Young Writers Society

As we know, this June brings us not only holidays, but the fantastic and terrifying site-wide event - the first ever YWS Hunger Games!

For those of you who might still not know, it's a week-long event meant to challenge the participants' writing skills, at the same time encouraging team spirit and bringing lots of fun, and this special edittion, brought to you by members of the Squills team, will bring the news to you every day.

On Challenge Two, see:
1. Here we are once again
2. News from the Districts
3. Updates!
4. Tracking Progress

On Challenge Three, see:
1. Here we are once again 2.0
2. News from the Districts
3. Chatting with the Tributes and Tracking Progress
4. Tracking Progress

On Challenge Four, see:
1. Fourth Time Around
2. News from the Districts

On the Final Challenge, see:
1. The Last Battle

If you wish to subscribe or see something included, or are volunteering to be interviewed, prod @AriaAdams~

HERE WE ARE ONCE AGAINwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

Hours have passed. The exhausted Tributes once again reached the finish line, and once again, @SparkToFlame announces the scores , also bringing us the details of the official Challenge Two.

In this challenge, the participators shall be the Tributes whose scores so far are the lower out of two in their team (Team One of every District). Good luck to:

@Piper for District One
@Wolfare1 for District Two
@Strange for District Three
and @Blackwood for District Four!

However, this time that shiny cannon is put to use for the first time, shooting to officially mark the fall of @Buggiedude2340 and @verymaryanna, both members of District Three.
Although I am indeed very sorry to see the two of them go, don't lose hope! The other two Tributes shall, I'm sure, continue your ascend to glory, and Bugs and maryanna can most definitely participate in the District events till the very end of the Games =)

Aaaand case you were wondering what the challenge is, here's what the announcement from the Capitol says!






At first look, you might say it's not at all difficult - but I can say that it's a fairly hard thing to do with just 24 hours at disposal for thinking, and a bottom limit of 500 words (for a story)!
So go on now, consult your dictionary (optional) and try not to go crazy in the process I'm looking forward to what you guys think of and, most of all, I wish you all good luck!

(ha no 'e's. ^ )

The scores of the Second challenge shall be announced on June 5th, 11AM EST For those of you who can't get ahold of timezones, the following is (hopefully) showing YOUR timezone, wherever in the world you are:

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICTSwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

Review Day and Poetree Games were lots of fun - which means, ladies, gentlemen, other and unspecified, that things are about to get real.

Along with the Challenge Two, crafted to test the Tributes' wits and creativity, comes something amazing - a chance to use the first Parachute. What that means, you wonder?
Parachutes - traditionally food, medicine or other kind of useful supplies - are a way of helping the Tributes in completion of their tasks, and it's the Districts' responsibility to get them!

The Parachute for Challenge Two is no less than ten e's to be used at the tribute's discretion in challenge two. To buy them from the Capitol for its Tribute, a District had to complete 20 reviews in two hours.

We're at the end of those two hours as we speak, and here's how it stands in the Districts:

District One has completed 8 reviews, by @CesareBorgia, @defyingravity01 and @MyStory94 .
District Two has completed 1 review, curtesy of @Toboldlygo .
District Three has completed 3 reviews, written by @fortis and @Holysocks .
District Four has completed 1 review, and it was done by @lostthought .

As it seems, none of the Districts has met the goal of 20. Does it mean their Tributes will have to forget the free 'e's? We're eagerly awaiting the news from the Capitol.

Meanwhile, the walls of the Districts's clubs are more than interesting to observe, and I'm pleased to inform you it seems that my studio is finally becoming famous!

Don't believe me?
Ask the dishes!
Just take a look!






Indeed it may, @ongoeslife , indeed it may

That said, nothing to be afraid of! After all, you never know - perhaps, if you say enough things to get tagged more than @SparkToFlame, or at least in more than two posts in one edition, you might actually be running for a prize too~

UPDATES!written by AriaAdams < PM: >

Yup, already!

The Districts might be glad to hear that the Odds truly seem to be in their favour, as the Capitol extends the deadline to meeting the goal of 20 reviews! This fantastic news allows the Districts to win the Parachute till 3:30 PM EST, so force yourselves to tore your eyes from my ~*fabulous studio*~ and head out to reviewing!

The Tributes , even the fallen ones, can rest peacefully (except while writing the challenge, in that case what are you even doing reading this?), knowing @JamesHunt is here. He has so far accused @SparkToFlame of being cruel, admitting he's glad he doesn't have to participate in this challenge, and wished his luck to the Tributes who must - but he has also thought of Bugs and Maryanna and all the Tributes whose fall are yet to be announced by the Cannon, and has dedicated himself to writing epitaphs to all of them.






I totally agree! Really, how nice is that? So far, I say he's doing great job, and regardless of connotations of my following statement, I really hope to see more of these soon.

Tracking Progresswritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

With less and less remaining till the end of the Challenge Two, I hereby bring you another update!

This challenge, although the Games have only just begun, seems to be a very difficult one. @Strange shares concerns with his District:







In the announcements thread, meanwhile, @Blackwood is very clear with their opinion:






And @Wolfare1 isn't any less subtle:







Unfortunately, it seems as though our Tributes are on their own on this one, as none of the Districts managed to complete the 20 reviews needed for a Parachute. District One, however, has managed to complete impressive 13, and for their efforts, the Capitol has awarded their Tribute, @Piper, five 'e's to use in the No-E Challenge! Congratulations, and use them wisely~

The Districts, however, have found other ways to help; in District Four, @lostthought created a whole thread dedicated to composing a list of words containing no E's, which is pretty cool! Others have joined in, and here's what @ShadowVyper says:






As they notice that "foe" in fact does have an e (it's incredibly easy to make a mistake! Try putting together a list of such words quickly, and then go back to it and see how many you actually got wrong. You might be surprised!), Lost is a quick thinker:






I adore the team spirit, guys =)

So far, I see no entries submitted, which only seems to add to the point of this being the most difficult challenge yet. Dearest Tributes, don't despair and don't give up! You can do it, I'm sure of it :3
I keep having this "I have no favourites" attitude, but that is not true - you are all my favourites, so carry on!

Think of second person, think of present, think of the YWS Winter Writing Olympics! Some of you have even competed - others might get advice or two from your fellow District members who remember

HERE WE ARE ONCE AGAIN 2.0written by AriaAdams < PM: >

That's right! It's been over 24 hours since @SparkToFlame has posted the thread for Challenge Two, and I am proud to say all four Tributes have succeeded in writing and submitting their stories in time!
However, not everyone could've passed on, and while @Blackwood and @Piper can relax and celebrate, the Cannon shoots for @Strange and @Wolfare1. I am sorry to see you gone, but don't be sad - you can still most definitely support your fellow Tributes, and lead your Districts to victory!

Now with the end of Challenge Two, @Aquestioning, taking Spark's place as the Capitol's announcer, posts the new thread , featuring the names of the Tributes chosen to fight Challenge Three:

For District One, @TimmyJake!
For District Two, @dragonfphoenix!
For District Three, @ongoeslife!
For District Four, @retrodisco666!

With all the other three Tributes out of the competition, ongoeslife is now the only remaining Tribute in District Three! Will she survive to see the light of the challenges to come, or is this the last time we see the bolded name of a Tribute from District Three?
Time will tell.

In case you were wondering what the challenge is, and I know you were, here's what the Capitol says:






Sounds fun to me, except I can't think of what I'd go with - that's, of course, if I was anywhere near capable of writing poetry. As a side note, my signature is literally the YWS's description of what a signature is, and I stand behind the claim it's the best poem I can write

What I really like about this event is how supportive everyone seems to be! Have a look at what @BiscuitsBatchAvoy has to say to her fellow Tribute:






And how @Wolfare1 deals with the fact the Cannon has called her name:






Really lovely to see, if you ask me :3
I am really looking forward to reading these entries~

Good luck, Tributes!


A/N - so sorry for being this late with this update! Blame outdated Safari which managed to crash *twice*, and strange flu keeping me from here for most of the day!

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICTSwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

Today, while the Tributes are busy with their third challenge, there was a lot of things happening in the Districts!

Firstly, we have Word Wars, which only started a couple of minutes ago! Regardless if you're a Tribute, a Districtian (that IS a word now!) or just reading this topic for your daily dose of ~*fabulous*~, head to the main chat and join us!

The other thing, happening all day, is the Hunger Games Scavenger Hunt ! It's brought to you by @Aquestioning and @Iggy , and a brilliant way to get to know YWS better! Don't forget to not bump any old topics or post answers in the thread, though

Last but not least, the District have had the opportunity to win the following Parachute for this challenge:






However, as I was informed, none of the Districts managed to complete the goal of 15 reviews in an hour, unfortunatelly. Hopefully, their Tributes will be able to complete the challenge nonetheless!

CHATTING WITH THE TRIBUTES and TRACKING PROGRESSwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

With zero hours of sleep and Challenge Three in full swing, I've lurked in chat and caught sightings of a couple of Tributes, whom I asked a simple question.



@retrodisco666: Currently working on a piece about 9/11 and posted it here, and got a review which made me think about scrapping it completely and choosing something different haha

@ongoeslife: The Boer Wars. I'd like to include a bit of Afrikaans in it, but the only source I have is Google Translate, and I'm never sure how accurate that is."

A bit later, Ongoeslife also stated:







Quite understandable and something I can relate to in a way. @Strange had a slightly different reaction:






Congratulations, Capitol. I say you officially gave our Tributes nightmares, and a potential running joke if someone decides to get creative!

As, soon after the short little interview in chat, @retrodisco666 posts his work in the official thread , it seems he indeed decide to choose something completely different! Here's what he says about the work:






Sounds pretty great to me, and certainly got me curious. If you're curious too, give it a read !

Retro, however, wasn't the first to submit the poem. The very first was @dragonfphoenix, the today's champion of District Two, who posted not one, but two poems in the official thread, saying the following:






He has also asked his fellow Districtians for some assistance and reviews, which he hopefully got! If you're reading this post, why not go and drop a review on some of these works? Apart from them being entries, they're works of art - and their writers, regardless of them being Tributes and challenged into writing these, would surely appreciate constructive feedback!

TRACKING PROGRESSwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

With all the four entries submitted for Challenge Three, and all four Tributes succeeding in completing it, @JamesHunt payed his respect to the fallen Tributes of Challenge Two, and edited the ones already written for Chapter One:






He also added:






Blackwood's reply wasn't an unexpected one:






It's worth mentioning that James's epitaphs are all based on the Tributes' entries. I wonder what he comes up with next~

Aside from posting the new thread for Challenge Four - more about which coming up a bit later - @SparkToFlame, in the name of the Capitol, called the Districtians to participate in a new event: The Hunger Games Fanfiction Event !
In it, you could submit up to two pieces, and the entries could be works already published on YWS. @retrodisco666 and @Savvy already posted their entries, and @thegirlwhowrites seems to be planning to. What are you waiting for?

The deadline to submit is June 8th - which is already here for me and people of my timezone, but the end wasn't yet announced *wink* - and in Spark's own words, the winner has the chance of winning a secret fabulous prize!
How ~*fabulous*~ is that? 8D

Today just for you, I have also managed to catch @Nate in chat to ask him on quick opinion on the YWS Hunger Games in general, and here's what he says:







I would totally agree, wouldn't you? It's amazing to see how much everyone is putting into making sure it runs smoothly. Whether you're a Tribute, a Capitol member, a person who was there behind the scenes of organising the Games in the first place, a Districtian, a reviewer or a supporter who's simply just interested in following and maybe cheering for their favourite Tribute, take a moment to pat yourself on the back and smile, 'cause this whole big thing is happening the way it's supposed to thanks to all of you.

FOURTH TIME AROUNDwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

Once more in her role of the official Capitol's announcer, @SparkToFlame announces the results of Challenge Three , along with the details of Challenge Four!
As always, I first bring you the (un)lucky Tributes chosen to fight the Fourth Challenge of the First YWS hunger Games:

For District One, @defyingravity01!
For District Two, @Storybraniac!
For District Four, @ShadowVyper!

The Tribute of District Three seems to have not been announced, perhaps due to the fact that @ongoeslife, who battled in Challenge Three, remained their only Tribute standing. However, the fallen Tributes of the Team One of other Districts seem to have been resurrected - is it possible? Is it a miracle, or is it a mistake?
We shall see.

As for the Challenge itself, hereby I bring you the words from the Capitol:






So far, possibly the most amusing challenge, and I must admit I'm REALLY curious what the Tributes will come up with!

@Blackwood and @BiscuitsBatchAvoy both wish luck to their shadowy fellow Tribute of District Four, and @JamesHunt once again pays respect to the fallen:






So far, none of the Tributes has completed Challenge Four, but I have no doubt they will in time. Good luck, Tributes, and may the odds be ever in your favour!

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICTSwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

With the main focus on the Tributes, the Districts have recently turned somewhat silent. However, fear not - as always, here is the Capitol, in the form of @Aquestioning, announcing another, final challenge for the Districtians:






Sounds simple? Maybe, maybe not

A bunch of Districtians have already posted theirs, and here I bring you one from each of the Districts:

In District One, there's been two entries so far - @mystory94 and @HighTop - and since mystory posted first, here is hers:






In District Two, there's so far been only one entry, courtesy of @Savvy:






District Three stays oddly silent, with no entries submitted yet - is it just my mind working this way, or is it possible they're patiently waiting to judge their competition before unraveling their own stories?
Looking forward to finding out.

Meanwhile in District Four, four people have posted so far, three of them Tributes themselves - @retrodisco666, @BiscuitsBatchAvoy and @Blackwood all came up with intriguing short tales to tell. Here, however, I bring you @lostthought's:






The entries will be judged in approximately 19 hours from the time of this post. Go ahead and submit yours, members of the Districts!

THE LAST BATTLEwritten by AriaAdams < PM: >

It's here.
The moment we've all been waiting for.

No, not the actual final results, not yet. That one we're still all waiting for.

As all of the tributes have completed Challenge Four, @SparkToFlame and the Capitol bring you the very details of the Final Battle !
The Districts no longer matter.
Teamwork is what can cost you your life.
In this final challenge, each Tributes stands on their own, battling for the title of the Victor of First YWS Hunger Games.

Competing Tributes, who all deserve a round of supportive applause and loud congratulations, are:

@Pompadour
@Piper
@defyingravity01
@JamesHunt
@ongoeslife
@BiscuitsBatchAvoy
@ShadowVyper
@Blackwood
and @retrodisco666

and today, for about 15 more hours, their challenge is the following:






The new entry must be at least 500 words long, and it should be a prose piece. The Tributes shall submit both the old and the new version, but only the new one will be judged. Here's what Retro666 thinks about it, and James seconds a few posts later:






Personally, I am imensely curious about this one! I still remember some of my own pieces of writing - I even shared a bit of it in here (have some free publicity, @etherealember ). Do you?

Watching yourself grow and develop is one of the amazing perks of being a writer. We have it right there, our past and present selves, black ink on white paper with occasional colours to spice it up. Our Tributes have faced much in the past week, and it wasn't easy! Seeing how they do in this last challenge is something we're all curious about, but it's also a chance for them to take a look at themselves, and I hope to hear some comments on what was it like to do this one!

You hear me, Tributes? Those are your comments I'm expecting
omnomnom.

Thanks for the shout out @AriaAdams