CHARACTERS:

Percy Jackson
Annabeth Chase
Piper McLean
Jason Grace
Leo Valdez
Frank Zhang
Hazel Levesque
Nico DiAngelo
Will Solace
Reyna Avilla Ramirez-Arellano
Coach Hedge
Waitress

SETTING:

A diner. The booths are long and plushy, and it's crowded with people chatting loudly and happily. It's about nine-o-clock in winter, and the windows are dark, but inside the diner is lit with bright, warm lights. A crowd of eleven pushed through the doors, tinkling a small bell.

WAITRESS looks up.
WAITRESS: Hello! A table for *counts* eleven?
ANNABETH: Yes please.
WAITRESS, typing on her computer: Okay! Just a second, and I'll lead you to a table.
WAITRESS gets up and leads the eleven to a large booth. PIPER and JASON sit across from FRANK and HAZEL in the booth's corner. NICO buries his head in the cushion and starts to snore. WILL props him up with a neck pillow. PERCY and LEO sit next to each other, whispering excitedly. REYNA and ANNABETH thank the WAITRESS and talk about architecture and battle tactics. COACH HEDGE tries to sit on the edge, but the WAITRESS notices his baseball bat and frowns, asking him to step outside. An argument begins, but the other ten don't notice.
WAITRESS: Security, please! Sir, I'm afraid we don't allow any kind of weapons in our restaurant…
COACH HEDGE: I don't give a * what you allow!
WAITRESS: Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to step outside…
Meanwhile, the 10 are having individual conversations.
JASON, to PIPER: Have you been here before?
PIPER: Yeah, I chose this place. Pretty cool, huh?
JASON: Of course it is, it was chosen by you.
PIPER giggles.
HAZEL: Frank?
FRANK is staring into space.
HAZEL: Frank? Fra-ank?
HAZEL prods FRANK, who starts.
FRANK: Yeah?
HAZEL, sighing: What were you thinking of?
FRANK: Oh, the battle sim the other day…
HAZEL smiles and bats FRANK's arm.
HAZEL: You did great! There's no need to worry, you were the best without question. Now, what should I have to drink… Frank, what's ‘Fruit Punch?’
FRANK smiles as well.
LEO: Okay, so this will make the drink explode…
PERCY: Yeah! I can give it an extra shove too- I think Frank would be the best to do it on.
LEO: Yeah, man!
They high-five
ANNABETH looks sharply up from her conversation.
ANNABTEH: Leo! Percy! What are you doing?
PERCY: Nothing?
REYNA snorts and shakes her head.
COACH HEDGE has been arrested by a security guard. He waits outside angrily. The waitress returns.
WAITRESS: Okay! Ready for drinks?
REYNA: Yes, thank you. I'll have a decaf please…
LEO: Broo you're so bo-ring!
REYNA glares.
ANNABETH: I'll have a lemonade, please.
FRANK, gesturing to HAZEL: We'll both have a hot cholacote- clocochate- chaco-
HAZEL, interrupting: Two hot chocolates please.
WAITRESS: Okay, and you two?
PIPER looks up.
PIPER: Uh, I'll get whatever Jason has please
JASON: Okay I'll have a boba please.
WILL, coughing: Uhm, I think it's better that Nico here (prods) has some coffee… I'll have a lemonade as well please!
WAITRESS waits patiently for Leo and Percy's orders. The duo keep whispering.
ANNABETH prods PERCY.
ANNABETH: Percy! Your drinks-
PERCY and LEO look up.
PERCY: Oh yeah, eh, I'll have-
LEO: I'll have a Shirley please.
PERCY, scowling: Me too.
WAITRESS: Thank you!
WAITRESS scurries off and the conversations resume.

Getting Out Of Dodge (Chapter One) - 1162 words

He left his Mission on the bank of the river.

His Mission was breathing. He made sure to check that first.

He didn't know why that was Important, but it was.

The Asset tucked his broken arm against his body to restrict the aching throb thrumming through it (for the sake of preserving his usefulness, not because of the pain. He could handle plenty of pain.) He turned away from his Mission, drawing in a labored breath and casting his eyes up towards the gray sky. Black smoke puffed up through the atmosphere, the only residue of their prior fight. The airspace was now devoid of Helicarriers, thanks to his rejecting his duty.

His Orders pounded in his brain.

Mission: Protect the Helicarriers. Eliminate targets Captain America and Black Widow.

He had failed his Mission.

That knowledge hammered at his senses more painfully than the stinging of his fractured arm. It pulsated in his brain, threatening to swallow him up in the throes of panic. He had failed his Mission. He had failed his Mission. He had failed his Mission. He had–

Protocol reared up in his head, spurring him to move forward. He must report to Headquarters. His programming urged his feet onward, trudging along the muddy bank of the river and leaving his Mission behind. His soaked clothing clung to him, heavy and sagging and weighing down his already battered and achy body. Water pooled in his boots, silt clinging to the bottoms of the soles as he plodded forth along the edge of the copse of trees lining the shore. The Asset continued on until he reached a point well-hidden from any eyes that may be passing overhead or on the ground, settling in a thicket to analyze his options from here. He checked the perimeter of this supposed refuge twice, ensuring that the odds of him being found were minimal. He knew that personnel would likely begin flooding the area soon, to handle the aftermath of the devastation and to extract his Mission. His Mission was an Important person, and people would undoubtedly be coming around to retrieve him.

He slumped down on the forest floor, sagging back against the rough surface of a tree and assuaging the stiffness in his bruising legs. His injuries were becoming an impediment to his functionality, growing ever more encumbering the longer he put it off. He must tend to his physical difficulties sooner rather than later, else they obstruct his ability to defend himself should any passersby find him and decide to make themselves targets. The Asset had lost much of the arsenal kept on his person during his confrontation with his Mission, but he could more than make do with the rock situated near his left foot or with the snapped branch just up above his head.

That left him with his largest complication being his physical condition. He could feel grade three contusions forming along his chest and abdomen from where the metal beam had collapsed on him and trapped him. (His Mission had freed him. Missions are not supposed to aid the Asset.) He had felt a concussion forming from when his Mission had bashed his head with his helmet, but that damage was already on its way to healing and thus was insubstantial. Several grade one or grade two contusions littered his body from strikes from his Mission’s shield or fists, but those too were minor and thus insubstantial. (It did not escape his notice that his Mission had clearly been expecting a conflict with the Asset, and yet he did not bring with him a firearm or other substantial weapon.) His highest priority, then, was his broken arm.

The Asset easily recognized the displaced fracture in his humerus. It had proven enough trouble in his head-to-head with his Mission, but that trouble quickly became onerous when it came to recovering his Mission from the river. His broken arm had been essentially useless when it came to carrying anything (namely, his Mission) and thus left that particular task to the metal Arm. However, that meant that the fractured arm then had to help keep not only one but two bodies afloat, a responsibility made all the more difficult with the natural current of the river and, more frustratingly, the massive waves and surges caused by cascades of wrecked Helicarrier chunks crashing into the water.

It was only through a great deal of patience, efficiency, and something else that he couldn't quite name that the Asset had managed to navigate the upheaval and maneuver himself to the shallows to wade his way out, still toting his Mission's limp deadweight of a body to the shore.

He recalled that his Mission had been a Threat Level Six. In that case, the Asset should have received much more damage in their battle. And yet he did not.

(“I'm not gonna fight you,” his Mission had said.)

His Mission had been foolish.

The Asset grabbed his right arm just above the elbow, bracing himself. He must realign the bone if he wished it to heal itself properly and in any decent amount of time. At the tail end of a short mental countdown, the metal Hand rotated and straightened out the bone with a stiff krik. The Asset allowed himself a very brief moment to recollect himself, before moving on to the more important matters at hand.

What little remained of the S.H.I.E.L.D Triskelion still lay across the Potomac river on Theodore Roosevelt Island. Beyond that, on the mainland, was the District of Columbia, wherein Headquarters were located toward the heart of the city. The Asset was currently on the wrong side of the river, on a stretch of land bordering… Virginia, his brain supplied for him. Yes, he was on the border of Virginia. That presented the problem of crossing the river unnoticed to return to base. A scan of the area on the way to the mission site had told the Asset that there was a bridge linking the island to the mainlands on either side. It should not be too hard to reach and cross said bridge and return to his Superiors in a reasonable amount of time, if only he could avoid encountering civilians there. He had not received orders on how exactly to return to Headquarters, and therefore did not know whether he was supposed to eliminate any bystanders on his way. He hoped not. He had no desire to kill any more people than necessary.

Desire? Where did that come from?

0023: The Asset does not have wants.

He winced a little as his programming forced its way to the front of his brain, though oddly enough that didn't diminish this strange desire to avoid collateral damage.

The Asset was malfunctioning, that much he knew. That only made it all the more important to return to Headquarters so he could be repaired. With his resolve hardened, protocol urged him forward.

when green flag clicked
forever
wakanda
end

MArch 18th daily: (future) swc fanfic 534 words

Bump! The bus jolted as it hit the speed bump. Up ahead, a wooden sign attached to the archway read: Scratch Writing Camp. The huge yellow bus full of kids with the same goal and interests, pulled into the parking spots. Behind it pulled up two more buses of the same sort, but filled with baggage and supplies for the month.
“I can’t wait!” Exclaimed Jean. She had been waiting nearly 3 months for this camp. The summer session was about to be underway and she was incredibly excited.
“Me too!” Said Lily.
“What do you think-” Started Jean but she was interrupted by a voice over the loudspeaker.
“Ok campers! Welcome to Scratch Writing Camp! I’m one of your leaders, Nora.” Nora stopped and grinned from the front of the bus. “For some of you this will be review but for the rest I certainly recommend listening very carefully, or you just might find yourself in a swamp!” There were murmurs among the new campers. “And I also recommend staying quiet so you can hear.” The entire bus went quiet, with the exception of a couple of whispers.
Nora went on to explain how the cabins, dailys, weeklys, points, contests, schedules, leaders, and activities. Jean couldn’t wait to start her first day at camp.
Nora got everyone out of the bus and started their tour of the camp. First, they went and walked through the main cabin. There was a bulletin board that listed names, activities, and several blank spaces.
Next, Nora took them to see the cabins. They were arranged in a giant S and where the middle of the S is, there was a campfire. The blaze was already going and didn’t look like it could ever extinguish.
“Does it always burn?” A camper asked.
“Yup! I don’t know what they use but there isn't any smoke. Like at all.” Nora said. “You can explore the interiors later. Onward!”
Nora led them over to a series of buildings in a U shape.
“There are the activity cabins! We have the archives,” Nora pointed at a rustic building with curved walls and a skylight, “The contests, dailys, and weeklys rooms,” She pointed towards a huge hall that was filled with signs, posters, and tables. “And last but not least, our wondrous work room!” Nora pointed at a building with a glass front with armchairs, beanbags, foam pits, pillows, giant stuffed animals, stools, chairs, posters, tables, and couches scattered across the room.
“So campers, we will start our dailys soon! If you look at the board in the main cabin it will show you what cabin you are in! Don’t worry if you don’t write in the genre of your cabin, it doesn’t matter! And you can still hang with your friends even if they aren’t in your cabin.”
Jean and her friend Lily ran over to the board.
“Look!” Jean exclaimed. “We’re in Poetry! Both of us!”
Lily hugged Jean and looked excitedly at the map pinned to the wall.
“We’re over here! Let's go!”
Jean and Piper raced over to their cabin and turned, silhouetted by the falling sun for a moment, about to begin a journey they would never forget.

March 18, 2022 - Daily

✧×✧

fanfiction daily - pandava quintet (literary series)

“ARUNDHATI SHAH!”

“Wait, do you even have a middle name, Aru?”

“Gods, Kara, I don’t know! It’s like us not knowing your last name, remember?”

Brynne crossed her arms over her small frame, glaring at Aru. “Girl, if you don’t get over here asap, this is not ending well for you.”

Fighting laughter, Aru got up from her spot on the floor with Kara. “Fine, what?”

Brynne gestured for Aru to follow her and set off into the kitchen. “Who,” she started, “managed to eat all of my chocolate chips, huh?”

Aru couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“This is not funny! I need them! There are cookies that need to be made!” Brynne huffed and put her hands on her hips, which only made Aru laugh even harder.

“They were delicious,” Aru wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, “I regret nothing. Neither does Kara.”

“Uh, maybe I do?” Kara’s voice floated out from the living room of Brynne’s uncles’ penthouse.

“No, you don’t! Brynne, why-”

Mini popped her head into the kitchen, looking terrified. “Aru, why in the world would you finish off a bag of chocolate chips? Sugar is not good for you! Sugar damages the vessels in your body and you could develop atherosclerosis and the plaque could rupture and you could-”

“D!e?” asked Brynne, Aru, and Kara at the same time.

Mini glared at them all, which was impressive for someone less than five feet tall. “Well, the clots formed after the rupture could travel to smaller arteries and cause a stroke! Or a heart attack! Or the buildup could happen in the heart or brain itself, which is probably worse so yes!”

“Mini, chill.” Aru brushed a hand through her hair, hoping she looked like she knew what she was doing. “And Brynne, it’s fine! We’ll just run to the nearest supermarket and grab, like, ten more bags. We’re cool.”

Brynne raised her eyebrows. “Are you gonna go now?”

“Do you want us to go now?” asked Kara, who had come up behind Aru.

“Does it look like I want you to go in ten years? Yes, go now!”



Aru shifted the plastic bag from her left hand to her right. “Why did Brynne insist on payback in such a torturous manner?”

Kara hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t know about that, but did you know that the word torture comes from the Latin word torquere, which means ‘to twist’?”

“No way,” Aru gaped. “How is that even related to torture?”

“It later evolved into tortura, which meant ‘twisting’ or ‘torture’.”

“Okay, that makes more sense.”

Kara grinned as they arrived at the entrance to the penthouse. “Doesn’t it?”

“What doesn’t make sense is the height penthouse builders like to put their houses at.” Glancing up, Aru groaned. “Seriously, New York! Stop trying to show off!”

Kara giggled, and Aru felt a flash of warmth in her chest. “Let’s get going?”

“Yes!” Kara smiled, and together the two girls started up the steps.

(edited for formatting)

daily - march 18th
༺ back to megapost

rip this was done late but i wanted to share it anyway lol
616 words!

Kat ran to the SWC host discussion, holding a stack of papers in her hands.
“Ah, we’ve got a few leader apps already!” She exclaimed as she opened the door.
“Wow, that was quick!” Bakie said.
“Well, Bakie, we’re used to people doing their leader apps in advance and then turning them in when the time starts.” Birdi added, laughing.
“Hehehe.” Bakie laughed.
“So, are we going to check out these apps or not?” Sawyer said, with a bit more serious tone.
“Hmm… what do you guys think?” Birdi asked, more seriously.
“I think we could check them out now, but also check them out when it’s time to choose, so we can see if the applicant has made any changes.” Kat suggested. “Do you think it’s a good idea?” She added.
“Yep - I think that’s perfect!” Birdi said.
“Alright, so let’s check what we have here.” Bakie added.
She grabbed the application at the top, put it in the middle of the table, and started flipping through the pages of the application.
“Hmm… They say they like to be called Potato.” Birdi interrupted the silence they were maintaining while everyone read through the first applicant’s answers.
“That’s hilarious. Although we shouldn’t judge them.” Sawyer said.
“Yep, that’s true - let’s continue reading though!” Kat added.
The four hosts flipped the page, to read the applicant’s answer in experience.
“They say they have participated in four SWC’s.” This time, Bakie was the one interrupting the silence.
“That’s a good amount of experience.” Kat commented.
“Indeed.” Birdi added.
They continued flipping and reading through the pages, until they reached the “Why me?” section.
“This is a really good answer.” Birdi said. She was the fastest reader - she had reached the end while the other hosts were only in the middle. “I want to be a leader in Scratch Writing Camp because the four times I participated were super awesome and fun.” She read. “But that’s not my only reason. SWC has really helped me to improve my writing, through amazing leaders that have done the impossible and beyond to make this a great experience for us.” Birdi received a look from the other hosts. She knew their eyes were saying “That is a pretty common response”. However, she made a slight gesture to tell them to keep quiet - she hadn’t finished just yet. “And why do I want to be a leader? Well, I want to be a leader to spread this magic. Each time I was feeling down, I could easily navigate to my cabin and send a comment. Minutes later, I’d receive a positive response. Not only from one of the three leaders, but from any of the campers too.” She paused for a few minutes before reading aloud the last paragraph. “Now, why not be a camper, if campers can also spread this magic? Alright. Being a camper is absolutely amazing and magic-spreading, I’m sure we can all agree, hehe. But leading a cabin, ah, that is complicated. You, with the help of your co-leaders, have to plan out a theme, storyline, and maybe even an in-cabin currency. You have to make sure you are there when your campers need you. You have to be committed, emphatic, kind. And, as I said, it’s complicated. But you get a recompense, a prize.” Birdi stopped for a few seconds to breathe, and, not going to lie, also to add a bit of suspense. “And that prize is seeing your campers come back. Seeing your past campers putting you down as a preference in their camper sign-up. Because when that happens, you know you did it right. You did what a leader does. And you did it amazingly.”

♟ 18th of March - In-Cabin Daily♟
164 words

truly (acrostic)

true to word and true to heart
ruler of justice and service
under pressure they stand tall
lead their people through all this
yanked though relaxation was from them

cry (etheree)

though once the five may have loved another
the beast it tore through bonds unbroken
now their domain, four points on earth
the last one all a-lonesome
their demise they became
as monsters they cry
wretched, abandoned
at night their
sorrows
scream

home (haiku)

a hermit crab it
searches so far and widely
a new home it finds

humanity (monorhyme)

your life, it is never satisfied
a missing piece, and so you cried
more and more you took and lied
until at last there goes your pride
momentarily, you begin to not hide
sometimes in others you confide
worries for survival buried inside
making your decision, you flied and you flied
shouting help and shouting insight
never did they listen, though you take it in stride
drowned out til your rebellion died
and so into two did humanity divide

Writing competition entry - 1351 words
Escaping the Shelter

———————————–

“Can you please practice your violin quieter?! I’m trying to do homework.” My roommate, Blaire, demands grumpily.

“Uh, not really,” I respond, annoyed. “But you could do your homework somewhere else."

Huffing angrily, she takes her papers and storms out of the room. Blaire hates me, and she makes it clear that she does. She will do anything to get in my way.

My name is Joanna Taylor, and some of my friends call me JoJo. My mom left when I was 1, and my dad died when I was 3, so I’ve been living at a foster care center for the past 9 years. My old roommate was Kate, and we were best friends. But Kate’s dad came back from wherever he was, so she lives with him now, and I have to share a room with Blaire, who hates my guts.

Glancing at the time, I head to the cafeteria-type room, knowing that dinner will start soon. At dinner, there’s an announcement. Springfield School, the school everybody above the age of 7 goes to here, has been shut down for 2 weeks because of a very serious virus going around. We’re not allowed to leave the building. This is really bad news. It means I’m stuck here with Blaire. Most kids cheer, happy we don’t have school. But I don’t. I bury my face in my hands with a groan. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blaire. She also looks mad, but I see a glimmer of a smirk in her eye.

Another reason this is bad is now I can’t see my best friend, Rose. She always makes me feel better if I’m upset, and I can’t see her for 2 weeks. This is gonna be a nightmare.

The next day, I’m exhausted. I didn’t get much sleep last night, because my thoughts kept me up. It’s 8:53 AM, and since Blaire is still asleep I grab a book and leave the room to read. About half an hour later, I go back to the room to grab my phone so I can watch YouTube, since I’m tired of reading.

I gasp as I walk into the room. I was expecting to see Blaire, but this isn’t Blaire at all, or it at least doesn’t look like her. The creature gasps too. Instead of Blaire, I see a strange creature. It’s body is shaped like a strong, muscular dog, but on 2 feet. Its eyes are bright red, and evil. Its teeth are sharp. Very sharp. The fangs look like they could tear apart skin in a flash. But the scariest part of all is that, after the creature gasped, fire roared out of its mouth like a dragon. I want to scream and run away, but my body won’t let me do either. My heart is pounding, I’ve never been more scared. Another thing I notice about the creature is that it's the same height as Blaire, and the hair on its hairy body is the same color as Blaire’s medium-dark brown hair. And what happened to Blaire, anyways? One second she was here, the next second this.

Just as my heart is pounding so hard I think I’m going to explode, a cloud the same color as Blaire’s hair appears, surrounding the creature, and as the cloud disappears, the creature disappears too. In its place stands Blaire. I gasp again. What just happened? Was the creature Blaire? Or had the creature taken Blaire and given her back. I was, once again, too shocked to move.

“Um…” Blaire says awkwardly, starting the conversation.

Suddenly able to talk and move again, I blurt out “What the heck just happened?! What was that crazy creature type thing?!”

“Um…” Blaire says again, unsure what to say. “It… was me.”

“What?” I ask, confused. “How?”

“I… kind of have a power to morph into that thing…” She tells me awkwardly. It’s clear she didn’t want to admit it, but she didn’t really have a choice.

I’m speechless. I’m still trying to process all the craziness that just happened within 2 minutes.

Returning to her normal self, Blaire pinches her nose and says “Anyways, when was the last time you showered? You smell horrible.”

I ignore her and change the subject back to her being that creature. “How?” I ask. “How do you do it? Turn into the creature, I mean.”

“Um… I guess whenever I want to turn into it, I do. I don’t know.” She answers, clearly wanting to talk about anything else.

“Could you… is it possible for you to kill someone when you’re in weird creature mode?” I ask, scared again.

“Yes. Now leave me alone and stop asking questions before I use it on you.” Blaire says with a smirk. I immediately rush out of the room.

My heart pounding, I go over everything that just happened. My roommate has an evil power. That can kill me easily. And she already hates me. This is not good. This is worse than ‘not good’, this is horrible! I need to figure out what to do. I’m not allowed to leave the shelter which is a big problem. I decide to take a short break, outside of my room, of course, and think on it for a little while.

A few hours later, I see Blaire eyeing me. I hurry to the bathroom to get away from her stares, and to make a plan for if she attacks. Let's see… I know where Rose’s house is, and her family probably wouldn’t mind taking me in. That’s great, I just go to Rose’s house! But how do I get out of the building? I don’t know, and I’m tired of thinking, so I leave the bathroom and decide I’ll think about that later.

Later that night, I’m climbing into bed, exhausted. I’m terrified to sleep, because I’ll be alone in the same room as Blaire for so long, and I still haven’t come up with how I’d escape. Before I come up with an idea, I fall asleep.

Yawning, I check the clock. 1:46 AM. And I’m still alive! Blaire is asleep, and I head to the bathroom. However, as I walk into the room, Blaire isn’t in bed anymore, and she’s not human. I didn’t expect this to happen so fast? Is my life over? This can’t be happening. She takes a step towards me. Think, think, think! What can I do? I quickly glance around the room. Bookcase, desk, window… window! I can jump out the window and run to Rose’s.

Blaire takes another step towards me, and I run for the window. Blaire walks towards me, so I open the window as fast as I can and slide out. After I’m out and on the ground, I take off running. It takes Blaire a little longer to get out the window, so I have a head start. But the weird creature’s body is strong, and Blaire is almost catching up when I’m still a few blocks away from Rose’s house. I run as fast as I can, but I’m starting to slow down and Blaire’s not. What am I going to do? I think this is the end.

Just as I’m about to give up, I see a bike leaned against a building. A bike! I’m a good biker. Maybe I can outrun Blaire with the bike! I hop on the bike as quickly as I can and keep heading to Rose’s. The distance between me and Blaire is increasing.

I finally make it to Rose’s house, with Blaire about 50 yards behind me. I turn the knob on the front door, but it’s locked. Of course, it’s like 2 AM! Why hadn’t I remembered that? Blaire is quickly catching up, and I need to get in the house, QUICK! Running alongside the house, I see a window that was left open. Talk about luck! Just as Blaire is reaching the house, I duck in through the window, and shut and lock it. Then I run up to wake up Rose and her parents.

March 2022 Writing Competition Entry:

CONTEXT: This is a free verse poem about a person who was born mute and lost their hearing in an explosion when they were three. The story takes place in a dystopian world shortly after a failed rebellion. Government leaders have implanted a chip in every citizen's brain that allows them to read their thoughts all the time. However, something about the main character makes it so that their thoughts can't be read. They constantly try to ask their echo why they never recieve a response from it, but to no avail.

Echo,
I am in here
Watching, not listening
Feeling, not speaking
Echo,
Can you hear me?
They can’t
I can’t hear them
But how do I know
What they hear?
What they speak?
I heard the voices
Fifteen years before
It was angelic and
They called out to me
Come, come with us, come
I fought against it
To stay awake
Echo,
I wish I had not
But I was standing there,
Wind whipping against my legs
Shards of rubble beneath
My bare feet. But
The scarlet carpet
refused to cease
And then came the blast.

I was left speechless
No way to listen
None to speak
Echo,
Is this my life now?
The one person
Who cared
The only one
Who decided to care
Was taken away
Echo,
Why don’t you speak to me?
Why don’t you respond
To the pleas
I try to send?
Years have passed
Nothing to hear
So much to say
Nobody to listen
Other than the voices
Lurking inside my head
Calling out to me

Echo,
The rebellion
Has failed us.
Scarlet liquid bleeds
Through the streets
Wailing children
Crowd the road
Penniless outcasts
Cast away,
Forever trapped
Or killed…
But what did they tell us?
“You are not to die
For merely thinking”
Echo,
They have lied.
We are hurt
For thinking
Everyone is hurt
For thinking
But not me?
Echo,
Why is this?
Is there an answer?
Or is my mind
Simply unable
To be read?

Echo,
I have an answer
My mind is
Optional
I can be read
If I want to be read
Echo,
Does this have
Anything to do
With my hearing?
With my voice?
That of which
I have none of…?
Our world is crumbling
The rebellion is starting
The grey skies
The symbol
Of tyranny
The torture
Of our minds
Being read
All the time.

Echo,
We failed ourselves.
We are trapped
No place to hide
If we think of hiding
We die
If we think of running
We die
Anarchy
Is not an option
Not anymore
Now it is
Obey, or die
Echo,
I am scared
I need to stay strong
For the outcasts
For the leaders
I am a leader
Of the rebellion
To be planned
They came to me
Echo,
If we succeed,
Will we finally
Be free?
Or fall into another
Trap of a tyrant?
And this time
I will be the one
Suffering the most
As if I haven't already.

Echo,
We have marched,
They have shouted,
I have led
To the best of my
Ability
But still,
We have failed.
Our leaders were taken,
Imprisoned then
Tortured
And still I get away…
Still my mind
Can't be read
Echo,
Will I live in fear?
In solitude?
Or in…
Peace?
Why peace?
Everyone is gone
From me
I have been left
Alone
So how can I
Live in peace?
I will live
In solitude
Echo,
I must leave
I cannot be read
We have failed
We will never
Succeed
We will never
Be free…

Can you hear me?
Can you hear
My pleas?
Finally,
Can I be heard?
Echo…?

writing competition entry!
fandom: miraculous ladybug x spiderman/marvel (crossover of venom from spiderman in miraculous ladybug universe)
word count: 1532 (excluding fyi and title)
(i'm an junior :")
________________________________________________________________

FYI: this was before marinette was the guardian || It was another night in Paris, “ladybug and chat noir defeated the supervillain once again” Nadja Shamack announced, just a normal day as usual But let’s see tomorrow.. will it be as calm as this? Will disaster begin? Let’s see for tomorrow!, as Marinette was late again for school because of last night’s patrol, she woke up of her Adrien the fragrance commercial alarm, it kept on phrasing “radiant, carefree, dreamy, Adrien, the fragrance”, because of that Marinette woke up and turned off the alarm, she hurried and went to school late, Ms. Bustier asked why she was late, marinette responded “ohhh!! U-uhm I was lost on my way! Yup that..”, Ms. Bustier expressed a shocking-caring type of face and stated “oh! Then.. I hope you don’t get lost next time!, now please take a seat marinette”, marinette nodded and sat on her chair, after school ended, Alya and Marinette talked while walking each other to their homes, while marinette headed her way home to the bakery, a black gooey thing was following her, it was a venom symbiote, Marinette finally came home to the bakery and the venom symbiote was waiting at her balcony, when ,arinette went to her computer to watch “Adrien the fragrance” commercials for 2 hours, the venom symbiote hid in the table, marinette didn’t notice since she was mesmerized by Adrien’s green eyes, the venom symbiote gripped on marinette’s left leg, after she realized the symbiote was on her leg, she screamed and wiggled her left leg, she went up to the balcony but venom already covered up marinette’s whole outfit by then, the next day marinette woke up and felt good, felt brave and amazing, she realized she wasn’t late to school and was calm yet quick, she wore a black leather jacket with a red dress, it was unusual for everyone once she went inside the classroom, marinette is’nt usually early, nor wears stuff that isn’t pink, as she walked inside the classroom, a bunch of people stared at marinette before the class started, Adrien was shocked, Alya bumped marinette’s shoulder on purpose and stated “girl what got you being like this!” and smirked, marinette replied “oh I don’t know, but it’s something good I’ll tell you!”, alya was shocked and impressed at the same time, after class, marinette was leaning on a pole, until Adrien walked through the school door, she walked over and put her arm over Adrien’s shoulders, “hey hot stuff, wanna go and eat some croissants at my place?”, Adrien blushed a little at first but then chloe barged in, before chloe could do anything marinette stated “not so fast money lover fame obsessed chloe”, chloe felt insulted, Adrien blushed more hard this time, marinette leaned backwards while Adrien was catching her, marinette spoke “oops sorry” in a sarcastic voice, while the direction was towards chloe, chloe walked from rage and went into her limo, marinette walked with Adrien and Adrien stopped and letted go of marinette’s hand, and shouted towards marinette “marinette, stop! This isn’t like you!, wearing these red dresses and leather jackets, think yourself before others, making others jealous, this isn’t the marinette I know.”, marinette looked adrien’s eyes in shock, and felt threatened , marinette went home yet still can’t stop thinking what Adrien said, she thought it was right, so she asked tikki about it, tikki answered “hm.. this never happened from centuries till today marinette! You should probably ask master!”, marinette responded “great idea tikki!”, she left from her room, but before she walked out the bakery, her parents asked “where are you going marinette?”, “oh, I-I’m just going to alya’s!, we’re hanging out!” marinette lied, once she arrived at master fu, master fu asked “what is the problem marinette?”, marinette responded “how did you know I have an problem?” then she shook her head and whispered “nevermind”, she explained how she felt the past days, master fu was slightly shocked but there’s no problem that don’t have a solution, master fu sighed and noticed at a black gooey substance on tikki, master fu asked “tikki, where’d you get that black thing?”, tikki responded “I don’t know master, you can try and analyze it!”, master fu looked closely and was shocked, it was a symbiote, master fu said it was an symbiote, marinette was shocked and asked if there was an cure, master fu responded “you’ll have to find out yourself.”, marinette left the place but there was a supervillain in paris, it was stormy weather, marinette transformed into ladybug immediately, but ladybug, although ladybug didn’t help chat noir and instead helped the supervillain, ladybug announced “think ladybug’s gonna save you? Yeah she will, but will sy-sect save you?!” after the speech she announced, she cackled maniacally and then chat noir jumped somewhere random so he could detransform, Adrien knew master fu, he transformed back into chat noir and jumped in master fu’s massage shop, stressed and shouting “ladybug became evil, master! Help!”, master fu said to calm down, he responded by explaining that ladybug has an symbiote, poor chat noir did’nt know what was a symbiote, he expressed a confused face, master fu responded back by explaining what was an symbiote, after he explained he gave chat noir the horse miraculous, the turtle miraculous, and the snake miraculous, he stated “give these 3 miraculous to their owners, horse for max kante, turtle for nino lahiffe, and snake for luka couffaine, use it for the greater good”, chat noir was shocked by who owned the miraculous but putted on a serious face and nodded, chat noir firstly jumped to max kante’s house and announced “max kante, will you be honored to have the horse miraculous, and use it as a superpower for the greater good of paris?” , max was shocked because ladybug usually gives him miraculouses, but nodded and said “yes”, chat noir did the same with all the other superheroes, he finally grouped them all and tried to find sy-sect, this fight was far more challenging without ladybug, chat noir leaded Pegasus(horse miraculous owner) to teleport behind sy-sect, “voyage!” Pegasus stated, chat noir joined him and viperion gave a device so he could talk to chat noir, viperion hided somewhere and chat noir tried to avoid sy-sect’s attacks, Pegasus snatched sy-sect’s yoyo first, but sy-sect catched him before he could snatch it, viperion announced “second chance!”, this time, chat noir snatched it not Pegasus, Pegasus hurried and activated voyage once again they went to an roof, then carapace came in and dealed with stormy weather, before stormy weather summoned a lightning storm, Pegasus activated voyage and held her umbrella, chat noir was waiting to cataclysm it but before that carapace activated shield, finally chat noir cataclysmed the umbrella, chat noir took out the sy-sect yoyo and catched the akuma “de-evilize !!” chat noir announced, sy-sect was still there though, because sy-sect wasn’t akumatized, only covered in the venom symbiote, chat noir’s staff was quite heated up by the warm sun, chat noir’s staff accidentally hitted sy-sect, venom was reducing by “melting”, chat noir whispered to Pegasus an idea, Pegasus opened up a portal and went to the boiling amazon river, sy-sect followed their trap, the venom symbiote quickly ran away from ladybug, ladybug cried suddenly and her knees fell, chat noir was concerned and asked “what’s wrong ladybug?”, ladybug whilst she cried stated “that wasn’t me.., that was s-sy-sect!”, “I know m’lady” chat noir responded while expressing a warm smile, chat noir carried ladybug’s legs while going through the portal, chat noir laid down ladybug on marinette’s rooftop because he knew he could trust marinette, ladybug opened her eyes slowly whilst blinking multiple times, ladybug detransformed back into marinette, she laid down on her chair for a few minutes, chat noir went to detransform into Adrien, marinette woke up from her quick nap and saw a little folded piece of paper on her desk, it was from chat noir, the text was “m’lady, that sy-sect thing was probably a mistake, whatever caused the sy-sect to be, it wasn’t your fault that’s for sure, hope marinette takes good care of you once you feel better please go up to marinette’s rooftop, signed chat noir.”, chat noir was prepared to give a chocolate bouquet to ladybug, but marinette was the one who came to the rooftop, “silly kitty” marinette stated, chat noir responded “but only m’lady calls me that..” and was stunned, marinette didn’t notice she was in her civilian form, marinette finally decided to tell the truth but before that sighed, “chat noir.. I’m your m’lady” marinette announced and transformed into ladybug holding chat noir’s hands to his chest, chat noir was stunned but sighed as well responding back by announcing “and I’m.. Adrien agreste” and detransformed, marinette blushed terribly trying to hide it and stuttering “o-oh my-my gosh!!, sorry sorry uhm-“, marinette’s response was cut out by Adrien’s lips touching hers, in result of kissing, marinette was shocked and fainted, but Adrien catched her by her back, and marinette came back not fainting, Adrien kissed her again, in resulting of the end. Some people are destined to be together, even in other universes

- hazel left the chat

word war proof - 300 words

The unfortunate experiences of a Hamilfan: a (mostly) true story

Most of the events that will take place in this story are true, although somewhat exaggerated, and the rest are using something called creative license.

I look into my nearly empty suitcase, wondering what I should wear today. I dig around for a while, trying to find the perfect outfit. Then, I see it. Sitting at the bottom of my suitcase, it draws me to it like a moth drawn to a light. “Perfect,” I think. I hang it out in front of me, admiring the shirt in all its glory. My prized Hamilton t-shirt. “Ooh, and maybe I’ll meet some hamilfans!” I think to myself excitedly. After all, that is one of the best things about wearing a Hamilton t-shirt, other than, obviously, wearing a Hamilton T-shirt. When I go outside and look around, though, the realization hits me. Most of the people here don’t don’t speak English, and those who do probably have no idea what Hamilton is, if they have even ever heard of it. This sad thought crushes me as though it is an enormous, heavy rock. I look down sadly, now regretting my outfit choice for the day. I still can’t believe I decided to wear my Hamilton shirt somewhere where it wouldn’t be appreciated enough. Sadly, I have to wear it the entire day despite the fact that it is under-appreciated. At dinner, though, the worst thing imaginable happens to my Hamilton shirt: I spill on it! A big, bright red stain all down the front, right where everyone can see it! “Noooo!” I wail, devastated. Now it will always be under-appreciated, forever banished to my pile of clothes for painting. “At least I have a few more Hamilton shirts,” I think, still sad.

Writing Comp

(This isn't the entire story, I had to get rid of the end part because it was to long)


Intro
Meris
“Happy Days, Happy Days! Live your life in sunshine, and take your friends to the moon.”
When you think of school, what do you think?? Boring classes? Disgusting food? Mean lunch ladies? Er, I mean, mean teachers?? Too much homework? Nevertheless, I’m making this list waay to long here. Anyways, I just thought of all that, and realized my school has none of those! Well, except for the mean lunch lady part. My school is called Starleen Academy. A handful of students from our current school got selected to go there for 1 month. It’s a boarding school, so I packed 2 suitcases plus a duffel bag, oh and a backpack. It’s school after all. I got on the train with 2 of my friends, who also got picked, Stephanie and Lily.

Arrival

“Heey amigos!” I said, and sat down in the seat with them. It was so comfy, I closed the door. And then of course, I did, “the hug.” The train then left the station and we were on our way to Starleen Academy! There were so many things. We rode over a ditch, and passed a river, and when we went onto the rolling hills, we could see the academy in the distance. As we got closer we could see how big it really was. It looked like a castle. The biggest one ever!! As we got off the train, we were all a little nervous. We stared up at the academy, it was so big, it was probably the size of a city. As we approached the main entrance 3 girls stood on the front steps. You could barely see their faces, and the sky was starting to darken. Then they flung the hats off their heads and turned up to us with a smile on their faces. The particularly tall one walked down a few steps. Her hair was a light blond color, she wore a trench coat. (?) She had glasses, but a strong gust of wind blew them off her face.

“Hello students!” She said, “I am your principal, and my name is Principal Shadow.” She said. Shadow was a weird name for her, especially since she made me think of the sun. She smiled at us, “The other two girl’s here are academy prefects. They each lead different groups, and you should have gotten more information about that in your letters. The one to my left is Amy, and she leads the group that will reside in the East Wing this session. The one to my right is Scarletta, and she leads the group that will reside in the West Wing this session.” A few people in the crowd started murmuring nervously. “And,” She said, trying to get everyone’s attention, and the crowd immediately silenced. “There will be one last group, led by me, who will be mainly working in the Library this session.” She said, and she continued. “Now, rain will soon be upon us, so I’d like everyone to split into their groups now, you know what they are.” At that, me, Stephanie and Lily exchanged nervous glances. Me and Stephanie were both in the West Wing, but Lily was put in the East Wing. We waved each other bye and quickly scrambled to follow our group's prefects.

In the School
The grand doors opened and we took our first steps inside the academy. It was totally not what anybody expected. The first thing everybody noticed first walking in was the giant fountain. Bigger than any fountain you will ever find at ANY mall. Then people gazed in awe at the other things, marble floors, humongous diamond chandeliers. I stared in awe as we walked through the halls. We walked into the cafeteria, which was about the size of a food court in a airport. The chairs had padding and backs. And people crowded around the giant poster that had the menu on it. We were then shown where the bathrooms were, I saw a quick peek inside one of the bathrooms, it was so neat. I slipped in just to take a closer look. The toilets were clean, nothing on the floor, no bad words written in the stalls, and best of all, it actually smelled kinda nice. I quickly came back out before I got in trouble and then the group went upstairs. We all had to fit in the elevator, which, by the way, was HUGE!! It was probably the same size as let’s say, 2 master bedrooms combined!! I bet 4 school buses could fit in there. The elevator arrived on the third floor and we stepped out. We walked down a long, giant hallway and we turned a corner. The East Wing group was also near us, as we approached a giant door, that was made with dark wood and in gold letters, was inscribed with the words, “The West Wing.” I looked across the hall, with another giant door that said “The East Wing” but had lighter wood and had the words written in silver. I turned back around, where the West Wing door was being pushed open by Scarletta. Everyone stepped in, and chatter immediately rose up. It was as extravagant as the main area. A long fountain stretched down the hallway and there were huge looking lockers that lined the walls. A few doors that led to classrooms and more bathrooms were scattered around the hallway. We walked to this huge, hole that allows you to see down into the cafeteria. Scarletta got everyone’s attention.
“Just to let you know the second level is off limits during school hours. It contains an arcade, many places to shop, and restaurants like Starbucks and McDonalds.” She said, “You may go to these places during after school hours' ‘ Then everyone raised their chatter excitedly, as Scarletta showed us which classrooms were where. We then left the wings and took a literal one hour walk across the school to the boarding areas. Everyone was getting assigned to the roommates and their room, as they were announcing it on the loudspeaker.

“MERIS,STEPHANIE,LILY, ROOM 305”

“Yees!” I screamed and boogied. I ran up to Lily and Stephanie and we got 3 room keys, one for each of us, and we went to go to our room.



The Room
As I unlocked the door and stepped in the door, we could already tell we had a huge room similar to a luxury hotel. First walking in, you see three giant king sized beds lined up, with red blankets and tons of pillows. We stepped into 3 different rooms, probably for studying, since it had many vents and lights, no windows, bookshelves filled with books lining the walls, and also, giant desks. We each claimed a study room, which was also connected to different bathrooms. We also claimed beds, I got the window bed, and Stephanie and Lily argued over who got the bed in the middle. Stephanie won that brawl, and Lily got the bed closest to the door, which she was not happy about. There was another room that was like a kitchen but it also had a table with chairs. We made some snacks with they had in the kitchen, and since we had a giant T.V in our room, we munched on snacks and re-watched Encanto 10,000 times. Intro
Meris
“Happy Days, Happy Days! Live your life in sunshine, and take your friends to the moon.”
When you think of school, what do you think?? Boring classes? Disgusting food? Mean lunch ladies? Er, I mean, mean teachers?? Too much homework? Nevertheless, I’m making this list waay to long here. Anyways, I just thought of all that, and realized my school has none of those! Well, except for the mean lunch lady part. My school is called Starleen Academy. A handful of students from our current school got selected to go there for 1 month. It’s a boarding school, so I packed 2 suitcases plus a duffel bag, oh and a backpack. It’s school after all. I got on the train with 2 of my friends, who also got picked, Stephanie and Lily.

Arrival

“Heey amigos!” I said, and sat down in the seat with them. It was so comfy, I closed the door. And then of course, I did, “the hug.” The train then left the station and we were on our way to Starleen Academy! There were so many things. We rode over a ditch, and passed a river, and when we went onto the rolling hills, we could see the academy in the distance. As we got closer we could see how big it really was. It looked like a castle. The biggest one ever!! As we got off the train, we were all a little nervous. We stared up at the academy, it was so big, it was probably the size of a city. As we approached the main entrance 3 girls stood on the front steps. You could barely see their faces, and the sky was starting to darken. Then they flung the hats off their heads and turned up to us with a smile on their faces. The particularly tall one walked down a few steps. Her hair was a light blond color, she wore a trench coat. (?) She had glasses, but a strong gust of wind blew them off her face.

“Hello students!” She said, “I am your principal, and my name is Principal Shadow.” She said. Shadow was a weird name for her, especially since she made me think of the sun. She smiled at us, “The other two girl’s here are academy prefects. They each lead different groups, and you should have gotten more information about that in your letters. The one to my left is Amy, and she leads the group that will reside in the East Wing this session. The one to my right is Scarletta, and she leads the group that will reside in the West Wing this session.” A few people in the crowd started murmuring nervously. “And,” She said, trying to get everyone’s attention, and the crowd immediately silenced. “There will be one last group, led by me, who will be mainly working in the Library this session.” She said, and she continued. “Now, rain will soon be upon us, so I’d like everyone to split into their groups now, you know what they are.” At that, me, Stephanie and Lily exchanged nervous glances. Me and Stephanie were both in the West Wing, but Lily was put in the East Wing. We waved each other bye and quickly scrambled to follow our group’s prefects.

In the School
The grand doors opened and we took our first steps inside the academy. It was totally not what anybody expected. The first thing everybody noticed first walking in was the giant fountain. Bigger than any fountain you will ever find at ANY mall. Then people gazed in awe at the other things, marble floors, humongous diamond chandeliers. I stared in awe as we walked through the halls. We walked into the cafeteria, which was about the size of a food court in a airport. The chairs had padding and backs. And people crowded around the giant poster that had the menu on it. We were then shown where the bathrooms were, I saw a quick peek inside one of the bathrooms, it was so neat. I slipped in just to take a closer look. The toilets were clean, nothing on the floor, no bad words written in the stalls, and best of all, it actually smelled kinda nice. I quickly came back out before I got in trouble and then the group went upstairs. We all had to fit in the elevator, which, by the way, was HUGE!! It was probably the same size as let’s say, 2 master bedrooms combined!! I bet 4 school buses could fit in there. The elevator arrived on the third floor and we stepped out. We walked down a long, giant hallway and we turned a corner. The East Wing group was also near us, as we approached a giant door, that was made with dark wood and in gold letters, was inscribed with the words, “The West Wing.” I looked across the hall, with another giant door that said “The East Wing” but had lighter wood and had the words written in silver. I turned back around, where the West Wing door was being pushed open by Scarletta. Everyone stepped in, and chatter immediately rose up. It was as extravagant as the main area. A long fountain stretched down the hallway and there were huge looking lockers that lined the walls. A few doors that led to classrooms and more bathrooms were scattered around the hallway. We walked to this huge, hole that allows you to see down into the cafeteria. Scarletta got everyone’s attention.
“Just to let you know the second level is off limits during school hours. It contains an arcade, many places to shop, and restaurants like Starbucks and McDonalds.” She said, “You may go to these places during after school hours' ' Then everyone raised their chatter excitedly, as Scarletta showed us which classrooms were where. We then left the wings and took a literal one hour walk across the school to the boarding areas. Everyone was getting assigned to the roommates and their room, as they were announcing it on the loudspeaker.

“MERIS,STEPHANIE,LILY, ROOM 305”

“Yees!” I screamed and boogied. I ran up to Lily and Stephanie and we got 3 room keys, one for each of us, and we went to go to our room.



The Room
As I unlocked the door and stepped in the door, we could already tell we had a huge room similar to a luxury hotel. First walking in, you see three giant king sized beds lined up, with red blankets and tons of pillows. We stepped into 3 different rooms, probably for studying, since it had many vents and lights, no windows, bookshelves filled with books lining the walls, and also, giant desks. We each claimed a study room, which was also connected to different bathrooms. We also claimed beds, I got the window bed, and Stephanie and Lily argued over who got the bed in the middle. Stephanie won that brawl, and Lily got the bed closest to the door, which she was not happy about. There was another room that was like a kitchen but it also had a table with chairs. We made some snacks with they had in the kitchen, and since we had a giant T.V in our room, we munched on snacks and re-watched Encanto 10,000 times. Classes
The first actual day at the academy began. The first day of classes. We all walked up to the front desk on our way to the West Wing from the boarding areas to get our schedules. Me and Stephanie had the exact same schedules and we were so excited!! Our first class today was math, and we were both upset by that. Our schedule for today goes as follows,



8:30-9:45 Math
9:45-10:46 English
10:46-11:31 Gym
11:31-12:30 Library hour
12:30-1:00 Free Period
1:00-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:45 Science

We also got a packet with all of our classes in it. Whoever wrote it had handwriting like a kid. Ironically, the first page was about math class.

Math Class
The teacher for math class is Ms. Devil Gremlin but just call her Ms. Gremlin. She will most likely have seats already picked out for you and somehow knows who is friends with who even on the first day, so don’t expect to be sitting near your friends. Ms. Gremlin is willing to make people switch seats if necessary. She has a zero tolerance policy to cell phones and if she catches you doing anything on it, even if you were calling 911, she would confiscate the phone for a week and then give you a one month detention. I know this because it happened to me. Ironic part is, I don’t even have a phone! She is also strict about makeup, and if she catches you using it, she won’t give it back once confiscated. Overall be careful, oh and don’t draw in your math notebook, because she collects those at the end of class.

Ok, I was a little nervous about Ms. Gremlin now but Devil being her first name? I had a feeling me and my friends were going to be calling her Ms. Devil. We walked into her classroom, which looked old and shabby with tons of junk and clutter everywhere. There was water leaking in from the ceiling and the desks were all in random places rather than in a neat order. Their were no windows in this room and as soon as everyone came in Ms. Gremlin slammed the door shut. There was no smartboard, not even a whiteboard, but instead was a plain old chalkboard that was only about a foot tall and 3 feet wide. This room was a huge contrast compared to the rest of the academy. Each desk had a textbook, notebook and pencils. Ms. Gremlin herself was a very old, very grumpy looking woman with a thousand wrinkles and pure white hair, she walked on a cane and moved very slowly.

“Ok class!” She said, her voice scratchy and not understandable.
“Here are your seats,” She said. Me and Stephanie were separated by one person, and that person’s friend sat next to me so we agreed to trade desks. Ms. Gremlin didn’t even notice but that was probably because her glasses were horrible. Ms. Gremlin then explained her zero tolerance policy for cell phones, drawing and makeup which took up like half the glass. Then she started math.
“Ok! Today’s lesson is adding and subtracting fractions.” That took her forever to say. Meanwhile, Stephanie took out her phone. I gestured to her and signed to her in sign language, which we both learned so we could talk even when we weren’t allowed to speak.

My Writing Comp Entry: 273 words
Poetry SWC March 2022

The Lion

In the dark, forbidden cave,
the lion sleeps and sleeps away,
hunters hunt the lion down,
always lost and never found.

the sun rises to signal day,
but no one noticed anyway,
they hide, they all hide,
hide and hide and hide away.

The lion lifts its graceful head,
it rises slowly from its bed,
the sun is shining clear as day,
but no one noticed anyway,

the lion yawns, sounding broken,
the king of the area has awoken,
the birds that flew and flew and flew,
they all are making room for you.

what is that noise in the air,
another creature, they all stare,
the lion’s mate will soon return,
for now the lion burns and burns,

burning up inside its cave,
the lion knows just what it craves,
the gentle touch of a mate,
but that’s too much to ask for.

The new lion growls away,
it growls and growls and growls away,
the lion knows it wants a mate,
that’s more than he can give.

As everyone on the prairie watches,
the graceful lion takes a stand,
its tail shimmering in the distance,
only some would understand,

the gracefulness of the lion’s head,
before it simply fell down dead,
and everyone was watching them,
the lion and the lion’s head.

From that day on the new queen ruled,
she caused quite a stir in the wild,
and when the lion’s mate returned,
she took her head as well.

In the dark, forbidden cave,
the lion sleeps and sleeps away,
hunters hunt the lion down,
always lost and never found.

Always lost and never found,
that is, up until now.

A Kiss of Blood

Writing Competition Entry

Warning : Descriptions of Blood and, murder/killing. Hinted estrangement
———————————————




Weak. Who are they? The ones who can’t protect themselves? Or the ones who cannot protect others? Maybe both? If so, then I’m the weakest person Behmara ever knew. There are rules our society makes, which we follow blindly; no, it’s not a stereotype or discrimination. It’s very hypothetical too. We always are afraid to show others our true emotions, for the fear of being called weak. I do not believe being weak relates to femininity. Nor does it relate to a weak character. If you show them that you’re hurt or offended .They will only so more. And I am afraid. I am a coward no doubt but cowards do need to exist. If they do not, who is the brave, the courageous then? No one for sure. You know, the people who are deemed to be the bravest are truly those who are not. Take my brother for an example of course, he is the most influential and powerful figure in the whole village. Nevertheless, he was the most insecure man I had ever seen. He sleeps with his socks on. He is scared of lizards and cockroaches. He runs after mice with his hand holding his shoes. He is a crybaby too. He cannot tell difference between lauki and kaddu (to be honest nor could I). However, the whole village talked about Rehmat Syed. His name means mercy and solace, but people expected the opposite of him. When I was a kid, I had always wanted to be like him. Following him everywhere he went. He is my idol. My role model. He’s very soft too, my brother. I would’ve made a better heiress, I really would’ve, when he is called to be the Qazi, the judge, he hates it. He says that even the best of judges show up empty-handed on the day of judgement, no penalty, no rewards. He doesn’t want to be them. He is pious; he prays the salah five times a day and is always kind and helpful. The Villagers used to say he’s wasting his money on the poor. I would say he was making place for himself in Jannah, paradise. After mother passed away, he used to cry on my shoulder, I felt so powerful that time. Rehmat Syed, the sher, lion, of Behmara, is crying to me. He trusts me. But as I got older, his appearances got lesser and lesser. Then I realized, he no longer trusted me. I didn’t do anything worthy of that. It’s just that I got older. And time; makes rifts and heals them. Time made a rift between my brother and me.

Now now, don’t look at me with your pitiful gaze, it’s sickening, that is why I never talk about myself. You live in the same world as me, yet you look at me with that manner, don’t you know ways of this cruel cruel world? Ah so you are the privileged one, do not worry; my story will shake you for good.

My life was always overshadowed by my brother, I wasn’t sad or upset or anything like that, in fact I was happy. He had all the responsibilities to take and Amma and Abba wouldn’t groom me like a porcelain doll. I was always playing, dancing or doing whatever I liked. I had dozen of friends too, children of the rich and the powerful ones. They were always flattering and buttering me up in the hopes of getting my favour. None of them ever got it. I always sensed their ulterior motive.

It was quite a summer when I saw them first. I was drawing water from the well; of course, I have servants and maids to do that for me, but I love working too. I held the two pails in my hand and made way towards my house, my Shalwar-Kameez half-wet with the sweat. The sun showered his blistering rays on me and my poor home. My brother stood near the chauraha (center of the village), his tall and bulky figure shading one of the man who stood in front of him. I didn’t know why I walked towards them, but soon I was running when I noticed the man talking to my brother was drawing a dagger strapped at his back. It was in the very middle of the day, somewhere around three or four hours after noon. No one was around. Never at this time.

I felt I was watching a really bad dream when a group of men sprouted from nowhere. Maybe “nowhere” is a tad extreme however they did come unexpectedly. They circled me and my brother. You would expect Rehmat Syed to pounce on them and kill them. Nevertheless, Rehmat is rehmat, mercy, so he didn’t touch them. They drew out blades and finally the hidden axes where visible. My heart almost leaped out of my mouth. My brother’s eyes widened, but he was defenseless against them. The leader of the men came ahead, or at least he was whom I assumed to be the leader. He had a lean yet strong figure, rough brown eyes and tanned coffee skin. I still remember my brother’s words “Don’t hurt Zohra, it is dishonorable to hurt an innocent woman” It was his life at stake and he worried about mine. He looked at me and spake his very last words, which ended with my name. “I’m sorry, forgive me, Zohra” He moved his gaze towards the leader. And I was staring in my brother’s eyes when the man buried the axe in his chest and soon beheaded my brother. I was screaming and sobbing the whole time. His eyes looked weary, he was tired and he had shed a few tears before being cut down. His blood had squirted all over my white shalwar, a good amount on my kameez and a few drops on my face. My expression then was one of extreme horror. My knees weakened and I fell kneeling and crying. They did not hurt me. It is the rule. It is considered a cowardice to kill women. I was wailing, cursing them, saying they’ll pay, the Lord will punish them. I hugged my brother’s mutilated body. I muttered an apology to him as well. I didn’t do anything wrong. Nevertheless, he deserves to have someone be sorry.

The following days went with lamenting and mourning. I was the lead of them. I cried more than ever. I cried harder than I had on my mother’s demise.
A few days happened and I found myself sobbing in front of my father. His eyes were red, with anger or from crying I couldn’t tell. He clenched and unclenched his teeth. And I ran from there. I found myself running many times those days. My father had condemned me.

I saw that man, who had killed my brother the last time, on the television, and that was the last time anyone or I for that matter saw him. Because I broke it. That time I crashed it in pure emotion. The last time I saw those men. His name was Khalid Amir Parwez, the name I spat on.

Sarah, take that blanket over you, yes my doll, that way. You too Abdullah, it is very cold outside. Hm. Well then, I ran to another village nearby, where I met your grandfather and we moved to this city after we had your father. Yes Gudia? Oh, my brother was with me and will always remain with me. People used to say folks loot others in broad daylight. I will say people murder now in broad daylight. Because that’s the time when people do not notice. But I still do remember that kiss of blood. So dearies, it’s time to go home now, come on, it’s getting very late, your mothers must be wondering where are their children. Goodbye children, and remember, have your dreams to your heart.

+1348 words (excluding the author's note and glossary)
——————————–
Author's Note :

The narrator's brother is referred as “is” instead of “was” even though he was killed because as the narrator says, she believes he lives with her forever. The idea is taken from my grandmamma's village. This is purely fictional except it is based in a realistic situation.
————————————————————–

Glossary : (cuz I know that 95% of you guys didn't understand the traditional/Hindi or Urdu words)

Shalwar-Kameez : Shalwar kameez is a traditional combination dress worn by women, and in some regions by men, in South Asia, and Central Asia.(Wikipedia)
Chauraha : Center of the village, Chauraha meaning four ways.
Qazi : Judge
Sher : Lion or a brave hearted person, usually set as a metaphor for the brave and courageous
Salah : Five time prayers for Muslims, Namaz in Urdu
Rehmat : Mercy, or a name.
Soan Papdi : Soan papdi is a popular South Asian dessert. It is usually cube-shaped or served as flakes, and has a crisp and flaky texture. Traditionally sold loose in rolled paper cones, modern industrial production has led it to being sold in the form of tightly-formed cubes.(Wikipedia)
Behamra : A fictional place/village in India
Lauki and Kaddu : Vegetables
Amma: Mother
Abba : Father
Gudia : Doll
+203 Excluding the story

word war with soki sokester sokrates (@rey_venclaw)
word count: 148
status :: prompt - “it takes too long to make a hero, just to watch them fall.” proof - optional!
outcome :: won by five words but it's very clear that sokrates' writing was infintely better because they have utter talent <33 /pos

It takes too long to make a hero, just to watch them fall.

All that work, shattered. And all society pays attention to is the hero and their plight. Their suffering. They feel such sympathy, sugh pity and agony for the hero, mourning over their fall.

But do they ever wonder how painful it is for someone like me?

The mentor, the one who shaped them into the hero they are, the one who picked them up from the rubble and saw the diamond in the rough? The one who went through blood, sweat, and tears, raising them, training them, working with every last bit in your soul to make them the best person they can be- just to see them crushed? Your work go all the way down the drain?

Horrible.

Perhaps it’s a bit selfish- no, very selfish. But still, it didn't change the fact that

Word war with Luna Luno Lunescream Lukatie (@Luna-Lovegood-LOL)

word count: 143
status :: prompt - “it takes too long to make a hero, just to watch them fall.” proof - optional!
outcome :: I lost, she won. Don't listen to her post, she deserves the win all the way

They're all gone, all of them. Well, not really all of them, but so many of them that it's painful, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with myself anymnore. We failed. And we failed badly. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of… well, anything. Four years ago, or even just a few days ago, I wuld not have even believed such power existed in the world. We were supposed to be heroes. We were supposed to save people from the destructive forces coming at them from all sides including within, but after all, the only thing we managed to do is destroy everything. The whole world. The whole world is in ruins because half of its inhabitants are gone. Gone, no remanants of any of them, completely disappeared. All that they are is a memory now.

scarlet's 3rd weekly


part one: 835 words total

i used; hope ur ok by olivia rodrigo and evermore by taylor swift (the instrumental versions)


1st story - 429 words
I slowly and hesitantly slipped my body into the water, sucking in a sharp breath from the cold. George laughed, grabbing my hands and yanking me in. A scream escaped from my lips as the frigid water washed over me. My teeth began to chatter. George pulled me into an embrace, his body strangely warm as I shivered against him. The strong current pulled us apart and swept me away. I shrieked, still not quite used to the temperature. Both of us were laughing now. I swam back over, grabbing his hands. He pulled away one of his hands and before I realized what was going on he swept his hands through the water, tons of it spraying me in the face. I was going to yell at him, but I had to admit, it was pretty funny.
“Okay, okay. You got me,” I said, chuckling.
Then, with lightning fast speed, I scooped up some mud in my hands and chucked it at him. He let out a high pitched scream as the mud made contact with his face. I doubled over, my body shaking with laughs. He ducked underwater, grabbing my ankle and pulling me under as well.
When we arose, I saw a black and white blob splash into the water. Both George and I screamed. Melany popped up, a big grin on her face.
“You thought you could have fun without me?” She asked.
George gave her a high five. Then Ben and Eleanor appeared from behind the trees and ran over. Ben hopped right in, but Eleanor skidded to a stop.
“Guys! Your limbs are gonna fall off! The water is freezing!” Eleanor exclaimed, a worried look on her face.
Melany got out and put a shoulder on Eleanor's shoulder. “Don't worry, Eleanor! We'll be fine. It's not that cold once you get used to it. And our limbs won't fall off. That's really dramatic.”
Eleanor frowned. “Well, I suppose you're rig-”
Melany wrapped her arms around Eleanor's waist, lifted her in the air, and tossed her into the water.
“Melany Scott! Never EVER do that again!” Eleanor shouted.
Melany just laughed, jumping back into the water.
“Well, I suppose the water isn't that bad.” Eleanor said. Her cheeks turned red.
“See?” Melany swam over to her, and wrapped her arm around Eleanor's shoulder.
“Such fascinating creatures.” We heard Ben say.
Everybody spun around. He was staring at a crab and a snail. George slapped Ben on the back. “Sure buddy.”
Ben growled, giving George a scowl. Then he rolled his eyes. “Be quiet George.”

2nd story - 406 words
Mel's mother slammed the car trunk shut, and hopped into the driver's seat.
“Ready for another adventure Melly?” She asked.
Mel nodded. “Ready as I'll ever be.”
She glanced out the window, waving goodbye to the house. Where she made so many memories. It was really gray and wet outside, not helping her mood. Her breath fogged up the car window. With her finger, she drew a frowny face on the window. Slowly, the house disappeared from sight. Mel sighed. Time for another adventure, as her mom called it.
She thought back to the time when she met Brooke. She had been such a strange girl, but an amazing one nevertheless. They had made so many amazing memories together. Mel remembered the time when they made a batch of cookies, but accidentally left them in the oven. The firefighters had even come over. Boy had they been humiliated. But, it had been something to laugh about.
Mel remembered the time when they discovered a ‘fairy home’ in the trunk where their treehouse had lied. They were convinced for weeks that it had been one. But unfortunately it had just been an old wooden dollhouse that had gotten left behind from some other young girl.
Mel remembered the time when she and Brooke had gone down to the Spa, dressed in loads of faux fur, cheap sunglasses, and their father's watches, demanding to be massaged. They had gotten in huge trouble by their parents and the managers of the Spa. But boy was it hilarious.
Mel remembered the time when they went over to their ‘wishing’ well, and tossed themselves into it, thinking that would help the wishes come true. Luckily it hadn't been super deep. They had gotten a few bruises and cuts, but other than that, they had been fine.
Man, Mel would miss Brooke.
“Are you thinking about Brooke again, Melly? I can tell by your face.”
Mel nodded solemnly.
Her mom frowned, still keeping her eyes on the road. “Remember Mel, that Brooke was imaginary.”
Mel nodded. “Yes, Momma. I know.”
But they really had done those things together. Even if people only saw Mel doing them. Brooke was still her very best friend, even if she had been imaginary.
As they stopped at a red light, Mel saw Brooke, standing there on the sidewalk, waving at her. Mel smiled, and waved back. Then, just as soon as she appeared, Brooke was gone.



part 2 - 754 words

i took inspiration from a writing prompt on google

I dashed into the elevator, worriedly glancing at my watch. I pressed the button for the forty-fifth floor and tapped my foot impatiently. There were already seven other people in the elevator with me. It was a large elevator, fortunately, but elevator rides with lots of people were always awkward. No matter the time or circumstances.
A man near the back cleared his throat. He smelled like cigarettes and his forehead was covered in scars. His muscular arms were full of tattoos. Most of the tattoos were pandas and butterflies. He had a small, round face, and a monocle, which didn't match his body at all.
He pushed toward the front, facing all of us. “Evening folks. You all are most likely on your way to work, correct?”
Nobody responded. Some had confused looks on their faces while some had annoyed looks.
The man nodded. “I'm Pig, in case you were wondering.”
“I'm Sarah,” I said, not really meaning to. I covered my mouth with my gloved hand.
He reached out a grubby hand, smiling. I didn't smile back or take his hand.
He dropped it. “Okay. Tough crowd.”
Somebody groaned. “Will you be quiet? None of us are in the mood for weirdos, okay?”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “I understand.”
With lightning fast reflexes, his large hand slammed down on the emergency stop button.
It jerked to a stop, causing papers, briefcases, coats, and humans to fly in the air then crash on the floor. Everybody was screaming in fear.
“There's no need to fear, everybody.” Pig said, cracking his knuckles.
“There is every reason to fear! We just got stuck in an elevator with no way out, and there's not a single call button in here, and we're stuck with you!” Somebody said.
All of us whipped out our phones, trying to dial 9-1-1 with trembling hands.
With even more fast reflexes, Pig snatched all of our phones before we could do anything else.
“Hey! Give it back!” Another person screeched.
Pig whistled. “Sorry. No can do. This is important. I need you all to calm down.”
“CALM DOWN?! YOU IDIOT! LET US GO!” I shouted.
Pig's voice turned ice cold. “You all will listen to me and obey me or else there will be consequences.”
A weird sensation flooded my body. I felt my limbs relax and my brain telling me that I will be okay and that I should obey Pig.
Everybody else in the elevator seemed to relax as well.
“Of course we will obey, Pig. We trust you.” Someone said.
“Indeed. We will listen to the information you have for us. And we will try our best to help you.” I said, without really noticing I did so.
Pig clapped his hands together. “Good job. Now, everyone, you may sit. And please hand me all of your coats, briefcases, and purses and watches”
We all obeyed, handing over everything. Pig smiled with satisfaction.
“Now listen very closely. You all may be wondering why I've gathered you here today. Well, it's because I need help with a very important mission. I've been working on it for a year now, with very little progress. I need some people to recruit. And you guys are the perfect people for the job. You would get paid. Not a lot. But enough. We would provide all the food, shelter, and clothing for you guys. It may not be the best living conditions but again, it's enough. All you guys need to do is follow my instructions, if you agree to join. Then, once we get there, you will be given some more instructions and explanations. After that, you go to a few classes, get assigned roles, more instructions, and we'll go over the rest when we get there, for those of you joining. Does that sound good?” Pig said.
Everyone nodded.
“Now, who would like to join me? It is completely optional. Though I would really appreciate those who are willing to help me on this mission. Every single one of you would be great. I can tell.”
My arm rose into the air, like it had a mind of its own. A couple other people raised their hands.
A big grin spread across Pig's pudgy head. “You three are amazing! You will not regret this decision! The other three of you..” He snapped his fingers and the three others disappeared.
“Don't worry. Any memories of this experience or me have disappeared from their mind. I erased them. Now! Who's ready?”



part 3 - 1,018 words

continuing the story from part two

i wanted to try including these themes in a way: good vs. evil and vengeance/revenge or something like that lol

Pig snapped his fingers again, and we were sucked into some vortex. It smelled like rotting eggs and was full of floating trash. I tumbled out of the stinky vortex, landing on something white and fluffy. I took a whiff of the air, hoping it would be fresh. I gagged and plugged my nose. I couldn't decipher the smell, but whatever it was, it reeked. It was almost as bad as the smell in the vortex or whatever that thing we traveled through was.
Pig noticed me plugging my noses. “Don't worry. You'll get used to the smell.”
I glanced down at my clothes. They were covered in stains. I had no idea what the stains were, but I didn't really want to know. A murky brown river sat a few feet in front of us. It was full of dead fish and soda cans. On the other side of the river were old, crumbling buildings. This place seemed deserted.
I stood up, trying to brush off my clothing with no success. They were filthy. I noticed that the two other people were gone.
“They tried to fight against the vortex. So I erased their memories and sent them back to their useless lives. You were the only one who behaved. I knew you were the one, Sarah.” Pig said, like he had read my mind.
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I just shook my head.
He grabbed my hand, heading straight for the river.
“Um.. Pig?”
We started walking on top of the water. I gasped in shock and somewhat astonishment.
“Pig?” I said.
“Yeah”
“D-do I have to do this? I'd rather go back to my boring life. This world reeks and I miss my cat. I seemed to be in a daze in the elevator and I couldn't really control my emotions or brain or what I said. I'd rather not be here, to be honest,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Too bad. It's too late to turn back now. The reason you were in a daze is because I have a special ability of controlling people. Unfortunately, my ability doesn't work up here. But you don't want to mess with me. You would most certainly regret it.”
I gulped. “O-o-okay.”
Well, this was going to be more complicated than I thought. I was just so relieved to be in control of my thoughts and emotions and in control of my body. It felt amazing.
I thought about wriggling out of Pig's grasp and running away. Though, where would I go? I had no way out of this place. And I didn't seem to have a lot of options to hide in. Pig tightened his grip on my wrist, as if he knew I was thinking about escaping from it. I sighed.
I resisted the urge to ask if we were there yet. I was feeling rather childish and loopy up on this planet. Maybe the smell was seeping into my brain and messing with the chemicals or something like that. I honestly wasn't sure what was going on. I just wanted to get the heck outta this place.
We finished crossing the wide river and stopped on top of the fluffy ground. Pig let go of my wrist just to crack his knuckles, before turning around, grabbing my shoulders, and shaking me really hard.
“What in the world are you doing?!” I shouted, my voice vibrating.
“Trying to get all the loopiness feeling out of your body. We need to make sure you're in ship-shape condition before you start working with me,” Pig explained.
“Well, I think you're just jumbling up my brain,”
Pig sighed. “No, I am not. This world has some chemicals in it that causes you to feel super loopy. Giving you a good ol' shake should release all the chemicals you've got in your brain and in your system. So please be patient.”
Finally, Pig released me. I pressed my fingers to my temple, feeling dizzy. “I'm pretty sure the chemicals are gone now,” I said, groaning from the headache forming.
“Good!” Pig said, clapping his hands together. “Now you'll be ready for all the work ahead.”
Without all the chemicals inside my brain, I could fully control and form my thoughts. Anger bubbled in my veins. I felt it rippling throughout my body and before I could stop myself, I said;
“I'M NOT GOING TO WORK WITH YOU! YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN DIRTY WORK.” I shouted.
Pig froze. For once, his fast reflexes seemed to slow down. I took that as an opportunity. As fast as my legs could carry me, I dashed back into the direction I came from, across the river. I stole a quick glance back, and Pig was still frozen in place. Like he couldn't believe what I had just done. I resisted a weirdly strong urge to stick my tongue out at him.
My legs were burning and my lungs were aching but I kept going faster. My headache had turned into a migraine and it was throbbing, but I did my best to ignore it.
I looked back, all that was left of Pig was a small dot. I started to slow down, then remembered that Pig could probably catch up with his long legs. I ran faster, ignoring that the pain was getting worse.
I skidded to a stop at the edge of the white fluffiness. I looked below me and saw a large airplane, surrounded by other white fluffy stuff. I gasped. Wait, was I on a cloud? I looked up, and sure enough, there was the blue sky. My head was spinning with questions. How come I hadn't noticed that before? And I thought clouds were made out of water? And how come it was super warm way up here? And why did it stink so much? And how was there a river? And how were there buildings? Whatever, there wasn't time to think about that.
I looked back again and saw Pig sprinting towards me. I screamed, and without thinking, I jumped.

ignore this hehe

Weekly Done For Dystopian ^^

Weekly #3
Part one: Write two stories, each 400 words long and both inspired by an instrumental piece of music.

Writing piece 1: Inspired by Ice Fields by Leo Kottke
(i wanted to do a poem for one of these but not a lengthy one, so instead of two 400 word pieces I did two 200 word pieces and one 400 word piece)

Despair

I watch him crumble into a state of despair,
For I know that he cannot be repaired.
His tears stream downwards,
Down, down, downwards—
Like the way the river flows,
Like flakes of snow blow,
Like how people don’t talk about it much;
Of snow and ice that glitters nice.
He suffers in silence,
With no one to hold,
With not a trace of comfort he beholds.
He asks for something to hold,
But as always, chances have grown old.
He is like the icy crunchy snow,
Of that people do not know,
The crunch beneath your feet,
Its soft, like one’s heart should be.
And as a result his soul and ice compete.
His hands visibly shaking but behind closed doors,
The mask, façade, it drops away.
Though nobody has a thought of care to see him shuddering,
His fingers, now stuttering.
Fingers dart forward,
Though it’s not that simple.
A tissue cannot wipe away all his issues.
He looks outside the window wondering,
What can I do?
The sky’s mood seems very low,
Like the ceiling of the igloo he now calls home.
He can see the snow has fell all night,
And left behind for him a sheet of white.

Word count: 201

Writing piece 2: Inspired by Ice fields by Leo Kottke

Empty-handed

She’d been monitoring the thicket for over an hour now.
Already into nature’s most cruellest, hardest season, the forest had been turned into a labyrinth of snow and ice—one of which Nesryn had to navigate her way through in order to reach this spot in the crook of her tree. Though what she wouldn’t like to admit was that her vantage point had turned useless long ago. The blustering wind blew flurries of snow and ice to cover up her tracks, but also hidden along with them any sign of potential hunt.
Hunger and ambition had pulled Nesryn deeper into the forest than what she would usually risk. But winter was the hardest season. She’d been reassured again and again that the wealthier townsfolk may supply her family handouts, but Nesryn doubted it. She’d witnessed firsthand just how far the nobilty’s generosity stretched. They’d left poorer families starving and killed any thieves who were stupid or desperate enough to dare steal from their homes.
A shudder skittered down Nesryn’s spine at the thought. Nobody would dare steal from the nobility. Not in her mind.
With her numb fingers, she wiped away the frozen flakes clinging to her lashes and pounced from the tree. She stifled a groan as her limbs protested against the leaping movement. Nesryn made care to unstring her bow before easing off the tree.
Another unsuccessful outing. She could already picture her family’s looks of disapproval when she walked in the back door of their cottage empty-handed.
Again.
Maybe tomorrow.

Word count: 253

Writing piece 3: Inspired by Pain (not entirely sure who it’s by)

Enslaved minds

There was something in the darkness. Waiting, watching.
Something ancient and cruel, of which paced in the shadows, leashing his mind and binding the two. Though the creature was not of his kind or world, as if he were merged with a demon. There was still a barrier between them, but it crumbled every time the thing tested out its strength.
But he could not remember his name.
It had been the first thing he had forgotten. The first thing he’d forgotten once the darkness enveloped him. But whether that was weeks or months or even years ago, he could not remember.
Next had come the names of those who he had loved and meant so much to him. He could only recall horror and despair, save for the rare solitary moment that interrupted the blankness of his mind occasionally. Though even that was only ever a few minutes of screaming and blood and a frozen wind and chill upon his neck.
The day it had all happened—the hours spent in the throne room—was the only thing he could vividly recall. Not that it had been pleasant though. There had been people he loved in that room of marble and glass. All had been going to plan until the guards raised their swords and severed flesh and bone. Until he struggled in those last few seconds as the blackness enclosed his world.
But what plan? It was all a blur to him as he was unable to remember, and so he remained bound to the night, made to eternally witness the horrors of his past. And until the invisible boundary shattered and the waiting creature pounced, he was bound to this fate.
I deserve this darkness, this blank world and blackness that is slowly filling me…
But what of him until the wall fell and crashed and burned? He was invisible, immune to the thing’s touch. He could keep on running forever, even if it meant hiding under the tip of its nose, if it meant he would never be caught. Though it wasn’t possible. He won’t be able to bring himself to fight for much longer. But for now, he remained unaffected by the creature’s actions.
But for now, he was an essence of evil, destruction, and mischief, feared for what he could be capable of if set free. But never, never would he spread such terror amongst society. He was still in control, having yet to give in to the darkness.
But he knew that with a curse like this, he would never be able to see any such beauty in this world. To be given life was not a blessing, and more of a punishment, having to put up with the struggles of everyday life rather to stay silent and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Outcast. Feared. Destruction. Invisible

Word count: 472

Part two: Inspiration. Like taking inspiration from instrumental pieces of music, in this part write 700 words inspired by anything from characters, media, past occurrences, or ideas taken from already existing books.

(inspiration taken from the cold)

It was cold. Cold and dry.
Freezing and aching from shivering head to toe all night, I awake before dawn in my miserable little bedroom. My fingers stretch across the mattress, seeking out warmth, but they only scrape against the hard canvas cover of the bed.
Outside the door my spirits are lifted just a bit to find an ivory tin filled with a healing salve. It’s mint and rosemary scent tickle my nostrils.
We all send our wishes for a speedy recovery, Quinn’s note read. I almost smile. His feathers must have been ruffled when Niall scolded and lectured him to bring me the ointment. Though glancing in the speckled shard of a mirror hanging above my drawers, I find that I had certainly seen better days. Quinn obviously agreed, as he had also left me a few pitchers of water, soap, and even a fresh pair of clothes. My old ones were soot-stained and filthy, but the new were thick and of good quality. We wouldn’t want anyone shaming the fortress or Niall’s name.
The thought amuses me.
I bathe and dry as best as I can possibly accomplish, still shuddering from the cold air leaking in from the misty forest beyond.
I smear the green-tinted balm over my cheek with the hopes to soothe the wound etched into my skin. A mark was still visible from where Quinn’s punch had striked. Though what I wanted—needed—more than salve with something to put up with this bitter weather. But still, my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. Hadn’t stopped chattering all night, actually. I was frozen to the core—my lips too blue and numb to move, and unable to string phrases together.
In fact, my stiff limbs protested with even the slightest of movements. The blizzard had frozen me into a statue. A very numb and heavily coated by frost statue. Not that my hair being wet now helped. My fingers were too icy and slippery, so my ring—my mother’s ring—danced about on my index finger. The stud had been presented to her by a magically gifted healer dwelling in the southern continent of Erskulin. I remember the hours spent as a young child begging and pleading her to accompany me on a trip to the continent, but never did. No matter how much she promised to take me some day, she never did.
That was before her death, of course. Before the king had made fun out of butchering whole kingdoms and leaving them in a state of smoldering ruins.
What I didn’t realise as a young child, however, was that she was doing all she could to keep me out of the army and the king’s clutches.
“Oi!” Somebody was rapping on the door.
I sigh through my nose. And who could that be, I wonder?
Quinn.
He never addressed me by name. To be given a name was a privilege. I had yet to gain that privilege and prove myself worthy to Niall and her council.
Take Quinn, for example. Niall’s right-hand-man and ranked second in the entire fortress only to Niall herself. I was a nameless, one of the much lower-classed ranks. Slave to the nobility, and who’s importance was not great. The fortress lost nameless all the time, not like anyone would care to notice though.
I unhook the latch and the door clicks open. Quinn, standing in his 6”1 glory, silver hair and pine-green eyes, stood over me, scowling deeply.
I hadn’t done anything wrong. He just liked to pick on people
“Yes?” I ask, taking care not to show any hint of aggression or boredom in my voice. It was a struggle even just to strain my vocal cords enough to make any sound come out of my hoarse and raw throat.
“Scullery duty. Get to the kitchens, now.”
I nod my head. It aches, and badly, like thunderclaps. I scurry down the corridor as far as Quinn’s enhanced sight, scent, and ears can detect.
Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to wield as much power as any one of the elders or members of the council did. Though they were all Fae. Us mortals were blind, almost, if you were to double all your scents and then imagine that in the eyes of one of Niall’s men.
We are taught to be considered lucky, however. Not many mortals survived out there with no proper care and attention. We are lucky to have been taken into the fortress at all. The Fae’s generosity only stretches so far after all.
I fly down flights and flights of stairs. The warm, delicious smell of baking bread hits me immediately. Saliva pools into my mouth at the thought of sinking my teeth into a fresh loaf.
I enter the room, the door creaking loudly behind me and alerting everyone working away in the kitchen in preparation of tonight’s dinner of my presence.
I begin.

Word count: 819


Part three: Write 1000 words, again taking inspiration from something, and continue one of the stories above.

(continuing one of my 200-word stories. Inspired by something kind of personal so won’t share)

She’d been monitoring the thicket for over an hour now.
Already into nature’s most cruellest, hardest season, the forest had been turned into a labyrinth of snow and ice—one of which Nesryn had to navigate her way through in order to reach this spot in the crook of her tree. Though what she wouldn’t like to admit was that her vantage point had turned useless long ago. The blustering wind blew flurries of snow and ice to cover up her tracks, but also hidden along with them any sign of potential hunt.
Hunger and ambition had pulled Nesryn deeper into the forest than what she would usually risk. But winter was the harshest season. She’d been reassured again and again that the wealthier townsfolk may supply her family handouts, but Nesryn doubted it. She’d witnessed first-hand just how far the nobility’s generosity stretched. They’d left poorer families starving and killed any thieves who were stupid or desperate enough to dare steal from their homes.
A shudder skittered down Nesryn’s spine at the thought. Nobody would dare steal from the nobility. Not in her mind.
With her numb fingers, she wiped away the frozen flakes clinging to her lashes and pounced from the tree. She stifled a groan as her limbs protested against the leaping movement. Nesryn made care to unstring her bow before easing off the tree.
Another unsuccessful outing. She could already picture her family’s looks of disapproval when she walked in the back door of their cottage empty-handed.
Again.
Maybe tomorrow.
But at this rate, perhaps there wouldn’t even be a tomorrow. Her family would barely last another week without food. Sometimes, Nesryn wondered how different her life would be without the weight of an entire family to feed sitting on her shoulders. What would it be like if it were only she and Father? A vision where her two elder siblings had grown up and were married, with enough food to go around, enough money to buy extra clothing, and enough time to put those visions and dreams down on a canvas in colour and shapes.
Not likely to happen anytime soon though, or perhaps ever. It’s not like Nesryn really bothered to do it much anyway—to leave herself in quiet, peaceful moments where she would notice something lovely or interesting.
She thought it was nice, however. But anything lovely or interesting was bound to be exotic and rare, something stolen from mortals and kept for the pleasure of beasts and Fae and Faeries long ago.
She should really be going now. Soon night would fall, and Nesryn would have to navigate her way back to the cottage in the darkness if she didn’t make a move soon. But there was something out there. Something…wanting to be taken. Something waiting for her, she felt.
A twig snapped beneath heavy feet, and a pair of great yellow eyes waiting in the bushes greeted her.
Oh, Gods.
Mortals didn’t keep gods to worship, actually. But if Nesryn had known their lost names, she would have prayed to them. All of them. But instead, she eased herself to a more comfortable position and dug the tip of her bow into the slushy ground, resting against the finely made wooden curve. She focused on calming her breathing, straining her ears to hear the forest over the wind.
But as the wolf—Faerie, perhaps Fae, or wolf, she wasn’t sure—crept closer, she noticed how eerily quiet he was. No beast, not even a wolf, could move with such stealth and accuracy. And he was enormous, easily the size of a pony. The curve in his back was precise as he inched farther towards Nesryn without a sound.
Just a wolf. Just a wolf…
Wolf or not, though, Nesryn had never encountered one. She was a decent shot, she supposed, but her arrows couldn’t kill a wolf, and certainly not one this large. She’d rather go home with a starving belly than please the appetite of one of the forest’s beasts as their meal for tonight. And that wasn’t to mention encountering one of the strange folks spotted in the area recently. Strange, tall, and eerie.
It wasn’t like there was much of her to feast on. She’d turned gangly by this time of year and counting a good number of her ribs were easy now. The beasts would do better to look elsewhere.
Just to be safe, Nesryn knocked an arrow. Yet maybe it would be a favour to the world, her village in particular, to kill him whilst she still remained undetected as a human, and not some doe. Putting an arrow through his eye would be no burden. Better to kill him now rather than wait for him to torment the nearby settlings and butcher them all.
If he’s a Faerie, I should be running.
But he looked like a wolf, moved like a wolf. Animal…Just an animal. But Nesryn wouldn’t let herself consider the alternative, not when she needed her breathing calm and her head clear.
She had two arrows on her. One, a regular. But the second, tipped with a wicked iron edge. From songs sang to them as lullabies over their cradles, the whole village knew that Faeries hated iron. Their immortal power may even falter long enough for a mortal armed with the metal to kill them. Nesryn had spent weeks after the purchase of her arrow debating whether the rumours were true.
And now she drew it back in her bow, keeping her movements minimal, efficient. Anything to keep the monstrous wolf from merely looking in her direction. The arrow was long and heavy enough to inflict damage on him, and so Nesryn could only hope. Hope that she’d aim right.
But if it were indeed a Faerie’s heart pounding under that fur, then good riddance. Good riddance, after all his kind had done to mortals. She’d be glad—happy, even—to put an end to him.
The wolf’s head lowered, and his massive silver pelt blended perfectly into the snow and shadows. He sank onto his haunches, waiting, watching. If Nesryn judged wrongly, then it may not just be the wolf’s life on the line, but her own. In the years she’d spent hunting in these woods, she’d correctly picked most of the time. Most of the time.
The wolf shot from the bushes in a flash of grey and white and black, yellow fangs gleaming. He was even more magnificent in the open, a mass of muscle and speed and strength.
Nesryn fired the iron arrow before he could so much touch her.
But in the mere seconds before the arrow found its mark, she doubted herself. She’d never faced a wolf before and had always thought she was lucky because of that. Blessed, even. But now…Now she didn’t know where to hit and how fast the lot could move.
But nonetheless, the arrow found its mark in the side of the beast’s pelt, spraying the perfectly white snow a ruby-red after his blood—so bright.
He whirled towards Nesryn, those yellow eyes wide and hackles raised, jaw stained red before he collapsed.
Snow whirled around Nesryn in a flurry of white, another arrow drawn. It was the way he didn’t just look at her, but really looked, as if there was some sort of awareness, that made her fire the second, regular arrow.
Just in case that awareness was the wicked, immortal kind.

Word count: 1237
Total word count: 3157

Weekly #3

Total: 2533 words

Part 1 - Inspiration from Music: 812 words
Piece 1: 409 words

Used “Suns and Stars” by Really Slow Motion

The sun is setting in the forest. The trees sway in the breeze, beautifully, as if they are gently dancing in sync to the rhythm of nature. A few dark strands of my hair drift to the same sync from my perch upon a cliff. I feel immensely connected with the wind, the clouds, the trees, and the birdsong.

As I look out over the landscape, it’s hard to believe that this is reality. The nature is so detailed, so imperfect, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I don’t know how the Earth itself, with all its complexities and fluctuations, could ever have had hosted the sense of peace for this beautiful scene, but I figure that I should appreciate the feeling while it lasts. I place both hands over my heart, savoring the feeling of being in a place quite so unique as this one. I stand up, and then I realize my feet are bare, the texture of the grassy rocks below me tickling my soles as I step forward onto the edge of the cliff.

I have an urge to step off into the air above the forest. The idea doesn’t feel dangerous at all. It just feels right. So I leap off and twirl into the mountainside, and rather than being flung down below to my demise, I find myself floating in the wind like a feather.

I take a quick glance at the perfect sky, stars and galaxies of all colors glittering as they quietly wink in and out, almost teasing me, and I can tell I’m dreaming. I suppose now I’m lucid dreaming.

I laugh at myself. What a childlike tendency, the desire to fly. But it’s more unpredictable and wonderful than I ever could have imagined. The wind gently tosses me from cloud to cloud. I embrace the freedom, spreading my arms as if to give a hug to the empty air, because the feeling of being lifted of all responsibilities and obligations is something I’ve never felt before.

My daytime fantasies and desires float in the fog around me as the wind weaves me through the peaks, through valleys and over the everlasting woods. I’m filled with joy as I reach out to experience each one, almost believing in their hopeful truths and awkward proceedings. I’m becoming someone new, someone who isn’t afraid to chase these intricate dreams that I find myself fluttering between in this imaginary world of fulfilled ambition.

Piece 2: 403 words

Used “Crystallize” by Lindsey Stirling

It’s been a while since he was here last. Time has passed, and that too so very quickly. It feels like just yesterday he had been racing his sister in the neighboring playground, training his dog in the backyard, sharing a family dinner at the table. He steps into the house, which has grown weak with age, but underneath the layers of dust there lies the same family home that it had once been for him. He runs his fingers along the tablemat, remembering the seat he would always so stubbornly sit at because he claimed it was the most comfortable of the chairs. He wipes a disobedient tear off his cheek. So much has changed since then. He had been so innocent, so. . . naïve.

He is standing here right now because the passing of time itself has been frozen completely. For his own benefit. Because it is his last chance to reflect on the life he had, on this lonely Earth, before he has to leave life forever. There is no way to stop it. He can only delay it, for as long as he can take. For as long as he can watch a frozen world, where he can speak to no one but himself. For as long as the vibrations of time can continue to stretch out, allowing him to savor his last moments until he can do so no longer.

The tears are coming more freely now. He berates himself for all of his decisions until he realizes that perhaps departing in peace would be more freeing than growing angry with himself. So he wipes the tears away and places his hands on the table, taking a few deep breaths. Once he is satisfied with his ability to handle the situation, he turns and heads up the staircase to his old room, subconsciously preparing for emotional blowback.

It hits him instantly and harshly. All those years, spent in this tiny room. Posters and pictures are scattered over the walls and ceilings, representing everything he had been obsessed with. What a silly kid he had been. He feels an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia in his chest and covers his eyes, reminding himself to take a deep breath.

There is so much that he regrets, so much he could have done differently. He isn’t sure how to part with it in a manner that would befit his final moments.

Part 2 - Inspiration from Other Things: 715 words

I got my inspiration from this piece from glancing at the news. I randomly picked a vague-ish advice article headline – ‘What I’ve Learned as an Introvert Working in Extroverted Jobs’. I haven’t actually read this article but I will expand on it for this story.

I took a deep breath as I stretched my legs as I walked from my car back to the apartment, rather exhausted from another day working part-time as a cashier. Jobs like these. . . they really challenged me. Some people were lovely and somehow knew exactly how to make me comfortable. Others just made the situation awkward, though I couldn’t blame them, because I was often just as much at fault for this feeling of awkwardness as them. Some were just plain rude – those were the worst, though sometimes I could deflect their rudeness if I used the right wording.

The reason this job and others like it challenged me so much is that talking and socializing with this many people always had the ability to tire me out. I had been working on my socializing skills for the past few years, ever since I had been eligible to get a job. Each new job taught me something, and I always found myself somewhat satisfied with what I had learnt after I finished each one, though I had been working as a cashier for more than two months at that point and I hadn’t exactly learned anything quite so special about interactions.

From my last job as a waiter, I learned how to please people, and how to elegantly accommodate for all sorts of needs, from everywhere from an emergency spill to replacing bad food. The restaurant I worked with was rather strict in requiring waiters to be cordial and sweet. Because of this, in some twisted way, it also taught me how to face my fears head-on. I had hated talking to strangers before, and I also hated to deal with talking to people I didn’t particularly like, but there was no way to shy away from that responsibility as a waiter, so I had to do it.

Anyhow, I had been progressing through my evening routine that Saturday, finished with the homework from the day before and quite done with the stress and socializations I had gotten from my job at the nearest supermarket. In reality, I had actually been quite lucky to get in – there had been many hopeful applicants, a lot of them balancing work and college like myself, and they drew a few names from a lottery and trained the people who had been chosen in proper cashier etiquette. Cashier etiquette. I still couldn’t believe that was a thing; honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the supermarket had just made the term up and passed it off as genuine.

I reflected on that day. In the morning, I had serviced an elderly couple who were very kind and thanked me with warm smiles as they left the shop. They had only required a few items, and that was always nice. I didn’t particularly enjoy loading heaps of items for any one customer. Then I waited for around ten minutes until the next guy came rolling his cart up to the stand. He wasn’t so bad, though he did seem slightly impatient and kept scrolling on his phone. I had to remind him to take the cart and leave once I was done. He nodded and left quickly. Then came a younger couple with a small child. The child pointed at me and asked her father if she could have ‘that shirt’. Today I had been wearing a formal suit and a tie, navy blue with white stripes. I wore some alternative to that kind of suit every day, but that one was one of my favorites. The child grinned up at me. The couple seemed slightly embarrassed and were on the verge of apologizing for their daughter, but I just smiled at the girl as I scanned the items and sent them on their way.

I managed and smiled my way through a lot of variations of those customers, had my lunch break and went right back to working. After lunch, there was one rude woman who commented on the condition of my hair, but I again just smiled tightly at her and scanned her items as fast as I could stand. I heard her muttering “I can’t believe they’re hiring kids these days”, the words just loud enough for me to hear, as she exited the market.

Part 3 - Incorporating Themes: 1006 words

I’m continuing Piece 1 of Part 1, using the central theme of ‘Chasing your dreams’.

The feeling of being so energized, so complete, spreads through my body. I’ve successfully escaped reality, my waking days that are filled with all of my regrets and wishes. I slowly realize that I have never even thought to take a step in the direction of my dreams. I thought I had to resign myself to a world where I was surrounded by broken promises to myself. But in the sky above the forest, I am not surrounded by longing but only by the purple clouds and bright orange sunset, and just beyond the horizon I can glimpse the real possibilities waiting for me on the other side.

As I return my focus to myself gliding swiftly through the mountainous scenery, the variety of trees and exotic birds around me, a special fragrance wafting off of the dewy leaves, I wonder if I could ever return to this place. Perhaps this is the only time I will ever experience it. Or perhaps I have visited these woods thousands of times before in my lifetime, only never being able to remember them when I must inevitably come back to reality each morning.

Somewhere in the midst of all these hopes and wonderings, I realize that brewing in my chest is a raw feeling of sorrow over the falsities of this dream. No matter how I deeply I wish that this was real, I know that at some point I will come back to myself, and everything will be as it was before this moment. I’m not sure that I could ever find the courage or the circumstance that these aspirations require at their core.

I sigh and inhale the fresh cool air, slowing down to hover between the colorful clouds. The glowing golden sun peeks out from the horizon, perfectly framed between the silhouettes of two mountains that are so surreal they look painted.

A fleeting glimpse of a shadow of a bird flying in front of the sun reminds me that I’m not alone. The bird’s sleek wings and pointed beak are artistically inclined, and I think about how it must have learned the art of flight at a very early age. Whereas I am only an amateur. There must be a thing or two I can learn from birds. I have already learnt so much from this forest.

I reach my arms to the quickly darkening night, greeting the dusk as it comes.

I’ve feared the darkness for as long as I can remember. Not because it represented the unknown, but because it felt to me like a blanket over progress, stifling the productivity and satisfaction of the daytime. I recognize that right now, rather than isolation or fear, I instead feel a core awareness of a simultaneous connection to the land and the sky. I don’t have anything to worry about. I have achieved all there is to achieve. I have found meaning. I have fulfilled meaning. I take a deep breath in.

The sun dips below the horizon, and my vision goes black.

After what feels like an eternity, the lingering music of birdsong fades to a tune that I know well. A repetitive ‘ding-da-ding-ding’ that I dread each and every day.

Slowly, regretfully, I open my eyes to the blank white ceiling. My head is supported by a white fluffy pillow, and the blanket is a threaded mix of off-whites and goldens. After a few moments, I turn my head to the side. My dimly backlit digital clock reads 7:30 AM and is still emitting that tiresome chiming melody. I lean over and turn the sound off, proceeding to switch the lights on.

I pause in my search for the lights as I recall an image from a dream I must have had. Purple clouds. I grasp in the murky darkness of thoughts for the rest of it, but it manages to escape me. I sigh. I can’t waste any more time wondering over what my subconscious wants to tell me. There is work to be done.

In my physical fumbling in the dark beside my bed, however, I do have an aim, and eventually my fingers manage to find the light switch. Bright white light floods the room. Another image comes back to me, this time that of a golden sunset. I ignore it and muster the energy to get out of the bed. As my feet hit the white carpeted floor, I feel a strange sensation, reminding me of the brush of moss against my toes. I stumble for a few moments, letting my eyes adjust to the light. Exhaustion floods my body. I don’t know when exactly I fell asleep last night but I can’t have gotten nearly enough.

A bout of freshness from the cold air in my room compels me to properly wake up. I think about everything I have to do today. I also think about the things I want to do today, but that I’ll never have time for. Regret enters my heart, and I sigh. The atmosphere of broken promises and disregarded hopes is heavier than it has been in a while.

Another odd snippet of a dream – this time more of a daydream, really – comes back to me. Beneath the wisps of violet fog in my clouded mind there lies a fantasy of mine where I recklessly audition for that nationwide competition that the recent news has been all over. I stand still for a moment, trying to remember what else the dream entailed, but it seems like this is the only thing I can remember. I smile to myself, letting my mind entertain the fantasy for a few moments.

But it is still just that – a fantasy. That is all it is. And depending on the decisions I choose to make each day, that could be all that this ambition ever will be.

But perhaps – just maybe – there is still hope for this dream. Perhaps if I choose a new route today, there’s no telling where the paths may branch out tomorrow.