#and given v little insight into her thoughts and interiority

[stackslip]

actually i do have something to say about this chapter and it's quite critical of it but also i'm tired tonight and i've been talking about it long and hard on discord already and putting it all together in a coherent post feels like too much of a task tonight. all i'm gonna say is that part 2 was very obviously going in a certain direction from the start, and i loved that direction, and to an extent it is still going in that direction but now very obviously missing a huge chunk of what stirred it in that direction. and i'm hesitant to simply say it's fujimoto that's dropped the ball on this (though it might the idealization, who's to say) because from the actual shape of the writing + slump in paneling/art + recent bitter interview by fujimoto + japanese audience is apparently vocally not a fan of asa + my own cursed knowledge of shounen jump and shueisha editors and how they react to a fall in sales = i think the lack of focus on asa has really hurt the themes of part 2 when she was an integral part of it + i think this wasn't entirely fujimoto's doing and it's very likely because she is apparently strongly disliked in japan and there's good reason to believe that fujimoto was told to not focus on her nearly as much bc sales slump and people complain as soon as she shows up. which sucks. becaue what made part 2 work as well as it did was the synergy and parallel between the two protagonists' paths, and the absence of asa's path in the past few months (both in universe and by real time in the comic) feels like a genuine writing and thematic and emotional hole in the comic that to me shows that she WAS supposed to be there. fujimoto had fully intended to write her in there bc there's a hole in the shape of her where she is very obviously supposed to fit. it isn't simply a question of "author forgets his female character" it's a question of "this crucial part of the manga is missing and the author is painfully aware of it and bitter about it too"

[ourcommonbowl-blog]

Never Alone Video Game

Jas, Marcus, Laurent

Description and Rationale:

After years of research and interviews, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has concluded that Canada’s treatment of aboriginals at residential schools not only disenfranchised generations from their heritage, but also, due to the physical and emotional abuse amounted to ‘cultural genocide’ (Curry & Galloway, 2015). The commission released 94 recommendations as part of a summary that entails concrete steps to improve the lives of aboriginal people in Canada. Educational reform is part of the reconciliation process and is calling on provincial education ministers to ensure the history of aboriginal Peoples, the residential school system and its legacy become part of the kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012). Never Alone, also known as Kisima Inŋitchuŋa, "I am not alone," is a puzzle-platfomer video game constructed around the tales found in the folklore of the Indigenous Alaskan people. The interactive, student-centered game is targeted towards elementary school-aged children and progresses student learning of Indigenous cultures as they master each level of difficulty. This is a valuable resource for educators because it engages school-aged children with creative visuals, embedded feedback and a powerful narrative that makes learning an authentic experience.

A platform game, or platformer, is a video game which involves guiding an avatar, the user’s graphical representation, to jump between suspended platforms and over obstacles to advance the game. These challenges are known as jumping puzzles and the goal is to avoid letting the avatar fall from platforms or miss necessary jumps.

Research studies support the constructivist view of learning, which emphasizes the active role of the learner in building understanding and making sense of information; learning is more than just receiving and processing information, students participate in their own personal construction of knowledge (Woolfolk, Winnie and Perry 2012).

The player-character is an Iñupiaq (Inuit) girl, Nuna and her Arctic fox. The player must be able swap control between Nuna and the fox when facing environmental and physical obstacles. While the fox is fast, Nuna can pick up things and open new areas using her bola; a bola is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs.

Along their journey to the source of the blizzard, Nuna and her fox encounter Indigenous folklore characters: Blizzard Man, the Little People (In Inuit mythology, the Ishigaq are little people, similar to fairies), Manslayer, the Rolling Heads, and the Sky People. The game is based on the intergenerational transference of wisdom and takes place on traditional territorial grounds of the Inupiaq people.

Never Alone is developed by Upper One Games in conjunction with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a non-profit organization that works with Indigenous groups living in Alaska's urban areas. The Council’s objective in developing this interactive video game was to “promote, share, celebrate, and extend Indigenous culture" (Matos, 2014). Furthermore, the development of an Indigenous perspective in video gaming is the First Indigenous-owned video game developer and publisher in US history"(Matos, 2014). The premise of the game is to expose Indigenous knowledge and oral histories, with a key emphasis on the importance of intergenerational story-telling. It is intended both to share the stories of Native culture as entertainment, and to revitalize interest in Alaskan Indigenous folklore. Proceeds from the game will fund the Council's education mission to funnel proceeds back into local communities for development of Indigenous resources within classrooms (Matos,2014).

The game is available on multiple platforms, including: Macintosh and PC computers, iPhone and iPad, PS3, PS4, XBoxOne, WiiU, and Nvidia Shield. The website for the game is

http://neveralonegame.com/ 

On the website one can find information about the game, how to download it, blog postings (including everything from game updates to origami fox ideas), tech support, as well as press releases.

Indigenous Knowledge:

The narrative of the game follows a story of bringing balance, restoring balance, to the environment that is mired in an “eternal blizzard.” It’s story is based around Alaskan Indigenous folklore that believes balance is restored by visiting its source. The Inupiat (Inuit) girl, and her Arctic fox companion navigate physical and geographical challenges to reach the source of the blizzard. During the obstacles, the player is exposed to the territorial and spiritual components of the Alaskan Indigenous communities; traditional territories that span Norton Sound on the Bering Sea to the Canada-United States border. Their current communities include seven Alaskan villages in the North Slope Borough, eleven villages in the Northwest Arctic Borough, and sixteen villages affiliated with the Bering Straits Regional Corporation (Craig & Taha, 1999). The Bering Straits Native Corporation, or BSNC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Bering Straits Native Corporation is a for-profit corporation with about 7,300 Alaska Native Alaska Native shareholders primarily of Inupiat, Siberian and Yupik descent (Craig & Taha, 1999). Culturally, Iñupiat are divided into two regional hunter-gatherer groups: the Tagiugmiut, "sea people," living on or near the north Alaska coast, and the Nunamiut, "land people," living in interior Alaska (Craig & Taha, 1999).

Benefits and Challenges:

The Game’s stake-holders have made a behind the scenes the making of video, you may watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yefBjvyTYM. Never Alone delivers innovative approaches to reinvigorating the teaching of aboriginal culture and celebrating the stories and mythologies of the Inupiaq people (Alaskan Inuit). Having purchased a copy from Steam, which is supporting aboriginal artists and culture, the game proved to be quite challenging at times and the experience was touching, thoughtful and beautiful to behold and really enjoyable to play. Never Alone is easily recommendable to teacher colleagues, and young people most importantly. This side-scroller adventure story follows a familiar format for those of us that grew up in the post Super Mario Brothers era (circa 1985), but it adds the more recent achievement and reward systems of more recent video games. The documentaries called rewards are cleverly labelled as Cultural Achievements, and unlocking all 24 of them provides a roughly 35 minute series of short stories / Inupiaq Culture Documentaries that instruct the player on a broad cultural survey of Inupiaq cultural practices and beliefs. These cultural insight video segments can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Iqq4_hoxk.

The decision of choosing a videogame as the vehicle for storytelling as a participant observation platform for Cultural Instruction is also rather novel and speaks to a more outside the box method of reaching today’s youth. Having played Never Alone on a wall-sized screen making use of an HD projector, the visuals from both the game and the documentaries (amazing imagery of the Alaskan continent and of the Arctic) were that much more eye-popping. As for the interactivity of a game as a playable story telling experience adds depth the told and shown stories invoked in the normally only oral stories. The artistic design, the look specifically, is also unique to the Inupiaq culture and the bonus footage documentary shows the extent to which the cultural stake holders influenced the game design as well as the look and feel of the game, it should be pointed out the communities youth help test and craft the game and so too did the elders!

While reaching the next generation can be challenging for educators in general, Never Alone delivers a thoughtful hybrid of traditional cultural relevance via the dynamic stories embracing a modern flare that captivates the viewer/listener perspective. With regards to the difficulties of resisting potentially negative western cultural influence (thinking of popular music, television and motion pictures), using a video game with embedded documentaries is subtle and brilliant and really thusly, really engaging. This dimension of using modern multimedia mechanisms to get back to traditional teachings could be seen as problematic by some I suppose, however we’d ideally see the successes of this project as a collective effort to make a contemporary story vehicle that is made by the Inupiaq/Inuit people for a larger audience than a solely Inuit market.

In a Canadian Pedagogical perspective with regards to doing a better job of teaching Aboriginal Content, embodied in the aims and language of Truth and Reconciliation Recommendations, Never Alone is a monumental cultural achievement for teaching aboriginal culture. Inuit Culture whether in Alaska or here in Canada is generally not really given enough thematic primacy as we tend to study the First Nations more central to our geographic proximity along the 49th parallel, and so Never Alone is teaching Inuit Culture in a way that could potentially have strong appeal to the larger cultures in both the US and Canada. Never Alone speaks to larger themes in the over-arching Pan-Aboriginal Discourse, of course conceding the polemics of the single narrative that SFU’s PDP mandate warns against. The obvious points covered are a care for the harmonious balance of the various stake-holders in an ecosystem for one (human, animal, plants and minerals etc.), human and animal symbiosis (Nuna and her arctic fox), mindfulness of the real and symbolic sacrifices involved in subsistence hunting and trapping, the importance of respecting the subsistence / hunting rights of Indigenous Peoples who wish to practice and maintain traditional diet, seeing the interdependence in the ecosystem and in one’s community as a guide to living well, whether in Alaska or more in general.

Finally, other than the potential challenges already mentioned, the 2 main detractors are the material costs required to participate in Never Alone, it costs money to play. If all the pieces are not already owned, it therefore costs a fair bit to purchase a game system to then buy a copy of the videogame, not including the television device and electricity that would not be required in the sitting down around a fire and listening to an elder share stories. As to the book being better than the movie paradigm, good story telling in a solely oral mode, is mentioned to be the intellectual blockbuster movie experience of old, and perhaps the videogame is not doing that justice in a certain traditional perspective, this is the oral versus written conundrum. Educationally, the lessons being taught around the usage of Never Alone in a school setting should be carefully scaffolded to really do justice to the game and the documentary clips, the hidden curriculum of Never Alone. It’s worth pondering whether or not a child or youth playing the game at home might willingly watch an educational documentary in all fairness also if not prompted by a parent, teacher or elder. Nevertheless, here’s hoping that wonderful short documentaries would be watched and enjoyed for the deeper understandings the elder teachings provide.

Use in Future Teaching Practice:

Never Alone has a wide potential for incorporating Aboriginal Culture Education into one’s teaching practice, however, in order to effectively and authentically utilize the game as a teaching resource it requires a significant amount of front loading on the part of the teacher. Indigenous epistemologies and aboriginal education should be a part of the classroom culture in ways that ensure students are respecting this resource and are not simply viewing it as an opportunity to play a video game at school. Possibly one of the best ways to utilize the game would be to, as a class, take turns playing the game in a location where all students can view the game. The game provides cultural insight video segments throughout the game, which provide a great springboard or theme to base class discussions or units of study around. Cultural insights are gained as one progresses through the game, and because each one must be ‘unlocked’ as players reach certain benchmarks, they act as rewards for the player. Each cultural insight video provides a broad survey of Alaskan Inuit culture and opens up opportunities for discussion and reflection.

One way a teacher could organize game play is by video segments (for example: 3 students each take turns playing a section of the game, each concluding their section when they get to a video segment. After each video segment the class engages in a discussion around that theme. AlterNatively, the three discussions can be saved until the end of gameplay for that day). The entire game length is realistic to complete within 5-10 classes, depending on the students gaming ability.

Other Ideas for Teaching Include:

Writing a story with subtitles (in English or other language) and have voice over (again, in another language or English); good software/app may be AdobeVoice or PowToon.

Have students focus on oral language traditions by choosing an object or an event and have a story teller start, and take turns adding elements to the story. Don’t write it down intentionally. Start the story again with the same objective but allow the group to change the story if they please (or keep elements the same that they really liked).

Create a visual story through only images (e.g. events in a student’s life, perhaps just in black and white such as using black marker on paper to make connections to the Inuit carving art). Depending on age students could also potentially do carving, such as soap carving.

Have students keep a journal that includes questions, connections, predictions about the game/cultural elements and all other experiences to do with using this in the classroom. Possible prompts for journal entries may include the AEIOU method:

A = Adjective: A word or two that describes something they saw or learned

E = Emotion: Describe how a particular part of the segment made you feel

I = Interesting: Write something you found interesting about the content/topic

O = Oh!: Describe something that caused you say Oh!

U = Um?: Write a question about something you learned or want to learn more about

Have students come up with possible open ended math questions that could go along with the game/elements, and then create a book of those questions with some possible discussions/answer keys. For example, about what speed does Nuna run at? How high can the fox jump, compared to Nuna?

The game could be used to supplement, or give context to, a science unit about extreme environments and survival tools/technologies or a social studies unit about cultural practices. Many of the cultural insight videos speak to the harsh climate of the north and how the Inuit have adapted to these climates. The videos also highlight the important role that storytelling plays in this culture.

References:

Bill Curry & Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail, June 02, 2015 –

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-report-calls-for-broad-recommendations/article24761778/

Craig, Rachel & Taha, Chholing P (1999). National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Retrieved from https://nnlm.gov/archive/20061109155450/inupiaq.html

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012

Woolfolk, A., Winnie, P., & Perry, N. (2012). Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Xav de Matos, 2014. Sharing legends with the world in Never Alone, a game inspired by Alaskan Native communities. Retrieved from https://www.engadget.com/2014/03/19/sharing-legends-with-the-world-in-never-alone-a-game-inspired-b/

Video Footage from the Game, (ALL in HD)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exls0Y8FSI8 Game Footage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Iqq4_hoxk Never Alone - Cultural Insights (All 24 Pieces) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yefBjvyTYM Research and Critical Insights of Elders

[itsworn]

Rare 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator 428CJ Spent 20 Years in Paint Jail on Way to Gorgeous Restoration

It all started on January 23, 1995, in Vancouver, Canada, when Gord and Kelly Nelson purchased the local Buy and Sell publication from a gas station. It was Gord’s custom to pick up one of the shoppers whenever he and Kelly traveled to the Vancouver area. On this trip he spotted an advertisement for a 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator 428 Cobra Jet in the classic car section of the shopper.

These hot cats were special to the Nelsons. Back in the mid 1980s, the couple passed up the opportunity to purchase a Cougar Eliminator just like the one listed. They had just gotten married, and starting a family took precedent. Purchasing a muscle car was not high on their priority list.

By the time Gord spotted the ad for this Eliminator, Kelly had grown tired of hearing her husband talk about “the one that got away.” She encouraged him to check it out. If everything met his requirements, she would give him the OK to buy it. The couple went over the car and agreed on a price with the seller. Then they grabbed a new battery and 5 gallons of fuel, and started the trip from east Vancouver to the home of Kelly’s father in Langley. Little did they know it would be the last time they would get behind the wheel of the Eliminator for the next 20 years.

Once it was in Langley, Kelly’s late father, Allan Walker, agreed to haul the Cougar to Alberta on a rented open trailer. Gord started investigating the car’s history, starting with a Marti Report. He learned the car was sold at Zephyr Mercury Sales in Vancouver. Gord called the dealership, but it had not retained any paperwork or original documentation for the car. Further research indicated it had been ordered as a dealer demonstrator and remained at the dealership until it was sold 13 months later.

From the Marti Report, Gord also learned there were just 2,267 Mercury Cougar Eliminators produced for 1970, with 192 equipped with the 428ci CJ engine and Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission. Only 30 were painted Competition Orange.

Gord was able find the first owner of the Cougar, a doctor, who had left the car intact and sold it after relocating his practice to California. The car was not factory-equipped with smog equipment, so after considering the process and cost to bring the Eliminator up to California emissions standards, the doctor let it go.

The Eliminator was sold to a stereo shop salesman, who rebuilt the Cobra Jet engine and added a Crane camshaft, headers, dual carburetors, and aftermarket wheels.

The third owner, who sold the car to Gord and Kelly, was a car collector. He was told by the second owner during his purchase that the factory Ram Air and styled steel wheels had been stolen from his garage. There were 41,000 miles on the Eliminator’s odometer when Gord and Kelly took the keys. The interior appeared to be original, and phone conversations with each of the three previous owners verified that it had remained intact and unchanged since day one. While the mileage was low, the Eliminator had not led a sheltered life. It had been driven daily and raced at a local dragstrip by the second owner.

Initially the Nelsons intended to complete a quick cosmetic refresh of the car, but things quickly shifted into high gear. The project turned into a full-blown restoration. With help from Ron Healy, the Eliminator was completely disassembled down to the body shell, which was mounted on a homebuilt rotisserie. The undercarriage was sandblasted, while the outer sheetmetal was stripped by hand.

Upon inspection, Gord discovered the body was very sound except for the quarter-panels. Each had rust on the lower section, behind the wheel openings, and both had small damage on the outer surface. He decided to replace both quarter-panels. The torque boxes, floor pans, and inner fender aprons also needed attention. Each was stripped, repaired, and painted to look factory new, with Gord doing the work from his home shop. While working in this area of the body, he noticed someone had cut holes in the shock towers for access to the upper control arm grease zerk fittings (a common practice back in the day). Each hole was repaired and given a factory-correct look.

The Portland area is known for swap meets, and the Nelsons frequently crossed the border in 1995-1996 to attend Portland swap meets in search of Eliminator parts. They bought the styled steel wheels, N.O.S. center caps, exhaust manifolds, and correct intake manifold unit. A Ram Air system was purchased from Perogie Enterprises. Gord mentioned he was glad to have the insight to purchase these parts soon after buying the car, because the prices have increased 500 percent since then.

During the restoration, the engine compartment and undercarriage were cleaned, repainted, and detailed. All new suspension parts were purchased, including front and rear springs from Eaton Detroit, the original producer of the factory parts. They were detailed to look factory-new.

In 2003, nearly eight years after the Cougar was purchased, it was time to find a suitable shop to perform the body and paint work. After talking to muscle and classic car owners in the Winnipeg area, the Nelsons chose a shop and a suitable timeframe was discussed. The car was delivered, but it sat idle with little progress for four year. The Nelsons moved it to a second shop for four years, only to be disappointed with the finished paintwork. It was apparent that the shop was not capable of applying a world-class paint finish, so yet again the couple found themselves back to square one.

Then one day they heard about Investment Vehicle Restorations (IVR) in Granum, Alberta, Canada. The craftsmen were very leery of the body and paint work previously done to the car and agreed to work on the Eliminator with one stipulation: The primer, sealer, and paint were to be removed, and the shop would start with a clean metal surface. Because of the rarity of the Cougar, the Nelsons decided to start the exterior body and paint work from scratch. When the primer and paint material were removed, it was evident the earlier bodywork had been substandard.

Less than a year after IVR took on the Cougar, the couple received a phone call telling them the car was ready. Gord gave it a thorough inspection at IVR and was blown away by the results. The body was straight as an arrow, the paint mirrorlike and flawless.

During the time the car spent at IVR, a search for parts continued, with a majority of them purchased from West Coast Classic Cougar and eBay. After a 20-year search, N.O.S. trim rings and taillamp lenses were found. While the seat upholstery and door panels are original, the dash was sent to Just Dashes in California and refinished. Meanwhile, the carpet, package tray, console, and headliner were replaced with reproductions.

The car was assembled and taken to Personal Touch for a final polish and detail. This included removing the dust from sanding during the Eliminator’s earlier body shop stops.

Twenty years and one month after the Nelsons purchased Jailcat (named for its 20 years in captivity), the car made its first appearance at the World of Wheels in Calgary, Canada. It received a Best in Class.

The March weather in Winnipeg was exceptional, so the Nelsons took Jailcat out on the street for her maiden voyage. An uncle who’d been promised a ride came out from British Columbia, and they took it out on the open road for a little test and tune. The trio was thrilled to finally try out the 428 CJ. They put it through a light workout and walked away pleasantly surprised by how well it performed under pressure.

After two decades, the Cougar Eliminator seems to be enjoying its escape from captivity. It has even gone on to take part in numerous car shows, including MCACN in 2015 and the Concours d’ Elegance of America at the Inn St. Johns in 2016. The icing on the cake was in the spring of 2017 when Jailcat took Best in Class at the World of Wheels in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Although the restoration was a long time coming, Gord thinks the result was worth the wait. “That cat has taken us to places we never thought we’d ever see or be a part of, and the way it has been received has been over the top.”

At a Glance 1970 Cougar Eliminator Owned by: Gord & Kelly Nelson, Milo, Alberta, Canada Restored by: Owner; Investment Vehicle Restorations, Granum, Alberta, Canada; Just Dashes, Van Nuys, CA; Performance Powertrain, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Engine: 1970 428ci/335hp Cobra Jet V-8 Transmission: C-6 Merc-O-Matic automatic Rearend: 9-inch with 3.50 gears and 31-spline axles Interior: Black Clarion Knit Decor bucket seat Wheels: 14-inch styled steel with trim rings and center caps Tires: F70x14 Goodyear Polyglas reproduction

Per the car’s Marti Report, the Nelsons’ Cougar Eliminator is one of 30 built for 1970 with the Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission and Competition Orange paint. IVR replicated the factory finish by using single-stage DuPont acrylic.

The fully functional scoop allows fresh air to flow through a hole in the underside of the hood to the engine’s Ram Air system.

This is the 428-inch Cobra Jet engine Jailcat was born with. The original Ram Air system was stolen when the car was with its second owner, so finding a correct replacement was high on the Nelsons’ list after they purchased the car.

The Cougar retains its original seats and door panels. The dash panel was refinished; the carpet, headliner, and console are Ford-approved reproductions.

The clock mounted in the passenger side of the dash panel is fully functional. Gord Nelson scoured the globe looking for a new glovebox door, only to come up short. He wound up refinishing the original.

It took the Nelsons 20 years to find N.O.S. trim rings to go on the styled steel wheels.

Before

This is the Nelson’s Cougar Eliminator after it was purchased in Vancouver, driven to Kelly Nelson’s father’s home, then trailered to the Nelson residence and parked in front of their home shop in Winnipeg, Canada.

That is Gord and Kelly’s son Kurt in front of the Cougar while it was on a rotisserie in the family’s shop.

Body panels have been put on the Cougar and it is headed to the first of three restoration shops that will work on the car. Decades will pass before the Nelsons get the car finished.

The post Rare 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator 428CJ Spent 20 Years in Paint Jail on Way to Gorgeous Restoration appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[pcwpolwrestling]

Sneak Preview of Andy Nankowitz Documentary Featuring The Les Miserables

Featuring PCW wrestlers Ray McAvay, ‘No Frills’ Chris Escondido, and Rah and PCW Owner Dawn McGill.

As a special treat, here is a snippet from the movie…

An Andy Nankowitz Instant Video Production(Black and white video film.)

Green hat turned backwards over his head and his shirt flaps in the wind, a young man, presumably a college student, stands in front of a camera in a parking lot outside what looked to be a restaurant.

Man: My name is Andy Nankowitz. I’m a recent graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in film-studies.   You may know my work from back in March when I filmed for a class Ray McAvay making the rounds around Chicago back around the time of March to Glory giving away tickets to a High Octane Wrestling show last year.

The camera pans around and presents the interior of the Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House located in the northeast part of Dallas, Texas. The restaurant is your typical neighborhood pub and food place that offers a wide variety of beer and for those cool nights a heated patio.

Andy Nankowitz (voiceover): Over the next couple days, I’ll be following Ray around as he makes his way across the country and what he jokingly calls the ‘Ray McAvay Midlife Crisis Across America Tour’ to promote High Octane Wrestling’s upcoming War Games.

On one end of the patio, Ray McAvay and Dawn McGill chat up fellow ‘Team Scott Stevens’ teammate Ryan McKenna and his girlfriend Sarah.

Andy Nankowitz (v/o): Today is Thursday June 2nd.

[ON SCREEN GRAPHIC: centered in the middle of the screen: “Thursday June 2nd. Dallas, Texas”]

Andy Nankowitz (v/o): Ray and Dawn drove up earlier this morning from Fort Stockton to meet up with Ryan McKenna in Dallas to break bread with him and affirm that what happened back at March to Glory was over and done with.

McGill and McAvay, McKenna and Sarah continues to talk War Games and other sundry topics for several minutes undisturbed until a few members of the media arrive on scene. Then the tsunami of press flood into the patio suddenly all four find themselves surrounded by a pack of reporters and illuminated by the flashing lights of camera giving off a strobe light effect to the surrounding area.   The room goes from just a few people to a full house in the space of a few minutes.

Andy Nankowitz (v/o): Of course, much to the restaurant’s chagrin, they were not remotely prepared for the crush of people who descended upon the establishment on a Thursday night. It’s a busy night, yes. But nothing like this. Once some semblance of order was restored, McAvay and McKenna then met with the press to further promote the War Games show.

Reporter #1: Ray. Last year at War Games, you and Ryan McKenna were on the same team. About three months ago McKenna and Bobby Dean, who were affiliated with the Best Alliance at the time, jumped you following a match with Darin Zion where you lost the ICON title. You and McKenna then had a heated and contentious match at March to Glory two weeks later. Now, you two are teammates once again. How is this going to work?

McKenna glances over at Ray. Ray points to himself to signify that he’ll answer the question.

Ray McAvay: Good question. The answer is simple. Yes, there was an issue between Ryan and myself a few weeks ago. I’ve also had issues with Scott Stevens and Darin Zion before in the past, too. But, that’s done and sorted and in the past. This is pro wrestling and sometimes these things happen. Ryan McKenna said all along that it wasn’t personal. And we successfully teamed up for a tag match at Monday Night Mayhem the other night. I’m over it. Ryan’s past it. We’re looking forward at this year’s War Games and bringing an end to Brian Hollywood’s reign as HOW World Champion. And also…my wife Dawn McGill pointed out that even though she was very upset with Lee Best over what happened and fired off some rather pointed responses to both Lee and Ryan, she also believed that I was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time and that Lee’s overriding aim was to reestablish the Best Alliance as a force to be reckoned with in HOW.

Ray checks with McKenna to make sure he’s good with the answer.

Ray McAvay: Where I think Lee might have miscalculated is the strength and passion behind the Les Miserables movement. What happened that night was remarkable. The near riot inside the Best Arena. And I’m sure Ryan can remember the problems the Best Alliance had just trying to get out of the parking lot after the show.

Ryan nods in response and mouths ‘oh…yeah’.

Ray McAvay: And as Dawn has also pointed out to me…in the end, in the longer view…what went down that night might have come with one hell of a silver lining. The rise of the Les Miserables. Winning the ICON title back. And putting myself into a position where I am standing here before all of you today on the eve of War Games. Ryan and I are good. What’s done is done. We are moving forward with one goal and one goal only- to win War Games.

Reporter #2: Ray, you said last night in Fort Stockton that if it weren’t for Lee Best, you wouldn’t be in this position right now.

McAvay nods in agreement.

Reporter: So, just follow me here for a second.

Ray McAvay: Okay…I’m following.

Reporter #2: given the fact that Lee’s invested so much in Brian Hollywood since March to Glory…and Hollywood has positioned himself to be everything that you strongly stand against…is it conceivable that by keeping you in the fold and then giving you more motivation by having the Best Alliance attack you and Zion before March to Glory…could it be possible that Lee’s been priming this potential showdown between you and Brian all along? Big corporate Brian Hollywood versus the ‘Man of the People’ Ray McAvay?

There’s a few titters of laughter sprinkled throughout the gathered press at the question. Ray’s face lights up with an expression that said ‘wow, I never thought of that.’ He bobs his head from side to side thinking of the possibilities.

Ray McAvay: I mean…I wouldn’t put it past him to come up with that sort of plan. But I’m not sure this is what Lee Best had in mind.

McAvay looks over at McGill- she just blinks back at him and doesn’t offer any further insight to shed more light on the question.

Ray McAvay: And if…by some stretch of the imagination…Lee did plot and put together a wildly convoluted scheme…if he actually planned this entire scenario all along…then…then…wow…he’s pulled off the plan of all plans then and all I can do is…is…

McAvay claps his hands.

Ray McAvay: …well done. But honestly? I would be very surprised if this is what Lee envisioned. Also, I just to be clear here…expounding on my remarks from last night’s kick-off event about Lee. My concern is it really looks like he’s gone completely all-in on pushing Brian Hollywood as the ‘face’ of High Octane Wrestling going forward. I just think he’s put his money on the wrong man…I believe he’s bet on the wrong horse.

Reporter #3: Ray, there’s a lot of people who watched your campaign style event Wednesday night who think you’re running for President. What do you think about that?

Ray McAvay: Um…yeah. Dawn brought up the analogy of the political parties last night.

Reporter #3: And you had flags…lots of flags behind you on stage.

Ray tries not to laugh.

Ray McAvay: I can assure you that I’m definitely not running for President of the United States. My main focus is War Games. I’m definitely focused on ending the Brian Hollywood title run and helping Team Scott Stevens win War Games. And if our event helps bring more attention to HOW and gets more people to tune in to the pay per view show, that’s even better.

After the impromptu meet and greet media availability comes to an end, the camera follows Ray and Dawn as they leave the restaurant and walk back to their truck.

Andy Nankowitz (v/o): Ryan McKenna would head down to Austin, Texas the next morning and then travel on to Houston on Saturday June 4th to meet up with team captain Scott Stevens. Ray and Dawn would return back to their house for the final time to spend time with the children and pack. Dawn would splitting off and flying back to Terre Haute, Indiana for a pair of rescheduled Missouri Valley Wrestling shows over the weekend after she reassumed the Executive Director position at MVW.

[ON SCREEN GRAPHIC: centered in the middle of the screen: “Friday June 3rd Lake Worth, Texas”]

It’s morning. From behind the camera, Nankowitz interviews McGill she stands in the driveway at La Casa de McAvay in front of her black 2014 Chevrolet Impala. Next to Dawn is her travel gear- all stacked up neatly next to the car. Standing in front of her is little Eva, Dawn’s five year old daughter who looks like a miniature version of McGill. Continuously swiping at the overgrown mop of blond hair that gets in her eyes, Eva also occasionally mugs for the camera- much to her mother’s amusement.

Dawn McGill: I really…really…wish I could travel with Ray this weekend. But Ray and I both made a commitment to make this new arrangement we agreed to work when I signed on to return to Missouri Valley Wrestling. He’s going to be traveling on a bus through the heartland of the country on the way to Boston, Massachusetts where he’ll fly to Rome for War Games.

The honk of a horn echoes through the neighborhood.

Dawn McGill: And speaking of…there’s the bus. I wonder what company Ray’s going to use?

Nankowitz spins around to film the bus as it turns onto the McAvay’s street towards the house. The bus looks eerily familiar.

Andy Nankowitz (v/o): Let’s just say that the bus line that Ray would be using for the tour wasn’t exactly your typical bus line.

A technicolor painted bus with ‘RAH!’ painted in larger letters on the side pulls up in front of the house and stops on the side of the street.

Dawn McGill: Oh…God…no…

The door swings open. Then a man dressed in an expensive suit and bow-tie exits the bus armed with a hand held microphone.

Announcer Guy (in a voice not unlike Michael Buffer): Ladies and gentlemen. I present to you the almost universally-worshipped king of the sun gods of all creation. He commands the chariot that rode across the sky during the day. He is the great, fiery globe in the sky, a welcome, nurturing presence to honor the season. He is the inspiration for those who would throw virgins into the gaping maw of a volcano – perhaps an Icelandic volcano – even though such shenanigans haven’t been acceptable since the 1950s. And just for your reference, he is for thirty three years in a row proven to be one of UC San Diego‘s most enduring traditions in the Sun God festival- an all-day music festival celebrated by more than 20,000 students, alumni and friends. But that’s not important.

Two men emerge carrying a golden sedan chair holding a six foot seven inch, two hundred and eighty pound man dressed in long flowing robes. Carefully, the men exit the bus carrying their precious cargo and situate themselves in front of the bus. The announcer guy brings the hand-held microphone back to his mouth and continues.

Announcer Guy: Either way, you should thank your lucky stars and kiss his royal ass for gracing you with his presence here this afternoon. I give to you…the Sunshine God…

The man takes a huge breath of air and then bellows…

Announcer Guy: RAAAAAAAAH!

Rah’s minions gather at the front of the bus and one by one, they start down the steps to the exit. First it’s former children’s show host Happy Mango who steps out of the bus followed by former pro wrestler Baron Von Munchke- master of the claw hold. Finally, several members of an Arizona State sorority disembark from the bus and line up behind Rah’s golden sedan.

The procession winds its way down the driveway and stops at where McGill is standing. Rah climbs out of his golden sedan chair after it is lowered to the ground and gives a signal which prompts his entourage to drop to their knees and bow to him.

McGill’s face says it all. She puts her index finger to her temple and pulls an imaginary trigger.

Rah: Greetings, middle aged but nubile lady.

Dawn mouths ‘middle-aged? What the-‘

Rah: Rah is here to spread warmth and happiness to the world! Even though you’ve probably been ridden more than an old war horse, Rah proclaims that you acceptable to sire Ray McAvay’s children.

McGill pulls out a picture of the twins from her purse and shows it to Rah.

Dawn McGill: It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?

Rah looks at the pictures.

Rah: True.

Dawn McGill: And besides, you’re still pissed off I put you through boot camp and made you work like hell when you and Ray faced John Pariah and McKenna back in November.

Rah: Am not.

The front door opens and the camera pans over to show Ray McAvay coming out of the front door.

Ray McAvay: RAHHHHHH!!!

Dawn’s head swivels towards her husband.

Rah: RAYYYYYYYY!!!

Dawn’s head turns back to Rah and becomes momentarily blinded by a flash of light.

Dawn McGill: What the-

Sorority Sister: Look! It’s Dawn McGill

Another Sorority Sister: DAWN MCGILL!

Several high pitched squeals pierce the air. The sorority sisters swarm around Dawn and take up position on both sides of her. They begin to take selfies of themselves with McGill…

Dawn McGill: Hey! Knock that off-

McGill blinks her eyes to clear her vision while the sorority girls continue to mug and make weird duck facial expressions.

Dawn McGill: All right, that’s enough…

Dawn tries to turn her head away from the light but the girls snap an endless stream of selfies with their cell phones and eventually she’s blinded.

Dawn McGill: Okay, you can stop now…

Shaking her head and trying to see as the selfies and incessant flashes continue, Dawn almost loses her balance and stumbles backwards.

Dawn McGill (shouting): I SAID STOP IT…STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

The girls are oblivious to McGill’s pleas and continue to fire off a rapid fire series of selfies with her…

Andy Nankowitz (v/o): Soon after, McAvay’s manager ‘No Frills’ Chris Escondido showed up ready for the cross-country trip while West Texas Adult Entertainment Legends Dark aka Stacee Perry, Stormy aka Paige Reynolds, and Starbrite aka Selby Beckett arrived at the McAvay house a few minutes later to see the bus off.

Escondido, Dark, and Stormy all congregate around McAvay and McGill. Rah is also in the picture as well.   He’s coming out of the house with a twenty-four pack of beer and chips after raiding the McAvay refrigerator and cupboard and gets a scolding from Ray’s daughter Juliette LeBlanc- who’s on hand and would be joining Ray on his trip to Boston before flying back home to France for the summer.

Juliette gives the Sunshine God a stern look and points at the front door of the house. Reluctantly, Rah turns right back around and takes the beer and chips back inside.

Soon the bus is loaded and ready to leave. Off to the side, Ray and Dawn say goodbye to each other for a few days.

Ray and Dawn embrace. Rah tries to join them but Juliette whaps him in the back of the head.

Stacee Perry: I’m glad they were able to find a way past their problems. It took them a while but with Dawn running Missouri Valley Wrestling from Dallas it really is the best solution for all. It keeps her in the wrestling world but it doesn’t mean Ray has to pack up and leave Texas.

Andy Nankowitz (v/o): When Ray McAvay left Lake Worth, Texas that morning, he had no idea what the weekend would bring. The plan was to stop in Claremore, Oklahoma Friday night and train Saturday morning before moving up Interstate 44 through St. Louis and picking up Interstate 70 east from there. Ironically, the bus would pass by Terre Haute, Indiana- the site of Sunday night’s MVWA 72 show where Dawn McGill would be, on the way to Pendleton, Indiana just east of Indianapolis where the caravan would stop Saturday night. It was there that I took a look at some footage I’d taken back in March of Ray handing out some tickets to a HOW show in Chicago.

Andy Nankowitz: Wait up Mr. McAvay, sir.

The harried, slightly out of breath voice of one Andy Nankowitz belied the issue he was having at the time- trying to keep up with the current High Octane Wrestling ICON champion Ray McAvay and his wife, retired pro wrestler turned Director of Missouri Valley Wrestling, Dawn McGill.

Green hat turned backwards over his head and his longcoat flapping in the win, Nankowitz cursed the cold wind blowing off Lake Michigan on the day McAvay and McGill just happened to make the rounds in Chicago to give away tickets that he’d purchased for this coming HOW Friday Night Chaos show. For McAvay, not only would he be putting the ICON belt on the line against challenger Darin Zion, he would be wrestling for a slot in the finals of the Rob Michaels Invitational to face either LSD Champion Ryan McKenna or Brian Hollywood.

Arriving at the back door of a union hall on the west side of Chicago, one of the members, a middle age man in his forties, slightly overweight and sporting a five o’clock shadow, escorted McAvay, McGill, and Nankowitz through the kitchen out to the main gathering area where twenty men and women were standing and talking.

Man: McAvay!

One man broke off his conversation and came over to McAvay. This one carried forty extra pounds of weight that he could probably have benefitted from losing. Following a hearty handshake, McAvay handed him a couple of tickets to the Friday show as Nankowitz filmed from a few feet away.

Another Man: And you must be Dawn.

McGill, already noticeably thinner in the three weeks since she gave birth to twins, smiled and obliged several requests for a photo.

Ray McAvay: Anybody else interested in going?

A couple hands raised in the air.

Another Man: Over here, Ray.

Ray walked over and handed out tickets .

Another Man: You gonna win Friday night?

Ray McAvay: I hope so.

Ray placed two more tickets in the hand of another one of the men on hand.

Ray McAvay: Not going to be an easy one.

Another Man: Well you beat him before.

Ray McAvay: Zion’s good. He’s won a lot of big matches in 2016 already.

Another Man: Darin Zion has got a big mouth and nothing more. I hope you kick his ass all over the ring.

Ray tried to tamper down the visceralness.

Ray McAvay: No, no. I’m telling you Zion’s going to be a tough match. He’s on a roll. I’m just going to have to work that much harder this week to get ready for him.

Finally, one of the men noticed the young man shadowing McAvay.

Another Man: Who’s the kid?

Ray McAvay: Kid? Oh. That’s Andy. He’s a student down at Northwestern doing a project for his television class. Right?

Andy flashed a thumbs up.

Andy Nankowitz: I’m doing this for a grade so make me look good.

Ray McAvay: I’m trying Andy.

Ray smiled and posed for one last picture with a group of men and women before he said his goodbyes and left for his next stop.

Inside the truck driving towards downtown with McAvay’s friend Charlie Ray Carlson’s latest CD playing in the background, Andy and Dawn reviewed the footage he’d shot while McAvay navigated his rental truck through the shark infested waters known as the Eisenhower Freeway or Interstate 290.

Andy Nankowitz: Okay…what is this?

Ray McAvay: American Elitist. Charlie Ray Carlson.

The driving beat of the song caused McAvay to bob his head ever so subtlety- the angry drum beat pounding away on the half beat (1 – *thwack* – 2 *thwack*) while the guitars chugged along.

♫ Sure as hell don’t want to be an American Elitist ♫ ♫ Sure as hell don’t want to be self-absorbed and conceited ♫ 

Andy nodded his head.

Traffic actually wasn’t too bad on the six lane east-west highway on a breezy Sunday afternoon. But as Ray approached the Damen Avenue exit, the freeway, now eight lanes of traffic, began to fill up with cars.

♫ Don’t want to look down my nose while sipping cappuccino ♫ |♫ Don’t want to push my political views cause I act and hit a high note ♫

Andy Nankowitz: Where are we headed?

Ray McAvay: United Center.

Ray jerked the steering wheel hard right and slotted himself in between a delivery truck and Ford Expedition as the truck drove under an overhead sign that marked the Damen Avenue exit.

♫ I know it’s hard to see us when you’re up so far above ♫ ♫ We’re supposed to listen ‘cause you’ve got a Hollywood star ♫

Andy found himself tapping his foot to the beat.

Andy Nankowitz: The United Center?

Ray McAvay: Yeah.

McAvay applied the brakes as he came up on a line of cars on the exit ramp.

Ray McAvay: I know a couple people who work in catering…you know…the waiters and waitresses who have to work the Stadium Club, the luxury boxes for people who are important…and people who think they’re important.

♫ Your perks and privilege gets you places we’ll never see. ♫ ♫ Your power and prestige gets you people we’ll never meet. ♫

The light turned green and McAvay made a left turn heading north on Damen Avenue.

Ray McAvay: For all the crap they probably have to put up with, I think it’s nice to drop in and hand out a few tickets for Friday night’s show.

Passing through the W. Adams Street stop light and an old brick church on the corner of the street, the United Center came into the view, rising up from what seemed to be a massive parking lot surrounding it.

Ray McAvay: And the Bulls and Blackhawks aren’t playing Friday night so it’s a win-win for them.

♫ Stay inside your limousine behind the tinted glass ♫ ♫ Hide behind the velvet ropes and you can kiss our ass ♫

McAvay wheeled the car right into the parking lot. From listening to the radio, he knew the Blackhawks led three to two late in the third period and soon the game would be over. Ray found a parking space and pulled the truck in. He put the truck in park and shut off the engine.

Ray McAvay: Let’s go make some people’s day.

An hour later, long after the Blackhawks staved off a late Washington Capitals rally to win three to two, long after the dignitaries , VIPs, sales gerbils, and other denizens of the Stadium Club had departed, Ray, Dawn, and Andy found themselves in a hallway surrounded by servers, waiters, and waitresses, giving away tickets left and right and posing for more pictures.

Ray McAvay: You guys work hard for what you earn.

…

A-Hole Entitlement Guy: HEY, McAVAY! WHERE’S MY TICKETS!

The loud, bellicose voice blew through like a shockwave. McAvay turned his head in the direction the sound came from. A man. Probably some sales guy or high roller executive who’d just spent the past few hours playing the king of the hill in whatever luxury box he’d held court in. Ray got that sense from the look on the guy’s face that told him he was most likely an uber aggressive, type-A asshole…his favorite (sarcasm intended).

Ray McAvay: Well, we do have a ticket office at the Best Arena. I bet your tickets are waiting for you right there.

Ray extended his arms out to his sides.

Ray McAvay: I’m plain out.

Twenty minutes later…the angry drum beat pounding away on the half beat (1 – *thwack* – 2 *thwack*) returned.

♫ Sure as hell don’t want to be an American Elitist. ♫ ♫ Corporate greed, indeed, you see, is the way they want to be yes. ♫

Turning back onto the Eisenhower, McAvay cringed as he listened to his wife talk on the phone with their babysitter Bailey Winters- the McAvay’s seventeen year old neighbor. Apparently, Bailey had placed the phone in close proximity to their twin newborns (Sophie and R.K.) and Dawn was talking in the most irritating baby-talk way to them.

Andy filmed Dawn talking on the phone and then put the camera back on Ray as he drove down Interstate 290.

♫ Golden parachutes in bloom to benefit the big guns. ♫ ♫ While no one seems to gives a damn- about the little ones. ♫

Andy Nankowitz: Why did you tell that guy we were out of tickets? You had a few left over.

McAvay shook his head.

Ray McAvay: He doesn’t need it. Hold on.

Ray slid the wheel right and the truck maneuvered into the exit lane that led to a long looping ramp that took them over Interstate 90 and then underneath Interstate 290 before shooting traffic out onto the northbound Interstate 90.

♫ I know it’s hard to see us when you’re up so far above ♫ ♫ We’re supposed to listen ‘cause you’ve got a Hollywood star ♫

After merging onto the freeway, McAvay sped up to stay with the flow of traffic. Downtown Chicago loomed off to the right. The Crowne Plaza Hotel went by on the left as the truck traveled under Monroe Street.

♫ Your perks and privilege gets you places we’ll never see. ♫ ♫ Your power and prestige gets you people we’ll never meet. ♫

Ray McAvay: He thought he was entitled to them. He thought because he was a big shot executive that I should ‘comp’ him seats to a show that he of all people is more than able to pay for himself. I’m sure the corporation he works for comps his Stadium Club seats. I’m sure he gets his Mercedes comped for. I’m sure he gets the perks and privileges that goes along with the status he has.

♫ Stay inside your limousine behind the tinted glass ♫ ♫ Hide behind the velvet ropes and you can kiss our ass ♫

End of Part One