Hello, fellow wonderful Scholars and Scribes! Welcome to the weekly picks! This is where we go over which pieces were submitted to the Scholar and Scribe community that stood out and made an impression. I will give my subjective review on each piece selected in hopes of stimulating creativity and reaching our ultimate goal - becoming better writers.
This is a purely prose selection. No poetry I'm afraid.
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Congratulations 
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Each will receive 25 Scholar
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All selections are placed in terms of release order - these are not rankings.
With that being said, first off we have
First of all, why is Sam a damnable name? 😂 That made me chuckle out loud, good stuff. And the good stuff is what we've come to expect from Esther. A veteran in the Hive writing scene, known throughout as someone with immense imagination. Said imagination is put on full force in this piece, where a psychotic girlfriend comes to claim what is hers by all the laws of gods and men.
When people see Barbara and I together, one thing they always say is, "Cute couple. You guys are made for each other" I don't want that. I want to break up with Barbara before Thanksgiving because she has been torturing me for the past five years. I can't bear it anymore. I have to break up with her.
The story is funny, to say the least. This type of edgy humor really lends itself to my sensibilities. So I appreciate it on a personal level. I could vividly see this story as a sketch show, it's even broken up into scenes to suit that format. Something new, something fresh, and a pleasure to read. 👏 Kudos.
"I know you didn't just insult my intelligence. You know what, Sam? I'm going to hurt you. I will not do you a favor by breaking up with you. I am just going to stay with you and make your life miserable."
Next up we got
Fantasy is my favorite genre. When I see an epic fantasy piece in the community, my brain's only mission is to showcase said piece in my next Picks post. And would you know it - here we are. The piece reads like historical fiction, this added flair makes the whole story a lot more relatable than it otherwise would be. Couple that with the familial aspect of the story, and you have a compelling plot that glues you to your seat.
The Xittites suddenly appeared in the city of Zyra. Human-like people but with transcendent powers. They had invaded the land but they were rather quiet people and made no trouble. They were friendly and they were kind. The people of Zyra were afraid but after seeing their free spirits, they became one of their own. It didn't matter that they had powers dangerous enough to destroy the City of Zyra in a flash. They had become their own.
This is the first part of what I imagine will be an epic tale -
In the castle, there was an abundance of joyous chatter as the Xittites sat at the banquet table prepared for them. It was weird, but somehow seats were provided for every one of them. Xander IV watched with glee at the three thousand and one people before him. He got up from his throne in a flourish, a glass of red wine in his hands.
Third on the chopping block is
As our third and final showcase, we have another fantastical piece. What I love about this one, is that it reads a lot like a screenplay. I can imagine the stage of the theatre as the actors come out to play in their funky costumes.
Marcos; I'm sorry, Sheila. I have already sent a message to the high mage: by sunrise, Tobias will be labeled an enemy of the brotherhood, and every pack under our control will be against him. He would have nowhere to go; the only place he would have been saved would be the sea.
We are thrust into this world head first. The last two stories here share this quality. Where they trust in the reader's comprehension to carry the story. This method makes the story much more natural. Trust in the reader is imperative, and I love it when it is properly used. We rarely need to say more than is necessary. Trust in our readers is imperative to delivering a compelling story. And
I told you that was a wrong call, and now we just lost the only leverage we have used to keep the wolfbreed in check for the last 25 years. And what's worse, you made the call at a time when we could not trust the Shewolf Park to be on our side.
✍️ Hope the Scholars found something to read and the Scribes discovered something new about the craft. Thank you for stopping by and see you all next week!