Spartan Voices
"Your inside look at Spartan Life"
by Annie Huynh
Lionfish are invasive, venomous fish native to the Indo-Pacific that can live up to 15 years and reproduce rapidly, producing over two million eggs annually. They are known for their voracious appetites, using their long, feathery pectoral fins to herd and trap prey—smaller fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates—before lunging to swallow them whole. As apex predators in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, lionfish cause severe ecological damage by consuming an abundance of native species, including economically important fish like snapper and grouper. Their eighteen venomous spines can deliver a painful sting that causes severe pain, sweating, respiratory issues, and temporary paralysis, though rarely fatal. Despite this, lionfish are edible and considered a delicacy, and numerous restaurants are adding them to menus to help control their invasive populations.
by Sammy Bugajski
Title: Salem’s Lot
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Stephen King’s 1975 novel, ‘Salem’s Lot, is a foundational classic of the horror genre. In this thrilling book, the ordinary quickly turns sinister, and you’ll find that what you see is not all as it seems. The novel follows Ben Mears, a successful but struggling writer who has returned to his hometown intending to write a novel based on the sinister Marsten House, which has terrified him since he was a child. Upon his return, Ben meets Susan Norton, a local woman who becomes a romantic interest. As they begin to get to know each other, mysterious events begin to unfold in the town. When two local boys-Danny and Ralphie Glick venture into the woods and disappear, the town starts to spiral downward into fear and confusion. As Danny’s death leads to a transformation into a vampire, and as others in the town begin to exhibit unusual behaviors, Ben slowly realizes the reality: the town is being overwhelmed by vampires, with an ancient vampire, Kurt Barlow, at the source of this new evil. The novel follows Ben, Susan, and a group of allies- including Matt Burke, a local teacher, Mark Petrie, a sharp-witted young boy, and Father Callahan, the local priest as they struggle to overcome the vampire, ending with a thrilling final confrontation with Barlow and the vampiric townspeople. With a careful concoction of tension, terror, and fear, this spellbinding story will draw in every reader and uproot any previous thoughts about what truly makes a novel great.
by Cae Rosa
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the much-anticipated sequel to the game Silksong, created by Team Cherry, a small independent development team from Australia. The game has also been in development for a total of 7 years since it was announced and was supposedly in development for 2 years prior to the announcement. According to the team itself, the reason why is because they loved working and building up the game. The game was released this last September to a massive audience. One such member being the writer of this very article. After playing some of this game, the game has proven to be challenging, but also very fun. That is if you enjoy some of the adrenaline that comes with a challenging and fast paced boss fight. The game is also massive, which can lead you to wander around quite a bit. The game itself is also challenging in that you have 5 base HP and most enemies due 2 damage, meaning you can only take 3 hits before dying. The other big challenge some might face could be the variety of parkour and movement tools and mechanics players can get throughout the game, which to some could prove somewhat challenging.
