Category: Junior Literary

Your body is not your own. It never belonged to anyone, but the crowd begs for an encore so in one final move, you rip your heart out of your chest and present it, still beating. The crowd goes wild.

Your body is not your own. It never belonged to anyone, but here you sit, sacrificing your skin to exist on raw flesh alone, and praying they don’t ask for more. You can’t sit comfortable in exposed bone.

Your body is not your own. It never belonged to anyone, but strangers gnaw on your visage like free candy, so you leave pieces at home until there was less of you to eat. Eventually, there’s too much. You don’t show up.

Your body is not your own. It never belonged to anyone, but the mirror is a cruel mistress and rather than remove its horrible face and admit defeat, you reshape. Recreate until your smile is an amalgamation and your face is something made of diamonds.

Your body is not your own. It never belonged to anyone, but the tithe you pay isn’t enough. They ask one thing of you: an offering. Down the drain of this little wooden pail goes red streams and they take it back with a smile. You’ve done your duty.

Your body is not your own. It never belonged to anyone, but still, they’ve plucked too many teeth to go back now, so all they can do is pluck out one more, say sorry, and then take their blood-soaked hand and pluck out another. They had good intentions. Truly, they did.

Your body is not your own. It never belonged to anyone, but you’ve given up too much to go back now. Your body is made of fire and ash and made to sell 0.99, your body is perfect.

Your body is worth nothing. Your body is not your own.

Quick Disclaimer, I’m currently suffering with covid in my bed so here is part three to a story blog that I wrote a few months ago. 

 

“JOHN” Otto screamed as John stomped the bottom of his worn out leather working boots upon the brake pedal. Weather from the puddle-ridden highway erupting into the air as the ambulance’s tires screeched to a halt. Now skidding across the asphalt, John’s once calm and collective demeanor now littered with thoughts of alarm and panic as they attempted not to hit the figure that stood in the road.

 

“What was that? Who was that? Why can’t I move? Why won’t I move”

 

However his inner dialogue was cut short almost immediately by Otto’s apparent audible reaction.

 

“Wha-What was that, why did it look like that. Its eyes, Jesus John it’s eyes. Do we go back for it, does it need help? John for the love of God say something.”

 

“Otto shut up, give me a minute” John interrupts, his mind racing.

 

They were plagued with silence, not because neither of them wanted to talk, but because neither of them found it within themselves to do so. All John could do was grasp the metal cross that hung from his neck and rested upon his collarbone. 

John and Otto both knew that neither of them had time for this, however they couldn’t move, a feeling of dread washed over both of them in the same manner that rainwater now washed over the ambulance. It was the type of dread that towered over them far more than the idea of any impending consequences that they might have received, and so they sat there. Seconds turned into a minute a minute turned into ten, their silence speaking louder than any scream that they possibly could have let out. It was almost as if they found themselves in a collective trance, whether it was one of their own making or not was not something that either of them were at liberty to say.

 

“Alright, we have to go,” John said as he turned the keys into submission.

 

The ride was tense, thoughts of both panic and confusion berated the minds of the EMT’s as they arrived.

 

“This is the place they said, right?” Otto asked, finally breaking the silence.

“On the dot,” John replied.

 

The house was deserted, not just by any possible residents but by any authority as well. Not a policeman or fireman in sight.

                                                            Hi Lovelies, 

                      Since I was snowed in my house with no Wi-Fi and couldn’t find any of my books I left at home, I made a decision to go through my old school bookbag until I found something interesting.  I discovered something precious, my former school English class final project.   It was an assignment to create my own art scrapbook.                                                                                                                               Listen, I know it sounds easy, but the process was actually pretty tedious and took a whole week to finish.    Why?  Well one reason is because we had to make a book cover out of paper, homemade paper.   Then, after we made the homemade paper, we had to actually make the art (poems, paintings, dot art and etc.)   I opted for poetry of course, and there was some art that I did, but I think it’s better if I show you then tell you. 

 

                               Here’s the cover I made out of homemade paper: 

         

Its contents are leaves, water, flowers, construction paper scraps and a little bit of cornstarch.   It took the whole week to dry, and after that it made me mad because the one I made broke, so I had to get someone else’s.  I didn’t mind that it was someone else’s but I worked so hard on it.  Anyway, it was really thick and kind of hard to pierce through, but we made it work.  

 

                          Here’s the second page of the book:  My Limerick Poem 

As a little chili I was happy 

Even though my hair is nappy 

Even when I slept in the tub

I still got belly rubs

Loves how this sound wacky

I tried as far as my brain would let me for a grade.   My teacher loved it, so that’s what matters, also I can see how my work has evolved.   There was also an explanation card to go with it, and the one for this poem stated: 

This Limerick poem is a funny rhyme about a cute baby who slept in tubs. 

That’s all.   That one sentence, says it all. 

 

The fourth page is my Ode to Horror Movies

Ode to Horror Movies 

The night sky is the right time 

To scream out of your mind 

It’s scary to watch a crime 

A look through twisted mankind 

Crazy how people have the brain to write 

The things that makes us faint

Some teens can contain the frightening 

Even when unreal you still shiver at the sight 

Each script is artfully quaint

All posters make it more enlightening 

You know, when I wrote this, I really thought I ate, but now I’m slightly wincing.   I like it for my first attempt at an Ode, but I will most likely revise this entirely. 

This one also has an explanation card, it reads:  

My Ode poem is catchy as it talks about my fascination with horror movies. They’re frightening and enlightening. 

Boom Chaka La, chef’s kiss.  Kidding, Kidding, I tried. 

 

The next one is my dot art for my friend Kenia, she really did not like how it turned out, but in my defense I tried. 

   

It’s safe to say that this did not turn out how I wanted it to, at all, but I gave it my best shot.  I had to get an actual picture of her, use that picture to AI generate an anime version of it, then color it in with dots.   This frustrated me so badly, but I really did not want to do the alternative portrait, so I tried this.   If you’re patient it would be fun, if you’re like me and don’t really like doing something that takes time, then think really long and hard about doing this.  

The explanation card that goes with this read: 

My dot portrait is Kenia.  Kenia is a really close friend who handed my years of friendship.  She’s goofy and sarcastic and really wanted me to do my dot picture on her. 

Yes, I actually said that.   She was cool with it, but she regretted her decision immensely. 

 

Lastly, the final page was my first abstract art.   I loved it, it really calmed me to take the time to paint and reflect. 

There’s nothing specific for this, but I tried to make an emotional ocean sunrise. 

A better explanation would be what the card reads, and it reads: 

In my abstract I have purple and yellow rain.   Purple means calm, passion, and elegance.  Yellow means peace and happiness.  The rain goes down into the rushing waves of my indecisiveness.  On the waves is a box which is unleashing my dark and light sparkly imagination.  

Sounds so beautiful each time I read it, I really put my heart into this.   At least I think I did.  

Anyway, that’s that, it was a creative final grade.  I made a hundred on it and it was kind of fun to do. 

Also, here’s what the explanation cards looked like. 

 

I cannot believe you fell for the clickbait. Kind of.

I am going to be ranking top three anime end-themes, except it’s just my personal opinion from the media I have watched. Expectedly, the songs I’ve picked are from my two favorite animes as of now! Yes, yes, I know, “Two? You have three songs; get yourself some variety.” To that I say I already have variety, especially in my ominous bone collection. Though I am very open to discovering new media, when the songs are good, they’re good. So, let’s move on, shall we? But first!

This blog includes MAJOR SPOILERS for Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Land of the Lustrous, which is also known as Houseki no Kuni. I usually refer to it as Houseki no Kuni.

If you have not checked out either of these stories and love psychological horror, phenomenal soundtracks, flavorful visuals, and absolutely superb plots, I highly recommend closing this blog in favor of watching/reading the aforementioned stories. They are incredible to go into blind.

Alright, warning given! Now we can actually get into the list.

1.                    And I’m Home (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

This song, fueled by what happened in the singular episode it played, wrecked me when I heard it. A large part of its emotional value comes from context gained via watching the series, but that isn’t to say that the song itself isn’t beautiful. The instruments and vocals itch my brain just right, and everything sounds so smooth and blue! Which is fitting, considering what the song plays for. 

And I’m Home, sung by two characters within the series- their actual characters, judging from the lyrics, voice actors, and the ending art (shown above)- plays at the end of episode 9. It’s fittingly centered around the emotions of Kyoko Sakura (VA: Ai Nonaka) and Sayaka Miki (VA: Eri Kitamura), detailing struggle but also love. Some of the lines are:

“(Duet) No matter how many times you feel that way,

there will always be warmth here.

Even if it was a mistake, I don’t care, I’ll always be by your side.”

(Content Warning: Unsubscribing to Life)

What hurts the most is that episode 9 is the episode where both of these characters die. Sayaka is transformed into another being, dying in the process, and Kyoko spends her last moments trying to call out to “Sayaka.” However, Kyoko ends up realizing it’s useless, and kills both herself and “Sayaka” at the end of a heartfelt speech. I could talk about the writing of that scene for forever- just these words don’t do it justice.

1.               Magia by Kalafina (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

The tone shift of going from Madoka Magica’s previous happy, lighthearted end theme to a guitar driven, dark, and dangerous theme is wild in the best way possible. It really highlights how the series starts off looking innocent, when in reality, it’s a psychological horror! Not to mention that this theme is foreshadowing in the best way possible. At first, it appears to be your standard dark end-theme, but when a plot twist is revealed towards the end of the series, you realize that Magia was about that plot twist the entire time. The wonderfully crafted lyrics aren’t about the main character at all- they’re about the character who was the early antagonist, what she’s feeling, and what she’s hoping for, along with the plot twist and ending. Also I go crazy for the violin and guitar in this- I really wish there were more songs who used both! Here are some of the lyrics:

“In these frightened hands of mine,

courage is made of handpicked flowers

My feelings alone are all that I rely upon,

a wish that will awaken 

the light.”

1.                           Liquescimus (Houseki no Kuni)

Wow, another song that plays after a character death! Yay… What makes it worse (better)  is that its another in-character song, sung by Phosphophyllite (VA: Tomoyo Kurosawa.) The vocals of this song feel like the embodiment of sadness, and the pacing of the instruments only adds to the sorrow. One of the things I really love about this song is that it’s in character to the events and worldbuilding of Houseki no Kuni. Character death is equivalent to being taken to the moon in this world, and in Liquescimus, Phosphophyllite sings about Antarcticite being taken to the moon. It plays over the above image- Antarcticite’s resting place- to really hurt your soul. This song also foreshadows the events of the Manga, where Phosphophyllite forgets more and more of their life, including Antarcticite. Here are some of the lyrics:

“There is now only a 

white phantom that looks like you,

shatters when it comes,

and goes off to the moon.”

So, while looking though my google docs for something to use for this week’s blogs and I thought this might make so of y’all laugh or something I don’t know. Have fun reading this, I guess.

In the future I want to be a writer. When it comes to writing you experience things on a deeper level. With S.T.E.A.M., I was able to learn beyond the mere transfer of pencil to paper.  I was engaged with critical thinking problem solving, and also tapped into my creative side of writing.  I learned how to evolve the many characters throughout the stories.  

I really enjoyed the S.T.E.A.M. program.  I enjoyed the way the teachers challenged me to think outside of the box and tap into my creativity.  I really love the experiments we did in class.  I also enjoyed the information we learned in astrocamp, get to move, and leadership class.

 

I don’t really remember what I made this for, but I think I might’ve had fun writing this, but I really need something for this week’s blog, so I put this together for y’all.

So, in the comments could y’all tell me what y’all want to do in the future I know it’s probably very cheesy, but I like learning things like this from people. 

Sorry if the blog for this week is a little boring but I didn’t really have an idea what to write. Also, it’s 4am right now while I’m writing this, and I really need to go to sleep to get a better sleep schedule for myself.

So, Oolong is another one of my favorite bands, and it’s a love-hate relationship, because,
By far, out of every band I’ve researched, they’re definitely the hardest to learn anything about haha.

So for one, they only released one album, it’s fantastic, don’t get me wrong. But only one? In three-ish years? It’s a little disappointing. Also, since they’re not all that well known, with less than 500k listeners a month. They’re underrated, but then again, their music is kind of hit or miss depending on the person.

This was one of the most troublesome bands to research. For instance, it took me two days of web browsing just to find the names of the musicians. And I’m not even sure if they’re the real names. So the band members are Vinny Colardi, Scott Lang, Sam Becht Jesse Silver, and  Matt Brando.

I couldn’t find ANYTHING on Vinny Colardi or Matt Brando and every time I searched up Scott Lang, all that came up was ant man. But I did have some luck with Sam Becht, I found his Instagram and figured out that he’s a freelance drummer who played for Oolong. I’m sure with more time and more research I could maybe stalk Sam Becht’s Instagram and see if he follows anyone with similar names to those in the band, but… That’s a lot of work.

But as far as their music goes, it’s some of the best I’ve heard. They have incredible vocals and even better instrumentals. Their album is called About Your Imaginary Friend.
Honestly, I wish they had uploaded the lyrics, because it’s more than a little difficult to make out what they’re saying when the vocalist is screaming at top volume. But I don’t have a problem with it personally. 

On one hand, I think it’s nice to listen to the lyrics because they play a story, but on the other hand, I think you can get that same emotion if you listen to the voice. The raw emotion you can feel with each syllable is incredible. That’s also why I like listening to other songs from different regions of the earth. German punk is interesting, and so is Japanese rock. I can’t understand the words, but the vocals are amazing and emotional.

So in summary, I think Oolong had the potential to be one of the best, but they haven’t released anything new since 2020. But if you want, give them a try. 

Humans are busy. Laced with the strive to become people with identities, to be more than what they were born with and they taste in their gums and their tongue, this dream to be more an individual. Oh, to be an individual who beats out the masses. Confronted with a world of identities, man-made identities, spending decades trying to carve out one of their own in hopes to find it and understand one day. To be a human without an identity is terrifying.

Humans are slippery, humans yearn for the chance to taste of something they’ve never seen before, to taste fulfillment when they’ve only got 100 years or less, and humans search all their lives in places fulfillment can’t be found. Hollowed out places with green and blood-shot red, with teeth rotting and bodies aching and the man-made contentments falsehoods routinely lounge.

Humans are born seeking security. Born into an always shaking, shuddering world, the earth under their feet can split and shudder and threaten the little solace they carry, (if they ever knew it in the first place) humans hold on. Humans live for today, fear for tomorrow, humans fear but scream and live, and humans are both the makers of their story and their own destruction.

Humans are terrified of other humans. Humans are terrified of the world around them. Humans are terrified, yet all the same, their own undoing.

Humans are. The same. There’s some point here, the point of human condition, but human condition can’t be found so much as a man from Brooklyn taking the train to the stranger on my screen I may meet one day, to someone I’ll never meet, tens of thousands miles between. We are people, the same, defined by our differences but deeply alike. It’s lonely yet invigorating.

Humans are the same, yet humans are my father, my brother, they are made of the world that makes up me. Humans are the blood and bone that make my flesh, just as they make up yours. They are the river of tears that trail down your eyes, the babble of words that falls from your lips, the little bits of humanity that trace up our skin, they are you, same as me.

Humans are.

 

So for this week’s blog, I was racking my brain trying to think of what I wanted to talk about. And while it first it was stressing me out a little bit, not just because of the fact that I couldn’t think of what I wanted to talk about, but because I had an entire christmas break to think and I was still coming up blank. However when I had that thought, the words Christmas break popped up into my head, so suddenly I found myself trying to recall the whole break to find something notable and blog worthy. And while I was thinking about that I also began to think of old topics for blogs that I had previously spoken about, and that of course brought me to one of my favorite blogs, which was my first blog. In this specific blog I spoke about the rise and the establishment of A24 production studios, however one thing I did not really get the chance to speak on, and what I had hoped to speak on in another blog. Is some of the movies from that studio. This movie is a new dramatic release that came out in December of 2023 titled, The Iron Claw.

And while I think that this is not just an incredible film, but an incredible piece of art, I think that my description would not do it the true justice that it deserves. Another factor that contributes to my decision of not giving too detailed of a description is that I do not want to spoil too much of the movie itself, so I have chosen instead to speak on the underlying messages it provides, while also giving a vague description along the way. The Iron Claw is a drama based on the true story of the prowrestling family, the von erichs. And goes through their life, capturing every agonizing, triumphant, and every other moment in between. This, personally, is what I would call the greatest sports movie of all time, maybe it is because I am a pretentious art student and this movie really isn’t even about sports, more the psychological effects of family trauma, masculinity, and death, I would say that  wrestling still plays a very large part in the movie. In conclusion, I would say that if you’re in the mood for something different, something that on the outside might seem like just a testosterone filled fever dream of a film, but proves to be much more, then I would highly recommend this movie.

ALSO- I am thinking I am either going to be touching on the film Saltburn for my next blog post, or the movie dream scenario, both movies coming out in 2023 that I found very interesting, if you would like to see one more than the other then please, I beg, tell me what you want to read about.

For today’s blog, I’m just going to share a bunch of random gibberish.

1. One time my best friend, Ava, was at my house and my mom made us blueberry smoothies and she spilled it on the couch, the floor, and my dog. We got some hand towels and started wiping it up and got most of it off the couch and floor when I got a op and started mopping the couch and floor. Then my dog walked over covered in smoothie. I looked at the dog. I looked at Ava. I looked back at the dog. I mopped the dog.
2. If you have an Amazon alexa, ask it to fart.
3. My brother’s dog, Napoleon, is a little pig. When we feed the dogs he keeps eating the other dog, Roo’s food. One time my mom caught him doing that and she yelled, “Napoleon you fat f*** quit eating Roo’s food!”
4. I was talking to my mom about Napoleon and I said “he’s a good boy” and my mom replied “did you say he’s a pillsbury doughboy”
5. When I was younger I used to hiss at my brother and his friends. I was really weird. They were scared of me. They were 2-4 years older than me.
6. I was sitting in the kitchen and my brother walked in and looked at me and said “I remember when I caught you eating that stick of butter.” I was like 6 and really liked eating butter. Apparently I had asked my mom to eat some butter and she said no and then went outside. I was alone in the kitchen. I opened the fridge, dragged a chair over, opened the butter penthouse, took a stick of butter, unwrapped it, and started eating it when my brother came into the kitchen and found me eating straight butter. If you’ve seen that girl on tiktok who puts like sriracha sauce on butter and eats it, that was me. Minus the sauce.
7. When I was about five, me, my mom, my brother, my brothers friend, and her mom went to this pizza place and while the moms were still inside paying and talking before we left, Thomas (my brother), Holly (his friend), and I went outside to Holly’s moms car and got in it and were playing around. Our moms were inside talking to the staff people for a good 15-20 minutes so we had some time to make some trouble. Note 1: None of us could drive yet. Note 2: We didn’t want to actually kill anyone. Note 3: We had access to a car and the keys. You may be thinking “Oh god they drove off and killed someone” Close but no. Thomas and Holly came up with this brilliant idea. I hid in the trunk of the car (it was an SUV so the trunk was open to the rest of the car) . Thomas was walking in front of the car as if he was crossing the street. Holly was fake driving the car. We had an amazing opportunity. We ran into the store and dragged out our moms to act out our play. I got in the trunk, Holly got into the driver seat, and Thomas positioned himself outside the car. Holly says “Y’all ready?” Thomas and I yell yes. Holly starts humming (we had all the windows down so our moms could hear everything) Thomas starts walking in front of the car talking about how it’s a beautiful day. Holly goes “Oh no! A person! *BANG*” and Thomas fake falls as if he’s been hit by a car. Holly says “OH-” I stay silent. Holly says, “I said OH-” I stay silent. Thomas stays dead. Holly says, “GEORGIA” and I said “oh, SH**!” and our moms died laughing. Holly wasn’t allowed to curse so she had me do it for her.