choice and grammar (and punctuation) together. When reading the story for the first time, I realized there are a lot of conjunction words that start sentences, such as “but”, as well as “and”. There are also a few places where commas need to be added/removed. Last thing I realized I'd that you seem to switch a lot between tenses (past tense, future tense, etc.). If it's alright with you, I'll be editing a quarter of the story, but with different word choices, fixed grammar, etc. This way, based on what I've already edited, you can make the changes yourself, for the rest of the story.


She was a little young girl, maybe around the age of five or six. Short-cropped hair, waddling steps, (I wouldn't exactly add “waddling steps”, because at the age of 5/6, children should already know how to walk, properly) curious eyes, and a perpetually unabashed smile.

Only Mmoments before earlier, she was clutching onto her plush teddy bear, being tucked to sleep in bed, by her loving mother. She was casually Lliving a life that any child would,. What any child should. What every child deserves.

But nNow though, with blisters on her feet and a smile replaced by pained confusion, she saw her watched the world crumblinge before her eyes.

With loud, and angry hisses, the flames devoured the buildings on her avenue.(what do you exactly mean “her avenue” ? the avenue she lives on?) The wooden tiles above her were snapping and splintering by the burning pressure upon them, a sickening sound like breaking bones. (I liked how you used a simile here ^^)

Panicked screams all around (instead of the words “all around”, you can try to use synonyms instead. Perhaps you can use “Panicked screams filled the _____ (streets, etc.), which seemed to form a sound barrier.. ”) seemed to form a sound barrier of sound, blocking out the houses, as the funeral pyre roared blared higher and higher towards the bleak, starless night sky.

Where were her the parents of a five-year-old girl, experiencing a neighbourhood fire for the first time? They were just here nearby, only minutes—if not seconds— ago. Surely they would be cominge back, soon. They had to.! Usually, Tthey would sit around the dinning table for dinner, and breakfast and lunch too,, eat meals, and coddle her and, still singing her those silly songs. All normalcy. What other existence did she know of? (as I said earlier, use a synonym for “existence” )

And s So now, she stood there, wearing a pitiful expression of woe. Waiting. But s She would never get what she hoped; yes, houses could be rebuilt, for they were simply material things. But Though, one could never piece back together and resurrect the charred ashes of the dead. She could not comprehend thisat concept yet.

The flames kept continued to cracklinge, and forcing the girl to backed away. Now trembling, moving further behind the house, she felt the concrete burn below her feet. There didn’t seem to be anywhere else safe for her to stay. And Suddenly, then something brushed against the ragged fabric of her shirt. Something warm. Perhaps A a lick of flames?

When sShe turned to look behind her, but wasn't able she couldn’t to see anything, at first. A sea of black layed before her body, as if daring her to step away. Strangely, it was as if she could feel the fire, even from afar. Maybe she could:; her house clearly was not wasn't the only one burning on the street. But Nonetheless, the absence of light spoke: it had to be something else.

There was nothing. Well, almost nothing. Because dDespite the darkness in front of her, there was still a presence.

“Hello.”

The darkness spoke… the darkness spoke? A quiet voice it was, too.

The child stared in silent judgment silently, in judgement, then before lookeding back at the fire. She could not go back; she could not go forward. So sShe could only stay still.

Time passed. Nothing screamed and lunged for her from the black. (I don't get what this sentence means??) There was nothing in the shadows, behind the shadows, or around the shadows. The shadow was something in itself. (I /do/ love this paragraph though <3)

It was shaped like a person human – each inky particle formed into a hovering fabric of limbs and , fingers, and toes, a torso, and a head. If they were able to form a full-fledged body, Tthey were human enough, if they were able to form a full-fledged body. Wasn’t that right?

Admittedly ( “admittedly” doesn't go with the sentence.) hHowever, something about them, “them” as in a singular being (readers will understand, without having to tell them.) seemed… rather two-dimensional. They were just made out of black and nothing but black. Their head was bare and smooth on all sides, nearly in a perfect sphere. No feature that would distinguish it as a human head. If they bore a semblance of true realism, it would have been terrifying. They were not exactly real,. At least not in the sense of fine detail and tangible existence, no

Who was this shadowed figure?

They came closer, their feet not quite touching the ground. Reaching out their hand, tentatively, they tilted their head at the girl.

“Come on, little one.”

With the lesson of stranger danger forgotten and unsure of what to do, she took their hand. It was warm, surprisingly full of substance. Rather unexpected of a shadow. But tThen, what kind of being was she? (the girl or the shadow?)

With a purposeful glide, the figure turned in to the opposite direction, their image floating and warping (use either one, because they basically mean the same thing) in the dark. They pulled her away from the burning street. Away from her family, a. Away from her past.

Disoriented, dismayed, and full of unspoken questions. (this sentence doesn't need to be added) She only wore slippers. There was nothing she could do. Insofar she could not change her destiny.

She swallowed And then, before lookeding up at the figure that was standing over her, their form displayed in darkness. (you've repeated this sentence too many times)

“Can May I call you, Shadow?”

Their essence twinkling, and the shadow nodded.
_______________

Plot coherence: This story is well-organized. Although there were quite a few mistakes in grammar and sentences structure, the plot elements were well executed. Nicely done!
_______________

Syntax: Last and final thing to keep in mind! I realised you /did/ use a lot of syntax, however, nothing needs to be changed about it
_______________

That's about it! My apologies for taking so long, and also if anything sounded rude ^^

As I said earlier, the story was well-written – good job <33

PART 1 :

• facet brainstorming •
(189 words)

• Water setting
• Temperatures vary from region to region
• Large empire ruled by monarchy
• Large island country full of oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.
• Capital located on an island in the sea
• History is never questioned
• Focus on community success (as a society)
• Educational knowledge is deeply valued
• Between hard and soft magic
• Seed as a symbol of purity, meaning clarity and freedom
• Language depends on culture
• Everyone is immortal
• Most people can swim from a young age
• There is a specific type of water that grants magic
• Since magic is frequently used, there are laws
• There are specific types of magic used between women and men.
• Common jobs (for both men and women) include becoming a fishermen, marine oiler, aquaculture worker, aquarist, hydrologist, or ship captain.
• Most common house design tends to be built on stilts, in case of flooding
• If not built on stilts, the house must be built on a floating island
• Violence is neither common, nor rare


• facet connections •
(274 words)

Mistel (Mis-tl) is a decently-sized island country in Keitia (Kat-ie-a). Its oceans, lakes, and rivers extend from the Cuaoii (Kua-oii) Sea to the Freal (Free-al) Sea, covering over 9.98 million km², making Mistel the third largest country by total area.

Average winter and summer temperatures across Mistel vary from region to region. Near the most populated coast in the North-West, the climate usually feels rainforest-like; reasonably warm and wet. Closer to the South-East, the climate is higher, having a high of 30C° and low of 0C°.

The theme of a seed plays an important part of Mistellies (Mis-tl-ies) symbolism. This modern symbol emphasises “purity”, which can lead to clarity and freedom.

Though history has never been questioned, education is a big deal in all of Keitia, and is deeply valued. In fact, it is the law for children of all ages to have a proper education from the age of 3 and up. Education is compulsory until the age of 18, which is when students start to find jobs. Common jobs for both men and women include becoming a fishermen, marine oiler, aquaculture worker, aquarist, hydrologist, or ship captain.

Since magic in Mistel is frequently used, there are laws for the country. One of the main laws is that only females are taught to use magic spells (healing, etc.), while males are taught how to shapeshift, instead.

In order to be granted with the magic, you have to swim into a specific moon pool, during the night of a full moon. Once this magic takes place inside of you, you will begin to have the ability to use spells (female), or shapeshift (male).


• narrative •
(402 words)

A new, pleasant morning welcomed the island country; Mistel. As the ocean waves splashed, the sun introduced itself, shining on the warm and wet atmosphere. Rays of sunlight arose from the sky, lightly kissing the tips of the water ripples. Then, a light, gentle breeze whisked across the cold waves. Maryam closed her eyes as she inhaled the fresh air, feeling the wind through her hair, which was slowly making its way to blow inside of her clothes.

“Maryam,” A calm voice disturbed the refreshing, and relaxing moment.

Maryam opened her eyes and turned towards the sound of the voice.

“Break's over,” the voice said. “We're starting to prepare for the moon pool,”

The–almost–teenager realized the voice belonged to her mentor, Brooke, who coincidentally was also her best friend, Phoenix's grandmother.

“Yes, Ma'am.” Maryam wished goodbye to the beautiful sunrise and followed Brooke to the garden, where they were expected to rehearse the steps of entering the moon pool.

As they got closer to the garden, the sweet, salty scent of the ocean started to fade away, welcoming a new smell.

The metal gate of the garden opened and the new fragrance of fresh flowers greeted the student and her mentor. Each row of the different plants were filled with fifty–if not a hundred–different perfumes.

Though, with each step taken further into the garden, Maryam had a strange feeling. It wasn't a feeling of joy, or nervousness. It was one that made her feel even more than being nervous. It was as if she was told unfortunate news that would concern her.

Her palms and forehead started sweating, she started feeling dizzy, and the room she was in–the garden–felt like it was spinning in circles.

Ever since a young age, Maryam had always looked forward to being granted with her–special–magical abilities. That was, only until the day itself, when her dream was finally coming true.

Was it really a dream though?

Was having the power of spell-casting her real dream?

You would think that having the ability to do something that others can not would be cool. Imagine being able to fly, or be invisible. You would feel more powerful than others, knowing you were the only one who had those powers.

That wasn't the case though.

Everyone in Mistel had the ability, whether it was to cast spells, or shapeshift.

It just didn't feel right.

At the moment, nothing felt right.

PART 2 :

• What kind of magic is used in your world? •
(118 words)

Spell casting and shapeshifting are the main types of magic in Mistel.

Spell casting is the first type of magic, which is only given to females. Having this power gives the ability to use spells (healing, love, banishing, etc).

The second type of magic is shapeshifting, which is only given to males. Having this power gives the ability to shapeshift, but only into a small variety of animals. With that being said, when the power is given, there are only certain animals a male can shift into. For example, Male 1 would only be able to shift into a lion, fox, and eagle, while Male 2 would be only able to shift into a bear, giraffe, and shark.


• What are the laws of your world, specifically about magic? Punishments? •
(239 words)

Magic limitations are not high in Mistel.

In this world, society is rather chill about rules and laws. The one quality that they look for is forgiveness, instead. Though, they still have laws and rules when it comes down to safety, because there are always limits.

With that being said, there are only two certain laws that Mistellies **must** follow. Other than those two, the laws are quite simple, and easy to follow.

Practicing magic that is meant for the opposite gender is considered as the most important law that must not be broken. There are some who choose to learn, but it is a difficult situation for them, if they are caught.

The second law includes following marked boundaries. When using magic, there are certain boundaries where you can/cannot go. This law is used more often towards shapeshifters, but still implies to spell-casters.

It is a fact that there are no harsh punishments given, but there are still reasons for the laws. For example, if an adult has the ability to cast spells and shapeshift, it will be too much for them to handle, causing them to forever shift into a “vicious” animal, such as a dragon.

Though, there is a punishment for leaving the marked boundaries. If you ever try to use magic outside of the marked boundaries, you'll meet an “evil” spirit. As “evil”, they are spirits that you should not try to come across.


• How common is magic, and are all characters aware they possess it? •
(83 words)

In Mistel, the usage of magic is quite uncommon.

The residents of Mistel are aware that they have these special abilities, but the magic itself isn't used often, unless they are in a situation where it is urgently needed.

According to the most recent census, only around 18.3% of Mistellies use magic on a day-to-day basis.

Though, there still could be a situation, where the magic won't fully work on someone. Unfortunately, those certain people are usually considered as ill and weak.


• How is the magic in the world used in the character’s everyday lives? What are the different abilities? •
(83 words)

The reason for magic in Mistel is for it to be used to help the residents (of Mistel/Mistellies) survive any hardships or/and battles in the world. This can refer to a war, or casually when an uninvited guest enters inside of the boundaries.

The magical abilities are also made to make their lives easier.

As answered in the earlier questions, the two types of magic include spell-casting (healing, love, banishing, etc.), and shapeshifting (only into a small variety of animals, though.)


• What is an important symbol of your world? •
(99 words)

The seed is portrayed as an important symbol for the residents of Mistel. It is known that in the past, many myths and folktales were created for the symbol.

Although the meaning of a seed can have multiple possibilities, Mistellies emphasize it as “purity”, leading to clarity and freedom.

This modern symbol is divine to Mistellies and even appears to be printed on the country's flag. The flag is divided into three different colours; light blue, dark blue, and white. They all lay diagonally from each other, having a white seed in the centre of the dark blue area.


• How is the education system in your world? What do your characters learn (or hypothetically would learn)? •
(153 words)

Education is a big deal in all of Keitia, and is deeply valued. In fact, it is the law for children of all ages to have a proper education from the age of 3 and up. Education is compulsory until the age of 18, which is when students start to find jobs.

The system itself is similar to the one on Earth. On Earth, the government instructs teachers to teach their students math, english, history, science, etc. Instead, in Mistel, education is taught by elders, who seem to have a brilliant amount of knowledge. They teach several subjects including the usual (english, math, science, etc.), but there are also subjects that teach about magic.

During classes, students learn about different types of possible magic abilities, the latest news on studies regarding it, etc. If the teachers (elders) wish to, they can plan fun activities that can help the students remember the education learned.


• How is magic viewed in your world (ie. as a boring normal, as a fascinating element of their life, or as a curse on society etc.)? •
(96 words)

The magic in this world is completely normal for Mistellies, because it’s rather the way they live and survive. Even though magic isn't used regularly, when it is, it feels similar to day-to-day activities, such as walking, talking, and eating.

However, there are still some who are fascinated by the concept and choose to study as an occupation, subject, or casually for fun! They usually attempt to research how the magic is formed, how it's transferred into the human body, when it all started in the past, how it works, etc. to find a scientific answer.


• Are there any sensations the characters feel when they are using magic? Describe these sensations using their five senses. •
(118 words)

Everytime a character uses magic, the sensation of tingles floods through them. After having more experience with magic, they eventually get used to the feeling, or don't feel it at all.

Any other sensations would vary, depending on what type of magic you're working with. For example, you'll feel rather warm when working with a love spell, while you'll have a headache or fever while working with a healing spell.

That of course differs when you're using shapeshifting magic. Depending on which animal(s) you could shift into, you'll feel something different. For example, you'll feel powerful and strong as a gorilla, tiger, ox, bull, etc. and weak as a jellyfish (not that you could shift into one :>).


• What is a folk tale you have heard that involves magic, and how can you take inspiration from that tale? •
(153 words)

There are multiple folk tales that I've enjoyed as a young girl, but the first two that came to my mind are Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.

To start things off, there have been many retellings of Cinderella, but it has always involved a Fairy Godmother who uses magic on Cinderella. The inspiration I could take from the tale would be how the Godmother uses her special ability to help Cinderella attend the grand ball.

The second folk tale that I grew up watching was Pinocchio. I was often afraid that my nose would grow longer when I lied, but it's safe to say that it would most likely never happen. I'm pretty sure the moral of the tale was to teach kids to be very honest, because lying is a punishable offence. The inspiration I could use in my story is to add in a moral that would teach children an important moral.


• Describe the popular infrastructure in your world •
(80 words)

Most settlements are built on any type of water, including seas, oceans, lakes, etc.

Usually, Mistellies either experience living in houses built on stilts, which can reduce the amount of house floods, or built on a floating island. The number of houses that can fit on a floating island can vary from 1 to even 100, depending on the size of the island.

The amount of floating islands are common in Mistel, and as a bonus, they are quite large.

PART 3 :

• science fantasy •
(308 words)

July 7th, 4022
11:29pm EDT
Outer Space

“Come in, sir,” A male's voice spoke into the microphone of the headset he was wearing, which connected to the head astronaut, who was in Venus, his home planet. “We won't be able to make it,” His voice sounded raspy, due to the inconvenient connection.

“Skrrt- I can hear you loud and clear,” The head astronaut stated, “You'll have to make a stop on the nearest planet; Earth.”

The space explorer, Asher, spotted planet Earth, and began flying the space craft toward it. “On our way, sir.” He disconnected the head astronaut, to reduce distraction while landing. “Over.”


July 10th, 4022
4:42am EDT
Planet Earth

The space explorer set his foot on the ground, attempting to take his first step on Earth. “*,” He mumbled. His legs were uncontrollably wobbling, unaware of how to walk with gravity.

He quickly opened his tight fist, revealing the palm of his hand. His hand shot on the ground, and suddenly, a floating device appeared underneath his feet.

Hopping onto the device, he looked around, viewing his surroundings. In front of his brown eyes, he spotted the beautiful rising of the morning sun, from outside of the nearest window. As they didn't have sunrises or sunsets in Venus, Asher was in awe.

Even though there were plenty of different settings and objects around him, Asher didn't seem to observe any humans nearby.

“Hello?” He called out to the thin, empty air. “Is anyone here?”

With his legs held by the floating device he was standing on, Asher walked around the area he was in.

There didn't seem to be anyone, nor anything left behind, except the gorgeous landscapes of water, trees, etc.

A thought came to Asher's head; What if humans didn't exist on Earth yet? Or, what if they don't exist anymore?


• dystopian fantasy •
(312 words)

The effects of sleep paralysis were even worse than they were last week.

Worse than any other week.

Any other month.

Any other time, in general.

It wasn't just sleep paralysis, but the visions from the past have been horrible recently, too. It's not my fault any of those things happened, though.

It's because I'm stuck.

It's a forever trap.

Both physically and mentally.

Questions circled my mind every day and night, forever.

Ever since it happened.

On and on like a cycle that's been spinning for years.

They were questions that I couldn't answer.

All my life, I've never been the philosophical type, until recently this week. My mind wouldn't stop thinking about all those unnecessary thoughts.

Unnecessary thoughts that didn't have an answer to them.

That's another thing we aren't given an answer to.

Besides life, of course.

Although I knew that I could've used a healing spell to heal all my worries and problems, I physically couldn't.

It's what they did to us.

To my world.

My community.

My family.

Especially to me.

At that moment, I felt a new set of problems coming my way.

Instead of cruelty, I felt loved.

I felt warmth.

Comfort.

Peace.

I forced myself to look at the state of other residents. More like other prisoners.

Now, I realized what warmth I was feeling. It was the warmth of others. A feeling that they would feel, once I used my special ability to help them.

With the ability to heal their wounds, I stood there, watching them. I was afraid I would receive hatred in return.

For helping a fellow?

The answer is simple.

Yes.

This was the life we were living.

The life we had to live.

We had no choice.

If we did, I'm sure we would try to escape this cruel, restricted world.

It would be the only possible option.


• hidden worlds •
(308 words)

Hi. I'm Maryam, a sixteen-year-old teenager.

From a young age, I was taught never to lie. And yesterday, I promise I didn't. I was only accused of it.

It was reality. What I saw – I'm certain that I wasn't hallucinating about the magical portal.

Though, that wasn't what it looked like to the officer. He knew something about it. He just didn't want his secret to be discovered by a teenager.

He definitely knew more than he was telling me.

What was it, though?


August 28th, 2022
7:14pm EDT
Where the portal was last spotted

“Ther- there was something back here,” I exclaimed to the Police officer. “I saw it with my own two eyes. I swear it was right here.”

He shook his head. “What exactly did you see?”

“I-” I hesitated. “Well, I was walking home from school, when I thought I saw a faded blue light inside of the alley. At first, I was confused, so I went towards it to see that it was.. It was like a magical portal.”

The officer quietly gasped, as if it wasn't his first time hearing about the news. Surely he knew more than I thought, but still decided to keep it private. “Look, kid,” he sighed. “We are not in the condition for you to play pranks.”

“Please go back home,” he added. “And don't cause any more trouble.”

“But, sir!” I yelled as he started to walk away. “You have to believe me,” I looked around. “I don't have proof, but I'm not lying.” My voice sounded more like a cry.

“I'm telling you, kid. You were probably hallucinating. When was the last time you drank anything?” He stopped. “I know you thought you saw something, but there isn't anything here.” He continued walking. “Now, go home, or else I'll have to call your guardian.”

date: 7/31
name: last day of camp! thank you notes <3
section: camp

SWC (co) hosts and daily team :
Each and every one of you have been nothing but kind, supportive, engaging, and every other positive adjective out there this entire session! Whether you're a host, (co) host, daily team member, or cabin leader, you handled all your responsibilities with patience and grace, while still being such a sweet, incredible human being.

Hosts - I'm absolutely speechless. How are you able to pull off an amazing camp the size of SWC?? Thank you so much for whatever you've done towards our chaotic writing camp!

As for the daily team, now. SERIOUSLY?! :00 Thank you so much for taking the time out to think of all the cabin activities. It's been a blast, working on all the prompts!

It’s such a pleasure knowing all of you, and I hope we will meet again sometime in the future!

Restaurant Chefs :
Mes merveilleux leaders (oH My GoSh, lOoK aT mE) ✨ (serious mode = ON) It's about time I express my gratitude towards everything you all have done towards the c̶a̶b̶i̶n̶ restaurant. Being a c̶a̶m̶p̶e̶r̶ chef this session was truly amazing, because it was my very first experience as an SWC c̶a̶m̶p̶e̶r̶ chef. It's unbelievable to think that it's already the end of July. I'm slowly drifting away from what I wanted to say, but what I meant to say is that throughout the whole month, each and every one of you (there's only 3, but-) have been so kind, caring, helpful, supportive, hopeful, patient, engaging - gosh, I'll be going on for hours, having to list other positive (and true) adjectives. I can't express how much I thank you, in only a few words (*cough* it's like a thousand words swoadjaksj), but there are two words that can tell you what I mean. “Thank you,” <3

Restaurant workers
I’m sorry that I don’t have the time to thank you privately, but just know that due to your presence, the restaurant became better. All of you are such amazing people, and I am so grateful to have been in this cabin with you! Even though some campers workers were inactive, thank you so much for making this session awesome <3

date: 8/6
name: SEC August 22' Cabin Collab #1
section: camps

French (known as français) is the official language of France. It is also the official language of 29 countries across multiple continents, part of the 6 languages used in the United Nations, and is the native language of approximately 70 million people.

French is spoken as a first language in France, Canada (Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick, as well as other Francophone regions), Belgium (Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region), western Switzerland (Romandy region), Luxembourg, United States (Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont), Monaco, the Aosta Valley region of Italy, and various communities, elsewhere.

Although French is an official world-wide spoken language, there are multiple varieties of it such as African French, Canadian French, Indian French, South East Asian French, Swiss French, etc.

With a conclusion, the language itself is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. Along with other Romances languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire.

date: 8/22
name: Waiting
section: poems (?)

The water arrived
like a tsunaki, but leaves
like bathwater
trickling down
a hair-clogged drain.

I hug the wall,
every muscle
tense and aching,
my body
one big ball
of pain.

I wait
and wait
as the water slowly,
painfully lowers,
getting drunk
by the eternally,
thirsty ground

date: 8/29
name: Personal productivity – a very short poem
section: poems

My friends call me Brave, for that is my name,

I hope to improve at this life balance game.

Procrastination is a challenge every single day,

To gain more control, I must find a way.

date: 8/31
name: SEC thank you notes <3
section: camps

I can't believe this day has come - the last day of SEC :'00 I'm incredibly proud of all of us–not just from exploration, but from trailblazer and odyssey too–, and i'm extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to lead such a wonderful group of campers <33. I will truly miss everyone so much, and I hope many of us keep in touch I thank each and every one of you for such an amazing SEC session ^^

SEC (co) hosts :
Scarlett, and Carina – you are both wonderful people and I'm amazed at how you've put in so much to make SEC the amazing camp it is! how is the camp seriously so underated :'00 like who wouldn't looove a camp about exploring your strengths and improving on your weaknesses?! Along with several other camps, I'm sure SEC will become an important part of my life. I'm super grateful that I've been able to be a leader – Thank you thank you thank you thank you like thank you!! I truly can not express how grateful I am to both of you! <3

Alexa :
hihi! we werent able to interact during this session, but you seem cool :'00 even so, I hope to see you next session! ^^ also, have I ever told you how much i love your username?! hehe have a good day – bye <3

Anvita :
we didn't chat thaat much, but I enjoyed the times when we did! thank you for everything you've done to contribute towards our cabin, and I hope to see you next session! <3

Kat :
kat; the most active camper in exploration, and has the highest minute/word counts!! seriously aha - how did you manage to earn yourself 410 ☾?! it's your first session of SEC, too :'00 I can tell you've helped our cabin a lot by completing dailies, completing weeklies, contributing to cabin collabs, helping in cabin wars.. the list goes on! I always love(d) your positive & friendly attitude, and just having a regular conversation in general. the fact that if there's an urgent matter needed from the cabin, you'll be the first one to reply to me, which is always a great help. you're like the only one who actually listened and tried to help :sob: I'm so grateful that you were sorted in my cabin this session, and I really hope to see you next session as well! <33

Moss :
moss - hEllOoo <33 you're such an inspirative person, camper, friend, artist, and writer- I loved chatting with you!! thank you for being who you are and helping out with the cabin!! I hope you had a fun experience in exploration and I hope to see you next session

Nat :
Nat – I didn't get to chat with you as much in SEC, but we have quite a bit in SRC xD You seem like an amazing person and you've also helped with everything a ton! I hope to see you in further sessions and I'm so glad I got to be in the same cabin as you. I hope you had a good time in exploration <3

Porg :
again, we unfortunately didn't get to interact :'> nonetheless, thank you for being part of explorer's party this session!!

Nayeli :
once again, we setting able to interact much – thank you for your contributions towards our cabin, and have a wonderful day <3

not-a-nobody wrote:

date: 8/31
name: SEC thank you notes <3
section: camps

snip

ahh, thank you so much, Brave - you didn't need to <33