[Edward POV]
"What kind of movie poster do you want it to be?" Judd Apatow asked me after I got back from the party. I looked at him in confusion and said playfully, "...Aren't you the director? Why are you asking me?"
He smirked and said, "We all know who the director really is. If you know how to do camera work, I think you'll even direct this yourself."
"I'm really not going to do that." I replied with a grimace. He burst into laughter and patted my shoulder, "Let's go. I want to settle this and go back home for Thanksgiving dinner."
Some people celebrated it late, or with relatives on the weekends, which gave me an idea. Maybe I should invite Sage and Mrs Henderson for dinner with my family tomorrow. Better yet, I should invite all of my friends too.
"Alright." I followed him from behind and saw the other main leads standing in front of a green screen. RG posed wearing a simple suit and EB wore a simple t-shirt and jeans.
While they were shooting the pictures, I decided to open up the memory I got about 2023 Entertainment Landscape. I leaned on the wall on the back of the set, and closed my eyes.
This memory gave me the experiences in the movie theater, the marketing the movies had done, their success, and also the scandals concerning that movie's main cast members. Not only movies, I got some TV series too.
It started from the movie Anyone But You, then it become Hit Man, after that, it become Oppenheimer, and it continued until I watched all the movies that were released in the year 2023– movies that were watched by that ordinary guy.
Barbie, Avatar: Ways of the water, Guardian of the Galaxy, John Wick 4, The Flash, Dungeons & Dragons, Godzilla Minus 1, Wonka, Super Mario Bros Movie, Ghosted, Poor Things, Cocaine Bear, Spiderman-Across the Spider Verse, The Little Mermaid, No Hard Feeling, and many more.
I digested all of them in just a few minutes afterwards. In that time, my facial expression changed greatly from frown to smile to amazement to frown to smile to amazement, until the memory finally ended.
Still keeping my eyes closed, I suddenly heard a crunching sound from beside me. Slowly, I opened my eyes and turned to the source of the sound. There, I saw Pepper and Vanessa both staring at me while eating popcorn.
"What are you doing?" I asked in confusion.
With a mouthful, Vanessa returned the question back to me, "What are YOU doing?"
Pepper nodded in agreement to her and added, "Your face kept changing like a chinese changing mask show. What in the world are you thinking about?"
"Movies I guess." I replied with a shrug. Luckily, whoever the guy I got the memory from was, he didn't have a strong personality so I wasn't influenced in any way by him.
Pepper and Vanessa glanced at each other before Vanessa turned to me, "Um, this movie?"
I rubbed my chin as I thought about it, "We need to make some changes. Pepper, can you get Haley here– No, gimme a few costume designers? Vanessa…"
She flinched a bit as I looked at her. I asked, "We need to make your hair fluffier."
"...What?" Vanessa touched her hair in confusion. I halted the poster shoot for a bit and made the actors get some rest while I worked on the design.
I worked with the costume designers that evening, creating some outfits for the movie scenes and the poster too. The designer's eyes glittered when I gave them some designs from a decade from now. Although, they were all for the celebrities characters in the movies.
"Wardrobe is another marketing strategy for a movie. Unique wardrobe can make the movie stand out." I told Pepper as he asked me why I was doing this.
Finally, the design for the movie poster was done and the photoshoot resumed.
Ryan Gosling, in his 'Ken' outfit, a bandana on his head, sunglasses, and white fur jacket on top of his shirtless torso, looking haughty and cool. He was also clean shaven for the shot, which made him look younger.
He stood in front of Emily, Vanessa and I, looking directly at the camera while I looked at him with scorn, Emily with concern, and Vanessa looked at me while batting her eyes.
I made temporary edits using Robin and printed out a copy of the movie poster.
"Oh, it's kinda nice." Ryan Gosling said, still in his full 'Ken' costume. "By the way, where did you get the idea for this style?" He asked with intrigue.
"It's just at the top of my mind." I played it off and changed the subject, "It's not a real mink coat, so you can bring it home if you want."
"Really?" His eyes lit up, but he suddenly deflated, "Nah, I can't do that. We may need this for the scene."
Before the cast members left for the day, I stood in front of all the staff members for the movie, which had 200 staff members. The poster was printed onto a huge backdrop, bigger than my size, and the name for the movie was kept hidden by a black tape.
"We have 75 days to complete the movie. I'm sure that many of you made the sacrifices to be here, even sacrificing your holiday traditions. I won't take your efforts for granted, and I promise that I'll give my best for the movie. On Monday, we'll officially start filming for the movie."
The staff members cheered at the announcement. They were all looking at the movie poster in excitement, as from the posters alone, it would seem to be a pretty fun movie.
"Our creatives have finally come out with a name for the movie. From now on, the movie will be called…" I took out the piece of paper with the movie's name on it and unfolded it.
"Selfmade." I announced, and 2 staff members took off the tape from the movie poster.
The staff and cast of the movie applauded as they saw the full poster. As they clapped, some of them whispered to each other.
Ryan whispered to Emily, "It's concise, memorable... That's pretty good."
Emily replied, " It taps into universal themes of pride, responsibility, and the consequences of one's own choices. It's much better than Love Countdown or 90 Days of Love cause that's pretty seasonal."
Pepper grimaced and said huffily, "I wanted something more romantic. Well, this is great too! But where's the romance!"
Paige shook her head and said with a giggle, "The movie had passed the tropes of just romance a long time ago."
"Can't we just make a simple love story? I want to see a love story with Edward oppa as the protagonist." SunHee complained.
Besides studying people's reactions, I also gave a thumbs up for the creative team who came out with the movie name. The creative team was basically Judd Apatow, Paige, Pepper, and myself, but this name came from Paige.
For a Hollywood movie, simplicity helps in getting the prospective audience to remember its name. It also fits the theme of the movie, a protagonist who is the architect of his own downfall.
…
When I got home, I saw my dad in the living room, watching TV with Frankie. "Hmm? This is a weird sight." I said as I greeted them.
"Me, watching TV?" Frankie replied with a smile. I shook my head and said, "No, not being jumpy when I walk in, which meant you guys weren't fooling around when I'm not here."
My dad widened his eyes and replied with exasperation, "When did this ever happen– You never caught us getting jumpy."
"Eh, I'm more famous than you guys, so people will believe my narrative instead of yours." I said with a sly smirk. "Unless, you guys do something for me."
"So, this is a setup for blackmail. What do you want out of this negotiation?" Frankie crossed her legs and interlocked her fingers on top of her knee. I shrugged and stayed in character, "This is not blackmail. We're just talking here."
"What is going on?" My dad was befuddled by the whole scene. Frankie turned to him and whispered, "He's in character. For his movie."
"AH!" He finally understood it and turned to me seriously, "There's 2 of us and one of you. Despite not being more famous than you, being your dad gave me credibility. You don't want me to share your childhood story to the press won't you."
"You can try, if you even survive to meet the press then." I said with a chuckle. My dad has goosebumps, which Frankie immediately corrected him, "We're supposed to be the innocents, not on his level."
"Why do you know more about the movie than I do?" He asked Frankie in disbelief. Frankie shrugged and said, "He told me a few things about it during our vacation."
A bit jealous, my dad turned to me and said, "Tell me your condition."
"Simple. Let's have a Thanksgiving theme dinner tomorrow. I want to invite my friends and teachers."
"... That's it?" Frankie asked, a bit disappointed by the request. "What, do you expect a very unfavorable condition for you guys? I'm not a monster."
My dad smiled and said, "Alright, Thanksgiving dinner, tomorrow."
"I'll text my friends and ask them." I said before I walked past them to go to my room. "You guys can continue fooling around now."
"We're not fooling around in the first place!" My dad retorted, which made me burst into laughter. He turned to Frankie and asked, "Is it me, or does his technique to piss people off gets better?"
"I guess he's becoming a teenager. But it's scary, given that he's a very smart one." Frankie replied in agreement.
Suddenly, there was a doorbell ringing from the front door. I stopped my steps before I could enter the room, and asked, "Robin, who is it?"
"Miss Hudgens." Robin replied. "Should I let her inside?"
"She's alone?" I asked in confusion.
"Yes." Robin said. Confused, I paused for a while before I said, "Let her in. I want to see why she's here."
My dad opened the door before Robin could do it. He invited her inside as he knew Vanessa as Maggie's friend. "Maggie is going shopping with Amy and their grandmother. She won't be back for a while."
"Oh, that's…fine, I'm here…looking for Edward." Vanessa replied shyly, and with pauses in her sentences. I waved at her from afar and said, "Here."
We got into my room together, which made my dad and Frankie look at each other.
"Is he?" My dad asked.
Frankie shook her head, "I don't think so…Um, but, I did convince him to date more people."
"Should we give him some privacy?"
Frankie looked at him with disbelief and said, "No. Be a dad. Parent him."
"See, that's the problem. For a dad, I'm pretty proud, but–"
"Parent him Ted." Frankie said sternly.
"Oh! EDWARD! Don't lock the door!" My dad shouted from afar.
"I can't hear you!" I shouted back as I locked the door behind me. As I turned to Hudgens, I asked, "Why are you here?"
"I'm not here to ask for the song or anything!" She said suddenly. "I'm only here because in the script, I'm supposed to be taking your blood pressure…"
I understood what she wanted before she even finished her words. She continued, "Um, so I'm planning on asking you to practice with me."
"Yeah, sure. We want it to look natural after all." I agreed easily. "But, I'm going to write a song to reply to Taylor's song, so you need to do it while I'm doing that."
"I'm fine with it." She replied easily too. "The blood pressure machine is in the cabinet by the kitchen." I told her.
She was confused at first, then she asked, "Me? You want me to get it?"
I turned to her with a weird look on my face, "Yeah. Is there any problem?"
"Nope." She said before she walked out of the room hurriedly. As she left, I picked up my guitar and sat on the edge of the bed. "Now, how do I reply to her song?"
Seconds passed by quickly, and my fingers still haven't moved. Vanessa returned with the blood pressure machine after a while, "Hey, I got it."
I placed the guitar down and said, "Alright, let's do it."
My dad peeked at us from the door as he was concerned when Vanessa picked up the BP machine. "What are you guys doing?" He asked.
"Playing doctor." I replied with a smirk. "She's going to give me a prostate exam next."
Vanessa slapped my shoulder in embarrassment and irritation, while my dad froze. He grimaced and said dismissively, "Well, I tried to parent." He left soon after.
…
[General POV]
At Dunphy's house, after the guests had left, only the extended family stayed behind. It's already nighttime. Outside the house, the crew were taking down the zipline, the bouncy castle, and the rock wall. The lawn was filled with toys– water guns, balloons, and even dino suits.
A lot of the kids brought the dino suit back to their house, and continued wrecking havoc there. Edward was cursed a lot by the parents, but at the same time, they were glad to see their children so happy unleashing their inner beast.
"Edward saved you from falling down?" Phil asked Luke in confusion as everyone was near the kitchen. Jay, Mitch and Cam were by the dining table, and they turned to Phil. The ladies were in the living room, exhausted from the party.
"Was he here? When did he come?" Phil questioned.
Claire smirked and excitedly interrupted the conversation as she patted Phil's arm to gain his attention. She was standing behind Phil as she placed some leftover foods inside the fridge. "Oh, he's been here since the beginning!"
"What?" Phil looked at Claire weirdly, with an expression that said he didn't believe her.
Alex piled on the teasing, crossed her arms as she walked to Claire's side and said, "Dad, try to remember. He's here. You even talked to him– You talked to him a lot."
Phil's eyes moved quickly as he tried to remember. With a shocked voice, he guessed, "Jungle Tanya?!"
"What– NO!" Claire looked at Phil with exasperation. Alex said disdainfully, "How in the world did you think he's Jungle Tanya?!"
"By using a hyper realistic mask from the Nick Cage movie!" Phil defended himself quickly.
Cam, holding some ice to his face, already took off his clown makeup after Phil apologized and told him about his fear of clowns, stood by Phil's side and said, "I'm with Phil. If Edward was here, we would've noticed him immediately. He's a hard guy to miss noticing. People will be all over him."
Alex smirked, "That's exactly why he's here with a disguise. Come on, you can do it."
Luke joined Alex and teased, "Come on, you can do it."
Manny stood by Phil's side too, "He didn't come."
"He did." Luke started to argue with Manny.
Gloria and Jay joined in the conversation. Claire turned to them and asked, "Do you guys think that Edward had come here or not.
Jay said, "He might be really good at not getting the limelight on him. I guess it made sense if he stopped by."
Gloria immediately replied, "He didn't come!"
Haley stood beside Claire and Alex, "Wrong! He did come."
Mitchell brought Lily with him, and stood beside the opposition, "He didn't come."
"Ed." Lily babbled, which made Claire take her from Mitchell, "Aww, see, even Lily knew that Edward had come."
"Ed!" Lily babbled again.
"It's 6 to 5. We won." Haley teased.
"Still, there's no evidence that he was here." Mitchell said with a smirk. "It's just speculation at this point."
Claire rolled her eyes and said, "Don't pretend you're a lawyer–"
"I AM A LAWYER!" Mitchell retorted incredulously.
Cam interjected and said, "Like Mitchell said, we don't have proof that he's here."
Luke said, "He's here. He even said that he hates clowns." Already forgotten the lines Edward fed him, Luke guessed that was what Edward said based on the pieces he did remember.
Cam gasped in humiliation, and his eyes became watery, "I already got punched today, but I got punched in the gut again?" Mitchell hurriedly comforted him.
Gloria brought the topic back, "If Edward is here, where did he go?"
"He's at Haley's room, making out with her." Alex exposed. Haley turned to Alex in shock, while the others looked at her with intrigue.
"Ooooohh.." Everyone exclaimed teasingly.
"What– You're the one who's making out with your boyfriend. He just kisses me to piss off mom." Haley exposed Alex. "We didn't even get the chance to be alone before you and Ed came." Alex argued back.
Phil's eyes shook and he said, "I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear any of that. My little angels would never."
Alex and Haley felt guilty and embarrassed as they saw their dad's facial expression. Claire noticed the mood and immediately said, "Edward was ATLAS! Can you believe that?!"
"Oh my god really?" Phil immediately lit up at the news. Everyone who opposed shared the same disbelief and excitement. "The only reason I didn't guess Atlas is because he's very good at magic. Edward barely learned it before." Phil added.
[Phil's commentary]
"Can it be that in a short amount of time, he becomes a top magician expert that can compete with the other big names in the world? He really is a prodigy in whatever he's doing."
He paused as he fell deep in thought. His eyes lit up and he gasped, "If someday people are going to write a memoir for him, I would become one of the first people who introduced him to the world of magic. Magic enthusiasts worldwide would thank me."
[Gloria's commentary]
"HE'S THE ONE WHO PUT THE CARD IN MY BOOBS!?!"
[Commentary ends]