The Writeous ISSUE 5

EDITOR’S LETTER _ This issue is centred around the theme of emotions. We can’t exist without them, but rarely do we stop to consider how many there actually are.

A long time ago, the philosopher Aristotle attempted to identify the exact number of core emotions in humans. Described as Aristotle’s List of Emotion, he proposed fourteen distinct emotional expressions: fear, confidence, anger, friendship, calm, enmity, shame, shamelessness, pity, kindness, envy, indignation, emulation, and contempt.

Emotions, and how we experience and express them, can be both abundantly apparent or remarkably subtle. Our team have explored a range of emotions, through their articles, photography, poetry and more. We hope you will enjoy it.

- Stephanie Sekula

Contents

Issue 5 - Feb 2019

6

Moments of Joy

8

Tips on Self-Love

10

Emotions Poetry

22

Tips to Handle Your Emotions

24

Allies Interview

26

Becoming a Fashion Revolutionary

30

Let’s Talk About The F-Word

34

Power Hungry Animals

36

Denovo Investigation Chapter 2

44

Photography Challenge: Sentimental

47

Home-made Beauty Products

48

Sunday

50

Character Relationships

52

Riverdale Review

54

Dear Evan Hansen Review

56

Ask Teachers Questions: Gaming

60

Jump Force Review

62

Dark Souls 3 Review

64

Outlast 2 Review

66

Pokémon Sun and Moon Review

68

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze Review

70

GTA V Review

Moments Of Joy

“As a culture we are obsessed with the pursuit of happiness, and yet, in the process, we kind of overlook joy.” – Ingrid Fetell Lee, TED2018 Ingrid Fetell Lee, former design director of IDEO New York, is quick to point out in her Ted Talk, given in April 2018, that “the physical world can be a powerful resource to us in creating happier, healthier lives”, a point that is clear when you look at organisations such as Publicolor who use vibrant colours when painting schools in America to improve the students’ levels of joy and school attainment. In a primal manner, colour is actually a sign of life and the energy behind it, meaning each time we see colour we are sparked with a moment of joy, something psychologists define as “an intense momentary experience of positive emotion”, and even though these moments of joy may only seem small, over time they can build up to something even bigger.

The Greater Good Science Centre based at University of California, Berkeley, back up their research into how we can find happiness, with the knowledge that this positive emotion is not just something we feel, in fact it can also strengthen our immune system, combat stress and aid us in lengthening our life span.

Therefore, why is it that, as Fetell Lee rightly suggests, “We all start joyful, but as we get older being colourful or exuberant opens us up to judgement”, meaning we abandon our search for joy, our search for survival?

Late last year we asked all of you to go on your own personal hunt for joy, that feeling of wanting to “jump up and down”, so that we could share them here in the college magazine to inspire others, and prove that whilst we all may seem so different, underneath we can all find joy in the same things. On the opposite page is a collection of your entries, please take as much time as you want to observe them and consider how you could perhaps pause your race for happiness, take a moment and just find joy, as in the words of Ingrid herself, “On the most basic level, the drive towards joy, is a drive towards life.”

Written, and designed, by Isabella Pavitt

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College staff and students on what brings them joy (in rows from left to right): 1. At this time of the year, the College grounds are at their most beautiful. You understand why the American’s call the season ‘Fall’. - Andy Acreman 2. Being a creative person, I am constantly searching for sources of inspiration. These bright, vibrant watercolours instantly motivate me to put paintbrush to paper. – Isabella Pavitt 3. My animals and my sister make me happy as they brighten up my day with all the support they give. – Bethan Briggs 4. My mum makes me happy and her food makes me even more happy! đ&#x;˜‹ All my life my mum has been baking - she used to be a professional cake maker - and to me, the steamed puddings that she makes taste like home. I could have my bags packed for university and be walking out the door and she could tell me she was making one of her puddings and I would turn back around again! There is no-one I love more than my mum - it’s just a bonus that her food is delicious! - Eleanor Morgan 5. This is a picture of my pointe shoes, the first time I got them. It was a dream come true, and each time I wear them it really makes the pain worth it. – Ruta Grainyte 6. My friend and I use paint powder to create these colourful images that bring people joy - Sophie Lisney 7. This made me happy as it is the first ladybird I have seen this winter, and it’s nice to know that there is a whole other world that isn’t always seen by the naked eye. – Katie Smith

I am the one your heart least desires,

I am the one you never seek to find, I am the one you hope never to have.

You hate me, For I am a powerful force that you can’t control.

I cease you from smiling, laughing, yelling, jumping And smiling again.

I come about in many ways, Through death, through pain, through heartbreaks.

Little embrace me and many try to hide me, but It’s always evident in your eyes, Your big, bright, shining eyes which turn to a Small, lifeless, dull, ball at My presence.

I shrink you, Physically, emotionally and mentally.

I am not always bad, And I know that I have a special place deep inside your heart, For I know that if I gave you the power to get rid of me forever, You would keep me, Because I am in fact useful.

Do you realise that without me my brother happiness would mean nothing to you?

I am the one your heart least desires, I am the one you never seek to find, I am the one you hope never to have.

You hate me, And why wouldn’t you?

For I am sadness.

I am the one your heart truly desires, I am the one you seek to find, I am the one you hope to have, For a moment or a lifetime.

You can find me through many ways, Through music, through dance, through others And within yourself.

Once you have me, you can’t contain me, I am contagious.

I spread to those around you, Through my presence, my spirit, my aura And through how you express me : Smiling, laughing, yelling, jumping And smiling again.

Many make a loud fuss when they have me, Other make a quiet ruffle, Either way you choose, I know how much I mean to you, How much you try to hold on to me and never Let go.

For you fear that if I’m gone,you won’t be able to get me back, You will.

You can always find me again and again, And each time you do will be different than the last, No matter which way you try to find me, Find me within yourself and not through others.

I am the one your heart truly desires, I am the one you seek to find, I am the one you hope to have, For I am happiness.

You love me, For with me around, my brother happiness is surely around too.

Perhaps it’s achieving a goal you set or Getting the highest grade or Witnessing your students grow, Either way, I come through good news and achievements.

Smiling, laughing, yelling, jumping And smiling again.

There is a sharp spark in your eye, You place your hand on your chest to congratulate yourself, You pat yourself on the back to say : “Well done, I deserve it,” And you do.

You’ve worked hard and now I am here as a reward To you.

With all the celebrations you have, remember to stay Humble.

For I can easily become your worst trait, I can stop you from receiving any more praise, any more glory, any more recognition.

You need me.

Boost and you lose me.

I can last for a lifetime, The moment you brought me will always be memorable, And its significance shall never cease.

For some I’m hard to find, For others I’m easy to find, Don’t give up, keep working hard and you shall have me.

You love me, For I am pride.

I am a beautiful, precious thing that Strengthens the bond between your family, friends and partner, It’s what makes your stomach twirl and tighten at the sight of your crush, What makes you go the extra mile for those you love, Why parents sacrifice so much for their kids.

For some, hearing their partner say my name for the first time can bring Smiling, laughing, yelling, jumping And smiling again.

But for others that can also bring shock, confusion, worry, dismay, And shock again.

You all react to the sound of my name differently, For I am not like the others, I am far more complex, far more powerful, far more dangerous.

There is no standard way of expressing me, of describing me, of showing me, I am indescribable.

There is a constant battle between wanting to be me and Wanting to fall into me, Many will do anything for me, Just to feel me, just to have me.

Do not rush to say my name, do not rush to have me.

For I can become a toxic tool that brings out the worst in you, I cause you to do malicious things beyond your wildness imagination, Be careful in crossing boundaries for my name sake.

From generation to generation my meaning has slowly been watered down, I do not hold the same value and meaning as I used to, But that is okay, because I know that I am still beautiful and precious.

There is till a day dedicated to me, You still express me through my five languages, My meaning may have lessened but I am still as powerful as ever.

I am complex, powerful and dangerous but I am all worth it for the right person For I am love.

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Tips to handle your emotions Written by Nya Chen.

Designed by Zak Cronin.

Sometimes our emotions are so complex and difficult to understand that it’s hard to deal with them at times, especially when overwhelmed with them, whether that’s stress, grief, anxiety or confusion.

Life can be extremely challenging, as it exposes every one of us to testing situations where we find ourselves barely able to deal with what we are faced with, whether that’s exams, or a dreadful piece of news we have received, or even heartbreak. Events that really test who we are and our emotional well-being.

What I want you to realise is that there is a small thing that can make a difference in how you handle whatever situation you are in.

That small thing is self-care.

Self-care makes all the difference and here are some ways in which you can ensure that you are caring for yourself while going through difficult times.

Have time to yourself Take some time to withdraw from everything around you so that you can have some time to yourself, even if it means cancelling plans, your mental state is the most important! You need time to handle what it is you are going through, and you deserve some uninterrupted time to yourself if you want it.

Have some freedom Allow yourself to have some time to let your emotions go, you’ll feel a lot better – everyone has their own way of doing this whether that’s crying, ranting or doing something that requires a lot of energy that will serve as an outlet for emotions.

Talk to someone Make sure you have someone to talk to, whether that is someone who has been through the same thing as you, or someone you can trust, as bottling things up will only help to worsen how you feel. Talk about the way you feel so that people can help you, as they will understand that you are going through a difficult time.

Have fun Spend some time doing things YOU enjoy! Whether that’s binge-watching films after studying so you don’t feel as stressed, meditating or doing whatever makes you feel good.

Relax Spend some time pampering yourself, whether that’s taking time out of your day to have a peaceful bath.

Motivate yourself!

Recognise your own power! The situation you are in isn’t something you can’t strengthen yourself from. As overwhelming as the situation is, believe that you can overcome it in time especially after having time for yourself to deal with it. You have power over your own life, and you CAN handle this, but you won’t see that until you have had some time to recover.

‘But most of all, love yourself, and realise that you are amazing for having the strength that you already have, as well as the strength you will get from this situation.’

24th April 2013, the Rana Plaza factory, based in Bangladesh, collapses killing 1,138 people.

On the same day ‘Fashion Revolution’ is born.

Fashion Revolution Week commences in the week of 22nd April, and aims to spark awareness for the brutal practices of the fashion industry, through social media and events hosted globally. Using the hashtag #whomademyclothes, the week strives to not only expand people’s knowledge of the current state of the fashion industry, but also to pressure fashion brands into increasing the sustainability of their production, by way of encouraging them to become more transparent by disclosing the factories they produce their clothes in.

The organisation ‘Fashion Revolution’ was launched on the 24th April 2013 following the Rana Plaza factory collapse, by Carry Somers and Orsola de Castro, and since then they have been hosting events across the globe, publishing reports on the industry and teaching people everywhere, the impact their clothes and consumerism can have on the environment as well as its people. In 2017, two million people engaged with Fashion Revolution events, in order to try and change the course our fashion industry is currently set on. So, will you become a fashion revolutionary this time around?

Firstly, an understanding of the sustainable and ethical fashion industry is of course required.

Put briefly, a fashion industry that is sustainable is one that produces clothes that meet the needs of people today, but do not sacrifice the needs of the environment and people in the future. Therefore, the current trends of low pay, textile dye pollution and absurd water use are not sustainable, or ethical, yet an industry that reuses materials, pays their workers the legal amounts and focuses on creating more eco-friendly fibres is a step towards greater sustainability.

Secondly, join in the events being hosted at the

college. This year, the RAG society are hosting a selection of events throughout Fashion Revolution Week that aim to educate, spark awareness and inspire the Fashion Revolutionary in everyone.

In the words of journalist Gloria Steinem, “The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving”, so when we join forces and take steps towards a better future, that future will get brighter. More information on the events being hosted will be released soon.

Thirdly, head over to www. fashionrevolution.org for more information, and ideas, to stimulate the stylish, sustainable fashion revolutionary within you, including writing letters to policymakers, commandeering a ‘fashmob’ and free downloadable resources. Or, go ahead and post a picture of your clothes on social media using the hashtag #whomademyclothes, and tag the name of the brand to hopefully receive a direct response.

In conclusion, according to Fashion Revolution’s 2018 consumer survey, ‘more than one in three people consider social and environmental impacts when buying clothes’, and it is clear that if everyone took steps towards a cleaner and far more safer fashion industry, then events like the Rana Plaza disaster would be prevented in the future, and more garment workers would have the opportunity to proudly and happily say #imadeyourclothes.

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Let’s Talk About the F-Word Feminism.

Yes, roll your eyes, sigh in disgust, turn the page. I am going to write and I hope you are going to read.

I am a feminist. Recently converted, still naïve and learning. The aim of this article is not to implore you to think that feminism is the way for the future but merely to inform you of the movement and what it is, its purpose, its aims, its achievements. It would be impossible for me to offer a perfect definition of feminism and a solution to the movement’s goals. I can only educate myself as best as I can and offer an opinion that I strongly hope many of you may at least consider and understand; an opinion that will continue to evolve as I read and learn more, and continue to venture through life. This is what I have found and discovered.

Firstly, as with every movement, no matter how different, I believe the aim is the same.

Acknowledgement and respect. For the public to acknowledge that there is a problem within society, to respect the ones affected, respect their point of view and most importantly address the problem together. But this is just my personal belief.

Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.

This is the dictionary definition. From what I can infer, there is no implication of suppressing one gender or favoring the other. In fact, when I read this, the one thing I gather is that it’s about a basic principle of respect. I am not referring to respect ‘authority-wise’, I am referring to the respect of treating someone as a person; as treating someone as they should be treated which applies to everyone, regardless of who they may be.

This is the feminism I see when I look back at some of the first acts of feminism. When I look back to ancient Greece to the poet Sappho of Lesbos, I see someone who represented the freedom of expression. Her

poems celebrated female milestones such as puberty and childhood but, most importantly, passion between women, and it’s from her that we derived the word ‘lesbian’.

I continue to see this principle of respect in the 20th century, with Mary Astell, regarded as one of England’s first feminist pioneers.

Her writings such as ‘A Serious Proposal to Ladies’ advocated for women to lead their own lives, to defer from marriage if they felt it wasn’t for them - I see someone who argued for freedom of choice. This principle of respect is ever present in the work of Gloria Steinem in the 70s. Steinem worked frivolously as a journalist social issues such as domestic violence and child abuse as co-founder of the Ms magazine.

In every instance, I don’t see a fight against men, merely a fight for something better.

Women rising to the challenge to draw attention to their cause, gain the public’s acknowledgement, and most importantly take action to address it. I don’t see a fight against men, only one for a better society.

There is only so much I can learn by myself though. On Saturday 19th January, I attended the International Women’s March to talk to a few feminists and gain a first hand perspective of the movement. It was chilly, cloudy and grey. I lost feeling in my toes, fingers, and my left arm was pretty much dead.

Despite this, masses turned out armed with plaques and roses, marching for an end to austerity, justice and equality. They cheered each speaker as she approached the stand and proudly bellowed Whitney Houston’s ‘I’m Every Woman’. Feet stomping, flowers in hair, pink pussy hats on, these people were for a purpose. I talked to a few of these women to find out theirs.

Karen Grillo

Angela Muruli

Member of Forward UK - an organisation that safegurads and advocates for the rights of African women and children

Bea and Tahlia (left to right)

What is feminism to you?

Karen Grillo

To me, feminism is not only women understanding their power but men understanding and respecting that too. I feel like in our society, the media for example, perhaps our parents and older generation have tended to put women in a box but we’re so much more than just that one thing, whether that be affectional object, whether that be, you know, a mother, a housewife, we’re more than those things. Yes, we can be those things but we’re multifaceted, we can also be CEOs, we can also be, you know, good friends, we can be leaders, we can be all of these things, and I think, to me, feminism is knowing that and also putting that into action.

Angela Muruli, member of Forward UK Feminism is just equality among the sexes, period. So whether you’re a man, whether you’re a woman, whether you’re non-binary, it’s just equality across the board.

Tahlia Smith

It’s equality for all women, all around the world, no matter who they are what they look like what they’re going through, where they are everything. It needs to include them, it needs to make sure that the world and the world that they live in and everything that they come across, every single day is fair and equal and treats them exactly the same as men and just everything needs to be equal really, no matter what.

Bea

It’s equality for everyone. That’s literally all it is. Just for everyone.

Do think there are any misconceptions surrounding feminism?

Karen Grillo

Um, I think there’s a lot of misconceptions.

I feel like one of them is that feminists are angry and feminists hate men, I think, yeah, that’s completely false. I think, yes, feminists are passionate and there’s a lot to be angry about, but the point is not to kind of put ourselves in a position above men, the point is so that it’s a level playing field, and we need men on our side as well to kind of propel us forward to the place in society where we should be which is on a level playing field, so yeah.

Angela Muruli, member of Forward UK

Ummm yeah I think there are definitely. Number one that comes to mind right now is people thinking that feminism is loud, or feminism is rowdy or mistaking feminism for something that’s not important, something that’s being done just by attention seekers. Like people that want to dye their armpits, to people who don’t want to wear period pads when they’re on their period, but feminism is like so much more than that, and I think the general misconceptions are ones that are rooted in patronising the movement, so yeah that’s what I’d really say to that.

Tahlia Smith

Absolutely. A lot of people- there are some feminists who believe that women are held or should be held higher than men rather than equal, and that’s not the point. The point is equality at the end of the day... people think that feminists are angry and we’re after the things that they have, and like, taking it away from them, but that’s not it obviously.

Bea

Definitely, as she (Talia), said its, feminism is not about being angry and demanding that women deserve better than men. It should be equal and all we want is to be equal with men.

“The point is equality at the end of the day” Why did you become a feminist?

Karen Grillo

I feel like probably by speaking to other women, and also just looking at you know women who are empowered and strong in themselves, in the media; so for example, Michelle Obama is very inspirational for me... Looking at strong women in the media and also being around women who are feminists themselves, that’ll teach you how to... that kind of taught me what it is to be a feminist and why I should be that as well, and also helped me get rid of, kind of, problematic boxes that I used to put myself and other women in.

Angela Muruli, member of Forward UK Umm I think I was always raised a feminist. I can’t remember when I became a feminist. I think it was just always ingrained in me that I could do whatever I wanted to do irrespective of the fact that I was a woman and when I think, I consciously started following the movement, is when I realised that I had the privilege that I have simply because of fate, umm and other women or other (…) didn’t have access to that so for me, it was important that I have a voice for people who don’t have a voice. I think it’s our duty really.

Tahlia Smith

Because I’m a woman and I want to stand up for other women like me and not like me as well, and I just think it’s very important; someone has to do it, and everyone coming together, the more the merrier, literally.

Bea

It’s just the way I was raised, really. My mum raised me, like, on her own and I really respected how strong she was, and she raised me to be strong also, so that is why I am a feminist.

To look into feminism for myself was one thing, but to hear feminism from other feminists was another. I could honestly say that the women I interviewed were sincere in their convictions and reaffirmed for me the feminism that I saw for myself when I looked to the movement’s first beginnings. Not the feminism depicted by the media that fussed over Kleenex having ‘man-sized tissues’ or bra-burners that may come to mind to many of the public, but the woman seeking to create a better world, not just the Western one, and looking to men as their equals to help them do so.

If there is one thing I would and wish that you take away from this article it is this – don’t ever generalise. Once you generalise a group, you narrow your vision of the truth. The prejudice that derives from generalisation means you become aloof, you judge before you’ve even made a proper impression. Feminism is not women against men. I repeat, feminism is not women against men. It is the acknowledgement that, within society, there are problems that may divide us, but they don’t have to. Look at a person for who they are because whoever you meet in life, whether they be a man or a woman, they are NOT the representative for the human race, let alone their gender and so do not treat them as such.

Whatever, impression you make of that person, let it remain for that person alone. The actions of a few bad people do not defy the entirety of their gender, race, background or whatever it may be.

Treat each person with the respect they may or not be owed and maybe in this small way we could see equality of opportunity; begin to favour a fairer future and society.

Written by Gabrielle Prah.

Designed by Gabrielle Prah.

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Denovo investigation and the case of the missing hoodlum

Chapter Two Tears. It is up to you whether you think that having three types of tears is a good thing. Basal, the kind which is normally used to moisten our eyeballs, reflex, which protect your eyes from irritants and other foreign contaminants, such as the syn-Propanethial-S-oxide which is released when cutting onions and then there are emotional tears. When overcome with sadness, your limbic system recognizes this, and sends messages to the endocrine system, which activates those tears.

While they are a social mechanism for invoking sympathy and showing submission in a difficult situation, they are comprised of protein, the stress hormone ACTH, and a natural painkiller, enkephalin. Regardless of what it is, that is no excuse for Ms Weston to wail on my new carpet. After watching her weep for 15 minutes, I asked them to leave as they were no longer useful. Before they left, I enquired the name of this ‘Deno’. There was only one person who could help me, but I would have to make a quick stop on the way.

5pm There is always chaos at the bow road police

station, people running in and out, shouting at each other about reports that should have been written yesterday, all while it smells of a combination of B.o, coffee and other microwavable foods. From the blundering bills and the crooked criminals, I stuck out like a sore thumb. As I was waiting near the area dedicated to processing criminals, I was spotted by Sergeant Price, “Oi Brooks, come ‘ere, he’s here,” he shouted with a bullish smile.

A woman walked over wearing a grey suit; judging by the subtle makeup applied, energised face and an expression of actual interest in what Sergeant price has to say, she must be new.

“This is ‘im, you’ right Hannibal, we all call him Hannibal,”, he said, directed at Sergeant brooks. “This one time, I was put on a case to investigate a kidnapping; I just got promoted so I wanna do a good job. I study the scene for 2 hours, then Hannibal comes in sayin’ he’s working with inspector Deacon, licks the walls n’

sniff’s the floor like a f*cking labradoodle, and in 2 hours, he’s got where the kidnappers are holding the kids. B*stard’s a pain in the a*se.”

“Where’s Deacon?”, I asked, tired of the conversation.

“He’s in a meeting but it’ll finish soon”, Brooks replied.

After 5 minutes of waiting in his office, he came with an expression of excitement.

“You’ right Ani”, he sat down with a large exhale. “what can I do for you”.

“Martin Johnson”, I replied. “you’re joking, are you serious? He’s the CFO of one of the biggest insurance company in the UK and is armed with an army of lawyers. CORPORATE LAWYERS, by the way”, He said with a smug expression on his face.

do his bidding. After a few hours of contemplation at work, she succumb to her programming and reported back to me, as instructed when i ‘bumped’ into her at work dressed as the new caretaker, Phil.

Deacon sat, staring deep into the pictures of Martin shaking hands with a terrorist, discombobulated by what he had heard.

“Fine!” he suddenly said, “who do you want?”. “the full record of a Leslie Adjaye; goes by the name Deno.”, I said, peering over Deacon’s shoulders on the computer.

“Here”, he said, looking at a very skinny boy with dreadlocks.

“I don’t understand, he’s been done for possession of a weapon, possession of marijuana and theft; his just a low life, I don’t know, he seems pretty simple for you.”

“Elementary my dear Deacon”.

The envelope I brought was here to wipe it off.

6pm

As I dropped it on Deacon’s desk, his interest was piqued.

By using his file to find his whereabouts, I found Leslie sitting outside a fried chicken shop with three other hoodlums. They all sat on their bikes, whilst devouring a small box meal of chips and wings, which they callously discarded on the floor as they were finished. As I walked over, I could hear one of his compatriots make a comment about my shoes, telling his other friend ‘to look at my dead creps’.

“How on earth did you get these”, he said, whilst looking through them with intent.

“Abigail Johnson, his wife, I replied, as he gave me a perplexed expression.

“Hypnosis”.

“Get out,”.

“For a few weeks up till today, I have been studying, programming Mrs Johnson; bumping into her in various different places and leaving little notes, small phrases which invoked thoughts and emotions. Though Martin was cheating with his secretary again, I needed her to start observing, instead of just seeing, question her husband and his every whereabouts. She was like my personal spy, programmed to examine Martin for me.

She saw one of his texts this morning from his secretary, giving a location for them to “meet up”. Little did Abigail know that Martin was not going to meet up with 25 years old Alicia, but 56-years-old Abed Nasir, the leader of a rogue terrorist cell, who was being funded by Martin to

“Leslie!”, I said loudly at the foursome of foolish fiends.

Just as I said that, a very tall boy stood wearing a Moncler jacket; he seemed to have been in a fight, judging by the slight cuts on the sides of his arms, which imply defensive manoeuvre, additionally, there were cuts on his hand, which imply a hand to hand confrontation and finally the fact that he was favouring his left side, meaning that his adversary hit him with a pretty hard blow, possibly spraining his shoulder as a result.

“Who the F*ck do you think you are calling me by my government name”, he replied, making slight changes in his intimidating facade to mask the pain of his shoulder.

“You are Deno Right? I am here to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of your friend, Daniel Weston. You were the last person to see him, were you not?”. “ay look at this guy, my man’s wearing flowery socks bro,” one of his friends said laughingly to the other.

“Listen yea, you better dip before I do what I did to the last guy that was chatting sh*t”, He said, gesturing to a small knife which was concealed in his sleeve, the blade had clear remanence of blood.

I relocated his arm and let go, he and his friends got on their bikes and rode away. The food left on the floor resembled a crime scene.

9pm I spent hours casing the flats, learning about the history, it’s fairly new, the old site was renovated by some real estate company. First, a missing child and now a murder, Christmas came early. ‘The don’s boy’, so elegantly put by Leslie.

Whatever happened at the Eastridge Park Estate, Daniel is still in trouble.

9am

As he jerked forward with all of his weight applied to his right side, I used his force against him by moving aside while slightly tugging on his left arm. The result of which was a clear dislocation, judging by the scream I heard. Due to the severity of the pain, he dropped his weapon and yielded to me as I held his left arm against him, tugging at the ligaments. His cry contrasted his exterior impression.

His name was Junior Moses, he’s a warehouse worker who was caught with cocaine and theft back in 2008. After two years in jail for possession of a firearm, he was let out into a meaningless existence. He went from a life of crime to one where he’s pushing boxes 9 till 5. But old habits die hard.

“Did you know I learnt about a particularly impractical method of torture which involved dislocating and locating a shoulder from an ex-KGB agent,”. Another crack was heard as I relocated his shoulder, only to dislocate it again. “What happened to Daniel? tell me!”, I said as Leslie squealed under the pain.

Around 12pm, I went to his flat, his neighbours were all probably at work, so now was a perfect time. the staircase leading up to the flats were filthy, all marked with splodges of new tarmac and unidentifiable stains, with each step, a clear squelch was heard. As I got closer to the parade of doors, the walls were covered with spray paint and various ripped posters, stuck on top of each other. Similar to an old western, wrapping paper from a doner shop flew across my feet as I stood in front of Junior’s flat.

“okay okay, listen, man, please stop. I started working for this don who was pushing white, me, Daniel and a few other youts were delivering.

We’ve been doing it for a while, so the big man sent us to someone else, he was... different, he wanted us to make a delivery for someone he knows, he told us to be careful and told us if we messed up, he would know. We went to the flat to deliver the package, and the guy told us to chill while he tested the product, but after, he lost it, he picked up a handgun and was looking for the clip. That’s when Daniel picked up a kitchen knife...”

“The man you delivered to, who was he?” I asked, tightening my grip.

“He was the don’s boy”, he replied, exhaling heavily. “He lives in one of the flats at the Eastridge Park estate; He’s a big guy. Please let me go”.

12:15 pm

As I opened the door, which was thankfully left unlocked by Daniel as he fled the scene, the scent of decomposing flesh infested my nostrils.

There he was, laying there in a coagulated pool of his own blood. Leslie wasn’t lying when he said he was big, but then again, all of the gases in his body were bloating his remains. Since none of the neighbours have noticed the sulfur smell, Old junior here must not be one known for his good hygiene.

Judging by the repeated stab wounds to the superior mesenteric artery, the killer stabbed low with a great amount of force. Untidy, the distance between each incision implies that the killer was frantic with his movements, stabbing in and then out, in and out, in and out. Daniel was afraid. Other than that..., there were clear signs of chemical burns on his fingers and around

his nostrils. Poisoning? though it was hard to tell this early without any evidence, Seems Daniel wasn’t the only thing that killed Junior. I turned my attention to the rest of the flat to search for what junior knows about the people that kidnapped Daniel. It was a mess, clothes laying about, unwashed plates and small particulates of marijuana. As I searched his kitchen, I found the package the boys were sent to deliver spilt, within it was smaller packs filled with what I believe maybe cocaine. I took a small sample to analyze and carried on my search. As I went to his sty of a bedroom, I spotted a small pile of documents from his property owner; but it was not regarding his rent, but about a commercial land he has ownership to, it was a small warehouse in Croydon. As I inspected them, I came across multiple bank statements, where he spent thousands upon thousands on various branded clothes. Junior may have been a low life, but he didn’t shop like one.

Before I left with the sample and documents, I reported a dead body in the area to the police.

2pm I sat staring at the evidence. 5 grams of cocaine, ownership documents and bank statements. as I pondered, I heard thumping footstep before Aaliyah stormed into the Montague.

“Get out”, I said in a relaxed tone. “you are such a f*cking snake!”, she shouted back. “who the f*ck do you think you are tryna talk to Deno the way you did, what the f*ck did he do to you?”, she said, clapping her hands to emphasize what she was saying. “it’s none of your business”, I replied, dwelling at this conundrum.

“By the way, Deno is boys with my man, so it is my business, it is none of YOUR business,” she replied furiously.

“Frankly my dear, mankind is my business”, I said as I rose to make myself a cup of coffee.

“Go F*ck yourself. You think your someone bare important, but you’re just like the feds, going around butting into people’s business and judging them”.

“first and for most, I am most certainly not the feds and secondly, the people that I spoke to, the people you are proud to affiliate with, are noisy, obnoxious and frankly, idiots. They have caught my attention due to the heinous business they have contributed to. They chose to be in that position, due to the decision that they have made in their lives, regardless good or bad, the bill always comes due. You would know if you did anything meaningful with your existence apart from sleeping and shopping.

“You are such an Ar*ehole, as if I actually liked you, you have no one, no friends, family, nobody.”

“Good observation, you can close the door behind you”.

As she slammed the door, I stared deeply into my fingertips as they pressed together, the ink and blood blots that stained my skin. That’s when I remembered the chemical burns, I took the sample and put a small drop of indicator solution, it shows that the sample had a ph of 14. Death by sodium hydroxide, I knew it. Typically, its created in the oxidation process, but it’s always diluted down for your pleasure. This sample, these 5 grams of cocaine were meant to kill. Junior gets his delivery and ‘tries the product’, the moment the cocaine is inhaled, he starts feeling the effects, he realises he had been poisoned and decides to blame the messengers, at that moment, Daniel, fearing for his life, picks up the closest weapon and stabs him repeatedly. I emailed deacon to send me recent cases where the victims were killed by sodium hydroxide. While I waited, I questioned Junior’s contribution to this business, the boys were sent to deliver to him by someone else, someone DIFFERENT. Whoever this other ‘don’ was, he knew junior and wanted him dead.Deacon came back giving the files of two other victims that died similarly to Junior. They were all found in their homes after inhaling a sample of cocaine. Though they had noticed the high ph of the gastrointestinal content, as well as the necrosis of the respiratory system, they failed to notice the true link behind all of the deaths, not the use of poorly made drugs, but premeditated murder.

Upon inspection, I found that all three victims lived close to each other, and their names were all on the lease of the commercial land found in junior’s flat. All four men had large shares in a manufacturing company in London, UK’s

newest entrepreneurs open 3 new warehouses in London!, and now that they are dead, it all goes to one man. Michael Danson. Though his name was not on the lease, he was mentioned frequently in the company records. Regardless of Mike’s contribution, if he’s not on the lease, he doesn’t have a say in what is done with it; keeping in mind that this warehouse has 4 industrial ovens. Perfect for your heavy demanded product. A possible scenario, Junior owns a business with his mates making and selling cocaine. Business is going great, more Armani jackets and fancy Nike flip flops, we’ve even got a warehouse with big ovens to make all that cocaine. But big ole’ Mike gets left out of the lease and gets greedy, so he tells the workers to make a special batch just for his bezzie mates but tells them to forget about diluting it. They wind up dead from using sh*t drugs, and greedy Michael gets full ownership of the company, warehouses and the money.

frequently get up from their seats to look out the window. As the train started getting more packed, I got off the train to get the next one.

Money.

The behemoth of a man took me by the shoulders and walked me across the factory, while holding the machete near my back. The smell was quite pungent. As I walked through the factory floor, the air was polluted by a haze of gas, which blurred the impressions of workers as they stirred vigorously and poured like monotonous beings, the skin on their hands burnt, similar to juniors. Beside the door in each corner, there were the two industrial ovens, their mouths opened, releasing smoke and fire like hellhounds, guarding the devil. As I walked into the messy yet pollutant-free room, I saw Micheal in the flesh.

The source of all evil.

Though the lease says that they owned this land for 1 year, this location was not disclosed in the company’s public records. they must be working from this location.

6pm On the train, I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to encounter. Those men started their company years ago, they will have countless workers and enforcers to do as they please. Fear is in the combination of emotions that I am filled with.

When I was young, I would play a game on the train to practice my skills of observations, for instance, sitting across from me was a family from Sweden visiting London, judging from the fact that the top and bottom lips are drawn closer together as they pronounce certain phrases like window pane, as well as their lips, being well spread as they pronounce unrounded vowels. Additionally, the tag on the Dad’s bag says “ARN”, which means Arlanda airport, Stockholm, and is clearly from Norwegian air.

They’ve brought one bag, meaning that they spent the whole day sightseeing, furthermore, the children mentioned ‘stor ben’, being big ben in Swedish, and the tired expression of the parents, and the children’s excitement as they

7pm I was there. From the outside, the warehouse looked abandoned, a barren carpark, mossy cardboard covering the windows and an accumulation of waste placed around the building. though it is an impressive facade, there are tire tracks from a large lorry leading from the loading bay and small amounts of condensation leaving the warehouse. Pudding brains.

Seeing that there was no need for me to break in, I simply walked to the main entrance and knocked, I was answered by a particularly large fellow wearing a balaclava, he came armed with a machete.

“I’d like to talk to your manager please”.

“He stood outside and knocked on the door sir”, said the giant. “Why are you here, how did you find us,” Micheal asked, gobsmacked.

“It’s my business to find people. For instance, I have been hired to find Daniel Weston, I believe he was one of your deliverers. I am here to bring him home from this empire of drugs and murder.

“My friend, you are some dumb guy if you think you’re going to leave this place.”

“I thought you would say that, thus, I have prepared to make an exchange. if you give Daniel’s precise whereabouts and swear to me that he will never be contacted by your people, I shall not breathe a word of the devilish business you do. As I said that, Deno and his friends came to

the office wearing balaclavas.

“The f*ck are you doing here,” he said enraged. “your some dumb guy to come here”.

“Your manager said the same thing”, I replied attempting to de-escalate the situation.

“Do you know this guy”, Michael asked whilst starting to lose his temper. “yea boss, this guy came and f*cked me up to get info about Daniel, D*ckhead broke my arm for it.”

“Are you an idiot? you think you can come to my establishment after hurting my worker demanding information, oi you man!”, he said, calling two other gentlemen. They held me as Micheal Delivered blow upon blow to my stomach.

“Do you know who I am! you come here disrespecting me!” he shouted as he pelted me with punches. The boys from before joined as they kicked me in the thighs and punched me in the face. “io Deno, come ‘ere,” he said as he whispered in his ear. Deno came at me with full power, grunting with every punch. While Deno beat me to a pulp, I retreated to my mind palace. I woke to lay flat on the floor, while the glass chandelier reflected colourful beams on the purple carpet. I spent a lot of time here when I was growing up. When life was getting difficult, I would retreat to my mind. Typically, I would go through every room to reconsolidate my knowledge, but since I am in shock, all the rooms have disappeared. Her picture hasn’t faded.

As a last resort to remain conscious whilst my body is being beaten like a steak, I’m stuck here. I can still hear it happening, the grunts and the primal screams as i am bombarded with blows. As I attempted to stand, my body cried in agony, it manifested itself in the form of a high-pitched screech. While I faded in and out of consciousness, the lights flickered rapidly, it seems that two large gentlemen have now joined in. The hallway wasn’t playing any music like it normally does, but instead the muffled sound of a moving car. I never understood why my mind palace looked similar to the hotel from The Shining. Though I have never been interested to see the film, I can see the similarities from the patterned carpeting, the rooms, but

the chandelier is strange; it looks a lot like the one my grandfather had in his living room.

Drip, a small water droplet fell on the table.

I took a bucket to collect it, but it got bigger until it became a constant stream. It seems I have been dumped in a large body of water. As it continued to fall, it began to cover the floor.

Which was once a beautiful purple carpet, with red brush strokes, was now a damp-purple mess.

I tried to use the table to get to the chandelier, but my efforts were futile, the water rose and rose until I felt it envelop the bottom of my overcoat. The chandelier which once beams multiple colours, similar to when I would visit my grandfather, now shone red, poisoning that memory. The water grabbed my legs and pulled me down, but I refused to let go. Ironically, the speakers started playing The Water Rises by Laurie Anderson & the Kronos Quartet, a beautiful piece, but not appropriate for a man drowning in a pond. I’ve been in this situation before, not drowning, but facing against a foe very different to myself and feeling powerless.There was a time where I thought that using words could solve problems, but people showed me otherwise. As shown by Michael and his men, the world is not as diplomatic or logical as myself, it responds through pain and suffering, something I never understood. As the red lights too started to flicker in and out, I was still, completely submerged in the water. While muffled, I can still hear his laughter as I slowly fell into the bottomless pit of my mind, not even seeing her smile could save me, then complete darkness.

Written By Fahim Khan Designed by Sydney Merritt

Photography Challenge What is sentimental to you?

The Italian Pinecone -Leon Sweeting This is sentimental to me because it was given to me from a family friend and since they are pretty rare people usually do not know what they look like, since they are different to ones you might find in your local park.

A Friendly Dog -Caroline Daniel

Casio, cracking answers like pistachios -Zi Huang Maths drives my passion to explore the unlimited possibilities, with advanced technology that improves at a high speed.

The reason this is sentimental for me is that I have a passion for Business and Maths since they allow me to explore my potential in Economics.

It also provides the answers to the questions I ask and it enables me to physically visualise graphs.

The Lock Bridge -Isabella Pavitt This photo was taken in Norfolk where locals and visitors are encouraged to attach a lock to seal a memory; my family added our own lock so now we are part of the bridge!

The Park -Caroline Daniel Nature, it is something that I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get angry at and I love the way I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control it. I love parks and the way everyone is nice in the morning. There are smiles everywhere, I find it a nice environment.

Written and designed by Jessica Clark

Home-made beauty products

Sea salt toner:

-1 1/2 tsp of sea salt -2 cup/250ml of warm water -1-2 drops of lemon essential oil 1. Mix the salt and hot/warm water in a jug and wait for most of the salt to dissolve 2. Once most of the salt has dissolved and the water is lukewarm-cold, stir in the lemon essential oil 3. Transfer into the spray bottle using a funnel and store in the fridge.

-This toner contains sea salt which has many minerals that aid in healing spots. Lemon essential oil helps to brighten the complexion as well as having antiseptic properties that minimise the chance of spots. Use twice daily on a clean, dry face.

Moisturisng face mask: -1 tablespoon of honey -1 tablespoon of yoghurt -1 tablespoon of oats 1. Measure your ingredients into a small bowl 2.Stir together until combined and spread over a clean, dry face.

3. Leave on for 10-15 minute.

4. Rinse under warm water, massaging the mask into the skin as you remove it.

Pink body scrub: -60g Himilayan salt -This face mask will nourish and moisturise -60g Jojoba oil/almond oil -6 drops of essential oil of your choice so is especially good for dry or sensitive skin. This makes enough for one mask so use it straight away or store it in the fridge for 1.Mix all ingredients together and one-two days. pour into a small jar.

2. Apply as needed!

-Himilayan salt contains lots of minerals that will give you healthy, glowing skin. Jojoba and almond oil will soften and nourish. Store this scrub in a cool, dry place and use it one -two times a week.

Written and designed by Jessica Clark

Sunday Written by Harry Bruns Designed by Liam Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hanlon

The streams of light ripped into the room. The dust settled and the surrounding time fell to defeat, as if time itself had stopped. The bedroom finally bestowed expectation as the very room was asleep. It was a grand room, a chandelier on the ceiling, a comfy, king sized bed, books on the shelf, the remarks of a well-mannered and well-respected chap. He was anything but. A few glasses of brandy noted and the bottle in which the sin was committed. Yet no sign of stirring from the man who lay in bed engulfed by the dark depths of alcohol. The man seemed in his late forties and streaks of old lined his face. The brown hair of his mildly singed his face; his hairline cut simply and plain. A normal face but an abnormal look. One of anguish. One of pain. One of a dream.

A once quiet room powered into life as if a machine was being switched on. The air breathed and became excited. The books on the shelf longed to have their stories told. The room itself danced and jived. Manifest. The man’s brow crumpled to the room, fighting the room and consciousness. Laughter, crying and happiness entered the mind of the man. Screaming, pleading to be let go. Or for someone to not. Further pandemonium. More hysteria. The head grew wilder.

The face became more determined. The air rattled and cried.

Out of the shadows emerged a lifelike butler, like the older models - equipped with the black blazer, white shirt, bow tie, et all. He even had his name tag on saying Windsor.

Then, the man awoke.

Edward, however, at this point was slumped onto the chair and full of dejection. Windsor noticed this and moved forward to help comfort the fallen soldier and put a stiff but reassuring arm on his shoulder.

Gathering his breath, he sat upright and looked at his surroundings. Books were strewn on the floor, glass was shattered, and the windows were crying. The man looked unsurprised.

Hauling himself out of bed, the dark-haired male rubbed his eyes but could not rub everything away.

This is what we call guilt. He manoeuvred himself and stared out into the condensated window. He then pressed his finger towards the window and pressed with trepidation - the wet finger left to study in his mouth. Salt, he thought. Tears.

Putting on his t-shirt, he looked at the newspaper which had been slipped under his door. It read Sunday 2nd March 2052. Edward mumbled, “it’s just another hazy Sunday morning.” Walking out of the room, the streams of light engulfed it and the dust began to lay down waiting with time. The kitchen in which he had stepped into was large and had an air of exuberance about it.

Nothing in the fridge again. Edward had opened the door of the fridge and looked inside. Evidently, there was nothing considering the mouldy and dilapidated pizza boxes which mounted the tables like a monster from the sewers.

“Morning Master Smith.”

“Eh?” Edward was evidently reeling from the effects of his drink covered night.

“I said morning.”

“Oh. Yeah. Right I know.”

Out of the shadows emerged a lifelike butler, like the older models - equipped with the black blazer, white shirt, bow tie, et all. He even had his name tag on saying Windsor.

However, this butler was different. He was in fact part of the technology of the house and was a loyal and obedient bot. His features were that of a normal human butler but yet his expression was not. In fact, he was clunky and not very lifelike at all.

“Why am I like this Windy?”

“Like what, sir?”

“An idiot.”

“I don’t think you are, sir.”

Edward grimaced and sat up. Windsor had not reverted to his steady position of serving. Edward tilted his body to not confuse his dazed head.

“You would say that though, wouldn’t you?”

Edward retorted.

“Only too happy to serve my purpose, sir.”

With that Windsor exited the kitchen.

Edward stared into the deep space of the kitchen. The nightmares hadn’t stopped since he’d lost the people he’d cared for.

Still, why would he want to lose them?

After all, they were only dead when he was awake. When he was asleep and doused in whiskey they were there. And it was good.

See, the specialty of a telekinetically gifted person is to feel pain. Not the pain of oneself - although Edward felt like that - but the pain and anguish of thoughts of others.

Character Relationships in Film & TV *Spoiler WArning* Jim and Pam One of the character relationships that I found strongest in any television series I’ve seen is that of Jim and Pam. They are two characters who are from the US version of The Office and are based on Tim and Dawn from the UK version. I find the US version to be stronger than the UK version as for one, there are more episodes to watch, and two, there are more instances that we find that the characters are in love with each other. In this version, Jim is played by John Krasinski and Pam is played by Jenna Fischer.

To begin with, Jim, we can clearly see he likes Pam in a “more than a friend way” as he constantly gets up to go to her desk to enlist her help in pranking Dwight. It is complicated, however, by the fact that Pam is engaged and is due to be married to her partner Roy. The clever thing about this relationship is that we always see how Roy treats her as opposed to how Jim treats her. Jim knows how to play her and when they joke about in the office we know that they are more compatible as they share glances and jokes which either one of them will get. This is juxtaposed well in comparison to Roy who visits her in the office and takes their relationship for granted. He isn’t a bad guy. It’s just that him and Pam aren’t that compatible together and it’s obvious that when Pam is with him she feels embarrassed and uncomfortable. This is emphasized by the first episode of the second season “The Dundies” in which Pam drunkenly kisses Jim. This happens due to the fact that Roy treats Pam badly and she will always go running to Jim as they are more compatible and he makes her happier. I think that it’s also more important to outline the early seasons of The Office in depicting Jim and Pam’s relationship as the writers show their traits and personalities to show how tragic their situation is.

Jurassic World: Owen and Claire To summarise this already, this is NOT a good character relationship. For one, they have no chemistry. This is because we only get dialogue saying that they are romantically involved.

There is no inclination as to why they like each other or how they got to like each other it’s just put in there for no reason. It also does not add to the plot, for me, it is a way to bring both actors back for another movie and don’t get me started on just how poor this movie is. Owen is played by Chris Pratt and Claire is played by Bryce Dallas Howard.

When a character has very little chemistry with another character that they are supposed to be in love with, I find it very poor on the writer’s part. Jurassic Wold and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom are both very poor movies to the Jurassic Park franchise. One of the parts which makes it so pointless, is this relationship adds nothing to the plot. It gives the characters limited motivation and is just completely pointless. It’s like putting Mr Blobby in a Marvel movie – I don’t want to see Mr Blobby ruin something that’s great as he’s just a real pain. Anyway, it’s not to say that I don’t like these actors, I think the casting choice is great for them and I have the genuine belief that Chris Pratt is a somewhat modern-day Harrison Ford. They basically have a token kiss as apparently, they discussed how they felt about each other and that’s magically how a relationship works? There was no depth to each of the characters and it was a bad way of using these characters.

Shrek: Shrek and Donkey Ah it seems I’m reviewing these fantastic characters that have shaped the twenty-first century.

I think somebody once told me that these characters relationships would be weirdly good considering that they are fictional characters. Shrek, the titular character, is an ogre and Donkey, of course, is a donkey but he can talk. This isn’t so much a romantic relationship but a wholesome friendship that must be respected as the two has ingrained themselves into modern culture.

Shrek is voiced by Mike Myers (not the serial killer from Halloween) and Donkey is voiced by Eddie Murphy.

When we first see these characters, the viewer spots how different they are to each other. Shrek is a selfish and fearful ogre as opposed to the singing and dancing Donkey who likes nothing more but to talk about anything he can. This is the strength, I believe, about their friendship.

Having a friend who is an opposite is a good thing. It’s like having one friend who likes the cold and one friend who likes the heat. Yin and yang if you will. They are different as they showcase the good qualities about the other and show how each of them need a friend to rely on in order to survive. Furthermore, the viewer feels empathy for both of these characters and we feel a strong emotional connection throughout the whole franchise.

Written by Harry Bruns Designed by Liam O’Hanlon

The TV series “Riverdale” is a gripping, captivating and exciting story about a quiet little town named Riverdale. It is about the people that live in that town, but it is turned upside down when it is struck with the mysterious death of Jason Blossom, who’s the classic popular rich kid and a member of one of the most powerful families in town.

In order to solve this mystery, A boy named Archie and his friends; Betty, the perfect student and the classic girl next door, Jughead the sceptic outsider, Veronica the cold calculated ice queen who stands up for her friends and the Archie, the golden boy, the selfrighteous hero.

They team up to solve what they think is a murder but they end up uncovering secrets that lie buried deep beneath the surface of their home town. Riverdale is portrayed to be not as innocent as it seems.

In my opinion, this TV show carries an atmosphere of a gripping teen drama that compels the audience to dive deeper into the characters background and continue to strive to understand the real meaning of the plot.

Overall, Riverdale is found on Netflix, it has three seasons, the first season has 13 episodes, the second season has 22 episodes and the third season is currently being shown.

By Imani Patel

Dear Evan Hansen- Review Written and Designed by Bethany Smith

Dear Evan Hansen, was one of the most talked about musicals of 2017. Opening to rave reviews and standing ovations on Broadway.

It quickly created a firm fan base all over the world, to which I can proudly say I am a solid part of. What made it so different from most popular musicals is that it was brand new story never before heard of. However, you may have heard of the lyricists of the show; Ben Pasek and Justin Paul. The people behind La La Land and The Greatest Showman. They, together with the book writer Steven Levinson, worked on this musical for 6 years before it premiered at the Music Box theatre on 4th December 2016. The show included a star-studded cast including the extremely talented Ben Platt as the title character. An emotion rollercoaster of a show that connected with so many people so deeply and took hold of theatre fans hearts everywhere. Now to the plotâ&#x20AC;Ś.

The show focuses around a teenage boy Evan Hansen who suffers from extreme anxiety and struggles to make connections

with the people around him. He feels alone and isolated from everyone and everything. This loneliness is only further fuelled by social media and the social pressure to share your life with others. Evan wants more than anything to belong. His single parent mum struggles to cope with Evans needs while working as a nurse and attending college and his only connection at school is a loud, comedic character Jared who openly acknowledges to Evan how the friendship is very one sided. The only hope he clings onto is his crush Zoe murphy one day noticing him.

The story all starts from an assignment that Evans therapist gives him, telling him to write a letter to himself telling himself how good the day is going to be.

In the computer lab at school he writes one of these letters, detailing his feelings about how alone and isolated he feels and how he feels invisible to the world. As he exits the lab Con-

nor Murphy, a troubled kid who was infamous for being ‘a freak’ takes the letter and runs off with it, leaving Evan panicked.

The next day Evan gets called into the head teachers office where the Murphy’s parents are waiting for him. They explain to him how Connor had committed suicide and all that was with him was the letter. It became apparent that the Murphy’s believe that Connor wrote this letter as a suicide note to Evan and that they were best friends. After trying to dispel this he sees how desperate Cynthia Murphy is for something to grasp onto and decides to carry on the lie in order to help Connor’s parents cope with the loss of their son. The story develops, based around this lie that Evan keeps creating. He not only helps the family of Connor but also himself.

He starts to belong somewhere, surrounded by people who actually like him. The whole musical is a massive question. How far

would you go to belong? The audience is drawn into this massive dilemma where we know that what he’s doing is wrong and the characters know it’s wrong… but if everything that comes out of it is so good, is it still so wrong? I recommend this musical for anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong or fit in with the world around them or have felt distant from people. There is a character for everyone to connect with and a song for everyone to love. The full soundtrack is on YouTube to listen to. The musical is also coming to London November 2017 but if you can’t go to that or if theatres aren’t really your thing, the writer of the show recently turned it into a book that you can purchase from most book stores and online. I rate this musical 10/10 and think everyone should have a chance to experience this musical (but you might need tissues on standby!)

Ask Teachers Questions Games Development Edition - Chris and Stuart Written by Zak Cronin.

Q:Are there possibilities for more gaming clubs for games such as CS:GO and LoL? S: Chris did try and set up a LOL club the first year he started with us. The problems we always run into is that the setup for the college is a lot more locked down in terms of firewalls and protection for staff and students when it comes to internet and online capabilities. As helpful and as hardworking as our IT support team is sometimes it just too tricky to open up certain aspects of these security systems to allow big online multiplayer games like this within college.

We will continue to try and see what clubs we can offer with our evolving setup.

C: We had a League of Legends club, but only about three people turned up all year.

I have now focused my energies on Super Smash Brothers - Tuesdays for first years, Wednesday for second years, 2.30pm in M104.

Q:Did God of War deserve game of the year, if not what would you have picked and why?

S: Yes, very much so. The game itself as a stand alone game I thought was outstanding and for me was one of those that I played through quite quickly as I was engrossed in the narrative from the start. It was simple to play but could be tricky to master and looked and sounded amazing throughout.

On top of this the developers managed to rework a beloved style of game play and genre into a more modern and updated setup. So they pleased two factions of fans, those wanting to carry on the story of Kratos from the previous games they enjoyed

and those newcomers to the franchise that were used to a different style of game play from modern games. Not the only pick there have been a wealth of great games this year but definitely deserved.

C: God of War had some very impressive visuals, a good storyline and some good solid fatherhood themes, and was certainly deserving of GOTY. That said, there were some fantastic games that were equally deserving: Minit, Celeste, Donut County, Nino Kuni II, Gris, My Child Lebensborn, and of course, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. My personal choice for pure enjoyment would have to be SSBU, but for hours played it would have to have been Monster Hunter World I am very biased towards dinosaur games, it would seem.

If any of my students are reading, they know that I am lying and think that Dragon Warrior Monsters for the Game Boy Colour is the best game of 2018, even though it was released in 1999 - but I must at least attempt to be up-to-date with the goings-on in the games industry.

Q:Have you watched/donated to the Yogscast Jingle Jam? S: I normally watch parts of it through catch up videos in the evenings and have donated through Humble Bundle before. A great idea for some great causes, maybe something we could do if the college had any fundraising plans in the future, who knows?

C: No, but I do regularly watch and donate to Games Done Quick (GDQ), a biannual

speedrunning convention who support a very worthy cause, and is also an incredibly satisfying watch.

Q:Why do you use Stencyl instead of Construct2?

S: Two reasons really. When the course was setup we had help from the University of East London and they used Stencyl in their first year to develop some skills for their learners. We did the same in our first year as it was a good engine to develop skills for those not used to programming and some of the logic based learning we have to develop. The second reason is that it’s free.

When we started it was free for us but also free for students to download and develop their work at home as well. Construct when we checked last would cost us as a college to add to all machines and currently we decided that the change wouldn’t benefit enough to swap, we can see the differences but have to make a call based on a number of considerations.

C: Get out of here, Peter!

Q:Why hasn’t lemmings been on a modern console since SNES and is this likely to change?

S: Not sure? The last big release was on the PS Vita in 2014, it is a great game and there have been a number of ‘Worms’ iterations across the modern consoles but no Lemmings. With a little bit of digging it seems Sony have the licence at the moment so again interesting why they haven’t released anything yet, but they are bringing out more and more remasters of classic titles to good reception, so who knows, maybe it’s a matter of time. Some good news, they have released a mobile version in December 2018 on iOS and Android so maybe try this, let us know what you think.

C: Lemmings is a fantastic game, and my wife is an avid fan! It was planned to appear on the iOS store, but Sony issued a cease-and-desist. Who knows what those little guys are up to now!

Q:What football team do you support?

S: I don’t really follow football, but I fol-

low West Ham when I do. I personally prefer rugby and follow Saracens.

C: According to my brother I support Southampton FC, but I really support the Springhill Dads Football Club, a enthusiastic bunch of dads that I used to watch back home when I was about 8 years old.

My dad and uncles used to play - now they don’t do the football bit, but do join in the post-game meetups.

Is teaching stressful and how do you deal with it?

S: Yes! It can be very stressful. You’re always thinking two steps ahead of yourself and trying to juggle interesting and creative lessons, with effective and developed feedback/marking for the students in your care. We try and make sure that students are growing as human beings as well as in their subject knowledge and skill set and all of this whilst trying to make sure everyone is safe and happy in their learning environment. For Chris and I we are also always trying to develop our knowledge of industry standard software and coding, that changes really quickly alongside all of this. How do we deal with it?, well, being able to see students develop and grow is a huge reward. As they find jobs, get university placements - it makes it very worthwhile. We also get to teach what we love, I’ve learnt about games and styles of games from my students throughout the years I’ve been teaching. This is great for me personally but also makes me a better teacher. Each year I learn from my students and that is very rewarding (if not a little pricey every now and then then as I buy new games!). Other ways I ‘deal’ with the stress. I run, I walk my dog, I watch too many films, they all help.

C: Teaching involves a lot of elements marking, planning, research, students but all in all my job is fantastic. I get to help the next generation of games designers, and that’s an absolute privilege.

Ask Teachers Questions

Q:Is there anything you wish you taught but can’t?

S: I would love to be able to develop something in the world of motion capture. Being able to develop how our movements can be translated into the game engines we use would be amazing but the setup is very pricey. We now have the new TV studio with some state of the art cameras so I’m hoping this will allow us to make steps in the right direction for future projects.

Q:What’s your favourite game and why?

S: Huge question! For me it’s the Uncharted series. If you had to make me choose one then it would be either 2 or 4. The whole action adventure genre is a favourite of mine but Nathan Drakes adventures really spoke to me as they came out and I poured over them each time they were release. I loved the way that the narrative was like an Indiana Jones movie but more relateable in ways a movie can’t be. I was the adventurer, I was controlling the story in some way and interacting with the evil organisations in may way, or trying to save my partner. Uncharted for me is story telling perfection!

C: I’ll give you the top 5.

1 - Dragon Warrior Monsters (GBC) A fantastic monster training RPG that Pokemon in all its outing still can’t beat.

The gameplay is great (if a little repetitive), the music is in parts both exciting and melancholic, and the storyline is brilliant. I play it through at least once a year.

2 - Chibi-Robo (NGC) A sweet game about a tiny robot who makes the world a better place. You clean carpets with a toothbrush, and save the world!

3 - Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (NGC) A platformer you play with bongos. It has great character, and the levels are just so well designed. Also, it is absolutely pure satisfying fun.

4 - Super Mario 64 (N64) The original and best 3D platformer. You could also try Banjo-Kazooie (N64), Super Mario Odyssey (NS) and Super Mario Sunshine (NGC), but this has a special place in my heart.

5 - WarioWare (GBA, NGC, NDS, WII, 3DS) Microgames served at lightning speed. Fun gameplay at its best.

Q:Who is better at Smash Bros (Chris or Stuart)?

S: Chris, 100% Chris! I’m pants…

C: Don’t believe the rumours, I am terrible at Smash Bros. - I just enjoy it a lot!

We’ve never played each other! I may have an edge due to playing it for 19 years, but that doesn’t stop me getting obliterated every week by people who only picked it up this year Q:Why choose to teach games development instead of going into the industry yourselves?

S: I’m a graphic designer by trade and spent 10 years in the publishing industry until I wanted a different challenge and decided to become a teacher and teach GCSE ICT for the first 7 years of my teaching career.

I then was able to take up the opportunity of teaching games development at Havering Sixth Form College. I’ve always loved games but never thought about pushing myself into learning how to break into that industry. It’s something I look back on with a little regret now, but I love being able to inspire and enthuse the next generation and as I mentioned before they show me stuff I would never have thought of exploring in the world of gaming. You never know, maybe in the future a little sideline at the weekend and I could still make a mark on the gaming world.

trying; you will need to look after yourself.

All of these things are important to be a good games designer (and a good person).

As to courses and work, start on the BTEC with us, find a course at university that suits your particular skills - but build your skills outside of qualifications. You need to do things yourself, hone your skills, and build a portfolio of work. People who have gone far in the games industry from our course are the ones that put in the effort, built a good portfolio of work and experience and did so independently, on top of completing assignments and the suchlike.

Join a GameJam, follow designers on Twitter, get involved and interested!

C: Someone needs to guide all these students on the proper path! The games industry is a great place and a scary place, and it’s important to make sure that people are prepared in many different ways.

S: The one we have found to be the most rewarding and accessible across different levels is EGX and EGX Rezzed (indie focused conference). Rezzed has always been London based and EGX has been in Birmingham. Each year we try and get our students along to both to here from and meet with developers. So if you want to start somewhere, start with these.

Q:In the game industry, what are the core features you need to possess to find work and what courses do you need to get into the industry?

S: Well you need to be on our course for a start :). You need to be able to sell yourself, the industry is one of the fastest growing in the world at the moment and as such work and roles do become available but you’ve got to be competitive. So if you can build together a good and interesting portfolio, be able to speak passionately and intelligently about the industry and a wide variety of gaming examples in that industry then you’re off to a good start.

We try and develop that in the students on our course and then try and find courses that suit them as they move forward into University and the next stage of their development.

C: You need patience, kindness, practice, persistence, and self-care.

Your games will fail, and crash, and get bad reviews; you will meet harsh criticism and nastiness; you will need to constantly evolve your skills; you will need to keep

Q:What is the best gaming/technology event to go to in the UK/London?

C: Here you go: https://games.london/

I have looked at the trailer for this many time over and I can say that I am really looking forward to this game due to the fact that not only does it look amazing in terms of graphics but also that the gameplay I have seen has really brought across each character in their own way. The diversity of the choice of anime characters to choose from looks great from first glance and after spending time watching the trailers, i can say that they have so much room for more characters in the future.

The graphics for this game look amazing, they really bring the viewer into the game because they make the scenes look epic and serious which is the whole point of the game to make the player feel as if they are commanding epic battles between intense anime characters of all types and backgrounds. As well as that, the game looks great because they have used elements from the animes from which the characters are from and by doing so it makes the player feel as if they are in the anime and are part of the epic battles that are about to take place.

The character design looks amazing and this is coming from someone that loves anime and has watched nearly as all the series from which these characters are from and this game for me really has done well in choosing the which characters to put into this game from the vast array of people to choose from. The character design for this game looks great and also, they have taken a lot of the special moves from the animes and them added them to the characters in

the game and that for me is great because these characters work off of their special moves and the animations of this game look amazing and thoroughly worked on.

The gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environment and how it feels is really well done and makes me as a viewer feel as if I am there in the streets guiding and taking part in these epic battles surrounded by all the characters that I have watch on the tv or read in the mangas. Also, this games environment gives the feeling that the creators of this game have really put time and effort into making these characters that we all love to watch go wild of tv or in manga come to life in a epic cross anime fighting game and I personally think that this game will be amazing simply just for that fact alone.

The music and sounds for this game are also one of the big pluses for this game as the creators have decided to use the characters original Japanese voices and have also given the option for the English voices as well which is great for people that have watched the anime or not. The sound effects for this game are great as they really bring across the strength and force of the characters and their attacks and also the noises for this game when the players are interacting or reacting to attacks are great to listen to as well.

In conclusion, I believe that Jump Force will be an amazing anime fighting game because of the choice of characters, the visuals and the sounds are all great when put together as one body and this produces a game which I believe will be one that people will be playing for a long time.

Also, this game will introduce people to anime which will be great as well because this will in turn make this game and anime even more popular.

Written by Daniel Oakes.

Designed by Gabrielle Prah.

Outlast 2 Outlast 2 is a single-player, first person survival horror game released on April 25, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and on March 27, 2018 for Nintendo Switch.

In Outlast 2, you play as a journalist investigating a mysterious suicide when the helicopter you are on crashes, and your wife disappears.

While you are looking for her you are chased by mentally ill members of a religious cult who are trying to kill you. The only way to escape is to try to hide under beds or inside barrels while you are trying to solve several puzzle like tasks that help you progress through the storyline.

The game could be considered one of the scariest games of all time due to its realistic and highly detailed gory visuals, well timed audio effects and lack of combat system leaving the player completely defenceless as he canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything but run and hide.

The detailed graphics mixed with twisted religious imagery and combined with the protagonistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consistent hallucinations contribute to the mysterious and bone-chilling narrative of the game. Despite mostly confusing the player about the storyline of the game, as no backstory is given in the beginning, they are used as one of the few hints of how to progress in the game notable examples being the path made by dead birds leading to a mine and bloody hand marks leading to the next game objective on few parts of the game.

The audio is one of the best aspects that contributes to the horrifying experience in Outlast 2. The game mostly uses prolonged low tones which create false sense of security in between jump scares and enemy encounters. Due to the inability to fight enemies background noises become huge focus of the game as they can indicate enemy position however they are also mixed with high frequency noises such as the distant screams, distorted voices and squeaky doors which are designed to keep the players on the edge.

Despite the great world building of Outlast 2 the gameplay seems repetitive and frustrating, unlike the original Outlast its sequel gives the player more open space to explore and hide however the game has a designated path that must be followed to progress which the player has to navigate to with little to no direct hints. This results on the player dying multiple times in one section of the game due to being unable to find the exit.

Overall Outlast 2 gives a truly horrifying experience with lasting thoughts about the plot, however it can also be extremely frustrating and boring due to the gameplay mechanics. I would recommend it for people who really enjoy horror and the adrenaline they give.

Written by Eva Gerdzhikova Designed by Harry Bruns

Game Review: Pokemon Sun and Moon Written by Katelyn Allen.

Designed by Gabrielle Prah.

Pokemon Sun and Moon are part of the new generation 7 main series titles, set in the Alola region. Being the first entry in gen 7, Pokemon Sun and Moon were first to introduce many new features such as over 80 new Pokemon, Alolan forms of older Pokemon, and the new Z-moves. Z-moves are equippable items, which can be used to power up one attack of a certain type, but only one can be used per battle. There are also some species exclusive Z-moves, which are given to some older Pokemon that did not receive an Alolan form, or new Pokemon such as the starters, which are the main faces of the generation.

These Z-moves are basically the equivalent of Mega Evolutions for moves, allowing for players to get one big hit in, or for competitive battlers non-attacking moves can gain additional effects when in their Z powered form.

Of course, a big part of any new generation is the new Pokemon. While Sun and Moon introduce the second lowest amount of new Pokemon of any generation, almost every single Pokemon introduced has a unique attribute which makes them all stand out, something that blends in well with the vibrant and exotic colours of the Hawaiian based Alola region. Whether it’s the newly introduced Alolan forms bringing new life into older generation 1 Pokemon, one of the many new exclusive abilities on almost every new Pokemon, new exclusive moves, new Ultra Beasts (Pokemon from different dimensions which almost all have polarising and unique stat spreads), evolv-

ing legendries, or having one of many new forms, almost every Pokemon has something unique to make them stand out. One problem with the new Pokemon is most of the are very slow, while a few are extremely fast, there is no middle ground. This works fine in the game but online in competitive play it makes most of the new Pokemon struggle, especially in the current format focused mostly around speed.

Sun and Moon are the second games to have a focus on story, the first being Black and White. The games story revolves around Lillie and her journey, which is unique to see as she doesn’t train Pokemon, making her story different to Black and White’s focus on the character N. While I didn’t see the twist in her story while playing the game, on a second playthrough I saw many hints towards the twist, making it less out of the blue than I first thought. The family focused story has a heart-warming ending which ties most main characters stories up nicely, excluding Hau, the main rival, who’s story is separate to the others but plays nicely on the stereotypical ‘friendly rival’. While in Sun and Moon Hau may seem like another friendly rival the Pokemon games give fans, his changes in the rereleased versions, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, do fix these problems, so they aren’t too serious.

Alongside new Pokemon, the Pokedex features 300 Pokemon, allowing for a lot of variety in teams, allowing for a lot of re-

playability. While the introduction is slow, the vast amount of Pokemon in the first route makes every team unique, and makes up for the slow start. The Pokemon can get repetitive when Gumshoos, Raticate, and Pelipper are on many routes in the game, each route usually has a unique Pokemon that encourages exploration in a game that’s fairly open compared to generation 6, although the Dex Nav feature being missing in this generation is disappointing, as it would have been amazing to use for Pokemon such as Mareanie. Many routes have multiple paths and the game features areas that the player doesn’t visit during the story. While the story is very linear, the player is still free to explore many areas, which helps sell the idea of it being the players own personal journey.

Another great aspect of the game is its soundtrack including the opening theme, the Kahuna, rival, Elite Four, and Island Guardian battle themes, which all feature unique and Hawaiian-esque sounds that give the region its own sound, while still letting each track be unique. The soundtrack also includes a lot of vocals, which helps the game stand out from the other generations.

While the audio is amazing, the limited 3Ds screen hurts the visuals, leaving much to be desired. While the Z-move animations do look clean, the rest of the game struggles, especially when the region is supposed to be vibrant and full of unique colours.

While the visuals may not be as impressive, the vast range of characters the player meets are all fun and interesting. Ranging from the expressive and caring Professor Kukui to the laid back and uncaring Nanu, each character makes the Alola region feel even more alive and varied, and giving a distinct feel to each of the four islands. Some of the main characters are the Trial Captains, the Alola regions equivalent of Gym Leaders. Instead of collecting 8 badges from Gyms like in other games, in Alola the player must defeat every Trial before challenging the newly built Pokemon League. These trials have the player facing one wild Pokemon, instead of a trainer battle, and these battles against Totem Pokemon are much harder than any gym.

In the Alola region, wild Pokemon call for allies, making a two on one battle, and every Totem Pokemon can call upon different allies to help in their strategies, alongside each Totem Pokemon receive a major boost to one of its stats.

While some Totem Pokemon such as Totem Raticate and Totem Salazzle may not have cohesive strategies, others have unique strategies that almost certainly ensure the player will need a rematch and to change their own strategy. One of the standout Totem Pokemon is Totem Lurantis, which covers many of its weaknesses with its varied allies and moveset. Lurantis itself has a move that has to charge unless its in sunny weather, and a healing move that’s better in sunny weather, and one of its allies, Castform, can summon sunny weather, which strengthens Lurantis, even though its a grass type Pokemon. Lurantis’ other ally is a flying type, and all of these Pokemon together cover almost all of Lurantis’ weaknesses, making it a very difficult fight. The variance in difficult throughout the game can make some battles feel underwhelming, especially later on in the story, but with a champion that can be a challenge for some players, the game ends on a battle representing the game as a whole, tough at some points, but overall its all about journeying around the region and meeting people on the way.

Overall, while Pokemon may have reached its limit on the 3Ds, moving on to the Nintendo Switch, this generation is an amazing send off, with a ton of unique Pokemon, giving old Pokemon new light, a story with a humbling ending, and a ton of new features that improved the series as a whole.

These games started of one of the franchises best generations, and have made an example of how a new Pokemon game should be made.

GTA V Review Written by Zak Cronin GTA V created by Rockstar Games in 2013 takes the franchise to a whole nother level, the graphics are once again improved and stunning as usual helping to create a real feel of the city Los Santos making it as realistic as possible. Day and night cycles produce this continuous flow of always something happening during your gameplay experience.

The single player story showcases the cast of a kid, an alcoholic and a crazy canadian all trying to deal with different parents of their life like family while also teaming up to do multiple heists, sadly you aren’t really rewarded for completing the story the characters themselves and themselves are already rewarding enough as there’s never a dull moment or piece of dialogue. Most people however would agree that single player shines with the modding community, from being able to import custom models of their favourite characters to utterly destroying the original look of gta v.

GTA V isn’t all about killing though, Rockstar have added multiple minigames across the map including tennis, golf, hunting and yoga, while it might not be the most fun in the world it adds diversity and can offer relaxation to the endless hours you’ve been shooting someone. Customization is also a big part of the game with locations of clothing shops, barbers and tattoo parlours, allowing you to look like a business man or dress up as an animal. After completing the main mission there isn’t that much left to do in singleplayer, the fact that no dlc has been added to singleplayer which is surprising considering aliens ex-

ist in the world, forcing people to go to the online mode or find a different game to play What truly shines however is the online mode, which essentially saved GTA V from fading into existence with the release of new games, making it one of the most popular games at its time. It’s still updated with dlc which adds new missions and more crazy vehicles to the mix, adding features that the players of the game really wanted. By far the most popular mode is racing, where you can race with your friends or against others in cars, boats and planes.

And over the years the game has become even more wackier, whether that is a good thing or bad thing is opinionated.

Sometimes this would be acceptable but since the game already costs £30 you shouldn’t be forced to spend more money in order to play the game.

However to have fun in online it’s actively easier to buy a shark card to give you in game money rather than trying to grind it out as you’ll be weaponless, have no cars and can’t compete in a lot of the online modes. Sometimes this would be acceptable but since the game already costs £30 you shouldn’t be forced to spend more money in order to play the game. And that’s not to mention the fact that you’ll likely run into some guys in jets or tanks while trying to deliver a car with the least amount of damage as possible to a garage, and sure you could start a private lobby which many players do when they

just want to play with their friends but players shouldn’t have to actively avoid the main online in order to have fun and it can get quite boring.

It’s also worth mentioning that compared to the singleplayer mode the game feels rather empty, your character hasn’t really got a voice and has no story to follow.

Overall the game creates a lot of diversity by taking things from fps’s, racing and sport games, combining them all into one for your enjoyment while also giving you plently of options when it comes to your character in both looks and choices that you have to make. 5 years from it’s release and it is still thriving strongly being within the top 10 most played on Steam and top 20 most watched on Twitch.

I would definatly recommend the game as it is fun with friends and has a lot of activites to do, since it looks like a long time since the next GTA game it seems ideal to play the game especially since it is being updated a long side Read Dead Redemption 2 and is regularly on sales.

MANY THANKS TO OUR ENRICHMENT TEAM Jesutomisin Adeagbo Harry Bruns Jess Clark Zak Cronin Fahim Khan Jasmine Leake Grant MacMaster Omair Malik Sydney Merritt Liam Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hanlon Isabella Pavitt Gabrielle Prah Jessica Clark Bethany Smith Imani Patel FACILITATED BY Stephanie Sekula Nikki Onafuye