#Danny Swain

[agendaculturaldelima]

   #ProyeccionDeVida

🎬 “LAS VIRGENES SUICIDAS” [The Virgin Suicides]

🔎 Género: Drama

⌛️ Duración: 97 minutos

✍️ Guión: Sofia Coppola

📚 Novela: Jeffrey Eugenides

🎵 Música: Brian Reitzell

📷 Fotografía: Corine Day

🗯 Argumento: A mediados de la década del setenta, en un barrio residencial de una ciudad americana vive en perfecta armonía la familia Lisbon. Todos los chicos suspiran por las cinco hermanas; sin embargo, ese paraíso se desmorona cuando Cecilia, la menor, se suicida a los doce años. ¿Cómo puede convivir la belleza más pura con una macabra historia adolescente? Ésta es la pregunta que persigue a uno de aquellos adolescentes que, ya en su madurez, aún no ha podido olvidar los sucesos ocurridos veinte años antes.

👥 Reparto: James Woods (Ronald Lisbon), Kathleen Turner (Mrs. Lisbon), Kirsten Dunst (Lux Lisbon), Andrea Joy Cook (Mary Lisbon), Hanna Hall (Cecilia Lisbon), Leslie Hayman (Therese Lisbon), Chelse Swain (Bonnie Lisbon), Jonathan Tucker (Tim Weiner), Noah Shebib (Parkie Denton), Anthony DeSimone (Chase Buell), Lee Kagan (David Barker), Robert Schwartzman (Paul Baldino), Josh Hartnett (Trip Fontaine, enamorado de Lux), Michael Paré (Trip Fontaine de mayor), Scott Glenn (Padre Moody), Danny DeVito (Dr. Horniker, psiquiatra) y Hayden Christensen (Jake Hill Conley).

📢 Dirección: Sofia Coppola

© Productoras: American Zoetrope, Muse Productions & Eternity Pictures.

📼 Distribuidora: Paramount Classics

🌎 País: Estados Unidos

📅 Año: 1999

📽 Proyección:

📆 Jueves 27 de Febrero

🕗 8:00pm.

🎦 Cine Caleta (calle Aurelio de Souza 225 - Barranco)

🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️ Ingreso libre

🙂 A tener en cuenta: Prohibido el ingreso de bebidas y comidas. 🌳💚🌻🌛

[valyrra]

characters on which I obsessed over throughout my life (which I can remember rn/random list), kinda wip

Vittorio Scaletta, Lincoln Clay, Alex Mercer, Akande Ogundimu, Siebren De Kuiper, Junker Queen, Gabriel Reyes, Rammatra, Moira O'Deorain, Micah Bell, Dutch Van Der Linde, Vaas Montenegro, Alucard (Hellsing), Garrus Vakarian, Thane Krios, Liam Kosta, Ratonhnhaké:ton (Connor/AC:3), Edward Kenway (AC:BF), Illidan Stormrage, Khadgar, Vol'Jin, Garrosh Hellscream, Nathanos Blightcaller, Lich King (Arthas Menethil), Alcina Dimitrescu, Caleb Quinn (Deathslinger), Carmina Mora (The Artist), Albert Wesker, Ghostface (Billy Loomis/Danny Johnson/Jed Olsen), Homelander, Billy Butcher, Trevor Philips, Winter Soldier, Johnny Silverhand, River Ward, Solomon Reed, Jackie Welles, Adam Smasher, TF2 Scout, Grand Regent Thragg, Omni-Man, Bi-Han, General Shao, Kano, Sareena, Lord Raiden, Kung Lao, Geras, Sindel, Havik, Quan Chi, Liu Kang (tbh the whole mk rooster), Benny Gecko, John Hancock, The Ghoul, Nick Valentine, Alan Wake/Mr Scratch, Kylo Ren, Gendo Ikari, Vincent Fabron (Chamber), KAY/O, Varun Batra (Harbor), Tala Nicole Dimaapi Valdez (Neon), Erik Torsten (Breach) (Valorant), Fuse, Octane, Revenant (APEX), Jhin, Draven, Swain (before rework tf), Victor (LoL), Troll Warlord, Invoker, Anti-Mage (Dota2), Vergil, Nico, V (DMC), Halsin, Wyll Ravengard, Minthara, The Emperor (BG3), Draco Malfoy, Ominis Gaunt, Sebastian Sallow, Natsai Onai, Miguel O'Hara, Saitama, Ryan Lucan (LiS: True Colors), Anders, Zevran, Dorian (DA), Azog the Defiler, Ichiban Kasuga, Zhao Tianyou, Kratos (GoW), Frank Woods, Ghost (CoD), Negan, Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex, Aemond Targaryen (HOTD), John 117 (Halo), Lash (DL), Blackwall (DAII), Darius (LoL), Ambessa (Arcane), Thanos (MCU), Falcon (MCU)

[scriptwriters-network]

Writer, Producer and Director Marc Clebanoff on Dec 14th - Tomorrow!

This virtual event will provide valuable insights and tips on crafting compelling scripts for film and television production, including, the intricacies of developing unique characters, a strong premise and story, finding your voice, exploring script development and the writer’s vision.

Marc Clebanoff, a graduate of the USC School of Cinema/Television, began his career at 20th Century Fox Television before moving onto a feature development position at USA Films (now Focus Features) under the award winning director of Nurse Betty and Lakeview Terrace Neil Labute. In 2004 Clebanoff founded Odyssey Motion Pictures, which evolved into a Global Sales Agency in 2011 and has a presence annually at the American Film Market, the European Film Market in Berlin, the Cannes Film Market in France, and more.

Clebanoff spent two years (2006-2008) consulting for Quentin Tarantino’s indie motorcycle flick HELL RIDE, which premiered at Sundance in 2008. Clebanoff has produced and/or directed a gamut of award-winning independent films including action noir triller BREAK, which featured one of the final performances of acting icon David Carradine, family comedy GERALD, starring Louis Mandylor & Mickey Rooney, which garnered him his first Best Director award, POUND OF FLESH, starring Malcolm McDowell, which had its Showtime cable premiere in 2011, TV pilot ELWOOD starring Ron Perlman, Laura Harring & Michael Rooker, action thriller DARKNESS DESCENDS starring Danny Trejo, supernatural thriller THE MOURNING starring Louis Mandylor & Dominique Swain, and crime drama STAKEOUT starring Jeremy Sumpter & Oscar Nominee Tom Berenger.

More info.

[goalhofer]

Top 10 NHL point scorers by draft: 1968

10: Steve Andrascik; 11th overall, Detroit (0) 9: Garry Swain; 4th overall, Pittsburgh (2) 8: Danny Schock; 12th overall, Boston (3) 7: Ron Snell; 14th overall, Pittsburgh (5) 6: Gary Edwards; 6th overall, St. Louis (7) 5: Michel Plasse; 1st overall, Montreal (9) 4: Brad Selwood; 10th overall, Toronto (47) 3: Henry Morrison; 8th overall, Philadelphia (91) 2: John Marks; 9th overall, Chicago (289) 1: Curt Bennett; 16th overall, St. Louis (336)

[turisiancom]

TURISIAN.com - Pentas kolosal yang menghebohkan bertajuk Sabang Merauke Pahlawan Nusantara bakal menyapa penonton. Berlangsung di JIExpo Theater, Jakarta pada tanggal 19-20 Agustus 2023 mendatang event ini akan mengusung semangat kemerdekaan. Dalam sorotan karya megah ini, deretan musisi dan seniman ternama lintas genre dan generasi telah bersatu untuk menjalani sesi latihan intensif. Mulai dari Cantika Abigail, hingga maestro penata musik Dian Hadipranowo (Dian HP). Semua bahu-membahu dalam menciptakan momentum teatrikal yang mengesankan. BACA JUGA: Angklung Terbesar Dunia Akhirnya Pecahkan Rekor Guinness World Records Studio gemilang The Resonanz di Jakarta Selatan menjadi tempat latihan para seniman ini. Gelaran yang dipersembahkan oleh iForte dan BCA ini tidak hanya menjanjikan hiburan semata. Tetapi juga menjadi sarana memperkenalkan keberagaman budaya Nusantara. Sejumlah nama besar dalam dunia musik dan seni turut mengambil bagian. Memberikan keyakinan akan kualitas dan keberagaman yang ditampilkan. BACA JUGA: Java Balloon Attraction 2023 Jadi Festival Keren yang Ditunggu-tunggu, Ini Harga Tiketnya Cantika Abigail, satu dari tiga kekuatan dalam trio GAC, membagikan antusiasmenya bahwa dirinya  sangat bersemangat bisa terlibat di sini. "Menurutku ini pertunjukan yang keren, karena mengenalkan kekayaan budaya Indonesia lewat sebuah pagelaran spektakuler dan sangat menghibur," ujarnya. Suara emasnya akan bersatu dengan penyanyi-penyanyi berbakat lainnya seperti Isyana Sarasvati, Swain Mahisa, Alsant Nababan, dan banyak lagi. Bukan hanya sebagai penyanyi, Isyana Sarasvati turut meramaikan panggung dengan keahlian vokal yang memukau. BACA JUGA: Festival Sepekan Tamansuruh, Pesona Tradisi di Kaki Gunung Ijen Legenda di Bidang Musik Lalu, Swain Mahisa dan Alsant Nababan juga telah bergabung dalam latihan, menambahkan sentuhan luar biasa pada harmoni kolektif ini. Namun, tidak hanya para penyanyi yang memperkaya pertunjukan ini. Dian Hadipranowo (Dian HP), seorang legenda di bidang penata musik, memainkan peran kunci sebagai pengarah musik. Kolaborasi luar biasa ini tidak hanya melibatkan musisi dari era modern, tetapi juga menghadirkan kekayaan musik tradisional. Dian HP akan meramu musik yang akan mengiringi aksi panggung, termasuk tari-tarian dan parade busana etnik Indonesia. BACA JUGA: Tari Guel Aceh Padukan Seni Tari, Sastra, dan Musik dengan Filosofi yang Tinggi Kolaborasi juga terlihat dalam bagian tari-tarian yang memukau. Lebih dari 200 penari daerah telah berlatih dengan penuh dedikasi selama sebulan penuh di Yogyakarta. Mereka siap memberikan penampilan yang menggetarkan dan memukau para penonton. Masih ada lagi, yakni aspek visual dan koreografi juga telah dirancang dengan sangat cermat. Nama-nama seperti Sandhidea Cahyo Narpati, Pulung Jati, Dian Bokir, dan Rizqy Dhafin memberikan kontribusi luar biasa dalam mempersiapkan tampilan visual yang memukau mata. Dalam lini busana, karya-karya indah dari desainer kenamaan Tanah Air akan memperkaya penampilan panggung. BACA JUGA: Inilah Jadwal Konser dan Festival Musik di Indonesia Sepanjang 2023! Memamerkan Koleksi Terbaik Nama-nama seperti Ivan Gunawan, Era Soekamto, Danny Satriadi, dan lainnya akan memamerkan koleksi terbaik dengan sentuhan etnik Indonesia yang khas. Pentas megah "Sabang Merauke Pahlawan Nusantara" bukan hanya sekadar pertunjukan. Ia adalah suatu persembahan budaya yang menceritakan perjuangan pahlawan-pahlawan bangsa. BACA JUGA: Sriwijaya Lantern Festival 2023, Menghadirkan Berbagai ‘Gimmick’ Menarik Kolaborasi harmonis antara musik, tarian, dan busana akan menghasilkan pagelaran yang tak terlupakan. Jika Anda ingin menyaksikan sendiri keindahan dan keberagaman budaya Nusantara yang disajikan dalam pertunjukan ini, tiket tersedia secara online melalui laman Blibli dan BCA.id. Saksikanlah gemerlapnya Sabang Merauke "Pahlawan Nusantara," di mana keindahan budaya menjadi sorotan utama dalam pagelaran yang megah.

[beauty-in-vein]

“It’s always sunny in Noxus.”

[msfilmdiary]

The Virgin Suicides (2000)

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook, Hanna R. Hall, Chelse Swain, Leslie Hayman, Josh Hartnett, Hayden Christensen, Robert Schwartzman, Lee Kagan, Kathleen Turner, James Woods, Jonathan Tucker, Joe Dinicol, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pare, Scott Glenn, and Danny DeVito

Screenplay by Sofia Coppola

Directed by Sofia Coppola

Cinematography by Edward Lachman 

I do not own any of the photos posted. 

SPOILERS AHEAD 

This film is not about who the Lisbon girls were. The film was about the perspective in which the teenage boys saw them. 

Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut The Virgin Suicides is a dreamy and whimsical perspective of teenage and religious escapism. The Virgin Suicides is narrated by an adult who speaks for the boys in a Michigan suburban neighborhood 25 years after the suicides of the Lisbon girls–Therese, Mary, Bonnie, Lux, and Cecelia. These boys, who remain anonymous throughout the film, are mesmerized by the Lisbon girls. 

Cecelia, the youngest of the girls, is the first to go. After attempting suicide by slitting her wrists in the bathtub and later succeeding by jumping from her second-story window onto a fence below, the Lisbon girls, as their parents notice, slowly began to fade. 

Lux is perhaps the most dazzling of the sisters, and also the most rebellious. When school begins, she begins a secret romance with school heartthrob Trip Fontaine, who negotiates with the strict Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon in order to take Lux and her sisters to the school homecoming dance. After Lux and Trip win homecoming king and queen, Trip convinces Lux to take a walk with him on the football field, where she ultimately ends up losing her virginity. Trip abandons Lux in her sleep thereafter, and they never speak again. She wakes up alone, in the middle of the school’s football field, breaking curfew. Trip, the adult narrator states, “I liked her a lot. But out there on the football field, it was different.” Trip ultimately decided to leave because the sex was not what he had imagined for both him and Lux. She wakes up the next morning to take a taxi home. 

After this, the girls are confined to the walls of their bedrooms by their parents. The boys watch them through a telescope, and communicate with them through morse code and later a telephone. There are many beautiful shots of the girls lying in their rooms, reading, talking, and communicating with the neighborhood boys. This is when the girls are no longer themselves, but instead what the boys view them as. These scenes are beautiful because the boys see their beauty, more than anything else. 

TW: suicide 

The boys later visit the house as directed by the girls through a letter, and speak to Lux. They are invited inside under the presumption that they are to help the girls’ escape and begin to start exploring out of curiosity. They stumble across Bonnie’s hanging body in the basement and begin to flee. The boys then encounter a dead Mary in the kitchen and realized that the girls had made a suicide pact. The girls’ death symbolized who they were. Bonnie had hanged herself, Mary had stuck her head in the gas oven, Therese had overdosed on sleeping pills, and Lux had died of carbon monoxide poisoning by sealing the garage shut and leaving the engine running. They each died in different ways, and by different attempts, but in the end, they all ended up in the same place. It shows that each of the girls was different, but ultimately, were viewed as the same by those who they encountered.

I think this film is remembered for its beauty rather than the actual story. The girls’ mother is a hysteric Catholic terrified of her daughters’ budding sexuality that she adds cloth to their homecoming dresses until they appear as “four identical sacks.” Their father has good means when it comes to the girls, but is ultimately useless for the girls’ wellbeing. However, I do not believe this is what drove the girls to their death.  

The boys never truly saw the girls for who they were. They never saw their pain and emotional torment from their isolated home life. The boys saw the Lisbon girls as unflawed and perfect creatures, which is what they’re depicted as in the film. 

Sofia Coppola is content with the means of mystery when it comes to her films. Because we have an unreliable narrator that tells the story of the Lisbon girls, we can never truly know why they committed suicide. The lack of explanation is the whole point of the story: the girls were never truly known for who they were, but instead what they were ultimately viewed as; perfection. 

The film is beautiful over everything else because the boys saw nothing but the Lisbon girls’ beauty. Even in Cecelia’s death and the remaining girls’ suicides, it was beautiful because that’s what the story truly is. The story is tedious and captivating, but not entirely real, just like the girl’s lives. 

This is not to say that the girls’ aren’t real nonetheless, they are instead a form of idealism that encaptured the boys around them. That’s why I believe the film is beautiful and encapsulating, not only because that’s what the Lisbon girls’ were viewed as, but even in death, that’s what they were. 

Overall rating: 8/10

[90smovies]

The Virgin Suicides

[runeterrankhaleesi]

Upcoming Works

Dead by Daylight:

{NSFW} Kinktober Scenario Prompt #21 [Edging/Orgasm Denial] and #31 [Leather] of Danny Johnson/Ghostface with an AFAB s/o

League of Legends:

{NSFW} Kinktober Scenario Prompt #4 [Thigh Riding] of Swain with a Gender Neutral s/o

[notlikethemoviess]

The Virgin Suicides (1999) dir. Sofia Coppola

[jean--claude]

Jin Swain and Danny Coomber drifting their Triumph into Druids at Brands Hatch in 1965

[scriptwriters-network]

Writer, Producer and Director Marc Clebanoff on Dec 14th - Saturday!

This virtual event will provide valuable insights and tips on crafting compelling scripts for film and television production, including, the intricacies of developing unique characters, a strong premise and story, finding your voice, exploring script development and the writer’s vision.

Marc Clebanoff, a graduate of the USC School of Cinema/Television, began his career at 20th Century Fox Television before moving onto a feature development position at USA Films (now Focus Features) under the award winning director of Nurse Betty and Lakeview Terrace Neil Labute. In 2004 Clebanoff founded Odyssey Motion Pictures, which evolved into a Global Sales Agency in 2011 and has a presence annually at the American Film Market, the European Film Market in Berlin, the Cannes Film Market in France, and more.

Clebanoff spent two years (2006-2008) consulting for Quentin Tarantino’s indie motorcycle flick HELL RIDE, which premiered at Sundance in 2008. Clebanoff has produced and/or directed a gamut of award-winning independent films including action noir triller BREAK, which featured one of the final performances of acting icon David Carradine, family comedy GERALD, starring Louis Mandylor & Mickey Rooney, which garnered him his first Best Director award, POUND OF FLESH, starring Malcolm McDowell, which had its Showtime cable premiere in 2011, TV pilot ELWOOD starring Ron Perlman, Laura Harring & Michael Rooker, action thriller DARKNESS DESCENDS starring Danny Trejo, supernatural thriller THE MOURNING starring Louis Mandylor & Dominique Swain, and crime drama STAKEOUT starring Jeremy Sumpter & Oscar Nominee Tom Berenger.

More info.

[thediaryofatheatrekid]

Casting Goals: Beauty and the Beast

We need a Beauty and the Beast revival when Broadway reopens. I want to see a big, lavish Disney musical on Broadway that also has a great score and book.

Brittney Johnson as Belle

Jordan Donica as The Beast

Casey Garvin as Gaston

Michael Berresse as Lumière

Robin de Jesús as Cogsworth

Ruthie Ann Miles as Mrs. Potts

Victor Garber as Maurice

Thayne Jasperson as Lefou

Michele McConnell as Madame de la Grande Bouche

Alok Tewari as Monsieur D'Arque/Ensemble (Cogsworth u/s)

Sharone Sayegh as Babette

Ahmad Simmons as Ensemble

Ashley De La Rosa as Ensemble (Babette u/s)

Blaine Alden Krauss as Ensemble (Gaston u/s, Lumière u/s)

Cailen Fu as Silly Girl/Ensemble (Belle u/s)

Courtnee Carter as Ensemble

Daisy Hobbs as Ensemble (Mrs. Potts u/s, Madame de la Grande Bouche u/s)

Daryl Tofa as Ensemble

Giuseppe Bausilio as Ensemble

Grace Chapman as Silly Girl/Ensemble (Belle u/s)

Hayden Milanés as Ensemble (Beast u/s)

Ioana Alfonso as Ensemble

Jake Swain as Ensemble

Jodi McFadden as Ensemble

Josh Drake as Ensemble

Katie Ladner as Silly Girl/Ensemble (Madame de la Grande Bouche u/s)

Katie Terza as Ensemble

Marcus Choi as Ensemble (Lumière u/s, Maurice u/s)

Pedro Garza as Ensemble (Lefou u/s)

Sara Gonzales as Ensemble (Mrs. Potts u/s)

Sasha Hollinger as Ensemble

Zal Owen as Ensemble

Zurin Villanueva as Ensemble (Babette u/s)

Aaron Alcarez as Swing (Lefou u/s)

Ahmad Maksoud as Swing (Gaston u/s)

Ixchel Cuellar as Swing

Maria Briggs as Swing

Micaela Martinez as Swing

Pomme Koch as Swing (Cogsworth u/s, D’Arque u/s)

Leo Roberts as Beast Standby

Honorable Mentions: Aisha Jackson as Belle Audra McDonald as Mrs. Potts Danny Burstein as Maurice David Bedella as Lumière

[goalhofer]

Top 10 NHL assist leaders by draft: 1968

10: Steve Andrascik; 11th overall, Detroit (0) 9: Garry Swain; 4th overall, Pittsburgh (1) 8: Ron Snell; 14th overal, Pittsburgh (2) 7: Danny Schock; 12th overall, Boston (2) 6: Gary Edwards; 6th overall, St. Louis (7) 5: Michel Plasse; 1st overall, Montreal (9) 4: Brad Selwood; 10th overall, Toronto (40) 3: Henry Morrison; 8th overall, Philadelphia (52) 2: John Marks; 9th overall, Chicago (172) 1: Curt Bennett; 16th overall, St. Louis (183)

[everymovie2020]

Tart (2001)

Date watched:  18 January 2020

This is an early 2000s movie starring Dominique Swain, Brad Renfro (RIP), Mischa Barton, Lacey Chabert and Bijou Phillips.

Sidenote – I've always really liked Bijou Phillips. Please refer to the music video at the end.

Sidenote: I have that single.

Other sidenote: I just discovered she’s married to Danny Masterson and eeeeek

This movie is weird.  It's very grainy and the colouring is very dark.  I'm not sure why they've made that choice – it looks very gritty and these very pretty people don't look as pretty as they should. It's weird.

Plot:

So we're in New York at this exclusive school with a bunch of rich arseholes.

Kat (Dominique Swain) and Delilah (Bijou Phillips) are best friends.  Delilah is a bit of a wild child.  In our introduction to her, she gets her dog to go down on her.  This old lady was a bit taken aback, let me tell you.

Kat likes Brad Renfro, who is a fucking dick. She's kind of young and naïve and does not realise when she's being used, or who her true friends are. Delilah might be a bit mental but she's very much Team Kat.

Delilah gets expelled from their fancy school for something (I forget what), so Kat buddies up with Mischa Barton and her British accent, and this other chick who is a total bitch.  They shoplift and take drugs, they go to parties and generally act like privileged assholes.

One thing leads to another and Kat hooks up with Brad Renfro after "prom" (I think it was a prom of some description). She ends up taking drugs and getting drunk, and when Brad Renfro is awoken in the morning, he and another guy find her unresponsive in bed, and their answer is to carry her body to the trash chute and attempt to throw her down it – BUT thankfully she wakes up. And seems to have no idea what they were about to do to her.

It is reprehensible and a major red flag for Brad Renfro's character, let me tell you.

He then tells all of her "friends" that they had sex, she bled all over the bed and there was blood on the walls. A real prince, this guy.  He also tells them about her secret confession to him, that she's part Jewish, and this is grounds enough to shun her.

Like, the anti-Semitism came out of nowhere and took me very much by surprise.

Because nobody is talking to her and she's now a social pariah, she wants to reconcile with Delilah but Delilah is in the Hamptons with the rest of the rich crowd.  So Kat heads up there with Lacey Chabert's character, they make-up and fix their friendship and all is good between them.  Then Delilah heads off through the woods to find someone to give them a lift where she encounters Brad Renfro's character, they argue, he pushes her over and she hits her head on a rock, and when she tells him that she's going to call the police, he murders her.

And that’s the movie.

Honestly, I don't know what the point of this movie was, but I know Delilah didn't deserve to die and also, everyone is horrible and money makes people terrible.

[writingpaperghost]

Sometimes Tears Can Turn to Dreams (Chapter 3)

Chapter 3: On We Go, Into a Place We Don’t Know

It’s been a while, but Hikaru still remembers Oliver and the other world, but he’s had his mind on other things. Now business returns to usual... Until things suddenly change and he and Shou find themselves somewhere Hikaru can recognize, to some extent.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906968/chapters/65946910

It was a usual day at the UPG, calm and kinda nice. As much as HIkaru was bored when nothing was happening, it also meant that everything was safe and fine. While the occasional monster appeared, it was mostly calm. Really, the most excitement they had was the... incident, briefly, that Orb dealt with. But regardless, that brought Hikaru to now, where he was kinda... bored.

If anyone else felt that way, they weren’t doing anything to make it seem such. Of course, Hikaru was trying his best not to let his boredom show himself, so that wasn’t too surprising. Or maybe he really was the only one who was bored. Generally, it didn’t matter much, he kept himself entertained when he didn’t have anything else to do. But he finished what work he had early today, and now he didn’t really know what to do.

It was times like these when his mind would wonder, oftentimes returning that strange day in Motorville. To Oliver, the polite and kind boy who - by some means that Hikaru didn’t really understand - had magic. Magic that could heal an indescribable pain, pain that the boy had called a broken heart. Oliver and the magical world he’d become a part of, those memories never really left Hikaru, even close to four years later.

Though he’d hear from Oliver occasionally, oftentimes just to talk (”How have you been?”, “Danny made it to the State track meet!”, “You’ve met another Ultraman? That’s cool!”, and other similar such topics), sometimes, it was hard for him to believe that Oliver’s magic and that other world truly existed. But he never stopped believing in it, because he’d seen enough from Ultras and such to know that those sort of things can’t be ruled out. He hadn’t heard from Oliver in a while, but he assumed Oliver was just busy, being a kid or running around the other world.

Then again... Oliver had said he was fourteen when they met... Hmm. So maybe Oliver wasn’t really a kid anymore, he’d be about eighteen now, wouldn’t he? Hikaru did recall Oliver mentioning that he was graduating high school last time he called. Still, Hikaru knew that Oliver always tried to spend time in the other world, to help out however he could. Hikaru could easily understand that, in a way he’d done the same when he traveled around the world.

Maybe he should call Oliver himself, soon. Just to talk, like they usually did. Usually, Oliver called, but it could be a nice change of pace for Hikaru to do so. He usually waited for Oliver to call, simply because he had no way of knowing if Oliver was even in their world or if he was in the other world. So it made more sense to let Oliver call first. But maybe this time Hikaru would try to call himself.

“Hikaru?” Blinking, Hikaru sees Sakuya looking at him, a small, but confused smile on her face, “You were staring off into space.”

He returns the smile, shaking his head, “I’m fine, I was just thinking.” He adjusts his sitting position and turns to be able to see her better, “Did you need something?”

She eyes him for a moment before smiling and shaking her head, “No, you were just so lost in thought I wanted to make sure everything was okay.” She pauses a moment before continuing, “What were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about talking to a friend I made on my travels,” He responded, “It’s been a while since we talked.”

Sakuya nods, “You should!” She grinned, “I bet your friend would probably want to talk.”

He probably should make that call.

---

Hikaru never got around to calling Oliver, not that day, at least. He was going to do it today, a couple days later, but he certainly couldn’t do it right now. He and Shou were searching around a forest, there had been reports of some strange goings on. No one wanted to risk it being something like an Alien, especially if it could result in a monster attack.

As they searched the forest, they continued to find nothing strange at all. Everything was, as far as they could tell, the way it should be, seeming like not even a stone was out of place. Hikaru was beginning to think it was all a false alarm, that there was nothing in the forest to worry about.

But, since when had they ever had that good of luck? Just when Hikaru was about to suggest that they turn back, he noticed something. At first, he thought he was just imagining things. Sometimes the wind just oddly picked up and sometimes you just got odd feelings. He didn’t think that for long though, because he’d felt this before, even if it had been a few years. He could forget it, that day had a lot going on.

Still, he wasn’t positive about what he was feeling. Or more like he really didn’t want to be right. So he called to Shou, “Hey, uh, Shou?” Glancing over in the direction he thinks the strange feeling and wind might be coming from, he continues, “Do you... do you feel that?”

Shou looked over in the direction Hikaru was looking, contemplative. He furrows his brow before responding, “I’m not sure...” He looks to Hikaru, “We should investigate.”

With a nod, Hikaru joins Shou in moving closer. Before they get there, the wind dies down and the feeling.... not quite disappears, not entirely, but it lessens, far less noticeable. Still, the two continued to move, finally coming to a small clearing. In the clearing they could see the form of a person - or something close enough to a person, it was hard to tell from where they were - who wore a cloak, obscuring much of their appearance. The person had their back to them.

“Do you think that person has something to do with the odd reports?” Hikaru asked in a whisper. For some reason or other, this situation was giving him deja vu of increasing strength. He thought he knew why, but he really didn’t want that to be the case.

There was a moment of silence before Shou responded, “Possibly,” He said, “But there’s only one way to find out.”

He stands, prompting Hikaru to follow him. Shou calls to the person, “Hey, you!”

The person’s shoulders stiffened, though barely perceivable, then they shifted slightly. They turned so that they’re side was now facing the two of them, their face still mostly obscured by the hood of the cloak. Still, some of it was visible, mainly what seemed almost like a scaly sort of snout.

They seemed vaguely familiar, though since Hikaru could see only a little of the person, it was hard to say. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions (he didn’t want the conclusion he was so close to having turned out to be correct), but he couldn’t deny that what little of the person he could see seemed familiar. The whole situation seemed familiar to him, something that only seemed to fill him with increasingly more dread.

Finally, the person spoke, “You wish for my attention?” His tone was even, almost casual, as if two people weren’t confronting him in the middle of a forest. HIkaru stiffened slightly, though he tried to hide it. He recognized that voice. That recognition flipped a switch in his head, it was a confirmation of what he had feared. He’d hoped that his assumptions were wrong, but that wasn’t the case. “Well, now, you have it, don’t you?”

Hikaru quickly contemplated if he should say anything, if he should dare to grab Pictor’s attention. He didn’t seem to recognize HIkaru, if he even remembered him. Regardless, Shou didn’t seem to notice Hikaru hesitance, or if he did he simply chose to ignore it.

“Who are you?” Came Shou, eyeing Pictor, “What are you doing?”

There’s a moment of silence, Pictor seemingly eyeing them. Then, he turns to face them, his cloak moving and revealing more of him. Yes, that was definitely Pictor. His shoulders are shaking and a laugh becomes audible, “Ha! You think I owe you that?” The attitude he had seemed a bit different than the one he had when Hikaru had first encountered him, though maybe he was imagining it. “Just know, I am working towards my vision.”

His staff appeared in one of his hands and he began to draw a symbol in the air. Hikaru didn’t recall what the symbols for any of the spells he’d seen looked like, but he didn’t doubt that whatever Pictor was trying to cast, it wasn’t good. Hoping that he’d be quick enough, Hikaru wasted no time in doing the first thing that he thought of.

Tackle.

Pictor was knocked to the ground, his staff landing on the ground a foot or so away. With a grunt, he scrambled away from Hikaru, eyeing him. Hikaru quickly got back on his feet, standing. Pictor squinted at him, “You’re familiar,” He said, “Yes, we’ve met before.”

Then, quicker than Hikaru could react, Pictor grabbed his staff, stood, and hit Hikaru with it. Hikaru stumbled back into Shou who had moved closer. Pictor grumbled, “Gah, who cares!” He began to draw a symbol in the air, a different one this time, “I just need to get rid of you.”

Though he tried to tell Shou to stop him, as Hikaru was still too winded to do so again himself, Shou didn’t hear him. Not before the spell finished and a light grew around them. Hikaru had felt this feeling before, this spell. Though he couldn’t remember the symbol, the feeling was unique.

Gateway.

---

The next thing Hikaru and Shou knew, they were in some grassy fields, a few trees here and there. The next thing Hikaru noticed were the creatures, which ambled around, in no hurry. He’d seen ones like them before, though not the same, when he, Oliver, and Swaine, were traveling through the Tombstone Trail.

Which brought him to his next realization, though he wasn’t terribly surprised at that point. “I know where we are.”

Shou, still a bit shaken, looks over to him confused, “You know where we are?” He echoed, confused.

“Well not exactly,” Hikaru clarified, “Like not the specific place but... We’re in another world.”

Taking a moment, Shou responds, “Like with X and the Judas? Or Mulnau?”

With a shrug, Hikaru did his best to look around, “I guess,” Though they hadn’t caught the attention of the creatures around them yet, he didn’t doubt that they would soon. There was no guarantee that the creatures would leave them be. Were they strong enough to dissuade attacks? Hard to say, since he and Shou had limited abilities to fight when they weren't as Ginga and Victory. “We should... we should probably get out of this field.”

Glancing over at him, Shou frowns, “How come?” His eyes finally fall onto one of the creatures, who was looking at him from behind a tree. “Is it because of that small monster?”

Hikaru snaps his head up, eyes meeting with the creature. They stand there, staring at each other, Hikaru hoping that it would go away. The creature moves closer, making a small sound, sounding slightly aggressive. Then, it ran at the two of them, it’s tusks suddenly seeming very sharp.

“Yeah... I don’t think it’s very friendly.” As the creature got close to them, the two jumped out of the way. The creature ultimately ran past them, unable to adjust it’s direction. “We uh, we should probably just run from that.”

Shou nodded, and the two ran from the creature. Hikaru looked over his shoulder, seeing that the monster was charging at them again. Hikaru tried to move again, but his foot caught on a root as they were beginning to go down the hill.Normally, had they not been on a hill, Hikaru would probably have been able to recover from catching his foot. But, the hill provided a different result.

Hikaru tumbled down the hill, simply thankful that he seemed to be avoiding anything hard. When he finally tumbled to a stop, mostly because the hill had flattened, he had to take a moment to right himself. That and he was kinda dizzy from the tumble.

“Hikaru!” Shou was making his way down the hill, no longer being chased by the creature, “Are you okay?”

With a deep breath, Hikaru calls back, “Yeah, just a bit... dizzy.” He looks around, trying to orient himself. He notices something on a hill not too far from him. A city, surrounded by walls, most likely to keep the creatures out. “Hey, Shou! Look, a city!”

Now standing next to where Hikaru sat on the ground, Shou followed Hikaru’s finger. He squints then says, “It is,” He looks down at Hikaru, “We should go there.”

Nodding in response, Hikaru stands, “Yeah, hopefully we won’t draw too much attention.”

“What do you mean?” Shou frowned and the two began to walk towards the city. They were doing what they could to avoid catching the attention of any of the creatures.

Recalling when he had been brought to this world before, having the horrible luck to land in the middle of a city, HIkaru answered, “If I remember right, people in this world dress a bit differently than in ours.” A bit might be something of an understatement. “Our clothing is probably going to grab attention.”

Shou takes a moment to look at their clothing, their UPG uniforms, his brow furrowed in thought. The clothing that Victorians wore was different than what those above ground wore, but not so much so it drew attention. Unfortunately, even if Shou had been wearing that, he would probably have drawn attention too. There wasn’t much to do about that, they’d catch the attention of the citizens of the city no matter what.

Soon enough they walked into the city, well aware of all the attention they were garnering. They chose to ignore that, now that they were out of the hills, they had a safe place to try to discuss their next course of action. They had to find a way back to their world, at the very least.

Hikaru sighed, “So now we need to figure out what we do next.”

“We need to get back to our world,” Shou thinks for a moment, then seems to realize something. He gives Hikaru a look, “Wait, that person, he recognized you.”

Thinking back on it, Pictor had recognized him, maybe that was why he used Gateway instead of trying to do what he’d done before. While it was only a small surprise to Hikaru, Shou had every reason to be confused about it. “Before,” Hikaru began to explain, “When I first ended up in this world, he was the reason why.”

After mulling over his words for a few moments, Shou responds, “Well then, how did you get back to our world that time?”

“A boy sent me back,” Hikaru said, “He could probably get us back, actually.”

“Except he’d have to be here to do that.”

Looking around, Hikaru saw the various citizens in the city. There were normal humans, of course there were, but there were others. People who looked more like bipedal cats than anything else. He tried not to stare, not to make them think he was staring. “Oliver.... I know Oliver spends a lot of time in this world,” Even if he also knew that the time Oliver spent was decreasing as the boy grew older. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows of him in this world, so if we ask around, we’ll probably find him. Eventually.”

Shou lifts an eyebrow, giving Hikaru a curious look, “How can everyone in a world know of a boy?”

Chuckling slightly, Hikaru thinks about that. The most knowledge he had of that was... What? It was sort of just an impression he’d gotten, it seemed like, from what he’d seen and what he’d heard from Oliver. He might recall Oliver mentioning something about that before, but it hadn’t seemed to stuck with him. “I’m not... I’m not sure.” He said, “It just seems that way. And I guess he’s not a boy anymore.”

With a sigh, Shou responded, “Alright, let’s start asking around.”

---

It had been an average day for Oliver, he’d just finished running around doing some small bounties. He needed to restock on some supplies - he was running dreadfully low on Cappuccinos - so he made his way to the nearest town. Thus, he was in Ding Dong Dell, picking up supplies from the Couple’s shop. He was glad that their shop was still going strong, even five or so years later.

As he was paying the wife, she said something off hand, as she was counting the Guilders he’d given her, “You know, Oliver,” She placed the money in the cash register, “These two strange men were asking around about you.”

“Strange men?” He inquired, placing his supplies into his bag, “What do you mean?”

“They showed up earlier today,” She explained, “They dressed so oddly. And they’ve been asking if anyone has seen you.”

That was certainly strange but... Dressed oddly? Could it be someone from his world? But they’d have to be someone who knew him, or at least one of them would have to. And at least one of them would have to know that he came to this world. That certainly narrowed the list.

He had his suspicions as to who at least one of those people were, but the best way to find out would be to find them. “Do you know where they are now?”

She gives him something of a concerned look before answering, “I’m not entirely sure,” She said, “But the last person who mentioned them said they were over by the grave. They didn’t seem like they’d be moving anytime soon.”

Oliver gives her a smile, “Thanks!” He left, and soon was running down the streets of Ding Dong Dell, making his way to the grave. It would be a good place to have privacy, especially if you didn’t want to grab attention.

He was almost certain as to the identity of one of those oddly dressed people. Mostly because there was only one person from his world that knew about this world. So when he turned the corner into the garden the grave was situated in, he was not surprised at one of the faces he saw there.

“Mr. Hikaru!” He called, catching the attention of the taller of the two. He looked much like he did when they first met, though his clothing was much different. Since the man beside him wore the same, Oliver assumed it was the uniform on the group Mr. Hikaru had said he worked with.

Mr. Hikaru’s face lights up, a smile on his face, “Oliver!” He waves.

The man beside Hikaru tilts his head, “So this is the person you were talking about?” It feels like he’s examining Oliver so closely, Oliver almost thought that he might be looking through him.

Looking at his friend, Mr. Hikaru responds, “Right, Shou, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is Shou.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Shou,” Oliver greets, then turns to face Mr. Hikaru again, “I heard that you were looking for me. Did something happen? How did you end up here?”

The question seemed to cause him to remember something, as he looked to Mr. Shou and frowned. Then he looked back over to Oliver, “It was Pictor,” Oliver took in the few words, the tone making up for the brevity. Not that such a statement needed more words, the point was easy to convey.

“Pictor?” He echoed, “But there hasn’t been a sign of him since you first came here!”

“The person certainly recognized Hikaru,” Mr. Shou notes, glancing at Mr. Hikaru.

There’s a determined look on Mr. Hikaru’s face when he responds, “I saw him well enough to know. That was Pictor. It sounded like him, it looked like him, and he had magic.”

Truly, Oliver didn’t doubt Mr. Hikaru, but it was still unsettling. It had seemed like Pictor had just disappeared for years, but now, by chance, they knew he was still poking about. And he was in their world to boot, not this one. Though maybe that shouldn’t surprise Oliver, Pictor had been in their world when Mr. Hikaru and Oliver first encountered him. But the question still remained, what was he doing in their world? What was he trying to achieve? Should they look for him over in their world, or in this world? Both?

He frowned, “That’s not good,” He said, almost absentmindedly, “We really need to figure out what he’s trying to do.”

“Do we know if he’s dangerous?” Mr. Shou inquired, “Does he need to be stopped?”

“Maybe?” Oliver offered, “We don’t know much about what he’s doing, so it’s hard to say...”

As Oliver tried to grasp at what Pictor’s plans might be, Mr. Hikaru speaks up, “Did he want you wand, before?”

That was right, he’d try to grab Astra, not realizing that he’d misidentified it as Mornstar, “He was trying to get Mornstar, which I do have, though it’s not the wand I use. I use Astra, it’s twin. Still, they’re similar enough that he probably didn’t realize the difference.” But why did he need Mornstar? For a spell he was trying to cast? Was it simply he needed a stronger wand than the staff he already had? “It’s probably for a spell, some spells need stronger wands in order to be cast.”

The response prompted Mr. Hikaru to wonder aloud, “But what spell? What could he be trying to do?”

“Is there anyone who might have some idea?” Mr. Shou asked.

Oliver ran through his mental list of who was knowledgeable about magic. Obviously the ones who came to mind first were the Great Sages. Given how it went last time Pictor showed up, it would probably be best to go straight to Perdida and ask Khulan. Just hope that she would be able to have better luck than last time.

He nods his head, “Yeah, I think Khulan could probably help. At least, I hope she can.”

“That’s the person we went to last time, right?”

“Yep!” Oliver brought out his wand and looked to the other two, “If you’re ready, we can head to Perdida.”

Mr. Shou tilts his head, “Is it close?”

In response, Mr. Hikaru looked at him and smiled, “Nope! But Oliver has magic.”

“Travel shouldn’t feel too odd,” Oliver assured, “At least, no one has ever told me it does.”

And with that, Oliver cast Travel and they were off to Perdida.