Word count 150 total for all 3.

1

Summer.
Unmanageable.
My.
Month.
Escape.
Rescued.

2

She hated boots, pounced and tore her sash.
Mirthfully looked and pelted up the stairs to clean up.
Meekly entered closet and explored it.
Broke away backward in September, without danger.
Authority, over quarreling mischievous children with hasty behaviour.
Incorrigibly trustful and exercised over the match - hated business intentions. Briefly met twice, know little. Uncanny and soundless, sympathy in Summerside.
Municipal soul, pretty nineteen. Red hair, sooty eyes.
Fond attention and successful prospects - very decent.

3

Dovie, a housekeeper. Influence with sewing and eloping.
Beloved moonlight, dimples and moonshine.
Moonlight from window, whims and promise.
Dew, quite true.
Sense or effort?
Poplars, sweet, coaxing, comfortable.
Showers, grey and cold.
Tree-bordered lane - moon through clouds.
Dubious light in kitchen window.
Wrinkled housekeeper, in a dither.
Unceremoniously seen by tiny candle, cold drizzle.
Smoothing over, safe and pleasant.
Dreamlike and old-fashioned, cheerful and grateful - a good family.

Daily. Word count 506

Rapunzel sat in her tower and sighed to herself. She had one week before her captor, the witch, returned and demanded to climb up her hair, which despite her best efforts, was still not long enough. Rapunzel got up and walked to her table to pick up her book. She wasn't supposed to have a spell book, but it was her only hope: to find a spell that grew hair. She knew that she had seen one before, she just couldn't remember exactly where… Rapunzel flicked through the pages, not too quickly, so she wouldn't miss anything, but none too calmly either. At nightfall, she still hadn't found anything in the large tome. Day by day, her hope diminished, as she still couldn't find the hair spell. Finally, the night before the witch returned, she found a spell that caught her eye. ”A spell for revenge” was the heading. Rapunzel stared at it in disbelief, and rapidly read the page.

”To be used on an enemy.
One slip of paper with a memory of your enemy written down.
One magic plant
and one strand of your hair.
Pour in dissolving solution.
Stir in a heated cauldron ⁵ times. When paper is dissolved, add an explosive plant. Stir, then throw. Run through the mist, and find your enemy. You now should be able to control the mist, which coming into contact with anyone but the spell brewer, will cause uncontrollable laughter.”

Rapunzel finished reading, and raced to her cupboard. Yes, she found a magic plant. She pulled out her cauldron and dropped it in. “What else?” she thought. She grabbed some paper and wrote down briefly “Witch. Kept me in tower for years”. She dropped it in with a strand of her hair and poured in the dissolving solution. She held her breath nervously and stirred 5 times after heating her cauldron over her small fireplace. Pulled out an explosive plant, stirred. She gasped; it had worked so far! She poured it into a bottle and threw onto the floor. As instructed, she ran through the smoke. Then, it was time to wait. She cleared up the broken bottle and hid her cauldron and ingredients while she waited. Soon enough, she heard from the ground “Rapunzel, let down your hair - if it's FINALLY grown.” Rapunzel didn't hesitate. She ran to the window and called down, “Just wait for a moment!” She clenched her fist, and pointed it at the witch. Sure enough, she saw magic mist floating rapidly down to the ground - the spell had worked! Rapunzel waited, in both fear and excitement. Suddenly she heard chortles of laughter down below: she raced down the stairs and used the mist to melt the door. She rushed outside and saw her captor on the ground, unable to stop laughing from the mist. “This is your doing, Rapunzel! Go back to your tower!” Rapunzel, of course, didn't go back to the tower. Instead, she took one glance back, giggled, and ran off to start a new life.

My current WIP. Total 967 words, most recent amount of words to add: 557.


”Ember, that's ridiculous. We can't possibly think about leaving, just because of something you've heard. At least tell me more about it!” said River. “Fine, fine. I heard news from somebody here in Duskhaven that there is a rare plant - Fireleaf. Apparently, it grows somewhere on a mountain several miles north of here. No one knows exactly what it does though; I want to find out. Will you come with me? I don't know why, but I feel like it's really important…” Ember said. Finally, River agreed to leave - on one condition: they asked permission first, so they could return at a later time. River secretly hoped they wouldn't be able to leave, she loved it here in Duskhaven. “Yep, go ahead - we were hoping someone would go after that Fireleaf.” They easily gained permission from the Aqua Dragon who guarded the entrance and exit to Duskhaven. So, Ember and River packed their things and walked off. ”Wait - Ember! Where do we go now?” said River. “We walk until we find it. Easy as that. I heard that towards the west there is a small village - let's aim to get there by nightfall.” ”Okay, Ember…”. So they set off, aiming west. By nightfall, they were nowhere near a village, so they had to find some trees to sleep in for the night. The next day though, they walked with renewed vigour, and had covered around 100 miles by nightfall. They finally found the village, only to realise that it was very different to what they had envisioned - it was nothing like Duskhaven at all! “We'll go there anyway, we'll find out where we can stay overnight.” said Ember. They soon found something like what they needed: a bookshop, nestled in the corner of the village. Best of all, they could see through the window that there were several comfortable chairs! River and Ember briskly walked in, and sat down in two of the chairs. ”I'm going to read for a while” River whispered, and pulled a book out of her bag. The night passed quickly, and they left the village at dawn to continue their journey. ”What do we even need Fireleaf for, anyway?” asked River. ”I just think it's important, somehow… Come on, let's keep going!“ said Ember, she was getting impatient with stopping. ”No… I don't think it's worth it, Ember. Sorry, but I think we need to go back. Remember, we are still learning to master our affinity-magic!” ”What!? Look, I get it, but we have to continue! This is really important to me…“ River paused and looked at Ember. ”I'm so sorry Em, I need to go home…” ”If you know the way back, I'll continue by myself.“ said Ember decisively. ”Alright. Stay safe, okay?” ”Will do, River. See you soon…“ At nightfall, they parted: River went back to Duskhaven, and Ember continued her journey to find the Fireleaf. A few days passed where River arrived back at Duskhaven, and Ember wearily trekked. Finally, she came to a stop in front of a steep mountain and gazed upwards. That was surely the mountain that she sought… It was night, so she rested. At dawn, she began to climb upwards towards the peak of the mountain. She found herself missing River; she was really good at climbing… ”Almost.. there..“ she muttered to herself. Ember finally reached the peak and stared around. She could see for miles, not that she spent long admiring the view. Instead, she found her gaze drawn to a rather large, reddish-orange plant. ”That's got to be it! The Fireleaf!“ Ember carefully pulled it up and put it in her bag. Now she could finally began the home journey - with the Fireleaf safely in her backpack. One week later, she was stood in front of her sister, River, and her teacher, Rosemary. ”Here. I found the Fireleaf - what do you know about it?“ Ember asked excitedly. “It's a magical plant which immediately strengthens the affinity of Fire for the person who harvests its flower - it only flowers once. Well, when it's fully grown in a specific way… For its power to be effective, it must be looked after: watered by someone with the affinity of Water, and pruned and tended by someone with the affinity of Fire. When it reaches its full size in around a year, it can be used.“ said Rosemary. ”That isn't fair, what about me?” River said. “You also have a plant used to increase the power of Water, but there is no known source of it, unfortunately. It is named Aquastalk, and it's very rare. Of course, those with an affinity of Earth, like me, also have a plant - we don't know where it grows though, so I can't use it… I can't quite remember the name just now either.“ Rosemary explained. ”And what about Air?“ asked Ember. “Unknown, but we assume that those people have a magic plant too.“ Ember nodded, and beckoned for her sister to follow her. River did, and they sat down together. ”What is it?” inquired River. ”We MUST find this Aquastalk, somehow. You must have your plant too!“ ”Ember, we need to tend your plant, the Fireleaf. Let's wait a while, then go. It gives us a chance to develop our magic too!” Ember hesitated, and then agreed. Yes, they could wait for a while if River was sure - that was probably best. But… if the Fireleaf only flowers once, what about other people who could benefit from it? ”River…" Ember told her sister about her thoughts on the Fireleaf. ”It's alright, there'll be more Fireleaf to find - don't worry about it!” So for now, at least, Ember was satisfied; and could focus on looking after her plant.

Word war with Kat. 210 words in 5 minutes (I was a bit slower than my usual…)


“Hi there! I've decided to start a diary - wow! Aghh!” “What's happening??? I'm fallinggg!” Fab dropped her notebook - she was falling through the pages, what was going on with this diary? It was meant to be a normal notebook for writing in, and the diary had barely started! What on earth? She landed into what looked like a bookshop if the sections decided to hate each other… Hey, is that a fantasy book attacking a gothic looking one? What.? Fab gasped, the books formed a shield (the ones that looked like Dystopian!) and the other genres stopped attacking for a while. What WAS going on? Fab asked no one in particular this question. “It's just cabin wars, don't worry! We've all been summoned here. I'm Sapphire, remember?” “Oh yes, I remember you. Why are we here?” “To write, of course! For the honour of our cabins! Go Gothic!” Sapphire zoomed off towards her genre's area. Fab looked around. “Hmm, may as well write while I'm here!” Fab ran towards the Dystopian section and began writing quickly and hurriedly. She managed to write at least 500 words in 20 minutes, and she managed to help win a cabin war. Then - she got sucked back through her notebook to her own home.

Word count 214. Short story!

“Fab! Hey, Fab! You going to participate in this cabin war?” Fab looked over her shoulder - it was Sapphire. “Yeah, I'm going to - but aren't you in Gothic? Why are you cheering on Dystopian? Hehehe, at least we're allies!” “Good luck!” Sapphire called. Fab walked over to the Dystopian cabin, and picked up a pen and notebook. “May as well write for an hour or so, it might help win this atrocious war!” Fab thought as she began to write. Fab wrote a page, then another. And another. And yet another. And that went on for three hours, until Fab ran out of energy for writing. She added up her words: One thousand, five hundred and five words. “Hmm, not bad! I'll add these to the war, that's a great help.” Fab added the words, and with the help of some other people in Dystopian, completed the cabin war. Finally, peace. For a while, anyway… Of course, there were more wars sent, and more wars won. That's what cabin wars is like - chaotic and fun. Fab continued writing at a more leisurely pace, and enjoyed it a lot. At last, cabin wars drew to a close, but Fab was certain that it wouldn't be long before they returned. After all, is SWC ever uneventful?

+228 words.

Fab walked through the doors of the Main Cabin of Scratch Writing Camp. She was expecting to be met with a sign saying today's daily, and the usual description about the camp and the weekly challenge. She was NOT expecting to see flying mangoes, scraps of paper, and the sound of about 100 people writing at top speed. She glanced at the sign above the door to confirm her suspicions: Yes, it was cabin wars all right. Fab picked up her diary and began to write. It would count for words towards the 4500 word cabin war that she had found in Dystopian cabin, anyway.

”Hi there, it's me, Fab. I'm back with a new diary, and I may as well write now, when it'll count towards cabin wars (more like chaos wars, hehe.) I can't wait to write a story towards this huge war we need to complete, but whilst I don't have any ideas, I'll write in this notebook for words. It's pretty fun, anyway! Now, I do need to add a few words; back soon…” Fab dropped her diary on a writing desk and walked off to add some words. Then she walked back over and began to write again. ”I'm back! Time to write some more - wait, is that another war?! Got to go, bye!” Fab picked up her diary and left quickly.

500 words.

Florence walked out of her house - she wanted adventure again, but didn't know where to find it. She decided a good place to start would be the river near her home, so she shouldered her backpack and briskly walked off down her path. When she arrived at the river, she sat down for a while and waited. After a few minutes, she opened her backpack and met her kitten, Poppy, jump out and play in the sunshine that was coming through the trees. Florence waited for a while in case anything happened, but eventually fell asleep with boredom. She slept for a while, but then - she was suddenly woken by a loud noise. She raced towards it: surely this was the kind of thing she was looking for! Sure enough, the source of the noise was a dragon who was stuck in a tree. He spoke to her about how he got there. “HELP! HELP ME! I was flying and then I flew into this tree. I'm stuck - help.” Florence climbed up the tree, but couldn't pull the dragon out. Then she had an idea - why not bend the branches around the dragon so he slipped through? She had to try, so she had a go. Eventually, it worked. “Thank you, I'm free!” the dragon said. He then said that his name was Comet, and asked who she was. “I'm called Florence. I am an adventurer!” Then Comet said, “I am too. I can guarantee that there'll be adventure where I go, want to come? You can bring that cat too.” “Yes! Yes! I'd love to come if I can! Can we go now?? Let's go!” Florence gabbled in excitement. “Woah, calm down - yes, you can come, and yes, we need to leave now. Let's go!” Comet said. So they flew off (with Florence on Comet's back) and set off for a distant land to find adventure. Or maybe… adventure would find them. They flew for a few days, until they came to a large forest. “Shall we stop here, Comet? This place looks interesting!” Florence said. “Yes, it seems… magical. Let's walk through this forest for a while, it seems like a nice place.” So Florence jumped off Comet and walked through the forest with him. Suddenly, she gasped and picked up a shining object. It looked like a rainbow crystal! “Hey, look Comet! What's this?” she asked. “Wait, you found that? That's incredibly magical and valuable - take care of it.” Comet said. “Okay! I'll put it in my backpack for now; it might be useful later on! That's really cool though.” Florence walked on through the forest until they came to a mountain. “Hey, Comet! Should we go up this mountain? We did say we wanted adventure!” Florence called. “Oh, that's so awesome! I love mountains. I'm going up that right away! Jump on, Florence.” Comet said happily. So they flew up to the mountain, and, after a while, reached the peak.

212 words.

“Clover! I just heard: the forest is burning. We need to run, Clovy - come with me.” Shimmer screamed at her friend. “What!? Shim, this has better not be a joke.” Clover said. “I'm not joking! I heard from a friend, and I saw the smoke! Clover, we need to leave. Now.” Clover stared, and then grabbed Shimmer's hand and began to run. “Which.. way.. is.. the.. fire?” gasped Clover. “That.. way.. go.. this way!” Shimmer screeched. They changed direction and ran, as fast as they could. When they were safely away from the forest, they stared at each other in disbelief. Plummery Forest, burnt? That couldn't be true. It was magical! “I'm going back to help.” Shimmer said, and she ran off before Clover could stop her. She ran into the forest and groaned. It was a campfire. “Hey, you! You said the forest was burning!” The elf screamed, and tried to explain. “I thought it was! I saw the smoke! Everyone panicked about it!” “Ugh, fine. Go calm everyone down. I'm putting out this campfire now.” Shimmer said. After sorting everything out, she returned to Clover. “Hey, Clove… It was a campfire - I'll explain. Come on, let's go back.” So they walked off back to the forest that was NOT burning.

200 words.

“Oh, hey there. Who are you?” Flamingo said. “Hey, Flamingo! I'm Hummingbird - what are you doing here?” “I'm here for the WriteFest, of course! You? Oh, cool name by the way!” Flamingo added. “Oh, me too! I adore writing - what's your favourite genre? Yours too - thanks Flamingo!” Hummingbird said. “Ooh, nice! I love all genres, but I only really write picture books and fantasy.” Flamingo said. “Nice! Let's get writing now then. It's what we both came for, so we may as well, haha.” Flamingo walked over to a desk with lots of pens and notebooks. “Hmm, so this is where I write. Nice!” Flamingo thought to herself. She began to scribble down some ideas on some scrap paper. “Ooh, that could work. I'll write it!” Flamingo wrote for a few hours, the mass of notebooks being filled quickly growing. After what felt like hours - wait, it was hours - she stopped writing. She read it through to herself and realised it wasn't actually too bad: in fact, it was pretty fun to write, and that's what mattered, even if the end result wasn't her usual style. She would absolutely participate in the WriteFest again next year - it was really fun.

Daily. Word count 200

Meow! I'm Jess, and today I'm going to be trying to find some plastic to chew before curling up under a bed to stay cool in this heat! I hate hot weather… “Jess!” Oh, that's my owner, I'll go see what she wants. “Mew!” “Hi Jess! Are you coping with the hot weather? Good” my owner said. Right, I'm going to find some plastic - be right back. *several minutes pass* Okay, I'm back! Unfortunately couldn't find any plastic this time… It's too hot to do anything now, so I'm going to sleep underneath a bed to stay cool. Wait, is it cooler under the bed…? Anyway, I'll try to stay comfortable for a while before walking round the house for a bit. It is always fun to see if anything's changed though - should I just go now? Yep, I will. I'll be back in a minute, just walking about for a bit. *10 minutes pass* I'm back; that was a fun walk. I'm getting too hot now though, so I'm going to go now and find somewhere a bit cooler, goodbye for now: It was super fun to get to know you today - see you soon, maybe.

500 words.

Hello there! I'm Fab, or you can call me Flamingo too! Today's journal entry is going to be slightly longer since it'll count towards the Scratch Writing Camp weekly challenge. Oh, speaking of which, it was cabin wars yesterday, and I don't think we lost a single war - yay! It was my first ever cabin wars, and it was chaotic but fun. SWC has been really good this session, and I've been way more active than last session (Cyberpunk March ‘26 as a backup camper!) I’m really pleased that I've been able to write a lot, especially since the weather has been super hot - 30+ degrees Celsius! I have been able to keep cool though, luckily. Onto today's highlights, I managed to get outside in my garden for a while, which was fun, and I'm now able to write for a while. Oh, and England won their football match against Norway last night (2-1 in extra time!) so I'm happy about that. We play Argentina next, on Wednesday at 8PM - it'll be a tough match, but hopefully a good one. Other news… oh yeah, I had a piano lesson yesterday, which I don't think I recorded in my journal, so I'll describe it now instead. Basically, I just played my three exam pieces I'm learning to my teacher - it went pretty well, and I know where I need to improve. I also completed some music theory homework: quite boring, but it's okay. What else? Oh, Spain play against France on Tuesday, and whoever wins that will be in the World Cup final to face either England or Argentina. (Come on England!) Other than those matches, the World Cup is coming to an end - it's gone by super quickly! Oh, and any other things I'd like to record… well, I did do some sketching the other day - pretty fun, though I'm not very good. Other than this, I've not really been doing that much; it's my summer break now though, so I'm relaxing a lot and enjoying the summer - it's been quite good so far, though very hot! I don't even really like hot weather, but it's been worse - this isn't the hottest it's been this year, and it IS gradually cooling down. Even as I write this, it's not as hot as it has been: brilliant! Oh, and of course I have been writing an online journal. Most entries I've kept to myself, but I will be sharing this one. I can't believe I'm already at over four hundred words in this entry! Wow. Writing feels so much easier since joining Scratch Writing Camp; it helps to improve my writing, and motivates me to write more for fun too! I will definitely be participating again in future sessions, and try to increase my word goal each time too. Who knows, maybe one day I'll attempt writing 100K… Well, I'd at least like to write 10K next session, that would be good. Bye!

511 words.
Oh, hi there! It's officially halfway through 2026 now, so I'm doing a recap. This year has been pretty good for me: I've achieved quite a bit.

First of all, I've started to use Scratch more, and have joined Scratch Writing Camp (this is my second session now!) and I've started to participate in the Scratch Design Studios and Scratch Event Studios, which have been really fun. I've also began to code a few projects that I'm proud of. Hopefully I can continue to improve!

I've also achieved my grade 4 music theory, which was a highlight of my year so far for sure - it's a huge achievement. I'm also currently working towards my grade 4 performance exam, and that will be an achievement. Even to just be preparing for it is an achievement in itself! I've been enjoying piano a lot more now. Who knows, maybe by next year I'll have done that exam!

Another thing I've done this year is I've played football a lot more, and my fitness has greatly approved. I really enjoy playing football, and I hope I can continue with it for a lot longer - it's a wonderful sport. Of course, I've also watched a lot more football, especially with the World Cup being on this summer, so I've become really invested in it, hehe.

Going back to Scratch, I've also made a lot of new friends, and I've made some great memories on this website, like hosting a contest with one of my friends, getting to know some of the community helpers on this website, even reaching 400 followers without even meaning to - funny that, on my old main account I used to care about getting followers (I didn't do F4F or ask for followers though) and I didn't gain them, yet now that I don't Scratch for followers, I suddenly gain them, haha! Scratch has definitely been a lot more fun this year, and I hope I continue to enjoy it and make more friends.

As for my other hobby, art, I have started to do it more, especially with joining Scratch Art Camp (As a side note, that was really fun!) and I'm hoping to get into sketching over my summer break - I've already started a bit! I'd love to improve my art as much as I can this summer, as I really enjoy it.

Oh, and I also still love reading. (Some things never change, hehe) I've read a lot of books this year, some old, some new. I hope I'll always love reading - though I hate to say it, I have read most of my books too many times now… On a brighter note, I did get two new books the other day, and have already read them, so at least I have newish reading material now!

One of my favourite memories of this year has got to be when I went to the beach - it was a really fun day, playing football on the beach and eating fish and chips. All-round great day!

Daily: 558 words.

”Hey, Ember. Should we go water the Fireleaf now?” River called. ”Okay, just give me a minute - coming!” Ember ran over to her sister. ”Let's go! Wait a minute…” ”What's up, Ember?” River asked. ”No, nothing. Just thought I heard– there it is again! I'm going to see what's causing that noise! Come with me.” Ember said, already running towards the sound. ”What is happening!?” she called to no one in particular. ”Wait… is that a Gemstone Dragon? That's awesome, they're super cool! Oh no, they're dangerous too… this isn't good.” ”Ember! Get away from there, that's a Gemstone Dragon! Run!” River said, gasping for breath as she came up behind Ember. Ember shook her head. ”No, we need to see what it wants, and get it away from here before it's too late. You know, they sap magical power into those gemstones and then uses it itself. This could be bad.” Ember said. ”Ember! Don't– it's too late, she's gone…” River said. She was annoyed with herself for not stopping Ember, even though she couldn't have done anything, which she was also annoyed about - why couldn't she have helped? Meanwhile Ember was rushing towards the dragon without stopping. ”Hey, you! What are you doing here?” Ember yelled at the Gemstone Dragon. ”I am here to gain the power of Duskhaven, and to claim it as my own. Out of my way, and I will spare you.” the Dragon said. ”Never. Leave, now.” Ember said determinedly. ”Wait! Dragon, I'll get her away. Come, Ember. Quickly, run.” It was River, running towards Ember, trying to help her out. ”Okay, River. I'm not coming for long, though.” she said. They ran back into the deeper parts of the forest. ”River, we must prepare to fight. No one else knows about the dragon yet, so it's down to us. Even as we speak, it may be preparing to sap the power… we must hurry. Will you be fighting alongside me?” Ember asked. ”Yes, of course. Let's go, before it's too late. Come on!” River said. She didn't want to fight, but she knew that she had to. They ran back to the dragon, and spoke together. ”Hey! You leave now, or we'll make you. Go. Away.” they said. ”And? I'm more powerful than you, for sure.” the Gemstone Dragon said scornfully. River and Ember looked at each other. ”Alright, let's do it.” Ember said. ”On three, River?” River nodded. ”One… Two… Three.” A blast of fire and water hit the dragon - it staggered a bit, but was unharmed. ”Ha, ha. That all you got?” it said. ”You first, River. Do your best - then I will.” Ember said. River took a breath, and fired a torrent of water towards the dragon, which washed away the gemstones. Then, Ember's turn. She blasted a fireball straight at the dragon, which knocked it off it feet. Finally, it flew away, never to return, they hoped. ”Woah, River! That was awesome. Great work getting rid of the gemstones - that's what really got rid of it.” Ember exclaimed. ”No, you did brilliantly, Ember! That fireball was incredible! I'm still in awe…“ River said. ”Well, we both helped, and we got rid of it. Now we can finally go and water the Fireleaf - woah, that took a while, didn't it?” Ember said.

Daily | Word count: 300

To whoever finds this note:

I am writing in the hope that someone will read this letter and find this island where I have been stranded. I was washed up here six months ago, with nothing but my notebook, which I have used to write this letter. I don't know the precise location of the island where I am living, but it isn't very likely this note will reach anyone, so I don't think it matters much. To tell the truth, I don't remember how I got here, either. I just remember being washed up here six months ago, with no boat - just me and my notebook. The reason I'm even writing is because I found a bottle washed up on the sand, and I immediately thought of sending a message in a bottle. I am also concerned that I will run out of food supplies: I've been living off of fish I catch, and natural berries, which aren't reliable in the long term. If, somehow, this note reaches somebody, please send out help to this island in the middle of the sea– wait, all islands are in the middle of the sea, ignore that. I don't have a rubber, so I can't remove that. Anyway, the island is somewhere far away. I'm sure you'll find it if you look in the right place. Anyway, I'm only sending this on a whim, and to make use of this notebook, so I don't really care if you can't find this island - you probably aren't even reading this note. Also, there's an old, broken down hut with a fishing rod on this island, if it helps at all. Sending my regards from this lonely island, and hoping someone reads this letter and knows where to look. Thank you for reading.

From,
Fab.

Daily. 600 words.

Hi! My name is Silver, and my story's kind of different. You see, I don't know anything about myself - except for the fact that I'm an orphan, and my name is Silver. I've been living by myself in this quiet forest for as long as I can remember, and I don't know anyone else who lives here, though there's a lot of people who pass by. They're just strangers to me, so I keep myself to myself - and I prefer it that way. Today I'm going to walk through the woods again, and maybe this time something will be different. Maybe for once, something will actually happen.
***
Silver walked slowly through the woods. Nothing EVER happened, but she still kept trying, just because. Then– she walked abruptly into a tree. She'd better pay attention to where she was going before she walked into someone else! Nothing else happened for a while, so she kept walking peacefully. Even if it was boring, at least it was quiet. Well, mostly. Then she walked into a huddle of people: huh, what was going on? The forest was never usually this busy, there was usually the occasional person, but not this many. Something was definitely up here, and Silver decided to investigate it immediately. “Hi, um, what's happening?” she said. “Hey you! Leave us be!” One of the strangers said. Silver backed away immediately. “I was just asking! I won't bother you again then if you're like this!” Silver said quickly. The stranger advanced and started to speak to her, telling her to walk away - now. “Wait, I don't want to leave. I'm walking this way, and I won't go back just because of you. Let me pass.” Silver said, starting to get annoyed with these people. The stranger pulled out a wand and threatened her with it - he began to wave his wand. “Wait what?! You're magical?” Silver asked in confusion. “Yes. Go, now. Don't tell anyone else about this!” He said. Silver looked around; no escape anywhere. “Uh… I don't really want to leave… and what if I want to tell someone that there's some magical person out here?” Silver said. “Hmm. How about, no.” he said. He waved his wand, preparing to hit her with some magic spell of some description. “Wait, stop!” Silver said. He briefly paused. “Well? You going to leave and keep quiet? Last chance.” he said. He clearly wasn't going to wait for long. Sliver paused, delaying her answer. She bought herself some time by answering slowly, “Erm…” but clearly he wasn't going to let her off. She vaguely heard footsteps in the distance, but paid no attention: she was focused on getting out of this mess, even if it was impossible. Suddenly, somebody came up behind her, raised a wand and easily defeated the strangers. “What are you doing here, in the magical forest?” he asked Silver. “I've always lived here. Why?” she said. “Because you're the rightful princess of the woods, so you need to come with me.” he said. They walked off together towards the forest palace, and pretty soon they arrived. Silver strolled through the doors and began to get used to her new home. The person who had saved her soon helped her get settled in her new home, and she was very happy there. She looked after the forest, lived a happier life, and wasn't bored anymore. Silver had finally found something different when she walked through the forest, and she lived happily ever after in the forest palace, and was kept busy, but had fun.

Daily | 430 words.

Flamingo walked into a large room set up like a kitchen. “Hmm, I wonder what's in here…?” Flamingo mused. Then she gasped - she could see lots of different emojis! Then Flamingo became absorbed into creating a custom emoji, and didn't pay attention to what happened around her. If she had, she'd have been surprised…

“Hey, hear this joke! It's sooo funny, hahaha!” someone said. “Oh, *sob* be quiet, Laughter! *sob sob*” someone else said. “Hahaha! You're always crying, Sad. Cheer up, haha!” Laughter said. “Noo, I'm too sad! *sob*” Sad called back. “Hey guys - quieten down. I'm waaay too cool to laugh at THAT, Laughter. What's up NOW Sad? You need to CHEER UP!” someone new said. “Oh nice! Cool's back, that's great - he's always pretty fun” Laughter said. Meanwhile, Sad just kept crying in the corner for no reason at all. “Hey, Cool! Nice new sunglasses, you look really /cool/ in them, haha.” Laughter said, laughing at his own joke. “Haha, thanks Laughter. Cool - get it - joke, too!” Cool replied. “Haha, you delivered that joke so smoothly, I'd say you're as ”cool as a cucumber”, Cool!” Laughter joked. “*sob sob* Can everyone be quiet? I'm crying…” Sad said. “Haha, nice try, Sad. No chance!” Laughter and Cool said at the same time. “Cool, Cool! We spoke at the same time, that's pretty funny!” Laughter exclaimed. “Haha, that actually is pretty cool, Laughter. Y'know what, let's try to cheer up Sad. Bring out all your best jokes, Laughter.” Cool said. The emojis hopped over towards Sad, and bounced in front of her. “You start, Cool.” Laughter whispered. So Cool cracked a joke and grinned. “*sob* Leave me alone *sob*” was the only response he got from Cool. “You know what, Laughter. Let's leave it for today, this is no fun.” Cool said, and the emojis hopped off to find some more fun. “Oh hey, Cool. There's a person over there making an emoji - want to surprise her?” Laughter asked. “Come on, Cool! It'll be funny, hehe.” Laughter convinced Cool. “Alright then, let's go. Coming then, Laughter?” Cool called. They moved onwards towards Flamingo. “Alright, how are we doing this? Should I throw some different ”ingredients“ in her mix? Or should we opt for jumping in front of her and startling her? I vote for that, it'll be super funny. Up for it?” Laughter asked. “Yeah, absolutely! Sounds really funny, I'm in!” Cool said. “Right, on three, we jump in front. Okay, Cool?” “Yep, okay.” So Laughter started the countdown. “Three… two… one - jump!”

Weekly | 2106 words

Buildup

Ember harvests Fireleaf and soaks in water
Ember and River decide to attempt to find Aquastalk while they wait for the Fireleaf to mature.
Ember and River pack bags and leave Duskhaven.
River remembers that she'd heard of Aquastalk and where it grows, but can't remember where.
Ember goes one direction, River another. They agree to explore in different places and meet up back at a hollow tree when one of them finds something.

Climax

Ember falls into a river and is saved by an Aqua Dragon
River wanders through a forest, and gets caught in a forest fire.
Ember journeys with the dragon and gradually aims for the Shimmering Waterfalls.
River escapes the forest fire and advances towards the back of a mountain.
Ember reaches the top of the Waterfalls and, after several hours searching, finds Aquastalk.
River climbs the mountain and runs round to the front. She sees flowing water, and after exploring, finds Ember. The mountain she had climbed up was the Shining Waterfalls.
Ember happily shows River the Aquastalk and travel down the Waterfalls with the Aqua Dragon.

Resolution

River and Ember journey back to Duskhaven with the Aquastalk.
They care for the plant, and Ember uses the Fireleaf which has now matured.
(205 words)

Ember looked at the Fireleaf. It had orange leaves, and, where the delicate flower head had appeared, glowing red petals. Ember sighed in contentment - such a beautiful plant, and it would soon be mature. “Oh, those petals are so delicately wonderful. I can't wait to harvest it! Actually, it's now that I need to harvest it, right? And then soak in water and wait to mature. I'm sure that's right, but I'll check.” Ember harvested the large, delicate flower head, admired the firey petals and soaked it in a beautiful silvery jar of fresh water. She also set it on a warm, sunny rock and watched for a minute. The flower slowly unfurled even more and opened up fully. Ember was satisfied, and decided to go for a short walk and come back in a little while to check on the flower. “Ooh, look! That's such a pretty flower… I think it's lavender - I'll take a closer look.” Ember looked closely at the flower. “Yes, it's lavender. I'll pick a spray, it's very lovely - one of my favourite plants.” Ember slowly walked back to the jar of Fireleaf and examined it. “Hmm, it's looking very vibrant - it's doing good. It'll need to mature for at least two weeks, so I'll check back in one week or maybe later.” she murmured. (224 words)

Meanwhile, the forest was darkening, it was coming into night. Soon, owls would be hunting, fireflies would be flying above the forest, and the elves would retire to bed for the night. Far away on a lonely mountain, flowing water ran, and nocturnal animals went to drink in their numbers. Plants grew and thrived; night was the best time for magical plants to grow, and grow they did. Only a select few Elemental Elves experienced it, but that night, there were several shooting stars - rumours said that there were thousands, but those who watched the shooting stars said it was most likely only a handful - though they didn't deny their beauty. While Ember watched the Fireleaf, all this was occurring. At last, night truly fell, and the forest was silent and peaceful again. It was quiet, but full of life: plants growing, animals stirring, and the occasional shooting star too. The forest was ancient, but no one could tell what would happen next. No one knew that the very next day, many plants would be found: the most in a year, and some rare ones, too. The forest held many secrets, and many were yet to be discovered. Maybe one day someone would discover those secrets - but who? Nobody knows, yet. (211 words)

“Hey, River!” I heard Ember calling to me. “I'm coming, Ember. What is it?” I said. “The Fireleaf is maturing now - shall we try to find your affinity-magic plant, Aquastalk? The Fireleaf takes at least two weeks to mature, so now's our chance.” Ember said to me. “Oh, yes, Em! That would be great - but will you really want to come with me?” I said to Ember. She replied, “Yes, of course! Let's pack our bags now, Riv. Do you know where Aquastalk grows?” As we pack our bags, I answered her. “Sorry, Em. I don't know - I vaguely remember hearing about it though… maybe it will come to me.” I say. “Oh, okay. It's alright, we'll find it eventually - even if it takes weeks.” Ember replied. She's so kind, Ember. She always tries to help - it's really nice of her to help me, and I told her so. “It's nothing, River. Honestly, I enjoy it - it'll be fun!” she said. So the next morning, we left Duskhaven once again. Hopefully not for long, though. (184 words)

“Hi Riv! Ready to leave?” I said to my sister, River. She replied saying how kind I am to do this, and said that yes, she was ready to leave whenever I wanted to go. “Aw, it's nothing - it's fun! Anyway, let's go.” I said back to her. So that morning, we left Duskhaven. I really like it when we go off on our own together like this, it's actually really fun. We walked for a few hours until we came to a break in the path. Now which way did we go? “Hey, Riv - which way do we go now?” I asked. “Ember, maybe we should take one way each? That way, we have the best chance of finding the Aquastalk. I don't mind if you don't want to, though.” River said tentatively; she's not used to making suggestions, she always lets me be the leader. “Absolutely, that's a good idea. I'll take this path, if you'll take the other. Meet up back at that hollow tree when either of us finds something?” I said. She agreed, so we spilt up and took different paths. (186 words)



Ember walked along the path that she had taken. “Woah!” she said. She had noticed a pinecone on the path, and picked it up to have a look at it. Her eyes widened - it was glowing softly! “Woah!” she said again. “This could be useful; I'll take it with me.” Ember stuffed the pinecone in her backpack, and carried on walking. Meanwhile, the path was becoming harder to see, and the light was dimming: night was falling. Ember made a quick decision to continue for a while, and for a few minutes, it worked. Then, she slipped and lost her footing. Moments later, she was in icy cold, deep water. She screamed, but made no sound. “Surely I can get out…” she thought. Then suddenly she was on firm ground again, streaming with water. “What.. happened?” she said with chattering teeth. “Hello. You fell into my river, so I pulled you out. Name?” someone asked her. “Oh, and before you ask, I'm Fountain - an Aqua Dragon.” they said. “I'm Ember. Since you're an Aqua Dragon, do you happen to know where Aquastalk grows?” Ember asked. She was starting to warm up now, at least. “No, I don't know. I am planning to return to my home soon though, it's over those waterfalls. You can come if you want, and maybe you'll find this Aquastalk.” he said, and pointed with his wing towards the waterfalls. “Yes, I'll come. Drop me off at the falls when we get there, I'll be able to see for miles.” she said excitedly; this might be her chance to find out where to go! At dawn, they would aim for the waterfalls.

“This is a bit boring, just walking through this forest… still, hopefully I'll find out where Aquastalk grows eventually…” River mumbled to herself. “Oh, I need a rest - I'll sit on this log for a little while.” she said to herself. She sat down on the sturdy log and sighed. Was this a mistake? Should she have stayed with Ember? These were questions she asked herself all the time.
“I'd better carry on now, I guess…” River said. She got up and began walking again. “Hmm, what's that? Is that… smoke? I'll keep walking, I'm sure it's nothing.” Moments later, she was sure that it wasn't nothing, but it was too late. Fire was roaring towards her, and there was no escape back the way she came; that was filling quickly with thick, ominous grey smoke. The only chance she had was to run through the flames. She summoned her Water Magic, and wrapped a watery bubble over herself. She had no idea if it would work, but it was her last chance - if she delayed much longer, the flames would be upon her. She took a deep breath, and ran into the wall of flames.

The forest burned. It was many hours until the fire went out, and by then, the destruction was devastating. It would be months before it was as lush and healthy as it was before. Animals fled for their lives, plants withered. Trees burned. It was a deadly fire - what caused it, no one ever knew.


I never thought I'd be here, on the back of an Aqua Dragon, flying towards waterfalls - which I've named the Shimmering Waterfalls - searching for Aquastalk for River, and all this at dawn, too. “Ember, we're almost here now. Get ready for the landing.” Fountain, the Aqua Dragon said. I braced myself, and slid off as we landed. Luckily, we landed on some soft moss and it was a comfortable landing. “Right, I'm leaving now. Good luck!” Fountain said to me, already spreading his wings. I waved, and then began walking towards the edge of the mountain. I wanted to see the waterfalls. “Woah, they're beautiful!” I exclaimed in awe. I stared at them for hours, just admiring them. Finally I shook myself: I had work to do here! I leaned over the edge, taking care not to slip. “Wait, what's that? Blueish stem, shimmering leaves - is that Aquastalk?! It's a long way down, on the edge of the waterfalls; it'll be slippery… Still going to try it: I've got to!” I said. I summoned my Fire Magic, and created a firey rope, which I tied around myself and tied to the edge of the mountain; this way, I wouldn't fall off the mountain if I slipped. I leapt onto the ledge, slipped, but managed to stay upright. I pulled up the Aquastalk, and stuffed it safely in my bag. Now for the hard part: getting back up. I hauled on the rope, and heaved myself upwards - I made it to the top, and rested on the rock after swiftly untying the rope.

I ran through the flames. For a moment, darkness. Then, I burst through into a grassy field, and was safe again. “Phew, that was terrifying!” I said, still shaking. Then I gazed up: a huge mountain. That had to be my best chance; I would be able to see for miles! I began the long, weary climb after trudging across the field to the base of the mountain. After hours of grueling work, I made it to the top. This had better be worth it… I ran round to the front of the mountain, and gasped. It's a huge waterfall! It's so beautiful… I gazed at it in awe for a moment, and then moved on. Surely I could find Aquastalk here, this is exactly where I think it would grow! “Hey, River! Is that you?” I heard someone calling my name. I ran towards the voice, and screamed in disbelief. It was Ember! “Ember, what are you doing here? Have you found the Aquastalk?” I gasped. Ember nodded happily. “I did! Here it is! And now, let's go home.” Ember proudly displayed the plant, and we walked to the front of the mountain, by the waterfalls. “Look, I'm going to attack a rope to you, and let you down to the ground on it. Then I'll do the same for myself.” she called. I let her, even though I was nervous. Surprisingly, it worked! I made it to the ground safely. Then she let herself down, and we began to walk home. It took a few days, but it was worth it when we made it back home to Duskhaven safely - and even better when we planted the Aquastalk, and Ember was able to use the Fireleaf, which had matured while we were gone! (1094 words)

Daily | 456 words.

Dear Earth,

I'm writing to tell you that my secret plot is almost complete. Beware, if you do not follow my plan exactly, you will no longer exist. You want to know what my plan is? Patience, you will find out soon…
You know those pointless planets? They're in my plan too. Okay, here's the plan:
Step one of the plan is for me to move closer to you, Earth, so my gravitational pull works on you.
Next, you must destroy any planet of your choosing. I'd recommend Mars, since it's pretty close to you.
After that step has been successfully completed and one planet is destroyed, we repeat that step.
Another, destroyed. Again, repeat. We repeat these steps until all the planets are destroyed. Then, we do the final but one step - explode the sun. Yes, it sounds big, but if my calculations over the past few hundred years are correct, it should work. When you write back to me sending your agreement, I will explain that part further once the planets are destroyed. Finally, when the Sun is destroyed, we can be in charge of the entire galaxy! So, got the plan? I'd recommend that you take your time planning how to destroy the planets though, otherwise this could backfire on you and end with you being destroyed, instead. Oh, and there is a slight catch: if you don't do the plan within five days, I resort to Plan B - and in Plan B, nobody survives, except for me. So, I'd not waste too much time if I were you, Earth. Not if you value your life, that is. Of course, if you WANT to be destroyed, feel free to ignore this letter. I'm more than happy to do Plan B by myself if you'd prefer… Finally, the secret step in Plan A would be for me to fling you out of this galaxy, watch in pleasure as I'm left to myself, and enjoy the peace; at least until the next meteor falls through, but they don't last long at all. Muahaha, soon, the entire galaxy will be mine! So, it's your choice. Cooperate with me, and exit the galaxy, or refuse to help, and exit the universe? I don't care which you choose, since you are really unimportant to the plan. However, it would be useful if you did help me, as then you would not be wasted like if you refuse and I go with Plan B. If you do not respond within two days, I will go with Plan B. Respond, and don't get Plan A done within five days, and I resort to Plan B anyway. So, Earth, what'll it be? A. Or. B.

Villainously yours,
The Moon.

Critique for @imstillbreathing

214 words, excluding quotes from OP.

To start off, this piece is really interesting and enjoyable! (Which is surprising, since I don't usually enjoy sci-fi…)
The first sentence is really good, with enough description to be interesting, but not too much. I did notice a few picky grammar things though.

“Who was this mysterious figure and why was it here?” I think should have a comma between “figure” and “and”.
The sentence wording is good though! Very gripping.

“In an instance it hummed to life” is “In an instance, it hummed to life” I think. (Not too sure on that one though, but I'm pretty sure it needs a comma.) Nice description though, using “hummed to life” instead of something obvious like “turned on”

“Do, type or no messenger you will be” the phrasing is a bit odd in my opinion, might be better as “Do type, or no messenger you will be.” or even just “Type, or (continue)”

“It smelt clean, like linen sheets, but also like a smoldering fire.” Potentially you could remove the “like linen sheets”, as it's maybe a bit out of place.

“My fingers robotically typing are controlled by some unknown force.” I'm not sure with this one, but possibly needs commas like “My fingers, robotically typing, are controlled by some unknown force.”

“The words had appeared, typed by my brain and hands yet I did not understand how they'd appeared.” That's a really strong ending sentence, but I personally think it would be better as “The words had appeared, typed by my brain and hands, yet I did not understand how they'd appeared.” (just grammar again, haha.)
So yeah, really good piece! Most of this is just grammar things.

4 min word war. (192 words, unprompted)


Fab ran, jumped, and fell into the portal. Where it would go, she didn't know, but it may be fun, adventurous or exciting - maybe even all! She would soon find out. Everything went black, and she teleported to another world. “Where am I?” Fab asked of no one in particular. She looked around, confused. This didn't look like a normal place - there were pink trees, orange plants, and ornate bushes. She didn't know where on Earth she was, but she decided to explore a bit before heading through the portal to a different land. She ran through the woods, and saw something that looked rather like a unicorn, but Fab was never certain. Then, she looked up. A dragon! For sure, she was in some kind of fantasy world. Then she decided to leave, but she couldn't find a way back that way. Another way, she found it was blocked by a strange creature. She backed off quickly, and ran off a different path. Finally, she was back at the portal. “Goodbye, strange world. I'll possibly return some day, but for now, I'm leaving!” Fab exclaimed as she jumped through the portal.

Word war, 5 minutes, unprompted | 207 words.

Hi there, I'm Fab! I am normal in most ways, but I have a huge secret. Every time I sneeze, I get transported to a magical land. So far, I've been to a land full of strange glowing mushrooms, a place with only pink trees, and many more. Now, I want to go to a new land, so I'm going to wait until I sneeze. *A few hours pass* Augh, why aren't I sneezing?! Fine, there we go. I'm off! *Fab falls through magical lands until she lands in one* Hehe, I'm here! Finally. Right, what's in this place? Ooh, looks pretty cool! I'll walk around a bit, here we go. Nice, that looks like a unicorn. Wait, is that a dragon?! I like this place, but it's a bit - I was going to say a bit boring, but then that massive cat ran past. Hey, puss! Come - it's gone. Oh well! I'll go over there, what's that stall selling? Looks pretty cool. “Hey, what do you sell?” I call. “Magic croissants - want one? They're free!” The stall owner said to me happily, I got the feeling they didn't get many customers here. “Sure! They look tasty!” I said. I grabbed one, said thanks, and walked off.