Category: Junior Literary

This pass Saturday marked the 8th year anniversary of the most horrid events in history. For those who are unaware, a ferry traveling from Incheon to Jeju sunk, killing about 325 people, around 250 were high school students. While researching this event, I found it very disheartening to watch students making final videos and distressed “I love yous” to their loved ones while also reading some of the letters written by parents years after. Birthed from this tragedy was a sort of rebellion against those in charge. One of the things I found most disgusting was how the entire situation was handled by those in charge of the ship, the government, and the coast guard.

It is important to mention the culture around authority in South Korea. As an observer, and eager learner I think it is important to note the culture and give a respectful glance into situations such as these, while also honoring the people. That being said, in South Korea, it is very common to honor those who are older than you or those who are of higher rank. However, that very culture is still being questioned because of this tragedy. Since then, there have been multiple protest against the former Korean president, which resulted in her impeachment. From looking at numerous interviews of parents, one thing that has been consistent was their regret from telling their children to listen to those in charge. The captain and a few crew members ordered the students to stay in their cabinets as they made their hasty escape. It is horrifying to know how many lives could’ve been saved because of this selfish decision.

Media’s Call to Action

I initially learned of this issue through a very popular South Korean drama titled, All of Us Are Dead. This show is about zombies, but it proves to be much deeper than that. It touches on topics similar to this tragedy by showing the struggle students had with authority figures in the show. One quote that stood out to me the most was, “I don’t trust the ones in charge anymore.” It’s not a direct quote, but it still holds so much power. Much like the students on the ferry, the kids in the show were given horrible directions and were forced to fend for themselves, the government never lending a hand to help. 

There was also another aspect I really liked about this show. To always remember those who were lost in this tragedy a yellow ribbon is used to symbolize what happened. In the show, yellow ribbons were used as a guide for the students to navigate their way through a forest. This was a sure connection between the two and I really love that they paid homage to that.

Though this event is not common knowledge in America, I do believe it is up to us to always remember what happened on April 16,2014.

So, this will be a short one, but a heartfelt one. 

In conversations had recently with a new friend (Daisy), I’ve found a new and somewhat renewed appreciation for the moon. All throughout my life, I’ve looked up with fondness to the night sky; the key difference, however, is that I was always looking to the stars. The moon was a simple fixture that I looked at with slight fondness on my way to the stars. 

Now, however, I find myself infatuated with her. The moon is now hands down the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I look forward to her nightly changes with glee. It’s an amazing cycle I count myself lucky to observe. 

A quote me and Daisy liked; “Name me a poet who isn’t drunk on the moon, and I’ll name you a man who lies about being a poet.” 
-Elliot 2022

That’s all for this week! Your homework: go appreciate the moon! 

See you next week! 

Sincerely, someone who’s inner child still wants to be an astronomer. 

As I sit in this classroom with my peers all around me, I wonder if they even have a clue about what goes on in my mind. I’m going to be honest here, I rarely ever am just sitting with an empty mind. Most of the time when I appear to be calm or lost in thought, I am actually soaring through the sky as a bird or making a whole story about how I am a celebrity. I figured that now was the perfect time to share one of the daydreams I frequently enter. Now, I am going to warn that this is probably the most boring daydream you’ll ever hear of, but it’s what keeps me going, so it’s the one I have chosen to share. 

Anyways:

I sit at my desk. My legs are achy, and my back is stiff, but I wouldn’t trade this seat for the world. I’ve worked for years, and it’s finally paid off. A stack of papers ten inches tall is piled on my desk next to the pictures of family and random sticky notes with reminders. I’m writing. 

The confirmation draft for the second book in my series needs to be sent in by Tuesday of next week, but I am not worried. I’m lost in a whirlwind of characters, words, plot lines, and settings. Writing comes easy to me. I sit down each day and lose myself, but I am always drawn back. The words spilling out of my mind are like an anchor, and as each word appears in front of me on the page, a certain relief is felt. A weight is lifted. 

I write and write and write. I look at the time. End of the day. It was a successful day. I feel fulfilled. I’m not worn out by my day-to-day job; I’m energized. I feel motivated at the end of the day to start again tomorrow. To continue on with the same passion that I started with years ago. 

I have no idea why the title is so long.

 

Anyway! Good morning/afternoon gamers! I have absolutely NO idea what I am writing right now. I forgot to take my meds and I am THRIVING. Well, I guess. I’m in my English 3 class with absolutely nothing to do because I’m amazing and finished all the work for basically the entire week the day it was assigned (I know, I know, I’m the best).

So I’m just doing this. Typing. Pitter patter. Tip tap. Scrimblo burnimblo. Keyboards don’t make that sound. I just thought it looked/sounded funny. (It did). I’m kind of hungry right now, not going to lie. I think for lunch I am going to eat rice, which is my favorite food of all time ever.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. Mostly about the tropes utilized by different media and how they elicit a specific reaction using vocal and auditory cues. I’m not going to talk about that though. It’d be too “normal” of a blog. Well, no it wouldn’t. I just don’t want to write about it.

There has GOT to be something else I can do right now. No. There isn’t. I am out of things to do. Yay.

Have you seen $1? Here is a picture of him:

That is all. 

Good day.

greetings, all. i come to you this week with a blog for which inspiration struck me super randomly. i was thinking about jane austen, as i often do, and admiring her heroes, as i often do. my mind drifted to colonel brandon and mr. darcy, and i thought of them fondly. this, of course, led me to think of the heroines– elinor, elizabeth, marianne, and emma, to name a few. i thought about how beautifully austen crafted their stories and how each character contributed to the endings of her stories.

these ruminations led me to think of something less pleasant– austen’s villains. the first to come to my mind was the one i believe to be the most lecherous and vile–willoughby from my personal favorite austen work, sense and sensibility. even typing his name makes me cringe. i have this visceral hatred for that character, and i found myself wondering why. at first, of course, i attributed it to my love for marianne dashwood and the wrong he had done to her. i’m supposed to hate him, i thought, he is, after all, a villain. however, my brain chose to do what it always does–linger on things of little or no importance. i started to question myself about this character of willoughby and why my disdain for him is so potent.

that’s when i realized it–i hate willoughby because i know willoughby. i know exactly the type of character he is and how his mind works. in fact, i know people like him in real life. i remember when i first read the book and saw the dramatic film depiction, i thought to myself, marianne is a fool! she’s losing her mind over this guy, and for what? i couldn’t wrap my head around what made her so heartbroken over a seemingly average guy. then, i remembered…i, too, have been “willoughbyd”. i, too, have put my hopes in poetry and dark hair and dreams, and it has caused me suffering, just as it did marianne.

it occured to me that at some point, nearly everyone has experienced some sort of heartache associated with a person who continually lets them down. nearly everyone has a willoughby in their life. that one person that you think the world of, defend always, and devote yourself to blindly. that person who deceives you, humiliates you, maybe even ruins you if you let them.

so, the jane austen method of overcoming this crushing disappointment? don’t let them. don’t let the willoughbys and wickhams of life ruin your hope for the future. instead, look forward to what is ahead. rather than being bogged down by the heartache of your past, learn from it, and move on wisely. maybe there will be a darcy or brandon or ferrars in your future. if not, you will still have the value of your experiences. as the brilliant elinor dashwood would say, “know your own happiness.”

’til next week, please enjoy this out-of-context sense and sensibility moment that made me chuckle <3

Hello and welcome back to my blog! This week I’ll be going over one of my newly favorited Tv series that I’ve watched with my brother Ethan. We have many marathons to watch DC or Star Wars or something. Anyways, lets get into it.

The most recent one we watched was last weekend and it was Peacemaker. It is easily one of the funniest DC projects to exist on streaming services. It stars JOHN CENA and one the biggest things it accomplishes is being able to cover many different themes and social issues while also being able to have a consistent storyline with interesting characters and comedic continuity. Below you can find the opening sequence. I strongly advise you to view. Thank you.

Anyways, I am so thankful for being able to watch all these projects and spend this time with my sibling, and I am so thankful to you all for reading and have a wonderful week. <3

The Solomon Archives is a collection of books, of which there are a total of thirteen. They contain truths about our reality that almost always result in a loss of life upon reading. Different excerpts have been noted to have different effects, as chapter seventeen of the fifth book will induce “The Always” onto the reader. The current mortality rate for the Archives is unknown.

The following is the only portion of The Solomon Archives that is not inherently fatal to read. While this is much safer compared to other excerpts, there are still side effects. For example, this excerpt has been noted to induce heavy nausea, a sudden immensely painful migraine, temporary amnesia, hallucinations that vary in severity depending on how much was read, the inability to sleep without having nightmares, loss of sight, loss of hearing, loss of ability to speak, and an inability to perceive certain aspects of reality as intended for humans. It, at one point, was incomprehensible, but with some work was translated into a readable format.

Book 7 – Chapter 43 – Excerpt 972//

Continuing from what was stated in the previous chapter, the mortal universe, also known as “Universe 89-B1-17”, had been relatively devoid of any multiplanar beings, and the inhabitants remained non-lucid until the events with ////////////. As a result, there is now a high frequency of multiplanar beings, many of which have become a part of their mythos. I have been led to believe that they will begin to awaken true lucidity in the span of less than three billion years(this was translated from a word resembling Aeon). 

The effects of this pre-awakening stage have been interesting. Often resulting in the formation of something that they refer to as “witchcraft” or “magic”. People that have these abilities tend to be those who are closer to awakening compared to others by around one thousand years, varying between individuals. There has also been a spike in religious activity, and a growth in violence in regards to denial of an individual’s beliefs. 

//////////////

This was the only non-fatal portion that was found in the Archives, while it’s rather short, further reading has resulted in a 100% mortality rate with all readers. Unfortunately, we have not found a way to prevent this as of yet, we hope to provide a full translation with minimal detriments as soon as possible.

Please note, if the feeling of being watched becomes prevalent post-reading, please avoid all mirrors, windows, electronics, water, and, if possible, find shelter in a church or other religious institution. Likewise, if you are still capable of hearing, listen carefully for any odd breathing. It may feel like your own, but it isn’t. If you ever seem to lose your shadow, stop moving, and hope that it lets you go.

The remainder of the information regarding The Solomon Archives can be found in the following: 39-7-14, 60-2-7, and 100-13-1

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! Today we’re changing things up. Emma and I have decided to collaborate on our blogs for this week. I will be ranking her top five actors and she will be ranking mine. Without further ado…

BASED ON VIBES ALONE and most of these comments are jokes!!!! 

5. Richard Gere

Her number five, my number two… but I think we can all agree that he just has timeless charm. I could talk about Dick here forever. I will make the sandwiches and I will clean the kitchens, just for him (laugh mom.) Julia Roberts is one lucky lady though, she’s in like two movies with him. He gives off good vibes too! I mean he doesn’t have perfect teeth. Who in Hollywood doesn’t have perfect teeth? The good ones. For example, Zendaya. Now, lets get to the rating.

Then: kicking my feet because I love you/10

Now: let me help you cross the street to your billionaire mansion because I love you/10 

4. Colin Firth

From Bridget Jones’ Diary to What A Girl Wants, this guy has been the most proper and polite gentlemen to ever wander the silver screen. I can definitely see the appeal but I wouldn’t say that he’s my type. He does have a nice smile though.

Then: approachable teddy bear from England/10

Now: Those sweet Queen of England cheekbones/10

3. Harrison Ford

The wittiness of Han Solo and the charm of Indiana Jones? I think yes. I have to commend Emma right now because he is just a gem. He’s always been one of my favorite actors because he’s played some of my favorite characters, and he hasn’t been in much controversy so I am a-okay with this one.

Then: Han Solo/10

Now: Chewbacca (in a good way)/10

2. Kyle Maclachlan

Here we go… Emma just sat here for ten whole minutes trying to find a decent picture of this man. HE DATED LAURA DERN. He looks like he would listen to someone rap over classical music. Emma said he doesn’t need fixing so I guess we’ll roll with that. I am not a fan of beards, so he passes that test too. He looks intelligent as well, so we’re gonna roll with those vibes and say…

Then: Chandler Bing/10

Now: someone that still doesn’t need fixing/10

1. David Duchovny

EMMA HAS A CARDBOARD CUT OUT OF THIS MAN… and you know what? I approve of that message. He looks like he would be my moms favorite if she knows who he is. She might, I don’t know I never really asked. Anyways, he gives off pretty okay vibes. 

Then: IS THAT LEONARDO DECAPRIO?!!/10

Now: I would avoid eye contact if I saw him at cracker barrel/10

Thank you all for reading this week! I hope you enjoyed it and I’ll see you next week. <3

hello, everyone, and welcome to this week’s blog! this is a pretty neat one, as it’s my first collaboration with another literary! this post is the brain child of me and the wonderful locklyn! we decided that since we share a love of movies, we’d write about each other’s favorite actors and “rank” them. before i begin, though, i’d like to make a not that these ratings are based on vibes alone! this is not meant to be serious or harmful in any way! just silly literary/media gals doing what silly literary/media gals do <3

5. johnny depp

i love this man! he’s in tons of my favorite movies, from benny and joon to edward scissorhands. he dated my favorite person ever, winona ryder, and was close friends with river phoenix, whom i love dearly. johnny holds a special place in my heart for sure, so this rating is pretty simple for me.

then: winona ryder’s soulmate/10

now: deserves better/10

4. robert downey jr.

ahhhh, i adore rdj! he’s such an amazing actor and inspiring guy. it doesn’t hurt that he also happens to be incredibly good looking. though i always see him as iron man, his performance in less than zero is heartbreaking and definitely worth a watch if you enjoy ugly crying.

then: spare a hand in marriage?/10

now: again…spare a hand in marriage?/10

3. ryan phillippe 

to be honest, i’m not super familiar with this one. i recognize him mostly from cruel intentions, in which he’s utterly amazing; and, i trust locklyn’s taste, so i’m assuming he’s wonderful! also– he doesn’t age. like, at all. so, kudos to him for that.

then: i see why reese witherspoon likes you/10

now: fountain of youth/10

2. richard gere

i could talk about this man for HOURS. like, don’t test me. God really outdid Himself with this one. he’s, like, the best looking guy ever, and a good actor, too? save some for the rest of us, richard. or don’t. whatever you want is fine with me. this is an excellent example of my taste and locklyn’s being immaculate and matching <3

then: jealous of julia roberts/10

now: still jealous of julia roberts/10

1. christian slater

eeeeeeeeee time to talk about another one of my all-time favorites! the thing with this blog is that so many of my picks were the same as locklyn’s, so i did have to adjust a bit, and i ultimately decided to forgo putting christian on my list so i could just talk about him here! he’s been one of my favorite actors since i was a kid. i remember searching through every streaming service, looking for every movie he’s ever been in. look, i even watched an episode of phineas and ferb specifically because he had a small voice acting role. i was down bad. i still am, tbh. everything about this dude–the hair, the eyes, the voice. yeah. just…yeah.

then: lovelovelovelovelove/10

now: you should narrate audiobooks/10