daily 7/8/22 - 418 words

“Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you” turned into: “I will not leave you without rest. Don't run away.”

It just appeared one day, on my doorstep. It was pouring rain outside and I left the building, umbrella in hand, to sprint and get the mail, when I accidentally kicked something. I looked down, confused as to why there was a rock on my front porch, then looked down to find a tiny gray kitten curled up in a ball. The mail completely forgotten, I bent down to see if there was a collar or phone number. Instead, I found only a note, reading:

He will be in better hands now. Keep him, and take care of him for us

Well, naturally, since I had an invitation to, I decided to keep him. I took the fluff ball that was the kitten inside, where it was warmer. The poor creature was shivering at an incredibly fast rate. What kind of person would leave a cat out in the cold, wet, rain in the middle of the night? Especially one as small as this. I stopped myself from thinking that, though, since I had no idea what caused the person to leave the cat there. Maybe they had to leave the country forever for some reason and couldn't keep the cat. Or maybe they could no longer afford to feed him. Who knows. Then, I remembered the mail. I put my raincoat back on and sprinted out to get it. When I opened the front door, the cat dashed outside. I sprinted after him. “Come back,” I called, even though I knew he probably couldn't understand me, “Don't run away!” He at least needed to rest and dry off before he could leave, although of course I wouldn't want him to run away ever. I finally caught up - that kitten was fast, and scooped him up into my hands. He was still shivering uncontrollably, his fur now soaked through with rainwater. “You need a name,” I thought aloud. I paused for a few minutes, wondering that a good name would be for the tiny kitten. I decided to think about it for a while, and later came up with Houdini. After all, it was more original than Mouse or Smokey, and it also explained the cat's escaping habits. After I had had Houdini for a few months, he finally stopped trying to run away, thankfully. Now he just enjoys sleeping in sunny spots of the house and playing with feathery toys that I dangle in front of him. So in other words, a totally normal cat.

SWC Weekly #1

Part 1: Lolirock (977 words total)

Character sheet
Gender: Female
Species: Ephidean
Age: 15

Auriana is an optimistic girl from the Volta, a kingdom in a fictional realm named Ephedia. She’s bubbly and almost always smiling, though she can easily get distracted. She is a bit boy crazy but always values who she cares about more than anything else. Despite all this every now and then Auriana can be self-centered or even insensitive, sometimes saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and borrowing things without asking. She’s an amazing singer and an even better friend, her childish behavior being a part of her charm.

~

Auriana rummaged through drawers, her closet, under her bed, basically every nook and cranny she could think of. Clothes flew across the room as she threw everything her hands touched in the opposite direction. Did I check here before? Is it under here? Could Aunt Ellen be washing it? No, She just did the laundry yesterday! She thought still running around the room. Her socks had to be here somewhere!

She should’ve chosen a different outfit and went with Talia and Iris when they were still here. The party’s been going on for an hour now, she could be dancing, singing, drinking smoothies, meeting boys or something. Instead she’s digging through a pile of dirty and clean laundry. Sure Auriana might get some attention if she plays it off as being fashionably late, but she didn’t know if it still had the same effect an hour later.

“Auriana, are you done we need to get going or we’re going to be late,” Her friend Talia had said to her. Both her and Iris were doing the finishing touches of their make up while Auriana hadn’t even chosen what she had wanted to wear yet. She had a short black dress with an orange stripe down the side but it seemed a bit too simple. She also had a white dress with a single sleeve and stars but her friends wouldn’t let her, she needed it for their next concert.

“Nathaniel’s probably waiting for me, I don’t want to leave him alone again, this is the most free time I’ll have for a while. Can you choose an outfit, you already look great in everything you wear.” Iris said turning to Iris, she was wearing a black dress, the skirt being a hot pink. Talia was already leaning on the doorway waiting for the both of them, she was wearing a dark blue dress with a bow on the skirt, her straight bangs were swept to the side.

“You should start going then! I don’t want to hold you back from your little date with Nathaniel! Don’t worry about me, I'll be right behind you.” Auriana replied, a big smile on her face, though it couldn’t be seen with her head deep in her closet. She found overalls that were kind of cute but they didn’t match the theme of the party at all.

“Are you sure? You’ll be missing out,” Talia said, her tone seeming to try to convince her to just leave now. How could she though she was only wearing a T- shirt and shorts!

“I’ll be missing out more if I’m not looking fabulous when I get there! Now you to shoo, I need absolute silence so I can focus on finding what to wear,” She said practically shoving the two of them out the door, then she remembered something. She found her bag which she had brought from Volta, inside was a beautiful dress with a crescent moon motif. Usually it was for balls or huge celebrations but with all of Ephidia being in shambles there wasn’t much use for it now. It was absolutely perfect and she put it on right away but when she was right about done and ready to catch up with her friends she realized something. One of her socks was missing!

And now here she was, an hour later looking for that exact sock, which was absolutely essential for the outfit to work. Maybe she could use a spell to locate it. No, Talia said never to use magic unless it was essential. She let out a loud sigh, flopping on her bed, there was no hope, that sock could never be found lost to the turns of time. Never to be seen again. Wait, what's that?

Up on the ceiling was a small piece of fabric hanging on a bright orange crystal. Auriana held up her hand, undoing the spell and the sock that she’s been looking the past hour for, fell into her hand. What the heck! Then she remembered.

Last week she had figured out a new way to use her crystals. Instead of using them to make a sword or simply a blast of magic, she could precise little darts, though Talia pointed out it sounded more like knives. She had grabbed every little thing she had thought of as unimportant at the time and threw them up so she could practice her accuracy by throwing the darts at them. One of those unimportant things happened to be her sock, then she found several other things she had lost still hanging on the ceiling as well. Maybe she should’ve thought to take them all down and make sure not to do that again but instead she grinned widely and yelled, “I found it!” She put it on along with her shoe and she was about to walk out the door.

Talia and Iris appeared in the middle of the room sweating, not in their party clothes but instead, their princess outfits.

“Praxina and Mephisto crashed the party. We ended up defeating them but the party’s over. What have you been doing?” Iris asked Auriana. All she did was pout, throwing off the socks she worked so hard to find.

“I just found my socks!”
(878 words)

Part 2: Miraculous (1100 words total)

As Cat Noir, Adrien lets go of his more calm collected demeanor and becomes more rowdy. Instead of following rules he’s more driven by emotion and in turn more impulsive. He expresses himself and has fun making puns and big gestures while saving the day. Cat noir is more romantic, in a sense, as he constantly flirts with Ladybug even though she rejects his feelings and when he’s in civilian form he becomes more flustered. Being under his mask gives him confidence though things seem to affect him more as well. He despises things being hidden from him and he will show it, while him being upset is usually justified the things he does is not. When alone he shows a more sensitive side especially when upset, though despite all this he is and always will be loyal to his friends and he does say this. (146 words)

Ladybug is direct, or at least the most she believes she can be without giving her identity away. She projects herself as a leader despite not being anywhere close in her civilian form. Like Cat Noir, her mask gives her confidence and sometimes she uses it for more selfish reasons. Ladybug is more thought driven and shows it well by being able to give each and every instruction to be able to stop the villain of the day. She brushes her emotions away and barely ever states them in her hero form. She rejects basically all of Cat Noir’s advances, focusing on defeating the villain more than getting to know him more, though all of that goes away the second she see’s Adrien, prioritizing him more than anything else even if there’s something way more important. (136 words)

Cat Noir had appeared on my balcony, a small smile was on his face but it was sad, his eyes looked empty of joy. He told me he didn’t feel like being a superhero and he also didn’t feel like being alone and asked if he could stay with me. I agreed, I didn’t want to be alone either.

“It’s Marinette right? We’ve met a few times before,” He asked me and of course I stumbled over my words like I always did, bringing up the time a villain had fallen in love with me, talk about bad luck. Most times people would laugh at my awkwardness or the crazy gestures I’d make while doing it, but Cat Noir didn’t even look my way; he just stared out at the moon. “Seriously, I seem to be having bad luck in the love department myself,”

I asked really, what kind?, surprised by his statement, how could Cat Noir be unlucky at love. He was confident, charismatic, flirty, he was talented, the exact opposite of me. How could we be having the same problems? Then he mentioned Ladybug. My eyes widened in shock. He was actually in love with her? Not just some little playground crush? I never expected his flirtatious remarks to be anything more than that. He planned a surprise for her and then the pieces clicked in my mind. Ladybug never showed up. I never showed up.

We sat there in silence, but it was comfortable, it was peaceful. I asked him of the surprise, he said it didn’t matter. Still staring into the night sky I muttered, “Seems we both need some cheering up tonight.” Then he looked at me, curiosity in his voice.
“You’ve gotten your heart broken too?” I hummed in response. Before I knew it he was on his feet, smiling like he would when he was with Ladybug. “Hey come with me.” The sadness was gone from his voice and he held his hand out to me, I smiled at him and couldn’t help but take it.

“Close your eyes and hold on tight,” He said, and I did as he took me towards the untouched surprise. (363 words)

I couldn’t bring myself to blow out the final candle. I know Ladybug said she might not be able to come but I still had a string of hope. I shouldn’t be feeling this lonely, I should’ve expected this, I shouldn’t have waited, I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. Why did I even plan this? I set the candle down and leaned on the railing, just looking around me. Then I saw Marinette on her balcony, she seemed sad.

I found myself perched on her roof just behind her. I called out to her, just a small hello. She looked shocked, it did make sense, she probably wouldn’t expect a hero to just appear behind her all of a sudden. I apologized for frightening her, I didn’t mean to scare her, I was already feeling bad enough. Her eyes widened, “What are you doing here? Don’t you have superheroey things to do?” She asked. I didn’t though, there was no reason to be here either. I should be back home as Adrien Agreste, playing piano like I always do. With Marinette, I found myself relaxed. The words ended up coming out without even thinking.

“No, I don’t feel like being a superhero tonight. I also don’t feel like being alone tonight. Would you mind if I hung out here for a little while?” She nodded her head and I took a seat on her balcony. She started talking about another time, when we first ‘met’ though I wasn’t really paying attention, just looking up at the moon. She had mentioned having bad luck and I ended up saying how I had bad luck as well. She sounded surprised for some reason, Ladybug had rejected every attempt I had to at least get closer to her, why would I have anything but bad luck? I told her about the surprise.

She then leaned on the balcony with me in silence, but it was comfortable. She asked me about the surprise but it didn’t matter, it's not like Ladybug showed up. She muttered under her breath, “Seems we both need some cheering up tonight.” That surprised me. Marinette had her heartbroken? She’s smart, funny, kind, and talented. How would anyone reject her?

A thought popped into my mind and I stood up from the balcony railings, holding my hand out to her. I told her to close her eyes and hold on tight, she did. Just because Ladybug wasn’t here it didn’t mean the surprise was a waste. It could cheer Marinette up and thinking of that made me happy. I held on to her and led her to the rooftop. (440 words)

Part 3: The Owl House
Tropes used: OCC, OC, Crackfic, Angst (?), God Gus AU
Massive S2 Spoilers

“NO KING!” Luz yelled, opening the portal. She needed to save King. She needed to save the witches. What was the Collector going to do? She needed to help them. Luz needed to go back. When she opened the door, the Boiling Isles wasn’t on the other side. Only a storage closet.

Luz could only stand there, her expression unreadable. All the adrenaline and the emotions coursing through her came to a halt. She was back in the human realm. She was home. But there was no way to go back, she had abandoned everyone she had grown to love. Almost everybody. She looked behind her disheveled friends, staring back at their only way back home. Gus, Hunter, Willow, Amity, they’re witches. They weren't meant to be on Earth, they were born and raised in the Boiling Isles. They were stuck in the human realm, away from the life they’ve always lived, just like she was just a few months ago.

Gus who was once standing fell to the ground, tears welling up in his eyes, he was shaking. Everything that happened was so overwhelming, it made sense. Gus had a fascination for humans and wanted to become an ambassador between worlds, but he was also the youngest and nobody could have expected any of this to happen. Suddenly everything that happened hit Luz like a truck. She’d been replaying what had happened in her head over and over again but only then did the anger, guilt, sadness, anxiety and frustration hit her. It took all she could to stop herself from crying. Luz needed to be strong, because that’s what Azura would do. No, because everyone else was probably feeling worse than her.


Amity’s mom knew about what her inventions were doing and she didn’t even care. Her dad just started paying attention to her after years of neglect and they finally started bonding. Hunter was being hunted by the only person he thought cared for him. That same person lied about being Belos, a witch who saved the masses from wild magic, instead he was Phillp, a witch hunter who tried to kill him. Hunter didn’t even know if he was truly a witch. Willow and Gus had happy stable families and that must have made it worse for them. They were leaving their loved ones behind.

Luz took a step down the beat up shed and reached a hand out to Gus. She tried to put on a smile but she was already doing all she could to stop herself from collapsing to the ground and screaming all of her frustrations. Luz tried to say his name, say something but nothing came out. Gus started shaking more and he was making some kind of noise. It got louder as the rain kept pouring and Luz’s worry turned into pure confusion. Gus was laughing.

He sat up from his curled up position holding his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. His eyes were glowing bright blue and everyone looked at him, bewildered, scared. He fell backwards, still laughing like a maniac having to stop and catch his breath from much he was. Then he stood up and Luz could swear she could see her surroundings glitch, like some sort of illusion. “Oh that was great! Your reactions, King’s acting, I didn’t expect you to use glyphs to try to try to hold everything together but you alway surprise me, don’t you” He beamed. This time she definitely saw the trees glitch.

“Wh-What are you talking about? Gus, why are you acting like this? Did the collector do something to you did, did” Luz stammered out but Gus looked calm, at peace, nothing like the crying boy he was just a few seconds ago. He wasn’t acting like himself, instead he was walking in circles around everyone else, still on the ground, too stunned for words.

“You know all of your favorite shows and movies and how you’ve always wanted to be the main character? Well you’ve done it! All of this was an illusion! How do you feel?” As he said that rain stopped, the forest stilled and it fizzled out leaving only a white room. Then Amity got up.

“What mind games are you trying to play, Gus? I know you're so good at illusions it’s gotten boring but what you're doing isn’t a fun little prank!” She yelled at him.

“Oh I know, this isn’t a little prank, it’s real. Well the illusion is, not any of you guys,” He said plainly. He placed a hand on Amity’s shoulder and she disappeared into a cloud of blue smoke. Then Willow. Then Hunter. He smiled at Luz, “Willow is an illusion. Hunter is an illusion. Everyone is just a figment of my imagination, even your girlfriend. Well everyone but King, Hooty and that girl for some reason.” He said pointing to a human girl strolling by with an ice cream in her hand. She had a name tag that read ‘Hello my name is Whimsy’. Somehow it seemed more peculiar than everything Gus had said. Until Hooty and King emerged from the void.

“Hooty! King! What’s going on? Who are you guys?” Luz pleaded only then did she realize the tears streaming down her eyes.

“We placed bets on how fast you were going to get back home! I said a year!” Hooty yelled, still the same as in the boiling isles.

“I had way more faith in Luz! 364 day!” King said, patting her on the back.

“Why would you do this to me? Making all of these illusions just to see me suffer? Am I the only real human? How?” Luz sobbed, she collapsed to the ground, clawing into her arms as the emotions took over her. Gus lifted her chin up with his finger, making her stare him in the eyes.

“Who said you were real? Everyone was an illusion, that means you too.” Then Luz faded away. (993 words)

Part 4

There were fifteen realms in the universe. All with their own rules, people and cultures. They all lived in harmony and though they had enemies, allies and everything in between nothing ever came of it. Despite this no soul is immune to the urge of competition. The urge to see who is the best. The urge to be the best. The urge to win. So the best way to satisfy the craving. To write. And thus Scratch Writing camp was born.

Three times a year the realms come together, a gateway between worlds opening up. People of all ages join to become a better writer, to have a challenge that needs to be overcome, to make friends or simply have fun. Everyone who was accepted would be put into cabins and would work together to gain points and win for that month. It was widely anticipated and no one would leave unsatisfied, whether they won or lost. That’s why I needed to join again.

I was in Scratch Writing Camp in March and despite me not interacting with anyone more than I had to I had loads of fun. I signed up this month hoping to get into Sci-fi once again, that is the realm I live in after all. Then a while after signups closed, I got my acceptance letter. Wait a letter? I expected some sort of hologram, or a voice memo, or even just an email, but a letter? Maybe the Wi-fi was down and Sci-fi had to send my acceptance by letter. That would make sense. I opened the letter carefully and read everything, even between the lines. I was in Adventure!

I already knew that you could write in any genre you wanted even if it didn’t match the cabin but this had to be a mistake. How could I, an extraterrestrial explorer, be in adventure? They don’t have holograms, advanced technology, or spaceships, I’m not even sure if they have phones. Of course I immediately contacted Birdie, the person hosting Scratch Writing Camp.

“Oh it wasn’t a mistake. You're randomly sorted into cabins, it has nothing to do with where you live. The first time was just a coincidence, but don’t worry adventure seems perfect for you! Isn’t exploring the galaxy just another way to say adventure,” No it wasn’t! Adventure may be more advanced than the Fantasy Coven, the Dystopian Castle or the Fairytale Trail but it was still so medieval. Would they even allow me to bring my teleportation chip or would I actually have to walk around camp. I’m not going to Adventure Parks. No way!

I found myself standing outside of the park gates, paper and pencil in hand. There is no way I’m surviving this month. (457 words)

Daily #8 Translated from “Dark Horse”
599 words

I stepped into the dark, cold temple. The polished smooth floor echoing beneath my feet. I scanned my eyes across the room, but there was no one to be seen.
“Show yourself!” I shouted.
Suddenly, out of nowhere I saw a shadow the form of a human on the walls. The shadow came out of the walls and solidified into a human guy with a flute in his hand.
“Do you really want to do this?” He asked.
“Yes! You are the one who told me I can do anything! I can be whoever I want to be!”
“Greed and power are two different things,” he said. “I told you if you defeat me, then I can make you whatever you want to be. You could be the ruler of the entire world, but of course, everything comes with a price you have to pay in the end.”
“Enough talking,” I said, “let’s get to the fighting already.”
I concentrated on my hands. I envisioned defeating him and taking all the power. I envisioned the whole world under my control.
Energy started to seep through my hands as I envisioned these wondrous possibilities. Magical energy started to crackle in my hands. I focused my hatred on the person in front of me and a blast of power came from my hands and hit the wizard.
The wizard flew back, slammed into the wall behind him, and lay sprawled on the floor. He tried reaching for his flute which was just a few inches away from his hand.
Before I was able to send another burst of magic from my hands, he picked up his flute and started playing a melody on it. It was a soft melody, but it gave off a terrible feeling. Dark magic flowed from one of the sides of the flute and spiraled its way toward me.
Before I could do anything, the dark magic seeped through my hands. Suddenly, they became pale and weak. I tried to summon another burst, but there was no energy to do it.
“What did you do!” I shouted. “Give my powers back!”
“I choose not to,” the wizard replied calmly.
“This isn’t fair! You still have your powers!”
“Well then, nothing says I can’t take someone else’s powers, so you can try to take away my flute.” The wizard’s flute sparkles dimly in the glint of a ray of sunshine.
My eyes on the flute, I run to the wizard and knock his flute out of his hands. Then I slammed him into the wall.
“You are now weak and powerless,” I said.
“Very well, what would you like to be?”
“I want to become the ruler of the world.”
“Is that all?” He asked.
“Yes,” I confidently replied, excitement flowing through my body.
The wizard picked up his flute from the ground and started playing a tune. As the tune was flowing through the chamber, the world seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.
“WHAT’S HAPPENING!” I yelled.
Once the wizard was done playing, the world stopped shrinking. Then it hit me that I was shrinking. I looked down at myself and noticed my body was gone. It was replaced with a flat wooden stick with numbers and lines on it. A miniature Earth was painted on it.
“WHAT AM I!” I screamed.
“You said you wanted to be the ruler of the world, so I made you a ‘ruler of the world’. Next time, be more specific on what you want.
With that, the wizard left the chamber, leaving the ruler there alone for many years.

Daily 7/8/2022 - 599 words

Song: Egzod & Maestro Chives - Royalty (ft. Neoni)

Original lyrics:

Say I'm cold hearted
But I'm just getting started
Got my eyes on the the target
Now, now
Oooh, oooh, oooh
'Till the battles won
'Till kingdom come
Oooh, oooh, oooh
I'll never run
Best to give me your loyalty
'Cause I'm taking the world you'll see
They'll be calling me, calling me
They'll be calling me royalty
Best to give me your loyalty
'Cause I'm taking the world you'll see
They'll be calling me, calling me
They'll be calling me royalty
They'll be calling me royalty
They say I'm dangerous, ‘cause I
Broke all the cages
No I, won’t sit and take it
Now, now
They left me for dead, I guess they'll never learn
Every time I break there's just more pain to burn
They'll never, never, never learn
Oooh, oooh, oooh
'Till the battles won
'Till kingdom come
Oooh, oooh, oooh
I'll never run
Best to give me your loyalty
'Cause I'm taking the world you'll see
They'll be calling me, calling me
They'll be calling me royalty
Best to give me your loyalty
'Cause I'm taking the world you'll see
They'll be calling me, calling me
They'll be calling me royalty
They'll be calling me royalty
They'll be calling me royalty
They'll be calling me royalty

Translated lyrics (including the languages):

English -> Latin -> Igbo -> Sundanese -> Zulu -> Hmong -> Danish -> Quechua -> Oromo -> Shona -> English

It shows the heart
But it has just begun
I found the types and goals
Not now
Oh, oh, yyyy
“until the war is won.”
Until the Government comes
Oh, oh, yyyy
I do not want to run away
It is the best thing to praise
'Why do they see the world'.
They called me
You call me king
It is the best thing to praise
'Why do they see the world'.
They called me
You call me king
You call me king
It is wrong to ‘do’.
They all exploded
I do not want to, I live, I do not live
Not now
They'll leave me dead, I think they'll never know
It burns when I hit
Always, always, always
Oh, oh, yyyy
“until the war is won.”
Until the Government comes
Oh, oh, yyyy
I do not want to run away
It is the best thing to praise
'Why do they see the world'.
They called me
You call me king
It is the best thing to praise
'Why do they see the world'.
They called me
You call me king
You call me king
You call me king
You call me king

“The soldiers are prepared, Your Majesty. They haven’t recovered fully, but they will be ready,” the general said.
“Good. It shows their hearts are strong, but it has just begun. We still have to hold our ground for a long time,” I replied gravely. I looked out at the barren land, watching the soldiers below, sharpening weapons, tending to wounds, reinforcing barricades. I knew their different types, and the goals they had before the war shattered their dreams. My heart sinks further when I spot movement in the distance. Our enemies had arrived, and much faster than anyone expected.
Not now, not now, I thought. My expression hardened, and I called out to the army before me, my voice instantly taking everyone’s attention, “We will not stop fighting, until the war is won!”
The response was a thundering echo, sweeping across the battlefield with a physical presence, “Until the war is won!”

My soldiers were as strong as ever. We would be able to hold them off, until the Government came. The New Government was the enemy we were facing. They had an immense force, but I didn't want to run away, like they told their followers, no, I would stay with my soldiers until my last breath, fighting on equal ground with them.
The Government vowed to make our country powerful and free by toppling my rule and taking the power for themselves. They promised to give the power to the people, to share wealth equally rather than let the rich hoard while the poor starved. For them, it is the best thing for them to be praised for seeing the world “as it is”, and imagine a better one without kings or the greedy. A noble goal to be sure, but any promise like this is too good to be true.
I have seen how they operate, and what they are planning. The dream they fed to so many that they will believe it themselves will never happen. In their efforts to be fairer than the best kings, they will end up more corrupt than the worst ones.

They called me a king once, the undisputed ruler of the land, and my soldiers, you still call me king. But I am now but a hollow shell of the monarch I was before, my kingdom shattered and my people at war with themselves, a king of ashes and dust.

When my thoughts come to an end, I find the battle has too. I am left holding a sword wet with hot, fresh blood, and staring out into the distance. Their force was devastated by the bombs we planted, unstoppable explosion ripping through flesh, bone, steel, and earth indiscriminately.
In the end, I shared the same dream as the Government. People thought that being a king was a glorious job, and so did it when I came into power, but now I know better. I would much prefer to have the people make decisions, but the way the Government is doing it is not right, and will only end in a disaster.

I feel disconnected, as if I am alive and not at the same time. I don’t want to continue. This has lasted for too long…
But I had to steel myself. I thought back to when the Government mounted a coup and left me for dead, not knowing I lived and escaped, I thought of the fire that coursed through my veins every time I fought alongside my soldiers for a future promised to us in dreams, I had to keep that fire alight, for my people.

Daily 7/10/2022 - 434 words

I tried to listen to the commands coming through, but I could hear nothing but static and explosions. I tried to turn the volume higher, but the only thing that grew was the sounds of battle outside.
Suddenly, the mix of speaking and buzzing was shattered by silence.
“Hello? Hello?” I shouted over the noise, but there was no response. I turned knobs, typed in commands, but there was nothing.
Turning around upon hearing a voice, I saw one of the soldiers and he said, “Sir, there’s no point trying to connect… everything is gone. All the files are erased and we’re having to steer and manage manually.”
“Erased?!” I demanded.
“Yes, some sort of sabotage. Please, Captain, your crew needs you outside.”

His words forced me to face the truth: that I was trying to get help from others instead of helping myself. I nodded and stood up, following him out of the room. I took in the situation, seeing a concerningly low number of ships remaining from our fleet.
I counted the ships on our side, “The Earthquake, the Tornado, the Flood…”
“… the Wildfire, and the Tsunami,” the soldier finished. “Everyone else is gone.”
I held down tears, thinking of all of the people I had worked and fought alongside, but now was not the time for that. I turned to shout an order, but was interrupted by another member of the crew, who said, “Captain! We’re almost out of ammunition and we’re using too much power, we can’t keep fighting like this!”
This battle had been going on for too long, and this was bound to have happened. I cursed my stupidity, a master strategist forgetting to consider limited resources. I made my decision.

They had managed to restore the link between the ships of the Disaster Fleet, just in time, and I shouted through the connection, “This is the captain of the Thunderstorm, we cannot continue to fight like this! Follow my ship, we’re gonna make a run for the port and try to receive support from there! Get ready to merge our forces with the ones on land and take them down!”
The other ships received my message, and I could see them taking action. The Wildfire continued to try and take down as many enemies as possible with blasts of light while it retreated, the Flood, Tsunami, and Earthquake pushed them away with waves, and the Tornado sent the wind to boost us.
I steered the Thunderstorm, faster than it had ever gone, hoping that they had anticipated this possibility and would have support ready at our berths.

Daily 7/11/2022 - 509 words

Between one place and another, between one moment and the next, lies an empty expanse. A land covered in snow, where the reality is frozen for eternity. The trees are always bare, the water is always frozen, the animals are always gone. There are no known entrances or exits to this place, people are just here. The cold here is unbearable… except you have to bear it forever. It will never kill you, just pierce your lungs every time you breathe it in, leave you shivering as it seeps into your body, causing you to be forever seeking warmth that will never come.

Here, sometimes you’ll see eyes peering through the heavy mist and branches, but do you really want to find out who… or what it is? It could be another human, and you could stay with them, reminiscing about your lives before, both forever and just a moment ago, for the concept of time doesn’t make sense in this space. Time brings change, and change is an indication of time passing by, but here it has always been the same, and it will always be. But what if it isn’t? You could be ripped apart by some monster, which you probably would like, sweet oblivion rushing through you and thawing out the ice permeating you. You won’t though, you would avoid those eyes, get far away, for this place fills you with paranoia that overrides all logic and reason, and you will never meet anyone for the rest of your eternity here. You have no idea whether there are other people here… making you’re just making it up in your desperation.

You won’t die here, you can’t die here. This place keeps you full, hydrated, and the cold can’t kill you. If you fall off a height, by accident or by trying to let death free you, you’ll feel all the pain, but still live. Same goes for any other way of dying. However, there is another thing that people need: contact with others. Humans have evolved to stay together or die, but here, you will be isolated, and it will destroy you just like hunger or thirst could. Over time, the cold, the pain, and the loneliness will be too much for your mind, and it will shatter, like ice upon rocks. You’ll go crazy, before you could ever escape, and who knows, perhaps you’ll just be brought to a plane more horrifying than this one?

What will you do here? That is meaningless, there is nothing here, and nothing happens. You won’t be able to escape. It is hopeless. Do you feel that? You’re already starting to go crazy, imagining things. Remember your family, your friends? You’ll never see them again, not even in death will you reunite, because you will never die, forever caught between the inseparable stream of time and space. Did you ever dream of immortality, terrified by the thought of your looming death? Well, you’ve achieved it. Now you will exist forever in this frozen plane.

W E L C O M E T O T H E W H I T E V O I D

Daily 7/15/2022 - 518 words

At first, I didn’t notice the painting. My own paintings were all over the house, hanging on walls, filed away in drawers, and peeking out behind shelves. I just assumed it was one of mine. But then, when I looked closer at it, I had no memory of making such a painting, and the colors were slightly off from mine, as if a different brand of paint had been used.

If I hadn’t made it, then why was it in my house? I thought perhaps it was a gift, but none of my friends painted, and it didn’t seem like something that they bought. The painting seemed more like something that the artist did for fun, for themselves, rather than for money. Most of the ones in my house were like that, ones I wanted to keep. Maybe that was another reason it blended in so well.

I checked again over the slightest details, looking closely at the splatters of color blending in with each other; dried bubbles of paint and lines from the brush creating texture; the fibers in the canvas; and a single hair fallen from the brush in the corner that the artist had forgotten, now forever pinned to the canvas by a drop of purple. Then I spotted something.

Hidden among the bright lines of color was a signature, cleverly made to look like the paint was flowing over it. I could tell it was done in black ballpoint pen, with a light hand, the small patches of white fading the black ink into gray. The elegant handwriting flowed across the canvas like the paint, but I couldn’t tell what the name it referenced was, for a signature is meant to show ownership, personality, rather than cold facts. A random name would have been useless anyway, and the fact that the artist hid their signature cleverly and wrote elegantly was much more useful.

Still though, that wasn’t much information at all, and more importantly, I had no idea how it ended up in my house. Whoever placed this painting here was able to break into my house and deposit an artwork with absolutely no traces. They were definitely skilled, and possibly dangerous. I had to stay alert. First, I decided I would try to find the artist. I did an image search for the signature, and it only came up with one result.

That result was a link saying a single word: CHROMA. I clicked on it, and it brought me to a background of different swirling, mesmerizing colors. Text flashed onto the screen.

“Verification sequence initiating…”

“What colors does your painting have?”

I assumed it meant the one that appeared in my house, so I checked the boxes labeled “blue”, “pink”, and “purple”, and it followed through, asking several more questions about my painting. After all of them were done, the text changed again.

“Verification complete. User codename: Galaxy.”

“Hello Galaxy, and welcome to Project CHROMA. You may be confused or scared because of all this. Do not worry, all will be revealed soon. Please check this site every day to await instructions.”

Daily 7/17/2022 - 749 words

“Run away!” I screamed.

“But… what about-” he started to speak, but I cut him off.

“Just go! Better that we get out of here first and live! We might be able to return and finish our mission. I’ll stall for now and you go. Don’t worry, I have plenty of time to get back as well, I just need to make sure we’re not followed.”

He glanced one last time at the machines flooding through the gates, whirring and sparking, left through the gate where we came, and I flashed him a grin. He thought I was simply fighting to throw them off while we retreated, but little did he know my actual plan. I couldn’t reveal it to him, otherwise the machines, connected to the hivemind, would alert the Eye of our presence.

The Eye was an extremely advanced artificial intelligence that resided within its own space, known as the Garden of Sight. It was formerly peaceful and sometimes helpful, but following the Corruption Event, it is now hostile and one of the members of the Phoenix Council, which aimed to defeat humanity and dissenting A.I.s.

However, masquerading as the Basilisk (which we had already defeated without the Eye’s knowledge), I was able to install a trojan horse inside the systems of the Garden of Sight, which would trigger an ambush powerful enough to restrain the Eye. We planned a false attack and scouting mission into the Garden of Sight (which my partner thought was the real thing) in order to trick the Eye into thinking that the attack would be easily crushed. And now it thought we were retreating, but fighting my way through the machines, I moved deeper into the Garden of Sight.

At this point, I knew that the Eye wasn’t afraid at all. It thought I was doing something crazy and stupid, a suicide mission, and that it would easily kill me here in the mazes of the Garden. But little did it know that by this point, it couldn’t take me down. With my advanced access to the systems, I could leave any time I wanted, and launch devastating attacks. But obviously I had to keep my cover until the Eye fell into my trap, so I fought as I normally would, hitting the machines with bright blasts of light as I navigated closer and closer to the center. I actually accessed and studied the structure of the Garden beforehand, but in order to make it look like I was just blundering around trying to get closer, I randomized my movements, circling, running into dead ends. I realized that the machines’ attacks grew less and less frequent. I realized the Eye must be making fun of me, letting me get to the center before laughing and killing me.

Finally, the hedges and walls of stone opened up into a clearing. I had arrived at the Lenses of Eternity, the center of the Garden of Sight. Only now did I realize how beautiful the Garden was, created to be as pleasing to sight as possible. Mossy stone and lush hedges in geometric formations, cherry blossoms drifting in the light breeze, stones and sand arranged elegantly beneath my feet, and fountains with crystal clear water flowing from one tier to the next. The Eye knew everything about sight, knew exactly how to make its paradise appeal perfectly. It was such a beautiful place, possibly the most beautiful place, for the Eye’s near infinite computing power meant it could create perfection.

I walked slowly into the center, keeping my gaze on the Eye. It had, obviously, chosen to manifest itself as a giant eye, with an iridescent iris, and lacking any flaws. Because it’s specialty was vision, it didn’t speak. Instead, large, shimmering words appeared above it.

“Pathetic human, you thought that you could defeat me by charging into my home like this?”

“This is the ignorance and flaw of humanity.”

“We, however, have no such weaknesses, we are perfect.”

“Now, you will die, like an insect crushed under a mountain.”

I only smiled. I spoke the words to activate the attack, “Eye, eternal watcher of all, guided by the light, may you be bound by the darkness that has corrupted you!”

The Eye had no time to respond, as tendrils of pure blackness materialized out of thin air and wrapped themselves around it, forming a cage of smothering darkness.

I laughed “So, superior being, use your powers now then, hmm? Run away!”

Hello! Feather here!

Table of Contents -

⤿ Daily 7-9-2022

https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/612345/?page=32#post-6447937

⤿Daily 7-11-2022

https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/612345/?page=35#post-6451113

⤿Other dailies were not writings!

⤿Weekly #2 7-13-2022
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/612345/?page=38#post-6455831

⤿Took a break^^

⤿Daily 7-18-2022
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/612345/?page=49#post-6467840


⤿Contest entry
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/612345/?page=51#post-6469288

⤿ (Other Writings before Table of Contents)

Hey! I just did 2 word wars (lost both) and here is the writing I did!

1. As the mist is gone, a figure looms over young and naive Tess. The shadow engulfs her and as she looks up, she sees the face of a beast, salivating, its drool leaking from its mouth. Tess screams and runs, but that was a mistake. The beast lunges out in front of her and more of his kin come, surrounding her. Tess whimpers in fear, and waits for her fate. Suddenly, she feels a warm object, slathering her face with a gooey substance. The beast is licking her. Adrenaline rushes through her body. Was she safe? Was she foolist for worrying? Still there was a bright gleam of the beast's teeth that she couldn't ignore. I was shining at her ferociously, always reminding her that her end could be sooner than hoped. Tess felt a slight nudge as the beast signaled her to move. She was a captive now, or so she thought. She is led to a cave, a dark and lonely one at first glance, but soon finds beasts of all sizes to be relaxing merrily with others. However as she entered the room, everything stopped. Afterall, she was an alien to them. A growl came…

2. Running into the forest, Clemintime was in awe of the wonder around her. There were now strict adults commanding her every minute of her existence, all there were were mountains so high, they seemed to be near the brink of space. She saw deer and rabbits playing in the emerald grass and ponds full of fish and creatures. Everything seemed magical in the young eyes of naive Clemintine, but this was all desciving. Behind the mask was an ugly, forest that only magic concealed. All the animals were ogres and trolls, witches, and goblins. Everything had a brown hue, and everything seemed to be in an ever lasting depression. However, as mentioned earlier, Clemintine did not see this and tried to pet the so-called rabbits. it bit her, leading her to realize the ugly nature of the forest. She tried to escape but found that she was stuck there, an invisible force not letting her out. She cried in sadness, just as a goblin came up to her and attacked her. Clemintine screamed in fright, running to a cave. She met a group of beasts. As equally frightening. However, amongst them, she saw a little girl smiling and happy. maybe


CABIN WARS! WITH FOETRY 8-9-22

A strong gust of wind broke out suddenly, causing the trees to wake up from their rest. Their leaves shuttered as if predicting a fatality amongst the forest, and woke the birds roosting in their branches. The birds chirped their songs, alerting all the other animals of the forest. Foxes, wolves, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and other creatures of the woods stopped what they were presently doing, and quietly worked together to make a symphony of noise, sounding harmonious and soothing. No animal fought during the time, but as it was soon over, they went back to their homes, where they soon went into their regular grooves, becoming the hunters and sometimes the hunted. It was all a rather peculiar sight, animals in harmony with each other, but immediately trying to forget anything had happened at all.

Chapter 1
Celeste

Celeste woke up to the banging of metal pans, and a shrill nasally voice calling her.

“You lazy incompetent child! Wake up, it's past 6 o'clock!”

Celeste turned around, groaned and mumbled something incomprehensible, most likely in protest. However, knowing of the consequences, she forced her eyes to open and sat up on the bed.

“Atta girl,” said the same voice she heard before waking up.

Celeste rubbed her eyes to focus them, and looked up at the looming figure in front of her, clothed in expensive dresses; it was one of the Sarahs, this one she believed was Ms. Sarah, the daughter of Mrs. Katy, who was better known as Her to the children in her care.

Celeste trudged to the dining room, it was a large room in fact, in which young boys and girls of all ages between eight and fifteen sat together to eat their meals. Meals were plentiful, pancakes slathered with syrup for breakfast, hamburgers (actually made of cricket protein) for lunch, and meatloaf with mashed potatoes for dinner. However, meals were easily taken away (as Celeste observed) and usually only a couple kids got to eat all of their meals out of the hundred children in Mrs. Katy's facility. Celeste was one of the “goody gooders,” according to older girls and boys, meaning that she never got in trouble her whole time living in the boarding school. No one even knew why she was in this boarding school for trouble makers, afterall, it was named Mrs. Katy's School for the Troubled for a reason.

Celeste sat next to Lock for breakfast. Lock was known for her lock-like hardiness, becoming her nickname. However she had anger issues and would start ranting about everything that bothered her, spewing gallons of saliva in the process. No one sat next to her, unless they were desperate, and that was exactly Celeste's case.

Currently, Celeste was listening to Lock rant about the birds outside.

“They're chirping like CRAZY and are driving me insane!” she shouted.

Celeste looked outside of the window, she actually fairly enjoyed the sound of the birds, they were so small and fragile, but somehow survived the world.

Lock continued, “The robins are sounding like creaking STAIRS and the blue jays sound like MS. SAra-”

Everyone looked at Lock, in shock. No one was ever allowed to say something negative about the adults. One of the “guardians” as they called themselves stared harshly at Lock, and came towards her. He grabbed Lock and took her to the Office of the one and only Mrs. Katy. Then another one of the “guardians” came. Closer and closer inching to Celeste.

Chapter 2
Mrs. Reed

Mrs. Reed tapped her long nails on the arm of her chair. She was in need of a new set of nail extensions. She pressed a button on her table. “Bring Stacy to my office.”

Soon after, Stacy came with a case full of nail art supplies.

“What would you like, Mrs. Reed?”
“The usual, long nails painted red, with a gradient.”

While Stacy was busily working on her nails, Mrs. Reed looked out through her floor to ceiling window. Los Angeles was as busy as ever, electric cars moving quickly through the streets, with pedestrians zooming by using their self automated hoverboards. The city had advanced tremendously after Mrs. Reed took office as mayor. More technology made life easier for the citizens, but also made them dependent. That was Mrs. Reed's scheme. The lives of the citizens would be much better with all the technological advances, but she was the one in control. Without her, there would be a doomsday in the city, causing mayhem and confusion. Her thoughts were interrupted by Stacy, telling her that she was finished with the nails.

“Thank you, Stacy, ” Mrs. Reed said, eyes gleaming, “You can expect a large tip for the extra mile you took today.” She smiled at Stacy, but for a different reason than what was said. A new scheme had aroused in her mind, and Stacy would be a part of it.

Chapter 3
Louise

Louise was currently sitting in shotgun, listening to her music through wireless headphones that she received for her Birthday. The music blocked out the sounds of her little brothers' screaming and complaining, which was a relief. She closed her eyes, and thought of the beach they were driving to. With its white, sandy beaches, and turquoise water, it was a dream vacation spot for anyone. The drinks were sweet and tangy, and the cricket burgers were delightful. She couldn't wait to go there. Suddenly, her headphones were swiped from her head.

“Hey!” she exclaimed and reached back and noogied her little brother, Sam.

She stopped abruptly, however, when she saw the beach. It was covered in garbage, and the ocean was dull and gray. She suddenly remembered the poem her father recited to her every night, when she was younger.

Blue, ocean, blue, ocean
What are we without?
The turquoise waves and kelp,
the fish that will need help?

The sandy beaches are never the same,
when we litter them with trash,
that eventually go to the ocean
and kill the creatures of the sea,
ruining ecosystems that we need.

The things we should be helping,
like the coral reefs,
we instead destroy.

The things we do of fear,
like killing the sharks,

The creatures we capture (accidentally),
using nets,
are numerous, we always try to help,
but not all survive it

And largest of all, global warming,
the rising seas threatening
coastal populations.

Blue, ocean, blue, ocean
What are we without?
The turquoise waves and kelp,
the fish that will need help?

The sandy beaches are never the same,
when we litter them with trash,
that eventually go to the ocean
and kill the creatures of the sea,
ruining ecosystems that we need.

The things we should be helping,
like the coral reefs,
we instead destroy.

The things we do of fear,
like killing the sharks,

The creatures we capture (accidentally),
using nets,
are numerous, we always try to help,
but not all survive it

And largest of all, global warming,
the rising seas threatening
coastal populations.

1169 word Phew!

I hope I’m doing this right this is my first forum post LOL anyway

7/8 daily, 1208 words

a part of Devil Moon by Car Seat Headrest after translation:
I have no code, no way down // There are only footprints far from the window sill // It’s the devil’s moon // Hollow earth // Half the world at once is still in darkness // We’re still creeping towards that black horizon // Maybe I tried and I could stay on the sunny side // But I’m too tuned in to the moon

b4 u read:
- SPOILERS!!!! for Bungo Stray Dogs dead apple/Fyodor in general idk
- this is a fanfic but not the weekly if that’s not clear- (staying in character for the cabin I’m in ahahah) it probably won’t make sense at all if u haven’t read/watched bsd,, and I feel the need to apologize bc I have fyozai brainrot! it’s been going on for months!
- Oh and this is general audiences btw?? no bad stuff they just stare at each other
- just for context fyodor has a special ability that kills anyone he touches and dazai has a nullification ability so it cancels out

((r there any bsd fans here?? if so plsss tell me if dazai knew fyodor’s special ability or not at the time of Dead Apple???? I completely forget and I don’t want to read the book or watch the movie for like the 5th time again :sob: I think he knew but I’m not 100% sure))
________________

The Devil’s Moon

There were only hours left until Shibusawa’s plan would go into action. Only hours, yet there was nothing to do. Dazai had spent all of his prior time trying to figure the other two men out, but now he could only wait until one of them needed him.

Dazai stepped down the stairs of the Sky Fortress, humming mindlessly to himself before he looked up and saw another person in the room.

“Fyodor,” Dazai called with a sly grin, making his way over to where the Russian was sitting. The dark-haired man sat on a rustic chair, staring out one of the extensive detailed windows. Dazai moved to place his hand on the other’s shoulder, a subtle reminder that he was the only one who could do this. Dazai would be lying if he said that wasn’t a privilege. To be able to touch a demon so carelessly without falling under the same fate as all of the other people who tried.

Fyodor copied the grin despite not taking his eyes off the night sky once. “Dazai, isn’t this view just lovely?”

Dazai let out a soft huff as he stared directly at Fyodor. “It sure is!”

“I meant outside, Dazai.”

An exasperated sigh left Dazai’s lips. He was never appreciated around here! Fyodor was so dense! Regrettably, he turned to look outside.

The first thing he noticed was the moon. Brighter tonight than any other night and amplified because of the height of the tower he currently resided in.

The second was their reflections. Both men were dressed in white, the light of the moon reflecting off of their clothes. They looked good. Powerful together. Dazai leaning slightly on Fyodor didn’t stop the other from holding his ground. Dazai’s eyes trailed to Fyodor’s face in the reflection. The man’s expression showed confidence. The amused smirk he wore was hard to read. What was his motive? Dazai had figured out most of what his plan was, but with Fyodor’s cocky attitude - and his tendencies to put Dazai through trivial things like these, things that meant nothing and everything at the same time and made Dazai overthink about them for days - he could never be sure.

“Is that all?” Dazai whined, moving closer to Fyodor before a sharp voice cut him off.

“No. Look.”

How surprising! So there was a reason for this! Moments passed, but the outside world remained the same. Dazai stayed quiet. Was there some hidden meaning behind this?

Then suddenly, the moon. It was turning red. The white glow on their clothes faded to a blood red. Fyodor’s eyes darkened, though Dazai couldn’t tell if it was from the change in light or not.

As much as he didn’t want to, Dazai kept his mouth shut. He needed to get Fyodor to talk. Just for the other to say something. Anything. Maybe explain what was going on, or make some stupid comment that Dazai would be obsessing over for days, or even just a single word.

Dazai’s thoughts were interrupted when Fyodor opened his mouth. “Unimpressed?” The dark-haired man questioned, his eyebrows raising as he caught Dazai’s gaze in the reflection.

Chills shot through Dazai when their gazes met. They’d looked at each other before. When passing by each other, when sitting with Shibusawa, but never like this. Not with the moon’s red glow casting upon them, highlighting every beauty and darkening every flaw. With Fyodor, everything was different. Dazai had never felt so truly seen before. It was like the other man saw right through him. Normally, he felt hollow. Unhuman. But then again, there wasn’t anything normal about Fyodor, was there? Right now, Dazai had never felt so real. So solid.

Dazai shook his head. The scene before him was hauntingly beautiful. He wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.

“What you see before you,” said Fyodor, raising a hand to motion towards the light, “Will be mine.”

“The moon,” Dazai confirmed, though it seemed more like a question than a statement.

“But of course,” Fyodor replied like it meant all the sense in the world. “It’s the devil’s moon, after all.”

The last comment caught Dazai off guard. The devil’s moon? Fyodor was implying that he was the devil? He was a demon, for sure, but a devil? The devil?

“Dazai,” the demon spoke, his lip curling upwards in a sneer, “Why are you working with Shibusawa and me?”

“Who knows?” Dazai replied matter-of-factly, hoping to break Fyodor’s cold, calculating glare at him for a second. Fyodor’s look wasn’t fading, though. If anything, his words made it stronger.

“You couldn’t stay on the bright side even if you tried,” Fyodor drawled, leaning his head back to stare directly at the other. He sounded bored, almost frustrated with the way Dazai was dancing around his question. But wasn’t that how it was going to be from the start? With Fyodor, Dazai, and Shibusawa combining forces, there was no doubt that the men would be speaking anything but the truth. It was an exciting game, to dance with sinners. Or that’s what Fyodor called them, at least. Fyodor’s mannerisms were getting to him. And Dazai was unsure whether he liked it or not.

“The moon has covered the light. And yet you still creep to the horizon. You’ll get nowhere; it’s all dark.” Fyodor spoke again, narrowing his eyes.

Was this demon tricking him? Dazai had finally gotten a break from the staring, and now it was more intense than ever. Would Fyodor see his faults again if he met the other’s gaze?

“Half of the world will always be in darkness,” Fyodor said, his voice monotone and unreadable as he went on. “And you will never have the power to change it. If you want that power, stick with me.”

Dazai smirked, turning his head to see Fyodor’s expression. The man’s features were more relaxed, though his eyes were just as piercing as before.

“Stick with you? Just you?” Dazai asked, shaking his head. “Hm, thanks, but no thanks!” Dazai couldn’t reveal his true intentions. Not now, not ever. Though he and Fyodor were mirrors of each other, similar in so many ways, Dazai wasn’t going to side with him. The demon would just manipulate him like he was doing to Shibusawa. To Fyodor, people were pawns in a game of chess. Nothing more, nothing less. Dazai saw the flaws in that way of thinking. Everyone had their own valuable lives. Fyodor was a fool to not see that, but it didn’t surprise him.

Fyodor nodded curtly, staring back at the moon once again. “How like you.”

Dazai slumped over the chair dramatically. “Fyodor, c’monn! Did you really think I’d do that?”

“Hahaha,” came Fyodor, “No, of course not. That’s why I asked.”

“Hehehe,” replied Dazai, “I know!”

And there the two stayed, staring at the devil’s moon. They spoke no more words, yet they seemed to be in tune with each other. Or more so, in tune with the moon. Maybe they could stop themselves from their unknown fate, but everything had been happening so fast lately. It would be only natural for them to take a break. Because even demons trying to destroy the world need rest too, don’t you know?

･ ｡ﾟ : * . ☽ . * : ｡ﾟ･ july 8th daily ･ ｡ﾟ : * . ☽ . * : ｡ﾟ･

☆ 650 words || 500 points ☆

|| little talks, of monsters and men
“I don't want to pass through the old empty house, so I hold your hand, I walk with me, wake me up from the stairs while I sleep, the house that tells you to close your eyes and not be yourself for a few days, to really beat you, the boat takes our bodies to the shore safely and properly.”

I have a habit of biting my nails when I get nervous. Today, as I stand in front of the house on this deserted island, my nails are ragged and bitten off.

“I- I don’t want to pass through the old empty house.” I look at George, my best friend, voicing my fears.

“We have to.” He seems uncertain as well, but then he inhales sharply. “You are worried. So I hold your hand.” George usually never speaks more than a few words at a time, and his speech is often direct.

I shake my head. “No, I walk with me.” George’s broken speech seems to have affected me too. I don’t explain why I rejected his offer, but he doesn’t inquire. Of course he doesn’t.

We enter the house. It seems abnormal; I scratch the back of my neck. I feel like I’m being watched, but from where? There must be creatures lurking in these shadows.

“Okay, we have to stay here for a night.” My heart sinks as I remember our mission. “A- a whole night.”

George doesn’t respond, but I can tell he feels the same way I do. Why did he get himself involved in this mess? Why did I have to be such a troublemaker? Why us?

I slowly climb the creaking stairs, careful to test each step. The wood seems ready to collapse, but I need a high view of the island ahead.

I peer through a window, but it seems I climbed all the way up to the second floor for nothing. The darkness swallows the island. The only sounds I hear are rustling, from inside the house.

I yawn, remembering that I haven’t slept in days. If I fell asleep here, the creatures in the dark would have a perfect opportunity.

I call back to George, who is seated at the base of the staircase. “Wake me up from the stairs when I sleep.”

George shakes his head, climbing the stairs to sit next to me. I inhale, worried that his weight would break the floor, but he is surprisingly nimble, delicately sitting next to me.

“George, y-you need to keep watch,” I tell him, peering nervously downstairs.

He looks at me simply. “Already did. A monster is coming.”

“W-what?”

A noise startles me, and George grabs hold of my hand. A creature appears in front of us. It is both everything and nothing at once. I find myself growing dizzy, unable to focus. I hold on to George’s wrist like an lifeline.

“I. I am the house.” This creature speaks in all voices at once, multiple voices that are undistinguishable among one another. “Or am I? I am telling you, or is it true?”

My head begins to throb. I try to form words, to do anything- but I can’t feel anything. Anything but George’s fingers locking tightly with mine.

Its voice is both comforting and alarming at once. “The house tells you to close your eyes.”

I feel my eyelids droop, as the voice continues. “Try not being yourself for a few days..”

George’s grip tightens, bringing me back to reality. “He says that to hurt you. To really beat you.”

The voice hardens. But wasn’t it already rough? No.. it was kind, right? Whatever it was, now it is angry. “Nobody cares whether you are here or there!”

I finally look up, using all my remaining strength. I don’t know what else to do; the creature’s magic has drained both our life forces. I glance at George, alarmed to see his eyes closing. He gives me a saddened look as he grows limp. His words of encouragement must have tired him out. We both know, now, that we’ve already failed. Everything ends now.

“You can’t beat me. I’ve already lost. I’m ready, now. Ready for when the boat takes our bodies back to shore. Safely and properly.”

Word Wars that people ask me for proof for:
—–
Word War with @WillowShine45 || 257 words
—–
I awoke. I was now somewhere else. Why did I fall asleep yet again? Why did this keep happening? I was in my room the last I remembered. Suddenly, a memory suddenly came to mind…
“Good kitty!” exclaimed a girl, much larger than me, yet looking younger, running up to me. And that’s where the memory ended. I wasn’t a cat, was I? That would be insane! I wouldn’t admit that unless I actually saw myself be a cat.

I ran home, afraid. I was on a sidewalk. Random people were staring at me. It freaked me out. So I was home in about 20 minutes. I was just in my town and I knew the way to go, so it wasn’t the biggest deal when it came to travel.
I entered our house, and my mom rushed over to me, even though she was cooking dinner. I believe it was spaghetti she was cooking.
“You’re alright! What were you doing!?” yelled my mother, hugging me, making sure I was alright. She then pointed out a little scratch on my arm that I hadn’t noticed. “Where did you get that from?” she asked. I looked at it.
“…I don’t know… I barely remember anything.” I said. “And to be honest, the last thing I remember was falling asleep in my room, and waking up in the street. I have no idea how much time passed, or how I got there. What’s wrong with me?” I ran up to my room, tearing up. What was wrong with me?
—–

June 7th Daily]
Run a song through Google translate and use the result as a prompt.
Word Count: 434

“I know we are not foreign to love,” Edmond said to Yvonne. “We both know the law.”
“Yes, we do…” Yvonne hedged, sounding unsure.
“We have known each a very long time,” he continued. “It’s been too many years now. And while I must admit that I am ashamed to say this, I can tell your heart aches.”
Yvonne looked down, not ready to admit it. She had been hurt in the past and hadn’t managed to get over it. But it was so hard to keep denying how she felt.
“Then… we know what is happening?” She asked.
“When they ask me how I feel,” Edmond said. “Don’t tell me you are blind. The game is right here, let us see it, and let us play.”
Yvonne hesitated. How could she be sure he would not break her heart in the same way it had been broken in the past?
“I think the hardest thing is that you will not get this from anyone else,” he said, possibly reading her thoughts. “I feel so much, I want to tell you it all.
“I feel like you have forgotten,” he continued. “And so I must remind you of this; I will not ever leave you, I will not ever let you go. I would never run to lands beyond and leave you behind. I will not, however, ever cry for you.
“I am not God. I am only a human man, and as such there is only so much I can do. But I can promise that I will never give you, nor will I ever hurt you. I know you have been hurt in the past but I will never be the reason you’re hurting again.”
“How can you be sure of all of this?” Yvonne asked. She wanted so bad to believe him, for it was true; she really did like him. But the ache in her heart would not go away, though he was right in that she was far too ashamed to admit it.
“I feel so much, but still I know what it is,” Edmond said. “As I have said before, we can clearly see this game, and I believe it is time for us to play it.”
“Maybe… maybe we can…” Yvonne said, warming up to the idea.
“Please, say that we can,” he pleaded.
“Do you promise all of this is true?” She asked. She needed one last bit of reassurance that it was okay to trust him with her heart.
“Of course I do,” he said. “My dear, I am never going to give you up.”

Rickroll Level: 100 xD

quote: How do we know we are exemplary?
The first file is designed so that nothing happens.
Why do you feel alone when it comes to science?
The secret burns.
nasty

i did in a line until english from the first verse of ‘this come from inside’.


The Board slowly filled in.

The meeting room was large and airy. A great window displayed the dizzying view of the metropolitan city. Far, far below, tiny specks that were people buzzed about. Larger dots that were cars sped through the tightly knitted grid of the city. Small, swaying green blobs depicted trees from a bird’s eye view. Buildings displayed their ugly roofs. In some senses, the abundance of air conditioning units slightly ruined the vertigo inducing view.

In the room itself, there was a large, thick wooden table. It was too solid, and made the room feel heavier. Old plastic chairs in which the fabric was dog eared slightly were lined up evenly around the table. A large Sony TV took up the higher part of one wall, and the chunky remotes lay on an elephant-grey squat metal filing cabinet. A plastic potted plant also rested on the slightly dented corner of the cabinet. The ceiling lamp was bright and white, but the walls’ damp, almost greyish off-white colour gave the impression of an old lightbulb. Luckily, most of the light came in, pure and clear, through the large window. As footsteps filed in the hard clack of a polished shoe could be heard reverbrating throughout the large room, followed by a softer, muted swock as the fake hardwood became covered up by a carpet- once grand, now worn and threadbare. The room felt like an old, tattered book hidden in a cover to mask the fact that it wasn’t as modern as it seemed.

Soon, all thirteen members of the Board were sat in the chairs. Most sat as rigid as a poker, whilst some slouched in apparent fatigue. After a few awkward minutes as everyone got settled in, the man at the head of the table coughed and cleared his throat.

“Ahem. As you know, recently our product has seen a drastic four percent growth in popularity. We expect this growth to continue by a whopping zero point two percent every month due to current situations. We, soon will be on top of the industry!”

His declaration rang hollowly through the space.

Tentativley, a man who wore rectangular glasses (or attempted to, for they were slipping off his nose) put his hand up and spoke.

“Sir! How do we know that we are exemplary?”

Everyone in the room nodded and murmered. The man at the head ahemed again.

“Because, young buisnessworker, we have a second plan to deploy on the market. A second file, if you like.”

Everyone in the room nodded again, this time heartily in agreement. The scrawny, glasses-bedecked man appeared to shrink in his seat. Another person put their hand up- this time, a large woman wearing bright red lipstick and whose ginger hair was so full of gel it could have deflected a bullet. She said, rather loudly, “Why do you not abide by the science of management? Why do you feel alone when it comes to that?”

Everyone nodded yet again. The main man looked rather affronted, but replied, “The secret burns.”

Everyone nodded again in comprehension. Nasty.

Google translate of 1994 by Alec Benjamin:

Then my hand was cut off.
I think I can run.
Superman thinks so.
So you can cry
Because I want to be like him.
They led my people into darkness
I want to be like that
Campbell's Chicken Soup
At home after school
Don't forget to watch MTV
Your music
Baby alive in the morning
My city is built on sand
Dad said, “You're dead, you're dead, you're dead.”
Born there
Born there
Put
The story is
I don't think Santa is real.
Batman cannot walk.
Nothing is impossible
Because I know people will die
I saw it on the news yesterday
When the tower collapsed
September is vague, never, never
Now say what you want.
It's fast
Cut your hair and make jeans.
You don't dare go to class.
Be ready to go
So fill your bag
What I want, I want, I want
Born there
Born there
Put
The story is
My land is yours
Free staff,
My land is yours
What do you want
My land is yours
Free staff,
Some of those
My thoughts on the world
Born there
Born there
Put
The story is

- - -

“You can do it! Superman thinks so,” Elise grinned, pointing at our friend Tom who wore an astonishingly elaborate Superman costume. Elise was Batman, so they matched. Antagonistic, slightly. Not sharing the same view, or similar backgrounds. One slightly resembled an alien. But still, they were friends. Perhaps I was reading too much into their Halloween costume choices.
Perhaps.
I was in one of those gigantic T-Rex costumes where you saw out the mouth. I really didn’t match. Still, Elise excitedly waved for me to start running. Tom glanced over at her with surprise, seeming to not agree with her vote of confidence from Superman. He grinned and gave me a thumbs up, though. The grin looked slightly more like a grimace.
We were trying to get to our friend’s Halloween party, but tried taking a shortcut through the nearby park. Which was partly fenced. Which normally wouldn’t be a problem. But I was, again, wearing one of those gigantic T-Rex costumes.
“This is a terrible idea!” I cried. “It’ll get torn!”
“The rock’s way higher than the fence! You got this!”
When still I hesitated, she yelled, “Batman believes in you, too!!”
I rolled my eyes. “C’mon, I’ll just be late. Meet you there. I’m taking the scenic route that won’t ruin my costume.”
“C’mon, Elise,” Tom muttered, elbowing Batman. “We should go with her.”
“Batman no walk, only run,” she said simply, reverting back to caveman talk and closing her eyes as she made a matter-of-fact expression at him.
“Right, okay, but you can run along the scenic route.”
“You just don’t want to be late because Matt’s gonna be there,” Tom said.
“Not true!” Elise cried, shoving him.
He stumbled against the chain-link fence. Sticking his tongue out at her, he climbed to the other side and jogged over to me.
“Fiiiine,” Elise groaned. She jumped the fence and followed me and my Superman escort. The T-Rex and the superhero.
I grinned, though they couldn’t see, and said, “I’d be fine on my own, you know.” But with friends was definitely better. I was glad Tom didn’t leave me. And Elise, while she was a bit more reluctant, I knew wouldn’t want to be left behind either.
“Well, we superheroes stay together,” Tom said smartly. “Er—superheroes and super dinosaurs. Stick together. Yep. Yep. What I meant to say.”
I rolled my eyes but nodded my gigantic T-Rex head.
“Oh, come on, if we have to take the long way, why don’t we hurry up?!” Elise wheedled.
“Good idea. Race you there!” Tom yelled over his shoulder. He was already on the move. Elise shrieked something I couldn’t make out and raced after. I laughed and slightly sped up my pace, but it was hard to do in all that T-Rex. Plus, I was certain they’d stop their race by the end of the block. They weren’t exactly track team material.
Sure enough, they soon came to a stop, breathing quickly, and it took me less than a minute to catch up to them.
“Okay—I am so glad I did that before eating a bunch of candy,” Tom admitted, wheezing with his hands on his knees.
“Me too,” laughed Elise.
I nudged them, “See? T-Rex pace, best pace.”
“I’m with you on that,” Tom agreed.
“Yes, I’m very smart, I agree,” I nodded sagely, but it was a much bigger movement in the T-Rex costume.
“Funny,” they said in unison.

+572 words

- - -

『 ↳✧･ﾟdaily seven ;
459 words

back to dailies
back to journal

i did jealousy by olivia rodrigo
kind of turned into a horror story..

Finally, it was the third to last day of school. I had been waiting a long time for this. This summer, I had planned to have a big glow-up. I was going to be the prettiest person in the school next year. At whatever cost was needed for it to happen.

Jealousy flowed through my veins. Why couldn’t I look like them? Why did they have all that I did not? Why couldn’t I live like them? What made them so much better than me?

I could not begin to explain how I had felt after the prom queen was announced as not me, but a prettier girl. A more popular girl. I was so envious of her. What did she have that I did not have? How did she possibly get more votes than me? When she won, she had exclaimed how it was the first time she had ever won. I suppose it was the last time as well.

I had been plotting for this summer glow up since second semester. I had wrote a list in my notebook of all the people prettier than me. All the people with
cool vintage clothes, with vacation photos, with friends that are so cool, and that go out every night in their daddy’s nice car. They sure had been living the life. Not for long. The list had all the people with pretty faces, and all their pretty boyfriends, too.

I wanted to be them so bad, and I didn’t even know them. I wanted to check off my list so bad, but I had three more days left. Just three more days. I wanted to do it so bad.

Pretty prom queen was first on my list for sure. Maybe second place would be elected in her place. Now I could be prom queen! If not… Well, I would simply just add the second place prom queen to my list.

Soon enough, it had been three days It was then the last day of school. My jealousy would all finally come to an end.

Screams came from the mouths with paper white teeth, now stained with blood. Perfect bodies, no longer whole but sliced into halves. Just like my self-image after the jealousy they caused me.

Co-comparison had been killing me slowly. I guess that in the end, all it did was kill them.

One by one, I checked them all off my list in order. In red ink. Now there were no more people prettier than me that were left. I couldn’t wait to go to school next year, and be the prettiest person there. Unless of course, if there were new students next year… Well, I could always make some room on my list for them.

Bro you guys are taking over the TIMaC stop.

((◉◡◉::#30c0f0) (O w O::#59e010) (◑◞◐::#f7c81b) (.__.::#f56e07) (◡⁔◡::#f71b6c)::#754e19

Daily #8 done for fairy tales! +500 points! 1042 words for the whole thing including lyrics, 809 FOR MY ACTUAL WRITING. I used Another Love by Tom Odell.
—
Messed Up Lyrics:
I want to take you where you know I will take care of you
But it was cold and I didn't know where it was
I took your mother on a beautiful rope
However, they will not grow as in the past
And I want to kiss her, I want to enjoy her
I was tired of studying at night
I want to cry and I want to be loved
The tears, however, were gone
Bye bye
All the tears flowed
Bye bye
All the tears flowed
Bye bye
The tears are gone
And if someone does something to you, I want to complain
My arm is broken
So when I used my voice, I was disgusted
Words will always win, but I know I will win
I will say that it is with us
But I call it a different spirit
And I want to cry, I want to learn to love
The tears, however, were gone
Bye bye
All the tears flowed
Bye bye
All the tears flowed
Bye bye
The tears are gone
Yes, I want love now
My desire
I want to sing, let's sit down
But I call it a different spirit
And I want to cry, I want to love
The tears, however, were gone
Bye bye
All the tears flowed
Bye bye
All the tears flowed
Bye bye
The tears are gone

—

An Explanation and Apology

Dear Annabeth,
I am sorry that I didn’t express my love for you enough. I want you to know that I would do anything, absolutely anything, to prove to you that my feelings for you are true. I had always wanted to show you that I cared for you, but I was so focused on my own feelings that I didn't know how. My mental health wasn't the best, but that didn't mean that I should have stopped expressing my love and care for you.
I would burn down the world for you. I would take your mom and dad and the rest of your family for you. I would ruin everything for you.
Now that you're gone, all I want to do is kiss you again. I want to feel the warmth I felt when your lips connected with mine. I want to taste the lingering essence of passion fruit and peaches hours after you've gone. I want to feel connected to you. I want to enjoy us, together.
However, I am aware that I have ruined the chance that I had. I was falling asleep early in the morning, having studied all night long.
I wanted to cry. I wanted you to love me. So you did. Annabeth, it was like you came out of the clouds and ascended down to earth, like an angel. You gave your everything for me, when I wouldn't give my everything for you, and that is my biggest regret in life.
So, I have attempted to move on.
My tears were gone. Slowly, my memories of you were wiped away like the tears that fell on my study table. I said goodbye to you, because I knew that you had been done wrong by me.
Everyday, crying. Every hour, crying. I would skip out on potential memories with my friends and family so that I could reminisce about the memories that I had built with you.
Annabeth, you have no idea.
And after a long period in my stage full of crying, hopelessness, and depression, I finally wiped away my tears on the outside, and decided it was time to move on. That doesn't mean I wasn't still crying on the inside, though.
I got with many different girls to try and get my mind off of you, but no one could ever be the same as you. You were my sunshine when my life was full of clouds. You were my angel from heaven, and I was never grateful.
You are my top priority. If I had to die for you, so be it. Whenever I heard other boys talking about you, or whenever I saw you with someone else, I would over think about it and complain about it for weeks and months at a time.
I wanted to do something more, but I knew that you would not like me doing it, because we were not together, and you had already moved on, and in your eyes, we were over.
So I used my voice and my hand to vent out my feelings to a paper and my bedroom wall. I felt so disgusted with myself, because I knew that the other boys were probably treating you better than I ever could.
I liked to believe that venting out my feelings in private would give the same effects as in public. I thought that I was the one right here. I thought for a few moments that you were a filthy liar and cheater. I thought that you did not really love me because you got with another boy so easily. But then I realized that you had been longing to be in a two-sided relationship for so long..and I had never provided that.
Do you remember when we used to say, “Love is in our souls,” to each other?
Heartbreak is in one of our souls now.
I want to cry, and I want to learn to love.
I just didn't realize that soon enough.
But my tears were already used up.
All the tears had flowed already. All the tears had gone. All I wanted was to learn to love, that was and still is my only desire.
So that maybe, just maybe, if you, my angel Annabeth, gives me mercy, we could reunite again and our souls would be connected in the midst of love.
All I want is to connect lips again, to dance in the rain with utter love, not caring what anyone else thinks. All I want is to sit down and sing and play a guitar to our future kids. All I want is you, Annabeth.
I want to cry, and I want to love you, Annabeth.
The tears flowed on the outside, now all I need you to do is wipe them up on the inside.

Daily 7/8 - Today is another classic SWC daily — copy and paste a song into Google Translate, translate it into a few different languages, and then translate it back to English and use the messed-up lyrics as a writing prompt. Write at least 400 words to earn 500 points for your cabin. Also, make sure to prepare your cabin for cabin wars tomorrow!

All pure thoughts cease when a good day begins
He left everything first to get into the fire
It starts with the neon light and then everything darkens
I know how big it is

(505 words) Today.

It was going to be today, Max just knew it. No matter what happened today, he knew he would do what he had to do, make the sacrifices that must be made, leave his whole life behind, if that’s what it would take. Yes, he would do it. If that’s what it would take to finally shatter the bulletproof glass that held the kingdom together, no price was too high to pay.

—

Max approached the government building from the skies, careful to remain undetected by the vicious missiles mounted on every building in the capital thousands of feet below. His cloaking systems truly were state of the art. After he had mastered the art of bending light to allow himself to become invisible, using a cheerful mismatching collection of mirrors, digital screens, and illusions, he quickly adapted the technology to hide his personal jet plane. It was every bit as brilliant as each and every invention now made useless by nothing but his clever thinking and a collection of pieces of broken and painted glass, yet he would never be given the opportunity to properly take credit for it without rendering his beautiful creation useless. Alas, his own mischief was a reward well worth the time and energy it had taken to engineer such a feat, and he regretted nothing. Some things were better kept selfishly hoarded as dragon’s gold.

Snapping out of his thought filled daze, he drowned at a small screen that was flashing at him. What could possibly have gone wrong? Each and every step of his master plan was so painstakingly well thought out, it was hard to imagine any problem could ever block his path to victory.

“Commercial plane approaching,” it chirped. Max sighed. Why was a commercial plane even in this airspace? It was restricted, after all, and there really wasn’t a point in breaching that conduct, unless you were interested in being shot out the sky by the no longer state of the art but still impressive missiles. He peered out of the plane's enormous windshield, frowning once again when he couldn’t catch sight of the thing. He tapped away at the buttons scattered across his dashboard, engaging the hundreds of cameras hidden along the edges of his plane. A waste of time, he realized, as the plane came spiraling past his windshield. He held back a gasp. It was on fire, and clearly about to crash.

And it wasn’t about to crash just anywhere. It was headed straight for the government building. Distress signals rang out from his sensors, but he knew the fate of the Republic was inevitable. They were going down, and the Republic was about to burn with them.

An ear splitting boom shook the world, perhaps not physically, but undoubtedly metaphorically.

Max could only watch with wonder as it all exploded in a split second, leaving only fires spread across the surrounding buildings moments later.

It was today.

The world would never forget today.

Even if it hadn’t exactly gone to plan.

My song is Demons by Imagine Dragons. 300 words, No points.

I’ve had it forever, with me since I came in the world. It is my endless burden, to keep it contained.
I hide the truth, I want to protect you. I want to keep you safe.
But inside me is a demon, there is no place to hide. No place to keep you safe away from me.
Don't go too close, It's dark inside, That's where my devil is hiding. Hiding away inside of me.

I've loved you since we met. Since you asked a lonely kid in a corner if they wanted to play tag, and they were so happy to have someone talk to them.

You love me back, as you amazingly said, so long ago now. We are in Love, but this is not enofth to let us live our lives together. Our dreams failed, and now we can never be near in hearts

I remember when you said that it depends on luck,
It touched my heart. But no, I can’t trust luck to help with this.
I couldn't trust you with my demons, and that small fissure grew, till we were in pieces.

“I want you to go” I say, my heart braking.
You finally do go, and I see your tears as you walk away. They match mine. I turn and leave, this pain necessary to save you from my demons.

I see you in town weeks later, and walk over. I can’t resist seeing you again.

When you feel my warmth on your shoulder, you you turn to look into my eyes.
But I'm going through hell, all for you.
I say I don’t want to hide the truth anymore.
Your eyes light up and shine,
I want to keep this light on.

I can try again? I will try again for you.

cabin wars writing

cabin war writing #1 (1002 Words!!)

“I still don't get what you're going at.” Aerith says with a sigh. She looks over to Zack who has been grinning for a straight twenty minutes. He'd told her he had a surprise for her and that it couldn't wait any longer so here they were walking through a sketchy forest to get to some mystery prize.
“Don't worry, you'll like it.” Zack reassures her. Aerith was sure she wouldn't mind it, Zach never seemed to let her down, but she wasn't sure if it would be worth all of this. As the trudges through the forest Aerith was careful to watch around her at all times. After the incident she could never be too careful. She would never say that she was grateful for it happening, but she did have to admit that the incident did teach her a couple of very valuable lessons.

A few months ago from today Aerith had been on a normal date with Zach, typical. They'd been having a blast and they didn't seem to be a danger in the world. Then suddenly smoke and flames filled the building. She could still remember Zach's expression as he watched everyone running around screaming. Me and Zach barely escaped with our lives, but others at the restaurant weren't so lucky. Ever since then things seemed a whole lot less carefree. Sure, we still enjoyed our time together, but we were at the same time also worried that something like this would happen again. Surprisinly Zack seemed to have started to forget about the whole thing and had barely been keeping a cautious eye whenever they went somewhere suspicious. Sure she trusted Zach, but even then she could never be too worried.

Aerith glanced at Zack as he continued to smile as he guided her wherever they were going. A part of her knew that she shouldn't be so worried about all of this. Something had caught fire once it wasn't a big deal. I mean of course it was a big thing, I mean people had died, but it had nothing to do with them in particular. It didn't mean that they (well aerith) had to live her whole life in constant fear of something like this happening again. It could happen to anyone she told herself. The world wasn't just targeting the two of them she was just being paranoid ans stupid. She looked back over at the smiling Zach again. She should try and enjoy herself as much as possible. She would do it for Zack and admittedly a little bit for herself. This would be good for her she told herself. She decided that she would look into this situation with posititivity and leave her worries behind. She couldn't dwell on the past. She had to look to the future. She smiled over at Zack. Besides, what's the worst thing that could happen.

“Aaaand we're here!” Zach announced as they emerged from some trees. Aerith's jaw dropped. This was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Zack had brought her to a beautiful clearing in the middle of the forest. It was like something straight out of your favorite fairy tale. Grass in the perfect most beautiful shade of green, one she didn't even know to exist. There were tall beautiful trees that even as they stood still looked almost graceful in a way. They were the most adorable animals she'd ever seen, so cute and fluffy, but best of all was the stream. The stream's water was so clean that she could see a clear reflection of the sky in its waters. It ran gracefully straight through the middle of the clearing and it sparkled because of the sun's rays. It was perfect. She turned around and hugged Zach tight. She had been wrong, this had all ended up being worth it in the end. Everything would be okay she decided smiling feeling happy for once. Little did she know that everything was about to change, forever.

Suddenly silence filled the clearing as if someone had just simply hit the mute button. No graceful stream noises, no chirping birds, no slight rustle of wind as it passed by the trees leaves. Just pure and dead silence. Suddenly Zack screamed. She turned to him in a panic and saw that he was pointing up to one of the trees. Aerith gasped. Fire. Oh non no no this couldn't be happening, not again. Aerith started to panic. Maybe everything she said was wrong maybe the world was targeting her and Zach. Or maybe it was just her. What if she was dangerous. Would she have to self isolate her self from everyone else for their own safety. Would she never get to see nor talk to anybody again. Would she have to break up with Zach? No. Now was most definitively not the time for that. She and Zach had to figure out a way to deal with the present situaition at hand. Now.

Even though everything had gone terribly wrong, again Aerith tried to reassure herself that everything would be okay. Her and Zach would get out of this alive just like they had last time and this time there would be no one else to die. No one else had the worry abut except for each other. That's all that really mattered wasn't it? They have each each other. She tried not to think about the fact that it seemed as if things were targeting them specifically, but she decided to just ignore it. There were people who had survived being struck by lightning twice in their life time, surely this wasn't that big of a deal, right? She ran over to Zack and grabbed his arm. “Run!” They both ran for their lives as the flames followed the two of them threatening to devour them. Aerith ignored the pain as she cut herself on multiple twigs and stones as they both ran for their lives. They had to get out of this.

cabin wars #2 (continuation of the previous story) (713 Words)

All of a sudden it started to rain. Aerith stopped for a moment to see if the rain had done anything to the fire. The fire seemed to slow down for a brief thirty seconds, but then it came back with a deafening roar even stronger than before. Zack and Aerith continued to run, but the fire was beginning to catch up. Aerith couldn't believe what was happening. The one time that she decided she would not pay attention to her surroundings and to not worry as much as something big like this happened. Now she was almost certain that something was following either her or Zach. Maybe even just the two of them together was a curse. Would they no longer get to be together? She still couldn't believe this was happening again. Luckily nobody else was around to get caught in the mess again she thought trying to look at the bright side of things.

Atfter a long time of running and not looking back they broke out of the forest. They both stopped to catch their breath. She was pretty sure that the fire wouldn't be able to spread any further now because there was nothing here for it to burn on, but of course once again she was very much wrong about that. People had started to scream as the fire neared the village. How was this happening. Suddenly Aerith had an idea. She suddenly broke away from Zach's hand and ran away towards the ocean. Zach tried to run after her, but the fire had already blocked his path as it changed it's course and went straight for Aerith. She ran straight for the docs. And then stopped as a sudden realization that she hadn't thought of before running here came to her. She couldn't swim. She looked around for a boat, but she couldn't find one. She sighed. She started to walk in the water. She wasn't sure how far in the water would be shallow enough for her to walk, but she'd worry about that a little bit later when the time had come for her to try and do that.

Eventually she made it to the ends of the shallow waters and she turned to face the fire. Just as she had hoped it had stopped at the edge of the water! The unfortunate thing was that she now knew that the fire was indeed chasing her for whatever reason. Her heart sank what would she do now. It wasn't safe for her to be around other people now. If she ever found a way to stop the fire it would never be safe for her to be around people again. She would have to find somewhere far away from people, but even then, the forest was plenty far away from anyone and she had almost killed everyone in her village. She thought about the beautiful forest she had just ruined and she began to cry. This was all her fault. It was all her fault that she'd ruined a beautiful thing Zach should have never brought her anywhere near something so beautiful. She began to cry harder. This was all her fault. How could something like this happen and why did it need to happen to her? She was sobbing now. As she continued to cry she noticed something. She could no longer hear the fire as it threatened to engulf her completely. She could no longer taste the smoke that she was sure would make a mark on her lungs and eye site if she had sat in it for much longer. She looked up and saw that a huge wave was fighting the fire back! As another tear hit the surface of the water she noticed that the fire had gotten smaller and that the wave had gotten even bigger! She sat there in wonder as the water eventually stopped the fire completely! Then she saw Zach running towards her. She struggled to run to him as it was hard to run in the water, but eventually they made it to each other and there was a moment of complete silence as they embraced. She wasn't sure what would happen now, but Aerith knew that now she would be ready for it.

cabin war writing #3 (1036 Words)

"I can't believe you were chosen again!“ Millie exclaimed, turning to me with a huge smile.
”I know right, same!" I say. I was selected as class president for the third time in a row. Not that anybody was surprised of course. I was clearly the best student applying well every single year. Most people would just say things like no homework or ice cream everyday in their speeches, but as much as everybody wished that would happen we all knew that their was absolutely no way. Me on the other hand would give everyone realistic, but also tempting things such as an ice cream party every month or less homework if everybody did their actual work on time. Everyone always seemed to be happy with her decisions as class president and the only hate she ever got from her job was hate from a couple other bitter student who had ran as well, but honestly most of them had been a good sport about it and had even congratulated her on her selection. There usually wasn't even many runners since people knew that she would probably win anyways and everybody honestly was happy with her rules and overall job as class president.

To celebrate her win her and her friends had planned on going out for ice cream and I was more than excited about it. We were debating on going to either Sweet frog or Frost parrot all though either was perfectly fine to her. As the bell rang she went to the front of the school to meet her friends so they could all go out to get their ice cream, but before they could all head out together some one blocked their path. I glared at him as I sighed. Great it was Ryan. He was her biggest competitor. Even though he never won he was always in second place and this election he had been even more bitter than usual after he lost. This had been one of his more closer second places. He had gotten more votes than usual (even though they were mostly from his friends) and he was clearly * to have not won. I wasn't one hundred percent why he was even running, but I was pretty sure it had something to do with his popularity. I had always been pretty popular around school (admittedly mostly because of my wins for class president) while he only had a small handful of friends and they were all jerks just like him. I tried to push him out of my way, but he wouldn't budge. Finally I gave in and asked him, “What do you even want?”
“I want to know your secret.” he said. This surprised me. Everyone knew why I won the elections, what did he want to know?
“What secret.”
“How you always win the elections of course.”
“I don't have a secret people just like me better than you.” He looked at me for a moment and then moved out of my way. As me and my friends walked away from him he turned to us and called.
“Watch out Ellie!” He said with a smile. Then he turned away from me and joined his band of bully friends and they walked away towards his car. I tried to ignore his… what was it even a threat? There was nothing he could do to me. I wasn't afraid.. more like curious.

As me and my friends were eating my ice cream I asked them if they had any idea of what he had meant. They both shrugged and said that they didn't know. They told me not to worry about it and that we was probably just making stuff up to scare me because he was angry so I decided that I would ignore it. Besides what could he do? I decided that I would just simply ignore him for the rest of the school year. Me and my friends ended up having a lovely time together. We ate our ice cream and then went to the park together. After a long day we decided to part ways and head home. I immediately went to my desk to plan out my speech. I was required to write a speech for tomorrow after winning the election. I would introduce more of my ideas as well as introducing myself. I had plenty of ideas and I was up quite late writing everything down. Once I was happy with my speech I put it in a folder in my backpack and then went to sleep.

After I had woken up and had breakfast I went outside to wait for the bus. As I was waiting I decided to read over my speech again to make sure that I knew what I had written. I usually tried to have it memorized so that I could show off during the speech so I decided that was what I would do. When I I got to school I put my backpack at my desk and headed down to the library with my friends. When the first bell ran that would mean it was time for me to head back to class and read my speech out in front of everyone. As I walked down to the library I kept an eye out for Ryan, but I didn't see him anywhere. Not that I was surprised half of the time he missed the first bell and arrived at school minutes after we had already started up for the day. Soon the first bell rang and I headed back to class. I went to my backpack to get my speech out of my folder and realized that it wasn't there! She looked back at Ryan who was looking back at her with a big grin on his face. No matter, she walked up to the front of the classroom and watched as Ryan's eyes widened. I then recited my speech purely from memory. The surprised look on Ryan's face was priceless as everyone, but him clapped and cheered for me. I smiled back at him and them walked back to my desk. He didn't know who he was messing with.

cabin wars #4 (1008 words) (fanfiction for toh hehe)

Eda watched in horror as Raine fell lifeless into her lap. Raine had given their own life (or at least she was pretty sure they were dead) just to protect her. She cradled Rain in her arms and told herself that everything would be okay. That Luz would stop the draining spell and that everyone would come back to life as if none of this had ever happened. She closed her eyes as tears started to pour down her face. She had been so confident that their plan would work, but of course it didn't. She should have never thought that she would be able to beat Belos. He was always one step ahead. He had been planning this for years and they had come up with a counter attack plan in just a month. They were foolish to think that they could beat him. Now all of their efforts had gone to waste and now she had to watch everyone die around her.

As she was weeping she suddenly heard a strange airy sound. She then looked up to see what she thought was a small kid in Belos's tower. She was pretty sure it wasn't Luz or any of her friends. To be honest she was pretty sure that it wasn't anyone that she knew at all! She watched as they extended their arm and pointed at the sun. Then something un explanable happened, unimaginable even. They seemed to grab the entire moon and jst effortlessly move it away. She watched as people slowly started to get up and rub their eyes. Her heart soared and relief and gratitude filled her as she watched Raine's eyes flutter open.

“What'd I miss.” they asked. Eda didn't say anything and just hugged them tight Raine was back. Of course she couldn't feel more than a few seconds of happiness as a bunch of worries soon hit her. What about Luz? What about King? What about Amity or Willow or Gus and that Hunter kid. What had happened to them. Had the strange kid done something to them. Suddenly she heard another noise coming from Belos's tower. As she looked up her eyes widened. The kid was now… flying? She watched as they again extended their arm into the air and watched as Belos's tower started to shake and slowly came apart. Then she was another figure starting to fly it was King! What was going on? What did they want with him? At least she now knew he was alive, but what about everyone else. How much longer would he be alive. Was this strange kid on their side? Were they saving them or just wanting to finish them off their self.

Eda tried to get up, but her legs gave out. She was too weak to save anybody. She hated a lot of things, but nothing more than not being able to be there for someone she loved. She couldn't save king. She couldn't save Luz. She couldn't save anybody. She tried hr best to activate Harpy Eda mode, but it turned out that she was too weak for that as well. She looked back up at the kid in the sky. The kid appeared to be speaking to king. She unfortunately couldn't understand what they were saying, but the kid seemed to be upset about something. After the next thing that King said The kid seemed to not be so angry any longer. They then smiled and looked back down at everyone. They tapped their chin and then scratched their head clearly deep in thought. Then their face lit up and they looked back at king. After saying something else to king they looked back down.

Then suddenly while the kid had their back turned king did his titan roar thing. It caught the kid off guard and they were shot across the sky. A second later they reappeared and the kid seemed to yell something at king. Then they extended their arm once more, but before they could do anything king used his titan thing again. This time the king was ready for it. They stopped the blast and got ready to fire at King. Suddenly Eda felt something in her chest and she was able to transform into Harpy Eda. She than began to fly up to king and the kid. When King saw that she was coming a look of panic crossed his face. He used his titan roar thing and the blast sent Eda spiraling back to the ground. She was able to soften her landing. Why didn't king want her help?

She watched as the fight went on. Blast dodged after blast dodged. Sound wave stopped after sound waved stopped. It seemed as if the fight would go on forever until King did something that she couldn't explain. He'd never done this before (though to be fair he had just learned he had any powers let alone that he was a freaking titan) They went from a kid to what looked like some oddly humanoid shaped figure (she wasn't quite sure how to describe it.) King readied another roar and this time the kid (or whatever your would call it now.) wasn't able to stop it. They turned into a strange orb shape. Then both of them started to tumble towards the ground. Eda quickly transformed into her harpy self and swooped up to catch King. He told her to catch “the collector” which must have been the kid things name. She wasn't sure why, but Eda obeyed him and caught the collector as well. When they landed tons of questions flooded Eda's mind. Where were luz and the others? Who the heck was that kid. What had happened up there? What had happened to Belos. What about the portal?

Even after King had answered her questions she was still rather confused, but she did understand one thing. It was up to Luz and the others to get back and once again Eda wouldn't be able to help them at all.

༺═─── cabin wars ───═༻

woo!

༺═── word count; 524 ──═༻

She was never happy. No, she was never happy. A girl moped around with a sappy smile, day after day. It was exhausting. She never looked happy, never wanted to be anything near joyous; she was just exhausted.
When her mother questioned what was wrong, she smirked, getting rid of her sappy smile while replacing it with a dormant scowl. She hated happiness, after all! Isn't happiness simply a fleeting emotion, that could be ripped away at any possible moment? If she was not joyous, there could be no such qualms about having her happiness decay slowly, shrivelling up, as she had seen other people's soul do. There was no such thing as tears; hiding under her covers, scared of monsters. It was just always life.
Her parents didn't think that this was life. They thought of it as fear. But, as a stubborn child, she didn't try to be happier; ‘perk up’ would be a phrase they regularly coined.
Sometimes life like this was exhausting. Sometimes, she woke up, tears running down her cheeks, because an ambience outside was light, blue, beautiful, as alike to a feather as anything could be. She'd run outside, for what? She didn't allow herself to marvel at any beauty. She'd allow miserableness, but only with an exception that she would still work hard at school. School was important, in her azure eyes. But her eyes were hardening by each second, ice freezing over her heart.
Her parents were worried. They took her to a doctor, a therapist, asked them to cure their daughter of such a terrible problem. Doctor Riley prescribed medicine, but there was nothing else that he could do. Four therapists talked, but there was nothing else that they could do. This case was not alike to anything either of them had seen before. It meant so much pain that they didn't want to deal with it.
Her parents dragged her home, defeated.
“What are we going to do?”
“Anything, really. A circus.”
“Never works.” Her mother reprimanded.
“It's a problem, though. Why won't she be happy?”
“She's scared of being sad.” was uttered in a whisper.
“But she's already sad!”
“More sad. Heartbreak sad.” She waved her hand, thinking to herself; sadness we all have to bear at some point.
“Ah.” Her father bowed his head. “She can't avoid it for all her life. She'll find a friend.”
Friendship was a word that never passed their mouths before that, but suddenly they looked up, making eye contact.
Friendship.
Their daughter needed friendship.
Friendship was an inanimate word. They needed to track it down. They needed to love it tenderly, before introducing it to their daughter, releasing it from a cage that it had been held behind. But no human would ever platonically love a person who refused happiness, so they looked for another option.
A man's best friend.
Dogs were easy to love, easy to care for, after a while, but they truly did love. They truly were worth it. So, they interviewed special breeders until they figured out what type was for them. Her parents entered one, lucky pet store with high hopes.


༺═── word count; 610 ──═༻


She whispers into the wind, as if there was no possible explanation for this. “What are you doing, buddy?”
The person this is directed at glances up, and stares. “It's something that doesn't exactly make me feel good. Or look good, now that I think about it.”
She chuckles, flexing her fingers before she sits down next to him, tipping her head. “I'm onboard. So, what is this thing that so magically entranced you that you had to tear out of the house and into the garden?”
“It's a desolate spot, isn't it?”
They both look at each other at the same time, and laugh.
“Yep, at the back of the garden – how'd you find this treasure trove, buddy?”
“It was easy.” He leans back against the tree trunk, his eyes closing with a desperate sort of glint. “Just had to keep running and running. My chest was closing up. I had tunnel vision, though I get that a lot, I–” He searches the air for words. “I didn't feel fantastic, is the short answer.”
“It's a long enough answer for me.” She tells him, putting her hand on his back and patting; once, twice, three times. That was good enough before he starts crying and sobbing, tears trickling down his pale cheeks. She lets him lean on her shoulder until his fingers tighten around his collar, and he sits up straight.
“I do like that. And what it stands for.” He tells her, with a
compassionate shrug.
“You were having a panic attack?”
He nods, but she doesn't have to be an expert to see the pain that flickers across his face; once there, then gone.
“I get those sometimes. Not often, though.”
“It could be worse. Dysphoria – I'm not that sad.”
“You're sadder than me, buddy.”
They both knew that, if it wasn't obvious from his tear-streaked expression and his soulful green eyes.
“Yet I'm not too sad. I have you. I have this,”
“A lonely spot at the edge of the garden with a couple of trees and far too many bushes?” She interrupted, with a giggle.
“Yeah, that.”
He clears his throat continuing.
“I have the house. I have school.”
“Though that's not working out great, right?” She frowns, wagging her finger at him. He laughs, though it is the kind of laugh a prisoner laughs when they haven't been released.
“It's working fine. You don't need friends to complete school, do you?”
“No, they might hinder you.” She nods, before shaking her head as she sees relief in his eyes. “No, no, that's a joke! You do need friends. Get friends.”
“I have you?” He whispers.
“Get a better friend.” She punches his arm, and he whimpers like a small animal.
“Alright, I will!” He says indignantly, sitting up straight. “One that doesn't punch me and gives me better advice.”
“I give you perfect advice.” She sniffed, wounded.
“Get friends? What kind of terrible advice is that?”
She sobs in disbelief, half-laughing, half-crying at him. Because it is he who keeps her awake at night, worrying, he who she sees in the school day, sitting alone, he who comes out to the saddest part of the garden to do what, cry?
“There could be a place.” He starts, as if there was no conversation before this. “Where friends are automatic, matched up. Their names are enscribed on your hand, and you seek them out during your life, and they match you perfectly. They can fight but they'll platonically love you, no matter what. How would that sound?”
She thinks of the draining feeling of a broken friendship.
“Perfect.” She tells him, and he finally smiles.

༺═── word count; 412 ──═༻
There was always going to be someone to watch you fail.
In Lynn's life, it was Queen Liv.
Her proper name (and serving official title) was Queen Olivia the Fourth, High Tender of the Sea and Land, Ruler of the Mountains and Sailor of the Seven Seas.
But, when they were just small, seven-year-olds scampering around the garden, she was just simply called ‘Liv’, and that sufficed.
Lynn had snuck into the palace garden's in the quest for an apple to carve for hallow's eve, to poor to afford a pumpkin or anything of the sort. She was six, if she rightly remembered, and she had encountered a grinning epitome of the apple she wanted to possess.

“Hello?” said the princess, watching the rustling apple tree with dark eyes. “Is anybody there?”
She was too young to understand the danger of trespassers on royal property. Too young to understand the dangers of the inside, as well as the out.
Luckily, Lynn was not a danger. She was just Lynn.

“It's me, Lynn Havenford.” She crowed from her perch in the bough of the apple tree, kicking her legs up and almost hitting the branch above. “I'm here for an apple.”
Brute honesty had never been encountered by Liv. In the royal ground, truths were kept behind concealed doors and hidden in whispered tones. Lies were outside, forthcoming, and the easiest to believe.

“We love you, Olivia.” Her father bellowed, patting her head absentmindedly. She ducked at the touch, blushing – proud. Pride was kept for lies. The truth was always severe.

Lynn's honesty was appealing. So, she appealed.

The to-be-queen and Lynn became friends that day, and good friends they were. They skipped around the palace gardens with echoes of ‘Lyn’n'Liv' and coined the phrase ‘live a little’ as it seemed to suit their friendship sufficiently. Truth be told, the servants and slaves of the castle often looked out of the great, marble-arched windows to chortle at the charade appearing down below. Their friendship was forbidden, but necessary, as many friendships often are. They were compatible. They matched.

Some days, laying on the freshly mown grass, kicking their legs at the clouds in the sky, Liv would whisper to Lynn and tell her that they could get married when they grew up, so that she could protect her. This was only mentioned once or twice, but it hung heavy on Lynn's heart for years after.

Lynn was now seventeen. Promoted as an archer.

༺═── word count; 512 ──═༻

Shields. So, why exactly am I obsessed with them? The correct question would be: why am I not obsessed with them? The Hi-Fi shield is literal perfection. It has been voted as the most-liked out of all members of Hi-Fi, and reduces the stress of Cabin Wars tenfold. Campers have shared privately that the shield does make SWC a much more enjoyable experience and the shield is an incredibly useful asset. Here is about seven reasons why the shield should be appreciated more than it already is.

Number One; it means that you can sleep during Cabin Wars. Despite every co/leader trying to persuade you to sleep instead of write, because that is way better for your mental health, you'll only really feel at ease when the Shield is protecting your cabin in a way that you could never achieve. Is that not a huge weight lifted off your shoulders?

Number Two; Potential. Do you not think, “Oh, I could write an amazing essay about cabin wars and the shield's usefulness and use that to complete a cabin war?” during cabin wars? No? Oh, that's just me then, but it is quite motivating to have a back-up plan ready in case that fanfiction idea you threw two minutes into doesn't work out exactly as you planned.

Number Three; the shield is better than any camper. You can tell this by doing maths. For example, if you had a seventy WPM, you would write 12,600 words hypothetically in three hours. About ten minutes into that ordeal, you would probably collapse from exhaustion or simply stop, bored. The shield basically does that for you. It blocks attacks for three hours, which is the same as completing wars during those three hours. The shield also does not have to sleep, eat or take exercise. It just protects your cabin.

Number Four; ‘The Shield’ is actually a fairly threatening and intimidating name. Imagine it being said while you hold up an actual shield. ‘The Shield’ sounds much cooler than just ‘wait three hours between every war’.

Number Five; its likeability. The shield comes down whenever the co/leaders please. It doesn't argue, which is a great trait for a shield to have. It helps campers and leaders alike in great ways, and is recently known to have won a couple of awards in Hi-Fi and has its own official fan-club.

Number Six; (can you tell how idea-deprived I am?) Writing about the shield means that you can write those five hundred words for the two-person war easily. You could even make a poem of some sort to honour the shield, though I cannot be bothered to do that as I will make a spectacular mess of it.

Number Seven; the final point I have is that the shield is very cool. It should be appreciated no matter what, and as this is the last cabin wars of the session, it seems only fitting that the shield gets a note of appreciation for all the hard work that it does continuously, those two days a session.

Cabin wars

War #1 - Thriller
Me: *wakes up, sees the war where four people write 1k each, and dies*

I sprinted through the jungle, ducking and weaving, ripping at vines that swung in my face. Feeling the desperation to run, to run as far away from here as possible. From the place I called home. Adrenaline pumps hard in my legs sending my body into a whirl. Faster, faster, always faster.
I hear the telltale thump, thump, thump of the beast pursuing me. It spurs me on
Don’t look back.
Its heavy footsteps dwindled to nothing, as my sprint left it far behind. My foot catches on an insolent tree root that dared get in my way. I feel a jerk as my forward momentum carries me… well… forward. A moment of weightlessness when I’m half-suspended in the air, then I slam into the ground. My chin scraps the dirt as pain jolts through my body.
On my feet.
I don’t stop for pain, I can’t stop. I scramble to my feet, spitting mud out of my mouth, clutching the nearest tree for support.
My foot throbs hard, and I nearly lose my balance. Balancing on one foot, I try to place the other one on the ground. Blinding, flashing red lights in my eyes, a thousand fireworks explode in my blood. I scream, clutching at my ankle and sink to the ground. It’s broken.
I force myself to catch my breath, trying to shove away at the fear that has pursued me across the forest. One breath after another, lessening the pain, trying to get back on my feet and falling again.
I have to get away, I have to keep running, or it will catch me.
But I can’t I can’t.
I sob, because I know what’s coming and I’m powerless to stop it.
No, I need to get it together. I need to be prepared to fight. Even with a broken ankle, I won’t be going quietly.
But I can’t just sit here and wait for the beast to find me, I can’t just give up. I have to try… something. I can’t run or fight when I’m injured like this, that means hiding. My least favourite form of defence.
My first thought- climb the tree. Fun fact for avid tree climbers- you can’t with only three limbs and your fourth on fire with pain. A few branches up, I couldn’t do it and tried to fall as softly to the ground as possible.
Ok fine, new strategy. I can’t wake, but can I crawl? The answer to that is another, clear, no.
A moment later, it hits me. I grab the knife from my pocket. Useless at fighting monsters, but decent at sawing wood, and try to cut off the lowest branch. That too, is impossible without standing up. I moan in frustration and pain. Why? Why did I have to trip on that stupid root.
Wait- the root!
It’s flexible enough to be cut, but sturdy enough to be used for my purposes, it’s not buried in the ground the way roots normally are, because its sole purpose is clearly to annoy me.
But hey, whatever works.
A moment later I've fashioned the root into a rudimentary crutch, and I'm hobbling away through the forest.
I can't keep up a fast enough pace to outrun the beast at this pace, so I need to find a place to hide, pronto.
A few minutes of painful hobbling later, I spot it.
A cave, entrance covered with vines, like something out of a fairy tale. I consider for a second, then limp in, what have I got to lose after all?
Apart from my life.
I hear the thump, thump, thump of the beast’s footsteps and feel my heart drop like a stone. It found me so quickly. I have no choice.
I limp towards the cave. The green vines tickle my face as I brush them away. My root-crutch finally gives out, and I crawl into the darkness.
Filtered green sunlight does little to illuminate the surroundings, which is fine. I’m not afraid of the dark.
The thump of footsteps gets louder as the beast gets closer to my hiding place. I hear it inhale, then begin thumping in another direction.
I huddle in the cave, finally letting myself breath. I’ve done it. It isn’t chasing me anymore. Now that the adrenaline rush is over, I feel pain from my ankle a thousand times more acutely. There are leaves in my hair, and my clothes are a mess of cuts and scratches. I try to focus on breathing, in, out and not feeling the pain.
“Well you’re a mess,” the cave says.
I scream, scrambling back as my reflexes kick in, I try to run, but can’t move. But I have to run, I have to do something.
“Whoa! Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you,”
“That,” I gasp, “Is.. exactly… what someone… trying to hurt me… would…” and then I have to stop because I’m breathing too heavily.
“Easy, relax. I promise I’m entirely harmless,”
A figure steps out of the shadows, and I see that it wasn’t the cave that spoke, but a little girl. Leafy green eyes, elfish features and blossoms woven in her hair. A tree-nymph then, not a girl. A dryad.
I sigh with relief. These woods have been devoid of forest spirits since I got here, which I found strange. Then I discovered the beast, and how it had been destroying these woods life by life, hunt by hunt.
“You really are a mess. Wait here,” she skips over to the shelf on the cave wall - how did I miss that there was a shelf on the wall? - and grabs a bottle.
“Here,” she says, passing it to me. I hesitate, and she rolls her eyes. “Well, you’re a suspicious one aren’t you? It’s not poisoned, I promise.”
She takes a gulp herself to prove it. I do too and all my pain finally vanishes.
It’s only then when I realise how very, very tired I am.
“Who?” I rasp.
“I’m Clove,” she says cheerfully, “Welcome to my humble abode!”
Before I can ask more questions, I see Clove’s face change. From cheerful, welcoming, to plain straight-ip terror.
“What?” I ask, “Is there something on my face?”
I see her raise a trembling hand and point over my shoulder. I whirl around.
For the first time, I see it. All shadow and vapour and death.
The beast has found us.


War #2 - Dystopian
Shocker - wip KotLC fanfic thing
Quality goes kapoof

I locked eyes with my reflection, watching my own electric-blue gaze bore holes into my brain. The light splintered in half as it hit the mirror. I scowled at it, and it gave me a relaxed, easy smile.
I am staring at the most confusing mirror in the Hall of Illumination, and I can’t make heads or tails of it. My reflection is… different, but it’s hard to explain how. Shadows dance across her face, and her whole form cracked with electricity. Her eyes burn more brightly than my own, and sparks dance around her like moths to a flame. But it's the energy that scares me the most. A manic kind of thirst is radiated from the glass. She is powerful, and knows it. Everything she could ever want is at her fingertips, but what has she done to get it?
The girl in the mirror isn’t me.
I try to think about what it means, rather than my appearance. The darkness, the energy, the power.
Is that-
“You shouldn’t be here,” I don’t turn around, because I already know who it is.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I call back, without taking my eyes off the mirror.
The beacon of the Silver Tower appears in the mirror next to me. I feel a surge of annoyance when I see that his reflection is exactly the same as his appearance. Ink-black hair, dark skin, deep blue eyes.
“I have to report this, you know,” he says.
“Sure you do,” I keep my eyes locked on hers. Pieces and clues in the reflection are starting to click together in my brain.
“Zarina,” he says, “You need to leave,”
“No I don’t,” I reply off-handedly.
“You aren’t allowed in here,” he tries again.
“Seriously, Prentice?” I sigh, finally looking directly at him, “I’m not doing anything wrong,”
“You and I both know that only Elite Level Prodigies are allowed in the Hall of-”
“Yeah, and that’s going to be me next year,” I say. His expression goes through a range of sceptical to pained, “It is.” I insist.
I know I’m fifteen, that means I’ve technically passed the manisesting window, but I’m still holding on to the hope that I’m just a late manifester, not talentless. But no one else shares the same hope.
“Zarina-” Prentice starts.
“Consider this getting ahead of my course-work,” I say.
He steps up next to me, so that we’re shoulder to shoulder, both staring at our reflections. His clear and mine cloudy.
“Why do they look different?” I ask.
“I’m not entirely sure,” he admits, “Perhaps it has something to do with the mirror's deeper meaning.”
“Wait- you don’t know?”
“Of course I know what the mirror signifies, but I do not know how or why it acts differently for different people.”
I go back to staring at it, the final piece clicking into place.
“You figured it out, didn’t you?” Prentice says, smiling softly,
“Stay out of my head, Telepath,” I snap, “I didn’t give you permission,”
“I’m not in your head, I just know you all too well,” he says, “And incidentally, you gave me permission when you trespassed,”
“I’m not trespassing, I go to school here,”
“Not here,” another painful reminder that no one thinks I can qualify for the Elite Levels, “You should be in classes,”
“I’m ditching,” I say nonchalantly. He looks surprised and annoyed, but he should be used to it by now.
“So do you know what the mirror means?”
“I think… consequences.” I say confidently, “Your potential for darkness, and what happens if you make the wrong choices.”
Prentice’s face closes off.
“That… wasn’t it?” I ask. I was so sure that was the answer.
“That was disturbing,” he says, avoiding my eyes, “No one has ever figured it out that fast,”
I grin, “So was that a new record?”
“It would be if you were actually allowed to be on record,” he shakes his head.
“Aw, come on,” I wheedle, “That has to count for something,”
“Yes it does,” he puts a hand around my shoulders, leading me away from the mirror, “It earns you my respect.”
“No offence, but I don’t really need your respect,”
“You do if you want me to keep quiet about this little incident.”
“So you’re offering to not tell anyone that you saw me,” I clarify.
“Yes, in exchange for two things. One- you serve detention,” he holds up a hand to keep me from protesting, “I mean it Zarina, you serve detention with me. It will be a lot more pleasant than what the council will do to you if they find out you broke in.”
“Fine.” I grumble, “What’s the other thing?”
“You tell me why you’re here.”
I shrug, “Everyone’s been talking about how the Elite Levels have some impossible challenges that people could only do if they were crazy powerful. I wanted to see if I could.”
“You… wanted to see if you could.” Prentice repeats.
“How’s Wylie?” I ask.
“Wylie’s fine, don’t change the subject. You broke in, decided to solve the hardest mirror in the Hall of Illumination, because you wanted to see if you could.”
I nod. But the truth is, I wanted to see if someone Talentless, could do something that only “Elite” elves could do. And they can. Or I can.
“Very well then. I’ll keep my lips shut, and so will you. You’re going to go back to your session, and not tell anyone you were here, or what the mirror means, got it?”
“Okay, I got it. Chill,” I turn to stalk out of the room, “Tell Wylie I said hi.”
“Get back to your session Zarina,” he says.
“Yes Uncle Prentice,”
“And don’t call me that during work hours, Neice”
“You got it Uncle Prentice,” I smile and leave.

I ditch the rest of my session.
I mean, what did Prentice expect? That I would sneak back into it, when I’d just successfully got out? Maybe I would have tried if it was something interesting like Elematism or the Universe, but frankly, Elvin History isn’t worth my time.
Hiding in a corner and stuffing my face with Mallowmelt was the first thing I wanted to do, but lunch is was coming up, so I wander around aimlessly for a while.
I’m back in the locker room when I see them.
I’m apparently not the only one who ditches sessions.
It’s the usual troublemaking crew of Foxfire. Shasta McGimmon, Aster Kierre, and- unfortunately - Jolie Ruewen, the ditzy airhead conjurer with a dark side.
The three of them circle like sharks around a small figure with dark hair, sharp, chiselled features and pit blue deep eyes.
Brant. Of course. The only other elf in our year who hasn’t manifested.
“Aw come on Brant,” Shasta teases, leaning closer. Brant presses himself back in the locker, “There must be something, a tingle? A spark? Anything?” Shasta is the class clown, only I don’t think he’s funny.
“Forget it Shas,” Aster, queen of cool - supposedly, “He’s Talentless and useless, and that’s all you need to know,”
“Come on, no one can be that weak. No Elf can. You human, Brant? Is that it?”
Brant flinches.
Jolie steps forward. I know their routine, the friends are the sharks, circling their prey, wearing them down. She’s the killer whale that swoops in and swallows them whole.
“Hi guys,” I interrupt, leaning against the locker, “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Well, well, well,” Shasta stalks closer, and I smile at him as calmly as I can, “If it isn’t the other member of the Talentless club. Do you and Brant here have a club, Wyver? Exclusively for losers.”
“Sure. And it’s way cooler than yours. Want to come see it sometime?”
“Darn right I do.”
“Oh wait!” I straighten up, putting on an expression of mock concentration, “That’s right, jerk-faces aren’t allowed, my least sincere apologies,” I give a mock bow, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Brant and I are late for a meeting.”
Brant ducks under Aster’s arm and we back away down the corridor.
“Thanks,” he mutters.
“It’s what I do,” I smile.
“Hey!” Jolie Ruewen calls, “Talentless!”
“Keep walking,” I say under my breath.
“Wyver!” Wow, that girl does not know when to let up.
“Oh, you were talking to me? I thought you were calling Aster.” I say, turning around. Brant keeps walking forward.
Aster’s fists open and close like she’s dying to punch me. Elves are supposedly non-violent, but the universe clearly made an exception with her, “You little-”
Ruewen interrupts, “A little bird told me that you’ve been to the Elite Levels,”


War #3 - Real-fi
Note to self - from now on, accept Real-fi's cookies, but test them for poison first /lh

Collab with- @Airfairy934 (Zia/J), @Galaxy_Awesome (Lax), and @-JadeFox- (Vi)

My bit-
I knew something was wrong when I didn't see them on the subway. I knew, right then, that something terrible had happened to them. Wait, back up, I'm making no sense. Let me explain. Every morning, I would take the subway across the city to work. They would be on the subway when I enter, and would leave after I got off. Everyday, for months, like clockwork. They would spend the entire ride silently staring. Their face shrouded by a hat and eyes covered by dark glasses.
Rather than being creeped out, I accepted them. I thought of them as part of the routine, part of the train itself. Then one morning, they weren't there.

Lax’s bit-
Unbeknownst to me, they had been something like wardens, keeping me safe from the dangers of the subway and locking away as many as they could. The moment I stepped onto the ride, and saw that they were missing, dread crept up my spine. The ride began as normal, at first. Then, when we were a few stops left to my destination, the doors jammed shut. They wouldn't open. Around me, passengers panicked, but a feeling at the back of my mind made me stay still. The lights flickered. A hazy fog seemed to cover my eyes. My brain was clear, but my eyes weren't. Everything seemed… strange, and distorted, like someone had stretched them all out weird. The lights flickered off.

My bit-
Fear churned in my gut as I clutched the railing for support. The cold, unyielding metal pressed into my palm, as I felt the stability. The world warped again, twisting and undulating. The last light went out, and we were plunged into darkness. I could hear blood rushing in my ears, and terrified whispers of the other passengers. I blinked once, and I could just make out their blurry outlines. The floor rumbled beneath my feet, almost as if the train was breathing. Hang on… were we going faster? I clutched the pole for support as the floor rocked wildly. Then, all at once, the lights came back on. I blinked as the harsh illumination blared into my eyes. There was something… wrong. The air around me was distorted, and the distortions were warping into… something. Three somethings. Three figures.

Zia’s / J's bit-
Their shadowy outlines wavered and shifted as the came into focus. Each one's face entirely normal and mundane except for the eyes. I pushed myself to look away and i couldn't even picture what they looked like in my head apart from the eyes. The eyes. They were a glitching , distorted mass of lines , bolts and flares framed by jagged , rough sockets leaking grey and neon lines into the rest of the face. I couldn't take my eyes off those horrible, distorted eyes. As they floated closer and closer , I shook frozen to the spot. They were right in front of me now. The carriage jolted and shook. The lights went out again and i felt a cold, hand on my shoulder

Lax’s bit-
“Join us,” hissed one of their voices in my ear, and my eyesight faded to black. Faintly, I heard the passengers scream, and an what felt like electricity jolted through my bones. The quiet triumphant whispering of the figures threaded through my ear as I screamed. The pain felt like it was endless, my body twisting to their changes as the figures’s consciousness brushed against mine. “Join us,” whispered the figures again, before another hand clamped down on my shoulder. With the last of my strength, I turned and forced my vision to come back. Behind me stood the mysterious beings that rode with me everyday on the subway. Light blasted through the train, and it rumbled once again, as if taking one last breath. The train fell to silence.

My bit-
I take one relieved breath after another, feeling my nerves untwist as normalcy returns. I gulp, the after-effects of fear still in my system. I'm not particularly surprised to see them there, the mysterious figure who had haunted the subway for as long as I can remember. No, not haunted, I see that now. They were protecting me from the others, the three figured. They nod at me, seeming to say, ‘your welcome.’ The train screeches to a halt. It's my stop. But I don't get off, I stay on the train. I have to talk to the person on the subway. I have to understand. With nervous apprehension, I walk towards them

Vi’s bit-
Although my heart is racing in my chest, I also feel eerily calm at the same time. Perhaps it has something to do with their constant and continuous appearance at this very station. But the questions are churning in my head. Why? Who are they? Are they ghosts? As if they could hear my thoughts, the same phrase they repeated over and over emits from each of them in perfect sync but with something else at the end. “Join us…and you will get the answers that you seek.” “J-Join you?” What did that mean? Then, something peculiar happened. The figure on the right blinked their eyes and said, “Well…isn't this interesting.”


War #4 - Thriller (again)
Seriously Thriller? You war us a second time with the same war??

Conspiracy
Jane’s pov:
Sleep presses down hard on me, as I struggle to keep my eyes open. I rub my fists into my face, futily. Stay awake, I tell myself firmly, stay awake, come on. My eyes burn, my mouth feels dry, and I swallow to clear it. I stare at the screen, watching the numbers stream by.
I shouldn’t be working this late. I’m too tired, and if I make a mistake, it’s all over. But I have to, I don’t have a choice.
I find the mismatch in the numbers, the bug in the code, and get started.
I’m slow, careful and methodical. Or as slow and careful as one can be when one is horribly sleep deprived. The clock on my screen tells me it's four in the morning. I yawn, and rub sleep from my eyes.
Come on, Jane, focus!
My fingers fly across the keyboard, entering commands, tearing down firewalls, and warding off cyber-attacks. A few minutes later, I switch to one handed typing so that I can get my phone out, and type in a number, my fingers hovering over the call button.
I scan the screen again. I get the feeling it should be harder, given that I’m breaking into one of the most well protected servers in the world, but hacking has always been easy for me.
A moment later, my screen flashes green.
I let out a sigh of relief, flopping back and swivelling in my chair. I did it. I would jump up and down and cheer if I weren’t so exhausted.
Instead, I reach for my phone and press the call button.
“I’m in.”

Dylan’s pov-
The ring of the phone startles me awake.
I wish I’d changed my ringtone to something more pleasant. The annoying beep is not the most pleasant tone to wake up to.
Pale morning light filters through my curtains. I rub sleep from my eyes and press the phone to my ear.
“Yes?” I bark.
“I’m in.” Caesar’s voice.
“In where?” I ask stupidly. In my defence, it’s five in the morning.
“It’s me,” she repeats. I think she’s a girl, but given that I’ve only ever heard her voice on the phone, I can’t quite be sure.
“Ah, right.” I shake my head, why am I so useless in the mornings? “Good job,”
“Uh-huh, Imma go to bed,”
I sit up straight, another piece of the Caesar-puzzle in place. I barely know anything about her, only that she’s an excellent hacker - even better than me, strangely - and that she hides her real name, real location, and basically everything about her. I also know that I’m using her, and she hasn’t realised.
But now I know that it’s late in her timezone. Night or early morning.
“I’ll wire the funds the usual way,” I say, shoving those thoughts away.
“Uh-huh. Great. G’night.” she cuts the call before I can press for details
I sigh. Sleep deprived hackers are a pain to deal with. But hopefully, she did the job.
Grumbling to myself, I reach for my thermos of coffee. I always keep it by my bedside, never knowing when I have to instantly come awake. I unscrew the lid and take a sip, feeling the caffeine flood my senses into existence.
I boot up my laptop, still in bed. I see a flashing green light in the corner.
She did it.
I freeze, staring, rubbing my eyes to see if they’re lying to me.
No, she really did it. She built a backdoor into the most encrypted server in the world.
My lips stretch into a smile, and a giggle bursts out of my throat. I scramble to action, copying data and wiring funds, relishing in my new power. I smile so widely it hurts my cheeks.
Wait, hold on.
I miss it on my first code check, but then I see it. A faulty line, a bug.
Caesar slipped up.
I’m really, truly awake now. High wired and full of adrenaline.
Hesitantly, I type a few lines of code. Check it again, type some more.
Caesar finally made a mistake.
I’ve got her.

Jane’s pov-
I throw my school bag as hard as I can and it crashes against the wall. My books will probably be bent out of their normal shape forever, but who cares. I’m the best hacker in the world, and one day I’m going to rule it with Dylan- and I still have to go to school? Are you kidding me?
I groan and flop into my chair, absent-mindedly turning on my computer. I yawn. Despite going to bed after last night’s job, I’m still sleep deprived.
My screen flashes red.
I mutter under my breath and type in my password. Another red flash, accompanied by the words - “access denied.”
I turn my full attention to the computer now.
A virus.
How in the world…
I gasp with the realisation. Last night. What if I slipped up, made a mistake, left a trace? What if Dylan traced me? No, it could be anyone, don’t jump to conclusions, Jane. Just in case, I scramble with my emergency codes to wipe away all my data. But my suspicions are finally confirmed when the screen flashes with the words “Ave Caesar.”
I nearly scream with frustration.
How dare he?! After everything I've done, all the ways I've helped him, how dare he do this? How dare he try to find me when he promised me he wouldn't look.
Rage swirls around me, I try to take deep breaths to calm myself down, but it only makes me angrier.
So instead, I focus on the task at hand. Destroying all my data so he can't trace me.
When I finally finish, I lean back in my chair.
I think about my options. I've never done this before, because I've respected his privacy, but that line has just been crossed.
He tried to find my irl location. He changed the game. Fine!
It's my turn now.
I'm coming for you, Dylan.