Midnight Writers April 2012

April 2012 midnightwriters.webs.com midnight.writers2013@gmail.com

Ask Aphro & Dite

Musings of Hades

Athena’s Corner

To submit questions, please email askaphro@gmail.com.

They will remain anonymous!

The nice thing about living in the Underworld is it never rains down here.

You know the whole April showers thing? That's because the movie theme of the month on Olympus is "beloved tragedies." Romeo and Juliet, Old Yeller, all those sappy stories.

And Zeus is a big crybaby.

Anyway, rain is the least of my concerns. I always dread the end of March, because without fail, Hermes will soon be back to celebrate his favorite holiday of all time.

April Fool's Day. And for some reason, he views it as his personal mission in eternity to humiliate—no, "bring a smile to my grumpy face," he says. Psh. I've considered sealing the Underworld on this day, but people still die then like on any other day, so no. So it is with great trepidation that I allow the little twerp into my domain. And his pranks are on a much, much bigger scale than the bucket-of-water-abovethe-door jokes you mortals play.

One year he turned my servant shades into chickens. Another year he dunked my entire wardrobe into the Underworldian rivers. All of them. Once he painted everything, and I mean everything, polka dotted fuchsia and lime.

Ugh. The cleanup was gods-awful.

But I doubt anything will ever top the one time he told all the shades in the Fields of Asphodel there was a filing error and they were all free to go back to the Upperworld. Any mention of the Great Underworldian Uprising still makes the Furies shudder.

Can I please retire yet?

Fracture by Megan Miranda, January 2012 Delaney should have died when she fell through the ice, but somehow she survived. Now she must try to adjust to normal life, even though her new ability, the changes in her best friend Decker, and a guy with the same ability that she has keep messing her up. A psychological thriller/romance that will keep you madly flipping pages until you finally reach the end.

Fans of Michelle Hodkin’s The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer should definitely try this one!

Dear Dite, How do you suggest studying for the AP’s? Sincerely, Junior Dear Junior, For most subjects I would recommend one of the many AP books. My biology teacher required the Barron's AP book. I'm sure it would help for other subject's AP’s, too. For World I personally plan to just reread most of the book. For all subjects, reviewing your notes, quizzes, and tests can be another good way to review. Start soon, it’s a lot to cover and you wont be able to cover it all if you procrastinate. Sincerely, Dite Dear Aphro, I have trouble balancing schoolwork and track. Help? Field-er Dear Field-er, It's hard to find that balance between sleep, schoolwork and extracurriculars. I understand the frustration when one of the three starts to slide. In the end, you have to decide which are the most important to you, and if all are irreplaceable in your life then you just make time. Focus more on homework as opposed to listening to music or reading at the same time.

Or you could just say screw life and do nothing and go on Pottermore all day! LOVE, APHRO <3 Dear Dite, How can I get better making potions on Pottermore? Clawraven Dear Clawraven, As a fellow Ravenclaw, I would suggest you make the practice potion several times. Then perfect each potion one by one. This might cost a few sickles but could be worth it if you specialize in one particular potion and get us a lot of house Continued on Pg. 2

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, 2012 This is a story of two cancer patients who fall in love. This story is surprisingly lighthearted at first, and will make you smile and laugh out loud, but grows into a deeper and more serious story that will definitely cause you to cry. This is a story that will make you think about life, what the point is, and how to treasure the time we are given. I am definitely not a fan of sad stories and would usually never recommend one, but this story should be read and appreciated by all.

Special thanks to Sra. Steele and acknowledgement to Hades, Athena, Hippolyta, and Hermes.

My Golden Ninja

By Glittercheese To me, silence is a golden ninja It comes and goes as it pleases Like those startling infectious diseases It is a ticking mine, readily exploding at any time To deceive its prey with its small little teases It stretches and hangs for the longest of hours Sending silent static sounds to announce its arrival Its presence is full of awkward sours Making it impossible to wipe off with a mere towel

Ask A&D cont. points. Go Ravenclaw. Sincerely, Dite Dear Aphro, Which founder is better, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?

Sincerely, Potterhead Dear Potterhead, Although Rowena was wise, she was pretty full of herself. Godric was fun and loving and just as smart as Rowena if not more!

He created the Sorting Hat. All Ravenclaw ever did was get her diadem stolen. You don’t have to be as “wise” as the Ravenclaw kids to see which founder takes the cake. LOVE, APHRO

And how it sparkles and shines with a dazzle Blinding me with many devious smiles Why, it leaves me in a frenzied frazzle.

Dandelion Dreams

By Glittercheese A yellow little duck Amongst a sea of green Slowly finding its identity As the day hops around the spectrums of a rainbow A fuzzy little lion roars to the skies As it pokes out its many little eyes Facing the sunny sun-side Growing a graying beard As soft as a blanket As gentle as a breeze As calm as the seaside Spreading little seeds of hope Throughout the wide, wide world

Illustration—“Scarlet Terror” by Kenpachi

Journey

By Athena The wolf howls at the moon, always lonely, always moving.

He journeys on, sometimes sprinting sometimes loping.

Looking for something, through the forest, through the desert.

Forever searching, for what he’s lost, for what he stands to gain.

Illustration—“Call of the Wild” by Selene

His Name is Blood

By Hades His name is Blood.

Some say he has killed eleven.

Others say a hundred.

I once heard he’s killed none.

Illustration—“Blood” by Chronos

He merely bathes in their… blood.

The red clings to his hair.

An iron scent follows in his wake.

Some say he has never seen sun.

His skin is pale and white enough.

Few enter his home and return.

Those who do have warning.

Never accept food or drink from him.

Especially not the red wine.

There is a torture chamber below.

Some hear screams from it at night.

A boy once tried to peek inside.

Ballad of the Wanderer by Hades I remember a time when the Earth was young, A time when songs were still unsung.

The soil was soft beneath my feet, And every morning the dawn I would greet.

They never saw him again.

Continued Online

Illustration—“The Traveler” by Chronos

Through the desert and across the seas, Wandering among a forest of trees.

At last I found my paradise, The land where the stars always rise.

The flowers bloom in colors unseen, The water runs pure, cold, and clean.

At noon I would rest beneath the eaves, Lying atop a blanket of leaves.

The fruit was plenty and always sweet, And never was there cold or heat.

Eternally resting within my garden, I was her prisoner, and she was my warden.

Then one day I saw smoke in the sky, And there was darkness in my eye.

I heard the clanging of lifeless steel, And the danger to me was all too real.

Slowly, slowly, my heaven faded, Until even I no longer waited.

Soon I was alone, forever alone, And my heart turned into frozen stone.

Continued Online

The Grim Reaper’s To-Do List

By Hades                                

Wake up Groan Press “Snooze Wake up, take two Stumble to bathroom Shower with that new soap, Postmortem Scents Shave with scythe Slick hair back with oil a la Severus Snape (my idol) Practice demonic smile in mirror Choose from twenty identical tattered black cloaks to wear Put on spiked boots Clomp around in hamster cage Eat Hell Munchies cereal Toss dirty dishes into possessed dishwasher Begin Hit List Scare the bejeezus out of people Point finger threateningly Slice some sofas in half Laugh evilly Lunch break Painfully part souls from their mortal bodies and put them in Ghostbuster-esque pack Take pack to marshmallow factory so they can add their secret ingredient Dinner with the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy Go home Play with pet cat, Dagmar Balthazar de Sprinkles et Tunadom IV (AKA Rev) Make s’mores Watch Gone With the Wind Cry Post status on Facebook Put on onesie devil bunny pajamas Write in diary Sleep

Wind

By Artemis Wind whispers through trees Then it stops and silence comes.

Loud, heavy silence.

Photograph—“Rev” by Athena

Illustration—“Reaper” by Hebe

Midnight Writers

By Izumi Fujimoto

Maybe this is a little cheesy, but I don’t mind.

O, the things I come up with on a whim.

When I first joined, I never thought I would have time,

Where there is always an ending To the free style of poetry Which needs not ever end. This coming June, I say farewell to all who have ever enjoyed Anything I wrote.

And sometimes, I hate to say, I have barely made the dead-

This has been one of the best things I’ve done senio

i

s

l ne.

There are no tear from me today:

g

But throu h the bounds of creativity, And the ever

r year.

Just my thanks. (for the opportunity and the brownies.)

haunting spells of procrastination, t

I pushed myself to try many different styles of wri ing From my strength in the world of storytelling Photograph— “I Dream in Blue” by Holiday Blues

Illustration—“Interruption” by Calypso

Illustration—“Caution: Thin Ice” by Artist Wannabe

Were you born sometime from March 21 to May 21? Check out Nana’s Corner online to check out what she has to say about you Arieses and Taruses! (Tauri…?) And anyone stressed up upcoming exams and AP’s is more than welcome to listen in, too.

Gabe Cameron was accused of the murders of four of his friends. He in turn claimed his brother David was the one who dealt the killing blows. Now David is confessing—but confessing whose guilt and whose actions! Read The Shocking Truth by Apollo online!

Three times they met, starting first when he saved her from drowning in a river when they were children. Over the years, he berates himself for being a fool and languishes of ever finding happiness when fate deals his next hand. Read Three Times They Met by Raindrop online!

Haley is waiting in a 7-Eleven on a cold winter day when it happens: a miracle. She watches a motley family consisting of a grandmother, a little girl, and a strangely familiar boy in a wheelchair, crossing the parking lot, when disaster is about to strike. Read It All Started With a Slurpee by Hades online!

Illustration—“Smiling Sammy” by Artist Wannabe