[JRNL] Day 3: Indigo's Newcomers!
(To Indigo cast and crew: Sorry the labels are missing a lot of people! The labels can only go up to 200 characters in total, so I only included the Witches this time.)
I slept much quicker on the 2nd night, and woke up around 10:30am. After my morning routine, I came to the kitchen around 11am. Whilst preparing a cup of Milo for myself, I happened to glance once more at the fridge. The colourful memo paper caught my eye again.
On the 2nd day, I had noticed Tom pluck out a pen from the pencil holder on the kitchen counter to write down notes for filming that evening. I also remembered how Tanner and Lily had prints and doodles taped to their walls and doors in their house for inspiration.
Nobody was writing anything on that memo paper, so perhaps... I could...? Yeah. Yes I would.
After finishing my cup and washing it, I sat down on the couch. Ash was studying Biology on his laptop nearby. I supposed he would be my only witness. Headphones blasting compressed Sonic Rush audio from my 15-year-old blue Phat DS, I had taken a greylead pencil and started to sketch. I drew the face of the witch who would be featured on this page... she ended up having a rounded chin.
...
I converted her into Ellyn, a young mage from the fantasy novel I still haven't gotten around to finishing. She is the personification of me, hehe.
I drew the glasses, added the hair, and then worked on the smooth curves of her hat, enjoying the satisfyingly long horizontal 'S' across her head. I made the rim, and then drew a very rounded hat... it looked more like a child's version of a Santa hat, but whatever I guess! I added flowers onto the base of the hat, with a cute ribbon, and then drew the rest of her body.
She had a slightly hunched position due to her shyness, a deep blush scattered across her cheeks. Ellyn was greeting the viewers with a dorky smile. I drew some sterotypical robe-like garments on her dress, adding a shoulder shawl, and a cute belt. The belt buckle and brooch under her dress shirt collar were heart-cut gems. Emphasising the flower theme, I drew some billowy sleeves for her undershirt, a cute growing stick wand in her hand, and a leather satchel. One hand was holding down the rim of her hat, as if she was trying to hide. "I-I hope you enjoy your meal...!" I wrote in blue ballpoint, to contrast the greylead. "And... have a nice day~"
I dated the drawing, 23/1/21, but decided to leave out my name. Make it a mystery. I thought that would be fun! I returned the memo magnet to the fridge, all the pages intact, with Ellyn's picture at the front. It sat in the upper right corner.
People began to arrive upstairs for breakfast. Tanner asked if people could have some curry and rice from last night, as there was too much in the bowls to contain. I offered to have some. He asked if I was sure, but I was adamant. I grinned as I took my meal. "I've had dinner for breakfast, and breakfast for dinner before! This'll be fine."
When I returned to the kitchen with my empty plate, I was stopped by Holly who opened the fridge. It wasn't her fault – the fridge and pantry are at an inconvenient choke point in the kitchen area, so it was natural she had to stop.
She didn't notice the art in the upper right corner.
I figured I should move it closer to the handle, so that when people grabbed the door, they would HAVE to see it.
I went back to playing my DS in the living room, until Claudine asked Tanner if she could play on the Switch. I asked if I could join! She let me, and we opened Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to play. Thankfully, this game was one of the rare Switch games I'd played at a Nintendo Switch pop-up at Melbourne Central, which existed for several weeks in 2019. There were informal Smash tournaments going on most of the time.
I thought my Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing knowledge would translate well into Mario Kart then, but as I pumped the accelerator to make a tighter turn while drifting, I became frustrated when I noticed my character (Waluigi, of course) slowing down and eventually stopping. That strategy... clearly does not work in this game.
Claudine picked Metal Mario, and chose the kart parts that would make him heavy yet excellent to handle. I emphasised handling on Waluigi, just hoping I could replicate something close to Tails in his bi-plane, whom I controlled well.
I was destroyed.
I finishing in the bottom half of the leaderboard while Claudine was claiming the top spot. I felt bad for picking the races to be 100/150cc, just to give myself a chance and her a little bit of competition, but I wasn't expecting her to be THAT good!
The excitement drew in some spectators – Aaron and Tom. We were 3 races into our Grand Prix, but I quit so the boys could join. I think they rocked two of the Koopa Kids.
The battle was mostly between the three of them for top spot, with Tom dead on Claudine's heels and Aaron usually in 3rd. Towards the 3rd and 4th races I was starting to get the hang of the game, and was rising slowly in my spots. In the final race of our 2nd Prix (with the boys), I reached 4th place!
Tom was called off by Lily to run through the shots that were going to be filmed for the day, and Aaron went to go have breakfast with Holly. Fatima, Claudine, Tanner and I switched on Super Mario Party. Finally! I was going to get to play a full game! We were on Megafruit Paradise, and the game was going well. I was in 2nd place with a star, close to getting my second star and reaching 1st place when Lily emerged from her room with Tom. They were done with the run through!
Lily wanted to watch WandaVision now.
It... would be untruthful of me to say I wasn't at least a bit disappointed. I was disgruntled as the entire cast and crew was brought together to watch. But I calmed myself, knowing that I would gain valuable experience from any piece of media as a writer. I suppose the first thing I learned was how easily your couch spot can be stolen, too. Re-delegated to the seat near the complete jigsaw puzzle on the table, I watched the first episode with animosity. The cheesy 60's sitcom vibe and constant laugh track wasn't doing it for me.
Halfway through the episode, the rest of our cast arrived! The four Witches arrived on the scene.
Romy Bachmeyer – She made the most notable first impression with the introduction of her dog, Lotte! All of us were charmed by the dog. I was reluctant, thanks to my allergies regarding being in an enclosed room with a shedding pet or open blooming flowers. But by the 4th day, I was petting Lotte more eagerly as I watched the film production. Romy herself was a lovely lady, I appreciated her concern of my allergies and her positive attitude around the house. She had never played Among Us before, but she got into the groove when we played on the 4th day. I wish I could've gotten to know her more during the trip!
Luke Holland – This guy has everything you can ask for in a supportive and fun friend. I was astounded when he asked if the icon on my hat was from the 2014 Watch_Dogs video game! I wasn't expecting anyone to know what it was! I enjoyed hanging around him, he was so enthusiastic and I appreciated getting to crack a few jokes with him. At the end of WandaVision Episode 2, a beekeeper emerges from a manhole. We laughed about it throughout the day. Luke's an amazing friend and I hope he makes many more awesome pals in university!
Sofie Brouwers-Morrison – A super wonderful woman, she was the first person (aside from Lily and Tanner) to ask for my Facebook so we could stay connected after the trip. She was also the one who drove me home on the 4th day/night, even though it was a bit out of the way for her and after filming for several hours. I'm so glad I got to meet her and Karen, her car/GPS/ever-present soul around her. I'm immensely grateful for the kindness she has shown me as well. She's definitely a super reliable friend who'll be there for you when you need help most!
Back to WandaVision, hehe. Luke sat himself behind me, and we snuck a few comments together throughout the next two episodes. I began to enjoy them more, and found their writing and portrayal of old TV Tropes (haha, see what I did there?) quite interesting. I could appreciate the way the writers were building up to an intriguing mystery behind the show, the "break" from that reality occurring during the credits.
After the show, it was time to start preparing for filming! I worked on my paperwork during the day, getting the names, phone numbers and reasons for attendance down from everyone and the new additions to the scene. Partway through the day, Claudine's boyfriend arrived at the house as well! His name was Niklas, and he was there to do some BTS.
Filming for the day was much better, because it was time for the Witches to start helping Holly rise from her grave! There was also more energy buzzing around the set, as the more the merrier!
Lotte got plenty of attention from the cast and crew, though she became lonely towards the latter half of the shoot. My heart broke hearing her whine for Romy... even if it was just attention she was seeking overall.
Since I had finished most of my paperwork beforehand, I was watching the action most of the time, and standing by the food table to ensure people were served safely. The Swinburne COVID Safety guidelines ruled that people cannot "self-serve" from a large container of food, but it's okay for one person to serve food. While this might be hard to imagine specifically, I think they meant to prohibit multiple hands reaching into a bag of chips or something. That would be unsanitary in COVID times. So yeah, I had to dish things out if they weren't in single serve containers (like small chip packets) already.
When we arrived home, everybody said goodbye to Claudine and Niklas as they left to go home. As they did, I noticed that my COVID Safety signs were being taken down from the walls around the house. After showering, I headed upstairs to investigate what had happened.
I got told I had taped them to the wall which could have peeled off the wall paper/paint when taken off, so they needed to be taken down/moved. I... understood the reasoning behind this, and accepted it. But I felt an immense hit of self-hatred once I felt I had done something wrong. Trying to compose myself in front of the others, I headed into the kitchen and saw there was no pasta remaining in the pot to have with the sauce.
Was I too late? Did I just miss dinner?
maybeideservedit.
The natural thing to do would be to ask if more could be made, but I panicked and ran downstairs to my room to break down a bit. I felt so pathetic, getting overwhelmed over such small things, but I think a bunch of frustrations just accumulated and the pasta thing was just one issue too much for the moment. Thankfully, Fatima was around and comforted and reassured me as I explained the situation... I really wasn't angry with anybody, but just more myself. More pasta was being made upstairs for others who found the empty pot but I wasn't prepared to encounter anyone else just yet.
There were a few times on this trip where I'd faced a small issue and suddenly came close to tearing up, if not tearing up a little bit. Normally this reaction occurs after a bit of criticism on my school work, usually an English essay. I was stunned that it occurred when I struggled to figure out what to eat on the 1st day. I think being around unfamiliar people and not knowing how to react appropriately in a way that doesn't result in a confrontation and negativity but always ensuring I kept up good relations did it.
I was slightly amused when Aleisha came into the room and started scrolling through my phone, me sniffling and blowing my nose nearby. When Fatima came in and explained stuff, Aleisha admitted she thought I was sick! We chuckled at that. How ironic, that the COVID Safety Officer would fall sick...
Lily came down to urge me to have dinner so we could go on a night adventure, a walk to the beach. It seemed like the party would consist of her, Aleisha, Fatima and myself at that moment. We all went upstairs to eat, and the pasta was great, courtesy of Tanner once again. I got a little bit of sauce on my pyjama top, but it was alright. Once I'd washed my bowl and everyone had gotten ready, I waited outside in my jammies...
...Only to find that 7 other people were also waiting too. It turns out while I was busy preparing, the girls had rounded up several others to join us on this adventure.
The Party (as if this was an RPG) now consisted of:
Ash
Emily
Sofie
Luke
Lily
Aleisha
Fatima
Tanner
And myself!
We set out, walking down the middle of the road, music coming from the UE Boom Speaker hanging on Tanner's lanyard. We had a moment to chat together, and he said it was good that I decided to join this excursion. It was a sliding door moment, obviously an incredibly big experience that would cement our bonds as friends. Something that would become a great memory. I agreed – it was why I decided to go on the trip in the first place as well. I felt as though I'd regret not going. He was glad I went for both things. I was too.
We arrived at the beach, and walked to the right. I had brought my torch, but during the walk Ash asked me to switch it off. Having a bright light on makes everything else darker. It was strange, walking on the beach with it off. Everything was visible, just very dim. Silhouettes, really.
Early on the walk, I noticed a blue light on the land-side (not the water). I flashed my torch only to accidentally blind a group of people just trying to chill out. I hastily switched off my light in embarrassment after hearing their bothered groans.
Several minutes later, Tanner got a call from Tom. Tom had finished his shower and beer, and wanted to join us. Tanner told him to head to the beach and walk right until he reached us. I lingered near the back of the group to keep an eye out for his approach.
Every couple of minutes, I switched on my torch to check out things on the ground, any shadows that piqued my interest. I was wearing socks and runners, because I was scared of the uncertainty of what I could step on in the sand if I walked barefoot. Although I'd always wanted to, the fear of stepping on sharp glass... or a jellyfish... stops me.
Eventually, we stopped to have a rest. I looked back. Tom should've been somewhere on the beach. I turned on my torch and waved my hand in front of it to flash a signal. No response. But after a few minutes, I heard someone walking on the beach. I flashed my torch, but couldn't see anyone. Moments later, when the walking was definitely much louder, I shone my light again.
Tom's figure emerged from the shadows.
"Tom! I was waiting for you!" I grinned. In retrospect, I should have said, "Tom! We were waiting for you!" but I guess what I said was still just as genuine. Now a massive party of 10, we strolled onwards. As we walked, Tom asked if we were exchanging signals.
"Yeah, I saw someone up ahead switch their torch on every few minutes, so I turned on mine as well."
"Oh, no, that wasn't intentional, not til the very end!" I laughed. Apparently, Tom had also made the mistake of blinding the same group of people sitting on the beach, thinking they were us. After all, Tanner had said to "head right", not specifying that we were sitting down or heading to the sand dunes. I'm glad I wasn't alone in my mistake.
At last, we finally arrived at the sand dunes Tanner was talking about – the goal point of our adventure. The dunes... were at a steep incline, probably at least 60 degrees. People crawled up the wall. Someone said that people needed to be barefoot as the feet would help them to grip the sand. I tried with my shoes and socks on, but the soft sand at the bottom made it difficult and I slid down.
I panicked, realising I wouldn't be able to make it up to the top. If I did, it would be extremely slowly, and I also feared falling down. Being a bigger person, I absolutely avoid any task that makes me seem... out of shape compared to others. I ran in front of my sport teacher instead of walking around campus, I suppressed all my urges not to dry heave after running to my destination, that kind of stuff. So the idea of everyone watching me painstakingly make my way up was a fate I needed to 100% avoid.
Lily called out to me, asking if the group should stop and wait for me, but I backed out immediately. The climb was too much. I definitely couldn't make it. I wasn't... fit enough to make it.
So the rest of the group made it up and I sat at the bottom. I suppose I had a role, guarding everyone's shoes and someone's stray coat. A scavenging(?) woman with a bike came by, so... I'm glad I could protect our belongings, I guess!
I wasn't too lonely at the bottom, I sang a little to myself as I admired the ocean and the lights across the sea. I noticed a wavering light – it was a buoy, swaying to and fro on the waves. I also gazed up at the stars, now revealed without light pollution. The Milky Way glittered. I sang my English cover of the credits song of Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, 'RE:CODA'...
"Far across the boundless night sky
A lone star twinkles way up high
Our destined encounter one day
I believe it won't lead us astray..."
I did internally chuckle at the second line, as there were multitudes of stars in the sky, but I felt that yearning the night sky evokes in people. It fit the song.
I heard a story, I think there was a blackout in some part of the US one night. Concerned residents rung the police, talking about weird lights in the sky. "Those are stars," the police told them. It's an amusing yet sad story...
I heard ruckus from behind me. Apparently someone was coming down. I shone my torch to light there way, but I guess I might have accidentally blinded them. Ash came running down the dune, and slid on the sand, probably going a little bit into the water before making his way over to me. I was pleased someone had come down to chat to me!
As Ash cleaned off his socks and shoes as best he could, we spoke on a range of topics. Our backgrounds. Our school lives. Our universities and courses. What was next in our future. How we were feeling on the trip. What our favourite media was. Our shared love of writing.
I mentioned to a few people that my favourite video game is OFF. The 3rd and final version of its English translation can be found here. It's a French, surreal psychological thriller with "violent junkie colors". It's a nice game for good children, and a good game for nice children. It's... probably a boring game to stream, talkin' to you Tanner and Luke, but thanks for considering it if you thought to. But it's got such a small community, it could be doing the fandom a favour to spread it some more! Hehe. Up to you!
If you do decide to play, whoever is reading this, here's some valuable codes:
87666 and 02584. Or is it 02854? Haha. Some combination of those numbers, for sure. Check what the inhabitants say on the ground floor.
The group eventually came down and we began the journey back. Apparently when a horse realises it is coming home, it gains an extra burst of energy to go faster, knowing that it will be able to rest once home.
You might be thinking that it's maybe 12am, right? Well. We tend to get back to home base in the hour of 10, and people have dinner around 11pm. Bed time the past two days was around 2am.
It was now 3:30am.
Day 4, baby.
Okay, I don't quantify that a "new day" has begun until I go to sleep.
As we walked, we fell into different groups along the way. Tanner, Ash and Luke were in front, while Sofie, Tom and I were in the middle. Lily, Fatima, Emily and Aleisha were in the rear. As Tanner and Luke sang to the songs from the UE Boom Speaker, Ash was plodding along beside them, just eager to get back to bed as soon as possible. They way the three were grouped together, walking in the middle of the road, occasionally lit by a streetlamp...
"It looks like the beginning of a boy band," Tom spoke the words I was thinking. Sofie readily agreed. "And Tanner is the lead singer."
I took note of Ash quietly beside them. "Ash is like the reluctant drummer that everybody loves, and Tanner is a bit jealous of this fact."
"You've got it all figured out, huh!" Sofie giggled.
"We three are the managers, of course we do." I replied. When I brought this up to Luke and Sofie on the 4th night, we decided that Luke was the cool electric pianist.
We soon arrived back at the house. Tanner whispered his debrief to us, thanking the group for a wonderful night out. But other people were sleeping, and we chose to stay up, so we needed to be quiet. We tip toed into the house, most going upstairs to eat and talk for a bit, others heading to the bathroom and their rooms soon after. I was among the latter. Just as I was about to crawl into bed by myself, the rest of my room arrived and we all slept together.
This thus concludes Day 3! Thank you very much for reading. Once again, the next post will be up on Sunday at 12AM AEDT! Take care and stay safe until then~
Comments
Post a Comment