Daily 7

Horror, romance, thriller, sci-fi… all genres that can take your story anywhere. For this daily, you need to choose three genres, any three, and write a story where they carry on into each other. You could begin with a fantasy and end with a comedy, or perhaps you’re leaning more towards a bizzaro-fiction ending. It's up to you! Write a story of 500 words and earn 500 points, with another 100 for sharing proof.

I used Sci-fi, Romance, and Fantasy

I run through the robot infested city, making sure not to get caught by any of the many high tech security cameras that littered the city. Unfortunately, the robots had an uprising and destroyed most humans, and now those who are left are forced to hide, and/or run for their lives. So here I am, hiding under a dumpster, waiting for the coast to be clear. There are two robots, standing nearby, talking in a robotic language I can’t understand. Neither of them have spotted me. Yet. After they drone (ha) on for what feels like hours, they finally walk away. Once I’m sure their gone, I creep out from behind the dumpster, looking behind me to make sure no one tries to sneak up on me. Suddenly, I bump into something. Or, someone, as I soon see. It’s a tall man, with a very very gorgeous face, and dark hair that looks really nice and shiny. He’s very attractive, like a painting of a very nice, attractive, handsome face. “Hello.” He says, in a voice that is perfectly deep and low. “Oh, um, hi.” I say back, blushing very much. “What are you doing?” He asks, with his low, deep voice. “I’m, uh,” Oh dear, why is it so hard to form sentences around this very handsome man? Oh dear, do I like him? “I’m running from the robots” I say, very awkwardly. “Uh, what robots?” He asks, suspiciously. “Um, the robots that have taken over society? Everyone knows about the robots!” I say to him. Then I stop. I hear a noise. “What—” He starts “Shhh” I hush him. It’s a buzzing noise. Oh no. “The robots! Their drones! They’re coming!” I gasp. “Come on, I know a safe space, follow me!” He says with his perfect, almost sculpted, lips. He runs off and I follow him. We run and run, and then stop. In an alley way. “Where are we? I thought you were taking us somewhere safe!” I say, looking around frantically “They’ll catch us in here!”
“Exactally” He says “W-what?!” I gasp, and then I see through his human disguise. He’s… “You’re a robot?!” I scream “Yes, of course. And now the drones will come and escort you to our robot king” I hear the drones buzz behind me, and I turn around, and they are here. “You little humans will submit to our will.” He says, evilly. I should to run. But first… “Okay, okay, I submit. No need to put up a fight” I say “Good.” He says, walking over to grab. Right as he’s about to, I punch him in the face. Frankly, it kinda hurts my knuckle, since he’s made of metal, but it still felt good. I kick one of the drones out of the sky, and jump and grab the other, and snap it in half, then take off running. I hear him behind me, running after me. I need to escape. Then, I turn the corner, and see… Another human. A girl, this time. But wait, it could be another robot. I sneak up on her… and punch her in the arm. “Ow!” She yelps. “Oh gosh, sorry!” I say. Her arm feels like an arm. “I thought you were a robot” I say. She punches me back. “Well, now I know that you’re not a robot either” She says, crossing her arms. Then I remember that I’m being chased. “Okay, look. I’m sorry I punched you, but you gotta help me. There’s a robot chasing me, and…” Then he’s there, right in front of us “Oh great, you brought a robot, right up to me, so you can have me get captured while you run away.”
“I won’t do that” I say, seriously “Okay, okay.” She pulls out a whistle, and blows into it. An ear splitting noise pierced the air, making both me and the robot cover our ears (do robots have ears?). Then it stopped. Once the robot had recovered, he charged us. Then, the girl started blasting it with… magic?! “You have magic?!” I say, in awe. “Yes, I do. Now help me, will you?” We fought him, but he threw us both back, and called for reinforcements. “We’ll never escape with more robots!” I cry “Just wait a sec!” She says Then, I hear the sound of wings flapping. I look up, and my eyes widen with surprise. A dragon. It lands with a soft whoosh. “Whoa…” I mutter “Quick, get on!” The girl says. I scramble onto the dragon as more robots run over into the alley way. The dragon flaps it’s wings and takes off. A few robots try to follow, but the dragon flicks them out of the sky with it’s beautiful tail. “Wow…” I say, in awe, again. “Yep, she’s pretty amazing” The girl says, scratch the dragon’s head “She hangs out on the edges of the city, since there are less bots there, and they’d attack her if they saw her, but I can call her with the whistle”
“Amazing” I say “Where are we going, anyway?”
“To my base” She says. “There’s food, and water, and shelter there.”
“Alright then” I say back, enjoying the feeling of the wind, whipping against my face.
To be continued…

880 words

“Nothing like conducting a prison break on a distant planet, huh?” Erika remarked as she read over the mission briefing. She was partnered up with Agent Alayna Hope, one of her close friends and seniors, and Alayna was known for having a good eye for detail.

“Well, that government does pose several challenges,” Alayna responded, beginning procedures to pull their shuttle out of warp speed. “We are going to try and get in, and get out without being seen or arrested,” Alayna said firmly. “Which is hard, considering there is surveillance everywhere. We should be able to pull it off.”

Erika nodded, turning her back on Alayna to grab the equipment and gear that they brought with them. Erika found two pairs of earpieces and passed a pair to Alayna, before checking their weapons were fully charged and loaded. Alayna got her gear while Erika pulled on her harness and her mask.

“You ready?” Alayna asked as she pulled the shuttle out of warp, and into the orbit of the planet. Erika nodded.

Alayna seemed to have a slight smile as she forced the shuttle into the atmosphere, gliding silently to a stop just north of the police building they were supposed to break one of their fellow agents out of.

The planet they landed on was something rather ordinary. People seemed to be going about their daily lives, albeit with a rather pronounced criminal underworld. It was clear that there was also high levels of surveillance all throughout the city as well, and Erika couldn’t help but think they’d be recognised, and perhaps even an interstellar war would start. Which would be very much NOT good, in Erika’s book.

Too late to think about that now. Alayna pointed to an opening in one of the side walls, and Erika launched her grappling hook up to get it. She pulled both her and Alayna onto the ledge and they both silently entered the building. Alayna made a quick diversion, Erika knew she was heading for the control room. Alayna would be fine.

Erika moved silently through the building, doing her best to avoid being seen. She contemplated using some anaesthetic gas on them to make her entry more silent, but she figured that would probably make them more suspicious when they finally showed up. Better save them for when she needs it.

“Ethereal, I’m in the control room,” Alayna’s voice came over the earpiece. “I’ve got security cams down. And the cells are just to your right.”

“Copy,” Erika responded, before slipping down the right corridor. She glanced around to see that there were no guards, and that this mission had gone surprisingly well. Erika opened the door to the cell block, searching for their informant. Finding their cell, Erika quickly picked the lock.

“What are you here for?” The informant asked, clearly annoyed. Or tired.

“A rescue mission,” Erika responded curtly. “You should be more discrete next time.”

The door slid open, and the informant got up. “Who are you, anyways?”

Erika paused. “A friend of Agent Proxima,” she responded, naming the agent who was usually in charge of spy operations on the planet (but was currently busy with another job.)

“I…”

“Do you want to get out or stay here and possibly meet any one of multiple unpleasant fates that the government here has in store for you?” Erika snapped, hoping that would cause their informant to respond quickly.

“Yes, yes!” The informant said, before rushing up. Just then, alarms sounded. That’s not good, Erika thought. She grabbed the informants arm and ran through the building.

“We’ve been spotted,” Erika commed to Alayna. “We should get out.”

“I know,” Alayna responded, before the line went silent again. Erika rushed to the ship, hoping to make it on time. She couldn’t just stop and fight, but she did…

“Pacific, I’m going to use the gas.” Erika called, reaching for her canister.

“Understood,” Alayna responded, her voice clearly strained. It sounded as if she was currently in some sort of fight. “Send it.”

Erika didn’t hesitate. She released the canister and heard a faint hissing sound as it was released throughout the building. Erika got to the window and watched as Alayna came running across the corner.

The three of them abseiled down the building, before landing on solid ground once more.

“Let’s get out of here,” Alayna said, panting.

07.11.25 ★ Genre Daily
607/500 words

“Oh my!” shrieked Tragedy, scrabbling around their desk. “Where is my pen? This is a disaster!! How could such horrible things happen to me?”

“Your… pen?” Comedy queried, giggling a little. “Surely you have more than one?” He pressed.

“Well, yes, but MY PEN!!!!!” wailed Tragedy, who had by now flung themselves onto the floor and was crying up to the ceiling in despair. “What a tragedy!!”

“Pfft-” started Comedy, who was quickly interrupted by Tragedy pressing a finger against his lips.

“Shh,” Tragedy warned, “this is my moment.”

Tragedy paced up and down the room, arms, gesticulating widely, tears streaming down their face. “This pen. This pen wasn’t just any old pen. This pen was my sixty-seventh. ever. pen. I found it in the library. It is,” Tragedy choked dramatically, “was, the most special pen ever, because it was never really mine, you see, it was yours, Comedy’s-”

Comedy’s face fell, and stopped laughing. (For once).

“You stole my pen?”

Tragedy wept tears of laughter. Their roles seemed to have switched. “No, dear, I just took it. ANYWAY, it was special to me because it made me feel JOY. Do you KNOW how rarely I feel joy? Even the saddest souls are capable of being happy, even if it is as the most smallest things. Do you know how often I can feel happy?”

Comedy ventured a guess. “..Not that often?”, and started laughing, smacking the desk at his own light sarcasm. "Gosh, this is so funny." He added between breaths. “I am so funny! Don’t you think I’m the most amusing man alive?"

Tragedy shrugged miserably, and they both froze when they heard a voice sound throughout the room.

“I don’t know. Do I?”

Comedy smiled nervously, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek. She was here.

“AGH! Who goes there?” Tragedy cried, grasping their hair in their hands. “Isn’t this just great? Yet ANOTHER genre has come to witness my downfall.”

“…Your downfall?”, Comedy giggled. “All you did was lose my pen. And yes, I’m still salty about that.”

The last comment sent Tragedy into another wave of tears, and this made Comedy feel a little bad.. Tragedy’s spiralling was halted, however by the voice entering the room. The voice belonged to a woman in all black, shrouded in a dark cloak.

“I know where your pen is.” said Mystery.

Tragedy looked up, somewhat hopefully. “Where is it, then?”

“Figure it out for yourself,” groaned Mystery, who dropped her cool facade. “I’m really not bothered to be all mysterious and tell you where the pen is. So do something by yourself for once.“

“Then what’s the use of you being here,” laughed Comedy, “and WHY do I keep laughing?”

Mystery got out a hammer and broke the fourth wall.

“Because, Comedy, that’s your personality, and the author needed three genres, and I was The. Perfect. Match.”

(She’s not really.)

“Hey! I so am!”

“Then tell us where my pen is!” pleaded Tragedy. “All my tragedies will be mysterious for the next month if you do.”

“Ugh, fine. It’s in your…”

Comedy leaned in, and Tragedy stood up.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Oh, hurry up already,” snapped Tragedy. “We don’t need this suspense thing anymore.”

“Fine. Look in your pencil case.”

And so Tragedy did, and they pulled the pen out, a ghost of a smile on their face.

“So it was in your pencil case the whole time? How HILARIOUS!” Ridiculed Comedy, which sent Tragedy into another heartbroken main character moment.

“I am such a fool…” they sighed.

Comedy and Tragedy looked up to see the third genre’s input.

She had, however, mysteriously vanished.

daily 7 - thriller/romance/paranormal

The storm bore down on me, raging and roaring and fighting with the strength of bears and wolves - the whole zoo, for that matter - as its anger blew at my race like a tornado of hatred. Thunder rang through the air like the gods trying to reach me, let me know that their inferno of water bullets would flood the earth, just like so many great floods have punished people.
But I couldn't move, I couldn't. I could only stay huddled in the middle of the great open heath, raging back at the storm. Maybe I would die here, the lightning would singe my head and leave my lifeless body to be flooded with all sorts of disease. Yet could any be worse than the disease that creeps into my consciousness, the disease of betrayal and the disease of being betrayed.

“Are you cold?”

A hand touched my shoulder with a strange softness… it was in complete contrast to the rage that blustered around me, and something softened within me, begrudgingly. It was strange, a face with such youthful innocence and tenderness, but his eyes had such age - yet still, his features looked strange in the flashing darkness. “Who are you?” I shouted over the cacophony of light and sound and anger.
“Don't worry about me. I'm a fool, a madman, a loyal follower… Yet disguised, none, all… I am a protector and if you were not so shrouded by the anger of the storm that is in your very heart, you would be able to see that.” I looked up, suprised, yet the words were uttered with such allure that I found myself magnetised in towards him and…
His hands wrapped around me, bringing me in closer to his warm heart and the bubble of calm that protected me from the storm. “I can see… You're safety, aren't you? You're sent by, by god to save me from my madness. Oh, don't let me be mad. You can stop it, can't you?” I whispered into his ear, shivering at our proximity but relishing it. Finally, one person who won't betray me. One person I can trust.

“Yes, yes, you're safe.” I smiled. “But nothing can save you from madness. It's already there.”
I pulled away from him- him? Where was he, where had he gone, did he ever really exist?

I blinked my eyes in the bright white light. Harsh, unyielding, white light. Surrounded by… harsh, unyielding white walls and floors. A small voice in my head whispered, ‘solitary confinement.’ But that couldn't be true, obviously. “What is this?” I asked the man who leaned against the wall. His eyes drifted up, slowly and in a way that sent lightning through my veins.
“Madness.” I blinked, he was gone. Again, and he started to walk towards me, his body peeling off the wall the other side of the white room. A second later, he twisted my shoulders round from behind me and pulled me in -
“Maybe madness isn't so bad after all.” I whispered to the empty white room.

Nov 7 daily – Genres
Romance/Gothic/Comedy

“Hey, so, do you wanna come over to my place tomorrow?”
I blinked. “What?”
“To work on our project?”
“Oh. Right. The project. Yeah. Sure.” I had been assigned to work on a school project with Caleb. Of course that’s why he’s talking to me. I have to focus on putting together coherent sentences and not staring at his lips or his swooshy hair. “Can I get your number? To coordinate project stuff?”
“Sure.”
We exchange phone numbers, and he gives me his address.
The next day, I spend too much time deciding on an outfit. I need to look cute but not like I’m really trying to look cute. Finally, I head over to his house.
I haven’t been in this part of town before. The street is lined with beautiful old houses, many with peeling paint. The wind whips at my hair as I find myself standing in front of a Victorian home with an overgrown yard. I walk up to the porch and use the heavy metal doorknocker to knock on the door.
I wait for a minute, but no one answers. A few rain drops fall. Is no one home? I double-check my phone — yep, this is the right address. I text Caleb, Im here. The wind and rain pick up and I shiver, wishing I’d worn a jacket. Am I just supposed to wait here?
I try the doorknob, and find the door unlocked. I pull the door open. “Hello?”
If it’s unlocked, surely he wouldn’t mind if I came in…? I hope so. It’s starting to really pour now, and I don’t want to stand outside a moment longer. So I step into the house.
“Hello?” I call again as I shut the door. “It’s Madison. I came to help Caleb with a project?”
No one answers, but I hear some scuffling upstairs, so I head up there to see who it is. As I make it to the top of the stairs, I see a white blur and a door slam shut. I try to check my phone, but it’s dead.
“Is anyone in here?” I call. My voice echoes through the hall. I hear an eerie moan coming from behind a nearby door.
Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes outside. Maybe I should just go home. It’s getting dark. Then a door at the far end of the hall swings open, and out steps someone in a long white dress, her face hidden by a veil. She advances slowly toward me.
“Sorry, I’ll be going!” I shout and race down the stairs, through the entryway, out the door. I’ve made it to the sidewalk when I hear a voice.
“Madison?”
It’s not the voice of a ghost. I turn and see Caleb stepping out of a car.
“Oh— God— There you are.” I pant.
“Yeah, sorry, I had some errands to run. I should’ve texted sooner.” Caleb looks at me. “Are you okay?”
“There was— I thought I saw— I mean, there was this… Is your house haunted?”
“Haunted? What, did you see something?”
“The door was unlocked so I…” I tell him what happened.
“Ugh.” Caleb rolls his eyes. “Grandma. Come on, let’s get inside.” He leads me back into the house, then yells, “GRANDMA! ARE YOU PLAYING PRANKS AGAIN?”
Standing at the top of the stairs is the figure in the dress. I can see her face now — she’s an old lady. She cackles. “I got your friend good, huh!”

Poetry collection - first (rough) draft
actual tw - death

Trigger warning: the very mouldy truth

Beyond the grave

beyond the grave?
oh darling…
there’s nothing there but

mud
worms
coffin
bones
rot
death

The End.

hate to break it to you.

wait-

you won’t accept that?
you want more?

fine.

imagine the gravestone, a name
inscribed deep into the stone
like a knife carved deep into flesh
as if that, or anything, will keep them alive.
‘beloved’
‘dearest’
For now, maybe that’s true
but time will grave-rob the truth
as their names slip into the mudslide of history.
what - beloved bones, dearest decay?
or just another body lost in the maze,
another coffin silent in another grave…

And there are no memories
that side of the stone.
their bones are white
as the programme of the songs you sing, dressed in black,
as the tissues that soak up your tears.
no matter how much you cherish them
as you sob before the stone,
your tears can drill holes in earth
but nothing can undo the hearse -
what lies within is earth, wood… bones.
locks of hair curl around the
empty.
skull
where no thoughts lurk
because
they
are
Dead.

prefer that explanation?
no? well it’s only going to get worse from here.
i’d say sorry. but I’m not.

Pretty cheery stuff, hey?


Rotting platitudes


‘love never dies’ apparently,
that's what they say.

load of good that was,
my heart’s compost now.
it lies deep in the ground, enshrouded
in mulch. Sprouting mould at the edges
like a warm winter coat,
but maybe that’s how it’s meant to be…

the worms lean our names by heart
as they churn a vat of euphemisms
that fuel the comforting inferno of lies.

‘they’re proud of you’ supposedly
well, nobody’s ever received a gold star
from someone 6 feet under.

‘never forget them’
but honestly?
my name will soften in your mouth
like old fruit-
the memories have long passed their expiration date.

‘they’re in a better place now’
funny, if anyone’s been
they’d have sent a postcard
or posted a selfie I could like.
there’s no good in that now,
no service underground.

It’s all very well saying forever,
but forever decomposed first.


TTYL

I loved u
thx 4 yr time.
it meant smth, i think
Idrk
Idk how 2 miss u tho, tbh
maybe a hashtag would help?
tbh, idk
idk..
idk idk id-

I don’t know.
All I know is-

Grief with rubbish wifi,
mourning in 3G.
My connection lost mid memory
liked posts consoling me.
And drafts still linger in the inbox
of the emotions left unsaid
but what use is that, when you’re already d-

gone?

I know typing dots control my heartbeat
and I’ve said so many lies,
I don’t really ‘gtg’
and ‘lol’ won’t hide my cries.
This artificial living won’t save me
while I look for you above
wait did living autocorrect?
I meant to type lo-

I can’t say it. Not now.

Idk.
emotions are hard over text.

My phone pulses with autocorrected condolences
and my heart
pulses with notifications of my
pain.

So, pls brb asap…

Ttyl
Or not.
Idk.

I guess I’ll be rotting one day too.
just another rotting abbreviation.


We ‘regret’ to inform you…

Inbox (1)

Subject: Employee Status Notice

Good morning,
We regret to inform you that you have been reassigned
to nothingness.

A minute’s silence will be observed in honour of your memory.
Unpaid.
Or maybe a silence forever.

Kind regards.


Inbox (1)

Subject: T&Cs

Good afternoon,
I am writing to confirm the terms and conditions
Of your recent death,
Which we reiterate we are not liable for.

By dying, you consent to:
A loss of legacy,
The possibility of side effects including, but not limited to
Loss of vision,
Permanent paralysis
And rot of all flesh.

For queries concerning resurrection,
Please see clause 7b.

Thank you for your time.


Inbox (1)

Subject: Tomorrow’s forecast

Good evening,
Quick update on tomorrow’s forecast.
Scattered funerals, light mourning by the coast,
Bringing in high pressure in the chest by dawn
And a slim chance of remembrance.

That’s all for now.


Inbox (0)

Error 404 - soul not found
Please try refreshing the body
Or turning life on and off again

Loading…

No results.
Clearing all search history permanently.

Inbox (0)

daily 7
really really weird story idk what I was doing here but it goes fantasy –> sci-fi –> mystery ig


Once upon a time, in a magical world (obviously), lived a young man. He was pretty much just your average guy. His main difference between completely average was his height. He was a bit shorter than average, about five foot three, or 160 centimeters. Other than that – actually, I am not even going to describe him. Just picture Chuuya Nakahara from bsd, and you'll come pretty close. Anyways this guy, his name was Fish and he was looking for his place in the world. He knew he definitely didn't want to be a fairy. He didn't know how to ride a unicorn, so that career option was out of the question, sadly. It would be cool, but not possible. But unfortunately, Fish hadn't looked too much into other career options. He didn't know what he could be in the future. He didn't know what to do with his life.
One normal morning in Fish's normal life, he woke up and got out of bed. A fairy floated by the window and said good morning to him. He smiled and said good morning back. Then he got ready for the day. He had cereal for breakfast. One might think that living in a magical world, Fish would have something… a bit more magical than cereal for breakfast. But too bad. He was not feeling too motivated to make anything higher effort for breakfast, so cereal it was. He yawned, tired. Then he finished his breakfast, put his bowl in the magical sink that automatically washed the dishes whenever they were placed in it, and headed outside. Fish didn't have many plans for the day, because he really didn't even know what to do with himself. But little did he know that today would be very different.
Fish walked through the fields. The grass shone and shimmered and sparkled. Birds sang beautiful songs (“Oh, I am so in love!” “OHHHHHH YOU ARE GAY”). A unicorn trotted around in the distance. A dragon landed next to the unicorn, and a bear hopped off of the dragon's back. Fish could see the three of them having a conversation. He looked around and wondered what to do today.
Just then, there was a loud noise and a flash of light. All of a sudden, a guy was standing in front of Fish. The guy was taller than him – actually, you know what, I am not going to describe him either. Picture Till from alnst, that's close enough. The guy looked at Fish. “Hi,” he said. “We need your help.”
And that was how Fish found himself with this guy, Jas, in a world that, despite all the magic he had known, was something he had never imagined possible.
“WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?!?” Fish yelled.
Jas glanced over his shoulder. “Huh? Oh, they're just the security robots.”
“WHAT'S A ROBOT?!?!?”
“Not important! They know why I'm here! We've gotta run!!”
Jas sprinted off, dragging Fish with him. Fish glanced back over his shoulder and saw that the robots were chasing them.
“WHY ARE THEY CHASING US??” he yelled.
“I kinda stole this thing!” Jas called back. He pointed at a bracelet on his wrist. “It's like an interdimensional time travel hopper or whatever. It's how I got to where you were.” He hopped on a scooter, pulling Fish on as well. “Time to go!”
“Wait, why can't you use it agaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA!!” Fish yelped as the scooter started to move very quickly.
“It'll only take us to another dimension, and we need to stay in this one, and if we go into another dimension and try to go back here that won't work either, because it'll take us right back to where we left from!” Jas explained.
None of this made any sense to poor Fish. He would just have to go with it, he guessed.
Everything went so fast it was all just a blur and then all of a sudden they were in a city with buildings taller than Fish had ever seen and then they stopped outside of one of those tall buildings. Jas got off of the scooter and continued dragging Fish along. They went into the building and up the elevator.
“Hi, I'm back!” Jas exclaimed.
“Hi back, I'm Lilu!” someone called from somewhere in the apartment. A girl appeared from down a hallway. She had purple hair and yeah no I'm not describing her appearance either. She looked pretty similar to Rumi from kpdh so just picture that. “So someone stole all the chairs…”
“What? NO!!” Jas cried. “Can you find them? I have a lot to do…”
“You know I can't!” Lilu said. She looked at Fish. “Hmm… wait, could you find the chairs?”
“What??” Fish asked, taken aback. Could he find the chairs? How was he supposed to find the chairs? But he didn't have anything else to do, so he nodded.
Fish had no clue how to find the chairs. “It's a mystery!” he cried. “And I have no idea how to solve mysteries!”
A guy with weird purple hair that covered his eyes suddenly somehow poofed into existence in front of him and started singing. “You're all I can think of, every drop I drink up–”
“NOBODY ASKED YOU!!” Jas shrieked at the guy. “Ignore him,” he added to Fish. “He's annoying like that.”
Fish was just trying to focus on solving the mystery. Lilu was not helping him at all. Jas, meanwhile, kept getting in the way. Like at one point, Fish was looking under a bookshelf, and he bumped into it, and knocked a couple of books off the shelf. One of the books fell ON HIS HEAD (ouch) and another fell in front of him. The one that landed on his head then bounced off and landed on top of the other one. Fish glanced down at it and saw a guy that looked vaguely like him on the cover. He stared. Then Jas got in his way, yanking the other book out from under that one and off the floor. Fish caught the phrase “detective agency” before the book was closed and all he could see was the cover, and even that wasn't too visible. “I literally JUST got the first few volumes of bsd!! Be careful!!” Jas exclaimed. He picked up the book that had fallen on Fish's head and carefully placed both books back on the shelf with one book between them. So apparently the guy who looked a bit like Fish was from the same thing as this detective agency. Not that Fish had any clue who this guy was or if he was at all involved in the detective agency, but still. That was a bit scary. No pressure here!
Fish was trying to put the clues together. There was a path of something being dragged across the kitchen floor. He followed it to the living room, then out of the apartment, where he lost the trail. But there was a pink glow coming from another apartment. “Hmm, maybe that's it?” he said, thinking out loud. The door of the other apartment was open a crack. Fish peeked inside. The first thing he saw was a chair. “AHA!!” he exclaimed. Fish ran back to Jas and Lilu's apartment. “GUYS!! I FOUND THE CHAIRS!!” he cried.
Jas and Lilu leapt up and followed Fish out of their apartment to the other one. They pushed open the door. There were even more chairs in there than Fish had thought! He had solved the mystery!
Actually no, he hadn't. Jas and Lilu shook their heads.
“Thanks for trying, Fish, but that's not it,” Lilu said. “That's Bow's collection. She has… a lot of chairs. But those aren't ours.”
“Hey, you tried,” Jas added. “I mean, that's not at all bad for someone who only just got here today.” Fish smiled, although he could hear Jas muttering to himself, “would've been better if he hadn't knocked the bsd off the shelf… at least he didn't knock off the green yuri…”
Oh well.
But seriously, what kind of a crazy sci-fi mystery world had Fish somehow ended up in from his fantasy one?
“You're my soda pop, my little soda pop–” the guy started singing again.
“STOP SINGING THAT!!!!” Jas screeched.


1377 words sobs

Lourve Heist Daily

Carlos (19) Spain - Good with computers, hacked the mainframe
Brianne (18) America - Studious and smart, planned everything
Evan (19) Hong Kong - The mastermind / leader, dropped the crown on purpose
Vienna (19) Italy - Evan's number 2, really strong and good at fighting
Lola (17) America - People person, distracted the guards


Plan:

1st GENRE: Science-fiction: Carlos hacking the mainframe. Password is Louvre. They dismantle the security system
2nd GENRE: Mystery: Brianne organizing the plan, they steal the crown
3rd GENRE: Action: Fight scene (Vienna is locked in)
4th GENRE: Romance: Evan drops the crown on purpose to impress Vienna
5th GENRE: Journalism: Lola distracts a detective as sirens blare and they all escape



“Alright, Carlos. What've you got?”
They're hunched around the Spaniard in the confines of their van, watching eagerly as his slender fingers masterfully navigate the keyboard. The tension in the air is palpable. Once they get through these firewalls… well, the jewels may as well be theirs.
“Coming. Just have to optimize scalable applications… synergize the transmissible infrastructures…”
He's muttering under his breath, finger flying, technological jargon flashing on the monitors he has wired precariously on the walls of the van. Electric-green digits and brackets appear and dissipate faster than the others can register, but Carlos? He seems to be able to understand like it's his native language.
He whirrs around in his seat, grabbing his earbuds and a pair of precision pliers. With surgical accuracy, he adjusts the wiring and hits a command on one of his many glowing keyboards. Holding the earpiece up to his head, a small grin creeps onto his face.
“It's working. We're in.”
Whoops and cheers erupt throughout the claustrophobically tight van, shushed immediately by Evan. He shoots them all the evil eye.
“Are you trying to get caught before we even begin?”
“Sorry, Evan,” Lola giggles, batting a curl out of her eyes. “I'm just excited. It's finally happening!”
Evan rolls his eyes, but there's a glint in them- one of unmistakable ambition. He runs a hand through his hair, poker-straight locks so black they look blue in the dim light. He glances sideways at Vienna, who is leaning eagerly over Carlos' shoulder.
“Alright, guys,” Carlos says, leaning back in his seat. He holds the earbud up to Brianne. “This is for you- I'll be on the other end, and I'll relay the security radios to you guys.”
“You got the security radio?” Brianne asks in surprise. “Dang, Carlos! You really know your way around all this tech stuff.”
“Oh, it was nothing,” Carlos replies, a hint of a blush spreading across his tan skin. “Seriously, their security is abysmal. The password to the mainframe was literally ‘Louvre’!”
Brianne laughs and shakes her head, straight blonde hair falling in a curtain across her face. “Better for us, I guess.”
There's a moment of silence, and then Evan clears his throat.
“Okay, everyone. We all know our positions. Carlos, you're able to reach us from within the van?”
“Yeah, the range on this thing is over thirty terabytes. We'll be fine.”
“Good.” Evan straightens his blazer and places a hand on the van door.
“It's time.”

-

Brianne is standing inconspicuously in the ornately gold-plated doorway, surveying the scene. On the opposite side of the gallery, Evan is seemingly admiring a tasteless Renaissance piece, dressed appropriately in a flattering oversized suit and decked in silver jewelry. He looks exactly the part of a fine art admirer. Nearby, Vienna waits, looking gorgeous as ever in a high-fashion bodycon dress that highlights her figure. She runs a hand through her luscious mahogany waves, attracting the glances of more than a few nearby boys. Brianne withholds a chuckle. If only they knew… there's much more to Vienna than her looks.
A crackle comes through on Brianne's earpiece- it's Carlos.
“T-minus sixty seconds until power out, that's sixty seconds.”
Somebody brushes past Brianne, wedging something into her hand. It's a small, dainty screwdriver- and when Brianne turns to check, she's right. That's Lola, inconspicuous in her sweater and jeans, strolling away from her.
Brianne closes her eyes and takes a breath. This is it. They've gone through the plan hundreds of times. She's ready.
“T-minus twenty seconds. Approach cautiously. Comms will cut out for security on the signal.”
Brianne weaves her way towards the display case. Those jewels… that crown… they'll all soon be theirs.
“Ten seconds.” She's standing next to the case.
“Five seconds. Four, three, two…” She clutches the screwdriver.
“One.”
Suddenly, the lights in the gallery flicker and extinguish, plunging the room into an all-encompassing darkness. Instantly, Brianne is moving, dismantling the protective case. Before Lola even has time to let out her pre-planned bloodcurdling scream, the jewelry is in her hands and she's shoving through the crowd.
Static crackles in her ear, and the Carlos' accented voice can be heard. “West entrance is clear. All according to plan so far.”
Brianne keeps pushing. Her checkpoint should be right out this doorway…
There. She sees the shadow of Evan lurking nearby and pushes the goods into his hands. In the dim light, she can briefly make out the movement of him tucking them into his conveniently loose-fitting suit jacket.
As Brianne keeps moving through the shadows, chaos is erupting around her. The lights have been out for over thirty seconds. People are screaming, shrieking, shouting, shoving into others. Amidst the chaos, nobody notices that the crown jewels are gone.“
The lights, without warning, flash back on, momentarily blinding Brianne. She stumbles. Was this in the plan?
”Carlos…?“
”They had a backup gen. Shoot…“
”What do we do?“
”Does Evan have them?“
”Yes.“
”Okay.“ He pauses. ”I think it's time for Plan V.“
Brianne smiles.
Plan V.

-

Out of the corner of her eye, Vienna catches Brianne staring. The lights had blinded her momentarily, but now she's on high alert. This isn't Plan A. She raises her eyebrows at Brianne, who nods. Smirking, Vienna turns and shoves into the security guard on her right.
She ducks out of his vision, causing him to round onto an innocent-looking middle aged man, who cowers at the yelling. His wife, however, is not having it, and lashes out at the guard. He shouts for backup…
Within second, chaos has erupted again. Security floods into the gallery, bearing tasers menacingly. Punches are being thrown and people are tripping, screaming, lashing out.
And then it happens. Amidst the chaos, a singular, flickering voice is heard.
”The jewels! They- they're gone!“
The guards turn towards the voice, jaws dropping. Vienna takes the opportunity to go on the attack, spinning in an elegant yet extremely effective roundhouse kick to the back of the skull. She weaved through the crowd, throwing punches and tripping bystanders.
From the corner of the room, Evan watches closely. This is when Vienna's at her best. She's like a hurricane in the crowd- dangerous, uncontrollable, but somehow something to marvel at. For a brief second, he catches her eye and nods towards the door.
Vienna begins to beeline for the exit, ducking under arms, leaving a trail of devastation whenever she passes. Hitting. Kicking. Lashing out-
she knows just how to inflict maximum damage.
Finally, they reach the door. She brushes arms with Evan, neither making eye contact. As they take off in a sprint, the world around them fades into a blur of voices and bodies.

-

Evan's adrenaline is through the roof. They're so close. So close to doing it… to stealing the crown jewels from the most prestigious museum in the world. As he and Vienna race through the packed halls, he smiles.
This is the perfect opportunity.
Pretending to stumble, Evan falls to the ground, the crown skittering out of his jacket as he crashes down. It slides across the floor, shimmering like an iceberg in the sun. Vienna skids to a stop, gasping.
Without missing a beat, Evan rolls into a tuck and springs back up from the ground. He rushes towards the glinting crown, suit jacket flying open behind him like crows' wings. Vienna can't help but stare. As Evan sprints to the crown, his hair flies out of his face, revealing his deep, brown eyes- eyes that Vienna can't quite seem to get out of her mind. They glint in the light, sparkling with adrenaline.
Evan doesn't miss a beat as he nears the crown resting on the floor. With a flick of his ankle, it flies into the air, glittering a brilliant gold. Fluidly, Evan springs off a low display table, leaping into the air and snatching the crown back. He tucks it calmly back into his jacket and hits the ground, stride never broken.
Vienna has to laugh. Evan just has that kind of aura… she's always amazed when she's around him.
She sprints off again, catching Evan as he rounds the corner out of the building. He turns to look at her, the hint of a sly smile on his face.
”Show-off,“ says Vienna.
”You know you like it,“ Evan replies easily.
They sprint in tandem towards Carlos and the van, movements mirrored perfectly. Evan sneaks glances out of the corner of his eyes at Vienna, at her powerful figure as she runs, at her perfect hair flying behind her, at her sharp, striking features, alight with adrenaline.
He's so glad that he gets to call her his.
They round the corner of the street, leaving the Louvre behind in a frenzy of blaring alarms. Ahead, Carlos is holding the van doors open from inside, head peeking out.
They slam into the van, slamming the door. Carlos floors the pedal and they're jolted backwards, momentum crashing them into each other. Evan clutches Vienna's hand, and she smiles.
In the front seat, the exchange has not gone unnoticed by Carlos. He rolls his eyes.
”You two, honestly. Buckle up. We've gotta go collect the others."

-

Transcript from a live news report at the Louvre Museum. Behind the reporter, chaos is erupting. Sirens blare and police rush into and out of the palace, panicked looks on everyone's face. The reporter is interviewing a pretty, curly-haired teenage girl, the sunlight casting a golden glow on her dark skin. She has a look of concern plastered onto her face.

“…here with Ms Lola, who was in the gallery at the time of the outage. What was your experience? Were you shocked at the sudden cut in the lights?”
“Of course! I was terrified!” The girl shivers, as if the very memory is sending a chill down her spine. “We were all so confused… nobody knew what on earth was going on. People started screaming.”
“And when did you realize that the jewels were gone?”
“Not for a while, honestly,” the girl replies, eyes wide, features arranged into the picture of innocence. “Everybody was just so confused- we just wanted to be safe, and for the lights to come back on! It was only when somebody shouted that the jewels were gone did we realize…”
“And what were the emotions in the room at the time?”
“Well, shock. Nobody believed it at first. But the jewels were gone, alright. I think we were all just stunned. It's hard to wrap your head around such a scheme, you know. And then the fighting, of course…”
“Fighting? There was fighting?
”Yes. People started fighting… guards and security, guests, everybody. It was quite… oh, I'm so sorry…"
The girl is beginning to sob, covering her face with her hands. It's a truly heartwrenching sight. One can only imagine the stress she's just been through.
“There, there… it'll be okay. Thank you for providing your perspective. You're free to go… please take care of yourself.”
The girl nods, folding her hands into her sweater, and forces a smile. The camera pans back to the reporter as she leaves the interview.


Nobody notices, but just out-of-frame, the girl stops crying immediately, perking her head back up. The corners of her mouth tilt upwards into a small smile.

-





TS WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE HAHAHAHAHAHAH
2000 words on the nose!!!!
genres: sci-fi, mystery, action, romance, journalism.
ocs not mine. from the louvre headcannons lmaooo. iykykkkkkkkkkkkkk

thanks for reading!

November 7th Daily
This is SO BAD do not read it unless you have to :') Seriously, I am so very un-proud of this. but uhh I tried and maybe I'll write something better for it later not for points but just to fix it. Sigh. Anyway, I tried to do real-fi to thriller to supernatural/fantasy
(also ignore the fact that I know nothing about theater, seriously have I mentioned how bad this is)

This show was going to suck. Like. So badly. At this point it was so awful it wasn’t even funny. Okay, maybe it was a bit funny, considering someone had just gotten bright green paint splashed over their jeans. But the show needed to somehow get to a preform-able level in five hours so this was not good. Also the director of the play was out sick and the teachers who were attempting to help had no idea what they were doing and were spending half of the time eating snacks and scrolling on their phones. “Okay, you all. We can do this! C’mon, focus everyone.” that was the student stage director who actually knew how to actually run a theater production, so that was a plus. If there was any chance at all of the show ending up to be anything but a terrible mess, it would be because of her. “At this point, we can’t make anything brilliant. But we can make something that we’re not incredibly ashamed off and do not need to ban from all theater group conversations, such as the Show That We Will Never Name Ever. Stage crew, get building. Actors, start rehearsing NOW. Other people, get the stage ready and start preparing. I need to see everyone start working in the next five minutes. If you don’t know what you’re doing, come talk to me.” I sighed. I was an actor, somehow. Only a super minor actor, but whatever. I walked to the stage, prepared to start rehearsing with my fellow actors who were running around in a state of panic and trying not to get paint on their costumes and generally being a total mess. I already had paint on my shows and I was just going with it- I was cast as a tree in the play, after all. And green was one of my favorite colors. Specifically, mint green, but this was close enough. One of my fellow actors started climbing onto the stage, at which point the lights went out. All of them. Without the emergency lights between the seats that were supposed to turn on in case of a power outage. “Umm…hi?” I said into the pretty much complete darkness. A hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me towards them. I flailed around and almost punched them in the face, but my aim was way off and I basically just ended up nearly falling over in empty air. “AAAH. It’s just me, Alex!” Oh right, a fellow actor. Another voice cut through the darkness. “Okay you all, who’s here? And what happened? Did we somehow blow…every fuse in the school?” A chorus of “here’s” came back. “Great, I think everyone is here.” Suddenly, ever light in the building came back on. To reveal a bunch of ghosts? Or at least, that was what they had to be, considering that they were blue-ish, kind of transparent, and there were a bunch of them floating around. Lots of people screamed. I wasn’t one of them because ghosts are actually kind of cool, way more interesting than just wandering around the stage trying to fix the horrible production we were working on. But also we did still need to do that production, so if the ghosts could get out of our way that would be…also kind of helpful. “Um, hi, are you ghosts?” One of the ghosts did a mini-back flip midair and looked at me. “Why yes we are! What can I do for you?” I blinked, then just kept going because whatever, having a conversation with a ghost was sort of awesome. “We kind of need to fix out theater production, so it’s like…cool our stage is kind of infested with ghosts now but also it would be awesome if you could get out of the way.” The ghosts looked at each other. “This was a theater production? Sorry…we just thought, well you know, it looked a bit…” “Like we were trying to destroy the stage with green paint?” The ghosts nodded. Yeah, we were doomed.

676 words

Cupcakes and Curses || 850 words || Daily No. 7

genres: mystery, romance, comedy, fantasy

The bell jingled as I walked into the bakery, to be met with quite the unexpected sight.
The place was trashed. Chairs overturned, tables lying on their sides, display cases smashed. Fragments of pastries and smears of woebegone cupcakes littered the floor.
In the middle of it all a young woman sat, her apron daubed with frosting. She appeared to be crying into the remains of a beetleberry pie.
I cleared my throat, shuffling from foot to foot. This was not what I had been expecting.
The young woman looked up, startled, eyes red-rimmed. “Oh – oh, I’m sorry –”
She scrambled her feet, sniffling. “I’m afraid we’re closed today. It’s a bit of a mess, as you can see.”
“Right. Um… I didn’t come in here to buy anything, actually.”
She swiped at her face, which I would describe as endearingly cute, rather than beautiful, and brushed back strands of coffee-colored hair. “Well, good, because I’m not really in a position to sell you anything.”
She offered a watery smile, and I swallowed, growing less certain by the minute.
“I, ah, um, you’ve… I’m here to… that is.” I straighten, determined to get this over with. “You’ve been accused of sabotage.”
The young woman stares at me blankly. “You think I trashed my own shop?”
I sighed, pointing across the street. “No. They think you trashed their shop.”
For years, the bakeries in this corner of town had had a somewhat infamous rivalry. It had something to do with their fairy godparents, who appeared to have some kind of longstanding feud. Regardless, lawsuits had been buzzing between the two families for as long as I could remember.
But this was serious.The Gingerbread House had sustained a lot of damage, and from the looks of it, Red Riding Hood’s Basket had too.
“May I please have your name, please?” I asked, pulling out my notepad.
“It’s Maybelle. Maybelle Hood,” she said, green eyes round and wide with shock. “Please, I didn’t do anything, I don’t know what’s going on–”
“Age?”
“Sixteen, but I don’t see what any of this–”
“And how would you describe your relations to the Pfeffernüsses?”
“Not great? I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we’ve kind of been rivals for a while. And that lying little sneak ruined my big chance.” She scowled.
“It sounds like you might have a reason for a grudge, Miss Hood,” I pointed out, snapping my notepad closed.
I could practically see smoke coming out of her ears. Actually, that might have been smoke. It’s rumored that both families have a bit of dragon blood in them, which would account for the enchanted desserts both bakeries are renowned for.
“If anything, you should blame Analise for this. It’s all her fault.” She actually stamped her foot, and I found myself battling an amused smile.
Maybelle noticed, and scowled deeper. “I don’t know what they’ve been telling you, but I didn’t do anything. Everything is destroyed.”
Something colorful caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I pointed. “Not quite everything.”
Somehow, a cupcake has escaped the slaughter unharmed. It was a shade of pink that made me think of sugar and sweet dreams, and the frosting was perfectly fluffy.
“How did that get there?” Maybelle asked, but I was already reaching for it. Any evidence could help on the case.
Except once I had it in my hands, my fingers continued lifting it towards my mouth.
Maybelle squeaked and lunged for it, but it was too late; I’d already bitten into the lovely dessert.
The cake melted to nothing on my tongue, fizzing and sparkling. My eyes widened as the sweet flavor turned hot, savageness laced with sugar.
Something was wrong. The lights appeared brighter. The colors were brighter. And Maybelle, who moments ago had been a perfectly ordinary maiden, now looked like a goddess out of legends, a heroine of mythic beauty.
“Oh,” I said.
Maybelle finally managed to wrench cupcake away from me, sputtering half-formed sentences. “No, no, no,” she said, her voice rising with each word. She swiped a bit of frosting, sniffing it. “Just as I thought. It was cursed.”
“Cursed how?” I asked, my voice sounding strange in my ears. Too soft. Too warm. Too… dazzled?
She pursed her lips, blowing a sparkling stream of dragonfire on the cupcake. It went up with a hiss, bursting into a brilliant pink flame before dissolving into ashes that twinkled as they fell from her fingers and vanished.
“If I’m not mistaken, it looks like a love curse,” she said, eyeing me balefully.
The implications don’t sink in for a long moment, as I’m distracted with the way her cheeks are starting to flush, probably with anger.
Then I smacked myself in the forehead. “Sea and skies, no.”
“Oh, yes,” Maybelle grumbled. “This is going to make things so much harder.”
“I’m supposed to be solving the case!” I exclaimed, frantically trying to make things make sense again.
“Then,” Maybelle suggested frigidly. “I suppose you should get to solving it. Come on, I’ll show you the evidence.”

we return to our base camp bloody and bruised, ears ringing at the sound of shots firing all day and the shrieks of our fellow companions in the battlefield. the confederates shouldn't be back for a couple days if we did as well as everyone is saying we did. i suppose they could plan some sort of surprise attack, but that isn't likely with their low numbers. i hobble into my tent, legs aching and having no desire but to lay down. it would be a miracle if i actually got sleep, but at least i can get some sort of relaxation, if only for a few minutes before another task comes up for me to do around camp. i open my leather journal to the back cover. my wife's last letter to me was a month ago, telling me how liliana got through her first full movie without dozing off in the middle of it. i can picture it clearly, as if i was actually there and not just reading it on the page. my sweet curly haired daughter captivated with ariel swimming around in the sea, singing mermaids and fish, the mermaid's voice being stolen, falling in love with prince eric as she learns to use her feet! i feel the beginning of a smile on my face, eyes shiny with welled up tears.

i hear a loud bang in the distance, taking my attention from the journal to what's happening outside of my tent. i cautiously push away fabric acting as a door and am met with the sight of frantic soldiers scrambling around camp for their weapons. another bang sounds, and the ground shakes as everything goes black.

- - -

a playful yelp wakes me from slumber, and as my eyes open to take in my surroundings, i'm shocked with the landscape all around me. i'm underwater! seaweed brushes up against my legs, no, my tail? before i can even comprehend the fact that i have a tail, a couple of mermaids rush in front of me, playing a game of what i assume is tag.

“you playing or what?” the last mermaid calls with a smirk as she swims by. her stunning red hair catches me off guard, and i give a quick nod before i realize what she asked. i quickly get myself out of the tangle of seaweed and chase after her. i make rapid gains on her, turning out to be a faster swimmer than i thought i was. she suddenly whips around and comes to a stop, causing me to nearly crash into her. the other mermaids watch from a distance, rolling their eyes. the girl lightly taps me on the shoulder, giggling sweetly. “you're it!” she rushes away to the other mermaids who loudly express their discontent.

“you can't just invite someone new to the game and trick them into being it!” one exclaims.
“you're such a cheater, ari,” another mutters, her arms crossed.
“let's just go back to the palace since you ruined the game.”

ari, the red-haired girl, appears unfazed, a victorious grin plastered on her face. “that's fine with me,” she chuckles. the other mermaids turn to leave, but ari swims over to me. “come on,” she says, taking my hand. “i've never seen you around here. father is going to want to meet you. he's in a good mood today so i don't think he'll banish you!” her eyes sparkle with pleasure, her smile still wide as she stares at me, gently guiding me toward the palace. i don't know why i'm here or how i got here, but i think if this girl sticks around, i wouldn't mind staying.

- - -

“father,” ari begins, pushing me forward. “i found him on the outskirts of the kingdom looking all strange and confused. he's already lost a game of tag so he's definitely not worthy of anything important,” she says with a light laugh. “but he's no one dangerous.” she looks at me calmly. it takes a moment for me to snap my gaze from her beautiful blue eyes and instead look at her father. after receiving a swift elbow from ari to my side, i clear my throat, figuring i should probably agree with her for my own sake.

“uh, yes, sir. i promise i won't be a threat to you or your kingdom.”

he gives a scarily quiet laugh. “oh, dear boy, no one can be a threat to me, only to my daughters, which you'd best not be.”

“oh, of course, your majesty,” i reply, noticing the big jeweled crown sitting atop his head. he nods, then flicks his wrist, and ari drags me away.

as soon as we're out of sight of her father, ari starts laughing until she can't breathe. this catches me by surprise, and i can't help but admire her and the beams of joy radiating from her. “you're such a doofus,” she finally gets out in between giggles. putting on a tone that i think is supposed to be mocking me, she repeats what i said to her father. “yes, sir! i'm not a threat, your majesty, i promise.” the cutest snort i've ever heard in my life escapes from her as she cackles, and i think my heart melts on the spot.

once she finally calms down, she takes my hand again, and i feel unstoppable at her touch. “we should probably be heading to bed now, seeing as the sun is almost down,” she tells me, leading me to wherever bed is. “i'll tell sebastian to get you a room, assuming you don't have a room of your own to go back to?” i shake my head, not a clue where home is for me. after a few minutes of swimming, we arrive at the kingdom's large hall of rooms. as promised, a little crab named sebastian gives me my very own room, and after a quick goodnight, i'm left alone. as soon as my head hits the insanely soft pillow, i feel myself drifting off, a smile on my face as i go through the memories the day has brought me.

- - -

when i wake, i expect to see the mermaid girl or maybe the tiny crab, but am instead met with the sound of harsh beeps and nurses rushing around a cramped hospital room. i wonder what happened since my underwater experience and now, but the blaring tv hung on the wall in front of me interrupts my thoughts. “despite the desperate attempts made by the world's best scientists, there is no way to reverse the disease now raging through every part of our beloved planet. citizens of earth are dropping like flies, and the illness has infected nearly all of our planet's last bit of resources, leaving us nothing. we wish you the best of luck in survival, but this will be our last news broadcast. signing off.” the tv goes black, and screams are heard in every room of the hospital as people fight for any type of medication that might fight whatever disease they're facing.

This is a part of a larger story I'm writing Checkout the main thread!
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/846732/?page=5#post-8799139

An alarm rings, and it signals the end of the mind-numbing lecture. Daisy walks out of the classroom to be greeted by a familiar voice. “Man, I can’t believe we actually have to take this class. It’s like beating a dead horse and reviving it, just to beat it again! I mean, how many times are we going to go over this? Even the talismans themselves are self-explanatory! Of course, the green one is going to be related to nature, and the red one is going to be dangerous.” A young boy with curly, black hair practically skips out of the classroom and catches up with her. “Listen, I’m sure this is a very useful class, and at least one teen will benefit from it since these things are extremely dangerous. Though they may have a little trouble studying for it, given how dark it is under a rock.” They both laugh and keep up small talk on their way to the cafeteria. Daisy has been friends with the boy since she started living with her adoptive grandmother. He and his family were close neighbours with the elderly flower shopkeeper, and she had been introduced to them relatively quickly. After hanging out for a few hours, the two had quickly created a bond between each other and have been together ever since. Of course, he wasn’t her only friend, as they quickly met up with a small group sitting at a lunch table. Suddenly, Daisy stops at the table with a clear look of confusion in her eyes.
“Hey, somebody’s missing!” The group nods their heads. A caucasian girl with brown, wavy hair replies. “Yeah, we thought that he would be with you two, but apparently not. I’m sure it’s not that big of a deal.” Another, with long black hair, retorts. “It actually is. Nobody saw him over the weekend, and I don’t remember the last time they’ve ever missed school. I’m almost convinced that he would rather lose a limb than miss a day, that crazy guy.” The group looks at each other and starts to snicker. Daisy puts her hands on her hips and replies.
“Well, when was the last time anyone saw him?”
She hears a voice next to her. “It was actually me, we went to the forest nearby to collect samples for the science project. In fact, I was planning on showing all of you a really cool bug that I found with him. He also found a nice one, the back of the shell seemed to change in style from different angles!” The curly black-haired teen digs through his backpack and pulls out a glass jar with a green scarab in it. The group oohs and ahhs at the jar, but Daisy becomes suspicious of it.
“Wait, I think yours is also somehow changing colors and patterns?”
The group instantly look closer at the scarab, as black lines on the bug start to move in various patterns. The black lines, which had originally taken a shape that looked somewhat like an eye, immediately turned a dark purple and eventually showed a circle with a snake in the middle of it. A loud boom is heard, and the lines start to glow. The cafeteria suddenly goes quiet, before turning into a sea of chaos and screaming.

Daily! 552 words

Chapter 3: Maril (completed)
Maril stopped at a signpost with a map in hand. On his way to Tourelle, he believed that he would be able to stop by other towns and hopefully be able to trace the rogue agent’s steps. Unfortunately, he had been fooled more than once by the map in his hands, as it seemed to be outdated. Of course, he had expected that taking a map from a random file cabinet in the archives would lead to a few roads being missing, but he didn’t expect an entire city to just appear! He wasted precious time traversing the city and ended up going in the wrong direction upon exiting. With a sigh, he looked at the map in his hand and then towards the signpost, sizing them both up. The signpost listed that Tourelle was stationed around 20 miles due west, while the map contradicted this by pointing out that Tourelle would be 50 miles north of the town he was at. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Oh well, fool me you, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on me.” He started moving North.
As he ventured, the letters on the signpost started to wriggle. They began to move and eventually formed a sinister-looking smile with a brownish hue.
Maril was soon led to a forest-like area where a road ended extremely suddenly. He became a little concerned as, while he did file that he was going on a mission to look for the lost traces of “Sea of Monsters”, he only listed that he would take around 10-20 days to travel to Tourelle and back. He wished he had left more time for him as a cushion in case he got lost, as travelling to Tourelle would generally take around 3-4 days on a carriage. Or so he thought. He once again looked disdainfully towards the map in his hand and tried to figure out where he was. Eventually, after examining the map closely, he believed he was in an unnamed forest located north of Tourelle. “Huh, maybe I should forgive you for your past transgressions… After all, it is a little hard to stay mad at an almost 20-year-old object.” Looking back at the forest, he decided to go back on the road with his horse and buggy, only to realize it wasn’t there! The trees shifted with a breeze in the wind, and Maril felt a chill down his back. There was clearly foul play here, something that caused him to get lost and end up in a forest that seemed to grow either too quickly or a road that just flat out disappears.
Pulling out a lamp and keeping an alert guard, he started to traverse through the forest in the direction he believed he had come from. Meanwhile, the map he kept on his belt started to wriggle, almost as if it were restrained by an invisible force.

Maril lifted his lamp. He could barely see ahead of him as the night drew nearer. The clop of the horses kept a steady rhythm as the carriage trudged forward.

“So this is what Hilbert meant with his infinite hotel. I bet this forest follows rules related to it…”

This never-ending forest of trees was extremely oppressive and stifling. Darkness soon enveloped him. As he looked towards the nearest tree, he was able to sense a rustling nearby. He instantly went on full alert and raised what seemed to be a pistol. It seemed a little old-fashioned, like a personal revolver from the 1900s, with markings and engravings on it, creating a yellow crescent swirl and the guardian logo. As he continued forward, the trees seemed to come closer and closer together, until eventually he felt as if he was being herded towards a place. Whether or not this was the center of the forest or the outskirts, he was fine with the outcome. He trusted in his abilities to be able to fight anything that popped out, and of course, being able to get out of the forest and back on the trail to Tourelle would be a welcome addition.
Suddenly, while appearing to be lost in thought, he closed his eyes, pointed his revolver northeast, and fired.

The bullet pierced through the foliage and went straight into a bull-like creature. The bull roared in pain and began to charge through the trees toward Maril. It was gaining on him too quickly, and in a few seconds, it was basically upon Maril and his carriage. He quickly jumped off his carriage, rolling and sidestepping away from the humanoid creature, while muttering under his breath. “Is this what I think it is?” The creature rammed through trees past Maril and skidded to a halt after realizing he had already passed him. In a panic, Maril started to fire his revolver at the bull-humanoid until he ran out of bullets, each not even slowing the abnormal creature down. Barely dodging it again, he realized he was not only separated from his horse and buggy, but also the tree path that seemed to herd him to the center of the forest. Hearing loud snorts, Maril quickly attempted to calm down and recompose his thoughts.
“I bet this is a wild talisman… something to do with Daedalus and his stupid labyrinth? If so, where is the rope that will take me out? How am I supposed to seal the talisman by myself… Well, let’s try the tried and true method of putting your hand on a wall and always turning right.”
Maril went in a square loop for 10 minutes, believing he was making ground. He only realized the predicament he was in once he pulled out a compass and watched it spin clockwise twice after making 8 right turns in a row.
“What the hell.”

Weekly #1
11/7-9/2025
1081 words

Part 1:
122 words

i don't exist to make up for the mistakes you made
i'm not here to be version 2.0
my identity is made up of so much more
than the scraps of your identity you choose to ignore
i'm made of glass and sharp edges
you chose to wear me down, turn me dull
i've chosen to polish up, embrace who i am
for once
i don't need you to tell me who i should be
or who you want, who you expect from me
i was not born a puppet, not born a slave
don't turn around and say that i've changed
i'm finding who i am
you've distorted me so
chained me and claimed me and you'll change me no more


Part 2:
210 words

the lessons that i've learned over many a year
the doubts that stick in my head
the clock keeps ticking on
time continues to move on
but why me

i'm still here
waiting for a moment in the sun
i'm still here
hoping for something, someone

let me go
let me free and see the dark
cross the borders, cross the sea
let me go and see what's free
to be free

shackles that once were bound
shouts and screams pulling out
free to keep moving on
free to find who we are

we're still here
craving to be noticed by someone
we're still here
hoping to catch like diamonds in the sun

let me go
let me free and see the dark
cross the borders, cross the sea
let me go and see what's free
to be free

i've been here once or twice, can't tell you not to cry
the same glares daggers shine, cover your eyes
i'm coming across the sea
i'm coming for you and me
knees are ‘bout to give out
hold my hand and hold tight

let me go
let me free, out of the dark
cross my heart, don’t you die
'cause i'll be there for you tonight
just keep waiting
for me

Part 3:
339 words

INT. CHEESE JUNIOR’S STOMACH

HUMAN
Where? What? What am I doing here?

ROBOT VOICE OVER
Welcome! You have now entered the forbidden realm of the Stomach of the Almighty One. We invite you to relax and rest.

HUMAN
Oh gosh, a stomach? I don't even remember getting eaten. (gags) Am I stepping in stomach acid?

They stomp around, sticky substance squelching beneath their white shoes, that are now, considerably not clean.

HAIRDRYER pops up next to HUMAN, smiling and waving

HAIRDRYER
Hi friend! Are you new here, or are you making rounds?

HUMAN
(confused) …I'm new? Making rounds, what do you mean by that?

BUSH
Oh, Hairdryer is just wondering if we haven't' seen you because you were in a different part of the stomach. It happens a lot. The Almighty One's stomach is large, it's really hard to get around to every corner of it to greet every new guest, so we just introduce and greet people as we go. (offhandedly) It also helps with my poor memory.

HUMAN
Oh. No, I just got here. I got a uh- welcome message?

BUSH
(shaking their head) No, that's kind of playing all the time actually. Part of the ambience, you know? It beats having nothing to listen to actually. Not the perfect lullaby, but it'll have to do.

BUSH and HAIRDRYER hi-five each other and do a handshake.

HUMAN
(perplexed) Wait, actually. You guys aren't humans, are you?

HAIRDRYER
(dryly) Oh no, I'm just a homosapien who dresses up in sparkles and metal, why do you ask?

HUMAN
How am I even able to communicate with you guys? Geez. It's like I got powers when I entered into this stomach.

HAIRDRYER snorts

HAIRDRYER
(sarcastically) Did you hear that, B? She thinks that she got powers, pfft-

BUSH
Not like we were always able to talk and communicate, but humans just think that they're so much better than us and won't give us the time of day. Oh, it couldn't possible be that, could it?

They both give HUMAN a glare.

Part 4:
410 words

(incomplete, may finish at some point?)

In the world of superhero movies and comic books, there are two franchises that are the most recognizable and occasionally confused. In part, it is to be expected, as they orbit in the same circles and can crossover, but there are also clear differences in the worlds that each inhabit. I am, of course, referring to DC and Marvel. As an avid fan of Marvel since 2022 and of DC in the summer of 2025, my credentials are not much. However, I would like to say that I've learned a thing or two during my time residing in both of these fandom circles, at least enough to be able to compare some of the biggest differences between them.
The easiest difference between Marvel and DC is the cast of characters. Similar archetypes and tropes can make it confusing, but there are also some big name groups that can help to differentiate them. Avengers (and variations, ie: West Coast Avengers, New Avengers, Young Avengers, Dark Avengers, etc), Thunderbolts, SHIELD, and Eternals are some of the groups that are part of Marvel, while DC has the Justice League (and variations, ie: Young Justice, Justice League of America, Justice Society, etc), Birds of Prey, Teen Titans, Suicide Squad. Iconic villains from each franchise include Thanos, Dr. Doom, Galactus, Loki, MODOK, and Kingpin for Marvel and Lex Luthor, Darkseid, Joker, Penguin, Scarecrow, and Riddler for DC.
I think that one reason why some DC and Marvel characters may get confused is the similar archetypes. Examples would be the “golden boy” being Superman and Captain America. Billionaire with no powers: Batman and Iron Man (though I would like to make an argument for Green Arrow a.k.a. Oliver Queen actually being a closer counterpart to Tony Stark than Bruce Wayne is, but that is neither here nor there and he isn't the most well known outside of the franchise anyways which is sad, sorry Ollie.)
Aside from the cast of characters there are two big differences that I've found between DC and Marvel is that DC is based more in fictional cities within the real world and Marvel is more grounded and bound to real cities. Examples of this includes Smallville, Kansas, Gotham (typically depicted in New Jersey), Coast City (California-ish) and Metropolis (usually in Delaware). While Marvel does have fictional places, notably Wakanda, cities often are based in the real world, such as New York City for Spider-Man, Budapest for Hawkeye and Black Widow, etc.

Flower Daily - November 2nd
1022 words

Amaranth - Immortality
Meadowsweet - Uselessness
Rose - Love
Daisy - Innocence
Peony - Respect
Iris - Trust

This piece is based on one of my favourite books (Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald) which you should go and read right now! This excerpt follows the main character - Kore - who has just escaped from her mother’s expectations to marry some high-up god into the Underworld where Hades has been forced to take her in by some ancient magic (basically if someone came into your home, they could stay as long as they wanted).

My legs dangled over the riverbank, my feet lingering over the edge of the gleaming surface of the River Styx. Hades came to sit down next to me, his dark eyes following the swirling currents within the water. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his gaze distant.
For a while, we just sat like that, silence enveloping us. I welcomed it. It was the closest thing I’d had to peace for a while. The longest I’d ever sat next to him without it turning into a massive argument.

Suddenly, Hades sucked in a breath and turned to me, his eyes more serious than ever.
“Marry me.”
I didn’t even have time to process his words. I gaped at him in indignation and fury.
“What?” I asked him bitterly, my words dripping poison. “Marry you?”
He sighed. “Kore, it would be a marriage of convenience. I don’t want to use you, pretend you’re a possession. But you would be free of your mother’s clutches! No god would dare come close to you again if you were under my protection. You wouldn’t have to see them again, or if you did then you would be by my side, one of the most powerful goddesses ever seen!”


I shook my head in despair. “I came down here to escape getting married, to live a life of peace and solitude! Not to marry an insufferable god who can’t ever understand how I feel, because you’re respected and you’re a man. You have your own individuality, you have your own palace - Gods, you have a whole realm! You can never understand what it’s like to be looked at as a possession, something to show off to others, what it’s like to have your own father view you like that! I never want to be married - I just want my own life, with no one else interfering! So you can go back to your pondering and stop trying to make me feel like a possession!”
Tears were streaming down my face, my fists clenched by my side, my chest heaving from my long speech.
He opened his mouth to talk, then shut it again. At least he had a little sense left in his stupid mind.
We glared at each other for what could have been centuries (but was probably only seconds), and I tried to muster what I thought was a withering look before giving up.
“Kore, I didn’t mean it like that… It was only for your good.” He told me sincerely.

I wanted to believe him so badly. Maybe I even wanted to marry him. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t let myself fall back into that way of life - when men just looked at me like a pretty thing to use. Not a person. Just an object. I could feel myself plummeting further and further down, my mind drowning in icy depths of despair, until I couldn’t bear it any longer.
“I can’t marry you!” I cried at him. “I’m sorry… I just can’t.”


A knot formed in my throat. I swallowed it down and turned my back on him. I could feel myself running, running from him, running from my mother, running from everything. I had nowhere to go. I would have to go back to him. Beg him to take me in again. But I kept running, through the Fields of Asphodel, a few spindly trees reaching their branches up towards an invisible sky, their roots keeping them trapped amongst the souls who wandered aimlessly for eternity, whilst their individuality was slowly eaten away from them. That wasn’t going to be me. Ever.

I reached the summit of a hill, where jagged rocks shot up from the ground beneath me, a few scraggly bushes sat forlornly, their leaves drooping towards the dark, peaty earth. It was all so grey. Everything. The only spot of colour was the bubbling amber lava of the Phlegethon. I lifted my hands.
I screamed. Raw and full of pain, it tore from my throat, ringing through the endless realms of the Underworld. I raised my hands above my head, glowing with power. The naive, vain goddess of flowers no more.
The crimson petals of amaranth sprouted from the ground, meaning immortality. Something that I could never escape from. The white blooms of meadowsweet followed it, their ghostly tendrils brushing the sheer cliffs that loomed over me. Uselessness, representing my mother, my father, Hades.
Soft pink and yellow roses, cheerful daisies, lilac peonies brimmed within the clearing below and around me, cascading from cracks in the cliffs, creating a vibrant carpet beneath my feet. The symbolised love, innocence and respect. Three things I yearned for, but would never have. My own father had ‘gifted’ me my name - Kore - which meant ‘naive.’ He had laughed at me - the goddess of flowers, telling me I'll never get anywhere. That the gods would enjoy playing with something as pretty and useless as me.

And finally, irises blossomed around me, standing tall and proud over the sea of scarlets and ambers, purples and blues. Their violet fronds overflowed from the clearing. Trust. What I wistfully longed for the most. I wanted to have the luxury and freedom to trust that my mother and father would love me unconditionally, to trust the other gods and goddesses as true friends and companions.

I lay back in the beautiful flowers surrounding me. They cushioned my head, and with a flick of my hand, they fashioned a wreath around my head. But the beauty was bittersweet. It symbolised everything I would never have. And there was nothing I could do about that.

Weekly 1

Part 1 - Poetry

(i suck at poetry don’t judge-)

A blanket of snow coats the ground,
Glistening, gleaming in the bitter air.
Not a single creature to be found,
Glittering cobwebs line branches bare.

Frost clings to spindly trees,
Like a million crystals shining,
The grip of winter had finally seized,
Clutching us in its icy sting.

Sweet bird song drifts on the breeze,
A perfect melody, silvery and clear,
They sing it out with harmonious ease,
A mellow, soft sound for all to hear.

Golden sunlight spills into a glade,
A burbling stream glittering in its glow,
A cheerful bird strays under a tree’s shade,
As the grip of winter continues to grow.

Part 2 - Songwriting

Working title: The Bridge to Nowhere - i genuinely

360 words without ‘verse’ and ‘chorus’ etc


Verse 1:

Running, running away,
To a once precious place,
Memories lost in the abyss…
Oh, how, how do I hold on?
When my, my only light is gone?
I need you to come help me,
Oh, now that I’m drowning…


Pre-chorus:

I try to hide the hurt,
That claws at me day and night,
I try to hide my pain,
But I know it will continue to bite



Chorus:

I’m trying to keep my head afloat,
But I keep slipping under,
Oh, I need your life boat,
Cause now I am stuck,
Stuck on the bridge to nowhere,
Trapped in a world with no end.
I can't see ahead,
All I feel is dread,
That I’ll forever be stuck on the bridge to nowhere…


Verse 2:

Hiding from the heartbreak,
I feel can feel myself slipping away,
Can I do this anymore?
Oh, how, how do I stay?
When I feel my heart start to fray?
I need you to hold me up high,
Now that I’m slowly drowning…




Pre-chorus:

I try to hide the ache,
That claws at me day and night,
I try to hide the sting,
But I know it will continue to bite


Chorus:

I’m trying to keep my head afloat,
But I keep slipping under,
Oh, I need your life boat,
Cause now I am stuck,
Stuck on the bridge to nowhere,
Trapped in a world with no end.
I can't see ahead,
All I feel is dread,
That I’ll forever be stuck on the bridge to nowhere…


Bridge

Where do I go now?
Why couldn’t I see?
That this would happen,
That I would never be free?



Pre-chorus:

I try to hide the burn,
That claws at me day and night,
I try to hide the pang,
Of misery,
But I know it will continue to bite


Chorus:

I’m trying to keep my head afloat,
But I keep slipping under,
Oh, I need your life boat,
Cause now I am stuck,
Stuck on the bridge to nowhere,
Trapped in a world with no end.
I can't see ahead,
All I feel is dread,
That I’ll forever be stuck on the bridge to nowhere…
That I’ll forever be stuck on the bridge to nowhere…

Part 3 - Scriptwriting

INT. SHIP
A desolate ship bobbing up and down on the choppy waves with extravagant carvings and sails, and a flag adorning the top of the ship, emblazoned with a mango. Enter SKOG and BLAHAJ, sharing glances of anticipation.

SKOG:
(excitedly)
I think we’re getting close!
BLAHAJ:
(smiling deviously)
That sea monster doesn’t stand a chance against us SWC mascots! Gurtle will be destroyed, one and for all!
(BLAHAJ slides a map from his backpack. He lays it on a rickety table. The map is crumbling and ancient, covered with ink stains, barely legible.
SKOG:
(inspecting the map with fascination)
Wow, Blahaj. I didn’t expect… this.
(SKOG lifts up the map to the sun to get a better view and squints at the corner of it.)
It’s incredible! A perfect map of these waters… and a sign saying ‘Gurtle’s lair!’ I can’t believe it.
BLAHAJ:
(nodding proudly)
Took me ages to find that thing! It was down in the engine room, in a dusty old chest. Look!
(BLAHAJ brandishes an intricately carved chest, scattered with cobwebs.)
This is where I found it! And, even better, we’re nearly at Gurtle’s lair. It won’t be long now!
SKOG:
(glancing dreamily into the distance)
Only a few more days… then Gurtle will be gone, and we can get all of our links and mangoes back! Only a few more days and we’ll be free!
BLAHAJ:
(glancing in awe at the map)
Maybe even in 5 minutes! We’re practically on top of Gurtle’s lair right now!

Enter GURTLE, a monstrous sea turtle, double the size of the ship. His shell is covered in long tendrils of slimy seaweed and his eyes are a glowing red that flit about his surroundings.
GURTLE:
(looking smugly and SKOG and BLAHAJ)
Hello there, fellow mascots.
SKOG:
Greetings, Gurtle. We have a proposition to make.
BLAHAJ:
(nodding at SKOG)
Yes, Skog. All the SWCers are sick of you continuously stealing links and mangoes. It is a great hassle for them to have to deal with, particularly when you put forums down. So, our proposition is that you let us destroy you, and then the SWCers will be happy again. Deal?
GURTLE:
(laughing)
You really think I’m stupid enough to believe that?
SKOG:
(whispering to BLAHAJ)
He is pretty stupid…
GURTLE:
(angrily)
I heard that. You will pay for it!

GURTLE opens his mouth and trails of links come pouring out and wrap themselves around SKOG’s and BLAHAJ’s legs, hanging them upside down from the mango flag. The stage goes black.

Part 4 - Speech

Note: All info is from a youtube channel called Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell. This is just my opinion, and I don’t want anyone to get angry at it. This could also trigger some people, so don’t read on if you don’t like hearing about the conditions of animals <3

Meat is cheaper than it has ever been before. So cheap that the majority of farmers keep their animals in cramped, unhygienic and simply horrible living conditions, to keep the prices down.

Chickens arguably have it the worst. Being the cheapest and one of the most popular meats, they are kept in horrible conditions, with dozens of chickens per square metre. In the EU, it only costs 7 cents more to have free range chicken - meaning that they live life as best they can despite being bred for meat, however only 5% of chickens are kept free range. Chickens, seeing as they are bred for meat, are fed stupid amounts from the moment they are born, wreaking havoc on their internal organs. Male chickens are killed almost straight after birth to keep their meat fresh. It only costs an extra 9 cents to give a chicken a balanced and healthy diet, and in total about a dollar more to have chicken meat that’s lived a good life, in outdoor conditions with a good diet.

Pigs also have it extremely bad, especially seeing as they are very similar to dogs, apart from the fact that they are not related to wolves. They have the same intelligence rates and feel emotions just as keenly as dogs do, and most humans would never dream of eating dogs and putting them in the conditions that I am about to describe. Most pigs are kept in torture camps, often resulting in lots of fights between them. Again it is extremely cramped in these torture camps, and some pigs never go outside for their whole lives. Like chickens, males are also killed almost straight after birth, but females have it much worse. Mothers are kept in crates where they can’t move, and are forced to birth and feed dozens of piglets. It costs 40 cents in the EU to provide anaesthetic (which is actually only 1 cent) and a life in larger living conditions. It is another 80 cents for outdoor access for the pigs.

And last of all, cows. Debatedly, they have it the best. They spend ⅔ of their lives in outdoor areas, but despite this, they still suffer greatly. Like chickens and pigs, at the end of their lives they are moved into cramped conditions and are overfed before getting slaughtered. Dairy cows are kept inside nearly all of the time, and when they can’t produce any more milk, they are also killed. It would only cost 10 more cents for them to have outdoor access, and overall only 15% more to pay for better conditions.

Obviously, I have talked a lot about prices here, and some people simply can’t afford to buy free range meat. However, there are many well-off people who just decide to get cheaper meat, which encourages these horrible conditions.
I’m Christian, so I do believe that it’s OK to eat meat, as Jesus did. But I think it’s completely wrong to keep animals in such conditions, and make free range meat so inaccessible. I’m planning on going vegetarian, definitely when I’m an adult, maybe even sooner if possible, as I just think what humans are doing to animals is horrific. God gave us power over animals, and we were supposed to use them to our own benefits, but not in this way.

Daily 8th November - Critiquitaire
724 words

Hi Fanta! I’ve done your critique in a more sectioned style seeing as it’s so long, so I hope you’re OK with that! If you would like me to add anything else to it, then just say!

I’m walking in the forest with birds chirping over my head as my feet crunch the leaves beneath my feet. The earth is getting colder and the grass freezes over in the night now. The birds will be moving to the warmer parts soon. That does make working with my earth magic a little bit harder since the connection to the earth as it works on slowing down for the cold is harder to reach. But, I’m going to see Eloise in her cottage in the woods. She works with fire magic which does make us kind of like opposites but, I feel like we work really well together. She is a lot more fiery and quick to anger than me and I am usually a lot calmer and can keep myself from getting angry easier.
The breeze ruffles my hair as I get closer to the cottage. Usually, it isn’t this windy at this point in the day in the colder months before the cold. I knock and enter the cottage because Eloise is the sort of person who just leaves her door unlocked since she is probably working on something and can’t hear you and sure enough she is working on burning details into a wood chunk at her work table. “Hey!” I shout to get her attention and she looks up from what she is working on. We decided to go on a walk through the woods today and I’m going to gather some of the last flowers for use over the cold.

I absolutely love the description in the first part! It’s very vivid and sets the scene super well!
One part that caught my eye was ‘in the colder months before the cold’ which I thought broke the flow of the piece a little bit as you’ve mentioned ‘cold’ twice in one sentence, which is generally something you shouldn’t do in writing (although I do accidentally do it sometimes!) You may want to think of changing ‘colder months’ to something like ‘bitter’ or ‘icy?’
I also think that you could separate the speech ‘Hey!’ onto a separate line, as this will make it stand out more. Also, this is an extremely long paragraph, so it would be nice to section it up a little bit the the speech.
Overall in this paragraph, I noticed that you mentioned the word ‘cold’ a lot, and I like that the reader can recognise it as a running motif, but it would be nice to add a bit more variety. You could try using some of the synonyms I suggested earlier, or maybe some adjectives like ‘wintry’ or ‘frosty’ or ‘biting.’

As we walk through the woods she slips her hand into mine. The sun shines at the grass and filters through the trees and onto our faces. I pick flowers and plants as we walk and I tuck a flower into her hair. As we walk it seems to be getting windier and it almost seems like the sunlight is becoming less like a golden warm light and is turning into something more blue. The blue light almost seems to be coming from somewhere in front of us.“Mira?” Eloise asks. As we almost seem to be being dragged into a clearing in the woods by the wind. My skirt is catching the wind a lot easier than Eloise’s pants and I am being pulled straight into the clearing where the blue light is swirling in some sort of portal looking thing. Eloise is still holding onto my hand as we’re both getting pulled into it. There’s a bunch of swirling lights and then everything goes black.

The first thing that seemed a bit strange in this paragraph was ‘the sun shines at the grass’ which confused me a little bit. You could think about changing it to ‘on the grass’ maybe?
Again, it would be a good idea to separate the dialogue onto a separate line as this will emphasise it more, and again, make it stand out against such a long piece of writing.
I think that the sentence ‘As we almost seem to be being dragged into a clearing in the woods by the wind’ should be connected to the ‘Eloise asks’ in the phrase before, as the sentence begins with ‘as’ suggesting that it is going to elaborate with some information, but it is simply some description.
The last sentence - There’s a bunch of swirling lights - I think could be a little more descriptive, as you’ve mentioned ‘swirling’ before and ‘bunch’ seems a bit informal. Maybe ‘There’s a cacophony of dancing lights?’

When the colors return to my vision everything is slightly blurry and Eloise is sitting next to me. She still seems to be asleep in some way. We seem to be sitting on some sort of hard chairs in a rectangular building with the chairs we’re sitting on on both sides. Everyone is wearing different clothes than we wear back at home. Where are we? And was what we were transported through a time rift? There is someone sitting next to me with some contraption on her head. I wave my hand in front of her face. She pulled of the contraption on her head and looks at me for a second like she’s waiting for me to talk. “Hi, uh, where are we?” I ask. “On the tram. Next stop is the main station. It’s right by the city center” she replies before slipping the contraption back on. Eloise seems to be waking up as a voice comes from somewhere “STOPPING AT .. MAIN STATION. PLEASE STEP BACK FROM THE DOORS”
“What is going on?” Eloise asks as I pull her through the crowd going through the doors and see a sign saying exit and pulling us towards there. Once we reach outside , I explain “I think that what happened is that we were sucked through a time rift and now have to attempt to get home. By finding another time rift and we have to do that fast since time rifts only appear in one world and another every maybe year or so for a couple hours. ”

“So we have to find the time rift in here - wherever we are within a couple of hours or we might be stuck here for multiple years?”

“To put it simply - yes.”

“Is there anything that we can do to attempt to find the time rift?”

“I think that there is some sort of spell you can do to summon one but, that one’s really difficult and requires a lot of supplies that we definitely don’t have. But, I think that we might be able to do a standard tracking spell. That might work. But, it’s not like we can turn something into a time rift or create one since we don’t have the materials or the ability to make one - it’s probably going to cause too much attention considering the fact that time rifts are not something that usually appears normally. ”

“So.. basically to attempt to find one we could do a tracking spell?”

I thought that this extract from the piece flowed extremely nicely, and I love all of the questions that you ask, to imply the confusion that the characters are feeling.
I know I’ve already mentioned this twice, but the speech in the first paragraph of this extract did seem quite confusing to me, as I wasn’t sure who was speaking. This could be fixed by putting it on a separate line (sorry for all the repetition!)
I do like how you put it on separate lines later on though, as this made the piece fast-paced and tense!
I noticed in the sentence ‘She pulled of the contraption on her head and looks at me for a second like she’s waiting for me to talk’ you switched from past to present tense and you also used ‘of’ instead of ‘off.’
Another grammatical error is in ‘By finding another time rift and we have to do that fast.’ I think you should make these two phrases into separate sentences.

Ok, I’m running out of time a bit here, so I'll just list a few more mistakes that I found and then I’ll finish off <3

In the phrase ‘I picked earlier but, I don’t think’ which is in the paragraph after the one I’ve just done you put the comma after the ‘but’, but it should be after the ‘earlier.’
In the following paragraph ‘I notice 2 things - One the amulet is glowing’ you should use a colon after the one, otherwise it doesn’t make loads of sense.
In the sentence ‘While getting transported through a time rift is kind of like a dream come true I didn’t think’ you should use a comma between ‘true’ and ‘I didn’t.’
And again at the end, you used ‘bunch’ which could be elevated a bit.

Overall, I loved reading through and critiquing this piece! It’s super creative and I love the themes of magic and transportation in it! I think you’ve done a brilliant job with this piece and I hope you found this critique helpful!

Critique for skylar <33 ummmm 1215 words

Ok first off I love this, and disclaimer I'm actually really bad at writing characters (hence I write poems-) BUT I'll try my best <33


Right I'll just go through it and pick out the stuff I've found

Alaina’s friend, Sylvie,

I don't know if this sounds a bit clunky, like we need to know they're friends. I guess that old cliche show not tell… but I wouldn't overthink it because they are friends lol

We live by the ocean

Again, yes they do, but I don't know if it sounds natural. Off the top of my head, maybe someone uni age might be more likely to say ‘girl, we literally live by the ocean.’

Alaina bit her tongue, knowing Sylvie was right, and returned to aggressively writing down her notes

Right so here she seems like that's really got to her? I'm not sure if a real person would act like that to be honest. Maybe she does that laughing where its not really funny, but I feel like this exposed some deep crack in their friendship that I'm not sure makes too much sense? Agressive notetaking is very real though!

(As if there’s a source of hot water anywhere in reach in the situations she’d be put in, but okay)

YES I love this! I can hear the voice here properly, which I love <3
Although I might cut back on the brackets a little, not sure they're necessary? Especially the one after this, it's that witty humour, yes, but the fact that it's written in third person maybe takes away from that. I would maybe scrap the brackets and change it to something like ‘she didn’t think it was really a lecture…' or ‘if you asked, she would tell you it wasn’t technically an actual lecture..' just to maybe link that humour to a person if you get what I mean?

She scribbled them down in her notebook and highlighted them in bright red so she knew that it was important!

I don't think that's the correct use of an exclamation mark? Might be wrong though. Nevertheless I wouldn't use it. ;shrug;
Also it maybe seems a bit of a switchup of her personality - the first bits she seems quite cool, sarcastic etc and then this line almost makes her seem like this bubbly, overenthusiastic student, which she hasn't seemed to be up to this point. So if it was me, I would maybe emphasise this as she something like ‘she scrawled them down in her notebook and circled them agressively in brigt red’. Actually it's not much of a difference, but something to consider!

Also here I have a random note - obviously speech is different, but there's quite a lot of paragraphs when sometimes a slightly longer one is really good for impact and engagement, so that might just be a case of putting the previous sentence with the previous paragraph

It was beautiful, in a sense. All sea life was.

Similar to what I said before, but who's meant to be saying this, or is it just the unnamed narrator's factual comment? Could be worth plugging this to a person. Or doing it in a way that you can show that Sylvie thinks its pretty before she says it is?

She quickly brought up a photo of it on her iPad (Sylvie liked taking digital notes, from what Alaina could tell), and brought it into her note document.

I don't know if this is necessary? It's just a fact really, doesn't give us an insight into character or plot or tension, other than that she likes the jellyfish and the ipad. (that sounded mean sorry it wasn't meant to be) So maybe add a detail about her notes, like maybe she uses whatever novelty pen, or puts a heart around the image of the jellyfish - or maybe her notes are picture perfect and so Alaina's voice makes a comment about that? As before, do the brackets add anything? Without showing that as an insight into her personality, or Alaina's response to that as an insight to her's, it is just a fact that's neither recieved positively or negatively from the reader, in my opinion. <33

“You find everything pretty,” Alaina teased.

Okay yay we have their banter back! This is a really good way of showing their personslity. The only thing I might consider is adding some filler words (which I know are really hard to write, but just make the voices way more believable!) like ‘ok, but you find everything pretty!’

Oh also, I don't think there's been much mentions before of body language or facial expressions, which obviously show emotions a lot - especially when it's written in 3rd person - and so maybe theres a bit of a disconnect with the reader. I think it's quite hard to understand the characters because we get their dialogue and note taking but not much else in way of habits or reactions, which help build the character. Again, show not tell does wonders

Sylvie said nothing as the lecturer continued.

Another slightly strange reaction… I'd like if these are purposeful, if you could lean into it a bit more - is there a reason neither of them can take the other's teasing? It feels like there is, but it's maybe too vague of a reaction to make it certain whether in this case Sylvie is actually annoyed (in which case more body language would be good) or if she's not concentrating.

Sylvie leaned over. “It’s not actually a jellyfish,” she said. “It’s actually technically a Siphonophore! Which means it’s a colony animal! But it looks like a jellyfish.”

Yes I like this, I would say this is the first bit where I feel like there's a proper insight to Sylvie's personality etc, I think maybe you could lean into this part of her a bit more throughout. I also like ‘actually technically’ and the exclamations because they build such a realistic voice here. Banging on again I know, but how does she lean in - is she tryig to get back for the comment earlier (which she's recovered from very quickly if she was annoyed) or does she have a mischevious smirk or is she bubbling with excitement because she loves this fact? Again when she ‘grinned’ later on, what type of grin?

Alaina sighed. “How do you even know this?”

If they're best friends, she would probably know that Sylvie is like this, so does she say it in a mock angry way rolling her eyes, or is she done with Slyvie being a bit of a know-it-all? I mean she might actually be suprised but I'm not convinced!!

Alaina began getting up from her seat.

I'm so sorry I sound so annoying - but how does she get up?
(You don't have to do this for all of my suggestions of course but just things to think about)

“And very important,” Sylvie added.

Ok this might just be the type of books that I read, but is there a darker meaning to this? Or is she actuallly just saying cause it's going to be on the exam?

- Righty, overall I loved this so much! I generally don't pick up on all the good things in my critiques because this is long enough already, but know that I love the story and the premise - also educational - and this story and characters have potential to be amazing! You write so well, if not sometimes a little factually, but I love how you have a style that really shines through and makes something as simple as a lecture, interesting and engaging! So yeah, obviously all my comments are just suggestions and you don't have to use any of them!! And if you have any follow up questions or want to run edits by me, please do so! <33

Thank you for letting me read it!

Hi!! This is my first time participating in the critiques so hopefully I do a decent job~

Ok, to start, I feel like the tense that it was written in came off a little bit weird. I may have just read it wrong, but it almost seemed as if it were switching between present and past tense. I could tell it was meant to be written in past, and it's pretty apparent that that's the tense that its in, but I feel like some of the wording could have been adjusted to fit it better. Like, to compare, in the first paragraph you wrote “ Daisy looked at the shopkeeper with starry eyes. “ But then there's also, “ As she’s speaking, “ Which in my opinion, just doesn't flow right when put together, if you know what I mean lol. I think if you changed it to like “As she spoke,” It flows a lot better and the past tense stays pretty consistent.
Also, I think the writing itself was a little bit choppy, a big part of that is making sure the tense isn't confusing of course, but also some of the transitions could be a little bit smoother. Like, “ . The excitement in her look was akin to that of a golden retriever, begging for the elderly lady to continue.” When I first read this, I had to stop and re-look over it several times, to be able to interpret it. I just think it was worded kinda funny. Like, maybe if you worded it like- “The excitement in her look was akin to that of a golden retriever, eager for the elderly lady to continue.” or, “She looked up with the eager excitement of a golden retriever, waiting for the elderly lady to continue.” I just think it would sound so much smoother.
Some of the dialogue feels somewhat too stiff. Remember, that regardless of the characters age, social status, etc. they are still human, and should talk like one. When the lady says, “ “It’s precisely the reason why this humble abode is named the way it is!” It sounds written rather than spoken, and is very overly-explanatory, so maybe try softening it.
When the father says, “Yes, yes… I know. Do you have the information?” It feels really abrupt and somewhat unclear, as we don't get any context on what the information is. We can infer that it's nothing good, and a cliff hanger is always nice, but I feel like the story would sit better if we were given just a little bit more context there. The story is really well written, but the pacing near the end felt really rushed. I think you should add a little more context on the “one-way-path,” and the “information.” And I think those points definitely deserve more buildup, probably some sort of hesitation or internal thought or something.
I really liked that divination on the carnations, but it doesn't really tie in extremely well with the rest of it. Maybe if you were to hint that one of the flowers droops at the end, like it's foreshadowing what's to come of her fathers fate.
I really liked how good the emotional presentation was, and the prose style was really good. The clarity and structure could have been better, but I think this totally has really good potential and it was actually so much fun to read. It's really emotional, enticing, and sad. It was really good lol. (Also don't forget to indent the last two paragraphs- idk if that was intentional or not.)
But anyway, you're an amazing writer, and I hope this helps!

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