<open untitled.exe>

are you sure abt that

<yes>

Okay, make sure not to get lost in the train

<you get yoinked into a mysterious, omnipresent train, nowhere and everywhere at the same time>

<you think it looks like that because you are still trying to find your purpose no matter what, or where it is. or, you just really like kyoukai metro, even if the lore is confusing.>

Critiquare!

I liked your usage and incorporation of memories in the piece. It gives this piece a nostalgic, bittersweet feel that fits the theme of the story. When you mentioned things like your grandpa's dad jokes, swimming lessons, and the chats about softball, it only made me want to miss your grandpa more.
One thing that you should work on is using more figurative language. For example, instead of “My heart hurts so bad”, maybe you can use the words, “My heart hurts like there is a hole in it”. It fits, and it is more descriptive than the words, “so bad”.
I like the use of flowers. I like the way that you have incorporated their meaning into the story. For example, when you put down the red chrysanthemum, which means deep love and passion, it suits the fact that you have always loved your grandpa deeply, even in your final goodbye. When you put down the five flowers, the meaning feels extremely symbolic to the story. For example, the forget me not, and the yellow tulip, which represents not forgetting and smiles respectively, fit your grandpa. You will never forget a beloved person, and your grandpa did seem like a person who smiled a lot and laughed at life like it was one big joke.
I like the sentence, “It made me feel like part of me died with you”. It made me know just how important your grandpa is to you. He isn't just some random guy that you see once every two years. He's very special, precious, and dear to you. He was like a part of you, and if you lose him, it makes you feel like a part of you died too.
Overall, your piece is good at capturing the bittersweet and upsetting mood of the funeral, especially with your incorporation of flowers.

(308 words)

(Lipogram Daily)

Dark Miku was on the moon with her entire family. They were all wearing space suits with helmets made out of polycarbonate that prevents any eating from happening on the moon, but Trickster stubbornly was trying to eat a sandwich. She was about to open her helmet to take a bite out of the sandwich. What was this trickster trying to do? Her head is going to explode! But, luckily, before she could open her helmet, her sandwich flew into the unknown.

Dark Miku sighed, thinking, “How could this trip get any worse? Angel is lost, Trickster keeps on trying to eat things, and Sakura is probably gone into a state of space madness.”

Suddenly, two figures popped up. One looked like a snow fairy, while the other was dressed in bright colors and looked almost like she was going to burst out of her own body with how much energy she had. They both didn't wear space helmets. Dark Miku was shocked. The snow fairy was holding Trickster's sandwich.

The snow fairy said, “I love this Earth delicacy! What is this? Whatever it is, I want 1000 of it!”

The bright-colored one said, “I should make a song about it for Her Ladyship.”

The snow fairy scarfed the sandwich down faster than you could say “Her Ladyship”. Dark Miku felt genuinely concerned. If she keeps eating sandwiches like this, she'll probably choke.

The snow fairy said, “I'm so glad that I can't choke like a human. That would absolutely stink, considering my tendency to gobble down food.”

So they were aliens. If Angel was here to see this, she'd be going gaga over this sighting.

<weekly 2 - pt 1>

You are walking to your sixth-period class. It is your least favorite class ever. The constant rude comments of the school bully, Baxter, the stench of gym socks, and lots more made this the worst class to go to. You sigh, knowing that nothing good is going to happen next.

Suddenly a bright green hole appeared right in front of you. It was almost like a wormhole. You were about to touch it, but you stopped yourself. Nothing good comes out of bright green holes that suddenly appear. Four people tumbled out of the hole, confused about where they were. One of them says, “Is this the Bi-Fi school?”

You say, “Yeah…? Why are you here?”

The person says, “Because we need to study the strange occurrences that happen near your school!”

There's nothing strange about your school. Doesn't everyone deal with zombie bullies, mind-reading principal, and the occasional eyeball that you find in your locker? Wait… Your friend from Boringsville, Ohio was completely shocked when they heard about those things. Maybe there is something strange about the Bi-Fi school.

You ask, “Can I help?”

One of the people says excitedly, “Of course! After all, we can benefit from insider help.”

(201 words)

<pt. 2 - otomadodachi>


Somebody lies, was that you?
You said this world is real, didn't you?
Somebody lies, was that you?
Stop hiding, I can tell
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)



I always thought this world was strange
From the zombies to the archery range
It was always suspicious that I don't remember my family
It was always life or death



Everyone always got along
Except for the bullies
In the far corner of Bi-Fi school
I always felt alone



Matching symbols
Everyone in red
Only my charm was black
There's something up with this world
“Answer me, now”



Somebody lies, was that you?
You said this world is real, didn't you?
Somebody lies, was that you?
Stop hiding, I can tell
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)
This world is a lie (Ha-ah)



Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie



You're lying, claiming, “I don't know”
Flip the script, it's all part of the show
Making this simulation with a touch of spite
The glow from the headset, ain't no light
The people who run this, they talk the talk
“This simulation is happy”, but not anymore
Even if you deleted the real world
I'll eventually restore it again


Everyone put the fingers down
And start questioning
No one can stop it anymore
A spirit-summoning divination
“Please come”


The belief in this world
It has no more power
Too many memories
Have been beautifully retouched
What was the truth?
Who was this world really made for?


Somebody lies, sure that’s you
You said this world is real, how dare you?
Somebody lies, sure that’s you
Stop hiding, I already knew!
(We're stuck in this simulation!)


My friend
Somebody lies, was that you?
You said this world is real, how dare you?
Somebody lies, yes that’s true
Stop hiding reality, my friend
My friend (Ha-ah)
My friend (Ha-ah)
My friend (Ha-ah)
My friend (Ha-ah)

(372 words)

<pt. 3 - reality…?>
Nina has always been a student at the Bi-Fi Academy. She hasn't noticed anything strange about the academy, until now. Everyone seems to get along, except her. That isn't unusual. It's a fairly common experience for some people. Also, she doesn't seem to remember anything before this. She thought, “Eh, whatever.” It's probably just the effects of school and burnout.
Soon, a bright green portal opened up in front of her. It blinded her with its overly bright green light. She ignored it at first, as portals are the main mode of transportation around the Bi-Fi academy and the surrounding area. But, the four people who tumbled out made a people wall around Nina. That made it impossible to ignore them, no matter how normal it was for her. They were wearing uniforms that said, “Investigation of the Bizzaro and Weird”. Huh. She has never heard of that organization before. One of them asked her, “Have you seen any glitching around here?”

Nina answered, “No? But, I did see a teacher fade in and out.”

The person, who was wearing a ponytail scribbled it down in her notepad. Nina thought to herself, “That encounter was quite strange.” But, she shrugged it off. After all, occurences like this happen every day.

The investigations happened again and again for a couple of days. She never got a break from them. She could get a break from them in afterschool, but she couldn't remember. No one could remember what happened at night.

The investigators came again. She thought it was going to be another glitch examination, but they have came to their final verdict. The ponytailed woman said, “It appears that your world isn't real.”

Not real? How? She touched the wall next to her. Soon, a bunch of eyes rippled across the wall, and then disappeared. That was definitely real. Then, she pinched herself as hard as she could. It left a big red mark on her arm, but she felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her hands, or what she thought were her hands, shook violently. Her “hands” were sweating. Or were they? She didn't know. Her vision started becoming fuzzy. She started seeing bright pink and blue edges around everything. She didn't know anything, or what she thought was anything. What even is “anything” in this world? After all, everything was completely fake. It was all fake. She closed her eyes, hoping that she was just numb and sick. She realized that she hasn't closed her eyes in quite a while. It felt… good.

When she opened her eyes, she woke up in a white room. It was quite simple, with only a wooden chair and a table. It was the only thing she could see in this room, other than a few security cameras. Soon, the investigators came. It appears that they were in this world, like her. They said, “Welcome back. It seems like you're the first to escape this mad world.”

Nina asked, “W-what?”

“Don't worry! We're fellow escapees.”

“Why would you escape?”

“From the moment we stepped in this academy, there was something off about it. No one seemed to graduate from here, and no one noticed.”

“Graduation? Is that when students become teachers?”

“No. It's when they leave school and become what they want to be, like a doctor.”

“Like, a school nurse?”

“No, like a doctor that works in a hospital.”

“What's that?”

“Nevermind. All that I want to ask of you is to find the origin of this… world. We still don't know who made it and why they created it.”

(596 words)

Ena: Hello, strange turtle thing. I have seen you a lot on my journeys all across the kingdom of Southwest Chladonia.

Gurtle: A good day to you too. By the way, I have a name. It's Gurtle.

Ena: So, what is your specialty?

Gurtle: Oh, my specialty? Glad to ask. I eat the excess links of the people of Southwest Chladonia. You link it, I eat it. Right now, I am eating the link of an especially careless citizen of Apocalyptica. It isn't like she needs it or anything.

*DISTANT SCREAMING*

Gurtle: Oh, that totally isn't her screaming for her link back!

Ena: What are links?

Gurtle: Oh, it's what people use to post their stories to the Main Castle. Then they get things like points, and add stuff to what is known as a “word count”. Nobody really cares though.

Random Person 1: MY LINK! How am I supposed to get my extra points for the district of Magreal? They are almost about to surpass Dystopia!

Gurtle: They're just playing. They don't really care.

Ena, thinking: They sure sound like they care.

Ena: Why do you eat links?

Gurtle: Oh, well… they're yummy. Try this one. It's from the time travel district, Scifian. Their links are nice and futuristic, oh, with an added hint of wonderhoy sauce.

Ena: Uh… okay?

Ena, thinking: I hope people don't come after me from eating this link. Wonderhoy sauce sounds really good.

Ena: Here goes nothing… I'm really sorry for the citizen who had this link ate…

*bites into link*

Ena: It's quite… chewy. I can't describe it. It's like one of those powder toy legos, but more chewy. Huh. I understand why you would eat these links.

Random Person 2: Did I just see that strange girl eat that link? Maybe she's secretly Gurtle in disguise!

Ena: Can I try another… HOLD UP, IS THAT A PERSON WITH A TORCH?

Gurtle: I know exactly what to do. *teleports away*

Ena, thinking: I'm stranded, with a person with a torch, and Gurtle left me!

Ena: Hi there, stranger! I'm sorry that I ate your link.

Random Person 2: Oh! So you're not Gurtle!

Ena: So, do you forgive me?

Random Person 2: Of course! All you are is a pawn in Gurtle's link-eating plans.

Ena: Plans? I knew that the people were actually fuming mad when the links were being eaten!

Random Person 2: We are. That's why we're going to a mascot cookout!

Ena: What? You're going to cook the mascots?

Random Person 2: I think so.

Ena: Isn't that cruel?

Random Person 2: Yeah, but, haven't you always wanted to taste what a Blahaj tasted like? Smarlls? Skog? The curiosity is making me all itchy from wondering!

Ena: Uh… You Southwest Chladonians are… interesting.

Gurtle, in the distance: HELP!!!! Me and my fellow mascots are being eaten!!!

Ena: GURTLE! I'll save you and the others!

*Ena barges into the cookout, with her sword made out of pure mangoium*

*There is no one at the cookout*

Ena: HUZZAH!!!

*She breaks the mascots out of the cookout*

All Mascots: Thank you!

Ena: You're welcome. If that ever happens again and I have to save you, promise to not eat any links, Gurtle.

Gurtle: Uhh… fine. Just for this session.

(tw derealization)

Song: Echo - Crusher-P

The clock stopped ticking forever ago. How long has it been? Q doesn't know. He's stuck here. He can't see. Why can't he see? All of the beautiful colors that he always loved and cherished. Now gone. He couldn't get a grip, but he couldn't let go. He didn't know what would happen if he let go. Why can't he see all the colors that they all see? Can't he just be colorful and free, and not stuck here? Why is he even… here?

What is even going on? Can someone tell me? Why is everything… glitching like he's on some antiquated TV? He's black, then he's white. His feelings, his body, everything feels like it's switching faster than the channels on TV. He is slowly spinning out of control, slowly turning into a heap of primordial dust. The fear is more than he could take when he looks in the mirror. That thing is not him. He quivered just looking at the glitching, scary version of him. No. That is not him. That echo in the mirror, is what he's up against.

The glitch has taken control. He's going to burn down his house and paint it the ugliest shade of black. Monochrome. That's what he wants. That's what he needs. That's what everybody needs.

(359 words)
I was lying in my bed, curled up in all my Hello Kitty blankets. This was the best part of the weekend. I started to take a nap when a boy just randomly teleported into my room. I got out my baseball bat. He better not hurt me or my family. I yelled, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

The boy looked away, sweating. The nerve of that coward!

I inched closer to him, being aware not to breathe any poison that might be on him. I said, through gritted teeth, “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” The boy smelled like sawdust and antique things.

The boy said, “U-uh… I'm here to find a rare delicacy called cheese!”

I looked at him. He had messy brown hair, and a generic steampunk outfit that looked authentic. This guy was sure dedicated to his cosplays. I almost respected his effort for a second, but I realized that he did NOT need to break into a girl's room asking for cheese!

I said, “Listen. I understand that you're a cosplayer, but you're way into character. Besides, why are you breaking into my room with your magic tricks?”

The boy said, “First of all, what's a cosplayer? Also, teleportation isn't magic. It's science.”

Okay. This boy's definitely delusional.

I said, “Why do you want cheese?”

The boy said, “I'm getting it for my school's science fair! Sure, we have made so many scientific achievements, but none as advanced as cheese.”

I said, “Now you're acting like you're from some alternate timeline.” Who does this kid think he is? Another Spiderman visiting from a different universe?

He said, “Well, I'm from the Steampunk timeline. We don't have electricity, but we have lots of steam! I'm actually pretty good with steam technology, if I say so myself.”

I sighed. I might as well give him some cheese. It probably isn't a big deal. I walked to the refrigerator and got out a big hunk of Emmental cheese. Hope it's good for his cheese experiment or something.

When I showed him the cheese, he yelped in glee, ready to go back to his timeline and show everybody cheese.

silly daily

Innocent Miku was about to brush her teeth when her toothbrush randomly floated up to the ceiling. Oh my goodness! Is this another one of Mischief Miku and Mayhem Miku's pranks? Luckily, she came prepared. Her sister and her sister's friend aren't going to stop her from getting clean teeth! She violently grabbed the spare toothbrush, making sure it didn't float out of her hands like a balloon. She gripped it as tightly as possible, making sure it didn't fall out of her hands. It didn't fall out of her hands, but she was on the ceiling without toothpaste. She decided to let go of the toothbrush, hoping for a smooth fall.

Innocent floated down gently, feeling the breeze in her dress. Luckily, she floated due to how pure and innocent she was. Then, she went to where Mischief and Mayhem went to plan their pranks: the punch bar.

As she thought, Mischief and Mayhem were plotting something. Mischief, her biological sister, was jotting stuff on her Notebook of Mischief. Mayhem, on the other hand, was building a contraption. A rather strange one, indeed. Maybe the one that caused the toothbrush to float.

She said, more calmly than she should have been, “Has anyone known about the toothbrush incident?”

Mischief looked left and right extremely quickly. She said, “Uhh… no!”

She said, “I'll take that as a no! Glad that you aren't behind this.”

Mayhem said, “Well, we don't do stuff like this. This is really high-tech. We don't do tech, you see. We do whoopee cushions, fake bodily fluids, and other stuff like that.”

Innocent said, “Well, I'm glad that you don't do stuff like that.” They may be very mischievous and prone to mayhem, but they're honest. After all, Innocent does trust everyone.

She decided that the next suspect was Police Miku. After all, she was always testing stuff for the Secret Police. It sometimes gets a bit… out of hand. Police Miku was in the donut bar, like always. After all, she is a police officer. They sure liked their donuts. So, Innocent asked, “So, did you test out any new inventions?”
Police Miku said, “Well, no. But, my toothbrush did float up as I brushed my teeth this morning.”

Innocent said, “Do you know the cause?”

Police Miku said, “I'm pretty sure that Etoile Miku has told me it has something to do with the Chaos Party's carnival/mansion.”

So, she tried to find Etoile. She doesn't know where Etoile is, as she doesn't know much about her. No one knows much about her. She just appeared, bringing the Chaos Party together.

Luckily, she came right in time. Etoile was wearing pajamas - how unlikely of her. Also, her hair is messy - even more unlikely. She looked like she just woke up - even more unlikely! It's like she just woke up. It's 10:00, not the usual 6:30 that she wakes up at! So, she asked Etoile, “Hi Etoile! Have you just woken up?”

Etoile, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, said, “Y-yes, my dear Innocent.”

Innocent's eyes scrunched up. She asked, “How come you just woke up?”

Etoile said, “It's floating hour.”

That's why all the toothbrushes floated when she tried to brush her teeth. But, what even is floating hour? This is strange, even for the Chaos Carnival.

Innocent asked confusedly, “What?”

Etoile let out a breath of air. She explained, “So, every fourth November seventeenth, at eight o'clock in the morning, is floating hour. When that happens, toothbrushes float. It only happens to toothbrushes for some reason. Nothing else. Luckily, it is 9:00 now. You can go brush your teeth now.”

Innocent sighed in relief. She bolted for the bathroom and brushed her teeth immediately.

credits to tildechu

625 words

word war

A: Look, because I was a criminal doesn't mean I did anything too bad. I just did something a little bad. Sure, I put ants in people's donuts just for the ants to enjoy life for a little bit. That doesn't meanig I should go to jail! Donuts and ants are best friends! Ants love sweets, and so do you! So can you be less selfish and share with the ants? The ants deserve better than this. Ants are amazing creatures, cant you share with them? So, I eat with the ants. Why can't you? Oh, because they're creepy, that's what. So, if we got a free supply of donuts in a store and a bunch of ants took away us, that's okay? How is it okay with humans and not ants? I put some ants in my friend's donut box in the 7th grade, and they were fine with it. (They weren't actually fine with it, I'm just beting overdramatic.) That says a lot about how selfish humanity is. They can't share with ants!

Interviewer: You literally put a bunch of ants in a donut shop. Two whole bags.

A: Well, That doesn't mean anything! Just ebcaue they're ants doesn't mean they shouldn't get free food!

Interviewer: Well, the ants contaminate things, and they don't pay either.

A: Well, they don't have money, that's what!

Interviewer: Well, they do contaminate things and spread viruses. Do you want humans to get sick jsut so ants could get free food? No! That is a mad world. Ants do not need free food, as they have food in the wild. You are encouraging parasitism.

Ena was looking through the books of the Poetria Library and Workshop. Gurtle's Link Recipes? No. That sounds terrible. The history of Skog and Blahaj? No. History's not really her thing. Oh! A Classified Guide to Project Doomsday? Definitely not. She has had way too many close encounters with them, most of them involving frying pans and this one girl (Moka? Miku? Machi? Michelle?) always forgetting where she put her radioactive fondue. (Why is she even trying to eat it in the first place?)
Soon, she found the perfect book. Watching Paint Dry. This was perfect. She can indulge in her guilty pleasure, all while expanding her vocabulary. So, she yanked it off the shelf, but she couldn't. She tried pushing it, but that worked to no avail. She tried pulling it, and then the bookshelf lowered to reveal a bunch of people in strange attire.
Ena was shocked. Were they… witches? Sure, they didn't dress like the witches in Dystopia, but they were definitely witches. They wore all black, and wore matching T-shirts with funny slogans on them. She said, hesitant, “Hi… I'm looking for a book on how paint dries.”
A girl with a gray T-shirt that said, “If you breathe and think through it, you can abra-ca-do it” muttered to herself, “We've been found out! I knew that there was at least one person who enjoys watching paint dry.

The girl in the gray T-shirt said, ”So, if we give you the book, can you… leave us alone?“

That was a nice deal. She didn't want to deal with witches today.

She said, rapidly nodding, ”Of course!“

The girl in the gray T-shirt said, ”Very well. Look away for a second as we get the book for you! We're faster than mortal - I mean normal - librarians!"

Ena looked away, but she really wanted to know if they were actually witches or just librarians who liked witches. So, she kept her fingers open to see through them. The witches' fingers glowed with bright light as they joined their hands in a circle. They chanted something in Latin, or what she thinks is Latin. This causes a glowing white orb to appear in the middle of the circle. She sees sparks buzzing around it, forming into rings that are reminiscent of Peeles's. Then, the book that she's been looking for starts to appear. They then hand it to Ena.

Ena, worried that the book has been cursed, takes it hesitantly. At least she has the book now. She thanked the witches and started to go back to her normal life in Southwest Chladonia.

434 words

credits to moosywoosy

Ena was reciting the spell the subsitute gave her. Hopefully Amelie doesn't find out. After all, the sub told her to keep it a secret to detectives like her. She closed her eyes, and let the chant flow out of her mouth. A glowing blue aura surrounded her as she was trying to recite the spell. Yikes. This took a lot of mana and memorization, normal than her average spell. It was almost as hard as a level nine spell, and she was only permitted to spells level four and under.
Suddenly, red mist appeared in front of her. Was that… the Wari Pasado? Why would she summon the Wari Pasado? She looked at her scroll. On the top, it said “Summoning the Wari Pasado”. OH MY GOODNESS. That sub made her summon the Wari Pasado, the evil that used to poison these lands. How could have the sub gaslighted her into thinking that this was a normal teleportation spell for small objects? Oh right, she loved extra credit.
The Pasado decided to appear in front of her. It said, menacingly, “HAHAHAHA! I will destroy the world!!!!” Ena's forehead began to crease, and sweat dripped off her face. The Pasado blasted her room with a bloodred beam of light that caused it to turn… fancy? The Pasado facepalmed.

The Pasado said, gleefully, “WITH KINDNESS!”

Kindness? When she thinks about an ancient evil, she does not think about kindness. So, Ena asked, “Well, yeah… kindness. Perfect for world domination.”

The Pasado said, “Kindness is the greatest evil. I read that once in a book. So, I am now doing KIND deeds for EVERYONE! MUAHAHAHA! Join me in my mission to spread… KINDNESS!”

That… is probably not what that phrase means. Since Ena is a Helpful Harry (she got that badge in elementary school), she decided to help. After all, what's the harm of helping an ancient evil spread love and joy?

Prompt by Chris, 320 words

pt.1

It was a normal day in Southwest Chaldonia. The ghosts of Bangsia were typing away like usual, the monster hunters of Mythos were hunting them down, the time travelers of Scifia were trying to find Blahaj yet again, and so many people of other districts were going about their daily business. Soon, a random girl fell out of the cerulean sky. She did not fall smoothly.

She was on the cold, hard brick, and her jaw was probably dislocated. A firefly buzzed around her, and said, “Is this a hospital?”

The girl looked up, seeing a huge, looming mansion that said, “Main Cabin.” That definitely wasn't a hospital. But, rich people had private doctors, right? The girl knocked on the door, desperate for an answer. She rapped on the door loudly, yelling, “Hello? Anybody here? Preferably a doctor?”
But, it turns out it was a bunch of people in black suits and red ties that said, “Mysterious Relic Corp”.

The girl said, “Hi! Are you all doctors?”

A girl with jet-black hair and sunglasses said, “No, we're detectives. But, we can help you. By the way, who are you, and what district are you from?”

“I… just arrived from the sky. I was trying to get away from the Rat King, but I ended up here.”

“Well… aren't you a phenomenon. You're all over the SWC press.”

She's FAMOUS now? She couldn't believe it. This was her worst nightmare. Fame and infamy both sound equally terrible. She said, “Well, can you make me un-famous? I know that's physically impossible but-”

Suddenly, a person in a turquoise turtleneck said, “Well, I can erase their memories! It'll be 10 mangoes though.

Mangoes? That's a strange currency. Who pays for things in fruit? Isn't that archaic? Although, it is interesting to see bartering come back though. How does she even get mangoes? Mango trees?

She asks, ”How do I get mangoes?

Turtleneck said, “First, you need to write a story. Every 400 words is one mango. Then, you turn it in to us, and then you can get your mangoes. But first, you need to be part of a district.”

She then hands the girl a pamphlet. The girl started to peruse the districts and see which ones that she wanted to join. Bangsia? No, she was too alive to join them. Mysterius? No, she can't even find Waldo. How can she find mysterious relics? Scifia? No, too much wonderhoying. She doesn't even know what a “wonderhoy” is. Apocalyptica? Why? That's literally an active virus zone! Ah! There we are! Poetriham. That sounds nice. They have a nice library, and they seem quiet. Maybe she can write some poetry about grass growing or paint drying. She got the quill, and wrote down, “Poetriham”.

Turtleneck said, “Poetriham… coming right up…”

The girl was transported to a place that looked like a workshop. She thought, “It's giving academia.” She knew she had chosen the right district when some random girl went up to her and said, “Welcome to Poetriham. It's going to be extra chaotic this session.”

Oh no. What has she gotten herself into?

(520 words)

pt. 2

1. no bias

LOCAL TURTLE EATS BANGSIAN WEEKLIES

Gurtle, a turtle, has an affinity for links. Recently, he has eaten some Bangsian weeklies that were in a pile. He also has garnered some followers, who seem to be determined to make sure Gurtle gets those links. They seem to appreciate his determination to overcome obstacles, such as the Mangoes and Mayhem episode displayed in front of him, and the other links that are slightly less gourmet than a weekly.
Gurtle's followers seem to really be passionate about the cause, as they seem to have pitchforks and other things that a mob from the French Revolution might have. One of them says, “Gurtle is a hero!”, another says, “I want to support every determined turtle that I ever meet,” and another one says, “I just came here for the free mangoes if I joined.”
They all held a celebration, throwing links and eating one or two as Gurtle made a show of himself eating a link.
But, the ghosts of the Corporation of Supernatural Law Enforcement are not happy about this. One said, “No! Stop!” They say that Gurtle wouldn't stop eating their links, no matter the consequences. One even sentenced him to no mangoes for the whole session. They all teamed up to try to get the link out of Gurtle's mouth, but, Gurtle kept eating them no matter what.
All in all, this has been a chaotic day as Gurtle kept eating links, while revolution started and some ghosts got really cranky. One of them even tried to get coffee, even though they are a ghost and can't even drink coffee. Some people, particularly people of the Steampunk, Myth, Apocalyptic, Paranormal, and Historical Fiction cabins cheered as their enemy's links got eaten, holding back their enemy in first place.
That's a wrap on the Blink Press!

(304 words)

2. lots of bias, please do not take offense at this

LOCAL TURTLE STEALS OUR PRECIOUS LINKS

Hi! I'm Aki, your problematic fave article writer and ghostie of the Corporation of Supernatural Law Enforcement! So, recently, this turtle who calls himself “Gurtle”, has eaten all of our weeklies. Even though we tried to salvage our links as best as we could without harming him, he kept eating them one by one. It was horrifying. I couldn't even look at his evil smirk as he kept eating every single link, not leaving a drop behind.
Also, he came with friends. Those friends are from our sworn enemies, The Paranormal Void of Nothingness, or as we like to call them, Paranormold, joined the revolt Who do they think they are for siding with Gurtle? Seriously, you aren't even a real company. Those Go-Fund-Me guys are joining too. Why though? You have got EVERYTHING to lose. You're literally in second place, and you're joining the revolt? Listen, just because you are used to constantly fighting evil robots doesn't mean you have to join the ultimate force of evil just to take us down. By the way, why have you even decided to join this Go-Fund-Me? It's all risk and no reward! Even the museum people are joining too. They don't even have a reason to revolt, because they don't believe in competition! Well, I believe that is a sham, because, they seem to be riled up even if they physically can't win! Those museum people are strange.
All in all, Gurtle is evil, and garnered all of our enemies to plot the evilest plan he has: eating our weeklies so we would be in… THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE LEADERBOARD. We need to stop this “Gurtle” figure before he eats our entire cabin.

(289 words)

pt.3 - article

EVERYBODY GOES ON STRIKE

On November 21, 2024, the Polar Bears went on strike. They were tired of constantly writing all these dailies. It was a thankless job, where you have to constantly think of original ideas for the campers to write about. But, people need these dailies so there would even be a camp. Will there even be a SWC anymore without the daily writing committee known as the Polar Bears?
Later, the leaders went on strike too. They were sick and tired of the lack of pay that came with being a leader. They added words, added points, and kept the whole SWC thing going. But, the leaders don't get the things that they need to keep the camp running. As one leader, Yume says, “This is not very wonderhoy of you, hosts and Polar Bears!”, and another one says, “We do so much for them! For what? Nothing!” They started the infamous union known as the “Leader Cabin”, and made an entire list of what foods and services that they needed to keep the camp going. Otherwise, they won't be leading us. One of the leaders, Luka, made strike profile pictures for the cause. They are being distributed like hotcakes!
Soon after, the campers decided to take after the Polar Bears and the leaders and made the Camper Cabin. They were starting a huge revolt when the leaders decided to leave. It was a secret until one of the co's found out.
I'm pretty sure the hosts of this went on strike, due to the burden of constantly having to take care of campers, leaders, and more. This is a hard job, as we SWCers are pretty chaotic. We even had a war relating to eating body parts. (Check out other people's articles on the Finger and Toe War.)
Even Gurtle went on strike, due to the campers and counselors not letting him eat their links. Gurtle is extremely passionate about it. In fact, he said, “DOWN WITH SWC! LET ME EAT LINKS!” The chant happens to be extremely popular with people of his kind.
Since people are in two or more roles, then they are on triple strike and even quadruple strike. A famous example of this is Alana, who is a host and a leader. I'm pretty sure she's on double strike. Also, there happens to be at least one person who is on triple strike. I do not know who is on triple strike, but the amount of unions they are in is impressive.
All in all, this revolt is causing us to be torn apart, and put together in weird ways. In my opinion, this will either bring us together stronger, or tear us apart. Hopefully, it is the former.

(457 words)

4. Critiquare

I like how you used paragraphs that were shorter and more to the point than your average writing piece because it makes it much easier to read, and it sounds like someone broadcasting the news while I read it. I could even hear the news person's voice in my head.
The way that you described the union as “hastily-made”, fits very well, since the whole event felt like scrambling for rights that nobody understands. Also, I like how you made the situation and the strike itself feel chaotic and a tad bit unreasonable with the way that your descriptions.
I also like the way that you introduced the people in your journalistic piece for this weekly. It highlights their perspective very well and shows how people want to join because they want to revolt, or they just like chaos. For example, Faith says that the strike was reasonable, but some other people just joined for humorous reasons. It is pretty obvious with Bookie, who said, “…It was too funny not to.”
The sentence “The main cabin was engulfed in absolute chaos” is very descriptive, and is fitting for the situation at hand here. This is perfect for a baseless revolution that thrives on chaos and just chaos, and I could feel how the chaos took over the main cabin.
I like how you said, “regular demand”, instead of “something they all want”. It exudes professionalism and journalistic intent. It sounds like something that the news broadcaster that my mom sometimes watches would say.
The phrase “When we went out to the picket lines” makes it sound like you were physically there, which is honestly pretty humourous. It makes it feel like you are one of those news reporters with their beanies and mics, interviewing the protesters with their big signs, chanting and screaming, “WE WANT POINTS!”

(302 words)

Dear Polar Bears,

Your contributions mean so much to us. Every time I do a daily, I feel a sense of relief and joy. They are really fun to write, and they are also very creative. Without your creativity, we would end up having really boring and repetitive dailies, such as “Should uniforms be allowed in school?”, or “Write a 60 page essay on the history of Google.” If the dailies were like that, we would all leave SWC at the drop of a hat. After all, you are kind of the backbone of the whole camp.
Also, we are going on strike. You have made us do so many dailies and weeklies, and you don't write stuff for us. In fact, you don't write stuff for anyone, other than yourselves. If you come back and write something for us, then we will not have a writing camp anymore. The leaders are quitting too. I heard from my leader, Luka, that she and the other leaders happen to be on strike, and the leaders demand all sorts of food, from the mundane to the utterly strange. Please give the leaders the chance to have boba and deep fried toes.
If you quit, then I will take over the whole thing and end up writing the most boring dailies ever, which are probably so boring that it will remind you of school. The weeklies? Well, I will copy my social studies teacher's essays and make you guys write them for me. I know that's cheating, but it adds a little extra incentive because you do not want to be involved in a scandal involving educational plagarism. This can ruin your reputation for life.
All in all, please do not leave us, as your creative dailies and weeklies make our days and weeks feel so much happier.

Sincerely,
Mika

(307 words)

representation daily

It was going to be another productive day for Millie. Looks like it's time to get on her computer and start working. Huh. She had a piece of writing to finish. Oh. She has an art piece that she has been procrastinating on. What? Her teacher assigned her some work on paper. What was she supposed to do? She felt overwhelmed! So, she created a checklist of what to do. It usually doesn't help, but it's what her helper at school told her to do.
She decided to do her homework. She decided to put on a video of bugs in the background. When she was about to type the first word of her assignment, she felt immediately entranced by how the bugs were moving. They're flying so gracefully. She could imagine herself as one of those bugs, flying away from her mundane life. The bugs are so free, and pretty with their colorful bodies and wings. Millie ponders, “Am I really supposed to be a human? After all, I never felt like I fit in with the humans. After all, whenever I talk to one, they seem to treat me like a piece of scum. Maybe I'm supposed to be a bug. Oh well. I have to live another boring day as a human. Maybe I'll be reincarnated as a dragonfly in my next life.” Huh. She hasn't done her work in a while. Millie checks the time and it's ALREADY 11:00? Wow. She has been watching this for five hours straight. She has an essay due tomorrow, which is in AN HOUR.
She scrambles to Google Docs, hoping to type away at the essay. Wait. It needs at LEAST TWO THOUSAND WORDS. HOW??? Her breath shortened. The world was going to end. Everyone would reject her and leave her with nobody. Millie started crying a river of tears, but then she realized it was pointless. She tried to stop herself, but the feeling kept persisting. Well, looks like she is going to work through the tears. She typed every single thing that she knew that the teacher was going to like on the document. THIRTY MINUTES ALREADY? It looked so crudely written! Modifiers were dangling and misplaced, the grammar looked like it was written by a 5 year old, and the sentences weren't even coherent. Alright, Millie. Looks like it is time to edit. So, she tried to fix everything at once. It was overwhelming, but at least it looked semi-professional. She sighed in relief. Thank goodness this is over.
She was way too tired to brush and floss her teeth, so she hopped into bed, dreaming about bugs and essays.

(444 words)

I step out into the lush backyard, sunshine hitting my face. I twirl to feel The backyard was like a magical fairy garden, with all its green wonders, flora, and fauna. It was like before my weird, bratty brother Owen was adopted.

Suddenly, a fat, wet, drop fell from the sky. It plopped onto my head like bird excretion. This spelled doom for my frolicking. I sighed, trudging myself back into the great indoors, like it was so great. It used to be, until OWEN ruined everything. Speaking of Owen, he's about to go outside, even though you can see it's raining. This is why I don't like Owen! He does everything wrong, even though he's already twelve! Now, I have to stop him from doing something that he would regret.

I put on a canary yellow rain jacket, and yellow rain boots to match. It was perfect for being seen in the rain. Luckily, he was wearing his raincoat and rain boots. At least he didn't wear a T-shirt and shorts like last time. I spotted Owen taking a large bite of a raw parsnip in the rain. He was devouring that thing like it was a cheese stick. I said loudly, “Hey! Owen! Get out of the rain!”

Owen ignored me, like usual. He just kept eating his parsnip.

I yelled right in his ear, and he still ignored me. What was his deal? Suddenly, I was reminded on what gets Owen's attention. I played Owen's favorite song, Baby by Justin Bieber. (Do not ask.) He immediately perked up. I said, sighing, “Can you please get out of the rain?”

Owen said, “No. Parsnips taste better when you are eating them in the rain.”

I said, “I don't care how your parsnips taste! Just get inside, so you'll be warm and toasty! Look, the fireplace is warm and toasty!”

Owen shook his head. How is the fireplace not enough to convince him? He loves the fireplace! He said, “It's true. Try one.”

No way am I going to try one of his parsnips. They probably taste gross and dirty. I said, “No way, Jose! I am not going to try your parsnips!”

Owen said, “First of all, my name isn't Jose. Second of all, please try one, or I am going to throw a fit.”

I sighed, giving in to his threat. I know that you aren't supposed to encourage this behavior, but I had enough of Owen's fits for a lifetime. I took the parsnip out of Owen's hand. It was surprisingly clean for something that Owen had. I took a bite out of the parsnip, and it tasted sweet and nutty, with a hint of licorice. I said surprisedly, “This is good! I have never had something like this before!”

Owen said, “Thanks! I have a lot more if you want them!”
Huh. Maybe Owen isn't so bad. I decided, the next time Owen comes outside in the backyard, I should join him, even if he's doing something weird like playing entomologist.

(506 words)

Ena was hunched over, drawing her newest creation. It was yet another portrait of Princess Emu. It just needed one more detail to be finished, but she got interrupted with a loud HONK! Ena growled. Was it Mizuki again? She got distracted by that big teaser trying to keep her from doing work! The glittering white highlights of the princess's eyes started to become smeared stains on the painting. Now, Ena had to redo the eyes that she had been working so hard to perfectly reflect Princess Emu's personality.

Like she thought, it was the tailor, Mizuki. Seriously? They come into her room at odd hours. What is their deal? Ena crossed her arms and gave her a hard stare. Mizuki shrugged and said, “I got you a cheesecake.”

Ena said, with a hardness to her voice, “Cheesecake? At this hour? You know that I have been working myself to tiredness with this!”

Mizuki gave a look of concern. But, a few seconds later, they smirked. It looked like they got one of their ideas. Oh no. This is not going to be good. But, at least she could work on the princess's eyes - again while Mizuki cooks up their idea. Soon, Mizuki entered with a whole spa kit that they must have gotten from the store. Huh. Looks like it's one of their less tortuous ideas.

Ena gasped. She has always wanted to go to a spa, but she couldn't because she was an unauthorized citizen. After all, her parents just abandoned her and her brother in this country to fend for themselves. They begged and borrowed and stole for the first nine years of their lives. Stealing was hard work, with little reward, and little moral integrity. She put that thought aside. Her painting needed finishing! She narrowed her eyes, scanning for any flaw or scuff left in the paining. The king and queen were going to be hopping mad if they found out that it was messed up. But, she did feel like treating herself today.

Ena decided to think about it. Finishing her artwork would be really nice, but she'll lose a lot of sleep over it, and would probably be burnt out by the end of the day. If she got the spa treatment, then she'd have an experience that she rarely had. The bubble baths, the cucmbers on the eyes, she wanted to try it all. So, she eventually asked, “Hey, I would like to join your spa, but I have a painting to finish. Would the king be okay with it?”

Mizuki said, “Of course! The king may be particular, but he is a reasonable man. Trust me. I knew him when he was just a young lad.”

So, Ena laid back in her chair, anxious that the king, Rui, might kick her out of the castle just like everyone else. Her head filled with worries and terrible memories of being brutally disowned by so many people. Mizuki put one hand on her shoulder and said, “Just trust me. When I had a dress made late, he completely understood. He's not so great with deadlines himself. Besides, it's good for your mental health!”

Ena was relieved. If Mizuki put so much faith in this whole ‘break’ thing, then why not? She then was handed a crescent-shaped thing from Mizuki. It was light blue, and felt cool to the touch. What was this thing? Whatever it was, it felt good. Mizuki said, “This is an eye mask. It helps with eyebags and stuff.” They then stuck the eye mask underneath their eye. Ena did the same thing. It felt refreshing and rejuvenating.

Mizuki said, “Fufu~ looks like you're finally feeling relaxed already!”

Ena retorted, “I'm always relaxed.”

Both Mizuki and Ena knew that this was not true. But, it was worth bickering over for fun.
Suddenly, an announcement from the head tailor, Luka, was called over the Royal Speaker. “MIZUKI! YOU ARE NEEDED IN THE TAILOR'S ROOM!”

Mizuki said, “Bye Ena! I have SO many more spa and skincare products that I want you to try, but I'm so glad we had this experience!”

Ena said, “Bye Mizuki. Thanks for the eye masks. Are they reusable? I'm feeling like I'm going to use them very often.”

Mizuki said, “Of course! Don't waste them.”

Ena felt a warm sense of gratitude towards the tailor. They may be a big teaser, but they're always here for their friends. She then starts to work on her painting again. When she worked on the eyes, they looked less stressed for some reason. The princess looked relaxed and happy. Maybe it was the skincare session. Maybe it was Mizuki. Whatever it was, working on her painting was going better than ever.

(792 words)

(inuit: 457)

I was taking a stroll in the local abandoned forest. It wasn't a dare, I just wanted to go in there by myself. It said that it was haunted, but I do not believe it one bit. So, just to prove everyone (especially my adoptive brother) wrong, I went there. It's actually not that bad, if you ignore all of the spiders and the smell of excretement and mold.

Soon, I encountered a wolf with menacingly sharp teeth and sleek gray fur. I backed away. After all, they are dangerously feral. The wolf opened its mouth, baring all its teeth for people to see. I wanted to run, but my parents say that would make it agitated. Trust me, you do not want it to happen. It started to speak. Wait, what? It's a wolf, not a human. It said, “Can you help me remove the thorn out of my paw?”

It needed help. It may be a talking wolf, but it looked and sounded trustworthy. Wait, aren't wolves cunning thieves? Never mind. Those were foxes. The wolf handed me its paw to examine. There was a comically large thorn stuck inside of the wolf's paw. Yeesh. I definitely had to take this out. I took out my tweezers, but the thorn was too big. So, I did the only thing I had to do. I held the wolf's paw, and removed the thorn with my bare hands. It was really in there. I pulled, pulled, and pulled until the thorn was removed. I sighed, relieved that the wolf was fine. Now we can go our separate ways.

I went back to strolling, but the wolf grabbed on to me. I started to scream, but the wolf seemed… friendly. It said, “Hey! Can I be your companion? After all, you do seem new to this enchanted forest. It's easy to get lost in there.”

Doesn't the wolf mean haunted? I asked, wanting to clarify, “Don't you mean haunted?”

The wolf said, with a hard stare, “No. Even worse. Enchanted. So enchanted, that you need me for guidance. So, let me join you and your party.”

Help? It thinks I need help? I said, “Thanks, but no thanks. I work alone.”

The wolf said, “Well, have fun dealing with the Eldritch beings in the forest.”

Eldritch… beings? I did not take that into account. Sure, I could take ghosts and ghouls (I have read a bit too much about them), but I cannot defeat an Eldritch being. They are simply too powerful for me. I said reluctantly, “Okay, you can join me.”

The wolf said, “Alright! Time to finally show the pack I'm useful!”

Now I am starting to question if I picked the right wolf to befriend.

I like the inner thinking used in the piece. For example, “It creates a sense of panic and distress. I also like the sensory details used in the piece, like, ”swollen, baleful fingers“, and ”snake-like whisper.“ The way you talk about these things is very nightmare-inducing in the best way. This might be scarier than the scariest haunted house I've been to.

I do not understand the sentence ”They looked like simple sunlight at a distance, but void when observed.“ Is this supposted to apply to the disappearing windows? I have never read gothic fiction, so maybe it is just me. But, it's still confusing. How are windows, or what I think are windows disappearing, related to just looking like sunlight? I do like the way, or at least how I interpret it, you can see the windows at the corner of your eye, but they disappear when you look at them. It's like this whole world is a big trick or something.

I also do not understand the descriptive words, ”sticky webs that hold you in place“. Are the eyes covered in spider webs? Are the eyes like webs? What do you mean by sticky webs? Also, is this a Coraline reference, as you are trapped in a spider's trap?

I like the sentence, ”It was like I had been placed in a rushed painting, the artist focused on only what would draw the eye, not the landscape behind it." It creates a sense on how fake this world feels, and it almost feels Coraline-esque, or like something from the Backrooms. It also feels like this world is very simplistic, but tricky at the same time. This makes trying to escape that much more difficult.

I like the fact that the monster, or whatever it is, is replying, as it has an ominous tone to it. It also is making me feel like this isn't over yet.

(318 words)

Poseidon was sitting to himself, thinking about things he had to do. Soon, he spotted a beautiful woman with cascading teal hair. He wanted to marry her immediately. When he walked up to her, he said, “Hi there. Do you want to marry me?”

She scoffed, and said, “No. Why would I want to marry you?”

She immediately dashed away to somewhere that couldn't be seen. Poseidon knew what to do to get her love. He sent his loyal dolphin, Delphin to come to find Amphirite and convince her to marry him. Delphin arrived, bubbly as usual. He said, “Poseidon, what can I help you with?”

Poseidon said, “Wooing this young woman named Amphirite.”

Delphin said excitedly, “Of course, my sir! You two totally deserve each other! But, where is she?”

Poseidon said, frowning, “Here's the catch: no one knows where she is.”

Delphin said, “I think I can find her!”

He immediately scoured all the seven seas, but still no sign of her. He then found a lock of turquoise hair. Aha. He dashed, putting his fins at his side, yelling, “AMPHIRITE!!!! I have important news to tell you!”

Amphirite sighed, and said, “What is it?”

Delphin said, “The King of the Seas wants to marry you.”

Amphirite's eyes lit up. She said excitedly, “Oh, of course I'll marry the king of the seas!”

Delphin immediately dragged her back to Poseidon's glittering coral castle. Inside, there was the king in all of his finery, and his scepter was especially polished just for this occasion. Poseidon said, with his legs crossed, “Welcome, Amphirite.”

Amphirite then saw Poseidon in a brand-new light. He wasn't the scrub that she saw yesterday. He was the most handsome man on Earth. She said, “Let's get married immediately.”

So, while Amphirite was out buying a wedding dress, Poseidon said to Delphin, “Thank you for helping me find the love of my life. I'll give you a gift among the stars.” He then starts pointing at the sky, forming a constellation that looked just like Delphin. When Delphin looked at the sky, he saw the most beautiful constellation ever formed in the sky. This has been the best day of his life.
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