A WORLD FREE OF RACISM & RACIAL INJUSTICE

“Black and Third World people are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men... The oppressors maintain their position and evade their responsibility for their own actions. There is a constant drain of energy which might be better used in redefining ourselves and devising realistic scenarios for altering the present and constructing the future.”

― Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

On Tuesday, December 1, 1955, a bespectacled African American seamstress who was bone weary of the racial oppression in which she had been steeped her whole life, told a Montgomery bus driver, “No.”

I say NO...

Blacks are NOT dangerous... Not to anyone.

Blacks are NOT disease-carriers...

Blacks are NOT subject to the whims of state violence...

Many psychological defense mechanisms come into plaay when humans try to mount excuses for actions that we want to continue despite ample evidence that we should stop.

I see this as a measure of our own inadequacies and false perceptions.

A world free of racism and racial injustice is something WE MUST ALL STRIVE RELENTLESSLY FOR TO ACHIEVE. #BlackLivesMatter

i don’t make non-writing pieces, but. only wtw-ers are going to understand this, so! fair warning here.

i’ve hit 200 followers on wtw, and, well. ha. i don’t want to get so sappy from the get-go, so enjoy this surprise! my gratitude to all these users, expressed in different ways. (and a pretty funny intermission that, if i do say so myself, you might like to read!)

pravartika, my fave brit directioner, i have a feeling you’d help me fist fight someone. and for that, i adore you. greats minds band together?

samina, thank you for making me feel brave and loved with your sweet messages, always. <3

aadit, (aka my favorite rebel son spurtsofdark) a compliment from you may not come outright, but they’re a compliment all the more.

crow_e, we may not interact much, but i have the hugest infatuation with your writing, and i believe you were one of the first people i really looked up to when i joined the site. thank you for being a source of (most likely unknowing) support!

raehyos, the most precious and talented novelist in the world, thank you for being a fellow cake enthusiast. i’d love to read more of ikara one day.

tho_nguyen, my only other vietnamese face! thank you for being a source of “home” in your writing—i appreciate you, em.

HazelTkach, aka Sena, i firmly believe we’d be a duo to be reckoned with. you’re a right delight to talk to and a brilliant girl. and an even more brilliant friend. thanks for your commentary on my insta stories, LOL.

N., thank you for being such an Intellectual TM. i feel like we’re scarily similar in the sense that we have a couple of life-situations that coincide, so your writing has always been a source of comfort for me. thank you for being an inspiration.

purplepanache, spare talent for the rest of us? thank you for blessing me with your heavenly writing and for always being so detailed in my comments. sometimes you outshine me in my own comment section. get outta here. also ily.

***A BRIEF INTERMISSION***

actual, literal things chrys has said in response to my texts/comments to her:

-can i disown you

-STOB IT

-i will not dirty my hands with your blood

-IF I HAVE TO SEE “huehue *insert bad pickup line*” EVERYTIME I SPEAK THEN MAYBE-

-i just woke up and now i wanna to go back to sleep.

-thou shalt not let oneself be seduced

-as these messages progressed, a myriad of emotions suddenly passed through my body, but the only one that stayed was exasperation

-y’all please don’t...

-do you smell that? smells like bullcrap

-sometimes i hate life

-to see without my eyes

-i’m suffering. very very hard

-shut it jade lemonade masquerade buffet

-EXCUSE ME VERBAL ABUSE IS MY LOVE LANGUAGE

-please stop

-can i just say that i spent a whole thirty seconds of my life just wondering what to reply

asta (aka my favorite piggie harem member):

thank you for blessing me with your lovely prose. you’re a whole other level of funny and i couldn’t be more glad to have found a friend in you. we’d escape to an Italian island on the spot if we ever met irl. meet me on the astral plane asta fr fr ily ily ily

jun lei (aka my one and only circe):

thank you for befriending me since the beginning and putting up with all my shyness. you’re dang talented and so full of passion that i cant help but admire you. you do things with all your heart and it SHOWS, hun. your talent is impeccable and cant be found anywhere else—and to top it off, i love u sm! you’re a great human being and an even greater friend.

chase (aka the infamous the_enclave but became a friend to me as CDWillson):

my favorite wtw/prose older brother! that’s the first time i’ve said that, and, well. there you go. you are incredibly emotionally mature (from my standpoint, at least) and i’m honored to be your snot secret sunny. thanks for letting me mess around and terrorize you and taking it in stride. i have a feeling we probably don’t agree on some things, but I Care You Nonetheless. i feel like the baby lion that jumps around biting the older lion dad who’s just taking it as best he can. thank you for your support, chase.

naomilling (aka fresh meat, my favored daughter, and simultaneously my cameo aka ex?):

you made me cry last weekend. i was looking over your profile, and then: i saw that i was the very first user you followed. do you know how much that meant to me? gosh, im so glad you stayed. you’re hilarious, so pretty, so sweet, and your writing is so so unique and elegant that i cant help but be in awe. you’re an awesome friend and you’ve always been close to my heart. thank you for being a bright light in my day, fresh meat. never stop being you.

rainandsonder: thank you for always being so kind! you’re honestly such a welcoming and warm presence, and i really do smile when i see you’ve commented on a piece of mine! you’re so genuine i’m all :’)). you’re super super talented as well!

elliem: my sestina morya sister! one of my dearest and funniest friends, aka my fart academic, ha. you’ve always been such a comforting presence to me and such a genuine person. i enjoy our talks so much! i seriously look forward to every message from you. thank you for being like a true older sister to me. north american squad LOL! let’s stay close, okay :’)?

mnemosynink: my closest friend and one of my oldest ones, chryssie! proud to be your older “brother” hehe. youre stupidly talented, and im so glad i stumbled across that post of yours that led to us talking. winged girl, thank you for being by my side throughout this entire journey. you’re a true friend to me, no matter how far apart we are, and i couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime. stay close to my side, yeah? you better!! here’s to becoming wtw legends like we discussed so long ago :’). this would be longer but you already know i love you to the moon and back!

paperbird, agustdv, and the contrarian: the chances of any of you reading this might be a little slim, since, tbh, we dont interact all that often, but you guys have been truly great inspirations to me. thank you for being such beacons of light!

anha: haHA. there was a time where i was worried about what to type to you because i was scared i’d come off as too childish. and i still kinda have it there in the back of my mind, which is a bit silly, but it’s always how i am when there’s someone i feel like i look up to. anha, you once said that popularity was a construct. and i think that’s true: though you’re adored by practically the entire wtw population, your large audience isn’t what made me admire you. i’ve wrote before in an appreciation post about all that i do adore about you, so i won’t be repetitive and type it again. but truly, anha. you really made a change in my life with your words. thank you for being such a cool older sister for me to look up to.

inanutshell: thank you for being such a comforting older sister figure :’) your comments truly made my days back then when we were both more active, and i can’t thank you enough for it. you’ve always been so kind to me, and ive appreciated it more than you know. good luck with life, yeah? don’t be afraid to check in every so often! <3

vintervejen: another sestina morya sister heheh. my gummy bear wtw wife! i’m so glad we met :DD you’re such a chaotic joy to be around and you have so much energy im like. what. is. happening. haha i adore you for it! you’re so generous and your artistic skills are undeniable. thanks for being the extrovert to my introvert, the fire to my water! you’re like a serotonin shot, seriously. my favorite polyglot!

saudade: mia!! my babie and my little wtw sister!! we’ve come so far together, and i’m so proud of you. you’re so, so kind and so happy and bubbly that whenever you comment you make me smile! you’re soooo talented and your writing never fails to blow my mind! i love it when you text me bc i know i’m always going to end up happy by the end of our conversation. always text me if you need anything, alright? i always have time for you, no matter how small it may be!

poetri: riley, gosh, where do i start? i think your writing style is honestly probably one of my favorites: it’s so concise and elegant! you’ve always been so kind to me, and everything you say always seems to come out right. also, the katniss and peeta days sure were fun, weren’t they? thank you for being somebody i could look up to when i first joined wtw!

phantastical: my (other) wife and fellow sestina morya member! anoushka, you’ve gotta know how important you are to me. i think one of the first things you said to me was “how do you usually write?” and i was like! i wanna get to know this girl! you’ve become one of my closest friends ever, and our text convos are never ever dull. i seriously look forward to messages from you! you’re so so talented, and your spirit (feminist icon heck yeah) is so admirable! stay close to me, yeah? love you, my dearest.

dmoral: last but not certainly least, my favorite of allll my older sisters on here, haha. i’m an only child, but i feel like i’d really want you to be my older sister irl. you already know how dang talented you are, but you’ve got such a magnificent personality to back it up. you’re a brilliant girl and so so so supportive! i know i can always rely on you. sometimes i worry if i’m gonna say something stupid while texting you, but our conversations are always so awesome to me. you’re seriously someone i looked up to when i first joined, and i’m honored to have your guidance. i genuinely value our friendship so much, so please! stay with me, alright? love ya, big sis.

and lastly, thank you all so much for your support. i remember when i just started out, i never really thought anyone would pay attention to me at all. and look at me now! so many dear, dear friends and meaningful relationships. the road here has been nothing short of extraordinary, and i thank you to the sun and back for your kindness and your time. 200 followers is a lot to me, and, wow. i was really happy, i won’t lie. it’s just?? 200??wow. i wrote this here bc wtw has its guidelines, yknow, and y’all deserve a more concise thank you. so from the bottom of my heart: i’ll work hard to continue being someone worthy of your attention.

later, my loves,

sunny!

I know, I know, I'm late to the party :( But I really wanted to try with the Q&A, so here goes nothing :)

1. what got you into writing?

Hmmm, what really? I guess I was always a reader/writer, and I loved, LOVE actually English in general... Since I was a tiny kid, my mom would read me bedtime stories, which I loved, and I just liked writing random compositions in general. I wanted to become an author when I was younger as well, and you could say I was mildly more advanced than most of the people in my age (this is not a flex), because my mom taught all the stuff when I was a kid, and I just loved reading hahaha. What got me writing poems, that's another story... I wanted a medium I can vent, while it sounding good and not a jumbled mess XD

2. outside of wtw/prose, who are your biggest writing influences?

Marie Lu! She is a great author, and I absolutely STAN her... her books are ONE OF A KIND, and her descriptions take you to a whole new world (yes, I am a Disney fan haha) I have read all her books (except her newest one oops), and I followed them super closely.

I love her style of writing, and some of her writings are super impactful, and I always relate to her characters, and they always inspire me...

3. what’s the significance behind your profile picture(s)?

Oh shoot, hahaha, that's just me being a hardcore stan if June Iparis... which is a character from Legend, a book by Marie Lu (bet you guys were expecting that XD). She is logical and super badass in general... That symbol basically stands fro "Prodigy", which is basically June, because she is one in the book... June is a super independent, logical, kick-ass female, not to mention she's in the military, which is where I kind of want to go. She is what I want to be, as my inspiration, and someone I really really respect and look up to... So yep!

4. top fifteen favourite books - go. (if you don’t know what exactly are your favorite fifteen, just name twenty you like.)

In no particular order,

1) Legend (The series: Legend, Prodigy, Champion and Rebel COMPLETED) Marie Lu

2) The Young Elites (The series: The Young Elites, The Rose Society, The Midnight Star COMPLETED) Marie Lu

3) Warcross (The series: Warcross, Wildcard COMPLETED) Marie Lu

4) Red Rising (The series: Pierce Brown)

5) Alanna: The Song of the Lioness (The series: Tamora Pierce)

6) I am Number Four (The series, Lorien Legacies: Pittacus Lore)

7)Throne of Glass (The book I didn't finish the series): Sarah J. Maas)

8) Shatter Me (The series: Tahereh Mafi)

9) Kiki Strike (The series: Kirsten Miller)

10) Hunger Games (The series: Suzanne Collins)

11) Renegades (The series: Marissa Meyer)

12) The Selection (The trilogy: Kiera Cass)

13) Maze Runner (The trilogy: James Dashner)

14) Batman: Nightwalker (Stand alone novel: Marie Lu)

15) Wonder Woman: Warbringer (Stand alone novel: Leigh Bardugo)

16) Catwoman: Soulstealer (Standalone novel by Sarah J. Maas)

17) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (The series: Ransom Riggs)

18) City Of Fire (Cities Trilogy: Laurence Yep)

19) Divergent (The series: Veronica Roth)

20) Carve The Mark (The series: Veronica Roth)

Dang, that took me some time... ahahahahha

5. what’s the significance behind your username?

hmmmmmm, I was finding for a nice sounding username for prose when I came here to make an account on Prose. and I wanted one with a deeper meaning I can go with, especially since I came to Prose to write and let go of my frustrations. So "Ernaline" as I've said before, means, "Battle to the Death". I wanted a name to do with death, and this name really spoke to me, because my grandmother had just died of Lung Cancer not too long ago, which was also why I really wanted to start writing, to vent, and she didn't go for treatment...she refused to go for treatment, I don't think it was because she was scared of the treatment, but I think it was because she was not afraid of death and because she didn't want her children (my mom and my uncles and auntie) to pay the hefty medical bills that would come with it, so she battled lung cancer to death. I don't really want to go into all the details, but I really look up to my grandmother, who was strong, capable (another meaning of the name, Ernaline), and very independent since she was young because she didn't come from a rich or well to do family, she started working before I started schooling, so that's also why. I didn't want the name to be totally dark... I wanted it to have this sense of power, strength, independence and Ernaline was the perfect name for me, with everything I wanted in it. (Ahhh, I'm crying now.)

6. any particularly stupid quote that you nevertheless love?

no particularly stupid quotes I think, but I have many non-stupid favourite quotes, like a lot... so I'm waaaay to lazy to type it all here, but here are some: https://theprose.com/post/361234

7. how would you define your current writing style? do you think this is your set style, or are you still evolving?

What I observed is that I like to repeat the same concept again, and again, just that in varied words (?) and improvisations, for poetry. I am trying to explore different writing styles, and I hope to expand my views on writing Poetry! I hope to be able to still evolve, and try other styles out of my comfort zone :)

8. favourite song(s)? favourite song(s) to listen to ironically?

Hmm, all those Disney songs ahahahahahahaha, Kimi No Nawa OSTs, Day by Day, All the Way My Saviour leads me, Kataomoi by Aimer, and that's about it.

9. a common writing error or trend that annoys you?

Huh, nothing I guess, okay at least not yet... okay fine, in text? people writing like this: hELlo hOW ArE yOU like sheesh stop iwhfuvbik

10. should pineapple be on pizza?

YES YES YES this is the reason why I wanted to answer the Q&A honestly, I needed to defend the beautiful existence of pineapples on pizza. SO YES, (no offence if you don't though), I LOVE PINEAPPLE ON PIZZA BECAUSE IT IS SO JUICY AND SWEET AND WARM AHHH

okay, that's it, thanks for reading, ilyasm <3

My intimate peerage of some four hundred and fifty students has reached its terminus. It has technically been two months, yet the sun has made one-third of its elliptical orbit since our last day together. For thirteen years we were, and now all that is left to say is that we once were. As we sat in dark rooms behind chipped plastic desks, before we knew anything of the volatile horizon on the other side of our cinder-block nursery, my classmates voted that I, out of the many, was the most likely to take over the world.

I do not see myself a conqueror, as they are so often on the wrong side of history. Nor do I see myself shoulder-to-shoulder with the men who inhale privilege and exhale oppression... all the while playing blind, dumb, and deaf. This world we are in has planted these thoughts as my interpretation of what it means to take over.

I saw no use in watching my own virtual graduation. I sat down at my desk and found the link to a video of some commencement speeches. I chose not to click the little blue line. What could be there that isn’t already in my mind? Life is full of unexpected problems, and we shall persevere; we are coming into the adult world now, and it is not what we expected; it is time for our generation to yield its power onto the world, and it is up to us to determine how that will happen. No high school commencement is complete without a redundant trip to the dictionary, therefore, instead of watching my own graduation, I went to Merriam-Webster.

My superlative, with its domineering connotation, implied to me that my peers had a perception of me which I found uncomfortable. To take over, as an infinitive, has three general interpretations. My inherent idea of the meaning aligns with the third: “to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right.” That is not the way I want to take over the world.

The second meaning, I found more comfortable: “to take to or upon oneself.” The exemplar use of the words put it into terms of assuming responsibility, which I can accept. If anything, as an educated adult, I do feel responsible for the world–at least my corner of it.

I relate the most to the first meaning of taking over, which was the last definition I would have thought of if not for looking at a list of definitions. This meaning is “to serve as a replacement usually for a time only.” In this case, I accept my title. In fact, it is the only title I feel worthy to accept. I do not want to be president...as that position decreases in value alongside the national debt, nor do I want to be remembered for possessing the best seventeen-year-old body, or any other thing in the back section of the yearbook for the class of 2020.

In this life, in this world, I am here to serve as a replacement for a time only. The truth is that we are all of us just temporal replacements, here for a brief minute, waiting for those who will replace us. If this is it, and it is my turn to take over the world, as many have tried and many more will attempt, I would like to let the world know that I only intend to serve you all for a time, and God willing, this blue marble will be made better by it.

Hypothetically... *looks around furtively*.... and I mean hypothetically, if I were a serial killer, I'd be just as I am... except I'd be a serial killer.

After all, nobody expects the wide eyed teenage girl who is always stuck in books to be truly present, much less kill real people. Then again, nobody checks to make sure I've actually read them either. You wouldn't know that they could read English. Or were ever teenagers. I mean honestly, do they really think I want to read an entire book about other stupid teenagers who do stupid things like falling in love? Goodness.

And getting out? No biggie. It's not hard to hang out with friends that don't exist. Who needs to sneak out of windows? Lame. And then, after the deed is done, just waltz up to your room and BAM! Alibi. Because nobody really remembers where I was, nobody really cares. And I've been working on that butt load of homework, hmm? Well, naturally it's hard work being a serial killer. I've got to work my hand off at school copying answers all lunch. What a fantastic student.

Not to mention my murder weapons. Ha! They're lying right under their noses. Papa, I'm so sorry. I was showing your gun to a guy friend and forgot to give it back. At most, a small scolding and a pat on my head. Oh, Ms. Rainsfield? Mind if I use the chemistry lab after school? It doesn't hurt to bat an eyelash or two with her either. An unlimited supply of super strong acid in the clutches of a teenage who may or may not be alone in the AP Chem classroom? What could go wrong? *bats eyelashes*

Why become a serial killer? Well first off, paid target practice with the gun! Blowing up heads is pretty cool, especially if you weren't particularly fond of them. The poison is for jobs I might possibly feel guilty about in the long run. Leave it up to providence then. After all, I'm not making them drink that cup of water on the nightstand. Then again, fate's pretty cruel too.

Besides, the black market pays well. College? Bah, I don't need to go to some stuck up school to make a decent living. I'd rather not put myself under that ginormous pile of debt only to have to live under it. Might as well sell yourself in to slavery. Me? Once I make enough dough I'm going to see the world.

Live life. Survival of the fittest, you know. Who says you have to live by society's rules? Not me, no siree.

But you know. It's not like I have it planned out or anything. I'm just one teenage girl who is so stressed by her exams she's always breaking out. Such a brilliant student, a bookworm as well! She's got her head in the clouds, couldn't have done this. Besides, there's no murder weapon. Because, y'know. This is all hypothetical.

By the way, there's a glass on my nightstand. Thirsty?

Immunity. That’s a funny word. It gives the impression that there are absolutely no effects on those who have it, those who have been handpicked by fortune and nature. It didn’t take me long, though, to realize being immune doesn’t mean freedom. It doesn’t mean impunity.

It doesn’t mean you can’t be hurt.

I stand up from the plot of grass where I’m kneeling beside my sister’s gravestone and wipe the tears from my eyes. A chill runs through my body as a breeze hits me, a bitter gust laced with the hints of a snowstorm brewing in the distance. I push my wild hair out of my eyes back behind my ear and look down the line of grave markers; there are my two brothers beside my sister, my mother beside them, my grandparents in another area of the graveyard.

My six month old daughter.

I didn’t even have enough money for a proper casket for her.

The anger surges through my veins, turning my blood to ice and making the cold November air even more intolerable. Didn’t they say children were safe? Wasn’t the plague supposed to pass by the innocent? How could my whole family be so susceptible, so ravaged by this disease, and I be so unaffected?

The doctors called it some sort of superbug, something that’s evolved far beyond our current capacity to understand. Then they studied me, and they called me an unholy incubator for the next generation of human-borne viruses. They tried to quarantine me and force me to stay in some padded, plastic bubble room, but I couldn’t let them do that. They told me I’m a danger to the public and to the people I come in contact with.

Well, that much I’m counting on.

I turn from the gravestone marked Lillian Mitchell: March 23rd, 2020 - September 17th, 2020 and make my way slowly back to my car. Well, not my car. I’m...borrowing it. The owners wouldn’t want it back anyways, not if they knew the Angel of Death had occupied it. I’m doing them a favor by keeping it.

I had to sell my own car a while ago; with all the hospital payments I was making, I had to sell pretty much everything that wasn’t nailed down, and even then I didn’t have enough money to pay the rent. My landlord ignored my pleas to wait for the life insurance money to come in, and kicked he kicked me out. Wouldn’t even give me my deposit back.

Didn’t matter anyways—the insurance money never came. The agent said there was nothing they could do because it was an Act of God, whatever the hell that means. There’s no way this disease is an act of any god I know. If infecting people and getting them killed mere days later is god-like, then I’m about to become a deity.

~

I step into the property management offices of my old complex and make my way to the office of Mr. Nate Euler. He’s sitting behind a nice looking desk decorated by an arsenal of degrees, licenses, and training certificates—the prideful sack of crap. It’s not like he’s a university professor or anything.

He turns around when I come in and rushes to put on a mask. The mask has crudely designed comic characters printed all over it; it looks like he cut out his pajamas or something to make it. I laugh internally. The fabric won’t stop anything—it didn’t with my family.

“Ms. Mitchell, I didn’t realize you’d be here. If your looking for the garbage you left behind in your apartment, I had to toss it—”

“Oh no,” I say with the most fraudulent smile I can muster. “I appreciate you taking care of that for me. I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain recently.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” he says with a scornful chuckle, though I sense him lowering his defenses. Good.

“Well,” I say, brushing my hair back with a sideways smile, a smile hidden by my own mask, of course, “I know you have a rough job and it’s been hard dealing with all the crazy cases this year. I’m sure it’s been wearing on you.”

He shrugs and sits back in his seat, his ego apparent in the way he moves.

“Yeah, for sure. It’s not as easy as you think, all the idiots I have to deal with. Whole world is going down the crapper, if you ask me. It’s probably better that your family isn’t here to see it.”

I suppress the fury that’s beating against my chest and force my eyes to maintain their indifferent look. It almost makes me throw-up to continue with what I have to say next.

“Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks for helping me through the moving-out process. If you’re free Friday next week, I’d like to take you to dinner.”

Mr. Euler widens his eyes in surprise and rolls himself in his seat closer to me.

“Well I can’t say no to that, can I?”

I grin, hoping my eyes portray benevolence rather than the burning spitefulness that’s consuming every cell of my body.

“I should hope you wouldn’t,” I say, leaning forward so close that I can see the individual blackheads on his nose. I pull my mask down and place a gentle kiss on the round, exposed part of his upper cheek, then take a flower from my bag and leave it on his desk. He doesn’t know it yet, but he won’t even make it to next week. I’ve given him much more than just that flower, a million-strong army that’s just invaded his body.

I turn to leave the room but give his desk one last look, at the pinkish flower resting by one of his trophies. It’s a shame to leave something so beautiful so close to this disgusting man. He definitely doesn’t deserve it, but I want it to be the last thing he sees before he dies. I want him to remember what brought him to Hell’s gates.

It’s a lily.

I’ve got a dozen more in my car.

1. what got you into writing?

Too many stories in my head that needed to get out. Also, there's so much beauty in words and so much beauty in life and it's such a gift to be able to unite those things together.

2. outside of wtw/prose, who are your biggest writing influences?

Oh, wow. Definitely my English teacher. She's probably the smartest person I've met, but she's not one of those annoying smart people who brags about how clever she is. She's one of those quietly intelligent people (the most intelligent.) Apart from that, Rory Power, Shakespeare, Holly Black, Lewis Carroll, and Victoria Aveyard are big ones for me.

3. what’s the significance behind your profile picture(s)?

It's the sunset on a beach I live near, and that beach is really important to me. I've been going there since I was a baby. There's never anyone there except me, so I walk there almost every day and read for hours.

4. top fifteen favorite books - go. (if you don’t know what exactly are your favorite fifteen, just name twenty you like.)

(In no specific order; you can also tell by this which sorts of books I like, so don't judge...)

1. Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard

2. Queen of Nothing - Holly Black

3. The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken

4. Wilder Girls - Rory Power

5. Truly Devious - Maureen Johnson

6. The Maze Runner - James Dashner

7. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

8. Unplugged - Donna Freitas

9. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner

10. Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

11. Invisible Ghosts - Robyn Schneider

12. Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard

13. The Death Cure - James Dashner

14. The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman

15. War Storm - Victoria Aveyard

5. what’s the significance behind your username?

Not much, to be honest. Ellie is my first name. (I mean, technically, it's not my real name, but so many people call me it that I often forget it's a nickname. I just treat it like my real name, so...) Mccul is also not my real last name, just an abbreviation of it.

6. any particularly stupid quote that you nevertheless love?

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - A. A. Milne.

7. how would you define your current writing style? do you think this is your set style, or are you still evolving?

TRASH. (I'm joking. Maybe. People get sad when I hate on my own writing so I'll just pretend I'm joking.) I think I'm always evolving and developing and trying out new styles, but I'll say this about my current style: my style for poems and fiction are very different. Generally, my poems are light-hearted, and I like to play around with their structure (I've written poems in other languages, one backwards, etc.) and my short stories/fiction style is quite dark, speckled with some jokes. At least, that's what I would say, but I don't know if others would agree.

8. favorite song(s)? favorite song(s) to listen to ironically?

My favourite artist is currently Conan Gray, but I can't choose a favourite from his songs. Also, this is a weird piece of advice, but if you're looking for a song to listen to before writing a fight/action scene, listen to "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid and/or "Believer" by Imagine Dragons. Trust me. They're really good songs to pump you up for writing a good fight scene.

9. a common writing error or trend that annoys you?

In fiction, I don't like when writers draw away from the story to give backstory. It seems unrealistic. Like, nobody goes around their day-to-day life just thinking: "Hello. My name is ___, and I am ____ years old. I have three older brothers and an annoying amount of suitors pursuing me and also my dad left and my mother is dead. Ah, but here is my school locker." We don't want an internal monologue of someone telling us every fact about them. Slip it casually into dialogue, as it would happen in real life, or give us clues (e.g. maybe they have a photograph on the mantle, but the father's face is scratched out.)

10. should pineapple be on pizza?

I'm a vegetarian, and pineapples are usually put on pizzas with meat, so I couldn't really tell you.

1. what got you into writing?

Two of my older siblings are writers and as I was growing up, they were always talking about their books and ideas so it was something I got involved in from a young age. I've been writing for as long as I can remember.

2. outside of wtw/prose, who are your biggest writing influences?

I really like James Dashner and James Patterson but I haven't followed any of their works really closely (except for the Maze Runner) and have never had a specific author I looked up to or had as a role model. One author I really admire is Pam Muñoz Ryan.

3. what’s the significance behind your profile picture(s)?

It's a pic of one of my favorite music artists but their silhouette has been switched for a cityscape. To me, it's a reminder that if they can get through what they went through, I can too. (https://pin.it/7lwLsaC)

4. top fifteen favorite books - go. (if you don’t know what exactly are your favorite fifteen, just name twenty you like.)

Jung's Map of the Soul: An Introduction - Murray Stein (not a fiction book but I love

psychology so...)

Echo - Pam Muñoz Ryan

The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner (3)

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill

All the Greys on Greene Street - Laura Tucker

Wolf Hollow - Lauren Wolk

The Maximum Ride Series - James Patterson (10)

5. what’s the significance behind your username?

There really isn't any... I've many times thought of changing it but I have nothing better so it remains Famewriter. If there was a meaning to it, I would say it was once the embodiment of my dream, to make it big in writing.

6. any particularly stupid quote that you nevertheless love?

"I'm your hope, you're my hope, I'm J-Hope." Every time I hear it it makes me smile.

7. how would you define your current writing style? do you think this is your set style, or are you still evolving?

I often tell people that my writing style is just a lot of compound sentences and that's probably how it's gonna stay honestly. I would like to evolve my writing style to a more descriptive one with stronger verbs, something I've been working on but haven't been able to get right.

8. favorite song(s)? favorite song(s) to listen to ironically?

My favorite song at the moment is Man Up (Hailee Steinfeld) followed closely by White Night (Oneus) and Stay Gold (BTS). There's more but the list is long.

Ironically, Shooting Stars by Elephante solely for the vine reference.

9. a common writing error or trend that annoys you?

When there's a bit of dialogue and the tag is an action and they use a comma instead of a period. It gives me a headache. Also, it's just a pet-peeve, but when they use italics instead of quote marks to set aside dialogue.

10. should pineapple be on pizza?

In my opinion, yes. Then, I can just make the excuse that pizza is a salad and not feel so guilty about eating it. Also, the flavor is just *chef's kiss* amazing.

#paperbirdqanda

(I keep seeing panda...)