• i once got the wordle on first try, this is my biggest accomplishment ever! the word was “berth”
  

• i was born in new zealand and lived there for most of my life; i live in the united states now
  

• i love poetry; even though i don’t understand it every time and there are some boring poems, i love how there are no constraints for it and how everyone can find a meaning in them. one of my favourite poems is “for estefani, third grade, who made me a card” by aracelis girmay
  

• i got back into playing chess this week, ive played since i was small and while i’m not the best, i love the rollercoaster of emotions you feel when playing it!
  

• speaking of rollercoasters, i love rollercoasters; there hasn’t been one yet that i haven’t tried hehe
  

• some new 2026 albums that i’ve enjoyed are “nothing’s about to happen to me” by mitski, “tales of a failed shapeshifter” by em beihold, and charli xcx’s wuthering heights soundtrack
  

• some movies i’m looking forward to this year are hunger games sunrise on the reaping, the heartstopper movie, and the backrooms movie (if it’s not rated r)!
  

• i'm a really really big eurovision fan even though i've never lived in europe before; the national final season is about to end and i'm so excited to hear all the songs and watch the show in may!!
  

• i am SO excited for summer!! i’ve never been so excited for it before, i’m just ready to have a break from school, go in the sun, and play roblox all day hehe
  

• my controversial food opinion: chocolate isnt that good… it's too sweet for me and half of the time they have nuts which im allergic too… (i love reese's a lot tho! and m&m's! and other ones! but overall it's overrated)
  

they say “more is less,”
but by that logic, i must be a big messy mess.
my life is a mountain, and i’ve already passed the crest –
yet the sun continues to set in the west.

“i am the mountain now, a volcano” i fumed.
as all my minutes and moments i consumed.
my very own actions i could not tame.
as my nights became days and my days became
dire.

my volcano, i keep burning – ’til there’s no more fire.

in the sky, there is only gray –
in the alley, signs of a stray,
and purple umbrellas out in case of rain.
it seems like all our strain
is over, cut off by the dance of water.

the truth is, we’re all lambs to the slaughter,
scared for what happens after –
but when it pours, we can’t help but hold in our laughter.

then it dies down, goes quiet.
in the hushed air, everyone’s waiting for another riot

There’s one thing you seek:
eternal love (or, in other words, a wedding ring).

Your relationship has already reached its peak,
to delusion you tightly cling,
but it’s time to face it: your love is a wilted flower.

You dreamt of the day he’d ask for your hand, knelt –
and at that moment, you’d be in awe of all his beautiful powers.

Now, the hand you wish he’d held
is tying one final knot, full of hope.
You look up, and the only thing you see is a rope.

Short Story (96 words)
In the atmosphere there is something that everyone can see. It was not a bird. I was not a plane. It was a random person that was flying. Naturally, everyone was confused - how was a person flying? People so not have wings. But when the person landed ok the ground, they said that they were very light and the wind was very strong. For that reason, they were able to catch the wind current and fly in the air, like a kite. They literally were attached to a rope and a friend was gliding them around.

Collab Story (221 words)
Darting through the tall grass, Zinnia has one goal in mind: get to the treehouse on time. She had just came from the lake, spending the whole day lying by the rocks and listening to the gradual lapping of the waves. With a soft breeze blowing in her face, it was all too easy to close her eyes… Moments later (or so it seemed), when she got up, the sun's position in the azure sky told her that she was late. “Uh-oh.” Picnic basket in hand, she started her journey. On any other day, she'd fly, but the wind was strong today – stronger than usual. Passing through the Poet-tree, she waved to a fairy, with short jet-black hair and a shawl. “Hey Zinnia!” they said. She waved back, finding words between breaths. “Hi Snap, how's your gardening going?” Snap gave her a sheepish grin. “You know, the usual.” But by then, she was almost gone. “Sorry, got to go!!” After a few more minutes of flitting, the treehouse came into sight. As she climbed the rope ladder, Zinnia took a moment to brush her hair out of her face. Once she reached the top, she squinted her eyes and looked at the sun. “Phew.” She gathered up her courage and knocked on the wooden door – Zinnia had made it on time.

Magical Realism (November 2024) w/ Eevee, Kat, and Vi
The Boba Tavern was chaotic. Customers were everywhere, workers were running around, and everything was so loud. “Where's my food?? I've been waiting here ever since the store opened!” one cranky customer called out. The worker nearby, Clev, panicked, and gave him the closest boba drink they could find. A line had started gathering in the store and kept getting longer. The Boba Tavern was severely understaffed. Meanwhile, in the pantry, a few trainees were bonding with their new boba pals.

Eevee was juggling having Mona on her shoulders and carrying out a box of boba cups. The Boba Tavern was getting more business, but this was way too much. “Alana, here!” Eevee says, placing the box down on the counter. “I'll go back and see what we have left in inventory.” Mona shifts from one shoulder to the other, making Eevee giggle as she moves. “Mona, that tickles,” she says softly, stroking a tentacle. Eevee passes by a few coworkers and waves.

Kat runs from the back holding a tray filled with colorful boba drinks. “Here`s your food! I`m so sorry for the wait,” Kat said to the cranky customor. “Does it look like I want your apolgy? I have places to be!” Kat turned and rolled her eyes.

Eevee sighs next to Kat. “We could have gotten the patient customers at least. What do you expect if you come into a bustling boba shop?” she says to no one in particular. She lightly bumps Kat's shoulder. “Come on, you can help with the drinks. I'll do the serving for a little bit.”

“Thanks Eevee,” Kat says. Kat goes into the back and starts to make some boba. She pours the tea, then the boba pearls. After some time, Kat takes the small cookie jar the staff keeps and pops a cookie into her mouth.

Vi is very grateful to be in the back, if just so she can stretch her legs a bit after standing and taking orders down for so long. She places several smoothies in blenders and waits for the whirs to subside from a grumbling roar to a less upset growl. Watching the blenders curiously, Oreo growls back, and Vi laughs as she pours the smoothies over boba and lychee jelly, then hands them off to another worker to seal the cups.

Eevee walks to the back, reciting a few orders under her breath. “I’m taking those out,” she says, grabbing the couple of boba cups on the counter. “Hey Mona, stop it!” Eevee chastises her boba pal, as tentacles reach out for empty boba cups. “Here.” She hands the octopus two cups and used her free hands to grab two more. “Mango, taro, passion fruit, brown sugar. Okay, I’ve got everything.” Eevee heads towards the door, making sure Mona doesn’t tip the cups. “I would love to stay and chat but-

All right, I’m on my way!” Eevee shakes her head at the grumbling crowd. “The people await.” She gives a small wave-the best that she could with her hands full anyways-and walks out to the customers.

Journalism (March 2025) w/ Lili and Luna
Kyle snuck through the walls of SWC city slowly, stopping at each corner. He had almost done it! The campers already believe he was their friend, and now all Kyle had to do was get in. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he wiped it away. This was for mangoes! This would make him rich, if done right. As he crept, the wind began to pick up, howling in Kyle’s ears and throwing dust into his eyes. Was this Kev*n’s doing? He had no way of knowing, and so Kyle foraged on, into the heart of Scratch Writing Camp. Along the way, he met many people, who gave the mango-stealer directions, not suspecting anything. His disguise as a mango-delivery man must have worked. A smug smile on his lips, Kyle reached the train station where all the mangoes were. Fumbling in his pockets, he searched for the key. Where was it? The food cart key….the chaos key….procrastination potatoes….ah, here it was! He pulled out a silver and orange key the size and shape of the fruit that we call mangoes. Now to find the cart. Kyle boarded the train, walking all along it, looking for the scent or sight of mangoes. He saw pineapples and strawberries and even once a pear, but still. No. Mangoes. How hard could it be? He sat down in one of the cars, sighing. He would just take a little break.

Kyle awoke. To his horror, he had fallen asleep — he must have been very tired, but at least sleep wasn't tugging at his eyelids anymore. He peered out the window to the blur of dark trees as the train passed them by. The mangoes must've been loaded out by now; he felt incredibly frustrated at that. But considering that the train was still in motion, there was a chance that those delectable fruits were still on board. He pushed himself out of his seat, wobbling with the movement of the train. There was no one in this car, besides the frail elderly man clutching his cane in the corner of the car. His eyes were narrowed on Kyle, watching him intently with suspicion. Frightened, he ran to the door, his face devoid of the smug grin that ruled his expression before he fell asleep and possibly ruined his plan. His fingers slipped onto the handle of the door, and he pushed it open in a hurry. The rush of air in his hair and on his face was refreshing. Uh oh. He looked down from the train car. There was no way to get to the next car unless he climbed to the top of this one and jumped to the next, but even that would be too risky. He looked back at the man in the car who was eyeing him earlier, to find that he was right behind Kyle. “I found you, brother.” …Kev*n??

Kyle's eyes widened in terror as he looked at a face he hadn't seen in sixteen years. Kev*n had changed. What once was a face full of joy and youth was now an elderly face riddled with wrinkles. “Well, well, well.” Kev*n croaked. “I know all about your plot to steal the mangoes, Kyle. In fact, I know everything you have done these sixteen years since we last met.” Kyle started hyperventilating. He screamed and started running away, but Kev*n started laughing. “Foolish child. There's no-one else on this train except for me. If you want to get the mangoes, you have to get past me.” Kev*n cackled and held onto his walking stick. Kyle looked around in desperation, but it seemed that he was alone. “Fine,” he said. “But not before you get a load of this!” He selected a frying pan from his inventory and threw it towards Kev*n. Before he could jump out of the way, it hit him square in the face, and Kev*n faceplanted. Kyle ran to check on him, but before he could, a heavy object hit his face. Kyle raised his head, looking around in terror, only to realize that the object was a mango! His face lit up as more mangos started appearing all around him. It seemed as if defeating Kev*n had made him drop his loot, or in this case, mangoes. It was raining mangoes! Everything was perfect. Kyle started scooping them in his pockets and started smiling. He had defeated Kev*n and succeeded in his mission. He had did it.

Bizzaro-Fiction (July 2025) w/ Lune, Charlie, and Kiara
The Festival was magical. Creatures from all around the realm came to visit the Festival, and there were vendors selling products that had names nobody could pronounce. Cedar wore a cloak navigated through the busy streets, in search of something specific – a procrastination potion. His yellow eyes scanned the numerous stands. Someone bumped into Cedar, pushing him to a nearby stall. A small gnome was shouting, “Travelers, try this free sample!” She locked eyes on Cedar, then shoved a plate off a mysterious bread roll into his face. “Take it, you won't regret it,” she said. Cedar had no choice but to accept, and he took a piece. Holding the roll under his nose, a pungent odor radiated from it. “Here goes nothing,” he thinks, eyes closed, and takes a bite of the roll. He opens his eyes and gasps.

“IT'S AMAZING!” He cries. “How did you make this?” “Ah, this?” the gnome asked. “Well, that's a secret…. but I suppose I could tell you for a few gold coins, eh?” Cedar immediately stuck his hand in his purse and brought out all of his coins. “How much you want?” He asks. “Does 50 coins sound fair?” she winked. “Oh, sure!” Cedar nods enthusiastically, handing her his whole pile. “Well,” the gnome said as she took the money, “it's made of flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and….. sleeping nettles.” Cedar had only just realized what she had said before he fell flat on his face, asleep. The gnome silently heaved him into her cart, so quickly not even the person walking up to her now could see. “Can I try that roll?” the person asked. “Oh, sure! It's only 75 gold coins….” After the money was exchanged and the person in her cart, the gnome saw that the moon was beginning to peek out and packed up the rest of her wares.

She quickly rushed home, making sure to avoid being seen in the moonlight. If you looked too close at her, you’d see what she really was… When she returned home, she checked to make sure they hadn’t woken up yet. The amount of sleeping nettles she used meant most rarely were awake by the time she carried them away, but after the last incident, the gnome decided she could never be too careful. She made sure they were completely tied up. She didn’t want to risk them waking up and escaping or potentially simply sleepwalking. That was usually how people escaped. They had nightmares, they sleepwalked, they were too strong for her simple knots. So she had to get better at tying them. And quicker. She had to work quick. Otherwise, people could see. See the truth. She wasn’t fond of the truth, and no one else would be either.

Slowly, she entered her cottage again. A small raven sat perched on her windowsill. She looked at it, her eyes narrowed. “Well, Knight, are you just going to sit there? Go watch the new one!” She said, her voice quavering with nerves, just like she always did before this. She never wanted to use the sleeping nettles, but it was necessary to keep herself alive. To keep her secret alive, and keep it from following her even deeper into her nest of lies than she had been before. A bright purple light sat by the window, in a jar. She looked at it, at the dim royal purple, the same color it had right before she used her magic to draw out a secret from somebody. The person at the festival… he would be fine, in time. She would return him to his home and he would forget anything had ever happened… and also forget the one memory. That's all she ever took, all her LifeLight needed to keep her alive. The single happiest memory out of somebodies head. She never knew if they missed it, if there was a hole there that couldn't be filled. Because she never checked up on those she had stolen from. Then, the reality of what she was doing might set in too hard, and she would never be able to escape the endless spiral of guilt. Her nature was never to be revealed, never to be trusted. She was the only one that she could trust, the only person that she could rely on.

Poetry (March 2026) w/ Aves and Saffron
Darting through the tall grass, Zinnia has one goal in mind: get to the treehouse on time. She had just came from the lake, spending the whole day lying by the rocks and listening to the gradual lapping of the waves. With a soft breeze blowing in her face, it was all too easy to close her eyes… Moments later (or so it seemed), when she got up, the sun's position in the azure sky told her that she was late. “Uh-oh.” Picnic basket in hand, she started her journey. On any other day, she'd fly, but the wind was strong today – stronger than usual. Passing through the Poet-tree, she waved to a fairy, with short jet-black hair and a shawl. “Hey Zinnia!” they said. She waved back, finding words between breaths. “Hi Snap, how's your gardening going?” Snap gave her a sheepish grin. “You know, the usual.” But by then, she was almost gone. “Sorry, got to go!!” After a few more minutes of flitting, the treehouse came into sight. As she climbed the rope ladder, Zinnia took a moment to brush her hair out of her face. Once she reached the top, she squinted her eyes and looked at the sun. “Phew.” She gathered up her courage and knocked on the wooden door – Zinnia had made it on time.

Orchid opened the door and frowned. “What happened, Zin? Usually you're early.” She stepped aside and let Zinnia enter, the smell of muffins wafting through the air. “Tell me about it over some baked goods. You look like you've just ran here!” Orchid pulled a tray of muffins out of the oven and set them on the counter, and Zinnia sighed. “It's a long story, Orchid.” “I've got all the time in the world, Zin. School just let out, so unless your ‘long story’ takes two months to tell, go ahead. Spill.” Orchid bit into one of the muffins and sighed. Her baking was legendary, especially after she won that contest with her poppy seed scones. “You know how my parents want me to study herbology in the gardens?” Orchid nodded. “Well, I thought that was what I wanted, too, but I started taking an astronomy class and I really liked it. I know herbology was always their plan for me, you know, grow up and join the other fairies, become part of the community, but I don't know.There's just something about looking up at the stars, knowing that you're just as special as they are. I love that feeling, and I know there aren't many astronomers, but that's why I need to be one.So we got into this huge fight, since they're so traditional and all that, and then I want to the lake to calm down. I'm not sure how to face them when I go back, Orchid. I need help.”

Orchid leaned against the rustic wooden counter, the steam from the fresh muffins curling around her pointed ears like mini clouds. She didn't interrupt, she simply listened. Her eyes reflecting the soft glow of the lanterns hanging from the treehouse rafters. “Zin,” Orchid said softly, pushing the plate of muffins toward her friend. “You’ve always been a bit of a dreamer, even when we were flitting around the nursery. But astronomy? That’s big. That’s ‘looking beyond the canopy’ big.” Zinnia picked at the golden crust of a lemon-poppy seed muffin, her fingers trembling slightly. “I know. My parents see the ground as our provider- the roots, the soil, the cycles of the harvest. To them, looking at the stars is like staring at a map of a place you’ll never visit. They think it’s a waste of a good fairy's magic.” “It’s not a waste if it’s where your magic comes from,” Orchid countered, her voice was reassuring. Zinnia sighed, the tension in her shoulders finally began to go away.“They told me that if I don't enroll in the Advanced Flora Seminar by tomorrow, I’ll lose my apprenticeship spot in the Great Garden. Once that’s gone, there’s no going back. But the Star-Gazer’s Guild only accepts one new fairy every year, and their entrance exam is the same night.” Orchid turned back, “Then I guess we better start studying. You know more about the lunar cycles than any seedling planter in this forest. If you’re going to defy centuries of tradition, you might as well do it with a full stomach and a brilliant plan.”Zinnia felt a spark of hope, a tiny flickering star in the pit of her stomach. “You really think I can do it?” “I think the sky is waiting for you, Zin. Now, eat. We have a lot of constellations to map out before moonrise.”

note: all of the poems are made from bouts-rimés, a poetry game. first, someone makes a list of words with a rhyme scheme; then, someone else writes a poem, ending each line with a word in the list. enjoy!

credits:
thank you to dragon , solei , isa , and sydney for the words, found in the bouts-rimés studio

dragon's words: less, mess, crest, west, fumed, consumed, tame, became, dire, fire
solei's words: seek, ring, peak, cling, flower, knelt, powers, held, hope, rope
isa's words: art, heart, words, birds, like, bike, sky, pie, night, might
sydney's words: gray, stray, rain, strain, water, slaughter, after, laughter, quiet, riot

author's note