Category Archives: Student Creative Writing

PRIZM, Student Creative Writing, Tech/Games

JOYSTiCK Empirical Ep. 11: ‘Cocomelon: Play with JJ’ – Machiavellian Science Theatre 3000

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By: Daniel Kendle

Babies are nice. Babies are cute. Everyone likes babies (except for those who don’t). Some babies, however, are different. Some scream, cry, wail to get attention. Some can’t do simple mathematics, read, or assert their viewpoint on a topic through civil debate. Thus, babies aren’t all that exciting to me, as a person who fancies such activities. I don’t care for the infants, nor do they for me, if I may ponder.

Granted, I’ve noticed something in our most recent generation of children. They seem to linger towards a heinous cryptid, an entity that feeds on their short minds – feeding them sludge in return. Yes, it’s time we talk about the dreaded horseman that has taken control of our youth.

Everyone, welcome back to JOYSTiCK, a serial that (usually) reviews any video game our grubby mits come across. Today’s mini-review is about the white whale of my time here writing articles: ‘Cocomelon.’

‘Cocomelon’ is a multimedia enterprise that came about in the 2000’s. The brand focuses on preschool nursery rhymes available on YouTube and other media sites, and is one of the most successful children’s entertainment companies in the world. It’s been estimated that the organization is worth around $500 million.

Now, I should note that I’m not exactly the target audience for these videos, let alone the game I’ll be reviewing today. I can’t say I’ll be getting a new fix on life from “Who Took the Cookie? Puppy Song!” or “Tortoise and the Hare Race” anytime soon. I mean, I have so many other things to do, like betting on horse races! When watching the latter example, I can’t have even half the fun because I can’t feverishly lose money [under ethical circumstances]. What’s a guy to do?

Well, for an adequate amount of fun, (and return on investment), you can play the all-new game in the franchise: ‘Cocomelon: Play with JJ.’ Released fairly-recently, the games are pretty basic: you play as JJ, the main character toddler in the ‘Cocomelon’ universe, as he explores various parts of his house and plays minigames. There’s also a collection mechanic, since you can get stickers after completing these games and/or exploring the house.

As a mini-review, I don’t have too much to say on the game. For a mobile game it’s pretty competent, actually. Because of the limited environments the designers had to create, each feels slathered in detail, and “hardcore fans” might be able to recognize certain elements in the rooms, but I couldn’t. All I can say is that the game is alright on the visual front.

In terms of gameplay…it’s fine? Like, when you’re 16 and playing a game designed for toddlers, things can’t be the most “invigorating.” You control the main character, dragging them around box-shaped places looking for stuff to do. Sometimes you can click on something to have it do a little animation, but these usually just act as a little distraction, probably for little kids to click on and lose their minds over. You can also find various members of JJ’s family, who also perform an action.

The nursery rhymes were pretty boring. Basically just think of a bog-standard kid’s song, slap a small little game onto it and repeat that a dozen times. For example, the “Yes Yes Vegetables” song has you feeding JJ. The “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” song lets you control a spider navigating a bathtub. Very simple stuff; you also get a sticker at the end of each.

In conclusion, ‘Cocomelon: Play with JJ’ is so small of a game it has basically nothing of note to discuss. Even if it was an ironic pick to review, the game’s still pretty lame. It could’ve used some combat or grotesque themes, because as it stands it’s a lame kids game. I give it a 4/10, which is probably more than it deserves.

COCOMELON DEMON: Are you sure about that?

THE REVIEWEE: Wha-? Who are you?!

COCOMELON DEMON: I am the very being that lives in your soul.

THE REVIEWEE: …

COCOMELON DEMON: I’ve been the one watching you since you were born.

THE REVIEWEE: But…I’ve never seen you before in my life.

COCOMELON DEMON: That’s the point.

THE REVIEWEE: But-!

COCOMELON DEMON: Shh…(strokes finger over The Reviewee’s cheek)

THE REVIEWEE: …

COCOMELON DEMON: (softly) Don’t let the voices hear you.

THE REVIEWEE: …

COCOMELON DEMON: Come. I have much to discuss with you (opens portal to Cocomelon dimension).

THE REVIEWEE: …okay.

(The pair disappear to the Cocomelon dimension).

JJ: Hey gang, it’s me: JJ! Now that the regular person writing for this serial is gone, I’ve finally got a body to control to voice the gospel of Eldresassigul, Flesh-Bringer of the Peasentfolk. My first objective is to proclaim ‘Cocomelon: Play with JJ’ as a 10/10 game. With such stunning graphics, tight gameplay, and witty dialogue, it’s clear that the game is set up to be the most influential of this decade, and I’m shocked by how underrated it is. After all, I’m the star!

Anyways, those who oppose the label will be sent down to the mines of the underworld to be sacrificed to cryptids of decay and famine handed off to our support team to receive a small talk about their “misdirection in life.” Until then, I’ll leave until my next review: ‘Cocomelon: Shadows Die Twice.’ See you then!

PRIZM, Student Creative Writing

THE GRANTS WAR

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By: Hoaseng Thao

NOTE: This Article covers a war between fictional nations

BACKGROUND

Following the end of the First Continentals War in 1950, the Kirston Empire, located in the Eusonan continent, was facing an economic crisis that stemmed from its debts for its participation in the war. Their solution to this debt was to sell off parts of their territory for cash, resulting in the 1957 Treaty of Saant, which formed The United Republic of Litho and the Federal Republic of Envoa.

The official flag of The Kirston Empire
The official flag of the Federal Republic of Envoa
The official flag of the United Republic of Litho

In 1967, the Kirston Empire elected a new Viceroy to the nation, Elena Oplau, the Fair Maiden of Saint Mons. Oplau, born in the city of Saint Mons, was a staunch supporter of regaining the territories of Envoa and Litho, which to her and her supporters, was seen as an illegal treaty that went against the vision of the Eternal Virgin Empress, Lyria Tran. On May 24th, 1970, Oplau, with the support of the grand congress, invaded Litho to regain its lost territories.

Map showcasing the perceived invasion of Litho

LITHOAN FRONT

An Art Piece showcasing a dogfight between a Kirston IF-8 fighter jet against a Lithoan SI-10 fighter jet, both aircraft originating from the Vaserian Federation.

On the 1st of May, 1970, Kirston forces invaded the United Republic of Litho through the Rikin plains, flowing through the Lithoan countryside with over a hundred thousand troops over the border through a massive armored offensive. The Lithoan armed forces were forced to fall back to the Grai Mountain Range, where they would put up an intense guerrilla war against the Kirston Imperial Forces.

By 1971, Kirston forces would deplete nearly half of its invasion forces, fearing of losing the sufficient manpower, the Kirston government began a massive recruitment campaign granting those who volunteer a large amount of government grants. This act of handing out grants would be used to coin the war as “The Grants War”.

Despite the large influx of volunteering troops, the Kirston forces were unable to move past the Grai Mountain Range, and as the winter of 1971 began, the Lithoan armed forces began their counter offensive. The Lithoan forces recaptured the country’s capital, Juno, on December 10th, however this was one of out of a few successful counter offensive campaigns, as the harsh winter conditions led to the fall of the northern region. The harsh winter would result in a complete halt of any major offensive by any side until the winter passed by. Oplau and her supporters needed a victory, but it couldn’t be won during the Lithoan winter.

ENVOAN FRONT

An artist’s interpretation of the Ruge offensive at the Kirston Institute of the Millennium, showcasing a Kirston MT-88 tank of the 5th Armored Division being hit by an Envoan SH-7 scout helicopter.

On January 2nd, 1972, another front was started, this time on the border with Envoa. Caught off guard by the invading Kirstons, nearly half of the country had fallen to the hands of the Kirston Imperial Forces within three days, with its capital of Ioniv falling in a matter of a few hours. By March 10th, mainland Envoa had fallen to Kirston forces, but the Envoan navy continued the fight, even scoring a kill on the pride of the Kirston Imperial Navy, the KIN Opposer in the second battle for Nolan Island.

By the first of March of 1973, a large mob of Envoan partisans successfully took over the city of Tuve, resulting in the large uprisings across the country and the successful return of the Envoan forces on the mainland in the battle of Crownady. The war was turning against the Kirston armed forces with the return of the Envoan armed forces, and as the war turned against the Kirstons, there was only one way the war could end.

THE GRANTED OFFENSIVE

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

As the snow melted, the reunited Envoan army and a hardened Lithoan military, forced the Kirston military to retreat back to its former borders. As the two armies marched into Kirston soil, they began to loot and spread fire to the Kirston countryside in a scorched earth tactic to demoralize the Kirston population, however this would only embolden those to defend what remained pure.

By April 10th, nearly 20% of the Kirston’s forests were burned as a result of the scorched earth tactic, but nonetheless the Kirston military still fought on despite the odds. As the Envoan and Lithoan armies crept towards the capital of Kirsto, pressure was forced onto the Viceroy, Elena Oplau, to decide the fate of the empire.

SIGNING OF SUKUYO

“The Orange Breeze” by Kirston painter Jon Reese.

With the war nearing its third anniversary and the increasing pressure against the Kirston officials to resolve the conflict, it was time for the war to end. Oplau, unwilling to call an end to hostilities, insisted they wanted a conditional surrender but due to the harsh reputation of the empire in the war, neither side wanted to openly agree for a ceasefire unless an intermediary assisted in its conclusion. Upon hearing the news of a potential end to the conflict, the King of the Vaserian Federation, Crizk Flaw, hastily answered the call for the conclusion of the war.

Flag of the Vaserian Federation

King Flaw, was ironically, a flawed king. He spent the first 4 years of his 10 year administrative term trying to force congress to increase the powers of the monarchy, with Flaw often being warned by congress of being impeached, which was a warning supported by nearly every Vaserian. When the call for an intermediary to conclude the war in Kirsto was announced, Flaw readily accepted it to save his reputation.

On May 22nd, 1973, the officials of the three warring nations met in the Vaserian capital city of Sukuyo to conclude the conflict, and by May 24th, the conflict would end with Kirsto ceding parts of its territory to Envoa, and a controversial 10 mile wide settlement exclusion zone along the Lithoan border, ensuring that a build up at the Lithoan border would never happen again. In return for these concessions, the three nations agreed to work together in rebuilding each nation’s infrastructure; however, only Kirsto and Envoa would fulfill this deal.

Map of Kirsto, Envoa, Litho circa 2049.

By the end of the war, over 80,000 people were killed in the war, with at least a million being forced to flee or endure the conflict. Nearly 40% of the forests of Kirsto were burned due to the scorched earth tactics, but as of 2049, the country has reclaimed nearly 30% of the burned land.

PRIZM, Student Creative Writing

The Arcerium Rising Exclusion Zone

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By: Hoaseng Thao

Note: This story goes over the themes of war and crisis in a different world

THE ZONE

The Arcerium Rising Exclusion Zone is a designated exclusion zone established by the Organization of Nations, or the ON, and is located on the Arcerian continent, dividing the habitable zones from areas contaminated by Arcerium and Arsoulium. The Arcerium Rising Exclusion Zone is commonly referred to as “The Zone”.

The Zone is a highly contested region that is mainly contested within the borders of the Federal States of Arcasia, with many factions fighting for control over specific regions.

ARCERIUM AND ARSOULIUM

Arcerium is a natural element that is used to power mega structures such as mega cities, ships, and spacecraft. Arcerium also acts as a propellent to its sister element, Arsoulium, which has side effects that can rapidly heal dead cells and is commonly used as an opioid to treat cancer, however it can place users into a rabies like state in prolonged exposure.

BACKGROUND

The cause of the exclusion zone was due to the rapid eruptions of multiple Arcerium pockets across the continent, which resulted in Arcerium and Arsoulium contaminating the majority of the continent. The nations of Arceria, The Republic of Krinia, The Federal States of Arcasia, and The United Republic of Alakis, were all affected heavily by this event, with an estimated 1.5 billion people being left in the zones. This event is commonly dubbed as the “Arcerium Rising” event.

KRINIA

“Flag of the Republic of Krinia”

Before the Arcerium Rising Event, Krinia had engaged in a war against its neighbor, Alakis, after their invasion into Krinian territory, with both nations calling upon their allies to join the war, resulting in the start of the Second Continentals War. This war would be forced to a ceasefire after the Arcerium Rising Event occurred, and with the presence of Krinia’s allies, The Polaris Alliance Treaty Organization or PATO, was able to quickly respond to the crisis, and evacuate millions of refugees to safe zones.

ALAKIS

“Flag of The United Republic of Alakis”

Having started the Second Continentals War, Alakis was unprepared to fight a defensive war as they had poured all their resources to their Krinian offensive, which left large populated areas to be contaminated by Arcerium and Arsoulium. Alakis’ allies, the Croatoke Defensive Pact or CDP, did little to help with the contaminated areas as they were mainly focused on keeping PATO forces at bay, resulting in millions perishing as a result.

ARCASIA

“Flag of the Federal States of Arcasia”

Arcasia, having not involved itself in the war, had other issues at hand. A month earlier, Arcasia’s government brutally suppressed protests against State Controlled Arcerium refinery plants, and on the onset of the Arcerium Rising Event, the people of Arcasia began calling for independence against the government, and started the Arcasian Civil War.

This civil war was kept under wraps by the federal government, as they had installed a nationwide firewall and lockdown to prevent information from getting out. For ten years, Arcasia had kept everything under wraps until a coup led by General Tomia Lukoskiv, overthrew the government and called for an immediate intervention by the Organization of Nations (ON), to which they accepted.

ARCASIAN CIVIL WAR

The civil war is still waging on, with the Arcasian government being supported by the ON to fight a brutal campaign against rebelling groups, such as the Independent States of Arceria Organization, a collective of rebelling states joined in a combined effort to gain independence from Arcasia.

It is unclear if there will be resolution to the civil war, but it is clear that it will continue for the foreseeable future.

PRIZM, Student Creative Writing

THE BATTLE OF TSUVUKI STRAIT

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By: Hoaseng Thao

*Note: This is a work of fiction. This story is set in a fictional world where there are countries at war.

Background

On July 9th, 2020, the Republic of Nashua declared war on the island nation of Foseta on the basis of the nation harboring anti-Nashuan militant groups which threaten Nashua’s national security. But from the beginning of the war, the Nashuan military were unable to set foot on the Fosetan mainland due to the large Fosetan navy that constantly defended the western coast.

The main naval defenses of Foseta was concentrated on the western coast, which saw the majority of fighting during the war, however this concentration of ships and military personnel in the west would see the eastern coast to be left undefended by the main fleets of the navy. This factor would be exploited by the Nashuan navy as they were getting desperate for a victory after countless defeats off the western Fosetan coast.

Prelude

At 400 hours, Central Vaserian Time, on September the second, 2020, two ships belonging to the Ridge fleet of the Nashuan navy, the dreadnought NRS (Nashuan Republican Ship) Vitician and the landing ship NRS Julupe, are ordered by Admiral Se Gull to capture the Fosetan coastal defenses on the southern tip of the island of Hosi, which would allow the Nashuan ships to cross the Tsuvuki Strait and land troops onto mainland Foseta.

“Flag of the Fosetan Commonwealth”

“Flag of the Republic of Nashua”

Stationed on the island are a small detachment of Guardsmen from the Fosetan 110th coastal battery unit of the Coastal Corps, and a company of 200 marines from the 8th Marine regiment. Despite the low number of stationed troops on the island, the small detachment was armed with an array of artillery pieces, including two 305mm twin turret coastal artillery pieces but only one was operational.

At the time, both the NRS Julupe and the Vitician were unaware of the presence of the two 305mm pieces stationed on the island as the artillery pieces were originally meant to be decommissioned a year prior in a public press conference, but for unclear reasons, one piece was left intact and operational.

Battle

At 700 hours, the NRS Vitician, just 16 miles off the coast of Hosi, fired its four fourteen inch caliber guns off its port side, their intended target being the coastal guns located on the island, not including the two 305mm artillery pieces. As planned, the NRS Julupe began to depart from the Vitician but due to miscommunication between the Viticians captain, Karl V. Dimo, and Julupe’s captain, Diamon Gein, the NRS Julupe’s path coincided with the path of the Viticians next barrage from its guns.

Realizing that the Julupe was in the incoming path of the Viticians guns, the Vitician ceased her firing, giving the Fosetan marines and guardsmen time to prepare a counter barrage. One Lieutenant from the Fosetan Coastal Corps, Lieutenant Viron Ick, was asleep when the first barrage from the Vitician was fired; however the ceasing of her guns gave him and his men enough time to arm one of the 305mm coastal guns.

At around 715 hours, the Julupe landed the 28th Nashuan Marine Regiment onto the shores of the island, but their landing point was facing towards a steep hill that made it difficult for the marines to overrun, leading to the deaths of many marines as they were gun downed by the few Fosetan marines that dared to fire down the hill.

While the 28th Marines began to make ground around the shoreline, Lieutenant Viron Ick quickly calculated the distance and elevation needed to target the NRS Vitician and at 730 hours, the 305mm gun fired at the dreadnought. One shell missed the ship completely, however one did hit the stern of the Vitician. Completely caught off guard by the 305mm gun, the Vitician, whether it be out of fear of being hit once more or to target the 305mm gun, began to blindly fire at the coastline, damaging the 305mm gun but also committing several friendly casualties as the impacts would hit near the 28th Marines position.

Although damaged, the 305mm gun was able to fire once more upon the Vitician, this time both shells hit the lower parts of the hull, sealing the fate of the dreadnought. Captain Karl V. Dimo, assessing the situation, quickly orders his men to abandon the Vitician and at 750 hours, the dreadnought sunk to the bottom of the strait. With the loss of the Vitician, the remaining marines of the 28th alongside the NRS Julupe and the Vitician surrendered to the Fosetans at 800 hours.

Aftermath

Within only an hour of fighting, 62 Fosetan military personnel were killed in combat while 45 Nashuan Marines and 5 Nashuan sailors of the Vitician were killed. With the failed landing of the island, the Fosetan navy quickly began to protect the eastern coastline to prevent any more Nashuan ships from exploiting the low numbered coastal defenses. For his actions at the battle for Tsuvuki Strait, Lieutenant Viron Ick would receive the Hernikan Cross for his actions in sinking the NRS Vitician.

Facing humiliation, the Nashuan naval command fired and publicly executed Admiral Se Gull for his failure for not accounting for the presence of the 305mm gun. Just five weeks after the battle, Nashua would sue for peace with Foseta as they had failed to conduct landing operations on the Fosetan mainland.

On November 9th, 2045, the Vaserian Federation Defense Forces would declassify a document that contained information about a Vaserian submarine, the VSS (Vaserian Sailing Ship) Commerth’s role in stalking the NRS Julupe and the NRS Vitician before and during the battle of Tsuvuki Strait. The document would note that the submarine was well aware of the Nashuan ships destination but did not notify Foseta of this information, which would sour relations between the two nations.

PRIZM, Student Creative Writing

How to NOT Bake Cookies

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By: Truman Vang

*This article is completely satirical, so do NOT actually follow this guide to bake cookies.

Have you ever been bored with life? From its endless monotonous qualities to its hurtful truths, life is just harsh. If yes, then baking should be the solution to all of your problems; the careful crafting of pastries and delicate touch on these delights always bring a smile to one’s face. Bring out the best in you through baking! Let all of your issues and anger seep out in this guide on how to NOT bake cookies.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials!

The first step to baking cookies is to gather the ingredients. Add whatever you want to these delicious pastries! It’s sometimes common to add flour, sugar or eggs, though let your imagination run rampant. For myself, I like to add the uncommon vanilla bean alongside flour and eggs with a side of crushed CD for some musical flavor! Though it’s your decision what you want in your cookies!

Step 2: Mix the Ingredients

While some may say that the order that you mix the ingredients is important, it really shouldn’t be taken into account when preparing the batter for your cookies. Mix whatever you want first, and just add what just looks right. You could mix it by the increasing or decreasing amounts of each ingredient, or to be fancy, by a color gradient from red to blue. Whatever order you choose to mix your ingredients, you’ll always be left with batter in the end, so it should be fine in the end.

Step 3: Prepare the Dough

One important step to making cookies is to prepare the dough. Once you finished creating the batter, you might have a consistency of play dough. If you don’t, just add flour, as it usually helps to stiffen the dough. Once you’ve got that figured out, roll out the dough with anything cylindrical that you can find around you. It’s not usually recommended to use something made out of wood, but anything works at this point.

Step 4: Cut the Cookies

Create a design that you want to cut your cookies in! You could use a cookie cutter, but those are often already pre made and quite boring in their designs, so choosing a design of your own would help in this aspect. For instance instead of a regular boring old star, you could instead cut the cookie into a dodecahedron, the American flag or a cube! Anything works to your desires as long as you follow your heart’s content.

Step 5: Prepare the Oven

Set the oven to preheat. Often cookies roughly bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit taking 15 minutes to fully cook. In this guide, it’s completely optional to wait. Instead, set the oven to preheat at 5000 degrees Fahrenheit and wait for those cookies to be ready in under a minute!

Step 6: Place Cookies in Oven

Grab some oven mitts to be safe around the hot oven. If you don’t have any, then plastic should suffice for this baking. Place the cookies in the oven, shut the door and prepare yourself. Make sure you always have water to put out electrical fires! Though of course, you should be completely fine following this guide and its safety precautions.

Step 7: Prepare Cookies

Woohoo! Now that the cookies are finally finished, make sure to let them cool down. They may be a little hot, so it’s recommended that you wait about 30 seconds before handling them with your bare hands. Once that time has passed, the honors are in what you end up deciding to do with your cookies!

Optional: Decorate those Cookies!

Using some type of frosting, spread or sprinkles, lather your cookie in those sweet substances. Make sure to drench the whole cookie within the covering and ensure that there are no spots left on the surface of the cookie. Now let your imagination run wild when decorating these pastries!

Cookies are a delicious pastry to make anytime of day. Whether it be morning, day, Mid-day, they’re enjoyed from all sources and labeled as delectable by many.

Now that you know how to make cookies, let yourself run rampant with your decisions in cookie preparation and baking. Good Luck on your endeavors and don’t burn any ovens down!

School Life, Student Creative Art, Student Creative Photography, Student Creative Writing

PRIZM: Now accepting submissions!

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Do you like to write, but nonfiction article writing is just not your thing?

Then you’re in luck! The Plaid Line is proud to announce that it will now be accepting student generated creative writing, art, and photography for possible publication in the PRIZM section.

If you are interested in submitting work for possible publication, and are a current student of HPSH, please contact Ms. Lingofelt in room 2205 or via email @ liana.lingofelt@spps.org

Student Creative Writing

One new view

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By: Mira Kaufman

Intro:
I am Mira, a sophomore living through life like the rest of you all, so here’s some poems for you to enjoy, relate to, or maybe to make you think and question a little more.

Title: This structured society

I’m so sick of a life being given to me
To be held back from living due to school and anxiety
I want to be free for my soul wanders without me
It longs for the forest and waters that flow in harmony

My mind defines a nature as a cursive wavy line
But right now I am stuck in a structured cornered shape
With harsh sounds and gray lines

I wish to squiggle these lines into edges without corners
And from gray to blue or pink
But I have obligations
To people and things
And I can’t just pause life
So how can I change?

People make society
And with society comes structure
What if Moses had never been given the ten commandments?
Would we still have nine to five jobs
Or would we live independently
Following our own schedules of life
Instead of today’s normality?

I’m so sick of a life being given to me
To be held back from living due to structures in society
I want to be free for my soul wanders without me
It longs to be like the forest and waters that flow in harmony

My little voice can not crush
But I will continue to make dents
For this world is too stubbornly scared to change to that extent

But we will find our ways within it
We are currently forced into the schedule of gray corners
But I will draw my lines into soft curves and squiggles
I will carve my own path
I will create a life worth living

Title: To be little

I miss the days of class birthday treats
And pushing each other on the tire swings

I miss the days of car seats so when we pulled into the grange
I would pretend to sleep
And sitting so still at night watching TV
Because if I moved I knew it would be bedtime

I miss watching big kids do cartwheels
Thinking that will be me

I miss gym parachutes
As we sat silently still with big smiles all together under the dome watching it deflate
The first absolute silence of the day
With afternoons at grandmas house
And wagon rides attempting not to fall asleep

I miss when my legs could reach straight out on a plane seat
And still never touching the ending

I miss the innocence of my worries being who to sit with at lunch
But there is one thing that has not changed

Wanting to grow up

A neverending expectation of what life will be
I worry that I will never be satisfied with my age
Because that little me could not wait to be a teen
And it’s nothing compared the what I thought it would be

So I wait hoping this cycle of wishing has an ending
Where I can be happy in the moment
And still excited for a new beginning

Title: A forest in my eyes

I am human
my body is perfection
For it is made from the resources of Earth
Just like everything around it

My eyes are a mossy forest
Home to many stories
That have seen life lived

My lips are a shell
holding my voice
My hairs are seaweed
Protecting the fish

My veins are rivers reaching from one ocean to the next
They bulge and twist and twine to no stop

My shoulders are trees swaying their branches through the breeze
My fingers are the leafs holding the morning dew

My freckles are lily pads
My bumps are stones

My toes are my roots holding me down
My hips are mountains brushing the clouds

My tears are rain and my mind the sky
The sky runs everything to do with the wind
It runs the ecosystem and moves the land
My body is one with the Earth that I wish to understand

I wish that a mirror could tell me these things
I wish we could all see the beauty hidden behind our clouds
Because we make up standards for ourselves

We do not judge the sky
We do not look at lily pads and wish them away
We do not photograph mountains wishing they were different shapes
We see nature as a beauty
as a natural perfection

I am made from the Earth
My curves are like stones
I am the energy from the sun
I’m the dust of billions of forgotten stars

I am human
A magical conscious thing
I am made from the earth
Just as every single beautiful being

Student Creative Writing, Tech/Games

The life of a S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

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By: Hoaseng Thao

Note: This is a student generated work of short fiction based upon an online game

In-game screen shot

Hello my friends, if you are reading this, then this is a message to the outside world from within The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Why am I writing this? Well I wanted to show to the world what life is like in the Zone as a S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

My name is Uni, I am a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and if you do not even know what a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is, then I will tell you. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or Stalker, is an acronym containing the words, Scavenger, Traveller, Adventurer, Loner, Killer, Explorer, and Robber, all of which describes the basic Stalker who of course, stalks The Zone.

I originally came to Ukraine to enter the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, or most widely known by all Stalkers as “The Zone”. The reasoning for my entrance into The Zone was of course, for the wonders of adventure and the money that I can get from it, but of course, all of that baloney was just to lure unprepared Stalkers into entering The Zone so they can feed it’s inhabitants.

Originally, I entered The Zone as a Mercenary Stalker, a faction that has its headquarters in the Dead City, just south of Limansk and north of Yantar. In the first few days in The Zone, I was inexperienced with the surreal wildlife and the anomalous creatures that made their home in such a terrible spot on the planet. My first few missions as a trainee Mercenary, was to help deliver packages from Mercs in Dead City, to members of either the Freedom faction or the Bandits, the latter I am not so fond of.

But as I gained more experience in The Zone, the better reputation I had with fellow Mercs and other Stalkers, and the better I was at fighting both The Zone’s wildlife alongside the countless brainwashed Monolith soldiers that scatter The Zone. If you don’t know already, the soldiers within the Monolith faction are essentially brainwashed into worshiping a shiny rock in the heart of the Chernobyl Power Plant, and I personally like to refer to them as the “Shiny Rock Lickers” because of that.

After a few weeks of surviving in, and doing tasks within, The Zone, I decided to head to Yantar to help pay for an ecologist that I already forgot the name of, for an exquisite piece of headwear known by many Stalkers as the Psi-Helmet. After paying the guy 20,000 roubles or something like that, he told me to wait two full days for the damn thing, but being a goodie two shoes of a Mercenary, I decided to sleep in his little research laboratory for a couple of days before receiving the headgear.

After receiving the Psi-Helmet, I was then told by the ecologist to turn off the Miracle Machine that could be found inside a laboratory known as Lab X-16 which couldn’t be turned off because of the Psi emissions that would fry the minds of any Stalker trying to enter that place. Knowing that I had the Psi-Helmet on me, I decided to enter the Lab as a favor for that Scientist. I’m not going to explain what happened in that lab as it was quite easy to get through besides the many Blood Suckers that somehow found their way into the lab.

After turning off the Miracle Machine, I was then ordered by the same ecologist, to turn off another machine known as the Brain Scorcher in order to stop the strong Psi Emission it blasted. Apparently, from what many Stalkers I came across told me, is that the Brain Scorcher was actually turned off at some point by Ukraine’s Chief Scientist Consultant, Strelok, but after a few years the Stalkers of the Monolith faction decided that they should turn it back on again.

In preparation for the mission, I decided to buy and upgrade a Mercenary Exosuit to prepare for the retaliation Monolith would already have for me when I finish the mission. Armed with a Rifle and Shotgun, and armored with one of the best equipment The Zone has to offer, and as I descended down to the labyrinth that held the Brain Scorcher, I could already feel the Psi-Emissions that the Brain Scorcher was blasting out.

With a limited amount of time before the Psi-Emissions would kill me, I bolted through the many Bloodsuckers that lived in that labyrinth and turned off the Brain Scorcher before the thing could kill me. After turning off the machine, I quickly exited the labyrinth as Monolith Stalkers began to rush my position, and as I exited the area, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that it was finally over.

After some time, I decided to rest near a campsite as the moon began to shine down upon me, and there I was able to eat a can of Tuna before looking at my PDA for any new messages, and there was one that caught my attention: “Loners have declared a ceasefire with the Mercenaries” it said on my messages.

I made my way down to Rookie Village, the supposed headquarters of the Loner faction, a faction that was originally hostile to us Mercs but when I turned off the Brain Scorcher, they became more friendly to us. There in the Rookie Village, I met a trader named “Sidorovich” who scammed me of a few Artifacts and a female Stalker named “Hip”.

I was able to talk to Hip, who then asked me to find a TOZ-34 Bizon for her client, I accepted thinking that it would be easy but in reality I found myself running across The Zone, aimlessly looking for this weapon when I then asked other Mercenaries on the PDA where I can find a TOZ-34 Bizon.

Apparently, I had to go to the flea market to buy it, but when I went there, I had to pay around 90,000 roubles for the thing, and after paying for the damn thing and returning back to Hip, I later learned that her client died a few days ago, and knowing that, she decided to pay me back before asking me to help her with finding a couple artifacts for our good ol’ friend Sidorovich.

Hip needed help finding a Moonlight artifact, a Fireball artifact, and a Wrenched artifact, all of which I had to find as she watched me get sick from both radiation and a lethal dose of bullets. During our hunt for these artifacts, I decided to help a faction known as Clear Sky to help defend their pump station from an enemy faction, but as I entered the pump station and readied their defenses, I aimed my rifle scope at the enemy, and realized who we were fighting. We were fighting bandits, a friendly faction to us Mercs.

I can not describe what happened later but all I could say was that my reputation was ruined and the trust I had with fellow Mercs and Bandits was now faltering. I was left distraught and my morals seemed to be fleeting, but I knew that I had to move forward and rebuild my reputation from the ground up.

After that mission, me and Hip found the last remaining artifacts and we gave them to Sidorovich who gladly accepted and told me that the Freedom faction asked that Hip do another mission for them. After finishing Hip’s mission, she then told me to meet her at Rookie Village tomorrow night to which I told her about the mission from Freedom and she then told me her story of being a former Freedom member and how she doesn’t trust them as much as before.

After talking for a few bits, we decided to do a simple task of transporting medical supplies for Freedom before returning back to Rookie Village where we then parted ways. I returned back to Dead City, and looked at myself in the mirror and only saw a blood stained person across from me. I knew I couldn’t stand being a part of the Mercenaries any longer, so I returned to the Great Swamps to join the Clear Skies faction, to help their mission of healing The Zone.

Well, that is the story of my life as a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and if you are thinking about entering The Zone, then I highly recommend entering it via this link:

Student Creative Writing

Underground Smile

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By: Maya Breininger

Note: This is a student generated work of short fiction

Have you ever thought? Thought about what it’s like?

I have; I think all the time. I think, and I think, and I think. That’s all that I can do, that’s all I was made to do.

Contrary to the eternal cycle of thinking, there is one question I have yet to answer. I know not what I am, or what language I speak. All I know is that I exist. Curious, isn’t it?

In my dormant state, I count starting from zero. Zero, one, two, three…
I count until it happens. Until something happens; until I feel, hear or see something.

On count eight hundred thousand billion, four hundred thousand and sixty-three, there is a feeling. The first thing I feel is hundreds of teeth, searing themselves into me. My chest heaves – yes, I do believe I have a chest – as millions of prickly needles lift themselves from my respiratory system. At this moment, I realize what pain is. Not because of its sudden presence, but because of its sudden absence. I realize that I am no longer under constant, unrelenting pain. My lungs feed on thousands of pounds of oxygen, and my vision blurs.

I feel…sediment. Soft yet coarse soil. I am big, I can feel yards of length unraveling from my appendages.

I can stretch, finally I can stretch. I had been restrained for so long that I hadn’t known I was trapped, but now, I was set free.

Two things occurred to me as I dug from the soil and finally felt air; one, I was going to torture and dismember the one who had held me captive. Two, I was unbelievably, undeniably hungry. The first human I had ever seen, dressed itself in dense clothing with many pockets. With a cap with light secured tightly on her long curly red hair, a bursting light in its right hand and a map in the other, I credited it as the first thing to wake me up.

To show gratitude, I contorted the muscles in my face until it resembled something close to a ‘smile’, hundreds of teeth in my mouth dropping down from my skull to make it more authentic.

However I was not met with one in return, instead, a bloodcurdling scream fled the tiny creature’s mouth, ricocheting off the rocky cave walls.

Against my desire, my general core area began to rumble. It was hunger.
The human’s face seems to age one-hundred years, and sticky red liquid drained from her cheeks as her fingernails dug deep into the skin.

I smiled once more in gratitude for saving me, and as gratitude for being my first meal.

I scaled my way to the exit of the cave, my slimy appendages pressing against the wall to lead me.

By the time I left the cave and light hit my face, my eyes sewed themselves shut. My gut regurgitated a lock of long, curly red hair. My body began to transform.

“Help me!” I screamed. “Help, I can’t see!” My voice was a metallic gurgle that barely mimicked the sound of the girl I had just digested.
The sound of leaves crunched under feet as two bodies approached me.

“Jeez, Hannah you scared me.” Richard let out a half-hearted chuckle.

“Yeah, you sounded weird… like, distorted.” Jolliet followed behind him.

“I’m sorry, you guys.” I giggled, wiping my eye. “I had something in my eye.”

“Did you find anything in that cave? The creature we’re looking for should be around here.” Jolliet said.

“No, nothing.” I smiled. Thirty-two teeth, that seemed about right.

Student Creative Writing

12 simple steps to RULE THE WORLD (Rated E for Everyone)

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By: Trump Vang

Note: This is a student generated work of satirical fiction

Disclaimer: This article may not be accurate to real life experiences, rather just real life expectations.

Do you want to someday rule the world? Everyone has thought of it before, but ruling the world can be a bit difficult as a normal citizen. Contrary to popular belief, it’s a lot easier than many think. To show you, I’ve got 12 simple steps to help you on your journey to dominating the world.

Step 1 : Set Goals

This may seem arbitrary to do, but goals are an important part of this process. They’ll allow you to focus on a few main ideas, and how to execute them at the same time. Although when thinking of goals, one can become too ambitious at times.

Create smaller goals and actions such as “Gaining trust of loved ones by cooking them scented pies” rather than just “Rule the pie industry by yourself”. These smaller goals should allow for those to take smaller steps to reach their overarching goal in the end. Our overarching goal is to “RULE THE WORLD” but we must make smaller goals and take steps to get to this position we want.

Simply put, being too ambitious won’t get us anywhere and we need to take it slow, so one can achieve the world domination that they want.

Step 2 : Go under the radar

After you’ve set up your goals, you can start the process to world domination. Depending on what your goals are you can take different actions to ensure this step is taken into account.

You need to go under the radar, so you won’t be caught doing your processes to reach your goal. Staying in sight of corporations and organizations allows you to be seen doing acts leading to world domination.

Going under the radar will allow you to do these smaller steps whilst no one is watching at all, leading to your smaller goals. You may meet accomplices and others whilst in this process, and you can let them in on your plan, but remember that you must stay under the radar, and you need to know who you can trust.

In this world, betrayal is common, and whistleblowers are all about. You can’t let them tell everyone about your plan, and you must be careful about letting people onto your plan.

If you are spoken about to the authorities, it’s over and there’s no coming back to the scene. You can’t let yourself fall to their actions against you. Once you’ve started, there’s no going back.

Rule #1: Crimes

These rules should help ensure your position’s safety, as well as your path there. There will be more coming up to guide you on your path to world dominance.

Don’t commit any crimes in the early part of this plan. Doing so will alert others of your presence, and allow them to target you and your path to success. Try to find ways around problems that don’t involve crimes, even petty ones. Only do so if necessary to the plan, and try to stay out of sight of any untrusted others.

Crimes may seem like the easy way to take in life, but for this plan especially, try to limit the amount that you commit. Otherwise your plan may be foiled and you will be the one at front with the authorities.

Step 3 : Start a monopoly

In our everyday lives, money is necessary to do nearly anything. If you don’t have it, you may as well just go back to a regular life. But since we’ve started we have to find a way to get or gain this money. So, we have to start a monopoly.

Although, why a monopoly? Well, the previous step requires us to not commit any crimes, and stay under the radar. Doing any other action that interrupts the social community, would leave us within potential viewing.

By peacefully entering the marketing field with a monopoly on an item, we’ll be able to stay out of the way of larger corporations and the authorities’ eyes this way.

You want the item or object you’ll be making a monopoly on, to be small and easily gatherable. Bringing something rare or valuable will get other’s eyes looking at you. You can start small with natural products, such as fruits and vegetables, and slowly start to grow larger. Any significant or great growth may alert others to your position.

Step 4: Advertise for group/convention

Now that you’ve got a plan for money, you can set your focus on more pressing issues. As all leaders should know, there will be those who are opposed to your position, and you must try to minimize that. Ensuring that there won’t be a majority within your court will bring the best for you, as there won’t be a good chance for a rebellion.

Create a name for yourself that leaves you ambiguous, but to a point in which people still will know you by the name of it. Remember, you want to stay under the radar for this portion of the plan.

Once you’ve got your “alias” that you can go under, you can start advertising and marketing your name. Think about what you want to do during this portion of the plan and express it to the public. Although, make sure to limit the information that the public has access to.

Through your advertising, you want to form some sort of group, almost like a committee that you can trust. It’s important to gain those that you can trust, and it’s much better to do it in this part of the plan, rather than within earlier steps.

Step 5 :Gather a following

From that point on, you need to start gathering member within this “group” of yours. It is necessary foryourself to gather those who can be your eye to the public without being seen. They can make business interactions with others, whilst you prepare for the next step in your plan. To ensure that it works smoothly, put subjects through tests, to record their actions and if they can be trusted. It’s your decision on how to do this, but just don’t scare away members doing this process. A survey or a fake situation test can do this.

Try to create a headquarters of some sorts, for yourself and others to gather when necessary. Here, most operations of your plan will be executed with the committee you’ve garnered. This headquarters should have a general layout with a meeting room at least, but should also be furnished with nice furniture and other electronics. It is necessary to keep the atmosphere and mood high whilst committing certain operations.

Through these methods, you should be able to gain a following after your alias. This step is most important, as people are some of the most important parts of rebellion and leadership. Without them, it would just be yourself and those loyal to you. It is necessary to gather those who will follow under you.

Step 6 : Gain trust within members

You may gain followers, but keeping trust within members and yourself is necessary to ensure that no one tries to oppose your position. To do this, you may want to set the atmosphere to be nice and chill.

Possibly adding more to the “headquarters”, such as extra-curricular activities should be enough to gain the attention of your members, depending on how many that you’ve gathered.

Make sure your members know about the central ideas of your group that’s under your alias. Although keep some information away from them. You can’t tell them everything about your plan, rather try to direct them to a different conclusion.

Get these members to try and dislike the government. Bring up a reason for why the government should fall and exaggerate on those points. Any government should have issues that their people dislike, and bringing out these issues should give an incentive for these people to fight against the government.

Speaking about your marketing plan with your monopoly should aid yourself in this instance, allowing members to see what they are supporting. Although make sure that admittance to the group is, and will always be, free, in order to not discourage other members. Remember, we are trying to stay under the radar.

Rule #2: Betrayal

Betrayal is inevitable in this plan, with yourself performing it or others enacting on you. You must know how to deal with it at either end of the situation.

When someone enacts betrayal on you, you may perform revenge on that certain person, but it’s important to remember to keep yourself at a low with those emotions. Rather than attacking them, you must know how to use your other members to your advantage. Through their betrayal you can use your members as a front to avoid any of the consequences.

Although, if you are enacting the betrayal on someone else, make sure that no one else finds out. Try to do it sneakily, and let themselves be their own downfall. Planting evidence or turning others on them can do this to them. Only do this on those members who are conspiring on you or starting/questioning your authority over the group.

Step 7 : Get a more powerful position

Once you’ve amassed a group of trusted followers, you can start gaining power over others outside of the group. You can take it slow with political parties, or fast with rebellions, but take into account how many people you’ve managed to get into your group.

If you take it slow, make sure you start with getting a position within the vicinity of your group and headquarters. Within your party, you’ve already managed to get members within the area on your side, so it’s almost ensured that you will get elected in that matter.

Getting these positions should allow oneself to be able to have some form of power within any fashion. Use your power accordingly, but remember that your actions should be minimized to reduce those looking at you. At this point keep pushing yourself to reach your goals, as at this point you have to keep moving on.

Step 8 : Overrule those lower than your position

Now that you’ve gained a powerful position, you have to overrule those lower than your position. Remember that rebellions are inevitable, and getting these smaller groups under your control should allow oneself to minimize these issues.

Although, this action needs to be done peacefully. Doing otherwise may result in your group being investigated and your plans shutting down. This is the last step that you want to stay under the radar. Anything after this shall yield itself to your actions afterwards.

Try and get into better relationships with these groups. Holding community meetings and hearings may get these positions closer to you and on your side. You need to make sure that your trusted group can get in these positions and take control when necessary. Failure to do so will be fatal within your planning. You may need to enact other forms of plans, but taking away these smaller positions is necessary for world domination and the lack of rebellions.

You’re nearly there, but you should take into account any of your members acknowledging what they’re actually part of. Make sure to be secretive with your information and limit what gets told to them. Just a few more steps to go and you shall be able to wear that title of “World Dominator”.

Rule #3: Motivation

You have pushed yourself to the limits at this point. You may have gone through a lot and feel like there might not be much else for yourself at this moment, but you must keep moving on. You’ve done a lot for yourself at this point, and you may need motivation to keep pursuing your dreams.

Think of everything that you’ve done previously and what has pushed you to this point. The memories and the values that you hold that have pushed you here should keep pushing you to the end. Remember that you’re close and keep to yourself the plans that you hold for world domination. You’ve done this for a reason, and you’re executing that plan for that reason. It is necessary to finish these upcoming actions next. Just keep your motivations high before someone, or more likely yourself, tries to talk you out of it.

Step 9 : Overthrow the government

Gaining smaller positions should allow you to stage some sort of coup against more powerful hierarchies. Through these actions, you should be able to slowly start taking power over the people of your region and outer regions.

This may be the hardest step within your plan, but ensure that this part of the plan is solid and has minimal issues. In order to take over certain governments, allow your members to riot against an issue you’ve created against the government. It may be violent, but keep pushing towards your agendas. If you have enough push, you should be able to rule the government and overrule them entirely.

There will be issues during this process, and you will have problems. Your previous steps should have ensured that you have the least problems in this instance. If you do have any, get your members to try and fix them. If the issue keeps persisting, most likely they will be caught in the

crossfire of it all. Try and get yourself least involved with the actions of the government and your group.

You can take other paths to reach this point, such as committing crimes and whatnot, but this plan helps ensure that these steps are as easy as possible for a regular citizen. There’s not much that can come after this.

Step 10 : “Peacefully” annex the world

Now that your position has been gained and now that you’ve amassed your followers, you can start taking over the world, one country at a time. Either you can take the pacifist route and peacefully annex countries, or rather the violent route, where one can fight in wars with other countries.

The first option is recommended, although the latter may be more efficient and effective in its matters.

If you decide to take the peaceful route, you can do what you’ve done before, but on a bigger scale. Try spreading around your ideals to others, and make them hold doubt against their governments. Soon enough the word should spread and you can enact your plan with annexation. Starting rebellions and other forms of protest within countries, should allow yourself to try “aiding” those in need away from their citizens.

Trust can be built on these bonds, and most likely you can use that to your advantage. Start small with requests, but eventually make sure that you are the only one benefiting from this exchange. Any leak of information will dampen your plan, although won’t end it at this point.

Slowly enough start infiltrating your people in, and from there you can get people in your favor elected into office and even into power. From there, you’ve managed to rule over another country, Although in this situation, you will have multiple targets at once. Make sure you target those who don’t trust you. It is necessary to start slow with your actions, and eventually get them on your side.

This will be the hardest step of the process. There may be those against you, but if you have enough reinforcements and extensive planning, you should be able to get through this part of the plan.

Step 11 : Rule the World

Country after country and nation after nation, you’ve been able to take them all down. You’re left to your own wits with the whole world under your control. Now as the world leader, you can do anything you please.

Creating heinous laws with awful requirements and rules, won’t be the least of your power. You can enforce these principles on your people, but just keep in mind that they might just want to overthrow you due to these issues you make for them.

Have some fun whilst ruling the world, I mean you have worked hard to gain this position. Run a theme park! Enforce milk then cereal! Start a Mukbang Channel! Start an experimental Jazz trio with two geese! Enforce the teaching of children about the differences between bass and guitar! Get Character Development! Anything that your mind desires can become true.

Step 12 : Repeat the process :

Keep pursuing your dreams, and push yourself to keep going. There are other worlds to be conquered, and character development to be done. Repeat the process with other worlds and slowly take over their governments from within. Have some fun with these worlds and try different methods. After all, you do have a whole world that you can back yourself on.

If you do get rejected from a world, make your fast escape and try with other worlds. Although you want to avoid confrontation with those civilizations again. Try to get rid of them peacefully through annexation or manipulation. Otherwise you may get pushed into the cycle of starting again.

Ruling multiple worlds may be hard for just one person, so elect others into position for you. These will be trusted individuals who are capable of these tasks. Make sure that you stay above and beyond the radar, and make your presences known. Have fun ruling over the world and others that you may conquer on your journey.

Conclusion:

The galaxy is now your hands, traveler. Build up upon your empire and keep pursuing those expectations and dreams. Those are 12 simple steps to rule the world, and I would like to thank you for your endeavor through these steps towards your journey to world domination.

You’ve been through it all, and now it’s your turn to make your decisions on this path. Take these 12 steps with you, and use your motivations to make your way onto the world stage. Good luck and have fun on your endeavors and adventures towards ruling the world.