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MD - Capitulo 242: Documentary III
Author’s Note: Hi guys, here you have a chapter of more than 7,000 words, the last one of the year. Enjoy it, and Happy New Year in advance! ...Rick rested his elbows on the desk, interlaced his fingers, and gave a faint smile, like someone who knew exactly why he was there.“I remember the first time I saw Andrew,” he began. “As an offensive coordinator, I spend hours watching highlights, especially of players in California who aren’t at Mater Dei. It’s part of the job: identifying talent, seeing who might fit, who has something dif...
SH - Chapter 80: Tonight Show
“Our next guest is the writer, actor, and creator of the biggest-ROI horror phenomenon in history… please give a huge round of applause for Owen Ashford!” Jimmy Fallon announced.As Owen heard his introduction, he stepped forward. He entered from the side of the set onto the main stage of The Tonight Show: the polished wooden desk, the city of New York lit up as the backdrop, the studio’s bluish tones, warm lights highlighting the set, and the audience seated in the stands. The moment he appeared on camera, the applause exploded.Matt whi...
MD - Chapter 241: Documentary II
THE RETURN TO THE THRONEThe title lingered on screen for a few seconds before the images slowly resumed, revealing a vast, modern, impeccably maintained campus. Two perfectly lined football practice fields, a track and field oval, indoor gyms, spacious facilities, everything top of the line.A caption appeared at the bottom: Santa Ana – Mater Dei High School.The image then shifted to a stadium with compact stands: Santa Ana Stadium, with a capacity of ten thousand spectators, designed specifically for Friday night games.As the footage continue...
SH - Chapter 79: The Wednesday phenomenon
Owen was in his assigned dressing room. It was a small, immaculate space, with warm lighting and a relaxing atmosphere. On the door, a small white sign read:“Tonight Show – Owen Ashford.”There were only a few minutes left before he went on.His family, Sophie, Matt, and Larry, had split up a while ago, by now they should be seated among the audience, watching the opening portion of the show: Jimmy’s monologue, the opening sketch, and of course the interview with the first guest, Evan Peters.At that moment, a makeup artist was working on ...
MD - Chapter 240: Documentary I
The television screen was black. For a few seconds, nothing could be seen, only the dry sound of a ball hitting the ground.Thump.Thump.The sound stopped, and white letters appeared:THE ORIGIN.The words slowly faded, and an image emerged. A sprawling building with straight lines and ordinary architecture. Light-colored facades, large windows, and outdoor walkways connecting different wings.The camera moved calmly, showing the campus from different angles.“This is Palisades Charter High School. A public school in Los Angeles. Large, with thousa...
SH - Chapter 78: Changes in this reality
Tuesday, November 29, 2022At 2:30 p.m., Owen was already at The Conrad Midtown, a five-star hotel where a standard room cost around $550 per night or more and which was located less than ten minutes from Rockefeller Center.Rockefeller Center was not a hotel, but a massive complex of corporate and commercial buildings in Manhattan. Inside were NBC Studios, the offices of The Tonight Show, shops, restaurants, and more.Owen was scheduled to head there around 3:00 p.m. He had taken a long flight from Los Angeles, several hours of travel, and barely...
MD - Chapter 239: Luke's Birthday III
“Alright, let’s started!” Steve said, positioning himself a few meters from the machine, bat in hand, setting his feet and stance with seriousness. He wasn’t playing around.Andrew, standing next to the machine, turned the speed dial. “Alright, 35 mph. Get ready.”Steve nodded, focused. It was just a warm-up, but even so he had to take it seriously. He had absolutely no intention of spending the next two months calling Andrew “dad.”The ball shot out. Steve reacted instantly. The bat connected with a clean crack and the ball sailed...
SH - Chapter 77: Preemptive marketing
[Comment Section – First vlog on the channel]@rexplee:I never thought seeing Owen talking straight to the camera would feel so weird and so natural at the same time. It’s like finally meeting the guy who made all those shorts. Great vlog, bro.@magunas109:More surprising than the price was how calmly he paid for everything@christiantiensuu:Matt is way too much energy, if they keep doing vlogs, he has to keep showing up.@misstristy1:The part where Matt runs out of frame yelling “I want to touch an Alexa Mini!” had me crying laughing.@shad...
MD - Chapter 238: Luke's Birthday II
In the Dunphy house living room were everyone who didn’t want to be out in the backyard, that battlefield full of shouting, running, games, and childhood chaos.There were Andrew, Willa, Leonard, Alex, Manny, Phil (to play a quick match specifically on the Wii) and Haley.Haley had come downstairs as soon as she found out that people worth talking to had arrived, namely Willa, Andrew, or Leonard, and that she wouldn’t have to stay trapped at a party she frankly found boring.Howard had arrived as well.The first thing his friends did when they ...
SH - Chapter 76: First vlog
On Thursday, November 17, four days after Owen returned to Los Angeles, Second Take Films reappeared in the feed of all its subscribers. Almost a month had passed since the last video, so the notification caught many people by surprise. What no one expected was the type of content.For the first time in the history of the channel, it wasn’t a short film, nor a trailer.It was a vlog.The title and the thumbnail immediately caught attention. The duration exceeded fourteen minutes, making it the longest video on the channel. In the thumbnail, Owen...
MD - Chapter 237: Luke's Birthday I
Before Andrew could respond, footsteps were heard. Phil reappeared in the living room with Luke at his side.Luke, twelve years old, having turned them less than twenty-four hours earlier, had slightly flushed cheeks and a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. It was obvious he’d been running around nonstop, playing with his friends.“What’s up?” Luke asked, looking at his father, not understanding why he’d been brought into the living room.Then his gaze shifted and landed on Steve, Willa, and Leonard. An instant smile lit up his face....
SH - Chapter 75: Friendly competition
“Action!” Elijah said, and the scene began.“Here we are,” Owen said, adopting Sutter’s relaxed, slightly teasing tone.He was sitting on the bed, just a few inches from Jenna, who was also sitting across from him, looking at him with Aimee’s characteristic nervous shyness.“Yeah…” Jenna replied with a soft laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she lowered her gaze for a moment before meeting Owen’s eyes again.There were a couple of seconds of silence, glances going back and forth, almost involuntary smiles, exactly...
MD - Chapter 236: Bet
The truck, with Willa at the wheel, Andrew in the passenger seat, and Leonard in the back, came to a stop in front of a house with an unremarkable façade. The yard was somewhat neglected: overgrown, uneven grass, and several objects scattered across the lawn, as if the grass had slowly swallowed them up until they became part of the landscape.Willa tapped the horn once, briefly. At the same time, Andrew sent Steve a text: come out, we’re here.“He’s going to take a while,” Leonard muttered, yawning without even trying to hide it. He had...
SH - Chapter 74: The best horror movie of the year
📰 INDIEWIRE | SPECIAL ANALYSISHalloween 2022: From a Quiet Failure to the Biggest Indie Phenomenon in HistoryBy: Eric Kohn — November 1, 2022With the close of the Halloween weekend, the most coveted season for horror cinema left behind an uneven landscape: releases that failed to spark interest, independent projects that found unexpected audiences, and one title that is already rewriting the rules of micro-budget filmmaking.Below is the definitive ranking, from lowest to highest impact, of the horror releases that competed between late Sep...
MD - Chapter 235: Ambitious video
Willa pulled the truck to a stop in front of Andrew’s house and turned off the engine. The silence lingered for a second, then she looked at him with a perfect mix of disbelief and resignation.“I can’t believe you spent fifteen hundred dollars on a pitching machine,” she finally said, emphasizing every word as if she were still processing it.“Fourteen ninety-five,” Andrew corrected calmly.Willa stared at him for another moment, then let out a long sigh, the kind that comes when there’s no energy left to argue. She turned her body ...
SH - Chapter 73: One hundred million
“Yes?” Chelsea asked, finally lifting her head and looking at her friend.“About time you reacted.” Jazmín leaned her elbow on the table, watching her with a mix of curiosity and exasperation. “What are you looking at?”Chelsea lowered her gaze back to her phone. The thread about Owen, already trending worldwide, kept refreshing nonstop. Every second, ten, twenty, thirty new comments appeared.“Everyone’s talking about him,” she murmured.“Owen?” Jazmín said with a sigh. “Of course. It’s literally all anyone’s talking ...
MD - Chapter 234: The anger of Luke
Andrew and Willa walked through the parking lot toward one of the mall entrances. Their mission was clear: buy a gift for Luke.Luke Dunphy’s twelfth birthday had been on November 28, that is, yesterday, Friday.Bad luck that his birthday fell on a Friday, because Mater Dei played that same day at 7:00 p.m. in the state championship quarterfinals. Unlike the break that followed the end of league play, this time there was no pause at all: the state tournament began exactly one week after the section final.The result was decisive: Mater Dei 46 - ...
SH - Chapter 72: Discussion
On Monday, October 24th, Owen woke up early to the constant vibration of his phone. Notifications, mentions, messages, articles, congratulations, everything mixed together. He barely had time to skim through them: a long day of shooting awaited him, and he couldn’t afford distractions.On Sunday, Paranormal Activity had closed with 4.1 million, finishing a weekend of more than 11 million dollars and a full week above 15 million. Far beyond what he himself had projected just days earlier, when he had estimated the film might add 12 million in t...
MD - Chapter 233: Reclassification
Saturday, November 29, 2010A week had passed since the historic Southern Section final between Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly.Andrew had delivered one of the most impressive individual performances ever recorded on a stage of that caliber: 5 touchdowns, 408 passing yards, 25/31 completions, an 80.6% completion rate, the highest of the season, and once again, 0 interceptions.After such a spectacular end to the season, it was inevitable that every major recruiting service, Rivals, 247Sports, Scout, and ESPN, would update their rankings. And what h...
SH - Chapter 71: Rescue
“Hi, Owen,” Madison greeted, taking a step forward.Owen studied her carefully: sleepwear far too light for someone wandering the hotel hallways at this hour, the script in one hand. Nothing about this screamed professional visit.“Hi… do you need something?” Owen asked, narrowing his eyes.“Yes. I was thinking… should we practice a bit of the scenes we have together on Monday?”Madison lifted the script slightly. “They’re the most important ones for our characters.”Owen didn’t answer right away.“I don’t know…” he sa...
MD - Chapter 232: Championship Final III
[Incomplete pass by Poly!] Will exclaimed, standing up in the booth with the microphone in hand.The stadium exploded.The Monarchs’ defense celebrated as if they had just scored a touchdown: helmets clashing, shouting and friendly shoves.On the sideline, the Mater Dei coaches exchanged high-fives with contained euphoria. Even Bruce Rollinson, always measured, allowed himself a smile and a light tap on the shoulder of his defensive coordinator.Andrew, Victor, Nick, and the rest of the offensive group applauded from the bench, celebrating the pl...
SH - Chapter 70: The days go by
“Mind if I sit here?” Jenna asked."Sure, go ahead," Owen replied, making a gentle gesture for her to take a seat.Jenna set down the cup of coffee she’d grabbed from the buffet and settled in across from him.Only then did she look at him directly, as if reminding herself of basic formality. “Oh, right… good morning.”Owen was already used to that part of her: polite, composed, slightly distant, but always respectful. It was part of the professionalism that defined her.“Good morning, Jenna. Sleep well?” Owen asked as he loc...
MD - Chapter 231: Championship Final II
Angel Stadium of Anaheim7:31 p.m.The stadium was packed. The lights were fully on, ESPN’s cameras sweeping across the field, and both teams still in their locker rooms. Halftime had begun about five minutes earlier.The atmosphere was electric. The crowd’s energy, the murmurs, the cameras focusing on the marching bands performing their numbers, everything reflected the magnitude of the event.And it was no surprise: the final was living up to every expectation. In the days leading up to it, predictions had been split.On one hand, many expecte...
SH - Chapter 69: The Family is everything
The poll is over. Option A won, so I’ll be choosing the cast for Good Will Hunting.Thank you all for voting!...Monday, October 17th, 2022At 5:40 a.m., Owen’s phone alarm went off, and he opened his eyes almost instantly. He was used to waking up early, though maybe not this early, but he had slept enough.He wasn’t in his usual bedroom. He was in a hotel that A24 had booked for the actors and crew during the four weeks of filming The Spectacular Now. Everything would be shot in Georgia, with locations close to each other. There would be no...
MD - Chapter 230: Championship Final I
[Cooper House][Touchdown for the Jackrabbits! First of the night and of this great final!] exclaimed Will, the main voice of the broadcast, as Long Beach Poly’s offensive players raised their arms in celebration in the end zone.The roar of the stadium filled the screen. The green and gold uniforms grouped together euphorically near the left pylon, while some Mater Dei defensive players could be seen frustrated.[What a way to open the game, Dave,] Will continued, [First drive of the night, and Long Beach strikes first.][That’s right, Will,] ...
Good Will Hunting cast
Hi everyone! Owen’s next movie is getting closer…I want you to decide:Do you prefer that I choose the cast for Good Will Hunting myself, or should we do polls for each role with several actor options so you can vote?Whoever gets the most votes will be the actor Owen hires.
SH - Chapter 68: Professional attitude
Friday, October 14, 2022.Four days earlier, Variety had published the interview they did with Owen, an interview that quickly gained significant attention:Variety - October 11, 2022By: Daniel F. JenkinsOwen Ashford, the young filmmaker behind the surprise horror phenomenon that has already surpassed $50 million: “I never thought about selling my movie, I knew it had potential.”Through a video call from his apartment in Los Angeles, Owen Ashford appears relaxed, wearing a simple T-shirt and without the excitement one might expect from someon...
MD - Chapter 229: A typical Texas house
Medford, Texas – Friday, November 21st, 2010In one of the many quiet houses of Medford, Texas, clean façade, well-kept lawn, and warm lights glowing inside, stood the Cooper family home.A very well-known family in the neighborhood. The father, George Cooper Sr., was the head coach of the local high school football team, respected by the community and liked by the parents of his players.The mother, Mary, was just as recognizable, always involved in church, charity events, and any activity where she could offer a helping hand and a sermon.Thei...
SH - Chapter 67: Dilemma
Owen, while thinking about how rehearsals would begin soon, couldn’t help but remember his co-star: Jenna Ortega. She had just turned 20 a few days earlier, on September 27th. He found out because they had followed each other on social media, and he noticed her followers congratulating her.They had done a chemistry read on Monday the 19th at the A24 offices, almost two weeks earlier. Jenna had been the last actress to audition. Before her, Owen had done test scenes with three other actresses, including his girlfriend, Sophie, who unfortunatel...
MD - Chapter 228: Unexpected visit
Andrew, as he opened the door, heard the unmistakable fake laugh of his grandmother: DeDe.'Why is she here?' Andrew thought with a grimace.Honestly, he didn’t have even the slightest energy to deal with her right after practice and a long day at school.Was it a bit cold to think that way about his own grandmother?Not really. He had never had a deep relationship with DeDe. In fact, if he really thought about it, she was probably the person he felt the least connected to in the entire family.And when Andrew thought of family, he meant t...
