Supernova: The Knight, the Princess, & Shooting Star

There is a glimmer of beautiful harmony between the two facets of life.

Between organization and disorganization, between the predictable and unpredictable.

Order and chaos.

No matter how perfect a structure, chaos will always be present, hovering like a perpetual shadow.

Once it has hit the critical juncture, it erupts and wreaks havoc.

Even in the seemingly equilibratory or balanced, in truth, order and chaos exist side-by-side.

SUPERNOVA The Knight, the Princess and the Shooting Star

Like a layered cake with jam between its layers.

Like a perfectly baked macaroni and cheese full of jumbled pasta and sauce.

And for those who only see the world in black and white, be prepared to be rattled amidst a turbulence.

Together we will journey through tumultuous events crowded in turbulence.

People who reach the juncture of explosion

then experience bifurcation and eventually make their choice in life.

A simple story that would hopefully answer a question that will always be asked...

Who reserves the most right to determine our own happiness?

Yeah, you still have my email, right? Yeah, that's why...

Send me all the articles you have, okay?

Orang Indonesia?

Iya.

Dimas, Universitas George Washington.

Reuben, Fakultas Kedokteran Johns Hopkins.

Johns Hopkins... Baltimore, right?

Yeah.

- How was the trip from Baltimore earlier? - Traffic was clear.

I heard they closed up 295 North from New York Avenue?

We took GW Park.

There's a small party at my friend's place later tonight. Come join us if you're free.

Here, I'll write down the address.

Come around ten.

Okay.

Sampai nanti ya.

Masuk aja, bro.

- Hai, aku lagi cari pestanya Carol. - Iya, benar kok di sini.

Nyari Carol pasti ketemu di dalam. Ayo masuk.

Carol!

Ada yang cariin.

- Oh, hai. - Hai.

- Aku temannya Dimas. - Oh, yang ke Fakultas Kedokteran Johns Hopkins?

- Iya, sebenarnya baru kenal Dimas tadi pagi. - Oh. Teman Dimas sih teman aku juga, jadi selamat datang.

Kamar mandinya di ujung gang, minumannya di situ.

Kalau "permen", di mana-mana juga ada. Si Dimas sih harusnya di situ.

Oke, makasih.

- Sampai juga. - Iya.

Aku senang kamu datang.

- Was the place hard to find? - No.

Kita bakal senang-senang malam ini, oke?

- Soalnya aku punya kejutan kecil buat kita. - Kejutan?

Hei, lagi ngapain?

- Apa kabar? - Oke. Ini teman kamu?

- Gimana kabarnya? - Oke.

Bagus deh. Barusan aku dengar kamu nyinggung soal kejutan?

- Iya kali. - Kali? Oke, gini aja deh.

Ambil ini. Satu buat kamu, satu lagi buat teman kamu.

- Sip. - Oke.

Met senang-senang deh kalian berdua.

Aku kasih tahu ya, ini bakalan bikin kepala kalian meledak.

- Oke kalau gitu. - Oke, Makasih.

Duluan ya.

This is my first serotonin storm. God, this feels incredible.

"Serotonin storm." That's a good one.

I don’t get it though. Why are people sleeping? This is an unparalleled moment.

Momen penting.

What do you see?

I see lucidity.

All the barriers and entrapment of the mind unlocked. Nothing's going anywhere. Everything is present right here.

No more questions regarding time. When to graduate, quizzes, assignments--

It's all dust. I have surpassed it all. I have understood.

Do you believe that there is a moment when everything is connected in this world?

That right this moment, on the other side of the world, there are people like us.

Carrying a conversation like us, talking about the same topic.

Aku rasa kita lagi tripping.

Bukan, bukan tripping.

I believe we are meditating.

What are we talking about again?

And.. and are we really carrying a conversation or is this dialogue only in my head?

Serotonin, you are the most beautiful part of my being.

Hats off to you. You appreciate this so highly. Most people just see this as shallow recreation.

That's because you're loaded. Once you run out, all you have to do is call mommy and daddy.

The excessively rich and excessively poor will arrive at the same point. Both will experience a crisis of appreciation.

Don't be full of it just because you've got the sponsorship.

I bet you are the son of a tycoon, a general, or a consulate...

...studying Marketing or Business Administration.

You get to fly home every summer and winter with a supply of dozens of boxes of instant noodle.

Asal kamu tahu aja ya, sastra Inggris.

And no, I've never visited home during summer because I was always taking courses or summer classes.

So, please. Don't make any rash judgment.

Sorry.

Don't turn this into a bad trip, will you?

Serotonin storm.

Brain detergent.

This serotonin is truly clearing up my mind.

I want to confess something.

It's about myself.

- I'm actually-- - Gay?

Wait, how did you know?

Kentara banget kali.

From the friends you hang out with, your apartment at Dupont Circle...

And you have to get high first to come out?

Relax though.

Who says I'm not myself?

No way.

- You are way too. - Masculine?

Who says being gay means one has to be effeminate or speak flamboyantly?

I already came out a year ago, you know. My parents know. They've even made a pact.

They said if I were to burn in hell with the other homosexuals just like the fate of Sodom and Gomorah,

they'll demand Jehovah to burn them as well.

For if I were to be considered a failed product, that would mean that my parents are too.

Amazing, isn't it?

I might have just met my true hero.

Dimas, I want to take a vow. Be my witness, okay?

Okay. You wish to declare a vow to someone you've just met?

What kind of a vow?

Ten years from now, I have to create an opus, a piece of writing or research...

... that will aid in bridging all the branches of science.

- A story? - A romance.

- A romance of vast dimension that... - Will move the heart of the masses?

A romance incorporating science that will transcend the line between fiction and non-fiction.

- We have to realize our masterpiece. - And we're currently tripping.

Meditating, Dimas. We are meditating.

Alright.

Ten years for you meaning ten years for me as well?

For a story.

Biar Tuhan yang jadi saksi sumpah kita.

Ten years later Jakarta

- Selamat hari jadi yang ke-sepuluh, Dimas. - Selamat hari jadi buat kamu juga, pasangan jiwaku.

So, we are agreed that this story...

Our masterpiece will be a collaboration. Not in the form of a science journal, but a story.

"Romance meets science."

That'll be tough to pull off.

Tenang aja.

All we need is a popular packaging so the masterpiece will be accessible to many.

The characters will be young entrepreneurs.

Why? Because they have the potential to develop the nation as well hold the most potential to destroy it.

We'll associate them with an avatar. An avatar that takes form as a human being.

A neutral party that reconciles everyone.

A science fiction romance, romantic as well as poetic.

- Agreed? - Agreed.

And we'll wrap it up in a love story.

An extraordinary love story.

A love story? Alright.

At a certain stage, a love story is a reflection of the more vast and collective community.

How about we complement this story with science that has already been achieved...

...and its application relates to the social paradigm of humans.

Done.

The location: Jakarta, the root of dualism.

Alright, but with a twist.

Not Jakarta, but pseudo Jakarta.

Agreed!

"Pseudo Jakarta."

The story should be about a knight.

The Knight that fights for the love of the Princess.

Strives to overcome the obstacles.

Alright, first off, the Knight. What should we name him?

Let's not decide on it now. We'll have a long argument about that.

How about if for now, we just call him... "Knight."

THE KNIGHT

- An intellectual. A young executive. A hotshot. - Urban, metro. Brilliant, successful.

Not spoon-fed, but successful through his own making.

Terbaik dari yang terbaik.

Hey.

Yes?

Sir, the female reporter from earlier called again. She wants to request an interview for a magazine.

She's persistent, isn't she? What magazine is it now?

I'm sick of it, Irma. She'll ask why I haven't married. Then gossip.

"Who's the lucky woman?" I don't even know who that woman would be myself.

Besides, what good comes out of marrying me?

- It's a women's magazine, sir. - See.

The magazine's on the desk, sir. Should I send her away?

Irma, just tell her...

- I'm not late, am I? - The interview, ma'am? No, it's at nine.

- Here's my name card. - Raden Ajeng Widyapurwaningrum.

- Just call me Rana. - Alright, Ms. Rana. Please.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. You have an hour and ten minutes.

- Ferre. Call me "Sir" or "Re", it's up to you. - I'm Rana.

Please have a seat.

- Anything else we're waiting for? - Uhm...

How old are you, if I may know?

- Twenty five. Why? - Nothing.

I was under the impression that I would be interviewed by a more experienced reporter 35 to 40 years of age.

I am the Vice Editor in Chief. Perhaps of similar phenomenon as you, except of a different scale and field.

Frankly, because of your abrupt notice, I didn't get the chance to prepare anything.

I only brought this standard bio to fill out as potential material.

Or perhaps we could pluck things out of thin air?

Thin air?

My personal phrase. I meant that we could start anywhere.

Unstructured conversations can sometimes carry more weight than ones that are planned.

Alright.

Why butterflies?

Yes, this. The logo of your magazine.

Why did you pick a butterfly?

Perhaps because butterflies serve as a symbol of metamorphosis for everyone?

Or perhaps because in our society, a butterfly is a sign of an impending visit...

...and my magazine wishes to be a welcomed guest at every house.

A butterfly paid me a visit this morning.

Can you imagine? A tiny butterfly came through the window of such a tall skyscraper.

Perhaps that was a sign of my impending visit.

A human-sized butterfly in white.

Odd. It was a white butterfly as well.

It would be naive to chalk this up to coincidence.