#i learned how to use sony vegas. for him

[kagoutiss]

ganon_hacker_edit.mp4

[hypnogogyc]

Oliver animatic but it crashed so have the wip (mag 121 spoilers)

Song is Limbo by Freddie Dredd

[prezohhh]

how did u get into editing/streaming? what’s ur influencer origin story ^_^

for some reason i liked the idea of constructing videos as a kid, i cracked software like camtasia and got the basics pretty quick, knew i could do funny shite using sony vegas instead of do highschool oral presentations because teachers would get bored at kids talking

i wanted a reason to rewatch some game grumps series so i made a channel where i compiled stuff and i think i learned a lot of the timing skills then.

i wanted clint stevens to have a channel like reckful's and i also wanted to feel useful on a grander scale (in a way that thousands of people could watch) and i really liked clint so i told him i'd run his shit and get good at that. i wanted to make videos thatb felt like reckful's + the one narcissawright video "I am not Siglemic." so i wanted to mix the jokes and the banter and the drama with the fails and the successes of the game. i think that was new, i mightve been a good part in creating this style but i dont wanna get ahead of myself

WAIT i thought you only asked about editing

whatever. anyway i got hired by cold ones cuz they needed an editor and scott's roommate really liked clint so they flew me out. i built some following on twitter with the help of cold ones and clint editing recognition, ludwig engaging with my shit, and i guess a lot of little influencers finding me funny (most of them knowing me from clint honestly cuz they liked how the channel was operated).

i had always streamed since after highschool but it popped off once i came back to canada during covid when i made friends in the streaming universe. once i got my initial push i just kept tweeting things i found funny and blablabla.

like qt (the person inviting me to all these events) knows me from clint and then thought i was chill form my twitch clips

i'm gay

[karereiko]

Usually I don’t post my felting work before I finish (mostly because of lack of time) I would like to photo steps of my work more often but usually I just simple forget to do it. And since all my gray cells in brain are taken by story of Moriarty the Patriot so I decided to show William earlier, because I’m happy to make him and second, because he isn’t so complicated I might finish him fast. He’s going to be my first character standing up figure. I need to do second hand, shoes, some more details on the middle body, back hair and he will be almost done. I might try to finish him this weekend but probably next one is more realistic.

Well, I’m going to do Sherlock next, and I really want to do Albert because his chapters in 17th volume were amazing, I love such deep, psychological stories of the characters. And if I do Albert then only fair it would be to do Louis too so Moriarty brothers could be together.

As I said Moriarty story just took me over and strike that part of me that wants draw, make amvs for it. Last time I felt like this was with NO.6 and maybe at start of Zestiria until hate towards that game didn’t ruin my fun.

So yeah, meanwhile felting Moriarty characters I’m going to make some amvs, I even gathered some materials today, I was planning more manga focused videos (because no one does ones) but looks like I will have to mix anime in it if I wanna fill full song. I can’t decide what program use, I worked on Sony vegas for years, but I started to have problems with frames in it, it would probably be better to learn Premiere more since it would be useful to my work.

I have wanted to draw few Sherliam stories too, but yesterday I tried to draw something to warm up after 2 years break from drawing and it was total failure, I have problems with drawing digitally, I was never good in drawing on computer, I have only that outside tablet to draw, not monitor one, I know I lack steady practice but lines I did yesterday were awful and I’m not sure how it will end. If I will draw and publish those stories I want them to look good.

PS. If someone knows good place to talk about Moriarty, please let me know, discord I find, it’s so quiet on that one and I would love to talk more about differences between manga and anime and all.

[aquato-family-circus]

In regards to him not using his abilities like Shielding...

Maybe he just kinda forgot about being able to use them, due to a combination of psilirium poisoning and just being through so much in the past few days that he simply just didn't remember.

Plus compared to Psi-Blasting, Levitation, Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis, and Clairvoyance, he just simply never had to use Shielding, Confusion and Invisibility as often, so it just basically faded away from his memories from lack of use.

It's kinda like how I took some summer courses for Maya when I was younger, but for the short period of time afterwards, because I didn't have a readily available Maya program to practice with, nor the interest in doing so for various reasons, I just basically forgot how to do it. By contrast, I use Sony Vegas and video editing software so frequently that it's easy for me to remember how to use it even if I haven't used it in a while.

A psychic brain is still a brain in the end, and brains forget stuff whether we want or intend to.

I feel like in theory this makes a lot of sense

in practice, he did just learn these skills a few days ago

BUT THEN AGAIN, also in practice like you said he hasn't used them nearly as much as the ones he gets to keep

Even if the psilirum didn't effect Raz the same way it did the others I could sort of buy it maybe putting a damper on his usage of misc (unimportant) skills

[oneawkwardcookie]

1,3,11,33! 💕

Em, lovely! Also, I see those numbers and I love a good pattern!

1. First fan video you ever made?

The first video I ever made was My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark, which was a Doctor Who fanvid, for River/Doctor. I had so many ideas for fanvids, but I was able to find most of the episodes that I needed and used Sony Vegas 13!

3. What pushed you to learn to make videos?

My dad was always into video editing, making DVDs of our home videos with fancy menu screens and chapters. So I picked up the technical skills from him. I was also always the creative sort, writing little stories and thinking of fanfiction ideas long before I knew about AO3. Plus, I love music (another thing I share with my dad!) so I just combined those three together once I found some AMAZING videos on YouTube!

11. Do you prefer upbeat songs or slower ones?

Upbeat songs, because most video clips are never long enough to cover a beat or lyric in a slow song, plus there's more places to cut to a beat or to do some fun effects (though I always feel a bit ridiculous doing effects like the ones I did in Most Wanted Munda)

33. What’s your favorite comment you ever received on a video?

Lbr, ANY comments (tags or on Youtube) make my day, but one of my favourites was on Work Song, and included "You must have been working really hard on this!! Because Everything fits together!! You totally nailed the Lyrics with the scenes !!"

It's just nice for people to see how much work goes into them, and the effort to get everything to match up!

asks for (fan)video editors

[kaiowut99]

5D's Episode 27... with an “Uncut” Dub?! (Re-Edited 4Kids Dub/Japanese OST - Revised)

“A World Without Light -- The Dark Synchro Frozen Fitzgerald!”/”A Web of Deceit (Part 1)″

Everybody listen!

Took long enough to finish up and polish (partly because of work and activism life actually picking up a bit), but here’s a brand-new “dub-uncut” episode! With my first few takes in episodes 23-26 newly revised, I was looking forward to working on 27 and starting fresh again, lol. In case this is the first you’re hearing about my mini-project here, let’s get you up to speed:

So, the official Spanish YGO channel on YouTube flubbed a few uploads of the 5D’s dub such that they ended up uploading a few episodes of the English dub instead of the Latin American dub (21-29)–but with none of 4Kids’s background music! Which meant that I could swoop in and re-insert the original Japanese soundtrack (which I did by matching each track to how it was looped in the episode), but I wanted to do more by also tweaking the dub itself so that not only was it matching the original footage, but the dialogue was more in line with the original dialogue timing-wise (since I couldn’t salvage much of what they changed).  Hence, the “dubbed uncut” gimmick here.  To this end, I’ve also used dialogue from Duel Links where applicable, or even borrowed audio from other episodes with the vocals isolated to lend to that effect.

Check out the masterpost of episodes I’ve done here!

Check out this episode’s WIP videos! WIP #1     WIP #2     WIP #3   WIP #4   WIP #5

So, this one was fun to do particularly because overall, save for the, er... butchering that happened on explaining the Dark Synchro mechanic (4Kids wut) and the rewrite of Carly’s interaction with her Editor-in-Chief (and making Carly a “blogger” lol), the dialogue was already more or less in line with the Japanese version, which meant that I was more or less just removing a lot of the fluff as I added back the OST.  As I did in 22, 24, and 26, I added subs for the scenes where 4Kids rewrote things a bit too much for my taste (so, the scenes I mentioned above, but also the occasional line or a few), but of course these subs will be optional in the MKV I release on NAC for this.  I also added back some SFX and tried to remove the dub’s replacement SFX in most cases, though I had to swap out the SFX as Speed Warrior was tuning with Junk Synchron since 4Kids had a tendency to add some new one over the original SFX and made it too loud to work with the Yusei chant I put there.  And I translated the OP/ED credits in Last Train and CROSS GAME, revamping my singable lyrics a bit for Last Train while drafting new ones for CROSS GAME which I’ll post soon; you can see my Last Train translation in the second WIP video and CROSS GAME’s here. Full process breakdown below the cut.

Also, major thanks to yugidmx5 for providing A+ rips of the “The Day Begins/Tenpei” theme in the Carly/Angela scene, the “Vision of Tragedy” theme as Yusei and Ruka talk about the Satellite’s future, and the alternate “Dark Signers” tune which plays as we first see them and then again between the Dark Signer drones recruiting and Yusei chasing Dark-Signer!Dick down (before it transitions to the OST-released version once Yusei gets to the building under construction); I know that since these came out well, he’s working on better rips for some or most of the unreleased OST, so stay tuned there (I also drafted up a full version of the alternate DS theme, but had to get creative since they didn’t play all of it in this alternate style; will post soon).  And thanks to Tiny Spider Productions, who provided the “shock” SFX playing as Carly sees Yusei’s arm actually glowing in her car, some inspo here/there for dialogue fixes, and provided CurtisH from CastingCallClub’s recording he did voicing a line from Tanner translating the original line about the four Signers they know which 4Kids cut short.

I hope folks enjoy! Just breezing through 28 often for lines to use here, I can tell it’s going to be a headache because they did throw in a lot more jankiness in the dialogue... So, fun. 🙃 Once I handle finalizing my subs for GX 56 (and possibly 57 due to how long this took), I’ll start drafting it out; stay tuned~ 

(And if you're able to reblog for visibility, it’d be appreciated given Tumblr’s suckage with links 🙏🏽)

Breakdown, breakdown~

So, I used Duel Links audio for the twins to handle the Noteworthy/Showcased Cards bit (we’ll see if I still can in 28... And as the twins are voiced by Eileen Stevens in Duel Links but not yet in 5D’s [that happens in 65], bear with me lol), and I also translated the sign for this hardsub in Photoshop, masking in the Fitzgerald card and Rua and Ruka’s heads over it in Sony Vegas.  

Moving to the episode proper, a second was trimmed from the shot of the stadium in the TV Rally/co are using once it tunes in, and I couldn’t properly loop the “Yusei!” shouts to cover it, so I just filled in the audio with the crowd just cheering.  In the Carly/Angela scene, I removed Angela’s extra lines about her makeup and hair while Carly was getting ready, then tweaked Angela’s line on camera to remove her last name (which we never learn originally) and move her lines about “Fusei Yudo” winning to play sooner while removing Carly’s “one journalist to another” as she walks up to correct her (as this scene was rewritten, there are subs to show the original dialogue).  Looped chants of “Yusei!” to remove his internal “pointing out the obvious” monologue before the OP.

After the OP, I used the JP audio to keep the doctors moving Jack quiet (hopefully you don’t notice the chants changing lol), then as Yanagi runs over, I replaced his bit about Yusei having “a brand new enemy” in the media with “we should all get going” from 26.  The Godwin/Lazar scene stays the same since it was accurate, but I did have to put the end of Rex’s “that’s the only thing that matters” line on another track so Lazar’s gasp would play when it should (they added a second to his talking in the dub).  The Yusei/co scene in the tunnel stays mostly the same, just switched to the JP audio as the flashback to the Satellite vision happened, then as Yusei had a quick one before gasping, I recycled a gasp and a “hmm” from elsewhere to cover the commercial-inducing monologue they gave him in the dub.  For the press conference scene, I thought about removing the one “That’s right, Ted” reporter’s line since he’s quiet originally, but thought “whatever,” and then I spaced out Carly’s line as she reads her fortune to match her Japanese line’s pace and remove some of the fluff.  I switched to the JP audio after Carly asked about Yusei’s arm glowing to remove Rex’s comment over it, then stitched up a “Perhaps; still, I didn’t see that” mixing his line there with a “still” from 23.  Carly’s line as she’s excited about Goodwin dodging her question (originally just “I’ll keep moving forward too!” [she references her fortune a lot more]) was longer in the dub, so I cut out the “which means I’m onto something” for use later.  For Carly’s chat with her Editor-in-Chief, I included subs because of the rewrite, but I did shorten Carly’s line just before “bring some dirt and you might still have a job” which was lengthened by 4Kids.  Removed a lot of Carly’s fluff as she began to watch the Yusei duel footage via the JP audio, then stitched together “Goodwin tried to give me that bit but [the whole world will know what Goodwin’s trying to hide]”, the latter bit coming from Carly’s monologue as she’s running at the end of the ep, then switched to the JP audio to remove Carly’s fluff about living in her car.  Then, as we see the Dark Signers looming, because 4Kids removed the commercial break here, I kept only Demak and Kalin’s chuckling and Roman’s “lower the curtains” line over the desk shot, then looped some of his laughing from after the eyecatch to lead into it.

After the eyecatch, I made use of his “Goodwin assembled his Signers” bit, recycled a little chuckling, then cut Roman’s reference to Shakespeare to just the “tangled web” line (thanks to yugidmx5 also providing the SFX for this scene, I was able to move Roman’s laughing to play where it should after he releases his spiders).  Moving to Yanagi drawing the Crimson Dragon, I only kept his “saw it the once” line while using Japanese Rua and Ruka’s interested gasps to fill a fluff gap, then combined two bits of audio to get a [slightly] awkward “t[ail]” to fix 4Kids’s dumb error claiming he had the Head birthmark; accordingly, made Leo say “What about it?” instead of “What about the Head?”.  CurtisH’s line for Tanner comes in here, with a slight tweak or two to match the lip-flaps more, then JP audio as we see all the Signers so far to remove Leo’s dialogue.  Meanwhile, for Jack’s hospital scene, I translated the “No Visitors” sign Mikage walks past (along with fixing “Atlus” to “Atlas”).  The Dark Signer recruitment scene also gets some subs, then I used the JP audio from when we see Dark Signer!Dick walking to Yusei’s birthmark beginning to glow; yugidmx5 providing the SFX was a big help here, too.  Yusei runs out to chase Dick down, and then when he sees him inside the under-construction building, I took “Who are you” from later in the episode, but added a more question-ending “u?” to flesh the sound out a bit (since the line was “Who are you and what’s going on”).  I took “Fine, then” and “What are you planning to do to the Satellite” from 28 (which I’ll likely cut as it was added offscreen dialogue), and TSP provided a vocal-isolated cut of Dick’s line about his master (because 4Kids cut his shot short by a second or two and played it as the SFX for the zoomout as his Disk activated played).  

They begin the duel, and here I just kept “What’s going on?” from the line I noted earlier, recycled some laughing from Dick to match the JP script, then shortened his line about their being offered up “by the light” to work with the new timing.  Dick begins his turn, but I recycled an “It’s my turn now” line from later for accuracy, then his setting-a-card line is cut short at his ending his turn as Yusei looks on.  Carly, driving nearby and seeing lights from the duel off in the distance, gets her reference to the Goodwin “sheen from Yusei’s Runner got in your eye” line that I cut replaced with the “I’m onto something” I noted before.  Yusei gets a recycled “It’s my move!” line from 24 to start his turn, tweaked to remove the drawing SFX that happens in it, then to remove a dub SFX I used a Duel Links line to fill out “I activate the Tuning [Spell Card]”.  “I summon Junk Synchron” comes from 24 (and “Level-2-or-below Monster from my Graveyard” comes from his Graceful Revival explanation in episode 3), then--thanks to Arian over on NAC reuploading some HQ dub episodes--a better-quality vocal rip of his “Level-3 Junk Synchron, tune with Level-2 Speed Warrior!” line from 87, along with a better-quality rip of his “From two come one” chant and “Form the road of light!” from Duel Links.  Yusei shouts “Battle!” from Duel Links, then I slowed down his line at “[Attack his Blizzard Li]zard” to end it there (and remove the “warm Satellite welcome” fluff).  As Blizzard Lizard’s effect activates, I combined an “I activate,” “Blizzard Lizard’s special ability,” and “now” for a better line than “Blizzard Lizard’s special ability is going on.” Yusei’s lines after being damaged and realizing he damaged Dick too are spaced out to match the JP script, then I borrowed Yusei’s line on setting two cards from episode 3.  Then, when Dick plays Ice Mirror, I stitched up an explanation (since the Card Interruption does it for him) combining Call of the Haunted’s explanation with a few other pieces of dialogue (thanks to TSP for the inspo).  I cut Dick’s “Now I’ll play” line there to remove the dub’s zooming-in SFX, and then made Dick’s line about his third Blizzard Lizard end right before the split-screen with all three of them to remove the dub’s split-screen SFX.  I thought about replacing Yusei’s “three’s a crowd” line with “What’s that all about” from later, but couldn’t figure out a way to fill the line in before that, so I left it, but didn’t let Dick acknowledge it by just recycling “With that done” to replace “Well, how about [I release]”, then after Yusei reacts to his Dark Tuner, I recycled some chuckling to match the JP script and trimmed his line about its “power to extinguish;” the Dark Synchro “explanation” gets some subs to actually explain it, then I looped Carly’s panting as she runs to cover the “Goodwin’s trying to hide” line I moved to earlier, and recycled/amplified Dick’s laughing at various points through the ep to remove Yusei’s episode-ending monologue.

In the preview, I just recycled Yusei’s “No way...” and “A Dark Synchro Summon?!” while borrowing Carly’s lines about the Dark Tuner from 28, then Yusei’s line about getting his answers to end it.  I had to speed up the OST version of the preview tune to match the pace here, then trimmed it and ended it with the JP audio for the quick fade-out.

/phew

[jxpper]

how do u make ur videos? I’m trying to get started and any tips you have I would appreciate

ooou yeah this is my jam.

- if you're on a pc, I've heard that Sony Vegas Pro is the best to use. for mac, I highly recommend final cut pro. yes, its expensive but there are several ways around that. if you search "final cut pro" in my blog, you can find a tutorial on getting it for free. I'll drop the link.

- when using audio, try to sync up the beats of the song with the clips. if theres a big climactic point in the song, use the best climactic scene you have so it just flows and the intensity matches. on final cut, the keyboard shortcut "M" is for marker, I go through and mark each beat in the song ahead of time so I can make the clips fit and match.

- sort your videos out ahead of time. if you dont have a lot of storage, you can get a USB or a hard drive to store the videos, I highly recommend just download the entire episode(s) or seasons because it gives you more to work with. but sort them out in your editing program in the same project so you can copy and paste the clips easier over the music.

- always put a coloring on at the end. this is a personal tip I like to use, I know some editors use several colorings but I prefer using mlut (for final cut) or just an average LUT plugin. LUTs are coloring grading filters. You can find millions for free all around the internet. If you have photoshop, watch a photoshop tutorial on LUTs and if you find say a 'tumblr coloring' you can learn how to save it into a LUT file.

- letterboxes are those little cinematic black bars on the top and bottom of the clip. At the end of each video, put a letterbox above the entire video because it looks super pretty.

- study other videos. If you have a goal in mind for what kind of edits you want to make, study those videos. Watch every single frame until you understand it. Also, tutorial after tutorial after tutorial. You will learn SOOOO MUCH

- this could just be my cinematic loving self but dont always use transitions. Especially in an emotional video, transitions are for more upbeat, non cinematic videos. Use them when the time calls for it.

- my freaking editing rabbi has so many incredible plugins for final cut pro if that's what you're using. Check his mostly free shop here and watch him on youtube. he has helped me grow like a fucking wildfire.

- trust yourself. seriously. if you have an image in mind of how you're gonna make a video, go with your gut baby.

- download some sort of youtube clip grabbing software. I use clipgrab, its trustworthy and easy to use, you wont regret it.

- learn keyboard shortcuts. theres a cool little hacky hack for this. If you're using final cut pro, check this out.

[aviationfiction]

XXXII

Dante St. James

“I need you all to understand that it takes a tremendous amount of effort and time to build a business. There is no such thing as an overnight success. I don’t care how many viral moments you see. I know that social media driven fame has become the new thing. It’s those moments where someone does something simpleminded or displays some type of talent and the next thing you know they’re sitting on Ellen’s couch and being given tickets some some concert, sporting event, or a four figure donation. As quickly as those moments of fame come is as quickly as they fizzle out. Are we talking about Antoine Dodson anymore? Remember he told us to hide our kids and our wives?” As expected, laughter sounded out in the enormous seminar room as everyone shook their heads in response to my question and also towards one of the biggest viral moments the internet as ever seen. Though I typically hate conducting our workshops, I still take them on rather than passing them off to someone else because I have no issue with sharing my knowledge. It’s an essential part of life. We learn so that those after us can utilize our knowledge and improve upon what we’ve already done. Who am I to try and avoid the circle of life? Though the higher ups in the building tend to look at the interns as the flunkies who they can control and manipulate, I view them as budding employees who are slowly working their way up their ranks. We tend to hire interns from some of the most prestigious schools in the country, but it was me who also opened up our selection process to state schools, community colleges, and institutions with small student bodies. Everyone deserves a chance. Some of the people we hail as geniuses in a ton of fields didn’t even go to college. If I can sit up here and drop enough gems to advance everyone in the room forward whether it be here at the company or in some other aspect of their lives, I’m serving a part of my purpose. Despite what they may think, I learn from them just as much.

“I can stand here and list off a ton of those moments, but overall, are we talking about them now? No. As a public relationships representative for a company, you do not want that. If you cannot attract and retain customers and consumers, not only will whatever company or artist you work for fall under the radar to the point of being obsolete, but you yourself will not survive in the field.”

“But with someone like Antoine, he wasn’t looking for fame. It just sort of came to him. Right?” The question came from the back of the room. If I’m not mistaken, is name tag said Harris.

“He was seeking proper PR after the fact. Often times people who experience those viral moments try to capitalize off of them. Why wouldn’t they? Your name and face is out there, so why not try to make some money off of a naive public that is getting amusement off of whatever it is that you said or did? He did a couple of television appearances and even did correspondence for some show for a couple of months. He did the typical showing up to Hollywood events for the sake of publicity move and don’t forget they turned the audio from the news report into a song that sold millions of singles. He was performing that crappy auto-tuned song everywhere, even on BET. He ended up hiring a publicist and that person had him move out to L.A. and ruined whatever momentum he had. That was the end of it for him. There was no real goal there. There was no strategy because as you said, he wasn’t seeking fame in the first place. This is why those type of people fade away. As publicist its your job to do your best in creating the momentum behind a person, but I won’t lie to you about it being challenging especially when you initially notice that whatever talent, product, or service they’re trying to push out there is bullshit. As interns, that’s what they’re going to push down here to you, sadly. That’s apart of the challenge. As you work your way up, you’ll be able to pick and choose who and what you want to represent. You’ll be able to sort through the pile and toss what sounds great to the right and the nonsense to the left. You’ll be able choose between working with Sony Records instead of having to come up with a marking campaign for the guy who is trying to sell baby poop alarms. Yes, that’s a real invention. Look it up.” Even I had to laugh at that one. That is by far the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen in my life and I’ve had my experiences with people and products that have rendered to me to speechlessness from their ridiculousness. Nothing tops that one.

“And don’t forget. Don’t overlook platforms just because it didn’t work in the past. Don’t close your ears to suggestions. The important part of keeping things going at any PR firm is feedback. We’ve talked about this before and I cannot stress it enough. Share with your people. Uplift your firm. Update the people around you about the results of whatever you’ve done whether it’s successful or not. If it’s successful, it can always become even better. If it’s not, modifications can be done to get it there.” With the click of a button, I shut the oversized screen off as a sign of my conclusion and the round of applause caused me to swiftly turn my head with a smirk. I never expected it, but it’s nice nonetheless.

“Thank you. It’s been three long days but I’m glad that you all were attentive, well enthused, and engaged each day. You all make it easy on me. Feel free to stop by my office if you have any questions or you want to run something by me. I have an open door policy unless I’m extremely busy. Either way, Stacey will make sure I get the message, even if I can’t get back to you immediately. Have a Happy Thanksgiving as well.”

You ever been tired of hearing yourself speak? Though the three day workshop was a success, I’m damn sure tired of hearing my voice. I’m up at five and in the office by seven so that I can respond to any e-mails and go over paperwork before coming down here to spend the rest my early morning and the bulk of the afternoon amongst the interns. Matthew was supposed to be in here with me two out of three of this days but my no show older brother purposefully ducked off to Vegas to get out of it. What he deems to be work is most likely going to be nothing more than a weekend of drinking and gambling away money that he’s making simply for being employed here. Though Richard popped his head in twice, I didn’t bother with addressing it and I’m not going to now that it’s all said and done. My patience in that particular area is diminishing from thin to nonexistent day by day. I have enough on my plate as it is.

“I got you Carbone for lunch. I was in the area so I figured why not.” As soon as I stepped one foot of the elevator, I could hear Stacey’s voice. I don’t understand how she automatically knows it’s me coming. She’s yet to fail at it.

“What did you get?”

“The spicy rigatoni vodka with the meatballs and grilled asparagus. I know it sounds heavy, but what Italian dishes aren’t? Your mother called for you. I’m sure you’re not going to call back, so moving on. I also got you a little something something from the cheesecake factory. You needed a dessert with that.”

“Did something happen?” I didn’t bother to walk down to her office. Instead, I opened the door to my own and awaited the sound of her heels. Eventually, she’ll get up and make her way in here.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you bought me Carbone for lunch and then stopped at the Cheesecake Factory to buy me dessert. Either you did something or something happened. Which one is it?” As soon as I flopped down into the leather chair, I eyed the two bags she left on my desk. Though my appetite isn’t craving much of anything because Autumn was up early enough to fill my stomach with French toast, eggs, and turkey bacon, I am absolutely going indulge on the cheesecake. If it’s a red velvet slice, that’s even better.

“I didn’t do it.” Suddenly the sound of her heels became more annoying than it usually is. I knew there had to be something.

“Well who did?”

“Richard.” His name rolled off of her tongue in the same manner as it would have rolled off of mine if I were the one saying it. Though he’s never personally stepped out of character with Stacey, her disdain for him stems from the relationship that she and I have. If were up to her, I would have left his company a couple of years ago. Now that Autumn’s in my life, her advice for me to get out of here has become more intense and urgent. Whether she can go wherever I end up or not, she would rather stay behind than to see me remain confined within these A&M walls.

“What happened?”

“Your father has been walking around this building ever since he came in this morning telling people that you’re engaged. Not only has he been telling people that you’re engaged, but he’s also giving them a wedding date.” Suddenly my desire to devour that piece of cheesecake diminished and disdained filled the pit of my stomach at the thought of him boastfully walking around here announcing what I know he feels nothing but sarcasm and indifference about. I never had any intention to conceal my engagement from anyone, but from the moment I took that knee in front of Autumn, I did internally vow to protect it from those who I know are toxic and more than willing to go out of their way to sabotage what she and I share. It’s been two weeks since her birthday festivities and I’ve contemplated speaking to my parents and brother about it a number of times and personally chose to back down at the end of each thought. If we had a normal family dynamic, I would have had a conversation with both my father and brother a long time ago and would have gotten advice not only on how to treat a woman but how to have longevity with one. If I respected my mother and her opinion enough, I would have been picking her brain for pointers on how to woo, romance, and consistently shower Autumn with my love and affection. Our Sunday dinners would have been filled with knowledge from the two elders, laughs with my big brother, and the teasing that I’ve now have gotten used to from my sister-in-law, but instead I sit there filled with tension, counting every minute until I feel compelled to walk out so that I can refrain from mentally exploding. We don’t have nor have we ever had normalcy so my engagement is mine. My fiancée is mine.

“What the hell do you mean he’s telling people a date?”

“He’s mentioning May twentieth and boasting about it being at The Plaza Hotel. I suppose he’s mentioning The Plaza because it’s one of the most, if not the most expensive venue in the city for a wedding. It’s damn near four hundred dollars per guest, with additional taxes and service fees.”

“How do you even know that?”

“Okay, I won’t lie. It’s been two weeks since you laced my soon to be sister-in-law’s finger with that gorgeous Lorraine Swartz ring, so I’ve been looking around. I couldn’t help myself. An engagement party has to happen soon.”

“Stacey.” I slowly drew my hands down my face and huffed. Had she not been the bearer of bad news prior to telling me what she’s been doing since Autumn’s birthday, I would have laughed because she truly cannot help herself. I’d already figured it out when I saw two Brides magazines sneakily tucked under a couple of papers while standing in front of her desk just a couple of days ago. In our many conversations since then, she’ll casually snuck in a couple of questions about the types of flowers I like, my preferred ambiance, and color schemes that have either left me in confusion or amusement. I’m more than glad that she’s excited but if that excitement can stay contained within the bubble that we share while we’re in this building, I’d be thrilled.

“What? I’m happy. I wonder who could have told him though. You think Camille did? She’s the only person that I can think of.” Instantly, I shook my head. She wouldn’t. Camille and I have had more than enough conversations that I’m absolutely sure have remained between the two of us. She and Matthew have far too many issues that need to be discussed so I’m the last person that they’re arguing or potentially pillow talking about.

“No. It couldn’t have been her. Were we some bullshit Page Six story again?”

“No. Autumn posted a couple of photos of herself from her birthday party on her Instagram, but they were all photos that were taken before you proposed because her ring wasn’t on her finger in any of them. Can I ask you something though?”

“What?” Could it have been Camille? Maybe it slipped out at a family dinner? There was no one else at the table who could have encountered Richard since then but her.

“Is she not allowed to post photographs of you?”

“Who said that?” I’m not a social media person. I’ve never been one. Though I’ve been encouraged to up my presence in that area for the sake of this business and self-marketing for future endeavors, I still haven’t delved too much into it because I’ve seen how addicting, vile, and distracting it can be. The interns walk around here with their phones glued to their hands and sit around on their breaks gossiping about the latest in entertainment news or something silly and potentially ignorant that has gone viral for the day. I wouldn’t deem myself to be above it, but I don’t keep up with anyone’s personal business aside from my own and those that I love. Even in the midst of scandals that require extensive P.R. clean up work, I don’t deal with it. That’s not my department. That aside, I’ve never attempted to control or monitor what Autumn chooses to share on social media. I wouldn’t be bothered by her sharing photos of us because I know she understands and even limits what she shares and how it’s done.

“No one did. I’m simply asking.”

“She can post whatever she likes. I’ve never told her that she can’t post photos of me. I don’t believe she’s interested in being the one to usher people into her business and that’s exactly social media is. She had a public divorce, Stace. You know what type of scrutiny comes with that.”

“That’s understandable. It didn’t come from the internet though. Believe me, I looked around.”

“I’m going to ask him myself and do my best to shut him the fuck up. He does his best to control and manipulate just about everything that forms in his path, but my pending marriage is off limits.”

“Dante, you know you have to get out of here before you stand at an alter and exchange vows right? You can’t do that and come back here.”

“I know.” I know that now more than ever. I’ve known since Autumn and I made it official in Las Vegas and it was a focal point of our conversation when I chose to take her to Malibu in the wee hours of the morning to give her a look at what a potential life together could and would be if we were to move out west and turn what is now just a house into a home for ourselves and soon enough, a growing family. Though I can give myself credit for knowing how to control and shift my emotions when necessary, I cannot take the risk of there possibly being a time when I can’t and then I come home to inflict negative energy on the people that I love. I don’t want to bicker back and forth with my wife over trivial bullshit because I’m mentally miserable and entrapped by Richard’s expectations and his underhanded choice in seeing me as a tool rather than a son.  I don’t want Elizabeth showing up to my house and forcing her way into my comfort zone only for an argument to erupt because she’s purposefully overstepping. I have no interest in sitting in a jail cell for the rest of my life because Matthew decided to disrespect Autumn yet again. None of that can come to fruition if the change doesn’t start with myself. I don’t want my children within toxic environments or around the people who create them. I can’t predict what the future will entail nor do I know if there will be any improvements in the relationship I have with the people I share a blood connection with, but I understand how our interactions are now, where the tension stems from, and most of all, that there is no resolution to be had right now or in the foreseeable future.

“I’ll be back.”

My trek to the elevator was swift and though the wait for it was only a mere couple of seconds, suddenly I wished it was minutes or even hours at the doors opened to reveal Megan leaning against the stainless steel wall. Though it’s unspoken, she intentionally attended all of the workshops for the sake of being within my presence for information that she doesn’t need because she already knows it. While there is nothing wrong with making sure to brush up on information to remain sharp within your craft, her intentions have absolutely nothing to do with that and I’ve known it for months. She’s the young school girl who has perfect attendance in a particular class because she enjoys ogling over the teacher but apples aren’t what she wants to put on my desk. The way she maneuvers around here has gone from being something I chuckle at to a certain level of discomfort that may need to be addressed before she does something to get herself expelled from a program that she’s damn near completed. I’d hate for her to allow her hormones to get in the way of the talents that she actually does possess. I’m am not, nor have I ever, nor will I ever be interested in anything beyond a cordial professional connection with her. If she feels compelled to screw people around here, there are a ton of her peers and even superiors who would be more than willing to take her up on the offer.

“Good afternoon Mr. St. James.” We didn’t make eye contact. As I stepped inside, my attention was directed to the panel of buttons. My finger tapped one for the floor I’m going to and I stepped over to the side to give both her and I some room.

“Good afternoon.”

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you that the workshops were great. You always do a such great job.”

“Thank you, I’m glad that you enjoyed them.”

“So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?” Just about everyone has already left or is leaving early to begin their holiday festivities. Hell, I’m surprised Stacey is still in the building. She usually likes to begin her precooking early in the morning so she won’t have to do any of it overnight.

“I’m spending it with family. You?” Autumn’s family that is. She invited me to come and having Thanksgiving dinner at her house the day after her birthday and I quickly agreed with her request. Typically, I’m at home for Thanksgiving. Though my mother spends days at a time convincing me to head over to their house to have dinner with them, I either decline or agree to get her off of my back, only to leave her in disappointment when I never show up the day of. I usually have no interest in being there during Sunday dinners, so why spend a family oriented holiday at a table filled with food that is poor quality in taste while listening to the banter of three people who I do not favor? Usually Stacey will drop off Tubberwear bowls filled with food, but this year I’m spending it with those who I’ll be able to call my extended family soon enough. Her birthday dinner gave me more than enough of a great vibe to know that they enjoy themselves during celebrations, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m damn sure ready for the food. Both Autumn and her mother are cooking. I already know what my lady can do in the kitchen and if her mom cooks as great as I know she bakes, I’m in for a hell of a treat.

“I’m doing the same. We’re all heading over to my aunts house in Delaware this year; my mom’s sister. It should be nice.”

“Yeah, it sounds nice. I hope you enjoy yourself.”

“Are you really engaged?” I’d already known this trivial conversation was leading up to that question as soon as she opened up her mouth to say good afternoon. The eager expression on her face let the cat out of the bag and there was no way for her to mask it because she’s overt with her emotions and thoughts. I doubt anyone else within the intern pool would be bold enough to ask me such a personal question aside from her and instead of taking an approach of seniority and superiority, I’m going to indulge her curiosity with an honest response.

“Yes.”  What I thought was simple and straight to the point turned into an instant complexity judging by the expression on her face. She lost her train of thought and didn’t know where to go with her follow up question. I don’t see signs of hurt. There was a shock value in what I said judging by the bulging of her eyes and I’m not surprised. Though it isn’t by my doing, I know my love life has always been a whispered topic throughout this place. Because I’ve never engaged in problematic romantic or sexual situations with anyone employed here, it has left them to seek out who I may or may not be dealing with outside of work. For any event we have, there is always an anticipation to see if I’ll show up with anyone on my arm and I leave them all filled with disappointment every single time. I’m sure there are those who have assumed I’m gay because of it. All in all, I really don’t give a shit.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Is it to the woman I saw you with at The Met?” Shit. I forgot I even spoke with her that day. Up until now, the only thing I could recall was the petty argument that happened between Autumn and I and her hair blowing in the wind as she rode off in a taxi leaving me to wonder if she ended things things between us.

“Yes.” The elevator doors opened as soon as I finished my one worded response. “Have a great day and a Happy Thanksgiving.”

My feet were moving as swiftly as my thoughts. Without acknowledgement or regard, I breezed past Richard’s barely out of college secretary and opened the door to his office, despite her warring about him being on an international business call. Though he continued to speak, he smirked to acknowledge my presence and used his hand to summon me forward. I chose to remain near the door so my exit could be as quick as my entrance. I rarely, if ever, come up here. He usually intrudes on my space or seeks me out.

“Syed, let me give you a call back in about fifteen minutes.” Syed from Marka Holdings. I know exactly where this is going, if not today, then sometime next week.

“Why are you prancing around here talking about something that you know absolutely nothing about. On top of it, you’re giving people a date and promising invitations? You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Aside from the A&M Gala, Richard hosts a ton of parties and a weekend in the Hamptons for a large quantity of employees in the building. He attempts rounds of golf with supervisors and the heads of certain departments and he’s also hosted a few of them at his home. I have a tendency to bring work home but not the people at work. Other than Stacey, I couldn’t imagine having to muster up a phony grin while shaking the hands and giving thanks to attendees from this company who couldn’t care less about my marriage. I don’t mind playing politics but I’d at least like to be able to let my guard down and enjoy my wedding without having to question motives and intentions.

“Congratulations son. Shit if you ask me, I never thought the day would come and yet here it is. I saw it in the way you were looking at her when your mother and I showed up to the opening of your restaurant and nightclub in Los Angeles. You were looking at her like you’d never seen anything like her at any other point in your life. Liz and I had a good laugh at that. She went on and on about how much she likes her and I told her that I like that you like her. I like why you like her. I’ve told you that you need to get your face out there more often and she’s the perfect piece to that puzzle.” Two deep breaths and the shaking of my head did nothing to cease the arising aggravation. The most insulting part of his statement doesn’t come as a surprise. Despite how much he claims to be in love with my mother, she is without a doubt his trophy wife. He parades her around as such and has made plenty of derogatory statements about beating white men at their own game by parading around with one another their own. Early on, he thought Matthew would eventually end up marrying outside of his race as well, but Camille came into the picture at the right time. Though she’s humbly beauty and brains, Camille has a maternal instinct that I am sure he gravitated towards as a means to cope with the loss of his own. Though Elizabeth coddles him and turns a blind eye to his bullshit as a means to pay her debt for having played a part in ruining his family, she isn’t his mother and he’ll never view her as such despite his pretending. He turns to Camille, who has a ton of similar traits to his mother, and she pets and takes care of him though he is undeserving. It’s likely the reason why he’s not as invested in them starting a family is because the children will draw a lot of her attention away from him.

“My relationship isn’t for show or to gain traction to my public persona. I don’t operate like you. How many times does that have to be clarified and proven for you to understand it? Anything I have going on beyond this place is beyond you and your acceptance. So do me a rare favor and stop walking around here giving people false information about my business for the sake of making yourself look good. I don’t need it and neither do you.”

“I went to Lorraine to pick out a tennis bracelet for your mother and a couple of other pieces since the holiday season has arrived and it was quite interesting and yet confusing when she quickly congratulated me on gaining a daughter-in-law. She then went on and on about how detailed you were in designing the ring and how important the whole entire process was for you and I had to sit there with a smirk on my face while nodding in agreement with some shit that I had no idea about. How exactly do you justify not telling your parents that you plan on marrying someone?”

“As I said, anything I have going on beyond this place is beyond you. That’s all the justification you need. You shouldn’t be surprised by what I don’t tell you. What should surprise you is what I do tell you.” His face eased into a blankness as his eyes attempted to piece a hole through me. I struck a nerve.

“Your mother and I would like to host you and your fiancée for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow evening.”

“No thank you. We have plans already.”

“A lot of the decisions that you make to isolate yourself don’t bother me. You are who you are and despite your resistance, I am proud of who you have become. I cannot and will not dwell on you throwing these silent tempter tantrums because I didn’t take you to the park to kick a ball around or because I didn’t throw you some fancy sweet sixteen party and present you with a sports car in front of all of your friends. I raised you to be a man and I financed the finest educational opportunities to complete that task. My job is done. It’s your mother who sits around moping and crying over you continuing to shut her out despite her endless attempts to amend the tension between the two of you. How does that not guilt you? There are people who wake up everyday wishing that they’re able to have a conversation or share a hug with their mother and yet you take that for granted.”

“Do I? It might be a little too late for me to be craving a mommy type of hug. She should have been giving me those when I was a child and actually needed them. Those were necessary when I was trying to learn what love is. Now? I don’t see the point. You can’t miss what you never had right? It’s difficult to make up for that kind of intentional lost time. She made that choice. Not me. I didn’t come here to talk about that or her. Stop turning my personal life into a hot shot story. That’s all I have to say.”

“What do you think you’re going to do? Get married without your mother and I in attendance? You’d look like a fool.”

“What’s that quote by Winston Churchill? Uh….oh yeah. The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”

The famous quote was my final statement and it lingered in the silence that followed my exit. Nothing more needed to be said and I had no interest in starting a full blown argument over what he knows is out of line. If anything, he pulled that charade today out of spitefulness for whatever unwanted emotions he’s feeling due to my lack of mentioning anything directly to him. Despite that, he knows better than to seek guilt from me about anything. I don’t regret it and if it were up to me, he still wouldn’t know.

Leaving the office now, baby. I’m on my way to you.

Though she insisted that I didn’t have to do it, I promised Autumn that I’d be picking her up from work today and we’d grab a pizza and some great pasta for lunch. It’s been a while since we had a pizza date and I’ve missed watching her drool over each slice she consumes. Also, it’ll be a way for us to have some private time to kick it with one another before we’re at her parents home and surrounded by relatives that I know and plenty that I will be getting to know.

Don’t go to Teterboro. I’m not there. Isaac and his ridiculous ass drove me to the hospital in Hackensack over absolutely nothing. Just go to your place and then I’ll call you when I’m on my way home so you can head over. I’ll tell you what happened when you get to the house. I love you.

The “over nothing” portion of her text message never registered. As my pace picked up, my phone nearly slipped out of my palm as perspiration built up. My frustration and anxiety met the golden elevator’s button as I pressed it ceaselessly in hopes that the elevator’s operating system would understand my mental space and quicken it’s pace so that I could exit the building properly, but it didn’t. Instead, I opted for the staircase and dashed into my office to retrieve my possessions. Out of respect for Stacey, who had disappeared from her desk, I took the lunch she bought me with me and sent her a text message that I left the building while on my way to the car. God had to be on my side as I forced myself to remain within the New York City speed limit while heading towards NY-495 West but I defied him a bit as I put my foot to the petal once I was on I-95 in New Jersey. The lack of traffic was what allowed me to race against the thirty five minute time frame it should have taken me to get to her and I was able to cut it down to twenty five. I didn’t have a clue of where she could be, so my best choice was to start with the emergency room. Whether she was there or not, they could give me answers.

“Dante!”

While digging down into my pocket for my phone, I turned my attention in the direction that the light voice came from. Lauren raised her hand up high enough for me to notice her as she trekked down the hallway with her coat draped over her arm. Though I didn’t expect to see her, relief flushed through my thoughts because I no longer had to ask a ton of questions to random employees.

“I’m so glad that you’re here and yet I’m kind of not glad about it, because she’s going to be so mad.” I raised both eyebrows at her giggling and she shook her head. “She’s so angry and she’s being stubborn because she feels like Isaac overreacted. Lillian and I were already out at the store picking up what was left on Autumn’s list of groceries that she needs for her portion of tomorrow’s dinner when we got the phone call, so we just rushed here. The groceries are still in the car and everything. Silas is at the house with Larissa and Ray but he’s been calling just about every ten minutes. I can only imagine the look on her face when she’s sees you. She’s probably going to blame me and say that I called you.”

“She told me that she’s here, so she’ll know it wasn’t you. She texted me telling me to go home and wait for her, but that wasn’t happening.”

“I’m glad it didn’t. Maybe you can talk some of that stubborn down. You do know your wife to be is a very stubborn woman right?”

“I know.”

“Good. So you know what you’re going to be dealing with as long as you both shall live.”

“I do.” Our chuckling followed my response. I learned that about her very early on and though it has it’s slightly annoying moments, it does have it’s cute ones. I also appreciate that she knows when to check herself in that area.

“She’s right through those doors down there and in the second bed closest to the left when you walk in the room. Luckily the other patient in the room was discharged a little while ago, so he didn’t have to endure the continuous argument between she and her brother for long.”

“What happened? Why is she here?”

“Some dizziness that caused her to take quite a bit of a fall.” My eyes instantly widened at that revelation and while Lauren nodded in understanding at my reaction. “Issac thought she was having another one of those TIAs or worse, so he put her in the car despite her protests and drove her here.”

“I’m glad he did. I’m going to check on her. You’re leaving?”

“I’m just running to the car, I’ll be back.”

“Okay.” After receiving clearance from a staff member in registration, I was granted access to the emergency room. A churning in my stomach sparked up at the stench and sight of illness. When my uncle started being in and out of hospitals, much like anyone else I developed a bit of distaste in the midst of the respect I do have for the people who put in countless hours to save lives. It’s something about knowing that no matter how many times he was back and forth in the hospital, his health slowly but surely continued to deteriorate. It caused resentment to fester within me. It makes sense given that he’s the only father that I ever knew. With that in mind, a place like this is the last place I want to see my fiancee in unless it’s to birth our children.

I could hear Autumn’s complaints as soon as I stepped in the room and her mother’s plea for her to cooperate went into one ear and right out of the other as she spoke over her and scolded Isaac for being so impulsive and stupid. Surprisingly he didn’t respond with words. He let her rant fly freely.

“You’re really having a fit over here huh?” Though I playfully poked my head beyond the curtain to lighten the mood, the bewildered expression on her face signified just how poorly that went over. Had it not been an embarrassing move within itself, I’m almost sure she would have pulled the white sheet over her head and did her best to mentally disappear from the room. Aside from the machines hooked up to her finger and arm to check the standard vitals, she looked to be doing alright and that granted me far more relief than anyone could ever understand. I can only imagine what her family went through when she was hospitalized and how the visual and experience has remained embedded in their conscious, but if God is on my side I don’t ever want her to go through something like that ever again. I don’t want to stand over the love of my life as her life hangs on by a thread. It’ll mentally and physically suffocate me.

“Boy am I glad that you’re here. Maybe you can talk some sense into your fiancée and convince her to do the CT, so that we can go home. That’s all she needs.” Lillian drew her lips up into a frustrated smirk and glanced over at her headstrong child who refused to make eye contact with me.

“I’m going to step outside. Maybe she’ll do it if she no longer has someone to argue with.”

“We wouldn’t be arguing if you hadn’t overreacted to absolutely nothing.”

“Or maybe we shouldn’t be arguing because I was only looking out for you. I don’t think you understand because you weren’t on the other side of that shit. I’ve never known you to be a person to lack empathy so don’t pull that bullshit now because you’re upset. I’m glad you’re alright for the most part, but lets not forget the last time you were gripping your head and you hit the ground, you didn’t get back up. Thankfully, you’re still here after what happened. Carelessness can always be a reason for you not to be, but I’m not participating in that shit. I did what was right. Be mad all you fucking want to.” In a swift movement, he snatched his trench coat off of the chair on the left side of the bed and walked around me. Though his words didn’t seem to go into one of her ears and right out of the other, she couldn’t help but to roll her eyes at his emotions because she was still stuck in her own.

“I don’t like places like this. Who the hell does? You don’t know what it’s like to be woken up every half an hour or so to someone sticking you with this and that, taking you from floor to floor for a bunch of tests that never make sense, and painfully wondering if you’re going to get the hell out of here. My time in this very hospital was not pleasant. So excuse me if you all are pissed off because I have fears and hesitance about coming to places like this.”

“No one is refuting how you feel. We haven’t done that. I understand where you’re coming from. No one enjoys coming to hospitals sweetheart, but you know what? It’s apart of life and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Your brother isn’t a doctor. He became alarmed by it and wanted to get you to a place where what you’re feeling could be analyzed and understood whether it was something big or small.” Rather than scolding Autumn for the silence that followed, she pressed her lips to her forehead and endearingly ran her hand over the top of her head in a manner that only a mother could do. “I’m going to step outside for a couple of minutes.”

Rather than taking a seat in the chair, I purposefully invaded her space by sitting down towards the end of the bed. Though I hadn’t said anything yet, she was forced to make eye contact and within that split second, the vulnerability that she’d been trying so hard to mask since my arrival slipped beyond her control and began pouring out of her by the way of tears filling her eyes and her arms protectively being wrapping around the upper portion of her body.

“Why do you fear vulnerability? We all have it.”

“Because I don’t like people feeling sorry for me. It worsened shit when I was feeling sorry for myself.”

“I don’t feel sorry for you. I love and care about you. That’s not the same context. I’m quite sure that everyone else who showed up here because they love and care about you feels the same way. What happened at work?” She received me as I inched closer. Once I opened my palm, her hand slipped into mine and our fingers interlocked in our usual fashion.

“A headache. I woke up with it. It became a bit more intense as I was going over logistics for the Christmas party and I ended up tripping. I didn’t fall out like Isaac assumed. I felt a bit dizzy and I tripped. That’s how I fell and I hit my shoulder pretty hard on the floor.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a headache this morning.”

“Because it felt like a typical headache. I took Motrin before I left but they ended being ineffective. I get migraine headaches from time to time. This isn’t anything new.”

“And how do you feel now?”

“I feel alright. My shoulder has a bit of an ache but there’s no damage there or anything like that. I hit it on something. Any part of your body will hurt if that happens to it. They gave me a pill that’s already helping and I’m sure before I’m discharged from here, they’ll give me a shot like usual. We have been through this before.”

“And the CT?”

“Stupid. It’s not a TIA or a stroke, Dante.”

“Well let’s just get it done to be sure and walk out of here knowing there’s nothing to worry about. Can you do that for me? It’s one little test. I’ll go with you if you want. After that, we’re out of here. Alright?” Her hard exhale earned a laughter from me that only prompted her to roll her eyes and she eventually nodded her head to comply with the request.

“Thank you. When we get out of here, we’ll get that pizza.”

“To go, because I have to finished prepping a few things. I’m also making all of the desserts today.”

“Don’t you think you should take it easy on that shoulder?”

“I will, tomorrow when all the cooking is finished. Once that’s done, I don’t plan on doing anything else other than laying around and watching TV like I do every Thanksgiving once we’ve eaten and the laziness kicks in.”

“Oh. I meant to ask you, what’s in those bags that you bought in the house yesterday?” The innocent smirk that arose on her face after her eyes widened only caused me to narrow mine. As quickly as she arrived and sat down in my lap is as quickly as I forgot about the bags. I even walked past them on the way out this morning and never once thought to take a peak.

“Customized Christmas ornaments.”

“Oh man.” She has every intention to make it look like Christmas has thrown up in my apartment and there is absolutely nothing that I can or will do to stop her. The excitement she’s had in talking about it increases everyday and I’d be an asshole to rain on her parade. At least it’s not me doing it, because if were, that same small ass Christmas tree that Mike has a vendetta against would be sat out on the table and left as it is.

“You’re going to love it. I promise.”

“I’m not complaining. Do as you please.”

Though she attempted to hide it with the hospital gown covering her top half, I could see the bruise forming on her shoulder as the nurse wheeled her towards the elevator for the scan. Every few seconds, her impotent eyes would pan towards the left to see if I was still walking along side her for this process. Though I couldn’t go inside, I assured her that I’d be waiting outside and I did for the twenty minutes she lay inside of that machine. Her mood then went on a array of up and down emotions until we were presented with results that proved no abnormalities were found. As Autumn informed me before, they did give her a shot right in the upper area of her backside and a prescription for any further pain she may have with her head. The instructions for her shoulder were simple; ice and rest. Knowing Autumn, neither will happen. The concept of sitting still seems to go over my fiancee’s head and yet I can’t judge her because I’m still learning how to do so myself.

“You need to apologize to your brother.”

“Have I told you how handsome you look today? That grey is so sexy.” As I gently eased her black patent leather puffer coat over her shoulders, my lips curved in response to her obvious deflecting.

“He deserves the apology.”

“But…”

“Autumn.”

“Okay. Fine. I’ll apologize. You do look really handsome though. I didn’t say that to be slick.”

“Thank you. I’ll take those things there. Lets gets out of here.”

“Oh you don’t have to tell me twice.” As I grabbed her purse and the extended care packet the nurse left behind, she walked out ahead of me. By the time I’d gotten out into the hallway, I was left to keep up with her stride as she made her way towards the exit of the emergency room. She refused to even peak her head inside of the waiting room to alert anyone that all was fine and that it was time to go. She needed fresh air, but most of all, the reassurance in her being okay and not having to be imprisoned to a bed in such a place was her being able to walk out of those doors.

“Isaac and Lauren are sitting in the car having coffee. I decided to wait in here. I knew all would be well. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit more assurance.”

“Yeah, she’s fine. Why didn’t you come back to the room?” As I helped her pull her coat over her shoulders, she gave me a knowing smile though her facial expression held a seriousness in it that I didn’t understand.

“It was at this very hospital that I had to make decisions about her life that technically weren’t up to me. I reached out to Andreas and he did nothing. He did not come here and hold up his end of that in sickness and in health portion of his vows. Silas and I were left to handle everything. I know you love my daughter and have asked for her hand in marriage, but there is so much that comes with that and situations like this are exactly that. You will be her life partner, so when you arrived I excused myself because I wanted to began to find my own comfort in knowing that I can trust that you will be there for her.”

“For as long as there is breath in my body, I will be there for her.”

“Well, alright then. Lets get home because there is cooking to be done. Autumn tells me that you don’t really celebrate holidays, so I plan on making you change your mind about them. We always have a great time and with you now becoming an addition to the family, we have to show you how it’s done.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Are you making that cake that you shared with me on my birthday?”

“I am. I know you love cheesecake, so there will be a few options in that area. This and Christmas are the two days of year where we really overindulge on the desserts.”

“Oh yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to it now.” Her hand met my back during our laughter and she gave it a gentle pat.

“We’re so happy to have you Dante.”

“Here, take some of this too.”

Autumn unfolded her legs and crawled towards me with her plate so that I could give her half of the slice of cheesecake Stacey bought me. Somehow, we ended up sprawled out on her bedroom’s rug with a half pepperoni half cheese pizza being shared amongst us. Though the television was on, the volume was low enough for neither one of us to glance in it’s direction to check out whatever movie was playing on the HBO channel she left it on. Most of my attention was on her thighs as my grey shorts, that she somehow stole, loosely rode up on her thighs. The Columbia t-shirt covering her upper frame? Mine too. We would have been damn near identical twins in attire if I didn’t opt for a pair of sweatpants instead.

“Some interesting shit happened at work today. Stacey usually always buys me lunch whenever some aggravating shit is either going down or soon to go down. As soon as I saw that pasta and the cheesecake on my desk, I knew it had to be something.”

“Is everything alright? What was it?” Rather than scooting back to where she was, she lazily threw her legs over mine and leaned back against the frame of her bed for support.

“Richard found out about our engagement and began telling a lot of people about it. It got around the building enough for an intern to ask me about it. He was even telling people a date and promising invitations to people I wouldn’t even invite them to a birthday party of mine let alone my damn wedding.” Her eyes washed over me and yet they held no reluctance or resistance about what I revealed.

“You truly do not pay them any mind huh?”

“I don’t, but why do you ask?”

“Because both he and your brother try to do everything in their power to dig under your skin.”

“I’ve summed it up to them not knowing how to communicate in any other manner. Neither one of them understand how to hold a proper conversation with me nor do they desire to address the tension and elephant that is always in the room when we’re within each other’s presence, so it ends up being shit like what happened today. He felt like I was being spiteful by not telling him so his revenge was to do something he knew would make me uncomfortable and angry.”

“Can I ask you something?” After putting another folk full of the red velvet sweetness into her mouth, I nodded and remained silent so she could proceed with it.

“What is it going to take for some amending to begin? I know that it won’t happen overnight nor will it happen within a year but what will it take for just the beginning of it to start?” I’ve asked myself that question a number of times and each time I’ve come up with a different answer to satisfy my own needs. Initially, I’ve always had selfish thoughts of what needed to be done to accommodate myself and what I’ve been feeling over the course of my childhood and into my adulthood. I’ve considered how many apologies it’ll take, the genuine nature that needs to be involved, and the truths that I’ve yet to hear from any of them. As an adult I now realize that the complexities are far too extensive for it all to just be driven towards what I’ve felt and still am feeling. There are a number of hurt people involved and it all stems from different situations intertwined into a web of sin and bullshit. I’m not completely innocent in it either.

“The truth. Often times, people have this concept of wanting to move forward and put the past behind them. While that sounds good, I also see it as an escape route; a poor one at that. It’s simply people choosing to know that the skeletons are in the closet and making a conscious decision to not open the door. Eventually, someone will, whether it’s by a mistake or on purpose. I’m not the one running from it, they are. I’m not perfect but they have an issue when it comes to addressing their flaws and where they’ve gone wrong. How do you ever learn if you don’t acknowledge when you’re wrong? How can an apology ever be genuine if you can’t even admit or talk about what you’re apologizing for? That’s what I need. Ultimately, it doesn’t start with me. There has to be plenty of self realization before that can happen.”

“I understand where you’re coming from. Before you can amend anything with them, they need to look deep inside of themselves and come to terms with their own deep rooted issues.”

“Absolutely.”

“When do you want to get married?” That question caught me off guard, not because I haven’t been thinking about time frames, but mostly because I’m not sure how that correlates to this particular conversation. “I’ve been giving it some thought and I’ve considered this up and coming summer, somewhere around your birthday since it’s at the very end of August or maybe in September. It’s either that or we wait until maybe the Spring of following year.”

“It’s funny that you mention August because I was thinking of the same month. The nineteenth.” A smile arose at our similar thoughts.

“I was thinking the twenty sixth but I like the sound of the nineteenth better for some reason.” As my fingers slowly trailed up the skin of her thigh, trails of goosebumps began to follow my fingers and infectiously caused a round to trickle onto the nape of my neck. Just the feel of her skin takes me over the edge. “I love you and I want you be comfortable so do you want to do something small? Maybe we can have a civil union at the courthouse and some kind of a small celebration after with a few of the people that we love until everything is better with your family.”

“Autumn.”

“It’s not like I’d be doing it without my family knowing this time and I wouldn’t exclude them either. It’s our union and I want it to be fair. I don’t mind waiting until you’re ready in that particular area either. I don’t want you to have any regrets or to ever reflect back and think about how much you actually did want them there.”

“Fair for me is having the wedding that neither one of us have ever had. I’m not giving that up for anything or anyone. That’s not a sacrifice that I’m willing to make because there’s no true purpose for it. Why would you ever want to cheat yourself out of that? I want to see you in some of your designs and I’d like to be waiting for you at the top of an alter. I want to see your favorite flowers all over the place and to have a reception that is the best party of the year. After that’s all said and done, I want us to get on that jet and fly to wherever we want on this planet to celebrate our nuptials. That’s fair. I can give you that. Can you give it to me?”

“Of course I can.”

“Thank you.” Our lips met for a soft kiss and her palm traced by face, not in sympathy, but in a reassurance that I have her and we’re in everything together. Much like I am ready and willing to protect her at all costs, I know it is no different on her end.

“You have to promise me something though.”

“Anything.”

“I’d like for you to at least crack the door so that your mom can begin to make her way back into your heart. I am not nor will I ever dismiss how you feel and what you have gone through, but I do know that you love her. The love you have for her is why you’re so disappointed. I know you may not believe it but I see some good in her and she loves you. Just try it and see what happens. Don’t be so resistant all the time. Little by little, okay?”

In choosing her to be my life partner, I expect her to challenge me because Autumn within herself is a challenge that I’m still happily learning and maneuvering through day by day. If anything, I believe that she came into my life for that purpose aside from giving me love and companionship. Without being overbearing, she has changed my perspective on plenty and has broadened my experiences. I’m not surprised by this request and though I wish I could just shrink up and refute all the reasons why she believes this needs to be, I won’t. Not only will she not accept stagnant growth from me but I refuse to accept it from myself.

“Okay. Little by little.”

“Thank you.” A sharp exhale oozed out of my mouth as she straddled my lap and my body fell back the further she pushed herself down. Had this been happening on the marble flooring of my apartment, her clothes would have been halfway off by now but a peak of nervousness caused my eyes to pan back and forth between her breathtaking beauty and the closed yet unlocked door. Her irresistible nature would absolutely be the cause of me taking such a wild risk and yet I don’t want to scar anyone for life nor do I need the heads of this household viewing me in a negative light because I’ve lost all control with their daughter within their home.

“You know where we are right?” The softness of her lips meshed into mine and in that moment a sense of peace washed over every aspect of me. The warmth of her hands cupping my face made me aware of reality and yet the feel of her lips intertwined with mine began to draw me to that euphoria that I only experience with her.

“Move in with me.” The request was met with the shaking of her head and an endearing peck to simmer down yet another slightly disappointing blow to a question I’ve been asking since the proposal.

“Move in with me.” The more my hands roamed, the more she shuttered to my touch. Her eyes clenched tightly at the unintentional rolling of my hips. Maybe it was intention. Okay, it was.

“Please.”

“No.” A kiss to my forehead was followed by a kiss on the very tip of my nose. Kisses all over my face are my alarm clock when we’re in bed without responsibilities awaiting us.

“Well let me get you an apartment.”

“No.” With my arm locked around her waist, I used enough weight to flip us over and the wince that followed halted every action that I wanted to follow. “My bad. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s just sore. I’m cool.” My kisses were geared towards her shoulder and they remained there as we basked in a much needed silence after the pressures of the morning and early afternoon.  

“Why are you so stubborn?” Her laughter and the playful rolling of my eyes had my attention, but the manner in which she wrapped her thighs around my waist distracted my thoughts from the conversation which was her intention in the first place. She claims it’ll make sense to move in together once we’re officially heading out West and it’ll be a fresh start in our new home as man and wife, but who cares about all of that? It’ll still be a fresh start either way.

“Autumn, are you…” The door swung up with no knock or regard and a nearly mortified Lauren is what we were met with. Her eyes bulged open as far as they were capable of going and her lips fell apart to deepen the expression. Though rendered to speechlessness, the amusement arising within her facial expression was noticeable. I may even be able to chuckle at this. Had we been without the layers covering more than just our intimate portions, not so much.

“Never mind, sorry for interrupting.” As swiftly as she opened the door is as swiftly as it closed behind her. Autumn’s lack of amusement is what worsened my own. In our maneuvering to get off of the floor, I could hear the snide remark she made about her sister-in-law’s supposedly intentional barging in. No matter how many times I ask her about it, I still don’t understand what their underlying issues stems from.

“I’m going to head downstairs before Lauren snitches on me.”

“Why would she do that? I think you have it out for her for no reason baby.” Her eyebrow flew up while she eyed me and I just about shrunk under that all too familiar expression of disdain. I pity anyone who has to stand under the scrutiny of she and her mother doing it simultaneously.

“Because she’s always in my business and I don’t know why. I don’t ask her anything about hers, but she could not keep her nose out of my mine when I was going through everything I was going through with that man. Though she did it with the guise of being family, I still think it was for the sake of her own entertainment. Because she felt like she saved Isaac from himself and his demons, she probably figured she could save me from my own. It’s that plus that goody two shoes nature about her. Like just now for example. Girl, you’re pregnant. You stood there staring at us in shock though we’re fully clothed, meanwhile you’re walking around with a gut full of human which is pure evidence that my brother has been blowing your back out nightly. Is anyone staring at her mortified about it?”

“Why are you making it so deep?” The aggravation in her tone was hilarious. I don’t even think she dislikes Lauren. They’re polar opposites and it is that aspect of their dynamic that Autumn clings to as a means to force a dislike that isn’t there.

“It’s not just that. She picks and chooses when to stay her lane and I don’t like that either. That’s how all of those churchy chicks act.” My refusal to stop laughing earned a light mush to my head. If anyone else heard what she just explained, they’d be laughing too. “I’ll be downstairs. You’re going to stay in here and watch TV?”

“Yeah. I’ll probably take a nap too. I’ll be down later. Are you going to be nice to your sister?”

“Dante.”

“Be nice.”

“I’m always nice.”

“And apologize to your brother.”

“I will.”

I knew she will because she valued his speech he dedicated to her at the birthday dinner. Complete healing won’t happen over night, but thus far, they’re in a much better place and communicate more often than they were before. From what she’s been telling me, since then, they even gel better at work. If I can be apart of salvaging the relationship between those two than so be it. With the loss of Shane, they need one another more than they realize it.

I can’t remember the last time I had a slight hang over and I know for sure I’ve never experienced one on Thanksgiving Eve and yet I’ve just thrown back two Motrin out of a bottle I found in Autumn’s medicine drawer and I’m silently praying that they do the job. The nap I took was only a reset for what was to come. After peaking my head into the kitchen and being yelled at by every single woman occupying it, I quickly learned that there is a system to the holidays and I had to get in line or have my head ripped off. While the women do the cooking, the men stay out their way and hang downstairs in Silas’ man cave. Good ol’ soul music, cigars, beers, and rounds of card games is the tradition and I quickly earned a spot at the table. The mix of the older and younger men wasn’t a clash but instead, turned out to be great conversation and lessons that I can’t learn from anywhere else. Whether it was politics, sports, cars, life, and the women we’re all in love with, we shared back and forth banter, laughter, and advice that I’ll never forget. It just about felt like moments that I’ve occasionally witnessed on a television show, but better. Had Lillian not chased us all to bed as the sun began to creep up into the sky, I’m almost sure we would have all still been down there laughing and jokingly yelling about the card games.

“Did you get any sleep at all?” We spoke briefly while I was on my way up here to come to bed but I never felt her join me at any particular point. Because she’s often times a night owl and will creep out of the bed in the middle of the night due to restlessness, I’ve gotten accustom to sensing when she’s not there. The last I remember seeing her is when I was on my way upstairs to get in the bed and she told me she’d be up after she finished putting icing on a cake. That never happened. Even when I woke up, she wasn’t here.

“I fell asleep on the couch for a few hours. I did it on purpose. If I would have gotten in the bed, I probably would have fell into a deep sleep so I laid across the couch so that I could wake up in time to watch the Macy’s parade. Shane and I would watch it every year.” I looked on as she applied some type of make up product under her eyes, down the bridge of her nose, in-between her nose and upper lip, and then right on her lower chin.

“What is that?” I have absolutely nothing against make up. If it’s something that she or any woman wants to wear than so be it. She’s stunning with or without it. I’ve just never watched her put it on and the process seems like one hell of a task. I barely like to shave on my own.

“Concealer. I’m sleep deprived and I certainly look like I am, so this is going to help that. It’s the cure. All you need to do is use some concealer and it’ll brighten things up while getting rid of any signs of exhaustion.”

“You went to sleep after everyone else did, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. Maybe an hour or two later. I couldn’t really sleep anyway.”

“Are you okay?” As she patted away at her face, her words continued to nonchalantly flow from her glossed lips. Though her tone wasn’t insulting or dismissive, it lacked the normal enthusiasm she has when we speak. While slouching forward so that she could get a good look at herself in the mirror, she paused and thought about an answer.

“Yeah.”

“I’m really appreciative of you inviting me to come and hang out here for Thanksgiving. Usually I kick it at home and Stacey will bring me a plate whether she cooked at home or is having dinner at someone’s house. It’s not that I don’t understand the concept of spending time with family, but I really got a different experience hanging around your dad, Isaac, your uncles, and your cousins Eric and Austin. We had a blast, honestly.” Our eyes briefly met as she patted various places on her face over and over again with some kind of an egg shaped sponge. The smile that I’d been seeking out for about an hour or so finally arose on her face.

“Did you think I was going to leave you home by yourself? If you didn’t come here, I was going to come to you. I’m glad that you enjoyed yourself though. No one should be alone on days that are all about family. I don’t think anyone should be alone at all, but especially not on days like this. Despite our personalities and ways of life, we all need people. I am your family now which then means that my family is yours. So, you belong here just like anyone else does.”

“I think it’s going to be awesome when we’re able to host holiday gatherings in our home.”

“We have to do it in London sometimes. I’d love that so much. I know Thanksgiving may not be a traditional holiday there, but Christmas is. I love being at your London place.”

“We can do that. If you love it there so much, we can spend time there more often. There isn’t anything I can do here that I can’t do at the London office.”

“I’d love that. It feels like a getaway and yet still feels like I’m at home. It’s rare for me to feel that way. I certainly didn’t experience that in Miami. I always felt like I was out of place…and in the long run, I guess I found out that I was.”

“You weren’t out of place. He was. You were trying to build a home and he was bullshitting.”

“Yeah, but I was in the wrong for even trying to in the first place. I had all the signs that he didn’t want it and ignored them for the sake of my emotions and selfish needs. I have to take some responsibility. We both screwed up, just in different ways. I have a lot to learn when it comes to the whole wife thing. Bare with me.”

“You really don’t give yourself enough credit. I don’t have to bare with anything. If anyone’s lucky here, it’s me.”

“Lucky huh?”  

“I am. I’m a very lucky man.” Though I opted for a simple beige colored Ralph Lauren sweater and blue cargo slacks, Autumn decided to be as glamorous as she usually is for the indoor festivities. She didn’t let being in the comfort of her home stop her from donning a short Fendi navy blue wool dress that not only looked amazing on her, but also had this youthful look to it that compliment her young face. The baby blue boots she paired with it were eye catching as they hugged on her thighs. Though loud in color, they worked and still fit in with the fall season. I’m not quite sure how she’s making them work, but it’s Autumn and I’ve learned that she can pull off anything she wants.

“You look amazing.”

“Thank you. You do too. Can we stay at your place tonight?”

“For what?”

“Because your hands off approach while here isn’t going to work for me much longer. I’m deprived.” My laughter was loud enough for anyone to hear if they were walking by. She’s not the only one. I had to give myself a mental pat on the back for the restraint I had while on that floor yesterday. The temptation was a bitch.

“Deprived? It’s only been, what, a few hours over twenty four? We were all over the shower yesterday morning.”

“We could have been all over the shower a little while ago too.”

“We’re at your parents’ house.”

“There’s always the car.” As she placed her make up brush down, she turned to face me. The knots already forming in the pit of my stomach intensified at the sight of her legs crossing. “Maybe a little backseat action?”

“That’s what you want?” Though she wasn’t within reach for my hand to reach her, I still learned forward and that alone made her flinch. It’s exactly what I wanted. She couldn’t be the only one teasing in this room.

“I don’t care where it happens. Just make it happen.”

“I got you.”

“Okay.”

She took an additional ten minutes on her make up and joined me towards the edge of the bed for selfies to send to Heather who was already sharing her own from Miami. It was the first year she was having her parents and in laws come together for a holiday with her being the host. Had she not done it that way, Autumn assured me that she would have made her way over here after having dinner with her family and then she’d go over to the Daniels household for leftovers the very next day. Her life in Miami changed that  but much like everyone and everything else, adjustments are being made to bring those traditions back and to create some new ones.

I didn’t expect more people to be joining us, but Autumn’s godmother and her family arrived to fill up the few spaces left at the dining room table. Overnight, Autumn changed the whole entire ambiance of the dining room to reflect the spirit and color scale of the holiday. The way she’d done it reminded me of the shows my mother enjoys on HGTV. The floral arrangements and satin cloth made it look like something out of a catalog and yet the names on the placement cards and the messages inside of them maintained the personal aspect of it. Her attention to detail is absurdly incredible.

The food, my God, the food. They’d made enough to fill the entire table plus an additional table on the other side of the room. There were desserts that haven’t even made it out of the kitchen. Though Lillian lead grace, the most endearing part about it is everyone going around the room and announcing what they’re thankful for. Though I know everyone at the table believes in God’s blessings, but if someone didn’t, I know they would have felt something right then and there. In hearing the way they included Shane and gave thanks for his life, though it was taken away from them, an outsider would have understand what faith is and how meaningful it will always be.

In being apart of this, I cannot allow my children to have anything less. I refuse to be the reason that negativity affects their emotional growth by not exposing them to what a healthy family is and what that type of dynamic is supposed to function like. While nothing is ever perfect and everything has it’s issues and faults, the capability to come to together and make sure the ship keeps sailing is what matters most. I need them to understand what it means to have a network of people who you can depend on and share your life with. In understanding what family is, they’ll know to only befriend people who makes them feel just as accepted, appreciated, and loved. I want the photo albums filled with holiday memories and the stories we’ll reminisce on while sitting around a fireplace. I want there to come a day when my grandchildren are running around our home on a day like this while Autumn and I are blamed for them being spoiled rotten. I want this not only for me, but for my friends who are my family and the people I am closest too. How this feels is not only important but it’s an essential to life. Whether the relationship I have with my parents and my brother heals in an impactful way or not, I have to heal on my own for the sake of my well being and the family that I’m soon to have. I can’t have any of this without it.

“Lillian, you’re finally joining me in the grandma club. I’m elated about it.” Larissa reached over for Lauren’s belly and softly ran her hand over it’s slightly budding surface. She and Issac’s baby has been a hot topic around the table and the joys of all of the festivities that comes before a childbirth have been shared in ideas that will eventually come to fruition. Though it didn’t feel like being in a hot seat, a number of questions came my way though most were professional related more so than person, aside from one or two questions about my upbringing. There was only person in the room who hadn’t opened their mouth once throughout the entire dinner and it was Autumn. There were instances when I’d observe her closely listening to whoever had something to share and then there were moments when the egg shell colored wall seemed to draw her in more than anyone else. Though she opted out of dessert, she exercised curtesy and waited for me to finish mine so that I wouldn’t be at the table without her.

“What’s bothering you?” A cool wind gusted through the crisp Thanksgiving air and swarmed our slightly shivering bodies as I did my best to mesh us together for the sake of sharing warmth. Though the weather isn’t brutal, it’s certainly chilly enough for light coats and neither one of us opted to put one on when walking out of the door. She’d been out here first, standing to the left side of the door post and taking in some much needed fresh air. Me? After looking for her upstairs, my next bet was to seek her outside.

“I just miss him.” Her shoulders sunk in the midst of my embrace and I caught a glimpse of the grimace adorning her face as she glanced upward. Luminous stars emerged amid the ocean of blackness occupying the skies in a complimentary manner for the half moon that cascaded its faint rays upon our frames.  The beauty of it held our attention.“I don’t question God’s decisions. Even when I was going through hell, I took it as a so be it type of thing. But Shane? I don’t understand that decision and though it is not for me to understand, I try to everyday.”

“I don’t believe Shane would want you feeling like this.”

“I know. If he were here right now, he would have told me to get over myself while stuffing his face with banana pudding. Sometimes I just want to talk to him. I miss that more than anything else.”

“I understand.” I think of my uncle Harry in the same manner that she does her brother. Though I am relieved that he is no longer dealing with the suffering that ultimately lead to his death, I do feel a void without him. Both Autumn and I have lost the relatives who felt like mentors and great friends more than anything else.

“Did you enjoy dinner?”

“Excuse my language but you and your mom can cook y'all asses off.” Light giggles followed the more than deserved compliment. I’m already contemplating what I’m going to have when I go for seconds.

“Thank you. I’m tired after all of that. Once I take a shower, I know I’m going to sleep damn good.”

“Yeah, you need it. How about you go start that shower and I come up and tuck you in?”

“Tuck me in? Sounds like you’re not going to bed any time soon.”

“I have to meet up with Mike about something important. I won’t be long. You know he’s not that far from here.”

“Okay. Well go ahead and do that. You don’t have to wait around for me to get into the shower but I have some cleaning to do before that happens. I’ll be up when you get back.”

“And then we’ll do hot chocolate and a movie?” We’ve done that a number of times since the fall weather has trickled in and it’s always a nice and quiet evening for the two of us.

“With some pie. Sounds like a plan.”

“It’s a date then.” Her supple lips gently pressed into my own for an endearing kiss.

“It’s a date.”

The sound of the Spalding ball thrashing against the acrylic surfacing served as music to my ears and eventually glee within my form as the ball went swooshing through the hoop as I landed yet another shot from the three point line. Despite the time, I had no fear of an issue happening while I tossed around a ball in this upscale park. We’ve come out here to play a number of times and I don’t believe I’ve seen more than two or three people with some pigment to their skin. Despite the wealth gap that I am apart of, witnessing the isolation and investment people with fortunes put into making sure their children are separated from inner city kids is why I continuously donate money to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club. If these people can have nice parks, courts, and fields for their offspring, why can’t everyone else? If only people understood how many lives can be saved with the simplest task of implementing something for the youth have fun with and by showing them that you actually give a damn. I can be doing more and I will. I’m tired of hearing about blood being shed and people losing their lives before they can even began to fully live them.

“Yo.”

“Ay man.” He too was bundled up and the boots he chose to wear were a clear sign he had no intention to play basketball. I didn’t either technically, but why not shoot around and get some of the food off while I waited?

“Happy Thanksgiving HI-LIGHTER.”  

“Same to you punk ass.” We dapped and our usual embrace followed. A dap for friendship and an embrace of brotherhood.

“I need you to look at this.” He didn’t hesitate to flip the folder open and lay it into my hands. The cool air suddenly turned into a merciless frost as a frenzy of pickling sparked by my nerves eventually diminished to nothingness. The skin of my chest tightened in defense of my heart, as it thrashed against the cage of my chest, and filled my ears with its’ plea.

“I have some people in high places looking further into some other shit but the question is what are you going to do? I never question these favors and I never will. As a lawyer, I can get disbarred for this. As a brother, I need to know what the fuck are you going to do?”

“I need a favor.”

“What?” His frown intensified at the all too familiar words. “I already told you that I have people on it.”

“For Autumn. It’s important to me. Please.”

The rustling of the trees filled the air with melancholy. Our eyes spoke louder than any words could ever be.

“I know, which it is why I’ve already taken care of it. It’s going to be alright. You’ll be alright.”  

Whether that last statement will uphold as the truth or not, when it’s all said and done, I can sleep well knowing that she will be.

[rnelodyy]

I am honestly, genuinely begging you all to employ some critical thinking skills. I put an explanation for literally ALL of this that I spent way more time and effort on than I probably should have under the cut.

tl;dr, dream isnt an industry plant because it makes no goddamn sense, please go outside, learn what confirmation bias is, and don’t bombard the dude with bug ass.

Dream being an “industry plant” is a ridiculous concept, because, first of all, what fucking industry? There is not a single company out there that, in the year of our lord 2019, would look at Minecraft Youtube and think “yes, that’s where our money should come from, that is what’s going to make us multi-quadrillionaires.” Minecraft at that point was resurging in popularity, yes, but no company in their right mind would think that MCYT would be a lucrative business venture. 

Second of all, now that Dream HAS this popularity, don’t you think the company that’s supposedly behind him would want to advertise themselves? Like, hey kids, we’re the guys that created Dream, join us and you can make it big too! There would HAVE to be evidence that Dream is connected to some big media company SOMEWHERE, either on his channel or on his other social media, because hiding in the shadows and secretly puppeting this Minecraft Youtuber’s every action is not how companies operate. No other Minecraft Youtuber in recorded history has EVER been outed as a secret industry plant, and considering how bad companies are at masking that kind of shit, they would probably be spotted INSTANTLY.

Third, you can put as many graphs of numbers in your post as you want to point at and say LOOK, HE’S GROWING TOO FAST! But if you don’t examine them within the wider context, that information is completely useless, and will lead to wrong conclusions. 

10k to 50k within 10 days (July 17th - July 27th) looks suspicious on a graph, I will admit. Let’s see at which video he uploaded around that time...

Ah. Yes. A video about Pewdiepie, solving a mystery that HIS fans had been wondering about at the time, that is currently sitting at a nice 3.2 million views! Dream uploaded a few more videos about Pewdiepie over the next few weeks, which, in turn, would of course lead to people invested in Pewdiepie’s Minecraft world to give this guy a shot as well. 

But what about that bump in early November of 2019? Well...

This was the first of Dream’s videos to go properly Viral, with a capital V. I’m willing to bet it’s how a lot of Dream’s early fans found the channel. Of course he’d gain a fuck ton of subscribers in the weeks after uploading a video that did THAT well! 

And that stuff about production quality? If you couldn’t tell by the absolute infestation of small Minecraft channels between 2012 and 2015, Minecraft content is not hard to produce. You need:

- A PC. Dream had been gaming for years before starting to make Minecraft content, so of course he’d have a PC capable of running Minecraft well enough to make nice-looking videos. 

- Recording software. OBS (which most gaming Youtubers and streamers use) is completely free, and works like a charm. 

- Editing software. Sony Vegas is only like 50 bucks. 

- A webcam. Dream doesn’t use a webcam, so no need to dump a couple thousand on a proper camera. 

- Microphone. You can hear in his early videos that his microphone quality is noticeably lower than in his later videos, so it’s clear that he had a relatively cheap mic at the start, and only bought a proper studio mic WAY later down the line, when he was probably already making decent money from Youtube. Which is what MOST Youtubers and streamers do. 

You can also hear that his acting ability was not as well-developed, he often sounds awkward, less certain in his words, and it’s much more obvious that he’s reading from a script in his commentary videos. Wouldn’t a company wanting to make viral Minecraft content want to hire someone with acting experience, and not a completely novice actor? 

And his connections? Most of his early videos were commentary, all of which were done solo. His first video featuring others was this one,

featuring GeorgeNotFound (then GeorgeHD), Sapnap, Shadowgirl, Skeppy, Badboyhalo, and a6d. Dream outright said in the video that it was inspired by MrBeast, so that’s why he’s giving away money here. 

Thing is, most of these people were not that popular at the time! Skeppy was the most popular at the time with 1.5 million, but BBH barely had 300k, George barely had 6k, and Sapnap didn’t even have a Youtube channel yet! BBH had been friends with Dream for a WHILE at this point, so of course if Dream asked him if he wanted to bring in someone for a collab, he’d bring Skeppy, his best friend, in for a one-time video. 

Most of Dream’s current connections came through the Dream SMP, a server he set up SPECIFICALLY to boost smaller Youtubers. He started out with just his friends, but slowly started inviting just about any Minecraft content creator that looked interesting. That’s how he met people like TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot, Tubbo and Quackity. You can SEE his connections to these people develop in real time, as the new people he invites start asking if THEIR friends can come too, and suddenly there’s this interconnected community full of people Dream can make content with.

Besides, wouldn’t a company want to connect with someone who already has an established fanbase in the Minecraft community? You’d expect them to get Dream to collab with one of the really big OG MCYT’s, like CaptainSparklez or anyone from Team Crafted. But Dream has never made a video in collaboration with any of those people, and the only time he’s collaborated with an OG MCYT besides BBH and Skeppy has been during major events like MCC, where someone else is putting him in a team.

Finally, let’s say I’m wrong about all of this, and some company really DID create Dream out of nothing to make very popular Minecraft content to make them money...

Who cares? 

Genuinely, who cares? His content is fun to watch, the Dream SMP is an absolute delight to follow, and if you don’t want to hear about him, the block feature is right fucking there. Even IF it turns out Dream was a social experiment or whatever, who honestly gives a shit? 

I feel like people who dislike Dream have this tendency to make him out to be this evil mastermind manipulating kids, or a Secret Industry Plant or whatever. Please, realize that Dream is just A Guy. He’s literally just A Dude Who Makes Minecraft Videos. You don’t need to like him, or think he’s a good person, just PLEASE don’t bombard him with bug ass because some numbers on a graph made you think he’s secretly working for The Industry.

Me explaining my conspiracy theory to my friends that dream is an industry plant and all his content is staged and he's a hired persona of a bigger media company and that's why he emerged onto YouTube with a fuck ton of money and high quality production and immediate connections to bigger YouTubers and was propelled from 1k subs to millions of subs in under a year

[gigsoupmusic]

ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN Announces North American Tour with IN FLAMES & RED

Canadian Metal Band ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN has announced that they will be joining IN FLAMES and RED for their 2019 Fall / Winter Tour. Launching November 2nd in Wichita, KS, the tour winds throughout the US and Canada, ending December 20th in Dallas, TX. The group will be touring in support of their new album, Harbinger, which is available now via Nuclear Blast Records.

Tour Dates: 11/02 @ Wave - Wichita, KS 11/03 @ Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO 11/04 @ The Complex - Salt Lake CIty, UT 11/06 @ The Observatory - Santa Monica, CA 11/07 @ The Marquee - Tempe, AZ 11/08 @ Hard Rock Live - Las Vegas, NV 11/09 @ Cargo - Reno, NV 11/10 @ The Senator - Chico, CA 11/11 @ The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA 11/13 @ Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR 11/14 @ Modtown Ballroom - Bend, OR 11/16 @ El Corazon - Seattle, WA 11/17 @ Rickshaw Stop - Vancouver, BC 11/19 @ Palace - Calgary, AB 11/20 @ Union Hall - Edmonton, AB 11/22 @ The Garrick - Winnipeg, MB 11/23 @ The Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN 11/24 @ Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL 11/26 @ London Music Hall - London, ON 11/27 @Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON 11/28 @ Bronson Centre - Ottowa, ON 12/03 @ L'imperial Bell - Quebec City, QC 12/04 @ Corona Theatre - Montreal, QC 12/05 @ Aura - Portland, ME 12/16 @ The Palladium - Worcester, MA 12/07 @ Ram's Head Live - Baltimore, MD 12/08 @ Sony Hall - New York, NY 12/10 @ Cannery Ballroom - Nashville, TN 12/11 @ The Signal - Chattanooga, TN 12/12 @ The Firmament - Greenville, SC 12/14 @ Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL 12/15 @ Hard Rock Live - Orlando, FL 12/16 @ Center Stage - Atlanta, GA 12/18 @ TOwer Theatre - Oklahoma City, OK 12/19 @ Come and Take It Live - Austin, TX * 12/20 @ Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill - Dallas, TX * * No RED https://open.spotify.com/album/11KNTC9eCKHlot7EOaZJIt?si=SZuKcdOlR42mxlJ0rECWdw The days get shorter during autumn, and the darkness lasts longer. As the leaves turn, life does as well. This annual change ushers in another season and all of its inherent possibilities. For as dark as it may seem, it offers the promise of a new chapter. Such contrast fuels Alberta, Canada metal outfit Arrival of Autumn. Sonically, precise metallic pummeling offsets sweeping and soaring hooks, while thematically apocalyptic imagery undercuts a glimmer of hope. The quintet—Jamison Friesen , Brendan Anderson , Ryan Sorensen , Kevin Student , and Ty Fox —explores this dichotomy to the fullest extent on its full-length debut, Harbinger . “Symbolically, the arrival of autumn represents the leaves changing, the smell of decay, and the oncoming bleakness of winter,” says Jamison. “We’re entering a bleak time of year that can be translated to a mental state or the state of the world. However, things sometimes have to get a little bleak before they can get better. We’re attracted to art that reflects and accepts this side of humanity as part of nature. We’re going to grab the issues and address them head-on.” Born and raised in the tiny city of Grande Prairie, the musicians grew up “300 miles from the nearest international airport.” Inspired by the likes of Metallica, Lamb of God, Trivium, Black Dahlia Murder, and more, music doubled as a refuge from small town malaise and nearly six months of winter as the band formally came to life in 2011. “When you’re in a boring city in the middle of nowhere, people find themselves susceptible to destructive habits, so you need to have a willingness to avoid those,” he continues. “Playing music is how we grounded ourselves.” The musicians personally booked tours across the Great White North, attracting a growing fan base in the process. They unleashed a pair of independent albums—Endless Nights and Shadows—and caught the attention of super producer Jason Suecof . Not only did he turn them on to Nuclear Blast, but he manned the boards for Harbinger throughout 2018. Throughout intense sessions, the producer pushed the boys to maximize their potential all-around. “Jason would analyze every part at a deep level,” he goes on. “We learned a ton from him in terms of how to write and really refine our approach. He brought the best out of us.” Arrival of Autumn introduce Harbinger with the bludgeoning barrage of first single “The Endless.” Airtight riffing and a percussive onslaught culminate around an undeniable hook. “We’re really into Westworld, and that inspired the song” says Jamison. “It addresses the human psyche and almost questions our free will and what drives us. Do we have free will, or are we simply going through our daily lives unchecked?” Meanwhile, “Better Off Without” underscores a metallic maelstrom with a ponderous concept of “how at some point in history we gained conscience and we mistook it for a divine voice.” Elsewhere, “Witness” hinges on thick grooves and a refrain as haunting as its subject matter. “That one is about trying to survive when everything around you is falling apart,” he remarks. “It’s told through a fictional apocalyptic setting, nodding to the Mad Max movies. The protagonist finds he can be a hero when there doesn’t seem to be a point in trying.” In the end, Arrival Of Autumn signal a new season for heavy music on Harbinger. “I hope the content does make people think about how they live their lives day-to-day and to be themselves and believe what they believe,” Jamison leaves off. “Don’t live a lie. If you know something is false and you are acting it out day-to-day in order to impress other people, cut it out, and get yourself together. Recognize that all you have to do is be a better person and that itself can cause a ripple effect for the better.” Read the full article

[njawaidofficial]

Andrew Jay Cohen: 'The House' Director on Crafting R-Rated Comedies and Lighting Jeremy Renner on Fire

New Post has been published on http://styleveryday.com/2017/06/29/andrew-jay-cohen-the-house-director-on-crafting-r-rated-comedies-and-lighting-jeremy-renner-on-fire/

Andrew Jay Cohen: 'The House' Director on Crafting R-Rated Comedies and Lighting Jeremy Renner on Fire

Andrew Jay Cohen tells THR of learning from Judd Apatow and Adam McKay, and comments on Sony’s sanitized movie initiative.

Andrew Jay Cohen loves gambling. He bets on the L.A. Clippers and the New York Jets, and he hits the craps tables whenever he’s in Las Vegas. While penning The House with co-writer Brendan O’Brien, he backed his older brother in the World Series of Poker. “I tried to cheer for him, but his table was so far away and it was so boring that I left, and then he told me he lost,” he recalls. “It was awful. I just felt this emptiness and was like, ‘I’m never going to do that again.’ But then he won the next year and I didn’t back him.”

Instead, Cohen bet on himself. He makes his feature directorial with The House, which stars Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell as a married couple who open an illegal casino in a suburban home to pay their daughter’s college tuition. Jason Mantzoukas, Nick Kroll and, yes, Jeremy Renner are among those featured in the Village Roadshow and Warner Bros./New Line ensemble comedy, out Friday. Cohen — who co-wrote Neighbors and Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates — tells The Hollywood Reporter about learning from the likes of Judd Apatow and Adam McKay, hearing about Sony’s sanitized movie initiative and trying to make R-rated comedies that resonate.

What did you learn about running a set from your previous directors?

Judd Apatow, Nick Stoller, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Adam McKay, I’ve watched them direct the shit out of movies. I also worked for Adrian Lyne on Unfaithful and that dude is an intense visionary. All of the directors I’ve worked with run a set like it’s a place to hang out and feel safe when you’re having fun and trying crazy things. Judd said he modeled it off of Garry Shandling, who considered his set [to be] a place where magical things can happen. Amy and Will obviously helped create that camaraderie — people not only wanted to watch them perform, but also hang out with them. There’s so much that’s improvised. Ideas came from everywhere. I like yelling stuff out, I don’t like cutting.

What’s the hardest part about directing that you didn’t expect?

You need to have an opinion and have to answer people right away, right in front of them. You can’t say, “I’ll get right back to you,” go to your secret room upstairs where you have the funny ideas and play your videogames. There are actors who need direction, who were wondering what you meant when you wrote this. So adopting the, answer confidently at first and, if it’s wrong, quietly adjusting it. It was terrifying but also freeing because you just don’t have time to worry about stuff that’s not important.

What was the toughest scene to shoot?

Definitely the finger-chopping scene. I deliberately wanted it to feel severe, as if a normal person were put into a “gangster movie” situation. But when we were shooting it, it felt like a horror movie — just how much blood was coming out. Fight night was also more violent than I had planned, which was a fun surprise. It’s funnier that they actually have a rivalry, and become friends after strapping on the gloves in front of your entire town for money.

Why cast Jeremy Renner?

I love throwing people like Renner into a comedy. Having that dark, violent energy seemed to really work, and the comedians bounced off that intensity. Even Renner’s preparation on set is scary to a comedian: “Oh no! He’s a serious actor! That’s terrifying! He’s gonna beat us all at acting!” He was really a great sport about getting lit on fire.

R-rated comedies like Rough Night and Baywatch didn’t make strong debuts at the box office. What do you think is the key to a strong R-rated comedy?

I think the ones that last aren’t just about jokes; you need to have a dramatic underpinning where you don’t know how it ends. I try not to put too many jokes into a first draft because it almost distracts from if you’re telling the right story. This isn’t to disparage any of the movies that haven’t done well — I actually haven’t seen either of them, I would love to see them— but I think the ones that last have an extra emotional layer of something that has to do with interpersonal relationships or society.

Also, from what I’ve seen, it’s normal people under extraordinary circumstances doing extraordinary things. I like movies where people take the wrong route towards the noble goals. To me, high ideals plus low behavior equals funny.

Apatow and Rogen are among those who spoke out against Sony’s home entertainment promotion offering sanitized versions of movies to the public? What’s your opinion?

Just write “Eight-second bleep.” I don’t think it’s appropriate. It’s sort of like, “Here’s the Mona Lisa, but I know you don’t like eyebrows so here’s the Mona Lisa without eyebrows.” It just feels arbitrary. Whoever’s doing it I just picture them wearing a director hat and saying, “Take this curse out!”

What are you working on next?

I love suburban crime revenge comedies — a very specific genre that I’ve been able to find a niche in — so I’m working on another one, and co-writing other things. Then I’ve got a TV pilot that I’m writing and directing that I can’t tell you too much about. It’s cable — I don’t think I would work on a network that wouldn’t let me be raunchy, you can’t ever shake away who you are — but I’m still trying to push my boundaries.

What advice would you give to those entering the industry?

At the end of Unfaithful, the executives asked to look at a script of mine, and I had nothing! Never again will I be unprepared.

What lessons do you hope to bring to your next project?

Honestly, get out of the way. It’s a hard one, especially with improv. It’s that give and take about being clear with what you’re going for and still being extremely open to other directions.

Also, don’t open a casino in your house. But, go to a casino at somebody else’s house.

Source

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episode 54 Subbed (Finalized)

Thunder VS Mr. Elite! Mecha Ojama King Takes Off

Manjoume duels Gokaido, an elite new student who claimed the highest grades of his class at the Academia’s middle school.  The new student calls Manjoume a “slacker,” noting how he once sat at the top of the middle school but has since fallen, now using Ojama Monsters in the Red dorm.  Manjoume uses his XYZ combo for a cool preemptive strike, but finds himself counterattacked by his Warrior-Type deck and his Gilford the Legend.  However, an unperturbed Manjoume, in a show of what he’s learned the past year, uses his Mecha Ojama King...

Two episodes into Season 2, and we have a duel with Manjoume essentially looking at his early-Season 1 self in the mirror! It’s a pretty neat episode, given that--even if there are strong ad vibes for the Warrior Structure Deck that had been about to be released back in 2006, lol.  Though it was neat seeing Ben Kei and the Equip Magic combo in use with Gokaido (that scene as he brings out Gilford is a favorite since it uses “The Rival’s Onslaught” really well), as was Manjoume’s interesting Ojama combo evolution with the Mecha... mechanic, which sadly has yet to be released.  Maybe Duel Links’ll throw us a Mecha Ojama King bone at some point...

So, I’d actually finished editing the script for this episode maybe two weeks ago, but part of the delay in releasing it is that I also wanted to translate the Gokaido/Manjoume poster in Chronos’s flashback--and on that note, I really can’t thank @paradoxi-kay (formerly thepalebride) enough for their time and effort over a few days in wiping the text so that I could slap my translation onto it. 🙏🏽  I’ll elaborate a bit more on that below the cut, as I go into the edits.  There were also two card fixes I applied, Ben Kei related, and I also translated the “Currently Under Construction” sign Manjoume stands in front of at the end.  More details below. (EDIT, 2021: One new fix applied that I missed before, listed in bold under the cut below!)

Enjoy, folks! To make up for a little lost time, I think I’ll actually jump onto 55 next and get that out of the way before I go handle 5D’s Dub-Uncut #27 a little more (I’m also trying to see what can be done on that front with the two unreleased OST pieces that I’d like to keep, but we’ll see); keep an eye out~

Fixes/Edits!

So, these first five will be related to the aforementioned poster in Chronos’s flashback.  Edits 1-3 and 5 were done once the poster as stitched from the video in edit 4 was translated.  I’ve included a link to a quick clip showing off these edits in the Episode Post linked above.

As Chronos is playing his “fortune-telling of love” with Ed while he tells us how the Gokaido/Manjoume duel came about, the Gokaido/Manjoume poster is sitting on Samejima’s his desk.  After the full poster was translated, I first used the CC Power Pin effect in AfterEffects to “pin” the translated poster on top of the original one and applying its perspective; once that was saved, I threw it into Sony Vegas, where I first duplicated the layer with the re-postered clip, applied a Radial Blur to the bottom layer while applying a feathered mask on the top one to just keep the middle of the frame (this had the effect of keeping the unblurred center above the blurred edges).  I then added a layer and threw in the original video, masking most of the frame so that the blur from the original video overrode the excess blur from my effect.  Lastly, in a new layer, I copied the original video and masked out the right side of the desk chair, mirrored it, and moved it in place on the left side--this was to put it on top of the extra blur coming from the translated poster to make it less out of place.

As Chronos quickly gets over Ed’s “rejecting” him (lol), he runs over to his desk, but the video frame is the exact same as in edit 1.  So, once I completed that one, all I really had to do was mask in much of the frame as Chronos runs over, adding additional masks for his jacket and arms/hands hitting the table.

Chronos next holds up the poster to show Napoleon; to insert my translated poster, I Power-Pinned it to the original one for the frames where he’s lifting it, until it stops moving.  At that point, the shot zooms out for a good few frames before it sits still the rest of the shot, so once I exported the English poster in place, I went into Sony Vegas and repeated edit 1 process-wise: I had two layers with this new clip--one getting the Radial Blur to blur the poster as it’s lifted from the flashback border, and the other getting a center mask to keep the center of the frame unblurred.  Closing this one out, I also added additional masks from the original video to put Chronos’s thumb back over the top of the poster, and to restore the original clip’s flashback border blur.

This one was relatively easy considering the rest here, lol.  Immediately after this, the screen pans along the poster so we get a big close-up.  First, I roughly stitched together the panning shot and blanked the names while smoothing out the roughness around where the frames were stitched from different points in the pan (since the poster was moving, so was the text’s radial blur along the edges).  Then, @paradoxi-kay worked to blank the rest of the text by recreating the poster’s dynamic background in Photoshop, after which I went and slapped some text on there; here’s the finished result which I manipulated for the other shots.  Once this was done, I first redid the panning shot in Vegas and saved that, and then reimported it and did the two-layer trick from before: one with the Radial Blur, one with a center mask to keep the center unblurred.

After Napoleon is in shock at his plan’s odds of success (for a guy who lacks “impossible” in his dictionary, he sure is skeptical...), Chronos pulls the poster back a bit as he wags his finger at him.  This one was a doozy... So, first, AfterEffects/Power-Pinning the poster was key, and I Power-Pinned it for the frames the poster moves.  Once done, I went into Sony Vegas, where I first threw in the frames I’d edited and saved, then reimported that and did the two-layer blur/mask trick.  After that, I added a new layer with the original video, from which I masked most of the frame, but also Chronos’s finger as it wags in front of the poster and his thumb on the poster. *breathes out*

New in 2021, after Chronos pins his hopes on Manjoume, as Gokaido draws for his turn, we see an error where his Disk apparently partially vanishes for two movement frames--it seems the animation staff forgot to put the background layer behind his Disk there or something, lol.  I fixed this by actually filling in the rest of his Disk in Photoshop for those two frames, first by filling in the Disk itself and then painting on the rest of the Monster Zone at the edge of the frame, and then just added them to the video in Vegas.

After Gokaido summons Armed Samurai -- Ben Kei, he activates the effect of his Divine Sword -- Phoenix Blade in his Cemetery--but he doesn’t have the Ben Kei he just summoned on his Disk! This was simple to fix; as it’s a zoom-out shot, I used a frame where his fourth Monster Zone was more visible and slapped on a Ben Kei proxy in AfterEffects, after which I went into Vegas, put Velocity on that frame to zero and expanded it for the duration of the zoom starting when the card would first be visible as I re-zoomed the frame, eventually applying a mask on the card.  I also put the card in a few quick frames as he moves his Disk, in one using two layers to maintain the shading on that Zone.

As Manjoume’s seemingly foolish Ojamachine Yellow attack gets Gokaido cocky, the Ben Kei on his Disk is... in Defense Mode? I just used AfterEffects to slap on my proxy for the frames in which he moves his Disk.

After Shou warns Judai about Napoleon’s plan to dismantle Red, the two are startled by construction sounds! Manjoume stands outside watching his men get to work on his own stylish room, in front of an “Under Construction” sign that I translated for the hardsub (as “Currently Under Construction” to fill in the space well).  I stitched the panning shot there together, then applied the translation, and then redid the panning shot in Vegas.  Sure is nice they skimped out on the animation budget by leaving his men motionless...

Judai ponders if they’re really coming for Red, and we have a zoom-out shot of the Red dorm to end the episode.  For the hardsub, I also translated the “Currently Under Construction” sign by using the first frame of the shot, applying the translation, and then redoing the zoom in Vegas.  I then created an empty black-color event and custom faded it out to black.

Have I mentioned how much I love this show? 😬😅💙

[theareya]

even numbers for the gaming asks!

Okay, its been 1000 years since I posted this gaming ask. But here are the answers!!!! I put most under the read more…

2. First game you played?The first game I ever played ever, in thehistory of forever, was Super Mario Bros. at my babysitter’s house, if mymemory serves me correctly

4. Longest consecutive hours you’ve played agame?Ohkay, let’s see. Without eating or bathing,but I did get up briefly to bathroom and drink water, I finished uncharted 1,2, and 3 consecutively in 120 hrs. Needless to say, I never did that again, asthe blood vessels in my eyes popped, I ate two bigmacs after, and my parentsyelled at me. Otherwise, without moving or tending to most of my basic bodilyneeds, 10 hours max as of late.

6. An underrated game from within the last fewyears?I don’t know, I’m probably biased and neverreally look online to see how the game was rated/how it’s doing. Oh! But! Ireally liked Battleborn, which was basically a game that came out like a littlebefore Overwatch? Or near the same time, actually. You also fight in teamsagainst one another with unique character abilities to obtain certainobjectives. Honestly, it is extremely well done and detailed, but very muchfalls in Overwatch’s shadow possibly due to similarity and budget D:  8. The game with the best atmosphere/scenery?I’m biased. I love Bioshock. But I also am ahuge fan of those apocalyptic, dystopia aesthetics. So, essentially, anythingalong the lines of bioshock, Fallout, and Last of us.

10. Prefer PC or console?I’ve always played on console. And I’m so bad atPC. You would think it’s a bit easier to aim a cursor to shoot at something,but I’m particularly bad at that.

12. Most bizarre game you’ve ever played?Most games are pretty… bizarre. Most of theactual weird ones I’ve only seen online on those “top ten weirdest video games”but maybe Katamari? There are definitely weirder ones… The Nightmare Within wasalso… strange. I don’t actually know what counts as bizarre anymore in thegaming world. Shrek party…

14. Do you watch playthroughs online?Sometimes, yes! If I know I am never going toget the game. For example, an xbox exclusive (I do not have an xbox) or if Ialready played the game and want to see others suffer, lmao. Or if I like thestreamer.

16. The best year in gaming you’ve experienced?… I don’t remember. I’m going to say 2011.

18. Worst game you’ve played?There are probably worse games, but I’ll go withthe most recent one I’ve played, which was Bound by Flame. It was kind of thisunfortunate mix of—attempt at—Dark Souls, Dragon Age, and other medieval games.Some parts of the gameplay were unnecessarily hard for kicks, with no way toovercome the boss aside from chipping away at the health by throwing a rock atit, while your single dead companion lay sprawled in the middle of the fieldten seconds into the fight. And of the one and a half romance options pergender you were allowed, none of them were very enticing. Spoiler** I overcamethe end fight by purchasing 10,000 potions to fight the dragon. I made itthrough just fine, only after using 600 potions. Strategy was little help, butheyo I made it through. 20. Favorite publisher and/or developer?…Sony? I don’t know… I’m terrible at thesequestions.

22. If you could turn one game into movie, whichwould it be?You know I don’t know, since any game thatturns into a movie makes me want to cry bitter tears of hate. I’m looking atresident evil specifically. But if I could turn Bioshock into a really goodmovie with the proper actors/actresses, storyline, extras, atmosphere, then …yeah.

24. Ever cried because of a video game? Whichone(s)?…Too many. Nothing gets me more invested andemotional than a videogame. I guess the only one that has made me actually cryvisible tears is Journey. The ending overwhelmed me in an inexplicable way.

26. How often do you play online? Co-op?Relatively often now, especially withOverwatch, and the fact that a lot of my friends have Overwatch as well. So,like, every other day, if not daily. Otherwise, I love co-oping with a friend mostlybecause the AI that they give to work with you tends to … suck butts. Lookingat Resident Evil… again.

28. Who got YOU into gaming?My babysitter. Haahaa. I used to hang out ather house all the time and I’d watch her play all sorts of games. She’s alsothe one who gifted me my purple game boy color :’D30. On average, how long does it take you in thecharacter creation screen?Could be up to an hour. But at least 30minutes. It depends on if I know what I want.

32. Do you cosplay?I do! But I’ve actually only cosplayed animethings. Most of the video game stuff I would like to cosplay is too hard and/orI wouldn’t do it justice. Also I’ve been parts of group cosplays generally, sowe gotta find a good match.

34. Favorite male npc?For some unknown reason, the only personpopping into my head right now is erandur, the dark elf companion, from skyrim.Like… he’s not my favorite npc, but…my mind is drawing a complete blank. And isjust repeating that name over and over in my head. Oh boy

36. Best antagonist?Albert Wesker. …Spoiler??** Look… if you gottathrow him in a volcano to get rid of him after 200 tries of “just survive longenough” fights, he’s pretty good to me. Please let him die.  

38. Have you tried a game, hated it, then triedagain, and loved it?N….no? There are some games where I getfrustrated, then invite a friend to play, who is extremely over-leveled, andthen they help me… live. Does that count?40. Favorite voice actor?Okay, I love Troy Baker. How can one person beso gosh darn versatile?? For anyone who doesn’t know (I doubt that) He voicesJoel from TLOU, Booker from Bioshock, Sam Drake from Uncharted, to name theones that pop into my head. And he does like a million other voices, and sings,and is just very excellent overall. 

42. A game you will never forget (in a bad ORgood way)?Resident Evil 5 in the respect that I justplayed it during a very happy time in my life with one of my friends. And itwas also when I learned that I really love co-op, as well it was a supertreasured bonding time with that friend. We legit screamed so obnoxiouslythroughout the whole thing, apologized profusely, yelled for help. Like thatgame brought out our full range of emotion while playing.

44. Do graphics matter?Not necessarily. They add a nice kick, butthere are quite a few games I can think of where the gameplay and story aremore prominent. Storyline is generally always the main thing I look for first.Storyline and characters. 46. Always, sometimes, or never use subtitles?ALWAYS. Even for NPCs. Like the setting thatsays “ALL SUBTITLES” one of the reasons is because it alerts me to enemiessometimes too as they whisper in the distance. Which is the closest thing to awarning from jump scares that I’m going to get.

48. A game you’ve always wanted to play but havenever gotten to it?Um. I’ve actually been pretty aggressive ingetting my grubby hands on the games that I want. EXCEPT. Nearly everythingthat came out after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of memories?? Like 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 5 ½,365/3 days  idk there were too many?? AndI basically had almost every console except the PSP so I just kind of gave up??

50. How many games do you own?…uh… too many?? At least 200 if you total allof them from the dawn of my first game boy color.52. A game you will always stand behind, andsupport no matter what?..Fable. OKAY So, even though the game, alongwith the game company crashed and burned, I really loved that first game??Along with The Lost Chapters. I essentially based the experiences I had withFable 2, 3, Journey on how good the first game was. If I were to make someoneplay it now, they would probably think it’s pretty dumb, but I thought it was acleverly made game…54. A sequel you really want?… lmao Fable. AND/OR The Wolf Among us, becausethat’s been sitting there for far too long.56. Do you tell people irl that you play videogames?Yeah. If it comes up in the conversation. Or if…they have merchandise that I want.

58. Ever have someone walk in on a sex scenebetween you and you LI?N…o…60. The game you are best at?I know Bioshock inside and out… I don’t knowwhy I’ve played it so much, it’s a very linear game, but wuh. Also weirdly, I’mvery good at Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. And the only reason I’m obnoxiously goodat that game is because of the Chaos. I love those ridiculous little things andwould do anything to make sure they’re happy and healthy. And in order to dothat I had to play each stage multiple times to get the right power-ups andanimals to feed the Chaos…. There was a whole garden. And god.

62. Would you want to work with video games whenyou are older?I feel like if I start working with it I’llstart disliking it very much, unless I literally work as a tester… that getspaid a decent amount. Like seriously, walk in, sit down, play for… hours uponhours. Otherwise, I do not have the creativity or skill. lmao.

64. Describe your favorite video game using onlythree words?Underwater death city.

66. Game with the yummiest looking food?Final Fantasy XV. Okay, so I haven’t finishedthe game. I’m really not even that far into it, like… at all. I just saw thefood and got hungry. It’s so realistic and pretty.  

68. An older game that you’ve just recentlygotten into?I guess… Fallout New Vegas was pretty old, butthen my friend bought it for me on sale, and I tried it out and it was supergood??? And now I’m really into the Fallout series.

70. Do you play any mobile games?I.. play Fire Emblem Heroes, and a variety ofother mobile games like.. Notice me Senpai, Zen Koi, Mystic Messenger, uhhh…whatever is recommended sometimes. .

72. Have any guilty pleasure games?Not really. I’m pretty prideful in every game Iplay, including my otome games.74. Which game has the best lore?…Once…. Again, BIOSHOCK. Idk there are just somany little things in the city that you can find that point to the history ofthe residents, and what happened to them. There are those audio messages and littlesecrets that everybody has in the city, leading to its fall. I just love it somuch. Skyrim is a close second, to be fair. It’s more immersive and I canroleplay more on there.

[xsapphirestar]

MM fandom reminds me of MS fandom

Hahaha

MS used to be really popular 

like 10-12 years ago + 

until big bang patch , there were huge changes . 

in the year 2007 ~ 2010 ; 

i was quite new to MS at that point of time.

i was really a newbie, noobie and naive . 

in the year 2007 ~ 2008 , 

it was when i first discovered ‘bannedstory’ a free program for maple sprites. (kind of like mmd. free program but drawn models lolz) . 

so i played around with the program ; 

my first YT channel , where i uploaded almost everything i did with bannedstory and some other program i forgot . I used to be really desperate for subscribers too. not anymore. IDGAF ABOUT THE NUMBERS ANYMORE LOLZ. itz just numbers. 

i watched other users’ ms videos , i also discovered a paid program ‘ sony vegas‘ but since i couldnt afford it ( i was really young and naive ) //i’m still am// ^^;; //illegal// 

i played around with sony vegas, AND HOLY SHIT. sony vegas is such a COOL PROGRAM WITH ALL THE AMAZING EFFECTS & TRANSITIONS ! but it is a paid program . the full version is really expensive . 

in 2008 ~ 2009 

(dont rmb exactly when since it’s long ago) , i received many negative remarks , comments , criticisms . i was so affected by it that i deleted everything + my first youtube channel . i think it was my very first ? i upload almost everything i did with ms bannedstory there. i deleted that channel. i forgot the reason why i deleted it , since it is so long ago . but i dont think i regret it. a little part of me regretted it, cause i couldn’t see what my younger version of me did. :x 

i also deleted everything on my second channel until it is left with 2-3 videos.

im sorry for being such a noobie. sorry for being such a useless burden

yes idk why do i exist in this world . 

im such a trash . im useless . im a burden. i creep everyone out . nobody likes me . That happened like , 9-10 years ago , but i still remember those memories.

i guess im not meant to know people . im not meant to have friends . im meant to be alone . i dont deserve to know people . i dont deserve to have friends . im destined to be a loner4lyfe :’) 

sorry that i was born this way . 

even school made me thought this way … 

2011 ~ 2014 ; 

itz a traumatic experience for me . ; new ;

i meet new people , experience something new . i guess i was also going through a stage of puberty . 

towards the end of 2011 

My classmate abandoned me , she said she hate me . I began to overthink .why does she hate me ? am i a bad person ? did i do something wrong ? is it because of how i treat others ? how i treat my … friend ? i was mean ? i was being rude ? im useless ? im a burden ? how weird i am ? …  She was the first person who made the first move to talked to me in school . i guess i kind of like her , as a friend . she meant a lot to me . She is the first person who tried to be my friend during my school days , while the rest do not give a fuck and gave me ‘ i do not like you ‘ face , even their body language says it . i got kind of attached and used to her presence , because i’m not used to making the first move to talk to people , being around with people , hanging out with people in school . i’m kind of a loner . im kind of anti-social & sort of … shy . i have different personalities. i act differently in different situations. 

; 2012 ; 

When she said she hated me last year , she abandoned me . She started hanging out with my other classmate . And everytime she saw me  or when im close to her , she always make an excuse for me to stay away from her , and then gave me a blackface or that ‘ i do not like you ‘ look . hahaha

I guess there is a first for everything . I do not know how it feels having someone who did all these for me . itz a new experience for me . i feel lost ;; i do not know what this feeling was … 

i started playing an online game ‘ auditionsea ‘ in late 2010 , but got more focused & addicted in mid 2011 . 

I tried releasing my stress and emotional pain by playing auditionsea, because i do not know what i am feeling . I feel empty , hollow inside . i do not know what this feeling is. i feel … lost .It did not really work but it did pass the time . 

i also overthink a lot .  i kept thinking and thinking . i overthink so much that it fucked me up . i became more messed up . i tried acting not myself because acting myself will make me think more , and more emotional . im kind of a emotional person , to prevent me feeling even worse . i tried acting like a different person online… but it did not work and backfired . it still messes me up .i am so damn lost . i tried to become a different person irl , it is the same result .it backfired , did not work , making me even worse . i guess being true to yourself is the best ? … “ be yourself “ . everyone is different and unique . but i tried doing all that because of overthinking . i overthink , i think a lot . F m l . 

In this year 2012 , maplesea released a new class , ‘ phantom ‘ . I saw his cinematic trailer and animation . holy shit . He is such a cool class, and he steal skills ! I stopped playing MS temporarily because that game gets boring after awhile when you completed what you want to do . I have to admit, Phantom made me install back MS and i got addicted to ms again . I really like MS storyline and lore . His individual storyline is kind of good , itz like watching an anime but you have to play the game to read the story lolz . The art is quite good , I LIKED IT !! but i took fucking 3-4 years to reach level 200, cause i stopped playing temporarily at LV 150-170 + . i do not know where to train , lost motivation and my damage is really NOOB . PLUS I AM POOR AS FUCK and NOOB AS FUCK . After phantom class , they began to release more and more class and i kind of neglected the old class which i haven’t get to 200 yet. lolz.

I guess I am meant to be alone , i do not deserve to have friends . i sorry for being such a weird person okay . i am sorry for being born this way . idk why do i exist in this world , idk why am i born with this personality . idk why am i so useless . idk why am i such a burden . why am i so useless …i’m really useless. i am meant to be a loner i guess .

i guess that is why i became more anti-social . 

In mid 2012 - late 2012

In one of my school classes , i saw my friend crying . My other classmate saw it too , and he asked her why . She said her friend // my other classmate abandon her. She left her for another friend. I feel kind of bad. i thought i could finally feel good about it , seeing that she is finally feeling what i am feeling. But i just feel… bad.  I am meant to be alone , so that means im used to being alone … I’m used to feeling lonely, but i am not used to feeling empty, hollow inside. Hahaha. fml it feels like a part of me has been ripped out and it hurts so fucking bad . 

; In 2013 ;

In the beginning of the year , january , my school class has new sitting arrangement for everyone . I was chosen/paired with the same classmate . Idk, she acted like nothing has happened , like she had forgotten the hatred she has for me , and started talking to me again . Friends again ? i was confused . but it was only temporary . i guess all good things do come to an end . 

; 2014 ; 

everything’s gone once again . i became alone once again ~ i came to a conclusion that i am meant to be alone , nobody likes me , i creep everyone out . my classmate became really close to my other friend classmate . They both are close before , but closer this year … Hahaha . i felt like i’m a replacement . spare tyre . 

; 2015 ; 

I changed to a new phone on 12 January 2015 . That means my contacts are gone . I had to restart everything . Games , dl apps from playstore , new accounts , and other stuffz . 

; 2016 ; 

… i don’t know …. i feel so messed up !! LOST ;; LIFE GOES ON . NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS , LIFE GOES ON ANYWAYZ .HAHAHA FML . I had my very first IA / intern experience . :’) it was a challenging and new experience for me for 2 months lolz . That was also the period of time where i tried out MM ^^;; . i was curious so i tried out . Never knew i will love this game so much lolz . FUCK MY LIFE LOLZ.  i intend to tried the game out for awhile , like play the beginning intro , then uninstall . MM made me confused , especially the convo with unknown where he send the address to the player lolz . i intend to uninstall after i played the introduction / prologue , but ZEN made me think otherwise . ZEN is really welcoming and SWEET OMFG ~ he reminds me of phantom from MS . Because of him , i decide to play the game longer , and i got even more confused but i still play CUZ OF ZEN !! FML AND THE LONGER I PLAY , THE MORE I UNDERSTAND AND THE MORE I RELATE TO THE CHARACTERS AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS GAME OMG LOLZ FML . I don’t even know how , itz just sort of naturally happened !!! FUCK ZEN :’( LOLZ JK. 

i guess i fell into a deep wishing well , unable to escape. a.k.a mm hell . 

…..

hahaha . 

i became more afraid . my fear increased . i developed a fear of talking/interacting with people . i  am afraid of making friends. im afraid of  making bad impressions . im afraid of opening up to people . im afraid of knowing people . im afraid the same shit will happen and i will go through it again

its not that i do not want to learn new things . 

(who doesn’t want to learn new things? it means you get to experience it and that means knowing more things. you’ll be more knowledgeable about the things you enjoy i guess)

 itz not that i do not want to learn . itz not that im being stubborn (i kinda am) . im just afraid 

afraid of making mistakes

i feel so useless . i feel so stupid . why do i exist in this world

maybe one day , when i am walking down the streets , some psychopath will stab me or a car will knock me down LOLZ . i doubt anyone will miss me . not my family . what friends ? what is friends . what is a human being ? my family will be so glad to see me dead if that ever gonna happen . im such a burden anyways . im useless .

mean people exists because to balance the good and bad in life .

but why do i feel that more mean people exist than genuinely nice people ? 

[kansascityhappenings]

As Grand Canyon National Park turns 100, one man hikes the entire length to save it

https://embed-prod.vemba.io/vemba-embed.js

Pete McBride is worried about the Grand Canyon, so he decided to hike it — all of it.

A few years ago, the adventure filmmaker, photographer and writer filmed the path of the Colorado River and was amazed to see that the river doesn’t reach the ocean anymore.

The river “flooded the sea for six million years, and it stopped two decades ago,” says McBride, who has traveled to 75 countries for a host of publications and projects over 20 years.

The trip “made me shift my focus, so now I do a lot of photography around conservation, around fresh water and around public lands.”

Having hiked Mount Everest and documented nature in Antarctica, he didn’t think the Grand Canyon needed his images to survive.

“I figured the Grand Canyon was one of the most protected pieces of landscape on the planet, so it didn’t require another photographer to go photograph there.”

Learning about current threats to the canyon changed his mind.

One of the seven natural wonders

One of the seven natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Grand Canyon is one of the most photographed landscapes in the world.

The Grand Canyon is about five or six million years old, but rocks at the canyon bottom date back about 2 billion years. Human artifacts have been found dating back nearly 12,000 years to the Paleo-Indian period, and it’s been continuously occupied into the present day.

The land now known as Grand Canyon National Park, which celebrates its centennial anniversary in February, was first protected by the US government in 1893. When Congress resisted US President Theodore Roosevelt’s effort to make it a national park, which required Congressional approval, he protected it as a national monument in 1908, which he could do without their help. It became Grand Canyon National Park on February 26, 1919.

“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world,” said Roosevelt at the time. “I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it.”

(Photo courtesy Erin Whittaker/National Park Service)

Given that illustrious history, McBride was surprised to hear from people working inside and around Grand Canyon National Park that the canyon faces multiple threats.

They come from increased helicopter flights, a proposed tram to the canyon floor, proposed tourist developments and possible uranium drilling. (The threat of uranium isn’t a hypothetical issue: Three buckets of uranium ore were stored at the park museum for nearly two decades, according to a park employee who went public in February. Federal officials are investigating his report.)

While some of the developers who want to make money off the park aren’t from the area, some are Native American tribes who have watched others profit for decades.

A park under threat of development

Most visitors spend only a few minutes at the South Rim, experiencing just that famous view of Grand Canyon National Park, unaware of the canyon’s role as home to ancient peoples, animals and plant life or the threats and economic pressures placed on it.

So McBride decided to hike the length of the canyon, a 750-mile journey (give or take a few miles).

There wasn’t any thru-trail for him to follow. And the hike would include an elevation gain and loss of around 100,000 vertical feet, unstable rock and temperatures fluctuating from 8 degrees to 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I don’t know why I got the idea to walk it,” since there’s no trail for much of the distance, he says. “I figured it’d be challenging, but I’ve done a lot in the back country and wilderness and I figured it couldn’t be that hard. And oh, how wrong I was.”

When McBride and his friend, writer Kevin Fedarko, first started planning their hike, they convinced experienced Grand Canyon hiker Rich Rudow to let them join his September 2015 hike.

It didn’t go well.

Loaded up with way too much camera gear and not prepared for the impact of the extreme heat on their bodies, the canyon made them sick and disoriented, forcing them out on their sixth day, as Fedarko later wrote in National Geographic.

The Colorado River winds its way along the West Rim of the Grand Canyon in the Hualapai Indian Reservation on January 10, 2019 near Peach Springs, Arizona. The Grand Canyon National Park is preparing to celebrate its centennial in February. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Back in Flagstaff, Arizona, McBride was diagnosed with hyponatremia, a heat-induced imbalance of salts and minerals, which could have killed him.

There would be no thru-hike.

In fact, McBride and Fedarko thought about quitting as they got medical attention and recovered from their first attempt. But the local hiking community and Native American conservationists convinced them to complete the trip in order to draw attention to the magnificent natural wonder.

Hiking in two-week stints

During five weeks in October, they planned a hiking trip that involved hiking the canyon in two- to three-week stints starting in November 2015 going through March 2016, often bringing more experienced Grand Canyon hikers along, traveling about 15 miles per day and 150-200 miles per trip, completing about 600 miles before summer.

They skipped hiking during the deadly hot summer months — but still photographed the park — and finished up their last two-week stint in late October of 2016.

“There’s no trail for 70 to 80 percent of it, so you have to find your way and you have to learn how to find water. You have to make sure you don’t get pinned up on a cliff, just kinda figure out how to stay alive,” McBride said. “it’s a great lesson in humility and self-sufficiency and getting back in tune with our natural world.”

He carried just one camera, a Sony A7 with a wide angle lens 16-35, to shoot the video that became “Into the Grand Canyon,” a movie airing on National Geographic and streaming on NationalGeographic.com, and the pictures that became his book, “The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim.”

McBride went through eight pairs of shoes over 13 months, hiked through four sprained ankles, two broken fingers, that case of hyponatremia, lost two girlfriends and even threw his heart out of rhythm, requiring heart surgery.

The lessons he learned, the wisdom he gained, the humility he earned — all of that, plus a careful selection of his images, were more than enough to fill his book.

Here are some of his discoveries on the journey, in his own words and adapted from his book:

It can be viewed from space

“Despite my fatigue, I often lay awake at night: sometimes too wired and worried about finding water and sometimes too spellbound by the spray of stars above us. Kevin (Fedarko) describes this celestial sweep as a second river — one that mirrors the main Colorado below us.

An aerial picture taken on January 3, 2019, shows the Grand Canyon covered with snow in Arizona. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images)

“Being inside the only canyon on the planet that can be seen from space makes you feel miniscule. And when you stare skyward, you realize one of this landscape’s unspoken marvels is the clarity of its night sky — one of the few landscapes in America without a blanket of light pollution. I lose myself in the space above and the idea that Mother Nature is still queen in some parts.

“As I doze, I overhear Kevin taking audio notes (easier than writing when he is tired), remarkably 100 yards from me. It is so quiet I think he is five feet away. He describes these moments ‘below the river of stars’ as if ‘the canyon is holding us in the palm of its hand.’”

A silence so profound

“When you get beyond the roar of the river inside the canyon, the silence is so profound and so ancient that it escapes description. At times it makes my ears ring because I’m trying to listen so hard to something that isn’t there. At other times the void of noise is so profound I wonder if it belongs to another world — a world we have long forgotten.

“In the evenings or early mornings, Kevin and I can converse in relaxed, tired voices even though we are the length of a football field apart.

“The same occurs when we hike, but if a single rib of rock separates us, we can’t hear each other holler at the top of our lungs, as if, at times, our voices can’t pierce the blanket of quiet that envelops us.”

The unfiltered night sky

“The clarity of Kevin’s ‘river of stars’ is hemmed on the edges by the distant glow of Las Vegas and St. George, Utah. Otherwise, looking across the sweep of erosion, rock, and time, there is no sign of civilization before us. Of course, we do see jets blinking above, mostly headed to Los Angeles, but they die down after midnight.

“It’s so silent (that) you can be laying in the morning, and you can hear just the distant brush of the bat wings as they’re going out and looking for bugs, and you could hear the little clatter of sheep hooves on a rock layer that might be 1,000 feet below you.

“We just don’t have a silence that’s that deep … it made me realize just how magical that is and what a noisy world we live in.

“I think that was part of the magic where it changed me to a degree, and I now am very aware of noise and silence. It’s not silence without sounds. It’s a silence without the chaotic noise of human sounds. It’s a silence layered with these rich wildlife sounds that we’ve forgotten or our senses are not used to hearing.”

You, too, can go deeper into the canyon

While many visitors only visit the South Rim or take a short (and noisy) helicopter ride to view the canyon, McBride says there’s a better way to appreciate this magnificent national park without risking one’s life on a year-long adventure.

Pack a hat, good hiking shoes and lots of water and choose to spend the day at the canyon beyond a few minutes at the South Rim. “Experience it away from vehicles. You can do that in a variety of ways.”

A general view of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, on February 13, 2017. (RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images)

Visitors can hike into the canyon, just remembering that the hike back up is twice as hard. Visitors can also ride a mule down into the canyon and back up, or ride one way and hike the other way.

Bicycle lovers can rent bicycles and ride the bike path along the South Rim or mountain bike on the trail on the North Rim (open seasonally). Guests using wheelchairs will find some wheelchair-accessible trails, including the Trail of Time and parts of the Rim Trail.

Hardier types can hike two-thirds of the way into the canyon (with all of your gear) and camp at Indian Garden Campground, where there is drinking water. There are also rafting trips for every skill level.

Listen to the sounds

If you take some time to listen to the sounds of the canyon, quietly, McBride says it may change you.

“The silence of this natural wonder starkly contrasts with the noise we make everywhere else, even as the canyon invites us to carry some of that silence within ourselves as we return to the world beyond the rims,” writes McBride.

“As I wonder if any of my images have captured that, I find myself pondering an even deeper question: Is it possible that this journey by foot, along with the photographic record that it has yielded, might help illuminate and underscore what we all share — as well as what we all risk losing — if we fail to protect this vast abyss by foregoing the urge to transform its beauty into cash and simply leaving it as it is?

“While the answer to that question is for others to decide, I do know one thing. After spending so many months drenched in the silence and magic of the seventh natural wonder of the world, I know there is only one place that looks and sounds like this.”

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/02/25/as-grand-canyon-national-park-turns-100-one-man-hikes-the-entire-length-to-save-it/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/as-grand-canyon-national-park-turns-100-one-man-hikes-the-entire-length-to-save-it/