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If you’ve ever tried skateboarding, there’s a good chance that a section of asphalt contains some of your DNA after a bad tumble. Going a step further, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk arranged for his blood to be infused into a limited-edition run of 100 skateboards, which have already sold out. Priced at $500 per board, each deck features a red color scheme that has some of Hawk’s blood mixed into the paint.

As Hawk himself noted, these boards should definitely not be used to extract his DNA from and for the purpose of creating a theme park of clones who perform his signature tricks all day long for customers. “Looking forward to our future collaborations as long as they don’t involve replicants, Hawk wrote in an Instagram post.

Speaking to GameSpot’s sister site CNET, a representative for water company Liquid Death Mountain Water explained how it managed to get its hands on two vials of Hawk’s “donated” blood.

“Tony Hawk is a member of the Liquid Death Country Club,” the representative said. “So he previously sold his soul to Liquid Death via a legally binding contract, meaning the brand technically owns Tony’s blood.”

Some of the proceeds from the sale will go to the non-profit organization 5 Gyres and Hawk’s own organization, The Skatepark Project, which helps underprivileged communities build their own skateparks.

Blood has proven to be a surprisingly effective method for creating unique pieces of memorabilia. Rock band KISS created a stir when the members had their blood drawn and mixed into the printing ink for a 1977 Marvel KISS comic book, and in a more recent example that resulted in public controversy, rapper Lil Nas X teamed up with streetwear company MSCHF to sell Satan Shoes.

Each modified Nike shoe contained a drop of blood provided by MSCHF employees, but the stunt wound up in court when Nike filed a trademark claim against MSCHF and the company voluntarily recalled the shoes back as part of a settlement.

Lil Nas X tweeted after the skateboards went on sale, and suggested that double standards were to blame for the public outrage over his collaboration with MSCHF.

The new Saints Row, announced at Gamescom, is a total reboot for the series–not just in setting and characters but in tone. While it looks primed to carry forward the same playfully zany spirit as its predecessors, the new game–simply called Saints Row–is clearly taking a step back and allowing developer Volition some breathing room without having to constantly top itself with ever-expanding wacky hijinks.

Elijah Wood famously portrayed Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film series, and now the actor has shared some new details on his unusual and elaborate audition process for the movie. It involved filming three different sequences at a time when audition tapes were not common. Before telling his story, Wood recalled the earliest days of The Lord of the Rings and why he was excited from the get-go.

Speaking to GQ, Wood said he wasn’t actually surprised when he learned in the late ’90s that Peter Jackson, a relatively low-profile New Zealand filmmaker known for independent movies like Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners, would be tackling The Lord of the Rings. Wood said 1994’s Heavenly Creatures stood out to him in particular because it established what Jackson was capable of as a filmmaker. The movie combined fantasy with emotional honesty and depth, and he thought Jackson would do right by The Lord of the Rings by keeping these elements in mind.

Wood had read The Hobbit but not The Lord of the Rings at the time, and when his agent called to tell him they were looking to cast roles for the film, he jumped at the chance to try out for Frodo. The studio wasn’t sending the script to actors, so he drove to the studio office and sat by himself for two hours reading the script.

“Driving home, I was so immersed in the world. It was so palpable and lifelike. It really came to life off of the page,” Wood said.

In an effort to go the extra mile to get the part, Wood created a VHS audition tape, which was uncommon for the time. “I had never made my own audition tape before. And this was long before the time when that was common. I just had this impulse. Partially because I was a little nervous and second, I just didn’t want to go into a white room and do it that way. I was just like, ‘I’ve got to do something different,'” Wood said.

So Wood hired a voice/dialect coach to learn how to best give voice to Frodo. He also enlisted some friends, including writer/filmmaker George Wang, to film three audition tapes. Two were shot at Griffith Park in Los Angeles and another was filmed at Wood’s home.

“There’s three scenes. Each was sort of a different aspect of Frodo along the journey. The last one being like quite deeply affected by the Ring,” Wood said. “We went into the Miramax offices that night, when Miramax was still a thing, and cut the scenes together and then I took that tape–it was output to VHS [laughs], and I took that tape to [The Lord of the Rings casting director] Victoria Burrows’ office and then they FedEx’ed it to Peter [Jackson]. And then I got a call from Peter himself, which was amazing. Totally mind-blowing, and the adventure and opportunity of a lifetime.”

The full interview is a delight, as the first nine minutes are dedicated exclusively to The Lord of the Rings. Wood shares other interesting anecdotes and stories about the cast and crew and uprooting his life and moving to New Zealand to film the epic fantasy trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring celebrates its 20th anniversary this December, and a new 4K Blu-ray bundle of the three movies is on the way with new bonus features. A new Lord of the Rings animated film is currently in the works, while Amazon’s TV show will debut in September 2022.

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The fourth Matrix movie, recently confirmed to be titled The Matrix: Resurrections, sees the return of Lana Wachowski writing, directing, and producing. Her sister Lilly, who collaborated with Lana on the original three Matrix movies, is not attached to the project, and has explained why in a recent interview.

Speaking on a panel about Showtime TV show Work in Progress, on which she is the showrunner, Lilly explained why she didn’t want to return to the franchise. “There was something about the idea of going backwards and being a part of something that I had done before that was expressly unappealing,” Wachowski explained on the panel, as quoted by The Wrap.

“Like, I didn’t want to have gone through my transition and gone through this massive upheaval in my life, the sense of loss from my mom and dad, to want to go back to something that I had done before and sort of walk over old paths that I had walked in, felt emotionally unfulfilling and really the opposite,” she continued. “Like I was going to go back and live in these old shoes in a way. And I didn’t want to do that.”

Wachowski also said that she had been “completely exhausted” after a packed filming schedule that included Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending, and Sense8 season one, which was part of the reason why she didn’t join Lana for the second season of the Netflix show.

“My world was like falling apart, to some extent, even while I was like, you know, cracking out of my egg. So I needed this time away from this industry,” Wachowski said. “I needed to, like, reconnect to myself as an artist. And I did that by going back to school and painting and stuff. And I made that decision. So I started painting that summer with my mom and then Lana got the call from Netflix that they wanted to order up another season [of Sense8]. And I said, ‘I can’t do it. I don’t want to do it.'”

Lilly has previously stated that she has found herself less interested in sci-fi in general since her transition. Her latest project has been Work in Progress, a Showtime TV comedy about a middle-aged queer woman navigating a transformative period of her life.

One of the more vague Tales you’ll encounter during your time on Iki Island is A Helping Hand. This Tale has you assisting a peasant who’s trying to build a new house after the Mongols burned down his home. Unlike other Tales in the game, A Helping Hand isn’t marked on the map, so it’s a bit tricky to find, and you might not even know it exists. And even when you trigger it, you may not know where to find the peasant next to continue the quest. To help you complete the Tale, we’ve compiled a guide detailing all the steps. It’s worth noting that if the peasant doesn’t appear in the locations we describe after starting the quest, then try checking back at those spots later.

For more about Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island expansion, be sure to read our full review. Otherwise, be sure to check out our other Iki Island guides roundup and our guides roundup for the base game.

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Where To Find The Peasant

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The peasant can be found north of Tatsu’s Ladder on the northeastern side of Iki Island. He’s just up a path near a campfire and a tree stump; you’ll see smoke from a distance marking his location. Talk to him, and he’ll ask if you have three pieces of wood to spare. If you have the resources on hand, then hand them over, but if you need to find some more, you can always bid him farewell for now and return once you’ve got the goods. Regardless, the peasant will be grateful for your contribution.

The Peasant’s Second Request

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Next, the peasant can be found in either of two locations: in a field of pampas grass slightly southeast of Zasho River or atop a hill north of Kidafure Battleground. Like before, you’ll be able to pinpoint his location from the smoke of his campfire. This time he needs six predator hides to help insulate his house’s roof. Hand them over, and he’ll be overwhelmed by your continued kindness.

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The Peasant’s Final Request

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Finally, the peasant will be digging for precious metals on the beach west of Yahata Lighthouse. When you speak to him, you’ll discover that he needs metal to finish building his home. Donate ten pieces of iron to him, and your generosity will greatly humble him. He will then ask you to visit his build sight, located in a grassy clearing west of Fort Sakai.

Completing The House (And The Tale)

Follow the peasant’s directions to his build sight. For more clarity, you can find it south of Sly Hunter’s Forest. When you arrive, you’ll see that the house is finished. Talk to the peasant to complete the quest. Your reward is a minor Legend increase and the Charm of Iron Grip–a handy range charm that makes your bow aim never shake or force a shot no matter how long your hold it.

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