#i think it Is ryan's best role.

[sciderman]

wait speaking of ryan reynolds have u seen the voices it's one of my favorite movies he's in. i'm kinda getting tired of seeing him play the same character in every movie so it was refreshing to see him playing something else.

i really quite like that movie! mostly because i have a massive honking crush on gemma arterton, as is my british birthright

[lilisouless]

I am seeing comments about the Barbie movie and oh god, are you telling me internet’s beauty standards went so high that now not even Ryan Gosling meets them?

[pedroscurls]

training partners (pt. 8)

summary: you try to ignore the feeling in the pit of your stomach, but hugh knows that you're acting differently after your conversation with jack. pairing: hugh jackman x fem!reader warnings: angst, implied age gap (hugh is 55, reader is in late 20s-early 30s), protective!hugh (and also protective!ryan and protective!shawn), mentions of toxic relationship - verbal abuse, reader has a panic attack, jack's an asshole (but no surprise there), no use of y/n. word count: 3k a/n: hope ya'll enjoyed this part - i know it's a big difference from the previous chapters as we are now getting into the angsty aspects of this story. also - please know that you're worthy, you're enough 🫶 as always, this is purely fictional! i mean no disrespect to hugh jackman. prev part. - next part.

“Baby?” Hugh whispers, his arm draped over the back of your chair. You’re both out to dinner with Ryan and Shawn. He’s noticed that in the last week since your conversation with Jack, that your mind has been drifting more frequently. He can tell there’s been a drastic change in the way you’ve been acting and he feels like you’re slowly pulling away. Hugh tries to help, tries to reassure you, but he knows that it doesn’t do much to ease your mind. 

Hugh finds it hard to focus this last week when all he can think about is you, but it makes for a very good performance when he’s on set. He can channel all his inner frustrations and anger that he’s been feeling towards Jack in his role as Logan. Hugh doesn’t know how to make things better, how to make things go back to normal.

When you smile, it doesn’t reach your eyes. When you laugh, it’s quiet. It’s like he can see the light beginning to dim in you and he knows exactly why. 

Even on set, he (and the rest of the cast and crew) can tell there’s been a shift in you. You would usually strike a conversation with just about anyone, but since the conversation with Jack, you’ve been keeping to yourself, just capturing the behind-the-scenes moments. 

When you turn slightly to look up at Hugh, you find that your mind has drifted again. You’ve tried to block out the things that Jack has said in the conversation you had with him last week, try to remind yourself that he no longer has this much control over you, but it’s hard. It’s fucking difficult. There are still some parts of the conversation that you haven’t even told Hugh because you know that if you do, he’d get angry. Livid. 

And you don’t want that. You don’t need to burden Hugh with that, with Jack. 

It feels like you’re back at square one. You don’t feel like yourself. You don’t feel like you deserve Hugh – Jack’s words replay over and over in your mind and you can’t escape it. Even despite Hugh doing his best to make sure that you’re okay, to make sure that you know how much he loves you, you can’t help the thoughts that linger. 

“Yeah?” you finally respond, biting the inside of your cheek. “Sorry. Did I space out again?”

Hugh nods, leaning in to whisper into your ear. “You sure you don’t wanna go back to the hotel? Call it an early night?” 

“I’m okay, Hugh” you reassure him, reaching out to rest a hand on his thigh. “I promise.”

Hugh doesn’t want to push you or this subject further, so he nods in response and leans in to kiss your temple. “Well, if you change your mind, you let me know, okay? Shawn and Ryan will understand.” 

You respond with a gentle kiss on his cheek, pulling back enough to look into his eyes. You can see the concern in his eyes, can see the way he’s trying to search for any uncertainty in your own. You feel a sudden wave of emotions hit you, tears beginning to pool at your eyes at the sight of him. You love him, so fucking much, so why can’t you forget what Jack said? 

“I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be back,” you tell him, pulling away to stand up when you feel your tears begin to trickle down your cheeks. You excuse yourself from the table and walk down the hallway to the bathroom. 

Hugh sighs after you and then turns his attention back to Shawn and Ryan, grabbing his drink and lifting it to his lips. 

“Everything okay?” Shawn asks.

Hugh shrugs. “I hope so.” 

“She has seem a bit… Sad this last week,” Ryan points out. “What did you do?” he teases, trying to lighten the mood. 

Hugh shakes his head. “Her ex-boyfriend called her last week and she–” he sighs. “Well, that relationship was just very toxic from what she’s told me.” 

Ryan and Shawn both let out a quiet sigh, eyes filled with concern and understanding. “What can we do to help?” 

“Not sure there is anything that I can even do to help,” Hugh admits. “She says she’s fine, that things are okay, but I can’t help but feel like she’s only saying that to make sure I’m not worried.” 

“Does she need a break?” Shawn asks. “She can take the rest of the week off if she wants and–”

“No,” Hugh interrupts. “She told me that he’s actually here and I’d feel more comfortable if she was with us, with me…” he sighs. “Does that make me seem too overprotective? I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before and I just don’t want to come across as…” Hugh shrugs. “I don’t know.” 

“That why you’ve been acting a little bit more broody and angry when we’ve been filming?” Ryan asks.

“Gotta let out some of the frustration somehow,” Hugh answers. 

“Well, I’m sure that having you here is enough,” Shawn says. “Things will work itself out, Hugh.” 

“I know, mate,” Hugh sighs. “But I just feel like her light’s dimming,” he admits. “And I don’t know how to help her.” 

“Just be there for her,” Ryan says. “Easier said than done and it might seem like you need to be doing more, but just being there for her–” he nods. “She’ll come back around.” 

“I just love her, y’know,” Hugh says with a sigh. 

“Oh, we know,” Ryan chuckles. 

Hugh smiles at that. “Thanks for letting me talk,” he says. “Guess I needed to talk about it somehow.” 

—

You’re walking back towards the table when you see him, when you see Jack. He doesn’t see you, but he’s got an arm wrapped around another woman. You feel a pounding in your chest, a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. You lean back against the wall, trying to catch your breath but it feels like you can’t. You shut your eyes, trying to focus on your breathing, to focus on calming down, but all you can think about are the things that Jack has said in the past.

It’s your fault. You make me this way. 

You’re crazy and delusional. It’s all in your head.

You’re just convenient for me, that’s all you are. 

You’re worthless. 

A sense of dread washes over you and your breath comes in short pants. The walls feel like its closing in on you and tears begin to stroll down your cheeks. 

You and Hugh Jackman? Ha! Give him some time. He’ll see what I saw. 

Hugh. 

Hugh. 

Hugh.

You need to get to him, to be near him. When you open your eyes, you see Jack staring straight at you with a sinister smirk on his lips. The recognition flashes across his features and he’s about to walk towards you when another man from the corner of his eye catches his attention.

He steps back and then turns his back to you, focusing back to the woman that he had come here with.

You’re frozen in the hallway, feet glued to the floor as your hands begin to tremble. You’re still short of breath, but when you feel a gentle hand on your shoulder, it suddenly takes you out of the panic attack and you step back immediately. Your eyes scan the person in front of you, tears streaked down your cheeks, and chest heaving rapidly.

“Hey, hey,” he says quietly. 

Ryan. 

“What’s going on?” You try to focus on Ryan’s voice, but it doesn’t help. You glance over his shoulder to see Jack still at the bar. 

“I–” you gasp quietly. “I think I would like to go back to the hotel now.” 

“Okay,” he whispers. “Can you– Can you walk?” 

“He’s here,” you blurt out. “He’s here and he knows I’m here and I can’t– Hugh can’t–”

“Who’s here?” Ryan asks, turning around to look out at the restaurant. No one looks familiar to him, but then he remembers what Hugh had mentioned earlier. “Is it your ex? Hugh told us and–”

You nod rapidly, hands reaching out to grip his shirt. “Ryan…”

“Okay, okay,” he says, taking your hands and holding it tightly. Firmly. Reassuringly. “Let’s get you back to the table. We don’t have to let Hugh know, but we gotta get back there.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper. “You probably need to go to the bathroom and I’m just– I’m just bothering you and–”

“No, no,” Ryan says softly. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Let’s go.” Ryan then wraps a protective arm around your shoulders, leading you back towards the table in the corner of the restaurant. You glance off to the side to see Jack’s eyes lingering on your frame, winking in your direction. 

Ryan catches your gaze and takes note of the other man, immediately tightening his jaw. He knows that if Hugh is aware of Jack being here that it wouldn’t end nicely. 

Once back at the table, Hugh immediately stands up, eyes wide and brows furrowed. “What happened?” 

“We should go,” Ryan says, avoiding the question. “We should go now.” 

Hugh takes you into his arms, his strong arms wrapping around your frame. Once he does, you break down against his chest. You feel like you can finally take a breath, can feel the panic and dread slowly dissipate. You feel safe. In his arms, you feel safe. 

“Okay, can you guys close out and we’ll meet you outside?” Hugh asks, glancing over at Ryan. 

“Yeah, we got this. Go and grab the car.” Shawn says, waving down a waitress to grab the check. 

You pull back to look up at Hugh, seeing the concern written all over his face. “I’m sorry,” you say quietly. “I’m sorry I ruined dinner. I didn’t mean to and I just–” you feel your breath catch in your throat.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Hugh says quietly. “You didn’t ruin dinner, baby. You don’t even have to apologize.” 

He brings his hands up to your cheeks, wiping your tears away and placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. “Let’s go home, yeah?” 

You nod and then follow him out the restaurant. You look back at the bar and don’t see Jack, letting out a sigh of relief. Once outside, Hugh walks over to the valet and lets the younger man know that they’re ready to leave. After a few minutes, Shawn and Ryan join the both of you outside, waiting for the car to be pulled up to the front. 

Until you hear his voice. 

“Wow, I’m such a huge fan!” Jack grins, walking up to you and Hugh. “I’m actually a big fan of all of you.”

“Hey, mate, not tonight, okay?” Hugh says politely, having no idea who this man was.

Ryan remembers the look on your face from earlier and so he steps in and rests a hand on the man’s shoulder, leading him away from Hugh and from you. “Hey, man. Thank you. Do you want a picture?” 

Jack tightens his jaw, but his smile still remains on his lips. “That’d be great!” he feigns interest, taking his phone out and lifting it in the air to take a selfie with Ryan. Once the picture was taken, the car and valet pulls up to the front and Hugh opens the door for you to climb in.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, sweetheart,” Jack says, winking in your direction.

Hugh tightens his jaw and looks down at you, seeing the way you freeze up. He glances over at Jack and then over at Ryan who simply shakes his head. He puts two and two together and suddenly, Hugh turns around and approaches Jack. Hugh’s much taller, much larger, but Jack’s never been a man to be intimidated by another. So, he steps up to Hugh, a smirk remaining on his lips. 

“Excuse me?” Hugh says, hands curling into fists. “What did you just say?” 

“I think I was talking to the woman, not you.” 

“Yeah?” Hugh replies. “Well, I think I’m talking to you right now.”

“Hugh…” you call out, shaking your head. “Baby, please. Can we just go?” 

Jack chuckles and leans up to whisper quietly enough so that Hugh’s the only one who can hear what he’s about to say. “Tell me, Hugh… She still feel real good around you? I mean, she’s always been so tight but–”

Hugh growls lowly and grabs the other man by the lapel of his jacket, his grip tight. “Stay away from her, y’hear me?” 

“Or what?” Jack grins. 

“You’ll find out.” 

Ryan and Shawn step in to pull Hugh away, trying to de-escalate the situation before anyone can take a picture or video of this interaction. 

“Hugh,” Ryan says. “We gotta go, come on. She wants to go.” 

Hugh stares at Jack with a tightened jaw, eyes narrowed. He doesn’t seem to hear Ryan as he holds Jack’s intense gaze, hand still holding a firm grip on his jacket. 

“Hugh,” Shawn says, gently taking Hugh’s hand away. “This won’t look good, buddy. Ryan’s right. We have to leave now.” 

Hugh tightens his jaw and releases his hold on Jack, shoving him away in the process. “If you try to contact her or try to see her–”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Jack interrupts. Then, he looks over at you and winks, seeing the way you immediately climb into the car. 

Hugh’s about to take another step forward when Ryan and Shawn hold him back and turn him around. “He’s not worth it, Hugh. He’s just a kid. Let’s go.” 

Hugh shrugs their hands off of him and climbs into the car, immediately sliding in next to you. You’re staring out the window, tears falling from your cheeks. Hugh wants to reach out for you, but instead chooses not to. He’s still so upset and he needs to calm down before he can try to talk to you. 

Ryan and Shawn climb into the car and you all begin making your way back to the hotel. You’re sniffling, but you try to stifle it, try to keep quiet so you don’t have to bother the rest of the guys with how you’re feeling. You already feel bad that you’ve ruined dinner and that you’re the reason why Hugh almost got into a fight. 

It’s always because of you. You. You. 

Once at the hotel, you climb out and still give Shawn and Ryan a hug. They both hold on just a bit longer before they look down at you, eyes filled with so much concern. 

“You’re okay,” Shawn reassures you. “We got you.”

Ryan nods in agreement. “Whatever you need, you give us a call, okay?” 

You smile and nod, turning back to see Hugh with his hands in his pockets. You can tell he’s still fuming, can tell that he’s still thinking about his interaction with Jack. He leads you to the elevators and back to the hotel room without a word, but once inside, Hugh turns to you and wraps his arms around you tightly. 

“I’m so sorry,” Hugh whispers, face burying into the crook of your neck. 

“Why are you sorry?” you ask, slowly wrapping your arms around his shoulders. You can feel the weight being lifted off your chest, can feel yourself finally begin to relax. “I’m sorry… I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I should have known that maybe he could have been there. I should have–”

Hugh shakes his head and pulls back to look down at you. “We’re gonna fix this, okay? We’re gonna make this better. I’m gonna make this better.” 

“I know, baby…” you reply quietly. “I just–” you clear your throat. “I don’t know how to snap out of this. I promise I’m trying not to let him control me, but… It’s just hard. I saw him earlier when I was coming back from the bathroom and I just couldn’t move… I couldn’t catch my breath, my body was trembling, but all I wanted was you.”

“I’m right here, baby,” Hugh reassures you, hand moving up to cup your cheek. “I’m right here.”

You nod, tears stinging your eyes. “I just don’t want to burden you with things from my past…”

“You won’t, you aren’t. I love you so much,” Hugh whispers. “And I want to know everything, if you’ll let me.” 

“But what if–”

“I won’t.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say…”

“I’ve got a feeling,” he smiles softly. “Nothing about your past will change the way I feel about you.” 

“It’s just going to show you how weak of a person I am, how I couldn’t even stand up for myself and…” you breath hitches. 

“Your relationship with Jack isn’t a reflection of you as a person,” Hugh says quietly. “You’re strong. You’re passionate. You’re kind…” he leans in and brushes his nose with yours. “And Jack’s an asshole who saw those traits as a way to manipulate you.”

“Hugh…” You bite your lower lip, looking into his eyes. 

“And if I see him again, I’m going to fucking kick his ass.” Hugh growls, voice low. 

It shouldn’t have gotten you excited, but hearing him say those words and seeing the way he’s so protective of you… turns you on. You nod and play with the hair at his nape, resting your forehead against him. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, okay?” 

Hugh sighs. “I just care about you so much, baby. I want to protect you from everything bad in this world, including that jackass.” 

You snort, “I see what you did there.” 

Hugh smiles. “I’m serious, baby.”

“You’re my safe place, Hugh,” you admit. “I hope you know that.” 

Hugh bites his lower lip and nods, taking your words close to his heart. He pecks your lips and then shuts his eyes, wrapping his arms tighter around your frame. “I love you, baby. You’ll always be safe with me. I promise.”

---

taglist (if links don't work, i'm sorry!): @corvusmorte - @dragonqueen89 - @whimsiwitchy - @kellyxo1

@wolviehugh - @moonxknightx - @sullyselena - @angelofthorr - @spectorrrhgf

@needz1nk - @fandomxo00 - @godlypresley - @kythefangirl25 - @callsignyourmom

@sue8724 - @squishyfruitloop - @sylviavf - @emotrash1 - @dissentientss

@sir-thisisadndserver - @absolutepie - @millajay - @itsallyscorner - @haytchee

@wolverigrl - @its-in-the-woods - @d3ad2you - @definitely-not-chill

[inkmonster21]

Short n’ Sweet💋

Hugh Jackman x Fem!Sister!Reynolds!Reader

Warnings: SMUT

Part 08

Series Masterlist

Pick Me Up, Pull ‘Em Down, Turn Me ‘Round

💋💛💋💛💋💛💋💛💋💛💋💛💋💛💋💛💋

The energy in the room is palpable as the final table read before filming begins. Excitement buzzes in the air, and the cast members chat amongst themselves, eager to dive into their roles.

You and Hugh sit side by side, sharing an intimate connection despite the bustling room around you. The weight of the upcoming months of filming hangs in the air, a mix of anticipation and excitement filling your thoughts.

Ryan walks into the room, his expression emotionless as he ignores your friendly smile. Your eyes roll slightly at his childish behavior. "Such a child," you mutter under your breath, shaking your head in mild frustration.

Hugh observes the interaction, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face at Ryan's immaturity. The table read continues, and the underlying tension between Hugh and Ryan becomes more palpable. Their words are delivered with a hint of animosity that can't be masked no matter how well the script is written. It's as if their personal feud seeps through the characters they're playing. The cast and crew around you exchange curious glances, sensing the unspoken hostility between the two men.

Frustration rises within you as you observe the tension between Hugh and Ryan. You sigh and run a hand through your hair, accepting that you'll have to step up as the mature party in this situation. Your mind races, contemplating how to diffuse the tension and mend the rift between them.

Ryan makes his way towards the exit, but just before he reaches the door, your voice rings out.

"Ryan! Wait!"

He pauses in his tracks, glancing back at you with a mixture of surprise and irritation. "What?" he responds curtly, his tone clipped. “Can we talk? Please?”

Ryan hesitates for a moment, his expression guarded. He lets out a sigh, acknowledging the pleading tone in your voice. "Fine, we can talk," he relents, gesturing for you to follow him out of the room.

Hugh observes keenly as you leave with Ryan, the hope in his eyes evident. He's aware of the value of his friendship with Ryan, but he doesn't desire to sacrifice his newly-formed relationship with you to rekindle it. This situation leaves him in a tough position, torn between loyalty and his growing affection for you.

“Ryan, slow down,” you say as you trail behind him, but he doesn’t listen. “I’m sorry, okay?”

Ryan comes to a halt, his footsteps slowing as he turns back to face you. "You're sorry?" he repeats, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

His frustration is evident in his pacing, and he runs a hand through his hair in agitation. "Sorry for what exactly?" he asks, his tone still laced with irritation. You sigh, “for lying to you and going behind your back. I- I didn’t know it would become this. I want my brother back.”

Ryan's shoulders sag slightly at your confession, his anger mixing with a touch of vulnerability. He lets out a sigh, his irritation gradually fading. "You kept something huge from me. Did you not think I deserved to know?"

“Yes, you do, and even Blake told me,” Ryan's surprise is evident as he cuts you off, his voice filled with disbelief at your revelation. "Blake knew?!"

The information seems to catch him off guard, and he takes a moment to let it sink in, a mixture of shock and hurt crossing his face.

Ryan pauses for a moment, his expression shifting from disbelief to mild anger as he processes your words. "So, not only did you and my best friend keep it a secret, but my wife knew and didn’t feel the need to tell me either. Great," he mutters, his tone laced with sarcasm and disappointment.

Ryan's frustration is evident as he shakes his head, his words carrying a mix of irritation and disappointment. "You're unbelievable," he mutters, before turning and walking away.

You watch him leave, a sense of despair settling on you as you realize that your attempts at reconciliation might have backfired.

You make your way back to find Hugh, the weight of disappointment weighing heavily on you. As you plop down in your seat, a sigh escapes your lips, and you express your pessimism.

"He's never going to forgive me," you murmur, the frustration and resignation clear in your voice. Hugh notices your defeated expression and a pang of concern immediately flickers across his face. He scoots over, sitting closer to you, his arm gently encircling your shoulders.

"Hey," he says quietly, his voice laced with concern. "It’s okay, baby."

Hugh feels your lips against his cheek, and his concern morphs into a mixture of comfort and reassurance. He tightens his arm around you, pulling you closer, providing a safe haven for you to lean on.

"It’s gonna be alright," he murmurs, his voice laced with conviction and tenderness, hoping to ease your worries.

Hugh's warm kisses trail along your shoulder, stirring a soft sigh from your lips. He glances at you with a smile, his eyes sparkling with affection.

"Let's go to dinner," he says, his voice laced with a hint of excitement. "Just the two of us. No distractions, no drama. Just us." You smile, “just us, happens to be my favorite thing.”

A warm smile curves up Hugh's lips as you express your fondness for spending time together without distractions.

"Just us is my favorite thing too," he agrees, his eyes locking onto yours. "No matter what happens, as long as we have each other, we'll be alright. I promise."

The evening is filled with excitement as you and Hugh make a public appearance together. Everywhere you go, people can't help but take notice. Flashes from cameras, requests for autographs, and countless compliments fill the air.

Through it all, you and Hugh remain steadfast in each other's presence, seemingly basking in the attention. You can feel the genuine happiness radiating from him, a testament to the blissful connection you share.

Hugh carefully captures a picture of you and him, the camera focusing on the undeniable happiness etched on both of your faces. The night sky serves as a backdrop, the city lights twinkling below like tiny diamonds against the dark canvas.

A smile tugs at his lips as he lowers his phone. He looks at the image on the screen, then back at you, his heart swelling with love.

"We should frame this," he remarks, his voice filled with warmth and contentment. You giggle and take his phone, “we should post this.”

Hugh raises an eyebrow curiously as you take his phone from his hands, a hint of surprise in his expression. "We should...?" he repeats, his voice carrying a slight trace of uncertainty.

Hugh watches with a mixture of curiosity and surprise as you quickly air drop the picture to your phone and open Instagram. His eyes widen slightly, realizing your intention.

"Wait, you're serious?" he asks, a hint of playfulness in his tone as he can't help but grin at your smirk. Hugh shakes his head, a mixture of bemusement and affection crossing his face as he watches you craft the caption and hit the 'Post' button. A soft chuckle escapes his lips, and he takes a step closer to you.

Within the hour, the photo of you and Hugh spreads like wildfire, the internet ablaze with discussion and speculation. The news outlets and gossip sites quickly jump on the bandwagon, fueling the curiosity.

The consensus is that the smiles on your faces are too genuine, too authentic to be anything but real. Comments and theories swirl, ranging from speculations about a publicity stunt to outright declarations that the two of you are indeed a couple.

The TikTok community quickly jumps onto the bandwagon, analyzing every detail, from red carpet appearances to public outings. Many users are quick to pinpoint the Eras tour as the pivotal moment where your relationship first took off. Theories abound, with countless videos dissecting subtle moments, glances, and seemingly innocent interactions during that night.

The next morning Megan is sitting next to you in the makeup chair, her eyes glued to the screen as she scrolls through the barrage of videos dissecting your relationship timeline. She lets out a huff of disbelief, shaking her head in amazement.

"Honestly, it's impressive and a little terrifying," she remarks with a mixture of amusement and concern. "They've got some seriously sharp eyes and detective skills. The FBI should take notes! They could solve cold cases in no time!"

You close your eyes as the makeup artist begins your eyeshadow, "You're right, they're like a digital sleuth squad," you reply, a smirk on your face. "I sometimes feel like they know more about my love life than I do."

Alic, the makeup artist grins, as he steers the conversation. "Speaking of love life..." he begins, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

You meet his gaze, sipping your coffee. "Everything's going amazingly," you admit, a small smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

Megan scoffs, a slight frown marring her features. "Yeah, besides Ryan still being a pain in the ass about it,"

You huff and nod, “I want things to be better with my brother, but sometimes it feels like he's making it impossible." Alic waves a hand, “he’ll get over it. You could’ve done a lot worse. I mean, Hugh is such a gentleman, so nice, so fucking hot.”

A chuckle escapes your lips, and you nod in agreement. "You're right. Hugh is all of those things, and more," you say, a hint of pride and affection in your voice.

"Sometimes, I still can't believe he chose me," you add, a soft smile playing on your lips as you think about your incredible boyfriend.

Hugh arrived early for your shoot, but Ryan is already present, overseeing the set and barking orders. Hugh stands to the side, observing as Ryan takes charge, his gaze occasionally flickering to you. You're seated in front of the mirror as the makeup artist works their magic, transforming your face with every brush stroke. Meanwhile, the hairstylist carefully styles your hair, creating a look that's perfect for your upcoming shoot.

As Ryan strides over, a frown on his face, he addresses Hugh with a sharp question. "What are you doing here?" he asks, his voice laced with irritation and annoyance.

Hugh's response is calm and composed, his voice filled with genuine sincerity. "I'm just here to show my support," he replies, a small smile on his face.

He looks at Ryan, the past weeks of strained relations visible in his eyes. "We're still friends, right?" Ryan glances in your direction, then turns back to Hugh, his expression conflicted. The thought of you and Hugh together troubles him deeply. His protective brother instincts kick in, and he can't help but imagine the worst-case scenarios.

Ryan takes a deep breath, his irritation shifting into determination. He's going to make sure that Hugh is deserving of your love, and he'll keep a watchful eye on your relationship.

Ryan exhales, his voice tinged with a mix of emotions. "Can you just give me some time to get used to this?"

Ryan struggles to keep his disappointment and concern at bay. He wants to support your relationship, but it's an adjustment he needs time to come to terms with.

Hugh nods understandingly, a small smile curving up his lips. "Yeah, mate," he replies, acknowledging Ryan's plea for time.

Hugh's expression softens as he senses the mixed emotions in Ryan's voice. He knows this is difficult for Ryan to embrace, considering you're his sister, but he's willing to be patient and give him the space he needs.

Hugh approaches you, a warm smile on his face, and gently places his hand on your thigh in a comforting gesture. He leans in, about to press a kiss to your lips, when suddenly Ryan's voice cuts through the air.

"Hey, save that for when this shoot is done," Ryan calls out, his voice sharp and tense. A small smile tugs at the corners of your mouth as Ryan intervenes, preventing Hugh from kissing you. Despite the tension, you can't help but appreciate the familiar protective instinct in his voice. It feels a bit more like the Ryan you know.

You look over at Hugh, sharing a knowing glance, both of you silently acknowledging Ryan's attempt to play the overprotective brother role. With a quick glance at Ryan, who's busy directing the crew, you seize the moment. You lean over and swiftly plant a small peck on Hugh's lips, a mischievous smile on your face.

As you continue chatting with Hugh, lost in your own affectionate world, Megan interrupts with a wave of a garment in her hand. "Time to change," she declares, drawing your attention to the outfit she has selected for your upcoming shoot.

You take in the sight of the outfit before you, your eyes widening in surprise and approval. It was red, sexy, daring, and incredibly hot. The fabric hugs all the right curves and exposes just the right amount of skin. Your heart skips a beat, and a wicked grin spreads across your face.

You slip into the hot outfit, meticulously chosen to give off an alluring vibe. You then slip on the pair of high heels that completes the look, and the makeup artist adds the final touches, accentuating your features perfectly. You stand in this sexy attire, feeling both nervous and excited for the shoot ahead.

In the midst of all the preparations, Barry suddenly appears from behind you, his voice cheerful and familiar. "Hey, (y/n)," he calls out, a wide smile on his face as he approaches you.

You greet Barry warmly, wrapping your arms around him in a friendly embrace. "It's great to see you," you reply, your smile genuine.

You and Barry had crossed paths on more than a few occasions since you both frequented the party scene, always sharing brief, pleasant exchanges.

You appreciated having such a talented actor as Barry in your video, but there was a small part of you that couldn't help but wish it were Hugh. You tried to push the thought away, reminding yourself that this was just a job, but your mind still strayed to your beloved boyfriend.

Ryan's authoritative voice rang out across the set, announcing the beginning of shooting. "Alright, we're starting with the restaurant scene!"

With Ryan's words, a sense of focus and anticipation washes over everyone. The crew adjusts their cameras and prepares the set, getting ready to capture the upcoming scene.

A soft smile on his face, Hugh plants a tender kiss on your head and gives your butt a playful pat as you make your way toward your marked position. A small giggle escapes your lips, a sense of excitement and anticipation coursing through you.

The doors to the restaurant set are right in front of you, and you take your place diligently, ready to play your part in the scene that's about to unfold.

Barry takes your hand firmly, guiding you through the restaurant's entrance. The actor portraying the pizza owner nods at Barry, maintaining the illusion of a scripted interaction. As the scene unfolds, Barry leads you toward the back, your character appearing confused and unsure of what's to come.

Just an innocent girl, seemingly out of her element, your eyes dart around the surroundings as you try to understand the situation you've unwittingly stumbled into.

The large freezer door creaks open, revealing a group of intimidating mob members gathered around a table. Money is stacked in front of them, the bills spread out across the surface. A cold shiver runs down your spine as you take in the scene, the reality of the situation you've stumbled into becoming increasingly clear.

Ryan's voice calls out, "Cut!" There's a smile on his face, signaling the successful completion of the scene. He nods in approval, satisfied with your performance. "That was good," he adds, appreciation in his voice.

Ryan directs you to stand beside the open freezer door, preparing for the next phase of the scene. "Onto the freezer fight," he orders, gesturing for you to take your place.

You obligingly move to the designated spot, the open door acting as your backdrop. The actors involved in the fight scene take their positions behind you. Your character, in contrast, is tasked with lip-syncing to the song playing while the actors engage in the brawl.

The subsequent scene calls for your character to comfort the actor playing Barry, who has been injured during the fight scene. You're instructed to sit on the trunk of the car and tenderly cradle his bruised face against your chest. You grasp his face with gentle yet firm hands, delivering your line with a mixture of concern and assertiveness. "Don't embarrass me, motherfucker," you say firmly, playing out the character's strict rules.

Hugh observed from behind the camera, his eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before him. His hands clenched into tight fists, his jaw set in a taut line. A pang of jealousy pierced through him, but he tried to remind himself that it was just an act, just part of the job.

However, his attempt at rationalization was futile as he couldn't help but acknowledge your talent. Your portrayal of the character was so believable that it almost seemed real.

Ryan, ever observant, notices the subtle signs of jealousy etched across Hugh's face. He glances at Hugh, watching as he silently seethes while witnessing the scene unfold. Ryan's eyes narrow slightly, a small frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Ryan's expression softened, his dislike for the scene evident on his face. However, he refrained from protesting further, understanding that he didn't want to create any tension between you and Hugh. Despite his reservations, Ryan recognized that it was just acting, a part of the job that you had both willingly taken on.

As the end of the workday approached, you were caught up in the usual routine of removing makeup and changing out of your wardrobe. Meanwhile, Ryan made a decision and promptly called out to Hugh, signaling for him to approach. Hugh turned towards Ryan, curiosity etched across his face. He approached the director, ready to hear whatever it was he had to say.

Ryan exhaled heavily, a mixture of exhaustion and mild frustration in his voice. "Went well, didn't it?" he commented, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Hugh nodded in agreement, knowing that the day's shoot had indeed been successful. "Yeah, it did," he replied, his voice composed but tinged with a hint of defensiveness.

Ryan initiated the conversation, his expression earnest as he spoke. "Look, man, I'm sorry," he repeated, sincerity in his voice.

Hugh raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't been expecting the apology, but he listened patiently, waiting for Ryan to continue. Ryan exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair in a weary gesture. "I'm sorry for being such a dick about you and Y/N. I need to just accept the situation," he admitted, a hint of resignation in his voice.

Hugh's surprise at Ryan's apology was evident on his face, but mixed in with the surprise was a glimmer of happiness. He hadn't expected such a change in Ryan's attitude, but he hoped that it meant a step in the right direction for the tension between them to ease.

Ryan continued, his tone more light-hearted now. "And as an official apology, and a way to make it better," he began, his tone suddenly becoming more playful, "how about you take the lead in the video, just like Y/N wanted?"

Hugh's eyes widened in surprise, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. He looked at Ryan, not quite sure he had heard correctly. Was he being offered the main role in the music video, just like you had wanted all along?

Hugh smiled, touched by Ryan's apology and genuine concern. "I appreciate that, man," he responded warmly, his voice sincere. "I care about our friendship too, mate. I don't want any bad blood between us." Ryan nodded in agreement, his expression determined. "Then come in tomorrow, same time, and we can reshoots this with you," he repeated, his voice firm but friendly.

Hugh nodded back, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'll be here," he confirmed, a sense of excitement at the prospect of leading the video coursing through him.

Ryan leaned in closer, his glare intensifying, and spoke in a low, menacing tone. "One more thing," he said, his voice laced with warning.

"If you ever hurt her, I will for real kill you."

Hugh swallowed hard, the gravity of Ryan's words not lost on him. He knew the director's threat was real, and he wasn't about to take it lightly. "I'm serious man," Ryan continued, his eyes boring into Hugh's, "don't underestimate me."

Hugh nodded, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. "I won't," he replied, his voice firm and sincere. "I promise."

With the conversation with Ryan over, Hugh made a decision. He decided to keep the news of the reshoot a surprise for you. After all, the element of surprise could make the revelation even sweeter.

Hugh entered your apartment, a satisfied smile on his face. "I think it went well," he remarked, closing the door behind him and making his way towards you. You shrugged, a mixture of exhaustion and weariness evident in your gesture. The long day of filming had taken its toll on you, and you were ready to relax and unwind.

Hugh wraps his arms around you, pulling you close. His lips begin to trail a path from your shoulder up your neck, planting soft, tender kisses against your skin, as if he was trying to erase the tiring day's memories.

"Tired?" Hugh questioned in a soft, hushed tone, his breath warm against your ear as he nibbled on it gently. The weariness was evident not just in your body language, but also in the way you leaned into his embrace, craving the comfort and warmth.

You leaned further into him, a playful tone in your voice. "Not tired enough for you," you responded, a hint of mischief in your eyes. Despite your fatigue, the desire for him and his touch still burned strongly within you.

Hugh's hands glide up your body, cupping your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples, already taut with arousal through your thin T-shirt. He raised the shirt over your head softly, letting it fall to the floor. He teases them, making you squirm, before taking each nipple into his mouth, sucking and nibbling gently. Pleasure shoots through your body, and you clutch at his shoulders, digging your nails into his skin.

"Please, Hugh," you whisper, breathless. "I need more." He smiles against your skin, his breath hot, and slowly lowers himself to his knees making you lean against the couch. He pulls the leggings and panties down your legs at a slow pace. He parts your thighs gently, his hands caressing the sensitive skin of your inner thighs, making you tremble.

Hugh's warm breath fans over your wetness, making you gasp. He leans forward, his tongue tracing your slit, teasingly light. You shudder, grasping his hair, urging him on without words. He understands, his mouth claiming your clit, sucking gently, then flicking his tongue over the sensitive bud.

Your head falls back as pleasure spirals through your body. Hugh's mouth is relentless, his tongue and lips working in perfect harmony. He explores every inch of your pussy, tasting, licking, and sucking until you're writhing and moaning, on the edge of release.

"Oh God, Hugh," you cry out, your fingers tightening in his hair. "I'm gonna come..."

He hums his approval, the vibration sending you over the edge. Your orgasm crashes over you, wave after wave of pleasure, as Hugh continues to feast on your pussy, drawing out every last tremor.

As your trembling subsides, Hugh stands, his eyes dark with desire. You reach for him, wanting to return the favor. He lets you unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants, revealing his hard length, straining against his boxers. You kneel before him, mirroring his earlier actions.

With slow, deliberate movements, you pull down his boxers, freeing his thick cock. It springs towards you, the head glistening with pre-cum. You wrap your hand around the base, pumping slowly, reveling in his soft groan of pleasure.

"That's it, baby," he encourages, his hand stroking your hair. "Take your time."

You lean forward, licking the tip of his cock, tasting the saltiness of his arousal. Hugh's hands grip your shoulders as you take him deeper, inch by inch, into your mouth. You suck and swirl your tongue, savoring his taste, his moans spurring you on.

You establish a rhythm, taking him deep into your throat, then pulling back to lick and tease the sensitive underside of his shaft. Hugh's hands tighten on your head, his hips thrusting gently, meeting your rhythm.

"Fuck, you're incredible," he grunts, his voice strained. "I'm close..."

You increase your pace, your hand tightening around the base of his cock, stroking in time with your mouth. Hugh's breath becomes ragged, and with a final, deep thrust, he spills into your mouth, his cum hot and thick. You swallow, relishing the taste of him, until he's spent and trembling.

As he catches his breath, you stand, your body flushed and sated. Hugh pulls you into a tight embrace, his lips finding yours in a tender kiss.

"I want to feel you around me."

He leads you to the bed, where you lie back, legs parted in invitation. Hugh kneels between your thighs, his cock hard and ready, poised at your entrance.

With a slow, deliberate thrust, he fills you, inch by exquisite inch. You gasp at the stretch, the sensation of his thick cock sliding deep within you. He pauses, letting you adjust to his size, then begins to move, his hips rolling in a slow, sensual rhythm.

"You feel so fucking good," he growls, his voice raw. He sets a relentless pace, his cock stroking your sweet spots with each thrust. You arch your back, your hands clutching the sheets, as pleasure builds once more. Hugh leans down, capturing a nipple between his lips, sucking and biting gently as he continues to thrust.

"Come for me, baby," he urges, his voice hoarse. "Let me feel you tighten around me."

His words push you over the edge. You cry out, your body convulsing around his cock, milking him as your orgasm ripples through you. Hugh groans, his hips moving faster, driving into you with primal need.

With a final, powerful thrust, he empties himself inside you, his cock throbbing as he fills you with his warmth. You lie beneath him, spent and satisfied, feeling his heart pounding against your chest. Hugh collapses beside you, pulling you close, his hand stroking your hair.

You voiced your concerns, exhaustion, and lack of confidence in the project. "I don't want to go back tomorrow," you confessed, the weariness evident in your tone. The constant filming and its toll had started to wear you down, and coupled with the challenges that the entire project seemed to pose, it left you feeling disheartened.

Your weary and disheartened voice was met with Hugh's reassurance, his fingers tracing a gentle path down your bare back, sending a shiver of anticipation down your spine. "Tomorrow will be better, love. I know it," he repeated, his words filled with conviction and optimism.

Hugh felt a pang of excitement and anticipation bubbling inside him as he spoke. He was already picturing your face when the news of the recast was revealed. He could perfectly imagine the look of surprise, happiness, and excitement that would light up your eyes and spread across your face, and the thought of witnessing that moment made his heart race in anticipation.

[gainercontent]

Room to Grow Part 4: Role Reversal

Elliot had gotten used to the rhythm of life with his roommates, Mark and Ryan. They were good guys—loud, boisterous, but in the best kind of way. Lately, though, something seemed off. They’d been talking more about food than usual. At first, Elliot didn’t think much of it. Mark was always planning his next cheat meal, and Ryan would casually mention how he'd been trying to cut back on snacks, though it didn’t seem to change his behavior much. But over the past few days, there was a subtle shift in the air. Their conversations were now filled with strategies for eating less, cutting calories, and watching their portions.

"Man, I’m going to *finally* get serious about my diet," Mark had said one evening, sitting at the kitchen table with a salad in front of him, looking almost surprised to see it there. He picked up a forkful, chewing slowly, as if savoring the novelty of it.

Ryan had nodded, his usual enthusiasm dampened by the thought of sacrificing food. “Yeah, I’m cutting back, too. I think it’s time to start taking smaller portions. You know, less of the junk and more of the good stuff.”

Elliot had barely noticed, wrapped up in his own thoughts as usual. He was still feeling a little self-conscious about his body after the shopping trip. His new gym shorts and oversized hoodie were comforting, but the humiliation from his binge at the food court lingered, a constant reminder that maybe he wasn’t as in control of things as he’d thought. 

But what he didn't know was that Mark and Ryan had started a quiet plan of their own—a diet of sorts, designed to help them eat less and still feel full. They'd both started cutting their portion sizes at meals, but instead of throwing away the leftovers, they were saving them. And they weren’t eating all the food they usually would. Instead, they were secretly offering the extra to Elliot, in the hopes that he would continue to indulge. After all, they knew he was already on the track to gaining more weight, and the extra meals, they thought, wouldn’t hurt.

"Hey, Elliot," Ryan had called out a couple days later as Elliot came home after a long day. "We made dinner. We thought you might be hungry. There's extra lasagna if you want it."

Elliot had raised an eyebrow at the offer, but with the food already on the table, he didn’t hesitate. Lasagna had always been one of his favorite comfort foods, and the smell of it, rich with cheese and marinara sauce, was enough to make his stomach growl. He sat down, grabbed a plate, and scooped a large portion onto it.

Mark, sitting at the table with a small bowl of salad, eyed him carefully, but with a casual smile. “You’ve been working hard, man. You deserve it.” He didn’t mention how little he himself had on his plate, and that subtlety was enough for Elliot to miss.

Over the next few weeks, the pattern continued. Mark and Ryan would opt for smaller meals—small salads, a light sandwich here, some soup there—while Elliot ate larger portions, mostly without thinking. Every time they’d invite him to dinner, they would always set aside extra portions for him. Elliot never suspected anything odd, because they seemed as enthusiastic about the food as ever. What he didn’t notice was that they were shrinking their own meals and secretly offloading the leftovers onto him.

They didn’t exactly make a big deal of it. In fact, they were careful not to draw attention to the amount of food they were eating—or rather, *not* eating—around Elliot. They’d eat just enough to seem like they were still indulging, but just barely. Meanwhile, Elliot kept indulging. He would clean his plate every time, sometimes even going back for seconds, not thinking about the fact that his appetite was steadily growing, his stomach expanding with each indulgence.

Mark and Ryan knew that their plan was working—they could see it in Elliot’s appetite, his growing satisfaction with bigger meals, and the way his clothes slowly started to fit a little tighter. But the funny thing was, Elliot didn't see any of that. He was so used to the sight of his roommates that he couldn’t notice the subtle changes. Mark’s stomach had flattened slightly, and Ryan’s arms were a little less broad than they’d been before. It was easy for them to pretend nothing was changing. After all, the more they cut back, the more food they had to give Elliot—and the more they could watch him enjoy it.

By the end of the month, Elliot had put on another 10 pounds. He noticed the extra weight, of course, but it wasn’t like before. The changes had been gradual. His clothes felt a little tighter, especially around his stomach, but the tightness was subtle, like the slow, inevitable shift that he had just come to expect. The oversized hoodie and gym shorts still fit him, but the waistband of his shorts had become a little snug. And though he wasn’t exactly bothered by the changes—he’d accepted that he’d gained a little weight—he couldn't help but notice that his stomach seemed a little fuller after meals.

It was a warm Sunday afternoon when the next episode of his weight gain became apparent. Mark and Ryan were in the living room, watching TV, as usual. Elliot was sitting next to them, playing a game on his phone, mindlessly scrolling through social media. He was feeling a bit of hunger gnawing at him, and without thinking, he wandered into the kitchen.

"Hey, guys," he called to his roommates. "You still have that leftover pizza?"

Ryan smiled, leaning back on the couch. "It’s in the fridge. Help yourself."

Elliot didn’t even hesitate. He opened the fridge, grabbed the box, and pulled out the half-eaten pizza. It wasn’t cold, but it didn’t matter. He plopped down at the kitchen table and started eating, slice after slice, as if the hunger had come out of nowhere.

Mark shot Ryan a knowing look. “Guess he’s really hungry,” he said with a quiet chuckle.

“Yeah,” Ryan replied, watching Elliot devour the pizza. "You think he’s noticed yet?"

"Nope. And he won’t," Mark said, his voice tinged with a quiet satisfaction. "Let’s just keep it going for a little longer."

Elliot finished the last slice and leaned back in his chair, feeling a little bloated but not overly concerned. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and headed back to the living room, where Mark and Ryan were still lounging. As he sat down, he absentmindedly tugged at the waistband of his gym shorts. They were a bit tight now, but it didn’t bother him. He could still move, still breathe, and the loose hoodie covered most of the discomfort.

But underneath that oversized hoodie, changes were taking place that Elliot hadn’t noticed.

The gym shorts, once so comfortably loose around his waist, had begun to feel tighter. When he adjusted them, a strange sensation of pressure made him realize something had shifted. The waistband, which had once been able to stretch comfortably around his hips, now dug into his sides a little more, pressing against the small curve that had developed at the base of his stomach. He didn’t remember his stomach ever touching his waistband like this before. It was a soft, subtle shift—nothing drastic—but he could feel the fabric of his shorts pulling more tightly across his hips, especially when he shifted his weight or sat down. The pressure, though mild, had become a constant companion during his day. 

He didn’t think much of it as he relaxed into the couch, but when he leaned forward to grab the remote, his stomach, now a little rounder, pushed gently against the fabric of his hoodie. The soft curve of his belly pressed against the loose fabric, creating a faint bulge that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago. It was almost like his body had subtly expanded in ways he hadn’t noticed yet. 

The waistband of his gym shorts now sat a bit lower than it used to, not falling easily across his hips anymore. It felt like there wasn’t quite enough room for the natural curve of his belly to rest comfortably, and he felt the fabric of the waistband pressing in at the tops of his thighs. The shorts, once loose enough to allow for easy movement, now hugged the upper part of his pale round thighs just a little too tightly, especially when he moved or crossed his legs. 

When Elliot tried to adjust his shorts again, tugging slightly at the waistband, he felt the pinch around his hips. It wasn’t painful, just different sensation than before. His thighs, too, seemed to rub against the fabric of the shorts more than they had before. The chubbiness of his legs was noticeable as he shifted in his seat, and for the first time, he felt a faint jolt of discomfort in the seams of the shorts, which had become just a bit too small for his growing frame.

But it was all so subtle. The loose hoodie, the extra give in the waistband, the gentle pressure around his thighs—none of it screamed weight gain. It was all just small enough to be easy to ignore, easy to dismiss. The room still felt comfortable, the pants still fit—just barely. He figured it was normal. Maybe he had gained a pound or two, but it was nothing to make a fuss about.

And as Mark and Ryan lounged nearby, both watching him with a quiet satisfaction, Elliot had no idea that, with every slice of pizza he ate and every extra serving of food they secretly fed him, his clothes would get just a little tighter, his body a little softer. And under that oversized hoodie, the changes were beginning to show in ways he couldn't yet see.

This quiet process then continued on—weeks of overeating, indulging in extra portions that his roommates slyly provided, and pushing past the point of satisfaction far more often than he should have. At first, the weight gain had been easy to ignore, hidden under the loose fabric of his clothes. But now, it was becoming harder to deny.

One afternoon, after a long day at work, Elliot returned home to find Mark and Ryan already hanging out in the living room, lounging on the couch and flipping through channels. He didn’t think much of it at first. His usual routine had been to grab a snack, kick back, and relax. Today, though, there was an odd feeling creeping over him. It had started with his shorts—the waistband, once comfortable, now dug into his waist when he sat down, and when he stood up, the fabric around his thighs felt like it was stretching just a little more than it used to. His stomach, which had always been flat, now felt fuller, softer, as if it had expanded in ways he couldn’t quite explain.

He grabbed a snack from the kitchen—chips, some leftover pizza—and joined his roommates on the couch, trying to ignore the discomfort of his tighter waistband. He chatted with them for a few minutes, but his mind kept drifting back to the way his clothes felt. The waistband of his gym shorts now pinched uncomfortably when he sat, and as he shifted on the couch, he felt the faint pressure of his stomach pressing against the hem of his hoodie. His body had begun to change in ways he couldn’t hide anymore.

It wasn’t until he caught sight of himself in the mirror across the room that it hit him, hard. He had been avoiding his reflection for a while—too embarrassed by the subtle changes in his figure to really look. But today, something about his appearance caught his eye. He looked reasonably normal-sized, sure, but his shoulders didn’t seem as broad anymore. The softness and widening around his midsection was undeniable. His hoodie hung just a little more tightly over his belly, the fabric clinging to the fullness of his stomach, accentuating the roundness that had taken root there. 

But it wasn’t just that. It was the rest of him, too. His arms, which had once been narrow and lightly muscled, were starting to look softer, less defined. His thighs—those had been the first to change, the fabric of his gym shorts hugging them tighter with every step, the fullness now pushing against the seams. His legs had gotten thicker, and the difference was more noticeable now. Elliot shifted his weight awkwardly, trying to adjust the waistband again, but it felt like his shorts were clinging to him in a way that didn’t quite fit anymore. They were too tight, and the discomfort was more than just a physical sensation—it was a gnawing realization that his body had expanded, and it wasn’t subtle anymore.

Elliot stood up, taking a deep breath as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. His once-flat stomach now poked out slightly, the soft curve of his belly more prominent than he remembered. He stepped closer to the mirror, inspecting himself. His shorts clung to his legs, tight around his thighs and hips, and he could see the faint outline of his stomach pressing against the fabric of his hoodie. The sensation of tightness wasn’t just from overeating—it was the weight, the slow accumulation of extra pounds, and it was all too real now.

"Hey, man," Mark’s voice broke through his thoughts. Elliot turned to face his roommates, who had both stood up from the couch and were now watching him with casual expressions. Mark leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while Ryan was fiddling with his phone. They both seemed calm, as if they hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but Elliot’s stomach churned with an awful realization.

"Everything alright?" Ryan asked, glancing up from his phone.

Elliot didn’t know how to respond. He was so distracted by the reflection in the mirror that he barely heard his roommates’ voices. His mind was racing, trying to make sense of everything. How had he let this happen? He was sure that his weight gain had been gradual, that he hadn’t really noticed. But now that he was standing here, facing his reflection, he realized he was the largest one in the room.

Mark had always been solid, a bit stocky, but fit. Ryan, though he didn’t have the same muscle definition as Mark, had always carried his weight well. But now, Elliot could see it—really see it. His once-lean frame was now softer, rounder, more substantial. He had more weight on him than either of his roommates, and the thought hit him with a sickening pang. He was bigger. Not just bigger than he’d been before, but bigger than them.

The panic started to set in. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was ashamed, embarrassed, or simply startled by the reality of it. But when he looked at his roommates, the weight of the situation hit him. Mark and Ryan, with their healthier eating habits and smaller portions, were shrinking in front of his eyes, but Elliot hadn’t noticed. Their clothes fit the same as always. His, on the other hand, had grown tighter.

"Hey, Elliot," Mark said again, stepping toward him with an easy smile. "You okay? You look like you’re thinking too hard about something."

Elliot forced a smile, swallowing the rising wave of panic. He nodded, but the knot in his stomach wouldn’t loosen. He tried to distract himself by returning to the couch, but the pressure of his shorts and the way his stomach bulged just a little more than he liked was a constant reminder.

The truth settled over him like a heavy cloak, and it wasn’t something he could shake off. He wasn’t just gaining weight. He was *growing* in ways that felt impossible to ignore. And as he sat back down on the couch, his shorts digging into his hips and his stomach pushing uncomfortably against the fabric of his hoodie, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of dread. 

Elliot had become the largest roommate without even realizing it. 

And the worst part? He wasn’t sure if it was too late to stop it.

*****New Chapter will be posted every Thursday*****

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

PHIA SABAN INTERVIEWED BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY.

SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THE FINALE, AND HELAENA WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SO MUCH OF IT. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU FOUND OUT HOW MUCH INFLUENCE HELAENA WAS GOING TO HAVE IN THIS EPISODE?

"When I read the episode, I was so excited to be involved in that trippy dream sequence."

"I was hoping that I was going to arise from a lake of goo or something, or fly."

"But I was also really happy to stand there and talk."

"That was really exciting because we did that all in a green screen stage, just me and Matt, so it was really cool."

"I watched the last episode last night, and it was really cool to see all of that come to life."

"I was very pleased to be involved in that."

"My other thought was if she feels this kind of clarity in that scene that she has with Aemond, and that isn't historically how she's felt about her power and everything."

I needed to work backwards from there and try and work out what journey she has been on, for that moment to be so clear, when usually she's a bit more like, "Oh, there's a beast somewhere."

WHAT CONVERSATIONS DID YOU HAVE WITH SHOWRUNNER RYAN CONDAL ABOUT HELAENA'S EXPANDED ROLE AND HOW SHE'S GOTTEN TO THIS POINT IN THE FINALE? BECAUSE SO MUCH OF HER JOURNEY HAS BEEN INTERNAL.

"Actually, Ryan and [writer] Sara [Hess] and the writers, they very much left it to me as to how Helaena feels, how she connects to that side of it, and how it manifests for her, but it's an interesting one."

"The line between what I know and what she knows, I try and keep quite close together, so it's not always so helpful for me to have this really overarching idea of how exactly she plays in and what magic it is."

"Because I think every time when that happens to her, it feels like the first time."

"So I know as much as she does, in a way, but they were very keen for me to interpret it however I want."

"Then I think they're just going to weave it into the story in their magical way."

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PROCESS IN WORKING BACKWARDS FROM THAT CONFRONTATION WITH AEMOND. HOW DID YOU GET INTO HELAENA'S MINDSET?

"How I describe it is she has this amazingly strong intuition, and things come to her as gut feelings in flashes, but they're not always clear."

"She can't always turn them into advice."

"It's more of like a feeling that takes her over."

"That's where some of those really abstract things that she mutters earlier on comes from, but she also thinks of herself and knows of herself that she's quite a strange girl."

"There's a way in which her family lets her go and be her strangeness in her room and do all of her Helaena things."

But also she partially thinks, "Maybe if I didn't have these weird feelings or this strange intuition or this really intense experience that I have, then I could be a bit closer to people around me, or I could communicate better or it would be less strange."

"Part of her represses that stuff."

"Then I think with the trauma that happened to her in episode 1, essentially the worst possible thing happened, and there's a certain amount of dissociation and almost like a letting go of that, like trying her best to be the same as everyone else."

She has disassociated from the family reality, and maybe she has stepped in a little bit more to the other place, and she has more access because she's gone, "I can't abandon myself as well, so what is this?"

"She's given it the attention and the intensity it needed."

SINCE HELAENA BEING A DRAGON DREAMER ISN'T IN THE BOOK, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HOW YOU'RE GETTING TO CHART NEW TERRITORY FOR THE CHARACTER?

"It's really fun."

"I know that people feel so passionately and lovingly towards the original story, but I think that me, as a fan of things, I love a certain level of loyalty."

"Then I love the idea that I can be surprised or something could be subverted."

"It more flatters the audience's intelligence when you get to surprise them and subvert things, so I like the idea that people didn't see that coming for Helaena."

"Obviously, I can't watch the show as an impartial person."

I WOULD BE VERY IMPRESSED IF YOU COULD.

"[Laughs] I'd be like a psychopath, yeah."

WHAT'S IT LIKE BEING THE BRAN OF THIS SHOW?

"The thing is that I really have absolutely no idea what's happening next season."

"I think that moment in episode 8 is an example of how clear and how powerful she can be, but I don't think that's the beginning of now she can just communicate like that."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she walks away from Aemond, [mimes shaking her head and shoulders and blows out a breath], and she goes inside and goes to her room and that doesn't happen again for a long time."

"So who knows, but it would be really cool if I got to spend more time in that vision dream world."

"I would love that."

"There's that moment when Daemon's going over to the tree, and then there's a guy with a deer head or something."

"I think Helaena should hang out with him."

THEY SHOULD GO OFF TOGETHER HAVE THEIR OWN SIDE ADVENTURES. NEW SPINOFF IDEA.

"Yeah, exactly."

"That's what I want for the next season."

DOES THIS REVELATION THAT HELAENA IS ACTUALLY A DRAGON DREAMER MAKE YOU RETHINK YOUR CHARACTER AT ALL?

"Yeah, I think it's fun because it's essentially development, which is what you always hope for when you play someone."

"I just really hope that there's momentum from this, that we see her change more and more and keep on being surprising."

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FILMING THAT SCENE WITH MATT WHERE HELAENA KNOCKS DAEMON DOWN A PEG AND REALLY HUMBLES HIM IN THE FINALE?

"It was fun."

We were there on the green screen going like, 'What the hell is this going to look like?'

"But it's great to do work with the people from the other team because at this point the relationships are so bad that you're really only going to get Helaena and Daemon together in a vision."

"They're probably not going to be having lunch together anytime soon."

"[Laughs] I'd love to go and hang out with Harry Collett and Bethany Antonia and Phoebe Campbell next time."

"I'd like to go and hang out with Alys Rivers [Gayle Rankin], all the people that live in different castles."

"Maybe I could meet them in dreams."

"That would be really good."

"It'd be like ... did you ever play Club Penguin?"

[LAUGHS] I HAVE!

"It could be Club Penguin."

It's like, "Meet me here at 3 p.m. by the igloo."

That'd be so fun if Helaena could just be like, "Let's go and hang out in dreams. Go and touch the tree, and I'll be there."

NO ONE HAS EVER LISTENED TO HELAENA UNTIL DAEMON REALLY TAKES HER WORDS TO HEART AND CHANGES HIS ENTIRE COURSE. DOES HELAENA FULLY APPRECIATE OR EVEN KNOW THE PART SHE'S PLAYING IN THIS WAR NOW?

"No, I don't think so."

It's all so intense for her and so immediate that I don't think she even is always like, "I have this overarching understanding of the story."

"I think it comes to her in moments."

"Maybe it muddies the water more, but I feel like that whole dream stuff is up for interpretation as well from the audience."

"How much is she a projection of his guilt, or how much did he just need to hear that from someone?"

"It's this magical realm, so anything could be possible."

"Maybe that's something that she could say in a moment, and then she's gone from there again, and it's just like she was just being channeled through."

"Who knows? Maybe we'll find out more."

I think to her it's just, 'This is my really intense experience of being alive,' and that's enough self-analysis for anyone in that moment.

It's like, "What am I going through?"

"And then there's this clarity."

"She's got a lot to process this season."

"Bless her."

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FILMING THE SCENE WHERE HELAENA STANDS UP TO AEMOND AND REVEALS SHE KNOWS THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HE DID? THAT'S ONE OF THOSE RARE MOMENTS OF CLARITY FOR HER.

It's really fun to work with Ewan — yet again, I'm answering the question in an annoying way because I'm like, "I just like working with those people!"

"[Laughs] That was really cool."

"God, this is really the first time... it's the most eye-contact she's ever made in both seasons."

And she's really going like, "Don't fuck with me."

Basically, "Because I have this knowledge that's on a higher realm and I cannot and will not go and kill people for male ego and toxicity."

That's the other funny thing with this family: Yes, he's the Prince Regent or whatever, and her husband/brother is the King.

But actually to each other it's like, "You're my brother and you can push me and you can push me, but I know you."

"That is more about a sibling dynamic."

"Actually, I think that Aemond ironically is one of the people that Helaena feels she can communicate with a little bit better."

"They have this sort of affinity."

"It's just fun to play with those dynamics because she doesn't have a lot of long chats with anyone, so it's fun for me."

YEAH, THE LONGEST CHAT SHE'S HAD UNTIL NOW HAS BEEN WITH HER BUGS.

"Exactly, and they don't really answer back."

"This is very new and very overwhelming."

HELAENA DOESN'T WANT TO RIDE HER DRAGON INTO BATTLE, BUT DO YOU? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MISSING OUT ON THE BIG DRAGON BATTLES SO FAR?

"Yeah! It's House of the Dragon, and I've got a dragon, and I haven't got on it."

"I'm rusty."

"I really wanted to get on the dragon."

"I went and watched a few people on the buck this season, and I was so jealous."

"I'd really love to get on the dragon, or at least have a scene with Dreamfyre."

"Dreamfyre, like Vhagar, she's super ancient and big and cool."

"I'd like to see Helaena and Dreamfyre having a sort of spiritual connection, but I'm not complaining."

"I'm just happy to be here."

[paper-mario-wiki]

Since you've been discussing some of your RTFD roles in your ask box lately, do you mind if I ask: do you have any insight into Mikeplier and the Until Dawn dub? Your performance there is really good and hits several different flavors of unhinged and overall the dub is honestly one of the best explorations of existential horror I've seen

I'm pretty sure that ALSO spawned from interactions with Ryan. I think his and my characters kept going back and forth, egging each other on to become more unhinged and, given the occult themes of the game, that sorta naturally went down the "ascended to a higher plane through forbidden knowledge" route. but its tricky to do that given the very strict nature of what i CAN and CANNOT control about the character. so, considering that:

question:

how do you portray divine meddling in a setting where the visuals are predetermined and unrevealed to you?

answer:

acknowledge that you are holding the microphone, what that means, and that no matter what you say you are still in control of the narrative that the audience so stupidly got tricked into following.

it was kinda my only option and i decided that if breaking the 4th wall is the FINAL character beat i get for the video, it has to be THE 4th wall break. the dubs get meta all the time, so i couldnt just say something coy and call it funny enough. what i ultimately landed on as the most effective way to break the narrative without breaking the story was taking off my costume in front of the audience, and then completing the performance as myself.

[saturnsbabyboii]

♡Astro Observations for the Gays, Queers, and the Girlies♡

❣ Libra placements and the urge to be liked by people that don't like them (even though they themselves don't like them either)

❣ Gemini placements (especially Rising/Venus/Doms) have a contrast in their feminine and masculine style/taste/interests. They frequently change from one end of the extreme to another, rarely in between. Think bougie girls who like to get all done but aren't afraid to eat with bare hands or etiquette.

❣ Sun/Moon square Jupiter doesn't have the best relationship with one or both of their parents/parental figures

❣ I noticed many gay icons have a Venus in Gemini, Leo, or Sagittarius/ MC in a Water or Fire sign/ 5th house in an Air or Water sign/ Pluto in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 10th (Of course there are exceptions but I found these to be the most reoccurring)

❣ Despite the perpetuated stereotypes, the people that I have known to throw down with others the most have been Cancers, Virgos, and Libras. Meanwhile, the Aries, Scorpios, and Saggitarians were either diplomatic or cowards (Cowards as in they would talk a big game but when push comes to shove, they'll run).

❣ Sun conjunct Saturn will stay stepping on people's necks

❣ Taurus Venus are obsessed with the 50s/60s

❣ Earth Moons emotional state can be reflected in their surroundings. When they're feeling low, they can either seek control by controlling others and being critical or they shut down and let everything go to waste (uncharacteristically of them). In extreme cases, they can become hoarders.

❣ Moon square personal planets 🤝 Being a bitch 24/7

❣ Virgo is the sex freak yall been sleeping on

❣ Water placements and the struggle of wanting to be left alone and also be given love and attention

❣ Also on the topic of Water placements in general, why do they never get along with one another?

❣ Sun/Venus in the 1st/5th/7th/10th/11th grow from a "fawn among sharks" to the HBIC

❣ Venusian (Taurus and Libra) and Mercurian (Gemini and Virgo) placements are common among prominent fashion designers/houses. (Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, Coco Chanel, Georgio Armani, Pierre Balmain, Marc Jacobs)

❣ Gemini, Leo, and Sagittarius are the epitome of the 00s "it" girls

❣ Your rising reflects on the purpose/struggle of your life journey.

Exp:

Aquarius rising's life-long mission is to find who they're and be themselves

Taurus rising's lifelong mission is to be comfortable with themselves and find gratitude

Sagittarius rising's lifelong mission is to find their purpose or calling

Cancer rising's lifelong mission is to find strength in their heart and let the world in

❣ Scorpio Venus is obsessed with movies. Especially ones that are historical depictions and/or true stories.

❣ Taurus and Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius, Aries and Virgo are some of the most underrated friendship pairings

❣ Despite all the fame indicators, Chiron in Leo remains the most prominent. Many child stars have this placement. (Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Keke Palmer, Justin Bieber, Freddie Highmore, Josh Hutcherson, Jennette McCurdy, Debby Ryan, Miranda Cosgrove, etc.)

❣ You attract people that have placements in your 1st, 3rd, and 11th house. Meanwhile, we are attracted to people with placements in our 5th, 7th, and 8th.

❣ The placement of the personal planets along with the rulers of the house mentioned also play a big role, but it pertains to the nature of the relationship than just attraction.

❣ The sign opposite to the sign of your Venus is usually in the big three of your early years crushes and people "you know better than to like". (They may also share a similarity or quality to said sign)

❣ My association of each Lilith signs with an iconic female lead (Movies/TV):-

Aries/1st house Lilith: Regina George 'Mean Girls'

Taurus/2nd house Lilith: Cookie 'Empire'

Gemini/3rd house Lilith: Brenda 'Scary Movie'

Cancer/4th house Lilith: Thelma 'Thelma & Louise'

Leo/5th house Lilith: Jade 'Victorious'

Virgo/6th house Lilith: Miranda 'The Devil Wears Prada'

Libra/7th house Lilith: Elle Woods 'Legally Blond'

Scorpio/8th house Lilith: Jennifer 'Jennifer's Body'

Sagittarius/9th house Lilith: Chanel 'Scream Queens'

Capricorn/10th house Lilith: Fallon 'Dynasty'

Aquarius/11th house Lilith: Veronica 'The Heathers'

Pisces/12th house Lilith Courtney 'Jawbreaker'

Byeee💅

[wei-ying-kexing-apologist]

Random QL Superlatives: 2024 Edition

Well I see @lurkingshan started the trend, so I better hop on

Most Heartbreaking Use of Weather: Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

I am going to be honest. Korea really fucking came for my throat with multiple shows that wielded weather as a weapon against my emotional state. But Hwang Da Seul absolutely wins the award for destruction of my very soul via snow. I swear to god every time it snowed in this fucking show I was losing my mind over the scene that played out before me. First it was doorways that crushed me (shout out to To My Star 2), and now it’s three snowflakes on Do Hoe’s cheek. 

Most Emotionally Charged Inanimate Object: Ossan no Pantsu ga Nandatte Ii Janai ka (aka No One Cares for an Old Man’s Underwear)

gif by @avorbl

Not a BL but one of the most important stories involving queerness of the year imo. When Makoto went back to that store to buy that wallet for Kakeru I kid you not I spontaneously erupted into tears. This was not the first nor the last time that this show made me bawl like a hungry newborn, but it for sure was one of the best indicators that Makoto was not only beginning to accept, but internalize and reshape his worldview to be more loving and accepting of difference. 

Most Realistic Fight Between a Lawyer and Henchmen: Doku Koi: Doku Mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (aka Love is Like a Poison)

gif by @conscbgb

Step aside Matthew Murdock! There’s a new lawyer in town and he absolutely cannot fight for shit! Honestly an iconic moment in this show to see Shiba Ryo take an offensive stance and then immediately get his ass beat in to the ground because he’s a fucking lawyer, not a goddamn superhero. Also it gives Haruta a wonderful little opportunity to show off his skills and to save his loser boyfriend who loves him. 

Most Important Hand Flex Since Pride and Prejudice (2005): The Trainee 

gif by @namtanlovesfilm

HELLO! I THINK WE MOVED PAST JANE’S DESK GRAB A LITTLE TOO QUICKLY! Seriously, not only was it a great hand scene in general (which you know I live for) but it was also a quick and easy way to demonstrate 1) Jane has feelings for Ryan and is trying to hold back and 2) Jane understands the inherent power imbalance between him as an AD and Ryan’s boss and Ryan as an intern. Zero points for Judy.  

Best Creepy Smile: Dead Friend Forever

gif by @lilitblaukatz

HI HELLO I’M ALREADY YELLING AGAIN! BARCODE! BARCODE TINNASIT! As disappointed as I was with the way DFF ended, I was blown out of the fucking water by Barcode’s performance as Non. From KinnPorsche to here that boy has grown astronomically as both an actor and singer, and I’m really proud of him. He had to navigate a lot of different emotional centers with some incredibly terrible things happening to his character. He was able to make Non extremely sympathetic and also creepy as hell! Be On Cloud lost out big time with Barcode leaving the company. 

Best Use of a Dildo: Knock Knock Boys

gif by @pharawee

Honestly for all the BLs that include sex, we rarely get the acknowledgement that sex toys exist, much less the actual usage of said sex toys. I loved that Almond visited a sex shop, purchased a dildo, and that we got to watch a scene of him attempting to use it. This show was honestly the biggest surprise of the year for me in terms of enjoyment. I wasn’t even really interested in this show but love Seng and wanted to support his work and then this was absolutely delightful and honestly Almond and Latte stole the show for me. Good job boys!

Best Distinction Between Reality and Fiction: BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashta: Crank Up Hen! (aka I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama)

gif by @itagakimizuki

Full offense to a particular corner of fan culture, the way that the boundaries between real life and fiction have been known to blend when it comes to emotional bonds between fans and famous people can be very toxic and genuinely dangerous to the health and safety of everyone involved. It is difficult for me to think of a show that made me laugh as hard, as loudly, or as often as I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama did, and yet it included one of the most innocuous but brilliant lines of the year when Akafuji realized that his feelings for Aoyanagi were Real and that he could not have those feelings and continue to think of himself as Aoyanagi’s fan. Iconic. 

Best Use of Subtle Foreshadowing: Love for Love’s Sake 

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Shout out to the sound of water, shout out to some of the opening visuals, shout out to red rimmed eyes, and video game malfunctions that increased as time went on, and shout out to Tae Myung Ha being absolutely drenched after running through the school. Not only were the performances commendable throughout but the story itself was phenomenally supported by hair and makeup, sound, and special effects. I beg you all never to forget the importance of those that work behind the scenes, because goddamn did so much of this show suddenly get darker with context.  

Best Backing Track to Hear Over My Tears: Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (aka She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat)

Kasuga sitting alone in the darkness of her own car, calling her father and officially, permanently severing ties with her father because she has found her strength thanks to the people she currently has in her life was such a highlight of this year. And of course they really drive the stake through my heart by lifting that entire scene up by having Kasuga walk out of the lonely dark and into warm companionship with fucking ‘Chosen Family’ by Rina Sawayama and Elton John playing in the background. WHAT A PERFECT SONG CHOICE! I am about to cry just thinking about it. Also, I definitely totally did not pause in the middle of typing up this post just to rewatch that scene…I don’t know what you’re talking about….

Best Use of Catholicism: Marahuyo Project 

God. This show struck an incredible number of layers when it gave us Archie. The way his grief and his fear and his internalized homophobia caused him to say and do some truly vile, harmful shit to the queer kids on the island was so heartbreaking and real. I have not really gotten the image of Archie’s neck where he’s been scratching at the rosary out of my fucking head since I watched it. This show was beautiful, and brilliant, and full of light and life, and pain, and it included an intersex character which is only the second of the 180+ shows I’ve watched out of Thailand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the Phillipines to have done so. 

Best Use of Internal Screaming: Cherry Magic Thailand

gif by @zhouxiangs

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH)

Best 'Mark Me Down as Scared and Horny' Face: Unknown

Wei Qian was not prepared for the fact that sending Zhi Yuan to the United States only made Zhi Yuan stronger. I want to acknowledge that this show had a chokehold on me almost all the way through the end for being rather heavy, but that I was especially impressed with Modi's performance as Wei Qian. And it must be said that the look of panic in his eyes when Zhi Yuan feeds him the congee is comedy gold.

Gayest Little Run: Love in the Big City

(could not find any gifs of Go Yeong running in the park so please enjoy this lovely gif by @taeminie )

Again this is not a BL but the way my tumblr community has engaged with this book and this show is one of my favorite parts of the entire year and this is still a really important piece of queer media. I really hope Nam Yoon Su wins all the fucking awards for his performance as Go Yeong. He breathed so much life and texture into that character and it was a joy to watch him take this wonderfully difficult and complicated character on such a beautiful emotional journey. Also he fully committed to the gay little run and that alone is award worthy. 

__ Shout out to all the thoughtful, intentional, and beautiful queer shows that got made this year. Please tag me in other superlatives if they get made, I want to see what people loved or connected to in the show offerings this year. Love you, family <3

@bengiyo asked to be tagged in superlatives.

[azaharinflames]

Will you share your theory on what you think is happening behind the scenes of 911?

Hi, Nonnie!

Sure! As long as everyone is aware this is purely speculation, and nothing I say should be taken as proof of anything, I have no problem.

I've gone over a few things in my head, to be honest. I thought that JLH having filming conflicts could've been a major factor, and I still don't exactly disagree with that initial idea, but overall I think it was one of the things that threw TM for a loop.

Now, I've seen a lot of people theorize that perhaps Angela is leaving and that is what is causing so much chaos in BTS, but I am on the fence about this. I do think she might've asked to not have such a big role moving forward, especially if they get a season 9 (which I am also on the fence about ngl), like perhaps retiring, or just having a more laidback position training new recruits. The seeds are planted for that, not so much for her fully leaving. And it would give Angela more free time to dedicate to other projects (which, yes please. I need her in new projects ASAP).

So... (and please don't kill me for this, it's just a theory).

I think it all comes back to Ryan. And that he perhaps is leaving, or actively wants to leave. I will try to explain myself as concise as possible:

A couple of months ago there was already speculation about this. In all of his individual interviews (which were a lot, to be honest), Ryan made a point of talking about his work beyond 911 and talking about what he would like to do after 911.

On top of the individual promo, there was an uncharacteristically high amount of BTS dedicated to him and the godforsaken mustache. To the point where they threw a mustache party. And in the pics of that party, the vibes were that it was a party for Ryan, not in general.

Small thing, but Josh randomly dressing up as Eddie for Halloween. Perhaps unrelated, but I wanted to add it.

The 911 account reposting and celebrating Ryan's 100th ep, when 1. it wasn't his 100th (if we count the eps he was actually in) and 2. it was also JLH's, and yet they didn't say a thing about it. Ryan reposted that as well and the message he reposted it with was more nostalgic than anything else. Very much giving 'it was an honor to work with you, what a journey'.

I could be wrong, but I do think his contract ends this season. So, that just adds to it.

The timeline of the move to Texas. By the reactions alone I was fully expecting Eddie to leave for Texas at the end of 808, and then to be back with Chris (in a lazy way of solving their conflict off-screen) by 809-810. But the way he's currently thinking about it makes it very sus for me. As in, it can be a thing for the end of the season, and an actual goodbye for Eddie.

Of course, nothing of this has to actually happen, and it's quite possible it just exists in my brain. But this makes sense in my funny brain because then it explains why BT had to break up so soon... because they wanted Buck to feel completely isolated.

We know 809-10 will deal with Maddie being kidnapped. That alone will make Buck spiral. But if on top of that his best friend is also leaving... well, being alone just adds to the isolation and the angst. Because if Tommy was still around he'd be able to lean on him, and have him help him through this. But it seems like the writers wanted Buck fully alone for this, because sure, seeing a character never learning and being completely isolated is so much fun.

If this ends with BT getting back together, I honestly don't know. It wouldn't surprise me if Tim doesn't know. But, all in all, I wouldn't be surprised if RG deciding he's done is the thing that kinda created the domino effect.

(Also: I do not believe Oliver was telling Tim to fire Lou and end BT. Sorry. I just don't really see it. Nor do I think there were actual conflicts between actors BTS, as much as everything they're doing right now does feel a bit weird)

Anyway, thanks for letting me rant, Nonnie! My inbox is always open for ranting, venting, or discussing

Take care <3

[babydollmarauders]

COUSIN — MEDIA MANAGEMENT: BONUS EDITION

au masterlist

y/ndevils00

liked by jackhughes, lhughes_06, and 579,824 others

y/ndevils00 hi, people are more than a little confused and beginning to get suspicious and i’ve even seen a few baseless rumors about me floating around, so i’d like to clear the air;

to most people, this is ✨Sidney Crosby✨, the 1st overall pick of the 2005 draft, and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

to me, this is my older cousin, Sid (or Father Sid, as i like to call him, but he says that makes him feel old… as it should, because he is.)

i haven’t been extremely open about my relation to Sid, particularly because: do you know how many embarrassing stories this man has to tell about me? but also because i’ve never wanted people to look at me any differently. i’m just y/n, and to me, this is just Sid.

but i’m about to get a little mushy. for as long as i can remember, Sidney has been my rock, my best friend, and my protector. a little fun fact for you guys, i moved in with Sidney when i was 14. sick of life in Cole Harbour, and missing my Sid, i attended high school in Pittsburgh. i did homework at Pens practices, i played high stakes games of old maid with Geno, and i got grounded by Sid for sneaking out (and usually got ungrounded by the next day because… who can stay mad at THIS face?). Sid was the first person i told about thinking of going into social media management in the NHL, and he was also the one who told me to go after my dreams and never let anyone tell me i couldn’t.

when i was born, Sidney, at 14, immediately took his role as big cousin a step further. in his eyes, i wasn’t just his little cousin, but a second sister. and 22 years later, he says i’m the reason for his gray hairs (you’re welcome!). i couldn’t have asked for a better cousin, big brother, and father figure all wrapped up in one.

Load more comments

user66 JACK HUGHES IS DATING SIDNEY CROSBY’S COUSIN?!

jackhughes you were the cutest child, and i’m so glad you love Sidney. but it’s still a bit weird walking through our apartment and having his grad picture hanging up in the hallway

y/ndevils00 that sounds like a you problem <3

jackhughes i’m taking it down

y/ndevils00 YOU WILL NOT!

jackhughes you’re not here! you can’t stop me!

user27 AWWW LITTLE Y/N WITH COUSIN SID 🥹

user83 i thought she couldn’t skate?

y/ndevils00 i can’t, that’s why Sid is picking me up 🥲 that was the first, last, and only ‘skating with sid’ i ever did— he gave up on me pretty quickly

jackhughes i can’t say i blame him

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes aren’t you supposed to love me unconditionally?

jackhughes not yet, we aren’t married

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes and who’s fault is that?

trevorzegras i’m never forgiving you

y/ndevils00 oh god, what did i do?

trevorzegras YOU TOLD HIM TO PUSH ME

y/ndevils00 i did not! you’re spreading lies on my name 🤧

trevorzegras HE LITERALLY PUSHED ME AND SAID “Y/N SAID TO DO THAT”

y/ndevils00 well he’s old and senile and didn’t know what he was talking about

john.marino97 i’m telling him you said that

y/ndevils00 @/john.marino97 tell him. i’m not scared of him!

y/ndevils00 @/john.marino97 YOU ACTUALLY TOLD HIM?! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS?! I’M PRETTY SURE HE JUST GROUNDED ME?? AND IDK HOW BUT I KNOW HE’LL FIND A WAY TO SEE IT THROUGH

user15 y/n getting getting grounded by Sid even at 22 and no longer living with him is so… 😭😭

jackhughes i’ve been recruited. give John your phone for the next 24 hours

y/ndevils00 NO!

jackhughes okay, then iceberg goes in the microwave

y/ndevils00 NO! YOU CAN’T DO THAT! HE’S A PENGUIN, HE HAS TO BE COLD! DON’T MAKE HIM GO THROUGH GLOBAL WARMING

jackhughes he’s a stuffed penguin…

y/ndevils00 can you just give me 20 more minutes? 🥺

jackhughes 20 minutes and then you hand it over

user07 “my sid” oh look i’m crying 🥹

ryangraves27 Crosby told me to tell you to give John your phone?

y/ndevils00 RYAN!! MY SWEET VAMPIRE BABY!! I’VE MISSED YOU!!

ryangraves27 1) i’m older than you. 2) i’m still not a vampire. 3) we text every week and you saw me tonight after the game.

y/ndevils00 aww you’re still just as stoic and bland as a piece of white bread 🫶🥹

ryangraves27 just give John your phone, please. i’m begging now.

y/ndevils00 aww even your begging is boring!

user64 but… does that mean her last name is Crosby?

y/ndevils00 indeed! y/n Crosby! can you believe Jack never caught onto the fact that i’m related to Sid until i TOLD him AFTER we started dating?

jackhughes HEY! i wasn’t gonna assume! Crosby isn’t a super uncommon last name! and i’m not the only one because nobody else on the team has just assumed you’re related to him either!

y/ndevils00 @/dawson1417 ah, yes, Dawson fainted when he found out!

dawson1417 I DIDN’T FAINT! I TOOK A NAP!

y/ndevils00 @/dawson1417 whatever you have to tell yourself in order to keep your dignity <3

dawson1417 YOU TEXTED AND TOLD ME RIGHT BEFORE MY PRE-GAME NAP BEFORE MY FIRST GAME AGAINST THE PENS??

y/ndevils00 @/dawson1417 and then in your 8th game against them, you got your first hatty!! and i was so proud!!

user90 HUGHES X CROSBY COUPLE— WE ALL KNEW JACK AND Y/N WERE A HOT AND POWERFUL COUPLE BUT OH MY GOD

e.malkin71geno Miss you little one always

y/ndevils00 i’m always missing you, uncle G!! and missing Nikita even more!!

e.malkin71geno Crosby say give your phone to Marino

y/ndevils00 well you can tell Sid i said he’s not the boss of me anymore!

e.malkin71geno try me, kid - Sidney

y/ndevils00 shit, no, nevermind

user39 NOT Y/N GETTING CROSBY TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA ON GENO’S PHONE IN ORDER TO THREATEN HER

lhughes_06 still kinda bizarre tbh. how did Sidney Crosby have a hand in raising your wild ass

y/ndevils00 his routines are what made me this way!

_quinnhughes how?

y/ndevils00 @/_quinnhughes they’re how i learned that i prefer chaos and fun <3

edwards.73 YOU’RE A CROSBY?!

y/ndevils00 yes??

edwards.73 SO A CROSBY IS SCARED OF ADAM FANTILLI?!

y/ndevils00 DON’T SAY HIS NAME, YOU’LL SUMMON HIM

adamfantilli i promise i’m nice! you met me this summer, you know i am!

y/ndevils00 LUCA SAID YOU BITE

jackhughes so do you? constantly.

john.marino97 Sid introducing me to you 4 years ago is both a blessing and a curse ♥️

y/ndevils00 AWWWW THAT’S SO SWEET

john.marino97 now give me your phone

y/ndevils00 see you guys on saturday 😪 guess i’m going on a 24hour phone detox

user74 BYE! I’LL MISS YOU TOMORROW!!

john.marino97 and i won’t! finally, silence on my instagram!

[zepskies]

The Boys S4: Is it just me or...

Okay, anyone who knows me knows I love this show. And I don't mean to be overly critical, but...there's something missing for me in season 4. 🤔

Episode 4 brought me back in a bit more this week, but I have thoughts and just wanted to get them out. Which of course you don't have to agree with, if you so choose to dive below the cut. 😂

So here we go! Highlights and lowlights (and **spoilers**): ⤵️

Sorry in advance for my slightly stream of conscious-style thought process.

Lowlights (so far):

Kimiko x Frenchie: Violently pushing down something you built up for 2.75 seasons? Because "being more than that/family" can also be romantic? Why do you hate the fans, Kripke? 😂

The political "satire" is getting a bit old for me. A lot of the same jokes over and over. However, the problem of taking out Victoria Neuman is a very intriguing conundrum (and Bob Singer sweating over it while trying to keep supes out of the military/law enforcement is keeping me hooked).

THAT Rob scene: lmfao come on now. This was for gross shock value and nothing else. Even the exploding dick and Love Sausage in S3 served a narrative purpose. (But I enjoyed the footnote commentary while watching it on Prime: Rob B. apparently wants to remind everyone that he's a Shakespearean-trained actor. 🤣) I’m actually more disappointed that he didn’t have a more meaningful role in the show, because he really is a fantastic actor and I was looking forward to seeing what his character would bring. (Not that lmao.)

Overall, the season just feels...emptier than seasons 1-3? Maybe that has to do with the lack of Soldier Boy's gravitas as a new antagonist, and connecting the entire narrative and various conflicts of the season -- all while shedding light on the grisly past of Payback, Grace Mallory, and Stan Edgar. Stormfront also brought that ante up in season 2 in a similar way, all while shedding light on Vought's sordid history with the creation of Compound V.

We're missing the layers here in season 4. Now, this could just be because we haven't seen the full season yet as well, but that's what I see so far.

I think it also has to do with the odd dynamic the boys side is in right now. With Butcher on the fringe of the group, and the others splintered off on their own side plots, it feels like the supes' side of things are more...for lack of a better term, "unified" in the narrative.

Which I realize is probably to reverse parallel the state of each side in season 3. But it just feels "off" to me somehow, since we're supposed to be just as invested in the boys side lol.

Highlights:

Butcher and Ryan: Butcher's doing his best there now, and it soothes my heart.

Ryan's slowly seeing the consequences of his choice to join Homelander. In fact, I'm wondering where Ryan is in episode 4. Hiding in his room?

The Khan Worm that appears to be inside Butcher is both frightening and intriguing. I wonder if this is the key to saving his life? Or just another lovely side effect of taking V24 long term. 🐛

JDM (Joe) and Butcher: All their scenes were golden. And that subtle John Winchester reference? Being willing to train up his son to be a killer? Being able to grieve at his son's funeral, knowing he "saved the world?" *Chef's kiss* 🤌🏽

(And if Butcher or Joe end up being the one to break Soldier Boy out of his cryo coffin, my fangirl heart will freak TF out. 🤣)

The way that Homelander is noticing his age is fucking hilarious. Bet you wish you had that life longevity from your father/sperm donor, dont'cha? 😂

But also the way Homelander "confronted" his past in E4 had some truly WTF/Holy Shit™️ moments, in a good way. As in, I'm once again afraid of this unhinged psychopath--kind of way. 😅

A-Train continuing to struggle internally with the place he's fought so hard to keep in the Seven, versus recognizing the evil around him, his own complicity, wanting forgiveness from Hughie, and wanting a true connection with others (namely his family).

It's interesting that Hughie's mom is being brought back in at this time. And even MORE interesting that she seems to be the one who gave her ex-husband Compound V. Her story of why she left her family seemed so normal that I actually got a little suspicious of her. But now, even more so. 🤨

M.M. doing his fucking best. (Except for the way he suddenly had a change of heart about Butcher in E4. Not sure about that one.)

Tilda effing Swinton voicing Ambrosius. PLEASE. My Queen. 😭🤣🤣

I actually had more lowlights before I watched episode 4. There were some really interesting moments that literally had me gasping in shock (this time in a good way), more so than in the first 3 episodes. However, I still think seasons 1-3 were stronger from the get-go.

But even with my lingering reservations, now I'm actually more so looking forward to getting into the meat of the season in this second-half coming up. 👏🏽

[glossglamour]

Full Robert Sean Leonard 'House'-a-palooza Interview: "As we know, I’m straight, but yeah, it’s like, homina homina homina."

May 01 2006 | By Maureen Ryan

Do you watch the show much?

"I can't watch it. I mean, Hugh doesn't watch it because he's anal and … eight years old. [laughs] And by the way, I don’t buy it, I think he does watch it.

“I watched in the first year. We live in New York and [my fiancé] was in California] and she likes it because I’m on it. But then she left, she had to come back to New York, and what are you going to do? The idea of me watching myself on TV, alone in Santa Monica, was just about... just short of, like, a bottle of Maker’s Mark and a shotgun away from shooting myself. [much laughter]  So I haven’t watched it all season. But when I have watched it, I’ve been mildly confused and Hugh is appropriately grumpy."

I have this theory that a lot of my favorite shows aren’t even about what they’re supposed to be about -- they have to be set in a hospital or police station or outer space or whatever because the network can market that, but they’re secretly not even about that. Like, “House” is really about ethics and morality.

“Yeah, sure, I think that’s true.”

But you can’t pitch that show to the network. “Hey, we have this great show that examines personal morality!"

“‘It’s based on “A View from the Bridge.”’

Right! They’re really going to for that.

“Yeah. [laughs] I think it’s good, and when it’s right, when the show works, the mystery works. It has a Sherlock Holmes-ian feel to it, and you do kind of want to know what’s wrong with [the patients]. And it is interesting, the turns and twists that get you there. And there’s always a little bit of character-driven fun stuff in between, of who these people are and how they affect each other. And that’s it at its best. And I guess that could be true of any show.

“It’s tricky, you’ve got a lead character [who’s different from the TV norm] and you’ve got to be careful because those characters can be one-note. He’s the cranky guy, he’s the Australian guy, I’m the friend in one or two scenes a week. You just have to be careful, and I think we are, we have a really great team of writers. And the numbers are building, people are watching.”

So this two-parter on May 2 and 3, I think the unofficial subtitle is the “Festival of Foreman.” I guess they’re his Emmy episodes, and that’s fine. But you’re hardly in them, what’s up with that?

“Honestly, I’m okay. I don’t want an Emmy. This is what I want -- I know exactly what I want. I did play with a guy named Skip Sudduth, ‘The Iceman Cometh,’ seven years ago. I saw him five years later, and I said, ‘Geez, Skip, where have you been? I don’t see you at readings anymore.’ He said, ‘I’ve been on “Third Watch.”’ It sounded familiar but I’d never seen it. He said, ‘I’ve been doing it for five years.’ I said, ‘Holy crap!’ And he was back doing theater. That’s my dream.

“And it’s happening. I walk down the street and people say, ‘Where are you?’ and I say, ‘I’m on this show called “House.”’ My friend Lewis Black [from 'The Daily Show'] said, ‘What is it called? “Head”?’

“I’m okay. I’ve never been happier than where my career is now. And I don’t want it to change necessarily. Money’s good, and I’m glad I’m getting that, and I’m putting it away for later in life when I do more Tom Stoppard plays at Lincoln Center and make no money. But really, I’m great. I don’t mind working two days a week.

“Because those other guys, the Scooby gang, or the Mod Squad -- they are at that studio for 16 hours a day saying ‘tachycardia, lupus, blablahdeblah.’ Honestly, I’d kill myself if  had to do those scenes for that long. I’m very happy with the size of my role, I don’t want it to get any bigger. I’m happy.”

So we won’t see the very special “House” episode where Dr. Wilson almost dies?

“That might be how I get off the show.” [laughs]

Well, you could die and come back as a ghost. Then it would be the “House Whisperer.”

“Yeah [laughs]. The hair makeup people were saying one day, ‘Oh, I love those scenes with you and Hugh, there should be more of that.’ And I’m like, ‘Shhh! Don’t say that!’ I’m the luckiest man in Hollywood. I work only with Hugh, pretty much, who’s great. And I work two days a week.”

Do you fly back and forth to New York then?

"No, not really. They don’t let me because they need me around, the schedule changes so much. I’m going to try to get away with that a little more [in the upcoming season]. Now that [my fiancé] is here, I really will kill myself if I’m out there as much as I was last year, without her.”

So five days a week you’re doing what – Botox injections? Going to the mall? Watching “Maury”?

“Rob Lowe once said the secret to being an actor in L.A. is sleeping as late as you possibly can and going to be as early as possible. I remember him saying, ‘I recommend pajamas by 4:30 p.m.’”

What’s interesting about this show is that they’re taken something that could be a very formulaic procedural and quite often turn it on its head.

“I didn’t know anything about TV, I’d never done [a TV show], but I now know very well that there are procedurals and character-driven shows. ‘Law & Order’ is a procedural and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ is a character-driven show. The test [as to which category a show is in], someone once said to me, which I thought was hysterical, is this question: Did Sam Waterston sleep with [the assistant DA] on ‘Law & Order’? If the answer is ‘I don’t give a [hoot], I want to know the next element of the case,’ then it’s a procedural.

“Our show is weirdly, and there must be precedent for this, but it’s weirdly equally both. I think it’s very much a procedural, and without that sick patient every week, we wouldn’t work. And without the character stuff it wouldn’t work. And weirdly, people do care if House sleeps with one of our characters, and also care equally what’s wrong with this person and how they’re going to solve the case.”

I guess I like the character stuff better, but you’re right, it probably wouldn’t work without the suspense of the weekly case and somebody being critically ill.

“No, I think you need that. I think the echoes of Sherlock Holmes are too strong. The original idea of the show was House and Wilson, like Holmes and Watson. But it got away from that, and his team is Watson, if you want to be technical about it.

“I’m more like … the only way I’ve found to define it, and it’s so pretentious that it makes me want to jump out a window, is like King Lear’s fool. I’m like the only one who tells him the truth. And [Wilson] has nothing to lose. I don’t work for him and he doesn’t work for me. I’m the only character who chooses to be with him as opposed to being there because of a job. And because of that I have the freedom to tell him what I think. Not that Cuddy holds back much.”

I think her role is to say, "No! Bad House!"

“Have you talked to Lisa Edelstein [who plays Cuddy]? She’s so great. This Japanese woman once said to her, ‘You on “ER”!’ And she said, ‘I have been on “ER,” but now I’m on “House.”’ And [the woman says] ‘Oh yes, “House.” You say, “No, you don’t!”’ Every time we do the table read, I burst into laughter at some point, because there is the voice of that woman in my head, ‘You say “No, you don’t!”’ That’s the entire definition of Lisa’s character. Not completely, but we laugh [about it]. We have the same dilemma. We’re on this show that we’re … kind of on. Crew members say, ‘How long have you been on the show?’ ‘Uh, since the pilot.’ They really don’t know what we’re doing there.”

So in terms of the other stuff going on in your career, that’s going well, all the theater stuff?

“I’ve achieved everything I wanted to do. When I was growing up, I wanted to be Kevin Kline, Sam Waterston. I grew up watching the Public Theater and Shakespeare in the park and Marion Seldes. I mean, I may as well be gay.”

I’m not entirely sure you’re not.

[laughs] “But the thing is, I got it [i.e. his goals]. I’ve done 14 Broadway shows and got a Tony award, and now I’m making money and no one even really knows. I’m getting away with murder. If I come back to New York in two years and nothing’s changed, I’ll be thrilled. All I really want to do is [act in] plays, play with my dog, have kids. My desires are pretty simple. I don’t really want to do movies anymore. I’m pretty tired of camera acting.”

Why are you tired of camera acting? Is it the repetition of it?

“No, no, quite the opposite. We don’t rehearse enough. We do scenes where people barely know their lines, where people just about know their lines. In theater, you do it so many times and you get so familiar that then you can actually start having fun with it. And I really miss that feeling.

“It’s true of films too. I don’t know. I think I’m fine on film, but … I have walked offstage and thought, ‘Wow, no one has done that better. People may have done it as well, but not better.' I’ve actually had that feeling after ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night,’ or a Shaw play or whatever. I’ve never felt that way with film. I always feel like, ‘Boy, Donald Sutherland would have done that a lot better.’ [laughs] I just don’t think it’s what I do best. I think I’m fine, but there are people who are eerily good at it. In all humility, of which I have none [laughs], that’s how I feel about my work on stage. I really do feel that I’m gifted at it.”

Just to change gears completely, what happens in the finale?

“Well, I think the finale is a bit of a cliffhanger. Something very exciting happens. It’s extremely exciting and freaky and I think it’s great. I can’t say what it is. You end this season very curious about how the next season is going to start. It’s a great final show and a big cliffhanger.”

So it seems like Hugh Laurie is so disparaging of his own talents. But he’s so good as House.

“Some people ask me, ‘Oh, why does Wilson want to hang out with House so much?’ and I’m like, ‘You idiot.’ [laughs] House is designed to be attractive! He’s brilliant, he’s self-deprecating, he has a limp. But yeah, Hugh hates himself and he’s very funny about it.  There’s no better combination in my book. Like Lewis Black.”

But as an acting partner, he’s good to work with?

“Oh yeah. The thing is, with this part, Hugh has a huge obstacle he has to deal with, having an American accent. His problem isn’t our problem. We as the audience don’t have that problem, because what he doesn’t know is that he does it perfectly. But of course he doesn’t hear that. That’s why he can’t watch the show.

“When you’re doing an accent, you don’t feel like you’re interesting in the role. Even if everyone around is telling you that you are. And to be in a play is one thing, but to be on TV show that runs for years, I don’t know how he’s going to do it. To be that hard on yourself and be that disappointed in your own work. But as I said, and underline this four times, he’s wrong.”

And then he obviously hates when anyone calls him a sex symbol. You read his quotes when people ask him about that stuff and you can feel the embarrassment rising off the page.

“Yeah, he hates that stuff. And even more than the ‘sexy’ stuff, he hates the ‘you’re brilliant’ stuff. Of course there’s a part of him that likes him, there’s a part of all of us that likes that. [But him being hard on his performance], it’s not false vanity.

“I think Hugh does work he’s proud of and does work he thinks is good, I’m just not sure it’ll ever be this [show]. Having an accent… acting is letting go and forgetting yourself, it’s the opposite of ego. It’s flying away and getting away from yourself and forgetting. And when you’re doing an accent, it’s virtually impossible to do that.

“It’s hard when you're in a play, doing the same lines, the same way for eight months. Hugh learns 72 new lines a day and has to put an American accent on them. It really is an actor’s nightmare. I’ve done [with accents] Brian Friel plays, Martin Sherman plays, Tom Stoppard plays, and maybe five months into it you have a night where you kind of feel OK and kind of forget the accent and let go and let the scene happen. To have a strange accent in your mouth while playing a role, and then be judged for it, that’s hard stuff.

“And can I tell you, when you have dinner with Hugh Laurie [speaking in his real accent]… I miss that voice.”

Yeah. He called me once directly for an interview. I was expecting the publicist to put him through, but it was just that voice on the phone. I was sort of thrown for a minute.

“As we know, I’m straight, but yeah, it’s like, homina homina homina.” [laughs]

---- [source (part 2)] | part 1 | part 3 ---

it took me two hours to track this interview down. it might be the longest one he's ever done. first i tracked it down to tumblr pages posting about it with no source please stop doing that. then i found a short youtube video of laurie saying "homina homina" on an snl skit i think and someone in the comments mentioned the site where the rsl interview was posted. however the site wouldn't let me in, i guess they took it down so i headed to archive dot org. i didn't have a specific link though so that didn't really work out either. then for nearly an hour i tried a wide range of word combinations on google until i stumbled upon a livejournal page of rpf hugh laurie/rsl fanfic. SOMEONE tysm karaokegal posted the exact link i was looking for in the comments. quick trip to the wayback machine and here you go!

i should be on those ethical hacking competition things

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Real innovation vs Silicon Valley nonsense

This is the LAST DAY to get my bestselling solarpunk utopian novel THE LOST CAUSE (2023) as a $2.99, DRM-free ebook!

If there was any area where we needed a lot of "innovation," it's in climate tech. We've already blown through numerous points-of-no-return for a habitable Earth, and the pace is accelerating.

Silicon Valley claims to be the epicenter of American innovation, but what passes for innovation in Silicon Valley is some combination of nonsense, climate-wrecking tech, and climate-wrecking nonsense tech. Forget Jeff Hammerbacher's lament about "the best minds of my generation thinking about how to make people click ads." Today's best-paid, best-trained technologists are enlisted to making boobytrapped IoT gadgets:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/24/record-scratch/#autoenshittification

Planet-destroying cryptocurrency scams:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/15/your-new-first-name/#that-dagger-tho

NFT frauds:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/06/crypto-copyright-%f0%9f%a4%a1%f0%9f%92%a9/

Or planet-destroying AI frauds:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/29/pay-no-attention/#to-the-little-man-behind-the-curtain

If that was the best "innovation" the human race had to offer, we'd be fucking doomed.

But – as Ryan Cooper writes for The American Prospect – there's a far more dynamic, consequential, useful and exciting innovation revolution underway, thanks to muscular public spending on climate tech:

https://prospect.org/environment/2024-05-30-green-energy-revolution-real-innovation/

The green energy revolution – funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act and the Science Act – is accomplishing amazing feats, which are barely registering amid the clamor of AI nonsense and other hype. I did an interview a while ago about my climate novel The Lost Cause and the interviewer wanted to know what role AI would play in resolving the climate emergency. I was momentarily speechless, then I said, "Well, I guess maybe all the energy used to train and operate models could make it much worse? What role do you think it could play?" The interviewer had no answer.

Here's brief tour of the revolution:

2023 saw 32GW of new solar energy come online in the USA (up 50% from 2022);

Wind increased from 118GW to 141GW;

Grid-scale batteries doubled in 2023 and will double again in 2024;

EV sales increased from 20,000 to 90,000/month.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/blog/2023/12/19/building-a-thriving-clean-energy-economy-in-2023-and-beyond/

The cost of clean energy is plummeting, and that's triggering other areas of innovation, like using "hot rocks" to replace fossil fuel heat (25% of overall US energy consumption):

https://rondo.com/products

Increasing our access to cheap, clean energy will require a lot of materials, and material production is very carbon intensive. Luckily, the existing supply of cheap, clean energy is fueling "green steel" production experiments:

https://www.wdam.com/2024/03/25/americas-1st-green-steel-plant-coming-perry-county-1b-federal-investment/

Cheap, clean energy also makes it possible to recover valuable minerals from aluminum production tailings, a process that doubles as site-remediation:

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/toxic-red-mud-co2-free-iron

And while all this electrification is going to require grid upgrades, there's lots we can do with our existing grid, like power-line automation that increases capacity by 40%:

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/13/1187620367/power-grid-enhancing-technologies-climate-change

It's also going to require a lot of storage, which is why it's so exciting that we're figuring out how to turn decommissioned mines into giant batteries. During the day, excess renewable energy is channeled into raising rock-laden platforms to the top of the mine-shafts, and at night, these unspool, releasing energy that's fed into the high-availability power-lines that are already present at every mine-site:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/02/06/this-disused-mine-in-finland-is-being-turned-into-a-gravity-battery-to-store-renewable-ene

Why are we paying so much attention to Silicon Valley pump-and-dumps and ignoring all this incredible, potentially planet-saving, real innovation? Cooper cites a plausible explanation from the Apperceptive newsletter:

https://buttondown.email/apperceptive/archive/destructive-investing-and-the-siren-song-of/

Silicon Valley is the land of low-capital, low-labor growth. Software development requires fewer people than infrastructure and hard goods manufacturing, both to get started and to run as an ongoing operation. Silicon Valley is the place where you get rich without creating jobs. It's run by investors who hate the idea of paying people. That's why AI is so exciting for Silicon Valley types: it lets them fantasize about making humans obsolete. A company without employees is a company without labor issues, without messy co-determination fights, without any moral consideration for others. It's the natural progression for an industry that started by misclassifying the workers in its buildings as "contractors," and then graduated to pretending that millions of workers were actually "independent small businesses."

It's also the natural next step for an industry that hates workers so much that it will pretend that their work is being done by robots, and then outsource the labor itself to distant Indian call-centers (no wonder Indian techies joke that "AI" stands for "absent Indians"):

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/17/fake-it-until-you-dont-make-it/#twenty-one-seconds

Contrast this with climate tech: this is a profoundly physical kind of technology. It is labor intensive. It is skilled. The workers who perform it have power, both because they are so far from their employers' direct oversight and because these fed-funded sectors are more likely to be unionized than Silicon Valley shops. Moreover, climate tech is capital intensive. All of those workers are out there moving stuff around: solar panels, wires, batteries.

Climate tech is infrastructural. As Deb Chachra writes in her must-read 2023 book How Infrastructure Works, infrastructure is a gift we give to our descendants. Infrastructure projects rarely pay for themselves during the lives of the people who decide to build them:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/17/care-work/#charismatic-megaprojects

Climate tech also produces gigantic, diffused, uncapturable benefits. The "social cost of carbon" is a measure that seeks to capture how much we all pay as polluters despoil our shared world. It includes the direct health impacts of burning fossil fuels, and the indirect costs of wildfires and extreme weather events. The "social savings" of climate tech are massive:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/climate-and-health-benefits-of-wind-and-solar-dwarf-all-subsidies/

For every MWh of renewable power produced, we save $100 in social carbon costs. That's $100 worth of people not sickening and dying from pollution, $100 worth of homes and habitats not burning down or disappearing under floodwaters. All told, US renewables have delivered $250,000,000,000 (one quarter of one trillion dollars) in social carbon savings over the past four years:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/climate-and-health-benefits-of-wind-and-solar-dwarf-all-subsidies/

In other words, climate tech is unselfish tech. It's a gift to the future and to the broad public. It shares its spoils with workers. It requires public action. By contrast, Silicon Valley is greedy tech that is relentlessly focused on the shortest-term returns that can be extracted with the least share going to labor. It also requires massive public investment, but it also totally committed to giving as little back to the public as is possible.

No wonder America's richest and most powerful people are lining up to endorse and fund Trump:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-05-30-democracy-deshmocracy-mega-financiers-flocking-to-trump/

Silicon Valley epitomizes Stafford Beer's motto that "the purpose of a system is what it does." If Silicon Valley produces nothing but planet-wrecking nonsense, grifty scams, and planet-wrecking, nonsensical scams, then these are all features of the tech sector, not bugs.

As Anil Dash writes:

Driving change requires us to make the machine want something else. If the purpose of a system is what it does, and we don’t like what it does, then we have to change the system.

https://www.anildash.com/2024/05/29/systems-the-purpose-of-a-system/

To give climate tech the attention, excitement, and political will it deserves, we need to recalibrate our understanding of the world. We need to have object permanence. We need to remember just how few people were actually using cryptocurrency during the bubble and apply that understanding to AI hype. Only 2% of Britons surveyed in a recent study use AI tools:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c511x4g7x7jo

If we want our tech companies to do good, we have to understand that their ground state is to create planet-wrecking nonsense, grifty scams, and planet-wrecking, nonsensical scams. We need to make these companies small enough to fail, small enough to jail, and small enough to care:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

We need to hold companies responsible, and we need to change the microeconomics of the board room, to make it easier for tech workers who want to do good to shout down the scammers, nonsense-peddlers and grifters:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that the FTC could hold Amazon executives personally liable for the decision to trick people into signing up for Prime, and for making the unsubscribe-from-Prime process into a Kafka-as-a-service nightmare:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/amazon-execs-may-be-personally-liable-for-tricking-users-into-prime-sign-ups/

Imagine how powerful a precedent this could set. The Amazon employees who vociferously objected to their bosses' decision to make Prime as confusing as possible could have raised the objection that doing this could end up personally costing those bosses millions of dollars in fines:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

We need to make climate tech, not Big Tech, the center of our scrutiny and will. The climate emergency is so terrifying as to be nearly unponderable. Science fiction writers are increasingly being called upon to try to frame this incomprehensible risk in human terms. SF writer (and biologist) Peter Watts's conversation with evolutionary biologist Dan Brooks is an eye-opener:

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-collapse-is-coming-will-humanity-adapt/

They draw a distinction between "sustainability" meaning "what kind of technological fixes can we come up with that will allow us to continue to do business as usual without paying a penalty for it?" and sustainability meaning, "what changes in behavior will allow us to save ourselves with the technology that is possible?"

Writing about the Watts/Brooks dialog for Naked Capitalism, Yves Smith invokes William Gibson's The Peripheral:

With everything stumbling deeper into a ditch of shit, history itself become a slaughterhouse, science had started popping. Not all at once, no one big heroic thing, but there were cleaner, cheaper energy sources, more effective ways to get carbon out of the air, new drugs that did what antibiotics had done before…. Ways to print food that required much less in the way of actual food to begin with. So everything, however deeply fucked in general, was lit increasingly by the new, by things that made people blink and sit up, but then the rest of it would just go on, deeper into the ditch. A progress accompanied by constant violence, he said, by sufferings unimaginable.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/05/preparing-for-collapse-why-the-focus-on-climate-energy-sustainability-is-destructive.html

Gibson doesn't think this is likely, mind, and even if it's attainable, it will come amidst "unimaginable suffering."

But the universe of possible technologies is quite large. As Chachra points out in How Infrastructure Works, we could give every person on Earth a Canadian's energy budget (like an American's, but colder), by capturing a mere 0.4% of the solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface every day. Doing this will require heroic amounts of material and labor, especially if we're going to do it without destroying the planet through material extraction and manufacturing.

These are the questions that we should be concerning ourselves with: what behavioral changes will allow us to realize cheap, abundant, green energy? What "innovations" will our society need to focus on the things we need, rather than the scams and nonsense that creates Silicon Valley fortunes?

How can we use planning, and solidarity, and codetermination to usher in the kind of tech that makes it possible for us to get through the climate bottleneck with as little death and destruction as possible? How can we use enforcement, discernment, and labor rights to thwart the enshittificatory impulses of Silicon Valley's biggest assholes?

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/30/posiwid/#social-cost-of-carbon

[rafaelsilvasource]

Rafael L. Silva feels like he accomplished what he set out to do with Carlos Reyes on 9-1-1: Lone Star — but that does not mean he thinks his character's story is over.

In five seasons of the Fox procedural drama, Silva's Carlos Reyes has transformed from a wide-eyed, well-intentioned police officer navigating an undeniable attraction to firefighter-paramedic T.K. Strand (Ronen Rubinstein) to a second-generation Texas Ranger hellbent on finding his own father's cold-blooded killer. Along the way, Silva — who landed his breakout role on Lone Star in 2019, a couple years after earning his undergraduate degree in acting from Pace University — has undergone a similar metamorphosis.

"Lone Star taught me a lot. It gave me feet to walk on, gave me some strong legs to stand on my own," Silva tells TV Guide. "I grew up as a person so much from the show, and I'm extremely grateful for [co-creators] Tim [Minear] and Ryan [Murphy] for having given me the opportunity."

In the final season of Lone Star, Carlos' investigation into the Rangers uncovers that his late father Gabriel's direct superior, Chief Bridges (Alan Autry), killed Gabriel and then set up Carlos' new partner, Campbell (Parker Young), to take the fall. While the bitter truth was never going to bring his father back, Carlos is finally able to get some much-needed closure about Gabriel's untimely demise — and he is now wholeheartedly able to focus on starting a family with T.K. In a flash-forward at the end of the series finale, which saw the first responders navigating not only the fallout of an asteroid but also a potential nuclear disaster, Carlos and T.K. are revealed to have adopted the latter's half-brother Jonah after T.K. decides to quit his job and become a stay-at-home guardian.

Below, Silva opens up about his extensive preparation to play a Texas Ranger (which he stresses is still not the same thing as actually being a Ranger), how he wanted to play the epic conclusion of Carlos' year-long search to finding his father's killer, and what he has made of the chatter about a potential Lone Star spin-off. He also speaks for the first time about his experience of shooting The Waterfront, a highly anticipated new Netflix series from Dawson's Creek and The Vampire Diaries creator Kevin Williamson.

The last time we spoke, you were telling me about the extensive preparation that you insisted on doing to portray a Texas Ranger in the final season of Lone Star — similarly to how you prepared to portray a police officer at the start of this show. How did your time with the Rangers ultimately inform your portrayal of Carlos in this new professional role?

Rafael Silva: When I was first notified that I was becoming a Texas Ranger, I simply just had no idea what that meant. I didn't know what a Texas Ranger was to begin with. How does one become a Texas Ranger? So I reached out to a couple of friends who had connections in Texas and I ended up being able to go to Texas and shadow some Texas Rangers, and I did that for some time. You simply cannot replace personal experience with any sort of study. One of the Texas Rangers that I shadowed told me that a man of experience will never succumb to a man of education, and I think that that's just one of the clearest ways to explain [the process]. You only learn by doing. You can read about it, you can watch tutorials, you can do so much study, but you will never know what something actually is unless you go through it.

It's an extremely exclusive and just definingly elitist department — and I mean elitist in the sense of, only the best of the best and only those who are willing to put in the work to become a Texas Ranger do become a Texas Ranger. They don't necessarily have an entourage of people that accompany them to do their job, to solve whatever situation they have at hand. They are expected to be their sole entourage. Which is why there is that famous saying: "One riot, one Ranger," because all it takes to deal with one riot is one Ranger. I was surrounded by extremely competent, smart, dedicated Rangers, and I have to thank them for allowing me to come into their world and showing me everything. That was a level of trust that I took to heart, and that's what I was adamant about coming into [this season of] Lone Star.

I had extensive conversations with Rashad [Raisani], our showrunner, and I told him, "I am not going to do this incorrectly. I am not going to just brush it for the sake of time, for the sake of network television. I'm not going to compromise." Rashad heard that — and this is why I respect him and Tim [Minear] so much, because they want the best to be on television — and they wanted to work with me. Rashad would call me, like, "Hey, can you touch base with the Ranger that you're friends with to see if this is correct?" And I would do so. So the willingness behind the creative team at Lone Star is also equally responsible for us to see Carlos portraying the Texas Ranger in the way that he did.

How else did that collaboration manifest over the course of the season? What were you insisting needed to be "correct" about this depiction of Rangers?

Silva: So when it came to building the physicality, the boots, the double rig [gun belt] — and we don't wear jeans, we wear wranglers — and the button down shirt, everything was [done] on purpose. There was not a single thing out of place, not purposefully. So that meticulousness is not only in the physicality, but also in the way the Ranger office was designed. The hierarchy, the presentability is extremely important. Every time I was on screen, I wanted to make sure that I was meticulous, because every time a Ranger is out on the field, they're not just representing himself or herself. They're representing all Texas Rangers. So what does that mean? It's above you. It's not about you. You have to take on this responsibility not only for yourself, but for everybody else. And that's an awareness you have to have.

I think witnessing that awareness, witnessing that energy in person was irreplaceable. So the purpose of [studying the process of] Carlos becoming a Texas Ranger is not only Rafael trying to do his job, but it's also Carlos not having to prove himself. Carlos is so young to be a Texas Ranger! He's a child. He's a baby. And that's mentioned, right? I was like, "We have to talk about how young he is, and we also have to talk about that this is not nepotism, because that doesn't happen in the Texas Rangers. That doesn't exist. Every Texas Ranger is absolutely qualified to do their job on their own and do it well. That needs to be honored in the script and the stories that we're telling." I just respect them so much. And selfishly as Rafael, I wanted that to be mentioned. I wanted that to be understood.

Parker Young, who played Ranger Campbell, recently said that he was a little sad when he read Episode 8 because he thought Campbell was Gabriel's killer, but then he was happy to discover that wasn't actually the case in Episode 9. When did you learn the truth about who killed Gabriel? Did you play any of the episodes under the impression that Campbell was the suspected assailant?

Silva: No, I absolutely did not want to know a fucking thing. [Laughs.] I didn't even know until I think someone told me, and we were shooting [Episode] 508. I didn't want to have the awareness. I didn't want to play something that Carlos was not aware of. That doesn't behoove me. That helps nobody. I think Tim wanted to tell me before we even started shooting Season 5, and I was like, "Shut your mouth. Don't do that! [Laughs.] Don't tell me a thing. Why would you tell me?" And I think there's such a freedom that comes in playing and being when you don't know everything. I completely disagree when people tell me that I need to know everything. I don't know everything that's going to happen in my life, so I just act according to the present moment. And why wouldn't my character do the same thing? So if someone wanted to tell me, I ran away from them. If someone tried to call me about it, I'd hang up. But eventually, I found out and then I just had to pretend I didn't know. [Laughs.]

There are a couple moments that stand out to me in Episodes 8 and 9, and they both have to do with the way Carlos reacts to his own investigation into Gabriel's murder. First, there's a clear switch when Carlos suspects Campbell was responsible, and Carlos has a difficult time trying to lie, and then there's another switch when Carlos discovers — almost too late — that Chief Bridges was his father's killer. How did you think about playing the conclusion of this massive arc for Carlos as he gets closer and closer to the truth?

Silva: I didn't try to play a conclusion. I was just trying to do the scene the way that it's meant to be played. The beautiful thing about the art that we do is that you can live as deep [as you want] in the illusion that you have control over what you do in terms of how the story's going to be told. The story's going to be told in the editing room. My job is to be true to how I feel the scene is going to go in that moment. So I don't put the responsibility on my shoulders. And that's something that I had to learn sort of the hard way too — to learn how to let go and just play the scene the way it's asked to be played.

So in terms of performance, I give all sorts of shades to the scenes. But essentially, something I knew before we even shot these scenes was that Carlos will not get the satisfaction that he's looking for by catching the guy or killing the guy. It's not like, "Boom! There you go. Justice [served]." No, it's not, because his father will not come back out of seeking that justice. His father will not come back if the guy gets murdered, or goes to jail, or he goes to trial and then he gets sentenced and charged. What Carlos is dealing with or trying his best to avoid is actually sitting in the pain of having lost his father and knowing that he will not ever come back. So in a sense, and perhaps we don't see a lot of this in the series, it's him dealing with the emptiness of like, "Now what do I do after this whole thing is over?" And that's up to interpretation. I think that would've been a beautiful moment to explore. Unfortunately, we just didn't have the time.

But I think Carlos's story was told. I think his rage was told — rage is essentially pain. I think his pain was told, and we were able to feel with him. We did have that scene at the cemetery. I actually forget all the lines [laughs], but essentially what he's saying is, "I don't have you by my side seeking justice. I don't have my father. I don't have you." So, as an actor, I don't worry about the big picture. I worry about each moment. Obviously, I've thought about the storyline, which is why we got the story that we did. Tim and Rashad were willing to give me that [arc], which I'm really grateful for. But you work so much, only to let it go immediately. It is just crazy to me. But that was sort of the intention. The intention is every moment. I think if you take care of every moment, the rest is also taken care of.

After Episode 9, you effectively bid farewell to Carlos, because it was the conclusion of his most substantive arc of the final season. Obviously, he and T.K. still had to overcome an obstacle to adopt Jonah. What was it like for you to say goodbye to Carlos? What do you remember most from your final day on set?

Silva: I cried a lot on my last day. There's that big red [Verizon] satellite truck that gives signals to the entire city [in the series finale]. That was my last day shooting Lone Star, and I didn't know how it was going to be. I am very fortunate that I have wonderful castmates that came and brought me flowers on my last day. I wasn't expecting it! I was not expecting a single person. I wasn't expecting anything. I was just like, "Oh, I'm just going to go home. And now it's done." But no, [Natacha Karam], Brian [Michael Smith], and Brianna [Baker] came out and they brought me flowers, and I just sobbed for about 20 minutes.

I don't know why that happens. It may be silly, but it's five years of dedicating your life to the people that you work with. I cannot emphasize enough the extremely talented and hardworking crew that we had on Lone Star. Our crew did so much for that show to work. I'm extremely grateful for them because [the actors] just had to show up, literally. These are men and women that give their lives just to create this industry, and I think they go unsung very often, and that is absolutely unacceptable. We have to mention our hard-working crew more often because they are as legitimate as the actors on screen. I grew up as a person so much from the show, and I'm extremely grateful for Tim and Ryan for having given me the opportunity. So I think, in the moment, we don't really register that [loss in our brains], but the body knows and it pours it all out and starts crying. I think maybe that's why it happens, but I think I was given a mission — and I think the mission was accomplished.

Did you get to take home anything from the set?

Silva: Hell yeah. I got my Steston [hat], my cowboy boots, and a jacket.

The legacy of a show generally becomes clearer over time, but many viewers have gravitated toward Carlos and the messiness of his relationship with T.K. over the course of these five seasons. When you look back on this chapter of your career five-to-10 years down the road, what do you hope the legacy of this character will be?

Silva: You can't really control how people identify [with] Carlos — at least that's what I understood. I just hope people see him as an ever-evolving human being. Like we all are, he's just trying his best to be his best. And I don't think his story is over. I really don't. There were ideas floating around about spinning off this world into something else, and I think that was a legitimate and smart idea. I just don't think the time is right. He will live forever in a sense, but I think his story is not over.

I definitely wouldn't shy away from continuing to tell his story — him being the leader of his [own] story — but it has to be complementary to the [9-1-1] world. It is not about Rafael being this [character again]. It's about Carlos existing. Why does he exist here, and what can we do to showcase this Latino queer man in a position of power? How does he live in the world? How does he influence people? How do people influence him, and what does he represent? What can he represent? Because people of all faces, all places, all sizes, all colors identified with him. They would tell me that [personally]. And I think that's such a privilege to witness — [for] people to gravitate toward him and want to root for him. And I'm not patting myself on the back. It's not about me and will never be about me, but that's someone people would root for, and I would be rooting for the people rooting for him. When characters like that come out, I think we shouldn't discard them so easily.

So, just to be clear, are you saying the door is open for you to reprise this character at some point down the road? If the executive producers decide they want to revisit just Carlos's story one day, would you consider coming back?

Silva: Yes. But it has to be done right.

Since wrapping Lone Star last summer, you booked and already filmed the first season of Kevin Williamson's new Netflix family drama The Waterfront, in which you play Shawn, a newly employed bartender for the central Buckley family who has a secret that could upend the family forever. The show is set to premiere later this year. What can you say about your experience of making that new show and playing a different character for a change?

Silva: I'm going to tell you right off the bat: I can't really say anything, because I've also not had any conversations about talking about the other show. [Laughs.] But I'll tell you: Living in North Carolina, working with [executive producers] Kevin Williamson, Michael Narducci, Ben Fast was an extremely privileged experience. It was wonderful. I worked with extremely talented people, people from the theater.

Our number one, Holt McCallany, is such a great leader, always prepared, knows his lines and everybody else's lines. [Laughs.] And it was a wonderful example of what can be done, what should be done. But also, I observed myself in that environment. I was like, Wow, Lone Star taught me a lot. It gave me feet to walk on, gave me some strong legs to stand on my own. And shooting the show was fun. It was very different from Lone Star because Lone Star had so much going on, especially in rescue cases. You have two fire trucks, two ambulances, cop cars — it's great, and it deserves its spotlight. And then [The Waterfront] was much less about the external, a lot more about the internal. The show is entertaining, it was fun, and it will be worth the watch.

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

EWAN MITCHELL PHOTOGRAPHED AND INTERVIEWED FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE.

ABOUT BEING RECOGNIZED

Like most people, Ewan Mitchell is accustomed to anonymity.

So during a recent trip to Manhattan, he was surprised by what a hotel doorman asked when he arrived: “You haven’t packed your eye patch?”

The actor is still getting used to strangers making the connection in public.

“I wouldn’t think people would recognize me, but they do.”

“I think it’s because of my strong chin.”

“When I’m dressed up as Aemond and catch myself in the mirror, he scares even me a little bit.”

When he’s not in character, Mitchell is soft-spoken and occasionally flashes a boyish grin, though he retains much of Aemond’s seriousness and quiet intensity.

He is also very private: He stays off social media and in the past has shied away from sharing much with the public.

“Once you lose the mystery, you can’t really get it back.”

HE KNOWS THAT AEMOND'S KEY ROLE IN S2 MEANS HE MUST ALSO EMBRACE THE SPOTLIGHT

“There is a point where you have to go, now’s the time to pull back the curtain.”

Like Aemond, Mitchell is a second son.

He grew up in Derby, an industrial town in the middle of England, and his parents expected him to follow his older brother’s footsteps and work at Rolls-Royce (the aerospace and industrial technology company, not the carmaker).

HIS INSPIRATIONS AND BECOME AN ACTOR

Inspired by films like “Citizen Kane” and “Taxi Driver,” Mitchell knew early on he wanted to become an actor.

When he was 13, his teacher asked each student in his class what they wanted to do when they grew up.

“Then it came to me, and I said, ‘I’m going to be an actor,’ and everyone laughed at me.”

His family could not afford tuition for drama school, so Mitchell attended a two-year vocational school, where he studied design and technology while working part-time at a restaurant and in customer service at a local soccer club.

Midway through the program, at 17, he was accepted into the Nottingham Television Workshop, a drama group that trains young people in acting.

Through the Workshop, Mitchell landed a leading role in a 2015 short film called “Fire,” about a young man who leaks fire from his hands.

Once the short was released, Mitchell downloaded it onto a dozen CDs, took the train to London and stopped by the offices of every agent he could find, handing them each a copy.

The one person who called back continues to represent Mitchell.

“By hook or by crook, I wanted to make sure that I was going to be in this business.”

ABOUT BEING CASTED AS AEMOND TARGARYEN

Aemond’s growing prominence in the show requires Mitchell to embrace the spotlight as well.

“There is a point where you have to go, now’s the time to pull back the curtain.”

But being cast as Aemond in “House of the Dragon” has been his biggest professional turning point by far.

“Since landing him, I feel like I’m able to now steer the course of my career.”

Mitchell had been rewatching the classic Hollywood adventure film “The Vikings” (1958) and musing about how he wanted to play a morally dark character similar to the one played by Kirk Douglas when he received an email inviting him to submit a taped audition for Aemond.

When he eventually auditioned in person, he left a lasting impression on Ryan Condal, the showrunner for “House of the Dragon.”

“When Ewan came into the room, he just had this presence to him that I can best describe as unsettling,” Condal said.

“It was kind of quietly terrifying the way he performed it, and it was totally different than everybody else. And then he thanked us very politely and left the room.”

Condal recalls asking Kate Rhodes James, the casting director, “Is he always like that?”

She replied, “Oh no, he’s just a very intense northern boy.”

To prepare for his role, Mitchell did not watch “Game of Thrones.” Instead, he read portions of “Fire & Blood,” the book by George R.R.

Martin that inspired the show, and studied the performances of Michael Fassbender in “Prometheus” and Peter O’Toole in “Lawrence of Arabia,” each playing a figure who wields power for his own ends.

ABOUT MATT SMITH AND DAEMON TARGARYEN

On his first day on set, Mitchell consulted with Condal and decided that he would avoid interacting with Matt Smith, who plays Aemond’s similarly menacing uncle and rival, Daemon, in order to heighten the tension between the two characters.

Mitchell had grown up admiring Smith’s performance in “Doctor Who.”

But on set Mitchell avoided any eye contact with him, keeping his distance until the climactic scene near the end of the first season when Aemond and Daemon finally face off.

“There’s this addictive kind of quality when you’re in the shoes of a character.”

“When you lose yourself for a moment, it’s almost like a dream.”

ABOUT HIS HOME AND HIS DOGS

When he isn’t acting, Mitchell still lives at his family home in Derby and spends time with his dogs, three whippets named Eva, Bella and Bonnie.

“Now that I’m on it.”

“I’ve just got to stay on the dragon.”