Issue VII: Arcane Arcades was a one-of-a-kind issue for RTS focused around games and entertainment. We were absolutely floored by the submissions we received, and it was incredibly difficult for us to choose our contributors. Ultimately, we chose the pieces that best fit the theme and the kind of work we published. Today, we'd like to further highlight the pieces published by giving you an insight into their behind-the-scenes. We asked our contributors what inspired them to write their pieces, and how they hoped others would relate to it. We hope this helps you appreciate the pieces more, and gives you some inspiration for your own writing! You can read the lovely pieces themselves inside Issue VII.
Note: Their social media handles are also listed in brackets if you want to support them.
POETRY
Christopher Arkwright - Pokémon is my faith in humanity
I was sitting in the car, on a long road trip, thinking about power. Everyone wants the power to have people bow down before them, build great monuments in their name, be truly special. But in dictators and rulers alike, the truly unreachable, magical power, has always been the greatest allure. The power to fly, breathe fire or use magical weapons in combat. That led me to the realisation that in fact, most people do enjoy those dreams of power. But it isn’t they who have it, it’s Pokémon! In Pokémon, you are still a weak and feeble human, yet so many are obsessed with the magical power of the creatures they can tame. For me, this was nice thought, a realisation which (at least for that afternoon) restored my faith in humanity. I wanted to share that feeling with other people, so I wrote it down.
Devon Webb - NPC (@devonwebbnz (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Bluesky))
'NPC' is about a lack of autonomy & effective communication in romantic attractions, using an NPC (non-playable character) metaphor to portray the idea of being reduced to a repetitive insignificance in somebody else's story, even when you view yourself as a protagonist.
E. S. Merritt - Game of Hearts (@e.s.merritt)
My piece is inspired by the game of romance that people play when in a relationship. This poem was inspired by a situation I went through, where one person in a relationship is looking for something fun and flirty, while the other is looking for something more serious. Teens will relate to this, as the teenage years are when people experience their first love and heartbreak, and many teens have probably been in a relationship like this.
E.J.M - The Game of Being A Teenage Girl (@ella_writesbooks_)
My piece is about the teenage girl experience and how it compares to a game such as Tetris. Tetris is a game that mathematically, you can't win. It will keep going forever and ever. This is similar to the average teenage girl experience because no matter how hard you try to change yourself to seek the approval of others, there will always be someone who hates on you and you can't please them. What inspired me to write this poem is the game of Tetris. You can never become the winner of it since it's a never ending game much like trying to please people as a teenage girl. Other people can relate to this because many individuals (especially teenage girls) have felt pressure or the yearning feeling to change themselves in order for people to like them more. Many individuals can understand how it feels to rearrange yourself to be 'perfect' and have people still not think that it's enough. This poem would be a good fit for your magazine because it's a teen magazine and unfortunately, it is common for many teenagers go through the experiences mentioned in the poem. Hopefully, when people read my poem, they will finally know/understand that it's okay to be yourself because there will be people who like you and they shouldn't change themselves because that will only lead to their own unhappiness.
Ellen Alfredson - I am no expert at chess (_ellen.alfredson)
In ”I am no expert at chess” the ”Chess game” is compared to life, or rather life in the social world. It’s about norms and how it’s all a game with rules you have to follow about how you act, communicate, look, and your sexuality etc. The chess game is a metaphor for social life as the base of the entire poem. It’s about struggling to fit into heteronormative society and more. It relates to the theme of ”games” because the chess game is the metaphor that is the base of the whole poem. The title, ”I am no expert at chess” means exactly what it sounds like. Struggling with playing the part right and living up to people’s, or maybe one’s own expectations. I think many people can relate to feeling this pressure around other people. A fun detail is that chess is usually black and white, just like the straight ”flag”, which connects back to the title, ”I am no expert at chess.”
Ila S - Open Settings? (@ila.writes7)
I was inspired by the description of the theme "Games" for this issue, really. The idea of "moments [I'd] never get back again" struck my heart, as gaming is something that I've slowly given up on over the years. I got back into gaming with "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" and Minecraft this summer, and it felt like meeting an old friend again. When I heard the theme, I also thought of a song from an artist I listen to, Madilyn Mei. She wrote a song called "Have I Outgrown Minecraft?", and that song greatly inspired "Blocky Heart". Overall, games hold a place close to my heart and childhood, and it was enjoyable to think about this theme in terms of poetry. I feel as though other people have also given up on things they enjoy over the years, and I hope that this issue might have them considering going back and enjoying old hobbies, too. "Open Settings?" is meant to be a poem based on the escapism aspect of gaming. It's about not having to worry about the real world or real-life issues when you game, and how bitter it can be when you have to move on or focus on real life again. The second poem, "Nintendo Switch Controllers" is about how gaming is one of the ways I connect and bond with my dad. The first poem, "Blocky Heart", is based on Minecraft. As a kid, I would play it during the summer on my old PS4. I had nothing else to do and nobody to really talk to, so I just made a few pet dogs for myself and pretended I was somewhere else.
M.S. Blues - where a kid can be a kid (@m.s.blues_)
This piece corresponds with the theme of "games" because it discusses how games at ChuckECheese evoke past memories in me - and what that signifies in my life. I recently did a presentation on youth and perserving childhood memories. Later on that day, I was considering my own memories and that's what sparked my idea. I know people will relate to this piece because it'll make them revisit their own memories and perhaps reflect on how that has shaped them into who they are today.
MG - Doll House (@melifluousgelatoo.writes)
Doll House is a poem I wrote after the inspirations strike me when I saw one of my friends talk about the play pretend games that little kids used to play. However, the idea has existed for quite some time. I love observing humans, the world, and the system. And through it I notice things that not many talks about, like how we are all not so different from puppets on a string. Some of us may think we're the ones holding the string like we used to with dolls when we were young, but it doesn't matter if we're a commoner or royalty, a worker or a boss, a student or a teacher, a parent or a child, we are all bound by strings that force us to move. Often in the direction we didn't want. I've seen many people miserable because of it, more so because we didn't know these strings exist and who's pulling it. How many of our thoughts are our own? How many of our actions are our own? We may think all of it, but in reality it is very little if not none. A lot of our miseries in life are a carefully planned one. Those set in stone long before we're even born, invisible to most to ensure nobody mess with it when we do have the power to, if only we know. To many of us, the one pulling the strings are another human being. A guardian, a boss, or those we haven't even met before, those sitting at the top of the societal system. To many of us, the one pulling the strings aren't even tangible things. Greed, love, hate, insecurity, envy. These things grow stronger the more we deny or ignore its existence. We can't beat an enemy we don't even know exist, can we? So sit, take a deep breath, and see who's pulling your strings and where exactly were you bound with it. Only then can you cut it, in a way that hurts you the least.
Miguel Barrios - After Tag (@Mmiguelbarrios (Instagram), miguelcbarrios (X))
My piece describes a unique relationship to games that kids of my age can likely remember. That being the transition of relying only on the outside for games and playtime to beginning to mix in games from smart phones and tablets. We were around during the inception of games like Minecraft and Roblox and are the first to have had their childhoods filled with the opportunity play them. I find that very interesting. I was never a kid who played sports. The ability never came naturally to me, and sometimes that was a bit annoying for me. But my cousins and I always had fan playing in the backyard of my Tias house, and then the time would come where we would move to Minecraft or Roblox. I think many people who were children during the same time as me can relate to how excited they were when their parents finally let them get Minecraft or Roblox and how much fun they had building whatever they wanted with their friends and family. I think that Rewrite the Stars, as a publication for young writers like myself, is the perfect place for this piece as our childhoods are the most unfamiliar of any generation yet. All generations before us were more similar than ours. This poem reflects the distinct nature of our childhoods and our stories.
Nabiha - Nostalgic Nights (@echoes.inink)
It shows how that game is an important memory and how it created a bond among a few people. People can relate to this since during covid when this game was pretty popular, people spent hours with their friends on it and then everyone got busy so they drifted apart and those nights just became memories. This used to be my favourite game and hence I decided to write about it. Also it can be a good fit for the magazine since i think it’s relatable.
Nitika Sathiya - Rummy (@nitika._.s)
Rummy is about how I played Rummy with my grandparents, which brought us closer together. I was inspired to write Rummy because of the familial connection aspect. I love reflecting on my relationships with my loved ones through poetry.
Phoebe B.H Mercury - Monopoly (@spitewantsmealive)
It is an allegorical poem that dives into the theme of moving forward in life, by making connections to the game Monopoly. Just like how the pawns are forced to move forward, so are we and even if we are met with failure at some point, we can always start over. This poem may bring hope to the people who are often feeling down because of the failures that life may bring from time to time.
Robin Pearson - Snakes and Adders (@rob1n_pearson)
This poem explores wordplay with games, but also how life is sometimes confusing, with too many rules in a complicated format. It looks at the difficultly some people have playing as a larger metaphor for making no progress compared to others and how the narrator always seems to ‘lose’.I think it’s insight into human interpretation - how people might read the same set of ‘rules’ yet draw completely different outcomes. My poem is a light dig into the frustration of losing, but also how convoluted and difficult playing the game of life can be. This piece was inspired by my own experiences as a neurodiverse individual, and the difficulties I sometimes face comprehending all the rules of convention. This piece is special to me as it explores frustration with failing to advance whilst others seem to thrive, but simultaneously the fascination with ‘why people do what they do.’ I hope others can relate to the struggle of fitting in, and that they are not alone in feeling left behind.
W. E. Everhart - Digital Odyssey: A Gaming Journey (@w.e._everhart_290)
The poem, as I see it, incorporates not only the meaning of gaming, the start of it, and what gaming is basically, but it is also an image through humanity as a species. Gaming has always been apart of humanity. It helps us imagine a world out there where dreams, hopes, and imagination rule. A world where the struggle of good and bad is but a map ahead waiting to be discovered. A child can overcome his fears in that world, and an adult can learn to adapt to the ever-changing world. This piece, as I would like to say, shares the experience I shared with every human from the dawn of humanity till this day, from all the way when we used to play with sticks and rocks. Gaming is not just a hobby; it is a way for us humans to state to the world, “I am here, I can accept you, and I have lived for thousands of lives to understand, accept, and coexist with you.” No matter how dull and lonely the world gets, gaming shows us that the simplest of things can help us and change us. As humans, dreams are nothing but caged reality waiting to be untied. Freed from this cage, we call out imagination, and what gaming does is open that cage so this reality and ours can coexist, exchange information, and learn from one another. For my inspiration to make this peace, it wasn’t anything. Wow, really. I have always grown fond of adventures and stories, and gaming really helped me with this. Imagine watching a movie that finishes with a conclusion, but for you, it is not enough. There were actions and changes you wanted to make, and bam, you suddenly can do it all in that small room you rest in. I was inspired, to be honest, by music and my maladaptive daydream. I hope that not just teens but kids and adults will be able to relate to the experience of gaming and see how important it is. I would say that as humans, we always had that shared experience, and that shared experience can be seen clearly in gaming.
Z. Hutchings - Survive -- Stay Alive, Winner Takes All, The beauty of a game (@zaida.hutchings)
I am submitting three pieces. The first two are directly inspired by videogames and the last one is inspired by card games. When people feel lost, a game is a great way to find yourself. If you aren't careful, it is also a way to lose yourself. Life is a balance, and it is about finding a way to keep yourself safe and alive. I hope people can resonate with my pieces and find comfort in them. We are in this game together. The most memorable games in my life were adventure games that took the reader on a journey, such as Skyrim and Undertale. They were about strength-- both mentally and physically. It was this feeling I wanted to put into my piece. It isn’t always a black and white story, and sometimes life is hard. Sometimes people leave scarred and bruised, and the only thing left to do is survive. Survive mental health, unsafe living conditions, or just survive the ever changing world we live in.
PROSE
Adia Reynolds - 8-bit Arachnid (@cryptic.cryptid.writes)
Aside from the emotional themes of the story, it also centers around the game Minecraft and primarily one of the mobs in the game - the spider. The opening line is a quote I said to a friend during a conversation about Minecraft. She stated how much she hated fighting the monsters and I regaled how I used to try to keep them as pets even if they aggro'd to me and tried to kill me. It is a story about youthful insecurity and self-perception as well as an unabashed love for one's interests.
Alice - Game Over (@aliceswips on Instagram and TikTok)
The core question behind this piece is: how does a person who organises everything in detail react to unforeseen events? I had the idea after watching videos of people who structured their lives (tasks, school assignments, etc.) like missions in videogames. I liked the concept straight away, but I realised that this, along with strict timetables in general, doesn't really leave any room for unexpected events. So, what happens when someone's life is organized as a videogame?
Ander Miftari - Blind Man's Buff (@anteetum)
I couldn't think of anything good that mapped onto a specific game, so I went a little more abstract and wrote something about the power games people play between eachother as children (well, their whole lives, really. But children in this case) and was able to tie that back conceptually to the prompt. I don't know how rigidly we had to stick to the theme. This piece in particular was inspired by a guy I actually knew growing up. He was into almost exactly the same kind of weird power games featured in the story and was in fact worse than the relatively toned-down character of Junior (he claimed to have a brother in the Hell's Angels who sold drugs and would often say he could have us beaten up for snitching on him, stupid in hindsight but terrifying to children who don't know any better). He was not the only one, but the memory of interacting with him in particular as a young child of about 11 or 12 was what inspired this examination of just how awful children really can be to each other, given the right prodding. I honestly don't know how much people will enjoy it, although I can say for certain that you definitely should avoid it if you are sensitive to children being harmed and bullying in general.
Arianna Kanji - Inhumanity 101 (@ari.kanji)
This story does not follow the strict conventions of grammar and story. It is, in essence, a piece of prose written by a poet, or perhaps a poem written by somebody who has very little idea what they are doing. It combines perspectives and points of view, repeats words for nothing other than emphasis, switches between distaste for a ruined society and a plea to be accepted in the way that others so easily are. It has no backbone other than the wayward thoughts of an eight year old child sitting in a pink bed with a fluffy pen and a makeshift point system, and it has no logic to it other than the fourteen year old child sitting in that same bed, with that same pen and that same point system, struggling to understand what game they’re supposed to be playing. It took the concept of games and twisted it inside out, dumped it on its head, ripped apart every thread and wore it as a hat instead. But then again, for somebody writing about the experience of being just a little bit stranger than their peers, that behavior fits pretty well. This piece would be a good fit for your magazine because it is the unfiltered, experimental thoughts of a person who’s still scared of raising their hand in class. And after all, haven’t all writers been rather crudely told that their dreams are nothing but fantasies in the cruel game that is life, and spent the rest of their years wondering who decided to write such unfair rules?
Zara Pearce - The Game of Life (@shes_zarapearce)
A fun twist on the board game; The game of life. I was inspired to write this because I thought it could be fun to experiment with how some people treat games like they're real life.
CREATIVE NON-FICTION
Georgia Hope - 51 Standard (Minus an Ace) (@georgia_02132)
My essay discusses how card games allowed me to be more present and involved with my friends, while improving my mental health at times when I find school to be overwhelming. (ie the use of games as an escape and coping mechanism.) I think the issue of student burnout is something that's almost universally experienced in all levels of academia. I would imagine that many readers of this magazine are likely in high school, about to make this transition to university, or are currently attending it. I've found that games have turned into one of the many tools I used to relieve stress and construct some method of school/life balance which might help readers find a similar approach that works for them.
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