Rambling Rose | Ninth Issue | Summer 2025

THE RAMBLING ROSE

Clifton High School Pupil Newspaper

Foreword

As we approach the final stretch of the academic year, with the tantalising taste of summer just around the corner, it’s a pleasure to present to you the ninth issue of The Rambling Rose. Whether the sun decides to grace us or not, this issue is sure to brighten your day with its rich variety of pupil voices and perspectives.

This issue has been brought to life under the expert guidance of our Year 12 editorial duo Sunny and Matthew. Their energy and commitment have shaped a publication that is as diverse as it is engaging. A huge well done to them for their hard work, especially during a term already packed with assessments and the early stages of university applications. They have done a fantastic job! (I am also enjoying the gentle competition to see who can pen the longest article. I note that Sunny’s 4,241 words in Spring 2025 issue has been replied with Matthew’s 9,031 words in this issue!)

From the mathematical mysteries of pi to the sensory delights of street food; from the imaginative realms of world-building (part 1…) to the sobering realities of urban slums; from reflections on fear to explorations of music and motoring—there truly is something here for everyone.

As with all of our back-catalogue, this ninth issue showcases the continued strength of Clifton High’s creative spirit. It is always a joy to see pupils writing with such passion, insight, and originality, so we would like to take this opportunity to invite you to send in any responses to any articles you read in The Rambling Rose. Think along the lines of “letters to the Editors”. For example, if you read Matthew’s article in this issue and decide to give World Building a go yourself, why not write to us and let us know how you have got on? We will publish the most engaging letters in our Autumn issue.

As ever, my thanks go to the staff who support our student editors behind the scenes— proofreading, formatting, printing, and encouraging contributions. The Rambling Rose remains a truly pupil-led publication: it is all the more special for it.

So, find a quiet moment, a comfy chair, and perhaps a cup of tea—and enjoy this latest issue. And to all in our Clifton High community, I wish you a restful, restorative summer break, and the best of luck to those receiving examination results in August.

Mrs Pippa Lyons-White Head of English

Cover artwork by Fi Lyons-White, Year 8

FOOD

Street Food Around Europe

There are many varieties of street food in this world, including Europe. The most famous ones you would all know already: crepes, fish and chips, gelatos, khachapuri, currywurst, arancini, etc… Now I will show you and explain different street food around Europe.

Italian Street Food

Italian street food is known to be simple but packed with intensity and heat, truly innovative and passionate. They also have strong and memorable flavours. The first street food I am going to talk about is arancini. Arancini means ‘little orange’ in Italian, however that is the only similarity. It originated from Sicily. The ingredients are rice covered with breadcrumbs, peas, cheese and minced meat. Once deep-fried, it is served with the arrabbiata sauce. There are 2 types of arancini. The female type, arancina, has a more a rounded shape, like the name’s meaning of orange. The male type, arancino, has a conical shape inspired by the Etna volcano. Next is Farinata, a typical dish in Liguria. It looks like an unleavened tart (made without yeast). Normally it is made of chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt. It can be topped with rosemary, onions, artichoke (nutrient-rich vegetable), cheese, sausage, Bianchetti (whitebait of fish). There’s a Sardinian version called fainè, where the topping contains onions, sausages and anchovies.

Finally, we have panzerotti. It is often filled with cheese and tomato, folded in half into a half-moon shape to be fried. It’s usually smaller than a calzone (folded pizza), however it is full of fillings so don’t worry if you like the explosion of flavours from pizza fillings! I believe the Italian word for belly is ‘pancia’ and ‘panza’ is the Apulian regional word for that. The Apulian panzerotti is called panzerotto. The word panzerotto means “little belly”, this is interesting as it refers to the swelling of the pastry.

French Street Food

French street food is truly diverse, from sweet to savoury, baked goods to pastry. It has many flavours and it’s very well-known across Europe. The first street food I’m going to talk about is…crepes! This dish originated from Brittany, and is thin and delicate pancakes made from flour, eggs, milk and butter. It can have sweet or savour fillings. Sweet fillings include Nutella, plain sugar, syrup and fruits, whereas

savoury fillings include cheese, ham, or bacon. Crepes have become a staple at French street markets.

The next street food is Tarte Tatin. It’s a caramelised upside-down apple tart created by the Tatin sisters Coraline and Stéphanie in the 19th century in the small town of Lamotte-Beuvron, in their hotel. Stéphanie accidentally left apples cooking in butter and sugar too long, resulting in caramelisation. This clumsy story led to a fantastical and iconic dish. Tarte Tatin is made of fruits (commonly apple) caramelised in butter and sugar, and pastry dough.

Finally, we have the croque monsieur. It’s a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, with a creamy Béchamel sauce, known to have originated from the cafés in Paris. The female version of this dish is called croque madame, where it has a fried egg on top of the sandwich. The main ingredients are bread, butter, ham, cheese (typically Gruyère), pepper, salt and the Béchamel sauce.

Spanish Street Food

Street food in Spain is always bold and flavourful. It’s known to be simple, relying on fresh and highquality ingredients like seafood, cured meats, herbs and spices. Spanish street food is usually savoury, smoky and spicy. The first street food I’m going to talk about is… churros! One of my personal favourite street foods in Europe. Originating from Spain and Portugal, churros are deep-fried, sugarcoated dough sticks, often paired with chocolate. It’s made with flour, water, salt and oil. Some recipes contain butter, vanilla extract and sugar for richer flavours. Sugar coatings are typical plain or cinnamon. Churros have a crispy exterior but a fluffy, soft texture inside. What makes churros special is that churros are made from a star-shaped funnel tip, creating a unique shape for more crispy edge. Churros have a rich history and a unique flavour that makes them beloved for people of all ages.

The next street food I’m going to talk about is paella. It is a staple Spanish seafood rice dish that originated from Valencia. It’s known for its vibrant saffron coloured rice with many different ingredients like meat, seafood (mussels, prawns) and vegetables, with all of these flavours embedded in one pan. The dish name comes from the word paellera, the large shallow pan in which it is cooked. The main ingredients contain the saffron, rice, peas, a broth, onion, red bell pepper, mussels, olive oil, paprika, tomatoes, parsley, chicken, shrimps, etc. It could vary in different restaurants or homes depending on their taste.

The final street food is empanada. Empanada is a type of thick pastry with many different fillings inside such as meat, cheese and vegetables. Savoury fillings include ground beef, chicken, chorizo and vegetables. Sweet fillings are offered in some regions with cheese and guava. Empanadas can be baked or fried, both methods creating the colour of golden brown on the pastry. However, if the empanadas

are fried, the pastry would be crispier. Empanadas’ origins can be traced back to Spain and the Iberian Peninsula. They were first made in the 7th century in Galicia, a region north-west of Spain. Empanadas are sometimes said to be similar to Cornish pastries but they are different. Empanadas are smaller by 2-3 inches (5-7.5cm), and the pastry is also crispier and flaky.

German Street Food

German street food is diverse, combining traditional and modern flavours. It often features savoury, hearty food. These dishes can be served with bread rolls, or with wurst to be enjoyed in events, markets or from food trucks. The first street food I’m going to talk about is Bratwurst. Bratwurst is a grilled sausage, often served in a roll with mustard or ketchup. It’s the most typical German street food with many regional variations, such as the Nuremberg Rostbratwurst. Bratwurst came from the words of “brat”, meaning finely chopped meat, and “wurst”, meaning sausage.

The next street food is Krapfen. Krapfen is a German doughnut with no central hole. It’s often filled with jam or cream, a popular sweet street food in Germany. It’s made from wheat flour, yeast, sugar, milk, butter, yolk and salt. It’s fried in oil. In Germany it’s called Berliner. It originated from Germany and Austria. Some people say that Krapfen was first made in Graz, Austria and sold in the streets during carnivals since 1600s. In Austria they like to fill Krapfen with apricot jam, in Germany it’s also filled with jam and coated in sugar, sometimes even custard.

The last street food is flammkuchen. Flammkuchen is a crispy German flatbread topped with crème fraiche, bacon and onions. The dough thinner but dense, there are many variations of ingredients like Gruyère cheese and smoked bacon. It originates from the Upper Rhine Valley in Alsace, the border between France and Germany. It can be translated as ‘flame cake’ in Germany: a pie baked in the flame.

Greek Street Food

Greek street food is a vibrant mix of flavours with many different kinds of dishes. From grilled meats and savoury pies to sweet treats. It has diverse options. The first street food I’m going to talk about is…spanakopita! My favourite Greek street food. Spanakopita is a savoury pie made of perfectly crispy layers of phyllo dough and a warm filling of spinach and the creamy feta cheese. Spanakopita is known to have originated from Epirus, northwest of Greece. This warm and popular dish pairs perfectly with Greek roast lamb or meatballs.

The next street food is Gyro. Gyro is essentially a Greek kebab, made with thinly sliced meat, often pork, chicken, lamb or beef. It’s cooked on a vertical spit and served within a pita wrap. Beside the meat, gyro

Jana Wong, Year 9

is also commonly filled with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki sauce (a Greek sauce made with yogurt, cucumber and garlic.) Sometimes it’s even topped with lettuce, feta cheese and French fries. Gyros orginate from Bursa, a city in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century in Greece.

The final street food is loukouma. Loukoumades are Greek crispy dough balls covered in honey, often sprinkled with chopped nuts or cinnamons. It’s made from flour, yeast, sugar, milk, oil and eggs. It originates from Greece or Turkey, and legends say that it can be traced back to the first Olympic Games of 776 BC.

Although I have not covered all types of street food in Europe, these dishes are all very famous and delicious. Now that you have explored many street foods in Europe, what’s your favourite?

HISTORY

An Interview with Mr Appleby on Pam Harding and her Work at Bletchley Park

Forbes:

Sir, I’ve been curious and frankly inspired by the work at Bletchley Park, ever since watching the “Imitation Game” staring Benedict Cumberbatch, a fan favourite with a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as being in my top thirteen films of all time. The film explores the extraordinary feats of Alan Turing, but doesn’t cover many other wartime, desk-time heroes. Do you know of any such people…?

Mr Appleby:

Of course I do Forbes, I know lots. Although Alan Turing’s importance cannot be understated; there were thousands other wartime, desk-time heroes, that Bletchley Park’s success depended on. One such figure was Pam Harding, Born Peggy Alexander Mackan, in 1922 Bristol.

Forbes:

What was her background before the War?

Mr Appleby:

Pam was educated at Clifton High School, where you too are educated. Later she studied German and French at Bristol University. Languages which were obviously invaluable during her work intelligence.

Forbes:

It’s a large step from university work to national intelligence. So how did Pam and codebreaking become, as you’d say in French, amigos?

Mr Appleby:

In 1943, Pam joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service, often referred to as the Wrens, despite the members lacking beaks and wings. She trained in a secret naval establishment in Wimbledon, called Mill Hill, and after her training she was

recruited into the Y-service.

Forbes: Why?

Mr Appleby:

Largely because of linguistic talent, which was of paramount importance as the Y-service was a network of intercept stations, capturing enemy radio transmissions. These were then sent to Bletchley Park for decryption and analysis, if the transmissions were encrypted.

Forbes:

Did she work at Bletchley Park directly?

Mr Appleby:

Not exactly, as Pam was stationed at Withernsea in Yorkshire and later at Abbot’s Cliff in Kent –both key Y-stations. As part of “Freddie’s Fairies"…

Forbes:

When did she discover she was a fairy?

Mr Appleby:

It’s presumed they were not real fairies due to the regiment not being part of the Royal Air Force. Instead, the group’s nickname was a fun alliterative link between their magical feats in the war effort, and their commanding officer’s first name being Freddie. The magical feats being the role in translating and intercepting an exceptionally substantial proportion of the Germans’ Morse code.

Forbes: Golly Gosh! That sounds like demanding work.

Mr Appleby:

It was. Pam had to transcribe Morse at speeds

of up to 25 words per minute, as well as monitor German naval and air force communications, including coded “Q-signals.” Her transcriptions were vital for the analysts at Bletchley Park, who used them to break enemy codes and anticipate military movements. However, they did get time off, where they would go to coast and watch as German V1 bombs or doodlebugs would fly overhead towards London, even seeing one get shot down by an RAF pilot.

Forbes:

Was her contribution recognised at the time?

Mr Appleby:

Like many of her wartime peers throughout the ranks, much of their most important work was kept confidential for reason of national security for years after the war. Thankfully however, by the 70s the work at Bletchley Park became public knowledge, allowing her and peers in Bletchley Park to receive the recognition and praise they deserved after the war was over.

Forbes:

After the war ended, what did Pam do?

Mr Appleby:

In short, she married her fiancé Geoffrey Harding, who himself had fought in the war, being a prisoner of war in North Africa and then earning a military cross at D-day, only one of twenty-one men in the RAF to be awarded one through the entire war. The couple of extraordinary military professionals married and settled in Bristol, and by the 1990s, Pam had reunions with other “Freddie’s Fairies”.

Forbes:

It’s amazing how these stories of incredible contribution are only being told now.

Mr Appleby:

Indeed. Bletchley Park was much more than a place of machines and mathematicians – it was a vast, collaborative effort. People like Pam Harding were the ears of the operation, capturing the invaluable data that made Alan Turing’s computer, the Colossus, something of reality. Efforts of those such as Pam must not be forgotten, as the success in cracking Enigma shortened the war, avoiding the death of millions more and ending the fundamentally evil Nazi regime.

HOBBIES

My Grandfather’s Cars

Like my grandfather, I’m a complete car nut and you readers might have had the same models as him. Grandfather started off with Lambretta scooters and then progressed to bubble cars which provided better weather protection to various girlfriends!

Four wheels followed in the form of a 1936 Austin Ruby in return for baby sitting services.

By 1965, it was becoming extremely worrying trying to stop in the Ruby, so it had to go.

My grandfather had fallen for an Austin-Healey Sprite — known as Frogeye — due to the headlamps mounted high up.

1965-1979

During this time, grandad also had a 1965 Mini Cooper S in which he managed to fit half a hockey team.

In 1979 another favourite appeared. A new Fiat X1/9 - the first one in the UK. The X1/9 was way ahead of its time with superb mid-engine handling and a targa roof 1 which could be stowed under the front “bonnet” lid.

1987-1991: Renault 5 GT Turbo

1991-1992: Austin Metro GT

1992-1994: Fiat Uno Turbo

By 1994, Grandfather had several modifications on the X1/9, so it was time to change.

At that time, an ad was spotted for a super charged Toyota MR2, which was a rare import.

Ownership of this lasted till 1998, when an MGF took its place, to be followed by another 1965-1979

1979-1994

updated MGF which was later supercharged.

Between 2002 and 2012 five Lotus Elises appeared in two-year intervals. Grandfather says these Elises were the only cars he didn’t modify!

In 2012 he acquired an MR2 Mk3 — a mid engine 2-seater by Toyota.

In 2014, a Mini Cooper S Roadster came along, which had a large boot despite being a two-seater.

In 2017, Grandfather ascended to the rank of a MX5 owner with a new RF auto model. It was very reliable and even though sports cars should be manual, according to purists, it was a wise decision as the early gearboxes tended to self destruct.

In 2020, Grandfather spotted the last unregistered Alfa Romeo 4C Spider — one of Alfa’s most iconic designs.

Very sadly the Alfa met an undignified end in QEH’s car park having lost against a Bakers Dolphin coach. I believe Grandfather would still have the 4C now, if it hadn’t been written off.

In 2020-2021 the 4C was replaced by a John Cooper Works Mini Convertible which was a real roller skate on wheels.

In 2021-2022, Grandfather had an SLK Mercedes which was written off without him in it when it went down a slope into a wall: the wall won!

2022-2023 saw another MX5 NC followed by another RF Auto in 2024.

Now, Grandfather has gone EV - a Fiat 500 Convertible.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my article — sadly I’m leaving Clifton High School, as my parents are returning to London.

1A targa roof is a removable mid-panel that cleverly stows under the bonnet!

Worldbuilding Catalogue #1: Krillsink Lore

Introduction

Welcome to the first article of the Worldbuilding Catalogue! This is a series of articles I will be creating that showcases the various fictional universes I have created alongside my brother over our childhoods.

Worldbuilding is the hobby of developing an imaginary world in depth, typically aspects such as history and geography. However, you can honestly go wild and come up with anything you fancy, like fantasy species, fictional propaganda, or music genres that developed as a result of the unique features of your world. It’s a very easy hobby to get into, and although it may sound simplistic, the hobby also holds a lot of potential for really sophisticated activities like creating art or doing in-depth research to make your universe as realistic as possible. I talked more about worldbuilding in general in the eighth issue of the Rambling Rose (hint: go pick it up :D). But for now, I cordially invite you to delve into the world of Krillsink Lore with me as I go through the intricacies of the biggest worldbuilding project my brother and I are undertaking.

Universe Categorisation

Name: Krillsink Lore

Main genres: Alternate history, fantasy, science fantasy, superhero fiction

Unique characteristics: sentient animals, alternate fantasy dimension, multiversal organisations, superpowered individuals

Time period: mainly 20th-21st century

Influences: Marvel, Doom, Attack on Titan, Heroforge Custom Miniatures

Universe Overview

Real-world background

My brother and I did not quite intentionally create Krillsink Lore; it was the by-product of us collecting animal plush toys as children and making up backstories for them set in the same imaginary world. We gave our plush toys family trees, superpowers, and positions of power, making them nobles, tech billionaires and even one the president of Mozambique (more on that later). At that point (I was about age 8?), we were not complete beginners at worldbuilding; we had had several minor projects under our belts, but all abandoned. You can blame our short YouTube kid attention spans for that. Fortunately, we for some reason stuck around for this one; there was just something special about this universe. Maybe it was because we were attracted to the world for how significant our plush characters were within them. Maybe we understood that developing the universe in which our plush toys ‘lived’ enriched the experience of playing with them in real life. Who knows? We were 6-8 years old when we started this world, and what matters most is that it’s still going now. As for May 2025, there are 129 plush toys in our collection and over 350 pages of lore across different documents. Most probably (and comfortingly), this will remain an ongoing project for the rest of our lives.

Alternate History

A universe with the genre ‘alternate history’ is typically a world that has a similar history and atmosphere to that of real life, but with a point of divergence at some point in the timeline. Examples would be ‘What if the Axis won WW2?’ or ‘What if a nuclear war broke out during the Cuban Missile Crisis?’ Alternate history worlds can be quite grounded and realistic; they could also lean into a more fantastical tone. We did the latter.

Due to how the real-world starting point for our universe was our animal plush toy collection, it is no surprise that the big ‘what if?’ of the world we paid the most attention to was ‘what if humans were not the only intelligent species?’. In the early years of the project, for every new plush toy we got, we would make their species intelligent like humans and able to develop their own culture. There are 12 sentient non-human Earth species in the universe; the ones we have developed the most are penguins and dogs – the two most common species in our plush collection.

In addition to this universe having non-human sentient species, another aspect of its alternative history genre was our inclusion of other new nations: Antarctica, UNSEA, Rucrenia, Marecora, and Prelbelm.

Antarctica in this universe is a fully-fledged developed nation of its own. Inhabited by sentient penguins but isolated from the rest of the world until its discovery in 1820, the nation boasts a unique history and a distinct culture. I will talk more in depth about the history of Antarctica in another article as there is too much to cover, so stay tuned for the next issue :)

UNSEA stands for the United Nations of Southeast Africa, and is a confederation combining the existing nations Mozambique and Madagascar, united because of how they both economically prospered from trade with Antarctica, to which they are geographically close. Although this union was initially beneficial for coordination of trade, there are far-right Madagascan separatists who desire secession and subsequently the installation of an authoritarian government. They declared a war on Mozambique in 2026 – the UNSEAn War, which was fought between Prelbelmborn Madagascan president Samuel von Mauville and Antarctica-born Mozambican president Beaky Krillsink (one of our first penguin plush toys).

As for Rucrenia, Marecora, and Prelbelm, they are all nations on new land masses created by a fight 65 million years ago on Earth between gods from an alternate dimension called Malum. This dimension is the bulk of what gives our universe the fantasy genre, and is what I will briefly talk about now.

Fantasy

In 1986, an artefact left in Mexico due to the fight between the aforementioned gods was discovered. This artefact, later concluded to be the crystallised brain of one of the gods, ended up opening a portal to a parallel dimension containing the planet Malum, a world inhabited by fantasy creatures. I will also go through the history of Malum in more detail later on in the article (in the section ‘Case study: Malum’). Through mutual collaboration, the beings of Earth were able to study how to use sorcery, although this is an ability that can only be learnt by Psychics.

Psychic beings, or neuromutants, were not introduced by Malum; they were already present on Earth before Malum’s discovery. Through genetic mutations, sentient species can be born Psychics. There are generally considered to be three schools of Psychic powers – genetic superpowers like super-strength or flight; sorcery, which can only be learnt; and ‘true Psychic’ abilities that are really just a subset of genetic superpowers involving abilities that are more directly mind-related, such as telepathy and the manipulation of neurones (there’s a guy who can amplify the electric power of people’s neurones and use this electric power as a lightning bolt attack against other people).

There are two main reasons why such a distinction between genetic superpowers and true Psychic powers has been made. Firstly, true Psychic powers are generally much more dangerous than other genetic superpowers, to the point that there is rampant prejudice against true Psychics (there’s even a post-apocalyptic alternate universe where true Psychics are hunted down by a Soviet-dominated United Nations after a Psychic accident wipes out the population of North and South America). Secondly, true Psychic powers are much more directly linked to the magic system that gave rise to so many of the unique aspects of our lore. This system is what I will now briefly go through in this article’s next section.

Science Fiction

Despite how the magic system I’m about to talk about links to many fantastical elements like sorcery, I have still chosen to classify it as science fiction because of how scientific (or pseudoscientific?) we have tried to make it. We used this magic system to offer a semi-convincing ‘explanation’ for many aspects of our lore.

In a nutshell, the magic system hinges on the neurones of sentient beings. We imagined that because every sentient being can control their thoughts and therefore in a way control their neurones, linking the magic system with neurones would be a handy way to explain how people could use magic. We also made it so that every neurone in a sentient brain represented a universe in a multiverse, meaning every sentient being owns billions of universes (kind of, there’s more nuance to this that I’ll explain later). Finally, we also used this neurone-based magic system to explain why so many non-humans are sentient in this universe. I promise I will also cover this magic system in more depth later; I am aware most of what I’ve said just sound like childish ramblings (maybe they are?), but all will be explained in due time (see the section ‘Case Study: neurone-based magic system’).

There are also other aspects of science fiction in our universe. The existence of 180 million penguins in Antarctica means a lot more scientific talent in the world, leading to technological innovations like cybernetic limbs that are currently non-existent in real life. Scientific collaboration between Earth and Malum has also allowed Earth to adopt futuristic Malumbased technology. And of course, the multiverse is a big aspect of the sci-fi element of Krillsink Lore. This is a relatively new and underdeveloped area of the universe, but the main storyline we’ve come up with so far is a multiversal war fought between a universe-spanning empire (led by a sorcerer variant of the Mozambican president penguin) and several rebelling factions.

Superhero Fiction

Ah, the area of the lore arguably most influenced by another piece of media – in this case Marvel. As aforementioned, superpowered individuals have always existed throughout history before the 1986 discovery of the Malum dimension. In isolated Antarctica, people with superpowers were venerated and allowed to become nobility – an example of this would be the Krillsink noble family, made up of most of our early penguin plush toys and the namesake of this imaginary world (‘Krillsink Lore’). Outside Antarctica, however, people with genetic superpowers were feared and outlawed in most countries, although secret vigilante justice continued from those who wanted to do their part in improving the world with their extraordinary abilities.

When the Malum portal was opened, citizens of Malum were allowed to immigrate to Earth. Like Antarctica, most Malum societies actually respected superpowered beings and allowed them to work as licensed superheroes. Hence, it came as a cultural shock to many Malumian immigrants that superheroism was banned in the majority of Earth’s nations. Following lengthy discussions, a United Nations organisation called the Justice Charter was established in 1988, which allowed all Earth citizens to register and work as UN-regulated superheroes.

No superhero fiction is complete without supervillains, though. And oh boy did we have plenty of both superheroes and supervillains –the Marvel phase we went through circa 20222023 spawned hundreds of superpowered characters, many of which were unserious characters whose gimmicks were based on our inside jokes. This phrase passed as quickly as it emerged, but its impact had been made – we had accidentally made superheroes and villains an integral cornerstone of the universe. Oops.

Case study: Planet Malum

Universe Zero

Early Creation Age

Before we explore the history of the fantasy world Malum, it is important to understand what came before the planet was formed, even what came before the Big Bang. The physical universe that preceded this Big Bang, named ‘Universe Zero’ by scientists, was initially but a barren cosmos devoid of life or celestial bodies like planets. It was a lonely place; only insignificant cosmic dust populated this space. That is, until the Bloodline Gods came along.

The dust that populated Universe Zero eventually formed a complex structure similar to that of a neurone (this is, according to the real-life Boltzmann brain theory, statistically more likely than a complex solar system like ours being formed). This self-replicating ‘neurone’ divided in two, before each half individually began replicating to form a neural network. These two neural networks came to become the twin Bloodline Gods Cruor and Carnis (not actually their true names, merely a translated Latin term used by Earth historians). Cruor and Carnis (they/them btw) eventually began to develop a level of consciousness similar to that of modern humans, and broke free from their crude neurone forms by manipulating the electric current in their neurones to attract cosmic dust and construct crude physical bodies with this dust. Almost immediately, they began experimenting with this ability to manipulate cosmic dust, and used it to construct celestial objects – planets, suns, and black holes. Decades passed as they engineered their Universe Zero, all while perfecting their own physical form. The two seemed to be, at least for now, content with creating a near-lifeless universe populated only by themselves. That would soon change.

The First Bloodline

Growing bored of the state of Universe Zero, Cruor

wanted to create new sentient lifeforms. Carnis was more reluctant; they felt as though they had not perfected the art of constructing planetary ecosystems suitable for life and were not ready for their planets to be populated yet. Nonetheless, Cruor decided to secretly bioengineer the first non-god life form. After countless attempts, they managed to create a miniature replica of themselves, incapable of the Bloodline God’s godly feats of creation but still sophisticated enough to use neuroelectricity to manipulate matter. They named this replica species the ‘proto-Bloodline’ and planned to further perfect it. However, Carnis found out. Furious, they ordered Cruor to destroy the proto-Bloodline, arguing it was unethical to let the species suffer on Carnis’ imperfect planets as they had not yet created a planet on which a Bloodline civilisation would survive long. Cruor refused, claiming they had the artistic freedom to create anything they desired. Shortly after, a brawl broke out between the twin gods. In the process, the proto-Bloodline was accidentally killed. The fight ended when Cruor threatened to destroy Carnis’ beloved planets if they continued interfering with Cruor’s schemes. Carnis backed down and reluctantly agreed to allow Cruor to continue creating life to

Cruor visiting a planet

populate their still imperfect planets.

It took decades for Cruor to recreate a lifeform similar to the proto-Bloodline, and even still, they felt it was inferior to their first creation. Nonetheless, they harboured great love for their new species, which they naturally named the ‘Bloodline’. After this, Cruor and Carnis began coordinating their efforts to distribute the Bloodline throughout the cosmos. Although, as Carnis predicted, some planets were far less survivable for the Bloodline than others, the distribution of the Bloodline was overall a success, and their civilisations thrived with the help of scientific knowledge imparted by the two gods.

Leadup to Galactic Bloodline War

After the distribution of the Bloodline had concluded, Cruor began experimenting with making non-sentient life incapable of intelligent activity like the Bloodline – the equivalent of livestock to humans. This process proved far easier than creating the sentient Bloodline, enabling Cruor to design thousands of species in the span of centuries. Meanwhile, Carnis continued to practise the art of creating planets and ecosystems. As centuries passed, two clear cultural halves of Universe Zero began to emerge – the Northern Sector and the Southern Sector. The former worshipped Cruor more greatly, whereas the latter worshipped Carnis more. Naturally, Cruor therefore felt a greater sense of allegiance to the North, and Carnis the South. Eventually, Carnis finally felt as though they had perfected the skill of creating habitable planets, and told Cruor they were now ready for their worlds to be populated by a diverse range of sentient species. However, Cruor was hesitant to do this – they felt a special commitment to the Bloodline species and did not wish to create any more sentient life. Carnis took this badly, and began to strip away resources from various Northern Bloodline-populated planets on the North-South border, threatening to continue doing so until Cruor created new sentient life.

In response, Cruor tried to encourage Southern Bloodliners to migrate to the Northern Sector as a way of boycotting Carnis’ Southern Sector, in exchange for Cruor’s protection. Many Southern Bloodliners did indeed leave, viewing Carnis’ threats as tyrannical. However, a lot more Southern Bloodliners also stayed put, feeling a greater religious obligation to Carnis and unwilling to leave the generally better-designed Southern planets.

Galactic Bloodline War

Early Stages

When Cruor sensed that their plan to encourage Southern Bloodliners to defect from Carnis had failed, they instead encouraged their Northern Bloodliners to declare war on the Southern Bloodliners. Carnis promptly did the same. Both gods were clearly unwilling to get too personally involved, knowing their involvement could cause mass destruction of both ecosystems and life, which they had worked so hard to create. Instead, they agreed that the outcome of the war would determine whether or not Cruor was to create new life or not.

After several decades of war, Carnis’ Southern Sector was clearly losing. The Northern Sector was able to invade vast swaths of Southern space, including many major planets. There were several reasons for Northern military victory. Firstly, Northern Bloodliners were generally more fanatically loyal to Cruor than Southern Bloodliners were to Carnis, more greatly venerating Cruor as their divine creator while the Southern Bloodliners merely respected Carnis for creating their planets, however well-designed they were. Secondly, Cruor’s military leadership proved to be more effective, likely due to their greater understanding of Bloodline psychology. Furthermore, the Northern Bloodliners also benefited from Cruor’s creation of non-sentient creatures of war, which Southern Bloodliners were unfamiliar with and hence vulnerable to on the battlefield.

Northern Dark Ages

However, Carnis had secretly created a biological weapon of their own – a nerve agent they planned to poison Cruor with to affect their capacity to lead. They ordered a squad of Southern Bloodliner soldiers to pose as rogue agents and ambush Cruor on a scheduled troop inspection during the invasion of the Southern planet Karo. The ambush worked, and Cruor was successfully poisoned, who did not even suspect Carnis at all.

From this point onwards, the Northern Sector began facing defeat after defeat under the leadership of the sick Cruor. The Southern Sector reversed the tides of the war, eventually bringing the North close to complete defeat. More and more Northern Bloodliners defected to the South, and riots erupted across what was left of the North as Northern troops resorted to disobeying Cruor’s ineffective orders and defending their planets on their own terms. When the Northern Sector appeared to be on its last legs, Cruor attempted to take their own life by throwing themselves into a black hole. Ironically, this black hole cured Cruor of their ailment by tearing away their infected neurones. In a moment of clarity, Cruor escaped the black hole, determined to lead the North back into victory.

Cancer Offensive

In a last ditch effort to save the Northern Sector, Cruor did what they vowed to never do – they created another sentient being. This being was much easier to bioengineer than the Bloodline; it was very structurally similar to Cruor. This also meant it almost matched Cruor and Carnis in power, something Cruor initially made sure to avoid when creating life. However, in their desperation, Cruor was willing to make this compromise and made sure to intentionally restrict the strength of this new being, whom they named ‘Cancer’ (okay they didn’t exactly name it that, it’s just a Latin translation used by Earth historians).

Cancer proved, as expected, to be the deadliest

beast of war in Cruor’s arsenal. Being both capable of intelligent thought and wielding godlike powers, it drove back much of the invading Southern forces. Nonetheless, the Northern Bloodliners’ resources had been massively depleted from previously trying to hold back the South, hindering the Cancer Offensive. In addition, many Northern Bloodliners retained their hatred for Cruor from the days of the Northern Dark Ages, resulting in military disobedience.

Cancerist Separatism

When the war between North and South seemed to have grinded to a stalemate, Cancer grew irritable. It was not fulfilling the purpose for which it had been created – military victory – and was as a result left deeply unsatisfied. Hence, it went rogue. Exploiting anti-god sentiment from both North and South, Cancer rallied a new separatist movement for Bloodliners who no longer wished to be embroiled in a destructive conflict orchestrated by the petty Bloodline Gods. This movement instead would fight for an independent area of space to live in peace. However, Cancer did not truly believe in this. Rather, it desired military dominance to satisfy its inherent itch for war. When billions of Northern and Southern Bloodliners alike flocked to his cause, Cancer ordered a campaign against both Cruor and Carnis.

Cancer’s guerilla forces proved difficult to combat, which were able to take over worlds with brutal efficiency, often employing scorched-earth tactics to devastate populations of people who remained loyal to Cruor or Carnis. Even though Cancer eventually established control over a large enough area of space to call independent, it continued to fight beyond this, calling for the deaths of Cruor and Carnis as revenge for the destruction they had caused. Cancer got its wish when it successfully ambushed Carnis, killing them personally.

Cruor was heartbroken. Despite the centuries of war they had waged against Carnis, they had

still considered them to be akin to family. Outraged and no longer seeing any point in abstaining from direct involvement in war, Cruor personally travelled to the core world of Cancer’s independent republic, where they later fought and killed Cancer.

Afterwards, Cruor sat on Cancer’s throne and reflected on the state of the universe. They had failed at creating a sustainable universe – a great number of planets had been irreversibly damaged by Cancer’s destructive campaign, Carnis was no longer alive to provide expertise on making new worlds, and most of what remained of the galactic Bloodline population held no respect left for Cruor. After careful consideration, the Bloodline God made the hardest decision they had made in their life – to reset the universe with a Big Bang.

Early Malum

Creation of Malum

In this new universe, Cruor set five ground rules to prevent the mistakes that occurred in Universe Zero:

1) There should be multiple gods in organised power systems so that the folly of individual gods would not be as impactful.

2) Only one planet should exist, preventing the destructive potential of an interplanetary war.

3) There should be multiple sentient species, all with unique biological abilities so that different civilisations would need to coexist, share their special gifts, and NOT wage war on each other to survive.

4) There should be no more powerful non-god sentient beings to question the authority of gods to prevent a repeat of Cancer.

5) After creating this new world, Cruor should not get involved at all, as they have already proven to be a poor leader and the new world is likely better off finding their own way. A screenshot of a fake Wikipedia article we made about Malum gods

After creating the single planet Malum, Cruor populated it with 50 sentient species. They also created Malum Gods, a species similar to Bloodline Gods but much less powerful. These gods would act as motivators of the species of Malum, arbitrators of severe natural disasters and be divided into several types like Energy Gods or Death Gods. These types of gods would be placed in councils to administer different aspects of Malum and grant biological godhood to non-gods as a form of recruitment. When Cruor felt satisfied with what he had created, they took their own life for good and allowed Malum to run its course.

For a while, Cruor’s system worked. Sentient species did cooperate with their unique gifts, and gods fulfilled their guiding role. However, this peace did not last and relations between the civilisations began degrading. In line with giving each species a unique gimmick, Cruor made it so that different species would be geographically separated, each having evolutionary adaptations to their environments. Unfortunately, as a result, the nations of Malum are more or less divided by species. In other words, the vast majority of countries are majorly dominated by single species. Although Cruor intended to force species to cooperate with their unique evolutionary adaptations and their idiosyncratic inhabited environments, this policy was insufficient in making cooperation beneficial to them. This made it difficult for species to overcome xenophobia (especially given how biologically different species are) in favour of cooperation. Although Cruor undeniably attempted to design the god system to encourage unity, they arguably made the role of gods too administrative, focusing too much on preventing natural disasters than improving interspecies relations.

This non-cooperation was exacerbated by two things:

1) Cruor did not perfect the equality of gimmicks amongst species to cater to an inherently selfish (and therefore inevitably capitalistic) world. For example, certain species did not have a gimmick that was important for economic development, whereas others did.

2) Economic development is exponential.

This meant that species that had economically

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beneficial gimmicks were more able to oppress un-economically beneficially gimmicked species, as they would have been unchecked by a nonexistent god system that sufficiently encourages cooperation. As a result, some nations (i.e. species) were much less technologically advanced than others due to the economic development required for this.

Age of Eschaton

One such oppressed species was the Thaniates. They were a species that were designed by Cruor to get stronger when malnourished. As beings made out of strands of skin (like an Egyptian mummy), malnourishment meant a loss of motor functions, unraveling the strands to allow for greater flexibility. They could also channel bioelectricity through the strands with less resistance and shoot out electricity to power machinery. In theory, this is a balanced design in an ideal world without unnatural disasters like mass persecution and oppression where only natural disasters significantly threaten the Thaniates, in which case malnourishment would allow them to rebuild infrastructure with their flexibility and repair technology with their bioelectricity. However, the fact is that Malum was not an ideal world; without any other unique gifts, the Thaniates were easily dominated by the Nordusk, an industrial species with a mind for engineering. As the Nordusk’s man-made persecution of the Thaniates was not a natural disaster, the Thaniates’ adaptations in malnourishment did not help them much to solve their oppression.

At some point in time, a Thaniate named Neva was born. Despite his species’ oppression, he was a talented sorcerer and was hence made a god by the council of Death Gods. Among other things, Death Gods were in charge of recycling energy from the dead by reabsorbing neuroelectricity from dead bodies. This demanded high proficiency in sorcery, as this neuroelectric absorption could be dangerous to those unable to control it. Initially, Neva played his role well. However, he began to abuse his powers by using them to take revenge on high-profile Nordusk persecutors of the Thaniates. When the council of Death Gods questioned him for this, Neva went rogue.

He adopted the name ‘Eschaton’ and took on a mission to exterminate the Nordusk as revenge for

oppressing the Thaniates. Of course, this goal of killing all Nordusk was considered unjust, and was met by condemnation from the Thaniates themselves. Eschaton ignored this condemnation, persuading himself into thinking his purge was welcomed by the Thaniates. He also convinced himself that his vengeance was genuine. In reality, deep down, he could not have cared less for the oppression of his species; his true goal was to gain power through absorbing neuroelectricity and he subconsciously knew his crusade against the Nordusk was merely a starting point for global genocide.

Despite the Thaniates’ opposition to Eschaton’s actions, they were unable to declare war on him because of their oppression. Only when Eschaton was far into his purge of the Nordusk were the Thaniates finally able to muster up a more substantial military opposition to Eschaton, making him dramatically ‘change’ his views on his species and purge them too. In reality, Eschaton subconsciously knew this betrayal was inevitable and was just waiting for an excuse to ‘snap’.

As a side note, this is similar to many real-world dictators who likely mentally fooled themselves into believing the same lies they told the masses. For example, Osama Bin Laden lied about having deeprooted jihadist allegiances, and as a result likely deluded himself into developing genuine jihadist beliefs. Similarly, Adolf Hitler initially used antisemitism as a cheap scapegoat to gain minor political power, and arguably did not believe in it much. Arguably, only when these antisemitic beliefs became more and more of a selling point for voting for Hitler did he double down on this belief and became a stronger genuine believer in it.

Like these dictators, Eschaton’s rise was also the result of an unfortunate combination of circumstances. In his case, these circumstances were the product of the very ground rules Cruor used to create Malum, which had backfired tremendously:

1) The bureaucracy of god systems meant more non-gods had to be made gods than Cruor intended, which was how Eschaton gained his godlike powers.

2) The existence of just one planet allowing Eschaton to achieve global genocide with ease.

3) Cruor making every sentient species have a unique ability but not equally distributing these abilities resulted in interspecies oppression; nations did not acknowledge Eschaton’s purge as a global genocide until it was too late because Eschaton was able to use revenge against oppression as a public excuse to start his campaign against the Nordusk.

4) The non-existence of powerful non-god sentient species meant no one to keep Eschaton in check or question the bureaucracy of gods in the first place.

5) Cruor’s absence meant the Malum gods could not draw from their experience and guidance on this issue of a power-hungry rogue god – a situation very similar to Cancer’s rebellion in Universe Zero.

Eschaton’s power grew with every kill, as he absorbed the neuroelectricity of anyone he slew. This proved to be quite an addiction for him, further fuelling his indiscriminate killing of mortals, beasts, and gods. To make matters worse, nations who initially underestimated Eschaton even used the beginning of his purge as an excuse to start wars, thinking his genocidal campaign would blow over quickly. This accelerated the fall of nations and assisted Eschaton in killing their citizens. Meanwhile, unaffiliated cults worshipping Eschaton began to emerge, hoping that Eschaton would protect them for their veneration of him. He did not and purged them all the same. Ultimately, in the span of a few decades, the population of Malum had been reduced to just a few hundred

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thousand. At this point, the amount of neuroelectricity absorbed by Eschaton had made him nighunstoppable.

Expulsion of Eschaton

When the complete extinction of life on Malum seemed certain, what gods and sorcerers were left on Malum banded together with a plan – to force Eschaton out of Malum. An Energy God named Vulkan lured Eschaton into space, before the sorcerers used their collective power to transfer the planet Malum into a parallel dimension (more of this is outlined in the section ‘Case study: neurone-based magic system’), locking Vulkan and Eschaton out.

Vulkan did not lose his fight against Eschaton; he was able to use his energy powers to escape into the vast cosmos while Eschaton remained stranded, his powers of electricity unable to propel him much. Thus, Eschaton was adrift in space, with no access to any life from which he could drain neuroelectricity.

Post-Eschaton Malum

Eschaton’s discovery of Earth

Eschaton’s isolation in space changed him. Initially having gone mad as a symptom of withdrawal from neuroelectrical absorption, he eventually developed feelings of regret over his actions, although not for a straightforward reason. Rather than regretting the massive loss of life he brought about, he mainly lamented having created such mass death in an unsustainable way that made him run out of his supply of neuroelectricity.

After years of floating in space, Eschaton taught himself to hone his ability to seek out neuroelectricity

Eschaton’s fight with Vulkan

across the universe as a way of detecting if there was still life in this universe for him to exploit. His search yielded results – a prehistoric Earth. Being a Death God, Eschaton was biologically immortal. Hence, despite the slowness of his movement across space, he was eventually able to reach Earth alive, and found a planet populated by dinosaurs. Eschaton had discovered Earth during its Cretacious Period. Deciding to take a slower approach to killing for neuroelectricity so that his supply of lifeforms did not run out, Eschaton did not undertake any global genocide this time (although we did toy with the idea of Eschaton causing the extinction of the dinosaurs). As a side project and to satisfy his ego, Eschaton also spent decades attempting to make dinosaurs sentient, so that he could still feel powerful being worshipped as a Death God. He was only able to make two species sentient – the Spinosaurus and the T-Rex. However, this sufficed, and Eschaton quickly amassed quite an empire of sentient dinosaur fanatics.

Somewhere out in space, Vulkan eventually took notice of Eschaton’s actions thanks to his scout, a Dragon God he summoned called Dirach. Determined to kill Eschaton once and for all, Vulkan created a meteor bound for Earth, and paid a visit to Earth to lure Eschaton to the point of the meteor’s imminent impact. With Dirach’s help, Vulkan put up a good fight against Eschaton, who was much weaker than his Malum days. Nonetheless, the fight was massively destructive, with the impact from the two gods creating new land masses that would become the modern day countries of Rucrenia, Marecora, and Prelbelm. Ultimately, Vulkan was able to hold down Eschaton, allowing the meteor to strike Eschaton. Thus, the Death God finally met his end. Vulkan was also killed in the process, but Dirach had survived, having taken cover in space. All non-sentient dinosaurs became extinct in this event; small populations of sentient T-Rexes and Spinosaurus had been able to hide out in underground bunkers to survive the meteor impact. However, the resultant ‘impact winter’ hindered continued survival, and following decades of desperate wars over limited resources, the two sentient species slowly died out as well.

Earth’s discovery of Malum

At the time of his death, Eschaton’s brain was heavily physically fortified. His Thaniate biology meant his absorption of massive amounts of neuroelectricity hardened the strands of skin that wrapped around his brain, which crystallised under the impact of the meteor. In modern-day Mexico, where the meteor landed, his skull was discovered intact in 1986. Scientists discovered his skull still contained massive amounts of electricity, and to their surprise, a portal opened up when the skull was electrically shocked. On the other side? Planet Malum. (See the section ‘Case study: neurone-based magic system’ for a more detailed explanation of this)

Differing views emerged regarding what to do with this discovery of a world beyond Earth. Many wanted to close the portal, believing the other side to be dangerous. Others thought it could even be Hell. Even US President Ronald Reagan chimed in, wanting to militarise the portal and make it fall under American jurisdiction. Ultimately, it was decided that the portal would be regulated by the United Nations, which would coordinate immigration from Malum and the mutual exchange of technology and resources.

At this point in time, Malum was nowhere near the level of technological advancement it had reached before Eschaton. Nations had used up massive amounts of natural resources to try to halt his purge, hindering the usage of energy-consuming technology even in the

A Mexican poster calling for the closure of the Malum portal. The text reads “For all life, kill the doorway

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present day. Because many Malumian experts in cutting-edge technology had been killed in his purge, much advanced Malum tech was lost to time. Only a small amount of advanced tech had been able to be reverse engineered, resulting in an inconsistent level of technological advancement on Malum. For example, while futuristic handheld weapons like plasma firearms are still in use in the present day, knowledge on how to use advanced architecture techniques has been forgotten, making it not uncommon for stone fortresses similar to medieval Earth castles to be found on Malum.

Nonetheless, for all its problems, Malum has been steadily recovering after the purges of Eschaton. In exchange for allowing Earth to extract Malumian oil resources, which Malumian technology does not use much, Malum has received assistance on the reverse engineering of pre-Eschaton Malumian technology. In addition, the movement of immigrants from Malum to Earth has alleviated resource shortages on Malum, all while bringing unique skills to Earth. All in all, as of 2025, the people of Malum are as optimistic as they have been since the end of Eschaton’s purge, as mutual collaboration promises to bring a better future for both Earth and Malum.

Case study: neurone-based magic system

The sciencey bits

Dark quarks

As aforementioned, our magic system fundamentally revolves around neurones. Specifically, the system revolves around a type of an imaginary subatomic particle we call the ‘dark quark’, named for the difficulty of its in-universe scientific discovery. Since the Big Bang, this seemingly propertyless dark quark has been found in the structure of every particle. Without mass, electric charge, or any other conventional intrinsic properties that define other quarks, the existence of dark quarks does little to disrupt the order of the universe much. However, life has found a way to interact with these dark quarks – the neurones of all sentient beings have evolved to become biological emitters of a radiation made up of another subatomic particle known as a dark boson. These dark bosons carry a so-called ‘dark force’ that only interacts with dark quarks to make them change into another apparently property-less particle called ‘darker quarks’. Dark

bosons can also do the opposite and turn darker quarks back into dark quarks.

Dark flavour superposition

What has troubled scientists, however, is that dark quarks seem to take no time at all to change into darker quarks and vice versa – these two types of quarks seem to be locked in a state of constant superposition wherein they are infinitely changing into each other at any given time. They called this ‘dark flavour superposition’.

Following years of scientific debate, it was eventually accepted that if these quarks were to be observed in a fourth dimension, not the third dimension that sentient beings are used to, they would not be observed superposing and changing back and forth all at once. Instead, they would be observed changing quark types in a specific sequence. For example, in a certain unit of time, a dark quark could either remain a dark quark or change into a darker quark. The result is similar to a line of binary code of 1s and 0s, only the sequence generated by the quarks would repeat to infinity.

As a side note, the difference between observing dark quarks in the fourth dimension and the third dimension was intended to be similar to the difference between observing something in 3D and 2D. Consider this analogy: if a real-life room is observed at just one angle (i.e. in 2D), certain pieces of furniture in the room may be obscured by others and thus not be noticed by the observer. If, however, the observer is to move around and observe the room at different angles (i.e. in 3D), the hidden pieces

of furniture would be noticed, revealing the true order in which the furniture is arranged in the room. In the case of the quarks, only observing them in 4D would reveal the true order of them changing.

Differences in dark flavour superposition

Scientists have observed that every individual dark/darker quark that exists in the universe appears to generate a different line of ‘code’, or more scientifically a different ‘DFS sequence’. Initially, they were perplexed by this – how could these identical quarks have different amounts of superposition? Subsequently, scientists have theorised that these differences in the DFS sequence generated by a dark/ darker quark depends on the specific circumstances of how this dark/darker quark has interacted with a dark boson. Therefore, no two DFS sequences are the same, as even the smallest change in how a dark boson interacts with a dark/darker quark, such as with a slightly different velocity or energy, could create massive changes in DFS sequence – a product of chaos.

Applications of the magic system

Is this system over-convoluted? Probably. Does it sound super pretentious, like the brainchild of a 17-year-old who just learnt about particles in their A-Level Physics course? Definitely; it’s exactly how I came up with this latest iteration of our magic system that’s been in the works for over three years now. But ultimately, it’s also not the final product – we will probably change our explanations at some point. This universe is an ongoing project, after all. And anyways, there are merits to this current iteration of the magic system – it has, as I said, helped to ‘explain’ many aspects of the imaginary world.

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The multiverse

It is this phenomenon of dark/darker quarks infinitely changing (or ‘dark flavour superposition’) that gave rise to the multiverse in our imaginary world. If you’ve seen the movies ‘Into the Spider-Verse' or ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, you’ll probably know what a multiverse is – it refers to the concept that there could be an infinite amount of universes with slight differences in every one.

Within Krillsink Lore, scientists initially believed that every individual DFS sequence possible represents a different universe of the wider multiverse. This was because the infinite nature of such a sequence meant these dark/darker quarks contain all the information needed to binarily code for at least one single universe. However, scientists later realised that the single universe coded for by a single DFS sequence would also contain dark/darker quarks of their own that each code for a different universe, which will itself also code for more ‘branches’ of universes. Because this cycle continues infinitely, there is therefore an unending tree diagram of universes. Thus, scientists concluded that every DFS sequence that exists in a single universe codes not just for another single universe, but codes for the infinite branches of universes below it.

It is important to remember that dark flavour superposition only occurs due to dark bosons, which are only produced in the neurones of sentient beings. Obviously, no two neurones will ever be built identically, as their structures are too biologically complex. Due to these slight differences, every neurone that exists in a universe will emit a dark boson at different velocities and different levels of energy. In turn, each dark boson will then cause a unique amount of dark flavour superposition in a particle of a neurone, coding for a unique universe. Therefore, in a sense, each sentient neurone that exists can also be said to represent a different universe.

People can travel between universes with the assistance of technology created by the first multiverse traveller, a Psychic dog named Caai from a highly scientifically advanced universe at the top of the multiversal hierarchy. In fact, this advanced universe is actually the very same universe inhabited by our plush toys, only Caai hailed from the far future.

Uniquely, at the time, she was the only being in the multiverse who contained a neurone that codes for her own universe. In addition, because this universe is the hierarchically topmost throughout the infinite multiverse, Caai therefore has access to every universe that exists. The superposing dark/ darker quark of her neurone had in fact once been a quark from the Bloodline God Cruor’s neurone –Caai comes from a long line of sentient beings owning this quark. Sometime in her life, Caai discovered she could edit the DFS sequence of this topmost neurone’s superposing dark/darker quark using her powerful neuromutations that allowed her to control the properties of the dark boson emitted by her neurone. This enabled Caai to edit any universe to include her own particles, effectively allowing her to travel across the multiverse. Recognising the good these powers could do, she made several clones of this neurone and developed a device that enabled automatic DFS sequence editing of the cloned neurone’s superposing dark/darker quark. Through this, users of the device could edit the sequence to insert a certain number of particles near the device into a desired universe. Although Caai could in theory edit a universe to insert any type of particle (e.g. she could summon a black hole in a universe if she wished), she did not wish to abuse this power, and so also designed the device to only enable the transfer of particles from one universe to another rather the addition of anything new. Caai made multiple of these devices containing their cloned neurone and taught many universes how to use these devices.

Sentience

But why is it that sentient neurones produce dark bosons in the first place? We explained this by saying that it was evolutionary beneficial for non-sentient species to have neurones containing dark/ darker quarks, as they could exploit these quarks’ high potential for information encoding to think more efficiently, even if they were only able to harness a small amount of the infinite potential of these quarks.

However, to exploit this benefit, a species would need to be able to produce dark bosons to cause dark flavour superposition. Eventually, different species across the world would stumble across this perk through the generations of trials of mutation we call evolution. They would outperform their mutationless peers, passing on this genetic advantage through reproduction until the species is dominated by more intelligent members. Such mutations of being able to produce dark bosons are rare, but still easier to evolve than the ‘natural’ way in which humans evolved sentience. As of 2025, these dark boson mutations have occurred to 13 species on Earth, granting them the gift of intelligence and allowing them to build civilisations.

Malum

When the plan to expel Eschaton was made, the sorcerers that worked together on this scheme concluded that the only way to truly keep Malum safe from the Death God would be to store Malum in a parallel dimension. One such sorcerer was, at the time, the owner of Cruor’s superposing dark/ darker quark that coded for the very universe she inhabited (the same dark/darker quark that Caai would come to inherit). The sorcerer combined forces with all other surviving sorcerers to create the antiparticle equivalent of her superposing dark/darker quark – an antiquark which coded for a parallel dimension that existed in the same universe but could not be accessed without a ‘portal’ to the dimension (this is similar to how a Minecraft world can have the Overworld dimension and the Nether dimension simultaneously, or how a universe in Marvel can have Asgard and Midgard).

Then, the sorcerers transferred both the dark/darker quark and the dark/darker antiquark to Vulkan, but not before bioengineering a pseudo-neurone that could summon a portal to the parallel universe so that Vulkan could return to Malum once he had finished luring Eschaton into space. This portal worked liked so:

1) The pseudo-neurone emits dark bosons at varying velocities and energy to edit the dark/darker quark’s and the dark/darker antiquark’s respective DFS sequences.

2) This DFS sequence editing would have edited ‘code’ out of the quarks’ sequence (i.e. particles from the normal dimension) and into the antiquark’s sequence (i.e. particles from the parallel dimension).

3) The sorcerers designed this system like a portal for ease of usage from Vulkan, who was not an

experienced sorcerer. With this system, when Vulkan was ready to return to Malum, he would use his Energy God powers to sufficiently electrically stimulate the pseudo-neurone to make it start emitting dark bosons differently. This would create in front of Vulkan a rectangle of parallel universe particles that have swapped places with normal universe particles due to the dark bosons’ DFS sequence editing. In other words, a portal. The pseudo-neurone automatically swaps the places of any normal universe particles with parallel universe particles in the corresponding space when these normal universe particles go through the rectangle (i.e. goes through the portal). Therefore, Vulkan would simply have to step through the portal to transfer his particles from the normal universe to the parallel universe, where Malum would have been transferred.

4) Additionally, because Vulkan was an Energy God whose neurones themselves were also biologically made of electricity, the sorcerers had to construct this pseudo-neurone out of electricity to make it survive in Vulkan’s system.

Finally, after luring Eschaton out of Malum, using the sorcery he had learnt from the sorcerers, Vulkan transferred the sequence that codes for Malum’s particles out of the dark/darker quark and into the newly made dark/darker antiquark, therefore storing Malum in the parallel universe and locking both himself and Eschaton out of Malum.

The sorcerers thought the quark and antiquark would have been safe with Vulkan. However, in the brief fight between Vulkan and Eschaton after being locked out of Malum, Eschaton managed to use his powers of neuroelectrical absorption to absorb the pseudo-neurone and, with it, the quark containing the sequence for the normal dimension and the antiquark containing the sequence for Malum’s parallel dimension. As Vulkan could not possibly reabsorb this pseudoneurone back or win the fight against Eschaton for the time being, he instead fled into the vast cosmos to think of a new plan, unable to return to Malum as the sorcerers had intended. Fortunately, Eschaton was not aware that he held the pseudoneurone to Malum, and so also did not return to Malum.

When scientists electrically stimulated Eschaton’s

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crystallised brain in 1986, they did two things. Firstly, the electrical stimulation opened the portal to Malum, as designed by the sorcerers. Secondly, the current of electricity freed the dark/ darker quark that coded for the universe from Eschaton’s brain. This superposing quark was attracted to the nearest source of dark bosons, which it found in a neurone of the closest scientist. Thus, the scientist became the next owner of the multiverse’s hierarchically topmost dark/darker quark. When the scientist eventually passed away, this quark was attracted to the nearest alternative source of dark bosons, thus continuing the cycle of the transfer of the quark that would eventually find its way to Caai in the distant future.

Superpowers

Sentient beings are considered ‘neuromutants’ if they have a mutation that allows them to produce more dark bosons than normal, a condition known as a ‘neuromutation’. This allows neuromutants to better exploit dark/darker quarks as a way of encoding information than their non-mutated sentient peers. Although this advantage seems as though it would grant all neuromutants greater intelligence, such hyperintelligence is not the typical superpower neuromutants have – there is a plateau in intelligence across all sentient species that approximately lies at the average level of human intelligence in real life. In other words, no matter how different a neuromutant’s brain structure is from other members of their species, they will likely have roughly the same ability to think.

Instead of being able to coordinate neurone activity more (and therefore think better), neuromutants mostly have the ability to control the flow of ions within their neurones better. This is because increased dark boson production leads to dark flavour superposition in more particles of a neurone, usually the ions that transmit electrical signals across a neural network. As these ions have a unique DFS sequence, a neuromutant’s brain would have a greater degree of control over the flow of these ions. In turn, they could use this control of ions to do things like shoot electricity and summon fire, or in other words, use superpowers.

Conclusion

And that’s Krillsink Lore in a 9000-word nutshell! You may have been able to tell that some aspects of the lore I talked about were not as polished as they could have been – how come Vulkan was powerful enough to edit Malum into the parallel dimension? What was Eschaton’s plan on Cretaceous Earth? Why don’t dark/darker quarks change DFS sequence when physically transferred to another neurone emitting dark bosons in a different way? The answers? ... My brother and I still haven’t fleshed out everything yet. As an ongoing worldbuilding project, there is a multitude of important things we are yet to fully explain, which isn’t helped by us constantly getting sidetracked by side projects within the universe. Nonetheless, until the day comes for us to research quantum mechanics again, we look forward to eventually banging out a semi-plausible explanation for our plot holes.

Writing this article has certainly forced me to organise a lot of information that had previously been in crude, grammarless, bullet-point form. Of course, the article would not have been possible without the help of my brother over the years in developing this project with me (fun fact: expanding the lore significantly was his idea). It can feel like a chore at times when you’re knee-deep in hardcore scientific or historical research, but mostly, it’s loads of fun, so much so that I can confidently say that building this universe has been one of the greatest things I have done in my life. Hence, I hope this article has sparked some inspiration within you to pick up worldbuilding in some way.

(PS: Stay tuned for the next issue where we talk about Antarctica!)

PETS

House Rabbits

When someone asks if I have a pet they are not surprised when I say "yes, a rabbit". But when I add “…and he lives indoors with us, like a cat or a dog!”, they are interested to know more.

My house rabbit is called Benji, and he is four years old. Having a house rabbit was one of my childhood dreams. Mum would tell me stories about the house rabbits she had before I was born. I got Benji as a present for Easter when I was 10.

All rabbits need fresh food and water, so you have to change their water and hay every day. They eat a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and leaves. Pet rabbits tend to have their food supplemented with pellets as well to make sure they are getting the right nutrients.

Rabbits which live outdoors will need to have their hutch cleaned frequently, but house rabbits use a litter tray (just like a cat). They are surprisingly easy to litter train because they are clean animals and like to toilet in the same place. We change Benji’s litter tray every morning and evening.

Benji has an indoor cage in Dad's gym room. We used to lock him in his cage overnight when he was tiny. However, rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they are most active during twilight hours, such as dawn and dusk, so he would stamp to get out very early in the morning and wake us up. Now we just shut him in the room overnight (but not the cage) and he is happy with that.

During the day Benji has free roam of the house, although we do close the doors to bedrooms when we are out because he likes to explore and may bite cables and dangerous or valuable items! So far, he has bitten through a phone charger cable, Christmas tree lights and three pairs of flip flops!

Any rabbit living on its own needs a lot of attention because they are social creatures and live in groups in the wild, so you have to be prepared to spend time with them. During the day when Mum is working from home Benji goes into the

office with her. During the evening, he sits with us in the lounge when we are watching TV. He is not a lap rabbit, but he does like physical contact. If you sit on the floor with him, he will lie next to you for you to stroke him.

Benji has become a real part of the family and has learnt how to interact with us. When he is hungry, he will follow you around and nudge your ankles with his head. This can be a problem because he weaves in & out of your feet; he is grey, and so is our carpet, so we have to take extra care not to step on him!

If he hears us go into the kitchen and open the fridge door he will follow and beg for a treat out of the fridge, usually mini sweetcorn, a green bean or a piece of carrot, but his favourite treat is a pear. During evenings I have fruit as a snack, and if it’s a pear he will climb on me wanting a bite!

Rabbits need things to play with too. We save the cardboard boxes from large deliveries, and he has great fun biting them and ripping holes in them. It makes a bit of a mess, but he is happy and stimulated.

A house rabbit usually lives for 8 to 12 years, so I have a lot more time to enjoy his company. Perhaps having read this you will think about getting a house rabbit as well. It's one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

Fun Facts:

Rabbits eat their own poo to get more nutrients! Rabbits almost have 360° vision!

POETRY

My First Year

I walked through the gate unsure if I did belong, Until later would I realise it felt like I was here all along. Then the blossoming tree made me smile so very widely, Then I came back to feeling nervous ever so slightly.

Soon I realised there was never anything to be nervous about, I had made friends that I would come to if in any doubt. All lessons were full of such interesting information, That sparked an imaginative interactive conversation.

My first year, first play, first exams, first everything here, Though, soon to me Clifton High became quite dear. The rose represents so much when you do a reflection, All you think about is curiosity, love, empathy and direction.

POLITICS

A Slum or a Town?

Whilst many ‘slums’ exist around the world, many of them don’t deserve this name. I’ll be writing about why Rocinha, a favela (Brazilian term for a slum or shanty town) in Rio de Janeiro, should be classed as a favela or a town.

Legal definition of a town:

1) Towns and semi-dense areas, which have a population of at least 5,000 inhabitants in contiguous grid cells with a density of at least 300 inhabitants per km²

As far as further research suggests, the thing that makes a town a town is the population size and density.

Definition of a shanty town:

A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from

cheap building materials such as corrugated iron sheets.

After seeing these two definitions, it leaves me thinking that the two main factors that separate favelas and towns are their population and buildings. Therefore, I have done some research into where Rocinha stands in these two factors.

Rocinha:

Rocinha is located in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro, here on a map:

It has a population of approximately 180,000 people. This means that it does meet the population requirement of a town. However, it takes up less than a square mile, giving it a very high population density, which fulfils the population density requirement. However, the fact that it takes up so little space could be a factor in why it is not currently classed as a town rather than a favela. And whilst many of Rocinha’s buildings are self-made by the residents, it has a much higher standard of living than most shanty towns, in Brazil and all over the world. 99%

Rocinha

of the houses have electricity and access to clean, running water and there is a high employment rate.

PSYCHOLOGY

Fight or Flight

Fear is a universal experience as an emotion we all will feel at some point. According to the dictionary, fear is defined as “an unpleasant emotion or thought that you might have when you are frightened or worried by something dangerous, painful or bad that is happening or might happen.” While fear is often considered an inconvenience or something to avoid, it serves an important purpose in our lives. Fear is not just an emotion — it is a natural mechanism that has gradually been adapted to protect us from harm since the first humans walked the Earth.

When we are faced with a situation that our brain interprets as dangerous the body will automatically and at once prepare us for action. This reaction is known as the “fight or flight” response. For example, when you feel afraid, you start to sweat and your heart rate increases, causing your breathing to accelerate also. Your adrenaline levels increase drastically as well. These physical and mental changes happen instantly, allowing you to react as quick as possible to potential threats. While these reactions way feel inconvenient, they are there for your survival.

Where do fears come from?

Fears are deeply rooted in our brains. Three main parts of the brain work together to create and respond to threats: the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex.

The hippocampus handles storing memories, especially those connected to emotions.

The amygdala is like the brain’s alarm system; it processes emotions to then trigger the body’s fear response.

The prefrontal cortex is what helps us make logical decisions in the face of fear and find whether something is a threat or not.

Many fears come from subjective experiences, especially those that are traumatic or emotionally intense. For instance, if someone was bit by a dog as a child, they may grow up with the lifelong fear of dogs. This is a memory-based fear and is strongly associated with the amygdala and hippocampus. However, researchers have found that fears can also be passed down through genetics and DNA. For an example, if someone’s mother had a fear of snakes, they would be three times more likely to have a fear of snakes than someone whose mother does not have this fear.

How does it affect our daily life?

Fear influences our behaviour more than we realise. In everyday life, fears appear in many different forms, but the most common one is anxiety. Anxiety is an exaggerated form of fear or worry, that often does not have a clear or immediate threat. It can range from a subtle sense of uneasiness all the way up to severe panic and is considered a mental health disorder when it interferes with daily life. According to global statistics over 301 million people suffer with anxiety, making it one of the most common

Fear can also show up in more specific ways through phobias (intense fears of things or situations). These phobias can strongly influence our lifestyle, routines, and decisions. For example, someone who has claustrophobia, or the fear of small spaces, might avoid taking elevators and instead choosing to climb the stairs, leading to physical exhaustion or being late. Similarly, a person with a fear of public speaking may choose to avoid presentations even if doing so will affect their job or academic performance.

How does Music affect our Mental and Physical Health During our Daily Life

How does music affect our mental health?

Music is something that’s really important in some of our lives. We listen to music in the car, at home, at gym or at a park. Music is always around us and making us feel different emotions, whether it is making us feel happy, sad or is just calming us down.

Why does music change our emotions so easily?

When you listen to a happy, upbeat song, you usually will feel more energetic and happier. Or play a slow and sad song, that might make you feel sad and emotional. Or maybe when angry, some people would choose to play loud music that helps them to calm down. This is because music can help express feelings we might not be able to express with words and connects to our brain which makes us to feel different emotions.

How does music reduce stress and anxiety?

When you listen to music you like, your brain usually makes a chemical called dopamine which can makes you feel good, kind of like when you eat your favourite food or have a hug with someone you love.

Soft and slow music can slow down your heartbeat, lower your blood pressure and help you breathe more slowly. This will make your body feel relaxed.

When you’re worrying about something, your brain keeps thinking about all the problems and causes you to overthink about a small thing. Therefore, listening to music can calm your brain and help you to relax. When you are stressed, your body makes a chemical called cortisol that

makes you feel stressed. Good music can help to reduce the chemical, making you feel better.

Some people even use music as a form of therapy to help them deal with some rough times.

For some people, even hearing their favourite artists’ name can help them feel better. Because hearing their name is just like hearing the name of someone you love, your brain makes dopamine to make you feel happy. The lyrics in their songs can also express the feelings they can’t or don’t want to share with others. So, when they listen to the songs that they relate to, they feel safe and therefore the artists also do the same thing to them.

Music helps boost focus and motivation.

Music can help people with homework, reading, tidying, going outside or pumping themselves up before some big events. Listening to their favourite song or their favourite artist’s voice can help them calm down or just focus on what they are doing.

Music brings people together.

Music can make us feel less alone or brought together. Going to concerts, singing in a choir, singing or humming with a friend or just sharing a playlist with a friend helps us to feel connected to each other. This can help us a lot when we’re feeling down or lonely.

Helps with self harm or suicidal thoughts

A lot of people can struggle with mental health issues, self-harm or even suicidal thoughts. Therefore, music can make a big impact on their lives. Because the artists help them so much with their music, they may look forward to a concert,

seeing their favourite artists, a new album, a new tour or just everyday changes, for example their favourite artist getting a new hair colour. This can stop them from having suicidal thoughts because the artists mean a lot to them.

How does music help with physical health?

Music doesn’t just help with your mental health, it also helps with your physical health.

1) It helps you relax.

When you listen to a song you like, your body slows down, your heart beats slower, your muscles relax, and your breathing becomes easier, which is helpful for some people prone to anxiety attacks or panic attacks.

2) Reduces pain

Some people listen to music to feel less pain, for example when in the hospital, in the gym when you’re really tired, or injured and waiting for an ambulance. Music can distract the brain from pain and help the body release chemicals that make you feel better.

3) Helps you sleep

Listening to soft music before sleeping can help you fall asleep faster and sleep better, which is very important for your physical and mental health.

How

does music help with handsonly CPR?

When doing hands-only CPR, you need to push on the chest at the right speed, which is about 100 to 120 pushes per minute.

Here are some songs that have the right rhythm for hands-only CPR:

Bellyache – 100 BP

Everything I Wanted – 120 BPM

CHIHIRO – 110 BPM

Lovely – 115 BPM

Birds of a Feather – 105BPM

ilomilo – 120 BPM

Male Fantasy – 108 to 112 BPM

In an emergency, it’s really easy to panic. Listening or singing those songs while doing hands-only CPR can help you to focus on what you’re doing while helping someone.

Those songs also make it easier to remember how fast to push when you are helping someone, especially if you like the artists!

So those are all the things of how music can help with our mental health and physical health, and how music affects our daily lives.

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

A Pie for a π: Finding Pi with a Pie

Pi is a very important mathematical constant, most known to be used in finding a circle’s circumference and area from its radius. The endeavour to find its actual value dates back to around 2000 BC, when ancient Egyptians and Babylonians predicted its value to be around 3.125, using simple tools such as rope and clay tablets. Nowadays, we know that π = 3.14159265…, and can summon it in our calculators using a simple button. But what if we couldn’t do that? Is there a way to find pi using simple tools if we get thrown back 4000 years?

Well, yes. We could use ropes and strings just like the ancient people did. But that’s not fun is it? What’s the joy in wrapping string around a circular object or a circle on a piece of paper over and over? Instead, we could do it like this.

Concept

Picture a game, where you pick a number from 1-10 inclusive, and you win if your number matches the number chosen by a computer. The probability of success in this case is given by:

In this game, for example, if the computer picks “8”, you can only win by picking “8”, so there is only 1 successful choice. There are 10 total choices you can make, so your probability of winning would be:

Now picture a 10cmx10cm grid, which has 100 small squares in a big square. Each small square has an area of , and the big square has an area of

You win by picking the same small square as the computer, just like last time. From the equation above, we know that the probability of you winning is:

However, notice that in this case, the equation can be changed to:

which also gives:

Here’s the key. We put a circle with radius r inside a square with side length 2r, which fits perfectly. The area of the circle is and the square has

MATHEMATICS

an area of If we ask a computer kindly to pick a random point in the square, the probability of it being in the circle is

Let’s say we ask the computer to do it 100 times, and 80 of the chosen points are in the circle. Therefore, the observed probability of the computer winning in our 100 trials is:

We can now estimate that

which leads us to conclude that π is around 3.2.

However, it’s not exactly fun if we ask a computer to do all the work. The circle in the game can be any round object, and the name pi does ring a bell… Why don’t we use a pie inside of a square frame for our investigation?

We also need a way to find random points on the pie. We could throw darts onto the pie, but it takes a long time for each throw, they’re not edible and it inevitably destroys the pie. In science, if we repeat an experiment multiple times, we usually get closer to the real value, as we reduce the effect of random error. To simulate many trials, we could spread small particles all over the square and observe the proportion of the particles which land on the pie. Small particles which go on sweet baked goods… sprinkles! A jar of sprinkles could contain up to around 80,000 individual pellets, making it great for this investigation.

Experiment Time!

First of all, I need a pie and some sprinkles. As some of my friends know, I am quite the cheapskate, so I bought the cheapest stuff off the shelves at Sainsbury’s. (Sainsbury’s is definitely available 4000 years ago.)

As for the square frame, turns out the people at Sainsbury’s are quite good at making their boxes tight, so I just sliced the top off the box the pie came in and used it as the frame.

Here, I ran into the first problem: the pie has a huge bump in it. If I left it there, the sprinkles could bounce off the bump and cause chaos. Luckily, this one’s solvable by some brute force.

The second problem I realised was that sprinkles bounce on the pie. If a sprinkle (is this a word?) hits the pie and bounced off into the box, what originally was a “success” would be recorded as a “failure”, impacting the results. To solve this, we needed to put something on the pie to make the sprinkles stick.

Originally, I thought of using whipped cream. However, Greek yoghurt was cheaper, healthier (the dollop nullifies the possible implications of guzzling up the 80g of sugar in the pie and the 80g of sprinkles) and my parents promised to finish

the tub for me, so I picked that up instead.

Before sprinkling the sprinkles, I weighed the pie on its own and the combined mass of the pie and the box.

Here’s my setup:

After attacking Pieland with a colourful monsoon, I weighed the combined mass of the pie and the box again, and the box alone. I didn’t weigh the pie as some yoghurt got on my hands when I tried to remove it, making the readings inaccurate. I can ignore the sprinkles that fell out of the box as they don’t affect the proportions in the equation.

The mass of the sprinkles that landed in the square would be (combined mass after) - (combined mass before), and the mass of the sprinkles that landed on the pie would be (combined weight after) – (mass of box after) – (mass of pie before).

At this point, I could have called it a day and calculated the estimate for pi. However, we get more accurate results if we repeat experiments, and there’s some available in the square box and on the table…

So I did the whole thing again with the leftover sprinkles from the 1st trial. I didn’t buy new sprinkles because I’m a cheapskate :)

Method

Before we go into the results, here’s the method if you’re interested in doing this yourself:

Equipment (Ingredients):

One Circular Pie (Any, sweet one recommended)

Card for the square frame (Use the box that the pie came in if possible)

Sprinkles (The more the better, not too much so that the product is edible)

Yoghurt to keep sprinkles from bouncing off (Can be substituted by whipped cream, yoghurt, honey, syrup etc. – beware of sugar content)

Method:

Remove the top of the pie box. Check if the pie fits the box like this:

Adjust the size of the box by reconstructing and/ or cutting the box.

Spread the yoghurt on the pie.

Weigh your pie. Record its mass (a) and put it in the box. Weigh the combined mass of the pie and the box (b).

Optional: Place the box in a big tray to keep in sprinkles that have fallen out of the box.

Sprinkle the sprinkles over the box as evenly as you can. Make sure to not focus on only the pie.

Weigh the combined mass of the box and pie (c). Remove the pie and scrape off any yoghurt stuck to the box as it is considered to be part of the pie. Weigh the box (d).

Estimate pi. Estimation =

Results

Here’s the results for my investigation:

There are two approaches to getting our final estimate: we could simply find the estimate of pi for each trial, add them up and divide that by two. However, the second trial uses less sprinkles so arguably has “worse” data.

Instead, I could combine these two trials and use the totals to calculate the estimate. This approach makes sense if you think of the situation as me having 100g of sprinkles at the start, sprinkling 80g, taking a break and then finishing off the 20g.

Looking at the results, the estimate for:

Luckily, prehistoric me received the actual value of pi through revelation from the gods, so I can check how good the results were by calculating the % difference from the true value:

This is actually not that bad considering the relatively primitive method. In fact, I have made an estimate with a -46.7% difference in a Physics practical while using actual equipment rather than a pie and some sprinkles.

Conclusion: Was it worth it?

Firstly, it was quite expensive (£4.15). It didn’t break my bank, but it definitely wasn’t worth it considering the fact that what I got was a pie with a staggering 20% sugar content that no one in my family wanted to touch (I’ll get my friends to eat it so don’t worry about food waste). Secondly, the accuracy of my results was completely outclassed by what the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians achieved 4000 years ago.

But it was great fun indeed.

OUR APPEAL

150 years of Clifton High School: Funding The Future

In this article, Mrs Liz Bond tells us about the incredibly exciting work underway, led by the Development Office, to help celebrate the huge milestone for our community.

A love of learning has, and always will be, at the heart of an education at Clifton High School. Pupils develop inquisitive minds and a sense of belonging, whilst we as a School continue to uphold a reputation for high academic standards alongside a nurturing approach to learning. Our values remain strong, integrating the fundamental principles laid down by our Founders Lieutenant Colonel Arnold Pears, Reverend John Percival, Miss Catherine Winkworth and Mrs Sarah Wollaston nearly 150 years ago. As we approach this significant milestone in 2027 it is a time to look to the future, continuing to build upon this wonderful legacy.

To honour this significant milestone, we at Clifton High School are launching our ‘Funding the Future’ Appeal, helping us make a significant and lasting impact on the lives of many more children across the Bristol area by focusing on two key areas:

• Firstly, we would like to invest in our current science laboratories. Beyond aesthetic improvements, our last major rebuild was in 1978, when the Senior School was a girls-only environment. Through our Appeal, we aim to inspire future generations by redesigning and refurbishing the science facilities. This will provide an additional, first-class dedicated space for infant and junior pupils to explore science and the living world, as well as provide a hub for learning that will be open to our wider community.

• Secondly, through our bursary programme, we wish to ensure that all families who have a genuine thirst for knowledge are able to access a Clifton High School education, irrespective of their financial circumstances. We will continue to build upon our existing support by offering a maximum of four partially or fully funded bursary places in every year group across our Senior School and Sixth Form as well as providing a dedicated bursary tutor to support the pupils as they journey through our School.

For further information please visit our Appeal hub Funding The Future. Here’s to the next 150 years of success at Clifton High School!

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