@MusicGeek09: KANYE REALLY JUST DID THAT??? Bro, let the girl have her moment. Poor Taylor Swift. That was probably the most humiliating experience of her life. Troy Armitage's speech was so good, and I totally agree with him. #GetHelpKanye.
@countrygirl_amy: I've never seen anything so rude on live TV. Taylor deserved better. I adore her music, and it wasn't even a big surprise that she won. Sure, Single Ladies was also good, but Beyoncé won the freaking Video of the Year award!
@NovaKnight: That's so true, @countrygirl_amy. As much as I love Troy Armitage sweeping the Grammys, it makes sense to divide the pie among different singers. What's the point of giving Beyoncé Video of the Year and Best Female Video? Taylor's video was so good that it makes sense they gave her the second-best award. If only Kanye had been a little patient. #GetHelpKanye
@Just_JaredFan: Kanye: "Taylor, Imma let you finish."
Me: turns off the TV
I can't tolerate that pretentious asshole. #GetHelpKanye
@NYCwriter22: My entire living room just screamed at the TV at the same time when Kanye literally spawned on the stage like an NPC to become an international joke. #TeamTaylor #GetHelpKanye.
@SereneDreamer: Kanye West is unhinged. Troy is soooo right about this. The only thing Kanye should let someone finish is his mental treatment. #GetHelpKanye
@Taylor1Stan: I fucking hate that because of that asshole, people have started comparing Beyoncé and Taylor. There's no comparison between apples and oranges. Beyoncé has been in the industry since Taylor was a kid. Classy people don't drag others down to make themselves feel good. Kanye never was, and never will be, classy. #GetHelpKanye
@thatdudejohn: Dude. Kanye just tanked his whole career in 10 seconds flat. #GetHelpKanye
@LilRockstar88: Beyoncé's face said EVERYTHING. Someone gif that please.
@PunkedByLife: This is gonna be a meme forever, and he's gonna regret it. I'm really looking forward to the fallout. Will Troy block Kanye's music from Spotify or YouTube? I don't think he should, but it would be an interesting move.
@Pink: Kanye West is the biggest piece of shit on earth. Quote me.
"So what do you think, Troy?"
I looked up from my phone. The room was a sleek conference space with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the beautiful Manhattan skyline. A long table stretched across the center, occupied by a handful of Phoenix executives. Sundar Pichai sat directly opposite me, hands folded neatly, waiting for my response.
"Huh?" I asked intelligently. "About what? I'm so sorry, but these business presentations are really not for me. I can give you ideas, but the actual hardcore business side of things is beyond me."
That's why I hired you, I thought.
Sundar exhaled softly before speaking. "I was asking whether you like this new Android version you've been using."
"Oh, that," I said with a nod. "Yeah, it's good. I love it. It's so clean and easy to use. Definitely much better than my old iPhone. Thank you for incorporating the ideas I suggested into it."
Sundar inclined his head slightly, the hint of a smile forming. "They were great ideas. The gestures have been a huge hit with our testing team, and we fully intend to launch them next year with our own line of smartphones. I also love your idea of a smart voice assistant, Sky, and we've integrated a basic version into this phone."
He took out a new phone and pushed it toward me. "Try it out. It's been configured for you. Greet Sky with a hello."
"Hello, Sky," I said into the phone.
The screen glowed softly as a blue logo pulsed in the center. After a brief moment, a calm male voice responded, "Hello, Troy, how may I help you today?"
I raised an eyebrow, surprised at how naturally it addressed me by name.
"What's the temperature outside?" I asked.
The dots blinked a few times before the assistant replied, "It is currently 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit in Manhattan. Would you like my help selecting your clothes for going out?"
I grinned at Sundar before giving my next command. "No, but can you tell me about the last Harry Potter book and its plot?"
The dots blinked longer this time. "The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett was released in 2001. It…"
I laughed, locked the phone, and handed it back to Sundar. "It needs some work."
"It's still under development," Sundar explained. "Our employees have been adding voice samples constantly. We've integrated it into their company phones. We'll release the beta version in about three months, and a live version by next year. We'll also give users the option to switch between a male or female voice, and different accents and languages, but that last one will take time to materialize."
I nodded. "Alright."
It was still hard to believe how successful Android had become in this world, especially since it launched later than it had in the original timeline.
"In case you missed it," Sundar continued, "we've also finalized the purchase of Twitter. For a billion dollars. I don't think they're worth that much, but they refused to sell for anything less."
"That's fine," I agreed. "What about Yahoo?"
He hesitated before replying. "We're negotiating. We offered twenty billion, but they're stuck on thirty. Let's see if we can meet somewhere in the middle."
I gave him a nod. "Keep pushing them. We need that merger for Android. Meanwhile, I have a few policies regarding Twitter now that we own it. First of all, there has to be a regulation on adult content."
Sundar thought for a moment. "You want to ban it?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "It's a niche other platforms aren't targeting. It'd be stupid to ban it outright. I need clear rules about what's allowed and what isn't. If advertisers have a problem with that, promise them their ads won't show up on adult-oriented pages."
There was no way I was banning that part of the website when I'd used it liberally in another lifetime.
"Next, I don't want us to self-censor anything or anyone unless the government makes rules about it. There can be some exceptions, like if someone is spreading misinformation, hatred, or blatant lies, even after multiple warnings."
"Gotcha. Anything else?"
"Add a feature to upload images and small videos," I said. "People are already posting images, except they're doing it through other platforms like Imgur or Tumblr. Twitter didn't have its own cloud server, so it had to limit data. We have that, so use it."
Sundar nodded while typing notes quickly on his laptop.
"Make linking with YouTube and TikTok easier," I continued, "so a video from either platform plays seamlessly on Twitter. Also, increase the character limit. 140 is way too little."
I paused to think for a second before shaking my head. "That's all for now. If I think of anything else, I'll email you."
With my part done, I pushed my chair back and headed for the exit, Benji walking right behind me. At the last moment, I stopped and turned back to Sundar.
"Oh, and make sure everyone at all branches of Phoenix knows that we won't be working with Kanye West. As long as everything is legal, blacklist him from all our platforms."
This time, I didn't look back again and walked out of the meeting room.
"Man, I hate all these corporate meetings," Benji groaned as we entered the hallway. "They're all fucking boring."
"And if you'd gone to college and gotten a normal degree, that's all you'd be doing for decades," I said. "At least be happy that with me, these meetings are as rare as they are."
"True," he admitted.
I decided to change the topic. "So, how's my Twitter profile coming along?"
"It's good," he said. "See for yourself."
He handed me another phone, already logged into my Twitter account. I wasn't very active on social media, but ever since Facebook blew up, I'd told Benji to grab the username "Troy" on every platform that launched afterward.
So my new Twitter handle was @Troy. Simple, clean, and elegant.
The display picture was a great choice. It was from my very first film set, showing little me sitting in a makeup chair, swinging my legs, and getting ready for my first shot. A blue tick sat proudly beside my name. The bio read: The Supreme Leader of the Trojan Army.
Corny, sure, but it made me smile.
"It's perfect," I said, handing the phone back to Benji. "Wait until they add the photo feature on Twitter. As soon as they do, I want the first photo on Twitter to be my first post as well. Coordinate it with Sundar, or whoever is in charge of it."
"Will do," Benji said as we made our way toward the parking lot.
Today was one of the rare days when I was free from the theater. So, of course, today was the day James Cameron had arranged an internal screening of [Avatar] for me. He'd flown all the way to New York specifically for this, which was surprisingly thoughtful of him.
(Break)
The blue aliens ran through the forest, weaving between glowing plants as they spoke in low, intimate voices. Their movements were fluid and almost hypnotic, making the entire scene feel alive.
Jake Sully stood with his hair wrapped around a luminous tree as Neytiri spoke softly, her expression calm and reverent.
"Our ancestors live, Jake," she said with a small, serene smile. "Within Eywa."
Jake looked away from her to take in the incredible world around him. The bioluminescent leaves shimmered like stardust, making the entire scene even more breathtaking. His face shifted through surprise, awe, and sorrow until the weight of realization settled in his eyes. He would soon be part of the team that destroyed this beautiful utopia, all because of corporate greed.
I never thought motion capture could portray emotions so accurately. Every great actor has a specialty. While I'm not narcissistic enough to consider myself great yet, I knew I was better than most. People had told me for years that my emotional control and subtle facial reactions were what made my acting stand out.
When I agreed to do [Avatar], my biggest concern was that the emotional depth of my performance would get lost in the visual effects. Sam Worthington, who originally played Jake Sully, was an average actor at best, and his facial work never fully translated. His performance felt monotonous in scenes that needed more texture. But watching my own performance on the big screen, I could finally say with confidence that I elevated this role.
There are some roles where I still doubt whether I matched or surpassed the original actor, like in [The Dark Knight], but for this one, there was no question.
Beyond the emotional beats, the visuals were breathtaking. It had been so long since I last saw an Avatar film that I'd forgotten just how grand the experience was. The music, the action, the VFX, the cinematography, the direction, even the acting, everything was perfect.
So, of course, I was the first person to stand when the credits rolled. It was a closed screening with only five people in the room, but I didn't care what the others thought. I fucking loved it.
"Jim, you're a genius," I said, completely serious. "That film was fire. Mark my words, we're about to break your record for [Titanic]."
He chuckled good-naturedly before shaking his head. "I'll be happy even if we make half of that. You might be the star of this film, but remember that this is an original movie. [Titanic] came out in a different era when originality worked."
"You're being awfully pessimistic," I noted. "Everything okay?"
He stayed quiet for a few moments before finally speaking. "We conducted a survey with prospective moviegoers and asked if they were interested in watching [Avatar]. Only fifty-two percent said yes. That's a terrible number. With enthusiasm that low, it would be a miracle for us to break even, let alone make what [Titanic] made."
"We'll do great, Jim," I assured him. "And honestly? Neither of us is hurting for cash, so it doesn't matter even if the movie's a big flop. I just want you to know that you've created a great movie. It'll be one of the highlights of my career. Of both our careers."
His smile widened at that thought. "Thank you. Honestly, if this film fails, I'll feel very guilty for giving you the first flop of your life."
I laughed. "Don't think like that. Think about the future. Have you given any thought to your next project? Because I have the rights to one project I'd love for you to take on if you're interested."
He frowned thoughtfully. "I've thought about my next project, but not about any other story. The Avatar world has so much to explore on Pandora. Why make anything else? Even if the film flops, I'd like to continue the story as a book."
Avatar was a franchise that loved testing its viewers' patience, just like George R. R. Martin. The second movie was originally released in 2022, a full thirteen years after the first one, all because Cameron insisted on shooting motion capture underwater. Since the technology didn't exist, he had it developed from scratch before shooting.
"Because you'll get bored working on the same movie you've been making since the early 2000s," I said. "If the second film takes as long as this one…"
Jim considered that for a moment before asking, "Which film do you want me to make then?"
"Dune by Frank Herbert," I said immediately. "I got the rights from Warner Bros in exchange for a deal. I know David Lynch made a movie in the 80s, but it wasn't faithful to the source material because of studio interference. This time, staying true to Herbert's vision would be my top priority. So what do you say?"
He thought carefully before shaking his head. "As much as I love Dune, I don't want to make another movie about an alien life form. That too one that has already been made. If you get another director, though, I could act as an advisor during pre-production or maybe even become a producer if you're willing to offer that. But I won't be involved as a director."
Ah, shoot. There went my master plan to make [Dune] with James Cameron as the director. As much as I wanted to bring Denis Villeneuve into the project, I needed a solid reason to hire him. Until now, he hadn't directed anything that made waves. I was pretty sure [Incendies] was the film that earned him international recognition, but I couldn't remember when it was released.
I'd think about my director problem some other time.
"What about Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin?" I asked instead. "We're making a TV show for Netflix. Would you be interested in directing the pilot?"
"I love A Song of Ice and Fire," he replied. "Just the pilot, though?"
I shrugged. "You could direct the whole first season if you want. Just keep in mind the TV budget won't be anywhere close to Avatar. We'll also be shooting in multiple locations, like Croatia and Ireland. Most effects will be practical, except for the dragons or anything magical. Can you do that?"
He thought about it for a few seconds before saying, "I can agree to the pilot, but I'll need to see the script first to understand what I'm working with. I'll decide about the rest of the season after the pilot has been shot."
"Great." I beamed.
"So what role would you be playing in it?" he asked suddenly.
I blinked, genuinely surprised, before shaking my head. "I'm not."
"Oh?" Cameron leaned back slightly, studying me. "Your appearance as a major character in the first season would be a great ratings boost for the show, especially on a platform like Netflix, which doesn't offer any original shows."
That… was fair. My presence in GOT will be a huge boost. But it didn't change the fact that I didn't want to lock myself into a long-term project. A TV show was a massive commitment, and I was already tied to [The Book of Mormon], which I planned to continue at least until the summer. Maybe I could do one of the shocking Season 1 deaths? I was too young to play Ned Stark, or I'd gladly take that role.
"I'll think about it," I told Cameron before getting up. "Right now, I've got things to do, starting with the promotions for [Avatar], just like you."
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AN: Check out my second story, 'Swimmer to Superstar (A Hollywood SI)', which is now publicly available.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com