Critique for Tilly :D

Hey Tilly! I'll be pointing out a few things that I've noticed in your piece (most of them are grammar/syntax related), as well as what I really liked!

The rising sun glittered in the warmly-adorned sky, rising like the my feelings of the dawn of a new kingdom.

You use the word “rising” twice in the same sentence, which is a bit repetitive! I'd suggesting replacing the second “rising” with something like “soaring,” “glowing,” etc. (Also, there's a little typo haha)

all the remaining Noughtice and Crossfire soldiers

This is kinda wordy; you can say “the remaining soldiers of both sides”

I swallowed a sudden lump that formed in my throat, realising it might not completely be over.

I think “had formed” flows better than just “formed,” but it's really a personal preference thing, so it's up to you :0
Also, it'll be better if you specify what “it” is when you say that “it might not completely be over.” The placement of this phrase makes it sound like that you're talking about the truce, but I think you mean the conflict!

I teared my eyes away

It would be “tore” and not “teared”!

tears that had formed in my eyelids.

The “in my eyelids” isn't really needed, since it's obvious enough where the tears were :>

His stare was full of compassion and hope, and merriment sparkled within it as he gave my hand one more squeeze, before the party began to move and he followed suit, and I stared after Nathan as he rode Shadow boldly forward.

Run-on sentence here; you can separate it into at least two!

I've also noticed that you use the word “eye(s)” a lot, and it'll be more engaging if you can mix it up a little! Try using synonyms (“view,” “sight,” and such, I saw that you already have a few in your piece) or changing the sentence structure so that you won't have to repeat it.


As for imagery and description, I loved how atmospheric your piece was! You did great with portraying the emotion of triumph, and the interaction between Nathan and Serys is really nice

caused a cheer to rumble across the plains about us

This is such a cool line of description :0

Overall, awesome job!

MC Daily 11/20

Dare: Write a poem about your favorite animal
Wrote about a northern saw-whet owl, 75 words

The owl sits upon its perch
With a glowing golden gaze
Balancing its elfin stature
Unruffled and unfazed

Its calls are true to its name
Like a sharpened saw on stone
But it’s difficult for one to explain
How they come from such a little owl

Large eyes framed by a heart-shaped face
Fierce claws reaching for the scurrying prey
A northern saw-whet is quite the strange case
Of a small yet remarkable creature made

Weekly 3
Part 1
I used the Pomodoro technique for a couple of my homework assignments, and time-blocking for nearly the whole week.


Part 2
Posted in Brainstorming!

Original comment:

Replies:




Part 3

580 words!

All of the self-care practices listed in the workshop are important, but I believe the ones most applicable to me (and which I will make an effort to do this next week) are the following:

Water intake
I think I struggle a lot with water intake, as I’m often not consciously thirsty, but I am still quite dehydrated (I tend to have very dry lips, occasionally get sores, etc.) However, getting enough water is vital to one’s health, which is why I’ll make an effort to drink water more often during the day.
Giving myself reminders would be really helpful; I’ll try to make my water bottle less out-of-sight (for example, I can pull it out more often when I’m studying) so I’ll be reminded to drink.
Cleaning my water bottle and mug is really important too. If they’re unwashed, I’ll be less likely to drink water, which will make me finish less water. And then my bottle/mug is just going to be dirtier, which is unfortunately a snowballing cycle.
So. All in all, I really need to drink more water!


Skincare/sleep routine
I don't really know what to say for this one, aside from the fact that I often don't do them - I'm simply too tired / lazy before bed. They're really important in terms of hygiene though, so I should implement a more thorough routine (especially for skin cure).


Turning off electronics & taking breaks (combining for ease of discussion)
I’m really bad with both of them. It seems that I constantly need electornics to work on my homework, writing, and other work. However, I keep on getting sidetracked and always end up spending way too much time on electronics than I need to. It’s not good for my eyes (I’m nearsighted enough already, haha) and I get really tired/lazy when I stare at a screen for too long.
I’ve been considering doing more of my work offline on paper. While it may take a bit more time than working directly on my computer, it’s still relatively simple to just scan my paper/notebook and copy the text (or just simply type on what I have, if it’s math or some other similar subject). The text recognition on my phone is actually really remarkable, especially considering my bad handwriting!
And of course, I’m trying to schedule more breaks for myself. It’s difficult, because I simply have so many assignments and other tasks, but I hope I can find a way to make my break relaxing and refreshing without worrying about productivity.


Exercise
This one. Yikes.
So, back before Covid and everything, I had this thing called recess (radical, I know). Also lunch. Overall, I just think that I've had a lot more time and opportunities to exercise when I was younger, but now that's changed a lot. I do walk a decent amount at school, and I have a self-defense class every Friday this semester, but that's really just about it.
So, I'll have to try to exercise in my own time. This will definitely be difficult, considering my schedule, but with a bit of planning it could work out. I can start off with about 15 minutes of exercise a day, which is the duration of 3-5 Sabaton songs. Then, I'll listen to the songs while I work out (because Sabaton is honestly just the best for exercising, as I know from past experience). I'll start off with more simple exercises, then move to more difficult ones. And I'll be sure to get a gym membership at school!

(I did my best haha-) critique for Sandy :’D

Sandy, this piece is amazing :0
I’m not one who knows how to critique things very well, and this piece makes it harder, it’s really good! I really can’t find much to critique in the writing, but I need to critique it, so I’ll try my best! :’D It’s really well written, and it paints the picture of the lone poppies on the fields resembling the dead soldiers really well!
At this point, I only have questions about the piece, and one part could be a little bit clearer, but here we go—

‘Illuminated by the hazy light, under the wide open sky; on this day, the field stirs’
I feel like this part could be a bit clearer, maybe reworded a little bit? The sentence is really descriptive, but I’m not sure what exactly it’s describing— like where is the hazy light coming from? Or what is it? Is it the sun? It might just be me, but I’m not quite sure what the hazy light is lol—
At this rate, I think I need you to critique my critiquing XD I’m still getting the hang of this, please bear with me :’D

The part where it says ‘once shadowed, once blemished, etc, etc.’, are you talking about the battles that were fought on that field? If so, that’s an interesting way to describe it, that and the whole piece shows how well you follow that ‘show, don't tell’ rule in writing!

‘For they knew of such darkness; they have perished in it.’
Is this sentence referring to the ‘those’ mentioned earlier? Who are ‘those’? Is it general people, or the soldiers?

‘And for humanity to learn the lessons of past…
The poppies will sleep here for eternity, if need be.’
Is this the same sentence, or said separately?
And what exactly do you mean by ‘learn the lessons of past’?

I don't really have anything else to say, the piece is really nice, great job Sandy! This probably didn't help much, but thank you for reading hehe XD

340 words

Critique for Ayid
Hey Ayid, here's my critique for your daily! Let me know if there's anything that doesn't make sense ^^ overall, you did an amazing job with your piece!

Line-by-line

My eyes shined as I glanced greedily at the necklace.

The necklace

A bit of repetition here :0 I'd change the second “the necklace” into just “it,” since it's pretty clear that you're talking about the necklace from the first line!

3 shiny red rubies

Personally I prefer spelling out numbers, since I think it flows better, but honestly either way works!

small pedestal sheltered by a glass display window

Nice bit of description here

I tapped the glass eagerly. I wanted that necklace. I stood up straight, smoothed my gown, and prepared my pouty face.

The sentence structure is a repetitive; all of these began with “I (past-tense verb).” I suggest rephrasing!

My dad, a 57 year old Lord, glanced at the necklace, his eyes bulged as he saw the price,

Three things! First, it'll be “57-year-old” with hyphens. Also, I think a period/semicolon works better between “necklace” and “his” (alternatively, you can change the “bulged” to “bulging”). And finally, it'll be a period at the end!

think of this as one of birthday gifts crossed off the already long list!

Greedy girl, isn't she

recognized us as the owner

I'm being super nitpicky xDDD but there are two spaces between “us” and “as”

Florian sea

“Sea” would be capitalized!

snip Florian and mermaid tale

I love the name Florian a;ldskjfa;lks
The writing style of this legend is so cool, it's really like your typical myth/fairy tales narration
Also can I just say I really like the legend itself, like the romance is just so interesting to me :000

living creature itself, a mermaid

I don't think “itself” is really needed in the sentence, and you can change the last comma there to a colon (since you've already used two commas in the sentence and the colon is more dRaMaTiC haha ;D)

But he never came back, he was soon killed in battle.

You can change the comma or add conjunction (because/for) after it :0

Any salior

*sailor

The mermaid never was seen again, all that was left of her, was the so called ‘storm’.

The first comma isn't really grammatically correct, and you don't need the second! Plus it'll be so-called with a hyphen.
Grammar aside, this line is really powerful! Nice job

The story was quite chilling, I had been told of it since I was a child, I had obviously thought it was just a child's tale.

Apologies for all of these comments about commas ahaha ;P

A floated down- giving up

I think the “A” is supposed to be “I”?

her skin was pruned from being in the water for too long

This is less of a critique than a really random thought, but do mermaids get pruned skin? I'm assuming they're in the water a lot more than humans are, so wouldn't their skin be pruned all the time then? Hmm, I've never thought about this before! xD


Some general comments
From what I've read, I'm assuming that the necklace was the gift meant for Florian, and it allows the wearer to sleep swim to the mermaid? It definitely makes sense and ties the two stories together really well.

In the “nightfall” section, while it was interesting to have a scene from the mermaid's point of view, I'm kinda missing the motive behind everything. It seems the mermaid was almost happy that the main character and other humans were dying, and it's a bit unfounded – it's like the backstory is missing and the mermaid's only doing the drownings for fun. Maybe a mention of Florian (because this tiny romantic subplot is just so interesting), and/or how she was angry about losing the necklace would add more to her character! It'll also be connecting to the legend more

It's also pretty cool how the overall story is sorta like a fable warning against excessive desire. You pulled off the theme really well with this piece! Another thing is that I think you've executed the voice of the main character really well. I could clearly feel how spoiled and dismissive she is of everything, and the way she just outright says that the mermaid was ugly is actually pretty hilarious!

Anyways, that's about all that I have! Hope this helped

u r such a sussy baka

Critique for Tilly's comp entry

Line-by-line

we rose our swords

It'll be “raised”!

I know both royal families haven’t exactly resolved the feud between themselves, and they’ve only agreed to stop letting their soldiers die at the expense of their pride, but I don’t think there will be any further wars.”

I find it a little strange that Nathan refers to the royal families as “they,” because (if I'm not mistaken) he and Serys are both a part of the royal families? Maybe change the “royal families” to a more specific description that doesn't include the two of them.

resumed to complete our own duties

It would be “resumed completing”

signalling to be ready to depart.

The phrasing is a bit awkward here. You can instead say “signalling that we were ready to depart” or something similar!

“Today we ride home in victory and triumph!! Together, we have succeeded in defeating the Arentheans, and together we ride home as a kingdom in alliance at last!! A truce has been called, and all is set right again!”

This suggestion is a lot of personal preference, but I think there are a bit too many exclamation marks and it doesn't flow very well – maybe change one or two to periods :>

The sunrise behind us glittered in his piercing azure eyes

I think it'll make more sense if the sunrise was in front of them, because if it's behind them they'll be in a shadow, and his eyes won't catch the light? I don't really know how lighting works xD

I bit my lip, glancing back at Vincent with a sigh. “He's not going to leave it alone, is he?”
I addressed Nathan again. “I’m just needlessly anxious about…well, the truce. It might…”
I shook my head firmly, attaching the scabbard bearing my sword to my side and shrugging on my crimson cloak, trying to occupy myself from my nervousness.

Those three paragraphs all begin with “I (past-tense verb),” which is just a little bit repetitive. I think you can add a “then” at the beginning of the second and it should be alright!
Also, if Serys's dialogue to Vincent wasn't supposed to be heard by Nathan, I think you could specify that it was in a whisper? It's not a really important thing though

“Yeah, I figured as much. Don’t mind me…sometimes I get anxious when there isn’t really any need for concern.”

I think this part can be edited – it seems like it's a little dismissive of the worries about the truce. I think you can validate the “need for concern” while still resolving it and transitioning to the more hopeful dialogue

Sir Bentwick of Crossfire

I'm not sure whether you need the “of Crossfire” part, since we already know that Serys is from Crossfire and Bentwick would be too.

a kingdom in alliance

I'm still a little confused as to whether Crossfire and Noughtice are one kingdom or two. For the most part they seem to be two kingdoms, so maybe you should change this phrase?


General feedback
I really enjoyed reading this entry – it's really nicely expanded from the other version, and there's a lot more backstory. The feelings of hope and worry are balanced pretty well, Serys and Nathan still have an amazing dynamic, the descriptions are as great as always, and the ending is really epic! Awesome work, and good luck

Weekly 4



Your Journey: horror, option #2, bifi, option #2, realfi, option #3, dystopian, option #3, nonfi, option #3, fantasy, option #1, hifi, option #3, thriller, option #1, fanfi, option #1, folklore, option #2, script, option #2, adventure, option #3, mystery, option #1, poetry, option #3, scifi, option #1




1. Write 100 words to begin your adventure.

100 words exactly!

A figure stood on the docks, gazing out over the wintry sea. Ashy clouds draped over the sky, turning the water a turbulent shade of slate. There seemed to be a storm approaching from the horizon – no doubt some unfortunate vessel had already been struck, perhaps been capsized by it as well.

Well, well. This bad weather was going to be very tiresome. Best wait it out, nice and cozy at home.

But just as the figure was about to turn and leave, something suddenly struck their mind.

They took off at a run, hoping that they weren’t too late.



2. Five minutes working on your own pace (Horror planet)

90 words. (This is from working on my biology lab notebook; it was done on paper and I was a bit lazy, so that’s why I don’t have as many words as you’d expect.)

Purpose: Observe and understand the process of fermentation in yeast, as well as the relationship between amount of yeast and fermentation.
Materials: Yeast solution, glucose, curved tubes (4), beaker of warm water
Methods: Add the specified mixtures of yeast & glucose to each of the tubes, and record the volume reading every 2 minutes.
Comments: The relationship between yeast presence and rate of fermentation is easy to see. Generally, more yeast indicates higher rate of fermentation. The volume change of the solutions was difficult to observe, as they were very slight.



3. Roll a die, multiply that number by 100, and write for that many words (Bi-Fi planet)

I got 6 :0
So that’s 606 words for this section! Again, there’s more homework – a portion of it is for my bio lab report, and the second part is for my chem lab report. The last one is a list of ideas for SIC history week activities.

In the first week, my group performed research on the proteins removed from our two mutant strains, created our hypothesis and justification, and presented our findings to the class.
Then, in the second week we calculated the volume of cyanobacteria that needed to be transferred for each strain, using the relationship between optical density and volume (C1V1 = C2V2). We transferred three samples of each strain to test tubes, compared their color against a color chart provided in class, and incubated the sample for a week to perform photosynthesis.
And in the third week, the samples were taken out of incubation.
During the course of the experiment, there were multiple sources of data that was recorded, both quantitative and qualitative. These include the absorbance values of the solution, the color of the samples, and the morphology of the cyanobacteria as viewed underneath the microscope.
-
Nitric acid can be added to seperate the silver and ammonia in the compound, as well as adding another hydrogen to the ammonia,
Meanwhile, once the silver ion is on its own, then it will react with the chloride to form a precipitate once again, proving the presence of the ion.
As for copper, it will form a gel-like compound when reacted with hydroxide:
After the solid is centrifudged and separated from the supernatant (which may still contain copper), ammonia will be added to dissolve it and form a new compound if copper is present. ^2+ 2OH^- is dark blue in color.
There were a few sources of error in the experiment. One of them is the possibility of contamination during the transferring of samples in and out of the test tubes. Also, some samples may not have been centrifudged well or reacted sufficiently. However, these errors may not contribute as much to the identification of samples as they do to the number of drops of reagents added.
1) The concentration of ions released in one drop would be equal to that of HCl itself. More drops may need to be added until the chloride concentration is the same as that of silver.
2a) FeS, and solids with a higher solubility product (AgCl, PbCl2, Fe(OH)2, BaCO3, BaSO4) are slightly soluble at a pH of 3.
2d) None of the sulfide salts are soluble at pH = 10, because their solubility products must be at least 1.0 x 10-2 M (as the concentration of sulfide is 10 M).
2e) Fe2+ ions are slightly soluble at pH = 3, while Ni2+ ions are not; this is a distinguishing difference between the two.
3) The reagents may contain impurities, which are difficult to calculate precisely and be accounted for in the experimental procedures.
-
One of them could be another randomized topic, maybe something along the lines of: “Roll a die. If you get 1, research prehistory (before 600 B.C.); 2, ancient history (approximately 600 B.C. to 476 A.D.); 3, medieval history (476 to 1450); 4, early modern history (1450 to 1750); 5, modern history (1750 to today); and 6, whichever one! Write 100 words of research, on any topic of your choosing from your time era, for 30 points.”
“There have been many strange, heartwarming, and hilarious tales from history. Perhaps you've heard of the Christmas Truce during WWI, or the Emu War in Australia. Find such a story and tell us about it in the main cabin for 20 points!”
“How do you think history should be taught in school? Perhaps you'd like it to be more engaging and interesting to learn about, or relevant to today's world. Share your thoughts in 50 words for 20 points.”



4. Continue story for 10 min (Real-Fi)

I’m finally continuing the story I started in the first part
Only 185 words because I was really out of ideas ^^’

Their legs began to carry them back away from the dock and to the road. The mysterious figure did not quite know where they were going, and they didn’t realize until shortly after.

The warehouse. Yes, the warehouse, that’s it.

Gulls screamed rudely overhead, but the sound did not deter the frantic course that the figure took. The warehouse, warehouse, it must be the warehouse.

After what seemed like an eternity of boots stomping on dull gray streets and running against the dull gray wind and everything dull gray – there. The warehouse was in sight.

They burst in.

There was nothing. Dust gathered on the ground, and it was stirred up by the abrupt entrance. But there was not a single item in the warehouse, not a single one. Everything had been evacuated.

The figure just stood. They hadn’t arrived on time. Now what was left?

“Who’s there?” a voice called out from the entrance. A stocky man clutching a pipe strode in, squinting. “You’re not allowed-”

He paused. “Leander?”

“Yes, it’s me,” they replied with a ragged sigh.

“My deepest apologies… The boat’s gone.”



5. Character enters a room/situation and bejewels everyone (Dystopian)

I was beating around the bush and the actual “entering and bejewling” didn’t happen until 150 words in, so I couldn’t finish in 5 minutes :’D
363 words

“There must be something I can do,” Leander said firmly. “The storm is nearly upon us, and if we don’t reach the destination in time…”

They trailed off, lost in their silent thoughts as the warehouse owner looked on.

“Mister Coe. Is the Shore Guard still in possession of the boat?

Coe bobbed his head. “I believe so. They requisitioned it in response to the storm.”

“It’s not just the storm,” Leander replied. “I have to leave,” they added abruptly.

They bid farewell to the alarmed Coe and strode swiftly down the road.

Reaching the Guard headquarters, Leander rapped rapidly on the door.

A clerk opened the door nervously. “Yes?”

“Could I speak to the supervisor?”

“Right this way,” the clerk answered, leading them to an office.

The head supervisor and her second-in-command were sitting at a table and sipping on their beverages, obviously not busy at the moment. The two looked up to see Leander standing stiffly in front of them.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, ma’am, but this is quite urgent,” they said courteously.

“What’s the nature of your concern?” the supervisor inquired, putting down a cup of tea and returning their politeness in kind.

Well, this has the potential to go smoothly. Leander took a deep breath, gathering all of their confidence. “I believe that one motorboat of Mr. Jiel Coe was requisitioned early this morning.”

The second-in-command jumped into the conversation. “That’s true,” he replied, picking up a records log. “It’s to prevent anyone from heading out to sea, as you’d understand.”

“But I’d like to ask for the boat back for a short time. It’s urgent.”

“Why would it be so?” the supervisor responded with another question.

Leander thought for an explanation, and they found a perfect one: “I left an important personal item in the locked drawer. I was thinking of mailing it to my family up north, since they’re really in need of money, but the postal service will be stalled for a long time during the storm and there’ll be a huge delay.”

The supervisor evidently found nothing questionable with the story. “Your requested is granted.”

Inside, Leander was bursting with triumph. “Thank you, officer.”



6. Roll a die and write for that many minutes (Naan-Fi)

Worked for 3 minutes on my chem lab report again – this time it’s a different lab report though! 84 words.

The Gibbs free energy is expressed in this equation: G = H - TS
The objective of the experiment – to observe the dissolution of borax and determine its thermodynamic properties – had been achieved. The graph of inverse temperature and natural logarithm of Ksp had been created, and the enthalpy determined from it is approximately (insert the value here because I haven’t recorded it oops) kJ/mol, while the entropy is (also insert value) J/mol * K. These were consistent with the signs predicted in the theory.



7. Introduce a boat – or a different kind of transportation – into your story (Fantasy)

Jokes on you, I already have a boat in my story, but now it’s time to reveal it! B)
376 words!

The supervisor quickly signed a slip of paper and handed it to Leander. It was a permit. “Show this to the guard when you get to the harbor,” she instructed. “Have a good day, and I hope you are successful in finding your… personal possession.”

Leander thanked her, and the clerk ushered them out of the office and back through the small headquarters building to the exit.

The storm seemed to be coming ever close, darkening the dreary skies. Knowing that they didn’t have a second to waste, Leander sped towards the harbor. Precious time had been used up in finding the whereabouts of the boat, and…

There it was!

The Lutjand, Coe’s vessel, was floating on the gloomy gray water in the midst of a couple of yachts. It was a dark blue, its name painted on the back in unsteady white letters. Leander walked up to the closest guard they could find and handed over the permit.

“A ‘personal possession’? Care to elaborate?”

“Well, it’s quite valuable, so I’d rather not,” Leander answered crisply.

The guard shrugged. The permit did have Officer Madeline Strigid’s signature, and that accounted for something, so Leander was permitted onto the boat.

Good. Everything had gone well for them so far, and if it continues then maybe, there could be a small chance that they could sail out in time…
Leander subtly cut the rope with a pocketknife and hopped onto the boat. They pulled out the chain of keys that Coe had given them, and swiftly found the one for starting up the boat. They leaned forward towards the front, ostensibly to open the lockbox, then plunged the key into the ignition and sailed off.

The couple of guards, who were surprisingly (and irresponsibly) not properly watching over Leander, gawked as they heard the motor and saw the boat heading out towards the raging storm.

And the best thing, Leander knew, was the fact that the Shore Guard was unlikely to send too many people in pursuit. Who’d want to risk the lives of so many to just find one crazy sailor, heading into the storm?

They skillfully navigated the vessel’s controls – the time spent on steamboats on the river back home paid off – and guided it over the rough silver waves of the sea



8. Flip a coin! Heads: 20 min sprint. Tails: 500 words sprint (Hi-Fi)

Got head! I got 432 words – first part was my boring old lab report, then it got so dull I started working on a completely different fanfic.

Thus, because of this discrepancy, the line of best fit is different from what it would have been for the first four points
Discussion Questions
1. H2O is not included in the calculation of Ksp because it is a liquid; only aqueous solutions and gases are accounted for in an equilibrium expression.
2.
3. From the line of best fit, delta H is 76.0 kJ/mol, while delta S is 230 J/mol*K. The R-squared value is only around 0.9, and this indicates that the line of best fit is not very precise and close to the actual values (likely due to the last data point being inconsistent with the previous four). Thus, the values of delta H and delta S have some degree of uncertainty as well.
4. Delta S would be a positive value. The degree of entropy is increasing in the reaction because more molecules are produced in the reactants, and the states of matter of the reactants are less stable than the solid reactant. Meanwhile,
5. If 30 and 50 were plugged into x, then the results would be (insert results)
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Penelope called to the Incorrigibles, who were still observing Nutsawoo keenly. “We’ve got it ready!”
They rushed back to the cabin to retrieve their pie. Penelope had prepared some warm tea, and she poured it into mugs for everyone.
The Lumley parents had gone back upstairs, and so the five were left alone in the kitchen. The Incorrigibles started gorging on the gooseberry pie with gusto, while Simon and Penelope admired the paintings on the wall.
“These look magnificent, if I have to say so myself,” Simon remarked, putting his pie down and gesturing to a few portraits of regal monarchs.
Penelope swallowed quickly before she replied. “Indeed they do! I don’t think I’ve heard the story of how my parents came into possession of them.”
“Well, I’m sure it’s a grand tale.”
She took another bite of her pie and nodded. “You should eat your pie. It’s quite delicious!” Madame Ionesco’s baking was vastly different from Mrs. Clarke’s, but Penelope thought that both pie editions were to be praised. They were each a different interpretation on the behalf of the artist, but it were the same gooseberries!
Simon picked up his untouched pie, ready to take a few bites, but when he lifted his gaze he saw quite a strange sight. Was it nighttime already? There seemed to be a huge splash of black in front of him.
But when he blinked, it was no longer there.
Neither were Penelope and her siblings.



9. Character sinks (Thriller)

Back to my original story again! 256 words.

The report of Leander’s flight out to sea reached Officer Strigid swiftly, and she innerly reprimanded herself for not looking into their story more carefully before signing the permit.

“Buteo!” she called to her second-in-command. “Is the speedboat ready?”

He nodded in reply, and the two of them set out to the docks.

As Strigid started up the boat, Buteo scanned the sea with binoculars. “I see them. They’re heading right into the storm!” Then, in an undertone, he added, “Why do we have to go do this ourselves?”

“I don’t think this young sailor is quite sane,” she replied simply.

Meanwhile, Leander was indeed approaching the storm. Could they make it past? It seemed very risky, but it must be done. The ship was heading farther and farther away, and if it reaches its destination…

This thought spurred Leander on, and they guided the motorboat right into the midst of the storm. Perhaps that was a bad idea, for a wild wave suddenly toppled the boat over.

Lander was knocked into the water, below the upside-down boat. Oh, dear, this couldn’t end well. They were nowhere near the ship just yet, and if they had done things right, there would be no help from shore.

Mustering all of their strength, they slid around the boat and attempted to right it back up. No luck. The boat simply crashed against Leander’s body, knocking them further down into the water.

Stunned, they tried to head back up, but their weary muscles refused to cooperate.

Leander was drowning.



10. Flashback (Fan-Fi)

183 words!

Somewhere in the back of their consciousness, Leander remembered:

The ship. It was a grand and luxurious vessel, caryring a swarm of nobility and the upper class. Yet on board there were also damp and depraved souls, dark and withheld secrets.

Leander’s sister was on there somewhere. Heading north, in the direction of home.

But that wasn’t all. Because there were shadowy figures who slipped onto that ship, slickly sneaking through the documentation check. Leander did not know what these shadows wanted, but there was something sinister in their movements, as they wished ill will upon something.

Leander thought nothing of it, when they saw their sister board safely. But when they remembered the storm, then thought of the strange figures, something crossed their mind. They had a faint inkling of what those people would do, and it wasn’t a reassuring one.

So they must get there on time. Before the storm and the saboteurs wreck havoc and endanger the ship, its fortune, its people, and Muiren. Who knows what could happen?

But they’d never get there if they died in the water.



11. Write 250 words at your own pace (Folklore)

305 words!

Just then, Leander was aware of the water being stirred up, almost vibrating, around them. Strange. They’ve never felt water do that naturally, unless…

A hand reached down and grabbed their arm, then neatly dragged them up to a boat.

“Hello there,” Strigid said calmly as the storm battered the boat. She opened a storage closet and pulled out a towel. Leander accepted it gratefully and wrapped it around themselves.

“Thought you’d just float out and drown, hrm?” Buteo grumbled, adjusting his coat. “It’s a whole lot more work for us.”

“You don’t understand! The ship-”

Strigid interrupted them. “What do you mean, ‘you don’t understand’? It would have been appreciated if you put a more trust in the Shore Guard.”

Leander sighed. Could they explain everything to these two officers? Well, it was worth a shot. “Can we keep on going? But around the storm?”

Strigid reluctantly obliged. When they had given the rockiest waters a wide berth, she glanced at Leander. “Now, what do you have to say?”

They told the two officers everything – their suspicions about the masked figures, their worries about their sister Muiren, and their general unease about the voyage. “I know it just departed this morning and it’s just hunches, but something does not feel right about that ship.”

Neither of them replied immediately. Leander waited anxiously, knowing for sure that the thoughts they had just voiced would be dismissed.

To their pleasant surprise, Strigid nodded slowly. “I see where you’re coming from. Admittedly our security is at times… ahh, imperfect. You must really believe in this if you’re sailing into the storm.”

Buteo raised an eyebrow at her, for moments before she had been doubting Leander’s sanity, but now she seemed entirely convinced. “Do you really have nothing else to base your thoughts on?” he asked Leander skeptically.



12. Sprint for 4 minutes (Script)

This was done on mobile, so that's why it only has 100 words!

“Well, I think these saboteurs are intending to rob the ship, or something even worse,” Leander replied, gravely. “And they'll be doing it under the cover of the storm – maybe they'll loot the vessel, blow it up, and then pretend that it was wrecked by the storm.

Buteo didn't find that answer to be very logical, but he could sympathize with them. He had a younger sister too, and he'd protect her to the end of the universe.

“That's why I didn't bring in an official report. It wouldn't be processed in time, and you won't believe me,” Leander concluded.



13. Sprint until word count reaches the next thousand (Adventure)

I currently have 2895 words up to this point, so I wrote 117 more words!

As much as they hated to admit it, both officers understood where Leander was coming from. It was such an outlandish theory that no one would’ve listened to it in normal conditions. Alas, they were all here now, and there was no going back. Best to stick it out and see where it gets the three of them.

“Does this boat have enough fuel to last us this far?” Leander asked with a trance of nervousness.

“Yes, we'll be able to go five more leagues and back to shore,” Strigid replied, unruffled. “And as you see we've almost caught up with the ship.”

The speedboat rushed ever closer to the towering ship that sailed towards the horizon.



14. Character has an epiphany (Mystery)

150 words!

As Leander glanced upwards, a picture appeared before their mind’s eye.

A briefcase. One of those shadows was holding it carefully, oh-so-carefully. It was propped up and carried beyond the security check. What happened then?

They concentrated, and a fleck of the memory returned.

Those people opened it. They undid the clasp and fiddled with the briefcase’s contents, then snapped it shut again. In that dark and shadowy corner, they thought that there was no one who noticed.

But Leander did.

They didn’t even board the ship, only saw Muiren off with a wave and departed. Perhaps they were the only one who knew.

Now, that very briefcase was strapped against the side of the observation deck. A throng of panicked passengers were gazing up at the five people, dressed in all black, standing at the deck.

The three in the speedboat realized at the same time.

“It’s a bomb.”



15. Sprint for WPM x 10 seconds (Poetry)

My WPM is 60, so that’s 10 minutes! 366 words.

“We have to save all of them!” Leander exclaimed.

“Well, what else did you expect?” Buteo replied with a hint of exasperation, but he was frowning, like he did not quite expect this very situation.

“We have no backup out here,” Strigid reminded the two of them. The rest of the Shore Guard was back leagues away on dry land, trapped by the raging storm. “So it looks like we're on our own.”

As the rain was still pounding heavily, the figures – though to tell the truth, “terrorists” now fit as a better description – did not notice the speedboat creeping ever closer.

“What do we have on board, then? That could help us?” Leander asked.

Buteo rifled through the storage cabinets. “We have a supply of flares, which isn't going to help anyone. Fireworks as well. Matches, rope, a grappling hook, four life jackets, a lifeboat, firewood, a pocketknife, and… that's it.”

It seemed like an awfully inadequate supply.

“We have surprise on our side, until they notice us,” Strigid remarked. “I just don't know how we'll use that to our advantage; as you see, we have nothing that's relatively useful to disarming terrorists. And how are we supposed to get up?”

Leander considered something. “You have a grappling hook?”

“I've never used it,” Buteo told them. “And Officer Strigid here knows just as much as I do.”

“Typically, a career on the sea often does not require a grappling hook,” Strigid pointed out. “We often don't intercept large vessels like this one.”
Well, well, well. They'd have to think of something to make this work.

Meanwhile, Strigid had navigated the speedboat until it was just under the bow, quite far from the observational deck. Several passengers, drenched with rain, had already noticed the boat and the trio on board.

“Shhh!” Buteo hissed to them, signalling them to be quiet. It worked, for the most part.

Just then, someone tossed a rope overboard. Leander couldn't believe their eyes – it was Muiren! Their sister was gesturing for the three to climb up.
Leander went first, followed by Strigid, who took the pocketknife. Just in case. Buteo, as agreed, would handle the boat and circle around the ship.



16. Character gets deja vu (Sci-Fi)

220 words!

Leander, Muiren, and Strigid made their way through the thick crowd, stirring up curious yet continuously frightened murmurs as they went.

“Get all the gold that you can find, or we’ll blow this ship up!” the ringleader of the terrorists screamed. Obviously, they were not afraid of death themselves.

The passengers scrambled to obey. Meanwhile, Leander couldn’t shake off the feeling that this had happened before. They were crowded by people, there were rabid threats, the rain was relentless, and the reek of fear shook everyone present to their core – everything was so familiar. Muiren’s eyes were widened, and Leander couldn’t help wondering if she was thinking about the same thing.

They were jerked out of their thoughts when Strigid suddenly rushed towards the ringleader, clutching the pocketknife. This was familiar, too, this display of courage and the raised morale of the crowd, how they surged forward to vanquish those few who held their lives at gunpoint.

Shots were fired. There were cries of pain, splashes, and chaos. Leander remembered this event so vividly, yet so vaguely at the same time.

Regardless of where this strange memory came from, they knew what they had to do. They raced to the observation deck, darted through the wreck of confusion and suffering, and tossed the bomb overboard as far as they could.



17. Conclude the story

A happy ending with 198 words!

With the bomb sunk to the bottom of the ocean and the passengers’ strength in numbers, the terrorists were quickly subdued and locked up in an impromptu cell in the hold.

To everyone’s relief, no one was dead. The captain of the ship quickly sent for medics to tend to the wounded – Strigid among them – and expressed the utmost gratitude to the Shore Guard officers.

Buteo, who had swerved away from the bomb and rescued two passengers fallen overboard, nodded in acknowledgement. But he added, “We owe this rescue to this young sailor,” indicating Leander.

For the most part, they were simply glad that their sister and everyone else on deck was alive and well, but they politely accepted the captain’s words of thanks.

Strigid joined Buteo and the Captain on deck. “Well, I suppose we’d be returning to land again,” she said, unperturbed as usual by the events that had just transpired. Then, with slight amusement, she added “I hope your next trip home goes well.”

“Thank you, officer,” Leander replied. Muiren nodded as well. The two siblings couldn’t be more excited to return.

The clouds overhead slowly dispersed as the ship glided back to the shore.

MC Daily 11/24

437 words!
This is horribly out of context haha, this was done for the first chapter of my fanfic that already had 1.7k words ;D
But the first part is set in the early 1850s and the second part is in 1942, I'll publish the full chapter by the end of this week!
Fandoms are The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, The Long Long Holiday, and Liberty's Kids – the first part is following the TICoAP characters and the second part begins with the TLLH characters
Also the first part isn't done oops I still haven't got to the plot point where they do time travel

May 1850-something

The five of them passed through the green grounds of the manor, lit by a dreamy sun – summer was nearly upon Ashton Place. The cabin that Mater and Fater Lumley had built was not far, and so Simon, Penelope, and the Incorrigibles ambled slowly as they enjoyed the view.

“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Simon inquired. It wasn’t clear who the question seemed to be addressed to, but Penelope answered first.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d certainly love to see you all complete your tableux,” she responded. “For the evening, perhaps-?”

“Nutsawoo!” Alexander suddenly cried out. Then he turned to Penelope apologetically. “Sorry for interrupting.”

Everyone followed his gaze. There! The squirrel was foraging for acorns under the huge oak tree by the cabin, not having noticed the approaching quintet yet.

“It’s alright,” she replied reassuringly. “Nutsawoo must be looking for acorns here.”

The children ran over to the squirrel in excitement. Just then, the cabin door opened.

“Penelope! How good to see you,” Mater Lumley said warmly. “And you too, Simon. Where are the little Incorrigibles?”

“I daresay they’re playing with their squirrel over there,” Simon replied, nodding towards where the children were scampering around.

“We’ve brought a pie,” Penelope added.

“That’s wonderful!” Pater Lumley remarked as he appeared behind his wife. “But we’ve just had desert – perhaps we’ll eat later.”

Penelope nodded, more than a little disappointed.



May 1942

While they were eating, the now-empty pie tray started growing in size, its center turning into the same void that was described twice before.

And without warning, three figures sprang out of the void, landing in a heap on the ground.

Ernest, who was the closest to them, let out a shout of surprise and dived out of the way. The six other Robinsons were looking at them in utter shock, but before anyone could begin to comprehend what was going on, four more people appeared.

Chaos broke out in the clubhouse. For the most part, no one knew what absolute madness was going on.

“Who are you all?” Jean cried out in an emotion that could be best described as purest horror.

“What’s happening?” James said again, but of course the Robinsons didn’t understand him. He was speaking in English, after all.

Slowly, everyone calmed down and oriented themselves. Words were exchanged, but both sides (the Robinsons and the time travelers) realized that they, for the most part, didn’t understand each other.

However, Henri was the sole exception. (Jean and Penelope spoke a smidgen of English and French, respectively, but it hardly accounted for all of the complexities that translation required.)

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Epilogue

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of my crossover fanfic, featuring the following three fandoms:

• Liberty's Kids (LK)
  
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (TICoAP)
  
• The Long Long Holiday (TLLH)
  

If all goes according to plan, this fanfic will be around 10k-20k words long, with 6 parts and an epilogue. You're currently on Part 1
Without further ado, let us begin!

Part 1: The Beginning


Benjamin Franklin’s print shop
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May, late 1780s

“Henri! Come back!”

James was chasing the young boy around the print shop. Henri had stolen his pie, and needless to say, vengeance was needed. It was delicious gooseberry pie!

Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette watched in great interest, sipping on some Boston tea, as James dived under the printing machine, attempting to grab Henri to no avail. The little rascal was smooth like butter, and James was simply too clumsy to match his speed and dexterity. So the chase continued for a long while, with the two of them having a wonderfully chaotic time vying for the pie. Incredibly, it remained intact in its box even in the heat of the chase.

Finally, James managed to seize it in triumph when Henri accidentally ran straight into him.

“Mine!” he exclaimed.

And so the two of them finally agreed to split the pie. Sarah also appeared, and they divided the pie into thirds (after Franklin and Lafayette both politely refused). The large mouthwatering slice seemed to glimmer in James’s vision, and he stared at it in utter delight.

But as he was about to take a bite of the pie, the dream stopped, and James woke up in a heartachingly dissatisfied mood.

Henri…

He sat up. It had scarcely been any time since the French boy had left with the marquis, but both James and Sarah had been missing him terribly. Mail was slow, France was far, and life has become so much more dull. Granted, many times before, during, and after the war the trio has been separated. But this was more distant. Perhaps one day they’ll meet again.

In any case, it was time for breakfast, and James quickly got ready. He greeted Moses, Sarah, and Franklin; it seems like James was the last one up, as usual.

“What’s in that box?” he asked, pointing to a box. The details of his dream suddenly came back to him, and he marveled at how similar the pie box was to this box right on the table in front of him. Could it be?

“It’s a pie!” Sarah told him. “Gooseberry pie.”

“The bakery was selling it for a lower price than usual, so I thought that perhaps I’ll buy one,” Moses explained cheerfully.

James nodded, astonished by the sheer coincidence of dream and reality. It was certainly quite strange!

“I’ve already split the pie into fourths,” Moses continued, “but I have to go with Dr. Franklin to get new printing supplies right now. Don’t eat the whole thing!” he added in amusement as he left with Franklin.

“You do look very hungry, James,” Sarah remarked. He shrugged sheepishly in response and took a seat across the table.

“Which slice of pie do you want?” he asked, handing her the box.

She put one of the slices carefully onto her plate, then offered the pie pan to James, who took a slice as well.

They ate a few bites in silence, then James suddenly spoke up. “I miss Henri,”

Sarah nodded, not seeming very surprised. “I do too. It's just so… lonely around here.” Her gaze swept across the room. “I know you’re all still around, but, he made life so much brighter.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

While the two were talking, however, they did not notice the fabric of their reality shifting. When they looked down at their pies they were astonished to see that had dissolved into a black void.

“What's happening?” James exclaimed.

A second later, there the table was completely empty. save for the unfinished pies at the table.



Ashton Place
England
May, early 1850s

In Ashton Place, Penelope Lumley was having quite a marvelous time.

After she reunited with her parents, defeated Edward Ashton, and resolved the curse of Ahwoo-Ahwoo once and for all, life essentially continued as normal – aside from the exciting new additions, of course.

The Bouncing Babies Ashton, in the weeks since their arrival, had become a source of both frustration and delight for practically everyone in the household. This was especially true for Lord Frederick and Lady Constance Ashton, who had settled into their new roles as parents with ease. In fact, Penelope marvelled at the change that appeared in the two of them. Frederick seemed less gruff than usual, and seldom made more visits to his gentlemen's club; this improvement in temperament must had something to do with the disappearance of the wolfish curse from the Ashton family line (which he had been afflicted with since birth) as well. Meanwhile, Lady Constance’s girlish behavior seemed to have subsided for the most part, and she took care of the twins with gusto, cheered on by Mrs. Penworthy. What a kindly spirit she – that is to say, he – was!

When she thought of the baby nurse and her real identity, Penelope couldn’t hold back a small chuckle. Simon Harley-Dickinson’s incognito disguise entertained the children greatly, and Penelope was very amused at her playwright friend’s knack for the act.

Speak of the devil! At this moment, the four of them came bounding down the halls – Alexander holding a sextant, guiding his siblings Beowulf and Cassiopeia through the realm of their imagination, and Simon being the dastardly pirate that they were chasing on the high seas.

“You shall never get me, scoundrels!” he gloated as he faced the three Incorrigible Lumleys, embracing his melodramatic character to the fullest.

They were about to retort with something in kind, had they not spotted their elder sister.

“Lumawoo!”

“Well, hello there, Incorrigibles! I see you’ve been busy with your pirate-hunting,” she said, chuckling as her siblings ran over.

“They’re quite the little thespians,” Simon agreed, catching up to the four of them. He was somewhat out of breath, but merry all the same. “Say, we should head to the bakery – I've heard that Madame Ionesco's making a gooseberry pie today.”

“Yes, let's!” Penelope exclaimed. “It's the perfect time for dessert.”

“Pie! Pie! We're getting pie!“ the three little Incorrigibles chanted. Penelope and Siman joined in, parading down the staircase as the servants watched.

“Pie! Pie! we're getting pie!”

“Looks like they're having a marvelous time there,” Mrs. Clarke commented. And the whole of Ashton Place knew of the pie by the time the five got to the bakery.

“Ahh, you’re here for the pie!“ Madame Ionesco said as she lay down her work. It was a gorgeous pie, and everyone's mouth watered as they thought of the tart sweetness.

“How about we take a few slices back to my parents’ cabin?” Penelope suggested. Her siblings agreed that it was a great idea and beckoned Simon to follow, which he did cheerfully.

The five of them passed through the green grounds of the manor, lit by a dreamy sun – summer was nearly upon Ashton Place. The cabin that Mater and Fater Lumley had built was not far, and so Simon, Penelope, and the Incorrigibles ambled slowly as they enjoyed the view.

“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Simon inquired. It wasn’t clear who the question seemed to be addressed to, but Penelope answered first.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d certainly love to see you all complete your tableaux,” she responded. “For the evening, perhaps-?”

“Nutsawoo!” Alexander suddenly cried out. Then he turned to Penelope apologetically. “Sorry for interrupting.”

Everyone followed his gaze. There! The squirrel was foraging for acorns under the huge oak tree by the cabin, not having noticed the approaching quintet yet.

“It’s alright,” she replied reassuringly. “Nutsawoo must be looking for acorns here.”

The children ran over to the squirrel in excitement. Just then, the cabin door opened.

“Penelope! How good to see you,” Mater Lumley said warmly. “And you too, Simon. Where are the little Incorrigibles?”

“I daresay they’re playing with their squirrel over there,” Simon replied, nodding towards where the children were scampering around.

“We’ve brought a pie,” Penelope added.

“That’s wonderful!” Pater Lumley remarked as he appeared behind his wife. “But we’ve just had desert – perhaps we’ll eat later.”

Penelope nodded, more than a little disappointed. “That's alright,” she said out loud. The gooseberry pie seemed quite delicious, and it was a shame that her parents wouldn't be sharing it with the five of them. Ahh, well, there would be another time for dessert!

However, despite their refusal, Mater and Pater Lumley still helped out with the pie-cutting.

"Children! Come get your pie!” Penelope called to the Incorrigibles, who were still observing Nutsawoo keenly. “We’ve got it ready!”

They rushed back to the cabin to retrieve their pie. Penelope had prepared some warm tea, and she poured it into mugs for everyone.

The Lumley parents had gone back upstairs, and so the five were left alone in the kitchen. The Incorrigibles started gorging on the gooseberry pie with gusto, while Simon and Penelope admired the paintings on the wall.

“These look magnificent, if I have to say so myself,” Simon remarked, putting his pie down and gesturing to a few portraits of regal monarchs.

Penelope swallowed quickly before she replied. “Indeed they do! I don’t think I’ve heard the story of how my parents came into possession of them.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s a grand tale.”

She took another bite of her pie and nodded. “You should eat your pie. It’s quite delicious!” Madame Ionesco’s baking was vastly different from Mrs. Clarke’s, but Penelope thought that both pie editions were to be praised. They were each a different interpretation on the behalf of the artist, but they were the same gooseberries!

Simon picked up his untouched pie, ready to take a few bites, but when he lifted his gaze he saw quite a strange sight. Was it nighttime already? There seemed to be a huge splash of black in front of him.

But when he blinked, it was no longer there.

Neither were Penelope and her siblings.



The forest of Grangeville
Normandy, France
May 1942

The Robinsons were playing hide-and-seek in the woods.

Ernest was the one seeking everyone, and after counting to 10 (he sped up slightly at 8, though of course by then no one could hear him) he set out away from the clubhouse to find the other Robinsons.

But first, he took a glance up at the treehouse. Nope, there was no one there. After a while everyone had learned not to go hide up there, but it was just a habit of his to check. Yet unbeknownst to him, Lily had climbed up higher in the tree, and was out of sight from the treehouse platform. She allowed herself a small chuckle when Ernest went away.

The Robinsons had set up boundaries for where everyone could hide – they weren't allowed a lot of space, of course, for there were simply too many bushes and trees in the forest. No one could know if someone went out-of-bounds and secretly came back after the game was over, however, and that was precisely what Marcel was doing.

“Haha, he's never gonna get me,” he gloated. It was a common habit for those hiding to talk to themselves, it seemed, but unfortunately that was about to be his downfall, because it was loud enough for Ernest to hear.

“Says who?” he retorted with a light smirk as he trampled right in front of the bush Marcel was hiding behind. “Looks like someone broke the rules, again.”

Marcel huffed and got up, brushing off dirt on his trousers. “It’s not that far from the tree anyways,” he said glumly, glancing a few feet over at the tree which marked the edge of the hide-and-seek area. Ernest was just about to look for Fernand and Jean when he heard voices from the other direction.

“Did your grandma bake this whole thing herself?”

It was Gaston, and no doubt Colette was also with him. Marcel heard them as well, and when they came into sight the two boys went over.

Colette was holding a box, and in it was a pie. It was a gooseberry pie, (insert description here later), and Ernest and Marcel admired it briefly.

“Yeah, she did!” Colette replied cheerfully to Gaston. “Grannyli said that I can bring it to share with you guys!” she continued, turning to the older boys.

“We're playing hide-and-seek right now,” Ernest admitted. “I'll have to find everyone first.”

So the four of them went around the clubhouse trying to find the rest of the Robinsons. Suddenly, out of nowhere, they heard a crash and a yell of pain.

“It's that way!” Gaston exclaimed, pointing.

Ernest sped towards that direction, as he was the seeker after all. There, he found Jean on the ground. Evidently, he had fell from a tree somewhere, and above him someone was trying in vain to hold back laughter.

“Fernand! I can hear you!” Ernest called up gleefully.

The Alsatian boy climbed down a tree into view, then dropped neatly to the ground. “Did someone call me?” he asked snarkily.

“So it's Lily again. She's always the best at this game,” Marcel commented.

“Well, except for that one time-” Jean was about to retort, but then hissed in pain.

“Don't worry, he just fell from that branch up there,” Fernand said, pointing up to literally the lowest branch on the tree.

Still, Ernest and Fernand helped Jean as he struggled to walk on his own. ”Guess we're heading back to the clubhouse, then,“ the blue-haired boy said.

”Lily! Game's over!“ Fernand yelled out.

Lily, having heard him from all the way up the tree, smirked to herself and scrambled down the ladder, just as the six Robinsons made their way back.

”So I see I've won again,“ she said brightly, glancing sideways at Jean.

”Well, yeah, maybe,“ he muttered, stomping away.

”Does your knee still hurt?“ Ernest asked skeptically, and he received an answer in the negative.

Now that all of the Robinsons were reassembled, they examined the pie in delight. Even Lily admitted that its gooseberries, taken straight from Ernest and Colette’s garden (well, more of their grandparents’ garden), were superior to the ones that her father grew.

“She said I can bring it here and we can all share it!” Colette explained happily.

But there was one problem. Seven was not an easy number to divide pie slices into, and try as they could, the pie slices still ended up being a tad uneven. So the Robinsons decided to draw lots to see who got to pic their slice first.

“Sorry, Gaston,” Colette whispered to him as he picked the last and smallest slice.

Meanwhile, everyone else had already started to eat their slices with great gusto. However, there was something strange that none of them noticed. While they were eating, the now-empty pie tray started growing in size, its center turning into the same void that was described twice before.

And without warning, three figures sprang out of the void, landing in a heap on the ground.

Ernest, who was the closest to them, let out a shout of surprise and dived out of the way. The six other Robinsons were looking at them in utter shock, but before anyone could begin to comprehend what was going on, four more people appeared.

Chaos broke out in the clubhouse. For the most part, no one knew what was going on.

“Who are you all?” Jean cried out in an emotion that could be best described as pure horror.

“What’s happening?” James said again, but of course the Robinsons didn’t understand him. He was speaking in English, after all.

Lily sighed. “Alright, then, we’ve got to get this figured out.”

MC Daily 3/2 (Five-Word Soup)

Words from @Ataraxea - Idyllic, estranged, lonely, serene, unstable
For a writing project of mine
316 words!

The boat bobbed gently on the waves as it approached the lonely island, soon landing on the beach. After a moment, Madeline Strigid stepped out, and started pulling the boat inwards towards shore.

She took a moment to look up. Jagged pillars of stone reached up like rows of fangs, and egrets flaunted their pearly feathers around. The verdant trees swayed in the breeze, waxy leaves glinting in the serene noon sunlight.

Madeline found a pile of boulders to store her boat behind, and she sat nearby under the shade. Opening her leather bag, she took out a weathered journal. Over the past months, she had been wandering around the small islands in the midst of the Amber Sea – estranged from her family, suspended from the academy, she hadn’t been faring too well. These idyllic islands gave her rocky mind some peace, she’d give it that.

Now. She was out of food, so she’d do best to scavenge something nearby. Madeline had gotten very familiar with the various flora and fauna around these parts, including the berries and mushrooms that were edible. Occasionally, especially in the beginning, she had made mistakes; still, she never did suffer severely from them, and now they were ever far and few in between.

In the end, she managed to find some golden potatoes and sparkling berries to eat. And during the afternoon, she did little else other than sketching and adding to her map. As unstable as her life was, she could still return to something like the days before.

Night fell, and Madeline made camp near the edge of the forest, where she could keep an eye on the boat. She wouldn’t quite mind if it just drifted away; she was sure she could make a living on an isolated island.

For now, she would just enjoy the sight of the stars.

MC Daily 3/3 (Perspective of Non-Protag)

I wanted to write some TOH fics ever since I binged the entire show in February – my fanfic comp entry will also be a fanfic of it

Spoiler alerts for Clouds on the Horizon (season 2 ep 20)

636 words!

Steve strode lightly to the CATs headquarters, watching the late afternoon skies of the Boiling Isles. It was a beautiful sight that he never quite appreciated enough in the past.

As he walked, there was little else to do but think. Think he did. His life has changed massively in the past, what, two days? Before then, he was a lowly scout of the Emperor’s Coven; now, a proud member of the Covens Against the Throne (aka… the CATs). He found a sense of satisfaction in that strange reversal of roles.

Now, he could truly look back at the rotten life he led. The gory admission trials to the Coven, the day off every 52 weeks, the battles and the stupid rules that all the scouts had to enforce.

So, he took a break from it all. The last straw? Meeting up with King (aww, the adorable little guy) and Lilith (Steve finally, truly understood why she left). They’ve convinced him that the Emperor’s Coven was worth leaving, for good, and he couldn’t be more glad that he was away from that.

Finally, he arrived at the headquarters. Being a rebel outpost, it obviously had to be disguised from the outside, and it only appeared to be a warehouse. Steve went up the door and tapped on it to the beat of “SINCE U BEEN CONNED”. It slid open, and he stepped in.

It was bright and warm here inside. Perhaps it was lit and heated by camaraderie and love, something that was all but absent in the drafty vents of the castle. The members of the Bards Against the Throne lounged around, while the three Coven Heads (Darius Deamonne, Raine Whispers, and Eberwolf the Huntsman) were studying a thick volume together.

“Hello there, Steve,” Lilith greeted him.

Steve waved to his former boss and headed over, catching up with her on her life and his, feeling glad to have a friend by his side.

Soon, all of the resistance members convened at the meeting table. Steve sat down, listening intently to the plans that were being made. When everything was finalized, Katya stood up. “Heck yeah, Owl Lady!”

Steve stood up along with everyone else. Now that he heard everything, he couldn’t help but feel a certain spirit in the air. Steeled determination, perhaps.

He chatted with the former BATs as Eda talked with her children and Raine in private; soon, all of them returned.

“We are the Covens Against the Throne,” Raine began as they straightened up.

Steve watched in excitement, even as Darius began frantically protesting (in vain).

“Aka…”

Ready.

“The CATs!”

Feline hisses resounded delightfully across the room, and Steve joined in, giving an enthusiastic fist pump while he was at it.

“Now, get moving, folks!” Lilith cheered everyone on in a rare moment of her levity.

Darius and Eberwolf headed their separate ways, while Steve boarded an airship with Eda and Raine. Dusk was approaching the Isles, and the sky shifted in shades of orange and lilac.

It was hard to believe all of this might be gone so soon, if they don’t stop Belos. Steve gazes at the clouds, and at the headquarters, thinking of all of the wondrous people he had ever known. His parents. King and Lilith, even if only for a few days – some interactions are enough to stay in one’s mind for a lifetime.

And Matt. Matt, who looked up to his half-brother. Not for his status in the Emperor’s Coven, but for who he really was behind that metal mask. If the Draining Spell isn’t stopped, he and all the children of the Isles would be left to themselves. Parentless, mentorless.

The Isles was running out of time.

But when the Day of Unity is over, maybe Steve could get boba with his little brother.

Word war with @aloe-there

159 words! Also for my weekly :> it's relatively typoless haha (except for Amity's name oof)

After what seemed like forever, the doors of the classrooms finally flooded open, with students spilling out to get to their lockers.

“This is so exciting!” Luz squeaked. “We're going to actually see Eda? I would've never thought that-”

She didn't get a chance to finish, because speak of the devil, Eda Clawthorne was right in front of her!

“Hey, you're blocking my locker,” Eda said in slight annoyance, and Luz quickly jumped aside, scrutinizing her carefully.

“Edalyn!” Lilith strode towards her sister, along with Raine by her side.

“Who are you?” Raine asked Luz and the rest of the squad. They were in uniform, which Bump hastily arranged right before the end of the period. Of course Raine didn't recognize any of them, but…

“Hey, you look just like Perry!” Lilith exclaimed as she looked at Gus. “And you remind me of Alador. I don't know why. Nice roots, though.” she said to amity brightly.

"Oh, uh, thank

MC (Bi)Daily 3/8-3/9

368 words, 256 of dialogue!
For the birthday gift fanfic in the post below this one :>
The main chars are from The Long Long Holiday and the guy is Darius from TOH!

quotes used:
“really? you can solve something like /this/ with a /magic trick/?” -@starr-light
“So… yeah. What are we doing again?” -@PhonyOOOPS

My own quote: “Okay, buddy, you aren't getting any tea from me.”

“So… yeah. What are we doing again?” Hans asked Otto.

“Baking a cake, of course.”

“Ooookay. Wait, I have to actually help you?”

“Yeah. I thought that was a given. You’re the one who needs the cake, so you’re the one who would have to help me.

“Nuh-uh. Not doin’ it.”

Otto furrowed his brows at Hans. “You’re kind of obligated to, because this fic does go on. We literally can’t advance the plot if you don’t help me.”

“Fine,” Hans snapped. “What the heck do you need?”

“Most of the things we can get from the farm. Eggs, milk, gooseberries. You might have to go to town for flour and such, but I think we have some here at home,” Otto reviewed studiously.

“Hrmph. So this place is ‘home’ now.”

“Okay, I know you’re not a fan of Jeanne, but-”

“I don’t like anyone, actually,”

A voice sounded from the top of the stairs. “Well, that’s a shame.”

Hans glared at the source. “And of course it’s you.”

“You’re the goofy guy to stroll in and start bossing everyone around. It’s a good thing that you’re not stationed here anymore, because you’re one of the worst people I have the misfortune to every encounter,” Jeanne said fiercely.

Otto gently guided her aside. “Alright, Hans, just get the ingredients for us and stop annoying people,” he instructed sternly.

So Hans stomped out.



A time skip later, Hans was staring down angrily at the bags of flour lying ripped on the ground. Grr.

But just then, someone knocked on the door, and Hans answered.

“A little birdie told me that you needed help,” the guy said smoothly. He had very classy white gloves and purple cape, along with strangely rippling hair.

“I can only think of two people who ‘a little birdie’ could be, and neither of them would know you,” Hans answered.

“Then you obviously don’t know who I’m talking about. Do you need help?”

“Yeah, sure, but how-”

“Abomination magic, of course!”

"Really? You can solve something like this with a magic trick?" Hans gaped at the guy.

Without replying, the guy drew a glowing purple circle, and the rips on the bags were instantly stitched up.

B-Day gift fanfic (only like the first fourth, the whole thing is 6k words long lol)

It's only mildly spoofy until 500 words in, that's when the real silliness starts :>

Hans was falling.
Or, to be more precise, he was floating. Moments before, he had been gorging on delicious snacks on the spaceship. It was bright, it was warm, and the stars were only speeding by hazily out the window.
But now? Now he was stuck out in space, floating plaintively in an astronaut’s suit that he wasn’t aware of putting on. He did not remember anyone tossing him out. One moment he was just there, relaxing; the next, he was here. It was as if there was a time skip.
(It was as if there was an author who was making a sequel to last year’s birthday gift for Misty. Hmm.)
Anyways, Hans was bored. Even worse, he was thirsty. Munching on Cheetos back on the spaceship was rather dehydrating.
“Ground control to Major Hans”
He blinked. Was that voice talking to him? No, no, it couldn’t be. Earth was destroyed. No one there would know he’s here. Plus, he wasn’t even a major! (Otto was to blame for this; Hans never got promoted past sergeant because of him.)
But wait. What was that planet?
It looked blue.
From the meager schooling he had, Hans knew that it was planet Earth. But he knew that it had been destroyed; he had seen it with his own eyes as he sailed away on the squad's spaceship. So why the heck is it still there? Could it be another planet?
It seemed to be the closest destination that he could possibly head to – in all other directions he turned to, there was nothing but otherworldly white specks. This Earth-y planet was larger than a speck. Barely.
Suddenly, he began plummeting toward the planet. It grew in size rapidly, much rapidly than it should be possible. Has he traveled billions of light years just to do this? (Hans didn't know space distance very well, so it was probably a wrong prediction.)
In any case, the planet soon loomed in front of him, and he could say with much more certainty that it was… Earth. Earth. How??
He broke through the clouds and began speeding towards a green-looking area. Well, almost everywhere looked green.
There was nothing he could do.
So he closed his eyes and braced for impact: impact that would surely destroy him and crumble him to dust.
–
It never came.
He didn't know what happened, but he was just… not falling anymore.
Hans blinked open his eyes warily. He was floating a foot above soft grass, and a couple of seconds after he opened his eyes, he plopped down.
Then, he just remained lying down, with his helmet facing the grass. After a couple of seconds (minutes? hours?) he decided that he should probably try to get up.
With great effort, he took off his astronaut’s suit, and realized that he was in uniform. Hmm. He checked his supply belt: he had ammunition, coal, popcorn. And his pockets: a nail trimmer (that he stole from Otto) and the aforementioned Cheetos.
But no water.
Ugh, whatever. What was this place, anyways?
His gaze swept across his surroundings and realized…

August 24th, 1944
…that it was Grangeville.
Huh.
Hans stood up unsteadily and waddled around. Yep, it was Grangeville alright: the cliffs and the coast and the Kommandantur in the distance confirmed it.
–
Off in the distance, he caught sight of some folks picnicking on the grass. There was no one else around, so he just decided to go there.
“Hello?” A girl, around 12 years old, tipped her head up at Hans. Besides her was another girl her age, an older boy, a pale raggedy guy, and another guy with two guns on his back.
“You’re a goofy German soldier!” the boy accused Hans.
“Uhm.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be speaking German then?” the other girl questioned.
“I, uh, just found this uniform! Hahah. Who are you?”
The girl that first spoke introduced herself as Annabelle, the other two children were siblings named Jem and Scout, the pale guy was named Boo Radley, and the last man was Toby. They seemed to be having a nice time eating sandwiches and chatting, and typically Hans would torment them. But he didn’t quite like the way all of them (especially Toby) glared at him, so he decided that today was not the day to be bullying children.
“Okay, guess I’ll get going! Bye!!!!!!1?!?!?2?1??/?>?????/”
Hans speedran out of there.
Okay. Now. He had to get water before he inevitably collapse from dehydration. So, the Kommandantur would be a good place to head to. He could probably find some Pepsi there too. And steal the colonel’s tea.
–
Hans approached Grangeville, but before he entered town, a group of newsies stopped him.
“What do you want?” he barked.
“Wanna buy this newspaper for 70 cents?” a small boy piped up.
“Come on, Les, you’re seriously trying to make a profit of this?” his brother Davey asked.
“Eh, I don’t see why that’s such a bad idea,” Jack remarked, and Katherine nodded from next to him.
“Okay, FINE. Get out of my skin, and keep the change.” Hans tossed a handful of coins, grabbed a newspaper, and stormed away.
However, before he could get to the cafe, a time-travelling machine crash-landed right in front of him.
“What is it this time? For Titan’s sake, I’m thirsty!!!”
“Chill out, dude!” Jonah finger-gunned at him.
“I know, right? Mon ami, you should chillax,” the Marquis de Lafayette sighed.
“Who are you, and what do you want with me?” Hans demanded.
“We’re just goin’ around, you know,” Antonius Geringer shrugged. His twin brother nodded from next to him, and Dr. Gilbert Mason handed Hans a pamphlet about the time machine.
“Ohhh-kay.”
“Anyways, we’ll probably go around this timeline – maybe you’ll see us later!” Alexander Hamilton told Hans with a grin.
“Fine, fine.”
Right as the time machine was dissipating, Hans realized he forgot to ask them for water. Drat o rats!
–
Finally, Hans got into town. It seemed rather empty, though.
When he got into the cafe, he was thunderstruck. Everything was… gone. There was absolutely no furniture in the room, nothing on the walls. The same could be said for the adjacent room when he walked in there.
But there were also two people standing on the bare tiles: a teenage girl and a bearded man.
“Oh, hello there,” the girl said, introducing herself as Sophie Amundsen.
“At this point I’m sure you’re here to bother me, but I JUST WANT WATER.” Hans borderline sobbed. Even those he cheated in the past might feel the tiniest bit of sympathy.
“You probably shouldn’t have been eating so many Cheetos then,” Sophie sighed. “Sounds like an L on your part.”
“Wait, how do you know I was eating Cheetos?” Hans asked.
“Because we are aware of the scheme that Sandy is planning,” Alberto Knox answered.
“Huh?”
“Sandy. Aka Sanysndynd. Or Ndysyansysn. Dnsy or Andddsdyn or Nsssdasydn also work, just saying.”
“You’ve lost me already.”
“If the major was obscene, then Sandy is 10 million times worse,” Sophie cut in, which didn’t really explain the situation for Hans. “It’s her sister’s birthday, and so she plagiarized my story to make a fanfic. And it’s not original, either! As you might know, she did the same thing last year, with the world ending by microwaved popcorn and all. Supposedly this version is ‘more epic,’ though.”
“Yeah, I remember what happened… wait, last year?”
Alberto facepalmed. “Oh, man, you have a horrid perception of time.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault that we’re all being controlled with puppet strings by a goofy goofy 13-year-old!!!”
“Well, you’re not going to get water here,” Sophie told him. “There are three people who can give you something, though.”
“And Otto too.”
Hans blanched at Alberto’s last suggestion. “Ugh, Otto?”
“Yeah, he’s kinda central to the plot of this story. Kinda. Also he’s Sandy’s favorite TLLH character so there’s not much you can do about that.”
“Wha-”
“Oh, and expect to see Jeanne too. Plus Aladarius, Sandy’s other OTP! You have no idea who they are right now but you’ll see, buddy old chap.”
“O-okay, cool,” Hans stammered and backed out slowly.
–
This was all so strange. Going outside, he flopped down to the concrete ground, dead on the field. Come on, he was thirsty. Why was no one helping him? Maybe this was karma, for him being such an evil character. Okay, maybe he was better than Durand, but Sandy was sure that Hans has done questionable things on the Eastern Front and in life in general. He has a tragic backstory, but make an attempt at being a better person, Hans!!
Sigh. Anyway, let’s digress.
Hans stood up and dragged his feet towards the fenced-off patch of grass across the cafe.
Wait.
Is that-
He couldn’t believe his eyes. Right there was a bottled water! Sitting on one of those foldable plastic tables.
It could be a mirage. It could be. But that shiny Sierra Springs plastic label (not sponsored, btw) was all too real.
So Hans ambled closer and closer, until-
“Hey!!”
A guy with curly hair and impeccable tawny suit manuevered in front of Hans and grabbled the bottle. Oh, great StarClan.
“Please, just let me have the water!” Hans cried.
“Who are you?” a spunky lieutenant popped into view.
“Randy, I don’t think this is the time,” Lele (aka Leland Stottlemeyer, but we call him Lele here lolz) said.
“Mr. Monk, maybe give this guy the water?” Natalie suggested hesitantly. “We can get more later.”
Monk did not relent, and Sharona snatched it ouf of his grip.
“We can get more at the clubhouse. You literally just drank water 5 minutes ago, Adrian.”
She tossed the bottle down to Hans. He sat up bolt upright and screwed the cap off so vigorously that it spilled water all over him, but he didn’t care. He had hydration now!
“What a wretched fellow,” Holmes commented as he strode in with Dr. Wat-
“Bro, Doc W is cool! This is a Snadynsdaa fanfic, we don’t have to stay in character with our dialogue or actions!!!!!!” Johnny W exclaimed starstruckfully. “I’m a W, unlike this guy right here.”
“I’d prefer you to stop this awful display of frivolity, Dr. Watson,” Holmes sighed.
“Of course. My apologies, Holmes,” Watson conceded, not without an amused smile.
“You’re not wrong about him being an L, though,” Randy piped up. Hans groaned.
“I wonder where Nansydnsan and Misty are,” Doc Krog spoke up thoughtfully.
“Wait, you guys know them?” Hans asked hopefully.
“Yeah, they’re wackos.” Harold rolled his eyes. “They sang Let It Go like a pair of cats coughing up hairballs, got everyone killed in a zombie apocalypse (but then they did revive everyone, so I guess that’s why we’re still here), put cockroaches in people’s hot chocolates, and were generally way too OP. I might even say they’re worse than Monk.”
“Ooookay. Where are they?”
Lele answered this time. “No idea. They probably teleported to Dr. Zombiezomb’s home planet or something.”
“Huh, who’s-”
“Whatever, Hans. Don’t you have to go meet up with Otto or something?”
“How do you-”
Once again, Lele cut him off. “Okay, then, you should get going.”
“Fine! Be like that and don’t answer my questions. Hrmph.” Hans grouched, stomping away.
–
He started on the road to the Morteau farm. But(t)!!!!! There were three guys huddling together and blocking the path. One of them had an astronaut’s suit, one of them had a normal suit, and the last person was wearing a scout’s uniform.
“Hey comrade, are you okay? You look like you’ve fallen from space!” The astronaut peered up at Hans. “Not that I would know anything about that, of course. Hah.”
“You look like the type of guy to play the Wayward Queen and also not know how to defend against it,” the normal suit man scoffed.
“You look like a goofy German!” the scout finished.
“Ugh, sure. Who are you guys?”
“We’re the Birthday Buddies!” the astronaut exclaimed. He put on the instrumental version of the Schuyler Sisters.

“Gagarin!” Yuri exclaimed, tossing his helmet in the air.
“Fischer,” Bobby grumbled quietly.
“And Peggy.”
“Wait, is your name actually Peggy?” Hans gaped at the scout.
Francis frowned. “No. It’s Francis Pegahmagabow, thank you very much. It’s what everyone called me, and it fits the song, but of course that’s not actually my name.”
“Mkay, cool. What are you guys doing here, then?”
The three Birthday Buddies stood aside to reveal a gorgeous cake, divided into three sections: one space-themed, one chess-themed, one field-themed.
“Neat.”
“We all share the same birth date as Misty – March 9th,” Yuri explained. “This is our cake, but you have to bring Misty a cake too.”
NEW QUEST: BRING CAKE TO MISTY.
“What the-”
“It was boring meeting you. Beat Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen for me!” Bobby yelled after Hans as Francis yeeted the German soldier away.

Weekly 1: Timelines

PART ONE: Time Travel Mechanics

Event: Odalia makes two offers

157 words

“How would you like to be partners?”

Alador looked up at the source of the voice. As he had expected, it was his friend Odalia, and she plopped down next to him on the cafeteria bench.

“Huh?”

“Business partners,” she clarified briskly. “People are obviously interested in our abomination machines: both Faust and Bump commented on that. I can do the promotion, bargaining, whatever. We’ll split the profit 80-20, or 70-30 if you really want. Any questions?”

“W-wait.” Alador tried to process everything Odalia just said. No wonder she had been awfully quiet today; she must have been preparing all of this.

“And I wouldn’t mind if we’re romantic partners too,” she added as an afterthought. “Might make things easier.”

By this point, Darius had joined them, along with Lilith, Eda, Raine, and Perry spectating from the adjacent bench. All of them heard the last thing that Odalia had said.

And everyone waited for Alador to respond.


Bad choice (aka he accepts both) (poor Darius)

173 words

“Alright,” Alador deferred. “That split sounds good to me.”

“And, what about my other offer?”

Alador averted his eyes. This is what his parents wanted, he knew. Making business with the Blights, joining together as two powerful witchlets, poised for greatness.

He had no choice, really.

“I… okay,” he looked down at the table, flustered.

A hint of a smirk materialized on Odalia’s face, and she leaned back in satisfaction. However, the rest of the squad did not appear to be pleased.

After lunch, Darius stalked over to confront Alador. “What was that about?” he snarled.

“I have absolutely no idea what you mean, Darius.”

“Why Odalia?”

“Why not?”
Darius didn’t answer at first. After a pause, he spoke up quietly: “You should learn how to not let others take control of your life.”

“My life is perfectly fine, thank you for asking,” Alador replied fiercely.

“I know there’s more than that. Come on, just tell me!”

“There’s absolutely nothing you need to know, Dare-”

Darius’s gaze became cold. “Don’t call me that.”



Maybe canon choice (he accepts the first one, not the second).

161 words

“Business sounds great,” he replied. “But I won’t take you up on your second offer for now.”

Odalia nodded and left, leaving the squad gazing at Alador.

“I guess you’ll be getting some extra cash now, huh?” Eda said nonchalantly.

“Making profit off of abominations?” Darius questioned as he stared at Alador.

“I’m not sure about you, but that just sound wrong to me. Shouldn’t they be accessible to everyone?”

“I-”

“There was always nothing ethical about the Blights,” Perry pointed out. “I mean, I guess Odalia has been a good example of that.”

Alador fumed as he listened to the blabbering opinions of the squad. It was his decision, wasn’t it?

“I’m good at nothing else besides abominations,” he snapped. “What do you expect me to do?”

“Learn for the sake of learning?” Lilith suggested. “I mean, that’s what you’ve always been doing.”

“It’s not enough. It’ll never be enough,” Alador said quietly. No one quite understood what he meant.



Epik choice (Alador refuses both!)

329 words

“I guess 80-20 works…”

“Come on, you can negotiate better than that!” Perry elbowed him.

Alador paused and considered for a moment. Is business really what he wanted to be doing? “No, I think I want to do this at all. Making profit just isn’t interesting. You’re just a friend to me, Odalia, nothing more.” He paused for a moment before continuing: “Besides, I… like someone else.”

It was a dangerous thing to admit. If his parents knew… he shouldn’t be thinking about this.

“Oooooh,” Raine whispered, loud enough for only Eda to hear.

“Alright. Just don’t blame anything on me if my parents ask,” Odalia huffed, though she didn’t look particularly annoyed. She stood up with the remains of her lunch and dumped it in the trash can (which immediately gobbled it up) before striding out the cafeteria.

“Looks like she doesn’t like you that much either. Her parents didn’t make a good choice,” Lilith commented. “No offense to you, of course.”

“None taken,” Alador replied nonchalantly.

“Rich people are so wacko. Who wants to do arranged marriage anyways?” Eda complained. She tilted her apple blood carton and sipped the last bit through her straw, making a horrid slurping noise as she did so.

The squad was too preoccupied to care, as per usual.

“Anyways, what was that about?” Raine asked, their face lighting up in curiosity. Everyone (with the exception of Darius) gazed at Alador with equal eagerness.

“No idea what you’re talking about.” Alador resolutely avoided the boring stares and stared down at his fiddling fingers, covered with abomination goo as usual.

“Guess we’ll see you two at Grom then,” Raine beamed, side-eying Darius.

And Raine was right. Alador waltzed with Darius at Grom, kissed under the bristletoe during the Winter Solstice, and walked down the aisle five years later. Alador’s parents did not care a tidbit for Darius, but that was alright with both of them. Alador didn’t need those scumbags in his life anyways.




PART TWO: Plotting Timelines

This is a timeline for my original story :> I have a lot of worldbuilding, characters, and plot to develop haha, but this is a (messy) start!

Timeline

Sorry for the horrible formatting but yeah

Time
Event
Prologue
Camphora being separated from her family
Chapter 1
Camphora practices magic with her mentor.
Chapter 2
A conversation takes place between Phora and her (adopted) family. News arrive about evil mages
Chapter 3
Phora’s siblings prepare for the exchange ceremony
Chapter 4
The evil mages attack the village, and Phora runs away.


Prologue:

100 words exactly

A ship settles on a strange dock, and the people under the deck are somewhat panicked. A shadowy figure takes a box up and off the ship to a path, leading towards a thickly wooded region. Meanwhile, pandemonium truly spread. In the end, there are emotional proclamations, and the ship sails on once more.

The figure is also very shocked to find a baby inside the box – it was intended to be a crib, and it has been mixed up with what the figure intended to take. So the figure decides to turn back and take the baby somewhere safe.



Chapter 1:

110 words

Camphora Lang shares a snack break with her sister before she returns to working with her mentor (name currently undecided), who tells her that her apprenticeship is near completion. They go to the training grounds – near a denser part of the forest. Some worldbuilding information is shared through narration.

There are stuff revealed on the divide between HV (HiddenVillage) and TC (TechCity). (These are not currently official names.)

Camphora’s parents tell their children more about TC, where most settlers of HV have been to. HV’s system involves going outside for three years and returning with certain sources of knowledge for their people, while bringing plant and animal life to TC.


Chapter 2:

110 words

Alarming news arrive to HV about the activity of malicious mages in the region. There isn’t much known about them, and that was because they had taken away many of the people they confronted, dragging them into strange confines. “Survivors” have reported on the contraptions that their friends and family were trapped in. The Head Elder of HV decides to create more fortifications.

Phora stresses, and her parents gives her a brief history of the terrorism near HV. In addition, the exchange program is prepared to start in a week, and part of the motive for this is the swiftly approaching mages.

More worldbuilding (specifically for magic) is revealed here.

Chapter 3:

101 words

Camphora is enrolled in the transfer program, although she is not quite of age, and she will be under the guardianship of her sister (who is older). More updates on the mages. Head Elder makes a speech about the direness of the situation.

Meanwhile, the transfer/exchange program ceremony is prepared. The roots of plants are prepared, and the programees gather their supplies that they need to record their learnings for the next three years.

Some of the village’s populace is discreetly sent out in advance (mainly the children and their guardians, as well as the senior members of the village)


Chapter 4:

104 words

The village’s quiet existence is finally shattered when the mages arrive. The villagers are prepared, for the most part, but the Evil Mages had special forms of magic that overwhelmed even the Head Elder’s. Lots of sad arson involved in this plot point.

Camphora’s family stays, their fate unknown, as she hurries to the ship, but the evil mages raided the village right before she sets out. And she, in the confusion, is kicked off of the ship and separated from her sister.

Camphora manages to steal one of the Evil Mages’ boats to sail out, where she is knocked out in a cliffhanger?!?!




PART THREE: Outlining a Non-Linear Storyline Draft

Summary

58 words

Luz, Amity, Willow, Gus, and Hunter find a time-travelling portal door in the Night Market. They plan to head back in time to stop Belos, but wind up in Hexside during their parents’ time there. Can they repair broken relationships to make a happier life for everyone? And will there be unwanted consequences?

(Takes place post-canon and pre-canon)



Outline

332 words

• The young Blight children asks for a story from their father. (AU but earlier)
  
• First chronological scene: the quintet finds the time travel door (looks a lot like human portal but blue) (also works in different ways from time pools, so it results in a multiverse rather than fixed timeline). They try to go back to Belos but mess up, getting to Hexside ~20 years in the past.
  
• Luz, Amity, and Willow heads to Amity’s house! (AU)
  
• Gen 1 Hexsquad meets Gen 2 Hexsquad; the latter tell the former that they’ve all transferred from Glandus. Meanwhile the time travel door is put away, but it gets stolen.
  
• Gus, Hunter, and the twins join the three, chatting about random stuff as they approach the manor (AU)
  
• Gen 2 Squad has significant interactions with the Gen 1 folks. (Lilith is convinced to not curse Eda, Odalia encouraged to make use of her own talents, and everyone informed about the true nature of the Emperor.)
  
• The Gen 2 Squad travels back to their own time, but they’ve stumbled upon the AU where the effects of their action are in place: Aladarius + Raeda exists (neither Darius nor Raine became Coven Heads), Odalia is managing Blight Industries (similar to what Alador did but with oracle magic and by her own talents), and Lilith didn’t get mixed in with the Emperor’s Coven (she still became platonic besties with Steve). The children, by fanfic logic™, are still the same (but look more like their parents) (also Hunter is with the Marsh-Deamonne fam).
  
• Non-AU Gen 2 squad returns to their own timeline (set after Day of Unity and Belos being completely defeated). Comment on how no world is perfect, but there are bright spots to be found everywhere.
  
• Alador and Darius finish up the story; reminiscent about the past. (AU but earlier)
  
• And ykw??? BELOS GOT KOed in this universe too. Yay!
  
• “What a nice world, guess we just have to cope in our own” – non-AU Gen 2 Hexsquad, probably.
  

PART FOUR: Final Story

Whoops I focused on Aladarius far more heavily than I did anything else xD
2552 words

Little Amity crawled up into her dad’s lap. “Story, Da-da!”

Alador beamed as he stroked his toddler daughter’s hair. “Alright, sweetie. I’ll just tell you a short little story…”

“Ooh, we wanna hear it too!”

The twins scrambled up besides their father and sister, eager to join in.

“Of course, the more the better! Let’s see… maybe we should start at the beginning. A day in Hexside, like any other.”


The portal door simmered in front of the five, its blue eye glinting fiercely. Luz, Amity, Willow, Gus, and Hunter had found it on a dusty old shelf in the Night Market, and now that Belos was defeated and the Collector adopted, they felt that it was the perfect time to return to the past.

“Should we really meddle with the past? It didn’t end well last time…” Luz had warned her friends with darkened eyes.

“The Time Door works in a different way from the time pools,” Hunter had countered. “It doesn’t create a fixed timeline, but a new universe is created instead.”

Luz was still not completely reassured, but eventually she had been convinced.

And so now the quintet stood. Facing the door, ready to depart to the unknown.

“All right, guys. Are we ready to stop Belos?”

Everyone nodded, and they followed Luz inside the portal door.


They landed in a misty forest. Did it work?

“I think these are the woods next to Hexide,” Hunter told everyone. “The wood types are exactly the same, and you can see the traces of magic around here.

“Did Hexside even exist during Belos’s time?” Amity put the question forward. It was a valid one; tracks were probably implemented after Belos came to power, but that didn’t mean that Hexside couldn’t have existed with a different schooling system before then.

“Well, guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Luz said, eyes steely with determination.

They cleared the fog and came upon… Hexisde. There it was: the grand school towered over their heads, especially fearful in the mist.

“Sooo. This is the Hexside of four hundred years ago?” she wondered.

The quintet headed further ahead, staffs held at the ready.

Finally, they reached the door of the school.

“Should we knock?” Willow asked as she touched the door. “Maybe they can tell us the whereabouts of Belos, and then we can-”

Before she could continue, the door was thrown wide open.


“Oh, hello. I suppose you must be… huh?”

The quintet stared up at Principal Bump, thunderstruck.

“Have you been principal since now?” Gus blurted out.

“Huh? I just got promoted two weeks ago, after Faust left,” he replied, startled. “Who are you?”

“Oh, uh, we’re transferring from St. Glandus! I mean, Glandus High,” Luz quickly made up.

“Ehh, that sounds plausible enough,” Bump said brightly. “I assume you have the paperwork done?”

“Yes, of course!” Amity said. “I can give them to you, er, after we get settled! They’re with our… “

“Luggage!” Willow added helpfully.

“Yup, exactly! When our stuff gets here we can hand the papers to you,” Gus jumped in too.

“You kids are weird,” Bump remarked. “Whatever, come inside!”


As they walked down the nearly deserted hallways (it was still first period, as Bump told the quintet), Luz whispered to Amity about what she knew of Faust. “He was principal of the school when Eda was around. That means she could still be here!”

“Why are were here, instead of at Belos’s time?” Amity asked.

“Huh, I don’t know. But the important thing is, we’re going to see Eda and Raine! Maybe also Lilith and your parents and Darius and Gus’s dad and whoever else was here with them.”

“…so this is the potions classroom. The main one. Any questions?” Bump finished.

“Uhm, nope!” Willow answered. After all, she and the quintet (with the exception of Hunter) had been coming to the school for a long time now. No big deal.

“Hmm, alright. What tracks were you enrolled in? It would be helpful to know, since I don’t have your papers yet. Although I do think your names might be on file? Let me see if they’re here…”

He rifled through the sheets in his pockets, but none of them were about transfer students. “Ah, well, I’ll check on that later.

The quintet plopped down on a bench. Twenty minutes until the period ends.


“Wait up, Amity!” Willow called out to her friend, who was zooming ahead. “I know you’re super excited but slow down!”

“Willow, this is big! I’m going to bring Pops something cool with the twins; it’s his birthday after all.”

“Yeah, you’ve told me five times, but you never elaborate on what that “cool thing” is. Come on, it’s not like we’re going to tell him!”

“I know, but I’m justsoexcitedandit’sgonnabethecoolestthingever-”

“Hey, guys, what’s up?!” Luz called as she joined Amity and Willow. “Sorry I’m late, King just got into trouble and he’s getting absolutely lectured to death by everyone in the house right now. It was fun!”

“I can imagine, Amity laughed, a tiny hint of a blush appearing on her face as she gazed at her girlfriend. “Are your-”

Luz sensed what she was going to ask. “Yep, everyone’s going to be coming! Even Hooty.”

“Woah, my dads will be so excited to see him” Willow piped up.

“Well, anyways, let’s get going! We don’t wanna be late.” Luz said happily.


After what seemed like forever, the doors of the classrooms finally flooded open, with students spilling out to get to their lockers.

“This is so exciting!” Luz squeaked. “We're going to actually see Eda? I would've never thought that-”

She didn't get a chance to finish, because speak of the devil, Eda Clawthorne was right in front of her!

“Hey, you're blocking my locker,” she said in slight annoyance, and Luz quickly jumped aside, scrutinizing her carefully.

“Edalyn!” Lilith strode towards her sister, along with Raine by her side.

“Who are you?” Raine asked Luz and the rest of the squad. All of them were in uniform, which Bump hastily arranged right before the end of the period, but of course Raine didn't recognize any of them. Still…

“You look just like Perry!” Lilith exclaimed as she looked at Gus. “And you remind me of Alador, though I’m not really sure why. But I love your hair,” she said to Amity brightly.

"Oh, uh, thank you,” Amity replied.

“Hey guys, what’s-”

Darius strode in with Alador trailing behind, but stopped when he saw the newcomers standing rather awkwardly around. “Who are you people?” he asked, a tad nervously.

“Oh, we’re just Glandus transfers,” Gus explained.

“Glandus? Hmph, I haven’t heard many good things about that place. You do look a lot like Perry, though,” he added to him.

“I know, that’s what I’m saying!” Lilith said as she peered at Gus, who was rather getting annoyed at all the attention on him.

“But younger,” Raine added.

“Okay, okay, I get it! I look a lot like my dad-”

“Yeah, uh, I guess Gus does look like this Perry guy you’re talking about!” Luz talked over him hurriedly. “Anyways, who are all of you?” Though there was not much of a point in asking, because everyone looked pretty much exactly like their future selves, but younger. Well, okay, maybe young Darius doesn’t have abomination hair, but aside from that it was good enough.

“I’m Eda Clawthorne, the mightiest witch of all the lands!” Eda exclaimed triumphantly.

“Yeah, don’t mind her, she acts like this every day.” Lilith was smiling as she said this, however. “I’m Lilith, her sister.”

“And I’m Raine Whispers! That’s my friend Darius and his… friend Alador.”

Alador gazed up from where he was toying with a tidbit of abomination goo. “Oh, hello,” he said absentmindedly.

Amity’s eyes widened as she gazed at her father. In many ways, he seemed to be the same as she had always seen him: preoccupied, and dedicated to his abominations. But here, he felt more carefree. Lighter. As if his curiosity was keeping him afloat rather than sinking with him in the quagmire.

She was jerked away from her thoughts by Darius speaking again. “Yep, that’s Darius Deamonne to you. And Alador Marsh.”

Luz furrowed her brow in confusion. “His maiden – well, not exactly, but you get the point – his last name used to be Marsh,” Amity whispered.

“So that means Blight was your mother’s last name?” Luz returned.

“Blight?” Darius had caught wind of a few words, it had seemed. Hopefully just the Blight part. “Of course you Glandus folks would be curious about the Blights, with them being some kind of paragons there and whatnot,” he scoffed. “There’s Odalia. I would call us friends if she wasn’t such a money-counter, though Alador here… has somethings ot answer for.”

“She’s also annoying. Just saying. Alador, I don’t get why you hang out with her so much,” Lilith said.

At this point, the quintet was just listening to the conversation that played out, and Raine finally noticed.

“How about let’s not bore the Glandus visitors with all of this right now?” they suggested. Slowly, everyone conceded, though Darius was still throwing Alador hostile glances.

“Alright. What classes do you all have next?”

The quintet looked down at the handouts that they got from Bump. “I have Principles of Inorganic Potions,” Luz said. She hadn’t gotten that far into the advanced lessons of Potions back home, so it was a bit unsettling to be enrolled in a such difficult-sounding course.

“I’m in that class!” Lilith exclaimed.

Willow listed a plant track class, while Gus said “Elemental Illusions.”

“Oooh, an illusion track kid!” Raine exclaimed.

“I’ve heard that class is tough. Adrien Graye once walked out of it with his tail on fire,” Eda smirked.

Gus did not quite find that reassuring.

“And I have Machine-Based Abominations,” Amity said.

“Aha, an abomination kid like us!” Darius exclaimed. “Your hair even matches.”

“Oh, thank you-”

Alador spoke up too. “It’s really nice, yeah. Abomination-colored.”

Amity nodded, trying to hide the strange emotions bubbling up.

“And I’m also taking the Potions class with Luz,” Hunter spoke up.

“Ooh, so your name is Luz. Sweet,” Eda grinned.

“I’m Willow, that’s Gus, that’s Amity, and this is Hunter,” Willow quickly introduced everyone else.

“Well, well, you kids don’t look half-bad,” Darius commented. “I would’ve thought Glandus folks were more stuck-up.”

“It’s mostly the people at the top of the ‘hierarchy,’ that are,” Hunter sighed. Luz wondered what he really meant by that.


So the classes went on for the day. Amity took nearly all of her abomination track classes with Darius and her very own father. She scrutinized them so often that one of her teachers made a comment about it, and she blushed fiercely at that.

“Hey, you two are kinda similar,” Darius said as they stepped out of their last class. “Same natural hair color, same abomination talent – but of course I’ll always be the best – and that face! Yours look just like Al’s when I tell him-”

“Dare!” Alador whined.

“Haha, alright, we won’t tell Amity here.”

“You better not,” he grouched, but didn’t mind when Darius snickered loudly enough for him to hear.


{GIANT TIME SKIP because i want to get to the plot points at the end}


“Wow,” Lilith breathed.

“We’ll see you guys in a couple of years?” Raine asked.

“Maybe, if we didn’t screw everything up,” Luz replied, stroking Stringbean nervously.

“Well, I think y’all did great. If you’re really our children, I think we’d be proud,” Eda said sincerely, and everyone else nodded in agreement.

The quintet took one last look back. Their actions here in the past could determine their very existence. Was everything worth it, to make a better life for their alternate selves?

“Goodbye!” Darius called out.

Raine waved with a sad smile. Lilith, Perry, Alador, and Odalia all stood gazing at their future family, and a certain stillness hung in the air as the wind brushed past.

This was it.

With a deep breath, Hunter stepped through the door, and the rest of the quintet followed suit.


They landed below Blight (or rather Marsh) Manor as twilight settled.

Gus caught the door as it began to fold on itself, catching one final glimpse of the Hexside of old, and then there was no more light.

“So, are we back to our own universe?” Willow wondered. “Or the new one?”

Luz began to speak. “I think-”

“Shh, someone’s coming!” Hunter hissed, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind a bush. Amity, Gus, and Willow joined them, trying to not make the slightest noise.

“…Blight Industries is doing as well as usual; I’ve managed to cut expenses by 15%.”

“That’s wonderful to hear, Odalia.”

Amity gazed through the bush to see her parents. Odalia and Alador. They were walking together towards the hill where the manor was perched on, looking quite at ease with each other. Alador was less unkempt than she remembered of her own universe’s father, although he still retained his distracted interest.

Were they still together? What if absolutely nothing has changed, what if all the time travel was pointless and-”

Luz took her hand, sensing her nervousness. “Listen!”

“I would’ve never been cut for business, but you’re doing just fine with the oracle powers of yours,” Alador remarked, and Odalia laughed. A true, genuine laugh.

“Well, you know, it’s not all that reliable. We can’t see everything, but it’s worth trying,” she replied.

They came to a stop at the fork in the path.

“Do send Darius my wishes,” Odalia said earnestly, and walked on right ahead.

He nodded and sent her off with a wave.

Willow’s eyes widened. “So that means…”

“Follow him!” Hunter exclaimed. Maybe a tad too loudly, because Alador turned towards the bush they were crouching behind.

“Hmm. Must’ve been the wind,” he said to himself, and continued up the hill.

Phew. Sometimes Alador’s inattentive self did make things work out.

So the squad did exactly as Hunter suggested, sneakily creeping behind Alador as he strolled along. He was walking faster than Amity knew he could ever walk (unless that aspect of him was different in this universe, but she didn’t think that was true), so it must be some special occasion.

Finally, he got to the door and pushed it open, then strode inside. Amity plastered her face to the window, and the rest of the squad followed.

“Woah…”

The manor’s living room was almost bursting with the number of people contained inside. There was Eda, holding a squirming King as Raine watched in delight. Lilith chatted animatedly with Steve, and Eberwolf was curled up with their scroll on the couch. A bunch of Hexside students were there, too, undoubtedly invited by a certain one of their classmates.

Everyone paused to turn to Alador as he barrelled through the door. “Happy birthday!” he called out.

“Oh, you little hack,” a voice said affectionately. “Late as usual.”

“Who is that?” Amity whispered, craning her head to try to see the person. But that voice did sound familiar…

“Darius,” Hunter answered, watching him give Alador a light kiss on the forehead.

“Cut him some slack, Darius, we did start later,” Raine advised.

{aaand I’ll stop here bc I need to speedrun the other parts ^^’ I'll continue this though}

Weekly 2

PART ONE: Do a Relaxing Activity

123 words

Earlier today, I played some card games with my friends for about an hour. The games included Kaboom (which is apparently called “Cabo” but we all call it Kaboom because it sounds much more epic), James Bond, Spoons, Speed, and Egyptian War.

It was very fun, and quite competitive and intense (especially when there were a lot of players while we were playing James Bond & Spoons, that was utter chaos haha). I managed to call Kaboom and win the round, and I fared decently in the other games as well. Also, I got complimented on my card-dealing skills, so I’m pretty proud of that! Overall, it was an awesome experience, and it definitely did help me relax and worry less about my assignments.


PART TWO: Consume Media

Wrote about the prologue and first part of The Book Thief, which I last read in its entirety 3-4 years ago :0
113 words

The chapters were relatively peaceful compared to the rest of the book. However, there is already tension springing up, as shown by the presence of death and the commencement of the war, and it’s complemented by the foreshadowing that abounds through the text. The ordinary life that Liesel experiences is juxtapositioned quite fittingly with the state of the country/regime, and it’s increasingly clear how much the two are connected.

Death, the narrator, is particularly profound in his observations. The narration relies pretty heavily on impressionistic description and figurative, which I’m fond of. There's a lot of solemn and haunting beauty reflected in the prose, even at the very start of the plot.


PART THREE: Story

572 words

Flecks of cinders. They flit across the candle flames shadowed by fluttering moths. Her eyes open, and this sight is the first she sees.

Of course, she isn’t sure that this is true. But for as long as she remembers, it is always the drab walls of the slums that pervades her vision. She is all but ignored by everyone in her life, and she feels insufficient.

Just a lonely spirit, really. That’s all she is: A floating dandelion seed in the vast buffeting winds, only answering to the demands around and none of her own calls from within.

But someone has long already seen potential in her scrawny, wind-battered self. A stately captain, sage green iris twinkling behind a monocle. (He only has one eye, but no matter; the kindness reflected in it was more than enough to compensate.)

She possessed great strength, he explained, and determination. Very useful traits for a sailor. Sharp mind too; you’d consider joining us, won’t you?

The first time she rebuffs him, says that she’s doing perfectly fine on her own, and so he concedes. That evening she appears on the doorsteps of the local Shore Guard uptown, and asks to see the captain with one eye. Moments later she boards a train with all her possessions. (By this time in her childhood there is really no one to mind her or care for her presence; no one comes asking her to come back, and that suits her just fine.)

So her story continues.



Her life as an apprentice is not an easy one. Two years before moving on to formally train in the academy, the requirements state, and she lives with several other trainees in a dormitory.

It is difficult, but eventually, she learns. She stands up straight and commands her directions to her own self. She learns what it is like to be strong, to be vulnerable, both at the same time.

And she meets her brother. Although she doesn’t realize it at first, of course. After all they are only blundering and wrong-mouthed youths, and more often than not it takes time for two such spirits go get along.

In this case, the said time is three weeks.

It begins a mere fortnight after her arrival. It’s a lilting afternoon, framed by careless willows and rustling fronds. The courtyard is a nice part of the town, and she comes here on more occasions that she could count.

“I like your shoes,” a boy says quietly from the edge of her vision.

“You pickin’ on me?” she snarls as she faced him.

His absentminded expression is replaced by one of surprise as he looks up. “I’m not.”

“Well, you better say that to my face next time,” she fumes, then stalks off. He has to be lying, because she has rarely heard an compliment that wasn’t a barbed insult in poor disguise.

This uncertainty was different. And she despised it ever more so as the times passed and she began to recognize him on the decks. His manner of ignoring her is much more difficult to face than any direct conflict. She can snap back at anyone, verbally or physically, without giving another thought. This is different.

The days pass, and with each one she becomes more certain of his sincerity. At the end, all it takes is a card game and a meaningful conversation, and the two strike up a swift friendship.

MC Daily 3/16 (Panda)

172 words, I tried prose poetry but gave up halfway ouch

A silhouette leaps across the skies of the valley. Daring but clumsy, donning a disguise coupled with glee.

“Make way for-”

“The Dragon Warrior…” the Furious Five sighed with downcast eyes.

It was yet another show of grandeur that Po had pulled. The third one that week, and in all honesty it was getting a tad frustrating.

“What’s the point of the disguise?” Monkey asked.

“If you want to help villagers, at least… be your real self?” Tigress said skeptically.

“But I can’t! You know what Shifu said, I’m not supposed to – what did he say? – ‘flaunt’ my achievements or whatever,” Po grumbled.

“Isn’t that kind of reverse psychology? If you put yourself in a disguise then more folks care about who you are.”

Mantis had a good point. Hmm.

So, Po took off his disguise once and for all! Hooray!

All of the villagers cheered as they recognized the DRAGON WARRIOR, who bounded to his dads’ noodle shop (yep, they were co-owners now) and stuffed his face with dumplings.

The end?