Okay, so, hi. You may have seen me in the SB, or you may actually know me. OR, you may NOT know me. Either way, I am RootBeerLover, or Root for short. Let me introduce you to all that's happening right now.

I have a lot of free time in the summer (that's an understatement). I am also a writer. (I'm applying for Res staff once my account is old enough) I only recently discovered this Thread, the writing one. I saw some of the stories, and I got excited. I got ideas from them, and started fantasizing about all these wonderful plots and--oh, I do digress. Sorry!

Okay, so to actually tell you what this thead is, here goes: Every month, I will write 3-6 completely different stories. (they'll be only an excerpt of the real thing). I will post them on here, and have you guys tell me which one is best. At the end of the month, I'll throw out the losers, and keep the winner. I will do that for an entire year. At the end of the year, there will be 12 winner stories. You guys will vote and comment on them, and I will eliminate 9 stories, leaving 3. Then, you can vote on those three, leaving 1 to win.

Okay, (I think I start too many paragraphs with 'okay,'), you're probably wondering why I want to do this, and what I'll do with the winner story and all the loser stories. Well, for the loser stories, I will do nothing. You guys are free to take the loser stories, and maybe make a winner story out of them. However, as for the winner, I will make an actual story out of it. (all these losers and winners are only tiny excerpts, remember).

I'll probably post 3 story excerpts tomorrow. You guys can read them, and vote. If this thread doesn't go anywhere, and you guys don't comment, correct, critique, or vote, then I will have to shut the thread down. I sincerly hope that this thread will stay okay for a year, so I can find the winner story excerpt of at least 36 story excerpts. I also think that you guys will enjoy it, having new things to read and vote on, every month. :) Thanks.

OH! I almost forgot! How careless of me! I never told you why I wanted to do this in the first place! The reason is, I've been, well, writer-blocked. I can think of a hundred story ideas, but I can never really stick with a story for long, and I usually leave tens of stories unfinished, on my computer. So, I thought, if there was a story excerpt that won from at least 36 others, I surely could think and finish it.

With the support of you guys, I know that I can do anything. :) 

This is the first for this month:

Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me

             My mom was a pirate. My dad was a pirate. I a.ssumed that I was one too. I guess I loved my life, scrubbing the decks, exploring, sketching, swinging on ropes and laughing till dawn with my family. well, they were technically not my family, but all crew was referred to as family. I was only 7 when my mom disappeared. An enemy ship captured her, and we couldn't save her.
            My dad, well, sort of lost it once my mom was gone. He would constantly get drunk, singing:

            He stopped shaving, and wore scraggly clothes. The entire crew followed in his footsteps, growing beards and dressing similarly.
            I, however, was 10 now, and the only girl on the ship now that mom was gone.


                                         ***********5 years later**********


            Saltiness flooded my mouth as pa.ssing whales sprayed me. I leaned over the side of the ship, determined to watch them as long as possible. Whales absolutely fascinated me! Grabbing my falling-apart notebook, I swiftly sketched a pod of whales. Unaware of what was happening, I blissfully tilted my head back to listen to their songs, my pencil slipping from my hand. Their wails were hauntingly familier.
            Suddenly, I realized men were shouting from the deck. Their eyes were on me. I snapped my head up above me. An explosive pop of lighting cracked the darkening sky, lighting up the entire ocean, the bolt's reflection still shimmering off of the storm waves. We were in for a hurricane tonight.
            The sky spat out more rain, drowning my notebook. Desperate to save my sketches, I clutched it with dear life. But, it was not meant to be, as it flew out of my nimble fingers, going overboard. Sputtering, I made my way to safety, going for the trapdoor below me.
            I kept my eyes down as I passed scattered rows of crew. Water splattered through tiny leaks above me. The air was humid and stuffy. I heaved myself on some wooden planks, happy to finally sit. I wedged my muddy feet out of my boots, emptying water from them. It was quite silent down here, compared to the wind and rain outside. No one said a word.
              I meekly untied my red, polka-dotted bandana from my black curls. I rung it dry, and then neatly folded it into a tiny but thick square. I stayed silent for at least half an hour more, along with the rest of the family.
          "Now, Ronnella," I winced as the captain, my father, called me by my real name. "do you care to explain what the hell you were doing out there?" His question had begun calm, and transformed into a dangerous shout.
           Oh, I was sketching whales and saving my precious notebook while you were getting drunk, father. "Nothing, father. I was trying to get my notebook, as I dropped it in the rain." My face gave nothing away. I remembered when I would tell my father everything, from my feelings to my dreams. Now I told him as little as I could.
           "Your notebook?" His face softened a bit once hearing that. He knew my notebook was the most important thing to me. "Did you manage to, well, save it?" I could tell he was concerned. It touched me a little, to know that he still knew and remembered my notebook.
            "Unfortunately, the wind tossed it overboard." I tightened my entire body. I was not going to cry. People like us never cried. But, as I said the words, my eyes melted into liquid. I didn't sniff or sob. In fact, I had never cried normally before. There were never tantrums, or loudness or snot. Only glassy eyes.
              "I agree, that is quite unfortunate." My father paused to listen. "I think the storm has let up. All of you go where you belong. Ronnie, you stay in your room." Everyone knew my room was below the deck. The crew emptied out of the trapdoor, going up. Peaks of sunlight danced around as they opened it.
                My father was the last to leave, wavering until he caught my eye. He winked with a smile. Seeing that i didn't show any emotion, his smile faded. He trudged up the wooden planks, and out the trapdoor, leaving me all alone.
               I liked it down here. There was one foggy porthole that let me see through the waters. I saw jellyfish, coral, fish, and occasionally, shipwrecks. I loved sketching them and observing them. I bitterly remembered my notebook, probably perishing beneath the waves.
              Since I had nothing better to do, I fell on my creaky bed and dozed off.
              A thunderous amount of water collapsed on top of me, stunning me. I jumped out of bed and looked up. Bill, a man of the crew, had unleashed a heap of soapwater from the mop bucket from the trapdoor above me.
             "Ron, get up! The Phoenix is here!" He shouted frantically. I quickly changed shirts and put on different pants. These pants were the cleanest, but a bit baggy. I stashed my red, polka-dotted bandana in as a belt. Shaking out the soapiness in my hair, i ran out of the trapdoor, barefoot as usual.
             The Phoenix wasn't an ordinary enemy ship. She was cursed, or so they say. Our ship, Alexandria, was named after my mother. Some wanted to change it after my mom died, but my father wouldn't budge. The Phoenix and Alexandria have had the bloodiest, most twisted history. Their history went so far back, that no one now could remember why they were even fighting.
           As if that stopped them. I looked out into the sea, trying to find the ship coming to battle. Among the mist and fog, the eerie shape of the Phoenix appeared. Slicing the fog, the Phoenix came into view, much closer than we expected.
           "Roll the cannons out! Hold the sails north!" My father shouted over the wind. It was early in the morning, and still very dark. The wind stopped. Everything was silent, as if we were in the eye of the hurricane.
            As quickly as the peace came, the eye wall of the hurricane erupted before us. The two ships, Alexandria and Phoenix, were right next to eachother, close enough to touch.
            Phoenix pirates swung from ragged ropes, invading our ship. My father shouted for me to get to safety. My bare feet scraped the wooden plank floor of the ship as I ran across. Snatching a dagger from the weapon shelter, I hid in my father's room. As I closed the door behind me, a three feet-long sword burst through the wood of the door, nearly killing me.
            Someone had followed me to my father's room. The sword had caught and torn my shirt apart, leaving scraps of worn-out cloth to cover me. I skidded to the farthest corner of the room, where father's swords were kept.
            The door creaked open slightly, the three feet-long sword still wedged in. Then someone from behind it kicked it open. A man whom I didn't recognize stood there, a vicious grin on his face. The clothes he wore symbolized the Phoenix. Out of rage, not fear, I screamed thunderously. I whipped my dagger across the room. It landed in his chest, instantly killing him.
           "Ah, not bad, not bad at all." A dangerously dark voice spoke, chuckling. Black leather boots stepped out from behind the man i had just killed. I noticed that the dead man still had his hideous grin. I looked away, shuddering.
           "Do you know who I am? Please say you do, for I remembered you, Ronnie." I easily recognized the deep voice of the captain of the Phoenix. Dying inside, I knew I had to run. Captain Anicetus was his name.He stepped closer, pausing to look at me.
           "Your face, such a shame to waste its beauty on a shameful ship like this one." As Anicetus came even closer, three Phoenix men came in the room. I slowly understood. I was being herded. I backed out in a corner. Not a good move. I had no where to go.
           "How about it, eh? You spend a while on a real ship, and tell me how you like it?"
           "I'll never go on the Phoenix with you." I raged.
           "Would you go with Felix, then?" Confused, I turned around. Who was Felix?

The next thing I knew I blacked out. Someone, most likely 'Felix', had hit me with a ladel.
          
           My head throbbed greatly. I was awake, but I did not want to open my eyes. I stubbornly watched the inside of my eyelids. A shadow suddenly came over them. There ws probably someone leaning over me. I felt breath on my lips. Ew! What pirate would be trying to kiss me?
             I popped my eyes open, rushing forward. I was right, someone was trying to kiss me. I hit head with a pirate as I sat up. Focusing my eyes, I tried to see the pirate. He was young, very young, probably around 15, my age. His eyes were alien green, and he had dark brown hair. He was very handsome. I had never experienced blushing before, but I could clearly see he was doing it.
             "Sorry, miss." His voice was like bells.
             "Were you trying to kiss me?" I asked the obvious.
             "Uh--" His sentence was interuppted when a maid came in the room.
             "Good morning Ronnie. I hope Grant did not disturb you," she said, looking stern at the boy who tried to kiss me, apparently named Grant. "I'm Joan, the wife of the captain. Now, I know what you're thinking. You don't want anything to do with the wife of that man, right? Well, I can tell you he's quite kind, when not battling." Joan smiled warmly at me.
              Grant had sneaked out of the room while Joan was talking to me.
              "He's a shy boy, alright. Gotta big ol' crush on you. Practically swooned at the sight of you, eh? You are very beautiful, Ron." How did everyone on this ship know my name, much less my nicknames?
              "I'm on the Phoenix." I said it like a question. My stomach churned as Joan nodded.
              "Now. Here is your breakfast. Once you are done, just call me. I'm in the room across dear." Wow. I didn't realize that the Phoenix was so organized and had underdeck rooms.
              For the first time, I looked around. The wallpaper was very elaborate, nothing like the shabby paint at Alexandria. I had to hand it to them, this ship was stylish. I sat crisscrossed and spooned down my porriage and drank my milk. I wondered how they even got milk. Or porriage, for that matter.
              I called Joan, and she took away the silver platters and porriage bowl. She dressed me in a grey-striped tank top, black leather boots with buckles, and black capris.
              Though I could tell they were used, they were still in nice condition. I was surprised that she dressed me. I've never been dressed by anyone but myself. And well, my mother, when I was too young to dress myself.
              Joan led me to the deck, where, it was very nice, but i wouldn't have ever admited it. The Captain, Grant, and other men were there. To my shock, there were five women aboard. Most pirates thought bringing a woman aboard was bad luck.
              Grant walked up to me and took my hand. I found that too bold and ubsurd, and snapped it away. He ignored my snarky behavior and motioned for me to come closer.
              "Ronnie, I'm gonna help you escape." His whisper was shaking.
              "Escape? Why are you whispering? Wha--" My eyes went wild when he covered my mouth with his hand.
              "Shh. They could hear you. Yeah, escape. In case you didn't notice, you're on the Phoenix. You know, the ship you hate? So, I know how you can get out of here and back on Alexandria." His hand went away.
              "Wait. Why are you even helping me?" I was pretty sure I had just asked an obvious question, but still.
              "I...don't know. I just do, now come on, before I change my mind!" He said, and once again, took my hand and led me deeper into the ship's underdeck quarters.

Omg I love the story Could you write one about to wolves who meet and become mates after going through a lot together. You are such a great writer. Dang if I was in charge of a writing company I would hire you to write stories and find someone good to illistrate.

Thats fine with me and I like Jasper Did you draw him?