Calling all creative writers! This is a column run by Liv Akers and Mariah Lumsden to inspire readers to write. The column includes writing prompts, pieces by the coordinators, and occasional submissions from readers.
This month: Liv's "Screaming About Nothing" and Nathaniel Lee's short story, "Five".
Below are a set of prompts for different styles of writing beyond journalism. The idea is that you can create some kind of creative writing piece inspired by one of the prompts, but it doesn't have to be. You can submit any piece of writing you'd like to share! All submissions should be school-appropriate. You can also suggest prompts to be featured in the next issue.
Here are some prompts to inspire your writing this month! If you try one, let us know how it goes. :)
Write a poem or short story about your favorite thing to happen in 2021.
On the other hand, write about the worst thing to happen in 2021.
Write a letter to someone you stopped speaking to this year. Do you miss them? Are you glad they’re not part of your life? How has your life changed without them? It can be anonymous if you’d like.
Write a letter to someone who came into your life this year. Are you glad to know them? How have they changed your life? Again, it can be anonymous.
What are you looking forward to most in 2022? How does that compare to what happened this year, or what goals you set for yourself last year? Write us a poem, essay, story, you name it.
If you have any prompt ideas in mind that you haven't seen on here yet or would like to see someone else respond to, drop them in the Google Form below and they'll be listed in the next issue!
TW: Discussion of Death
Every now and then, a new major show comes out that takes the cartoon community by storm, and I have never once been disappointed by a show to appear by those means. Arcane is no exception. I only vaguely understood the plot the first time through and have no intention to play League of Legends, but the vibes are immaculate (though not as immaculate as Vi’s biceps. I would die for that woman. She doesn’t need me to, but I would.). As we all know, I live for analysis, so I have decided to rank what I believe to be the top three deaths in Arcane. Obviously, big ol’ spoiler warning! Proceed with caution.
Towards the end of the season, Jayce and Vi infiltrate Silco’s Shimmer plant with the hopes of cutting off its supply, but in the process, Jayce accidentally kills a child working at the plant. Jayce, devastated, abandons the mission, but Vi urges him to continue– to no avail. This scene highlights the difference between Piltover’s standard of tragedy and Zaun’s standard of tragedy. A child’s death is unheard of to topsiders, and Jayce is understandably heartbroken when he realizes what he did. The problem is: to the people of the undercity, that’s normal. Vi sees that kid and is reminded of the countless others just like him she had had to watch die on the streets throughout her life. She thinks of her friends, her peers, the kids she was raised alongside of who met a similar fate. To Vi, one death in the grand scheme of things just doesn’t matter. The child employee is one sacrifice in the name of taking down Silco that will save countless others’ lives. To Jayce, killing isn’t an option. This scene and this character raise questions of morality: is every life valued the same between Piltover and Zaun? Is murder okay in the name of the “greater good”? How does this apply to real life, in the difference between the rich and the poor?
Fun fact: In League of Legends, Viktor’s character is a villain. How is it, then, that he is one of the most beloved characters in Arcane, known for being kind, gentle, and compassionate? I don’t know enough about LoL lore to back this up, but my running theory is that Sky’s death is his villain origin story. In the name of progressing humanity, he pushes Hextech to a limit opposed by Heimerdinger. The hard part about the situation is that both Heimerdinger AND Viktor are a little bit wrong and a little bit right, being on complete opposite ends of the spectrum of opinion. In Viktor’s desperation and recklessness, he messes with a power he shouldn’t, and Sky, a clueless bystander, is killed in the process. This situation raises similar questions to that of the Shimmer plant kid; in the name of the “greater good”, must innocent people lose their lives? The reason I ranked this one above the Shimmer plant kid is because Viktor never intended to hurt anyone. Jayce and Vi entered that plant wanting to cause damage, but had no idea it would mean killing a child. In Viktor’s case, he had completely isolated himself from the rest of the world, knowing his work could put others in danger, and it just wasn’t good enough. It also doesn’t help that Viktor was one of my favorite characters, and Sky had entered his lab that day to confess to him (the first love he probably would have felt in years!).
Before we get to what I believe to be the number one most heartbreaking death in Arcane, I would like to give some honorable mentions. Silco’s death broke me and I hated it, but I also hated him, so even though the scene was sad, the death itself gave me mixed feelings. I felt more for Jinx than for Silco himself, because even though he was awful and manipulative and she’s better off without him, he was the only person that cared for her in years. She didn’t think Vander or the others at home cared for her, and she thought Vi had abandoned her. She had every reason to be upset about his death, even if he was a terrible person, but because his death will most likely benefit so many people, I don't really feel all that bad about it myself (even if the scene itself was heart-wrenching). I also would like to mention Viktor, because even though he didn’t die, there were a lot of close calls for my homeboy, and they broke me just as much as the legitimate deaths in this show did.
And finally, drumroll, please:
Episode three is an absolute emotional rollercoaster, and it ends on the lowest possible note. The animation and acting in this scene is phenomenal, and the song playing here (“Goodbye” by Ramsey) is one of the most underrated songs in the soundtrack, with its dramatic buildup and insane orchestral lines. The fight between Vi and Powder that follows reveals both of their true colors, with Vi quickly becoming violent (forgetting Vander’s biggest lesson for her while his body is still warm), and Powder latching onto the first person she comes in contact with, which just so happens to be Silco. Even though it is pretty early in the show, it’s easy to become attached to Vander’s character, and even if you don’t really care for Mylo and Clagger, they are referenced over and over again during Jinx’s psychotic episodes, which only throws salt in an unhealed wound. This moment sets the tone for the rest of the series, establishing the dark nature of the story to come before you have had a chance to think otherwise. It also establishes a clear break between acts one and two of the show, swiftly knocking out half of the main cast in one fell swoop and wiping the slate clean. These deaths have a much bigger consequence than the loss of loved ones; they completely change Vi and Powder’s lives, and overthrow the balance of power in the undercity.
Hopefully, this thoroughly depressing article has not deterred anyone from watching the show. I promise, Arcane is more than a sequence of deaths. It has beautiful animation, political commentary, a good soundtrack, and if you need more convincing, really hot characters. Honestly, I believe it is the best show of 2021, so I highly recommend it! With that said, this is Liv, signing off.
“Sir, it is time to wake up,” a man’s voice said.
Multi-millionaire Evan Roberts opened his eyes and yawned.
“Morning, Proto,” Evan said.
A telescoping arm reached over his face and pushed a button. Immediately, lights illuminated the room. Evan sat up in bed and reached for his glasses. He found them and put them on. They had a simple black frame, but the glasses were anything but ordinary.
“One, activate.” Blue lights flickered along the outside of the lenses.
“Good morning, Evan,” a woman’s voice said in his ear. The glasses were really the key to Evan’s success. Evan Roberts was an inventor. He had designed and built the Digi-lense in a friend's garage. When he took it to the Sensilis Technology Convention, it had gotten an enormous amount of interest and he had eventually gotten it patented. Not long after that, a large company offered to produce and sell the Digi-lenses around the world, as long as they got half the profit. Evan declined, and with money he had saved up, created a small company called Roberts Tech. He produced more Digi-lenses and got more money. He bought other small businesses, and only five years later, he bought the large business that he had turned down and added it to his empire. Evan Roberts went on to develop robots, satellites, and one of his favorites, time travel. Yes, Evan Roberts, along with about fifteen scientists, figured out time travel. There were units for business so that they could get work done by the deadline. There were units for schools so that they could take the students back in time to find out more about an event. There were even home time travel pods that allowed people to spend more time with loved ones. Thousands of people every day used their time travel pods to witness historical events, meet their ancestors, or just have the thrill of spinning back in time. The units only worked to visit the past though. Evan hadn’t figured out how to travel forward, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have made the units do it. It was unnatural enough to visit the past, but visiting the future and finding out what happens to you in the future was a definite no. It had been twenty years since the time travel pods had come out. Evan was now thirty-seven, and he was one of the richest people on the planet.
“What can I get you for breakfast?” the man’s voice asked. Evan looked over and saw Proto, one of his robots, standing there. Proto was essentially a box with four legs: two in front and two in back. He had four arms, as well, two on each side. The arms and legs could telescope, allowing him to reach higher than a human. His head was a box, as well, with a mouth, two eyes, and two ears. His neck could telescope, as well.
“I’ll have my usual.” Evan said. Proto nodded and left the room.
Evan tapped the side of his glasses, “One, could you message Mark for me? Let him know about the meeting today. We’re meeting in the conference room.”
“Of course,” the woman’s voice said. One was Evan’s artificial intelligence. She was called One because she was the first AI that Evan made. Evan got out of bed and hopped over to a cabinet. He opened it and pulled out his prosthetic leg. He had lost his right leg in a car accident. The leg had gotten caught in the car door as he was thrown out. His leg was too ruined to save, so they had amputated. He attached the leg and changed into black pants made out of nano-cloth, a fabric made out of extremely tiny nanocells. He put on a black shirt made out of the same material, along with a jacket. When he walked out the door, there was no hallway there. The floor lowered and he exited into a large kitchen. Proto was at the stove cooking an omelet.
“Your drink is ready,” Proto said, pointing at the table. Evan picked up the warm mug and drank. The clear drink tasted like hot chocolate, but it was much healthier. Proto served him the omelet and he ate quickly.
“One, prepare my car,” Evan said as he stood and walked out to the road. A white car sped up to him and the door popped open. The car had no wheels and was hovering a few feet off the ground. He got in and the door closed. The car sped off again.
His glasses beeped, “Mr. Roberts, we’re waiting for you.”
“I’m on my way Olivia,” Evan said. “I’ll be there in a couple minutes.”
“We’ll get started and be ready for you.” The call ended.
Olivia was a young French girl who had recently become Evan’s assistant. She had plenty of skill and talent, but not as much enthusiasm as he would have liked. None of the other applicants had as much talent as her, so she got the job. The car sped down West Robinson Road towards an enormous white building. There was a holographic sign floating above it that said Roberts Tech. Evan’s car arrived and the door popped open again. Evan got out and the door closed. Evan quickly walked towards the large doors and went to the first elevator. When he exited the elevator on floor three hundred, a girl in a white suit walked up.
“Good morning, Olivia,” Evan said.
“Mr. Roberts, the representative from the Pentagon is here. I suggest you don’t keep him waiting,” Olivia said.
A man popped his head out of a doorway. “Evan, you might want to check this. We’re getting some strange readings from satellite fourteen.”
“I’ll deal with it after my meeting,” Evan said as he walked through a pair of glass doors. “It’s probably just a malfunction.” Inside the room was a large table. The room had floor to ceiling windows all around the walls.
“Roberts,” a bald man at one end of the table said, “Glad to see you finally made it.” The man was very muscular and taller than Evan, who wasn’t exactly short. His black uniform was clean and crisp, as if the man had put it on right before Evan arrived.
“General Wilson,” Evan said, “Do you need something? Did a satellite drift off course again?”
“This has nothing to do with your satellites,” the general said. “Have you not looked outside recently?” The general walked over to one of the windows. Evan looked at where General Wilson was pointing. There were about thirty spaceships hovering just above the atmosphere.
“What in the blazes?” Evan said. The man from earlier came into the room.
“Evan, we’re getting readings about spaceships outside the atmosphere.” Evan ran to the monitor for Satellite Fourteen. It showed the spaceships. Evan’s fingers flew across the keyboard and the screen zoomed in. The spaceships had multiple time travel pods on them, and there were people standing around, watching Earth.
“Oh, good,” Evan said. “They’re just Time Tourists.”
“Time Tourists only show up when something big is going to happen,” General Wilson said, “What are they waiting for?”
“It’s probably just the 100th Annual Tech Convention. That’s happening today.”
“If that was the case, then wouldn’t they be down here?” Olivia asked. Evan’s eyes widened.
“One, do a scan of the surrounding galaxy.”
“Sir, there is a large asteroid coming towards Earth at this moment. I estimate it will impact in approximately five minutes,” One said. “It will most assuredly destroy the entire planet, incinerating everything.”
Evan looked at the others. “We’re in big trouble.”
“I’m getting on a plane to Washington right now,” General Wilson said. He left the room.
“One, activate the city evac system.” The lights in the building turned red and the alarm started going off. Outside, every single car turned towards the airport. In houses across the city, robots were rushing the citizens out of the house and to their car.
“Olivia, go,” Evan said. The girl nodded and ran out the door. The elevators would be moving at double speed, so people could get out quicker. Evan pushed the exterminate button, and all of the satellites self-destructed. Evan ran out the door and to his personal elevator. It sped to the ground and he ran out to the road, where his car was waiting. He got in and the car sped off, breaking all speed limits along the way. When the car reached his house, Evan popped open the door and Proto jumped in.
“What’s going on?” Proto asked.
“There’s an asteroid hurtling towards Earth,” Evan said as the car drove towards the airport. “We have about three minutes until it impacts.”
“Woopee,” Proto said. “I just love dangerous situations.”
As they crested a hill, they saw a military plane take off from the airport. General Wilson was no doubt on it. Evan raised a hand to salute, when a piece of the asteroid smashed into the plane, destroying it.
“Oh no,” Evan said quietly, “Smaller pieces are breaking off and hitting, meaning it’s pretty close.” They could see it now, a flaming rock in the sky. They arrived at the airport and Evan started yelling for people to get on his private spaceship. The obliged, flooding into it as he helped other people go. He looked up and saw the asteroid enter the atmosphere.
“Run!” Evan called. He saw Olivia coming towards him, and he started towards her. Suddenly, a piece of the asteroid smashed through the roof, hitting the ground and knocking him over. Evan sat up and saw that the asteroid piece was half buried in the ground where Olivia had been standing. She was nowhere to be found. Evan staggered up the steps into his spaceship as the door closed.
“One, activate the rocket,” he managed to say before he collapsed onto a bench by the window. The rocket activated and Evan saw the asteroid hit as they lifted off. The spaceship rocked, but they made it out of the atmosphere. The Time Tourists were gone, so Evan directed the rocket off into the galaxy where they could find a new planet.
Five minutes, Evan thought. That’s all it took. Five. Five minutes to lose everything. Five. Five minutes ago, I had everything. Five. Now I’ve lost it all. Five. The number repeated in his head like a bell. Five.
