Hollywood King

by Cui Shi yi

1-128

4. 97 - 128

Hollywood King #Chapter 97: Chapter 93. - Read Hollywood King Chapter 97: Chapter 93. Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

The premier attracted the interest and positive feedback of around twenty-five critics. The 'It's A Movie' website was somewhere where all these sorts of critics expressed what they felt after watching the premiere of the movie.

For the premiere night, all the cast, people who were associated with the Renner Studio, Ian, John—Ian's friend, Eloise, Hazel, Alexa, and even Valerine were invited. The final product of the movie was looking good considering how good the editing, directing and the acting were.

One of the special things among everything else which attracted the attention of so many people was how the Tumbler was parked right outside the theater throughout the entire movie.

Then at the end, there was a showcase of the tumbler which made people cheer loudly and yell with happiness and goosebumps on their skin. The news was all over everywhere the next day.

On the other hand, people were also very focused on the quality of the movie. The quality of the movie was high when compared to every other superhero movie out there; not just superheroes, but also almost all of the recent movies that were released.

The critics had talked about negative and positive views on movie making. Nevertheless the curiosity of the people to watch the movie increased. It was mainly because once a trailer is out, people would be enthusiastic to know anything and everything about a movie— especially if the movie is from one of their favorite directors, or a star.

In Batman Begins, it was the Studio name, and the stars who acted in it, which made people enjoy the movie so far.

IAM–Movie Critics: Batman Begins_

@buh.buh.bacon

Batman Begins was one of the best superhero movies I've had the pleasure of watching with the exceptional plot and phenomenal action sequences. Compared to all of the sh*tty superhero movies to ever exist, this movie brings out something spectacularly different.

Honestly, it had it all with the whole origin story, which wasn't just a bite or just morals and power, yes it had the whole parents' death that eventually drove him to be batman but there was much more, we got glimpses of his childhood (of course with his parent's death) then we see him as an adult believing that justice was vengeance, later on, goes to learn about the mind of criminals by taking on life among them, only to be saved from a prison cell by a new personality claiming to have what he's looking for, from there he ends up with the league of shadows that taught him to face his fears, be invisible and other skills that allowed him to put on a mask and save his city. They even played with the prospect of fear, Plus his purpose for meeting his parents, lets's not forget the epic car chase scene, I could keep going...

I like how everything that happens in this 140 min movie(i know it is quite long but trust me it's worth it) all comes around and has a purpose to serve in the overall plot.

the movie goes on with multiple villain personalities all playing part-time roles in a bigger scheme made by someone we were done with in the first half of the movie(or so we thought)

All in all, I truly enjoyed it and would recommend giving it a watch.

[...]

Not just media online, many popular directors who went to the premier had mentioned in the interviews which were held on the premier day itself about how much they enjoyed the movie. The famous director, Grant Meeks was invited to the premier by Mason considering how they had worked together in the past.

The reporters went crazy after they saw the experienced, award-winning, and revolutionary director, Grant Meeks.

"I love everything about this movie. The story, the screenplay, the cast, and the music. Everyone plays their roles perfectly in this movie. First of all, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman was perfect. He had to play three roles in this movie: Bruce Wayne where he's himself. He interacts with Alfred and Batman, and that's when he shows his anger. He freaks criminals out. Like the scene where he was like, "Swear to me!!" and The mask of Bruce Wayne, which is the Bruce Wayne everyone thinks he is, but they're wrong. Bruce has been gone for seven years. I think Bale would be the Batman of all time."

The critics, actors, and directors who were invited to the premier mentioned different types of reviews based on their views of the movie. Different people had different opinions on the premier, which gave glimpses of many things for the other fans including increasing the interest in the movie—yet to come.

"The script in this movie is amazing. All the iconic quotes like "Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up." Or "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me." Or even, "I never said thank you." "And you'll never have to." I have seen this movie several times that I know every single line."

"I love the soundtrack because it gives me wonderful vibes. I love how there are different types of songs, but they hit different emotions. Some of them are upbeat, some are very dramatic, some are very exciting, some are very emotional, and some are intense."

"I love how the story is about Bruce Wayne not becoming a vigilante, but a symbol. I love how they made his journey the central focus."

"In the end, I will say that Batman Begins is an awesome movie. He took something unrealistic and made it realistic."

Those were comments that the people who came had made in front of cameras which were released to the media, including social media right after the premier.

-

29th February 2019

The day remarked another release of a movie, done by one of the top studios—Lycan Studio. 'The Aliens' was the third movie of the franchise, which had been planning its release for over six months and finally got the date right when Batman Begins was about to release.

"I can't believe the first screening would be in two hours," Shane muttered to his co-director of the movie.

"The hype so far has been good. If anything that would happen badly, it would be how the other movie, Batman Begins, releases today itself," Carmona muttered back.

"No, weren't we reading the statistics, if anything we left Batman Begins from the trailer and critic responses. Our company reputation, value, and everything counts in this matter, don't act like you don't know how the industry works Carmona," Shane said in disapproval.

Ever since the movie trailer got released things had been going quite well for Lycan Studio. The damage which Shane expected Batman Begins to make was nowhere to be found. In fact, 'The Aliens' were doing as good as they expected from the premier. So many critics had mentioned how it succeeded in maintaining the quality of the previous two movies of the same franchise.

A director from the studio which was among the top 3 in Hollywood was invited to the premier and he had given a brief explanation of why 'The Alien' would be one of the best movies in the era. The fans who were up and about the Lycan Studios got more confidence in their view of the movie which created their favorite movies.

"I'm not going to lie, I was skeptical at first when I came here considering how the previous two movies were a banger and I thought it would be such a shame if this movie is any worse compared to them. The main reason why I was skeptical was because of how the director took a break for around three months—I'm not even joking, I said this to Shane too, my good friend. But trust me there's nothing to worry about.

'The Aliens' would be one of the best movies you have ever watched, and after the release, everyone MUST watch it. The story, the pace of the movie, how the characters are— and for more interest, there are a few more characters introduced. So in my opinion, you should watch it—and no, no spoilers,"

[...Ian Renner with Mason Striver]

"Two more hours uncle, this is going to be huge, I feel it already," Ian said.

"Yeah, the critics were more than content with the premier and many people were already anticipating a lot from the movie. The marketing strategy with the Tumbler, people are so hyped to watch the movie.

And I can genuinely see the movie being something that would turn the tables of Hollywood for good, even though we mentioned this before, I need to say, the superhero franchise would be up and in demand, before you know it," Mason continued to say with a smile which reached his eyes—which showed how proud he was at the young man who sat in front of him.

"Yeah, and I remember I met Shane at the party. He mentioned his movie would be out at the same time as ours, I wonder how good it can be," Ian muttered just above his breath.

"Well, to be honest, it would be good. The studio is at the top not for no reason, they are good at what they put out there, but the thing is, what we are bringing is something that can be the epitome of modern cinema. Something that people had never gotten a taste of," Mason said.

"Yeah and therefore it can go both ways, either be one of the best, or one of the worst, most likely to be the first," Ian said with a smirk—which showed how confident he was.

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29th of February, 2019.

Batman Begins was released and people who had pre-booked the tickets were already in the queue of getting a seat to watch the movie which they thought is one of the best from the trailer, premiere details, critics, and especially because it is from none other than Ian Renner.

At the same time, Ian had requested MeTV to broadcast a special interview done by Christian Bale and Scarlett Johnson for a special spotlight because, both the movies 'The Alien' and 'Batman Begins' were head-to-head; which means that both of them were doing equally great in the theaters.

With an equal number of screenings, the only thing that Ian could do to expose the movie more was marketing. Because of that, during the premier bringing the Batmobile helped in their favor a lot, but again, he wanted to keep people in contact with Bale and Scarlett considering how people started to search them up on the internet.

"Good Evening everyone! Fans of Hollywood, the blood of movies, and the heart that keeps pumping to keep the lives of actors alive…. Lub-dup, lub-dup, lub-dup!" The people in the audience laughed loudly.

"I'm joking, but anyway, hello again, I have two exciting people to talk with us today. Considering how famous they have become in the past couple of days, with the premiere of…. BATMAN BEGINS! I was doubting if my request for you both to be here would go unnoticed with every other! Anyway, seeing you both here is my greatest pleasure!"

"Thank you," "Same here," Both of them replied in sync.

"How did you get in, Bale? Last time I saw you, you were acting in a rom-com, which people criticized badly for so many reasons, but now… our show is on the top 10 shows of all time for the day, because of the guests here!"

"Does it mean that I was the problem the whole time?" People laughed again.

Christian Bale was wearing a suit, with a slight smile that made him look like a hotshot in Hollywood which was partially true. Scarlett who sat beside him looked too sweet to be true.

"That… without a doubt," Bale said earning laughs from everyone.

"So, man! Let's talk about Batman, I mean, did you drive that thing?" The host questioned while he pointed at the screen behind him. It was a small video of the Tumbler at the premiere night.

It showed how the car sped up and did some stunts in the parking lot which was right in front of the premier hall. So many celebrities, directors, and people were gathered around the car to see what he did. As soon as the little show ended, out of the car, Bale got out of the car wearing a suit and looking handsome as ever.

Everyone gasped, clapped, and was hyped with the amount of show he put in. Bale was inside the movie hall just like everybody else, but no one knew that he went out or—would do something like this.

It was so out of the blue, yet was timed perfectly. Which was an idea from Ian to create more hype for the people to watch Batman Begins. Many celebrities who were present at the moment shot the entire Tumbler scenario and posted it everywhere, which made people go crazy all over again.

"Yes, of course, I did. Although it did take time for me to practice how to drive that thing, after a while it all becomes too easy and chill. I wish I could have it forever so I can make normal work visits via that,"

People erupted in a peal of laughter hearing his words.

"I mean—That sounds something I would love to do, Scarlett how are you?" The host shifted the focus to the pretty lady beside Bale.

"I'm doing so good, people already love the movie, although it is yet to begin," Scarlett said with a smile showing her dimple.

"Oh hell yes, your character, tell us something about her, and I really wanna know how it was like to work on the set with Ian, Bale, and all, can you share a bit?"

"Ye-"

"Wait wait wait, you thought I let you go easily didn't you? Watch this everyone! Scarlett falling asleep in the middle of shooting!" The host said while Scarlett's eyes rose in surprise.

She had not expected anything embarrassing to happen yet. Although she knew that many embarrassing scenes of filming would be out in no time, she had not expected it to be anytime sooner.

The screen behind them changed the display from the talk show logo to a video where Scarlett had her mouth open—sleeping deeply, in fact not giving a damn to the world. Her hair and costume were neatly done, yet she was dead asleep. People who were behind the camera laughed, which did not make her move even by an inch.

"Oh my God, I can't believe Niko sent that, I mean—" People laughed while Scarlett closed her eyes in embarrassment. "He promised that he would expose the embarrassing stuff after the movie release, I can't believe-"

"It's alright, a nap between a tiring day is totally fine, I mean, even we sleep sometimes—" He said and looked at the camera. "Just not in front of cameras, and from what I saw you must be a deep sleeper," The host shrugged making Scarlett shake her head in annoyance.

"Not really, I was just dead tired–"

"Yeah, we can see that, moving on,"

Everyone laughed at his joke including Scarlett and Bale.

"I asked something before, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. So, to be frankly honest, working with these people can be taken as the best thing that has ever happened to me. Especially working with someone like Christian Bale,"

"And kissing him," The host joked again.

"That too," Scarlett's reply made everyone laugh. "No, apart from that, Ian is a great director, very easy to work with, and to be honest, I never thought I would be able to work in something this huge—very soon, considering I was just getting in and out of auditions the other day, this was a huge opportunity and I hope I did my best to the role,"

"Of course you did, the kissing scene was awesome— I mean, your acting was, so today, people would get to see Batman Begins, many are already in the queue for the movie, and some are waiting for their turn for the booked tickets, oh and currently we have a fan who wanted to talk to Scarlett especially, Scarlett are you ready?"

"Yes!" Scarlett said with a smile.

"Well, I'm sorry there's no one,"

"Haha… Very funny!" Scarlett said as a joke.

"So the thing with Batman, why would you think that Batman is different from any other superhero? Or the movie—in that case?"

"Yes, so it is realistic movie making. You know, Batman Begins is very practical, we give answers logically and this was not some fly—fight, and stuff, it is all technique, mechanics, and especially, technology. And when it comes to Batman, it was proof that Ian wanted it to be as real as possible, you know, not just give out that this and this existed, Batman was there, the story itself was something which gave lots of background on the character and all. So, in Batman Begins we give answers to so many questions—like, how he becomes Batman, Why he becomes… And then, we give out the whole background of who is Bruce Wayne,

And you know the thing is, even with comics—People had never really answered, it was just how they assumed things, and with the movie, I could say this would be something that would turn the angels on superhero movies in the industry," Bruce said while the camera was focused on him the whole time.

"Oh that is great to know, I was thinking of taking my wife to watch Batman Begins tonight and…"

The interview continued for thirty more minutes and was cast live on MeTV.

"They did a great job," Ian said to Mason who joined to watch the talk show with him.

"Yes, and even the numbers are increasing ever since the first screening, let me see…" Mason said, taking the computer and typing things on it to view the statistics of the current screening which were happening all around the country. "We are still behind 'The Alien',"

An 'Oh' left Ian's lips. Although in his mind, he was aware that the movie would not do much better during the first few hours—or even days, considering the fan base for Lycan Studio was much higher and the fans for the franchise in which the movie was released were way higher compared to the superhero movie.

But he also was aware of how "It will be fine uncle, this is just the start. I'm sure people would start to notice which movie is better, and people attract new genres pretty quickly, considering how cool the entire movie is," Ian said and chuckled.

"Your confidence has risen so much since day one, and I'm proud of you, Ian," Mason said with a smile.

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It has been a week since Batman Begins was released. People had embraced and understood a lot about how good the superhero movie was, rather than the movie which was released on the same day as Batman Begins. The only reason Lycan Studio had an exceptional number of positive remarks for the movie was solely the history of the franchise.

Apart from that, the initial few days went on with people hyping over 'The Alien' more compared to Batman Begins. But later on, after people who watched Batman Begins started to share and say the good parts of the movie, the focus entirely changed to Batman Begins from The Alien.

"How in the hell it has crossed $100 million at the box office by the first week already?!" Shane was beyond pissed looking at the digits on the screen itself.

"Uh–check the reviews. I saw so many negative movie critics about the movie, and I thought we were doing a good job," Carmona said back while typing 'IAM' in the main search engine to get reviews.

"Check the top reviews, those are the kind of stuff which goes all-around social media in no time, and people might have even—what the fuck?" Shane's eyes widened in horror.

This was the first time he saw something like that. The movie name had around 1k critics, yet more than half of them were bad. The most trending review had 2.5k likes and that was a negative comment which had cursed the director, cast, storyline, and even the music.

"This—is so bad!" Carmona was taken back by what he saw.

@Movie_critique_009

Okay, so to be very honest I can't give more than two stars for the overall movie. When I say I'm biased toward the studio, trust me I'm not lying. If you check any of my socials (Click the profile, you'll see the links), more than half the time, I was sharing/quoting/promoting movies from Lycan Studio—in the franchise itself. I was a hardcore fan till this movie came out! I'm so disappointed and my feelings…..The keyboard is not enough for me to express how pissed I'm right now.

The cast– A HUGE NO. Many new actors and actresses were there, but the fact HOW hard they were trying to be funny made it look fake asf. The JJ family and RM family, the fights were something from the first movie. I wish the director had anything new to offer with this new movie. The actors did a poor job in acting. I don't even know why Jeff Thomas was given the role of a villain. All I saw was how a joker was trying so hard to be a wannabe villain, and it was the worst.

Story– The two stars were entirely for the story. Since we were familiar with and we embraced the previous two movies wholeheartedly, I think the story of this movie was somewhat relatable and something that we all can agree upon. But on the bad side, some things were too repetitive. To be honest, it was kind of bland, and I personally did not enjoy it even a bit.

Music– Don't even remind me. It is like…. This warrior music while two families were fighting, and that too in the background— it was honestly the worst.

I don't know if I can even complete my review considering how mad I'm right now. I can name myself as the person who was overly happy to watch the movie in the first place, but this is a pure waste of time. This can be called a commercial movie with a predictable plot, where almost the ENTIRE crew was trying too hard to be funny, and overall a fcking black film experience.

[...] "This honestly is the worst review ever, and see how many people have agreed with that person," Carmona looked disappointed while he kept reading the other reviews which had agreed or mentioned how Batman Begins was good compared to 'The Alien'.

"Fuck!" Shane said, standing up while his hands were placed on the table with a loud thud. "We have to do something! How about paying critics for some positive reviews?"

-

Sherina Cooper was a middle-aged woman with two sons, who both were under the custody of their father. Sherina divorced a year ago, and ever since then, she barely got a chance to spend time with the kids, considering how much time she spent with her new husband.

Ever since she was fifteen, she enjoyed reading comic books quite often. And much to her luck, two days ago her husband came home saying how this new movie of Batman Begins was released and that she should go and watch the movie. He was a businessman who worked in a private sector company and had almost no time to spend watching movies.

He hated going to the theaters and spending money on a movie in which the profits are earned by the studios, directors, and everyone else who was behind the success of any movie.

Hearing the words of her husband, she agreed with no hesitation knowing that she could somehow manage to convince her ex-husband to let her take the kids for the weekend and they could even watch the newest movie, which even the kids were fans of—The Batman.

"Mommy, can we buy popcorn too?" The twelve-year-old son asked tugging at his mom's hand.

"Sure, what do you want, little hero?" Sherina questioned the other kid who tagged along. He shook his head grumpily.

"Let's buy some then,"

They walked inside the theater cafeteria and bought popcorn which both the kids enjoyed taking off from the salesman and eating on their way to the seats.

"Who remembers the story of Bruce?" Sherina asked with a grin looking at her elder son, knowing he was the one to be obsessed with Batman more compared to the younger one.

"I do... Of course! Will we get to see how their parents die too?" He questioned.

"I hope we do, one of my friends told me that this is really well-made. I'm hoping that we could see the background and everything we imagined in the comics. Do you remember how we talked about Ra's al-Ghul? He would be in here too," Sherina whispered to the two kids.

On the inside, she was more excited and joyous than the two kids. It was mainly because she was always a fan, and this type of good movie was based on her favorite comics—the happiness she felt in her heart, was immeasurable.

"I watched the trailer too mommy, it looked so good, did you see how the tumbler was brought on the premier day?" The twelve-year-old asked, looking more excited than ever.

"Yesss, it looked so real, I can't wait! Ten minutes more…. Just ten!"

They continued to talk and talk until the logo of Renner Studio appeared on the screen. After the movie started, everyone went silent considering how addictive, descriptive, and how good the movie started.

After two hours, everyone was fully invested in the movie. The way Batman was created, and how the story kept turning and twisting caught everyone by surprise for how good it was. Both Sherina and her two kids, including everyone else, were equally or more invested in the movie. The kids even refused to go out to the cafeteria during the break saying, what if the movie started again?

[...] THE END

The movie came to an end earning good amounts of positive talks among the people who were present to watch the movie. They all were happy with how it ended, but some teenagers talked loudly about how Rachel and Wayne parted ways even before their love story started.

"I wish they lasted long, bad times and sad times," A girl whispered to her other friend, which was overheard by Sherina.

"What are you talking about? Rachel was not even supposed to be there, in the comics, she was never a love interest of Wayne. That was extra but the director had made it appear so good—so good to be true," The other girl said while shaking her head and wiping fake tears.

"Christian Bale is so hot and I can't even—"

The conversation kept going on until they were out of the theater and finding taxis to get home.

"Mommy, comics!" The twelve-year-old shouted and his brother joined him.

"Yes! Please! Please! Mommy!" The other little guy was just one year younger but was equally if not more spoiled than his brother.

"Oh okay okay, let's see," Sherina walked towards the stall of comics.

Right in front of the theater, a man was selling Batman Comics. Sherina thought how profitable it must be for him that people who watch and start loving the hero would come here to buy the comics considering they would get a glimpse of things that are possible to happen in the next movie—if there was any such.

"Any new comics after 'Year One and The Modern Bat'?" Sherina questioned the stall owner.

"There are two new actually, want me to show them?"

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"Good morning Line News watchers! It has been reported that Christian Bale went to visit the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Here's the live telecast of what is happening at St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Mary, are you there?"

The anchor of Line News explained the newest breaking news since it was popular all over the country. Due to the hospital being somewhere the press couldn't enter without permission, the person at the other end explained the situation from afar—across the street.

"Yes, hello there Line News watchers! Not long ago, we got the information of Christian Bale, who also acted as Bruce Wayne or Batman in the newest movie by Ian Renner, would be here in no time. According to our reports, it has been mentioned how the kids of the Hospital had asked to meet Batman ever since they showed the movie on their last movie Friday night.

Oh yes, in the black vehicle, one hundred percent sure it's Christian Bale—as you can see, in the Batman suit. And more into details…."

[...]

"Hey, Dr. Rosy. We are here to make a large amount of donation for the Hospital," Ian who walked in with Bale talked to the head doctor.

"Yes, it's such an honor to meet you both here. The request seems valid, please take a seat, you guys—whoever owns the money would have to answer some questions,"

"Ask away," Ian questioned the tall lady, who had her hair cut in Bobby's style.

"Under whose name would you like to donate?"

"Bruce Wayne," Ian answered.

"Any specific purpose for the money?" Dr. Rosy questioned the young man who sat with another lad, who was wearing the Batman suit.

"Yes, when we first contacted you and made the arrangements, you mentioned how the money would be sufficient for the fifteen kids here, who are intensely ill, and their parents couldn't afford it," Ian explained the whole thing that they had discussed before coming there.

"Yes. Of course, I for a moment forgot that I was the one who talked to you the other day. I'm sorry," Rosy muttered, giving out the form she was filling out.

In near handwriting which was almost unable for them to read, she had written every detail and in front of the price of the amount, she had left a blank space for them to fill.

Writing down the exact amount they wanted to donate, Ian Renner wholeheartedly did a good deed which would probably add some points for him to end up in heaven once he does.

After smiling, talking a bit more, and shaking hands with Ian Renner and Christian Bale they all went outside together.

It was mainly because the next visit includes Christian bale meeting up with the kids at the hospital.

It was not even a suggestion made by Ian but apparently, something Ian wasn't aware of cake to reveal its groovy, which was that Christian Bale likes kids.

"Let's go, it's to the left if I remember correctly," bale said taking the lead and Ian questioned how the hell Christian bale knew the places here and there.

"My ex… yes girlfriend, used to love coming here. She always loved interacting with kids. She was someone who did not enjoy moments with adult humans but with animals and kids, she had her way.

"That's … new, who is it? Is it someone we know?" Ian questioned, walking beside him.

They were walking through the ward which was colored in blue and white.

Walking inside, Ian and bale saw so many little lives struggling for their death and life. Although they had seen plenty to know about the reality of life, after seeing the kids, it was almost as if Bale felt something strange—again.

The last time he felt like that was when he and his ex-girlfriend came to meet the kids.

"Hey, little man, how are you doing?" Bale asked, walking inside the room where a guy had his mask of oxygen on.

He removed it instantly, seeing who was in his front.

"Are you the real-real batman? The one we watched?" The kid questioned.

"Yes, and you need to promise me something,"

"Anything for you, man," the kid said, faking the accent of a big man.

"No matter what you feel, promise me you won't give up," bale said, taking Ian who was listening to them by surprise.

With Ian, mason and Moses participated too. But they had to wait a bit outside till the drama of reporters die down.

"Yes, I'd fight for myself," the kid said while Bale signed off a fresh comic they had brought with them and offered it.

"This is so cool of you! Thank you!!" The kid said.

Around them, there were families, nurses, helpers, and even the head doctor was looking at what just happened. Some people were already recording it with their mobile phones since no reporter or median was allowed to come inside the hospital considering how sensitive the information can be.

Just like that, Ian, bale, and everyone else moved from one kid to another. Talking, giving them a smile, comics, and also talking with them to motivate them to keep going forward and not give up was something Christian Bale did.

As interesting as it was, they spent almost one hour talking to kids and talking to parents who were having a rough time due to the kids. Sometimes the kid was the only one they had, and they were tearing themselves apart inside due to how tough times were.

Bale even talked to them and made them feel better while signing off autographs and giving off advice on how to be strong.

Some kids who strongly loved Batman took their advice seriously which showed on their faces.

"Who are you then?" A kid questioned looking at Ian who stood behind Bake the whole time until he showcased his batman suit, then caught hearts with his advice and now finally the focus fell onto Ian a kid.

"Well, I'm his bodyguard. Yes, I am Master Wayne's bodyguard," Ian muttered with a straight face.

"Does Batman needs a bodyguard too? Why?" The kid questioned back.

"Bruce is different, Batman is different kiddo, he's the Hero, but not the one you need right now. " Bale said as he grasped the kid's hand.

[...]

"Are you here to donate as well, Mr?"

"Well, I'd like to keep my identity anonymous. And yes, a donation," the man who was wearing a mask said.

"Okay, any purpose of the money you're about to donate?" The lady questioned.

Since the person who wanted to donate was not a celebrity but a man who was in the mask had to make the payment and give the donation via a counter in the reception.

"Not, use it as you wish," the lady who wore a blue uniform told and passed forward the papers where he should mention the price he would be donating and sign it off.

He donated $500 of his own money and then walked away from the premises.

The guy who was in the mask was a paparazzi. He got in as soon as the media channel heard about the news, and he wanted to get a good story so his pictures could be sold for a good price.

Since there were no media allowed inside the hospital, the guy who wore a mask decided to take things into his hand.

But what happened was truly different from what he expected. He had expected something like, Ian would donate some large amount just to come out as a good guy who would donate and become a soul with a heart of a God—but what he saw was different.

Ian was standing behind the batman and was enjoying every second of the places they took temporary halts.

In front of kids, the way Ian looked at the kids was genuine. And in front of batman, who kept giving advice and making things better with every second, the paparazzi thought that this was nothing but a good deed.

Which also made him donate his money, seeing how the kids were. How they looked genuinely happy that batman was right in front of him

He thought that no matter how the person wanted to be seen, his actions would provide a righteous perspective on that person.

And there was nothing he could report wrong, which would not bring him any extra prize.

For that, he would go somewhere else and find dirt on another actor or actress. Which was what he did.

He walked away from the hospital, took his ride, and went places where he could find things to make stories about.

"Yeah, they were there."

"Not really, don't worry about it. I took some pictures which might help us a bit,"

"No any mud, sir. This is a whole lot better than anything. I bet my life that this could change things in Hollywood since this is the like first time someone who became so popular does something like this,'

"I said I bet on my LIFE!"

The man said and hung up on the call.

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Ian walked inside the calm and quiet cafe where he had arranged to meet someone—who specifically is a friend of his, after quite a long time. He noticed the smell of the bread, which was amazingly fresh for his nostrils, and realized the cafe they chose was one of the best places they had ever agreed to meet someone.

Some waitresses wore their uniforms—which were brown t-shirts and pants, walking here and there in the cafe, taking orders, and working their arse off until their shift ends.

He walked in and passed people on his way.

"You're late," John said as soon as Ian sat in front of him.

"Took your role seriously for the first time. Feels good being the late one—as always," Ian said and John smirked with a nod.

"Excuse me, sir, are you ready to order?" A waiter wearing the uniform with a pen and a paper questioned standing next to the table.

"Yeah, I'll get a black coffee, with less sugar, and a baguette if available?" John answered yet, with another question.

"Yes, they are. What about you, sir?" The waiter who had the name 'Sha Li' questioned.

"Sha Li, can I get a cappuccino with baguette as well, maybe some cookies too, thanks," Ian said and Sha Li walked away with a nod.

"So, how have you been, Ian? Heard you went to the hospital to donate money to the kids," John said with a meaningful smile that reached his eyes.

His eyes showed how much of a wonderful job Ian and Bale cooperated. John had wanted to mention it via the phone while they agreed to meet up for a coffee, but he thought that it would be better to appreciate the good deed Ian did in person.

Ian nodded reciprocating the smile, "Yeah, to be honest, seeing the kids made my intestines drop to the ground. They are too nice to be in such a place. But I feel glad about what we did," Ian muttered with a slight shrug.

"Yeah, Batman Begins was such a blockbuster, isn't it? Heard the numbers just kept going up, good news, man, good news," John said.

"Ah yes, when I checked in the morning before coming here, the profits made just from local screenings are 150 million dollars, it is going huge. People started to notice Batman and started to embrace the true superhero who he is," Ian said and then he questioned, "What about you? How is it going with the business?"

"Yeah, although I was never a superhero fan, just like how I mentioned during the premiere, Batman made me a fan of the movie, and yes, the business is starting to do great these days. I feel like–"

"Excuse me, sir, here's your order," Sha Li said while keeping the two baguettes and the coffees on the table with cookies on the side.

"Thanks" "Thank you" Both Ian and John thanked the waiter who walked away as soon as he placed the order on the table.

"You were saying?" Will asked while taking a bite from the baguette.

"Yeah, so yesterday I secured a deal which was worth a million, I mean, you can guess by that how great things have been going—"

A loud thud suddenly erupted through the cafe, which broke its peace into tiny little pieces within a mini-second.

After seeing how the waiter who had just given the orders to Ian and John holding his cheek, and face which was red due to embarrassment—the situation was obvious. It was not a thud, but a slap.

"What did you just say, you mo-"

"I'm not getting PAID enough for this shit!" Sha Li yelled at the customer who just slapped him. "You have no right to slap me, lady!" He looked beyond mad and in pain.

"You are getting paid to give me the right order right? And I need to talk to your manager! Is this how you have been trained to talk to a customer?!"

"I'm so sorry, excuse me, I'm the manager here, and if you could tell me….." Another tall man with an apron came to stand in between them. "...What exactly happened?" He asked, lowering his voice to calm the situation.

"This man took my order wrong and had the audacity to call me stupid because I was fully aware of what the hell I ordered!" The short lady shouted without giving a thought to whoever is around them.

"Yes, and I did apologize for giving the wrong order, but you kept spatting on the food intentionally and it is unacceptable," The waiter looked equally pissed at the lady's behavior. "You even slapped me!"

"I see nothing I need to apologize for! I have been coming to the cafe for almost five years now! And if this is how you people are going to treat me, it's better that I-"

"You're fired. Change your clothes and leave the uniform for laundry," The manager said with an emotionless face. "I'm truly sorry for the incon…"

Seeing that, Ian stood up from his chair immediately. Throughout the whole situation, it reminded Ian of how he had been treated during the beginning of his career in his past life. He was treated horribly, due to how powerful the other people were.

Seeing the guy, Sha Li walked away from the scene, and Ian walked after him.

"Got a minute?" Ian asked as soon as he was behind Sha Li.

"Hey, I don't work here anymore, you probably saw it-"

"No, I want to offer you a job. I'm Ian Renner," Ian said while extending his hand.

[...] "Did you seriously offer that guy a job?" John questioned while surprise was written on his face.

"I just said I did, no big deal," Ian shrugged taking a sip from his cappuccino.

"I thought you became a cold-faced playboy who doesn't care about people, I'm wrong once again it seems," John was still surprised.

"I still have humanity left, John," Ian said while shaking his head not being able to wrap his mind around how John thought about him.

"Yeah, I can see that,"

"Yeah well, nice show for a long evening. So, what happened with that girl you were talking about…" Ian continued with their evening.

With that, the evening passed by while they talked about the businesses, and everything going on in their lives. Ian personally enjoyed spending time with a friend because of how hard he had been working recently.

John, who met Ian at the premier, had mentioned how good it was seeing him after lots of hard work and he had admired how good the movie was. After a few days, when things settled down, Ian reached John on the phone and said to meet up to catch up with things.

-

Going home with a light heart, due to how he had discussed things with John and was feeling fine, he thought about what could be his next move. Ian had thousands of options to choose from, yet he wanted to think more about it—so nothing would go wrong.

Taking a hot shower, his mind went to numerous things that he could start on next. The shower took more time than the usual time, yet when he came out, he was left with some options and one main idea for his next step.

A book.

After releasing two movies in a row, Ian felt as if it was time to take a small break from movies and complete a book that could grab so much attention and help Ian with the image he was going for.

There were so many options for him to go with since after the Resident Evil book he realized that his memory library contained not just movies, but also all sorts of books, from the epilogue to the prologue—Ian wanted to make the audience read something that could be worth quite a while.

Finally, after doing a lot of thinking, Ian decided on a title among all the other choices he had. The book he chose was Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

He chose it because how Jackson's adventures had inspired many of the students from his previous world because they showed characters solving problems and succeeding not despite their learning differences but because of them. At the same time, the book doesn't gloss over the real frustrations and challenges that kids with ADHD and dyslexia face.

Nevertheless, Ian thought that if people could embrace how much of a good book it is, there are other possibilities of making a TV series or such—just like how a movie was created in the previous world which succeeded commercially yet managed to get mixed reviews.

Sitting in front of his laptop, at around 12.38 am, he started typing the outwork of the book he chose. Mainly first, he focused on the audience he writes it for, the genre, and then the core of what it would be.

He started typing….

Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.

If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life…

[...] Ian kept typing throughout the night till his fingers felt enough and his eyes started to get dizzy.

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Percy Jackson was mainly selected by Ian due to several obvious reasons. He wanted to create a vast audience for Percy Jackson among the mature preteens to younger teens. The culture was mainly based on Greek Mythology—which lacked its importance in Ian's world.

He did his research regarding what the younger generations were attracted to and was disappointed that no such book, story, or plot was brought up for the enjoyment of the specific audience.

The story behind the first book amused Ian in a way. Although the initial author was a teacher for years, his students had asked him why he did not compose books. It then took him a few years, and a bedtime story to realize what the audience he knew best.

The reason to start writing was how his son would ask his father to tell him stories of the Greek gods at a young age. Once, Riordan—the author in Ian's world of Percy Jackson, had exhausted the lore, his son requested for him to create new ones with the existing characters.

And then, after crafting a story that took three nights to tell, Riordan turned it into a series that would revive Greek mythology for a new generation. Later in 2005, he released The Lightning Thief, the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

The novel featured twelve-year-old Percy, who not only discovered that he is a demigod, but that his father is Poseidon. The book became a hit, winning multiple awards and paving the way for a spin-off series, movie adaptation, and musical.

What was more interesting was how in the early period of his creation of the book, Riordan based Percy on his son, Haley. Percy, similarly to Haley, was written as a young boy with ADHD and dyslexia.

Then, later on, Riordan had a few students read through his drafts, and many of them offered insight as to how to write kids with these conditions. It is not often to find characters who are dyslexic or have ADHD in many genres, and it created a space for kids and adults alike to feel seen.

Due to all of it, Ian was aware how In his career, Riordan has taught an entire generation more than Greek mythology, but how to be a better person and friend.

He has shown through his actions that "being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed."

/\_

Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.

Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.

Ian, then typed Chapter 4 and closed the laptop. 'If possible, I'd bring what Riordan brought to my world, to here. I'm sure many would enjoy' Ian thought and walked down the stairs to get some sleep he highly needed.

-

Ian and Mason walked down the corridor, and in his hand of Mason, there was the initial chapter of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

As soon as Ian woke up and decided to get a head start by meeting Mason, he thought of showing the project he started to work on. Therefore, in the morning itself, he printed the first chapter, so that Mason could give his thoughts on the first draft.

They walked to the front and opened the meeting room, where the seats were empty. The voice echoed back due to how the air was empty, nevertheless, as soon as they got in, Mason talked about the literary work he had in his hand.

"Percy Jackson, I read the chapter in the morning, while you were busy with the meeting, and honestly I gotta say, you have a fine knack in books now, the character himself is interesting, and I think this would attract a lot of attention from teenagers," Mason said and kept the printed papers on the table.

"Yeah, I have been thinking to write a lot after Resident Evil. So this was a good start, Percy Jackson's character is very interesting too. Interesting enough for anyone to like the core of the character, who is good-natured, friendly, brave, and willing to risk his life to save his friends, strangers, and even his enemies, so basically it provides an open door for another persona which kids could look up to," Ian said with a smile tugging in his lips.

Ever since he started writing, he was not able to stop his thoughts about what kind of a character he was. He remembered how much he enjoyed reading the book.

"Yes, although all traits are not visible yet, I can imagine him being that kind of a person. And honestly, when compared to your previous book, this is completely different from it. And it would attract more people and eyes on you," Mason said.

"Yeah well, even with movies. I aim to touch every genre possible and bring up new ideas—original ones. There's no anything different from that while writing, I'm hoping to make the novel a series with some more books, and if anything it would just keep getting better,"

After a while of the discussion, several people started to fill in. Ian and Mason were fifteen minutes earlier than the meeting was scheduled, but on time, many other people came.

Within a matter of five minutes, there were people in their respective seats, some were looking at the director and the CEO while the others were focused on their own thing. Around twenty people were in the meeting, and even Murphy was seated in the corner of the room with his computer ready to take any notes that Ian would say.

For the meeting, every head of each department was invited. Since it was a new chapter for the entire studio, Ian wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page, and introduce and explain his ideas and plans for the next steps in Renner Studio—which was the main goal of the meeting.

"Good afternoon everyone, so I bet everyone already knows why we are here again. To discuss the future, yep," Ian said while nodding to the answer of a person who was present on the board.

"So, before anything, let's focus a bit on the past year. For the past two years to be honest, ever since I took over the studio, the first movie was Home Alone. And then, La La Land, also we distributed Green Book, and last but not least, Batman Begins. We also get the profits from Lucifer which is aired by LeoTV So, the profits we made from the movies are…"

"Home Alone… Covering 500 million dollars,

La La Land…. 650 million dollars

From Lucifer, successfully 10 million dollars

Green Book was released not long ago, but no profits were made due to the agreement we made with charity.

Also, Batman Begins… successfully, 350 million dollars worldwide,"

"After taking into consideration the number of movies that I had released during his short tenure, the company had become Multimillionaire, close to becoming a self-made billionaire from just Hollywood movies and books. In short, this opened many new avenues in the industry for him.

With that being said, what I want to do with the money, is to invest in more movies and many more sides of the industry. As for the parts other than movies, I'm still considering them and would let everyone know quickly. But till then, we need to discuss more the position where we are right now.

What's important to talk about in the meeting today is the plans for the future. So before this meeting, Mason, I, and Murphy had a whole discussion about this, and I asked Murphy to make a presentation, which he had done splendidly. So, here we go,"

In an instant, the projector started and the presentation was visible to everyone through the huge white light rays which came out of the box, which made the things on the computer screen visible and appear on the wall.

Ian, who adjusted the presentation, stood in front of it and started explaining his thoughts on the new year plans.

"We should have done this before at the start of the year, but we all are aware how busy I was with Batman shooting. Anyway, what we need to focus on currently is getting better from where we are. I know, the studio was doing great years ago before I'm here, but we just won two Oscars, and that too—a whole new genre.

The aspects and perspectives of the fans on us have taken a drastic turn in my opinion. I bet everyone else could admit it. Anyway, we need to focus on the upcoming sequels, collaborations, innovations, and the other projects that I'm planning to do this year, And for that…"

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[A dare: if we're at top 50 by tomorrow's reset time; 9.30 IST, I'll give a bonus chapter. I partially wanna celebrate hitting the 100th chapter, so I'd probably give the bonus chapter either way, but the top 50 would be awesome. Tysm!]

-

[During the meeting]

"As for the future projects, what I have in my mind currently is to do Home Alone 2, Dark Knight; which is the second movie of the Batman franchise, and I'll arrange meetings to discuss more with Cube Pictures to work with the projects. And obviously season 2 of Lucifer, I would not direct, but yes, we'd still be receiving profits, and maybe make a movie from my book, Resident Evil. In short, the sequels."

All of them are sequels to the projects we already started. And I, of course, have many more original ideas that can make the fans swoon," Ian said, looking at the people who kept staring back at him.

"That's a great idea. Creating franchises on the movies we started with, and continuing them would vast the fanbase if anything. And it would even create a great reputation considering we'd be completing the things we started," a woman spoke out loud.

"Yes, exactly, and for new ideas…"

The meeting went on for a few more minutes where Ian even discussed the upcoming projects and what the teams could expect to offer their services. At last, he mentioned an important thing that they all had to keep in mind—which was,

"Now, are there any questions?" Ian asked while two people raised their hands.

-

Several days had passed since the meeting, and Ian was already halfway through the book, Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

Ever since he started writing it, he understood why the teenagers obsessed over the series in his world.

It was mainly because of how good the writing was, and how interesting the plot was.

"Hey, uncle," Ian said and walked inside Mason's office.

"Ian, come in,"

Ian sat in his usual spot and checked the files that were on Mason's table. Some were based on finances and some were simply from previous projects.

Everything was detailed and completed which made Ian slightly smile thinking how things have been going great.

"So, young man. Didn't see you after the meeting, where were you?" Uncle Mason questioned.

Right after the meeting, Ian had gone home and worked on the book he started. After the exhausting times with the media, movies, and parties, he was thinking of having a small break before starting on his next movie. Which was why he came to visit uncle Mason in the first place.

"I was working on the book, uncle. I want to complete it as soon as possible because the reputation for my name is extremely high these days considering how much people are loving the movie. The thing is, I've received information on how many people click on my personalized website, including social media, and how many people are searching for me. The numbers…. You'd be surprised if you see," Ian said chuckling because he never had such fame.

"Oh, I bet. How is the book coming along?" Mason asked.

"Halfway through, I'll talk to the publisher as soon as possible. Also, Steven came to talk to me the other day, asking if I've any new books in mind. He was also talking about how there was no such potential in my book as any other,"

"Of course, son. I doubt if there ever will be." Mason implied something that Ian couldn't understand at the moment.

"And also, uncle… I've been thinking of getting a break. What I'm saying is… I just wanna kick back and relax—stay away from the prying eyes," Ian talked while Mason nodded.

"Yes, you deserve it, let me know when you get back, but before that, we will discuss—"

"Excuse me, can I come in?" Murphy's voice came from behind and both Ian and Mason turned to look back.

"Come in, Murphy. What happened?" Ian asked because Murphy was never the one to interrupt a conversation between Ian and Mason unless it was too important. Such a situation had never come across yet this was a first.

Which was why Ian quickly answered Murphy.

"There's a new article about the studio, sir. A tabloid, here," Murphy said while extending his hand which had a tablet revealing a tabloid of an article.

"What is it?" Mason questioned.

"Sunday Times. Hot on the Hollywood section, you can check while I read this," Ian said and started reading the tabloid.

Mason soon checked from the laptop, which was on the table.

Ian started to read the tabloid. It was titled 'Goofy and Renner's Studios trying to get on board together.

Goofy could be considered the alternate version of Disney in this world. The cooperation was giant and had attracted trillions of eyes worldwide. Goofy started twenty-five years ago, and ever since then cartoons, their characters, movies, and an OTP channel which included thousands of movies that they owned rights to distribute.

Goofy could be taken as one of the most influential cooperation companies in the entire world.

The article mentioned so many things. Just like every other article out there, it had achievements of Renner Studios and a huge description of who Ian Renner was and now is.

After reading a while, the middle half of the tabloid took a turn that Ian did not expect coming.

'There are rumors already which mentioned that the world-famous company, Goofy, would collaborate with Renner Studios. The rumors explain it would most likely be a partnership, and the discussions are already ongoing with Jonathan Kyle, CEO of Goofy, and the resident director, Ian Renner.

It was most likely because of how Ian Renner turned Hollywood upside down ever since he started lifting his father's company, Renner Studio. Winning two Oscars for a movie he created, had dragged the attention of eyes including powerful companies like Goofy.

According to what we are aware already, Jonathan Kyle was never the type of man to make arrangements with newbies in the industry. If anything, we had seen Goofy collaborating with other Studios like Cube, Kly Pictures, RR sons, and Pry Skies. All such studios had earned their glory in the industry, by sacrificing years of their hard work.

Nevertheless, what would happen in the future is still a mystery. Would it be…'

"What is this, uncle? Did you know something about this? A partnership…?" Ian asked as soon as he read the entire tabloid.

"Uh, not really. If I had known, the first thing I'd do is to talk to you about it and make arrangements if necessary. Let me talk to one of the directors I know who has been working for quite a while now, give me ten minutes," Mason said while standing up from the chair and taking the cellphone in his hand.

"No, it's fine. Don't call, I'll find myself what the company wants eventually, I wanna see where this would go," Ian said with a frown and walked out of the office with other plans in his mind.

-

"Hello, Steven? Yes, it's me, Ian, how have you been?" Ian asked.

Ian called the publisher of Actus Books who also published the first edition of Resident Evil, Ian's first ever book. M. J. Stevens was hoping that Ian could come up with a new idea that could attract more readers because of how things had been going on at the publishing firm recently.

Ever since Resident Evil was published, Steven found no such book with great potential and a book that could attract such an audience. All the books they had published since then barely succeeded, yet he found none with original ideas.

"Ian, I've been great. Your voice itself sounds refreshing, is it good news, son?" Steven asked with the same enthusiasm Ian's voice had.

Listening to the way Steven guessed the news, a light chuckle left Ian's lips.

"Exactly, so I've been working on this book for some days. And I'm pretty sure I can finish the first draft by the end of this week," Ian said.

"That is great news, Ian. Can you tell me what the book is about?" Steven questioned back.

"Yeah, sure. You'll get the whole idea and a good grasp of the story once you read the story, but for now to cease your curiosity I'd explain the main theme of it. So, One of the themes of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief is the acceptance of your identity. Yes, that's the name. And the book is based on Greek Mythology,"

"Mhmm…" Steven hummed at the idea.

"So, Percy struggles to reconcile with his newfound identity. He has spent most of his childhood believing he is an ordinary child who was abandoned by his father. Nevertheless, it would be a fantasy book and the targeted audience is teenagers. I'm sure this book would be loved by people regardless of age, but the idea and the writing style would be pretty much adaptive for the teenagers," Ian said.

"That is great, Ian. When can we meet? I like the idea quite a lot. Greek mythology is an untouched subgenre, which would even create more spice to make people read it," Steven said.

The question Ian wanted to ask throughout the whole conversation was when could they schedule a date, and after hearing his idea, Steven himself asked the question.

"Next week itself?" Ian asked, wanting to confirm.

"Yeah, sure. I'll send an email scheduling the meeting on Monday then, I'm seriously looking forward to meeting you, Ian. Have a nice day," Steven said and hung up.

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[100 chapters celebration bonus chapter coming right up! Celebrate with me, vote using powerstones!]

Also, Mature content ahead~

"Ian, it's so good to see you again," Steven, the publisher of Actus Books said as soon as Ian sat in front of him.

Ian and Steven decided to meet in a café, given the thought of discussing as many matters as possible regarding the newest idea Ian worked on.

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

"Steven, good to see you again too," Ian said and shook hands with the man.

"Is that the draft?" Steven questioned pointing at the paper book in Ian's hand.

Ian had completed the first draft of the book a day ago. One thing that Steven had to know was, that under any circumstances Ian did not want any part of the story to be edited. He had made some minor changes to suit this world, but he enjoyed the story as it is.

"Yes it is, have a look," Ian said and passed the book he carried so far.

Steven took the book out of Ian's hand and read the first page of it. His eyes raised in disbelief.

"This must be so good. As the author of this, can you tell me your idea of the story?" He questioned.

"Yes. So, how about we order coffee first?" Ian asked while Steven nodded with a chuckle.

Steven was excited to read and know about the whole idea of it because of how he saw talent in Ian.

"Can we get a… cappuccino with an extra milk pump for me and-"

"One flat white please,"

Ian and Steven gave their orders and Steven could not wait for more to ask about the book.

"So?"

"Yes, so, The Lightning Thief is a light-hearted fantasy. The book right in front of you is about a modern 12-year-old boy who is learning that his true father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. The main character's name is Percy; Percy is setting out to become a hero by undertaking a quest across the United States to find the entrance to the Underworld and then he is trying to stop a war between the gods," Ian explained it with the same details he explained to Mason.

"Hmm… sounds fresh. And. Yes, it's pretty good and I think it's a great opportunity as we are going to confirm resident evil movies soon," Steven said with a smile. "The interest in the novel will yet again awaken,"

"Yeah, exactly. I'm currently talking with Cube Pictures regarding that and there's a high probability that a deal would be made sooner. With that, we can announce sooner or later." Ian said and nodded at the waiter who brought their order.

They both thanked him as he silently walked away.

"This would be great, Ian. What's the story behind this story?" Steven questioned.

"Well, every idea I get for the books is very original, and to be honest I have a stock of them. Just ideas. So I thought of completing the book because the story was stuck in my head for quite some time. And I was always a fan of Greek Mythology, so there were like several reasons," Ian explained.

[...] They talked for an hour or two while the conversation flew between books, stories, ideas, and many other things and Steven always looked forward to meeting Ian again—that too, with his newest book. And ever since the call from Ian, Steven was personally looking forward to meeting the young talent he admired a lot.

-

"So, Ian, is it true that you don't give roles if you sleep with them?" A tall brunette asked while her hands ran up and down Ian's chest.

Another girl with the same type of hair stood next to her and looked at Ian seductively.

"I think he slept with girls after giving the roles. Didn't you, Ian?" She said while extending her hand to caress Ian's face.

"I give roles based on talents, what are you talented in?" Ian asked with a smirk which the five girls chuckled at.

Currently, Ian was at a bar with John. The music was too loud for the ears and the purple and white lights kept the bar from being all dark.

There were men and women with bare clothes dancing and enjoying their time.

John had brought a few friends from a mutual friend group so that they could have a bit of fun considering how stiff Ian had been recently and how serious John had been taking his job.

"So the plan is to take two home?" John questioned shouting above the music.

"Probably one, or all. Who knows?"

-

Ian took the girl from his car right after they were both somewhat drunk, but her dagging seductive eyes were not irresistible.

[...] The night went into ecstasy for both Ian and the girl he brought to spend the night with. Her name was still unknown but Ian remembered something like 'Allie', but Ian did not want to take any chances of making the girl mad, so he decided not to call her by any name, seeing how peaceful she was sleeping.

Running a hand through her hair, he gently kissed her awake, fingers caressing her hair as Ian looked at her wanting her to wake up.

Allie blearily opened an eye, smiling up at Ian through her messy hair. "Hey, handsome."

"Mm... How do you look so beautiful in the morning? Anybody tell you you're perfect?" Ian flirted with his rough voice.

"Many do, every day," She sat up straight, large breasts bouncing. She stretched, looking at the alarm and then pointedly at Ian's crotch hidden beneath the blankets.

"What would you say if I can't wait more but want you to fuck me, right here and now?"

Ian shook his head. "You are one greedy woman," Having said that, he grabbed her by her arm and brought her in for a kiss, already feeling himself get hard.

Putting his legs over hers, he pressed the tip of his cock against her entrance, eliciting a moan from her. "Diving in," Ian muttered.

"You know what to do." Allie grinned broadly.

With that, Ian thrust into her fully, her vagina having gotten so used to his cock from all night, that is wrapped around it with ease. Both grunted in ecstasy.

"Do... do the thing..."

Ian hugged her close, punctuating what he was saying with a kiss on her face, neck, or chest. "You. Are the most. Wonderful. Stunning. Sexy. Goddamn, woman. I could ever ask for."

"Don't sell yourself short there, stud. I'm just as lucky sleeping with the most famous director" She rutted him closer into her, his cock pushing even further and making them both moan. "And it's greatest fucking machine."

Grunting, Ian shoved his dick inside her, pumping in and out of her eagerly. Kissing and spinning, the sensations were too overpowering, too strong, for them to handle forever. With one long moan, the two of them came, Ian's seed spewing out from inside her and dripping onto the bed below.

Panting, Ian pulled out and grabbed a nearby box of tissues. Yanking a few out, he began to mop up Allie. She stopped him for a moment to swab up some of the excess semen and swallowed it, giving him the most erotic look she could as she sucked on her fingers. Gulping, he proceeded to clean her out, flying to the washroom to flush the tissues down the toilet.

Coming back, he could see Allie still laying on the bed, arms pressed beneath her chest and legs crossed. Her hair was all over the pillow almost like a rainbow behind her.

"That's enough for you," she asked, groping her breast.

"Well, that's enough for me when it's the morning... Do you still want more?"

Nodding, she gave the sexiest smirk imaginable and spread her legs open, pointing at her opening. "I know you're not so into drinking your cum, but it should be fine. I'm clean now. Mostly."

She cocked her head. "Unless you're not willing to take that risk even if it means getting to lick my sopping pussy... Too much for the big director?" She licked her lips to accentuate the point, her eyes becoming half-lidded as they normally did when she was feeling especially horny.

Clearing his throat, Ian shot forward and grabbed Allie by her plush, round ass as he enthusiastically ate her out. She squealed with joy, locking her legs around his head and keeping herself from accidentally pushing herself away. Licking every part of her snatch he could, he feasted on her pussy, straight black hair flopping from side to side as he ate her out.

Sucking in breaths, Allie enjoyed the sensation of Ian's tongue, grinding up against his face all she could, and before she knew it, she was cumming again, her essence was everywhere. Wiping at his mouth, Ian drifted back up to her face. Allie hungrily pulled him in for a kiss, smiling against his lips as she tasted herself.

"You may not like your cum, but I love mine. Now especially when it's delivered to me through that expert mouth of yours." Pressing a finger against his lips, she hugged Ian to herself, bosom placed flush against his chest as she gave him a few more tender kisses.

"Okay, that was fun, but we've gotta go. C'mon!" With that, Ian set himself back and stood up and Allie sighed in acceptance, releasing her quirk and bouncing on the bed, large breasts making a smacking sound as she did.

"Time to face the real world, away from awesome sex," Allie muttered making her way to the bathroom.

A word from me!_

Thank you so much for sticking with the story and for all the suggestions! Exciting things coming up in the future! Stay tuned :) (I'm extra hyped because this is the first work of mine, in which I surpassed the 100th chapter!)

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It has been a couple of weeks since Ian met with Steven, the publisher at Actus Books. Ever since then, Ian had two-three more meetings with Steven, before the marketing of the new arrival happened.

At the time while Actus Books were busy reviewing the book written by Ian, he rested and thought of his next move. He even started typing the script—and he knew that people would love the next movie he had in mind.

Considering that, he took a small break away from work, and focused on scriptwriting and his fiction.

During those meetings, they discussed the plot and things that Steven suggested editing in the first draft. Some minor changes were acceptable for Ian, but for some others, Ian insisted on not changing them.

Ian and Steven had to talk and negotiate the deal regarding royalties too. After a long discussion about all the necessary details, they let Ian get 7.5% royalties on every paperback sold, and 25% on every Ebook sold. The deal was fair for both parties and Ian thought it was good too.

Nevertheless, after a light promotion campaign, the day Percy Jackson: The Lighting Thief hit shelves was finally here.

"The cover did a great deal, it looks absolutely stunning, and exactly as how I imagined it to be," Ian said touching the first book of the first edition which he received a few days ago.

Steven who sat in front of Ian in Ian's office had a smile plastered on his face. "I'm so glad we agreed upon it, and this time, people from everywhere are literally stunned to read the new book. The website is full of orders overseas more than here. And, the reviews itself are already good and over a hundred in the first three hours," Steven said while scrolling through his digital tablet.

Ian chuckled knowing what he was talking about. It was because, as soon as the promotion campaign was out, people had pre-ordered copies and a major part of Ian being a young and famous director played in the fame of the new book.

Either way, the cover itself attracted a lot of readers, and everyone knew it on the very first day that the cover designer brought the design in. It was a kid, who held a long stick in the air, preparing to throw it afar. The background was in blue, as Ian requested, but the lightning strikes, the environment, and everything else looked too good to be true.

Ever since the release of the words, people were commenting on how talented Ian is, writing his own movies and also taking part in the world of fiction.

During the marketing campaign, almost every local bookstore had a banner of Percy Jackson's book, in front of the stores. As for the book release, Steven had requested Ian to hold a small ceremony, but Ian said that he'd hold one on his next reveal, and since the book was being released in some sort of a hurry, he said it would be fine even if there's no ceremony to celebrate it.

Regardless, the media has been going crazy about the book release, and people were in front of Renner Studio— more than the usual amount, waiting to get replies from the most awaited questions.

"The book itself has a unique touch, Ian. I'm sure this book could quickly reach the number one New York Times best-selling book list," Steven said and stood up to walk out of the door, knowing times would just get busy since it was the first day of the release. "I already have four interviews by different channels ready, three of them are from UTube, and trust me I never knew Americans could get this keen about books," Steven joked.

"Haha… Waiting for it, I'll be reading reviews since already more than a thousand people have left them on the website," Ian said and took a look at them.

"Enjoy, see you again," Steven shook hands with Ian and walked out of the door.

Ian opened the laptop and checked the website. Not just people, popular authors had reviewed the book as per the request of Actus Books.

@IamLM_Frizez

An amazing mythology book. One of the best I've read so far.

@Liana_Christian

As a children's fantasy author, I find this book very interesting as a journey/adventure. I think this could be named one of the best books to ever exist.

@Aiyana_Mark

The best book I've read. Took me just two hours.

Seeing the little reviews that popular authors had commented on, Ian felt satisfaction and pride covering his heart. It was in fact wholesome on another level. During Resident Evil, since he was not on the main list of authors, no one had paid this much attention and interest. But this time, the release took the entire book to another level—considering the fact, that it was original and unique.

New notification * New Mail:

Ian opened the email in the next second, and he read the three lines which had an unexpected meeting request wanting to be confirmed to schedule it within the next forty-eight hours.

-

"Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear Bob Bob!

Happy birthday to you!"

Bob Sanders blew on the candles which had a 1 and a 2. He wished for something he wanted for years.

'I wish that I could get my own book library at least this year,' he thought to himself and blew the candles.

"Happy birthday, kiddo," his father walked towards him with a smile and hugged patting the kid's back.

After that, his mother, and then his two siblings wished him a happy birthday with giant smiles plastered on their faces.

"Happy birthday Bobby!" His best friend wished him, and Bob fed him a piece of cake while his friend hugged him tightly. "For many more years to come," he said and walked away.

His other six guy friends wished him afterwards.

This was the second time he was celebrating his birthday with friends. Bob was someone who had a family who moved from place to place a lot.

But much to his surprise, they stayed in Las Vegas for over two years now.

Due to his family situation, he had always been an introvert. Which was, inviting friends was his mom's idea—even when he insisted on inviting his one and only best friend.

"Are you feeling happy?" His mom questioned when everyone else was eating.

"I'm always happy, mom, I would've felt happy even if Rick was the only one present today," Bob said and continued to eat the piece of chocolate cake which was in his hand.

"Gift opening time!" His father shouted across the whole, making all the kids arrange a circle around him.

Bob walked toward them and his father started to record his reactions to the gifts that everyone brought.

There were more than ten gifts on the table, which he stood to the left—and every one of them looked absolutely stunning from the outer cover.

'I wish this ended up soon, I just wanna sleep' Bob thought as everyone else clapped and encouraged him to open the gifts.

"Open the gift by one, purple wrapper!" His father shouted behind the camera.

He opened the wrapper slowly, and it was a huge puzzle, which contained many more puzzles.

[... Bob - In his bed]

He took the book to his hand, Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

The gift was given by one of his friends, who revealed that 'my mom told me to give it to you considering the book is about some greek mythology. I think it's similar to you in person because we don't understand you sometimes, which is equal to greek to us,' the tallest kid in the group admitted while Bob was going to open the book.

After thinking about it several more times, Bob opened the book. A thought which invaded Bob's mind was how beautiful the cover itself is. Turning the pages, he inhaled the scene from the book.

The night crept in and his eyes wandered over the words of the book. It became addictive and ever since the first sentence, the character of Percy got interesting for Bob to know more about him.

/\_

"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"

"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.

"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."

Some snickers from the group.

/\_

"Ahahaha" Bob laughed loudly, and read the same line over and over again. It was hilarious to imagine being in that sort of a situation.

'Oh my word, I'm so gonna read this throughout the night,' Bob thought and turned to the next page.

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The email Ian received was from Goofy. As soon as Ian saw the name, Jeff Sanson, he knew who he was. The CEO of Goofy.

Reading the email, Ian saw how it had been requested to arrange a meeting to talk about a future cooperation project. The email clearly showed that they had intentions of talking and wanting to get into business with Renner Studio.

Ian called Murphy to come in through the intercom.

"Sir?" Murphy asked as soon as he came in.

"Yes, reply to this email, from your email—considering they somehow found my personal email, schedule the meeting tomorrow at around 10 am," Ian said and Murphy nodded with an 'okay'.

"Can you ask Uncle Mason to meet me now, if he is free of course?" Ian questioned.

"Okay sir," Murphy said and walked out of the office.

After a little while, Mason came in, knocking at the door which Ian gave permission to come in.

"It's the Goofy, they sent an email right now asking for a meeting within forty-eight hours, and as far as I know, Jeff is a scary man to deal with," Ian said with a frown.

"Yeah, the dude says one thing and plans a hundred more. But, Goofy is literally one of the people's favourites in the entire world. Their own theme park, their own pop culture history, children's cartoon show, which even adults adore, in short, Goofy is basically a top-tier company in Hollywood," Mason said for which Ian nodded.

"I know all of that, uncle," Ian said. "I also know how they are basically an oligopoly. The fact that they have senators, politicians, and some more powerful people inside the government is something I'm fully aware of. With all their power, they give content to the public which people have loved for generations, so, I'm going to meet them tomorrow," Ian said and Mason nodded.

"Their goals are not short-termed, Ian. They are always long-term goals, so keep that in mind and just do yourself," Mason said, knowing how smart Ian is regarding such situations.

"Yeah, I know. Let's see how far they plan to take the deal. And the thing is, if we collaborate with them, the exposure for me, as a director and the company as a studio would boost up due to how popular and systematic they are. And since the article is already out, people are now having hopes as I see," Ian said.

"I kind of think it will be alright because the benefit would be for both," Mason implied.

"I know so."

-

It was 10 am, and Ian was at the parking lot of the company building of Goofy, which had a branch in California. The specialty is how one of the seven CEOs was working in that branch—Jeff Sanson.

During his way, Ian scrolled through Nwitter as a habit, while he was being driven to the location he was needed. But after seeing the trends and tags, he was aware how the public already believed that Renner Studio and Goofy would collaborate on Ian's next movie.

People were already commenting on Ian's new book, and then after the news of Goofy, the trend had been spreading like wildfire that Goofy and Renner Studios would collaborate for a new movie.

Some people even went ahead and spread rumours about how deals were already signed and said that a new movie would be out within a few months—which Ian scrolled down aggressively knowing it would be a part of the plan of Goofy.

Ian got out of his car and walked in with his phone in his hand. As soon as he got out, there were paparazzi with cameras, and flashlights were going on and off throughout his way to the reception. Luckily, two security guards came running toward him and helped to clear his way inside.

More than hundreds of pictures were taken of him, and different questions were asked along the way. Microphones were extended so closely to his face, that he shrugged off and jogged inside as quickly as possible.

"Is it about a new movie?"

"Can you tell us why you are here?"

"Sir! Sir Ian Renner! Can we have a word with you please?!"

"Is this the first time meeting?!"

All those sorts of questions were asked one over another—without a pause. Their voices were louder and louder the more inside he walked. Finally, the door to the main entrance closed, and no longer loud voices were heard.

The thought of how it was a certainty that Ian could expect pictures of him in different poses if he scrolled through the internet tomorrow—made him shudder on the inside.

"Mr Ian Renner?" A tall girl, with a dark shade of red lipstick, came toward Ian with a pleasant smile.

"Yes, I'm," Ian replied, still his heart thumping fast due to the fact he dealt with the paparazzi with no pre-preparation.

"Hello sir, I'm Shirley Clare, and I need to mention that we are truly sorry for the inconvenience that was caused outside, but the good thing is that Mr Sanson is waiting for you already," She said with a deep American accent.

"It's alright, Shirley. Where can I see him?" Ian questioned back.

"Yes, sure sir, please follow me," She said and Ian nodded with a 'sure'.

He followed the lady in high heels to the second floor and walked inside a huge office with a marble floor, which looked deadly calm and quiet. But the person who sat in the chair gave off friendly vibes—too friendly to be cautious.

"Ian Renner! So good to see you in person!" Jeff stood and approached Ian as soon as he opened the door.

Jeff Sanson looked to be in his middle age, with an oval shape. The moustache and the beard were prominently well-shaped and his entire outfit gave off rich vibes. The suit itself must have cost a few thousand dollars, Ian thought.

"Good to see you too, Mr. Sanson. The email was quite a mysterious one, so I doubted if I'm seeing things correctly," Ian said as he was welcomed to sit on the leather sofa which was in the office room itself.

"Ah, just call me Jeff. And, I knew it should have been better, but I'm really happy to see you here today," Jeff said and at the same time, another woman came inside the door after knocking.

She brought refreshments, and Ian thanked her politely.

"So, what I wanted to talk about was, I want to work with Ian's studio and make a movie," Jeff said as soon as the girl walked outside.

The upfront request was something Ian had expected from Jeff Sanson. Since Jeff had been working for quite a long time in the industry, it was a given that he was someone who had straight requests with the clients he worked with. No matter if they were directors, actors, or script writers, he had his way of asking.

"Yes, I figured that out as soon as the tabloid was printed to the media. But can I know why the media was involved even before the meeting happened?" Ian questioned with a frown.

"Well, Ian. In a company as big as Goofy is, there is no way to keep a secret for too long. And our company had the meeting regarding the decision at least a week before you won your first Oscar," Jeff said. "And with that, things got out of hand pretty quickly. The next thing we know after the meeting was that Ian Renner, winning an Oscar as the youngest recipient of such an honourable award. And then, a tabloid mentioning that we'd collaborate with Ian for a new movie," Jeff shrugged.

With that long statement, Ian knew how friendly Jeff could come off as. His personality was friendly, and he sounded like a nice person to work with. Considering Goofy was one of the biggest studios in the world, Ian was slightly surprised to meet such a friendly person.

Hearing his statement, Ian sighed and nodded. "Yeah, well, the thing is that the public is already expecting us to work alongside each other," He said.

"So, what do you say?" Jeff questioned him.

"I have my terms, and if you agree, it'll be a deal," Ian replied with equal authority in his voice.

"I'm all ears, Ian," Jeff replied.

"Okay, so I will have the proprietary control over my movie. And the actors that I want to hire would be selected by myself, of course. Also, I don't want Goofy to be involved in anything more than in the distribution, set location, props, and VFX. In short, the rest of it would be handled by me and my company—Renner Studio," Ian said.

"Do you have any plans for your next movie?" Jeff questioned back. In a way, it explained that Jeff agreed to the terms of Ian.

"I do, yes," Ian said with a smile that reached his eyes.

"I think we have a deal, Ian. It's settled that the Goofy would distribute Ian Renner's next big hit," Jeff said with a nod, taking a sip from the drink that was in front of him.

[...] The deal was settled, and Ian was on his way to meet another person who would be someone Ian was about to work with.

A word from me_

Hey there, Fanfiction lovers, my friend @_Ink_ has posted new fanfic on Harry potter, check out, "The Slytherin Magus" in Webnovel. Add it to your library, and give it a read :))

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[At Goofy company - California]

Walking inside a little office which had the name 'Lucas Campbell' written on a silver plate.

"Is this it?" Ian questioned the lady who came to show him the room Ian was looking for.

"Yes sir, we've announced your arrival," the girl who was being polite the whole time said with a pleasant smile.

"Okay, thank you," Ian said and walked inside.

He was greeted by a man who ought to be in his late 20s. Tall, dark and had short hair. His facial features were prominent from the way he smiled.

"You must be Ian Renner, Renner Studio," Lucas said with a smile and extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, sir," He said.

"The pleasure is mine, please let's have a seat, Mr. Campbell. And call me Ian please," Ian said and sat in front of Lucas.

Lucas was surprised by how Ian talked. Lucas Campbell worked in Goofy as the VFX head for years. Years which had gone pretty bad for him.

The VFX department had its own history. Before being a department in Goofy it was a separate studio.

"Call me Lucas, too. That was like the first time a director called me with respect,"

The words left a bitter taste in Ian's ears. By looking at how tired Lucas looked, Ian felt as if something was going wrong in the department.

Since Ian mentioned that he wanted the VFX department to work under him for the next project that they discussed, Ian wanted to talk to the head of the department. Which was why he met with Lucas in the first place.

"You've been working as the head for quite a while now, am I right?" Ian questioned.

"Yeah, you are." Lucas sighed visibly. "Ever since they bought the company off my studio, I wasn't able to leave the position, and I've requested plenty of times already, trust me. Just that the contract I signed doesn't allow me to do so," Lucas said which caught Ian by surprise.

"What happened?" Ian questioned leaning to the front of the chair, keeping his arms on the table.

Lucas sighed again. "I've been working here for more than five years and five more years until the end of the contract. And how they treat people is just… so unacceptable." He blurted out.

"We are all overworked. Like, literally every one of the employees in my department. The head management refuses to even hire new employees for who-knows-what reasons." Lucas shook his head and closed his eyes while his head fell backwards.

"It sounds bad." Ian muttered with a 'tsk' sound.

Lucas sighed for the third time in a row. "In action, it's horrific. They are asking us to render thousands of terabytes of graphical data in a matter of a single month. Like THIRTY days?! We are humans. With that work in head, and the targets they're giving… nine am to five pm is basically non-existent for us."

Ian was shocked by the outburst. Goofy had a good reputation with the public. Their properties and working ethics were known to be number 1 in the world. Many companies are struggling hard by taking Goofy as inspiration.

The happy-go-lucky image they portrayed to the public as a company was a massive joke, Ian felt while listening to what Lucas was saying.

If it was someone else, Ian would not have trusted it, considering how good Goofy was doing. But from how Lucas looked—dead tired, and taking the risk of revealing the working way of the department, surprised Ian. And he trusted Lucas, for how he was present there, almost tearing himself up while talking.

"I honestly have no idea why they do this to us. And when we research around the other departments, it's just us who get to take homework, and this has been going on for over a year. The deals they made us sign clearly state we can't resign or remove ourselves from the position till we complete five years of work time." Lucas said.

"The directors say nothing too?" Ian questioned back.

"We are treated by our directors as expendable. Like the rude behaviour is generally an expected feature from movie directors," Lucas sighed for the nth time.

"Can I know why you're telling me all this?"

"Well, it's just… even I don't know, Ian. You're the first director who talked to me like this in forever. Nevertheless, forget about all of it. I got the news of how you'll work on your next project with Goofy,"

The rest of the conversation flowed from how Ian would need the help of the VFX department for the next movie. Ian explained the movie a bit and decided to talk about it in depth after making more meetings with Lucas. On the other hand, Ian wanted to know about what was going on inside of Goofy.

-

PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF - REVIEW.

"It would never go wrong with fresh pages, fresh smell, and a fresh plot—"

Ian Renner, the director of Renner Studio, released his newest work of fiction, a fantasy—which also is my favorite genre. The review was a highly requested one, ever since the book got published.

Beginning with the writing style—what's great about the way Ian Renner has written the novel is that without realizing it the audience is being educated in Greek mythology to an extent if you think about it; I don't know about others who may have had a chance to read it but, personally, beforehand I never would have been able to name Greek Gods.

However, some may argue that you can't take it seriously, because, yes they do seem to be living in the USA, but that's the fun of fiction! It's a playground for our imagination, a chance to get lost, forget the world around us, and open our minds to completely alien realms or (like in this book) see our world in a mystifyingly different light.

In the book itself, Percy Jackson in his own words:

'I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That's when things really started going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends, and generally trying to stay alive.'

If that synopsis does not draw you in to read this action-packed book we are not on the same wavelength – but hey, that's fine because everyone's different. Basically as suggested by the title this is the book where poor normal Percy is accused by Zeus (God of the Sky) of stealing his lightning bolt.

This book for me was awesome! Jam-packed with bits of history, intertextual references to a lot of famous USA landmarks (making it easy to imagine battles), and the light-hearted humor between Percy, Grover, and Annabeth. We've got some mythological creatures tossed in there along with food of the Gods that I've heard of and now really want to try...

Look out for ambrosia and nectar and you'll get my drift. Romance may also be on the cards between Annabeth and Percy in future books if there are any.

If I was to put my English lit student cap on I'd say this book was about Percy's self-discovery and learning to accept who he is as well as what he's more than capable of.

I'd say it gives kids the message that believing in yourself, no matter who you are is vital; after all, if you can't believe in yourself then no one else can.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a terrific tale of friendship and heroism! It's got humor, light history, adventure, and action; the best part is that this isn't the end.

-Sue C. Grant

"Why do I have a feeling that the author is extremely biased?" Mason questioned after reading the little tabloid.

"Maybe my work is exceptionally good, I mean… It IS good," Ian said with a smile.

"We wouldn't have seen this if it's not for the Actus Website. They promote a lot of such good reviews, I think you'll be number one best seller," Mason said.

"Steven implied it too, the income from the book keeps increasing with time anyway," Ian said with a chuckle.

"Congratulations on that," Mason said, scrolling to read more reviews about the book.

There were already so many people admiring the book. This meant that not just for movies, people loved Ian for his writing too.

"In the morning, I went to meet the CEO of Goofy," Ian mentioned to Mason.

"Ah yes. How did it go?" Mason questioned.

"Well, as I mentioned the other day, I projected my regulations in the deal and he agreed. But there was another thing that happened and truly surprised me when I met with the VFX department head, Lucas." Ian said.

"What happened?" Mason asked again.

"The VFX department was an independent studio before Goofy bought them…."

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Around 8 pm, in his library, by himself and his laptop.

Ian had an easy day at the studio. For more than half of the day, he was checking on the past documents in the studio, and plotting out future investments. Things were going fine for him, and the time that was running felt almost like a break.

If said right, he knew that it was the calm before the storm; the storm in the huge projects that were yet to come, and the calmness was the period Ian got to spend by himself and spend thinking about the future possibilities.

Taking the laptop, he started to continue from where he left off.

Seconds turned to minutes…. Minutes turned to hours….. The time kept ticking, and Ian's mind was fully occupied with the script of his next big project.

Phew! Finally!

Ian thought and typed the last few sentences.

/\_

Her hand comes into

frame, stroking his cheek.

TIGHTENING slowly to extreme closeup until--

His eyes open.

CUT TO BLACK.

THE END.

/\_

He typed it and sighed in relief. The next day was the planned meeting to meet the CEO, and VFX head of Goofy and talk about Ian's plans. Even thinking about it made Ian feel like he'd achieve something huge shortly considering how things have been going for him.

He stood up, with all those thoughts roaming in his mind, and printed the script so that he could show it to Mason. He knew that the response from Uncle and whomever who'd read the script would give positive remarks.

The specialty with the movie he selected was, how the movie industry lacked such a movie with technology, story plot, and great execution of the idea. And according to Ian, he was ready to show the industry what it lacked and how good things could get.

With other thoughts, Ian finished all his work and walked downstairs to drink some water.

"Sir?" Valentine's voice came, although the lights were off.

"Valerine, it's me. I just finished work,"

The lights turned on and revealed the lady who looked extremely tired.

"I just heard some noise, and I came to see what was it."

"It's just me, you can go back to sleep,"

"Good night, sir."

Valerine said and walked away to go back to sleep. Ian walked down and grabbed a cup of water. As soon as the water hit his throat, he felt he was parched before and didn't even feel it considering how absorbed he was with his work, and his thoughts were occupied with work too.

He walked back upstairs and went to sleep, yet with another few more thousands of thoughts in his mind.

-

[At the company of Goofy]

"And once again, here we are," The CEO of Goofy, Jeff Sanson said, walking inside the office.

Besides Ian, Lucas sat with his fingers fidgeting in front of him.

Two meetings were scheduled for the day. The first meeting was with Ian's lawyer, Jordan Wright. It was to discuss and secure the deal between them. In the contract, there was nothing particular about the projects they'd be doing, but it was about how the relationship would be during the first project.

The deal had secured with them agreeing to everyone one of Ian's requests,

"Hello, Mr. Sanson,"

"And we have Lucas here, so what's the plan, Ian?" Jeff questioned looking at Ian, straight in the eye.

"Yes, so… I'm done with the script, and the thing is, as you know I need to arrange a trip to the Brazilian Rainforest, and for that, I need to take the entire VFX crew," Ian said.

"Why?" Jeff questioned right away.

"Well the thing is, according to the deal now, the trip should be sponsored by Goofy. As to why the main reason is the project… I want to create the world—an entire world from scratch. The movie relies a lot on the VFX department. For that, I don't think I can paint the whole picture of the world for Lucas in my mind. I genuinely need to show them what I want.

Since this is going to be a high-budget movie, I don't want to take chances. So I suggest this should be done how I want," Ian said. "And, apart from the VFX department of Goofy, I'm taking some other people as well. Because as I said, the investments to the movie are very essential—you understand it obviously," Ian said.

He planned to make a big-budget movie with the investments of Goofy. So that the need for them to get cooperated with Ian's movie would accomplish, but in reality, Ian was using them for investments and the VFX department—yet, the movie would be under Ian's name and reputation.

Hearing the words from Ian, Lucas nodded. Seeing both of them together, and how Ian explained it, the CEO reluctantly agreed to his idea.

"Of course! Of course, Ian! Anything for you at the moment. I already have high hopes for the movie, so take it the way you want it to be. I'll make sure to arrange the necessary funds in time,"

"Yes, what Mr Renner says is true. And we already talked about his idea. The movie is spectacularly unique. The VFX department can do wonders with it," Lucas said, grabbing the attention of both people.

"Yeah, I already heard him. And yes, Ian. When are you planning to go?" Jeff questioned yet mocking Lucas.

Ian felt as if it was getting intimidating to be present with both of them due to how clear the tension was.

"Uhm… Yes," Ian said, looking at Lucas and then shifting his gaze to Jeff. "Brazilian Rainforest, and then Mariana Trench… Finally, New Zealand to Paraglide," Ian said.

"Oh okay, So, Ian…."

Jeff, Ian, and Lucas continued the discussion. But most of the time, Jeff ignored Lucas almost as if Lucas was not there among them.

-

After the discussion Ian had with Jeff Sanson and Lucas Campbell, things were settled for them to go to the Brazilian Rainforest with the VFX department. After the Brazilian Rainforest, there were some other locations they had to go to.

Ian planned to take the VFX crew, sound crew, camera crew, and Mason with him. It was mainly for the reason of just showing the locations, and explaining how he wants things based on how the actual places look.

"...So, uncle, as I said, these are the characters I want. And while we prepare for the trip, I want to see if any such potential actors could be found within the industry. More like, I have this plan of getting some of the scenes in the site itself, therefore, I need to have an idea about who I'm going to work with," Ian said while Mason nodded listening to his words.

"Yeah, give me two days, I'll see what I can do to help you with the cast. I think there's someone I remember when I read the characters of the female lead. Uh… Give me some time,"

"Yeah, take time. I'll try to find it too,"

"I have this feeling that this is going to be a huge project, Ian. And this feeling must be so true considering how many plans you have for the movie. I read the script too. It was honestly….. Exceptional! That's one way to put it! I can't think of anything more," Mason said and Ian raised an eyebrow signaling him to continue.

"Ian… Avatar, in my eyes, is an eye-opening movie. The world you built with the story could literally become one of the hugest things that any director had done in centuries. The story, every character, the culture, the way you wanted to build the love for the flora and fauna… It's truly extraordinary.

And I truly think with the way you've visualized the story in your mind, if only it came to a reality, this would raise you to the top of the industry in no time. The idea itself would make millions of people swoon and be fans of it, and what I can say right now is…. You have got this, son," Mason said with a smile.

"Thank you, hope everything goes well. The words mean a lot, uncle. And I know if this movie turned out to be one of the greatest, your name would be behind the reasons too," Ian said humbly.

There were many reasons why he chose Avatar as his next movie. The main reason was how the Goofy made connections with them unexpectedly. And, before that, he was working on another script, something far away from the VFX world, yet as soon as things happened, he changed his plan to something huge.

Avatar in Ian's previous world was a movie made by the legend, James Cameron. With a budget of $237 million and $9 million for the re-release, it had made $2.847 billion at the Box Office.

Ian knew that, with Goofy's reputation and technology, he would be able to catch billions of eyes and hearts with this movie.

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Everything was settled.

The trip, budget, people and almost everything for Ian and the crew to reach the destination got ready within a period of fewer than two weeks.

During the two weeks, Ian had other plans to do with the movie. The cast was one of the most important things for Ian to deal with before going to the locations.

For this, Ian wanted to see if any of the actors who had a part in the real movie were in this world. He didn't mention such a thing to Mason but did his own research.

After trying different search engines, social media and almost every media possible, Ian found a girl named 'Zoa Yadira' which he asked Mason immediately.

Mason replied that he had never come across such an actress, but said it was possible to arrange an interview considering how high Ian's reputation in the industry currently was.

[At Renner Studio - Office of Ian Renner, A few days before the trip]

"It's so good to see you in person, Ms Yadira," Ian said.

"Call me Zoa please, what can I help you with, Mr Renner?" She answered and questioned at the same time.

Her voice, appearance and even her hair were similar to the Zoa Saldana that Ian knew in the previous world.

"Call me Ian, and I have a role for you, in my next project," He said suddenly.

An 'Oh' left Zoa's lips. She knew how good of a director Ian was. Ever since she had gotten the request for the meeting, she looked forward to meeting Ian Renner.

The B-grade actress, Zoa stumbled upon the industry as a side character in one of the biggest movies of all time. 'Dune'. Dune had won the most number of awards at the Oscars, and Zoa had her own story.

She worked as an Anchor in one of the biggest television Newsline America. Since she had a part where she was almost half naked, she had to close deals with the channel and halt her career as an anchor.

Due to how big her character was prominent in the movie, her rankings went to grade B. On the other hand, the director of the movie explained how talented the girl was.

Due to this, she had been getting a lot of exposure in the media ever since the movie and was busy with two other movies.

When she got the request for the meeting with Ian Renner, hopes started to pool up in her mind. The agent of her acting agency had explained briefly what was going on with Renner Studios and everything related to it.

"Yes, this is something that is totally out of the formula in the industry, and I'd like you to play the lead role.."

"Lead role… That sounds huge. Is this related to Goofy?" Zoa questioned back.

"Yeah, it is. We'll be taking help with the VFX and distribution. The role is something very different…"

Ian explained the whole situation about the new world, the alien beings, and how her character would be. With every passing second, she got more interested in the character and the movie.

-

More than thirty-five people were on board with Ian, including Mason. The crew of camera, sounds, the VFX and a few more people were with Ian.

Currently, they are getting ready to explore the forest areas of the Rainforest. What they had planned was to cover the entire Pandora world—Avatar world, which Ian had mentioned and described to all of them before they were at the location.

For the crew of cameras, there were two cinematographers that Ian Had brought with him. One of them was Niko, and the other person was a woman, Raelynn Sawyer.

The camera crew had the most weight during the trip. Different types of shots were needed for the preparations. Underwater shots, drone shots, helicopter shots and every one of them which would be edited by the VFX department should be taken during the visit. Therefore, during the meetings they had, Ian mentioned each and every responsibility of them.

"This looks absolutely astonishing!!" Raelynn said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Wow!" "Look at that!" "It looks so dark at that place!" "Oh, that tree!" "I can't believe it!"

The wind which blew their hair strands away from their face would have thought that the wind itself blew their minds off—but it was not true. In fact, the blame would be forced upon the scenery in front of the team.

"Welcome to the Brazilian Rainforest!" The guide who came with the team said aloud, everyone to hear.

[...] Walking inside the forest, every one of them had their hearts thumping in their ears. The greenery around them was something each of their brains captured. With every step, their eyes wandered around the thicks and thins of the forest. Colourful flowers, short bushes, tall gigantic woods, the astonishing beauty of different types of leaves and in fact, every inch of the forest seemed to feel important for how interesting they were.

Some eyes were boldly focused on the breathtaking flora. Some eyes were wandering and searching for wildlife.

Ian, who was at the front of the team, stopped for a brief moment making everyone stop where they were.

"Shh… Listen…." He said in almost a whisper but all the pairs of ears shushed in an instant.

A small noise of an insect was audible loud enough for all the humans to hear. People listened to it with smiles, and huge eyes and the people who were responsible for the soundtracks recorded it immediately.

"Let's go," After a while, the guide said in a thick British accent.

Everyone followed his lead.

The different flowers and trees were magnificently beautiful. Raelynn followed after Ian, Mason and Niko. They were comparatively closer than the day 1 they got to meet each other.

Raelynn's eyes wandered over a bunch of flowers that had large tentacles.

"These are beautiful," She couldn't help but mutter.

"Don't touch them, they're poisonous," Niko chirped in and Raelynn couldn't help but jump a bit backwards.

Walking inside, the breeze of cold water hit their skin. The smell of freshness filled their noses, and more than half of them had goosebumps rising on their skin. The trees were dancing to their melody with the wind, and the green which seemed to be scattered everywhere added nothing but colour to the feelings that they seemed to have increased with every step.

It was almost as if after 2.4 miles, they felt the green was finally growing in them. They felt an undeniable connection with every greenery they came across with.

"It's a lagoon," Ian said and walked in the front to see a beautiful water land. Beautiful—it wasn't even close to what Ian felt seeing the water.

The clear blue in it was outstanding when compared to the entire scenic beauty in front of them.

"Fu–"

"I wish I could live here forever!"

"A-although i-its a b-bit cold… It looks so g-good," And a lady was literally shivering.

Ian inhaled the fresh air in a large amount of breath and sighed, turning to look at the people.

"And, we walked for more than 2 miles now, without a word on things I wanted people to catch up on. Let's have a little seat. I know the legs must be dying and cursing me silently," Ian said and everyone sat in the thick-black rocks that were scattered around the place.

"This… Is the most beautiful thing ever to exist. I want the world that is painted in my head to be like this. The avatars are little beings when compared to the big forest—Pandora. That is how I want this to be, I want the camera team to focus on little details in the forest. I know Niko and Raelynn are already taking notes from their mind on the cameras in their hands, and the sounds… Just listen to your breath, I'm sure even it sounds completely different to you if you hear it closely right now.

That's the whole deal with a forest…"

"Where to begin about the movie… So, let's start with the political side of the world. The world is certainly about imperialism in the sense that the way human history has always worked is that people with more military or technological might tend to supplant or destroy people who are weaker, usually for their resources…" Ian started explaining while many listened and some others walked around the location to watch the beauty of the place.

Then, they walked back to the place where they had organised to rest due to how tired they had been on the first day. The forest journey barely covered anything at all on the first day.

It kept getting darker, and they suspected it must be around 6 pm, due to how the sounds and the darkness covered the sky.

[...] Around the bonfire, some had snuggled up into their blankets, and some were talking among themselves. And, Ian was talking to Raelynn and Niko about the world, with Mason by his side.

The fire in front of them gave them a cosy feeling. And after an exhausting day of walking and admiring the plants, many of their brains weren't ready to continue the discussions Ian was having.

"... All in all, it's not about Jake and Neytiri and that plot. It's about you going to Pandora."

"Yes, but in front of the valley, you mentioned the floating rocks… Elaborate?" Raelynn questioned with the recorder in her hand.

"Yeah, right after crossing the bridge. The picture I drew there… It should be made in the Pandora we create. That's something that makes the world so special. And as I said, the avatars are larger beings than us, but in their world… They're small. Pandora basically protects them, and the major visual feature of Pandora is Mo'ara and the floating valleys,"

"Ah, if the movie hits it high… We can create an actual world like this. Although I think for the production, we'd need more than thousands of people," Raelynn said while Niko nodded agreeing with her.

"Yeah, Goofy would provide us with it, uh did I mention about the flora?... So, the landscaping should consist of real Earth plant species mixed with sculpted Pandora flora, with each alien plant requiring its own concealed control box to create the necessary amount of illumination in bioluminescence during the evening hours. It's like…."

"Magic?" Raelynn questioned making both of them chuckle.

"Exactly…"

[...] Two weeks passed by, the days were long and the nights were short. Currently, the entire crew was at the peak of a mountain.

The view from up above was frightening. Trees everywhere, and the depth if taken a fall downwards, was something that one would feel frightened for one's dear life.

"Cruise to the Mariana Trench! Here we come!"

A person who stood at the tip of the peak shouted. Everyone else joined him and with the way their voices got lost in the vast field of trees in front of them, they gave thought to nothing but enjoyed it as it was.

The forest trip had changed lives.

Some were mind wrecked and some were pumped to the core. Nevertheless, the next destination was something that made almost every one of the thirty-five feel 'things' they never felt before.

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The two weeks in the forest came to an end when they came to a hotel on the 14th day night in the forest.

The bus they were all in, was now occupied with people who were half asleep, and some who were still obsessed with the beauty of what they got the luck to view. They were cherishing every scene. 'They' were mostly people in the camera crew.

Niko and Raelynn had their laptops out, and they were going through the pictures one by one. Some stood beside them, and some stood behind them. Nevertheless, all the pairs of eyes were admiring the pictures and video clips they had taken during the trip.

[...]

[Mariana Trench]

The massive cruise made all the people raise their heads, bending their necks to get a full view of it. The blue sky added an extra effect to the thrill and the adrenaline which was already pumping through their veins.

The blue of the sky matched the angry waves that were storming toward them.

Ian, who walked in the middle of Mason and Raelynn, felt the salt taste on his tongue while he was explaining to them what plans he had to do today with the camera crew.

After hearing the command given by the ship captain, they all started getting on the ship.

"We are going to dive inside the seat! This is like the very first time I'm actually doing this!"

"Oh my God, the cruise is huge… I like how the top of it looks like that!"

"This is like a dream coming true…!"

Almost everyone was hyped to walk inside the ship. But the comments were from Ian's camera crew which was led by Niko.

The crew of Goofy was equally excited but wasn't showing it off considering how much experience they had with such situations.

More than anything, for the camera crew led by Raelynn and Niko, the entire trip was based on work.

Getting inside the cruise, everyone had different thoughts, and feelings and was looking forward to a new experience considering that Ian had explained what they'd be doing once they were inside.

[...] After they got into the ship, with a huge roar of the engine, it started. People from different corners of the ship gathered on the front deck of it and watched the sea with great interest.

The ship came to the middle of the sea and everywhere around… it was plain blue.

The sky, the blue ocean—everything looked magnificently attractive.

Some had their hairs going out of control because of the wind, and some were enjoying the sight of the shore while talking.

"So, there are so many different types of sea creatures when we get to the inside, just…. Enjoy!" When Ian said that to the crew, they all cheered.

"But on the second round, when we get down there, I want y'all to get as many as shots you can. It might be sample shots, I don't mind, but any and everything you see and you feel awed at, just take shots. If you feel like, the first time might be the luck for the beauty because the second time we're going down, they'll be gone, take your cameras with you. Either way, I want each and everyone to enjoy down there, okay?!" Ian said making everyone nod in acceptance.

After a while of enjoying the site, Ian announced that some of the people from the camera crew and the VFX department were planning to go down the sea—dive and take some shots.

"I've never interacted with whales before and I heard there are, inside," Raelynn said with horror in her eyes.

"Oh yes. Not to mention, many other sea animals—fish. Just pray you'd get to spend more time with me because it seems like you've been doing nothing with your life but stay behind cameras," Ian said jokingly.

Since the time flew at a speed and they were enjoying every second of it, Ian and Raelynn grew closer just like everyone else on the ship at the moment.

"Ah! I beg to differ, sir," Raelynn commented sarcastically.

They got ready to go Scuba diving. With the guidance of professionals, in no time, every one of the people who was suggested to go inside was ready.

This was the second time Ian was scuba diving. The first time was in his previous world. Since he hadn't felt the feeling ever since then, he was personally craving the experience. From what Ian knew, people say scuba diving opens up a world of possibilities, from facing your fears to learning new skills and exploring places beyond your imagination. And that was exactly what he remembered from the first time he did.

After a few minutes of preparation and advice from the professionals, they dived inside.

For Raelynn, she had quite a lot going on in her mind.

'What if water enters my mask and water goes inside my lungs?' 'What if I forget the hand signals and give the wrong signal to the instructor?'. The confusion was if she showed a thumbs down, underwater it means that she was okay with going more down underwater but on land, it means "Oh Hell No!".

This was not just for her, all the first-timers had so many other questions battling in their thought process.

The small boat they got in, made everyone less nervous because of how the instructor talked to them.

"Take a deep breath! This will be the best experience that you'll ever have in your life, so… Enjoy! Let's go down as soon as you're ready," he said.

[...] She'd always thought of scuba diving as an activity for serious adrenaline junkies. But as soon as she hit the water, she realized that it has far more in common with yoga and meditation than it does extreme sports.

'Oh fuck' she whispered to herself and dived inside with everyone else. Her thoughts were taken back by how it all felt.

On land, switching off your brain (and your phone) can be a struggle. Breathing is something that just happens without thinking and rarely do we take the time to stop and just 'be.'

They went deeper inside the water.

She felt when she was diving, it was a totally different ball game because being immersed underwater was such a sensory experience. Everything she could feel, hear and see comes into sharp focus.

Her breathing became slow, purposeful, and rhythmic. And she's suddenly aware of how her movements connect with each intake of breath.

It was hard to feel distracted when nature is putting on a show-stopping performance and she was right there on the stage. She felt as if she was finally living in the moment without giving any thought to the future.

Something she hadn't considered before was just how human-centric our lives are on land; particularly in Western society. Everything seems to revolve around the human experience: from motorways to fast food. They are the center of the universe (or so they think).

But when she first entered the marine world as a diver, it's a different story entirely. All of a sudden, she was the outsider. A guest in someone else's home.

Going to the deep, she saw small fish going in the opposite direction she was going. And that was my first encounter with the marine world.

Seeing a coral reef for the first time is a humbling experience. She had to stay within her limits but she was suddenly met with a deep sea creature which she took a picture of as soon as possible.

At where she was, clownfish weave among anemones, and bump head parrotfish munch on their favorite coral. Everything in the sea has its place and purpose. Nothing was theirs to take or touch. Suddenly, their world feels rather tiny and she realized just how awesome and precious our oceans are.

Taking the camera out, she took a picture of the anemones and the other creature.

Although she was admiring everything around her, the sea creatures, colonies, plants, and aquatic life, her worse wear of sharks hit in.

This irrational fear of sharks followed her as she kept diving from where she was, to another place "I just hope we don't see a shark," she told her diving buddy, moments before taking the plunge.

Suddenly, when she had her first encounter, she was surprised at how she felt. This was the moment she had been nervous about ever since she got in. Yet, she felt no fear. Just peace and appreciation.

It was a lone blacktip reef shark and she watched in delight as it zipped gracefully between the coral, in search of a hiding place. For the first time, she saw sharks in a new light.

Vulnerable, not menacing. Just animals trying to survive in a world where up to 100 million sharks are killed each year by humans. When someone puts it that way, it's easy to see who the real bad guys are.

Being underwater can throw up all sorts of unexpected challenges, be it a flooded mask or a strong current. Stressful situations like these can easily lead to panic, especially if one is a novice diver. But when they panic, their body goes on high alert. the heart races, your breath quickens and logical thinking goes out the window.

More than anything else, her first scuba dive gave her a much deeper appreciation for the oceans and a renewed sense of environmental stewardship to protect them. Now she understood why divers are so passionate about ocean and reef conservation. They know just how much is at stake.

Coral reefs are wondrous places. As well as looking beautiful, they're also a source of food and habitat for thousands of species of fish. She understood it clearly.

The ocean reinforces the value of keeping your cool when things get tough. It taught everyone to stop, breathe, think and act. And that's a good mantra for above water too. Life can be stressful. But even when a situation feels out of your depth, you're still in control. So take a deep breath.

[...] Everyone came out of the water, and they had different thoughts going in and out of their mind, just like Raelynn experienced.

"...Although initially, you were scared, once you went down there and saw your goal, of what you came here to achieve, everything else seemed irrelevant," The instructor said.

That was a moment of realization for Ian and everyone else, "Once you have your goals clearly cut out and in front of you, the journey becomes more purposeful and enjoyable"

"Alright!" Ian said, grabbing the attention of everyone. "We'd go down once again, so take the cameras and…"

He planned what he wanted in the next session of diving with everyone else. On the spot, Ian made rough visual effects just to see what they'd get from there. Many of the team members had ideas and new visual boards in their minds.

With gigantic cameras, they all once again went in.

The fun-time diving ended, and Ian planned to send a high-end camera in a submersible tube to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench when they return the next time to take the final shots.

In brief, everyone was happy by the end of the day.

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[Europe - Switzerland]

This was their final destination. At this moment, the entire team was exhausted but more than ready to experience something different.

The crew mates in the Blue Sapphire Hotel were in their hotel rooms. Ian himself had booked a suite and was enjoying their little vacation.

During the evening, Ian and Lucas, along with many other people who wanted to enjoy the company of crowds, gathered at the bar which was just down from the hotel; these were people who did not want to spend even a second of their vacation alone.

"How is the room? Niko must be a great company?" Ian asked as soon as he saw Lucas sitting alone in the bar.

Around them, there were a few other people from their team, also some strangers who sat afar, talking among themselves and enjoying the drinks.

"Niko is bearable," Lucas muttered. "This project would seriously be one of the best things we have ever done in a while."

He said while taking a sip from his drink. Ian did the same.

"Well, the movie would be nothing without the VFX, and I have high hopes for this one. Are you married?" Ian questioned wanting to know Lucas better.

"Ah, yes I'm. Two kids and a lovely wife. She's the reason I'm even alive after doing that shit load of work."

"Was it always like that?" Ian asked.

"Ever since they bought. Ah, leave it."

Even talking about it made Lucas's mood drop in a few degrees. Ian noticed it so he changed the subject.

"You should have brought your family here, I just didn't notice this before, we could have easily arranged some space, and it wouldn't have been much—"

"Hello gentlemen," Mason joined the conversation.

The rest of the evening went by as they kept discussing and talking about the things in the industry, also the things in their personal lives. Among the team, Murphy who was Ian's assistant did not join the trip, saying that he would rather go meet his family.

Also, since these were the last few days of the trip, more than half the people were tired yet excited to spend even the last few seconds doing something thrilling.

-

The next morning almost everyone was ready to go on their next adventure. Paragliding. This was one thrilling experience Ian personally wanted to enjoy. When he first told the group that this would be the next, more than half the people shouted 'nooo!'. Among those people, Raelynn was one.

Walking out of the bus, they were at the foot of a mountain. Everyone was carrying a bag with paragliding equipment sponsored by Goofy.

Before the paraglide, they had to climb to the top of the mountain where they would take off, and then be in the air for minutes—maybe hours. That was how good the adventure was going to be. But the current competition was catching the wind conditions for it to be favourable for the flight.

"We are so not ready for this!" Lucas said as he looked at the top.

"Let's see who gets first to the top!" Ian said and soon started to walk. With his bag on his back, and everyone else hearing him, they all started to walk with much enthusiasm.

Not just them, but also strangers witnessed how these bunch of adults were walking as a group—a group of more than 30 people. Some even realized it was Ian and waved to him, to which Ian replied with a wave itself.

25 minutes in, they were almost at the top.

"Fuck! This is like the most tiring thing I did in a while!" Ian walked panting and holding his knees for how fast he kept climbing.

"Ahhh! I know right! Can we take a break?!"

Ian was surprised to hear the voice of another man from behind. "You have good stamina!" Ian commented.

"So do you, sir. My only goal was to surpass you and get to the top first. But man, you are faster than my grandmother's death. I mean, we all thought she'd live a little bit longer,"

Hearing that, Ian gave a weird eye and started to climb. 'Weird' he muttered along the way.

While trekking, Ian was able to see paragliders launching off from the mountain top. That got him nervous and excited at the same time considering how they'd be doing the same thing in a few minutes.

"Finally!" Ian said, extending his arms to feel the air that came in waves, and was soothing because the entire area looked breathtaking. Ian sat in the grass while waiting for everyone else to come to the top.

After a few minutes of being on the top, everyone else came while panting and some were shaking their hands, ready to give up already.

"Is everyone here?!" Ian questioned.

"Yeah!" "thirty-five!" "We are all here!"

After a while, the instructors were present on the sports ground.

Since paragliding is an extreme sport filled with many risks, which also means one can get injured or die, they had to sign an indemnity form before proceeding. It's standard protocol and it's to indemnify everyone of any issues that might arise from the flight.

As Ian joked, "Here's your flight boarding pass!" while giving it to Raelynn, she jokingly responded, "I got a one-way ticket!"

Which had the hidden meaning that one can only paraglide from the top down, not bottom up!

While the guide prepared the inflatable canopy, arranging it on the ground, it was Ian's and Raelynn's turn to wear the coveralls and the helmet.

Fabrice, who was a teammate, helped Ian by fixing the harness, and after checking all the gear, they were ready to go.

"Raelynn, I'll go after you," Ian said and noticed Raelynn's pale face. "Hey, are you okay?" He questioned as soon as he saw her fingers fidgeting.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just scared of heights. What if I just fucking died down there?" She said.

"Well, you wanna know my first experience?" Ian asked, she nodded. "I was more scared than you. I almost peed myself, but… it was worth it. I honestly felt like, after that experience, sometimes you just gotta live at the moment, without thinking 'what if's." he said.

She raised her eyebrows, and walked toward the instructor, asking something. She came back with a grin and muttered, "I think we can go together. He agreed because I had to put on my puppy face," She shrugged making Ian chuckle.

Raelynn was a girl who was in her mid-twenties. She got lucky in the industry with her first project, that Goofy hired her knowing that they could not let someone talented as her go. She was experienced in the field that she is skilled in, and the days they spent together made Ian and Raelynn come off as friends—close friends.

"Let's go!" Ian said and prepared for them to take off.

"I seriously can't believe I'm doing this shit, my heart is in my ears! And I swear—!" She wasn't able to complete her sentence they took off.

The Take off was much easier than they thought. Just a few steps running down the gentle slope and… they were hanging in the air!

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Look at that!" She said and looked around where there were so many mountains, trees, and beautiful villages.

"You were saying?!" Ian asked.

"My death wish! I just hope if I die today, that someone gets to tell my grandma, I love her a lot! And my brother and I did not eat his cheeseburger when we were ten! Also, this was the best holiday I had ever had! Ah! I hate working at Goofy!" She yelled and they heard the laugh from Lucas who was right behind them.

They were already in the air, driven by the wind, admiring the mountains around them and the villages beneath.

It was a feeling like no other they had ever experienced: a mix of thrill, fascination, and wonder. The initial fear didn't last for long, swept away by a unique sensation of freedom. The weather conditions were ideal, so during the flight, Ian let Raelynn handle the controls. What an emotion! She thought.

From above, surrounded by beautiful alpine scenery, they both savoured every moment of the gentle flowing, enjoying the silence at first, which was so dear to them. It was a perfect time, and Ian in his mind wished it would last forever. But all good things came to an end, and after a long while, we began the slow descent.

The paragliding landing was thrilling. During the briefing, the instructor explained that once touching the ground, they just had to run a few steps. The truth is that the flight was a gentle gliding up to the last moment.

Once they approached the ground, it felt like the speed was increasing. So that, too just for a couple of seconds, Raelynn blanched with fear. But then, the speed reduced quickly, and the landing was eventually very smooth.

[...] The day came to an end. After the first ride, Ian made plans to send drones to take good helicopter shots of the surrounding areas, which was a task to achieve for the movie.

With that, their trip ended, but the memories were worth thousands of bland days.

A word from me_

- Vote using PS, please! They motivate me to write daily!

- Read the advanced 6,13 or 20 chapters, visit my - and support the author. -/TC_L (Tier prices are low! And this would support me a lot financially!)

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After the exhausting and wonderful work trip, they were ready. More than anything, they were ready to help Ian with his next project. Help; is an understatement. For the amazing moments they got to experience, every one of them was ready to help with Avatar.

Currently, the bunch of travelers, who had thrilling adventures for almost a month, were ready to head back to Los Angeles.

The trip made each one of them go through different lives individually.

Lucas, who had become closer to Ian opened up completely and Ian finally considered him a friend. Ian sympathized with him due to how Lucas shared many stories he faced in the industry.

"Ian, thank you so much for the pseudo vacation you were able to give my crew. For how they had been working for the past few years, I think they totally deserve this vacation," Lucas said while they were seated in the airport waiting for their flight to call in.

"It's really no problem, I hope everyone else feels the same, considering how they got to experience a completely different experience apart from just looking at computer screens and making the invisible visible the whole day," Ian said.

"Yeah… Well, it had been truly a great pleasure to meet you and know you, Ian. This actually was like a huge escape from the death-wishing work we get daily, and the past two weeks were just…. So good," Lucas said walking with Ian and dragging his luggage behind him.

"Well, this was work too. I'm looking forward to working with you more in the upcoming years. The thing is that this would not be the last project we both get to work on. Instead, this would be the first for many more, and the team you have is really talented, would be of great help," Ian said walking towards the checkpoint.

-

Finally, they returned to Los Angeles and what Ian had in mind was achieved. Throughout the trip, Ian wanted to show how fun even the work can be, and it was successful considering Raelynn decided to join Renner Studio permanently—yes, it was an initial shock for everyone, but then, it made a hell lot of sense.

"What do you mean by joining Renner Studio? Didn't you sign the deal with Goofy?" Lucas questioned in front of everyone.

Raelynn was tying her shoelace, and when she released the bomb on the news, everyone was dumbfounded. Everyone including Ian.

"No. Before I join, Max over there had told me how they con about the document. So I made my lawyer go through it. And as we predicted—" She stood up from the seat. "As we predicted, there were two clauses including how I should work for five years. I had them cut it off, and honestly, I've been hating what I was doing for the past couple of months. I think this can be a good opportunity," Raelynn said looking at Ian.

Max shrugged when some pairs of eyes turned towards him, "I couldn't lie to her, she is such a sweetheart. So I just said the truth because it would be great if at least one person would not get trapped," he said being honest.

"Well then, if she thinks so, I think we could make arrangements, right Niko?" Ian questioned for which Niko agreed immediately.

"Yeah, welcome to Renner Studio," Mason who heard the story said and walked away because their flight was called.

Just like that, Raelynn changed her decision about working in Goofy any longer—for good.

The VFX department head wanted the same opportunity to knock on his door. Not just the head, but also everyone else. But due to the fact he had to work in Goody, he couldn't. Yet, to his luck, he made good friends with Ian. This also means that all the VFX-requiring movies that Ian makes with Goofy would be done by Lucas and his team.

Knowing the stress, exhaustion, and everything, Ian gave one week off to all the people who had the trip. Knowing that the CEO of Goofy would not allow the team to have a break, Ian had to talk to him about it personally.

[At Goofy CEO's office]

"What do you mean by a break? They just came from a break?" Jeff, the CEO questioned.

"Well, Mr. Sanson, even right now I'm pretty tired after the trip. And trust me when I say they did more work than I ever did on the trip. In every destination, they had to build so many things and shoot everything that was important for the movie. And regarding that, I think we'll start the shootings right away after a week. I'd need the VFX department to work day and night because of that," Ian explained and gave a hint that they would not get any more free time.

"Ah! I see, yes yes sure then, hope you had fun, Ian, how about the casting?" He questioned right away.

"It's settled. Don't worry about it,"

"Hmm… So, does this mean that the shooting will begin?" He questioned.

"Yes, things would start as I said.

-

After a week, they were finally settled to start shooting Avatar. Mason had finalized the deal with Zoe Saldana as she adored the character she was going to play, and she had mentioned that even the theme of the movie was fresh and unique which would increase her fan base more.

Although there was a screen test to do, Ian had mentioned that Zoe would suit the role nevertheless based on her first-day performance, and the contract was given right after.

The VFX department had built the motion and emotion capture suits for the actors so that their emotions can be imprinted on their final Avatar renditions.

For Jake Sully, also known as Tommy in Avatar, Ian chose an A-grade actor for the role. He had the smile of Sam Worthington and was unbelievably talented in the audition he gave. Liam Greyson was a thirty-year-old man who had so much experience in the field, but this was the first time he was going to act in a movie where the VFX process was longer than the filming process.

[Day of Screentest]

The studio was prepared to get the screentest of Liam and Zoe. There was another hour left till Ian was about to come to the studio, and at that time, Liam and Zoe had already become friends.

In the studio, Mason, Niko, Raelynn, and a few other people from the crew were present to make sure the screen test would go smoothly. During the screen test, if either one of them didn't match the chemistry of another, the casting director—Ian might have to make decisions on changing the actor or actress.

"I actually find this part interesting," Liam said and showed the script to Zoe.

"I know right, this is such a unique storyline and I'm quite confident that I could pull off the character," She said with a smile.

"Hope so too,"

"Good morning everyone!" Ian said walking inside the studio with a bunch of papers in his hand.

"Didn't expect to see you sooner, Good morning!" Mason greeted.

"Yeah, it was quicker than I had expected. Anyway, let's start in 30 minutes, Zoe, Liam, practiced the part?" Ian asked, walking closer to them.

[...] After a few seconds, it started and they were in front of the camera acting the part that was given by Ian; Ian gave the part which Sam Worthington himself had acted for the screentest.

He had hoped that the actor would fit the male lead, considering how similar he looked to Sam. Nevertheless, right after the command was given he took off as the character, surprising everyone.

He looked straight at the camera lens and practiced his dialogues first.

"Look, um, I know you probably don't understand this. But -- thanks. Thank you. I owe you." Liam said looking at the camera and looking down during times.

"I would have been screwed if you hadn't come along –"

"That'd be enough! Liam, good going! So the thing is, next we'd take a test where both of you can get into the role and act it. With the dialogues… In the first part, Liam should bend down, look at the creature who is already on the floor, and sound very cautious yet grateful for the help she did. Okay? You should look at the girl like… 'What on Earth is this creature'… And you understand what I'm saying right? Let's take a shot and see how it goes…!" Ian said while Liam got ready and Niko was already rolling the camera.

"Action!"

As soon as Ian's word slipped out, Liam kept looking at Zoe with his back bent at 90 degrees angle, and eyes looking confused, cautious, and scared.

"Look, um, I know you probably won't understand this. But–thanks you yeah- Thank you. I would have been screwed if you hadn't come along—"

"Okay, cut! That's a good one, next, let's test Zoe and Liam both on the screen. Zoe, I explained to you before right… This is going to be exactly like that, and I want the interaction to feel strange and totally from two worlds, are we clear?"

Thus, the project of Avatar began.

A word from me_

- Vote using PS, please! They motivate me to write daily!

- Read the advanced 6,13 or 20 chapters, visit my - and support the author. -/TC_L (Tier prices are low! And this would support me a lot financially!)

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After the screen test was done and dusted, the contracts were given to Liam and Zoe which meant that they finally got the roles of Jake Sully and Neytiri.

And then, the next part was to shift the focus to the other actors who were already chosen before the trip, and Mason had secured the deals with the respective agencies and the actors.

Within no time, the CGI room with a green screen to shoot a lot of scenes was prepared. The entire responsibility was given off to the VFX team, and in the meantime, Ian had a meeting with Raelynn, who was also in the team as a cinematographer.

The shooting had started a few weeks ago. Things had been going great considering all the support the production got.

"Good morning, Ian," Raelynn said as soon as she walked inside Ian's office.

"Good morning, how have things been going for you?" Ian questioned back.

"Well as far as I'm concerned the filming is going great, and there's nothing much to complain about. If I'm being honest, I can that I'm waiting for the final product patiently,"

"Haha. Yeah, aren't we all though? Anyway, the thing is we can go tomorrow, with the actors, and shoot the necessary scenes. And the locations are already settled, so it would not be that much of a problem," Ian said while taking a sip from his coffee.

"Yeah, sure. I have to meet Niko on my way, I'll get going,"

"Okay,"

Ian went back to the work he had been doing on his laptop, while the coffee kept going down his body.

-

"Action!"

Ian gave off the command to start the shooting for the scene they were taking inside the studio.

The motion capture suits for the actors were already prepared, therefore the VFX and CGI department was in charge of the actors to look like avatars and still retain their emotions.

Nevertheless, the shooting began.

The original movie had taken four years to create from pre-production to the release— yes. Four. years. More than that, To help the actors prepare for their roles, director James Cameron took the cast and crew to Hawaii, where they spent their days trekking through the forests and jungles to get a better sense of what it would be like to live and move around in the jungle on Pandora since there would not be any actual jungle sets to aid and guide the actors and crew.

Zoe Saldana even dressed up as a warrior during these journeys, complete with an alien tail symbolic of the one her character has in the movie. These hikes were only done during the daytime, however, as the cast and crew spent their nights at a Four Seasons hotel.

That was where Ian took inspiration for the trip.

When it came to the original movie, the movie director in Ian's world—James Cameron had done lots of unexpected things with the movie. He had also wanted an unknown actor to play Jake Sully because it would give the character a "real" quality--the guy you want to have a beer with, who ultimately becomes the leader who transforms a whole world.

The scene they were currently shooting included Liam in the great leonopteryx. Beside him was Zoe who was ready to take the same scene.

The studio was already filled with equipment; equipment that made the ground floor like a forest. And currently, Liam was on huge machine-like built-up equipment, which made him appear as if he was on the large flying animal which was native to Pandora.

The machine was not set far away from the ground, but low and yet it had wings structure to hold onto, just like how the animal had its features.

"Cut! No… The struggle should be visible, Liam. Okay, I'll help you with it, but you have to try to keep your ground, okay?"

Ian questioned Liam who had his eyes focused on the front, and was covered with different types of gadgets. The gadgets were made so that their expressions would be visibly clear while doing the CGI and VFX.

"Yeah, okay," Liam said with a nod.

"Roll camera… Action!"

As soon as the commands were out, Liam got into the role.

He laughed as the artificial wind blew on his face—and got into the feeling of riding a flying animal. He looked at the girl beside Liam and his face lifted to a smile. From behind Ian kept moving his belted cloth so that the movements looked natural.

-

Raelynn and Ian were once again on the cruise. But this time, the team was limited. Ian had left Niko and the team from Renner Studios back in LA, but he came with Raelynn.

They were at the location once again to get the final shots of the underwater scenes.

"I seriously am in awe at how good the movie is going so far. I knew this was possible, but by the way, you handled the scenes, it feels like you already have the movie in your head and you are focusing on the goal of it so that you can get clear shots to reach the point of what you have in your mind," Raelynn said.

They both were standing on the front deck of the cruise. The wind was sweeping all of her dark blonde hair back from her face. And her brown eyes squinted from the harsh wind.

The sea was calm, but something about the moment gave Ian to see the beauty that was right in front of him.

Her sharp eyes, thin nose, and prominent lips made the little sight in front of Ian even more beautiful.

Ian cleared his throat when she suddenly turned to look at him. It was because he had stopped responding to her, and she was waiting for an answer. "If we're being completely honest here, I'd like to say that I do have the perfect images running in my mind. And yes, I do aim for them, or to make them even better,"

"Ah, this feels great isn't it?" Raelynn said and kept looking at the shore.

"Mhm.."

Both of them felt it for a moment. The same feeling they had during the entire trip before, every time they saw each other, and even now— the emotional and the arousing tension, which almost brought goosebumps to her entire body, once again started to come within now that they both were alone.

This time it was Raelynn who cleared her throat.

"We'd be right where we were the other day right? It wouldn't be any problem considering this time we have all of our equipment with us," She said.

"Yeah, I just hope we can get those magical shots we planned that day."

"Well don't worry, even if it won't be the same, it'd be better," She said and walked inside to announce to the team that they were close to stopping the cruise.

Ian sighed while a hand raked through his hair for what he felt while being in her presence. Although both of them had the same feeling equally, none of them acted upon it. She talked as if everything was normal, and so did he.

Looking back at the calm sea, his thoughts ran back to the movie process.

[...] The necessary shots were taken within two days, and they were done and dusted with the task they came here for.

"Ah! These shots are pretty nice actually, might help a lot!"

"I know right, I was stunned when I first saw this one, and that… Both are good, oh and this jellyfish…!"

"I'm so tired! I'll sleep a bit!"

They had so many different conversations going on, one after another while they were heading back to the airport, on a bus. Some were asleep but some others were excited about the shots already. Among them, Ian and Raelynn were talking more about the technical side of the story.

-

Two Months Later.

Loud claps erupted through the studio. It had been two and half months spent filming inside the studio with the green screen.

claps* *claps* *claps* *whistles*

"It's a wrap everyone! Gather here!" Ian said standing on the chair so that everyone could see him.

"Yet again, after the efforts of months, we are finally here! The real movie production starts now! I'm not belittling any effort by any of you, but the editing, CGI, and VFX work play the most important role in this movie. Anyway, thank you so much for everything that you have contributed to the movie, individually and as a team. Looking forward to meeting everyone again!"

Ian said and everyone clapped. Just as he was done talking, the CEO of Goofy— Jeff Sanson walked in.

"Ah fuck! My back feels numb from all the jumping and dying!"

"Now to think back about it all, I feel like this was one of the best movies that I've ever acted in!"

"I can't believe it's over!"

"Thanks, Ian, see you soon!"

"Thank you so much for the opportunity, Mr. Renner!"

The talks among the people and the crew didn't stop for some more time. Many people hugged each other and some even thanked Ian Renner for everything. The end of the shooting was just the beginning of the movie—everyone knew.

A word from me_

- Vote using PS, please! They motivate me to write daily!

- Read the advanced 6,13 or 20 chapters, visit my - and support the author. -/TC_L (Tier prices are low! And this would support me a lot financially!)

- You can also join my discord server, https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv

Report chapter Comments

Jeff watched the people slowly decrease from the studio. The place still had the setup as it was to the shooting, and some of the crew members were already working on removing them.

"Hello, Jeff!" Ian greeted seeing Jeff walk towards them.

Ian, Mason, Niko, and Raelynn were seated in front of the computer which had some of the pre-CGI shots.

Ian and everyone else knew why Jeff was there; to take a look at them.

"Ian, everyone looks very happy. Is it the after-affects of shooting a good movie?" He joked.

"Haha… No, more like, many are relieved. But the hard part starts now!" Ian replied.

After the little talk with Ian, Jeff also talked with Lucas and Raelynn. Then, the entire team moved to watch the last pre-CGI shot.

The shot was the final version of the last scene. The scene where the climax of the movie reaches.

[the video played on the little screen]

"So… What do you think, Mr. Sanson?" Ian questioned.

"I like what you did with the Avatars."

Ian saw a 'but' coming from miles away. "But?" He asked.

"But, I think that because Goofy is a family-friendly company, I think it would be better if there's nothing too 'Gruesome' or dark in the movie."

Just like that, Ian understood what he was explaining. After a brief discussion which included them going back to the scenes and talking about it, Jeff explained that he doesn't like the burning scene.

"...I think it's a little too emotionally horrifying for the audience," Jeff said.

"I disagree to change that actually. Because it basically is the core of the plot. The perceived betrayal and all of that. It just is impossible to change." Ian explained.

After a little bit more explanation, the CEO left while he reluctantly agreed with Ian. Ian, later on, sent the footage to Lucas for the final VFX and CGI renditions and editing.

-

[At Renner Studio]

It was just the day after when the shootings ended. Throughout the two and half months, Ian had been spending time in and out of the studio, without even taking breaks in between.

Currently, Ian and Niko were in the office, checking out some scenes that had been shot and which Ian had noted before to check if the final cut was good enough.

"These avatars are quite interesting to be honest, even though I was thinking of saying that before, now only I remembered how I found them weird at first," Niko said.

"Yeah, well. To think that Avatars have eyebrows and five digits per hand and foot while the Na'vi only have four digits and no eyebrows, and how Avatars are also broader in the chest and arms, appearing more 'muscular', you can call them weird. And oh- this scene please," Ian said pointing to the scene he wanted to check again.

"Should I ask Murphy to bring some coffee?" Niko questioned.

"Yeah, sure. I'll check this out," Ian said while clicking the folder he wanted to open.

'Final cut - scene 65 - Close-up'

He pressed 'enter' to open the file.

"Look where we are, Grace," Jake muttered.

Grace's eyes fluttered open. She then looked up wonderingly at the Mother Tree.

Grace had a wan smile plastered on her face. "I need to take some samples," she said.

Mo'at then directed them to lay both the bodies among the roots on the altar rock. Mo'at touched Jake's shoulder and he stepped back.

Mo'at silently said, "The Great Mother may choose to save all that she is–"

Mo'at's hand indicated Grace's avatar–

" —in this body," Mo'at muttered.

Then the camera focused on Jake, who just realized the enormity of what she was saying. Since there were several camera shots of the same scene, this was the close-up shot where they had focused on the facial expressions.

"Is that possible?" Jake asked.

"Possible, yes. She must pass through the Eye of Eywa– and return. But Jakesully– she is very weak," Mo'at whispered.

Jake suddenly knelt next to Grace, taking her tiny human hand in his avatar hand.

"Hang on, they're gonna fix you up," He said for her to hear.

Grace was barely conscious. She gripped his hand.

"I– always held back. But you gave them your heart. I'm proud of you, Jake," She said in a very weak voice.

Jake felt his throat close with emotion. Grace's eyes blazed with intensity though her voice was faint.

"Cut!" Ian's voice was heard after the shot.

"Fuck, this shot is so good. The emotions, the sadness, my heart literally stung," Ian talked to himself.

"Heard someone needs coffee! Uh- were you talking to yourself?" Raelynn walked in with a tray of coffee cups in her hand.

"I guess I was, but thanks for the coffee. Highly needed," Ian said and took a sip. 'Fuck my tongue' it burnt his tongue, but he didn't want to show.

"How was it?" Niko came walking inside the studio.

"It was good, really good."

"What was-?" Raelynn questioned, looking as if she fell from the sky.

Both Ian and Niko turned to look at her.

"Coffee or the shot?!" She gasped in a dramatic expression.

"Both!" Ian and Niko said in Sync.

"I'm really glad Mr. Freymond agreed with the soundtracks. I'll have to pay a visit though, considering we gave quite a lot of proofs for him to make things up, I'm sure the perfect soundtrack would take most of the time. Not even the CGI and VFX," Ian muttered.

"I doubt it, VFX takes quite a hell of a lot of time," Raelynn said.

"I'm gonna say that Ian is right," Niko sided with Ian.

"Alright, let's see then. Future holds the truth, yeah?" Ian muttered.

Ian had his thoughts and theories which would be present and he could prove to himself, with the current situation, that the music would take a lot more time than the CGI.

Of course, he knew that in the original movie, any scene with Zoe Saldana was done 100% physically, facially, and vocally all at the same time. And it took a year to capture and transfer all of that to Neytiri. Some CGI scenes took an average of 47 hours to render. But here, Ian had helped with the sketches and many other things to easily create the character Neytiri.

The only thing which the VFX and the CGI teams had to do was, render the character into digital ones.

On the other hand, the original movie's Composer, Sir. James Horner stated that this was his most difficult film and the biggest challenge of his career. He had said in an interview that he worked on the music from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm for a year and a half.

This also meant, for the next couple of months, Ian might have to focus on this movie, while sharing the other projects among Mason and maybe—Other directors.

"Let's see, either way, we are all gonna be busy as heck after today. I honestly can't wait to see the final product, I even mentioned it before, and that's how much I think of it," Raelynn said and took a deep breath.

"Rae, what if I asked what this movie is about?" Niko questioned Raelynn.

"Random, but okay. I'd say that This story is about aliens, which was the term given to humans in this film. using overwhelming strength to invade and annihilate a peaceful group of local inhabitants... similar to 'Aliens', so, you got my idea?" Raelynn answered, making both of them raise their eyebrows in surprise.

"That's a good view. More like, unexpected coming from you. I thought you were all about 'let's watch the world through the lens," Ian mockingly said.

"Trust me, it's a part of my job description," She said back.

"Yeah, let's get back to work. I need to complete checking all of these before tomorrow, so it would be easier for y'all to take it from there." Ian said. And then they got back to work.

Ian was aware of how hard the process with the music tracks could be. Due to that, the very famous, and experienced musician Mr. Freymon had made deals with Renner Studio to help with the project.

He was a man in his 40s, who still has a deep passion and good taste for music and background music tracks.

Ever since he got the contract, Ian and Freymon had been spending time creating the music to suit Avatar. After shooting, Ian would meet with Freymon who would already be working on Avatar by the time.

During those sessions, Ian explains what sort of music he wants, and it normally becomes a major help for Freymon considering how Ian knew what he certainly knew that he wanted.

In other cases, Freymon would be making music based on the movie, and the director or the other teammates would help here and there to make adjustments. But this….was a rare case.

"I'm sure we're gonna need more coffees," Niko said and joined Ian to watch the shots one by one.

A word from me_

- Vote using PS, please! They motivate me to write daily!

- Read the advanced 6,13 or 20 chapters, visit my - and support the author. -/TC_L (Tier prices are low! And this would support me a lot financially!)

- You can also join my discord server, https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv

Report chapter Comments

[At The Cube Pictures]

Mason Striver was in the office room of Angela Bird, the wife of the CEO of Cube Pictures, Jackson Corealla.

"It's so good to meet you in person, Mr. Striver," Angela acknowledged him with a polite smile.

"So are you, after a long time meeting for something related to your next project, hits nostalgia and at the same time, good to see you back," Mason replied with a smile.

Although Angela Bird and Mason had never worked together, they had met once or twice—that too, for some meetings when it was the time when Angela was working in the industry.

"Yeah, feels nice to start something fresh, and Mr. Renner?"

"Oh yes, Ian should be here at any moment, I think he spent the night in the VFX editing room considering how much work he decided to do yesterday, so what are your plans with Resident Evil?" Mason questioned.

"Well, as I said, it would be an adaptation from the script, and I would be writing it. I'm almost done with the script too, and yes, the rest… You're aware," She said.

Since Ian was busy with the Avatar project, Ian and Angela had a conversation during the shooting of Avatar, regarding the Resident Evil project, which she had wanted to work since so long.

After she read the book, she wanted to make a come back in the industry. Therefore, she discussed the details with Ian, and they both agreed it to be a joint production of Cube Pictures and Renner Studio.

From what they agreed upon, Cube Pictures would invest more considering it was the CEO's wife who was directing the movie.

"Excuse me, I'm late," Ian said walking inside after seeing an accepting smile from Angela.

"Ah, no problem, Ian. Heard you were working hard on your new project," Angela commented.

"Yeah, these days, quite busy with that. Since it's the start, I need to check around a lot, and it's going great actually. How have you been? And hello, uncle," Ian said while taking a seat.

Mason smiled and nodded while Angela replied, "I have been great."

"Yes, then let's start the discussion. My end of the deal is pretty short and straightforward. The IP of Resident Evil would be under Ian—Renner Studio, but the movie would be yours to do anything as you please. But again, I'd like to talk about the royalties. And, I'm ready to help with whatever because this would be another project under Renner Studio which I'd work as the producer," Mason said while leaning back in the chair.

"Yes, sure, we'll discuss the royalties at last. The pre-production will start next week, and we'd talk about the time to schedule a time regarding the audition," Angela said with a smile.

"The set is already being made?" Ian questioned.

"Yes, it is. And the thing I wanted to discuss, is the story. You mentioned that you have suggestions for the story right? Can we discuss them now?"

"Well, the thing is, I have plans for Resident Evil, more like I had them ever since I wrote the novel—"

"What kind of plans, if I may ask?"

"I think Resident Evil would do much better in another franchise. And, I don't want to risk anything by over-sharing, so let's just give it the benefit of the doubt. And regarding the movie…."

Ian started to explain to her the negative critics that the original world movie had gotten. Critics like how it was poor in action, and how less scary it was, were some severely disappointing reviews that the movie had gotten.

What he had in mind was different, he wanted Angela to produce a movie that could change the whole idea Ian personally had in mind about the movie. After that, he would do what Resident Evil did better, a video game franchise.

Furthermore, Ian discussed the creative planning, and mainly the plot. The discussion went on for a few more hours, considering they had to describe every little detail that Angela had in mind and Ian's suggestions.

Ian wanted Resident Evil to be a more frightening movie than the one to exist in his mind. He wanted the perfect entertainment, horror-thriller adventure as he felt while writing the novel.

"Also, there are some iconic things I want to mention to adapt for the movie. The characters like Wesker, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, and Leon, should be very similar to how they were in the book. This would be something that I have plans for, so these subtle things… It'd be great if you can maintain them for the movie," Ian said.

Angela nodded her head in understanding. She cleared her throat after a while of silence, and asked, "If you can tell me about them, I'd try my best in regards to that. I think the book itself provided a lot of clear descriptions about the characters."

"Yeah well, Wesker… His iconic sunglasses would be something that people would admire, such as Jill Valentine's hair, Clair Redfield, and Chris's appearance…. And Leon, I want the man to be like a badass just as in the book. It shouldn't be exaggerated, but it would be great if his personality is subtly shown enough to get a glimpse of it. And then, the acting…. I'd love to join the auditions, but I don't think my schedule would be clear at any moment considering I have more plans, like a new movie I have thought of—"

Both Angela and Mason said, 'Oh' together.

"Well yeah, since I know you'd go with A-grade actors, the acting would not be much of a problem. The other thing is the stunts, since this is an action, thriller, and horror game, the things like the stunts would be great if taken properly," Ian said. Although he wanted to point out every single thing coming to his mind at the moment, he couldn't.

He couldn't let the woman in front of him think that he was belittling what she had achieved. So, he remained without explaining further.

"Well, yeah, we both are on the same page. And something I admired about you from the start is how clear you are, anyway, about the actions…."

The meeting ended with Mason retaining the Resident Evil IP but selling the Resident Evil movie-making license, at the cost of royalties on each movie. The royalties are to be based on box office percentages.

Walking out of the office, Mason's thoughts were clouded with something else— 'Will she be able to successfully execute the project considering how long she hasn't participated in directing?'.

-

A man wearing a leather jacket, with a pair of denim walked down the stairs. Around him, there were people—inside a grocery store. Some were talking, some others were picking grocery items, and there was even a girl and a boy, flirting in the middle of the store.

The man was none other than Ryan Gosling. His eyes were calm and he was silent while pushing the cart where it included milk, eggs, and some other stuff.

He kept walking to reach his destination, which was the fruit sale, and suddenly he was taken back by what happened.

Slap!*

A short girl who wore a yellow dress came out of nowhere, and the slap landed on his right cheek. It reddened due to how strong the slap was.

"What the f–?!" Ryan saw the lady and stopped the word which was about to slip off.

"Oh yeah?! I saw the way you were talking with that woman over there! Hey woman, this is my boyfriend?!" She yelled, making pairs of eyes turn toward Ryan.

He looked around in embarrassment. "Shhh…"

"What shush?! Is this how you promised to treat me?!" She shouted again.

"That's my mother!" Ryan lost his shit considering how many pairs of eyes were focused on them.

"Cut! That was a good shot! Ryan, well done! Take a few minutes to have your lunch!" The director who sat behind the monitor said, making everyone nod and whisper among each other.

"Well done, boy!" Tristan said enthusiastically.

Tristan was Ryan's agent. Ever since Ryan acted in La La Land, his famous points increased in millions. He got many requests from famous directors to star in movies that they were doing. Many movies he got requested were Rom-coms.

After his agent went through everything, they finally agreed on 'More than Life' which was also a rom-com. Yet, the story and the director were both promising in his career, therefore they agreed on it. It had already been two months since the shooting started for the movie.

"I didn't expect you here today, anything new?" Ryan asked after taking the bottle of water and chugging it down.

"Yeah, Murphy called in the morning," Tristan said, making Ryan's eyes widen.

"Murphy—Ian's assistant right?"

"Yeah, Ian is asking for a meeting it seems, I was thinking of arranging time in your schedule since you're working on just one movie for now," Tristan said while a slight smile played on his lips.

"Why would you even ask me?! Just do it!" He said and chuckled.

"Haha… Knew it, just wanted to see your reaction in person."

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[At Ian Renner's mansion - Beverly Hills]

It was already 6 pm and Ian had just stopped scrolling down his social media. The news of his next move being Avatar had already spread everywhere. Although many people constantly proved that Renner Studio was in collaboration with Goofy, the fact that the newest movie is going to be something vastly different had been out.

He was aware of 'how' it was out, and he just closed his phone while turning on the TV, to watch some other news.

While trying to cease the frown that appeared on his eyebrow due to the little stress he got after reading the social media comments, he turned the channel to the 'Hollywood Fun' [HF] to see some updates.

There was a live telecast on a huge event! He was shocked and surprised at the same time.

"...As I already mentioned, the Red Suits is already packed with many many important people that you can see going inside from the red carpet! The Goofy was throwing this massive party for everyone they had connections with, including the Oscar Academia, Hollywood film stars, the company investors, and as well as government politicians! The party was to celebrate the end of the shooting of their newest movie! The information about everything else is yet to be released! This has been a wonderful evening seeing all these faces on a single occasion and furthermore, the arrival of Jeff Sanson, the CEO of Goofy is yet to be anticipated….."

The lady on the TV, who had a wide and attractive smile, continued talking to the camera. Ian was visibly shocked!

"Valerine! Valerine, where are you?!" Ian asked loudly.

"Yeah, master Ian, do you need anything?" She questioned looking at him. This was the first time Ian had shouted her name in years. So of course, she was surprised as well.

"Were there any invitations that I was to receive?" Ian questioned.

"Uh- Uh no, I don't think so," She answered. Her eyes shifted to the television and she understood what he was talking about.

"You're sure right?" Ian asked again.

"Yeah, I'm." She answered.

"Okay, you can go,"

Ian dismissed Valerine, and in the next second, he called Murphy. Not after long, Murphy answered.

"Hello, Mr. Renner?" Murphy's voice came groggy, sounding as if he was just woken up from sleep.

"Were you sleeping?" Ian questioned.

"Ah-Ah, yes I was, but, what's the matter?"

"Has there been any invitations for me recently? From Goofy….About a party?" Ian asked.

"No sir, not really. I check the mailbox daily, and there's nothing I'm aware of," He answered back.

"Oh okay—" Ian answered. At the same time, on the screen, he spotted Alexa, Eloise, and Hazel chatting their way up as they climbed the stairs. They were nicely dressed and looked elegant, even from the TV. "Sorry to wake you up, go back to sleep," Ian said and hung up.

"Yes, as you can see… Jeff Sanson is going to the party and looking quite sharp as always. The stars were already on their way after Jeff, being a man of his word and being known for his good works, people love Goofy more than they love their own family. But the surprising factor is how the resident director, Ian Renner is nowhere to be found! We have been searching for the young man's face almost everywhere—but was he not invited?! Or is he simply late?!"

'Okay, now this is straight out some third-grade shit. Tit for tat' Ian muttered to himself and stood up from where was and walked to his room.

[...]

'Now this fucking feels like some Iron-man scene, the choice was theirs. The payback would be mine' Ian talked to himself, standing in front of the mirror.

He was dressed in a bespoke suit, which literally could speak for himself and prove his worth. It had been lying in the closet idly, and it was time to get use out of it.

Without a second thought, he took his car and drove across LA. His eyes were fully focused on the road, and there was traffic down the road where he was headed.

Parking the car in front of the hotel, and giving the key to the valet, he walked in.

The front of the hotel was crowded with so many Hollywood reporters. Some were talking about his arrival of him non-stop, and others were simply introducing and reporting what was happening in the crazy land area where so many famous people had gathered.

"Ian- Ian Renner, we thought you were not invited! What makes you arrive late?! You are not normal-"

"We just witnessed the arrival of Ian Renner, the person who literally shook the entire Hollywood after–"

"Now we see Ian Renner walking up the stairs to mix up with the stars who-"

The voices were everywhere, and Ian couldn't decipher at least one complete question or statement about how he walked inside.

Walking in, there were some people he knew and many people who knew him. Smiling at some of them, he reached Eloise and Hazel who were grinning from ear to ear and talking among themselves.

"You both look good, and hello," Ian walked in while both of the acknowledged him.

"Ah, forgot you existed. To be honest, we thought you wouldn't be here," Eloise said with a smile.

Ian saw the CEO of Goofy noticing his presence. "Haha… Here's the real piece of sh- Gotta go, ladies, catch ya in the inside," he said and walked away from them.

Walking near Jeff, he was annoyed on the inside, and that was clear in his eyes.

Ever since day one, he knew what sort of a person Jeff is. But this was totally not cool and out of the blue. Jeff had no reason to pull such a stunt, since Ian was no harm for him.

That was what made Ian mad the most. But Ian also knew that this was barely the start.

"What a pleasant surprise!" He said, faking an accent.

"Why is it absent from your face?" Ian questioned back.

"Ah ah ah, now don't go on that route soon. I got the Oscar Academia right where I want them for Avatar," Jeff mentioned looking at the people who were in the academia—and talking among themselves.

"I'm very sure you get them right where Goofy wants them, why was I not invited to the party though?" Ian asked.

"Wait, what?! Uh- there must have been some sort of a mistake- I'll check it out for sure," Jeff said apologetically, but his face showed no such emotion.

"Ah, I'm sure you'll," Ian said, sarcastically and walked inside the party.

After a while, the inside hall was filled with all the people who attended the party. Currently, Ian was talking to Alexa and her date—who was a famous A-grade actor.

"...And that is how I got to know what a smart person he is," Alexa said while talking about how they met.

"Hahaa… Yeah, she was surprised. Mr. Renner, do you have any more projects in your mind… For the future?" The man who was tall and rigid questioned.

"Of course, I do. What would be the use if I have no more projects in mind?" Ian said and excused himself to get a drink. He knew what the next request of that actor was going to be.

Walking to the bar, he witnessed so many politicians here and there at the party. Some were talking to the CEO and some were enjoying their time alone at the bar. With a slight glimpse, Ian realized who the person was.

Christopher Greyson was someone who had true potential in winning the election for the senate position, for which he was a candidate. He was not someone who had 100% population support, but he was a young man who showed so much potential.

Ever since he got into politics, he had always addressed the necessities of people, even if that meant one year period he spent in jail. For the people who knew him, he was young, idealistic, visionary and a charismatic man who could easily be responsible for something huge which includes the lives of people.

The reason why he wasn't that popular was because of internal politics. Although he tried hard to get to the top, there was always someone who pulled from his leg to drag him down.

Regardless of any of that, Goofy and the backup from the government was a very smart and powerful decision made by Jeff.

Every politician who was present on the occasion had their reasons. It was because of how Goofy needs help from them when the time comes; times like situations and future possibilities of Goofy even shutting down. Due to that, these sorts of relationships kept them getting more and more.

Nevertheless, Ian knew what he had to do next.

"Almost didn't see you there, you must be Ian Renner? I'm seeing you a lot on TV these days," He said.

"Haha… Nice to meet you, Mr. Greyson," Ian shook hands with him.

"Just call me Christopher. How are you doing these days? After the shooting of Avatar?" The politician questioned.

"Well, I'm surprised by how you know the name, but again, there's nothing to be surprised about. These days I'm quite busy with the editing of the movie. And I have other plans for my future projects, so kind of busy with them. How about you?" Ian asked back.

The waiter placed drinks on the table, and Ian took a sip. "Mmm… Good one,"

"Ah yes, and here I'm… To be honest, I am concerned about the migration policy here. It's something that one day I wanna ..."

The rest of their conversation included how the politician was passionate about the generic real-world issue of migration in their country. Ian genuinely enjoyed what the man in front of him was saying, when the conversation was dying, he mentioned to him politely that if he wanted, they could talk more about his matter at his studio.

Christopher Greyson looked genuinely pleased by how the young man asked. The only reason their conversation died was how the party got a bit louder. As the people got drunk, the conversations got drunk and louder too.

Ian walked back into the party and was enjoying the drinks in his hand.

On his way, he met with the Oscar Academia.

"...No way! Y'all went on a trip for this?! That's great and a huge step from you, Ian. And the thing is that, I want to see some true potential from the movie, and that… I'm looking forward to it too."

"Haha… thank you!" Ian said and took a sip again.

"Yeah, Avatar is genuinely something that has so much potential. The way I found Ian Renner's truly built character is very surprising, even for me," Jeff Sanson appeared out of nowhere and joined in the conversation.

Ian cleared his throat and took a sip of his drink again—' I might need too many of these he thought.

"Ah, Mr. Sanson," The judge said while shaking hands with Jeff. "To be honest, I'm very sure that the next Oscars has something planned for Ian as well. If this project went too well, it would not be long before you become the 'Hollywood King' of the era," The judge said humbly and clinked the glasses.

Ian and Jeff both joined him. "Thank you for the words, means a lot, to be honest. And, before I reach there, there are some more things I have to achieve—"

"And of course, Ian would do great in the industry, I'm sure. And Goofy also has plans with many ideas that could win so many hearts. They are already in progress," Jeff said and the judge smiled at him.

Ian noticed how Jeff wouldn't just leave him alone. "Excuse me," Ian walked away from where he was, and much to his surprise, he was met with another important person in the industry.

"Ian Renner?" The man questioned and gestured to walk to the bar.

Ian and Chavez Price, who was a well-known director sat in the chairs that were in front of the bar and started to chit-chat.

Their talk flowed pretty smoothly but was interrupted–again. And that was Jeff too–again.

'Ah fuck! It's going to be a long night!' Ian thought and smiled politely at what Jeff was saying to Chavez with a fake smile that wouldn't even be believable for a three-year-old.

This situation was enough for Ian to realise what sort of a man Jeff completely is. Happy face—but behind it all, another man.

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Happy reading!! :))

--

The blue and grey-themed house looked peaceful as ever. Scarlett Johnson walked down the stairs, wearing her outfit for the day, knowing there would be an audition for the next movie she would act in.

In her hand, there was her favorite coffee, her always go-to.

The morning freshness of sunshine felt new and warm to her. She thought a bit about how her life had changed ever since she got to act in Batman.

She was a no-name in the industry till Batman, but then, things, including her phone to career, got busier than she ever expected.

The entire history of how she met Ian to how her life changed kept playing, and a smile was tugging her lips. She took a sip of her coffee and thought back to the day they had talked in the parking lot, how she had thought that Ian was going to ask or invite her to sleep with him.

And then how the view changed after Ian mentioned that he'd be giving them a role due to how talented and good her interview was.

She was feeling content with her life for once. And according to the theory of self-actualization, when one reaches the point where they're happy, it would mean that they've reached their full potential. But as for Scarlett, she had just started her career.

She was content with her life how her career started, for why people started loving her. With all that being said, her thoughts still occupied her. The bit of reminiscing she was having with her brain about the past year.

She remembered how she had first heard and known about Ian quite a lot—to be a playboy and someone who made career-wise massive changes, but then when things changed drastically, she hadn't expected things to get the turn which still made her heart jump in awe.

Her gaze danced among the morning beauty for some more time before she decided she had to seize the day.

-

The deal with Angela Bird for the movie Resident Evil was confirmed. And they gave the rest of the movie plans to her and Mason–the producer.

Today, Ian and Mason had the next big thing for their next movie–selecting the cast.

"Crazy, Stupid, Love? That sounds cheesy enough!" Niko said while preparing the equipment to get the set for the audition ready.

He took out his camera and started adjusting it in front of where Ian was.

"This is the third time you're telling me that, Niko. Aren't you tired of it yourself?" Ian questioned back.

"I think I'm too, so who would be here? Anyone, we already know?"

"Just Ryan, Scarlett, and then Steve…."

"Steve Carell?!" Mason questioned. "The same actor who came to the Batman audition, right? I never knew that you talked to him about anything regarding this."

"Isn't it a pleasant surprise, then?" Ian asked with a shrug.

"Of course it is. The man is good at what he does—making things funny, and Ian, I have to ask, how do you always find these perfect types of people to get to the role you aim for? I have worked with your father, and to be honest, at first, when it was all about the perfect cast and storyline, we were doing shit. We had to change people even after shooting a few scenes with them, and—"

"That was a rough start?" Ian asked in the middle.

"A very rough start, which is why I'm most surprised by your actions."

"Well, uncle, even I'm trying to like you did before. But, I mean, the way I think these people would suit wouldn't work perfectly fine, and it's a weird blessing I've with actors."

"Yeah, weird indeed. Anyway, it's good for us," Mason returned to the variety of unknown figures and numerics on the paper.

"Why Crazy, Stupid, Love, though? I honestly can't believe you wrote the script in a week, with the VFX, the music of Avatar, and a fricking good script…. Aren't you tired?" Niko asked.

Since they had grown too close ever since the Avatar shooting, vacation, and everything, Niko had treated Ian like a friend, and so did Ian.

"That is exactly the point of all of this. Crazy, Stupid, Love is a project that I can do while relaxing because it is not exactly a huge movie. Yes, I'm tired because I spent weeks without sleeping, but before the shooting, I know I'll have some time left to rest. But, first, we need to get over the auditions and finish the legitimate stuff," Ian said while tapping on the desk.

His back was already in pain from sitting for too long while writing the script, which he ended two nights ago, yet, he couldn't let that affect the scheduled auditions today, and he knew it.

[...] After a few seconds of pure silence in the studio, Ryan Gosling entered the studio with a vast smile reaching his eyes. Behind him, Tristan followed him like a lost puppy.

"Good to see you back, Ryan," Ian said and walked closer to him. They hugged for a few seconds.

Pulling back, Ian shook hands with Tristan too. "How have you both been? Ryan, there's a new movie I can expect. How is it?" Ian questioned, knowing how Ryan had been busy with the shootings.

"It's going alright. It's going to be a hit as far as I see, and only the future would tell, I suppose. And again fuck, it's just nine in the morning, and I still have had nothing." As soon as Ryan said it, his stomach rumbled, making a loud noise.

"Yeah, it sounds angry. Let me ask Murphy to bring something."

[...] After a while, Scarlett, Steve, and Ryan were seated. And since the three main actors walked inside the studio, Ian wanted them to get the roles. Even if that includes forcing them into acting as he wanted, he felt he would do it—do what? You may ask. Do whatever it takes for them to perform the role.

Ian started the audition by discussing the movie plot. Knowing they all signed the NDA, he knew nothing kept him from being open about the story.

"Okay, so I'll explain a bit about the movie again. So, to start with what Crazy, Stupid, Love is about, it's a rom-com. The name itself shouts a lot, I know.

So, it would be about how Cal Weaver lives the American dream. So simple. He has a good job, a beautiful house, exceptional children, and a beautiful wife named Emily. And Cal's perfect life unravels, however, when he learns Emily has been unfaithful and wants a divorce. Over 40 and suddenly single, Cal is adrift in the fickle world of dating. Enter Jacob Palmer, a self-styled player who takes Cal under his wing and teaches him how to be a hit with the ladies." Ian said, making all of them nod.

Steve Carell previously played the role of Cal Weaver in his original world. For the part of Jacob Palmer, he thought of Ryan Gosling as he subtly had this mindset that if it weren't Ryan, there'd be no other one. For the pretty lady Ian knew from his original world, Scarlett, he wanted to see what role she'd do better. As there were plenty of parts, Ian knew they'd fit any.

"Are there questions? By your faces, I feel like I just gave the news of me divorcing my non-existing wife," Ian muttered, watching how they all went silent.

"Well–" Steve opened his mouth. "I think it would be better if we just got over the audition because, regardless of what role we aim for, what matters is if it would suit or not. So, taking nothing personally, let's start?" He asked.

Ian nodded, understanding what he was saying. "Let's start if everyone agrees. I'll explain the role before you get into it—as usual, and since the dialogues are already with you, it'll be easy for both of us."

Thus, the great audition started.

-

Scarlett got some dialogues to act in the role of Hannah. Finally, everyone was in their respective seats, and Scarlett was getting ready with the dialogues she had to recite.

"...And action!"

"Did you hear that? It's going to be a special night.' So you think he's going to propose?" Scarlett whispered.

Ian had thought of giving Emma Stone's role, Hannah, to Eloise because she had once acted as Emma in La La Land. But again, Eloise was booked for three movies at the same time, which made Ian's offer hard to accept and hard to refuse. But, 'she'll let him know if anything changes.'

Scarlett shrugged and then continued, "He's nice."

"Cut! Okay, can you shrug like this.." Ian said and acted for her to imitate.

"Yeah, sure. One more," Scarlett said, and they acted once more.

In that cut, it became official. Scarlett Johnson would act as Hannah in Crazy, Stupid, Love.

"Ryan, you already know what your character would embody. We have had this discussion, and I'm hoping you'd nail it in your first attempt," Ian said while applying pressure on his words.

"Okay…. Action!"

"Are you in a fraternity, Cal?" Then, Ryan got into his character.

"ARE YOU IN A FRATERNITY, CAL?!" He highlighted.

"Are you Steve Jobs?"

"ARE YOU THE BILLIONAIRE OWNER OF APPLE COMPUTERS?"

Ryan nailed his expressions equally, if not more successful than Ian had expected.

"Okay, cut! Ryan, this is your last test. Can you approach Scarlett and, you know, take the lead and act as a good flirt?"

"Give me five then,"

Ryan said with a smile and walked back. He talked to himself for a few seconds and walked in front of Ian. "I'm ready!" He said.

"Cool… Then Action!"

"Uhm…. Hey," Ryan said with a flirty smile. Scarlett looked back at him and gave a questioning look while raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You seem to look boring down here. Wanna hear a story?"

"Sure," everyone was silent.

"So, when I was a kid… I used to chase butterflies a lot. They were so pretty and used to hang out behind our house again A LOT, but damn, I never knew I'd get them for free… That too when I saw your eyes… Fuck–my heart," Ryan said while making everyone chuckle and clap simultaneously.

"That.. is good! I'm going to use it next time." Ian said and clapped, making everyone laugh. "Thank you, thank you."

-

After a brief break, it was Steve Carell's chance.

"And sir for you—" Ian addressed him as sir, knowing how hot-headed he was the last time they met and even a while ago. "I want you to change expressions when I tell you to, first a deadpan stare, then an incredulous look, a surprised face, and last but not least, an awkward chuckle, can you?" Ian asked.

"Sure," Steve said and got in front of the camera.

He cleared his throat before nodding to give Ian the signal to continue.

After the command, he changed his expression to exactly what Ian said. After every 'change' command...Finally, Steve chuckled awkwardly.

"Cut! Okay, thank you!" Ian said with a sigh knowing the hard part of the day was over.

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After the cast settled, Mason took care of building the set and everything. Mason had to take care of two projects simultaneously—Resident Evil movie and Crazy, Stupid, Love.

The crew worked immensely hard and was prepared and ready to start the shooting.

Yet, the clothing designers had asked for two-three extra days to finish every design they started working on.

Typically, the designers would take weeks or even months to develop a suitable closet for every character, but it was easy with Ian. He had assigned himself the role of guiding the designers to suit the characteristics of the characters, which affected their clothing patterns.

"Are you done with that?" Mason asked Ian.

Right during mid-day, Ian was scribbling and drawing an aesthetic for the clothing pattern of another character.

"I just got over with the main characters. I don't even have to draw much. The team is amicable and talented. I have to show briefly," Ian said while stretching his neck.

"Get some rest, Ian," Mason said, knowing how hard Ian had been working lately.

"We just started, uncle. There's a long way to go. Although my body aches for a rest, my mind keeps chanting, 'keep going.' Can't avoid it now, can I?" Ian chuckled and got back to do his work.

"Of course, you can't. But it was a wise move to start Crazy, Stupid, Love considering it's a 50 million dollar budget. And you know, after the release of Batman Begins, I heard many studios are already trying to get on with new movie concepts," Mason said while shaking his head.

"Are they now?" Ian scoffed.

"Yeah, but the party after Avatar got them a reality check. Still, there are directors after us wanting to know our next step. I bet my life on it. They won't expect a romantic comedy from us soon."

The way Mason implied that made Ian chuckle.

"Even if they did, I'm pretty sure we are doing fine with our projects. How is it going to Bale? I haven't seen him for a few weeks, more like more than a month," Ian said, thinking how busy he was.

"He was doing fine. He visited the office while you were away, and there's a high possibility he'd come around again. But it's like many directors are after every actor who gets the population with our movies."

"As they should, it's no wonder I saw that coming."

A comfortable silence spread between them after the words left Ian's mouth.

"Excuse me, sir, Lisa is here," Murphy said.

"Call her in, please," It was Ian.

"Nice to see you again, Lisa. How have you been?" Ian said, standing from where he was and shaking hands with Lisa.

Lisa was a pleasant-looking woman in her mid-thirties and was the co-designer with another talented-brilliant man. She had been working in the industry for quite a while now. Seven years is no joke.

"Eagerly waiting to see the designs. Oh, they are almost complete…." Lisa said, looking at the paper in Ian's hand.

"I'll see you both later," Mason said with a smile and walked out.

"Yes, so—" Ian presented the paper and pushed it to the desk for her to see.

"These are honestly great. Normally, this is something to me and Fred should be doing. I spent time on characters, the designs, and everything, but you made it easier for us by showing how they dress. And even in this–" Lisa pointed to the dress Ian had to draw for Kate. "This is something that explains a lot, and I can make an entire closet out of just this dress,"

"Hahaha… That is the plan. Although I never admit it publicly, art and drawing are something I always loved doing." Ian sighed and shrugged before continuing, "The project was scheduled to shoot on Monday anyway, which meant that this would be easy if I just helped you both. Also, it relaxes my mind," Ian said while taking a glimpse at his work.

"Yeah, I can see that. And Mr. Renner, this must be the last character, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, you're right. Here are the others. The rest of the job is yours," Ian said and smiled, allowing the woman to walk out of the office.

Ding!*

It was an email, an email addressed to Ian. By LeoTv. Ian took a deep breath and opened it, guessing it was more work for him. He couldn't think of anything more related to LeoTv than the next season of Lucifer.

Bingo!

It was an email requesting a meeting with LeoTv within the next week. Ian quickly checked the schedule, his pointy finger clicking on days on the calendar.

'Monday…Shooting,' Ian whispered to himself.

On Monday, the shooting of Crazy, Stupid, Love was supposed to begin. But, as the shooting wouldn't go days without a break, he knew he could squeeze into a meeting with LeoTv. But before that, he had something else to do.

-

21st of April, 2019.

At Renner's Mansion, Beverly Hills.

It was a day off for Ian. He couldn't wake up in his bed, even though it had been almost an hour since his consciousness hit after a deep, peaceful sleep. Taking the phone from the nightstand, it read 12.08 pm.

'Well, here we go.'

He stood up and got out of bed. Walking to the bathroom, he knew a warm shower would wake all his brain cells up for the following tasks he had to achieve.

[...] While the water hit his hair, as any average person would go through brainstorming ideas, Ian had his moment during the shower.

In his mind, he kept thinking about what had happened during the past couple of months. First, Batman Begins was released, and how the journey went took a turn in his own life. And then, the Avatar.

He smiled to himself while the water washed his face. Avatar brought the best experiences that he had ever had while shooting. He thought about how he had never had such an experience with one movie, even in his previous life. The forest, diving, flying—Experiences he got knew no boundaries.

After that, he focused on the VFX editing, scriptwriting, and helping a little out for the pre-production of Crazy, Stupid, Love. Thinking about all of it, he felt at ease and heavy both. He sighed.

Then his thoughts were clouded about his next steps, and ever heard that thoughts could go at a flash speed, unlike talking? That was what was happening inside Ian's mind. In a blink, everything played, and the rest of the information—he thought.

Crazy, Stupid, Love, Lucifer, Batman: The Dark Knight, and maybe more. More, he thought, not just a movie, but M.O.R.E.

-

Sitting in front of the laptop, after a long day of break—he started typing what he was about to do next.

Complete writing of Season 2 of Lucifer.

They addressed the email to Ian to discuss the next step with Lucifer. Since LeoTv had gotten quite a lot of exposure and unconditional attraction for the series, they wanted to quicken the following season. And it was mainly because, when the hype goes down, it will lead to decrements in their following plans.

Ian, who knew they would probably ask for the script, and discussions for the next series, started typing out the manuscript.

LUCIFER: Season 2, Episode 1.

-Previously On Lucifer

And you've left Hell behind

to take a vacation in Los Angeles.

Well, where else would I go?

Your return to the Underworld

has been requested.

Remind Dad I quit Hell because I was sick and tired

of playing a part in his play.

/\_

His night flew by, and he composed the manuscript for four episodes. While writing the manuscript, so many emotions flooded Ian's mind. But they were mainly about Lucifer's character traits.

Urgh! Back to square one, talking about Lucifer, aren't we? No.

They built Lucifer's character to hang in with his personality and charisma throughout the entire series. Ian had almost forgotten how much of an interesting character Lucifer is. Still, writing dialogues and thinking about the movements—it was almost as if episodes played in front of his eyes.

It was almost 5 am, and Ian was in the last episode he had targeted the previous night. As he kept typing on his computer, he felt a yawn escaping his mouth.

- Cover me... - Keep it spiraling

Keep it spiraling, keep it spiraling

Keep it spiraling

- Cover me... - Keep it spiraling

Keep it spiraling, keep it spiraling...

[yells]

Keep it spiraling...

I tried with open eyes, but I couldn't see.

He sighed contentment and saved his work before walking down to have a full glass of water before sleep.

A word from me_

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It was Monday. Finally, yes.

The team prepared the set, and there were already actors present; in fact, the entire crew was current when Ian walked in.

"Good morning, everyone! I can feel the energy from miles away!" Ian said and took a seat in the director's chair.

His coffee was in his hand, and everyone was doing different-different things on their own.

Niko was with the camera crew and talking with the camera-lighting handling guy.

Mason was talking with some actors on the set. The make-up artists were highly busy, with a beauty blending the faces of actors and actresses to suit the lighting.

"Ian, good morning!" Mason shouted from the other end of the set.

"So, how long would it take, guys?!" Ian asked Mason.

"More or less—an hour, I'd say. Ryan over here was practically waiting for you!" Niko said because it was true. Besides Niko, Ryan was already dressed up in a plain t-shirt, knowing that they would shoot his scene today or tomorrow, but he was there on the first day because it was the first day. And since Ian Renner was exceptional, he wanted to be there on the first day.

"How is it going?" Ian asked and walked in between the two gentlemen discussing something related to the movie.

"Ian, where were you?!" Ryan chuckled at his own words.

"Not far away," Ian said while shaking his head. The excellent mood between Ryan and Niko was pretty noticeable, considering how smiley they were.

"The thing is, Ian…." Niko said. "We have the same question with the movie title, Crazy, Stupid, Love?" He asked.

"And again, you're asking the same thing, Niko."

"I agree with Niko. It's way too cheesy to exist. How did you even come up with it?" Ryan questioned.

Ian had a smile plastered on his face, listening to their questions about the movie title. It reminded him of what had happened while the movie director from his previous world had tried to come up with a movie title.

Some say that the filmmakers offered a free iPad on-set to whoever created a title for the movie. And in the previous world, Steve Carell said that he hated the film's title, stating that he couldn't imagine a group of college guys saying, "Five tickets to Crazy, Stupid, Love. please." Also, one of the working titles Carell preferred was "The Wingman," which he felt was a boring title but more accurately described the film's plot.

The entire thing seemed weirdly nostalgic to Ian.

"What would be the fun if I revealed everything right now? Heh? And I know the movie title is weird, but trust me, it fits the story perfectly. Good to see you here, Ryan, even after knowing that we wouldn't shoot your scene today," Ian said with his lips curling up.

"Ahaha… I'm unwanted. Is that what you are saying, director?"

They joked a bit more until they arrived for them to shoot.

[...]

The location was a bar. Although the original bar was totally out of the theme, as Ian had imagined, they had changed almost everything.

"...Just like that, the focus from the shoes to their pairs of shoes and slippers is the shot. And first, you both. Next, you both. Next, you two and finally, Steve and Charlotte. Are we ready? The motions should be like what I mentioned. Okay?!" Ian asked them as they nodded in return.

They placed the cameras almost everywhere. Niko felt perfect.

"...Finally, Action!"

CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE

DIRECTOR: IAN RENNER

SCENE: 001 TAKE: 001 ROLL: 001

CAMERA: NIKO

DATE: 22nd of April, 2019.

The clapperboard made a 'clap' sound while the shots started. It was simply the shots of the leg works. Ian wanted them to feel it, so he made the environment for it.

They heard soft music. The legs started doing their job. The ladies with heels started nudging the men who wore shoes. Some heels went in between the legs, and some got closer to men's legs.

"Cut! No, no, no! That was pretty aggressive!"

Everyone laughed at that. "Lady, is that how you seductively try to get on his pants? I mean, at least make it believable, slow. Take it slow, you kicked the man, and I'm glad it was something like a dance. Or else, you'd have made a hole despite the leather in his shoe, considering that heel is sharper than Niko's house knife—I didn't see, he told me once."

The people were already laughing. "I-I'm sorry," the girl said through laughs.

"Okay… One more! Are we ready?" He asked, looking at everyone.

[...] The scene where Cal first hears about his divorce was recorded. It was a funny scene to the audience but was not for Cal. Considering Steve was an outstanding actor, Ian had hoped with his acting in this specific opening scene.

"Okay, and then you'll pull up your reading glasses… Go on saying you shouldn't have eaten, abracadabra, and then finally, your facial features should be on point, Charlotte. Like at the moment, Sir. Carell would have the most expressionless face ever, but you…are internally struggling, and we should show it. Are we clear?" Ian asked while both of them nodded.

Before Ian returned, they called by his name.

"Yeah?"

"Please call me Steve," Steve said with a smile, which Ian returned.

"Camera roll… Wait, it's dark, her face. Lighting, Niko!" Ian looked at Niko.

"Can you touch her face up in the right a bit?" Niko asked a make-up artist, who quickly got into the job. "Zid….Zid, to the left. No, hold it a little higher! Perfect. How about now, Ian?" Niko asked.

"Okay… Roll camera... Action!"

How Cal wore white sneakers to a five-star hotel showed Cal hadn't given a shit about the date. But then, the scene officially started after the camera rose up and up.

Cal pulled out his reading glasses and looked at the menu. In front of him, Tracy seemed highly dull.

"Cut! No, Charlotte. Frustration… I want to see it in you; your hands would go like this. But, on the inside, 'ah fuck this man, what the hell am I doing here? It is not supposed to go like this?! I can't even understand that I'm looking at a dessert menu when I should talk about what is happening between us!' should be your thoughts. And Steve, don't look at her. Not like that at least, be severely interested in the desert, one more time!" Ian said while walking back to his director's chair.

"Okay… Let's do this!" Charlotte exited herself up and got into her role.

"...Action!"

The scene started and went by smoothly.

"Well, I'm full. You were right, hon. I shouldn't have eaten all that bread. Want to share a dessert?"

Tracy was lost in thought, gazing at the menu.

"You okay, babe? You seem out of it." And then Cal looked interested and worried about her, yet his eyes were still focused on the dessert.

Men are easy to understand, they said. Does that mean they have no filter? Or do they not think much? Tracy's thoughts were on a battle.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about what I want," Tracy replied.

"Me too. Okay, let's say it at the same time. One. Two. Three…"

"I want a divorce." "Crème brûlée."

Both of them had different answers. Finally, a third voice chirped into their count, "Cut!" It was Ian.

"Nailed it… It was such an excellent shot! But take a break, and we'd have to move a little for the next one!" Ian said and let everyone else take a break.

Hence, the shootings began.

The long day ended with Ian successfully taking some of the best shots necessary for the movie.

He knew they were the best, considering how good the acting was.

The rest of the technical side was for later. He intended to finish the movie's filming as quickly as possible, considering the film's potential and the actors.

If he wasted time on every little thing, he'd be inwardly wasting the precious time of others, too.

Therefore, he got the perfect shots in quick takes, considering the entire main casts were well-known actors and actresses except for one.

"For the first day, I must admit that everyone nailed it. Sir, Steve Carell, I'm sorry to call you Sir again, but your acting was so well dedicated. I didn't think you'd step up to roll out of the vehicle yourself, and you did so great as a huge risk as it was. And I'm very excited about the long journey. Cheers!" Ian said while everyone applauded for a great start.

They dismissed everyone in less than an hour, and Ian went home with his notebook and phone—which were his most important things.

By the time he reached the house, he was dead tired. But he was also looking forward to another great day—t.o.m.o.r.r.o.w.

A word from me_

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"I don't know, Hannah. Your life is just so... PG-13." Liz said, taking a sip from her drink.

"My life is not PG-13!" Hannah shouted. Her mouth opened wide in shock.

"It so is. You've never left LA. You pass the bar, and you're going to be a patent lawyer, probably married to that snooze-fest Richard. I worry about you, is all. Hell, you've resorted to fantasizing about Noah Big-head' Lincoln."

"He's funny," Hannah said shamelessly, but she looked adorable.

"He looked like a carrot, honey."

Hannah laughed at that.

"Who?" Both their eyes turned to meet the masculine voice.

"Cut! Ah, the emotions, Ryan. I know what you're feeling, but that's not it. I want the cockiness to show through your confidence. It's a hard one to pull off, but this girl would be like, 'oh my gods, ' and your actions should be confident enough, and I want to see it from your face when the camera is in your face. And do you need a break?" Ian asked after explaining how the scene wasn't as he expected.

"Yeah, five would be great," Ryan said and walked towards the restroom after Ian agreed to take five.

"I can't wait to see the last cut of this scene. It's too good to be spoiled," Niko said, walking towards Ian.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be any less from what we have in mind."

"Have you heard from Raelynn? She should be here at any moment," Mason asked, walking towards Ian and Niko.

"Yeah, " she said, how persistent goofy sounded while she signed the last paper off. "At least she escapes. Her words, not mine," Niko said. Ian scoffed, and Mason chuckled, walking back to where he was.

After a brief break after the Avatar filming, Raelynn wanted to end the contract and deal with Goofy considering how inconsiderate her future could be—besides the tremendous amount of salary they signed her up for. But after many thoughts and discussions, she knew that Renner Studio had much more potential. Being 25 years old, apart from achieving the highest destination in her career, she wanted a workspace that could provide her with the artistic freedom she craved. And meeting Ian was a blessing for her. Regardless, from this day, she would be a cinematographer for Renner Studio.

[...] After five minutes, the bar was ready and prepared to take a retake.

"And… Action!"

"Hi. Who looks like a carrot?" Cal questioned. This time, his actions spoke louder than his words—and Ian nodded.

"Noah Lincoln. My friend Hannah thinks he's sexy."

Ian had changed the script from Conan O'Brian to Noah Lincoln, an equally successful actor in the industry. Still, Ian didn't find the potential he did with Conan, but he just went with Noah.

"I think your friend Hannah is sexy," Cal said, making Hannah laugh.

"Cut! What are you doing over there, Blue dress?" Ian asked.

"I'm sorry," The girl in the blue dress was startled.

"It's alright. Let's take another shot. The background honestly shouldn't be messy or out of place. The entire dining should be as I planned. Are we ready?" Ian asked while everyone nodded.

"Yes!"

"Let's do it!"

Everyone regained their hype and started to get back to their jobs. Ryan Gosling, on the other hand, was confident in himself. Although the first shot was nerve-wracking, he got an espy about how the character is.

"I feel like the character is like me now," he said before while Ian personally talked to him about the character—right after he messed up thrice in a row.

"...Action!" Ian commanded.

"I think your friend Hannah is sexy," Ryan said.

"You didn't just say that." Scarlett laughed and muttered out.

…The rest of the conversation went smoothly, and rewriting the dialogues would make it boring considering how perfect it was, almost like the original. Still, the actress and the background were different.

"Answer this quickly, without thinking about your answer: do you find me attractive?" Ryan asked.

"I don't," Scarlett said, but a laugh slipped her mouth as soon as she said the words. "You ARE attractive!" She then said, making everyone laugh.

"Cut!" Ian said, still laughing at Scarlett's expression. Her eyes widened when she laughed, unable to suppress her lie any longer. "Acting is lying—Make it believable to you so that I can. Don't even flinch, Scarlett," Ian said. Still, a smile plastered on his face.

Everyone went silent at his sudden motivational advice, yet the environment became normal and severe in a while—serious enough to start the shooting.

-

Angela Bird was an award-winning director. Although she had tough times, she was now back in the industry and felt more vital than ever. She spent her entire previous night sleeplessly. Something she had as a habit was the first day before the shooting—it would be a tough hell night for her.

Yet, here she was.

"Well, Clara… It would be best if you looked more surprised. Like, 'is that what my voice seriously sounds like?!' I'll be expecting that," While Angela was explaining to Clara, the A-Grade actress who played the role of Alice in Resident Evil, the make-up artist had her hands on Clara's face.

This was the third day that the filming had started.

Finally, she had her sequence of the scenes she thought she should begin shooting with, and the entire cast, including Clara, the producer Mason, and everyone else, followed Angela's words.

"Yeah, gotcha. One more time?"

"Whenever you're ready, Simon, can you get closer to her face? The expressions are pretty important," Angela talked to the cinematographer.

He nodded with a thumbs up, and the rest of the shooting continued.

"...Roll Camera….And Action!"

As soon as the command was given, Clara took a framed photograph on the desk. It was of her and a handsome man.

Camera 2 caught her and a handsome man standing in front of the rose bushes in the garden. He had his arm around her. He wore a wedding ring.

"Business!" Angela commanded.

Clara turned her head down to look at her hand. She, too, wore a sample gold band. 'This man was her husband?' The question arose.

A sudden shadow fell across the desk. It was none other than a teammate of theirs.

"Cut!" Angela's voice came out, yet Clara had already done her part, part where she jumped, startled.

"Let's take a break of five," Angela said while staring at the monitor screen in front of her.

The entire set went back to relaxing. Then, finally, Clara walked back and sat on the actress's chair while talking with her boyfriend, who was on the scene, watching how she was doing.

"Angela is strict. I never thought she was as strict as the other people say," She sighed and gulped down a good amount of water.

"You got this; forget about her, think about your role."

"Yeah, I know, dear director. Thanks for your kind words," She muttered and picked up her phone from the table near her.

-

In a particular magazine studio.

There were three men and a lady sitting on their respective chairs. They could easily categorise all of them to be in their middle age—but don't let looks fool you.

"I can't believe I'd interview Ian Renner tomorrow," the girl who was already scribbling things to question Ian said to all the three people in their office.

"I don't know if you should be sad or happy," the one with a long beard commented.

"Why?" "Huh?" "What do you mean?"

The questions were expected, but he didn't expect it to sound creepy when they all talked in sync. Instead, it almost took him off-guard.

"Well, the thing is…. I know the man has won Oscars and then always successfully makes movies that possibly take millions of people by surprise. But right now, as we all know. He is associated with Goofy. From what I know, Goofy is a company which possibly makes friends but only if they need future benefits—"

"What's your point, Alex?" the girl questioned, clearly curious about what he was about to say.

"Well, as far as I know, Ian wants his way in Hollywood. He goes with genres untouched. He aims high and might even surpass Goofy, but Goofy. They have their own story. They're the type to crush anyone who tries to surpass them, although they don't show it. You guys remember how many studio-related people came crying to promote their story in our magazines?"

Everyone nodded while the girl shook her head, understanding his point.

"So… My point is, maybe Ian would hit a downfall, eventually. I can't say for sure since things are going great for him."

"Why care about it, anyway?" One guy said. "Even if he was hit down, it would be a great story to us. People die in shame when they return to their words; words they were on top, and internally die when they hit rock bottom."

"Ahaha… I remember William's story. Haha. His face was bitter when one of our team asked what happened to his words from before. And… just, don't get too excited thinking, 'Oh, it's iAnN.' Just treat him as another successful director, and try to find anything possible to make a good story." Alex said with a blank expression.

"Okay, senior," she said and started cutting some of her questions off, clearly affected by what her colleague said.

A word from me_

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[SYSTEM NOTICE: Read 6, 7 or 13 advanced chapters of Hollywood King in -/TC_L and support the author. Happy reading fellow passenger!]

At Wine cafe - the coffee shop.

Ian and the article reporter were looking face-to-face, and the coffee shop was as silent as it was when they first got in. The reporter had a massive espresso mug, while Ian had an average-sized coffee.

"...So yes, I have somewhere to be in exactly thirty minutes. I thought of rescheduling it, but again, your reporting head was persistent in doing the interview, and as he said, not like Ian does many interviews, anyway." Ian said with a smile, and his words were supposed to be a joke—which went above the reporter's head, considering how visibly uncomfortable she was.

"Ahaha…" She laughed awkwardly. Although she was confident about what her questions would be, she had never expected Ian Renner to be such a warm person. Ever since she got here, he had been nothing but considerate. Because of that, the nervousness in the pit of her stomach kept increasing. "Sure, sir, I'll be recording everything you say. That's fine right?" She asked.

'Of course, it is. If not, what am I supposed to do? Write everything?' She thought to herself sarcastically and cleared her throat. "I'm Leah, and I'm from the Hollywood Night magazine. Thank you so much for agreeing to give us this interview. Considering you are very busy these days, we thought it would be almost impossible."

"Oh… haha, it's not a problem. Nice to meet you, Leah," Ian said with a smile and took the first sip of his coffee.

"Yes, straight to the point. We have had rumors about how you and Goofy had made deals. And considering that, Goofy is one of the biggest Hollywood movie-making companies. How do you feel about it? And is there anything you've been hiding from the media?" She asked upfront.

The question was tricky. And Ian knew what she was asking.

"Well, yes. Something I have not been exposing is how the rumors spread even before we made deals. It was like, I saw these trends going on in Nwitter, and the next day, I was getting called for a meeting by the CEO, Mr. Sanson. So anyway, I was busy with that movie for the past couple of months. The one we collaborated on. It was a great experience, and the VFX department is one of the best in the industry I have ever known and seen. And I can tell everyone to wait for an exceptional movie—which would be something that one could not forget during their entire lifetime," Ian said with a nod, which Leah returned.

"Ian… A movie director, songwriter, author, what's next? Do you have plans to act?"

"Again, it's a yes. I can't say no to that because the future ahead of me is a long journey. But also, I want to focus on movie production and directing for some more time before I think about anything. And writing… It's something I have always enjoyed doing. Ever heard that too many ideas can never be enough?"

Leah chuckled in response. "The criticisms are not always positive. We do a little tabloid on the advice from the people we interview. And mainly, they are questions asked by our readers and followers so that they could help the youngsters out there. So, Ian, your question is. How do you deal with criticism?"

"Honestly, at first, I had to take some time to figure out how people exactly react to my ideas. And, with the execution, I can't say much because it is a comparatively long process—obviously very long that it takes for someone to post a comment based on the move. And even after going through the huge process, if the fans find something extremely out of their taste, the problem is not me. It's their preference. If the criticism is constructive, I will try my best to improve for future projects of mine. But if it's something where the problem is not on me, I'd have to ignore them,"

Ian's answer made a lot of sense. There were four more questions, some of the frequent interviewer-director questions.

"... the Last question of the day, Is there anyone you're seeing right now?"

Ian chuckled at the question. "It's for me to know and you to find out. Thank you so much for the wonderful interview," Ian said with a nod, signaling that he had completed the questions.

-

Renner Studio Main Office Building, Beverly Hills, California.

His next stop of the day was at his office room.

Walking inside the office, many employees greeted him.

After their new recruitment a while ago, the office felt more vibrant.

"Sir, Ian…. Mr. Greyson is already in the meeting room." A tall male with round-shaped spectacles said, almost running out of breath.

Ian frowned at how he looked like he just got out of a marathon, "Where's Murphy?" Ian asked without asking about the 'other' thing.

"He went running some errands. Should be back soon,"

"Okay, thanks,"

Ian muttered quickly and walked inside the meeting with the devil.

Devil—Politician, yes. But the devil can also be a friend, right?

"Hello, Christopher," The back of the politician was the only thing that greeted Ian when he walked inside the office. "Were you waiting for long?" He asked.

"Nah, just two and half hours–" Ian was shocked at how serious Christopher looked. "Just kidding, five-ten minutes."

Ian dragged his chair to the front. "Yeah, okay. So, I invited you here today because I have been thinking about what we talked about the other day at the party. I know how if I cut the bullcrap and get to the point. Without a proper financial backlog, you're going to lose the election," he said.

Christopher Greyson looked shocked, surprised, and speechless for the first time in quite a while. Considering that he was someone who had any response at the worst positions, the recent meet-up was hitting him like unexpected rain.

"Uh- I-" His mouth opened and closed several times. Then, finally, he took a deep breath in and sighed. "I know. I honestly am very well known about my situation. And trust me when I say that I don't mind losing the election, but my effort is worth everything. And it's fine if we're about to talk about something related to the upcoming election—It's nice knowing you—" He stood up from the seat.

"Despite—" Ian said, making him stop in his tracks. "Despite all of those setbacks. I want to say that I can see a talented, charismatic, and smart person with a good heart. And I'm ready to fund your campaign since it would be a fight for the senate position…. Also, this might turn into a mutually beneficial friendship." Ian's honest and perfectly singular-meant words made Christopher sit back in his chair.

His words meant something that anyone could understand because this wasn't like a sort of rocket science. Just political talks—worse than rocket science.

"I'm surprised at how you're asking this from me straight away," Christopher implied about something Ian wasn't comfortable with.

"Hmm… I did. I want to help you with this matter," Ian said again.

"Can I know why? I see no reason you'd help me when you know a lot is at stake. And you just signed deals with Goofy. So why don't you support the parties they support? And they are hell-bent on not helping me because I'm not the type to take illegal actions or support companies like Goofy just due to the connections, I'm someone who longs to do the right thing. So, you help me after knowing who I am, is confusing," Christopher questioned.

"As to answer your questions…." Ian explained what he wanted in the future, and he was doing this.

Regardless, Christopher agreed to let Ian fund the campaign after an hour more discussion. This partnership could mean many things or a single thing.

They would win together — or lose... And kids, that's what happens in partnerships.

-

"What is the time?" Ian asked Raelynn, who was seated beside Niko. Her laptop was turned on, and she was busy, just like she was the whole evening.

"Ah, 7. It's already seven!" She said while rubbing her temples harshly.

"Hmm… I should get back to the studio. Unfortunately, the nap extended for an hour, although I aimed for thirty minutes."

Ian yawned and walked out of the office room without glancing back at the room.

"I do not know how anyone could fall asleep on a desk. Like how-" Raelynn shook her head, muttering to herself, and then got back to work.

Ian walked inside the hollow and dark room. The only light visible was the screen. On that, there was Avatar already being edited. Almost three people sat in front of the thousands of buttons/ gliders fixed on the table.

"This is going great," Ian muttered while walking in.

"It is. And Ian, get some rest. It's the twentieth day, and you still are wandering in, every night," the person who sat beside Lucas muttered.

Ian chuckled at the concern. It was true. Saturdays and Sundays were the only days he got off from the editing; even during those days, he had been busy. Yet, Ian couldn't help but 'help' Lucas and his team, considering how big of a project this was.

"Thanks for the concern—"

"Ian, before you say anything. It will be perfect if you sleep at night from tomorrow. You can always check in from time to time, but since we have completed the basics, you can trust us,"

"It's not about trusting, Lucas. But, of course, I trust everyone. It's just my passion to watch the editing process. As tired as I felt before, after walking in and seeing this thing slowly build up, I feel like spending some more minutes—and then the minutes turn to hours. The night goes in a blink unless I'm too tired, of course," Ian said, and others nodded in understanding.

'He was someone who truly adored what he does,' the person beside Ian thought to himself and looked at Ian, who kept his gaze on the face of Neytiri, which was on the screen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any questions about our flight today, please don't hesitate to ask the author, since she is more than ready to answer all of them.

Thank you!"

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[SYSTEM NOTICE: Read 6, 7 or 13 advanced chapters of Hollywood King in -/TC_L and support the author. Happy reading fellow passenger!]

[Two weeks from the meeting between Ian and Christopher]

It was an unforgettable day for all the candidates fighting for the Senate seat.

During the hour they had talked about Christopher's campaign strategies and everything, Ian had discussions about how much he would need to finance. At first, Christopher didn't look very enthusiastic about Ian's idea, because his thoughts conflicted with Ian's unexpected disclosure.

But then, with how the conversation flowed, and how he knew he would *need* Ian's help with the election, he decided to be open and agree with the statement, "you'll help me whenever I need in the future for this./ This might turn into a mutually beneficial relationship."

Chugging down the bottle of water that kept him from being anxious on his big day before the elections, he had doubts about the deal he had made with Ian. And being the honest, nice guy he is, he had a sleepless night thinking about the various miserable situations he might get into in the future if there's going to be something against Ian.

"Are you daydreaming again?" His secretary asked.

His secretary was a short-lean guy and had proved his loyalty on multiple different occasions which made Christopher proud of the decision that he picked his secretary from many others who wanted the job.

"Ah, can't help but think of Ian. The young guy is too smart for his own good."

"What do you mean? From what I heard, he is nice and friendly."

"Well yeah, I couldn't agree more with it. But, he knows his boundaries, he knows his limits. He is not the type to play around. If only I hadn't wanted the funds for my campaigns, I'd not let someone like Ian, who especially has connections with Goofy, help me."

"Wait, I'm confused," his assistant frowned and cracked his knuckles thinking about something else.

A few seconds passed by, and the secretary himself zoned out a bit. Christopher cleared his throat and raised his eyebrow to ask—what are you talking about? "You are not the type to let people help just because you're in a tough spot. Is there anything more to the story?" He asked.

Christopher smiled at his question. "What were you thinking about?"

"Meh, it doesn't matter. The last time something like this happened—I don't even want to remember it."

"Hmm… I know what you're talking about. And to answer the question of why—I genuinely like that guy. I have not seen many people who are like him. From the way, he talks to the way he points out facts directly. Although I'm a bit worried about what I might have to pay back with, I think it'll be fine," he said, trying to make his assistant feel better, and so was his mind.

When it summed up the funds, legally, an independent donor could only fund around $10,000. After a while of discussing how much money they would need, they concluded that Ian needed to circumvent the law and go for indirect funding. For that, his plans of clever accounting and financing would play the role.

Anyway, right after the discussion about the whole 'fund-me-get-power' deal, Ian made donations so that the campaigns could proceed without any problem.

"It's your time to get on the stage…. You got this," his assistant cheered him up with a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Christopher nodded and walked up to the stage.

Currently, they are at the University of California, California.

The main theater was decorated, prepared, and looking all good for the debate that was being held by a combination of different media channels.

Since the election was the utmost important thing that was going to be in the state for some more time, this debate is almost like an interaction with the public through a screen.

"Today's debate is being made possible by the following organizations: Mediacroc Foundation, RN George Foundation, Semi-City Foundation, Board Body Organisation, and Central Height Foundation. Hello, on the behalf of the California debate commission, welcome to 'Voters Who?', 2022 California US primary debate. I am Karen Mary, head of the California Public Radio and Television State House News Bureau.

We are coming to you live from the W.S. Paul cultural and performing arts center on the campus of the University of California. Joining me on stage are the contenders hoping to fill the seat left vacant by retiring US senator Aldo De Silva, the candidates facing off in the primary election are, Mike Stanford, J.F. Moor, Rick Rogers, Christopher Greyson, and F. U. Mayden. Thank you all for joining us."

A round of applause erupted through the crowd. She was standing on the podium, and there was too much focus on her.

With the lights, cameras, and everything else, the temperature decrease which was due to the tension was easily noticeable.

"The participants were selected according to the guidelines of the California debate commission, a coalition of State News Organisation, Universities, and Civic groups whose mission is to create better debates for better elections. The format and rules for this debate were agreed to by all of the candidates.

The participants will have thirty seconds for opening remarks and then questioning will begin. You will each have 90 seconds to answer followed by 30 seconds rebuttal at my discretion. Not every candidate will answer every question.

Questions for today's debate come from residents around the state, who submitted them to the California debate commission, and from the news that come up in recent days. We remind all the audience here to mute your phones and refrain from applause, making noise, or attempting to participate in or influence the debate. No photography or recording is allowed…."

Thus, the debate started.

-

At a certain home, in California.

"I can't believe Christopher is participating in the elections. I mean, I don't think he can take charge of an entire state considering he is a youngster."

"Ah, don't say that now. He does lots of good shit to people often. If you think about and compare the other candidates to him, what the hell do others even present? As for Mayden, this is her first time—I don't think she has enough experience nor skills, or talent. Rick Rogers is talking about his grandkids—We need someone who thinks about the present rather than the future or past because there are too many things to be addressed. Moor and Mike, are butt-licking every powerful person in California. In my eyes, Christopher is most likely the only person who could do something fair and good to our state."

"Who are we to judge?"

"Why shouldn't we judge? Sis, you are always biased towards anyone except Christopher. And I really hope he wins this election. Even his debate points were good, thought and well-planned, and yeah… How would you know? You literally went out of the house saying you can't listen to them?"

"Meh, today the poll numbers for the candidates would be shown. They are mostly based on the debate points and stuff, but they also compare the poll numbers from last month's debate."

"There'd be one more debate next week before the election, and that wouldn't be as dense as today's one. Oh wait, there's the re-"

"...The last time when we took a look at the latest polls, it was shown to be these numbers were distributed among the candidates who would be facing the election.

Mike Stanford...25%

J.F. Moor...36%

Rick Rogers...23%

Christopher Greyson...13%

F.U. Mayden...…3%

And these statistics were highly celebrated by every voter considering, that the majority of the Senate resident general voted for J.F. Moor. Talking about this month's polls, it looks like the fight for the position is in a warm game of candidates."

As soon as the reporter said that, both the male and female in the house gasped at how drastically the numbers had changed.

Mike Stanford...25%

J.F. Moor...4%

Rick Rogers...23%

Christopher Greyson...43%

F.U. Mayden...…3%

"Fuck! I told you Greyson would do it! Sis, look at that! My vote this time wouldn't be for some sort of a power-hungry greedy old mother-"

"Don't complete that sentence. And let's see… If his campaigns keep continuing like how it was for the last few days, I'm sure Moor, Mayden, and Mike would literally go home with 0 votes."

"So, do you agree that Greyson can do something for the state?!"

"Yeah, of course. The only reason I said he wouldn't make it is how he had had so many setbacks with other people in power. Now, this looks very interesting, and there must have changed! Hmm…" The elder sister frowned at the numbers.

She had been working for the government, as a secretary for another politician for five years, and the political talks around the house had been ongoing in the house ever since the campaigns had been going for the Senator position.

Looking at the poll numbers, there was a gut feeling that something must really have changed because those numbers meant a lot of things.

Once the news was completed, tabloid coverage from the same news channel came up. Both the siblings looked up from their phones.

"... In Hollywood news, Rumours suggest, that Renner Studios' latest entree into the Rom-Com genre, Crazy, Stupid, Love, is about to finish filming. The discussions are ongoing considering this movie was completely exposed to the public out of the blue. It has also been confirmed that the trailer for the movie would be released within two weeks."

"What?!" Both of them said in sync.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any questions about our flight today, please don't hesitate to ask the author, since she is more than ready to answer all of them.

Thank you!"

[Final system notification before take-off: Join the discord server, so that the landing might be easy with no bumpy phase; https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv]

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At Renner Mansion, Beverly Hills.

It was the last day of the shooting for Crazy, Stupid, Love. The filming ended with wonderful smiles among everyone considering how wholesome the entire journey was. Scarlett and some other actors, and actresses even had tears while Ian was delivering the thank you speech.

Ian mentioned every detail that had encouraged everyone to complete the filming in such a short time. Yet, the movie was taken extravagantly perfect, which surprised Ian. Especially when the original movie had taken 53 days to complete shooting.

Nevertheless, Ian had a smile plastered on his face while he was remembering the filming process.

In his hand, there was the television remote controller, and in his other hand, there was a cup of coffee.

He changed the channels and saw the live debate of Christopher and other candidates who were presenting themselves for the Senator role. The lady had just started the welcoming and introductory speech.

Since it already has been a few weeks since he talked to Christopher, he had almost forgotten about it.

"I'm Christopher Greyson…"

Right when his introduction speech was ongoing, Ian had turned the television on. 'Perfect,' Ian thought.

The debate flowed smoothly, and the candidates started answering and giving honest replies to all the questions that the residents had submitted. They had answered the majority of their common questions, and it was truly something to watch them talk and debate.

"...Yes, and so… considering the poll numbers, Christopher is in the lead for the state of California, giving his party a surprising lead in the elections. If this keeps up till the end of the election, we can say one thing for sure… And that is—"

'Going like this, I might apply for the next presidential election.' Ian laughed inside his mind at a crazy thought that came suddenly.

After a while, after the people on TV kept debating, suddenly the tabloid which addressed the rumors about Ian's next movie came up.

'What the f–' Ian said and increased the volume so that he could hear the TV clearly.

"... In Hollywood news, Rumours suggest, that Renner Studios' latest entree into the Rom-Com genre, Crazy, Stupid, Love, is about to finish filming. The discussions are ongoing considering this movie was completely exposed to the public out of the blue. It has also been confirmed that the trailer for the movie will be released within two weeks."

'Right!' he said with a 'tsk' sound and waited till the channel focuses on the debate. What the tabloid said was true.

During the last day of shooting, Ian had talked with Mason and everyone else on the team to create the trailer that could attract so many people considering the fame that the name itself could bring—the name of Ian.

After the 'La La Land' musical movie release, people were already expecting another rom-com from Ian. It was mainly because of how heartwarming it was and how good and rare that sort of movie for the industry was.

Nevertheless, Ian wondered how the rumors were already festering considering the movie trailer was not even complete.

-

The next morning.

Ian was on his way to meet the Co-CEO and Chief content officer, director, Ted Peter.

The director was trying to put up a meeting with Ian Renner for almost two weeks now. It wasn't that Ian was just busy, but also Ian had to delay it considering his other plans and editing of the script.

The entire lobby was filled with men and women wearing different types of suits and formal wear, considering every one of them was associated with the media.

"Hello sir, you must be Ian Renner?" A pretty lady who had the name 'Rosy' labelled on her blazer walked in front of Ian.

"Ah yes, meeting with Ted."

"Yes sir, please follow me. Mr. Peter was expecting your arrival for a couple of minutes now."

"Yeah, heavy traffic."

"It's okay sir, the fifth floor," She said as she clicked the fifth level button.

As soon as they walked through the same narrow corridor Ian was met with ages ago, they finally reached Ted's office.

Knock knock*

With just two knocks, Rosy got permission to invite Ian in.

[...] "...I have been trying to contact you for two or three weeks now. But, you've been quite the busy man, Ian. I gotta tell you that, Murphy--your assistant, is a good choice that you've made. He knows what he does."

"Haha… Yeah, I know. He can be good at talking to people. He knows exactly when to say the right thing."

"So, Ian. How have things been going for you?"

"Things have been going quite well lately. There have been so many good changes and everything. And, I completed the script for the next season. I was busy with this as well," Ian said and placed the pile of papers on the table.

"Ah… Ah! You knew it! Good to know and good to see!" Tad riffled the papers and sighed in contentment.

"That sigh explains a lot," Ian said and chuckled.

"I thought you'd be ignoring the meeting, Ian. Considering how good Lucifer has screened and how high our bars of profits per month went, I can't afford to lose the deal, Ian."

"Yeah, and you also know I'm not the man to dip like that. I want you to go through the script and let me know what you think. I made some changes to the script, keeping in mind most of the comments and reviews from the previous season. The main issue was how the plot of an episode kept recurring. So, I tried my best to avoid it this season. And, I think—-"

Knock Knock*

"Uh excuse me, come in!"

"Am I late?" The head that peaked inside the office was none other than Marcello, the director of the movie.

"Of course not! Please come in!" Ted said in a loud, cheery voice making Ian's eyebrows raise in question.

"Nice to meet you," Ian said and shook hands with Marcello.

"Nice to meet you too kid, thank you so much for agreeing to come today. We were waiting for you for so long."

That was when Ian remembered what type of a person he was. Marcello was someone who literally had beef with every newbie director/scriptwriter/actor or basically, a-n-y-o-n-e.

"Ah yes, I was busy with some stuff. I honestly wanted to say thank you for how well you've done with the first season of Lucifer. It is even trending in the most watched original series in the US. That is something which says a lot."

Ian tried to appreciate what he did.

"Oh yes yes, I'm so aware. Is that the new script I see?" Marcello said looking at the table, it was almost as if he completely ignored Ian's appreciation.

"Drop the act now, Marcello. The young man is new but more talented than many of us here. Give your first tough impression to anyone but him."

Marcello nodded with a smile, his expression became lighter than before. Also, the environment felt new and friendly considering how less threatening Marcello became in a split second. "Ian Renner. From the description of the saying—hundred-to-one shot. And trust me, I'll try my best to do a fair job with your script," Marcello said and extended his hand again.

Ian took with a smile, "Here I thought, I'd be the last person to be pranked around here. And trust me, director Marcello, I know you would. But there are a few things I have to talk about regarding the script—"

-

At 7.30 pm.

Online.

"Ian Renner, to be an ACTOR one day?"

Filmmaker Ian Renner is already famous for so many things including, movie-making, scriptwriting, and song composing, and is almost a billionaire, considering how much his net worth is. But with our correspondent, Leah H. White interviewing the young director who has impeccably proved what he is capable of, for a couple of years he has been in the industry, he had also mentioned-which was surprising- that he has plans to get into acting one day.

The questions were asked and requested by our own fans of Hollywood Night Magazine, nevertheless, some of the answers might shock you, surprise you or even put you at ease.

Who is Ian Renner? Back to the million dollar question, is he going to stagnate and stay the same way, or has he got more tricks up his sleeve?. Nevertheless, Ian Renner is a director who started his entire career as a director and a scriptwriter for the movie, Home Alone.

[...] After weeks of undergoing editing, proofreading, and finding the perfect timing to publish the article, it was finally out.

Hollywood Night's Website was filled with people who were partially or entirely fans of Ian Renner.

@Saymynameloud.Ineedtoknow

This interview can be named as something WE HIGHLY WANTED. Also surprising because Ian rArElY gives any interview at all. But from the answers and the NEWEST MOVIE RELEASE announcement, all I can say is that, GET READY FOR A NEW MOVIE, BABY!

@mymomtoldmetogo.offline

I've never read every single word of an article before. Ngl, I'm pretty sure Ian is not single. This is an old topic but gets new every time Ian comes up! So, waiting till he proposes to me one day!

@Newlywedsinglemama

Thank you so much for the advice, Ian! I want to succeed in my career one day as well, as an author. And the things you said about criticism is so true! Thank you!

@nwitterwho

This article was already trending in Nwitter before it was even released on their official website! Fun fact: people really do be reading articles. I'm people. Hollywood Night litro got popular a night after posting the article!

@Silverhormones

No bs. Ian is the real deal. Waiting for the big movie you've been working on and the one with Goofy. Q: Is there even a movie coming out sooner?

The comments flooded the article's official website. And as usual, the Hollywood fans went crazy over the interview Ian presented after a long time to the media.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any questions about our flight today, please don't hesitate to ask the author, since she is more than ready to answer all of them.

Thank you!"

[Final system notification before take-off: Join the discord server, so that the landing might be easy with no bumpy phase; https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv]

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[SYSTEM NOTICE: Read 6, 7 or 13 advanced chapters of Hollywood King in -/TC_L and support the author. Happy reading fellow passengers!]

"Oh my fuck--! I'll need to go do a check-up!" Ian groaned while clutching his head and back at the same time.

"I need a fucking break when everything settles down."

He cussed again at his growing pain. Suddenly, he was aware of where he was. This was the second day in a row that he had fallen asleep on the sofa while watching TV.

Surprisingly, the news, Hollywood frames, and political catch-ups caught his attention pretty quickly and easily.

Zzzzzz Zzzzz*

His phone vibrated from his bu-. Butt. He had slept on it. Checking the phone, he saw that it was the alarm. 8.30 am - Wake up :)

The smiling emoji brought a smile that he stupidly shook off. 'Not the time to be childish.' He thought while gathering the sheet which Valerine must have covered him with, due to how chilly it gets at night.

Walking to his bedroom, one hand with the cover and the other hand his phone, his attention was taken by his phone again.

This time it was a text from Murphy. He had arranged his schedule and texted the details which mentioned where he should be and at what time he should be in.

"Going to be a long day indeed!" He thought and walked inside to take a shower which could keep him refreshed throughout the day.

-

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, sir."

"Have a wonderful day, sir."

Employees greeted Ian as he kept walking down the aisle of the main office, at the Renner Studio building.

Although people were in different moods since it was the morning, the majority of them had smiles plastered until Ian disappeared from their sight.

"I can't believe I'm working here!" A newbie said, loud enough for her co-workers to hear.

"You're just here as an intern! I've been working here now for almost three years, and things kept getting better and better!"

"Couldn't agree more! Haha… Mr. Renner brought happy news to everyone! My salary increased double from the start of this year, what more can I even ask?"

The ladies were working in the financial department. Ian had to go through their office to reach the conference hall in which the next meeting would happen.

The conversation started off with three women, but then the other people around them also joined, considering how they all had one thing in common-- being recruited by the Renner Studio; which, they all admitted, was one of the best things that had ever happened to them.

On the other hand, Ian had a pleasant smile on his face. And as soon as he got to the conference room, where the entire meeting room was empty, his phone rang in his front pocket.

Slides to answer*

-Hello, Ian?

"Oh good morning, Christopher. The news is everywhere!"

-Yeah, I know! Which is why I called! To be frankly honest with you… This shouldn't even be said on the phone. But, I wanted to thank you. I have dreamt of this day ever since I realised my passion for politics. But then—as you know how the people set things up, even this…. is a huge milestone achievement for me.

Ian smiled at his words. He knew how a person like Christopher was rare to be in today's society. It was mainly because that person knew how to be grateful.

"You're welcome," Ian said and chuckled.

-Yes, anyway the campaigns for the elections started a while ago, and currently, I'm on my way to the Grounds of CG, to address some residents.

"Good luck with that. What made you call me?"

Although friendliness was laced in Ian's voice, his question was serious.

-Ahaha… I almost forgot it. The party—yes. A party is going to be held right after the election, and I know it's your birthday, so I was hoping maybe you could join. It would be just with my closest mates and considering you are also one, I would love to see you there.

"Of course, of course. If it isn't too much trouble, post me a mail, so Murphy would schedule it. I have to go right now, so see ya later!"

-Okay, bye.

The decision of helping Christopher would be among the top 10 decisions he had made in his life, Ian thought.

After a while of Ian fidgeting with the pen in front of him and reflecting on his life decisions, people started flooding over to the conference hall.

"Is everyone here?" Ian asked while everyone nodded.

"Yeah," Murphy said and sat on Ian's left side.

"Okay, so I hope the creative team and marketing team is present here. The discussions I want to have was regarding Crazy, Stupid, Love. As we all know, within a very short period, we finished the filming for the movie. And it is already on the radar of people; specifically, the fact that a movie trailer would be released. So, the creative team… I want the best people with the skills of overlapping expertise to work on it. And at most, I'll give you guys two weeks."

"Two weeks? That's kind of tough to make, Crazy, Stupid, Love isn't even done with the other edits. It would take more time than that." The creative team head said.

"Don't worry, I'll be there. I know most of the time it normally takes for editing, colour balancing, overlapping, music, and everything else. But I already have plans for the things that take most of the time among all of it, so do not worry about it. Anyway, focusing on the period after the release of the trailer…. Marketing team, what plans do we have?" Ian asked.

The majority of the people looked at each other without giving a reply.

"What?" Ian asked. "What's the problem?"

"With how things were going, we seriously thought that we would have so much time left. And we discussed some plans yesterday only. As you can guess, we don't have anything specific in mind for now–"

"Yeah, but just the normal things like social media marketing, banners, posters, internet…. Yeah."

Two of the people on the marketing team spoke. Ian had his hands on his hips, while he thought of what more he could do to lift the movie hype.

"What's the biggest UTube Hollywood-based channel?" Ian asked.

"Uh- Let me search," Murphy said and quickly afterwards started typing things on his laptop.

"News Flash—This channel basically interviews so many stars, holds games, and even sometimes releases movie trailers, specifically, trailers from small budget studios. But like, the fanbase is 117 million, which is pretty good. They even have different channels for different languages."

"Hmm… That should be enough. So we would go with the regular marketing plans, and I'll decide an amount to invest after we get to talk with this U-Tube channel, and the thing is…. I actually have something else in mind. Which would possibly attract millions of people to watch the movie, we just need a base amount of fans, then the word would spread pretty easily,"

Every pair of eyes turned to focus on what Ian was saying. This was the first time Ian had hinted at something in the conference room but still kept thinking about it. On the outside, it was visible how Ian was in a mental battle of his own.

"What are you thinking about?" Mason asked.

"Let's see. Try to contact the U-Tube channel. I'm sure they'd agree to whatever we say, so be cautious while making the deal. Offer for what it's worth."

-

"What's the idea that you have in mind for the marketing?" Mason asked while walking out of the conference hall.

"I'll have to confirm about it with the Goofy VFX department."

"Are we thinking of something large-scale?"

"Well, I'll tell you when things are confirmed. By the way, Resident Evil filming is almost at the end, Angela said." Ian muttered.

They had to go back to their office again through the financial department. Many pairs of eyes were locked on the walking Ian and Mason, but some others were immensely focused on the computers in front of them.

Both the gentlemen uttered nothing until they got out from the glances and whispers.

"The whispers will never get old. Anyway, what did she say?" Mason asked.

"Yeah, so what we discussed was when the movie release date was to be. Since the filming is over, I had to tell them about our plans for the next two movies, Crazy, Stupid, Love, and Avatar. And, then she agreed to discuss it with Jackson."

"I hope he used his brain," Mason commented.

"He apparently did. Man is a businessman, what can we even expect? Anyway, long story short, Resident Evil's release, would be, after Avatar's release. Which also made Angela say that she would take more time to focus on the last bits and the editing. And we don't want Resident Evil to flop, so this is the best decision," Ian explained.

"Yeah, I think so too. I was worried that movie release dates might clash."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any questions about our flight today, please don't hesitate to ask the author, since she is more than ready to answer all of them.

Thank you!"

[Final system notification before take-off: Join the discord server, so that the landing might be easy with no bumpy phase; https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv]

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[SYSTEM NOTICE: Read 6, 7, or 13 advanced chapters of Hollywood King in -/TC_L and support the author. Happy reading fellow The official home for all that is Goofy.

@Sevenliveafter: When will we get to see the collaboration? Isn't the party that was held to commemorate the finishing of a movie? To be honest, from the way Jeff Sanson talked to the TV the other day, we already are expecting something! Can we at least get a reply?!

@Mediaman69: I heard that Director Ian Renner finished filming a rom-com, there were even advertisements everywhere. But the thing is, it has already been months after the rumors of their collaboration spread and still there's nothing?

@MiaMama replies to Mediaman69: I agree. The temptation is real.

@Mediaman69 replies to MiaMama: Well, no jokes. But Director Jeff was like, "...There would be an exciting movie teaser release as quickly as possible, and this movie is going to be something that could attract billions of the population here. Also, where r u from?

@MiaMama replies to Mediaman69: I agree.

For some reason, many people were already questioning the status of the movie on their official website.

It was mainly due to how Jeff Sanson had mentioned a special upcoming movie release, without giving away too much information like its name or who the director is.

@Serendipity: Uh- I really hope the next movie will be an animation. Like, no offense to real-life actors, but the thing is… The VFX and CGI department is too talented, if we're getting *SOMETHING* from Goofy, it better be an animation!

@JollyLayla replies to Serendipity: No. They had done quite a lot of animations, and Goofy is basically known for Kid's attention. Yet if Ian is joining for any project with Goofy, I hope it's based on some actual movie.

@SkyisGreen: Goofy basically knows what they do. We just gotta wait. Also, Jeff Sanson mentioned how the upcoming two months would be special. Are they going to release a new season of, 'The Marine Cops'??! If so, I'm totally in!

@Nanawho: I really hope not. That was a shitshow for kids, no logic, none whatsoever.

@RedWine: That's my childhood. Stay away.

The comments shifted from one topic to another. Yet the conversations knew no end. Even though it was past 2 am in the morning and everyone should have been asleep, people were arguing, guessing, and commenting on various things on the Goofy website.

By 9 am, it was a pretty clear scenario that the previous night must be the trendiest Goofy website ever in quite a while—that too, because of how Jeff had hinted about a trailer in public.

-

This time, it was Lucas who decided to join Ian in the main office of Renner Studio.

Although it had been quite a while since Lucas and Ian had a proper conversation, currently Lucas came to meet Ian not as partners in work, but as friends.

"...It's good to see you like this," Ian commented noticing the lack of dark circles on Lucas' face.

"All thanks to you. I'm not even kidding when I say the board of directors is leaving the VFX department out of almost every other task considering how busy we are with the Avatar editing. You should come again," Lucas said.

"That's nice to hear, and when can I see the trailer? Jeff has been literally calling me two-three times a week, even while I was filming my other movie, asking for a release date. And, as I said, if the necessary clips are ready for the trailer, it won't take a lot of time to put them up together."

"Well yeah, that's why I came here. I was actually meeting someone down the town, but I also wanted to say that the clips are ready. More than ready, all we have to do is, select, put them together, and edit—"

"That's good to know. Are you heading back to the office? I mean, are you done with whatever you came here?" Ian questioned.

"Oh yes, it was nothing much. Needed to ask something from the coffee shop owner to open a branch in our head office. The cafeteria in our company makes the worst coffee. A good deal would do wonders to his business," Lucas said with a smile.

"Ah yes, if you're done with meeting the owner, maybe we can both go to the office together. I already have a meeting with Jeff scheduled."

[...] With that being said, both Ian and Lucas entered the main office of Goofy together—in different cars.

Without any assistance, Ian was able to find Jeff's office, where the little meeting was supposed to happen. Why little? Because it would basically be just, Ian, Lucas, Jeff, and Jeff's secretary.

"Good to see you again, Ian."

"The feeling is mutual. How have you been?" Ian asked while getting comfortable on the sofa on which he was seated in.

"Good. But kind of worried about the movie release. When are we gonna settle the date? I think we should hurry it up. Our new movie, basically an animation would be releasing by this week's end, and it would be a great opportunity for us to market the movie enough and release it."

Jeff was seated in front of Lucas and Ian. His left leg was put over his right, and in his hand, an expensive Rolex watch was shining as if it was cleaned every day.

He leaned towards Ian and Lucas, while his hand rested on his thigh.

"Well …. I was thinking about something else. There is another way which we can promote the movie."

"How?" Lucas chirped in.

"How?" Jeff followed right after.

"Avatar–the specialty for whoever thinks about the movie, without watching, would be… the movie being a collaboration of Ian Renner and Goofy. Also, with that being said, if I promoted Avatar using my new release, it could possibly make almost everyone's eyes turn towards us."

"I don't understand. How could Avatar be promoted with your next movie?" Jeff asked with a frown.

"Are you thinking of posting the trailer during the screening of the movie in theatres?" Lucas asked.

"Not during, but kind of. Well, my next movie is scheduled to be released by the end of next week. The movie trailer will be out this week, and I'm sure it might bring the attention of so many people considering it's my first movie after a hit—Batman. Anyway, during the post-credit, we can release the movie trailer of Avatar. This is something that I still haven't seen anyone do, and this is basically a win-win for me—"

" —So that, people would want to go to watch the movie after the word of the trailer being released is out. Also, it would bring a lot of attention to Avatar. Hands down, it's the best promotion strategy I've ever come across during my entire career." Jeff said, and it was the first time he was being humble in front of his employees or partners.

"Bingo."

"That is something we really could use," Lucas said, gaining the attention of both Ian and Jeff.

"Yes, and now I have to go take a look at something, so I can quicken the process to create the movie trailer. Also, if we are going to have a meeting with the marketing team of Goofy and Renner Studio, let's schedule one. I think it's the right time after the trailer release that we hit up in the game," Ian said with a sly smile which was equally reciprocated by Jeff.

"Nice meeting you today, Ian," Jeff nodded and shook hands with Ian.

-

"...Not really, I think Ryan's forehead should be dimmed a bit. Like, that part… Yes, perfect. Also, can we highlight the noise of the car a bit more…. Okay, tone down a bit. Perfect,"

"Well, Raelynn… The background noise is already too much. Uh, let me try clearing the sound waves a bit more…." Reggie, the sound engineer said while Raelynn sat right beside him.

.

.

.

"How about now?" Reggie asked after quite a while.

"Yes, perfect. What do you think, Steffen?" Raelynn asked.

"Hmm… Perfect, yeah." The editor of Crazy, Stupid, Love answered.

It wasn't a part of the job description for Raelynn to help out in the editing section, but she wanted to help considering she had a week off from any sort of cinematography action.

"Hey, guys!" Niko said while walking inside the studio.

"Good to see you, how was your little vacay?" Raelynn asked.

"Thanks to you, I'm here. Why are we here again?" Niko said jokingly.

They both agreed to spend some time in the studio for how much they loved seeing the final production of the movie.

Although Raelynn wasn't present at first for the filming, she came to help around the set after a while which made things a lot easier for Niko.

"How is it going? Also, did you know that I'm a psychic?" Niko asked.

Raelynn turned to look at him and frowned from her dark eyebrows.

"What? Let me tell you, Mason and Ian would walk right through that door in…. 10…9…8….7….6…..5….4….3….2…. 2 and a half…. One!"

Right when he said, the door opened, revealing two gentlemen, Ian and Mason.

"Told ya!" Niko said with a shrug implying, a no-big-deal.

"What the real deal would be is that Niko is getting a promotion. As of tomorrow!" Ian said, making everyone turn.

"I- What?!"

"Yes, head chief editor of the Renner Studio. You'd basically have an entire department under you, and Niko, I think you deserve this."

"How do you even know–"

Ian chuckled at his expressions of Niko. He was someone who literally mentioned how he wanted to be a chief editor when things go good in his career, that too he had talked with Ian while they were on the trip during the Avatar research.

Yet, he got into cinematography with the circumstances he had to face when he first got a job in the studio.

"Congratulations!" Ian said and walked towards him to shake hands.

"Does that make me the only cinematographer?" Raelynn asked, making everyone laugh while the environment was jocular.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling, or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any thoughts about our flight today, please don't hesitate to let the author know, since she loves to know your thoughts and ideas.

Thank you!"

[Final system notification before take-off: Join the discord server, so that the landing might be easy with no bumpy phase; https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv]

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[SYSTEM NOTICE: Read 6, 7, or 13 advanced chapters of Hollywood King in -/TC_L and support the author. Happy reading fellow people!]

A new day, a new thought. Yet in Hollywood, a new day, new news.

"How many more minutes are left?" Ian asked while being seated with everyone else in the conference room—everyone else, which included Mason, Niko, Raelynn, and every other behind-the-scenes crew member of Crazy, Stupid, Love.

"Let me put the countdown, so we can see the progress in the first hour," Murphy said while walking towards the laptop which was connected to the presentation board which was right in front of them.

On the white screen, the countdown has started, and is still 53 seconds more to go.

…52 seconds

…21 seconds

"Alright, 10 seconds more to go!" Ian said with both of his hands on the table, placing his elbows to the surface—and his wrists holding his face in place.

"Nine!" Raelynn being the chirpy one said.

"Eight!" Niko's eyes roamed around the office while saying that.

"Seven," Mason whispered.

"Six," It was one of the editors.

"Five!"

…. "Four!" "Three!" "Two!" and "One!"

'Here goes nothing!' Ian thought and smiled to himself. The accomplishment after lots of effort always gets him—al-fucking-ways. It was mainly because he was someone who always gave his one hundred percent for any project he focused on.

The way the trailer got uploaded in front of their eyes, a warmth of pride covered his heart.

"Give it fifteen minutes! I'm sure it will cross 500k views!" Mason said, making everyone raise their eyes.

'As if…' Ian thought but didn't say anything.

The whole thing reminded me of how it was when they first released Home Alone movie trailer. Although the studio or his name as a director wasn't that famous, the first fifteen minutes brought around 20k views—and that too, thanks to all the marketing they did.

Nevertheless, the way the views kept increasing made everyone clutch their hands in excitement.

"Nostalgia hits," Mason said loud enough for just Ian to hear.

"I was thinking about the same thing," Ian muttered and all of their eyes were on the screen.

[...] After fifteen minutes, everyone was shocked, stunned, and utterly speechless.

"What the f— hell?" Marissa, the youngest among the crew, who was also one of the editors shouted while holding her head.

1.5M views globally.

"Are you sure we just uploaded the trailer and not the whole movie?" Ian asked while his eyes were still on the screen.

"Fuck, yes. I mean—Sorry for my language. But yes, it was just the trailer."

"Ah well well well—"

"It's mainly because of how popular you have gotten over a couple of months. That is nothing to be surprised about," It was Niko who spoke.

"Haha… Guess who is talking," Ian joked.

Niko was a silent killer. Not a serial killer—more likely a cereal killer. He was silent, yet is a very skillful person. He also was someone who would try his best in anything he does, yet also someone who focused a lot on his goals. He could be named Ian 2.0, yet he had his touch for his personality. Why is Niko being explained here? Simple, you'll see in the near future.

"I can talk, too you know," Niko replied with a shy smile.

Ian said nothing but chuckled at his response. "Let's head back to work. We have so many other things to do, remember? And Ethan, can you promote in Nwitter and other social media platforms?"

"Yeah, on it sir!" Ethan who was the social media handler walked out of the room to get the job done.

"Good luck to us!"

"Let's hope this gets popular enough to win some awards!"

"Good luck, the results would say a lot about the movie release!"

"It's going to be fine, no worries!"

Everyone who was in the conference room walked out of it while sharing well-wishes considering how much effort Ian had put into this.

"Although this was a small budget movie when compared to other movies I have done till now, every new movie trailer release feels fresh. And as far as I know, this is going to hit high which would also raise the bars for Avatar," Ian said to which Mason nodded.

-

Although it was first released on U-Tube, then on every social media including Nwitter started talking about the movie's release in no time.

The U-Tube comments were focused on how interesting the entire movie sounded from a glimpse of it.

@Patriachy.no

Am I the only one who is in love with RYAN GOSLING and his voice? O: I mean- Man, I'd watch this movie just to see RYAN GOSLING!

@Searchyoursoulmate

Wait, what?! A rom-com starring Ryan from La La Land?! And I was hoping this has something to do with Goofy YET Ian worked on ANOTHER MOVIE?! Damn this young director. To be honest, by the 2.57 minutes of the trailer, I can comment that this would be one of the best rom-com ever! (Yet, let's wait! I'm impatient…haha!)

@Maria C. L.

~ "take off your shirt"

- "why?"

-"just take off your shirt!"

- "okay" (takes off his shirt)

- "SERIOUSLY?!"

- "What?"

- " you're like photoshopped!"

xDD hahahaha, this is just hilarious!

@FellinLove

Alright. I haven't watched it yet—but I love the movie. Say no more. Scarlett and Ryan Gosling? Are you kidding? No. What the hell?! It's 3 AM, and I was doing nothing but scrolling down U-Tube #Shorts, and this trailer just… RELEASED?! Okay, so much love from miles away 3

-

"Hi, guys, Ryan Gosling from the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love!"

"How well do you know your co-star?"

Scarlett Johnson and Ryan Gosling were sitting in front of a white screen, with the label, 'How well do you know your co-star?' written in Bold Black letters.

"I'm Scarlett– Wait, should I say it first before this?"

"I think you should-"

Bleep* The screen did an old television -no connection- sound, and got back to focus on the two faces in a mini-second.

"Hi, guys! I'm Scarlett Johnson"

"I'm Ryan Gosling!"

"..And we are from the soon-to-be-released movie, Crazy, Stupid, Love."

Currently, the video which was uploaded by the channel NewsFlash on U-Tube was trending #2. The main reason was how the interview which was arranged by Renner Studio and the channel was released right a while after the movie trailer release.

"I can't believe they both are together…. Who would have thought?!" Enya was a hopeless romantic by its true definition.

"This is the second time you're watching this, and I bet you won't get off of it unless you're sure you know their dialogues. I wish you put all that effort once the movie came out!"

"Mom! Don't say that, they are just too cute together! And you know what everyone is saying?!"

"They are the combination that they never knew they wanted!"

"They are the combination that they never knew they wanted!"

Both of them said at the same time.

"--Fifth time you're saying it. Let's see why you even love the pair so much."

Enya's mother walked closer to her and sat on the corner of the bed. In front of Enya, her laptop was opened, yet the sheets of the mattress were all wrinkled and messy.

The young brunette clicked the 'spacebar', and the video started to play.

"...And we're here to play, how well do you know your co-star!"

"I think I'm going to… win!"

"If that's what she thinks. I pity her," Ryan said and both of them chuckled.

"What was I doing before becoming an actress? A. A barista B. Nothing–Jobless. C. Waitress and D. Accountant." Scarlett asked her eyebrows raising playfully.

"Uhm- Barista? Although I wonder if you can make a cup of coffee properly."

"Wrong."

The buzzer went off and a 'booo!' sound erupted.

"I was an accountant before."

Ryan Gosling raised his eyebrows and chuckled. The slide of the video changed, and the next question was asked by Ryan.

"What is my dog's name?"

"Woofy? You don't even have to give the answers—" Both of them chuckled again at Scarlett's response. "You always go on and on about Woofy. A terrier right, and yes, I remember he is three years old."

[...] The comments on the little video were hilarious. Many people had many different opinions. Most of them were positive, some were dead-set on the thought that they needed Eloise as her co-star Ryan, but since many adored the pair, nothing else is needed to enjoy the comments.

[@RyanGoslingFans]

I wish they dated in real life. No kidding they got the chemistry… it looks so real! Ship name anyone?! I'd go with #Ryalett

[@GracilionBrazilian]

Tell me you're soulmates without telling me you're soulmates!

[@AreWeStillOnSkyIsBlue]

Nobody:

Literally nobody:

Not even Ian Renner:

Scarlett: I was sleeping. But in the end, I woke up and slept again.

[@MermaidTalesareFAKE]

The chemistry is insane. Maybe they are not dating but I'm like 100% they had a lot of fun with each other, offset. Hero looks like he just wants this interview to finish to go in the bathroom with her lmao

[@SerenaWeePee]

Can't wait to watch the movie. Look at them… Awww

"Increase the light... Yes and... Action!"

Niko and Raelynn stood in the center of the screen with their smiles almost ready to reach their ears.

Everything felt fresh. The voices, the environment, and basically... Everything.

"End of another chapter! End of another worl-"

"Chapter he meant. Make sure to vote and let the author know any question or suggestion you have in mind. Also, one vote saves one snail's life. So make sure to-"

"Don't mind her! Chaos is everywhere, even on the TV if it is us both! Join the server to meet us! Vote with powerstones!"

"We said that once-"

Niko was cut off by Raelynn shortly.

"Did we?"

"Cut! That was not anywhere near perfection. Let's take five!" The man behind the screen shouted making both Raelynn and Niko grunt in annoyance.

"Five fucking hours. When can we go home?!" Niko said while he walked down to get a break.

"This is why I love doing the things off-camera," Raelynn said and emptied the bottle of water she had in her hand.

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[SYSTEM NOTICE: Read 6, 7, or 13 advanced chapters of Hollywood King in -/TC_L and support the author. Happy reading fellow people!]

On a freezing night, in Los Angeles, California— a man who was nearly in his 40s, was scribbling down his thoughts on a blank white sheet of paper.

In front of him, it was just not one—there were hundreds of papers.

From his long hair which grew past his shoulders and the pair of glasses that hung on the bridge of his nose, it was a given that he was some sort of a writer.

His beard and mustache, which had grown a bit more than usual, itched from time to time.

"Hey, Sunshine? Uh- it's so out of character! Hmm… Let's see what we can do," he scratched the entire dialogue out and started rewriting it.

"Not. Gonna. Work." He thought and rolled the pen in between his fingers.

Keanu Reeves. His name was engraved in the pen. It was a gift given by his wife, wishing him the best of luck when his first published novel hit the shelves.

Not soon later, he realized what he was into.

"If… If the scene was changed, there would be more time for the lead to get into character," He thought and tore the paper out of the notebook.

Knock Knock*

"I'm sorry honey, but I thought a coffee would be nice. It's already past 2,"

His wife was someone who he adored wholeheartedly. She was accepting, understanding, kind, wise, and absolutely beautiful in his eyes. She was a housewife but also gives piano lessons to a bunch of 12-13 years old kids.

"Thank you, I'm struggling at a point, and I somehow want to move forward from this since I've been holding the same scene for two-three days now." He said while rubbing the temples of his head using his hands.

"Take a break. I'm sure once you let all of your thoughts wander to places you haven't before, you'll get over this phase sooner or later. It's just a matter of time," she said and kissed his forehead.

He nodded and stood up from where he was. Taking the piles of papers, he arranged them neatly and placed them in the lower drawer, which was almost filled with his drafts of different good scenes.

Taking the cup of coffee, he walked out of the little room he was in and shut the door behind his back.

"Hello, daddy!" His seven-year-old daughter came running toward him.

"Why are you awake?" He asked and looked at his wife.

"She couldn't sleep because you weren't there for her bedtime story. And you know how hot-headed she can be,"

"Story time?" He asked in a gentle yet rough voice.

"Yessss!" She danced around him happily, and they both walked towards her bedroom.

The bedroom was colored in purple and pink walls, and in every corner, there were books, books, and some more books.

"Can I ask you something?" She whispered in her little voice.

Although his eyes were hurting too much from trying to maintain focus while writing, he wanted to tuck his kid into the bed.

"What was your ambition when you were going to college?"

"Hmm… Good question. My little princess is finally growing now. No more fairies and zombies?"

She giggled while he tickled her.

"Well, I wanted to become an actor one day."

"An actor?" She asked in her little voice which always made his heart swell in cuteness.

"Yes, an actor. The work as an actor can be quite tricky. And as with everything in this universe, things are bad and good. But, when you become a good actor, it can inspire thousands- no, millions of people. There are actors with the hearts of angels. Who gives life to many good characters? And sometimes in life, we don't have to learn from bad experiences, we can also learn by watching those types of characters winning their life, or losing for that matter. Hmm… So the thing is, I wanted to become such an actor…"

-

9.15 am, at Renner Studio, Main Office Building.

"Damn it! Are you sure Ian Renner isn't inside yet? We honestly have been waiting for quite some time now. All we see are employees, is it possible that he went inside from any other entrances?" The reporter questioned the fellow reporters around him.

"No. I don't think so, and as far as I know, he enters the office from eight-thirty to ten o'clock am. We can only know if we waited for some more time without leaving without the necessary interview." One of them whispered.

Currently, there were around ten reporters and the respective cameramen on their media channels. Holding equipment to get a word out of Ian Renner.

The main reason for all the chaos right in front of the entrance was how the movie trailer became a hit right after its release.

"Persistence brings new stories. Persistency brings better stories. You wait…wait…wait a little more, and then stories come." One reporter among the bunch, whispered to himself which brought everyone else's attention.

"What were you saying?"

"Ah, the first day waiting for Ian, also the first day working as a reporter. It's nice to meet everyone, but how long do we have to wait? My legs are already hurting!"

"Maybe you should go back to your little chanting. It might actually help in a career like ours, without whining about how your leg hurts," Another reporter scoffed and said, which made almost everyone laugh.

"Ian Renner! It's Ian! It's Ian!"

After getting out of his car, he was met with the people with microphones and cameras, which he had expected after the blow of the trailer.

Which was why he was dressed in his favorite navy blue suit.

"Ian Renner, can we get a word?"

"Ian, we need to know about the new movie! A word please!"

Ian walked a few feet far away from them while waving his hands toward the camera.

"Is Ryan Gosling your go-to star when the movie genre is romcom?"

"What do you have to say regarding how good the trailer was?"

"How long have you been working on the movie?"

"Ian, when will the collaboration with Goofy be released?!"

Ian couldn't say anything but walked inside the company building. Every one of the reporters was equally if not more frustrated than one another.

Some had their heads down in their failed attempt, and others simply walked toward the vehicles they came in.

-

"Raelynn, what a pleasant surprise?" Ian said with a smile while walking inside his office of Mason.

"Good morning, Ian. Mason asked me to be here in the morning, saying he had some stuff to discuss regarding Resident Evil."

Ian frowned at that mention. "Isn't there a cinematographer to help them around?"

"Of course. Just that, Mason has his ideas in the movie, and he wanted to share them first before talking with Mrs. Bird. It's fine, I suppose?" Raelynn asked.

"Hm… Yeah, it is. And you don't have to ask it from me," Ian said while his lips curled up.

"What?"

"What?"

"Why are you smiling like that?" Raelynn asked.

"You're easily distracted, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well… Even my mom used to say that a lot," She said while her voice was slowly decreasing.

"Used to?"

"Yeah, she passed away. I'm kind of an orphan myself." She said with sadness layered in her voice, yet a smile appeared on her face. Her parents passing away never made her sad, but strong.

"You're an independent woman, and I never would have guessed you have a heavy heart until you opened your snarky mouth."

"It's nothing to blabber about. Just that, I remembered her from your statement. And, what happened to your parents?" Raelynn asked.

"They got into a flight crash. More like, it's how fate was written to end both their lives. Although I'm bitter about it, it's nothing to talk about."

"Well well well, aren't we on the same page, director?" Raelynn said while brushing her hair roots from her fingertips.

At that moment, Ian noticed how pretty she looked.

Ian sighed and nodded at her words. He wasn't sad, but talking about death always dulled his mood. Al-fucking-ways.

"I guess we are. But yeah, life can be quite tricky to deal with. Especially when it comes to the deaths of people who are closer to us."

"Yep, it's nice to know that you can sympathize with people."

"Isn't that a normal human trait though?" Ian asked for which Raelynn just nodded. "What more do you think about me—Oh shoot! I'll find Mason and I've to be somewhere, uh, I'm sorry for going in between our talk. It was nice knowing you!" Ian said with his lips curling up.

"I thought we were already friends, Ian. Ouch-" She said while faking a dramatic sadness. Ian chuckled and walked outside the office room.

Raelynn was smiling from ear to ear at his expression. He was truly something, she thought to herself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling, or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any thoughts about our flight today, please don't hesitate to let the author know, since she loves to know your thoughts and ideas.

Thank you!"

[Final system notification before take-off: Join the discord server, so that the landing might be easy with no bumpy phase; https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv]

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[SYSTEM NOTICE: Read 6, 7, or 13 advanced chapters of Hollywood King in -/TC_L and support the author. Happy reading fellow people!]

4 pm – Grauman's Chinese Theatre

The red carpet was extended towards the place right where people stopped to get off of their expensive vehicles. These 'people' being actors, actresses, directors, and their respective families, the premiere for Crazy. Stupid, Love was ready to happen right in thirty minutes.

"Thirty minutes?! Ah, is Mr. Renner yet to come?!" The event coordinator asked through the microphone which was attached to her.

"Yes, I guess so. But he must be here at any moment, no joking, I'm kind of freaking out."

"It's not you who should be— Ow! Who kept these boxes here?!" The man almost tripped over the pile of boxes.

Zoning out from the workers who wore black, and kept an eye on everything that was happening behind the cameras, the focus could be taken to the people who held cameras right on the side of the red carpet.

They were all equally excited to get a glimpse of who is going to be on the special occasion.

To think of how much of a long journey that the Renner Studio had come, currently, there were more than twenty reporters from each different channel all around the US, that were ready and steady to get what the studio was up to.

During the first premiere of the first movie, Renner Studio distributed, not even half the fame they got was there. Nevertheless, within a matter of few seconds, there'd be a crowd flooding, and stars shining outside the theatre!

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Will we get to see Ryan Gosling? I'm a huge fan! Did the event start?! No, please!" A girl wearing spectacles asked while her eyes widened in fear of losing out the entrance of her favorite celebrity.

"No, Not yet. As far as we know, only just some of the crew members walked in from the red carpet."

"Ah, good grief!"

The entire premise was covered in the crowd. The pavement across the red carpet was already taken with men and women who were hanging putting all their weight on the pavement divider.

Their phones were in their hand, and smiles were exchanged with talk.

Not long after five to ten seconds, a black limousine pulled up in front of the theatre revealing none other than Ian Renner.

"Ian, you're here for?" A reporter asked as soon as he got out of the car.

"Grand premiere of Crazy, Stupid, Love," Ian said and waved his hand to all the people who cheered.

Although he was wearing his shades, the flashlights going on and off made his eyes blink to adjust.

"Ian Renner, what are your thoughts on your movie? I mean, you are already a hit in the industry…"

"Ah, hello there." Ian had to turn to his left to meet the guy who was holding his camera toward Ian. "So, as the word is already out, Crazy, Stupid, Love, is a romantic comedy; which not just a single age group, but altogether almost anyone can watch. Also, Ryan starring in the movie… I bet many of y'all are already in the hype to watch the movie. The trailer got so much positive feedback, so, looking forward to sharing the movie with everyone," Ian said and smiled.

He took off his shades after a while.

"Ian, can you please look at the camera?" Another reporter shouted.

"Of course, hey!" Ian said and smiled at the camera.

While Ian was still standing in front of the cameras, other cars, including Mason, Ryan Gosling, Scarlett Johnson, and many other actors and actresses came through it.

Not just the stars who acted in the movie, but also every other invited important people came one by one.

"Ian Renner, good to see you," Jackson Corealla walked behind Ian and grabbed his attention.

He was dressed in a black suit with a red tie which made Jackson stand up even more good-looking.

"Ah, nice to see you here!"

Ian and he started talking to each other, while the camera flashes went on and off.

"Mr. Corealla! How have you been?" A reporter asked loudly.

Jackson nodded at Ian implying something and turned to answer the man in with the microphone.

"I've been great….And it's good to meet everyone, including seeing the fans in such an event considering Ian over here, is very talented and I'm sure this movie would also be a banger. Also…."

Taking the big picture into consideration, stars and celebrities wearing different sorts of dresses kept wandering here and there on the red carpet.

"Hello, Los Angeles! Today, we are here at the premiere of Crazy, Stupid, Love! Live from the Grauman's Chinese theatre! As you all can see, the red carpet is filled with so many stars! Considering this is a movie from our famous young director, Ian Renner… The excited cheers are something we could not avoid.

Stars including Noah Lincoln here, and right now. With us, there's Eloise Hampton, who starred in Ian's previous movie, La La Land. Hello, how are you feeling tonight?"

The camera shifted to Eloise. She was wearing a long black sparkling dress, considering it was an evening event. She had long silver earrings to match the dress, and even her make-up looked perfect on her skin.

"I'm feeling very great honestly. How are you?" She asked back.

"I'm fine too, thank you for asking. That's very kind of you. And the question is, is it true that you were called to act the role which Scarlett was starring in Crazy, Stupid, Love?"

"Ah yes–" She chuckled. "My schedule was already taken with so many other tasks and filming which I was busy for the past couple of months. But, I'm pretty sure that Scarlett did a great job. She's a talented actress who basically can pull off anything thrown in her way, considering how dedicated she is with her career."

"Yes, does that mean you guys know each other? Or are you a fan of her acting?"

"Both. Both to be honest. And what I love about her is, how generous she is—"

Right when they were talking about Scarlett, she appeared with a bright smile popping her dimples out.

"Heyyyyy!" Eloise welcomed her with a kiss on the side of her face.

-

After more than an hour of the red carpet interviews, all the celebrities were settled in their seats.

The front rows were reserved. And in a while, everyone was seated and ready to start the movie.

In a bit, Ian walked up to the stage. He was dressed in a black three-piece. The regular smile, that he put in front of the cameras was plastered on his face.

The crowd erupted for a round of applause.

"The director of Crazy, Stupid, Love, everyone. Ian Renner!" The man who had the microphone said while giving space for Ian and taking a few steps behind to give him the spotlight.

The crowd clapped again.

"Hello everyone!" He said. The cheers went up again and died in a split second. "Five years ago, if I said I'd be standing here, it would have been a joke to me and everybody else. But today, I'm here. I should thank my dad, who left me a great gift to work on—the studio. And I invite all of you to watch the movie, then, I'll talk again afterward. Enjoy!" He said shortly while everyone clapped again.

The claps were endless considering how much of a celebratory moment it was.

The entire theatre darkened, and the movie began.

-

R.S. Chandler was an old director, who was judgemental in the definition of the word itself.

No matter how good their fellow people in his directors are, he has his superiority complex which sometimes gave him the courage and confidence he wanted while dealing with his career moments.

Just like every other director present at the moment, he got invited.

"I'm not sure if this would be something we want to watch. The name itself is cheeky enough." He said whispering to his career-mate, who was there during his ups and downs.

"The young man is popular–" Chandler's friend applauded when the movie started along with others. "—Heard he is talented as well. Judge the movie for later, enjoy it while you can!"

"Meh, you know me."

The movie began and everyone went silent.

In the front of the theatre, there was the cast and the crew who helped in making the movie script coming to a reality.

"Yeah!" Ryan shouted while Steve Carell came to the screen.

"Woooh!" Scarlett clapped along with him.

They all had smiles of pride plastered on their faces. Not to the fact that it was their effort, but to the fact that they were able to pull such a thing off with no problem.

And the crowd that was presented at the theatre, made them internally happy.

"Ah! My favorite scene! Look at you! Still cracks me just as day one!"

"Ahahah… Look at that!"

"I never knew this was this good! Who thought I looked like that?!"

"What the f—I'm going to help you rediscover your manhood! Haha!"

"Oh, God! I'm sure I'll watch this again with my family! Hahahahah!"

They had different comments shared among themselves throughout the movie. Not just them, everyone including even Chandler had chuckles, giggles, and loud laughter erupting for how funny the movie was.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling, or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any thoughts about our flight today, please don't hesitate to let the author know, since she loves to know your thoughts and ideas.

Thank you!"

[Final system notification before take-off: Join the discord server, so that the landing might be easy with no bumpy phase; https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv]

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