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mrsreginagold · 3 months ago

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Fic: All That You Need

Fandom: Nikita

Pairing: Ari Tasarov x Nikita Mears (Nikari)

Rating: R

Spoilers: Canon-divergent AU where Ari survives the events of 3x14.

Summary: Nikita’s relief at a mission gone right becomes slightly complicated thanks to the solace that she finds in Ari.

Author’s Note: It's apparently become my life's mission to retcon "The Life We've Chosen" in as many ways that I can think of -- alternate endings, missing scenes, etc, etc. If I'm to be the sole provider of happy endings for this OTP of mine: so be it.

On AO3

All That You Need

The journey back home after the events in South Ossetia was understandably rife with tension.

Against all odds: Nikita Mears’ mission to retrieve Ari Tasarov had been successful.

The former head of Gogol was currently nestled against the beautiful Division operative’s side, their fingers entwined together tightly. They had refused to let go of each other’s hands since reuniting, and it was something that did not escape the attention of the other members of the team.

While Owen Elliot said nothing, the understanding was apparent in his eyes.

Sean Pierce also remained silent, though his expression remained stoic enough to not tell what he was truly thinking.

Alexandra Udinov, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at them.

Nikita could feel the sting of betrayal rolling off her past protégé in waves. She couldn’t deny that it hurt, but when she lifted her head from Ari’s shoulder to check on him and was rewarded with a kind smile, she knew that she had made the right decision.

The man beside her was worth the trouble, and she felt a swirl of pleasant butterflies when his gaze didn’t break from hers.

She had always privately admired how stunning his eyes were. Up close, they were even brighter blue in shade, and it was remarkably easy to become lost in them.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, reaching out with his free hand to lightly brush his fingers along her cheekbone.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? After all, you’re the one with the kill chip in your neck.”

Ari chuckled – a low, alluring sound that made warmth pool automatically below her stomach. “Frankly, with all the commotion I completely forgot that it’s still there.”

“We’ll take care of that when we’re back home,” it felt a little strange to refer to Division headquarters in such a way, but there was no arguing the point that, for her companion, that’s exactly what it was. “Then I’ll talk to Fletch about what to do as we move forward. I have some choice words for him anyway.” She was referring to her boss, Ryan Fletcher, who she also blamed for the mission nearly going south.

“I have something for you that should help with that,” he finally let go of her hand momentarily to reach into his coat pocket.

Nikita’s eyes widened in shock when he pulled out a Black Box. “Ari…when?”

“I heard the gunshots, so I grabbed it. Then I hit Amanda across the face with it in order to get away.”

The mental image of a stunned Amanda Collins being whacked with the object that had caused a ton of trouble was undeniably amusing.

“That explains why she tried to shoot you in the back. Luckily, her aim is horrible.” She accepted the device when he handed it to her.

“I’m just grateful to be alive, kill chip or not,” he took her hand within his again, though this time it was to place a gallant kiss on the center of her palm. “Thank you, Nikita: for saving me.”

Her cheeks flushed with color, partly due to the impromptu affection but mostly because of the sheer devotion apparent in his gaze. “I told you I wasn’t leaving without you.”

His response was a brief nuzzle at her hand, his lips once again grazing over her skin in a manner that caused goosebumps.

Her pulse jumped erratically. Suddenly, she hated that they weren’t alone like they had been a couple nights before, which had been long enough to air out the long list of grievances that had been built over the years. Reaching an understanding with one another had brought feelings that had been long suppressed to light, and now they couldn’t act on them.

He seemed to sense her frustration because he dared to press another kiss chastely to her forehead. “You know, there’s a part of me that wishes Mr. Elliot and Mr. Pierce hadn’t returned when they did last night.”

She understood why with perfect clarity. If they hadn’t been interrupted, they definitely would have shared a proper embrace: the kind she was currently imagining.

Nikita sighed wistfully and turned so she could rest her head against his shoulder once more. “We’ll just have to pick up where we left off. But first, you need that chip removed, and I have to talk to my co-workers.”

“I can tell you’re not looking forward to that,” Ari squeezed her hand reassuringly. “If you prefer that I be there—

“Getting that stupid kill switch out is more important. Also it would be great if Alex would stop leveling that death glare at us.”

“It would, but I’d cut her a little slack. After all: Amanda was playing mind games with her. I can’t exactly blame her for being upset that things went well on our end when they didn’t on hers.”

“When did you get so forgiving?” she slipped her other hand under his overcoat to draw tiny, invisible designs along his shirt. She could tell how warm his skin was beneath the fabric, and it made her long to explore him without any barriers.

“It’s a recent development,” his breath ruffled her hair. “I’m still coming to terms with it.”

“Well, I’m not minding the new and improved Ari Tasarov. In fact I think I’ll keep him.”

“You know, if you two would like to be alone, there’s a cargo bay,” Owen suddenly chimed in, startling the pair out of their little bubble of intimacy.

“Please,” Alex scoffed, rolling her eyes. “If you’re going to throw yourselves at each other I’d rather not witness it.”

Nikita frowned. She had always viewed the younger woman as something akin to a sister, and lately her attitude had been more petulant, even when the subject wasn’t the man she was currently snuggled up with.

“Miss Udinov, I’m well aware that you don’t like me, particularly after our past interactions. However, Nikita risked her life while trying to save both of us. For that: I think you owe her a modicum of respect.” Ari stated in a calm tone.

Alex stood abruptly, her temper flaring. “You’re really going to lecture me? Of the two of us, which one attempted to kill her repeatedly?!”

“…actually it’s close to a draw,” Nikita muttered.

Unfortunately, the argumentative tone of her fellow agent was enough to make Ari just as irritable. “You think I wished to do her harm? I fell for her ages ago! The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt Nikita, but I had a reputation to maintain at Gogol. Semak would have noticed if I had gone soft on her – on any of you!”

Nikita blinked. That was undisputedly brand-new information. “Wait, what?”

He winced when he recognized just how much he had let slip and looked over at her with guilt washing over his attractive face. “Perhaps we should go into the back.”

“Yes. I think that’s a smart idea,” she stood and helped him to his feet, but whirled around to face Alex briefly. “And we are going to talk when you’re ready to be an adult again.”

“Can’t wait,” the sarcasm dripped from her friend’s voice, but she chose to ignore it as she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Nikita slid the partition shut that would give her and Ari full privacy.

She looked back over her shoulder to see that he had begun pacing, and her heart clenched. She recognized it as a nervous reaction now, and before anything else could be said she hurried to him and quickly curled her arms around his waist, drawing him to her in a hug. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect Alex to be so awful.”

“Don’t be. I deserve every bit of vitriol she spews my way,” he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he relaxed into her embrace.

“No you don’t,” she shook her head and thumbed over the scar on the back of his neck. “And don’t worry about anyone trying to detonate that trigger, I already disabled it.”

“I’m not worried about anyone trying to kill me anymore, Nikita,” slowly, he met her eyes and brought his hands up to frame her face. “I just didn’t want you to discover my secret this way.”

“Mm, about that…how long?”

“Beg your pardon?”

“How long have you harbored feelings for me?”

He fell silent, but she noticed a hitch in his breath.

Tenderly, she combed her fingers through his hair, upsetting it from the neatly brushed back style it was in, and tried again in an even softer tone: “Ari, how long have you been in love with me?”

“Since you showed up by my car window after the incident with the poison.”

She balked, unable to help it. “That was three years ago! You could have said something – anything – god, you could have stopped me from practically killing you a few weeks back if you’d just told me –

He cut off her tirade by capturing her mouth in a kiss that conveyed the depth of his feelings for her better than words could.

While she hadn’t fully expected it – she returned his embrace with equal fervor and allowed herself to get caught up in the moment.

Nikita had never been one to put much stock in fairy tales. They had always seemed completely out of reach for someone in her profession, and yet – the man holding her was proving to be what she had only dreamed of once.

Ari’s lips were soft against her own and he tasted sweet, like a combination of bourbon and vanilla with just a hint of cinnamon. It was outright intoxicating, her hands clawing over the luxurious fabric of his overcoat as she pressed closer.

She felt him smile right before he hoisted her up in his arms, carrying her into the shadowy depths of the supply hold.

She hooked her legs around him for balance, attacking the buttons to his gray, heavy wool jacket as they continued in their explorations.

His lips strayed to claim purchase on her neck, nimble fingers undoing the buckle to her overcoat so he could slide it off her.

A startled gasp emerged when he pinned her between his tall, solid body and a nearby metal crate, his teeth scraping deliberately over her clavicle as he skimmed a hand up under her tee, his touch burning against her skin.

In retaliation she shoved both his outerwear and suit coat off, elated when he tugged his arms free quickly and she was able to tackle his shirt.

She tore at it in her haste, muttering an apology when she saw buttons go flying.

He laughed quietly and nudged her nose with his before shrugging compliantly out of the ruined garment.

Her hands immediately delved to explore his now bare torso, nails catching in the soft hair that dusted his chest.

To even the odds – he lifted her top over her head and then made short work of her bra, ducking a kiss in the valley between her breasts before focusing his attention first on one, then the other.

Molten heat gathered at her center that quickly went to war with the cool temperature along her back, arousal clouding her senses. She clutched at his shoulder blades while he eased off her remaining clothing, his lips creating paths along her increasingly sensitized skin.

It was only a short matter of time before they were both fully naked and meeting repeatedly in loving kisses. The less comfortable aspects of their location faded away as desire took hold and she hitched a leg over his hip, arching against him in an invitation that he gladly accepted.

Nikita cried out sharply once her lover was buried within her, her gaze locking with Ari’s right as he began to move, slowly at first and then with gradual symmetry.

It was reckless. Passionate. Perfect.

Neither could tell where one ended and the other began after a while, kissing over and over in a mimicry of their entwined forms until, eventually, there was nothing left to do but fall.

“I’m really glad that crate wasn’t made out of wood, or else I’d be explaining some really strange splinters to medical.” Nikita peered up at Ari, stroking over his chest as they recuperated on a pile of blankets that they had found.

“Is that more or less embarrassing than the fact that the rest of the rescue team probably heard everything?” he inquired.

She stretched lazily in his arms and shrugged. “I don’t particularly care what they heard.

“You don’t?” he twisted slightly to look at her, caressing sweetly over her cheek.

They were fully clothed again, though several buttons were now missing from his shirt, and they looked arguably more rumpled than they had earlier. She took advantage of the gap in the fabric to slide one hand underneath and trace patterns over his skin before replying. “I don’t. My personal life is really none of their business.”

“Even so, I imagine we’ll be subject to a rant or five. Particularly from Miss Udinov.”

“I’m just going to ignore her till she removes that stick up her ass,” she sighed and nuzzled at his throat.

“Your relationship with her is important, Nikita. You need to figure out a way to move past this.”

“I know, but right now I just want to get back, get that awful thing in your neck taken out, and then I’m bringing you home with me: where we can do this again but in an actual bed.”

The mention of something cozier than makeshift nest they had created made him smile. “I haven’t slept on a proper bed for months.”

“Well, I can’t guarantee there will be much sleeping, but…” she pushed him back into the blankets with a grin. “There’s also a couch, a shower and bathtub, plenty of counter space. We can be inventive.”

“You had me at the shower, I’m desperate for more than a few minutes with lukewarm water.”

“The gym facilities are that bad?”

“Yes.” He yanked her close and stole a kiss, which turned more romantic the longer that it wore on.

She giggled when he abruptly rolled them so that he was on top again, eagerly responding to another series of tender kisses before he parted from her and tucked an errant lock of hair back over her ear. “I can bring it up with Ryan at the next meeting, if you like.”

“It’s entirely up to you, my love…” he paused before his expression turned more serious. “Although, I just realized that I never did answer your question earlier about why I said nothing regarding my feelings.”

“That’s all right, you don’t have to if it’ll ruin the mood,” she shook her head, content to bask with him instead if that was what he wanted.

“It won’t. It’s simply that I was scared. I was thrown by my love for you, and how intense an emotion it was. And the last thing I wanted was to make things more complicated.”

“You didn’t make things complicated, Ari, you made things clear. I got so caught up in what others asked of me and what was expected that I never really took the time to decide what I actually wanted for myself.”

He stared at her, those perceptive, gorgeous eyes studying her intently. “What do you want, Nikita?”

“A normal life…at least as normal as it gets for people like us. Maybe a house and a dog, and, oh yeah: you.”

His handsome face lit up with a smile. “I think we can manage that.” And then he drew her to him for another passion-filled kiss that ended any further discussion.

She found it remarkably easy to concede.

The End

#nikari #ari x nikita #mine #mrsreginagold #fanfiction #ari tasarov #nikita mears #nikita 2010 #peter outerbridge

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dialovers-translations · 4 years ago

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Diabolik Lovers GRAND EDITION for Switch ;; More, Blood ー Yuma Dark [07]

ー The scene starts in the hallway

Yui: ( Quite some time has passed since I came here but...This place is kind of odd, isn’t it? )

( It’s also a Vampire’s manor, but compared to my time at the Sakamaki’s, it’s different in more than just one way... )

Yuma: ...Told ya...Didn’t!? (1)

Yui: ( Hm? Was that Yuma’s voice just now? It’s coming from the living room. )

ー The scene shifts to the living room

Kou: You’re lying! You definitely used it!

Yuma: I’m innocent! Didn’t ya just forgot ya used it yerself!?

Yui: What’s wrong, you two? You’ll get scolded by Ruki-kun for quarreling, you know?

Kou: Ah, M-neko-chan! Listen to this! Yuma-kun used my towel without permission!

Yui: Towel?

Yuma: Like I just told ya, I didn’t! It could have been Ruki or Azusa, right!?

Kou: But you used my shampoo in the past and threw it away because you thought it smelled disgusting!

Yuma: Aah? ...Did that really happen? Anyway, all of yer stuff just smells so damn weird.

Kou: Ahー! So you did use it after all! Actually, I don’t want to hear that from someone who has the scent of sugar stuck to them 24/7!

Yuma: Aahn!? Don’t ya dare make fun of my Sugar-chan!

Yui: ( ...This is like watching two little kids fight. I’ll just leave them be... )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the dining room

*Cling*

Yui: ( ...Yeah, I really did a good job frying today’s shrimp! The batter’s nice and crispy and the mouthfeel is spot-on! )

( While living here, I found out that the people of this manor do eat regular meals, unlike the Sakamaki’s... )

( And on top of that, they’re rather fussy about the taste. Even though they’re Vampires. )

( However, I’m sure they won’t have any complaints about today’s dish! As a result, everyone’s actually eating quieーー )

Yuma: ...Oi, ya punk.

Yui: Eh?

Yuma: Not you! Kou, I’m talkin’ to ya! Hold it right there!!

*Cling*

Kou: Ah! What are you doing, Yuma-kun! That’s my fried shrimp!!

Yuma: It’s ‘cause ya took the last one like it’s the most natural thing in the damn world!

Kou: Ehー? The early bird gets the worm, right? Don’t you think it’s weird to complain about that?

Yuma: But you’ve already eaten the most out of us all! Ever heard of the word ‘equal’, aahn!?

Oi, Azusa! Are ya fine with this? You’ve barely had any!

Azusa: If you’ll give it to me...I’ll gladly take it...

Yuma: ‘If you give it to me’, my ass! Tell me whether ya want it or not!

Azusa: Then...I want it. They’re delicious after all.

Yuma: Oi, Ruki, how ‘bout ya?

Ruki: I’m good.

Yuma: ‘Kay, then we’ll play rock-paper-scissors with the three of us. Fair and square! I hate an unfair match.

Azusa: A single round, huh...?

Kou: Rock, paper...scissors!

Yui: ...

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the kitchen

Yui: ( ...It really does feel off. )

( When I watch them interact like that, they really don’t seem any different from a group of tight-knit brothers. Not Vampires, but human ones. )

( It’s not like the Sakamaki’s were constantly at each other’s throats either but... )

( They did seem somewhat irritated by each other’s presence, so seeing a group of Vampires who genuinely get along is very refreshing. )

( Besides, back there everyone was awake at night, but here they seem to switch it up... )

( I’m supposed to be living at a place with Vampires but...This is kind of throwing me off. )

Yuma: You’re in the way, move.

Yui: ...! Yuma-kun!

*Rustle*

Yui: ( He’s looking through the fridge... )

Yuma-kun, what are you doing?

Yuma: Aah? Can’t ya tell? I’m lookin’ for some grub.

Yui: I got that part but...We just had dinner.

Yuma: I’m not full yet. I missed out on one shrimp after all.

Yui: ( He’s holding a grudge... )

Yuma: Ahーah, fuck...Is there nothin’ good in here...Hm?

*Rustle*

Yuma: Oh, found a real gem!

Yui: ( B-Boneless ham!? In one piece!? )

Yuma: Ahー ...Nom...Nom.

Yui: ( He’s eating it whole...Talk about luxurious... )

( Also, seems like he eats meat and not blood when he’s hungry. That really doesn’t seem very Vampire-like... )

( They’re such mysterious people...I still don’t know why they brought me here either. )

Yuma: ...Aah? What? Ya want some too?

Yui: Eh? ...N-No, I don’t need any.

Yuma: ...

ー Yuma slams the fridge shut

*Thud*

Yui: ( H-He’s coming my way...!? )

Yuma: Then what were ya ogglin’ me for? Isn’t there somethin’ ya wanted to say to me, aahn!?

*THUD*

Yui: ( Ah...He blocked the way with his leg... )

Yuma: ...I told ya this before as well, didn’t I?

How I hate women who won’t speak their mind more than anythin’, that is...

Lookin’ my way with that timid, scared look in yer eyes even tho ya don’t have the guts to speak up. It pisses me off.

If there’s somethin’ on yer mind, don’t just shut up but tell me!

*THUD*

Selection

→ Keep quiet out of fear (M)

Yui: ( I do have something on my mind, but I really am too scared to tell him...! )

Yuma: Still givin’ me the silent treatment, huh? Ya really piss me off.

→ Try speaking your mind (S)

Yui: Then...

Yuma: Yeah, spit it out.

Yui: ...

Yuma: Come on, what’s wrong? Tell me! Aahn!?

Yui: ( I-It’s scary after all! I can’t say it! )

Yuma: ...Haahー....

*THUD*

Yui: ...!

Yuma: I’m tellin’ ya to fess up! Do ya really not get it unless I repeat myself a million times, ya dumb Sow!?

Yui: ( I-In Yuma-kun’s case, I might actually upset him more by staying quiet...! )

...I-I wasn’t really...

Yuma: Aahn!?

Yui: I wasn’t looking because I wanted to eat the ham...

Yuma: Yeah.

Yui: I just thought how it is strange how you guys are so ‘non-Vampire-like’ in some ways...

( Is this good...? )

Yuma: Hah! Ya keep beatin’ ‘round the bush forever but that’s it?

We’re not very Vampire-like, huh? Well, we’re human after all. ‘Course we aren’t.

Yui: ...Eh?

( What did he say just now...? )

Yuma: The correct statement would be ‘we were human’ tho. Right now we’re full-fletched Vampires. Soーー

*Rustle*

Yui: ( ...He grabbed me by the throat again...! Don’t tell me...! )

Yuma: We eat meat too, but I’ll get my proper fill of yer blood as well. ...Nn...

ー Yuma bites her

Yui: Nn...!

Yuma: ...Nn...Sweet...

...It’s sweet but...Haah.

Yui: Kyah...!

*Rustle*

Yuma: Ah? Whatcha sittin’ down for? Can’t ya stand on yer two legs?

Hehe, I guess it makes sense. Gettin’ down on all fours and bowin’ yer head in front of yer Master is the most basic thing to do, right?

Yui: ( It’s because he suddenly let go of my throat...! )

Yuma: You’re kinda lackin’ today. Guess yer blood doesn’t match well with meat.

Which means, my dessert after the meat has to be none other than...Nn...

Aah, delicious. Sugar-chan really is such a good girl, goin’ well with anythin’...Ya can’t even compare to that.

That bein’ said, I’m done with ya today. See ya. Ah, be sure to put the ham back in the fridge before it dries out, ‘kay?

ー Yuma leaves

Monologue

While somehow supporting myself after being abandoned so easily,

I recalled Yuma-kun’s words,

as well as what Laito-kun once said.

“We were human.”

“They aren’t pureblood (純血種) Vampires”

I vaguely grasp the meaning behind those words spoken back then.

However, it does not matter that they were once human (人間).

Right now, Yuma-kun is without a doubt a Vampire.

My bleeding neck proves this more than anything.

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Parts of this sentence are left out, leaving only the から (kara) and てんだろ (tendaro). It can be a bit tricky to fill in the blanks as a non-native speaker, but I believe he says something along the lines of だから俺は使ってねえって言ってんだろ!? or ‘dakara, ore ha tsukatte-nee tte ittendaro!?” He repeats this sentence later on as well and means ‘Like I said, I didn’t use it!?’

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iminyourhandskara · 5 years ago

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Chris Wood on FatMan Beyond with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin. (Full interview transcript)

A MASSIVE, MASSIVE THANK YOU TO @bwaybenoist WHO HELPED ME A LOT WITH THIS. ❤❤❤❤

to the anon who requested this, and for whoever wants to read this, enjoy!

__________________

Kevin: One of my favorite people in the world, man. If you're lucky enough, you get to work with people you like, and I met this kid on a set and most people on sets, you know, 'not necessarily all likable and stuff like that.

Marc: Careful.

Kevin: Yeah. (indistinct) This kid ain't just likable, he's fucking lovable, man. I was like, goddamn it, I fell in love with him the way I fell in love with Ben Affleck, where I'm like "You should be in everything! Fuckin, you should play Fletch." I still to this day think he'd be the perfect Fletch based on the Gregory McDonald books. When we got lucky enough to work on Masters of the Universe from Mattel on Netflix, I, you know, there was always a like "We could probably get a big cast for this" and stuff, so I played very few cards in terms of like "Well, here's who I think you could get and stuff like that" because Netflix, Mattel, these cats putting up the money, they should tell us who they want and stuff and Teddy who's our Netflix exec, he loves MOTU, so like casting of course with Netflix, the ability to draw talent is gonna be right up his alley. But one of the only names I put forward in the process..I was like “I worked with Chris Wood, and he is SO good, like he would be an excellent Prince Adam and He-Man as well of course, but like, can I put him on the list?” and they put him on the list, and you know, I thought that was gonna be it, “Kevin made a suggestion and we’ll put him in there and then it will never happen.” And he got the job, legit got the job. Mattel loved him, Netflix loved him, boom, he’s our prince Adam! So, here tonight, you got him? Here tonight, man..*Skype sound* Making a little chit-chat, that’s the sound of joy. That means we’re gonna talk to a guest, we get to open the door and welcome to Fatman Beyond, uh, He-Man himself, ladies and gentleman, Prince Adam, I give you..Chris Wood.

Chris: Oh my goodness.

Marc: Look at that intro.

Kevin: And look at that pretty ass man, look at how pretty he is.

Chris: *Plays Jellicle Cats from CATS*

Kevin: Somebody’s been listening to the show!

Chris: Reminiscing about..the Winter Garden Theater.

Kevin: This is actually..I was gonna say..

Chris: My first Broadway show I ever saw, Kevin!

K: Was CATS?

C: Was CATS!

K: I totally forgot as we were sitting here, going “Nobody’s gonna care about us talking about Broadway.” There’s one guy waiting to be on the show who was like “I’d love it if it was all--”

C: I was having the time of my life! This was like Batman, Broadway edition, I loved it.

K: Give us the full rundown of every Broadway show that you’ve ever seen, and when you say Broadway, do you mean--

C: I mean, I mean Broadway.

K: You mean like seeing it on Broadway, not just live theater.

C: No man, that’s where I got my start, that was my whole...the stage was my whole thing. You’d have to sit here for like three hours to hear all of the shows I ever saw..

K: Are you serious? So wait you-

C: It’s got a soft place in my heart still.

K: You uhm, I remember when I was working on Supergirl, at one point Melissa was just like: “He was in Sweeney Todd!” and I was like “What?” Were you in Sweeney Todd?

C: It’s true, yeah.

M: With Victor Garber?

C: Yeah.

K: Yeah, it’s surprising, he was in Sweeney Todd and has worked on a Victor Garber adjacent show.

C: Yeah.

K: I (was) saying before Ben Affleck’s my last card, I’m turning to Chris Wood to make that Victor Garber connection.

C: Yeeees! Hey guys!

M: Hey man!

K: How are you sir?

C: What’s going on?

K: So wait, what- you were a musical theater guy.Correct?

C: That (was) my thing, man. All through college and high school and growing up, that was like-- aside from making movies on my Super8-- that was my, that was my other hobby.

K: What is uh- look, for those who don’t follow very closely: Chris has acted for a long time, I met him playing Mon-El when I was directing Supergirl episodes. Of course as I said, he’s playing our He-Man. What was the vampire show that Mewes loves that you were on?

C: The Vampire Diaries, yeah, yeah.

K: The Vampire Diaries as well and stuff, uhm, and he’s a wonderful actor and gorgeous human being but-

C: You’re always- you have the kindest intros in the world, Kevin. You’re- I come on just blushing every time I talk to you.

K: He’s wonderful (but) this is wanna lay out there: he is a fucking hell of a writer.

M: Outstanding.

C: Oh wow! It’s still going!

K: And you know that like I’m not just saying it’s a butter him up because we could totally just talk about He-Man and that’s it but like-- I’ve read a script that he wrote that took me back to 1994, where I was like-- This is what I felt like when I saw Indie Film. It reignited a love for indie film because the film was impressionistic and wonderful and original and singular in vision and stuff..

C: And nobody will ever make it..*Laughs* All of the qualities of a terrific independent film.

K: You got- you got some pushback on the movie. “Some people like this? What?” but he wrote- didn’t you write a script that went someplace legit or whatnot? Are you allowed to talk about it?

C: I did, yeah. It’s not public yet, but we’re--

K: That’s not public? That wasn’t in the trades or anything like that?

C: Not yet, man. It’s still like..under the table wheeling and dealing.

K: Alright, we can’t say what it is, but I can tell you right now, it’s like- it’s something that you and I (Marc) would work our Whole lives to achieve and we’ve been doing- all we have is writing. And this motherfucker has everything in life and he’s about to have that as well. But well worth it, because he’s wonderful at the written word. What do you attribute that to?

C: The written word?

K: Yeah. Where’d you- How come you’re such a good writer?

C: Well, that’s very- Thank you first of all. Uhm, writing, I always kinda did it. I think I was like you, Kev, when I was a kid I just- no one was giving me pages to shoot or to have my friends put on plays in the garage, so I had to write my own words. So, I kind of always done it. I remember writing plays and I’d write up thirty pages of a script when I was 13 years old and I’d hand it out to my cousins and we’d perform it for all of our aunts and uncles and grandparents. I kind of always done it, just never been paid for it.

K: Yeah, that’s the dream, to get paid for it at the same time. I saw when my man got married, he whipped out beautiful words as well. Like you know, where you get to like say something to your-

M: Your vows.

K: There you go. That’s that word, “vows”

C: “What do we call those *snaps fingers* those promises we make.

K: I smoked those away. *Laughs* Even his vows, were like beautiful, like incredibly well fuckin written, beautiful choice of words, look-

C: My missus..

K: I mean, yes.

C: (Blew me out) the water.

K: Who went first, was it you or her who went first?

C: She went first, that’s why I couldn’ t-- I couldn’t speak through mine.

K: Yeah, both of them got real beautiful.

C: Oh man..

K: The thing is, I knew Woody was a writer because I read his script and what not. Didn’t homegirl open with “I’m not a writer” and then dropped one of the most beautiful fucking speeches that you’ve ever heard in your life? It was really great, really special for me to be there for, man. The point is this kid here writes well, the point is one day he’s gonna take my advice and write himself his own fucking lead in the movie that he should make, particularly that one that I love and make a movie, ‘cause he’s got all the ingredients. Like you know, like me I was like “I wanna make a movie” but like I had to hire actors and shit like that. Well, not hire but beg them to be in it. Thank God they were. But like he could write himself a part and be that fucking part and direct himself in the part, because he’s been on enough sets so knows how the process works.

M: So what you’re saying is he’s unfair.

K: Yes, I don’t want to say it in front of him and embarrass the man but yeah.

C: I’m so sorry.

K: Um, take us into, for those watching at home uh, talk a little bit about Vampire Diaries. When did that, was that the first thing you did?

C: That was one of my early kind of like public roles, um, I had done some stuff before that, nothing really that caught on with a fan base. That was sort of the first thing I did where people got excited about a character I was doing, um and wanted more of them, so they wrote me more stuff, um, yeah that was, I guess, I started on that seven years ago? Eight years ago?

K: And what was the, did you leave? Did they kill you off gracefully? Did you leave because you were like “I don’t want to do this”.

C: Yeah, I was a bad guy, so with like all good villains in our favourite shows, they have to meet some sort of demise or just, you know go into a spin-off *Laughs*. It’s kind of either-or. Or they’re Skeletor and then they just exist forever as an equal force.

K: So after, how long were you done with that show before you went and did Supergirl?

C: So I did a couple of things after that, um, I did a mini-series and I was on a limited series called ‘Containment’ about a pandemic, much like what we’re living in now. A little too timely, I kind of don’t recommend it at the moment, but yeah I did that and then right after that ended, that’s when I went up to Vancouver.

K; So wait, and if I remember correctly, Containment, did Julie Plec do that? Didn’t she also…

C: Yeah, yeah, that was Julie Plec, who did Vampire Diaries. She kind of pulled me across, from that experience.

K: When you’re making it, are you like “silly fictional world this will never happen.”.

M: “I’ll never need to remember any of this.”.

C: You know what, I feel like in a way the show kind of prepared me for the quarantine because I read so much about the Spanish Flu and about outbreaks and what actually happened, so when this all started happening, I was like “guys no no no, this is real” you know like, when people who play lawyers think they’re lawyers? It was kind of one of those things, suddenly I thought I knew, I was like “send me in I’m ready guys”.

M: Was there any Containment swag that you got to keep like “oh they sent me all these masks, I got all of these masks!”

C: I wish! I think I have some uh, dog tags and that’s about it..

K: Alright so wait, did they come after you to come audition for Supergirl? How does that happen?

C: That was the first time in my career where I got offered something without reading for it. Which was kind of amazing. And I played hard to get for a second because I wasn’t sure if it was the right coloured spandex. I was always more of a Batman guy than a Superman and then eventually it clicked and apparently, there was some part of me that knew I was going to meet my future wife and the mother of my children. *laughs* So I guess it all worked out.

K: I mean, yeah, and aside from just getting to play a hero and stuff, it gave you the rest of your life.

C: The rest of my life, which is a pretty lucky thing to get from a job, usually the job doesn’t serve you that. So that was pretty fantastic.

K: And there are very few people who can walk away from the CW going “and that built the rest of my life”, you know what I’m saying?

C: *laughs* Well it does match, the network that matches my initials should promise me something like that. I think it’s somewhere in the rulebook, I don’t know where.

K: I just put that together.

M: Like the Wendy's girl walks into Wendy's and is like “I will take all of your hamburgers, I’m Wendy."

(all laugh)

K: When you, when they gave you the suit finally, which is something you know, for the run of the show was something you would look forward to and then finally they do give you the suit, looked tight. Was it as uncomfortable as it looked?

C: Oh yeah, they’re terrible. It’s the worst thing you’ll ever wear in your life. You know, it’s like a giant onesie. A onesie is known for comfort and relaxation and too many zippers. This is as few of zippers and you can have including no accessibility to use the restroom, and you really can’t move in them, it kind of squeezes your everything, if there’s a thing that can be squeezed by the spandex. So things are going like, your elbow is going up to your shoulder and you’re not really sure why. You know that you’re not controlling it. Uh, it’s an odd experience, but um, I’ll tell you what, those lunch breaks were always very, it was like a great release to unzip the spandex and just lay on the couch.*laughs*

K: Tell them what it’s like to be up on the harness thing man, when you have to do flying and shit, on the green screens.

C: The flying is fun, that’s one of the really, that’s when you feel like you’re on the trampoline in your backyard as a kid fighting the invisible villains. It’s literally the same thing, except someone is doing the jumping for you with a rope. But that’s when you get to play and feel like a kid. Those are my favourite, the big action sequences. They’re a bear to shoot because they take days to shoot two minutes, as you know. But when you’re actually doing the thing, it’s a great time.

K: How long before you think, because I know it ain’t happening now, how many years from now do you think it’ll be before you and Melissa are like “let’s watch the episodes and see if we can spot the chemistry, and see if I can see myself falling in love and blah blah blah.” Do you think you’ll ever get there?

C: You know, I think it’s probably all over every second of every frame *laughs*. You could probably just uh, start at the beginning and then the first second on-screen probably in some way, shape or form go “oh there it is, there’s the first bits of it”.

K: I believe that, Mr. Broadway.

C: Mr Broadway!!

K: Can I tell him [Marc] a quick Broadway story? I actually went to a Broadway show, where I got to sit next to Mr Chris Wood.

M: Did you now?

C: Oh man, yeah you did.

K: It’s beautiful. So we go see Beautiful, is the show, the Carole King musical.

C: It was also beautiful.

K: It was beautiful, branded and in my heart. The lead of the show that night is of particular interest to both me and Mr Wood, him a lot more. Melissa Benoist, "rhymes with moist", I learned that from Chris Wood.

M: That sounds awfully romantic.

C: He texts me late one evening..

K I used to say Ben-o-ist all the time, I don’t know why.

C: And then I shot you a text I was like “You know it’s Benoist like moist, like a chocolate, decadent chocolate cake”.

M: That was the most Christopher Walken thing I’ve ever heard: “It’s Benoist like moist”.

K: “And delicious like a chocolate cake”. We’re watching Beautiful and we’re watching Melissa open, this is the debut, the first opening night of the show, and Chris is there um, a bunch of people that love Melissa were there. Fucking Lynda Carter was there, Wonder Woman was there to watch Supergirl, how awesome is that? The curtain opens and it opens with Melissa, she’s up top like bang, singing, right at the top of the show and I’m sitting right next to Chris Wood who is crying. Crying those joyful tears of seeing his lady love’s dream come true. She always wanted, is that her first Broadway performance?

C: It was, first and last. *laughs*

K: *jokingly* She’s not going to do it again?

C: No, no, no, no, no I’m just kidding, no it was her first. Life long dream.

K: She was like, she’s like Chris, she’s a theatre kid. A couple of musical kids and stuff, drama kids.

C: You can say nerds, it’s okay.

K: Drama nerds, the idea of Broadway, that was the goal, it wasn’t like “one day I’m gonna be Supergirl”, that was the surprise and the delight where she met the love of her life and stuff, but the dream was Broadway and her dream came true and as you know, if the curtains open and Melissa was crying, of course, people forgive it because they’re like “Oh look at her dreams coming true” the fact he was bawling, I was like "oh my God, she’s got the right guy." All of the joy he felt for her joy, as she was concentrating on doing the very thing that she dreamed about doing, performing, so she can’t just stop the show and be like “can you fucking believe this?” which is how she feels inside, he’s expressing for her just by emotional, he was crying, it was one of the most beautiful things in the world.

C: I’m not ashamed of it.

K: No!

M: Nor should you be.

K: It was so fucking wonderful so supportive but he is a- point of the story, he is such a Broadway kid.

C: You could say I’m a Jellicle kid.

K: Somebody could explain that.

M: I too was sitting next to Chris Wood when he was crying, but it was in New Orleans, in a waiting room to shoot a scene for Reebot, and he's like "Listen, I gotta fly back to Vancouver and my flight is like twenty minutes from now and we haven't shot yet, and it's 4 AM and I'm a little bit daffy in the brain.

K: *Laughs* It's true.

C: Yeah, we were drinking- we were on coffee number four, at like 5 AM, and I looked at my watch and I went "Oh!! My flight's at 6:30." *Laughs*

M: "Anytime you're ready, Kev!"

C: But we got it done.

K: The boys were so sweet, they came out uhm- Chris and Jesse Rath came out and they're in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot during Chronicon, if you haven't seen it on Amazon Prime.

C: With the most extensive and detailed backstory that any limited amount of screentime has ever had in the history of film. There's a story in those eyes, if you look closely.

K: Oh my God, he's working. But he's sitting next to Mr. Marc Bernardin.

M: Yes.

K: Throughout the night, and it was- we ran up against- what time do we finally shoot you guys?

C: I don't even remember.

M: It must've been like 5:15 or something like that.

K: And then rush them to the airport so they could get on (a) plane and get back to Vancouver, correct?

C: That's right, I had to get back to work.

K: Such a special-

C: But it was such a blast, though. And thank you again for letting us come out and play. That was such a trip.

K: It just means that uh, one day your kids are gonna watch that movie and be like "They're both in this terrible movie? Who are Jay and Silent Bob? Was this before you guys met on Supergirl? Why would you be in a movie like this?"

C: *Laughs*

K: Let's talk He-Man. What-- Had you done voice work prior to He-Man?

C: So, when I was broke, living in New York, in between babysitting for three boys on the Upper West Side to make cash so I could support my acting aspirations, I bought a little USB microphone and I joined this- I can't even remember the name of the site. It was some like, some freelance voiceover site, where you join and you can record audio samples and submit auditions and that was the only voice work I had done. I would- I was making like 100 bucks here and there, doing a voiceover for a animated-- "Hey kids, don't run in the cafeteria!" Like a school PSA, or I did some military PSA teaching soldiers etiquette in the barracks and-- so strange. But that was all I had done.

K: Tell'em about how- what acting in front of a microphone is like, 'cause it is acting-

C: Oh yeah.

K: -And in some ways, it's way more acting than one can do on a camera, on a camera one can be subtle, you can't be subtle behind a microphone. You gotta communicate emotion just with the voice, tell 'em about it.

C: You know it's so funny, I actually would describe voice acting as incredibly physical work, whereas camera acting it's all- you know, it's what you're feeling, it's..they say it's through your eyes, which actually means they're seeing through your eyes, through your soul, right? If you're feeling something you'll see it. But for voice acting, we don't see anything, it's all voice, so you really have to take the feeling and elevate it, and sometimes it helps to physically express it, so people sweat in the booth and they, you know, they grit their teeth and they stomp into the ground, and really, you have to really dig in, to grab the emotion and kinda amplify it, otherwise *monotone voice* you're just kinda talking like you do on film and nothing's really happening, and no one cares. Which is sort of what American acting is a lot of the time, we kinda just try not to seem like we're interesting and care about anything. *Laughs*

K: Is that the secret to acting? Did you just let it-- Is that all acting or just CW acting? What kinda acting are we talking about?

C: I'm actually doing a master class series on early '20s acting and basically, the first lesson is to speak as monotone and enunciate as little as possible.

K: Fucking worked out, you married Supergirl for heaven's sakes.

C: Listen-

K: Mumble away, kids! That's what your future looks like if you can mumble your way through a performance.

C: Mumble core.

M: So what you're saying is, voice acting then is very much like theater acting? Where like you've gotta play to the back row, right? Like you can't see that person's eye from a hundred feet away.

C: This guy!

K: Right? This fucking guy, he made-

C: You've found a way to bring it back to CATS! Wow!

K: Thank you, fucking excellent job, now there's a writer. Marc Bernardin is a writer.

M: *singing* Midnight and the kitties are sleeping..

K: Yes, your theater training really comes in handy in that shit, I never fucking put that together!

C: Yeah! Because you learn how to take a truthful feeling and amplify it, that's what the best stage acting is, right? An emotion that an actor is feeling that can reach the back of the house and, with voice acting is that same sort of thing, but your relationship is with the microphone uhm, and it needs to go through the microphone and then into the character and then the audience gets to it. So it's a whole-- There's a learning curve, I feel like it takes a second. Hopefully we got it right.

K: Now you're way younger than us, so I don't know if like- was He-Man in your wheelhouse growing up? Or that was before you?

C: He-Man, yeah, He-Man was on uh-- we didn't have cable when I was a kid, 'cause we didn't have the money for it. So I was watching, they were rerunning it on-- I'm trying to think what network it would've been. I can't even think of the names of what they were back then, but they were running- it was the rerun after the original series had aired. 'Cause I would watch that and I would watch X-Men, those are my cartoons.

M: Where'd you grew up, in New York?

C: In Ohio. Yeah, Dublin, Ohio, home of Wendy's, yeah.

K: That's true, that's where Wendy's begins, is in Ohio!

C: Yeah and there's a callback to Wendy! So..

M: This guy!

K: There's a writer, there's a writer! *points at both Marc and Chris*

M: High five!

K: What uh-- you know, we gotta be very careful of course, when we talk about MOTU, all of us are NDA'd up the A-H. You gotta play two different characters, what was that like?

C: That was one of the fun aspects of Prince Adam slash He-Man. It's finding these very different placements for the same person, right? So it has to feel like the same character but that, their emotional states are- Prince Adam is sort of in a different place: he's covering, he's deflecting, he's more fun and goofy..And then He-Man we have to drop the truth of his core mission, you know, to save the world, so..I mean, it starts with registers, right? That was the easy part. Prince Adam is supposed to be full of youth so he's a little higher and a little more excited, and then He-Man, *lower voice* go down and be more heroic, down in the basement and use his big fighty-fight voice.

K: It's pretty awesome, like you join a tradition of storytelling in which performers get to be two people, like you know, whoever plays Batman gets to do Bruce Wayne, and then they get to do the Dark Knight, whoever plays Superman gets to do Clark Kent and then they get to do the Man of Steel, so you get to do Prince Adam and then you also get to be his heroic alter ego, man.

C: Right.

K: It's a wonderful fraternity that you join.

C: Although I hear I'm in deep trouble, because the internet has found out that I'm not bulking up--

M: You're not doing the work?

C: --for my performance.

K: Somebody on Twitter was just like "Chris Wood, he's not big enough to play He-Man!" and they meant in size!

M: "Have you seen his thighs? His thighs are not nearly there!"

K: "He skips leg day all the time" but oh my God--

C: You're right! "He can't possibly play the character!"

K: Yeah I had to point out, I was like "I better get in touch with Netflix and see if they'll send Chris some steroids and a fucking peloton so he could do the the voice in an animated series."

M: Also, Chris is not from another planet. That's also an issue. Could you not have cast an indigenous actor to play somebody from Eternia?

K: Who was it tweeted, somebody tweeted something about Griffin Newman, they were like "Oh, tell Griffin we gotta cut his fucking legs off". Maybe it was there, texted that, tweeted that. What uh, now that you've voice acted and led an animated series: is it something that you see yourself doing again? I mean, of course, hopefully we all get to do this one again, but other stuff. You got like one of them Disney voices and you can sing like a motherfucker, man.

C: Oh man, I would love to do Disney too. Let's uh, put that in the bucket list. I honestly, I get a real kick out of it, it's..like you said you can really go to a larger-than-life place, and it all, it always has to come from, you know, something sincere, that sense of play has to be grounded in something. You just kind of yell and scream, I think people can hear that..so there's a challenge to it, but it's also super rewarding because you get to, you know, play characters that fly on cats that are oversized and wear armor and..

M: Jellicle cats?

K: None of that Jellicle shit in our show, Marc! Battle cats!

M: What kind of Jellicle are you? I'm a cringer cat!

K:*jokingly* Somebody point a sword at me, quick. Yeah man, it's a..

C: It's a long life with He-Man too, 'cause this, I mean the character is so fun and obviously..I had the action figures when I was a kid and those toys..I hope to introduce my son to Masters of the Universe via the action figures, 'cause I mean they're so weird! They really went there-- have you seen that special that they do on the toys on the Netflix show?

K: Oh yeah, the toy, the wonderful-

M: The Toys That Made Us.

K: -The Toys That Made Us.

C: Yeah, yeah The Toys That Made Us.

K: Their He-Man episode is unbelievably wonderful.

C: Oh, it's great! And it just shows you- you know they were thinking "what weird crap would a little boy like, put together on a toy?" And then they end up with these wild names, and these characters who do insane things and it's part of why it's so fun. And the fact that they found a way to build a story around those bizarre toys, that was also compelling.

K: Thank God they did--

C: 30 years later, it's amazing.

K: Thank God they did, we all have fuckin jobs, all three of us.

C: *laughs* You're right.

K: Wait so before we let you go, it occurs to me that Melissa just had her episode air of Supergirl, that she directed.

C: Directorial debut!

K: That's right! Did you- Did the Wood-Benoists or Benoist-Woods- did you guys like kick back and watch it together?

C: You know, we didn't because *laughs* we don't have cable. So, no!

K: Don't let CW hear that, or perhaps do and they'll pay for cable! Why don't you have cable? Where are you quarantining?

C: We're in California, so we're home, but we're usually not home.

K: Right! Oh my gosh, that's right!

C: As a fortunate actor you move to California to never be there. I was shooting in New York and she was shooting in Vancouver when this all started and we were lucky to get home quickly but uh, but yeah I mean, we don't spend that much time in our house, so we don't have cable!

K: Tell 'em why you were in New York. Was it the- that's been announced, right?

C: Yeah, yeah for Thirtysomething, Thirtysomethingelse which is an ABC show that hopefully, knock on me, hopefully ends up going when we get out of this situation with Covid. Yeah, it's a reboot of Thirtysomething, another 80s classic.

K: Oh my God, that's-- you'll have two, you'll have fuckin MOTU and Thirtysomething. I watched Thirtysomething in real time when I was a kid, I loved that show, my mom watched it so I watched it with her and stuff, so I know all about Hope and Michael. I saw that they were redoing the show and I saw that fucking Chris was involved and I was like "What?!", and I texted him "Are you fucking for real?" and shit, and you're playing Hope and Michael's- did they announce that? I don't know

C: Yeah, yeah, I'm their son, yeah.

K: So he's tied in-

M: He's a legacy character!

K: Legacy character and like-

C: Legacy! This is what's all about.

K: That's fucking dope, man. So I mean, look I can't wait to watch that, but I have seen and heard four animatics so far of MOTU and-

C: Oh man.

K:- your performance..

C: I cannot wait.

K: It's wonderful, you did a great, great job and made me proud as the guy who was like "You know who'd be good? This guy." Put you forward--

C: This guy and they're like "who's that?" and you're like "hang on, let me tell ya!"

K: Yes, "Here let me pull up IMDb". They knew who he was, they know you, man.

M: If you did like The Music Man it wouldn't have been an issue: “You know who’d be good? Wood would be good, if he could do that, I bet you Wood could.”

C: *Laughs* Well, you got He-Man, my friends. (inaudible) city.That was a, that was a deep cut.

M: Hell yes.

K:Look at you, look at how you came to life with a little theater ref, man. Jazz hands all around.

C: Oh yeah, you can feel the jazz hands from there in the Cantina.

M: Touching us all over

K: Go back and enjoy the rest of your Thursday night, thanks for hanging out with us, say hello to the good lady Benoist and whatnot.

C: Thank you gentlemen. It was wonderful seeing you both.

M: Good to see you, sir. Be well.

C: Alright guys, be well.

K: Give it up for He-Man himself, Chris Wood, everybody.

M: *cheers*

K: Mon-El..flies away. He’s so good, such a good guy. I forgot he was such a fucking theater kid, that’s right, and we were like talking theater and shit. And I forgot his connection to Garber. One more we wrote in.

M: We have another point of entry.

K: That’s true, that’s good. Man, I’m telling you, I ain’t fucking around, his script was one of the most impressive thing I’ve ever read,

M: Yeah, that’s awesome.

K: It did make me feel jealous where I’m like “he’s that pretty and he can write like this? Like, all I had was writing, fuck!”

M: That’s a problem.

K: God, what a good guy.

#chris wood #kevin smith #marc bernardin #fatman beyond #melissa benoist #melwood #mon-el #masters of the universe #MOTU #he-man #prince adam #masters of the universe netflix

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