Daily 7/28/2023
319 Words
@-WritingIsCool-'s Prompt

Do you like dialogue? Wonderful. I challenge you to write a story composed solely of snippets of dialogue. The twist? You can't write any conversations. Just random snippets. Try to see if you can form a storyline or make it interesting despite this. Write at least 300 words of this, good luck!!

“Did you hear about the attack on the harbor last night?”
“There were a lot of guards but they weren’t enough.”
“Why do people always like blowing stuff up?”
“It was them, wasn’t it?”
“It’s not safe here anymore.”
“Nowhere is safe.”
“I like fish!”
“There were so many casualties!”
“What has this world come to?”
“I’m afraid.”
“I like fish!”
“Such cowards. We should fight!”
“We should wait for the heroes!”
“What have the heroes ever done for us?!”
“We’re stronger together.”
“I LIKE FISH!”
“I can’t stand seeing those I love in danger.”
“The time to act is now!”
“Did you hear that?”
“Was that an explosion?”
“Oh no!”
“I LiKE fIsH!”
“We’re all gonna die!”
“Go this way!”
“Get out of my way!”
“They’re coming!”
“We need to fight!”
“We need to run!”
“Ah, the perfect night for some mayhem!”
“Who should we beat up first?”
“Don’t hurt me!”
“Let’s hide!”
“i like fish…”
“Come here!”
“I got something for ya!”
“Hit him first!”
“We’re not losing today!”
“When did civilians ever fight back?”
“Oh well, I like a challenge!”
“You want a tussle? Let’s tussle!”
“You line them up, I’ll knock them down!”
“To the left!”
“To the right!”
“Dodge that hammer!”
“He has a gun!”
“I LIKE FISH!!”
“What’s wrong with that guy!”
“Eat fists!”
“These fists got bite!”
“Watch it!”
“Do you think we’ll win!”
“We have to survive!”
“There is so much I want to protect.”
“Man down!”
“The villains are too strong!”
“So much blood…”
“I can’t die today!”
“Puny civilians have no chance against us.”
“I wish they put up a better fight.”
“Please don’t hurt my son-”
“Father!”
“The heroes will come, I know they will!”
“It’s too late for you lot.”
“Ahh… don’t you just love the smell of chaos?”
“It was all over too soon…”
“We should raid another place tonight.”
“Let’s go now!”
“I… love… fish…”

PHANTASMAGORIA
SWC NOVEMBER COMPETITION ENTRY
1218 Words
Minor de@th/b1ood warning
“You probably shouldn’t go into the forest at night; it’s haunted,” the boys had warned with their “concerned” smiles. I knew the real meaning behind those smiles; they were mocking me. They thought I was too chicken to accept any of their dares, and tonight I’d prove them wrong.
“Where are you going, Enver?” My older sister, Cerise, asked as I tugged on my boots.
“To hang out with some friends,” I answered, standing up.
“This late?” She frowned, “Not with those guys again, right?”
I shrugged off her question, turning toward the door, “I’ll be back soon.” My sister came home early from work one evening and met my “friends.” She had decided that they were a bad influence on me, and tried to prevent me from hanging out with them ever since. I wished she understood that I wasn’t hanging out with them by choice.
I used to try to reassure myself that what I was going through was just the recruitment phase. I thought, maybe if I just toughed it out, then eventually they’d stop and I’d finally be one of them. But, after a year and a half of enduring beatings, embarrassment, and harassment I realized that to them, I was just a plaything. And by the time I realized this, it was too late for me to get out. They had already captured me in their web, and I was just waiting to be eaten. But, similar to many predators, they liked playing with their food.
I wasn’t going to the forest by choice- I wasn’t that stupid- it was more like if I didn’t go to the forest, they’d beat the * out of me. Over the years, I’d developed ways to hide my bruises and scratches. I wore long sleeves year-round, even in the summer. I learned to cover my face and roll up into a ball when they cornered me and kicked me until I could barely breathe. And most important of all: I learned to lie. My sister, who worked so hard just to put some food on the table and pay the rent, didn’t need to worry about her worthless brother. So I put on a smile whenever she was around, reassuring her that there was absolutely nothing wrong.
But, whenever I was alone, that smile instantly crumbled. Sometimes I felt as if the world around me was muted and colorless. It was suffocating, and I wanted to end it all. But each time those thoughts would plague my mind- each time I came close to giving up on everything- I remembered that I couldn’t just leave my sister behind- not when I was all she had left. Our parents left us when I was just seven years old. At that time, my sixteen-year-old sister dropped everything to take care of the two of us. Learning was her passion and it was her dream to become a teacher, but she no longer had time to go to school. And still, she always came home with a smile, no matter how long and hard her day at work was. She still found time to cook a meal for the two of us, and sometimes even help me with my homework.
If she saw the pathetic state I was in, she’d break into pieces, and I promised myself I would never let that happen.
My boots crunched through the snow-covered ground as I made my way toward the forest that loomed ahead, nothing more than a mass of black silhouettes of trees that had long since lost their leaves. I knew, somewhere in the bramble, the boys watched me, making sure I stayed true to my word.
Without another thought, I marched on, ignoring my heart which beat wildly in my chest. The wind howled its song of mourning, and an owl joined in with its piercing, lonesome cry. Branches creaked and groaned as I passed trees with knots and holes that formed strange faces each crying out in pain and agony.
A twig behind me snapped and I whirled around, half expecting to find one of the boys with a wolfish grin mocking my jumpiness. I saw nothing.
My heart raced as I continued my trek through the forest, dismissing whatever I heard as a conjuring of my imagination. I was okay… everything was fine… the forest wasn’t haunted… those were just rumors…
I bit back a scream as I bird flew towards me, its wings flapping violently in my face. A crow… or maybe a raven- I had never been an avian expert anyway. I kept my eyes squeezed shut until the flapping ceased; the bird left nothing behind but a lone black feather.
The trees seemed to close around me, creating a cage woven from branches with sharp, ends. My entire body shook as the wind continued its howling mockery. A flash of white from the corner of my eye sent me jumping, and another snapping twig made me scream. The scream echoed throughout the dead forest, haunting me more than any of the other sounds.
“O-okay, guys, that’s enough!” I called out, laughing nervously. “This isn’t funny. I’ll admit it, I’m a worthless chicken!”
I listened for a response but got none.
“Enver!” My eyes widened as I stood, paralyzed in fear. It was as if the wind itself had whispered my name in its unearthly cries. I felt a hand clasp my shoulder from behind; I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
My legs shaking, I ran, crashing loudly through the low branches of trees that seemed to reach out, trying to grab me and hold me hostage. The faces surrounding me twisted and shifted, gaping mouths filled with teeth waiting to eat me up, and soulless eyes recording my every movement.
Laughter echoed throughout the night as birds cried, twigs snapped, and footsteps fell. I stumbled over a tree root and fell to the ground, my head hitting something hard and sharp. The world around me spun in and out of focus as something warm trickled from my scalp and down my neck. It took me a moment to realize it was my blood.
Was I dying?
The sound of muted footsteps and disoriented voices poked at my consciousness, each sound fractured and hard to tell apart.
“*– he fell!”
Was that Oliver?
“I-is he dead?”
Leo…
Someone kicked me on my side, but I barely felt anything. Every muscle in my body felt sluggish. I closed my eyes, unable to keep them open any longer.
Someone cursed. “That’s blood!”
“Let’s get out of here!”
I scarcely felt my lips pull into a smile as the footsteps retreated, leaving me once again alone, lying in the cold snow. A single tear escaped from one of my eyes as I thought of Cerise, her smile, burning brightly in the back of my mind.
I’m sorry, my dear older sister. I was too weak to hold on as everything around me seemed to slip through my grasp. I’m sorry I’m leaving you as everyone else has. Perhaps now that you don’t have to take care of me, you’ll finally be free. Follow your dreams, Cerise, nothing is holding you back anymore.
My thoughts ceased as I accepted the cold embrace of death.

Daily 3/1/2024
533 Words
Hello there! (Get the reference? XD) My name is Enora (a girl) and I’m in my final year of high school (sobs). I’m a Muslim and am very introverted. This will be my fourth SWT session.

My favorite colors are red and black, and I love all sweets. My favorite animals are red pandas, snow leopards, and sloths, and my favorite sea creature is the orca. Math is my favorite subject, and I love technology. It’s my dream to become either an author or a video game designer (or maybe I can do both XD)

My hobbies include reading (webtoons and novels), playing video games (RPG and shooter mostly), and of course: writing!!!

I enjoy watching anime. My favorites are (in order) My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen. Some of my favorite characters from these shows are Todoroki, Amajiki, Dabi, Hawks, Obanai, Tanjiro, Muichiro, Mitsuri, Choso, Geto, Fushiguro, and Itadori.

I’ve been recently obsessed with Avatar: The Last Airbender after watching (and completing) the live-action. I absolutely love Zuko, and all of his backstory scenes had me sobbing. Someone find me a Zuko irl. ;-;

As I mentioned before, most of my free time on the weekends is spent playing video games. I love Overwatch 2. I also play Splatoon 3 and Brawlhalla. As for RPGs, I’ve played all 3 Xenoblade Chronicles games with their side stories. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was my favorite. I enjoyed Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and have recently started Tales of Arise. On my phone I’m addicted to Cookie Run: Kingdom, Tears of Themis, and Star Wars: A Galaxy of Heros. I also play Honkai Starrail every now and then.

I love Star Wars. I’ve basically watched every movie and almost every live-action and cartoon/ animation there is out there. My favorite Star Wars movie is The Last Jedi, and my favorite character is Kylo Ren. My favorite live-action is most likely The Mandalorian.

Now as for reading… most of my writing is inspired by the wonderful works of others. I love reading books (during covid year I read over 50 books) My favorite genres are dystopian, fantasy, and contemporary romance (must be clean/ innocent). I’m obsessed with slow-burn, sweet, and innocent romance, especially when it’s not the main plot. My favorite book series are The Lunar Chronicles, Keeper of the Lost Cities, The Ascendance Series, and Ranger’s Apprentice. My favorite author (who ironically didn’t write any of these series) is Kasie West. If you haven’t checked out her books, you better do it now.

Other than reading books, I’ve recently developed an obsession for Webtoons. I love the modern-day high school romance stories and the superhero action ones. Historical ones are good too. My favorite of all time is Seasons of Blossoms (made me sob but was so beautifully written and drawn) Other favorites include True Beauty, Villain to Kill, The Academy’s Undercover Professor, Hero Killer, Unordinary, Operation True Love, School Bus Graveyard, Odd Girl Out, Morgana and Oz, Tacit, The Blood of the Butterfly, The Kiss Bet, and It’s Mine.
Oh my, there are only ten minutes left before the daily is due. I gotta stop here! ;-; Welp, thanks for reading this if you did!