7/14 - 325 words

Grocery List
- Eggs
- Whole wheat bread
- Crackers
- Spinach
- Chicken
- Frozen chicken nuggets
- Black beans
- Almonds
- Olive oil
- Can you hear me?
- Brussel sprouts
- Lemonade
- Apples
- Mac and cheese
- Can you hear me?
- Croutons
- Lettuce
- HELP! HELP! Can you hear me?
- I'm stuck here, he won't let me out.
- Tomato sauce
- Ziti
- HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE.
- Breadsticks
- Tofu
- Plastic cutlery
- Help! Help me, please. I can't be here anymore.
- Towels
- Please please please please please please please
- Please please please please please
- please
- Cleaning spray
- *panting*
- Vinegar
- I can't see, I can't see anything
- Do you hear me?
- Can you help me this time?
- You keep coming back? Why do you keep coming back?
- Bleach
- Do you work for him?
- Please don't hurt me.
- I'll do whatever you want, I promise.
- Please, please, please don't hurt me.
- Can you help me?
- Do you know him?
- Garbage bags
- PLEASE!
- *BANG!*
- *BANG!*
- LET ME OUT!
- SOMEBODY, PLEASE, ANYBODY!
- *panting*
- PLEASE!
- please
- I'm so close
- It's been so long
- Why can't you help me?
- Why is it always you?
- Why does he always send you?
- Do you work for him?
- Disposable gloves
- Bribe money
- Ropes
- I'll be good this time, I swear
- Can you hear me?
- Matches
- Firewood (sold at checkout)
- Ask cashier for old cardboard boxes
- Don't go.
- Please
- Can't you save me? Just this once.
- Sleeping pills (sold in pharmacy section)
- Paper towels
- Newspaper
- HELP!
- Oranges
- Raspberries
- Milk

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

◪ Noͦ 14
Wordcount: 681/300
Topic: Unique Format
Points: 400+100 for proof
Cabin: Dystopian-Xenofi love child

You can tell that I was in a particularly bad mood today </3

dailyyy (302 words)~


to do
study DONE
clean my room okay ill do this tmrw
text ray not yet

to do
study its fine
clean my room done (mostly)
get a present for Alyssa done
text ray

to do
study
text ray

to do
play with Marty
work out uhh…
study
text ray

to do
study
work out
text ray

to do
study
text ray

Ray,
I promise I was thinking about you

Dear Ray,
I’m sorry

Ray,
It’s kind of been a long time, huh

Ray,
I just wanted to say

Dear Ray,
I’m sorry I never said anything.



monday 10:54
hi
u there?
it’s been awhile
delivered

monday 21:13
OK i’m sorry for texting out of the blue
maybe i should just shut up
i just wanted to talk
but i get it if u don’t want to
delivered

wednesday 23:44
Hey

RAY
you’re there
i missed u
like, a lot

Yeah

sorry for disappearing
i had a lot going on

Me too.

it’s really good to talk to you again…
i just feel like i messed everything up

You did.
But. I did too

lol
i have no idea what to say

Yeah

what’s new??

I got a new job. You?

oh thats good
where?
um i got a cat

What’s their name?

Marty

BTTF reference?

yes! youre the only one who knew it so far!!!

Really?

haha yeah

Nice



thursday 00:27




mon tues wed thurs fri sat sun

9 pract… 8 run 8 run 8 run 9 pract… 8 run 9 chur…
12 lun… 11:30… 9 work 10 clea… 13 work 9 RELAX
13 work 12 lun… 15 mee… 13 work 19 HANGOUT WITH RAY |
13 work 18 fami… 20 mov…
19 han…



friday 18:53
hey
we’re still on?

Yep

cool
see u soon?

WIP

Daily 14: Not a prose

Case: #157
Victim's Information:
Name: Ariel Carter
Age: 52
Gender: Female
Height: 5"7
Weight 68kg
Blood Type: A
Ethnicity: White American

Assailant's Information:
Name: Joshua Catroon
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Height: 6"1
Weight: 78kg
Blood Type:AB
Ethnicity: Franco-American

Order of events in chronological order so far:

- At 11:47PM Ariel's daughter, Amelia, first texted her mum to check on her to make sure she had gone to bed as she usually sleeps late. Her mum did not reply. the last message was sent at 00:16AM when Amelia decided to phone a neighbour to check in on her.
- At 00:17AM Ariel's neighbour -Franky- reported hearing a loud banging noise from Ariel's house around 11:30-11:40 to Amelia.
- Amelia decided to go and investigate herself. She arrived at Ariel's house at 00:26 and when she arrived the door was not being answered. She then used her own keys to get into the house.
- After entering the living room to see it in disarray, she called the police immediately - 00:31
- Officers arrived at the scene at 00:47 finding the house in tatters. Things were knocked over and broken, pillows on the floor, the rug dragged around. When they entered the kitchen they found the body of Ariel on the floor, back resting against a cupboard and kitchen knife at the heart. Evidence of struggle and wounds found on victim.
- This is what the police believe to have happened based on studying the body and scene:
The attacker thunders into the house and advances toward Ariel. Ariel tries to run away, throwing pillows and decor at the attacker but failing to stop them. The attacker pounces onto her and drags her by the ankles to the kitchen, before closing their hand on her throat and bashing her head against the kitchen counter, grabbing the nearest knife and stabbing her in the heart. They then flee the crime scene via the back door.

Evidence Form:

{will insert picture}

Case: #157
Evidence Submitting Agent: Agent Lurrer
Description of Enclosed Evidence: Kitchen knife. Handle length: 11cm Blade length: 20cm
Victims Full Name: Ariel Carter
Suspect's Full Name: Joshua Catroon
Evidence Recovered By: Agent Patrice
Evidence Bag Sealed By: Agent Lurrer
Date Sealed: 12.07.2026 Time Sealed: 02:04AM

Interview Transcript:

Primary Information
Description: Confession of crime by Joshua Catroon
Occurrence From:
Occurrence To:
Reporting LEO:
Backup LEO:

Artemis Rasmussen
Hey, are you guys available tonight after work? I’m working late
Would love to hang out again after a while!

Luna Yokoyama
yep
I’m probably going to have to stay late tonight so that works!

Artemis Ramussen
Great
Should I meet you at the hospital then?

Luna Yokoyama
yes
that sounds perf
okay, I need to go now!!



Erin Hansen
| Replying to Artemis Rasmussen
| Hey! Are you guys available tonight after work? I’m working late
Absolutely!
Iona says yes too btw
We’re on our way to grab dinner, but we can get snacks if you were thinking of getting dinner

Artemis Rasmussen
I mean I was thinking we could just go to one of our houses and just hang out for a bit and watch TV and chill
But dinner works too if Luna’s okay with it @Luna Yokoyama

Luna Yokoyama
I’m okay with it!!

Erin Hansen
We’ll meet you guys at the hospital then



Iona MacNamara
hi hi hi
so sorry but we will be running late
sorry luna you’ve got another train wreck coming your way :(

Luna Yokoyama
HEY IONA!!!
understood
hey Artemis when you come round just lurk in the break room okay

Artemis Rasmussen
Break room, okay!



Erin Hansen
Guys I would love it if you picked us up from the ambulance station so we don’t have to walk to where we literally just were

Luna Yokoyama
IT’S RIGHT NEXT DOOR ERIN.
plus none of us can get in anyways though so :P

Erin Hansen
| Replying to Luna Yokoyama
| IT’S RIGHT NEXT DOOR ERIN.
Yeah but we’re too tired to walk come on
We’ve been on our feet all day

Luna Yokoyama
so have I
now hurry up so we can decide our dinner location

Artemis Rasmussen
You guys want Chinese tonight?

Iona MacNamara
are you asking us because you want chinese food or are you asking us because the only restaurants open are chinese and we don’t really have a choice

Artemis Rasmussen
You got me
It’s the latter

Luna Yokoyama
… it’s always the latter
anyway, shall we go to Crystal’s?
Artemis agrees with me btw

Iona MacNamara
sounds good
also erin says yes to it too
she is watching the road so she can’t reply

Luna Yokoyama
okay, see you guys in a bit!

daily 14


Patient Name: Aiden Williams
Date of Birth: 03-10-2002
Contact Information: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Subjective Notes:
Chief Complaint (Filed by fiancé of patient): Saw visions of someone who wasn’t real at our wedding.
Personal Medical History: N/A

Objective Notes:
No physical trauma can be observed.
During neuro-psychological evaluation, patient repeatedly reported seeing someone despite no one but the doctor being present. The patient insisted on hearing their voice as well.

Date of Evaluation: 07-16-2026
Time of Evaluation: 8:05AM

Assessment:
Diagnosis: Grief Hallucinations
Potential Causes: Death of Sister
Treatment Plan: Quetiapine once every 3 hours (subject to change)

314 words

Hi Nivi! I did a little bit of stalking to figure out your name, since it felt kind of awkward to write you a whole letter without knowing it. Anyway, I’m Abby! Nice to meet you, thank you for signing up as my pen pal while knowing I was going to rant a lot. I’m never really sure what to put in these, so it just becomes a lot of random stuff.

But I suppose I’ll introduce myself. Pulling stuff straight out of my 1k intro cause I’m lazy, this is my 4th session of SWC, I’m in gothic, and I’m a sophomore in high school. I obviously love to write, and also read, mostly fantasy and romance. I’m lame and don’t do any sports because I’m really competitive but not very athletic, and I love crafts, especially if it involves washi tape.

So, getting to you, because i don’t want to talk about me the whole time, a list of questions in no particular order:

~Would you say you are a veteran of SWC, a newbie, or somewhere in between?

~What do you like read/write?

~What are some of your hobbies?

And, most importantly:

~Do you have any pets?

Sorry it took me so long to write this, I struggle with procrastination. Feel free to make me wait as long as I made you.

Daily #14:
“Daily:
Dear SWCers, You may be wondering why you've received your daily today in the form of a letter… That's because today's daily revolves around writing using other forms than prose! This can include shopping lists, text messages, letters, or anything else you can think of. Today, put together a mixed medium story of at least 300 words in order to earn 400 points for your cabin. share proof of your writing to earn an extra 100 points!”

HAYLEY is sitting on the porch with her friends, CAT and SAPPHIRE
Hayley: So, you guys excited for high school?
Sapphire: Yeah, i guess.
Cat: I hope there will be cookies.
Sapphire: Cat, for the last time, there are not going to be cookies in high school.
Hayley: Sapphire, you don’t know that.
Cat: No, you don’t.
Sapphire: Whatever. Let’s go inside.
SAPPHIRE, HAYLEY, and CAT all go inside.
Ms. Garza: Oh, hello, girls.
Sapphire: Hi, Ms. Garza.
Hayley: Hi.
Cat: Hi, Hayley’s Mom!
Sapphire: She has a name, you know.
Cat: No, i don’t know.
Hayley: sigh let’s go upstairs…
HAYLEY, CAT and SAPPHIRE go up to HAYLEY’s room.
Cat: Ooh, your room looks so cool!
Sapphire: is this shirt tie-dyed?
Hayley: Yep, and thanks!
HAYLEY, CAT, and SAPPHIRE sit down on HAYLEY’s bed.
Cat: Let’s eat snacks.
Hayley: Okay, but where would we find those?
Cat: I’ll go down and get some!
CAT goes down and gets snacks. CAT comes back up.
Sapphire: Mm…
Hayley: Guys, the sleepover isn’t about potato chips, it’s about-
Cat: Tortilla chips dipped in guacamole?
Hayley: No… but, it is pretty good.
Sapphire: I know, right?
Hayley: OKAY, GUYS, WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT FOOD RIGHT NOW.
(beat)
Hayley: Okay, that’s better. It’s time to watch a movie.
CAT raises her hand.
Hayley: yes, Cat?
Cat: ooh! ooh! Can we watch Wesley the kitten?
Hayley: No- okay, fine, we can watch Wesley the kitten.
Cat: YAYY!!!
HAYLEY, CAT, and SAPPHIRE watch a movie. CAT gets up and goes downstairs.
Hayley: Cat, what are you doing?
Cat: this is boring.
Sapphire: It just started, Cat.
Hayley: and you’re the one who wanted to watch it!!
Cat: Yeah, but it’s just about Humans. BORING.
Hayley: No, Cat… this is just the beginning, they’re gonna get to the Kitten soon…
Cat: Well, Call me up when they’re gonna get to the kitten.
Sapphire: CAT!!!!! THEY’RE AT THE KITTEN!!!
Hayley: That was loud…
CAT runs back in.
Cat: AWW!!! CUTE!!!
Sapphire: Told ya so.
CAT sticks her tongue out at SAPPHIRE. SAPPHIRE sticks her tongue out back at CAT.
Hayley: Guys…
Sapphire: Ugh, whatever.
Cat: Let’s just watch the cute kittens now!


319 words, 365 if you count the names

Non-Prose Writing – July 14 daily
326 words

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strongest sedatives safe for humans

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what to do if you become a werewolf
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schitsofrenia
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Search history 2/4/26
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daily 14! a lil interview transcript for a murder case <3

CASE FILE: MPD-2026-0714-CI-088

INTERVIEWEE: Jonathan Neill

INTERVIEWER: Clark Weirs

DATE/TIME: July 14, 2026, 5:30 pm

LOCATION: Interview Room 5, Livingston Police Station

CLARK WEIRS (CW): Greetings, Mr. Neill. State your full name and address for the record.

JONATHAN NEILL (JN): My name is Jonathan Neill. My address is 523 Mistletoe Drive, Livingston, Canada. Is that good?

CW: Yes, Mr. Neill. Would you repeat your earlier statement of where you were last night, please?

JN: I was playing pool with a few friends in my house.

CW: What friends?

JN: Just a few acquaintances…

CW: What friends, Mr. Neill?

JN: (sighs) Jenna Hudson, Mark Swallow, Gillian Bristol, Mickey Tonks, and Bill Stone.

CW: Thank you. How close would you say you are with these ‘friends’ of yours?

JN: We're good mates and all, but not especially close. I have closer, at least.

CW: Do any of them know the deceased, Sebastian Cowell?

JN: All of them, I'd say. I've seen him speak with them, at least.

CW: Interesting. Any of them more then others?

JN: Erm.. maybe Gillian? I often saw the two of them talking at parties.

CW: I see. Did you catch any of their conversation?

JN: Ah, well— (pauses, then continues) No, not really.

CW: Mr. Neill, please do not lie.

JN: I wasn't— (sighs)

CW: Mr. Neill.

JN: Fine! I have begun to suspect that Gill might have been flirting with Sebastian. She's single, and she's seemed a bit desperate lately. I believe they may be, ah, closer than they appear?

CW: Thank you, Mr. Neill. What evidence do you have of their supposed relationship?

JN: Flirty looks across the room, mainly, along with a bit of playfully romantic behavior on both parties.

CW: Interesting. Do you know of anyone else who would be able to verify your report?

JN: Mark and Jenna are close friends with Gillian. They often go to the same events as her.

CW: Thank you, Mr. Neill. Was there any tension between Mr. Cowell and the others?

JN: I don't think Jenna liked him. She avoided him often. Otherwise… Mickey's close with his sister, and I know that the two of them aren't on good terms currently.

CW: And what was your relationship with the deceased?

JN: I knew him. Not well, though— mainly a few conversations at parties, often because of our mutual friendships.

CW: Thank you, Mr. Neill. That will be all for now.

2026-07-14 Daily #7: Mixed-Medium (571 words)

Text thread between Cassie and Jake

Tue, Apr 5, 2016 7:38 am

C: hey this is cassie
J: jake!
J: lol our first texts are at 7:38 am
C: starting the day off right
J: :heart:
C: what days of the week do u lift
J: uhh
J: usually today and thu and fri
C: usually ?
J: hehe yeah i don’t always show up
C: :shock:
C: sleep thru your alarm?

8:54 am

J: sorry something came up
J: yeah i’m not much of a morning person
C: ……….
C: even tho u usually lift at 5:30 …?
J: it’s called manifesting cassie
C: sure sure
J: i’ll see you on thursday!
C: yeah see ya!!

8:12 pm

C: yoo im bouta go see a movie any recs

Missed call from Cassie to Jake

Wed, Apr 6, 2016 5:13 am

J: omg sorry i didn’t see this :sob: i was asleep

8:59 am

C: at 8 pm?? no way
J: i had a long day
C: dudee i wish i could go to bed that early
C: i’d be the most rested person on earth
C: the resting queen
J: … sleeping beauty?
C: um, i prefer the resting queen, thanks v much
J: :shrug:
C: so what’s ur secret??
J: :question mark:
C: with the going to bed early thing - how do u do it?

Thu, Apr 7, 2016 9:01 am

J: ahhh sorry
C: u left me on read … :sob:
J: SORRYYYY
C: no it’s whatever dw man :silly:
J: phew
C: but seriously like … what’s going on?
C: u were a bit quiet at the gym today

9:09 am

J: sooo, cassie, i haven’t exactly been 100% transparent
C: jake
C: what does that mean
J: so … my work isn’t what you’d call a typical office job

9:12 am

C: YOU’RE JUST GONNA LEAVE ME WITH THAT???

11:11 am

C: Jakeeeee
C: WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING
C: i feel crazy right now

5:18 pm

C: i’m dyin’ here, buddy :sob: call me when u can??

10:40 pm

J: oh cassie i’m so sorry
J: something REALLY came up
C: let me guess, it has something to do with your work??
J: you’re not wrong
C: are you free now?
J: yeah
J: i’ll tell you

10:43 pm

J: I don’t really know how to tell you this. but. basically. my mom is a very … important figure. i work for her. we have a family business. and you have to swear not to tell anyone this -
C: of course
C: your secret is safe w me forever
J: ok, well, it’s not exactly legal

10:46 pm

C: you run an illegal business with your mom.
J: :thumbs up:
C: ok?? so what does this business do exactly? money laundering? subletting? drugs??
J: kinda worse
C: worse????????
J: we kill people
C: jake you can’t be serious
J: and make deals.
C: jake.
C: this is the mafia.
J: … yeah.
C: you work for the mafia.
J: :thumbs up:
C: and your mom is the mafia boss.
J: :thumbs up:

11:38 pm

C: and we’re gym buddies.
J: :thumbs up:
C: wow.
C: well, i have to go to bed
C: i guess i’ll see you at the gym in the morning?
J: i’ll be there

❥・14
Wordcount・325/300
Topic・Unconventional writing
Points・400 (+100 for proof)
Cabin・Bi-fi

Isla walked into the kitchen. She was one her own that night, with her mom working at the hospital that night. They'd recently moved into this house from the city, where'd they had a small apartment that the two of them could barely fit in. Isla'd gone to the fridge to grab her cold pizza that her mother told her to reheat for dinner. She grabbed a plate, plopped a slice or two onto it, and dropped it into the microwave. She set the timer for two minutes and pulled out her phone. whilst waiting in complete silence except the hum of the turning plate in the microwave, she heard a distant thump over the right of the house. She jerked her head up, hoping she was imagining things. Eventually she let her guard down and went back to her phone. A few moments later, though, she heard the thumps again, this time stopping at the stairs. She looked up at the door of the stairs, and this time there was an eerie, moist, and looking barely covered in skin skull popping over the door. She screamed suddenly, and the head immediately turned back behind the door. Slamming her phone down onto the counter, she dashed to the door and slashed it open, hitting the wall. Breathing heavily, she peered around the area to make sure the head wasn't still there. BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEEP! With a screech, she realized it was just the microwave timer going off. She brushed off seeing the head took a deep breath, and gave the bottom of the stairs one last look around. She turned back towards the counter, with her hand poised around her forehead. She heard a quiet uncertain whimper in front of her, along with the crack of bones. Horrified, she slowly raised her head to see the terrifying skull right in front of her. After one last scream, she was never seen or heard from again…

Word War 4
vs FlamingoTesting

I grabbed my coat and hat, then stepped outside, slamming the door behind me accidently with a loud noise.

I was so excited! Today was the town's festival, a yearly celebration where everyone sets up tents and stalls, and there are many many activities for kids - games, food & sweets, and challenges!

Merry laughter filled the air and lots of chatter and chuckles rang through every corridor.

“Jess, come join us!” My friend Georgie waved to me, along with my friends - Maya and Ruby.

I ran over and joined them happily.

“I think we should start with the ‘guess how many jelly beans are inside the jar’ challenge,” Ruby suggested excitedly.

“No way!” Maya replied, “I suck at those, I say we got to that crazy stall slash house thing with crazyyyy mirrors inside, those are so cool!”

“Um guys, you're forgetting the most important and the best thing,” I cut in teasingly, “The baby animals pen! We get ot feed them, pat them and the owners introduce them to us and explain their diet and everything - it's so so so cool and they're all so cute!!!”

My friends stared at me like an exploding bomb.

“Okay, too much?” I asked sheepishly.

"No way!!! I'm heading straight there, I've never heard of anythi —

Daily 15 - Writing a story with elements


“Nooooo!” Maya cried, rooted to the ground in horror. All she could feel was her heart beat, threatening to explode in her chest. Headlights as cruel as monsters blinded her. A yowl of terror was abruptly cut off, followed by the sickening crunch of bones. Lightning cracked the sky overhead, and thunder boomed, like it was introducing grief into Maya's life, a feeling she's never known or felt so strongly.

Beep, Beep, Beep. Beep, Beep, Beep.

Maya jolted out of her dreams. She could breathe now, but the flashback had dug out fresh scars, and she let the alarm clock drone into the background as she took deep breaths and tried - and failed, to calm herself. Maya didn't fight the tears streaming down her face like a waterfall of grief, sadness, fear and anger. Anger at the world. Anger she always tried to hide but now exploded it into the world.

She stroked the white fur still stuck to a blanket at the end of her bed, as delicate as a feather, soft as snow.

“You have to move on, sweetie. Snowdrop died weeks ago and it's only making you miserable.” Maya's mum said, looked at her worriedly like an exploding bomb, as she set a big plate of Maya's favourite breakfast, waffles topped with berries and honey. Maya stabbed a waffle with her fork absently.

“No, I don't want to just forget her,” Maya gazed outside with unfocused eyes, where even rain seemed to stream down dully. A sound interrupted her gazing.

“What's that?” Maya padded to her backyard and opened the door quietly. A tiny grey tabby kitten with rain-soaked fur sat mewling pitifully on the dewy grass. Her legs wobbled like jelly, and her big, green eyes were rounded desperately. Maya reached for the kitten, but her hand stopped midway, hesitating. Images flashed through her mind. Snowdrop looking up with sad, blue eyes. Snowdrop sleeping peacefully on her blanket. Snowdrop purring in her lap happily.

Maya took deep breaths and focused her thoughts on a name to prevent her brain from getting overwhelmed. A fat drop of rain from the gutters above fell on the kitten's head.

A drop of rain, she thought distractedly, a raindrop…Snowdrop…Raindrop!

She was about to pick up the new kitten, Raindrop in her head, but a strike of lightning suddenly erupted and thunder exploded after. Terrified, the kitten sat up and up and ran without looking back. Her legs stumbled and collapsed every ten steps from weeks of starving and no food.

“No, no come back!” Maya desperately ran after the kitten. She ran and ran and ran, desperately trying not to lose sight of Raindrop. When the kitten finally stopped, Maya found herself in front o of the road.

Headlights blinded her and she was, once again rooted to the ground in horror.

Even with her mind screaming to not do it, Maya couldn't bare for the same thing to happen. Not again, never again. She dove forward and reached for the terrified kitten ad the car drove past, sweeping leaves up and twirling them in the air.

Maya carefully wrapped Raindrop in her scarf and brought her inside, setting her in front of the flames that seemed crackled welcoming. She fed the kitten food and Raindrop settled down in her lap, her purr like a tiny, delighted motor.

And from then on, she helped Maya overcome challenges, made her laugh through every stage, and sat next to her when she was lost in thought, thinking about Snowdrop.

Raindrop, despite her name, was a ray of sunshine in Maya's life.

2026-07-14 Weekly #2: Self-Care
Start: July 10
End: July 16
Done an activity to take care of yourself for 30 minutes
actually did my teeth whitening care for once
Enjoyed the fresh air outside for 30 minutes
ultimate on the turf with family
Cooked, colored, or crafted for 30 minutes
working on a friend’s gift
Written 500 words of journaling
604-word digital entry
Written an 500 word reflection of your 2026 so far
533-word digital entry

journaling (604 words) - July 14, 2026

I keep hearing about how childhood is going away.

I’ve seen it everywhere, from my mom finally letting go of our old picture books at the garage sale last weekend to my friends complaining about how they’re wasting their summer. I’m in a phase where everything is nostalgic and every time I do something unproductive I blame myself — Why is this how you’re spending your childhood? Don’t you realize the majority of it is spent sitting still looking at a screen?

Which I know is ironic and also not true. But I digress.

A few days ago — July 11 — my close friend told me 7-Eleven was having their free Slurpee sale. I suddenly felt an extremely strong urge to drive to 7-Eleven right then and get Slurpees. I asked the friend if they wanted to go, but they said no. I don’t know why this made me so sad. I held back tears as I watched a TV show with my family. At 10 pm, I asked my friend again and they still said no, and that made me cry. It seemed that the weight of adulthood was all of a sudden bearing down on me, and I was cracking under it.

After I took a deep breath and started thinking logically, I realized I could just ask my parent. They said yes! We prepared to go to 7-Eleven. As we were getting ready to go, my friend told me that they actually did want to come along. I felt this surge in my chest like, so I am going to get this experience before my younger years are over. I am going to get to take a spontaneous late-night trip to 7-Eleven, listening to music and talking to two of my favorite people in the world and absorbing the hazy lazy energy of life’s finest experiences.

And so we drove to the convenience store.

They were out of Slurpees. Apparently the sale only went from 11am to 7pm, which didn’t make much sense. But I didn’t care. It wasn’t ever about the Slurpees.

We made a playlist in the car with weird funky dreamcore songs to get the vibe like we were half-dreaming. And it did feel like that. You know how sometimes it feels like that after you cry? Everything looks glowy, as if it’s got that social media filter — you know what I’m talking about. And it feels like eyes going opposite directions and frogs in a pond and poetry and clouds at night. And pastel backdrops. Wearing a hoodie with the hood up. Not caring about my appearance for once.

As we were back home, getting out of the car — the whole thing lasted probably 20 minutes — I told my people I loved them and I was glad they came.

What if they hadn’t?

Would my childhood have been wasted a little more?

It’s impossible to measure. Obviously, there’s no clear definition for what is a “waste” and “not a waste” of my youth. That’s also why my brain is able to turn my actions against me so quickly and easily — I don’t have any boundaries.

But making them would be scary.

Saying “Watching TV is wasting time” and “Exercising isn’t” would be scary because then I have a higher bar for myself. I know exactly when I’m squandering time and when I’m not.

So I leave the lines hazy, like how I felt on the night of July 11th.

I grasp those blurred threads because they are the last of my whimsy, arbitration, and spontaneity. Soon everything will be in boxes, including me.

Fine. But I’m not accepting it yet.

2026 (533 words)
Huh. Half of 2026? That’s existential. Especially considering what I just wrote about in my journal entry. Well, I think I’ve done well. I think.

One big thing is I’ve been doing my journal for almost exactly 3 years now. I started journaling on July 17, 2023, and I haven’t missed a SINGLE DAY. Isn’t that amazing? On the anniversary I will have done 1097 days of journaling! I’m really proud of myself. I journal for a minimum of 5 lines in my notebook each day. This means that I have a small snippet of what I did, who I interacted with, and how I felt from any time in the past 3 years. It’s going to be crazy to look back on my journal once I’ve been doing it for 10 years. *Knock on wood and hope the habit lasts that long*

Well, in 2026 I guess here are the big things that have happened for me so far:

Performed in a musical as a minor lead!
Performed in a 10-min play as a lead!
Took voice lessons
Led a cappella club at my school
Grew out my hair
Became closer than ever with my friends & hung out with them as much as possible
tried to write, do art, and read whenever I can
Finished another school year (sorry anonymous Internet, you don’t get to know which one!)
Auditioned for a singing camp but didn’t get in
Did weight lifting for pretty much the whole year so far!
Biked to school for the first time
I’ve so far stuck to my goal of not eating non-homemade sweets for the whole year!!!
Traveled to some amazing places for the first time!!
Had a 5 month long crush :sweating: yes I know that’s almost the entire year so far aghhh

Can’t think of anything else right now. I’ve also learned new things this year. This seems obvious, but weirdly I always think I know it all and then I get totally humbled by some new perspective. Someone’s story, the news, some new philosophical idea I haven’t thought of that totally changes my outlook on life. (On a smaller scale, my therapist has helped me see and love myself in a lot of new ways - THANK YOU. Highly recommend therapy, 10/10.) I have continued refining my sense of what to sign up for and what to say no to. I have made countless checklists, calendars, and planning documents.

I tried to plan a big party but I realized I’m broke. This unfortunately took about 3 weeks of absolutely toiling over every aspect of party planning from venue to catering. Then I was like, “Oh, I actually don’t have $3000. Whoops.” So that didn’t happen. But we’re having a smaller one at our beach house. I have learned a TON about organizing large events — including knowledge of all the places and people that can help me with planning in my area. Also, I learned that money solves every problem and if you don’t have money you have to get crafty to solve it yourself, basically. Which is what I did! So, success!

Now I’m enjoying my summer with SWC, camps, traveling, and other fun activities

Hi Pywife!

I really was not lying when I said I was busy… I was hoping to get this letter to you by Monday, but I wanted to finish Monarch and Monsters and then I ran out of time to finish the letter… And then on Tuesday I had my orchestra concert. So this letter is very late, cries.

I mean, I feel like there’s not much to say about my life. Apart from school, the only other thing I do is orchestra, I think. I go to weekly rehearsals and then before a concert we usually have a weekend course where we rehearse from 9:30 to 18:30 on Saturday and Sunday, as well as on the afternoon of the concert. I’ve just finished my fourth year in the orchestra, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to play all of this orchestral repertoire.

Wow, I didn’t realise you had so much freedom in the American university system. I guess in the UK you can attend other lectures which aren’t for your course, but you basically have to balance that between your actual course, and you won’t actually do the exam for any extra lectures you attend, so I think it’s more for if you’re just interested in it.

Oh yeah, that’s what Chinese school is like here too. I feel like it sounds quite intense here though.

Okay time for my Monarch yap! I wrote this whilst I was listening to the album so the paragraphs kind of jump between all the different songs.

I am a little confused. When I search about Vylet Pony, I keep seeing things about the My Little Pony fandom. I confess I’ve never watched My Little Pony, so what is the link between Vylet Pony and My Little Pony? Apart from the names. In the lyrics it also sounds like there’s characters. Who is Wolf? Is that a My Little Pony reference or a different character? And Aria, too.

The melody of The Heretic (Woe is Me)’s chorus sounds a little bit like something out of Caravan Palace. It’s literally just from like three notes in the chorus. They’re a French electropop/swing band by the way.

Princess Cuckoo really terrified me. That might be the scariest music listening experience I’ve ever had. It’s also so good.

Wow I did not expect Sludge to be 22 minutes long. It’s been great so far though.

Okay, I finished listening to Monarch of Monsters. My favourite songs were PLAY DEAD! PLAY DEAD!, The Heretic (Woe is Me), The Wallflower Equation, Princess Cuckoo, Huntress, and Rest Now, Little Wolf (A Vigil for Aria, &c.). I really loved the flow of the album, and even though it’s a long listen it didn’t really drag in any way? It was a good mix of heavier songs and then some calmer reprieves. I’m interested to hear what your opinions on the songs are!

Sorry, I feel like I haven’t had many thoughts on the actual content of the album so far, just how the songs sound. I think I need to relisten to the album to get it better — I always have to relisten to things so many times to actually begin to appreciate how good they are.

Fishing is so boring. How do you have the willpower to sit through it? At least if I’m grinding for materials there’s something going on and I’m moving around. Fishing is literally just watching a screen and waiting for the bobber to catch on something. And I’m pretty sure if I tried to multitask I would just miss the fish every single time.

Oh, that’s a really short break Why don’t they give you a longer break after all the suffering they put you through in the quarter credit system, or whatever the name was again. Sorry my mind is literally blanking on whether that’s the correct name. At least that’s what I seem to have heard.

Woah, Latin poetry sounds really cool. I was trying to remember if I have ever read any Latin poetry in translation and I almost said The Iliad because I somehow forgot how literally everything about that screams Greek. Nice one Hope. Did not cook. As you can tell I’m not very good at history — there’s a reason I dropped that subject after year 9.

Hm, I think I can spot poetry techniques better than I can spot techniques in prose, but I never know how to link that to the meaning of the poem and the poet’s intentions. And then when I analyse stories I literally just can’t spot anything, lol.

For my exam board, in my unit 1 English Literature exam, one of the questions is to compare two unseen poems. I don’t think this exists in other exam boards, because the UK system is pretty annoying and everyone does slightly different exams. In other exam boards, they get a poetry anthology which they can study. And then in the exam, they have to compare a poem from the poetry anthology with an unseen poem. I think. Anyway, I’m pretty sure the unseen poetry question was where I dropped the most marks last year in English. After that exam I was literally on the grade boundary for an A*, so let’s hope I did well enough this year to stay on that grade. To be honest, I’m not too bothered about English anyway, so if I do drop a grade I’m fine with that too.

I usually only play Roblox with my friends, so we usually play some random multiplayer game we find. One time we literally played Escape from the Backrooms But You’re Chained Together or something like that. Pretty much just multiplayer slop. Although there’s some really good games on Roblox as well — Notoriety, In Plain Sight 2, 3008, to name a few. I don’t know why I’m yapping so much about Roblox seeing as I don’t even play it that much and I don’t think you do either.

Wow what is this Lyric propaganda. Obviously Dystopian was better. I’m actually kind of larping Dystopian because I was not active at all during that session.

I usually get the gherkins from Polish Specialities. Very yummy. They’re not especially sour though, if you prefer the really sour pickles in vinegar. Aww, hopefully you get to eat more sour food soon!

Of course I would play a song to you, my dear wife. I kind of need to practise first. Perhaps I can hop on vc some time to give a mini concert.

I should actually play some more Pokemon Go but I open that app about once every six months at this point. I don’t understand how your level is that high. I didn’t think that was even possible. I think my main problem with Pokemon Go is that when I’m outside, I’m not going to be on my phone anyway. I will see if I can check out some Pokemon games!

The Milky Way set just proves that lesbians are indeed the centre of the universe, so ignore the haters. Or at least, they’re the centre of the galaxy. I really love my Radiohead poster but my sister thinks it’s really creepy, haha.

Woah, climbing. That is so lesbian of you, I must admit. Every single cool lesbian is into either climbing or art. I think it might actually be impossible to be a lesbian without an interest in at least one of those. Maybe that’s part of your lesbian admission tests.

Running away from home to get out of a violin lesson is absolutely hilarious. I’m giggling. I’ve definitely wanted to skip lessons pretty much every single week but I’ve never gone to such lengths. I feel like everyone dreads music lessons to some extent, although maybe not that much… Can we get Denial to sing i’m not a dere please. I would love to hear your snging as well, if you’re up for it :eyes:

Whaaaaat you get up at 6 and you still say that you’re a night owl working on becoming an early bird?? Okay maybe that applies for the SWC routine. RIP to your circadian rhythm indeed.

Yesss you should explore more! Maybe you could make plans with other people, and that way it will make you actually go out to do things instead of staying home and scrolling. Or you could explore by yourself, that’s really cool too. I usually find it easier to make myself go out and do something if I’m doing it with someone else, because then I can’t just say “I’ll just do it another time” and start scrolling.

Ouch, I hope your hand is better now. You should take pictures of your cooking so the Tarot Club or SWC can drool over your delicious cooking.

Argh, cases. Why don’t we talk about vocative or locative… :0 It’s so impressive how you can remember how and when to use all of these cases. I remember getting cooked by the accusative case in German. And I’m pretty sure that’s like the easiest one to learn after the nominative.

I don’t think I have a favourite animal in particular. I like birds? In particular birds of the family Paridae. Because if I used the common name for those birds Scratch filterbot would absolutely cook me. You might be able to guess which birds I’m on about already. Anyway, those birds are so round and fluffy and cute, and a lot of them have this really nice brown and cream colour on their feathers, although I also like the brighter colour ones. I mean, I guess they could be my favourite animal? I kind of listed the first animals I could think of which I liked, though.

I don’t really think there are any objects that have a particular significance. Maybe my Blahaj. I struck a deal with my parents that if I got distinction on my grade 8 clarinet I could get one, and I somehow actually got the distinction?? So I suppose that has quite a significance. I also really like our piano, but I don’t think there’s much significance behind that. It’s just a pretty basic upright piano, I just like it because I enjoy playing the piano. Somehow the answer to this question became just music and I have no idea how.

I have no idea what makes me, me. I feel like a lot of the answers I could have given don’t really define me. Like, I was thinking maybe what I enjoy and am interested in, but that could change and I think I would still be me? The same with my values, or my beliefs, or my opinions. Hmmmmmm. Maybe the way I think about things in my mind? I don’t really know. I’m not very good at thinking about deep questions like this because I always shrug and say “uhhhh i don’t knowww”. But hopefully I will get better at this. I also need to remember to answer the question in your last letter.

I prefer pencil for writing on normal paper. I use a mechanical pencil with 0.5mm 2B lead and it’s really nice and smooth. But I ran out of 2B lead and I only have HB left. Tragic. On nicer paper, I usually use my fountain pens. They’re so smooth and comfortable, and I have loads of colourful inks which I really like. You can get a lot of different effects in fountain pen ink. There’s shimmer, which is just suspended bits of metallic particles in the ink basically. Shading is when the ink pools where you took your pen off the paper and it means at the ends of letters you get a darker section. It’s really pretty but I can’t describe it well. If you’re interested I can send a photo. Sheen is when the ink dries with a layer of a different colour on top of it. For example, a green ink with red sheen would be green on the page, but it would have like a red layer on top of it, especially where the light catches it. I think those are the main fountain pen ink features, if I haven’t missed some.

I’m actually not part of many fandoms. I lurk in a couple of fandoms — Project Sekai, LOTM, Ace Attorney, Disco Elysium — but I’ve never really engaged with the people in them. I think I’m too scared to. I’m very content to just lurk for now. I definitely need to comment more on fics though. That’s one thing I need to do more. I’m pretty sure I’ve only left a comment once ever.

My favourite time of day is probably around dusk. Like when the sun is setting or has just set and the sky is still kind of light but getting darker. Especially in the summer, when this is like 10pm. In the winter this happens at like 4pm, but the sky is always grey and cloudy anyway so you can’t even see it.

Question time for you!

What’s your favourite fruit and/or vegetable?
If you weren’t studying microbiology and biochemistry, what do you think you would be doing?
Do you like doing arts/crafts? Why/why not?
Do you like to collect anything? (I’m assuming Pokemon cards would be one of your answers)
What was the last book you read and what did you think of it? I’ve realised there’s about a 99% chance it was LOTM V4… You can talk about both that and the last non-LOTM book you read if you want
Tell me about your day! If you want to of course.

Eternally grateful to be your husband,

Hope

(2282 words)
(holy yapathon)

Greetings Hope!

Cabin Wars went wonderfully for me. I’ve found myself a bit less motivated this session than I have in previous sessions but it was also a nice change to be typing on my computer for a change. It’s definitely a lot more convenient with the setup than my previous setup which involved either typing on a lagging docs app on my phone or typing on my iPad with my keyboard which usually made cabin war days quite painful and I would usually just end up with very much cramping hands. I wrote about 4k words yesterday, which is a normal amount for me - though about 2k of that was dedicated to my last letter for you. FOR THE WORDS!! I’m definitely very behind on my goal to write 40k words this session but it’ll definitely be achievable.

I don’t know if I feel zen working on my computer but I definitely like it a lot. It’s a darkish cobalt blue which I do think makes me feel a bit zen? Also, I’m currently procrastinating on my self-assigned summer coding assignments as I’m typing this because I’ve just come off a week of spending the hot days napping in bed and recovering from a very exhausting trip to London on Sunday. I do hope this can run all my fancy engineering softwares on it… it’s definitely supposed to be strong enough to run AutoCAD which is the most intensive thing I need it to run. Maybe I’ll upgrade the graphics card at some point but I have no idea if that’s even possible.

I forgot you had a desktop ahaha - honestly there were some 16” laptops at the laptop shop as well but their screens were way too big to comfortably fit into a backpack and I was not lugging them around everywhere with me.

Yeah, no games for now but probably for the best! I’m hoping to save up so I feel less guilty about buying them but I’m currently waiting to hear back from the places I applied to. It might take them several weeks at which point I wouldn’t have very much time to work there so hopefully they respond soon! If not, I’ll be able to find some place to work at my university city but it does mean balancing everything will be significantly harder and I’ll probably have to start drinking coffee soon… coffee is far too bitter for my taste so I really hope I don’t have to. Maybe I’ll also find some other games I want to play in the meantime in case they go on sale.

YES I do want to do some coding projects now that I actually have the ability to do them and type things out. Back to using Scratch as it was designed! I should also get used to trackpad drawing again because it’s been five years since I last had to trackpad draw since I got my iPad and my skills deteriorated. I used to have epic trackpad drawing skills, so time to get those back now I guess! I’m thinking of maybe writing a choose your own adventure game or a murder mystery game because I think that would be fun to do! But I’m still not sure yet. I have a while to think it over.

My accommodation has a kitchen and I am very excited to walk into the apartment and go “I can cook guys we’re having dumplings tonight” and just make everyone dumplings the first night we’re together or something. If I can get away from all the very likely dinner/lunch invites from family friends… I’m actually making some 肉嘎嫫 tonight because I’m really craving it and can’t be asked to send mother to the shops to go buy some. So instead we’re making it ourselves! We made some other things together last week, not just 花卷 and 葱油饼, such as 红烧肉. Oooh, I should probably make an aesthetic recipe book before I leave the house. That means buying some more art supplies and getting mother to do some colour printing at the office… but it will be worth it! I’ll probably do that towards the end of August though. That’s interesting about the kitchens though, since I think at some colleges there might be a kitchen somewhere? But most colleges - especially at Oxford and Cambridge - are really rich so they can afford to subsidise living costs and food costs for their students, which probably leads to the lack of kitchens. Most other university student accommodation is the standard layout of flats with individual bedrooms and a shared kitchen (and sometimes bathroom) unless it’s a catered hall. Which mine are not! I think I have to check the accommodation policy before bringing a rice cooker in so I’ll probably email the accommodation office beforehand to check that it’s okay.

Honestly staying home and playing video games sounds like a vibe. I’m trying to meet up with people but everyone is on holiday so I’m just hoping I get employed soon. I’m also hoping to make some more covers this summer since I haven’t really been doing that and I really want to spend more time singing. Probably because I’ve gotten really obsessed with Project Sekai that I just want to cover every single song they have in existence. Oh, speaking of! I think I’m going to tier for the upcoming Leo/need event, Unsteady still steady step, because I really like the cards. I have 62k crystals saved up for Our Golden Days and other end of summer gachas so I might try my luck and pull on the gacha once. If not I can probably still tier. I’m going to try to t10k again since I think that’s as much as my ADHD brain will allow me. Our Golden Days is in October so I’ve got plenty of time to save up for that! And also the various anniversary gachas too - manifesting good pulls so that I’ll get Saki Colourfes!

When tiering though it’s really funny as I almost never go for those songs - I normally can get quite a high score on Gunjou Sanka and the song is on the short side at a minute and a half ish, so that’s my go-to song and I also go for SToRY but we all know that’s just because I want to get an FC on Master not because I want to tier with it. Other songs I frequent are usually about 2:00 long so uh, yeah. Also I did end up trying Daybreak Frontline APD and I managed to survive it. It’s not that bad? But then again this is coming from someone who’s trying to FC Gunjou Sanka APD. So, you know. I’m still trying to figure out tap registration issues on my iPad which are literally being the bane of my existence right now. PLEASE.

I do kind of get where you’re coming from with MMJ, I do love their music, but I am a bit picky with it as well. To be honest, MMJ’s genre of music (idol pop) isn’t for everyone and I just happen to like Japanese idol pop a lot so I like their music a lot! But I like Leo/need better, so sorry guys.

As for HSK and Chinese, it’s going! I slacked off because it was too hot so I basically spent Wednesday through Friday of last week and Monday of this week napping because it was so hot. I think this is payback for all the sleep I didn’t get while doing my A Levels. I’m going to go back and practice the words and vocab again today as much as I can? But I do find we’re using more Chinese around the house now so hopefully that will help with my skills and I can fix them to a decent amount. What still sucks is that people are telling me my Chinese is so good and I’m like NO I PEAKED WHEN I WAS FOUR OKAY. I never got sent to Chinese school on Saturdays growing up because we didn’t have a car and so - yeah, my reading and writing skills are. Uh. Yeah. Anyway, hopefully we’ll get back on track and I can pass HSK 1. Not that I’m actually taking the tests, I just need to learn all the vocab. Again.

Also, my irls absolutely loved the attack! We met up with them in London and I gave them their attacks and they absolutely loved them and we exchanged gifts and it was the best day of my summer ever. We then went around London in the absolute burning heat and I died. There was a lot of hugging that day and also lots of walking and dragging luggage up stairs. Also the whole “yeah we don’t have aircon in this country” talk. I just want some aircon in this country okay. Please?

And speaking of Artfight I need to lock in otherwise my attack ratio will be very messed up. I’m working on an attack right now but I still need to get through my hitlist by the end of the month and I need to dedicate a fair amount of my time to drawing. Sigh. We’ll do this though!

Right, now to answer your questions!

Room decor: So basically my ceiling light placement is cursed, as you know, and my parents are planning an upstairs renovation once I leave for university. My walls are painted blue and my ceiling is white. I don’t have any curtains but I do have a little shelf next to my bed which I store my earrings and my two model planes on. Also, Humble Pi lives on that shelf now for some reason.

Favourite hobby: I honestly don’t know. I really like writing, it’s grown on me a lot these past few years but it can honestly feel like such a slog to get a project finished and I’ve been forcing myself to write a bit a lot recently which probably isn’t good for my creativity. After this SWC I’m probably going to take a solid creative writing break for a few months or something. We’ll see. I also like figure skating! They changed how the progression works so now they’re teaching me some ice dance things. But I think that’s good as they’re actually forcing us to do edge work and before they did not force us to do nice edge work so that’s a plus. I do miss being able to spin and jump though. So hopefully I’ll move up soon!

Interests: Uh, so. What haven’t you heard of? I think you’ve heard me yap about these things for literally forever so I have no idea what to put down here… I mean probably Japanese? I really want to learn more about Japanese culture and customs but first I have to get through learning Mandarin otherwise that would be too much. I did realise the other day that the ts sound in tsu in Japanese is basically the same ts sound in cai and cong and stuff and that’s probably why the Taiwaniese romanise the surname 蔡 (Cai) as Tsai. So anyway, fun linguistics tangent.

Last book I read: The Fault in our Stars by John Green. I remember I borrowed it right at the start of study leave and I ended up staying up until midnight to finish it. I definitely regretted it the following day, so I am never doing that ever again. It’s so beautiful though, and the emotional damage was rough. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time and I love it.

Niche/unusual interest: I don’t know. See, I think having an unhealthy interest in rail infrastructure and how we can fix it is normal, but it probably isn’t. So probably that.

Anyway, I need to go make dough now. So I’m going to ask you a bunch of questions:
Worst video game you’ve ever played?
What would be your dream video game? (if you were a game designer and could design your own video game)
What’s a dish you would really miss being able to have once you go to university?

Skylar

unfinished daily 15– so far only includes a bit of the elements, but I don't have time to include them at a larger scale currently! my elements were survivor, hi-fi, childhood place, and ambiguity.

Dear Miss Taylor,

Please accept my deepest condolences for the loss of your younger brother. He was a true friend to me in the time I was with him, offering hope and comradity in times of loss and despair.

I want you to know that Nathaniel was one of the best men I've ever met. Our entire platoon hung on his every word, and I— we— would do anything for him.

I'm so, so sorry. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for your family— whether before or after this war ends, if it ever does.

Respectfully,

Thomas Smith

Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you for your letter. The loss of Nathan was the hardest thing we have ever experienced, and I doubt that pain will ever go away.

Shortly after we got the news of Nathan's death, my mother got ill. A few days later, she passed.

Father and I are doing our best to hold up the household despite our shared grief, but loss is a heavy thing to bear. We are drowing from the weight of it all.

I know you are doing your duty to the country, and I know Nathan was too. And that is one of the most noble ways to die.

Frankly, I still wish he hadn't enlisted, because he would still be alive. I am a truly selfish woman.

But this death is far greater than the death of a coward, and for that I am grateful.

Your letter brought me a sliver of joy in these dark times— it is nice to know that Nathan brought some light to others before his death.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Taylor


Dear Miss Taylor,

I am glad my letter brought some joy to you, and I'm so sorry to hear the news of your mother— I hope that you and your father fare well despite this.

I am terribly lonely without your brother, but the memories of him are enough to keep me going. He was truly a great man.

Nathaniel died to save me. I'll spare you the details— it was much too gory for a lady such as you. But he was a man of honor, and I am eternally greatful for what he did for me.

I hope your financial situation has improved somewhat since I last heard from you, and that you have found things that bring you joy as my memories do me.

Respectfully,

Thomas Smith


Dear Mr. Smith,

I was pleased to hear from you again. I know soldiers have little time to write (Nathan often mentioned that in his letters), so it brings me no small deal of warmth to know the time you are taking to write to me. Thank you.

I am glad to hear he died a savior. That is like him. However, I am no lady. I implore you to give me the details— I will not rest until I know how he died. He often wondered about that as a child— he wanted it to be dramatic and big. Preferably bloody, maybe some screams in the background.

My financial situation, as you call it, has not improved. Thank you for your concern.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Taylor


Dear Miss Taylor,

It is true that we don't get much time to write— but I truly have nothing else I'd rather spend my time on. I'm glad to know it brings you warmth, though.

I believe that all women are ladies, regardless of standing, and must be treated as so. However, I would prefer you did not lose any sleep, so I will tell you that Nathaniel's death met his younger self's expectations. It was dramatic, and large, and bloody.

Your brother died a martyr, and I will always remember him as so.

Respectfully,

Thomas Smith

WIP

Daily 15: Elements of Literature Spin

Notes: Im literally speedrunning this lol. i rlly cba just doing it for the points =P (hence the waffling) so dont judge moi on this terrible piece of writing… might edit this later when inspo strikes-
okay guys irlllly rushed the eng T^T
DISCLAIMER: this is an Attack on Titan fanfiction so it contains a few spoilers (although it's relaying episode 1 so it aint that deep (nvm it's attack on titan so it is always THAT DEEP + ep 1 has incredible pacing so like- a lot happens lol))

Elements: orphan, dystopian, place of communion/food, flashforward


Panic seizes my heart as it thumps unevenly at the sight of my mother lying beneath the rubble of what once was our house. I drop to my knees beside her, frantically searching the roof for a hook that I grip my hands in and use to attempt raising the remains of the structure to no progress. Frustration burns through my chest as anger quickly begins to take a hold of me; halted by the sound of a thump loud enough to burst my eardrums. Around us, houses and buildings tremble as though in fear as I whip my head around to the sight of something colossal: a 48 feet tall titan. One with terrorising, round eyes, chin-length hair and a smile that reaches from ear to ear, lips curled around creepily straight teeth and the gums of a jaw powerful enough to shatter mountains. It was thundering towards us, my heart thundering along with the vibrations of the street around us. Its hair swishes side to side as it advances, my breaths hitching in fear. My jaw drops as i blink a few times to ensure what is seeing it true, before getting a hold of myself: my mother is in danger. I continue to uselessly pull at the rubble, Mikasa grunting beside me as we desperately hope to save her.
“You've got to get out of here” my mother shouts, “Just take Mikasa and run”
I stubbornly turn a deaf ear to her protest knowing that I can let her d**. I /cant/.
“I want to!” I grunt, “I want to more than anything!” it comes out as a scream “but first i need you on your feet!”
I pant heavily, chest heaving, forehead sweaty, hands bloody and filled with wood splinters as a scream of frustration escapes my mouth.
“Eren, Eren listen to me!” my mum shouts over my screams, “you cant save me: even if you could get me out my legs are crushed so i won't be able to run. theres no time!” her voice dropping octaves lower.
Suddenly, i can't breathe, cant think straight, tears leaving my eyes as the unthinkable begins to settle in – my mum is going to d** today. Horror colours my face and flips my stomach inside out, and my eyes are shaking: i cant see anything clearly.
“Whatever, I can't k** you!” Defiance takes over as i continue to pull at the roof.
“WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE?!” this is the loudest ive heard my mum shout before, her face filled with tears and the determination to save us “ONE THING IM ASKING YOU! ONE THING.” she gasps “Mikasa, make him listen! Do you want all three of us to d**?!”
A military force member swoops down from his wires and my mum exclaims to him: “Take the children and get the out of here!”
He swoops down on us and wrenches us away as i pound my fists on him and struggle out.
I watch in traumatising horror as the titan takes a large bit out of my mother, her blood spilling everywhere, onto my face clothes and in my tears. I scream until my voice goes hoarse


With a jolt i wake up, tears streaming down my face but when mikasa asks me whats wrong i simply do not know. I stand up and we pick up our sticks and go watch the survey corps come back from their mission allong with the villagers

weekly 2: self care boogaloo. 1091 words

part 1: i went climbing
part 2: i went to the farmers market
part 3: i made roast salmon & beets & cauliflower

journal, 540 words (tw: kind of heavy/gloomy content)

I don’t think I’m doing okay.
Lately, I feel like I’ve been hollow, almost, except that isn’t the right word for it. I don’t feel like myself. I don’t even know if I feel human. I’m so disconnected from all of the things that I love doing that I think I’ve kind of lost myself.
I know why I feel this way. It’s because I’m taking too many courses, because I’m spending—wasting, rather—too much time on social media. Doomscrolling.
It’s funny to me that there’s a word for that, now. Like it’s just a part of life, embedded in the English lexicon. This is normal, now. A new, sinister normal.
Anyway.
I feel foggy whenever I go on any of those apps. I feel like a machine, like a zombie, compelled to mindlessly consume. It scares me. It scares me more, though, that I can’t stop. I often find myself reaching for my phone in periods of low stimulation. I crave it, even though I derive no joy from it.
For now, I’ll try to stop myself from accessing them at all. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I have to try. I don’t want to lose what makes me human to colorful squares on a machine.

Another thing that’s been bugging me is how I respond to being overwhelmed. I shut down & get irritable, like I expect others to magically understand that I need space. They can’t possibly know that. It’s unfair for me to expect that from them, I know. The next time that happens, I’ll try to let at least one person know.
I think that my stress response probably stems from my home environment growing up. My mother and sister would get into screaming matches so often and the only thing I could really do was remove myself from that situation, either physically or mentally. It usually ended up being mental dissociation, though, and I felt blank, for lack of a better word, during those events. I guess it’s kind of become a go-to response now, and I get irritable when I get mentally forced back into stressful situations now.
I probably have issues with vulnerability now because of that environment. I find myself either tearing up or trying to lighten serious issues by passing it off as a joke. I feel like I have to apologize for being open, too, primarily due to the reasons behind my mom’s and sister’s conflicts. They taught me that I can’t be fully honest with my parents, that being vulnerable led to getting yelled at, so now I just have that baggage I guess. Cool.
God. I know that no one’s even going to read this, but I’m still getting a little misty. I kind of hate how emotional I get. I don’t know the cause for this one. Maybe it’s still the yelling thing.
I do cry a bit when I get scolded or criticized, though. It’s probably also due to my mom. She wasn’t always the nicest to me and I guess now I’m bad at dealing with authority figures. That’s pretty inconvenient.

This one’s going into the megathread. I don’t want it to be easily found.
Free therapy though thanks swc very cool

2026 (519 words)

I finished my junior year of uni at 16. I’m a rising senior now and pretty close to hitting 17 years old.
My favorite memory from this year would probably be when I visited one of my friends from the early college program in Stanford. She showed me around her campus (it was gorgeous!) and we spent a lot of time talking & exploring campus and SF’s Chinatown. We got bread bowl soup for dinner from this famous bread factory (apparently that’s a thing?? the bread factory being famous not bread bowl soup) and rode a Ferris wheel. I think my favorite part of that trip was staying up late in her dorm, watching Stranger Things and playing Truth or Truth and just talking about life.
I think that this is one of, if not the lowest, points I’ve had in 2026 so far. I feel cruddy in general. I’m never taking this many credits ever again. Never. Let this be a warning to not take the workload of 28 credits in a single term EVER.
I had a brief & ill-fated crush. 16 and 20 was never going to work out, honestly, and I’m glad it didn’t. She’s a really good friend so I’m glad I didn’t act on it. That would’ve been not wise, to say the least, and I don’t really feel like being more alienated than I am now. It’s over now, which I am appreciative of. It took up more headspace than I wanted to give it. I actually saw her yesterday with another one of my friends. We had a cuddle pod on his bed & we were just lined up staring at the ceiling. It was odd but kind of comforting.
Have I changed since January? I wonder. I’ve expanded my music taste & my wardrobe, but I don’t know that I’m quite content with either of them. It’s been another six months of living alone, but I honestly think I’ve become a bit less responsible. I know that I need to clean more but I can’t find the time for it. I know it’s not about motivation and I know that I just need to get started but there’s no convenient time to do it. I should fix my sleep schedule again.
Speaking of sleep schedule, I gradually shifted it so that I would go to bed at 9 and wake up at 6. It kind of went back to dysfunctional teenager time, so I want to get that back to normal. It would give me a lot more time to clean/do homework.
I know that I said I was overworked, and I truly do mean it, but I’m glad I’m taking the classes that I am. They’ve broadened my perspectives on the world in a way that feels natural, I guess? The introduction to new ideas that I wouldn’t have come across without these classes, or without the necessary context that these classes provide, is definitely something that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t done the most idiotic scheduling thing imaginable. So I guess there’s a silver lining to that cloud.