Monthly Archives: November 2024

Books/Art

‘Thunderhead’ review

1 Comment

By: Samson Belihu

*Warning: This article contains minor spoilers

The book ‘Thunderhead’ was made by Neal Shusterman and is a sequel to ‘Scythe’.

To help better understand this review, if you haven’t read ‘Scythe’, it is important to know that in this book, they don’t say “kill,” they say “glean”.

Thunderhead is an advanced AI and a perfect ruler of a perfect world; it has its own agenda, which is to protect humanity and ensure their well-being, but it has no control over the Scythedom (in another word, Scythes).

This book is set in the future, where death is conquered. They cured all illnesses, so now they’re immortal, but to keep the population in control, they created Scythes. Scythes are an order of individuals who are responsible for killing, or should I say gleaning, to keep the world’s population in check; once gleaned, they’re unable to be revived by the law. 

In the last book we learned Citra became a Scythe and goes by the name of Scythe Anastasia who is trying to be a good Scythe but Rowan, on the other hand, has taken a dark path. He is now known as Scythe Lucifer, and he embraces a more ruthless method. He believes that the system is corrupted, that he needs to take extreme measures to bring about change, and he is willing to do everything that it takes to accomplish his goal. 

As the story unfolds, we can see conflict ruin the traditional sides and the rise of a new group called the New Order. This group of people believe in a harsher approach to gleaning, and their plan is to maintain control over humanity so they may be feared and have power over anything, which goes against Citra’s ideals of mercy and empathy. Scythes who disagree with their method face dangers and challenges.

Scythe Anastasia and Scythe Lucifer, who were once friends, find themselves in conflict with their different ideals. But as the New Order rises, their power poses a direct threat to traditional sides as they implement harsher methods of gleaning.

Will the New Order have full control over Scythes, or will Citra and Rowan fight back in their own way that we are not sure of as they left us on a cliffhanger?

I personally am invested in what’s going to happen in the next book and in my personal opinion, I give this book 8.75/10.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

The stressors of post-graduation

1 Comment

By: Gabriella Bell

Photo by Gu00fcl Iu015fu0131k on Pexels.com

High school graduation is one of the most significant accomplishments during the early years of life. Some people continue their education through college acceptance and attendance, while others may put their energy directly into their career or family after graduation. Although everybody’s post-graduation journey may differ, this doesn’t make any path less important or invalid than the personal choices of others. Not everyone necessarily desires to attend college in its entirety and may prefer to search for short-term or long-term career paths as an alternative choice. Many people also tend to choose taking a few years off of being in school in order to regather themselves prior to pursuing an extended education.

Gap years are extremely common for those who want to continue their schooling, although there are several negative stigmas associated with them. Instances of this could include the impressions surrounding the “laziness” of the people making this choice, but this is untrue.

Another negative stigma often stems from the fear of parents for the future of their child which can often be observed through implications that they will never attend college if they take a gap year. For a lot of people that choose to take gap years, this is false, and with the proper motivation and positive environment, they often do attend and achieve further education if they choose to do so. Regardless, even if they eventually choose not to go to college, this is valid and should be accepted and supported by the members of their family.

Through surrounding yourself with positive influences, and motivations, this can prove to be a lot easier of a transition. Pressure from family members, friends, or even peers can be a major factor in raised levels of stress for people as they move closer to graduation. These outside pressures often leave people extremely unmotivated and stressed, which may impact their overall decisions regarding higher levels of education, or other life choices.

One of the big reasons that gap years are popular among high school graduates is financial responsibilities. This may be through some of the major financial responsibilities of future college students which could include the high costs of student loans, text books, and possibly even rent, which could come in the form of rent for apartments, student dorms, or family homes. This is often why many take time off to pursue a career and save money in order to support themselves and their educational choices successfully, which also increases motivation leading to college graduation. Although gap years can help improve this, financial stability can be a major stressor for many people, which can also impact their motivation to eventually attend college. With the proper support and people surrounding them, this can set them up for success, and help them achieve their goals.

If you are a high school student close to graduation, one of the most important things you can do is surround yourself with a positive support system, which can be found within family, friends, teachers, counselors, or even classmates. This will help to assist you in whatever choices or challenges you encounter following your post-graduation journeys, and set you up for success. Do not be afraid to ask for help during this period in your life. If you are a parent or friend, all that can be said is to be there for your child or friend in order to help support their goals and to be a positive source of support and encouragement to help them succeed.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Show recommendation: ‘Cobra Kai’

Leave a comment

By: Beverly Stinson

‘Cobra Kai’ is a Netflix original show that was released on May 2nd, 2018. It’s a spinoff of the movie series ‘The Karate Kid’ and it has 6 seasons, with the 2nd part of season 6 coming out on November 15th and the 3rd and final part coming out sometime early 2025.

It starts off about a man named Johnny Lawrence who was one of the antagonists of the ‘Karate Kid’ series. He basically went from being a star to being a nobody but things change for him when a boy named Miguel moves into his apartment building. Miguel basically asks him to teach him karate to defend himself, and so Johnny ends up opening his own karate dojo which happens to be named after the one he was in when he was a kid  “Cobra Kai”.

This wasn’t something I thought I was gonna like when I first watched it but it immediately became one of my favorite shows. It has a really good plot and the characters are amazing. My favorite character is ‘Eli/Hawk’.

My only con about the show is that I feel like it goes too fast, like there’s a lot of time skips and I especially wish they went more in depth with the first 2 seasons.  But other than that, it’s a really good show, it has a lot of comedy but some serious parts as well, especially in later seasons, and if you watch the movie series you can understand a lot of references and cameos. I would give this series an 8.5/10.

That’s all I have!

-Beverly

Travel/Food

Popular Hmong dishes

Leave a comment

By: Seng Yang & Christine Yang

Background information about Hmong dishes:

A lot of Hmong dishes originate from different South and East Asian countries since Hmong people originate from southern China. That’s why some Hmong dishes are actually Chinese but have a twist. But later on some Hmong people migrated mostly to Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, which is why many Hmong dishes are from those countries too but again, not every dish are the same as the “originals”. 

Qaub Taub Ntoos (papaya salad):

Background information: Papaya salad is a dish that originated from Laos, which influenced recipes in Cambodia, Thailand Vietnam, and West Asia.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of shredded green papaya
  • 2 tbsp of roasted peanuts (optional)
  • 2 cloves of peeled garlic
  • 1-2 fresh birds eye chili (or more depending on tolerance)
  • 1 tbsp of dried shrimp (optional)
  • 7 cherry tomatoes
  • ½  juice of lime
  • 1½ tbs of fish sauce
  • 1-2 tbsp Thai snake beans (or green beans) cut into 1 inch sticks

Directions:

  1. Peel the papaya, shred it with a shredder (or a mandolin slicer) to thin strips and soak it in cold water
  2. Cut the green beans into one-inch pieces
  3. Take the chilies and peeled garlic and give them a gentle bash with mortar and pestle (bits and pieces) and add crushed peanuts and mix well (optional)
  4. Add shredded papaya and continue bashing (not too hard)
  5. Add tomatoes, beans, lime juice and fish sauce while lightly bashing

Fawm Kib (pho nooldes stir fried):

Background information: The dish is a very popular Lao dish known as Khua Mee or also known as Lao stir fry noodles.

Ingredients:

Noodles

  • 28 oz (1 lb 12 oz) dried pho/rice noodles soaked in hot water

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp oil (vegetable or garlic oil)
  • ½ cup chopped shallots
  • ½ cup crushed palm sugar (4oz)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup Kwong Hung Seng sweet soy sauce (5.5oz)
  • ¼ cup oyster sauce (2.5oz)
  • 2 tbsp Golden Mountain seasoning sauce (1.2oz)
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce (1.5oz)
  • 2 tbsp dark soy (1 oz)
  • 1.2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chicken bouillon
  • ½ to ⅔ cups garlic oil

Eggs

  • 12 large eggs
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • Garlic oil to fry

Garlic Oil

  • 1 cup oil
  • ¼ cup minced garlic (1.25 oz)

Mix in and Garnish

  • 3 cups chopped cilantro (stem included)
  • 2 cups green onions (slice thin, julienne)
  • Sliced omelet
  • Bean sprouts
  • Fried garlic (optional) 

Directions:

Noodles

1) In a bowl, add in 28oz dried noodles. Soak in cold water overnight. Once soaked, drain well and then pour in hot boiling water over the noodles. Stir and cook for about 30 secs to 45 sec until the noodles are cooked to your liking. It should be cooked but also chewy and slightly firm. Do not overcook the noodles or leave the noodles in the hot boiling water for too long or else they will break apart while mixing. Depending on which size noodles you use, cooking may take longer.

2) Once cooked, drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well for at least 15-20 before adding in the sauce.

Sauce

1)  In a pan, add in 2 tbsp of oil and chopped shallots. Cook and sweat the shallots for a good 1 minute or so. Then add in the crushed palm sugar and 1/4c water.  Cover for 1 minute or so under medium heat to allow the steam to melt and break apart the palm sugar.  Then add in all the other sauces and seasoning. Stir well for a good 30 seconds or so to incorporate it in with the shallots and palm sugar. Then take it off the heat and let it cool before adding it into the noodles if you desire.  Feel free to taste the sauce before adding it into the noodles. You may want it to be sweeter, saltier, etc.

2) Make the garlic oil as well if you desire. 1 cup oil in w/ 1/4 cup minced garlic. Medium cook until the garlic are golden crispy. Drain the oil and separate the fried garlic to be used later.

MIXING

1)  Pour the drained noodles into a big mixing bowl along with all the sauce. Add in the 1/2 cup of garlic oil and mix everything well. You will notice it may be a little wet in the bottom of the noodles. That’s okay. Let it sit for a good 15-20 minutes to allow the noodles to soak up all the sauce. Taste and adjust at this step if needed. Make sure to mix it every 5 minutes or so while it’s sitting to ensure the noodles are fully coated with the sauce.

Toppings

1) Add 12 eggs into a bowl along with the black pepper and fish sauce. Mix well. Then cook it on a non stick pan brushed with garlic oil. Cook like an omelet so we can cut it into strips. If you have a big pan you may do 2 rounds of cooking the eggs. I did four rounds so I can get a medium thin thickness.

2) Wash and cut the cilantro and green onions to your liking

3) Wash the beansprouts

Finishing

1) Once the noodles are well soaked in with the sauce, add in the chopped cilantro, green onions, fried garlic from earlier, and sliced eggs. You can also add bean sprouts at this point too. However, if you want to save some noodles in the fridge for tomorrow, don’t mix in the beansprouts with the noodles overnight due to the amount of moisture they contain. Just garnish the bean sprouts when you want to eat a plate of noodles.

2) Serve with fried garlic, shallots, and other herbs/proteins you desire. Serve cold, room temp, or warm.

http://foodgeneralist.blogspot.com/2009/08/khua-mee-fried-noodles.html

Fawm Kauv (steamed rice rolls):

Background information: Steamed rice rolls is a Cantonese dish originating from Guangdong Province in southern China. Steamed rice rolls are also one of the popular Vietnamese dishes, bánh cuốn. Even though fawm kauv/Hmong steamed rice rolls are the “same” as those countries or more, the ingredients are different to some of them.

Ingredients:

Rice Roll Crepe

  • 1 pack rice flour (16oz)
  • 1 pack tapioca flour (16oz)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 14 cups water

Pork Filling

  • 2 lbs pork
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp chicken bouillon
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • ½ cups green onion

Dipping Sauce

  • 4-6 Thai pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ msg
  • Roasted peanuts (optional and as much you like)
  • Water (as much you like)

Directions:

Dipping Sauce

1) Put 4-6 Thai pepper into the mortar with ½ tsp salt, ¼ msg, and roasted peanuts (optional and as much you like)

2) Crush them with a pestle

3) Add water (as much you like)

4) Stir

Meat Filling

1) In a frying pan, add in the ground pork. Saute until the meat is cooked. Then add in the seasonings and herbs. Taste and adjust. Set aside.   

Rice Roll Crepe

1) In a big mixing bowl, add in the rice flour, tapioca starch, and salt. Mix well. Then add in the water. Mix well to get starches from the bottom well incorporated with the water. Set aside

Cooking, Rolling and Filling

1) Have a bowl of oil and a brush ready. Brush a flat tray with oil so you have that ready for the cooked crepe as well as your non-stick cooking pan. Heat the pan on medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and swirl it around until the bottom of the pan is well coated with the batter. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 30 seconds. Uncover and quickly flip it over the oiled flat tray. Fill with the meat filling and roll the ends and then bottom all the way up (just like a burrito). REPEAT THE PROCESS until all the batter is used up.

2) MAKE SURE to stir the rice roll crepe batter once in a while because the starches will settle down to the bottom.

Kan Yuab (egg rolls):

Background information: Lika most Hmong dishes they’re mostly inspired by different countries/cultures from Asia. Egg rolls originate in China (date back to ancient China). 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (10 ½ ounce) bag rice thread noodles
  • 24 egg roll wrap
  • 1 (10-12 ounce) package coleslaw mix (or 1 sm cabbage and 2 carrots shredded)
  • 1 bunch green onion
  • 1 ½ lb ground pork
  • 1 egg (+ xtra 1 for sealing egg rolls)
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1) Soak noodles in very hot water for 10 minutes.

    2) Drain.

    3) Rinse with cold water.

    4) Cut into 3-inch lengths; set aside.

    5) Chop green and yellow onions and cilantro (also, cabbage and carrots if not going with the packaged coleslaw).

    6) Mix all ingredients together.

    7) Heat oil (med high heat).

    8) Peel rice skin wraps apart, put about 1/2 cup mix on egg roll wrap.

    9) Roll it up.

    10) Seal with egg.

    11) Cook for about 10 minutes.

      https://www.food.com/recipe/hmong-egg-rolls-37355

      Qhaub Piaj (thick chicken noodle soup):

      Background information: Qhaub piaj (thick chicken noodle soup) is a Hmong and Laotian dish, it’s also called khao piak sen in Laotian.

      Ingredients:

      Noodles

      • 1 cup rice flour
      • 2 cups tapioca starch
      • 1 ¼ cups of boiling water

      Broth

      • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
      • 48 oz chicken stock
      • 1 stalk lemongrass
      • Salt (choice of amount)
      • Pepper (choice of amount)
      • Fish sauce (choice of amount)
      • 1-2 cups of water if needed

      Directions:

      1) Put rice flour in a stand mixer

      2) Add 1 cup of boiling water and mix

      3) Add a little bit of water at a time

      4) Add a little bit tapioca starch until the dough puts together

      5) Divide the dough into thirds

      6) Roll ⅓ of the dough until it is ⅛ inch thick using tapioca starch on the surface so it doesn’t stick

      7) Cut it into ¼ thick (or depending on how thick you like)

      8) Dust the noodles in tapioca starch to prevent sticking to each other

      9) Add noodles in boiling water

      10) Stir so they don’t stick to each other

      11) Noodles are done when they float

      12) The broth will be thick

      https://chawjcreations.com/qhaub-piaj-thick-chicken-noodle-soup/

      Student Creative Art

      Zentangle

      Leave a comment

      By: Pwe Doh Gay

      This is a picture of a zentangle I drew. I made this drawing because when I first saw it, I thought it was cool, so decided to draw a zentangle. Also, a zentangle is an easy thing to make and is supposed to be a relaxing and a fun thing to do. All you have to do is make different shapes and patterns to make a zentangle.

      For this drawing, I used a pencil to make all the different patterns, then I went over the pencil with a Sharpie. After I went over with a Sharpie, I colored in some of the white in the patterns to give it a different look.

      In this picture, I really like how the different patterns look. The pattern that I like the most is the lines with the shaded background by the triangle one (by the lower right corner). I also like a lot of the others too, but there are one or two I don’t like (like the half triangle pattern near the upper right corner).

      For my next drawing, I might make another zentangle but different, or I might make something else.

      Basketball, Hockey, Scoreboard/Schedule

      Sports schedule for: Nov 18-23

      Leave a comment
      ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: NOVEMBER 18 – NOVEMBER 23  
      MONDAYNOVEMBER 18 
      TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
        Boys Basketball Practice Starts 
        Wrestling Practice Starts 
      TUESDAYNOVEMBER 19
      TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
          
      WEDNESDAYNOVEMBER 20
      TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
      JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. MinneapolisWSP Ice Arena
      THURSDAYNOVEMBER 21
      TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
      V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. CentralHOME
      FRIDAYNOVEMBER 22
      TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
          
      SATURDAYNOVEMBER 23
      TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
      JV: 1:00pm V: 3:00pm Boys Hockey vs. SimleyCharles M Schulz Highland Arena
      JV: 1:00pm V: 3:00pm Girls Hockey vs. VisitationWSP Ice Arena
      Local, National

      The other results of last week’s election

      Leave a comment

      By: Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro

      Image Credit: Wikipedia commons

      By now, you probably already know that Donald Trump has won the 2024 US Presidential election. What you might have missed, however, are the other races that defined this election.

      The president cannot make laws and do things all on his own. He needs to work together with both houses of congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

      These two chambers are responsible for creating the laws that the executive branch is in charge of putting into place. In addition, the president often has to petition congress in order to get his agenda passed and put into effect. For this reason, it is much more difficult for the president to enact their agenda if the party in charge of congress does not align with the president’s party.

      Each state has two senators, who serve six year terms. Every two years, roughly a third of the senators are up for election.  In this election, one of Minnesota’s senators, Democrat Amy Klobuchar, was up against Republican challenger Royce White. The Associated Press has called this race for Klobuchar, but they have also declared that Republicans will take a majority in the senate, having flipped a number of other Democratic seats. This is good news for president-elect Trump, since it means the senate will align with him as he attempts to enact his agenda as president.

      In addition, the nation is divided into 435 congressional districts, each having one representative. These districts are distributed roughly proportionally to population, and redrawn every ten years in order to better represent groups of people as demographics shift. Highland Park is a part of congressional district MN-4, which has been represented by Democrat Betty McCollum since 2001. She has been elected to her thirteenth term in congress, easily defeating Republican challenger May Lor Xiong. AP has also projected that Republicans will win the house, having officially secured the 218 seats required for a majority. This is good for President elect Trump, as the house aligns with his party making it easier for him to pass legislation he wants enacted.

      In addition to the federal government, each state also has their own government, which passes laws that only affect us in that state. Minnesota’s government works similarly to the federal government, with a governor and two chambers of congress. The Minnesota House of Representatives has elections every two years, while the Minnesota Senate holds elections every four years, with election years being the non-presidential even years.

      This year, state senator Kelly Morrison stepped down from her position to run for US congress in district MN-3, which she has now won. This caused a special election to occur in her district, which had the potential of flipping the state senate. The Minnesota Star Tribune has called this race for DFL candidate Ann Johnson Stewart, meaning the DFL will retain control of the senate in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the state’s House of Representatives appears to be deadlocked with both major parties having 67 seats, but a recount of two seats could narrowly give the house to the republicans. If this occurred, it would make things difficult for our democratic governor.

      There were also a few ballot measures in Minnesota and across the country. In Minnesota, the state asked whether state lottery funds should continue to be used to protect the environment, which passed with 77.5% of the vote.

      Here in Saint Paul, two additional referendums were included. The first asked whether city property taxes should be increased to pay for childcare funding. This failed with 59.9% of the vote, according to the Star Tribune. The other ballot measure, asking whether city elections should be moved to presidential years, passed with 60.7% of the vote.

      Getting To Know/History

      Rebecca, the White House Racoon

      Leave a comment

      By: Munira Ahmadad

      First Lady Grace Coolidge takes Rebecca for a walk during the annual White House Egg Roll on April 18, 1927.
      National Photo Company Collection/Library of Congress

      Two things U.S. President Calvin “Silent Cal” Coolidge is known for is being straightforward and quiet, and having a pet Racoon named Rebecca.

      Rebecca was initially a Thanksgiving meal gift. Coolidge had been gifted Thanksgiving meal gifts from farmers against his permission, his opposition to the tradition made news in 1923, in the New York Times article “Coolidge Refuses Gift Turkey; Wants to Discourage Custom”.

      One of the unwanted gifts he received was a female Racoon. Rather than eating her, Calvin Coolidge chose to keep her as a pet and give her the name Rebecca.

      Rebecca was given the title of White House Raccoon and had her own little house. She was given a collar for Christmas with her title on it, and was given free range in the White House.

      The raccoon would go on to do whatever she pleased. First Lady Grace described Rebecca as a pet that lived with liberty and had a mischievous personality.

      As Rebecca gained American popularity, the public began wanting her to have a partner. After being captured by a White House officer, a male raccoon was introduced to the White House to be Rebecca’s boyfriend. He was named Horace but Coolidge didn’t like that name and swapped it to Rueben.

      Rueben was not very interested in being Rebecca’s boyfriend as he escaped several times and eventually when he could not be found after running away again, Rebecca’s life as the only White House Raccoon returned to usual.

      After Coolidge’s departure from presidency, Rebecca was sent to live with other raccoons at Rock Creek Zoo.

      For more information, please visit:

      Student Creative Writing

      THE RISE OF GREAT TERRA | CONTINENTALS WAR: ARCERIUM RISING 8

      Leave a comment

      By: Hoaseng Thao

      PROLOGUE

      On the early dusk of August 29th, 1948, General Calor Thor, age 31, of the Jupitan Imperial Army and commander of Army Group Caster, stood on the tarmac of a makeshift airfield and stared at the sky. His gaze on the starry skies kept still until the sounds of roaring fighter jets slowly approached the runway that his gaze finally returned down to the ground. The invasion of Sapan lies in his hands, and failure is not an option.

      TROUBLED TIMES IN SAPAN

      “Map of the Kingdom of Sapan, c.1942”
      ”Flag of the Kingdom of Sapan”

      The Kingdom of Sapan resides on the Kyusian continent, and for most of its history, was the strongest nation on the planet. That was until the Great Vaserian War of 1920, when their invasion of the Vaserian Federation led to a devastating four year war that cost the lives of over three million Sapanese soldiers, and a resounding victory for Vaseria.

      Three million young men and women died overseas in a failed invasion, an entire generation was lost, and those who lost loved ones blamed the war hungry government. In 1926, King Genta III, who had started the war, was forced to abdicate the throne when it appeared that the entire country was rioting against him.

      On November 20th, 1940, the king’s nephew, Lord Daiki, was crowned king due to his vocal support against the war with Vaseria. His policies as king saw the nation turn away from its militaristic past in favor of improving the lives of its people, however he would pass away three years in his reign before he could fully implement his policies.

      King Daiki’s brother, Lord Jiro, was crowned the next king of Sapan, but his rule led to rampant corruption within his government and a rise of independence movements by many ethnic groups in the far east and south, who felt that his rule was the final straw of staying under Sapanese rule.

      OPERATION FORWARD HIKE

      With the help of corrupt Sapanese officials, Great Terran forces were able plan an invasion of Sapan, with the main force invading from the northern coastline to make a mad dash to the capital, Nozomi, while the Hoshiran army would invade from their shared border to liberate the ethnic groups in eastern Sapan.

      Under the command of General Thor, Over 50,000 soldiers were airdropped on the Sapanese northern plains and another 50,000 landed via the Ara Sea on August 29th, 1948. Their mission was to quickly reach the Sapanese capital, Nozomi, and occupy important government buildings and install a pro-Terran government with the help of corrupt military officials.

      Despite having the advantage, General Thor cautiously moved his forces, but many of his field officers refused his orders in order to claim the glory of taking the Sapanese capital. Those who stood by Thor’s orders were lucky, as the ambitious officers were soon wiped out by the supposed “corrupt” Sapanese army.

      The supposedly corrupt Sapanese army they had confronted in their invasion was being led by the king’s daughter, Princess Chiyo. Prior to the invasion, The princess, as well as members of the Ministry of Defense, learned of the Terran invasion plot after receiving coded messages from a mole within Jupita’s high command, and quickly formed a force of 100,000 loyal followers to combat the invasion.

      Fierce fighting began as the sun broke the horizon. When news broke out about the invasions from the north and east, thousands armed themselves to combat the invaders. In the east, the Hoshiran armies met fierce resistance by the ethnic groups they were supposed to be “liberating”. Despite being under Sapanese rule for centuries, these groups were still loyal to the crown or at least the ever more heroic Princess.

      Upon hearing that the invasion of Sapan started, the King tried to flee the royal palace but was immediately reprimanded by the Princess and the Royal Guard, and forced him to abdicate the throne in favor of putting the Princess in charge. The princess immediately called upon full mobilization of the Army, and by September 3rd, the army was fully mobilized and ready to combat the invaders.

      The Terrans, despite not achieving their goal of capturing the capital, quickly gained land during the Sapanese mobilization, taking most of the northern coastline as well as the Otryan peninsula in the far east. By September 10th, the entire eastern regions of Sapan capitulated to the Terrans, but there were still many waging guerilla campaigns against the Terrans.

      On September 13th, Coalition forces were allowed to enter Sapan, over 300,000 Coalition troops were transported to the Sapanese front. Despite the aid of Coalition troops, Terran forces were able to push south and capture the capital by the end of October, but at the cost of using most of their stocks of chemical weapons.

      Over 80% of Sapanese territory was occupied with the southern regions, as well as holdouts in the mountains, remaining under Coalition control. By the new year Princess Chiyo had ordered the army to hold their ground no matter the cost, and it led to the Sapanese front becoming a meat grinder.

      “Photograph of an abandoned Jupitan T-IX Piercer tank in the Kingdom of Kayusa, c. June 9th, 1969”

      EVER EXPANDING WAR

      By April 15th, 1949, Hoshiran forces invaded the neighboring Federal Republic of Jinyu to maneuver around Coalition forces in Sapan. Despite capitulating the Jinyun government within hours, they were unable to flank the Coalition, as they too would invade Jinyun to out flank them. The war had now spanned across the entire Kyusian continent, from Sapan in the east to Molivia in the south.

      “Sample from the Valonan History Channel’s “The Return of Great Terra” documentary”

      As the war ravaged the Kyusian continent, it was only inevitable that it would spread to another continent. By May of 1949, The Cazar Empire, a member state of Great Terra, was secretly notified by Jupita that it would fully support their territorial ambitions on the Eusonan continent if they invaded their neighboring country, the Kirston empire, and gave Jupita access to its rich Arcerium fields.

      ”Flag of the Cazar Empire”
      ”Flag of the Kirston Empire”

      Not wanting to be left out of the glory of war, the Cazar empire agreed to their secret deal, and their army would slowly grow in size on the Kirston border. The Cazars shall seek their glory of war, and their flag shall be raised over the Kirston capital. But the Kirstons, who had endured multiple invasion attempts by the Cazars in the past, shall endure it once again for the final time.

      Tech/Games

      Explaining all of the fan-made character designs for ‘Life Series’ and ‘Hermitcraft’

      2 Comments

      By: Julia Yang

      The ‘Life Series’, as previously stated in a past article, is a Minecraft server where the members have a certain amount of lives and must be the last one standing in order to win.

      The ‘Hermitcraft SMP’ is a server where around 27 friends/YouTubers/stream-ers come together and play Minecraft. That’s basically it.

      The fan artists enjoy taking aspects of the events in those series’ and seasons and input them into what they think the Minecraft skins should look like, or just have fun with it. Today I’m explaining each fan design for those who don’t know what they are or why they’re there.

      First, what’s up with Jimmy and yellow feathers/wings? Most people who are fans know this already, but the yellow wings and feathers are a callout to the canary bird. The reason why fans draw Jimmy with canary wings is because they’ve all collectively decided that he has something called the “canary curse”. This curse is rooted from the fact that in every season of the ‘Life Series’ he’s the first to die. I know, “well what’s the connection to the canary?” It’s a canary because in the past, canaries were used by coal miners to tell if danger or hazard was near because there would be potential gas leaks that would kill the canary first before the miner. Jimmy is the canary of the server as he dies first, which always signifies in the server that things are going to go downhill very fast.

      Grian is often drawn with rainbow parrot wings; the reason for this is actually very simple. One time Grian was being annoying in the ‘Hermitcraft SMP’ and was called a “pesky bird”. That’s about it for this one.

      Another thing you may see on Grian is purple eyes and wings. This one ties back to lore and a complicated story, but to put it short, Grian is a “watcher”, hence the eyes, and the purple wings I believe just tie back to the parrot wings. Both however, people like to draw as biblically accurate angels, because why not?

      BigB will sometimes be seen drawn with dog ears and tail, or very recently, as the creaking creature in the new Minecraft update. The dog ears and tail is because he was Ren’s soulmate in ‘Double Life’; Ren’s full YouTube name is RenDog, and his skin has dog ears and a tail. BigB changed his skin to match Ren (giving him ears and a tail), which fans found adorable and ran with it.

      BigB is drawn as the creaking creature in Minecraft recently because in the new ‘Wild Life’ season, he lives in the Pale Garden (where the creaking resides), and fans thought it would be so cool to draw him as the terrifying creature.

      Doc will be drawn with goat horns and sometimes legs, basically all the time. This is because he calls himself the G.O.A.T. Usually when people call themselves the G.O.A.T. it stands for “Greatest Of All Time”, but in Doc’s case, it stands for “Grind. Optimize. Automate. Thrive”. You see, Doc loves making automated machines, grinding for materials, and doing some of the most absurd activities like bringing the Ender Dragon to the over world just to have it as a pet.

      Mumbo is sometimes drawn as a moth, this one is because of ‘Hermitcraft’ season 8. In season 8, the moon started to grow at an alarming rate, and to “calm down” the moon, Mumbo decided that he was going to never sleep. Fans then thought of Mumbo as a moth because, well, moths love their moon.

      Tango is sometimes drawn with fire for hair and a tail, and this one doesn’t really have a solid reason. Tango’s skin has slicked back blonde hair that fans just interpreted as fire since it was cool, and the tail is because Tango’s skin has red eyes and used to be drawn with horns too. They used to make him into a demon/devil type creature because of his red eyes, but then Tango said at some point “just because I have red eyes doesn’t mean I’m a demon”, so fans took away the horns and made him have a tail, making him his own species of creature.

      Impulse is drawn with horns and a tail, just like how Tango was, but for a very different reason. Skizz, Impulse’s friend of 20 years, nicknamed him “Impy”. Of course Impy is short for Impulse, but fans immediately thought of the type of demon “Imp” and made him an Imp. You can thank Skizz for this one.

      Scar is drawn with scars on his face. I think this one is self explanatory, but I’ll explain anyway— Scar is drawn with scars on his face because of his name, and because it’s easier to differentiate between him and another player (Scar’s skin looks like a normal person otherwise).

      I’ll admit, this may not be all of them, but it’s definitely the most recurring ones. Just keep in mind that if you ever see one of the members drawn with a characteristic that isn’t on their Minecraft skin, there’s always a reason for it.