#we haven't had tv in years so seeing all the new commercials is like a video game timeskip to the future and everything is modernized

[chuuciae]

mr bear and i are watching law and order and dateline..... and taking pics of the soap bars...

[nenoname]

Journal 3’s references to Stan

(…does the Lost Pages count as J3 when some had to be in J2 and also may or may not be a truth lie turducken? idk. Ford’s TBoB letters sure as hell don’t count as J3 but I’m including them here anyway)

Lost Journal Pages

"STANLEY COULD HAVE MADE HER LAUGH"

“My stomach sank a bit when I realized… it was my birthday. This day has felt… odd, since S and I… parted ways.”

"I was adjusting my TV antennae for weather reports (looking for ideal conditions for F's first portal test) and spat out my coffee when I saw THIS! My brother hawking scams under the name "Panley Stines." I had half a mind to call that number, just to pretend to be the police and maybe scare S straight for once! There is something so galling about seeing your OWN FACE committing crimes on your own TV! When my Muse saw me break my stress ball, I decided it was finally time to vent about Stanley."

""How about that; you've got an inferior clone! Why didn't you just eat him in the womb? Think of how powerful you'd be!"

"You can't just eat your twin, Bill."

You'd be surprised what you can eat! I say sure, call him if you want him to start mooching off you again! ME, I went no contact with my home dimension and I don't regret it. All they did was hold me back and sabotage my talents! Can you imagine?"

"More than you know. But you do ever wonder if maybe... maybe things could have been different?""

"Our heat budget was so tight that Mom forced S and me to wear one sweater at the same time. (She called it the "Abominable Snow-Stan." Our cat lived in fear of it year-round.)"

“DAMN! This morning I found F rummaging through my old copy of Urban Legends of New Jersey, where I had forgotten I had hidden some old personal items! I’ve quickly re-hidden them here, away from prying eyes.”

"But then he crossed a line. Helplessly I watched Cipher in my own body limp up to a pay phone and dial... STANLEY'S phone number from the infomercial?! No. He wouldn't.

"Hey brother, it's Sixer. I'm going to take a swim in the frozen lake tomorrow, and I might not ever come back, so if you don't hear from me, I just want you to know that it's because I never loved you. BUH-BYEEEEE."

My heart was in my throat until I heard the dial tone... The pay phone was out of order. The message hadn't gotten through. Cipher turned back to address me.

"TSK, TSK, TSK. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME MAKE YOU DO! TOMORROW'S TAPE IS GONNA BE MUCH WORSE.""

(Bro secret code) "miss you"

“The snow has begun to fall again and there’s very little time. There’s only one left I can turn to to protect my journals while I prepare for the journey…”

"S is an overgrown child with none of my rigorous mental training. Who knows what could happen if Cipher stepped inside Stanley's mind for even one minute...

What if Stanley somehow manages to destroy the portal just like he destroyed my perpetual motion machine? I suppose that machine did work in its own way... It kept me perpetually angry for thirty years."

(Bro secret code) "HAVE I BEEN TOO HARSH ALL ALONG?"

"What if he tries to rope me into his latest get-rich-quick scheme? His latest commercial was for "Stan Sauce: The Miracle Sauce that's too cool for the FDA!"

What if... he mocks me? What if he sees that I abandoned our family to become a recluse on the brink of madness? Could I risk admitting that I was... wrong?

PROS: I have no one else. Well, that settles it. It's time to come face-to-face with a face I haven't seen in 10 years. My own face. Which... is my brother's face. God, I miss sleep."

Ford’s Letters

"In the weeks since Weirdmageddon, I conducted numerous tests on Stanley's mind (his terrible jokes are still intact) and inspected the state for dimensional leakage (we also took turns kicking the statue, and Stanley took a few cracks with a crowbar). I burned every Cipher-shaped item I had ever collected, and even threw away all my one-dollar bills, just to be safe (Stanley, of course, found and pocketed them).

“I emerged from my lab after days of agonized contemplation to find- to my shock- that Mabel was reading the book, out loud, to Stanley, Dipper, Soos, and Wendy!”

“They didn’t see me as an irredeemable screwup. Stanley said, "So, your past is just a giant pile of mistakes? Congratulations- you really are a Pines!”“

"Bill may tell you that happiness requires conquering galaxies and living forever, but I've seen enough of the universe to tell you that he's wrong. I've found my happiness. And it looks like this:"

"If you're reading this... then I am dead. Kidding! Sorry, Stanley thought that would be funny. Ha-ha! We're currently out shopping for harpoons to prepare for our trip to the arctic."

"Stan, if you end breaking into my lab at some point later today- Bravo! Still as good a locksmith as in 8th grade. Beers are under the desk."

(It kinda strikes me that the BoB Lost Journal pages about Stan sound far more like post-portal Ford’s opinions on Stan instead, where he’s openly angry at both being pushed into the portal + at the portal being opened again + his murder suicide attempt being foiled + Stan disowning him + turning his house into a tourist trap + taking his identity vs pre-portal Ford being more… melodramatic(?) constantly being reminded of him but not wanting to linger too long? idk the vibes are different

Plus pre-portal Ford pretty consistently only calls Stan "S” or just refers to him as his brother (with the exception of him writing his name in a Caesar cipher). I think he only ever messes up the general naming scheme a single time when he wrote Fiddleford instead of F

…not to mention the perpetual motion machine comment says thirty instead of ten years)

Other sections: Pre-Portal, Post-Portal, Post-Weirdmageddon

[cjlouwho]

You Provide Strength

(Part 2 of my wedding series, part one here)

Summary:

After finding out his parents won't be attending his wedding, Buck asks Bobby and Athena for a big favor.

Note: Read here or on ao3. There will probably be more parts, but each part can be read as a oneshot.

It's six days to the wedding and Buck is in hour nine of a twelve hour shift. Both he and Tommy wanted to work right up until the day before the wedding, saving up to enjoy a nice honeymoon. Bobby had insisted on half-shifts for Buck, which he had tried to protest, but after last night he was eternally grateful. He wasn't sure he could handle a full shift of emergencies after the phone call last night.

“Why are you being so somber?” Chim asked, looking directly at Buck. They were all sitting around the TV, a commercial playing quietly in the background. They hadn't really been watching anything. Everyone, except Buck, had been chatting away, discussing their weekend and the plans they had leading up to the wedding.

And Buck knew what Chimney was really asking. Why are you so quiet? But they didn't use that word- in any context.

He hadn't told anyone the news. They were all already on shift when he heard from his parents, and it wasn't really something he wanted to announce in the first place.

His head had been hurting all day. He had stayed up late, talking to Tommy about all the times his parents failed to show up for him. It was stories Tommy already knew, but he listened anyway. He listened, and responded, and asked questions.

He had apologized for the pity party, but Tommy had reassured him that talking about legitimate trauma that had impacted his life was not a pity party.

They hadn't fallen asleep until half past one, then Buck was up by five to make his six o'clock shift. Tommy didn't have to be at work until an hour later, but he got up with Buck anyway and made him a breakfast burrito to go, making Buck promise that he'd actually eat it.

Ever since then, Tommy had been sending regular texts, and even called a couple of times just to check in.

“I'm not being somber,” Buck replied, slumping further into his chair.

“You're being very somber. It's weird.”

“Chim's right, Buck,” Hen agreed. “You haven't shut up about the wedding this year, but now- silence. Got pre-wedding jitters?”

Buck sighed. “No,” he replied, staring at TV. “Marrying Tommy is the one thing I'm sure about.”

“Then what's up?” Chim asked. “Worried Jee won't throw the flowers right? We've been working all month,” he smiled, “she's a natural.”

“I'm not worried about that.” God, he wished they'd shut up. He knew they meant well, he was simply in no mood to deal with questions.

“Did someone steal your clipboard again?” Chimney continued lightheartedly. “I swear it wasn't me this time.”

“Don't look at me!” Hen countered. “I learned my lesson.”

“Guys,” Eddie started, having been quiet up until now. “Why don't we chill for a second? Give the almost-newlywed some breathing room.”

Eddie always knew when Buck wanted to talk, and when he really, really didn't. For that, Buck was endlessly grateful.

“Well, I'm sorry,” Chimney replied, his tone showing he was still oblivious to the gravity of the situation. “I'd like to know what made our Buckaroo go from nonstop chatterbox to the qu- silentest,” he quickly fixed, “boy in the world.”

“I really don't wanna talk about it,” Buck said, shooting up from his seat. He could feel his face getting red. He didn't want to get angry with them, he knew they meant no harm, but he couldn't handle the talking anymore. “Please, leave me alone.”

He didn't wait around to see their faces after his little outburst. He quickly walked off and began making his way to Bobby's office.

Hen and Chimney's eyes fell to Eddie, who gave a nod before getting up and following behind Buck.

“Hey, Buck, wait a sec.”

Buck stopped, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before turning around. “Eddie, I-”

“I know; you don't wanna talk about it,” Eddie replied, holding his hands up in surrender. “I just wanna make sure you're okay. I do feel it's my duty as your best man,” he added with a smile, concern still showing in his eyes.

Buck felt bad. He knew he could just tell them. They'd understand. They'd be pissed, but they'd understand. But something was stopping him. Almost a feeling of embarrassment. Embarrassed that his own parents wouldn't be at his wedding because, of all things, a previously planned cruise.

“I just- I need to talk to Bobby about something first. I promise i-it's not anything bad. Wedding plans are fine, Tommy's fine, we're... we're great, actually. I'm just stressing about stuff.”

Eddie nodded, letting that answer be sufficient. For now, at least.

“Okay.” He gave Buck a pat on the shoulder. “I'm here when you're ready.”

“I know,” Buck replied. “Thanks for that.”

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

Buck paused before walking into Bobby's office. He needed to settle himself. He felt on edge already, and he needed to make sure he didn't burst into tears the second he walked into the office.

Hesitantly, he knocked, entering once he heard Bobby's, “Come in.”

“Am I bothering you, Cap?” he asked.

“Not at all, Buck. What's up?”

“I was just, um, I was actually wondering if I could talk to you, and Athena, tonight, uh, if that's okay?”

“Sure,” Bobby replied, giving Buck a quizzical look. “Are you okay?”

Buck sighed. “Um, I think I- well, that's kind of a loaded question,” he let out a humorless laugh, “but I will be, I think.”

“You wanna come have a seat, Buck?” Bobby motioned to the empty chair across from him.

“No, I, uh, as long as tonight's okay, I'm good. I won't take too much time-”

“Don't worry about that,” Bobby interrupted. “We're having lamb stew tonight, there will be plenty for ya, so come on over. Seven-thirty good?”

“That's perfect. Thanks, Cap.”

“Of course, Kid.”

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

After going home to shower and change, Buck arrived at Bobby and Athena's place.

They exchanged hellos, then Buck headed into the living room to sit.

“Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes,” Athena said. “Can I fix you something to drink while we wait.”

“Oh, no thanks, Athena. I'm good. I need to talk to you about something,” he started, looking from Athena to Bobby.

“I can leave you two to it.”

“A- Actually, I need to speak to you both.”

Buck wanted to get this over with now. He was tired of the anxiety that kept building up inside of him. If he didn't say something now, he wouldn't be able to eat.

“Okay,” Athena said with a nod, taking a seat on the couch. Bobby sat beside her, while Buck sat across from them in a chair.

“Are you sure everything's okay, Buck?” Bobby asked. “You haven't been yourself today.”

“No, I- I know I haven't. Yesterday was actually pretty stressful and I haven't- I wasn't ready to really get into it with everyone at the station.”

“Planning a wedding can be stressful,” Athena said, figuring that was the cause for concern. “That's why I highly recommend going to the courthouse.” She and Bobby exchanged smily glances at one another.

Buck nervously rubbed his hands together. “That was an option at one point,” he replied. “But everything with the wedding is mostly ready. Actually, once I talk to you two tonight, it will be completely ready.”

“Alright,” Bobby said. He could tell this was serious. “You've got our attention, Buck. What do you need?”

“Well, you know how, um, Tommy's mom is gonna walk him down the aisle?”

They both nodded in response.

“And my parents were walking me. And we know that's not traditional, but what even r- really is traditional, you know? We wanted them to be a part of it because they're a part of us and like it or not they made us who we are.” He was rambling. He knew he was rambling. He knew they knew he was rambling. But he couldn't seem to stop himself. “I mean, I know it means a lot to Tommy to have h- his mom walk with him and I-”

“Buck, Buck,” Bobby interrupted, raising a hand to stop him. “What's up?”

Buck took a deep breath. “My parents aren't coming to the wedding and I'd like you two to walk with me,” he let out quickly.

“W- Wait a minute,” Athena started, scooting closer to the edge of the couch. “Your parents aren't coming to the wedding?”

Buck could feel the embarrassment on his face. “Uh, no. They're not.”

“Why not?” She asked pointedly.

God, he felt so small. “They have a cruise.” His voice was quiet, defeated.

Athena raised an eyebrow. If Buck had the courage to maintain eye contact, he would have been able to see the fire in her eyes. “They have a cruise?”

“Yeah, they have a cruise.”

“They have a cruise. Bobby, did you hear this? They have a cruise!” Her voice was rising now, concern being overtaken by anger.

“Yes, yes, I heard, Athena.” Bobby placed a hand on Athena's back to try and calm her, or at least keep her seated. “Buck, I don't know what to say.”

“It's okay,” Buck assured them, however weak the assurance was. “Really. I- I found out last night and it was a shock, for sure, but I need to not dwell on that.”

“Surely they gave some sort of legitimate reasoning beyond the cruise?” Athena continued.

“Honey, did you hear what Buck asked us?” Bobby asked, trying to get back on topic. He knew Athena. How fierce she could be when someone she loves is wronged. But that wasn't what Buck needed right now.

Athena paused for a moment before relaxing her posture. “Yes, yes of course, Buck, I'm so sorry.”

“It's alright,” Buck replied, letting out a laugh. He didn't say it, but he always wished he had a mom like Athena. Someone to straighten him out when he was wrong, but fight for him all the same.

“Are you sure you want us to walk with you, Buck?” Bobby asked.

Buck nodded. “I'm sure. It was actually Tommy who brought you guys up, and I- I really couldn't think of two better people to walk with me... my actual parents included.”

Bobby and Athena glanced at each other, giving a little nod before Bobby responded. “We'd be honored, Buck.”

Buck let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, allowing himself to smile as a wave of relief washed over him. “Thank you guys, so much.”

Athena got up, holding out her arms for a hug. Buck stood, allowing himself to be held, tears prickling at his eyes. A beeping sound from the kitchen pulled Athena away.

“I'll go check the bread,” she said, trying to hide it as she wiped a hand across her own cheek.

Bobby knew she was still livid. She'd probably be talking about this for most of the night. But he also knew she loved Buck, and would let her anger subside until he was gone.

“We can probably head into the dining room now,” Bobby said, getting up as well.

Buck went to head that way, but Bobby stopped before they reached the room. “Hey, Kid,” he said, Buck turning to face him.

“Yeah?”

“Is there anything else you need? Anything at all?” There was so much more behind those words. You want me to call your parents? You want the rest of the week off? You want to sleep in the spare room so you're not alone tonight? You want us to rearrange the wedding?

Buck smiled, shaking his head as the tears stung his eyes again. “Just show up. J- Just be there.”

Bobby pulled Buck into a tight hug. “That we can do.”

[gigai-translations]

(Project Sekai) Kiritani Haruka BloomFes Story - To Become an Idol They Can be Proud Of

Really loved this one and had fun translating it! If you have this card, I'd recommend watching the story yourself and reading along with translation. I'll start An's bloomfes tomorrow! Enjoy and happy new year!

Transcript under the cut

Story 1

[Stage SEKAI]

Haruka: Ah! Meiko-san, Kaito-san, hi! 

Meiko: Welcome, Haruka-chan ⁠♪

Kaito: You look happy. Did something good happen? 

Haruka: Yeah! After a long while, we finally got a job offer. It's for some district radio station. 

Meiko: And you took the offer? 

Haruka: Yup. We'll meet with the person in charge sometime so we plan to give our formal response by then. 

Haruka: Seems like they've reached out to us after seeing Shizuku's commercial. Hopefully, we'll live up to their expectations. 

Meiko: It'd be great if you could get a ton of work again after this job!

Haruka: I agree! 

Haruka: …and so mom and dad can feel relieved too. 

Kaito: …Your mom and dad? What do you mean? 

Haruka: Oh, sorry. 

Haruka: Usually, when I come out on TV, I have my parents record those programs. 

Haruka: Since we haven't been getting work lately, I haven't asked them to make any recordings at all and it feels so abrupt too. 

Haruka: So they've been concerned if something happened. 

Haruka: But if I tell them the truth, I'll make them worried again. 

Haruka: So I told my parents that I'm just doing preparations for our live streams and other activities. 

Kaito: I see… 

Haruka: (...Technically, I didn't really lie to my parents. For a week, I've been trying to plan for live streams every day.) 

Haruka: (But I can't just continue to withhold what's actually going on.) 

Haruka: (Maybe like the radio gig, work can come smoothly again and I don't have to deceive mom and dad but…) 

*Fragment of feeling flash sound*

Haruka: …Eh? 

Meiko: …That light just now, seems like a light of feelings. 

Kaito: I was thinking the same thing. Look! Over there! 

Meiko: Just what I thought! It's a Fragment of Feelings! 

Haruka: That thing that looks like broken glass? Last time, the Fragment of Feelings I saw was round in shape. 

Meiko: Yeah, it should have a round form. In that case, I wonder if this is some Shard of Feelings? 

Kaito: Even so, I'm getting a strange vibe out of it. The fact that it was flashing light, it seemed as if it wanted us to find it. 

Haruka: …

Haruka: … Fragments of Feelings are born from a certain thought. Touching it can get us to understand what those feelings are. 

(TL NOTE: Thanks for recapping that for us Haruka, I knew I could always count on you~) 

Haruka: This is a Shard of Feelings so if I touch it, it should probably go the same way.

Meiko: …Then, are you gonna go to that Shard's SEKAI? 

Haruka: Yeah. It's like what Kaito said, I feel like this encounter isn't just some coincidence. 

Meiko: Right! We'll come with you every step of the way! 

Haruka: Meiko, Kaito-san, thank you! 

Haruka: –Then, let's go. 

*Haruka touches the shard and they transfer to the Shard SEKAI*

[???]

Haruka: …This is the Shard's SEKAI? 

Meiko: It seems like it's shrouded in fog. There's some greenery so it could be a very pleasant place? 

Kaito: Yeah…huh? 

Meiko: Kyah! W-was s-someone just there!? 

Haruka: ….! 

Kaito: Huh? That kid…she kind of resembles Haruka-chan…

Haruka: That's me…a younger me…? 

Other Haruka: …Thank goodness. 

Other Haruka: Don't make mom and dad sad again. 

Haruka: ….uh! 

Meiko: Haruka-chan? 

Other Haruka: …But you'll definitely make mom and dad sad anyways–

Other Haruka: For as long as I'm an idol. 

Haruka: I—

Other Haruka: If you truly care about mom and dad,

Other Haruka: Just quit being an idol. 

Haruka: …Wait! 

*Haruka touches Other Haruka and a light flashes* 

Haruka: Ah! 

Kaito: Wah, it's so bright! 

Meiko: Haruka-chan!?

Meiko: Thank goodness, Haruka-chan, you oka–? 

Kaito: Huh… you look… 

???: …That kid, my younger-self, where did she…? 

???: Eh… Why am I over there…? 

Meiko: No way, you're Haruka-chan!? 

Haruka: Yeah, I'm me but… ? 

Kaito & Meiko: Haruka-chans switched bodies?! 

Story 2

[???] 

Haruka: … I turned younger? 

Haruka: …it's real. Meiko and Kaito-san seem much taller to me. 

*Other Haruka walks away*

Haruka: Wait—...Ah! 

Kaito: Woah! Haruka-chan, you okay!?

Haruka: Yeah… I just tripped. 

Haruka: What just happened? How could I switch bodies? 

Meiko: This is a special kind of SEKAI so odd stuff like that happening wouldn't be too out of place here. 

Meiko: That being said… 

Meiko: so…So cuuuuuute~~~~! 

*Meiko holds Haruka's baby cheeks*

Haruka: Wa! Me-Meiko!?

Kaito: Hey no fai–I mean!! Meiko-san, this isn't the time for that! 

Meiko: But cute stuff is cute~ Look, these cheeks are so puffy!! 

Haruka: Ha…hehe…! Meiko, that tickles! 

Meiko: Yup-yup! Such a cute face! 

Meiko: It's the Haruka-chan we know to her core! The Haruka from earlier seemed to have such a stern face. 

Haruka: …Yeah. I wasn't much of a smiler back then. 

Haruka: My mom would say, "Haruka doesn't smile, huh?" and she'd seem sad. 

Kaito: She'd look sad, huh… 

Meiko: The other Haruka-chan also said something like that. Does that have anything to do with what you just said about your mom? 

Haruka: I'm not sure but…

*Brief flashback from earlier*

Other Haruka: …But you'll definitely make mom and dad sad anyways. 

Other Haruka: For as long as I'm an idol. 

—

Haruka: …After I became an idol, I gave my parents a hard time every so often. 

Haruka: At the time of my debut, I was told all sorts of things online. That my expressions were stiff, that I wasn't good at dancing, that I only made it through industry connections. 

Haruka: When I'd cry in my room, my mom would find me…

Haruka: She looked like she was in pain. 

Haruka: …Even as I became ASRUN's leader, I kept being compared to other leaders. 

Haruka: That time, I learned to not mind those voices that endlessly criticized me. But my parents…I think they just kept feeling bad. 

Haruka: After that, Mai got injured and standing on stage felt so frightening. 

Haruka: My parents took a day off from work to be with me. They searched for various doctors and supported me however they could. 

Haruka: In the end, I retired from idol work.

Haruka: …When I talked about quitting, my mom cried. 

Haruka: While she cried, she said nothing and held me tight. 

Haruka: But back then, I never once said "thank you". Honestly, I don't think I'm all that great of a daughter for it. 

Haruka: And after all of that happened, in some self-absorbed fashion, I told them I wanted to be an idol again. 

Haruka: Mom and dad said it's alright as long as it's what I love doing. 

Kaito: They're great parents…

Haruka: …Yeah and I don't want to worry them. 

Haruka: I don't want them to feel sad because of me. 

Haruka: But, that's…

???: —That's impossible for as long as you're an idol. 

Haruka: …! 

Other Haruka: If you aren't aware of that then you'll run into trouble. Let me spell out the answer for you.

Meiko: The answer? 

Other Haruka: Yes. Who's the owner of this SEKAI and the feelings it was born from? 

Other Haruka: This SEKAI belongs to you and I. 

Other Haruka: Those feelings of not wanting to make our parents sad; from the moment you were small, you've always kept those thoughts and thus, this SEKAI was born. 

Haruka: …

Other Haruka: Based on your expression, it seems you're starting to figure it out bit by bit. 

Other Haruka: Well then, I suppose you know what you need to do in order to fulfill those desires, right? 

Haruka: …. 

Haruka: (...I get it now) 

Haruka: (When I became an idol, each time there was an incident, I worried my parents.) 

Haruka: (Even though they've supported me more than anyone else has, I've given them a hard time on numerous occasions and I'm guilty of that….) 

Haruka: (There are moments where I've thought of living a normal life and I could give back to my parents much easier that way.) 

Haruka: (However…) 

Haruka: (However…I…) 

*Kaito and Meiko hug Haruka*

Haruka: Ah…

Haruka: Meiko, Kaito-san…

Meiko: You've gotten your answer but is that really the right answer for you? You seemed lost.

Kaito: It's okay. It's okay for you to think and say those words, Haruka-chan. 

Kaito: The only one up against you is yourself. It's okay to not lie to yourself. 

Haruka: …! 

Haruka: I… 

Haruka: That day, on that stage, I learned that even I could make someone smile. 

Haruka: Me, who only made my parents frown. 

Haruka: If I'm an idol, I can make everyone smile. So–! 

*Emotional flashbacks to all the locations she associates with being an idol and returns back to normal.* 

Haruka: –I'm not quitting! 

Haruka: I'll keep being an idol! 

Meiko: Haruka-chan…! 

Haruka: …You're me so I know I don't need to tell you this but…

Haruka: I love the idol that made me smile. 

Haruka: I love the idol who taught me that even I could get someone to smile. 

Haruka: The idols that bring hope to so many people, so they could give it their all tomorrow. I–

Haruka: I love idols! 

Other Haruka: …

Other Haruka: And what about the idol that makes her parents cry? 

Haruka: That's not what I think. I still have yet to fully bloom as an idol. 

Haruka: So one day, I'll become an idol that my mother and father could truly be proud of. 

Other Haruka: …I see

Other Haruka: …Right. If it were me, I would've answered the same way. 

Other Haruka: I, too….

*They return to the Stage SEKAI*

Meiko: …Phew. Looks like we're back to our original SEKAI, huh?

Kaito: That's right. Haruka-chan, you okay? 

Haruka: I'm alright. Thanks so much. 

Haruka: …but that was pretty surprising; a SEKAI born from those feelings…my feelings…

Meiko: Perhaps, the SEKAI gave you a chance to connect with those feelings of yours. 

Kaito: And at the tail end of it all, the fog cleared up and that SEKAI we saw was something beautiful. 

Kaito: There were lots of pictures of a smiling Haruka-chan! 

Haruka: …Yeah, that's right. 

Haruka: (--The idol that makes mom and dad proud…)

Haruka: (That was a promise I made to myself. Nothing to do but give it my all.) 

–END–

[chrisodonline]

I have been thinking about the show and you guys a lot more, not just because we're approaching the anniversary of the end but because...it seems like LA ties keep popping up everywhere!

I know I haven't been active, but I do like coming back to see you guys on my dash even if I have no idea what you're posting about because I'm not part of those fandoms. I've been debating on coming back more -- or going back to that LOL, Z blog I started just to make sure I keep writing and staying in touch. So, we'll see.

Work has been crazy, and I just took the first actual day(s) off in a good while. I had some rough losses near the end of last year, and then huge project after huge project has meant not just working without days off but also working on my days off. Finally actually took a couple days off and did nothing. And I actually got a good amount of writing done, so now I don't want to go back. (I find I actually do get going a lot quicker if I start by hand, but my joints cramp up soooo quickly. It's always been annoying. ANYWAY.)

What finally prompted this was I was watching last night's SNL, and NCIS:LA got a mention, despite being off the air. (There was a joke about character actors and appearing on arcs on shows with titles that are only letters. There were four spots, and LA was the fourth. IT IS STILL REMEMBERED! But holy crap, how about that Hawai'i turn? Wow. Anyway.)

In the past year, small things have made me think about LA:

-Waking up to an old episode from a syndicated outdoors show (I sleep with the TV on, don't judge me) that featured Gerald McRaney talking about his acting career -- filmed years ago -- and doing outdoors stuff -Spotting Medalion in a small spot on New Girl -Being addicted to Disney Dreamlight Valley when I was redirecting my impulse shopping addiction into cozy gaming (that was basically ADHD-crack because of all the tasks you just have to complete!). How is this relevant? Because the only fish I could seem to catch most of the time? COD! -Todd popping up in new commercials all the time -Getting into Elsbeth and watching CBS shows on Paramount and hearing the little logo music after or before a show and remembering watching LA on the platform a lot towards the end

And I know there are many more, but age + too may back-to-back storms and natural disasters have made my memory even wonkier. (We currently have a joke about our "weekly tornadoes" here. It's funny because it's not completely a joke. Lololol.)

Anyway, I won't lie to say there wasn't some freedom and relief that came with the show's ending. But there are definitely parts of it I miss like you guys.

[battleangel]

Futures Made of Virtual Insanity...

Every few decades, there's a new technological something or the other.

Some innovation, something to wow.

Something brand new.

An iron lung.

A shiny new space suit.

Gilded wings.

An iPod.

A Walkman.

A Discman.

A radio.

A microwave.

A television.

A computer.

LCD, HD.

4K, 8K.

Google Glass, Metaverse.

AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Mail.

Netscape Navigator, Geocities, Angelfire.

Sidekick, iPhone.

3G, 4G, 5G.

Text messages, Wifi.

Xbox, Playstation, NES, Atari.

Have you figured out yet how fucking fake, forced, contrived & scripted it all is?

Do you really think they haven't developed a battery for cell phones yet that can last a week? A month?

Did you know that plastic is actually extremely durable yet 9 billion tons of disposable plastic has been produced since the 1940s?

Why do you think that is?

Do you actually think they give us new technology when its invented?

Are you aware we still haven't figured out how ancient Egypt built the pyramids?

If we're so technologically advanced, why haven't we built our own pyramids?

HD or high definition has actually been around since at least the 1990s if not earlier.

The technology for supersonic commercial flights has been available since the 1970s.

What's presented as new & shiny was actually invented millennia ago by ancient Egyptians. Who were themselves aliens.

They are stealing from ancient Egyptian technology then presenting it to you as new and impressive.

They release a bit at a time to the public literally thousands of years after the original inventions to great fanfare & money.

They have had the ability to clone, gene splice.

Human experimentation.

Interspecies hybridization.

Everything in X Files represented truth.

Government lies, purchasing technology from aliens in exchange for humans that were then harvested for their DNA & experimented on for biological warfare.

Every age is unprecedented...until the next age.

Don't you see how fucking contrived that is?

Every age is unrivaled and revolutionary...until it is surpassed, sometimes a mere twenty years later, by a new and unrivaled revolutionary age.

Wash, rinse, repeat every few decades.

Still, you don't see a pattern?

Skunkworks at Lockheed Martin "developed" stealth aircraft with cloaking capabilities in the 90s.

All of this was stolen from ancient Egypt.

Flip phones, smartphones, iPhones.

Dial up, wifi, 3G, 4G, 5G.

So, what will 10G be like?

HD, LCD. 4K, 8K.

What will 16K be like? What about 32K? What about 48K?

Have you figured out how fucking fake & contrived & scripted all this bullshit technology is?

The metaverse has existed for literal decades.

They stole all of this from ancient Egypt and then present it to the public at intervals of a few decades as "technological advancements", "innovations" and "wizardry".

Snowcrash spoke of the metaverse back in the 90s.

Ready Player One depicted it in film two decades after Snowcrash.

Facebook developed it "in real life" a few years ago then paused it.

The covid shut down was the soft reset for AI & robotics which is when they are going to unleash the metaverse, AR & VR & the elimination of at least 80% of all current jobs.

They stole all of this and they keep it hidden then release it to the public bit by bit at regular, predictable, timed & scripted intervals as "brand new technology".

Haven't you noticed any obvious patterns yet?

The present is always ever evolving and what is considered cutting-edge today, just five years from now, will be considered the "distant past".

Why would anyone watch TV in 8K? Thank god we have 32K now!

Why would a song ever last for 4 minutes? Thank god the average song length is now two minutes.

In just twenty years, two full minutes was lost.

What happens when songs become one minute on average?

What happens when two hour movies are shortened to one hour?

What happens when episodic TV that is a half an hour or an hour becomes TikToks and Youtube Shorts?

What happens when books are no longer printed and published and everything is Audible or its presented in comic book manga style?

Who would ever want to read hundreds of words with no pictures, color, sound or audio?

No matter how many times this cycle is repeated, it is rarely questioned.

Now, there are Smart TVs! And phones! And refrigerators! And ovens! And washing machines!

All interconnected via wireless bluetooth device!

Alexa can tell me if the ingredients I need for my dinner are in my fridge then pre-set my oven for me while I am on the way home from work.

Five years ago is now an eternity.

A four minute song is now an eternity.

Reading a book -- not listening to a book, not reading a manga or comic book which are pictures & words -- reading an actual book with nothing but actual words is becoming an anachronism.

A book, not a tablet -- not staring at a screen, not scrolling, not "tapping" to turn the page.

An actual book, with pages, where you the human, turn the pages of the book with your hand.

Ice Age, Stone Age.

The future's made of virtual insanity...

Ice Age Cometh - Ice Age

Stone Age, heat wave - Stone Age

Informatics - Information Age

Digitization - Digital Age

AI - Age of AI & Robotics

Biohacked Transhuman - Age of Wearables & Implantables

We are all Ozempians & Wegovians - Age of Ozempic & Wegovy

A Revolution for whom? - Industrial Revolution

Modern Stone Age - Postmodern Age

Virtual Insanity - Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Age

Technolyzed - Technology Age

Death of the Written Word - Age of Typography

Mechanistic Mechanized Humans - Machine Age

Spaced Out - Space Age

Jetting to the Future Past - Jet Age

Cassettes. LPs. VHS. VCR.

Compact discs. Cable TV. DVR. Holograms.

Cloning. DNA splicing. Species hybridization.

Toasters. Freezers. Fax machines. Printers.

Personal computers. Typewriters. Beepers. Pagers.

Google Glass. AR. VR. AI.

Remote controls. Answering machines. Call waiting. Caller ID.

What's the next fake Age in this never ending quest for fake ass futurism & technoworship?

[xelinezeddiorsstuff]

Ch 2: New beginnings...?

"Nice to meet you."

It's been 5 hours now, my eyes are puffy as hell. I've been crying for two hours, at first I yelled at shit then I watched a show which turned out to be a bad idea since now I'm crying because of a breakup scene. The Ice cream is finished and thrown away now, the wine I haven't opened just yet. I stopped for a minute, I didn't completely stop since I was still sniffling and tears were still falling.

I stood up and finally grabbed the box that Mark had given me. It was small, I was hoping that it wasn't jewelry because knowing my Serena nature I would not be able to control my urge to value it like treasure when it came from the hands of a man whose feelings were about his future and not mine. I open the box only to see that it had inside that said "I'm sorry." I immediately crumpled it and threw it in my trash can. There was confetti but I froze when I finally revealed that the gift was the bracelet I made for him when we started dating.

I started sobbing again since the meaning of that was when I made him that bracelet and gave it to him, he would only give it back to me when he finds someone much better. Young me believed him when he said that I will never be replaced but now I cry thinking that the promise that he promised 16 year old me was now broken. I spent so much time on that bracelet but now I wanted to destroy every way you can but my Serena nature kicked in, I just held it tightly clutching near my chest since that meant so much to me. I pull out the one you had when you taught him how to make said bracelet and put them both on the table sobbing while looking at the both of them. 

------- 

I stopped crying after a while, my eyes hurt so much. Even with my eyes hurting I decided to be stupid and open my phone. Bad idea because I forgot to unfollow and I saw his latest tweet. Shit. 

I can't fucking believe it. The famous supermodel Ysa? He was dating her and got her knocked up. I thought he knew how to have safe sex especially when we talked about it when it came to my boundaries for that topic since we were still preparing for it. But now I know that he's been sleeping with someone, that someone being the person I found an inspiration for my clothes and style with. I was so frustrated, I didn't know what to do, even being a psychology major you still have instances of not knowing what to do in different scenarios like this. I knew it ever since they both were in the same commercial, I had a strong gut feeling but I guess Ysa’s gut is feeling something now huh. 

In the heat of it all, I was impulsive. I took the bottle of wine and took a huge gulp from it. Another, another, and another gulp. Then I called my boss, and told him that I was quitting my job and started to rant to him about what happened that day. The next thing I remember was that I was on the goddamn floor with the wine from last night. 

I remember waking up in a wavy room? Shit it’s the hangover, I tried standing up despite my arms and legs feeling loopy. My head was spinning and my mind was just waking holy shit. Once my brain was semi awake, someone was banging at my door. 

"Isla! Tanghaling tapat na! Di ka pa nagigising?!" (Isla! It's Twelve noon already! Aren't you going to wake up?!") My auntie yelled as today was one of her free days. "Gising na po!" (Awake already!) I yelled groggily, everything is still spinning, the pain in my head just got worse, and worst of all I feel like I'm about to hurl everywhere.

*Slam*  My door barges open, my auntie goes towards me and looks at me up and down and gives me a disappointed look. "Jusko Lord Isla. Di ka naawa sa sarili mo ha? Nagtretrending ang boyfriend si Mark sa TV na ipapakasal na siya. Kabet ka lang pala?" (For christ sake Isla, Don't you feel sorry for yourself? Your boyfriends have been trending on TV with news of him getting married. Are you a side chick now?) My auntie questions so invasively while I am still trying to control my hangover. I wished she didn't have to know but Mark was dating a famous model. I took a deep breath in and just shook my head. I didn't want to answer her now because my priority was to get out of my hangover and start my day officially. 

"Ano? Di ka sasagot?" (What? Are you not going to answer?) My aunt asked, crossing her arms. I took a deep but shaky breath "Siya ang nanloko, hindi ako kabit. Nabuntis niya yung babae na yan." (He's the one who cheated, I never became a side chick of his. He got the model pregnant.) I said groggily and angrily and stood up to go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. 

"Yan kasi, lagi ka nalang nandito eh. Yan tuloy na loko ka. Sayang pa naman ang pogi ba rin naman ni Mark '' (That's because, you're always here stuck at home. And now there you go you got cheated on. Such a waste as well, Mark was very good looking.) I put the toothbrush down and put it down on my sink and turned to look my auntie in the eye. I was mad, not only did she just invalidate how I got cheated on but she was taking HIS side on that just because of my job in which she forced me to take inside of the house only. That’s it I’m not taking anymore of this, I’m gonna push this a quarter towards speaking about this situation and most of it 

 "I got cheated on because it was his choice. He had no right to cheat on me when he has always told and promised me that he will be patient towards me and my career matters no matter what. and maybe you may have forgotten but I'm a cumlaude of B.S Psychology I study these types of issues within a human mind. If he was that easily tempted by some girl who struts on a catwalk wearing pieces of clothing that are considered by the privileged as art then he was not the one for me at all. And second of all, don't use my job as the reason because you were the person who forced me to work from home. You know what? I'm not gonna work from home anymore since I'm going to be taking that job that Kuya showed me." I yelled each and every single one. I know that my actions weren't controlled during that time but I couldn't think straight as well since I was really in a bad hangover and she was getting on my nerves. 

Next thing I know after I said that Slap! My aunt slapped me in the face. I held on to the cheek that she slapped as soon as it was done, tears were forming, and I was scared.

"Abah sumasagot ka na. Sino ba nag sabi saiyo na papayagan ka mag work ka outside of the house ha? Akala mo maka survive ka na wala ako? Ha! Tignan mo lang Isla." (Wow you're talking back now. Who told you that you could work outside of the house? You think you can survive without me? Ha! You'll see, Isla.) My auntie yelled before going away and slamming the door. 

"Tangina naman, ang ganda ng buhay sobra."(For fucks sake, life is beautiful really beautiful.) I sarcastically yelled. 

'Oh I'll show you, I'll show all of you'  I thought to myself before drinking my pain killers and trying to get out of my hangover.. 

The anger was still there, no matter what, it was there. I knew my Auntie loved Mark, even though she tried to put me in an arranged marriage beforehand when she knew I had a boyfriend but once she met him, you could just tell that she already making wedding plans. My aunt would involve him in everything after that, making him feel like family. I get that she's mad, but that anger shouldn't be directed at me, I'm not the one who fucking cheated.

Once I did, the first thing I did was eat breakfast and drink plenty of water then I transferred my clients files since well I impulsively quit my job because of my stupid drunk self. Then delete them all after I have transferred all. Some of my patients reached out and thanked me for treating them well and giving them hope for themselves in which for me made the job worthwhile.

 And then started to work on my interview, I did research on the school, on what interview questions they would ask, on what kinds of interview questions I can have. This job feels like its calling me, meaning I really have to do well on this interview. I even learned about the staff, the principal, the PE teacher, The Werewolf sex education teacher, The Botany teacher, and many more.

This is my chance to prove to Tita that I have a chance. So that's all I did all day before the interview. It was the same routine: wake up early, swim in the ocean, argue with my auntie, eat breakfast, then the whole day I prepared for my interview. 

Sure it's unhealthy of me to overwork myself to do well in this interview but, I'm not going to let Mark win by just sulking and missing him. No, he gave me this opportunity to make a name for myself and now I'm doing it. And this was also a way to prove to my auntie that I could be on my own now, I could go out and meet people like me. And never ever go back to being isolated. Which is why I’m treating this like it was my bar exam.

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

The day of the interview 

The alarm I set was two hours before the interview. For the first time in a while, I made myself breakfast, the classic egg and longganissa breakfast, brushed my teeth, took a warm and peaceful shower, and did some house chores so that Kuya won't have to worry much later.

I picked out what to wear and then settled on my favourite but not frequently used pink suit.

I was preparing for the interview when I heard a knock on my door. "Come in, I'm done changing." I answered while putting a pink blazer on for my interview. My cousin came in with something in his hand. "Ayyy, she's getting ready na, how are you feeling?" He asked while looking around me to see if I had any flaws with the formal wear I was wearing. "I'm a bit nervous, but at the same time, I'm excited because this whole thing is gonna be so new to me." I said while straightening my jacket. 

He looked at his watch, and it was almost time for him to go, also nearing the time when my interview was going to start. "Aalis na ako ha? Good luck sayo, Isla." (I'll get going already, Goodluck Isla) He hugged me tightly. "HOY KUYA YUNG BLAZER GUGUSOT YAN." (HEY KUYA, MY BLAZER IS GONNA GET CRUMPLED)  I shouted while playfully slapping him. He laughed, then let down before saying his final goodbye. I straightened my blazer once again and checked the time it was almost my interview. 

My tita walked and saw me before I was going to sit down on my desk. She gave me a glare then walked up to me. “Kahit kelan eh noh, lagi nalang ako mali, lagi na lang ikaw ang tama. Sana di ka papasa dito, sinasabi ko na sayo na di safe sa labas pero gagawin mo parin toh” (Everytime everywhere, I’m the one who's always wrong. You’re the one who’s always right. I hope you don’t pass this interview, I already told you it's not safe out there and yet you still do this.) My aunt then left. ‘Wala naman goodluck diyan putangina?’ (Not even goodluck there fuck this)

I slammed my palm against the wall when I heard my auntie go out of the house. I was frustrated.

Ever since my mom died, she has been this asshole, from making me transfer to a public school where I got bullied just from coming from a private school to nearly forcing me to date a guy when she knew I was dating Mark until she saw him. I don't know what she thinks that was going to do when she did all of those, but I finally rebelled when I chose to choose psychology instead of modelling like Mark.

That was the first time I rebelled, normally I would have felt bad like when I was in highschool and I would extend just a little bit to get a taste of street food due to how hungry I was at that time but when I did so, I would always apologize and get grounded.

I collected myself and started doing breathing exercises. This made me calm down for a while, but it was obvious that I was pissed but not to worry since I'm able to control my emotions when it came to serious settings, or so I hope.

I sat on my desk and clicked on the zoom link they sent me. While I was waiting the nerves kept going up to me while I waited for the call. I really want this to work or else I'm letting my tita control which I do not want anymore. 

All those thoughts stopped when someone entered the Zoom call. She had wavy medium red hair, wearing a brown cardigan, those thick framed glasses. I was stunned for some reason. She looked to be older than and definitely not the principal I saw on the website. It was.. 

"Good morning there in the Philippines. I'm Marilyn Thornhill, the botany teacher of Nevermore and I'm here to be your interviewer. I’m sorry for the sudden change of interviewer, Miss Weems had to take care of something and I was here already so.., Miss Isla are you ready?”

[littleblondesoprano]

@piratebay: oh i feel that about editing. both getting sick of the project and knowing it needs something but not knowing what!! i struggled with that on a painting today actually lmao. you're not alone on forks scraping plates, either. & GOD do i have a story to share about mothers & their children at stores. OMFG you're a winner shut UP. have funnn!!! i bet that's exciting! have you been before? & i have never watched this show but i have a secret regarding that as well.... i used to catch episodes of 90 day fiancé & below deck when i could :') we can exchange some juicy secrets thru dms or texts or smth later lmfaooo

RIGHT?! It's so bad. And the only balm, at least for me, is taking some time away (or taking a shower, ngl, that seems to unstick my brain somehow) and it's like!! No!! I wanna fix it now!! Oh gosh. Ahhh!!! What are you painting?? I'd love to see it!! Absolutely, I must know of the mothers and their children story!! I had a bad one today at Aldi, so it was particularly on the noggin. LMAOOO, it just fit so perfectly!! I couldn't pass up the chance for an Ozzy song moment. I haven't been to the Carolina Fear Fest before! I found it this year! It's only been going for 5 years, so it's fairly new, but I'm excited! They're gonna have the Jeepers Creepers Truck and Christine, and the giant Green Goblin head, and I think David Arquette is gonna be there? I know Heather Langancamp is gonna be there!

OH?? How is 90 day fiancé?? I've never seen it before, but I used to love Say Yes to the Dress, so I saw commercials for it all the time. I am 100% down for exchanging secrets like that!! Woooo! Lol. OH! That reminds me, I started watching Still Watching Netflix just for Trixie and Katya commenting on movies and tv shows and it is so freaking funny. It's best when they review reality shows, omg. Here's the one they did for Love is Blind season 6, it's so good.

[charlesandmartine]

Saturday 25th February 2023

We Outbackers wouldn't normally enlist for a Motel, but other accommodation in these rather rural locations is hard to find. At least we haven't pursued the outback theme as far as backpacking in a hostel! As far as motels go, this is extremely comfortable, quiet, modern and thankfully, empty, but also one of many motels in Roma. Modern day Roma is a bustling town at the northern end of the Murray Darling Basin. It is a meeting point for the farming industry with a cattle saleyard, sales and maintenance of heavy farm equipment, supplies and services. It is also very much an oasis for refuelling and stopovers on long journeys across the outback. It was first named in 1867 after the wife of the Governor of Queensland, Lady Diamantina Bowen (née di Roma). In 1863 Samuel Bassett brought the first vines to Roma and formed the Romavilla Winery in 1866. Roma's next claim to fame came in 1900 when due to a drought a bore was drilled to 1350 feet and water and natural gas gushed out. Sadly at the time it was not known how to separate them. By 1906 they had sunk a second well to the gas strata and started a commercial gas supply business. However, things don't always go the way you want as 10 days after the first customer was connected, the gas ran out. Not to be defeated, 2 years later the Roma Mineral Oil Company drilled deeper and hit natural gas which unfortunately blew across in the direction of a wood burning steam boiler. You couldn't make this up could you? Flames were 100ft high and the roar could be heard 7 miles away and it took a fair bit of putting out by all accounts. The next well in 1927 produced oil but they ceased production in 1931. Hmm. Good news eventually, despite the setbacks - these were determined people, and natural gas was finally piped 440km to Brisbane and used until 1969.

Out of 10 things to do in Roma, 5 were not open so we did what we could. Number 1, the Roma Bush Gardens. Very nice and also informative about local trees and shrubs. Number 2, the Walk of Hero's. This was an avenue of bottle trees planted, one for each local soldier killed in WWI. 140 in all and very poignant. Each tree had a commemorative plaque. Number 3, the largest bottle tree in Roma. Vital statistics: girth 9.62m, height 15m, canopy 23m, age 100 years. Very impressive. Number 4, the Big Rig that tells the story of oil and gas, see above. Number 5, various sculptures around town. Disappointments: The museum at the ,'Up the Creek Garage' was shut for upgrades. So was St Paul's shut so couldn't see the stained glass windows. We had missed the film night at the Big Rig and no cattle sales on at the saleyard. With all that excitement we went to Woolworths for some provisions.

With our trackers hats on we set off for the cricket ground a couple of hundred metres down the Warrego Highway in search of the evasive kangaroo. Now we are well aversed of the penchant the species have for golf courses, but we wondered whether evolution had moved them onto a liking for cricket pitches. It would appear this hypothesis was correct because there they were in deep fielding position. About 20 of them. They could see us and were extremely wary of our presence. Sunset seems to come suddenly. 6.20 and it's quite light and by 7pm completely dark. I guess that's the point at which they find something else to do.

Tomorrow we have a fairly short journey to the cattle station we shall be staying at. We shall be a little way from a food supermarket so a trip to Woolworths is essential before starting off plus petrol fill up.

ps TV advert tonight is for 120 bulls for sale. We are picking up Alice Springs TV now.

[a-dragyns-reflections]

~Staycations~

Hey y'all! I know I haven't been writing regularly since the new year, but I wanted to share one reason why with you all: I had a staycation!

Now many of you will have different understandings of what a staycation means, such as staying at home all week, reading, playing games, have at home spa days, etc. Well, I did do all of that and more, but stepped up by going to a hotel for a weekend!

It was so nice to just escape my place for those few days; I was getting annoyed at my inability to clean my room, organize my life, and I was starting to get more annoyed living with my sister as tensions were high and awkward for a while. Finally escaping all of that negative energy was a blessing. I got to sleep in a king sized bed and literally one half of the bed was full of my favourite hobbies, the other half was for me to sleep, prop myself up to watch tv, and relax. I finally got back into reading after not reading regularly since I read the Song of Achilles back in November of 2022. I played more Animal Crossing finally after being super focused on Pokemon Violet and enjoyed the island life again while being cozy in a robe on a cozy bed. I even watched normal television after being on YouTube, Twitch, Netflix, and Discovery+ for so long and man, commercials really are still super cringey aren't they. xD What made this staycation even better was the hotel had a deal with the Denny's nearby to have a discount for hotel guests- now I stayed at hotels before where we would only get a one-time use voucher for one day....but this was different, you could have all three meals there and have the discount every time you ate... so Denny's became my best friend during that weekend- especially the Saturday I was there... I had not ate much that day as I still had to deal with some real life things, so I didn't have dinner until 11pm... but they were open, they were kind, and even gave me a full order of nachos for half price. Something so kind and something they did not have to do, but I really appreciated it. The last part of this vacation that I really liked was that they had a hot tub and pool there. I was a bit uncomfortable there as the pool and hot tub were quite small...and with the pandemic still on-going, I had to really work at keeping myself distant from the litlte kids and adults around me, but once I had that hot tub to myself? Oooooh baby. I needed it as I had fucked up my shoulder moving furniture around a meeting room for Toastmasters. I ignored those fears for the 20 minutes I was allowed in the hot tub and just felt so much better. A great way to end the staycation, completely relaxed, well-read, well-gamed, and enjoying the silly tv dramas I enjoy like 90 Day Fiance, Sister Wives, and Love in Paradise- yes I am that kind of person ha.

Why I wanted to share about my staycation is to honestly encourage others to just take some time for themselves. I hated everything around me at one point in my own home and knew I needed a change of scenery. Most people would travel somewhere or go see friends, but I did not have that option this time around, so just a simple change of scenery, other people cooking for me, and getting back into hobbies I had long dropped was the best way for me to reclaim myself, find some joy again, and even just rest a lot more than I had been able too for weeks. Find a nice cheap hotel in your city with a decent free breakfast, and you will be surprised at how well that can reset your mindset, mood, and come back to your place with more love and acceptance than how you may currently feel about it.

Staycations are the best- I plan on having another one in a few months, hopefully you all will have one for yourself in your own ways soon!

[culttvblog]

Spyder's Web: Rev Counter

To my shock I see that it has been eleven years since I blogged about this episode of Spyder's Web in a series of posts about the show in the very early days of this blog.

Just as a brief recap about the show since I've barely touched it for over a decae: Spyder's Web is a 1972 ITV series about a secret government espionage organisation - Spyder - which uses a documentary unit run by Lottie Dean (Patricia Cutts) as a cover. The series is about Lottie's exploits with her sidekick Clive Hawksworth (Anthony Ainley), following instructions from their boss J. Smith. These instructions are always delivered in offbeat ways, including by delivering a children's colouring book to their office at one point. It is very eccentric and obviously there are Avengers overtones although it doesn't ape the Avengers at all. The show was made and broadcast in colour although most of it only survives in black and white so it gives an impression of being older than its 1972 vintage - in fact in my opinion this is an advantage because it places it in its milieu of 1960s eccentric TV (Adam Adamant, etc) for the viewer.

In Rev Counter Lottie and Hawskworth are told to join a terrorist revolutionary cell who want to force Britain to give the Isle of Wight independence. It was the final episode of the only series of the show and I see that the last time I wrote about it I said that it was clearly intended to be a high point, although the show wasn't commissioned for another series.

It isn't what you might call a 'heavy' documentary about terrorism and espionage, with a light touch it's more a depiction of everyone involved as eccentric, and also calculated to give some viewers a slight discomfort. I think this would be because it is so entertaining and funny, while being about such a serious and potentially dangerous subject.

And so we see Hawksworth making bombs at home using a textbook he had at school. Personally I want to know what school he went to, because I don't remember that in our chemistry textbook.

There is extensive coverage of rallies by the separatist groups: because one of their leading lights is a vicar they look very much like any other husting would in a church hall, and the way the vicar is happy to use violence is contrasted with his parsonical voice and biblical quotations. At one point he asks one of the ladies to put the teaspoon back in the drawer next to the sub machine guns, as he takes a shilling from the recruits for the parish magazine.

Lottie and Hawksworth infiltrate the terrorist cell in disguise, as it were. Hawksworth wears a fur coat for most of the episode, and Lottie wears a long wig which perfectly makes her look like a hippie. In true eccentric TV style, this makes them look about as unlikely as they ever could be, and while the real terrorists look much more normal the whole just adds to the extraordinary effect.

The vicar asks them for a donation when they join up. Hawksworth says 'I'm afraid I haven't any change,' intending that it would be taken as him not giving, and the vicar replies, 'Neither have I,' as he takes the note he has from Hawksworth. Straight afterwards we go into the new recruits' training, in which they are all wearing berets and being trained by a commander who says that although he may have failed in the commercial growing of watercress, things have got better since he took up schizophrenia. The human foibles and relationships depicted in this show are top-notch.

Despite the show's concentration on details and relationships, shockingly Hawksworth's bomb does actually go off in this episode, which is another strange juxtaposition. I think it quite possible that a lot of people wouldn't take to this series at all, although I'm confident that regular readers of this blog would. I'm not going to give away the ending of this episode, because I'm nice like that.

I don't personally have any real criticism of this show or episode, however I see that criticisms on Amazon include that it seems slower in comparison to current TV and that it is evident that it was studio-bound and made on a low budget. I don't think these will be real criticisms for people who like Our Sort of Television.

The entire episode is available on a DVD box set.

This blog is mirrored at

culttvblog.tumblr.com/archive (from September 2023) and culttvblog.substack.com (from January 2023 and where you can subscribe by email)

Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

[female-buckets]

(published September 25, 2008) I had my appetite ruined on Saturday. It happened right after I read Melissa Rohlin's piece "Why this woman is a fan of basketball, but not the WNBA." It's hard to tell what's worse about the commentary: a) that the opinion offered was so antiquated and un-evolved; b) that a woman would go out of her way to hate on such accomplished professional women; or c) that the reality is, there are people who actually share such a sheltered view. Nevertheless, I can cosign on three sentiments conveyed by Ms. Rohlin: that the NBA does feature the best athletes and the highest level of basketball in the world, that women's sports receive far less media coverage than men's and that discussion is always healthy. Of course, those facts are as much of a news flash as word that an African American is running for president. What may not be common knowledge, however, is that the WNBA features the world's best women's basketball, which was proven by the fact that 26 medals were awarded to current and former WNBA players. And, contrary to Ms. Rohlin's opinion, many think the WNBA is entertaining. She would've known that had she looked beyond the 12 girls "trying out" for the team at her alma mater. Ratings, attendance and website traffic aren't up because it's boring. No offense to the caring progressives at ESPN, but the network didn't commit to pay millions for the right to exclusively televise WNBA games because it wants to, as Ms. Rohlin said, "support the cause." The WNBA, in its 12th year, is the longest-running, most-successful professional women's league in America because it IS entertaining. Perhaps those like Ms. Rohlin who find us so boring are simply too close-minded to give the WNBA a chance, shackled by stereotypes, homophobia or an obsession with being accepted by men. Perhaps they aren't real basketball fans. That's what makes the premise of Ms. Rohlin's commentary so absurd. It's not even possible to be a basketball fan and not be at least somewhat entertained by the WNBA. Sure, you can be an NBA fan and not have interest in our league. But basketball fans, real basketball fans -- who see the game as more than dunks and athleticism and personalities -- can enjoy all levels of basketball without being herded toward it by big-budget commercials. Yes, even varsity games at Palisades High. Real basketball fans, like the NBA stars who watched our every game in Beijing, appreciate the game and its beauty, the athletes and their dedication, the competition and its intensity. Will many think the NBA is more entertaining? Of course. How that means the WNBA is NOT entertaining is beyond me. That's what is disappointing, that when it comes to the WNBA, some people, even women such as Ms. Rohlin, (who can probably see Russia from her porch) still can only regard our league as the NBA's kid sister. Where was the NBA in its 12th season? Furthermore, the idea that if it isn't the MOST watched or MOST marketed that it isn't worthy is unfairly applied to women's sports. Such a rationale belies not only an ingrained sexism, but ignorance over the fact that NBA versus the WNBA doesn't have to be an either/or conundrum: we have different seasons. Ms. Rohlin, are you a fan of college basketball, which doesn't feature Kobe Bryant or any of the world's best players? Is Serena Williams not entertaining because her serve isn't as fast as Andy Roddick's? Are you bored by sprint star Allyson Felix because women's 200-meter times haven't cracked the 20-second barrier like the men? What does Dara Torres mean to you? The WNBA is celebrating its 12th season because women's basketball is proven entertainment, the league where the world's best come to play, and it's growing. The WNBA set a record with 46 sellouts this season. National TV ratings increased 19% over last year. Jersey sales jumped 46%.

Contrary to popular belief, men are watching the WNBA. Games on ESPN2 saw viewership among men ages 18-34 increase 28% (71% among women 18-34!). Attend a game and you'll regularly see NBA players sitting courtside. Oh, and that lone player from the 12 Palisades varsity hopefuls you found that actually watched the WNBA? She just happens to be the best player on the team, the 23rd ranked scorer in Los Angeles' City Section. It seems as if Ms. Rohlin and the L.A. Times are just late catching on. Fortunately, you still have a chance at redemption. I challenge anyone who calls themselves fans of basketball, or even just a fan of sport, to watch the 2008 playoffs. If you agreed with Ms. Rohlin, but teared up during the Olympics, pick a team and follow them through (Ms. Rohlin, I'll even get you some tickets to see it live. I already have Coach Brown bringing the Palisades team to the game Thursday). Or watch the WNBA Finals from start to finish. Media and sponsors? Lead the way and provide enhanced activation and coverage. I guarantee you will be entertained. -- Diana Taurasi

[hopetofantasy]

'wtFOCKDOWN: the first Flemish quarantine fiction has arrived'

Translated interview about the behind-the-scenes of wtFOCKDOWN

- Source: Knack Focus (16/04)

Scenes in FaceTime, dialogues in WhatsApp and a director who gives directions in Google Hangouts: the youth series wtFOCKDOWN is the first Flemish fiction series in lockdown mode.

The candidates of 'Blokken' play from home, soaps 'Familie' and 'Thuis' get an early season ending, 'Dagelijkse Kost' has a director at distance, 'Topdokters' sends out corona diaries, 'De Ideale Wereld' does telework. Just about the entire TV world has had to adapt to the new reality in recent weeks and find creative solutions. Usually with the help of FaceTime. Or Skype. Or Google Hangouts.

There is a striking amount of video out there.

However, no Flemish series had to go as far as wtFOCK. The youth phenomenon - in good weeks 450,000 unique visitors go to wtfock.be - always strongly focused on real time and the current living environment of young people. If a character experiences something during the lunch break at school, the video goes online in the afternoon on a school day. For example, if the elections are coming or GOT has its last episode, the characters will refer to it.

Which also means that when the schools suddenly closed indefinitely, all plans for the upcoming fourth season couldn't go through. If all your viewers are home, it makes no sense that the characters still go to school. wtFOCK's solution: the first 'social-distancing drama' in the world, as production house Sputnik, which makes the tv series for SBS and Telenet, calls it. Fiction that not only takes place in quarantine, but is also turned into quarantine. On April 1st, the first video went online, a video conversation between characters Senne and Zoë. Since then, the experiment seems to get more interesting every day.

wtFOCKDOWN is the most far-reaching TV answer to the lockdown yet. How did you come up with a 'social-distancing drama'?

Rutger Beckers (producer at Sputnik TV): As soon as the government closed schools, we knew we had to throw all our plans overboard. It was clear that this wasn't just for two weeks: the lockdown would take much longer. Quickly, we started thinking about a plan B within the team, a very young team, and there were some very long video calls. The term 'social-distancing drama' had fallen quite often. Everyone is in the same situation, everyone runs up the walls. Especially young people. In one weekend, their reality has completely changed and their lives take place between four walls. It seemed interesting to adapt the fiction to that new reality. Plus, we hope it can also be a support or refuge. Everyone is in the same boat: that kind of feeling.

We then put together a small team to see what was possible. A few practice scenes have been written. We tested things with the actors. What works? What not? After a few tries, everyone was very enthusiastic. They were also immediately involved with Telenet and SBS. This was much more than a little plaything or filling a gap in the schedule. It soon became clear that, with the right storylines, this was something fundamentally new. Something no one had ever done before us.

The lockdown was announced on March 16th, on April 1st the first video of wtFockdown went online: that is impressive.

Beckers: Especially in the world of fiction. It helps that we were already very tight regarding film schedules of wtFOCK. The recordings are made four or five weeks before the broadcast, which is short for fiction. Even on set, we continued to adapt storylines to current events.

With wtFOCKDOWN, we can plan everything even closer. The circumstances compel us to do so. Nobody can get together - we are very strict about that. So no locations have to be sought, no extras have to be collected or soundcrew have to be booked. We also have to make it with a very small team. wtFOCKDOWN is shot with the actors, a director and someone who does social media. Everyone is also at home and is available. What makes that you can switch very easily. Simply put: tonight we will decide what things we have written today, will be played out tomorrow.

The videos all start from the home screen of the characters' laptops and cell phones. The story is told in WhatsApp conversations, video calls and video messages. A kind of found footage, but in real time. That is cleverly done.

Beckers: Because it also makes sense: for most young people, the screen of their laptop or smartphone is their only view of the outside world these days. Then it makes sense that you tell the story like that.

Moreover, it is the technology that we really use to create the series. The actors act in their own room with their own laptops and mobile phones. First, we rehearse in a video call, while the director watches. When a scene is right, the actors video call each other and record the scene. It also doesn't matter if the quality of image or sound is a little less: that just increases the authenticity.

wtFOCKDOWN has been running for two weeks now, but as an experiment in mobile television it is interesting to say the least. Real-time WhatsApp conversations set to music, where you see the letters typed, for example, turn out to provide good scenes.

Beckers: That is also something that we ourselves are happy with: that these storytelling techniques work. wtFOCKDOWN was a leap of faith. There were no examples, no anchor points. When we put the first videos online, we had no idea what the response would be. But you feel that our enthusiasm after those first tests, is now also the same as the viewer.

That is also exciting as series makers. It started with a few tests. Then a few videos that came online. Then we started building bigger storylines. And it just keeps getting bigger. Every day we are faced with new surprises and new problems to solve. But that feeling that we are creating something new, something that can be valuable in the situation that young people are living in today, only increases enthusiasm. Especially with the people of eighteen or nineteen years old in our team: you feel that they now want to go for it. Maybe this could be the start of a new kind of genre. Real-time fiction, played decentralized. Who knows.

You're sure no one has ever done this before you?

Beckers: I certainly haven't come across anything. We also noticed that countries abroad have been interested in the concept. In the meantime, we're in contact with the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, who made Skam (wtFOCK is one of the many remakes of Skam internationally). They were very intrigued by our plans and went to show it to Spain, Germany, Italy and France, where local versions of Skam are also running.

While wtFOCKDOWN explores new horizons, a large part of the Flemish television world seems to be on hold. 'Familie' and 'Thuis' must finish their season early. It is unclear what will happen for programs such as 'Mijn keuken, mijn restaurant' and 'The Voice Kids'.

Beckers: Today the situation is very strange for the TV world, especially with the commercial channels. The ratings are going up. Much more TV is watched than in recent years. Only: there are far fewer advertisers.

It is indeed striking that programs such as 'De Mol' hardly have any commercial breaks.

Beckers: Many brands do not want to advertise now and have postponed their budgets until after the summer. Which will soon cause another strange situation. Autumn normally gets very busy, but hardly any production houses are making programs right now. Almost all productions have been shut down. Running a normal fiction series is simply impossible today.

Will we get a lockdown version of the soap 'Familie' soon?

Beckers: I think that chance is slim. (laughs). With wtFOCK, the new technology is just a bit more in the DNA of the program.

The main thing is that no one currently knows. Everyone is waiting for the situation to normalize and to get up again. It only starts again, when there is insight into the matter.

You are in a precarious situation with wtFOCK, I just realized.

Beckers: Why?

When the government announces that schools remain closed, doesn't it mean that all the plans and footage from the fourth season will be thrown away?

Beckers: That's also the disadvantage of the time limited fiction: the time. All of the references to the end of the school year, or festivals, will be tossed. These caught up with the reality. But we'll see how we are going to get around that. We don't have anything meaningful to say about the future. If I have learned one more thing about the past few weeks, it's that you constantly need to adapt to the new realities and to find new solutions. So it's not just about the wtFOCK.

[bopinion]

2021 / 29

Aperçu of the Week:

"You can tell a person's character by the jokes he laughs at."

Alfred Biolek

Biolek is a veteran of German television. In the 1970s, he produced the most successful TV show, "Am laufenden Band," and then he was in front of the camera himself: first talking and hosting, later also cooking, in each case as the first (!) in his field. Thanks to him, people in this country know Monty Python and The Police, for example. A great man, a star without airs and graces, an innovator and cultural leader, a man who was never prejudiced, never unfair, always in a good mood, always interested, never superficial, always friendly, who stood by his homosexuality - at a time when it was still considered disreputable, not only in his industry. I had the privilege of meeting him almost 30 years ago, as we both shared a valuable experience as exchange students with AFS. Dr. Alfred Franz Maria Biolek died yesterday in Cologne at the age of 87. Rest in peace!

Bad News of the Week:

The fourth wave is coming. It's already there in the UK and Spain. In France and Italy, the values are still (reasonably) low, but the growth is rapid. Thanks to the delta mutant, formerly known as the Indian. Here, everyone is watching spellbound for the infamous "7-day incidence," which so far has been slow to increase. That's about to change. Especially because the longed-for herd immunity will remain a utopia - because immunization above 85% is impossible if all children and adolescents are not considered for vaccination. And more and more so-called skeptics refuse - whereby an obligation to vaccinate would be an immense encroachment on fundamental rights, the justification of which is difficult. But is there a fundamental right to ignorance? I'm torn apart...

What is currently taking place in the UK is a large-scale medical experiment. Not under expert supervision in a laboratory, but completely detached in public. All Corona protections such as mask wearing or social distancing have been completely removed. At a time when the incidence is approaching 500 - the highest since the all-time high in January. In our country, it's under 15, and we're worrying about how to organize the start of school after the summer vacations. And Boris Johnson basically says to that, "Why not now? When then?". Well, for example, when the vaccination campaign is more advanced and the numbers are lower. But he'll know what he's doing - even if it's irresponsible. Let's see how British voters will remember this decision in his upcoming re-election.

But this is not the only area where the British government lacks logic in Corona measures. A work colleague of mine is Irish and was supposed to visit his mother next week. But she lives in Northern Ireland. Since he already has full vaccination protection, he didn't expect any problems - and now he would have to spend ten days in a quarantine hotel without being allowed to see his mother. That's over 70% of his total two-week stay. The reasoning is remarkable: according to British regulations, he is considered unvaccinated because a vaccination in an EU country is not recognized. Although it is the same vaccine in the same dose in the same schedule. But the stamp in his vaccination certificate is just the wrong one.

Good News of the Week:

"Pragmatism and melancholy" is the Tagesschau's headline about Angela Merkel's last federal press conference - a kind of forum for free questions from journalists - as chancellor in Berlin. After all, she will not be running again in the federal elections in just under two months. It was therefore not surprising that, in addition to current political issues, many media representatives primarily took stock of Merkel's 16-year term in office. The financial and the euro crisis, nuclear and coal phase-out, the EU and China, Corona and digitization, and so on. Life without crises is easier, but when they are there, they have to be dealt with, Merkel replied to the question of whether she felt flattered by the title "crisis chancellor." After all, last week U.S. President Joe Biden, another old hand in world politics, had remarked that she would be missed.

In an interview today, climate activist Luisa Neubauer, the German face of "Fridays for Future," accuses Merkel of not tackling the climate crisis in the proactive manner that is her style in other crises. Although this one is by far the biggest and most urgent. One might add, even though Merkel was once environment minister. And seems to overlook two things: first, nuclear and coal phase-out ultimately serve climate protection. And secondly, there is no patent remedy, no reference, no example, no role model. Perhaps that's the point: who should be able to tackle the issue in a decisive way if not someone who is internationally acknowledged, respected across party lines, unpretentious and without any self-interest, scientifically sound, moderating and balancing, pragmatic and energetic? So who, if not Merkel?

Dr. Angela Dorothea Merkel turned 67 two weeks ago. Unlike Helmut Kohl - the other chancellor who ruled for what felt like an eternity of 16 years and ended up looking powerless and burnt out - it's hard to imagine Merkel going from one day to another just reading books and trying out potato salad recipes. And we have learned from the U.S. that the political zenith is apparently not reached until the age of 70+. And from demography we have learned that women live longer and are more efficient in old age than men. So: starting this fall, there will be an "elder stateswoman" in waiting on the world stage, who I personally would like to see again in every conceivable position. EU Council president, UN secretary general, pope, conductor, chef - I don't care. But give her something to do. She won't screw it up. Thank you, Mrs. Merkel, for providing a solid counterbalance to all the testosterone and alpha dog behavior in our nation, in Europe and a little bit in the whole world all these years. Of course, not all that glitters is gold, and even you haven't done everything right. But your taking stock is positive, and that's what remains at the end of the day.

Personal happy moment of the week:

I have never owned a purse. Probably because I never had enough money ;-) So coins always end up in a big box that the kids carry to the bank by the kilo on World Savings Day. And for bills, I had a plain money clip by Danish designer Georg Jensen, whose functional-style silversmithing helped shape industrial design in Scandinavian countries. I had already lost it once and after much research was able to purchase one again. A good half year ago I scatterbrained lost it again. Fuck the 20, 30 euros - but my beautiful clip was gone. And this time it was impossible to find another one. Yesterday, I put on a suit that I obviously hadn't worn for a long time - because in my pants pocket I found my money clip. Empty, but valuable. I got it back. And my personal happy moment of the week.

I couldn't care less...

...for the Olympic Games. Because they are so far from the original ideal of the sporting high office of the amateurs, endlessly commercialized, run by a corrupt organization, without any grounding and leaving the same too often burnt. I can still remember the promises made before the Summer Games in Beijing in 20008: sport would be an ambassador of peace and democratization, the Olympics would have a lasting effect on politics and society. Really? Nothing at all has happened. Except that the 2022 Winter Games will once again be held in Beijing. Bravo!

As I write this...

...it's thundering and lightning in the mountains again. And everybody is afraid that there will be heavy rain, squalls and hail again. Because the soils, especially in the disaster areas of the last week, are still waterlogged and loose and many dams no longer exist. So it only takes a comparatively small amount of rain to have mudslides, rivers overflowing their banks, and flooded homes again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for all of us.

[haddonfieldproject]

<<PREVIOUS⏺<<CONTENTS>>

1.2.23 HALLOWEEN NIGHT/NOVEMBER 1ST 5:51 AM

Warren County, Illinois

Diego stopped walking and hit the little light on the side of his watch and looked at it. ‪5:51.‬

When will this stupid rain stop? He thought, beginning to walk again.

He hated this part of the walk. The trailer park he lived in with his mom was out in the middle of nowhere, and this time of year, when it was still dark in the early mornings, you couldn't see anything out here. Leighton dropped him off most nights, but he didn't have the heart to have her come pick him up this early. I don’t think we’ve reached that phase of our relationship yet, he smiled to himself.

It's cool, he thought, only three more paychecks and then I can put a down payment on a new ride.

🎃

Gabriel Couture had been dozing. He would never have admitted it to anyone, certainly not his wife and definitely not any other trucker, even though every single one of them had at one time or another caught themselves starting to doze on a long haul. Just like any other time, you only knew you were dozing when you woke up and things were different than when they were just a moment ago.

His favorite program on the radio had just ended and the station was now airing the morning news. A man had been on there talking about some serial killers from Mississippi when all of a sudden he had heard an electronic beeping noise, and now there was a girl on the radio talking about where to go to get the best “tropical tan and bikini wax”.

That means it had been at least thirty seconds that Gabriel had been drowsing behind the wheel.

Very scary, he thought.

He thought of that video in trucking school they had shown him about the distance the truck traveled when you merely took your eyes off the road long enough to shoot a glance at the Qualcomm screen. It was like two football fields or something like that.

The Qualcomm had been the thing responsible for the electronic beeping. A robotic woman's voice came through the speakers, temporarily cutting out the commercial audio on the radio:

“You have....thirty...minutes...left in your legal time to drive. Please make arrangements to pull over.”

Good thing I only got about fifteen minutes left, Gabriel thought and picked up the can of Monster Energy drink that sat in his cup holder. He shook it, hearing a few drops of liquid at the bottom of the can, he put it to his mouth and stuck his tongue out to catch the last precious bit.

It was warm and tasted like piss.

🔪

“Why do you have to live so far out in the middle of fucking nowhere!?” Kyndra groaned, checking her phone for the time.

Brad wasn't listening, he was wiping the inside of the windshield with a Liberty Burger wrapper he had found in the center console of the Mustang. “God damn I can't see shit!” He hissed.

“Well, you're the one who wanted to smoke a damn bowl in the car,” Zoey said, “It's raining like crazy and we couldn't open the window to let the smoke out, what did you think was going to happen?”

“I didn't think it would fog up like this,” Brad said, turning the control on the dash from hot to cold.

“Stop playing with that and watch the road,” Kyndra snapped.

“I'm trying to defrost the window!” He roared back.

“Well it doesn't matter if it's hot or cold air, it's still gonna clear the window,”

“That's not true, it needs hot air!” Brad yelled.

“It's fucking roasting in here,” Kyndra turned the dial back to cold.

“I'm pretty sure you need cold air to clear the window,” Zoey said.

The mustang hydroplaned and this time it seemed like Brad barely caught hold of it. Zoey fell to the side on the backseat and the pipe rolled off her lap and hit the floorboards with a clang. Kyndra screamed.

“My pipe!” Bellowed Brad.

“I got it...” Zoey's muffled voice came from the back.

“Watch the fucking road!” Kyndra yelled. She wiped the windshield with the arm of the sweatshirt Brad had let her borrow.

🎃

Gabriel stretched his neck and caught the sight of the headlights out of his passenger mirror. His first thought was that it had to be a cop by the way they were moving. He had seen plenty of cops on the road that night, most in a big hurry, most with their lights on, and most had passed him. He took his foot off the gas and prepared to be passed by this one now, only it came right up on him and paused.

He could see from the lights it wasn't a cop. It was a sports car of some sort...looked kind of old. It eased closer until it was directly behind his trailer and out of sight from his mirrors. The only thing that made his presence known was the halo of light that now shone in both mirrors emanating from either side of his cab.

Gabe blinked a few times to try and perk up a little.

Stupid tailgaters, he thought.

🔪

Zoey popped up from the backseat. “Got it,” she held up the pipe. “It had rolled under the....shit watch out!”

“I know..I know” Brad said, easing off the gas, his foot turned slightly to the left to cover the brake, but even he knew better than to mash it hard in the rain.

Kyndra put her hand up on the ceiling of the Mustang as the trailer of a semi-truck emerged from the veil of rain to dominate the view beyond their slowly un-fogging windshield.

“I got double lines,” Brad murmured, “When I get the dotted line I'll pass him.”

Kyndra looked at him like he had three eyes, “What? You're not going to fuckin' pass him now! Not in this rain.”

“You said we needed to hurry!” Brad snarled.

“We're already late,” Zoey said, “No reason to kill us.”

“God I fucking hate semitrucks!” Brad moaned.

🎃

“Jeez Lloyd! I can't barely see a dang thing!” Lee whined, he was elbows up on the steering wheel, looking so far ahead through the rain drops, his forehead was nearly touching the glass of the windshield.

Lloyd sat on the passenger seat next to him, calmly counting the cash he had pulled in fistfuls from Raj Gudipati's cash register.

“I know brother,” he said calmly, not looking up, “I've been driving in the shit all night.”

“It looks like it's raining even harder now!” Lee said.

Lloyd ignored him. “Jesus fuck!” he moaned, tossing the cash into the glove compartment. “Seventy eight dollars and sixty four cents! That's all that Indian fucker had on him in the whole register.”

“He probably has to do cash drops every hour like we had to at the restaurant.” Lee said.

“No shit,” Lloyd said, picking up the pack of Marlboros in the center console, pulling one out, and lighting it. “Whole world's going to be computerized before you know it. Computers gonna tell us when to eat, when to shit, when to fuck...you watch!”

Lee goofy-laughed, “I saw a show on TV that said it was a sign of the apocalypse.”

“Damn right,” Lloyd said, taking a drag. He cracked his window a bit to blow the smoke out. The whooshing sound of rain filled the cab, drowning out the music. Some water dripped on his right shoulder so he scooted closer to his brother. “We are in the last days little brother.”

“Amen to that.” Lee replied.

Lloyd turned up the radio to block out the rain.

🔪

I wish he'd just pass me, Gabriel thought.

He knew the person behind him wouldn't because of the double lines, but he didn't care. Nothing made a trucker nervous like some jackass so far up his rear he couldn't see him in the mirrors.

Maybe if I slow down a little, he'll get tired and just go around me. He thought and backed off the gas.

🎃

“God what the fuck!” Brad moaned and slightly leaned on the brake.

“Chill out Brad, it's okay.” Zoey said calmly from the back. She had extended her hand and Kyndra was now holding it.

“What the fuck is he slowing down for?”

“Who cares Brad, just chill, we're turning off up here anyway.” Kyndra said. She closed her eyes, she didn't want to watch anymore.

“We haven't even reached the Superfuel yet!”

Zoey and Brad made eye contact in the rear-view mirror. “Stop,” she mouthed.

Brad took a deep breath and sighed.

🔪

“That's right,” Gabriel chuckled to himself. “Take a little bit of that.”

His speedometer fell from 45 to 30. Any slower and he was going to have to downshift. The headlights behind him peaked out the passenger side and then the driver's side mirror. He was poking out for a peak around him.

He's gonna pass any second. Gabriel thought.

The lights peaked again.

“Awww...you're a Mustang,” Gabriel saw. Probably '77 '78...looked orange, but it was hard to tell in the dark and rain. Could have been red.

Whatever, Gabriel thought, Ford's suck...now just pass me.

Headlights coming toward them caught his eyes. His foot moved to cover the brake.

🎃

Lights seemed to appear all around Diego at once—as if a UFO was landing on top of his head. Diego looked behind him and saw the headlights of a truck coming. He knew in almost a second it was the truck that had pulled in to the Superfuel Deluxe as he had been leaving. He remembered the bluish tint to the headlights. In front of him, coming up the hill were the lights of a tractor-trailer. Diego side stepped off the pavement and into the grass. His shoe sank down into a deep dark puddle with a splash and he felt his shoe fill with water.

Awww man, he thought.

🔪

“I can't take it anymore!” Brad roared and stomped the gas, cutting the steering wheel to the left.

“No Brad!” Zoey roared. Kyndra felt Zoey's hand clench hers and she opened her eyes.

🎃

Lee and Lloyd had seen the truck, and had really thought nothing of it, even though they probably should have. Most every trucker in the area had heard their truck's description by now on their CB Radio and was on the lookout for them.

Lee was just trying to concentrate on keeping in his own lane as the big rig passed, and Lloyd was leaning forward to ash his cigarette when the two headlights of an orange 1978 mint condition Ford Mustang darted out in front of them from behind the trailer.

The truck and the mustang hit each other head on without even braking. Ordinarily a truck that size would have split open a sports-car like a can of tuna-fish, but the Mustang was old, with a big hood and a strong chassis. Instead, the front of the mustang sort of slid underneath the truck, the bumper of which crunched down on top of the windshield. Brad had been leaning forward to be able to see and the steal bumper of Booger's truck exploded his head like a watermelon. Kyndra's legs were cut off at the thighs as the weight of the truck sliced down into the cab like one of those knives in that infomercial Brad was sleeping through only hours before. The top half of Kyndra's body lifted, hit the roof, flipped over her headrest, and fell into the backseat.

Zoey had taken off her seat-belt earlier to find the pipe. Her body flew forward as if shot out of a cannon, crashing through the windshield which diced her up like a wood-chipper, seconds before the weight of the truck pulverized every bone she had in her body above the waist. She had instinctively raised her arm at the last moment to cover her face and her left hand was torn from her body and plopped on the floor in front of the passenger seat, right between her girlfriend's feet.

Neither Lloyd or Lee Chumway had been wearing their seat-belts. Lloyd had been leaning forward, ashing his cigarette, so he had catapulted forward immediately, exiting through the windshield at the same moment the airbag deployed. The airbag caught him at ‪the shins‬ and merely slowed his launch, causing him to bounce off the back windshield of the Mustang, his body rolling about forty yards across the highway, before coming to a rest in the center of the road atop the double yellow lines. Lee's body had shot forward but the airbag deployed, shoving him back into the seat. Unfortunately for him, the force of the collision forced his head to snap back, causing a basalar skull fracture in the back of his head and neck. He slumped over against the driver's side window as blood began to pour from his nose, ears, and eyes.

🔪

The collision occurred directly outside the driver's side door of Gabriel's truck and he instinctively jerked his steering wheel to the right and slammed down on the brake. His tractor wheels locked up, the pilot tire on the passenger side struck a muddy rut on the shoulder of the road. This broke the front axle of the tractor immediately. The trailer did not respond to the sudden drop in speed very well, this on top of the fact that he was running empty...and therefore light.

The trailer hitch compressed into the fifth wheel, the back six wheels came off the ground about eight inches and then bounced like basketballs for nearly six feet before beginning a tilt and skid to the left. This caused enough torque to pull the trailer on it's side, taking the cab with it. Gabriel was pulled over, his head smacked his driver's side window, knocking him unconscious immediately, and shattering his left shoulder and arm.

🎃

Diego didn't have time to react as the trailer slid toward him. He dove to the left, but the roof of the trailer caught him while he was airborne, smacking him like a tennis racket hits a tennis ball. Diego was thrown into the trees, striking a sycamore upside-down about three feet off the ground. He bounced off the massive trunk and landed face down about four feet in front of the tree line in a large patch of standing water. His heart stopped as soon as he had hit the tree and he was dead before he even hit the puddle.

The trailer continued to drag across the road and unto the shoulder, slicing a mile marker sign in two, the jagged stump of the stake that held it into the ground lacerated the fuel tank of the tractor as it followed it's own trailer's skid through the muddy grass. The soft earth broke the truck's speed, bringing it to a stop about ten feet away from Diego's head. Diesel fuel mixed with oil and gasoline from Booger McFarlane's truck and Brad Doyle's mustang ran across the road like a river and pooled around Diego's body which had created a depression in the earth.

Brad Doyle's lighter, with the skulls on it, was perched precariously in his lap, and had amazingly remained that way throughout the entire accident. As a result of basically losing his own head and brain however, his right leg went into a short, but violent spasm about five minutes after the accident, thrusting into the gas pedal, releasing more fuel into the road in a gush. The lighter fell from his lap, slicing through a gash in the floorboards that had opened up when the front end structure of the vehicle had been partially torn from the frame. The lighter struck the asphault below and aresulting spark ignited the trail of fuel underneath the Mustang. A snake of fire raced across the surface of the highway and exploded Diego's body into flames.

This burned only mere moments however, the fire was promptly extinguished by the extreme deluge of rain that continued to pound down on central Illinois. The vehicles had not had time to catch, and soon, everything was silent and still..except for the sounds of the storm.

NEXT>>

[21secondsofchristoph]

Here is a full translation of the interview with the FAZ:

Mr Waltz, statistically you're a rarity. Only five percent of all actors in Los Angeles manage to get enough jobs to get accepted into the SAG. And out of that group, only about five percent earn enough to make a living out of their art.

Becoming an actor is like becoming a father: really easy. Being and staying an actor is much harder.

We're meeting today, because you're not playing the villain for once, but some kind of action-hero in James Cameron's Manga movie "Alita: Battle Angel"

As a futuristic doctor you revive a cyborg from Mars, so you're basically working on the interface of human and machine

Haha, you could put it like that! I like that!

When the story was published as a comic in 1990 it was considered Science-fiction. Today, people like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos actually work on brain implants and dream of colonies on Mars. Have you dealt with such things as preperation?

I don't take Elon Musk seriously. His behavior strikes me as ridiculous and you can't forget that he has a commercial interest in the topic's sensation. I've already watched moon landing's and flights into space as a child. Is it really necessary to introduce billionaires into space tourism? Well, we will see what happens. I am interested in new technologies but it's difficult to seperate them from journalism of sensation, even if it's dressed seriously.

In time, a lot of things might be possible that I can't even imagine right now. But there is another question: the question of necessity.

The market economy drives our world into an orgy of uselessness. It damages our planet and our lives on it. Who wants to live on Mars? That we will all be unemployed and the environment destroyed is in no relation to any use.

Can one stop the progress if it's useless?

Not as long as someone benefits from it.

What about the desire for disruption?

Disrupting something is an easy action, replacing it with something useful is not.

I'm always ready to disrupt something if there is a useful counterproposal. Not necessarily until then.

A lot of things are turned upside down in film industry. Netflix not only revolutionized the concept of television, it also produces exciting movies. And Youtube even has its own celebrities among the new generation.

Over the past few months I've watched some movies which hadn't been produced without Netlflix. For example the winner of the Venice Film Festival "Roma". Movies like that wouldn't run longer than 3 weeks in theaters. Through the premiers and prices it now receives the attention it deserves. And after that it's on Netflix. As superficial as I can see that, it's not the worst thing.

In contrast to that, I don't have a hard time with not watching Youtube. It's probably a cultural matter and depends on how we want to shape our lives. Of course it's also a generational matter. But why is that? Just because someone is younger, it doesn't mean they are predestined for entertainment through videoclips.

You have 4 children. You have to be familiar with this world. Where do you see the difference to your generation?

In school we were always confronted with things we didn't like, but which we couldn't dispose of.

That's where the wonderful word "Bildung" comes from, which doesn't exist in English. Education refers to an information value. "Bildung" goes further than education through its cultural formation. When I was in school I also didn't understand why I had to study Latin. But not wanting to learn Latin would have never occured to me. Just because no one speaks it anymore and learning it seemed uncomfortable.

And did you like it?

It created connections within a language, trained precise phrasing, as well as logic and discipline. It's certainly more challenging to learn an abstract language than watching a funny Youtube video.

About for or five years ago you warned Facebook might be a breeding ground for the fast growth of terror organisations. Are you surprised that it also seems to threaten western democracies now?

Not at all. History has taught us that medium and structure can be more dangerous than the message, because it's easier to handle the problematic movement than the well oiled machine that keeps it going. Especially when algorithms control the dynamics in the networks, those networks can become independent.

Some hope that societies might improve through a "Wutbürger"-culture and a crazy government.

At best, all of that just has entertainment value.

So maybe not anyone should always add their opinions?

If you don't have anything clever to say you should shut your mouth. But actually it's the other way around. Apart from this choir of stupidity being really annoying, people who haven't developed the resistance and sensors might fall for the noise. Whoever shouts the loudest ends up being heard.

You are known for keeping your private life private. How does that match marketing's and fan's expectations?

Fame is an unsolved problem, not only for me.

You either remain an anonymous observer without a bigger platform to present your realizations. That is an unfortunate paradox because the people who get the chance to move in public have to deal with growing fame while they also distance themselves from the influences and experiences of real life.

Studies have shown that introverts would handle most jobs better. But they tend to get cast out by the loudmouths.

I can imagine that. Self- and foreign perception are a tricky thing. I can remember the first Loveparades in Berlin which I saw on TV. I always avoided the event myself. In the interviews, people were saying things like: "We celebrate our individuality!" And there were one million people that all looked the same. The music was a monotonous bum-bum-bum and I always tried to spot a moment of individuality.

You've been living in the centre of individuality for a while now. Do you still consider the United States of America governable?

Maybe not as a federation. The question I'm interested in is whether the USA as a federation are still worthy of governance. California alone is the fifth largest economy in the world.

In an interview from 2003 you talked about posing, about film makers who eroticise themselves and about how to stand yourself

Oh God, I remember.

Are you currently able to stand yourself?

Sometimes. But it's not easy.

At that time you weren't a Hollywood star and you made yourself very clear in interviews.

"Schindler's list" is mendacious because Spielberg might have thought "that type of movie still lacks from my collection of movies about dinosaurs and UFOs

Or that Roberto Benigni's "Life is Beautiful" is "crap" because it communicates that it's alright to laugh about concentration camps. "when it's a tender laugh"

Do you still dare to say such things now that you constantly meet other Hollywood stars?

In Germany, yes. In America, no.

Do you believe it's better to become famous later in life? And does aging feel better when you're at least famous while you're aging?

Hopefully both, right? As a young man you often experience the world through tunnel vision, because you impatiently want to experience everything, even though you can't sort a lot of things right. If the attention hits you at that point in life, you get in danger of stirring towards a dead end where you don't develop well.

Do you believe you became more careful and more lenient over the years and success?

You're becoming more careful and more lenient. I never thought of that before. I thought: Now I suddenly step back a little. You become more lenient when you connect yourself to it. In a strict German way you could call it cowardice, because you gain another point of view, the insight. And apart from the experience and the success it might be due to the abrasion of the testosterone-related edges.