Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is my first ever session of SWC and I'm more than exhilarated to be here. I'm a very simple person so you're just gonna see a plain directory and then all of my writings. Happy writing!

Statistics:
~ Total Word Count: 13,524/5000 (I don't actually even know anymore…)
~ Total Dailies Completed: 13/31 (I don't actually even know anymore…)
~ Total Bidailies Completed: 3/15 (I don't actually even know anymore…)
~ Total Weeklies Completed: 4/4
~ Total Word Wars Won/Fought: 0/1
~ Total Cabin Wars Won/Fought: 3/3
~ Total Wandahois: 2/∞

Directory:
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~ Daily No. 1: “Welcome, leaders, campers, fairies, and trolls, to the March ‘24 session of SWC! We hope you're as excited as we are for the exciting month ahead of us. To start us off, introduce yourself to your fellow writers and jot down your goals for this session. Who's your favorite author? How long have you done SWC? Give encouraging messages and compliment each other's intros - some of this might just come into play in tomorrow's daily. Have fun, and happy writing! <3”
↳ Word Count: Eight Hundred
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Bidaily No. 1: “write a diary entry in 200 words describing your first day in the letter terminal! completing a cabin bidaily can earn you quills! go to your specific wcg to claim them alongside your words for that activity ^^”
↳ Word Count: 200
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Daily No. 2: “Hello, swc-ers, and welcome to our second daily of camp! Yesterday was world compliment day, and we all exchanged compliments on our introductions. Today, we'll use them in our writing! Take someone else's compliment and integrate it as a focal point of your story. How does the main character react to these compliments? How does it affect other people? Complete this daily with a minimum of 250 words for a scrumptious 300 points for your cabin, plus a bonus 100 points for providing proof!”
↳ Word Count: 420
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Daily No. 3: "Hello, patriots! Today is national anthem day, so you’ll be writing national anthems! Write an anthem for your cabin and 1-3 other cabins for a maximun of four anthems - 100 points per anthem in at least 100 words each. Be sure to think about the cabin’s values, history, and ethics. If you need some inspiration, head on over to this link to find a list of national anthems for you to draw from. Happy writing, adventurers!"
↳ Word Count: 542
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Bidaily No. 2: “write a letter to one of your original characters in 200 words”
↳ Word Count: 199
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Daily No. 5: “… read one chapter of a book, then write a continuation of it—perhaps Percy refuses to go to Camp Half-Blood, or Elphaba and Galinda defy gravity together! Write 200 words for 100 points, and an extra 50 for sharing proof <3 ”
↳ Word Count: 223
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Daily No. 6: “Get ready to stretch your imagination with this daily! Today, you'll be inventing a new genre. It can be anywhere from something like a Cashier Memoir to Sci-Fi. Get creative! What genre would you love to write in? Then, write a story in this genre that is 250 words long. Post it in the comments, and try to guess other people's made-up genres. You will receive 200 points for doing this daily and an extra 50 points for sharing proof!”
↳ Word Count: 276
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Weekly No. 1: “Welcome, heroes, to the first weekly of the session! This week, we'll be taking a look into stories of yore, tales that have been passed down through generations and generations, turning from simple narratives into legends. While walking this path of fabled characters, you will have the chance to chart your own journey! Firstly, read Skyler's workshop here about the the four genres explored in this weekly. Then, from each of the sections below, choose six prompts to write about. You must choose at least one prompt from each of the four sections, and the last two can be from any section you'd like! Write 200 words per section to complete this weekly.”
↳ Word Count: 3627
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Daily No. 7: “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! This daily is worth 200 points, and you can gain an additional 100 points for sharing proof. ”
↳ Word Count: 200
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Weekly No. 2: “Welcome, everyone, to the second weekly of the session! This week, we’ll be taking a journey down memory lane and exploring some SWClassics, classic dailies in weekly format. Feel free to take these prompts and put your own spin on them - this is your chance to mix the old and new to create something completely unique! ”
↳ Word Count: 1883
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Daily No. 21: “Happy World Poetry Day! There are many types of poetry, from haikus to odes, but they all have one thing in common: they are written about something the author is passionate about. For today's daily, it's your turn to write a poem about one of your passions! Whether it's ballet or world peace, poems can be about anything that you enjoy. Be creative with poem style, wording, and topic. You can earn 200 points for 200 words, along with an extra 100 for sharing. Good luck, (tortured) poets!”
↳ Word Count: 229
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Weekly No. 3: -Mystery torture one :) -
↳ Word Count: 1427
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Weekly No. 4: -LAST TORTURE-
↳ Word Count: 2187
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

~ Daily No. 31: “With that, another session has come to a wrap! We hope you enjoyed it - perhaps leaving with newly built friendships, and lasting memories to cherish! As we finish up this session and start preparations for the next, take some time to reflect. What are your favorite memories of this month? Who or what made an impact on you? Now go ahead and let those people know! Write some thank you's to express your gratitude for the influence they've made on you and others <3 ”
↳ Word Count: 651
↳ Writing Post Link: Writing Post

Friends, Romans, and countrymen; lend me your ears.

Salutations to all of you, first off, and allow me to say what a wonderful thing it is for me to be here. Long have I wished for the opportunity to write and expand my literary portfolio, but times have been trying and my schedule far too busy for the matters… Until this March, the very month that I call my own.

My current writing goal for the month is 5000 words - for someone who hasn’t written exhaustively in literally ages, I think that’s pretty reasonable. Also I’m a terribly busy person in real life and on Scratch, so I can’t spend too much time writing… Well, perhaps that’s a bit of a lie. I can write throughout the days, even through the week, so I’m gucci. Ah, let’s commence with a few facts about myself: I’m an avid reader, artist, programmer, and writer(believe it or not). I have aspirations way bigger than my hours, and hobbies that I wish to explore that also can’t fit into my schedule.

I don’t have a lot of favorite authors, but I’m proud to say J.R.R. Tolkien, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Orson Scott Card made it up to my top three. I’ve read Tolkien’s four most famous works(The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of The King), the entire unabridged Sherlock Holmes series, and four of Card’s books(Ender’s Game, Ender In Exile, Ender’s Shadow, and Shadow of the Hegemon). I’m currently working my way through the Britannica series and the Great Books of The Western World. I’ve also read the Chronicles of Narnia, but I must confess that it’s like a fairytale version of The Lord of The Rings; clearly not my favorite.

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, but only recently in 2023 did my art actually start to become easy on the eyes. I love to draw, and am aspiring to animate in the near future. Not much to say about my art career, except for the fact that I certainly am not quitting my day job, haha!
I’m an amateur Python and GDScript programmer and actually have had one of the major projects that I worked on uploaded to Github(no, I’m not advertising, don’t worry xD). Small fun fact about me: I’m working to be a robotics engineer with AI when I’m older. I’m working really hard to make that dream a reality. But hey, this isn’t about programming, it’s about writing, so let’s jump on straight to that part:

I actually love to write - whether it be a fully-flushed out novel that I never get to finish, a short story here and there, a simple oneshot that’ll never see the light of day, or just small texts in the back of my notebook, I love to write and explore my creativity and imagination through words. My favorite genres to read and write are thriller, romance, drama, angst, action, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, and of course the good old fan-fiction. I recently have just been writing mostly fanfictions, lacking the energy to finish out the novels that I wanted to write. Sad but true.

I really should’ve planned this out with an outline and detailed list of what to talk about, but I guess winging it and not following a script is often seen as more personable and comfy by others. Which brings up one of the things I love the most about the arts, like writing: everyone’s perspective differs everything, and it’s so fascinating! No two people are exactly the same and I love seeing what different things everyone brings to the table.
So if you ever think you’re unoriginal, plain, or just not special - don’t think that way at all. We’re all special in our ways, even if you don’t see it. You being you, you just existing, is what makes you special. And I’m a Christian, so I’ll also say that what most importantly makes you special is that Christ loves you, and died on the cross for your sins. Now if Scratch thinks that that’s a bad word - anyways.

But to conclude, as a new member to Scratch Writing Camp(definitely didn’t spell it out to get extra words -) and epistolary camper under Yume, Nat, and Silky, I can’t wait to get this started! I look forward to writing and spending time with all 260 of you. Don’t ask me how I got that number; just accept it. It’s unfortunate that I can’t squeeze enough juice out to do the 1k word challenge for this, but I’m happy to wrap it up at exactly, no, precisely 800 words.

Feel free to swing by my profile and chat! Thanks for reading this out, and wandahoi~!

- Blau

Bidaily Activity 1-2 - Epistolary - BlauHourglass - Proof - 200 Words

2024.03.01 - Blau
It’s interesting, definitely, being here. No, almost…dreamy. The atmosphere is so vastly different from what I’m used to back at home, the habits, and even the air itself feels different. Like I’m in an entirely different world. I work at the receptionist’s desk with my own stall and everything, and it’s pretty cool. You can see and hear doves flying everywhere at all times, and the letters are everywhere too.
As a receptionist I just work getting the letters from the people and sending it off to the letter sorting room. What they do there? Well, I’m assuming just sorting letters. I haven’t explored the place yet - as much as I’d like to. The terminal smells like paper - and a little bit of mangoes, for some reason. Interesting, but I try not to think too much about it.
My employer, if I can even call her that, is Yume. She’s pretty nice - I’d like to get to know her and the rest of the staff more. The doves, the letters, the people - everything’s so mystical and ethereal here. I know it’s only my first day here, but I can’t wait to do and learn more.
Cheers!
- Blau

Binary was left panting as the curtains finally fell, enshrouding the five actors and actresses in darkness. She could hardly hear anything but the blood madly pumping in her ears, and the crowd’s roaring ovation. Her breath was coming out in short, rushed gasps, and her eyes were slightly widened by adrenaline and exertion.
This was her first performance with the troupe, WonderlandsxShowtime, and though she had performed with Vivid BAD Squad before, acting, singing, and dancing on a stage in front of a far more diverse audience was nerve-wracking. And pretty difficult.
She felt a little faint for a moment as the blood rushed to her head, but she quickly regained her balance and composure. To her right she could hear her team start to move off, and then a gloved hand wrapped around her wrist, leading her along.
Expecting Nene, Binary put her hand on the other’s shoulder, but was mildly surprised when she had to reach a lot higher. Finally snapping out of her reverie and looking up, her cosmos eyes met with golden ones and Binary paused momentarily at the sight.
Rui smiled kindly at the girl, a genuine smile unlike his usual mischievous and catty one. “Nice job,” he said, lifting his ungloved hand for a high-five. It took a quick moment for Binary to connect her hand against his in a light clap, but her heart was racing. It was such a simple compliment - just a ‘nice job’. But to her, it meant so much more… It was a proof of concept, doors unlocked, windows unbarred, and hands reaching out to catch her if she ever fell.
Binary could feel her chest tighten, her heart swell, and her cheeks flush. It was all so, so simple, but her heart thought it not. Think, Binary, think - it’s not that big of a deal, she thought to herself, but looking through Rui’s golden orbs just…melted all her thoughts away.
This…is a start to a new chapter. A part of my life I want for the rest of it - I…I…!
Rui led Binary on, chuckling. “You really don’t want to go back to the dressing rooms, don’t you?” he hummed, his usual teasing nature coming back. Binary smiled slightly despite that before realizing that she’d never replied to his comment just a moment before. Perhaps she was about to be a little dramatic, but soon enough Rui would recognize just the impact that he delivered to her each time he spoke.
“Rui. Thank you.”

The Epistolarian Inscriptions: 143 Words
What will befall me?
Anything I would have given, to stop this madness.
Where doth my path lead?
If only ‘no’ were the answer.
Who will be my lover?
Make not the same mistake I did.

We listen to the cries of helpless creatures,
Wishing to change their lives and know the unknown.
A simple letter is all it takes for one to meet his future,
And the connection we form is timeless and strong.

With doves at our call and ink at our fingertips,
We create and foster closure to old lives,
Changing the future to prevent all possible slips,
All the while holding up the threads of eternity.

We’re the Epistolarians, the centre of all communication,
The keepers of time and the weavers of order,
Connect the past to the future to one destination,
A peaceful, blissful, fulfilled, and wandahoi life.

The Song of The People: 121 Words
Rhyme, flow, and cast aside all reason
The meadows, the rivers, and every season
Along with the birds, the meadows, and poems
Will be forever our guide and home

We are the people of the meadow’s brooks
Found in every corner and nook
Together we ride, higher and higher
Until we all become fliers

We love the nature, and she loves us too
For happy and joyful, she has led us through
Trials and triumphs, countless discoveries
Until we come back to our virgin revelries

The Song of The People, sung out of love
For the beauty and power that’s held from above
Onwards we go, in a serene, happy march
‘Till the People have all known of nature, our matriarch

The Star’s Embrace: 158 Words
Good people of Earth, time, and space
Woes have befallen you and taken your joy away
Come to the Starlands, your home that will now, you, embrace
The place that’ll wipe every tear away

I am the ruler and mother to each creature
I will ensure your safety and joy
Forget the past and be blinded from the future
Instead, let us all rejoice and dance today

Thorns, enemies, trials and woes
Are nonexistent in my warm embrace
So worry not, my children, of foes
Or even blemishes to scar your face

Conceal the past, fret not over the time that’ll pass
For neither exist any longer
Sleep, thou awakened, and close your eyes fast
This blindfold is terrible but true and needed

I am your ruler, your queen and your mother
And I’ll protect you from harm and sorrow
Seek not the secrets of ancient bothers
And instead be at rest in the heart of the Starlands.

The Cyber Creed: 121 Words
Run. Survive. Fight.
Destroy the wicked and unite the people.
A brother shan’t leave another.
Two is one, one is none.
Remember the basics and master the advanced.
Use wits, logic, and calculations to outmaneuver your enemies.
We’re the brotherhood teamed to destroy the AI.
Solo we work, but in numbers we are.
To desert or betray will cost you your life.
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth; we’ll destroy you if you take one us.
With each breath we take, strategy and tactics exude.
We leave no job undone - we will attack until you’re gone.
We can outsmart any rouge and AI without fail.
This is the Cyber Creed, for the brotherhood is strong and our brains steel.

The clock is ticking slowly on the wall as you sit in your chair, fastened by metal wires and duck tape. You stare blankly ahead for what seems like an eternity until the clock suddenly strikes 12. The booming, resounding grandfather clock chimed twelve times, and it snaps you out of your trance.
Crud! your head screams at you, and you can feel your stomach tightening. The sound of rushing water reaches your eyes and your heart leaps into your mouth. C’mon, baby, work with me, you think as you begin to struggle in the chair.
Here you are, a detective fresh out of college, and about to drown due to your own incompetence. You had let yourself fall victim to old men and cringey, half-baked schemes, and this was the most embarrassing way to go out. Well, only if you give up.
Out of your peripheral, you see the metal grates in the walls start to let water through. The icy droplets splash against your skin, dousing your shoes and clothing. No matter - you have to save your skin and get the wicked gaffer behind bars.
You close your eyes, tuning out the sound of the pouring water and ticking of the clock just outside the chamber, focusing instead on the binds that constrain you to the seat. You turn your wrists this way and that, gingerly making sure that the thin metal didn’t cut into your skin.
“You’ve got something coming for you, you old man,” you mutter, chuckling under your breath. The water level’s now up to your ankles, but you’re feeling confident. The effects of the sedative are wearing off swiftly, and you’re able to think more clearly.
“You should’ve disabled my knowledge of physics to keep me in this half-rear setup!” you exclaim as the metal wires break. Using what little space you had, you had managed to twist and flex the wires until metal fatigue set in and broke them. Now the duck tape - a rather simple matter if you flexed your arms and twisted your body to left, and up—!
You fall out of the chair, splashing into the knee-high water and struggling to get good footing. Your concentration’s broken, but it’s okay—you’re free from the constraints. You get to your foot, breathing heavily as you look around. The walls to your left, right, and back are made of steel, probably, but the front wall is glass.
You can see the grandfather clock ticking away in the adjacent room, and you feel the water level climbing. You feel the glass. It feels like normal glass—nothing special at all. If that’s the case then, all you need to break out is…
You turn around and grab the chair, heaving it over your head and slamming the legs into the glass. Crack. With renewed efforts, you hit again and again until finally, just as the water reaches your chest and all strength is dwindling, the glass shatters and breaks.
The force of the water gushing out pushes you over, and you get washed out into the next room. Coughing, panting, and shaking out of exertion, you stand again and brace yourself for the next challenge you see before you: a band of armed men, ready to take you down for their leader.

Dear Fountain,
You’re me, but I’m unfortunately not quite you.
Keep to yourself; don’t marry the Showmaster. He’ll be your love and life, but also your death. Namami needs your help, so stay with her. Don’t believe any men who come around claiming that they’re Date Masamune—none of them are your father. He’s d34d and you never got to see him or your mother.
Don’t consider this a heartless message—you and I both know it isn’t. I just don’t have a lot to say to you. Be content with your life—throw not to the wayside the teachings of your ancestors, and love the new shogun. Serve him well.
Do you remember the time you met up with the rest of us? It was so interesting, but all of you just ended up going back to Binary… She’s the best of the us, but she can’t settle down. That’ll be her downfall too—like you and the rest of us.
There’s still not much to say to you… You’re pretty decent and well-off. Just don’t get bogged down by duties. Retire soon; Nobunaga doesn’t need you in his guard since he has all those other samurai.
‌ - You.

Pippin gazed down the long, dark hole for another moment before tearing himself away, resisting the deep urge to toss a stone down into the shadows. He hurried back to where the others where still setting up their beds, and he tugged his own blanket from his sack. He could feel the sharp gaze of Gandalf in his back, and that made him rather uneasy.
“Frodo,” he whispered to the hobbit next to him, “why is Gandalf staring at me so?”
Frodo gave a final fluff to his blanket, sitting upon it and tucking in his legs. “You were staring down the hole for an awful long time—I think he thought you were going to do something bad…”
What a simple, reasonable response.
Pippin glanced over his shoulder at the old wizard, who was no longer looking at him. The hobbit looked back at Frodo. “I had the urge to throw a stone down, but I didn’t.”
“And it was a good thing, Mister Peregrin,” Aragorn cut in as he walked past. “These halls may still hold unwelcome residents.” Pippin thought about it a moment, lying down in the embrace of his blanket. He wanted to ask what, but for some reason dared not speak again.
…
The Fellowship passed safely through the Mines of Moria, having not alerted the goblins and orcs.

WARNING: Implicit d34th.

Looking into her cosmos eyes has made my chest burn. They are empty and dull. They never had shine, but now they are utterly lifeless.
She’s swinging slowly, rhythmically—almost like a dancer on stage performing a pirouette. I was always the show master, the ring master, the showtime ruler.
But now, my heart’s aching and I can feel bile rising. It’s just sickening staring at her, just staring and not being able to move.
The floor’s so slippery, but my feet are glued to the surface. I’m unable to tear my gaze away; I’m unable to make a noise.
Please, stop this… Stop this…now. PLEASE. I’m begging you, let me do something—let me help her! Let me heal her!
But no.
All I can do is stare and feel the cold, numbing pain of seeing my lover on the strings, and not the ones that I guide with my own hands.
I can feel the strain at the back of my eyes—the same kinda strain you get from staring at a computer screen for hours and hours at end. But I’m just staring at her.
Stop it—please!
My throat’s parched and my tongue’s sticking to the top of my mouth. My lips are sealed shut, and my eyes still forced open. Let me close them.
She’s still there, but now her eyes are locked with mine—I can see her lips, her beautiful lips that used to let the most wonderful notes and sounds out, move ever so slightly.
“Help me,” is what I hear her saying. No—what I see her saying.
And then, I realize…
I’m in sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Part 1: Mythology - 1052 Words
3. Retelling: If Persephone and Hades were siblings in the modern world. And the tale was wholesome.
“Persephone!”
The raven-haired, beautiful girl looked up, tugging on her sneakers. “Yes, Mom?” she called back, trying to balance on one leg.
“Make sure not to take any shortcuts, alright?” her mother replied, coming out of the kitchen and wiping her hands on her apron. Persephone smiled brightly.
“Of course, Mom—I’ll stick to the bus route and walk with my girl friends home.”
Demeter smiled gently, pressing a maternal kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “That’s my dear. Have a good day at school, honey.”
“Thanks, Mom!” Persephone grinned, pecking her mother’s cheek quickly before hurrying out the door. With her backpack bouncing to the beat of her steps, the highschooler ran on to her school, following the bus’ route as she had promised.
It was just a normal day at school—Persephone studied, hung out with her friends, and very simply did everything she normally did. That was, until her friends wanted to take her to get some drinks from a shop some ways from the school campus…
And so Persephone found herself with her three friends, March, Nov, and June, making their way after school to the local tea shop to get some sweet drinks for themselves.
“Sephie~ C’mon!” Nov called, urging the girl onward.
“Okay! I’m coming!” Persephone returned, following her friends. They went along the bus route as per usual, but a small, sinking feeling struck Persephone when she noticed that the shop was some ways farther than the last bus stop.
But even so, she didn’t want to let her friends down.
“Which drinks do you guys want?” Persephone asked the other three girls as they walked into the shop. She pulled out her wallet. “I’ll pay,” she said with a smile.
“Aw, Persephone—you’re too kind; I can spend some cash,” June grinned, flaunting her own wallet. The others laughed.
“You’re too much of an airhead, June—you’re not gonna even realize that you’ve overpaid,” March and Nov chimed in teasingly. June pouted, playfully smacking the two girls with her leather wallet.
“Oh, you two are just meanies! I’m not that airheaded…”
What a good day.
After getting their drinks and lounging in the tea shop for several minutes, gossiping and chatting, and March realized that it was starting to get late. “Hey, girls, it’s starting to get late. We should go home now.”
Persephone and Nov were eating some pastries, and they looked up. Well, Persephone did—she was less engrossed in the pastries. “Already? I really wanted to get the apple-banana biscuit for my mom, but I’m just waiting since they’re out right now,” she frowned. “You girls go on ahead—I’mma take some home with me.”
March sighed. “Persephone, it’s dangerous for you to be out alone at night.”
“But then what? You and June have dance with your mother, and Nov has to study for her AP exam,” Persephone replied, crossing her arms. “I don’t like the idea either, but I’m determined to get the treat for mother—she’d love it! I can already see it in my head: I walk in, I give her the biscuit, and then she can relax while eating it with her favorite herb tea. While watching her favorite show.” The black-haired girl giggled to herself lightly.
June got up, grabbing her bag. “I think she’s fine— We gotta go anyways; we’re gonna be late,” she urged. March groaned.
“Dear goodness, if Demeter finds that we left her daughter, she’s gonna k1ll us,” she moaned, grabbing her jacket. “Alright, take care of yourself, okay, Seph?”
Persephone nodded. “Yeah; thanks, girls! See you all tomorrow.” The three girls waved and left, leaving Persephone alone in the cafe. It only took roughly 20 minutes longer for the pastry to be baked, so Persephone paid for it and left quickly.
But when she exited the shop, she felt a deeper pang of dread in her chest. It was nightfall.
“Ahh, crudd….!” Persephone took another step, but halted. Which way was she supposed to go? She was never good with directions… Oh wait—there! The train tracks led back to the bus stop, and then somewhere, and somewhere, and then follow the something along to the rest of the something…and somethings…
She was lost.
Persephone stood in the middle of the road, looking both ways as she realized that she was utterly lost. She had no idea where she was, how she got there, and where she was going to go next. She really, really wanted to cry out for help for your mother, but at the same time she knew that Demeter couldn’t hear her.
And then, she heard a car engine.
The girl hurried off from the middle of the street, holding out her thumb instead. Surely, this kind person wou—
“Persephone, what the heck are you doing out here alone?”
Never had Persephone been more relieved to hear that cold, deep, and slightly-irritated voice of her older brother. She ran over to the side of the car and jumped into the passenger seat, shutting the door and setting the pastry bag on her lap.
“Hades, what are you doing down here?” Persephone asked, looking over at her wealthy brother.
“I was going to stop by and pay Mother a surprise visit,” Hades replied, sighing. He closed the driver-side window, pressing the accelerator and driving on. Persephone gave a long, relieved exhale, sliding down in the seat.
“Well, Mom would be—”
“Put on your seatbelt,” Hades ordered curtly, and the girl gave a light giggle, sitting up and putting on her seatbelt as directed.
“Well, Mom would be delighted to see you, Hades. And boy, am I delighted to see you—you’ve been gone for an entire month without communication!” Persephone finished her sentence from before.
Hades shrugged. “Wasn’t necessary. Wanna explain why you’re out late again? Alone?”
A sheepish smile crossed Persephone’s face. “Well…”
The entire narrative took the rest of the ride home, and Hades more than once jerked the wheel due to barely-controlled anger. When the two siblings got home several minutes later, Persephone had to endure an entire 2 hours of scolding and rebukes by both her mother and older brother, and it was decided for her to be homeschooled and only allowed to see her friends in the morning and noon.
Over-protective much?

Part 2: Hi-Fi - 262 Words
2. Historical Figures in Modern Times: If Leonardo da Vinci played Project SEKAI.
Leonardo lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling dully.
Inspiration was running dry again and the painful reminder of all of his unfinished works pulsed in the back of his mind. He just didn’t have the time, patience, or will to finish out any.
His stomach grumbled and the young man sighed, turning over to lie on his side. What a pain in rear—having to eat and stop daydreaming. Well, it wasn’t like he even daydreamed about anything really substantial; no ideas for any new artworks were coming to mind.
Oh, wait—
Leonardo sat up, shaking out his mass of curly black hair and sluggishly making his way to his desk. He turned on his PC and logged in, picking it up and taking it back to his bed. He got cozy in his covers again, flipping the lid of his PC to turn it into a tablet.
He opened BlueStacks and then clicked on Project SEKAI: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku. A minute later and he was browsing through the outfits he had purchased from the game store. “Yeah, I think some of these can work. Actually—”
Leonardo grabbed his phone and went to the official Youtube channel, clicking on a 3DMV. “Let’s see… Showtime Ruler? Okay; I’ll sculpt this. Which one, though? I like the blonde guy—yeah, he’ll be fun.”
The young man set his laptop down and went into his art studio. Grabbing water, a cloth, his apron, and a large mound of clay, he began to get to work. This was going to be fun…

Part 3: Fairy Tales - 702 Words
4. A Journey of Motifs: Prince and Princess meet, Princess gets KO-ed and captured, Prince literally risks life and limb to get her back, he wakes her up with a kiss, and then they marry, and it somehow works? LITERALLY every fairytale.
PS: If we personally talk a lot, please don’t ask why I used Rui for this :sob: I might actually shrivel up—
Once upon a time, I…
…hurried through the halls, looking around for my frisky cat. What a complicated mess she was sometimes—she’d run around and get herself in trouble so many times that I really didn’t know what to do anymore. If she managed to run herself through the streets and possibly run over, then…
I shuddered at the thought, hurrying past my guards and pages into the courtyard. I spent another couple minutes looking for Diamond, but couldn’t find her there either. What a little—
I heard a loud meow from the streetside, and I turned around, hurrying over. “Diamond! Diamond, missy, where—” Just as I had raced from the palace outer courtyard onto the street, I suddenly slammed into something hard and sturdy. Before I could even react, I felt a strong arm swiftly wrap around my waist, supporting me and bringing me back to my feet. I looked up, greatly embarrassed.
“Ah, s-sorry, I’m looking for—” I stopped, all words dying in my throat as I stared almost in awe into the pair of deep, golden eyes that gaze down at me. Every other noise and sensation tuned out, and for a moment I felt as though the world had stopped spinning.
The young man smiled slightly, almost with a flicker of amusement in his grin. Neither of us stirred a muscle from our “accidental” embrace, and I could feel my cheeks burn. Is this…?
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, and my heart melted; his voice was so…rich, low, and gentle. He stepped back, stooping and taking my hand. He pressed a light kiss to my gloved knuckles. “Prince Kamishiro, from the Kingdom of Chaos. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness.”
Right—formalities—
Aaand yet, I found myself speechless, just gazing into his warm golden eyes filled with other-worldy intelligence and great amusement.
“Well, it seems cat got your tongue; does the cat happen to be white with a silver collar?” Prince Kamishiro asked, bending down and picking up Diamond.
That shook my out of my trance, and I curtsied gracefully. “Ah, do pardon me, Prince Kamishiro. Yes, I’ve been looking for her—Diamond is her name.” I took the snowy-pelted cat from his arms and smiled a bit bashfully.
“It’s all right,” Prince Kamishiro said lightly, readjusting the saber at his hip and turning slightly to the gate. “I’m here on diplomacy with my train, but obviously they’re not here.” He chuckled slightly. “No matter, I actually wish to have a word before the rest of them.”
I nodded. “My father is in the throne room,” I said. What? Don’t be a dunce—he’s always going to be in the throne room; oh, but you are so…!
Prince Kamishiro was about to say something, but suddenly the earth began to shake and I stumbled, looking around. I saw black and purple vines of Energy rip through the ground, straight towards me, and I froze—and then, darkness.

“…eeping bea…”
“…Wake up…arling…”
I opened my eyes slowly, and the first thing I saw were those, woundrous, deep, golden eyes. My lips felt a bit warm, and I slowly sat up. I was lying on white silken sheets in a…bed in a beautiful garden. Leaning partially over me was…Prince Kamishiro.
“Prince…Kamishiro?” I whispered, reaching out.
He took my hand, smiling broadly. “Welcome back, princess. Your family is waiting,” he said, gently pulling me and guiding me out of the garden. In the courtyard, with the brilliant sun shining, stood my father and mother.
“Mother! Father! What happened?” I asked, looking at them.
“We’re not entirely sure yet either, daughter,” my father replied. “But Prince Kamishiro—no, my son can tell us all.”
“ ‘Son’?” I repeated, confused utterly. I turned to look at Prince Kamishiro, and I felt my heart leap.
He was on one knee with his hand extended, holding a velvet ring box with a glimmering ring in it. “Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”
Of course the answer was yes. And of course we had the wedding with all of the people of both kingdoms invited—
And of course, we lived happily ever after…

Part 4: Folklore - 284 Words
1. Oral Retelling
Trilogy sat on the edge of the cliff, cloak billowing in the midnight wind. His cold, hard silver and purple eyes glowed in the dark night as he waited for Vincent to sit down. The blue-eyed boy sat down beside his master, and Trilogy began.
“I was born in outer space to the Empire of Crystalia—you know that. Your lesson tonight is this: think about this fascinating myth passed down from generation to generation by the royalty of Crystalia,” the lone wolf said.
Vincent nodded. “Yes, Master. What is it?”
Trilogy looked at the full moon. “The Crystal Moon.
“Thousands of years ago, there was a race of Dark Howlers who lived and thrived like any other Dark Howlers nowadays. However, they were chosen by the Moon Queen to be an elite force, and they were given a planet to live on. Crystalia—that was what they named the planet after the order of the Moon Queen. So every 12th full moon, there is a Crystal Moon to power the special Dark Howlers—the Crystallians. But for every Crystal Moon that passes, Crystallians d13; typically hundreds of them at a time. So some Crystallians have theorized that the life of the other Crystallians fuel their own power, and they’ve been trying to get to the Moon Queen to consult her.”
Silence.
“That’s it, Master?” Vincent asked, tilting his head.
Thwack.
Vincent winced, holding his head as Trilogy stood up. “Sorry, Mas—”
“Figure out the mystery. And who knows, when you become a full-fledged Crystallian, you can pass this story on… And end it with a ‘and so our people stopped dy1ng.’ ”
Vincent stood up as well, bowing. “Yes, Master. I promise I will.”

Extra 1: Fairy Tales - 227 Words
1. Using Sparks from the Past: Retelling
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a couple who wished for a child, but remained childless. And then, a miracle happened and the woman became with-child! However, she craved the delicious leafs of the rapunzel plant from the local hag’s garden.
However, both the man and woman were smart, wise, and diplomatic, and so they visited the old hag and bargained for some rapunzel heads. In return, the man would work the hag’s gardens for as long as his wife ate the rapunzels, and they’d also pay the hag a very small amount of copper.
The hag agreed after a while, and she allowed the man to work for her in ‘payment’ of rapunzel leaves. So then, for the next few weeks, the woman ate well and quenched her cravings, the hag got her garden taken care of while she was away at business, and the man learned a new trade.
A month or so later, the woman gave birth to a healthy, happy little baby girl, and she and her husband named her “Rapunzel”, after the plant that her mother had craved so much.
Rapunzel grew up a happy, strong girl and the family never had any issues. And the hag even gifted a bit extra rapunzel to Rapunzel as a funny gift. And they all lived happily ever after.

Extra 2: Folklore - 544 + 555 Words: Total 1099 Words
2. Regional Differences: Write About Different Versions of the Same Story
WARNING: Violence and blood. You have been warned.
“Akito, wait—! Don’t—” Binary’s words cut off as a deep growl pierced the night air, and she paused, taking a deep breath. “Akito, please, I know you can still hear me— snap!”
Binary was slammed against the wall as teeth sank into her arm, tearing at her skin. She gave a slight exhale as the pain flashed through her body, but she wrenched her arm free and rolled to the side to dodge another charge.
“Akito— Akito!” Binary called, a bit of desperation lining her voice. The orange-haired boy was shifting back and forth from a large hound to his usual human form, and he seemed to be in exorbitant amount of pain. Binary’s blood stained dripped down onto his shirt as he held his head momentarily, crying in pain.
Binary held her arm for a moment before a purple glimmer coated it before disappearing, leaving it healed completely. “Listen to me; you need to calm down!”
Akito growled again, shifting into his wolven form and rushing at Binary again. She jumped up and over him, coming down to slam her knee into his back. The hound snarled, twisting around to snap at her leg. His teeth grazed her jeans, sharp canines cutting into the threading.
Binary landed, forming wispy blue chains and dashing backwards. Her lips formed a firm line, and her cosmos eyes narrowed. This was all a complete disaster—poor Akito; he had just activated his Hound form, but a sudden imbalance in his Energy switched him to some form of a ‘k1ll’ mode. Now he was just on a blind rage. To counteract this, however, Binary had quickly thought of a solution: sap all his Energy, flush out his Core, and then restore him. Simple—
Not.
Akito was even faster than before, Binary realized, a split moment after a feeling of nothingness enveloped her right side. A brief glance proved that she was right: her arm wasn’t quite where it should’ve been. And it also brought to mind a pointed question, “Why do dogs always go for the arm?”
Focus!
Binary focused some Energy into her right shoulder and her arm reformed, snapping into place. The spot ached, but that was fine—she need to be faster. Left, behind— Binary dropped to the ground in a front fall, catching herself before spinning into a flare. Her foot kicked the dutch shepherd’s face, and he snapped at it, momentarily disoriented.
And that was all the girl needed.
Summoning a thick web of glowing azure chains, Binary snagged Akito in it, trapping him tightly. The metaphysical chain ends dropped into the ground, thus securing the thrashing dog. Binary took a deep breath, feeling the a wave of nausea wash over her. The regeneration she had to do was fast— She usually only used that speed for the Paranormal World…
Walking over to Akito, Binary noted that he was visibly becoming less and less energized until finally, he slumped, turning back into his human form.
“Thank God,” Binary murmured, kneeling beside the unconscious boy and sitting down. She gently set his head on her lap, patting his orange locks gently. “I’m sorry, Akito…” She closed her eyes and the chains began to turn purple. Now it was time to flush out his Core…

WARNING: Violence and blood. You have been warned.
STOP—PLEASE— LET ME HAVE CONTROL BACK!!! I screamed at myself, staring in horror at the pavement. I could feel my body slowly start to get up, and then searing pain flashing throughout my body.
Destroy her.
Stop! She’s my friend, I can’t—
As much as my mind hollered and cried out, I knew that my time was running out. I didn’t know what to do: I was in so much agonizing pain and it was clouding my judgment. I was also so, so angry for some reason—I just felt this overwhelming sense of rage! This isn’t me, stop—
And then, something snapped in my mind. K1ll her. I whipped around, my vision heightened to a level I never could’ve known before. My nose was sharper, hearing a thousand times better, and oh boy… My muscles felt brand new and made of steel.
Even though I could hear so much better, my adversary’s voice was muffled—but it just seemed to enrage me so much more. I felt a rushing sensation and in a split second was on the ground, rushing at her. I barely felt my jaws clench over her arm, and I crunched harder.
Destroy her. NOW.
She managed to twist out of my grasp, but I could see every movement, every micro-movement she made. She was predictable. And I knew that she was vulne—
For a split moment, Binary’s voice entered clearly, and I checked myself, slamming into the cold stone wall beside me. Stop it, now! I ordered internally, holding my head, but my voice came to no avail. Instead, everything fogged up again and I was back on all fours as a beast, growling and snapping.
Her voice came again, a muffled sound, and it sparked more anger in my flaming heart. I dashed at her again, but she disappeared—did she jump over me? A sudden strike to my spine answered my question, and I whipped my upper body around. Now I was just moving purely off of reflexes.
Hurry up!
I snapped at her, but missed, and I snarled. I saw flashing blue lights briefly swarm her, but I suddenly bolted forward, setting my sharp teeth around her arm and dragging it straight past her. There was so little resistance I hardly registered it until I dropped it to the ground and turned around to face her. She was facing away—good!
My body bounded at her, aiming for the neck this time, but then— She was gone from my sight for a brief instant before something fast and dark struck my face. My red vision spun for a moment and I staggered, trying to regain my bearings.
As I was coming to, I felt cold, numbing shackles snap around my body, dragging me to the ground. I howled, violently whipping around this way and that, trying to break free. But I felt my energy start to drain almost magically, and try as I might, I slumped to the ground in a heap.
Everything began to fade slowly, and I could hardly register my heavy breathing as I tried in vain to get up. Black rims appeared around the edges of my vision, and I could faintly make out a slender form making its way towards me just as I began to pass out…
B…Bin…ary…?

To my mother, hero, support, and glue,
I want to start this off by saying that everyday is my day to appreciate you(and Dad), and this is just purely for a writing camp. Anyways. You’re the best lady I know—the greatest mother I know to have ever existed. I really am not good with sappy letters and birthday wishes, but I have to say(while concealing private information, haha) that you were always there for me when I was down, beaten, or torn apart inside. You’re the glue for the family and the warmth that keeps us comfy in the cold. You’ve sacrificed so much for me and my siblings, and the family in general, that I promise that I won’t let you down. I’ll return everything and so much more.
Mom, I love you and I can’t ever think of having anyone else as my mother. I know you’ll never read this, but just know that this is probably the most personal thing that’s going on the internet from me, haha. Words can’t express my gratitude and love for you, Mom, and I hope that this 200 word note will do at least a fraction.
Love, Blau.

WARNING: Blood, implicit deaths.
“…urrently…ble…”
What…?
“—am—”
Oh…
“…see…elf…out…”
I’m…
“What—rejecting…thing!”
Alive…?
“—unstable—k1ll—er!”
K1ll…me…?
“Clear o…you…andle…”
But…
“…leeping…eauty…wake up…”
Why…?
With a groan, the girl’s eyes fluttered open, reflexively blinking in the darkness. Her breath was ragged and slightly labored, and she wore an NIV air-mask. She looked around and tried to sit up, but found that she was shackled to the cot she lay. She stared for a moment at the shackles before tearing her gaze away and inspecting herself. She had bandages wrapped along almost every inch of her body, covered by a loose white shirt and matching pants.
What…happened?
Just as she asked herself that question, everything came rushing back and she physically staggered, a choked gasp filtering past her lips. Her heart-rate picked up and she could feel her blood draining from her face. Mom! Guys—! She began to hyperventilate, the horrific imagery flashing throughout her mind.
Why were they so thorough? Why did have to be that day? Why did my family have to be there? Her neck was—I saw it, I saw it all—what happened? Am I d34d? Why aren’t I d34d? Why, why, why—?
The girl snapped out of her reverie by a strong beam of light falling upon her face, almost blinding her. Her eyes squinted reflexively, and she began thinking—what new danger was it?
A man walked into the room, steel-blue eyes peering at her. “Good, you’re awake.” He pressed a button on his coat lapel and a bright overhead light turned on. “How do you feel?” he asked, pulling out a small pen from his pocket and pressing the tip. A clear, blue display projected out of the nib end and he hovered it over the girl’s face.
She frowned. “Who are you? Where am I?” she asked, shying away slightly from the holodisplay. The man raised an eyebrow.
“Tame, alright. Well, we’ll see,” he muttered. It was like he was ignoring her questions, like she did his.
The girl glared at the man. “Where am I?” she snapped again.
“Persistent also. I am Dr. Malibu, and I am here to ensure that you’re body and mind are both fully functional,” the man finally said. The girl raised an eyebrow, and he nodded as if to confirm his words. “And I’m also going to be your best friend.”
“What do you mean? You still haven’t answered—where am I?” she asked again, 3dging away from Dr. Malibu.
Malibu sighed, pointing the pen at her and waving the holodisplay over her face. She frowned and turned her face away, trying to get out of the glaring light.
“You’re in your new home, 37. And the only home you’ll know until you d13,” he replied. He straightened up. “Alright, I checked your brainwaves and you’re so far stable. You’ll have to get over your tr4um4 soon or else they’ll scr4p you. I’ll be back soon, 37, to make sure you’re adjusting just fine,” he added as he made his way back to the door.
37 struggled against her chains, trying to rise. “Wait, what’s going on? Explain, please!” she begged, a new sense of panic rising in her.
Malibu only turned off the light and opened the door with a scan of his palm. It slid open with a quiet whir, letting a broad patch of light fall through again. “Recover soon, 37,” was all he said before exiting the room. Just before the door slid closed, 37 saw another person walk past, looking back into the room. Their gazes locked for a split second before the door shut tight, leaving 37 in darkness again.
Confused and half-crying, the dark-haired girl lay her head back against the thin mattress. What…in the world was going on…? Calm down—take a deep breath—and recount all the events that lead up to here…
But try as she might, all she remembered was the shooting, and nothing before. She didn’t even remember her name. All that entered her brain when she tried to remember her name was the number 37. What on earth…? That—that can’t be my name, she reasoned, finally trying to level her breathing.
The air-mask seemed so constricting she wanted to tear it off, but was unfortunately shackled in various places, so she couldn’t even raise a hand to her face. She didn’t mind the solitude or darkness, since it did provide a calmer atmosphere for her.
37 closed her eyes, taking another deep breath. Stop. Focus on what actually matters right now; your location, your situation. 37 relaxed her muscles, but found that the steel cuffs were a bit too uncomfortable to fully do so. Nevermind that.
But what am I supposed to think about? she questioned, opening her eyes again in the darkness. Every time she closed her eyes, she could only see them again, blood splattered everywhere and coating everything in a thin, slick sheet of fluid. She took a shaky breath, clenching her fists tightly. Everyone’s screams, melded together in a violent cacophony of noise.
They moved quickly the entire store, making sure that each life was snipped. They were thorough—they were trained. They didn’t move like normal, off-the-street hoodlums. The police came. Should I have not left her? Should I have stayed? Would that have at least changed her fate? Could she have lived? Her throat—I would’ve been done too… What about him? Did he live? Did he d13? Is he here too? And—and Mother, she…
37 finally drew a breath, coughing. She had subconsciously been holding her breath, and a tear formed in her eye. She took another trembling breath, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to burst out like a broken dam.
What do I do now?
That was the one thought that resonated in her mind as her eyes roved the room. In the darkness, she couldn’t see much, but she could feel and hear. She heard the humming of a machine that she had seen a glimpse of earlier in the corner of the room. Her chains went into the walls, it seemed, from the brief moment of light just previous. And then the cot that she was also shackled too.
Cr4p.
And who even was this Dr. Malibu? It seemed like a relatively high-tech, high-security facility(judging by the pen, lights, and the hallway outside), so why would he give his name and his “role” to a numbered individual lying shackled in a cot? With the lights off? And that boy who passed—well, by stature, he looked more like a young man, but his features were almost pretty. Choppy, pink hair…or was it purple? It was only for a brief moment, so recollection was difficult. But his eyes. They were a half-crazed, half-amused golden.
When she thought about it a bit more, the image of his yellow-golden eyes burned even deeper into her brain, and she closed her eyes. Well, it was a welcome change from the sh00ting…
My brain’s probably overcompensating, the girl mused, wearily opening her eyes. But I should probably try to get out of these shackles. But if they’re a really high-tech place, then they’d probably have sensors or some other level of security. Or maybe they suck. Or maybe they are trying to help me—or maybe they’re trying to k1ll me—maybe—
37 slammed her head against the mattress, coughing.
FOCUS. You’re disoriented still, and your mind’s going everywhere. Cr4p—it’s so hard to think, the girl grimaced. She shifted her body slightly and viewed her right hand critically. And then her left. She tried to wiggle her left out of the shackle, but it was far too tight. Trying to get all of her jumbled thoughts out of her head, she put her left hand between her hip and the metal railing of the cot.
The girl paused, rethinking it over again. She didn’t know how vocal she would be if she dislocated her thumb, but she figured that she’d probably attract some attention. After wiggling some more, 37 managed to get a wad of her shirt collar into her mouth. She almost retched at the taste of chemicals on her tongue, but she only bit down firmer.
Flexing and tugging, she finally got her right hand on her left. She shifted again and placed her left hand between her hip and the railing again. She closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and forcefully dislocated her left thumb. She gave a muffled gasp, a flash of pitch black briefly spinning before her eyes. A hot, swelling sensation mixed with pain throbbed through her thumb, shooting up the rest of her arm.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she could barely blink away the hot, stinging droplets. Shaking, she took only a split second longer to slip her left hand out of the cuff. As soon as she checked to make sure it was free, she immediately located her thumb back into place. An immediate sense of cool relief washed over her hand, and she gave a soft sigh.
37 got to her elbow, working on freeing her right hand. A second dislocation and relocation later and she was free, tethered only by gravity. She felt her hands in the darkness, feeling the swelling on her thumbs. Bothersome, but not that much.
She slowly sat up, feeling a couple cracks in her back. Groaning softly, she slipped her legs off the side of the cot, neatly touching the cold, steel floor under her bare feet. She shakily stood up, holding her right hand to her chest and staggering to the door. She was about to reach out to the door, but she paused.
He palmed it open—think, 37, think! They’d have a sensor on the door, and they’d probably know that there was an unidentified handprint on the door. Don’t be stupid, she thought to herself. She shifted her arm and tugged her sleeve down to her hand. With her hand covered with the thin fabric, she placed it against the door, feeling for any manual handles or mechanisms.
As she felt the door down, she felt a sudden wave of nausea and weariness wash over her, and she sank against the cold surface momentarily. Closing her eyes, she almost slipped into unconsciousness had it not been for the sudden urge for freedom and answers that surged through her again.
37 started awake, feeling a bit sick still, and she gingerly braced herself against the door, beginning to feel it down again. She felt more and more sick as she did so, but she could faintly hear footsteps approaching on the other side of the door. Cold sweat ghosted over her, and she froze. Just as she was about to make her away from the door, to somewhere, she felt another strong wave of nausea rush over her, and she felt faint.
She reflexively let her head drop against the door with a soft thud, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her body stopped responding, and she felt her knees buckle under her weight. The footsteps got louder, and she tried to force her body to respond. Move—move! She gave a soft gasp as the door slid open from under her, and she felt herself sink directly on top of someone.
The newcomer chuckled, catching 37’s limp form and stabilizing her. “It’s working perfectly,” he hummed, sliding his arms behind her knees and shoulders and picking her up. She could hardly breathe, and she felt as if she was breathing through a thin straw. She couldn’t even speak, and she could barely move her eyes.
37 laboriously roved her eyes to the side, trying to catch the individual’s features. He dropped her upon the cot, and she caught sight of his face.

Part 1: Flowers - 554 Words
Write a story of at least 300 words, weaving flower symbolism into the plot or theme.
Notes: A short series of messages from between two lovers: one a power-thirsty and domineering king in a war and the other an outcast in between the many sides. Finally an epistolary-esque fiction from me :’).
I took the bent tansy and letter fastened together from my raven’s under-wing, opening the letter and placing the tansy on the table.
Beloved fern,
Long have I waited. The time is now.
- Your King
I sent back with an aster,
Dear R,
Be patient. The sun and moon have not yet aligned and the eyes of the Spades are still watching keenly.
- J
A rhododendron came back with,
Beloved fern,
Let them watch—let them open their eyes and behold the sight of the empires crumbling because of their rulers’ foolish decisions and blind ignorance.
- Your King
A dahlia this time,
Dear R,
I love you, and you know that. I’ll still remain even if another year passes and the wars worsen.
- J
A chrysanthemum and a larkspur were wound around the scroll,
Beloved fern,
Fufu~ The wars will never worsen. They’ll end. I’ll end them myself.
- Your King
I sent a hyacinth with its petals torn and dipped in ink,
Dear R,
Please don’t be rash, my love. The livelihood of the entire world is at stake. If the Clubs manage to overthrow the other three Suites, even the North and South will be thrown into chaos.
- J
A goldenrod came with a gillyflower and indica,
Beloved fern,
And I will return order with you by my side. My queen, our love will stand through it all. Won’t it.
- Your King
Honeysuckles adorned my letter, and also another rhododendron,
Dear R,
The answer is clear—you needn’t even ask. But even still, the Queen of Diamonds is slippery and can easily get herself free from your grasp.
- J
A hydrangea and borage,
Beloved fern,
Not with the Queen of Hearts to shut her up. Have you forgotten, love? The QoH is wound around my finger. The King of Spades can try as he likes to get her from under my influence, but I know she won’t dare disobey nor turn from me. She knows me far too well in that aspect.
- Your King
A daffodil went with my letter,
Dear R,
I understand, R… Are you sure about this?
- J
He sent back a gladiolus and camellia,
Beloved fern,
We didn’t have this long communication just for me to say that I’m not. Of course I am—in fact, months before this I had already planned and strategized each and every way to do this. I’ve already settled on my final plan.
- Your King
A leucospermum,
Dear R,
Care to elaborate? Our messages are safe from the eyes and minds of those who wish to pry.
- J
A lobelia, a nightshade, and a larkspur came with,
Beloved fern,
In the best way imaginable: I go to our strongest adversary and meet him face to face under terms of a white flag and I end him in the throne room. The guards will try to attack me, but so what? I am Chaos. They can’t and won’t do anything. And then my own army will move through and quickly turn the kingdom upside down. No more Spades.
- Your King
I sent a freesia and alstroemeria, words no longer strong enough to convey my emotions.
An ironic aster along with vanilla and larkspur came back, and I held them to my chest. Yes, my love. I will wait. I trust you… I love you.

Part 2: Constellations - 640 Words
Write 300 words of either a fiction or non-fiction piece based on how your favorite constellation came to be.
Notes: I actually don’t have a favorite constellation, ( I like them all :) ), so I just chose a popular one around my birth month.
“Mommy?”
A pause.
“Yes, honey?”
I looked up at my mom, swinging my legs as I looked at my fish bowl. There were two fish swimming in it, my fish. My very own, two guppies. One was blue, teal and white, and the other was red, orange, and black. I loved them to death—I had named them Pinalla and Esther, but I had given them also short names for fun and ease of talking.
“I love Pi and Es,” I hummed, turning and smiling at the two guppies darting around in the tank. My mom walked over to me and patted my head.
“I know you do, Scarlet. And I know they’ll come in handy one day,” she said.
“What do you mean, Mommy?” I asked, raising my gaze back to my beloved mother’s face.
“You’ll see in time,” she replied gently, pressing a loving kiss to my head and patting my cheek. “Now let’s get you to bed—you need to be up bright and early tomorrow morning to go to the festival!”
“Okay, Mommy!” I cheered, immediately all my childish excitement bubbling up inside me. My mom carried me to my room and tucked me in, kissing me again good night.

“…M-Mommy…? …Mom-my— Mommy! Mommy!!”
My eyes shot open, stinging and burning. It was unbearably hot in my room and I smelled an awful, burning stench. I could see red flickers all around me, and immediately my 5-year-old heart knew—
“Mommy!!!” I screamed out at the top of my lungs, tripping out of my bed as I began to cry. I was sweating and hot, and I felt unsafe. Unsafe with all the flames around me. I ran to the door, flinging it open and tumbling down the stairs. I sobbed louder, trying to get up. But my body wouldn’t respond.
And then, I saw out of the corner of my blurry vision, Pi and Es’ fishbowl tip over and onto the ground. I could feel the heat grow and the unbearable stench invade my lungs more. The kitchen burst into flames, and I could see a burning form on the ground, just outside the flaming bedroom…of my mom.
I shrieked, trying to drag myself forward, but my palms slipped in the small puddle left by fishbowl that shattered. I looked to my right, and felt another rising sob. Pinalla and Esther were flopping around on the scorched ground, and just as flames began to lick at my skin, there was a sudden burst of light.
I instinctively covered my face with my chubby arms, crying out, but a sudden, rushing, cooling sensation enveloped me, and I felt my voice catch in my throat. I felt, for a moment, safe and cool. I looked around me and saw swirling water all around, dashing out the flames and encasing me in a bubble of water.
Just as I was about to say something, I saw Pi and Es, gigantic and larger than life, swim in front of me, almost as though they were going to leave me. “Wait—don’t go!” I cried, flinging myself forward as best as I could in the water. My hands touched their tails, and another bright flash of light blinded me…

At least, that was many, many years ago. Now I lie upon the crest of the cosmos, lead by my two fish, and looking down upon the humans and earth. My mother couldn’t join me, for which I grieve, but I know that she has a better place now. So instead, I live my life as the Scarlet with Pinalla and Esther, putting out the raging flames of mankind. And what do they call us? Well, they took the first two letters of each of our names and arranged it like how we appear in the skies. They call us Pisces.

Part 3: Aesthetics - 6 Images
Choose one of your pieces from the previous sections and create an aesthetic set that represents the theme or motif that you have selected.
Notes: Um… Rui's very aesthetic.
I hope this works, haha…

Part 4: SWC Fanfiction - 689 Words
Take the motif of the flower you chose earlier in this weekly or the meaning of the constellation and use that in your fanfiction.
Notes: I honestly didn’t know what to write for this. HONESTLY. I hope I just got the prompt right :/ . And I’mma just say- I hope I got your three personalities down fine, (-BookDragon-, CherryMango17, surfdudewave) xD Help me- I’m writing all the BBCode in Scrivener-
It was a girls’ sleepover at Binary’s house, and she had decided to invite her three friends, Skyler, Krish, and Surf. Well, she actually had initially invited Skyler, but the ball-of-fun went ahead and snatched up the other two to also attend. “A full party!” she had exclaimed.
And now, Binary was mildly wishing her house were bigger. With Skyler’s energy, Krish’ low-energy, and Surf’s curiosity, she was beginning to think that it was a horrible idea. But just when things couldn’t get any worse, it… actually got better?
“Hey, girls, let’s play a game before we go to bed,” Surf suggested, sitting down on her sleeping bag and dragging over one of her many tote bags. Skyler plopped down on her own sleeping bag, peering over.
“What is it?” Skyler asked. “Ooohh, are those flowers? Are they real? They smell nice,” she added. Krish sat down as well, tucking her knees to her chest. Binary lay on her sleeping bag, silently watching her three friends.
“Yeah, they’re real flowers that I bought specifically for this purpose,” Surf replied. “I invented this game myself: Flommunication!”
Skyler burst out laughing, and even Krish smiled amusedly. “What type of name is that? Flommunication? That’s so—bwahaha!”
Surf’s cheeks reddened slightly, and she frowned. “H-hey, it came to me when I drawing yesterday; it’s mind prophecy.”
Krish spoke up, “Maybe Floral Entendre?” What a good suggestion. But—
Surf looked a bit taken back. “ ‘Floral Entendre’? Krish, how’d you know what this game is? Don’t tell me…”
Krish smiled slightly. “It’s pretty obvious. We use flowers to communicate our feelings and what we want to say, right? Like, we hold a full conversation?”
Surf nodded. “Yeah! Well, I thought that it’d take a lot more explaining, but I guess Krish figured it out pretty fast. C’mon, here! Grab some flowers and start passing them around! And we need to guess what the meanings—but remember, no speaking. Ready? Here—” And without another word, Surf handed to Skyler a hesperis.
Skyler stared at it for a moment before taking it gingerly and saying slowly, “Um… I’m fashionable?” Surf nodded eagerly.
“Mhm! Now your turn.”
And so the “flommunication” commenced quickly, filled with laughter and random guesses. However, it took a small turn when Skyler decided to give Binary a tansy. The black-haired girl looked at it for a moment before taking a soapwort and giving it back to Skyler.
Skyler didn’t even bat an eye as she dug deeper into Surf’s bag and pulled out a mango blossom. In fact, three of them. She gave it to the others evenly, and sat back.
Silence.
And then, Binary got to her feet and went to the kitchen. Many soapworts were passed around before a green and reddish-yellow thing came flying straight at Skyler from the kitchen, striking her solidly in the head.
With a yelp, Skyler went down, but bounced back up with the mango in hand and ready to throw it back at Binary. “Okay, you’re on!” she grinned, throwing it at the cosmos-eyed girl.
Not wanting to be left out of a mango fight, Krish and Surf bolted to the kitchen, arming themselves with mangoes from Binary’s fruit basket. The none-spoken rules were very simple: throw the mangoes at each other and catch them before they smashed.
Krish ducked under a mango from Binary, spinning to catch it and throw it at Surf. Surf caught it easily and used the momentum to hurl it at Skyler. And round and round and round the mangoes went, the girls often having to manipulate two mangoes at a time.
Just as the heat of the battle grew, Binary noticed one thing. The mangoes were disappearing. With each throw, there was one less mango. She stopped the fight, saying, “Hey, wait— We’re missing mangoes. If you guys actually managed to throw them against the walls—”
The four girls looked to check the walls and floor, but they stopped at the sight they saw.
Not mango splats, no. But instead the link-eating Gurtle licking his snout slowly, mango juices running down onto the floor. Oh, Gurtle, you little—

Binary’s my name, but binary’s my calling
For coding is what I find to be enthralling
To crack the code and push the limits
Of each and every line it transmits
Is what I yearn for and what I desire
To build and strengthen my mental empire

The computer’s vast mind
Is a match to my own, refined
I thirst for knowledge and
And to reach something quite grand
So the computer’s core being
Is to me, quite agreeing

I’m running out of words, alas
So to the gHosts, I ask for a pass
No? That’s all right, I’ll continue on
Writing just like a little pawn—
Too dark? Alright
Let us venture back into the light

AI, or artificial intelligence
Is truly a product of pure brilliance
The machines walk and talk
And can block and rock
Like humans, they are
And they will go far

This is a passion, I know
But I know only so many words to show
My love for programming and
Coding androids and having them follow my command
Bots like ChatGPT and Bard
Are truly a challange—quite hard

HELP ME! I beg you
Dear reader and crew
To free me from this accursed daily
And to rhyme, here’s a “Bailey”
But now I’m done, I’ve hit two zero zero
And I'll go back to my station to be hailed, a hero.

Part 1: 5 Major Plot Points - 300 Words
Write short, 50 word descriptions each for five major plot points in your tale.
Notes: I was lost. I am lost. I’ll still be lost. I love reading mysteries, but hate writing them— Well, by the time I got to…number 3, I actually got a little interested in this story. I might write it one day :D.
1). The White Rose is a killer on the loose, going around and slaying seemingly random people without ever getting seen and always leaving a trademark symbol of a white rose dipped in red behind at the scene. Foncée, the protagonist, is told of it by her friend, Sapiens, and she’s determined to stop the murderer.
2). Foncée and Sapiens are ambushed by The White Rose and they barely manage to survive. They survive only by Sapiens secret ability to create his own domain and purify and heal things inside of the range. The two of them were left in a back alley with the classic white rose dipped in their blood adorning their bodies.
3). Foncée, due to her insane sense of smell, smells blood while at a school dance, and she investigate to find one of her classmates vomiting in an alleyway, blood and white rose petals. When confronted, however, the girl runs off and quits school, as is later found out. Foncée tells Sapiens about it, and he goes to his library to research.
4). The White Rose strikes again, but in Foncée’s school this time. And right on Christmas Day. Foncée and Sapiens get separated in the attack, and Foncée leaves Sapiens to care for the staff and students while she chases The White Rose herself. As she chases, she realizes that it was a wild goose chase, and she goes back to find the entire school dead and Sapiens missing.
5). Foncée traces all of the suspects together, and realizes that it was a multi-person, coordinated attack. The White Rose was an entire organization. She tracks down all the traces and reaches a base located deep underground. She then has a final showdown between the entire White Rose Order, who were people diseased with Hanahaki and trying to revenge themselves.

Part 2: 4 Clues And/Or Red Herrings - 219 Words
Create a list with 4 clues and/or red herrings consisting of at least 50 words , that you can incorporate into your story.
Notes: I had issues with this entire thing again, but it’s okay. I think I did fine, fufu…~
1). Clue: The iconic white rose that always accompanies/adorns each victim and/or crime scene The White Rose kills (at). The white rose is usually scorched at the edges of the petals and dipped in the victim’s own blood. The rose usually lies upon the victim’s chest or, if there are multiple victims, upon the heap of them.
2). Clue: Vast majority of the murders has taken place in the local vicinity—all around the state. It leads the police force and detectives to believe that this person is highly mobile and has several connections in order to move around this quickly. And majority of the victims were in college.
3). Clue: When Sapiens created his Pure Domain, The White Rose seemed to cry, as Foncée had felt hot tears fall onto her face when The White Rose was about to finish her off. It also made the person falter. Sapiens’ Pure Domain heals and cleans, so it lead Foncée and Sapiens to believe that The White Rose has severe injuries, or some illness.
4). Red Herring: The country folk have never been attacked by The White Rose, except for a couple stray cases far and few in between. Most of the victims have been from the main cities. This leads the detectives and police force to deduce that The White Rose lives in one of the central cities.

Part 3: Partner Interview - 255 Words (Me)
Choose one of your pieces from the previous sections and create an aesthetic set that represents the theme or motif that you have selected.
Notes: Code_kid5619 was my partner as the witness. Thank you again!
BlauHourglass: “Have a seat. What's your name?”
Code_kid5619: “My names..uhm..Ember.” I said, shifting in my seat uncomfortably
BlauHourglass: “Ember, alright.” I jotted down the name quickly on my notebook before looking back up at you. “Do you wanna…explain what happened? How did you get to the scene?”
Code_kid5619: “Uhm..okay. I was just walking down the sidewalk, minding my own business, when i heard a scream. I turned around and ran to where the scream was coming from. By the time i came there, the police was there and the person who was screaming was…” I pause. “S-sorry.. I'm kind of uncomfortable talking about De-… yknow, i wont say it. Is that fine?” I ask shyly
BlauHourglass: I nodded empathetically. “Yeah, yeah; of course.” I gave a comforting smile. “This really isn't a good situation for anyone at all - I'm sorry you had to see that.” I paused. “But did you notice anything else? Like the surroundings…”
Code_kid5619: “I-i was running pretty quickly.. i know that there were buildings around. The short, concrete kind. And it had some sort of.. beige-brown walls? Maybe wood walls? I'm honestly not sure.. I wasn't really focusing on the surroundings..” I squeaked quietly.
BlauHourglass: “You were running?” I questioned, raising a brow. “Where were you running from and to?”
Code_kid5619: “I had mentioned before that i was running towards the scream, because i was both curious and scared of what was happening. I was at a sidewalk.” I said, clarifying what i had said before.
BlauHourglass: “Right, right… You were running towards the scream, okay.” I wrote it down as well. “What time was it? And, uh, did you notice anything beforehand?”
Code_kid5619: “ It was..hmm.. maybe around noon? and I think.. hmm.. maybe it was my imagination, but i think i heard another sound beforehand. I'm not sure what it was though..but it was loud.” I said.
BlauHourglass: “A loud sound?” I repeated, frowning slightly. I looked over my scribbled notes so far, looking through carefully. I wrote down ‘loud sound reported by Ember (witness)’ at the bottom of my notes, glancing over it all. A loud sound, and then a scream? Oh. Probably a gunshot. No- a pre-gunshot? “Okay, I think that checks out. If you don't mind me asking, did you see…the injuries that the victim had..?” I asked gently. I leaned forward slightly to hear better, in case your volume decreased due to shyness and being uncomfortable. My right hand gripped the pen slightly. I needed a lead on this case - bad.
Code_kid5619: “Uhm.. I wasn't really focusing, but he had a lot of scratches on the arms..” I said louder.
BlauHourglass: I nodded, writing that down as well. “Anything else? Anything out of the ordinary?”
Code_kid5619: “No, there was nothing else.” I said in a concluding tone.
BlauHourglass: “Alright,” I said, standing up and gathering my things. “You're free to go, Ember. Thank you.”

Part 4: Mystery Scene - 653 Words
Using your plot points, red herrings, clues, and evidence from the witness interview, write a mystery scene of at least 550 words. it could be a snippet of a longer work or its own self-contained story.
Notes: I fell into a lapse of depression half-way through and rushed it. Don’t blame me if it’s not that good. I had already asked for an extension and was writing this in the middle of my physics exam… At 5 PM, 3 hours before the extended deadline…
Foncée and Sapiens were walking down the street, talking to each other about the latest incident involving The White Rose. They had killed a man in yet another alley in broad daylight—around noontime. The witness had said that the man had scratches on his arms and police suspected that he had been running and had tripped. The iconic white rose dipped in the victim’s blood lay on the man’s chest. A young man, too. He was identified as Charlie Brund, a university student in the local college.
Sapiens was quiet for a long moment as he walked, the tapping of his shoes echoing through the dark street. “Foncée,” he finally said, taking her hand and hurrying his gait. “I think we’re being followed,” he whispered under his breath.
Foncée glanced around as she realized that she also had that creeping, watching feeling on her. She loosened her and Sapiens’ grips, so that in case they needed to fight, it’d be easier. Sapiens took an abrupt left, no longer going back to their dorms but now on a detour.
And then, Sapiens dropped to the ground, yanking Foncée down with him. A dark form narrowly missed them, leaping over the two. Foncée took in a sharp breath, letting go Sapiens and spinning to her feet. The newcomer landed in the shadows, but stepped out into the moonlight—looking like nothing but a flowing waterfall of white robes and drapery. A long knife glinted in the white light.
It didn’t take half a second before the two college students were hurled onto the pavement with their blood splashing cleanly through the air. The White Rose stood above them, raising their knife. Foncée was up in a second though, and back-hook-kicked The White Rose. The White Rose staggered, but quickly regained their balance and stabbed at Foncée.
The black-haired girl caught the knife hand in hers and gripped the wrist with an iron grasp, twisting The White Rose’s wrist in a kote gaeshi. There was a sound snap as Foncée then threw The White Rose over her, and Sapiens slammed his knee down into The White Rose’s stomach.
The assailant coughed, a modulated, raspy cough. Sapiens immediately got to ground-n-pound, but The White Rose slipped out and grabbed the dropped knife with their other hand. Their right hand was bent at an awful angle and the shoulder and elbow seemed to be dislocated as well.
Foncée dashed at The White Rose, but the swift individual dodged and stabbed the knife into Foncée. The girl gave a slight cry, staggering to her knees as The White Rose pulled the knife out and kicked her over.
“Foncée!” Sapiens shouted, and he grabbed a stray brick from the ground and smashed it into The White Rose’s face. The person grunted, stumbling and catching themself (I know that’s not a real word; don’t ping me for it—what else am I supposed to call this person-) before spinning and slashing at Sapiens. He had momentarily kneeled beside Foncée to check her, and his back sliced open.
Sapiens fell over, gasping for breath as the searing pain in his back rippled through. The White Rose got on top of Foncée, raising their knife to finish the job. And then, Sapiens’ eyes glowed a bright azure, and a rushing, warm wind came through the alley. Light blue petals fell from the sky, and Sapiens could feel his back heal completely.
Foncée also came to, and even The White Rose faltered. Their right arm was completely fine. And then… Foncée stared. A hot tear splashed against her cheek, and she stared up at the shadowed “face” of The White Rose. No way… Were they…crying?
Before Foncée and Sapiens could do anything, The White Rose started back, crying softly and then running off into the night. The two university students just sat there in weary, shocked silence. They…certainly weren’t expecting that…

Part 1: 200 Word Outline - 241 Words
Write an outline with 200 words using one of the methods given.
Notes: I typically use the plot-based method in all of my stories, and even academic papers. So, the plot-based method is here again :D. I actually started writing this on Thursday—oh boy, I’m cutting this close xD. But the premise is basically a SWC and Project SEKAI crossover fanfic, featuring Yume(and yes I’m writing all the BBCode by hand again-).

• Binary and Yume are sending in the last letters of the day in the Epistolary Terminal, at the Reception Desk.
  
• Yume tells Binary that they’re “done” with a large emphasis.
  
• Binary realizes that their job at the Terminal is done.
  
• Binary has a surprise for Yume, and she uses an Hourglass to transport Yume and herself to Kamiyama.
  
• Yume wakes up on the rooftop to a little girl shaking her awake.
  
• Yume realizes that the little girl looks and sounds just like a 6-year-old Nene. Her name is Aethra and she’s Binary’s daughter.
  
• Yume sees Binary and Binary explains the setting before locking away their memories temporarily.
  
• Binary warns Yume of Corruption, but also states that so far there hasn’t been a lot.
  
• Binary leads Yume to class and they have their regular school day.
  
• Yume meets the famed troupe, Wonderlands x Showtime, and through recommendation of Binary, gets hired to perform at Wonder Stage with them.
  
• Yume becomes a regular member of Wonderlands x Showtime, but one day notices a black patch of grass underneath a table in the Wonderland SEKAI.
  
• Yume goes to tell the Virtuals, but finds that they’re all gone except for Meiko, who’s in a coma.
  
• Yume searches for her troupe members, but they’re also gone, and she finds Wonder Miku holding an Hourglass in her hand while crouching underneath a table.
  
• Wonder Miku is scared and Yume turns to see a looming Nightmare behind her.
  

Part 2: 100 Word Exposition - 431 Words
Write 100 words about the exposition (an introduction of the characters and setting).
Notes: CinemaSins would give me a hundred just for this exposition—whatever :’).
Here you’ll go, and me, and then you again… Fufu~
The Epistolary Terminal was quiet: a calm, peaceful quiet. In the bird enclosure, the usual crooning and chirping from the doves were gone, and all but two workers in the entire terminal were absent. The starry sky, bending so close to the keep of time, seemed to swirl around slowly.
“…Is that the last one?”
Binary looked up at Yume from where she sat on the wooden floor, cosmos eyes practically brimming with calm happiness. “Yeah, it is… Mine, too.” She looked down at the black envelope in her hands before giving it to Yume. The brown-haired girl took it and smiled, feeling the stationary between her fingertips lightly.
“We’re done,” Yume said, patting the envelope once before tossing it out into the air through a window. The purple letter flew out into the night sky before bursting into a shower of color, and Yume closed the window gently, locking it.
“Done? I mean—as in our shift or…?” Binary trailed off, standing up and looking at the girl sitting on the desk.
Yume smiled. “We’re done here: we’ve done our job and now it’s time to go somewhere else. Everyone else already left, but you said you had something you wanted to do with me, right? Y’know, a week or so ago, when I mentioned the ending of this session?”
“Oh, right.” Binary looked down, smiling almost ruefully at the floorboards. She looked around at the rest of the terminal. “Yeah, I guess we can go now. I just lost track of time for a moment, sorry.”
“It’s okay; being here does that sometimes. Everything just flies by so quickly, and you feel so accomplished and happy at the end,” Yume giggled softly. Binary nodded slowly.
“Yeah…”
Yume got off of the desk and put the master key to the Epistolary Terminal on a folded letter at the main reception desk. Binary watched her for a moment before loosening her ribbon tie slightly and extending her hand. She concentrated for a brief moment before her palm glowed azure and, in a flash of light, an Hourglass appeared in her grasp.
A mystical hourglass filled with blue rose petals.
“Ready, Yume?” Binary asked, extending her free hand to the named individual. She nodded, smiling brightly and putting her hand in Binary’s.
Binary flipped the Hourglass over and it glowed a bright blue. Then, the wisps of light and Energy wrapped around Yume and Binary, encapsulating them until, with a burst of wind, they disappeared completely.
They were on their next mission.

Part 3: 1000 Word Story - 2145 Words
Choose at least 5 story stew elements and use them to create a story of 1000 words.
Notes: At this point, I was just mentally sobbing… Why does SWC have to be so pointed?? :sob: Oh, yeah—Project SEKAI fans, don’t slam me for this, please, this is just… I make up my own stuff, okay? Headcanons, AUs, whatever you wanna call ‘em—
Yume’s heterochromatic eyes opened slowly, reflexively narrowing in the bright sunlight that glared down at her. And then, she became conscious of two little hands tugging on her shirt and shaking her. Yume looked wearily, and as her vision focused, she saw a little girl leaning over her—apparently shaking her too.
“Wake up!” the little girl ordered firmly, and Yume almost felt compelled to go back to sleep by the way the girl said it. But still, she sat up, rubbing the back of her head slightly and looking closer at the child. And she realized she looked just like a little Kusanagi Nene.
“N-Nene?” Yume asked, tilting her head slightly. The little girl looked a little taken aback, and she frowned at Yume.
“No—I’m not Nene. I get I look like her, but my name’s Aethra,” the child said, almost scolding. Yume felt a bit an “aww” at this little girl, but also a bit of fear of her assertiveness. Geez—
“Oh, my bad. Nice to meet you, Aethra,” Yume smiled. She glanced around her. She was on a rooftop of a school, supposedly, and the familiar eastern air told her that she was in far-east Asia. “Where am I?” she inquired, and a familiar voice spoke up from behind her.
“Kamiyama High School’s rooftop.”
Yume turned to see Binary standing behind her and wearing the Kamiyama uniform. The black-haired girl tossed another set onto Yume’s lap before sitting down next to her, criss-cross-applesauce. Aethra hurried over and sat next to Binary, putting her arms around Binary’s left one.
“Binary, what’s—oh! Is this what you wanted to do?” Yume asked, looking around. She couldn’t believe it—after all these years of wanting to actually get here, well, she was here! Shibuya, Tokyo—in the heart of Japan and sitting on the rooftop of Kamiyama!
“Mhm,” Binary replied. “And this is Aethra, my daughter,” she said, patting Aethra’s head. Yume glanced at Binary, perplexed.
“Daughter…?” Wasn’t Binary like…16? Maybe 17?
“Yeah, I took her in when she was 5,” Binary said, noting the confusion and borderline concern in Yume’s eyes.
“Ah, I see. … She looks like Nene,” Yume noted, looking at Aethra. The child pouted slightly at that comment, and Binary gave a small smile.
“Yeah, it’s a temporal situation… But anyways, welcome to Kamiyama. You’re a second year student and soon enough, you’re gonna get involved with a whole lot of goods and bads. I’m warning you now though, that there’s something coming that’s…not at all good.” Binary leaned forward slightly. “Keep your eyes open and sharp, Yume— Nightmares are abroad.”
“Nightmares?” Yume repeated. “Like…bad dreams? Or something deeper?”
Binary nodded slightly. “Something deeper. Fears manifested into mindless, wicked creatures of the night called Nightmares. They live in what I call, The Paranormal World. It’s like this one, but an alternate universe that’s filled with Nightmares and Corruption. They’re trying to Corrupt the SEKAIs… They’re usually black and kinda gooey, or they can be wispy and just… ghostlike. Beware.”
Yume felt a pool of dread at the bottom of her stomach, and she creased her brows. “Wait… This isn’t the Project SEKAI I know, Binary,” she said slowly.
“I know,” Binary replied. “But it’s unfortunately the one that this form is from,” she said, looking down at herself. “It’s messed up, I get that—but we can do this, hm? A little kick of action after sorting letters and doves all day?” Binary stood up, holding Aethra’s hand. “Besides, it’s not the only thing you can do here; join WonderlandsxShowtime, like how you’ve always wanted to, get to know all these ‘characters’ on a deeper level.”
Yume smiled a bit doubtfully. “Are you sure, Binary? This is… a lot to take in. I mean—I’d love to get started! But the Nightmares—!”
Binary shook her head, patting Yume’s shoulder gently. “Yume. I’ll keep them at bay; what I said was just a warning. Now you wanna stay here on the rooftop all day or do you wanna get on a stage and sing?”
“Alright; I’ll trust you,” Yume said, standing up and smiling despite the anxiety aching in her heart. Binary nodded and her eyes turned azure for a brief moment, along with Yume’s, and then the glow dimmed and the two girls blinked.
“Let’s get to class now,” Binary said, and Yume nodded. Leading Aethra with them, the two friends made their way from the rooftop to start their school day…

It was a whirlwind of joy and stress as Yume and Binary went through the school day: teachers, hall monitors(really, An), and trying not to be too blown away by the students there. Finally, as all the students were leaving the school for the homes, marking the end of the school day, Binary caught up with Yume.
“Yume! Did you get your grades back yet? For bio?” Binary asked, approaching the brown-haired girl. Yume looked up, making a wry grimace with a shake of her head.
“No, and I’m not looking forward to it either,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “Mr. Tanaki’s just so unreasonably specific sometimes.”
Binary nodded. “Yeah, I get that…” She paused, and that was enough time for a newcomer to speak.
“Binary, are you ready to go?”
Looking up, Yume saw Rui, the eccentric, madly-intelligent third year student, with Nene and Tsukasa beside him.
Binary nodded again, standing up and patting Yume’s shoulder. “Yeah, I am, but just one thing, Rui: do we take recommendations?”
Rui raised an eyebrow slightly. “Recommendations? As in, for new members of WonderShow?”
Binary nodded for the third time.
“Well…” Rui’s yellow eyes went to Yume, and an amused gleam entered his orbs. “I don’t see why not,” he said slowly. He smiled at Yume. “I take it you want to join WonderlandsxShowtime?” At that, Nene looked at Tsukasa, and he grinned.
Yume’s eyes lit up, and she started to her feet. “Could I? Can I?” she blurted, excitement taking over. Rui chuckled lightly at her reaction, nodding.
“Yes. Binary has a really good eye for spotting talent, so I trust her word when it comes to matters like this. I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind, so we can set up a trial period with you. How does that sound?” Rui asked, pulling out a small notepad from his bag and jotting down a couple notes.
“Perfect,” Yume breathed, trying to contain her emotions. Rui nodded and tore off the sheet, handing it to Yume. In a quick scribble that was somehow legible, it read:
Yume, taken in by recommendation of Binary. Trial period: 1, April, 2024 through 30, April, 2024.
Yume grinned at that and looked at Rui. “Thank you,” she said, bowing slightly. Rui nodded, putting his notepad back into his bag.
“My pleasure,” he said. “But now that you’re a ghost of the troupe, how about you come with Binary and I to meet up with our Pierrot at Wonder Stage? She’d be more than delighted to meet a new member.” Yume nodded eagerly, and so, the three of them walked to the local amusement park, Phoenix Wonderland, to Wonder Stage.
As they walked, Tsukasa looked at Rui. “Rui, you made that agreement fast,” he said in an undertone. Rui nodded, glancing at Tsukasa.
“I did. I’ve actually had my eye on her for a while now; Binary was just the last straw that, if you will, broke the camel’s back,” Rui replied. “Yume’s got a knack for dancing and singing, and she seems to get along really well with Binary and the others. I’m more than happy to expand our troupe like we did with Binary.”
“Ah—you’re right.” Tsukasa paused for a moment before laughing. “HAHA!” He turned and clapped his hand onto Yume’s shoulder. “We will make you into one of the greatest stars in the world!!” he declared, and Yume smiled brightly.
Oh, how she’d love that.

It had been the full trial period and Yume was accepted as a full-fledged member of WonderlandsxShowtime. She even had access to the Wonderland SEKAI. In fact, it had been such an amazing time with WonderShow that she had forgotten about the Corruption and Paranormal World— In fact, after the high-level memory wipe, Yume had let go of her old life. She was happy here, performing with her favorite troupe and being the members’ close friend.
But the Nightmares didn’t forget her…
“What’s this?” Yume asked, crouching down to look at a black, borderline fuming, spot on the green grass of the Wonderland SEKAI.
Yume had been running away from the plushies after she had taken some of their candy away, and she had hidden in the shadows of a bouncy castle, underneath a party table. Buuuut, she had noticed something peculiar on the ground. A patch of black on the grass that was fuming and almost…bubbling. Ew.
Yume touched it gingerly with her shoe, and immediately her shoe turned back. She recoiled. That wasn’t good. At all. “What are you…?” Yume murmured, trying to wipe the goo off of her shoe, but to no avail. Maybe it was a SEKAI thing?
But the Wonderland SEKAI was full of color—the only black thing in the entire SEKAI was Binary’s hair!
And then, it hit Yume.
Didn’t Binary tell her about something like…nasty corruption at the way beginning of all this? Back on April 1? They were on the rooftop, and…
Binary looked at Yume seriously. “Fears manifested into mindless, wicked creatures of the night called Nightmares. They live in what I call, The Paranormal World. It’s like this one, but an alternate universe that’s filled with Nightmares and Corruption. They’re trying to Corrupt the SEKAIs… They’re usually black and kinda gooey, or they can be wispy and just… ghostlike. Beware,” she warned, leaning forward slightly.
Yume blinked. That’s right. So this was…
Corruption?
She looked down at the mess again before making a quick plan in her head: go tell the Virtuals about it and see what they can do, and then go to Binary and tell her that she was right—and what should they do.
Yume ran off, sprinting faster than she had in ages. “Kaito! Miku!! Rin! Len! Anyone! Meiko! Luka!!” she hollered, running back to the main stage.
But there was no one who responded to her call. Just the plushies who were still trying to bite at her and kick her with their soft arms and legs for stealing their candy. Yume whipped around and looked at the plushies, bending down.
“Wait—stop! Where are the Virtuals? There’s something serious; I need them!” Yume said, and the plushies paused. Of course they’d listen to voice of reason. This time. The cat plush pointed to one of the tents and explained that Meiko had gone to take a nap there. “Thank you,” Yume said, briefly patting the cat’s head before rushing off to the tent.
“Meiko!!” Yume called breathlessly, running inside to the hammock swing. Meiko was sleeping there with a dozing plush on her lap, a slight, dreamy smile playing on her lips.
“Meiko?” Yume shook the Vocaloid’s shoulders. Meiko didn’t stir, and Yume had the slight urge to slap her awake. “Meiko! C’mon, wake up, please! There’s Corruption in the SEKAI!” the girl begged, shaking Meiko—hard.
Still no response. She was as though she were in a coma and not even the plush was responding.
“D—ugh!” Yume, now panic stricken and with fear tying knots in her stomach, ran out of the tent.
She didn’t notice the growing pitch darkness in her shadow.
Yume ran on, but stopped when she heard a whimper to her left. She immediately spun and looked around, spotting a shaking Wonder Miku underneath yet another table. She seemed to be clutching something to her chest.
“Miku? Miku!” Yume ran over to the blue-haired girl and crouched down. “What’s going on? Are you okay? What’s—” She got a good look at the object Miku was holding: the familiar blue hourglass filled with royal-blue rose petals. Yume’s heart dropped even lower.
Miku looked at Yume, terror etched all over her face and body. “Y-Yume, all the others are—” And then, she stopped, her eyes widening even more as she stared at Yume. The brown-haired girl stared for a moment before it clicked: Wonder Miku was no longer looking at her. She was looking past her.
“Y-Yume!!” Miku shrieked, and Yume whipped around, only to feel her chest tighten and stomach churn at the sight. A looming monster made of black smoke and goo stood before her, with what looked like all the other Virtuals comingled to make one entity.
Yume’s tongue caught and her body shook— What hellspawn was this? This— Was she next? What should she do? What could she do? How—
The Nightmare reached for Yume.

Part 4: Critiquitaire - I don't even know Words (Polished 1000+ Word Story)
Using the feedback from the critiquitaire, polish and edit your 1000 word story.
Notes: Thanks so much, Sienna! The only thing that I didn’t really change was the “aww” part due to… I was trying to find a way to describe Yume’s new fondness.
Yume’s heterochromatic eyes opened slowly, reflexively narrowing in the bright sunlight that glared down at her. And then, she became conscious of two little hands tugging on her shirt and shaking her. Yume looked wearily, and as her vision focused, she saw a little girl leaning over her—apparently shaking her too.
“Wake up!” the little girl ordered firmly, and Yume almost felt compelled to go back to sleep by the way the girl said it. But still, she sat up, rubbing the back of her head and looking closer at the child. And she realized she looked just like a little Kusanagi Nene.
“N-Nene?” Yume asked, tilting her head slightly. The little girl looked a little taken aback, and she frowned at Yume.
“No—I’m not Nene. I get I look like her, but my name’s Aethra,” the child said, almost scolding. Yume felt a bit of an “aww” at this little girl, but also a bit of fear of her assertiveness. Geez—
“Oh, my bad. Nice to meet you, Aethra,” Yume smiled. She glanced around her. She was on a rooftop of a school, supposedly, and the homey eastern air told her that she was in far-east Asia. “Where am I?” she inquired, and a familiar voice spoke up from behind her.
“Kamiyama High School’s rooftop.”
Yume turned to see Binary standing behind her and wearing the Kamiyama uniform. The black-haired girl tossed another set onto Yume’s lap before sitting down next to her, criss-cross-applesauce. Aethra hurried over and sat next to Binary, putting her arms around Binary’s left one.
“Binary, what’s—oh! Is this what you wanted to do?” Yume asked, looking around. She couldn’t believe it—after all these years of wanting to actually get here, well, she was here! Shibuya, Tokyo—in the heart of Japan and sitting on the rooftop of Kamiyama!
“Mhm,” Binary replied. “And this is Aethra, my daughter,” she said, patting Aethra’s head. Yume glanced at Binary, perplexed.
“Daughter…?” Wasn’t Binary like…16? Maybe 17?
“Yeah, I took her in when she was 5,” Binary said, noting the confusion and borderline concern in Yume’s eyes.
“Ah, I see. … She looks like Nene,” Yume noted, looking at Aethra. The child pouted slightly at that comment, and Binary gave a small smile.
“Yeah, it’s a temporal situation… But anyways, welcome to Kamiyama. You’re a second year student and soon enough, you’re gonna get involved with a whole lot of goods and bads. I’m warning you now though, that there’s something coming that’s…not at all good.” Binary leaned forward slightly. “Keep your eyes open and sharp, Yume— Nightmares are abroad.”
“Nightmares?” Yume repeated. “Like…bad dreams? Or something deeper?”
Binary nodded slightly. “Something deeper. Fears manifested into mindless, wicked creatures of the night called Nightmares. They live in what I call, The Paranormal World. It’s like this one, but an alternate universe that’s filled with Nightmares and Corruption. They’re trying to Corrupt the SEKAIs… They’re usually black and kinda gooey, or they can be wispy and just… ghostlike. Beware.”
Yume felt a pool of dread at the bottom of her stomach, and she creased her brows. “Wait… This isn’t the Project SEKAI I know, Binary,” she said slowly.
“I know,” Binary replied. “But it’s unfortunately the one that this form is from,” she said, looking down at herself. “It’s messed up, I get that—but we can do this, hm? A little kick of action after sorting letters and doves all day?” Binary stood up, holding Aethra’s hand. “Besides, it’s not the only thing you can do here; join WonderlandsxShowtime, like how you’ve always wanted to, get to know all these ‘characters’ on a deeper level.”
Yume smiled a bit doubtfully. “Are you sure, Binary? This is… a lot to take in. I mean—I’d love to get started! But the Nightmares—!”
Binary shook her head, patting Yume’s shoulder gently. “Yume. I’ll keep them at bay; what I said was just a warning. Now you wanna stay here on the rooftop all day or do you wanna get on a stage and sing?”
“Alright; I’ll trust you,” Yume said, standing up and smiling despite the anxiety aching in her heart. Binary nodded and pulsed some Energy into herself and her friend’s mind, wiping the details of their memories and locking them away in an Hourglass. Her eyes turned azure for a brief moment, along with Yume’s, and then the glow dimmed.
“Let’s get to class now,” Binary said, putting her Hourglass away, and Yume nodded. Leading Aethra with them, the two friends made their way from the rooftop to start their school day…

It was a whirlwind of joy and stress as Yume and Binary went through the school day: teachers, hall monitors(really, An), and trying not to be too blown away by the students there. Finally, as all the students were leaving the school for the homes, marking the end of the school day, Binary caught up with Yume.
“Yume! Did you get your grades back yet? For bio?” Binary asked, approaching the brown-haired girl. Yume looked up, making a wry grimace with a shake of her head.
“No, and I’m not looking forward to it either,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “Mr. Tanaki’s just so unreasonably specific sometimes.”
Binary nodded. “Yeah, I get that…” She paused, and that was enough time for a newcomer to speak.
“Binary, are you ready to go?”
Looking up, Yume saw Rui, the eccentric, madly-intelligent third year student, with Nene and Tsukasa beside him.
Binary nodded again, standing up and patting Yume’s shoulder. “Yeah, I am, but just one thing, Rui: do we take recommendations?”
Rui raised an eyebrow slightly. “Recommendations? As in, for new members of WonderShow?”
Binary nodded for the third time.
“Well…” Rui’s yellow eyes went to Yume, and an amused gleam entered his orbs. “I don’t see why not,” he said slowly. He smiled at Yume. “I take it you want to join WonderlandsxShowtime?” At that, Nene looked at Tsukasa, and he grinned.
Yume’s eyes lit up, and she started to her feet. “Could I? Can I?” she blurted, excitement taking over. Rui chuckled lightly at her reaction, nodding.
“Yes. Binary has a really good eye for spotting talent, so I trust her word when it comes to matters like this. I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind, so we can set up a trial period with you. How does that sound?” Rui asked, pulling out a small notepad from his bag and jotting down a couple notes.
“Perfect,” Yume breathed, trying to contain her emotions. Rui nodded and tore off the sheet, handing it to Yume. In a quick scribble that was somehow legible, it read:
Yume, taken in by recommendation of Binary. Trial period: 1, April, 2024 through 30, April, 2024.
Yume grinned at that and looked at Rui. “Thank you,” she said, bowing slightly. Rui nodded, putting his notepad back into his bag.
“My pleasure,” he said. “But now that you’re a ghost of the troupe, how about you come with Binary and I to meet up with our Pierrot at Wonder Stage? She’d be more than delighted to meet a new member.” Yume nodded eagerly, and so, the three of them walked to the local amusement park, Phoenix Wonderland, to Wonder Stage.
As they walked, Tsukasa looked at Rui. “Rui, you made that agreement fast,” he said in an undertone. Rui nodded, glancing at Tsukasa.
“I did. I’ve actually had my eye on her for a while now; Binary was just the last straw that, if you will, broke the camel’s back,” Rui replied. “Yume’s got a knack for dancing and singing, and she seems to get along really well with Binary and the others. I’m more than happy to expand our troupe like we did with Binary.”
“Ah—you’re right.” Tsukasa paused for a moment before laughing. “HAHA!” He turned and clapped his hand onto Yume’s shoulder. “We will make you into one of the greatest stars in the world!!” he declared, and Yume smiled brightly.
Oh, how she’d love that.

It had been the full trial period and Yume was accepted as a full-fledged member of WonderlandsxShowtime. She even had access to the Wonderland SEKAI. In fact, it had been such an amazing time with WonderShow that she had forgotten about the Corruption and Paranormal World— In fact, after the high-level memory wipe, Yume had let go of her old life. She was happy here, performing with her favorite troupe and being the members’ close friend.
But the Nightmares didn’t forget her…
“What’s this?” Yume asked, crouching down to look at a black, borderline fuming, spot on the green grass of the Wonderland SEKAI.
Yume had been running away from the plushies after she had taken some of their candy away, and she had hidden in the shadows of a bouncy castle, underneath a party table. Buuuut, she had noticed something peculiar on the ground. A patch of black on the grass that was fuming and almost…bubbling. Ew.
Yume touched it gingerly with her shoe, and immediately it turned black. She recoiled. That wasn’t good. At all. “What are you…?” Yume murmured, trying to wipe the goo off of her shoe, but to no avail. Maybe it was a SEKAI thing?
But the Wonderland SEKAI was full of color—the only black thing in the entire SEKAI was Binary’s hair!
And then it hit her.
Didn’t Binary tell her about something like…nasty corruption at the way beginning of all this? Back on April 1? They were on the rooftop, and…
Binary looked at Yume seriously. “Fears manifested into mindless, wicked creatures of the night called Nightmares. They live in what I call, The Paranormal World. It’s like this one, but an alternate universe that’s filled with Nightmares and Corruption. They’re trying to Corrupt the SEKAIs… They’re usually black and kinda gooey, or they can be wispy and just… ghostlike. Beware,” she warned, leaning forward slightly.
Yume blinked. That’s right. So this was…
Corruption?
She looked down at the mess again before making a quick plan in her head: go tell the Virtuals about it and see what they can do, and then go to Binary and tell her that she was right—and find out how to fix this mess.
Yume ran off, sprinting faster than she had in ages. “Kaito! Miku!! Rin! Len! Anyone! Meiko! Luka!!” she hollered, running back to the main stage.
But there was no one who responded to her call. Just the plushies who were still trying to bite at her and kick her with their soft arms and legs for stealing their candy. Yume whipped around and looked at the plushies, bending down.
“Wait—stop! Where are the Virtuals? There’s something serious; I need them!” Yume said, and the plushies paused. Of course they’d listen to voice of reason. This time. The cat plush pointed to one of the tents and explained that Meiko had gone to take a nap there. “Thank you,” Yume said, briefly patting the cat’s head before rushing off to the tent.
“Meiko!!” Yume called breathlessly, running inside to the hammock swing. Meiko was sleeping there with a dozing plush on her lap, a slight, dreamy smile playing on her lips.
“Meiko?” Yume shook the Vocaloid’s shoulders. Meiko didn’t stir, and Yume had the slight urge to slap her awake. “Meiko! C’mon, wake up, please! There’s Corruption in the SEKAI!” the girl begged, shaking Meiko—hard.
Still no response. She was as though she were in a coma and not even the plush was responding.
“D—ugh!” Yume, now panic stricken and with fear tying knots in her stomach, ran out of the tent.
She didn’t notice the growing pitch darkness in her shadow.
Yume ran on, but stopped when she heard a whimper to her left. She immediately spun and looked around, spotting a shaking Wonder Miku underneath yet another table. She seemed to be clutching something to her chest.
“Miku? Miku!” Yume ran over to the blue-haired girl and crouched down. “What’s going on? Are you okay? What’s—” She got a good look at the object Miku was holding: the familiar blue hourglass filled with royal-blue rose petals. Yume’s heart dropped even lower.
Miku looked at Yume, terror etched all over her face and body. “Y-Yume, all the others are—” And then, she stopped, her eyes widening even more as she stared at Yume. The brown-haired girl stared for a moment before it clicked: Wonder Miku was no longer looking at her. She was looking past her.
“Y-Yume!!” Miku shrieked, and Yume whipped around, only to feel her chest tighten and stomach churn at the sight. A looming monster made of black smoke and goo stood before her, with what looked like all the other Virtuals comingled to make one entity.
Yume’s tongue caught and her body shook— What hellspawn was this? This— Was she next? What should she do? What could she do? How—
The Nightmare reached for Yume.

The following notes aren’t in order of any hierarchy(aside from the hosts and campers) so don’t take it that way. I was writing all these standing up while my brother was covering me in the kitchen—a true soldier. Anyways, this has been an amazing session. Ciao, Marchers of ‘24!

Dear Hosts,
Thank you for leading such an amazing session! This was my first time and I want to try out for July. I’m picky with the communities I hang out in, so that means a lot. Thank you for being understand, especially with the extensions(I only sent one lol) and whatnot. A mighty cheer to you all, and I wish you all the best.

Dear SWC Campers,
SWC! Not much to say, but thanks for being an awesome environment and, well, the warm hug that everyone needs sometimes. You guys are like an extended family, or second, haha. Keep scratching and keep writing! Wandahoi~!

Dear Yume,
Did you force me into this? Yes. Did I hesitate and literally stall before signing up? Yes. Did I panic when I realized I didn’t know anything about anyone and thing? Also yes! But after a full month going by, I can honestly say that this has been a really fun, stressful, heartwarming, and brain-draining experience. I’d love to be here again. Thank you for introducing me to this and for being an awesome leader. Epistolary didn’t win, but that’s okay . I’m happy. Thank you so much, Yume, and wandahoi~!

Dear LiLi,
We didn’t talk a lot, but you were really fun and energetic, and I loved your energy. Why am I speaking in past-tense? Love your energy. There we go. Thank you for being a good friend and I hope we can hang out outside of SWC . Don’t mention the group photo—it’ll be out in April, I promise— Thank you, LiLi .

Dear Vicky,
Ahhh, the very 30th of March was when we started talking, I think… You poured brain juice into my head for me to survive and I thank you sincerely for that. I will forever chop all your writer’s blocks too—it’s mutual ^^. Let’s chat some more, eh? And maybe write a story together. What do you think?

Dear Poetry,
How in the world are you guys so nice? Literally every single one of you guys are so nice, gregarious, and patient it’s almost hilarious. But I love talking to each and every single one of you guys and I wanna thank you all for being so friendly and kind. Congrats on ranking at one of the top spots! (At least, before the final count xD). Cheers, Poetry, from your cabin-sibling Blau.

Dear Crim,
Honestly, we didn’t chat a lot. In fact, I think I only knew you existed(I’m pretty sure it’s mutual, haha) when you replied to my comment about the SATs. Thank you for guiding me to The Black Book and reassuring me on my grades . I know it isn’t SWC-related, but I appreciate you nonetheless. Thanks again!

Dear Summer,
The Lord of The Rings bound us like the One Ring would’ve bound the other lesser rings. Okay, maybe that’s just me trying to get an LOTR joke in here, but you get it…right? Thank you for being, like Poetry lol, so kind and friendly. Honestly, you’re kinda like a big sis I wanna get to know more. Pretty simple message, I know, but understand that it means a lot, haha. Thank you, Summer.

Dear Tilly,
We didn’t talk a lot, but that’s okay! Thank you for being my weekly partner (technically my weekly was critiqued by Sienna ^^) and thanks for being on top of things. You’re a great person and I love the deep family bonds you have running in the fibers of your account(teehee). Thanks .

Dear Cecilia,
We also didn't talk a lot, but we actually had a formal introduction, haha, and that kinda stuck with me. Thank you for being a good friend, and though we didn't chat past intros, names, and a little besides, you're still a really cool person. You're great. Scratch on, and thank you for being a friend to me .

Dear Epistolarians,
I can't believe I forgot to add this earlier- Forgive me, Epistolarians. We've been through cabin wars, ups and downs, and though I probably never talked to half of you, our silent camaraderie is still priceless. Thank you all for being who you are and making Epistolary what is. You all are special and have a different place in my heart; thank you again. And maybe not for the win anymore, which is okay, but Epistolary for the wine™!

And if you're not on here, don't feel bad . I had to speedrun this too- Okay, now it sounds cheap. Well, everything I said I truly mean it. Thank you all.

Quote for the SWC July Leader App Chart: