SWC Megathread || Nov. 2022

Fr00ggy

Weekly #4

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

Unfortunately I accidentally refreshed my page without screenshotting my certificate ;-;

TW: mentions of death, violence and scenes that may be distressing for some people. This piece is meant to be more on the horror/mystery side, so if anyone needs any more trigger warnings, let me know <3

“Oi, Sierra, you aren’t actually thinking of staying home, are you?” called my best friend, Jo. She sat down next to me heavily. “We’re going to have the best time tonight, you can’t miss it! It just won’t be the same without you.”
I was being unwillingly dragged into a massive party event. An everyday event for me, as most of my friends were extremely social, and I’ll have to admit that Jo was right, I do seem to make things brighten up when I walk into the room.
I clicked on the TV, hoping to stall long enough so that forgetful Jo won’t remember that I didn’t answer her question. Unfortunately, she didn’t.
“Sierra! Don’t ignore me, this one’s going to be worth it, I promise!” she snuck in a sly smirk. “This one’s a masquerade party.”
Gosh, Jo knows me too well. I thought, accepting my fate. Anything to do with hiding my identity and I’m sold. I raised my arms in defeat.
“You got me on that one,” I said with a grin, “I’ll be out in 10.”

I delicately placed the finishing touches into my hair, which was intricately piled on top of my head into a neat up-do. The final thing for my costume was the mask, which I daintily selected from my growing collection. I was ready, and just in time, too.
“Sierra, if you aren’t ready in the next 60 seconds..” Jo threatened jokingly. I smiled and strutted out into the living area.
“No need,” I laughed. “Now hurry up, let’s leave before I change my mind!”

We met up with some more of our comrades before entering a tall building. I smiled, and laughed at a joke that one of the girls, Cameron, said.
Suddenly, we entered an elevator, and Jo pressed the button for floor 13. I gulped as a lump formed in my throat.
“Jo, I think you pressed the wrong button,” I began anxiously. Jo laughed as she realised what I was saying.
“Sierra, don’t be a scaredy-cat! It’s just a party in a skyscraper, you’ll be fine. It’s not like there are going to be any ladders for you to walk under as you stare into the depths of a black cat’s soul,” she laughed teasingly.
“But I’m terrified of heights!” I cried, “and did the party have to be on floor 13?”
“You’ll be fine, Si, we’ll be here with you,” Cameron said, in an attempt to reassure me. “Besides, you love masquerade parties! Let your hair down and slay tonight!”
We all laughed as Cameron proceeded to strut around the elevator and flicked her long, silky blonde hair. It was clear that she knew how to lighten the mood.

Suddenly, I realised something. My mind flashed to the floor guide we glanced at before we entered the elevator.
“Wait,” I said nervously. “I.. I don’t think this building has a 13 floor,” I finished in a whisper.
The girls laughed at my statement gaily, and I tried to shake off the feeling of unease that beginning to get on my nerves. I joined in half-heartedly, but I didn’t forget the fact that we were travelling to a floor that didn’t exist.
I have nothing to worry about. The girls wouldn’t put me in an unsafe situation… I thought, but I knew deep inside that I was lying to myself. The uneasy sensation didn’t fade, and I spent the rest of the journey to the party fretting that deciding to come was a mistake I would regret.

Finally, the elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors slid slowly open with a ping. We tumbled out in a flurry of giggles, and started walking into the darkness. I noted that this not-floor seemed.. empty. Lonely. Stripped of life. I shuddered. This seemed like the place in horror movies where all the teenagers are killed or kidnapped.
We walked past bleak, brick walls, and broken pieces of scaffolding. Many times we had to step over huge, gaping holes in the splintered planks that held us up, and every time I gulped and tried not to stare down into the black abyss below.
The whole journey, my friends chatted and laughed merrily, unaware of our suspicious surroundings. But suddenly, I realised that it had become eerily silent. Not even the thud of shoes broke the silence beginning to form.
“J-Jo?” I called, my quiet voice echoing and morphing from a whisper into a shout.
There was no response. I was officially alone.
My body began to shiver as the temperature around me seemed to drop below zero. I curled into a ball and leaned against one of the crumbling structures. This was it, this was the end of me…

Ha. Jo wouldn’t think of letting me die alone.
“Sierra!!” I heard her sweet voice and hope blossomed from the dark. “Sierra, where are you?”
And then, around the corner, a welcome sight appeared. I was reunited with my friends.

We continued along our way, and soon, light began to shine from a.. doorway? We entered this new room, and were greeted by a group of masked strangers. So, this was the party.
I made light conversation if anyone approached me, but my eyes were drawn to a solitary figure who stood to the side of the event. There was something about them that seemed achingly familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
Suddenly it dawned on me. I approached them to be sure.
“Summer.. Summer is that you?” I asked cautiously. The figure looked up. Yes! It had to be. The striking eyes confirmed it. One blue, and one green. I had always thought that Summer’s heterchromia was fascinating.
“It’s me,” I tried once more. “Sierra.”
Summer’s expression changed to shock. She started shaking violently as frightened tears slipped down her rosy cheeks.
“Sierra, it can’t be you..” she whispered hoarsely. “because you… you’re dead!” Her eyes became milky white. She shuddered and whimpered as I stood watching in shock.
I was clearly alive, in the flesh. But Summer was not the type to lie. After a while, her eyes lost the whiteness and remained blue and green. My skin prickled uncomfortably.
“Summer, a-are you a psychic?” I asked warily. She looked startled, and seemed to have a small conflict run through her mind as she decided how to respond. At last, she shakily nodded yes.
Why didn’t she tell me..? My thought echoed in my mind. But my first priority was calming Summer down, then taking her back to the girls.
As I walked over to Summer, she sank to her knees. I reached for her shoulder and noticed that she was deathly cold- and shivering violently.
“Are you warm enough? You seem cold,” I said, offering her my shawl. But she shook her head vigorously.
“I am boiling hot, and I don’t want to catch a fever,” she replied quickly.
Concern bubbled up inside of me, but I said nothing. My hands grasped hers, and I gently pulled her up off of the splintered floor. Her legs still seemed weak, and she leaned on my shoulder as I half-walked, half-hobbled to our friends.

My mind wandered to the times we had before Summer was suddenly shipped across the country. She was always bright and funny, and now I remember how she always knew what was going to happen, like how she walked out to the park bundled in raincoats and warm clothes on the warmest, driest day of the season, only for it to start raining an hour later. I also recall her being.. off, before she was taken away. She wouldn’t come near me, and so we conversed from opposite sides of a room. And we could never speak of anything relating death in front of her without her shaking and glancing at me. I never used to realise it, though.
I blinked back to the present as we neared the girls.
“Look who I found!” I called happily. Screams of delight followed as Jo and Cameron and all the other girls freaked out over seeing Summer again. Hugs and air kisses surrounded Summer, smothering her with remembered platonic love.
But Summer’s eyes regained that eery, milky-white glaze, and just like that, she fainted. Her limp body sprawled onto the floor.
“Summer, are you ok?” I gasped. To my relief, she opened her eyes. But what she said chilled me to my bones.
“Leave, get out of here! You are all going to be dead if you don’t get away now.”

Summer pointed a shaky white finger to the ceiling. We all turned to look, then screamed as a chunk of cement fell down and crushed her. However, she sat up as if nothing happended, her torso inside the cement. Our screams and cries magnified as Summer rose off of the ground as if she were possessed and spoke in a distorted voice,
“Go, now…” she said as her eyes resumed their whiteness. Her body started to change, twisting and morphing into a creature made by the devil. Claws replaced her soft hands, and fangs sprang from her mouth. She was a beast.
I cried out in horror, realising that I wasn’t the one who was dead. Summer was. Her body was made of spirits, and she needed to warn us of the incoming danger. But we should've listened. Should've ran while we had the chance. Now we had to deal with this monster.
Jo grabbed my wrist.
“Run, Sierra!” she yelled, dragging me along as she sprinted for the elevator.
The beast sprang ahead of us, however, and smashed the rotting floorboards to create a gigantic hole, blocking us from our only exit.

Just as I thought we had lost hope, I spotted something. A shiny, magic something, a light in the darkness. I picked it up and gazed at it. It was an old relic of sorts, and it glimmered, seemingly from inside itself, as there was no other light sources. I lifted it up to examine it easier, and the monster screeched. Is this the key to our survival? I wondered briskly. Thrusting the relic closer to the beast, horrible screams echoed through the broken, forgotten floor 13.
Finally, I dared go further. I pressed the glowing relic to the monster’s spirit, and a noisy sucking sound started getting louder and louder. The beast began to shrink, being pulled forcefully inside the relic. Soon, all that remained of it was a whisper in the wind. We were finally saved.

Running for our lives, we sprinted back to the elevator and hurriedly returned to ground floor. As I ran back to my apartment, I decided to take a quick detour, to the local bakery. Summer’s favourite bakery. As I ordered Summer’s meal, I stared mesmerised at the building we had just escaped from. There was no way I was heading there again.
I stood after finishing the meal, and returned to my home to find Jo and Cameron waiting for me. As they stared at me, I realised that for the first time, they saw me without a mask. I was embarrased, and immediately covered my face.
“Wait, Sierra, you shouldn’t need to cover your face,” Jo said, comfortingly, “You’re beautiful just the way you are.”
I smiled, then remembered how this obsession began. I had stolen muffin from the local bakery to give to Summer on her birthday, but immediately felt bad and wanted to return it. However, I felt too embarrassed to show my face, and wore a mask to hide my identity. I had hidden forever since.

I realised how far I had come. I was no longer a scared, shy girl, and I was strong. I returned to the present and sat down fondly with my friends to discuss today’s brush with death.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. When I answered it, I found a note addressed to me.
Dear Sierra,
We are not done with you yet. As you have shown that you are capable, you have a 3 day shield. Once that shield is removed, we will attack with all our might, no exceptions. Prepare for this war, no holding back.

We will meet you at floor 13.

Love, Summer.

icebunny11

NickName - Ava
Content - November 25th Daily
Word Count - 433/400
Topic - Write 400 words on a picture (or 1000 to keep the adage up)
Cabin - Thriller

LET'S GET STARTED

I chose this picture-

Yeumi was done with Science. Science was boring and had way too many aspects to it. I mean, you can't just go make a rule and then say, ‘Oh but it might go like this under specific circumstances.’ Yeumi liked English. Which was ironic, since it was almost the same as Science.

I before E except after C?
Except when your foreign neighbor Keith receives eight counterfeit beige sleighs from feisty caffeinated weightlifters.
Weird.
Do you see what she means?

But English was far more understandable to Yeumi. The words came to her fresh and clear. Each sentence was transmitted as an animation to Yeumi's brain, each page a different story. When she was reading, Yeumi felt immersed in a whole new world. Her favorite book was The Zodiac Keepers. She loved that one a lot.

Yeumi looked around her, finally realizing the books around her. They were in too many stacks to count. There were only one or two stacks of textbooks; the rest were all stories or novels. Yeumi also had a specific stack for all of her books. She liked to write books too. When she was fantasizing about a particular scene that didn't happen in a particular book, she would write it down with her characters.

She touched her pendant, and then touched the book The Zodiac Keepers, and a character came out of it.

A beautiful whale constellation. Yeumi was fairly sure there wasn't a real constellation that looked like that in the sky, but in the book, it was called the traveling Zodiac. If you were really in dire need, it would pick you up and transport you to where you wanted to go most. Not helpful if you were imagining what it would be like afterlife.

Her pendant had the power to bring to life a character in a book but at random. She was only able to do it for a day. She had been trying to get the whale every day and had only succeeded until now. She gasped with delight and whistled to her dog to come to her.

Her dog wasn't normal either. He had many tails, all of which helped him navigate direction perfectly. If you blindfolded him in a car and drove a thousand miles with a roundabout route, he'd know how to get back and in which direction.

She held the dog and touched the whale. Yeumi closed her eyes. She could hear the whale speak.

Why? It asked.
Please. Please, I'd do anything, Yeumi pleaded.
Where? It asked, without actually saying anything.
Home.

'I want to go home.'

Last edited by icebunny11 (Nov. 25, 2022 14:06:55)

anomimieseawing

Weekly #4

It was a small item that didn’t seem to belong to anybody. The key was rusty and sharp around the edges of metal, but soft when it curved. She liked it, but thought it was completely pointless. But it had been in the box, with a child’s name on it, now washed away into a blur, leaving only the letters S and C.
She felt the need to return the key to its owner, yet was curious as to what it might unlock. Perhaps the child was dead. She kept her mind on that as she took the key and slipped it in her pocket. She took the box, too, and slowly walked away with it. A sense of guilt and longing turned inside of her. What did she do wrong, what was so bad, she asked herself.
But the answer was obvious.
She had simply stolen from this hypothetical child. Whoever they were, they were probably wondering about their key that they had misplaced, or lost, or left somewhere. Did they mean it to get to her, or someone like her? Did they need to get rid of it because it unlocked something monstrous? What did this key unlock?
She shook her head, driving the thoughts out of her mind. There were more important things to do. For instance, she desperately needed to get home, as the sun was about to set. But then again, her parents wouldn't care one bit if she made it back home in time.
So you’re alone, just like me, said a voice.
She stopped in her tracks, letting out a small gasp.
I thought so.
The words burned In her brain. She stopped, touching a tree beside her.
The tree turned into keys identical to the one she was holding.
He laughed, loudly, as she grabbed a leaf. The same happened with the leaf that had happened with the tree– It became a key.
“N-No” She whispered.
I’m sorry, he told her, but You cannot stop the curse of my key.
My key. The words bounced around in her head, as the key she was holding fell to the ground with a satisfying clinking sound. It was so obvious, yet she had no idea. She should have known before. She laughed at the thought of needing the disembodied voice of a young boy to tell her that this key she had taken belonged to him. And of course the key made it so that whatever you touched turned into keys.
How clever are you, said the boy, laughing again. We’ve been here for how long, and you only just found out. I admire your knowledge, really, but honestly? You notice less than I would like, and for that I hate you. Don’t think I don’t know that you stole my key.
She flinched at the words, making his laugh intensify by what felt like a hundred. “I’m sorry,” She said, catching her breath. “I just wanted to know what it would do…”
Shure, shure, what it would do. Where it might take you. What you could find. DON’T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT ALREADY?
She stumbled back, as she was often sensitive to loud noises. She opened her mouth several times, thinking she could respond, but was met with silence.
Yeah, yeah, that’s right. I know.
And with that he seemed to blink out of existence. When she called him, the boy from the box, the letter S, the child with the key, he did not respond. Perhaps he was hiding, or perhaps he had really gone.
She let out an exasperated sigh and sat down on the ground. As her fingers brushed across the soft grass, the world seemed to shift.
All of the world but the people and the houses turned to keys, and the keys fell and fell and fell. And she fell too. But nobody or nothing else was. And she was running out of time. She longed to rest her feet on something, to lay down, for her hair to rest softly at her shoulders. She wanted everything to be still. She wanted this to stop. She wanted and she needed and she longed and she hated.
Gravity seemed to give up. She wasn't sure if she was still where the earth would be, although she would guess so. Houses were so small compared to the galaxy that they looked like specks of nothing, or stars. Or was she just looking at stars and picturing them as houses? She had no way of knowing.
Her brain quickly flashed back to that morning, when she had ran out of her house. Her parents were being annoying, as usual, and because she had no siblings who might have stood up for her, she had been all on her own. She ran to the forest, where she often went to be alone. It was her special place. A place where she could be herself, with nobody around to tell her what she was doing wrong and who she should be.
She slowed down to a fast walk when she tripped over the box, pushing it further into the dirt. She grumbled about the box getting in her way. Annoyed, she pulled the box out of the dirt and kicked it, causing it to open. The key fell out, and now here she was.
It was a bit amusing, to be floating around in space, if she was completely honest.
A sudden sinking feeling washed over her, as she slowly fell through the world. She let out a startled gasp, but was unable to make any noise, so she was really just breathing out.
The universe blinked away, and she was overcome with an endless void of black. Oddly enough, she could walk around in the void, which amused her. She stalked around, looking for a sign that someone else might have been here before her, or was there at that moment, too. She was met with the ever-expanding blanket of shadows that was the void.
She decided to try speaking, and her voice seemed to echo in a way that pleased her. It had been a long time since she had spoken just for the pleasure of hearing her own voice. She continued like this for a bit longer, walking around and having a conversation with herself about the weather. She smiled, overcome with a strange feeling of joy that she was not used to.
She began to run, dashing throughout the void merrily. That was when she heard his voice again.
Hello, he said to her. I see that you have found my… my home, you could say.
She stopped suddenly, her hair hitting her face softly, as her heart began to beat loudly. “I’m sorry for intruding,” She said when she managed to catch her breath. “I was simply enjoying the thought of being alone here for all eternity. It’s an amazing home you have, really.”
A small pocket of light in the shape of a child appeared in front of her, and when it spoke, she realized it was the boy. “I know,” he told her, “I’ve lived here for thousands of years, hoping to escape, but I’ve stayed here. It’s fine, though, I really enjoy it.”
She inhaled sharply at his words, wondering “Am I going to be stuck here too?”
“Oh,” Was his answer, “Well, that all depends on what you do next.”
He clapped his hands, making a screen of sorts appear in front of them. He smiled, staring intently at the screen.
And there he was, on the screen. Everything in the town looked older and unfamiliar, but left her with a sense of deja vu when she laid her eyes upon it.
The boy was running, holding the very box she had kicked that morning. But this time, his name wasn't washed out. The writing looked fresh and scribbled, as if he had written it only moments ago. The name was barely a name, and more of a word. It said clearly: Escape.
The boy– Escape?– Set the box in the grass, and then ran. A few steps away from the box he seemed to disappear.
The screen flickered off.
“Escape,” She said, the words bitter on her tongue.
He smiled, and glanced at her. “Yes, that’s me.”
Her body shook, and when she glanced down at her hands, her vision drifted in and out of focus. She was slowly losing herself.
Everything faded away.

She opened her eyes. Tall, curved trees surrounded a small clearing. There was a river, and the water danced at intense volume. Mourning doves walked around, and several chickadees sang cheerily. The whole forest had a sort of darkness to it, giving it a tragic feeling. This was peculiar, as the animals seemed to be having the time of their lives. Wolves feasted on leftover prey they had caught the day before. Birds pirouetted and sang. Squirrels dashed up and down trees, playing their own special game of tag. It was an amazing sight, but with the forest in its strange state of dread, it felt unbelievably wrong.
The clouds slowly began to darken, and they then sent a rainfall down upon the entire forest. Perhaps that was what had made the forest so gloomy, or perhaps it was her.

She opened her eyes again, which was odd. She was in her room, and all of that day's events seemed to have been but a dream. She laughed as she walked downstairs, where she found her sister, baking happily.
Being a baker was but a hobby for her sister. She had tried dearly to make it a job, but as she was only 14, it was a struggle to find a professional job that would accept a person of her age. She didn’t mind though, and neither did her sister or their parents. Their family enjoyed their first child’s food
that she made for them.
The younger sister, of whom just had that rather peculiar dream, entered the room with a sort of confidence she had not had before. It was startling to see this, yet also amazing to see how a prophetic and odd dream could transform her from a shy, quiet girl, into the exact opposite.

And in the forest, the boy stirred.

coolgirl100-

Daily 25: 426 words
“I wrote about a girl on a train, with someone in red exciting a train, and a giant cat the size of the train behind the girl”

“Where am I going?” She asked blankly, her face as still as boulders, and the colour in her sunken and wilted like a broken rose.
“Where am I going?” She repeated.
“Where am I going?”
“Where am I going?”

The train door opens with a heaving shut. Out of it, a young girl stepped out of the train, her cheeks bright and friendly and her glossy black hair styled tight in a bun. She flashed a smile, to no one at particular, and headed off with her bright red suitcase.
“Bye.” The girl said, waving almost motionlessly to the other departing girl.
At least she knew where she was going.

“Where are you going?” A voice whispered, hourglass sand silent.
“Where am I going?” The girl replies blankly. Her face unmoving,
“Can’t you remember? You surely remember who I am.”
The girl turned around, very slowly. A huge, fluffy black cat- the size of the whole train, was looking toward the red suitcase girl outside, still waking on.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were gone. I couldn’t remember myself.”
“Well, if you could remember me, how could you not remember your own destination?”
The girl was silent, but as her eyes Interlocked with the cat’s a sudden little olive green twinkling appeared in her eyes.
“If you were supposedly that the memoria would go away, why shouldn’t it be the same as your own thoughts, or dreams, or logic?
“Those go away as well.”
“There not going anywhere.” The cat’s golden eyes bored into the girl’s. “You go away from them. They don’t move an inch. It’s you that comes back, not them.”

“Hopes and dreams and thoughts and memories.” Recited the girl. She now shone with with a new brilliance as her life, the colour, starts sweeping and whooshing in. Woken up from her dark grey sleep, and anew from he concrete, dull dream, she beamed at the cat.
“Where are you going?” The cat asked again.
“I’m going to the big city in hopes to find my love and passion for music again.”
The girl straightened up, and tied her hair into a neat bun. She rose up as the train met at the stop. The train doors chugged open, and the girl departed, a bounce to her rhythm and her cheeks a bright friendly pink.
She flashed a smile, to the cat following behind her, and headed off with her cherry coloured suitcase.

And right behind her on the train, a lifeless, sunken girl waved almost motionlessly and muttered: “Bye.”

Last edited by coolgirl100- (Nov. 25, 2022 17:13:10)

pages-of-ink

Daily 11/25

Stars.

Everywhere he looked, there were stars. They winked at him from all sides, handfuls of silver glitter thrown upon an ink-washed sky. Beautiful, strange, and terrifyingly endless. No matter which direction he turned, there were only stars.

From his left came the sound of someone coughing. He whirled around, coming face-to-face with a weary looking stranger. “Who… who are you? Where are we?”

“Interesting questions,” replied the stranger. “I am afraid that the answers are not as simple as one might expect them to be. Let’s start with something more straightforward. What is your name?”

“An-Andrew,” he stammered, confused.

“Not the most interesting moniker I’ve ever heard,” the stranger remarked. “It’s sufficient enough, however. We’ll make do.”

“What about you?” Andrew asked. “What is your name?”

The stranger considered thoughtfully. They were neither young nor old; there was a certain timeless quality to their appearance that made it impossible to determine an approximate age. “I have been given countless names over the years. I will almost certainly be called many more. Perhaps you might know me best as Time.”

“Time,” Andrew repeated, struggling to understand.

“Come now,” Time said. Gently but firmly, they nudged Andrew forward. Together, the two began a walk across the stars.

“Where are we going?” Andrew asked, feeling oddly faint at the sight of nighttime sky passing beneath his feet. “Why am I here?”

“Those are questions best answered later,” Time responded simply. “Now, you are a musician, is that correct?”

“Yes,” Andrew said, surprised. “But how does that- ”

“A pianist, more precisely.”

“Well, yes. I’m a composer, too.”

“Excellent. It is as I thought, then.”

Andrew opened his mouth to speak, not understanding, then quickly shut it in astonishment. A tower of stars, metal, and elaborate stonework had materialized in front of them. A massive clock face was built at the top, its golden numerals counting out the hours from one to twelve. The hands, inexplicably, were frozen in place at the midnight marking.

“We are here,” Time said solemnly. They led Andrew forward, pushing the building’s silver doors open.

Inside the tower was a set of spiral stairs. Time climbed these with seemingly little effort, with Andrew gasping and stumbling a few steps behind. When they had finally reached the top, his legs were burning and his breath came in ragged wheezes. He stopped in the narrow stone archway, hands on his knees, half standing and half leaning on the wall. Then he saw the piano.

It was a beautiful instrument, perhaps the finest of its kind Andrew had ever seen. Shining black wood, ivory keys so finely polished one could probably make out a whispery reflection in the right lighting - he was seized by a sudden urge to rush over and start playing. Just a couple notes, just a few scales. What kind of noise could an instrument like that make?

“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” Time asked, a hint of pride in their voice. “Ah yes, the only piano that can turn time.”

Andrew swallowed, unable to tear his eyes away. “May I…”

“Of course. That is what I brought you here for, after all.”

Andrew scarcely heard them. He was already sliding onto the piano bench, placing reverent fingers upon the keys. With great trepidation, he played a single, short note. C.

The sound rang out across the room; perfect, full, and clearer than the finest crystal. Andrew’s breath caught in his throat. Above, the clockwork gears creaked softly.

“Go on,” Time encouraged gently.

Breathing in slowly, Andrew began to play. Though he had not warmed up, his fingers streaked across the keys with a grace that he hadn’t known they possessed. The song was not anything he had written or played before. He had never even heard it in his life. Yet the music came, faster and faster, so familiar and strange at the same time.

Notes like falling raindrops sent ripples through the air; above, pushed into motion by the vibrations, great clockwork gears began to turn.

The timepiece of the heavens began to tick forward again.

Time let out a long, slow sigh. They watched Andrew play with the look of someone who might have been awed once, but who has seen to many things to feel that kind of wonder again. He was not the first to have sat at that piano; many others had played before him, moving forward the seconds, minutes, hours, and days. So this young man would join them, the next Timekeeper in a line of thousands. His hands were destined to press the keys for years, until decades became centuries and another of Time’s musicians must be laid to rest.

Andrew did not know that yet. All he knew was the music, pouring from his hands and into the silver tower of stars.

Gears turned, golden hands swept across a glass clock face, and Time ticked on.

Word count: 817

alicorn10

https://www.onceuponapicture.co.uk/portfolio_page/enoki-tales/

“Papa, will you read us a story?”
Papa Enoki looked at Maitake and Russula’s inquisitive eyes. Mama Enoki had gone on a trip to see her elder sister Cremini, so it was now Papa’s job to read the fairytale before bed. He nodded, and pulled out from the grass a thick book. The book was red with golden embroidery. Maitake and Russula’s eyes widened with curiosity as they always had when Papa pulled out the book. Mama didn’t use the sacred book, so it was always a treat. Last time Papa had read from that book was two years ago, when Mama had gotten a slight cold and needed to rest her voice.
“Enoki Tales…” Russula sang.
“The book that God sent.”
“Say your prayers,” Papa whispered.
Maitake scooched over to a dirt clearing, Russula following suit. They both closed their eyes, and put their palms onto each other.
“Thank you Enogod for sending us this book.”
“We lub you very much.”
After washing their hands with the pure water from a stream, they scurried back to Papa. Papa looked like he would fall asleep. Russula’s voice had that quality… Maitake, not so much.
“PAPA, wake up!” Maitake screeched.
“Okay, okay! Done so soon?”
Mai placed her stubby legs in crisscross position on top of the mossy log, while Russula simply let her legs dangle from the wood. Papa took a deep breath, and comfortably let his back lean on the big tree.
“Okay little spores–”
“We aren’t spores anymore!”
“Okay, baby mushrooms, what story do you both wanna hear?”
“Uhh…”
Mai and Russula thought for a minute. Then another. And yet another.
“What kinds of stories are there again, Papa?”
Papa rolled his eyes and laughed. He then opened up the book, its glow lightening up the night sky. Little sparkles floated into the trees, creating lanterns. The pink flowers were now visible. All Mai and Russula could do was open their jaws in surprise.
“There’s The Mush’s Way of Life… Would that interest you both?”
“No way!” Russula shouted. “That’s only for old kids like Mai.”
“I’m only a month older than you!”
Placing his hand onto his cap, Papa sighed. “Girls, no fighting. What about Unicornicus Mushroomius? Bonjour, PortaBELLE? Taylor Spore: An Autobiography?”
“Spore it off, spore it off, oh oh.”
“Sporey!” Mai laughed.
“Personally, I’m a Gamba In Red enthusiast. I love the song We Fell In Love Omphalotus,” Papa added.
“Are there any recipes? I’m getting kind of sick of grass jelly everyday,” Mai asked.
“I’m not sure about that… I saw a recipe including ENOKI mushrooms!” Russula warned.
“Wait, really–” Mai started.
“Russula, don’t–”
“Papa, Mai, I saw a recipe for… enoki with garlic and scallion sauce!!!!”
“WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO….!!!” Mai screeched.
“DO YOU WANNA BUILD A STINKHORN–”
“Girls, come on, please–”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

sxwjq

weekly #4:

submission code:

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

idk how to upload my certificate…

100 word introduction (139 words):

At the crack of dawn, when every other bird was still sleeping, I sneakily snuck across from a bough. My plan was to leave my tree home for a taste of glorious adventure. I wanted not to be a young bird, but a brave knight described in human fantasy stories. My feet darting across the branches and feathers blurred in a colorful blue, green, and gold, I started towards flight mode. Wings spread in the air, ready to take off, I breathed in the fresh scent of nature for reassurance. Though I had not fully prepared myself for the galactical experiences ahead of me, I confidently soared off into the sunlight-streaked sky. I observed the clouds that had begun to waft away as the sun rose, wondering whether they would be an obstacle to my journey in the air.

five minute write (125 words):

After waking up so early, I begun to feel slightly tired. However, my trusty asteroid had brought me to a safe location within a ghost’s haunted house. My eyelids were shutting down automatically, but I forced myself to stay awake by typing furiously on an abandoned keyboard laying pathetically in the house. I could yet again feel myself drifting off into sleep. The ghost’s cold body leaned in against my feathers, chilling me to the bone. No longer able to even imagine the prospect of sleeping, I regained my original quick typing speed. Finally, I left the haunted house, too scared of the ghost inhabitant to prolong my stay. My wings flapping swiftly and the refreshing wind blowing against my face, I felt free again.

100 words about a challenging obstacle pertaining to the setting (168 words):

Suddenly, a black crow emerged from below me. A horrifying, guttural noise emanated from its terrible beak, and I immediately flew out of its path. However, unbeknownst to me, the crow followed my trail. Wherever I traveled, it kept close behind. I could distinctly feel an ominous presence, but I did not know what it was. As I was panicking, the crow smashed against my body, socking me in the left wing. I felt a sharp pang in my stomach while we hurtled to the forest beneath us. In excruciating pain, I hobbled as fast as I could away from the crow. I used my skill of flight mixed with hops to bounce up in a sturdy, tall tree, hoping that I would not die today. Finally, as I crouched within the pines, I saw the crow looking for me without success. I could use the thick canopy above to hide my presence from him. Then, my escape would allow me to get away with my life intact.

150 words about metaphorical / literal sinking (156 words):

I finally flew away from the dangerous crow, but what about the rest of the obstacles lying before me? I could hardly imagine going through another round of being chased away by a crow or ghost. My journey had been quite unfortunate, and though there had been a few opportunities to fulfill my dream of becoming the bravest knight in history, I could count all of them on my fingers, which I did not even possess. Well, there came another misfortune. During my landing on ground a few hours after I had left my past home, I came across a strange type of dirt. I had already stopped moving but was still plummeting down. My feet were completely obscured by wet mud and now, my butt feathers were touching the sticky substance. I cringed at the sight of my beautiful coat being soiled. Unable to bear the misery, I plunged myself headfirst into the sinking ground.

150 word flashback (166 words):

Underneath the ground and out of way from the mud, I let out a relieved sigh. My body was terribly dirty, but as soon as I thought about the old days of taking a bath in the local luxurious, cool pond, the entirety of the muck disappeared with a single flash. I gasped as my feathers returned to their original, vibrant color. Wow, I thought. How can this be? Shaking my head, I imagined myself eating a slice of delicious, buttered toast from my favorite human bakery, paired with the irreplaceable sugary tree sap, as I had done many months ago. As I had predicted, I was then eating the food items I had been thinking of. I was amazed at all the possibilities that could occur. Would I be almost a god, having the ability to return to any state I had been in before? I tried everything I could think of, but soon found that my memory was quite bird-brained to say the least.

make something absurd happen (217 words):

I was intensely immersed in the new world I had recently discovered. How many days had it been since I came here after an encounter with quicksand? It was truly impressive how quickly yet slowly time had passed in this bizarre realm. When I wished for birdseed, I received it. Anything I wanted – it was there for me. I wanted to never leave this place. Why would I? That’s what I thought. Unexplainably, I was expelled from the magnificent place and roughly thrown back to the wolves in the forest. It was already dark at night, so they had come out to hunt for food. I knew I looked like a delicious yet easy meal to them, so I took off. Tired from a day’s activities, I planned to use the same tactics as I had used for the crow and ghost. What I didn’t expect was the stomping of a human’s foot right in the middle of the path I had decided to take. Rushing to a halt and scampering around, I realized my inevitable ending. I would be caught by the human and roasted to eat. Which option should I choose? Wolves or humans? My eyes were failing me. I sighed at the human, stumbling my way through the darkness towards its large, outstretched hands.

5 - 15 minutes writing about scaling the roof of a train (351 words):

The human took me into its arms but left me again at the train station. I was desperate to go home, even when I had been the one to leave first. My friends and family were all waiting for me there, especially the warm, beautiful ecosystem of trees and life. I wanted to return to my safe, cozy haven. Trying my best to read the train station’s map, I guessed which train would bring me home. When I ate food, I was never the type to eat slowly. My metabolism was at an all time high compared to other birds. I was also a competitive eater, always winning medals at eating competitions. I was most fond of foods such as tree nuts, human bread, and tree sap. The flavorful aroma wafting out of the train was enough to attract me inside. I wasn’t allowed to be in a human train. This was my mistake. Unfortunately, I was a bird, not human. My only choice was to fly with the train, following its direction. With an injured wing, that was impossible. I remembered watching movies at humans’ football fields, seeing the main character hop along the train’s roof. Then, I decided to do the same. Wildly flapping my functioning wing, I traveled to the top and started to move towards the front of the train. One misstep would have costed me my life if I had not prepared myself.
I had balled myself up inside a human’s cotton glove, which protected my from the harsh fall from the train’s roof. Filled with determination, I could not yet give up my pursue of the concept “home”. I needed to return. It was my destiny, my fate. There was no other choice. I awkwardly flew back up to the roof, almost breaking a human sweat from the amount of exhaustion I felt running through my veins. I could not bear the thought of never seeing my home again. Why had I chosen this? Wanting to disappear, I continued to run across the train platform. My heart was beating within my chest, threatening to burst.

125 words epiphany (137 words):

I realized something was amiss. The train seemed strange to me, even stranger than the weird mud that transported me to different dimension. Using my superb magnifying glass, I discovered the origin of the mysterious issue. It was the rise of the spiders, followed by an army of cockroaches. They were fighting amongst themselves but had also escaped to the top of the train, where I was traveling. I screamed in shock, the realization of four-legged bugs in the same area as I was being extremely disturbing and repugnant. My body shivered and trembled with disgust as I stared down the creepy crawlers. How disgusting! I ran away, my uninjured wing flailing violently to keep up with my pace. My eyes zoomed around the train roof, watching for any unidentified insects that were yet to be seen.

wpm x 10 seconds writing (216 words):

The train carried me all the way to a quaint island with a chipped wooden sign with the words “Welcome, welcome!” stuck in a slanted position in the ground. I groaned, dreading the events ahead of me. I could already hear the cries of pain and laughter from children and adults alike. Now, I could even see seagulls and spears flying overhead. Blood splattered across the pavement as I miserably dragged my feet away from the falling bodies of unlucky seagulls. As a sibling species, I felt sympathetic for their undeserved deaths, since they were not as annoying as stalkerish, frightening crows or my old, loud neighborhood geese. When I saw their lifeless bodies, I prayed to the heavens and whoever controls this world to spare me from the same fate. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know of my imminent death in a few years or so, but I did not want to be decapitated by a spear flying in midair. What was their problem? Why were there spears flying around? I scoured the area for a hiding place. To my instantaneous joy, there was a rocky, small cave that was perfect for my size. I immediately burrowed myself inside, curling up into a small ball. It was time for me to get some rest.

3 minute sprint begging real-fi leaders to let me escape (129 words):

I didn’t know that the cave I had walked into was a trap. Three humans lifted the rock that was supporting my back and smiled menacingly at me. My blood froze. I was terrified yet again. When I recovered from my state of disbelief, I started screaming my head off.
“Let me go, let me go, let me go!” I wailed, pounding at their feet. My high-pitched sounds of distress seemed to simply be mediocre entertainment to them. Their lips curled up into bloodthirsty grins. I cried harder.
“Help, help, help, help, help, help!”
My pleas were to no avail. Their smiles only became larger and teethier. Those atrocious fangs were soon to suck into my body. I sunk into a hopeless kneel, my head bumping against the ground.

3 minute word sprint where everything my character touches turns into a certain object (142 words):

With my entire body pressed against the ground in a fit of despair, I found that the area of rock my fingers touched had become silver. The texture was unlike rock – it had become a smooth, silky surface. Though surprise must have shown on my face, the trio of humans did not notice. They were busy laughing at my display of anguish. Luckily for me, my injured wing had almost healed on its own. I could now fly nearly perfectly, despite its slightly crooked appearance. I took advantage of the humans’ ignorance and soared into the air, touching each of their faces once. Seeing the confusion and lack of understanding gave me a kick of hilarity as a giggle formed within my throat. Their bodies turned white, then silver, and finally slack, before they toppled. I ran away from the rock cave.

4 minute word sprint trying to clean up a stage (158 words):

I found myself in a vacuous, empty auditorium with dirty red velvet seats and a messy stage. The stage was full of used human costumes, props, script papers, wigs, and other theater equipment that I did not understand. The reason behind this tragic mess, I did not know, but I understood that in order to escape from this madness was to clean it up. I was the bird of obedience, the one who could down thirty bottles of tree sap or remove all the weeds from a tree house within seconds if anyone asked me to. Who cared about rewards? Not me, of course. I needed the closure and pride completing everything gave me. It was my calling. To be frank, cleaning the auditorium took me much longer than a few seconds of weed pulling back at home, but it was all worth it. I knew the humans who used it would be as happy as I was.

150 words transportation to new destination (210 words):

What was happening to me? As soon as the auditorium stage had been cleared, I was abruptly pulled into another weird place. I was now situated at a dock, with different shapes and sizes of boats lined up in rows and columns on the surface of a large, wide river that connected to a city full of fairy lights and glowing buildings. Eyes lighting up with recognition, I felt a thrill of excitement as I stared at the sparkly district. This was my previous home, the one I lived at before traveling to the foggy woods of the one I left just a day ago. I flew towards the city, wanting to go back to the nostalgic home. However, an invisible wall blocked my movement, and I bounced back into the air. It was the mechanism of a giant boat that almost resembled a cruise. It had slid a glass wall in between the city and the dock. I grumbled in annoyance. Why had all these irritating things happened to me in this week? It was mind-boggling. Sighing once again, I flew to the top of the boat like I had for the train. I needed access to a welcoming place, or at least one that would bring me happiness.

200 words about stumbling upon a village (254 words):

The boat brought me back to my homeland, where I was born and raised by a loving community. My homeland’s scenery hadn’t changed much, but the inhabitants were wildly different. I recognized none of them, as most of my old friends had migrated to various places in the north, east, west, or south. There were several friendly villagers in the place that I had arrived. I could almost feel the comforting, pleasant atmosphere of the vast flora and fauna that grew splendidly in areas around the village. The respectful, soft voices of villagers’ conversation traveled quietly to my ears. One villager kindly invited me to join them in enjoying “Lio’s famous soup”, which I gladly agreed to. I hopped on her shoulder as she walked to a campfire with bowls of hot soup sitting around in a circle. The mouthwatering, savory smell made me crave meat, even though I hadn’t planned on eating strangers’ cuisine during my journey. The wonderful, home-cooked feeling of soup warming my insides. Then, I devoured the sweet potatoes and salty ham that was mixed with a fine sprinkle of aromatic plants inside the smooth liquid. The food combination was absolutely delightful. I wished that I could taste this for the rest of my life. As I listened to the calming voices of villagers telling each other fabulous, intriguing stories about random adventures, I wanted to be a part of the community. I didn’t need to go to my first home anymore. All I needed was this friendly, open atmosphere.

100 words about a baker (286 words):

I knew I could count on this amazing village to lift my spirits. It even had my favorite human bakery near its outskirts! The sheer excitement I felt when seeing the familiar logo was incomparable to the nearly unnoticeable beating of my heart when I decided to leave home. I sniffed at the scent of bread that came from the bakery. Finally, after waiting quite impatiently for someone to open the door for me, as my puny bird form could not open a door to save a life, I flew into the bakery. Seeing the chalk on a blackboard menu made me feel more nostalgic than ever. I had not eaten a baked delicacy in forever, it seemed, though only two days. When the cashier asked me for my order, I pointed out more than five of the foods on the menu, which only had fifteen in total. I also pointed to the coffee, as I knew humans enjoyed drinking it for a supply of energy. It was bittersweet. I didn’t hate the taste, but it wasn’t my favorite. Otherwise, the other delicious foods I ordered were sugary and lovable. Chocolate chip cookies, ham and cheese sandwiches, croissants, fluffy slices of cake, and red bean buns were all on the list of my to-die-for food list. I loved it, and I made the baker knew it. Chirping like a maniac, I zoomed around the kitchen in a heart-shaped formation, which to my delight, put a smile on the baker’s wrinkled face. A pair of soft brown eyes looked at me. I returned her gaze and smiled to the best of my ability. The eyes crinkled as I whizzed out of the kitchen and past the bakery.

150 words about a supernatural / celestial being (197 words):

I was feeling content and full after two scrumptious meals, which apparently showed since several other birds shook their heads at my bulging stomach. In my happiness about having eaten such delicious foods, I was flying around in free circles. As I entered a misty area with a strange silence that wrapped around me, I became more aware of my mystical surroundings. I saw a silhouette of a lady with long, flowing hair walking gracefully towards me.
“Why, hello, little bird,” she said, her voice gentle and soothing. Her finger reached out towards me, and I gladly hopped onto it, careful not to hurt her soft, supple skin.
“Hi!” I replied, my greeting coming out as a silly-sounding bird twitter.
“Oh, so you understand me!” said the elegant lady with a smile. She stroked my head, her eyes brightening. Inside them, I could almost see stars sparkling in the night sky. I leaned against her cool hand, soaking in the fresh smell of lotion that lingered around her presence.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to my lake.” As she whispered this, I closed my eyes and drifted into a relaxed slumber within the comfort of her hand.

100 words conclusion (111 words):
I guess this is it, I thought sadly. It’s the end of my journey.
My astral projection had taken me to fifteen different planets, all with exciting events that helped me improve greatly as a writer and individual. I could hardly imagine a world without them anymore. I was waking up from a wonderful dream. The ghost, quicksand, crow, insects, cave, auditorium, food, and every other adventure was so precious to me. Acting as a bird was a fascinating learning experience, especially during the lavish meals that could have poisoned a real bird. As I climbed onto my trusty asteroid, I murmured my last goodbye.
“Maybe, I’ll see you again sometime…”

seasiide

11/25 (522 words): Have you heard the famous phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’? Today, we ask you to find a picture on onceuponapicture.co.uk (if you don't have access to the site, you can choose a picture from this project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/764339470/ ), take a look at the questions associated with it, and write a story based on the picture. If there are prompts, you are welcome to use them if you wish, but you do not have to. Make sure to answer some of the questions about it in your writing. The final piece should be at least 400 words for 400 points. (If you want to honor the adage, you can write 1k words as well, but you will not receive extra points for that)
Also, Cabin Wars are tomorrow! Make sure you're prepared
Additionally, the Memory Book Cover Voting is out here: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/766582671/ - go ahead and vote for your favorite covers that will be featured in the Memory Book!

Picture (You can (not) replay):

Writing:

Ever since I fought against the Titans, the winning side, in the war, I have been forced to play the piano for all eternity.
It all started after I killed a revered Titan when I snuck into their base camp. I was caught, but instead of killing me, they decided to punish me. Now, I am stuck forever in a clock tower that only moves when I play the piano. If I stop, then BAM, my loved ones die.
And I can’t replay it. I can’t stop. I can only go forward, trapped in this eternal nightmare. Because if I don’t, innocent people die. And I can’t have that.
I suppose it’s a small price to pay, in a way. If I stop playing, all of the people in the village that I grew up with will perish by the Titans’ hands. If I continue to play, however, the Titans promise never to touch them.
A lock of my fair hair falls into my face. I try to ignore it and focus on the keys in front of me. Since I can’t move it —if I take my hands off the piano, immediate death follows—, well, at least not with my hands, I flick my head as an attempt to get rid of it.
Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
It stays behind my ears. I give a whoop and grin, ecstatic. It shortly falls back into my eyes. I sigh.
Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
My skin starts to glow a bright yellow; a result of what happens when I play or get too distracted. I am used to it, but my eyes still squint at its sudden brightness. It is supposed to represent life, I guess. And remind myself to focus on what I am playing more than what’s happening around me.
Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
Suddenly, I hear the familiar sound of the door creaking, and a Titan’s footsteps coming inside.
I sigh, but I keep my eyes targeted on the piano keys. “Hello, Amadeus.”
His boots crunch against the fairly fragile floor inside the clock tower. “Good day, Jason.”
Amadeus always tries to distract me from playing. He always comes when I start glowing, and, sometimes, his strategy works.
But I am determined not to let him win this time.
I can hear him coming up from behind me. He leans against a side of the piano, but I still ignore him and concentrate on playing.
“How are you?” he says.
Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
I tighten my jaw. “Your tricks won’t work on me, Amadeus.”
“Maybe not,” he says. I can see him eyeing his hands in my peripheral vision. “But he can.”
Suddenly, I am lifted from my piano seat. Hands grasp me, and I wriggle, desperately trying to escape, but my attempts are useless.
I am too late.
“You can’t do this!” I exclaim, still trying to get out of the other Titan’s hold, although I know it is completely futile.
“Too late,” he says, still gazing at his nails.
Deep inside, I know he is right.
And now everyone is dead.
And it is all my fault.

Last edited by seasiide (Nov. 25, 2022 18:55:58)

Aliana_Cantu

Critique for @pages-of-ink

Inky, I love your piece! First of all, I think it captures the mood of the Keeper books so well, and I know you said you didn't like the characterization in your writing but I honestly really liked it! Especially Alden's personality, it's so well done and I love that you wrote how much he loves Alvar while also being so clueless to his worries. Alvar's personality is also really well written. He's obviously bitter about being a Vacker, but I also find myself rooting for him even though I know he's a villain. You've made him so sympathetic while also keeping him true to the book character.

The ending is also amazing - there's a little spark of hope and a hint of romance without making it overtly obvious, which I think fits with the darkness of what's going on around them. This might be because I haven't read Neverseen in a really long time, but does that last line about “seven minutes later” have any important significance to the book/plot of your story? It seems to be almost thrown on at the end randomly after the sweet moment between Ruy and Alvar.

Funny, being flustered instead of annoyed by someone for once.

Just one small note I had about this line: maybe you could add “It was funny, being…” just to make that sentence structure flow a little bit better.

Also, it's obvious that all the parts with them in Foxfire are one continuous story, but for the other parts, I can't exactly tell if it's a bunch of shorter moments showing their relationship or one longer moment. There isn't much description of the setting around those moments that aren't in Foxfire, so just adding some description of where they are like you had for that one line about Alvar nodding in the darkness would clarify some of that.

Overall, I really think this piece helps fill in some of the gaps about why Alvar would have joined the Neverseen in the first place and I think you did a great job of showing his motivations and relationships. The writing is simple and perfect, and I really, really love it.

If you continue developing this piece (please, please do), some moments that I think could be interesting could be when Ruy convinces Alvar to joun the Neverseen or showing more of their time together in school after that first meeting. And maybe you could write a moment where they discover ravioli or something XD

Last edited by Aliana_Cantu (Nov. 25, 2022 20:35:06)

pages-of-ink

Weekly Four - Absurdy Birdi Wordy Crawl

Save Code: 2;9;13;7;7/9/11/12/;23322;

“Write 100 words to begin your adventure.”

Footsteps, and the sound of someone shuffling through wooden storage crates.
In her hiding space behind a pile of boxes, Cami held her breath. The cargo hold was a tight, stuffy room, stacked high with storage containers of various shapes and sizes. There were no windows, just narrow cracks in the wall where light from the sky outside shone through. In theory, it was the ideal place to stow away on a trip to the capital city. Cami had initially been delighted to discover such a spot in the belly of the mail carrier's airship. She had not known then the kind of discomfort that could only result from crouching down in a narrow, warm crevice formed by two splintery wooden boxes, where light was scarce and fresh air even scarcer.
Or the fact that crew members often came down here to retrieve supplies. This might have been the tenth time in two days that someone had almost discovered her.

Word count: 160

Historical Fiction

You're scaling a train, light on your feet and quick as lightning. Suddenly, on of the shingles comes loose, and you lose your balance. Write for 5 minutes to regain your footing."

Whoever had come down now was very loud. Cami could hear their footsteps scuffling against the floor, moving closer and closer to the corner where she crouched. She held still, not daring to breathe.
The footsteps stopped for a moment. There was silence, followed by a series of soft grunting. Then the box hiding Cami from view was pushed aside. A girl leaned over, saw the figure crouched in the shadows, and blinked. Twice. Very hard.
Cami squeaked, scooting back against the wall. “I'm sorry- ”
“Who are you?” the girl asked. The question was not harsh, or angry. Just confused, and a little bit curious.
“I'm Camilla,” Cami whimpered. “I come from the Second East River Village.”

Word count: 116

“How many words did you write? Multiply your WPM by 5 - if you reached that number you're still on the roof! If you didn't, write for ten more words to climb on the train.”

“Huh,” the girl said. “When did you sneak on here, then?”
“When your ship arrived for the weekly mail delivery,” Cami responded softly. “I swear I only wanted a trip to Arloch - I wasn’t going to steal anything, or hurt anyone - ”
“Arloch?” the girl broke in. “What do you want to visit Arloch for?”
“I got an invitation,” Cami explained. “They want me to study as a cartographer’s apprentice there. It’s a great opportunity, and I just thought - ”
“Whoa.” The girl stared at Cami in astonishment. “You? A cartographer’s apprentice.” Her brows had furrowed as she struggled to work out this new puzzle. “But… did you apply? Does one of your family members work in Arloch?”
“No,” Cami said, slowly. She, too, had been confused when the letter arrived for her, a summons to study in a distant city that she only knew from stories. “They said… they said that they thought I had potential as a cartographer, and would be glad to have me in Arloch as an apprentice.”
“Hold on.” The girl raised a hand, absorbing all of this new information. “So you, some kid from the Second East River Village, were invited to study cartography in the empire’s grandest city.”

Word count: 208

Mystery

“Sometimes, it's important to take photos in case evidence gets tampered with or altered unexpectedly. In order to gather enough photo evidence, word sprint for the next five minutes before somebody modifies all your evidence…”

“Yes."
“How are you expected to get there?”
“Oh,” Cami said awkwardly. “I… they were supposed to send a ship to pick me up yesterday. I wasn’t able to board it.”
“Why not? Seems like it would be much easier than stowing away on the mail carrier.”
“I had to sneak away. It’s the only way I could possibly go. My mother refused to let me accept the apprenticeship.”
The girl stared. “But that’s the opportunity of a lifetime! Does she not understand what it would mean for you? For your family?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me why I couldn’t go.”
“Do you still have the letter that they sent you?” the girl asked.

Word count: 117

Poetry

“What's your WPM? Multiply your WPM by 10, and that's how many seconds you need to write. Word sprint for that amount of time to outrun the falling spears.”

Cami nodded. Reaching into the small cloth knapsack beside her, she produced a crumpled sheet of paper. The ink had been smeared slightly from countless rereads, but she already knew most of the letter by heart. Smoothing out the page as best she could, she handed it to the girl in front of her.
Silently, the other girl began to read. Cami watched her lips move quietly, mouthing the words. At last she stopped and looked up, her gaze thoughtful. “This seems real enough. What I don’t understand is why the cartographers want someone from an outlying village to study under them. No offense or anything,” she added quickly. “It’s just that, you know, they usually only accept the wealthiest and brightest within Arloch as apprentices. It’s a very competitive program. Super hard to get into.”
“Oh,” Cami said. She had pondered this same question many times over the past week. Why me? Yes, she was an artist, and a good one at that. Yes, two of her best qualities were being meticulous and thorough. But a cartographer? She’d never made a map in her life. Not to mention that she had no connections to Arloch’s nobility whatsoever, or even the city itself for that matter. Her grandfather’s grandfather had been a mapmaker, long ago. He hadn’t worked with any of the empire’s higher-ups, however, and didn’t bother teaching what he knew to his children.
Why she had been accepted as a cartographer’s apprentice was a mystery.
“Did you send in an application or something?” the other girl questioned.
“No,” Cami told her. “I’ve never written to the capitol. I’ve never even made a map before.”

Word count: 276

Realistic Fiction

“The three Real-Fi leaders smile maliciously as you enter the inn. Sprint for three minutes as you beg them to let you escape.”

“Huh,” the other girl said. A pause. “Well, we’re not going to figure this out in a dark cargo hold. Let’s take you upstairs.” She held out a hand. “I’m Amira.”
Hesitantly, Cami raised her arm. Amira grasped her by the fingers and pulled her up. “Come on.”
Cami’s muscles ached in protest as she was pulled along to the cargo hold door. Still, the idea of fresh air and light was tempting enough to follow Amira’s lead. Besides, it didn’t seem that she had much of a choice.

Word count: 89

Science Fiction

“Perhaps the only way to escape the digital world is to take a break from it altogether. Take out a piece of paper, and spend the next five minutes handwriting a brief outline of the next (short) scene of your story. Afterwards, go back to your device and type out your full scene.”

Last edited by pages-of-ink (Nov. 26, 2022 20:10:36)

Whirlygig

bi-fi in-cabin daily - five-word Friday
November 25, 2022

away, truthfully, wonder, daybreak, quest

When somebody asks me how my day’s going, I try to answer truthfully.
I usually fail.
“Fine,” “good so far,” “okay.” You’ve probably heard all of these from me. Do you ever wonder if I’m lying?
Each day I attend school, I feel like more of an outsider. They don’t accept me for myself. I wouldn’t either; lately, I’ve been having trouble even recognizing myself. Since when have I become the quiet one at the lunch table? Since when have I decided to say nothing for fear of being wrong? I don’t like the way I stand by when things I don’t like happen. I don’t like the way I’ve learned to ignore it when people throw things at me. I don’t like it, yet you don’t see me trying to do something about it.
At daybreak, when I wake up, I tell myself it’s going to be a good day. Eventually, if I say it enough, it’ll become true.
I’ve gotten very good at lying to myself, telling myself I don’t mind it when I do less than perfect, or I get made fun of, or get things thrown at me. Okay, I really don’t like the last one. But I tell other people I don’t mind, because what can I do about it?
I stare at the clock all day as I watch the hours waste away, hoping for something meaningful to pop up.
But so far on my quest for meaning, I haven’t found anything.
So until further notice, I’ll keep on saying I’m fine, thank you very much.

262 words

violent-measures

Weekly #4.
Write 100 words to open your story.

It’s a chilly day in Manhattan, especially high up on the balcony of Scott’s apartment, where you can almost feel the air grow thin. A light dusting of snow covers the rooftops of the similar apartment complexes standing in their uniform rows before him. Cars rush by far below, people racing to get in some last-minute Christmas shopping or heading to the airport to spend the holidays on the beach somewhere under the sun’s warm rays. Scott’s breath billows into a cloud in front of him and he tightens his beanie around the top of his tousled, windswept hair that falls to his chin.
+104 words

Write 150 words describing, literally or metaphorically, someone putting on a mask.

Scott pressed a fist to his mouth and blew into it, hoping to warm the freezing skin. He’s watching for something in particular. There, perhaps? A man in a long black coat strides hurriedly along—but he walks southward and on entirely the wrong side of the street. Not quite. A woman, clothed in a large pink parka, brushes past the man. With a sigh, Scott’s gaze darts instead to the opposite street. Blue flashes in his vision; a man in a blue cap and matching jacket, racing down the road. He nearly runs into a number of people on his way, and turns to shout something—an apology?—at the final woman, who he truly collides with. Then he’s back, rushing to the edge of the road where he sits quickly down at the bus stop. Scott leans forward unconsciously to study the man as close as he can. It happened so fast, Scott almost didn’t believe it had occurred. But as he blinked to focus his gaze, he saw that the man had indeed changed. What once had been a pale complexion became darkly tanned, and a thick and well-groomed beard hugged his chin. Scott pulled back from the ledge of the balcony, shaking his head.
+206 words

In the next 100 words, detail how your character’s environment turns against him.

Scott had no time longer to study the strange man who had, once again, returned to the bus stop, for a strong wind rose up and whipped a new gust of snow into his face. Blinking furiously to get the snowflakes out of his eyelashes, Scott ducked inside his apartment. The warmth hit him like a wall, and Scott shook out his arms to get the feeling back in them. He coughed—had he actually swallowed a snowflake? Scott shook his head and cleared his throat. Glancing at the clock, Scott nearly jumped out of his skin. It was 8:57. He was most certainly going to be late.
+108 words

Various sprint activities amounting to 12 minutes total writing time.

Scott leaped over to his bedroom and grabbed his wallet before rushing out the door, breathing heavily and still coughing from the snowflake he had swallowed. He quickly raked his fingers through his hair as he raced down the stairs, realizing he’d left his coat halfway down. One story, two stories, three stories—he nearly tripped at least five times on his way down, skipping every other stair to the best of his ability, though in the end his eagerness might have slowed him down. He was gasping furiously by the time he reached the ground floor. In a flash he left the warmth, dark carpets, and soft orange light of the lobby behind and found himself once more in the sharp winter air. The snow was still steadily falling, and a layer was forming on the sidewalk where it hadn’t been sprinkled with salt. Slipping slightly on a patch of ice, Scott leaned against a street lamp for support. He pushed away from the cold metal and continued down the road without looking back. One hand clutched his beanie to his head as he turned the next corner onto a longer road, one lined with shops as well as apartments. There it was! The café sat snugly between a tall, squarish bookstore and a middling, brick apartment complex. Scott breathed a sigh of relief and snatched a glance at his watch’s scratched surface—it was 9:00 exactly. Scott scrambled inside, straightening his beanie as he did so. At his entrance a bell tinkled above the doorframe. He searched each table carefully and headed to the back of the cozy shop. Everything smelled strongly of coffee grounds and Scott sighed as he settled down in a chair in the corner. Stretching his legs under the table, he rubbed his eyes and laid his head against the frosty window behind him. Scott turned to glance outside and smiled as he saw through the É on the shop’s sign a darting form, clothed in red and cream, head his way. Moments later there came another tinkle of the bell, which twinkled silver in the faint, cool light from outside.
+356 words

150 words of flashback.

Rachel’s beaming face greeted him, reminding him of sweeter days in summer, and despite the prevailing scent of coffee he almost swore he could taste honeysuckle and smell the warmth of summer rain.
Scott splashed around in the icy stream. It had swollen from the recent rain, but the sky was clear of clouds now. He ducked down and grasped for the tiny fish that darted around his legs, but all he came up with was cold, wet hands—empty of his desired prey.
“What are you doing?” a voice asked.
He whirled around, splashing water up his legs. “Um—”
“If you’re looking for tadpoles, they like the water where it’s stiller.” The girl was sitting on the bank a few feet above him, legs swinging, a swath of dark hair swinging under her chin. She pointed downstream.
Scott glanced where she was gesturing and shrugged, looking back. “No. I’m trying to catch a fish. My mom won’t buy me one at the store.”
The girl jumped down. “All right.” She smiled. One of her front teeth was missing. “Maybe I can help?”
“Okay,” Scott agreed, grinning back.
+187 words

150 words about a NEW, celestial being interrupting the story.

Scott was yanked back to the present by Rachel sitting down across from him. “Sorry I’m late. Hope you didn’t wait too long,” she said.
“Oh—no, not at all,” he replied, almost laughing at the thought of his anxious rush to reach the café. “Shall we—,” Scott began.
With a flash of golden light, he was interrupted.
Rachel shrieked and leaped back. Scott almost fell out of his chair. The other patrons scrambled to get away once they realized what had happened. A man clothed in a white robe with bronze armor hovered in the air above their table.
“Scott Anderson!” the man glanced around. His gray eyes darted around the room. “Ah!” he exclaimed finally upon glancing down. “Scott Anderson! That is your name, is it not?”
“I—I,” Scott stammered.
With a poof! and a burst of dust, a large, open book appeared in the man’s warm brown hands. He licked a finger and turned the page. “Yes . . . yes. I’m glad to announce that you, Mr. Scott Anderson, have a date with Fate today!” He closed the book and, with a final thump of the two halves slamming together, it disappeared.
If Scott could have gotten any words out, he might have protested that he already HAD a date.
+210 words

Sprint for the duration of a random Taylor Swift song. (I picked “epiphany”)

After the man continued to study him with raised eyebrows, Scott cleared his throat.
“Uh . . . sir, I do have a date already. Who—who the heck are you, anyway?” His voice was higher somehow than he remembered.
The man’s gray eyes darted over to Rachel, who crouched slack-jawed with a hand to her lips.
“Well,” he cleared his throat. “I’m sure this young lady can accompany you if you wish.” He snapped his fingers and a HELLO, my name is ______ sticker appeared on Rachel’s cream-colored blouse.
He clapped his hands twice, winked one of those deep, stormy eyes, and said, “Oh, and you can call me Des. Be on your way.”
He disappeared in another flash of golden light.
Scott barely had time to make eye contact with Rachel’s wide, hazel gaze before an even brighter flash illuminated everything, blocking it all out in white. He was certain he had gone blind until he blinked and everything came back into focus. But this time . . . it was a world as white as the void that had swallowed him.
+177 words

In the next 100 words, include a character who bakes.

White columns, veined with gold, stretched out before them.
Scott looked to Rachel, who gripped his upper arm. He might have cursed a little more, but for posterity, the conversation is recorded thus.
“What . . . what just happened?” Scott asked.
Rachel shook her head, eyes wide.
“Where are we?” he continued.
She shook her head again.
Scott squeezed her opposite arm. “Hey, give me one less reason to freak out here, please,” his voice cracked with the plea.
Rachel blinked. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I’m—I’m okay.”
“Let’s walk,” Scott said finally. Just keep going forward. Along the white and cloudy path towards—there was indeed something at the end, he was certain. He just couldn’t make out what.
Rachel nodded, hands still digging into Scott’s arm. She stumbled forward with him.
A loud bang sounded from the mist ahead.
“Hey, hey.” Scott winced. “I’m not one of your hunks of dough. My arm isn’t going to retain this shape forever if you keep doing that.”
Rachel inhaled sharply. “Sorry,” she said, loosening her hold.
+171 words

I had to write for the number of minutes my favorite TV show character’s name was spelled with. Since I’m watching Pride and Prejudice, I went with Bingley, and wrote for 7 minutes.

“I’m sorry I got you into this mess,” Scott whispered as they passed the tenth pair of columns.
“What do you mean?” Rachel asked.
“I mentioned we were on a date, and—and angel man, Dex, or whatever—”
“Des,” Rachel murmured. She always had paid far more attention to detail than he had. Scott supposed that was what helped her when she was frosting intricate cakes.
“Des—yeah. If I hadn’t been so blockheaded, I wouldn’t have mentioned anything—,” Scott continued.
“I don’t think either of us were—are—thinking straight,” Rachel admitted, glancing around the white void nervously.
“Yeah . . . you sure you didn’t stick something in my coffee?”
“We hadn’t had coffee yet, silly,” Rachel laughed. The laugh went on perhaps too long and she halted her pace, released Scott’s arm, and put a hand to her mouth as she gasped on the foggy white air.
Scott stopped as well and turned to grasp both her arms.
“Hey—hey,” he said. “Snap out of it! I’m here. I’m here. We’ll figure this out—figure out why we’re here—but we cannot panic. Please, Rach. You’re freaking me out. Please—please be okay,” Scott breathed, eyes stinging.
Rachel gasped and her eyes fluttered closed. But her breathing slowly steadied.
Scott reached a shaking hand to stroke her cheek. Rachel grabbed it and squeezed. “I’ll be okay. Thank you . . . thank you for being here.”
He nodded, half a smile curving his lips. He blinked away his tears and pulled her closer. “Thank you for being here,” Scott said.
+249 words

In the next 150 words, build up a happy scene that’s interrupted by a dark plot twist.

Scott rested his chin on Rachel’s dark head, feeling her breathing against his chest steady and fall into beat with his own.
“Wish we were still looking for fish,” he muttered into her hair, almost hearing their laughter mingle with the sound of a running stream. “This is . . . ridiculous. This is crazy. I can’t believe . . . .” Scott shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the white fog that obscured nearly everything that might lie beyond them. Focused instead on the warm, dark landscape of his eyelids. Until he only felt Rachel breathing against him, smelled only her lemony shampoo, saw only her face in his mind. He let himself ignore the empty coldness surrounding them. Let himself feel only the warmth of her arms around him.
But then the cold came rushing back, swallowing him like the icy stream when Rachel had dunked him in it.
He opened his eyes and Rachel was gone.
+156 words

In the next 150 words, your character receives a premonition or feels a sense of déjà vu.

Before Scott lay a giant loom crafted from white wood. Glowing gold, bronze, and silver yarn threaded through in a massive patchwork. He could find no rhyme or reason to the color of thread, nor read any particular pattern. But the longer he studied the loom, he more a sense of heavy foreboding overcame all else. In fact, he could have sworn that he had seen this loom before, though he could not say when. Scott gasped and took a step back, one hand to his heart. He blinked repeatedly, trying to make out his surroundings. But they were wreathed in darkness as truly as his former surroundings had been painted purely white.
Scott whirled around. “RACHEL!” he yelled. “RACHEL?”
He rushed away from the loom, but the next thing he saw before him was the same, white-framed loom. Turning to look behind him, all he saw again was a void of black.
+153 words

Another 150 words of your character being in isolation.

Scott’s breath came up harsh and far too fast against his throat. Though the first world of white had off-put and unsettled him, there he had had Rachel. Now, he had not only no clue where he was, but he hadn’t the foggiest idea where she was, either. Scott covered his eyes and tried to blot out the bright, warm light coming from the threads on the loom.
Scott didn’t mind being alone, but this horrid emptiness around him seemed to penetrate him and fill him with some sort of terrible, oscillating ink until he nearly choked on the blackness. It came out in a harsh sob as Scott moved to plug his ears instead. The loom emitted a low, resonant hum that actually shook the floor beneath him, like Scott rode on a string that had just been plucked. Finding that plugging his ears did him no good, Scott pulled his hands away, shaking his head to get the solemn note out of his head; it seemed to shake his very bones inside until he was tuned to ring out the same note.
+184 words

In the next 125 words, the main character has an epiphany or realizes something they previously overlooked.

Upon opening his eyes, Scott saw that the darkness was not quite so complete as he had at first assumed.
In fact, within the shadows he made out several even darker forms, tall and slender, reaching up to where the darkness became severe above Scott’s head. Perhaps trees? He started forward and came up against a trunk of one of the mighty trees. It stood without boughs and appeared a pale gray once the rest of the shadows faded upon Scott’s approach. He turned back to stare at the white, glowing loom and gasped. The threads of yarn, apart from shedding light, now seemed to move, slithering like snakes. Weaving themselves down the loom. Scott leaned back against the trunk of the tree, his heart unable to pound harder than before, but now convulsing in his chest.
+137 words

In the following 150 words, introduce a boat or other mode of transportation into your story.

A flash of blue streaked through the sky. Some sort of rectangular metal contraption flew above Scott, seemingly unaware of the dark trees it brushed past. Scott dug his fingertips into the smooth bark of the tree trunk behind him, all thought of the moving yarn deserting his mind.
Black windows shone bronze in the light. The contraption—Scott thought it must have been a bus—circled the clearing he stood in, flying without any semblance of wings.
Scott could hardly be surprised anymore. In fact, he resolved that this was merely some strange dream and that he would soon enough be called back to reality. A deep, grounded, and sick feeling in his gut seemed to deny the belief, but it was swept away the moment the bus landed in front of the loom.
Scott closed his eyes and kept them closed for much longer than a blink would entail. When he opened them again, the bus was still there, but the door was opening.
+164 words

Sprint for the next 4 minutes.

More blue. Blue jacket, blue hat. Tan skin with a short brown beard covering his chin.
The man from the bus stop stepped out of the bus.
Behind him was Des—and behind Des was—
“Rachel!” Scott exclaimed, rushing over.
Des blocked him with one muscular arm.
“One moment, Scott Anderson. My employer wishes to speak with you. May I introduce Sir Fate?”
The man from the bus stop grinned, but his eyes didn’t crinkle at the edges.
Scott clenched his hands into fists and glanced over at Rachel, who nodded as if to say I’m fine. Her hair was loose and unkempt, but she seemed unharmed.
Scott turned to look back at the man—Fate.
“I see you’ve found my loom. Of course you have,” he said with a deep, resonant voice.
Scott pressed his lips together and said nothing.
“Well,” Fate clapped his hands. “Welcome to my domain, Scott Anderson.”
Scott stared at him.
“I trust you’ve found it . . . hospitable.”
Scott snorted.
+162 words

In the next 100 words, your character remembers a time they stole something, then returned it.

“Well . . . ,” Fate said. He put a hand on his hip.
A gold wristwatch shone above his right hand.
Scott nearly jumped, eyes glued to its metallic sheen.
He could smell the salt in the air, feel the cool metal against his palm, feel the shaking of his sweaty hands—
But of course, that had happened years ago.
Of course, his palms were cool and dry as he gripped the unforgiving bark of the tree. Of course, his hands were empty. Of course, the air smelled of nothing but cold and metal.
Of course, Scott hadn’t kept the watch. Had slipped it onto the man’s table, unable to bear the crushing, sickening guilt. Then hurried off before the man could catch a glimpse of his face.
But . . . it felt like Fate indeed had met with him today.
+136 words

100 words of conclusion.

“What do you want?” Scott asked, rubbing his hands, though freezing, against his pants.
“I . . . want . . . .” Fate twisted his watch with a knowing grin. “You.”
“Me?” Scott asked.
“Yes.” Fate poked him right below the collarbone. “You.”
“For what?” Rachel asked from behind Des, who glanced over at her, bemused, a smirk on his face.
“For that,” he hooked a thumb behind her.
Rachel turned around, skirted the bus, and stared wide-eyed at the loom.
All the threads but one had fallen still.
Fate nodded. “Your girl can help, too. Wasn’t in the plan, but . . . plans change. Fate does not.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Scott asked.
Fate tilted his head. “I’ve been watching you for some time. I think you noticed?”
Scott frowned. “Yes—yes—you passed by my apartment every day. Your . . . your face . . . . I thought I was going crazy, but I kept seeing it. So I kept looking.”
Fate’s grin spread far too wide. His teeth were even and so white they seemed to emit their own light. “Well . . . Scott Anderson. I’ve been watching you because . . . you, sir, have been chosen as the next Weaver of the Loom.”
+191 words

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

Total: +3051 words +3000 points to Script!

-Galatic_Planet-

Daily 11/25
405 words

Have you heard the famous phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’? Today, we ask you to find a picture on onceuponapicture.co.uk (if you don't have access to the site, you can choose a picture from this project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/764339470/ ), take a look at the questions associated with it, and write a story based on the picture. If there are prompts, you are welcome to use them if you wish, but you do not have to. Make sure to answer some of the questions about it in your writing. The final piece should be at least 400 words for 400 points. (If you want to honor the adage, you can write 1k words as well, but you will not receive extra points for that)

The picture I chose was the mushroom one titled “Enoki Tales”

On a warm spring afternoon, Ena and Kai were out and about in the birch forest. Newly bloomed flower and a soft sunlight glow surrounded them. They ran through the enchanting forest; their white shroom caps gently colliding. Velvety grass brushed against their feet. Ena picked up a bouquet of vibrant purple flowers to give to their awaiting friend. The two mushroom children swiftly ran, jumping over the many roots to get to their destination. When they arrived, there was sitting their friend. His red shroom cap with white dots perfectly placed without. He was sitting at the base of one of the towering birch trees.
“Hi!!” Kai said out-of-breath.
“Welcome back!” the mushroom friend said. Warm sunlight shined on half of his face. “You’re welcomed to take a seat.” Excited, Ena and Kai plopped themselves down on a root that forms a natural bench above the ground. The mushroom friend opened a book titled Enoki Tales and set it on his lap. He started to read.
“Once upon a time, in a far away land, lived an Enoki named Sora. Sora was a princess. Her parents were very strict and didn’t let her leave the palace. But one day she had enough. Sora snuck out to go venture the kingdom she had never seen but through her palace windows. She went to bed that night and waited till her parents went to sleep. Then she carefully lifted her window open and climbed down the stone wall. Gracefully she landed on the soft grass. And at that she snuck out to the village.” The Mushroom friend read. “And they all lived happily ever after.” Ena and Kai quoted in synch. When mushroom friend finished the story, Kai and Ena clapped. They adored mushroom friend’s reading. He brought the story to life and they felt like they were really a part of it.
“Alright, it’s getting late. You two should start to head home now.” mushroom friend announced in his gentle voice.
“Okay! But before we go I have a present for you!” said Ena who was reaching over to the flowers she picked earlier. She picked them up and brought them over to mushroom friend. “These are for you!”
“Awww, Thank you!” mushroom friend said cherishing the flowers in his arms. Ena and Kai hugged mushroom friend tightly and started walking home.
The whimsical forest held many amazing memories. Their adventures had only just begun.

Last edited by -Galatic_Planet- (Nov. 27, 2022 23:35:43)

ka26dhan

WEEKLY 4
Words: 2826

PROOF:
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/767580229/ - the picture proof
other proof:
Your Journey: horror, option #2, adventure, option #1, bifi, option #3, poetry, option #1, mystery, option #2, realfi, option #2, scifi, option #1, nonfi, option #1, folklore, option #2, dystopian, option #1, hifi, option #3, script, option #3, fantasy, option #1, fanfi, option #1, thriller, option #1

STORY:
Note: for some reason in those weeklies with projects like the among us one i always add trapdoors in

Title: Yui’s diary (don’t read…OR ELSE I STEAL YOUR MANGOES)

Yui scrambled to the grocery store. Her family had run out of vegetables! She walked through the store, looking down at her list of veggies to buy.“Here’s the cabbage!” She mumbled. Yui continued looking around, picking up veggies as she found them. She decided to be sneaky and get some tofu, because she LOVED tofu. Only if it was firm, though. She just needed beans now(and tofu)! She looked around everywhere for the beans. She needed green beans. The closest thing was peas, but she needed the beans! She already had tofu, but the beans! Where were they? As she fumbled about, a trap door opened under her and she fell in. “WHAT????”She screamed in shock.
Yui kept silent after, not wanting to be the center of attention. She was scared enough, as is. Oh no, oh no, Yui thought. What would she do? She just needed those beans, and now she had to be kidnapped! Just then, Yui realized she was on a chair, and her hands and legs were tied on it. What? What is happening? Yui screamed in her head, almost screaming out loud. “Hi, there, human. Wait, not human, um,”a voice startled Yui in the back. She looked to see a man with puffy red hair and turquoise sneakers. And a tuxedo. He had a tag on his name, saying “Waldo C. Sailor Jr.”
After that quick introduction, Yui’s feet began to feel like jelly and her hands like cement. Waldo was turning on an odd purple machine. He took off his cloak, revealing a necklace with turtles on his neck. “Feeling weird? Oh, it’s just the magic tester,”Waldo said. He cranked another lever up. Yui’s head was shaking and hurting. Loud music jammed her ears. But she refused to say it. She learned not to talk to strangers. She tried to get off the chair, but she was tied well on it. Goblins and ghosts waddled on a giant disco ball, at least, it looked like that. This machine was torturing Yui! Then Yui’s arm started moving by itself. Then it just stopped. All of a sudden. Yui sighed with relief.
“Now we’re done, and do I have some news! You’re a witch so you now get to go to Crimson Ally Witch School, or CAWS. Get it, because our school’s official animal is a crow? Okay get on my broom, come on! You have to! I’m Waldo, but you knew that!”Waldo exclaimed. Yui climbs on, uncertain. She doesn’t know what is to come. Why am I doing this? Yui wonders, staring at Waldo’s puffy hair. Yui watches the broom go into the sky, suddenly wondering exactly how it was in the sky. They were underground! Yui, not in the mood to ask, just lets the broom go off into the clouds, trying to touch them.
Once Waldo and Yui touched the ground, Waldo raced away, leaving Yui alone. There was nobody. She was isolated from everyone. Where was she, even? Yui looked around, realizing she was in a meadow. Why a meadow? It was too mythical. She wanted some realistic stuff for once. It felt like hours. She ran through the meadow, but ants were the only company. But they were working. Yui knew they wouldn’t like an interruption. A little later, snow started appearing. So cold! Yui sighed in her head. She apparently was okay with speaking without anyone near, so she whispered to herself, “I wanna go to a warm cottage that nobody lives in and can be my home. Also, it should be near the witch school thing. And it should have clothes, food, and everything I need.”Yui liked calming herself down by thinking of house details. But as soon as she said that, she was in front of a warm cottage with everything she said it would have!
After at least 5 minutes of simply gawking at the cottage, she stepped inside. The cottage had a little work desk, a charging stand with a cell phone and computer. Each had cute cottagecore stickers, which was Yui’s aesthetic(well one of them). There was a wood floor, and green carpets. It was not dusty at all, and there was a green bed with plant designs in the bedroom. A little couch was in the middle of the living room, with a small TV you could watch things on. Yui also had a walk-in closet, stuffed with clothes that Yui would wear. Yui was guessing she was going to public school, as there were no uniforms.
“Hi! Seems like you whipped up a house!”Waldo suddenly exclaimed. How did he get in here? Yui wondered. She was quite surprised.
“Cr-crackers?”Yui said, handing Waldo a plate of crackers and tea. Waldo thanked Yui, and munched away. Yui watched him, and got herself crackers and tea. She joined Waldo on the couch, and they both munched away. Yui took both of the plates and put them in the kitchen sink. The kitchen was like everything else, but more plants.
The plates crash on the ground. She had a dream last week about sharing crackers with someone who looked like Waldo. “Everything okay?”Waldo asked. Yui didn’t speak. She edged away. Waldo shrugs and cleans up the broken plates. No wait, Waldo doesn’t hurt me, some random kid does! Yui realizes.
“Sorry!” Yui exclaims. Waldo says it’s okay. But then some random child just has to knock on the door. Yui peeks through a window. The kid has auburn hair with a white streak. They’re wearing a flower turtleneck and oversized pants. They’re wearing a turtle necklace, like Waldo. Yui freaks out silently. She comes inside with a hammer! Yui remembers her dream. And the child has a hammer. Waldo is still cleaning the plates. He’s humming a Christmas song. Does Christmas even exist here? Why why? I want to go home! Where is home? What is that girl doing? What happens next? Does she wreck the dining table? Crumble my cookies?
Apparently the door was unlocked. “Hello! I’m the local baker! I’m 29 years old! Got you a hammer because why not!”the baker kid speaks. He hands the hammer to Yui. Wait, she’s 29? Yui thought. Well, she had a thick Irish accent to make up for it. “I’m Mars, if you wanna know,”Mars adds.
“H-hi, Mars. This is Waldo. I’m Y-yui,”Yui says, pointing at Waldo who just came in. Yui likes the hammer, though. Very woody. She thanks Mars, who gives them a baggie of chocolate croissants and a slice of vanilla cream pie. Mars invites herself in and plops on the couch. She’s wearing winter boots.
“Best baker in town,”Waldo smiles. Yui smells the warm croissants and agrees. Then suddenly Mars runs outside, handing Yui her address.“Well, we better get going to school! Oh right, forgot to tell you, but when you go back to your home, time wouldn’t have passed there, so don’t worry!”Waldo added.
After packing up a few things, like a wand, books, and school map that was in the cottage, Yui and Waldo set off to Crimson Ally Witch School, or CAWS. Yui’s cottage was nearby, so she didn’t need to pay for a dorm when the front desk guy asked. Waldo and Yui went through the school, touring everything. The school was very big, but still felt very homey, like Yui’s cottage. Yui’s classes were already picked because of the purple magic machine tester. She had plant science, animal observations, healing, advanced math (geometry, algebra, precalculus), history of the witches, magic for advanced peeps, and orchestra. Waldo told Yui those were the best classes available. He himself never got to go to advanced math! Yui smiled. I hope I’ll have some fun! She thought. She had gotten classes she would’ve picked herself. She was handed her schedule, and she looked at it. She had one lunch break. PE was only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and it substituted for orchestra. Everyone with Yui’s schedule would be in all her classes.
“Hello, there, person!”someone says. Yui turns around. There was a little cream colored cat with brown stripes. “You are Yui, yes? Well, I am your cat now, because new students must be greeted by the cat who wants them. You’re lucky, because I wanted you. I am Celeste, the only celestial cat ever! I fit you exactly, and am the perfect fit!”Celeste says. Yui picks up Celeste and smiles.
“You are the best cat ever! You can even speak!!!! I’m going to make a little room in my cottage for you! I feel like you hate the dorms, so consider yourself lucky!”Yui exclaims. Celeste starts glowing. She flies up in the air. She seems to be molding something. She comes back down and hands Yui a turtle necklace.
“Wear it,”Celeste says. Yui puts it on. Why does she need a turtle necklace? Wait, Mars and Waldo were wearing turtle necklaces! Yui thinks. Celeste knows what she’s thinking. “It’s just so we can be like a…community,”she says in a weird way which Yui does not notice. Yui sighs with relief.
Celeste walks back to the cat room. Yui and Waldo then look around for the animal observation class. The observatory is big and looks like it’s full of animals. Some look like new types of animals! Yui seems to be enchanted by the lions. Yui then walks to the nearby plant science room. It has multiple little glass rooms in it with different plants. There is a breeding area in the corner. Yui can’t wait. She then checks out the orchestra. There is an area to do class behind a big stage. Yui guesses she will be performing soon. Next, she goes to advanced math. It looks pretty boring, but there are fun posters and a few plants that help a bit. Next is the healing room. There are so many plants and herbs. There are a couple thick books on the shelves, and a big medicine drawer. The walls are light blue, and there are fairy lights. Next is the history of the witches. The room is dark purple with a spotlight on the student desks and teacher desk. The posters glow in the dark because no lights are on. Cabinets that you see but don’t glow contain books, quills, scrolls, and instant ramen that only the teacher can eat. Last is magic for advanced peeps. This room is like a standard elementary school classroom, but looks kind of like a middle-high school vibe is what the teacher was going for. Whait, is this elementary or middle school? Yui wondered. She’ll have to ask Waldo. Yui walked over to the PE area. It was just a PE area outside. It had a rest station filled with water, juice, and snacks, as well as chairs.
After the tour, Yui went back to the cottage. She got some coffee, and walked back to the meadow. She tried to step onto it, but some invisible shield was blocking her. She went around her cottage and the school, but there was no way out! Yui took a sip of her coffee. How could this be happening? She ran over to Waldo and explained.
“U-umm, what do you mean? I totally don’t know!!”Waldo cried. Yui didn’t believe him, but she knew he wouldn’t say anything. She walked back to her cottage and made herself a lettuce, tomato, cheese sandwich. Celeste walked in and Yui set up a small room for her near her bedroom. Yui got Celeste some cat food and plopped onto the couch. Yui took a bite of her sandwich. Yum. Yui turns on the television to the new weather forecast. Boring. She turns off the TV. She looks at her turtle necklace. She takes it off. She goes outside to the meadow. She can go to the meadow! Yui cries in joy. Then Celeste comes with the turtle necklace, an angry look on her face.
“Don’t ever take it off again. Never,”she says with a strong voice. Yui puts the necklace on. Then she takes it off.
“Why?”Yui asks.
“Because I said so,”Celeste says, her temper rising. “Stop asking. Get inside,”Celeste glows a little. Probably when she has strong feelings, Yui thinks. She puts on the turtle necklace. She has a lot of work to do.
Celeste’s asleep, and can’t bother Yui. It’s quite late. Yui takes off the turtle necklace. She gets out a hunk of metal. She gets out some carving knives. A ruler. A pencil. She puts the turtle necklace on a table. She sits down. She lights a candle. She carves. And carves. And a few hours later, she somehow has two turtle necklaces. And she knows which one to wear tomorrow. She knows. And she knows nobody will notice. Because it looks exactly the same (Yui, in this diary entry, tries to make it sound mysterious, but fails).
Yui puts on the fake turtle necklace, and brings her candle to the dusty broom cabinet. She takes out a broom she thinks she likes best. She puts down the candle and flies out. Celeste sees her and smiles. She has the turtle necklace, she won’t be escaping soon, she thinks with a grin. But she checks. She can’t find a turtle necklace anywhere. Yui is safe.
Strangely, Yui can do anything to do with magic. Yui was told that school doesn’t start yet, so she experiments with everything. She takes the real turtle necklace out of her bag. It only works when you wear it. Or if you are in the human world because Waldo wore it there. Yui takes out a wand that she found after moving her hand everywhere in the bag. She points it at the turtle necklace. Nothing. She points it at the broom. Nothing. Yui makes her grip on the broom tighter, trying not to fall off. What was this turtle necklace for? Yui sighs, and flies over to Mars’s bakery.
As Yui flies over, glancing at the paper with Mars’s address, her mind drifts off to last week in the human world. She was at Coffee Crust, the local bakery run by Kresley Nuggets. Kresley always gave Yui a free donut hole or funky looking donut that nobody bought when she came, if it wasn’t glazed. Everyone knew Yui despised glaze. And if Kresley was feeling nice she instead would give Yui orange juice and laugh at Yui’s burps. Yui usually on weekends took people's orders in exchange for iced tea or lattes. Yui was taking this man’s order one day, and he had asked for 5 croissants, 9 nonfat lattes, 7 glazed donut holes, and 3 avocado toasts with sriracha. And he was the only person! Once Yui came back with the food, the man brought in a bunch of people to share the food with. About 20 or so! Yui spat out her tea laughing when another man asked for the same order and literally brought in 20 or so people to share it with! Yui snaps out of her thoughts, realizing she was at the bakery.
Yui went over to the bakery, and places her broom in the broom stand. She walked over to the bakery, when suddenly she started sinking in quicksand! Yui looks down into the depths of the quicksand. What to do, what to do! Is Mars some creepy person who likes drowning people? Ugh my tummy hurts! Probably the cream pie I took a bite of after my sandwich. No, my waist is in the quicksand! “Help!”Yui cries. Yui tries to break free of the quicksand. But once her waist is out, it just goes back in the quicksand. Yui’s new leggings submerge fully into the quicksand. “Aww, they were new!”Yui cries. As her sweater and shirt slowly make their way in the quicksand, Yui continues crying for help. Why is nobody responding? Ugh! I thought today was a nice day!
“Hello? Ah, Yui? Sorry ‘bout the sand. Alert system for new people!”Mars interrupts. Mars pulls out Yui and uses her wand to get the quicksand off Yui.
Yui then goes into the store and gets a banoffee pie, a strawberry cream cake, milk bread, cheese crumpets, and some coffee. She pays Mars and walks to the front of her house. She pulls a picnic blanket out of her bag and sets down the food. Celeste comes. Yui gives her a pet and slices the milk bread. She pulls out some butter and spreads it on. She feeds Celeste some, and takes a bite. It tastes very good. Yui gets out the cream cake and slices it up while Celeste quietly licks the banoffee pie. She loves banoffee anything. Yui licks the strawberry cream off the cake. She notices Celeste licking off the toffee on the pie. She starts laughing. Celeste smiles.

opheliio

critique :)

This is an absolutely lovely poem. You’ve captured the essence of insects beautifully and describe them with such care. The rhymes give the whole piece a sort of buzzing, emulating the noises of different bugs, and the alliteration sprinkled throughout makes it all sit nicely on the tongue. (Everything else I say in this critique should be taken with a grain of salt, I’m not used to giving feedback on poetry, but it is lovely!)
My main suggestion—not as much of a critique of this piece but a suggestion for your future poems—is to lean into metaphors and figurative language more. There is a clear parallel between humanity and the insects described here, but it feels underdeveloped, and I’d suggest developing it more. The poem also seems to lack a through line, other than generally talking about bugs, which is a theme that would likely work better for a poetry collection, with the poems being more specific. but then again, this could be the introduction to a poetry collection all about bugs, in which case I’d definitely suggest you write more poems about bugs!
As a whole, once again, this poem is lovely. I enjoyed reading it and thinking about it, and I look forward to seeing more of your writing in the future!

ChookyNZ

Daily 25 - 927 words (not counting this bit, the indicators in the last paragraph, or the note saying that the indicators have ended)

I put a ^ symbol when a new character comes into the paragraph, since it can get a bit confusing sometimes (Except for Era)

In the last paragraph, E represents Era, WH represents the whale, and WO represents the wolf, since it can get confusing

————

- Midnight. 2014. Era and wolf.

“Who are you!? Get out of my bedroom!”

^ “Do not be afraid, Era. Climb onto my back, and I will take you to the stars.”

“The stars? Never! Leave me alone!”

“You have been chosen, young one. I have been ordered to take you. I cannot disobey my master.”

“Your master? Who- who is he?”

“That is not for me to say.”

“But who-”

——

- Midnight. 2014. Era and wolf.

“Where are we?”

“The Land of Books. This will be your home now.”

“What about my- my home!?”

“This is your home now. Follow me.”

“Take me back!”

“Follow me.”

“Where are we going?”

“I will tell you everything tomorrow.”

“Why is everything made of books?”

“Follow me. I cannot delay my master.”

“No! Don’t teleport me again!”

——

-Midnight. 2014. Era and wolf.

“This is your room. Please stay here.”

“Why? If I live here now, why shouldn’t I explore?”

“It is… dangerous out there. I will show you how to get around safely in the morning. Meanwhile, get some rest.”

“But- come back!”

——

- 2:04. 2014. Wolf and his master.

“I have her.”

^ “Good.”

“What are you going to do to her?”

“I will control her, like I control you. Do not resist - I created you, and I can just as easily destroy you.”

“You can’t! You did not create her!”

“Oh, but I did. I sent her to the human world so she could develop her powers without knowing she had them, so they would develop quicker. I should have kept her here. She would have learned to do everything I command. She will turn seven years old tomorrow, which is not nearly old enough. But I cannot wait until she turns ten. Take her to me tomorrow.”

“You won’t control her!”

“Was that a whimper I heard? You can do nothing against me. I will control her. Bring her to my tower tomorrow!”

“No!”

“You heard me. Bring her to the tower tomorrow, or you know what will happen.”

——

- 6:47. 2014. Era and wolf.

“You’re awake already. Please follow me.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“To my master. He ordered… he ordered me to take you to his tower.”

“Will you be there?”

“I will wait outside for you to return. Until then, though, it’s just you and… him.”

“But I want you with me!”

“I am sorry. I can’t be.”

——

7:27. 2014. Era.

“What did the wolf mean by “I can’t be?” Why can’t he be with me?”

“Where even am I?”

“The wolf told me to go north… is this north? I really hope so…”

“Why does that pile of books look more unstable?”

“Whatever. It can’t harm m-”

——

7:28. 2014. Era and ???.

“AAAH!”

“Okay, that was unstable. I must have fallen through a gap in the piles of books.”

“Ow- actually, that didn’t hurt much. Annoying instincts.”

^ “Are you Era?”

“Wolf?”

“N- um, yes, I am.”

“You don’t sound like the wolf.”

“Okay, I’m not. I don’t know who your wolf is. I’m a Star Animal, but you would know me as a constellation.”

“You can’t be a constellation! Or… the wolf had said, “I will take you to the stars.” Are constellations alive here?”

“We’re alive everywhere. We just never come down to the ground.”

“Okaay… can you help me? I need to get to a tower with the wolf’s master in it. I don’t know who he is, though, or where I am.”

“The Controller?”

“Controller?”

“If he wants to see you, and has managed to control a wolf, of all creatures, then I would be surprised if you come out alive.”

“Creepy.”

“Very. Climb on my back.”

“But I can’t see you.”

“Here.”

“Thanks. Wait, you’re a whale?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Well, let’s do this…”

——

7:36. 2014. Era and Controller.

“You’re late.”

“S-sorry, I got lost on the way here.”

“Next time, be on time.”

“Yes, um- sir?”

“You shall call me by my name. The Controller.”

“Yes, Controller.”

“Now, you have magical powers that few possess, not even my wolf. I will teach you how to use these powers, at the small price that you will bear undying loyalty to me.”

“I’ve barely even met you!”

“Did you dare talk back to me!?”

“N-no! Sorry!”

“Good. Now we will begin… once you promise to follow my command, always.”

——

7:38. 2014. Era, wolf, Controller, and whale

E “Aah!”

WH “Era. I found you.”

E “Whale! You just showered me with glass! Did you have to break through the window?”

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!? How dare you break into my tower!?”

WO “He is rescuing this innocent girl.”

E “Wolf!”

“She has extremely strong powers! She is mine, and mine only!”

WO “I think not.”

“Wolf. I created you to obey me!”

WH “I think it’s time that we get rid of the Controller once and for all.”

“What!?”

WH “Wolf? Do you want to do it?”

WO “Of course.”

“AAH! How could you…”

E “Is he gone?”

WO “Hopefully.”

WH “I should go. If you reach out and touch the sky, I will appear and help you.”

E, WO “Goodbye!”

(At this point I stopped using the indicators)

“Well, goodbye, Wolf.”

“No - now that the Controller is gone, I can do whatever I want. I will live with you, in this castle.”

“Wow - really!? Thank you, wolf!”

“You’re welcome. Not goodbye.”

THE END
Yay

MoonlitSeas

Cabin Wars - 1000 words exactly

Epiphanies of Embers
-
I am the destination; the destination is me – in the end, we are simply, unconditionally, indisputably, one and the same. From worlds of pure magic to a place known as earth, I flew overhead, bringing my hearth, from, well, hearth to hearth. You might have once known me as a house you once treasured, a place of your childhood, a place to remember – but in the end, know, while I long to stay, I must always go.

Dreams are, in a way, memories, fleeting, yet persistent; both represent, in their own ways, a moment of time – a thought, an emotion, a hope, a dream, an ideology, an insistence, something that we treasure, seeking to hold tight in our arms, forever, but knowing that it will always, always, always, drift away, a feather on a lofty autumn breeze, floating just out of our grasp, beyond the reach of our outstretched fingertips, away from the hands, the eyes, of our childhood. This is what I am – something you reach for, something you long for, but alas, something you will almost irrevocably never, ever, every have.

Some might say that my gifts are a treasure, something to covet, something to find envy in, others might say that my existence is a curse, an unending reminder of one, a plain and true statement, the mere idea that nothing good would can ever stay. Perhaps they are right, in the sense that all that glitters is not truly gold, and I would certainly not be one to argue that it is, yet here we stand, you and I, reading and writing as authors and readings of my very own story, wondering what I am, whether I truly am a blessing or a curse, or rather, why I am here at all.

And that my friends, is a question worth asking, a question worth ponder, as we drift together, you and I, over fields of Elysian and plains without end; we soar over mountains, their peaks glittering with a fresh layer of dust, or should I say, snow (not that it matters, few other will ever see it anyways); we fly over the seas, where ships sail to shore, where lives are bartered, souls brought to life, and yet lost, lost to the tides that we’ll never call home, lost to the ideas that defy skin and bone, lost to the hope, that someday, one day, humanity might be something good, that one day, humanity might be something just, something beautiful, something I can watch, as all these years pass by, waiting for something to shift, for something to change, for a new blossom to bloom, a new ember to spark, looking for a catalyst for change.

They say change is a catalyst for catastrophe, yet I might seek to disagree - change is perhaps a spark, sparks can lead to disaster yes, but sparks also lead to life, sparks lead to hope, they lead to change, they lead to hearts, hearts of love, hearts of charity, hearts of empathy, hearts of joy, they are hearts that we need, that this world needs, that all worlds need, for the good of one, and the good of another, one heart can change the world, one beat at a time, each beat of compassion, of contagious enthusiasm, enthusiasm for the best, enthusiasm for what counts, enthusiasm for change, and change, yes change, change can change the world, as one might suspect, change can make the world a better place, a place worth fighting for, a place worth caring about, and, in the end, a place worth remembering.

That, remembrance, is perhaps why we speak now, you and I, two piece of kindling, waiting to be set alight – alight not to burn, to destroy, to but to cast our light out, to give another a chance, to give them a chance, not always to burn, but always to see the world. So what if they say they’ve seen it before – I can show you the world, I can show you the world in ways you never have, in ways you never will, in ways you never knew you needed to, in ways you could never have so much as imagined here, on your own, yet there you stand, waiting on the porch, still in doubt, still in shock, and perhaps, maybe, just maybe, in awe. So will you do it? Will you take my hand, and venture into a world – maybe this one, maybe somewhere new, maybe to a land where the rainbow bridge lies, where peace is taken as something that is, not as something that should be, where love is everywhere, where compassion is not a virtue, but simply what is. Or maybe we’ll go to a land of the lost, where seas run black with the bleakness of all that surrond them, where tears form rivers, where all hope is lost, if only to show you, you’ve come a long way.

But journeys aside, and yet ever so, know that I’ll always be here, no matter where you go. To say yes, or to say no, the choice is yours, I suppose, while the world and I watch, what have you to show? I’ve always loved the way your minds overthink, over contemplating, over complicated, looking for reason, looking for logic, looking for something to explain every drop of uncertainty, every ounce of emotion you feel, have ever felt, will ever feel – yet still you stand there, ignoring the simply fact, that, well, my dear, if you don’t change the world, the world will change you.

You can’t look for answers in the things that seek to define you, you can’t look for epiphanies where there are none to be found, you can’t just sit there, in the your miserable mind, waiting for a new sunrise, a new start – because, guess what, news flash, you will never get one.

They say, the world is what you make it – and anything’s ever been, it’s true.

-waveii

Thank you notes I wrote for a war:
Twi:
Twi, you are an amazingly talented writer and it is just amazing to see how many words you have been able to write in such a short time! You have contributed so much to horror, and it was truly amazing having a camper like you with us for this session. I am so glad I got to talk to you this session, even if it was not too much, I will always remember you throughout swc. Hopefully we meet again in the next session of swc, and maybe some day in the future, we will be back in horror. Here is a small note, I will marry achlyd and he is mine so thank you. You were amazing to be in the same cabin with, and I hope we can meet and talk even after swc is over! I would love to get to know you better. I hope you enjoyed being in Horror this session!

Ethel:
Ethel, I can not tell you how thankful I am to you. You gave me this opportunity to co lead horror this session, and it has been the best month ever. I have had so much fun talking to you, and now I feel like I got to know you much better since swc started! You are a truly amazing goat, and an amazing mother to the horror ghost. You are incredible, amazing and talented and I just loved leading horror this session with both you and Iris. I don’t know if you plan to apply for leader in any other session, but if you do, it would be thrilling to see what you plan this time. I will miss you once swc is over, that being said, I hope to get to know you much better over the next 5 days, and in those 5 days, Horror will be no more. The underworld shall collapse, and Achlyd shall be forgotten. But I know that no matter what, we will always be the golden trio for Horror. Butterflies are rioting, wave

Iris:
OH EM GEE PINK POSSUM STORYLINE QUEEN IRIS?? I know i’m repeating this a lot, but I loved loved loved leading with you and Ethel. I cannot believe how amazing this session went, how we got first place and made ourselves a super cute mascot! He is mine and shall never be yours so stop day dreaming smh but anyways, I really can’t believe we just have 5 days left. I definitely will be seeing you in the thousands of other camps you juggle incredibly with swc, which I shall be signing up for! I can’t believe how talented you are, I will remember you for three whole days before I go back to my happy life with Achlyd /j I will always remember how amazing horror was, the possum, the potato and the goat <3 but we were truly complete, with all the campers that have made us… the first place winning super amazing cabin! I love Horror, this was my best session so far. Stan Iris, you are a super duper slay person

DDD

Ayid :
Ayid, I admit I have not got a chance to talk to you much, i’ve just sometimes added all the words you write in Iris’s word count haha, but you seem like a really amazing person to know! I love your oc design which is unrelated to a thank you note but yeah, and i’ve read some of your writing, I don’t remember when lol but it was really good :0 I hope that you enjoyed being in horror this session with us, and you were amazing! I hope to see you around ^^

Gabbie :
I know we mostly just represented our cabins each time we spoke to each other, and were more interested in war than anything >

but you seem like a truly amazing person, and are without a doubt the most motivating leader I have seen. You know, with all that down with Horror stuff. Even though it was a competition, it would make me very happy indeed to see your cabin win, just as happy as I would feel if Horror one. You seem really nice, and I would love to get to know you better. I just want to say to you, #HorrorFTW.

Aura:
I know you’ve been inactive, and we’ve only spoken once. But you’re a super amazing and sweet person, it was so fun to speak to you! I didn’t know a person who wrote in paragraphs existed, aside from me. Apart from the chaos, it was nice talking to you. You are a truly amazing person, and I hope to speak to you more! From, Wave.

Horror campers:
If I haven’t specifically mentioned you, i’m really sorry ;( but I am a very forgetful person, and all of you were amazing this session. You know, you guys aren’t amazing because you got us to first place, it’s because you’re all such talented writers and amazing individuals, my biggest regret this session is that I did not make a connection with all of you, and hopefully you enjoyed this session of swc! I really enjoyed, this was the best session up till now for me. And even if you could not get to your word goal or do much (according to you <3) , we appreciate even one word you wrote towards swc, and i’m really happy you guys value your life more than swc

I hope to see all of you guys around swc in the future, it was a truly amazing session. I whole heartedly hope you guys enjoyed, you were amazing. We’ll probably meet again wont we? When we’re celebrating whatever placing we get in swc :0

Fr00ggy

Cabin Wars! 597 words

TW: mentions of enslavery.

I was born in the Before. Before they took over. Before we knew actual pain and suffering. Before we had to fight for an opportunity to survive.
I was born in the Before. Before they rose above us. Before we felt weak and helpless. Before waking up every day was considered a blessing.
I was born in the Before. But it’s the After, now.

The noise of humans making breakfast flooded my ears as I was jolted awake. I stared in the eyes of my master, and narrowly dodged a bead of spittle as it dripped from his sneering mouth.
“Number 015,” Master’s husky voice drawled, his words translated by the small piece of technology implanted in my ear. “you dare sleep after it is work time?”
I shook in fear.
“No, Master. I am so sorry, Master,” I stammered. Master laughed at my foolishness.
“You are to be punished by waiting on The High One on your own, for not respecting us enough to bother waking up in time,” he snarled. I was then lifted from my threadbare bed and thrown into a room. When I sat up, I found myself before a large Basset Hound. The High One.
The High One pawed at the string around my neck. He glanced at the scratches engraved into it, and said,
“Number 015.”
He did not say anything else, yet stamped his paws and a Dachshund ran forward.
“Scrub His ears,” the Dachshund ordered me. I was handed a bucket of water filled with soap. There was nothing else to do but obey.

After a long day of hard work and labour, I stumbled back into the human Kennel. The Kennel was where they shoved the humans to live, as their slaves. As I sat down on my small round bed, some of the stuffing came out.
“The puppies must’ve gotten into the Kennel again,” I said disapprovingly. My only friend, 102, walked briskly over from the water bowls. We were not allowed to use any names other than our nunbers, and most of us soon forgot our old forms of identification.
“015, guess what I discovered!” she said, after carefully switching off her earpiece. I powered off mine as well. The canines not only used them to understand us and translate their barks to our sentences, but also to track and listen to us.
"What is it?” I said cautiously to my friend.
102’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She pointed over to the water bowls.
“There’s a hidden exit over there, from when this prison used to be a factory! It was created in case of a fire emergency with one of the machines for employees to escape safely!” her smile spread from one of her ears to the other.
“015, we can escape!”
Suddenly, The sounds of agitated barks and the slaps of claws against the metal floors echoed into the Kennel. They knew. They always did.
“Quick!” 102 cried desperately. She opened the fire exit and climbed inside. “015, hurry! They’ll hurt you bad if they know you can escape, so come with me!”
The dogs entered the Kennel, and I made a decision.
“You all see me?” I yelled at the dogs. “I refuse to be enslaved by you anymore!”
And with that, I leapt into the fire exit and slammed the door.
102, who’s name turned out to be Kate, was waiting outside. We looked about in wonder, as we hadn’t seen nature for at least 1 year. Our life in the After was over. It was time to make a new Before.

Last edited by Fr00ggy (Nov. 26, 2022 05:16:35)

HydroHype

Weekly #4
Write 100 words to begin your adventure

Settling herself down into the seats, Birdi buckles herself up silently, anxiously waiting for takeoff. Her fellow SWCers, Space Wandering Chemists, were in the other room, it was just her at the control panel. She could feel the hot, itchy spacesuit scratching against her skin. “10…” The loudspeaker booms. “9…” Smoke begins to rise from the ground. “8…” “7…” “6…” She begins to sweat as the crowd breaks apart. “5…” “4…” Shuffling herself a bit, Hydro pulls the lever. “3… 2… 1…” The rocket lifts off the ground, slowly advancing to outer space. There were plenty of planets to explore!

Sprint for 5 minutes as you explore Adventure Kingdom

After takeoff, Birdi can immediately see the planet ahead: Adventure Kingdom. The rocket lands, followed by a huge round of applause. “Welcome to Adventure Kingdom, my name is Queen Katie the third, nice to meet you.” A blonde-haired woman steps forward, holding her hand out to Birdi. She cautiously approaches her, and shakes hands timidly. “Here, take this.” Birdi hands Katie a small card engraved with the letters ‘Bond’ and ‘Adventure’. “Goodbye!” Birdi waves to Adventure. “It was a short visit, nice to see you though!” Queen Katie III retreats, and they say their goodbyes.

Write for 5 Minutes at your own pace

The spaceship travels to another planet, Horror. There were no people on Horror, but there used to be. “So… what’s around here? Is there life on here?…” Birdi pats Sawyer’s shoulder. “Err… well… you see… someone is probably walking right through you right now.” Sawyer promptly says. “Right through me?!” Birdi jumps, and starts kicking the air, hoping to kick this ‘someone’ right in the stomach. “Oh, you silly Birdi,” Sawyer says “It’s a ghost! You can’t kick a ghost!”

Write 200 words at your own pace

Zai climbs down the ladder. “Sawyer, you’re next!” But who appeared? Birdi. She jumped right off the ladder, without knowing that there was gravity. “Birdi, I’m coming!” Zai stretches out his arms and manages to catch Birdi before she hit the ground. “Now, where’s this town?” Birdi asks, scanning her surroundings. “Hello! Welcome to Folklore, just take our trail and you can find the main town!” A strange voice says from behind her. When Birdi turns around, nothing was to be seen. And so, Birdi decided to follow the trail. After a while of hiking, they came to their destination. Folklore Village. It was bustling with people selling goods, children going to school, and young couples partying. “Hello, Birdi!” A small child with high pigtails waves, and comes up to Birdi, gesturing for a hug. Birdi cuddles her, and then says “I need to go now, is that alright?”. The girl makes a puppy eyes face at Birdi. Birdi sighs, pats her shoulder, and leaves. On the way back to the spaceship, Birdi meets a new friend. “Hello, my name is Robin!” “Uh… hi… I’m, I’m Birdi.” They dive into the forests, pick up acorns, and scavenge berries. “I’m tired.” Robin announced. “So am I.” And so, they walked back onto the track, and back into the ol’ spaceship.

Your character starstruck everyone

Birdi slowly walks out of the spaceship, only to be halted by a blinding light. “So… what are you gonna do?” Zai asked. Birdi turns around and squints. Zai is wearing a pair of sunglasses. “Why didn’t you warn me?” “I thought you knew! Look how bright this planet glows from far away!” Zai exclaims. “Well that’s kinda reasonable, I guess.” Birdi mumbles under her breath. They make their way to the Realm area. “Guys! Look at Birdi!” Sawyer yells, followed by a wave of giggling. Birdi felt her cheeks go red. “Um… well… I… can breakdance?!…” And so, Birdi started showing off her cool moves on the plaza. People gathered all around her to watch this amazing person from a different planet dancing like a maniac. Nobody clapped. Nobody blinked. They were all starstruck, stunned, and bewildered. When Birdi stopped, she struck a pose and they all clapped wildly. “Thank you, thank you!” And so, Birdi packed up her things, and left once again.

Sprint for your WPM (55) times 10 (9 minutes)

“Is that me?” Birdi scans the wall that surrounded a huge palace in the middle of the poetry isles. “Yes, have you forgotten that you are the boss of this entire galaxy?” Sun says with a sigh. He climbs up a coconut tree and grabs a coconut. “Oh, and if you’re wondering, no, I’m not supposed to be dressed in eight degrees weather. I just left my summer clothes in the bread house, that’s all.” Birdi facepalms. “I’m wearing a t-shirt and shorts! It’s thirty one degrees! How can you survive like this, Sun?” Birdi sighs, and carries on looking at the faces on display. “Well… I have my ways.” Birdi glances at Sun. “You can’t just keep your secrets! You’re a co-boss, and I need you to tell me your knowledge! You’re not getting away with this!” Birdi snaps, and Sun sighs. “I… I seriously can’t.” He reluctantly takes off his jacket, revealing a network of miniature fans that air conditions his body. “Here it is! I’ve found her!” “Who?” Sawyer asks. “Her! Madame Fae! Come on, chop chop! Off we go!” Birdi says, and gestures everybody back in to the spaceship. “Where are we going?” Luna asks. “The mystery train network.”

Go into a room you haven’t been in much before and find some inspiration

“Welcome to the Mystery Express!” A lady dressed in plain, formal clothes greet the five of them. “We’d like to go the a nearby train office, please!” Luna cut in before Birdi could greet her back. “Alright, sure…” The lady shows the way in, and they sit down on the not-exactly-cushioned seats. Rmmm… the train begins to roll forward. “Today our route will be: Rollercoaster Office Track.” “What?!” Zai yells. “Let’s… let’s get outta here!” Sawyer says, groping for the door handle. But all she managed to grab was the lady’s shirt. “What are you doing, ma’am?” The lady looks over. “Um, nothing… I was… just… looking for my phone.” Sawyer mumbles. By the time the drama was over, the train has reached the top. “Help!” Birdi screams and clings onto Sawyer. “What’s wrong?” She replies before looking forwards. “Oh no…” The train starts to roll speedily downwards, before crashing into a stop, and the doors spring open. Birdi, Sun, Zai, and Sawyer carry Luna on the way our since she threw up on the floor. “Not good.” They kept mumbling on their way back to the spaceship. “We didn’t even get to meet Fae.”

Flip a coin. (Heads) Sprint for 20 minutes

Birdi gets off the spaceship. This time, she’s alone. “You ready?” Birdi whispers to her secret, trusted friend: her shadow. “Yeah! What about you?” “I’m ready too!” And Birdi runs off into the distance, about to board a cargo train. The train doors slowly close, creaking as they glide to the other side. At the last moment, Birdi uses her and her partner’s strategy. Hooking onto the door handle with a cane, she pulls hard back, and slips into the train, closing the door behind her. And, low and behold: piles upon piles of points, stacked neatly on the floor. Birdi opens her sack, stuffing the small coins printed with ‘cp’ on it into her bag. Her shadow does the same, and with this strategy, they could double the points without doubling the coins. “So, how do we get out?” Her shadow whispered to her. The train was still rolling. Quite fast, actually. “Um… I… actually don’t know…” Birdi stumbles. “So you’re saying you didn’t make a plan??” Her shadow asked -a little too loudly. Just then, the door rolled open, and thee bulky men with pistols on their belt stepped forward. When Birdi saw the badge on one of them’s clothes, her instincts kicked and she busted out the door, sprinting away beyond.

The trees looked pink, the sky was green, but only because Birdi felt nauseous. She really shouldn’t’ve eaten a quarter pounder for lunch right before liftoff. There was only one option left: go off-road. Birdi too a sharp turn into the forest, running through mud and thorns. Her legs gave in, and she leaned against a tree to catch up on breath. That took a while. Then, a leaf blown onto her lap by a gust of wind gave her an idea. She gathered dry, large leaves from around her, and settled back down to weave them. At that moment, she hears a rustle in the bushes, and she knew it was just about time she got caught. She spins around, holding her woven shield in front of her. That caused a wave of laughter from the officers. They punched at the shield, not knowing that Birdi had once had the prefix ‘Sensei’ before. She has a black belt in karate, and is currently practicing bojutsu with her fellow teachers. Birdi grabbed a nearby branch from a tree, and started attacking the police officers with it. Her shadow did the same, and successfully damaged some leather shoes on the way. She sees the spaceship ahead, and bursts into the front door. Shutting the door behind her, she declares “Let’s go somewhere else.”

Write for *your favourite movie character (Greg Heffley) ‘s characters in their name* minutes (11)

The spaceship lands beside a good-looking movie theatre, and Luna is the first person to step out. “Holy heck, it’s dark out here!” Birdi and Sawyer follow. They march down the steps, leading to a big, chunky building with the words ‘Bi-Fi Cinema’ in all caps, red text on the wall. Sawyer pushes on the door, and they enter. Well, that was what was supposed to happen anyway. Sawyer pushes harder, but the door doesn’t budge. “Uh, Sawyer? It says ‘pull’.” Sawyer looks at the sign. “Oh.” She then pulls the door open, and the three enter the cinema. It’s like a new world. There are lists and lists of movies to watch, but the biggest hit so far is called Script: The Musical. “Hey, I wanna watch script! I heard that their movie is more like a play, there’s real people and everything! I heard it’s amazing!” Luna starts to drool a bit. “Snap out of it!” Birdi waves her hand in front of Luna’s face. “Alright, judging by Luna’s facial expression, I’m guessing that we’re watching Script: The Musical.” Sawyer sighs. “Three tickets for Script: The Musical, please!”

Sprint for 4 minutes

The cinema was full, people filing in and out, holding drinks and popcorn. There are three empty seats near the back, and Birdi plonks her bag there. She waits for Luna and Sawyer to sit down, and then hands them some popcorn. Soon after that, the lights dim. The show is on. The scene starts with a small fairy appears, dancing around a steampunk pasture, waving to everyone she can see. A lock clicks, and a girl with black hair fading into blue walks on. The fairy jumps, and flies to the other corner. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Ayla! I didn’t know I would scare you,” The girl’s voice trails off. Ayla floats back. “But I think it’s time you go back to your human form, eh?” Hydro hands Ayla a small vial with a purple liquid in it. Ayla guzzles it down, and slowly resizes into a human. “I do realise this is a comedy show…” Ayla studies the place around her. “C’mon, let’s get a drink.” Everyone claps as the, rather short, show ends. Birdi dumps her leftover popcorn into Luna’s box without any warning, and leaves with Sawyer and Luna trailing behind her.

Last edited by HydroHype (Nov. 30, 2022 05:08:29)

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