NSA Wiki - User contributions [en]

Acronyms, Faces, and Asterisks Explained

2026-05-27T07:02:47Z

Mark H: fixed grammar and added acronyms

(Credit: Shalom Cross; NSA Alumni) Hey everyone! :D As per my ideas and a few requests, the welcome committee of NSA has produced a guide to some of the more common acronyms and faces, as well as explaining some mechanics of asterisks. So without further ado, I give you:

== Acronyms, Faces, and Asterisks Explained ==

=== Acronyms ===
General rules of thumb: Acronyms can be spelled with capital and/or lower case letters, and both will mean the same thing, though spelling in capitals may add emphasis (e.g. LOL might mean you're laughing harder than a regular lol).

Organized alphabetically by first letter.

'''A'''

ASAP - As soon as possible

'''B'''

BRB - Be Right Back

BTW - By The Way

'''C'''

'''D'''

DF - Deskface (a more extreme version of FP and FD, see F section, but with picking up the desk and bashing it over your face)

[[Diafogl|DIAFOGL]] - Disappear in a flash of green light. Or you can substitute green for the color of your font.

DM - Direct Message

DW - Don't worry

'''E'''

EOYA - [[End of the Year Awards|End Of the Year Awards]] (to EOYA something is to save a quote or chat to put in said awards)

EOYD - End Of the Year Dance (also with VD - Valentines Dance)<ref>Alas, this famed festivity is no more. The first year I came to NSA, (2021,) I ''think'' I remember it being announced. But, by 2022, it was discontinued for reasons unbeknownst to me.</ref>

ES - Elementary School

'''F'''

FP - Facepalm (putting your hand to your face after witnessing a case of extreme stupidity)

FD - Facedesk (same as a facepalm, but bashing your head against a desk as well)

FTH - Flying Tackle Hug (pretty self-explanatory)

FTW - For The Win (indicating that something is awesome, e.g. COOKEHS FTW!!!)

FYI - For Your Information

'''G'''

GTG - Got To Go (indicating someone has to leave)

G2G - A variant of GTG

'''H'''

HFC - [[Hudson Fan Club]]

HJ - Half Joking

HS - Highschool (Adding -er to the end indicates a person is in that grade level, i.e. HSer = Highschooler. See also "MS")

'''I'''

IA - Interest Areas

IDC - I don't care

IDK - I don't know

ILY - I love you

ILYSM - I love you so much

IM - Instant Message

IMO - In My Opinion

IMHO - In My Humble Opinion

'''J'''

JK - Just Kidding (alt. Joking)

'''K'''

K - abbreviation for ok (okay).

KOTOOMP - Knight Of The Order Of Many Posts (a full fledged member of the NAAT)

'''L'''

LMK - Let Me Know (i. e. lmk)

LOL - Laugh Out Loud

LOTR - Lord Of The Rings (not necessarily an NSA acronym, but still commonly used)

'''M'''

MS - Middleschool (Adding -er to the end indicates a person is in that grade level, i.e. MSer = Middleschooler. See also "HS")

'''N'''

NAAT (also TNAAT) - The Noble And Ancient Thread (an email thread in the highschool interest areas that has tens of thousands of posts.)

NSA - NorthStar Academy (we hope you knew that one already...)

NM - Not Much (Used in conversation, e.g. "What's up?" "nm, you?")

NP - No Problem, Nuke Palm

NVM - Nevermind

'''O'''

OMW - Oh My Word (typically used as a replacement for "omg," which typically isn't used very often)<ref>Using the Lord's name in vain is generally frowned upon at NSA, and I think that's the reason for this occurrence.</ref>

OMC - Oh My Cow

OMJ - Oh My Josh (not commonly used)

'''P'''

PFP - Profile photo

PM - Personal Message (same as DM)

'''Q'''

'''R'''

RIC - Rolls In Confetti (less common... much less >_>)

RIP - Rest in Peace (or Rest in Pieces u_u)

ROFL - Rolling On Floor Laughing

'''S'''

SC - Student Council

SL - Storyline (which is basically a story co-written by two or more students)

sfp* - (Sign for pity)

'''T'''

TGT - Together (not really an acronym)

TTYL - Talk To You Later

TTFN - Ta Ta For Now (variant of TTYL)

TY - Thank You

TYSM - Thank you so much

TYVM - Thank you very much

TNX - Thanks (variants include tx, thx, tnx, thnx, etc.)

'''U'''

'''V'''

'''W'''

WB - Welcome Back (commonly used when someone says BRB, see above, and then comes back)

WTV - Whatever

'''X'''

'''Y'''

'''Z'''

=== Abbreviations on Profile Name ===
StuCo - Student Council

Ad Co - Advertising Coordinator

Club Co - Club Coordinator

CC - Content Creator

Pres - President

Rep - Representative

Sec - Secretary

VP - Vice President

WCL - Welcome Committee Leader

=== Faces ===
General rules of thumb:

-With almost all faces, you need to use the context to determine the exact meaning. Just like in real life, some people may make certain faces to mean different things. All definitions, then, are general.

-Almost every face has certain variants that mean more or less the same thing, we'll try to cover them all, though.

-Also as a general rule of thumb, if you don't see an actual face, tilt your head to the left, and you should then be able to.

-In almost every case, the equals sign "=" can be used to replace the colon in faces.

==== General faces and variants: ====
xD - one of the most common faces; it means either laughing, smiling, or being amused in some way.

Variants – Xd XD xDD XDD (any number of Ds at the end, really. All mean more or less the same thing)

<nowiki>:</nowiki>) - smiley face, use when happy.

Variants - :] c: C: :} etc. (really anything that has two eyes and a smile counts as a smiley and means about the same thing)

P - sticking out tongue (not in a bad way!). It can be used to indicate amusement, a shrugging face, a lot of things, so use context.

Variants - :P :p :b d: q:

x) (also X) - giggling smile; awww-ish smile (e.g. "That's so cute! x)" use varies depending on user)

<nowiki>:</nowiki>3 - Cute face, cute smiley (use context)

<nowiki>:</nowiki>( - frowny face, use when sad.

Variants - :[ :c :C 3: etc. (about the negative equivalent of a smiley, anything with two eyes and a frown)

Dx - the reversed Dx, it's basically a wailing face

D: - Slightly distressed face (e.g. Aww, you have to go now? D:)

<nowiki>:</nowiki>/ - melancholy face, used mainly in "aww, ok..." kinds of situations, including feeling sorry for someone

Variants - :/ :\ :|

>:/ - Stumped/thinking hard face (known as the epic-thinking-face)

Variants - >:/ >:\ >:|

<nowiki>:</nowiki>O - Surprised face, a dude with his mouth wide open.

Variants - :O :o O: o: :0 0: \OoO/

===== Winking faces: =====
The semi-colon ";" is used in faces to indicate a wink.

<nowiki>;</nowiki>) - winking face

<nowiki>;</nowiki>D - big-smile-winking-face (both wink faces can [but do not necessarily] denote a joke or flirty statement)

>;D - Sort of like the big-smile-winking-face, but with slightly eviiill intents (see below).

===== The > faces. =====
The greater than sign ">" is commonly added onto emoticons to imply eviiiilness or denote anger.

>:) - eviiil smile

>:( - Angry face

>8) - Crazed eviiiil smile (also, mad-scientist-with-goggles-face)

>:D - exaggerated version of the >:) face, can also be an evil-bad-guy-laugh face)

>8D - Same as >:D, but crazed.

There is a difference between "evil" and "eviiiil." Evil, with one 'i,' means the absence of good, as you know. Eviiiil, on the other hand, is pronounced "eeeevil," and it means clever or cunning.

==== Vertical faces: ====
Vertical faces are faces that... are... vertical. Basically, you don't have to turn your head to see them

@_@ - varies with context, basically a dude with huge eyes, it can indicate frustration, an intense situation, intense focus, crazed-face, sometimes hypnotized... really use context.

T_T - a sad face, i.e. tears streaming down face.

^_^ - A happy face, typically cheery and innocent

-_- - a glaring face, sometimes dissapointed and *fp*-ish

e_e - rolling eyes

x_x - indicates pain or death, sometimes both (also X_X)

^_^* - Indicates a cheerleader. The asterisks (*) indicate pom-poms, so they can be added around any horizontal face for an... interesting effect (e.g. *u_u* *-_-* *n_n*). Any number of underscores (_) can indicate fat or obesity (i.e. a fat cheerleader would be *^____^*)

p_q - a face which means you're holding binoculars (usage ex; "*stalks you* p_q")

._. - Viewed mostly as a timid face. (Also see ".-.")

.-. - Viewed sometimes as a timid face, and sometimes as a "._." face.

>_> and <_< - shifty eye faces, basically meaning you're looking to the side. It can just mean you're looking around the room, used after a sarcastic statement, maybe after something awkward, you really need to just get used to the context surrounding it. (also >.> and <.<)

>.< - wincing face

o_o - surprised/scared/shocked (meaning intensifies with bigger ellipses: O_O and 0_0 [periods can be used in place of underscores as well])

o_O and O_o - confused or questioning face (also o_0 0_o [periods can be used in place of underscores])

<3 - not a face, but this indicates a heart (tilt your head to the right)

===== The U_U faces: =====
These faces are normally the hardest to describe and understand, thus they have their own section. To really understand the meaning of them, though, you have to experience them in action, and analyze them in context. Good luck, reader.

====== [[Marissa Mathews]]' guide: ======
U_U and V_V - these faces typically denote sarcasm, mock seriousness, or real seriousness. Sometimes used after a command of some sort. (i.e. "Go to your room! U_U" or "Be quiet! V_V") Seriousness or graveness of speech ex.: "We have gathered today to discuss grave matters. U_U" Mock seriousness ex.: "He died just now. U_U"

u_u and v_v - most commonly used after a sarcastic remark (i.e. "Yes, I'm blue with pink stripes and green polka-dots. u_u"); sometimes used as an in-your-face or I-told-you-so face (ex. "I knew it! v_v")

u_U, v_V, U_u, and V_v - sarcastic questioning faces (i.e. "Are you sure about that? u_U" or "So you went outside, and suddenly elephants trampled your house, and so you can't do school now? v_V"); sometimes accusatory (ex. "Who stole my cookies? V_v"); sometimes defensive (i.e. "I certainly didn't steal your cookies. U_u")

====== [[Shalom Cross]]' guide: ======
The u_u face is a face of many different uses, many people cannot put an accurate definition on it. Neither can I, but I will attempt to describe its uses.

General Uses:

General usage of the u_u face is a solemn face, or a mock solemn face. I also like to describe two uses as both a "I-told-you-so" and "Can't-touch-this" faces, but those are personal usage.

Specific Uses:

u_u: The u_u face is the most common of the u_u family, and it a general u_u face, that could really mean any one of the u_u definitions.

U_U: Both capital Us, the U_U face gives an appearance of a slightly more prideful/noble u_u face.

u_U/U_u: This variant of u_u face is considered incorrect by some, but considered to have a different use to others. I might use it to be both a solemn face and a questioning face (such as with a raised eyebrow) at the same time.

The u_u faces change frequently with context and the meanings are frequently combined, so refer to that to see which of the definitions and combinations of definitions it is.
[[Category:Library]]
[[Category:Dictionary]]

Lets Count

2026-05-26T05:12:10Z

Mark H: updated

Thread series in the HS Courtyard.

Started by [[Shelli Selby]], "Lets Count" was a thread in which people (mostly) counted up (the original thread started at one (presumably- I will not be verifying this))<ref>It did start at one, unless my memory absolutely fails me. I watched it for a while, and then got involved around 400. -[[Owen Behrens|Owen]]</ref> and counting one number per message, with no person going twice in a row. (mostly)

== History ==
The original thread simply had the title of "lets count" and was posted on September 12th, 2022. After quite a few messages, it started to get very laggy. If you went to notifications in teams, and the top one was a reply in the counting thread, it would crash teams, if not your whole computer. So, Shelli created a new thread called "Lets count: CONTINUED" on 4/10/23. However, that thread eventually experienced the same problem with lag. Since Shelli Selby had since left NSA, [[Hallie Griffin]] took up the mantle and created a thread called "Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued" on 10/15/23. At the beginning of 2024, that thread also began to lag significantly. It lagged so much that the participants started talk of making a new thread. On February 3, 2024, [[Jacob Grady]] started a new thread called Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again. After a little over a month, [[Isaac Rivers]] decided that Jacob's thread had become too laggy, and so he made a new thread, Lets Count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two. [[Hannah Robbins]] soon got fed up with the lag (recurring theme?) and so she made Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three. Yet again, [[Isaac Rivers]] got tired of the lag, so he made Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four. By this time, Teams had updated and the lag no longer happened, which is why the latest thread has the most replies.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+List of Threads
!'''Name'''
!'''Date posted'''
!'''Number of messages sent'''
!'''Number of participants'''
!'''Number counted to'''
|-
|lets count
|9/12/22
|4183
|79
|3610
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED
|4/10/23
|3121
|72
|6533
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued
|10/15/23
|2621
|50
|9073
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again
|2/3/24
|3544
|47
|12061
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two
|3/13/24
|1965
|31
|13961
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three
|5/13/24
|2830
|18
|16757
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four
|7/4/24
|16912
|94
|32539
|}
''(Update as needed. Last updated 5/26/26 at 12:11 am CST, by Mark Huang.)''

== Trivia ==

* In my research into the origin of the thread to fact-check this article, I stumbled across a thread posted by Shelli Selby called "lets count again." It was posted on 1/17/23, apparently because the original thread had died off. However, it only got 122 replies, and didn't seem to have much significance. The thread started over from one, and reached 63. Many of the numbers were sent as GIFs. After 63, Shelli said "i only made this one because i couldn't find the other one but now i did find it so the first one is my main focus XDD"
* On 11/7/22, [[Daniel Simmons]] posted a thread titled "LETS COUNT BACKWARDS" It started at 2048, since that was the last number in the normal counting thread. It only reached 1035 before people lost interest. The last message was sent on 11/12/22. It had 24 messages from 7 respondents.
* One interesting thing about these threads is the number of reactions they get. For example, the original "lets count" thread had 30 reactions, of 13 different types. "Lets count: CONTINUED" had 39 reactions, 23 of which were the infinity emoji. "Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued" had 24 reactions with the infinity emoji. (this might be a [[Records|record]] for most reactions on a post? I'm not sure.) This is not the largest amount of the ''same'' reaction for one post. A post made by [[Asher Stewart]] obtained 35 laughing emojis, and one heart emoji.
* The record for the most number of numbers posted in a short period of time was set by [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Jacob Grady]], when they posted a combined total of 534 numbers in ~37 minutes.<ref>(If you have a recorded instance of larger amounts in the same time, please edit this)</ref>
* At 8:49am CST on 2/8/2024, the counting thread (Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again) reached its first five-digit number, 10,000. [[Isaac Rivers]] sent the message.<ref>[[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe Nelson]] claims that his computer shows that he sent the message first. However, I haven't seen any screenshots of this, so unless I do I'll say that Isaac got it - that's what my computers all show, and I've seen multiple screenshots of the same.</ref> To accomplish this feat, [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Jacob Grady]] sent a whopping 534 numbers in ~37 minutes.
* At some point around two thousand, they began counting backwards - I'm not sure if that is true, or if it is, when they turned around again and started going forwards.<ref>Confirmed by [[Samuel Grady]]: After 2082, [[Keene Elkins]] jumped to 2100. [[Sunda Schwertfeger]] then proceeded to count backwards (probably to correct the jump). Then, after a few hundred backwards-counting messages, the counting continued forwards as normal (is there anything normal at northstar?), with some mild confusion to those who saw this afterward.</ref>
* Lets Count BY SEVENS was a thread created by [[Isaac Rivers]] on May 1, 2024. It was based on the popular "Lets Count" thread, and has all of the same rules, with one exception: you have to count by sevens.
* Lets count BACKWARDS was another thread that [[Isaac Rivers]] made, posted on May 14, 2024. It started at -1, and is at -2426 as of 9/13/24.
* Let's count- BY PERFECT SQUARES! :D was a thread that [[Rachel Hinds]] made on May 17, 2024.
* At 8:57am CST on 9/23/2024, the counting thread (Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four) reached 20,000. [[Jacob Grady]] was the one to send it, with help by [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Sarah McClure]]. Less than a year later, at 7:59 AM CST on 7/26/2025, the same thread reached 30,000. This time [[Esther Yang]] sent the number, with help by multiple people.
* [[Fromage]] counting thread: On 9/30/24, Asher Pratt posted the following:<ref>see [[Fromage]]</ref><blockquote>F R O M A G E GUYS AND GALS were gonna put a number then put fromage after the number. Its like counting but better and with fromage</blockquote>The most recent reply:<blockquote>95 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀</blockquote>
*On May 5, 2025, Taylor Trombley posted "'''Lets Count! With A Twist!''' With your number, you have to relate it to something with that number. Whether a sport number, model number, or something else, it doesn't matter, it just has to be related to something. If you don't know of anything, then just ask chat or something." Some replies were more creative than others.

== MS Counting Thread ==
On 2/5/24, 7th grader Tripp Tamayo posted a thread in the MS Courtyard titled:

'''"Continue counting until 1000 i changed 10,000'''

baaaaaahhhhhhh

(GIF of minecraft Alex and Steve)

I need to write smth soooooo baah?"

''I think this truly embodies the difference between middle school and high school'' ._ . Anywayyy, the middle school counting thread started at one, and it currently at 30027. There have been 2084 replies from 28 participants. ''(as of 6/24/24 at 4:07 pm UTC+8, last updated by Mark Huang)'' However, this thread does nOT have the unspoken rule that one person isn't allowed to send more than one message in a row, so there are many instances of the same person counting up three or more numbers in a row<ref>Word from [[Ha-earl (Evan) Cho|Evan (Ha-earl) Cho]]: "Well Tripp said to count, not count by one"</ref>. In fact, the MSers started counting with multiple numbers in one message, with one message counting from 16504 to 20000. However, I don't think any numbers have been skipped.

Edit: the Counting Thread revived on June 21st, 9am CST, when [[Mark Huang]] "bumped" the post. The new goal is 50,000, set by [[Tripp Tamayo|Tripp Tomayo]].

==Notes==
<references />

[[Category:Groups, Chats, and Threads]]

End of the Year Awards

2026-05-23T02:22:31Z

Mark H: Added 25-26 EOYA results

__TOC__

The End of the Year Awards (aka EOYA) are an annual event at NSA. These are given by peers voting on certain sections.

Some examples of categories included are:

-Most Active

-Most likely to reaction spam

-Most likely to succeed

-Cutest couple

-Most likely to take over the world

And so on...

Anyone can add a custom nomination. Any student at NSA can participate.

== End of the Year Awards 2025-2026 ==

<pdf>File:End_of_Year_Awards_25_26.pdf</pdf>

== End of the Year Awards 2024-2025 ==

<pdf>File:End of Year Awards 2024-2025.pdf</pdf>

== End of the Year Awards 2023-2024 ==

<pdf>File:End_of_Year_Awards_2023-2024.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2022-2023=

<pdf>File:End of Year Awards 2022-2023.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2021-2022=

<pdf>File:End of Year Awards 2021-2022.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2020-2021=

<pdf>File:2020-2021 EOYAs.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2017-2018=

<pdf>File:EOYAs_2017-18.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2016-2017=

<pdf>File:EOYAs_2016-17.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2015-2016=

<pdf>File:EOYAs_2015-16.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2013-2014=

<pdf>File:EOYAs_2013-14.pdf</pdf>

=End of the Year Awards 2012-2013=

<pdf>File:EOYAs_2012-13.pdf</pdf>
[[Category:Library]]
[[Category:Dictionary]]

File:End of Year Awards 25 26.pdf

2026-05-23T02:18:44Z

Mark H:

🍅 Da Tomato Family 🍅

2026-05-20T06:06:46Z

Mark H: The tomato family.

A large family founded by [[Caitrin (Cait) Penn]] and [[Jonathan Wu]].

== The Tomato Family ==
More info coming soon.

[[Category:Groups, Chats, and Threads]]

StuCo Constitution

2026-05-19T05:09:04Z

Mark H: uploaded stuco constitution 25 and 26 version

Student Council Constitution over the years.

== StuCo Constitution 2026 ==

<pdf>File:26-27_StuCo Constitution.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Constitution 2025 ==

<pdf>File:24-25 _StuCo Constitution.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Constitution 2024 ==

<pdf>File:StuCo Constitution 2024 - UPDATED.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Constitution 2021 ==

<pdf>File:StuCo Constitution 2021.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Constitution 2020 ==

<pdf>File:StuCo Constitution 2020.pdf</pdf>
[[Category:Student Council]]

File:26-27 StuCo Constitution.pdf

2026-05-19T05:06:16Z

Mark H:

File:24-25 StuCo Constitution.pdf

2026-05-19T05:06:05Z

Mark H:

StuCo Teams & Roles

2026-05-19T05:00:59Z

Mark H: uploaded teams & roles 25-26

Ok so, I basically just have a whole bunch of pdfs from multiple years and I'm dumping them here XD

Here ya go:

== StuCo Teams & Roles 2025-2026 ==
<pdf>File:StuCoTeams&Roles25-26_FINAL.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Teams & Roles 2024-2025 ==
<pdf>File:StuCo Teams & Roles 2024-25_FINAL.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Teams & Roles 2023-2024 ==
<pdf>File:StuCo Teams & Roles 2023-24_final draft.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Offices 2020 ==
<pdf>File:StuCo Offices 2020.pdf</pdf>

== StuCo Offices 2019 ==
<pdf>File:StuCo Offices 2019.pdf</pdf>

== Stuco Logs 2017-2018 ==

=== Student Council Log ===
<pdf>File:SCLog.pdf</pdf>

=== President ===
<pdf>File:President 2017-2018.pdf</pdf>

=== Vice President ===
<pdf>File:Vice President.pdf</pdf>

=== Secretary ===
<pdf>File:Secretary.pdf</pdf>

=== Special Projects Coordinator ===
<pdf>File:Special Projects Coordinator.pdf</pdf>

=== Welcome Committee Leader ===
<pdf>File:Welcome Committee Leader.pdf</pdf>

=== Spiritual Life Leader ===
<pdf>File:Spiritual Life Leader.pdf</pdf>

=== Editor-in-Chief ===
<pdf>File:Editor-in-Chief.pdf</pdf>

=== Annalist ===
<pdf>File:Annalist.pdf</pdf>

=== Librarian ===
<pdf>File:Librarian.pdf</pdf>

=== Representatives ===
<pdf>File:Representatives 2017-2018.pdf</pdf>

[[Category:Student Council]]

File:StuCoTeams&Roles25-26 FINAL.pdf

2026-05-19T04:59:31Z

Mark H:

NSA Families

2026-05-19T04:46:12Z

Mark H: linked names

NSA families may sound like a uncomfy topic, but they actually aren't. These are basically when a group of people just wanna play "house" in a way. They'll act like siblings, call each other "mom" or "daughter" etc, use it in fights, for alliances etc. It's just a fun way to interact with people.

== NSA Siblings ==
Oh, the joys of having a sibling on NSA. For those of you who do not know, NSA sibs are basically your tour guide through the school. Each newbie can request an older sib to help them figure out this crazy online world and our amazing Welcome Committee Leader will find someone who is just the right fit for the newbie in question. I had a few younger sibs when I was in the WC. In fact, Amilia Sedin-Chan was one of my younger sibs, and look how she turned out! xD

One time, I found this very intriquate, very confusing paragraph written by Danielle van den Akker. Let me see if I can find it... *digs through some dusty crates* *knocks one over* *dust goes flying everywhere* *coughHACK* *wheezes* *cough* *squeaky voice of triumph and allergies* I found it! *waves a piece of paper up in the air* *navigates back out to safety* @_@ Remind me to bring one of the mythical vacuums from the [[The Coldstone Creamery's Closet|Cold Stone]] next time, okay? Anyway... *ahem* *reads*

Okay, so Marie is my grandmother, yet somehow she is my sister too. Marie's siblings are Cece, Elyse, Robert, Nathan, John, and Kallie... which somehow makes them my great aunts and uncles... but, no, I am not any of their sisters. Kallie is also Marie's twin sister. Marie's four children are Abbie, Austin, Christe, and Charles. That makes them my aunts and uncles, yet Christe is also my sister and Austin is both my great, great grandfather and... brother... Which would make Austin Marie's dad and son... And then ther is Angie... who is apparently the Quad's Aunt because she is Cece's sister... And also there is Gayle who is Abbie's evil twin... Then Stephen fits into all our lives somehow... Then we have Andrew... who is "supposedly" related to Austin in some way... which would make him related to the rest of us... but that is unclear... Oh, I forgot, Tim is also Abbie's evil twin...Then we have Sarah who says she is my great aunt... which would make her related to someone somehow... We also have.

xD And that just about sums it up! Confused yet? No worries, we all are. But all you really need to know is that NSA Sibs are awesome, and if you want one or want to become one, just contact our WCL, Madison Stroup and she'll get you all fixed up! =D

<nowiki>*</nowiki>taken from November of 2016 [[SpreadTheGolden|#SpreadTheGolden]] Navigator article*

Written by [[Morgan Raines]]

== NSA Marriages ==
<nowiki>**</nowiki>Reader Discretion Advised**

This next subject is highly iNSAne and rather absurd, but it does happen so don't lynch the messenger, k? =D

Following the theme of romance...

Honestly, I'm not sure why this one belongs in here because there's absolutely no romance involved in NSA weddings. For some reason, some kids here get really crazy occasionally and decide to get "married" just for fun. I don't know why. And I don't know where this originated. I've been present at two "weddings:" Joel Raines and Raegan Allinder, and Birdie Koski and Shalom Cross. The first with Joel and Raegan was quite spontaneous and involved the birth of a pizza that we all later ate at the reception (strange but delicious xD). Birdie and Shalom's wedding wasn't nearly as elaborate, which also means that I don't remember it as much, but I do know that they got "divorced" later because they were "growing apart" and Birdie wanted to "marry" Matt Brungardt, and we all know that polyandry is bad U_U

Now then, I personally have never been iNSAnely married (or any other married for that matter) but I was the officiator for Joel and Raegan's. Really, it's just the normal wedding ceremony except there's no true purpose except for silliness. Honestly, this is really hard to explain without sounding completely absurd =P

Oh! I know what it could be compared to! You know that fantastic game that everyone used to play as kids: House? Oh. House was the best. You got to pretend that you were the pregnant mom, or my favorite, the crippled aunt from England that always got to fuss at everyone xDD Anyways, this is basically NSA's version of House xD

Well, that's really all I can tell you about it without going on and on and on. xDD If you have any specific questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer them xDD

<nowiki>**</nowiki>Taken from February 2017's [[SpreadTheGolden|#SpreadTheGolden]] Navigator article**

Written by [[Morgan Raines]]

Another mawwige was [[Anna Barry]] and [[Samuel Hewitt]] in 2020. This was on a call with a person acting as "officiator," and of course was party-crashed. The "relationship" didn't last and they never took it seriously. However in 2024, a new thing came into play: [[ADHD Powers]]. This led to a fateful conversation between [[Jared Lemmon]], [[Elijah Smith]], and [[Porter's page|Porter Lewis]]. The conversation was a fun one: [[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe]] said [[Porter's page|Porter]] was cool. Jared asked who Porter was, and Elijah replied "Your mom." Jared said, "oh hello mother," to which Gabe replied "waitthatmeansimmarriedtoporter." Elijah then made it canon with the newfound [[ADHD Powers]], and the rest is history.

The third was [[Grace Ansley]] to [[Jared Lemmon]], where Gabe took a bit of revenge, shipped them together, and then used some shoddy evidence backed by ADHD powers to marry his own son against his will to Grace.

According to the law of Porter, mawwiges that have been made with [[ADHD Powers]] are binding forever.

[[Jacob Grady]] and [[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe Nelson]] of the [[Science Guild]] said that if the participants play along for a day, the mawwiage is binding. There is no diworce unless there is a good reason, both agree to the diworce, their children and their children's children agree to the diworce, and there are third party witnesses (including someone acting as Judge with ADHD powers).<ref>This became a hotly debated topic when Jared wanted to divorce Grace. Gabe didn't want them to divorce, and tried to keep them from doing so by claiming ADHD powers. However, Jared claimed to not know about the original marriage the first day, and thus it was not binding. The current NSA marriage laws are under review in the court of Judge Jacob.</ref>

=== Clarifications: ===
* This is not husband and wife, because that's even more weird (and probably heretical), and there does need to be a limit. So, the term is "dueting" under iNSAnity, 'till 13th bridge do them part. <ref>This is the new term, as of 2024. "The original terms were hubby and wifey united in holy mawiage (like the priest in Princess Bride) 'till the 13th bridge do them part." In September 2024, a group of people decided that these terms made it seem too much like marriage, and they didn't want that, so they chose a new term.</ref>
* Don't force this on people, everyone who has done this has played along for the bit, and haven't really said, "STOP". If someone does seem to be getting emotional about this, don't do it to them, it could really hurt them. Everything in moderation, including iNSAnity.
* Keep it PG13 please, we don't want any icky and gross stuff. That stays in a real marriage okay U_U and this isn't one.
== List of Families ==

* One of the first successful ones was [[Gabriel Nelson|Gabriel]], [[Dorshea Goh|Dorshea]], Everett, and [[Micah McFarland]] and siblings, with [[Tirzah Hopkins|Tirzah]] as the mom. This family combined with [[Esther Noeth|Esther Noeth's]]. She had two sons, [[Jared Cheaz]] and [[Caleb Calhoun|Caleb Calhoun]]; and three daughters, [[Saron Mengistu]], [[Kaitlyn Stephan]], and [[Meredith Schmidt]]. [[Ruth Hopkins]] was Tirzah's sister (ofc they were.) [[Elsa Powers]] and [[Anna Barry]] were Tirzah's children. These three families formed into the same one, with Ruth Hopkins, Tirzah Hopkins, Shawn-David Logan and Esther being siblings in the same family. [[Katelynn Rogerson|Katelynn (Kate) Rogerson]] was their cousin. This formed around 2019-2020. Another family joined when [[Ruthie Overholt]], adopted a lot of children. A few of them were Dorshea, [[Fianna DePater|Fianna]], De’Arkyia, Anna Barry, and Elsa Powers. No one remembers all of Ruthie’s children. (She had even more grandchildren than she did children, too.) This semi-combined with some rugged edges with the family above to make the iNSAne family, which was very active during the 2021-2023 Dark Age. This gave Gabe Nelson a dad in Noah Howard, and created one of the first NSA couples.

* In a separate family, Kasandra (Kasie) Gillum-Carr and Gabriel (Gabe) Lam Yuen have three children: Kaitlyn Stephan (oldest), Jared Cheaz (middle), and [[Naomi Noeth]] (youngest). The family also has an uncle: [[Ryan Boren]], and an aunt: [[Saron Mengistu]] (This family is all gone).

* The most recent family is the Haagenson Family, with a tree down below (which isn't complete). Started by the Haagenson sisters (Sarah and Anna), this family included [[Cora Metzger|Cora]], [[Sarah Haagenson|Sarah H]], [[Sarah Thompson|Sarah T]], [[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe]], [[Silas Miller|Silas M]], [[Noa Noll|Noa]], [[Avi Reedy]], [[Jared Lemmon]], [[Anna Haagenson|Anna]], [[Hallie Griffin|Hallie]], Tim (who was disowned after he left teams), [[Porter's page|Porter Lewis]], and [[Grace Ansley]]. Hallie, Anna, and Jared make up "The Chaotic Triplets," in which Hallie is the oldest, then Jared,<ref>[[Lesser StuCo Member]]</ref> and then Anna as the baby of the three. Gabe is ADHD power mawwied to Porter, and Jared is ADHD power mawwied to Grace. Jared and Grace have two children, Esther Yang and Jenna Guyant.

* In the words of [[Esther Yang]], "Last month (around July 2024), in some weirdly insane and confusing way, [[Nathan Rexroth]] and I got married ._. (or mawwied, idk XD) A month later, he agreed to adopt my daughter, [[Adelyn Pendley|Adelyn]], and then we both adopted Jonathan Wu, [[Mark Huang]], and [[Ha-earl (Evan) Cho|Evan Cho]]. Because I'm in this weird mix up of the iNSAne family and the Haagensons fam- Nathan and I decided it'd be less confusing (or at least hopefully less confusing) to create our own family tree and family name" They have now split off and become "[[✨ familia potato ✨|familia potato]]".

(Because Gabe has constantly called Tirzah his mom, his side of the Haagenson family blends into the iNSAne Family and his older Family with Tirzah. This means that [[Ruthie Overholt]] is a Great Great Great Great Grandmother to [[Jenna Guyant]] [not [[Esther Yang]], as she is a jagged edge in the family, as she is already a part of the iNSAne family]).
[[File:Family tree.png|none|thumb|604x604px|''Jared, Hallie, and Anna are triplets.'']]
[[File:Haagenson Family tree v2.png|none|thumb|764x764px|Family tree that Hallie created to explain the family to a new member. It's not a full family tree, but it's more recent than the others.]]
I [[User:BookWyrm|Noah Pendley]], have kind of resigned from my position as family tree maker, but the following two images represent my work for a most accurate family tree. I am no longer working on this, as it's just too much, but if you'd like to try I'm happy to offer my best advice and knowledge on the subject ;).

((Personally I think the best way to do this would be to have an official form where family claims are filed, and then a shareable family tree that could be edited and viewed online, but I didn't find a great way to do that. Microsoft has flowchart type application, but it doesn't support enough text bubbles to actually use it for this (I tried) so... yeah... I used the "canvas" function of Obsidian, but that's not accessible by others.))[[File:Full family tree.png|none|thumb|1132x1132px|''family tree as of 7/24/23'']]
[[File:Family tree 2.jpg|none|thumb|1132x1132px|''Another, much larger family tree'']]

== See also ==

* [[A Deep Dive Into NSA Families]]
* [[✨ familia potato ✨]]

[[Category:Groups, Chats, and Threads]]

Student Council 2026-2027

2026-05-19T04:17:00Z

Mark H: StuCo 26-27

== Student Council Officers ==
President: Isabel Jang

Vice President: Elijah (Jijah) Noeth

Secretary: Lude (Ruth) Lin

Club Coordinators: TBD

Welcome Committee Leaders: [[Caleb Hahn]] and [[Ha-earl (Evan) Cho|Ha-Earl (Evan) Cho]]

Content Creator: Hope McLamb

Ad Coordinator: TBD

== Student Council Representatives ==
11th and 12th Grade Representative: Zachariah (Zach) Ugochuku

10th Grade Representative: Seraiah Rice

9th Grade Representative: Eliana Dean

8th Grade Representative: Michael Mitchell

7th Grade Representatives: Karissa Draiby and Kelsy Vandergaag

Elementary School Representative: TBD
[[Category:Student Council]]

Lets Count

2026-04-23T03:22:00Z

Mark H:

Thread series in the HS Courtyard.

Started by [[Shelli Selby]], "Lets Count" was a thread in which people (mostly) counted up (the original thread started at one (presumably- I will not be verifying this))<ref>It did start at one, unless my memory absolutely fails me. I watched it for a while, and then got involved around 400. -[[Owen Behrens|Owen]]</ref> and counting one number per message, with no person going twice in a row. (mostly)

== History ==
The original thread simply had the title of "lets count" and was posted on September 12th, 2022. After quite a few messages, it started to get very laggy. If you went to notifications in teams, and the top one was a reply in the counting thread, it would crash teams, if not your whole computer. So, Shelli created a new thread called "Lets count: CONTINUED" on 4/10/23. However, that thread eventually experienced the same problem with lag. Since Shelli Selby had since left NSA, [[Hallie Griffin]] took up the mantle and created a thread called "Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued" on 10/15/23. At the beginning of 2024, that thread also began to lag significantly. It lagged so much that the participants started talk of making a new thread. On February 3, 2024, [[Jacob Grady]] started a new thread called Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again. After a little over a month, [[Isaac Rivers]] decided that Jacob's thread had become too laggy, and so he made a new thread, Lets Count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two. [[Hannah Robbins]] soon got fed up with the lag (recurring theme?) and so she made Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three. Yet again, [[Isaac Rivers]] got tired of the lag, so he made Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four. By this time, Teams had updated and the lag no longer happened, which is why the latest thread has the most replies.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+List of Threads
!'''Name'''
!'''Date posted'''
!'''Number of messages sent'''
!'''Number of participants'''
!'''Number counted to'''
|-
|lets count
|9/12/22
|4183
|79
|3610
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED
|4/10/23
|3121
|72
|6533
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued
|10/15/23
|2621
|50
|9073
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again
|2/3/24
|3544
|47
|12061
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two
|3/13/24
|1965
|31
|13961
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three
|5/13/24
|2830
|18
|16757
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four
|7/4/24
|16685
|91
|32338
|}
''(Update as needed. Last updated 4/23/26 at 10:21 pm CST, by Mark Huang.)''

== Trivia ==

* In my research into the origin of the thread to fact-check this article, I stumbled across a thread posted by Shelli Selby called "lets count again." It was posted on 1/17/23, apparently because the original thread had died off. However, it only got 122 replies, and didn't seem to have much significance. The thread started over from one, and reached 63. Many of the numbers were sent as GIFs. After 63, Shelli said "i only made this one because i couldn't find the other one but now i did find it so the first one is my main focus XDD"
* On 11/7/22, [[Daniel Simmons]] posted a thread titled "LETS COUNT BACKWARDS" It started at 2048, since that was the last number in the normal counting thread. It only reached 1035 before people lost interest. The last message was sent on 11/12/22. It had 24 messages from 7 respondents.
* One interesting thing about these threads is the number of reactions they get. For example, the original "lets count" thread had 30 reactions, of 13 different types. "Lets count: CONTINUED" had 39 reactions, 23 of which were the infinity emoji. "Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued" had 24 reactions with the infinity emoji. (this might be a [[Records|record]] for most reactions on a post? I'm not sure.) This is not the largest amount of the ''same'' reaction for one post. A post made by [[Asher Stewart]] obtained 35 laughing emojis, and one heart emoji.
* The record for the most number of numbers posted in a short period of time was set by [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Jacob Grady]], when they posted a combined total of 534 numbers in ~37 minutes.<ref>(If you have a recorded instance of larger amounts in the same time, please edit this)</ref>
* At 8:49am CST on 2/8/2024, the counting thread (Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again) reached its first five-digit number, 10,000. [[Isaac Rivers]] sent the message.<ref>[[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe Nelson]] claims that his computer shows that he sent the message first. However, I haven't seen any screenshots of this, so unless I do I'll say that Isaac got it - that's what my computers all show, and I've seen multiple screenshots of the same.</ref> To accomplish this feat, [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Jacob Grady]] sent a whopping 534 numbers in ~37 minutes.
* At some point around two thousand, they began counting backwards - I'm not sure if that is true, or if it is, when they turned around again and started going forwards.<ref>Confirmed by [[Samuel Grady]]: After 2082, [[Keene Elkins]] jumped to 2100. [[Sunda Schwertfeger]] then proceeded to count backwards (probably to correct the jump). Then, after a few hundred backwards-counting messages, the counting continued forwards as normal (is there anything normal at northstar?), with some mild confusion to those who saw this afterward.</ref>
* Lets Count BY SEVENS was a thread created by [[Isaac Rivers]] on May 1, 2024. It was based on the popular "Lets Count" thread, and has all of the same rules, with one exception: you have to count by sevens.
* Lets count BACKWARDS was another thread that [[Isaac Rivers]] made, posted on May 14, 2024. It started at -1, and is at -2426 as of 9/13/24.
* Let's count- BY PERFECT SQUARES! :D was a thread that [[Rachel Hinds]] made on May 17, 2024.
* At 8:57am CST on 9/23/2024, the counting thread (Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four) reached 20,000. [[Jacob Grady]] was the one to send it, with help by [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Sarah McClure]]. Less than a year later, at 7:59 AM CST on 7/26/2025, the same thread reached 30,000. This time [[Esther Yang]] sent the number, with help by multiple people.
* [[Fromage]] counting thread: On 9/30/24, Asher Pratt posted the following:<ref>see [[Fromage]]</ref><blockquote>F R O M A G E GUYS AND GALS were gonna put a number then put fromage after the number. Its like counting but better and with fromage</blockquote>The most recent reply:<blockquote>95 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀</blockquote>
*On May 5, 2025, Taylor Trombley posted "'''Lets Count! With A Twist!''' With your number, you have to relate it to something with that number. Whether a sport number, model number, or something else, it doesn't matter, it just has to be related to something. If you don't know of anything, then just ask chat or something." Some replies were more creative than others.

== MS Counting Thread ==
On 2/5/24, 7th grader Tripp Tamayo posted a thread in the MS Courtyard titled:

'''"Continue counting until 1000 i changed 10,000'''

baaaaaahhhhhhh

(GIF of minecraft Alex and Steve)

I need to write smth soooooo baah?"

''I think this truly embodies the difference between middle school and high school'' ._ . Anywayyy, the middle school counting thread started at one, and it currently at 30027. There have been 2084 replies from 28 participants. ''(as of 6/24/24 at 4:07 pm UTC+8, last updated by Mark Huang)'' However, this thread does nOT have the unspoken rule that one person isn't allowed to send more than one message in a row, so there are many instances of the same person counting up three or more numbers in a row<ref>Word from [[Ha-earl (Evan) Cho|Evan (Ha-earl) Cho]]: "Well Tripp said to count, not count by one"</ref>. In fact, the MSers started counting with multiple numbers in one message, with one message counting from 16504 to 20000. However, I don't think any numbers have been skipped.

Edit: the Counting Thread revived on June 21st, 9am CST, when [[Mark Huang]] "bumped" the post. The new goal is 50,000, set by [[Tripp Tamayo|Tripp Tomayo]].

==Notes==
<references />

[[Category:Groups, Chats, and Threads]]

User:Mark H

2026-03-30T06:58:24Z

Mark H: kind of added my own page

Contributor/Editor/Moderator of, the NSA Wiki.

Are there more info? well......

Profile: [[Mark Huang]]

Mark Huang

2026-03-06T15:15:03Z

Mark H: thanks Owen~

Awesome person who took over a lot of the work on the wiki after Owen graduated. He deserves more recognition u_u

== See also ==
[https://nsa-wiki.org/index.php?search=mark+huang&title=Special%3ASearch&profile=default&fulltext=1 Pages mentioning Mark Huang]
[[Category:People]]

Silence

2026-03-04T04:14:49Z

Mark H: added a short story

''by [[Joshua Edmiston]]''

Silence, absolute, total, all-encompassing silence was all that was needed. Anything more and they would faint from fear. Anything less and they would be discovered. And everyone knew the terrible fate that awaited those who were found first. For a moment, no one breathed. It was as if they were neither willing nor able to stand before the thought of being exposed.

Fear of simply being seen was enough to drive each and every one into this complete silence, but it was not to last. For fear wears off, it always has, it always will. Soft breathing became unrestricted breathing, and the rising temperature of the reinforced room turned unrestricted breathing into heavy breathing.

Their hunter was in pursuit, they all knew it, yet nobody dared even mention his name. He was said to be the best of the best and that no prey ever escaped his search. But then again, if no prey ever escaped his search, then how did these terrible tales come into being? It was an interesting question, but no one risked asking it.

The heavy breathing was now accompanied with a sigh from the heat. After all, five of them in a room so small will eventually produce heat and heat produces weariness. This had to be a tactic of some kind. Waiting out long enough so that the prey reveals itself. They would surely become their own undoing; it was only a matter of time.

“Is he gone yet?” asked a girl huddled in the farthest corner back.

“He probably went after Lucy; he’s leaving us as survivors.” said a boy with glasses.

“No, he won’t give up. We must stay strong.” said a boy with a cap.

Aside from these three, there were two more in the shelter. There was a girl who was ordained with every style, manner, and fashion of glittery, plastic jewelry. And finally, there was a rather plump boy who was not faring well in the rising temperature. His sweaty stench would be the greatest trial these brave heroes would face.

“He’ll give up eventually,” said Sweaty, “everyone gives up eventually.”

“Not him,” said Caps.

“Do you think he’ll accept surrender?” asked Corner-Girl.

“No,” said Glasses, “he does not.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment. The ominous comment reinspired everyone to regress back to soft breathing.

“Maybe if we ask nicely, he’ll accept surrender?” suggested Corner-Girl.

“No,” said Caps, “this is a matter of life and death here. We have to stay strong.”

“I think you’re being a bit dramatic,” said Glitters.

On this, everyone sided against Glitters. There were many things that this whole situation was. A joke wasn’t one of them. Prior to this, all conversation had been in the faintest of whispers. But that was until Sweaty started speaking.

“Hey guys.” began Sweaty in a normal voice.

“SHH!” commanded everyone at once.

Everyone reduced themselves to silence as they listened for the slightest sense of footsteps nearing them. They waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing. They all breathed a sigh of relief as quietly as possible.

“What do you think happened to Lucy?” asked corner girl.

“He’s probably already found her,” said Glasses.

Everyone took time to reflect on the idea of their dear friend at this very moment facing such a horrible fate. She had told them that she would distract him so the rest could get away. They tried telling her otherwise, but she insisted they go. If they had waited any longer, he could have found them all.

And so there they were, all huddled together in their cavern of fear. Fear - as they were learning - brought heat with it. Like the heat a fire sends as a harbinger of a burn, so they were in their room. They needed no footsteps; they needed no voice to tell them their hunter was near. The rising tension danced with the rising temperatures.

But heat was nothing, everyone can bear heat. We humans live with ourselves at nearly a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, so this little trial by fire was nothing. But it wasn’t the heat that was the biggest of their problems, but the smell. You see, Sweaty is being called that name for a reason. The stench tickled their noses, prompting a gasp, a cough, or a sneeze. But our heroes held firm! They refused to yield themselves over to the jaws of defeat over a little smell.

“You don’t think he’ll use dogs to track us?” asked Corner-Girl.

“He may, why’d you ask?” asked Sweaty.

“Because it stinks in here,” said Caps, rather bluntly.

Sweaty was very embarrassed even though nobody was going to specifically call him out.

“It’s because of Sweaty here,” said Glitters.

Never mind.

“No offense,” said Glasses, “but you aren’t immune to the occasional odor either.”

“Hey!” protested Glitters.

“SHH!” commanded everyone at once.

A shock of silence stunned the room as no one so much as thought to utter a single syllable. Yet the heat rose and rose and rose and rose, and the stench, oh how it filled every nose. Coughs were becoming harder to suppress. What a cruel game this was, the hunter lets his prey fester in their own misery long enough so that their exposure is more a climax to an epic story than a swift dealing of defeat.

They all feared it was so from the beginning, but it was now that they agreed it was over. He had played them, played them rather well. He needed no assistance, no dogs, no devices to assist in the prowl. His absence was the calm before the storm. They were all trapped in this forsaken, dark room, and they all knew it.

Step, they stopped their worrying and paid attention. Step, they could tell it was a person coming. Step, each clamp to the floor rung louder. Step, their doom drew near. Step, it approached the door where they sought refuge. Step, he was there.

And yet, he did nothing. He just stood there, neither proceeding forward nor withdrawing back. If he had kicked the door down and sent in two lions inside, that would have been more bearable. But this, what wicked suspense this was. All our heroes could do was watch his shadow from under the door.

Lucy had surely been found, her fate would soon be theirs, and they all knew it. The heat was now that of a blazing furnace, so you can only imagine what horrid scents Sweaty was putting out. Now, Corner-Girl was always a mild-mannered young lady, but this was too much to bear. Personal space had been defeated, pleasant aromas had been eliminated, and the only way to win those things back was to lose this twisted game.

The doorknob slowly began to twist. The turn never sped up or slowed down, its speed was constant. The door began to creak eerily like a villainous clock ready to strike on the hour. There was no escape, and they all knew it. Corner-Girl could not handle any more of these wretched conditions.

“I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” she exclaimed as she lunged for the door and finished the rotation for him.

The door flung open as light flooded the dark chamber, exposing the five first graders. The worst fate of fates had seized them, they had all been caught in hide-and-seek. Lucy’s dad was suddenly hit with the terrible stench and heatwave that called the closet home. He stepped back and wiped his eyes while fighting a gasp. After he had regained his composure, he looked down at the cramped children and said with the gentlest of smiles.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting you to all hide together. Looks like Lucy won!”

Everyone fumbled out of the closet and into the bedroom where the closet led. Lucy then sprang out of a pile of dirty clothes and gave a tremendous ‘BOOYAH’ which apparently was a celebration of sorts. And while the five friends faced the humiliation of all being found at once, they moved on from this.

“Alright,” said Lucy’s dad, “now it’s my turn to hide.”

Immediately, the sting of defeat was vanquished as all six children prepared themselves for the hunt. They began their count to fifty, eager to join forces against an adult. Unfortunately for them, Lucy’s dad understood the true meaning of silence.

The end…
[[Category:Short Stories]]

✨ familia potato ✨

2026-03-04T03:56:26Z

Mark H: linked

Voted the best family in the 2024/2025 [[End of the Year Awards|EOYA]]'s, familia potato is your favorite of the [[NSA Families|NSA families]]! The family founder is [[Esther Yang]].

A message Esther left herself on August 14, 2024 reads as follows: "Last month, in some weirdly insane and confusing way, Nathan Rexroth and I got married ._. (or mawwied, idk XD) A month later, he agreed to adopt my daughter, [[Adelyn Pendley|Adelyn]], and then we both adopted Jonathan Wu, Mark Huang, and Evan Cho. Because I'm in this weird mix up of the iNSAne family and the Haagensons fam- nathan and i decided it'd be less confusing (or at least hopefully less confusing) to create our own family tree and fammily name"

The first message sent in the familia potato chat is from Esther herself on August 8, 2024 at 4:25 AM CST. This is the message that started history: "aahem- hiiiii :D Noah, you know how i'm part of the insane and haagenson's fam? well considering how nathan and i have a family too, we were wondering if we could create a whole new family? with a new name and all? would that work family tree wise ._. (yes, i created a whole chat for this u-u)"
== The Familia Potato ==
The members in order of when they (roughly) joined the family is as follows:

[[Esther Yang]]

Noah Pendley

[[Nathan Rexroth]] (returned from getting milk, and left again)

[[Adelyn Pendley]]

Jonathan Wu

[[Mark Huang]]

[[Ha-earl (Evan) Cho]]

Faith Saltzman

[[Lydia Yun]]

Easton Shores

Sarah McClure

Sophia Moffatt

[[Porter's page|Porter Lewis]]

Isabelle McGreger (left the family)

Rebeca Fogaca

Annabelle Swenson

James Van Iderstine

Rebecca Davis

Isaiah Taylor

Andrew Webster

Alex McGreger

Cait Penn

[[Hallie Griffin]]

Joel Griffin

Ruth Lin

Rui Naijo

Birdie Rivers

Crystal Hong

Isabel Jang

The most recently updated family tree created by none other than [[Mark Huang|Mark]] shows how everyone is related:
[[File:Potato Family Tree-7.png|none|thumb|800x800px|The family tree of the familia potato created by [[Mark Huang|Mark H]]]]
One thing that makes the potatoes unique is that they partake in stoey time. What is stoey time? Well it was created by Sarah in attempts to spark conversation and tell each other about the interesting parts of their lives.

Infinite shenanigans occur in the potato chat. Any shenagigan that is of any importance can be found below.

Jo died from laughing on November 14, 2024 at 9:14 PM CST. Sarah wrote a magnificent poem in his honor:
<poem style="border: 2px solid #113e60; background-color: #cee5f6; padding: .5em;">
de a t h
it came so sudden
for this donut of only four
he will be missed
he was a donut to adore
and now
he is gone
because death came from the giggles
his funeral is at the crack of dawn
</poem>
On December 21, 2024 the potatoes held a family call and sang happy birthday to an unfortunate member.
[[Category:Groups, Chats, and Threads]]

Lets Count

2026-03-04T03:50:57Z

Mark H: linked and updated

Thread series in the HS Courtyard.

Started by [[Shelli Selby]], "Lets Count" was a thread in which people (mostly) counted up (the original thread started at one (presumably- I will not be verifying this))<ref>It did start at one, unless my memory absolutely fails me. I watched it for a while, and then got involved around 400. -[[Owen Behrens|Owen]]</ref> and counting one number per message, with no person going twice in a row. (mostly)

== History ==
The original thread simply had the title of "lets count" and was posted on September 12th, 2022. After quite a few messages, it started to get very laggy. If you went to notifications in teams, and the top one was a reply in the counting thread, it would crash teams, if not your whole computer. So, Shelli created a new thread called "Lets count: CONTINUED" on 4/10/23. However, that thread eventually experienced the same problem with lag. Since Shelli Selby had since left NSA, [[Hallie Griffin]] took up the mantle and created a thread called "Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued" on 10/15/23. At the beginning of 2024, that thread also began to lag significantly. It lagged so much that the participants started talk of making a new thread. On February 3, 2024, [[Jacob Grady]] started a new thread called Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again. After a little over a month, [[Isaac Rivers]] decided that Jacob's thread had become too laggy, and so he made a new thread, Lets Count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two. [[Hannah Robbins]] soon got fed up with the lag (recurring theme?) and so she made Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three. Yet again, [[Isaac Rivers]] got tired of the lag, so he made Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four. By this time, Teams had updated and the lag no longer happened, which is why the latest thread has the most replies.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+List of Threads
!'''Name'''
!'''Date posted'''
!'''Number of messages sent'''
!'''Number of participants'''
!'''Number counted to'''
|-
|lets count
|9/12/22
|4183
|79
|3610
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED
|4/10/23
|3121
|72
|6533
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued
|10/15/23
|2621
|50
|9073
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again
|2/3/24
|3544
|47
|12061
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two
|3/13/24
|1965
|31
|13961
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three
|5/13/24
|2830
|18
|16757
|-
|Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four
|7/4/24
|16165
|91
|31835
|}
''(Update as needed. Last updated 3/4/26 at 10:50 pm CST, by Mark Huang.)''

== Trivia ==

* In my research into the origin of the thread to fact-check this article, I stumbled across a thread posted by Shelli Selby called "lets count again." It was posted on 1/17/23, apparently because the original thread had died off. However, it only got 122 replies, and didn't seem to have much significance. The thread started over from one, and reached 63. Many of the numbers were sent as GIFs. After 63, Shelli said "i only made this one because i couldn't find the other one but now i did find it so the first one is my main focus XDD"
* On 11/7/22, [[Daniel Simmons]] posted a thread titled "LETS COUNT BACKWARDS" It started at 2048, since that was the last number in the normal counting thread. It only reached 1035 before people lost interest. The last message was sent on 11/12/22. It had 24 messages from 7 respondents.
* One interesting thing about these threads is the number of reactions they get. For example, the original "lets count" thread had 30 reactions, of 13 different types. "Lets count: CONTINUED" had 39 reactions, 23 of which were the infinity emoji. "Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued" had 24 reactions with the infinity emoji. (this might be a [[Records|record]] for most reactions on a post? I'm not sure.) This is not the largest amount of the ''same'' reaction for one post. A post made by [[Asher Stewart]] obtained 35 laughing emojis, and one heart emoji.
* The record for the most number of numbers posted in a short period of time was set by [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Jacob Grady]], when they posted a combined total of 534 numbers in ~37 minutes.<ref>(If you have a recorded instance of larger amounts in the same time, please edit this)</ref>
* At 8:49am CST on 2/8/2024, the counting thread (Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again) reached its first five-digit number, 10,000. [[Isaac Rivers]] sent the message.<ref>[[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe Nelson]] claims that his computer shows that he sent the message first. However, I haven't seen any screenshots of this, so unless I do I'll say that Isaac got it - that's what my computers all show, and I've seen multiple screenshots of the same.</ref> To accomplish this feat, [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Jacob Grady]] sent a whopping 534 numbers in ~37 minutes.
* At some point around two thousand, they began counting backwards - I'm not sure if that is true, or if it is, when they turned around again and started going forwards.<ref>Confirmed by [[Samuel Grady]]: After 2082, [[Keene Elkins]] jumped to 2100. [[Sunda Schwertfeger]] then proceeded to count backwards (probably to correct the jump). Then, after a few hundred backwards-counting messages, the counting continued forwards as normal (is there anything normal at northstar?), with some mild confusion to those who saw this afterward.</ref>
* Lets Count BY SEVENS was a thread created by [[Isaac Rivers]] on May 1, 2024. It was based on the popular "Lets Count" thread, and has all of the same rules, with one exception: you have to count by sevens.
* Lets count BACKWARDS was another thread that [[Isaac Rivers]] made, posted on May 14, 2024. It started at -1, and is at -2426 as of 9/13/24.
* Let's count- BY PERFECT SQUARES! :D was a thread that [[Rachel Hinds]] made on May 17, 2024.
* At 8:57am CST on 9/23/2024, the counting thread (Lets count: CONTINUED: Continued: Again: Round Two: Round Three: Round Four) reached 20,000. [[Jacob Grady]] was the one to send it, with help by [[Isaac Rivers]] and [[Sarah McClure]]. Less than a year later, at 7:59 AM CST on 7/26/2025, the same thread reached 30,000. This time [[Esther Yang]] sent the number, with help by multiple people.
* [[Fromage]] counting thread: On 9/30/24, Asher Pratt posted the following:<ref>see [[Fromage]]</ref><blockquote>F R O M A G E GUYS AND GALS were gonna put a number then put fromage after the number. Its like counting but better and with fromage</blockquote>The most recent reply:<blockquote>95 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀</blockquote>
*On May 5, 2025, Taylor Trombley posted "'''Lets Count! With A Twist!''' With your number, you have to relate it to something with that number. Whether a sport number, model number, or something else, it doesn't matter, it just has to be related to something. If you don't know of anything, then just ask chat or something." Some replies were more creative than others.

== MS Counting Thread ==
On 2/5/24, 7th grader Tripp Tamayo posted a thread in the MS Courtyard titled:

'''"Continue counting until 1000 i changed 10,000'''

baaaaaahhhhhhh

(GIF of minecraft Alex and Steve)

I need to write smth soooooo baah?"

''I think this truly embodies the difference between middle school and high school'' ._ . Anywayyy, the middle school counting thread started at one, and it currently at 30027. There have been 2084 replies from 28 participants. ''(as of 6/24/24 at 4:07 pm UTC+8, last updated by Mark Huang)'' However, this thread does nOT have the unspoken rule that one person isn't allowed to send more than one message in a row, so there are many instances of the same person counting up three or more numbers in a row<ref>Word from [[Ha-earl (Evan) Cho|Evan (Ha-earl) Cho]]: "Well Tripp said to count, not count by one"</ref>. In fact, the MSers started counting with multiple numbers in one message, with one message counting from 16504 to 20000. However, I don't think any numbers have been skipped.

Edit: the Counting Thread revived on June 21st, 9am CST, when [[Mark Huang]] "bumped" the post. The new goal is 50,000, set by [[Tripp Tamayo|Tripp Tomayo]].

==Notes==
<references />

[[Category:Groups, Chats, and Threads]]

Esther Yang

2026-03-04T03:47:39Z

Mark H: linked my own name (don't change it)

Also known as Edath or Essy

Joined NSA: 19-20 school year :D

Was 22-23 EL Rep<ref>[[Student Council 2022-2023]]</ref>

23-24 MS Co-Rep ([[Tiana Dean]] was the other rep)<ref>[[Student Council 2023-2024]]</ref>

Owner of a gorgeous dog named Sori who has many adoring fans ✨✨

Esther founded the Potato Familia adopting 4 children and is now a grandmother/great grandmother to a lot of the Familia Potato

Esther is in fact even has a poem about her legacy, written by Sarah McClure:<blockquote>Esther

She is not a rester

In fact she doesn’t sleep at all

She sends sparkles

Her dog is an adorable possessed doll

That’s why we love her dog

Esther is also my grandma aunt thing

So that’s pretty cool I guess </blockquote>

✨✨✨✨ Esther's potatoness lives throughout NSA and her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren can be seen running rampant through NSA ✨✨✨✨✨

Family relations:

Mother: [[Ruthie Overholt|Ruthie]]

Dad: [[Jared Lemmon|Jared L]]

Duet: [[Nathan Rexroth|Nathan]]

Mother of [[✨ familia potato ✨|Familia Potato]]

Daughters: [[Adelyn Pendley]], Rebeca Fogaca, Rebecca (Becca) Davis, and Ruth Lin

Sons: Jonathan Wu, [[Mark Huang]], [[Ha-earl (Evan) Cho|Evan Cho]], James Van Iderstine, and Alex McGreger

She will forever be known as the great potato mom :)

== See also ==

* [https://nsa-wiki.org/index.php?search=Esther+Yang&title=Special:Search&fulltext=1 Pages mentioning Esther Yang]

[[Category:People]]

The Writing Workshop 3-23-18

2026-03-04T03:34:47Z

Mark H: added article

= Writing Workshop =
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D It's a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing Club members! Start reading! Be inspired! :D

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the comments below so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Annoucements ===

==== Permanently Tacked Up: ====
• If you want a Creative Writing folder of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Morgan Raines) and I'll make one for you. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!

• If you and some of your friends would like to '''start a storyline''', email me and I'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your encouragement and '''feedback''' :)

• Tell the '''newbies''' about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

==== New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines! ====
• '''Out with the old, in with the new.''' Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest members are Caleb M, Alexis, Gabriella, and Caleb R! Go check their folders out ^_^

==== Other Announcements/Reminders: ====
• '''A Picture's Worth 1000 Words''' is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out!!

'''Quote:'''

"Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here."

-Sue Monk Kidd

'''Prompt 1:'''

"We're about to die! Aren't you scared?"

"I'm used to it by now."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"I wished on a star and it came true. I've spent the rest of my life being careful to never wish again."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"You'll never love me if you see who I truly am."

'''Prompt 4:'''

"She's Number Nine; one of the few who survived the initial treatment."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"I'm not a thief. I'm just really good at acquiring things that aren't mine."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

Start your story with a sentence that is genuinely happy and upbeat, no double meanings. End it with the same sentence, but this time it's chilling and dark.

'''Prompt 8:'''

The frozen lake has cracked open after all these years. That didn't freak me out. What freaked me out was the single trail of footprints leading out of it.

'''Prompt 9:'''

You just moved to a new neighborhood and you hear the ice cream truck coming down the street. You and your family walk outside, but you see all your neighbors running inside and locking their doors.

'''Prompt 10:'''

A girl in tatters shivered for a penny, so I forgot my jacket at her feet and wore my heart on my sleeve instead.
----

=== How Procrastination Can Help Writers ===
Procrastination is considered a dirty word in most writing circles. Putting off doing work leads to stressful situations for both you and your client and can leave any good writer feeling panicked and unable to produce high quality work. For some writers, however, that little bit of fear and panic gives them just the edge needed to create something unique.

==== Can Procrastinating Help Writers Succeed? ====
We were all taught the same basic methods for writing in high school and college and applied those for years to our work. If you pulled a stack of English papers, many would appear to be very similarly structured and solidly written, but perhaps not particularly inspired work. Many of these were carefully crafted the deadline period with meticulous thought and care put into each line. Then there are the papers that seem to defy the boundaries of the assignment. In most cases the “last minute” paper is a train wreck, pulling at threads of different ideas with no sense of purpose or clarity of thought.

Yet there are always some that bring a sense of freshness and spontaneity to the assignment, finding that the pressure of last minute bestowed a train of thought that flowed freely, rather than being constructed through constant revisions and edits over the course of time. This same concept applies in the professional world as well; we all have a friend or co-worker who constantly is up against deadline but able to produce exquisite copy on a tight moments notice.

This approach to writing can, in certain circumstances, be fun! Instead of working piecemeal on a project you can just sit down and let your ideas flow to the page and see where the assignment takes you. It might force you to be creative in ways that would surprise you.

For many writers, procrastination doesn’t always equate to forgetfulness. In the lead up to their deadline, they may work out several concepts either actively or in the background of their mind without ever putting anything down on paper, especially when they think of the project and realize that they are either deliberately or inadvertently putting it off. Those mental processes running in the background can often lead to “eureka!” moments when coming up with copy or concepts for a project. For some, procrastination is a conscious strategy, but others find themselves constantly falling victim to it through the subconscious machinations of their mind as a coping mechanism to deal with stress or a desire for delayed gratification.

Procrastination can also help some people break writers block. The pressure of the deadline coupled with the pressure of the block can lead to a sudden release of ideas and energy on the page. It is important to note that any use of procrastination as a strategy for better writing be very carefully monitored. Wait too long and you may not have enough time to complete the assignment, no matter how brilliant the idea you dream up at the last minute is! Worse still, by waiting too long you run the risk of then coming down on yourself emotionally and harming your self-esteem. For the right people, and at the right time, procrastination is definitely a secret weapon for good writing.

Taken from <nowiki>http://mharriseditor.com/procrastination-helps-writers/</nowiki>
----This is a short story by Brianna with a disclaimer for deep content xD

Go to Creative Writers of NSA > Brianna > Stories > Short Stories > Before My Eyes to find this in her folder!

=== Before My Eyes By Brianna ===
February 16th, 2018

Maybe she survived. Maybe she died. But right now, she’s standing in front of my very eyes… and her fire is gone.

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

I’d never seen her without it: the bright smile that lit up her face and shone in her deep brown eyes that seemed to dance with defiant- yet caring- sparkles. The light that glowed through any trouble on her face as she laughed and her curly red-brown hair would bounce around her shoulders; what could have possibly happened to take that joy away? I hadn’t seen her in years, but I’d never doubted once that she’d lose her hope… her fire… her joy of life. Maybe she’d survived… but she certainly wasn’t alive. I looked into her bloodshot eyes as she stared back at me, now there was a different fire…. One that was like evil clawing on the horizon, like the wailing of sorrow next to a burning coffin… This… this wasn’t a fire I wanted to see.

I looked away for a moment then back at her as she set herself upon the seat across from me allowing her shoulders to slump into a defeated position. A rejected position… one that’s seen more pain and not know the love and strength it should have. My heart broke and I reached out and touched her hand which she jerked away. I brought my hand back to my own lap.

“Ronia… what… what happened to you?” I whispered.

“I survived… but I should have died…” she replied in a breath nearly inaudible, hoarse, and broken- nothing like the confident, melodic voice it use to be. She looked at me with tears running down her pale face; her hands shook. She appeared tormented. “I’ve been places I never should have been. Seen things that everyone… but no one should know exist. And watched people who were more equipped than me to bear my message die tortured, forgotten… betrayed.”

I wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how; her countenance was closed off. What was it she could possibly know that could be so terrible that it could break the very soul of the girl I once knew?

“Ronia, what message?”

She held her palms up weakly on her lap and gave me the most utterly empty look I’d ever seen.

“One that doesn’t matter anymore…”

“Why not?”

“Because… I’ve seen the pain it causes. I’m unable to bear it as truth anymore… not... not like the others could…” She hid her face in her hands and wept as I moved nearer and placed my hand on her knee.

“Ronia, please, what is the message? What is this truth you think is no longer valid?”

She shoved me away and stood looking down on me with her hands clenched around her arms hugging her arms to her body. Tears continued to rain from her eyes as she clenched her teeth. Anger sparked in her eyes. “That there’s joy. That there’s hope. That there’s still light in the darkness and beauty in suffering. That there’s freedom even when you’re bound in chains and stripped of everything you hold dear. That there’s purpose. That love and victory has come into this world. But, Taahir, how can I bear that message when I can’t believe it myself?”

She began to raise her voice and wave a hand before her emphasizing her emotion, “How can I say there is joy when everyone I hold dear was torn from my arms. When I watched people abused, beaten, and murdered before my very eyes- how can I say there is hope? How can I say there is light in the darkness? I’ve watched the blind stumble down empty roads searching for help that none will provide. I’ve seen children starve greedy for even the most repulsive morsel. I’ve seen mothers beg for mercy and the rich ignore their pleas, shoving them away like garbage. How can I say there is freedom when I’ve seen girls sold and children dying before they could even draw breath? How can I say there is a purpose for that? That good can come of any circumstance? Tell me, Taahir! How can I say that love has come? There is no victory, Taahir,” she sobbed and fell to her knees. “There is no hope…. Taahir, how can I bear a message I do not believe? How can I say this is true when I’ve known it not to be…” I slipped off the bench and knelt before her, wrapping my arms around her and letting her sob into my shoulder. I felt her shake and I cried with her. I cried that evil could be so deceptive, that darkness could blind even the once brightest of fires, and that hatred could seem to destroy even the greatest of loves. I waited in silence crying out in my heart to the One and only who could heal this broken girl- who could show her there was indeed Victory lighting the dark with love and hope. I longed with all my being to see once again that joy on her face. “Ronia,” I whispered gently as her sobbing began to fade. I slowly let my hold loosen and she leaned away to look me in the eyes. I could see in their deep darkness a longing, a need to know the truth again, the questions searching, fainting for truth- desperate to see light again. I prayed fervently in my soul that I could show her that light once more.

I spoke softly, at a volume just loud enough to be heard between the two of us, “I know, Ronia, you’ve seen things that are evil, that are enough to cripple any man; I can see it in your eyes, your broken spirit. Oh, Ronia, I never thought I’d see you this way. But that darkness you’ve witnessed, the pain and suffering you’ve endured and watched, that isn’t all there is and it never was. I can not say I understand, or ever will, the agony you must have endured to bring you here, but I know, I know without a shadow of a doubt that there is still a light breaking through the deepest, darkest, thickest clouds of evil in this world. I know, with complete certainty, that Victory is seated on His throne holding out His hand to be accepted. I know with every fiber of my soul that there is hope and there can be joy even in the most desperate of situations. And, Ronia, I know Love has indeed come into this world and His sacrifice is enduring and will endure forever.”

“How can you know this, Taahir? How?” she asked, her voice nearly pleading.

“Because, even in my own dark struggles, even as I’ve watched friends and family be broken, I have felt the ever present peace and love of the One who is Greater than all my pain.”

“But, why- why is there even pain? Why doesn’t the evil just go away? I once knew Him, I believed He was loving- why would He let there be pain?”

I struggled inside for a moment, silently wondering how to explain. “His will wasn’t ever for us to suffer, Ronia, He wanted us to live with Him in perfection forever. But we’re in a broken world where evil thrives in the core of our being. Suffering exists because of our sin… and to reveal to us the King in all His glory in ways we could never understand without it. He may not will our suffering, but He allows it to reveal Himself and gives us promises of strength and help, it's our choices when it comes that matter. He will use all things for good in the end and suffering- it strengthens us in ways we could never be strengthened if we didn’t endure. And Ronia, you are here right now and you can choose to endure. You can choose to still love even though there is anger at the pain you’ve witnessed. You can choose to see hope and light in the darkness. You can choose to have joy even when all you treasure has vanished because the greatest Love, the greatest Joy, the greatest Light already came down and won the battles you’ve faced and will face. And it’s only through those battles you get to see the unconditional love He offers, His constant mercy, forgiveness, and grace to a world you know to be so very fallen. It’s there in the hardships you get to understand true joy, that, Ronia, is why there is suffering. And one day, if you can learn to trust again to have that bold confidence I once saw in you, Victory will finally return and remove all suffering and bring us to eternal joy. Can you remember this, Ronia? You use to know it- will you believe it again?”

As I was speaking, she’d wrapped her arms around me and was sobbing into my shirt again, in between strained cries she breathed out, “I want to... I do… But… Is it still true? Forgiveness?”

“What do you mean?”

She pulled away and wrapped her arms around herself rocking back and forth as if terrified of the answer to what she was asking, “Could He… still love me? Forgive me? After… I abandoned Him… Stopped trusting… the others never did… they were much more worthy… why? Could He still…?”

“Oh, Ronia! Of course He does. He never stopped. Nothing here or wherever you’ve been, nothing you’ve done, had done to you, or will do, and no man nor any other thing in heaven or earth could separate you from His love. He bought you with His very life- He gave His all for you, not because you were worthy, or any of the others were, but because He wants with all His being to bring you into His presence. Oh, Ronia…” I was near crying again;

''Oh Father, let your daughter understand.''

“I don’t understand that type of love anymore…”

“You don’t need to understand it; you just have to accept it.”

“Will you show me, Taahir? How to accept it?” She gazed at me, just the tiniest shred of hope coming back to her gaze. The smallest spark of the girl I’d feared dead and lost in time returned. I smiled and nodded, strengthened by the knowledge that Victory was here in the full power of His presence and as I believed- evil would not win.

There was Light destroying the darkness and deceit, hatred, and malice would melt in its presence….

<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>

Maybe she survived. Maybe she died. But right now, she’s kneeling in front of my very eyes… and I’m watching her fire rise to life.
----So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 5-18-18

2026-03-04T03:26:27Z

Mark H:

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D My name is Carolyn, and I'm the Creative Writing Assistant and soon-to-be Creative Writing Overseer (#rememberingmorgan T_T).

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

==== Permanently Tacked Up: ====
• If you want a '''Creative Writing folder''' of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn) or Morgan Raines and we'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!

• If you and some of your friends would like to '''start a storyline''', email me or Morgan and we'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your '''encouragement''' and '''feedback'''. =)

• Tell the '''newbies''' about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

==== New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines! ====
• '''Out with the old, in with the new.''' Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest member is Rhianna! Go check her folder out. ^_^

==== Other Announcements/Reminders: ====
• '''A Picture's Worth 1000 Words''' is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

'''Quote:'''

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go."

- E.L. Doctorow

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Is this really a good idea?"

"We picked the first one off the list you made, so it should be good."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"This is not what I meant when I said to fight back."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"So... I just push this button and the building will explode? Okay."

'''Prompt 4:'''

"They're very well-mannered."

"They robbed a bank!"

"Yeah, but they were polite about it."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"Your twin brother just waved at me."

"My what? I don't have a twin."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

You're a gardener. You just dug a hole, and there's something glowing deep inside it.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's been raining for 48 hours and the power is out. What's happening?

'''Prompt 9:'''

Re-tell a familiar story you know, but this time, add monsters.

'''Prompt 10:'''

I forgot this was only just a dream.
----Camp NaNoWrimo is coming up for our avid writers! =D If you didn't do it during April, you can still do it in July. And it can be tough. Really tough. And sometimes, you need to do very early prepping. <_> So this month, here's some tips for preparing you on how to survive Camp NaNoWriMo. U_U Good luck you guys. @_@

=== My Camp NaNoWriMo Survival Kit ===
Hello everyone, it’s that time of year again! We are quickly approaching July, which means we are just over a month away from Camp NaNoWriMo. If you don’t already know, Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writing retreat in which writers are able to set a writing goal during the months of April and July. It was created by the NaNoWriMo (National Writing Month), a nonprofit that seeks to share the love of writing with the world. It’s known for their November event in which writers from around the world race against the clock

'''1. Laptop'''

The first item in my survival kit would have to be my laptop. I enjoy being able to just type in a blank page and not having to worry about writing my novel longhand only to type it later. Additionally, I feel that typing allows me to keep up with the rapid pace of my thoughts in a way that I can’t while writing with pencil and paper, but never fear lovers of longhand, I do enjoy putting pencil to paper for the next item on my list.

'''2. Writer’s Journal'''

This wonderful notebook holds key information for my current WIP along with guides to reference when I get stuck. I frequently use its pages to block out scenes as I approach each story point within Saving Grace.

'''3. Outlines'''

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I would be lost without my combined outline using Harmon’s Embryo and the Story Beats structure. Each have a designated page within my Writer’s Journal and I frequently refer to them throughout my writing process.

'''4. Scrivener'''

I can not praise this program enough! If you are a writer, Scrivener is almost a must have. I has several tools that have helped me along the way with my writing career and I love that I am able to go straight from outlining to drafting within the same place without having to sift through multiple documents.

'''5. Google Docs'''

For on the go writing, I love the google docs app on my phone. It allows me to work on my novel even if I don’t have my laptop available with me. Therefore, Google Docs is an essential part of my survival kit.

to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days! Camp NaNoWriMo was created as a more flexible option and allows writers to pick their own word count goal and work on whatever project they can imagine (anything from poetry to graphic novels)!

If you haven’t already registered for Camp, you can do so, here, but today, I would like to share with survival kit I hope will get me through July’s Camp NaNoWriMo.

'''6. Twitter / Youtube'''

Okay, these might seem like I plan to procrastinate, but I can assure you that there is a different reason as to why I put these two websites on the list! In fact, I believe Twitter and Youtube will be essential to helping me get in my daily wordcount. Twitter is a great hub to reach out to other writers and engage in writing sprints and over on Youtube, NaNoWriMo’s official channel has already scheduled live, virtual-write in videos. Thus, even if I am unable to attend a write-in in my area, I will still have several ways to stay motivated throughout the month of July.

'''7. My Cabin'''

One of the best parts of the Camp NaNoWriMo experience, a cabin is a virtual space you are assigned to based off of your selected preferences (or lack of) in which you are paired with a group of other writers to help you stay motivated and to chat without through the camp experience. This time I have been invited to a cabin with a few individuals I know over on twitter and I am super excited to chat with them during the month of July and help keep one another accountable so we can reach our goals.

'''8. Caffeine'''

Unlike most writers, I am not a fan of coffee, and though I love tea, July is hot enough as it is for me without the addition of a hot beverage. Therefore, I will be depending on pop (or soda, if you prefer) to get me through long nights of word sprints.

'''9. Food'''

An easily forgotten necessity in the heat of writing, probably one of the most important items in my survival kit to make sure I remain healthy mentally and physically during camp are some of my favorite recipes. At the moment, some fast meals I like to make are onigiri and onigirazu. Both are perfect for the summer weather and are absolutely delicious!

'''10. Reading Material'''

Last but not least in my survival kit is is reading material to keep me inspired. I’m currently reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and, as I work at a library, I will be referring to our fiction collection as I need more inspiration throughout the month. I have a firm belief that reading other fiction novels both similar and different than my own is an essential part of being a writer, as you can learn much about the craft by observing how other writers write.

And that is it for my survival kit. Are you going to be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo? Let me know in the comments or shoot me a message on Twitter @heybluewrites to let me know what items are in your survival kit. As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Writing!

-Tsuki

Taken from [http://blue.areavoices.com/2017/06/27/my-camp-nanowrimo-survival-kit/ here].
----We have a really cool story written by Jie Ling for this month! Go to The Creative Writers of NSA > Jie Ling > Freewrites > The Silent Assassin to check her story out!

=== The Silent Assassin ===
by Jie Ling

Gleaming up in the quickly darkening sky, the softly glowing moon shed a dim light onto the rocky paths of Peace Town. All was quiet except for the soft creaks of windows shutters being closed and locks sliding into place. As the moon reached its peak, the town fell deathly silent…but not for long.

~~

I slipped silently into my dark, bare room. As I was one of the best assassins in the Shadow Corps, a group which specialized in the discreet disposal of unwanted persons for a high price, I was the proud owner of my own tiny room. It gave me a little privacy and quiet unlike the noisy dormitories two floors below.

I sat onto my hard, straw filled mattress and stared gloomily at the yellowed-brown tattered sheet of paper in my hand. Looking back to a time six years ago, I remembered my young fourteen-year old self eagerly awaiting a similar letter to fall into my hands. Now, I dreaded receiving them…I wanted to stop and retire, not wanting to kill more people. Unfortunately, the only way out of the Shadow Corps was by death. A few times, I admit, I considered of faking my death but the SC (Shadow Corps) burned every single dead assassin as was their custom. Upon faking my death, I would then suffer through the burning flames before finally reaching the end of my life.

These letters contained the mission details for fully-trained assassins. Quickly unfolding the document, I read the instructions and orders and felt my chest grow tight with growing excitement.

Assassin (Sh),

Your job is to silently rid the world of Senator McWalters. He is scheduled to pass through the mountain ravine along the Qualite River and will arrive at the small village of Peace Town before sundown. Approximately 50 men will accompany him on his journey. Assassin (Cl) will lead a group of 5 people. They will be the diversion team while you focus on removing the Senator permanently as is your primary mission. Obey your orders and do not die.

Commander

Folding the letter back into its original shape, I took out my lighter and quickly set the slender sheet of paper alight. Thus, ensuring that no spy or enemy would gain the letter and possibly endanger our mission. Slumping wearily, I stared at the dancing orange flames and wished my current life had not turned out in this way. Before, I had thought it was such an honour and privilege of living this special life until on one of my missions, I had seen an “ordinary” family.

I met this family – unintentionally – during one of my missions. While spying on the house of a powerful diplomat, a family of four passed by my hiding spot, high up in an oak tree. Studying the approaching family, I noticed that the father, mother, boy and girl were happily laughing and chasing each other across the emerald green grass.

Assassins in the Shadow Corps never laughed and hardly ever cracked a single smile. Fascinated with this seemingly new relationship these people had with each other, I diverted my concentration to their little group. I watched with great interest as the family continued to play with each other with great joy. Seeing the easiness that they interacted with each other made me wish to live in that happy environment. My thoughts were interrupted by the voice in my ear demanding information on my mission.

Ever since that day, I continuously compared my life to that of the family I had seen. Approaching the head of the Shadow Corps a few weeks later, I begged and pleaded to be released from my current life and allowed to leave the premises. Unfortunately, all my pleas fell onto deaf ears and I was warned that if such things came out of my mouth again or if I attempted to escape, I would be severely punished.

Thus, I continued unwillingly receiving different mission orders and secretly killing people. Standing up, I dusted the black remains of the letter from my lap and strode to the door. I quietly slipped out into the corridor and headed towards one of the secret doors leading outside.

Silently scooting up a tree, I nimbly jumped from branch to branch and made my way towards Peace Town. A brief twenty minutes later, I donned my black mask and noiselessly leaped onto a tiled roof. I swiftly crossed from one roof top to another and soon arrived at my destination.

Glancing down onto the ground several feet below, I spotted 5 black shapes dash across and disappear into the shadows. Ducking down onto the rough tiles, I awaited my signal to launch my attack. The peacefulness of the night was broken suddenly by loud cries, yells and clanging of metal onto metal.

Taking my cue, I briskly jumped up towards the roof of the inn where the Senator was residing for the time being. Peering into each window I came across, I searched for the private room of the Senator. Finally finding the largest, most luxurious room in the inn, I dropped through the open window. To my dismay, I realised I had not fallen into the bedroom but into the small but extravagant lounge area.

Biting my lip in agitation, I dashed towards the door where I assumed the bedroom was. Pressing my ear to the darkened wood, I listened for signs that Senator McWalters was awake. All was quiet in the room.

I opened the door and stepped into the room, my booted feet making not a single sound. My eyes quickly zoned into the heaving shape on the four-poster bed. I strode towards the man and slapped my hand across his mouth to keep him quiet. His eyes flew open and he stared up into my expressionless face with horror and dawning fear.

I dragged him onto his feet with my other unoccupied hand and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Besides removing people from the world, we also efficiently disposed of the body, never leaving the corpse lying at the scene. Yanking him with me, I pulled him out of the door and towards the window.

Suddenly, the main door burst open and guards burst into the room. The armed men were quickly followed by the rest of my team. Briefly pausing to wonder how these guards had gotten by the assassins, I flicked out my short silver blade.

“Release him!” yelled the head of the guards. “If you do so, you shall not be harmed.”

“I am sorry but I can’t,” I replied before letting my blade fly.
----That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 5-18-18

2026-03-04T03:25:57Z

Mark H: fixed format, matching others...again

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D My name is Carolyn, and I'm the Creative Writing Assistant and soon-to-be Creative Writing Overseer (#rememberingmorgan T_T).

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

==== Permanently Tacked Up: ====
• If you want a '''Creative Writing folder''' of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn) or Morgan Raines and we'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!

• If you and some of your friends would like to '''start a storyline''', email me or Morgan and we'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your '''encouragement''' and '''feedback'''. =)

• Tell the '''newbies''' about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

==== New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines! ====
• '''Out with the old, in with the new.''' Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest member is Rhianna! Go check her folder out. ^_^

==== Other Announcements/Reminders: ====
• '''A Picture's Worth 1000 Words''' is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

'''Quote:'''

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go."

- E.L. Doctorow

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Is this really a good idea?"

"We picked the first one off the list you made, so it should be good."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"This is not what I meant when I said to fight back."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"So... I just push this button and the building will explode? Okay."

'''Prompt 4:'''

"They're very well-mannered."

"They robbed a bank!"

"Yeah, but they were polite about it."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"Your twin brother just waved at me."

"My what? I don't have a twin."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

You're a gardener. You just dug a hole, and there's something glowing deep inside it.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's been raining for 48 hours and the power is out. What's happening?

'''Prompt 9:'''

Re-tell a familiar story you know, but this time, add monsters.

'''Prompt 10:'''

I forgot this was only just a dream.
----Camp NaNoWrimo is coming up for our avid writers! =D If you didn't do it during April, you can still do it in July. And it can be tough. Really tough. And sometimes, you need to do very early prepping. <_> So this month, here's some tips for preparing you on how to survive Camp NaNoWriMo. U_U Good luck you guys. @_@

=== '''My Camp NaNoWriMo Survival Kit''' ===
Hello everyone, it’s that time of year again! We are quickly approaching July, which means we are just over a month away from Camp NaNoWriMo. If you don’t already know, Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writing retreat in which writers are able to set a writing goal during the months of April and July. It was created by the NaNoWriMo (National Writing Month), a nonprofit that seeks to share the love of writing with the world. It’s known for their November event in which writers from around the world race against the clock

'''1. Laptop'''

The first item in my survival kit would have to be my laptop. I enjoy being able to just type in a blank page and not having to worry about writing my novel longhand only to type it later. Additionally, I feel that typing allows me to keep up with the rapid pace of my thoughts in a way that I can’t while writing with pencil and paper, but never fear lovers of longhand, I do enjoy putting pencil to paper for the next item on my list.

'''2. Writer’s Journal'''

This wonderful notebook holds key information for my current WIP along with guides to reference when I get stuck. I frequently use its pages to block out scenes as I approach each story point within Saving Grace.

'''3. Outlines'''

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I would be lost without my combined outline using Harmon’s Embryo and the Story Beats structure. Each have a designated page within my Writer’s Journal and I frequently refer to them throughout my writing process.

'''4. Scrivener'''

I can not praise this program enough! If you are a writer, Scrivener is almost a must have. I has several tools that have helped me along the way with my writing career and I love that I am able to go straight from outlining to drafting within the same place without having to sift through multiple documents.

'''5. Google Docs'''

For on the go writing, I love the google docs app on my phone. It allows me to work on my novel even if I don’t have my laptop available with me. Therefore, Google Docs is an essential part of my survival kit.

to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days! Camp NaNoWriMo was created as a more flexible option and allows writers to pick their own word count goal and work on whatever project they can imagine (anything from poetry to graphic novels)!

If you haven’t already registered for Camp, you can do so, here, but today, I would like to share with survival kit I hope will get me through July’s Camp NaNoWriMo.

'''6. Twitter / Youtube'''

Okay, these might seem like I plan to procrastinate, but I can assure you that there is a different reason as to why I put these two websites on the list! In fact, I believe Twitter and Youtube will be essential to helping me get in my daily wordcount. Twitter is a great hub to reach out to other writers and engage in writing sprints and over on Youtube, NaNoWriMo’s official channel has already scheduled live, virtual-write in videos. Thus, even if I am unable to attend a write-in in my area, I will still have several ways to stay motivated throughout the month of July.

'''7. My Cabin'''

One of the best parts of the Camp NaNoWriMo experience, a cabin is a virtual space you are assigned to based off of your selected preferences (or lack of) in which you are paired with a group of other writers to help you stay motivated and to chat without through the camp experience. This time I have been invited to a cabin with a few individuals I know over on twitter and I am super excited to chat with them during the month of July and help keep one another accountable so we can reach our goals.

'''8. Caffeine'''

Unlike most writers, I am not a fan of coffee, and though I love tea, July is hot enough as it is for me without the addition of a hot beverage. Therefore, I will be depending on pop (or soda, if you prefer) to get me through long nights of word sprints.

'''9. Food'''

An easily forgotten necessity in the heat of writing, probably one of the most important items in my survival kit to make sure I remain healthy mentally and physically during camp are some of my favorite recipes. At the moment, some fast meals I like to make are onigiri and onigirazu. Both are perfect for the summer weather and are absolutely delicious!

'''10. Reading Material'''

Last but not least in my survival kit is is reading material to keep me inspired. I’m currently reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and, as I work at a library, I will be referring to our fiction collection as I need more inspiration throughout the month. I have a firm belief that reading other fiction novels both similar and different than my own is an essential part of being a writer, as you can learn much about the craft by observing how other writers write.

And that is it for my survival kit. Are you going to be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo? Let me know in the comments or shoot me a message on Twitter @heybluewrites to let me know what items are in your survival kit. As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Writing!

-Tsuki

Taken from [http://blue.areavoices.com/2017/06/27/my-camp-nanowrimo-survival-kit/ here].
----We have a really cool story written by Jie Ling for this month! Go to The Creative Writers of NSA > Jie Ling > Freewrites > The Silent Assassin to check her story out!

=== The Silent Assassin ===
by Jie Ling

Gleaming up in the quickly darkening sky, the softly glowing moon shed a dim light onto the rocky paths of Peace Town. All was quiet except for the soft creaks of windows shutters being closed and locks sliding into place. As the moon reached its peak, the town fell deathly silent…but not for long.

~~

I slipped silently into my dark, bare room. As I was one of the best assassins in the Shadow Corps, a group which specialized in the discreet disposal of unwanted persons for a high price, I was the proud owner of my own tiny room. It gave me a little privacy and quiet unlike the noisy dormitories two floors below.

I sat onto my hard, straw filled mattress and stared gloomily at the yellowed-brown tattered sheet of paper in my hand. Looking back to a time six years ago, I remembered my young fourteen-year old self eagerly awaiting a similar letter to fall into my hands. Now, I dreaded receiving them…I wanted to stop and retire, not wanting to kill more people. Unfortunately, the only way out of the Shadow Corps was by death. A few times, I admit, I considered of faking my death but the SC (Shadow Corps) burned every single dead assassin as was their custom. Upon faking my death, I would then suffer through the burning flames before finally reaching the end of my life.

These letters contained the mission details for fully-trained assassins. Quickly unfolding the document, I read the instructions and orders and felt my chest grow tight with growing excitement.

Assassin (Sh),

Your job is to silently rid the world of Senator McWalters. He is scheduled to pass through the mountain ravine along the Qualite River and will arrive at the small village of Peace Town before sundown. Approximately 50 men will accompany him on his journey. Assassin (Cl) will lead a group of 5 people. They will be the diversion team while you focus on removing the Senator permanently as is your primary mission. Obey your orders and do not die.

Commander

Folding the letter back into its original shape, I took out my lighter and quickly set the slender sheet of paper alight. Thus, ensuring that no spy or enemy would gain the letter and possibly endanger our mission. Slumping wearily, I stared at the dancing orange flames and wished my current life had not turned out in this way. Before, I had thought it was such an honour and privilege of living this special life until on one of my missions, I had seen an “ordinary” family.

I met this family – unintentionally – during one of my missions. While spying on the house of a powerful diplomat, a family of four passed by my hiding spot, high up in an oak tree. Studying the approaching family, I noticed that the father, mother, boy and girl were happily laughing and chasing each other across the emerald green grass.

Assassins in the Shadow Corps never laughed and hardly ever cracked a single smile. Fascinated with this seemingly new relationship these people had with each other, I diverted my concentration to their little group. I watched with great interest as the family continued to play with each other with great joy. Seeing the easiness that they interacted with each other made me wish to live in that happy environment. My thoughts were interrupted by the voice in my ear demanding information on my mission.

Ever since that day, I continuously compared my life to that of the family I had seen. Approaching the head of the Shadow Corps a few weeks later, I begged and pleaded to be released from my current life and allowed to leave the premises. Unfortunately, all my pleas fell onto deaf ears and I was warned that if such things came out of my mouth again or if I attempted to escape, I would be severely punished.

Thus, I continued unwillingly receiving different mission orders and secretly killing people. Standing up, I dusted the black remains of the letter from my lap and strode to the door. I quietly slipped out into the corridor and headed towards one of the secret doors leading outside.

Silently scooting up a tree, I nimbly jumped from branch to branch and made my way towards Peace Town. A brief twenty minutes later, I donned my black mask and noiselessly leaped onto a tiled roof. I swiftly crossed from one roof top to another and soon arrived at my destination.

Glancing down onto the ground several feet below, I spotted 5 black shapes dash across and disappear into the shadows. Ducking down onto the rough tiles, I awaited my signal to launch my attack. The peacefulness of the night was broken suddenly by loud cries, yells and clanging of metal onto metal.

Taking my cue, I briskly jumped up towards the roof of the inn where the Senator was residing for the time being. Peering into each window I came across, I searched for the private room of the Senator. Finally finding the largest, most luxurious room in the inn, I dropped through the open window. To my dismay, I realised I had not fallen into the bedroom but into the small but extravagant lounge area.

Biting my lip in agitation, I dashed towards the door where I assumed the bedroom was. Pressing my ear to the darkened wood, I listened for signs that Senator McWalters was awake. All was quiet in the room.

I opened the door and stepped into the room, my booted feet making not a single sound. My eyes quickly zoned into the heaving shape on the four-poster bed. I strode towards the man and slapped my hand across his mouth to keep him quiet. His eyes flew open and he stared up into my expressionless face with horror and dawning fear.

I dragged him onto his feet with my other unoccupied hand and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Besides removing people from the world, we also efficiently disposed of the body, never leaving the corpse lying at the scene. Yanking him with me, I pulled him out of the door and towards the window.

Suddenly, the main door burst open and guards burst into the room. The armed men were quickly followed by the rest of my team. Briefly pausing to wonder how these guards had gotten by the assassins, I flicked out my short silver blade.

“Release him!” yelled the head of the guards. “If you do so, you shall not be harmed.”

“I am sorry but I can’t,” I replied before letting my blade fly.
----That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 5-18-18

2026-03-04T03:25:17Z

Mark H: fixed format, matching others

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D My name is Carolyn, and I'm the Creative Writing Assistant and soon-to-be Creative Writing Overseer (#rememberingmorgan T_T).

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

==== Permanently Tacked Up: ====
• If you want a '''Creative Writing folder''' of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn) or Morgan Raines and we'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!

• If you and some of your friends would like to '''start a storyline''', email me or Morgan and we'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your '''encouragement''' and '''feedback'''. =)

• Tell the '''newbies''' about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

==== New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines! ====
• '''Out with the old, in with the new.''' Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest member is Rhianna! Go check her folder out. ^_^

==== Other Announcements/Reminders: ====
• '''A Picture's Worth 1000 Words''' is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

'''Quote:'''

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go."

- E.L. Doctorow

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Is this really a good idea?"

"We picked the first one off the list you made, so it should be good."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"This is not what I meant when I said to fight back."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"So... I just push this button and the building will explode? Okay."

'''Prompt 4:'''

"They're very well-mannered."

"They robbed a bank!"

"Yeah, but they were polite about it."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"Your twin brother just waved at me."

"My what? I don't have a twin."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

You're a gardener. You just dug a hole, and there's something glowing deep inside it.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's been raining for 48 hours and the power is out. What's happening?

'''Prompt 9:'''

Re-tell a familiar story you know, but this time, add monsters.

'''Prompt 10:'''

I forgot this was only just a dream.
----Camp NaNoWrimo is coming up for our avid writers! =D If you didn't do it during April, you can still do it in July. And it can be tough. Really tough. And sometimes, you need to do very early prepping. <_> So this month, here's some tips for preparing you on how to survive Camp NaNoWriMo. U_U Good luck you guys. @_@

==== '''My Camp NaNoWriMo Survival Kit''' ====
Hello everyone, it’s that time of year again! We are quickly approaching July, which means we are just over a month away from Camp NaNoWriMo. If you don’t already know, Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writing retreat in which writers are able to set a writing goal during the months of April and July. It was created by the NaNoWriMo (National Writing Month), a nonprofit that seeks to share the love of writing with the world. It’s known for their November event in which writers from around the world race against the clock

'''1. Laptop'''

The first item in my survival kit would have to be my laptop. I enjoy being able to just type in a blank page and not having to worry about writing my novel longhand only to type it later. Additionally, I feel that typing allows me to keep up with the rapid pace of my thoughts in a way that I can’t while writing with pencil and paper, but never fear lovers of longhand, I do enjoy putting pencil to paper for the next item on my list.

'''2. Writer’s Journal'''

This wonderful notebook holds key information for my current WIP along with guides to reference when I get stuck. I frequently use its pages to block out scenes as I approach each story point within Saving Grace.

'''3. Outlines'''

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I would be lost without my combined outline using Harmon’s Embryo and the Story Beats structure. Each have a designated page within my Writer’s Journal and I frequently refer to them throughout my writing process.

'''4. Scrivener'''

I can not praise this program enough! If you are a writer, Scrivener is almost a must have. I has several tools that have helped me along the way with my writing career and I love that I am able to go straight from outlining to drafting within the same place without having to sift through multiple documents.

'''5. Google Docs'''

For on the go writing, I love the google docs app on my phone. It allows me to work on my novel even if I don’t have my laptop available with me. Therefore, Google Docs is an essential part of my survival kit.

to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days! Camp NaNoWriMo was created as a more flexible option and allows writers to pick their own word count goal and work on whatever project they can imagine (anything from poetry to graphic novels)!

If you haven’t already registered for Camp, you can do so, here, but today, I would like to share with survival kit I hope will get me through July’s Camp NaNoWriMo.

'''6. Twitter / Youtube'''

Okay, these might seem like I plan to procrastinate, but I can assure you that there is a different reason as to why I put these two websites on the list! In fact, I believe Twitter and Youtube will be essential to helping me get in my daily wordcount. Twitter is a great hub to reach out to other writers and engage in writing sprints and over on Youtube, NaNoWriMo’s official channel has already scheduled live, virtual-write in videos. Thus, even if I am unable to attend a write-in in my area, I will still have several ways to stay motivated throughout the month of July.

'''7. My Cabin'''

One of the best parts of the Camp NaNoWriMo experience, a cabin is a virtual space you are assigned to based off of your selected preferences (or lack of) in which you are paired with a group of other writers to help you stay motivated and to chat without through the camp experience. This time I have been invited to a cabin with a few individuals I know over on twitter and I am super excited to chat with them during the month of July and help keep one another accountable so we can reach our goals.

'''8. Caffeine'''

Unlike most writers, I am not a fan of coffee, and though I love tea, July is hot enough as it is for me without the addition of a hot beverage. Therefore, I will be depending on pop (or soda, if you prefer) to get me through long nights of word sprints.

'''9. Food'''

An easily forgotten necessity in the heat of writing, probably one of the most important items in my survival kit to make sure I remain healthy mentally and physically during camp are some of my favorite recipes. At the moment, some fast meals I like to make are onigiri and onigirazu. Both are perfect for the summer weather and are absolutely delicious!

'''10. Reading Material'''

Last but not least in my survival kit is is reading material to keep me inspired. I’m currently reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and, as I work at a library, I will be referring to our fiction collection as I need more inspiration throughout the month. I have a firm belief that reading other fiction novels both similar and different than my own is an essential part of being a writer, as you can learn much about the craft by observing how other writers write.

And that is it for my survival kit. Are you going to be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo? Let me know in the comments or shoot me a message on Twitter @heybluewrites to let me know what items are in your survival kit. As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Writing!

-Tsuki

Taken from [http://blue.areavoices.com/2017/06/27/my-camp-nanowrimo-survival-kit/ here].
----We have a really cool story written by Jie Ling for this month! Go to The Creative Writers of NSA > Jie Ling > Freewrites > The Silent Assassin to check her story out!

==== The Silent Assassin ====
by Jie Ling

Gleaming up in the quickly darkening sky, the softly glowing moon shed a dim light onto the rocky paths of Peace Town. All was quiet except for the soft creaks of windows shutters being closed and locks sliding into place. As the moon reached its peak, the town fell deathly silent…but not for long.

~~

I slipped silently into my dark, bare room. As I was one of the best assassins in the Shadow Corps, a group which specialized in the discreet disposal of unwanted persons for a high price, I was the proud owner of my own tiny room. It gave me a little privacy and quiet unlike the noisy dormitories two floors below.

I sat onto my hard, straw filled mattress and stared gloomily at the yellowed-brown tattered sheet of paper in my hand. Looking back to a time six years ago, I remembered my young fourteen-year old self eagerly awaiting a similar letter to fall into my hands. Now, I dreaded receiving them…I wanted to stop and retire, not wanting to kill more people. Unfortunately, the only way out of the Shadow Corps was by death. A few times, I admit, I considered of faking my death but the SC (Shadow Corps) burned every single dead assassin as was their custom. Upon faking my death, I would then suffer through the burning flames before finally reaching the end of my life.

These letters contained the mission details for fully-trained assassins. Quickly unfolding the document, I read the instructions and orders and felt my chest grow tight with growing excitement.

Assassin (Sh),

Your job is to silently rid the world of Senator McWalters. He is scheduled to pass through the mountain ravine along the Qualite River and will arrive at the small village of Peace Town before sundown. Approximately 50 men will accompany him on his journey. Assassin (Cl) will lead a group of 5 people. They will be the diversion team while you focus on removing the Senator permanently as is your primary mission. Obey your orders and do not die.

Commander

Folding the letter back into its original shape, I took out my lighter and quickly set the slender sheet of paper alight. Thus, ensuring that no spy or enemy would gain the letter and possibly endanger our mission. Slumping wearily, I stared at the dancing orange flames and wished my current life had not turned out in this way. Before, I had thought it was such an honour and privilege of living this special life until on one of my missions, I had seen an “ordinary” family.

I met this family – unintentionally – during one of my missions. While spying on the house of a powerful diplomat, a family of four passed by my hiding spot, high up in an oak tree. Studying the approaching family, I noticed that the father, mother, boy and girl were happily laughing and chasing each other across the emerald green grass.

Assassins in the Shadow Corps never laughed and hardly ever cracked a single smile. Fascinated with this seemingly new relationship these people had with each other, I diverted my concentration to their little group. I watched with great interest as the family continued to play with each other with great joy. Seeing the easiness that they interacted with each other made me wish to live in that happy environment. My thoughts were interrupted by the voice in my ear demanding information on my mission.

Ever since that day, I continuously compared my life to that of the family I had seen. Approaching the head of the Shadow Corps a few weeks later, I begged and pleaded to be released from my current life and allowed to leave the premises. Unfortunately, all my pleas fell onto deaf ears and I was warned that if such things came out of my mouth again or if I attempted to escape, I would be severely punished.

Thus, I continued unwillingly receiving different mission orders and secretly killing people. Standing up, I dusted the black remains of the letter from my lap and strode to the door. I quietly slipped out into the corridor and headed towards one of the secret doors leading outside.

Silently scooting up a tree, I nimbly jumped from branch to branch and made my way towards Peace Town. A brief twenty minutes later, I donned my black mask and noiselessly leaped onto a tiled roof. I swiftly crossed from one roof top to another and soon arrived at my destination.

Glancing down onto the ground several feet below, I spotted 5 black shapes dash across and disappear into the shadows. Ducking down onto the rough tiles, I awaited my signal to launch my attack. The peacefulness of the night was broken suddenly by loud cries, yells and clanging of metal onto metal.

Taking my cue, I briskly jumped up towards the roof of the inn where the Senator was residing for the time being. Peering into each window I came across, I searched for the private room of the Senator. Finally finding the largest, most luxurious room in the inn, I dropped through the open window. To my dismay, I realised I had not fallen into the bedroom but into the small but extravagant lounge area.

Biting my lip in agitation, I dashed towards the door where I assumed the bedroom was. Pressing my ear to the darkened wood, I listened for signs that Senator McWalters was awake. All was quiet in the room.

I opened the door and stepped into the room, my booted feet making not a single sound. My eyes quickly zoned into the heaving shape on the four-poster bed. I strode towards the man and slapped my hand across his mouth to keep him quiet. His eyes flew open and he stared up into my expressionless face with horror and dawning fear.

I dragged him onto his feet with my other unoccupied hand and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Besides removing people from the world, we also efficiently disposed of the body, never leaving the corpse lying at the scene. Yanking him with me, I pulled him out of the door and towards the window.

Suddenly, the main door burst open and guards burst into the room. The armed men were quickly followed by the rest of my team. Briefly pausing to wonder how these guards had gotten by the assassins, I flicked out my short silver blade.

“Release him!” yelled the head of the guards. “If you do so, you shall not be harmed.”

“I am sorry but I can’t,” I replied before letting my blade fly.
----That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 5-18-18

2026-03-04T03:24:41Z

Mark H: added article

Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D My name is Carolyn, and I'm the Creative Writing Assistant and soon-to-be Creative Writing Overseer (#rememberingmorgan T_T).

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

==== Permanently Tacked Up: ====
• If you want a '''Creative Writing folder''' of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn) or Morgan Raines and we'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!

• If you and some of your friends would like to '''start a storyline''', email me or Morgan and we'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your '''encouragement''' and '''feedback'''. =)

• Tell the '''newbies''' about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

==== New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines! ====
• '''Out with the old, in with the new.''' Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest member is Rhianna! Go check her folder out. ^_^

==== Other Announcements/Reminders: ====
• '''A Picture's Worth 1000 Words''' is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

'''Quote:'''

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go."

- E.L. Doctorow

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Is this really a good idea?"

"We picked the first one off the list you made, so it should be good."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"This is not what I meant when I said to fight back."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"So... I just push this button and the building will explode? Okay."

'''Prompt 4:'''

"They're very well-mannered."

"They robbed a bank!"

"Yeah, but they were polite about it."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"Your twin brother just waved at me."

"My what? I don't have a twin."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

You're a gardener. You just dug a hole, and there's something glowing deep inside it.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's been raining for 48 hours and the power is out. What's happening?

'''Prompt 9:'''

Re-tell a familiar story you know, but this time, add monsters.

'''Prompt 10:'''

I forgot this was only just a dream.
----Camp NaNoWrimo is coming up for our avid writers! =D If you didn't do it during April, you can still do it in July. And it can be tough. Really tough. And sometimes, you need to do very early prepping. <_> So this month, here's some tips for preparing you on how to survive Camp NaNoWriMo. U_U Good luck you guys. @_@

==== '''My Camp NaNoWriMo Survival Kit''' ====
Hello everyone, it’s that time of year again! We are quickly approaching July, which means we are just over a month away from Camp NaNoWriMo. If you don’t already know, Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writing retreat in which writers are able to set a writing goal during the months of April and July. It was created by the NaNoWriMo (National Writing Month), a nonprofit that seeks to share the love of writing with the world. It’s known for their November event in which writers from around the world race against the clock

'''1. Laptop'''

The first item in my survival kit would have to be my laptop. I enjoy being able to just type in a blank page and not having to worry about writing my novel longhand only to type it later. Additionally, I feel that typing allows me to keep up with the rapid pace of my thoughts in a way that I can’t while writing with pencil and paper, but never fear lovers of longhand, I do enjoy putting pencil to paper for the next item on my list.

'''2. Writer’s Journal'''

This wonderful notebook holds key information for my current WIP along with guides to reference when I get stuck. I frequently use its pages to block out scenes as I approach each story point within Saving Grace.

'''3. Outlines'''

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I would be lost without my combined outline using Harmon’s Embryo and the Story Beats structure. Each have a designated page within my Writer’s Journal and I frequently refer to them throughout my writing process.

'''4. Scrivener'''

I can not praise this program enough! If you are a writer, Scrivener is almost a must have. I has several tools that have helped me along the way with my writing career and I love that I am able to go straight from outlining to drafting within the same place without having to sift through multiple documents.

'''5. Google Docs'''

For on the go writing, I love the google docs app on my phone. It allows me to work on my novel even if I don’t have my laptop available with me. Therefore, Google Docs is an essential part of my survival kit.

to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days! Camp NaNoWriMo was created as a more flexible option and allows writers to pick their own word count goal and work on whatever project they can imagine (anything from poetry to graphic novels)!

If you haven’t already registered for Camp, you can do so, here, but today, I would like to share with survival kit I hope will get me through July’s Camp NaNoWriMo.

'''6. Twitter / Youtube'''

Okay, these might seem like I plan to procrastinate, but I can assure you that there is a different reason as to why I put these two websites on the list! In fact, I believe Twitter and Youtube will be essential to helping me get in my daily wordcount. Twitter is a great hub to reach out to other writers and engage in writing sprints and over on Youtube, NaNoWriMo’s official channel has already scheduled live, virtual-write in videos. Thus, even if I am unable to attend a write-in in my area, I will still have several ways to stay motivated throughout the month of July.

'''7. My Cabin'''

One of the best parts of the Camp NaNoWriMo experience, a cabin is a virtual space you are assigned to based off of your selected preferences (or lack of) in which you are paired with a group of other writers to help you stay motivated and to chat without through the camp experience. This time I have been invited to a cabin with a few individuals I know over on twitter and I am super excited to chat with them during the month of July and help keep one another accountable so we can reach our goals.

'''8. Caffeine'''

Unlike most writers, I am not a fan of coffee, and though I love tea, July is hot enough as it is for me without the addition of a hot beverage. Therefore, I will be depending on pop (or soda, if you prefer) to get me through long nights of word sprints.

'''9. Food'''

An easily forgotten necessity in the heat of writing, probably one of the most important items in my survival kit to make sure I remain healthy mentally and physically during camp are some of my favorite recipes. At the moment, some fast meals I like to make are onigiri and onigirazu. Both are perfect for the summer weather and are absolutely delicious!

'''10. Reading Material'''

Last but not least in my survival kit is is reading material to keep me inspired. I’m currently reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and, as I work at a library, I will be referring to our fiction collection as I need more inspiration throughout the month. I have a firm belief that reading other fiction novels both similar and different than my own is an essential part of being a writer, as you can learn much about the craft by observing how other writers write.

And that is it for my survival kit. Are you going to be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo? Let me know in the comments or shoot me a message on Twitter @heybluewrites to let me know what items are in your survival kit. As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Writing!

-Tsuki

Taken from [http://blue.areavoices.com/2017/06/27/my-camp-nanowrimo-survival-kit/ here].
----We have a really cool story written by Jie Ling for this month! Go to The Creative Writers of NSA > Jie Ling > Freewrites > The Silent Assassin to check her story out!

==== The Silent Assassin ====
by Jie Ling

Gleaming up in the quickly darkening sky, the softly glowing moon shed a dim light onto the rocky paths of Peace Town. All was quiet except for the soft creaks of windows shutters being closed and locks sliding into place. As the moon reached its peak, the town fell deathly silent…but not for long.

~~

I slipped silently into my dark, bare room. As I was one of the best assassins in the Shadow Corps, a group which specialized in the discreet disposal of unwanted persons for a high price, I was the proud owner of my own tiny room. It gave me a little privacy and quiet unlike the noisy dormitories two floors below.

I sat onto my hard, straw filled mattress and stared gloomily at the yellowed-brown tattered sheet of paper in my hand. Looking back to a time six years ago, I remembered my young fourteen-year old self eagerly awaiting a similar letter to fall into my hands. Now, I dreaded receiving them…I wanted to stop and retire, not wanting to kill more people. Unfortunately, the only way out of the Shadow Corps was by death. A few times, I admit, I considered of faking my death but the SC (Shadow Corps) burned every single dead assassin as was their custom. Upon faking my death, I would then suffer through the burning flames before finally reaching the end of my life.

These letters contained the mission details for fully-trained assassins. Quickly unfolding the document, I read the instructions and orders and felt my chest grow tight with growing excitement.

Assassin (Sh),

Your job is to silently rid the world of Senator McWalters. He is scheduled to pass through the mountain ravine along the Qualite River and will arrive at the small village of Peace Town before sundown. Approximately 50 men will accompany him on his journey. Assassin (Cl) will lead a group of 5 people. They will be the diversion team while you focus on removing the Senator permanently as is your primary mission. Obey your orders and do not die.

Commander

Folding the letter back into its original shape, I took out my lighter and quickly set the slender sheet of paper alight. Thus, ensuring that no spy or enemy would gain the letter and possibly endanger our mission. Slumping wearily, I stared at the dancing orange flames and wished my current life had not turned out in this way. Before, I had thought it was such an honour and privilege of living this special life until on one of my missions, I had seen an “ordinary” family.

I met this family – unintentionally – during one of my missions. While spying on the house of a powerful diplomat, a family of four passed by my hiding spot, high up in an oak tree. Studying the approaching family, I noticed that the father, mother, boy and girl were happily laughing and chasing each other across the emerald green grass.

Assassins in the Shadow Corps never laughed and hardly ever cracked a single smile. Fascinated with this seemingly new relationship these people had with each other, I diverted my concentration to their little group. I watched with great interest as the family continued to play with each other with great joy. Seeing the easiness that they interacted with each other made me wish to live in that happy environment. My thoughts were interrupted by the voice in my ear demanding information on my mission.

Ever since that day, I continuously compared my life to that of the family I had seen. Approaching the head of the Shadow Corps a few weeks later, I begged and pleaded to be released from my current life and allowed to leave the premises. Unfortunately, all my pleas fell onto deaf ears and I was warned that if such things came out of my mouth again or if I attempted to escape, I would be severely punished.

Thus, I continued unwillingly receiving different mission orders and secretly killing people. Standing up, I dusted the black remains of the letter from my lap and strode to the door. I quietly slipped out into the corridor and headed towards one of the secret doors leading outside.

Silently scooting up a tree, I nimbly jumped from branch to branch and made my way towards Peace Town. A brief twenty minutes later, I donned my black mask and noiselessly leaped onto a tiled roof. I swiftly crossed from one roof top to another and soon arrived at my destination.

Glancing down onto the ground several feet below, I spotted 5 black shapes dash across and disappear into the shadows. Ducking down onto the rough tiles, I awaited my signal to launch my attack. The peacefulness of the night was broken suddenly by loud cries, yells and clanging of metal onto metal.

Taking my cue, I briskly jumped up towards the roof of the inn where the Senator was residing for the time being. Peering into each window I came across, I searched for the private room of the Senator. Finally finding the largest, most luxurious room in the inn, I dropped through the open window. To my dismay, I realised I had not fallen into the bedroom but into the small but extravagant lounge area.

Biting my lip in agitation, I dashed towards the door where I assumed the bedroom was. Pressing my ear to the darkened wood, I listened for signs that Senator McWalters was awake. All was quiet in the room.

I opened the door and stepped into the room, my booted feet making not a single sound. My eyes quickly zoned into the heaving shape on the four-poster bed. I strode towards the man and slapped my hand across his mouth to keep him quiet. His eyes flew open and he stared up into my expressionless face with horror and dawning fear.

I dragged him onto his feet with my other unoccupied hand and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Besides removing people from the world, we also efficiently disposed of the body, never leaving the corpse lying at the scene. Yanking him with me, I pulled him out of the door and towards the window.

Suddenly, the main door burst open and guards burst into the room. The armed men were quickly followed by the rest of my team. Briefly pausing to wonder how these guards had gotten by the assassins, I flicked out my short silver blade.

“Release him!” yelled the head of the guards. “If you do so, you shall not be harmed.”

“I am sorry but I can’t,” I replied before letting my blade fly.
----That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 4-30-18

2026-03-04T03:11:21Z

Mark H: fixed format according to original article

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D I'm Carolyn, the Creative Writing Assistant!

If you haven't figured it out yet, from now on I'll be taking over this article. (Mwahahaha.) But let us do take the time to appreciate the many years that Morgan has written this article for. *stands in silence* It shall be sad to no longer see her name as the writer for this article. T_T

<nowiki>#</nowiki>rememberingmorgan

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

===== Permanently Tacked Up: =====
• If you want a Creative Writing folder of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn) or Morgan Raines and we'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!

• If you and some of your friends would like to start a storyline, email me or Morgan and we'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your encouragement and feedback. =)

• Tell the newbies about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

===== New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines! =====
• Out with the old, in with the new. Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest members are Anna, Karsten, and Spencer! Go check their folders out. ^_^

===== Other Announcements/Reminders: =====
• A Picture's Worth 1000 Words is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

'''Quote:''' "A professional writer is an amateur writer who didn't quit." - Richard Bach

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Hi... I'm your fairy godmother."

"I thought those only existed in fairytales."

"Yeah, well, there's a twist to it."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"This isn't the right way to the police department, Jack. You said we would go straight there and tell them what we know."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"Surprise! I'm back from the dead! Isn't that exciting?"

'''Prompt 4:'''

"This is a beautiful world."

"Shame you came from so far away to destroy it, right?"

"Not really."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"He lied to you, didn't he? He didn't tell you about his secret."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

Her anger dissolved into calm. For the first time in her life, she tasted the sweetness of serenity.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's been 15 years, but I still regret what happened at the lake that night. It wasn't supposed to play out that way.

'''Prompt 9:'''

She opened her apartment door to hundreds of roses. She knew they were from him; he had found her.

'''Prompt 10:'''

This time, it was the princess' turn to rescue her dragon.
----

=== Introducing Your Protagonist ===
What’s wrong with this picture?

''‘I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, find my big green eyes crusted with sleep. I brush my beautiful brown hair and check my flawless skin for pimples, but of course I don’t have any, so I don’t need to put on any makeup. Then I walk over to my closet and put on my school uniform shirt and skirt, check my reflection one more time. Then I head down stairs for a delicious, filling breakfast.’''

Obviously that paragraph is insipid to the point of hyperbolic, but it’s not like writing like this doesn’t exist. Remember learning the concept of “show, not tell” back in elementary school?

Yes, it’s still (and always) super relevant. Breaking out of the rut of the easier opposite, “tell, not show” is difficult, especially when you feel that you have so much information about a character that you feel you NEED to get to the reader, or they won’t have the image of the character that you want them to have.

Let’s start with the harsh reality: your readers are definitely not going to have the image you want them to have, so don’t worry about it.

And anyway, describing your character down to the most minute detail isn’t going to draw your readers to your character. They want to see their motivations, their emotions, their actions. They want to see what makes them ache.

If you’re writing a full-length novel, you have all the time in the world to show a full picture of your protagonist, antagonist, or anyone else in your cast of characters.

Don’t give your readers everything at once, and don’t give them features, give them emotions.

===== 1. Ease Into It, And Always Start With What’s Important =====
When I was in college and first started talking about my writing with my friends, one friend—who I’ve known since pre-school—asked me to do two things for her.

Specifically, she asked me not to do two things.

One: No sappy chapter titles.

Two: Don’t introduce your characters by having them stand in front of a mirror and describe every feature they see (like that first example).

They were pretty fair requests, considering the conversation happened around 2008 or 2009, and you don’t have to Google for too long to figure out which YA series was popular around that time.

Give the reader the most important information about the character first: name, gender, age, and how they relate to the world you’ve developed.

Also, don’t wait three chapters to introduce the protagonist. Introduce them as quickly as possible. Then you give your readers the rest in little pieces, bite by bite, as the novel progresses.

But TFR, what if my character has significant features that will impact them thought the story? Please, give them that.

Does your character have a hair color outside the norm (i.e. fake red, blue, rainbow, etc.)? Give us that. Does your character have an obvious chase of heterochromia (aka when one eye color is different from the other? Give us that, but don’t be too blatant about it (tip: have it come up in conversation, or have someone else bring it up by teasing the protagonist, or asking how that’s physically possible). Does your character have some sort of physical ailment or missing limb, well, then your readers are going to need to know that.

But your whole vision of the character doesn’t matter. What you see when you think of your character isn’t what your readers are going to see, and that’s okay. Your readers are here for the story, not the description of the number of freckles he or she has on her cheeks, or the exact shape of their eyes.

===== 2. Instead of Showing What They Look Like, Make Us Want To Root For Your Character =====
It doesn’t matter whether you want your readers to see your protagonist succeed or see them fail, you want them for or against your character, period. You want that more than you want your readers to know what they look like.

You want your readers to want to keep following your character on their adventures, want them to keep turning the page.

Turn all the pages.

Show your readers your character in action. How do they react after witnessing a bad car accident? How do they react to being in a bad car accident? How do they react to good news? How do they react to being hit on at a pair by someone remotely not their type?

Give them the elements of your character and send your readers on the adventure with them. Remember that paragraph of “tell” from the beginning of the post? Go back and take another read. I’ll wait.

Are you cringing yet?

Instead of doing that, show the readers how your character feels about having to get up in the morning. Are they the type who’s excited for school, to see all their friends and sit in the front row of each of their classes? Or do they not want to go to school because they’re constantly being bullied by the “it clique” and therefore drag out the process of getting ready for as long as possible?

Or show us a little about your protagonist’s home life. Does your character have to pick their way through a messy room to get to their uniform, or is it pristine and the clothes are hanging in the closet organized by color? Does their uniform fit, or is the skirt or pants too tight in the waist because they can’t afford clothes that fit better.

Show a neat appearance, or show them being okay with leaving the house unkempt because they’re running late.

Show us, don’t tell us.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule (like all the ones I break in the #WhoIsTalyaNightingale manuscript). In writing, all rules should be broken. What’s important is that you break these rules the right away.

And then go back and edit when you’re done.

Have I mentioned the importance of editing yet in this post?

No?

Well, editing is super crucial.

Taken from: <nowiki>https://thefakeredhead.com/2017/01/14/2-tips-on-introducing-your-protagonist/</nowiki>
----Or rather, this month's poem. Brianna Harpel, our writer over there at Caught in the Glow, is a lovely poet who never fails to amaze me with her poetry. Check out her poetry in The Creative Writers of NSA > Brianna > Poems!

==== Failure's Blessing ====
by Brianna Harpel

<poem style="border: 2px solid #113e60; background-color: #cee5f6; padding: .5em;">
Failure is a blessing

Though we see it as a drudge

Without it… well

We wouldn’t learn much

Failure shows us where we fall

It shows us how to grow

And shows us how to know

When we need to let go.

To release our pride

To release the guise

To release our control
To release the lies.

It forces us to see
Our futality
And look up for a moment
So we can get up.

Failure shows us who we need
It shows us where to go
And shows us what we know
And who holds the road

The Father, the Maker
The world's Only Light
The All Knowing Author
The One who is always right.

It causes us to observe
Our weakness
And know He is there
So we can get up.

Failure is a blessing
And it can drag us down
If we let it close us in
And pull us to the ground.
But it doesn’t have to be
Cause its the blessing in disguise
Allowing us to know we need the King
Showing us how to fall on our knees.
</poem>

That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 6-18-18

2026-03-03T12:20:45Z

Mark H: added article

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D My name is Carolyn, and I'm the Creative Writing Overseer.

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Annoucement ===

==== Permanently Tacked Up: ====
• If you want a ''Creative Writing folder'' of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn Sie) and I'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new writers and stories coming in frequently!

• If you and some of your friends would like to ''start a storyline,'' email me and I'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your ''encouragement'' and ''feedback.'' =)

• Tell the ''newbies'' about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

==== New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines! ====
• ''Out with the old, in with the new''. Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest members are Brooke, Micah, Ruth, and Samuel! Go check their folders out. ^_^

==== Other Announcements/Reminders: ====
• ''A Picture's Worth 1000 Words'' is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

<nowiki>#</nowiki>rememberingmorgan T_T

'''Quote:'''

"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Hi, I'd like to order a hamburger." "What's a hamburger?"

'''Prompt 2:'''

"Did you open the package?" "

Yes."

"That was your first mistake."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"Dude, your eyes are glowing."

'''Prompt 4:'''

I thought I could survive.

I didn't. I died.

'''Prompt 5:'''

She clutched her wings tighter. "Don't come near me."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

It's finally summer. You finally get the chance to hit the beach, but it's completely deserted.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's the year 2270. Technology has evolved. The world is living in absolute peace. The whole world of robots, that is. All of humanity has been erased. You're the only human left standing, and you're struggling to stay hidden and survive.

'''Prompt 9:'''

You've just entered the elevator, alone with one man and a young girl. Suddenly, the man hits the emergency stop button and pulls out a gun.

'''Prompt 10:'''

It's your friend's sweet 16th birthday! You try to call your friend to tell her happy birthday, but she doesn't pick up. You message her, only to see that her name has been replaced with a "16."
----

=== '''World Building''' ===
It should go without saying that world building is just as important as naming your protagonist (and everyone else in the novel).

While the thought of world building might actually be more overwhelming than figuring out someone’s name, it doesn’t have to be.

The easiest way to go about it?

Take it slow.

Going into your plot, even before you write your first page, you don’t have to have every inch of your town/city/isolated wasteland/intergalactic cruise ship/alien rainforest already planned out. It’s great if you do, but it doesn’t have to be your first priority.

The way to start is to just write.

When I started the #WhoIsTalyaNightingale novel, I had a handful of specific locations figured out, but as I wrote the story, more and more of the town came to me. In fact, there is one specific location—someone’s house—that I never imagined including before I wrote the scene and introduced it.

But now that it exists, it’s going to have a much larger role in the overall series than I originally thought.

Storyline evolution is awesome.

1. Start With The General, Narrow Down To The Specific

Once you figure out what type of story you’re writing—fantasy, historical, steampunk, modern, etc.—and vaguely what it’s about, then you should try to figure out the general area it takes place in before your narrow it down.

Writing a story located somewhere with a beach is going to have a different feel from one that takes place in the middle of a desert, or in the forest, or in the arctic, and so on.

And speaking of these locations, you should also figure out things like the time of year and the weather, all of which impact your characters.

For example, if your character is a city girl who graduates from college in Arizona and cuts her hair to a cute, short bob, she’s not going to have the same problems with her hair that she will when she moves to Birmingham, Alabama, in August and is faced with moving into her apartment when it’s 90-degrees out with 90-percent humidity. She’s going to struggle a lot with managing her hair until it grows out long enough to pull into a ponytail.

(Why yes, that was me. Feel free to drop a line in the comments if you need any advice on handling hair issues in humidity).

Additionally, figuring out the time of year is crucial too. If your story takes place in New Haven, Connecticut, in the dead of winter, then your character is going to dress in layers and have to trudge through snow in order to get to work every day, whereas your character who is on vacation on Hawaii’s Big Island is going to be in a bathing suit and sandals for most of the novel.

If they’re on the west side of the island, that is. If they’re in Hilo, all weather bets are off.

2. Don’t Forget To Establish The Time Of Day In Your Environment

I’m not saying that you have to establish the time of day in every single scene, but a scene with two cops in the midst of a midnight stakeout is going to have a different look and feel than one with a coed having an early-morning study session at the campus library, or even one with the leaders of a pair of warring factions meeting at dusk with their armies at their backs.

Additionally elements like pollution will impact your setting too. If you’re writing about the sunrise in Beijing, thanks to the heavy blanket of smog throttling the city, the sunrise is going to look very different from the sunrise in an arid desert miles away from the nearest town.

A river full of toxic sludge is going to look and smell different from the untouched waters deep in the rainforest, and an apartment by the ocean in Miami is going to have a different feel from one in Portland.

3. The Passage Of Time Is Important Too

Going into it, you’re probably going to know if your novel spans months at a time, a season, or just a day, and the speed of time is something you need to convey as the story progresses.

If you’re writing something that takes place over a short span like a day or a week, then you’re going to need to break down each and every second, fill in as much story that you can within those limitations. (But if your character or characters are going to travel some distance as part of that sprint, then you can skip from Point A to Point B without stressing over what songs they’re going to add to their Spotify playlist.)

Conversely, if you’re writing something that takes place over months or years, then we don’t need a hundred repetitions of your protagonist’s morning coffee routine. If it’s not relevant to the plot, then you can move right along without worrying that your readers are going to miss something.

4. Man-Made Geography Is Important Too

Buildings, houses, coffee shops, malls, schools, whatever you’re imaging, are all going to look different, depending on where you are.

You’re not going to see those classic brick row-houses that are found in Baltimore in the middle of Los Angeles, nor are you going to see a massive mountain cabin the middle of metro Phoenix.

Once you figure out where and when your story takes place, do some Googling or Pinterest searching to find inspiration for what your houses, shops, schools, or whatever else is important to your setting are going to look like.

The beach houses and tourist-clogged streets of Santa Barbara are going to have a different look and architectural feel than a manor somewhere in Connecticut or Massachusetts.

5. Populations Are Important Too

Speaking of tourists, if you’re writing a story that takes place in the middle of a metropolis like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Hong Kong, or Tokyo, then there is a 100-percent chance that your characters are going to bump into someone the second they set foot on the street.

It’s bustling, it’s active, and it’s always loud.

But if you’re writing a story that takes place in a retirement community, then all is going to be dead silent by 9 p.m.

So you need to make sure that your setting is consistent in all ways. That’s not to say that you need to specifically state that Name-Of-Your-Town has a setting of Insert-Number-Here, but make sure to talk about it if it’s relevant. Is it strange that the local park is empty at four in the afternoon? Might be something. Or is it important to note how crowded it is on Saturday when your character goes grocery shopping at Whole Paycheck Foods?

Overall, just take your time, be consistent, and go back and change what needs to be changed when you edit the piece.

That’s why editing is awesome.

<nowiki>https://thefakeredhead.com/2017/01/28/five-tips-for-better-world-building/</nowiki>
----We have yet another story by Jie Ling Lim! This is just a snippet of one of her latest writings. To find out what happens, go to Creative Writing > The Creative Writers of NSA > Jie Ling Lim > Freewrites > Deadly Mercury. Enjoy reading =D

=== '''Deadly Mercury''' ===
by Jie Ling

Keeping her head down low, she shuffled her way down the bustling corridors of Ciencia Highschool. Her silver blonde strands hung around her slender face, shielding her from further view. A group of rambunctious, year eight boys rushed past causing the girl to flinch and seek to disappear into the wall of plaster.

Storm grey eyes darted around, trying to find an escape route. There! Room 2-04. Slipping into the presently silent classroom, she gently set her bag onto an empty desk and then slid onto the chair. She heaved a great sigh of relief. Peace, quiet and serenity at last.

Her relaxation was suddenly interrupted by the door slamming open to welcome the vicious onslaught of students arriving, just in time for class. The first few kids briefly paused upon seeing the lone teenage girl sitting at the desk. They then continued, the once peace filled space bustling with noise and happy chatter.

Walking in amidst the clamour, a tall, stick-thin woman rapped the front desk with a wooden ruler.

“Everyone, quiet please. Before I continue teaching about the elements of science, I would like to introduce a new person to our class. Please welcome Mercury Islabelle Levesque to class 2-04. I am Miss Norton, your teacher. Mercury, could you please stand up and say hello to everyone?”

Mercury blinked, struck dumb with terror. She hated being the center of attention.

“Um,” standing up hesitantly, she whispered, “hello everyone.”

Her fellow classmates loudly shouted out a welcome to her, causing her to blush helplessly. Quickly sitting back down onto her seat, she returned her focus to Miss Norton who had turned to the large black chalkboard and was writing down the element they would be studying today. She blinked in surprise as Miss Norton wrote down “Mercury”.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Walking silently home, Merc contemplated the events of the day. She could not believe that on her first day in the new school she had studied on her namesake, mercury. Suddenly, up ahead she heard a soft cry of pain. “Please stop! Please!”
----That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 9-05-18

2026-03-03T12:06:42Z

Mark H: added article

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D My name is Carolyn, and I'm the Creative Writing Overseer.

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

===== '''Permanently Tacked Up:''' =====
• If you want a '''Creative Writing folder''' of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn Sie) and I'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new writers and stories coming in frequently!

• If you and some of your friends would like to start a '''storyline,''' email me and I'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your '''encouragement''' and '''feedback'''. =)

• Tell the '''newbies''' about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

• Let us forever remember the numerous years and dedication of the previous writer of this column, Morgan Raines. #rememberingmorgan T_T

===== '''New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines!''' =====
• '''Out with the old, in with the new''' .Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest members are Alexis, Andy, Jaylene, and Rachel B! Go check their folders out. ^_^

'''Quote:'''

"If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word." - Margaret Atwood

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Watch for her jagged edges, son, for she is no sweet and dainty flower to be held."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"You said that this place was built to imprison something. What was it?" "Me."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"I told you already, we're never going back. Ever."

'''Prompt 4:'''

"Why is there a magic portal in the bathtub?!"

'''Prompt 5:'''

"You're like a blister; you only turn up when the hard work is done."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

They burnt their blood-stained clothing in the small forest just behind the school.

'''Prompt 8:'''

Everything good comes with a price tag. The price of his second chance was his eyesight.

'''Prompt 9:'''

You appear in an infinite white room with nothing but yourself and a piece of paper which reads, "You have been banned from existence."

'''Prompt 10:'''

One day in class, you decide to scream something in your head to catch mind readers. As you do, you see your crush flinch.
----This month's writing tips is on a slightly different topic. Instead of focusing on writing itself, I've decided to focus on being in a '''writing community'''. Here's a snippet from the blog post I'm extracting this from. Enjoy reading!

=== '''Why You Need A Writing Community (And How To Find One!)''' ===
FEEDBACK

I think the word feedback scares people. It scares us…. Like, you know, in elementary school when the teacher would pass out the classes’ graded creative writing papers, and yours had red marks all over it and a barely passable grade that sent your GPA waaay down?

If you’ve got a group of people who really want to invest in you and your writing, you will never go through that again. '''They will want to help you, not give you a grade to despair over.''' Their goal should be to show you how to write better.

ADVICE

I came up with a quote for this one. Print it out. Tape it to your wall. It will be useful in life. Are you ready?

Good advice is better than stupid advice. -Abby Franklin, 2018

I’m pure genius.

To be a little more precise, advice is better coming from someone who knows what they’re doing than someone speculating from the outside.

Take, for instance, making a blog for the first time. Someone with no experience could tell you to go ahead and make a blog at the beginning of your writing career, while an experienced blogger may know that you should probably do XYZ before blogging for the first time.

FRIENDSHIP

When you have a friend who likes baseball, you might play or go to a game with them, right? If you agree, congrats! You found out why writing friends are important! Have some cake!

Writing friends are arguably the best friends ever, because they’re crazy weird and tend to be comical people because of it. But the best thing about them is that, if you’re a writer too, '''they’ll always be there to keep you going'''. And they are very persistent & passionate about it.

Plus, If you need extra ideas, a good name for a villain, or a good cry over a character’s death, they’re only a phone call or text away.

Yeah, writers are pretty awesome.

ENCOURAGEMENT

We all get into those awful writing slumps sometimes. You guys know those days when you can’t seem to get the plot together or can’t write another word, and those dry seasons where nothing good seems to be happening.

One of the best parts of having writers around you is that they understand. They get it. Maybe they have tips on how to help, and maybe they don’t. But a good writer will always encourage you to keep going in your journey.

To read the full post, head over to <nowiki>https://whenwordsfly.com/2018/01/01/writing-community/</nowiki>

'''(In the full post, it talks about an online Christian writing community too, which you should totally check out!)'''
----We have a super cool, exciting story by Jaylene for this month! Check out her Creative Writing folder in Creative Writing > The Creative Writers of NSA > Jaylene > Fire and Ice for more!

=== '''Fire and Ice: Part One''' ===
“Small fire! I said to set a small fire!! This is not small!!!” Helplessly, I stared at the blazing inferno raging around me. Thick smoke filled my nostrils, and I coughed, glaring harshly at the apologetic boy in front of me.

“This is all your fault! What part of ‘small’ do you not understand, you idiot!”

“I’m sorry-“ he tried.

I interrupted, “This is your first task, and you’ve already proven to be a miserable wreck! Tell me, what do I do with you?!”

He hung his head, looking dejected, and for a split second a small part of me wanted to pat him on the back and tell him everything would be okay, but I maintained my chilly facade. I had had it harder during my own initiation. If he wanted to join the league, he must pass the pre-training.

“I can’t believe they assigned me to train him,” I muttered under my breath. Extending my palm, I aimed a perfect spray of ice at the roaring flames. Immediately, they disappeared with a hiss, and I closed my palm, turning to frown at my protégé.

He winced.

I smiled, satisfied with his reaction. “Now,” I said firmly, if you want to get better at this, you need to practice. You want to join the league, don’t you?”

“Yes,” he gulped, his eyes wide. I took note that they were the color of pure honey. Suddenly disgusted with him, I began stalking back and forth.

“You were selected from your clan – only you! And here you are, making horrible use of your gift. This is only the pre-training! What will you do when – IF – you ever get to the real thing?”

My voice had risen, and I struggled to keep it down, noting the way his hands were smoldering with a fiery glow.

Hmmm. Maybe that was the way to get this to work. Furiously, I began to pace faster.

“You soggy biscuit!” I barked. “Are you useless?! You were chosen for a reason, but I’m starting to doubt you! Show me what you can do, or you’re done here!”

His eyes began to shimmer with burnt orange sparks, and he clenched his flickering fists.

“SHOW ME!” I roared. That was all it took. With a terrifying cry, the boy opened his palms to the sky. Perfectly sized flames sparked to life in his hands, and he forgot his anger, gaping in awe. I congratulated myself on our success.

“Very good,” I approved. “You can stop now.” When he didn’t, I impatiently laid my palms on his, expecting my ice crystals to extinguish the heat right away. Instead, the blazes grew stronger and I gasped, feeling warmth for the first time in my life. It was... strangely addicting. I was paralyzed by the brand new sensation. The frost in my hands were melting into warm water, but I scarcely noticed it.

We stared at each other; the two of us in harmony for a few seconds that seemed infinite. What was this unfamiliar warmth in my hands and my bones? But before I could say anything, the heat suddenly dissipated and my palms were freezing cold again. I stepped back, feeling the frostiness return to my eyes.

“That is all for today.”

“Wait.” He placed a hand on my arm, and I froze, aware of the tantalizing warmth that beckoned to me. “I don’t even know your name.” Stiffening, I shook his hand off and faced him.

“That is the point of it all,” I replied, my voice hard.

“Point of what?” he asked desperately, but I flung a non-deadly icicle at his leg and disappeared into the fog as I had been trained to. He asked too many questions. I’d have to be careful.

That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 18-19]]

The Writing Workshop 4-30-18

2026-03-03T10:31:51Z

Mark H: fixed format

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D I'm Carolyn, the Creative Writing Assistant!

If you haven't figured it out yet, from now on I'll be taking over this article. (Mwahahaha.) But let us do take the time to appreciate the many years that Morgan has written this article for. *stands in silence* It shall be sad to no longer see her name as the writer for this article. T_T

<nowiki>#</nowiki>rememberingmorgan

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

===== '''Permanently Tacked Up:''' =====
• If you want a Creative Writing folder of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn) or Morgan Raines and we'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!

• If you and some of your friends would like to start a storyline, email me or Morgan and we'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!

• Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your encouragement and feedback. =)

• Tell the newbies about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

===== '''New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines!''' =====
• Out with the old, in with the new. Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest members are Anna, Karsten, and Spencer! Go check their folders out. ^_^

===== '''Other Announcements/Reminders:''' =====
• A Picture's Worth 1000 Words is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

'''Quote:''' "A professional writer is an amateur writer who didn't quit." - Richard Bach

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Hi... I'm your fairy godmother."

"I thought those only existed in fairytales."

"Yeah, well, there's a twist to it."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"This isn't the right way to the police department, Jack. You said we would go straight there and tell them what we know."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"Surprise! I'm back from the dead! Isn't that exciting?"

'''Prompt 4:'''

"This is a beautiful world."

"Shame you came from so far away to destroy it, right?"

"Not really."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"He lied to you, didn't he? He didn't tell you about his secret."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

Her anger dissolved into calm. For the first time in her life, she tasted the sweetness of serenity.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's been 15 years, but I still regret what happened at the lake that night. It wasn't supposed to play out that way.

'''Prompt 9:'''

She opened her apartment door to hundreds of roses. She knew they were from him; he had found her.

'''Prompt 10:'''

This time, it was the princess' turn to rescue her dragon.

=== '''Introducing Your Protagonist''' ===
What’s wrong with this picture?

''‘I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, find my big green eyes crusted with sleep. I brush my beautiful brown hair and check my flawless skin for pimples, but of course I don’t have any, so I don’t need to put on any makeup. Then I walk over to my closet and put on my school uniform shirt and skirt, check my reflection one more time. Then I head down stairs for a delicious, filling breakfast.’''

Obviously that paragraph is insipid to the point of hyperbolic, but it’s not like writing like this doesn’t exist. Remember learning the concept of “show, not tell” back in elementary school?

Yes, it’s still (and always) super relevant. Breaking out of the rut of the easier opposite, “tell, not show” is difficult, especially when you feel that you have so much information about a character that you feel you NEED to get to the reader, or they won’t have the image of the character that you want them to have.

Let’s start with the harsh reality: your readers are definitely not going to have the image you want them to have, so don’t worry about it.

And anyway, describing your character down to the most minute detail isn’t going to draw your readers to your character. They want to see their motivations, their emotions, their actions. They want to see what makes them ache.

If you’re writing a full-length novel, you have all the time in the world to show a full picture of your protagonist, antagonist, or anyone else in your cast of characters.

Don’t give your readers everything at once, and don’t give them features, give them emotions.

===== '''1. Ease Into It, And Always Start With What’s Important''' =====
When I was in college and first started talking about my writing with my friends, one friend—who I’ve known since pre-school—asked me to do two things for her.

Specifically, she asked me not to do two things.

One: No sappy chapter titles.

Two: Don’t introduce your characters by having them stand in front of a mirror and describe every feature they see (like that first example).

They were pretty fair requests, considering the conversation happened around 2008 or 2009, and you don’t have to Google for too long to figure out which YA series was popular around that time.

Give the reader the most important information about the character first: name, gender, age, and how they relate to the world you’ve developed.

Also, don’t wait three chapters to introduce the protagonist. Introduce them as quickly as possible. Then you give your readers the rest in little pieces, bite by bite, as the novel progresses.

But TFR, what if my character has significant features that will impact them thought the story? Please, give them that.

Does your character have a hair color outside the norm (i.e. fake red, blue, rainbow, etc.)? Give us that. Does your character have an obvious chase of heterochromia (aka when one eye color is different from the other? Give us that, but don’t be too blatant about it (tip: have it come up in conversation, or have someone else bring it up by teasing the protagonist, or asking how that’s physically possible). Does your character have some sort of physical ailment or missing limb, well, then your readers are going to need to know that.

But your whole vision of the character doesn’t matter. What you see when you think of your character isn’t what your readers are going to see, and that’s okay. Your readers are here for the story, not the description of the number of freckles he or she has on her cheeks, or the exact shape of their eyes.

===== '''2. Instead of Showing What They Look Like, Make Us Want To Root For Your Character''' =====
It doesn’t matter whether you want your readers to see your protagonist succeed or see them fail, you want them for or against your character, period. You want that more than you want your readers to know what they look like.

You want your readers to want to keep following your character on their adventures, want them to keep turning the page.

Turn all the pages.

Show your readers your character in action. How do they react after witnessing a bad car accident? How do they react to being in a bad car accident? How do they react to good news? How do they react to being hit on at a pair by someone remotely not their type?

Give them the elements of your character and send your readers on the adventure with them. Remember that paragraph of “tell” from the beginning of the post? Go back and take another read. I’ll wait.

Are you cringing yet?

Instead of doing that, show the readers how your character feels about having to get up in the morning. Are they the type who’s excited for school, to see all their friends and sit in the front row of each of their classes? Or do they not want to go to school because they’re constantly being bullied by the “it clique” and therefore drag out the process of getting ready for as long as possible?

Or show us a little about your protagonist’s home life. Does your character have to pick their way through a messy room to get to their uniform, or is it pristine and the clothes are hanging in the closet organized by color? Does their uniform fit, or is the skirt or pants too tight in the waist because they can’t afford clothes that fit better.

Show a neat appearance, or show them being okay with leaving the house unkempt because they’re running late.

Show us, don’t tell us.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule (like all the ones I break in the #WhoIsTalyaNightingale manuscript). In writing, all rules should be broken. What’s important is that you break these rules the right away.

And then go back and edit when you’re done.

Have I mentioned the importance of editing yet in this post?

No?

Well, editing is super crucial.

Taken from: <nowiki>https://thefakeredhead.com/2017/01/14/2-tips-on-introducing-your-protagonist/</nowiki>

Or rather, this month's poem. Brianna Harpel, our writer over there at Caught in the Glow, is a lovely poet who never fails to amaze me with her poetry. Check out her poetry in The Creative Writers of NSA > Brianna > Poems!

===== '''Failure's Blessing''' =====
by Brianna Harpel

<poem style="border: 2px solid #113e60; background-color: #cee5f6; padding: .5em;">
Failure is a blessing

Though we see it as a drudge

Without it… well

We wouldn’t learn much

Failure shows us where we fall

It shows us how to grow

And shows us how to know

When we need to let go.

To release our pride

To release the guise

To release our control
To release the lies.

It forces us to see
Our futality
And look up for a moment
So we can get up.

Failure shows us who we need
It shows us where to go
And shows us what we know
And who holds the road

The Father, the Maker
The world's Only Light
The All Knowing Author
The One who is always right.

It causes us to observe
Our weakness
And know He is there
So we can get up.

Failure is a blessing
And it can drag us down
If we let it close us in
And pull us to the ground.
But it doesn’t have to be
Cause its the blessing in disguise
Allowing us to know we need the King
Showing us how to fall on our knees.
</poem>

That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Writing Workshop 4-30-18

2026-03-03T10:30:28Z

Mark H: added article

== Writing Workshop ==
Welcome to The Writing Workshop! =D I'm Carolyn, the Creative Writing Assistant!

If you haven't figured it out yet, from now on I'll be taking over this article. (Mwahahaha.) But let us do take the time to appreciate the many years that Morgan has written this article for. *stands in silence* It shall be sad to no longer see her name as the writer for this article. T_T

<nowiki>#</nowiki>rememberingmorgan

The Writing Workshop is a special corner of the Navigator set aside for NorthStar Academy's lovely writers! Here, you can find prompts, writing tips, and a story/poem each month written by our own Creative Writing members! Start reading! Be inspired!

If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to leave them in the Navigator Jabber so I can see them! You can also email me via FirstClass and tell me what you want to see in the next article!

=== Announcements ===

===== '''Permanently Tacked Up:''' =====

* If you want a Creative Writing folder of your own to post your stories in, just email me (Carolyn) or Morgan Raines and we'll get yours set up. =D I hope to see a lot of new stories this school year!
* • If you and some of your friends would like to start a storyline, email me or Morgan and we'll set one up for you. Remember, it can be about anything!
* • Make sure that you check out your friends' CrWr folders! They'd really appreciate your encouragement and feedback. =)
* • Tell the newbies about our Creative Writing community! I know a lot of them are writers, and can't wait to get out there and share their stories with us!

===== '''New Creative Writing Folders/Storylines!''' =====
• Out with the old, in with the new. Check out the new CrWr conferences, and if you want to you can re-live the old stories too. =D Our newest members are Anna, Karsten, and Spencer! Go check their folders out. ^_^

===== '''Other Announcements/Reminders:''' =====
• A Picture's Worth 1000 Words is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. Go check it out in the Creative Writing area!

'''Quote:''' "A professional writer is an amateur writer who didn't quit." - Richard Bach

'''Prompt 1:'''

"Hi... I'm your fairy godmother."

"I thought those only existed in fairytales."

"Yeah, well, there's a twist to it."

'''Prompt 2:'''

"This isn't the right way to the police department, Jack. You said we would go straight there and tell them what we know."

'''Prompt 3:'''

"Surprise! I'm back from the dead! Isn't that exciting?"

'''Prompt 4:'''

"This is a beautiful world."

"Shame you came from so far away to destroy it, right?"

"Not really."

'''Prompt 5:'''

"He lied to you, didn't he? He didn't tell you about his secret."

'''Prompt 6:'''

[image missing]

'''Prompt 7:'''

Her anger dissolved into calm. For the first time in her life, she tasted the sweetness of serenity.

'''Prompt 8:'''

It's been 15 years, but I still regret what happened at the lake that night. It wasn't supposed to play out that way.

'''Prompt 9:'''

She opened her apartment door to hundreds of roses. She knew they were from him; he had found her.

'''Prompt 10:'''

This time, it was the princess' turn to rescue her dragon.

=== '''Introducing Your Protagonist''' ===
What’s wrong with this picture?

''‘I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, find my big green eyes crusted with sleep. I brush my beautiful brown hair and check my flawless skin for pimples, but of course I don’t have any, so I don’t need to put on any makeup. Then I walk over to my closet and put on my school uniform shirt and skirt, check my reflection one more time. Then I head down stairs for a delicious, filling breakfast.’''

Obviously that paragraph is insipid to the point of hyperbolic, but it’s not like writing like this doesn’t exist. Remember learning the concept of “show, not tell” back in elementary school?

Yes, it’s still (and always) super relevant. Breaking out of the rut of the easier opposite, “tell, not show” is difficult, especially when you feel that you have so much information about a character that you feel you NEED to get to the reader, or they won’t have the image of the character that you want them to have.

Let’s start with the harsh reality: your readers are definitely not going to have the image you want them to have, so don’t worry about it.

And anyway, describing your character down to the most minute detail isn’t going to draw your readers to your character. They want to see their motivations, their emotions, their actions. They want to see what makes them ache.

If you’re writing a full-length novel, you have all the time in the world to show a full picture of your protagonist, antagonist, or anyone else in your cast of characters.

Don’t give your readers everything at once, and don’t give them features, give them emotions.

===== '''1. Ease Into It, And Always Start With What’s Important''' =====
When I was in college and first started talking about my writing with my friends, one friend—who I’ve known since pre-school—asked me to do two things for her.

Specifically, she asked me not to do two things.

One: No sappy chapter titles.

Two: Don’t introduce your characters by having them stand in front of a mirror and describe every feature they see (like that first example).

They were pretty fair requests, considering the conversation happened around 2008 or 2009, and you don’t have to Google for too long to figure out which YA series was popular around that time.

Give the reader the most important information about the character first: name, gender, age, and how they relate to the world you’ve developed.

Also, don’t wait three chapters to introduce the protagonist. Introduce them as quickly as possible. Then you give your readers the rest in little pieces, bite by bite, as the novel progresses.

But TFR, what if my character has significant features that will impact them thought the story? Please, give them that.

Does your character have a hair color outside the norm (i.e. fake red, blue, rainbow, etc.)? Give us that. Does your character have an obvious chase of heterochromia (aka when one eye color is different from the other? Give us that, but don’t be too blatant about it (tip: have it come up in conversation, or have someone else bring it up by teasing the protagonist, or asking how that’s physically possible). Does your character have some sort of physical ailment or missing limb, well, then your readers are going to need to know that.

But your whole vision of the character doesn’t matter. What you see when you think of your character isn’t what your readers are going to see, and that’s okay. Your readers are here for the story, not the description of the number of freckles he or she has on her cheeks, or the exact shape of their eyes.

===== '''2. Instead of Showing What They Look Like, Make Us Want To Root For Your Character''' =====
It doesn’t matter whether you want your readers to see your protagonist succeed or see them fail, you want them for or against your character, period. You want that more than you want your readers to know what they look like.

You want your readers to want to keep following your character on their adventures, want them to keep turning the page.

Turn all the pages.

Show your readers your character in action. How do they react after witnessing a bad car accident? How do they react to being in a bad car accident? How do they react to good news? How do they react to being hit on at a pair by someone remotely not their type?

Give them the elements of your character and send your readers on the adventure with them. Remember that paragraph of “tell” from the beginning of the post? Go back and take another read. I’ll wait.

Are you cringing yet?

Instead of doing that, show the readers how your character feels about having to get up in the morning. Are they the type who’s excited for school, to see all their friends and sit in the front row of each of their classes? Or do they not want to go to school because they’re constantly being bullied by the “it clique” and therefore drag out the process of getting ready for as long as possible?

Or show us a little about your protagonist’s home life. Does your character have to pick their way through a messy room to get to their uniform, or is it pristine and the clothes are hanging in the closet organized by color? Does their uniform fit, or is the skirt or pants too tight in the waist because they can’t afford clothes that fit better.

Show a neat appearance, or show them being okay with leaving the house unkempt because they’re running late.

Show us, don’t tell us.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule (like all the ones I break in the #WhoIsTalyaNightingale manuscript). In writing, all rules should be broken. What’s important is that you break these rules the right away.

And then go back and edit when you’re done.

Have I mentioned the importance of editing yet in this post?

No?

Well, editing is super crucial.

Taken from: <nowiki>https://thefakeredhead.com/2017/01/14/2-tips-on-introducing-your-protagonist/</nowiki>

Or rather, this month's poem. Brianna Harpel, our writer over there at Caught in the Glow, is a lovely poet who never fails to amaze me with her poetry. Check out her poetry in The Creative Writers of NSA > Brianna > Poems!

===== '''Failure's Blessing''' =====
by Brianna Harpel

<poem style="border: 2px solid #113e60; background-color: #cee5f6; padding: .5em;">
Failure is a blessing

Though we see it as a drudge

Without it… well

We wouldn’t learn much

Failure shows us where we fall

It shows us how to grow

And shows us how to know

When we need to let go.

To release our pride

To release the guise

To release our control
To release the lies.

It forces us to see
Our futality
And look up for a moment
So we can get up.

Failure shows us who we need
It shows us where to go
And shows us what we know
And who holds the road

The Father, the Maker
The world's Only Light
The All Knowing Author
The One who is always right.

It causes us to observe
Our weakness
And know He is there
So we can get up.

Failure is a blessing
And it can drag us down
If we let it close us in
And pull us to the ground.
But it doesn’t have to be
Cause its the blessing in disguise
Allowing us to know we need the King
Showing us how to fall on our knees.
</poem>

That's all for this month! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave feedback. =D

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight U_U

- Carolyn Sie
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

This Month in History 4-13-19

2026-03-03T10:17:10Z

Mark H: added article

== Colonel John S. Mosby's Raid on Fairfax ==
Who is the first Confederate leader that comes to mind when one thinks of the American Civil War? Most likely, it is Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George Pickett, or Joseph E. Johnston. However, one of the most important Confederate leaders was Colonel John S. Mosby.

During the Civil War, Mosby led the 43rd Virginia Calvary in many successful raids behind the Union lines. The most notable of these raids occurred on March 8-9, 1863 in Fairfax County, Virginia. On this memorable night, Mosby led 29 men behind the Union lines and returned without one loss or injury.

During their daring raid, Mosby and his men captured 33 Union soldiers, with their weapons and equipment, and 58 horses. His successful raids behind enemy lines and quick disappearances earned Mosby the nickname: "The Gray Ghost."

Although Colonel John S. Mosby may not be a famous Confederate leader today, he certainly played a major role in the Confederate efforts during the American Civil War.
----That's all for this month! If you have any possible topics for a future article, please contact me through FirstClass. -Emily
----Sources:

"John Singleton Mosby." Battlefields, <nowiki>https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-singleton-mosby</nowiki>

"The Memoirs of Colonel John S. Mosby" Pattonhq, <nowiki>http://www.pattonhq.com/militaryworks/mosby.html</nowiki>
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 18-19]]

This Month in History 12-14-18

2026-03-03T10:14:52Z

Mark H: added article

== The Lost Battle of the Civil War: Mine Creek ==
When people consider the American Civil War, they usually think of battles such as Antietam, Shiloh, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, or Vicksburg. All of these battles are located to the east of the Mississippi. However, one of the most important battles of the Civil War took place in Kansas, which is west of the Mississippi, on October 25, 1864. The Battle of Mine Creek was the climax of a series of battles which started on October 19th.

The two sides were: 7,000 Confederates under Major Generals John S. Marmaduke and James F. Fagan and 2,500 Federals under Colonel John F. Philips and Lieutenant Colonel Frederick W. Benteen. Unable to get across Mine Creek fast enough with their cumbersome wagon train, the Confederates were forced to engage in battle with the Federals. What followed would determine the outcome of the Civil War.Federal commanders Colonel Philips and Lieutenant Colonel Benteen launched a huge cavalry charge which proved so successful that the Confederate line collapsed within 30 minutes. Confused and unable to fire more than one shot because the battle was so short, many Confederates fled. Most of those who remained were killed in the fierce hand-to-hand combat that followed the cavalry charge. In contrast, the Federals were confident and could fire their weapons at a rapid rate.

In this battle, Confederate losses were 250 wounded, 300 killed, and 600 captured. Meanwhile, Federal losses were only 94 wounded, 15 killed, and 1 captured. The Federal victory at Mine Creek effectively ended the Civil War in the west and helped lead to the end of the war less than a year later. Although Mine Creek is not a well-known American Civil War battle, it is no longer the Lost Battle of the Civil War.
----That's all for this month! If you have any possible topics for a future article, please contact me through FirstClass.
----'''Sources:'''

A&E Television Networks. Secrets of the Civil War: The Stories of Lost Battles and Covert Missions Finally Revealed. New Video, 2008.

"Mine Creek Battle - October 25, 1864 ." Kansas Historical Society, <nowiki>https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/mine-creek-battle-october-25-1864/18168</nowiki>
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 18-19]]

This Month in History 9-10-18

2026-03-03T10:13:06Z

Mark H: added article

Hi Everyone! :D Welcome to a new school year and a new article! In this monthly article, I will consider various people and events from history and explore their importance.

This month's featured person and event are: Major-General Joshua L. Chamberlain and Labor Day.
----

==== Major-General Joshua L. Chamberlain ====
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born on September 8,1828, in Brewer, Maine.

He was the oldest of five children.

In 1848, Chamberlain entered Bowdoin College and graduated in 1852.

In 1855, he married Fannie Adams.

Together they had five children, but only two survived to adulthood.

In 1862, a year into the American Civil War, Chamberlain offered his military services to the governor of Maine and was made the Colonel of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

When the war ended in 1865, he had been promoted to Major-General.

After the war, Chamberlain served four terms as governor of Maine and later became the President of Bowdoin College.

Also, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor at the Battle of Little Round Top on July 2, 1863.

Chamberlain died in 1914 at the age of eight-five.

==== Labor Day ====
In the United States, the first Monday of September is set aside to celebrate the social and economic accomplishments of American workers. This national holiday, known as Labor Day, was first celebrated on September 5,1882, in New York City.

Fun Facts:

'''1'''. The celebration of Labor Day began at the local level, spread to other states, and was eventually recognized at the national level.

'''2'''. On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act, signed by President Grover Cleveland, which made the first Monday of September a national holiday.

"Let us each Labor day, hold a congress and formulate propositions

for the amelioration of the people. Send them to your Representatives

with your earnest, intelligent endorsement, and the laws will be changed." -Chairman Lawrence McGann

----That's all for this month! If you have any possible topics for a future article, please contact me through FirstClass. -Emily
----Sources:

"The First Labor Day." Historical Highlights, <nowiki>http://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-first-Labor-Day/</nowiki> "History of Labor Day." U.S. Department of Labor, <nowiki>https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history</nowiki> "Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain." Biography, <nowiki>https://acws.co.uk/archives-biography-chamberlain</nowiki>
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 18-19]]

Records

2026-03-03T07:39:12Z

Mark H:

Page for the all the records, such as most reactions to a post, most reactions of a single type, most reactions to a comment, etc. Feel free to add more categories. Please add any details you can, so others can verify these records. Also, if you see a record that is lower than what you have seen, please edit it!

Most notifications to one person at a time: 1178<ref>[[Gabing]]</ref>

Longest call on teams: ~30 hours<ref>[[The Longest Call]]</ref>

Most replies to a single thread:

# around 12,000 from the MEGA Thread in High School in the 2020-2021 school year (sourced from [[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe Nelson]] and [[Joshua Edmiston]])
# 9049 from the 9th grade 10k thread<ref>[[THE RACE TO 10k]]</ref> (although I was there, and I'm pretty sure I remember us getting to 10k lol)
# 13956 from the Shipping v3.0 + truth or dare thread in High School Building<ref>The shipping + truth or dare threads have 12 series by now, and most of them are above 10k replies.</ref>
# 14615 from the Counting thread round four by [[Isaac Rivers]], up to July 30, 2025 (and it's still growing)<ref>[[Lets Count]]</ref>

Most numbers typed in a short amount of time: 534 in ~37 minutes<ref>[[Lets Count]]</ref>

Longest active time without being shipped: [[Cora Metzger]]: nearly 4 years (August 2020-March 2024)

Most time being shipped in a day without repeats: [[Zoe Barbier]]: 29 times

[[Category:Library]]

Records

2026-03-03T07:38:46Z

Mark H: ref.

Page for the all the records, such as most reactions to a post, most reactions of a single type, most reactions to a comment, etc. Feel free to add more categories. Please add any details you can, so others can verify these records. Also, if you see a record that is lower than what you have seen, please edit it!

Most notifications to one person at a time: 1178<ref>[[Gabing]]</ref>

Longest call on teams: ~30 hours<ref>[[The Longest Call]]</ref>

Most replies to a single thread:

# around 12,000 from the MEGA Thread in High School in the 2020-2021 school year (sourced from [[Gabriel Nelson|Gabe Nelson]] and [[Joshua Edmiston]])
# 9049 from the 9th grade 10k thread<ref>[[THE RACE TO 10k]]</ref> (although I was there, and I'm pretty sure I remember us getting to 10k lol)
# 13956 from the Shipping v3.0 + truth or dare thread in High School Building<ref>The shipping + truth or dare threads have 12 series, and most of them are above 10k replies.</ref>
# 14615 from the Counting thread round four by [[Isaac Rivers]], up to July 30, 2025 (and it's still growing)<ref>[[Lets Count]]</ref>

Most numbers typed in a short amount of time: 534 in ~37 minutes<ref>[[Lets Count]]</ref>

Longest active time without being shipped: [[Cora Metzger]]: nearly 4 years (August 2020-March 2024)

Most time being shipped in a day without repeats: [[Zoe Barbier]]: 29 times

[[Category:Library]]

The Monthly Porpoise 2-22-18

2026-03-03T06:55:50Z

Mark H: added article

== The Monthly Porpoise ==
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseBanner.png|400x400px]]

Now it's time for:

'''Random Jokes from the Internet!'''

What does a pirate eat for breakfast?

Captain Crunch!
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage7.png|none|thumb]]

For next month I'm going to be starting a new segment where I highlight one of you!

If you have a joke that you think is funny, send it to Caleb Seavey on FirstClass or ''[REDACTED]'' for a chance to be featured! Remember to include your first name, the country you live in, and your grade.

That's all for this month! Have a great February everyone, and remember - cereal box mascots are people too!
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

File:MonthlyPorpoiseBanner.png

2026-03-03T06:53:57Z

Mark H:

Used in Nav Article Series, The Monthly Porpoise

File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage7.png

2026-03-03T06:50:48Z

Mark H:

Used in Nav article

The Monthly Porpoise 3-14-18

2026-03-03T06:49:50Z

Mark H: added article

''"Pi Eating Contest"'' - March Edition
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage6.jpg|none|thumb]]
Explanation: Pi is infinite, anything multiplied by zero = zero, I know I'm hilarious.

Happy Pi Day everyone! The one day a year where... well, nothing is really any different.

I know many of you have been counting down to this day since Pi Day last year!

Why should you never talk to pi?

''Because he'll go on forever.''

That's all I've got for this month! Have a great March and Happy Pi Day!
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage6.jpg

2026-03-03T06:49:11Z

Mark H:

Used in Nav Article

The Monthly Porpoise 4-13-18

2026-03-03T06:47:21Z

Mark H: added article, (image needed)

= The Monthly Porpoise =

=== Oxymorons ===
Hello! Welcome to another edition of The Monthly Porpoise!

This month I have for you a comic, and a grammar lesson! I know, it's amazing!

Oxymorons are when two words that go together don't seem like they should, such as deafening silence, or definite maybe.

I'm not going to go into any more detail, but if you want to know more, search for a Youtube video on oxymorons.

Now, without further ado I present:
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage5.png|none|thumb]]

This one goes off of "Big Baby"

[insert image]

And here's Jumbo Shrimp

[insert image]

Alright! That's all for this month! Stay tuned for next month, it's going to be like no other Monthly Porpoise you've ever seen!

Oh yeah, also Happy Easter!
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage5.png

2026-03-03T06:44:53Z

Mark H:

Used in The Monthly Porpoise

The Monthly Porpoise 5-11-18

2026-03-03T06:36:19Z

Mark H: added article

== The Monthly Porpoise ==

=== '''"Pinata Rehab Center" - May Edition''' ===
Welcome to "The Monthly Porpoise"! My name is Caleb Seavey, and I've got an exciting lineup of content for you all today! This month's edition will feature, of course, the monthly comic. Although, we also have a guest artist who has drawn something I think you will all enjoy! We also have a section that uses phrases given to me, by you fellow students, on First Class! Now, without further ado, I present the May edition of "The Monthly Porpoise"!
----
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage1.png|none|thumb]]
I'll let you all in on a little secret, I actually like malt balls, but they are the stereotypical hated candy so I used them.
----This next comic was drawn by someone who has asked to be known as Mandie. She is in 6th grade, and in my opinion she is very talented!
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage2.png|none|thumb]]

'''Now it's time for a new section which I'm calling:'''
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage4.png|none|thumb]]
What I did for this was ask you on First Class to give me your best ideas for captions for this image!
[[File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage3.png|none|thumb]]
I am extremely happy with what you sent back! So, thank you to all who participated!

This first one was sent in by Kai in 7th Grade: '''"They went thataway!"'''

This was sent in from Ally in 8th: '''"Go Forth and Spread Peace"'''

Next someone who has been asked to be called Anna Green Gables: "Hey look, someone who looks just like me! No wait, that's a mirror"

This one is courtesy of Tirzah: '''"Daddy, he hit me!'''

And finally from Spencer in 7th: '''"Look Kids! Disco!"'''
----Unfortunately that's all we have for this month's edition of "The Monthly Porpoise"! Be sure to come back next month for our last article of the year!
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage4.png

2026-03-03T06:35:04Z

Mark H:

Used in The Monthly Porpoise

File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage3.png

2026-03-03T06:32:45Z

Mark H:

Use in The Monthly Porpoise

File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage2.png

2026-03-03T06:31:24Z

Mark H:

Used in Nav Article The Monthly Porpoise

File:MonthlyPorpoiseImage1.png

2026-03-03T06:30:23Z

Mark H:

Used in Nav Article The Monthly Porpoise

The Monthly Porpoise 6-11-18

2026-03-03T06:27:15Z

Mark H: added article, (image needed)

'''The Monthly Porpoise'''

"Little Bird" - June Edition

Hello everyone! Welcome to the June edition of "The Monthly Porpoise!" This month's article include, the monthly comic, a picture's worth a thousand words, and a video I put together! So sit back, relax, and enjoy the June edition of "The Monthly Porpoise!"
----[insert image]
----[insert image]

This is the section where you, fellow NSA students, send in your best ideas for captions of the image I give you!

Here's the picture for this month:

[insert image]

This month's captions were great! Here they are:

This first one was sent in by Tirz in 8th Grade: ''"And from here I conquer the world!"''

This one is courtesy of Ian in 8th: ''"What!? Waddya mean this isn't the north pole?"''

Next, this one is from Grace: ''"And so you see children, the Earth really IS round!"''

This one is courtesy of Corry: ''"I'm on top of the world!"''

This one is from James in 9th ''"Best birthday ever!"''
----Since this is our last article of the year, I've decided to make a video showing you how I make the comics! In the link is a short video I made showing me drawing the picture for the next section sped up so it's not really long. If you're wondering about the technical stuff (stuff I use, program, etc.) it will be in the description of the video!

<nowiki>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j6TsvAuqGo&t=39s</nowiki>
----I can't believe it's already June! Unfortunately this means that this is our last article of the year! I will not be returning to NSA next year, so this is the last ''"Monthly Porpoise"'' ever! Thank you to everyone who has read this article throughout the year, and the entire Navigator staff to help this become possible! I will miss all of you! Even though this is the last ''"Monthly Porpoise"'', that doesn't mean it has to be the last you see of me! If you go to my website: <nowiki>https://theporpoisewc.wordpress.com/</nowiki> you can see all the articles I've done this year, and I will try to post more this summer and next year. Also, if enough people like the video from earlier in the article I might make more of those too, and I've been wanting to experiment with animation, so look out for that! Thank you all for sticking around for the ''"Monthly Porpoise"''!
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

The Spoon 2-11-18

2026-03-03T04:20:42Z

Mark H: im annoyed. hopefully final fix.

Hi there! My name is Lydia Roseboom and with me today, live in the studio, is Spoony. Welcome to "The Spoon".
----Spoony, as many of our readers know, you are the fabulous mascot for "The Spoon". How long have you been the mascot? ''*silence... as the 6-foot tall spoon, standing in front the microphone, looks at me quizzically*''

Ah, I forgot, Spoony is currently on a silence strike for more fruit. He believes he is not being fed well enough with juicy news, so he is angry. If you have any pity on me, please send in your juicy NSA news as soon as possible so that Spoony will talk again.

As we can not interview Spoony in this article, we will have to turn to the alternative- QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE!

This week Brooke Foster asked, "Why Spoony? Why not Kevin?"

Thank you Brooke for that awesome question! The answer lies merely in my abundance of creativity. I have always been a creative child with a wild imagination, and when I thought of what I should call the 6-foot tall mysterious mascot of "The Spoon", I realized almost automatically that Spoony was the best name. Also, who would think of naming a spoon Kevin? That is just a wacky name for such a respected and loved mascot.

Well, Brooke, I hope that answers your question! Readers, I hope you enjoyed this live session of "The Spoon". Remember, send in your juicy news as soon as possible. Good bye and good riddance! ''*bows*''

''*forgets to turn off the microphone as I turn to Spoony with an angry look on my face*'' Thanks a lot Spoony for your hard work! ''*A long, low moan sounds from the 6-foot mascot as he slowly tips forward and falls straight on me, knocking the microphone down as well*''

''*Static*'' '''This show is no longer available in your district.'''

=== '''Monthly Happenings''' ===
- Brianna Harpel is finally an adult! She turned 18 on January 14, and word has it that she is now on the lookout to scold NSA "children" who don't follow the rules. Watch out everyone- we have an adult in our midst!

- Ethan Guynn has bypassed Carolyn Sie on the leaderboard in the Bulletin Board. Although this may seem like a success to you innocent bystanders, on further research it may be found that Ethan Guynn is in fact the Head Meme Judge and an editor on the Bulletin Board team. Some people fear that there are illegal dealings going on in the background- though if there is truth to this or not, that is for the reader to decide.

- Andrew Marbut has made a goal to climb four different mountains to raise money for the organization called "Speed of Light". If you would like to help support him call J-O-I-L M-A-R-B-U-T, I repeat that is J-O-I-L M-A-R-B-U-T.

- The Christmas Celebration (aka dance) happened recently. We had one adorable couple attending. They were Lazar Naskov and Samantha Aquino who arrived by B.O.A.T.

- The Music contest took place this last month. Timothy Jin won in first, Olivia Bolles in second, and Brooke Foster in third. Surprisingly enough, a boy won in this contest (unlike the Writing and Art Contest, which had all girl winners). The judges must have heard the plee for justice and made sure that the male population had a fair chance of winning in this contest. However, some fear that this will not last for long.

=== '''Typo of the Month''' ===
i atched 12 kids for 2 hourse - Katelyn Schesser

=== '''Quotes of the Month''' ===
coUNtrY boYyy, i lOVe yoUUu - Olivia Bolles

Tom Holland is cool too but not like Legolas cool. - Katrina Boehme

I'm sorry I'm five and a half. - True Goodman
[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 18-19]]

The Spoon 2-11-18

2026-03-03T04:20:17Z

Mark H: yeahh final fix

The Spoon 2-11-18

2026-03-03T04:19:47Z

Mark H: i meant- fixed ._.