The Otaku Habit by Eva Varga

AIRÆ ZEALANDER

JUNE 2016

The Otaku Habit ▶ Play the moments ▌▌Pause the memories

4 IT’S A SMALL WORLD “It was all very elaborate… a coffee mug with smeared lipstick.”

8 YOUR LIE IN APRIL “…tells the story of Kōsei Arima who hasn’t been able to hear himself playing the piano after a mental breakdown on stage…”

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Stop the pain ◀◀ Rewind the happiness

TABLE OF CONTENTS Red Moon at Night, Viewers Delight Blood falls, containing deathless aura To slowly fade into wistful void. They watch lunar activities, sailing amiss, Sparkling delicate wings, glance of tail, Battle among weapons, imaginative virtual life. We observe in hope; Clinging desperately on even if losing Neglecting universal, life Even if spiraling.

4 It’s a Small World

“It was all very elaborate… a coffee mug with smeared lipstick.”

6 Advice Column

Hamish Percival

9 Letters to the Editor

Simone & Quinn Lush

Reckless

“A young boy sat in front of a bright glowing screen, his fingers racing madly across his keyboard. The space bar pounded roughly as each new word was completed, subtracting to a small word count. A vein bursting against the skin of his flat forehead, both of his cheeks flushed.”

Brother or Bother

“Echo slowly arose to her feet only to fall to the wooden floor again. The teenager suddenly paled and turned around to see that her wings had disappeared. Reaching out and grabbing a bench, she pulled herself towards it… putting her weight on the small wooden stick, she attempted to rise again, faired little better, and fell.”

Your Lie in April

“…tells the story of Kōsei Arima who hasn’t been able to hear himself playing the piano after a mental breakdown on stage…”

Spotlight: Benjamin Iluzada

Rising Artist & Printmaker

Delight of Mochi “Mochi is a common sweet snack originating from Japan.”

How many kawaii mochi can you spot? 3

It’s A Small World

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHUCK HARVEY

“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.” ~ Walt Disney He worked on…

“I kinda just walked in there with this blonde wig on… stood there for a while and spoke a little ‘hello’.” Chuck Harvey proceeded to act out the whole experience of the prank, using a high-pitched voice as he was talking and chuckling to himself at the memory. He later told me that the animation side of Disney was often filled with extra large rubber bands flying across the room. “The man we had chosen was…rather sensitive and the look on his face…the surprise.” He smiled, remembering the memory perfectly. “It was all very elaborate… a coffee mug with smeared lipstick.”

…and many others while at Disney Animation Studios.

Chuck Harvey was first inspired to draw from his mother who taught local art classes to a variety of people. He drew everywhere he went, baseball games, horse races, even ducks plucking food out of a pond. Using photo references, Chuck drew pieces with active movement in a variety of mediums; Oil Acrylics, Chalk Pastel, Ink. One that he shared with me featured a man wildly swinging a bat to hit the ball in hopes of a home run projected an emotion of suspense. His drawings also included motorcycles and other numerous life drawings. He first went to Art Student’s League in Manhattan when Harvey was only eighteen years old. While taking a wide selection of classes exploring different media, Harvey was also working on book illustrations. Chuck was then drafted into the army from the year 1966 to the year 1971. He was extremely lucky as he was sent to a country in Europe away from the gunshots and explosions. He was able to continue drawing and work on a comic book strip in the weekly newspaper. When Harvey returned to the states, he immediately started back at the Art Student’s League. He then began to do a lot more concept art on different books. At one point he was doing his own take on Robin Hood. It was around this time that Disney sent a scout out to the Art Student’s League in search for young people in the animation department. Chuck was immediately introduced to him and was a strong contender. One reason that the scout was probably interested in Harvey was that he and recently won the “Student Illustrator of the Year Award”. To narrow down the field of applicants, Disney asked everyone to animate something really brief. While most were working on simple horse walks, Chuck chose to draw something much more humorous

and interesting for the eye to draw: a rabbit finds a plant and begins to look at it curiously, the plant motions to the rabbit to come closer, the rabbit follows the prompts, suddenly the plant swallows the rabbit whole. Harvey started to work at Disney in the year 1972. One of his first projects to animate was the Albatross from The Rescuers. As he was the assistant to one of the head animators, he drew the in-between frames for the frames that his master did. He also did several pencil tests for scenes in The Little Mermaid, The Small One, and Br’er Rabbit that never made it to the films. One of the very first scenes where Elliott appears in Pete’s Dragon was also illustrated by Harvey. Chuck’s wife would often find him staring at the mirror making faces at himself after work as he continued his current projects. It was very easy to tell that Chuck enjoyed his work very thoroughly. However, he eventually left Disney after a few issues were going on with the employees at Disney to explore other ways to animate. Unfortunately, while Chuck’s time at Disney was unforgettable. Disney continues to make money off of Harvey’s work without giving him a percentage of the money from the prints. Chuck can do nothing about it as everything is copyrighted. It really is random how you will meet people in the strangest of situations. Thank you, Chuck Harvey, for listening to all of my questions over tea.

Advice Column Dear Hazel Tyche, My mother is an artist and set it upon herself to teach me so that I may also become an artist. One of the first things that she had me do is learn about traditional techniques and famous artists that are long dead. Though she refrained from showing me modern methods. Now I am exploring the latest art movements. I stumbled upon the style of Anime while visiting a friend in Japan. I have been researching more in depth and came across the concept of digital painting. What software is available that can work well with the Manga style? Sincerely, Hamish Percival

To Hamish and others reading this column, I am glad to hear from someone who has recently joined the Anime and Manga community. There are many options in terms of software and they are not limited to the computer. If you plan on using a computer, a mouse will be extremely difficult as the lines nearly always appear shaky. Purchase a tablet, many will mention what use it was designed for specifically. Make sure it comes with a stylus. I suggest Wacom, they are a brilliant company and they provide a variety of tablets in terms of prices, size, and other variables. One of the most popular programs out there is Paint Tool SAI. Unfortunately, it can only run on Microsoft Windows, though I have heard of people finding a way to get it to work on Mac. You are able to download a 31-day free trial with an option to purchase a license to continue operation. Another is Krita, I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heard of many people using this application, but it seems like a wonderful program as everything I have heard has been positive. It is free and can be run on both Mac and Microsoft Windows. Originally it was intended to be used for creating concept art, illustrations, and matte painting though others have used it differently. Photoshop Complete Sweet, Photoshop CS for short is reported to be the top of the line. There is a high price tag and a huge learning curve, though once who have passed those hurdles in the road only good things should come from it. 6

I personally havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tried CS yet I have Adobe Photoshop Elements and love it. There are plenty of others that are used regularly. For example, Autodesk Sketchbook, Clip Studio (previously Manga Studio), Procreate (only on iPad), and Gimp. It is always suggested to do your own research on each of the programs that you are considering to see what is best for you. ~Hazel Tyche

Your Lie In April Your Lie in April, known in Japanese as “Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso” was originally published in manga form in April 2011. It is written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa.

I will definitely be watching this anime again in the near future. I suggest you give it a try, it will certainly leave you heartbroken. There are rumors of a Live-action movie adaptation being released in September 2016, but who knows what to expect from previous Live-action movie’s based on anime.

It tells the story of Kōsei Arima, a child piano prodigy forced to play emotionlessly and technically perfect by his coldhearted mother. After his mother’s death when he was twelve he hasn’t been able to hear himself play the piano since the last competition nearly two years ago. Resigned to this fact, Kōsei has been living life in a monochrome fashion with his friends Tsubaki and Watari, at least until he meets Kaori Miyazono. Kaori Miyazono is a free-spirited violinist whom the judges have presented much criticism, but the audience love to hear her play. Eventually Kaori convinces Kōsei to play again by forcing him to accompany her in a competition. Kaori later shows him the beauty of playing with emotion. It is animated beautifully in the anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures. It aired from October 2014 to March 2015. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. Being a musician myself, it is easy to discover relatable emotions and fears in the characters. While there are issues of crushes and who they have fallen in love with, these feelings don’t overshadow the main plot. The backstory is explained clearly, revealing only as much as you need to know in each instance.

Letters to the Editor Dear Scorpius Senpai,

To Mr. & Mrs. Lush along with any readers,

Please show this letter in your next issue! I first discovered The Otaku Habit in a local coffee shop where a man was reading one of the latest issues. He is now my husband. We like to think that our relationship began because were we able to connect through our love of the Japanese culture when I first inquired about this magazine.

Thank you for your wonderful suggestions. I originally thought of that, but backed out last minute afraid that no one would enjoy my beginning into the Anime world. I will look for an opening in the future, we already have the next 3 months issues planned out. If you come up with any more ideas please send them in. It’s great to hear about what readers want more of, the magazine is for you (the readers) not just myself. If that was the case I would not even publish any of these articles.

We were wondering though, in your review on the Yellow Love Hearts manga you say, “It is extremely obvious to me that someone is ripping off Alice in Wonderland. With a body enlarging cake, a fall down a long winding hole, and the Yellow Heart Queen. It is also riddled with cliches.” My husband strongly disagrees with your statement. He believes that while it was written and illustrated with Alice in Wonderland in mind, the plot takes a fascinating turn. He also says that sometimes people just want to read a story with cliches, they have provided a good story line so far. Otherwise, we both are extremely happy with your work and it’s lovely to see brightly coloured images strengthened with articles about a variety of topics, yet they all come back to Anime in one way or another. Hopefully, we can meet you in person at a convention sometime. Sincerely,

As for my review on Yellow Love Hearts, everyone is entitled to their own opinion even when considering Manga. I was simply sharing mine. Though I’m glad that you were willing to voice your thoughts logically instead of screaming that your opinion is the right one. I personally am biased to cliches, I really do not like them. There is no definite reason why, it is just a pet peeve of mine. I love meeting Anime fans! The next convention that I will be attending is ComicCon. Perhaps I can meet you there, you both sound like you have a unique story. Fellow Otaku, Scorpius Cole

Simone & Quinn Lush P.S. An idea for an article is to speak about how you originally got into Anime.

The Delight of Mochi Mochi is a common sweet snack originating from Japan. The filling inside is traditionally Red Bean Paste, though ice cream is a lovable substitute. Mango and strawberry are frequently chosen ice cream flavors. Many characters in Anime and Manga coming home from the market are usually depicted snacking on Mochi. Here is a simple recipe so that you may enjoy it at home.

INGREDIENTS • ¾ cup Shiratamako (100 g) or Mochiko (115 g) • ¾ cup (180 ml) water • ¼ cup sugar (55 g) • ½ cup (100 g) potato starch or corn starch • Ice cream of your choice

MATERIALS • 12 aluminum or silicone cupcake liners • A cookie dough scoop (smaller than an ice cream scooper) • A rolling pin • 3.5 inch (9 cm) cookie cutter or a round bowl

INSTRUCTIONS I.

II. III. IV.

VI.

Using the cookie scoop, scoop out the ice cream into the aluminum or silicone cupcake liners. Place in freezer to prevent melting. Combine Shiratamako and sugar in a medium bowl, whisk together. Add water, mix well until combined. Microwave Method: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (do not cover tightly). Place bowl in the microwave on high for 1 minute, stir contents with a wet rubber spatula. Cover again and cook for 1 minute. Stir content, cool for 30 seconds.*

Steaming Method: Cover steamer lid with a towel to prevent the condensation dripping onto the mochi mixture. Put the bowl into the steamer basket and cover to cook for 15 minutes. Periodically stir with a wet rubber spatula.* *The colour of the mochi mix should change from white to near translucent. Cover your work area with parchment paper and dust generously with potato starch. Transfer cooked mochi on top. Sprinkle potato on top of the mocha to prevent sticking. After waiting for mochi to be slightly cooled, roll out mochi into a thin sheet either with your hands or rolling pin. A rolling pin will provide a smoother and more even product.

VII. Transfer the mochi onto a large baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until mochi is set. VIII. Cut mochi with a cookie cutter, brush off excess potato starch on mochi. IX. Stack mochi wrappers on a plate with a plastic wrap layer in-between mochi wrapper and plate and/or another mocha wrapper. Use leftover mochi dough to create more.

On clean work surface place 1 mochi wrapper with plastic wrap on bottom onto the work surface. Place 1 ice cream ball from freezer into the middle of the mochi wrapper. Surround ice cream ball with mochi.

XI.

When mochi gets sticky use potato starch on sticky area. Wrap completed mochi in plastic wrap, place bake into cupcake tray to hold shape. Store on freezer until ready to serve.

Tip ~ I had a difficult time rolling out the dough as it kept sticking to my rolling pin. Make sure to add potato starch to the rolling pin too if you discover this problem. 11

RECKLESS A young boy sat in front of a bright glowing screen, his fingers racing madly across his keyboard. The space bar pounded roughly as each new word was completed, subtracting to a small word count. A vein bursting against the skin of his flat forehead, both of his cheeks flushed. Biting down on his bottom lip, his chin wrinkling under the pressure, he pressed down on the Enter Key in one swift motion with his pinkie. Then the screen changed to a tropical blue as it loaded through the code. The boy bounced up and down in his unbalanced chair, that squeaked and rocked every time his weight was pressed into a worn seat. He was waiting anxiously in anticipation. Waiting for his message to be seen by all who pronounced themselves particularly huge fans of Japanese Animation. Soon after posting the computer dinged a small tune, at first, it was enjoyable as it repeatedly played and the boy swayed along to it. Until a minute of the constant noise that the boy muted the computer, reading through his post and smiling to himself. Yes, this right here is perfect to show those numbskulls. He thought silently to himself as he rubbed his left hand through his greasy hair. Thinking subconsciously to himself that he would have to shower the next day. Lord_Featther: To anyone who enjoys outlandish anime such as Fairy Tail, with every family-sick saving cliche. You guys are mindless ducks flailing in the water. #hatefairytail #horribleclichelovers #everyoneofyoushouldjustwakeup

He decided that it might be a good time to take a shower, and throughout this time he pondered. Pondered about why anyone would enjoy shows that are predictable in nearly ever aspect of the last one that they had watched only the other day. The comments continued rolling in, though @Lord_Featther hardly recognized any of them. None of the texts really jumping out of the wild jungle of binary code generated by pixels. What do you think your doing calling everyone out like that? We’re not idiots! Ego-driven bastard! Who the hell are you? All of the replies only revealing the same ordinary unanimous retort that he had heard thousands of times since joining the website. Until he was frozen still as he happened to look up at one, it looked from his point of view to be popping out of the screen as in a Three-dimensional Movie. It proclaimed nearly the same thing as the others had, yet completely different not quite like the others. “John, Dad, time for dinner!” He could faintly hear his sister calling him and their father for dinner, but it only briefly registered.

Dinner was unusually quiet, as John's sister would typically be shouting off a storm, but they had both been caught in past memories of their mother. Who had always brought joy to their lives. This one comment. Just the one —albeit it was rather long—, had knocked him completely out of both the tangible world and online life such as a shark jumping straight out of the water. He had been able to ignore everything that had dared disrupt his life, at least until now. “I’ll be there in a short minute.” John was able to hear his father communicating loudly across the house. If only my mother was here, then I would know what to do. He thought silently to himself, but he swore his hamster had heard him as the small rodent looked over to him sadly. He read through the message again, the again. Over and over until he was going mad with the words flying across the screen. YELLowmight: @Lord_Featther You really are a disrespectful young man (or woman, whichever you go by). Shouting out your opinion regardless of what other might think of you and your character online. Is this the same way you are in real life or is it all a show for attention? Because you sure as hell got that. Everything that you use to back yourself up has a lot of plot holes and I mean an astronomical amount. You are constantly contradicting yourself, just look at all your posts. They are all over the place. Have you ever heard of the phrase THINK? Is it Thoughtful? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? Seriously

rethink what you are doing. Everything said on the internet is there forever. You would not want people looking at this dumb stuff when you are trying to get hired. #hello #wakeupyourself John became enraged. Who would type such a thing? Everything that he said was correct. There were errors. Yet this person had just blasted him like it was a normal everyday thing to do. It reminded him briefly of his mother. His younger sister and father never dared speak about her. It was like she had not even existed to them. Yet every once in a while they would look down with this solemn look on their faces at they wouldn’t talk. In a sort of trance. John began to type furiously in reply, in anger that someone would act this way towards him. He had everything planned out. Once they had realized their mistakes in choosing to love such simple anime, they would by in love with his manga. Then he would be able to have everything he had ever wished for with the money from all the merchandise. Lord_Featther: You my dear one, have literally no idea what you are talking about. Everything that I do is to help people to realize what they are doing wrong. They are the ones who are ignorant. @YELLowmight #youhavenorighttotalktome #whoareyou With that reply, he rushed through a narrow hallway that was littered with picture frames of a smiling family. Arriving at a small wooden table that had been found at a garage sale. His sister was already there, dishing out three plates of a box macaroni and cheese. It was a pale yellow in colour, obviously his sister had added mozzarella cheese as the dish was thick in consistency. 13

◊◊◊ The comment continued to affect John even after he had replied when his emotions ran rampart severely affecting his thinking capabilities. He could see that the person had said something else in a remark, due to his notifications, but he was never required to see what everyone thought of him.

“Why do I have to set a good example?” John muttered to himself not expecting anyone to hear him, but of course, they did.

All throughout school it was constantly on his mind and suddenly side comments from students standing by their lockers stood out to him. Not that they were negatory remarks, but he could clearly feel the undertones of what they were really trying to say.

“I am sorry, Mrs. Rogers someone said something to me last night that has left me partially confused.” Was that Helpful? His mind began to lose itself in the vast reseeds of an endless maze named his brain.

He checked his phone subconsciously for a reply from the @YELLowmight that had struck a cord in him. John was having a hard time perceiving the world around him, based on the fact that the math teacher Mrs. Rogers had been calling his name for several minutes. “John…John…John!” “Huh? Oh, yes Mrs. Rogers?” All the students stared at him and they too could tell that something had definitely happened. His change was strange, usually, he was right on top of everything, turning on his homework right of time, never a sick day unless he was truly unable to move from his bed as he had passed out trying. “You need to get your head back in the class. Usually, you are right one top of everything so I will let this slide, but tomorrow I need you right back on track setting a good example for everyone else.”

“Because you have the highest grades you can not just be looking out the window willy-nilly, watching the crows fly.”

“It is all right, just make sure this doesn’t become a habit of yours.” He poked at his skin with the numb eraser end of his pencil to focus on something else, it was no use. John was thinking, once he began it would take at least several hours for him to properly return. The person’s word from the anime forum troubled him deeply. Was she right in what she was saying? Am I a rash person? During lunch he looked through all the posts that he had ever posted, perhaps @YELLowmight was correct. Yet he was still skeptical. What proof did she have that she could say things to him? John became immensely curious and looked up @YELLowmight’s profile. What obviously stood out to him the most was the follower count. It was at least a few thousand higher than his own. He was having a difficult time believing the numbers. Why would anyone with those opinions be popular? 14

Lord_Featther: @YELLowmight I don’t understand how you are able to have those views on people while having so many people supporting you.

he had been thinking about it all day and couldn’t think of a better thing to write. @Lord_Featther: I am sorry.

YELLowmight: Why my dear sir, @Lord_Featther that is an easy answer. It is because they have the SAME beliefs as myself. Therefore, they are willing to help me out in any way that they can. He continue to look through his posts and then @YELLowmight’s repeatedly, comparing them to each other. How his were sporadic and random not have one clear point. While she had one view and was helping everyone realize how they could help her out.

Then a few minutes later he came up with another short message. He really didn’t believe anyone would know what he was talking about, but it was a good start. @Lord_Featther: THINK

FIN

He continues to look through his posts and then @YELLowmight’s repeatedly, comparing them to each other. How his were sporadic and random not have one clear point. While she had one view and was helping everyone realize how they could help her out. Nothing that he was doing made sense to an outsider, he realized this now. He had taken no precaution in who would see this and how educated they were compared to him. What comebacks that they would come up with. He looked at the other people that had replied to his recent post. They said similar things that @YELLowmight had and John was speechless. He didn't really know how to cope with this. In such doubt with what he was doing to his reputation, he did the boring progress of deleting all of his posts. He then wrote a simple message on his glowing computer. It was not much, but

Airæ Zealander 15

BROTHER OR BOTHER With an expression of anger mixed with boredom, a teenager stood waiting for someone. She stood upon a cliff stained with demon blood, the fresher pools trickled into the cracks of the aged. Layer upon layer began to form a nightmarish scene. After the cliff had dropped a thousand meters, lava boiled. Creating splashes monstrous of size, the drops falling onto the cliffs edge missing the top by a few mere centimeters. This was Gehenna, some areas could have possibly been able to stand for the mortal eye, but never more then a few nanoseconds. Even a trained Exorcist of the highest rank, Paladin would fair no better. Time was lost here eternally, forever to be searching to a thing onto which to hold. Without clocks, months could pass without being able to detect a thing.

A BLUE EXCORCIST FANFICTION

The black-haired demon was impatient, ready to leave. She did not, ignoring the wise thoughts in her mind. Without time to regret her previous decisions, a lone figure appeared through the haze, slowly approaching. Echo and Zero Zorka were not normal, even among demon standards. They did not run to each other and rejoice in friendly arms. They did not wave a friendly hello. Demons views of greetings or rejoicings were hateful; they loved chaos. Greetings were not considered chaos and in result demons hated greetings or anything related to that matter. Lest of all, the ever raging war between the Zorka children kept her at a distance from her brother. "So Sister," spoke Zero with the sneaking half-smile of his that no one else would be able to pull off, "Why did you called me?"

This was one of the many problem that occurred to the young teenagers mind as she waited expectantly for her younger brother. He was a pain, constantly asking little favors of her and always trying to soften her up with, "Oh, dearest older sister can you...?" in his kindest, most peaceful voice. Even for a demon he was unusually tricky, playing with words, twisting them to obey his way.

"Ah, yes that," Echo was enjoying this, finally overcoming her brother's needs and wants. "I shall be going to live in Assiah with our distant cousin, Mephisto Pheles."

Echo was well aware of this and she often found herself following him around like a minuscule life form which she would not accept, demons being extremely proud creatures. She had finally figured out how to create a portal to Assiah and planned to tell her brother today and then finally leave never to return to Gehenna.

Don't do it. Don't give in. He is just up to his little tricks again with words. Echo reminded herself, repeatedly saying them over and over as the words rolled, danced, and wriggled around her head.

"Why?!" Zero exclaimed nearly knocking Echo over with a force of wind that had originated from Zero's mouth. "You can't just leave your poor innocent younger brother here, to the mercy of all the other demons that hold anger against us.â&#x20AC;?

"I have had enough of your tricks! I shall be going whether you like it or not." Turning her back towards Zero while breathing deeply, she mentally prepared herself for the worst. She didn't know for sure if the portal would work. Though it was simple enough to follow, all she had was words to base it on, the very thing where Zero was at his strongest. As she did this, Zero pulled out a small throwing dagger from his side, slowly twisting it through his fingers in an elegant way, moving his arm into a throwing position. He proceeded to aim at his sister, closing his eye, then opening it shortly afterwards; playing with her. Eventually the dagger was thrown and moved through the air, cutting at it. Echo jumped, tucking in her wings tightly around her and closed her eyes as she prepared for certain death. Zero, overflowing with hatred, jumped up and down shouting angrily a variety of colorful demon curses. He had failed to keep his sister in the same world as him, Satan, and namely every other powerful demon. This would amount to a monstrosity. He would now have to rewrite and code all his plans at acclaiming his dream.

herself and having trained several youngsters in the art of silk weaving. Echo slowly arose to her feet only to fall to the wooden floor again. The teenager suddenly paled and turned around to see that her wings had disappeared. Reaching out and grabbing a bench, she pulled herself towards it. After checking for any weaknesses, Echo proceeded to pull an arm rest apart. Now putting her weight on the small wooden stick, she attempted to rise again, faired little better, and fell. The journey between worlds had payed a bigger toil on Echo then she had anticipated. One being that it was not a complete fraud that she had wasted her life on. Robbed of her wings which Echo had learned to use as a balance rather then relaying on her tail like most demons. Using your tail as a balance can be a horrible idea, namely because that is the main weaknesses of all demons. Succumbing to the draw of sleep, Echo fell into a restless sleep of memories that she had tried hard to forget, but Echo in her ignorance wasn't aware that you never truly forgot memories, they would always find a way to escape, always there, perhaps blocked by a thick wall, but remaining.

•*•*•*• When Echo opened her eyes and took in her surroundings she was surprised to find herself in a monastery that was not at all pleasant. Doctors were walking through the room examining at first glance long cylindrical shapes. After studying one for several minutes, it was revealed that the shapes were humans wrapped in white demon silk. She could tell this much, being a demon

The best way to solve any problem was to face it straight on. Something that the majority of the people in the world and demons in Gehenna didn't willingly choose.

Airæ Zealander 17

Benjamin Iluzada RISING ARTIST & PRINTMAKER

I first met Ben while on holiday in Greece. We both found similar interests in art, later I asked him for an interview for this magazine and he happily agreed. Benjamin first got into the realm of art, being inspired by his older brother when he was young. One of his teachers was also one of his big inspirations when he was a child. The teacher would always tell him to express interest in anything and everything, don’t follow everyone else and what they’re doing. Benjamin knew he was going to attend an art school from the beginning, though originally his idea was to be an illustrator like his brother. He took a variety of art courses throughout his school years. Soon after he discovered print making, he accepted an apprenticeship for the summers of his freshmen and sophomore years. He gained a lot of experience from these opportunities. Unlike other students that would take a lot of breaks during summer, Benjamin was constantly improving himself and his work. A trait that continues today. Iluzada chose to go into an area of art that is less traveled by; most other artists choose other media. His chosen medium is a style of print-making that uses wood.

On the wood you carve your desired image and then you would use it similarly like a stamp. Although you would create several carvings to add layers of ink and texture to the piece. While the majority of art students began working on their thesis in the last year that they were attending university, Benjamin progressively worked on his from the beginning. He decided to create an entire book based around popular myths. In the end, his book included 18 different illustrations. Considering that he was re-writing the myths, creating the illustrations, and binding the book along with his coursework and a part-time job, Benjamin was awake for at least 18 hours a day. In the end, his hard work paid off. Upon graduation, he started his own printing business called 2.Step Press. “Never stop improving in the things that you enjoy,” he advises. Different instructors are going to provide different opportunities and new perspectives. “You might be taking an Oil Pastel class and learn a technique that can be used when illustrating with coloured pencils.” It is said that 10,000 hours need to be committed to a task to become a master at it, but why stop there?

GRAPHIC NOVEL Graphic stories to cheerful comedies Read left to right not right to left Art with wild potential Prospects of a new adventure Hoping for the next volume after a horrible cliffhanger Inspiring pieces to motivate us Conventions held, welcoming everyone Nationally united under one storyline Only to come together to weep upon the ending Valuable memories of emotions connecting us all Evolving constantly in nature Living among the characters