Empire Times 45.8

EMPIRE TIMES

World

EMPIRE TIMES FIFTY YEARS YOUNG 1969-2019

The Team EDITORS Ainsley Ewart, Oli Glenie, and Cameron Lowe SUB-EDITORS Georgina Banfield, Chelsea Griffith, Courtney Lawrence and Vanshika Sinh COLUMNISTS Chelsea Griffith, Renee Kohler and Michelle Wakim ARTWORK Diana-Elena Vornicu (@artsloader77) PHOTOGRAPHY Elizabeth Grandmaison and Danielle Yap CONTRIBUTORS Charlie Brooker, Ruby Easterbrook, Ainsley Ewart, Emma Gibson, Nathaniel Golder, Chloe Grayling, Chelsea Griffith, Emma Hauck, Renee Kohler, Carina Jose and Seaview Downs Primary School’s Year 6/7 Class, Cameron Lowe, Peter Moreman, Madeline Percey, Alice Pohlmann, Ashley Sutherland and Michelle Wakim.

ADVERTISING/MEDIA Tim Coyle tim.coyle@flinders.edu.au Enquiries Level 1, Student Hub, Flinders University (FUSA) 1 Registry Road Bedford Park, 5042.

THANK YOUS Thank you to all our graduating contributors: Sheydin Dew, Ruby Easterbrook, Remy Fowler, Chelsea Griffith and Renee Kohler. It has been wonderful publishing your work!

Thanks to Steph, Jess and Tim at FUSA for everything you’ve done for us this year.

Thanks to Alice and Stacy in admin for being incredibly helpful with our competitions and shipping the magazine off campus.

Thank you to everyone who has sent us anything this year (especially those who sent us Pets @ Flinders submissions, you’re the real MVPs of this mag!) We love the creative atmosphere of Flinders and look forward to Empire Times’ 50th Year in 2019!

Empire Times would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people who are the traditional custodians of the land Flinders University is situated on, and that this land was never ceded, but stolen. We would like to pay our respects to the elders of the Kaurna nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginal peoples, past, present, and future.

Empire Times is a publication of Flinders University Student Association (FUSA).

Empire Times is printed by Newstyle Print.

‘The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editors, Flinders University, or Flinders University Student Association. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that Empire Times articles and other information are up-to-date and as accurate as possible, as of the time of publication, but no responsibility can be taken by Empire Times Magazine for any errors or omissions contained herein.’

WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, ILLUSTRATORS & MAKERS OF PRETTY INTERESTING THINGS! Empire Times is a student publication that prints 8 times over the academic year. It is made by students, for students and provides a unique oppotunity for students to be published, to talk about what's important to them and to be read by those in their community.

Empire Times relies entirely on contributions from the readers to make up its content. Each selected piece goes through a collaborative editing process. We're very friendly, visit empiretimes.com.au/contribute to find out everything you need to know about being part of the team.

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Editorial

We have arrived here; the end of Empire Times for 2018. This semester has just gone way too fast. Hint for future editors: don’t do four topics, this magazine and an internship at the same time, it’ll steal a lot of your time. Also, if you’re looking for a good place to intern/volunteer, the Don Dunstan Foundation is a fantastic place!

I should talk about the theme of this issue: world. It can be taken in many ways, from our own to worlds in books and video games. Then there’s that great scary world outside of uni, one which I’ll be experiencing shortly. After two degrees, a trip to China with other Flinders students and studying in Singapore, it’s time to end my days at uni. For now at least.

Before I leave, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to Empire Times this year. You helped make this year awesome and created some really amazing content. Thank you to FUSA Media Office for helping us throughout the year.

Thank you to my fellow editors Ainsley and Oli. And also thank you to you, dear reader.

Right, Japan is calling my name. Time for me to end this year the way I started it: with a Simpsons quote.

“Bye bye Everybody.”

Cam p.s. here’s a little thing I promised on a post on Overheard at Flinders in October.

“How fleeting are all human passions compared to the continuity of ducks” - Dorothy L. Sayers

This is my final semester of uni. I’m stressed, I’m tired, I’m underpaid and I’m in need of a holiday. But it has been such a great honour to edit Empire Times this year. I’ve supported so many emerging artists and I’ve irritated people endlessly by asking them to submit. Mostly, though, I want to say thank you.

Thank you and congratulations to my Creative Writing Group (Chloe, Grace, Evie, Audrey, Karen and Tom) because we’ve all come so far, even if we aren’t all graduating next year, we will eventually! I cannot wait to see what you all do.

Thank you to our sub-editors, columnists and contributors, you all are the reason Empire Times is still here 49 years after its creation!

Thank you to my friends Emma and Erinn for allowing me to vent to them when things got too much, even though you are very busy and exhausted yourselves (and even in another country, Erinn!) I love you guys.

Thank you to my family for encouraging me to do this crazy task. I love you and I promise to be more appreciative soon.

Thank you to my lecturers, namely Threasa Meads, Lisa Bennett, Nick Prescott, Matt Hawkins, Amy Matthews, Kate Douglas and Patrick Allington for encouraging my weird ideas and writing.

Thank you to Steph Walker, Jess Nicole and everyone at FUSA for helping me through everything.

Thank you to Eleanor and all other previous editors for keeping Empire Times going with your passion, as well as to all future editors.

Thank you to Cameron and Oli, we survived, albeit barely at points.

Thank you to you reading this, whoever you are.

Ainsley

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lifestyle how to not avoid distracting addictions

25

fiction

16

VOL 45 NO.8

poetry

the glitch

1909

28

music

04

president’s statement

the best songs of 2018

17

travel

30

hong kong disneyland

05

Just for fun Quiz

FUSA elections recap

18

Just For Fun

06

personal

32

Vox Pops

Just for fun

one for the small town kids

top six things that got us through 2018

20

Just For Fun

08

sport

34

Pets @ Flinders

pop culture

Such is sport

a whole new world

22

culture

10

gaming

identity wars: the battle on the inside

video game help

36

fiction a loud noise of things

23

environment

11

fiction

38

the war on waste

Experience

24

A WORLD AWAY

hello, my name is

poetry the colour blue

Key:

FUSA

Opinion

feature

column

creative

just for fun 5

colu mn/pr es i d en ts stat e m e n t

President’s Statement This is my last President’s Statement, and I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on the future of the Flinders University Student Association.

FUSA should continue to strive to become an independent, incorporated entity. It should continue to push boundaries and support students by supporting progressive politics, functioning as both an organisation that delivers services and as an activist body. It should advance its representation by undertaking further projects to trial topic representatives and those on numerous college boards. It should continue to tackle public-facing issues relating to higher education funding and the future of the Australian education system, and combat systemic problems that impact all of us: from financial literacy, to mental health, to sexual assault and harassment on campus.

It’s FUSA’s responsibility to re-evaluate the way that it engages with students in a system that is geared against student unionism.

In an environment that is becoming increasingly neoliberal, unions and student unions need to be proactive, engaging, and relevant. They need to attend to the material needs of those that they represent, and they need to organise, protest, and bargain for the rights of their constituents.

If we’re to consider the world and the role that student unionism and indeed FUSA play in it, we need to consider the power of education.

Education is vital to social mobility and to the betterment of society. Everyone should have equal access to the opportunities and benefits that a higher education provides to both the individual, and to the community.

It is not enough for the Government to simply grant all individuals the ability to enrol in a tertiary qualification. The Government is responsible in ensuring that each individual student is supported within the system to the best of the system’s ability.

The higher education system cannot support individual students without adequate funding. At Flinders, we’ve seen and experienced the impacts of funding cuts throughout the tenure of the Coalition Government. This hasn’t been assisted by our Vice-Chancellor’s own cuts to essential campus services and “streamlining” of professional and academic roles in their respective restructures.

There is an inherent separation between the rhetoric used by student politicians to discuss these issues and the on-theground discussions happening between students.

FUSA needs to regain its relevance, and it needs to engage with the broader student population, moving past stalls in the Student Hub and protests with twenty-odd of the same students in attendance at Parliament House, to real engagement with students in their tutorials, in coffee lines; in metropolitan and satellite campuses.

I’m proud of what we have done this year as the 2018 Student Council. From Be a Better Human, to PrideFest!, to NAIDOC, to FUSA Ball, and to quieter, fundamental, administrative changes in university policy, procedures, and processes.

FUSA, in its current form, is a new organisation. It’s just getting started.

It’s been an honour serving as the 6th FUSA Student President.

I wish the next Student President and the 7th FUSA Student Council all the best in continuing to grow both FUSA’s presence and relevance on campus, and student unionism nationally.

FUSA has and will continue to respond and resist these cuts.

In solidarity,

However, it’s not been able to effectively engage with most students as to the impacts that these cuts and other detrimental actions against higher education will have on them, their livelihoods, their communities, and indeed, their world.

Ashley Sutherland

As I discussed in the last issue, student politics and student unionism needs serious reform as to how to it functions and operates in a campus and national setting.

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President, Flinders University Student Association student.president@flinders.edu.au

c u r r ent events /f usa election

2019 fusa election results Student President

Environment Officer

Katt Hatzi

Grace Hensel

General Secretary

Disabilities Officer

Josh Rayner

Nicole Cutufia

Education Officer

Social Activities Officer

Jesse Stevens

Gemma Lyons

Women’s Officer

Mature Age Officer

Jawahir Baraki

Christopher Norman

Welfare Officer

General Council Member (Six Positions)

Nathan Cheetham

Louise Nixon, Laura Savaglia, Angus Clarke, Clara Rose Santilli, Nathan Fiedler

Postgraduate Students Officer Hansha Manimendra

National Union of Students Conference Delegate Positions (Six Positions)

International Students Officer

Louise Nixon, Katt Hatzi, Josh Rayner, Josh Jarvis, Alfred Lowe, Angus Clarke

Nicholas Loh

Empire Times Editors Queer Officer

James Watson, Alicia Wood, Kienan McKay

Sean Henschke (re-elected unopposed) Key: Indigenous Students Officer

Has occupied a seat on Student Council in 2018

Sarah Howson

Is retaining position held in 2018

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Photography by Elizabeth Grandmaison 8

one for the small town kids

f eat u re/ persona l

Words by Chloe Grayling work your guts out to stay in. Your parents probably didn’t want This is an ode to the boys and girls that came from the middle to drive you all the way to the next district and your mate Tom of nowhere and found themselves as small fish in a big town had told you a horrible story about the washing up jobs his older sea. You might have spent your toddlerhood on a station, brother got stuck with at the butchers, so you bet your bottom kindergarten in the bush, (in my case) the first eight years of dollar you were going to polish those glasses shinier than they your life in a tiny seaside town that is loved by all in summer and had ever been polished before. left alone in the chilly winter months or (also in my case) your adolescence sharing the road with trundling tractors and your Gratitude comes a little easier for you. backyard with grapevines galore.

It’s likely that you’ve always felt a little out of place amongst the hustle bustle and big dreams of the cityscape, but the truth is that they need you just as much as you need them. Growing up in a little place has taught you so many lessons, and shaped the person that you are today in an incredible amount of ways here are four to begin with.

You are friendly as all heck.

Even the most angst-ridden small town teenager will say hello to their neighbours if they see them over the fence, even the grumpiest old bloke will swing a wave your way if you pass them on the street because a) if they don’t the whole town will know that they are “too big for their boots, thank you very much” and b) they know the value of kindness to another when there’s a tiny pool from which to pick friends. Your friends might think you’re a bit of a dag for smiling at every person you walk by on the footpath, but it’s how you grew up, and it’s a beautiful way to be.

You value hard work.

Not that those who grew up surrounded by high rise buildings and trendy cafes can’t hold their own on this front, but the beauty of living in a town with a total of six casual jobs going and twenty kids wanting extra money means that if you’re in, you

Whether it’s seeing the path that your life could have gone down if you’d stayed in that little town, appreciating the fact that you get more stations than just WIN and ABC or understanding the sacrifice your parents made either spending bucket loads of dosh on boarding school or uplifting their lives to a bigger place to give you more opportunities, sometimes you can’t help but stop and think how lucky you are. It’s also a huge perk for you if there’s a fast food shop within fifteen minutes of your place, and if you have public transport access then your life is pretty much complete.

You will always have another home.

It may be two weeks since you’ve been home or you may have moved away fourteen years ago, but that little slice of earth will always hold a bit of your heart. If you’re lucky, things have stayed mostly the same in your tiny town. You could pop into the deli tomorrow, drop your mum and dad’s name and spend the next half hour listening to stories about the mischief you got up to as a little one. You will feel a little sting of pride and envy when someone talks about the time they visited and it felt like “their place”, but you know that some of it will always belong to you, and some of you to that spot in the middle of nowhere.

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Colu mn/S po r t

Such Is Sport How the world sees our sporting love affair Words By Michelle Wakim Australians have an invested, loveable and enduring relationship with sport. This is fitting, considering we have the privilege of wide-open spaces, a remarkable coastline and wondrous weather to enjoy it in. For our relatively small population, we have done exceedingly well on the worldwide sporting stage.

We have had fabulously monumental sporting victories, often when we have been represented by athletes that embody the ‘Australian’ spirit, who resonate with the identity we, collectively, wish to share with the world. Most of these moments will bring a tear to your eye. However, if you flick through the record books and rummage around the internet, the number of nation defining, internationally startling sporting stars has diminished. Apart from Kyle Chambers, an Australian swimmer who participated in the 2016 Olympics, we haven’t experienced intense excitement around a sporting star or team since 2013, when Adam Scott won the US Masters (that’s golf by the way).

It’s not so much the lack of record-breaking achievements, but the lack of national pride taken in our sporting stars when we put ourselves on show to the rest of the world.

“Just when we are ready to throw in the towel that’s soaked with the hope of solid international sporting representation, we are provided with the goods.”

Just to trigger your memory, in recent history we have had two disproportionally large cheating scandals in cricket (the ‘underarm bowling incident’ and the ‘ball tampering scandal’), king hits in our national game, drug ordeals, occasional incidents of racism, and temper tantrums. The majority of our most shameful moments have come about in this short century. We have a perception that this behaviour is ‘Un-Australian’, and consequently see ourselves as the ‘fair players’, the ‘honest blokes’, and the endearing ‘Aussie battlers’ who the rest of the world respect and adore.

Yes, I acknowledge that the Australian sporting identity is predominately white males, but that is not the point nor the issue I wish to discuss here. The argument is that we believe we are ‘good sports’ when we come to sports. But when you consider the multitude of scandals and incidents we have faced, 10

C olumn/ sport as well as the lack of sporting stars stepping up and putting on a display of humility and fairness, you start to worry about where we are heading. Just when we are ready to throw in the towel that’s soaked with the hope of solid international sporting representation, we are provided with the goods.

In our very recent history (I’m talking mere weeks ago), John Millman appeared before us. He’s a persevering tennis player who had never really been celebrated, just cracking the top 50 ranking in July, 2018. Nevertheless, Millman came out, guns blazing, at the US Open and won against world number two, the much loved Roger Federer. When I initially heard of this bloke’s success, or more so that Federer had been beaten, I didn’t realise he was Australian. Overnight, the man had thousands of Australians in his corner, and he was continuously described as being ‘humble’ and ‘genuine’.We were in such a drought, particularly in the tennis world, that when the heavens granted us with some decent rain in the shape of Millman, we gathered to dance in showers and see the spectacle.

I do not wish to undermine Millman’s lovely character, but I have to point out that he was simply a ‘good person’, or at worst, a ‘decent’ person. And people lost their marbles over him. It would be nice if this was the norm. It would be nice if decency wasn’t so rare that it makes people question what this guy’s deal is and where he has been hiding all along.

When we, as Australians, are ill-represented in the wide world of sport, we take it to heart. I often wonder why we feel it so deeply. I feel it too. We invest a great deal into our sporting heroes. After some head-scratching, this is my theory behind our obsession with sport.

“I hope the sporting icons representing Australia can be more like John Millman or Cathy Freeman.”

It is difficult to define and represent Australia at this point in time. I can’t say we have a great or a resolved history; heck, a lot of us don’t take any pride in it. We also don’t have faith in or adoration for our politicians. On top of this, we are without an overarching religion that strongly governs the values of our nation. And then, even though we have a few spectacular artists, I doubt we are defined by them on an international or national level. So, we are left with sport. Sport seems to be our way into compassion, acceptance, and unity. We seem to learn life’s most important lessons from sport, and form life’s most valuable friendships. For some, sport stands in as our history, our politics, our religion and our entertainment. Sport has often been the peace-keeper, and has transcended prejudice and discrimination in our nation and between us and the wider world. Therefore, we hold our sporting pride close, and are viciously protective of it.

I hope this little glitch in sporting personality history is long gone. I hope we can continue to show the world that we are humble, thoughtful, comedic and endearing. I hope the sporting icons representing Australia can be more like John Millman or Cathy Freeman. We owe it to ourselves, to the achievements and failures in our history, and to our standing in the big, wide world.

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Opinion/g a m i n g

Video Games Help

Video games are much more than ‘just games’, they can be the aid you needed all along.

Words by Peter Moreman For many people, games are just something to pass the time.

To others, they are an escape to a wondrous world where they temporarily forget their troubles, be it from school or at home.

Video games are traditionally seen as being a simple recreational activity. But over the decades they have evolved from something simple to something extraordinary. We can now create visual worlds that complement the story or help people make friends from around the world through MMORPG’s like World of Warcraft and Runescape.

“Playing video games requires the player’s full attention and as such, can be a great help in forgetting your troubles.”

People struggling with anxiety, depression or loneliness have been known to turn to video games to try and cure, or at least battle what they are dealing with. The now-cancelled TV show Good Game highlighted these issues in a special episode. In October 2014, Good Game aired a special mental health episode for Mental Health Week. It featured games that deal with mental health and interviews with people experiencing mental health issues. One of the interviewees spoke about the impact video games had on helping her battle depression and anxiety which was set on by the stresses of University. Former presenters Bajo and Hex (Steven O’Donnell and Stephanie Bendixsen) had also spoken to many people about how game worlds helped them to escape their troubles.

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University is something which can heavily contribute to or cause anxiety, like we found out from the Good Game interview.

Playing video games requires the player’s full attention and as such, can be a great help in forgetting your troubles. Even playing Mario Kart with friends does a lot of good.

Playing online video games has helped me make friends from all around the world. I’ve made friends from America that I still speak to and play with on a regular basis. Some of which have crippling anxiety and have spoken to me about how playing games help to calm them. However, they did say that it was only a temporary fix and wasn’t a long-term solution.

People like to say that video games are one of the reasons why there is so much violence in the world. Two examples that are frequently mentioned are the Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty titles. But just because they’re violent, doesn’t mean they can’t help.

Video games have helped more people than we will ever know and will continue to, even if there isn’t much awareness.

Hopefully, in the future, the benefits will be realised, and games won’t be looked upon as simply recreational. They will be viewed as valuable and have great benefits to people struggling with things like depression.

Editor’s Note: For anyone experiencing mental health issues and would like to talk to someone you can contact Health, Conselling, and Disability. Out-of Hours can be reached by phone at 1300 512 409 or text at 0488 884 103.

Words by Emma Gibson

Manik hurried along the footpath in the heavy rain, already soaked through. To the left was the aweinspiring St. Peter’s Cathedral, looking proudly onto King William Road. The spires atop its ornate steeples were hard to see through the downpour. In a duffel bag slung around Manik’s shoulder were work clothes, a sketchbook and half a dozen cans, which were heavy and added to the discomfort of being wet. Heading towards Adelaide Oval, there were still no significant trees that could provide any shelter.

However, Manik did spy a bus stop. The Perspex shelter was littered with a few colourful graffiti tags, as well as the blurred marks of tags that had been buffed. Scanning the tags, Manik recognised some familiar names like Dips1, Visionz and East. Each had a unique ‘handstyle’ that was so distinct from the 13

creative /f i ct i o n others. Some people could do amazing things with spray paint. Through the Perspex, Manik saw the characteristic yellow of an Adelaide Metro bus – a G10. That would go almost all the way to Currie Street whilst saving its passengers from the rain. It was on the other side, but the stop opposite was close, and it was worth it. Manik made sure it was safe, then ran across the road in time to hail the bus and produce a Metrocard from a pocket in the duffel bag.

At the back of the bus, there was more graffiti. It had been scratched into the windows with sandpaper (which Manik could tell because all the fine scratch lines were parallel) by Opts, Wiza and Sona, and it had been written on the floor and the backs of seats with thick black markers by Hokes and Kuku. All of them had sat on this bus in one of the seats nearby, if not the one Manik was sitting in. The bus pulled up at the stop just past Rundle Mall, interrupting this thought. Manik got off and walked to the corner of King William Street and Currie Street.

The rain had died down to a light sprinkle, but there were still lots of people with umbrellas, most of whom looked like they were on lunch breaks from office jobs. The pedestrian light went green, and the businesspeople and Manik started crossing the road in sync.

In no time at all, Manik had reached the best skate shop in town. The entrance was decorated with a colourful splash of graffiti art, which hinted at some of the other merchandise they had on offer. Past all the skate shoes and apparel, a young shop assistant with longish curly hair was doing something behind the counter.

He stopped when he saw Manik. “Hey! What can I do for you today?” He looked like someone you’d find at a skate park.

didgeridoo busker’s intoxicating rhythm.

“Oi! Manik!!”

Manik would know that voice anywhere. Psylo, the most talented, and sometimes the most insane, graffiti writer Manik knew was standing a few metres behind.

“Do you always have to sneak up behind me?” Manik laughed.

Psylo grinned back. “It wouldn’t be fun if I didn’t. You ready?”

“Yeah, but I’m cold and wet, and very hungry – can we grab a bite first?”

“Hell yes! Pint and parmy?”

“I’d never say no to that!”

The two writers turned down Francis Street, a little alley off the mall with the City Library and lots of wheat pasteups. They went through an arcade at the end and turned right. After a few blocks, they came to a small open door and went in. Upstairs in the old Tattersalls Club was the balcony bar. Inside, the old wood panelling and decorated columns gave the place a very early-twentieth century atmosphere. Psylo walked up to the register at the quaint bar and ordered two of their pint and parmy specials.

The bartender poured them their pints and they walked outside. Manik loved the balcony because it felt kind of lavish to sit up high and watch the city. The view facing east was the best - you could see the hills, which looked so close, framed in a narrow portrait by the tall buildings on either side of Grenfell Street.

“Did you get the extra cans,” asked Psylo.

“Is it ‘right if I go upstairs?”

“Yeah, no worries – just a sec.”

Manik waited for him to grab a key, then followed him up the stairs at the back of the shop. The stairs were always sectioned off with a chain, because upstairs was where they kept the good stuff. The assistant flicked on a light, revealing a plethora of vinyl records, high-end skate shoes, backpacks, and most importantly to Manik, a wall of just about every colour of spray paint you could ever want. The spray cans were stacked in cubic shelves so that their colour ‘donuts’ faced outward. It was beautiful.

Manik knew exactly what to get. As the assistant was finding all of the cans, Manik looked at everything in the display counter. There were different caps for the spray cans, gloves designed for graffiti and expensive graffiti markers. There was also a series of vivid watercolours of Adelaide Metro trains, past and present – including the yellow 3000 diesels that were still operational. Manik paid for the cans and headed back out. *** The smell of caramel popcorn wafted down Rundle Mall, making everyone’s mouths water. It was hard not to walk in time to the beat as Manik came into earshot of the 14

Manik took a sip of beer. “I sure did. We still going to the factory?”

“We sure are! I went by a couple days ago – it’s still standing, in one piece, and no security.”

“You’re certain?”

Psylo snickered. “If you want, we can go somewhere closer.”

“No, thanks.” Psylo would probably have no issue working on a piece in some quiet city alleyway in broad daylight, but Manik was more cautious than that.

After they’d devoured their sizeable parmies, the two walked towards the train station on North Terrace. As they were crossing the tram tracks in front of the station, Psylo slapped a sticker on a pole in the middle of the road. Manik didn’t stick around to examine it, but knew it was one of Psylo’s crazy, colourful cartoon faces with PSYLO printed prominently in bold. Stickers weren’t a huge part of Manik’s interest – cans were more satisfying.

Still, it was another one of the other writer’s many admirable talents. They descended into Adelaide’s petite, classic train station. The smell of donuts hit them like a warm embrace, and Manik would’ve been tempted into

c r eativ e/ fiction buying one for dessert, had the train not been leaving in a few minutes. They hurried through the gates and onto the platform, where they were greeted with the echoey hum of diesel engines and the startlingly high-pitched chime of train doors closing. They walked all the way to platform 8 and boarded a 3000 class diesel train bound for Outer Harbour. Luckily, there was no one sitting at the very front of the train, so they could get a good view through the driver’s window – that was something great about the 3000s. On top of that, the ends of the train were where you could find most of the graffiti. Like on the bus, most of it was on the floor and seat backs, in thick black marker. Gnome had written one in hot pink.

Manik watched as Psylo added a tag to the collection.

Psylo’s handstyle was very angular – it was embellished, but not so much that it was difficult to read. When it was done, the writer handed the marker to Manik, who gave a casual look behind them before writing next to the fresh tag on the floor. Manik had a simpler handstyle that was hardly embellished at all, but there was no doubt who it belonged to.

“Stand clear – doors closing.” They settled down to watch the ride as the train pulled out of the station. *** The factory sat across an overgrown patch of land, a halfdemolished shell of what it once was. Manik made sure that nobody was around before they crossed over the open field. Inside, the factory was dim – despite the vast space being completely open on one side. The concrete floor was covered in dust, rubble and a few odd bits and pieces, like an old chair and a broken toilet bowl.

“There’s a wicked spot upstairs,” said Psylo. Manik looked at the crumbling staircase. It didn’t have a railing on one side, but it seemed solid enough.

“Show me the way.” They climbed up and found themselves in a smaller space with a corridor. Manik looked through a doorway on the right of the staircase and saw what must have been a kitchen area. It was very dim, but it looked like somebody had drawn a pentagram on the floor.

Psylo came and had a look. “Oooh. Spooky!” Manik didn’t want to think about why it was there.

meticulously outlining them to define the shapes. Manik watched as Psylo worked on some background details.

PSYLO was written, almost illegibly, in a skilful wild style – the letters and other decorative details crossing over each other at complementary angles. Deep purple turned to light, and lime green highlights, paired with a few orange flecks, really set the piece off. Manik’s style was simpler, closer to a bubble style, but Manik was proud of it. MANIK was filled with three tones of blue descending from the top of the piece, with shadows and highlights to give the letters pleasing 3-dimensionality. A white outline made the blues pop, and some experimental pieces of colour around the outside turned out to work quite well.

Manik and Psylo stood back to admire their afternoon’s work, when they heard a car pull up. They stared at each other. The only way off the roof was back down the stairs. Psylo swore and started hurriedly shoving the cans in a bag. Manik was holding the fire door wide open, waiting to get out of there. Finally, they scurried down the corridor, careful not to make too much noise, and slowly descended the stairs. Psylo peered around the corner and immediately turned back to Manik.

Security, Psylo mouthed. Had someone seen them? They waited a few tense seconds in silence. Psylo turned back again, pointed in the direction of the exit (which was now probably in sight of the security guard, or guards – Manik wasn’t sure) and mouthed, Run. Almost inaudibly, Psylo inhaled. Then took off into danger.

Manik’s heart skipped a beat. In less than a second, both of them were running out, paying no mind to stealth.

“Hey!” Manik wasn’t sure who’d said that. Was there another set of footsteps now? They ran as fast as they could, terrified, back across the abandoned lot. Where to now? Manik followed as Psylo cut through a street, before making wild turns at every opportunity. Eventually they started just running in a single direction and soon it became obvious that they hadn’t been pursued far. They stopped, panting, and fell to the ground.

Manik turned to Psylo, wide-eyed. “Holy shit.” Manik expected to see a mirrored expression on Psylo’s face.

But she just laughed.

They walked to the end of the corridor and pushed open a heavy fire door. Manik stepped through after Psylo and took a moment to appreciate what was on the other side.

They’d come out onto an open roof space. From there, there was a beautiful view of the sea and a great stretch of smaller factories and houses in front of it. Manik could see the Outer Harbour line.

“I told you it was good,” Psylo grinned.

“It’s perfect.” Manik grabbed a medium blue can from the duffle bag and gave it a couple of pumps before turning to the wall and starting a piece. For the next half hour, the pair worked on their graffiti ‘burners’ – creating the letterforms, filling them in with various colours and then 15

colu mn /l i f est y l e

how to not avoid distracting addictions One woman’s struggle with an addictive personality Words by Chelsea Griffith I’ve always said I have an addictive personality. My grandma used to say the same of herself, so I just supposed she’d passed it down through her genes. She was also really intelligent, so it adds up.

Something I’ve started to think about lately however, is whether or not this is true; or if in fact everyone spends their lives jumping from addiction to addiction, but I just have fewer and longer addictions than others. I’m convinced the vast majority of us are addicts, and I think this could be proven after really spending the time to deconstruct people’s daily habits and routines.

You might not be addicted to something that you see as toxic, like drugs and alcohol, and you might not be fully dependent on it, but are the things you do to get through the day still taking over your life, in place of better things or better thoughts? Can we use coping strategies without getting addicted to them?

Life is pretty full-on. I mean, at least relatively speaking I would think life is more full-on than the experience of being a doorknob or a table. Life throws us a lot that we need to learn to cope with. Even if we aren’t going through traumatic events, easygoing days that don’t demand high focus from us can leave us with the space to get contemplative enough to fall down a hole of existential dread and questioning. My point being no matter how good, bad, stressful, easy-going your days are, there’s a good chance you’ll need and rely on some coping mechanisms.

Unless you’re fully self-actualised. But if you were I presume you wouldn’t be sitting reading this to procrastinate from your assignment due to already having completely exhausted your news feed and the same things keep popping back up every time you refresh. I would have thought you’d be doing yoga on top of a mountain with Tibetan monks or eating an acai bowl.

Something enlightened.

Some mechanisms you might have developed consciously for the purpose of coping, others might have just become habitual on their own and you might not have any recollection of inviting them into your life. Some might have been initiated to help you to ween yourself off of others. Can the mechanisms that we use the most, in all their varieties, exist as healthy habits without becoming addictions?

You spend a lot of time socialising or dating, and eventually recognise you’re addicted to company. After a few long, 16

contemplative walks on the beach listening to Angus & Julia Stone and Bon Iver, you realise the root of this addiction is a fear of loneliness. You address this newly realised fear by facing it head on, and trying to spend more time at home with yourself.

You’re sitting at home feeling a little uneasy. You tell yourself to kick back and relax, enjoy your own company. Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t involve inviting someone over. You buy a subscription to Netflix and binge a few seasons. A couple of months pass and after a few more walks on the beach you realise you’re not addicted to company or afraid to be home alone anymore, but you are addicted to Netflix. You make a deal with yourself that you’ll only watch one or two episodes of a show per day. After the second episode of the day finishes, you find yourself bargaining for ‘just one more’, ‘just half an episode’, ‘just the first five minutes so I can see what Kim and Khloe were fighting about’. You need a distraction. You pull out your phone and scroll the feed. ‘I’ll stop scrolling and do some work at 10:30’ you tell yourself. You look at the time, it’s 10:33. ‘I’ll stop scrolling at an increment of five… at 10:35’. You keep scrolling.

It’s 11:07. ‘Now I have to wait till 11:10’. Another hour passes before you throw your phone to the other side of the room. You might as well have just watched another episode.

You cured the first addiction by finding a new addiction. You cured the second addiction by finding a third addiction, and so on. So what’s the root of your addiction to addictions? For each of us, it’s probably a complex answer. Maybe you’re a perfectionist and use distractions to hide away from ‘doing life’ out of fear of not doing it right. Maybe you’re fearful of being distraction-free, because it would leave you alone with the big questions. ‘Why am I here?’, ‘What is my purpose?’, ‘Are Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble engaged?’

Maybe that fear of loneliness you thought you conquered at the start changed shape and hid. You were fighting it off by spending time in the company of Netflix’s characters, or the ‘influencers’ whose lives you’re for some reason invested in on Insta, who feel like your friends because you know more about them than you do yourself (and maybe that’s the problem).

Why can’t you just do normal things in a normal day? Spend most of the day working, spend an hour exercising, eat healthy and portion-controlled meals, spend an hour or so with friends

c ol u mn/ lifestyle

or family, AND get in some self-care/me-time/bubble bathtype time? Why is this simple schedule always impeded by silly addictions?

Maybe you personally don’t grapple with the idea of going from one addiction to the other in life. But I invite you to. Come wallow in existential worry with me! What relatively unimportant thing would leave you reeling if it were taken away from you? Maybe food is your crutch. Tagging people in memes, online shopping, gaming, exercise, reading, even particular emotions and thought spirals can become addictive.

How do you know if it’s an addiction? Personally, I feel that something has become an addiction if it negatively impacts on my life more than it serves me. If I’m using Instagram for procrastination multiple times throughout the day, it’s stopping me from being productive without benefitting me at all. If I’m reading The New York Times or watching a documentary to procrastinate, I’m at least learning, which I deem as productive.

However, the line between the two can get very blurry very quickly; especially with ‘healthy’ obsessions. I find that I flit between periods of absolute loathing for the gym, and undeniable obsession.

If you find yourself hiding your habit from someone, it’s likely your relationship with that habit has turned unhealthy. If you’re hiding food wrappers out of shame, lying about the amount of time you spent at the gym, pretending you’re up to a particular episode of a series that you’ve already finished, or having online shopping shipped to a PO box so those living with you don’t spot the postie dropping things off, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate how much energy, time and money you’re spending, and why.

How can we avoid avoidance?

I can’t provide a detailed plan to help you avoid addiction. Partly because I haven’t yet avoided it successfully myself. Partly because a big part of me genuinely believes we go through life jumping from addiction to addiction until we die, and all we can do is steer ourselves towards healthier addictions.

A phone addiction might result in the world passing you by a bit, but most people would find it less detrimental to their lives than an addiction to crystal meth. What I can offer you are some ideas for managing a life of addiction.

I find that thoughts about my addictions fade away when I achieve state of flow. Flow is described as a state of ‘energised focus’ experienced while working on something; in which all you’re focused on is the activity itself, and time passes without you noticing. The better I get at finding ways to prompt this state, the more I find I’m able to avoid unhealthy addictions such as my phone, Netflix and snacking. Am I addicted to the work I’m doing, though? I don’t believe I am right now, but I always try to aim for balance, so that I don’t. I also believe multiplicity could help us to find balance. The more things you fill your day with, the less time you have to let one or two things take over.

Although, that can be a double-edged sword in that I believe people get addicted to busyness; wherein they spend their time distracting themselves through an abundance of ways, as opposed to just one or two. Spend time with yourself, free of stimuli, to get to know who you are, what you’re afraid of and what you want. Make plans to manage those things, including how to include things you like into your days, so that you’re doing them, without them distracting you from your plans.

If you do however find yourself struggling to manage an overbearing and toxic addiction, please don’t listen to this moron who is only offering advice on low risk habits, not dependency on drugs or alcohol. Please seek help from a professional if something toxic is taking over your life and harming you or others.

Maybe the answer isn’t to focus all our energy on managing our addictions, but instead to focus on managing our dreams.

If we decide what is important to us, what is really and truly important to us for living our best lives, then work out what we need to do every day to achieve or maintain those things, we simply won’t have time for addictions.

Or we’ll just get overwhelmed and become even more dependent on Netflix and binge-eating.

17

creative/po et r y

1909

Poem by Emma Hauck

Sweetheart, come,

Oh, Sweetheart,

I hate this place.

They found a lady dead.

The nurses, leaden grey,

She slipped a knife, or so they said

Refuse to say

From the Sunday dinner spread.

When you shall come;

This morning on her head,

But come today –

Lay a sheet; the whisper spread:

For I can’t bear these cavernous rooms –

“She’s dead, she’s dead!”

Brown wallpaper; the smell of wounds,

Darling, for tea we had milk and bread.

And acid-splashed linoleum, But you said one day you’d come.

The windows look on painted lawns; Through frosted glass - dainty bird songs Of the ladies, cackling dames Playing at their schizoid games.

Darling, each room is a cube of air, Fetid and stuffy; I can hardly bear The walk around the garden bed.

Sweetheart, come, Please take me away.

How much longer must I stay?

Come come come Sullen and grey, the clouds roll on.

I wait each night, day and morn For the post to have come and gone And a letter to say you’ll come.

Oh, my dearest darling one, Please take me away, Before I’m Gone.

Oh, my Sweetheart Come.

18

Opinion/ Trav el

A Glimpse at Disneyland Hong Kong When I travelled to Hong Kong this year, I had to visit Disneyland. Did it live up to my expectations?

Words by Peter Moreman Earlier this year I was lucky enough to travel to the bustling region of Hong Kong through the topic, Asian Cinema; a Flinders University exchange program.

When I was there I saw and did many things including going to Victoria Peak and seeing heaps of films. But the biggest was going to Disneyland. Just a few short train rides from Central and a bunch of friends and I had arrived.

After getting off the Disney train, (Yes, they had a Disney train to get you there) I found myself walking down a long path.

On either side, there were posts about two metres tall with small banners of famous Disney characters like Snow White, Goofy and Woody. To enhance the experience, soundtracks for their movies were being played. Tickets cost approximately $100AUD. Everything was bold and big at Disneyland. Bold colours of red, green and blue and large themed areas blasting Disney music.

A few of the themed areas were Wild West, Tomorrowland and Toy Story, which was my favourite. There is something to do in every area of the park, although a lot is for young children. But if you don’t mind being stared at, go for it.

Surprisingly there weren’t as many rides as I thought there would be. There were around four for each area. Most only went for a couple of minutes. Annoyingly, the lines were huge!

I was lucky enough to get there earlier in the morning, when barely anyone was there. When I went there later in the day, the wait could go for over half an hour.

Throughout the day they put on many shows and parades. The parades were terrific. They had a lot of floats for Disney movies, like The Lion King, Snow White and Peter Pan. The shows that I saw were for Star Wars, one being The Rebels vs the Imperial Army.

Souvenirs could be purchased in the theme areas or on the main street of the park. Which is where the parades are put on. Take note that they are extremely expensive. I bought a Mickey Mouse hat that set me back $30AUD. But hey, when in Disneyland. When I left at 8:30PM all the rides were closed.

However, there was one last thing you could do, watch the final parade.

It was a great experience and I wonder how it stacks up against the other Disneyland’s around the world.

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just for f u n /vox po ps

VOX POPS

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (ON CAMPUS)

BEDFORD PARK

SAM

BELINDA

ANGUS

Communication and Professional Writing

PHD Physics

Nanotech and Electronic Engineering

Q1. I took the bus

Q1. Lots of study

Q1. I drove here this morning

Q2. China

Q2. Bali

Q2. Right here

Q3. Riding Shotgun - KYGO

Q3. George Ezra’s Album

Q3. The Whole No Name Gypsy Album

Q4. A Denim Jacket

Q4. PJ’s

Q4. My (No Human Being is Illegal) t-shirt

Q5. I would say my parents, they have taught me to be the person I am today and have unconditional love for all of their kids

Q5. -

Q6. Sleeping

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Q6. Submitting pHD thesis and being free

Q5. Chelsea Manning-a very brave woman

Q6. Fight for students rights

j ust for f un/ vox pops

Q1. How did you get here?

Q2. Where in the world would you like to go right now?

Q3. What has been your favourite song of 2018?

Q4. What is your favourite thing in your wardrobe?

Q5. Who would you say is your biggest role model and why?

Q6. What are you most looking forward to in 2018?

WARREN

RUBY

JOSH

Communication and Professional Writing

PHD Physics

Health Science and Business

Q1. I took the bus

Q1. Bus

Q1. In my car

Q2. The Playboy Mansion would be nice

Q2. France

Q2. India sounds pretty good

Q3. Missy Higgins’ new album

Q3. Kayne West

Q4. Earring collection

Q4. Steel Cap Boots

Q5. Rosalind Franklin-Pioneer in her field at a time when women were not encouraged to do science

Q5. Gary Vaynerchuck

Q3. Sicko Mode - Travis Scott feat.

Drake

Q4. Probably my Ralph Lauren button up I bought from Savers for a steal

Q5. Louis Theroux: for making interesting documentaries

Q6. Finishing my degree and getting a job (hopefully)

Q6. Expanding the food garden Q6. Submitting my thesis and starting a new research project. Sleeping!

21

just for f u n /pets @ f l in d e r s

pets @ flinders captain pug wash Name: C

aptain Pu

Owner: H

g wash

elen Rayn

A ge: 3 Breed: Ja

er

ck Russell

s q u e ak y s, balls, k c ti S : s picnics, Like , doggie le p o e p t life toys, e a ch , b o a b e th g n walks alo toys Losing his Dislikes:

tig Name: Tig Owner: Steph Walker Age: 9 months Breed: Rescue Pup! (Ke

lpie X)

Likes: Carrots, attackin g ankle

s, the beach Dislikes: Anyone knoc king on the door and most men

22

j ust for f u n/p ets @ flinders

ogan Names: R an ikita Mick Owner: N

rogan and ash

A ge: 11

etriever abrador R L n e ld o food!

Breed: G n dm a a n d ra G h it w e coats ending tim ogs in red Likes: Sp d e it h w d small Storms an Dislikes:

Name: Ash Owner: Nikita Mickan Age: 10 months Breed: Domestic Shor

thair Likes: Causing trouble and getting into place s he shouldn’t be Dislikes: Loud noises an d being

contained

claude

Name: Claude or Claud

eypants

Owner: Jess Nicole Breed: Domestic Likes: Grav y, watch ing ducks, neck scratches in the sun an d the sound of a can opening Dislikes: Daylight sav ings and how it messes with dinner tim e, the ‘vacuum screamer’ and bananas

Pets @Flinders has been such a wonderful feature this year! Thank you to every pet featured (and their owners too, but let’s face it; we know who the real stars are here!)

23

featu re/i d en t i t y an d cu lt ur e

identity wars the battle on the inside The importance of embracing your identity, and the dangers of repressing it Words by Nathan Goldsworthy I was a pasty kid, and in hindsight being the bookworm I was probably didn’t help that fact. I was as white as ninety-nine percent of my small, rural class. It would have been as simple as that really… except it wasn’t.

From a very young age, I was told of my family, and our FirstNation status. I was, and still am, a First-Nations Australian.

But not everyone was quite on board with a white person identifying as that, and being part of a small rural school, there was little you could keep to yourself. Throughout most of my schooling I was whisked through the ‘close the gap’ program, and many more Indigenous support strategies. Because of this, I received what I now know to be sheer blatant racism. From not just students either, but doctors, dentists, work colleagues, and even other Indigenous people. “You’re not really Aboriginal,” and “Benefit thief,” were things I heard everywhere, until eventually, I believed them.

I was caught between two worlds, the world of the Indigenous Strategy Office that told me to take every opportunity I got, and that of the wider community. A large proportion of which despised me for taking those opportunities. Eventually I started to flat-out refuse to go to support sessions, or receive free doctor check-ups, or attend knowledge camps. It only dragged me further away from my heritage identity when I discovered I was queer. There was little to no representation of that, and I, admittedly (and very stupidly), thought the two couldn’t exist together.

Eventually my family and the office gave up, and I happily ticked the ‘prefer not to say’ box on every identification document that

24

came my way. But recently, I reconnected with someone who went through a similar situation, and he started to challenge my mindset. He told me what being a First-Nations person was about, and why I shouldn’t keep repressing it. Looking back, it destroyed me - not knowing or understanding who I was or where I came from. My community and culture were murdered decades ago, and I still let people destroy it within me as well.

He changed my entire outlook, just by relating to me, and challenging why I hated so much about who I was. I started to do the same; I talked to another friend who, to my surprise, had the exact same issue, and I helped him just like my friend had done so for me. Talk about these issues, you’ll be surprised at who will support you.

First-Nation identity and whiteness is a contentious topic.

That’s not what I want to make this article about, this has a different theme that I do want to touch on: identity. It’s there and I can promise you that it isn’t going to magically disappear.

You can’t chain it up in your mind and pretend that it doesn’t exist. I’m not just talking about First-Nation status, or my own struggle. Culture, sexuality, skin colour, gender, heritage - these things you can’t change or just pick and choose. To repress your identity is only going to make it come back harder later. It hurts repressing something so integral to who you are and whilst you can’t let it define you, there still needs to be acknowledgement.

We all need to work together to create a world where everyone can be free of hatred for something they can’t control and whilst I live in this one, I am going to do my very best to work towards that.

f eat u r e/env ironment

zero waste, zero time Year 6/7 Students at Seaview Downs Primary School and edited by Carina Jose

At Seaview Downs Primary School, our year 6/7 class has been exploring the term Zero Waste. Zero Waste is a theory that promotes a no waste lifestyle. As a class we have been researching the consequences of plastic waste going into landfill and the effects on our environment. Most importantly, how we can take steps to prevent it. Similar to the 3 R’s of recycling we all know and love, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, Zero Waste offers a total of 7 R/s. Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rehome, Replant and Rot which all become steps in reducing your waste. What you can’t reuse, recycle, what you can’t recycle, rehome..

It is important to understand how much waste we are producing and how it is affecting our environment. Globally, we have only had plastic for the last 65 years. Within that time, we have globally produced 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste. Only 9% of this waste has been recycled while, 12% has been incinerated and 79% (nearly 5 billion tonnes) has ended up in landfill or our environment.

In this article, we want to share some tips and tricks on how you can reduce your plastic waste and move toward a Zero Waste lifestyle. It’s as simple as refusing a plastic straw with your drink or bringing your own bag to the supermarket instead of using a plastic one.

Donate Now: Every hour Australia throws away 36 tonnes of clothes. To combat this we start donating your clothes to charity and buying clothes from op shops to stop the clothes going to waste. Other organisations, such as Australian Clothing Recyclers, export clothes to developing countries .

Beeswax Wraps: Plastic wrap is often used as a single use item, meaning large amounts of plastic wrap is thrown away every day and finds its way into our oceans. Beeswax wraps are a better alternative to cling wrap, as it can be used for years if cared for properly. All you need to do is wash them with cold water and leave to dry after every use. They are also fairly easy to make yourself!

Plastic bags for fruit and veg: A staggering 6,441,226 tonnes of plastic waste has been dumped in the ocean this year. While

you’re reading this tip, it has probably increased by another 2 tonnes. This is why we need to reduce our plastic waste.

One simple way to make a difference is to buy reusable bags . Bananas, oranges and other fruit and vegetables have their own protective layer and don’t need to be put in a plastic bag.

A cheap and environmentally friendly alternative is to use mesh washing bags. You can buy a pack of three from Kmart for $6.

Bamboo Toothbrushes: Over 30 million plastic toothbrushes are used every year in Australia resulting in 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste in landfill each year. Plastic toothbrushes do not breakdown and end up in our seas and ecosystems. Make the switch now and change to bamboo toothbrushes which are 90% biodegradable and are gentle on our environment.

Soft Plastic Recycling: Soft plastics are any plastics that can be scrunched into a ball such as chip packets, plastic packaging, and plastic wrap . To avoid these plastics going into landfill and our environments REDcycle offers a service that recycles these plastics into park benches. You can find a REDcyle bin at your local Coles, and some Woolworths also offer a similar service.

Plastic Straws: There are 850 million plastic straws thrown into landfill every year. An alternative is stainless steel which straws are easy-to-use, durable and an environmentally friendly solution that are also recyclable. Bamboo straws are also a great alternative and can be thrown in your green waste bin or compost as they are 100% biodegradable.

Disposable Cutlery: Plastic cutlery is another culprit of plastic waste that pollutes our environments and don’t break down.

Instead consider using biodegradable bamboo or reusable stainless-steel cutlery that you can easily carry around in your bag.

Shampoo and conditioner bars: One principle of Zero Waste is the idea of recycling less. The goal is to reduce our plastic usage as much as we can to reduce the amount of plastic that needs to be recycled. Shampoo and conditioner bars are 100% waste free alternative that are available at stores like Lush. There are an array of different bars to match all hair types.

25

creative/po et r y

The Colour Blue Poem by Madeline Percey

Skies full of stars, Both light—and then dark, Reflecting on the ocean—the greatest mirror, Showing the truth of sin.

Bruises and welts on a fellow man’s skin.

The binding of a book With secrets contained within.

Ink of the pen which writes on this page.

Rage.

‘Till you’re blue in the face.

Leave the Sargent of my imagination be.

She heeds none about me, so I’ll heed none about she.

The handle of the knife gripped tightly in knuckles of white.

The sapphire ring glinting in a show of delight.

Dancing across the logs, a cool flame—too hot to touch.

The cold of a child’s quivering lip, Or of too many confections eaten at once.

Blu of the tack, Or tackiness of Clothes shed happily ‘neath Skies full of stars.

26

c r eativ e/ fiction

The Glitch Alice pohlmann Every day is the same. Every day is perfect. No one ever dies, except of old age. No one ever steals or bullies. No one litters or cuts down trees. Everything is perfect. And nothing ever happens. You walk down the quiet blue streets. A family passes.

They are in blue too. They smile of course. They smile because they are told to. What would happen if they didn’t? I don’t have an answer, because it’s not a question. It’s not a possibility. It’s not obeying and disobeying; it’s code and error. Computer and glitch. It has always been this way and always will be. It’s the only way and yet it’s the better way. Can’t you see? # Bliss scrunched her eyes shut against the morning light. When she opened them little black dots floated across her vision and a man stood before her staring blankly. Bliss jumped.

‘Alright mate?’ She raised her brows at the man. He stared blankly for a few moments before seeming to blink back into reality.

‘Yeah. Fine. Just…forgot where I was.’ He turned on his heel and paced down the blue paved sidewalk.

‘Righto’. Bliss took the blue cup from the waitress in the coffee cart, who smiled. She smiled back, just like every other day.

Bliss wrapped her hands around the warmth of her tall cup and blew the steam off the top as she began to walk. Then someone pinched the back of her neck and she was falling. # ‘Nope that’s not it then.’

Bliss blinked and watched the dots dance across her vision.

Someone snapped their big fingers in front of her face.

‘Yo Bliss.’ Snap snap.

‘Fuck off.’ She slapped away the big hand. Her memories from

the simulation began to slip away like a dream. Someone proffered her a coffee and she sat up. Pete paced in front of her, his big hands now tucked away in his pockets. She slurped greedily as strangers in lab coats pulled blue wires from her fair skinned neck. ‘Still can’t find the error?’

‘No.’ Pete clipped. ‘And more and more are being corrupted. We thought it was the F500-61 error, but you didn’t even notice there was anything wrong with SIM 4026B, and he was right in front of you.’

She tucked a brown lock behind her ear and looked up at the screens that lined the walls of the dim lab. There it was. Her blue street. It all looked so synthetic now. She eyed another screen. A family sat down at breakfast. The father kissed his perfect children goodbye. Another screen. A couple kissed at an alter. Another screen. Governments shook hands in agreement.

Another screen. Laughter. Another screen. Applause. No crime.

No hate. Nothing. Noise. Noise. Noise. Her hands were shaking and she gripped the cup tighter.

‘Take me back.’

‘What?’ Pete was talking to a small group and turned to see Bliss white as a ghost and sweating. ‘Whoa, Bliss, take it easy, it’s just the withdrawals.’ Bliss sat down.

‘I’m fine. I’m fine, it’s just, a lot.’ Pete sat next to her on the huge white leather recliner, adjusting his pistol on his hip so as not to sit on it. ‘When can I go back?’ She sipped her coffee slowly, concentrating on not sloshing it on the white leather.

‘We shouldn’t have put you in so long.’

‘Hang on, withdrawals, what?’

‘But we need to know what the glitch is.’

‘I don’t have withdrawals, I’m not addicted.’

27

creative /f i ct i o n ‘Are you listening to me?’

‘Why would I be addicted?’ She frowned at Pete, still perched beside her on the cold leather. Pete frowned back.

‘Well of course you’re addicted. The addiction is the survival instinct. The survival instinct of a computer game. It’s no fun when a player offs themselves. And how else would we mimic that biological shit?’

‘Simulate Darwin?’

‘Seriously though, you can’t.’ Bliss shifted in her seat, still too shaken to stand.

‘Seriously though, I can.’

‘But it’s not…’

‘What? Not moral? Not decent? Every time someone has a fucking breakdown and realises they’re code, the computer shits itself and causes more glitches and it cycles. You know all this, why are you overreacting?’

‘Mm, funny. The glitch is getting more frequent. Today 650 were corrupted. Everyday more are realising that they’re not real.’

Bliss remembered the warmth of the sun on her blue street.

She closed her eyes but all she could see was the coloured dots on the backs of her eyelids. She felt Pete lift off the sofa.

‘Overreacting? Overreacting!’

‘We’re shutting down the simulation.’

The room was disarmed by Bliss’s shouts and stiffened in silence. Pete stood and massaged his forehead. Bliss stepped closer and lowered her voice. ‘If you found out all the computer game characters were real, would you keep shooting them?

Knowing they could feel, and love, and experience?’

‘What?’ She snapped her eyes open.

‘Before the entire code is completely corrupted and it never works again.’

‘You’re going to shut them down?’

‘Yes.’ Pete was standing near the huge screens with his hands on his hips, looking at Bliss.

‘Yes. They’re not REAL!’ ‘THEY THINK THEY’RE REAL!’ Bliss leapt up spilling coffee across the floor.

‘Knowing they were computer code and would never fucking remember it? Yes.’ Pete locked eyes with her.

‘WE don’t remember dying.’ Bliss gritted her teeth.

‘You’re going to kill them?’

‘Oh, you reckon?’

‘Well, turn them off.’

In one swift movement Bliss swiped the gun from his hip and pushed her left arm into his throat, shoving him backwards four paces, until he hit a wall. The room filled with synchronised raised hands and shouts of alarm.

‘They’re people!’

‘Simulation’ he corrected her. ‘Each character is 43 lines of a remote host decimal representation of a unique IP address with frequented intervals of CP-DATA-RR-STAT-APPLE.’

‘This is how it works, Bliss. This is what you signed up for.’

‘But…’

‘THIS is NOT what I signed up for.’ She pressed the barrel of the gun against his temple.

‘A combination of release packets and addresses to computer NETBIOS names with redisplay selected statistics that purges and reloads the remote cache at paused intervals.’

‘Oh for fuck’s sake.’ Pete rolled his eyes and Bliss pushed the gun harder into his skin.

28

c r eativ e/ fiction

‘I’m not fucking around. Leave them. Fix the fucking glitch and leave them!’

‘We can’t find the fucking glitch! You probably saw it and don’t remember so how are we supposed to find it if a real person can’t?’

‘Why do you say it like that? Real.’

‘Like what.’ Pete smirked.

‘Like it’s a fault.’

‘Isn’t it? Human error.’ His smirk faded. ‘That’s why we do this.

They fucked up; they royally fucked up the planet, right from the start! Being real got them nowhere.’ Bliss opened her mouth to speak but Pete cut her off. ‘The world is suffocating. We simulate a society that functions and evolves without being able to fuck itself because it doesn’t get the option.’ Pete gritted his teeth. ‘They are computer characters and I will shoot them.’

‘You’re a fucking psychopath.’

‘Would you call God a psychopath?’

‘Yes. I won’t let you kill. I’ll save everyone. From you. You might be a psychopath but I’m not. I’m a survivor.’

‘Oh wake up!’ Pete flung Bliss from him and snatched the gun in one move and shouted. ‘You’re not a survivor you never have been! You’re an addict!’ Bliss’s head felt like it had been knocked off but Pete kept talking. ‘You’re. An. Addict.’ Bliss stumbled back. ‘This is not real! You’re not real! You’re one of them! You don’t wanna save the world! You just don’t wanna stop playing!’

‘No.’ Bliss’s eyes widened.

‘You fucking idiot! You’re a moral backboard! Every day we do this! Every day we have to have this argument. Every fucking day.’ Raising his right arm and looking down the pistol at Bliss, he sighed.

Tears started running down her cheeks.

‘But this is real!’ Pete spoke in unison with Bliss, who gasped.

Pete thumbed back the hammer.

‘But this is real!’ Bliss was screaming. ‘I can feel it!’

‘I know. So can I.’ ‘But…’ Bliss’s voice was shaking. ‘I don’t remember. I don’t remember doing this every day.’ Bliss paused and a shadow crossed her face. ‘Oh…I see.’ Bliss stared down the barrel of the gun and Pete tilted his head, almost sympathetically.

‘No. I don’t think you do.’ He relaxed and let his gun arm drop to his side. ‘I would never waste a bullet on a fucking addict.’ He turned away from her.

Bliss closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek. She opened her eyes, breathing hard, her vision spotty, and spoke over the rising noise of the room.

‘What?’ Pete turned back to her, frowning.

‘I said you’re right. I’m not a survivor. I’m an addict. And this is me, just quitting.’ Bliss lunged at the gun. Pete barely had time to react before she opened her mouth wide and pulled the trigger.

‘Christ.’ Said Pete looking at the empty space where SIM 551I9, known as ‘Bliss’, had shattered into pixels. ‘She takes longer to do that every time.’ # Every day is the same. Every day is perfect. No one ever dies, except of old age. No one ever steals or bullies. No one litters or cuts down trees. Everything is perfect. And nothing ever happens. You walk down the quiet blue streets. A family passes.

They are in blue too. They smile of course. They smile because they are told to. What would happen if they didn’t? I don’t have an answer, because it’s not a question. It’s not a possibility. It’s not obeying and disobeying; it’s code and error. Computer and glitch. It has always been this way and always will be. It’s the only way and yet it’s the better way. Can’t you see? Close your eyes. You might see it better. There it is. No don’t think, look.

The dots. There they are. All yellow and green and black and blue. All fuzzy, and pixelated. Now open your eyes. They’re the little black squiggles you can’t look away from. Human error.

Specifically error 15-APPLE-3C. We just call it the glitch.

‘Told you.’ Pete mumbled. ‘Every fucking day.’

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op inion/m us i c

the best songs of 2018 A guide to this year’s best releases as told by me, Ruby Words by Ruby Easterbrook ‘All Wordz Are Made Up’ by The Voidz (Virtue) The Strokes may be reaching the end of the line (fingers crossed they don’t) but The Voidz certainly aren’t. Frontman Julian Casablancas and his posse have given us a masterpiece this year in the form of Virtue. Described by Casablancas himself as “futuristic prison jazz”, the band’s second album is an emotive, genre-mashing, beautiful mess that speaks simultaneously to the past, present and future. My favourite song on the album, ‘All Wordz Are Made Up’, features bouncy keys, robot-like vocals, funky cowbell, and Daft Punk inspired synths. Casablancas opens the song singing, “no one will care about this in ten years,” but it’s so far from the truth.

‘Loading Zones’ by Kurt Vile (Single) As someone who eternally misses the sounds of proud Philadelphian singer Kurt Vile, I had to include his first solo release for three whole years. ‘Loading Zones’ is a plucky guitar number that builds up through his lyrics to create an energetic surge of swirly synth. While Vile refers to Philadelphia as both “beautiful” and “dirty”, you can tell he loves both the flaws and the beauty of his town. “One stop shop life for the quick fix/before you get a ticket/that’s the way I live my life/I park for free”, Vile sings, describing how he avoids paying for parking by shopping as conveniently as he can.

Fun Fact: In order to promote ‘Loading Zones’, Vile posted out realistic-looking parking tickets to Philly-based fans and freaked the heck out of them. The envelopes had ‘VIOLATORS’ written on them in huge bold lettering and the tickets themselves were for parking in loading zones – a cheeky prank that fits well with the overall vibe of the song.

‘Wedding’ by Horror My Friend (Home Life) ‘Wedding’ is one of the most classic tunes to come from Adelaide’s own; Horror My Friend can do no wrong. The song reflects on the issues that surround establishing a healthy work/life balance when touring as a band and the strain that can have on relationships.

Thrashing guitar, out of tune fuzz, throttling drums and emotive lyrics make up this intense and vulnerable track. Lyrics such as “I feel like a self-involved prick” describe what it feels like to pursue your dreams while being in a long-distance relationship. The music video for this track is a humorous look at what would happen if the band’s drummer Sam died and then had his identity stolen by an alien.

‘Burnt Out Star’ by Pond (Single) This song is pure magic. Pond’s signature sound comes out in ‘Burnt Out Star’ through its building vocals, twinkling glockenspiel, psychedelic synths and sound effects, powerful breakdown, and politically-skewed lyrics. “I can wait a while/I can wait a while” lead singer Nick Allbrook tenderly gleams. The beginning of the song appears to be an ode to a lover, before transforming into questioning the planet’s future. “I might go and shack up in Tasmania/before the ozone goes and Paris burns/ and Australia?/who knows…” The song ends with Allbrook hypnotically singing a sequence of numbers over and over, sending you into a trip back in time to 1917. ‘Burnt Out Star’ is so captivating you won’t even notice it’s eight minutes long.

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opinion/ m usic

‘Problems III’ by The Growlers (Casual Acquaintances) A nostalgic nod to Chinese Fountain and City Club, Casual Acquaintances is an album for the unfinished demos and unreleased tracks The Growlers have amassed over the years, but they feel nothing of the sort. ‘Problems III’ is an 80s synth-pop track about love and its corresponding ‘problems’. The track describes singer Brooks Nielsen’s struggles with touring in a band while having two children and a wife to look out for (i.e. “Problems III”). “But rent’s on time/we’ve got cigs and cheap red wine/come on and share my table/and pour your heart into mine.” he sings in his raspy, washed-out vocals. The Growlers’ signature “Beach Goth” sound comes out in this track through its bouncy electronic drums and chunky bassline.

‘Down The Sink’ by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Gumboot Soup) While this song was technically released on December 31 2017, I think it still warrants a mention in this list. Sung by Cook Craig, one of three-ish guitarists in the band, ‘Down The Sink’ is a quirky tune seemingly taken straight from Sketches of Brunswick East, an experimental jazz collaboration with Mild High Club from earlier in 2017. This song makes me imagine a sewer rat observing the neighbourhood around him, crawling down sinks and wandering the streets. “On our street/people make things happen/concrete buildings greet the skyline/people meet by the subway station/feel the heat from the sidewalk pavement,” sings the rat, probably. I still mistake the saxophone in the breakdown for bagpipes, and I wouldn’t even be surprised if it was, but that’s what I love about it.

‘Days That Got Away’ by MGMT (Little Dark Age) You should forget everything you thought you knew about MGMT circa their ‘Kids’ and ‘Electric Feel’ era because 11 years can certainly change a band. Little Dark Age is a 1980s-style electronic album with a psychedelic and experimental feel. ‘Days That Got Away’ is a dreamy tune you imagine a teenage girl listening to in their dimly lit bedroom, sprawled out on their bed wearing headphones and listening to lo-fi study music streams. This track feels alienlike, containing atmospheric synths that build spookily in the background, muffled gibberish vocals, and twinkly spaceship noises from the early 2000s.

‘Diabolo Menthe’ by Soko (Single) Soko’s cover of ‘Diabolo Menthe’ is a very different version of Yves Simon’s coming-of-age love song from 1977. The lyrics remain completely in French but the instruments boast a more indie-pop feel. Whiny guitar licks and lazy drums set the mood for this melancholic tune. The opening lines translate to “In your school workbooks/are your dreams and secrets/ all words you never say/words of love and tenderness,” which hit like a kiss from a crush, even in language that’s foreign to me. Soko covered this song due to its relatability and rawness; the accompanying music video features a film-like style of videography where Soko is positioned as a ghostly outsider, observing the beauty and hardships of all her previous romantic relationships in her old LA home.

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just for f u n /q u i z

Empire times quiz 1. How many seasons of Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures has there been?

2. ‘The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins’ is a song recorded by which Star Trek actor?

3. Doc Tydon was played by which British actor in the 1971 film Wake in Fright?

4. Who played The Invisible Man in The Invisible Man Returns?

A) Boris Karloff B) Bela Lugosi C) Claude Rains D) Vincent Price 5. What are the first four main cities Ness encounters in Earthbound?

6. The music video for George Harrison’s ‘Crackerbox Palace’ was directed by which former member of Monty Python?

7. Matt Berry play which character in Disenchantment?

8. What is Scarecrow’s full name in Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow series?

9. Which version of Link is making his first appearance in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate since Melee?

10. How many films in the Star Trek film series did William Shatner appear as James T. Kirk?

11. Logopolis is the final serial to which incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who? 12. In what year did former Premier Don Dunstan abolish the six ‘o’ clock swill?

13. Which album of The Beatles was recorded first: Let it Be or Abbey Road?

14. Who was the last governor of British Hong Kong?

15. Rob McElhenney is married to which cast member of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

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j ust for fun/ quiz 16. In what years did the British steam locomotive The Flying Scotsman (LNER 4472) visit Australia?

17. On which island in Japan will you find the city Sapporo?

18. What are the three capital cities of South Africa?

19. In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, who gives Link the Fairy Ocarina?

20. Which actress played Vanessa Ives in the gothic horror TV series Penny Dreadful?

BONUS QUIZ Match The Simpsons episodes by their pictures A.

B.

C.

1.

2.

3.

1. Three. 2. Leonard Nimoy 3. Donald Pleasence 4. D) Vincent Price 5. Onett, Twoson, Threed, and Fourside 6. Eric Idle 7. Prince Merkimer 8.

Shane Schofield 9. Young Link 10. Seven 11. Fourth Doctor 12. 1967 13. Let it Be 14. Chris Patten 15. Kaitlin Oslon 16. 1988/1989 17. Hokkaido 18. Cape Town, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein 19. Saria. 20. Eva Green. BONUS QUIZ: A-3, B-1, C-2

QUIZ ANSWERS 33

just for f u n /t o p s i x

top six things that got us through 2018

Mean Girls the Musical Soundtrack This has been the greatest thing to listen to while editing.

It has the perfect balance between Tina Fey’s original biting screenplay, incredible music by Jeff Richmond and building on the changes to Girl World from 2004 (namely smart phones and social media). Highlights (beside all of it) are Karen’s “Sexy” about the social ettiquette of their annual Halloween Party, “Stop” sung by Damian about social media stalking and Gretchen’s heartbreaking “What’s Wrong With Me” which is unfortunately familiar for every girl who has ever been in high school.

“Meet the Plastics” is the most amazing character introduction you will ever hear, and much like the rest of the songs integrates lines from the orginal film perfectly. The end song “I See Stars” nails the final message of Mean Girls better than the 2004 film did.

The entire cast is exceptional, with Grey Henson (Damian), Taylor Louderman (Regina George) and Ashley Park (Gretchen) being nominated for Tony Awards!

On Wednesdays we wear pink!

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The Good Place This. Is. The. Best. Show. On. Netflix.

The Good Place explores an afterlife where a point system tallying all your behviour on Earth allows you to get into either the Good Place or the Bad Place.

Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) is sent to the Good Place, but soon realises she didn’t do any of the things that got her into the Good Place. With the help of Moral Philosophy lecturer Chidi (William Jackson Harper), she (and the audience) learn the basics of philosophy in the aim of becoming a better person.

Janet (D’Arcy Carden) is not a robot and not a girl, but is attractive (watch the show, people, then you’ll get the joke) and assists architect Michael (Ted Danson) in constructing the neighbourhood.

The Good Place was created by Michael Schur, the man behind The Office (US), Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine Nine.

The third season is airing right now, and includes a plot line taking place with terrible Australian accents. (Please, leave the Australian accents to the Australians Hollywood. Otherwise it’s a disaster.)

Peanut M&Ms I remember once in high school someone was talking about the best kind of M&Ms, and they said Crispy. Which is just wrong. Unless you are allergic to peanuts, in which case I’m very sorry that you can’t eat peanuts. It must be a very sad existence. (Also, Crispy M&Ms suck, guys. They are objectively the worst kind of M&M. If you like Crispy M&Ms, I probably won’t like you. I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules.)

They are the best movie snack. I’m sure there are people conducting surveys on this kind of thing (if not, there should be).

When I got my wisdom teeth out, I was really sad (you know, because pain) and had to send an issue off to print WITHOUT MY PRECIOUS PEANUT M&MS BECAUSE MY MOUTH COULD NOT HANDLE THEM. I was devastated (sorry Sex Issue, you know I love you, despite my Peanut M&M withdrawals when going off to print.)

(Yes, effectively every issue of this year was partially fuelled by Peanut M&Ms. And Malteasers, but that’s a whole other story.)

j ust for fun/ top six

2018 has been a crazy year. These are some of the things that 2018 has brought us that we appreciate most.

Nintendo Switch

Japan

My Spotify Playlist

Nintendo really hit it out of the oval this year with the Switch. There has been a stellar line-up of games for this system throughout 2018, with original titles like Octopath Traveler, Mario Tennis Aces, and Kirby Star Allies launching so far. Then there was all the ports, from Hollow Knight and Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy to Undertale and Dragon Quest Builders. This isn’t even counting the games still yet to release, one being the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee.

I originally visited Japan at the end of last year (2017), which was immediately followed by Hong Kong. Super Potato in Akihabara and Osaka, the beef cutlet curry from Curry House Coco, the steam locomotives in the Kyoto Railway Museum, and Shibuya in general were just some of the things that I loved on my adventure. Then there was the art, history, and architecture, jaw dropping to say the least.

It took me until this year to finally jump onto the Spotify bandwagon and it was well worth it. Having Spotify helped me relax while I was in the office on my own and certainly helped keep my sanity. If you walked by the office during this year you probably heard some of these songs blaring from my computer. Some even commented on my great music taste as they passed by.

This constant stream of games has helped with getting me through 2018.

They have allowed me to unwind and relax after uni classes, ET work, and my internship. The Switch’s portability has been the other benefit to me. It has accompanied me while at uni and on the train to and from my internship. It still amazes me even now that I can play home console games on the go.

2019 is set to be another stellar year too, with titles like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Metroid Prime 4, and Bayonetta 3 set to release. Until then, I will play the life out of all the titles which are quickly eating up my storage space.

I feel you need to have something to work towards to get you through university. Having Japan has helped me study harder this year and kept me going throughout the year. This motivation has also pushed me to do the best job I could this year in Empire Times. Being there will make all of this hard work and the stress of uni this year worth it.

Accompanying my return trip is a whole list of places and things I didn’t see or buy while there last year. Seeing the Edo-Tokyo Museum, picking up the Final Fantasy VI OST, and visiting Gujo Hachiman are but three things on my to-do list.

Here are some of my recommendations from my Spotify list. The Beatles: ‘A Day in the Life’, ‘Revolution’, ‘Lady Madonna’.

Cold Chisel: ‘Flame Trees’, ‘Khe Sanh’, ‘Forever Now’. Bad Dreems: ‘Feeling Remains’, ‘Mob Rule’, ‘Gutful’. Dune Rats: ‘Scott Green’, ‘Bullshit’, ‘Braindead’.

George Harrison: ‘When We Was Fab’, ‘My Sweet Lord’, ‘All Those Years Ago’.

Smith Street Band: ‘Surrender’, ‘Death to the Lads’, ‘Don’t Fuck With our Dreams’.

Gooch Palms: ‘Don’t Look Me Up’, ‘Ask Me Why’. Deep Purple: ‘Highway Star’, ‘Burn’, ‘Hush’. Pond: ‘Paint Me Silver’.

Stork: ‘Cane Toad’, ‘Congrats’. The Traveling Wilburys: ‘End of the Line’, Dirty World’, ‘Handle With Care’.

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colu mn/Po p Cu lt u r e

A Whole New World!

Aladdin probably wouldn’t be caught dead in any of these worlds.

Words by Renee Kohler Where have eight issues gone? Where has the year gone? If anyone figures it out – let me know, please and thank you. For this final issue, the World issue, I thought I might talk about some of my favourite fictional (or at least partially fictional) worlds. With the current state of our world, it’s a nice way to escape the turmoil and all round nastiness that seems to occupy the news cycles daily. And that may be saying something given the apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic state of some of these worlds. Sometimes a bit of escapism is all someone needs – so here are a few of the worlds that I most enjoy visiting, even for a short time.

Ketterdam, Six of Crows Duology

Gotham City, DC Comics

Perhaps one of the most addictive series I’ve read in the past few years must be the Six of Crows Duology, a fantasy series by Leigh Bardugo of Grisha fame. This duology is, in fact, a spinoff of the Grisha series, following a different set of main characters but featuring the lore of its predecessor and cameos of wellloved characters. Set in Kerch, my favourite location was by far Kerch’s capital Ketterdam, where many of my favourite scenes occur. Strongly reminiscent of 19th century England, Ketterdam is made up of thriving criminal factions, wet cobbled streets and the smell of ocean air. Crime thrives as does the seedy nightlife that occupy many of the city’s streets – with the story focusing particularly on one gang, The Dregs. Led by the inimitable Kaz Brekker, The Dregs are cementing themselves as a group to watch as they climb the ranks in Ketterdam.

It feels strange to have gone through all these issues without mentioning DC Comics at least once. So, here I am! Gotham City is a strange place, not just for its winged vigilantes or criminals wearing burlap sacks or clown makeup, but for the fact that people continue to live there. Worse yet, there’s people that move there, knowing its history and its constantly chaotic atmosphere. When not a day goes by that something terrible doesn’t happen, it might be time to move. That, however, doesn’t mean I can’t rejoice in the madness of it all. Just don’t catch me packing up and heading to the crime capital of the world anytime soon. Whether in games, film, television or comics – Gotham has always struck me as such an interesting world, though admittedly the use of the world might be stretched just a little bit. Depending on the medium, the rest of the DC Universe mightn’t be mentioned. For example, Fox’s Gotham is a world of its own and doesn’t recurringly reference anywhere outside of its city’s borders. The Arkham series of games, however, do make passing references to Metropolis and characters outside of the Gotham-sphere.

Bardugo conjures a strong picture of Ketterdam throughout both books and much of its charm can be attributed to the care with which she crafts her world. It’s filled with some of the dodgiest characters I’ve ever read about, with thieves and sharpshooters being amongst the primary characters, and through their eyes I came to adore their home. It’s grungy and not a place you’d want to find yourself in for fear of being robbed, or worse, but it’s so distinct and unlike any other world I’ve experienced and it is for this reason that I can’t help but be fond of it.

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No matter the material though, Gotham is a world unlike any other. My favourite representation of the chaotic noir-inspired home of Batman is in the Arkham series, with the last instalment Arkham Knight taking place entirely in Gotham. While the game itself isn’t my favourite of the series, Gotham is represented beautifully throughout the story. It gave us an entire city to drive, glide or grapple around in while giving us some of Gotham’s most iconic locations to explore. GCPD, ACE Chemicals and various other memorable spots from comics past are all up for keen investigation, screenshotting and varying degrees of destruction at the hands of Gotham’s most infamous.

c ol u mn/ Pop Culture

Boston Wasteland, Fallout 4

Apocalyptic United States, The Last of Us

Say what you will about Bethesda or Todd Howard, but they certainly know how to appeal to me. Between The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, I’m hooked – though I can’t defend the constant rereleasing of the same two games, after all there’s only so many consoles to port for. The last thing any of us needs is a 2020 release of Skyrim on our fridges. Or do we?

Interestingly, Fallout 4 isn’t the only of my favourite games to feature Boston, nor is it the only one to put an apocalyptic spin on some real-life locations! The Last of Us takes place in multiple states and while it’s not open world like Fallout, it has some of the most gorgeous word building of any game in recent memory. Throughout the game we experience all 4 seasons, my personal favourite being the Winter segment, and weather changes accent how utterly realistic these settings are. Each season showcases a different aspect of the world, forests and suburbia, cities and small towns all receiving screen time.

A very close contender for this spot on my list was the Mojave Desert in Fallout: New Vegas, the cast of characters and open world both appealing to my love of all things western themed.

With the cowboy leanings, kooky characters and Matthew Perry voicing a checked-suit-wearing skeezeball, it was a close call. (Will I ever not hear his terrifying greeting? Will I ever be free of Chandler Bing trying to kill me? Doubt it.) But, Fallout 4 wins mostly on the basis that it was the first of the series that I’d played, lured in by the fantastic character creation – which is admittedly something I’m a sucker for. Another thing that really caught my attention was the 50’s inspired décor that adorns much of the game, with the grime and radioactive overtones that many have come to expect from the Fallout series. The 50’s aesthetic is sprinkled throughout, and it adds some vibrance where it’s needed. The world itself is populated by a breadth of people, creatures and historical landmarks – there’s even a ghoul called Hancock who walks around in era-appropriate garb. There’s nothing more chilling than walking through the streets of Boston and coming across a hoard of radioactive ghouls or finding an unnerving group of mannequins occupying an entire street corner.

My favourite place within the Boston Wasteland is the Museum of Witches in Salem, as a self-confessed lover of anything witchcraft related the entirety of the quest surrounding this eerie location was a delight. But, really anything that revolved around a historical landmark was fascinating as someone who has yet to venture to the States. With the Nuka-Cola DLC the world was expanded that bit more, with theme parks filled with bad guys aplenty! The base game, as it is, provides lots of nonplayable characters to sass (if you, like me, couldn’t help but pick the sarcastic dialogue choices) and even some to romance.

There are factories, vacated houses and one of the largest settlements in the game occupies an old sports field – so there’s plenty to explore!

Wandering between bigger locations might just be where The Last of Us is at its best visually and narratively. Not only is the wandering unnerving, for fear that you’ll be cornered by something sinister, but it allows for a greater appreciation of the detail put into the world. Faded billboards, abandoned cars and free roaming wildlife are but a few of the things that add depth to this post-apocalyptic North America.

And is there anything quite as hauntingly beautiful as the desolate cityscapes on display? Nothing quite beats the first view of towering city buildings, undoubtedly former homes to many a suited businessperson, abandoned for decades only to be taken over by nature and zombies alike. Office buildings that have caved in roofs, plants sprouting, and puddles of rainwater are all a recipe for some unnerving but visually gorgeous sequences. It beautifully showcases a world where there are no boundaries between nature and what used to be society – this is shown best in the use of wild animals, taking up space that is so usually out of bounds for them. There’s nothing quite as breathtaking as the scene in which our protagonists come across free roaming giraffes, interacting with them through a hole in a building as they pass through. It’s an outstanding scene in an already wonderful game and is one of the many scenes that has stuck with me long after playing it.

Expansive fictional settings are my weakness, both as a writer and as a member of the audience indulging in the mediums above. It’s especially important to me, during times like these, to find little escapes here and there. None of the above worlds are exactly ones that I’d jump into, for fear of being robbed, held hostage by a villainous ex-doctor or exposed to horrific bodily harm – radioactively induced or otherwise! But, they are worlds that I’ve found myself greatly invested in and can enjoy while also appreciating the fact that I’m not at the mercy of The Dregs, The Joker or the terrifying creatures that are the result of Fallout level radiation or The Last of Us fungal abnormalities.

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creative/f i ct i o n

A LOUD NOISE OF THINGS Words by Charlie Brooker It’s a dead room to say the least, and it’s growing darker.

I watch the little light go out. That bedside lamp, I watch it flicker and fade. Nothing quite stands up to knowing it’s my fault.

‘Are you awake? I whisper at the darkness. It says nothing back so I say, ‘Are you going to be okay?’

‘Just stop,’ the darkness has its reply, and you roll over to face the wall.

On my back, I’m lying there. My sheets are folded round me the best way I know how. Everything is for comfort. The little bar heater gives off an awful orange glow that catches your body rising and falling with the sheets drawn in tight around it. When we first met, you told me I wasn’t someone people often knew.

It’s funny, but I always thought I was more.

Turning over and back again, I glance at the small alarm clock.

I’m wondering if you know. I scratch my leg and kick the sheets a little. I roll my neck and adjust the pillow. My leg develops the same itch somewhere else and I reach to scratch it bitterly. It’s too warm with you here. We both lay wrapped up in such an angry silence. Neither can touch the other.

To that school at night, I drift in search of something. Right now I’d be anywhere else. I’m thinking of it now, the wet grass underfoot and my mind racing, the audacity. I’d sneak right in; the moon wouldn’t know me. It was summer, and I was still in school. Everyone my age was doing it, I was showed by my older brother, and he’d done it the same way with his older brother.

I really should call them some day.

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‘Wait till the night security and the groundsmen turn over their shifts,’ said my brother. He had a garish way of talking, like he could be a news bulletin.

I saw the grounds go so far nothing could stop them. Buildings and buildings, like collectors’ items, and they had their packaging still. All mapped out, all settled around without a fuss. So much space I could fall over.

‘Okay,’ my brother rolled the word over in his mouth. ‘Let’s go.’

And then from the bushes we’d emerge into the moonlight, or the lamplight, and occasionally the steady beam of a car passing through.

‘Look, it’s all ours!’ He laughed gleefully, charging through an immaculate garden, breaking apart the smooth hedge and throwing the flowers into carnage.

It never settled with me well, seeing those flowers in ruin. It never did me good to see it all in tatters. We explored and found things, drew on walls, splattered the highest windows we could reach with fruit and rotten eggs, and none of it felt right.

There’s an anger some boys get, I noticed it most on those nights, but there’s an outright bloody anger for what we can’t have.

Some bars, I think, make such a loud noise of things. This one place I know has a square wooden floor cut into the carpet for dancing. That’s where I met Michelle. It was a Thursday and there’d been some kind of sporting match. I can’t remember why I was there.

c r eativ e/ fiction

Michelle did events planning. It had to do with fashion magazines. She told me I looked like the guy from that movie. I don’t know then as I don’t know now. This was months back, so it’s been going on a while.

We got to talking and drinking about our friends. She was saying something like, ‘They’re such a mess, oh my god I love them, but they’re all such wrecks, Janey wow she’s just something.’

She talked and we kept drinking. I used my finger to swirl the ice in the smoky auburn honey liquid. You see what’s happening here I guess, one thing leading to another. I must’ve kissed her when I’d had enough of hearing her. I felt her tongue out there waiting to rush in.

It wasn’t a thing about Michelle, it was only ever some kind of animal want. I think to function I had to give up on myself for a bit. But when you came home to kiss those same lips, it tore me up inside.

I’d still visit that school at night, long after my brother and his friends lost interest. I’d be thinking, ‘There’s a version of me that goes here, I just know it. A well-dressed boy with the smarts to match.’

I wanted a part of something I would never belong to. I thought I’d grow up to forget it by now.

Won’t one of us just say something?

It’s in my ears, all this I think about. It makes me sick up to the roof. Right up to the roof, and there’s you making me believe you’re asleep. I wonder if I talked you’d ignore me. You would but I’d do it anyway. No one could recognise us now, the way we are. But all I can think is you kissing down my body the night before.

I think about when I met Michelle. And then the times after.

The honest thing is you scared me. Nothing had been so good, you and the way you loved me. I was terrified.

I roll over to lay out my arm and touch your back. Nothing is there. It’s a month since you were gone. I think of your innocence sometimes, how I was your first. You’re out there losing it with someone else now, someone else breaking off into you now.

The thought of it as I lay awake, I can’t take a full breath.

So, I’d take up the paths as if they were my own, just to stroll along and see the buildings move slow beside me. I was so close I couldn’t believe them. They were different from how they were on the other side of the high barred fence. Me on my way to school I’d think, ‘That’s the chapel, that’s the boarding house, and that could be a music hall.’ I’d watch while listening to the thrum of the engine, the city bus packed tight around me.

For a while it was fine enough to live like that - late nights sitting the empty benches around the oval, thinking of the cricket that was played there. But the night was too dark to see the ball fly, and the cricketers were by far retired. How old was I? Older than I like to think.

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Exp erience/T ravel

Gardens by the Bay

y a w A d l r o W A me in Singapore A Brief Insight to My Ti Words by Cameron Lowe

I have done a lot of amazing things in my time at Flinders. I have been editor at this magazine, travelled to China in 2015 with other Flinders creative writing students, and made many connections to name just a few. However, there is one thing that tops everything I have ever done on behalf of this uni: my journey to Singapore.

I journeyed to Singapore to study a creative writing topic at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), which was held in July 2016. I got into this through the New Colombo Plan ($3,000 scholarship) and the SummerNTU program, which was offered that year by Learn Without Borders. Although it was only a short time, it is an experience that completely changed me as a person.

“Everything is just so unusual here. It has been a whirlwind of excitement, fear, and isolation.”

- My Journal (Day One) There were other Flinders students with me (three to be precise), but we didn’t arrive or depart at the same time. I flew direct from Adelaide through Singapore Airlines to Changi airport. My trip there was both an exciting and frightening experience. It

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had me filled with curiosity what the next month would hold for me, but also worried about the unknown. What if I didn’t make friends? How would I survive a month outside Australia? What if the month was pointless and not worth the money?

I felt like Mark Watney from The Martian upon arriving at NTU. I had no internet to chat to family and friends back home. All I had was SMS on my phone, which - being international - was expensive. I can still remember the joy of when I bought a SIM card and got connected. It was like when Watney was able to communicate with Earth again.

I will say it now: the main NTU campus is gigantic. It covers 200 hectares (larger than our 150 hectare Bedford Park campus) and has architecture beyond the Solar System. The School of Art, Design and Media in particular stood out. It reminded me of a postmodern hobbit hole. Another building, The Hive, is difficult to describe with mere words (see image on next page).

It was like The Fifth Element met Jurassic Park with a very unique lift system (ground was Basement Level 3). More mind blowing were the numerous eateries on campus. In almost every food court I could get Chinese, Indian and Western food, all for less than $10SGD (essentially 1:1 with $AUD). The campus also boasted its own Subway, KFC, and Pizza Hut. From this the

Exp er ience/ Trav el way home I spoke with a lady with her grandchild and she was asking me about my trip and where I was from. I found this really pleasant and warm of the people. Small tip: DO NOT eat or drink on the trains or the buses. You risk a $500SGD fine if you do. Also, avoid bringing on durians (those spiky, smelly fruits) on there or there’s is a fine for you as well.

I took in many different sights and attractions Singapore has to offer. I visited the usual tourist traps like the Singapore Zoo and Sentosa Island. The best places, in my opinion, were those off the tourist map. One of these places was the Bras Basah Complex. Located next to the National Library on Victoria Street, this place was essentially ‘Book City’. There were countless bookstores that populated this complex, including a three-storey Popular Bookstore (their main bookstore chain). I picked up an Indonesian copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (a book I get in every country I visit) for $10SGD and a Chinese copy of Andy Weir’s The Martian for around $20SGD.

y Merlion Park, Marina Ba

campus was surrounded with greenery, dorms, and the Chinese Heritage Centre.

The class size I had for my creative topic was not overly large and was taught in English. There were eight of us: two Australians (both Flinders, including me), one British, one Hong Kong, and four South Koreans. We had a number of classes inside The Hive and three field trips outside the university. Our tutor taught us the typical creative writing class stuff, like “Show, Don’t Tell”, and the “Hero’s Journey” in the beginning, but went beyond the page later on. They taught us other writing mediums, like comics and PowerPoint fiction (yes, this is a thing). One thing from this class which has stuck with me is Twine. Twine is an interactive fiction game engine where you can construct your own text-based video games. This finally quenched my thirst to learn video game writing and gave me the knowledge to create a game in the Digital Games (SCME 3005) topic earlier this year.

The places I went to with my class were Haw Par Villa, Little India, and Paulu Ubin. Each of these represented the many different cultures that make up Singapore. Haw Par Villa is a park filled with statues of Chinese mythology, Little India had amazing cuisine (and a random poster of Sir Donald Bradman and British souvenirs in a shopping centre), and Paulu Ubin was like taking a trip back to pre-independent Singapore.

Singapore is a city that is not short of amazing cuisine. While there, I found myself trying many new and wonderful foods/ drinks, like roti pratas, Teh Tarik, and mala beef noodles. My favourite dishes though were certainly the curries. I fell in love with mutton masala in Little India and a bean and lentil

As part of the program we also could do up to two activities.

The ones I picked were batik painting and a roti prata class.

Batik painting is coloured wax dyeing on cloth. I did two of them: one of the solar system (see picture on next page) and a zombie hand that was originally a palm tree. The roti prata class was learning about the flatbread, its history and significance to Singaporean cuisine. This was held at Big Street Singapore and included a recipe to make them at home.

“The place is a lot bigger than I thought they would be, so I ended up doing a lot more walking than I thought I would be.”

- Describing Singapore Botanic Gardens (Day Nine) In my short month, I visited and experienced many different aspects of the Singaporean culture. This ranged from museums to diverse cuisine the city has to offer.

It is worth mentioning that Singapore is built on multiculturalism.

I noticed this while I sat on the train (MRT). The people across from me would be speaking in Malay while the people next to me in Mandarin, all while the train voiceover spoke in English.

And the friendliness of the locals-almost unbeatable. On my

The Hive @ NTU

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Exp erience/T ravel about our lives back home. Soon enough, we fell head over heels for each other. I originally tried to be Spock and repress my emotions, believing we would never work out due to distance. Despite my attempts, we eventually became a couple one evening by Marina Bay. This romantic bliss was to only last a short time though as she too (apparently) had the same worries as me. Her abrupt end felt like the ending to season one of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. If it wasn’t for some creative lies I told her and myself, this ending could have ruined the whole trip for me. We don’t know each other anymore, which I now feel is for the best, but it did leave me with one hell of an experience.

This relationship, although brief, also completely changed my definition of what love is. It made me realise it is limitless and knows no boundaries.

“Unfortunately it’s now time to close this journal; I need to start making my way to the terminal gates, which means goodbye Singapore.”

Me and my b

atik painting

curry being served at my Hall’s cafeteria. I also consumed a fair amount of Tiger (the local beer) which gave me some interesting experiences, two being unfortunately negative. I paid $17.65SGD for a pint of it at Hard Rock at Sentosa and I was sick one whole day after drinking it with friends I met there.

I don’t think it helped that I drunk four 500ml bottles (5.5% alcohol volume too) in the space of two hours (trying to beat the 10:30pm alcohol sale lockout) and not eating a lot beforehand.

“Strange things happen on trips like this. I’ve heard you meet so many great people, learn so many new things, and even for those lucky few, find love.”

- My Journal (Day Five) Having Asperger’s Syndrome, I have struggled with socialising.

Being in a foreign country with very few people I knew and many different ethnic backgrounds sent my social anxieties well past Pluto. My worries mentioned earlier were entrenched in my mind throughout my whole time there.

- Closing my journal (Day Thirty-One) I could go on with all the other things I experienced over there, like finding Coopers Pale Ale in Little India and playing through The Legend of Zelda (NES) for the first time properly, but there’s not enough space on these pages.

In the time following Singapore to the start of 2017, these experiences made those six months the most productive for me as a writer ever. All of my experiences there, both good and bad, helped shape me to who I am at the time of writing this piece. It also motivated me to visit Japan and Hong Kong last year, and Japan again this year. I also wish to one day return to Singapore itself. Even if it won’t be the same, it will be great to eat a curry in Little India and walk the NTU campus once again.

Dear readers, take any opportunity to travel overseas through the university. They really are life changing experiences that don’t come around very often. If you see an opportunity: take it. I took the opportunity and it has benefitted me as a person.

Go experience the world while you are still at uni, you will not regret it!

Despite my anxieties, I met many people during my time at NTU. I met people from South Korea, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom to name some. Particularly from South Korea and Hong Kong were people I got to know the best. My roommate was South Korean and he introduced me to his friends, who were really fun and enjoyed a few drinks. The people I met from Hong Kong were easier to talk to since they were more skilled with English. They had a great sense of humour and shared their love of their British colonial history with me. I managed to catch up with some of them when I was in Hong Kong in December 2017. I still talk with them from time to time. I also want to visit South Korea one day to meet up with them again too.

Of all my experiences though, one person gave me my most unexpected memories of the city. She was the one Hong Kong student in my creative writing class. We connected through mutual interests, like anime and The Walking Dead (particularly the Telltale Games’ series, now sadly ending). We attended a local anime convention, bounced story ideas, and spoke a lot

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Singapore Museum

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR 2018 CONTRIBUTORS SUB-EDITORS Georgina Banfield, Elise Christopher, Chelsea Griffith, Courtney Lawrence, Karen Smart and Vanshika Sinh COLUMNISTS Chelsea Griffith, Renee Kohler and Michelle Wakim ILLUSTRATIONS Rene Campbell @renecampbellart Sheydin Dew @sheydedart Adrienne Gill Emily Hallett @DisturbedButGorgeous Connor McPhail @connor.mcphail Amy Nguyen Jasmin Picot @picotjasmin Diana-Elena Vornicu @artsloader77 Mey Wong PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Galimitakis @c.galimtakis Marni Shanks CONTRIBUTORS Keiron Andrews, Christopher Atkinson, Georgina Banfield, Laurent Bope, Charlie Brooker, Clare Buswell, Chloe Cannell, Michael Caroll, Evie Cazzolato, Angus Clarke, Teagan Cross, Marina Deller, Sheydin Dew, Ruby Easterbrook, Jessica Elton, Alyshia Eming, David Faber, Esme Fabry, Richard Falkner, Remy Fowler, Amber Foy, Alylia Freeborn, Nathaniel Golder, Alana Goldschmidt, Chelsea Griffith, Chloe Grayling, Emily Hallett, Madeline Hand, Jaimee Hart, Emma Hauck, Stuart Jefferies, Cathy Jones, Carina Jose, Renee Kohler, Courtney Lawrence, Grace Liddell, Lisandra Linde, Daniel Lord, Jordana Mansfield, Shawna Marks, David McVicer, Harvey Menadue, Alys Messenger, Elizabeth Middleton, Peter Moreman, Madeline Percey, Claire Perry, Alice Pohlmann, Milly Pudney, Rachael Stapleton, Ashley Sutherland, Michelle Wakim and Diana-Elena Vornicu.

EDITORS’ LIFESAVERS WHO STOP THEM FROM DROWNING (AKA FUSA Media) Jess Nicole and Steph Walker THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON LISTED ON THIS PAGE, AND TO EVERY PERSON WHO PICKED UP AN ISSUE AT ANY POINT IN 2018. WE WISH THE 2019 EDITORS THE BEST OF LUCK IN EMPIRE TIMES’ 50TH YEAR. 43

Photography by Danielle Yap

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