#writing assignment

[writers-potion]

Hi there! Do you have any tips on how to write a secret society? Whether it's a good or evil society?

Writing Sauce for Secret Societies

Secret (Hidden) vs. Secretive/Classified

An important distinction to make while writing exclusive societies is the extent to which they shirk the eyes of the public and/or government:

“Secret” or “Hidden” societies push their existence under the rug. No one but the members know of their activities at all. (e.g. Camp Half-Blood from the Percy Jackson series, the wizarding society of the Harry Potter series)

“Secretive” or “classified” societies exist publicly with a clear purpose. However, the specifics of their activities are only disclosed to his members. (e.g. the CIA, higher-ranked military organizations)

While secret societies are often illegal, rebellious, or anarchist, secretive societies are legal and institutional. 

Here are some other elements that I think a secret society requires. The specifics of how these are implemented will depend on the size of your society. 

The Origin Story 

What is the society’s motto? Who created it? Why do the members/the public need it? 

A goddess creates a secret society of demigods to protect them from monsters. 

A professor creates a secret society to teach illegal materials to his best students. 

A society of the undead striving for survival on Earth after the

Membership Requirements & Rules

How many newbies? How are they recruited? Any consequences if prospective members fail? Any initiation practices? Consequences for breaking the rules? 

Inheriting a particular bloodline: demigods, half-angels/demons, royal blood, etc. 

Becoming a supernatural creature: vampire, zombie, werewolf, etc. 

A rigorous interview/testing process (could be similar to a job interview)

Sending prospective members on a dangerous mission 

Existing members paying prospective members a visit in the middle of the night

Sending out dream messages and instructions for initiation constantly until potential members are obliged to come.

The Cover-Up Story 

How does your society keep itself hidden? How do they cover up for their mistakes if classified information leaks out? 

Killing any witnesses and outsiders. 

Exerting control over media/news/government organizations (either back-door or legally)

Using a magical cover: memory-redaction, mist/veil that manipulates appearances, etc. 

The power bestowed by the society upon their members are immediately withdrawn upon excommunication or if they break rules 

The cover-up story has to be stronger for larger, ancient secret societies to make it plausible that they’ve managed to survive hidden. Think of strong mechanisms that makes it the members’ own interests to keep the society protected, even though it may cost them their life. 

Funding and Maintenance

Where does the society get its money/weapons/materials from? 

Generational wealth that the members’ family possess. 

Secret governmental/university funding, obtained under someone else’s name

Having members who are placed in high-ranking position in companies, banks, the government, etc. 

Could be as simple as a trust fund/endowment fund run under a fake name (e.g paper company, a fake family name that is handed down from one society leader to another) 

Hope this helps!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

💎If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! Also, join my Tumblr writing community for some more fun.

💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2 

[maybetheyregiants]

Hello Homestuck fandom, please answer the following questions in essay format:

1. Why does Vriska choose a fairy outfit in her attempts to court Tavros?

2. Why does her kissing of Tavros constitute a violation of the fairy persona?

3. What does it mean that Vriska appears to WV as a fairy in her dream?

4. Why does Vriskas arc in Act 6 involve her rejecting the fairy motif, attempting to become a pirate captain? Do these roles serve as counterpoints?

Bonus Question: What are the implications of Kanaya crafting the fairy dress for Vriska?

[sahiko-fanfics]

I don’t know if anyone made this connection yet but seeing as it takes me a while to make connections they probably have but I need to share just in case.

So people are always talking about the similarities between Leo and Percy, how Leo is like Percy when he was younger or something.

But I just remembered a line in the first book, how Percy had strangled a snake when he was a kid/baby and was waving it around like a toy or something. Meanwhile Leo was tested by Hera with a snake but couldn’t bring himself to actually do anything.

That’s it. I’m really bad at making inner thought, I guess that’s something that makes them a bit different (?). Look I’m bad at this stuff I just realized this and felt like sharing.

On another note, does anyone know epic the musical? My teacher told us to pick a song and annotate it as a project and I picked an epic song. This man does not know the war he just started.

[purple-studying]

Study date

[noahsarchipelago]

Today’s comic, in which Miss Fardemar fact-checks Ursula’s writing assignment.

Follow for more cartoons!

[gerards-the-right-way]

Hey y'all so I'm Abby and I never wrote on this app before but this is my story about Gerard Way and this girl Rosalie it is set in the 1920s and was originally for a school writing project. I thought turned out really good so here we are

The work count is over 2600 and there are some trigger warnings like death smoking violence guns. Please enjoy the story

I take a deep breath as I step out onto the busy streets of my town. It was hot, it had to be at least 90 degrees. I step out of my house with my old hand-me-down dress. I walked over to the produce stand my mother had set up outside our apartment building. The smell of bad body odor hitting my nostrils. “Annie mother wants you in the house,I'll watch the stand till you're done” Annie who had her pulled up in a nice and neatly done bun stood up in her dress our mom made her. She always got the newer clothes even if our mother had made them, I got all her hand-me-downs. I watch as her dress flows in the slight breeze. I sit and wait for people to come and buy our stuff.

“Rosealee!” I heard someone shout my name. I look up my messy hair falling in my face. As I look up I see my childhood best friend walking over to me “ Gerard is that you” I smile as I see him, he was wearing a black suit with a blood-red tie. Everyone thought he was a bit different, to dress like that in the 20s, he stood out like a sore thumb. “You know it Rosey” I smiled slightly at the name. “ Oh Gee, you sure know how to make a girl smile” I saw him smile a bit at the nickname I gave him. “Gee, the nickname from when I was 5, really Rosey” “ Rosey, the nickname from when we were 5, really Gee” We both laughed a bit.” you better make sure your stepfather doesn't spot you here Gee, or you'll be in for a whopping when you get back home.”

Gerard looked down. There was a time when he was just like me. Poor, selling produce on the side of the road, but his mother somehow lucked out marrying one of the wealthiest man in New York. But when she married him he forbade Gerard from seeing me because we weren't in the same class anymore.” Hey, do you wanna go exploring?” he said, trying to act like I didn't know what his father did to him. The second he steps out of line he gets the beating of his life. “Gee I'm working” “Then get Annie back out here” “Gee how about we just meet up later at the tree” I ask. I wanted to spend time with him but I couldn't leave the stand. My mother would be pissed if I did. ”Fine, tonight at 6 o'clock at the tree I have to ask you something rather important.” “Fine 6 o'clock,” I say with a slight smile and a hint of excitement in my voice. Me and Gee hang out about 2 times a week. Well, we try but it's hard, his stepfather is the richest man in New York after all.

Soon enough it was six, I snuck out to the trail where we would normally meet before going to the willow tree. I see him come up from the corner of my eye. I look at him, I take in his long black hair that comes down to his jawline, he was wearing his all-black suit and still had his blood-red tie on, but his outfit is a bit messier than it was earlier. “Hello darling ” he said as he walked up to me, my hair was messy and down blowing in the cool breeze. “Gerard, I'm not your darling” I smiled softly as he let out a slight laugh. “ You'll be one day,” He said. “ You can keep thinking about it but our parents will never approve, and besides who said I wanted to be.” “ your body language says it all darling” I look at him as if he just found out all my secrets. “We should start waking up so we can get to the tree in time.” I say slightly red from the blush that came across my face. “ yeah let's go” Gerard said walking up the trail as you followed next to him talking about sweet little nothings. As we walked the moon shone through the trees lighting our way up the trail. “Gee, do you ever wish your mom didn't marry your step dad?” he looked down “I mean Henry isn't that bad,” he said, he was hesitant when he said that. “Gee, you're not fooling me. I saw the bruises, you don't get those marks from climbing a tree” He paused “I mean yeah but you shouldn't go assuming things, Rosalee’’His voice sounded cold and harsh and cold. Closer than normal.

Gerard was always a cold and closed-off person with almost everyone, but he never used that tone with me. “ Garard, I know what Herny does to you, you do not have to lie to me” He looked at me. “I don't know how he can treat someone like that. I don't care about what he does to me that much, but he does the same to my mom. The balls he has to do that to a woman. How can one person be that disrespectful to a lady.” Gerard said. He was always one to believe in women's rights, and he was always very respectful of women no matter what. Gerard didn't see them as tools that work in the kitchen or objects to his satisfaction. I guess that's another thing that made him different from everyone else.

Once we got up to the willow tree he sat down. I followed soon after. It was quiet for a bit until he spoke up. “ I'm not okay Rosie” he said the crack in his voice made me think he was on the verge of tears. “Gee you're 17, only one more year and you’ll be able to go” “That's still a year, he gets more and more aggressive” I look at him, and he puts his head on my shoulder as he lets it all out.

I was never the best at comforting people. We sat in silence, the tension was thick and then he spoke up.” Do you just ever wanna run away” he said, his voice cracking a bit as he spoke. “All the time, I'm not happy with this life” He looked at me as I spoke. “Then let's go” I looked at him with pure shock. Was he really suggesting that we run away together? “Gerard, are you being serious .” “Yes, we can bring Ray, Mikey, and Frank with us. Think Rosealee, a life on the run with our friends.” “Gerard it's not that essay, we all have a life.” I look at him, a bit of consideration in my eyes. “The boys are on bored just think about it”

We sat there for about another hour then I spoke up “Tomorrow, I’ll meet you and the boys here” I said. Geraeds face lit up like a kid on Christmas day. “ Really,” he said “Yeah, I can't think of a life without seeing you” He looked at me, not saying anything he kissed me. I was shocked and stiffened but soon melted into the kiss. It was like something that I never knew I wanted. All the feelings I had for him that I never knew came rushing to my head. Neither of us pulled away and the kiss went on for what seemed forever.

The night was full of lust and passion and heat. We woke up the next morning, with no regrets, why would we, it was something we both wanted. When we woke up it was late in the morning. “Gerard, what time is it?” I ask, he grabs his pants and pulls out his pocket watch and his eyes widened. “Shit it’s 9:30.” We both jump up in pure panic. We rushed to get our clothes on from the night before. We had to go home, we had no choice. We rushed home, my mother was not pleased. I got a slight whooping, not too bad though. I spent the day with my sister and helped my mom around the house and in the kitchen.

Faster than I expected, night came. I snuck out of the house with a little sack of clothes. I took a slow walk up to the willow tree. Once I get there I see Gerard, his brother Mikey, Frank, and Ray. I smile as I see all my friends and Gerard. I don't know what Gerard and I are. We didn't discuss it last night or this morning after everything happened. “Hey guys” I say with a smile on my face.

We all sit there catching up until Gerard has an idea “Let go get a car” We all look at him. “How are we going to do that?” Mike says “We're going to steal it” We were all hesitant at first but then decided to go, but it did take hours of convincing.

We all went to take the car, it was just a normal car from a random driveway. By the next day, we were on the run, we didn't just steal a car, but we also robbed a gas station, Mikey and I weren't too fond of this but we just went with the punches. Soon enough the 3-month mark hit, we were known as the killjoys, and we all had code names. Gerards was Party Poison, Ray was jet-star, Mikey was the Kobria Kid, franks was fun ghoul, and mine was Midnight Skelton. We were wanted in almost every one of the 48 states besides California and Texas. Gee got very obsessed with the crime life it was like he was trying to fill the hole he had from his dad treating him like shit. Trying to fill it with something since he only had me to love, but it was like that was not enough for him.

One day we were on a mission and it was to rob these 2 old people, gee and I got into a huge fight before this. I told him this would be my last mission. I wanted to settle down and have a life. It was just me and Gee and he pulled up to the house “Are you ready darling” he said taking a drag off his cigarette and as I let one up feeling the smoke fill up my lungs and burn the back of my throat. The feeling of the smoke is intoxicating as always. “Ready as I’ll ever be doll” I say kissing him. We put out our cigarettes and walk up towards the house sliding our masks down over our face.

We make a quiet entry through the window. Making sure that we made no noise. We started to quietly go around the house, stealing stuff that would be worth any value. We went room to room looking through everything, it was going smoothly until we got into the hallway and a man was standing at the end of it holding a gun at us. “What do you kids think you're doing?” The old man said holding us at gunpoint, I dropped the bag of stuff I was holding and put my hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry sir-” I started saying but was cut off by a gunshot.

I look at Gerard as the old man dropped on the floor. “Gerard” I say in disbelief. He was going to say something until the old woman came out of her room. Looking at her husband, a puddle of blood from his chest pooled around his lifeless body. With one swift movement Gerard shot the crying woman who was now kneeling beside her husband. I looked at him in horror filled my eyes. He looked farrell ,he walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed and started to cry. I followed him, my ears still ringing from the shot and tears streamed down my face. I just saw the man I love just kill 2 people.

I walk to the room and slide up my mask and walk over to him. I look at him, he's sitting on the bed looking down at his hand. I looked over at him “What did i do..” he said his voice cracking , full of emotion, but for once i cant tell what he was feeling. He looked empty, like he had no emotion, but so many at the same time.”gee..” he looked up at me with a blank look on his face. “ i.. I didn't know what to do, he was gonna call the cops on me..he was gonna call the cops on you. I did it for you, for us” i looed at hi and something inside of me snapped “ i would have been fine in pression you did this because you wanted something more nothing is ever enough for you your always pushing gee for fuck sake or once don keep pudshing. Is it because your dad left and your step dad beat you is that why you changed so much! Your not the same man i fell in love with gerard”

He got up now facing me, tears going down my face. With a swift movement he slapped me “ shit the fuk up you bitch i dint need this right now, i don't need to deal with your bullshit. I didnt fucking change i had to do what i do to so support us, to support the killjoys!” he shouted at me, the slap caught me off guard but we soon heard sirens. They were loud and blearing. “ He looked at me, his eyes not filled with sorrow and fear. “ Rosie i'm sorry but you have to get out of here please don't get caught up in my shit, go find someone else i know it's going to be hard but i'll make a distraction of you please just go” he said tears now forming in his eyes.

We both hop out the window running and trying to get away until we get there . “ rosealee go” “gerard i can't leave you” “ go mikey is around the corner, run” he said giving me one last kiss while tears streamed down his face. Then with a slight push he said “ i'll always love you my beautiful rosealee” i looked at him as I started to run and that's when i heard the gunshot echoed. As I watched my boyfriend, my love, the man of my dreams, my best friend got shot through the heart.

I ran and didn't stop and I looked up and said to the heavens “ you'll always be my favorite poison” I ran and got into the car that mikey had. “Where's gee?” he naked “drive” i shouted and this that he instantly knew. After that day the killjoys weren't the same. We all moved to California and even last contact, but every time it's his death date we get to get and set off fireworks. Gerard loved fireworks; it was his favorite thing in the world. I went to Mikey for support after his death, but I got closer with Mikey then I thought I would. I realized he was a lot like Gerard but less reckless. Him and I started to spend everyday together which leads us where we are now.

I looked up as I heard a knock on the door “hey honey im home from work” Mikey said i i stopped writing “ hey baby i'm almost done with my book, i think i'm gonna call it ‘ the killjoys before the fame” I looked at him as he kissed me “wheres little gee at” he said looking around to see where is 5 month old son was. “Oh he's down for a nap right now” I say. He gave me one last kiss as I smiled to myself and thought, wow what is life i've lived , i lived and i lost and now i have the dream life, I really am a lucky lady. And the memory of party poison will always live on forever.

[gaygirldoodles]

Guys i think im cooking with my english writing assignment

Its basically fanfic so should i put it on ao3

[frogmoisturethief]

“wow I’m so excited to pursue a career as a teacher!!!”

“What strengths will you bring to your future teaching position?” (essay question)

me fr:

[cjs-51703]

So I'm writing an essay on Faustian pacts in fiction for my English class. Which mean I get to write about the following and more for the next two months:

-Black Butler

-Chainsaw Man

-Fullmetal Alchemist

-Death Note

-Dissolving Classroom

-Soul Eater

[arsonisticpotato]

So I was just looking through my drive, as you do, and stumbled across a short story that I wrote my senior year of high school and??? It's actually pretty good??? Can't remember the grade I got on it tho :(

I'm also thinking about making a webtoon, but can't decide on the story (I have too many), so thoughts on me adapting this??

“New Blood”

The door burst open, the crash of it hitting the wall echoing around the large room, drowning out the uneven pounding of the teenager’s feet hitting the floor. In the center of that room stood a grand desk, dwarfing the man that sat at it. He looked up at the intrusion, away from a pile of papers and books that were haphazardly strewn out on the wood.

“Ah, Zero! I was wondering when you’d show up.” He grinned at the teenager still storming towards him, his brown eyes retaining their usual coldness.

Slamming their hands down on the desk, a few papers flying to the floor, Zero spat at the man. “Was that part of your plan? What were you thinking?!” Their eyes blazed, teeth bared at the man whose grin only grew.

“Was it not to your liking?” The man asked, already knowing the answer.

“My liking- Darius, my entire team was killed!” Zero fumed. They were still in their uniform, ripped, covered in dirt, and splattered in blood. Their gun was still in it’s holster, but their knives were missing. Most likely lost in the mission. “How could losing your best squadron to try to kill a politician, of all things, be to your liking?!”

“My dear Zero, I did not lose my best,” Darius spread his hands, eyes softening slightly. “You are standing before me, after all.”

“Only because Meave threw herself over me!” The teenager growled, crossing their muscular arms. They made quite an intimidating figure, fresh from battle, but the man was not perturbed.

“Oh, stop whining. They wouldn’t have been able to harm you anyway.” He rolled his eyes.

“Don’t tell me to shut up! Those weapons could have even killed me! It was an absolute bloodbath!” Zero yelled a wordless sound of frustration. Why was Darius being so calm about this! He killed their entire team! Why couldn’t he see his fault?!

The man’s grin turned smug. “Truly? Why don’t you tell me more about those weapons.” It wasn’t a question.

Zero gaped. “You-” They laughed without mirth. “Of course. That was your plan? You made me lead my team to slaughter to learn about their weapons?” They turned, limping towards the door still standing ajar.

Darius rose, face forming a blank mask. “Zero, where are you going.” Again, not a question.

Zero didn't even bother to look back. “The Lab. I can’t deal with you right now.” They frowned down at their uneven steps. Their right foot was still completely shattered, and while the pain could be ignored, Zero knew that healing was taking far longer than it should have.

Darius probably said something in response, but Zero wasn’t listening, instead thinking back to their horribly failed mission. It was supposed to be a typical assassination, in and out, their team keeping watch; the lazer guns forcing them to cosplay swiss cheese were unexpected, to say the least. It was a little overkill to protect some no-name politician who cared more about unfairly taxing the labor force than protecting the country from domestic terrorists. Why would they have done that? Did they know they were coming?

Zero paused outside of the Laboratory door, blinking. Was there a mole? They shook their head. No, it was useless to become paranoid right now. It was time to mourn and reevaluate their attack strategy.

The door slid open, revealing a sterile white room filled with medical equipment and sciency stuff. Zero didn’t really know the room’s full capacity was capable of, but it did make them, so it was definitely impressive. The only occupant to the room was a man, a few years older than Zero, at a station looking through a microscope. He looked up at the sound of the door opening.

“Zero! You're back! How was the mission?” He tilted his head. “And where’s the rest of your team?”

“Dead.” Zero sat down on one of the examination chairs, sighing in relief at the weight off of their foot. “Leima, I know you have questions. Interrogate me after you look at my foot? It's all messed up.”

"...Alright then," Leima shrugged. He wasn't all that close to Zero's team, only ever seeing them when they were injured. Although, he knew Zero ever since he had started working in the Lab five years ago, since Zero was practically raised from there.

Rolling himself over in his chair, Leima slid to a stop in front of the teenager. "Take off your boot, show me what I'm workin' with."

Zero complied with a grunt, scrunching their face up in pain as their boot was pulled over the worst of the injury. Leima sucked in a breath at the sight. A gruesome collage of blues, browns, and purples spread across the disfigured foot, contrasting horrifically against Zero's pale skin. Leima looked up, his blue eyes locking with Zero's own red, the worry in them tangible. 

"What happened." Not a question, but unlike Darius' demands, the young man's was made with concern.

"Steel beam fell on it," they broke eye contact, instead focusing on their foot. Zero wiggled their toes, testing the pain. Ouch. "Which, normally, I can just walk off, you know? But I was hit with some lazer thing-- which healed, don't worry-- and then my foot was squished. Now I'm not healing."

"Mm, guessing that's how your team died?" Leima hummed, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a syringe filled with a light blue substance.

"Yep. Probably some sort of biological warfare weaponry." Zero leaned back in the chair, bracing themselves. That shot would hurt, the liquid inside a healing booster made specifically for them. "And can you believe that it was all Darius' plan? He knew they would die! What kind of leader does that?"

"A crappy one." Leima injected them with the syringe slowly, right in their calf muscle. Zero was right, it did hurt. "Ya know, why don't we get a new boss?"

"What, like anarchy? Walk up and take the metaphorical throne out from under him?" Zero rolled their eyes, then winced at the feeling of the booster reconstructing their foot. That was something they could never get used to.

“Why not? I’ve been thinkin’ about it for a while, ‘cause this wasn’t the first suicide mission he sent out.” He pulled out the syringe, frowning. “We’d be better off without him leadin’ us.”

"I doubt that can happen without bloodshed." Still focused on their foot, Zero wiggled their toes again, easier to do this time.

"Do it," Leima met Zero's eyes again, more intently than before. "Zero, he wants to make more of you. More weaponized this time. Blood will be spilt; just make it in our favor."

"What? That's not good." Zero frowned. They were made as a living weapon, scientifically altered at an embryonic state to regenerate almost instantaneously. Anything unnecessary, like reproductive organs and the appendix, were removed before they were ‘born.’ The drawback is that they are highly susceptible to airborne viruses and illnesses. More 'Zeros' wouldn't be ideal, nor very humane. "Wait- are you saying you want me to be the new boss?"

"Well, yeah. You're, like, my closest friend, and even though you just barely qualify as an adult, I know that you'll be great as a leader." Leima smiled. He rose, and patted Zero on the shoulder. "Alright, you’re all healed up! Go snatched that throne from Darius."

The teenager laughed at their friend’s antics, pulling their boot back on. "Okay, okay! I'll be the new leader." With a wave goodbye, Zero left the Lab, already forming a plan on how to take over; something that showed power, but nothing too flashy.

A few hours pass before Darius summons them to a meeting to debrief the mission with the higher-ups. Zero stepped into the large office, this time without a broken foot, and analyzed the situation. On the desk sat three vials in a protective case, most likely ingredients to make more ‘Zeros.’ There were four men in the room, other than Darius, none of which were fighters. Perfect.

"Zero, dear, there you are!" The lead man himself said, standing and spreading his arms in a sort of greeting. "Why don't you tell us about the mission you were on earlier in the day, hmm?"

"No." Zero raised a knife that they had grabbed before coming, and threw it. It embedded itself right in the center of Darius' forehead, knocking the man back onto his seat, killing him instantly. The other men were too stunned to speak, or to do anything other than stand and stare.

"Well then," Zero stated, no emotion on their face, wiping nonexistent dust from their sleeves. The teenager walked around the desk, shoving the corpse off of the chair and onto the ground with a thump. They’ll have to get that cleaned up. That’s why Zero never liked to kill indoors; too messy. Sitting on the leather throne, crossing their legs, eyeing the others in the room who stood there gaping at the scene having just taken place, Zero addressed them for the first time:

"It was about time this organization was led with new blood."

[writers-potion]

I'm trying to write a character reacting to another Character’s death, but it's getting too cringey.

Can you help?

Reacting to Death

I don't like writing reaction beats myself, I'd usually keep the inititial "reaction scene" short, but show how the character slips into thining about the dead person time to time.

Another reason why your scene may sound "cringey" might be because the overall personality of your character doesn't match the kind of reaction they would have. Not everyone has to break down sobbing the second they get the news.

The Initial Reaction

There can be so many reactions to the news that someone is dead:

immediately breaking down and sobbing

Freezing on the spot + being unable to hear/react to others around them

Feeling like the ground below them has opened up

Complete disbelief + asking the same question over and over again

Calmly noting down what they should be doing next because they feel like they'll break if they don't keep moving forward

Being angry at others around them + the world in general

Taking quick, shallow breaths / forgetting to breathe

Feeling cold all over

You can try picking 1-2 of these and keep the scene powerful and short. If this is a POV character, you can:

Subsequent Path of Recovery (or not)

Arguably, I would say that how you choose to take your character back to the death after the initial realization is more important.

Show how everyday things like a certain object, people with similar hairstyles, certain places and even weather, makes the character think about the dead.

Describe how the character eats less/ finds things less funny, etc.

Describe the character's internal desire to talk about the dead person, or wish to avoid any conversation that even remotely reminds them of the dead person.

"If [dead person] were here, they would've [done this]"

"I could still feel her smile at the back of my mind."

The key here would be to keep these "sorrow" beats short and sudden. You can show how the death impacts the choices your character makes, e.g. "The shopkeeper's wavy hair reminds me of my mother, so I follow her, chasing a ghost of my mother that wasn't really there."

[cute-fangz]

here for you mermaid fans, a partner assignment me and my friend (@percycantspell !!!) wrote for creative writing (no title)

my friend (percy) also is working on a mermaid language that has been in development for several months! so we incorporated some of that in here :3

here you go:

On a rock, close to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, sat a long black-haired, stressed young mer. They were exhausted. The mer community around the reef took notice of their ability to lead a group, and now Hikove is on a pedestal that they never wished to be on.

Any and all minor problems a mer could have, they brought it to him. Hikove needed a break from it all, so there they were, hiding on a rock near the coast. Merpeople tend to steer clear of humans, so it was unlikely anyone was going to find them out there. Suddenly, Hikove heard a voice in the distance.

“Hikove? Where'd you swim off to?” A voice called. It was Lefite, Hikove’s best friend. They understood the pressure he was under, maybe they could help him think.

“Over here,” they called, raising a hand to wave at her bleakly. Lefite swam over to him with a concerned look on her face. Hikove doesn't swim off from the group often, so her concern was warranted.

“Why are you all the way out here? This is really close to the forawera, do you want to be seen?” She asked, exasperated. Lefite was probably more stressed about the amount of trash near them than the possibility of humans. That was the problem the community council was talking about, trash from above littering the city and reef. It was starting to harm the wildlife and children that ran around in the coral forest.

“No…” they sighed, brushing a hand through their long hair. “I just needed to get away for a second. All of them relying on me for an answer, it’s just too much. I needed to get out of there so I could think.”

A boat passed over where Hikove and Lefite sat. Reflexively, Hikove dove behind the rock they’d been sitting on.

Lefite sighed. “I know they’re scary, but I promise the boat isn’t going to hurt you, Hikove.” Her voice was gentle, a reassurance for Hikove’s nerves.

Hikove huffed, bubbles rising from where he’d hidden himself. “That doesn’t mean anything. I hate those things.”

The boat stopped a few meters from the rock. For a minute, there was nothing, and Hikove peeked over at the boat, relaxing slightly.

Then, the divers fell in. Quickly, Lefite dove to hide behind the rock with Hikove, looking tense as she observed the humans as discreetly as she could from her hiding place.

Hikove held their breath, one hand on their spear in case the humans got any ideas. The divers milled around just above the rock. Hikove’s heart raced. He didn’t know if they’d been spotted. He hoped not.

Lefite nudged them, whispering “We need to get out of here. The longer we stay in place the more likely the forawera will find us.”

Hikove nodded, turning around and swimming as fast as they could.

In their haste to escape the boat, they collided with another mer, a young healer carrying a basket of seagrass.

“Oh, vira-“ He cursed, reeling back. “I’m sorry, Deshei!”

Deshei looked at them with concern. “I’m alright, don’t worry. Are you okay, Hikove?”

“I’m…” Hikove hesitated, debating what to say. “I’m alright. Had a stressful encounter with some forawera, but unhurt.”

Deshei’s eyes widened. “Oh, no — did they spot you?”

Hikove shook their head. “Lefite was with me, we both hid. It didn’t look like they noticed us, thankfully.”

It was at that moment that Lefite swum up, face grave. “Bad news. They definitely saw me.”

Hikove grimaced. “We should alert the community. Let’s go.”

The three of them swum off with a sense of urgency.

Once they arrived back to where the council was meeting, the three mers explained what had happened to them moments before. Everyone argued on what to do.

“We should go out there and fight them!” One mer yelled. Another shouted “No, we need to go talk to them and see what they want! Maybe we can ask about-”

“No!” Interrupted a third councilmer. “We need to hide until they go away!”

Voices overlapped each other as they all threw out conflicting ideas on what to do. Finally, a voice rang out over the rest.

“STOP! This is going nowhere!” The mer shouted. A silence fell over the crowd. It was Hikove.

“We need to go out there and confront them. We shouldn't start anything, but we should be prepared for a fight. Some of us stay here, protect the young, some of us go out to talk. I can lead the departing group.” Hikove said, leaning their arms against the table they were all gathered at with a determined look in their eye.

“Good idea, Kiwida. We'll follow your lead.” Councilmer Lofuvia said. Murmurs of agreement erupted around the table.

“Kiwida!” A voice shouted from behind them. Hurried swimming could be heard in the direction of the hallway to the council room. A small mer approached, clearly tired from having swam quickly to talk to Hikove.

“What is it?” He asked, turning to face them. His face twisted into one of concern, hoping it wasn't news of an attack or anything like that.

“More boats with more forawera.” They replied frantically. Hikove placed a relaxing hand on their shoulder, trying to calm them.

“It's okay, we have a plan.” They turned to look at the council members. “Let's move out.”

All of the mer swam out of the room to either gather the young in a safe place or grab weapons from the storeroom near the city hall.

Hikove hung back while the other mer grabbed weapons. They always carried their silver spear with them, just in case. They waited for the others to get weapons, preparing for the worst when they inevitably met the humans. He didn’t want to fight, but he was prepared to die if it meant protecting the reef community.

Once all the mer had armed themselves, Hikove led them out to where they’d first seen the boat.

As the young mer had reported, there were four boats floating in the water above the expedition. Hikove steeled themselves. They were a leader, like it or not, and they could face their fears. They could do it for the community.

Hikove gripped their spear as divers fell into the water. They swam ahead of the other mers, trying to draw attention away from the group. He was the leader, and he was their voice.

One of the divers swam to face Hikove. They frowned and clenched their spear, hoping to look threatening.

The human went on guard, pulling their arms up in a defensive stance as best they could while treading water with their human body.

“Why have you sought us?” Hikove growled, switching to the human language he’d heard so often. It wasn’t perfect — their own native language was so different from the human tongue. The words felt thick in their mouth.

The human diver facing him tilted their head, not responding. Other humans gathered behind the first, and Hikove glanced back at his compatriots, who held their own weapons out, waiting for a signal.

“I will ask again,” Hikove said, attempting to keep the waver out of their voice. “Why have you sought us?” They raised their spear higher, aiming at the diver in front of them. “Leave. Before we make you.”

The humans jolted at that, and Hikove realized they had slipped into their native Sirehsa. The humans hadn’t understood their words, but they had clearly gotten the message. The one who had been swimming in front of Hikove backed off.

“Wait,” one of the humans called.

Hikove tilted their head and pulled their arm back, gripping their spear to keep the shake in their hands from being noticeable. “I’m listening.”

“My name is John. I’m with the team of researchers that came out here to check on the health of the coral reef before we spotted you.” The diver hurriedly explained, holding their hands up to show they meant no harm.

Another diver came up to the front to speak to Hikove. “Hi. Um, my name is Rose. We don't mean any harm. We just want to get to know you guys and learn about your culture and people. Maybe even be friends?” They asked nervously. The divers seemed very adamant about staying peaceful.

Hikove thought about this for a moment, contemplating whether they should trust what these humans were saying. He then turned back to his group to converse with them.

“Should we trust it? I mean, they haven't given us any reason not to.” One councilmer commented.

“Maybe we can get them to work on their pollution problem if we show them what it's doing to us and our wildlife.” Hikove said, a hand placed on their chin in thought.

“That's a great idea, Hikove.” Lefite said, patting them on the back. Hikove nodded to her.

“Okay, I will go talk to them about this.” Hikove said, determined. They turned around and swam back to the humans, still making sure to keep their distance.

Hikove dropped their spear to their side and announced, “We will show you our ways and teach you of our culture. However, in return, you must clean the garbage you have let litter and destroy our environment.”

Rose clapped their hands together. “Really? Of course! We’d be happy to do that.”

Hikove nodded. “Come with us,” he motioned towards the small group of divers to follow the mer.

The group, both humans and mer, swam out to the coral, and Hikove gestured to it.

“The coral is dying, and our traditional methods of protecting it haven’t been working.” Hikove’s expression was somber as he looked at the group of humans. “Would any of you know a way to reverse this?”

One of the humans swam forward. “I’m a scientist, and I could help. I will do my best to protect the coral.”

Hikove nodded again. “Good,” they said, shifting their focus back to the entire group. “We will help how we can, but this is a task more suited to your abilities. We thank you, humans.”

The diver who had first approached Hikove — John — swum forward once again, sticking out his hand.

“It’s been a pleasure — I hope we meet again, Mer.”

Hikove studied his hand for a moment before sticking out their own to shake it. “My name is Hikove. Until we meet again, John.”

The group of divers swam off, and the mer watched them go.

“I’m glad they weren’t out to get us,” remarked Councilmer Lofuvia, relaxing and leaning on a nearby rock.

“Yes,” mused Hikove. “Maybe from now on, things will be easier.” Hikove had hope for the future — with the help of the humans, the reef could recover, and in time the mer community could be restored to its former glory. Hikove smiled, glancing at their fellow mer.

“Let’s go home — we should let everyone else know what happened.”

And so they went.

[janjoona-almajnoona]

The funniest thing to me is the fact that on last year's English writing assignment, my teacher questioned everyone over if they used AI/CHAGPT in their report except me. I also ended up getting second highest grade so! I love it when people know me

[pangur-and-grim]

alright, I’m annoyed with the class that I’m taking. it’s about writing novels, and I thought it would have cool stuff about balancing your narrative and developing themes etc, but instead she spent the first class talking about how every book fits into the Hero’s Journey (the monomyth template). and I was somewhat of a contrarian, and said “can you give us examples of books that don’t fit into this template?” and she said “no. because all books fit.”

but I dunno man, I just finished reading this Korean book where the plot is just the character having a string of hookups and reflecting on them without changing in any way. I don’t know if it’s possible to contort that into the Hero’s Journey.

[iriemorning]

for the child who speaks in echoes

I am dedicating my stories to a little boy who is full of wonder. He is nine years old, though most of the time he seems far younger than his age, and other times, older. He doesn’t really say much—he hums, he giggles, he flaps his hands when he’s excited. When he does speak, his words may splutter but they are spoken with conviction, talking like he's the same age as us.

He is my little brother.

We used to take him to speech therapy, but two session visits every week gets really expensive. That was months ago. The only education he's receiving nowadays is a regular SPED Class. The moment he comes home, he's either immersed in the phone watching YouTube Kids, fumbling with his clays and toys, drawing on scattered papers, or hunting for some snacks.

Even though he's nonverbal most of the time, I believe he understands the stories that he watches in cartoons and movies—like Zootopia, Sing, and Trolls. He reacts with the scenes, and claps his hands whenever the characters are having fun. Stories visibly move him.

When I imagine my child reader, he's the first image that comes to my mind. I imagine my picture book with short, rhythmic sentences, bright illustrations, and stories that give him reasons to make sounds, to laugh, and to repeat after me. Stories that feel like an invitation for him to enjoy, where words are playful, not pressuring.

My imagined child reader is not just him but children like him—kids who see the world differently, who might struggle with letters and sounds but love the feeling of turning the page, lipping the flaps, turning the book upside down. He isn’t the kind of child who sits still for long, so the stories and the book itself must be engaging. He loves watching videos with catchy songs like Cocomelon and Badanamu; he enjoys pressing toys that make sounds, and gets the most joy out of sensory play—water, slime, squishy things. He always moves on to the next shiny thing when things get boring or complicated.

So, I write for him. I imagine a world where he picks up a book and finds something familiar inside—something that makes him feel seen. A story that, maybe one day, he will want to read out loud.