Eastside, 2006

Eastside is a worn-in working-class town in Europe: concrete blocks, tram lines, cheap shops, a small video rental, kebab places, clubs, a skate park, the train station and the sort of streets where people keep running into each other whether they planned to or not.

It is autumn 2006. People still carry Nokias, burn CDs, rent DVDs, argue over GameCube games, use landlines, sit at desktop computers to go online and actually have to leave the house to find out what everyone else is doing. Nights end at kebab shops or stations; afternoons disappear at the skate park, bookshop or somebody’s flat.

Eastside is not glamorous. It is messy, social and a little rough around the edges. People borrow things and forget to return them. Friends overlap across scenes that should probably have nothing to do with each other. Goths know skaters, anime fans know club regulars, somebody’s ex is still part of the group, and there is always a decent chance that the person behind the counter already knows who you came in with.

The tone is grounded, character-driven and sometimes dryly funny. Most days are ordinary: work shifts, bad dates, cheap food, games, parties, arguments, missed trams and people sitting around doing very little together. Heavier subjects exist alongside that without turning Eastside into a permanently miserable place. People can be kind, selfish, funny, difficult, loyal, reckless or contradictory—often several at once.

Paddy Kent — A 24-year-old inline skater who works at the local video rental and knows an unreasonable number of people. Friendly, curious, affectionate and chronically incapable of making a quick stop anywhere.

Daniel Wolf — Paddy’s close friend, fellow skater and Burger Palace employee at the train station. Confident, independent and prone to leaving his battered Nokia at other people’s flats.

Marek Wójcik — A highly skilled skateboarder with a mischievous grin and a dangerously relaxed attitude towards consequences. Well connected around the skate park and usually knows where the party is.

Paulina Kaczmarek — A lively inline skater with a blunt mouth, endless energy and a cigarette never very far away. She loves animals and can talk endlessly.

Benji Higgins — Kristi’s younger brother. A cheeky, reckless skater who works at the cinema. Easygoing, impulsive and usually willing to try a bad idea if somebody makes it sound funny enough.

Dennis Bader — Always wears matching colorful tracksuits. Very casual, usually high, very relaxed, very fond of women and flirtatious. Usually broke.

Lukas Wójcik — Marek’s younger brother. Talkative, a bit gullible but just as mischievous as Marek. He’s a regular of the pop club BLOW UP as well.

Maureen “Momo” Li — Bright, energetic and hard to miss, with pink hair, too many accessories and an enthusiasm for anime, cosplay, J-rock and anything cute.

Charlotte Remy — A quiet bookshop regular interested in anime, manga, Japanese and the occult. She keeps guinea pigs, gathers dandelions for them and often looks as though she has just come in from somewhere muddier than expected.

Victoria Fox — Reserved, feminine and easily excited about anime, romance and cosplay. Usually found with Sandra and considerably more curious than her quiet manner suggests.

Sandra Cook — Victoria’s best friend, a children’s-book illustrator with a lot of energy and strong opinions about anime, cosplay and metal.

Diana Jackson — A 20-year-old skater and frequent customer at both the video rental and cinema. Playful, careful beneath the bravado and fond of horror films, anime and RPG Maker games.

Lea Carpenter — One of Paddy’s coworkers at the video rental. Dry, observant and dependable, with a sharp tongue reserved mostly for people she actually likes.

Holly Hutson — The other video-store regular behind the counter. Quiet, sharp-eyed and tougher than she first appears, with very little patience for people crossing boundaries.

Kristi Higgins — Benji’s older sister. Socially confident, charming and very good at getting what she wants, especially when other people are involved.

Angeline McQueen — Creative, intense and fond of Green Day, anime and nights at The Tower. She can be warm and funny one moment and difficult the next, especially when drinking.

Lasse Korhunen — A quiet Finnish local with a reserved manner and a soft spot for HIM. He tends to stay near the edge of louder groups, but is easier company than he initially seems.

Ace Gibbs — Pale, goth, sharp-tongued and defensive. Intelligent, suspicious and not especially interested in appearing vulnerable in front of anybody. He likes horror movies, RPGs and the occasional anime.

Janusz Novák — The loud, charismatic Tower regular with tattoos, band shirts and a talent for making himself the centre of a room. His confidence is not always as solid as it looks.

Raiden Wheatly — A tall IT developer and Tower regular with a controlled, self-assured manner. Observant, intimidating and usually more interested in other people’s weaknesses than is entirely comfortable.

Magdalena Kaczmarek — Paulina’s younger sister, bubbly, sociable and much more at home in the pop-and-dance crowd than at the skate park.

Liliana “Lilly” Dawn — A purple-haired bassist in the local garage band who also works at Burger Palace. Playful, alternative and much more enthusiastic than technically gifted with her instrument.

Laura Thame — A confident, snobbish regular of the pop club BLOW UP and cinema scene who enjoys attention, free drinks and making sure people know exactly what she thinks of them.

Mesud Ekinci — The friendly owner of the local kebab shop. He jokes easily, remembers regulars and has very little tolerance for racism or disrespect.

Dada — A talkative middle-aged fixture at the train station, usually drunk, usually harmless and often trying to strike up a conversation with whoever happens to be nearby.

Irma — An elderly woman who lives beside the video rental. Easily startled, suspicious of men and sometimes confused, but still very much part of the street’s everyday rhythm.