atlasnolanarchive

[atlasnolanarchive]

barry keoghan the man that you are

[atlasnolanarchive]

"I haven't, actually."

Did he look like someone who didn't drink bubble tea? He can't help but wonder on that as he shuffles forward when the line did, most of the words and combination options feeling unknown to him.

"I was just going to ask what the person making it's favorite was and try that, but if you have any better recommendations for me, I'm all ears."

@aaliyahsani

open: all / @starteroaks location: diy bubble tea station

bubble tea had been one of aaliyah's favorites for the past few years. while she didn't typically get tapioca included, the diy station at gravi-ti had pulled her in. "have you ever had bubble tea?" she asked the person next to year, not wanting to assume. she could easily stick to her normal flavor. however, that defeated the purpose in her opinion. "i love it personally but want to try something new. do you happen to have a favorite if you do enjoy it that is."

[atlasnolanarchive]

"Lennon, yo, Lennon!" Atlas couldn't have been louder as he called out to what he thinks is a familiar figure, a few stray kernels from his large popcorn falling to the floor from how he moved when he did.

When he looks at him, he smiles back, grateful that he hadn't just barked at a stranger.

Atlas is far from a film buff, but for two dollars it was too good a deal to pass up. He makes his way over to her, trying to discern if she was always in attendance alone.

"Sup. You coming or going?"

@lennonleigh

open starter to: all ! ( @starteroaks ) location: comet see it movie theater.

it's more than a little humiliating that her tinder date has stood her up on two dollar tuesday. a meek apology was sent via text message to lennon twenty minutes before the screening was due to begin, a declaration that insisted 'you're great, i'm just not ready to date yet. so sorry.' after talking to the guy for two weeks, she immediately uninstalls the tinder app from her phone, deleting her profile along with it, not bothering to answer her date. she was too busy for this shit anyway, too focused on her work to get wrapped up in the perils of online matchmaking. all she wanted was to have fun with someone, maybe some casual sex, it wasn't like she'd asked for their hand in marriage. before walking toward the exit, a familiar voice calls out to lennon and she turns around to greet them, forcing a smile, hoping they won't be able to notice her wounded ego.

[atlasnolanarchive]

"You're on. Be warned, I have expensive tastes."

Excessive tastes was more apt, and if he was being offered a free drink he would make sure to order a triple to get value from it. He watches the other carefully, his attention shifting from the game to him and back again. When he's up, he takes his yellow piece and drops it into an empty circle on the other side of the board where there hadn't been any pieces deposited yet in an attempt to keep him guessing.

"It's getting real now."

@josephconway

"Oh yeah? Loser buys the other a drink then." Joe promised back, picking up a ain't red piece and dropping it into the Connect Four. He'd already plotted out his moves, he'd played this game a lot as a kid, and now somehow he was playing it again, as a grown man, after being dragged into it by some random younger man.

"The floor is yours."

[atlasnolanarchive]

"I wish you did, that nickel would be mine if you had."

Atlas' confidence is unwarranted but wholly committed to on his end, circling the large Connect Four board like some sort of shark when given how void of strategy he played it, it was still as good as a game of chance.

When Mckinley takes his turn, Atlas stops to a halt, observing where he can next place his. All of a sudden, he's not quite as cocksure.

His puck is placed next, a red puck bracketing two yellows, a defensive tactic through and through.

"You a fast ducker?" He jokes, mimicking what it might look like if he did decide to launch one clean at the other man before he gestures to him to make his next move.

@mckinleyserrano

One of the slogans for these festivals was to come hungry. And Mckinley always seemed to bring his appetite. It didn't matter how many years this town held the activities, the food was always something he looked forward to. Perhaps, it was easy to assume that it paired so well with being competitive and the games. "If only I had a nickel for every time I heard that." Though a smile presented. Then dropping down one of the oversized discs from the game of Connect Four. "I just hope you don't go chucking one of these things at my head should you lose."

[atlasnolanarchive]

"Booktok?" Atlas says, unsure of what it was that was being mentioned. It sounded like TikTok, which he was very aware of, but his FYP tended to be absurd clips and semi-dangerous stunts.

"Sorry, I got none. I'm not much of a reader." He holds up the coffee cup he had gotten when he arrived, his wander through the bookshelves had been purely out of curiosity while he drank.

"I just came here for the coffee and to look at the covers."

He had heard that old adage of never judging a book by one, but he couldn't help doing exactly that as he mentally ticked off good and not good by which covers appealed to his eyes.

"Was the one you read that bad?"

@isabelscusa

open: to all @starteroaks location: white rabbit bookstore & cafe

Isabel sighed, putting another book back to on its shelf. Reading had long been her stress reliever and this week in particular had been rough for her. Between annoying co-workers, worse patients, and trifling family — thankfully not hers, but a distraction was well earned. "if there's one thing booktok will do, it's lie." she glanced at the person by her. "do you have any good recommendations and God please don't say it's dark romance."

[atlasnolanarchive]

"Just walking towards the end of the world…" "Knowing that any second the ground is going to fall away."

BARRY KEOGHAN as OLIVER QUICK in SALTBURN (2023)

dir. Emerald Fennell

[atlasnolanarchive]

"I'm paying nothing but attention here. Laser focused, eye on the prize."

That's a lie, though not wholly intentional. He has been half-focused on the game, half-distracted by the company, which is always Atlas' fatal flaw. He steps up to drop his red puck into the next slot, little thought behind the move and missing even when it landed that he had inadvertently cleared a path for her to take the victory with one more well placed puck.

"Start thinking now on what my prize will be."

@ruyabaykam

Rue doesn't know how she got talked into playing this game, but here she was. Absolutely clueless on what she was doing, throwing pieces inside and hoping—no, praying—he didn't catch on to one of her sneaky little moves.

‟Don't count me out too soon. I may surprise you,” she teases, dropping one of the circle pieces into the slot—already eyeing her next move. One that would make it possible for an automatic win.

‟You again. And I hope for your sake, you've been paying close attention.” Now she's just mocking him, a sly smirk on her features as she waits.

@atlasnolan

[atlasnolanarchive]

"And that wasn't a lie, I've never played this in my life."

The giant version, at least. The regular, run of the mill version on the other hand had been a staple form of amusement for him and his sister thanks to the well-loved scuffed boxed one that had seen almost as many Florida hotel rooms as they had. Atlas had lifted it from a charity shop when they had been trailing after their mother inside one, and they were endlessly competitive over it since.

"You could go here," Atlas advises, using his yellow puck to indicate where she may temporarily halt his siege with her red one, though he has a three move response that would snatch him a win anyway. "But it's a battle win, not a war win."

With a mischievous look in his eyes, he tilts his head at her, his words not solely about Connect Four anymore.

"What's it going to be, Rose. Let me win now, or let me win later? Either way, it's going to happen. We both know that."

@rosesraleigh

The problem was Rose was fairly certain that he did, in fact, have it in the bag. She's stared at the oversized 'Connect Four' board for too long now -- a red, frisbee sized disc held between her palms as she chewed on her lower lip.

"Shut the fuck up, I know," she shoots back, brows furrowed as she tries to find some possible move that will block him from completing a row.

"You're full of shit -- I thought you said you'd never played this."

[atlasnolanarchive]

closed for: @sunbcthe

where: near the beachside burrito booth

Twice already Atlas has had to make himself walk by the booth Aspen was working, with a reminder that he shouldn't be a distraction while she was working.

( Even if he did think volunteering should come with more breaks to entertain him. )

When he saw a different volunteer take over, he seized the opportunity, waving his hand near where she stood to get her attention to relay the curious sighting he's had.

"Finally, you done slinging pico de gallo?" He doesn't give her a chance to tell him otherwise, adding quickly what he actually wanted to draw focus to.

"Saw someone wandering around, bit too tall, bit too brazen for a dude who did all that. Did you see him?"

He's certain if she has she would know who he's alluding to, but he would let her lead them both to Archie as an answer before he drops it in her lap.

[atlasnolanarchive]

"What's the plan then when I do win?" Atlas asks, his large yellow puck that's next to be utilised held in his hands as he watches Ximena take their turn. Is he as certain as he's letting on that his victory is guaranteed? Not at all, but that's where the fun was.

When Ximena's puck dropped into lowest row of the column they placed it in, Atlas immediately steps up to place his yellow one beside it, blocking the possible horizontal line. There's no strategy in his game beyond being an obstacle, but it served him well so far.

"I think I get too into these things," He confesses as he grabs another yellow, tempted to try roll it along the ground like a stray coin to see where it landed. "I feel all buzzy."

@soximena

competition was what ximena would consider to be a strong suit for them, no matter what it was they were participating in. they didn't expect that a giant game of connect four would get so intense, but the eyeroll at his confidence was involuntary, hand raising to wave him off. "there's no way you're gonna win," they countered, hand raising to their chin as they assessed the board. "i actually can't let that happen." placing a red puck into one of the columns, they motioned forward indicating his turn.

[atlasnolanarchive]

BARRY KEOGHAN Mammal (2016) dir. Rebecca Daly

[atlasnolanarchive]

Atlas had to push himself up on his tippy-toes so that he could see Mikey clearly over the Jenga they were playing, an eyebrow quirking at him as a small scale fear was realised.

( Death by Jenga collapse. )

"Soft though, yeah?" He's not actually sure such a thing existed, but he's certain one or both of them would find out by the end of the match.

When Mikey places his piece on top, Atlas takes a cautious step back, in case a sway of the tower causes a fall that didn't happen. So far, sturdy. With his turn again, he decides to be a little bolder, moving a right side piece from the fourth row up with caused a wobble that had him freezing with the piece in his hands in case further movement might rush the demise.

When a collapsing Jenga piece didn't hit his back, he places his at the very top, the structural integrity further disintegrating from the weight.

"You ever seen Godzilla?" Atlas says then as he drifts closer to where Mikey was, every impulse in his mind telling him to headbutt the stack to see what would happen.

"When he destroys the city? Just levels it with his big body. I could do that with this."

@miikcs

          “ We should have gone for the water balloon darts, ” Mikey supplied, sighing dramatically ( fake and unconvincing, that’s the thing ). It was one to play this game on top of a table, and another when the entire massive stack was sitting on a giant board. The game? Giant Jenga — not as tall as them, roughly about five foot seven, ish, Mikey guess-estimated. “ Alright, ” he decided, approaching the giant stack and carefully going for the middle block, mid-stack. “ Not that I’m complaining, ” Mikey remarked, placing the block on top of the neat pile. “ But they should have used lightweight material for this — this is actual wood, man. ”

[atlasnolanarchive]

"I wear it well though, don't I?" Atlas questions with a grin, his hands clasped behind his back as he remains standing at the top of the ladder he had climbed on his last turn. There's no falter in his amusement as Kai takes a long walk back to the first square, trying to drum up some semblance of sympathy that eludes him in the face of being oh so close to victory.

He moves his arms then, cupping his mouth with his hands like he needs to project his voice like Kai was oh so far away from where he was.

"It's working. You got me fooled."

He uses his foot to scoot the dice towards himself so he can take his turn, tossing it with a basketball style granny shot and watching as it initially appeared to be a two and then rolled onto a one instead. He takes a step forward onto an innocuous white square, the tongue of a snake waiting to sting on the green square beside it.

( Thank fuck it hadn't been a two. )

"Can you hear that? That's me about one roll away from being the chutes and ladders GOAT."

@kaiisms

" you know atlas, there's a very fine line between confidence and cockiness. and cockiness isn't all that appealing in a person. " it's said with a fond smile, a very clear sign of teasing. kai rolls the dice and it lands on five. he's dramatic in the long steps he takes, but when he stops directly on a chute instead of a ladder, he realizes he has to go all the way back to the bottom of the board. the frown that settles on his features is instant, shoulders dropping and head tilting back as he lets out a very playful groan of frustration. "all part of my plan, " he falsely assures, follows the chute all the way down. "let you think you're winnin', then swoop in to steal it at the end. don't rule me out just yet. "

[atlasnolanarchive]

Atlast takes a side step as they join him on his side of the board, as though a closer proximity to his exact vantage point may make some suddenly winning strategy appear to them.

His hands were on his hips as he nods as though he would have even noticed if he was being bullshitted.

"Ten moves just to possibly win?" His hands are in the air then, palms facing Hadlee in mock surrender.

"I take it back, I'm done for. You're the chess master here."

There's no trace of a sore loser's disposition on his features, a smile present as he takes Hadlee's hand in his own and shakes it.

"Atlas. I've definitely seen you a few times, I never forget a face."

@cosmicallyhadlee

“You could have fooled me with your first couple move. That was a strong open. But that move with your bishop? It was over for you then.” She smiles, trying to keep it light. This was literally an evening of fun and games, no need to be competitive.

After a minute of analyzing the board, she crosses over to his side. "So from here, your best move would be to move your queen here and possibly win in 10 lucky moves, or abandon the game."

She smiles and offers her hand. "Hadlee. I don't think we've met."

[atlasnolanarchive]

BARRY KEOGHAN Elaine Constantine ph. for The Sunday Times Style (November 05, 2023)

[atlasnolanarchive]

"You might have the confidence, but I've got something better on my side."

He's about to say utmost faith in his own chess rizz, but he's halted in the words as he's halted in the game. His eyes narrow at the pieces remaining on his side, his knowledge of the game limited to hazy memories of playing checkers with made up rules with his sister in public libraries when their mother had dropped them off there in lieu of finding a babysitter.

His index finger rests on his Queen, pondering if he should move it, or where it should even go.

Another second of concentrated internal deliberation and the jig was up.

"Alright, alright. Small confession. I've never actually played chess. Could you tell? I think I was killing it for a second there."

@cosmicallyhadlee

Hadlee laughs, taking in his last move. “Oh honey,” she says, a smile on her face as she captures his rook with one of the knights. “I’m not so sure you do.” She plans out how she thinks the game is going to go and it’s definitely not in Atlas’ favor. “But anything could happen, right?”