Silence it’s like an abyss of emptiness. A world without sound it’s something no one could image, as even if no one was to speak you would still hear the sounds the world makes, if only you take the time to sit and listen to the symphony of this ancient earth you’d learn thing no one else would. This planet has a lot to teach and if you listen you would learn the reason why even in the quietest rooms you still hear the pulsing beat of your heart or even the way the trees talk roots connected voices humming.
The reason is there’s something dangerous in the silence. It waits till all sound has vanished to appear. Than that’s when the silentium strikes first they take your ability to make sound so no matter how much you struggle against them no matter how much you try to call for help no matter if you break anything silence is all that remains for sound is the only weapon against them. Next they take your sight for it wouldn’t be good for you to try to cling on to the shadows making it harder for them to take you. And lastly they drag your mind, body and soul to them, no matter if you’re a sinner or a saint. A soul is always a tasty snack for the silentium. With your mind and body the silentium are able to gain human forms there no longer affected by sound, though they are still weary of it.
Who am I? I’m the shadow you see watching you when your asleep, the monster that lurks in your wardrobe, I am everything that is feared yet never remembered. Yet only children see me and understand the rule they must abide by for I can only be seen by a child’s eye. The rules? There simple don’t be seen, don’t be heard, don’t move and the last rule to make me go away you must use light a bright light. Small lights do not work they only disturb the shadows. I am the reason people are afraid of the dark and the quite within it. I am the only one who can fight the silentium for no one else from the Great War survived. I was the lone survivor and I want my revenge.
My favorite guest speaker session this year was Yen Ooi’s talk about her writing journey. She has a fascinating career in the publishing industry, and got her master’s at Westminster! She was a finalist for the 2023 Hugo Awards, and is co-editor of Ab Terra, Brain Mill Press’s science fiction imprint.
I really enjoyed her presentation, especially because of her clear enthusiasm for the science-fiction genre and the projects she has been involved in. Yen even dressed up as a zombie to help develop a mobile game! I have not yet read her fictional prose, but her novel Sun: Queens of Earth is on my to-be-read list, along with the Ab Terra short story anthologies she edited.
I am a big fan of nerdy conventions, so hearing about her experiences promoting her work at WorldCon (a global sci-fi convention) was exciting. I think conventions are some of the best places to express your nerdiness and knowing that I could theoretically display my work in a similar way was encouraging.
In addition to her novels and publishing career, she also has experience in a lesser-known writing form: writing for video games. It is an entirely different beast than ordinary prose writing. The game she writes for is called Road to Guangdong, and it is simulation racing game set in China.
According to Yen, there are key differences to writing for games. Unlike readers, players of a game have agency within the story. They can shape it and interact with the world to variable degrees. However, it is impossible to account for every single decision a player might want to make. Writers must toe the line between letting the player feel like they are in control and making an impact in the story, while also leading them to a finite number of outcomes. I find this to be a really intriguing challenge.
The video games I usually play are more sandbox/simulation types, but thanks to Baldur’s Gate 3 I’ve been obsessed with the sheer volume of writing that goes into a roleplaying-game of its caliber. Constant choices, countless moments that make or break relationships with NPCs (non-player characters), and the ripple effect of every decision can be felt as you make your way through the adventure. It speaks to how I want my readers to feel: immersed in the story and emotionally invested in its outcome.
Perhaps I will try my hand at games writing someday. I can only hope that someday my career is as fascinating and fulfilling as Yen Ooi’s!
Heide R. Orleth is a 2nd year Creative Writing & English Language student at the University of Westminster. She loves to write fantasy & science-fiction, and is an avid reader, anime enjoyer, and occasional cosplayer. Instagram: @aechrwrites.
My favorite icebreaker when meeting new people is simply asking “What are your thoughts on time travel?” I find that it gives me an impression of the person and whether or not we will get along.
Time travel has been a tool in fiction writer’s metaphorical toolbox for generations. From Star Trek to Tokyo Revengers, it applies to a wide range of mediums and scratches our innate human itch to imagine what we might do if placed in an era outside of our lifetimes.
I have a complicated relationship with time travel, because if it’s done poorly, I become more infuriated than entertained. I tend to avoid things with time travel because it is so easy to fall into a classic time paradox, or alternate timeline shenanigans. There are countless plot holes that can spawn from a poorly designed time travel mechanic, and if the story continues without consequences from such fallacies, it kills the magic for me.
Primer – It’s a decently produced movie for an indie film, but the timeline is utterly incomprehensible and loops back in on itself a ridiculous number of times. The main characters meddle with their past selves and the editing makes it unclear when they travel back, and how many times they do it.
Avengers: Endgame – if you want an understandable time travel tale, this is not the best choice. Not only do you need to have seen all Avengers movies to understand the context, but the alternate timelines created make the plot muddled and contradictory.
Time Travel Excellence
When the time-meddling is unique, fleshed out, and follows a semi-logical path (pseudo-scientific or not), I am more on board. There are many time-travel-centric books and films, but these are a few of my favorites.
A couple books including time travel that I’d recommend are:
The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle By Stuart Turton – [Murder mystery, Time Loop, Body swapping] A super creative take on a typical mansion murder mystery. The main character wakes up in a different character’s body each day, and his hosts vary in helpfulness. The final twists are excellent, and I had a lot of fun reading this rollercoaster of a book.
Furyborn By Claire Legrand– [YA Fantasy, Badass women, Grey morality] This story is told in 2 time periods, a thousand years apart. As the story goes on, the lives of the heroines become more and more intertwined, and there is a compelling corruption arc in the earlier timeline that plays out in real time, and its effects had a massive impact on the present from the outset.
Movies with time travel that I recommend:
Arrival – [Aliens, Drama, Linguistic nerd heaven] This is an Oscar-nominated film that richly deserved that prestige. It is beautifully shot, well-paced, has an excellent allegory, and the time aspect is understated yet essential to the story as a whole. Plus, the deep dive into linguistics is compelling for a language nerd such as myself.
The Terminator – [Robots, Apocalyptic, Action] The first two movies in this franchise are a masterclass in science-fiction action. The story is fast-paced and connects with the era’s fear of nuclear war and rising influence of technology that is still relevant to this day. **I only really recommend the first 2 movies in this series as they are a full story on their own, and the following sequels cheapen what made T1 & T2 so special.**
There are, of course, exceptions to my standards. The Back to the Future film trilogy has alternate timelines, a “what if my parents never met?” debacle, and more holes than a sieve, but its infectious charm compels me to overlook inconsistencies in favor of riding along in the iconic souped-up DeLorean.
I hope that you all develop your own thoughts on this wild sub-genre, and beware, if I meet you in real life, I will absolutely ask you what your thoughts on time travel are.
Heide R. Orleth isa2nd year Creative Writing & English Language student at the University of Westminster. She loves to write fantasy & science-fiction, and is an avid reader, anime enjoyer, and occasional cosplayer.Instagram: @aechrwrites.
Have a look through each of these creative prompts and see where they take you!
A study at Brown University of a crater on Venus caused about a billion years ago, has shown that it’s crust, or lithosphere, is too thick for it to have tectonic plates (at least in the last 1 billion years) which could disprove the theory of tectonic plates for Earth.
Due to the increasing levels of unrecyclable plastics found in the ocean, chemists are currently trying to find ways to make plastic more recyclable. Most plastic when melted down becomes too brittle to work with or mould into something new.
“You do not deserve the air you breathe. Do you deny it?”: Jörmungandr is the world snake of Norse mythology. Having been banished from his home to live in the darkest, deepest parts of the Ocean’s on Migard, the members of the ocean go to him as their last hope of stopping the humans before it’s too late.
Nasa’s Chandra X-Ray Telescope has been able to provide new, key information on blackholes outside of our galaxy. As blackholes were said to only have a mass, an electrical charge and spin they were said to be ‘bald’. Extreme blackholes (those that have maxed out their charge and spin) are said to now have ‘hair’ – they have other features that can be observed and measured.
Black Intentions: Having been left with nothing, two starving sisters make a deal with a magician for power from the ancient giants that live inside of blackholes. He gives them this power on the condition that they use their powers only for survival. However, the giants of the blackholes possess powers so strong, it is almost impossible to resist temptation.
A dustbin man, Jose Alberto Gutierrez, in Columbia started amassing books he found while collecting rubbish about 20 years ago. Having now collected over 20,000 books, he has opened a library called “Strength of Words” that children can visit for free during the weekends.
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