Miles Chen, Period 2, 3/28/23

Creativity & Fiction

Blood-red scales lined every inch of its enormous body, giant wings the size of a yacht sail unfurled, and the smell of ashes wafted through the cave as snarling lips pulled back to reveal a set of sharp teeth illuminated by embers coming from deep within its jaws. My feet stayed glued to the floor, and my eyes were wide in shock, even as the dragon started to trot towards me. I could only watch in despair while the dragon’s jaws slowly opened, a torrent of fire swirling inside.

With a jolt, I spring awake in a cold sweat, but I’m back in my room. I roll out of bed with a grumble, wondering what’s for breakfast. Suddenly, my vision goes blurry, and I see a glimpse of a plate of pancakes in front of me, but with a quick rub of my eyes, the scene disappeared as quickly as it came. I groggily trot down the stairs and plop at the table. Right in time, my mom places a plate of pancakes before me.

“Good morning, and enjoy,” she says with a bright smile, but I only stare back with a confused look. Maybe it was a coincidence, I thought. I decided not to give it a second thought, instead pulling out my notebook from my bookbag. I had a physics exam during third period today, and you can never study too much. I close my eyes and rest my head on the table. I wish I could nap a little longer, but my mom would kill me if I failed, so I have to study. I open my eyes and stare at an exam paper where my pancakes were sitting just a second ago.

I stand in shock and look around, but my pancakes are gone. Instead, it’s just my classmates sitting around me, diligently writing on their papers. No one seems to have noticed that I’m standing up, not even Mr. Duke, who’s still sitting at his desk and reading a book. I tap on the student sitting next to me, but to my surprise, my hand goes through him. Tripping over my foot, I stumble back with a yelp and find myself back at home, my pancakes in front of me and my mom staring at me with a worried look. “Everything all right?” she asks, and I nod reassuringly, but an uneasy suspicion lurks at the back of my mind.

I sit down at my seat in Mr.Duke’s classroom, and of course, it’s the same scene I’d seen before. The same exam paper, the same student is sitting next to me, and Mr.Duke is already holding the same book. Twice isn’t a lot, but I had nothing to lose. Closing my eyes, I think about getting my test back and looking at my grade. I open my eyes and see Mr.Duke walking toward me, paper in hand. He places it on my desk, a big red F at the top of the page. Luckily, I can see all the correct answers. I blink and find myself in regular time, sitting in front of a blank test. Grinning from ear to ear, I rush through my test, circling all the answers I can remember. “How lucky,” I think to myself as I hand in my exam, barely able to hide my glee.

I can’t help but shake in excitement as I wait, a smirk on my face. Mr.Duke walks over, holding my paper, and places it on my desk. I flip it over, already knowing what I’ll see. My grin slowly fades as I realize that the letter isn’t an A but a big red F. With a glance, I noticed that I had accidentally left a question blank, messing up the order of my answers. I hated myself for making such a dumb mistake, but I could see the potential of my new skill now, and I couldn’t wait to use it for something else.

Enthusiastically humming while skipping home, I began to think about the endless possibilities. I could win the lottery if I wanted to! Heck, I could become the wealthiest man in the world! Stopping at a crosswalk, I watched a white BMW streak past. One day that could be me, I thought to myself. I close my eyes to imagine what it would feel like to drive such a car, but instead, I’m staring at two glaring beams of light as a car speeds toward me. I try my hardest to move, but my legs are frozen. I look away, eyes shut, trying to shield myself. I hold my breath, but nothing happens. I peek through my arms, and the headlights are gone; the only thing in front of me is a kid staring at me in confusion from the other side of the crosswalk.

Terrified that what I saw might be the future, I walked home hesitantly. Trying my best not to cross any streets, and when I had to, I made sure there weren’t any cars even remotely close. Eventually, after what felt like a century, I was just a single street away from home. “I know what happens. I can change it.” I muttered to myself. I checked left, then right. There wasn’t a car in sight. Still hesitant, I slowly cross the street and sigh in relief as I step onto the sidewalk, but as if on cue, the screech of tires blares behind me. I turn around in time to see a blinding beam as a car swerves off the road and right toward me.

I flop onto my bed, staring at the ceiling in silence. The car had come to a jarring halt right before me, but fear still held me in a tight embrace. I understood how helpless I was now to be able to see the future but not change it. I’d never truly understood the phrase, but ignorance indeed was bliss.

Jessie Lee, Period 6, 5/1/23

 Jessie Lee, Period 6, 5/1/2023 

Modern Mythology: Creativity & Fiction 

The sun had just gone down as Louis stepped out of his coffin. He was staring out his window when he heard rustling behind him. Immediately, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as his head snapped around. The door creaked open slowly and a familiar face appeared. A small gasp found itself stuck at the back of Louis’s throat. 

Lestat. 

I knew that Lestat wouldn’t just die like that, Louis mentally cursed at himself. 

“Louis, it’s nice to see you again after all these years. You know, after our dear Claudia attempted to kill me.” Lestat said, his typical smirk sneaking its way onto his face. 

Louis stared at Lestat for what felt like an eternity, trying to find the right words to come out of his mouth. 

“Lestat…” he mumbled softly. 

“Before you start Louis, I want you to know that I am not here for revenge on you or on Claudia. After all these years, I have learned to forget whatever has happened in the past. 

“I find that a little hard to believe. What is it that you really want Lestat? Run out of money and here to get some more from me?” Louis spat out. 

“As I was saying, I will forget everything that has happened if you and Claudia can do the same.” 

There was a long pause before Louis spoke again. 

“Are you asking me to forgive you right now?” Louis said as he looked up, now staring Lestat straight in the eyes. 

“If it is possible. To be fair, Claudia tried to kill me, and you both fled.” He paused, before stating bluntly, “You left me, Louis.” 

“No, I cannot and will not ever do that. And you already know that Lestat.” 

“Oh, but you can. And if you stay with me this time, I promise that I will tell you of everything that I know. After all, I know that it is knowledge that you want from me Louis. Stay. And I will tell you everything I have yet to.” Lestat said, a hint of despair beginning to creep into his voice. 

“No, you actually did not withhold any information from me. You did not know any more than you had already told me. There was nothing more that you were going to teach me, nothing more that you were planning on passing down to me. 

“Now Louis…” 

“Shut up Lestat! You stayed with me as a leech because you needed a companion and you needed the money for god sakes. Stop making yourself seem more important than you really are” 

“I have changed Louis. No longer do I desire a life of lavish wealth. It has been so many years now, and all I long for now, is you Louis, a companion. Are you willing to believe that?” By now, Lestat’s voice had diminished so that it was barely above a whisper. 

“NO YOU HAVE NOT.” Louis suddenly raised his voice, slightly panting from anger towards Lestat. “What, do you expect that you forgiving Claudia and I entails the same treatment for yourself. You made me into who I am today. You forced an endless future of eternity on me that I definitely never asked for. You forced me into becoming who I am today. I HAVE NO PASSION, NO LOVE, NO HUMANITY! NOT ONE DROP OF IT LEFT IN ME!” Louis paused as he attempted to control his anger. “Hatred. Hatred is all I have left in me. Hatred for you Lestat, hatred for the world, and hatred for who I am. And you Lestat, you are the reason for what I have become today. So what more do you want from me now!” 

After a long pause, Lestat finally speaks. “Redemption Louis. I am offering to be with you. To search for knowledge with you. If you would let me. So I am asking you one last time Louis, begging you one last time. Is it so hard for you to forgive me?” 

“Lestat…At one point, I would have nearly jumped at your offer, but today, I simply cannot. I see you Lestat, and all I see is the monster who took my life away from me, took advantage of my grief for my brother’s death, and manipulated me until I too became like you, a monster…”

Wendy Li, Period 6, 5/3/23

Wendy Li

Period 6

4/30/23

Modern Mythology 2023

Literature Circle- A Thousand Ships

While reading “A Thousand Ships” by Natalie Haynes, one of the characters, Briseis, reminded me of Comfort Women in Japan. In the novel, Briseis is a Trojan princess who becomes Achilles’s prize after he kills her husband and brothers. In fact, Achilles specially chooses her because of her “honey” colored hair. The following sentence reads “And now, she belonged to him, and there was nothing either of them could do”. In other words, Briseis is viewed as an object that is traded or owned in this patriarchal society. As the novel progresses, she suffers abuse from the men around her, vulgar comments from the soldiers, and multiple attempts of assault. 

Similarly, between 1932-1945, young girls aged 14-18 from Korea and China were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army. The purpose of recruiting young girls was kept a secret as military officials told their families that they were needed to work in factories to produce uniforms. In reality, the girls were treated as objects and used by the soldiers to relieve their stress from the ongoing World War II. Many of them would work from 8 am to 5 pm for years, where older soldiers would form a line outside the room. If they resisted, the girls were often beaten, starved, or abused until they complied. As a result around 75% of the girls were estimated to have died and the remaining survivors continue to suffer from PTSD from the extreme trauma and other health-related issues. To this day, the Japanese government refuses to confront this issue, instead, relying on money to try and silence the victims.

Although both issues differ in the level of intensity, the common issue of human trafficking stands. Many of these ideas are carried over from the traditional patriarchal ideal where men were expected to be the head of the household, while women were viewed as a vessel for childbirth. As time passes, society has evolved further away from these gender roles, yet being able to face those past mistakes is just as important as any other change. 

Sources:

1. "Life As A “Comfort Woman”: Story of Kim Bok-Dong| STAY CURIOUS #9." YouTube, uploaded by AsianBoss, 27 Oct. 2018, youtu.be/qsT97ax_Xb0.

2. "Psychiatric Squelae of Former “Comfort Women,” Survivors of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery during World War II." National Library of Medicine, 18 Apr. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5912496/.

Stefani Mindrebo, Period 2, 5/5/23

 Stefani Mindrebo Blog Post #4 - Creativity and Fiction 

Based on “Interview With The Vampire” by Anne Rice, told from the perspective of Claudia 

BANG, BANG, BANG

The door to our hotel room burst open with the force of 100 men. Suddenly a crowd of Armand’s vampires come flooding in, each with their eyes set on me, Louis, and Madeleine as their targets. We try running away, but are only met with more vampires in our path. I am stuck in the clutches of two vampires that are probably triple my size and I am utterly defenseless. Curse my five year old body. 

I struggle to look around and figure out where they are taking me, until I recognize the blocks leading up to the Theatre des Vampires. The whole way there, I heard Louis calling for me and Armand. How could he waste his breath on Armand when I, the true love of his life, is being carried to my death? The large group of vampires shove the door open and start carrying all of us to the dungeon of the theatre. Whatever they have in store for us, I think with Louis and Madeleine by my side we will come up with a plan.

I finally got a glance of the floor when I saw 3 coffins lined up next to one another, and I had the sinking feeling that I would soon lay there. As I predicted, the vampires shoved us into the coffins. I felt myself being lifted, tossed, and turned. Then the motion stopped. I wonder if they threw me somewhere. How can I escape if I am alone and only with the strength of a five year old. I start to hear bricks being placed around me. They can’t seriously be burying me alive right now. I wonder if Louis is meeting the same fate. And Madeleine. Poor Madeleine. She is too young to be facing the consequences of mine and Louis’ actions from so many years ago. The overwhelming vacuum of silence around me started to scream louder than my thoughts, and my vision faded to darkness. 

Am I really alive right now? Well, dead and alive I suppose. If I truly am stuck in this coffin for eternity, how will I even know if I’m alive. I remember reading somewhere recently a new philosophical thought experiment called “Schrodinger’s Cat”. I honestly feel like I am the embodiment of this cat. To the rest of the vampires and world that I leave behind, I will be eternally both dead and alive. Not that they would care anyway. 

I wonder if they ever truly realized my eternal struggle being stuck in the body of a child. They really should understand my situation since they themselves are vampires, but not a single one has had to deal with being forever perceived as a porcelain doll despite the intellectual, sometimes manipulative, but complex woman that I am on the inside. 

I am trying so hard to detach my feelings from the world, but how can that be so painful? My emotions should be minimal compared to humans, so why do I think I’m experiencing more pain in this instant than most will ever know? I wish I could be emotionally dead, but instead I am tormented and taunted by the pain. 

I can’t stay like this forever. Wanting to die as a vampire really sucks. I wish I had a companion to put me out of this eternal misery of pain, but no mortal in their right minds would raise a hand to a little girl, and of course Louis would never. 

Out of the corner of my eye I start to see a little black speck moving about the coffin. An ant. This ant definitely doesn’t want to starve to death and waste away in this coffin as my fate permits. I squash the creature. I am doing it a favor honestly. For the first time, I have killed to provide help. 

Oh my god. That’s how I can live. I can live as death to provide it for others in need. I will be giving myself a purpose that people will need for eternity, and it’s a win-win situation. Who should I go to first? I can’t believe nobody has thought of this yet.

As I lay in the pitch black coffin, I pondered who would be my first patient. Only one came to mind, no matter how hard I tried to stop it. Louis. Louis has been and will be in pain for the entirety of his existence as a vampire. Maybe he doesn’t know it yet, but this is the best thing I could possibly do for him. It isn’t morally wrong if I am killing to help, is it? I remember Lestat telling me when I was younger that we kill as God does, so why shouldn’t I put Louis out of his misery. 

I suddenly hear the bricks around me being moved. Then my coffin gets flung open and I see Louis standing in front of me with his arms outstretched. “Louis! I haven’t stopped thinking about you since they locked me away.”

Anastasia Kichula, Period 6, 4/26/23

 Anastasia Kichula, Period 6, 04/26/2023, Modern Mythology 2023

Creativity & Fiction

Louis, the brooding vampire, had been living a solitary existence since his separation from Lestat, his maker and former companion. He had been trying to come to terms with his new life and the cruel reality of being a vampire. But after the interview with the young reporter, Louis began to yearn for his old life and his old friend.

The interview with the boy had brought back a flood of memories of his time with Lestat. Despite their tumultuous relationship, Louis couldn't help but long for his maker's company once again. And so, he set out to find Lestat.

It took some time, but eventually, Louis tracked down Lestat to a seedy nightclub in New Orleans. As soon as their eyes met, all the old feelings came rushing back. They spent the night talking, reminiscing about the past, and catching up on everything that had happened since they had last seen each other.

The following month, Louis ran into the boy who interviewed him on the street. He didn’t know what exactly to expect from their interaction, but he imagined that the boy would have been excited to see him, crying out for the chance to be finally turned into a vampire. Although, perhaps, that already happened.

As Louis talked to the boy, he couldn't help but notice the subtle changes in his demeanor. He had become more confident, more self-assured, but there was also a hardness to his eyes that hadn't been there before. Louis couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

It wasn't until later that night, when he was alone with Lestat, that he understood what had happened. "What did you do to the boy? The one that interviewed me. I know he wanted to become like us. He practically demanded it. It would only make sense if he had sought you out for the cause." Louis asked, his voice shaking with anger. "He's not the same person anymore."

Lestat shrugged, a cold smirk on his lips. "I simply gave him what he wanted," he said. "He wanted power, and I gave it to him. It's not my fault if he can't handle it."

Louis knew better than to argue with Lestat. He had seen firsthand the depths of his cruelty and his willingness to manipulate those around him for his own gain. He couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust at what he had done to the young boy. But he also couldn’t help but feel responsible for his new physical state. Therefore, he began to form a friendship with him, seeking him out for companionship.

As the days turned into weeks, Louis watched as the boy began to change. He became more callous, more ruthless, willing to do whatever it took to survive in the vampire world. Louis knew that Lestat's influence had a lot to do with it, that he had taught the boy how to be cruel and merciless, to use his powers for his own gain.

Despite his anger towards Lestat, Louis couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the boy. He knew what it was like to be caught in Lestat's grasp, to be at the mercy of his whims and desires. He couldn't help but wonder if there was anything he could do to save the boy from the same fate. But he knew that the boy had made his choice, and he would have to live with the consequences. Louis could only hope that he would be able to survive in a world that was full of danger and cruelty, and that he would find a way to overcome Lestat's influence and forge his own path.

Carolyn Lee, Period 2, 04/26/23

Creativity & Fiction

I rubbed my blurry eyes as I tried to look around and find the source of the warm flickering light amidst the shadows, but is that the sound of flames? And is that the smell of smoke?? My thin blanket slid off my legs as I stood up from the cold hard concrete ground of the dark Paris alleyway. I ran to the corner and peeked around to spot the burning of the Théâtre des Vampires?

My eyes started to widen, my heart started racing, my hands started shaking… in satisfaction and thrill?

It was only a week ago when I saw my own mother die from those terrifying vampires. She was my favorite person in the entire world, all she wanted was to provide for me. It wasn’t until the theater advertised an opening for a role that she focused on her own aspirations. I urged her to take the role, to fulfill a dream she’s had for years. She made it, but I wish she didn’t.

Day after day she spoke to me about how excited she was for her big break. When it finally came, I watched her acting through the window. I watched her come out on stage. I watched her bright eyes as she spoke. I watched her sing with so much expression. I watched her group up with the other actors. I watched as she was grabbed by her arms. I watched as those filthy vampires sucked the life out of her. I watched her as she went limp and pale. The crowd stood and cheered in blissful ignorance, but I collapsed in indescribable heartbreak.

My head turned as I saw two figures leaving the theater. Were they also vampires? But how did they live? What if they started the fire?

One of the men turned towards me, he looked familiar. Like someone I’ve seen near Miss Madeline’s shop. I had a sudden urge to run up to them, meet them, maybe we have a common idea? But then what if I turn into a vampire? No matter, nothing matters now that my mother is gone.

No matter the risk, I’ll find them, and dispose of vampires like those disgusting deceiving theater vampires.

Michael Chen, Period 7, 3/29/2023

 

• Creativity & Fiction

• Craft a piece of FAN fiction related to any of the reading we’ve done in class that addresses one or more of the following: 

• Literary elements (i.e. structure, tone, diction, mood, irony, and figurative language) to craft a narrative.

• Structural features of drama (stage directions, character attributions/tags, dialogue, monologues, and/or soliloquies) to craft a script.

• Multidimensional characters to develop themes and create socio-political metaphors.

Hmmm… It was a weird talk with the Dragon because he has been telling me all the conceptual concepts that I don’t have any grasp on. How does he want me, a low monster,  to understand what he is talking about? He was also so cynical about me. I was really trying to listen through all his talks but continued to accuse me of not listening. I couldn’t believe him. However, I do believe his talk is a bit dull and cynical.

But there is something that provoked my interest throughout our talk: He said he can see the future, how the world ends, every living being’s actions, and so on. He is bored beyond life, yet he is out here collecting and protecting his precious gold. What is the point of collecting gold when you know it will be worthless? Wouldn’t it be more worthwhile with his ability to make a change in the world as a challenge? However, he told me he would rather count his gems. I couldn’t believe that he would continue to bore himself. To him, everything is worth nothing to him, yet only his gem would keep him in tack.

Is it because to me I have the excitement of fighting and killing humans that I’m never bored? Maybe that is indeed so. The feeling is like giving me the adrenaline rush every time I get in conflict with the humans. What if I suddenly were to lose this excitement? What else will there be for me to feel?  I think what he is trying to get across to me is to keep myself distracted by other things like gold to prevent myself from violent ways. He wants me to become materialistic to cope with my existential despair. Nonsense! How can I abandon the only pleasure left in this meaningless world? But why did he bless him with immunity to all weapons……

Karen Khvan, Period 2, 4/19/2023

It is time for me to fess up- I have had Song of Achilles gathering dust on my bookshelf ever since Christmas of last year. After hearing raves about it on social media and friends repeatedly recommending it to me, I decided to cave in and finally purchase the book that everyone spoke so highly of. However, it wasn’t a lack of time or a disinterest in the matter that kept me from reading it- it was knowing how it ended.

I am a hopeless romantic. I will admit (although I am a little embarrassed) that my favorite genre to read is romance. I, also, am terrified of heartbreak and an incredibly emotional person (I already know I am going to be in a puddle of tears by the end- my first heartbreaking read was The Fault in our Stars when I was 10 and I cried for two hours afterwards). The idea that a person takes so much of you and then just disappears for your life is something that I can only imagine is some of the hardest things to bear, and putting myself through that even through a wall of paper can be too much. I read to escape into a happier world, and as naive as it sounds I don’t want the unsteadiness of reality to creep into the things that make me happy. So for a long time I did only stick to rom coms with cute cartoon covers and satisfying conclusions- however, this upcoming blog finally pushed me to escape my comfort zone and take the plunge. Song of Achilles, as a medium in itself, has truly transformed the young adult genre. I personally heard of it in 2021 (although the book was released in 2011) through social media (Tik Tok), and it was truly one of the first books depicting a non heterosexual relationship that I had seen gain such widespread popularity. Perhaps it is my lack of expertise in the book realm or my admittedly mainstream book collection, but watching it seep into every famous book-tokers “must read list” really made me want to join in and read as well.

I went into the book bare-boned- all I knew was that Achilles and Patroclus were lovers, and that Patroclus is killed. Ouch. I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t hesitant to pick up the book- it almost feels like a weight in my chest just anticipating the inevitable. However, I knew I had to give it a fair chance and allow the author's intentions to take over. It’s meant to be painful, and a fear of that will only limit my own horizons.

I am currently halfway into the book, and intend to finish the other half and write about my overall thoughts in the next blog. Currently, though, I am in awe of the prose and diction that Madeline Miller curated to create such stunning imagery. A line that stuck with me was definitely “It had been my companion for the weeks of travel, a reminder of my worth”. You can’t help but ache for young Patroclus- the lack of love he received growing up. He equated his worth to a bag of gold- that image so powerful that it causes a pit in your stomach and empathy for a boy who was never given enough as a child. Similarly, watching Achilles and Patroclus grow together was something beautiful. Their innocent friendship jumped off the pages- it was basked in warmth, and it took me back to my own friendships when I was a little girl, playing house and barbies with my friends and giggling during hide and seek. Similarly, watching them try to figure out their feelings about themselves and one another was touching, and the author's descriptions were so deeply emotional and insightful that it drew you in.

I cannot describe in enough words how much I have enjoyed reading the book thus far, and feel like I am not doing it justice. I wish I could rant and talk about every little pretty sentence and each motif but that would take a while, and I am glad I picked it up. The writing is verbose and descriptive and every synonym for pure stunning- it leaves you immersed and paints vivid images in your mind. You feel immensely for the characters, and I am definitely excited yet scared for what is to come.

Alexander Kokhno, Period 2, 4/20/23

Socio-political Consciousness

I have recently begun to read a book by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Time. I have only read the first 2 chapters, but the introduction, or more specifically, the events preceding the main meat of the plot have more than enough content to talk about.

The story begins with a terraforming team over a newly terraformed world. We get a monologue about what appears to be the lead director of the entire project, having an extremely egoistic internal monologue. “This is where we become gods” yet calls her fellow species “...you tedious little primitives …. Midgets, lots and lots of midgets” She aims to colonize a thousand worlds with monkeys infected with a forced evolution virus to essentially create a superior human race, each per planet. They (rather she, for her trusted team are naught but tools to her) are to leave a single man behind in a cryo state to one day awaken like a god to guide the evolved monkies on the path to technological galactic ascension. Unfortunately for her, that man turns out to be an agent of NUN, which is essentially a conservative alliance with the goal of human superiority - In other words those who aren't willing to see themselves replaced by virus-laden apes, but also actively make Earth the shithole it is by continuing 21st-century policies. In part of a coordinated attack, the man detonates the spaceship’s reactor core, taking down the ships with all hands on deck, all but the director who locked her colleagues and escaped on the cryo pod. We later learn that humanity sterilized itself in the conflict and all the terraformed colonies got eradicated with a released computer virus.

Both factions can be critiqued, but I find the most fault in the terraforming fanatical eugenics theocracy. It quite clearly ignores the human aspect to levels of absurdity. The NUN are described by them as a menace but they themselves fan the flames of tension. As Earth is dying, they want to utilize resources to create a home for monkeys, not to save existing humans. In fact, it can be compared to the German government stealing the taxpayer’s Euro to bail out the Greeks. The Technocracy clearly makes no efforts to come to a compromise but rather seems specifically ignore humans in favour of extreme eugenics. Additionally, the director is a self-styled tech-cultist leader who clearly shows how little she cares about existing humans who aren't her perfected experiments.

While definitely the correct way to approach interstellar travel, the policy of humans first by the NUN is nothing more than a rallying cry, a glue of sorts. Rather than a unified organization, it's a coalition of everyone from religious fanatics to terrorists, nationalists, fanatic xenophobes to government officials clinging to power. One might even say it runs on the fear of the masses and the blood of martyrs. The policy of humans first is little more than a fix to the symptoms, not the ailment - core societal and political issues. You can even say its an American dream of sorts; to consume resources while spreading out into new land - terraformed planets in this case. Additionally, rampant technophobia in its ranks most likely cut off opportunities for rapprochement with the technocracy, not to mention limiting their own ability to fix Earth. Oh, if only they had some Xenos to blame rather than fellow countrymen!

Sophia Feng, Period 7, 4/20/2023

 

Sophia Feng 

Period 7

4/20/23

Modern Mythology 2023

Creativity & Fiction

• Craft a piece of FAN fiction related to any of the reading we’ve done in class that addresses one or more of the following: 

• Literary elements (i.e. structure, tone, diction, mood, irony, and figurative language) to craft a narrative.

• Structural features of drama (stage directions, character attributions/tags, dialogue, monologues, and/or soliloquies) to craft a script.

• Multidimensional characters to develop themes and create socio-political metaphors.

______________________________________________________________

This is Claudia’s diary. 

DO NOT OPEN!!!

Dear Diary,

Today is my sixth birthday! I’m going to eat cake with my dad and uncle in our pretty house. That’s what the other kids do, I think. 

Dear Diary,

Today is my seventh birthday! I think I’m going out with Uncle Lestat to eat like always. Dad never comes with us because he doesn’t like it, but I think blood tastes great. Uncle Lestat always tells me that we need to kill to live and that we could never die, but I don’t really understand what he means. Whenever we go to eat, the people that we talk to fall to the ground like they’re sleeping, but they never wake up. Is that what Uncle Lestat means by dying?

Dear Diary,

Today is my tenth birthday! Recently, Uncle Lestat has been bringing home paintings and sculptures from France and Spain. The carpets and vases are covered with beautiful birds painted by people from across the world. Uncle Lestat asked a painter to make the walls of my room covered with a forest of unicorns, golden birds, fruit trees, and shiny waterfalls. I absolutely love my room!! He also asked people who make dresses and shoes to come to our house. They came with fancy coats, gowns, gloves, and many more. I think Father and Uncle Lestat were having fun dressing me up. Maybe it’s like when I dress up my dolls. Pretty clothing and makeup make everyone happy I guess. Anyways, thank you so much Uncle Lestat! Best birthday ever!

Dear Diary, 

Today is my thirteenth birthday. Uncle Lestat has been bringing Father and me to the new French Opera House or the Théâtre d'Orléans. He likes Shakespeare, but most of the time he falls asleep to the sound of the opera and wakes up just to eat. But, I don’t mind. He gives me the diamond rings and jewelry when he does end up following some pretty lady for dinner. Although they fit quite loosely around my neck and fingers, diamonds make gorgeous room decorations.

Father, on the other hand, has been reading me books and poetry. He always tells me to admire the life and beauty around us and to ignore our eternal life. From Aristotle to Boethius, I slowly began to understand the meaning of creation or life as Father likes to call it. 

Dear Diary,

Today is my eighteenth birthday and I’ve decided that I want my own coffin to sleep in. Lestat and Father have their own, so why do I sleep with Father and not by myself?

Anyways, we’re planning to head to the coffin makers later this afternoon. Our story is that Father’s poor little five-year-old daughter is soon about to die from a heart illness. Cliche, but all the mortals believe it. 

Now that I can read on my own, I have been researching the origins of vampires. The origins of what keeps me in this five-year-old shell despite being eighteen. Growing up, I’ve always wondered how Lestat and Father manage to keep themselves looking so young. But, I eventually realized that it wasn’t only them who were young. My eighteen-year-old self wasn’t allowed to roam the streets of New Orleans and I had to stick with Lestat whenever I needed to feed. To every human that we passed, I was a beautiful child with long golden locks who didn’t look a day over five years old. It was annoying. Why did all the other girls grow up to be a lady while I was forever confined in my coffin of a five-year-old? Why was I, out of everyone, chosen to be this bloodsucker? Who turned me into this lifeless, immortal monster? I need answers. 

I know it has to be Lestat or Father, but it's impossible that it was Father. I sometimes see him looking at pictures of his sister in secret. As a vampire, he’s still hanging on to his mortal life. Lestat, however, never mentions his mortal life. 

Maybe if I ask Father, he’ll confess…