#from her new short film ‘Requiem’

[tlou1]

[caoimhewritingdesk]

hiya, i've been reading a lot of bella stuff cause im currently obssesed with him, i was wondering if you could write a bella x fem! reader where they're both actors and reader just had a movie come out (i would love if it's a horror) so she's having a lot of interviews and she gets asked what movie fascinated her recently and she says requiem (watch it if you haven't it's so good) and she says she knows bella has tlou coming out rn and wants to look into it cause she really liked them in requiem and thinks she's an amazing actor and let's it slip that she thinks he's also really pretty and bella hears cause fans tag them in it, but little do we know bella has had a bit of a crush on reader for some time now and then they finally meet at an award show or something and really hit it off if you know what i mean. i will leave the rest up to you! also sorry this is so long 😭

The Interview

Part 1

I'm so sorry, this has taken me so long to reply to, I've been really busy with Uni work and haven't had time to write.

Summary: You let slip that you find Bella attractive in an interview

Request anything to do with Bella and I'll try my best.

Pairing: Bella Ramsey x fem! reader

Word count: 891

You had spent the last couple of weeks promoting your new movie, it was a horror movie centring around a solo female protagonist who is hunted for sport. You had spent 6 months running in the woods covered in blood, so sitting in a hotel room answering questions from every magazine and website was a walk in the park but you couldn’t help the boredom set in around the second day when all you were being asked was how you felt acting with your male counterpart and if you were nervous to kiss him. Not being new to the industry you were used to these types of questions and they never bothered you before but today, it was just getting on your nerves. It maybe because you had spent most of the night before watching The Last of Us and edits of Bella Ramsey which then lead you to find out they were in a short film that was coming out in a couple of days. It sparked your interest and you couldn’t help but count down the days until it was going to be released. 

“You have mentioned before your love of indie movies, is there any that have sparked your interest?” The interviewer asked which knock you out of your thoughts. 

“Funny you should ask that, last night I came across a short film that looks really good. It’s called Requiem. It’s got Balla Ramsey in it and from them being incredible in The Last of Us it will no doubt be amazing” you say with a smile on your face, finally a question that isn’t the same. 

“I’ve loved watching The Last of Us, can we just have a minute to appreciate Pedro Pascal,” The interviewer said with a laugh. “My for you page on TikTok has been flooded with videos of him”

“Mine has been flooded with edits of Bella, It’s like every video” you chuckled. The interviewer responded with a raised eyebrow. Throughout your career, you have kept your private life very secret but it meant that your fans have speculated about your sexuality. For some reason, recently a blind item had come out that was rumoured to be about you and a secret girlfriend but you are single and all the blind item has done is added fuel to the fire of rumours. 

“Can I just say? I’ve been a fan of The Last of Us for years and when the show was announced I was a little worried as I didn’t want the adaptation to be bad but I have not been disappointed, the only thing that the show hasn’t got right is Joel not dying as much than when I play the game. Also, the comments of other fans have made about Bella are so disgusting, I think they need to get their eyes checked because you have to be blind to think Bella is anything other than attractive or not the perfect Ellie.” You ended up ranting and the interviewer was just nodding along, but you couldn’t help the sinking feeling in your stomach. You knew for a fact that the interviewer was going to use what you’ve said about Bella and add more fuel to the fire of speculation about your sexuality. 

A couple of days later. 

Bella has just posted a picture on Instagram of some behind-the-scenes pictures from The Last of Us. It had only been up for a couple of minutes when their phone was blown up with notifications, they knew where this was going. It would be filled with a bunch of hate comments about her and as much as he didn’t want to, he couldn’t stop himself from looking at them even though it hurts him. Only to be surprised, there were a lot of hate comments but most of them followed along the lines of: 

users1:BELLA HAVE YOU SEEN Y/N’S NEW INTERVIEW?!?!?!?!?

He knew your work very well, having watched most of the movies and TV shows you had been in. He wouldn’t say he had a crush but it was a point for his friends to tease him about. It was even something Pedro teased him about, you had a new movie released in 2021 in the middle of filming The Last of Us and for a soiled week or two, it was all he talked about. 

Pulling up YouTube to watch the interview as curiosity got the better of him. When they saw the interview in question it was clicked on immediately. For the second time in 5 minutes they were shocked, the clip from the interview was you saying “Can I just say? I’ve been a fan of The Last of Us for years and when the show was announced I was a little worried as I didn’t want the adaptation to be bad but I have not been disappointed, the only thing that the show hasn’t got right is Joel not dying as much than when I play the game. Also, the comments of other fans have made about Bella are so disgusting, I think they need to get their eyes checked because you have to be blind to think Bella is anything other than attractive or not the perfect Ellie” 

Blush crept up on his cheeks and he didn’t realise he was smiling. 

“Well, what do I do now?” he said out loud.

[tfblovesmusic]

The Classical Side of the Mournful Morning

As tower and fortress fall, we watch with disbelieving stare and numbly hear the anguished cries that pierce the ash-filled air. Carl Daw

It is said that if all words fail, music speaks, and nothing expresses the emotions felt during and after September 11, 2001, known to me as The Mournful Morning.

Hence this Spotify playlist I crafted.

The playlist commences with an excerpt from Michael Gordon's piece from The Sad Park, written for string quartet and electronics. While Gordon personally saw the plane hit the South Tower of the former Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, millions more heard about what he witnessed via news reports or - in my case as a 6th grader - principals who relayed the news on their school intercoms.

While I was at school, my DPs and DGPs were in the waiting room of the chemo clinic. They thought the news footage of the attacks was a made-for-TV disaster film, but they realized that it was tragically anything but. They found out after my late DGF's chemo session that the Twin Towers were no more.

Taken by my DF, 1/1997.

Then, it segues into Mrs M. E. Her Funeral Tears for the Death of her Husband. This short 17th century song cycle by John Danyel evokes the disbelief and sorrow of the wives whose husbands on the planes that struck the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a rural field in PA phoned their last words to them mid-air on their cell or GTE Airfones. The lyrics evoke the emotions the widows-to-be felt on the receiving end of those phone conversations, then on terra firma.

For great effect, I used three separate countertenors for each track of the cycle: Iestyn Davies and Michael and Alexander Chance, in that order.

Leopold Stokowski's arrangement of JS Bach's adagio from BWV 564 evokes the passengers on Flight 93 raiding the cockpit in which the hijackers steered the plane en route to the US Capitol or the White House. They succeeded in thwarting their plans, but not without crashing in the said field in PA, killing all onboard.

Taken 6/1/2019.

The arrangement segues into the alto aria of Cantata BWV 198, sung by Charles Brett. It honors the female first responders who died at Ground Zero in NYC as well as the female flight attendants (especially Betty Ong, who served passengers on AA Flight 11 and notified the AA reservations center of the hijacking) and passengers who helped thwart hijackers' plans to crash UA Flight 93 into the Capitol or the White House. Fittingly, the lyrics are translated as:

How contentedly the heroine died! How courageously her spirit struggled As death's arm overcame her, Before he conquered her breast.

And we are talking about several heroines here.

Moving onto the Classical Era, the final movement of the WA Mozart Requiem and the dirge from the Ludwig Van Beethoven Eroica Symphony honor the friar and first victim of the WTC attacks, Mychal Judge. Barbara Bonney's rendition of Franz Schubert's Ave Maria - per the German text - evokes the thoughts of the women trapped in the rubble of the former Twin Towers, struggling to live.

For those who didn't make it, the English translation of one movement of Johannes Brahms's German Requiem (upon which Barbara Buehlman masterfully arranged it for concert band), the funeral march from Frederic Chopin's second piano sonata, Edward Elgar's "Nimrod" from Enigma Variations make fitting tributes to them.

Remo Giazotto's Adagio in G minor, based on a lost manuscript of one of Tomaso Albinoni's church sonatas, makes one imagine a slew of church services that immediately followed after the attacks. Samuel Barber's Agnus Dei (performed by VOCES8) and Vladimir Vavilov's Ave Maria (sung by Libera) evoke Catholics' prayers through the intercession of the Virgin Mary in that time of of great death and anxiety as well as the happy repose of the souls.

Taken 6/1/2019.

As the playlist nears its end, mourning continues to morph into hope through Eric Ewazen's concert band work, A Hymn for the Lost and the Living. More rays of hope shine as it segues on to Howard Goodall’s choral anthem, Spared. Reeling from both his NJ friend Brian Aschinger’s death by cancer in August 2001 and the horrific sights he saw in Manhattan while en route to film a segment of his documentary, Great Dates, that next month, he wrote it in memory of the victims.

Taken 6/1/2019.

John Rutter's The Lord Bless You and Keep You has listeners evoke the 1-year-anniversary memorial services and Masses being held, resolve strengthened and victims remembered. Charles Ives's Variations on America represent the increased patriotism after that dark chapter in US history. Finally, Richard Goldman’s and Robert Leist's concert band arrangement of the Gravement from Bach's Fantasia in G Major, BWV 572, reinforces the strengthened sense of patriotism, all the while representing the ascension of innocent souls who entered eternal rest on that tragic day.

It's best to listen with a Spotify Premium account. If you have the free one, take the time to mute after each track in case an ad pops up, just to preserve the solemnity of this playlist.

May all the souls who perished on this day in 2001 rest in peace.

Taken 6/1/2019.

[h2shonotes]

H2shO™️ Classical Influencer: Theo Bleckmann

Curating the upcoming playlists for H2shO™️ CLASSICAL, a mind/body aquatic workout, I asked GRAMMY® nominated jazz singer and new music composer Theo Bleckmann to share with me a short list of Classical Music composers who have influenced his art.

Bleckmann is presently in New York City rehearsing for the World Premiere of  Note To A Friend, a monodrama by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, directed by Yoshi Oishi (written for and starring Theo Bleckmann). It will premiere at the Japan Society NYC from January 12-15, 2023. Tickets are on sale now.

Note To A Friend, January 12, 14, 7:30 PM & January 15, 3:00 PM ET

Theo took a moment out from his rehearsals to share his list of classical music composers. Like the artist himself, these men and one woman have pushed forward the boundaries of the genre. You don’t have to get into the water to enjoy this element of the shO.

Here are the first Four Composers with more to come over the following weeks. We begin with a pivotal figure in modernist music.

Igor Stravinsky 

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century.

Charles Ives  

Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Later in life, the quality of his music was publicly recognized through the efforts of contemporaries like Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison, and he came to be regarded as an "American original" and as the leading American composer of art music of the 20th century.

Meredith Monk

Meredith Jane Monk  is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. From the 1960s onwards, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance. In 2015, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama.

In this 1994 documentary, Monk shares her process and we see behind-the-scenes footage of her rehearsing and working with members of her acclaimed Vocal Ensemble on such works as "New York Requiem", "Do You Be", and "Vessel".

Jóhann Jóhannsson

Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson was a prolific Icelandic composer and multi-instrumentalist - one of the most acclaimed film composers of the last few decades - who wrote music for a variety of media.. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchestration with contemporary electronic elements.

[notafraidofstopping876]

Just some random thoughts on the Dear Evan Hansen movie...

Below the cut for anyone who cares to read....

So I’ve listened to the cast album several times and watched a slime tutorial but have yet to see it onstage....and I have a very long history of mental health problems both within myself and within my family, so that’s where I was coming in...

Overall I was pretty happy with it and definitely cried, this is just literally a random thought dump 

*Seeing Evan at the beginning with his twitching and racing thoughts and nervousness made me feel SO SEEN.(I have severe anxiety and depression myself)

*Was Ben Platt probably too old for this role? Probably. But his performance was truly incredible and I’m glad it was preserved in this way.

*Honestly I did not feel as bad for Evan as I thought I would....really and truly after the lies began I didn’t feel hardly any sympathy for him at all. I didn’t even cry during “Words Fail” just because I felt zero sympathy for him after the lying and manipulating.

*Sincerely Me was very well filmed.

*Alana was a lot more sympathetic. I loved her new song, Amanda did a killer job. And I understand more now why Alana posted Connor’s letter, but it still doesn’t excuse it.

*Acting was good all around. Best performance I’ve ever seen Amy Adams or Julianne Moore give. Singing was also good all around, usually once Hollywood casting takes hold of a musical there’s one “singer” who sticks out like a sore thumb (looking at you Russel Crowe and Pierce Bronson) but everybody sounded good.

*I cried for the first time during “Requiem” just because that song always hits way too close to home. Long story short a family member was in and out of the hospital after multiple suicide attempts in a two year period so....yeah 

*LOVED seeing Demarius Copes, even briefly. I’d met him several times because of Newsies on tour and I loved getting to see him on the big screen. 

*Second cry was “You Will Be Found” just seeing how many people were bonded together and uplifted

*When Cynthia said to Larry “Because he wasn’t yours” I audibly gasped. Like, shit. 

*Third and biggest cry was “So Big So Small” because of course it was. May have reminded me too much of my Mom caring for me during my episodes. 

*The resolution of the movie was SO WELL EXECUTED. It solved my biggest problem with the stage show: that Evan never faced consequences for what he did. The fact that he openly admitted what he did and was shunned for it, and then the fact that he actively tried to make things right as best he could by getting to know who Conner really made him a lot more redeemable to me.

*THE VIDEO OF CONNER AND THE GUITAR I LITERALLY GASPED. THAT WRECKED ME. 

Overall I was pretty happy with it....but I will say that while I think it’s great that Dear Evan Hansen is bringing up conversations about suicide and mental health, and I think it’s great that so many people find hope/catharsis in it....I don’t know if it necessarily does that for me.

That’s just me personally, I’m not saying it’s bad. But even when the musical came out, even in that Tony season, there were shows that I found even more cathartic and beautiful (like Come From Away) and shows that I also felt dealt with trauma and mental illness in a meaningful way (Bandstand and even to an extent Anastasia) and it irritates me that so many of those shows were brushed aside because of Dear Evan Hansen’s popularity.

So while I don’t think I’ll ever go out of my way to see the musical onstage, I’m glad the movie exists and I’m glad I watched it. But I don’t think I’ll ever rewatch it multiple times like with the Come From Away proshot.(For the record that musical made me UGLY CRY and belly laugh and made me feel every human emotion that is possible in a ninety minute time span)

[acelucky]

10 Films with 10 Gifs

10 Films with 10 Gifs

I was tagged by @pinkandgreenroom​ thank you, I love doing things like this especially when it’s film related. These aren’t all my top 10 films as I struggle to narrow it down that much (apart from my two absolute favourites which are on this list) otherwise I have top 5′s from various genres or Top 50 overall etc. So these are just 10 movies I love. For some reason I started off writing a short sentence on why I love the film and it just grewwwww. 

Watership Down - so this is one of my top 2 favourite movies of all time and has been for nearly 30 years. I have a black rabbit of Inle tattoo on my left ankle. Also my favourite book. 

Fellowship of the Ring - My other absolute favourite which is in my Top 10 - no explanation needed. 

Marie Antionette - I absolutely love this movie, it’s one of my favourites and I cried when I visited Versailles. 

Whale Rider - Saw this in the cinema with my Grandma in Auckland when i was 14, I cried a lot. I still love the film, the music and the book it’s based on. I haven’t watched it in many years because I know how much it upsets me and reminds me of my family in NZ.

Withnail & I - This film is hilarious and such a mood. Great hangover movie. It’s very much a autumn/winter kinda film, or it at least has to be stormy or raining outside to really enjoy it. Booze helps. 

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - I fucking love this film and will defend it and sing it’s praises until I die. I bought the DVD when I was at University - on the day of release, the special edition one. pretty much because Russell Brand was in it. Little did I know this would become my go to ‘happy place/feel better’ movie. Little did I know it would play on a coach after a trip to Milford Sound the last time I was in New Zealand. Or that it would be the movie I would end up watching the night before my wedding/morning of my wedding.

The Dead Don’t Die - What’s not to love? 

Donnie Darko - I went through a phase in my older teenage years of watching this all the time (along with The Crow & Requiem for a Dream) I was in a pretty teenage angst/figuring out who I was/sexuality/trying to come to terms with living with clinical depression and so on. The films helped me a lot, but also didn’t, watching them and listening to the sound track in the dark while lying on my bedroom floor was dramatic to say the least. And probably not that helpful. But yah know...teenagers. 

Midnight in Paris - Yes, I know it’s a Woody Allen film etc. etc. etc. But I love this film, the scenery, the soundtrack, actors and it’s one of my favourites. The opening sequence brings me such immense joy. I also love Paris and it reminds me of my mother/makes me feel closer to her. When I went to Paris for my 30th I got excited as after going up the Eiffel Tower and walking back to our hotel, I noted it was ‘midnight in Paris’ and so very beautiful. 

Labyrinth - I was trying to decide what film to post last, what better way to end than with the goblin king himself?

I tag the lovely @cassandrafey​ as I feel like you’ll love this, even if you don’t do it. There’s 4 entries on here that remind me of you/that I have fond memories of either watching with you or in one instance a film we were going to watch together during our GOTH WEEKENDER which then never happened. Thanks Covid! 

[sarahhsaritaa]

storyboard: ‘it darkens my garden’

i’ve always been heavily influenced by nature and our relationship with it. i wanted to create a short film that was visually artistic in the way this relationship was presented and took inspiration from various directors and artists. i had to consider equipment i already have or would have to buy as well as location and if certain scenes are able to be actually filmed. i tried to be as realistic as possible but still wanted to be ambitious in my concepts.

when coming up with initial ideas, i already had a few visuals in my head from previous plans that never happened. the same thing happened when i was coming up with the concept of ‘Through the Printed Glass’; i had one or two ideas and sat down, closed my eyes and started seeing the film play out scene by scene in my head. with ‘of the trees’, i wrote down scenes as i went along. i’ve already watched the film in my head and i know exactly what i want it to look like and how it’s going to be edited. once i had the first shot-list draft, details of how i would shoot it and extra touches soon followed. i slept with my notebook on my bedside table once i saw that as i was trying to fall asleep, my thoughts were consumed by this film. i would mentally go through the film and the process of shooting, so i know exactly how i will direct it and set up equipment and props and how i will edit it. throughout this phase of not sleeping due to my head overflowing with ideas, i would get up and write in my notebook. this is how i came up with filler scenes, linking scenes thematically and a vague but there-if-you-pay-attention plot. 

i looked into the artist Tabaimo, who creates illustrated animations of a “surreal, complex and sometimes disturbing vision of contemporary japanese society.” she replicates the handmade quality of traditional japanese woodblock prints through her illustrations but mixes it with the modernity of editing software and technology. on top of her captivating, in a slightly eerie, animations, an interview she did for her piece called ‘dolefullhouse’ (2007) was something i heavily related to. Tabaimo said she doesn’t start a piece of artwork with any preconceived ideas. instead she puts different, perhaps incompatible, elements together and finds new meaning from the way that they work and interact with one another. i associate with her process because it is exactly the way in which i work. somehow, during my thought processes, i have found a story line and general themes that flow throughout that i didn’t initially intend to be there. Tabaimo also said how she realises new meanings of her work that audiences found and believes that the piece of work is elevated through audience interaction. i want to explore this idea by recording what people say after viewing the film and asking what they thought it was about. (art21.org)

in my pecha kucha, i made a slide where i presented a few films and their stills that i used as inspiration. i want to combine different elements from each film, like the lighting and colouring from ‘Babyteeth’ (dir. Shannon Murphey, 2019), cinematography from ‘Requiem for a Dream’ (dir. Darren Aronofsky, 2000), floral significance in ‘Midsommar’ (dir, Ari Aster, 2019) and the magical illustrations from animated films like ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (dir. Clyde Geronimi, 1959), ‘Thumbelina’ (dir. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, 1994) and ‘FernGully: the Last Rainforest’ (dir. Bill Kroyer, 1992). 

during this process of conceptualising, i discovered music by Kelsey Lu. i listened before i watched, and could picture her songs as part of the soundtrack or soundscapes in my film. then when i watched her music videos, i was blown away at the style and combining of different elements the director had used. Vincent Haycock is a music video director who i now know directed Harry Style’s ‘Lights Up’ music video and is the genius behind Kelsey Lu’s ‘Shades of Blue’. his cinematography and unique images are in the style of film which i dream to create. i have drawn inspirations from the colouring/lighting as well as some shots to add to my film. the way Haycock uses nature and manipulates it to create fantastical storytelling is what really drew me in to his work and you can see his style throughout different projects. 

[bamboozledjasontodd]

Earth 187 Outlaws

The team forms shortly after Rose Wilson reunites as many of her Teen Titans friends for a mission to save Eddie Bloomberg from Hell and ultimately, his deal with Neron. While most of her old teammates, don’t join the new team, there are a couple who do as time goes on. 

The Founders:

Jason Todd/Red Hood: Long story short, he left Gotham to be on his own after a falling out with his family and several other heroes only to be tracked down by Rose Wilson, save Eddie and accidentally start a new team. Despite the fact that this is a new start for him, Jason is as angst ridden as ever as he is still figuring out all of the side effects of The Lazarus Pit and some other things about himself that his death put on the back burner. Oh, yeah, he also acquired a sword forged in actual hellfire from a demon’s body. So, that’s fun. 

Rose Wilson/Ravager: Since her days as a Teen Titan, Rose has become an even more skilled fighter thanks to a combination of training and mastery of her precognitive abilities. Rose is usually the one that keeps the team on task, and also reminds everyone to take a break when one can be afforded. It should be noted that she is currently going through a lot personally with regards to her own feelings and some family drama. 

Eddie Bloomberg/Red Devil: Still the charming, sarcastic goofball and film snob he was during his teenage years. He has a lot of hurts ranging from the death of his Aunt Marla to the horrors he witnessed in Hell, and has begun to seek out a therapist who is qualified to deal with hero bullshit. He is currently working to improve his fighting abilities and how to use a sword. As expected, he often references The Princess Bride when he is practicing with a sword. 

Artemis of Bana-Mighdall/Requiem: An Amazonian warrior, weilder of Mistress and The Bow of Ra, former Queen of Hell, and all around badass. Artemis first encountered Jason while he was running from his problems by traveling the world. The two struck up a friendship and had a couple of brief adventures together before he decided to head elsewhere. Jason wrote to her from time to time and even requested her help on the rescue mission for Eddie. The latter would lead her to join the team, although, not as a full time member due to other commitments. 

The Recruits:

Zachary “Zach” Zatara/Zatara: As a result of the fact he is (still) learning how to be a team player, Zachary is prone to butting heads with his teammates and isn’t above dramatically leaving the room when he is irritated. The good news is he has a heart of gold and so far, has been able to apologize by correcting his behavior. Zach is the resident magic expert on the team. Jason insists he is the only magic user on the team but Zach is pretty positive hat is not the case. This is a bit of contentious point and whenever a disagreement happens about it, Eddie finds himself a snack that is inevitably shared with both Rose and Laney.

Holly Granger/Hawk: Another skilled fighter and all around badass. She met Jason while he was in London and recruited him to help her take down an illegal fighting ring she had been a part of. They part ways until she ends up in the US with a lead that says the same people had set up another ring but this time on American soil. From that point on, she was a member of The Outlaws. She is a bit on the aggressive side and filled with anger but she is working on it. (credit to Kai aka @ Redfreakinarrow on Twitter for the idea of adding her to the team and the part about Jason helping her take down the fighting ring she was in. Link to their blog post that details their idea here).

Courtney Mason/Anima: She hasn’t had the easiest life and is still processing a lot of it. She is recruited to the team by Holly as a result of their mutual ties to various heroes. She is incredibly powerful and knowledgeable, especially about music. She and Zach are often in unofficial competitions to see who can blare their music louder. Usually, there is no winner as someone inevitably asks them both to turn it down. She is known to dye her hair frequently and even initially tried to help Jason with the white streak. Needless to say, since it doesn’t hold color for more than a day at a time Courtney now gives Jason her left over dye to do with as he pleases. Oh, she is also a member of the glowing green eye club. Although, her eyes are a neon color.  (credit to @ MMaystorm on Twitter for the idea of adding Courtney and for her particular shade of glowing green eyes being neon in nature.)

Lonnie Machin/Anarky & Moneyspider: Every team needs a hacker and The Outlaws are no exception to that. Lonnie joined the team after a series of events that involved him hacking into The Outlaws computer system to attain information about his own nemesis, subsequently getting caught and having someone Jason dangle him out a window. In present times, Lonnie serves as the resident philospher, hacker, and anarchist. He has memorized the monologue from V for Vendetta and has tried to come up with his own. There is cell phone video footage of the latter that Rose took and promptly distributed to the team. 

Julian “Laney” Luther Kent/???:* Having been recently freed from Lex Luthor and Cadmus by The Outlaws, Laney is the newest member of the team. At Cadmus he was the product of a project called Match. He was even called this. He isn’t keen on this name, and is currently seeking out an identity that feels unique to him. He can be a bit rough around the edges and at times, the world overwhelms him. He is the king of turning himself into a blanket burrito. He’s not on the best terms with the Kent Family but he is always welcome regardless of the circumstances. Is not pleased with the fact that he and Jason could potentially be in-laws via their brothers. Rose sympathizes as her older brother had once dated Dick. (*Note: He is a composite character of Jon Lane Kent, Match from the Young Justice cartoon, and a mix of my own creation.)

Faye Gunn II/Clarissa Todd/???: The adopted granddaughter of Ma Gunn and biological younger (half) sister of Jason Todd. She was illegally adopted by Ma Gunn’s son in order for her birth parents to pay off some debts. Jason was under the impression that his sister did not survive being born. Fast forward some years, and Faye Gunn II is being primed to take over her family’s criminal empire. However, she plans on using her knowledge of its operations in order to  destroy it from the inside out. As she begins to do so, she ends up on the radar of The Outlaws. To make a long story short, The Outlaws help her take down the criminal empire of the Gunn Family, she learns about her biological family, and joins the team. She enjoys undercover work, art, coffee, and wearing oversized sweaters. Note: This character is an OC that is derived from the fact that Catherine Todd was shown to be pregnant in a panel once. She is Faye Gunn II in name only. Also important to note, Ma Gunn is not related to Jason Todd at all in my fanfic au.) 

[daughterofthewiseone]

fais-moi sourire (au beau milieu d'un requiem) part 1

AO3

Clara Nightingale’s pop-up promo concert was the cherry on top of an already perfect day. Adrien had finally convinced Marinette to hang out with him one-on-one, without any of their classmates or other friends there as buffer. He’d asked his father for the day off a month in advance, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that no pressing photoshoots or runway shows were scheduled to fill the gap. Maybe his luck was finally turning around!

He and Marinette had been strolling down the Champs Elysées when they saw the stage being set up. She’d been the one to spot Clara first, tugging on Adrien’s arm in her excitement.

“Oh my gosh, it’s Clara! What’s she doing here?” She had gasped (quite adorably he might add), dropped his arm, and true to form launched into a stuttering apology. “Ah, sime ‘orry! No, I’m sorry! I didn’t m-mean to pull you like that...”

They’d been friends for two years at this point, and she was still so careful around him sometimes! Adrienc couldn’t believe he’d ever mistaken the behavior for hate. It was so obvious now that she just wanted to respect his boundaries! She was such a good friend. Still, Adriend couldn’t help but laugh and throw an arm around Marinette’s shoulders. “It’s fine, Marinette, I had no idea this was happening today either! Do you think we could go take a lock?”

Marinette smiled up at him sweetly. “Of course! I’m sure Clara would love to say hi to her Chat Noir.”

Adrien felt his heart stop in his chest before realizing she was talking about Clara’s music video that never was. “Ah, I’m sure she doesn’t remember,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “Besides, I’m sure she’d be more excited to see her everyday Ladybug. You did save her music video.”

Their little debate likely would have lasted all day were it nor for Clara, who spotted them near the stage and started waving. They walked over.

“What a nice little surprise! Two love birds before my very eyes. What can I do for you today? ARr you two here to see us play?” She seemed genuinely excited to see them both, Adrien noted. It was nice to see a girl as amazing as Marinette noticed and appreciated.

“It’s good to see you too Ms. Nightingale,” said Marinette. “We were just taking a walk. As friends! To hang out as friends! No love birds here, haha...”

Clara laughed. “It’s great that you’re here for my show! Concerts are great for dates, you know,” she said with a wink.

“You’re right, Ms. Nightingale, but we’re just here to support you,” said Adrien before Clara really got going. “What are you doing out here?”

“My new single is coming out soon! So we’ll be promoting it here at noon!” Clara sang. She lowered her voice. “The music video release is also not far; don’t tell, but it’s starring Ladybug and Chat Noir!”

Adrien did his best to feign shock--he’d known about this since Clara had asked him and his Lady a couple weeks ago, though filming hadn’t started yet. However, he was surprised to see that Marinette already seemed to know what was going on. “Marinette, did you know about this?”

“Guilty!” she said with a blush. “Clara asked me to design the cover and her outfit for the video. Apparently Jagged recommended me! So I knew about the guest stars since I had to color match to the heroes and I wanted to try and emulate the texture on their suits--but you guys don’t want to hear this. Long story short, it took me a bit, but I’m finally done! Sorry it was so late, Clara.”

“No sweat, we had things to take care of too, and the quality was worth the wait--it’s true!” Clara sang, noting Marinette’s skepticism.

It took all of Adrien’s willpower to hold himself back from sweeping his friend into a hug. Marinette was so cool! He really, really didn’t deserve her. “That’s amazing, Marinette! Would you both mind if I put this on my Instagram? Not the news about the surprise guests! Just the single and Marinette’s role as designer.”

“Not at all, please feel free! The advertising’s great for me.”

He turned to Marinette, who nodded her approval before he smushed up next to her and Clara. It was crazy how well he and Marinette fit together! He wished she wasn’t so camera shy--he loved taking pictures with her. He snapped a quick selfie before she could get to uncomfortable and tapped out a quick caption, showing it to both Clara and Marinette for their approval.

“So proud of my friend @marinettedesigned! She designed the cover art for @theclaranightingale’s new single! Head over to the Champs Elysées for a sneak peak and pop up concert at noon #anightingalesangnearlatourdeiffel #myfriendsaresocool

Marinette made a few filter edits, and he sent the post off into the internet. Notifications started blowing up his phone nearly instantly after that--many of them texts from classmates saying they were on their way. He liked Alya’s keysmash and Nino’s well wishes for Marinette, and deleted Lila’s comment about her alleged “inspired” set design for the music video as Clara finished setting up. Done moderating for now, he went to join Marinette on the grass near the front of the stage.

“Nice spot, Mari,” he said with a wink. Marinette flushed again, but didn’t look away as she patted the grass next to her. He obliged her and sat. “I am really proud of you, you know.”

“Thanks, I’m pretty proud of my work too. It’s nice to get some appreciation.”

Adrien remembered all the carefully planned events he’d come to expect from Marinette over the past couple of years, and made a mental note to thank her more often.

“Yo, Marinette! Adrien, dude!” called a familiar voice from behind them. Adrien turned to wave at Alya and Nino, who plopped down on the grass right next to them just as Clara’s band started playing. Yep, it really was a perfect day...

[thedeaditeslayer]

Groovy! Bruce Campbell finally shows up to Rock and Shock at DCU and Palladium.

Here’s a short article style interview with Bruce Campbell on Ash vs. Evil Dead.

WORCESTER — All right, you primitive screw-heads, listen up!

“Groovy” Bruce Campbell is coming to Rock and Shock this weekend (Saturday and Sunday only) at the DCU Center to bury Ashley “Ash” Williams, not to praise him.

The chainsaw-wielding,“boomstick”-carrying, wisecracking, Deadite-slaying hero of the “Evil Dead” movies and Starz network’s original series “Ash vs Evil Dead” is no more, according to the 61-year-old Michigan.

Last year’s finale of “Ash vs Evil Dead” marked the end of Ash and the “Evil Dead” universe, as far as Campbell is concerned, so much so that he added a “Requiem for Ash” chapter in the paperback version of his New York Times best-selling autobiography, “Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor,” in which he says, “Out of respect for my ability to properly portray a particular character, I’m retiring Ash, not retiring from acting. I’m retiring from a very technically demanding type of acting, not the craft itself.”

In 1979, Campbell, his high school pal (and future A-list Hollywood director) Sam Raimi and fellow Michigander Rob Tapert scraped up $350,000 and went out into the woods to shoot the low-budget film, “The Evil Dead,” which took them four years, on and off, to finish.

Not only did it become an instant cult classic and one of the most successful independent films ever made, “The Evil Dead” spawned two sequels, 1987′s “Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn” and 1992′s “Army of Darkness.”

And, when “Evil Dead” fans were clamoring for 20 years for a installment, Campbell, Raimi and Tapert gave them an “Evil Dead” remake (without Ash) instead.

“Unmercifully, for years, it was ‘Evil Dead 4’! ‘Evil Dead 4’! ‘Evil Dead 4’! People wouldn’t shut up about it,” Campbell said during a recent phone interview. “We gave them a remake. Some people thought it was OK. Some people thought it was too serious. Some people were pissed there was no Ash. So, all the remake did is poked the zit. So, we went, OK, let’s give Ash his final hurrah.”

Rock and Shock info:

After decades of saying it’s never going to happen, Campbell suited up (with chainsaw as hand) as Ash — not in “Evil Dead 4” but for three unrated seasons of “Ash vs Evil Dead,” a series that ran from Oct. 31, 2015, to April 29, 2018, on Starz.

“No studio is going to give you multi-millions of dollars to make an unrated movie,” Campbell said. “So, in this case, we thought, OK, let’s bring it back as a TV show. We can do a lot more material. So you get 15 fresh hours. If those were movies, it would have taken us 20 years to put out that much.”

Filmed in Auckland, New Zealand, with the same creative team that worked on the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “Ash vs Evil Dead” was a step up in quality from the early, low-budget “Evil Dead” films.

“These craftsmen were able to finally silence all the people who were like you and your low-budget effects,” Campbell said. “Our art direction, all of the design, the effects, the stage work, I put up against any show out there, perhaps with the exception of ‘Game of Thrones.’”

In addition to the creative behind-the-scenes crew, Campbell praises his two, game-for-anything co-stars, Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo, who played Pablo and Kelly, respectively.

“We got lucky,” Campbell said. “I don’t use that word much but we were very fortunate in that we got two actors at the right time. They were very game. They were very ready. They had some experience but not too much experience. And they left it all on the table. Ray and Dana, it was great to watch them do their stuff.”

“Ash vs Evil Dead” also reunited “Xena: Warrior Princess” (Lucy Lawless) with Autolycus, the “King of Thieves” (Campbell).

“We knew we wanted Lucy desperately. And I don’t know if we served Ruby (Lawless’ “Ash vs Evil Dead” character) as well as we should have. That’s my only regret,” Campbell said. “I never saw her have a bad day on set. She’s always polite, always professional, and she kept me in line. I mean, she really did. I get a little pissy on set. I look over at her and she’s like, ‘C’mon, same team, same team.’ I would use her in anything. She can do anything.”

Campbell said his inner fanboy was very excited working opposite Lee Majors, aka “The Six Million Dollar Man,” who agreed to play Ash’s potty mouthed, womanizer dad on “Ash vs Evil Dead.”

“Lee got the joke and he loved the fact that he could play a guy that was so not Lee Majors,” Campbell said. “It couldn’t be any better than this, doing a scene with Lee Majors, talking about your bionic hand. And he goes, ‘It looks like some piece of (expletive) made in China.’ Those are the little golden moments that made the drudgery worthwhile. I still call him dad.”

Campbell said his favorite “Ash vs Evil Dead” episode is “Delusion,” in which Ash wakes up from a nightmare only to find himself in an asylum with a demonic “Ashy Slashy” puppet.

“Honestly, that (expletive) puppet is haunting me to the end of my dreams,” Campbell said.

As for the sickest, most disgusting and depraved scene he filmed on the show, Campbell said it was when Ash’s head goes up a cadaver’s butt.

“It wasn’t intended initially,” Campbell said. “Ash was just going to have a fight with a colon and then our trusted producer, Mr. Rob Tapert, said, ‘I know what you got to do. You got to go up butt.’”

While fans are forever hopeful for another installment of the further misadventure of Ash and his faithful “boomstick,” Campbell said he had to put the kibosh on it because the role is too much physical wear and tear on the middle-aged actor.

“I would send a series of emails to the director about the upcoming episode warning them of my infirmary would get worse as the season went on,” Campbell said. “And, honestly, if we did a season four, you know people would have said, ‘Hey, if we only had a season five.’ Then, you do a season five. They’d go, ‘If only we had another movie.’ So you have to accept the fact that ‘Evil Dead’ fans will never ever be satisfied and that’s OK and that’s why we love them.”

In fact, Campbell said likes the way they ended the series.

“You finally let the schmo have his day,” Campbell said. “Ash’s not just a guy in a crappy trailer home. He’s actually is a guy written up in an ancient book (the ‘Necronomicon’). So he goes off to battle evil in the future with a hot robot chick. What the hell wrong with that? It’s perfect.”

If they had a season four of “Ash vs Evil Dead,” Campbell said he would have killed off Ash once and for all.

“I’m sure Sam Raimi or Rob Tapert would have had a heart attack but Ash would have fulfilled his destiny,” Campbell said. “He would have battled evil in the past, present and future. That’s fulfilling his destiny. Hands the mantle to the new man or women, child or beast, dies heroically saving the day ... So it’s a big sacrifice, total Luke Skywalker, Joseph Campbell. I’d go all the way.”

Campbell is not only the most requested guest at the popular horror convention in its 15 years of existence, “Rock and Shock” organizers have been trying to get the Ash actor since day one. So why now?

“Every year is different in this roadshow called Bruce Campbell,” the beloved B-movie actor and New York Times best-selling author said. “It was due. And I’m selling a paperback version of ‘Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B-Movie Actor.’”

Campbell said he can’t wait to finally meet his “Rock and Shock” fans.

“A lot of them are very shy people,” Campbell said of his fans. “They wait two hours in line. They come to the table and they can’t say anything. And I feel for them. So I torment them.”

For those who dish out their hard-earned dough for a photo-op, Campbell offers these friendly words of advice.

“Bring props. Props are good. Bring ‘Evil Dead’ books, axes, chainsaws. Let’s spice up your photo. Wear something kooky. Dress up. Wear a shirt with a collar,” Campbell said. “If you’re going to get a photograph that’s’ going above the mantel, come on man, put some pride in it.”

[radwolf76]

FLASHBack - Rapture / Higher / Delineation

It's Thursday and that means FLASHBack. This time we'll be looking at animations from Ray Avid Lebon, who in the mid 2000s was an animation student at the same Chicago-area art school as R. Wappin, an animator you may remember from one of my posts about Weird Al's official music videos. Ray is also listed on Albino Blacksheep as their "most active female animator and musician". She would later go on to be a producer on the award winning short animated film Play Date, but I'd like to talk about some of her more personal projects, a series of fiction and art that she called "Requiem of the Bandii", set on a world called Thae that was home to many fantastical races of creatures.   One of those races were the Verr, an anthropomorphic race with feline and equine traits. Ray would feature one particular Verr in three of her flash animations, and while I won't presume to call the character a self-insert or even a fursona, she is named "Avid Lebon". Take from that what you will. Ray's first animation of Avid was for AlbinoBlacksheep's Flash Developer Contest #8 and was posted to the site on 1 October 2005. The contest challenge was to make an animated music video of at least 30 seconds in length. Lebon's entry was Rapture, set to the song from iiO. Noted at the time for it's smooth lipsynching (prompting ABS to request her to put together a tutorial on the subject), the 2D animation also gives a look of having been rendered in 3D in places. And before the inevitable comparison to Princess Celestia from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, it's worth noting that Avid predates that series by a half decade.  

On 12 August 2006, Avid would again hop on her windsurfer, this time singing a song of Lebon's own creation, Higher. While it seems clear that there was some asset re-use from the previous Flash, the lipsynch has been redone to match the new song, and Ray showed off with some new, skilled water reflection animations in the background. The Verr diva would return to Albino Blacksheep a third time for the 2008 Tournament of Flash Artists with the animation Delineation. This one departs from the riding the windsurfer and singing routine, to instead give some insight how Lebon the Flash artist draws Lebon the character.   On a more recent, unrelated note, Krinkels has put out fresh Madness Combat content. (Caution: Body Horror, Torture, defiance of the laws of physics) When I ended the Mid-Month Madness series, I had mentioned that there was a Flash in the works, Ultimatefear.fla, that'd introduce a new character called Scrapeface. That animation has been renamed An Experiment and was posted publicly on 6 June 2020. In it we find the answer to the question that's been burning in everyone's mind: Where did Sanford and Deimos get that car they were driving in Madness Combat 9? *listens to offstage voice* That wasn't the question everyone was wondering about? *Gets handed note, reads it* What do you mean the question was "How do hands work?" -- We all know that Krinkels was just taking an animation shortcut by not drawing arms for these characters, you can see a similar shortcut with the hair of the girl from that "Play Date" animation that Ray Lebon produced and was linked to above. Just because it looks like it's floating near by, disconnected doesn't mean that's what they're actually doing. *Listens to offstage voice again* Oh. Turns out that is what the hands are doing in the Madness Combat universe after all, just floating near the body. And the titular experiment of the Animation, which Krinkels has verified to be part of the main Canon storyline (and fans presume occurs sometime between Madness Combat 6.5 and 7.5), is an investigation by the A.A.H.W. to find out what just what happens when those floating hands are forcibly separated by a sizable distance from the body controlling them. Turns out that the result is Reality itself gets broken, and the owner of the hands starts glitching out horribly. The result has been described by some as a cross between broken ragdolling in Gmod and the Russian Sleep Experiments Creepypasta.   Next time, we'll check in with that new middle-of-the-month staple, Brackenwood, and see what shenanigans Bitey's gotten up to.

[plasticdxntshine-blog]

MEET THE MUSE !!! cady heron from mean girls

halston sage, she / her, bisexual . forget what you know about CADY HERON, the ( canon ) one from MEAN GIRLS ! they’ve been a TWENTY TWO year old graduate student / teacher’s assistant since arriving TWO YEARS ago. call them the town MALLEABLE ; they’ve got a rep for being + ADVENTUROUS & + GOOD-INTENTIONED yet - AWKWARD & - COMPLIANT, but are associated w/ [ flannels under safari vests, broken plastic crowns, complex math equations, a resting lioness, and socks with sandals ]. maybe one day they’ll remember overthrowing regina.

CANON

“ A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do! I did it for me, sure, but really for you! ”

for those who don’t know, cady heron is from a little known film MEAN GIRLS ( and it’s more recent musical adaption. which i love. ) long story short, she wanted to be a normal teenager, was corrupted from multiple angles, and ended up embracing the true mathelete dork she was and reuniting the entire school. kind of. who knows how long that lasted. oh, she also kinda got the boy. kinda. idk.

cady is based on both the movie and musical, especially considering how there aren’t that many differences. however, i am leaning more towards the musical, just because it’s more modern teens. and i love cringey teen / youth speak. also i just saw the musical and it has totally revamped my muse for her.

REQUIEM

“ Did you ever get a feeling that a whole new world is waiting? To bring happiness and friends to the brave girl who explores? ”

cady showed up on the island a mere 2 years ago. she found herself in the middle of mathematics major, which she just accepted because it felt right and she was somehow doing well in the classes. eventually she graduated and decided to keep going by moving onto the masters program.

she makes her living as a teacher’s assistant ( which allows her to attend uni for free, currently ) and tutoring. while she hasn’t regained any of her memories, she does get a weird ‘tingle’ anytime she visits north shore high to help tutor some kids after school.

ET CETERA

“ Do you know what I had more of? Stars. ”

cady could be considered more socialized than her canon counterpart, but she still has her awkward moments. these moments tend to surround people she is trying to impress, partially because she is always trying to ‘adapt’ to whatever they might like.

even without her memories, cady is still a major fan of nature. always watching nature documentaries and the like. she is especially fond of learning about the african savanna, though she can never explain why.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

“ I will look out for you; we'll light each other's way. You're all stars! ”

REQUIEM

fellow grad students ( studying a math track of sorts, fellow teacher’s assistants )

students she tutors ( specifically math or biology related )

ex-significant other ( no preferred gender, dumped cady because she was not her true self )

crush(es) that she is constantly trying to impress

close friend(s) that give advice ( both good and terrible advice accepted and blindly followed )

MEAN GIRLS

any and all canon characters ( especially janis, the plastics, damian, aaron, and the north shore crew )

random north shore students ( especially those who knew her mostly in her peak plastic days, potentially idolized / looked up to her )

[imwithmars]

Flaunt Magazine 2004 interview

David Fincher – “It goes kind of like, ‘How   can you tell when Jared is lying? His lips are moving.’”

Rock & Roles –

Flaunt Magazine, by Shari Roman

December 2004

“This is fantastic,” murmurs Jared Leto as the relentless Moroccan   sun sears destiny into his bronzed, bare skin. He is sweating under his tight  armor. His dark horse, Mateo, quivers beneath him and paws the ground nervously. A signal is given.

Leto howls a great animalistic yowl straight from his belly to the ears of   the gods. There is another howl, then another. Thousands of voices fuse into   one animal cry. A legion of alpha males surges forward to meet the enemy, Leto,   blond hair hair streaming past his shoulders, muscular thighs gripped bareback   on his galloping horse, rides hard into the thick of a bloody combat. His sword   cuts through all who oppose him.

This is the filming of Oliver Stone’s Alexander and the legendary battle of   Gaugamela, Alexander’s greatest victory over the Persians - a turning point   in his conquest of the known world. Stone’s sweeping historical saga charts   the life and the legend of one of the greatest figures in world history. The   story is an epic that is a daring and ambitious as its subject, a relentless   conqueror who, by the age of 32, had amassed the greatest empire the world hade   ever seen.

Through the clouds of dust, Leto can see Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great,   his massive blade slicing into flesh and sinew. There is the director, Oliver   Stone, shouting, moving rapidly behind the camera line. There are hordes of   men bellowing, bleeding, bodies everywhere. On the fringes lurks famed military   trainer and Stone cohort, Captain Dale Dye. Today, the Captain isn’t wearing   his favorite T-shirt emblazoned with the motto: “Pain is weakness leaving   the body,” but Leto needs no reminders.

Leto has always propelled himself into physical extremes to live inside a character.   As the champion runner Steve Prefontaine, he bled his feet to the bone. In the   drug-fueled Requiem For A Dream, he reportedly swore off sex (with then girlfriend,   Cameron Diaz) and lost 28 pounds to play a junky. Then there was Fight Club   (he’d been recommended for the part his friend, fellow pretty boy, Brad Pitt.),   in which he begged to have his angelic face beaten to a pulp by a jealous Ed   Norton to prove his fealty. Suffering, pain, causality, creation through transformation.   Leto has pledged himself above and beyond to those epithets years ago.

“Killing people face to face for a living, that was their job,” explains   a laidback Leto a few months later from a low-key restaurant in Southern California.   It’s early afternoon. His clothing is relaxed and he looks pleasantly tired.

“It’s not jet lag. I’m over that. I just couldn’t sleep.” It’s not   due to time spent with his (purported) new, luscious It-girl Scarlett Johansson.   He’s been concentrating on working on some new songs for his band, 30 Seconds   To Mars, taking meetings between rehearsals before he heads off to New York   and South Africa for three months to play another aggressor of sorts - an arms   dealer - in the film Lord of War, with Nicolas Cage and director Andrew Niccol   (Gattaca).

He is still pretty tan, making those pioneering blue eyes even more startling.   His long, blonde warrior-god locks are gone now, dyed and clipped into a light   brown Erik Estrada-style shag for the new movie. But there is still a trace   of the Irish lilt he took on for Alexander. (Aside from gearing it toward Farrell’s   natural tones, Stone’s rationale for the accent was that historically, the Macedonians   were to the Greeks what the Irish have been to the English.) Most of the 15   pounds of muscle weight that he strapped on for the six-month shoot has slipped   from his slim frame. Even so, the intensity of that experience is still on his   mind and in his body.

“The film has plenty of f***ing and fighting and killing and death and   blood. My job was to murder people and stand by Alexander.” who, according   to history, was his best friend since childhood, and his lover.

“Hephaestion, the character I play, and [Alexander] have a really special   connection. It’s a strong, strong relationship. I don’t think there is a term   we have today to define their relationship,” he says, deliberately muddling   around the oft-asked erotic question.

Farrell says, “There was no term for 'bisexuality’. It was just the way   society was. People made love to men and women. It was only later on you had   to pick one side of the fence.”

“But I promise you, in the film,” Leto teases, despite the magnetic   charms of Farrell, and costars Rosario Dawson and Angelina Jolie, who play Alexander’s   wife and mother, “the only kiss I gave out was to my horse. My one true   love.”

He takes the tape recorder and places it gently against his chest, which holds   within it the soul of a man who many have tried to reveal before. “I always   tell the truth. What else do you want to know? What do people really want to   know? What is the truth?” His face is a pure cheeky choir boy dare. “When   have I ever not told you the truth? How can you tell that I’m lying?”

I remind him that the last time we met, he told me he owned three Uzis, that   the first girl he kissed was a 47-year-old tranny named Jorge, that he was 19,   raised by circus performers, and that he studied art at the American University   of Paris for a semester, but was booted out when he wouldn’t give in to the   attentions of the headmaster. And he wouldn’t back down to any of those “facts”.

He laughs. “Really? As Ronald Regan used to say, 'I have no memory of   saying such things.’ ”

Says producer/director David Fincher, who worked with Leto on both Fight Club  and Panic Room, “When it comes to his acting, he is beyond method. He gets  into this whole image of his character. It is interesting how that kind of pain and sacrifice can translate. I mean, look at Requiem. I wish I had 100 Jareds   working for me. He was amazing.

"Jared definitely strives not to be a victim of his genetics. On the films   we did together, he was the guy who is constantly curious, the one you couldn’t bottle up. The one who wouldn’t hit his mark. He was like, 'Hey, I’m living it! Over here!’ But he does like to tell stories. It goes kind of like, 'How can you tell when Jared is lying? His lips are moving.’ ”

Leto, who prefers to see his playful fibbing as a way to keep his private life   private, was born the day after Christmas, 33 years ago, in Bossier City, Louisiana. His mother was an artistic soul, and with his father out of the picture, he and his brother, Shannon (who is also in 30 Seconds To Mars), traveled a great deal while they were growing up. After a stint at New York’s School of Visual Arts, he says, he came to Los Angeles around 12 years ago with a couple hundred bucks in his pocket, no friends, and nowhere to stay. For awhile, he slept on Venice Beach. Then kaboom! a role on television’s My So-Called Life (opposite Claire Daines) and for the next few years, he reigned as a teen pinup - a tag   and a look he has been successfully living down ever since.

According to Leto, “Luck is the residue of destiny.” It’s a phrase   he’s heard which he likes very much. He feels it means that we can get caught up in so many things, but the world has what it has for us. That, in our natural state, everything is the way it’s supposed to be - free and joyous - and that our own insecurities get in the way of all that. It’s an idea which could be   applied to his early life.

“When I was young, all that traveling was exciting,” says Leto. “You   do develop an ability to read people more quickly. You have to learn to adapt to whatever comes along, to survive. Maybe the way I grew up is why I’m drawn to acting, to different characters. From film to film, I’m constantly finding myself, reaching different places outside and inside myself. I want to change, to morph into something else.” To be able to do that for Oliver Stone is a gift, says Leto. “He is one of my f***ing heroes. He is a great man. Present, connected, very physical. I find his way very endearing.”

To work with Stone, he traveled to Morocco, where the oncoming sunset had turned the world orange, into the color of dark rust. But the sky was growing dark, the golden scorpions were scuttling under the rocks, another sandstorm was moving toward the camp, fast.

Within moments, Leto, wearing his usual training gear - a T-shirt, tight shorts,   boots covering his calves - couldn’t see two feet ahead of him. The sand whipped raw against his skin as he made for his tent. Inside, he tightened the flap and listened to the wind howl. He had switched off his cell phone, his e-mail. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in the U.S. for months. Apocalyptic fantasies crowded his brain. Many in the cast had already been horribly sick. There was a virus in the dust. His tent was next door to the latrine and he could hear cast and crew heave by the dozens.

One night, Leto got so sick, he thought he was going to toss a spleen.“I lay in bed for a couple of hours staring at the stars, just breathing really   slow, willing it away. I fell asleep dreaming strange, surreal dreams. When   I woke up, it was gone. That’s the desert.”

Says Dawson, “It was beyond primal, all those men bonding - horse training,   fighting, all buffed up wearing nearly nothing. And as soon as a woman came   on set, the energy was so damn erotic.

"One time Jared came to visit the hotel [where women stayed]. He was so   happy to be there. He got to take a shower, have some proper food.So he’s talking, sitting there, and just sort of adjusting the package, not sexually, but in   this slow, languorous way, like there was no one else around.It was all suited   to his character, but I was like, 'Hey dude…’

"And he was like, 'I’m sorry! We’re out there in our underwear and boots   all the time… maybe it’s got us a little too relaxed.’ Maybe. But it was all   good.” She bats her eyes.“It was wonderful being around that kind of really masculine environment.”

“Oh, Rosario,” responds Leto, “she is so beautiful. Such a great   woman.” He drops his head, smiling, not exactly asking for forgiveness.“Working on Alexander was an amazing experience. It’s all about connectivity. There is an old saying that the greatest leader is the servant of them all. Meaning, you are the most powerful when you are giving.”

“I think that as an artist, in any kind of expression of creation, that   you must have to be in love with the process. It is the most exciting part of the work, and that if you have a desire for greatness, you will have to be willing to f***ing bleed. I think it’s true for me.That’s what drives me.”

He claps his hands over his face. “F***. People are going to read this   and think, 'What the f***? Is weirdo Leto on crack? Hitting the old acid tab again.’ But honestly, it’s what I believe. One of my favorite things about getting older is that my intuition is often wrong.To me, it means I’m uncovering something   new about the world.

[rpoli3]

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I publish under multiple names in fiction and non-fiction, and am an internationally-produced playwright and radio writer. I spent the bulk of my career working backstage on Broadway, and a little bit in film and television production.

How long have you been writing for?

I started writing when I was six; I was published in school literary magazines, and, in high school, published in local papers when I handled publicity for the music department.  I started working professionally in theatre when I was 18. In college, my major was film and television production, and I veered away from the writing and more into technical aspects. Working off-Broadway, I started writing monologues for actresses looking for good material; that grew into plays, and then back into short stories and novels. So I’ve been writing for A Very Long Time.

What motivates you to write? How did you begin writing?

Writing is how I make sense of the world. How I explore other lives from the inside and the outside.

Do you have a writing routine? If so, what’s a typical day like for you?

I do my first 1K of the day on what I call my  “Primary Project” (whatever’s being drafted) early in the day. Feed the cats, do my yoga/meditation practice, write my first 1K of the day.

The rest of the day shapes up depending on if I’m doing only my own work, or a mix of my own work and client work and other freelance writing gigs. It’s shaped by what’s on the tightest deadline and the highest paycheck. I prefer to write in the morning and edit in the afternoons. Since I’m always juggling multiple projects, there are usually a handful of projects in various draft stages, and then some more in editing or galleys.  Scriptwriting usually requires a much tighter turnaround than books, so when those jobs come in, they take priority. Sometimes, I just have to stay up later or get up earlier to get it all done.

What was the first thing you did when you found out your book was being published?

Cried. Tears of joy, but I cried.

What was the publishing process like? How long did it take?

Months, of course. For me, there’s generally been one major edit from the editor’s initial notes and discussion, and then one to two more rounds of edits with the editor, with a tighter turnaround. Then, the copyeditor is brought in, and we have those edits and galleys. When I have unusual people names or place names or phrases in other languages, I submit that with the draft that goes to the editor and the copyeditor, so they can help me stay consistent.

For the series I write, keeping the Series Bibles updated is vital, too. As soon as a book is out of final galleys and headed for release, I update the Series Bible. I use tracking sheets for details that may change within drafts, but once it’s finalized, I update the Series Bible. That way, an inconsistency is a plot or character choice, not a mistake.

Are you currently working on anything new?

Always! The radio plays are getting a lot of traction right now, and I have four stage plays to finish this year: one on the painter Canaletto’s sisters; one on the gun violence epidemic; a collection of monologues called WOMEN WITH AN EDGE RESIST that’s a follow-up to one of my most popular plays, WOMEN WITH AN EDGE; and a play about two famous women authors. Plus, I have to keep up with the series I’m writing — The Gwen Finnegan Mysteries, The Coventina Circle Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series, the lighter Nautical Namaste Mysteries, and a few one-offs. Plus client work. So I’m always, always working on something new. This is my passion, but it is also my business, not my hobby. It’s how I keep a roof over my head.

If you weren’t a writer, what would your career be?

Still working on Broadway, as a dresser. Or, if I hadn’t gone down the theatre/writing path at all, probably an archaeologist.

What’s one thing you learned through writing that you wish you knew before you started?

Don’t let others define you. Define yourself. And realize that your life and your career are always a work in process.

What is your favorite book, genre, or author?

I don’t have just one of any of them! My favorite, favorite book, the one I’d need on a desert island, is THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE. I never get tired of Shakespeare. I also love POSSESSION, by AS Byatt.  Genre would probably be mystery. I find it often the most satisfying, although, as a writer, I like to mix it with other elements of other genres. Author? I don’t have a single favorite. Again, I always go back to Shakespeare. But it was Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Beecher Stowe who were the big inspirations for me to write. And Mildred Wirt Benson, the original writer of the Nancy Drew books as “Carolyn Keene.” She did another series, under her own name, with a heroine named Penny Parker. Penny is such a brat, but she’s hilarious.

I collect juvenile series mysteries from the early twentieth century: Beverly Gray, Vicki Barr, Judy Bolton, all of those. The racism in them is shocking, but it’s also a good snapshot of what was considered “normal” at the time and why we should know better now (but far too often don’t). You get a heroine like Ruth Fielding, a turn-of-the-twentieth-century heroine, who did all these great, adventurous things solving her mysteries, and then went on to a career writing in Hollywood, in a happy marriage. A lot of these heroines showed girls that there was more than one definition of “good” — and that it wasn’t a terrible thing to be smart, and show it.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Put your butt in the chair every day and do the work. Books don’t write themselves. Plan time off as you want/need it. Don’t let the writing slide. And don’t blow first rights posting material from your drafts online or on social media if you want to sell the polished/finished work. There’s a world of difference between throwing out a rough draft and sharing an excerpt of a piece that’s contracted.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Find your tribe. Find other writers you like to hang out with and talk to. Read each other’s work. Support each other. Every time one succeeds, it helps everybody. Jealousy and envy are a waste of energy. Learn the craft — craft is as important as art. Do the work, build the community, and you’ll start to see results.

About Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington publishes under half a dozen names in fiction and non-fiction and is an internationally-produced playwright and radio writer. She has eight novels published, several novellas, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles. She worked backstage on Broadway and in film and television production for years and teaches both online and in-person. Her main website, http://www.devonellingtonwork.com, will lead you to the websites for the different series, and her blog on the writing life, Ink in My Coffee, is at https://devonellington.wordpress.com

Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Ello | Triberr

Buy Devon’s Books

The Coventina Circle Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series: Playing the Angles | The Spirit Repository | Relics & Requiem

The Gwen Finnegan Paranormal Archaeological Mysteries: Tracking Medusa | Myth & Interpretation

The Nautical Namaste Not-Quite-Cozy Mysteries (As Ava Dunne): Savasana at Sea

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Meet Devon Ellington [Author Interview] Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I publish under multiple names in fiction and non-fiction, and am an internationally-produced playwright and radio writer.

[yellowpeach]

For the film asks, all of them? (2010/Chris Evans/Brie Larson/Edgar Wright for the *insert here* questions)

ahh!!! thank you so much for asking anon! this will take a while so i will probs stick most of it under a cut :)

a movie you’ve seen most times in cinema.

i answered this one here!

your most rewatched movie.

that’d be between toy story, the lord of the rings trilogy, moulin rouge, to all the boys i’ve loved before and this weird animated film called tubby the tuba. my grandma owned it on vhs and i spent basically every school holiday at her house so i watched it more times than i can think of!

a movie you quote on a daily basis.

i quote dumb youtube videos more than films on a regular basis, but i do quote a lot of lord of the rings lines like “it comes in pints?!” or anything else that comes out of one of the hobbits mouths.

favorite movie soundtrack

probably moulin rouge? that or the first guardians of the galaxy. they’re the only two that i still own on CD..

top 5 films of your favorite actor and actress

okay so my initial thought for favourite actor is actually tom hanks, so in that case.

forrest gump

philadelphia

toy story

 the green mile

larry crowne (not the most amazing film in the world but it’s so endearing to me!)

and for actress i would probably say toni colette? her or blake lively, but i don’t have a top five for either of them. for toni it’d be;

about a boy

muriel’s wedding

miss you already

and for blake it’d be;

a simple favor

the age of adeline

elvis and annabelle

top 5 performances of your favorite actor and actress.

see above, they’re one and the same to me.

a movie storyline you wish you had actually lived.

about time. might be biased since i’m watching it now, but it’d be nice to do things over if i could.

a movie that reminds you of your mum.

local hero. i’ve watched it with her many times and it’s one of her favourites.

a movie that reminds you of your dad.

any of the harry potter films. we went to all of them at the cinema together.

favorite movies from your childhood.

it’s gonna be toy story again. this will likely be a running theme, i fucking love this movie.

favourite quote(s).

too many to count from the lord of the rings. sam’s monologue at the end of the two towers, gandalf speaking to pippin in return of the king. also sam saying “i can’t carry it for you, but i can carry you!”. this is really just a love letter to sam now, isn’t it….

top 5 favorite female performances.

i would have to come back to this, i can’t brain right now.

top 5 favorite male performances.

see above.

favourite year for movies.

after googling, it looks like 1993 was a bloody good year.

your favorite movies from [insert year].

2010 is the year you mentioned and from looking on google, my faves are toy story 3, how to train your dragon, black swan, scott pilgrim vs the world, easy a, megamind, tangled, AHH DAYDREAM NATION CAME 2010!! MY FAVE!! man, 2010 was a good one :D

favorite [insert actor/actress/director] movies?

so you said chris evans, brie larson and edgar wright. so faves in order would be:

short term 12

captain america: the winter soldier

hot fuzz or the world’s end (can’t pick between the two soz)

list all you’ve seen from [insert actor/actress/director].

so many, my dude. so many.

an underrated actor.

brain is fried. i’m sure there’s some but i’m blanking hard.

an underrated actress.

see above.

an underrated director.

see above.

an overrated actor.

johnny fucking depp.

an overrated actress.

scarlett johansson soz lol

an overrated director.

QUENTIN FUCKING TARANTINO

a film you wish you had seen on the big screen.

like any of my favourite 80s movies or the original psycho. also the lord of the rings, for some reason my folks didn’t take me to those.

a movie you’ve seen that you think no one else’s here will have heard of?

i am yet to encounter someone who knows the previously mentioned tubby the tuba.

favorite movie characters.

steve rogers, rapunzel from tangled, leia skywalker, lara-jean song-covey

a film that was better than the book.

i love to all the boys i loved before, but the film captured me in a way that the book didn’t as much.

best remake.

i’d watch tom holland or andrew garfield over tobey maguire for spiderman any day fight me.

your first favorite actor.

probably orlando bloom? back when i was a wee bab, i watched anything of his that i could find at the video rental.

your first favorite actress.

hilary duff probably. child me watched all of lizzie mcguire and any movies of hers.

favorite animated film.

if you’ve read this far and can’t figure it out, i don’t know what to say. it’s toy story, obviously.

your most anticipated films.

endgame and basically any other superhero movie coming out, toy story 4, the sequel for to all the boys i’ve loved before, the richard curtis movie called yesterday that is coming out in june (???) i think, STAR WARS.

last movie that disappointed you.

sierra burgess is a loser. fuck, no one else wanted that movie to be good as much as i did.

last movie that surpassed your expectations

nothing will ever match how blown away i was by pacific rim when i saw it. i went with my cousin knowing literally NOTHING about it. also i guess 2017′s it. i’m not big on seeing horror at the cinema and i didn’t expect to find it as funny as i did because the kids in it were so great.

actor in need of new agent.

idk bruh, i can’t think of anything right now for this.

actress in need of new agent.

see above.

share an unpopular film opinion you have.

idk how unpopular this is because i’m pretty sure thanks to #metoo most people want these kind of people want out of hollywood, but i despise woody allen and roman polanski films. the fact that i had to study them while getting my degree is despicable, and the argument that they’ve done a lot for the film industry is trash. don’t make their work important, studying it so thoroughly gives it power and i want to never have to speak about their trash again.

favorite Oscar win/speech.

who couldn’t say olivia colman’s from this years oscars. that warmed my cold dead heart and i cried for her.

biggest Oscar snub(s).

arrival should have won/been nominated for more than it did.

who do you think is overdue for another nomination/win?

amy adams!!! she was so fucking amazing in arrival, i wanted her to win all of the things.

how many movies have you seen (rough estimation)?

must be hundreds (not that these answers are any indication since i’ve talked about approx four films) since i own hundreds of DVDs, i go to the cinema regularly, i am constantly watching stuff on netflix and any other streaming services.

a movie that made you go ‘wtf was that’.

un chien andalou, requiem for a dream and mothlight. the first two because they’re fucking disturbing, the last one because its just close ups of parts of moths and i had to watch it for a film paper. it’s a no from me.

a film that scarred you.

the mummy. the beetle under the skin gave me nightmares and i haven’t been able to watch it since.

most movies watched in a single day.

i havent’t taken notes, but i did watch all of the mcu movies with cap in them recently in a day?

a film that always makes you cry.

coco. i’ve yet to make it through without having a full on mental breakdown for the last third of that movie. also marley and me because doggos. and the last part of mamma mia: here we go again. and philadelphia. the take away from this answer is that i cry a lot in movies.

a film that always makes you laugh.

hot fuzz. in my first flat we watched it nearly everyday for like two weeks when we all moved in and watching it makes me think of how much we all laughed and quoted it to one another.

movies that you think everyone should watch (not necessarily your favorites).

get out, psycho, star wars, at least one classic film noir, arrival, the cornetto trilogy, back to the future. there’s more but i think this is a good starter for what i at least find to be important viewing.

a movie that took you a couple of viewings to appreciate.

honestly probably the lord of the rings. they didn’t really click with me until high school, and then they really really clicked. also fight club i guess; the second time around watching it, i got the toxic masculinity themes more. it sucks that men read that movie as the exact opposite.

a book you want to see adapted to the big screen.

i believe i already answered this here!

a book you really, really, really don’t want to see made into a film.

does jk rowling’s twitter count? i want to see nothing more from the harry potter universe that she has had anything to do with.

favorite child performance.

the kids in the goonies and it 2017 come to mind. let kids act like kids!!!

favorite pre-code.

mate, you are making the assumption that i remember enough of the old films i studied in my degree, and that i remember the pre-code dates. i’m sure i have one, but that is buried far too deep in my brain to actually remember.

Favorite silent film.

i really enjoyed the buster keaton stuff we watched when i did my history of film paper.

favorite coming of age film.

boyhood, love simon, the edge of seventeen, my girl (i’ll be honest, i just googled coming of age movies and picked my faves from the top results. doesn’t mean i don’t stand by these!!)

favorite superhero film.

captain america: the winter soldier, spiderman: into the spiderverse, black panther and the dark knight rises.

best cinematography.

i still really like her and wes anderson for their cinematography.

movies you know you should watch, but can’t bring yourself to do it?

so fucking many, my dude. the amount of movies i wrote essays about when i had watched maybe three scenes and read the synopsis is insane. after getting a degree in it, and with how burned out i got, i found it very hard to give a shit about classics that lecturers told me were important. the big one is the godfather; it’ll be a cold day in hell when i finally watch that one.

favorite genres.

i’m a sucker for anything romantic. also film noir, superheroes, animated, female-led, stuff set in the 80s, lgbt film (that isn’t gross and exploitative), comedy horrors. idk man, it’s hard to describe.

least favorite genres.

dull as fuck period pieces that say approximately nothing new and hash out the same old tired shit about treatment of poc and/or women. comedies in the same vein of austin powers, napoleon dynamite and sasha baron cohen stuff. white feminist narratives. anything that is shitty about fat women. 

biggest movie pet peeve.

dark for no fucking reason!!! let films be bright and happy!!! ya girl hates having to strain her eyes to see what the heck is going on.

[itwasanangryinch]

Here’s what Mitchell had to say about working on the soundtrack with Stewart:

This film began as a short story gleam in the eye of Neil Gaiman which was then refracted through Philippa Goslett’s adaptation. She saw our hero Enn as a young Neil-like punk comic book artist from much-mocked suburban Croydon. Naturally the film includes 70’s classics: the first UK punk single “New Rose” by The Damned (Captain Sensible & Rat Scabies did time in Croydon); Lou Reed’s “I Found a Reason” (thank you Hal Willner and Laurie Anderson!), “Nursery Chymes” by the great Bruno Wizard of The Homosexuals (who cameos as our club MC). But DIY being both our medium and our message, this album favors the new stuff and we had didn’t have room for period gems like Bruno’s “Soft South Africans” or Dub Specialist’s “Starring Dub”. The punk side of things is anchored by our fictional band Dyschords, created by Bryan Weller and singer Martin Tomlinson (bless you Danny Fields for those YouTubes videos of Martin’s band Selfish Cunt). Kudos to Dyschords producer/mixer Rory Attwell. AC Newman contributed the instant classics “Fuck All” and “Angry Universe” (inspired by a line from the short story) while Ezra Furman delivered the creamy “Rainy Life”. Along with Justin Craig and Tits of Clay (the Broadway Hedwig band), I formed The Dyslexic Cnuts (which lasted for a day… so punk) to record the song “Extraction” with cabaret legend Amber Martin who offers the melt-in-your-mouth “Bermuda” (and who also voices the soul singer in Mum’s kitchen scene). The vast and deep alien soundscape was conjured by sonic sorcerers Matmos (who also give us the faux krautrock “Flecken”, or “Cum Stain” in German). Maestro Nico Muhly provided alien choral textures and a glorious Exit Requiem for our departing aliens (or was it a Brexit Requiem?). Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart and I spawned the trans-species alien-punk “Eat Me Alive”, performed live by Alex Sharp and Elle Fanning, as well as our space-dance credit song “Between the Breaths” voiced by indie goddess Mitski. Bless you Michael Hill for shepherding our musical flock. I urge the reader to make things with her/his/their mates. As with us, a wonderful time will be had by all.