The Warrior Apollo: Volume Two // Issue One // October 2019

VOLUME TWO ISSUE ONE OCTOBER 2019

submissions policy The Warrior Apollo accepts all art, literature, music, fashion and photography submissions by all current Westside students and publishes it in a magazine format. A student may submit as much work as desired. If you wish to submit your work by paper, stop by the journalism hallway, rooms 251-253, and pass on your work to either the Editors-in-Chief Vincent Nelson, Elliot Evans, or journalism advisors Jerred Zegelis and Timothy Kaldahl. The Warrior Apollo does not accept any work that may be considered offensive and reserves the right to reject and edit content for any reason. Please direct any questions to the Editors-in-Chief. Submit digitally at thewarriorapollo.com

staff

Vinny Nelson, Editor-in-Chief Elliot Evans, Editor-in-Chief Natalie Gill, Managing Editor Isabel Headlee, Staff Rachel Tonniges, Staff Reese Pike, Copy Editor

table of contents Letter from the Editors..................................................04 Art by Paul Nelson, Design by Vinny Nelson

“Eyes of the Seasons”..................................................06 Story and Art by Eisley Yuipco, Design by Elliot Evans

Portfolio: Mena Sullivan................................................08 Art by Mena Sullivan, Design by Vinny Nelson and Isabel Headlee

“Just Two More Pounds”..............................................10 Poem by Ella Kirkpatrick, Photos by Cassandra Shea, Design by Elliot Evans

Feature: Garst on Tour..................................................12 Story and Design by Vinny Nelson

Q & A with Elizabeth Grantham & Aniya Kreifels.......14 Story and Design by Vinny Nelson

Excerpt from “The Conquer”........................................16 Story by Elizabeth Grantham & Aniya Kreifels, Design by Vinny Nelson

Q & A with Westside Artists..........................................18 Story by Isabel Headlee, Design by Elliot Evans

Moo Are You Eating?.....................................................20 Story, Art and Design By Natalie Gill

Horoscopes....................................................................22 Story, Graphics and Design By Elliot Evans

Westside High School 8701 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68144

elcome to the first issue of The Warrior Apollo, volume two! The Apollo is Westside’s new literary arts magazine which showcases the student body of Westside who are not currently represented by other publications. There has always been a place for hard news and sports coverage in Westside’s journalism program, but the opinions of students and showcasing the art they make is often left behind. We aren’t a typical literary magazine: Apollo’s staff creates our own content too, ranging from creative writing to student features. If you are interested in contributing your art or words, visit our website at thewarriorapollo.com to submit online. If you have any questions or comments, email us at evans549@westside66.net or nelson409@ westside66.net. Email our advisers at kaldahl.timothy@westside66.net or zegelis. jerred@westside66.net. We hope you enjoy the issue!

Your Editors, Vinny Nelson and Elliot Evans

“EYES OF THE SEASONS” midst the sea of people, you were shining. A dahlia growing out of concrete, I couldn’t look away from your triumphant smile. Thinking of you caused my chest and face to burn, yet I threw it aside, blaming it on the summer heat. On one July night, where the sidewalk seemed to stick to our skin, the fireflies and fireworks couldn’t compare to the fire I saw in your eyes. They shone.

They shone like the sun, and it took my breath away. Maybe the sun really was in your eyes, because I could never really meet them. We met again on a rainy day.

I had a hard time breathing, but I wasn’t sure if that was because of the humidity or you. You joined me as I entered a neighborhood store to buy myself a popsicle. I needed some way to cool down.

Walking out, I asked you if you were going home. In front of the convenience store, with our ice creams in hand, you told me something in the dreary rain. You told me all about how anyone you lived with could care less where you went and how no one would notice if you were gone, so it didn’t matter if you took a short detour. You said this with a laugh, like the morning rays peeking through your blinds. I saw no summer storms and thunder in your eyes, and though it was raining, they had no trace of clouds in them. You had learned to shine through summer’s storms, and the more raindrops that fell, the wider your smile was. That summer, I decided to smile more, with radiance like yours, ignoring the thunder claps and lightning strikes in the distance.

A

y inspiration for the writing was a person I met a few years ago. I know it’s super cheesy, but I thought they embodied summer itself as a person. I liked this person, and I wanted to express that with language that related

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to summer. The way they shone and how warm they were, I wanted to capture that. My "Eyes of the Seasons" writings cover four people I've met over the years who I still think about whenever their season rolls in.

EM PO

EISLEY YUIPCO RT BY A D AN

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hen submitting, I just threw a bunch of stuff in. It’s cool how I can make all of these individual pieces without trying to make them connect, and they still have a distinct style. I get a lot of my inspiration from the artists I follow on Instagram. I like painting people so I can practice. When you can see people every day, you can better understand the process. I really enjoy having people be the subject of my art.�

JUST TWO MORE POUNDS kept telling myself, “Just lose two more pounds and you'll be happier, satisfied, maybe even worth something.

But don't exceed 600 calories a day or you'll never be beautiful.

No carbs, no sugar, no fat, no fluids.”

I

I had myself convinced that empty was strong.

I was brainwashed to think that not eating is one step closer to being just as pretty as everyone else.

But not eating is just one step closer to dying.

I was committing a slow suicide, shedding my dignity with every inch of my body.

Literally starving for a sense of control.

Each day I

Trigger Warning: This content includes description of an eating disorder and negative body image. National Eating Disorder Association Hotline: +1 (800) 931-2237

stepped on the scale, the numbers taunted me, flooding my brain with insecurity and guilt that turned my hair into nothing but a few thin strands of dark brown twine.

Wherever I went, tears drenched my colorless, sunken-in face as I pinched each roll of fat plastered onto my body like a permanent sumo suit.

I was winded going up stairs, for all I was surviving on was sugar free gum and ice cubes my hip bones grew sharp like the blades I dug into my wrists wrists so tiny I could curl my fingers fully around them.

I remember standing in the kitchen one night hearing my brother tell me, “That shirt makes you look anorexic,” and feeling proud.

Proud to be shivering in a warm room.

Proud to shove snacks into drawers.

Proud of the monster who crawled out from under my bed and invaded my mirror.

I wanted to show off my illness like a gold medal, because for once in my life, I was the thin one.

Somehow, shrinking to skin and bones was captivating.

Disappearing to dust was pure bliss.

Sure, I was days away from death, but I could comfortably change in the locker rooms.

I could finally swim in a two-piece, not a t-shirt.

I spent countless hours analyzing each valley in between my ribs, never deep enough.

Fragments of my personality slipped away each time I found myself quivering on the bathroom floor crouched over plastic bags,

bringing up every last calorie I had consumed.

My jawline cut so precise it was dangerous.

I could sense a half-hour workout within the grease of a single bratwurst.

The chorus of voices ate at me until I couldn't eat.

They rung out drops of my identity as I soaked in their lies.

I became nothing but the aftermath of a mental illness.

Anorexia became my drug.

I was addicted to the roar of my hollow stomach and the tingle of each growl, but I overdosed far too often.

Side effects may include dizziness, sudden weight loss, irritability, disinterest in activities and suicidal thoughts or actions.

Yet I loved it.

My disease was the only thing that felt right in my life.

It deemed me extraordinary, attractive, perfect.

On my first day in the recovery program, I stopped my mom at the 200 pound doors and told her, "Don't take this away from me.

This is the one thing I have control over."

POETRY BY ELLA KIRKPATRICK, PHOTOS BY CASSANDRA SHEA

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Photo Submitted by Joe Murphy

ince the formation of the band in November of 2018, Garst has become a staple in Omaha’s underground punk rock scene.

The four person band consists of Casey Plucinski, lead guitarist and vocalist; Roman Constantino, rhythm guitarist and vocalist; Cannon Dunwoody, drummer and Joe Murphy, bassist and vocalist. Plucinski and Constantino are both sophomores at UNO, Dunwoody is a senior at Benson High School and Murphy is a senior at Westside.

“We started practicing in November, and our first ever show was was on Dec. 15 at this coffee shop in Benson called Hardy Coffee,” said senior Joe Murphy. “It was a free show and we packed the place The owners had to lock the doors because they were at capacity. That [was] the start of Garst, and since then, we just kept playing for like a long time, a little under a year. We were like, ’Let’s just book a tour because why not? We can!’ So, we booked the tour by ourselves. It went from July 26 to Aug. 3. Unfortunately, our drummer couldn’t go, so we had a fill in drummer, Westside alumnus Nathan Wolf from Pagan Athletes.”

Despite minimal planning, Garst pulled off a six-date tour of the Midwest.

“We took our friend Sarah’s Ford Econoline,” Murphy said. “It was like a 1989 and the AC didn’t work. It was really hot. We were just kind of crammed in a van for a week and a half. Chicago was my favorite place to visit, because a lot of our heros are from there, like Twin Peaks and Post Animal.”

Though the band didn’t get very far from home, Murphy said he is happy with the experience.

“For it being our first tour ever, and virtually nobody knowing us, I would say it went pretty well,” Murphy said. “We had people at our shows every night, especially up in Sioux Falls. I was happy with all the turnouts.”

On tour, Garst used this opportunity to showcase their music.

“We played all original material on tour because we want people to hear our music,” Murphy said. “We’re actually recording an EP right now. That should be out by December.”

Aside from the tour, Murphy noted the tremendous growth that he and his band have had over the past year. “[We’ve grown] immensely,” Murphy said. “We write better songs, we’re better musicians, and we’re just tighter from playing together for so long. The people I’ve met because of this band have shaped me. It gave me so much to look forward to and work for.”

As far as future plans go, Garst has some big plans to fulfill.

“We want to keep touring and playing shows to hopefully get signed,” Murphy said. “Check out Garst. Come to a show.

We’re playing a huge show on Halloween night at this place called Outer Spaces.

It’s a costume party and there will be four bands playing. We’re the band putting it on. There’s going to be food and costume prizes and karaoke.

It’ll be a big Halloween bash.

So, if you have no plans on Halloween, come to that!”

1258 south 13th st. // 7 p.m. park across the street

With Elizabeth Grantham and Aniya Kreifels on their book “The Conquer”

Q: Where did you get the idea for the plot of the book?

Elizabeth Grantham: I came up with this idea when I was 12 or 13 years old. I wrote the entire book, 250 pages. I was so proud of it, but then freshman year I looked back on it and was like, “Oh my god, this is trash.” So I deleted all of it and I redid it, and then I asked Aniya to help me and she gave me really good advice.

Aniya Kreifels: [Grantham] sent me the manuscript when it was only about, like, three or four chapters long to read and give some edits as just a beta reader.

Then I came across a fight scene that she had started to write, and I realized that while Elizabeth is excellent at writing dialogue, she can’t write action very well. She’s not really used to it, so I offered to help and give her some pointers, and it eventually turned into me writing the scene for her. She liked it so much that she offered to make

me her co-writer. So here we are, 20 chapters later. We’re a little more than half-way done with the book, in the middle of writing chapter 24.

Q: When did this all start?

Elizabeth Grantham: [It was] the spring of junior year. I remember we were walking to Mr. Reeh’s class and we were like “F math! We’re gonna work on ‘The Conquer!’”

Aniya Kreifels: Yeah. That was the day you asked me to be a co-writer.

Sometime in April.

Q: When do you plan to finish this current draft?

Elizabeth Grantham: We both want a rough draft by December, and I think we’re both working really hard to get it to that. Then during springtime of 2020, we’re going to edit: redo a couple

Elizabeth Grantham, left and Aniya Kreifels, right

scenes, check grammar mistakes.

During the summer, we’re hoping to get it published.

Aniya Kreifels: I basically know what happens up until about halfway through the book.

Aniya Kreifels: The most progress has been from April of last year until now because all throughout junior year we only did the prologue through chapter five-ish, and within the past eight months we’re now on chapter 24.

Elizabeth Grantham: [For] books three and four, I have rough ideas and stuff, but I have a more solid idea of book two and what that’s going to look like than, say, book five.

Q: What does the future look like for the series?

Aniya Kreifels: We’re on book one. This is a five book series.

Elizabeth Grantham: For book one, I know exactly what’s going to happen.

Sure, there’s maybe a minor few things, but I know what’s going to happen, what’s coming next. Book two, that’s [Aniya’s] business.

Q: How did you develop the plot and characters?

Elizabeth Grantham: It just sort of comes. Like for me, and I’m sure you have the same thing Aniya, but like, my brain overthinks everything. I remember the entire reason why I got the idea for Helica. I remember talking to somebody and they were like, “Dude!

What if somebody conquered the entire world?” And I was like, “Oh, [I’m going to write] about that.”

Written by Aniya Kreifels and Elizabeth Grantham uelgorn regarded me curiously, then turned back to Lord Wolfway. He spoke quietly, but since the hall was empty, I could still hear him just fine.

“What do you make of this? If he doesn’t know what Sir Jones has been accused of, should he even have a chance to speak?”

Lord Wolfway didn’t see the point in keeping this exchange between him and the king, instead glaring right at me as he spoke low and cold. “Honestly, I’m shocked Sir Thornpoint has the gall to even be here.

Judging from his behavior in my class, I’m surprised he even knows where he is half the time.”

The defiant bravery reared its head again, along with defiant anger. “That’s rich coming from you, you absent-minded idiot! I may not care about legends but I sure as hell care when my best friend is accused of a crime he didn’t do!” As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized just how defiantly stupid they were, but I still meant every word of it. “I’m not going to just stand by and watch, so will someone fill me in already?” I clenched my fists, trying to hide my shaking. I really hoped Lord Wolfway wouldn’t throw me out then and there for barging in and insulting him.

On the contrary, the Lord gave an amused smirk. “Very well,” he began, crossing his arms as his face turned grim again. “Sir Parker has accused Sir Jones of adding weight to his knives in order to give himself an advantage over Sir Parker in their rematch earlier this afternoon.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Travis screeched, “You’re so bad at knifeplay I wouldn’t even be tempted to cheat against you!”

“I’m familiar enough with my knives to tell when they’ve been weighted, liar!”

“Boys!” Yuelgorn bellowed. Once it was quiet, he continued, soft and serious. “Sir Jones, do you understand how serious this situation is?”

Travis huffed. “Yeah, why else do you

think I’m pissed that Jared’s lying!”

“Travis, you probably shouldn’t talk to the king like that,” I whispered.

“Oh shut up, Andain,” Travis wheeled around and snapped at me, “Or did you already forget that you called a Lord an idiot literally a minute ago? This isn’t the time to be polite!”

“Well,” Lord Wolfway cut in, “obviously, one of you is lying, and you both realize that the liar will be harshly punished, correct?” His voice was so vicious that for a moment I feared he meant one of them would be executed. But there was no way anyone would be executed for something like this, right?

Travis furrowed his brow, and glared at Jared with the fire in his ice blue eyes.

“Yeah, I get it.”

The king clasped his hands behind his back and took a few steps forward. “Now then, Sir Jones, may I ask what exactly you were doing in the enchantresses’ practice room, a room in which Sir Parker got specific permission from Her Grace, Selena McCoy, to store his weapons before the rematch in case anyone thought to tamper with them?”

Travis’ eyes widened, and he blinked a few times in shock before laughing in bewilderment. “Okay, first of all, if Jared is that paranoid about losing that he’ll do something as ridiculous as that, no wonder I’ve been dragged here on false claims. Second of all, I was never in the enchantresses’ practice room!”

Yuelgorn squinted. “Is that your final answer?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Very well. Ian, Peter, bring in the man.”

At the king’s order, the two guards posted at the door both raised a knuckle to their forehead in salute, then swiftly exited, but before Travis or I could question who exactly the man was, the curly-haired Lady burst in, dragging Erin with her,

whose arms were bound behind her back with a thick cord of black leather. Selena followed behind them, her face as cool and composed as ever, but the energy around her made me feel like she was going to explode at any second.

The king and Lord Wolfway exchanged glances, obviously baffled and more than a little overwhelmed with how eventful the night had suddenly become, before the king turned to the women and faltered before finally sputtering out, “What is the meaning of this?”

“Lady Etherway hexed a girl in the feasting hall shortly after you left. She’ll live, thank the gods, but Etherway nearly killed her and the girl’s friends as well,” the curly-haired Lady explained.

“Hexed? How could she have hexed anyone? It shouldn’t have been possible for her to even learn a hex!”

“I asked myself those same questions, Your Majesty,” Selena began in a voice void of emotion as she stepped forward into the throne room. “How is it, that with all the precautions I’ve taken, with banning any dark tomes from this hall and refusing to employ head enchantresses with even a whisper of black magic in their personal history, has this irritating little girl grown to be not just a thorn in my side, but a damned criminal on her way to becoming

a lichling?”

As she spoke, I felt the same sort of dread as when my mother taught me how to tell how far away a storm was, counting the seconds between the flash of lighting and the crash of thunder.

“It simply shouldn’t be possible,” she stated in response to herself.

One second.

“Clearly, someone must have snuck in a forbidden tome,” Selena suggested like she already knew the answer to a complicated riddle, and was trying to help us figure out the answer that she felt was frustratingly obvious.

Two seconds.

“Could it be a beldam snuck past your screening and taught her to hex?” The king supplemented.

Three seconds.

“No,” she snapped, matter-of-factly, “None of my head enchantresses are the culprit, but…” She trailed off as she stepped into the center of the room and stopped, tension in the air swelling to a grand crescendo before she spoke again, drawing out every syllable with her face blank and her eyes wide and glassy like a corpse.

Four seconds.

“I know exactly who is.”

Boom.

Art By Aniya Kreifels

Q & A WITH

Westside Artists SAGE WEIN, SENIOR, AP 2D PORTFOLIO Favorite Project?

Inspiration?

“Black and white paintings, but this year is fun because we have more freedom to choose what we get to do. It's also beneficial to everyone.”

“I saw an artist on Instagram.

It was satisfying, and I liked the style. I want to show style through block shapes and flat colors while still giving the right outlook from my art. I took Digital Art last year and after that I experimented with the digital style and found that I really liked it.”

Current Project?

“My AP theme is architecture from around Omaha that has significance to me.”

KATIE AVARD, SENIOR, AP DRAWING PORTFOLIO

Favorite Project?

“Chuck Close. I did a selfportrait. I haven’t done a big self portrait before, and I thought it would be an interesting point of view.”

Current Project?

“A portrait of my coworker. My style is undecided currently but my portfolio theme is

first impressions. I’m using the background to show the specific vibes.

[For] the first project I did in this series, I had the background of the person I painted have a calm green swirl background to show a calm vibe but not overwhelm the subject.

I’m trying to evoke the emotions of [my subject] and the first impression point of view of an outsider into my pieces.”

ZOE SLINKARD, JUNIOR, DRAWING AND PAINTING 2

Favorite Project?

Current Project?

“Printmaking or abstract, six square, six small paintings all in different styles.

I painted fruit. Every time you paint fruit it turns out looking super juicy and good, so that's why I picked [it].”

“I’m working on an ‘interior/exterior’ painting, and I am working on a landscape. I’m painting a man walking on a mirror over water. The man in the picture is my grandpa, and I like the colors of the sunset, and the water gives a peaceful vibe.”

BELLA FORMAN, SENIOR, AP DRAWING

Favorite Project?

“Printmaking in Drawing and Painting 1. It was fun to be able to use a new medium. I had never done printmaking before, and it was a fun transition from the basic Art Foundations class to Drawing and Painting.”

Current Project?

“My AP portfolio topic,

synesthesia, which joins objects such as letters, shapes, numbers or people's names with a sensory perception such as smell, color or flavor.

With each project, I am going to represent a different type of synesthesia. I just did another print that represented the way one of my friends associates certain colors with certain letters.”

“I’m trying to evoke the emotions of [my subject] and the first impression point of view of an outsider into my pieces,” senior Katie Avard.

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oo A

re

Eating u o ?

The animal industry’s impact on the animals

s soon as I am brought into this world, they scheme how they’re going to take me out of it. I lay with my mother as she is in pain. She’s a hard worker. She does what these people ask, without questions.

They hurt her body. They use her until she’s raw and exhausted and has nothing left to give.

She is kept in the heat without water. She lays in dirt and filth, while the sun casts its rays onto her. They are trying to separate us.

We both shed tears. My mother can feel pain, but the people in charge deny it.

I am hauled onto a crowded truck, overflowing with small creatures like me. I peak through the openings,

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look at my mom as she weeps.

This is the last time I’ll ever see her.

The truck is littered with waste and drowning in screams. We are all orphans. The vehicle finally stops. The building is similar to where I lived with my mom, but it is much scarier here. I can feel fear in the air. I see others like me being corralled in cages and put in lines. I look into their eyes and I realize; I was brought here to die.

Upon arrival, I am manhandled.

I am held down as they burn engravings into my skin that I do not recognize. They pierce me with markings on my ear, they cut off my horns.

My first days in this scary new place are filled with eating. These people force feed me, they give me hormones, they stuff me until I’m about to burst. I can feel myself getting heavier- it has become hard to breathe. I feel awful, I am sick. I have grown too fast.

I am kept in a tight cage. The area is filled with so many others. It is dirty and disgusting and we’ve all doubled in size since arriving. The others I came here with are now sick. We’re just kids. They have

infections and diseases. They are treated with harsh antibiotics.

The people in charge only see a paycheck. They can’t see that we are living creatures. With heartbeats and lives that they’ve ruined. They don’t care that these “medicines” are only making things worse.

Then, as soon as my life began, it ended. After being separated from my mother, being miserable for weeks, and suffering from brutal mistreatment, I am herded off to the building I have never seen any of my friends return from. I am a living being, and I am being treated as though I can feel no pain. I have felt pain my whole life and now I feel nothing.

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O C T O B E R H O R O S C O P E S ew experiences are making you uncomfortable in your environment. Take time to think about what you really want. Leaning on your leadership instincts will help you find yourself. You may start to slow down on your work, but you have the opportunity to start new relationships that could create better balance in your life.

N

ARIES

ou have a lot of work ahead of you. Focus your energy on the tasks you have to complete.

Later in the month you can take advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves to you.

The end of the month will be a good time to start a new project or a new relationship.

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TAURUS

his month you’ll be in the mood to have fun. Invite your friends over for a party! Allow yourself to have a good time, but be careful not to overwork yourself.

You have been focused on helping others. Find a new creative outlet to take care of your mind.

GEMINI

T

his is your month of meeting new people! You will constantly be communicating with those around you.

Now is the right time to resolve any arguments you have with your friends or family. You’ll thank yourself later.

CANCER

T

LEO

Y

VIRGO

ou need to be appreciated by yourself and those around you. Think about the love that you receive on a daily basis! Feeling secure in yourself now will lay the foundation for something to come in the future.

ou will be tested on your ability to make and spend money. Get to know your peers and coworkers.

There may be more to them than meets the eye. It’s a good time to start saving or looking into new revenue streams in order to achieve your future goals.

Y

appy birthday! You will have a ton of energy this month. Where do you want to put it?

Assess the past year and how it went for you.

Think about how can you maintain or change your life to obtain your long-term goals. Be prepared for big changes in your future.

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LIBRA

SCORPIO

ou’re feeling a lot of pressure right now, and that’s okay. The signs around you are unclear, which makes you irritable, but don’t worry, something better is around the corner.

This month, get closer with a friend who calms you down or find a way to channel your angry energy into something useful.

SAGITTARIUS

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CAPRICORN

our public image and career are getting a lot of attention right now. Reassess your wants and needs because what happens next could be important to your future and your relationships.

But don’t worry, luck is on your side.

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t this moment you have the ability to pursue your dreams in life. Participate in what interests you and don’t flake on your commitments. Try meditating and getting in touch with your subconscious to ease your turbulence. Writing down your dreams each morning can help you with this.

Y

AQUARIUS

PISCES

eveloping your skills and knowledge is on your mind right now. Don’t be afraid to explore all opportunities available to you, even if you’re new to something. Start planning for the trip you want to take, however big or far into the future. Broadening your horizons where you are right now can satisfy your need for new experiences.

D

ight now, you may be withdrawing from others.

This is your month of relationships. You’ll be assessing the people in your life and what they all mean to you. Don’t be afraid to foster the change that needs to happen or to be open to a new someone in your life.

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PHOTOS BY WESTSIDE GERMAN TEACHER AMBER HOLLENBECK FROM HER RECENT TRIP TO GERMANY

Here at Apollo we pledge allegiance to artistic freedom, To giving students a creative outlet, To thinking outside the box, To expressing emotion through art, Because what makes Apollo special is Its contributors and staff, The content within And the love each issue is made of.