march 1, 2024
attempted 1k word intro

Howdy! The name’s Stingray. Though I’m sure anyone bothering to read my intro already knows this, I use she/her pronouns and inhabit EST (the best timezone). I have chronically chapped lips, even in the summer, and I love Star Wars a bit too much. I’m susceptible to mysterious headaches, and I’ll wear sweatshirts but not long sleeved shirts. This session will be my eighth go-around: I keep getting more and more busy offline, but there’s no escape from SWC.
I came up with my alias during COVID, and it stuck. Honestly, that describes a lot of my personality. COVID was when I actually took the time to think critically and become my own person, rather than, as I had previously been doing, regurgitating whatever I thought would make others happy. A kid at heart, I’m a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, and can usually be found with my nose in a book.
Speaking of which: I don’t have a favorite author, but my favorite books are Ready Player One, Circe, I Fell in Love With Hope, The Two Towers, and The Graveyard Book. I had to read To Kill a Mockingbird for English class and I think it’s a bit overrated. Currently I’m diving deep into Middle Earth with an attempt at the Silmarillion - I’m halfway through, and though I can barely remember who’s who, I haven’t ragequit just yet. My favorite chapter so far has been Beren and Luthien so if I survive the Silmarillion, I might read that book next. I’m a sci-fi and fantasy girlie, but I’ll read anything you put in front of me.
Hand-eye coordination and I do not get along well, but I love to swim. I don’t swim year-round, which makes me a weak link on the school team, but I still have fun. I also play violin, an activity that has taken up the better part of ten years and brings me a lot of joy (…most of the time). I play solo but also in two youth orchestras and all-state. I love my instrument to death and couldn’t imagine life without it… when I’m not crying over it that is. As anyone who’s in orchestra knows, it’s a cult, and there is no escaping it now that I’ve gone this far. I think my dream career would be playing in the orchestras for Broadway shows or recording the score for movies, but that’s unattainable, so I want to be an engineer.
As always, my biggest goal for the session is to not get burnt out. I have an unfortunate habit of losing steam halfway through the month and I’d very much like to ditch that trend and be a productive human being. More positively, I’d like to do all the weeklies, and write some stuff for personal enjoyment rather than just doing dailies.
I’m not in the mood to write another five hundred words, so this is all you’re getting. If you didn’t already know me, I hope you’ve learned something about me and potentially want to be friends!

515 words
new total 725

march 4, 2024
For today's daily we'll be breathing in the air of spontaneity! Start by grabbing a die and rolling it - if you get 1 or 2, write in present tense, 3 or 4, write in past tense, and 5 or 6 write in future tense. Now roll it again! If you get 1 or 2, write in 1st person POV, 3 or 4, write in 2nd person POV, and if you get 5 or 6 write in 3rd person omniscient POV.
I got second person and past tense.

You thought that by now, you would have forgotten.
That thinking about it would hurt at least a little less.
You’d felt grief before this, but never this deep, never this painful.
You’d stopped using the Force: What used to be a warm light was now cold and empty; a reminder of everyone who was gone. Becoming one with the Force was supposed to be a cause to rejoice, but everything about this felt wrong.
It’s still hard for you to think about it without crying.

“Brook!” she shouted. “Get in the escape pod!”
Blaster fire. The smell of smoke. Her green lightsaber whirling through the air.
“El,” you said, “you know I won’t leave without you.”
She grinned. Death didn’t scare her like it scared you.
“Sure you will. I’ll buy you time.”
She pushed you into the pod and it fired, hurling you out into space. Face pressed to the viewport, you watched as troopers closed in around her. She stumbled once, twice; her lightsaber went out, she fell to the floor as blaster fire rained.
Eldira was dead, and so was a part of you.

Because of El, you’d made it out. But none of it felt worth it, because she was gone, and you were alone, and the Empire was unstoppable.
It should have been you who’d stayed behind, because if El were here, she would be able to do something. El would have laughed in the face of the darkness and ran into it headlong, lightsaber blazing, to carve out her own light. Without her, you were lost.

You were safe - for now - but you still dreamt of before. Some nights you walked the halls of the temple; others you relived that horrible escape. When you woke up, the absence of the Force felt even more glaring. You knew it was safer this way, but navigating the world without the Force felt like walking with one leg. Worse than that, everything reminded you of Eldira: the smiling stranger across the street, the fruits (her favorite kind) piled high on a vendor’s stand, a pretty sunset you knew she would have loved.
It was painful, but true: Eldira was gone forever. You would never get more time with her. Nothing, not even the Force, could bring her back.

382 words
New total 1107

March 7, 2024
Some Star Wars fanfiction I wrote last night! If you haven't watched The Bad Batch, it'll be a little confusing (sorry). Critique appreciated ^^

Every morning since her return to Pabu, Omega had woken up with a smile on her face. Every morning until today. As the euphoria of being reunited with her family had faded, doubts had crept into her mind until Omega didn’t know if anything had been worth it. Now, when Wrecker came in to wake her up, Omega hid under the covers, proclaiming she didn’t feel well.

Out on the terrace, Crosshair was the first to bring it up.
“I’m worried about Omega,” he said.
“What for?” Hunter asked.
“What do you think? She’s been in bed for two days.”
“And she hasn’t eaten anything,” Wrecker added. “There must be a problem.”
Hunter nodded slowly. “It is strange. She didn’t even want Batcher in the room.”
At the mention of her name, Batcher perked up from her spot under the table, but upon realizing nobody was giving her food, returned to her nap.
“My best guess is that she’s sad about Tech,” Crosshair said. Even now, it was a bullet to the heart remembering that he wasn’t there anymore.
“Despite what Omega thinks, she’s still a kid. It’s probably harder for her to move on, and Tantiss wasn’t exactly the place to deal with grief.”
Nobody questioned Crosshair on this. He still refused to say what had happened while he and Omega were there, but it couldn’t have been anything good.
“I’ll talk to her,” Echo said. Before the others could argue, he continued. “Kids her age are weird. Especially girls. If she’s anything like the Commander, emotional stuff is easier to talk about if it’s just to one person at a time.”

Echo stood in the door to Omega’s room, Batcher at his side.
“I want to be alone,” Omega mumbled, still buried deep in her bed.
“You think you want to be alone,” Echo corrected. Then, cautiously, he asked, “will you come out and watch the sunset?”
Batcher got tired of waiting on Omega and jumped up on the bed, licking her face until she finally rolled out of bed.
“Fine,” Omega said, “I’m coming.”

The three went out to the now-empty terrace. Omega and Echo sat atop the wall facing the sea, while Batcher curled up on the stones behind them.
“To be blunt, Omega, I’m worried something’s wrong. All of us are worried.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Omega replied. She tried to fake a smile.
“It’s a little late for that,” Echo said. “I care about you, and if there’s something wrong, I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.” He cringed inwardly.
He was making a huge mess. This sort of thing was much easier with Jedi.
Nobody said anything for a long time. Batcher sneezed, and wagged her tail in her sleep.
“She must be having a good dream,” Omega said. Echo nodded.
Omega tried to start talking a few times, but failed to organize her thoughts. “Well…” “I just…” “It…”
“I think it’s all my fault,” she finally said. The floodgates burst open, and everything else she’d held inside her for the past days poured out. “I make things worse for everyone. They hurt Crosshair because of me, and when he tried to warn you, they almost killed him. Because of me, you’re always on the run. If I weren’t with you, maybe Tech…”
Omega couldn’t continue. Echo hugged her close, then wiped the tears from her eyes with his good hand.
“I miss him too,” he said. “Every day. I thought that if I were a soldier long enough, it would stop hurting when I lost a brother. It never did.
“Sometimes I wonder what I could have done differently, if I could have changed one little thing and kept Tech with us. But it’s nobody’s fault he’s gone.”
Omega sniffled. “It feels like it’s my fault.”
“Omega,” Echo asked, “why do you want to go back to Tantiss and save the clones?”
“They’re brothers,” Omega answered immediately.
“But you wouldn’t get any money,” Echo said, “or fame. And it would be dangerous.”
“Echo, I wouldn’t do it for money. It’s the right thing to do.”
“When Rex and them rescued me from Skako, they weren’t hoping to get their names put in the history books. Crosshair didn’t risk his life to send that transmission because he was getting paid to do it. All of us, in the whole galaxy, we put other people before ourselves because of love. Tech didn’t die so that all of us would feel indebted to him. He died so we could live. He died so someday we’ll be there to see the Empire fall. And most of all, he died because he loved us.”
The sun sank lower over the sea, scattering brilliant oranges and reds across the water.
“You’re our sister, Omega. Never forget how much we love you.”

807 words
New total 2533

March 7, 2024
“Channel your inner gratitude for international women's day! Pen a 200 words thank-you note to a feminine figure – historical trailblazer or personal hero. dive into what makes her amazing, add a splash of humour and spread the love!”

Dear Justice Ginsburg,
My little sister was the one who first made me aware of your existence. She read a picture book about you, and since then has had her heart set on being a Supreme Court Justice just like you were. When I was younger, the older sibling in me refused to be outwardly affected by my sister’s interest, but I’d be lying if I said you haven’t inspired me as well.
People like to tell themselves that in America, the gender gap is gone. It isn’t. We are lucky to have made the progress we have so far, but I still feel like my freedom is being taken away from me and the double standard imposed on women is becoming harder to navigate by the day. I look up to you because of the way you lead and championed for what you believed. You yourself said it best: “Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that leads others to join you.” I will always be in awe of the grace with which you carried yourself and the way you tirelessly fought for what was right.
Before the pandemic, my family went to Washington, DC, for my sister’s birthday. Naturally, she wanted to see the Supreme Court - and you - in action. We waited in the rain outside the courthouse for two hours, before finally getting a two-minute courtroom pass. My sister was devastated: Even sitting on my dad’s lap, she was too small to see you over everyone else’s heads. But I still remember you, seated at the bench. You are an inspiration to me because your story taught me that my words have power, and that no glass ceiling can stop me from achieving my dreams. Thank you.

296 words
New total 2829

March 14, 2024
“Happy Pi Day! Although pi doesn’t have an ending, our stories (well, most of them) do. Try writing a story that begins and ends in the exact same way, but throughout all the events occurring in between, gives it a much different meaning by the end.”

Brook stood at the terminal, a look of quiet determination on her face.
This time, she’d get it right.
“Identification, please,” the guard said.
Taking a deep breath, Brook reached into the Force. She quieted her mind just like she’d been taught at the Temple; blocking out the transports taking off, the other travelers rushing through the terminal, even the presence of Althea behind her. The only people that mattered were her and the guard.
Brook let the power of the Force sink into her words. Hopefully, it would work this time.
“You don’t need my identification,” she said.

“I’m sorry,” the guard said, confused, “but I still need your identification.”
Brook blushed. It was a good thing her friends weren’t around to witness this; she’d never hear the end of it.
Althea stepped in front of Brook. “Forgive my Padawan,” she apologized, “she just learned Force mind tricks, and she’s very eager to practice them.” Althea gave the guard her and Brook’s identification cards, plus a few credits for the trouble.

Aboard the transport, Althea put an arm around her Padawan’s shoulder.
“Sorry for throwing you under the bus,” Althea said.
“Sorry for messing up the mind trick,” Brook replied, dejected.
“You’ll get it next time,” Althea reassured.
“Maybe next time, we won’t practice on innocent guards?” Brook asked.
“Listen,” Althea laughed, “you’re lucky. This is nothing compared to how Johra had me learn mind tricks.” Althea’s Padawanship had been unorthodox, to say the least. “And I think you learn better in the real world.”
Brook side-eyed Althea. “You’re not making me feel any better.”
“Well,” Althea said, “do you want a tip?”
“Sure. Not like I can get any worse at mind tricks.”
Althea settled into her seat. “First off, you’re overthinking things. If you don’t have faith that the mind trick will work, it won’t work. Also, waving your hand like that may look cooler but mind tricks work better when the person has no idea they’re being tricked. Next time, make the mind trick sound like a regular sentence.”
“Ugh,” Brook said, “there’s a next time?”
“Don’t let one failure stop you in your tracks, young Padawan.”
“You’re so annoying.”
Althea grinned. “That’s why you love me.”
Brook rolled her eyes and turned towards the viewport to watch the towers of Coruscant as they flew past.
Althea was right. Brook would get it next time.

Brook stood at the terminal, doing her best to bury her fear.
If she didn’t get this right, she’d be a dead woman.
“Chain code, please,” the guard said.
Since Order 66, Brook had avoided the Force. Yet still, when she called on it, the familiar warmth greeted her like an old friend. If she focused enough, she could imagine Althea next to her, silently cheering her on.
Brook let the power of the Force sink into her words.
“That won’t be necessary,” Brook said, and passed through the terminal without a second thought.
If Althea were here, Brook thought, she would be smiling.

503 words
New total 7010

weekly no. 1 - dialogue

part 1 - consistent character voices
brook and althea make a late-night burrito trip

“Althea,” Brook whispered. No movement.
“Althea!”
The older Jedi grumbled and rolled over, facing away from her Padawan.
“Althea I know you’re awake.”
“No I’m not,” Althea responded. She gave up any pretense of sleeping and sat up. “What do you want, Brook?”
“I’m hungry,” Brook said. “Can we go get food somewhere?”
Althea sighed. The one time she managed to actually fall asleep and stay asleep, Brook woke her up. “You are perfectly capable of taking yourself somewhere to get food. There’s food in like, five different places in the temple.”
Brook looked at Althea, pleading. “I want burritos.”
Althea’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her Padawan, hardly believing what Brook had said.
“It’s past midnight. And you’re waking me up. Because you want burritos.”
“Yep,” Brook said, grinning sheepishly.
Force give me patience, Althea thought to herself.
“Okay,” she said. “Burritos. But you have to fly, or else I will fall back asleep and accidentally steer us into a building.”
“Deal,” Brook said. She went over to Althea’s closet and grabbed two coats. One she tossed to Althea, and the other one she put on, the much taller Jedi’s coat looking comical on her.
Althea rolled your eyes. “You can’t use your own coat?”
Brook grinned at her. “I like yours!”

The two flew through Coruscant traffic at breakneck speed, Brook weaving through lines of speeders.
“You- are going- to get- us killed!” Althea shouted, struggling to have her voice heard over the roar of the city.
Brook laughed. “You dug your grave, now lie in it!”
“Guess it didn’t matter if I flew us there or not,” Althea grumbled, “Because we’re gonna die either way.”
“What was that?” Brook asked.
“Nothing.”

“I think you get hangry, Althea.”
Althea looked up at Brook, burrito in hand.
“What,” she said, deadpan, “could possibly lead you to that conclusion?”
“Maybe the fact that you look like you want to kill me,” Brook responded.
“I don’t want to kill you,” Althea said, “I just want some well-deserved rest.”
“Don’t you think a burrito is better than rest?” Brook asked.
“That’s debatable.”
“I’m sorry for being snappy, Brook. I just really am tired.”
“It’s okay, Master. I don’t mind.”
“Clearly, or you wouldn’t keep bothering me. But seriously. I never mean to hurt your feelings.”
“You haven’t. Quit worrying about it.”
Althea smiled. “Thanks, Brook. I appreciate that.”
The two sat in silence for a while, finishing their burritos.

Brook flew the two back to the temple again, at a slightly less reckless pace.
“Is this better, Master?” she asked, narrowly dodging an incoming speeder.
“Not really,” Althea said. “But I appreciate the effort.”
Thankfully, they both made it back to the temple without any issues.

“Thanks for taking me to get food,” Brook said, as they walked back to their rooms.
“Don’t mention it,” Althea replied. “But please, can I go to sleep now?”

484 words

part 2 - using dialogue effectively
liberty and althea express their frustration when the jedi council might not let liberty back into the order

Althea stood by the doorway to the high council’s room, waiting. Try as she might, she couldn’t sense what was going on inside.
Liberty walked out of the room towards Althea, apprehension emanating from her.
“Well?” Althea asked.
“They might not take her back,” Liberty said, biting back frustration. “She’s ‘too old.’”
Althea looked at Liberty in disbelief. “Eldira didn’t ask to be kidnapped!”
“She didn’t,” Liberty replied. “It’s not fair.”
“Maybe they think because she took so long to return, she shouldn’t be readmitted?”
Liberty sighed. “Well then, it’s our fault - nobody went looking for her; of course she felt abandoned.”
Althea put her arm around Liberty’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself for this.”
“It’s out of my hands now,” Liberty said, defeated. “There’s nothing more I can do.”
“Exactly - all this thought process does is make you feel worse.”
The two walked down the hall together away from the room.
“The Force doesn’t always work in ways we understand,” Liberty said, “but this is so obviously the right choice. Why don’t they realize it?”

175 words (100 dialogue)

part 3 - foreshadowing
noa can't handle the idea that things are going to change

Noa sat down at the table across from his sister, sliding a bowl of soup across the table towards her. As the world got crazier and crazier, he tried to hold on to the bits of normalcy he could find. Cooking dinner for himself and Lil was something that he was sure would never change, no matter what else did. Lilian would of course move out someday, and start her own life. But they were both still young, and had the whole world before their fingertips, free to become whoever they wanted. There was so much time.
“Thanks, Noa,” Lilian said, “this is good.”
“Glad you like it,” Noa responded. “What’d you do today?” Noa asked this nearly every dinner, and Lilian’s responses were always vague.
“Oh you know. The usual. What about you?”
“The usual.”
They ate in silence for a while.
“Do you know when the speeder’s going to be fixed?” Lilian asked.
“Tomorrow, hopefully,” Noa replied. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason,” Lilian said, “I was just curious.”
Noa fixed it the following evening, and when he woke up the morning after, both the speeder and Lilian were gone.

Lilian returned after night had fallen.
“Where were you?” Noa asked. “I made you dinner.”
“I’m sorry,” Lilian said, “I had some things to take care of.”
“You took the speeder without asking me.”
“It’s alright, nothing’s damaged.”
Lilian looked at Noa, and saw the hurt on his face.
“I’m sorry, Noa. I promise I won’t disappear again.”
“I just want us to be safe,” Noa said.
“We are safe. Things will be exactlythe same as before.”

It had been weeks since Lilian’s death, and still, every night he made a second plate of food for her. Usually, after he was done eating, he’d put her food somewhere and eat it for lunch the next day. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn’t handle the fact that Lilian would never be there anymore.
Once again, even though she’d promised, she’d taken the speeder and disappeared. Only this time, the only thing that returned was the speeder and a notice of death from the Empire that she had been in an accident. Noa was no fool, and it was no accident that Lilian had died.
Noa was lost, drifting through the world with no idea where to land. He still did his job; it was the only thing keeping him sane. But he had no purpose with everyone he loved gone. All he knew was that he had to make sure Lilian hadn’t died in vain.

429 words

part 4 - script
brook and eldira discuss the future

ELDIRA enters a small garden room in the Jedi temple. The room is not outdoors, but feels like it is, because of the abundance of plants and the large windows. BROOK is in the room, sitting by herself on a stone bench.
ELDIRA: I thought I’d find you here.
BROOK: (laughs) This is where Althea goes when she needs time to think - I guess she’s rubbing off on me.
ELDIRA: Is something wrong then? If you need time to think?
Brook moves over on the bench to make room for Eldira to sit.
BROOK: I’m not sure why you’re asking, because you already know the answer. Sometimes I wonder if you understand my brain better than you understand your own.
Eldira sits next to Brook.
ELDIRA: I knew something was wrong. But I find it more helpful to ask the person to tell you what’s going on rather than to simply look inside their head.
BROOK: I’m just thinking about everything. (She realizes Eldira wants her to be more specific). The future.
ELDIRA: Liberty always tells me to-
BROOK, slightly exasperated: Focus on the present, I know. It’s easier said than done, and it feels like there’s just so much to worry about.
ELIDRA: I understand that. I feel like it’s easier for her to say because she’s an adult. It seems like the world is less big for adults.
BROOK: It probably isn’t, though. And that’s scary. I’m going to become a knight someday, and get out into the world, and realize I don’t have any idea what I’m doing.
ELDIRA: Before I came back to the Jedi, I never had the chance to look back or look forward - if I stopped focusing on the moment, I’d never be able to keep up with life. But now I’m here, and I have time to think about that stuff, and it gives me so many questions.
BROOK: I’m scared that in the future, I won’t have you. What if the Order finds out about us?
ELDIRA: The Order isn’t right about everything. That’s another thing I learned when I was gone.
BROOK: They may not be right, but they’re powerful. What would you choose if they made you leave me or leave the Jedi?
ELDIRA: I wish there was a way to choose both. I don’t know. It’s hard to think about. What would you choose?
BROOK: I don’t know either.
Eldira hugs Brook.
ELDIRA: That’s why we have to focus on the present. It doesn’t matter what happens in the future, because we have each other now.

428 words

total word count: 1516

college essay #yeehaw
please leave any thoughts you have (feel free to put them in this forum lol)

Prompt 5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

If high school was like the movies, my cookie-cutter description would be “the quiet one.” Though my laugh is infectious, it’s reserved for my close friends, and I take a while to open up when placed in new situations. I am content with the picture I paint of myself, but until recently, I thought I’d have to live my life with a piece missing.

For years, I’d confused extroversion with confidence. I thought that because I’m naturally quiet, “confident” would never be part of my self-image, and to accept myself for who I was, I would have to accept that I wasn’t confident. It’s only now, going into my final year of high school, that I realize I had it all wrong: confidence is less about the volume of my voice and more about my choices and actions.

In July, I became friends with Grace, my cabin-mate at a performing arts camp. Grace had attended this camp the past three summers, while it was my first time. She played flute, I played violin; we both played Uno together during our morning break. About eight days into the twelve-day camp, we were walking through the woods to class together when out of the blue, Grace remarked, “I can’t believe it’s only your first year here – you just seem so confident about everything.”

Confident? I couldn’t believe it. I sleep with a stuffed animal; I’m terrified of cavities; and my OCD tells me the world will end if I eat ketchup. How did any of those qualities add up to confidence? I played her remark off as a joke, not thinking it could ever be true – but in the following days, I replayed her words in my mind, and as I did, my entire life outlook changed.

Grace’s words were more than just a compliment. They revealed something about myself that I’d never recognized before: if other people thought I was confident, logic dictated that I could consider myself confident too. The trick was, I had to develop this confidence in a way that stayed true to myself.

Confidence doesn’t have to be loud. Confidence can be the knowledge of who I am and the trust that I’m where I’m meant to be. Confidence can be the ability to lead with kindness, as I take charge of my grade’s Spirit Week preparations for our senior year. Confidence can be the courage to step out of my introverted comfort zone and take new risks, like auditioning and interviewing for my dream summer program. Confidence can be standing up for what I believe in. Confidence can even be the acceptance of what I do not yet know, and the assurance that these unknowns will work themselves out. And most importantly, confidence is finally attainable.

A few weeks ago, I tried ketchup for the first time since I was six – and the world did not end. Moments like this make it clear that the gap between who I am and who I want to be isn’t as unbridgeable as I once thought. My summer camp Uno buddy helped me realize that confidence doesn’t just belong to the loudest or most social people in the room, but I want to see this confidence in myself, not just have it noticed by others. I’ve committed to this ideal in the way I present myself, in the way I interact with others, and in the way I make decisions. Growing my confidence isn’t something that can happen overnight, but I’m ready for the journey: if I can survive eating ketchup, I can survive anything.

wow this is so good!! I love how easily it flows as well as the message you convey and how confident it feels (I guess that was the point tho )
good luck <3

silverlynx- wrote:

wow this is so good!! I love how easily it flows as well as the message you convey and how confident it feels (I guess that was the point tho )
good luck <3

lol confident I see what you did there :eyes:…

thank you so much for reading this!

THIS IS GREAT! Just a thought, maybe you could separate the last sentence in a new paragraph so it stands out? It looks *kind of* jumbled in there

-starrii-skies- wrote:

THIS IS GREAT! Just a thought, maybe you could separate the last sentence in a new paragraph so it stands out? It looks *kind of* jumbled in there

ooo ok I shall take this into account thank you!