snowy wrote:

It was another typical day in the life of Gurtle, the resident Scratch Writing Camp chaos causer — a, you guessed it, a turtle. Gurtle woke up after a long night of aggravating the campers by yelling at them to go to sleep (as it turns out, that was surprisingly only very slightly counterproductive) when all they really wanted to do was keep writing. Gurtle, it seemed, often knew better than the campers themselves what they needed to do, and he took it upon himself to be the one to remind them of this ever-so-important fact.

Once upon a time, Gurtle had been an enemy of Scratch Writing Camp. Ever since his birth shortly before the March 2024 session of SWC, he began his reign of chaos causing: He ate the links, making it hard for the campers to find dailies, weeklies, and more. At the very end of the session, the camp’s lovely little mascot even turned on them, waging war and forcing the camp to write twenty thousand words together in a single day. The cries of outrage from other members of the camp could be heard above Gurtle’s giggling as he watched from the sidelines as the story developed on the forum post by post. Gurtle, unlike the campers, thought that this extra challenge was not what the members saw it as, but rather a gift.

“Look at what I have given you all!” Gurtle had exclaimed. “You never would have collaborated with each other the way you are now, would you?”

Grudgingly, the members of SWC had nodded and murmured their assent, so after the challenge had been completed, Gurtle went back to being a beloved honorary member of the camp and one of the most famous mascots.

Now, Gurtle had taken it upon his shoulders to host this session of SWC, and he was sure that this session would be the best one yet! Maybe that was just because he was the one hosting it, so he just might have been a little bit biased, but still. He had plans. BIG plans. The campers had no idea what was awaiting them, but Gurtle was sure that they would love every bit of his new challenges.

When the campers had finally woken up for breakfast after a late night of writing (though that was something fairly typical in the world of Scratch Writing Camp, of course, and even for some of those dedicated writers when it wasn’t even that time of the year, Gurtle perched himself high above in his tower, watching the scene unfold. SWC was a place of laughter, of competition and fun, and, in many ways, a place of magic. To think that Gurtle had the great honor of being the one to organize this session.

Breakfast consisted of a food that you surely would guess, given the nature of SWC: mangoes. A buffet was laid out on the table nearby with an array of mango treats (yes, for breakfast), like mango pancakes and tarts. But if you didn’t like mangoes or were allergic? Not to worry! Waffles, regular pancakes, and cookies were always available.

Anyway, Gurtle decided that giving them an hour for breakfast would be a sufficient amount of time. After all, Gurtle only needed perhaps two minutes to finish his breakfast — if that. He thought he was being exceptionally patient with these rather odd humans, and he refused to take any complaints, because they had things to get to! Important things, at least according to Gurtle.

After thirty minutes had (finally) passed, Gurtle rang a bell throughout camp that was sure to get the campers’ attention. In fact, it worked so well that he was shocked to see just how startled all the campers were. Some of them looked around, wondering where on Earth the sound had come from. Others knew immediately that it had been Gurtle’s fault and looked at him with contempt. Of course, there was also the last group, who were all sure to laugh as they saw the surprise rippling through the entire camp.

“EVERYONE,” Gurtle declared, rather loudly, “IT IS TIME FOR THE GAMES TO BEGIN!” Confused glances were exchanged between the campers. Games? What games? What did it mean?

Luckily, Gurtle wasn’t done yet. “But first, let’s start with the rules…”

“The Games… have the hardest rules that you will have ever heard… you should be scared. VERY scared.” Gurtle cackled, causing the campers around to look at eachother panicked.

“Gurtle? Are you sure about this?” One asked, fear in their eyes.

“YES. VERY sure. I'm entirely sure and I know this MUST go on. Anyways, back to the rules. ” Gurtle cleared his throat, getting serious. Gurtle pulled out a scroll, and opened it.

“But what are the Games?” Another camper asked.

“Oh right. The Games are the hardest, most amazing games to ever take place. Where you'll be writing till you can't possibly write anymore. But the rules…”

“Gurtle… is it compulsory?” A camper asked interupting.

“THE RULES OF THE GAME- ONE- it is compulsory FOR ALL.” Gurtle cackled "TWO… everyone, and by everyone I mean everyone must…

sorry emily this is so bad i didnt even see how much a wrote.

My nerdy brother gave me a topic 2 write here goes nothing:

Skin care is berry important and here is why:

For those who wear makeup, skin care is essential to the healthiness of your skin. Wearing makeup without skincare can cause skin cancer or can make you develop other skin problems like eczema on your face (or wherever you are applying it.) This is because, not only is makeup made of several unhealthy chemicals and other harmful substances; even natural based skincare is not made for direct application and so can be harmful against your skin. This means that before you apply makeup you should at least apply moisturiser and let your face sit for minimum 10 mins before applying makeup. Other useful products are cleanser which ensures your face doesn't build up grime, dimming your face. Things like vitamin c just make your skin healthier and serum that illuminates your face.

Furthermore, if you continuously apply skincare you may not need to wear that much makeup any more. Additional skin care appliances like snail, which glows your face, much similar to a korean glass skin mask. Or eyelash serum which grown your eyelashes, can give you natural beauty, giving you the confidence to wear less makeup and also giving you healthy skin.

posting this on the megathread 2 raise awareness

This was all i could think of lol.

233 words

Why “You” by Tally Hall is the best song on the Good and Evil album…

Okay, the song opens with a basic piano tune. No layering, no auto tune, just you and Andrew's voice, no chopping either. You can hear every breath he takes, and the falsetto he's using, almost as if it's a whisper, as if not to startle you.

And he hums to you. The vibrations / sound waves caused by humming stimulates the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in relaxation and removing stress. Leaving you to calm down a lot, giving room for clarity and reconsideration.

The lyrics are simple. When you're upset, you don't bother to listen to big fancy words, and You utilizes this, the song actively avoids larger or complicated words. Allowing you to process what Andrew is actually singing, and letting the lyric seep in.

The chorus is basically him humming, practically sending the calming meaning and pushing it to 100. Just allowing you to sit there, without any important or grueling lyric, without any measures to compliment you, without anything to convince you of anything. It's just calm. A gentle piano, a quiet high-hat, a grounding kick of the drum, and Andrew's humming.

The bridge sums up the album perfectly, in my opinion, better than & does. It smoothly interpolates opposites, letting them weave together to make a calming scenery, an adventure or story of sorts, all just to get to you. Something someone needs to hear, that someone cares for them.

The vocal techniques are also stellar. He's whisper singing, quieter sounds and the right vibrations that come from whispering are often considered to be calming, or overall feel-good. The small strain on his vocals during the bridge show how raw and how natural the entire song is, showing his refusal to use autotune, his refusal to be anything but there. With you.

Andrew connects with you in a way modern studio music normally cannot. He refused any kind of processing, and if you listen closely, you can still hear his breathing in the song. And personally, I like that a lot. It's showing that he's there. Do you get the message? He's always going to be there for you, no matter what.

The vocal layering isn't perfect. Even during the bridge, when he adds multiple vocal takes, he doesn't fix the timing, it doesn't provide anything bad to the song, I'm relatively indifferent to the miniscule mistakes, but it does provide a sense of home. It's like something homemade, just for you.

It contrasts with The Whole World and You so well. When we look to TWW&Y on Martin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, it focuses on the entire world, and everything around you. Constantly dragging the listeners attention to different attractions like “kings in distant cities” and “pretty people”. Then, he lists you as if you're an afterthought. However, during You, Andrew focuses on his deep love for the listener, throwing everything else out the window for you.

It saved my life.

I don't talk about this much, but I struggle with some really dark thoughts. One day I wasn't feeling myself, nor was I feeling myself much before and I just wanted to cry. And that's what I did, I almost acted on my thoughts. That was until You started playing on my playist.

He was practically whispering in my ear, and the piano was just so calming. It gave me a minute to reconsider. It gave me a minute to calm down, and to think about my actions for a moment… and I put it on loop. It was an amazing coping mechanism. I realized there was still good in the world, and I actually fell asleep to it on repeat. It was perfect. It was arguably the best moments in my life.

It felt like I was finally loved, I was finally cared about. In a house of emotional abuse, this song is my escape. It helps me a lot. I just like sitting there, listening to it, hugging myself when I feel like I need to cry, and it always helps. But that's enough about me.

This is why You is the best song on the Good and Evil album. It's the best way to calm down, and it provides clarity. It's the best song for your mental health, and it doesn't tackle harsh concepts and doesn't require emotional power. It just has simplicity and good technique, which can be hard to replicate. This is why artists like Milk in the Microwave or anyone else can't replicate Andrew's style. It's a perfect blend of opposites, like genius and simple, clear and foggy, but most importantly, it's perfect. It's a perfect song and does exactly as intended. Make you feel loved.

1715 words
I put 587 words of this towards one war and the rest to another - I believe that's okay, because each word is only counting towards one war at once, and I started /after/ both wars had been given.

time to ramble again

okayyy so I'm doing one last ramble before I should probably get started on the weekly before writing another ramble. They are great, but there isn't much substance to them and they're not helpful for anything. I also have a lot of summer work I need to complete, but it looks like I'll be taking a pause on that today, because we have to write four thousand five hundred words, and then write another four thousand, and then write seven hundred words of a collab story. Honestly we should get the collab one going to make sure enough people are able to work on it. I think we only need four, though? Not sure yet. augh I just got distracted and started looking through studio comments but nO I can't do that I have to write write write! zy and I are lowk carrying I'm not even going to lie. I did manage to get eight hours of sleep, but that's only because I knew I would be able to wake up in time to help in time, because the wars that would require help. You know what, I think I should try and beat my ramble record this session! I wrote like two thousand three hundred words last ramble, I think I should go for three thousand now! :evil: We'll see who adds stuff and how much I need to write. I hope there isn't someone else out there who is also doing this, and then their words didn't count. Well, if they started it recently, or even if they didn't, whatever they did recently, can count towards chuey's war anyway. Herm is also awake and adding some, so maybe I won't need to write that much. I also just realized (well not just, i realized it like five sentences ago) that I don't have any music playing! I wonder what I should listen to that'll fit my vibe. I should also kind of get up and eat breakfast, but heh that can waittt- People probably think I live in western america or smth because that would actually kind of fit the hours I was awake today, but little do they know I'm not and I actually just have a terrible sleep schedule :evil: I'm always awake and online at really random hours, and yeah. I'm also currently trying to fix my thumbnail situation, another glitch I've been having, but so far no luck. I also did realize this morning that by delete and put back they might've meant the actual costume or backdrop, and not the project, but oh well. I'm trying it and later tonight I'll reshare. I also have to find my second guest judge for vocal vanguards, that's all that's keeping me from posting the round three project. And I have to give a bunch of feedback I promised I would give but didn't. Yeah, that would actually be a great way to get words while being productive! And yesterday I wrote over seven hundred words for the round three project, so that was great. I've probably written six hundred ish words because I just filled up the whole page, I'm going to check. Okay five hundred fifty! Yeah so each full thing is closer to five hundred words. They're like not quite but almost halfway through? So I do think I need to ramble for at least two thousand words to help out before I can go do stuff. Or maybe I'll go do stuff and wait for it to be ready while writing. Like I'm doing with the afk thing right now, it's very helpful to me. I'm super tired and I'm quite sleep deprived, so I will probably go to bed early today I'll just be so tired. I can't believe I'm actually writing this garbage aaah - wait no it's not garbage it's my thoughts. Really could use the positive challenge right now. Speaking of, I didn't actually check what the challenge is, and I should. Oh nevermind, it's the character swap one but nobody is swapping characters. Why does everyone love giving that one, it's not as fun as the others! I love the five headed hydra or however many heads it has. It's super fun to try. I haven't actually made it ever, but I've gotten really close! You need to have a consistent speed of a hundred words per minute for five whole minutes, which I could maybe do on the typing test things, but not writing without knowing what I'm going to write. That made no sense. But like where I have to think of what to write. Ugh no I was probably getting so close to getting a key but it kicked me bc i alt tabbed to go do smth irl for a literal minute. It's okay it's really not that big of a deal lol but it's just a bit of wasted time. What else can I write about? I never did put on music I'll go play something chill. Nahhh I just checked my phone and I just got a scam text that said I had been trying to withdrawal some kind of thing, and it gave me the code i needed, and was like “if you didn't request this, please call this number” yeah right bro haha. Anyways still no idea what to put on. Guys too much by Dove Cameron is actually such a bop. It's not my vibe right now because it's very high energy but I'm still playing it lol. Also the unofficial bridgerton musical absolutely slaps I love it so much, theater kids go listen right now. Like epic they made a fan made musical. Speaking of epic it's amazingggg! I'm actually running out of things to yap about this is crazy. I got some aloe vera, it's on my- so I actually don't know what that's called- right now. It is suspiciously green though, aloe gel (if my memory serves me correctly) should really be more clear. So there's lowk dye in there? But I saw a lot that are green so I don't know. The thing is, the plant is green on the outside but the gel itself is really clear. I'm going to google it. Yeah okay I was right it's naturally clear but a lot of brands will dye it to make it look more natural or appealing? Idk but it's always sus when aloe is too green to me. Like it can be slightly tinted yellow or green, but this thing is like a decently bright green. Oh well it works as aloe though, so I don't really care. The music that I put on is actually not my vibe right now. It is sometimes, and it's really good, but my gosh I want something more chill. Okay youtube music I put on the “chill supermix” you made for me! I have no idea why I'm personifying youtube music, but I guess that's just what happens when you're as sleep deprived as me. Is the amount of stuff I write suspicious? I mean I guess it's okay, because I do have proof for it. Not that anyone else is giving proof, but mine is right here in the megathread, where I write anything I just went through and fixed some of my typos. There still are some and there's also the red underlining where I wrote extra letters or wrote words that don't really exist though. For example, megathread, supermix, lowk, chuey, collab. I'm running out of things to write about! I'll write about the painting on the wall next to me. I made it at a painting class that I asked to do. I should do another one this month! I'll look after cabin wars is done to see if there's something I want to paint. I'm also going to check how the war is going. Oh wait, they're nearly halfway through! Maybe I don't need to write an insane amount. I also shouldn't just ramble and should also do the weekly and writing critiques. STOP WHY DID I JUST GET A BACK TO SCHOOL AD NO NO NO ITS TOO SOON AAAA- We're not going to think about that! It's july and summer and swc and it's cabin wars, so I am writing words! Back to the painting on the wall. It's a big moon with a gradient sky, that goes from basically black, to navy, to light blue. In the center over the moon, there's a very small island with a big tree on it! It's floating in… the ocean, I guess? The tree is pink with a bit of lavender. I like my tree branch shape, but I wish I did something differently with my general shape of leaves. It's still a very pretty painting, though, and I'm proud of it. The reflection was also meh but that's because they gave really bad instructions lol. I tried to blend mine better and it's not bad. There's the splotcy stars all over lol - I wish I had gone lighte ron the stars almost, because I don't love the stars in the ocean. Again this is all with a very critical eye and I really do like the painting. And in the bottom right I signed it with my initials! Once when I did a painting- actually twice, when I was little, I was really annoyed how big and annoying the signature or initials were in the corner, so I made sure to do it really nicely this time, and I quite like it! Again, what if I accidentally delete everything copying it to count the words T-T - that is the one downside about the forums, it's not like gvvgle docs, and there isn't an undo button. Yes I am still annoyed from the one time that website deleted my writing and tried to force me to make an ai story out of what I had written. Like no bro I don't want an ai story I want my writing backkk T-T - anyways. I should get food and stop writing rambling and do something more productive. I've written a lot, and I will be back. Stop wait this might be enough to finish the war right here, or at least almost! yay!

Weekly!
I did not revise this at all lol
I sincerely apologize for all the “wise and fair” usage
1419 words

Part 1

For this part, I chose Little Red Riding Hood. The story I was told followed a young girl traveling along a path with food for her sick grandmother. She met a wolf multiple times, not knowing of his danger and telling him where she was going. When she reached her grandmother's house, there was no sign of the wolf. Except, the wolf was right there, having eaten the grandmother and stolen her clothes, pretending to be her.
When in the room with the wolf, who she believed to be her grandmother, Red Riding Hood commented on the unusual features of her ‘grandmother’. Eventually, the wolf got tired and ate her as well. A nearby hunter, hearing the commotion, came in and killed the wolf, freeing Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, both somehow alive. However, in the Italian version, it is not a wolf who eats Little Red Riding Hood but an ogre. In this story, there are no survivors but the ogre. The second story is undoubtedly darker, as are many other versions of stories.
In France, the wolf eats the old lady, but does not get the girl. In some variations, the girl is even offered meat made of the grandmother unknowingly.
From what I found, most other versions of Little Red Riding Hood are much darker and/or more violent then the ‘classic’ one I grew up knowing.

Part 2

Cinderella’s slippers were not simply conjured from thin air. The Fairy Godmother was powerful, yes, but not that much so. Instead, the pair was stolen from a young woman many days a trip from Cinderella’s kingdom, when the girl awoke one morning to find her treasured glass slippers missing.
“Mother, have you seen them?” She asked anxiously.
“No, ask your sister,” The mother replied.
So she asked her sister.
“Sister, have you seen them?” The girl fretted.
“No, ask the cook,” The sister replied.
“Cook, have you seen my glass slippers?” The girl cried out.
“I did, in fact,” replied the cook. “I was out in the garden, and they disappeared with a poof!”
This did not comfort the girl, for they could be anywhere. She lived much too far away to hear of the Prince’s announcement to search all the women in the Kingdom for shoes that fit them. She did, however, hear of the new queen. Cinderella, chosen because of her glass slippers.
The girl never did find her footwear, though in time it was replaced. She never guessed that it was the very queen of another land that had them. In time, she assumed the cook had stolen them and lied.
The cook was fired, and the girl wondered all her life if there was really someone that could make a pair of slippers appear out of thin air.

Part 3
For this part, I chose to extend the story of the “the twelve dancing princesses,” focusing on the youngest sister.

Once upon a time, there was a king with twelve daughters. Every night, they went to sleep wearing the finest of shoes, and every night they came back with their shoes ripped and torn. The King sent out a message, claiming any man who could figure out where his daughters were going would get to marry one of them and, as he had no sons, be the heir to his throne.
Many men came from all over the world, and yet every time they awoke in the morning to the princesses sleeping with their torn and ripped shoes.
A weary soldier volunteered for the job one day, and he was led to the room of the girls, and told to sit and wait to see where they went. Before the princesses went to bed, he was offered wine by the eldest sister, but only pretended to drink it. Once the girls believed him asleep, they creeped out in a tunnel to meet twelve princes, where they danced until dawn crept in. Then, unknowingly followed by the soldier, they ran up to the tunnel and went to bed, their shoes looking as they always did every morning.
The soldier told the King his findings, and was thus married to the eldest daughter. This is the end of the story for him.
However, there were eleven other daughters, the youngest of which did not want to give up dancing with her prince. The tunnel had been caved in, but she found a new way.
The girl opened the windows, which were no longer sealed and climbed down the rough sides of the castle, eventually landing on the ground. She didn’t know how to get to the meadow where the girls had danced without the tunnel, so she ran into the nearby woods. She ran for two nights and two days, until eventually she was so tired she collapsed.
The prince she danced with had been searching for her, and came across her in the woods one day. Fearing her dead, he picked the girl up and carried her back to his kingdom.
The girl awoke as they entered the castle, looking around in confusion. When she regained her full senses, she saw the prince. As it turned out, he was the heir to his kingdom, and soon they, too, were married.
The king did not find his daughter ever, or know what happened to her, but rumors did reach him of a queen in a faraway land, who danced so much every night that her shoes fell to pieces.



Part 4

There once was a kingdom under the rule of an evil witch. She had seized the throne from the King, who was a fair and wise ruler.
The witch was cruel, and every day she forced the men to train for battle and the women to make the armor. She had her eyes set on a nearby empire, twice the size of the kingdom.
Every one of the people knew it would be a bloodbath, but they could do nothing about it. The witch held more power than even the king, or how else could she have defeated him?
One boy, though, was determined to kill her and retake his kingdom. He was named Cassian, and had been born under the witch’s reign, only knowing stories of times of peace.
Cassian trained every day in secret, his sister supplying the weapons and his brother practicing with him. In time, he grew from a boy to a man, and the witch continued to terrorize the world.
When the man thought he was ready, he went to the finest weapon crafter in town and ordered a sword made of solid gold. The sword was sharp, able to cut through diamond and stone.
Cassian next went to the best armor keeper in all of the land and ordered a sword made of flame. It flickered and burned but stopped everything in its path.
Last, he went to the best future reader he knew of and asked for his fate to be read. The future seer told him he would free his kingdom, but at the price of his left hand. Cassian was troubled, but continued his plan.
On a warm summer day, he marched up to the witch’s castle and knocked three times. The witch had been challenged many times over her years, and never once had she lost.
In the throne room, the witch sat on a chair made of pure silver, but Cassian cut right through it with his sword. The witch, enraged, threw her staff at him.
His shield deflected the staff, burning it to ashes. But the witch was not done. She conjured a storm, putting out his burning shield and leaving him with no defense. She sent lions and tigers and all sorts of terrible beasts, but they were all cut down by his sword.
At last he approached the witch, pointing his sword to her chest.
“If you leave now and forever, I will not harm you,” he said. The witch did not leave, but pulled out a sword of her own. The two fought for hours, and indeed Cassian lost his left hand.
Finally, though, the witch was killed, and with no heirs left Cassian became the king . He ruled as wisely as the last king had,and became known throughout the land as the King With One Hand. Under his rule the kingdom became prosperous and peaceful. When he finally died, rich and of old age, his son took over, and then his son’s son and so on forevermore.

word war - prompted
277 words … last updates 07.12.2025

“Maybe jumping off the cliff was a bad idea.” At least that's what the losers would say. Alright, fine. Maybe it was a bad idea. But I needed to prove to my slay baddie queen besties that I was not a scaredy-cat and jumped off the cliff. Of course I'm not going to die, because there's a lake under the cliff. A bit shallow, sure. But it should protect me from the fall because that's how it works in Minecraft. While I fall, I feel scared. But in a thrilling way, like the things in my stomach rise, I think I mean my stomach lurches. It's just like a rollercoaster, just not as safe and with no one around. Well actually my friends are around, but if something goes wrong, they can't do anything. I don't even know if they're my real friends. They're just cool people I want to hang out with. We don't really talk about our feelings, and it's always been like that. No one wants to be that one person to start crying and ranting to the whole group, because we are not empathizers. The most we will say is, “that's rough buddy,” or “it do be like that sometimes.” And then we would just move on. So if's unanimously agreed on that we shouldn't talk about our feelings, because it will give an awkward tension. Anyways, back to the whole cliff-jumping situation, I fell and reached the bottom. I landed in the water because my aim so good like oh my gosh it's amazing. I may have broken a bone or two, but I'm fine. I can hear my friends cheer from

(ran out of time)

277 words

•┈๑⋅⋯ ꒰ ꒱ ⋯⋅๑┈•

i. “his impulsive and reckless tendencies are oftentimes viewed as childish or irresponsible.”

⋆˚✿ extra challenge
barbie swap . sci-fi . 558

Jameson “Sunny” Atwood is the sixteen year old brother of Andon Atwood, crown prince of Andhera. Since the day he was born, Andon had been prepared to take the throne while Sunny spent his days in freedom and lack of responsibility. Due to this, nobody has ever seen him as a fitting candidate for the throne. His carefree behavior also influences his personality, carrying into his teen years and causing him to be extremely easygoing. However, his impulsive and reckless tendencies are oftentimes viewed as childish or irresponsible. Sunny has always been somewhat troublemaking. He steers away from his responsibilities and duties and has never wanted the throne for himself.
Son of the king and an anonymous woman, Sunny is only the half-brother of Andon and therefore has a much smaller claim to the throne, further making Andon a better candidate. Despite this, Sunny has always had a very close bond with Andon, despite being almost two years younger. They’re often found together and spend as much time together as possible. When they were younger, they would spar and dare each other, often resulting in various injuries. As they got older, Andon was forced to spend more time with his father and buried within the mass of his duties, while Sunny shied away from his. However, Sunny still managed to bring out the best of Andon. Without Sunny, Andon would likely be much more responsibility-drawn.
Although Sunny is typically withdrawn from his duties and extremely carefree, his bond with Andon has always caused him to be cautious and aware of Andon’s situations. Andon’s safety and clarity has always been one of Sunny’s priorities. Despite Sunny being extremely clever and witty, he tends to ignore his studies.
The king and queen, Andon’s parents, took Sunny in directly after his birth and allowed him a place in their family. Sunny has always been resentful of biological mother, who he never met. He feels abandoned and neglected, even though after the death of Andon’s mother, he was pretty much pushed to the side by the king for Andon. Unlike his situation with the king and Andon, he feels as though there was no reason for his biological mom to leave him. When it comes to the king’s obvious distaste and unappreciation of him, he can understand it more because the king would be far more interested in Andon, his own child and heir to the throne. The king, unlike Sunny’s mother, has every reason to focus more on Andon rather than him.
If his title doesn’t do it, Sunny’s charm has also made him well-known within the palace. Many of the servants and workers there know him as he knows them, drawn in by his captivating charisma. However, Sunny’s charm can only go so far. He isn’t interested in holding up any sort of facade about being a perfect prince or having an admirable image. He makes it well known that he has no intentions of being anyone but himself. However, Sunny still wants to be involved in political affairs alongside his father and brother.
Overall, Sunny is extremely adventurous and outgoing, charismatic and witty. While he might be a prince, he is oftentimes reckless and impulsive, bordering on irresponsible. After losing both mothers in his life, he’s made it his priority to protect his older half-brother, Andon, and aid Andhera.

poem for cabin wars with this dare: https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/50665171/comments/#comments-298567183 “compose a 200 word poem using only ONE vowel” - it's not going to make any sense, but here you go:

202 words

Atlas's band plays,
A man says,
“Play many days away!”
And Atlas's band plays.

As Atlas's land grays,
A man says,
“Map sandy sand!”
And Atlas can at hand.

Arrays war,
A man says,
“stay at bay!”
And Atlas stays.

Drab flags flap,
Black crags crack,
A man says,
“Grab a flag!”
And Atlas grabs.

Stars hang
as dark paths branch,
And a man says
“Atlas, grand man, stand”
And Atlas stands.

A dark mass crawls,
A man says,
“Trap that mass!”
And Atlas traps fast.

Brass clanks,
Lamps flash
A man says,
“Stand back!”
And Atlas stands back.

Mad chants,
Hard stabs,
A man says,
“Jab, man!”
And Atlas jabs black jabs.

A camp falls,
Man drags packs,
A black mass
Marks Atlas's path.

Bangs crack,
Cymbals crash,
Cans smash
Stand? Atlas can.

Shards flash,
A blast cracks,
A man falls flat,
Atlas stands.


Ash blasts,
Land chars,
chars black.
A man says,
“Atlas! Act fast.”

Atlas stands,
Hands clasp,
Grabs flag.

A last gasp,
A man falls back,
As Atlas
Plays,
Spans land,
Marks maps,
Charts paths.
Hands hard hands,
Drags bags,
Stamps past brash traps.

Atlas
Grabs,
Traps,
Stands,

And at last
Atlas stands,
And a flag flaps,
calm.

compiling all the voice critiques I write here so I can get the word count
1389 words

list of people who asked for feedback
fatkitton
-Starlight-Studios-
10-28-11
cait-i-cat
bea-vibesxx
a-bowling-pin
caivoices
cathaven123
jing-li-50675
swiftie136
foxygirl46782
R-A-S-P-B-X-R-R-I
unicornpowers11

fatkitton
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition! Sorry it took so long. This was a pretty solid audition, but here's some constructive criticism for you. It felt like you were rushing through the song a bit, and I would've loved if you held out some of the notes more. In addition, the pitches weren't always perfect - sometimes it helps to add a backing track to anchor you to the song more. Overall I liked that it was confident and with decent tone!

-Starlight-Studios-
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition! Sorry it took me so long to get to it. You had quite good pitch and tone, but here's a little bit of constructive criticism for you. Towards the beginning, you were rushing a bit and weren't completely with the backing track. It got a lot better at the chorus, but remember the beginning is super important, because it's the first thing people hear and judge. At times it was a little shaky, sometimes on the much higher or lower parts, so I would just say to practice those notes before to make sure you can sing them with confidence when you record! Great job.

10-28-11
Hello, you asked for feedback on your audition - sorry it took me so long to get to it! I liked the tone and texture of your voice on this audition. It was nice and strong. My bit of constructive feedback is that you modulated into different keys a lot during this audition. It might help to use a background track to anchor you to the song more. The audio quality also wasn't perfect especially at the beginning, but honestly that's perfectly fine, because we weren't judging on audio quality <3 It just sounded like it was peaking at some points, so I always suggest recording in a different application and adjusting to the right volume, it can just help people hear your voice better. (Again, nobody was taking points off for audio quality, it's just a bit of feedback <3)

cait-i-cat
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition! Sorry it took me so long to get to it. I really liked your audition, and you made it to round two But here's some constructive criticism. Sometimes it was a little shaky, slightly throwing off pitch especially with the faster words. Also, while I did really like the style you sang this in, I think it would've helped to mix in more chest voice, because there were certain parts where I could hear you doing that, and it sounded much stronger and steadier! Those parts really made your audition. Great job!

bea-vibesxx
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition! So sorry it took me so long to get to it. What was great about this audition was your pitch and range. I liked that you showed versatility singing it in head voice and then later with more chest. It was also really well mixed! I think you could've done a little more buildup right before the big belt part, and I did wish we could hear more of the powerful part, because there really only was one moment with a lot of power. however- you totally did hat in your round two audition, and I was so happy because it showed even more tone and power that I was looking for from this audition Amazing job!

a-bowling-pin
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition - sorry it took me so long to get to it! I loved the harmonies a lot, and you have a nice deep tone. My one piece of critique is a couple of times you slid into notes the tiniest bit rather than hitting the accurate pitch right away (I don't mean the passing notes that lead to the pitch that are actually in the song, those were fine!) But I think your voice really sparkled on the higher notes and the “oohs,” I really loved those parts! Great job

caivoices
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition! Sorry it took me so long to get to it. What I really loved about this audition were the riffs and vocal flips. My one note for this was that you did sound a little congested, but that was totally fine, you were sick! For the future I'd maybe want to hear more power and chest mixed in, especially for those lower notes. But overall, you were very in tempo and on pitch, and I really liked your voice! Great job <3

cathaven123
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition - sorry it took me so long to get to it! I actually really loved this audition, the tone on the lower notes is amazing, and I'm always amazed by how you play piano and sing so well at the same time! Plus there was like, character to this cover, aa I loved it so much - one piece of constructive criticism is that as you go a bit higher it starts to sound more nasally than the great tone you had on the lower notes, which also might've been because you closed to the “ng”s (like in “sailing” and “pulling”) really quickly. That was a super small thing though, it was mostly on those two words, I'm just trying to not only give compliments in your feedback xD I really loved this entry, great job!

jing-li-50675
Hi, you asked for feedback on your vocal vanguards audition! I really liked it, you had great pitch. Here's a just a little bit of constructive feedback for you - Right now it sounds like the audio is slowed down halfway through the song, and then sped up again? Anyways, my main point is to make sure you hit every note in the riff on “I” and for the faster words at the beginning, make sure you use super clear diction. Overall, great audition though!

swiftie136
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition! Sorry it took so long for me to get to it. You have a very pretty voice, and I loved how you added some harmony! I just think you modulated a bit, but maybe a karaoke track would help with staying in the key. Make sure to hit each pitch. Overall nice voice and great confidence, good job!

foxygirl46782
Hi, you asked for feedback on your audition! It was a pretty good audition. One thing about the song choice, is there isn't a lot of singing, and while your rapping wasn't bad, it was a lot of “apateu apateu” over and over haha. You also started pausing a lot in the second verse. The singing itself in the chorus wasn't bad at all, you stayed in key, and maybe with different song choice it would show off your singing range a bit more! Great job, thank you for auditioning!

R-A-S-P-B-X-R-R-I
Hey, you asked for feedback on your audition! So sorry it took me so long to get to it. Okay so one thing about the beginning of the song - I loved the different voices and knowing the song, I thought it was so cool that you did the first part, but maybe for the other judges it was confusing with all the tracks pasted together xD - There was also a thing in the middle where the audio was fading out a little? About the singing, I did love your characters and the belting was super powerful. I would suggest a backing track for this kind of song though, because it's a lot of different things going on, and it helps stay in tempo and in tune. (Not that you did a bad job with that, you were generally very good!) Great audition!

unicornpowers11
Hey, you asked for feedback on your audition - sorry it took me so long to get to it! Love that you wrote an original song, although I can't comment much on notes because I didn't previously know the song. I'm not sure if it stayed in one definitive key though. I was mostly judging on your tone and range here, which was pretty good! I liked hearing more chest voice at the bottom as well as some higher notes. Great job!

Weekly 2 - Fairy Tales

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Part 1:

The princess and the pea in different countries:

In the original version from Denmark, a prince wants to marry a real princess. His mother puts a pea under 20 mattresses and tells the princesses who want to marry the prince to sleep on them. None of them notice the peas presence until one day on a stormy night a girl comes to the palace claiming to be a princess ad spends the night on the 20 mattresses. She claims she couldn't sleep because there was something in her mattress. In this version royalty is proved by sensitivity, and so the prince marries her.

In contrast, the Nigerian version retells a traveller girl claiming she is the daughter of a village chief and so a cowrie shell is hidden over layers of raffia mats and woven cloth. She then explains the trouble she had sleeping, describe the precise shape of the shell. In this version royalty or status is proven by being able to feel imbalance in the world, even whilst asleep. Furthermore, in many African traditions cowrie shells where once a currency and still represent wealth, power and femininity.

Another view of this story is the Chinese version in which a small shard of Jade, a sign of nobility and spiritual purity in Chinese culture, is hidden inside a yoga mat - representing the Buddhist customs of meditation. The royal family thinks she’s ordinary until she perfectly describes the pressure under the mat; showing her inner harmony. This empowers the moral that royalty is proven by harmony of the body and soul.

262 words

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Part 2:

Twas a pea. YES a pea. Such an important specimen that actually plays a role in the LIVES of people in this Tale. The me tell you the story of The Pea and The Princess (cuz the pea's the main character now XDDD).

Its round, green, and VERY annoying. In a retelling I read a few years ago the pea is actually quite the main character. After weeks and weeks of waiting for a princess to finally notice it, stuck underneath 20 mattresses to choke to death, it decided to take matters into it's own hands. It is sick and tired of being ignored and so it decides to take the climb o' faith. It's not easy, first it has to roll itself out of the weight of 20 mattresses and a sleeping princess, then it has to climb 20 THICK mattresses in order to reach the princess. It's hard, gruelling and honestly not worth the trouble, but the pea doesn't give up. It /finally/ makes its way to the top and decides to sit next to the princess to catch it's breath. It's sweaty and panting from the long climb. The princess is still fast a sleep and snoring WILDLY whilst the pea is trying to change her life for the better. It begins to whisper in her ear ‘i couldn’t sleep well last night, there was something large, round and uncomfortable in my bed' and it starts to chant the words repeatedly into her ear until she begins to mutter it in her sleep. The next day when asked how she slept she says: ‘i couldn’t sleep well last night, there was something large, round and uncomfortable in my bed' and the pea jumps in glory and triumph muttering to itself ‘could’ve at least gave me SOME credit' but it finds itself grinning as the princess is engaged to the prince.

313 words

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Part 3:
“Some people sleep through storms. She woke from the weight of a single drop.”

setting the scene: A girl with undiagnosed ADHD is invited to stay in the home of a wealthy couple.
Her POV:

I hate this.

I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.

They set me up.

They thought me dumb and blind,
decided to creep up from behind.

Oh why.

Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why is everyone against me?

I saw that maid place a pea under my mattresses .

I SAW HER.

HOW COULD SHE?

WHY WOULD
S
H
E
?

My voice echoes in the walls of my skull. Hitting me. Hurting me.

Always hurting me.

She thought herself sneaky and now im chocking in uncomfortably.

A teensy bump. Enough to wreck me. Enough to make me want to tear through everyone of these 20 mattresses.

Why does everyone hate me?

They hate me. They hate me. They hate me. They hate me.

Everywhere I go they're against me. Always trying to hurt me.

I have no one.
I'm worthless.
No one wants me.
I'm pathetic.

After all who shakes and shivers at the shift of a pea 20 mattresses beneath her?
Who claws her head and rips her hair over an unnoticeable bump?

Only me.

Only
/me/
.

The picky, sensitive, dramatic
me.

The one everyone wants to hurt, or wants to get rid of.
The nuisance, the one who's only ever kept around to be used.

It's the truth.
The gut-wrenching, horrible truth.

It's itching me, scraping me, no position seems to be the right one. No thought can drift me into slumber.
Maybe because my only thoughts are
uncomfortably.
disgust.
At who?

At the maid. At my parents. At the world.

AT ME?

Restlessness causes me to try and climb down from the bed.
I gulp as i look down on the many mattresses beneath me, eyeing them up in wonder.
Why did the put me in such an inconvenient place?
Because they hate me.
I sigh.

I jump down, screaming wildly as i thump in a messy heap onto the plush floors.

I lay crumpled on the floor, shivering and hopeless.

When i finally haul myself up, I find the couples' son standing on top of me, grin wide on his face.

WHAT'S SO FUNNY?
Why does everyone want to laugh at me? To make my life a laughing stock.

I sniffle and turn away from him, weak, tired, scruffy and delusional.

“Hey I'm sorry about that.” He says, words tumbling out his mouth smoothly but i sense an unnoticeable hint of clumsy.

“About what?” I press, “The pea or laughing at me.” I sound kind of enraged. Mad perhaps.

“Both?” He shrugs, attempting to act nonchalant.

“What was that for then? Trying to keep me awake at night just because you think it's FUNNY?” I'm shouting now. To him i must look like a mad girl, hair wild, temper flaring.

“Look, we didn't mean it in that way, it was just a test-”

“A TEST?” I cut him of “THATS ALL I EVER AM TO ANYONE. A TEST. A LAUGH. A USE. A LIABILITY.” Taking out my lifes anger on him. I don't regret it. It's probably the louder than his pampered ears can take.

“LISTEN TO ME!” He roars, dimming a light in me, “LISTEN FOR ONCE.” He notices the fear in my eyes and calms himself down.

“My parents were looking for someone to be my wife and so they put a pea underneath the mattresses to see who would be sensitive, demure and aware enough to feel it. You passed that test.”

“Yeah but that doesn't mean anything now does it? Not like you would ever marry me anymore. No one wants me for- No wants me to- No one wants me- No one wants me.” Tears are welling in my eyes.

“I want you.”
And his eyes are full of hope.

661 words

Part 4:

Once upon a time, in a world sewn together by silk and sorrow, lived a person with no name.

Ze survived by theft and pickpocket, moving like shadow through villages roofs and windows. Ze had no home, no family, no shelter. The people thought zem a curse - left behind by the Gods.

Ze didn't believe in curses. Only people born in favour and others trying to grapple themselves through.

Ze had one motive: to find out where ze was from. A question one knew the answer to. And so ze set out for fulfilment.

One day, ze met a plump monk, wrapped in silks and beads and perfume, supposedly spewing wise words, “you shall set out on trials three to be granted your answer.” The monk bowed his head, as if assigning zir to deadly missions and so ze accepted the challenge.

First, the Coin of Honesty, hidden inside the Cave of Smoke. Spirits within hissed falsehoods like lullabies.

“You were carved from a sinner’s lie.”
“Born from a god’s regret.”
“You’re nothing—nothing at all.”
Ze did not answer. The coin shimmered into existence. Ze grabbed it at first chance and sprinted away from the Cave, eyes watering from smoke and fatigue.

Second, the Jar of Riverlight, guarded by a riddle-speaking crane.

“What lives in everyone but belongs to no one?”
“Origin,” ze growled. The jar glowed. Ze cradled this one, finding wonder in its workings.

Third, the Flower of Memory, which only blooms where longing has lived.
Ze wandered through fields of nothing.
Then knelt.
Not to pray—but to ache.
Ze wept not for who ze was, but for not knowing. For being empty.

From that ache, the flower grew.

Ze was never alone. Two creatures walked beside zem:

Bao, a panda with round eyes and a soft, caring demeanour. Ever the funny one, lightening the mood. Sometimes beneath the puns there is wisdom to be cherished.
Lián, a dragon scarred from old fires, soft beneath sharp scales. Always pretending to be angry and cold, but beneath that façade he's soft and worrying.
They warned zem.

“That monk smells of half-truths.”
“Be careful. Some answers eat you.”

Still, ze returned.

Ze laid down the coin, the jar, the flower.

“Now tell me,” ze said. “How did I come to be?”

The monk smiled.

“You still think you came from something sacred?”

His voice cracked like thunder.

“There are no scrolls. No destiny. No parents weeping over lost children. You are ash. A ghost of grief. You exist because something needed to suffer.”

The wind stilled. The flower withered. The jar dimmed.

Ze did not scream.

Ze turned, and Bao followed.
Lián flew close.

“I thought you wanted to know,” Bao whispered.

Ze shook zir head.

“I did. But now I know this: not everything that breathes has to be born. Not every soul needs a story.”

Ze walked into legend.

Some say ze became a whispering wind that steals the names of liars.
Others say ze grew wings like Lián and now watches over the lost, offering no answers—only mirrors.

But none speak zir name.

Because ze never had one.

And ze never needed one.

527 words

283 words

Writing in an upbeat tone for cabin wars again! I'm so excited to do this challenge again, because I had so much fun last time! I think it's such an amazing way to spread positivity. In fact, I'm going to put on some upbeat and happy music to listen to while I do this challenge! I've been able to contribute so much to the cabin this cabin wars, and I'm really proud of it. On another similarly happy note, I met my word goal today! Yes, I should've made it higher, but I didn't expect to be very active this session - it seems the positive vibes found me though, and I've been writing non stop! Literally non stop for cabin wars, haha. I've also gotten a lot done! Sure, I've done a lot of rambling, but it really helps you be more connected to your thoughts. I've also written over a thousand words to finish the critiques with constructive criticism for my contestants! I got to give out a lot of compliments there too, which was a lot of fun for me. I also wrote almost the entire third round project for vocal vanguards! It feels really nice to be productive. Finally, after I do this challenge, I'll be able to get words for the war by doing my summer assignment! It'll be beneficial for multiple reasons, because I'll put a dent in some of the work, and have it count towards cabin wars. SWC really came at a great time for me this month, because it's when I'm getting all my summer work done! I'm so happy, and I think I've finished this challenge, which is another reason to be happy too!

critique for elly!! | 837 words

—

Hi Elly!! I'm so excited to critique this piece that you wrote because first of all, I love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (I'm writing everything out to get words muahaha) and secondly, I love your writing! I also liked this daily in general so I'm excited to see how you forgave your villain! I'm assuming the villain was Luke… and I was right haha! So, without further ado, let's begin. (And also thank you for your critique on my piece!)

—

The first thing I noticed would be to indent your paragraphs. I'm sort of picky sometimes about these things (I must have gotten it from my English teacher last year) but since I know that the tab key doesn't work in Scratch forums, it can get kind of annoying. Maybe put a few spaces (I usually do three-five depending on the site) to show that it's indented!!

—

To me, your beginning felt a bit rushed. I think this is one way that you could have made it longer. I know that you began with “it all happened so fast…” but I think you could've described their current situation a little more before diving into the present (especially if people haven't read Percy Jackson and the Olympians before, it could just give them a little bit more understanding before beginning!).

It all happens far too quickly. Rachel appearing, the rush to Mount Olympus, getting injured. But when I see Luke wrap his fingers around the handle, time seems to slow, and I fear I am under Kronos’s spell.

—

I think for this next part, you could have made it just a bit more clear to show that it was Luke who said this (I know that it's Luke because I've read the series and I know him, but some people might not have). I do like the part where you describe how he asked the question because I'm a sucker for details!!

Then: ‘Annabeth.. did you love me?’ The question slips out raw, untouched.

—

I feel like the next paragraph in general would be a good time to elaborate on the backstory more. You mention about Annabeth's history with Luke and Thalia, but don't explain that much of it. I feel like right here, you could explain the backstory more. For example (and not saying you have to do THIS, there's a lot more you can do with adding backstory stuff), you could add what Annabeth thought of Luke specifically when they first met. Obviously, he was much older than her, so it'd be interesting to explain more of that! I also think that the “had never had” is kind of a mouthful, and is sort of repetitive. Instead, you could say “I had never felt any.” Just a small suggestion that you don't have to take because my suggestions are bad! I also really like how you show Annabeth's thought process throughout her hesitation, because Luke's question is a hard one to answer, especially for her. I enjoyed reading the bit where she debates with herself what to say, before finally settling on the truth (it feels like such an Annabeth thing).

I hesitate. I can feel Percy's gaze settling in our direction, but this, this question, it feels different to a teenage crush. It feels like watching family slip away, and it is a hard question. I had never had any romantic feelings towards Luke, but as his golden eyes stare into mine, I feel the question turn over in my head. Did I love him? It's true that I adored him, many years ago, when we were out on the run and he and Thalia were my only guide, but do I love him now, after everything he'd done and everyone we'd lost? I couldn't look into his pleading eyes and say no- letting him carry his shame down to the Underworld, because the truth was..

—

OOOOH FORGIVENESS!! I mean this was the whole point of the daily but like… still! I really like the way that you expressed how Annabeth felt about Luke, from when they first met to now, including everything that he had done wrong. I think that the “however” is a bit too formal for the situation, and I don't feel like that is something that someone would say in that type of situation…

'You were like the brother I never had. I admired you, Luke. More than you'd ever know. But I don't love you.'
It's hard for me to say, and I stare at the dagger once more, before adding quietly, ‘However, I forgive you.’

—

Okay I'm listening to very dramatic music at the time of reading this so it was very dramatic haha. I really love this part oh my goodness I can't stop rereading it- I love how you emphasized what Luke's goal was, even if he actions were wrong, and how Annabeth knew that he would do what he had to do when the time comes. It really made me feel like I knew Luke more as a person, and somehow I feel like I know more about Luke (I mean, I haven't read the series in a while). I think you could have done with more contractions, because somehow writing “I am” and stuff seems, again, a little bit too formal, but I feel like this is more of a personal preference!

And I am telling the truth. Over the years, every mistake he'd made, every choice he'd undertaken, was all because of us, for his fellow demigods, and it was only when it was too late that he realised what he had to do. And even though it is at the expense of his own life, he does it for us. And that bravery is so Luke, so familiar, and I had never doubted once that he would do what he needed to do if the time came. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispers, breath raspy, and I am sorry too. This has to be done. But at least now he can die at peace.

—

AHHHHH I LOVE THIS ENDING!!! Adding the line about the Fates cutting his thread was really meaningful and important to me, I think, because the Fates kind of symbolize something big in the actual books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. And the part about the crooked smile was… very heartbreaking honestly. Anyways (I forgot the “y” omggg). Good job!!

I watch as the Fates cut his thread and his crooked smile stays etched on his face, forever. Luke died a hero’s death.

—

Overall, I really loved reading your daily! I think it could have been a little less formal as a whole, but again, to me this feels more like a personal preference. I think there are a few ways to make it longer, which includes writing more about their backstory stuff. I really enjoyed reading and critiquing this piece, so thank you for letting me do that! Elly you are a phenomenal writer so it was such an honor to be able to do this with you!! Thank you again, and I hope to read more of your writing soon!

Introductory 1K - 1389 words - IASOL thriller cabin
Critique/feedback open.

“It’s always burning somewhere.”

Hope Abigail Holmes stumbled through the IASOL woods. The strange people’s speech rang through her mind. This place seemed the antithesis of home. The indefinite downpour of the Blackwell wilds was a stark contrast to the omnipresent ash and smoke of IASOL. Hope rested against a tree for a moment. Overexerting herself was a danger due to the suffocating heat and contaminated air constricting her lungs. Her gaze drifted to the horizon, the brilliant orange and red swirls engulfing trees that never seem to fall. Hope was alone. The rest of the group that had found its way into this hell on earth- assuming it’s still earth- was being idle at best. The friends she had come with were off doing the same thing, hoping to use the extra speed of travelling alone to find something useful in this ethereal plane of ash and trees. Hope rose from her resting position against the tree, the ashen white and charcoal black flakes of the bark falling from the trunk. This tree had seen thousands of fires, yet still stood, just like every other tree in here. If hope didn’t keep moving, the fire would eventually move to where she was, and the previously burned trees would rapidly become the currently burning trees.

Some snapping branches caused hope to spin around suddenly, exasperating a headache. It was hard to keep hydrated here. Instead of an enemy, Hope was greeted by a tall, slender, and beautiful android. It was just Eden. Hope still punched her, to make a point. The punch landed with a resounding clang, and the synthetic barely flinched. Eden was half-head taller than Hope. She was mostly silver, with black grooves running parallel to the lines that formed her body shape. The grooves were most noticeable on her face, angling running through her eyes and before angling sharply inward and grading outward through the corners of the mouth.

Eden’s face did something akin to raising an eyebrow. “Was that fun for you?”

Hope shook out the pain from her hand. “Yes, I hope it taught you a lesson to not sneak up on people like that.”

Eden looked unimpressed. “Ah, yes. Lesson well learned.”

Hope rolled her eyes, “Did you find anything?”

Eden bent over and picked up a stick, absentmindedly fiddling with it as she spoke “I found the front gate. Probably the way out of here. It’s locked magically though.” She glanced at the camera not so subtly mounted on one of the ashen trees and nearly whispered “It’d take too long to try and crack with all this surveillance. That is assuming I can crack it in the first place. Whoever made that lock knows his stuff. Most advanced spell-work I’ve seen outside of theory. I’d like to meet the guy.” Eden twirled the stick in her hand and returned to a normal tone. “So- it looks like we’re going to have to play their games, unless you’ve found something?”

Hope huffed dramatically “No. I just spent the last few hours just- walking in a straight line, just to see if I could find an edge. All I found was base camp. Four times. I know I wasn’t walking in a circle, so there has to be a space bending device somewhere. So that’s what I’ve been doing, looking for that. I’ve found a few auxiliary cables that look like they might be powering a device of that kind, but they lead back into the ground just as soon as they crop up. They’d take a lot of attention-grabbing effort to dig up and follow.”

Eden thought for a moment. “Let’s head back to camp. See if the boys have found anything. Our best choice is going to be to play along for now.”

The two began walking toward camp, and Hope scoffed “Tch, what are the chances they’ll actually let us go if we beat their game? Assuming we beat their game. What’s the lose condition? Do we even know? Do we know what happens if we meet it?”

Eden had forgotten she was holding the stick for a moment, but now her attention returned to it. She began rubbing at the bark, watching the ash and charcoal dissolve from the surface. “I’m not sure, let’s hope we don’t find out. Like I said, play along.”

Hope frowned. She was never a fan of blindly following the orders and rules of someone she didn’t know with no reason given. The whole situation felt like a trick to get them to do… something. That unnerved her. “Ok- I suppose. No better ideas.”

Hope and Eden returned to the base camp. There was nothing permanent here, all the tents were ready to be moved at once, and the stuff inside operated directly out of portable boxes. The camp was ready to move on a dime in case the eternal fires moved toward them. The group here was wildly diverse. All sorts of people from every imaginable corner of the multiverse.
Eden and Hope greeted a few survivors sitting around a camp stove as they moved to a large tent that sat quietly on a rocky overlook separated from the rest of the tents. Andy and Dave were sitting on folding stools, relaxing just outside the entrance, watching the blazes in the distance. Andy combed his jet-black hair with his metal hand, faint hues of greyish blue describing a unique alloy of metal Hope forgot the name of.
He smiled in response to their approach. It was a tired smile, but it always was “Hey, did you find anything?” He adjusted the pilot’s leather jacket he always wore with the emblem of the division he worked in printed on the back. The C-class uniform. Mostly to keep attention from himself and his synthetic arm. Hope wasn't sure how he stayed comfortable in IASOL's oppressive heat

Hope sat down on the ground next to Dave. “I travelled in a straight line, but I found this same camp three or four times, so I started looking for a space bender. I found a few conspicuous wires, but nothing usable.”

Dave grunted. A few people would find the living silhouette with glowing eyes disconcerting, but Hope always liked Dave, he knew what it was like to grow up nomadic and never apologized for either of their pasts. “Those glowing auxiliary power ones? I tried digging one out, but it was too deep, and I got electrocuted when I made too much progress.”

Eden huffed and sat opposite to Andy, forming a conversation parallelogram. “Serves you right. They’re always watching, and they’re not going to let us win by cheating.”

Andy moved his attention to Eden. “How about you, anything?”

She shrugged. Eden had very human habits, picked up from many years around them. “I found the front door, locked of course. Strong magic lock. We’ll probably need the tokens to unlock it. That’s the intended way.”

Andy stroked a short stubble that was growing from his chin. He hadn’t had the chance to shave in a while. “Can you pick it?”

“Not without grabbing too much attention.”

Andy’s brow furrowed, and his eyes wandered toward the horizon. He would’ve looked young, probably in his 20s, maybe 30s, If it weren’t for the eyes. Those eyes looked too old for his body. Most might mistake them for having seen too much too soon, and that was probably true, but these looked- different. Andy’s remaining organic eye was a deep, ocean blue leaning towards grey, Like the color of his arm and his mechanical eye. It didn’t look merely old, but ancient. The conversation quieted, and everyone followed his gaze, watching the eternal dance, it was hard not to watch.

The four sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the reprieve from the chaos of the past few days. Eden finally commented absentmindedly “Liden would’ve loved it here”

Dave folded his arms and leaned back. “Well then, if you want to see her again, I suppose there’s no getting out of it. We’ve got to follow the rules and play their games.”

Before anyone could say anything else, a bell began ringing, and someone called from the center of the camp “Fire creeping! Pack up, get moving. 20 minutes!” The fire they had been watching was moving away, but behind them there was a fire approaching. Hope gave a long-suffering sigh and stood up. “Alright, let’s get to work.”

Unofficial Critique for Eabha ⟢ 414 words

───── ⋆⋅ ⟡ ⋅⋆ ─────

Hi, Eabha! Here’s my unofficial critique. I can be a little harsh at times, so please remember that nothing I write is personal to you, I’m just trying to help you improve your writing <33

Part 1:

Ari lives in xeir own world, and struggles to stay, and mostly to come back, to reality. Xeir impulses are loosely based on hallucinations, the incapacity to determine what's real, and what's not, and most of all mixed up memories. Their impact changes depending on Ari's mental state - xe sometimes completely changes the idea of a concept or a person in xeir head. Ari can't communicate this because xe feels that xeir burdening the people around xem.

Ooh I love this idea! Maybe there could be a deeper reason as to why Ari can’t communicate this though- perhaps xey simply don’t believe in communication, or something! The burdening thing /could/ work, but it likely wouldn’t, as Ari doesn’t have a consistent idea of a person in xeir head like you said so wouldn’t worry about burdening people if she don’t believe xey exist.

This leads to bigger problems like misconceptions, sometimes small, but sometimes life-changing. The scariest thing about these impulses is that Ari can rarely control them. Xe often accuses xemself of reacting in inexplicable ways that control xem and xeir relationships. Xeir reactions usually start with xem getting confused about reality, xe starts to imagine non-existing situations and intentions of the people around xem. Most days xe can stick to reality, so xeir reactions are usually triggered by something that tends to stay unclear.

This seems more like describing a genuine problem than a character flaw but I’ll trust the process.

Part 2:

This story highlights Ari's relationship with xeir girlfriend, Hazel, with whom xe formerly had a toxic relationship. Hazel manipulated Ari for long periods of time due to her insecurity. She got Ari to support her vision and opinions (and hers only) of people and situations. Ari's opinions got repressed and confused. This leads to multiple incidents and conflicts where Ari “isn't enough” for Hazel. Xe also starts to realize what Hazel has been doing to xem - accuses her of manipulation which she immediately deflects as she feels attacked.

Ah okay, so this is where the character development kicks in, I suppose <3 You explained this really clearly, well done! You could try and focus this on the flaws you previously mentioned a bit more, too! For example, Hazel could have manipulated Ari by taking about how so and so wasn’t real. This plot doesn’t really have anything to do with what you wrote about in Part 1.

Hazel starts realizing the impact she had on her enbyfriend and leaves in the middle of the night, without explaining her departure. Ari starts to come to terms with xeir anxiety while Hazel is gone, xe regains confidence (this part is entirely before xe starts to have impulsive reactions and “views” (“visions”?) - xe thinks that xe only suffers from basic anxiety due to Hazel's toxicity). Soon, Hazel starts writing xem letters, explaining herself and apologizing to Ari. Without her knowing, these letters paint a whole new picture of her in Ari's head, and therefore start to lead to Ari's insecurity (described above). When Hazel comes back, Ari has difficulty getting xeir head around it and feels responsible.

Ohh so this is /before/? Agh, that makes sense now. Hazel’s sudden morale change could be explained a little better though. Why did she decide to stop being toxic? Where did she go? How did she feel? How does reading letters make Ari feel insecure?

Part 3:

Ari's goal is separate from Hazel, Hazel (in this case) is the “triggering element” that I described in the first part. Ari feels misunderstood, not only by Hazel and other people, but mostly by xemself. Xeir main goal is to figure out what is happening to xem and why xe is feeling this way. Xe also wants to figure out how to communicate this. But those intentions aren't clear to xem. Xe thinks xe wants to stop this confusion, to live a “normal” life, a life that makes sense to xem. Xe also feels like the best thing for xem is to make xeir girlfriend happy, to make her “satisfied” with xem.

These are some great reasons, but didn’t Hazel leave him by this point? I feel like Ari’s main goal isn’t that strong, because nothing crazy has been happening- well, nothing crazy confusing. All of this is freaky but maybe in the future expand on how Hazel becoming nice has made Ari spiral so much and expand on how Hazel becoming nice even happened.

Hazel used to make Ari feel like xe's “not enough”. Ari feels xe has to “fix” that, even after Hazel comes back. As xeir reactions get more and more intense, mostly because of the stress with Hazel coming back and xeir new confused point of view, xe starts to spiral into a state of depression and intense confusion. Ari wishes xe could be different, xe wishes xe could understand what's happening to xem. Xe tries to control xemself during stages where they are completely convinced of a particular intention Hazel has or person she is.

Aww Ari </3 I love this! It makes sense, it’s clear, and it’s well explained.

Part 4:
Note to reader: this is a short part of Ari's story (which I have not written and am making up as I go)

Ari, at some point after Hazel came back, starts to truly believe Hazel is a terrible person - the person she was before, and is blinded by xeir memories and convictions. Xeir rage takes over xem for a moment and erases all xeir other memories. Xe finds Hazel's letters and tries to burn them, taken over by rage.

It’s giving Eliza from Hamilton XD

“NO! NO! NO! DO NOT SET IT ON FIRE!” she screamed, the words piercing my ears and resonating in my head. I blink and snap back to reality. What am I doing? What have I done? I'm standing over a pile of ripped up letters from her. Everything is from her. Everything reminds me of her. The flame crawls up the match, touches my fingertips and burns my skin. I hurry to put it out. She stands there, in front of me, wondering how I would dare, how I would dare betray her. How could I? How would I? And most of all, how didn't I realize? How didn't I realize what was happening to me? And how didn't I realize what I was doing to her? Torturing her without even knowing. Breaking her. Killing her. Burning her.

I love your writing style! The sentences flow really well, just try not to make them too repetitive. You could also try using more show, not tell in the future and you accidentally switched from past tense to present tense at the start ^^

This was her, these letters were her, the real Hazel… She looks at me, right in my eye, I know that look, I invented that look. I used to be the one looking at her with those huge brown eyes filled with disappointment, with fear, with… disgust. How dare I? What is happening to me? Why can't I just stop this? Why can't I just…

All these letters, she put so much work into them, apologizing, sweetening, romanticizing and fixing our relationship. Fixing. One thing I could never do. I don't fix, I destroy. I've just destroyed this.

She broke me. A long time ago. She broke our relationship and then fixed it. But she never fixed me. Not that she could have. Not that she would have. Now, the part of me that she broke, the part of me that remembers what she did to me, is breaking her. And the other part… well… the other part doesn't count. Not here. Not now. It doesn't have any control over the part of me that is torn with rage and fear. The part of me that craves revenge. Oh, and crave revenge, I did. But now that I can see her eyes, now that I can see the fear, it's all gone. I feel sick at what I've done, I feel sick at what I did to her.

I love this thought process, oh my goodness! Maybe adding a bit more confusion or despair (through there is already a lot of that XD) would be nice!

And no matter how hard I'm trying to repress it, I can still hear that little voice in my head that keeps telling me “She deserved it Ari, you know she did. She made you suffer, now it's your turn.”. The part of me that can't forgive her because it can't remember the letters. I can't remember the letters. The letters in which she swore she changed, she swore she was better now. “How much of that can you believe Ari? How much of it's real?”. She pieced together every part of us in those letters. Us. “Is that really a thing Ari? Can you let that be a thing? Do you want it to be a thing?”. Oh she knew me, she knew my flaws, she knew the cracks. I let her in, I trusted her. “Why did you do that Ari? How could you?”. She broke me… strategically. She knew how to do it, she knew what worked and what didn't, she knew how I would react and she savoured it. I did it without even controlling it, without even trying. I broke her. But I'm still the one who will suffer.

Wow! The story was so good! There’s literally nothing to add, thank you for letting me critique your weekly ^^ I’m so sorry this was rushed-

⋆ WEEKLY #2: fairy tales ⋆
total words: 1693

part one: fairy tales of different cultures (383/200 words)
after seeing the prompt for this part, the first thing i thought of was the many different versions of the story “cinderella” that i had learned about back in fifth grade. arguably one of the most famous fairy tales to date, the version that i had and many have heard of (thanks disney) followed a young woman who is abused by her stepmother and stepsisters, and they try to prevent her from attending the glamourous royal ball. devastated, she is assisted by a fairy godmother who magically summons her a dress, carriage, and glass slippers. when the spell wears off at midnight, cinderella rushes to leave and drops one of her slippers; which the prince then uses to find her (because he really likes her). the fairy tale ends with the two of them getting married and living happily ever after.
- after a bit of searching, i found that this version originates from Charles Perrault’s Cendrillon, published in France in the late 1600s. it includes many of the familiar, fantastical elements popularized by modern media.
- a German version of the tale published by the Grimm brothers in the 1800s is called Aschenputtel, or “little ash girl”. it follows the same plot points but with the violence up a notch, since the sisters cut their toes to fit the slipper.
- a much older version of the story comes from China, under the name Yeh-Shen. in this version, the evil stepmother cooks and eats yeh-shen’s magical fish. she keeps the bones, and later they grant her a beautiful dress that allows her to attend a festival where she meets a king (they marry at the end).
- another early version, Rhodopis, originates from Egypt. this tells the story of how an eagle snatches a girl’s sandal and delivers it to the king, who is so impressed by it that he sets a dedicated search for her.
in summary, versions of cinderella exist across hundreds of cultures dating way back to ancient times. many of them follow the format of an unfortunate girl who finds happiness through marrying royalty, all while reflecting local culture through things such as setting. i’ve found that the means of getting each culture’s cinderella to the ball is the most flexible plot point, as is the degree of punishment her step-family faces.

part two: object from a fairy tale (245/200 words)
it starts as a truly ordinary apple, sitting plumply among the branches of a tree, nestled with its siblings. it’s gorgeous, for sure - a deep and alluring red all around. bright, fresh. almost ripe enough to fall, but just young enough to hang on a little longer.
the witch comes by, then. she searches the tree, bright emerald leaves blowing in the wind as gracefully as seaweed would in the deep ocean. her eyes brighten as they settle upon the beauty. she reaches up to pluck it with a gentle pop, tearing each of the remaining leaves off which float to the ground and settle like ash. she finally smiles once it’s just apple and stem.
back at the cottage, it sits patiently by the bubbling green stew of death. it allows itself to be dunked so smoothly into that poison, allows it to settle hard and firm around its skin. it watches silently as the witch slips on her disguise, shuts the door, and sets off down a narrowing path in the woods.
come here, little girl, have a bit of this perfect apple. i picked it, for you, and it’s perfect, just like you.
why? you’re a witch.
…it will grant you a wish. anything you desire. come on, it’s just an apple.
the apple watches the girl’s eyes, full of longing and hunger. it wanted to shout a warning, stop her in some divine way. alas, it really was just an apple.

part three: spin on a fairy tale (513/400 words)
“be on your way now,” her mother says gently, as she lays the warm loaves of bread into the wicker basket and wraps them with the checkered cloth. “you might have to hurry a little to make it back home before the light fades.”
“i will, mother,” red riding hood exclaims brightly. this would be the first time she left home all alone.
her mother laughs at her giddiness. “remember, no stopping along the path, and no…”
“talking to strangers! i’ve got it, i really do,” she nods.
“alright then, off you go.” she’s wrapped into a final, warm embrace before heading down the steps of her home and into the thick forest ahead. off to see her grandma, that would be all… and maybe pick a flower or two?

the owls on the path call ominously, but red pays no mind to them. she skips and hums down the path with whimsy, letting the velvet of her cape flow with the wind she cuts through. her braids flop behind her like fish, the hood already having fallen off. she knew this forest like home, almost, having grown up helping her mother harvest herbs and mushrooms. this side path would lead to a neighboring town, and this one into a meadow of dandelions. it takes all of her willpower to stay focused and not wander off. the sun above had already sunken a couple paces, elongating the shadows of the leaning pine trees. a squirrel darts from the underbrush, and she slows to let it cross the path.
a sharp howl cuts the air, and pairs of birds fly from their nests. red riding hood stops entirely - …could it be? she crept forward cautiously now, scanning her surroundings carefully until a tuft of fur catches her eye. a rustling of leaves, and in front of her stands a majestic wolf with skinny limbs and a piercing yellow stare (not so different from her own).
red’s mouth drops open as golden eyes meet golden eyes. the wolf opens its mouth to speak.
“well, well, well, where might a little girl such as you be goi—”
her face splits into a grin. “puppy!!!” she exclaims excitedly, clapping. completely blind to the idea of getting mauled, she goes up and pats the wolf’s head. he is too stunned to react, letting out a delayed growl.
“are you hungry?” red gushes, opening her basket to toss him half a loaf of bread. he takes it tentatively… maybe it was worth not killing this girl, then. he was getting fed one way or another.
the wolf wags his tail and decides to follow red.

when she delivers the basket to her grandmother, she opens it and chuckles. “did you have a snack along the way, my dear?” she asks kindly.
red riding hood smiles brightly. “no,” she responds, “i fed it to my puppy. look, he’s outside.”
her grandmother glances out the window and almost dies from the impact. “that’s… that’s nice, my dear…” she chuckles again, but nervously this time. “let’s keep him out there, shall we?”

part four: create your own (552/500 words)
a young girl is seated in a field, happily picking daisies to be weaved into her flower crown. she has been daydreaming of exciting scenarios all morning, wishing her sister weren’t sick so that they could return to their life of adventure. when she picks her next flower, there is a dragonfly clinging to its yellow center. she screams, and drops the flower. when it does not fly away, she picks it back up to cautiously examine.
“please don’t kill me,” a small voice exclaims, and her eyes widen.
“you talk?” she asks curiously. no, that was silly - she was probably dehydrated again.
“of course i do,” it says, and she screams again. “wait, please don’t kill me!”
“i wasn’t going to,” the girl promises once she’s calmed down again.
the little bug does something that expresses a sigh of relief. “thank you, oh thank you!”
“why don’t you just fly away, though?” she asks.
“my wing is damaged… i hate to ask this, but will you do me a favor and repair it?”
never one to decline assistance, the young girl agrees. abandoning her crown for now, she takes the flower with the dragonfly on it into her home and sets it on her desk. gently removing the dragonfly, she examines the small tear on its shimmery wing.
“do you know what i can do to fix it?” she asks the dragonfly. “you could imagine i don’t have much experience as a bug doctor.”
“i’m not sure either,” the dragonfly admits sheepishly. “usually, no bug survives a broken wing. we just crawl and wait until we die.”
the girl goes to rummage in her drawer. that sounded awful - she’d make sure this guy lived, then. she pulls out cotton balls, pencils, and ribbons of string, all of which looked useless. finally, she comes upon a roll of clear tape, which looks just thin and light enough to repair a wing tear.
she cuts a tiny, heart-shaped piece. “here,” she says, “hold still.” she tapes the wing on both sides, until the dragonfly is able to flutter around her room once more.
“thank you!” it exclaims excitedly. “i can not express my gratitude. most would have left me on that flower, but thanks to you i can return to my wife and kids!”
“of course,” the girl answers, smiling. this bug had a life just as any other human being did, and it pained her to think it could have been stepped on or swatted for causing a brief scare.
“there is nothing much i can do to thank you, but there’s a magical rock in the forest that can grant any one wish per person. do you want to be shown to it?”
“are you sure it works?” the girl asks in awe.
“of course it does, bugs have been using it for generations. i’m not sure if a human has ever found it though, you would be the first.”
so that’s that, and the young girl is led to a rock in the middle of the woods that sits glowing in the center of a meadow. it certainly looks magical, and she wishes for her sister to be well.
sure enough, she’s back on her feet by the next day and the two of them go right back to adventuring.

here is a very super duper quickly speedy (wait that didn't make sense-) ramble or rant about literally nothing, because I said I would write a thousand more words towards the war, and I only wrote like seven hundred. This should only take me like three to four minutes, I really have to go to dinner now, but I'll write what I can. Also my playlist is coming to an end, it's the last song, so this is perfect timing! lol. I'm also pretty sure my reservation for dinner with the family is actually in like ten minutes, but for some reason we're still at home? It's okay because I had to change anyways so maybe I'll just write two hundred words here anyway. I also wrote two hundred words earlier for the war. We halved the war so we only have to write two thousand and five hundred words total. What else can i write about. I just warred like three cabins, that was super fun. I know rose or alana is going to have the most wars sent this cabin wars. My bet is currently on rose, but we'll see. I am running out of things to say, but Ava's dystopian banner right above this is really pretty! It has a city skyline, and in the middle it has a little circle animation. on the left it says ava, and on the right it has “dystopian swc july 2025” - the ava and the dystopian are animated! I also love the dark sunset colors. Whoever is making those, good job I really love them! I have probably written like a hundred and fifty words? Maybe this is enough, I really do have to go. I also have to put on socks, so bye bye now. oh four more words

Daily 13th
627 words

Detective: Welcome, Ave. Thank you for coming in for this interview.
Ave: (scoffs) I didn’t have much choice, did I?
Detective: We are taking this crime very seriously.
Ave: Of course, I’d expect nothing less. (forces a smile) Poor Smarlls, I mean— (an orange plastic bag falls from an overstuffed pocket; she scrambles to hide it behind her back) I could never imagine anyone being deprived of their mangoes in such a horrific way.
Detective: (raises an eyebrow) What have you got there?
Ave: My own mangoes. My own dried mangoes, which I brought. From the store. Legally. With my own credit card.
Detective: Hand them over, please. Everything has to be treated as evidence with a crime such as this. Besides, Smarll’s mangoes have not yet been recovered and it is our primary goal to bring them back to him, alive and unharmed. (reaches for the bag)
Ave: (snaps, eyes abruptly filled with anger) You’re not having them! They’re not yours! (voice turns dark, accusatory) I bet you want them for yourself. Perhaps you’re the thief. Did you ever think of that, huh? I should be interviewing you—
Detective: I have no desire to eat your, or anyone else’s, mangoes. I am no thief.
Ave: That’s what a thief would say.
Detective: Moving on. Where were you between 12am UTC on the 12th of July and now?
Ave: In my cabin, writing for cabin wars. I’ve written thousands of words, there’s no way I’d have time to plan and carry out a heist.
Detective: Would we be able to examine these words you have supposedly written?
Ave: No. It’s, uh, personal. All I’ll say is that many of them were a continuation of a story I began for cabin wars around a year ago, a comedy horror taking place in an IKEA. The rest were for the weekly.
Detective: Noted. Have you had any contact with any ibexes during the last four months?
Ave: None at all. There are no ibexes in New Zealand.
Detective: I see. I hear you enjoy travelling, though?
Ave: I do. But I hardly know what an ibex looks like, let alone where to find one.
Detective: Thank you. The next question on my list is whether you’ve consumed any mango or products containing mango within the last 25 hours, but (eyes bag of dried mango) I think we know the answer to that one.
Ave: (chuckles nervously)
Detective: I think that’s all we’ll need today. Before you leave, however, we do still require you to hand over your mangoes. We promise they’ll be back in your hands shortly — if they do indeed belong to you.
Ave: I can’t do that, Detective.
Detective: In that case, we will have to take you into custody.
Ave: But it wasn’t me! I would never steal mangoes from an innocent Ibex, why would I, I have my own mangoes!
Detective: Would you care to explain why these mangoes are in your possession in the first place?
Ave: Cabin wars snacks! Do you want me to starve? And… and my dog had a craving! She was hungry, you wouldn’t want a poor dog to starve—
Detective: And why do you believe that yourself and your dog are more deserving of mangoes than a certain ibex?
Ave: I don’t! Everyone is deserving of mangoes—
Detective: Then why do you so adamantly refuse to share yours?
Ave: Can we stop the interview, please, I don’t consent to this being recorded. Let me leave, please. I insist, I command that you let me go, right now. I’m a host! You have to obey! Hosts are above the law anyway! Let me go—
(Ave is dragged from the interview room, the bag of mangoes still clutched in her hand.)

My Alibi (? this turned out to be more of an interview/confession)

PIPER
Although mangoes are delicious, I can guarantee that it was not me. The time at which they were stolen was during my lunch hour, and —I’m not sure if anyone’s told you but— I refuse to do ANYTHING during my lunch hour. There’s not a single thing in the world that can pry me away from my sandwiches, and anyone who knows me can vouch for that.
DETECTIVE
Hmmmm, interesting. Makes sense except for the fact that you were in fact seen wandering the halls during that time. Care to explain?
PIPER
Maybe I was visiting the washroom.
DETECTIVE
On the opposite side of the building in an area suspiciously close to the mangoes?
PIPER
Perhaps I got lost
DETECTIVE
I think you’re going to have to lie a bit better than that.
PIPER
OK FINE. Let me explain.
Basically, I got sucked down this trail of lies 3 months ago when I missed an important deadline (I was busy enjoying my sandwiches). Kit said she’d cover for me for “a favour”. (I DIDN’T KNOW SHE WAS A MANGO DEVOURING MANIAC AT THE TIME OK?) So, that’s how I got stuck in this mango heist.
DETECTIVE
So what was your role in this then?
PIPER
Me, her and 4 other students roamed the halls to act as decoys while she used an elaborate system that delivered the mangoes right to her room.
DETECTIVE
Ah, so that’s where they are.
PIPER
Yup, and if you ever plan on seeing the fruit again, I recommend sprinting.

(255 words)

Oh no! Last night while the campers were sleeping, Smarlls the ibex’s stash of mangoes was stolen, and everyone here is a suspect. For today’s daily, write an alibi explaining why you’re innocent. Your defense must be at least 350 words, and you can collect 250 points (and an additional 100 for sharing) for your cabin.

Charlie:
What? Me, stealing mangoes! I’d never! I’ve never stolen anything in my life, except for the various things I’ve stolen. None of those things were mangoes though, and I was always very sorry, and honestly in the end no one even noticed or cared or goodness I should really stop talking, shouldn’t I?

Detective:
No, no, please continue…

Charlie:
Listen, I think you’ve been trying to get me arrested ever since that thing with my dad. I am not responsible for my parents’ crimes! Only my own but let’s not talk about those ones.

Detective:
Mm, probably should talk about those ones.

Charlie:
No thank you evil. The point is—

Detective:
Where were you, anyway?

Charlie:
…the wars, sir. I was fighting in the wars.

Detective:
Really? Because there have been plenty of gaps where you duck out to “sleep” and “wait in the parking lot while your mom goes to the doctor” and “play video games and watch a movie”

Charlie:
Well, sir, you just provided some of my alibis yourself. Once again, kinda seems like you just hate me because of my dad. I’ve literally been compiling a list of suspects, I’m helping, and yet—

Detective:
Any nightmares?

Charlie:
…yes, sir. All night, sir. Clutching my squishmallows, I woke up feeling sick and with aching teeth.

Detective:
Tell me about those nightmares, Mr. Kev*nson.

Charlie:
Wow. My super made up last name to conceal my identity. How nice. Well, sir—

Detective:
Mr. Kev*nson please just call me Gary.

Charlie:
Well, then, Gary, maybe you should start calling me Charlie. Anyway, in one nightmare, it was like a weird animation meme but the music was my own train of thought. In fact, it was LITERALLY my panicked thoughts with a train randomly driving past. Strings were tied ‘round my wrists, and I was like a puppet, and no one could hear me scream. There was just strange laughter in a void as I reached out. Also Pandora was there and my parents but they were granola bars. Worst part is, most of it I get what I’m processing… but the strings… it’s not like I’m processing Bucky’s mind control!

Detective Gary:
No, Charlie…
I think you were processing your own.
When you woke up, did you feel well rested? In a similar position?

Charlie:
No, sir— I mean, Gary, but it’s rare I ever do. But I’m not… I’m not being mind controlled. I’d have some sort of memory, wouldn’t I? I’m still. Me. I’m in control. I feel in control I am in control I am I am I am I am—

Detective Gary:
Charlie.

Charlie…?:
…
Charlie isn’t here right now. Congratulations, Garison Bored, your hunch is correct.
But this poor little mind control and possession in fiction obsessed child is sadly not the only one under my spell.
Especially not right now.

Detective Gary:
My name isn’t— wait what

???:
Time to wake up, Gary.

NOTES or whatever Charlie usually does with these
Well, it appears a few more people were listening in on this conversation than I expected. Don’t worry, you’ll get Charlie back soon enough. …probably. You can refer to me as Evil Charlie for now, since revealing my real name could cause… unwanted issues.
Enjoy your camp or whatever this is, and pretend you never saw me, and I’ll see if I can get some of my fellow thieves to return their mangoes.
Apologies for any inconvenience, and good day/night/however bright the sun is for you from your position on this rotten ball of rocks you love destroying.

Detective Johnson:
“Huh… Aezrielle, did I hear that name before?” Penn tapped his fingers on the desk, leaning forward. “Maybe it's the name of the man who stole the mangos!!”

Aezrielle:
“W-WHAT?! YOU'RE MY OC! YOU CAN'T ACCUSE ME OF THAT! THAT'S CHEATING!” They slammed their fists on the table, glaring at the desaturated man. “Y-YOU AREN'T EVEN A DETECTIVE ANYMORE! YOU CAN'T EVEN TAKE THIS CASE!”

Detective Johnson:
“Yes I can! You're stupid for thinking I can't! Just because I'm retired, doesn't mean I can't take cases like these!”

Aezrielle:
“Oh my stars, it's like Hurry Up, Johnson! all over again…”

Detective Johnson:
“Oh I disassociated for most of that.”

Aezrielle:
“I hate you… Okay. I couldn't have stolen the mangos! It's not logical for me to, either way! Do you really think I would have stolen MANGOS of all fruits?! Come on, common sense! Even if I WAS to steal the mangos, I would have NOWHERE to hide them! So why would I steal something I can't even hide? If you want the full story, I'll give you the full story!” They leaned back in their chair, kicking their feet on the table and checking their nails. “The entire day, I was writing a song. I was producing and recording the vocals, etc. I was making sure it was perfect so it would be good to release when the release date comes. Alright? I was in my room the entire time. The only time I did leave my room was to eat and use the restroom.”

Detective Johnson:
“To eat what exactly?”

Aezrielle:
“Not mangos. If you didn't know, I'm allergic. I most likely ate something like cereal or a sandwich. I tell you, it couldn't have been me, and it's quite idiotic you think of that, since I'm the only one who's literally allergic to mangos. Did I mention that I'M ALLERGIC TO MANGOS?”

Detective Johnson:
“It doesn't mean you can't touch mangos, Mx. Morningstar, it just means you're unable to consume mangos. If you did take the mangos, you would have been able to feed it to your family, or friends, for example.”

Aezrielle:
“Haha, VERY FUNNY. I like the fact that you're actually considering that I HAVE FRIENDS. Wait- I do. But scratch that, my family's also allergic to mangos! And to elaborate on the friends part, in order to meet up with my friends and give them said mangos, I would have to contact them first. I have no current way of contacting them, and I think they are REALLY worried about me, and oh my stars they're probably going to murder me when I get back to school…”

Detective Johnson:
“Hm… why couldn't you just toss them away?”

Aezrielle:
“Because I'm not allowed to leave the darn house. My parents are very strict on these kinds of rules, I can't do anything because of this horrible arrangement my parents have. They would take the mangos away from me even if I did take them! It's come to the point where I can't do anything in my own home because my parents won't let me do anything!! And yet they wonder why I'm ‘depressed’”

Detective Johnson:
“Oh heavens…” He winced, his finger tapping on the table a bit more. “Alright, well where were you when the mangos were stolen?”

Aezrielle:
“If I'm not at some stupid Christian camp, I'm at home, constantly. It's not rocket science that it's just blatant emotional abuse. You're looking at me like I'm crazy, but you're a victim of it too! I couldn't have stolen the mangos because I'm not allowed outside of my house in the first place. Happy? Good.”

Detective Johnson:
“Uhh.. that's enough, Mx. Morningstar… you can leave.”

Aezrielle:
“THANK YOU.”