{Weekly #4- PROJECT WEEKLY!}

Beginning of story:
145 words
As the fire around her blazed, Anni frantically called for her parents and sister. They were nowhere to be found.

Just half an hour later, Anni stood in the center of the smoldering ruin of what used to be her village. A tear trickled down her face, landing on the black ashes below her feet. Her family was missing, her house was burned down, and the only companion she had was her tiny hedgehog, named Pig. Curled up in Anni’s satchel, he had no idea about the destruction around him.

Anni took a deep breath, composing herself. She needed to find her family. How, she didn’t know. But she did know that she needed to find them. Armed with only her satchel, which had a few momentos from her now charred house and a few necessities, she was ready to set off on her adventure.

Pt 1:

Gurtle: Write about your character receiving messages from an unknown person in 150 words.

Word count: 152/150 words

Suddenly, Anni noticed something curious. There, in the ruins of her house, a white corner fluttered in the black ashes. She walked towards it. Perhaps it would lend a clue to where her family was. The letter was written on high-quality stationery with fancy pen ink, stationary her family didn’t have access to.

Anni-
I have your family. You must find them before it’s too late. Follow the clues to find them. Your first clue is simple.

Follow the path
Through the trees
Until you find
A hive of bees.
Then follow the path
A little bit more,
Then knock on
The little red door.

Good luck.

Anni wanted to crush the note under her heel, smash it, destroy it. But she knew that it was the only way to find her family. So she turned on her heel, facing the woods, and set off, Pig scampering along behind her.

Pt 2:

Marc Mangoson: Write about your character struggling to let something go for 200 words

word count: 603/200
notes: wow this got long fast

Anni followed the long, winding road through the forest. The journey was long and Pig had needed to hitch a ride in Anni’s satchel hours earlier. The sun was close to setting, and although she had already passed the hive of bees mentioned in the mysterious note, Anni was beginning to lose hope of finding the red door by nightfall. All of a sudden, however, Anni noticed a flash of red amongst the dark green of the forest. Backtracking a few steps, Anni saw it: a small, circular, and bright red door snuggled into the trunk of a tree. About a foot and a half tall, it looked much too small to be the entrance to a human dwelling. Gnomes, Anni thought. Gnomes were well-known for being easily frightened, but they were also extremely clever and kind. Anni gently knocked on the gnome[s door. It was opened by an elderly-looking gnome, with wrinkled skin, kind eyes, and minimal teeth. “Hello dearie!” the gnome said warmly. However, just as she said this, Pig poked his head out of Anni’s satchel, sniffing the air around him. This caused the elderly gnome to shriek and hurriedly close her door. After gently scolding Pig and putting him securely in her satchel, Anni knocked on the door once more. The gnome greeted Anni again, a little more warily this time, and then asked if she could be of assistance. Anni explained her missing family situation. The gnome nodded sagely and told Anni that she had another letter addressed to her. “But, my dearest,” the gnome crooned, “I do need some payment. Do you have something you can offer me?” Anni thought back to the contents of her tiny satchel, which she had packed in a hurry. It only contained a few day’s worth of food, Pig the hedgehog, a map of the woods, her plant identification book, and an empty leather-bound journal. The journal, one of Anni’s most prized possessions, had been a gift from her grandfather, who had sadly passed away only a year earlier. The only things Anni could trade were her book and the journal. Anni knew that the plant identification book was necessary for her travels, but she hated the thought of parting with her beloved journal. She had been planning on writing a book in it one day. “I’m sorry, but I have nothing to trade,” Anni said, “Could you spare the letter anyways?” “Alas, I cannot,” the gnome murmured. “I am not able to give things away without payment.” The gnome began to slowly close her door, shaking her head. “Wait!” Anni exclaimed suddenly. “Maybe I do have something to spare.” With shaking hands, Anni withdrew the leatherbound notebook from her satchel. This was the only way for her to get her family back, and she knew it. The gnome smiled a gap-toothed smile and took the book from Anni. She then withdrew inside her house. When she came back, she was holding a cream-colored envelope with Anni’s name on it. Upon taking it in her hands, Anni realized that it was made of the same paper the first letter was from. After thanking the gnome, Anni opened the letter. It read,

Anni–
You are one step closer to finding your family.

Follow the trail
To where sirens wail
There you will find
The next set of lines

Anni knew it was getting late, so she walked on for a bit and found an empty cave. There, she made camp for the night, falling asleep with tears streaked down her face and Pig snuggled in her arms.

Lieutenant Lilac: Write 200 words where your character is put in a dangerous scenario!

Word count: 483/200 words

The next morning, Anni woke up cold and stiff. After eating a small breakfast (and feeding Pig as well), she started to puzzle over the note. Follow the trail to where sirens wail, she thought. All of the sudden, it came to her. “The lagoon!” She screeched, making Pig jump. She had visited the lagoon a few times before, although it had always been with her father. It made her a little teary, thinking about her father. But she composed herself and set off. The lagoon was on the other side of the woods, near the ocean, and Anni knew that it would probably take her at least a day to get there. So she was off. Pig started the day scampering behind her, but soon had to hitch another ride in Anni’s satchel. At about 4 pm, Ani arrived at the lagoon after a whole day of walking. Anni stopped to take a short break on the sand, then scanned the rocks lining the lagoon for a sight of another letter. There! She spotted it on a large rock about 100 feet from shore. Pig had fallen asleep, so after tucking him into her satchel, she dropped it on the sand and took a deep breath. Anni *technically* knew how to swim, but it had been a while. Anni walked towards the ocean, braced herself, and waded in. The water was freezing, but she kept going. Suddenly, Anni felt the ocean floor drop out beneath her. Shy of deep water, Anni didn’t look down. She felt something swish by her ankles. Just a fish, she told herself, although she was feeling a bit nervous. Something else brushed up against her leg. Then– a sharp pain in her left ankle. Anni gasped and looked down. There, right next to her leg was a siren, grinning at her with sharp teeth, its beady eyes looking at her. Anni screamed, then swam the remaining 10 yards and scrambled onto the rock. Blood gushed from the siren bite in her ankle, and Anni knew that she would need to treat it soon. Siren bites were notoriously venomous, and although they typically didn’t kill, siren venom caused swelling and lots of pain. Perched on top of the rock, Anni could see more sirens circling around the rock. A high-pitched wail filled the air. Anni covered her ears, but the wailing continued. Then, the wailing miraculously stopped. Anni stood up, grabbed the cream-colored envelope from underneath the rock that was keeping it there, and started to gingerly climb down the large boulder. Her ankle was beginning to swell and get purple, but she knew she needed to get back to shore. Carefully holding the letter above her head, Anni managed to swim back without any siren encounters. When she got back on the shore, she sat down on the sand and fell asleep, exhausted.

Pandora Pink: Write 150 words where an everyday object takes on magical properties.

Word count: 359/150 words

Anni awoke the next morning to Pig scrambling all over her face. She giggled, then gently grabbed him and moved him onto the sand. Then, she tried to get up off the ground. Although her right ankle was just fine, the moment she put weight on her left ankle, her leg buckled. Anni looked closely at her ankle. It was twice its normal size and a deep purple color. Anni winced after gently prodding it with her finger. There was no way she was going to get far on her ankle. Because the sun was beginning to come up, she gingerly moved herself over to a sunny spot to dry out. Her clothes were still a little damp from last night’s adventure. Pig followed her, curling up into a little ball on the sand and peering up at her with his beady eyes. Anni pulled out the letter that she had retrieved the night before and carefully opened it. The letter said,
Dear Anni,

Go back on the path
Until you find
A place with some math
You must use your mind

P.S. This may help

Attached underneath the last sentence was a long, blue feather. Anni gently took it off the paper and peered at it. She couldn’t find anything special about it, although it did seem to shimmer when the light touched it. Anni let the feather fall from her fingers, disappointed. As it fluttered towards the ground, it brushed against her swollen ankle. Anni could’ve sworn that her ankle started hurting a little bit less. Picking up the feather again, Anni looked at it with curiosity. It couldn’t be… Well, there was only one way to find out. Anni rubbed the feather along her ankle again. It was working! Anni realized that some of the stories she had heard as a child had to be true. Stories about ordinary objects being imbued with magical powers. Surely, it must be true, for as Anni watched, her ankle slowly became less swollen and returned to its normal color. Anni tried standing on her left ankle, and when it didn’t hurt, she cheered, jumping for joy.

Jim Flabsdz: Write 150 words where a character experiments with new or unfamiliar technology.

Word count: 372/150

With her ankle healed, Anni was ready to continue searching for her family. As Pig scampered behind her, she headed back to the trail. There, she puzzled over the clue. It said to go to a place with math. Anni was confused about this. What could it mean? She briefly thought about checking the school in her village, although it was quite far away, but then remembered that it had burned down in the fire. Anni was saddened by this, but she kept thinking. A voice coming from the bushes startled her. “Hello? Can someone hear me?” the voice asked. It sounded strange, almost… robotic? “Please?” the voicer asked again. “It seems I have been dropped here by someone.” Anni cautiously took a step towards the voice, then another. It was coming from a nearby bush with bright green leaves. Annmi parted the foliage to find not a person but a smallish flat device that was shiny on one side. Light glowed through the shiny side, and a pair of eyes and a mouth was also pictured on the screen. “Oh hello there!” the device said. Anni yelped, surprised. What was this thing? “How can I be of assistance? By the way, you can call me Destructor Bot 2.0… or just Des-Bot. Your choice.” it said. “Ummm…” Anni responded, not quite sure what to say. Pig, however, seemed quite curious about Des-Bot and began to sniff the strange device. “What can you help me do?” Anni finally asked, picking up the device from its spot in the bushes. Des-Bot explained that he could help with a wide variety of tasks, including but not limited to giving directions, finding answers to questions, translating from foreign languages, and finding locations based on a few descriptor words. Anni realized that Des-Bot could help her figure out the clue. “Can you locate places around here that have something to do with math?” Anni asked. “Will do!” said Des-Bot. He had soon found a lead. “The only place that comes up is the Runic Mountains.” he said, “Would you like directions to get there?: “Yes, please! Anni said, tucking Des-Bot into her satchel. As the sun rose overhead, Anni and her companions set off for the Runic Mountains.

Mazasa: Write about your character completely changing their appearance in 200 words.

Word count: 234/200 words

Soon, however, Anni’s smile had faded. Her legs were sore, her eyes hurt from squinting in the bright sunlight, and her stomach rumbled. Despite Anni’s attempts to conserve food, she had ended up eating the last of her provisions a few hours previous. Also, Des-Bot would NOT stop chattering, talking about everything from his amazing abilities to his adventures before meeting Anni to different types of fungi. Yes- fungi. “Town ahead.” Des-Bot said suddenly, interrupting his long monologue. Anni felt a burst of enthusiasm . Maybe she could get some food there! However, she quickly realized that she had no money. As the town came closer, Anni realized that it must be market day, for many stalls were set up, selling wares of every kind. Anni saw a food stand. She could smell freshly baked bread and roasting meat. Her mouth watered. If only… but no, she couldn’t. Stealing would be against her moral code. Perhaps she could beg. Anni had an idea. A patch of mud lay right next to the path she was standing on. Gently removing her satchel and placing it behind a tree, she grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it all over her face. Her hair was next, then her clothing. Although she couldn’t see herself , Anni knew that she probably looked like a beggar or urchin. She smiled at her ingenious plan and then waltzed into the village.

Peeles: Write about your character getting out of their comfort zone in 200 words.

Word count: 238/200 words

The closer Anni grew to the village, the more nervous she felt. She had thought that her idea was smart, but now she wasn’t so sure. As she walked into the marketplace, multiple people turned to stare at her, some pointing or laughing. A group of boys who looked to be around her age pointed at her, snickering and whispering to each other. Anni’s cheeks burned. This was really embarrassing. Maybe she should abort the mission. But just as she was thinking this, her stomach growled. She hardened her resolve. Anni knew that she really needed food, and that begging would be worth it. Also, chances were that nobody hear knew who she was. And if they did, well, they might not recognize her. She found an empty spot between two stalls and sat down on the dirt road. “Food please?” she called, “Or spare change?” Most people walked right past her, but one stopped. “Here, little one. You must be hungry.” said somebody. It was an older man, and he was smiling at her kindly. He gave her an entire loaf of bread and a whole sandwich from one of the nearby artisans. “Th-thank you, sir.” Anni said. She felt guilty for taking the man’s money, but she was too hungry to think. When she was sure no one was looking, she stood up and ran back to her satchel, which was right where she left it.

Blahaj: Write 100 words where something a character believed to be good/perfect ended turns out to be flawed/bad.

Word count: 211/100 words

“Okay,” Anni said, grabbing her satchel again. “Des-Bot, please return to giving me directions.” “Okay, Anni!” Des-Bot said cheerfully. “First, follow the path for about another mile. I’ll let you know when you need to turn.” “Great!” Anni said. Pig was scrambling to get out of Anni’s satchel, so she took him out and let him run behind her as she set off. She had been walking for about 20 minutes when Des-Bot said, “Okay, Anni. Turn here.” “What direction?” Anni asked. “Left” Des-Bot responded. Anni turned left. Des-Bot explained that they were about an hour away from the Runic Mountains. Anni was excited. It was about 3:30 pm, and she was ready to get to a place to camp for the night. “Make sure to pay attention to me,” Des-Bot said. “There’s a lot of turns…. Here…” Suddenly, Des-Bot’s screen went completely dark. “Des-Bot?” Anni said, shaking the device. The screen powered on a faint bit of light. “Out… of… battery… Put… in… sun…” Des-Bot’s voice came out. Anni was frustrated, but did what Des-Bot said. She waited, then tapped on Des-Bot’s screen. “Des-Bot, how much longer until you’re fully charged?” Des-Bot’s voice was quiet. “45 minutes.” Anni sighed in exasperation. It looked like Des-Bot wasn’t perfect, after all.

Captain Celadon: Write about a bizarre or unexpected scenario happening to your character. And make it 200 words.

Word count: 204/200 words

45 minutes later, Des-Bot was fully charged, Pig was well-rested, and Anni had enjoyed a small snack. The three companions set off towards the runic mountains and arrived about an hour later. By now, it was roughly 5 o’clock, and Anni was exhausted. The Runic Mountains were beautiful, though, and if Anni hadn’t been preoccupied with finding her family, she would’ve loved sitting around and looking at the view all day long. Alas, she couldn’t. Anni decided to look around the mountains for a bit, trying to find where the next clue could be. Soon, she was standing next to a large rock, which was covered in runes. Anni stared at them for a while, while Des-Bot explained where they had come from. Apparently, long ago, people would write messages on rocks. These runes, legends said, were imbued with magical power.” All of a sudden, everything seemed to make sense to Anni. As if somebody else were controlling her, she began to read the runes aloud in a low voice. A scraping sound was heard, and what had seemed to be a solid rock wall moved aside to show a secret room. Anni was stunned, but she still grabbed her satchel and walked inside.

Maestro Maroon: Write 150 words incorporating meaningful music/songs/lyrics into your story.

Word count: 208/150 words

Anni spent almost 2 hours searching around the room, but to no avail. There was no cream-colored envelope. No clue. No hope for finding her parents. Why would the kidnapper bring her here? And another question, why would the kidnapper want to help her? Questions filled her mind, and just thinking about those questions made her discouraged. It seemed as if she would never find her family. Soon, it was dark outside, so Anni made camp. She tossed and turned for hours, waiting for sleep to come. But she was sad. So sad. Impossibly sad. She just wanted the warm embrace of her mother, her father’s hearty voice, her sister’s unconditional love. She just wanted her family. To calm herself, she hummed the song that her mother had sang to her when she was little.

I have a dream
I hope will come true
That you’re here with me
And I’m here with you.
I wish that the earth, sea, and sky up above.
Would send me someone to lava.

This song was always accompanied by a story about volcanoes, and it made Anni happy thinking about that. She fell asleep with tears streaming down her face, but she was content, at least for a moment.

Skog: In 200 words, write about your character overestimating their abilities.

Word count: 296/200 words

Anni awoke the next morning feeling refreshed, although she was still sad about her family. She picked up Pig, who had been sleeping on her lap, and then stood up, stretching her arms above her head. “Good morning, Anni!” Des-Bot said, “How did you sleep? I slept well, or rather, I sat around doing nothing for the entire night quite well.” “I slept well, too. Thanks for asking!” She grabbed a drink of water from a nearby stream and washed her face, which still had traces of mud on it. Then she reached into her satchel and grabbed a bit of bread. She fed Pig, too. Finally, she was ready to keep searching for the clue. She walked up and down and around the large rocks for a bit, but couldn’t find anything. Then- there, yes there. She spotted something white flapping in the wind. However, it was a long way up a steep, rocky slope. Anni had never climbed something quite so steep or rocky before, but she thought she would be fine. Ignoring Des-Bot’s warnings, she left her satchel at the bottom of the slope and began to climb up. Her footing was sure, at least in the beginning, and she barely slipped. Until a rock came hurtling down the slope right towards her. It wasn’t very large, but it rammed right into her right foot, causing her to gasp in pain and pick up her foot. Unfortunately, that in turn caused her to lose her balance, sending her tumbling down the mountain. Even worse, she tumbled down a different way, landing in a large ditch on the other side of the mountain. Her arms and legs hurt, and she had no way to get out or contact people to help. She was doomed.

Smarlls: Write about your character working together with others in order to achieve a hard goal, and make sure it’s 150 words.

Word count: 235/150 words

Anni tried calling out to people, but knew that there was basically no chance that anyone would hear her. She still tried, though. When her voice had been tired out, she sat back against the wall of the ditch and checked herself for injuries. None, except for a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises. But those were all easily fixable. She sighed. Nothing to do but wait. It felt like eternity had passed before she heard a voice. “Hello? Help me!” Anni cried. She waited a few seconds, and she saw a curly head peek into the ditch. “Oh hello,” the boy said, staring at her. He looked about Anni’s age. “How did you get in there?” Then he called to somebody named Oscar, telling him that there was a girl stuck in a ditch. Another head peeked into the ditch, this one blonde. “Can I have help?” Anni asked, exasperated. “Oh, right. Help.” the first boy, whose name was Leif, said. “Hey Oscar, do you happen to have a rope?” he asked the other boy. “Leif… of course I have a rope!” Oscar said, flashing a silly smile. He disappeared for a moment, then came back with a long woven rope. “All right!” he said. “Can you grab this rope?” “Yes.” Anni answered. She held on, and with the help of the two boys, climbed up the wall of the ditch. Finally, she was free!

Baroness Bluebell: Write about your character learning something unexpected in 100 words.

Word count: 101/100 words

“Hi there!” Anni shyly said once the boys had finished helping her. “I guess I know your guy’s name, but you don’t know mine.” “Actually, we do know your name,” Leif said. “You’re Anni, right?” “Um… yes? How do you know my name?” Anni asked, confused. “Long story short,” Leif said, “We’ve been looking for you.” “WHAT?” Anni yelped. “What do you mean?” “I mean, we’ve been looking for you. You have powers, Anni. Haven’t you noticed?” Anni thought back to her whole long adventure. “You mean… I have magic?” she whispered. “Yes, Anni.” Leif said. “And we’re here to help.”

FINISHED! YAY!

until i burn up completely - a comp entry - collab with vi - 1997 words

Nine months before I was born, my mother prayed to the spirits for a daughter. Already with five sons and reaching the age where having another child would become impossible, she was desperate.

She knew what the consequences would be, but desperate people do stupid things.

When I was born, my father smiled. My mother cried. She hadn’t told him yet.

He found out soon enough, the first time he fell asleep with me cradled in his arms. That night, he awoke to find that his child was a monster. Worse, he discovered I wasn’t really his.

Half-spirit, half-human. A monster formed of two worlds that should never meet.

When I was seven years old, my uncle was killed for conspiring against the god-king’s rule. He might as well have been born like me for the way the world saw him after that.

My family didn’t mourn. My uncle had chosen to be hated.

At thirteen, I joined the god-king’s army. Even that hadn’t erased the fearful way my parents looked at me.

Four years later, I realized nothing ever would. That was when I decided to defect; to become a new kind of monster.


i.
It took me less than a minute to realize I would hate the princess. Unfortunately, if I wanted her father dead, I would have to put up with her.

“I don’t know what you see in her,” I complained to my cousin. We sat on the stone floor of the rebellion’s meeting room, a single candle illuminating the space between us.

“Well, I don’t see why you hate her so much. You’ve just met her!” Sai protested.

I leaned forward, seeking to meet his gaze. “Tell me you don’t believe that fairy tale.”

Sai frowned, staring at the flickering candle flame instead of at me. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“She’s not a god.”

“Maybe not,” Sai said, standing and walking to the door. Over his shoulder, he added, “But that depends entirely on your definition of ‘god.’”

I blew out the candle. Darkness.


ii.
“You’re teaching her how to spar?” I asked, eyebrow raised. I was sitting on his bed, leaning back against the stone wall.

Sai shrugged. “I’m the best swordsman in the rebellion,” he said matter-of-factly.

I grinned. It was hard to keep Sai from being humble, but he was at least realistic about his swordsmanship.

“Can’t she control fire? What does she need a sword for?”

“I don’t think she’s…very good at that. It’s not exactly reliable. A sword will never fail her.”

“Hmm…is she any good?”

“No one’s ‘good’ their first time,” he protested, kneeling to store his sheathed sword below the cot. “She’s determined, though.”

“Really?” I asked, leaning forward and peeking over the edge of the bed at him. “I thought the princess didn’t want to help us.”

He glanced up, fixing me with his best scowl, which wasn’t very good. “Maybe she changed her mind.” Sai started unbuckling his sword belt. “She reminds me of you, actually.”

I scoffed, hopping off his bed and heading over to my own, where I plopped down to glare across the room at him. “Right. Because I have so much in common with a goddess.”

“Whatever,” Sai muttered.


iii.
I gestured with a piece of flatbread, trying to get Sai’s attention. “So, whatcha reading about?”

He didn’t look up. “Hellen royal family.”

“Ahh . . .” I paused. Of course. “Sounds entertaining.” Not to mention bloody and long-winded and full of gods worse than men.

“Yes.”

I sighed, scooping up a bit of curry and pretending it didn’t taste like ash on my tongue. This wasn’t going anywhere.


iv.
“Training’s going well,” Sai commented over the pile of weapons he was carrying to storage.

“What?” I asked as I hefted my own stack.

“In case you were still worried. Calypso’s taking to the training well,” Sai said. “She has a real knack for it.”

“Oh.”

We continued on in silence.


v.
“You should talk to her,” Sai said as he oiled a sword on his cot. “Really,” he tried again at my look.

Leaving the doorway, I stalked towards my own bed. I hadn’t come here to be ambushed. “I don’t want to talk to her, and she doesn’t want—”

“That’s not true.”

I blinked. Since when did you know her so well? I wanted to ask, but even the thought of the words made my stomach turn. My hand slid, fisted, to press against the source of the false pain. I couldn’t control my cousin, didn’t want to control him. Still, that stubborn part of me needed desperately for him to see the royal family as what they really were. Not gods, but not men either. Monsters.

“She’s a means to an end, that’s all,” I said finally. “I don’t want to get to know her.”

Sai’s eyes shadowed with hurt, and new misgiving filled my stomach. How much did he care?


vi.
“Don’t tell her anything about me,” I snapped before Calypso joined us for lunch.

Sai pulled back, lips tugging downward. “I won’t. I wasn’t—I wasn’t thinking of doing that.”

Yeah, well. “Good,” I said. Then, “Thanks.”

“She’s trying, Rachel,” he said more softly.

“And the rest of us aren’t?”

Huffing a frustrated breath, Sai turned, bangs falling into his eyes. Suddenly I wanted nothing more than for him to look back. But I’d gotten myself into this, like always. I couldn’t blame him.

Calypso sat down across from me. I stared at my plate instead.


vii.
“Where are you going?” I asked, rubbing my face in hopes to keep myself awake.

Sai stood in the doorway to our family’s room, arms full of books. I had been about to go in. He had been about to come out, apparently. “Oh, just”—his tone was much too light—“some research. With….” He cut himself off too late.

I frowned. Normally, Sai would be jumping at the chance to fill me in on all the details of his research. “With?”

“Er, well . . . Calypso . . . wanted to know more about those books I was reading, you remember? On the Hellen royal family?”

I pressed my lips together. “Oh. The Hellen gods, you mean?”

He sighed. “Will you just come off that? They’re not gods; I know! I never said they were.”

“You kind of did,” I grumbled, too tired for this, far past the point where I put reasonable thought behind my words.

Sai gritted his teeth. “Calypso’s waiting for me, okay?”

I rolled my eyes and let him pass. When I crawled in bed, though, I couldn’t sleep. My eyes only slipped closed hours later, after I watched his shadow lie down in the cot across the room.


viii.
Sai turned to me, jaw set. “Why do you hate her so much?”

I stared at him. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t hate her. I didn’t.

“Who cares?” I said instead. The other thing felt too close to a lie.

He laughed harshly. It reminded me too much of his father. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter what you think.”

There were too many words trying to make their way up my throat, none of them right. I turned away.


ix.
“She’s dealing with a lot, you know. Just imagine having him for a father,” Sai said softly, across the cold, shadow-filled room.

I shifted on my cot, glaring because he couldn’t see me. “I know,” I said, trying to be charitable. Regardless of the attempt, my voice sounded more like a grumble. A complaint. I know it, and I still can’t forgive her for being your savior.

“Imagine having to kill him.”

“I’ve dreamed about it. Close enough,” I whispered, holding my hand in front of my face. Flexing my fingers to feel human and alive. It gave the hot, fizzling energy somewhere to go. I wasn’t sure if I was talking about the god-king or my mom.

“Oh.”

“You haven’t?”

“No,” Sai said. It shouldn’t have surprised me.

In the night, it was easier to think he wouldn’t hold my anger against me.


x.
It had been a while since Sai had said something to me that he didn’t have to. It had been a while since I’d entered our room and he hadn’t been pretending to be asleep.

I stared across the void at his still form, curled up on his cot. His back was to me, so I couldn’t see his face.

With a sigh, I turned over in my own bed, face to the wall. I shut my eyes.

He hadn’t forgiven me yet, and I was starting to wonder if he ever would.


xi.
Calypso stepped into the candlelight, ending my solitary vigil. She slid to the stone floor, crossing her legs underneath her and wrapping her arms around herself. Making a small thing out of her body.

I stared at her like sheer willpower might be able to decipher everything she wouldn’t say.

“You do want to help us,” I said. I’d seen a new hardness in her eyes. One I recognized. I’d seen it in Sai; in his father; in myself.

She glanced up. The candle flared in time with her inhale. “Of course I do.”

I looked back at the flame, a normal size now that she’d finished talking. “Yes.” There was blood on all our hands now; she felt more like an equal, that way.


xii.
Rage had compacted in my stomach: a small, fierce ache, like I’d swallowed a burning coal.

I recognized the feeling. More than once, it had led me to run.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Sai said, grabbing my hand. The touch shocked me; warm and insistent. Proof of humanity. Instinctively, I gripped back.

I couldn’t muster a smile. The coal inside of me flared. “Good advice.”

The way he grinned was heartbreaking—like he had forgotten every wrong thing I’d ever done. “I know. I’m very smart.”

I squeezed his hand, pretending I could listen to his advice, pretending the thing inside me didn’t burn.


xiii.
“You’re not coming.” It was meant to be a question, except I didn’t doubt it enough.

Sai shook his head. “You shouldn’t be doing this. We have to wait, plan—”

“I’m done waiting. Even if you and your princess aren’t helping, we’re going.”

I acted angry because it was easiest, but—really—I was glad he wasn’t coming. I didn’t want him to watch. Didn’t want him to be there if things went wrong. No. It was easiest this way.

“It’s not your responsibility,” Sai snarled, eyes wet and glittering in the torchlight. “Can’t you see that? It won’t do any good.” You can’t save me, he meant. You can’t save the world. You certainly can’t save yourself. (That’s someone else’s job, if it’s even possible.)

Sparks flared in my gut. “You put too much faith in her.”

For a moment, he just stared at me. Lips slightly parted, chipped tooth revealed. “I can’t believe you still distrust her. I just don’t understand why you refuse to see what she’s really like.”

“No, I know her, that’s exactly why I can’t trust her—” Frustration stung my eyes. I couldn’t deal with this, right now—and I was terrified he might never forgive me and I was terrified he would hate me more if he understood. I couldn’t trust her because I couldn’t trust myself and both of us were just kindling, now. Although we’d been born monsters, we were human, inadequate to save the kingdom. Inadequate to save him.

“It’s okay,” Sai said, softening as the tears ran down my face. Reaching out a hand to brush my shoulder. “Just stay.” He looked straight at me, not even seeing the flames consuming me. His eyes were warm and pleading, and it should have been impossible to say no.

“You know I won’t. You know I can’t.” The fire inside me wouldn’t be satisfied until I burned up completely. My only hope was that the flames wouldn’t hurt him, too.

previous SWC dailies:
5 word daily:
words - lettuce, dancing, pizza, brother, football
318 words
“I said, no lettuce on my sandwich,” I say, trying to remain as calm as I possibly can. “Didn’t you hear me?”
“I must have forgotten. Perhaps you would like another item off our menu?” the waiter asks hopefully.
“We’re good, thank you,” my mother responds in a clipped tone. She turns to me. “Maria Jane Pelias! You should know better than to talk like that in public!”
“Sorry,” I mutter, not feeling sorry at all. Sure, I might have been a bit harsh with the waiter, but the lettuce on my sandwich is a much greater crime.
“Just eat your sandwich,” Mom hisses to me.
Attempting to do as she says, I can feel the horrible texture of the lettuce on my tongue. I force myself not to spit it out immediately. The crunch of the lettuce makes me want to vomit. Luckily, I am saved by a distraction.
“Cha cha cha cha cha cha!” sings my six-year-old sister, Bailey, as she performs what appears to be a jazzed-up version of the Chicken Dance. My fourteen-year-old brother, Alexander, bursts into peals of laughter upon seeing this, and as he has just taken a sip of soda, it is a very wet experience for the whole table. My sandwich is promptly soaked.
Our waiter reappears. “Now would you like to order another item off the menu?” he eagerly questions me.
I scan the menu. “Does the personal pizza contain any lettuce whatsoever?”
“No,” the waiter says, “I can guarantee you that it is entirely lettuce free.”
“I’ll have that, then.”
Alexander chooses this moment to check his watch. “Dang it! I’m gonna be late for my football game!”
Mom’s eyes widen in surprise. “We have to go, now!” she exclaims. She fishes two twenty dollar bills out of her pocket and places them on the table as we hurry out.
“Wait!” the waiter cries. “What about your pizza?”

July 2023; first part of first weekly: write a literal interpretation of a silent comic
357 words
James Oliver Samuel Jack Smith III loved going fishing. Every day, he would walk over yonder to his favorite fishing spot, dragging his trusty fishing net along with him. The lush green grass was soft beneath his feet, and the turquoise blue sky had barely any clouds. That was good. He could catch more fish when there were less clouds.
Finally, James Oliver Samuel Jack Smith III arrived at the fishing spot. He cast his net out, throwing it up, up, up, up. And there they were. Fish of every shape and size, every species, every color, swimming around in the depths of the sky. Angelfish, catfish, butterfly fish, rainbow trout, herring, and many more, from the smallest sardine to the biggest, mightiest shark. The fish swam into his net.
Pulling the net down from the sky, James Oliver Samuel Jack Smith III gathered the fish. He took each one individually in his hand, and gently transferred them to a small bucket. It was amazing how many fish fit in that bucket. Then, he began the journey home. The grass was still soft, and the sky still had barely any clouds. At home James Oliver Samuel Jack Smith III took his bucket of fish, and he put each fish in its own fishbowl. His house was covered in those fishbowls, some with fish in them, and some still waiting to be filled.
Having finished his fishing, James Oliver Samuel Jack Smith III took his fishbowls out by the side of town. He sat in his chair and smoked his worn old pipe. Suddenly, someone came up to him. It was the person everyone called the Headless Diver. And she was just that. A diver without a head. James Oliver Samuel Jack Smith III understood what the Headless Diver needed. He gave her one of his fishbowls, one with a small orange fish. The Headless Diver put the fishbowl where her head would have been.
James Oliver Samuel Jack Smith III waved goodbye to the Headless Diver as she walked out into the waves and dived under. And she saw all the beautiful birds swimming in the sea.

amirrora
Black silhouettes against green fog showed us what perfection cost. Cigarette ashes floating in an icy reflection of the moon against the waves told us what our legacy had deprived us of. Choice.
Blood in the water let us believe our choices lined our fate. Day or night, sunset or sunrise, the waters were always filled with thrown away lives. The black waves of the high midnight tide stole innocents from shore, while the golden seafoam of sunrises let us believe in a fate better than our own as they dragged us to a brutal demise.
I used to sit in the bay window of the kitchen, watching the tide lap at the sand peacefully.
I used to think it couldn’t touch us.
I used to think we were safe.
Until we weren’t.

I’ve been seeing the figures since they wrapped barbed wire around my neck and dragged me to their depths. I’ve heard their screams since I drowned. I’ve known their stories since I came back up, not quite dead but never truly alive.
Some of us weren’t so lucky. Ion bled in red all the way to her death because she thought someone would save her. And when no one did… well, you get the picture.
“Amirrora.”
My head snapped to the gaze of the woman in front of me. “Yes?”
“Your head is screwed on backwards, child. You fail to listen to the advice of people who have fallen down the same rabbit hole.”
“Okay.”
The woman, tall and in a tailored suit, tilted her head at me curiously, as if I were a strange specimen instead of a bitter corpse. When people lectured me before, I cared. Too much, perhaps. But not now. Not anymore. These people were too far removed from my reality to understand what I knew all too well.
“Am I free to go, now?” I asked, my face as expressionless as ever.
The woman sighed and waved her hand at me in dismissal. “Don’t let this happen again.”
But we both knew it would. Dead people are notoriously hard to ignore.

seris
I was there the day Amirrora died. I was there when she came back. I was there when they sent her away.
I was still here, and she was long gone. Missing, maybe. Dead. Who knew?
I had what I wanted. My existence was protected, guaranteed by people who would kill to see me. But the echoes of her ate away at me. We were two sides of the same coin once. Now she was a dead girl, wreaking havoc on our streets, and I was the girl under the deadweight of her actions but still so very alive.
My name is Seris. I hope you don’t blame me for what she did. I hope you don’t hate me for abandoning her. I hope the world never forgets my name because I had the arrogance to forget hers.
And I hope she doesn’t come back. Because if she does… we are so very, very screwed.

“You don’t seem all there these days, huh?” Vexal whispered in my ear as she took her seat beside me. “You’re not still worrying about that girl, are you? The monster that haunts your dreams?”
I shook my head.
But Vexal saw right through. “Listen, you don’t have to worry about her anymore. I promise she is just as gone as… uh… okay, well, I’m not actually sure. But she’s getting treated. Maybe one day you guys can even be friends again, huh? Wouldn’t you be all over that?”
The thought of facing Amirrora again sent a shiver down my spine. The last time I saw her had been terrifying. Her face shook me to my bones. The way her eyes met mine when I testified against her, so cold and empty… but not like she was crazy.
Like she was telling the truth.
Like she had really discovered the secrets buried in the depths.
But she hadn’t.
I had to remember that.

kania
“Kania.”
“Moore,” I finished. I sat on my seat, the plastic digging into my legs. “How can I help you?”
The woman blinked at me, clearly insulted by my lack of respect for her title. “Congratulations, Miss Kania,” she says, smiling as her tone dripped in condescension. “You have been chosen to go to the new facility currently under construction on Fifth street. How do you feel about that?”
My eyes narrowed. She noticed. “I’m grateful for the opportunity. Thank you.”
Her lips twitched upwards. She wasn't happy. She was high on her power trip. “I’m so glad to hear that, Kania. I hope you enjoy the chance you’ve been given.”
I nodded my head. “Of course.”
She got up and left, the grey suit jacket across her shoulders sagging slightly as she stood. “I hope we’ll be seeing more of each other once we get there.” It wasn’t hope. It was a promise. A threat.
An unavoidable, petty thing.
Just like always.

I grabbed my things.
Well.
I grabbed my thing.
It wasn’t much.
It wasn’t anything, really. Certainly not something I wanted. A grey hospital bracelet that I stored between my sheets.
It was ugly. A hideous reminder of the past.
But it was mine.
And I sure as hell wasn’t leaving it behind.
So I picked it up, the thin paper rubbing against the edges of my fingertips. And I wrapped it around my wrist, hiding it under the new one.
They saw.
Of course they did.
It was gone within minutes.

the truth
“You would leave us, our people, and everything we had… for them?” Kania raised an eyebrow. “But why?”
Seris met her gaze, her eyes darting around the room with a level of caution only she seemed to realize she had. “It’s better. It’s… I have everything. You could have it too, if you stopped acting like this was right.”
My face must’ve shown my disgust, but Kania’s didn’t. She looked… unimpressed. “I don’t need to act. This is right. We fight for our justice, not the selfish wishes of a girl too far gone.”
Seris narrowed her eyes. “This was a mistake.”
I held my tongue.
Speaking out of turn had never done me a favor.
And hangout out with Seris of all people knowing who her friends were could only end in disaster.
But she was just so wrong. She was careless and cold, like she had always been.
She was just
like
them.
Kania sipped the tea that had been given to her, letting the ceramic handle clatter back onto its plate when she was done. “We want what you have. Not in silence. We want the chance to do it too, do it better than you, and do it while we speak our minds.”
Seris scoffed, glancing at the teacup as if it were more valuable than our lives. “You can do whatever you want. No one is stopping you.”
“You weren’t there, Seris–”
I cut Kania off before she could finish. “This is pointless. We’re leaving.”
But Kania only leaned back in her chair, arms against the sides, her eyes vivid and sharp. “You can leave, Amirrora. But look at the situation. This is how they think. This is how they will continue to think. If we do nothing about this, there is no hope at all of stopping INCORP.”
It was my turn to scoff at her. “What do you suggest we do, M? Something tells me they won’t be changed by a pretty face and a worthless promise that we’re ‘some of the good ones.’”
Kania sighed, closing her eyes as she avoided my gaze. “I don’t know, but if we can’t, we have no way of stopping what happens next. We cannot prevent anything ourselves.”
“Then maybe we have to find people who are really willing to fight for justice,” I said, shooting a glare at Seris. “If these people won’t fight, we’ll find some that will.”
I grabbed Kania’s wrist, and we left without another word.


1334 words - everything we are

daily for myth! letter to future self daily, 505 words


Dear future Natt (or Alex, if it's a more nonbinary day for you),

Well, first of all, it's the end of the year, right? How did state testing go? And those last few common assessments? And MAPS testing? Actually, we have a whole lot of tests at the end of the year–

HOWEVER, I do actually need to remind you of something about MAP testing. Just because you maybe didn't get higher than your last math score doesn't mean you should beat yourself up over it. You scored a 261 last time–that's literally 30. points. higher. than the average for a 12th grader. So I don't care if you score lower than that, because you better not be mad at yourself for it.

Next! Do you still have that crush on A? Because I am telling you, it is not a platonic crush. Actually, I'm not quite sure why I thought that considering I said she was pretty many times but anyway–

oh cod i just saw a piece of string and thought it was a bug :,D

A N Y W A Y

Alright, we're talking about toh because I just finished it and I. Freaking. Loved. It. It's SOO GOOD. Also Hunter is incredible and we love Huntlow <3
Also, I am a sucker when it comes to the found family trope. It's not a coincidence that all of my favorite shows incorporate that. Also, Bad Batch is amazing. And now I kind of want to rewatch it for the third time. I probably shouldn't, but we also have Dad Hunter and Dad Crosshair and Tech and Omega. So. I don't know, I might end up watching it again…

Oh, and how annoying on a scale of 1 to 10 was your retainer? 10? Probably? Yeah, I kind of expected that. I just got my braces off today. I was hoping it would be a shorter amount of time where I would have to wear them, but oh well. I guess I'll just have to deal with taking them in and out at lunch for the rest. Of. The. Year. And also have to deal with that one guy who yells at people if they do in the restroom but didn't get permission from him, even if they don't even know who he is. He honestly seems kind of annoying. I am not a fan. I think he's a 6th grade teacher, but I'm not really sure.

And finally, was world cultures as boring as it has been? We aren't even learning about other cultures, we"re learning about conspiracy theories. I already know how stupid some people are; I son't really need a crash course on it. And I do not care about presidential (word I most likely can't say)-s. At all. Spanish is alright, though.

I don't really know what else to ask you, to be honest. Since it's the end of the year, besides state testing, there's really not a whole lot of pressing matters. Soo…

Bye, then,
Present (Past?) Alex

Sooeun pulls up a fresh, crisp document. “Alright, let’s see what we can do. I’ve got a daily to complete, and fifteen minutes to spare. Well- Make that fourteen, now. It’d be an absolute miracle if I even manage to get this in on time, considering how much the site’s been acting up for me these past few days or so.” She takes a glance at the current word count she’s at, and is immediately sent into a slight panic. “You’re telling me that wasn’t even close to a hundred. Guess we’re going to have to go hardcore for this one, huh.” She wonders why she picked the roleplay daily, out of absolutely everything else, to be the one to rewrite. In her defence, the anthem daily would be too difficult considering the short timeframe, and most of the other dailies… Would also require just a tad bit more thinking. This one, she could truly go bonkers on. “At least I hadn’t picked something like the sleep schedule one, right?” Sooeun knew quite very well that her sleep schedule was… lacking, in terms of the amount of hours slept per 14 hour day cycle, but it kept her energized enough for each day and allowed for maximum productiveness, so outside of that one daily it was honestly, without a doubt, the perfect sleep schedule. She’s also well aware that people would, in fact, come at her for saying that a mere 28 hours of sleep per week is quite enough, since she’s already been through that- Multiple times, for the ones who like specifications. “I way overuse that sentence structure, don’t I,” she chuckles, continuing with her endless rant on… Absolute nothingness. What was the point of doing the Roleplay Day daily, the one that she had written up as part of the POLAR BEAR minions, alone? Roleplay Day was never meant to be completed as a one-man job- The point was to converse with the rest of camp and get some words in while you’re at it, right? An opportunity to connect with others, brainstorm potential concepts, and overall be chaotic as a camp. “We’re nearing the four hundred word mark,” she reported, to no one but herself. She wonders what the overused sentence structure she was just talking about was, as her memory had just taken a blank on her. “Ah, well. I’m sure I’d be able to find it somewhere on my profile later on. Perhaps even in this-” Ah, there it is, is it not? The one with the ‘perhaps’, or ‘possibly’s edges into the sentence as a connector between two commas. The sentence structure she most definitely abuses on a day to day basis, presumably even with every passing hour. “We’re almost there,” she remarked, “Keep going, Sooeun.” It did feel weird at times, to be calling yourself by your own name, but she was almost always one to address others by their names. “And just like that, we’re almost there. We’ll be there by the end of this sentence.” She takes one final glance at the word counter box, and quickly rushes to getting the daily submitted.

hi lune! i really loved reading your piece, thank you for sharing it with me. i hope my thoughts are helpful to you.

lune wrote:

“Good Morning, birds! Time for another day!” You pull back the curtains and sigh as you look out on the early morning sun.

What a beautiful day already! The world looked so bright from your cabin, so high up in the mountains. The only problem with where you live is how lonely it is.

i like this beginning a lot! the second person perspective is really interesting and i like starting off with dialogue. the only thing i’d say about this part is that the final sentence is a bit too direct. i think the next paragraph does plenty to inform the reader that the narrator is lonely tucked away out here, so i might just cut that sentence altogether.

lune wrote:

Hideaway Cottage was a small cabin nestled in the great Lilac Mountains, and you would’ve loved it there if it weren’t for the fact that there was nothing but trees around you. There’s nothing wrong with trees, of course, but they are sitting where what you wish were a small mountain village you could live in, instead of being alone out here with the trees.

Oh well, you think, knowing that there’s nothing you could do besides, well, wish. Of course, wishing would work, if it weren’t for the selfish people who always wished any other wishes away.

the worldbuilding here is very interesting! i like the concept that other people are causing these wishes to not come true. very cool.

lune wrote:

You live in a world where if you make a wish at exactly II:II am, it will come true. But for some odd reason, someone always wishes for none of the wishes to come true. You have never done it, obviously, but people out there always do, every single day.

again, i really love this concept. this is very nit-picky, but i’d switch the “II:II” to the actual numbers—that distracted me on my first read.

lune wrote:

This doesn’t stop you from trying of course, but you’ve been “trying” for so long, all hopes have long been dashed. You still do, though, but of course it nothing ever happens.

i think i’d like a bit more explanation for why “you” keeps doing it despite all their hopes being dashed. maybe it’s a habit? maybe they pretend to be hopeless, but they secretly think that one day the wishes will work?

lune wrote:

It had been this way as long as you can remember, and even as a child you would look up at the sun every morning and make a deep, heartfelt wish that would never come true.

You shake all of these thoughts away, remembering that you have a job to do this morning. It is your cat’s 11th birthday, and you decided to make her a cake. You have the right ingredients (corrected for spelling) here at home for a lemon cake, so you decide to make one along with a cat-friendly batch of cupcakes for the cat herself. This activity takes you all morning, and as you meticulously pipe the frosting on to the first layer, your ll:ll timer goes off.

again, i’d change it to “11:11”.

lune wrote:

You think about this for a moment, and then remember that there’s no point in thinking about it too hard; any wish you make won’t come true.

“I wish that there were a wonderful little town around me, and that there would be everything I need there, like a grocery store, a bookshop, and wonderful people to laugh with,” You whisper to yourself, and almost sighing with happiness at the thought.

You continue to pipe little swirls on the cake in yellow frosting, and your mind begins to wander. Images of people laughing on your sofa with you, and going out to a little ice cream parlor right next to your house, and having only a short walk to get to the grocery store. Suddenly, you hear a loud popping noise, and then, quite a few more.

Startled, you turn around, expecting to see, well, maybe a little kid out in the forest for some reason, popping bubbles or something. Instead, you see something incredible.

i really like this part! i wonder if maybe this wish would hit harder, though, if you explained what their wishes were before this moment? here, it seems to be a really true wish, what they really want/need. if before they’d been wishing things like “i wish to be a millionaire” or “i wish i were the ruler of the whole world” (just for example, it doesn’t have to be this intense, but just something that might not be as true to their heart) it would make this wish stand out more!

lune wrote:

Outside your cabin, there is now a series of small houses, each looking exactly like yours except in different colors. Along with the houses, there are several little shops and market stalls, each beautiful and unique. There are also many other things, including little sidewalks all over, a fountain in the center of the newfound town, and, most importantly, people. People are walking in the sidewalks, peeking out of their windows, buying things at shops, and sitting on benches.

This can only mean (edited for tense) one thing, you think. Your wish came true. And if yours came true, other people’s wishes will have, too. So as you scan the horizon, you see some things you hadn’t noticed earlier.

A huge Eiffel Tower was looming above the mountains, possibly taller than Mount Everest, Bigfoot is trying to hide behind the trees that still remain around your house, the sky has turned a disturbing bright red, the sun actually has sunglasses, someone is riding a dragon in the sky and is shouting maniacally (edited for spelling) and tons of other weird things.

“Wow,” you think. “People sure are weird.” And suddenly, it hits you. You live in a town now, and there are plenty of people to talk to (edited for spelling) now, neighbors you’ve never met. There will be no loneliness, no longing for a friend, none of that, Your life will be incredible. Now all you have to worry about is what you’ll wish for next!

this was really fun! i quite enjoyed the almost surrealist twist at the end with all the wishes coming true.

if you wanted to add more to the story, i might delve deeper into why other people were wishing the wishes wouldn’t come true and why they suddenly stopped. i know the character doesn’t necessarily know that, but it could be interesting to explore the reasoning.

thank you so much for doing this exchange with me, i hope this was helpful, and this piece was super fun to critique

+369 words of critique

Weekly #4
3/31/2025
3082 words, 3071 words without lyrics from When Can I See You Again by Owl City.

An SWC fanfic of an SWC fanfic, written from the POV of a cow~~ More specifically, it's a Horror: Rebellion Against Hosts fanfiction in Cheese Junior's POV. All credits of IAOTT (The International Association of Time Travelers) Marie, Maize, and Rose goes to Ilya.

Fantasy:
298/150 words

I clomp my hooves into the dirt, making clearer where the humans have already stepped, hopping from one footstep to the other. Of course, I can't get all of the footsteps of the 5 humans, but it's a fun game. They're chatting about something, not food or I would know, and I lose myself in the pattern of spot and stomp.
We're weaving our way through the forest, in the wilderness for the past… something. All I know is that we've been away from fresh food for too long. The dried mangoes and snacks are okay, but nothing beats are fresh juicy mango. Delicious.

Spot, stomp.
Spot, stomp.

Spot,
Ouch-

Ouch!

My insides feel twisted, cramped, and I mewl.

“Junior?” Mistress turns around, brows furrowed. “You okay?”

No. No, something in my stomach isn't right. The metal, the mangoes, the tiny neighborhood children, something isn't right.
A tingling in my stomach, a knot unraveling-

I collapse onto my legs and regurgitate a horrifying glob.

“Junior!”

My legs dangle, my body weightless as I'm heaved up by Mistress.

“Are you okay?” she asks, staring into my eyes, maintaining eye contact for much too long and I blink.
She sighs, a relieved sound. “He's alive, guys; Cheese Junior's alive.”

But a faint humming has everyone's attention elsewhere. I turn my head, seeing the rest of them gawking at the mess that I've just thrown up. I don't know why they're staring at it, it's a rather unpleasant sight.

But it vibrates and floats up, spinning and cleansing itself of the muck and-
Well, I duck my head and hope none of it gets into my fur.

“Is that- my hairdryer?” Eevee's jaw hangs open, though her hands are still up covering up most of her face, arms splattered in goop.

Dystopian:
551/100 words

Paige’s face drops. “Seriously?” they scowl. “That’s your fancy hairdryer? And why’s it floating?”

Ara looks over at Mistress. “Cheese, got anything to say?”
Mistress puts her hands up in surrender. “Do you think I know everything that goes on with Cheese Junior? The answer is no! And besides, Cheese Junior is awesome, of course he can turn things all powerful pfft- like who wouldn’t think that?”
Ara gives her a skeptical look before turning back towards the floating hairdryer. “So, what are we doing with this?'“
“Take it, obviously. It’s my expensive hairdryer, remember? Besides, even if we don’t use it much out here, maybe we can pawn it off of something to help us with food.” Eevee grimaces at the thought. “Even if I do hate to part from it after just finding it.”
Ella smiles softly. “I’m sure we can do something about it, Eevee.”

Paige, always the optimist, rolls their eyes. “We don’t have space to be carrying around a hairdryer! Okay, maybe we did, when it was INSIDE the cow. But now it’s not.. So it’s something that we-’
“Oooh!” Mistress interrupts, earning a glare from Paige. “We can just hide it in Junior’s floof! They’ve got a lot of it and it’ll be easy to carry that way.”
Paige squints their eyes. “Why would we do that?”
Eevee chews on her lip. “Paige does have a point,” she starts, “after all, I’m not sure if I trust him to not eat my hairdryer another time.“

I tilt my head. Not trust me? Eevee?

Ara lets out a sharp whistle, effectively turning all heads her direction. “Guys, we have to keep moving. We can figure out all of the details when we set up amp, but for now, we’re still on one of the main paths in the forest and we need to get off of it. We can’t have the hosts finding us. We’ll figure out the whole hairdryer thing later, just grab it and come along for now, Eevee.”
Eevee nods, sliding her backpack off and unzipping it. Mistress finally sets me down and she tosses me a few fruit gummies. Yum.


A scream.


I turn towards my right, probably too fast because the world starts to spin and i fall on backwards, but the world stops spinning and Eevee’s grasping her wrist, hairdryer still floating in the air.

“Eevee?” Ara asks, pushing her way forward. “What is it?”
Eevee winces, breathing and subtly shifts her body away from the hairdryer. “We can’t take it with us.”
“Why not, just take it Eevee!” Paige interjects.
“No, Paige! We can’t. There’s something. about it. It’s not natural, I can't take it.” Her grip on her wrist tightens and she lifts her gaze up from the ground. “I don’t want to endanger you guys either..”
Ara steps closer, crouching down and offering a hand to pull Eevee up. “You sure?”
“Yep,” Eevee breathes. “Something happened to it, I don’t know- It’s. Don’t touch it, it’s better that way. It’s not just a hairdryer anymore and I don’t want to think about it.”
Ara nods. “Understood. We have a few more miles to walk before camp, but let’s get your hand checked out soon, okay? We should be getting close to a river soon, that should help.”

Illu-fi:
294/200 words

I trot next to Mistress, my stomach still queasy from loosing the extra weight and the sudden removal of such an object. Oh well. There's more space in there for bushes now. Those go down a bit easier.

Everyone's a bit more on edge: Paige always scanning with a hand in their pocket, ready for combat; Eevee and Ella chatting softly with their arms looped, Eevee's expression stoic; Ara going ahead and paving the way as she always does. And Mistress is Mistress. Perfect. She hums, glancing up at the trees conspiratorially, then back down at me.
“The trees are quite nice to go Tarzan swinging,” she comments, while jumping over a rock and snapping a fallen tree branch in half. “But I wouldn’t do that to you, Junior, not after what just happened.”
I moo in response, picking up pace, as we start to hopscotch over the forest floor, until we’re up behind Ara.

“Araaa~” Mistress sing-songs, tossing another fruit gummy my way–be complaisant, got it. “How much longer until we get there?”
Ara glances down at the map and points to a spot. “We’re about here and we need to get-” I grunt, not seeing what was going on. “-there. Given the speed we’ve been walking, I’d say another hour, which will give us a few hours of daylight to set up camp and get dinner started.”
Mistress nods. “Sounds great,” She grins and crouches next to me. “That means we’ll have enough time to go searching for fireflies tonight.” She lets out a wild cackle and I moo in enthusiasm.

“Are you fricken kidding me?” Paige growls. “Existing sucks!”
I turn to see them covering their eye with a scar over it and someone else there.

“Peggy Schuyler?” Ella squeaks.

Myth:
242/150 words

“Yes, Peggy Schuyler,” Paige confirms, scowling and crossing their arms. “What are you doing here?”
“Marie sent me. Paige, she wants to talk-” Peggy starts, walking closer.
“No! I don’t want anything to do with the IAOTT anymore. Stop coming into my life and ruining it!” They snarl, flinching backwards. “Tell Marie to leave me alone.”

Huh. Maybe Paige does hate someone more than me.

Eevee tosses a piece of dried mango my way, and gets next to Paige. Gripping their arm with the wrist that isn’t hurt, she pulls Paige away from Peggy.
“Paige, Paige, look at me. We have to figure this out and you have to cooperate,” Eevee says sternly, using the you-better-listen-or-you-don’t-get-treats tone she uses on me so often. Her voice softens. “Is there anything you can give Peggy to get her off of your back? I don’t think going back with Peggy is an option you want, so what could they want? What does Marie want from you?”
Paige tries to tug their arms away, but Eevee holds on firm.

They sigh. “Marie wants me to help her find… information. And after everything with Eliza went down… I couldn’t help her. I still can’t; she- She wants me.”
“Can you delay that?” Eevee asks, giving Paige a small smile.
Paige closes their eyes, breathing. Opening them back up, they return Eevee’s smile. “Yeah.”

Eevee lets go of Paige as they go back to Peggy, offering a deal.

Thriller:
226/200 words

They talk, I can’t quite hear what’s going on and Eevee’s feeding me a few slices of fresh mango. A lot of gesturing in Paige’s part, I note. Peggy seems to reluctantly agree and she disappears in a flash of light.

“Well, that could have been handled better,” Paige grumbles, walking back over. “But it could have been worse so-”
And right where Peggy was standing came another bright light.

“TURNER!”

They swivel around and twist back. “Go, go!”

Despite their eagerness, I tilt my head in confusion. Everyone else is still standing around, seemingly dazed.
Paige grunts and pushes past me.

“Turner! Come back here!” The speaker, that I can now see as a taller lady is glaring at Paige. When Paige ignores her and keeps walking, she rolls her eyes and then continues. “Okay then, I guess I'll have to do this.”

The faint crackle of friction and the ignition of a spark catch Paige's attention and they turn back around.

“Marie, what are you doing?” They say, their voice deathly low, and they walk closer to the lady, Marie. Huh, is that the one Paige is always ranting and grumbling about?

Marie holds up a match. “You know what I can do with fire. You know that I can set a lot ablaze and… It does seem quite dry around here, doesn't it?”

Journalism:
124/100 words

“Don't set anything on fire, Marie. Leave them alone,” Paige says.
Marie chuckles dryly. “Like I'll believe that. You abandoned us after what happened and now your sister is going to pay for it, unless you don't come back with us. She needs you and I think you'll know what is best.”
“I don't care, just my friends alone and get away from me. I don't want to be connected with you. You can't do anything with Rose, she's in the hospital and I'm not about to go and save her from her own insanity!” Paige clenches their firsts, eyes buring.
“Who said anything about Rose? Why care about her, when we've got Maize all ready to go?” Marie grins when Paige's face falls.

Adventure:
245/200 words

“You've got Maize?” Paige says after a few moments of awkward silence.
Marie hums, inspecting her cuticles. “Well, you could say so.”
Paige's gaze flits over me and lands on Mistress, Ara, Ella, and Eevee. They tear their gaze away and divert attention back towards Marie. “Fine.”
“Fine?” Marie raises an eyebrow, questioningly. “Really?”
“Yes, fine. I'll go-”
“Paige!” Eevee interrupts, pulling her friend towards her. “We haven't discussed this, we can figure something out-”
“Figure what out, Eevee? What? What is there that we have to figure out?” THey gesture to the space between them. “No, I'm on my own and I've always been on my own. So don't tell me to stop and consider what we as a team, apparently, have to figure out when I have the possibility of seeing my sister, who was said to be dead for the past few years!”
Eevee drops her arms and takes a slow step back.
“I'm sorry,” Paige says softly.
“I know. You have to do what you need to do.”
Paige smiles and turns back towards Marie. “When are we going to?”
Marie smirks. “Great question, glad to see you've still got the time travelling mindset. You got anything for the 1820s?”
Paige sighs. “Of course, I do.”

The next ten minutes are very awkward as they duck behind a bush and change. The rest of them don't talk. Not after what just went down.
Paige comes back in different, more tattered garments.

Fan-fi:
175/150 words (164 words without lyrics)

“Ready to go?” Marie asks, tone clipped.
Paige rolls their eyes. “Just about, unless you need anything else from me?”
“Nope. Let's go.”

Paige hesitates, not moving towards Marie.

“What's wrong? Don't tell me it's sentimentality.” Marie shakes her head.

“Just. Ugh.” Paige rummages through their bag until it catches on their iPod. They fiddle with it for a bit and toss it over to Eevee. She impressively catches it, just before it hits the ground. “Play it when I'm gone, okay?”

Eevee nods and gives a small wave before another blinding light makes my vision go blurry and do funny things again.

“She's really gone,” Eevee says softly.
Ara nods, lips pressed together. “What's on the iPod?”
Eevee smiles. “A song. My song. Or one of my songs.”
She presses play and highers the volume as the lyrics filter through the small speakers.

When can we do this again?

Eevee hums through the song, her smile bittersweet and her eyes shining from unshed tears. The song ends softly.

When can I see you again?

Bi-FI:
201/200 words

Ara pulls Eevee close for a hug. “We'll see them again. You know they never go too far.”
Eevee nods.
“Ara's right, Eevee. Paige is always by your side, no matter what. They'll be back, just wait.” Ella joins in the hug.
Mistress pipes up. “Paige may be on the slightly more evil side, but they'll never turn back on a friend. Uh- not like this. Right? Good vibes, good vibes.” She joins in on the human mountain of hugs and excitedly, I butt my head at the crowd of legs, wanting to join in.

Eevee lets out a laugh and she pulls away from the embrace, leaning over to pat my head.
“Excited, aren't you?” She gives me an awkward hug, the height difference makes it weird.
She blinks and turns towards the rest of the group. “Yeah, I know. Paige will come back, but I couldn't have stopped them. They wouldn't have wanted to be stopped and I need to let them do what they need to.” She purses her lips. “I hope Maize is okay.”

Ara gives a sad smile. “I'm sure we'll hear back from them soon. We had the communicators in case this very thing happened.”

Mystery:
150/150 words

A ding sounds and they look around confused.
They shouldn’t be getting a message already, could they?
Eevee pulls out her communicator and looks confused. “It’s an encrypted something, I can’t read it.” she announces.
“Ooh what does it say?” Mistress says, bouncing on her heels.
“Cheese, just wait! Just give me a second, I can't see-” Eevee starts. “Okay, here we go. It’s like a 3 and then an n and oh wait.” She pauses for a minute and a smile breaks out on her face. “It looks like it’s from Pxl! Or something like that. They have something for us.”
Mistress looks at her skeptically. “Pxl? As in the murderous Pxl, who is somehow messaging us in encrypted code right after her archnemesis left us?”
Eevee nods.
Mistress narrows her eyes. “Does this seem suspicious to anyone else?”
Ara shrugs. “I see your point. It does seem suspicious.”

Fairy Tales
201/200 words

Eevee shakes her head. “It’ll be fine, Pxl’s a friend. And besides, we can stop her if she does anything bad, right? We’ll be okay.”
Everyone looks around skeptical and Eevee looks at them all one by one. “Come on, we have to keep going and just because Pxl has not been-” She stops, thinking of a way toward the tension between them. “-the greatest ally at times, she is one that we know we can trust. A lot more than the hosts at least! Come on, guys. It’ll be okay.”
Her phone buzzes and she looks down again. “Great! She’ll be here soon. I sent her our coordinates.”
“Already?” Ara asks. “Eevee, we really can’t just be sending our coordinates out to anyone out there. We have things set in place so that we don’t get caught and-”
“I know!” Eevee insists. “I’ll be fine, we’ll be fine. Pxl’s here to help, I promise.”
A soft wind blows through the forest and Pxl appears.
“Found you guys,” she says. “Finally.”
Ella glares at Eevee and she flinches backwards.
“Where’s Paige?” Pxl demands, glaring at them all one by one. “I know they were here with you.”
“Pxl’s gone!” Eevee says.


Action:
204/200 words

“Huh.” Pxl says, seemingly unconvinced. “I’ll have to see it for myself.”
“They’re really gone.” Ara confirms. “They just left with Marie.”
“Marie?” Pxl scoffs, waving her hands in disbelief. “No, Paige hates Maria and all of the International Association of Time Travelers. They hate me too. Not like the feeling isn’t mutual.”
“They’re gone. And we can’t change that,” Eevee says through shining eyes and shaky speech.
Pxl snarls, pulling Eevee closer to her. “Then you’re going to show me, so I know for real.”
Eevee pushes her backwards. “No! I’m telling you the truth.”
Pxl contemplates this for a second and rolls her eyes. “Fine, then you have to show me where they took her.
“I don’t know! Do you really think that Marie would tell us, so that we could track her?” Eevee counters.
“Fine. Then you have to help me find her,” Pxl offers. “You know what I can do, Eevee, and Paige has something that I want.”
“Why is Paige the source of everyone’s needs? Why them? Why do you need Paige?” Eevee screams, throwing her hands in the air.
Pxl glares at her. “Paige took something from me and I want it back. Are you ready or not?”

Sci-Fi:
173/150 words
“Fine,” Eevee spits and she offers a hand out in truce.
Pxl shakes it willingly. “Good. Then we’ll have to figure out how to get my makeshift time travelling machine to work. My old IAOTT one got busted last time I tried to run away from them. Maria got all mad and blew mine up.” Pxl grimaces. “It’s a long story.”
Eevee hums, brushing it off. “So what do we do with this?” she gestures at the big chunk of metal Pxl has brought out of her bag.
“Well, we’ve got to turn it on and then we have a couple of adjustments to make. What year?” Pxl asks.
Eevee stays silent for a moment and finally gives in. “Marie said the 1820s when referring to what Paige needed to dress as, but that doesn’t mean that’s the time that they went to.” She pulls at one of the gears, twisting it into place.
“Well, that’s as good as anything.” Pxl says, pressing a button as a whir of energy starts. “Let’s go.

Bro my writing is genuinely degrades when i stop writing for a long period of time

CleverComment's
Pangram: the good kid, jacob, says to preview the extremely hard quiz on friday


411 words
The good kid, Jacob, edges closer to you. His hair disheveled despite his attempts to constrain its wildness. A soft smile rests on his face throwing you off. What could he possibly want? The two of you have never interacted beyond the occasional greetings and accidental glances. A pool of dread began to take shape and settled into your stomach. Today was already draining enough, and yes, Jacob, as nice as he was, was still an annoyance.

“Hello, Jacob.” You manage a smile despite your conflicting feelings. “Hi,” He muses, squinting his eyes at you, noting your concerning appearance. His eyes lingering over the scars on your hand. “Do you want to study together for the quiz on friday?”

“huh? Yeah, sure.” Well, that's weird and definitely not related to your recent incident but you're not gonna complain. After all, he was the smartest kid in class at least in academics and you could use a little bit of his magic.

“We can review it today at five.” He continues. “My house?”

“Sure,” As if there was any other option. But you appreciate him for considering it.

The rest of the day took a similar turn.Everyone kept throwing you concerned smiles and helping you and flinched at the sight of your scars. It wasn't even that bad. You barely remember what happened, so you struggled to understand why everyone was acting weird. Not that you minded the extra kindness and help but you could have done without the fliching.

The hours were dull and drag on, refusing to move into the next. Your eyes kept darting to the clock at the classroom as if doing so the universe would respond and bloom into motion according to your will. Your face broke out into a smile and your eyes glinted with joy when finally the cloak rested on dismissal time. Yippi! Or not. You still had Jacob to suffer through.

“Ready for another hour of studying?” Jacob sprung up on you. Wow, he had silent steps.

“Uh, yeah.” You gave a slight nod and you both walked out of school. He lingered behind you as you walked. His face was devoid of his former friendliness and eagerness. His mind elsewhere as his body sprang along beside you.

He walked right past his house, unaware, and you had to tell him to stop. He flinched at your voice, confused but regained his composure quickly before you could dwell on it any longer.

a lantern, a ghost, the sea.
a ninjago au fanfic.
by crim and vi
1610 words


It was getting late, but that didn’t bother Cole much anymore.

He sat outside in the cold, not shivering.

Perched on the edge of a dock, he thanked the First Master for low-tide. Water lapped far beneath his feet, embracing the dock’s wooden poles and rippling back at their resistance.

A part of him wished he could be down there in the depths, feel the water’s embrace for himself. The other part, instincts too well trained to fear water, longed to flee.

Cole’s fingers curled hesitantly around the lantern. It was already lit. The flame burned strong and bright, protected from the wind by red paper.

He’d heard about what happened, of course. On that day a year ago, he’d seen the waves reach almost to cover apartment complexes. Honestly, it was luck—or fate, he supposed—that he’d escaped, on the top floor of Borg Tower when he heard the sirens ring out. Otherwise, the water would have burned him instantly; he wouldn’t even have had time to drown.

But he had escaped. And so had everyone else, thanks to her. Cole had gone to the funeral, invisible to everyone there, had cried tears that burned, had thought of her every single day since she’d gone—but he owed her so much more than that. More, too, than this small act of penance, but it was all he could offer.

Lifting the lantern, Cole held it out in front of his body. Oh, how his fingers ached to feel the warmth of the flame. But his hands felt empty, the lantern insubstantial, even though he was the one that was immaterial.

On the horizon, the brilliant light of the sun finally blinked out.

He allowed his ghostly fingers to fade for just a moment, and the lantern slipped out of his hold. Air buffeted it, carried it lightly to the waves waiting below.

“What is that?” a voice asked.

Cole jumped to his feet, looking around for the source of the question. Instinctively, he’d lifted his fists, ready for an attack.

But the person standing on the dock beside him wasn’t even looking at him. She stared after the lantern as it floated away on the dark tide. She was a woman formed of water, swirling patterns of deep blue and seafoam over all her skin.

Cole had seen weirder things, sure. He’d fought and beaten weirder monsters, but he still backed away. Water dripped from her fingers, and with each droplet that fell to the wood, Cole took another cautious step backwards.

“The light,” she said wistfully, eyes as deep as the ocean. “I . . . can’t remember . . . .”

Cole stopped. He had known this, he’d known she’d forgotten; it had been on the front page of every newspaper, in every heartbreaking interview, a year ago. His eyes traced the soft curve of her nose, the arch of her eyebrows, the dark hang of her hair, the lightness in her fingertips. He had known this is what she’d become: the sea. Nya, the sea.

“How can you see me?” he asked, voice hoarse, brittle, breaking. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d used it apart from occasionally humming old songs to himself. It had never been necessary when no one could hear.

Nya kept gazing out over the water, but she nodded. “You are here, aren’t you?”

Cole laughed. Wow, it had certainly been a long time since he’d done that. “Nya, how are you here?”

Finally turning to look at him, Nya cocked her head. “Nya?”

Right. “I—” he swallowed. She didn’t remember. Why should she? She had become something else, something other. She held only the memory of the sea—knew only shipwrecks and ancient currents and the touch of the sun.

Nya sat down. Well, sort of. Her legs temporarily turned into liquid water, causing her whole body to lower down to the dock’s surface. Cole stumbled away from the puddle, but it quickly dried up as her legs reformed, curled up in front of her. She paid him no mind, nodding after the lantern, bobbing on the ocean’s surface. “What is it for? The light?”

“It—it’s for you,” he said around the lump in his throat.

She frowned. “Why?”

“You saved me.”

Nya tilted her head. “I do not remember that.”

“You . . . were someone else, before. Or—well.” This was too confusing to explain. “I’m saying good-bye.”

“But . . . I am here.”

He buried his face in his hands, shutting his eyes against the tears that threatened to pour out at the sound of her voice. “I know.”

Nya hummed thoughtfully. “You are strange.”

Cole glanced up at her. “Yeah,” he agreed, laughing a bit. It quickly shifted to a sob.

Everything about her, the way her face twisted in confusion, the way her brow furrowed, the way her eyes watched him with such sorrow in them—it was all too familiar. Except there was no familiarity in her gaze, only a blank, impersonal, sadness.

“Please, stop crying.” A note of panic wound around her voice. She reached out a hand toward him—to comfort? Placate? He scrambled back, panic of his own sparking in his chest.

“Don’t touch me,” He begged. A part of him wondered if it would hurt less to just let her do it. But he couldn’t do that to her. Cole shook his head. “Please. You can’t touch me.”

Nya—his Nya—might have wanted to ask him why, but this version of her didn’t. She let her hand drop. “I should go back,” she said. She stared down at the water, her legs swinging lightly over the edge of the dock. The waves were choppy, now, and dark, and the lantern had long ago fallen out of sight.

“Don’t,” Cole said, desperation tearing the word out of him. He dug his fingers into his arm, wishing he could feel the pressure.

He needed to keep hearing her voice, even if each word felt like a blow to the chest, like all the air had been forced from his nonexistent lungs. He would never feel warm again, but, hearing her voice, he could almost remember the sensation.

Nya pressed her lips together. Was it his imagination, or did the darkness in her skin spread, like storm clouds covering the sun? “Am I supposed to remember you? I . . . was supposed to remember you, wasn’t I? I’ve forgotten so much.”

Cole sighed, closing his eyes. “No. No, you aren’t.”

“All right,” Nya agreed, expression far away. He sat down on the dock beside her, leaving a safe distance between them. Of course it was her to finally see him—the one made of the element that could destroy him. That was just his luck.


In the first days, they had still remembered him.

“Walking through walls will definitely come in handy,” Jay had assured him, trademark grin a little maniacal.

“I’ve always liked green,” Kai had joked, gesturing to Cole’s ghostly green form.

“We will be your brothers no matter what,” Zane had said, laying a hand on top of Cole’s barely tangible one.

Cole had heard about phantom limb pain, but losing your body didn’t feel like that. It didn’t hurt, not really. Mostly, he just felt numb. Some times were worse than others, like the numbness came in waves.

He’d always sung his dad’s favorite song when that tide came in, when he felt himself fading. Lying in bed, unable to sleep in this strange half-life of his. Standing at the Bounty’s rail, looking down at the water even though the ocean spray terrified him. Always, he forced his lips to move, to keep singing. It made him feel a little more alive, a little more real.

Nya liked to stay close in those moments. She’d sit beside him, silently holding onto his hand when it didn’t disappear or humming tunelessly along when it did.

Later, he’d wondered if she’d needed those moments just as badly. With her world turned upside down just as his was, they’d only been able to hold onto each other. She would complain about training or bloodlines or secrets, which was nice. It was good to remember he wasn’t alone in not wanting what he’d been given. When it got particularly bad, Nya would hug him, and those were the only times he’d felt all the way there since he’d died.

In the first days, his family’s love had been all around him. Like a tether, it had kept Cole steady, real, remembered.

What had gone wrong? He’d asked himself that question a million times.

Love hadn’t been enough, Cole supposed. It had kept him past his time, and he was grateful, really, but most of the time he wished . . . . He hated himself for this a little each time, but he wished he’d disappeared a long time ago.


“What is that?”

Cole blinked, leaving the memories feeling a hundred times heavier. “What?”

“The . . . song. You—” Nya broke off, expression focused as she clumsily sang a few notes. He’d been humming the tune without realizing it.

It was like the last five years had never happened. Like she didn’t carry the sea within her. Like he’d never been forgotten at all.

He hummed the rest of the verse, and a brilliant, achingly familiar smile spread across her face.

“I can remember that,” Nya whispered as if speaking too loudly might frighten the memory away. She hummed the chorus.

Cole grinned, and he could swear he felt his lungs fill with air. His chest felt light. Only the fact that he desperately wanted to see her smile again kept him from closing the distance between them and embracing her.

2661 words <3

WEEKLY FOUR EVERYONE -

Character learning something unexpected - 163/100 words

Avis looked out of her window longingly. Perhaps it was finally time for her to go, Friele was waiting for her after all.
She had been waiting for a long time now, always waiting, like she promised.

Avis took nothing.
There was nothing to take.
She left no note, and while feeling somewhat guilty for leaving Tellia alone there, leaving her without telling where she was going.
But she knew that deep down, Tellia would understand her motives.
Tellia would understand.
He would not.

–

She reached the place Friele waited.
The place they met that fateful night, when she could still see the stars tracing paths down Frieles bones.
She couldn’t see Frieles star paths now.
She couldn’t see anything really.

As she walked through the tall grass, her foot brushed something.
Something, that when she looked down, dimly glowed in her mindscape.
She recognized that glow.

Friele.
But not, for it was not her flesh and eyes glowing.

It was her bones.


Write about something unexpected or bizarre happening to your character - 210/200 words
(poor Avis)

Avis was on the ground, the glow of Frieles bones her only comfort in her pain. Her beautiful pain.
Beautiful because it showed she cared.
Beautiful because if the love hurt this much, then surely it meant it was true.
Beautiful because the tears that fell down her face came from not her, but Nature around her crying.

Did Nature finally care?
She looked up, turning her face towards the tears that showed her pain where she could not.

Nature became a voice.
She said only two words.
I’m sorry.

Those words were enough.
Avis felt her soul grasp the freedom Nature bestowed on her.
The final apology.
The only true apology.

She may not have been able to heal her eyes, her pain.
But she gave her something Friele had died getting her.
A choice.

The ability to choose what happens to her.
No more victims.
A real chance at a life.

But a life without Friele.

The pain was there, but so was the elation of being the first in centuries to be free.
Because a human had loved an elf.
And the elf loved her back.

And Nature had shared her sorrow.
And gifted her, a human, as the first one to talk with her in centuries.


Incorporate meaningful lyrics/music/songs into your writing - 166/150 words
(Lyric included - the song these characters are based off - Yours, Conan Gray - The only thing that's harder than sleeping alone is sleeping with your ghost - <3)

Avis fell asleep in the field, lying next to Frieles bones, holding herself as close to her as she could get. Only the sounds of her dry sobs and Nature's soft tears to drift away too.

She awoke feeling arms around her, holding her, telling her without words that it would be okay. She woke more, feeling the arms slip away and drift off.
And her choked sob brought her back to reality, scared the ghost away.

Would she feel this pain every time she slept?
The only thing that’s harder than sleeping alone is sleeping with your ghost
She was so close to her love.
And now so far. Left to be haunted in the early moments of sleep and left to lie cold on the ground.
Comforted by nothing but her freedom.

She was so close.
Avis slept alone all the time before she escaped, now when she was so close to sleeping with Friele, she could feel the coldness more.
So much more.


Write about your character receiving messages from an unknown person - 154/150 words

Avis tried her best to shake off the impending coldness, and reached to the earth, claiming a single of Frieles bones.
She would always have a piece of her.
More than just in spirit.

She stood up and felt her world tilt as a voice whispered in her ear.
Come my child, you are to be one of us.

The voice drawed a sharp sense of longing from her pain.
And Avis felt compelled to follow the presence of the whispers.
She had nowhere to go now.
She was free.
She was never going back to that place.
The place where He was.
Never.
It was a promise.

She stepped towards the forest, a new whisper in her ear, encouraging her.
Become Nature’s child little bird, join us.

And she stepped past the threshold to the unknown.
Clutching Frieles bone to her chest.
Being consumed by her longing.
Feeling her pain.

Into the unknown.

Write where your character is put in a dangerous scenario - 208/200

As she stepped into the forest, Avis felt something change.
She wasn’t sure what, but it didn’t feel good in any way.

She wandered for a time, following her sense of longing and trying to ignore the dangers flares going off in her brain.
She couldn’t see where she was going, which meant she stumbled over a lot of roots and foliage.
Avis gripped her bone and suddenly paused as she heard something behind her.

What was happening?
The branches cracked beneath its feet, and in a split second she took off running.
Dragged in any direction by her longing and moved by her panic.

The thing followed her, chasing her desperate steps.
And she felt how the air opened up around her. She had moved into a clearing, the wind brushing her face.

Frieles bone grew warm under her hand, glowing with the star light infused into her elf blood.
The thing let out an ear-splitting screech and a pained thump. She heard it disapparate and breathed a sigh of relief, she was safe, for now.
But now where was she?
The longing was stronger than ever.
And the wind was whipping around her face furiously.
Were there other presences here, or was it her muddled mind?


Write about your character overstimulating their abilities - 245/200

Avis blinked, the longing was gone, replaced by belonging. She belonged with these presences.
They were powerful, and she was nothing.
But the sense of right did not leave.

We are the half-bloods.

Avis gripped Friele’s bone, that made sense she thought. That would be why they feel so powerful.
But-
You are one of us.
Nature has chosen you.
The first one in centuries.

Join us little bird.
Be free from your cage.

Avis felt a presence next to her, if she took this hand, then she would become one of them.
An immortal child of Nature.
She would never see Friele again, but maybe she could help more humans, prove they weren’t as bad as they seemed.
Who was she kidding? That's not why she wanted to join.

She wanted to be safe.
He couldn’t hurt her if she was one of them.
She would be able to live with Frieles memory as long as she needed. Grieve as long as she wanted.

She took the hand.

Power flowed through her.
Starlight, tears, bones.
All her connections.

Suddenly it was too much, she was on her knees, bones at her feet. Hands gripping her head.
Screaming.
The half-people were around her.
Holding her, comforting her.

Then her mind went black.
Her constant knowledge of where things were around her was gone.

And then it was gone.
She was gone.

Slumped on the grass, bones rose around her, each one glowing.

So much power.


Write where a character experiments with new or unfamiliar technology - 204/150

Avis woke up in a field of bones. Her head resting against the flowers, half formed skeletons strewn around her. They were glowing with light, and seemed to tell her where everything was.
It was like she could see, without her eyes.
It was a first.

The half-person whose presence told her of poison and blossoms approached. Careful not to step on a bone or destroy a flower.
She helped Avis up, and Avis brushed against her tank.

The half-child shuddered, and Avis quickly stepped back, before their hand shot out to calm her.

It's okay.

Avis approached again, feeling their face carefully, wary of the oxygen mask that sat across their face. Her fingers brushed hair, and rolled over smooth skin before she reached one of the tubes.

The person knew when her hand touched there, and reached up to unfasten the tube, reaching out to place it on Avis’s face carefully.

Avis took in the rich scent of flowers and foliage. And breathed a little easier.

We may need a piece for her.

The half-child said.
Perhaps if this works in some way.
Something may work for her eyes.

I don’t have eyes, Avis told them.
She could feel their sad gazes.


Write where your character believed something to be perfect/great but turned out to be flawed/bad - 156/100

Avis followed the three half-people who had come to get her.
One was breathing through flowers and poison.
One was dark, not in a bad way. In a night sky way.
One was bubbly, floating, filled with elation.

She was soft, harsh, full of grief that the longing had suppressed.

They approached an area and she heard noises of commune, before they led her inside of a Nature overtaken facility.
It was old and falling apart.
Not perfect like she imagined the conditions for the half-people would be.

But it was around Nature, so she supposed it made sense.
The flower smell was almost overpowering now, and she could no longer sense the Breath half-child. Their presence had melted into the rest of them all, and all of their presences began to fade from her mind scape. She could feel them walking next to her in the real world. But in her mind they were gone.


Write about your character changing their looks - 212/200
(it fits )

Avis followed their footsteps till the open air returned her sixth sense.

We’re here.

Where was ‘here’ was her question?
She tried to extend her hearing to find anything around her, but there was nothing.

She felt the bubbly one's hand on her shoulder, guiding her to stand in what must’ve been the centre of wherever they were.

Breath.
Tap into your bones.

She gripped Frieles bone and breathed.
In.
Out.

Till she felt the same well of power that she did only a few hours ago.
It wasn’t overwhelming this time.
But as she tapped into it she felt something within her change.

A sudden rush of power and then she was back on her feet, stumbling at her sudden disorientation.


Bones surrounded her, clasping her body like a suit of armor.
Or like a hug.
She sensed light in her hair, and light in her eyes.

Eyes that she had now.
But she could still not see.
Not because Nature couldn’t heal it.
Because she didn’t want them healed.

Instead, she got a beautiful strip of cloth that tied around them.
Protecting their light.
Light that now came from it.
She was in her true form.
She didn’t need to be told to know that.

She could finally help Friele.


Write about your character getting out of their comfort zone - 205/200

Avis stood on the ground, connecting her power to the ground.
Bubbly half-child was there, watching her as she summoned bones around her, lifting them from the ground when she sensed their growth.

This was not something she had wanted to do.
Final resting places should never be disturbed, but they had to clear Nature of the things causing her pain for her to heal.
And she was told that when Nature's pain was healed, so would hers be. Her pain for Friele, her love. Whose bones lay in a field far from here.

It felt wrong.
Disrupting people's final resting points. These bones were not what was causing Nature’s pain.
Then she felt it.

The needle caused the pain.
It was so far out of reach, but maybe it was worth aiming for.

She slowly lowered herself to the ground, resting her hands to help her reach further.
Her eyes glowed, and she felt the bones shift, their light was so bright. It pained her to reach. And she still did.
More and more and more.
Till a great rumbling could be felt and the white-yellow glimmers of the bones could be seen.
Then she lay down and tried to breathe through her overexertion.


Write about your character struggling to let something go - 207/200

Avis lay in her room in the facility, struggling to deal with the pain that was plaguing her heart.
With nothing to distract her in sight, she tried to focus on any scents she could smell. But the scent of flowers was overpowering her and only reminding Avis of the field of moonflowers where she met Friele.

How was she ever supposed to let go of someone who meant so much to her?
She didn’t even get to say goodbye.

A stab short through her heart.
Another arrow from the quiver.
Friele’s ghost haunted her more than when she slept.
She haunted her every day she lived. Every day she breathed without her.
Which would now be forever.

Avis had become a half-child.
She could never join Friele anymore.

Rolling over she watched the glowing from Friele’s bone shimmer in her sight. The only thing she could truly see in this life.
Because Friele had been with her even before she couldn’t see.

Friele had meant everything to her.
Still means everything to her.

How was she meant to let go of someone whom she loved so much?

She rolled over again, and after a long time, she drifted into sleep.
Prepared to be haunted yet again.


Write about your character working with others to achieve a hard goal - 156/150

Avis and the other half-children had continued to heal Nature. Doing all they could for her, trying to save her from something inevitable.
It was so hard, they worked through sleepless nights, long days.
They spent thier immortal lives healing the one who thought she could not be healed.

Avis never forgot about her plans for Friele.
She had to get Trellia away from Him.
She had to make Him pay.

But there were things that needed to be done first.
Like saving Nature.

It took years.
Years and years of wallowing in her pain.
Years of pulling each needle from the earth's flesh.

On the hard nights Nature cried with her.
And on the good days she cried for Nature.

But they were so close.
So, so close.

Till they did it.
The final needle.
They pulled the bones from her flesh.
Watched them rise to starlight.

And Nature was free.
At least for now.


Write where an everyday object takes on magical properties - 190/150

It was a long time, but eventually Nature disappeared from the world.
The magic fled with her.
And all that was left were the half-children.

The half-children who were also dying.
Nature had long since stopped.
And now they could sense her final days coming to an end.
And they would end with her.
Even immortality has its limits.

They had travelled after the facility had eroded. They had travelled as the world died around them. Symbols of life in the dark times.
The only life in the end.

Avis, in her final days, had cast all her power into Friele’s bones. Laid it in the earth.
A white beacon of hope for a future she would not live to see.
A relic that would gift the future with the knowledge of the past.

But she would finally be able to see Frieles star touched eyes.
She would be able to dance the night sky with her.
Their bones eroding to earth to live together forever.

Avis took Friele’s hand.
They danced.
Their bones fading to the earth.
Friele’s final bone, alive.
The last thing.

The symbol of their love.


- Livy

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Weekly 4:

Write 200 words where your character is put in a dangerous scenario (arson recommended)

He looked up, his face drenched with sweat. His hand reached upwards and grabbed a branch sticking out from the thin cracks of the steep mountain slope. His clothes were covered in black ash, and in the heat the red and white uniform was soaked through. He grit his teeth, and with one last effort, he tumbled onto the small platform, his chest heavily heaving as he gasped for breath.

Through the billowing smoke surrounding them, a hand reached to pull him up and stuffed an oxygen tank and mask in his arms. His muscles shaking form the previous effort, he put the black mask on and looked around. People dressed in the same red and white uniform were scurrying about, all wearing oxygen masks. They all looked tired and ready to break down - in fact some were being seen slouched against the mountain slope, incapable of lifting up their weary bodies.

He approached the edge of the cliff, and as he got nearer his brows furrowed into a deep frown. The fire was fiercer than ever. Though the city had mobilised the entire region's rescue teams, firefighters, and police officers, the ravaging fire did not show any sign of slowing down. In fact it was approaching the mountain quickly, and he estimated that it would reach the exact spot where he was standing in less than four hours. (229 words)

Write 150 words where a character experiments with new or unfamiliar technology

Four hours. That left the rescue team enough time to get all the citizens to a safe place. But time was never enough. Shaking himself from his revery, he looked around. They were about forty - which was far from enough. About three fourths were still down in the city, and the rest were occupied with taking care of the injured and wounded. He'd have to go back down.

Drowning quickly a glass of water someone handed him, he positioned himself towards the edge of the cliff and prepared to get down when -
“Jo! You aren't going down again, are you?”
Heaving a sigh, he looked towards the voice and with a weary sign of his head, said yes.
“Good”, the other continued, “you'll be able to try this out.” With that, the speaker pulled out a little rectangle box with a shining yellow button on it. Seeing this, Jo frowned.
“This isn't another invention of yours, is it?” he asked, his voice showing a hint of doubt.
The other made sign for him to shush, then pressed the glowing yellow button. The box cracked open, and a parachute popped out - except that it was equipped rather differently than what one would have expected. It was much smaller in size than a normal one, and a big array of tools of all kinds hung on it.

Jo raised an eyebrow.
“Am I supposed to use this?” he asked wearily.
“Yes!” the other replied, clear excitement showing in his voice, “This is my new parachute model! It is much smaller in size but much more efficient as well! It's very easy to control and there's an engine. It's also equipped with all the tools you'll need to get those people out of their burning city.”
Jo frowned. “And this is supposed to work, right? I don't want to lose my life because of some malfunctioning of this… machine.”

The other shot him a look of pure annoyance and disappointment.

With a little shrug, Jo took the machine and got ready for take off.
(341 words)

Write about a character overestimating their abilities for 200 words

With one last look at his interlocutor, he stepped into nothingness. To his utmost relief, his friend's machine did work.

It carried him all the way to the ground in less than half a minute, and Jo was rather pleased with it as he pressed the yellow button once again and slid the tiny box in his pouch. Now that he had a gas mask with him, he no longer had to suffer from coughing over the smoke. He also felt quite a bit more confident with this protection with him, and thus decided to venture to the other side of the city, where rescuers were most likely most needed.

As he ran through the ashes of the city, whizzing past the houses and people, he felt incredibly light and not unlike a superhero in an action movie. All the weariness and tiredness had worn off with the excitement and thrill of saving lives, and he was determined to escort the last citizen out of the city.

It was then that a particularly tall building - one that was still standing - caught his eye. The once clean white walls were covered in ash, and he couldn't help but notice some big cracks in the pillars of the skyscraper. Still motivated as he was, he did not have to hesitate before climbing up the stairs two by two.

As he reached the seventh floor, slightly out of breath, the stairs under his feet began trembling. The trembling grew harder, and soon the entire building seemed to be shaking. Within seconds, it crumpled to the floor.
(263 words)

Write 100 words where something a character believed was great/perfect turned out to be flawed/bad.

Meanwhile, on the little platform, Aston - Jo's friend - was busying himself with another of the small box with the yellow button. He was carefully turning it around in his hands, and after a while of that he pressed the yellow button. He watched even more carefully as the parachute unfolded, and his hands touched the engine, the canvas, the tools - then stopped. He pulled the engine towards himself, then the canvas. He had originally designed his machine to be able to go up the mountain slope. But now that he thought carefully - how was a parachute able to go up a slope?

Aston was indeed known for his carelessness and thoughtlessness, but to the point where he hadn't realised the big loophole in his invention?
(125 words)

Write a bizarre or unexpected scenario happening to your character in 200 words

It was strange. That feeling was strange, unusual. A shiver went through Jo's body as he opened his eyes. Or did he? His muscles told him likewise, but his brain told him the contrary. The world was still pitch black, just like it was before he opened his eyes. But he had opened his eyes, right? Pushing these thoughts away, he tried to concentrate on the environment surrounding his body. Vision was useless - he did not see anything and did not appear to be going to see something in the near future. He tried moving around, but his body felt heavy and stiff and his limbs did not react to the orders of his brain. There was also a strange aching sensation in his muscles, but he paid no further notice. Next he turned to his smell, but the only things he distinguished were… cement and ash and fire. Then part of it came back… it was something to do with a fire, rescue… and… what?
Already, his brain was tired of thinking.

Everything was blurry and unclear, but out of the mess that was his brain (and his body - though he didn't know that yet), Jo thought he felt a very distinct - and very sharp feeling.
(207 words)

Write about your character struggling to let something go in 200 words

Jo's eyes jolt open as a wave of piercing pain shot through his body. His first resolution was to get up - something he gave up on after feeling the sharp shattered remnants of the collapsed building cutting into his flesh and pinning him to the ground. He inhaled deeply, coughing. His oxygen mask must have been knocked off in the catastrophe, for there was nothing covering his mouth and nose and the sickening smell of smoke was filling his nostrils. And then- his insides screamed. The oxygen mask had fallen… had /it/ fallen as well?

He tried to move his arms around, but in vain. As he became fully conscious of his body and his surroundings, the pain increased, and soon he realised he must have shattered his body in a million pieces in the collapse of the building - and that he was quite lucky to be alive. He was much relieved when he felt his mother's chain against his skin.

Slowly, he cleared away the rubble surrounding him, but he realised in exasperation that the precious family heirloom around his neck was chained tightly to a big piece of cement on his left side. There was no way he was getting out of this alive without cutting the chain - though he was not sure whether he'd be getting out anyway with the insupportable pain in his legs.

But he would have to try, wouldn't he, if he didn't want to perish as such. He sighed, and feeling his left arm still intact enough, ripped off the chain.
(258 words)

Write about your character getting out of their comfort zone for 200 words

Next would be to sit up. Jo was not even sure if his spine was still a full piece, but it was worth trying. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he propped himself against the base of a half demolished pillar, and in the orange light of the fire outside, examined his body.

What he saw made him shiver so badly that some remains of a ceiling fell off. Was he not feeling as much pain as he ought to because… he dared not think anymore. What was important was to… he sighed. Get out of here. Which meant to call for help. Seeing the little box with the yellow button besides him, he hesitated whether he would be able to use it - and whether it had stayed intact for him. He resolved not to try, as a parachute wasn't going to climb a steep cliff for him anyway.

He just had to call for help.

Jo had always been the one who helped and never the one to help. Even in his childhood, at school, he was voted the most helpful student. All his life, he had been proud of never being dependant on anyone's help. That would have to change today, he thought, his heart dropping. He drew out from his jacket a little whistle that had thankfully remained intact - it was the signal of distress.

He blew it.
(231 words)

Write about your character completely changing their appearance in 200 words

Aston heard the whistle. It was a familiar yet the exact sound was unheard before. Strange. All the rescue team's workers had whistles paired with them - it was the signal of distress. But each one blew a slightly different and unique sound so that upon hearing it, the others would know exactly the person's identity.

This whistle was oddly familiar in the most bizarre way - it seemed like something Aston had heard in a faint distant memory, as though in a dream.

And then he remembered, and almost shrieked out loud. It was Jo's whistle. The last time Jo had blown the whistle was during their first training - which was about five years ago. Since then, it has not come out of the little pouch - Jo was not one to call for help. But now he did.

Panicking, Aston looked around - nobody else had heard the whistle in the chaos. He must go save his friend. But he was not those whose tasks were to go down and save - his task the next step - to make sure everyone was safe and comfortable. He knew that he would not be allowed in the city. He was on the brim of desperation when a rather crazy and unlikely idea popped up in his mind. All he had to do was change his appearance!

If Aston had a knack of designing new machines, he had the perfect tools to disguise himself. First, he rubbed some ash on his face to make his skin tone deeper and to mask away his freckles; then he put on some lenses that made his green eyes brown; after that a wig covered his brown curls; and last he changed into a rescuer's uniform which he found laying around.
(291 words)

Write about your character learning something unexpected in 100 words

Aston landed on the ash covered ground on the outskirts of the city, and folded his parachute away. Witnessing the scene of a city burning into nothingness was quite a scene, especially now that he was in the middle of the action. Then he remembered his duty - to rescue Jo from whatever danger he was in. The whistle had been quite alarming.

Aston ran through the city to the place where the whistle seemed to have sounded. He was greeted with nothing more than a pile of rubble. Of fresh rubble. He gasped, realising the meaning of the scene before his eyes.

“Jo!” he shouted, alarmed at what he might see. It seemed like a small grumble reached him, and in desperation he rummaged through the fragments of walls, furniture and cement. After about ten minutes, he came across foot sticking out under a rather big block of cement.

His eyes widened in horror.
(154 words)

Write 150 words incorporating meaningful songs/music/lyrics into your story

He heard his friend approaching. Finally, Jo thought weakly. The excitation and adrenaline had long disappeared from this fractured body, and he was not sure whether he would live to see the rise of the morning sun again. In this state, he barely noticed the big block of cement that was attached to his mother's chain being lifted off his chest, so weak as he was. Though his vision was blurry, he could feel his friend's horrified stare on him, and a part of him knew that his body must have been in a deplorable state.

Suddenly, in this stage of hovering between the mortal world and the heavens, Jo was reminded of a song he had loved in his childhood. It was about a young man who was recruited as soldier to defend the nation, who had to leave his lover behind, to perish on the battlefield. He felt much the same way as his spirit wandered off.
(159 words)

Write 150 words where an everyday object takes on magical properties

Aston was crying now. Large tears were rolling down his ash covered cheeks, leaving trails of clean skin behind them, like a stream carving its way through the steep mountain hills.

If there was one thing he knew, it was that his friend could not be saved. As he sobbed by his friends broken body, a faint glowing caught his eye. It was unlike the orange glow of the fire - this one was purely white, almost heavenly so. Intrigued, Aston approached, and found to his annoyance a match box. In this state of utmost desperation, he was about to return back to his friend's side but a thought occurred to him. What if the match box was magic?

Indeed he was not wrong. As soon as he touched the brim of the box, the glow turned reddish. It flew into the air, twirling around slowly under the astonished gaze of Aston. Then, very slowly, it descended once again, and placed itself on Aston's still open palm.
(166 words)

Write about your character receiving messages from an unknown person in 150 words

The red and black lid of the match box slid open as though with magic, and instead of matchsticks, a rusty, yellowish parchment unfolded itself in the air. Seriously intrigued, Aston momentarily forgot his injured friend and grabbed the parchment with trembling fingers. Words were written on it in a black ink, already faint from time. A sigh of wonder escaped from Aston's mouth as he admired the calligraphy and the beautiful and elegant loops of the letters.

It was a barely audible moan from Jo that pulled him from his revery. He shot his friend a glance, looked away because the sight of Jo's body was truly grotesque, and decided to scan his eyes over the note before returning to his rescue mission. The note read as follows:

“In a person's most desperate hour of need, murmur the incantation below under the glow of flames and this person will be saved from whatever is menacing their life”
(158)

Write about your character working together with others in order to achieve a hard goal in 150 words

Though slightly doubtful, Aston tried the incantation - he was under the glow of flames, a practical coincidence - and directed it towards Jo's broken frame. Barely a second passed before Jo was up on his feet again.

No one believed their story after the two friends recounted their adventures, but did not mind - it would be a little magical adventure of their own.

The rescuers ended up doing a fairly good job of rescuing, and Jo and Aston were able to join in to help after they gravitated the slope to the platform on the mountain side - because unfortunately Aston's little invention didn't go upwards despite the engine built in.

All the citizens were saved onto the city, and the fire, though causing a lot of damage, was stopped before the first rays of a new sun shone through the land. All worked together to rebuild the city, and nowadays, it is flourishing as it always had been.
(157 words)

{Daily #27}
Use a pangram as inspiration for a story
Word count: 410/400
My pangram (from @dagnytran): The lonely vixen and zebra cry down the quiet field, grazing for joy and kicking unusual mops.
Notes: I didn't look up what a vixen was until after I wrote this, so sorry if it doesn't make sense. But you're welcome for… writing a story? Um yeah definitely all over the place :sob:

The lonely vixen and zebra silently munched grass in the quiet field, crying all the while. They were so happy to be eating the delicious grass that they couldn’t stop themselves from crying. So there they were, in the field, crying and crying and crying while still happily munching on the bright green, juicy grass. All of a sudden, the zebras and vixen looked up, as a unit. They felt that something was off, but they didn’t know what it was. A rustling in the long grass surrounding them made them even more alert. Emerging from the trees was none other than… a mop. Yes, not just one, in fact. A whole herd of them. These wild mops, quite unlike the domestic ones you may find in a home, were wild and free. And that freedom made them bitter. They were bitter from years of fending for themselves, bitter from years of missing their families, bitter from years of avoiding predators.

Now, I’ll back up a bit and give you a brief science lesson. Mops are the main predators of vixen and zebra, which is why both breeds of animals are frightened of them. The mops usually use their venomous tentacles to strangle zebras. They typically prey on young zebras. The vixens are less of a prey to the mops, but they still must watch out.

Now, back to the story. These mops were looking for revenge (and a big dinner). Assembling themselves into a predatory arrow shape, they began to charge. Luckily, the vixen and zebra were prepared and they quickly began to kick the unusual mops.

It seemed as if they might lose, but luckily the vixen and the zebra knew how to protect themselves. It took a while, but they did keep kicking the unusual mops. Then, they magically called some backup from their friends. The other zebras and vixens helped their friends kick and although they were tired, they kept going. An elephant even arrived, helping the zebras and vixens to fend off the evil mops. They worked together, harder and harder, working together forever.
Slowly but surely, they managed to defend themselves against the evil mops and the mops ran away. The vixen and the zebra silently munched once more, eating their delicious dinner of grass, tears of pride and happiness in their eyes as they recounted their strange adventure. Then they went to sleep, for they were tired from kicking all of those mops.

sorry double posted something

critiques below are for @criminal-intent's story, until I burn up completely

This was great! Wonderful to read! I'll be critiquing by section, by the way.



crim wrote:
Nine months before I was born, my mother prayed to the spirits for a daughter. Already with five sons and reaching the age where having another child would become impossible, she was desperate.

She knew what the consequences would be, but desperate people do stupid things.

When I was born, my father smiled. My mother cried. She hadn’t told him yet.

He found out soon enough, the first time he fell asleep with me cradled in his arms. That night, he awoke to find that his child was a monster. Worse, he discovered I wasn’t really his.

Half-spirit, half-human. A monster formed of two worlds that should never meet.

When I was seven years old, my uncle was killed for conspiring against the god-king’s rule. He might as well have been born like me for the way the world saw him after that.

My family didn’t mourn. My uncle had chosen to be hated.

At thirteen, I joined the god-king’s army. Even that hadn’t erased the fearful way my parents looked at me.

Four years later, I realized nothing ever would. That was when I decided to defect; to become a new kind of monster.

I love this beginning! It has a good amount of foreshadow and it explains the main character's background really well. Only thing I would say: if you put what exactly had happened the night her father had figured out what she was, It would make a slight bit more sense to the reader. You definitely don't have to do that, though. It's great without it!

It took me less than a minute to realize I would hate the princess. Unfortunately, if I wanted her father dead, I would have to put up with her.

“I don’t know what you see in her,” I complained to my cousin. We sat on the stone floor of the rebellion’s meeting room, a single candle illuminating the space between us.

“Well, I don’t see why you hate her so much. You’ve just met her!” Sai protested.

I leaned forward, seeking to meet his gaze. “Tell me you don’t believe that fairy tale.”

Sai frowned, staring at the flickering candle flame instead of at me. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“She’s not a god.”

“Maybe not,” Sai said, standing and walking to the door. Over his shoulder, he added, “But that depends entirely on your definition of ‘god.’”

I blew out the candle. Darkness.

I like this part! The opening line is perfectly confusing in the way that good writers are. (That sentence is weird but it's true… writers need to confuse readers to make them keep reading!) It introduces Sai really well… I'm gonna be a little nit-picky here too, but It's hard to tell what the narrator's relationship is with Sai. Are they acquaintances, or good friends?
ii.
“You’re teaching her how to spar?” I asked, eyebrow raised. I was sitting on his bed, leaning back against the stone wall.

Sai shrugged. “I’m the best swordsman in the rebellion,” he said matter-of-factly.

I grinned. It was hard to keep Sai from being humble, but he was at least realistic about his swordsmanship.

“Can’t she control fire? What does she need a sword for?”

“I don’t think she’s…very good at that. It’s not exactly reliable. A sword will never fail her.”

“Hmm…is she any good?”

“No one’s ‘good’ their first time,” he protested, kneeling to store his sheathed sword below the cot. “She’s determined, though.”

“Really?” I asked, leaning forward and peeking over the edge of the bed at him. “I thought the princess didn’t want to help us.”

He glanced up, fixing me with his best scowl, which wasn’t very good. “Maybe she changed her mind.” Sai started unbuckling his sword belt. “She reminds me of you, actually.”

I scoffed, hopping off his bed and heading over to my own, where I plopped down to glare across the room at him. “Right. Because I have so much in common with a goddess.”

“Whatever,” Sai muttered.

I love this part! Again, really nit-picky here, like even more than last time, but I wondered why he started unbuckling his sword.

iii.
I gestured with a piece of flatbread, trying to get Sai’s attention. “So, whatcha reading about?”

He didn’t look up. “Hellen royal family.”

“Ahh . . .” I paused. Of course. “Sounds entertaining.” Not to mention bloody and long-winded and full of gods worse than men.

“Yes.”

I sighed, scooping up a bit of curry and pretending it didn’t taste like ash on my tongue. This wasn’t going anywhere.

I like this scene a lot… nothing much to say except good job!

iv.
“Training’s going well,” Sai commented over the pile of weapons he was carrying to storage.

“What?” I asked as I hefted my own stack.

“In case you were still worried. Calypso’s taking to the training well,” Sai said. “She has a real knack for it.”

“Oh.”

We continued on in silence.

Once again, this part is good. I like that you introduced the princess's name, but I think you should've done it earlier, perhaps when he says he's training her to spar.

v.
“You should talk to her,” Sai said as he oiled a sword on his cot. “Really,” he tried again at my look.

Leaving the doorway, I stalked towards my own bed. I hadn’t come here to be ambushed. “I don’t want to talk to her, and she doesn’t want—”

“That’s not true.”

I blinked. Since when did you know her so well? I wanted to ask, but even the thought of the words made my stomach turn. My hand slid, fisted, to press against the source of the false pain. I couldn’t control my cousin, didn’t want to control him. Still, that stubborn part of me needed desperately for him to see the royal family as what they really were. Not gods, but not men either. Monsters.

“She’s a means to an end, that’s all,” I said finally. “I don’t want to get to know her.”

Sai’s eyes shadowed with hurt, and new misgiving filled my stomach. How much did he care?

This part delves a little deeper into Rachel's feelings about the princess and Sai. It's really good, perhaps the best scene yet!

vi.
“Don’t tell her anything about me,” I snapped before Calypso joined us for lunch.

Sai pulled back, lips tugging downward. “I won’t. I wasn’t—I wasn’t thinking of doing that.”

Yeah, well. “Good,” I said. Then, “Thanks.”

“She’s trying, Rachel,” he said more softly.

“And the rest of us aren’t?”

Huffing a frustrated breath, Sai turned, bangs falling into his eyes. Suddenly I wanted nothing more than for him to look back. But I’d gotten myself into this, like always. I couldn’t blame him.

Calypso sat down across from me. I stared at my plate instead.

this was a really interesting part! It showed me what Sai thought a bit, and how he's really trying with Rachel and Calypso.

vii.
“Where are you going?” I asked, rubbing my face in hopes to keep myself awake.

Sai stood in the doorway to our family’s room, arms full of books. I had been about to go in. He had been about to come out, apparently. “Oh, just”—his tone was much too light—“some research. With….” He cut himself off too late.

I frowned. Normally, Sai would be jumping at the chance to fill me in on all the details of his research. “With?”

“Er, well . . . Calypso . . . wanted to know more about those books I was reading, you remember? On the Hellen royal family?”

I pressed my lips together. “Oh. The Hellen gods, you mean?”

He sighed. “Will you just come off that? They’re not gods; I know! I never said they were.”

“You kind of did,” I grumbled, too tired for this, far past the point where I put reasonable thought behind my words.

Sai gritted his teeth. “Calypso’s waiting for me, okay?”

I rolled my eyes and let him pass. When I crawled in bed, though, I couldn’t sleep. My eyes only slipped closed hours later, after I watched his shadow lie down in the cot across the room.

This part really interested me. It shows a lot of the rift between Sai and Rachel. My only note would be to go back to when Sai supposedly said he believed they were gods.

viii.
Sai turned to me, jaw set. “Why do you hate her so much?”

I stared at him. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t hate her. I didn’t.

“Who cares?” I said instead. The other thing felt too close to a lie.

He laughed harshly. It reminded me too much of his father. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter what you think.”

There were too many words trying to make their way up my throat, none of them right. I turned away.

This part was really good and emotional. I, personally, would say what Rachel actually felt about Calypso, but that's just a suggestion.

ix.
“She’s dealing with a lot, you know. Just imagine having him for a father,” Sai said softly, across the cold, shadow-filled room.

I shifted on my cot, glaring because he couldn’t see me. “I know,” I said, trying to be charitable. Regardless of the attempt, my voice sounded more like a grumble. A complaint. I know it, and I still can’t forgive her for being your savior.

“Imagine having to kill him.”

“I’ve dreamed about it. Close enough,” I whispered, holding my hand in front of my face. Flexing my fingers to feel human and alive. It gave the hot, fizzling energy somewhere to go. I wasn’t sure if I was talking about the god-king or my mom.

“Oh.”

“You haven’t?”

“No,” Sai said. It shouldn’t have surprised me.

In the night, it was easier to think he wouldn’t hold my anger against me.

This was a good scene because it showed a lot of what Rachel thought, about her part and the rebellion and about Sai. It's very descriptive. In fact, I think you should put this amount of description into the other sections. It fit in really nicely with your character and story.

x.
It had been a while since Sai had said something to me that he didn’t have to. It had been a while since I’d entered our room and he hadn’t been pretending to be asleep.

I stared across the void at his still form, curled up on his cot. His back was to me, so I couldn’t see his face.

With a sigh, I turned over in my own bed, face to the wall. I shut my eyes.

He hadn’t forgiven me yet, and I was starting to wonder if he ever would.

This part is kinda sad, but also really good. I suggest going deeper into her thoughts about Sai, and what he used to act like towards Rachel.

xi.
Calypso stepped into the candlelight, ending my solitary vigil. She slid to the stone floor, crossing her legs underneath her and wrapping her arms around herself. Making a small thing out of her body.

I stared at her like sheer willpower might be able to decipher everything she wouldn’t say.

“You do want to help us,” I said. I’d seen a new hardness in her eyes. One I recognized. I’d seen it in Sai; in his father; in myself.

She glanced up. The candle flared in time with her inhale. “Of course I do.”

I looked back at the flame, a normal size now that she’d finished talking. “Yes.” There was blood on all our hands now; she felt more like an equal, that way.

I liked this. It was a good turning point in the story, and I start to feel really satisfied when I read this. Good Job.

xii.
Rage had compacted in my stomach: a small, fierce ache, like I’d swallowed a burning coal.

I recognized the feeling. More than once, it had led me to run.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Sai said, grabbing my hand. The touch shocked me; warm and insistent. Proof of humanity. Instinctively, I gripped back.

I couldn’t muster a smile. The coal inside of me flared. “Good advice.”

The way he grinned was heartbreaking—like he had forgotten every wrong thing I’d ever done. “I know. I’m very smart.”

I squeezed his hand, pretending I could listen to his advice, pretending the thing inside me didn’t burn.

I like this, but I don't really understand what exactly had caused Rachel's rage. Otherwise, great! Very descriptive and emotional.

xiii.
“You’re not coming.” It was meant to be a question, except I didn’t doubt it enough.

Sai shook his head. “You shouldn’t be doing this. We have to wait, plan—”

“I’m done waiting. Even if you and your princess aren’t helping, we’re going.”

I acted angry because it was easiest, but—really—I was glad he wasn’t coming. I didn’t want him to watch. Didn’t want him to be there if things went wrong. No. It was easiest this way.

“It’s not your responsibility,” Sai snarled, eyes wet and glittering in the torchlight. “Can’t you see that? It won’t do any good.” You can’t save me, he meant. You can’t save the world. You certainly can’t save yourself. (That’s someone else’s job, if it’s even possible.)

Sparks flared in my gut. “You put too much faith in her.”

For a moment, he just stared at me. Lips slightly parted, chipped tooth revealed. “I can’t believe you still distrust her. I just don’t understand why you refuse to see what she’s really like.”

“No, I know her, that’s exactly why I can’t trust her—” Frustration stung my eyes. I couldn’t deal with this, right now—and I was terrified he might never forgive me and I was terrified he would hate me more if he understood. I couldn’t trust her because I couldn’t trust myself and both of us were just kindling, now. Although we’d been born monsters, we were human, inadequate to save the kingdom. Inadequate to save him.

“It’s okay,” Sai said, softening as the tears ran down my face. Reaching out a hand to brush my shoulder. “Just stay.” He looked straight at me, not even seeing the flames consuming me. His eyes were warm and pleading, and it should have been impossible to say no.

“You know I won’t. You know I can’t.” The fire inside me wouldn’t be satisfied until I burned up completely. My only hope was that the flames wouldn’t hurt him, too.

This ending was really good! It summed up the story really well. I will say, though, that I don't really understand what is happening, like in the previous section. However, it had a lot of incredible components as well… with Rachel's parting with Sai and her leap into the unknown, this story left me wanting to go to your profile and read all of your writing. This piece is incredible, and I had a fun time critiquing it!

+471 words on critique!

daily 027: panagram ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚
word count: 425 / 400
pangram: it felt like a very sharp tear under xyr moon- zillions of crumbling starry kilograms whirling and jumping quickly

They laid together, under the stars, staring up at the sky. The speckles of bright light were dancing around each other, a tango, a twist, spinning around each other like a grand finale. Peter glanced at Esther, smiling faintly. He loved the stars. They reminded him of her freckles, a constellation of dots across her cheeks.
It felt like a tear in the sky, like the stars were falling down toward them after the night couldn’t hold them up any longer. Peter looked back up, watching the stars crumble again.
Esther looked back at Peter, watching the reflection of the stars in his eyes. She loved the stars. They reminded her of his eyes, the golden splashes around the irises, artfully spread like the Milky Way. The stars were whirling around each other, the brightness growing stronger little by little. They knew what was happening, and they didn’t run like everyone else did. They knew what was bound to happen, and they thought to savor the moment for just a little.
There really was a tear in the sky, Peter knew. The moon was falling, the tear was right below it– it was only a matter of time before their small planet fell to ashes, the stars falling down toward them like a shower of destructive arrows. The other people in their city had fled, hiding underground, even though they knew it would do them no good. Somehow, the people found comfort in their ignorance– waiting together, where they couldn’t witness the destruction falling down through the sky.
He grabbed Esther’s hand, holding it tight. The countdown was slowing to a stop, but he didn’t care. He knew that one day, he’d become a star, too, and he wanted to make sure he was in the sky as close as possible to Esther. He knew, that one day, the other planets would see him, too, dancing in the sky. He could only hope he was waltzing with Esther. That was the only place he ever really wanted to be.
Esther hoped they didn’t get lost in the sky, tangled with different dance partners, separated in the sea of light. She hoped they would keep their spark, she hoped they would still be the brightest stars in the sky. She hoped the generations to come on the further planets would look up, see her constellation with Peter, and on their day, do the same as they did. She hoped they wouldn’t be scared to leave, to become a speck of light in the midst of darkness.

march 27 daily: 407/400 words
prompt by nova
the prompt is : Yes, butterflies can jump now. Don't question it. Let the Viking wizards worship these extensively mysterious creatures.

one day, aliss was hurrying across the magical viking workshop, browsing through the shelves with urgency.
“what are you looking for?” asked an old wizard, looking up from his experiment.
“a recipe book,” aliss mumbled back, distracted. “have you seen one?”
he nods and slowly opens a drawer to his right, the wheels rolling gently. handing over the heavy book, he smiles in a supportive way then returns his focus back to his work.

“thank you!” grins aliss, forcing the book open with a creak. aliss walks slowly to her countertop, fingers running across the content page as she looks for the recipe she needs. aha, there it is! the jumping potion, perfect for helping flowers grow! heaving the book onto the desk’s surface with a massive thump, aliss writes down the ingredients on her hand and walks lightly across the main room in the workshop to the pantry.

aliss wanders in and inhales gratefully. the smell of sweet honey mingles with fresh grass and warm soup, creating a heavenly scent. she delicately picks up a vial of spring(y) water, a night sky’s moondrop and a handful of frog tear petals. perfect! gathering her ingredients in a bowl, aliss picks her way through the stacks of storage carefully and makes her way back to the worktop without any spillage. she crushes the petals and mixes the liquids together, dropping in the powder every so often with talent and skill until the mixture is finished and ready to use. yippee!

aliss clutches her little bottle of potion and rushes to the garden, stopping abruptly at the rose bush. she aims the scary part of her bottle at one of the petals and pushes down but- oh dear! a butterfly’s wing got in the way, and the potion is now taking effect on him. he bounces with great speed, flying around happily. aliss’s mouth parts. this must be a sign from the gods, idun or frey, maybe, showing the vikings that spring and good weather is coming, finally.

she watches shell shocked as the butterfly jumps around with glee and- oh? the magic seems to be spreading and suddenly the whole garden is filled with joyous, carefree butterflies. the spell is temporary, but aliss grins widely. she will pray for this jumping to continue so the vikings will get good weather.

let’s end it there, with the young witch aliss twirling in her tiny garden, butterflies jumping around awkwardly.

accidental post :’)