So here we are at another challenge, this time it's White Day Challenge. White day is a holiday celebrated in Japan on March 14. In Japan Valentines day is typically celebrated by women giving the men who are important to them a small gift. On White Day the men reciprocate by giving a gift to the women who are important to them. In the spirit of White Day we challenged ourselves to write a story that reflected this tradition of the man repaying a gift he was given by someone important.

Credits

Enjoy the Roundup.

This is the result of our latest challenge- it was set up by the group organizer WinnifredArtemis, thank you for feeding my madness. She chose the time-frame and the prompt for our group Writers Challenge.

The rules were simple, you had to write within the timeframe she'd set aside for it, and use the prompt, otherwise you were free to follow the voices in your head, I mean your own creativity. It could be a fanfiction, original work, poem, song, anything the voices in your head told you to write. In the case of the White Day challenge we had one day and the prompt was White Day itself.

I thought it might be cool to share what others had done, they were all good entries and I encourage you to check them out.  The names are linked to their profiles or blogs, the story titles will bring you to the madness. Our group meets on facebook and is open to any writer who wants to join. The submissions are listed in no particular order.

WinnifredArtemis started us off with an Attack on Titan fanfiction. Her entry is brief but engaging. I'm not familiar with the anime but based on WinnifredArtemis's entry I think it must go on my 'to watch' list. Thank you WinnifredArtemis!

Andre is our next submission with a Naruto/Fairy Tail crossover fanfic. For those who don't know a crossover will incorporate the authors favorite parts of both stories. I think Andre did a great job of slipping Naruto into the Fairy Tail world and pairing him up with Lucy. I am familiar with both these anime's and, although I don't currently have any cross-shippings myself, I think the NaruLu is a great one.

Gjalt rejoined us this time around with a No Game, No Life fanfic. He refers to his submission as an attempt at romance but I think he did an great job, and I have another anime added to my 'to watch list' thanks to his story that I now want to know more about.

Isis submitted a fanfic based onProfessor Layton but she assures her reader that they don't need to be familiar with the game to appreciate her story. It's a cute little one shot about a procrastinating boy named Luke. It will leave you smiling and wishing there were more.

Mohit rejoined us this time with another little humorous slice of life called, appropriately, WhiteDay. His plot twist will leave you chuckling and hoping you don't identify with his character too closely.

Finally, I wrote a quick little piece that I called Stepping Out. It is an original work that takes a peek into the romance of a couple trying to find their way in this busy world.

I hope you've enjoyed this little wrap up of our challenge. Follow the links, read their stories and let them know what you think! Writing is our passion, it's what feeds our souls but the reviews are oh so encouraging! And look for our next challenge which will come at us during the busy busy month of April while some of us will be hammering away at our word goals for Camp Nanowrimo. But hey, the picture says it all.

Credit for the lovely picture portraying the madness we give in to goes to my lovely and talented daughter who understands it all too well. 

Of course in the case of fanfics the characters belong to the original creators but the story's all stem from the madness in our heads. Our original works are ours and must be referenced as such if you share them, thank you.

Writing Challenge Roundup

I needed proof that I wasn't the only one. Compelled to write, no matter the topic. So I joined a group, either their all mad like me, or they're very tolerant of me and my madness. I'm not sure.

This is the result of our first challenge- it was set up by the group organizer WinnifredArtemis, thank you for feeding my madness. She chose the time-frame and the prompt for our group Writers Challenge.

The rules were simple, you had to write within the week she'd set aside for it, and use the prompt, Do Not Enter, otherwise you were free to follow the voices in your head, I mean your own creativity. It could be a fanfiction, original work, poem, song, anything the voices in your head told you to write.

I thought it might be cool to share what others had done, they were all good entries and I encourage you to check them out. The names are linked to their profiles or blogs, the story titles will bring you to the madness.

Gjalt wrote the opening of an original story, Terror Siblings, that I'm sure I want to read more of...I only hope he intends to finish it. Just for the record I want these two on my side if anything goes down. 

Lia wrote a fanfiction about NCIS:LA called Do Not Enter This Room that I almost mistook for our valentines day challenge it was so sweet and romantic. Great job Lia! I have a soft spot for romance anyway and this one made “awww” at the end.

Gina also wrote a fanfic about NCIS:LA called Do Not Enter.  I have to admit I haven't watched this show in years but I enjoyed the story's regardless. Hers was not a romance but rather about the inner struggle Callen has dealing with his history and the memories he carries with him.

April posted a great original story, And the Sign Said, that will keep you at the edge of your seat waiting for the next line. She offers an amazing plot twist at the end that will leave you begging for more.

Caroline posted what I hope will be the beginning of a great book. She draws you in and makes you feel her main character. I'll be looking for more of this one..

WinnifredArtemis herself posted a teaser for a fanfic she's working on based on The Originals called Do Not Enter. I'm not familiar with the story but her teaser leaves me wanting more, is he werewolf, vampire, addict? Inquiring minds want to know!

Mohit wrote a bit of original humor about the Do Not Enter topic. It left me wondering what I would do if I found myself in a similar situation.

And of course my own entry which was an original work Do Not Enter, with a touch of mystery. I decided to leave my usual romance aside for this one and try something new. The madness spreads, who knows where it will end.

I hope you've enjoyed this little wrap up of our challenge. Follow the links, read their stories and let them know what you think! Writing is our passion, it's what feeds our souls but the reviews are oh so encouraging!

Of course in the case of fanfics the characters belong to the original creators but the story's all stem from the madness in our heads. Our original works are ours and must be referenced as such if you share them, thank you.

Manic Monday Musings

Good morning! And welcome to Manic Monday Musings, a place where you can glimpse into the rambling madness within my head. Each week I will offer you a peek into my thoughts, my madness goes far and deep though so be prepared to read about daily life, anime, news and pop culture, and whatever else pops into my head. Consider it an affirmation of your sanity.

Here we go:

Plant Serial Killer

I have a confession to make. It's a serious one, even though it won't sound serious when you first hear it, so don't laugh at me.

Well, I guess that kind of sets you up to laugh at me, doesn't it? I mean, I'm asking to be laughed at simply by asking you not to. Because either you'll laugh at what I have to tell you or you'll laugh at me for thinking you would.

But I digress...

I have a confession to make and it's not a pretty one. I'm a serial killer...of plants. I'm not kidding about this. If you give me a plant you are pretty much resigning it to death. If I buy one my kids take bets on how long they'll last.

It's not like I don't try to keep them alive. I water them, sometimes too enthusiastically which is often the beginning of the end for them. Sometimes though, I forget to do even that... poor things.

It's not as if I intentionally kill them. And sometimes they last a really long time for me. I have a spider plant that I inherited from my grandfather when he died. I've had it for almost 14 years and, although it has come close, it's not dead, yet. It's siblings however have not been so lucky... oops.

It's gotten to the point that when I bring a new plant home and announce the end of my reign as a plant serial killer my kids tell the plant their sorry. As if they know there's no hope for me.

This will be the year...I will end my reign of plant killing.

I hope.