All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Recap of the 2025 Grammy Awards

February 13, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Hermekay Dehaney

The Grammys, held on February 2, is an annual award show created by The Recording Academy and is held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Grammys highlight singers, songwriters, and producers who have had major success in the past year.

The night had some important messages, big wins, and amazing performances, so here are some of the highlights of the ‘25 Grammys.

This year’s Grammys not only highlighted musical talents but also served as a fundraiser where they raised about 9 million dollars for the victims of the recent Los Angeles wildfires that took place just weeks prior.

Trevor Noah, who has been the host for the fifth consecutive time, kicked off the program with a message saying, “Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes. Entire neighborhoods have been erased. Schools, local businesses, and entire communities have burned to the ground. Thankfully, due to the heroic efforts of firefighters, the fires have now been contained.”

The segment opened with a tribute song performed by John Legend, Taylor Goldsmith, Griffin Goldsmith, Cheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Brittney Howard, and St. Vincent to a performance of Randy Newman’s ballad to the City of Angels ‘I Love L.A,’ honoring the victims as well as the survivors.

During the ceremony, they had the Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony C. Marrone and other members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department speak onstage during the Grammys.

The Grammys had some Historic wins.

Beyonce had a very big night; she led the nominees with 11 nominations and secured 3 wins, finally winning Album of the Year, Country Album of the Year, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for ‘Cowboy Carter.’

Beyoncé had words of encouragement when accepting her Country Album of the Year by saying, “I think sometimes genre is a cold word to keep us in our place as artists,” she then continued, “And I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about and stay persistent.”

This would come a year after Jay Z got on stage at last year’s Grammys and said, “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year,” he continued, ”So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The Most Grammys never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.” She had been nominated for this award 4 times before.

Someone who also had a big night was Kendrick Lamar who led the night with 5 wins for “Not Like Us”. He won Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video.

Doechii won Best Rap Album for ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal.’ Making her the 3rd woman to ever achieve this award, following Lauryn Hill in ‘97, and Cardi B in 2019.

Chappell Roan won Best New Artist. In her acceptance speech, she called out music labels for not providing new artists with livable wages and healthcare, she added: “It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized to not have help.”

The ceremony also had very diverse performances.

The nominees for Best New Artist had a chance to perform, which is a perfect opportunity for the artists to showcase their talent, and to connect with a wider audience. The performances included: Benson Boone, Doechii, Shaboozey, Sabrina Carpenter, Rayé, Teddy Swims, and Chappell Roan. They all had very versatile and unique performances.

Tributes

The ceremony featured many tributes including a homage to Quincy Jones, a famous producer who died on November 3rd, 2024 due to pancreatic cancer. Artists such as Janelle Monae, Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, and Lainey Wilson all did various performances, including “Fly Me to the Moon”, “Bluesette”, and “We Are the World”.

In the ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the ceremony, they also paid a tribute to the former One Direction member Liam Payne, who passed away unexpectedly last October. They showcased a video montage as well as a tribute song with Chris Martin singing “All My Love” which honored other artists who tragically died including Kris Kristofferson and Toby Keith.

Overall, this year’s Grammys was one my favorite and the most notable.

Student Creative Writing

STATE OF THE WORLD | ARCERIUM RISING

February 13, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Hoaseng Thao

Much has changed since the First Continentals War (1948-1956). The dawn of the new millennium marked a new and haunting era for the world; a cold war began as soon as the time ticked to January 1, 2000, and the contenders were the Vaserian Federation and the Democratic Union of Kavara. Both nations wield the divine powers of Arcerium warheads, the same design of weapon used to end the First Continentals War.

“Vaserian Federation flag (left) and the Democratic Union of Kavara flag (right)”

Vaseria and Kavara began to amass their military might and collect new allies to compete for world dominance, and it all came to a head when Kavaran ally, Alakis, invaded the Vaserian ally, Krinia in 2023, marking the beginning of the Second Continentals War. It was a relatively short war that ended in a ceasefire, not because one side was faltering but because of an event so devastating it would change the course of the entire world.

The event was known as the Arcerium Rising.

On October 5th, arcerium fields within the Arcerian continent erupted abruptly across the entire continent, contaminating it with arcerium and arsoulium. The damage done was severe enough that two warring superpowers chose to end hostilities and clean up the disaster. All events following Arcerium Rising would shape the future of the world, whether it be for the best or worst.

The year is 2049, and this is the state of the world.

NOTABLE FACTIONS

It is clear that for a nation to survive in this new world, they would need more than just an army, they would need the help of other nations not only for security but to turn a bark into a roar on the international stage.

PATO (POLARIS ALLIANCE TREATY ORGANIZATION)

PATO is a global organization led by the Vaserian Federation, their goal is to keep the Kavaran threat at bay while guaranteeing the security of the free world whether it be through peaceful means or by intervention. Some call them an alliance of self-righteous bullies.

CDP (CROATOKE DEFENSE PACT)

The CDP is a pact formed, and led by, Kavara, mainly to secure as many allied states around the world; its goal is to expand the influence of its member states by any means necessary. Despite having the word defense in its name, the alliance has been responsible for starting many conflicts including the Second Continentals War.

ON (ORGANIZATION OF NATIONS)

The ON is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to maintain international peace and security by all means possible. But if peace cannot be achieved peacefully, they can always rely on their peacekeepers who tend to keep the peace by force and force only.

ISAO (INDEPENDENT STATES OF ARCERIA ORGANIZATION)

When the Arcasian Civil War broke out following the Arcerium Rising event, an alliance of Arcasian states began to fight a war for independence. To many, they are terrorists taking advantage of a terrible situation, but to many, they are freedom fighters reclaiming lost land.

CONFLICTS IN MOTION

ARCASIAN CIVIL WAR (2023-present)

The Arcasian Civil War is the deadliest war to have ever occurred, when the Arcerium Rising event began, it sent the already unstable Federal States of Arcasia into turmoil, and the states within sought independence.

“The flag of the Federal States of Arcasia”

Not wanting to face embarrassment from the international community, the Arcasian government kept everything under wraps, isolating itself from the world and keeping the war and their failures to contain arcerium a secret until 2034, when they finally asked for international intervention.

“Actors involved in the Arcasian Civil War, red = fight, blue = support, grey = some support”

What happened in those 11 years remains a mystery, but what is known is that a billion people used to live in what is now the Arcerium Rising Exclusion Zone, and their whereabouts remain a mystery. What is happening now in Arcasia is complicated, but what is certain is that this war is not going to end any time soon.

ORBESJKAN CIVIL WAR (2030-present)

The Orbesjkan Civil War began when the government allowed some states autonomy over their regions before they could declare independence. This was done so that some regions could transition into independent nations peacefully, but only a few selected states were given this treatment.

“The national flag of the United Principalities of Orbesjka”

In 2030, states in the northern regions, feeling neglected by the government, declared independence with the support of the CDP, and began a war to free other states in the south, beginning the Orbesjkan Civil War.

HOSHIRAN CIVIL WAR (2046-present)

The Hoshiran Civil War began when the Suineng hydroelectric dam broke apart and killed nearly fifty thousand people. The dam was known to be in a dire state and yet the government refused to do anything about it. Fed up with the government, the citizenry began to revolt against the government and formed warlord states to solve what they believed were the issues that plague their kingdom.

EPREAU-INDO WAR (2043-present)

“Flags of Republic of Indoshia (left) and the Republic of Epreau (right)”

The Epreau-Indo War is a conflict between the Republic of Epreau and Republic of Indoshia that began after border clashes led to the deaths of several border troops from each side, which then spurred an all out war between the two nations. As of 2049, the war has hit a stalemate.

DRONGO-ZEHERA WAR (2048-present)

“Zeheran Union flag (left) and the flag of the Republic of Drongo (right)”

In their attempt to regain lost territories, The Republic of Drongo, alongside their CDP allies, declared war on the Zehera Union. Although Zehera was no match for the full might of the CDP, the failures of the Drongon army in the first few weeks of their invasion saw the CDP pull out of the conflict and to merely advise the Drongon’s into “winning” the war.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

The future of this world hinges on the cool steady minds of its inhabitants, one fatal error could send every living being to have ever lived to their maker. If the world ignites in total war again as it did so long ago in Koldr and in Krinia, there will be no winners or losers, only survivors.

War is human nature, and we are doomed to repeat it.

Editorials/Student Voice

Public education in America is severely underfunded and under appreciated

February 12, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Evie Beaumaster

With a new president there are many new laws and budgets that affect education for millions of people in the United States. Donald Trump is the new president of the United States and he has a lot to say about education and how much money is spent on it and how the government should be allowed to interfere with education.

In the fiscal year of 2025 the budget request for K-12 education will be 82.4 billion dollars. However, only 52 billion was approved in this past year. This budget comes from the US Department of Education and can be accessed on their public website. There are 95,852 public schools in the United States in 2025, and while that may seem like a lot of money for so few schools, that budget is shockingly low for how much money our public school system needs in America. The cost per student per year is about $17,280. Students are usually in school for 13 years and usually a year or two of preschool. This budget is very low for the 50 million students that attend public school in America.

Compared to the budgets of other things that get government funding, education is among the lowest. In comparison, the US military, as a whole, gets 15% of government spending. The highest category for government spending is Social Security, which gets 21%. Education is only the fourth highest spending category out of the 11 categories.

The quality of education is also an area of concern among Americans. The White House also recently released a presidential action that asked for the end of schools indoctrinating their children with “[R]adical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight”. The action then goes on to say that children are forced to assume different identities and “wonder if they were born in the wrong body”. This shows how the government we have in place doesn’t think of education first, it thinks of “radical” ideas that children may pick up in school. According to article 19 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. This article shows that children’s ideas and personal beliefs are a human right and it doesn’t matter if they are picked up at school.

The school system in America is currently being set up for failure and it is heading towards a dark place of censorship and terrible underfunding.

Recently, President Trump has vocalized his plans to dismantle the Department of Education. This would be a very bad thing if passed by congress. According to their website, The Department of Education oversees many things concerning the education system including, the federal role in education, annual performance reports, and promoting the quality of education. The education department is also responsible for making the budget for public schools. When President Trump was asked about this he said “We are ranked number one in cost per pupil, so we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, and we are ranked at the bottom of the list”. This is a really bad sign because other countries may spend less money on education but that could be because in other countries a lot of education is paid for privately. Trump also added that he “wanted the states to run schools”, meaning that the education budget would not be coming from the federal government but from the state government which would not actually have enough money to properly sustain the school system.

Public schools in the US are often shunned and called terrible, but maybe it’s not the people that are to blame; it’s the funding—- or the lack thereof. This overall will be a very bad thing for students because this education system will be effecting the whole world. Millions of people go through these public schools, and it will educate the future generations that will eventually lead this country.

For more information, please visit:

Travel/Food

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie review by: Sallys Baking Addiction

February 12, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Alice Rapacz

Ingredients:

1 and ⅔ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ teaspoons red food coloring (more if you want them brighter)
1 cup white or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Using a hand held mixer or stand mixer, on medium speed cream together your butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract and combine on high speed.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet and add in the milk and food coloring. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low speed.
Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. If you chill the dough for longer than 2 hours allow the dough to sit out at room temperature for at least 15 min before rolling out the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Scoop and roll each cookie to about 1 ½ tablespoons. Arrange on the baking sheet 3 inches apart from each other and bake for 11-13 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to let them cool completely.
Enjoy the cookies now and with any extra cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Review:

I thought this recipe from Sallys Baking Addiction was great and easy to follow. I started by getting all my ingredients measured out and ready to use, which made the process very smooth.

The dough came together really well. I was able to follow the instructions with ease and just combined all the ingredients together. One extra thing I did was when adding the dry ingredients to the wet, I did them in batches. This made it easy not to have the bowl overflow with all the ingredients when I turned on the mixer.

I let the dough chill for around 4 hours so when I went to roll it out, even after 15 minutes it was still very hard. I had to let it sit out for an additional 15 minutes before it became soft enough to roll into balls.

I baked my batches for 11 minutes because I like my cookies soft, that time seemed perfect. They came out of the oven with a soft interior and they had a slight crunch to the exterior.

Flavor wise I thought they tasted pretty good. The chocolate chips added a needed bit of chocolate flavor, because although there was cocoa powder in the cookie, I felt it wasn’t chocolatey enough on its own. Besides that, they were the perfect sweet treat for the night. I added white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips, the two paired well with the cookie, and while warm and gooey they coated your tongue and they were very delicious.

This recipe, I have made before for my neighbors and let’s just say, I didn’t even get to eat one because they were gone that fast. Nonetheless, this is a great and easy recipe that is a crowd favorite and I think you should give it a try the next time you are craving something sweet.

Books/Art

‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ review

February 11, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Maggie Hong

‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ is a historical fiction novel by Zoulfa Katouh. It takes place during the Syrian Revolution, following the main character Salama as she fights for love, peace, and a way out of her wartorn country.

Salama is 18 years old and has only one year of pharmacy training, but she works every day as a surgeon at the hospital in Old Homs. She treats bombing victims, people caught in sniper fire, and children who had the misfortune of playing on a street set to be the next site of revolution. As these experiences shape Salama’s worldview, they also skew her perception of reality. She wants to escape Syria, but can’t bring herself to abandon her family, her history, and her country.

Katouh’s writing is lyrical and vivid, lacing the story with the scents of lemons and smoke on every page. Characters are strong and nuanced, speaking with unique voices and formed by pasts which are slowly revealed throughout the novel. As Salama survives war and tragedy, her relationships with Layla, her best friend, and Kenan, a boy she was almost engaged to, deepen and twist in expert form.

I cried, laughed, and learned as I read this book. Its final plot twist left me at a loss for words, and the book as a whole renewed my hope in the world and the ability of humans to survive.

This book is especially relevant now, as Syria enters a new phase of its revolution. With the fall of the Assad regime in December, the world is watching a victory for freedom.

‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ is an enthralling and beautiful reminder of how far we’ve come, and why it matters.

This book is definitely a favorite of mine, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction or a chance to slip into a new world. I would give this book a 9/10.

Travel/Food

Fast food controversies

February 11, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Ian Larson

Fast food companies have had their fair share of controversies. They have had problems with their food, leaders, ads, and more. Controversy can ruin companies completely, but these chains are still popular today.

McDonald’s had a controversy once because their coffee was too hot. A woman sued McDonald’s for almost 3 million dollars over their hot coffee being too hot. This case actually became pretty popular because of how ridiculous it sounds. It turns out that multiple people were actually injured because of how hot the coffee was. Stella Liebeck, the woman who was suing McDonald’s got 3rd degree burns from spilling the coffee and actually got hospitalized. McDonald’s decided to lower how hot their coffee is served to prevent future injuries.

There were people claiming that Taco Bell’s beef was only 35% meat. This would mean that their beef wouldn’t actually be beef according to USDA standards. However, Taco Bell quickly disproved these claims in their marketing, but this didn’t erase what people thought and they still have a reputation for fake meat.

Papa John’s is a fast food chain loved by many, but it turns out that “Papa John” wasn’t such a great guy after all. John Schnatter, AKA Papa John, was confirmed to have used the N-word on a conference call. John Schnatter decided to resign because of all of the hate coming towards him. This event scarred Papa John’s and made a lot of people think negatively about the chain.

One of the craziest controversies in fast food history was Krispy Kreme making poor choices with the letters they used. The donut shop Krispy Kreme decided to create a donut decorating club in the UK that they called the “Krispy Kreme Klub”. They promoted it to people calling it “KKK Wednesdays”. The abbreviation “KKK” is more often used to refer to the Ku Klux Klan, a hate group in the US. This promotion was made in the UK and was definitely unintentional but still was a very bad look for the company.

Entertainment, Getting To Know/History

The most popular mall in America

February 10, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Isabel Strack

The most popular mall in America is the Mall of America. This mall has endless options to shop with 520 stores. There are also many different places you can eat with 50 different restaurants.

They have great entertainment including a movie theater, an aquarium, escape room, Crayola Experience, and an amusement park inside the mall. The amusement park has 24 rides including a roller coaster that goes around the enclosed atrium of the mall. The aquarium holds 1.2 million-gallons and has sharks, stingrays, giant sea turtles, and many other creatures. There is a glass tunnel that can go from one end of the aquarium to the other, which is around the same length as a football field.

The Mall of America is huge so in case you ever get lost they have these directories that show you where to go.

Here are some more facts about the Mall:

The Mall of America can also be called the MOA.
The MOA is the largest mall in the U.S. it has more than 2,779,242 million feet of shops, entertainment, and restaurants.
This mall is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, as it annually attracts over 40 million visitors.
It first opened in 1992, which was on the site of something previously called Metropolitan Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings and Twins teams once played.
Around 4 out of 10 visitors that go to the Mall of America are tourists. Almost more than twice as many people as the world’s largest amusement park, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World have visited the MOA.

Some of the original plans for this mall included an indoor submarine ride and a convention center, but all of these plans later were eliminated due to cost. It was co-developed by the Ghermezian family who lived in Edmonton, Canada. This family also developed the largest shopping mall in North America called the West Edmonton Mall.

The MOA is very large so if you’re visiting it might be nice to request a free visitors kit before you go.

For more infromation, please visit :

https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/shopping/articles/top-10-us-shopping-malls

Adapted Floor Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, Gymnastics, Hockey, Nordic Skiing, Scoreboard/Schedule, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Wrestling

Sports schedule for: Feb 10-15

February 10, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 15
MONDAY	FEBRUARY 10
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
B: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm		Boys Basketball vs. Harding	HOME
5:00pm		Adapted Floor Hockey vs. Maple Grove	Humboldt High School
5:00pm	3:20pm 4:40pm \| 6:30pm	Boys Conference Diving and JV Conference Meet	Humboldt High School
6:00pm		Girls Basketball vs. CHOF	Salvation Army – St. Paul
6:30pm – 8:00pm		Baseball Captains Practice	Fieldhouse
TUESDAY	FEBRUARY 11
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
B: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm		Boys Basketball vs. Central	HOME
6:00pm		Girls Basketball vs. SPA	St. Paul Academy
WEDNESDAY	FEBRUARY 12
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
11:00am	Leave on 2/11 at 3:45pm	Nordic Ski State Meet	Giants Ridge
6:30pm – 8:00pm		Baseball Captains Practice	Fieldhouse
7:15pm		Boys Conference Swim Meet	St. Catherine University
THURSDAY	FEBRUARY 13
THURSDAY	FEBRUARY 13
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
10:00am	5:00pm	Nordic Ski State Meet	Giants Ridge
4:00pm		Girls Basketball vs. Metro Schools College Prep	Metro Schools College Prep
4:30pm		Adapted Floor Hockey vs. Anoka	Humboldt High School
JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm		Boys Basketball vs. Washington	Washington Tech
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm	JV: 3:00pm V: 4:45pm \| 9:00pm	Boys Hockey vs. Mound Westonka	Thaler Arena
5:30pm – 7:30pm		Softball Captains Practice	Fieldhouse
6:00pm		Gymnastics Section Meet	Breck School
7:30pm – 9:00pm		Baseball Captains Practice	Fieldhouse
FRIDAY	FEBRUARY 14
FRIDAY	FEBRUARY 14
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION

SATURDAY	FEBRUARY 15
TIME	BUS TIMES	EVENT	LOCATION
9:00am	6:55am \| TBD	Wrestling Section Tournament	Mahtomedi High School
JV: 1:00pm V: 3:00pm		JV Boys Hockey vs. Hudson Varsity Boys Hockey vs. Kennedy	Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena

Student Creative Writing, Tech/Games

JOYSTiCK Non-Review: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 result in a 2nd US Civil War?

February 7, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line 1 Comment

By: Daniel Kendle

*Note: The following is a satirical take on the release of Switch 2 teaser.

Photo of Elon Musk by Debbie Rowe via Wikimedia Commons

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, January 16, Nintendo posted a teaser for a new upcoming console, alongside the company’s international affiliates. Roughly 2 minutes in length, the video showcased the Nintendo Switch 2: a successor to the soon-to-be 8-year-old system of the same name.

Notable for both its physical and internal upgrades, many astute fans of the original Switch have noted its needed – albeit simple – updates to its older brother. While controversies have risen due to these occasionally-minor changes, many have agreed upon feeling relief and excitement about the console’s acknowledgement. A follow-up direct, focused on software is slated for April 2, 2025.

Around the same time, however, came the inauguration of now-president Donald J. Trump, seceding the former Joe Biden. Also mired in controversy, the election’s collision course has coincided with the console’s public reveal, leaving some to connect the 2 in various ways – most of all, the Presidents.

“I saw [the trailer] the Friday after – yeah, it was cool,” said Trump, immediately following a press conference in Atlanta. “I was like, ‘Vance, did you see this?’ And he was like ‘Yeah,’ and we fist-bumped. I dunno, man […] but I thought the new Joy-Cons were sick. Larger, too. I was talking to Joe ‘bout it a week later; he was tripping too. Did these (gestures) hand…things. Yeah. I was like, ‘Hunter would love this,’ and he laughed, and agreed. Hunter loves Mario; he’s so cool.”

Now-former President Biden was also open to an interview.

“Donnie and I had gotten off a meeting when the trailer dropped; some real good [explicative]. I was less enthused at first, really: I saw Donkey Kong’s new redesign during the ‘Mario Kart’ segment and was like ‘Damn, this too?’ Then Trump came over to my place and we played ‘8 Deluxe’ for a while…felt good. Felt better. Kamala was excited, too – did a backflip over her desk. Favorite reveals? Shoot, uh […] like, maybe the, tch, backwards compatibility? Y’know, being able to play my Switch library at launch is a treat. Gotta do a run of my favorite, uh, Switch game: ‘Balan Wonderworld’.” (Note: immediately following the latter-most statement, former President Biden was lobbed in the head with a snowball).”

While these 2 men proved satisfied with the new system’s reveal, other political figures – including some close with the country leaders – were less than optimistic about the trailer.

“It’s [explicative], pardner,” said Elon Musk, in the process of bathing himself with the blood of a sheep when we interviewed him. “Jus’ trash all-‘round. I’m happy for…you know, I’m happy fer those excited, but like, really? After 8 years o’ buildup, we git some gall-darn magnets for them controllers?! Y’all need some bett’r standerds. Rattlesnake tumbleweed cactus.”

With the division with Trump’s republican cabinet apparent, some citizens question whether or not a feud will brew from inside – and possibly spill out into the rest of the US. It’s been close to 200 years since our country’s first Civil War, and in our current day and age, political events and conspiracies have led to heated debate between sectors of the 50 states.

Whether or not the Nintendo Switch 2’s existence will culminate in a new Civil War is yet to be said, but until then we can only speculate, both on the system and our country’s political affairs. Only 1 thing’s certain, however: if this new console has any form of Joy-Con drift again, I think the nukes are gonna drop.

PRIZM, Student Creative Writing

SHOOTING STARS | CONTINENTALS WAR | ARCERIUM RISING 11: Part II

February 6, 2025 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Hoaseng Thao

PICKING UP THE PACE

The Coalition was able to take the Hoshiran capital by August, but their forces couldn’t go much further. They too were just as outstretched as the Great Terrans. That would change when news arrived that a large naval force had just landed on the shores of the Lunarian continent.

The Vaserians had just landed on Oprica.

The Vaserians took over the shores of occupied Oprica on August 15th. With most of the Jupitan occupiers being sent to fight in Sapan, the Vaserians were able to take over the entire country in a matter of days with little resistance. The Vaserian entrance to the war was a surprise to many, and there would be further surprises as the Vaserian military continued to land on the shores of occupied Lunarian states.

The 20th of August saw the Vaserian Mage Corps and the Marines landed on Casikee, successfully returning the capital back to its Casikan people as the roars of VF-6s shook the skies above. With the arrival of the Vaserians, the occupied nations of Lunaria rose up against the Jupitans, overwhelming them as the Vaserians trekked more and more into the continent.

August 23rd, the Vaserians finally made the push to join the Coalition and with it, guaranteed the Coalition the needed victory to end the war. With Vaseria now officially a part of the Coalition, other nation states from the Vaserian continents joined and with their entry, saw a flow of new troops from the Vaseria sent to every front of the war.

“Vaserian M2 Strucker tank during the Second Battle of Ulyse, Koldr c. June 9th, 1956”

By October of 1956, the war had completely changed, the Sapanese were able to retake its capital, and Koldr, the first to fall, regained its sovereignty, and the Jupitans were now fighting on the homefront. All that was needed to finally bring the world to peace again was something really big to happen, and that came with the arrival of shooting stars. Man made shooting stars.

SHOOTING STARS

In 1949, the Vaserian Federation, in secret, began the development of a new type of weapon that would harness the power of nuclear fission with arcerium to create an explosion never seen before. The weapon would be placed into a warhead, and transplanted onto newly developed intercontinental ballistic missiles for increased range.

In 1953, the first detonation of the weapon, now nicknamed as “Star” was conducted, an explosive yield of 10 million tons of TNT.

In 1954, ten stars were built and operational with more to follow.

In 1955, Anne Hall is advised by the Office of Secret Security (OSS) to not use the stars until they make land in Jupita.

November 5, 1956, Anne Hall is told by the OSS to use 10 of the 24 ICBMs at specific targets in Great Terra.

November 6, 1956, 10 stars were launched from their silos.

The following are the impacted targets:

Hellica, the capital of Jupita, was the first to be hit by the stars; it destroyed half of the city, and caught Emperor Treijon himself in the initial blast.

New Olapi City, Jupita

Veldpal, Epreau

Gunfang, Hoshira

Songfei, Hoshira

Sakunn, Jupita

Falei, Jupita

Lunbai, Epreau

Raikou, Epreau

Rinyan, Hoshira

THE NEW WORLD

On the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in the capital city of the first nation to fall, was the signing of a treaty of peace between the Tectonic Coalition and Great Terra. The Treaty of Ulyse put an end to the deadliest war the world had ever seen, over 100 million souls were lost in eight years. Great Terra was no more, but the world before it came with it.

Jupita lost all of the territories it gained from the war, and had to pay reparations to the nations affected by its wrath. The Lunarian continent returned to peace as it was rebuilt with Vaserian loans.

In Kyusia, it was not Hoshira who saw the loss of land, but the Kingdom of Sapan. Princess Chiyo, now queen of Sapan, saw to reward her people, but more importantly, the ethnic minorities who remained loyal to the crown. Her reward was to allow them to choose to stay within the Sapanese realm, or be free.

January 12th, 1957, the Kingdom of Arcana was formed, and on the following day, the Republic of Otrya. It wouldn’t be until March 27th, for the final state to secede from the realm, that being the Kingdom of Kayusa.

Eusona, following the war, was not a pleasant sight. Because of how far the technological gap was for Eusonan nations, many could not bear the weight of post-war clean up. In 1957, the Kalavian civil war (1957-1962) began when the socialist government refused to return back to a democracy, and it split the nation into two; the eastern half belonged to the People’s Republic of Kalavia while the west belonged to the Republic of Kalavia.

What remained of the Cazar Empire was split up into multiple nation states following its civil war that ended in the 70s, Eraki, Yuzakstan, Yusan, Baniera, Edeon, Eani, Kirstistan, and Xana.

The Kirston Empire, despite being victors of the war and liberators of the Valkyrie Peninsula, found itself with a destroyed nation. Millions of ethnic Nexens were wiped out at the hands of the Cazars. They were, for many generations, the backbone of Kirston society, and with their loss came the empire’s economic troubles.

In 1957, to cope with their economic struggles, the empire sold away parts of its territory as sovereign nations, Envoa and Litho. Although there was some peace for the Kirstons, the ambitions of many hardlined nationalists saw the nation at war again, this time as the invaders in The Grants War (1970-1973).

“An Envoan Special Forces operative posing for a camera crew during an extraction in the mountains of Kirsto, circa April 2nd, 1973.”

Vaseria soon cemented itself as one of few superpowers of the world with the use of its arcerium weapons, and soon enough the rest of the world appeared to have begun their own arcerium weapons program to compete for superpower status.

But the world was at relative peace now that the war, or the Continentals War as coined by the media, had ended, and that was all that mattered in the end.

WAR NEVER CHANGES BUT THE WORLD DOES

The start of the 21st century saw a Cold War begin between the Vaserian Federation and their PATO allies, against the Democratic Union of Kavara and their CDP puppet states. And in 2023, the Second Continentals War began between the two superpowers, but it ended as soon as it was declared, when the Arcerium Rising event occurred and a tense peace insured.

It is now 2049, the world is on the brink of total war between Vaseria and Kavara, and with the civil war in Arcasia becoming more worrisome, it is now up to the people of Earth to decide the fate of this world.