JWC
Weekly 2 Part 1 – 457 words

wip

JWC
Jan 14 – 683 words – 400 points

Rewritten “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo

“Lily, while your dad and I do believe this behavior is wildly unacceptable, we understand where you are coming from. However, you have to put an end to it. No more of this. Therefore your aunt and uncle have generously offered for you to finish out your school year in Pasadena rather than at your current school.” Lily’s mother said.
“But, why? I can’t just leave.”
“Lily, no complaining, it’s time to pack. You’ll leave tomorrow.”
“Fine.” Lily walked to her closet sized room, careful not to let her heavy footsteps sound like stomps. She packed as slowly as she could, her hands unwilling to remove her precious belongings from her room. But she had to. First came the books, which ones would she want to read in the next few months? She was sure there was a library in Pasadena, but she liked her copies, the ones Kath had commented on, not the library copies touched by everyone except Kath.
Kath. She would never see Kath again. How could she keep moving? She felt so terrible, her body hung heavy on her feet in each step she took. How could she take another step when Kath might never again? She might never see light outside of jail and it would all be Lily’s fault.
“Lily, you better be packing,” her mother called from the kitchen.
Sighing, Lily resumed sorting her books. She chose three, including the one with her secrets stored inside. The picture of Tommy and the other newspaper clippings. She needed those. She could still imagine when she dropped them on the bathroom floor and when Kath handed them to her. Kath. She wished she could bring something to Kath to help her but… her parents would never allow it.
***
The train ride to Pasadena was quiet and lonely, with Lily looking out the window the whole drive. Goodbyes had been silent, a quick hug so her siblings didn’t panic. Her parents wouldn’t be telling them Lily was gone until it was too late to spare them the pain. Lily wondered what it was like for Kath’s sister. She must be so lonely without Kath, and poor Kath, all alone in jail with no one she knew. Lily should have stayed behind, gone with Kath to get her coat. Or Lily should have told Kath to forget about it, and then they would have run free and none of this would have happened. Enough about Kath, Lily decided, as soon as her parents realized this was normal, Lily could go home. But what if that never happened?
The train’s breaks squealed as it pulled into the station. Her aunt and uncle stood up, Lily right next to them.
“Now, Lily, you’ll be on your best behavior. We’re meeting a few people before we can go to the apartment.”
Lily nodded her head, bewildered. This was new news, who were they meeting? Lily barely stepped foot of the train before she heard her name being called. In Kath’s voice?
“Kath, is that you?” Lily shouted back, even more confused. Was Kath the surprise person they were meeting? The people in front of Lily moved aside as she ran to where Kath’s voice was coming from, and straight into Kath’s open arms. “It’s you! How did you get out of jail?”
“I have my ways,” Kath smiled, “But I truly have your aunt and uncle to thank.”
By this point, Lily’s relatives had caught up, and Lily looked at them confused. “You did this?”
“Of course, we love you Lily and we accept you completely. Your parents just might not understand. But I used to have a girlfriend as well, back in college. Your mom and your grandparents never knew. It was my little secret before I met Francis.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Lily exclaimed, joyous that Kath was okay and that she would be able to be with Kath for the next few months. She just hoped the other women arrested during that evening were okay and we with their partners too, just like she and Kath were.

JWC
Jan 15 – 220 words – 200 points

1. Tubes are quite simply tubular, their roundness, just perfect. They are
Unique in their perfect number of holes; one or two.
But are they all they seem to be? Tubes are great,
Except for the fact that they can’t
Seem to hold any of the other great things we collect.


4. An Ode to Tubes
This is an ode to tubes
To celebrate their tubular shape.
They are very round, as one would expect,
But don’t forget, they are hollow too.
Making them perfect cylinders to carry our air.

One might think that holes have one hole,
And they would be correct,
But tubes let us ponder another question.
To have one hole or to have two?
Same with a straw, it is also a tube,
Straight down the middle,
It has two openings.
But is each opening a hole?

Let’s leave that up to you reader,
It’s your choice to decide.
But heed caution in your decision,
And be warned,
This is an ode to tubes,
Not an elegy to their friendship.


5. Tubular tubes are the best things in the world, no doubt about that.
But how many entrances do they have for a cat?
One hole or two,
It’s all up to you.
I hope you learned what tubular tubes are, through this nice little chat.

JWC
Jan 16 – 251 words – 200 points

Right now, I’m in my musical theatre era! It’s as simple as it sounds, I’m in a musical, and I’m very obsessed with it! My school is doing Newsies for our spring musical and auditions were at the end of November (when this era began for me). Since this era has started, it’s musical-ness has been increased because I’ve gone to see Wicked (the musical), Anastasia, and Cats! I’ve also learned that I have 11 quick changes (I’m so scared of that lol). My school is also doing something called the Winter Showcase, so some of my friends and I are doing a little scene, and I’m also doing something with my acting class. Overall, this has been one of my favorite eras, though it hasn’t had much competition. I’m super excited for opening night, though it is many weeks away. I love being in a community of theatre kids where we don’t judge people for randomly breaking into song, and we definitely ship Davey and Jack (there is no other correct option). We also spread a lot of memes and have had to move to whats up (app) for a group chat since we exceeded the limit on iMessage. I love this era because I get to share it with so many of my friends, including people who aren’t in my grade. It’s sort of scary being friends with people 4-5 years older than me but it’s fun too! I hope you enjoyed my little rant and learning something about Newsies??

JWC
Part 3 – 669 words

Just a small note, I have not edited this at all since we’re critiquing it, so I hope it’s not too confusing… sorry if it is. it's also a play on little red riding hood, please let me know if that isn't apparent


The path beneath me was rocky, rather than smooth cement making it a difficult terrain to cross in my wheelchair. Only ten more minutes of this, I told myself, sighing, why couldn’t workers put in a tiny bit more effort to make everyone more accessible. It’s not like I chose to be this way to be difficult, I wished with all my heart that I was able to walk but…
“Hey, is that you Georgie?” a voice called. I look up, hearing my name, and spotted my classmate Aubreigh waving at me from up ahead, just before the entrance to the forest. I wheeled myself toward them, hopeful that my trip wouldn’t be as lonely if I were with someone.
“Hi!” I smiled at them once I caught up, “Where are you headed?”
“I’m just taking a walk, my parents said I need to get out of the house more. You?”
“Delivering my Nana some food.” I said, pointing to the backpack resting on my wheelchair. “She lives right on the other side of the forest and is pretty antisocial so it’s my job to bring her food every few days.”
“Say, would you mind if I came along? I have nowhere better to be so…”
“I’d love that!”
We continued along the path, into the forest, mostly in comfortable silence, other than a few beats of conversation that arose. The tips of my ears prickled, as they tend to do when they sense danger, but I told myself it was just the breeze. Until the leaves around me began crunching too.
“Do you hear that?” I asked Aubreigh, concerned that something might be following us, an animal, maybe. I’d never run into anything before, but these woods were known for being creepy and mysterious.
“Yeah, but I can’t quite tell what it is. I don’t think we should worry, unless you’re concerned.”
We couldn’t come to a decision on whether we should be scared, so with occasional glances back, we moved through the forest, until an extra loud snap of a twig caught us in surprise. A dark figure emerged from the trees, hunched over, almost like a wolf.
Slowly, as if putting on glasses, the shape in front of me became clearer, turning into a person, not a beast. He looked like someone I knew, but I couldn’t place it.
“Who is that?” Aubreigh whispered to me, and I could feel them tensing at the scary sight. “He looks a bit like the Wolf.” The Wolf was our school bully, and I hated to admit it, but I was terrified of him. I certainly hoped this wasn’t him.
“Let’s keep going, maybe he hasn’t noticed us?” Aubreigh and I moved away from him, but the path in front abruptly turned to the side where he was standing, so we were pushed against a boulder to stay as far from him as possible. I would have suggested we run for it, but I knew I wouldn’t make it in my wheelchair on the rocky terrain, so I gathered my courage and called out to the figure. “Who are you?”
“Who do you think dummy. Where are you going and what do you have to give me, anything of worth?” He sneered back. This was definitely the Wolf, and I was definitely scared.
“What do we do?” I whispered to Aubreigh.
“Uhhhh run? You go, I’ll distract him.” I continued down the path, going as quick as I could while Aubreigh walked toward him, rolling their eyes. “We’re going to Georgie’s grandmother’s house, like you’d even care about it. And I obviously don’t have anything valuable to give you since you don’t even know what true worth is.” They bend down before the Wolf can attack, throwing a rock into his face. He howls in pain, the volume shocking me, as Aubreigh runs to catch up with me. We move as fast as we can to get to the safety of my Nana’s house, which albeit isn’t that fast.

To be continued

JWC
word war against @goldenglorymindz - 234 words

A new species was discovered today. We call it the Leonaut Fish. It is similar to a lionfish, with gills around the head like a lion’s mane, and one large spike jutting out of the forehead like a narwhal’s horn. From the two fish we have spotted, the size seems to range from a beetle to a hummingbird. The fins are similar in size and shape to hummingbird wings, but rather than flapping quickly, they whirl like blooming flowers, as does the tail fin. No humming sound as it swims, though a soft clicking sound is present.
The skin is milky white, embellished with thick canary yellow stripes and thin black stripes, completely smooth, not a single bump. We have no means of determining the texture; due to its hostile nature, it refuses to be touched. Based on what we have seen, it eats sea grass, mollusks, and guppies, and is prone to hiding from larger fish.
We assume it breathes oxygen, since gills are present around the face, but there is no evidence so far to prove this. Similar to the lion-like gills, there are also some whiskers around the lips. The whiskers are long, around eight inches, and the same shade of yellow as the stripes on the body. As of yet, we have only spotted two of these Leonaut Fish; more research will need to be done to cement these descriptions.

JWC
Jan 26 – 262 words – 300 points

a recipe for the perfect friendship
ingredients
1 person who you desire to be friends with
2 flowers of your choosing (yellow ones work best)
42 leaves scavenged from all over (preferably whole but different pieces work as well as long as they are originally 42 leaves)
4 baked goods made by you (feel free to ask for help, but the majority of the food must be made by your hands)
1 good book that you like, preferably one that your soon to be friend does to, or in a genre you know they like
1 9 by 11 piece of white paper
1/2 cup of boiling water

directions:
you have your person, right? that is the most important part after all. you can set them aside for now though.
first, pour the boiling water into the saucepan, and slowly stir in the leaves and flowers on a medium heat. once they are mostly dissolved, it’s time to add the book. ripping up books is never a good option, but this one is definitely going to good use, so don’t feel bad. but keep in mind, would you rather have a good book or a good friend? you’re following this recipe for a reason.
once the book pages are submerged and waterlogged, turn of the flame.
pour your “tea” into your favorite mug, bring it to your new friend along with the baked goods, and the printer paper which you have turned into a card. don’t worry, the tea is totally safe to drink. serve carefully and enjoy your new best friend!

JWC
Jan 27 – 359 words – 300 points

Luna Lovegood wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. She wasn’t sure anyone knew their future at this age. How could they? There were infinite choices, each with its own possibilities. But she wanted to do something art related, of course.
Her dad valued her talent, asking for her opinion on pieces to be published in the Quibbler. Her friends encouraged her as well, or rather her one friend, Ginny, encouraged her talent. Luna loved surprising Ginny with a new painting or a fun gift. In fact, she was running late to her meeting with Ginny at The Three Broomsticks. She hurried down the cobblestone paths, a stack of rolled scrolls under her arm. She had had a breakthrough last night about a new painting. Something about the secrets of nature, or what nature was hiding in plain view, and she wanted to show her drafts to Ginny.
Luna weaseled around people, spotting The Three Broomsticks up ahead. She propped the door open with her foot as she slid inside, and the door banged shut behind. She glanced around, trying to spot Ginny’s bright orange hair, but she must not have been here yet because Luna could not spot her. Luna sat down at their usual corner table, unrolling the papers and spreading them out.
A few minutes later, Ginny burst through the door, packages bundled in her arms. She looked almost surprised to see Luna, most likely expected her to be late. “What’s going on?” Luna asked.
“Don’t worry about it, a surprise,” Ginny smiled as she set down the boxes and collapsed on the bench, out of breath. She picked up a present and handed it to Luna. “This one is for you though.”
“Oh! Thanks! I should have brought you something too.” Luna giggled as she gratefully accepted the gift. “I do have some things to show you though, I think you’ll really like them!” Luna demonstrated to the piles of paper sitting beneath Ginny’s other boxes. As she began to talk about her ideas and what her plans were, she smiled, overly happy that she had someone to share this joy with.

JWC
Jan 19 – 405 words – no points (written later for fun)

“I will destroy you and all that you stand for!” Lilith yelled at me, casting her wand in my direction. Yellow-green light spilled out of the tip as I dodged behind a nearby boulder.
“Not if you can’t catch me,” I threw back at her, smiling slyly. I was too fast for her. Using vines hanging over the boulder, I pulled myself to the top of the rock, pulling out my sword to swipe at her from above. She ducked, sending another bolt of light my way once she recovered.
Once again, I avoided it, leaning right as though if jumping, I would land on Lilith’s left. Pulling on the vines, I leapt, using my momentum to pull myself to the left, or Lilith’s right. I landed, swiping at her chest before she realized my first move was my feigning.
Lilith fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as I whispered in her ear. “Seems like you spoke too soon.” I chuckled, fastening my blade back to my belt. The audience began to clap, with some even rising to their feet. I amazed myself every night with how well I performed, my nerves vanishing after my first line had been spoken.
The lights on stage faded and I ran over to ‘Lilith,’ actually Emily, my best friend since diapers, and I pulled her to her feet. The audience silenced as the next scene began, the maid’s confession to the princess.
“You did an amazing job tonight!” I whispered in Emily’s ear as we hurried to get our first costumes back on for the curtain call.
“So did you. You forget how believable it is, I sometimes think you don’t want to be my friend anymore. Then you come over and hoist me up at the end and I remember it’s all an act. It’s our second life where we’re mortal enemies, no longer friends.”
I laugh as we make our way back to the stage. We wait for the curtain to fall, and open again as we walk on stage, hand in hand. Our director hates choreographing the bows, but he always lets me and Emily walk on stage together, enemies in one world, best friends in another. We glance at each other, a smile plastered on our faces as we gesture to the booth and bend into our final bow, skipping of the stage as the curtain closes for the final time that evening.

JWC
Part 2 – 543 words

Shiny things in the kitchen? Yes please! I’m sure we all love shiny things, electric mixers, toasters, food processors, waffle makers. But when is the right time to use these appliances, and when should you use your hands? Good question, I’m glad you asked.
Many different things can affect this decision: time, type of pastry… but overall, it is the baker’s choice, as long as they use good judgement, and they do not spend five hours trying to hand whip whipped cream.
Using an electric mixer can save you time and is easier, making it less work for you. It is better for larger batches and provides you with many options. A hook for making dough, a whisk for that whipped cream you’re not hand whisking, and a flat beater for mixing well, anything. Electric mixers can also help when trying to multitask. You can be mixing your butter and sugar while cracking your eggs. Just make sure not to get any shell in the bowl while it is spinning, or you will have a crunchy dessert!
Electric mixing gives you an advantage that you will not find when using your hands. You get more speed and power, making it easier to whip air into your whipped cream. Despite these advantages, you do need to understand that if you do not already have an electric mixer, they can be pretty expensive, and they are hard to clean, so before you go out to buy a new baby blue stand mixer, take those statements into consideration.
When using a hand mixer, the important thing to note is that it definitely is more work. However, this extra work can pay off when you have delicate mixtures because you have more control over how you are mixing, the length of time, and force. You know all those recipes that say take care not to overmix, this is what they are talking about. You can use an electric mixer for those recipes, but you cannot multitask while at the overmixing step because it requires careful watching. When using hand mixers for those types of steps, you can pause easier and examine the batter to determine whether it needs more mixing.
Hand mixing can be better for smaller batches and ultimately gives you less dishes to wash. For all you bakers out there who hate washing dishes, this might be the method for you.
Provided below are some statements to encourage your decisions.
Anni L. says “personally I always use my hands. It’s a lot more work, but I’m willing to sacrifice my time for a better dessert. Especially when I’m making it for someone I love.”
Jon S. says “nah, stand mixing is for the win. It saves me all that time and my wife doesn’t mind washing my dishes.”
Just remember, as the baker it is your choice, but it is important to know when to hand mix and when to use an electric mixer. Your baked good will definitely turn out better if you understand why you need to use a specific tool, and how that tool works. Remember, there’s less work and more time saved with an electric mixer, and less dishes and carefully taken care of batter when you mix with your hands.

JWC
Part 3 – 553 words

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Ad 2:
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JWC
Part 4 – 538 words

1: what do I do if I want to eat baked goods, but I don’t want to bake them? By the unwilling baker
Find a friend who’ll bake you food, buy food from the store or shoplift it if you’re broke, struggle to bake and when your kitchen explodes, blame your cat and convince your parents to get you food since you are now depressed because you have no kitchen.

2: can I hire someone to wash my dishes for me? By messy baker
You could always ask your siblings and pay them in the things you bake, or don’t pay them at all. Find yourself a good friend who will do all the cleaning when you guys bake.

3: if I lift my macaron batter above my head and it falls on me, what do I do? by unskilled bowl flipper
Well the only thing I can say is to be a better baker. It’s practice to make sure your meringue is whipped enough. I suggest showering, making sure to wash your hair twice, then cleaning up our kitchen, and restarting the process after a few days’ break.

4: can you bake your cake not in a pan? By confused baker
I think we’re as confused as you are on this one, won’t your batter just slide out? But you could try it! We love encouraging experiments, though we will warn you that there is no guarantee that they will go to plan. They are experiments after all, so if you’re going to do it, try and convince your friend it’s their idea and that you guys should do it in your friend’s oven. Just in case, you know?

5: my bread won’t bake? By unbaking baker
Have you double checked that your oven is on, that you put all the right ingredients in, that you followed the recipe to the exact period? Because those are all easy things that can go wrong. Next time you make this recipe, be sure to add some extra baking soda just in case. But not too much, you wouldn’t want your cake to explode. Though I highly recommend checking that your oven is preheated.

6: berry pie without berries? By Fruitless fruity
Are you suggesting artificial berries, or berry flavoring? It seems like a good idea, but take care because this experiment could go very wrong. It sounds like a good, fun idea but who knows what will happen. You wouldn’t want to poison anyone… unless that was your original plan of course, and if so, good luck! I hope you don’t accidentally give them good food.

7: I accidentally baked my homework into my croissants? By student baker
So you have no homework to submit… you could always give the croissants to your teacher with a death warning because of the ink or led, or if you’re too precious of the croissants, you can give the classic excuse of your dog eating the homework. But if the croissants are chocolate, better not to mention your dog in case he actually wants to eat the homework and ends up consuming to chocolate croissants. Better to just come clean to your teacher with some freshly baked food in case things go wrong.

JWC
Jan 4 – 225 words – no points (written later for fun)

Beatrix “Bee” Krum
14 years old
Genderfluid, they/she/he
Very pale skin, unnaturally pointy ears (gets made fun of for it and called an elf), green eyes, close cropped light brown hair with vibrant red streaks, blue rimmed crooked glasses (broken by their clumsiness), usually wears a crazy colorful button down shirt, with cargo pants or a skirt, wears white doc martens with drawings done by them or beaten up green converse, uses hearing aids (deaf in their left ear), loves wearing clips in their hair (especially star shaped ones)
Curious, described by their mother as having the personality of a six year old, chaotic, a bit crazy after consuming sugar, attentive and observant but somehow very clumsy (tends to fall a lot, resulting in their broken glasses), ‘a bit too creative’ according to their mother
Loves drawing, obsessed with ghosts and the ‘deep dark,’ loves podcasts and is constantly listening to them or to music (prefers indie and musicals but listens to anything really)
Relationships: Danah Krum – mother, Arthur “Artie” Krum – two year old brother, not dating anyone or plans to (they are aro ace), doesn’t have many friends but is very close with the ones they have (Demi Martin, Skyler Dee, Lane Katzenstein
Currently in ninth grade
Jewish
Birthday: November 13
Was born in Tofino, British Columbia (near Vancouver)
Lives in Port Townsend, Washington

JWC
Jan 3 – 251 words – no points (written later for fun)

Oasis
You would think you can think forever, that you can have endless ideas to write about, endless sources of inspiration. But it all ends at some point. I have been walking blindly for some time now, unsure of where to go, unsure of what to do with my life. I am running out of time, I think, but I want to go off with a big bang. My once replaced robotic joints are rusting and will need to be replaced soon, but I know that will not happen. I just do not have the money, there is no world where that does not me.
I want to go off with a bang. But I have no ideas, I am stuck, empty, my mind a drought. No thoughts, not a single one, that I can use. I am in a desert and there is no oasis in sight. No trees, no water, but I am parched and I cannot make it much longer.
These ‘thoughts’ pursue for a few days, feeding off my barely existent energy. But then I see it, my oasis, the idea comes to me. It is not that I know how to go off with a bang, I know how to continue living! It has been that oasis all along, all this time, I just need to make it, one hundred more steps to peace, I can make it, I think, as I stumble blindly forward. At last! I am saved, I smile, sitting down to rest.

JWC
JWC fanfic – 375 words

thanks to @CatMeowLove7, @babyoda1546, @C_Yee, @littlelonebird, @LunaGinnylove, @phant0m-21 for participating as characters

I was wandering through the woods, utterly lost and disoriented, trying to find somewhere to sleep before the sun fell that evening. I was supposed to be at a summer camp, the first one my mother found on the internet, rated zero stars, but she picked it because it was cheap, and she needed to get rid of me for the summer. However, it turns out that it was so inexpensive because it was nonexistent. I had taken a bus to the nearest town, and walked the last ten minutes, but the address led straight into the forest, so now I had nowhere to be for the next month, and I could not return home, or I would face my mother’s wrath.
I had been watching my feet, careful not to step on any tree roots, but I lifted my head up, looking around, since hearing some voices. They were very faint, but coming from up ahead, I discerned. After walking for another few minutes, the shadowy trees on all sides split into a clearing. Wooden cabins spanned the circle, with tons of kids milling around. It was a camp! Maybe I would have somewhere to spend the next month, if they accepted me, of course.
Dirty and tired from hiking through the woods all day, I cautiously approached the first person I saw, introducing myself. “Hi… I’m Toko, I was lost, and I found this camp. Are they accepted more campers? Because I sort of need somewhere to stay for the next month.”
“Hi Toko! I’m Chocolate, I’m sure there’s room but I’m not certain. But I can help you find the people in charge. These are my friends Cat and Sage by the way,” she said, gesturing to the two people beside her, one with brown hair and one with blonde.
“Thanks, I really appreciate it!”
“Of course!” The three of them led me to the largest cabin, seemingly the hosts’ one. On the way, I met some other campers, Maven, Charlie, and Gracie. They began telling me about the different activities like dailies and weeklies and cabin wars! I began to get excited, this camp seemed so fun, I just had to convince the hosts to let me join for the session.

JWC
Jan 18 – 359 words – no points (written later for fun)

My whole life has been filled with “Katie do this, Katie do that,” I have never had a chance to think for myself. My parents have been in control of life since well, ever since I was born. My birth was their decision as well, wasn’t it? But I want to differentiate myself from them, to not be known as Jim and Sarah’s daughter, but as Katie. I am a senior in high school, I am going off to college next year, I should get to think for myself, shouldn’t I?
But I am scared to take that step, I am scared of how my parents would react, surely, they wouldn’t disown me? But I can’t be sure.
I’ve been thinking about cutting my hair, cropping it to my shoulders, or maybe a bit shorter, but my parents are obsessed with this idea of a ‘girly girl,’ who loves the color pink, wears skirts and dresses, and has perfectly straight long hair. I didn’t really mind it, but now that I’m thinking about college, I want to make a new version of myself. But I can’t work up the courage. I just have to sit down and do it on a day I’m home alone. I could not talk to my parents first, they were scold me and punish me for life. So, is it really a good idea to cut my hair?
I had to do it, though.
I painstakingly waited a few days, planning out the perfect time to do it. My scissors were ready, I just needed my parents to leave the house. I sat down on my desk chair in front of the tall mirror in my parents’ bathroom, and I prepared to cut my hair. It was nerve wracking, what if I messed up? But I didn’t have the money to get it cut professionally and then there would be someone else for my parents to blame. I had to do it.
I pulled the scissors closer, trying to keep my eyes open to make sure the cut was perfect. Snip. Snip. One lock was done, now time to repeat the fifty more times.

WUC 2025 leader app

Intro
Hi! I’m Toko, a musical theatre obsessed teen. I use any pronouns, and I don’t have a preference so whatever is easier for you. I live in the wonderful PST time zone, and I have tons of hobbies, including writing (of course!) acting, baking, and singing.
On the topic of singing, I also love music! I am obsessed with Broadway, and I have recently gotten into other genres. My favorite artists currently are Sparkbird, Cavetown, The Crane Wives, Fish in a Birdcage, Hozier, and Coldplay. My favorite musicals are Epic, Hamilton, Six, and Newsies (I’m very indecisive). Feel free to ask for recommendations, and I am also happy to take if there’s a song you think I’ll like.
On to outdoorsy hobbies, I love skiing and have been doing so since three years old! I also enjoy running and I am on my school’s cross-country team, and I love biking, both mountain and road. These hobbies have taught me to pick myself up when I fall and how to persevere through winter storms (only skiing, but I did run a cross-country race in 100 degrees).
My large extended family has also taught me to persevere and in fact, that was how I found writing. My family would be so overwhelming and loud, and I would slide in between them, leaving me lonely. I came to writing to channel those feelings of loneliness and to create a world where I did not have to be alone, but I could have endless characters created from the different parts of me to keep me company. I love creating these worlds where I can be myself to avoid others when I need a break, and I love reading as well to lose myself in others’ worlds. I want to continue writing to be able to give back to these authors who have saved me and to bring this joy of escape to others as well!

Cabin preferences
Of the cabins listed, Capricornus/bangsian (I’m a Capricorn lol) and Aquarius/poetry jump out at me, though I would be happy (co) leading any.
Capricornus – Ghosts have just broken out of their respective sections of the Underworld and are roaming free: wicked souls are finding solace in Elysium and honored souls are facing torture in Tartarus. Hades has been rendered unable to help so Charon has turned to mortals for help. Campers will work together to restore order in the Underworld by completing challenges to win the gods’ favor and a spot in Elysium when they die.
Aquarius – I have less of a structured plot for this cabin but something where words have been stolen, and campers have to work to find these words through different puzzles before words are gone forever.

Leadership experience
I have never led WUC or any other Scratch camp before, but I am currently an advisory board member for a writing platform where I encourage other young writers and keep the site active. I also occasionally help plan author interviews or other online gatherings. In person, I am currently assistant directing the middle school play at my school, where I help schedule rehearsals and manage them by taking notes and giving feedback to specific actors. These two experiences have taught me many leadership skills including patience and dedication.

Time dedication
I could most likely dedicate 1-2 hours a day to WUC throughout the month of April, and March as well for planning. I have school and I’m in my school’s musical so I will not be constantly online. However, I am pretty flexible, and I can make time to log in throughout the day. As far as I am aware, I will be away the weekend of April 12 (visiting family for Passover), but I should be online otherwise. If anything were to arise, though, I would make sure to notify other (co)leaders and the hosts if necessary.

Value in a leader
Personally, I think flexibility is an important characteristic leaders should embody because they should be open to any ideas and aware that things might not go to plan. Leaders need to be able to persevere to the best of their ability despite any unexpected setbacks. I think I embody this trait because I regularly make backup plans (multiple of them!), and while obstacles can be overwhelming, I have accepted the fact that they are bound to show up. In fact, last year, my friends and I were working on a group project about Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, and multiple times, we had to start from scratch, but at the beginning, I encouraged my friends to brainstorm multiple different ideas about the song to use as backup in case needed (and this was helpful because we really did need these backup ideas).

Cabin atmosphere
Fun and friendly, with a low-stress storyline where campers can focus on personal writing goals. There will be chances to interact with others, and of course, make memories! (174 characters)

Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths: I love working with others and can communicate well to help dissolve issues if needed. I can also listen to others’ ideas and work to find a balance between multiple ideas to negotiate a plan others will be happy with. As previously mentioned, I am flexible and packed with backup plans just in case!
Weaknesses: I can be a people pleaser sometimes and go with an idea because someone else likes it, even if it doesn’t make sense. I can struggle to say no if something becomes too much which leads to me taking on too much and as a perfectionist, it can be hard for me to let something go if I’ve been assigned to work on that. However, I have been trying to find the balance in each of these traits to learn what is too much for me.

Shortcomings
While I do tend to procrastinate a bit, I am pretty good with time management. I am motivated, especially if it is something I am interested in (say, a writing camp), and I don’t think I have ever turned in an assignment late for school. I can also prioritize more important things over lesser, though I am aware that sometimes it is hard for me to realize what is of higher importance, and when I have a lot of things piled up, I can get stressed. However, I have been working on breaking assignments into smaller pieces and when I have a to-do list handy, I can be very productive.

Writing excerpt
You can see it in her eyes; the pain of scars that run deep, etched across her whole body; the beauty in her intoxicating smile; the chaos in her constellation of freckles, splattered across her face; but most importantly, the flame. It flickers and twists in endless directions, constantly moving. Deep in the heart of her blaze lies many colors. Yes, the obvious red and gold, but the true colors of a fire meld in; the deep ocean blue and a hint of sparkling white. Flecks of warm olive and palm leaf green are sprawled across her seemingly dull-chestnut-brown irises as well. The colors shine through, each one highlighted and shaded, bringing rainbows upon rainbows.
It is not fair.
She has the perfect eyes, breathtaking and endless, while mine are the boring shade of steel blue which has gotten old. I am not jealous of her eyes. I would never want them; I’m happy with my 20/20 vision. I wish my eyes were something you wouldn’t just look past, something you’d take another glance for.
I happened to glimpse her eyes once at just the right time. The setting sun cast a summery glow on her eyelids, brandishing the warm flames. Her eyes were overwhelmingly full of fire. I even had to look away. In that brief moment, she scooted back her chair, the legs squeaking against the tiled floor. She walked out the door, careful not to let it slam behind her. A moment later, I followed, cautious of not letting my actions mirror hers.
I followed her through the narrow hallways, and out to the parking lot. There, she sat on the asphalt, her legs tucked underneath her. From her pocket, she pulled several sheets of lined paper. As she unfolded them, it was clear they had been ripped from a notebook. They were covered in scrambled green pen which I recognized as her handwriting. In the center of the papers was a box of matches and the sick feeling in my stomach began to manifest. Instead of interrupting her, though, I continued to watch silently, perched behind a nearby car. Before I could even register what she was doing, she had struck a match against the side of the box. It ignited, enkindling the papers with it.
Deep in thought, she watched the papers incinerate; she held the sheets in front of her as the corners started burning away, ash falling to the asphalt. Neither of us moved to stop the blaze. The spiky smell of crisp paper filled my lungs, and my throat began to dry up. The waft of smoke above our heads was materializing into something thicker. The fire in front of her grew strong, paralleling the flames in her eyes. They both jumped high, almost in sync.
Suddenly, the heat in her hands flickered out and she scattered the remaining flakes of ash around her. For the first time since I had watched her, I noticed the flames in her eyes dwindling. The fire, her whole life and existence was extinguishing itself, her eyes fading into the mundane dull-chestnut-brown. I was sure that along with her flames, she would disappear, and I would never get to learn her name. (536 words)

Checkboxes A
(check) Applying for leader and co leader
I am applying only for leader
(check) I can share a promo project for WUC
(check) I have read and understood the FAQ
(check) I will notify a host if needed to go inactive

Checkboxes B
If my (co)leader were to go inactive, I would make sure to divide any of their responsibilities that I could do between me and the other (co)leader. I would try to be as active as possible to make things run smoothly and check in with the hosts and other (co)leaders about any other possible steps.
If I had to go inactive, I would let my (co)leaders know and I would help arrange which of them would take over which of my responsibilities to ensure my absence would be as easy as possible for them, and I would update the hosts.

Checkboxes C
If this camper hadn’t provided any proof of these words, I would check in with them and ask about proof and ask what these words were from if they hadn’t clarified. I would work to find a solution without directly confronting them about the large number of words unless it got to a point where that was inevitable.

SWC
Mar 1 – 1120 words – 0 points

Hey everyone, swc-ers and non swc-ers who’ll be reading this. it’s time for my 1k intro! I’m going to organize it just for your sake if you actually read this lol. So, I’ll have an introductory paragraph, then I’ll talk about reading and writing, theatre, music, baking, tea, and hopefully connect this to the actual daily lol. Ready? Let’s go! But first, let me say, fan-fi is going to win, isn’t it? Anyone who dares to contradict me is wrong and their autocorrect must be broken /j.
I’m Toko, though you can also call me Bean! I use any pronouns, and I live in the wonderful land of PST time zone. This is my second session of swc though it feels like so much longer that I’ve been in this lovely cult. I’m in ninth grade, and really young for it (I went to a French school when I was little and the cut-off was the end of the year rather than September, so my late December birthday made the cut!) I would describe myself as a nerd and a theatre kid though my friends have plenty of fun nicknames for me irl.
I have many hobbies and interests but I have lots of others too, smaller ones that don’t get their own paragraph including drawing (a pretty new thing for me, that I love combining with my other hobbies like drawing stickers for the musical im in), latin (I take latin in school and it is one of my favorite classes, it’s so much like a puzzle and for anyone who tells me it’s dead, they don’t know the proper definition of a dead language /lh, I also like it because my elementary school knowledge of French helps a lot!), and sports (I do cross country, though not anymore because I now have knee problems and im turning into an old grandpa /j and I also ski, and have been doing so since 3 years old, and I love biking as well!).
So, reading and writing! My favorite genres to read are poetry, fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction, some very different genres indeed. My favorite books include but are not limited to: six of crows, any greek mythology adaptation like circe or the song of achilles, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin, the golden compass by philip pullman, fable by adrienne young, and how it feels to float by helena fox. Quite a lot, as you can see I’m pretty indecisive. The genres I like writing are mostly the same, poetry, fantasy, realistic fiction, and I currently have A LOT of wips that I decided to work on during swc, but im not sure how much that’s going to happen… i’ve never had a book published, though I’m working on that right now, but I have had a few poems and a personal memoir about skiing. I also love book recommendations because I’m running out of things to read so feel free to throw them at me.
A bit more than halfway done, that means on to theatre. I love theatre: plays, musicals, acting in general! Though I am pretty strict about how you spell it /lh. Theatre for the act, theater for the place. I’m currently in my school’s spring musical, Newsies as Oscar Delancey, Darcy, and ensemble, and I’m assistant directing the middle school play, Moriarty’s Daughters, though that picks up at the end of march, we’ve just had auditions and callbacks so far. I love theatre because of the welcoming community, and as a really young (for my grade) freshman, I sometimes find it hard to connect with upperclassmen because of the age gap. However, theatre bridges that gap, and I find myself having really interesting conversations with seniors.
Music! I would say I listen to music about 14 hours a day, approximately the time I’m awake. It’s mostly Broadway, but I’ve gotten into the artists too recently including Sparkbird, Cavetown, The Crane Wives, Fish in a Birdcage, Hozier, and Coldplay. My favorite musicals are Epic, Hamilton, Six, and Newsies. I’ve only been to one concert in my life that I can remember, an ABBA tribute concert, but I really want to go to more because it was really fun! I’m full of recommendations if you want any, and I’d be happy to receive as well!
My newest hobby, baking! I love baking because of the joy it brings me, and similar drawing, I like combining it with my other hobbies. I often show up to theatre rehearsals with cookies, and I love baking myself muffins or bread for breakfast, so I have something quick to eat before school. I love the feeling I get in the moments where I decide I want to bake something, quickly search up a recipe, most likely on p1nterest, if I don’t already know what to make, and start setting ingredients on the counter. I think my sibling is the happiest with my baking addiction/procrasti-baking tactics because they are often the one to sample everything and eat my delicious goodies! Though I have had to bake less often because of the egg shortage and increased egg prices which I’m not too happy about. But that does mean it’s easier for me to make vegan food for some of my vegan friends.
I’m also obsessed with tea, and two of my friends and I have started this ‘mystertea monopoly’ where we deliver tea to teachers and students having a bad day. We have a super secret plan to figure out their favorite types of tea which totally does not involve stalking them /j or asking them in person and using my speedy cross country skills to run away. Personally, my favorite tea is lavender honey or orange. I’m not a big caffeine person, it just doesn’t agree with my and my already non-existent sleep schedule, but when I do have caffeinated tea, I got this lovely orange rose tea that is perfect before seven in the morning lol.
Oh my, exactly 1k words? I guess it’s time to move on to the second part of the daily, the real part. What location do I imagine myself as? I think I have to say my theatre-self translates into the Globe Theater in London. I visited it last year and thought it was really cool, and as I am now reading Shakespeare in English, it’s even cooler because I can imagine the performances on stage. The people there would all be theatre kids like me so no one uninterested in theatre would be there!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my intro, I don’t expect anyone to actually read this, so congrats and motivation mangoes for you. See you soon swc-ers!!

SWC
Mar 2 – 482 words – 300 points

“Shatter, knife, match, trust, mirror” thanks to @-BookDragon- for these words

I wonder how it feels to be free?

It’s a thought stuck to the back of your mind as your peer through the glass window, this mirror you’ve been locked in for as long as you remember. You can’t leave and you can’t die. The food replenishes every day to stop you from starving, the water too. Though you’d willingly die if it meant freedom. You want to walk the busy streets, smell fresh flowers and just baked bread, but alas. You’re stuck.

However, this morning, along with your food, another object appeared, a knife. Sure, you’ve had knives before, but not like this one. Those were dull butter knives, this one, though, sharp and pristine, as if it had heard your thoughts of escape.

Was it a sign? Could I really find some way to leave?

No immediate plan coming to mind, you sit down on the hard wooden floor, a bowl of soggy cereal in your hands. You’d like to trust this sign, but how could you escape? The spells of a sorcerer are rarely breakable, especially the one that trapped you. Some sort of vengeance because of what your mother did, wasn’t it?

Why blame me for what she did? I had no say.

Your urge for freedom is apparent in your eyes, tired and heavy, wanting to close. But how could you rest knowing she’s still out there, trapping others too, even innocents. You want to set a match to this place, burn through the wooden floors, but there is no way out, no matter how flammable this wood is. It’ll just reform overnight. And anyway, you have no matches, the magic is extra careful about that, nothing that would give you the slightest hope of escape.

And yet. That knife. It flickers back and forth across your mind, maybe this, maybe that.

And yet. You come up empty.

Except one last thought enters your mind, what if… yes, it makes sense, time to put it into action.

But am I sure I want to leave? Maybe I do like it here after all.

You silence your thoughts of doubt, grabbing the knife off the tray it’s been resting on. You can do this, quick and easy. You pause to take a breath, and without further thought, you chuck the knife into the glass wall in front of you, the mirror. No more watching kids run by, safe in their youthful innocence. Glass shards rain down shattering even further on the ground beneath you.

You knew the plan would work, didn’t you? It was a magic knife after all, this whole place was magic, you should have tried this before. All you had to do was trust. No sorcerer would want you locked up forever, right? Not even one as evil as this one.

Am I sure, though? Maybe she’s watching my every move through yet another mirror.

SWC
Mar 3 – 479 words – 450 points

Thanks to @-1circle- for the words hammer and flamethrower

why hello! welcome to this fabulous speaking advertisement billboard, a brilliant project designed by the lovely people at toktech. but we’re not here to talk about me, this billboard, we’re here to talk about something new, a cool invention. introducing toktech’s newest product the flammer. now, don’t get us wrong, it’s pronounced flam-er not flame-er, but as long as you buy it, feel free to call it whatever you like, even sweetheart. though you’ll have to pay the full price for it.
this flammer is a one of a kind invention created by the one of a kind toko of toktech. it’s a mash up between a flamethrower and a hammer, a hammer that incinerates everything it touches to pure ash, scorch marks left for miles.
but don’t let that scare you, as long as it’s kept out of the hands of certain members of the government and children under the age of 3.
there’s a simple switch to control the force of the flame, and it all depends on your strength, so you better hit the gym. this flammer weighs just over 62 pounds, so you might notes a giant to fling it at the city you’d like to destroy- that is, if you can find a giant, we’ve heard they’re pretty rare, but we’re working on another invention for that.
back to the flammer, you need to buy this product, it is an absolute lifesaver, especially when you have one of those enemies that you just want to, well, incinerate to ash. visit us at toktech.com/flammyflammer to purchase this one of a kind invention for the low price of 297 mangoes. We hope you enjoy this lovely advertisement, and feel free to rate and review us and our products at toktech.com, we love your feedback and will use it to perfect our inventions to the best of our ability. don’t forget to buy and flammer and have a nice day!
oh wait, before you go, let us tell you a quick story about this flammer including the history about it. so a few years ago, we discovered, through various red-dit posts that there were some people who wanted to burn down the world, well specifically a small town known as potatoland. and we all know how flammable potatoes are. so we heard these complaints, and decided to set to work, and within a year we had the test product. we lent it to these potato burning folk, and let them do their job, with potatoland getting completely burnt down- that’s probably why you’ve never heard of it. so we took those measurements, made a few adjustments, and there you have it! our super duper amazing lovely fabulous one of a kind flammer that you should absolutely consider buying, or you know, we might have to take your head… so you better watch out and buy our flammer.