Category: Junior Literary

Alright guys

prepare yourselves

this is a conversation that absolutely no one cares about, but I do so here we are.

First of all, the letter Q is the bane of my existence. It serves no purpose and frustrates me to no end. I know you are thinking, “Why chloe? Why does something as small as a letter make you so mad? What’s wrong with it?”

Well…

The letter Q is as dependent letter, meaning it can’t make it’s sound without using a ‘u’. Now. It would be so incredibly simple to change words like “Quiet” into a another form that makes the same sound and uses the same amount of letters. This discovery should dethrone the letter Q from his place in the alphabet.

Kwiet/Cwiet

SEE????

DO
YOU
SEE

The letter Q is unnecessary, and what makes it even worse EVEN WORSE my friends, is that the Q can make the C/K sound, as in the word, “Clique.”

w h a t

We already have two letters that make that sound

not one

T W O

WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER ONE
WHO CAME UP WITH THIS

anyways…

this brings us to my next point.

why do we have to letters that make the same sound? Why are there some cases in which we put them together as in the word “duck?” NOT NEEDED. IT DOESN’T MAKE THE WORD ANY DIFFERENT. Also why, why, why, why, can the ‘C’ Make the ‘S’ sound but the ‘K’ can’t????????? In what universe does that makes since???? THEY MAKE THE SAME. SOUND. WHY DOES ONE GET SPECIAL PRIVILEGES

AND THIS

THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY INSTANCES WHERE LETTERS GET TO STEAL OTHER LETTERS SOUNDS.

let’s move to my next example

The ‘F’

so, just a question, who gave ‘ph’ the right to take the ‘F’ sound as their own? Why do they get to do that???? “alphabet” “Phonics” “phone” The list goes on and on. This isn’t fair. Why are we making words harder to spell??? Who did this? WHO DID THIS???

This is injustice. This isn’t okay. WE DON’T NEED THESE.

and now

now we have arrived

at silent letters.

“opossum” “Dumb” “Butcher” “Ghost”

WHAT
WHAT
WHAT
WHAT
no.

guys, by now you HAVE to see my point. There’s no need. And these aren’t even all the problems. What about plurals? What about the ‘oo’making sound ‘u’  makes What about past tense words using ‘ed’ to make the ‘t’ sound? Can you hear a difference in stopped and stopt???? NO. I SIMPLIFIED IT.

this just isn’t it. it just makes no sense absolutely no sense and the thing is, as you are reading, you will come up with more. the harder you think the more questions will arise until you are consumed with the question “WHY?”

Arkansas. Kansas.
WHAT

I don’t get it. I just don’t.

Now keep in mind, this has not been a rant. This is a protest. I am raising awareness of the idiocy of it all. Now everyone who reads will get to understand that there is stupidity in all things, even something as vital as written language.

Thank you, goodnight.

No one:

Absolutely no one:

Not a soul:

Literally no one ever: 

Chloe: thE alFAbEt iS sToOpId

A few months back, I made a post about what I had planned to wear to prom. I just wanted to follow up on that post to say that I did, indeed, cosplay as princess Zelda to prom.

I did the Twilight Princess version of Zelda. I chose her because of the sentiment i associate with that game. It was my very first Zelda game, which I want to think i played around 6th grade. That game sent me into a Nintendo obsession. It also introduced me to cosplay, which, I would really love to revisit the first cosplay I ever made (Which was from that game!)

Of course, I still love all the other Zelda games. Skyward Sword and BOTW are pretty high up in my favorites. But Twilight Princess is just, so good. It’s so good. I would fight for all of the characters. So, of course, I would choose to do that version of her.

Overall, I got the reaction I was hoping for. As soon as I walked into the common area, I was greeted with a simple “Kerri Bland.” This is perfect, because that means this was not something out of the ordinary, but rather something almost expected and ironic. It was not a big deal. It was just Kerri Bland. sometimes that’s all you need to be.

As for dancing, I found out I’m quite horrible at that. I did a thing called interpretative slow-dancing. Rather than dancing with a person, I got a group together to move in slow motion, and recreate some of the moves from the happy hands club in Napoleon Dynamite.

Still though, you don’t have to be a good dancer to have fun. I danced quite horribly, and had a blast.

The food was actually really good too! I was pleasantly surprised at how much stuff was available. The decorations were also quite nice.  I, of course, helped a little with set-up. There was a lot of work that went in from many students, parents, and staff. It really showed too! It came together quite nicely.

Overall, I just wanna thank everyone for such an awesome experience with awesome people. I can’t wait for next year! Now I just have to decide what I want to wear! I’m up for suggestions, but i’m thinking something Nintendo again. Maybe another Zelda, maybe a different character. Let me know if you have any ideas for the near future.

This is an old poem that I wrote that really resonates with my current feelings.

It’s not the end of the world
Is the worst thing to say to someone like me.
It will be okay, just give it time.
Is that supposed to save me?
The world is your oyster, they say
Enjoy it.
But how can I enjoy something that you’ll just swallow up.
How can I enjoy something that will rot.
How can i enjoy something that carries such a repugnant smell.
The world burns my nostrils
The world makes my eyes water.
They water so much that my cheeks have grown raw.
So raw that it burns to put on make up every day.
Thus why I barely wear it anymore.
And the world comes and asks me why.
Why do I hate it so much.
What did it ever do to me.
And every time I stare at myself naked in front of a mirror,
I think to myself that the world gave me this mind.
I think to myself that the world cut into my flesh as if it were a canvas and my blood was the paint.
I think to myself that the world told me I was fat.
I was worthless
I was pitiful.
But somehow the world still has the nerve
To smile in my face and ask of me to ravish it.
The world gives me people to love, and then reveals that they are truly stone.
Granite.
And I have carved them out so beautifully
Just so they can dismantle me
By thus proving that I am alone.
The world presents itself with promises
Swearing that if I try, I can do anything.
That love will always be there.
That suffering will never last.
The world tells me that I’m allowed to be happy.
But supplies nothing to be happy about.
The world does nothing but take, and take, until there is nothing left but the coping methods..
And I don’t even want those anymore.
The world tells me that I am allowed to love,
But I get ridiculed and left behind
Feeling !unappreciated, and worthless.
And I could sit there and tell my “friends” and my doctors how I feel
And all they tell me is that it’s not the end of the world.
They tell me to take medications
But my medications just make it worse.
They tell to sleep and eat like a normal person, but what is a normal person in this world.
They try to find diagnostics, and use statistics against me. They hear me but they are not listening.
It’s not the end of the world.
They tell me that I am sick.
They label me with this and that, so many problems, can I even be fixed.
They threaten me with hospitals
And swear that they will make it better
But I have lived this way for so long
I have come to realize that there is no better.
So do not tell me that it’s not the end of the world.
Because one day the world will implode in on itself.
And we will all turn to stone.
Our flesh will melt from our bones
And we will scream at the top of our lungs
The end of the world
Is every moment.
Every day.
The end of the world is now.
And you can’t tell me otherwise.

I feel as if my whole existence is one big fail-safe mechanism.

The following post was actually created about a year ago, but I figured that I would share it anyway. There were some swear words, but I took them out for the sake of posting. I remember Savannah asking about my views with feminism, and for me, it’s mixed. I think this essay(?) might clear it up, but it might not either. Anything in “royal blue” is an addition I just made.

“Women are meant to stay in the kitchen. They are not suited for the workforce.”
“A woman’s place is behind her husband.”
“Women can’t handle any other stress besides child labor.”
“Women are fragile, dainty creatures.”

Screw* all that. I’m no feminist, but to be put down in such a way really ticks* me off. A chick can hold her own just like any other person with a part of the male anatomy* between their legs can. It really is infuriating to be restricted to certain roles simply because of extra fat on your chest and a pair of lips between your legs. No, a woman’s place is not behind her husband. Instead, it’s next to him, and sometimes, it’s in front of him. Sometimes men are weaker than women. Sure, the usual argument is that women are too emotional. They have no place in politics, whatever. Women do push whole human beings out of them, but what do men do? Shove that same human being inside you. Leave you after finding out about the baby. Do men have to go through pain for anything? No, not really, and because of that, they’re weaker than women in some way. Women are not superior, but nor are men. Both have been repressed in some way, but in the end, they’re meant to be equals. (I don’t really care about equality between a man and a woman in some ways, but if something like a wage gap exists, I would like for it to not exist. However, it can be justified in some ways, but I won’t get into that.) Women aren’t dainty or fragile. If they support a growing fetus for up to nine months inside them, I think they can handle some paperwork. Women are meant to stay in the kitchen? Then let them get a job as a chef or something. Get rid of gender roles, the wage gap, whatever the hell separates man from woman, beast from beauty. And that’s another thing. Disney had been showing women as weak beings that need a man to help them out of every situation. And that didn’t really change until somewhere between Beauty and the Beast and Mulan. Thankfully, they changed for future generations to see how life can be. Yet, all the female empowerment stuff being broadcast to children will cause setbacks. (I have found that when things are over-endorsed to me, I don’t really care about them anymore. It feels like it’s being crammed down my throat, and people expect me to swallow it down. Instead, I choose throw it up because it doesn’t mean anything at this point. I avoid Disney unless I’m babysitting because it’s nothing that I want to make my brain rot. The things I read or write already do that for me, so there’s no need to add to the decay.) While it shows little girls that they can be whatever they want, what about the little boys? The little boys will start to think that they can’t do anything because the girls are taking over. Disney is a prime example of that as well. Most of their shows are now focused around girls (especially teenaged) going through some life crisis. Boys can go through the same issue, but instead watch it happen to girls. (I guess it is meant to show the boy or girl that what they’re going through is a universal struggle, and that they aren’t alone.) My little brother loves to watch Disney Channel, but I don’t know if it’s affected him any. To be fair, Disney did create Disney XD, which seems to have more… action in it. The superhero shows are shown there, rather than normal Disney. And there seems to be a spectrum of audiences, really. Disney Jr. is formulated for babies and toddlers, Disney is meant for children and preteens, and Disney XD is more for boys of any age. (As for Nickelodeon, I can’t really say much because I only ever watch Spongebob Squarepants or The Fairly OddParents because their live shows don’t draw my attention. I personally think Nickelodeon should stay with their animated shows, especially those from the 90s-00s because they are golden. I feel like Nickelodeon doesn’t pander to genders; it panders to children. They understand that kids don’t really care about empowerment. They just want to play and be a child, so that’s what Nickelodeon gives them.) Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon are kind of more blended – they have been featuring shows with an almost equal mix of genders for a while longer than Disney. Cartoon Network (if put on a political spectrum) would be the more liberal between the three networks because it has run several shows that feature LGBTQ+ characters, inviting more inclusion than just adding in race and gender. (To end this terrible rant, I would like to pose a question: at which does the beauty become the beast? When does the beast become a beauty?)

hey! so, I’m just kind of making this so I can have everything together when I compete in this. So, this big convention I’m going to has a closet cosplay contest, which is where you pretty much cant make anything. It all has to be alterations and things you thrifted together- or already had. I wanted to challenge myself to do a big project using only closet cosplay rules. So, I chose Lady Palutena from Kid Icarus Uprising, and Super Smash Bros! Heres how I’ve done the stuff so far, and what i plan on doing for the unfinished parts!

dress

This dress was thrifted from City Thrift at $15. I did not ahve to take it in, it fit me perfectly. for the sash, I added a pre-owned sheer curtain, which i gathered and hand-sewed on to the front, and did a single dart on the back. I took the remaining thread and added a belt loop for the accessories.

belt

• a plastic scarf holder
• shower rings
• Christmas ornaments
• an old leaf headband.
• a necklace trinket
• belts provided by my dad, who told me to get whatever I wanted out of his closet.

necklace

• the chain came from what used to be a much larger necklace. I took off its former accessories.
• a wooden circle
• broken Popsicle sticks hot glued onto the wooden circle

shield

• a party plate
• already-owned foam hot glued onto the plate for the blue part
• red ribbon (pre-owned) hot glued to the back of the plate
• two shower rings attached to the ribbon
• duct tape straps to hold it onto my arm

wig

• The wig comes from my Halloween costume. the only alterations i made to it was taking the two braids out.

staff

• The staff is not complete, but i plan on making it out of a curtain rod and a plastic vase, with wire running through the top, and a Christmas ornament filled with leftover tulle and fairy lights

shoes

• some sandals i already have

to-do

• crown
• gauntlet things? arm armor?

my budget for this project: $50

I haven’t quite reached the end of my budget. I’m really excited for this cosplay to make its debut! I have to have it finished right before the end of the school year, since the con is like- literally a few days after we get out of school. yeah! I’ll be sure to post photos, there’s always a ton of cool cosplayers there.

For some odd reason, the past couple of weeks have been very hectic. I have found myself, on numerous occasions, listening to Better Days by LeAndria Johnson. I just want to share a few of the lines in the song that speak to me on a spiritual level:

1.

It can be rough in this world
I know it ain’t easy but hang on in there
I know better days are coming

2.

Friends will leave you all by yourself
But don’t cry
Cause better days are coming

3.

I know people, people
They don’t see the hurt you feel inside
But keep on smiling ’cause everything will be alright

I hope this helps you half as much as it does me. As long as I keep this in mind, I’ll keep pushing.

At this point in my life, I’m all about motivation.

So, summer’s around the corner and I have no clue how I feel about that. It’s the last summer I’ll have in high school and that is the weirdest thing I’ve thought about all year. I wanna make this summer memorable but I don’t know how I can do that. I need a job. I need to finally get my driver’s license. I’m scared that I won’t have time to enjoy the summer before it ends. It makes me think back on the breaks and the weekends that I come back home from MSA. I never really go out with my friends or do much when I’m home unless it’s something that needs to be done. As far as leisure goes, though, there’s not much I do. I go home, watch my sister, and then come right back here. Don’t mistake me, I don’t mind watching my sister in order to help my mom out and I’m not saying that I constantly need to be out and about doing leisure things because leisure activities mainly cost money. However, I don’t want to miss out on anything, either. I want to enjoy the last of my teenage years. I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of childhood memories and teenage experiences. I don’t put the blame on anyone, though, really. I just want to be able to do something memorable and youthful before I’m thrown out into the adult world. Granted, I can still have fun in college and do a lot of that great stuff. But, there’s still something about experiencing wonderful things at this age. I feel like it seems to hit you harder and make it all the more memorable. That’s all I want – good memories to hang onto when I’m no longer a high school student. 

Sometimes I have to sit back and think of how I haven’t completely disappointed myself. As a younger kid, I had many ideas about what my teenage life would be like. I accomplished like, none of those goals. Yet, also, at the same time I have accomplished them. Just, in a different way.

goal number one: go to parties

Now, I have never been to an average teenage party. Yes, i’ve been invited to them. I’m just too lazy and too tired to stay up that late. It’s not worth it. However, I have reached full party status by playing bingo with a few classmates. To enhance my partying ability, I, alongside my birthday twin, ate an entire cake. no plates. just us and our silverware going crazy at midnight. Hows that for a party?

goal two, have a fun day without any parental supervision

I don’t even live with my parents, so I guess I kind of have to do this. A few weeks back I was with a friend and I said “y’know, this was one of my goals. ride with a friend and sing songs at full blast.” Young me would be disappointed to know we were singing  a three hour playlist of TikTok songs. The Scooby Doo theme song. Hit or Miss. You name it, we sang it. We also ate flowers later that day. Yeah, that’s the teenage dream! well, I enjoy it- i guess it doesn’t have to be everyone’s dream.

goal three, be famous and popular

this has not happened. I’m not the kind of person that would win homecoming, prom queen, whatever it is. However, I’ve got great friends and we mutually support each other. that’s all anyone can really ask for. I’ve heard my writing style is enjoyable at coffee house- I really appreciate hearing that too. I also seem to be a go-to for alterations and wig restorations. That’s good with me, since, i really love doing that stuff!

I may not ever be famous, but heck yeah i’ll make the outfits for the people that are.

What about you guys? have you accomplished any of your childhood goals? If so, what are they? I’d love to hear all about them! Maybe I set my hopes a little too high. But hey, we all seem to be doing pretty good in life. We made it to this school after all.

We were assigned an Oral History Project last week and here’s a snippet of my creative fiction piece, adapted from the project…

“my mind wondered into adulthood for a moment because I know parents do everything possible to protect their children. So, I posed a question regarding safety persuasions. I asked if there were any specific things his mother had taught him or his sisters, in case the dogs or the hose were put on them.

“Well, some of those things were taught at the mass meetings by the leaders. And she you know would go along with that. She would just tell us to be safe and to watch your surroundings and stuff. I think we were more concerned about her cause we all figured we could get around better than she could.”

By this point, I’m so deep into the conversation, that I hear nothing, but his voice and I automatically have my next question. I asked if he and his family were in the 50s or 60s, would he preach to his children what his mother preached to him and would he put his children in “harm’s way.”

His response was so powerful I couldn’t believe it. It proved to me that his passion, his strength as a man, and his determination for the rights of a black man or woman in America. He said, “As a matter of fact, I do and I would. I preach to ‘em everyday you know tellin’ ‘em, in fact, they can say what I’ma tell ‘em before I get it out my mouth cause they’ve heard it so much.”

As the interview came to an end, I asked what the difference between the rights of a black man then and now. He told me that he and his sisters had earned AT LEAST a bachelor’s degree. He also said that the place where his mother served as a maid, was the same place he later became the superintendent of – this proved to me that no matter how hard things may be right now, there’s always room for change. It also proved to me that all those sleepless nights, rough fights, and all-night prayer meetings, worked.”