Sunset Micro Wave: Vol. 5

SUNSET MiCRO WAVE

volume V

Table of Contents

Kaia Brulane ............................ 1 Erin Zheng .............................. 2 Stephanie Pan ........................... 3 Evan Cheong ............................. 4 Julianna Nojadera ....................... 5 Diadora Wong ............................ 6 Lillian Wu .............................. 7 Zenon Demko ............................. 8 Vikram Sinha ............................ 8 Claudia Nguyen .......................... 9 Gordon Tam ............................. 10 Hailey Cheung .......................... 10 Austin Nie ............................. 11 Nehemiah Setiawan ...................... 12 Hannah Olson ........................... 13 Nicole Lee ............................. 14 Yusuf Abdolcader ....................... 15 Erica Chen ............................. 16

Day in the Life Suzan the Time Snail dangerously sunbathing at local creek. Prisma color pencils on 10” x13” toned paper.

Sleeve Worm on rocking chair at vacation home. Prisma color pencils on 10” x13” toned paper.

Kaia Brulane

Babeepomumb on a thrilling adventure, riding across the Grand Canyon with best friend Fredward the horse. Prisma color pencils on 10” x13” toned paper.

Mecha Moon Erin Zheng

n

Mecha Moon is an animated short about a spirited little mouse named Odie. Set during the renowned 150th annual lunar festival, Odie discovers a mysterious ancient relic with strange foreign mechanics. Even with her knowledge of screws, nuts, and bolts, she’s dumbfounded by the nature of the rustic piece. Stay tuned for the completed version of Mecha Moon in Volume 6 of Sunset Micro Wave!

Stephanie Pan

Not Real, Just Feels

SUFFOCATIO

N

Acrylic, 1 6x20in I

n the firs t paintin the genera ted word w “Suffocati on”. Stemm i from the w ord suffoc a I imagined a pair of lungs bein g squeezed by rose vi nes, revealing their inne r feelings.

n

ng, was ing ate,

FRAGILE - Acrylic, 16x20in

My prompt for this painting is the word ‘fragile.’

In reference to the fragile stickers on packages, I painted my subject on a delivery box, an attempt to protect their fragile and sensitive heart.

The Package Thief Evan Cheong

A package thief steals the wrong package...

Amani Within Julianna Nojadera

AMANI is a figure of urba n legend who dwells in the dreams of its vict im, who usually carries a death wish as a mental escape from their harsh day-to-day re ality. Throughout its time with their vict im, AMANI gradually eases and emotionally co mforts them before (ultimately) killing them with a bomb, disguised as the speaker bo x they are usually found holding. In this se nse, AMANI represents a complicated relationship that provides comfort, wh ich is ultimately a false sense of security, leading to death. Their true goal is to murder their hosts in an out-of -body fashion: a twisted savior.

AMANI came from a dream of mine in which I played the victim. Waking up from it, I really felt like I had ju st died and woken up in a kind of afterlif e. However, I was shocked that I had felt so content throughout the whole ordeal. I felt relieved. This dream left such a huge im pact on me that I couldn’t just forget abou t it. This is why I am working to transfor m this dream into a video game experience.

Moonlight Diadora Wong

Once

upon a time there lived two little girls.

One had flowing hair and the other had curls. They grew up together in the same town, you see, singing sweet songs at sunset and telling stories. Then one day a black mist had covered the sky, wishing them harm and making them cry.

I’m afraid this black mist had surrounded the girls and took away the one with curls, the one they called Luna Pruell. She did not cry or scream or shout. In fact, she sacrificed herself to get her friend out. Now she’s gone, but gone happily.

And to this day, we can hear the girl sing the song about her friend Lun Pruell, and how they now dance together under the full moon’s spell.

na

p nna wake u I don’t wa ning, In the mor na dream I just wan 4 and until it’s p ‘til stay aslee es ee your ey I get to s guide me ight sky. from the n

, ah, Ah, ah, ah , woah Ah, ah, ah

am Now it’s 6 g. the mornin by ng.

Time flies it’s soari y a s d l u o you c r voice I miss you ay ou fade aw as I see y ease stay Can you pl ht? ight e more nig l n n o o o m n i ‘Cause ht ight. e he moonlig r t it feels r e h n t i e e b s u l a ‘C I wil ht I promise I feel rig . ited every time r me e a e reun w l l n a e c h w y e h .

“Crazy,” t ee you once again ey could s h t rm y l n o f i t feels wa . r t a h e g h i l y n M o u o m am with yo under the I r e v e n e wh t. e moonligh h t r e d n u e nc When we da t. ht. e moonligh he moonlig h t t n n i i r r e e v v e ore for ght.

We dance f ng the moonli n i r e v . e t r When we si gh We sing fo the moonli forever in ht.

With you, ay l p e w s feel rig y n a e , w h t l W h a g i s l y n a I alw one now the moo now d being al e n forever in n i o m l a t ’ g n n o i d I nd be ght.

I don’t mi . the moonli t h n g i i l n o o m In the

Mono Gaze Lillian Wu

eft) l ( e imag ryboard k c Cli ew sto i to v tion! a anim

IRIS: Creating an EP Zenon Demko & Vikram Sinha

Cover artwork by Mushy Mann

SONG LIST Death’s Sweet Lullaby Fields of March Moonlight Prophecy April Ethereal

Wade through rive rs Wade through mud Watching eyes an d pools of blood Up ahead lies se aring light The gates of heav en burn so bright

cial @ iris.band.offi

Death’s Sweet Lu llaby Searing flash of light I am blinded by its glow Taken far below Pulled into the darkness I wander riversid e Threads of life untied Wordlessly they watch me Piercing eyes of gemstone fire appear Lulled by death’ s sweet lullaby I never got to sa y goodbye Trudge through he llfire Trudge through ic e March to promised paradise Arms outstretched and head held high Never got to say goodbye

So here they stan d Pillars of gold that called me to this land And as I step be fore The behemoth and grand I feel a warmth that pours In through my ha nd Walk through the doors I - think - that This is goodby

e

The world behind me fades away From deepest nigh t to bright of da y The light before me gives me peac e The depths of he ll now bring rele ase Anger fades and Threads of life To oceans woven Tides pulled by

fear subsides become the tides through a painti ng a moon that's wa ning

Sewed through ca nvas, given life War and peace an d death and stri fe Sea horizon meet s the sky I now see why I had to say goodby e

Who We Are Iris was founded three years ago, inspired by TOOL and Led Zeppelin, with Ethan Chang playing bass, Vikram Sinha on guitar and vocals, and Zenon Demko on the drum kit. Originally called Zinc, Iris rebranded after quarantine, focusing more on progressive metal and incorporating harsh death metal growls into their music. They will release their first album by the end of the 2022 calendar year.

ophecy Moonlight Pr

rch Fields of Ma l hillside Deep in Apri green uts on forest A flower spro the earth h ug hing thro tc re st ls ri Tend air soil to open Through dark a bud gs ng now brin ze The May spri night’s bree ol s on a co ar st e th ng Faci ground ll soaks the Gentle rainfa up a seed mes to lift co nd wi g in Howl meadow afar Taken from a d into ugh an orchar Carried thro rch fields of Ma nd ms left behi February Stor choice but to Left with no s roots in Spread out it April Undiscovered ard Forging forw seasons Through the de Anchored insi een The forest gr

night Awake in the head onlight in my mo er The silv window I watch the om my bed t draws me fr gh ni The gray the moon etlight By light of the dark stre h ug ro th n I’m draw road d ugh the worl I sprawl thro my soul of h nt labyri I tread the oughts of e crimson th th h ug ro th Wander my mind r humankind c visions fo Such propheti ere lies fate my dreams th Stranded in ll in my of man night now fa e th om fr Whispers quest hands bestows me my on mo e th to the Altar of cient words es pr my g in Now I br rest to an end night draws anscend As the waxing t soul to tr li on mo my e I prepar

clouds and passing Forest green owds cr nds form in Treetop isla ing the sun st ta rvor for on fe so a so th s wi ve ri Born y ar moon s just begun The final da er of June ha des of sacred mm ti Su e th by t Brough d my plea rned dismisse s, drifting The ones I wa ugh mountain ro ee th og d ap re l te na Scat e fi Now comes th h ng through mars rests chilli se through fo er sp di ls wn ta da Pe So I stand at n su and harsh ng il, hidden si ri By the nd fertile so fi s ed se me So re And I wait he ’s fall down to and lush d rl ted by nature wo e For th vibrant, pain d an g in em cy Te he Nebulous prop to moon ng brush ri pe is and lay down wh Of the through ash ow fl rs he Ot re Now I wait he fall down to rest d to carry them rl wo e For th bruary storms Fe of ms ea Dr ing sky on the crumbl West es ey ng ago ck ru Starst the breeze lo os to sm zing in co d e pe th op of Dr for the free Broken shards ll December wn ti do e ll er fa th ll ft Le d wi Now the worl caverns of llapse into co snow s ad ro rn To light brings the ried rock Lunar might rough the bu th t li sp torm sky s ng ot Ro endi sty thunders mi ll e fa th h ll ug wi d e Tearing thro Now the worl e light abov h towards th tc re st ls gh ta Pe so hi down I was g Iris towers time Now a glowin All of this ll windfa d come Life’s sacred g and vast told it woul s ao rld confusin ch wo e a th to to in mb rn nu Bo seasons I feel fall down the shifting ll by wi ed d on rl ck wo Be months pass Now the om the floatny fr ma es so ey w my No Lifting ing concrete ely complete I feel strang d falls down Now the worl

Darcy Claudia Nguyen

H

in

c

f

corruption, or guilt? When a

can’t fulfill their roles, t comes inevitable.

Darcy’s family just mana

house creaked with every foo

desperate for repair. The st

beer cans was a familiarity.

constant droning of the tele

the pitter-patter of the fau

worked too much for Darcy’s

it helped keep the roof o

their heads. So she was l to endure the time alone her father.

Darcy’s safe haven was M And she didn’t feel safe

often. Why was it that Da

failed to make her feel th same way?

Click to read the full

Let me ask you.

How do you define

nnocence? A young

child, perhaps? Free

from impurity,

a mother and father

their child’s fate be-

aged to scrape by.

The

otstep and the roof was

tench of cigarettes and

. If it weren’t for the

evision, you could hear

ulty sinks. Her mother

s liking, but she was told

over

left with

Mom.

ad

he

l text.

The Princess Lucario Talk Show Gordon Tam & Hailey Cheung

Princess Lucario! Your favorite host! She’s sassy! She’s back for another episode of The Princess Lucario Talk Show!

Squirtlo Ren! Princess Lucario’s favorite (and only) son! Once the leader of the New Order, now helping his friends film this talk show.

Welcome to the Princess Lucario Talk Show, a talk show that features Staremon, a combination of Star Wars and Pokémon. Also you’ll meet a bunch of random characters like Tim the hospital worker and the High Guys! At first, our talk show appears all serious and normal, but slowly descends into being a complete disaster.

Enjoy Episode 4!

The War Within Nehemiah Setiawan

The War Within is a short based on my own internal struggles. It portrays a mental battle, personified as multiple characters. In its finished form, it represents both a fantasy and a bit of a mirror of my life due to my own struggles with mental health. The combat scenes are similar to my reality,v as I’ve taken away parts of me or my life that don’t serve me and focused on the things that I truly like.

Flying with Fish Hannah Olson

Hannah Jane Flying with Fish, 30’ x 40‘ Multi Media (acrylic, watercolor, chalk pastel, spraypaint) on canvas

Write About You Nicole Lee

In the third grade, a friend and I began writing a song together. One line has always stuck with me: “One day I started

waking and the world started changing.“ Years passed with this line of lyrics sitting at the back of my mind and, after joining The Wave, I decided to finish writing the song. The situations in the song are mostly invented, but the memory of my (real) friend shaped the lyrics and song structure. It provided me with clear words, rhythms, sounds, pacing. Now ‘Write About You’ has turned into a song about lost friendship.

Not Yet, But So Yusuf Abdolcader

Welcome to visual experim began with the eyes had the most experience with that par feature. It took me about 2 weeks to and, after that, I focused on face ma ing facial structure on the head, as ent angles. Hair was the biggest chal I’ve always wanted to improve in my w from a few other Wavers who have expe The fourth step of the process was to layout and after that was completed, to check out my work and read this pa

oon

my ment. I because I rticular get them down apping: constructviewed from differllenge for me, but it’s a detail work. Luckily I got some help erience with hair specifically. o work with Alyssa to customize my the only remaining step is for you aragraph!

Wavecast Erica Chen

Click for episodes 1 - 4!

Wavecast stemmed from a small thought during the summer, and thanks to everyone at the Wave, it became a reality! During my time here, I was able to interview four amazing wavers about their artistic goals and their projects for the zine. Not only did I learn about these Wavers, but I also was able to sprout new friendships and learn how to create a podcast. It was a new area for me and I worked with new audio equipment and recording/editing software!

Special thanks to Jarron Ikeda for his mixing and audio production assistance!

Sunset Micro Wave, Volume 5

Scrap·book (ˈskrapˌbook) - A book of blank pages for assembling clippings, drawings , or pictures. Scrapbooki ng is a method of preserving, pr esenting and arranging pe rsonal histories in the form of a book, box or magazine.

The digital scrapbook st yle was first adopted by Sunset Media Wave in the early 21st ce ntury for the fifth issu e of their zine: Sunset Micro Wave.

It adds and incorporates video, music, podcasting and ot her modern forms of expr ession as well.

Layout Editor Alyssa Yin and the contributing arti sts all felt that the scrapbook style was representative of their lives throughout the pand emic: fragmented, askew, separate, together, and beautiful despite the challenges.

Sticker (ˈstikər) - an ad hesive label or notice, generally printed or illustrated.

A decorative technique in troduced in Issue 5 by Alyssa Yin. A symbol of Wave unity. A metaphor.

How The Wave sticks us to gether. How they stick to the plan.

How they stick to their beliefs.

Special thanks to Jacob Thompson, Michael Falset to-Mapp, Matt Pemberton, Helen Lee, De von Saucedo, Campbell Ge e, Leah O’Neil, Glenn Jackson, Ma ndy MacGowen, Ella Boyd-W ong, and everyone at SNBC, BACR, and DCYF.

SOUND ASSISTANT

EDITORS Jon Bernson Caley Akridge Rachelle Banares

Jarron Ikeda LAYOUT EDITOR Alyssa Yin

Cover art by Hannah Olson

ASSISTANT EDITOR Erica Chen