Pepper's Writing Thread - SWC Nov '24

Dailies
01 - introduce yourself in the main cabin <3
02 - letter to your future self - 251/250 words
03 - cabinmate's bio/wiwo prompt - xxx/300 words

Weeklies
01 - xxxx/xxxx words
02 - xxxx/xxxx words
03 - xxxx/xxxx words
04 - xxxx/xxxx words

Word Wars
01 - user - xxx words - win/loss
02 - user - xxx words - win/loss

Critique
01 - user - xxx words
02 - user - xxx words

Cabin Wars
01 - xxxx words
02 - xxxx words

Misc.
01 - description - x words

daily 02 - write a letter to your future self - 251/250 words

HI FUTURE PEPPER HOW ARE YOUUU <3
i want all the tea on golden retriever and apple pleaseee (the code names with your besties are slaying as always ehehe)! how is your pookie bear? how is your writing? how did your first official attempt at nanowrimo go? :0 GIVE ME DAPHNE AND FLETCHER STORIES RIGHT. NOW. i hope your concert songs turned out nice, i know it was all pretty rough for everyone in band when we just got them :’) i went to the mall and got some more jeans today, excited to wear one of them at the end of year soccer party tomorrow, so that was good i guess! (and we got these delicious pumpkin muffins at costco afjakfjsk) hope you achieved some of your swc writing goals this session <3 doing 20 dailies, 2 weeklies, entering the writing comp, and having fun of course ;D so, how did you first session as a leader end up? i assume you had a great time, planning was fun and your campers and leadership team are amazing <3 oh i almost forgot to remind you to do YOUR SIX MISSING ALGEBRA ASSIGNMENTS GIRLY xD so anyways, hope you had a blast (or rather, i know you did), and i’m super excited to see how your session finished up at the end of the month ;D you’re doing great, keep working on your writing (make sure to include daph and fletch pretty please <3), and keep cooking B) love ya, past pepper :>

daily 05 - FLOWER DAILY <3
ted talk outline - 517 words
actual story - 1262/300 words
flowers used - 6/3

(lovely plot outline i wrote as a sleep deprived pepper super excited for my idea ^^')
OKAY BEST IDEA I’VE EVER HAD FOR THIS DAILY IN MY ENTIRE 6 SESSIONS/2 YEARS LET’S COOK
plot outline time <3 (more daphne and fletcher appearances i’m squealing in cute romantic scenarios rahh) okay time to stop wasting time bwahaha - so in this lovely world of language of flowers, the flower you’re assigned to (at birth? at graduation? pffftt don’t ask me i didn’t think that far back and i don’t want to B)) is kind of like a vow or personality trait you have to stick to your entire life (or whenever you got assigned said flower, again i don’t know and honestly could care less at the moment <3) or else, *dramatic music* you die or get eternal punishment/torture yada yada yada we’ll figure out when it happens to daphne ^^ OH SPOILERS GASPING yeah yeah yeah, daphne falls in love with amos (she’s a dahlia, yours til the end) but what’s that? isn’t amos … not fletcher?? BINGO BANGO she falls in love with someone other than fletcher then meets fletcher and omg can you believe it she likes him more and wants to get married yayyyy :sparkles: ohoho and the spice has been spiced up more than you ever thought it could be, yeah clap later it’s my job guys. LYDIA COMES AND SWOOPS IN AND WAIT WHAT’S HER FLOWER?? lotus. and you know what that means? she’s gifted with the lovely talent of :sparkles: eloquence :sparkles: YAY PERSUASION AND SHE’S PERFECT AT IT <3 love for lydia <333 it’s lydia’s job to make people’s lives harder, and guess who she runs into at a coffee shop? or maybe a college lecture? or perhaps an amusement park? well it doesn’t matter where because LYDIA MEETS DAPHNE AND DAPHNE IS STUPID ENOUGH TO FALL FOR HER TRICKS. love for sweet innocent little daph <333 so daphne talks to lydia about her struggles with picking a guy even though she doesn’t love amos but has to be loyal to him or else *doom* and she yaps to herself mostly and ends up deciding marrying amos and not facing *doom* is better than marrying the love of her life fletcher and facing *doom.* so she gets up to leave but that doesn’t sound like lydia did her job very well? she didn’t. because it’s not done yet. LYDIA SAYS WAIT DON’T GO WHAT ABOUT THIS AND THIS AND THAT AND THESE THINGS and before you know it, she has our sweet little sunshine of a daphne convinced marrying fletcher is the best move. and sOO daph tells fletcher about everything and he loves her and she loves him and GAHH THESE GUYS ARE MY FAVORITE and they get married but wait? daphne wasn’t amos’s til the end? so she dies a horrible death and fletcher has to watch while lydia holds him away from doing anything and it’s so sick but i like dystopian angst where romantic couples suffer so nice to meet you i’m jocelyn <3 time to write the actual story now thanks for coming to my ted talk of a plotline ;D

REAL STORY SOBBING -
“I don’t care what you think, you’re turning 23, you need to get out of my house and find yourself a man to take care of you,” Daphne’s mother, Quinn, told her as she washed off some dishes in the sink.
Daph let out an exasperated sigh as she scrolled through social media on the couch, not thrilled with the idea of needing a ‘man’ to take care of her.
“Listen, Daphne, you have one month to find yourself a place to live or I’m going to start charging you rent. I’ll help you get an apartment or something, you just need to ask, but my days of parenting are over, and you’re not a child anymore.”
Daphne rolled her eyes behind her screen so she wasn’t caught being disrespectful, then mustered up the response she knew her mother wanted to hear. “Fine.” Although blunt, it got an approving nod out of her mother and she turned off the sink with satisfaction as she set the last plate on a towel to dry.
“May as well go into town and try to meet some guys too,” Quinn called, walking up the stairs to her bathroom.
Frustrated with her mother’s teasing, Daphne stomped into the front room to throw on her shoes and leave for some fresh air, deliberately avoiding any men out of spite toward her mother.

Eventually, Daphne took a much needed peaceful break in a local coffee shop, practically bathing in the pleasant aroma surrounding her and getting comfortable in a warm, poofy chair. As she closed her eyes to daydream, a tap of her shoulder caught her off guard. When she glanced up and saw a tall, ginger guy standing over her, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes, a habit she should probably work to stop. “Yes?” she asked with a sigh, pushing the man’s hand from off of her shoulder with a look of disgust.
“Uh,” he began. “I was just wondering if I knew you from somewhere? You look familiar… I’m Amos.”
Daphne looked at him closely for a moment, then quickly came to the conclusion that no, she had not met this man before and had no intention of getting to know him in the slightest. She shook her head, scooting as far back in her chair as possible, and taking a sip of her tea to show that she was already uninterested in their conversation.
“Ah, okay then. Maybe it was your boyfriend?”
Daphne’s cheeks immediately felt like they had caught fire, turning bright red from embarrassment. This was exactly why she had left her house, to avoid having to speak to anyone about anything, especially to a man about other men. She glared at the coffee shop floor, her embarrassment turning to anger. “I’m afraid not, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Amos took a step back and cleared his throat nervously. As he should, Daph thought, irritated by this entire situation.
“Then, maybe I could be yours?” His voice quieted as he silently waited for a response. With barely a whisper he added, “I mean, you’re really pretty, and you seem like a sweet girl.”
Daphne’s heart melted, a sense of shock and affection filling her from the very tips of her highlighted hair all the way down to the white nail polish spread neatly across her toes.
“I, well, yeah. That was very kind of you,” she mumbled, voice cracking.
“So it’s date?” he asked. His lips formed into a small smile that sent shivers down Daphne’s spine, bringing joy to the deepest parts of her.
She nodded, biting her tongue to keep tears from pouring out of her eyes. She returned a smile and tapped the seat across from her, gesturing for him to sit down.

The two chat with each other until Amos has to leave for an appointment, and after a quick hug and more exchanged smiles, they part ways. Daphne grins all the way home, and when she walks through the door of her mother’s house, has never felt happier.

“What’s up with you?” Quinn asks, suspicious of her daughter’s unexpected good mood.
“Nothing,” Daph responds quickly.
“Daphne, honey, something, or rather, someone, is on your mind and I’d like to know who. You’re giggling to yourself like a child in a candy shop for crying out loud, don’t try to lie to me or I’ll just figure out what’s going on myself, it’s the gift of a mother to know every detail of everything, whether it’s left unsaid or not.”
Daphne simply shrugged, and went upstairs to her room.

Over the next few months, Daph and Amos go on several dates, take a few fun classes, and enjoy spending time together.

Until one day…
Daphne is wandering around town with a friend named Maggie, when someone catches her eye. A tall guy with big, chocolate brown eyes and fluffy blond hair is standing in line for some ice cream on a hot day, and she instantly decides he is hotter than any weather she’s ever experienced. Daph quickly regrets even thinking something like that about a man, especially when her relationship with Amos is flourishing. Her friend nudges her, noticing the beautiful stranger also, and dragging Daphne toward him so she could go strike up a conversation.
“Hey there,” Maggie begins, giving him a small wave.
“Maggie,” Daph mumbles uncomfortably.
Without looking over at her, Maggie gives her a light tap on the arm and continues talking to the guy in line. “I’m Maggie, nice to meet you!”
“Hello,” he answered. “My name is Fletcher, nice to meet you as well.”
Maggie grinned, overly enthusiastic about talking to guys. “Well, I guess we’ll see you around!!”
Fletcher nodded, stepping away to order his ice cream.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Maggie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Not my type whatsoever,” she muttered. “He’s a lost cause for sure.”

A few days later, a young woman named Lydia notices Daphne sitting alone in a bookstore.
“I saw the way you looked at Fletcher the other day. He told me that he liked you,” she told her, not even bothering to introduce herself.
Daphne looked up from her book. “How do you know?” she asked her.
“I’m his sister, he told me,” Lydia lied. “You should get together.”
“I can’t, I already have someone.”
“But, dearest Daphne, it’s so obvious to me that you like him more than your little ambrosia petal.”
“I—”
“Hush, darling. It’s meant to be.”
“I’ll die, my flower meaning…”
“But it’s worth it, all in the name of true love.”
“I guess so, but…”
Lydia chuckled. “So scared, young ones are. Believe me, you’ll be fine, and you’ll be happy.”
Daphne nodded, and more confidently replied, “Okay then. Where can I go meet him.”
“He’s walking through the doors right now.”
Daph’s heart fluttered as she saw the man of her dreams come through the old, wooden doors of the bookstore.
“Hi!” he said, swooping her into his arms and giving her a kiss on the forehead.
“Hey,” she responded, holding him tightly.
As soon as she greeted him and allowed herself to be wrapped up in his embrace, her flower vow was broken, and she was met with a searing pain from deep within. She toppled to the ground in agony, crying out to anyone who would help her. Lydia smirked as she walked out of the bookstore in Daph’s final breath, and with a snap of her fingers, whatever love may have become of Fletcher and Daphne…

was over.

word war one - herm - 2 minutes - 149 words

he looked into the eyes of the beautiful, white, furry and majestic creature in front of him with a worried look on his face, one that would seem strange to have on your face when staring into the eyes of such a majestic unicorn. it’s rainbow glowing horn and straight white teeth and large chcolate brown eyes were stunning, but as he thought about his past choices on making deals and bargains with the animal, all he could think about was how much he regretted even coming to face to face with the creature in the first place. he was scared of what the unicorn was going to do to hin after his choices that he made, and hoped at least it would spare his innocent family ,and even let him go back to them some day. heck, letting him slide past it would be amazing, though unlikely and
149 words

word war two - clev - 3 minutes - no prompt

okay three minute timer set and we’re off! be prepared from my lovely rambles for cabin wars for the next three minutes in an attempt to get as many words as possible. well actually i changed my mind we’re going to try to write something logical and sane since i said i would be sharing proof lol here we go
once upon a time in a land far far far away there was a bird that liked to eat kiwi. that bird eventually got cast a spell on from an ugly witch because the bird flew inside her chimney to eat a kiwi hidden in her house. the witch didn’t approve of this idea and so she cast a spell on the bird to become a kiwi and that’s how kiwi birds got invented. side note this is obviously false but i like kiwis too.
next story once upon a time there was a girl stuck on mobile and that’s why i’m going so slow and my fingers are hurting from being wrapped around my phone sobbing but this is my only option so here we are writing on mobile for cabin wars the monstrosity and horrible events taking place today are not entirely my fault but i have to do what i have to do. my keyboard is lagging so so badly right now sobbing umm i hope the minutes are almost done okay
235 words

story for a friend lol <3

the deep blue water thrashed below their boat, sending sopping wet wooden planks into the fierce ocean, rapidly tearing apart their ship with ease. sailors hollered for help on deck, yelling orders at their crew, though their calls were lost to the howling of the wind. several people on board were thrown into the merciless sea, left to be ripped apart by the waves.
when the storm finally slowed to just a light drizzle, only about a quarter of the men still lived, many exhausted and bearing several injuries. weak murmurs for aid floated around, but no one was well enough to help his neighbor. hour after hour passed, death claimed some in their sleep, and others mustered up just enough strength to throw themselves overboard. it wasn’t until dusk that another ship found what was left of the men’s boat. they pulled closer, and a woman hopped over to examine the scene.
“what happened here, ay?” she called, looking over the men with confusion and frustration.
a few men spat at her, eyes sparkling with disgust at the sight of a woman more powerful than them. her long, wavy auburn hair blew in the breeze behind her, a black bandana holding it back from her face. she wore a beige blouse with frilled sleeves, and black pants with matching leather boots. the woman walked over to the man closest to her and lifted his chin with a knife.
“before you spit at me, maybe take into consideration how that could impact your future, yeah?” she gave him a sharp glare, kicking him backward. the woman stepped away and walked towards the center of the ship. “anyone have anything they’d like to say before i burn this place down?” she asked, snapping her fingers and looking towards one of her crew members for a torch. she glanced down at them with sad eyes. “oh well,” she sighed, dropping the fire onto the ground. “farewell!” the pirate made her way to the edge of the boat and dangled her legs over the water as the rest of the ship burned behind her. just before it was too late, she hopped overboard onto the safety of her own ship. “let this be a lesson to you, boys!”
375 words

For the Nov 24 Critiqueaire
Partner: @pepper-and-a-pencil
My critique for her short story:

Grammatical Errors: When your are writing your quotes, they need to be capitalized. Also, there are slight capitalization errors in “weak murmurs for aid floated around,” When there is a period, or “.” Then any word after that has to be capitalized. And in every beginning of any writing, or in a beginning of a paragraph, the first word must be capitalized.

Thoughts: Uhhh….this story is amazing what?? I love the pirate theme and the way you described the storm, the weak spirited pirates, the broken ship, and the details of the woman's attire. The woman pirate is such a vibe I love it. But I kinda wanna know why she burned the ship down. All in all, this story was amazing!!!!

-Bunny
+136 words! YAY!!!! D

daily 11 - lipogram
( didn't use the letter “p” )

my aunt was a woman of many talents, one of my favorites being her fascinating skill of crafting birdhouses. she made beautiful arrangements with moss, beads, flowers, and of course the houses themselves. she gave away hours of her time to carefully construct a flawless design for the birds. when she finished, a brush covered the wood with detailed markings, making them have an extra touch of color and ‘zing.’
she unfortunately left the world at just 43, and after i heard the news, i made the decision to let her go with a bang. i gathered all of her birdhouse making materials and basically lived in the shed for days, crafting one of my own in her memory. she made a lasting effect on my life, and in order to thank her, i thought this would be a good way to do so. my birdhouse didn’t turn out nearly as stunning as hers usual do, but i still treasure it. the beads don’t match each other, the moss is falling off, and the wood isn’t cut to fit inside of one other like hers were, but it serves as a beautiful memory of her existence, and that’s all i need it to be.
204 words