If you ever asked fans how they became a Larrie, they would all tell you that somehow they ended up diving head first into the rabbit hole on Youtube, watching timeline videos of all the coincidences and incidents that made Larrie what it is. If you then asked fans which channel they most relied upon for their information, they would all reply that Cosmicleeds was their go-to. The sheer amount of information and attention to detail within their videos makes them the perfect catch-all content, whether you’re new to Larrie or just rehashing some of the finer points on a specific area.
It’s not surprising that when No Stunts magazine got the chance to interview Cosmicleeds, the opportunity was seized upon with flailing, grabbing hands!
Cosmicleeds states that they only became aware of One Direction in 2011, when they happened upon a compilation of X Factor moments on Youtube. They hadn’t heard of them before as they only had one single out in the UK and hadn’t broken the US at that point, but state they felt a bond with the boys right way.
“I watched the videos and fell in love with their bond with each other and how effortlessly they seemed like our best friend.”
After making a stan account to keep up with the growing One Direction madness, they began noticing the relationship between Harry and Louis. Watching behind-the-scenes content and video diaries solidified the belief that Harry and Louis were together, so when Louis suddenly was with Eleanor at Niall’s birthday party, they were very confused.
“People started noticing patterns and would build timelines and analuse Harry and Louis’ behaviour together, and I just sort of slipped into that and went along for the ride. There’s no exact moment I can pinpoint that I became a Larrie, I just noticed their behaviour and saw everyone start to draw up theories and went with it too because it all seemed super believable.”
The more new fans joined the fandom, the more misinformation spread around. It’s very easy for an unfounded idea or theory to gain traction and it can be very damaging to the fandom if these theories are taken as the absolute truth. Cosmicleeds decided they wanted to make sure the correct information was available for the new fans as well as any older fans who might need a refresher.
“I really wanted to create a space where I could explain everything there is to know in an educational and backed-up way to get new people on board in the proper way. And also to let OG fans remember what happened, to keep believing, and to know what they were supporting.”
They decided starting with timelines on their channel would help them map everything out, as by that point there was a lot of content and information to go through, stating it was important that any patterns occurring over time could be easily identified and explored appropriately.
“I feel like simple Larry moments aren’t enough on their own and I felt a need to show a much bigger picture over time.”
Authenticity and attention to detail seem to be especially important to Cosmicleeds when making the timelines. They state that they spent up to a year researching the timelines and triple-checking dates and facts on things. They made use of Youtube and social media accounts, such as Tumblr and Twitter, in order to scroll through the many One Direction posts and pick out any Larry content found there. They also mention using Wiki and fandom Wiki a lot for things like tour date information.
Impressively, they managed to keep track of this mountain of information via Google spreadsheet and managed to organise any Larry events into each month it happened in along with any videos or pictures that supported the information. They even make sure to keep a record of tweets or posts in case they are deleted for any reason before the timeline video is put together.
“It was rought at times to find pics and vids that backed stuff up but I never gave up searching Youtube and social media. I’m lucky so much of 1D exists online going way back.”
One thing fans (and No Stunts magazine) love about Cosmicleeds is the sheer dedication given to verifying facts and staying true to actual events and away from anything unsubstantiated. Cosmicleeds stated that all their information comes from the internet and therefore is easy to fact-check. They emphasise that everything they mention needs to be backed up and they do their best to do this as thoroughly as possible via images, videos, recordings of their voices, and even by googling people’s @ and some key words.
“I get most information from Tumblr mutuals because Twitter is unreliable and where a lot of clowning occurs. I can usually tell when something is a crazy fan made theory that floats around because people get excited easily. I like to stick to facts and not theories. Things you can see and hear for yourself. Especially if it’s happening in a pattern or on an occurrence like the peace ring, blue bandana, post show songs.
When asked about their non-timeline videos, Cosmicleeds stated they would chose their topics based on what felt the most important at the time. These are usually things within the timelines which require a closer look that the timeline can afford to give them, such as the rainbow bears, matching tattoos, and Larry denials.
“They’re all such important things that need to be understood on their own. I like to cover major events or things other people might not even think of. It’s all a part of the goal to teach and educate and make people believe. Sometimes recently though I’ve been taking requests, just so people have the chance to see things they think are important or need explaining too.”
When we asked about Harry’s song Golden being approved via copyright for them to use in their videos, Cosmicleeds explains how surreal it was knowing that their videos had reached such a large following.
“I never imagined someone on Harry’s team or Harry himself would be aware enough of them to just allow me to use his song. I didn’t request the permission, the video got copyrighted because it used the tune of Golden, and when I went in to check it out it was listed as “sharing” already.”
When asked about 2022 and all the Larry content the year provided, Cosmicleeds stated that 2022 made them happy as it was clear Harry and Louis were still together and stronger than ever. They did state that there were many instances that only a Larrie would grasp the importance of, but they were excited at how many ways Harry and Louis communicated their relationship to the fans.
“I do think 2022 was the loudest post-hiatus, to the point it’s almost unbelievable that it was all real.”
They conceded they were a bit stressed at the sheer amount of content they would need to work through to make the 2022 timeline video. They are very proud and professional when it comes to their videos and are anxious not to miss anything out when making the content.
“But there was an added layer of stress because I had so many people hoping to see things in the timeline they’d made up themselves or really believed themselves that I knew were baseless and not factual and couldn’t be put in my timeline.”
Cosmicleeds mentioned their followers, remarking that the response they’ve gotten from Larries when making the timelines has been “incredible”. The fact that many fans attribute being a Larrie to watching the timeline videos is something Cosmicleeds feels happy and grateful for.
“Harry and Louis mean so much to me and my one wish is for everyone to understand their story, so getting to teach it to so many people is my favourite thing. I love that we can be a community of support for them.”
The timelines are so well known in the Larrie fandom that their release every year is much anticipated. However, although they take a lot of work and dedication from Cosmicleeds, they revealed they are happy to keep making them for as long as they’re necessary, real life permitting. They state there are career and life goals they have which might become an issue in the future, but that Harry and Louis are such a huge part of their life now, they can’t imagine not supporting them.
“Until either they come out, I get too much hate, or I’m too busy, I will be making them!”
As a closing question, No Stunts magazine asked what Cosmicleeds thought was the biggest/favourite Larry thing so far this year.
“I think it’s either Harry performing I Will Survive at Coachella (with Louis’ exit song also being disco), or Louis’ song All Along where he mentions seeing Ed in Manchester. Honestly a very difficult question with all the stuff that went on!”
With all that has happened already since the New Year, all of us at No Stunts can’t wait to seee what the timeline for 2023 will be like, although we don’t envy the amount of work Cosmicleeds will have when putting it all together!
The timeline video for 2022 can be found at the link below.
https://youtu.be/WotJ5sKVgUY
