Kohana Veil has always been somewhat reckless and impulsive, oftentimes acting before thinking, which can drive her to make poor decisions. Lacking a regular heart, Kohana’s ability to feel regular emotions is strained, especially concerning positive emotions. Along with this, she finds it difficult to distinguish and understand various feelings and emotions for more reasons than one. Not only was she raised in a toxic and isolated environment, but her sole links to the common world have been destroyed by the means of herself. While Kohana’s inability to understand basic and essentially positive emotions allows her to be unaffected by a wide range of negative feelings, it also makes her fairly emotionally unavailable. This has a variety of effects on her personality, ranging from being blunt and unapologetic to unafraid and unforgiving. Kohana is never afraid to strike and take risks that could end poorly, particularly when faced in situations that could end with her downfall. She also tends to put herself before others and is very ambitious. However, her aggressive and detached demeanor is balanced by her mental cun. Kohana is extremely sly and witty, having a vast understanding of many concepts. Not only that, but despite being somewhat impulsive, she always takes a moment to consider the strategic consequences. Along with that, the emotional trauma of events that had occured within her childhood can trigger her, causing her to rethink a majority of her decisions. Overall, Kohana tends to lead with her heart (or lack thereof) and her emotional shield, making her appear standoffish.

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Kohana is a very cunning and intellectual person with good intuition. Her knowledge of Andhera and magic is admirable and she ends up becoming a key asset to the war. As the story progresses, she remains extremely witty, if not more. Her physical strengths, particularly involving fighting, grow stronger through her training.
In terms of weaknesses, her relationship with Andon helped her recognize her emotions more thoroughly and gain a greater understanding of standard feelings. With the help of a necklace charm made of a piece of her petrified heart she had the opportunity to feel real emotions and get to understand them. However (spoiler alert) she is overtaken by her motive to help Andhera win the war and destroys the last of her heart, removing her feelings.
Kohana’s fears are mainly centered around the well-being of herself and the ones she loves. A constant fear that has gripped her since the death of her best friend, Arielle, is the fear that she might end up hurting someone she loves. Among her other fears include the fear of her father and of water, particularly swimming, as not only has she never done so before, but it was the way Arielle passes. Her character develops throughout the story by slowly realizing and confronting her fears, particularly the fear of water. By the end of the story, her lack of a heart completely destroys any fears that are more emotional than mental, and she allows herself to be submerged in nothingness.

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Kohana’s main motive changes throughout the story. Originally only wanting the freedom to be able to choose her own life, she begins to realize that while being under the control of both her father and West, she would be unable to.
Her motive shifts for various reasons, typically depending on whose influence she’s under and the circumstances under which she is residing. For example Kohana’s original motive was simply to have the power to live her own life and discover the secrets of magic. Greater than that, she also wanted to get away from her father, West, and any remnants of her life. Later on, after being used to track down the missing prince, Andon, she is fueled by her intent of completing her mission in exchange for being left alone by West and for satisfying her. After beginning to bond with Andon, her greatest motive arises: release magic into Andhera and give her kingdom a fighting chance at winning the war, Andon by her side.
In the end it is this motivation that compels her to destroy her heart, believing that doing so would Andhera. Kohana's stubborn and ambitious nature feels her motives, typically causing her to live them through thoroughly. In particular, this final motive allowed her to, for once, make a self-sacrificing choice, leaping into the unknown with only the threads of a chance.

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Night in the Woods is frigid.
Andhera’s cold season has always been known infamously for its severity, and I'm only now realizing this is true. After spending my whole life trapped within my bubble of comfort during the cold months, I'm unused to the frosty wind, nipping at my skin and sinking its teeth deep into my skin. My cheeks, typically porcelain pale, have developed a light pinky sheen. I can feel the ice creeping into my soul, burning my flesh in red-hot waves.
For the last six days, the hunger had crept on to me, blinding me slowly. Now, the wind whips at my hair, scratching my skin with claws of iron while I fight to remain standing.
Clearly, West had no knowledge about the whereabouts of the prince. As I’m clearing being forced to remain stranded in the woods without sight of another living soul, he’d clearly been fed incorrect information.
In order to remain on the lookout yet still hidden from any possible passerbys, I’ve been continuing venturing through the Woods, trying to get as close to the border as possible. As close as I can to enemy territory… without getting shot with a bolt of fire.
Away.
Throughout my journey, I’ve been keeping on the lookout for any trails that look similar to those of a horse, particularly a well-groomed one that might have been part of the royal cavalry or stables. So far, nothing’s come up. I know that I’d likely find something if I were to retrace my steps to the closest patch of the Woods to the royal palace. I know West would want me to. But if I could buy myself some time, travel to Xanson and stay there for a while, there would always be an opportunity to circle back.
The clearing I’ve chosen for today is more open than the others. In the daylight, it appeared sunlit, the few shadows of leaves dancing across the ground, darkened leaves crunching underfoot. Snow covers the ground in a thin blanket of frosty white, milky and soft. A few large rocks decorate the area. A singular tree with a hollow within it stands near the center, as if the clearing itself were made to honor and showcase it. Across the tree is a wide river, the depth of which I’ve yet to discern, although to the normal eye it appears to be… deep.
I’ve stayed far from that area.
I brush off some loose snow from a rock next to the tree and rest atop it, legs dangling. My satchel lies limply against it, relying on the structure of other objects to remain supported. Like me, I suppose.
My body feels weak, my mind tired. I’ve tried to stay active, to spar with the wind battling against me so furiously no matter what I do, against my shadows and against the steady fall of light snow. But hunger has taken its toll.
Three days ago, I sliced my finger on a jagged stone I was using in a futile attempt to sharpen my tools. A deep gash appeared, dripping dark crimson beads of blood. I tried everything to get it to stop before resorting to tying a strip of fabric around it tightly.
I really don’t want to think about the mess my face is probably in.
Suddenly, a quiet set of footsteps appears through the silent whistle of the wind, followed by a rustling noise. My head jolts up in the direction of the noise, towards the water, eyes wide, as a figure appears out of the darkness.

Silver Hair, a girl without magical zappy things that come out of random limbs, has lived her whole life without these zappy things. She’s, like the rest of her non-zappy people (called Normal), have been shunned by society and lives in a really horrid-smelling pile of random items but apparently she can’t smell because she loves it there. Her father, who is no longer living, taught her how to fake having zappy things and how to pretend to read their minds, that way the really especially powerful zappy people called Best. Since Normals are banned, she has to pretend to be a Best.
She lives with her best friend, Happy, who means the world to her. Happy loves sewing and making clothes. They devised a symbiotic relationship in which Happy gets money and creates clothing and other sorts of fabric-based items while Silver Hair steals because some meanies think that Happy’s clothes are ugly.
One day, Silver Hair steals a lot of moolah from a guy who really should protect his money. Then later, she finds him fighting a very powerful Best and helps him fight him. The Best was a Be Quiet, which sucks the abilities of other Bests. The rich guy was a I USE PEOPLE, who can sense and use the powers of others around him. This meant rich guy could sense that Silver Hair wasn’t a Best *gasp* but then he decided to believe a girl he just meant over himself because she’s very good at lying.
Silver Hair becomes famous for saving rich guy and gets put into the Scary Trials against a lot of other really powerful Bests. The Scary Trials take place by the palace and are hosted by the crazy king guy who hates Normals. There, she finds out that rich guy is actually Prince Dimples, younger brother of the crown prince Meow.
One of the contestants really doesn’t like Silver Hair. Her name is Lilac Branch. She has the power to control things with her mind, so that she can eat her cereal without holding anything. A very useful power.
They go through the Scary Trials! OW! BANG! BOOM! sCaRy!!! A bunch of people go BLEH! But Silver Hair, Dimples, Lilac Branch, and more are still in the Scary Trials!
Silver Hair and Dimples begin to fall in love with each other?! But Dimples still thinks Silver Hair is a best. But Meow also loves Silver Hair!
Silver Hair finds out that her father led a cool force called the Resistance who basically did nothing even though they were supposed to. She became the new leader and they decided to storm the third Scary Trial so that they could do stuff… I don’t really know. Silver Hair used Meow to get the keys to let the Resistance in and Meow was very angry.
Then, the evil crazy king finds Silver Hair and tries to BLEH her! But she BLEHs him first! And then Dimples finds her and he vewy sad because “OH NO! SHE BLEHED MY FATHER WHO WAS SO MEAN TO ME, HIS OWN SON BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WOULD HELP ME! OH NO! SHE’S NOT EVEN A BEST! SHE’S A NORMAL!” But he still loved her so he told her to run because he knew that once Meow was on the throne, he would have to chase her and bring her back. So he did that but he still loved her. It’s very confusing.
And so she runs! Yay!
And he runs after her! Nay!

Have you ever read a book and wished that you had come up with the same idea first? Well, today is your chance to pretend you did! For 100 points (and an additional 50 for sharing your work), write a 150+ word spoof on a famous book. For example, write an excerpt from “The Thirst Activities” or summarize the first book of the “Barry Otter” series.

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◪ Noͦ 6
Wordcount: 200/150
Points earned: 100+50 proof
Cabin: Dystopian

Have you ever read a book and wished that you had come up with the same idea first? Well, today is your chance to pretend you did! For 100 points (and an additional 50 for sharing your work), write a 150+ word spoof on a famous book. For example, write an excerpt from “The Thirst Activities” or summarize the first book of the “Barry Otter” series.
(basically like a parody of the original wok for those confused. it doesn’t *have* to be famous or extraordinarily popular, just something you enjoy!)