#i love this game a lot and hope it gets localized in en!

[yanderefan-kimi]

響&珠沙

[riddlerosehearts]

hi hi! hope your day is going well so far. how about 9 and 10 for the twst ask game! :)

hey! 💜 i'm doing all right, i hope you're having a great day as well. also, i'm going to have to try not to ramble too much on at least one of these haha.

9. what is your favorite outfit?

okay, when i first saw this i briefly thought "oh that's gonna be difficult, there's so many gorgeous outfits between all the different cards"... but then it hit me. instead of trying to look back at every outfit in twisted wonderland and overthink this, i'm just gonna name the one that's most blatantly my aesthetic: the starsending robes.

i just find them so pretty. stargazer gear ortho's groovy is my laptop background right now. but i also wanna give shoutouts also to summer riddle, pop music club lilia (which i especially have a soft spot for because i've cosplayed it), fairy gala ortho, rabbit wear deuce, masquerade idia... and, i'll stop here because like i said, twst has lots of gorgeous outfits and if i keep going i'll be listing way too many. but yeah, i love outerspace-themed things and i love the dark blue + gold color combo, so naturally i love the starsending robes.

10. what is your favorite special event?

it's glorious masquerade, without a doubt! i read glomas way back when i first got into twst, through a fan translation way before it had been released on EN (and also through your translations of some of the vignettes because i couldn't find them anywhere else at the time, so thank you for that!), and i was so excited to see it get localized because i just loved it--mainly because of how epic and plot driven it is compared to most other events, and because of what it does for idia's development since he's one of my favorite characters! the way that he tries his best to enjoy himself and talk with everyone during the trip because he wants to be able to tell ortho that he had a good time, even though he's still so anxious about it, and the way he was brave enough and had grown enough to be able to look at rollo and say "i understand you because i was a lot like you, so i know that what you're doing is wrong", made me so proud of him.

but also, it's just a really fun event story. i love the jamil & ruggie team-up, the interactions between riddle and epel, malleus being both badass and kind of adorable at different points in the story (in fact, his role in glomas made me appreciate him a lot more than i previously had!), idia's interactions with characters like silver and azul, getting to hear the SSR trio sing together, and just about everything in between. i thought it was so cool to see a hunchback of notre dame-inspired event and all the movie references (and a reference to the original book with rollo having a dead brother!) in it, too. a couple runner-ups that i love would be fairy gala remix and the phantom bride/ghost marriage event.

thank you for your ask! and i hope i didn't end up rambling on too much about question number 10 lol.

(for this ask game)

[keyenuta]

Twst Fans: Let's all calm down

Spoilers for Book 5 in Twst En~

Let's all take a deep breath: Ok, so by now we've all heard the news about what was cut in twsten. This song and rhythm section were removed from twst en's third part of ch5. I get everyone is scared or worried about the future of twsten like "what if they take this out next" or. "What else will they censor or do differently" etc etc. And for that I have to say everyone let's take a breath and calm ourselves. This is, and will most likely be the only large cut from the game if the situation behind the scenes cannot be fixed. Because in all honesty, up until this moment, nothing changed or was so egregiously cut out like this. For literally 7 months nothing this major had happened. Every update was mostly the same as it's original, bar some small localization and translation mishaps. So for people who are worried it's a sign for things to come please calm down. If this was a thing they wanted to do, they would have done much more than this a lot earlier. And it would have been a consistent occurrence, not a random moment where we have no context. Which brings me into-

-We have no context: At the moment there is lots of speculation about why the song, and any mention of it were cut out. And that's the thing, it's speculation and guessing! We aren't in aniplex or Disney and we have no idea why or what has happened. Because like I said above, before this nothing was removed like this ever in the game's 7 month life span. And i very much doubt the devs would have wanted to spend the tedious amount of time it is to scrub the song clean from their product. But, as I agree we deserve to know what happened, which brings me into-

Transparency transparency transparency: I would love to see them be more transparent about this change as well. To at least calm fears and give us an explanation or update on why something like this was removed. But as justified as this feeling is, let's not jump off the handle and spam their Twitter or every post they make about where is the song. Remember the social media manager is a human being and has no power to let us know what is happening. A better solution is to go to this, and give a respectful message about why we want the song back, and or why we would like some answers. And speaking of which, remember while doing this: Yelling their ears off and acting like a wild mob will do the absolute opposite effect of making them more transparent, or even wanting to listen to what we have to say. These are human beings and we can act respectful to people without going crazy.

Let's not doompost: I get the situation can be scary or worrisome, but we have to remember we shouldn't doom post or act too toxic about this situation. This is important, yes, but let's not work into a frenzy to the point where we ruin the game for new players by saying the game is finished, or i'm going to jp. Or any other thing that really won't solve our issues. And although I haven't seen it, and hope to God I never do, let's not act wild to eng only fans who are enjoying themselves. Let's simply show them the clip and be calm about it.

Final ramble: And just as my final thoughts about this, we literally know nothing about why this has happened. Or why we have received no news, I personally think it has something to do with copy right laws and general legal shenanigans. But those are my random ideas, for now all I can say is let's be patient and see where this goes. And lastly:

[lecameleontv]

Le 15 juillet 2022, l’acteur a donné une interview pour ses 50 ans de carrière au NewsWeek.

Après avoir rappelé que l’acteur a fait ses débuts au cinéma à l’âge de 11 ans dans le film de son père, Will Penny, le Solitaire, aux côtés de Charlton Heston, il est fait mention de ses rôles dans le film populaire (aux USA) Napoleon Dynamite et la première série dans laquelle il apparaît de façon récurrente : Martin.

L’acteur travaillerait en ce moment sur un projet personnel d’écriture, pendant que ses apparitions inédites dans les nouvelles saisons des séries The White Lotus et Dream Corp LLC sont promues à la télévision.

J.Gries : “Good. I just got back from Sicily about three weeks ago. I was there for over three months working on a show. I was in Midland Lakes in Michigan throwing the first pitch at a Dodgers A-ball game, minor league team, Great Lakes Loons. I'm going to do another one over at Fort Myers at the end of this month. It's fun. I love baseball, so that's always a gas for me. They let me swing the bat... at least try.”

Cette dernière aurait été vendue à la plateforme Hulu qui pourrait la faire revivre, sans certitude au regard des critères de performance/d’image actuels qui prévalent dans le monde de la télévision : 

J.Gries : “Honestly, I like them both because they're usually shorter subjects. You come in, you do your job, and you go home. When I was doing Dreamcorp LLC, I loved doing that because it was local, and I was going back to work. I'd love to keep doing that show. We're talking to people about the possibility of reviving it. It was an Adult Swim show that was sold to Hulu.  But when Adult Swim was sold, everything went into a holding pattern, which really wasn't a holding pattern at all. It was like, "Yeah, you're done."  As a rule, I like to finish and move on. It's like the circus, pull the tents down and disappear. Television now has changed—you have the quality of movies, and you have the short experience of movies. The show that I just did was seven episodes. It's fun to do that kind of thing and build a character. TV shows are really great in the beginning, but then all of a sudden, they become aware of themselves, and they don't have quite the intensity of content. They get watered down. You're hoping to get the same buzz you got from the original, and invariably, it's not going to happen.

L’acteur parle de son plaisir d’écrire et de réaliser, qu’il souhaiterait goûter plus souvent. Pour rappel, il avait réaliser l’Ep. 4.16 de la série Le Caméléon, expérience très positive qui l’avait amené à être producteur associé sur le film Les Frères Falls en 1999 (avec Patrick Bauchau !), puis co-producteur des films Jackpot en 2001 et Northfork en 2003, avant de réaliser en 2010 son premier film Pickin' & Grinnin'. Il serait actuellement en train de retravailler l’écriture d’un nouveau film qu’il compte réaliser..

J.Gries : “If I had my way, I would mostly be writing and directing. I do have a film that it looks like they want to make it, and I'm going to direct it. I'm doing a rewrite right now. It's a film that I'm excited about making. Fingers crossed that all the parts fall into place. It's contingent upon the cast.”

Concernant ses souhaits professionnels, l’acteur révèle qu’il aurait aimé réaliser des comédies musicales pour Broadway. Son partenaire de jeu Harve Presnell était un grand acteur de ce type de pièces.

J. Gries : “I would love to either be in a Broadway play or direct a Broadway play. I've directed plays before. I think it would be a lot of fun. I don't mean a Broadway musical. I'd like to do a classical piece of theater.”

La série Martin dans laquelle l’acteur a secondairement joué de 1992 à 1994 a eu droit à une réunion spéciale pendant une émission télévisuelle durant l’été 2022. Certains fans se sont étonnés de son absence à cette réunion anniversaire :

J.Gries : “I don't know. It's funny because I just had lunch with Garrett Morris, Bill Duke and a few friends the other day. There was the billboard above the restaurant for the reunion of Martin. I walked in, and I ask Garrett, "Did you see that billboard out there?" And he goes, "Which billboard?" And I'm like, "Come on, you didn't see it?" And he says, "Oh yeah, I did." He started laughing his ass off. At the same time, we only did two seasons. We didn't stick with the whole show. They moved to a new format, from radio to television.  Honestly, if they had offered, and I was available, I probably would have done it. But I didn't really enjoy doing the show. In one regard, I really did because I made some amazing friends. I loved Tommy Ford. I love Garrett Morris. He and I are still very close. Carl Anthony Payne, Tichina (Arnold) and Tisha (Campbell), we got along really well. Martin kept people at an arm's distance.  And as much as I totally admire his talent and enjoyed working with him, we never got too close. There were no problems with the cast. It was mainly the politics around the show that I didn't enjoy. The writers and some people involved made it a little more difficult for me.”

L’acteur observe ainsi l’évolution du monde artistique, quantitativement et qualitativement : 

J. Gries: “It's interesting. One of the hardest things is, there's just so much of it. I'm still catching up on movies and television from seasons and years ago. At the same time, there are some hidden gems. The writing has become so much better. They are showing way more depth than television had with the Big Three and eventually the Big Four networks. Television then was kind of safe. It followed a format and formula. To me, the sooner this gets killed, the better. There are more times than I care to count, I would read a script for a pilot and I went: "My God, how many times have I ready this exact script before?" It got beyond ridiculous. You felt like all the writers, show runners and network executives were all living in a repetition redux. They were recreating, regurgitating the exact same thing, but with slightly different circumstances. ”

Il en conclue que la chance et la persévérance sont ce qui lui a permis sa longévité professionnelle ... dans laquelle s’inscrit son dernier succès The White Lotus : 

J. Gries : “That's a good question. If I could package it and sell it, I might be rich, but I don't know. In a weird way, it requires luck. When I say luck, I mean preparation crossing paths with opportunity. You always have to be prepared. It's like anything.  My girlfriend is a fashion designer. She works hard. When she's not working for a company, she's working on ideas, working for herself, working with friends. It's the same kind of thing in so many areas. Music—you're always working, whether you have a record deal or not. You're always building toward something. That kind of persistence is key to understanding if you love what you do, then just keep doing it.  If it doesn't work out... I can say, I have known so many ridiculously talented actors and actresses, or other artists, musicians, who just didn't get their break. Through attrition, they gave up. In 50 years, one thing I can say: I've seen them come, and I've seen them go. There have been so many that I was surprised they went. And I went, "Why?"  I guess it comes down to, they're smarter than me, and they can figure out something else to do. My brand of stubbornness is what's kept me around. It's like, OK, bad year, maybe next year will be a good year. White Lotus came along. I auditioned for that show. I was suffering from the "OG" COVID when I read for it. I had the original before the vaccination.  I had a friend come over and read from about 40 feet away, and I got the job. What a phenomenon that turned out to be! What an incredible stroke of dumb luck. “

source :  @MrLouis1ana

L’été a donc été chargé pour l’acteur, dont l’actualité 2022 a navigué entre le tournage de la Saison 2 surprise (et heureuse^^) de la série The White Lotus, des dédicaces et commentaires sportifs le 03 juin 2022 au Hammond Stadium, le travail d’écriture sur un projet personnel et les projections anniversaires du film culte aux USA : Napoleon Dynamite.

Alias Broots dans la série Le Caméléon

[timeskip]

I don’t think I can properly talk about how much A3 means to me--it’s given me love and joy and so much happiness through the pandemic and even before it... I don’t think I’d be the same without it, and to see A3EN go, the version that got me to start the game instead of waiting for the anime,, it’s just. it’s a lot.

(Lengthy personal talking about A3 under the cut)

I actually learned about the JP server first, then the anime, then EN, but I only started it from EN of course. I felt so many emotions about it, falling in love with Summer Troupe so quickly, and going through it all was so good for me because I just... connected to so many of the characters. It was so well written, and the localization was so good too. I fell in love and started binging later events, but I saved a bunch of them for when they came to EN!!! So I read things a little out of order, but it was so much fun those few months to rush for the story I loved so dearly.

My love just... grew a lot. And when I lost most of my friends and was really isolated because of the pandemic it was there for me too. I don’t talk about this much but like... I would feel numb for days back then, and I got through it with A3, with reading and rereading events. I have a full typed up transcript of Sardine Search EN version because I went Fucking Ham those days.

And then I just,, I was able to make new friends. Kazunari and Summer Troupe are so so so important to me because, well... I probably wouldn’t have talked to old friends of mine again without them. Because Kazunari would have pushed himself to change, to be happy, and I... wanted to take that step too. I wanted to believe in what A3 gave me with Summer Troupe, their ability to find people who support them. It’s kind of cheesy but it was thinking about Kazunari supporting me (and Summer supporting him) that let me get into that mindset. It’s so important to me.

And all the rest of Summer Troupe too!!! Tenma being an idiot and still being loved!!! Muku learning how to be more confident!!! Yuki being accepted for who he is!!! Misumi learning about his own loneliness and wanting to stop being lonely!!! Kumon, knowing he has people to support him!!! Kazunari, changing to live in the moment but still eventually finding people who love him!!! They’re all so important to me for so many reasons. Their friendship made me believe that maybe I deserved something similar.

And I stumbled a bit, but... in the end, I’ve created some really great close friendships with A3 fans. I wasn’t very good at making online friendships before, but now I’m starting to learn. I’ve been able to find what Summer Troupe and A3 made me believe I deserve and that’s... more than I thought I’d ever get.

And I never would have met them without A3. Without A3EN.

So thank you, A3EN. For all the good times, for getting me through the pain, for giving me something soft and gentle and hopeful to obsess over, for being about family and friendship, for giving me the confidence to reach out, for letting me meet the best people I’ve ever met, and... I guess, above all, for introducing me to Mankai Company. I love you! The show must go on!

[kyotakumrau]

2020.08.23 sukekiyo talk event at Nakano ZERO - report

There were 3 long tables on the scene with 5 seats behind them, seats were quite spaced out. The louder music signaled the event will start and then the band members were walking on the stage (from the left side) and took seats.

From the right to left: utA, YUCHI, Kyo, Mika and Takumi, who also became the moderator of the talk event.

Takumi asked everyone about their thoughts of the DRIPPIN' tour, the event was held in place for the cancelled final show.

Mika said that now the idea of the standing show with people squeezed together going hard feels unreal. The tour was interesting.

Kyo said that as usual he doesn't really remember the shows, he was performing A LOT, sukekiyo right after dir, he felt his body got weak and he would become breathless easily, so he quit smoking, he can breathe much easier now. Then, talking about stay at home period, he said that when he is busy he has many things he wants to do, but then when he is not busy he just doesn't move. His day would be like 'game, game, sleep, wake up, game, forget to eat, game, eat something, sweets, game'. And his body is weak because he doesn't do any training, his breathing is not good. But he doesn't feel like moving, he only moves in the game.

Yuchi said tour was fun, they were very lucky with the timing, almost got it, just the last show in Shibuya got cancelled. As it was only one last show he felt shocked when it got cancelled.

utA: ....can't remember anything... but I remember eating good stuff with everyone. ... (silence follows)

Takumi (trying to help): we were playing new songs and so on?

utA: Ah but the mizutake in Kyushu were great!

He also said he regrets that Tokyo show didn't work out.

Next, Kyo told us a funny story. At the venue in Fukuoka (Tsukushikaikan) the smoking area backstage was located somewhere higher and he could see fans from there. He also told us that he went to eat shrimp tempura for lunch (Kyushu is famous for seafood), he was really looking forward to it. He couldn't remember the shop name, but it was a type where you get freshly fried stuff one by one, like a course. He enjoyed everything and then the main, the shrimp, but then a squid came last and he was like 'wth?' (because shrimp was the main). He got irritated, but that squid turned out to be delicious. He said that Fukuoka is 'イカの街 - the town of squid'😂 and after that lunch he was watching fans from the smoking area.

Takumi said that he feels sad as Tsukushikaikan in Fukuoka is closing down, his hometown is near so he has many memories there. He also felt the tour was very good, the atmosphere and new songs, especially last Nagoya was good.

Kyo: Ah but the ZARAME donuts (donut shop in Nagoya) I wanted everyone to eat were sold out, the bacon ones, so I got irritated, really felt bad. And then the tour finished with that...

(not being able to get the donuts he wanted...)

Takumi: food is so important.

Yuchi said something about Nagoya becoming the tour final even as it wasn't planned like that.

Kyo: Where were we supposed to play in Tokyo? (others tell him Shibuya) Ah I wanted to take you so we could eat Nabe Jiro in Meguro. So irritating. I wanted everyone to try.

Takumi: So what was everyone doing during 'stay at home' period?

(he asked each member starting from the right, utA)

utA: watching TV.

Takumi: what did you watch?

utA: stuff I recorded. He also said he was eating and gaining weight and got worried about that. Especially now he's getting older so it's easier to gain weight. He was also working on music.

Yuchi said he didn't do anything special, he was working on music etc. He said they have enough material for an album.

Takumi asked him about his RR interview and they talked about the photoshoot. It was held around May, when it already started to get warm. Takumi said that photos are quite striking.

Takumi: then Kyo, you said you were playing games?

Kyo talked more about Fortnite, playing with 4 friends and how he gets killed really quickly, even if he waits for the number of enemies to decrease before he comes out. I didn't understand all of it tbh. But he finished saying he also was cooking and watching movies.

Mika was of course working on music, but other than that he's also into some retro games, the type young people don't know/play. PC engine mini, GRADIUS and R-TYPE. When not working on music he was playing those games.

Takumi finally took care of all the things he was always leaving for later. He wanted to organize and declutter his equipment, he was writing reviews and selling a lot of stuff online. But them he also ended up buying some new stuff 'not sure if I can use it with sukekiyo but I always wanted to try this', so in the end he didn't really downsize his equipment. 😂

Then suddenly came a question from Kyo: does anyone here play Fortnite?

(there were maybe like 5~6 fans who raised their hands)

Kyo continued telling us about Baobao (??) and special skins Chuka manju, there are 4 types and on his team everyone is using the Chuka manju skins (Chinese buns). (there was another bit here I didn't get about those skins)

Takumi asked him how long does he usually play, Kyo said it's not decided but if longer sometimes he can start at 8pm and finish after 2, but not everyday. He doesn't always play with his team, he often plays alone, then he plays with kids and gets roasted because he's so bad😂

Takumi: anything new you want to try as sukekiyo in this situation?

Kyo said sukekiyo shows are not so different from the event, as everyone sits down and stays quiet. He does think about releasing new music, like 2 or 3 songs, being mean all of them on cassette tapes. He asked us if we can listen to the tapes like he was hoping we can't😂

Yuchi said there might be some things they can try. He loves making music so he's hoping to release something new. He talked about how band and music is changing during the tour, the progression how songs grow?

utA: the weird me wants to continue making hentai (abnormal) songs.

Takumi: we're looking forward to those.

Mika (something about unreleased footage)

Takumi talked about the digital release of their music, getting new people to listen to their stuff, of course getting some money as people play it. He also talked about editing the songs, he likes their old songs but said he doesn't like his own sound in some of them.

And suddenly we heard a LINE notification from Takumi's phone😂 Manager Takabayashi reminded them the times is running out, but Kyo told us he wanted to make the event longer.

He said many people came for the event in such situation (pandemic), so he doesn't want to finish so early.

He asked us again: anyone came from outside of Tokyo area (地方 local areas)? Ah that's bit tough. But at least shinkansen should be almost empty now... and for people in Tokyo it is tough as well, there are so many people it's like cockroaches.

(😂)

If we play a seated show (hall show) would you come?

(all of us started to nod, clap and so on)

Well... if you don't it's not like we would do it again (ever??😱), I just can't trust people to come...

(Oh, Kyo, we would come, I'm waiting for the show announcement like my cat listening for the sound of the opening tuna can😆)

And again came a sudden change of topic😆

Kyo: I really love omochi (rice cake), always have, especially during New Year. I would always eat so many, but then only my face gets fat when I stuff myself with them. So it's better to be careful.

Yuchi remembered Kyo warned them about omochi when they were playing at Countdown Japan (2013), it was very close to New Year.

Takumi asked Kyo what's his favourite way of eating mochi. Kyo explained that 砂糖醤油餅 (rice cake with sugar and soy sauce) is the infinite way to eat mochi, you will never stop. Because it's salty and sweet, you add sauce and grill it, add sauce and grill it, eat on repeat. Kinda like eating chocolate and potato chips, salty and sweet, on repeat.

In the end, Takumi asked all members for a message to the fans.

utA thanked us for coming in this situation and said he hopes they will be able to do something. He will be happy if we can come to the shows.

Yuchi thanked us as well. He said that since Nagoya in February there weren't any events like this, where we can meet and both fans and band members get more energy. They are doing their best now creating new songs.

Mika thanked us for coming and said that seeing so many people come even in this situation he felt it was powerful. He's hoping for something exciting for them and us and said they will try to look for the possible options.

Takumi said it was the first time their show got cancelled so it was a big shock, it was hard to find a way to handle it and decide what to do, what to do for fans who couldn't come and so on.

Kyo:

... I don't really have a message... we had something like that with DIR EN GREY, it was the same. You all (members) said the good things. But, the fans who came and the fans who couldn't, decided not to come, who were scared, how do we decide which way is right? There are so many stressful things, it's not like anyone is wrong. Live the way you believe is right. People are following the rules, a year passes, and when we will look back, it will be like it's empty, this is the hardest. No one else can do it for you, you have to decide for yourself what to do, the time passes quickly. You will be watching Chibi Maruko-chan and then feel like you were watching Chibi Maruko-chan just the day before (but it was last week), so make sure every day is important. I'm not feeling happy usually, and when you're just staying home things start to get weird (mentally), but seeing everyone here as so many of you came, I'm simply feeling happy. I really want to play live soon.

知らんけど・...I guess?🤷‍♀️

[nnnnoooooooooooo]

My Ballot for They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?’s 25 Favourite Films Poll

The following is my ballot for They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?’s poll for their readers’ 25 favourite films of all-time. It contains a dozen or so favourites, several compromises, and a handful of personally foundational texts.

Seven Chances (1925, Buster Keaton): It ain’t easy to only choose one Keaton. This is one of Keaton’s films with a racist blackface character, which gave me some reservations. Still, this is a solid contender as his funniest picture, and, more importantly, this is Buster as I love him the most. Keaton’s characters were always the most cerebral and lost, keen observers with no understanding. An inability to communicate one’s emotions drives the need to convert it into a physical experience; Keaton inevitably becomes the object that cannot be stopped. His full forced desperation and athleticism, he is a master of locomotion. Featuring the finalization of the chase gag, along with a generous serving of his brand of surreal.

City Lights (1931, Charles Chaplin): Comedically and emotionally devastating.

Trouble in Paradise (1932, Ernst Lubitsch): Lubtisch’s portrayal of Continental aristocracy on the cusp. Containing love, melancholy, desire, rivalry, loyalty, betrayal, criminals, and thieves-- all saved by his grace alone, achieving a rare bliss of comedy and romance. Normally, I’d say that, in a temporal world, perfection exists only as a process, but then how would I explain this?

La grande illusion (1937, Jean Renoir): In the best of Renoir’s films, I find a type of harmony I find lacking in the rest of the world.

La règle du jeu (1939, Jean Renoir): In making this list, I never doubted either of these Renoir films having a place. Now, trying to write about my list, I find myself becoming frustrated at not finding the words to explain why I chose them. I’ve never been a great communicator, and I doubt that’s Renoir’s fault. I think it’s best for me to move on before I start misplacing my frustrations with my inability to write onto the film itself.

How Green Was My Valley? (1941, John Ford): Possibly the greatest movie ever made under Hollywood’s Studio System, and perhaps the closest we’ll ever get to seeing what Hedy Lamarr might have seen in John Loder. More than any other actor, Sara Allgood carries this film, in her role as the matriarch of the Morgan household. This is chock full of great character actors and moments as you’d expect from Ford. It’s the magic of childhood, the safety of the womb, the cyclical nature of a town where nothing ever seems to change, and the devastation of entropy. I lost track of how many times I cried.

To Be or Not to Be (1942, Ernst Lubitsch): This is my choice for a comedy from the 1940s, despite stiff competition from Hellzapoppin’, and the 11 movies Preston Sturges released over the decade. I had the privilege of seeing this at my local Cinemateque with an introduction by Kevin McDonald. I was late, and the audience had already begun to talk back. He rolled, and we were soon laughing before the “projectionist” could hit ‘play’ on the Blu-Ray. My friend came later. It was a packed house, so we weren’t able to sit together. I enjoyed hearing the variances in people’s response*, and the timing of their laughter. Trying to pinpoint my friend’s laughter from the crowd, I couldn’t help but hear our host’s generous laughter throughout the film. What a joy it was for all of us to experience this film together. I guess I haven’t had a chance to share those other movies the way that I was with this one. *A nice change of pace, as this usually makes me self-conscious

Shadow of a Doubt (1943, Alfred Hitchcock): I find Hitchcock’s women’s pictures to be some of his richest texts. Besides which, any film asking me to sympathize with Theresa Wright already has a lot going for it. Alongside The Wrong Man as Hitchcock’s most tragic film.

Brief Encounter (1945, David Lean): My favourite romance, whatever that says about me. A passionate extramarital affair between Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) and Dr. Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard), told in flashback. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this placed among noirs, but I think this could be an example of a women’s film noir. There’s a thick sense of transgression and fatalistic mise-en-scene, along with an inability to escape, which ends the film on an unconvincing return to safety.     After the two lovers part for the final time, Johnson returns home. Her husband, Stanley Holloway, asks for nothing, and expresses gratitude for her return. However, for all of that loveliness, Johnson has learned that the world is far more fragile than she ever dreamt. The husband is portrayed as a bit childlike, and, coupled with the affably stiff upper-lipped nature of their marriage, Johnson is unable to confess what’s occurred, which only preserves her turmoil. Unable to consummate, sustain, or forsake her romance with Howard, she may find some refuge with her husband, but salvation eludes her.

Out of the Past (1947, Jacques Tourneur): RKO Pictures, film noir, Jacques Tourneur, and Robert Mitchum– These are a few of my favourite things. As a prude, I don’t care to admit that I love cigarette smoke in B&W pictures as much as I do, and it’s deployed here to its zenith, courtesy of Nicholas Musuraca’s cinematography. Daniel Mainwaring’s script, along with Tourneur and Mitchum, use underplay in order to create a heightened effect. Mitchum’s somnambulism grants his portrayal of Jeff Bailey an omniscient cool, which extends to his character’s bisexuality. There’s such delight in hearing Mitchum, one of the best voices in movies, deliver the film’s lyrical dialogue in his disaffected baritone.

The Big Heat (1953, Fritz Lang): Perhaps Lang’s most cynical film? The culmination of all his conspiracies. The law vs. criminals, no longer as separate from one another, but as sides of the same coin: the establishment. Sergeant Bannion (Glenn Ford) engages in total war against Lagana’s (Alexander Scourby) crime syndicate. Those caught in between end up as collateral damage, pawns in their game. Each dismantles the family unit, Lagana disposes of Bannion’s wife (Jocelyn Brando), and Bannion displaces his child, so that both sides can carry on unfettered. The happy ending finds Bannion happily back at work in the homicide department, where they’re informed of a grisly murder. Oh boy, here we go again! Gloria Grahame, a sister under the mink, reigns as my favourite actress in all of film noir.

The Sun Shines Bright (1953, John Ford): It’s not easy to film a miracle, a feat for which I’d pair this with Carl Th. Dreyer’s penultimate film, Ordet. Speaking of Dreyer, if you have 15 minutes to spare, here’s a great video of Jonathan Rosenbaum discussing this movie alongside Dreyer’s final film, Gertrud. The responsibilities and limitations of society. Communities are built through sacrifice, as we give of ourselves, which accounts for the film’s sometimes funereal tone. One’s resting spot as the place to make a stand, but what good is taking a stand if it doesn’t lead anywhere? Our redemption lies not in preserving ourselves, but in guiding the world to a place that no longer needs us. Thus, not a dying world to save, but an understanding that we must pass in order to bring about renewal. Funerals become parades, and parades become funerals, as we walk the strait and narrow path between tradition and progress. Don’t take a stand while the world marches on, but lead us into thy rest.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953, Roy Rowland): This is a musical written and designed by Dr. Seuss, which is to say that I think you oughta see it. Still, it’s hard to justify why I chose this over The Band Wagon. I’d probably better enjoy watching The Band Wagon, which I’d wager is Hollywood’s greatest musical, but there’s something about The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T that gets under my skin. I saw it on television when I was very young. Old enough to remember seeing it, but too young to remember more than three details: twins joined at the beard, the nightmare-inducing elevator operator, and a large piano requiring an exponential amount of fingers. This forgotten foundation, along with its Seussian imagery, grants the film a dreamlike feeling. Just as every good boy deserves fudge, every Hans Conried deserves a role like the one he has here, playing the titular Dr. T.

The Night of the Hunter (1955, Charles Laughton): A kid’s film featuring the personification of evil, not in Mitchum’s portrayal of the preacher Harry Powell, but in Evelyn Varden’s Icey Spoon. This movie is so full of indelible images that I sometimes forget LOVE/HATE tattooed on Powell’s knuckles. There’s a dreadful unease from the inability to fully save or preserve Ben & Pearl within a society whose systems turn on them so easily. Their safety is drawn and quartered at every turn, and so Ben & Pearl flee society, finding a guardian out yonder. Still, there’s a limitation to their newfound guardian’s protection. Their angel and their demon sing in harmony; evil becomes instructive to the children’s growth. It’s a hard world for little things, but there is hope. Mrs. Cooper (Lillian Gish) manages to find her redemption in protecting these children while she can. Perhaps we need them as much as they need us. This was Charles Laughton’s only film as a director, as well as the final of James Agee’s two films as a screenwriter. It isn’t right.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957, Alexander Mackendrick): This is my favourite film noir, possibly the nastiest as well. Of course, I cackle throughout the entire picture. Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis at their bests; the tension between a malevolent god and his jester/would-be pretender played as flirtation, conducting assassinations as though they were composing poetry. Shot on location in New York by James Wong Howe, giving us a view of Babel from the gutters up. Also, I’m just a big ol’ softy for Emile Meyer, who plays Lt. Kello.

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957, Frank Tashlin): As I see it, this is the best sex comedy of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Tashlin previously worked at Termite Terrace, making Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, and did a brief stop making Screen Gem cartoons over at Columbia in the middle. After having brought feature film techniques to his cartoons, he brought cartoon imagery into his live-action films. This is a vehicle for Jayne Mansfield, who may have been the most cartoonish of the era’s blonde bombshells, and so it is a happy marriage indeed.

Playtime (1967, Jacques Tati): This is cinema. Ah! Tati, Ah!     Modernity

Out 1: noli me tangere (1971, Jacques Rivette & Suzanne Schiffman): Rivette’s movies feel alive in a way that I haven’t found anywhere else. The films I’ve seen are about conspiracy, games, and the development of theatre troupes: things that exist only in our minds, and are dependant on our cooperation with others. Things get so twisted that you wonder how they’ll ever untie it all, only for the shared illusions to be revealed as a complex series of false knots. I broke my rule with this film, in choosing a film that I’ve only seen once. I didn’t make the time to revisit this or Céline et Julie vont en bateau, my other favourite Rivette film, so I went with the larger labyrinth to lose myself in.

F for Fake (1973, Orson Welles): This is Orson Welles’s most playful film. I love Welles, the personality, almost as much as I love Welles, the director, so I chose a movie that features both.

Mikey and Nicky (1976, Elaine May): Perhaps the most tense and dark comedy I’ve ever seen. May reaches her highest levels of drama here, and does so without any cost to her usual standards for humour.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, Frank Capra): I wasn’t sure about including this, given that it’s not even my favourite James Stewart Christmas movie, but what can I do? It’s a Wonderful Life is an institution in my family, we’ve watched this every Christmas Eve since I was grade 6. There was a year or two in the early ‘10s where we might have missed it, but, otherwise, we’ve been devout. This is also one of four sources that laid the foundation for my love of movies, and, in particular, older movies. I hope to continue to watch this every year. It just wouldn’t be Christmas.     Growing up, my brothers and I used to be allowed to open one gift the night of Christmas Eve, which evolved into my brothers and I exchanging our gifts for each other. The first year my brother’s and I exchanged gifts, we happened upon CBC playing It’s a Wonderful Life in a 3-hour timeslot. Filling in the gaps of my memory with ego, I’d say that I instigated our watching it. I was always the biggest sucker for holiday specials, as well as being the most drawn to B&W. It was an instant hit with all of us, and so two traditions were born that night. For those curious as to what year this took place, I gave my oldest brother a 3 Doors Down CD. My older brother got me the Beast Wars transmetal Terrosaur figure. And. It. Freakin’. Ruled.     CBC continued to air It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas Eve, and we continued to tune in. My brothers and I continued to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve for about another decade, but now my family has a better Christmas Eve tradition to pair with our holiday movie: Chinese food, and, less dogmatically, vegetable samosas. Leftovers become brunch. We’ve watched the movie, I think, twenty times now, which includes one viewing of the unfortunate colourized version, and once in theatres. It’s a great movie to come back to each year. There are lots of little moments, lines, and details to zero in on, and each year I get to internally test and brag to myself about naming and recognizing the various character actors and bit players that pop up.     Still, I sometimes find myself resisting its charms. A couple of years ago, my view of Frank Capra changed. I no longer saw him as the director I had previously thought him to be*. I wondered whether this movie stood on its own merits, or if I was holding onto it for sentimental reasons. I have since settled on this film being a genuine classic.      Another source of resistance is that I’ve never watched this on its own, there’s a lack of an individual foundation to my relationship with the film. I’m so accustomed to viewing films on my own, I think there’s a relief in a taking a private experience, and having it succeed in a public forum. The two support each other, which is part of why a couple of films ended up on this list. However, when it’s a film I’ve only seen in the company of others, I become suspicious of my experience. I believe in the power of cinema when it’s to my benefit, only to doubt it when I fear that it has the power betray me. I guess that I lack faith. *The director I once thought Frank Capra was, I now find Leo McCarey to be.

Doctor Who: The Lost in Time Collection (1963-69, various): This was a last minute decision that ended on a mistake. I ought to have chosen Daleks: The Early Years instead, which has the proper framing of a retrospective documentary. Daleks: The Early Years is a VHS release hosted by Peter Davison, featuring interviews with key people from ‘60s Dalek stories, cannibalizing clips from Dalekmania (another documentary on Daleks in the ‘60s), and orphan episodes and snippets from otherwise lost ‘60s Dalek serials. It’s also one of the VHS tapes that I grew up with, and my introduction to the fact that, at the time, over 100 episodes of ‘60s Doctor Who were missing and presumed lost. This was my introduction to the concept of lost media. Since then, a further 12 episodes have been found, and the number of missing episodes has dropped to 97.      Instead, I chose The Lost in Time Collection, which is a 3-disc collection of orphan episodes and surviving clips from otherwise missing ‘60s serials, not actually a feature in itself. It’s a really nice sampling of the Doctor Who’s best era, and the episodes and clips are sometimes more interesting without the rest of their serial for context. While I didn’t get this collection until I was an adult, I had managed to see most or all of its contents growing up, mostly on various VHS compilations, as well as some clips online. As the deadline for submissions approached, I chose the one I enjoy more, rather than the one that first changed me.     I suspect that Doctor Who was the first work of science-fiction that I got into, as it predates me in our household. My brothers and my getting into Transformers predates my memory, but it does not predate my being around. Doctor Who also served as my first exposure to B&W viewing. I was really into science-fiction growing up, and the genre was really my first interest in older films. The interest didn’t really bridge its way from my youth into my present. Heck, I wasn’t even particularly a movie person until into my twenties. In early adulthood, after fading for a bit, my fondness for science-fiction was more directed towards video games and books. So while it didn’t lead into my love of film and B&W, it laid a lot of the groundwork for what I’d eventually come to love.     My oldest brother remembers staying up late with our parents to watch Doctor Who, and my older brother has memories of trying to stay up with them, but it was no longer airing on any of the stations we had by the time I was kicking. Loved, but unseen, it developed a sort of mythic reputation in my young mind. Over the years, we managed to see a bunch of serials on VHS through our local library system, and we eventually got 5 VHS releases of our own before the decade ended. We got a book, The Doctor Who Yearbook, which had listings and synopsises of every serial ever made. The classic Doctor Who series lasted 26 seasons, consisting of 153 serials, and just shy of 700 episodes. No matter how many episodes of Doctor Who I managed to see when I was growing up, it was only ever the tip of the iceberg.     My younger self liked daydreaming about all of the adventures, planets, aliens, robots, and monsters, but that would begin to dissipate with age. While I loved Star Wars for the many of the same reasons as I did Doctor Who, the advent of more Star Wars wasn’t all that fulfilling, with Episode I: Racer for the N64 PC as a noted exception. More than the fact that I was caught up in the cultural backlash against George Lucas, the lack of a well defined characters and society in the original trilogy was a virtue. The toys and books really capitalized on this. I was the kid that wanted to know every weirdo and background character’s life story. I was such a mark.     The more movies they made that added to the lore, the smaller their galaxy seemed to be, in opposition to an expanded universe. Each piece promising to add to the larger picture only seemed to reveal a smaller whole. More movies telling the same stories with different versions of the same characters. A galaxy that once seemed so vast now revealed to be comprised of maybe two dozen people, many of which are related or connected to each other in some tired and unnecessary way.     Eventually, I got really into Jonathan Rosenbaum, and began to project my ego all over his preferences, to which Star Wars became a victim. I gave up on the series after sitting through a showing of Episode VII. Fires subside, and, these days, I’m mostly indifferent towards the series. Undergraduates can be a bit much, y’know?     While the new Doctor Who series also fell out of favour with me, it was easier for me to divorce it from the original series. Having seen the series only in disparate pieces, rather than a linear narrative may have helped. I have no illusions that the original series is anything more than a silly kid’s show that mostly takes place in corridors, which is a fine thing to be. It’s enough to be a delight. The deceit of nostalgia is that I can return to these works I once loved with the same feelings and wonder that I had as a child.     While I remain fond of Doctor Who, the whole of a serial is often less than the sum of its parts. After all, being a serial, half of the adventure is meant to take place in your head during the week between episodes. It’s the opposite of binge-watch material. It’s hard to commit to working your way through such a bulky series at a deliberately slow pace. Besides, even spacing the episodes out some, it’s still not going to capture my mind the way it would when I was a child. The virtue of the Lost in Time Collection is that you’re never seeing a serial as a whole, only as individual pieces.     The collection consists of 18 complete episodes from 12 serials, with clips and bits from an additional 10 serials. Only one serial has more than two episodes featured, The Daleks’ Master Plan, a 12-part epic, which has its 3 known surviving episodes on the set. Freed from the responsibilities of being part of a larger story, you get to enjoy the pleasures of each episode as its own entity. Charm exists outside of context, and what may have been stretched and strained over half a dozen episodes can easily be sustained in the single episode or two that remains. A piece of Starburst may not keep its flavour any longer than a piece of Hubba Bubba, but at least it has the decency not to overstay its welcome.     The less that remains of a serial, the more interesting it becomes. For some serials, the only surviving clips are the scenes that were cut by censors, and so you’re only seeing the juiciest bits. Protected by obscurity, just as recording in B&W protected this era of the series against its lack of budget, the childlike sense of wonder remains. Any missing serial could have been great. We lack evidence to prove otherwise. What little remains from these serials is enough to imagine what may have been, and it’s easy to give the benefit of the doubt to an old friend.      No longer just a science-fiction adventure, the series has grown into a larger and more engaging adventure in film & television preservation. Thanks to its cultural status and following, questions as to how these stories were lost, why years of episodes were junked, how they were returned, in which disparate places were episodes found, who has been hunting for them, what were their methods, to what lengths did they go, what places remain to be searched, what remains to be found, what’s trapped in the hands of private collectors, and what has been lost forever have all been thoroughly explored, though some answers continue to elude us. For those interested, Youtuber Josh Snares has an extensive series of videos that breaks down many of these questions as best as one can with what’s publicly known, and, despite being on yotube, I don’t think he’s annoying.     Doctor Who best represents my film lover’s sense of discovery, combining the joys of hearing about a film that piques my interest, trying to track a film down, discovering or rediscovering a new favourite, learning about film history, and the efforts of film preservation. Hearing about films I’d like to see can be nearly as rewarding as actually watching the films themselves. The more that I see, the more there is that I’d like to see. The harder something is to find, the more interesting it can become. Film is a physical object, so there is a battle against time for us to discover, recover, restore, and preserve works before they’re lost to time. The good news is that many efforts are being undertaken, both by professionals and by amateurs. The advent of crowdfunding has really helped to create more opportunities for completing these endeavours.     Following an Indiegogo campaign, Netflix stepped in and completed Orson Welles’s The Other Side of the Wind. Many of Marion Davies’s silent films have been restored in recent years. Thanks to the efforts of Ben Model and his team, I will soon have the pleasure of seeing eight Edward Everett Horton shorts that haven’t been in circulation since the silent era. Steve Stanchfield (Thunderbean), Jerry Beck (Cartoon Research), Tommy Stathes (Cartoons On Film), and their cohorts are doing God’s work in finding and restoring old cartoons, and giving them an audience once more. I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to be so out of touch.

The Muppet Movie (1979, James Frawley): The Muppets’ movies were a staple of our household growing up, and this ranks alongside The Great Muppet Caper as the best of them. This movie has a very self-aware humour to it, exemplified by the introduction. The camera wanders through a studio backlot, following a car carrying Statler & Waldorf, who provide us with the first dialogue of the film, announcing their intent to heckle the film. Inside, the Muppets are waiting for a private screening of The Muppet Movie to begin.     It’s a disaster. A monster tears out one of the seats, the visibly deranged Crazy Harry blows up another, people are dancing in the aisles, and chickens are flying about. Objects being thrown include, but are not limited to, popcorn, Lew Zealand’s boomerang fish, and paper airplanes. A full-sized Muppet looms in the background, a giant colourful bird with enormous unblinking eyes, leaning a bit from side to side. An acknowledgement that somebody has let the animals in charge of the zoo. Still, a coziness remains amidst all of the chaos.     Kermit attempts to introduce the movie to his peers, the lights go down, and he takes his seat. The movie opens in the heavens, where the credits and a rainbow appear. It clears onto a long, long shot of a swamp, slowly zooming in to reveal a frog on a log, playing a banjo, singing Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher’s The Rainbow Connection. We’re taken away.     One of the most vital aspects of the Muppets is that they exist in our world, something that gets lost in their 90’s trend of literary adaptations. An entire world of Muppets isn’t much of a utopian vision, but the idea that these animals, monsters, and whatevers belong in society alongside ‘real’ people is. This trend was part of a larger regression throughout the years with the Muppets. What began as a self-aware humour turned into a self-depreciating humour, and, eventually, a self-loathing humour. The Muppets used to take on the world, but, in later years, they seemed unable to dream of anything more than getting back together once more, so that they could reaffirm their lack of success. Bring them back to life so they can take one more dying breath.     This Muppet movie is filled with celebrity cameos, in part a tribute to their variety show, as well as to the vaudevillian origins of most of their shtick. Here, the cameos serve the Muppets. Later, the Muppets would take a backseat, and become vehicles for others, not even allowed to star in their own movies. I wish they were given better opportunities to shine. As good as this film is, I have to admit that this film’s treatment of Miss Piggy is embarrassingly sexist. While they don’t look like Presbyterians to me, at their best, I think the Muppets have almost as much hope to offer as any religion.

Transformers: The Movie (1986, Nelson Shin): Watching this movie gives me the feeling I always hope that I’ll feel whenever I’ve bought concert tickets. I don’t watch this so much as I sing along to it. I even knew Vince DiCola’s score down to a ‘T’. With all due respect to Storefront Hitchcock, this is my personal Stop Making Sense.

Air Alert V. 4 (late 2000’s, TMT Sports): First, and most importantly, I do not recommend Air Alert nor any other paid for vertical jump program. I cannot stress that enough. They’re not designed by people who really know what they’re doing, the marketing is predatory, they’re unjustly hard on your joints, and they’re methods are not in conjunction with their promises of wild vertical gains. While I hope to stop finding that people have also done Air Alert, I immediately feel a strong kinship with those I learn have also been misled.     Air Alert is a 15-week vertical jump program that makes the dubious promises of adding 8-14 inches to yer vertical leap to everyone, regardless of their current physical condition. It promises to add explosiveness to yer hops, but its means are an exponentially increasing amount of jump exercise repetitions. This is to say that, in practice, Air Alert actually builds jumping endurance, which teaches yer muscles to conserve energy, rather than to expend it in an explosive manner. Like all jump programs, it also fails to address that much of your jumping’s height comes from a combination of your core and upper body strength, as well as technique. The version I got also came with an advertised-as-new Air Alert Advanced, a further 6 weeks of yet more intensive exercise routine to add another 3-6 inches to yer leap.     I did the 15 weeks of Air Alert, and, like everybody else I’ve known, I got 2-3 inches added to my vertical. After the recovery week suggested following completion of the program, I tried dunking at the church. You had better believe that I told my dad to bring his digital camera, ’cause this was gonna be a big deal. Being able to dunk was surely going to usher in a whole new era in my life.     Now, I had been wrong about these sorts of things before. I had become skinny, I got a couple of nice shirts, I listened to what I though was the right unpopular music, and I had stolen some jokes, but my life largely remained the same. It seemed as though my life couldn’t be redeemed by vanity and trivialities, J still wasn’t dating me, but this would be so much more. This was dunking. This was going to be different.     We went to the church, and I had the same problems as before. I could get high enough, but I couldn’t throw down. The further you extend a limb from your core, the less strength it has at its disposal. I had little upper-body strength to begin with, and, fully extended, my hand is pretty far from my body. I’d always lose the ball on the way up, or lose height putting more of my strength onto the ball. Legs can only take you so far. At my best, I’ve brought the ball to the rim, lost it, and, thanks to momentum, had the ball go off of the backboard and in. A lay-up isn’t a dunk. My knees have been crunchy ever since.     After a further month of letting my joints recover, I tried my hand at Air Alert Advanced. After the first week, which consisted of 3 days of 2000 individual jumps, some of my friends reunited to play soccer at our old high school. I was proud to see that the goals we had rescued were still on the field. However, I found that my joints were so worn down that I could only run at a steady pace in a straight line. Turning, accelerating, and decelerating were all, sadly, out of the picture. I decided not to continue onto the subsequent weeks.     I was still a fatuous pauper, single, and working at a shoe store while friends had gone on to do other things, so what did I manage to accomplish? Well, for starters, I gained some athletic ability for the first time in my life, which was neat. I gained a lot of leg strength, endurance, and quickness, as well as the previously mentioned 2-3 inches to my vert, all of which I treasured. Despite being the skinniest guy on the court, my legs were strong enough to anchor me in the key, and contend with guys up to double my weight. I went from being a guy who showed up to Dunkball, to becoming a guy that people wanted on their team.     While others got tired throughout the night, slowly losing their vertical, I managed to jump just as frequently and just as high in my last game of the night as I could during my first. As both the tallest and the lankiest guy at Dunkball, my height advantage now increased in the air. I’d let people box me out, only to jump and reach over them. I felt so free. I was, and remain, Dunkball’s most improved player. Of course, it helps to have the advantage of having started out lower than everybody else. Once, somebody brought a friend who was taller than me. It was awful.     As for dunking? Well, I could dunk small balls at the church, if I could close my hand on them. I managed to dunk a flat soccer ball on an outdoor net at a school yard once, but I never verified its height. I could dunk at the Academy chapel with the rim fully raised, though that rim sags in the front, so I’m guessing that rim was about 9’10”. Still, that won me a game of H-O-R-S-E or two. Sometimes, when warming up for Dunkball, someone would instigate a dunk competition, and I managed to develop a trademark dunk which nobody could replicate or stomach: the underhanded dunk. Norm was the only person not to loathe it, bless his heart. While I never managed to dunk on a proper 10’ net, I was able to goaltend, which has no use outside of being a dick to a friend. I was smarmy enough to do it once.     Even at Dunkball, I never became much of a dunker, except on turnovers or tip-ins, or unless I had a guard who could do the work of setting me up. I’m more opportunistic than aggressive, besides, who am I going to beat off of the dribble? On my worst nights, I was still a tall guy who could jump, so I always drew the interest of a defender. I’ve always preferred defence to offence, and my favourite offensive play is to box out their post-player, either to be in a better position to rebound, or in order to prevent them from goaltending.     Defence is where Air Alert made the most difference for me. They either had to box me out in order to stop me from goaltending, or try banking it in. I could sit low enough to the ground to defend outside players without losing speed. With a lower net, some players didn’t arc their shots as much, allowing me to swat them away with ease.     There was nothing better than blocking a dunk. Some people took it personally, and would try coming at you on the next play; we all loved blocking Joseph. Still, the best was blocking Norm’s dunks, even if it meant landing on my back.     It was summertime, the final game of the night, with uneven teams and lopsided match-ups, but, somehow, it’s neck and neck. Not only are we still in it, we’ve had the lead. Will is shooting, Nathan is hustling, and I’m blocking everything. My greatest defensive game ends prematurely after I block one of Norm’s dunks, landing horizontally, with all of my weight squarely on my tailbone and elbows. I call it a night, and, in the morning, learned that we had lost immediately after I left.     At this point, I had memorized Air Alert’s number of sets and routines, and so I lent the DVD to Graham. He promised to return it soon. This was in 2010. I learned how to juggle that August, but that didn’t save me either. I kept up my jumping exercises, doing week 4 as maintenance, losing consistency once I started university that fall. Dunkball slowly lost consistency, too, and so I eventually took up the reigns of organizing it. People changed wards, got married, moved, and started families. It was hard to motivate people to come out without a guarantee.     At some point, I became one of the veterans. As Dunkball continued to lose consistency, and as I went through occasional bouts of burn-out withorganizing things, Dunkball changed from being year-round into seasons, and, later, patches, of activity. The benefit of being the one to organize Dunkball is that it allowed me to filter out the jerks between patches of activity. There aren’t a ton of rules, you can make a pass off the wall, you can charge, you can play it in the hall, and goaltending is a way of life, but life is too long to spend it with people who can’t play sports without yelling.     We weren’t as athletic as we once were, but the new players were generally pretty skinny, so we were still able to push them around. I stopped buying bus passes after my first year of university, which helped me to maintain most of my leg strength. While I was in university, I managed to keep most of my vertical, but my confidence became precarious, which affected my intensity. I wasn’t soaking through my shirts anymore, I started to let people push me around.     After I dropped out of university, I grew into a much more sedentary lifestyle. The leg strength I had used to define myself diminished. I’ve had a really hard coping with that. At times, the prospect of playing Dunkball felt more embarrassing than motivating. I felt lost out on the court. I didn’t feel strong enough to bump around in the key, and I felt sluggish trying to play on the outside. Still, I had now been around long enough that I was able to lead a team, if necessary.     I’d hide from my refuge until I felt strong enough to return. Volunteering and winter each got me walking again. Collin organized a soccer team the summer before the pandemic, which got me running and jumping again. I felt more determined, and began to feel better. No longer trapped by where I was, or where I felt I should have been, I was content with making progress.     I think that I handled the early months of the pandemic better than most people. With our usual routines in disarray, I stumbled out of the feedback loop I was caught in. Finding some self-compassion and focus, I created structure to my quarantine in order to work on some goals. I was going to come out of the quarantine dunking. I was joking this time, but I need to dream about something while exercising. Otherwise, I’m just jumping in place, staring at the door. I went through weeks 1-7 of Air Alert, ending with the rest week that marks the halfway point. After which, I returned to doing week 4 to maintain strength.    With churches closed, activities cancelled, and others on lockdown, I started secretly meeting Nik on Saturdays to shoot the ball around. This was back when we were allowed to keep small circles of contacts. The benefit of having keys. The only downside was that the building didn’t have any air circulation outside of facilities management’s offices.     Regarding the pandemic, our city still didn’t have any cases of community transmission. Two of us shooting the ball around became three, and soon we were playing 2-on-2. Dunkball was back, baby! Sans the titular Dunkball, which had gone missing, stolen by missionaries.    I knew that it was only a matter of time before they got rid of the Academy chapel, so I was really motivated to play as much as we could while it was still safe. It took us a little bit before we managed to get six players out on the same day, and we still ended up playing 2’s some nights. We weren’t getting many guys out, but we always had good games. Everyone who came out hustled and was a solid atmosphere guy. We’d mostly play best-of-5 or 7 game series, maybe switching teams up for a final game or two. The series managed to stay pretty tight, with nobody ever reaching a dynasty.     Facilities management leaves the building at 5:30, and, with nobody else around, our secret combination was free to schedule Dunkball whenever we pleased. We were playing twice some weeks. We were able to accommodate people’s schedule. Marvin, my favourite teammate, was able to come out. I hadn’t been able to play with him in years. A high percentage of our small group of players were relatively new to the game. It was really exciting to see them develop, even if Jason blocked me that one time.     I had found my place again, having regained some of my leg strength and quickness. My core and upper-body strength, elusive at the best of times, had become memories, but I worked around that. My game is mostly designed with those absences in mind anyways. Consequently, my play became much more lateral, rather than vertical, after the 4th and, later, 5th game, as Collin noted. I also managed a new trick or two, like learning to bait people into banking their shot, and then blocking it off of the backboard for a quick turnover. My intensity was up, or at least the A/C was down. I was soaking through my shirts again, and I was happy.     It was a hot and humid summer. I missed Jason’s birthday, so I brought some blackout chocolate banana bread to celebrate. As it turns out, a thick moist cake is not refreshing when you’re exhausted and sitting around in a hot and stuffy room you’ve spent the past 2-3 hours further heating up with yer friends. Collin became the MVP the following week when he brought a box of freezies with him. All my life, I had never seen their true worth or potential. I took them for granted in my youth, and turned my nose up at them as I grew older. Now I understood.     I had Dunkball, I had friendly players who responded when I tried organizing things, we had freezies, and, as the Ward Clerk, I had convinced my Bishop that we should buy a new ball (despite the fact that playing at the Church was still verboten.) I was grateful, but I still longed for a day where we had more than 4-6 players, so that we could have subs between games. It’s nice to be able to switch up teams between games, rather than trying to push Arles all night. It’s even nicer to sit down every once in a while, especially after failing to push Arles around.     Our province was still fairly safe, but that was beginning to change. Two regulars had at risk family members, and we began seeing community transmission. I planned to end what was to be the penultimate season of Dunkball after Labour Day. I was concerned what would happen once the school year started.     Before then, we had eight* people come out to Dunkball one morning. Four pairs of family members, in fact. This gave us rotations between games, and a variety of playing styles, leading to more interesting match-ups and dynamics. Whoever loses would get to take a break; excitement was in the air! I questioned Collin’s choice of shoes. He reminded me that I’m solely responsible for their condition. I lend Collin my shoes. He likes the shoes, and I like his freezies. *the ideal amount is 8-9 people     Shoot for teams: Graham, Collin, and I hit our shots. Collin has speed, Graham has range and strength, I have the height, and we all rebound. We win the first game easily, manage to survive the second, and win our third. Dynasty! Shoot for teams again, and I’m back on the floor with David and Marvin. David anchors the key, allowing me to cheat on defence, while Marvin generates offence and creates mismatches. We all defend. Three more wins, and it’s another dynasty! Marvin and I sit this time, and watch as Jacob (handles), Graham, and Jason (positioning) steal the game.     Marvin and I go back on with Limhi, a guard heavy team playing an post-player’s game. They shoot and pass, drawing out the defence, while I set picks, prevent goaltending, and try to clean up on the boards. They cover the outside, while I guard the inside. When the other team goes to the inside, I make their post-player turn away from the net, where either Marvin or Limhi, cheating off of their man, are waiting to strip them of the ball. We win the first game, taking back the floor. They carry me through the second. Last game of the day, and the other team starts to fall apart. As per tradition, we extend the game, but only to to 15, because only Graham and I want to play to 21.     We stumble as they regroup, but Jacob gets frustrated, and their chemistry falters. I assume that I’m to blame, become self-conscious, and begin calling fouls on myself whenever I make any contact with the other team. Of course, this happens on every play, because I’m trying to box out my brother. I get some weird looks as David sighs, he just wants it to be over. I get a clean stop, Limhi scores, and the day ends on a third dynasty. I remain undefeated. Freezies for everyone!     That was the third to last time we played Dunkball. We had another night with six players, and ended the season with a morning of playing 2-on-2, after which we ran out of freezies. I was optimistic that we’d be back playing sometime in the New Year. We barely registered a first wave of the pandemic, but restrictions ended prematurely, and school started back up. Cases kept climbing.     I was scared in October, but that was only the beginning. When we first started playing Dunkball that summer, our province was first in the country. By Christmas, we had become the worst. We began to curb the number of new cases, but restrictions were eased before hospitals finished dealing with the second wave. In May, we began transferring patients to other provinces. For some reason, the plan is to reopen in July.     For some reason, a duo tried organizing ball in March. I declined. Our congregation was changing buildings, so Nik and I went over to grab some stuff. I found that our Dunkball had gone missing again, but I found the original Dunkball, which hasn’t held air since 2015, and brought it home. In April, facilities management began clearing out the Academy chapel, in anticipation of listing the building for sale. They didn’t inform our Bishop until later that week. He went over to pack anything worth keeping, only to have found that they had already junked everything belonging to our congregation, as well everything belonging to the Yazidi community group that had been meeting there prior to the pandemic.     I don’t know the building’s current status. Nik and I kept our keys in the hopes of playing again, but it’s unlikely that things will be safe to go back to normal in time. Dunkball exists as a time and a place: Thursday nights after Institute class at Academy. Last fall, they moved institute classes over to the stake centre. The Academy building is being sold now, and Dunkball is over as we know it.     As I previously mentioned, I lent Graham, the Gordie Howe of Dunkball, my Air Alert DVD and booklet back in 2010. For the past ten years now, he has meant to return it, only for it to slip his mind. I usually forget about it, myself, only for him to remind me when he apologizes. In the moment, I sorta feel guilty that he worries about it. I mean, it’s fine, I don’t need it. He’s put it on his desk, he’s placed it by the door, and though he’s either seen me or a member of my family at least once a week for the past decade, my copy of Air Alert still hasn’t made its way back to me. I’m not even sure that I want it back, but I appreciate his sincerity.     It’s become tradition for him to maintain this false tension between us. At this point, I’d hate to see it go. What if this tension is what’s sustained our friendship throughout all these years? What if Graham’s only been coming out to Dunkball because he feels guilty? I won’t see him at Dunkball anymore, and, as of this week, he won’t be seeing me at church anymore. It’s things like this that keep us alive. I hope that Graham never returns my copy of Air Alert, but I hope that he always tries. ”There is no end to matter, There is no end to space, There is no end to Dunkball, There is no end to race.” - If You Could Hie to Kolob Dunkball, by W.W. Phelps.

I could have gone on about my legs, honestly. Now, I only included those formative texts that I’m willing to admit are still a part of me. I did not include those works whose influences I feel that I have repented of, which is why the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin footage of Bigfoot from Bluff Creek, California, The Weezer Video Capture Device, Newsies, The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, nor anything related to Dorm Life or MST3K are not included on my ballot. In any case, I’m sorry not to have found room for Johnny Guitar.

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - Christmas 2018

Christmas fics posted in 2018  (Includes non-English fics) 

Snön ligger vit på taken by MinilocIsland, Treehouse (In Svenska, 62k words) - Det här extrajobbet måste vara den bästa idén Isak någonsin har haft. Långa, ensamma nätter med massor av tid att plugga. Helt chill. Ingenting som stör. Tills den där långa, snygga regissören flyttar in i taksviten. 

Hele Norge Baker by MermaidsandMermen (61k words) - Are you brave enough to stay? Or strong enough to walk away? Isak Valtersen is neither, still reeling with guilt over leaving his little family, walking away from a life that was slowly suffocating him. He’s neither strong or brave, he’s a coward. Stupid, weak and easily led, with no idea how to make things right. He’s made himself a promise though, he is going to stay single and finally take control of his own life. He’s going to be happy. Work hard. Be the best father he can be, and he is never going to let himself get dragged into a relationship again. He’s been there, done that, and it’s not for him. He is going to have a quiet winter, a quiet Christmas and he is going to chill. Lick his wounds and for once just be himself. That’s the plan. 

The First Noel by colazitron (2k words) - Even's parents have a cabin in Hemsedal where the family traditionally spends Christmas. This year, Isak's coming with. 

Fucking Bieber by Kollakolan (6k words) - “So,” Elias starts. “You’ve decided to join us on Christmas Eve?” Isak just nods, as he is just about to take a sip. “Great. It’s not really that complicated. The baskets are already made; you’ll just pick them up and deliver them according to a list of addresses. Oh, and also, you need to be wearing at least a Santa’s hat.” “Since it’s Christmas specials and all,” Mikael adds. 

boys and boys and girls and girls by colazitron (2k words) - Noora meets a handsome boy at the Christmas market one day, but all is not she may have originally thought. 

The first star you see may not be a star by Laika_the_husband (53k words) - In this story of dark and woe Isak is a sex worker who specializes in services of not traditionally sexual nature. Want to watch someone sharpen a pencil really slowly, making a long twirly unbroken strip, for your kicks? Isak's your guy. He is good at his job and he likes it, and it pays the bills while he's studying civil engineering at the Met.It's also convenient that Isak doesn't have to actually touch any of his clients. Because he can't touch anybody, and nobody can touch him, or he'll freak out completely. One day, Isak goes to meet a client, and sees EvenStarr, the video artist whose stuff he loves. And his request is not the most bizarre, but the most disturbing one Isak has ever received. 

Christmas prompts by nofeartina (4k words) - Collection of prompts Tina wrote for on tumblr. 

The wish I wish tonight by imminentinertia (1k words) - A visit to Marianne, and a present, of sorts 

Jumpstart by colazitron (2k words) - Isak and Even spend their first Christmas just the two of them in Trondheim. 

What is the light by unsungyellowraincoat (1k words) - That year Mom can’t put up the Christmas tree. 

Santa Baby by Laika_the_husband (21k words) - Part 3. The story where the author suddenly found out Isak is polyamorous. And genderqueer. The POV changes every now and then. I'm making this to examine the poly Evak from various angles. 

Expiration Date by Treehouse (5k words) - In the midst if the December stress, Isak has to make use of the gift card Eskild gave him for Christmas last year. A gift card for a freaking massage. 

The Næsheims by Kollakolan (2k words) - “Well, you know the Næsheims?  ”Yes, Isak knows the Næsheims. Or rather, he knows of them, and he knows that Sana knows them. They have a restaurant down town where Sana’s brother works. They’ve gone by a couple of times when Sana needed to hand him keys or something. Isak also knows that the son in the Næsheim family is maybe the hottest guy in all of Oslo. Not that he has told anyone that he think’s so, but I mean come on, it’s not like Isak must spell it out. They have eyes. 

By Your Side by MinilocIsland (1k words) - Some Christmas traditions may not be what they seem, but it doesn't really matter. 

In una sera così serena by imminentinertia (2.6k words) - Isak has had quite enough of Christmas and it's only December 13. 

December 2018 by imminentinertia (Series, 6 Fics) 

bits and pieces of their love by cammm (Series) - One shots. All may not be Chrismassy. 

Ho Ho Ho!!! by MermaidsandMermen (5.5k words) - A big fundraising School Christmas Market, to raise the last bit needed for that big Revue. It will be great. Lots of local families coming to drink glogg and buy hotdogs and do stupid money pinching games. Yes and the kids can meet Santa. Sit on his lap and get a present. Such christmassy fun. 

one thing I really do need by colazitron (3.5k words) - Isak comes home from meeting the boys for some gløgg feeling festive and cheerful. 

Den lengste natta by hjertetssunnegalskap (Crazyheart) (In Norsk, 22k words) - Det er fredag den 21. desember 2018 og vintersolverv. Fruktbarhetsguden Frøy, i Evens skikkelse, må for første gang gjøre seg fortjent til den gaven han ønsker seg aller mest; kjærlighet. 18 år gamle Isak syns kjærligheten virker uoppnåelig, helt til han kommer hjem til Oslo på juleferie og besøker Jonas og Eva på kafeen Eldrimni. 

Gay Jesus by unsungyellowraincoat (1k words) - Eskild has an encounter. 

A New Tradition by bri_ness (1k words) - Lea has Isak and Even over for Christmas Eve. 

A different celebration by Kollakolan (3k words) - “We realized a few years ago that we were a few friends who never celebrated Christmas with our families. At first it was just me, Elias, Noora and one of Elias friends. But now usually some exchange students come along as well as other people that we find on the way.” “Like me?” Sana just smiles at him. 

Times like now by nofeartina (3k words) - Isak watches him, looks into Even’s eyes with what light’s left, watches his mouth go slack as Isak slowly puts his hand inside the fly and pulls out Even’s dick. He’s so hard. Isak wants to worship him, wants to show him how perfect he is. 

Warmth by bri_ness (557 words) - Isak doesn't know how to accept a Christmas present from his mom. 

From Spark to Flame by MinilocIsland (1.5k words) - He'd thought he'd be alone in the castle for Christmas as usual. This year, however, there's a slight disruption to Isak's Christmas plans. 

i wish for by hippopotamus (2k words) - Isak just wishes that one person would want to get to know him before they knew that he could do magic. 

i think i recognise your face but i've never seen you before by monsterandmana (1k words) - Even works in a coffee shop. Isak is on the coffee run. It's Christmas. 

Fotokalendern by Kollakolan (In Svenska, 12k words) - Tags says Christmas but not really so I’m not sure. 

The Magician by folerdetdufoler (3.6k words) - the "christmas magic" prompt 

Two truths and one tale by evak1isak (7.6k words) - Isak ends up in Eva's cabin for a Kosegruppa's New Year's Eve Party. And begins the new year with a new boyfriend. 

I'll be home for Christmas by teatrolley (9k words) - They’ve been in Trondheim for half a year now. But for Christmas, they’re coming home. Or: Sometimes the things you were running from become the things you want to run towards 

Merry Kiss My Ass (under the mistletoe) by TheGirlNoOneKnows5 (10k words) - Working in retail during the holiday season is a nightmare. Especially when Isak has to work right alongside his just friend and not at all crush, Even. Among freaky customers, secret santa presents and constant reminders of his one night of passion with Even, Isak doesnt know if he'll make it to the new year. If only he could figure out who was behind all the random mistletoes he keeps finding... 

The Magic of Christmas by wyoheartsmusic (4k words) - Isak hates his job - especially during Christmas; to be honest, he pretty much hates anything involved with Christmas. But then Even comes around and maybe he doesn't hate anything all that much 

o night divine by thekardemomme (4k words) - This is the first Christmas in nearly five years that he’s spending without Isak, and while he still decorated his apartment and bought eggnog and spent an excruciating amount of time wrapping all of his gifts perfectly, the hole in his heart hasn’t gone unnoticed. It creeps in every time he goes to ask Isak for a bow for his gifts, every time he comes home and has to turn on the Christmas lights himself because Isak wasn’t there to do it for him, every time he plays Christmas music much too loud because Isak isn’t studying in the other room and teasingly pleading for him to turn it down a few notches. It also creeps in when he sees Isak’s present sitting under the tree, neatly wrapped. It’s been wrapped for two months, actually. 

I'm Stuck on You by Twinklylightseverywhere (6k words) - Jonas lets out another nervous laugh. Isak wishes his best friend would shut up. “You two will take the spare room. Uh… with one bed.” “ONE BED?” Isak and Even both shout at the exact same time. “Merry Christmas!” 

Mine egne meninger by hjertetssunnegalskap (Crazyheart) (In Norsk, 17k words) - Eva kunne allerede kjenne hjertet banke raskere. Hun visste det var tullete, men med ett bare visste hun at hun kom til å slite med å dele rom med Vilde. Hun kom til å bli gående rundt en feberhet tåke og tenke på Vilde hele helga. Til ingen nytte. Fy faen. Dette kom jo til å bli en helt strålende romjulsferie.  I think this is an Evilde fic. 

Shall I Find No Other by ultimatelawrence (5k words) - Everyone is born with a compass on their body, inked into their skin and commonly on their inner left arm. Instead of pointing to north, the needle on the compass points in the direction of your true soulmate. Even wants to find his as soon as possible. 

hope you're wearing your best clothes by colazitron (2.6k words) - Even's original plan was to get Isak Harry Styles merch. One of those “treat people with kindness” sweatshirts because Isak likes being cosy and he likes Harry Styles and it's a nice slogan. 

[hjbender]

Hi it's that Donald Blake au anon, and I agree I don't like Donald in general it's weird and sometimes in the comics he has a stick that he's always holding onto then he bangs it and somehow becomes Thor, idk. But the au is something that really interested me cuz it has so much potential, like is Thor an Avenger in this au, does he have to wait til Loki is not looking to go and save the world? Or is he not worthy yet and somehow choosing to reveal himself to Loki the real way to be worthy?

OH HAI AGAIN, ANON. THANK YOU FOR RETURNING

Yeah, I’m kind of glad the writers and directors decided to leave out the whole “mild-mannered human alias” from the Thor franchise. Really, so many superheroes already have alter egos—Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool, literally every single one of the OG Avengers except Thor has another name—that for once it’s nice to just have Thor be Thor.

But as far as that brilliant idea you pitched, in the first couple drafts of my answer, I actually started to rewrite Thor (2011) to make your idea fit with canon. However, after getting stuck a couple times, I started thinking it might work better away from canon (specifically Earth 616), more like a true alternate universe, no Avengers or Thanos or anything. Or, to make things simpler, it could just be a Porn With Feelings deal where the story is driven by characters and drama (and, of course, porn).

For the PWP approach, Thor masquerades as an MD on Earth because he genuinely likes to help people and having a human form helps him escape detection, or possibly keep his powerful electromagnetic radiation field from harming humans. In any case, Loki is unaware of his brothers super-secret human identity.

Somehow Loki bites off more than he can chew or pisses off the wrong supervillain—it’s practically his hobby, isn’t it?—and ends up getting his ass beaten and thrown to Earth. Miraculously, Thor (as Don Blake) is there to help him, and Thor can’t risk getting his cover blown, so he just plays along while Loki regains use of his limbs and/or powers (a perfect opportunity for some hurt/comfort whump sickfic type tags). Thor brings Loki to his apartment until he can fully recover, and in that time, Loki finds himself bonding with this disabled and good-natured human man who reminds him so much of his brother… and thus begins the forbidden romance and angst-ridden relationship drama.

...okay, so the PWP setup actually has a lot more plot than your average smutfic. (But just think of all the opportunities for medical kink in this one. Like Loki pretending he feels hot and achy and insisting that Blake give him a thorough, private exam… on the kitchen table… with stethoscopes and tongue depressors and lots of poking and prodding and pelvic exams. Anyone? No? Just me?)

The actual canon setup is the one I tried (unsuccessfully) to write out, but here’s a bullet list of the basic plot (get comfortable, this gets kind of long):

After defeating the frost giants in Norway in 900-something, Odin secretly makes a deal with Laufey to raise Loki as his own son, then marry him off to Thor so they can establish everlasting peace with Jötunheim (just like Odin and Frigga did to stop the Æsir-Vanir war). Thor and Loki’s children will be heirs to both royal houses. Upon Thor’s ascension to the throne, Odin will then return the Casket of Ancient Winters to its rightful place, and Jötunheim will flourish again with Asgard as its protector/ally

Loki is a lot more autonomous and independent than his original cinematic depiction, traveling the realms to learn seiðr and be an ambassador (and cause mischief, naturally, but nothing that can’t be fixed or used to his advantage). He’s always held a secret torch for his brother but knows there’s little/no hope of it ever being reciprocated, thus he stays away from Asgard as much as possible

Thor loves and misses his brother (perhaps too much). Their parents would surely disapprove of their relationship, gods or not, and besides, Loki is too much of a free spirit, a wanderer, content with his own company. Asking anything more of him (like a grounded, committed relationship) is something Thor could never do

Loki returns to Asgard on the eve of Thor’s coronation with gifts and smiles, and Thor embraces him with deep affection. They almost confess their feelings to one another, but shy away at the last moment (damn!)

Meanwhile, Malekith the Accursed (comics version Malekith, who is a lot sexier and generally more interesting/diabolical than his MCU counterpart) doesn’t like that Laufey is planning to make peace with Asgard and sever his alliance with Svartalfheim, and somehow breaks into the Vault on Thor’s coronation day just so he can frame Laufey and sour the arrangement with Odin

Odin decides not to act, sure that something else must be going on. Loki decides to take the intellectual route and do some investigating while Thor and his warrior companions sneak into Jötunheim to kick some ass

Thor accuses Laufey of wrongdoing, just as Malekith wanted, and almost incites a war with the frost giants. Odin banishes him to earth to live as a disabled human man until he can learn some humility

After much screaming at the sky and manly weeping, Thor finally accepts his fate and his new human identity

Enough time passes (months? A year?) that Thor eventually learns to be humble and considerate, helping other humans physically and emotionally in the medical field (I imagine him becoming an orderly at a local hospital since being a doctor requires years of education and money. Also, being thrown to Earth without a penny to his name will help Thor work through some of his entitlement and privilege issues. I headcanon he was aided by some good-hearted humans who were able to find employment for him and a place to stay, help him get on his feet, basically)

With Thor out of the way and the royal family torn apart, Malekith begins preparing for his attack on Asgard

Loki doesn’t know that Thor is trapped in a human form, only that he was banished and all contact forbidden. Loki is suspicious of the frost giants and goes to Jötunheim alone, where Laufey reveals everything to him—including Loki’s betrothal to Thor

Loki is stunned at first, unable to believe that the thing he’s wanted most was always meant to be his, and he hurriedly leaves Jötunheim

He tries to sneak to Midgard without using the Bifrost, but Malekith catches him en route and they fight. He throws a binding spell on Loki to render him powerless and then beats the living daylights out of him

Loki crash lands on Earth not far from where his brother was banished (he had been following the last known path from Asgard to Midgard), and is rendered temporarily powerless and amnesiac, not remembering anything about his fight with Malekith, Thor’s banishment, or why he was on his way to Midgard

Loki wakes up in a hospital bed with a kind human man looking after him. After an unsuccessful escape attempt, he settles in and finds himself comforted by Donald Blake’s presence. It’s… soothing, somehow familiar…(maybe it’s the drugs talking)

Thor instantly recognizes his brother but he cannot reveal himself, either because he’ll look insane/lose his job or maybe Odin made it so he’s unable to even speak the name “Thor” until he’s worthy again. In any case, Thor decides it won’t hurt to beat Loki at his own game just this once (Loki has played this prank on him more times than Thor can count). He ends up taking Loki back home with him once he’s discharged from the hospital

As his memories and powers slowly return, Loki is surprised that Blake listens to and believes everything he claims to be, and soon grows to trust and even like the man. He’s never really had a true friend before… except for his brother, Thor, of course. Blake reminds him so much of Thor…

While things gradually heat up between Loki and Blake-Thor, Malekith disguises himself as Loki (just as he did in the War of the Realms comic arc) and returns to Asgard. Odin and Frigga learn that Loki had indeed traveled to Jötunheim and confront their “son” about what he might have learned there

Not knowing it’s actually Malekith they are speaking to, they reveal the truth about Loki’s parentage and upbringing, and the reasons for his betrothal. Malekith is shocked, then amused at his good fortune. He decides to use this information to his own advantage

Malekith plots to bring Thor back to Asgard and insist that they be married at once. Thor will be crowned king, and when Thor finishes swearing his oaths, Malekith will steal Gungnir and kill Thor with it (and the entire royal family of Asgard). He will then steal the Casket of Ancient Winters, return to Jötunheim, kill Laufey and all the rest of his clan, and then head to Midgard to finish off the last of that bloodline: Loki. Then, with the power of Gungnir, Mjölnir, and the Casket of Ancient Winters, nothing will be able to stop him from bringing war and chaos to the Nine Realms

My brain is smoking and on its last cylinder right now, and I know this post is already decades long, so I’m gonna cheat and skip the whole part where Thor and Loki somehow learn about Malekith’s plot (maybe the Warriors Four come to Earth to warn them), and Thor becomes worthy again, revealing himself to a stunned Loki, and they all go flying back to Asgard, beat Malekith in an epic battle, and save the day

Once the dust has cleared, Thor is crowned king to an audience of Æsir and Jötnar, followed immediately by his and Loki’s wedding. Everyone cheers, Volstagg weeps and uses Fandral as a handkerchief, and Malekith gets a tiny slice of the wedding cake down in the dungeons

The end 🍰

[elvispater]

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[aibafiles]

AI name puns masterpost

so we all know that Uchikoshi loves his punny character names and double meanings, and AI is absolutely no exception. I’ve been looking into the meaning of a lot of the cast’s names and there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on! I figured I’d compile a list of puns, references, symbolism, etc (it’s by no means complete, so if I’m missing something I’ll gladly update the list!)

this is pretty extensive and contains major spoilers for the entire game, so the rest is under the cut!

Kaname Date - 伊達 鍵, Date Kaname

Kaname (鍵) means “key,” but it’s not a reading of this kanji - it’s a reading of 要, which also means “key,” but the former refers to a physical key while the latter refers to a metaphorical one, as in the key to a mystery. (as pointed out by the localization supervisor, Date is standing in the center of the keyhole shape formed by the Psync Machine on the cover!)

“Date” (as confirmed by Uchi) is a reference to Masamune Date, an Edo period ruler known for having one eye

Date (伊達) also has two separate meanings that may both have relevance - the first is “sophistication” or “having style,” and, like, look at him

The second is “affectation” or “doing something for show” - possibly alluding to the fact that “Kaname Date” is a fake name

Aiba - アイボゥ, Aibou

Short for “AI-Ball” in both EN and JP (”ball” is written with a long o sound)

Sounds like "eyeball” - self explanatory

Artificial Intelligence Ball - also self explanatory

ai (愛, love) ball - literally full of love (oxytocin)

“aibou” (相棒) is also the word for “partner” - Date often refers to her as such in the JP text

Iris Sagan | A-set | Tesa - 左岸 イリス | A-set | あせとん, Sagan Iris | A-set | Aseton

Iris - the Greek goddess of rainbows

Iris - the colored part of the eye

Iris - the flower (meaning good news & hope)

Iris also has the “ai” sound - while it isn’t typically pronounced this way in Japanese, Hitomi mentions it when choosing her name

A-set - from Aset, another name for the Egyptian goddess Isis

Her JP nickname, Aseton, sounds like the English word “acetone,” a substance that appears several times in game - both in Ota and Saito!Iris’s Somnia (she also introduces herself as “the internet’s volatile solvent”)

Iris (イリス) and Alice (アリス) are only one kana apart, hence Aiba suggesting the name for Manaka

左岸 (Sagan) - lit. "left bank/shore," but 眼 (eyeball) can also be read as "gan," making it "left eyeball" (note that 眼 is also read as “manako,” which is close to “manaka” - Hitomi mentions this when naming Iris)

Possible reference to Carl Sagan? not sure on this one

Ota Matsushita - 真津下 応太, Matsushita Outa

“Ota” possibly short for “otaku”

Matsushita - 下 (shita) can also be read as “ge,” making it “matsuge,” meaning “eyelashes”

Mizuki Okiura - 沖浦 みずき, Okiura Mizuki

“mizu” = “water” - ties into her family’s water motif

沖浦 (Okiura) - 沖 (oki) meaning open sea, 浦 (ura) meaning bay or gulf, more water motif

Okiura possibly sounds like “ocular” or “oculus”

Boss | Shizue Kuranushi - ボス | 暮主 静枝, Bosu | Kuranushi Shizue

静 (shizu) means “quiet” - hence Mizuki thinking the name doesn’t fit her

暮 (kura) can also be read as "bo" and 主 (nushi) can be read as "su" - making her family name "bosu," or "boss"

Kuranushi (倉主) can also mean “warehouse owner,” a possible red herring

Pewter | Futa Amanoma - ピュータ | 天乃間 風太, Pyuuta | Amanoma Fuuta

Short for “computer” (コンピューター)

Pewter is also a shade of gray, a color featured heavily in his design

“Fuuta” may be as close as it is possible to get to “Pyuuta” using kanji (since “pyuu” or “fyuu” are unusual kanji readings)

Amanoma roughly means “heaven’s space/interval” - I’m not sure of the exact significance of this but it is interesing to note that both 乃 and 間 can also be read as “ai”

Hitomi Sagan - 左岸 瞳, Sagan Hitomi

瞳 (Hitomi) - "pupil," another part of the eye (possibly unintentional, but also fitting in English since she’s a teacher!)

Sagan - see Iris

Renju Okiura - 沖浦 連珠, Okiura Renju

Short for 連珠形 (renjukei), the Japanese word for a lemniscate

Okiura - see Mizuki

Shoko Nadami - 灘海 硝子, Nadami Shouko

硝子 (Shouko) - the first two kanji of 硝子体 (shoushitai), the vitreous body of the eye - "shitai" can also mean corpse

“shouko” also sounds like the word for “evidence” (証拠)

灘海 (Nadami) - two different kanji for "sea," tying into her family's water motif

Nadami - possible anagram of "namida" (tears)

Mayumi Matsushita - 真津下 まゆみ, Matsushita Mayumi

Mayumi - contains "mayu" (眉), eyebrows

Matsushita - see Ota

Moma Kumakura - 熊倉 猛馬, Kumakura Mouma

熊倉 (Kumakura) - literally "bear warehouse", which is either just thematic naming to reference the polar bear, or saito specifically chose the costume to clown on the Kumakuras

(ku)makura - play on "macular"?

猛馬 (Mouma) - lit. "fierce horse" - moma introduces himself as the "War Horse"

Mouma - play on 網膜 (moumaku), meaning retina

Rohan Kumakura - 熊倉 狼範, Kumakura Rouhan

Kumakura - see Moma

狼 (rou) = "wolf," 範 (han) = "example" or "model" - meant to indicate he's "wolflike"?

Rouhan - play on 黄斑 (ouhan), meaning macula

Cyclops (サイクロプス, saikuropusu) may be SAIto + kumaKURA (even if it doesn't fit perfectly)

So Sejima - 世島 綜, Sejima Sou

綜 (Sou) meaning “rule,” fitting for a politician

Play on the English word “saw”?

Sejima = “world” + “island”

Saito Sejima - 世島 犀人, Sejima Saito

犀人 (Saito) - lit. "rhinoceros person", possibly referring to a mythological cyclops, a horned humanoid creature

“saito” possibly a play on the English word “sight” (or “parasite”?)

It's Got The Ai Sound In There

Hayato Yagyu - 柳生 隼, Yagyuu Hayato

隼 (Hayato) - "falcon," an allusion to the falcon-headed god Horus (as well as his codename)

“Yagyu” likely a reference to Jubei Yagyu, a samurai who lost his eye according to legend

“yagyuu” =  ya (8) + kyuu (9) = 89, his number in prison (and Saito’s birth year)

DATE DRIVES A FORD FALCON (Uchi liked my tweet about all of this so I’m taking it as soft confirmation)

Manaka Iwai - 居和井 愛夏, Iwai Manaka

愛夏 (Manaka) = love (ai) + summer

one step away from 眼 (manako, eye), part of Hitomi's reasoning for Iris's name

also has the "ai" sound

Amame Doi - 土居 亜麻芽, Doi Amame

Anagram of "maameido" = mermaid

Chinpei Wagai - 輪貝 陳平, Wagai Chinpei

from chinpira, referring to a young, low-ranking yakuza

Dokuta Yogano - 屋蓑 独太, Yamino Dokuta

"dokuta" = doctor

yami (闇) = dark, underground, illegal - making his full name “yami no doctor” or essentially “mob doctor”

Hanayo Nasu - 那須 花代, Nasu Kayo

"nasu" = nurse

note: her name and the mob doctor’s, above, use different readings in English than in Japanese - I’m not entirely sure why at the moment

Takushi Ibarado - 茨戸 卓志, Ibarado Takushi

"takushi" = taxi

Ibarado is an anagram of “doraiba” = driver (thanks @blackflirtlarping!)

Araya Kagami - 加賀見 阿頼耶, Kagami Araya

"kagami" = mirror

includes 見, meaning “to see"

"araya" from 阿頼耶識 (arayashiki), part of a Buddhist concept classifying the eight consciousnesses - the eighth is the "storehouse consciousness" that stores the impressions of past experiences

edit: locations and keywords are underway! this list is a WIP, I just wanted to get some of these down before I lose track

Kabasaki District - (i’ll pull the kanji later)

“Kaba” means “hippo” - the animal Horus (Date) and Set (Saito) turned into for their battle

Eitoku High - 叡督学園, Eitoku gakuen

like “yagyuu,” a goroawase pun on 89 - “eito” + “ku”

Sunfish Pocket

anagram of “Spike Chunsoft”

Golden Yokocho

a combination of Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho, two Tokyo streets/alleys famous for their bars and restaurants

FamiSto - ファミスト, FamiSuto

Play on FamilyMart, a popular Japanese chain

8-12 - it’s 7-11 yall

Tiefblau 

A reference to Uchikoshi’s Infinity series. I haven’t played it but I think anything more might be a spoiler

Naixatloz

“Zoltaxian” backwards - a made-up term used by Siri surrounded by a number of alien conspiracy theories (fitting since “Iris” is also “Siri” backwards!)

Elgorg

“Google” -> “Elgoog” -> “エルゴーグ” (Erugoogu) -> “Elgorg”

I left off a few minor characters whose names I haven’t been able to get much out of, but otherwise that’s everyone! there’s definitely a lot more going on here but here’s what I’ve managed to gather for now! (Uchi pls answer my tweet about “Iwai”) but anyway I think it’s neat how uchi took two historical figures with missing eyes AND made them work w/ double meanings

[urirealvibekiller]

.   ·  * this is a college life ship for @thatkpopmeme​ !! pretty bbyy, hope you enjoy your ship <3 also the majors of nct members here are inspired by my kaelo @kaepopsicle​ hehe she has this post about nct’s majors in college and they sound pretty legit so yea ahaha <3 

-------------------------

.   ·  * your university 

you go to sungkyunkwan university, which is one of the top and oldest universities in seoul; its origins can be traced back to the joseon dynasty and was founded in 1398.

you’re in the international program. 

.   ·  * your major/minor and clubs 

you major in computer science and minor in statistics. 

you’re also in the theatre club and you’re responsible for the theatre tech, which is basically ensuring the technical aspects of theatre performance, such as lighting and sound, run smoothly and safely. 

.   ·  * your roommate / housemate(s)

your housemates are bang chan and felix. it is a three-bedroom apartment, only about five-minutes walk away from the university. you guys each have en-suite bedrooms and share the rest of the apartment space such as the living room and kitchen. 

you initially lived in a dorm on-campus but things weren’t going too well with your roommate and you were about to apply for a new roommate or something but your friend chan told you that he and his best-friend felix were looking for a housemate at their new place as there was one spare bedroom. 

chan minors in screenwriting and playwriting so he works at the theatre a lot, which is where you guys met and became pretty close. 

soon after moving in, you and felix became quite close too. 

both of them are two of your closest friends and can even be considered your best-friends. you’re always there for each other.

they’re both very extroverted so they help you come out of your shell more and they’re basically your personal hype men. 

they’re also in the international program but they can speak korean fluently so they help you with your korean. 

you and chan take turns cooking but sometimes, he can be so busy like he takes up so many extracurricular activities and can be such a workaholic so most of the time, you do the cooking but sometimes you get busy too so you just end up ordering food. 

.   ·  * your best-friends

jaemin is a medical student and he is also a part of the theatre club that you’re in, which is also where you guys first met. he is a prominent member of the club and his position is vice-president. he also occasionally plays the lead role in some plays. 

the campus celebrity. friends with everyone, the younger

honestly he’s such a caring and loving best-friend

playful but also protective

despite his normally loud and energetic persona, he’s an amazing listener and is so good at cheering you up. 

always brings you food before coming to the theatre club 

best-friend selfies 

jihyo majors in computer science like you and minors in music studies. you guys met when you were put in the same group together for a group assignment where you have to present in front of the class. she helped you with your stage fright and anxiety. of course, it wasn’t perfect but with her help you were able to get through and actually ended up doing pretty well. 

you guys received the grading ‘A’ for your project and the professor even called it one of the best presentations that day.

since then you guys have been extremely close and best-friends. 

she gives the best advice and is a motherly yet fun friend.

your study partner. 

you guys love eating out at restaurants and through you, she also became close with your roommates and your other best friend, jaemin. sometimes all of you would go on late night trips to the convenience store and just eat cup ramen there while laughing and talking. best times. 

.   ·  * your boyfriend

jeno majors in exercise science. he’s also a star player on the university’s basketball team; on his way to become the team captain soon. another popular student and campus celebrity. 

you met jeno through your best-friend, jaemin. they are roommates and they live on the university campus. 

one day, there was a basketball match hosted by your university against another local college and you initially wasn’t going to attend because you had been stressing out about your studies but jaemin wouldn’t have that because he thought you were too tense and stressed out, you needed to relax a little and go out, and practically dragged you to the match. 

and there, jaemin went to wish his roommate jeno good luck and he also dragged you there too and basically introduced you guys. there was an initial attraction between you guys as you said ‘hi’ to each other that of course jaemin immediately picked up on. 

jeno develops a crush on you but also understands you can be shy so he tries to become friends and gave time to get to know each other before asking you out. i also mentioned this in your overall ship, but you would play games a lot together and even before being a couple, he would try to protect you or be on your side in the game and everyone else would be like teasing, especially jaemin. 

sometimes you cook and give the lunchbox to jaemin and he would eat it at his dorm and jeno would try it too and he would be like ‘wow, just when i thought i couldn’t like her more than i already do’ 

one day, there’s a winter ball at your university and he asks you to be his date which you accepted. that night, he ended up confessing and you guys became a couple. 

he hang outs a lot at your apartment and become really good friends with your roommates. 

imagine at a basketball match and he comes and gives you a quick peck on your cheeks before the match starts. that will have everyone swooning oml. 

-------------------------

thank you for requesting bby ! have a beautiful day/night <3 

[dimensionslip]

Translation + Analysis of Sylvain and Felix’s Paired Endings

Covering both their AM and non-AM endings, originally posted on Twitter.

Bonus: Discussion about Felix’s Meandering Sword title.

Azure Moon Paired Ending

HONESTLY I FEEL I SHOULD JUST PACK MY BAGS AND GO... The JP version has plenty of subtext but the EN version just blows stuff outta water and takes the lines further than what the JP version already has.

I personally am incapable of topping the way they handled everything and my translation feels so watered down, even if it's pretty close to what the original actually is, ahaha. But I think the JP version is still worth a look, considering how EN glossed over some details in favor of being more romantic, in a way?

One is the specificity of when Sylvain took the Margrave title (aka after his father died). Another is detailing the existence of a Gautier castle, and the detailing of what these two actually did with regard to this "relentless game of one-upmanship."

Like so:

Felix, visiting Sylvain: "/Fuck/ you" Sylvain, visiting Felix: "Fuck /you/"

Or so I imagine it, aha. But yeah, in other regards, the localization really ran away with the wording in JP, notably with "Each led a busy life, but that only seemed to enhance their friendship over the years." and "as if conceding that one could not live without the other."

The JP version did not go that far. Maybe the localization team has a pet bias for Sylvix...? I don't think the changes are unwarranted in any case, it adds a lot of nice flavor to the text!

Friendzoned as they are in this ending card, we all know that's FE code for "yes they were very gay for each other" so take the ending as you will!

Non-AM Paired Ending

THERE'S NO HAPPINESS TO BE FOUND IN THIS ENDING it just tore my heart into a million pieces and I'm--ahem, okay, let me try to get this show on the road before I start crying needlessly over this ending again.

In contrast to the way the localization handled Sylvain and Felix's AM paired ending, they decided to go with a more subdued route in the localization, but the original JP just has so much depressing meat in it that's interesting to poke at, so here goes...!

「捨てる」 (suteru = to throw away/discard/abandon), I feel is such a strong word to use, though that's in part to my personal associations with the word, perhaps. That verb can definitely be used in relation to renouncing one's title, and is not unnatural at all in that context!

But as a common verb, I just often associate it with "throwing away trash" so it just hurt me in a weird way, but that's probably just me. A friend associates it with "letting go", which I think is a more eloquent way to put what I feel about the use of this word here.

Felix, having chosen this path as a wandering swordsman, has no need of his noble title any more. A noble title symbolic of his connection to Dimitri, who had passed away during the course of the war Felix has fought and lived through.

Felix is a vassal without a liege, a shield with no one to protect. This course of action he takes seems to imply that he thinks there's no point to becoming "Duke Fraldarius" or the "Shield of Faerghus" in a route where Dimitri is dead.

So instead, Felix severs his ties with it--his past, his supposed destiny. Left it behind to seek a place where he could die, just as a ronin might do without his master. A matter that is similarly referenced in his non-AM ending with Mercedes.

I am using samurai references here again because in JP, Felix is a walking samurai trope. He usually speaks like one in battles and in reference to seeking worthy opponents, which kinda comes off as pretty edgy at times.

I mean, all those flowery references to his blade and cutting people down and swordsmen can sound pretty extra in my honest opinion, but that's a tangent.

And speaking of Felix fitting the ronin archetype, "Meandering Sword" is written as 「流浪の剣」(rurou no ken) which has the 「浪」 in ronin, which is written as 「浪人」. Take that as you will.

Digging in even deeper, the kanji 「浪」 is the character for wave, and for me it evokes the feeling of being adrift, of going where the tide takes you. It definitely is the root for a lot of words that have to do with the word "wandering".

In fact, my alternative way of translating his title is "Wandering Sword". Which I think is more telling of what he did after he abandoned his noble title and the kind of occupation he took, but admittedly "meandering" has a pretty sweet ring to it that does seem appropriate in this context.

Also, I'm probably reaching so hard, but his title in JP, "Rurou no Ken", sounds a lot like "Rurouni Kenshin", an old, classic manga and anime series about a swordsman that takes up a life of vagrancy after his bloody involvement in a "war" of a kind (revolution, in his case).

Though Kenshin's and Felix's paths differ wildly, especially with Kenshin's vow not to take another life, I can't help but wonder if Felix's title is an ironic nod to that... especially when I tend to presume that Felix living by his sword means he uses it to protect people.

Despite the whole mercenary deal, I feel one condition that Felix attaches to his jobs is that it has to be in line with protecting the weak and innocent. But that's all in the realm of headcanon!

But yeah, waxing poetic about Felix's end card title aside, some lines were cut and changed, I think the most notable here is "ten-odd years" became "decades later" in English. Also, EN chopped off the part about how happy Sylvain and Felix were to be reunited.

Probably because it leads right into Felix leaving anyway and them never meeting each other again, the way it was phrased in JP made them sound so star-crossed that it really, really hurts to think about.

The way they just drop 「運命」(unmei) right there... like it's destiny that they are not to meet again after that reunion... it's just really crushing to read.

Then the last part just twists the knife right in, with Felix's sword making it back to Sylvain a few years later. In the context of this story, there's only one way to read this.

Felix, the meandering sword without a master, has found a place to die. His sword is a memento, all that's left to pass on to those who yet live.

As to whether Felix himself asked that his sword be brought back to Sylvain, or if whoever got hold of it knew it's got to go to Sylvain, we'll never know, but the fact is, the sword makes it back to Sylvain.

Which is oddly touching when you think about the fact that, for a wandering swordsman like Felix, his sword is his most precious possession. It didn't find its way back to Fraldarius territory, to where his uncle or relatives are likely still are.

It found its way back to /Sylvain/, who, perhaps, always held a certain torch for Felix this whole time. Watching, hoping their paths would cross again despite Felix's willingness to just leave him after their reunion. But fate has other plans, and all Sylvain has left of Felix is this sword bequeathed to him. Perhaps, a will, you can even say. Or a sentiment Felix has never been able to properly return in his lifetime.

This is Sylvain and Felix's tragic love story in this route. A story of parting, fleeting happiness, and a promise broken. All that's left for Sylvain now, is to either follow after Felix or carry on by his lonesome, with Felix's sword by his side.

Original Posts:

AM Ending: https://twitter.com/slip_fe3h/status/1205817451595722754

Non-AM Ending: https://twitter.com/slip_fe3h/status/1206000144929345536

[enslinporter]

Kei Kagemiya (Dankira)

Just bought a new sketch pad last month. I grew up on a good local brand whose quality declined over time that erasures and layering can damage the paper. Couldn't find a good alternative, so I kind of lost interest drawing on paper. Then I found the Canson A5 pad 13 years ago and loved it. I only recently knew of Canson's spiral-bound version of their 9x12 size. I've been on an art slump for some 2-3 years, and I hope to get my groove back with this new Canson sketch pad I bought. 😃

For my first artwork on this drawing paper, I chose my fave Kei Kagemiya of the Étoile group from Dankira. If you're not familiar, DANKIRA!!! - Boys, be DANCING! is a rhythm game/visual novel mobile game made by Konami. It's a lot of fun. Do check it out! The game is free on Android and iOS. You'd have to look up QooApp by the way because you won't be able to download the games directly from the store due to region.

Art-wise, the colors are "adhering" to the paper. Layering is good, paper doesn't get damaged. Blending with school-grade pencils (Maped, Pentel, Stabilo, Faber) is good. I'm excited to try my Prismacolors & Derwent next time which I think will blend much better. The paper has nice texture too. That's one of my fave things with drawing on paper, the feel and texture of it and layering. 🥰 Blaming @narakunonish for getting me to play the game, and I have to say it's a load of fun! 🤩

deviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/hirokada/art/Kei-Kagemiya-Dankira-870415163 pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/87806579 ~ hirokada ~

[daybreak-delusion]

Chapter 6

Introduction: Whitney Goodwinson was planning on inheriting one of her deceased grandmother's properties, but not a little house off the coast of North Carolina.  As she struggles to meet new people, fix up her new property, deal with troublemaker JJ Maybank, and perfect her grandmother's infamous lemonade, she might just find that the Outer Banks has more to offer than it seems. 

Series Masterlist 

Previous Chapter

I was trying to keep up with Sarah’s pace as she headed towards a stone path lined with rose bushes away from the lights and noise of the country club. The smell of salt was starting to get stronger so I could only assume that we were headed towards the beach. 

“God, I thought we’d never hear the end of what hook to use for deep sea fishing,” said Sarah, annoyance in her voice. As we kept walking on the path the beach came into view. It would have been a dark night but there were no clouds in the sky and the moon was full and making the ocean light up. 

“Um look Sarah it was nice to meet you and everything, but what are we doing?” I asked, starting to get a little weird out. I had just met this girl a little over an hour ago and for half of the time that I knew her I thought she hated me. 

“We’re just walking to the Lemon House,” she said nonchalantly.  

“We’re walking!?” 

“Hey it’s good exercise and I could tell that you would rather walk home than get in a car with my brother again,” she said now heading towards the general direction on the house.

“Very true, I just don’t think he likes me that much,” I said. 

“Ha consider yourself lucky, then you’d actually have to talk to him.”

“I’m good I don't think I can talk about fishing anymore after tonight.” We were walking along the shore now en route to the Lemon House. 

“Oh my god, that’s what my whole life is and it’s only gotten worse since he’s gotten back from college.” 

“I truly do feel bad for you.” 

“Don’t be, they’re my family. I have to love them.” 

“Yeah I guess, families are weird, mine thinks that every conversation needs to include an argument, mainly about the person they’re sleeping with.” 

“Wow hold on, your family discusses that with you in the room?”

“Yeah my family has messed up morals, but like you said have to love them.” 

“Geez that’s awful,” she said. As we walked I looked over to the ocean, mesmerized by the way the moonlight reflected on the water. 

“So did you mean what you said about the Killer Whales at SeaWorld?” Sarah asked, pulling me away from the view of the water.

“Oh, that’s not even the half of it,” was the beginning of my rant about ocean life, after that we talked more about other environmental issues. The rainforest, oil spills, and illegal hunting. 

“I mean it’s disgusting what those stupid clown people do to those poor animals,” Sarah continued throwing her hands in the air. 

“I know! Did you know that in Germany they started using holograms instead of real animals in their circuses, it’s an amazing show.” 

“Wait have you been?”

“Yeah we went last summer with my grandmother, she was all about keeping things eco-friendly.”

“She sounds like a great lady,” Sarah says, “Everyone was really upset about her passing.” 

“Yeah I didn’t realize the impact she had here, JJ was telling me about it.” 

“Wait JJ,” she said turning to look at me with a confused look on her face, “JJ Maybank? When did you meet him?” 

“Oh he was mowing my lawn this morning, apparently he works for me now. Do you know him?” 

“Oh yeah I do, I mean I don’t think we're considered besties more like acquaintances. He’s practically brothers with my boyfriend.” 

“Interesting. Now please correct me if I’m wrong, but aren't you technically a Kook and JJ’s a Pouge? So how did you two become friends or I mean acquaintances with him?” 

“Ah oh my god, do I have a story for you, Whitney.” So as we were starting to pass what I could only assume were Kook mansions Sarah explained the story of the Royal Merchant and how her and her Scooby gang tried to find it. Unfortunately, the trail dried up and the treasure was never found. 

“Then after we were shot at by that old hag it turns out there was nothing down there in the first place. Everyone was crushed about it. I thought John B would never recover, he stayed cooped up in his house for like two weeks I don’t even know if he ate anything. He looked like a ghost when he finally left his room.” 

John B had been Sarah’s boyfriend since their adventure into the archives at their local university. It was a cute story and brought to light why the Camerons had gone silent at the mention of Sarah’s friends. They don't really approve of the relationship or her new friends but were too proud to admit their opinions. 

“Wait I thought he was staying at your house?” 

“He was until his uncle finally showed up after hearing the news about John B. He talked to Child Services then John B and his uncle moved back to the chateau. Ever since John B turned 18 though his uncle moved out and JJ moved in with him.” 

“Wow, I thought stories like that only happened in movies or poorly written Netflix originals.” 

“Nah it’s a big deal around here and for real don't joke about it, two mainlanders died when the trail was hot.” 

“Oh my god, seriously? That’s insane.” 

“Tell me about it, that week was both the best and worst week of my life,” she said with distraught in her voice. 

“Geez, you guys have been through so much. I can’t believe JJ actually almost went to jail.” 

“Oh yeah that was the weirdest part we were all nervous about his bail, but it was paid for anonymously.” 

“Wait what? Who just decides to pay 30K for some kid to get out of jail?”

“I don’t know, but I swear even after someone gave him the biggest break of the century he hasn't changed a bit. He’s still reckless and still doesn't give a shit about his future.” 

“God that’s kinda insensitive, on his part I mean. I don’t know if it’s morally ethical for me to keep him as my gardener.”

“Don't get me wrong he’s kinda clueless and illogical but he's the hardest worker I know.” 

“I hope so.” The longer I’ve known JJ the more I didn’t know about him. He seemed to have a reputation as a vulgar troublemaker. Why did Grandmother trust him? And why should I? 

“Here we are,” said Sarah as the Lemon House came into view in all of its yellow glory. 

“Wait how are you gonna get home?” I asked the realization that she did not have a car or bike hitting me. 

“Oh don’t worry I’m actually going to head to John B’s house, he lives just a bit over from you.”

“Ahh is that why you really wanted to walk me home?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. 

“Of course not, it’s not like my parents told me I couldn't see my boyfriend tonight and saw an opportunity to see him and took it,” she said batting her eyelashes. 

“Sure, anyways thanks for saving me from another ‘super interesting’ car ride with Rafe.” 

“No problem and Whitney for real don’t worry about JJ he loved working for your grandma and probably won't screw you over.” 

“Thanks Sarah very reassuring, don’t have too much fun with John B, okay?” 

“Hey no promises,” she said with amusement in her voice, “Well until we meet again miss Whitney!” she said in a terrible British accent. 

“Until then!” I replied, throwing in a curtsy. 

As she disappeared into a grove of trees I turned to the path that lead to the house. I had just met Sarah a little less than three hours ago, but I could tell we were going to be good friends. She was carefree and easygoing unlike my few “friends” back home. She also gave me some very good insight into her and her friends' background, especially JJ. They had all been through a lot and I know this was selfish of me to think, but that probably meant they didn’t take too well to outsiders. Still, it couldn't hurt to try to make friends.

a/n: like for real how sad would it have been if John B didn’t find anything in the basement? It would have been uber depressing. Also pls don’t get mad at my jest at the Netflix writers, it’s all fun and games. Anyways I promise JJ comes back in the next chapter! Thank you so much for reading it really means the world to me that people are actually reading what I am writing! Next Chapter up shortly!