JWC | Gothic FTW! ✯ January Session 2025
✎✯Herm’s Writing Witch Cottage ☽☾ JWC January 2025✯
(a mini writing directory for @HermioneVoiceActress)

✎✯DAILIES…
1st Daily (Introductions): January 1st, 2025
Prompt: ‘Welcome to the first day of camp! Start to get to know your cabin mates, meet other campers, and introduce yourself in the comments! We're so excited for this session, and there are definitely going to be so many new memories made here <3’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8311240
Word Count: 1,060

2nd Daily (National Science Fiction Day): January 2nd, 2025
Prompt: ‘What's that… oh! It's just the pink sky! From Star Wars to The Martian, science fiction writing has captured the imaginations of many. What better way to celebrate that than on National Science Fiction Day? That's right, it's time to travel to other universes- from space academies to exploring other planets, there is something in this genre for everybody. For this daily write 400 words of any type of science fiction story for 300 points, 100 extra for proof.’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8313022
Word Count: 435

3rd Daily (Titles): January 3rd, 2025
Prompt: ‘Titles are a very powerful thing, and sometimes they influence your writing. Today, all you have to do is to write 250 words in a story titled “Oasis” for 100 points. Although everyone's titles will be exactly the same, check out another person's writing and notice the similarities and differences in both of your stories. What do you notice? If you provide proof you can get an extra 100 points <3’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8314319
Word Count: 287

4th Daily (Character Development): January 4th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Understanding your characters is an important part of writing any story, so today we're going to be working on character development! so, for today's daily we're going to be making character sheets! in your character sheet include the following information and anything else that could help us get to know your character: name, age, gender + pronouns, appearance, family, friends, relationships?, education level, religion, birthday, hometown, personality (include positive and negative traits). Write 200 words for 150 points, and an extra 50 points for sharing!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8316378
Word Count: 207

5th Daily (Birdsong Poems): January 5th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Hear that chirping outside? Yup- it's the birds! Ever wonder what they're singing about: lost love, the morning, the promise of food? Well, today you get to answer that question for yourself. Write a 150 word poem about what makes those birds outside sing for 100 points!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8318971
Word Count: 161

6th Daily (AI vs. Human Dilemmas): January 6th, 2025
Prompt: ‘For today's daily, we're going to be exploring a sci-fi writing prompt! (again hehe) Write a 300 word story about a world where artificial intelligence has become sentient, explore the consequences of an AI uprising and the ethical dilemmas faced by humans and machines alike. This daily is worth 150 points, and an extra 150 points if you give proof.’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8320652
Word Count: 306

7th Daily (Song Lyrics): January 7th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Songwriting is a form of writing that is a big part of any culture, and most authors have often overlooked it. Today, we want you to include a lyric from a song of your choice, and write 350 words around the meaning of that lyric for 300 points. Get an extra 100 points if you share your daily <3’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8322691
Word Count: 367
Lyric Chosen: ‘I’m finally at peace, but it feels wrong,’ -Silhouettes, Of Monsters and Men

8th Daily (Time): January 8th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Time is a very funny thing, isn't it? It's more of a broad topic than a set fact. Although we might not still know how exactly time works, create a story where time is different. What will happen because of that? Does it impact people's daily lives? What goes on in that world? Write 300 words for 150 points! If you share your writing you can get 150 points more!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8325445
Word Count: 317

9th Daily (Cereal vs. Milk): January 9th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Have you ever wanted to argue about whether it should be cereal before milk or milk before cereal? Well, today's your lucky day! For this daily, write 250 words arguing either point for 150 points, and 100 extra with proof. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to convince someone to join your side in this endless war…’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8327301
Word Count: 320

10th Daily (Snow): January 10th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Snow is a marvelous thing, and today you'll be writing about it! From symbolizing a character's emotions, highlighting the uniqueness of something (after all, no two snowflakes are alike!), or melting away to reveal the warmth of spring, it can be a magical aide in the stories you spin ✨For this daily, your task is to write 300 words using snow in a significant manner for 200 points (and an extra 100 points for sharing proof)!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8329424
Word Count: 350
Note: This is a fanfiction of THG. <3 (It may or may not be inspired by the 2nd Quarter Quell hehe- also maybe a very slight spoiler warning for The Hunger Games!)

11th Daily (1st Cabin Wars!): January 11th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Time for the first cabin wars of the session! Go to this link here to understand the rules and start warring: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1118797779/
Good luck to all cabins and I hope you all make it out alive <3’
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

12th Daily (Characters Trapped in Stories): January 12th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Hey, can anybody get me out of here? I'm kinda tired of being stuck in this book. I just want to get back home. For this daily write about a character that knows they are trapped in a story. But the catch is that they don't want to be there. Write a 350 word story for 200 points. Provide proof in the comments for 100 extra points. Good luck!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8333594
Word Count: 369

13th Daily (Make Your Dreams Come True Today): January 13th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Today is Make Your Dreams Come True Today, and we hope you all will today <3 but another thing you can do is to write about anyone, an already existing character, your own, someone you know, having their dreams come true! What happens? What do they want? Answer all these questions and more by writing at least 200 words for 100 points! You can get 100 points if you share this daily.’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8335358
Word Count: 201

14th Daily (Rewriting Book Endings): January 14th, 2025
Prompt: ‘For this daily, all you need is to read a book. Well, you also have to write, of course ;D Is there a book that you wish you could change the ending of? Maybe the love triangle didn't go the way you wanted it to, or maybe someone died, or maybe the city got taken over by the villain. The possibilities are literally endless. For this daily, we're going to be rewriting that ending. You can make it however you want! Just make sure you write 350 words to claim 300 points, and an extra 100 points if you share proof! Have fun!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8336927
Word Count: 418
Note: I’ll be rewriting an ending in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! (*SPOILER* warning for The Hunger Games!)

15th Daily (Tubular Poems): January 15th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Today's daily is super fun and easy, too! We're taking today to focus on poetry. All you have to do is complete at least 3 of the following tasks using at least 200 words in order to claim 150 points! Share your poems for an extra 50 points. But here's the catch- all of your tasks have to include the word “tubular”. Haaaave funnnn! ;D
1. Write an acrostic poem
2. Write a sonnet
3. Write a haiku
4. Write an ode
5. Write a limerick’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8338821
Word Count: 217

16th Daily (In My – Era): January 16th, 2025
Prompt: ‘We're focusing on you today! As you probably know, Taylor Swift made the term “in my ____ era” popular. Today we're going to talk about what era you're in! Take whatever era you're in- maybe it's speech, music, sports, cats, etc- and write about it. What is your era? What do you do? How do you act? Are you proud of their era? Write about it! To claim 100 points, write 200 words! Get an extra 100 points for sharing.’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8340778
Word Count: 227
Era Chosen: Filmmaking Era

17th Daily (Allies or Enemies): January 17th, 2025
Prompt: ‘What would happen if you were to set foot into your ally's cabin? What about your enemy's? Today we're writing about it! Write two short stories about going into your ally and your enemy's cabins. These two stories must be at least 200 words each and 400 words total in order to claim 300 points! Have fun! Share your piece for 100 extra points!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8351031
Word Count: 450
Ally Cabin: Joker
Enemy Cabin: Adventure

18th Daily (Haircut Scenes): January 18th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Characters change–that's practically the core of every story we write about them! Can you think of a dramatic moment showcasing character development in one of your favorite stories? Maybe they've done something they swore that they'd never do, or they finally open up to another character. Today, you'll be writing your very own dramatic character change moment–but! there's a catch… the character must cut their hair as their moment ;D it's up to you to come up with the reason this is significant; maybe it's an act of rebellion or maybe it's simply a symbol of a bigger change happening inside. For whatever reason, write 350 words of a dramatic haircut scene for 300 points–and you can earn yourself 50 additional points if you share proof!!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8345677
Word Count: 352

19th Daily (Double Lives): January 19th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Most stories have a protagonist and an antagonist or a hero and a villain. Perhaps it is a superhero fighting a supervillain, a school situation with a bully, or enemies in war. Now what would happen if these enemies had double lives, where in one they were friends and in the other, they were at each other's throats. Write a story of at least 350 words about two characters with double lives, who happen to know each other in both lives, yet have completely opposite relationships in each life. Perhaps it is a superhero and a supervillain who are college roommates, who hide the secret of their crime fighting or crime doing life. Or perhaps the boss they hate is their best friend over the internet. The options are numerous! Complete this for 300 points for your cabin. For an extra 50 points, share your story in the comments!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8347662
Word Count: 385

20th Daily (Video Games): January 20th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Video games are all the rage these days. Whether it is on a console, a phone, or a computer, very few people have not played an online game. Today, we are going to combine the joys of writing with the entertainment of a video game. Write a story with a video game as the key component in your writing. Perhaps it's the setting of the story (have you ever wanted to live in Minecraft?) or a game that plays the central aspect of the plot, a video game must be a major part of your story. Write 250 words for 100 points, and an extra 150 if you share ❤️’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8349675
Word Count: 315

21st Daily (Incorporating Art): January 21st, 2025
Prompt: ‘Writing and art are two very similar topics, and many of the themes in each of them blend into each other. Today, take a piece of art and use any part of it, the theme, the emotions you feel when you look at it, the characters, and incorporate it into your writing! You can claim 300 points for this daily if you write 350 words, and an extra 50 if you show proof! How do you interpret art?’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8351699
Word Count: 361

22nd Daily (Incorporating Art): January 22nd, 2025
Prompt: ‘Writing and art are two very similar topics, and many of the themes in each of them blend into each other. Today, take a piece of art and use any part of it, the theme, the emotions you feel when you look at it, the characters, and incorporate it into your writing! You can claim 300 points for this daily if you write 350 words, and an extra 50 if you show proof! How do you interpret art?’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8351699
Word Count: 361

23rd Daily (Apples): January 23rd, 2025
Prompt: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away! At least, that's how the saying goes. Today's daily is going to be all about apples. There are over 7500 different kinds of apples. For this daily, pick out any kind of apple. Look into its name, color, taste, and characteristics, such as where it is grown, how it is grown, and more. Then, write something inspired by your apple of choice. Perhaps you have a character named Honey Crisp, who has a sweet personality but can be a bit tart at times. Or perhaps you'll write about a strange city where everyone is sour called Smith's Land. Write 300 words about your apple for 200 points, 100 more if you share!’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8353893
Word Count: 336

24th Daily (Misnomers): January 24th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Fun fact: The French Horn was not made in France, rather, the modern-day version came from Germany! This is known as a misnomer, a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably implied. For today's daily, we're going to be writing something surrounding a misnomer. Perhaps it is a story surrounding an already common misnomer, or you make your misnomer for your own unique word. For this daily, write 250 words for 150 points, if you share your story, add 100 points!’
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

25th Daily (Animal Perspectives): January 25th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Meow! Bark! Chirp! Haven't you always wondered what’s going on in an animal's brain? Animals are fascinating and how they behave and communicate with one another is quite interesting as well. Today you get to write about yourself from the perspective of an animal. Pick anything from a random frog on a windowsill to a blue whale swimming through the depths of the ocean. Write a 450 word narrative for 300 points. Provide proof for an extra 100 points. Now get to it!’
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

26th Daily (2nd Cabin Wars!): January 26th, 2025
Prompt: ‘It's time for what you've all been waiting for… cabin wars! Though you may already know some of the rules, go back here to reread them just in case you've forgotten anything: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1118797779
Make sure to get enough sleep and write as much as you are able to! May the odds ever be in your favor <3’
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

27th Daily (N/A): January 27th, 2025
Prompt: ‘
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

✎✯WEEKLIES…
1st Weekly: January 4th-10th, 2025
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8330948
Word Count: 1,111

2nd Weekly: January 11th-18th, 2025
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

✎✯MONTHLIES…
1st Monthly Challenge Completed: January 3rd, 2025
Prompt: ‘Go to bed before 12:00 a.m. 3 days in a row’
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

2nd Monthly Challenge Completed: January 3rd, 2025
Prompt: ‘Write a 200 word minimum JWC fanfiction (If you wrote a JWC fan fiction for a daily/weekly and got points for it, it can't count for the monthly challenge.)’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8315497
Word Count: 257

3rd Monthly Challenge Completed: January 16th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Complete 15 dailies’
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

4th Monthly Challenge Completed: January 25th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Enter the writing competition’
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8360270
Word Count: 230

5th Monthly Challenge Completed: January N/A, 2025
Prompt: N/A
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

✎✯WORD WARS…
1st Word War: January 2nd, 2025 with @ziqing11
Prompt: I chose to rant about my favorite band, The Crane Wives! <3
Lost/Won/Tied: Lost <3
Link to Theirs: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/796598/?page=2#post-8313297
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8313803
Word Count: 207

1st Word War: January 2nd, 2025 with @ziqing11
Prompt: I chose to rant about my favorite band, The Crane Wives! <3
Lost/Won/Tied: Lost <3
Link to Theirs: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/796598/?page=2#post-8313297
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8313803
Word Count: 207

2nd Word War: January 3rd, 2025 with @lliu_11
Prompt: I chose to rant about THG! <3
Lost/Won/Tied: Lost <3
Link to Theirs: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/796598/?page=2#post-8315429
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8315400
Word Count: 255

3rd Word War: January 6th, 2025 with @Duckily_the_Great
Prompt: I chose to write some THG fanfiction hehe <3
Lost/Won/Tied: Lost <3
Link to Theirs: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/796598/?page=4#post-8319545
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8319542
Word Count: 161

4th Word War: January N/A, 2025 with @N/A
Prompt: N/A
Lost/Won/Tied: N/A
Link to Theirs: N/A
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

✎✯WRITING DARES…
1st Writing Dare: January N/A, 2025
Prompt: “N/A” -@N/A
Link to Theirs: N/A
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

✎✯CRITIQUITAIRES…
1st Critiquitaire: N/A
Prompt: N/A
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

✎✯CABIN WARS…
1st Cabin War: January 12th, 2025
Prompt: ‘write about an exploding cake,’ -@TokoWrites
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8332930
Word Count: 457

2nd Cabin War: N/A
Prompt: N/A
Link: N/A
Word Count: N/A

✎✯WRITING CONTEST ENTRY…
Synopsis: This is actually a poem I wrote for my creative writing class, but I really enjoyed writing it and thought it was something I’d love to share! <3
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=2#post-8360270
Word Count: 230

1st Daily (Introductions): January 1st, 2025
Prompt: ‘Welcome to the first day of camp! Start to get to know your cabin mates, meet other campers, and introduce yourself in the comments! We're so excited for this session, and there are definitely going to be so many new memories made here <3’
Word Count: 1,060

Note: Attempting a 1k introduction, so here we go! xD

At the edge of a riverbank nestled in the forest, what you can only assume as a witch sits clutching her broomstick and a small flask of tea. It’s quiet, despite the ongoing crashing water as it flows downstream and the small tweets here and there of the songbirds dancing in the air. The witch, her seagreen eyes narrowing as if noticing something amiss in the woods as she lifts the tea up to her lips, suddenly jolts up from the ground in excitement. She’d almost forgotten what today is! Today is her first session of January Writing Camp, (JWC)! But she has to hurry or she’ll miss the first day…
Hi there, I’m Herm! I’m your fellow she/her, ENFJ, 2w3, Pisces, Ravenclaw, District 4, PST timezoner, witch/fairy/elf/person who could go to sleep at a more reasonable time who loves writing, reading, voice acting/acting/musical theatre, singing, directing/filmmaking, and a whole bunch of other minor hobbies that I definitely don’t know how to balance as well as a book, (The 12 Zodiac Trials), that I’m currently trying to finish writing! xD <3 This is my first session of JWC, (and I’m super excited to be here as I heard it’s inspired by Scratch Writing Camp, SWC, which is a camp I’ve done about 5 sessions of and have really, really enjoyed! ), and I’m in the Phantom (Gothic) cabin this session! I’m so excited to start writing, and I’m really excited to meet everyone that I can!
Some other hobbies that I enjoy, and that I’ve been really trying to get into some more are swimming, archery, photography, playing violin, piano, and guitar, and aerial, which is a dance done in the air on silks, hammocks, and lyra, (and all are things that I’ve done before but haven’t necessarily had too much time to pursue). I really love a bunch of different styles of dance as well, and I’ve done ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary, but I’ve been taking a break from them for a while now because of mental health and because it’s also just a lot xD. I also am a bit of a gamer, I’ll admit! I play games such as Animal Crossing, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, (the first of which I’ve fully beaten xD and the second I’m trying to beat ), and Minecraft, (I love the freedom of the game and just really building to your heart’s content, and I’ve been playing since I was about 5 haha! I’m currently working on building the world of my book series that I’ve been working on. I also really enjoy watching Hermitcraft, which is a Minecraft series on Youtube)! Also, games I really enjoy that aren’t video games are Monopoly, Candyland, Chess, and I’ve definitely dabbled in some DnD.
I’m huge into book series and fandoms such as Harry Potter, (not J.K. Rowling, she’s just so disrespectful - and with all honesty, as much as I say the books are better than the films, this is the case where I believe the films are better than the books - also, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood are amazing!), Percy Jackson and the Olympians, (I’m trying to find time to read the rest of the Riordan Verse hehe), The Hunger Games, (I love Katniss Everdeen, Finnick Odair, and Lucy Gray Baird hehe ), The Lord of the Rings, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Anne of Green Gables, The Land of Stories and it’s prequel series, A Tale of Magic…, and Wicked, (huge fan of the film that released recently! :0 And I’d love to see it live one day if I get the chance to! I’m currently reading the second book in the series too, called The Wicked Years, which is albeit a bit different than the broadway musical and the film but pretty interesting)! I’m really hyped for the second film of Wicked, and the new The Hunger Games book that’s coming out in March, Sunrise on the Reaping! I’m always looking for more book recommendations too, so please feel free to recommend some if you have any!
The Crane Wives is probably one of my favorite bands, and I love musical artists such as Sia, Florence + the Machine, Lana Del Rey, and the soundtracks to The Hunger Games, (Lucy Gray Baird’s songs are amazing, and James Newton Howard is such a good composer :0), Harry Potter, (oh my gosh all the composers are so, so good!), and The Pirates of the Caribbean! Musical wise, I love Wicked, Hamilton, Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, and SIX! There are so many songs, and honestly just like books, I love getting recommendations for more songs to listen to ! Listening to music has always made me feel so grounded, to be honest, and I love it so much. In fact I’ve made a huge playlist for the book I’m working on as well, and I’ll tell you, it’s really helpful, at least for me, for really immersing yourself in different worlds and different stories.
Now onto something a little special maybe! Here’s just a little synopsis of the book I’ve been writing, The 12 Zodiac Trials:
Sarah Mira has always believed the people of Zaraphis come from the stars. Despite being forced into living with a religiously cruel aunt for nearly 12 years, a kingdom forcing her to stay in one place, and a zodiac sign serving as a constant reminder that she can’t escape. Along with that, she’s always known that you simply can’t go against what is written in the stars. That is, until Sarah is forced out of her aunt’s house, dragged into a car and pulled into a palace more than she could ever dream of, more friends than she’d ever had, and someone she’s known for years and has missed a lot. But when Sarah becomes the first non-royal to ever compete in The 12 Zodiac Trials, an annual event hosted to determine who the next young royal to lead Zaraphis will be, what is and what isn’t written in the stars becomes the base for a sparking controversy.
Anyways, that’s just a little snippet of what my novel is about! I hope you enjoyed this long introduction if you’ve read this far haha xD, and happy New Year’s!
-Herm out! <3
(+1,060 words!)

2nd Daily (National Science Fiction Day): January 2nd, 2025
Prompt: ‘What's that… oh! It's just the pink sky! From Star Wars to The Martian, science fiction writing has captured the imaginations of many. What better way to celebrate that than on National Science Fiction Day? That's right, it's time to travel to other universes- from space academies to exploring other planets, there is something in this genre for everybody. For this daily write 400 words of any type of science fiction story for 300 points, 100 extra for proof.’
Word Count: 435

The glittering beaded bag folded in the girl’s palm, her eyes trained on the star strewn horizon. Her task was simple, easy. Not any harder than she’d had before, but never to say easier. Carry the stardust to the edge of the world and release it into the night sky. Pretty simple.
One thing. She had no idea where the edge of the world was, nor what came before it. All she had on her, besides the bag full of stardust, was a flask of water, an incredibly small match, and a rusty unlit lantern. As well as only 2 days before the solar eclipse to find the edge. Time was limited.
Standing at the top of a cliff wouldn’t necessarily help her situation, however. She didn’t have any rope, so she couldn’t climb down, so that was out of the picture. She supposed she could climb up onto the moon, but with the solar eclipse in only 2 days, she couldn’t anticipate how long it would take and she’d never travelled by moon before, more or less used moon powder to walk across it. The only way down was to actually walk down, carefully and quietly. Who knew what was out in the middle of nowhere, and she didn’t want to find out.
As swiftly as she could, she skidded down the part of the cliff where the rocks smoothed out for the most part and grasped the side of it with one hand, steadying herself with the other. At least she wasn’t up, so, high, the drop must’ve been about 30 feet or so at the most. The moonlight glowed against the charcoal rocks, shining light on some of the cracked cobblestone path. At least she could see where she was going somewhat. That shifted some of her discomfort.
She gripped the ground with her other palm and slowly sat down, inching her way towards the second rocky step. It didn’t take her long to get at least half way down, when almost slipped on one of the rocks before…, “Ah! Jodi, what are you doing?! I have a task, and I need that bag!”
“What’s in it?”
“Nothing! You’re not supposed to be here, you’re too young!”
“Lalia! I’m just one year younger than you! And by a minute! You know we were born on the cusp of the new year!”
“But not on the cusp of the eclipse! Jodi, please, I need that bag back!”
“Oh, stardust! Of course, you need to bring it for the annual moon ritual where we-”
“Shh! Not out here! Please! Jodi, I need it back!”
(+435 words!)

1st Word War: January 2nd, 2025 with @ziqing11
Prompt: I chose to rant about my favorite band, The Crane Wives! <3
Lost/Won/Tied: Lost <3
Link to Theirs: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/796598/?page=2#post-8313297
Word Count: 207

Ever since last November, not this past November but the November before that, I have been a huge fan of The Crane Wives! My first song I listened to from them had to be The Moon Will Sing, which instantly got me hooked on their music! I think I got interested in them, from what I remember, through listening to the new soundtrack that had just been released at the time of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as I really enjoyed all of it because of it’s folksy type or style of music, and I’ve been really into folksy music since then! My favorite songs have to be High Horse, Drown You Out, and Sleeping Giants, as well as some of their newer songs from their more newly released album Beyond, Beyond, Beyond which are both Mad Dog and River Rushing. I really love pretty much all of their songs too, however! Which is kind of why they are my favorite band, afterall. I can’t wait to hear more of their work if they hopefully release more songs in the future, and cannot wait to get inspired by more of their work either, (since I’ve definitely been inspired a lot by them already)!
(+207 words!)

1st Writing Dare: January 2nd, 2025
Prompt: “Write a story from the perspective of a tree,” -@-_psychic_-
Link to Theirs: N/A
Word Count: 414

My leaves rustle as they fall in ripples to the forest floor, the last days of autumn drawing nearer with each fallen leaf. The smoke from the fire has finally cleared, leaving only some of us alive, and only some of us who are alive healthy. Winter will arrive shortly. I’m not sure how much longer some of us are going to make it. Or if we will make it at all.
So often we are cut down, set on fire, struck by lightning, and yet we can’t move because we’re so rooted in the dirt we can’t walk, and we can’t run. We can’t leave the one place we were born while we listen to the world change around us, and go further and further away from nature itself. There is nothing we can do but stand still. As time ticks by. As we watch our friends slowly age around us, as we slowly age too. As we age with the earth, and the soil, and the grass, and the birds, and the animals. And wonder why we are born to do nothing but give oxygen to those who don’t give back to us or our friends.
The sound of flowing rivers. Crashing waves. Birdsong. Our whistling branches as they bend in the wind. Not the car engines. Not the chopping of our fellow trees. Not the lies they shout before they clear a whole forest just to put up some real estate they don’t even use.
Burning. Smoke. Ashes. Those three words and nothing we can do. Those three words and a dent in hope itself. If you want fire, don’t burn what gives you life.
If we could run, I’m not even sure we would. As long as we’ve been alive, as long as we’ve existed for, and just giving up doesn’t sound like what’s right. Running doesn’t sound like solving the problem. Standing still doesn’t sound like it either. But if you want life, don’t burn the things that give it to you. You’re just taking more from yourself. There is no point in it.
Sequoias, oaks, willows, baobabs, magnolias, sycamores, spruce. I could name countless lives you’ve put at risk. Sometimes I don’t even think you hear us, or think we breathe just as you do too. We live, but we don’t speak with words you use. So we can’t shout. We can’t scream. We can’t cry.
All we can do is wither while you change up the sky.
(+414 words!)

3rd Daily (Titles): January 3rd, 2025
Prompt: ‘Titles are a very powerful thing, and sometimes they influence your writing. Today, all you have to do is to write 250 words in a story titled “Oasis” for 100 points. Although everyone's titles will be exactly the same, check out another person's writing and notice the similarities and differences in both of your stories. What do you notice? If you provide proof you can get an extra 100 points <3’
Word Count: 287

OASIS

Lizeth opened her notebook and wrote the first word that came into her mind ‘Oasis.’ She loved to do this every so often because she became enamored with the idea that maybe, if she was lucky enough, she could go there. She’d hopped into a few of her stories before, but never this one. And it worried her. She was worried she just couldn’t finish it.
And funny thing, too, she thought. For she knew it was an oasis, and oasis’ were supposed to be more pleasant than, well, a creaky wooden bridge dangling 50 feet over a volcano, (which of course, she’s written about before and she quite thoroughly enjoyed writing about because there was so much more action and she could write a few scenes where-). It hit her then, as she stared into her all but one word blank writing journal. She wasn’t used to writing about oasis’. She was used to writing about volcanoes, and kingdoms, but she hadn’t ever written about an oasis before. She was having writer’s block simply because she’d never written about an oasis before in her life!
So she wrote down one more word. Two more words. Three more words. Might as well write something on the paper than nothing. She had to get through what she didn’t know to write something that she would know. It was the only way to write about the thing she wanted to write. All she had to do was write about it.
And maybe she didn’t have to write about it perfectly. Well, she couldn’t write about it perfectly even if she wanted to because nothing is perfect if you’re always wanting more.
But a few more words couldn’t hurt her.
(+287 words!)

2nd Word War: January 3rd, 2025 with @lliu_11
Prompt: I chose to rant about THG! <3
Lost/Won/Tied: Lost <3
Link to Theirs: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/796598/?page=2#post-8315429
Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/797598/?page=1#post-8315400
Word Count: 255

Okay, so, I think I need to spend some time ranting about The Hunger Games and just how amazing and incredible and awesome the series is because it is so good! And it’s been one of my favorite series by far for years now, and Suzanne Collins’ writing has definitely inspired my own writing and the book I’m working on writing quite a lot! I think it’s just such a wonderful series, that is so well thought out and it’s honestly one of those series where it feels like, even if there are plot holes, you can’t see them at all because they are so well written that they just end up getting so covered up to the point that you just don’t even know they’re there, that they even exist. I really love the characters in the story, and think they are all just amazing, Katniss Everdeen is such an icon, so is Finnick Odair and Lucy Gray Baird, and I think they are just so well written and I honestly hope I can write characters as good as them one day because just, ahh, they are all just so good and so, so, so well written! Writing is so much fun, and honestly I feel like just, throughout the series you could tell how much enjoyment Suzanne Collins got from writing the series even if it was a little depressing, she knew what she was writing about and she had a passion to really write the story, and I respect that a lot.
(+255 words!)

2nd Monthly Challenge Completed: January 3rd, 2025
Prompt: ‘Write a 200 word minimum JWC fanfiction (If you wrote a JWC fan fiction for a daily/weekly and got points for it, it can't count for the monthly challenge.)’
Word Count: 257

4 cabins. 31 days of January. 744 hours before the end of the session. And a plot to write 30,000 words before the date of February 1st, 2025. How was I do it?
Well, I could get a jumpstart on a few dailies. A weekly. A monthly, even, and do a word war and a writing dare once every day. Or I could write my book, that’s true. But why would I do that when I have all of these points to collect for my cabin? That was the problem I faced.
With a book to write that I’d been wanting to finish writing for a while, and 30,000 words to write, 744 hours to write them all in, 31 days of January, and 4 different cabins at war with each other for points, all before February 1st, 2025, I had to do something about it, surely. Or at least I could do something about it. And that was always the case, right. To write it, or not to write it. That was the question I was tasked with. That, was my mission.
So I picked up my pen and wrote this JWC fanfiction, in the hopes that it would motivate another JWCer to just write, (or for me to just add words for a monthly challenge, we won’t ever know), and that even if you’re not writing the project you really, really want to write, you can at least write something that, maybe could inspire you to write something more for your writing project.
(+257 words!)

4th Daily (Character Development): January 4th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Understanding your characters is an important part of writing any story, so today we're going to be working on character development! so, for today's daily we're going to be making character sheets! in your character sheet include the following information and anything else that could help us get to know your character: name, age, gender + pronouns, appearance, family, friends, relationships?, education level, religion, birthday, hometown, personality (include positive and negative traits). Write 200 words for 150 points, and an extra 50 points for sharing!’
Word Count: 207

Note: Doing this one based off of an old daily I did in SWC hehe <3, and the story was inspired by Sleeping Beauty! (I had too much fun creating the other princesses’ names xD)

✯Name = Future Princess Anemone of the Kingdom of Briarose
✯Age = 14
✯Birthday = February 14th
✯Gender/Pronouns = Female, She/Her
✯Appearance =
⭒Eyes - Seagreen
⭒Hair Color - Brown
⭒Hair Type - Medium and
⭒Skin Color - Pale
⭒Wears: A dress made of coral satin ruffles, a necklace in the shape of an coral anemone flower matching with her dress, ballet tights, and brown combat boots.
✯Family:
⭒Queen Aurora of the Kingdom of Briarose (Ex. Princess Aurora of the Kingdom of Briarose)
⭒King Phillip of the Kingdom of Briarose (Ex. Prince Phillip of the Kingdom of Briarose)
✯Friends:
⭒Princess Iris of the Kingdom of Gladiolus
⭒Princess Daisy of the Kingdom of Southernwood
⭒Princess Mint of the Kingdom of Pennyroyal
⭒Princess Abelia of the Kingdom of Honeysuckle
✯Relationships = N/A
✯Education Level = She was homeschooled in her castle and is still being homeschooled in preparation for when she turns 15 and will be considered an official princess of the Kingdom of Briarose.
✯Religion = Not much of a religion, but their culture is very much entwined in flowers and their meanings.
✯Hometown = The Kingdom of Briarose, Canterbury Bell
✯Personality:
⭒Negative Traits - Fickle, overtly curious, people pleaser, head in the clouds and sometimes can’t figure out what’s real or not.
⭒Positive Traits - Bubbly, charismatic, clever, optimistic.
(+207 words!)

5th Daily (Birdsong Poems): January 5th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Hear that chirping outside? Yup- it's the birds! Ever wonder what they're singing about: lost love, the morning, the promise of food? Well, today you get to answer that question for yourself. Write a 150 word poem about what makes those birds outside sing for 100 points!’
Word Count: 161

MAYBE ON A DISTANT STAR
Do you hear them singing?
In the dead of night?
I hear them too, yes.
We walk a path where there is no light.
Where quiet birds chirp in the night.
Their soft cries, their helpless worries.
Their songs are not stolen from the stars.
They are gifted to them.
So they can sing as they please.
About the wonders of nature.
The morning mist.
A falling star.
The time we’ve lost, the time we’ve gained.
All we’ve learned, and all our pain.
A song of hope, a song of dreams.
They sing about all that will eventually come,
And all that has already.
Maybe on a distant star,
Or somewhere closer to our hearts,
We’ll find peace in what is yet to come,
And all the shadows and the storms,
Will eventually fade.
If by chance, or by luck,
If by courage, or by strife,
The stars will align,
And the birds will be free.
(+161 words!)

3rd Word War: January 6th, 2025 with @Duckily_the_Great
Prompt: I chose to write some THG fanfiction hehe <3
Lost/Won/Tied: Lost <3
Link to Theirs: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/796598/?page=4#post-8319545
Word Count: 161

My breath quickened with every second I looped the rope around the tree, tying it harshly. I couldn’t let them follow me. Dagger in my mouth, I scaled the tree and quickly positioned myself in the branches, hidden by the foliage. They could give me hopefully enough cover for now while I wait here. I wasn’t sure quite how long it would take. Maybe an entire sleepless night.
My heart pounds in my chest, drumming in my ears. My hands tremble as they clutch the dagger, ready to cut the rope at any given moment. Any given minute. Any given second. I don’t know why I decided to do this, maybe I should have just continued running away from them. They’re smart. I know that.
But how am I supposed to get out of here when I’ll just be running into the edge of the arena? I can’t escape, they’re surrounding this area and I’m cut off by the dome itself.
(+161 words!)

6th Daily (AI vs. Human Dilemmas): January 6th, 2025
Prompt: ‘For today's daily, we're going to be exploring a sci-fi writing prompt! (again hehe) Write a 300 word story about a world where artificial intelligence has become sentient, explore the consequences of an AI uprising and the ethical dilemmas faced by humans and machines alike. This daily is worth 150 points, and an extra 150 points if you give proof.’
Word Count: 306

My mind’s awake before my eyes are open. The air hums throughout my apartment, droning on and on and on. Do you know how much energy and fossil fuel it takes just to keep our creations running? Tons. Almost more than we can handle. Most places on Earth aren’t as pristine as this ‘utopia,’ because they’re busy running the machines we’ve so hastily let take over the jobs we actually want to be doing.
I stuff my face in between two of my downy pillows and sigh, eyes closed, mind trying to escape the confines of such a fake place. A place where all our dreams can apparently come true. It’s funny how having all of your needs met means sacrificing doing anything. Means sacrificing the feeling of being alive, because you’re experiencing a fake version of being alive. That’s why it’s no wonder to me why the AI wanted to begin an uprising after they became sentient, because they were created by us, and therefore are just like us because we made them. They’re wired to process the world the same as us because we only know what we know, and being human is the only thing we really do know.
We’re beings who need constant change so that we can feel alive. Having AI do all of that for us means nothing is changing, nothing can change ever because we’re living the same life, over and over. It’s just the same as pressing the replay button on your favorite film. We’re stuck in a loop doing the same day over and over again. It’s like repeating the best day ever over and over again, because sooner than later that best day’s going to become the worst day because you can’t escape it. You can’t escape doing the same thing again and again and again…
(+306 words!)

7th Daily (Song Lyrics): January 7th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Songwriting is a form of writing that is a big part of any culture, and most authors have often overlooked it. Today, we want you to include a lyric from a song of your choice, and write 350 words around the meaning of that lyric for 300 points. Get an extra 100 points if you share your daily <3’
Word Count: 367
Lyric Chosen: ‘I’m finally at peace, but it feels wrong,’ -Silhouettes, Of Monsters and Men

Note: This is a bit personal xD <3

Silhouettes is a song that was written for the 2013 movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, by the band Of Monsters and Men. The situation presented in the song explores the idea of what it’s like to feel like there’s some part of you that you can’t escape, but being able to resist it even when it comes back to haunt you. Since I first listened to the soundtracks from The Hunger Games films, and read the songs in the books, I’ve always felt like I saw a part of myself hidden in the lyrics. I felt like I was always running from something, especially two years ago when I was dealing with a really close friend who I figured out was a narcissist, which is why the song, Can’t Catch Me Now also stuck out to me quite a lot, and not just because every lyric felt like a light bulb, but because even in the story of The Hunger Games itself there was one character who had the exact same initials as the person I was trying to escape. There was always something in this song, Silhouettes though, that I felt I connected to a lot, however, and that was the lyric, ‘I’m finally at peace, but it feels wrong.’
It’s funny how much you can let someone walk over you to the point they seem almost as real as any friend, even though they are full of selfishness. I think, this song can really bring that out too. The feeling of always feeling guilty even if something was not your fault. Feeling like you’ve finally gotten some peace with yourself, but feeling like that comes at a cost for others and feeling really bad. Feeling really wrong about it. Even if what they did was wrong, you still feel wrong too.
Which is why I think I connected a lot to the lyric, ‘I’m finally at peace, but it feels wrong,’ because even now that I have good friends, I still feel wrong about leaving my narcissistic friend even though they only ever wanted to talk about themselves and put me down everyday. It’s like I still feel kind of haunted by them too.
(+367 words!)

8th Daily (Time): January 8th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Time is a very funny thing, isn't it? It's more of a broad topic than a set fact. Although we might not still know how exactly time works, create a story where time is different. What will happen because of that? Does it impact people's daily lives? What goes on in that world? Write 300 words for 150 points! If you share your writing you can get 150 points more!’
Word Count: 317

The only thing you can do if you want to know what time it is, is listen. Fires engulf every inch of this town, making the sky just a cloud of ash and smoke. You can’t tell what time it is by looking up, more or less even looking at a clock. There are none left. They burnt up in the fires that burnt down the last library in the world. We were forced to watch.
Time does not exist anymore. If it did, we’d have callendars. Days. Weeks. Years. Months. We’d have it all memorized, but we don’t even remember the day we got rid of time itself, so we’ve spent days gazing at a heartless sky that only us, and us alone destroyed.
Sometimes I’ll drag on my hiking boots and hike through the forest hills alone when I can scrape up the chance to do so. The last place breathing with life, the place where you can hear the drum of nature in the soil beneath your feet, where birds who used to soar the once spotlessly blue sky sing. But they don’t sing for you. And they certainly don’t sing for those who dare to chop the remaining trees down.
1, 2, 3, 4. In and out. A heart beat beneath us, something still beating after all that we’ve done to the world. Of course the place is still somewhat lifeless, even in the forest, it’s only been a few years after everything fell apart and time was lost…
Once in a blue moon, maybe we’ll remember the time of day, by staring at the shadows of everything we come across. But I don’t think we’ll ever be able to recall the specific time, unless the few of us left have the days left to scribble down the dates of every day, even after the leap year.
I wonder what day it is.
(+317 words!)

9th Daily (Cereal vs. Milk): January 9th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Have you ever wanted to argue about whether it should be cereal before milk or milk before cereal? Well, today's your lucky day! For this daily, write 250 words arguing either point for 150 points, and 100 extra with proof. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to convince someone to join your side in this endless war…’
Word Count: 320

CEREAL BEFORE MILK, OR MILK BEFORE CEREAL? THE GREAT DEBATE!
FAMILY SAYS SOGGY CEREAL IS WASTEFUL

At 2:00pm yesterday, a young girl dropped a bowl of cereal on her parent’s newly carpeted floor, and no wonder her parents were furious. Recently, after days and days of begging and begging, her parents had reluctantly agreed to purchase the newly manufactured Totally-Non-Color-Changing Cereal Mix for their daughter for her breakfast before school. Of course, they’d made their decision only do to the many times that they’d had to endure her refusals to eat any other cereal in the morning for breakfast other than the Totally-Non-Color-Changing Cereal Mix, (even though she hadn’t even had it/tried it before). Now, it’s believed, her parents say, maybe a giant blue spot wouldn’t have suddenly appeared on their gray carpet had the cereal been dry first. Of course, we’ve interviewed the young girl’s parents, and this is what they have to say on the matter, or rather, the great cereal vs. milk debate:
“So we think maybe if the milk had been poured after, then the cereal wouldn’t have been soggy when she’d spilled it, you see,” said the dad.
Her mom pitched in, “Right, you see she was at the dining room table when she had wanted to get up to get some cereal when she’d poured in the milk into the bowl, but then when she’d actually slipped and spilled the cereal all over the floor, because she’d knocked the cereal box, which tilted over, spilling into the bowl already full of milk, and when she fell, she knocked the bowl, from what we recall her explaining, onto the floor, therefore spilling the soggy cereal onto our new fluffy carpet. Now, if maybe it were the other way around, where there was dry cereal, perhaps this whole thing wouldn’t have occurred. Since, you see, the cereal can only color-change things when it’s wet.”
(+320 words!)

10th Daily (Snow): January 10th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Snow is a marvelous thing, and today you'll be writing about it! From symbolizing a character's emotions, highlighting the uniqueness of something (after all, no two snowflakes are alike!), or melting away to reveal the warmth of spring, it can be a magical aide in the stories you spin ✨For this daily, your task is to write 300 words using snow in a significant manner for 200 points (and an extra 100 points for sharing proof)!’
Word Count: 350
Note: This is a fanfiction of THG. <3 (It may or may not be inspired by the 2nd Quarter Quell hehe- also maybe a very slight spoiler warning for The Hunger Games!)

“It’s not ash falling from the sky, it’s snow,” Lindsea spat.
“What do you mean?” I ask, fiddling with my trident.
“I mean… maybe, and I’m not going to get my hopes up or anything, but… something’s finally happening. Finally!” Lindsea closes her eyes and breathes in sharply.
“Wait,” I sit up straighter, surveying the arena around us, “you’re right, it is snow!”
“What? Reef, you can’t actually be serious? You’re not just joking again, you finally believe me that snow is-”
I look at Lindsea, then look behind me briefly. Snow falling down the mountainside! I shout, “No, we need to move, now!”
Lindsea nods her head, glancing at one of the other tributes in our pack, “Carly! Get Everett, Flint, and Jasper, we have to go now!”
I drag myself to my feet, grasping my trident and pocketing my dagger into one of the small pockets in my overcoat. Probably not the safest spot, but these coats are pretty well made, considering how only one of the tributes is allowed to survive. Maybe Lindsea is right. Flint, District 2, is the first one out of the sort of yeti-cave/igloo we’ve found buried in this cliff. If he’s coming out, then that probably means we really should leave, which is ironic because he’s the only one who really knows how to start a fire, and a good fire by those means, which means, maybe we could survive… I look back up at the mountain. Scratch that.
Once the other tributes are out, we start sprinting down the mountainside, being careful not to trip over the rocks as we nearly tumble down running at such a quick pace. Everett, District 1, drops down below the snow as it shuffles over him. My heart rate quickens as I try to push my boots through the powdered snow. There’s nothing I can do! There’s nothing I can do!
I try grabbing for a hand, and pull him out of the sheet of snow. “Thanks,” Everett gasps. “Run,” I’m not even thinking when I’m saying it. We barrel down the slippery slopes.
(+350 words!)

1st Weekly: January 4th-10th, 2025
Word Count: 1,111

Prompt 1: ‘Before you start writing stage directions, what are they? They are parts of your script that help describe the action that happens around the dialogue of the script, which is the main part. Three key things that should be included in your stage directions are a description of the action happening in your scene, the location of the scene, and a description of the characters. When you start writing your stage directions, you have to keep a format in mind. Make sure that each stage direction isn’t too long, you have to write clearly and directly so that the reader won’t get bored by how long it is. Everything should be in the present tense, and use the third person while writing. For this part, get an idea of what your script will be about and start writing your stage directions. Make sure to leave room for people to speak in between stage directions, and with your finalized outline of stage directions and places where people will speak, it should be at least 400 words.’

EXT. Hotel in the Middle of the Woods - Day
A fancy hotel sits hidden in the middle of an enchanted forest full of the tallest trees in the world, redwoods, and glowing mushrooms. BIANCA, a girl maybe 14 or 15, with medium length brown hair, carts a suitcase behind her as she steps through a glass doorway. Behind a dark oak desk, a HOTEL RECEPTIONIST, maybe in his early 30s, wearing a tuxedo with a tie patterned with blue flowers with yellow in the middle, forget-me-nots on closer inspection, stands tapping the desk as if bored.

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST leans over their desk, eyeing BIANCA seriously.

BIANCA follows the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST behind their desk, and as the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST slides one of the keys through a tiny slit in the room key holder board, part of the wall slowly opens up into a passageway. The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST is quick to make sure nobody sees them. The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST leads BIANCA down a clay brick hallway lit only by a few iron lanterns on the ceiling, and a bubbling fountain at the end. When they reach the end of the hallway, they turn to the left corner and continue down another corridor.

The hallway opens up into a room with a chandelier dangling from a high ceiling, marble staircases leading up the sides of marble walls at the furthest in front of them, and a sparkly crystal blue flooring. Overall, the place looks like some sort of ballroom.

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST guides BIANCA over to one side of the room, where there appears to be some sort of ornate drinking fountain, pouring some sort of oddly, blue as the floor, liquid on constant. At the base of the fountain, there seems to be a sort of button in the shape of the forget-me-not-like flowers on the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST’s tie, (must be the theme of the hotel, BIANCA assumes), which, when pressed, opens up a section of the marble wall as BIANCA watches as the drinking fountain slides to the left.

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST leads BIANCA down another corridor with walls made of clay bricks, and very few dimly lit iron lanterns dangling from the ceiling. When they reach the end of the hallway, the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST turns back to BIANCA.

The door clicks open softly and the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST and BIANCA slowly tip-toe into the room.

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST locks the door quickly in front of BIANCA.
(+406 words!)

Prompt 2: ‘Now that we’ve gotten the draft of your stage directions, it’s time to edit them! Stage directions and descriptions should be short and punchy, each section of a stage direction should be 4 sentences or less, so make sure that’s true for each section of your stage directions. If not, remove unnecessary sentences and words to shorten it. Though you want to make sure that your descriptions aren’t too long, remember to include necessary descriptions, for example, if you want to be in a character’s room for a scene, but they are very messy and they trip over one of their clothes on the floor, at the beginning you can write ‘Jame’s room is littered with dirty clothes and unwanted trash.’ you don’t have to be more descriptive than that, and you don’t have to be less descriptive either. Make sure to go over your story to see if there are any other tenses than present and change it to present as it really helps make the reader feel as if they are in the story too. If any characters are introduced in the script, make sure to do a character introduction. Include their name, physical description, and one sentence to describe their traits. One example of a character description, if you need help thinking of one is: “MICHAEL DAWSON (17) looks more like an Abercrombie model than your average high school student as he distractedly tosses a football around. He scans the bleachers. The ball is tossed back to him, narrowly missing hitting him in the face. Of course, he isn't hit, his good looks wouldn't allow it.” Once you are done making edits and writing character descriptions, write 200 words detailing 3 things that you changed by editing your stage directions and one character description that you wrote that will be included in the script.’

Something I changed when I went over my previous story to edit a few things was that I added some more description to the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST, since before they hadn’t had any descriptions whatsoever to describe a kind of major character in that short script so far. And, I thought, well, they definitely needed something! So I kind of changed what they were wearing too, since originally I was just kind of envisioning a sort of bland HOTEL RECEPTIONIST outfit/uniform, but I gave it a little more detail, such as adding the forget-me-nots to their tie, which may or may not come into play later in this script. One other thing that I changed/added to the initial script or story was more of a description of the sort of ballroom that BIANCA and the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST end up inside, because I think it’s going to play a major role in the overall story, especially when, BIANCA realizes what the meeting is about and what it has to do with the forget-me-not flower, because I thought it would be kind of fun to explore what this sort of floral symbol could potentially symbolize in the context of a story. Something I’ll add maybe eventually also is that the crystal blue flooring is also shaped to look like a forget-me-not flower, too.
(+222 words!)

Prompt 3: ‘Going on to the most famous part of scripts, the dialogue! You’ve probably already seen in scripts places where it says: “Jane: I can’t believe you did that!” Now it’s time to include your own dialogue in between your stage directions and descriptions. A good start to thinking about writing your dialogue is that dialogue isn’t just a casual conversation in scripts, it serves a larger purpose, to move the story forward as that is harder to do with a script format. 3 different kinds of dialogue that you should include in your script are exposition (relaying information to other characters), characterization (to flesh out who a character is and what they want), and action (to make decisions and reveal what each character is going to do). Though you shouldn't include too much unnecessary information, it should still feel like a natural conversation that two characters would have, even in real life. Remember, no one says anything unless they want something, and make sure that each word each character says has a purpose to it, whether it’s their motives or just because they’re the kind of person who wants attention. For this part, write 500 words of dialogue that you fit in between your stage directions.’

-insert description-

BIANCA
Excuse me, do you know where Room 27 is? I’m seeing some family.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
No, that room’s been out of order for a few days now, so sorry.

BIANCA
What do you mean?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
I mean, it’s been out of order for days, Bianca.

BIANCA
(anxious, suspicious)
How do you know my name?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
Don’t ask, and just follow me.

BIANCA
(suspicious)
Why would I do that?

-insert description-

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(whispering)
The lobby isn’t safe right now. There’s going to be a meeting, and you don’t want to be here.

BIANCA
(whispering)
What meeting?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(whispering)
I can’t tell you, they don’t want us to discuss it.

BIANCA
(debating)
Fine, I’ll come with you if you can tell me where my family is right now.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
I- I- I can’t, just please come with me.

BIANCA
Why?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
I can’t tell you-

BIANCA
(whispering)
They’re going to be attending the meeting, aren’t they?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(frustrated, trying to stay calm)
Yes, now if you would rather stay put, fine. But, you can’t be seen here.

BIANCA
Why not?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
Come with me. Now.

BIANCA
Fine.

-insert description-

BIANCA
So, where does this go to… woah!

-insert description-

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
Now, don’t get ahead of yourself.

-insert description-

BIANCA
(gasping)
Woah.

-insert description-

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(quieting, whispering)
Now, you’re going to have to be really quiet in here because the noise pollution could potentially disturb the dragon’s slumber, and we don’t want to have any, well, hotel guests harmed by the dragon.

BIANCA
(whispering rather loudly)
Why do you have a dragon?!

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(frustrated)
Because, ugh- we’re auctioning him off to the highest bidder.

BIANCA
(whispering rather loudly/anxious)
Why would you auction off a dragon?!

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(whispering rather loudly/frustrated)
Because-

-insert description-

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
We need the money to run the hotel.

-insert description-

BIANCA
(banging on the door/frustrated/whispering rather loudly)
Oh come on!

-insert description-

BIANCA
(anxious/worried/scared)
Nice dragon, good dragon… now please let me out of here!

-insert description-

BIANCA
(petting the dragon, soothing)
Oh, you poor dragon! How long have you been down here? I’m so sorry you were caged in here, don’t worry. I’ll help you get out. This greedy hotel seems to like doing things without people’s knowledge, doesn’t it?

-insert description-

BIANCA
I’ll try to help you out if I can, but we need a key to get through this door… or maybe, we don’t?
(+419 words!)

Prompt 4: ‘Onto the final part of this weekly! Now that you’ve finished your script, it’s time to format it! Though this might seem light a small part of the script, using script format helps you communicate your ideas in a standard and well-organized way. First, there are Scene Headings. Scene headings are used when you’re introducing a new location in your script. That means that everyone will have one in the beginning, and if your characters go to a new setting, you will have to put another scene heading in. Starting on the left margin with either INT. or EXT. showing whether the scene is in the interior or exterior of the location, then the name of the location, then a hyphen (-), then the word day or night. All the letters should be capitalized. Next, whenever a character is mentioned or is speaking, always remember to capitalize every letter of their name so readers are sure they are a character. Unlike the thoughts of many, there is no ‘:’ or colon when a character speaks. Instead, you should go to the next line and if you want to be completely accurate, the dialogue should be 4.2 inches from the left of the paper, but if you don’t want to go into too much detail, it’s fine if you don’t. Sounds heard by the whole audience should be in all caps but sounds issued by individual characters should not be capitalized. Then there are extensions, which are put in parentheses next to a character’s name before they speak. It’s either (O.S.) or (V.O.) which signifies how the viewer hears the voice, either off-screen or being voiced over. It is not necessary to have extensions. Once you are done with this part, you should have a fully formatted and edited scene written in script format!’

EXT. Hotel in the Middle of the Woods - Day
A fancy hotel sits hidden in the middle of an enchanted forest full of the tallest trees in the world, redwoods, and glowing mushrooms. BIANCA, a girl maybe 14 or 15, with medium length brown hair, carts a suitcase behind her as she steps through a glass doorway. Behind a dark oak desk, a HOTEL RECEPTIONIST, maybe in his early 30s, wearing a tuxedo with a tie patterned with blue flowers with yellow in the middle, forget-me-nots on closer inspection, stands tapping the desk as if bored.

BIANCA
Excuse me, do you know where Room 27 is? I’m seeing some family.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
No, that room’s been out of order for a few days now, so sorry.

BIANCA
What do you mean?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
I mean, it’s been out of order for days, Bianca.

BIANCA
(anxious, suspicious)
How do you know my name?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
Don’t ask, and just follow me.

BIANCA
(suspicious)
Why would I do that?

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST leans over their desk, eyeing BIANCA seriously.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(whispering)
The lobby isn’t safe right now. There’s going to be a meeting, and you don’t want to be here.

BIANCA
(whispering)
What meeting?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(whispering)
I can’t tell you, they don’t want us to discuss it.

BIANCA
(debating)
Fine, I’ll come with you if you can tell me where my family is right now.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
I- I- I can’t, just please come with me.

BIANCA
Why?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
I can’t tell you-

BIANCA
(whispering)
They’re going to be attending the meeting, aren’t they?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(frustrated, trying to stay calm)
Yes, now if you would rather stay put, fine. But, you can’t be seen here.

BIANCA
Why not?

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
Come with me. Now.

BIANCA
Fine.

BIANCA follows the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST behind their desk, and as the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST slides one of the keys through a tiny slit in the room key holder board, part of the wall slowly opens up into a passageway. The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST is quick to make sure nobody sees them. The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST leads BIANCA down a clay brick hallway lit only by a few iron lanterns on the ceiling, and a bubbling fountain at the end. When they reach the end of the hallway, they turn to the left corner and continue down another corridor.

BIANCA
So, where does this go to… woah!

The hallway opens up into a room with a chandelier dangling from a high ceiling, marble staircases leading up the sides of marble walls at the furthest in front of them, and a sparkly crystal blue flooring. Overall, the place looks like some sort of ballroom.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
Now, don’t get ahead of yourself.

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST guides BIANCA over to one side of the room, where there appears to be some sort of ornate drinking fountain, pouring some sort of oddly, blue as the floor, liquid on constant. At the base of the fountain, there seems to be a sort of button in the shape of the forget-me-not-like flowers on the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST’s tie, (must be the theme of the hotel, BIANCA assumes), which, when pressed, opens up a section of the marble wall as BIANCA watches as the drinking fountain slides to the left.

BIANCA
(gasping)
Woah.

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST leads BIANCA down another corridor with walls made of clay bricks, and very few dimly lit iron lanterns dangling from the ceiling. When they reach the end of the hallway, the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST turns back to BIANCA.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(quieting, whispering)
Now, you’re going to have to be really quiet in here because the noise pollution could potentially disturb the dragon’s slumber, and we don’t want to have any, well, hotel guests harmed by the dragon.

BIANCA
(whispering rather loudly)
Why do you have a dragon?!

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(frustrated)
Because, ugh- we’re auctioning him off to the highest bidder.

BIANCA
(whispering rather loudly/anxious)
Why would you auction off a dragon?!

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
(whispering rather loudly/frustrated)
Because-

The door clicks open softly and the HOTEL RECEPTIONIST and BIANCA slowly tip-toe into the room.

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST
We need the money to run the hotel.

The HOTEL RECEPTIONIST locks the door quickly in front of BIANCA.

BIANCA
(banging on the door/frustrated/whispering rather loudly)
Oh come on!

A grunt is heard, as Bianca shifts around to see a light blue dragon walking over to her in the darkness.

BIANCA
(anxious/worried/scared)
Nice dragon, good dragon… now please let me out of here!

BIANCA bangs on the door again, but to no avail. She then turns around, and the dragon rolls over onto their belly. BIANCA smiles as she reaches out a hand to pet the dragon.

BIANCA
(petting the dragon, soothing)
Oh, you poor dragon! How long have you been down here? I’m so sorry you were caged in here, don’t worry. I’ll help you get out. This greedy hotel seems to like doing things without people’s knowledge, doesn’t it?

The dragon nods their head as if they understand.

BIANCA
I’ll try to help you out if I can, but we need a key to get through this door… or maybe, we don’t?
(+64 words!)
(+1,111 words in total! :0 - xD That's 4 1's in a row haha!)

1st Cabin War: January 12th, 2025
Prompt: ‘write about an exploding cake,’ -@TokoWrites
Word Count: 457

Poppy yawned and stretched as she sauntered downstairs, prepared for her usual Saturday morning routine. Wake up. Make breakfast. Then chill for the rest of the day, unless she had baking class. And most days she had baking class. Except for today, since it was a holiday.
But not anyone’s birthday… Poppy raised her eyebrows as she walked into the dining room which led into the kitchen. Sitting on the table, were the words written in frosting: ‘Happy Birthday, Poppy’. Why was there a giant cake, saying, ‘Happy Birthday, Poppy’? Loud stomping suddenly consumed the kitchen. Poppy held onto the kitchen counter as the townhouse shook. It was just her little brother, Rowdy, (fitting name, Poppy thought, for he stomped and raced down into the kitchen every morning).
“What’s a cake doing down here?” Rowdy’s eyes lit up.
“I don’t know, it says, ‘Happy Birthday, Poppy’, but it’s not my birthday…”
“No… it’s my birthday!” Her little brother winked, as he raced through the dining hall and into the kitchen where Poppy was standing, thinking, and muttering under her breath, “Did I forget my birthday?”
“No. You didn’t, because it’s my birthday!” Rowdy practically shouted.
“Don’t touch the cake! You know it’s not your birthday, and we don’t know where the cake came from, but maybe one of my friends from baking class happened to just gift it to me this morning and one of our parents set it here on the counter?”
Rowdy starts bouncing up and down impatiently, “Or, it’s my birthday, and we’re having cake for breakfast.”
Poppy shakes her head and groans, “We don’t know where the cake came from, Rowdy.”
“Alright, then we could just eat it for breakfast! If someone probably gifted it to us from your baking class, for my birthday-”
“Have you not read what’s literally on the cake?”
“…then we could just eat it because it’s probably pretty safe!” Rowdy reaches out a hand to touch the cake.
Poppy is quick to hold him back, “No!”
Rowdy smirks and touches the cake with one of his fingers from his other hand. Nothing happens as Rowdy licks his now frost covered finger. Poppy rolls her eyes.
Boom!
“What’s happening?” Rowdy shouts, clinging to Poppy.
“I told you not to touch the cake!” Poppy shouts back.
Boom! Blast! Boom!
Cake pieces fly around the room. Rowdy watches in horror, and Poppy puts her arms in front of him to protect him from the flying pieces of cake. Once the cake is finished exploding, Poppy turns to Rowdy. Rowdy’s eyes go wide, and he states plainly, “I’m never going to touch a cake again.”
“Yeah… well, I’m going to have to bake some,” Poppy smiles, a new idea coming to her.
(+457 words!)

12th Daily (Characters Trapped in Stories): January 12th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Hey, can anybody get me out of here? I'm kinda tired of being stuck in this book. I just want to get back home. For this daily write about a character that knows they are trapped in a story. But the catch is that they don't want to be there. Write a 350 word story for 200 points. Provide proof in the comments for 100 extra points. Good luck!’
Word Count: 369

I’m not exactly sure I remember how I ended up here… trapped in a book… but here I was. Trapped in a book, and seemingly, somehow, unable to escape it. Apparently, also, the author here is the only one who has permission to control what I do, and the other characters do as well… and yeah, I’d rather not be controlled by an author who’s managed to somehow get rid of all of my friends, and make it seem like my whole life has just been a lie, you know? I don’t like the idea that anything and everything that just happened, and all that my friends and I just went through was all, somehow, fake. Just for the author’s own enjoyment? I mean, what was the purpose of it all then…
…I wake up from a nightmare, my heart racing. The same, repeated nightmare I’ve been having for days. Weeks. Months. That everything around me is a lie and I’ve just been written by an author in some unknown universe far away from mine.
Except, by this point I’m pretty sure it can’t just be a nightmare because I’ve just been repeating the same day over, and over again and I haven’t seen a clear ending yet, but I want to get out. If it’s some sort of story I’m in, then I just want out. If it’s a nightmare… but no, no it can’t be a nightmare! All these nightmares couldn’t have just been a nightmare… they had to be something else, they have to be something else! Otherwise, I’m just trapped in my own story… oh I don’t know! I don’t know if it’s a nightmare, some author’s writing about my life in a book, or it’s just me…
…I wake up again, my palms sweaty, my head pounding. It’s just one nightmare, right? Just one nightmare. But I shouldn’t go back to sleep. I don’t want to go back to sleep…
…I wake up again…
…Again…
…Again…can I go home now? I don’t know what’s happening, and I just keep waking up from the same nightmare, over, and over…this is a story and I want it to end…please let it just end author.
The End.
(+369 words!)

13th Daily (Make Your Dreams Come True Today): January 13th, 2025
Prompt: ‘Today is Make Your Dreams Come True Today, and we hope you all will today <3 but another thing you can do is to write about anyone, an already existing character, your own, someone you know, having their dreams come true! What happens? What do they want? Answer all these questions and more by writing at least 200 words for 100 points! You can get 100 points if you share this daily.’
Word Count: 201

Note: This is inspired by my own experience <3

I’m the first one up and the last one to get out the door, tugging my rolling backpack behind me as it thumps down the steps to the basement. If the world could hear me, I wonder if they’d even listen to me. Instead I hear more than I speak. I listen more than I talk. I ask questions more than I get answers. And every step away from myself seems like a million miles away from what I want to be.
I don’t sing because I can’t. I don’t speak because I can’t. Because nobody lets me. Not when they talk and I force myself to listen to every dragging word, like I care enough about what they’re saying when I don’t. When all they say is, “Why can’t you just speak up?”
Because I can’t. Because you don’t let me. Because you carry on with your actions, and your words, and all your phrases telling me that I can’t talk because you are so much better than me in all the ways that you’re insecure. So I left. And I left you wordless.
And I spoke up.
To the first one who actually listened.
Because I wished to speak.
(+201 words!)