SWC july ‘23 - weekly #2

Part One
topic: how to make your characters seem more realistic/make your readers connect with them (by @westendlover15)

When you are writing a story, it is important that you have good characters in them. You might be asking, Yume, what makes a good character? Firstly, the character has to be realistic. I’m not saying this in a way that you cannot have fantasy or supernatural characters, this is about the character's personality and traits. In this workshop, I'll go through a few ways to make your characters seem more realistic, and let readers easily make connections with them.

1. Personal experiences and/or traits
First and foremost, if we want the readers to connect to the story, then they must find something they relate to in any of the characters. One of the most efficient ways to do so is to incorporate your own experiences into them. Maybe you've been misunderstood before, or maybe you've been bullied. It could even be the smallest things or the most drastic experiences, like having a sibling or being ghosted and/or excluded in school. (Yes, I did go through all that, if you were wondering.) Maybe you once felt bad because of that, but don't worry, you're not alone! Putting in these plot elements and little details from your own life can be relatable to readers, and it makes your story more realistic at the same time. You could also draw inspiration from people around you, it doesn't have to be yourself. You don't have to make everything exactly the same as your life- no, this is not an autobiography (unless you want to write one :0). Choose the ones that would best suit your story, for example, if I am writing a story about school life, maybe the main character, or protagonist, always gets excluded at school and has no friends. Then, from your experience, you can vividly describe how it happened, and remember, show, not tell!

2. Flaws
No one is perfect, and your character shouldn't be either. Any great character is a flawed one. It's not going to be fun reading about someone who can literally do anything and makes no mistakes, it will never be. When you are creating your characters, remember to incorporate flaws into them, but don't make them too flawed in a way that they are unrealistically flawed. Remember, you're trying to make the characters realistic! If you can't think of any flaws, use the tip above and incorporate some of your own flaws into your characters. Perhaps they somehow can't make friends no matter how hard they try, or they're arrogant and self-centered, maybe gullible. This could also help others relate to the story when they read about flawed characters they relate to, and see how they progress through the story, giving the readers motivation.

3. Character development
Developing your characters might sound hard to some, but really, it's not that challenging, and it can help greatly with the story development as a whole. To keep the story going, your characters will need to have to achieve something in the end, like learning something they didn't know before, or perhaps meeting a goal of theirs. Speaking of goals, your goal as a writer is to get your reader engaged in the story they're reading, and to do that, you will need to keep the plot moving. Yes, that means you will have to develop your characters, and a good way is by making your characters learn and grow throughout the story, which basically means they have to experience something new that could change their perspective on something. In reality, everyone changes and grows over time too, which adds to making your characters more realistic. Some examples could include someone who usually keeps to themselves, but starts opening up more when they find out that having friends makes them happier, or a person trying to find something that they desperately think they need, but during the search, finds something else that is priceless, and well, that original thing they were looking for seems useless. It was out of reach anyway. These are only a few examples, there are tons more you can come up with!

4. Supporting characters + dialogue
Last, but definitely not least, is something every story should have- supporting characters (also called secondary characters or side characters) and dialogue. Throughout a story, the protagonist would most likely have some kind of dialogue with supporting characters. Supporting characters can come in many forms, like the main character's family or friends, just a random stranger, or perhaps their enemy. Having these interactions will make them feel more realistic. When you are writing dialogue, the way your character speaks really affects how readers will depict them to be like. Realistic dialogue reveals a character's personality, and also shows a character's growth. When your characters talk to each other, make sure to avoid slang as much as possible and make them talk like real people. It's also much more effective to show your characters' personalities by dialogue than just plainly describe how they feel.

I hope this workshop has helped you make your characters more realistic, and that readers will find them relatable to.
Keep writing!
- Yume

SWC july '23 - daily 11/7/2023


It's Going' Down (SWC parody)

Huh, let's get this session started
I swear we're cold-hearted
There's no negotiation
I'm not here for debatin'
You need some motivation?
Look at that flaming cabin
Then ask yourself how long you think we'll remain patient
You'll be thrown overboard and y'all can swim in SWSea
You either go win those word wars or you'll be ripped apart

Now, let's all just be smart
Although for you that must be hard
You should get sleep
No one has to come to any harm
Don't try to intimidate
I doubt the amount you can write
The best cabin of them all?
I guess we're finding out tonight

Let's go, bring it on
You can war us how you want
It's the fight for the crown
If you don't, it's going down
Let's go, make your move
Peace or war, it's up to you
Write those words, and do it now
If you don't, it's going down

We won the war
Your cabin soon be gone
Your time is running out
You should really go sleep now
Let's go, word for word
Every story must be heard
Put your pens up, put ‘em up
It’s going down

Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, add those words
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, or we'll go down
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, throw them in
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, let's burn them down

Okay, look, this is not a conversation
It's a do-or-die situation
If you keep burning our cabin
I'll have no hesitation
I'll serve you right here
And I don't need a reservation
That way your whole cabin can now have a demonstration
Stop warring now, and we can go our separate ways
Unless you wanna stay in this never ending phase

So that's your big speech, huh?
You think we'll stop right here?
All it takes is one story and I'll make this all clear
Matter of fact, spell one word wrong and I'll say it all year
And if you start to slip, you'll be eliminated here
All it takes is one long book and I'll
Hey, we get it, chill

Let's go, bring it on
You can war us how you want
It's the fight for the crown
If you don't, it's going down
Let's go, make your move
Peace or war, it's up to you
Write those words, and do it now
If you don't, it's going down

We won the war
Your cabin soon be gone
Your time is running out
You should really go sleep now
Let's go, word for word
Every story must be heard
Put your pens up, put ‘em up
It’s going down

Hey, we know how this goes
We don't have to light mangoes
Now, whatever you do, it's gonna be a lose-lose
There's gotta be a better way
You know, all you cabins, you have your chance
You'll have your say
Silly king, you? Give me?
You're gonna give me a chance?
Well, not a chance

Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, add those words
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, or we'll go down
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, throw them in
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, let's burn them down

Let's go, bring it on
Bring it on, it's going down
Time is running out
Now it's dawn, it's going down
Let's go, bring it on
Bring it on, it's going down
Time is running out
Now we've won, it's going down

Let's go, get that crown
We won't let our cabin down
Put your pens up, put ‘em up
It’s going down

Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, add those words
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, or we'll go down
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, throw them in
Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, let's burn them down

Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes, mangoes
Why the wait?
Hesitate? Accept your fate
Burn them down


original song - it's goin down by descendants 3 cast
too lazy to count words rn I'll add it later

I FOUND MY FIRST SWC STORY OMG
(cringe alert, I wrote this 3 years ago)

note: I'm positive I joined the march 2021 session, but the project says may 2020?? also the comment on there says 3 years ago too- did I join march 2020 too?

One day, a girl named Ella was wondering though the wardrobe and found a glittery cape. She thought it was pretty, and put it on. Then, suddenly the cape brought her up into the sky! She was so amazed!
Then, she heard a voice. “Chirp, chirp, hello Ella!”
“Huh? What's happening? I think the baby bird is speaking to me!”
“Oh, yes, but my mother is lost! Can you help me find her?”
“Okay, but I'm not sure how.”
“Just trust your magic cape. The cape will help you fly!”
Ella had no choice but to trust the bird. “Okay then.” So, they flew to the sky and saw a bird that looked like the baby's mother.“Is this your mother?”
“Oh, yes! Thank you very much!”
“You're welcome! Hello! my name is Ella!Mother bird,I was pleased Icould help you!”




- fr the formatting on the og prjo was so bad I'll continue later

UNADDED RPS?

“Daily done for dystopian!” Yume sings, submitting the parody she wrote for today's daily. “That was actually such a fun daily.” She wonders if she should try singing the parody, and maybe the other song she wrote for another daily, and a few others she wrote for fun. Someone should really tell her to stop procrastinating…

Pixiedust daily <3

“You have pretty eyes,” Di complimented, admiring the sparkling flecks in Nea’s pupils.

Nea smiled, “Thanks, I get that a lot,” and continued touching up her makeup. Very lightly, she used the soft brush to apply a pearlescent powder to her eyelids.

“So, are you ready?” Di questioned, “I know we’re technically going against each other later on, but you know, since we’re friends now, I thought it’d be nice to cheer each other on,” Di explained, while poking hairpins into her dark silky mane, “I just hope that doesn’t happen again.”

Nea sighs as she recalls the last time she went to a gymnastics competition. When it was finally her turn, she walked up to the mattress. The song started, everything was going fine, until, “I lost my focus during an aerial and accidentally used my wings to save myself. Totally embarrassing.”

“It’s okay, Nea, it wasn’t your fault. I’m not a fairy, but I know you’re probably used to it by now, using your wings.” Di smiled and reached her hand over to Nea’s shoulder, “On the downside, you were disqualified, and some people were staring at you, but on the bright side, a ton of them were so surprised and excited to see a fairy in real life. Plus, they said you could still attend future competitions, as long as you, well,”

Another sigh. “Don’t use my wings, I know that. I can’t help it though, especially when I could potentially get injured,” Nea looked down at her feet as iridescent pools began to form on the bottom of her eyes, “I just want to fit in. But no matter how hard I try, I’m not welcomed here. I don’t belong.” She looks at Di and smiles, while tears were raining down her cheeks, “I’m lucky enough to have a friend who understands. Other people either exclude me or take photos of me and post them everywhere, perhaps even spreading rumors, and I don’t like that.”

Di quickly rummages in her bag and pulls out a handkerchief. Gently, she dabs around Nea’s eye, drying the tears as well as the makeup washed off with it. “Don’t cry, it ruins the makeup. Especially the mascara, you do not want to be seen with black stains on your face. It’s going to be okay,” Di reassured.

“Number 387, Dahila Lynn,” a voice came over the loudspeaker.

Di made final adjustments to her very intricate bun and headed out of the change room. “Got to go now, don’t want to miss my turn!” She turned back, “Don’t worry, you’re going to do great. I’ll be cheering you on!” Nea smiled. She felt extremely lucky to have someone like Di by her side.

Dear future me,

Hi! I'm not sure if you remember sending this letter to yourself one year ago, but either way, here it is! This website was the one used for the My Voice in P.5 English, i think? Or was it P.6…

Anyways, how is life? By now, you've made it through Grade 9, and everything should be coming together well. Your friends are now in high school, am I right? Everything okay between them? Right now, I'm kind of in between things, especially with and , sometimes I don't feel comfortable around them making jokes about me. Usually it's been fine but recently I really couldn't hold it in. If they don't like the way I keep some things from them or that they can't even get what I'm talking about and spread false information to each other, I'm not sure if I should hang out with them anymore. On the bright side, my social circle is growing, slowly but surely. I've met a few new friends in my open dance course, and they're really nice.

Speaking of dance, you might remember that at this time when I'm sending this letter, my ankle was twisted and I can't really walk that well, and it's even harder to dance, which is unfortunate, since dance team auditions were on this Friday and I couldn't go. At least I'm finally in choir again, but well, since they had too many sopranos, I'm forced to sing alto, and it's kind of hard and I always get misled… It's a good thing that this choir not only gives you a credit, but does not require an audition. NO AUDITIONS. AT ALL. Back in primary school I tried out for choir for 4 years and never got accepted once. That teacher is either biased or just mean. I say both, honestly. On the topic of music, I've recently started listening to more J-pop (besides Aikatsu, since I already listen to that a lot) alongside my usual K-pop and Descendants music. Kind of getting into project Sekai as well, hehe. Highly recommend my playlist (the longest one is the best) when you need some bgm in your life.

Last but certainly not least, we have scratch stuff! To my surprise, I actually got selected to lead in SWC november! (fairy tales for the win hehe) Cabin planning took an unexpected turn when the ST decided they were against us, but hopefully everything went fine in the end. And this letter, this very one you're reading, is a daily for Pixiedust, a very amazing but sadly unnoticed camp. Maybe when you're reading this, it's bigger and better than before? Not gonna lie, this camp is pretty awesome already, and perfect for before swc warmups.

Hope everything is going fine in your life, stay safe, stay healthy, and most importantly, always be yourself! That's the best advice I can give right now <3

Best wishes,
Yume
Oct 15, 2023

(493 words, I replaced some names with placeholders since i didn't want to show people's names irl here)

Pixiedust daily <3

“The world I knew was dark. Days were dull and boring, and every day felt the same…”

This is Genesis, the so-called “perfect place”, the “only place there is”, according to our education, and the only place I’ve been ever since birth. The thing is, none of us know who our parents are. We don’t have parents. Instead, it’s the birthmothers’ job to give birth, and every newborn is modified. We all belong to a group of experiments, each of us given a destinated code and name. The goal? To create the perfect human being.

I’ve always been a bit different from the others in my group. If you’re curious, we were Experiment W2000, the 20th generation, or twentieth attempt, of humans with wings. Throughout the different generations of experiments they get better and better, and you could say that we were almost like fairies. We could show our wings when we needed to, and hide them when we don’t. Most of the other twenty-five in my group mastered it pretty quickly, but I took a little practice. In fact, I was almost always behind in my group. Eventually, I was so ashamed of myself that I tried to leave Genesis.

All my life I’ve been taught that leaving this place was a huge crime and will be full of regrets, but I was determined to escape this prison of a land. There was only one gate to enter or exit, and people barely even dare to go near there, especially with those mountains of pills. There are pills for everything, like to erase memories, to remove feelings, to always tell the truth, and many more. I think there must have been some sort of error with my brain, because I had the sudden intention to stop taking the pills. Soon, I found myself at the gate.

“Name and code please,” the security said with a blank face.

“Oh,” I don’t like being put on spot. “Xena, Z-702. I would like to leave Genesis.”

“Are you sure you want to exit Genesis.”

I took a deep breath. This was it. “Yes.”

“Are you actually sure?” She asked, and I froze. Did she just say that… with concern? “Oh, I’m sorry I startled you. You see, being in my job led me to discover some secrets about this place. Those pills, they’re not good for you. Both mentally and physically, in fact.”

“So you don’t take them?” I was surprised by my findings. Seems like someone else understands after all.

“No, I don’t, but I can keep a straight face in my post. I was startled by you actually wanting to leave, barely anyone else does. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen or helped someone leave.” She looked at me, “Hurry, I don’t want to get caught talking like this. For real though, rules on the way you talk?” She pressed a few buttons on the panel inside the control room, and a portal appeared in front of me. “Now go, you made the right decision.”

“Wait!”

She looked at me. “Something else you need?”

“What’s your name? You know, maybe, if I come back sometime, we could chat in secret?”

“I’m Winnie!” she responded, “Y-645.” I gave her a little wave as I stepped inside the portal that would bring me outside Genesis for the first time ever. She waved back, giving me the courage to go through the portal and come out on the other side.

“So this is the world they’ve been hiding from us,” I remarked, “It’s beautiful.”

(593 words)

swc nov ‘23 - daily #1

hi everyone, i’m yume (she/her) and i'm leading the amazing fairy tales this session! my hobbies include singing, dancing and (ofc) writing! my goals for this session include finishing my first full novel this month, meet some new friends, and to complete at least one weekly if i were a children’s toy, i think i would be a stuffed bunny since i’m a bit shy but also kind and friendly, and fun to hang out with. i enjoy listening to music and i especially like k-pop and j-pop, and i stan many k-pop ggs; i also love aikatsu and proseka. ahh i’m so excited for this session and getting to know everyone! have a wonderhoy-ful november and remember you can always chat with me on my profile!

~ word count: 129
~ total dailies i've done this session: 1
~ word count this session up till now: 129/20000

swc nov '23 - daily #2

dear future yume,

hi! this is me, writing a letter at the beginning of this november’s swc session. a lot has happened throughout the past 2 months, and it’s all been leading up to this session.

i don’t have to hope i’m enjoying the cabin storyline, since this time, i have the chance to lead a cabin! the creation process of fairy tales was amazing, and i’m so happy they decided to bring it back. it’s so amazing to see that you have management access to a cabin that you and your co’s thought out together, and it has a place on the leaderboard. hopefully by the end of the session, the storyline will be mostly, if not fully complete, and that you’ve made memories to last a lifetime.

my goals for this session? first of all, i would like to finish my first full novel! no more calling it a day for short stories. it’d also be nice to expand my social circle by meeting more friends. finally, if time allows, maybe finish a weekly or two as well. tell me, did you complete these? if you did, congratulations! that would already mean you’ve reached your word goal too. if not, don’t worry, there’s always next session. here’s some mangoes for your effort, whether it be celebratory or encouragement.

last but definitely not least, here’s a little recap for you, to remember all that scratch writing camp has given you, and all you’ve achieved in it. sometime during march 2020, only 2 months into your brand-new scratch account given to you by the school, you find yourself stumbling upon the main cabin of that particular session. you, or i, had no clue how it works, assuming it’d be okay if you, well, write something for the daily, put it into a project, and link it.

your first official session came almost one year later, when you signed up for march 2021. mythology was a great experience, and it showed that swc was an amazing and welcoming community. soon, secondary school was coming around the corner, and things got a lot busier. later on though, after you’ve set foot in a new place, your schedule freed up a bit, allowing you to sign up for march 2023, in which i was in the poetry coffeehouse. i was really motivated to do dailies that session, not sure why but hey, it was worth it! july 2023 was dystopian spy society, and it was fun, even if my leader app didn’t go through. in september, i decided to go for it again, but when i started, i only had 5 days until the deadline. it was a rush, but you made it with one day to spare.

honestly, i was not expecting anything to happen. the shock came to me when i opened scratch a few days later and seeing 40 messages in my inbox. now what could this be? i was surprised to see the congratulatory messages, and hurried to check the leader app project. i almost screamed out loud when i saw that i was going to lead fairy tales! you know the rest of the story from now <3

stay safe and healthy, and remember, keep writing!
best wishes,
yume
nov 2, 2023

~ word count: 543
~ total dailies i've done this session: 2
~ word count this session up till now: 672/20000

swc nov '23 - daily #3

“It’s over now, huh.” Yu picks up a mango, examining its golden yellow skin and unique mango shape, “So it’s all led up to this.”

“Come on, it’s okay. You know it’s not the end.” I tried to keep the tears in. In all the years of being me I had rarely any moments of sadness, but this was different. “We gotta do what we gotta do, and that,” means parting ways, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. I too picked up a mango, and plugged a wire into the fruit. Secretly , I picked up another mango and took a big bite.

“I’m really, really sorry. I wish I could… somehow… give you a friend. I don’t want to go either.” Almost all the wires had mangoes connected to them now, and we were almost ready for takeoff. “I can’t hide any longer, and I really must go back. Oh, I mean, go front-”

Yu, is, in fact, from the future. In fact, Yu isn’t her real name either. It’s just a codename she’s using to stay in the present. About a year earlier, she came to the present. Specifically, to help me. For twelve years, I had no friends. I was lonely at school and after school. That all changed when Yu came into my life.

“Ah! What is this?” A strange large contraption somehow appeared in my room. I have no idea how it got in here, but the next thing I knew, a door slid open and a girl about my age stepped out. Her hair was slick straight and her clothes looked very futuristic. At that moment wasn’t sure if that was a girl or ai or a robot.

“Hi!” The girl waved, “It’s so nice to see you in person.”

“Hi…?” Clearly, I was still trying to recover from shock. Who is this girl, and what is she doing in my room? How did she get here anyways?

The girl, seeming to know everything I was thinking, responded, “You can call me Yu. I come from the future, and I’m here to help.”

Help me? How was this future girl, Yu, whatever she wants to be called, going to help me? “I’m basically helpless now…”

“Trust me, I’m here for you. Whatever you need, I’ll help. It’s part of my mission,” she looked me directly in the eyes, “However, I have to stay hidden. If someone finds out about me, it’s not going to end well.”

What I didn’t know then, was that Yu changed my life. We’d go out together secretly when no one was watching. Every night was like a sleepover, although it meant she had to sleep in my closet. Luckily, with future technologies, she’s able to stay in there with enough oxygen to survive. With stealth mode, she would come to school with me, and I’d hide in that secret spot in the garden every recess to talk to her. I knew that with her by my side, I could do anything. That was until a while ago, when I had to face the unbearable truth.

“You know, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

“What?” If she had something to say to me and she decided to in the middle of a forest, it must mean she wanted privacy.

Yu let out a gentle sigh, “I know all the times we’ve spent together were great and all, but,” a tear slid down her cheek, “I don’t want to either, and I know you’re not going to like it, but I have to go back.” She squeezed my hand tight. “I haven’t told you before, because I was scared you’d give up on me if you knew this was temporary. I’m on a mission to help people from the past- your present.”

“But… Why go back now?” water emerged from my eyes. “After all we’ve gone through together…” My tears fell onto a fallen leaf below me, “I’m gonna miss you,” I said between sobs.

“Look, the time machine, as well as all the other gadgets I need to survive here, expires in exactly a year and one day. My time here is coming to an end.” Yu looked up at the leaves on the trees around us, some starting to shift from green to yellow, “I need your help now. To power the time machine, I’ll need two hundred mangoes.

“T-two hundred? M-ma-mangoes?” Why would she need so much? But then again, “You’ve helped me so much. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

“Thank you!” Yu threw her arms around me, “We have three weeks left together, so why not treasure it?”

“Last mango, all set,” I called. We were back at that spot in the forest, but this time, fall has officially come and the multicolored leaves were gently falling to the ground. I tried my best to hold back tears. This was it.

“Words can’t express how grateful I am right now… Thank you so much!” Tears were streaming down Yu’s cheeks, although I can’t really tell those were tears of sadness, joy, gratitude, or all combined. “We’ll meet again, hopefully.” She stepped inside the time machine, now fueled with the power of mangoes.

“I’ll miss you,” I said, as the door slid close. “Thank you for everything.” And the machine flew up and away in the autumn breeze, leaving behind a gust of wind that blew more leaves off the trees. “It’s so pretty,” I thought to myself. I knew that even if we had to part, we’ll always be there for each other, no matter where we are.

~ word count: 938
~ total dailies i've done this session: 3
~ word count this session up till now: 672/20000

swc nov '23 - weekly #1

part 1 - character inspo

song: style
“And I should just tell you to leave ‘cause I
Know exactly where it leads, but I
Watch us go ’round and 'round each time”

Esme let out a long sigh. I should just tell her, she thought. But then again, I don’t want to hurt Mel’s feelings. I don’t want to be a bad friend, she told herself for the millionth time.

“You should just tell the truth, Es, hiding it isn’t going to help with anything. Come on, you can trust me.” Melanie places her hands over Esme’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, whatever happens, I’ll be with you. No matter what.”

“Promise?” A glint of hope sparkles in Esme’s eyes, as she runs her fingers through her long brown hair, “But then,” she sighs deeply, how can she tell Melanie what was going on when the painful truth is related to her? Lies are comforting now, and hiding the truth has been natural. Still, they’ve had amazing times together, the two of them. Esme couldn’t bear the thought of losing them. I can’t tell her to go. I can’t tell her I have to go either. No, I can’t… “No, I can’t. It’s not going to end well. I’m so sorry, I have to go.”

Puzzled, Melanie watches as Esme walks away in the faint breeze. What is going on? she thought, why wouldn’t she trust me? Does she think I’m not good enough for her?

(212 words)

word wars!!!


( 5th nov ) w/ prompt, 4 mins
“ The last thing I expected to meet was a mango. ”
A mango? Why here? I ran to the poetry coffeehouse, partially burnt down from the mango arson attacks back in the march session, in search of inspiratyon for my writing. I had nothing to write about, and I really needed some motivational mango hot chocolate. What I was not expecting was that there was literally a mango right there, on the counter, standing up. strange, i thought, how is it standing like that? did someone put that there? I looked at the mango from all directions, walking around the counter as I admired its golden yellow skin, ready to eat and looking deliciously juicy. How hard is it to resist a mango, anyway? Doesn’t matter if it’s standing or sitting, right? Just a mango. Not just a mango, I told myself. A mango, The mango. The best fruit in the history of fruits. That’s it! I ran back into the main cabin of this current session and pulled out my laptop. I don’t have much time, I thought, typing furiously on the keyboard. Gotta finish before they arrive, so I don’t get caught. Hopefully I can continue to write about the deliciousness and the absolute heavenly taste of mangoes for the rest of the session, so we can further admire its beauty and
(223 words)

( 6 nov ) w/ prompt, 3 mins
“ all my life i’ve longed for it to come true. now it finally has. ”
all this time all i’ve wanted was to be popular at school. to have a ton of friends, and even more people who wanted to befriend you, to have admirers, and to never be lonely again. but now, i just feel like it’s not great. instead, it’s been causing many problems in my social life, somethings that i would have never before expected. sometimes i wish i could disappear and just stay alone. now i can’t even take aa breather from scool life, and my grades are slowly declining. why did i even wish for this in the first place? i was dumb to think that being popular would make me happy. all i needed was a group of close friends by my side, a few people who actually cared about me. how silly of me, i’ve been overlooking the fact that i had everything i needed to enjoy my life to the fullest, and i’ve been
(157 words)

swc nov '23 - daily #6

“One, two,” Di counted, “Don’t stop, Nea, you’re doing great!” She watched as Nea did handsprings across the mat, “Six, seven, eight, nine… Come on, you’re almost there!” There was a thump as Nea hit the floor.

“Hehe, guess I’m still not good enough,” Nea got up from the mat and walked towards the bench. She picked up her water bottle, “It sure is nice to get in some extra practice before the big competition, especially when I have you with me.”

“Yeah. Do you have your routine down?”

“Mostly. Pretty confident with majority of the parts, just need some more practice on that aerial.” Nea went towards the big mattress, “Alright, here we go.”

“Guess I’ll be on the bars then,” Di hopped over to the uneven bars, “I’m glad we don’t have overlapping events this time, it would be hard to go against you.” Nea only smiled, and launched herself into a back handspring.

- - -

The day of the competition was creeping closer every minute, and the two friends spent more and more of their time at the gym, practicing and practicing again until they could practically do their routine asleep. Finally, the big day arrived. “Nea,” Di sing-songed, “How do you like my outfit?” Di was wearing a beautiful blue leotard adorned with plastic jewels and floral patterned lace.

“Brings out your inner sparkle,” Nea commented, “It suits you,” she continued applying glitter to her eyelids.

Di watched in confusion. “Inner sparkle? What on earth is that?” No response. She took a peek at Nea’s mirror, admiring the glittery eyeshadow. “Wow, that is pretty.”

“Thanks. Do you want to try some?” Nea picked up the small round container filled with extra fine glitter and handed it to Di, who examined the sparkly dust from all directions. Nea giggled at Di’s expression. “Aren’t you going to use it?”

Di dipped her finger into the pool of glitter and smudged some onto her cheekbones. She caught her eye on the clock. “Oh no! We got to go, the competitions are starting.” The two quickly packed their bags, stuffing them into lockers and went out to the competition area.

Soon, it was Nea’s turn. She walked up to the mat, standing in her starting position. “Deep breaths,” she reminded herself, “I got this.” Glancing around, she saw Di waving to her, and she smiled back. The music blasted through the speakers, and she bagan her routine. So far, so good. Then, it was time for the aerial.

Di clenched her fists. Nea’s practiced for so many times and she had done it flawlessly before. “Come on, Nea,” she whispered, “Flip like you’re flying!” She had no idea that what she had just said, was exactly what happened. Or maybe not exactly. “Nea! No!”

Within seconds, Nea was tumbling down. For a while, everything seemed like slow motion. The second before her body touched the mat, iridescent wings sprouted from her back and she fluttered up, landing softly with her feet, as the wings faded to nothing.

- - -

“Di… I’m so sorry.” Tears emerged from Nea’s eyes.

Di shook her head. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Everything is fine.”

“Fine? You mean getting disqualified is fine? Having people whispering and murmuring all around you and taking pictures is fine?” Mascara ran across her cheeks, “This was my one chance to prove to myself that I can truly fit into your world, and I blew it…” This was met with a puzzled yet empathetic expression on Di’s face. “Look, I’m not from here, as you probably know now,” she said between sobs, “I’m a fairy. A runaway fairy. I came to Earth so I could find and pursue my dreams.”

Nea felt a patting on her shoulder. It was Di. “It’s okay, it’s okay now. It’s just,” Di hesitated for a moment, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I… I thought you wouldn’t want to befriend me if I told you. You probably don’t want to see me after this anyways.”

Di laughed, “The only reason I wouldn’t want to see you is because you have mascara all over your face.” She pulled out a tissue and handed it to Nea, “It’s the judges’ loss for disqualifying you. You make an amazing gymnast, fairy or not.”

(714 words)

swc nov - daily #8

I officially have no motivation to write. Nanowrimo is giving me the pressure, and I desperately want to complete my word goal this month. Unfortunately, it seems like there’s no hope left for me now. Wait, the daily just updated, didn’t it? “Maybe I should go check the main cabin,” I said to myself, “That’ll solve my problems.”

“write a fictional conversation between your past, present and future self of at least 400 words? remember your life when you were younger, think of your life now, and imagine where you’ll be in the future?” that sounds interesting enough, but how am I supposed to know what i would be or have been thinking in the past and future?

“Hi!” a voice called from behind me, “How did I get here? Where is this place?” I turned around. That girl looked a lot like… me. More specifically, a younger version of me. Come to think of it, her voice does kind of sound like me when I was little.

“The bigger question is, how did you get here?”

“Aaahh! You look like me, but I don’t remember having an older sister?” She looked at me from side to side, “I don’t know how I got here. Do you know?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’m pretty sure you’re me from the past. This might all sound really crazy right now, but believe me, in a few years, you’ll experience it. I wonder what it would be like to hear that when I was little. Well, uh, when you? Us?” I was totally and fully wrapped up in confusion. “Well,” I told her, “Since you’re here, it might be a good idea to give you some advice- it’ll help you in the future.” She looked at me with a concerned look. “It’s hard to explain. Just remember to never give up on your dreams, and stay stong. Don’t let other people make fun of you or misjudge you. Even if they do, don’t take it personally, their only goal is to make you feel unhappy, so don’t let them succeed.”

Just then, someone walked down the stairs and arrived at where me and past Yume were talking.

“Hi, past Yume,” she said to us, “Oh, and another past Yume. There are two of you, huh. Do I remember this happening?” Wait, did she just call me past Yume too? Does that mean-

“YOU’RE FUTURE YUME?” I practically screamed, “That means you know all about what will happen to me! Did I graduate university? Am I going to get a job? Wait, how old are you?”

“Hehe, I know you’re excited, but slow down. I’m you, 10 years later. Before I answer any questions, I just want to thank you for that letter you sent out to yourself a while ago. You know, the letter to one year later? I read it nine years ago, and it was amazing to be able to recollect on all those memories. You’ll keep on writing them every year.” Both me and past Yume listened attentively, “As for my job, I’ve still not yet decided what I want to do for the rest of my life. Yes, I know, it’s been many years, but the conflict inside us remains unsolved. That’s why I’m continuing my studies for now, and work part-time as a tutor.”

Future Yume looked at me, “I’m not sure if it’s too late to say this, but if I have advice for you, do try to find out more about yourself and your interests. I’ve been there, trust me, and I know it’s hard to find one thing you’d like to do forever. When you find your dream, please do go ahead! I’m sure you can do it.” She’s right, isn’t she, I thought to myself, and Yume means dream, so…

I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Looking up, my surroundings looked blurry. “Wait, future Yume, past Yume!” Did they just vanish? No, this can’t be a dream, can it? That’s way too bland! Future Yume knows that, she wouldn’t just leave! Great. I officially have no motivation to write. Nanowrimo is giving me the pressure, and I desperately want to complete my word goal this month. Unfortunately, it seems like there’s no hope left for me now. Wait, the daily just updated, didn’t it? “Maybe I should go check the main cabin,” I said to myself, “That’ll solve my problems.”

~ word count: 740 words
~ total dailies i've done this session: 5
~ word count this session up till now: 6102/20000

swc nov '23 - daily #14

dear Daily Team,

what would it take to bring back the activities? when we wish upon a star? would we need a mango protest? i’m sure you’re all very busy people, and we swc-ers are too, but there’s no reason to stop having dailies from now on.

when i first stumbled upon the main cabin of the march 2020 session, it was the daily that intrigued me the most, and even though i had no idea how to sign up, and probably had no clue what a backup was, and even if i wasn’t in the session, i followed the daily prompt and made a project. because of that, dailies mean a lot to me, since it was one of the things that drew me into scratch writing camp and eventually led to me signing up for my first session the year later. i’m sure there are other avid swc-ers right now that were brought here by dailies too.

think for a moment. if there were no more activities, there would be less motivation for us to write! sure, cabin standings still exist, but without the amazing activities so well thought out by you guys in the daily team, it would be almost pointless as the rankings would be only based on the amount of words you write. what would happen to the promise of engaging campers throughout the month? we won’t be able learn more about different types of writing from camp anymore. that, in fact, is stripping away what interests swc-ers from around the world to participate in this activity.

also, the dailies and weeklies provide a certain suspense, that the campers are waiting and looking forward to seeing the next activity. we always wonder, when will there be three word stories this session? are we going to do one inspired by a new cabin? i’ve been looking forward to the song parody daily, is it finally here yet? you see, some certain dailies in particular, they’re iconic. campers will remember them, and want to see them again next session, even if they might be a new daily, it’s still highly possible. it’s always so nice to think back to that certain activity, right? like, “oh, i remember that weekly, i worked so hard but still couldn’t make it on time!”, “hey, didn’t we meet during that one collaborative activity?” and then you burst into giggles behind the screen. the activities play a huge part in getting campers together, and that’s what makes every session of swc so memorable. i’m sure while planning the activities, the dt has also created lasting memories with each other, am i right?

the daily team activities are what ties swc and its aims together. it’s what we all look forward to seeing in the session, to inspire us to try something new, and to meet new people by the aim of collaborating. scratch camps are special that way, and if you took all the activities away, there might as well be no swc. hope you decide to change your mind about the strike, we’ll be looking forward to the next activities! i’m sure they’ll be just as, if not more amazing than the ones before.

best wishes and keep writing,
yume

~ word count: 539 words

swc nov '23 - daily #15

I looked up from my bed, glancing over at the window. today was just going to be the same, like usual, right? I haven’t been to school in months, i didn’t feel like it. every other girl would either stare at me, glance over and whisper to their so-called “girlies”, or just ignore me entirely, like i didn’t exist. believe me, i’ve tried. they don’t want to talk to me. they don’t even want to be seen around me, but that’s all about to change. i’m tired of the same repeating pattern every day. it’s like whoever wrote my story has no idea what i feel from all this. i’m taking the wheel now, it’s my life, my choice to make, my story to tell. i have to fix this.

i walked into school the next day with electric blue hair and a confident smile on my face. no, my parents, and the original author, would have totally freaked out if they saw. fortunately, i had a plan and the determination to succeed. i waved to all those girls in the corridors, some of whom froze on spot, and some whispering to their friends. i wonder if they thought i was new or something. from then on, i started to skip classes. fail more tests. my idea was working- or so i thought. turns out, those popular kids found out about my little secret. guess they remembered my existence after all. when i walked into school one day, a little while later, everything was back to how it used to be. no, perhaps even worse.

i’m sure whoever thought of my character would make me scream in front of everyone. sure, i’ve done that before, it’s only natural i do the same now. however, in the end, i decided to visit a certain place. i walked across the halls, hearing those rumours getting spread around, high heels clacking on the floor, and finally, exited through the back door. after a short look at the bushes, i found what i was looking for. brushing apart the curtain of leaves, i stepped through the bush and into the school’s secret garden. i’ve only ever known of this place since i accidentally discovered it during recess, just before the bell rang, but i’ve never had the chance to properly go in and take a good look at it. now that i’m in here, i feel free again. i don’t remember the last time my chest felt so light. that feeling, it’s something writers can’t give you, and i can’t fully explain it either, you need to experience it for yourself.

I was just looking around at the scenery, when, “hey,” a voice called. was someone else here? anxiousness swept across me, knowing someone else knew about this place. i turned around, and almost gasped out loud in shock.

“you?!”

~ word count: 476 words

swc nov '23 - daily #8 { reflection }

my favourite daily this session so far! i loved the letter to my future self one, partially cause i did something like it before, but this one takes time to a whole other level. i absolutely love the concept of it and it was so much fun trying to write in perspective from an older and younger me respectively! throughout writing, i've been thinking a lot about my future, and the fact that my parents pressure me to find something i'm interested in for my career path. this is only my first year of high school though, can't i at least have more time? since young, i've never been able to make up my mind for a dream job, so for future yume, i decided she should still be in between options. hey, that might actually be me in the future! as for past yume, the advice i gave her are things that i wish i'd noticed earlier in my life. in grade 1 and 2, for example, i tried to force myself into liking what others liked just so i could make friends. the effect was temporary, and i found myself lonely again afterwards. you should never be ashamed of liking what you like and doing what you do. if people can't accept you for who you are, they don't deserve to be your friends. this daily has made me go emotional while writing the story, and even now reflecting on it, i do feel like tearing up.

~ word count: 249

swc nov '23 - daily #22

hello fellow swc-ers! do you know what day it is? it’s advertisement day, and today i’ll be answering all the questions you might have about this brand-new invention, the mangorrific words 4000!

so, you might be asking, what's so special about this so-called mangorrific words 4000? well, allow me to explain. although this tool looks just like a normal pen with a mango topper, it's much more than that. a lot of us like to type our writing on a laptop to save us the time and effort of counting all those words. however, research shows that writing on paper is much better for your memory, something this mangorrific invention can help you with! on the mango are three buttons, one a 's', one a ‘w’, and the last one a ‘c’. can you guess what those letters stand for?

when you press the ‘s’ button, the mangorrific words 4000 will emit a soft mango yellow light, scanning your writing and inputting it into a document of your choice, google docs, word, you name it! all it takes is to connect the mango pen to your laptop or device of choice. then, you can easily show proof for your dailies and weeklies! it also checks for spelling and capitalisation errors, so you don't have to worry about those little mistakes.

what does ‘w’ upside down look like? yup, an ‘m’. and what does m stand for? you got it, motivation and mangoes! simply by pressing this button, a truckload of mangoes will be dropped of at your cabin. delicious! if there is no session ongoing or you're not in swc, doesn't matter! you can set a location for the mangoes to be shipped to, so you can enjoy motivational mangoes from the comfort of anywhere.

last but definitely not least, the ‘c’. by pressing this, a small screen will pop up from the top of the mango topper, showing your word count for that page. this is for all of us out there, including me, that absolutely hate the process of counting words by yourself. what a relief!

buy the mangorrific words 4000 today! the product comes in three colors, mango yellow, dark mango yellow, and light mango yellow. visit our store located near the november 2023 main cabin to get yours now!

~ word count: 383

(yet to be named, suggest on my profile i need help)

to my dearest past
let me tell you a story
about a girl with a dream

outside
she was ignored
but on the inside
her dreams flourished
as she wrote and wrote
more and more
each and every day

she could travel
to outer space
basking in the cosmos
and she would venture
into unknown lands
filled with exotic plants
and mythical creatures

she would tell those around her
the stories of her adventures
the sights of her voyages
the tales of the fairies
the pain in the disco
and she'd get lost once again
falling in the rabbit hole
into that infinite fantasy

but
no one believed her
those are all fictional
that's what she was told
so
she set out once again
on her very last journey
to find a new dream

go ahead
open the door
create your future
i'll know how it went
so
believe in yourself



dear soon to be my future
here is a letter to you
about a girl and her dream
it is indeed true

outside
i was ignored
lonely and friendless
at times i just wish
i could disappear

but then i realised
i could write
i could venture into
the vast changing world
filled with everlasting stories
expanding every second
flourishing as new tales
are born from our words

i could write it all
and share it with the world
from the delicate spring morning
to the endless starry sky
filled with constellations
leaving us to admire them
and i'd get lost once again
falling through the mirror
into that infinite fantasy

you were right
or should i say will be

dear my awaiting future
this is my letter to you
if you ever get to read it
then our dreams have come true

sekai ⬦ yume's swc (co)leader app
~ text version ~

{ school sekai }
1. about me
hello there, i’m yume! my pronouns are she/her and i currently live in the est timezone. fancy seeing you in sekai! i have a feeling this app is going to be filled with recollections of memories so brace yourselves- hopefully i don’t overflow my answers with it though, haha. but first, let me introduce myself, whether or not we’ve met before.

i am an avid writer, swc-er, and scratch camp enthusiast in general. i would be lying if i don’t say that throughout the years, my interests just keep changing, but one thing is for sure, my love for writing just keeps on growing. to be honest, when i first started, i really only liked writing songs, scripts, and diary entries. although i still love doing all of that, i’ve picked up interest for some other genres along the way. currently, i am slightly obsessed with fantastopian- a combination of fantasy and dystopian, as there are just infinite possibilities when it comes to combining these two genres. i also find much joy in writing stories that incorporate plots from classic fairy tales that we probably all know. that probably came from reading, since there’s a series i love which is based almost entirely off twisted fairy tales.

besides writing, some of my other interests include singing, dancing, and graphic design. when i’m not frantically typing away on a keyboard, you can most likely find me improv dancing to my favorite songs, in my closet recording a song cover, or working on an upcoming project in canva. i love music, and although i don’t really play any instruments, i’ve been trying to teach myself piano, something past yume unfortunately chose to give up on only a few months into learning it. also, i’m in my school’s concert choir, and we recently performed at both the school’s winter concert and holiday concert. i almost forgot how fun it was to be on stage singing with a group since it’s been so long since the last time i was part of an amazing experience like this one, but i’m really glad i can relive it now. besides choral singing, i like to sing for fun too and i’m working on a few covers that i’ll post on here soon ^^ as you can probably tell, music has become quite a big part of my life. i enjoy listening to music, especially k-pop, j-pop, and songs from musicals, although i’ve never been to a musical in real life- hoping to change that soon!

oh, i almost forgot to mention- this app takes inspiration from and is themed after the game project sekai: colorful stage. i’ve always loved rhythm games and trying out new ones, this one specifically i had known for quite some time, but didn’t actually get to downloading it until i moved and a new friend i met recommended it. it’s really fun and i really enjoy it, especially when i have some time alone and have nothing else to do. i just think it’s always a great idea to be able to listen to music while doing something- whether it’s being productive or not, hehe.

2. experience
as of now, i have participated in a total of four past sessions of swc-
march 2021 - mythology (camper)
march 2023 - poetry coffeehouse (camper)
july 2023 - dystopian spy society (camper)
november 2023 - fairy tale(s) academy (leader)

additionally, the next session not only marks my fifth time participating, it’ll also be 4 years since i first found out about this amazing community back in march 2020- has it really been that long? it sure feels like it. i’m really happy that because of this camp, my love of writing has continued to grow ever since!

even though i found camping super fun and enjoyable, i just felt like there’s more i could do. there’s more to a writing camp than just writing, and more that i could offer to the swc community if i put my heart to it (why isn’t this in the more more jump section-?), so that’s exactly what i did, applying for leader the two previous sessions. even though i didn’t get accepted the first time, i knew i couldn’t give up. as past yume once said, “resilience and determination are the keys to success,” and that determination has brought me here today, having led fairy tales in november ‘23, and back again with another app.

getting to lead fairy tales and being on the leadership team in november has been one of the best things that i have ever done in my life. i know how it feels to be new to swc and not know a thing about the camp, and to be able to help those new campers now, it means a lot to me. i’ve learned a lot from everyone, and perhaps a bit more about myself as well. i was also on the mbc last session, and it was a really rewarding experience.

although i haven’t led any of these, i’ve also participated in other scratch camps like src, sfwc, tc, pixiedust, and some others.

as for outside of scratch, i joined a programme in back in grade 4 where i got to meet people outside my class, go on educational field trips like visiting elderly homes and kindergartens, and even an overnight camp where we developed essential leadership skills such as teamwork, initiative, and taking responsibility. i even met a few friends there, although unfortunately i lost contact with them soon after. the programme really helped with my fears of public speaking and believing in myself, and although i’m still not too good with socializing, i would say it’s been getting better ever since. ^^


{ stage sekai }
3. cabin preferences
i have tried writing in many different genres, some i find enjoyable, others quite difficult. however, there is one that particularly speaks to me. in fact, although i’ve basically been writing that way all my life, i never even knew it was a genre until last session’s project weekly. yes, my top priority for a cabin theme this session is none other than… epistolary!

diary and letter writing are two things i truly enjoy, whether it being for myself or for a story, sometimes even both at the same time. it really opens up a new perspective when you’re writing, and i’m so glad swc-ers now know about it, thanks to the amazing daily team. although i don’t have a clear idea of the cabin theme or storyline yet, i do have some ideas for fun in-cabin activities, like writing letters to characters you’ve made up or diary entries in their perspective.

other than that, i think utopian would also be a fun cabin to have in the lineup, especially if dystopian’s in it too. the thing is, should they be enemies or siblings? i mean, they’re opposites, but in a certain sense interconnected and wouldn’t exist without each other. i just think it’s be really interesting ^^

if i don’t get selected for the two above cabins, my other preferences are mythology, poetry, fantasy and dystopian in no specific order. as for tctwnw, i wouldn’t mind (co)leading it, but i would much prefer a more competitive cabin this session, as i enjoy all the chaos and warring that brings ^^

4. excerpt (taken from swc nov '23 daily #3)
“It’s over now, huh.” Yu picks up a mango, examining its golden yellow skin and unique mango shape, “So it’s all led up to this.”

“Come on, it’s okay. You know it’s not the end.” I tried to keep the tears in. In all the years of being me I had rarely any moments of sadness, but this was different. “We gotta do what we gotta do, and that,” means parting ways, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. I too picked up a mango, and plugged a wire into the fruit. Secretly , I picked up another mango and took a big bite.

“I’m really, really sorry. I wish I could… somehow… give you a friend. I don’t want to go either.” Almost all the wires had mangoes connected to them now, and we were almost ready for takeoff. “I can’t hide any longer, and I really must go back. Oh, I mean, go front-”

Yu, is, in fact, from the future. In fact, Yu isn’t her real name either. It’s just a codename she’s using to stay in the present. About a year earlier, she came to the present. Specifically, to help me. For twelve years, I had no friends. I was lonely at school and after school. That all changed when Yu came into my life.

“Ah! What is this?” A strange large contraption somehow appeared in my room. I have no idea how it got in here, but the next thing I knew, a door slid open and a girl about my age stepped out. Her hair was slick straight and her clothes looked very futuristic. At that moment wasn’t sure if that was a girl or ai or a robot.

“Hi!” The girl waved, “It’s so nice to see you in person.”

“Hi…?” Clearly, I was still trying to recover from shock. Who is this girl, and what is she doing in my room? How did she get here anyways?

The girl, seeming to know everything I was thinking, responded, “You can call me Yu. I come from the future, and I’m here to help.”

Help me? How was this future girl, Yu, whatever she wants to be called, going to help me? “I’m basically helpless now…”

“Trust me, I’m here for you. Whatever you need, I’ll help. It’s part of my mission,” she looked me directly in the eyes, “However, I have to stay hidden. If someone finds out about me, it’s not going to end well.”

What I didn’t know then, was that Yu changed my life. We’d go out together secretly when no one was watching. Every night was like a sleepover, although it meant she had to sleep in my closet. Luckily, with future technologies, she’s able to stay in there with enough oxygen to survive. With stealth mode, she would come to school with me, and I’d hide in that secret spot in the garden every recess to talk to her. I knew that with her by my side, I could do anything. That was until a while ago, when I had to face the unbearable truth.

“You know, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

“What?” If she had something to say to me and she decided to in the middle of a forest, it must mean she wanted privacy.

Yu let out a gentle sigh, “I know all the times we’ve spent together were great and all, but,” a tear slid down her cheek, “I don’t want to either, and I know you’re not going to like it, but I have to go back.” She squeezed my hand tight. “I haven’t told you before, because I was scared you’d give up on me if you knew this was temporary. I’m on a mission to help people from the past- your present.”

“But… Why go back now?” water emerged from my eyes. “After all we’ve gone through together…” My tears fell onto a fallen leaf below me, “I’m gonna miss you,” I said between sobs.

“Look, the time machine, as well as all the other gadgets I need to survive here, expires in exactly a year and one day. My time here is coming to an end.” Yu looked up at the leaves on the trees around us, some starting to shift from green to yellow, “I need your help now. To power the time machine, I’ll need two hundred mangoes.

“T-two hundred? M-ma-mangoes?” Why would she need so much? But then again, “You’ve helped me so much. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

“Thank you!” Yu threw her arms around me, “We have three weeks left together, so why not treasure it?”

“Last mango, all set,” I called. We were back at that spot in the forest, but this time, fall has officially come and the multicolored leaves were gently falling to the ground. I tried my best to hold back tears. This was it.

“Words can’t express how grateful I am right now… Thank you so much!” Tears were streaming down Yu’s cheeks, although I can’t really tell those were tears of sadness, joy, gratitude, or all combined. “We’ll meet again, hopefully.” She stepped inside the time machine, now fueled with the power of mangoes.

“I’ll miss you,” I said, as the door slid close. “Thank you for everything.” And the machine flew up and away in the autumn breeze, leaving behind a gust of wind that blew more leaves off the trees. “It’s so pretty,” I thought to myself. I knew that even if we had to part, we’ll always be there for each other, no matter where we are.

{ street sekai }
5. time & dedication
if i get accepted as a (co)leader, i will dedicate 2-3 hours a day to swc. this includes time after i finish my work for the day and the little check-in’s during school hours. usually, i also go online during lunch if there is a session is progress to work on writing or the cabin. the one downside is that i do have screen time controls, which means i can’t go online after 9 p.m. unless i can successfully convince my parents that i absolutely need it. still, i try my best to make time for swc whenever i can throughout the sessions, still, no matter what, life > swc!

6. time management
oh yes, targeting the one thing we swc-ers struggle with most- procrastination. one weakness of mine is that i tend to procrastinate a lot, especially when it comes to large tasks like the weekly or a project at school, and wait until near the deadline to even start, sometimes having to rush and not giving my best toward the end result. however, i’m trying my best to get rid of that habit, and i’m happy to say mango motivation works. as for skills, i like to split time between work and scratch by setting goals. for example, in an hour, 20 minutes for work, then another 20 for whatever i want, and the remaining also for studying. after all, we do need to keep a healthy balance between life and swc. hopefully the session isn’t so- never mind, i’m sure it’ll all work out.

{ wonderland sekai }
7. cooperation
as per usual, starting with weaknesses. mostly because of what i’ve experienced offline at school, i sometimes hesitate to voice out my opinions and ideas since i fear they’ll only be ignored. i always have this feeling that i might mess something up, so i tend to leave the big decisions to others. i do think i’ve gotten better after last session, when i got more experience cooperating with others. one last thing is that i do still struggle with priorities, leaving the less interesting but important tasks until later on. procrastination is definitely something i’m still working on…

as for strengths, i would say i’m a pretty compassionate person, and i try my best to understand everyone’s viewpoints and ideas and combine them all into a storyline that we’re all happy with. i’m pretty open-minded and adaptive, and i wouldn’t mind changing something or taking out bits and pieces to replace it with a better idea since i’m really not that keen on things to go my way, and my main goal is to finish the task at hand with the best efforts possible by the whole group. to me, fostering friendship within the group and taking that first step makes everything later on easier and definitely much more enjoyable.

8. quality of a leader
one very important thing i’ve learnt last session is that unexpected things happen. for one thing, forums going down for two whole weeks was definitely not what any of us expected, or was prepared for, which is why the one quality i value most in a leader is flexibility.

why flexibility out of absolutely anything else i could have stated? the thing is, you can’t make backup plans for every single emergency that might pop out of nowhere. for example, during the planning of last session, our cabin’s, along with some others’ forums, got closed down due to multiple reasons. luckily, ours was kept intact, although we couldn’t add any replies, but some were unfortunately made inaccessible. it might be sad for some very valuable ideas to be gone just like that, forgotten, but giving up isn’t an option. thinking of new, and possibly better ideas to incorporate into the storyline might be just what the cabin needs.

furthermore, while excitedly planning for fairy tales, one of our co’s got temporarily banned for no reason at all. it came all of a sudden, and it was too late to pick another one. thankfully, she was able to reach out to us on a separate platform, and i suggested the word count group be transformed into the pfp order place. it worked out well, but of course, nothing was better than the surprise we got in the middle of the session (you know if you know)!!

{ empty sekai }
9. atmosphere
a mostly relaxed atmosphere filled with fun activities, achieving your goals, and just the right amount of friendly competition. everyone is welcome here, where lifelong friendships are made.
(191 characters)

10. checkboxes + 3-part
a. check all that apply:
| ✓ | i am applying for both leader and co-leader.
| | i am applying for co-leader only.
| ✓ | i’m willing to share a promotional project for swc.

b. no, i’m confident that i can fulfill all the leadership responsibilities listed.

c. in the case of inactivity, i’ll inform the hosts and the other leaders in my cabin in advance, and help come up with a solution to work with for the time being. if someone has to go offline, i’ll willingly fill in for them if needed. i’ll also let the campers know beforehand and that they can continue to add words while i’m gone.


word count (excluding excerpt + titles): 2026 words

thank you for reading! <33
- yume