#I wish this film would get a release at some point

[petty-d4bblr]

I chuckle every time I watch this. Dress shoes and trousers are not customary sandcastle making clothes for a reason, John Hogg (Matt Ryan).

From "500 Miles North". A movie that is sadly stuck in movie purgatory.

[kookygobbledygook]

Some people have been saying this, but I don't think it's been said enough and I'm just going to add my voice to the mix.

Nimona's nomination is being framed as an example of "Look at what Disney missed out on!" and I get it. It's a nice, tasty schadenfreude situation and we all like to see The Mouse get taken down a peg.

But I think we need to be very clear; Disney did not miss out on anything because they were never going to take that sort of risk.

Disney was never going to release anything close to the Nimona we got. It would have been sanded down until anything obviously queer or controversial was as faint and unnoticeable as possible by the casual viewer. And then they would still be too scared of any potential backlash. So they would have given the film a limited release at theatres, with no advertising, or social media or support.

Like what happened with Strange World.

You remember Strange World, right?

No?

That's because no one does.

And I believe that was deliberate, because that way Disney can go "Weeellll... obviously we would LOVEto take more risks and have more inclusive stories but that's clearly not what the public wants!"

Look at the original concepts for Wish. The evil royal couple? The peter-panesque star boy that would have made the gen zers go feral the same way millenials went feral for Jack Frost? These could have been the best things about the movie, and even they were scrapped, and replaced with something more homogenised. And those ideas are nowhere near the level of the concepts and discussions Nimona brought to the table.

Disney can barely have explicit gay people. Nimona has a gay south Asian man in a relationship with an east Asian man. As a protagonist! But more than that, you think Disney could ever come up with a relationship as complicated and difficult as Boldheart and Goldenloin's? They would never have the guts to show one love interest cutting off the other's arm in a straight relationship. Let alone a gay one! And then for them to be on opposite sides of the conflict, shifting between feelings of betrayal, and questioning each other motives? That's some adult dark shit for a kids film.

Asha as a character was forced into the quirky girl role that Disney has already flogged to death with Anna and Rapunzel. You ever think they would allow a Disney princess to be as dark and violent and nuanced as Nimona? You ever picture the titial character of a Disney film AS the third act conflict, rampaging through a city in a self destructive rage? Nimona is anti authoritarian, vengeful, bloodthirsty, a pretty explicit trans allegory, and even, by the climax, openly suicidal. You KNOW that terrified Disney.

I had a thing about the Director here too but I was shocked by how long that got so I'll have to save her for a different post.

My point is the things that make Nimona art, that make Nimona a great story, that make the film important and Oscar worthy, are all things that Disney has become too chicken shit to produce. If Disney had released a film called Nimona it wouldn't have been Nimona. I fully believe that if the film hadn't had been 90% finished it wouldn't have been shelved. It would have been lobotomised and vivisected. Everything special and vital about the movie and its message would have been removed, and no one would have known what could have been. Once again we would have gotten scraps and been thankful for them.

It makes me think about films like Wish (and others we don't know the name of, and never will) and think of what they could have been if studio's like Disney were braver and let their artists make art, instead of content.

tl;dr Disney didn't miss out on Nimona because they are incapable of making Nimona. If they had produced it the real Nimona wouldn't exist. We didn't miss out on Nimona. And that's purely by luck.

[firstkanaphans]

I know this post is only for like two people, but I’m going to make it anyway. So, my obsession with Dead Friend Forever finally reached critical levels and I resorted to binge-watching The Hidden Character just to get more content. For those that don’t know, The Hidden Character (which they literally call “THC”) was the reality show Be On Cloud used to cast DFF. It is bad. Like really bad. And not in a it’s-so-bad-it’s-good-type way. It’s one of the most exploitative pieces of media I have ever watched. I walked into it with a favorable view of BOC, Mile, Apo, and Pond (the CEO), and walked out of it hating all of them.

A small collection of things that happened over the 11-episode run:

Everyone was told that they had to share every single aspect of their life with the viewers or they would be eliminated. And, in fact, the first person eliminated was told that it was because he wasn’t being open enough with the audience. They filmed these boys—one of whom was only seventeen at the time—talking explicitly about their sex lives. Which is, of course, fine to talk about. It’s not fine to air it on television! Even some of the games themselves contained sexually suggestive content (i.e. Which do you prefer "eating" with—your hands or your mouth? If you were to cheat on your significant other, would it be just sex or a full-blown affair?)

During the first part of the show, everyone had a secret that the other players were supposed to guess. One of the player’s secret was that he used to be homophobic. (Questionable casting for a company that only hires men, but I digress). He was praised for having changed his mind. In contrast, JJay’s secret was that he was raised in an abusive household and had once hit his father. Pond crucified the poor guy for this. He made him sit there in front of the whole cast sobbing and apologize for hitting his dad who was an abusive asshole.

After the first half of the show—which served absolutely no purpose at all—we finally move onto the acting portion. This is, after all, supposed to be a talent competition. The judges were so mean. Especially Apo. He was like the Simon Cowell of BOC. There was no constructive component to their criticism. The fact that any of these people are still acting is honestly unbelievable. I would have gone home and cried myself to sleep and then never stepped foot on a stage again.

At one point, each of the groups was assigned a scene from KinnPorsche to act out (because BOC very clearly owns no other IP). One of the pairs was given the scene where Porsche gives Kinn a handjob in the bathroom. I wish I was kidding. 

The judges constantly told the contestants to make their scenes feel new and different but any time the actors actually tried to change anything, they complained it was “too” different and the original script was already perfect so who were they to think they could create something better. Once again, Apo and Mile, the original actors of these scenes, are the ones judging them! Like of course they like their version better. What is even happening??

And finally, the whole fucking thing was rigged for Ta to win. Like don’t get me wrong, I love Ta and I think he did a great job, but he was the only one who came into that competition with a built-in fanbase and the winner was chosen by popular vote.

It was all just…baffling. Especially from a company that claims to be trying to change the industry. Like if you want the industry to stop being so exploitative to its actors, maybe start with yourself? It also makes those condescending “how dare you watch our shows just for the NC scenes” press releases they do every week even more annoying.

I have no clue what the reaction to this show was while it was airing but god I hope they never do it again. It literally makes me feel so weird watching DFF now. I feel like those poor kids are being held hostage. Maybe CEO Pond’s been the one under the mask the whole time 🔪

[missheavenfield1215]

I think taking the relationship between Beetlejuice and Lydia for granted in the new film is too hasty to say.

I know it's hard to tell them not to be hopeful when they've already released this kind of official material. I mean, have you seen this?!

Or the certainty that Lydia accepted without hesitation Beetlejuice's proposal to look for her daughter. (although it is more than obvious why she accepted it) min: 3:57

Or even this video... Are you really saying that a relationship is very difficult when you talk about his "relationship" with Lydia??

And let's also talk about this face... Jesus... It seems that Beetlejuice has found the love of his life when he sees Lydia. (Personally I think in the second GIF Beetlejuice is looking at his wedding cake or something else, because it seems that he is still with his back to her)

But I think there's something they're forgetting.

This has also come out and is behind the scenes.

You can use the ending of the musical (although I doubt it very much, Tim and Michael refuse to see the musical). Here I believe that Beetlejuice will choose Astrid or she herself will offer to marry him to save her mother and so they would kill Beetlejuice, staining her dress with his blood.

I'm not a person who gets excited when I see some romantic approach, I expect it to really happen.

Have they forgotten the unfinished ship ReyLo?? Zutara's discarded idea?? The bland romance between Lucy and Raoul? The main couple of Wish with Asha and Starboy who they discarded because #feminism?

I think this could be the same...

I feel like they're not really going to pair Lydia and Beetlejuice. Because even though their deal is transactional, (he helps her find her daughter and she marries him to bring him back to life and get him away from his ex-wife, Delores).

I feel like all these "shows of affection" are a farce... This comes across as:

-"Like why do you say you can't marry me?" "You say it's because you don't love me and I don't either?" "So here, take (literally) my heart and shut up."

I don't like to be so pessimistic, I really wish they stayed together, because for God's sake, they are an iconic couple in gothic horror and black comedy movies even though they have never really been a couple (plus ALL if not most Tim Burton movies have romance or proof that there was going to be a romance (like an unfinished pairing). As in Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride etc).

If the Beetlebabes is canonized, Tim Burton risks waves and a HUGE amount of hate for "pairing a girl with a disgusting adult" (even though in the movie Lydia is already an adult).

Beetlejuice has a picture of Lydia when she was a teenager, which means that he fell in love with her when she was an underage girl...

Even if he says that Beetlejuice and Lydia were created to be together (as some sort of "soulmates") and that at some point in a sequel they would make that a reality, there will be a lot of people who will be very angry about this.

I really don't think Tim Burton would risk all the criticism and hate...

Unless he makes the decision to defend this Ship openly, he will not do so without at least giving as an example the musical, whose directors ignored that detail (of the "soulmates", Perhaps because of the pressure to be politically correct by Broadway standards) because they did it at his expense and not with his help...

Let's remember that the musical and everything in it, is not from Tim Burton's own mind, but they did do what they wanted with his characters without consulting him first.

But I still thinking that claiming victory so hastily would be very bad for the whole Fandom.

I ask you not to celebrate such an abrupt "triumph"... The film has not yet been released.

I ask you to wait at least until the premiere of the film.

I ask you to wait until it is 100% confirmed.

[genericpuff]

Rachel did a live Q&A in the LO Discord server and gave some news about the Animated Series, it’s still happening! (Surprisingly) Any thoughts on that or things you’d like to see from it?

Right, like every other time she's said it's "still happening" with no evidence to actually support it. That's always been the issue and still is.

Sorry, that's not me being snarky at you, I'm more so frustrated and absolutely fucking done with all the empty promises and platitudes.

Best case scenario with what was said during the Q&A was that she said "it's still happening" (worst case was that she didn't address it at all).

Like, how is this:

"I can say that… we are currently doing work on it… and it is going well.. and that it looks really cool and that I wish everyone could see what we’ve done because it looks really really really cool, and it’s happening, but that’s all I can say at this point… I can say, making tv shows takes a really long time, it takes so long" (last night's Q&A)

Any different than this:

Any different than this:

“Um, it’s been really interesting. It’s been educational for me. So, what I—what has been done so far is beautiful. Like, if I could share it, I would. But I can’t. Because it’s very naughty.” - Girl Wonder SDCC (July 2023)

She's been saying this for the last two years since people started getting suspicious it wasn't happening in the first place, and despite all the reassurances that "it's still happening", it doesn't seem to have anything to show for itself. Cast list? Nope. Director? Nope. Writers? Nah. Just a showrunner whose bio still says "TBA" and who, despite having a whole ass 40 minute long interview with Girl Wonder, still didn't have anything to show for what's to come, just more empty promises that it's "still happening" (and a lot of banter about Stephanie's life, rather than her involvement with LO).

In fact, most of what Stephanie talks about in the podcast concerning LO is pitching it, not developing it. And this interview happened just a few months ago. Go listen to it yourself if you don't believe me.

So at this point, I see "it's still happening" as "don't panic" corporate speak for "we're still pitching it and trying to find a network for it so we can actually move onto development." Yes, animation takes a long time, even Hazbin Hotel took about three and a half years to finally release after Prime bought the rights to it in 2020. But LO, again, clearly hasn't even started the animation process yet. And while we're comparing it to Hazbin, note that HH actually had LOADS to show for itself along the way of being developed and did a much, MUCH better job at staying relevant and pulling in new people and hyping it up. Even people who never watched Hazbin before in its indie days on Youtube were hearing about it, it made an active effort to sell itself to new viewers and break out of its bubble on Youtube. Is LO doing that? No, not really. Most of the people who know about it are diehard fans who refuse to read anything that isn't shown directly to them on Webtoons, and diehard haters who are tired of the garbage that gets advertised on Webtoons. Ask anyone who doesn't use Webtoons, and best case, they'll know someone who reads LO, worst case, they won't even know what a webtoon is.

Shit, even the new upcoming Zelda movie has names attached to it, including Avi Arad, Wes Ball, and Derek Connolly. And my god, it's gonna SUCK DICK with that bad of a line-up (the guy who ruined the OG Spiderman trilogy and created Morbius, the guy who directed the Maze Runner films, and one of the leading storywriters behind Rise of Skywalker, fucking YIKES) but hey, at least it has more than one name attached to it.

But okay, if we're gonna play the comparison game, let's be fair and compare LO to some other works in its own lane. Let's Play announced last year that it would be getting an animated adaption, and it already has a studio backing it that is FAR more suited for it than JHC is to LO - OLM, the same studio whose animated for massive franchises like Pokemon, Yo-Kai, and Gudetama. JHC meanwhile has animated... motion capture kid shows like Word Party. Because that's the only kind of animation they actually specialize in when it comes to their in-house services. Sure, they also have Harriet the Spy, but that wasn't animated by them, that was animated by Titmouse Inc (heh sorry).

I'm the Grim Reaper recently had its own animated adaption announced, and who's in charge of it? Oh, only SAM FUCKING RAIMI-

And look, maybe the Let's Play and I'm the Grim Reaper adaptions won't happen either. I just think it's ironic that they both have more to show for themselves in terms of credible names attached to them than what LO has managed to scrape up after five years of promising that it's "still happening" (especially when one of those series is nowhere near as big as LO and the one that WAS as big as LO walked away from Webtoons entirely). For Webtoons' own "worldwide phenomenon", they sure have given LO the shit end of the stick by pairing it with a family-with-kids-under-10 production studio that doesn't specialize in animation and a showrunner who got her start with the Cosmopolitan (weird how LO has so many plugs with Cosmo, huh? Why is JHC producing the show again?)

At the end of the day, nothing's changed. It's still just the ole' "it's still happening" record on a loop, while the comic itself falls further out of favor with people. And it's likely gonna be going behind DailyPass soon, so just think about what that's gonna do to its relevancy after it gets sent away to the equivalent of the Webtoons graveyard.

As I've said countless times before every time this topic comes up, at best, if it is still happening, and I'm wrong about all of this, they are doing the worst job I've ever seen at hyping people up and keeping them informed. It is NOT a good thing that people have to keep asking Rachel if it's still happening.

As for worst case... you wanna know what other projects come to my mind that have fallen into the same state of development hell and decay as LO's TV show? YandereSim and Cryamore. What do you think the popular opinion is about those works and their creators now? Because if you don't know either of those names and are about to google them, let me give you a heads up warning - it's not positive.

If it happens, it happens. It will hopefully be before I get all the therapy I need to undo what LO has done to my brain so that I don't have to make repeat visits LOL But if it's after, hey, maybe the show will be good! Assuming Rachel doesn't, y'know, E.L. James the whole thing. Because frankly, the show will need to cut and rework a LOT of stuff to be any good IMO and I don't think that will be possible if Rachel gets directly involved. But I'm not even hoping for that scenario because there's literally NOTHING to give me that hope, "it's still happening" is nothing more than "don't panic" corporate speak to me at this point. It's cynical, but I just can't waste my energy caring about it anymore.

[willows-peak]

*･ﾟ✧ Movie Date Time!

tags: gender neutral reader, only fluff, movie date!, itadori infodumps at you and you fall in love with him bc duh, who wouldnt?

word count: 1.9k

a/n: i struggled on this lowkey bc i've never written confessions before, also why is there no lore for the human earthworm series cries

⋆｡˚ ♡ You yawned to yourself as you blearily blinked your eyes open, wiping your mouth of a stray drop of drool that had escaped during the night as you slowly started to register your surroundings. Your pillows underneath your head, the sunlight creeping through your curtains onto your face, and a strange…buzzing sound? Did a bee get in through your window?

The buzzing didn’t seem to end as you listened, the noise fading in and out of existence and bringing you out of your sleepy phase with how incessant it was. Whatever bee this was better have a death wish, because you were smacking around your bed for something to swat at it when it continued buzzing, growing louder now that you were fully conscious. Your hands, while fishing through your sheets, came to clasp around your phone, feeling it buzz loudly in your palm. Oh. That’s what it was. You swiped open your lockscreen to see the incoming call icon, ringing in time with your phone buzzing. You hit accept and held it up to your ear, croaking out a “Hello..?” before being met with the familiar, loud voice of Itadori on the other line. You whined as you heard Itadori greet you enthusiastically. “Sorry, did you just wake up?” He said, his voice softening up while you heard him chuckle nervously after you gave a sleepy ‘mhm’ in reply. “Wellll, I wanted to ask if you mayybbbee wanted to come to the movies with me! I’ll pay for your ticket, too! Well, I..have an extra ticket already, I mean..” You stretched your arms out as you listened to him, nodding at first before letting out another ‘mhm’ in agreement. “You will?? Great! I’ll come and pick you up, don’t worry about getting here.” You gave him a quiet ‘bye’ before he hung up the phone, leaving you to flop back down against your pillows and grumble. It was the weekend, so you’d planned on just sleeping in until mid afternoon at the earliest, but unfortunately life had other plans for you. And you couldn’t just deny Itadori, he was so sweet and earnest that you truly had no choice but to go with him. To the movies. Oh no.

You’d agreed to going with him before you could even realize what he was asking of you, sighing as you predicted exactly what kind of movie was in store for you. Itadori was, for lack of a better term, a film nut. The only issue with that is he seemed to find the strangest series to latch onto and gush over, with his newest love being a series called ‘Human Earthworm’. You gave it the benefit of the doubt, despite some of the scenes being too gorey for your taste, but Itadori was hooked from day one. 

You’d heard that another sequel was going to be released soon, as well, so you were certain that that’s what awaited you in the theaters. Well, you weren’t going to back out of this so quickly, especially when you had nothing else to do today. Yes, maybe the series was very clearly being milked for content, and yes, maybe a part 4 to something that should’ve ended a while ago won’t be the best film ever, but if Itadori liked it then who were you to not give it a try?

…Now, what to wear?

~☆.｡.*

”Coming!!” You yelled to the doorbell ringing, hurrying to hop your foot into your shoe as you raced to open the door. You swung the heavy wood open to reveal a smiling Itadori on the other side, decked in more Human Earthworm merch than you thought even existed. You now laughed at your original worry that your outfit would stand out too harshly while going out, stepping out of your doorway while patting your pockets down for your essentials. 

“Your shoe’s untied.” Itadori pointed out, making you huff and look to the side in annoyance. “You got here way earlier than I expected, don't blame m-” A light movement against your foot made you stop yourself, taking a glance downwards to observe what was happening. “Eh?”

Itadori was…tying your shoe for you? You blinked a few times in surprise, allowing him to finish the loop and pop back up to face you. “Alright, now we're all good. Ready to go?” You paused in replying to him, the small, almost unnoticeable kind act making you feel much more sheepish. “Y….yeah, let's go. Thank you.” 

Itadori beamed at your thanks, patting your arm gently. “No problem! You're gonna need it anyways, we're walking there.” You groaned loudly at his words, tossing your head back dramatically before snapping it back towards him. “Wait, so you *walked* here that quickly??” Itadori turned his head to the side in confusion, nodding. You, once again, fell into a contemplative silence before shrugging and ushering him to follow you towards the theater. You should’ve worn something lighter..

~☆.｡.*

You flopped down onto a nearby bench, sighing loudly in relief when you glanced and saw the movie theater to your left. While it’s nice having a friend like Itadori, you really wish he’d cut you some slack with physical labor like this. You heard a soft shuffle next to you as Itadori sat beside you, holding up a bottle of water. “Sorry, we could’ve just taken the bus here. But hey! You did it! Good job!” He beamed at you, patting your shoulder while you nodded and chugged the cold water out of its plastic container. After a few seconds, you gasped at the lack of air from your chugging, handing the bottle back to Itadori and thanking him. 

You’d thankfully caught your breath after another moment or two, looking over to Itadori who was calmly placing the near empty bottle of water back into his bag. You could almost catch glances of the many magazines he had hidden near the bottom, the comic-book like styling of the title and the huge worms infesting the page telling you all you needed to know about what it was. 

“Hey, Itadori-kun?” You cut through the silence building between you two, a realization coming to you. Itadori turned his head to meet your eyes, waiting for you to continue. “I…didn’t watch the last two movies. I don’t even think I can remember the first one, actually.. So, can you fill me in on what’s happened?” You swore you could see fireworks popping off in his eyes when you asked that, a wide smile making its way back onto Itadori’s face as he wasted no time with beginning the summary of the series so far.

“It’s no problem if you just start from the 4th movie, i think, but the first three really set up the world around the protagonists, and they let you see into the mindset of Dr. Richter! Oh- that’s the evil doctor who turns the people into earthworms, but did you know that’s not what he wanted to do at first?? He actually started by researching whether you could do DNA transplants between earthworms and other animals because of a worm's ability to regenerate their limbs!” 

Despite him speaking a mile a minute, you nodded along and tried to soak in as much information as you could, smiling a bit when Itadori started using his hands to help explain the plot. His eyes gleamed, the sun catching at the ring of his iris and bringing out the hues and colors of them wonderfully. Brown, with hints of red near the outer edges, the circular glint in his eyes turning a pale yellow to highlight his irises. 

His voice was so warm, too, so full of life and energy as he masterfully wove through the story he was building up. You were impressed that he hadn’t once stumbled over his words through this, too, with him even taking pauses after a change or advancement in the plot to make sure you were still with him. You nodded, but truthfully you’d gotten a little lost in how he looked while he spoke to you, occasionally grabbing and squeezing your hands when he got too excited before pulling back and clenching his fists to contain himself.

’I wonder…’ You thought to yourself, pausing before reaching your hand out to cover his clasped ones. He didn’t seem to pay it any mind, by now moving on to the second movie’s synopsis. You remembered he mentioned that this installment was his favorite, so you leaned in and nodded along while you listened to him. His hand, while he seemed to not notice you half holding it, didn’t move from its position on his lap, staying snug and still underneath your own. 

“So, I know this is the gore-iest one, but the message it sends is so amazing! It shows how far someone will go to get praise and approval, even if it destroys them, and I think that’s a really important thing to show to an audience. What do you think about it?” He asked, smiling and looking back up at you to await your answer. You noticed him panting lightly as he stopped talking, smiling fondly and rubbing his hand with your own while he looked at you earnestly.

He was so… Cute. So excitable and open and eager to be with you, while still being helpful wherever he could apply himself. Silly, strong, brave to a fault, all wrapped together with pink hair and a big hoodie. Would it really be a stretch to say that you loved all those things about him? You did love seeing how quickly he’d adapted and grew ever since coming to Jujutsu High, and you loved being able to grow with him with your technique and your abilities. So, of course you’d love what Itadori has become, every detail of it.

And he was asking you something, right? You should’ve answered by now, come on, don’t be rude.

“I love you”

.

That wasn’t what you meant to say

Oh no.

Itadori’s smile faltered slightly as your words met his ears, mumbling a “Huh?” before his ears began to look pinker by the second. “You- Wait what?” You, unfortunately, were frozen in place as you realized you had said *that* out loud and not anything else. “I-” You started, feeling your cheeks flush with warmth as the both of you looked away to find any words to say to the other.

A beat of silence, two, three, and Itadori was the first to cut through it, though softly. “Did you mean that?” He asked, his hands never moving from underneath your now cold ones. You looked back up at him, unsure if you heard him correctly. “Did you mean what you said?” He asked again, his eyes sturdy and shaky all at once as you nodded slowly. His brows lifted up, relaxing ever so slightly while he gathered himself to continue. “Then… I like you too, I think. I have for a while, but it’s ok if you don’t wanna do anything, I mean, it’s great being friends with you so it’s not like we need to-”

You leaned in towards him, staring at him until he noticed you and pressed his lips together tightly. You didn’t move, nor did you say anything for a minute, only looking at him in silence before smiling at him. “Let’s…go watch the movie, ok?” You prompted, Itadori quickly taking the lead and breathing out loudly. “Yeah, let’s go!” With a wave of his arm towards the theater, you two walked together, smiles gracing your lips as your hands never separated from walking. 

[the-bus-called-graveyard-8]

Madagascar in Nickelodeon Magazine (part 1 of 4)

Madagascar was first featured in Nick Mag in the June/July 2005 issue, shortly after the film's May 2005 release.

Here we have the cover of the magazine, featuring Alex, Gloria and the Penguins

Next we have an ad for the tie-in video game

Finally we have a two-page spread featuring an interview with the main cast. Full transcription of the interview under the read more!

We talked to the stars of the new animated movie Madagascar. The film is about some animals from New York City's Central Park Zoo who suddenly find themselves stranded in the wilds of Madagascar, an island of the coast of southern Africa.

On-screen best friends and real-life pals Ben Stiller (near right, who plays Alex the lion) and Chris Rock (far right, who plays Marty the zebra) talked to us about their characters.

Nickelodeon Magazine: What is your character like? Ben Stiller: Alex is sort of the king of the Central Park Zoo. He enjoys being the main attraction and would be happy for things to always stay the same. Chris Rock: Marty is the adventurer of the group. He's not content in the zoo. He's the guy who asks, "What more could we be doing with ourselves?"

Nick Mag: Are you at all like your character? Ben: A little bit. [Like Alex,] I'm a New Yorker and a creature of habit. I like the comforts of home. And Alex is sort of an actor. He's a performer who has the self-delusional, self-involved thing that I think every actor can identify with. Chris: [Like Marty,] I always wanted to get away from where I grew up.

Nick Mag: What was the hardest thing about recording your lines? Ben: The time frame was crazy. It was like, "Wow, we're still doing this? They were serious about [this taking] four years?" At one point, I felt like all I ever said was "Marty!" Literally, for years. Chris: "Am I white with black stripes or black with white stripes?" How many times did I say that?

Nick Mag: Do you ever feel caged up, like you're in a zoo? Ben: Sometimes, when you're not happy on a movie set, it can be like that. Chris: Yeah, movies can be like that. Ben: I remember doing a movie once where, on the first day of rehearsals, I realized, "Uh-oh, this is not good." And I had four months to go.

Nick Mag: Did you do research for your role? Ben: I ate a bowl of Frosted Flakes because of Tony the Tiger, and then I realized I was playing a lion and that I was really off.

Nick Mag: Favorite movie snack? Ben: I'm a big M&M's guy—peanut or plain. Chris: Popcorn and Raisinettes, but I wish they served banana cream pie!

We got the skinny on Jada Pinkett Smith's big character, Gloria the hippo.

Nickelodeon Magazine: What is your character like? Jada Pinkett Smith: She's like the mother of the gang. She wants to make sure that everybody is happy and taken care of.

Nick Mag: Are you anything like her? Jada: I have a real loyalty to my friends, just like Gloria does.

Nick Mag: Was the recording process hard? Jada: It was pretty challenging. You have to be really patient. You don't have the other actors there, there are no props, and you don't know what the scene looks like. It's just you and some paper with words on it.

Nick Mag: Do you have any pets? Jada: I have three dogs and a cat. And I'm about to get three more dogs!

Nick Mag: Do you like the outdoors? Jada: You have to be very cautious, but I love the wild. My intention for the next couple of years is to do more camping and go whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon.

Nick Mag: Are you freaked out by nature at all? Jada: Not at all. Insects are the only things that kind of freak me out, but I can get used to them.

Nick Mag: Favorite movie snack? Jada: I usually do a mixture of popcorn and Goobers. Now I want some!

David Schwimmer talked to us about his character, Melman the giraffe.

Nickelodeon Magazine: What is your character like? David Schwimmer: Melman is a hypochondriac. he's afraid of almost everything and needs a lot of attention.

Nick Mag: Are you at all like him? David: I'm the opposite. My character couldn't be happier having bars around him so that nothing can get in. Personally, I'd go crazy. I'm low maintenance. I like not having a routine. Also [unlike Melman], I have to be forced to go to the doctor.

Nick Mag: What other kind of animal would you like to play? David: A black panther. There's something powerful and mysterious about it. It's got those green eyes and the sleek black coat. It would also be fun to be a water creature, like a dolphin. [Zelda the roving reporter: You're already a good Schwimmer.]

Nick Mag: Do you ever feel like you're in a zoo? David: I waited tables for seven years at restaurants where I felt like that. I also had a crummy job working in a tiny room in the business center of a hotel in Chicago in a suit and tie from six AM to six PM.

Nick Mag: Do you have any pets? David: I don't. I travel too much. But I had many animals growing up—dogs, a lizard, turtles. I love turtles. Their only protection is hiding—I love that about turtles.

Nick Mag: Favorite movie snack? David: There's no substitute for good, fresh popcorn.

[matchesarelit]

Imagine If You Will...Garrett Unfiltered (Spencer Agnew x gn!reader)

Warnings: secrets, embarrassment, dirty memes, suggestive,

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Word Count: 1711  

Working at Smosh was pretty cool, you were however perpetually surrounded by and involved in strange doings. Such as the current situation that had you encircled by what could only be referred to as a swarm of Chosens. You stood centre stage in an incredibly oversized referee uniform; the bottom of the shirt reaching mid-calf and the shorts engulfing your shoes.

a/n *edit*: changes detailed at bottom of work.

Smosh Masterlist

You fixed your eyes on the instructions in your hands, nevermind that the words had almost immediately turned to garbled squiggly lines. You refused to let your eyes flitter to the man in front of you, who was impassionately explaining the rules and how to play the game. His speech was the reason you couldn't bear to look up at him, knowing the glow that he gives off when discussing things he enjoys and knowing that in moments like these you often find yourself watching him in an all but day-dream state. 

Forcing a long and exaggerated blink you attempted to readjust your focus, mainly because you wanted to pay attention to his gushing as you always did, but also because you did actually need to know how the game was played.

“Ten cards…prompt…blanks…card Tsar pic-” in your haze you managed to register the call from Kiana that interrupted his description, but you failed to catch what she said. Yet as he started again; ‘I-uh should go, dont worry youll get it when you start playing!’ you watched him move to leave, muttering a quick goodbye and thanks to his wishes of good luck, you thought about the video to come. If anyone knew the chaos that was the Chosen videos it would surely be him; after his appearance in many and his editing of many more.

Welp you were substantially boned and those scraps of instructions would have to do for the filming. Shifting focus; you attempted to get into character, although being the referee wasn’t a complicated position, it did require you to keep a straight face throughout the antics of the chosens. 

As you took your spot beside Shayne and the video began, it all came so naturally and the filming passed in the blink of an eye. Until, of course, the time came to pose for thumbnails; at which point you were caught off guard by Garrett’s voice calling out from beyond the set. 

“Y/n don't look now, but all your dreams have come true you are surrounded by Spencers!” 

As your cheeks grew hot, the cast and crew released many sputterings and guffaws at his declaration. Thank fuck that Spencer’s desk was on the other side of the building.

The only thing that nagged at the back of your mind as you all tidied and prepped for the next filming, was that Spencer would most definitely be the one editing this video and he would most definitely witness that embarrassing and incriminating moment. 

Sadly that was all there was to do, that and wait for the fallout. So you pushed on.

As lunch rolled around with only a few more shoots to do, everyone was pretty knackered with only low idle chatter echoing throughout the shared space. You only had one video left to film; a ‘Who Meme’d it’ that consisted of yourself, Spencer and Amanda as well as Shayne (of course), and then you were free to go. Sitting with Chanse and Angela you’d maintained a conversation around the latest shows you’d seen, attempting to keep your mind off the impending doom you knew was coming.

Dramatic? 

Yes. 

Wrong? 

No.

There wasn’t too much to do after lunch to set up, mainly getting yourself done up for the camera in a new outfit. Excited for the shoot you were the first one mic’d up and ready, already sitting in your chair as the others stepped onto set. This was your first time on this particular game, but you’d seen most of the other episodes and always thought it looked like good fun, not to mention you were able to submit some memes of your own. The game went by peacefully, you’d managed to gain a few points amongst your colleagues, however at the halfway point you’d found yourself in last place. As the man to your right leaned back in his seat, you took him in, making sure to keep your eyes fixed forward you utilised your peripherals to the best of your ability. His eyes lit up, he was swaying as he laughed and his hair created a fluffy halo around his head. He was always handsome, but like this, enjoying himself so thoroughly and comfortably he was beautiful.

Picking up a few points in the next round, after finally regaining your focus, giggling to yourself about the joke at Shayne’s (exasperated) expense what came on screen next almost made you choke. 

Shayne immediately lost it, leaning against the wall for support as his chest heaved, Kiana and Greg were offscreen releasing statements of “there is no way this can stay in” and “what in the world” respectively. Although, their exasperation was clearly forced; as smirks blossomed on their faces.

With a scoff you started writing your answer, trying your hardest to avoid the eyes on yourself and the man at your side. That was harder as Spencer’s eyes were also fixed on you even as his hand scribbled across the whiteboard. At the end of the round you’d all gained a point with Garrett creating that meme, you muttered curses just loud enough for him to hear as he stood in the wings sending him the meanest glare you could manage all the while failing to wipe the smile off your face. Despite the situation his teasing put you in Garrett was undeniably funny and this occasion was no different, so your grumpy expression faded soon enough for the next meme. 

Suddenly, however, your stool was inwtolerable and you were unable to remain still. Continuously fidgeting with the marker and board you were given, you failed to take note of the eyes tracing your hands and hips, sitting amidst a slight frown upon the face of the man beside you. You’re attention was set, for a time, on Shayne as you tried your darndest to win. You did not win, you came second to Spencer and as you looked to congratulate him, you found his eyes already set on yours. Until Shanye began to outro the video and you were forced to turn towards the camera; a wild grin pulling at your mouth as you gestured to the outfit of merch you had chosen to rep.

Following the conclusion of filming you gathered some things and moved to leave, before a call of your name stopped you in your tracks. Turning to face the voice, your eyes fall on Spencer who had returned to his desk and donned his oodie, twisting back and forth in his chair, his mouth pulled into a small smile as he gestured you over with his head. You complied wheeling over an empty chair to nestle yourself by his side, relishing in the soft warmth he gave out. The video on hin monitor was an old style mlg compilation of your favourite game, a game you had mentioned only once in an old video.

He laughed along with you as the video played and when it finished the two of you were stuck in a quiet awkward space.

Both of you searched for something to talk about, ignorant to the mutual nature of your desperation to further the interaction, the heartache over the seemingly unattainable.

As the seconds stretched to minutes Spencer snapped through the quiet as he hit a few keys on his laptop. Glancing at the screen you recognised the still image of the chosen video from that earlier, before you got the chance to speak he had panned through the footage to the last minute. He looked into your eyes as he hit play, as the playback continued he held your gaze, faces inches apart, shoulder still burrowed in his side. His facial expression remaining blank until those familiar words hit your ears, at which point he simply raised an eyebrow and began to smirk, allowing the video to end before he spoke up.

“So, does this mean I’m in your dreams?” His tone was jovial but the question seemed genuine and suddenly ,there were too many and too little thoughts running through your mind, how were you meant to respond? There was no way to get out of this…

Unless…

“Nah, honestly its a little embarrassing but theres just something about the chosen, that makes me all giggly.” You forced your tone to match his as your hand found his chest and you pushed to move away from him.

Welp that was the stupidest choice, honestly a rejection would have been better, the look on his face was near unreadable, at least for you. To anyone else, especially the small gaggle of cowrokers listening from the kitchen, the falling of his face was painful to watch. 

But maybe…

Just maybe this is salvageable… because losing Spencer in any capacity filled you with such dread as you could never surmount.

“And I mean it doesnt hurt that he shares a name with the cutest and most funniest guy I know.” looking at the man infront of you, you took notice of the plum colour of his cheeks not to mention his newfound inability to meet your eyes. Taking a moment to soften your eyes and move your hand to his arm “Seriously Sep, they were messing with me, I’ve kinda had a thing for you for a while and Tommy, and everyone else, kinda sussed it out a while ago. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable, I can keep my distance if this is too much.” leaning away from spencer you stood from your chair, your momentum soon cut off as a tug of your arm had you toppling backwards.

Arms creeping around your waist, he held you in place atop his lap. His head tucked into your neck as he spoke softly. “Please never even think of it, there is no such thing as too much when it comes to you.”

A/n *edit*: "crimson painted your cheeks" -> "your cheeks grew hot" I always attempt to keep my descriptions of the reader vague so that anyone can slide into that place, I apologise for the mistake. Thank you for making me aware of this.

[shmaimy]

Okay, I had a thought a few days ago and have been trying to get it right. But. I think I figured it out. (Don't expect 100% accuracy)

So, Pallas and Athena. Athena bursts out of Zeus' head, and confusion and chaos and Hera, so Athena ends up at Triton's camp/school/military base thing. There, she meets Pallas, Triton's daughter, and as such, is Poseidon's granddaughter. The two become close, very close. I've seen them be close as sisters and be lovers, and I'm not 100% sure what they were, but, I mean, they were Greek...

Nevertheless, Pallas means everything to Athena. Athena grows close with Pallas' family, I mean, her mom lives in her dad's head and said dad kicked her out, so...

Then, tragedy strikes. Pallas dies at Athena's hand. Whether it is a true accident, or Zeus' pride... Athena doesn't know what to think. She is sent away, basically banished by the grieving, who forget that she, too, is grieving a great loss.

Poseidon remains bitter, and continues pushing Athena away. They both remain bitter towards the other for thousands of years, and encourage their children to do so as well.

Put a pin in that.

Remember how there were a bunch of people that were really angry about Annabeth's casting? They were wrong, of course, but hear me out. Leah does look practically opposite to how Annabeth was described in the books. In fact, Walker looks more like Annabeth than Leah does (though, you gotta admit, they are their characters irl too, especially Walker)(also, i think the Annabeth being assumed to not be smart because she was blonde doesn't work as well as institutionalized and the many other types of racism. Athena's "gift/curse/however Annabeth described it" is still at play, so people really need to stop it with the hate towards Leah and Riordan)

ANYWAY I think it would be interesting if they made blondeness/light hair a Poseidon trait, and that's why Athena has avoided it like the plague since Pallas' death: its too painful. Contrastly, Poseidon gives his children light hair in honor of Pallas, as well as to torment Athena.

Specifically, Percy looks basically exactly like Pallas. It would drive this point further if the casting of Athena looks just like Annabeth, too. Thus, when Athena first tells Percy, "I do not approve of your relationship with my daughter, " we see so much more than just a spat over Athens (I mean, really, a salt water spring?), we see a romance to last the ages, and a tragedy who's thorns grow ever sharper. Athena is not just being selfish, not wanting a reminder of love lost, but she knows the fierceness of an ocean's love, and would not wish it lost on anyone, especially one of her own. Percy has had a choice thrust upon him: he will be the project child. To the best of everyone's knowledge, Percy will die at 16. Athena will do everything in her power to not hear her daughter cry tears over a child of the sea, not even she knows then so well herself.

(It could also be interesting if Percy looks like a mix of Athena and Pallas (because we know genetics are weird with the Gods), since that would cause extra pain in Athena's heart)(also makes Poseidon extra sad)

(OR Athena makes all her children look like Pallas to honor her. I don't like that one as much)

I also really like an idea I had that it was NOT Poseidon and Athena who invented the chariot, or however that went. Pallas and Athena invented it together, and Athena still uses that first chariot to this day.

Also, it could add some nuance to the Mark of Athena. When the Romans stole Athena, they erased Pallas from her story. Minerva looks like Pallas, and her love for Pallas is gone. She is not just searching for herself, she is searching for the string so interwoven with her own they are the same: she is searching for the soulmate erased from her story.

ALSO, or would be interesting to see this dynamic play out in the 4th book, when Percy is thought to be dead.

I want this to be released as a short film (I would be a great Pallas???? Think about it???? Am I selfish to think that??? Ambitious??? Yes???? What's your point?????????)

[daydreamingmia]

News💙

Walker Scobell X Reader | Series | You Belong With Me🔱 Part 8

A/n: The time lines is gonna be a little off in some of these stories. Like Marvel's release dates etc.

You and Walker have been dating for about a month. You've never been so happy.💜

You were sound asleep when you heard your phone buzz. You rolled over and looked at it.

You roll out of bed onto the floor. You stand up and get changed.

You get in an Uber and drive to where you were going to film the video.

                      🔱PETER JOHNSON GC⚡️

Dior: WE'RE BACK BABY!!

Walker: Let's goooo

Aryan: So excited

Charlie: 🥳🥳

                                           Y/n: Yayyy!! I'm so happy!

Dior: me too!!

                                                            Y/n: I can't wait!

Walker: I'll have a

girlfriend this season😉

                                                           Y/n: and I'll have

                                                             a boyfriend🥰

Aryan: gross

Charlie: After you guys

finish that video you wanna

come over to my house and

we can celebrate?

Charlie: Leave the romance

at home🤨

Dior: yesss

Walker: sounds great

                                          Y/n: that sounds awesome

Aryan: I can't. It's

my friend's birthday

Dior: How dare they be

born on the day of the

announcement?!😠😂

Dior: Wish them a

happy birthday 💙

Charlie: Wish them a

happy birthday for us!

Wish you could come

though

                                         Y/n: that sounds fun! Wish

                                               them a happy birthday!

                                               We will miss you🤍

Walker: no we won't

                                                                  Y/n: Walker!

Walker: Fine we will 😁

You look up to see you were here. You get out and go inside.

"Season 2 baby!!" You throw your hands in the air and everyone cheers

"Hey" Walker comes up to you and kisses you

"Hey" you reply after the kiss

"So what's the plan?" You ask hanging on Walker

"Basically you'll just hold this cake and blow in these noisemakers"

"K" You reply

You let go of Walker because they hand him the cake. You stand on his left Aryan on his right.

"Action!" They yell

The noisemakers sound filled the room. Walker was blowing it in your and Aryan's ears so it was even louder. He was having too much fun.  "Payback" you thought

You grabbed a chunk of the cake and looked at Walker. He knew what you were doing. Aryan copied you. He backed into the wall and blocked the cake with his hands. Everyone was laughing.

"Hey that's a good idea. Y/n would you be okay with it if Aryan and Walker push your face in the cake. Walker looked at you with a mischievous smile. You glared at him then smile.

"I'm fine with that" you laugh

"Cool. 3. 2. 1." She pointed at you

You bent over and Walker and Aryan put their hands on the back of your head. They pushed your head down gently but also hard at the same time. It was hard to explain. Your face went into the cake and everyone erupted in laughter including you. You picked your face up out of the cake and you couldn't see anything. You were covered and it was thick.

"Can you breathe?" You heard Walker ask as you were still laughing

"Y/n can you breathe?" Wake asked again and you shake your head

You wiped your face with your hands and wiped them on Walker's face. You did the same to Aryan.

Everyone was dying in laughter

-

"Hey can you guys kiss in front of the crushed cake?"

"Yeah! But should we get the cake if our faces first? " You ask

"No need. I think its cute and funny"

"Okay" You giggle

Walker dips you and you kiss as you wrap your arms around him.

"Perfect" They say as Walker lifts you back up

-

You get the cake off of your face and get into an Uber with Walker.

The drive was a little long but you knew it would be worth it.

You get out of the car and wake runs the doorbell and Dior answered.

"New season!" You hug her

"I know! I'm so excited!!" She hugged you back

"How long ago did you get here?" Walker asked

"About 20 minutes ago" She replied

"I'm sorry we kept you waiting!" You apologized

"Don't worry about it" she said very sweetly

"Hey Charlie!" You walk into the living room where he is on his phone

"Hey" He gets up and hugs you

"Do you guys wanna ride around the neighborhood on a golf cart? My mom has one." He asked

"Yess!" Dior exclaimed

"Awesome!" Walker replied

"Cool!" Aryan said

"Oooo! Can I drive?! PLEEEAAAASSSSEEE" You asked

"Sure" He chuckled

-

You got into the cart and put the key in

"Okay so this is the the gas, that is the brake, that is the shift." Charlie explained

Then Walker turned you around really quickly and kissed you

"What was that?" You asked blushing when he pulled away

"I just wanna kiss you one last time before we all die" Walker said getting into the back of the cart

"We aren't gonna die you idiot" You roll you eye

Everyone got in and you pushed the gas.

IT STARTED GOING IN REVERSE

"Oops" You said slaming on the brake and everyone grunted

"I can see the headlines...Y/n kills the cast of Percy Jackson...Annabeth killing everyone was not the show ending we expected" Walker said sarcastically

"Shut up!" You replied and pushed the gas as it went foward this time

You were driving for a few minutes and winked at Dior. You slammed in the gas and Walker went flying off of the cart with a scream. You were laughing so hard. Walker was running by the side of the cart and you went faster. As Dior took a video of him fighting to get back on.

"Why didn't you slow down?" He asked out of breath when he finally jumped on

"Oops. Wrong petal." You said sarcastically

"You tried to leave me behind on purpose!" Walker gasped

"Maybe" you mischievously grinned

"If you weren't driving I'd push you off too but we don't need you to crash this thing any sooner than you already are" He said with fake attitude

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." You brush it off

"I want evidence of your bad driving" Walker said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket

When he turned it on you had to be the best driver ever

"Oh so now she's a good driver. Maybe if leave this video on you wont actually kill us" Walker snickers

Charlie pulls out his phone and takes a video too. Walker turns around and flips off the camera.

"Walker" Charlie said turning it off before they could see it

"What?" Walker said innocently

As Charlie rolled his eyes and turned the video to you and Dior.

"Dior Dior" Walker said in a really funny voice

"Y/n" Charlie said so you turned around

"Hey eyes on the road" He said pointing

"Hey look lights!" Walker said looking down under his seat

Then suddenly you turn around and shove him off of the cart

"She's trying to get rid of me" Walker accused

Everyone was just dying laughing

When he got back on we were about to make a sharp turn

"Ok-okay slow down...push the brakes...slow down y/n...SLOW DOWN!" Walker said very very nervously

"Shut up! You're messing up my concentration you said lightly pushing the brakes

"Oh she's getting better" Dior said excitedly as Walker sighed in relief

"He is such a baby" you roll your eyes

-

You get off the cart and go back inside.

"We survived!" Walker said with his fists in the air

You glared at him

"I always knew we would make it" He says not wanting to make you mad

"Ha! Then why were you crying?" You mock

"I wasn't crying!" He defended himself

"You were very close" you laugh holding his hand and going inside

-

You got back from driving the golf cart about 30 minutes ago. Everyone decided to go on insatgram and like the fan's posts that you saw in honor of season 2.

"Hey you wanna play table tennis?" Walker asked

"Yeah!" Everyone replies

We walk over and start thinking about how we can play.

"Okay Walker you and Charlie play. Then Dior and I will play. Whoever wins from each team will go against the other winner." You boss them around

"You really are perfect for Annabeth" Walker chuckled and picks up the paddle

-

"You can do it Walker!" You cheer

"Destroy him" You say very jokingly creepy

"Yikes" Dior giggled sitting next to you

"You cheated!" Walker accused

"I cheated you cheated!" Charlie yelled back

"How did I cheat?!" Walker questioned

"They are so childish" You roll your eyes to Dior as they were still yelling at eachother in the backround

"I know it's like they are 4" Dior replied

"Y/n! Who won this round me or Charlie?" Walker asked you

"YOU CAN'T ASK HER SHE'S BIASED!" Charlie yelled at Walker

"Rude" You glare

"Fine. Dior who won?" Walker asked Dior

"OH NO! I'm not getting into this" Dior shook her head

"FINE. I won" Walker put his paddle down

"What?! Why do you get to decide?!" Charlie asked

"Just...because" Walker said quietly

"You know what...that's fine. I've seen how y/n plays and she'll probably beat Dior. Then you'll have to go up against you girlfriend." Charlie said pointing to you

"I'm not afraid of her." Walker shrugged

"Ha. You should be" Dior chuckled

"On second thought... you won." Walker said with a sudden smile

"Ohhh no. You got yourself into this mess" Charlie snickered

"Ugh" Walker whined

-

You and Dior played and of course you won. And unlike the boys there was no screaming. More laughing.

"Well Walker I just want you to know whatever happens...I still love you" You say putting your hands on his shoulders

"Love you too?" Walker looked weirded out

"You make it sound like he's gonna win" Dior laughed

"Of course he's not gonna win. I just wanted the...drama effect" You pause and look into the air very seriously then start laughing

-

The score was 9-5. You had the 9.

"Come on Y/n! Don't go easy on him! Crush him!" Dior said putting her fist in her palm (sorry I hope you know what I mean I don't know how to describe it)

"I'm trying to! He's really good!" You say hitting the ball and Walker misses

"Point y/n!" Charlie announced

"One more point and she will win the game" Charlie said in a very serious voice

"Point Walker!"

"Point Walker!"

"Point Walker!"

"Hold on... how is Walker suddenly getting these points?" Charlie said looking at you suspiciously

"Luck?" You shrug

"Ahuh" Charlie said skeptically

"Walker is very lucky. I mean he's dating me right?" You said said with a giggle

"Y/n don't go easy on me. Play like you would if I weren't me" Walker asked

"I'm am" You defend yourself

"Are you?" He gave you a look

"100 percent" You said trying not to make it look like you were lying"

"Okay" Walker shrugged

"Point Walker! Okay they're tied. Miraculously Charlie looked at you but you ignored him

You actually almost missed the ball but you didn't.

"Y/n wins!" Charlie held your hand up in victory

"Y/n! Y/n! Y/n! Y/n! Y/n! Y/n!" Dior and Walker cheered

"Do you still love me?" You go up to Walker and kiss him

"No I don't. I've been the happiest I've ever been in my entire life for the past month but I don't think it can work out. You're too good at table tennis." He said sarcastically still hugging you

"You let him have every point he got didn't you?" Dior asked as everyone was walking out to the firepit

"Yeah" you shrugged

You got outside and sat down in the circularchairs around the fire. Walker on your right, Dior on your left, Charlie between Dior and Charlie. Walker moves his chair a little closer to yours and holds your hand.

"I'm so excited for next season!" You say

"Camp Halfblood is back!" Dior exclaims

-

You sit for a while and talk.

"Hey you guys want some pizza?" You ask

"Yes I'm starving!" Dior exclaims

"I'm so hungry" Walker said

"Yess" Charlie chimed in

You order 2 large cheese pizzas.

"I'm getting cold. I'm gonna go get my jacket." You say standing up

"I'll get it" Walker says gently pushing it back down

"There's a blanket on the couch if you want it" Charlie points

Walker comes back and picks you up bridal style and sits you on his lap then lays the blanket on you. He kisses you and you lay your head on his shoulder.

"Gross" Charlie complains

"Shut up" Walker retorts

There you were with the boy that you loved and your best friends (-Aryan) sitting by the campfire. Everyone was so happy. Then your phone rang.

"I've gotta take this" you say standing up

"noooo don't leave" Walker whines holding onto your hand

"Walker let go of me" You laugh as you fight your hand out of his

You walk to the side of the house and answer it.

                        Brother of mischief💚

                                                                   hey brother! 

Hey sis! Did you hear the news?!

                             About season 2 of Percy Jackson?

                                                   I know I'm so excited

oh! Congratulations!

                                                                     Thank you

But I'm talking about Thor

We were got the OK for another movie!

                                      omg! That's awesome!...wait

                                            when does filming start?

Umm I don't know probably in

like England or Australia like before...why?

                         um...no reason. Do you know when

                                    we are going to start filming?

They said in a week

                                                                      A WEEK?!

yeah. Is everything okay?

                                   yeah...yeah everything is fine.

                                                        That's just so soon

They wanted to start filming

as soon as possible because

they said you have to film Percy Jackson

                                                                                yeah

I'm sorry if you're upset about this.

I thought you would be happy

(his voice was very sympathetic)

                    no. no. It's not your fault. Its amazing!

             I'm so happy to be filming with you again

Me too

                                          I'm sorry I have to go now

Okay. I'm sorry

                                      don't be this is a good thing!

                                                                                 Bye

Bye

                                 --END CALL--

You hang up the phone and just sit there for a minute. How are you going to tell Walker. You won't. At least not right now. He's so happy with the second season you can't ruin it right now.

You were having conflicted emotions. You loved filming Thor. You loved Tom and Chris. They were like your real brothers. You felt bad that you made Tom sad when he should be happy. But you didn't want to leave Walker.

You take a deep breathe and walk to where everyone was.

"Who was that?" Walker asks moving the blanket so you can sit back down

"Umm. Nobody. Well my mom. She was asking if I'd be home for dinner." You say kinda weird

"O-okay" Walker replied as you sat down

"Pizza is here!" Charlie said coming from inside the house

-

The two pizzas were almost gone. Everyone was full.

"Is everything okay?" Walker asks you his beautiful blue eyes looking at you

"Yes! Everything is fine! Why do you ask?" You try to play it off

"I don't know. You've been acting kinda weird." Walker shrugs

"I'm fine" you smile

-

You fell asleep in Walker's arms. So warm. So nice.

"We should get going" Dior says so you can have an actual bed to sleep in

"Yeah" Walker yawns

"I'll drive you two home" Dior said standing up

Walker picks you up and carries you to Dior's car.

Next thing you knew you were at your house.

"hey. wake up" Walker whispers in your ear

"I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave you" You mumble in your sleep

"I know y/n. But we are here" He strokes your hair

"what?" You start sitting up

"We are at your house" Walker looks at you sweetly

"Oh. Okay. was I saying something a minute ago?" You ask

"Yeah you said you don't want to leave me but you have to...I mean I think Dior will probably mind if you d sleep in her car all night" Walker chuckled

"Yeah that's what I meant" You say with worry in your eyes (you almost slipped about Thor)

"what?" Walker asked confused

"nothing" you reply and get out of the car

Walker walks you to the door and quickly kiss him

"What was that for?" He asks looking in your eyes

"I just love you" You smile

"Are you sure everything is okay?" He asks you

"Yeah" you nodded

"Okay. Goodnight" he respond knowing something was up

"Goodnight" You kiss him one more time and go inside

-

You changed into your pajamas and sat on your bed. Your face in your hands. You decide to ask Taylor what you should do.

It had been around an hour since you got home. After you talked to Tayloe you were just sitting there quietly...thinking.

You look at your phone to see Dior texted.

A/n: I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for reading! Sorry it took a little while to write. The movie is Ragnarock. The timing is off on this and a few other things in the future. Sorry💙

P.S. This is Y/n's Resume😁👇

[jeannereames]

Shows or movies based on historic figures and events are hard to pull off if the goals are to be both entertaining and somewhat true to history. If we accept that some inaccuracies can't be avoided in order to appeal to audiences what would you consider cornerstones and pillars about Alexander and his history that can't/shouldn't be touched in order to paint a somewhat realistic picture in media based on him and his life?

I saved this to answer around the time of the Netflix release. For me, there are four crucial areas, so I’ll break it down that way. Also. I recognize that the LENGTH of a production has somewhat to do with what can be covered.

But, first of all…what story is one telling? The story arc determines where the focus lies. Even documentaries have a story. It’s what provides coherence. Is it a political tale? A military one? Or personal? Also, what interpretation to take, not only for Alexander but those around him. Alexander is hugely controversial. It’s impossible to make everyone happy. So don't try. Pick an audience; aim for that audience.

MILITARY:

Alexander had preternatural tactical skills. His strategy wasn’t as good, however, especially when younger. Tactics can be a genius gift (seeing patterns), but strategy requires experience and knowledge of the opposition. The further into his campaign, the more experience he gained, but the cultures became increasingly unfamiliar. He had ups and downs. He was able to get out of Baktria finally by marrying Roxana. That was strategy, not tactics. He beat Poros, then made a friend of him; that’s strategy. Yet he failed to understand the depth of the commitment to freedom among the autonomous tribes south along the Indus, which resulted in a bloody trek south. And his earlier decision to burn Persepolis meant he’d never fully reconcile the Persian elite.

So, it’s super important to emphasize his crazy-mad tactical gifts in all forms of combat, from pitched battles to skirmishes to sieges. Nobody in history ever equaled him except maybe Subatai, Genghis Khan’s leading general. In the end, I think that’s a lot of Alexander’s eternal fascination. He fought somewhere north of 250 battles, and lost none (where he was physically present).

But HOW to show that? What battles to put on screen? Oliver Stone combined three into one + Hydaspes because he had only 2-3.5 hours (depending on which cut you watch). The Netflix series is going to show all four of the major pitched battles…or at least all 3 for the 6-episode first part. They had circa 4.5 hours to play with, but they cut out other things, like Tyre.

Another issue, from the filming/storytelling point-of-view is how to distinguish Issos from Gaugamela for the casual viewer. They’re virtually identical in tactics (and players on the field). So it made a fair bit of sense to me for Stone to conflate them. In a documentary, it’s more important to separate them, largely to discuss the fall-out.

Some v. important clashes weren’t the Big Four. Among these, the sieges of Halikarnassos and Tyre are probably the most impressive. But the Aornos Rock in India was another amazing piece. I’d also include the bridging of the Indus River to illustrate the astonishing engineering employed. Again, if I had to pick between Halikarnassos and Tyre, I’d pick Tyre. I was a bit baffled by Netflix’s decision to show Halikarnassos instead, but I think it owed to an early error in the scripts, where they had Memnon die there. I corrected that, but they’d already mapped out the beats of the episodes, so they just kept Halikarnassos. That’s fine; it was a major operation, just not his most famous siege.

Last, I really wish somebody, someday, will do something with his Balkan campaigns. What he did in Thrace and Illyria, at just 21, showed his iron backbone and quick thinking. It’d make a great “and the military genius is born” set-up, drama wise. But you could use the Sogdian Rock to show the clever streak, at least (“Find men who can fly” … “I did; look up.” Ha) Plus it has the advantage of being where he (maybe) found Roxana.

Last, he fought extremely well--wasn't just good at tactics. Being a good general doesn’t necessarily mean one’s a good fighter. He was. Almost frighteningly brave, so show that too.

RELIGIOUS:

Ya gotta deal with the “Did he really think he was a god?” thing, and the whole trip to Siwah. I obviously don’t think he believed he was a god; it’s one of the things I disliked about the Netflix show’s approach, but they were dead-set on it. I DO think he came to believe he was somehow of divine descent, but of course, that’s not the same as most moderns understand it, as I’ve explained elsewhere. It made him a hero, not a god on a level with Zeus, and to ME, that’s an important distinction that Netflix (and to some degree Stone) rode roughshod over.

But I’d like to see more inclusion of sacrifice and/or omen-reading—religion in general. Cutting the Gordion Knot (omens!). His visit to Troy (Netflix tackled that one). A really cool thing would be to make more of the lunar eclipse before Gaugamela. Again, Netflix touched on that, but it’s one of those chance events that might actually have affected a battle’s outcome, given how seriously the ancient near east took sky omens. (A solar eclipse once halted a battle.) The Persians were freaked out. Even his massacre of the Branchidai in Sogdiana was driven by religion, not military goals. Pick a couple and underscore them.

I give Stone big props for the sacrifice before the Granikos/Issos/Gaugamela battle. It was so well-done, I’ve actually shown it in my classes to demonstrate what a battlefield sphagia sacrifice would look like.

Alexander was deeply religious. Show it.

POLITICAL:

Ah, for ME the most interesting stuff surrounding Alexander occurs at the political level. Here’s where the triumph story of his military victories all went south. He knew how to win battles. He was less good at managing what he’d conquered.

In terms of a story arc, the whole period up to Gaugamela is really the “rise” of the story. Post-Gaugamela, things began to collapse. And I would pin the turn on PERSEPOLIS. Yes, burning it sent home a message of “Mission accomplished.” But he was selective about it. Areas built by Darius I were spared, Xerxes’ were destroyed: a damnio memoriae.

Problem: Persepolis embodied Persia, and ATG essentially shat on it. Not a good look for the man who wanted to replace Darius III. That he also failed to capture and/or kill Darius created an additional problem for him. Finally, his lack of understanding of how politics worked in Baktria-Sogdiana resulted in an insurgency. Bessos was going to rebel, regardless. But Spitamanes might not have. Alexander created his own mess up there.

Another matter to look at is why he created a new title—King of Asia—instead of adopting the Persian title (King-of-Kings). I don’t think that was a “mistake.” He knew perfectly well the proper Persian title (Kshāyathiya)…and rejected it. He adopted some Persian protocol, but not all of it. After the summer of 330, he was essentially running two parallel courts, which seemed to satisfy neither the Persians nor his own men. (Kinda like docudramas are a hybrid that seems to annoy perhaps more than satisfy.)

So I’d like to see this handled with some nuance, but it’s intrinsically difficult to do—even while, if done well, it would be the most interesting part of an Alexander story, imo.

So, what events, what events…3-4 leap out after Alexander’s adoption of some Persian dress. The Philotas Affair, the Pages Conspiracy, the Death of Kleitos, the marriage to Roxana. I’d show it all, although I could also understand reducing the two conspiracies to one, for time, in which case, the Philotas Affair because it resulted in the fall of Parmenion. But the fact there were two, not just one, tells a story itself.

What about the proskynesis thing with Kallisthenes? I’ve come to disbelieve it ever happened, even though it’s symbolic of the whole problem. So, weirdly, I’m of two minds about showing it. OTOH, it won’t be in my own novels. But OTOH, I could easily see why a showrunner or director might want to include it. And it certainly appears in several of the histories, including Arrian.

Then we have the two indisciplines (mutinies)…one in India that made ATG turn around, and another at Opis. They’re really two different things as one was an officer’s rebellion, the other the soldiers themselves. But will viewers be able to distinguish between them? It’s like the Issos/Gaugamela problem, or for that matter, the two conspiracies. They’re similar enough to confuse the casual viewer. “Didn’t we already see that?”

But if they were narrowed to one, how to choose? The mutiny on the Hyphasis provides an explanation for why he turned back. But the Opis event was more dramatic. The man jumped down into the middle of a rioting crowd and started (essentially) knocking heads together! So if I had to pick…Opis. The other might could be mentioned in retrospect.

PERSONAL:

Here are five things I think really OUGHT to be shown, or that I have yet to be pleased by.

1) Philip isn’t an idiot and should get more than 10 minutes of screentime. Oh, and show Alexander did learn things from him. Stone had to make his movie a Daddy-Issues flick, and the Netflix thing did very little with Philip as they wanted to get to the Alexander-Darius face off (which was the meat of their story). But there’s a very interesting love/competition story there.

2) Olympias is not a bitch and was not involved in Phil’s murder, although I can see why that is catnip to most writers. She did kill Eurydike’s baby and (by extension) Eurydike. One of the historians in the Netflix story (Carolyn, unless I misremember) talked about the rivalry between the two wives, at least. But I think ATG planned to marry the widow and Olympias got rid of her to prevent it. Now THAT’S a story, no? But they were in too much of a hurry to get to Persia.

3) Alexander was not an only child! He had sisters (and a brother) with whom he was apparently close…and a cousin who was his real rival. To me, missing that cousin rivalry overlooks a juicy personal/political story! Too often all the focus winds up on Alexander-Olympias-Philip-Eurydike-Attalos, but man, a more subtle showrunner could do a lot with the Alexander-Amyntas rivalry. But he’s constantly cut out. I can’t think of a documentary that actually addresses Amyntas except in passing (if at all)l

4) Hephaistion’s importance is a must, but I’d like to see him treated as someone with a personality and authority of his own, besides just as ATG’s lover. At least Netflix Went There onscreen with the love-story part, but otherwise, the writers couldn’t figure out what to do with him. Neither Stone nor Netflix really portrayed him as his own person. I do understand why they can’t show the whole cast of characters. I had to do weeding myself in the novels, but I’m annoyed Netflix showed only Hephaistion and Ptolemy. Where’s Perdikkas (so important all along really, but certainly later)? Or Philotas, Kleitos, Krateros, Leonnatos, Lysimachos (later king of Thrace)? I think viewers could probably have handled at least another 5 people, especially if introduced gradually, not all at the beginning.

This brings me to….

5) Alexander’s apparently very real affection for the people in his orbit, from personal physician (Philip) to childhood pedagogue (Lysimachos [not same as above]) to Aristotle to various other philosophers. He was so loyal to his friends, in fact, he initially jailed the people who brought word of Harpalos’ first flight.

He needed to be loved/appreciated and wanted to give back to people. Yes, generosity was expected of kings, and as a king (THE king), his generosity had to excel that of anybody else. But he seemed to genuinely enjoy giving presents. I think of him like that one friend who heard you say you liked that cute pair of “Hello, Kitty” socks…then 6 months later they’re your Christmas present from them. Some of his gifts were grandiose, but not always. I love the dish of little fish (probably smelts) that he sent to Hephaistion, presumably just because his friend liked smelts!

To me, point #5 would be easy to get in with a skilled scriptwriter, tucked into the corners of other scenes. It’d be fun to highlight the personal side. If we can believe Plutarch, he was a PRODIGIOUS letter-writer. Also, he loved to hunt, so that’s another thing. And he loved the theatre, and to watch sport. These would all be very humanizing details.

I think the biggest issue is that most of these documentaries/docudramas are done by people who don’t know squat about Alexander aside from a few things, before deciding to make a documentary/movie about him, or write a book. Their research is shallow, and even if they bring on the experts, they don’t always listen. Stone DID at least have a long fascination with ATG, but it caused him to try to throw in everything but the kitchen sink. It wasn't as bad of a film as some have made it out to be, just horribly bloated and for all his reading, he never understood the WORLDVIEW. I wrote about that some while back in my review.

The best documentary/movie would be told by an actual specialist who knew enough at the outset to craft a better, more complex story arc.

Or maybe I’m just biased because I tried to do that myself in my novels. 😂😂😂😂

[theresattrpgforthat]

hello! I've played the fallout ttrpg (the one they had to pull the rights from when it was pretty much done so they called it Exodus instead), I wish it didn't suck so bad! Is there any system I could borrow that would fit with Fallout's setting? I love the world in itself, but Exodus was rushed and published half-baked

THEME: Fallout

Hello friend, I have quite a few games for you to check out today! Some of them are direct homages, while others simply just have elements that might remind you of the video game.

Rebels of the Outlaw Wastes, by Nerdy Pup Games.

Play misfit outlaws fighting against the authoritarian Powers That Be in a hyper-saturated, film-grained, retro dystopia. Save the future with the power of friendship, whoopass, and explosions! Features sticker-based character advancement, effortless cinematic vehicle action, and player-driven Ride-or-Die system usings d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, and d12s.

This game is a bit more colourful and punk-rock, and a little less morally grey than some of the more popular Fallout games. The designer cites some pretty colourful inspirations, such as FLCL and Six-String Samurai, but also concedes that you can make the tone fit that of Borderlands, Fallout, and Mad Max. It depends on how you build your world - what tech was there before? What kinds of weirdness persists? What beliefs have survived?

You’ll make skill rolls that can be boosted by gear or your personal style, with anything above a 4 granting you a success, with bonuses for rolling even higher at an 8 or a 12. Badges are the representations of character growth, tied to the skills that you choose to improve, somewhat like how concentrating on certain skills in Fallout gives you access to perks. If you want a stripped-down basic idea of the rules for this game, the designer has a Pay-what-you-want playtest that you can download for free, just to dip your toes in the water.

Earth: After Death, by Hammer City Games.

Boasting deep and crunchy mechanics reminiscent of the golden age of 90s TTRPGs, Earth, After Death focuses on OSR-style gaming, dungeon and hex crawling, fast-paced combat, high lethality, and a unique and fascinating setting to explore.

There’s plenty to do: kill mutants, explore ancient ruins, get lethal radiation poisoning, find a gun that has infinite ammunition, use psionic powers to blow up peoples heads, replace your legs with tank treads, and more!

This is a chunky, old-school style game that takes care to mention that your level-up system is just like the advancement system in Fallout games. You’ll be dealing with mutations, ghost machines, bartering for gear, and hex-crawling through dangerous wastelands. The character sheets point to a lot of moving pieces, so if you like wrangling together a character that does exactly what you want them to do, you’re going to have a lot to play with here. It looks like mutation is also a pretty big deal in this game, with over 100 different kinds advertised on the game’s store page.

Right now just the Wasteland’s Handbook is available to purchase, but the kickstarter for this game will be taking off later this year. If this sounds like your kind of game, then maybe hop over to the website to get in on the first full edition as it releases!

Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, by Modiphius.

In 2077, the storm of nuclear war reduced most of the planet to cinders. From the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization will struggle to arise. A civilization you will shape. How will you re-shape the world? Will you join with a plucky band of survivors to fight off all-comers and carve out your own settlement? Will you team up with pre-existing factions like the Brotherhood of Steel or Super Mutants to enforce your own ideals on the Wasteland? Ghoul or robot, paladin or raider, it’s your choice - and the consequences are yours. Welcome to the Wasteland. Welcome to the world of Fallout.

Utilizing Modiphius’ celebrated 2d20 cinematic role-playing system, the Fallout RPG will take players on an exciting journey into the post-apocalypse! Create your own survivors, super mutants, ghouls, and even Mister Handy robots. Immerse yourselves in the iconic post-nuclear apocalyptic world of Fallout, while gamemasters guide their group through unique stories and encounters. The 2d20 edition of Fallout is as close to the bottlecap bartering, wasteland wandering, Brotherhood battling excitement as you can get.

Modiphius gets the license to make a lot of games for different properties, so a Fallout game fits in alongside other big titles like Dune, John Carter of Mars, and Alien. This company uses their own 2d20 system, with a focus on inventory and Perks in an effort to make the game recognizable to any typical Fallout fan.

That being said, the game has come under fire for being poorly edited and inconsistent when it comes to finding the right rule. The company updated the game last year and released a Settler’s Guide book, so this might be something that’s a bit more read-able now. But if you want something set directly in the Fallout universe, this is your game.

WASTELAND, by MaelikGames.

WASTELAND is a simple tabletop RPG about adventurers in the world that has only recently became hospitable after a War that might not end all wars, but almost ended the world. You and your friends decide whether this world is bleak and hopeless, like the one in Metro, or somewhat whimsical, as in Fallout. 

Much of the inspiration from Fallout appears in the character options of this game. Arkanites are homages to Vault-Dwellers, Radkin are inspired by Ghouls, and robots are, well, robots. The talents also look like they are directly inspired by Fallout perks, such as Animal Friend, which allows you to turn hostile animals into allies. Gear and inventory are both very important in this game, which is something that I never find surprising in post-apocalyptic games, since having to track inventory feels like a pretty important thing in a game about scarcity. Your skills are also based on a percentage of success, because you’re rolling a d100, with the goal of rolling under your target number. If you’re looking for a game that can mechanically reflect much of what’s available in the Fallout video games, this might be for you!

Dystopia Rising: Evolution, by Onyx Path.

No one knows how long it’s been since the world was blasted with nuclear radiation and became infested with the undead. The survivors of the Fall were the first strain of deviation of the human condition and were able to make it through the rapidly spreading epidemic. Finding a community of decent size in this world is rare; finding one that has any concept of equality or morality is rarer still.

Oh, and people have the unnerving ability to come back from the dead, regrown from the very virus that destroyed the world.

This is a completely different world from Fallout and yet I think it might still be worth talking about in this rec post. Dystopia Rising has a rich, detailed world, with various factions and faiths, and your characters are differentiated by the Strains that have helped them survive. There are plenty of conflicting beliefs that can be the seeds for unlimited conflict, including various faiths in things like evolution or the preservation of humanity, strains that give you psychic powers, and a universal ability to come back to the dead so many times before you’re turned into a mindless zombie.

There’s plenty of opportunity to fight things hand-to-hand, but there’s just as many possibilities to politic your way out of tough scenarios, which is a hallmark of Fallout New Vegas. Not only that, there's no clear "good guys": this is a complicated world with complicated people. If you want a game that carries a lot of similar themes of Fallout but puts you in a new setting, maybe check out this game.

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past

Extinction Punk, by Extinction Punk.

Wastoid, by Jason Tocci.

[parad-ice-lostandfound]

Prompt: "Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas. I love you."

Pairing: Vil Schoenheit x GN!Reader (with background RookVil x GN!Reader)

Genre: Heavy Angst, proceed with caution

TW: Major character death, suicide, heavy drinking.

AN: Its my birthday! I dont know why, but i usually feel terrible on my birthday, so I gave you guys the option of choosing between a happy fic for today, or an angst. You chose angst, so here we are. Please exercise caution before, during and after you read. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please get in touch with professionals. You are loved, and will be missed, so please take care of yourself. If at any point you feel like stopping reading, please do. Your mental health comes before anything else. I hope you enjoy... Merry Christmas to everyone!

Vil sat down on his couch, sinking into its warmth with his fifth glass of wine in hand. Once upon a time, he would have frowned upon doing something like this. He was a notorious lightweight, and despised the headache that accompanied him on the day after.

But now, the pleasant buzz that the alcohol created in his mind was a welcome distraction.

Vil's gaze fell on the TV remote. He reached for it and switched it on, it's artificial light casting on his face and lighting up the otherwise dark room.

"And in other news, acclaimed actor and director Vil Schoenheit announces his retirement from the entertainment industry at the fairly young age of 34. A public statement was released earlier this month by his agency, right after the release of his latest film, 'Eternity'. This news has come as a shock to many of the star's fans, but-"

Vil tuned out the TV as the newscaster spoke of how well his last movie was doing in theatres and how everyone wished him well in the future. Words blurred into sounds and the TV screen into colours as he took another sip of his wine, closing his eyes as he tipped his head back on the couch.

His phone vibrated inside his pocket. Removing it, Vil saw a message from Epel.

Merry Christmas. Hope you're having a good time. Mawmaw asked me to send you this pic, and told me to invite you to Harveston sometime for some apple pie.

Underneath it was a picture of Epel and his grandmother in their kitchen, both holding a plate of said apple pie in their hands.

Vil smiled, then decided to check his other messages. A voice message from Jack wishing him Merry Christmas, a whole paragraph of text courtsey of Rook, and many more messages from his coworkers and acquaintances. He replied to every one of them, answering each with a thoughtful message that somehow his alcohol-addled brain could type coherently.

As lilac eyes wandered over his chat log, they caught one last message. It was from his manager. Or, well, ex-manager.

Vil.

In all the years I have spent managing young actors, I have not seen one as talented and dedicated as you. Not many spend their time honing and perfecting their craft as you do. It is a shame to see you leaving the spotlight so soon, but I know this is something you have needed for quite some time.

Take this time to take care of yourself, Vil. (Name) would have wanted you to. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Vil stilled as he read the last few sentences. "(Name)...".

The moonlight painted a solemn scene as it fell on the lone man, coloring his blonde locks an enchanting silver as he picked up his wine glass. He gulped the drink in one go, the slightly bitter liquid burning his throat in a familiar manner as he placed the glass on the coffee table.

Vil smiled, then tried to stand. The five glasses of wine had begun showing their effect, and he had to lean against the armrest of the couch to stop the world from spinning in front of his eyes.

Slowly, he made his way to the master bedroom. Upon reaching, he walked over to the bed, forgoing his usual skincare routine in favour of tucking himself in.

Vil sat upright in bed, eyes trained on the lone flowerpot kept at the windowsill. The lilies stirred ever so slightly under the light breeze coming in through the open window, as though shivering under the weight of his gaze. Gaze filled with profound love, and sorrow, and resolve.

"(Name)..."

Vil's voice was not more than a whisper, yet that one word uttered from his lips seemed to fill the silence that shrouded the room. He took a shaky breath, hand closing around the bottle of sleeping pills he had on his bedside table.

The clock struck twelve from somewhere within the house, it's soft sound echoing throughout. Outside, Vil heard cheers coming from people who were spending Christmas with their loved ones.

He looked back at the red lilies, and smiled. A genuine, unpracticed smile that had not seen the light of day ever since the love of his life died.

"Merry Christmas (Name). I love you."

Rook was a hunter, through and through. He prided himself on his observation skills, on his judgments. Usually, he could see things coming from a mile away.

He did not see Vil's suicide from a mile away.

The blonde haired man was one of the first to be informed of it, and also the one to whom most of his possessions were bequeathed to.

Rook did not care much for most of the things Vil had left him. He had also left him with a hole in his heart, and a permanent pain in his soul. Yet, as he gazed at the flowerpot with the red tulips in it, and the matching one with white magnolias beside it, he could not blame Vil.

Calloused hands trembled as they caressed the petals of the flowers. It felt almost sacrilegious to touch, as if the pure flowers were taunting him for the blood that stained his hands.

Tears dropped down onto the silky petals, clinging to them like drops of fresh dew. Rook's hands slid down to touch the flowerpots, where the letters engraved spelled out the names of two people he thought of as the very epitome of beauty.

The lilies grew on the essence and memory of (Name) Schoenheit, and the magnolias welcomed the ashes of Vil Schoenheit.

Red lilies: Eternal love and passion

White magnolias: Nobility and Purity

Masterlist...

[fantasygerard2000]

Have Fandoms Become Ungrateful?

It's not exactly a surprise that not every fandom is healthy, especially the ones towards popular media. However, even small fandoms can just be if not more unhealthy, mainly because the media they're a fan of is just a version that exist in their heads.

There's this issue within fandoms where they want more of the things they want over appreciating the things that were already made. Unless you're in the Miraculous fandom. However, instead of dropping media they don't like and watch something else different that suits their tastes, they want to change the already existing one to cater to said tastes.

And what better fandom to use as an example than the Wish fandom, or rather the fans of a version of Wish that doesn't exist, where they didn't like the movie for scrapping unused and cut concepts like a villain couple and Star having a human form to which they misunderstood as being Asha's love interest. These fans make numerous fan material based on these unused drafts and that's what most of the Wish fandom is while the fans of the film that appreciated it as it is are rare.

Honestly, I am not against making fan content based on unused ideas. I do encourage making content based on early ideas. I just don't like encouraging this behavior of treating a content that has a thing you're like is better than the one that doesn't.

I do in fact agree the an unused draft of Ruby Gillman is kept where Chelsea is indeed Nerissa's daughter and not a fake identity is better than in the completed film. Some fans say so because they like Ruby and Chelsea's friendship or because they shipped them, but for me and several people is because of the film's plot point about prejudices between the Krakens and the Mermaids. So having the "good mermaid" actually being evil all this time sets of a bad example for a plot point about prejudices.

Another example for unused concepts is Emperor's New Groove. During development, it was originally intended to be an adaptation of the Prince and the Pauper called Kingdom of the Sun with love interests for the two main leads and songs. However, production issues cause the film to change into the one we all got and love. And as much as I wanted KotS to the one that was completed and released , I am fine with ENG being the one released because I don't really need to see KotS. In fact the reason why I liked the KotS draft because it was more in line with classical Disney. And that's sort of why I have a soft spot for Wish, because of the classical tropes.

I'm not bothered with the vocal minority of people who don't like the film, it is Disney in 2023 after but the ones that do over the dumbest reasons like the aforementioned unused concepts do. Like, you can just watch a completely different film that has a romance with a human and a star or one that has a villain couple.

Controversial examples are the Steven Universe and The Owl House fandom. And I wrote controversial because I'm aware that the fandoms of these shows disagree and would witch hunt me but here me out first.

Despite already ending and getting a movie AND a sequel miniseries, SU fans still wanted more of this show. Now, I don't like Steven Universe, as in I am neutral towards it, but I do genuinely hate the writing and the implications about its themes. So seeing how fans wanted more of it is like "what else is there for you to WANT more"?

Same thing can be said with TOH fandom, which also ended but fans want more. Which is partially justified since the series was planned to have three seasons but was cut into two with the last three specials being made to serve as a finale. However, as much as I understand that this show deserved its story told through three seasons, I genuinely think that it should have cut several things out.

Now, I like The Owl House, but I would be lying if I say it doesn't have any issues. Said issues being that it has the need to spread its lore like puzzle pieces around for fans to put together when all that lore is just a backstory for the villain and it serves very little purpose to the story currently, that is Luz's journey to stop Belos.

TOH and similar shows like Star Vs and Amphibia all share this problem where they want to do what Gravity Falls did, leaving in clues and lore tidbits for the fans to piece together but all that secret lore stuff feels like an imitation just to get fans invested when they should be invested are the characters, not some information about the villains' backstory.

This extends to shows after the Owl House where fans of it skipped Hailey's On It because "it wasn't becoming the next Owl House". That's it. That's the reason why they didn't wanna watch this show, and that's what this whole thing is. They just want Owl House again.

In Ghost and Molly McGee, fans wanted Andrea to be the next Amity Blight and I find that baffling because we already have Amity Blight, why do you want her to be like her?

Same thing with Zuko from Avatar and how every show after it, there will always be that one character who is like Zuko, but without the charm that made us all love Zuko in the first place. His "clones" are just there for the trope of "recurring villain turning to the good guy's side" and the satisfaction it gives the audience who are into that over the genuine redemption they deservedly earn.

This is the real issue with fandoms. Their media diet are so rigid that they want the same show, just with a different skin. They say they want a sequel series or a prequel series, but they actually don't like the ideas of prequel and sequels in general but still want to, because it's more of the media they like.

Fans want more of Steven Universe and Owl House because they think they were unfairly canceled despite they were finished over the actual shows that were indeed canceled.

Being mad at a movie because it didn't have a trope you like isn't the fault the creators, that's just you being upset about your specific tastes not being fulfilled. You want an original 2D animated film, yet you are too lazy to find one to watch.

Instead of watching and praising existing 2D animated films, you complain more about Hollywood's over reliance on sequels and reboots.

If Potterheads need to read a different book, then fans of any show need to watch a different show.

[flanaganfilm]

Hey Mike! I'm really sorry to hear about your experience on Hill House. I do a lot of work in VFX in pre/prod/post and I know that sort of production that feels like a sinking ship day in and day out. I do hope you have found some catharsis now that it's over.

The show shook me. Changed me. Made me reckon with myself as a storyteller and as a person. All for the better, I assure you.

I hope to one day tell such an impactful story of my own, either through one of my short films, or through the novel series I'm writing/illustrating. Which brings me to my question: How do you navigate the complexities of having authored a work that did so much harm to yourself but also did a lot of good for others? What lessons do you hope aspiring storytellers like myself take from your difficult experience? Thanks :)

Thank you for saying this.

It's true, HILL HOUSE was a very negative experience to make - but I will always be profoundly proud of the finished product. It's some of my favorite work. I may never again face down something as challenging as episode 6, and I love the impact it has on a lot of its viewers.

There's a weird thing that happens when you finish a project - it really ceases to be yours in any way at all. It belongs immediately to the audience, and they're given an experience that you will never have. When HILL HOUSE came out, I didn't watch it - I'd seen it hundreds of times by that point, but at the same time, I've NEVER seen it.

Every frame of it is informed by my experience making it, or my intentions, or the compromises we made here, or the line we cut there that I wish we'd kept, or a bad day on set, or a problematic actor, or a visual effect we never quite got right (there are a LOT of those in HILL HOUSE, some of them still make me wince.) So I'm never able to WATCH the show. It's a tradeoff we make all the time - if you're lucky enough to make a movie, or a TV show, that's the price of it - you'll never be able to watch it.

But, I get to see how it affects other people. More than anything else I've made, HILL HOUSE seems to have the largest and most passionate fanbase. (BLY is a close second, though that's a whole other blog entry - I could write a book about the complicated, fascinating experience of the BLY fandom).

But with HILL HOUSE, I'd hear a lot from people who lost loved ones, who navigate complicated family dynamics, and who have wrestled with depression or grief. It means the world to me. It's a strange divide, as I'll never see the show that they saw - but I am so grateful that it touched them the way it did.

I'm just about at the point where I think I'm capable of sitting down and truly watching HILL HOUSE. It takes years sometimes. I've watched a lot of my early work, like HUSH or GERALD'S GAME, and finally had the experience of really SEEING it. But HILL HOUSE has always felt a little too raw, and my memories still overpower my ability to separate myself from it. Maybe that's changed. Maybe I'll give it a shot this year. Half a decade seems like enough time.

But yes, it is complicated and strange with all of them. I so badly want to watch MIDNIGHT MASS, the project that was the most personal to me - but it flew off into the world just like they all do. I spent a decade working on it, and felt it flowing through me every day - like it was a part of me. But the moment the show was done and released into the world, it wasn't mine anymore, just like all the others. I remember feeling almost knocked over when it departed, for some reason I thought that one would always feel like a part of me... but no. They're like children, they all have to go live their own lives, and they don't belong to you. Not really.

[astranva]

Tea & Confrontations

Word Count: 6.2k

Category: Angst, fluff-ish, but mostly angst

Warning: swear language

Summary: A mutual friend, and an inside source spills exclusive tea about your and Harry’s relationship, breakup, and your relationship with Joe Keery, and Joe confronts Harry.

a/n: this is set further down in time and not in October of 2022 for the sake of the fic’s timeline. let me know what you think! this is a long one x

.. 

Backstage Girlfriend Masterlist

Some days, you had found yourself regretting your choice of profession. Surely working as anything but a creative director, commonly known as Production Designer in the film industry–one who was successful and known as well–and having a circle of people who were in the entertainment industry wouldn’t have made you and Harry meet. Surely it was your profession. Surely it was the circle of big names and not-so-big ones that had your paths crossing years ago. Surely if it weren’t for it, you would have been getting over a breakup with an accountant or business developer of some sort, and only then, nobody would have given two shits about your breakup.

But that wasn’t the case.

And while you had had your days, meeting Joe had proved that everything worked out for the best.

“I was thinking that we might need to change Flo’s position for this shot.”

It wasn’t everyday that someone could be sitting next to one of Hollywood’s best directors, Christopher Nolan, but as the supervising production designer on his new movie, Oppenheimer, you were.

“The lighting on her face is coming from that side,” you pointed, “And if we have her on the other side, it’s more fitting to the mood.”

Nolan nodded along, looking at his screen in front of him, “Yeah, yeah, I see it,” he said, “Florence, can you stand on the left instead?” He called.

Working on one of the most anticipated movies with an incredible cast and crew, you were almost sleepless. As someone whose job was one between a Producer and a Director, your mind seemed to always be racing with the designs you worked on for the film, the budgeting, the storyboards, making sure all the teams you were working with were going according to plan—you loved your job, but saying you were busy would be an understatement.

It was why it wasn’t something you had anticipated nor wished for when the internet seemed to suddenly go crazy.

It was a rare day off when it happened, to your own bad luck and misfortune.

At 9 a.m., Joe had woken up before you, being gentle as he kissed your hair as you slept, overcome with the feeling of happiness that you were finally getting some sleep and rest, even if it was just for a day.

Time seemed to be dragged before Joe checked his phone that he had silenced before bed to make sure neither of you, and especially you, was disturbed.

Along with a few frantic texts from his friends, it was one of his sisters’ texts that he saw first:

Carolina: Don’t let Y/N come near her phone!!!

Caroline: Deux Moi released a podcast with an “exclusive source” that leaked everything about her previous relationship and yours

Caroline: Do NOT let her see this!

Carolina: https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/20221002153091/harry-styles-exclusive-tea-yn-yln/

“Fuck,” Joe said under his breath, his shoulders slumping as he sat down, opening the link his sister sent him.

“Holivia was a stunt and Harry isn’t over Y/N”, says exclusive source about Harry Styles & ex, Y/N Y/L/N, on Deux Moi podcast and much more!

Joe only skimmed through the article, eyebrows furrowed as muscles tense as he decided to click on the link to the podcast, choosing to listen for himself.

“Today we have someone, let’s call them Kyle, and I feel like you guys will like this one,” the distorted voice of Deux Moi said, “I’ve been getting asked about Harry and Olivia, and about Harry and his ex, Y/N Y/L/N and her and Joe for so, so long now, and I always said I didn’t know so much about what actually went down. Like, I wasn’t sure if the things you all sent was truthful or just total cap, but Kyle here is an exclusive, you guys. Hey, Kyle.”

“Hey, hey, how are you?”

“I’m doing good, doing great. First of all, I’m really excited to talk about this because—Gosh, it’s what everyone has been talking about for so long and people are dying to know, so you’re literally going to end everyone’s misery.”

Kyle chuckled, “When I reached out to you, I actually had that in mind. Like, I just felt like I have been sitting on this one.”

“Yeah, thank you so much for reaching out,” the voice of Deux Moi said, “First of all, let’s start talking about Harry and Y/N. Do we have a timeline?”

“Yeah, so,” Kyle began, “Harry and Y/N met back in 2018.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah, there were some mutual friends and I was one of them, and we were all there for his last show on his first tour then we went backstage, and let me get this straight,” they paused, “That was literally love at first sight.”

“Shut up, no way!”

“When I tell you Harry couldn’t keep his eyes off of Y/N, I seriously mean it,” they said, “Y/N is shy. Like, she has a lot of friends and she’s, like, the sweetest person ever but the moment you meet her, she’s just shy and sweet and Harry off stage is exactly like that, but that night, he was trying so hard to talk to her, like just her, and he was blushing and she was, like, very flustered and all, and we all knew that we basically have some setting up to do.”

“Neither of them was in any relationship at the time?”

“No,” they answered, “Just two single people who basically had the hots for each other. So, that night, Harry and his bad and, like, everyone else, were all going out to celebrate the tour coming to an end and all and obviously we were all invited, but I remember he directly went to Y/N and he was like, “I’ll see you there, right?” and we were all just absolutely swooning.”

“This is everyone’s dream. Like imagine Harry Styles wanting to see you.”

“Exactly, exactly,” they agreed, “But Y/N wasn’t just starstruck with him because he’s a celebrity, you know? I don’t even know how to describe it but they moment they met, they just really clicked.”

“This is so cute.”

“Right?”

“So what happens next?”

“Well we go out and we party, and they dance together, they talk, and it basically looks like they’re on a date and everyone could see it. They exchanged numbers that night,” Kyle spilled, “So then like a couple of days later, we all go out for brunch.”

“Like, the friend group?”

“Yeah, we all basically decided that we needed to set them up so we were, like, set it into action at that point. So we all went out and they were just—there’s some shy flirting, you know? They were just talking and having a conversation all evening.”

“This feels like a fairytale.”

“We all placed our bets on them, honestly,” they said, “Anyway, we all met up more times after that, like two or three times, but I feel like—like it all just, sort of blossomed when we all went on a trip to Italy together, and I can’t tell you how absolutely smitten they were. They had their first date there,” Kyle said.

“No way!” The voice of Deux Moi gasped, “This is so adorable. Is that why it seems like Italy is like, so close to Harry? Like, it feels like he just goes there to relax and that it’s like his getaway of some sort.”

“Italy was their country, honestly,” they said, “Like they had their first date there, and then they later had so many vacations there, I feel like it was like their safe haven or something.”

“This is so adorable, I can’t. I literally can’t.”

“Right? Anyway, fast forwarding a bit, they were just so adorable together. Like, their relationship at that point was the perfect example of puppy love. Harry was the happiest we’ve ever seen him, Y/N was the happiest, everything was going so well.”

“When did they make it official?”

“It took them some time,” they answered, “Y/N met Harry’s family before they actually made it official. I think she met them around Christmas time and Harry just told us about how his family absolutely adored her,” they said, “But they made it official in 2019, first day of the year.”

“First of January?”

“Yup,” Kyle answered, “I can’t even begin to describe how they both were literally glowing at that point. They were just so in love, it was crazy.”

“Wait, so they were together for how many years before they broke up, again?”

“Three years.”

“Three years!”

“Three whole years, yeah,” Kyle repeated, “And everyone loved them together, and at the time, we all understood that they wanted to be private, because you know how things get with the fans and the media and all. But the fans, you know, they saw her and were beginning to join some dots but I think at some point, everyone assumed they were just friends because they were never really touching or kissing in the pictures, but I remember our friends talking about how much the fans loved Y/N.”

“You know, I get some sightings of Y/N, and it’s always with, like, the cutest stories. Like people telling me she’s so respectful, she’s cute, she’s nice, is big on tips, and all that, so I get why fans would love her,” the voice of Deux Moi said, “And I think I remember getting some messages about her getting fans concert tickets and merch.”

“She always did that,” Kyle confirmed, “I think that—Y/N is just a very humble and simple person, and I think she has always realized that with her place in the industry, she does have some privilege, right? Especially when she was Harry’s girlfriend and all, so she just really liked doing these things,” they said, “Like she always told him to get more in touch with his fans, and I think there were some arguments about ticket and merch pricing and all.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah, I think that’s why the fans loved her. You always pick up that vibe, you know? When someone is being real.”

“True. That’s so true,” Deux Moi agreed, “But—where did it all go wrong? I think it all went bad with the hate and all after Harry’s song got leaked. I remember that—she was getting so much hate. You know what? No, don’t answer that right now, we’ll get to it.”

Kyle chuckled, “Yeah, let’s take it one step at a time,” they said.

“Alright so, Holivia? That’s—That’s also the tea.”

“Oh, it’s hot,” Kyle laughed, “It’s very hot tea.”

“Right? Because I feel like from what you’re saying, Harry and Y/N, they were—they were endgame.”

“They really were,” they said, “But then Harry got the Don’t Worry Darling role and that’s when things went south,” they began, “Look, publicity stunts and scandals happen all the time. It’s a classic for a reason, too. It always works.”

“I agree.”

“So in 2020, there were talks about the stunt. Basically that Harry and Olivia start going out and all, and Y/N was—She was literally crushed when Harry said he was going to think about it.”

“She didn’t think he’d do it?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Kyle answered, “Obviously, she’s in the industry and she knows that these things happen all the time but when you’re in her position, it’s—it’s not so easy. But she was very supportive of his career and, like, respected his decisions and everything because she knew that he wouldn’t—like, he wouldn’t disrespect her, you know?”

A hum.

“Anyway, Harry agreed to it and he had conditions set. Like, he wanted it to still be lowkey and to, like, keep it on the minimum.”

“That’s not really how it goes,” Deux Moi joked.

“It’s not how it goes,” Kyle repeated.

“Did Y/N at any point—Or her and Harry, did they ever consider going public?”

“Y/N wanted that,” Kyle answered, “She’s mostly also private, but she just wanted everyone to know that they’re a couple, you know?”

“Yeah, nothing wrong with that. I’d want people to know that Harry Styles and I are together, too.”

Kyle laughed, “Right? But it was because—They’re both attractive people, so you have people shooting their shot at them all the time and at some point, it was a little hurtful to Y/N how she had to stay, like, very discreet about her relationship. It felt like a secret, you know?”

“Like she was hidden.”

“Exactly, exactly. And that’s just—It’s not fun and it does things to your mental health. Like, you start thinking.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“So anyway, the stunt was supposed to be short-term, but everything was just super intense. Shit mostly went down during Jeff and Glenne’s wedding.”

“Jeff is Harry’s manager, right?”

“Yeah,” they answered, “So when you’re in a relationship, obviously your plus one is you girlfriend, your boyfriend, like, your partner, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Y/N was asked to not attend with Harry and to, like, blend in.”

“No. Fucking. Way.”

“Swear,” Kyle assured, “Just so Harry and Olivia can make their debut as a couple.”

“Oh. My. God.”

“I know.”

“I think I felt my heart break,” Deux Moi said, “Are you kidding me?”

“I wish,” Kyle said, “We were all so worried about Y/N because she was literally crushed. Like, oh my God, I can’t even begin to describe it. Like, to the point that she wasn’t going to attend the wedding if it weren’t for Glenne insisting.”

“And how was it?”

“She was so anxious that day, and I think—I think that’s when Y/N really began doubting herself. Like, at that point, the relationship was making her feel like shit and she felt like—You know, she felt like she just wasn’t worthy of being Harry’s girlfriend, that maybe she wasn’t good enough for his image, all that talk.”

“Poor woman, I feel like crying right now,” Deux Moi gasped, “And how was Harry dealing with it?”

“Look, I can’t believe I’m saying that but I feel like there was just so much manipulation happening? I don’t know, I don’t know, because Harry really did love Y/N. He—Actually, he still does. Like he’d be agreeing to all that stunt shit then be the good boyfriend to Y/N so to her, it sort of felt like she didn’t really have the right to complain. Like he’d tell her that it was basically work, that he loves her, that it’ll all end soon, and she, you know, she took it all in and tried to go on with it to be a supportive girlfriend.”

“This is literally a toxic relationship.”

“Which is so sad! It’s so sad, because—because they really did love each other so much,” Kyle said.

“Still toxic,” Deux Moi said, “Did Olivia know? About Harry and Y/N?”

“Yeah, yeah, she did,” Kyle answered, “And I’ve seen some people say that she was mean to Y/N and stuff, but that’s not true. They were both actually respectful towards one another.”

“Y/N is way better than I can be, because I don’t know how I’d act with Olivia if I were her.”

“We were all so shocked, but if this proves anything, it just proves how above and beyond Y/N was willing to go for her relationship—for Harry.”

Deux Moi hummed, “Then what happens?”

“Y/N did tell Harry about how uncomfortable the situation is. Like, he knew, but you know, he’d always assure her and all. But then,” they enunciated, “Harry missed her birthday for a sighting, with Olivia.”

A gasp was heard, “No fucking way. No way, are you kidding?”

“I wish I were,” Kyle said, “But I remember we were all trying to plan a night out and one of us told her that, like, Harry better leave the night for us to celebrate her and all, and she was like, “Oh, he’s not going to be here all day”, and we were like “What?” and she just said “He just has things to deal with and do” and then later, we find some pictures, like papped pictures of Harry and Olivia and everyone was like “Oh.””

“I’m so shocked right now. I literally don’t know what to say.”

“Yeah. We celebrated her birthday that night and she just—she just wasn’t happy, you know?”

“Yeah, can you blame her? Who can blame her?”

“Exactly,” Kyle agreed, “But then, like a day later, Harry made it up to her by taking her to the Amalfi Coast.”

“But is that even worth anything?”

“That’s what we were saying. Like, he missed her actual birthday, and for what? But Y/N was—she was still appreciative. In a way, she was just constantly convincing herself that it’s his work after all,” they said, “But then—”

“I’m always scared of what follows that.”

Kyle laughed, “It’s bad, alright? I wasn’t kidding when I told you earlier that it’s a sad story.”

“Oh you definitely weren’t.”

“Yeah so, you know these pictures of Harry and Olivia? When they were kissing on a yacht?”

“Oh yeah, know those. Kissing on a yacht is a classic when it comes to these stunts, I’m surprised they still do it.”

“Right?” Kyle laughed, “Yeah, after those Y/N was like—she was just reaching the breaking point, you know? She asked for space. It wasn’t necessarily a break, but just—just some space, and Harry respected it and he gave her space but he was like—he sent her flowers, sent her some letters, you know, stuff like that.”

“If it weren’t for the context, I would’ve said that was cute.”

“Right,” they chuckled, “But like, soon after, they went out for brunch and we all were—we were literally celebrating it because to us, that relationship—it was like you said, it was endgame. They were our favorite couple, so we were glad to see them working. But they got so much shit for that brunch date because there were paps and Harry’s management was, like, having none of it. Like they didn’t want Y/N in the picture when Olivia was in it.”

“That’s—Oh my God, that’s so fucking brutal.”

“Absolutely brutal. At that point, we all were sort of distancing ourselves from Harry. Everyone was trying to stay neutral, but we knew what was happening and it was just hurtful seeing what Y/N was going through,” they said, “So back to how Y/N loved interacting with the fans—they wanted her to stop that.”

“They wanted her to stop interacting with the fans?”

“Yeah, like to just cut it because it wasn’t good for Holivia but Y/N—she was like, no, you’re Harry’s management, you’re not mine.”

“Yes. Queen.”

“We were so proud of her!” Kyle exclaimed, “We were so proud,” they repeated.

“I feel like I’m proud of her and I don’t even personally know her.”

“Right? Right?” They laughed, “So yeah, she was just still interactive with fans over Twitter and like, Instagram comments and stuff.”

“She’s private on Instagram, right?”

“Yeah, she is,” they said, “But she’d always like some posts, comment on some stuff, stuff like that. She didn’t do it a lot, but it was still something she enjoyed—she still does it.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“I’m telling you, she’s—she’s just amazing.”

“So now, that’s when? Like was that nearing the breakup?”

“That was, like, months before their third anniversary,” Kyle answered, “So they celebrated their third year together and things were going fairly well—like, as good as it can get, at least. Until Harry’s show in Brixton, in May. The One Night Only show.”

“He had two, right?”

“Yeah, one in the UK, in Brixton, and the other in New York,” they answered, “They actually broke up on that day.”

“The one in Brixton?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t there for that one, but basically what happened was that—You know, Y/N was super supportive of Harry’s career. Like, she was his biggest fan and was literally the muse for all his love songs—like so many in Fine Line, and basically all of Harry’s House. Harry’s House is literally her album,” they said, “And I bet the next one as well but, anyway—so, she was there, of course. She was so excited to see him perform his new album, she basically was going on and on about how proud she was of him, how excited she was.”

“I’m so scared right now.”

“And then she was asked to stay backstage during the show.”

“Like—Like, not watch him from the crowd?”

“Yeah. His mom was there, his sister was there, so many of his friends—of our friends, everyone was going to stand there and actually watch him from the crowd but it was just Y/N that was told to stay back.”

“You have to be kidding.”

“I’m not. I wish,” they said, “But she was told to just, stay back and basically give her spot to Olivia,” Kyle said, “And Harry was—He was actually, like, okay with it.”

“No.”

“Yeah,” they confirmed, “You know, told her things like, it was just for a day, you’ll still get to see me, et cetera, et cetera, and she was just so broken at that point. So she stayed back, she watched him for like, some time, then she just left.”

“Like, left him?”

“She left the arena, yeah, and she called one of our friends and she was just—she was like, hysterically crying, like sobbing, and she was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore’. And nobody could blame her. So she just, like, went back, and packed her stuff. Then Harry caught her, like before she left, and she broke up with him.”

“For good?”

“Yeah, they never went back together after that,” they said, “And for the longest time, Y/N was devastated. It’s because—when you’re in a relationship, it’s like an investment. Like you invest with your time, with your energy, your efforts, your—your mental health, everything, and in a way, it felt like Y/N lost.”

“And what about Harry?”

“Look, Harry will never love anyone the way he loves Y/N, period,” they said, “He’s still not over her, he’s still not over their relationship, still not over what he’s done. He’s still, like, constantly beating himself up for it.”

“I can’t say I feel too bad, honestly.”

“It’s Karma in a way, I guess.”

“But how did he take it when Y/N got into a new relationship? Because Y/N and Joe Keery have been a hot topic ever since they got together.”

“God, he was absolutely crushed,” they said, “Joe is a great guy. He’s a great, great guy. He treats Y/N so well, puts her first, supports her, defends her. He’s—He’s basically the boyfriend Y/N truly deserves and Harry sees that.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t too far ago when he defended her on Instagram after Harry’s song about her got leaked.”

“Yeah, he’s just—he’s incredible.”

“Do you know when they met?”

“They met in 2021 if I remember correctly. They had a mutual friend, I think it was a creative director or something who worked on Stranger Things. And Joe had the biggest crush on her back then,” Kyle answered.

“Yeah, yeah, I remember he said that in an interview.”

“Yeah, and then they met again in, like, early 2022 as well, then after the breakup, like, I don’t know three months later, they went out for some coffee, then it was just—like really casual for a while even though Joe was smitten, but Y/N didn’t want to rush anything.”

“Can’t blame her.”

“Yeah, nobody can. So yeah, they took their time and everything.”

“But Harry’s not over her.”

“Harry’s not over her,” Kyle confirmed.

“God, that was heavy.”

It wasn’t long before Deux Moi and their guest moved to another celebrity gossip, making Joe pause before he stared at his phone for a few moments.

Everything was out in the open.

Between your sleeping state and Joe’s stressed one, was Harry who now seemed to get only bad news from his manager and friend, Jeff.

Going on social media was like a nightmare.

Not only was Harry getting cancelled, but so were Olivia and Jeff, while supportive messages, tweets, and edits were being sent your way.

“We owe Y/N an apology” was among the trends, sitting right on top of the 4 other relevant trending topics about you. After it came “#HarryStylesIsOver”, “Y/Noe”, “Holivia”, and “Thank you deuxmoi”.

The latter was a surprise to everyone, but never did anyone guess that a day would come where people would thank the celebrity gossip platform.

user

nobody believed me when I said y/n and harry were together and that he fucked her over. fuck harry, fuck olivia, fuck jeff, and fuck dwd.

user

Imagine your worst mistake being that you trusted the person you loved the most. #HarryStylesIsOver

user

WE OWE Y/N AN APOLOGY? NO! YOU owe her an apology because some of us still stuck by her side and knew that she wasn’t the evil guy in this. now yall wanna talk

user

idk who “kyle” is but thank you

user

I TOLD YOU HOLIVIA WAS FAKE!!! I TOLD YOU YNRRY WAS REAL!!!!

Countless of tweets, some angry, some sad, some supportive were being added by the second and Joe found himself growing nervous for when you woke up.

It was inevitable for you to wake up. A day of sleeping one was one you appreciated, and even more so after you freshened up and were ready for a day of doing absolutely nothing but chill with your boyfriend.

“Good morning,” you said, taking notice of Joe flinching on the couch, causing you to giggle, “Sorry.”

Joe forced a smile, standing up and meeting you halfway to press his lips to yours as he wrapped one arm around your waist, his other hand going into your hair to bring your head closer to his. Pulling back, you smiled, “Okay then,” you joked.

“Good sleep?”

You hummed, wrapping your arms around him in a hug as you closed your eyes in bliss, “So good.”

“You deserve it,” he said, kissing your head, “What do you want to have for breakfast?”

“I don’t know, anything,” you answered, “Some scrambled eggs sound nice.”

“And buttered toast?”

“And buttered toast.”

“Avocados?”

“God, I love you,” you shook your head with a smile, leaning to kiss him again, “Let me just grab my phone a-“

“Let’s not,” Joe quickly said.

Your eyebrows furrowed, a smile of confusion on your face.

“I just—I figured—We can just—We can disconnect for the day, how does that sound?” He asked, “Leave our phones, turn them off, just-just enjoy your break.”

You stayed quiet for a moment, tilting your head as you looked at him.

“You’re hiding something,” you said.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then why are your cheeks and ears all pink?” You raised an eyebrow, “What’s going on?”

“Is it too bad that I want us to be together without any distractions? Without any—”

“Joe.”

He pursed his lips, avoiding eye contact as he looked at the ceiling for a moment.

“What’s going on?” You asked again.

A sigh escaped his lips before he looked at you, “Someone—Someone you know just—” He paused.

You raised an eyebrow again, “Just what? Did someone die? Joe, oh my God, di—”

“No, no, nobody’s dead, baby. Everyone’s fine. Everyone’s okay,” he assured.

“Okay, then what is it?”

“Well, um,” he cleared his throat, “Uh, someone—you know,” he shrugged.

“I don’t.”

“How do they say this?” He muttered, scratching his chin, “Someone spilled the tea?”

“The tea?” You asked, “What tea?”

“Someone went on a podcast and they—they basically said every single thing about your past relationship. Your relationship with Harry.”

You stayed quiet, eyebrows going up, “Oh.”

“Oh,” Joe nodded.

“Everything?”

“From the moment you met,” he said quietly.

“Oh,” you repeated.

“Yeah,” he nodded unsurely, “I’m—I’m really sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you said quietly, “It’s not your fault. It’s—It’s nobody’s fault,” you added, “Who did that?”

“It was a guy, I think? Went with the name Kyle, like a pseudonym, but I don’t know. They could’ve distorted the voice, could be anyone.”

You hummed.

Joe looked at you, trying to asses your state before asking, “How are we feeling?”

“I’m not so surprised, honestly,” you answered, “I’m just—I’m so done with this, you know? I don’t know. I think—I think I just don’t care anymore.”

He nodded, rubbing your back soothingly, “I get it,” he said, “Do you want to address it?” He asked, “You know, they’re—everyone’s sending you support, some cute shit.”

“No, I won’t. I won’t address it,” you answered before sighing, “You know what I want?”

“What?”

“That scrambled eggs, the buttered toast, and those fucking avocados.”

To you, the day went well, and you knew that a huge reason why was that you did actually decide to take Joe’s advice and not check your phone. Instead, you and Joe had cooked breakfast and lunch together, had watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and decided to order takeout for the night.

To Joe, his mind was restless.

In a way, he felt like he needed to do something. Sure, he posted about you, he liked standing up for you, and he absolutely loved being a total sap on main—publicly and openly loving you, but something didn’t feel right.

He was smiling all night, loving on you and laughing with you, but his mind was all over the place. It wasn’t until you were asleep in his arms that he did what he felt was right.

Opening Instagram, he never had thought that he’d be the one to type in “harry styles” in the search bar and tap on your ex’s profile, but that was what he did before he also tapped on “Message”.

Strange enough, Joe was calm as he typed in his text:

Hey, Harry. I was hoping we can meet up soon to talk.

And stranger enough, was that his text was seen no more than 2 minutes after he sent it.

5 minutes passed before Joe received a reply.

Hello. Sure. When and where?

Joe then replied:

I’m currently in New Mexico but I’ll be in LA on Tuesday. Would that work for you?

And as if Harry had no idea that Joe was with you as you worked on Oppenheimer, he replied back:

Yes, I’m staying in LA for the time being. Tuesday works well.

Joe replied:

Great. We can meet at 6pm at my house since it’s the most private.

Harry then replied:

Okay. Is this about the recent podcast?

Joe replied:

Yes and no.

Harry replied:

Does Y/N know about this?

Joe replied:

No, she doesn’t.

Harry replied:

Okay. Send me the location and I’ll see you then.

Harry would have been lying if he said he wasn’t nervous, because of course he was. As someone who got into the acting world, scenarios ran through his mind like the ones he was offered; Joe was going to beat him up, or he was going to blackmail him, or he was going to tell him that Harry was the best choice for you and that didn’t seem like the worst scenario, although a cliché.

Days seemed to fly, or so it seemed to both Harry and Joe. The meeting was one that was discreet with neither’s friends knowing about it, even as Harry rang the doorbell to yours and Joe’s home.

Opening the door, Joe offered a very small smile, only stepping aside to let Harry in, “Come in,” he said.

Harry’s stomach was in twists; clammy palms against the sides of his thighs, erratic heartbeat that would definitely need medical attention at some point because there was no way that was normal.

“Want anything to drink?” Joe asked.

“Um, no, thank you,” Harry answered, sitting when Joe motioned towards the teal-colored couch—your favorite color on couches, although you wished you could have a cream-colored one but those seemed to be too much work, Harry remembered.

Joe sat on the chair opposite to it, a space between the two men that seemed occupied by tension and lingering awkwardness.

“Look,” Joe began, voice steady and calm, “I know this is weird. Like, really weird,” he said, “But I felt like it needed to happen.”

Harry pursed his lips, hands linked together as he looked at your boyfriend.

“I think we needed to talk, a long time ago. With how messy your relationship with Y/N was, and—and all the mess that’s been happening after it came to an end, I think I needed to talk to you,” Joe said, “Because it’s reaching a point where Y/N can’t catch her breath before something just, crashes down on her.”

Harry nodded.

“Look, I know I’m not your favorite person on earth,” Joe said, “And—No offense, you’re not mine either and I think that’s normal,” he put his hand out, “You’re her ex, I’m her boyfriend, and the situation isn’t ideal. It never really is. But I do respect you because you’re—you’re someone Y/N really appreciated at some point, and regardless of what happened, I know she still respects you and still cares about you because she’s just that kind of person.”

Harry, again, nodded.

“But I do know that with your status—with your place in the industry, you can put an end to all that,” he said, “It’s definitely hard getting over Y/N. I can’t imagine what you’re going through and I—To be honest with you, I don’t want to. I don’t want to be in your place, it’s not something I wish upon anyone, even you,” Joe said, “But I’m going to need you to just—to stop getting into her life like that. It’s not good for her, it’s not good for you, even, it’s not good for anyone.”

“How am I getting into her life?” For the first time, Harry spoke.

Joe sighed, “I know you still like her pictures on Instagram, you still—you’re not a stupid guy, Harry, you know exactly what I mean,” he said, “And like I said, I know that with your status, you can keep things on the down low. Give her some peace.”

“You know I wasn’t the person who said all these things on the podcast, right?”

“I’m not saying you are.”

“You’re—I think—I think you’re implying that I had something to do with it.”

“I never did,” Joe said, “But I do know that your management wants your name to be everywhere.”

“So, you are implying it,” Harry chuckled quietly.

“Look,” Joe took a breath, leaning forward a little, “I believe everything Y/N says, and I believed her when she told me that you aren’t your management. Your principles don’t align. I don’t know why you don’t take matters into your own hands. I don’t know whether it’s because you’re unsure, you’re scared, nervous, I don’t know, man, but what I’m saying is that you need to sit down with your management and actually set thing straight. Not for you, but for Y/N,” he said, “I get that they always say bad publicity is still publicity but we all know that’s bullshit.”

Harry stayed quiet.

“I don’t think you’re the worst person,” Joe said, “I think you do some stupid shit but I know you love Y/N and—and I can’t blame you for it and I can’t even ask you to just stop and move on, because having Y/N is one of the best goddamn gifts anyone can have.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Harry mumbled with a quiet chuckle.

“So all I’m asking is for you to talk with your management and do Y/N a favor.”

“Do her a favor or do you a favor?” Harry found himself asking, “Because I think—I think It seems like you’re trying to save your relationship.”

“There’s nothing for me to save it from,” Joe instantly said, “It doesn’t need to be saved. I’m confident in my relationship with Y/N.”

And that seemed to shut Harry up.

“What you and her had—that was real. It was great, until it wasn’t. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not gloating but I didn’t meddle in and ruin what you have. I waited and I kept my distance and things fell into place and it’s not my fault your relationship went to shit, man,” he said, “I’m trying to be nice. To be respectful, and I’m asking nicely.”

Harry stayed quiet for a moment before sucking in a breath, “Okay.”

Joe nodded slowly, “Alright.”

“Did you tell her? About this?” Harry motioned between them.

“No, I didn’t,” Joe answered, “And I won’t tell her.”

“She doesn’t really like secrets,” Harry said with a chuckle, joking.

“It’s only so that she doesn’t feel like I had to tell you to be a decent person,” Joe shot back.

Harry’s eyebrows went up, “Wow,” he nodded, “Thanks for that,” he sarcastically said.

Joe nodded, “No problem.”

“Well,” Harry let out a breath, “I’ll do what I have to do,” he said, “But um—Thank you, for being respectful.”

“Like I said, she respects you, so will I.”