Family Guy

Author's note: I now have a p-word as you all know, so if you feel like reading 5 advanced chapters at the measly price of $3, then do join. The link is in this book's bio, or you can just search 'Archonstine' followed by p-word on your browser.

Also, join my discord will ya? For movie and tv-show recommendations and character images. And also it's the one place where I ask you all for suggestions. The link is in this book's bio.

P.S, donate some power stones while you're at it. And maybe... write up a review?

APOLOGIES FOR REPOSTING THIS CHAPTER. I DID ACTUALLY POST A NEW CHAPTER. CALLED, 'MAD MAX', BUT I HAD MISTAKENLY POSTED THIS ONE BEFORE IT, AND ONLY REALIZED MY GOOF UP NOW. SO DO VISIT THE CHAPTER AND GIVE IT A READ. I HAVE ADJUSTED THE CHAPTER SEQUENCE TO REFLECT THE TRUE ORDER.

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20th May 1997 (Tuesday)

Ricky Stirling (POV)

I entered the plain white room, eager to get this over with as the cameras and mics were being set up.

"Mr. Stirling!" A voice erupted behind me, as a woman in her mid-30s, made her way towards me with a practiced grin.

I shook her hand as she continued, "Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. No, really. I know how busy you're with the shoot of your 3rd directorial after all. Oh, I am Veronica Lane, and I'll be interviewing you today!"

"Oh, there was no need for an introduction Miss Lane, your reputation precedes you after all!"

Oh boy, did her reputation precede her. It's mostly the reason why I even agreed to this little interview… And to promote Good Will Hunting and build some intrigue around Catch Me If you Can.

This interview? It's not some fancy puff piece press release after all, that would have taken no effort on mine, anyone else's part really.

Nope, this was an hour long interview that'll involve some serious mental gymnastics on my part, as I'll be forced to take on introspective questions that'll provide an 'insight' into my thinking process and views to my fans.

See the emphasis on 'Insight'? Yeah… the magazine that's facilitating this interview is named 'In Hind-Sight', with some clever word play on the cover. 'In' and 'Hind' are printed in smaller sizes, one on top of another, and the 'Sight', is written in a significantly larger font next to them, hinting that the content within will provide both insight, and hindsight.

This magazine… just one of the various deviations in this AU, a place where some semblance of true journalism clearly exists, considering the track record of this publication.

Oh don't get me wrong, it still mirrors the OTL, in the sense that, Variety, and Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone, etc., all exist, along with the continued presence of the paparazzi. But for some reason, this world has far more publications related to providing intellectual material in the pop culture world than the OTL.

For example, 'In Hind-Sight', is a monthly magazine that features 3 interviews with 3 different celebrities. Each interview follows the same format, but the questions asked will differ, considering the topic, and situation surrounding the celebrity in question.

Now, that kind of thing might as well have been a gimmick, except for the fact that… the interviewer in question is always a renowned psychiatrist, or a behavioral psychologist, NOT a journalist.

You can see where this is going… the interview will be published in full, without tampering, but each one of them, will include a mini-thesis by the interviewer, containing their deep analysis of our answers, and to some extent, observations and hypothesized indications supported by circumstantial evidence, that contains insight into what the celebrities are potentially hiding behind their polite and charming facades.

Granted, they have always been careful to never truly steer into full-scale defamation, mainly to avoid cases filed against them on grounds of libel. But quite a few of their interviews have garnered significant controversy among the populace, which was fueled further by the mainstream media.

A grand total of 8 celebs had actually attempted to sue them on grounds of defamation when the 'analysis' section, actually accused a few of them of having sociopathic traits and personality defects. But that's' the beauty of it… the way they cleverly worded their article.

Long story short… every single case lodged against them was dismissed before even reaching the jury stage.

And now, for some reason… I caught their eye. They reached out to me without any prior prompting from my movie's marketing team… usually, they would call my agent, but I don't really have one, considering I make my own damn movies, and don't wanna part needlessly with 10% of my income for what I consider to be menial labor.

Hmmm… I'm never gonna hire an agent… but perhaps a personal assistant is needed? Not now I suppose, but when my brand inevitably explodes after GWH's premiere, I will be drowning in all sorts of offers, ranging from movie pitches, to role offers, to audition requests, etc. Obviously I'm not gonna consider any of them right now, not when I've already planned the trajectory of my career for the next few years… but I'll need someone to wade through the sludge right? Someone to draft rejection letters, an intermediary of sorts to filter out what's worth my time, and what isn't…

This warrants further thought.

Anyway, I don't what about me exactly drew their attention to headline their June edition of all things. Yep, the cover page is mine.

It was originally gonna be this pop star who just recently had a song go platinum, but now it's me.

Apparently the editor took one look at me, and decided I was the one… my CHA is truly unmatched.

…

…

"Ok now, let's get this started shall we?" Veronica asked, as she adjusted her posture accordingly, flicking her notepad with a pen between her fingers.

"Please, by all means. Ask away Ms. Lane." I replied in kind, maintaining an easy smile on my lips.

"Hold on just one sec. DAVID! Are the cameras rolling?"

"...Erm, no. You didn't give us the go-to."

"Good, you remembered. Now, on my signal- 3, 2, 1 and we roll!" She finished the countdown, before instantly morphing back into her interviewer persona, as all focus was now directed at me.

"So, Mr. Stirling-"

"Please, call me Ricky. Mr. Stirling is my father." I interrupt her, having become accustomed to repeating this one-liner again and again and… you guessed it. Again.

She was not caught off-guard, instead, she weaved it into the discussion quite seamlessly.

"Of course, Ricky it is then. As a mental health professional, I understand the human need to establish a unique identity of your own, instead of appropriating someone else's. Your father, Ambrose Stirling is after all a highly revered film producer, so let this be a segue to the first question… As the sole heir to a billion dollar fortune, and having access to countless connections, several tabloids over the years have attempted to label your career as a case study in nepotism, but have failed spectacularly in doing so. Care to offer any insight?"

WHAT THE FU-

I instantly wipe my mind clear of any distracting thoughts, and focus on formulating a compelling narrative, that doesn't come off as pretentious or anything. This is after all, nepotism we're talking about, and any attempt to defend myself will be turned against me, faster than I can say 'Daddy Dearest'.

"Well Veronica- I'm sorry, can I call you that?"

"Sure." She replied without missing a beat.

"Veronica it is. Well, I believe there are several dimensions to your question, and frankly providing an answer to it without prior context, seems like a fool's errand. So I'm gonna talk a little freely here, is that okay with you?"

She shakes her head dismissively, "Please, by all means. Whatever provides an insight to our readers regarding the enigma that is you. Kindly stick to the subject matter included in the question though."

I nod casually, before starting, "Well first of all, what truly is… Nepotism? I'm not talking about its cause, or the impact it has on Hollywood or anything, just the meaning of the word. Oxford Dictionary defines nepotism as 'the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends or associates, especially by giving them jobs. Now, that's just the barebones meaning. In a broader context, it refers to the 'act of granting an advantage, privilege, or position to relatives or close friends in an occupation or field.' Now, I remember the first few… 'articles', which came out around the time I published my 2nd novel. The first one, American Gods, was a bestseller, and I won several accolades for it. Now my 2nd novel, Dune, came out next year. And this year long absence… it created a certain perception in the media for me. There were some calling me a one-hit wonder. So when Dune was released, early reviews were not positive, lambasting my prose for being too… 'verbose', criticizing the length of it, the allegories to our modern world… This event was exactly what the tabloids were waiting for- and they pounced the moment they saw an iota of conformity to random subsections of their article. And then when the general reception of readers was gauged to be highly positive… it painted a contradictory image to that of some critics."

I take a short breath, before continuing, "And so… the turnabout occurred a few weeks later. 'Dune', underwent a critical reassessment, and this time it received acclaim from nearly every major noteworthy publication. Now, a few tabloids continued with the same old narrative, attributing my continued success in the literary world to a robust marketing, and hype generated through my father's considerable resources. Now this is it, the moment we revisit the definition. If we go by what nepotism means, then a certain number of criteria have to be fulfilled by me, to be counted as a… 'case study'. Veronica… My father owns a production studio… not a publishing house. I conceived the idea for my novels, sitting in my college dorm, far away from the influence of my father, in my early teens. My novels were fresh, they were innovative I dare say, and were entirely a product of my hard work, and- I'm gonna forgo my modesty here for a second… intelligence."

Veronica raised an eyebrow, as she jotted down a few notes on her yellow legal pad, "Calling yourself intelligent, in such a blatant manner… tad brazen don't you think?"

"Oh not at all. I'm not using it as an adjective to prove a point here. I'm simply stating a fact, a fact that can be ascertained by the barest amount of research into my life. The point is, I wrote the book and edited it entirely on my own. I researched for hundreds of hours on end to perfect the plot and characterization, before typing out the first draft in my dorm. My father's only role in my career back then, was when he contacted a lawyer, and a few publishing houses on my behalf to help me on my path to become a novelist. Now, I'm not by any means, comparing my journey to that of any common man/woman, someone from a lower socio-economic background, who is sorely lacking in monetary support. They struggle far more than I ever did, slogging to make ends meet, and I'm not presumptuous enough to believe my privilege played no small part in my success. Quite the opposite in fact, after all my thought process, and views of the world around me at large were largely a result of my upbringing, and they are the reason why I wrote what I wrote back then… my primary influences. So in conclusion, what my father engaged in back then, and still does in fact… is called parenting… not nepotism. He supported me, he did not carve out a path for me to the top. And my dear readers, clearly recognized that fact, owing to the criticism they levied against the tabloids who were trying to paint me, a 14 year old literary genius, as a product of nepotism. Considering how unfounded their views were, quite a few of them posted retractions, when faced with growing backlash from my budding fanbase. And now? That kind of coverage with regards to me is practically non-existent… Hope that answers your question." I finish dramatically, sincerely hoping she doesn't cherry pick lines from my tirade, and use it out of context to create controversy.

It's one of my greatest fears really. Having my words misconstrued and pulled out of context, to push forward another agenda… I gotta make sure that never happens to me.

"Well- I must say Ricky. That was very eloquently put, and truly a fitting reply to all those, doubting your ability at this point. But see, there's another aspect of my question that you… seem to have forgotten. What about Paranormal Activity? After all, no normal independent debut directorial could have ever received such a wide release, and a massive marketing push without-"

"Was it a flop?" I cut in decisively, my words ringing through the room.

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

"Paranormal Activity… Was it a flop? Did it fail commercially? Did it receive negative reception from critics? Was it perhaps mediocre in nature?"

…

"I-'' She attempted to formulate a reply… right before I interrupt her again.

"It seems you're having difficulty recollecting, so allow me to refresh your memory. On a budget of barely $100 thousand, funded entirely by me by the way- it grossed over $260 million within a month and a half. It was nominated for 2 awards at the annual Independent Spirit Ceremony, and 3 of them, at the annual Screamfest Gala… It won every single category. Critics raved about the inventive film-making, and cinematography, and the general consensus was highly positive… It received a wide release, because the distributors, my father included, saw an opportunity… a project worth investing in… and so they did. As for marketing… I funded the entire campaign out of my book royalties, and spearheaded it… I pioneered the art of viral marketing. Perhaps we should move on to the next point of discussion, what do you say?"

Her eyes widened momentarily, as she snatched the opening I gave her, to swiftly change the topic.

"Now Ricky, it has been revealed by an anonymous source, that for Good Will Hunting, you did not hold auditions for the role of 'Sean' the therapist. You offered it to Al Pacino, and he accepted it with haste. Any particular motive here? A reason perhaps?"

Seeing the interview was back on track, I smiled lightly, my mind relaxing considerably as I decided to provide more 'entertaining' answers to all subsequent questions.

By entertaining, I mean sincere answers, with hints of dry humor and sarcasm sprinkled within of course.