#you know what's crazy is in the script sue is also blonde

[talesfromthecrypts]

The Substance (2024) dir. Coralie Fargeat

[fics-for-my-heart]

Oops - Dylan O’Brian

Summary: Some clumsy moments lead to some admitted feelings

Word count: 3486

Warning: some slight panic about a stopped elevator

A/N: this is kinda rough. It’s been so long since I’ve done something longish that I’m a bit rusty. Also using the gif of Mitch bc this is how I was picturing Dylan. Hope you enjoy.

Masterlist

“No!” You shouted, boxes flying as a leash wrapped around your legs. “Spot.” The familiar pup was full body wiggle excited. There was no staying mad at the sandy blond lab when his brown eyes looked so sweet. “Where’s boss?” You asked with a scratch behind his ear. It was rare to see one without the other but sometimes Spot got away.

Footsteps pounded up the sidewalk behind you. “Spot, you crazy dog. Oh, hi Y/N.” You looked up to see the one and only Dylan O’Brian. He was leaning onto his knees looking relieved. “He saw you from across the lot and almost pulled my arm off.” His laugh was sweet, and his entire face lit up when he smiled.

It’s been over a year since you started working on the set of Teen Wolf, and you still weren’t quite able to speak around all the stars. But it was always worse around Dylan. It seemed like something embarrassing always happened around him.

“Jeff asked me to walk him while Holland and Tyler are finishing up for the day. Here.” He turned, gathering up the boxes. “Are these the new costumes for part two?”

“Uh, yeah.” Your face was so hot it’s a wonder your sunglasses weren’t melted. “Julie had me pick them up. That’s where I was heading.”

He stacked the last box and grabbed the leash. “Tell ya what. You take Race here and I’ll carry the boxes?”

“Um, thanks.

—

Being on set while the cast was filming was always a thrill. Seeing them all get into character and having the script brought to life was the reason you wanted to get into production. Of the few shows and movies you’d worked on, Teen Wolf was your favorite. Everyone from cast to crew was amazing to work with, and Jeff let the cast have a bit of free will when it came to filming.

They were almost wrapped, Jeff giving you the ten minute warning and you jetted off to insure that catering was ready for the lunch rush.

“Sue!” You called, entering the tent that smelled like potatoes and chicken. Everything in the dining area looked ready, and you followed the smell of the food to find Sue. “Need any help?”

“Oh, love, yes please. Could you turn the warming burners on?” She asked as she dumped a large pot of mashed potatoes into the serving tray.

“Will do!” You slipped back out the door, ducking around the other catering crew.

Fifteen minutes later, the sound of talking made its way into the tent, followed by the first group of crew. After making yourself a plate, you made your way to the table where your things were to eat and fill out your calendar for the upcoming months.

The volume grew as more and more crew filed in. The chairs around your table moved and plates clattered. A glance up revealed Dylan, Tyler, Holland, and Shelley.

“Y/N, you missed it.” Tyler says through a laugh. “Dylan tripped and sent water all over Jeff. Oof.” He grabbed his side, laughing even harder.

Holland smiled over her cup and winked. “He was distraaaaacted.”

You shifted your eyes to Dylan, watching as a blush creeped up his neck. “No I wasn’t. I was just excited to eat. Sue makes the best chicken.” He glanced at you before shoveling food in his mouth. “So, Y/N, how are you?” He mutters around the food.

Words failed you, as always when Dylan spoke directly to you. “I’m, uh, I’m alright. Kinda ready for a nap or some coffee.” You shrugged, turning back to your computer.

“We’re going for some after lunch, you should join us!” Shelley invited, nodding towards the others.

“Thanks for the invite but I’ve got about four months of planning before I can leave today.” The alarm on your phone sounded. “Speaking of, my lunch break is over. Uh, if you guys need anything I’ll be in the office the rest of the day.” You stood grabbing your plate. Dylan stood at the same time, sending your plate tipping over and spilling what little was left all over you.

“Oh my god. Y/N I’m so sorry.” He reached for napkins. Shoving them into your hand as he bent for your plate. “I was going to get a refill. I’m so sorry.” His face was the color of a beet and his eyes were wide.

Your face mirrored his as you dabbed at your shirt. “It’s okay. No biggie. I’ve got a change of clothes in my bag.”

He stood, keeping his eyes on you. “I’ll take your plate and clean this up. I’m sorry, again.”

“Thanks. And it’s fine. Accidents happen.” You grabbed your things and looked at everyone else, who hadn’t made a sound the entire time. Their eyes were bouncing between the two of you. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Let me know if you need anything!” Holland said as Tyler and Shelley both waved.

You gave a nod, then quickly and carefully made your way to the office. Thankfully you didn’t run into anyone, and we’re able to grab your bag and run to the locker room down the hall for a shower. Where, of course, you had the last twenty minutes on replay.

“Why am I always so awkward around him.” You thought to yourself. “He’s no different than the others who I can talk to just fine. Sure he’s much more attractive. But still come on, pull it together.”

When you returned to the office, there was a coffee on your desk with a note. “Sorry again, Y/N. I hope you don’t hate me. -D”

——

“Y/N, can you take some notes at the meeting please?” Jeff asked from across the room. It wasn’t an unusual request, and one you normally did without being asked.

“Of course. What’s the main topic?” You grabbed a new pen and your notebook, dating the corner.

Jeff stood, glancing at his watch. “Just some last minute changes for a few things. Come on or we’ll be late.”

He waited for you to gather your things and followed you out the door, turning the light off and shutting the door to the office. The conference room was just down the hall so you went on to get your normal spot in the corner.

Soon the room was full. For meetings like this the heads of departments and the cast were needed in attendance. Seeing as these changes affected everyone it was easier to pass the information on to them and let them inform their crew.

“Alright guys, is everyone here?” Jeff glanced around the room. You did as well, marking your mental checklist.

Hair and makeup, lighting, sound, visual, catering, Tyler, Sprayberry, Holland, Shelley, JR, Ian, Dylan.

Dylan who was currently watching you from his spot beside Tyler Hoechlin. You gave him a small smile, which he returned with his full tooth grin and a wave. Even as you continue your headcount, you could feel his eyes on you.

Jeff started the meeting, and you started scribbling notes. Any suggestion given for a new location or for a tweak in script, you put in the notebook. Your pen was either furiously trying to keep up with everything or slipped between your teeth.

It was a habit. One you'd tried to break many times. But any writing tool always found its way to your mouth. Which was why the sudden bursting feeling between your teeth and the inky taste had you scrambling up and out the door before anyone could see.

By the time you made it to the bathroom, trying not to leave an ink trail, your hand was covered in black ink drool.

“Uck. Uckkkkk!” You cursed as best you could, grabbing paper towels and turning the water on as more ink dribbled from your mouth.

Frantically you spit, bringing water to your mouth and spitting again and again. You hadn’t swallowed any, but the taste was awful as you wiped your tongue with a wet paper towel.

The bathroom door slowly opened but you didn’t look up, embarrassed enough, there was no way you were going to talk to anyone looking like season two Gerard.

But, just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get worse, the person spoke and your entire body froze.

“Y/N. Are you okay?” Dylan asked, slowly slipping inside.

You squeaked when his hand touched your shoulder, your head falling more into the sink. “Uh Huh.”

Dylan’s head ducked beside yours, his hand still on your shoulder as embarrassment made your entire body start shaking. “Hey, look at me, please.” His voice was soft, and the finger that touched your chin was even softer. “It’s okay. No one else saw what happened.”

Slowly, you let his finger turn your face to him. Your eyes were burning with tears as you fully faced him now. His brows were pinched together in concern as his eyes swept your face, landing on your mouth. “It’s not that bad.” His thumb gently stroked your chin, sending a shiver down your body. He patted the counter. “Hop up and I’ll help.”

“It’s okay.” You broke yourself from the trance you were in, moving away quickly to grab more paper towels.

Dylan’s hand grabbed your waist, another squeaky slipped past your lips. “Let me help. Please. Y/N, I still feel awful about last week and I just want to help.”

Giving in, you turned around and pushed yourself up on the counter. He looked almost relieved as he started where you left off. Taking a tentative step between your legs.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to chew on pens? Go like this.” He lifted his lips revealing clenched teeth. “Looks like you got most of it off your teeth.”

“My mother warned me all the time.” You finally replied as he pushed the cool towel against your chin, moving in a swiping motion. His eyes jumped to yours before returning to the task. “Normally I try not to chew on new pens like that.”

“My habit is biting my nails. Not as messy, but still not good.” His light laugh released some of the tension in your shoulders. “We might have to go to the makeup trailer to get this off.” His eyes met yours again, your breath catching in your throat at just how close the two of you were.

“Okay.” Your voice was a whisper as neither of you made the move to actually leave. His hands were at your side, and chestnut eyes were level with yours. There was a slight shift in the room.

You found yourself drawn closer to him. One of his hands lifted up, gently touching your chin once more. Your heart was beating so fast as your eyes glanced down at his lips, watching as his tongue slowly traced them. His hand moved almost as slow, tracing your jaw and making its way around your ear. Time even seemed to slow as you let your eyes trace his features. Enjoying this moment of clarity that maybe you might have deeper feeling for the boy who made you clumsy.

“Y/N.” His voice was a whisper, his fingers finally finding their way into your hair. With shaky hands, you touched his chest, but not to push away, more for an anchor.

Suddenly the door was thrown open and you and Dylan scrambled apart. Your face instantly heated as you stared wide eyed as Holland.

“Y/N! There you are! Are you o..” her words died off as she quickly looked at your ink stained lips and Dylan pretending to wash his hands. “Uh.” Her lips pursed and curved slightly, a very Lydia look on her face. “Sorry for interrupting. I’ll just,” she threw both thumbs over her shoulder. “Y/N. You’re still coming over tonight right?” Her eyebrows jumped, taking full advantage of Dylan’s back turned to her.

“Y-yeah” you cleared your throat and nodded. “Yeah I’ll be there.”

Then she was gone. And the once electrified energy was now thick with awkwardness. The moment was definitely over.

Dylan turned to look at you while drying his hands. It was silent as he tossed the paper towel in the trash and extended his hand. The tips of his ears were pink. “I’ll take you to makeup.”

——-

It has been a few weeks since you and Dylan had your moment in the bathroom. Production was winding down for the season. Meetings were more frequent in planning for next season's start date in four months. Conventions and interviews were being planned. Things were moving fast, but Dylan somehow managed to steal a few minutes of your time for one thing or another.

“Y/N!” His voice called from across the lot, his steps echoed between the trailers. “Hey, I’ve been looking for you. This is for you.” He handed you one of the coffee cups in his hand. “Also, when do we have the IMDb event?”

You took the cup with greedy hands, then tapped the calendar app. “Thank you. And it’s this afternoon at four. We’re leaving in twenty minutes so you all have the chance to mingle and such.”

“Awesome.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “So, where ya headed?”

“Just going to grab some stuff from the office before we leave.” All the little moments had made it easier to talk to him, which was nice.

He nodded. “Well I’ll let you get to it. I’ll see you when we leave.” He smiled and stepped backwards hitting the trailer behind him. “Ooof.” He recovered quickly. “Bye!”

The event was happening at the rooftop terrace of a local hotel. There was a bar and finger foods. Lots of different areas set up for interviews and places to just hang out. It had been about an hour since you’d arrived and the interviews didn’t start for a while, so it gave everyone a chance to catch up.

“Y/N.” Jeff said as he came to a stop beside you. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. You okay?”

You patted your pockets. “I must have left my phone in the car. I’ll go grab it.”

Jeff passed the keys to you. “Okay, take someone with you. I don’t want you going down alone.” He looked around then pointed at the couch. “Take Dylan or Tyler.” As if he heard his name Dylan looked over and waved.

“Hey there.” He grinned as you approached. “This is Kaya. Kaya this is Y/N.” He patted the seat beside him. “Join us?”

“Hi, Kaya. Uh actually I was wondering if you’d go with me to get my phone from the car. Jeff doesn’t want me to go alone.”

He shot up, setting his drink on the table. “Sure, yeah.” He said a quick bye to everyone and followed you to the elevator.

“Thanks. I can’t believe I left it in the car. It’s normally attached to my hip.”

He pressed the button on the elevator for the garage. “It’s no problem. Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah. It’s nice to meet new people and see some that I worked with before. How’s it catching up?”

He leaned into the corner. “It’s nice. We’ve all been busy so it’s been difficult to catch up.”

The ride down to the garage was quick, the trip to the car quicker. Dylan stayed close, shoulder bumping and joking the entire way back.

“So, do you have any plans tonight?” He asked, once again pressing the button to go back up to the roof.

“Actually no, I think I’ll just get some taken out and watch mov..” your words were cut off by the grinding sound of gears, and the shudder of the elevator cart. You grabbed on to Dylan, as the lights flicked out and the cart came to a jerky stop. “Oh my god. Oh no.”

Your heart was in your throat as tears stung your eyes. “No, no, no. This can’t be happening.”

Dylan’s arm went around your shoulder, pulling you close. “Hey, it’s okay. Shhh. I’ve got you.” He reached over and pushed the buttons but nothing happened. Not even the emergency button worked.

Your entire body was shaking as you clung to Dylan’s shirt. “This is my worst fear. This can’t be happening.” Your breath was short as your mind raced with different scenarios of how this could end bad.

“Y/N.” His voice was calm as his hand rubbed up and down your back. Slowly he pulled you back, hands on your cheeks he met your eyes. “Take a deep breath for me okay.” He breathed in his nose and slowly out his mouth as you followed. “There we go. It will be okay. I’ll send out a group text and get help.”

You continued taking deep breaths as he typed out an sos text. Sinking to the floor, the cool metal helped relax you a little.

“Okay, I sent one to everyone I know is up there. Are you okay?” He joined you on the floor, pushing up against your side.

You nodded. “Yeah. I think so. Sorry. I've had nightmares about getting stuck like this.”

“It��s okay. I don’t like escalators.” His phone buzzes and you glanced at the message. “Holland said ‘of course that would happen to you two’. And Tyler said they contacted maintenance and they should be able to help us soon.”

You let out a breath. “Thank goodness.” Slowly, you laid your head on his shoulder. After a few moments of silence as he responded to the influx of texts, you decided to bring up something you’d been thinking about for a while.

“Dylan, can I ask you something?”

His head turned toward you as he put his phone down. “Anything.”

You closed your eyes, glad not to be looking at his face or you’d chicken out. Your hands wiped down your thighs and your voice was just above a whisper. “Were you going to kiss me that day in the bathroom?”

“Yes.” He answered. No hesitation. No having to think about it.

“Wh-why?”

He turned as best he could, gently placing his hand on yours. “Because I wanted to. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a while now.”

“But why me? I’m always a mess around you. And for the longest time I couldn’t even form sentences.” You lifted your head, finally looking at his face.

“And I’m always a mess around you. I’ll forget my lines. Or drop something because I’m distracted by how beautiful you are. The day I spilt water on Jeff? That was because I was trying to find you and didn’t see him. There have been so many times where I have walked into something of someone when I see you. And for a while there I couldn’t speak around you either.”

“Really?”

He smiled. “Yeah, why do you think everyone always gives me a hard time. They all know I have a crush on you.”

Your face headed. Dylan O’Brian likes you. “I like you too. This has to be a dream.” You whispered.

“Nope. Not a dream. I like you, Y/N. I have for a while. And now it’s my turn to ask you a question.” You raised your eyebrows. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

His hand cupped your chin as he met you halfway. His lips were soft, and the slight five o’clock shadow tickled your cheeks. You wrapped your arms around his neck. Lips moving in sync with his as if they were made for each other. He pulled back for a moment, smiled at you, then pressed his lips harder against you.

The two of you were so wrapped up in one another you didn’t hear the door opening.

“Ha! You both owe me twenty bucks!” Holland's voice shocked you apart. But Dylan’s arm stayed firmly around you. Holland has her hand out as Tyler and Spreyberry handed off twenty dollar bills.

“Uh. Hi guys.” Dylan said as he came to his senses. He stood, holding his hand out to help you up, but he didn’t drop it once you were on your feet. “What’s up?”

Tyler turned and looked at you both, then at your joined hands. “Holland bet us the two of you would finally admit your feelings while trapped.”

“I love you both. And I’m glad you finally saw the light. Also thanks for earning me forty dollars.” Holland blew a kiss before walking away.

“Thanks for getting us out.” You told the boys and nodded to the maintenance men currently tinkering with the elevator. “Thank you.”

“So.” Dylan said, swinging your hands between you. “Got room for one more in your takeout and movie plans?”

You smiled, pushing on your tiptoes to kiss him. “As a matter of fact I do.”

[bestnoncannonship]

Alright..I'mma get in on this VC fancasting debate.

As a director, I often have a LOT of opinions on people's casting decisions. A LOT. (Someday, I'll write a novella on Ken Brannaugh's casting.) So as I see a LOT of fancasts casts based on how people look and few based on whether or not the actor can likely handle the role, I'mma throw my hat in the ring. (Warning....the more I write the less technical and more shitposty this is gonna get!) So here you go! The Vampire Chronicles series if I got to cast and direct it!!

The Brat Prince:

Most importantly....we gotta get us a Lestat. And the choice is clear:

Evan Williams: this fabulous shitposting aesthetic trash is as close to the one and only Vampire Lestat as we are gonna get on this plane of existance. He is all charm and quite light in his loafers and a complete mess.......but most importantly, he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is able to play a character that does inexplicable and morally reprehensible things while still being read as highly sympathetic, likable, and even a hero. That's what I worry about most with Lestat. He really is a very terrible person who doesn't learn or face too many consequences. And he has to be very very very sympathetic. Not just "Oh I Stan that villain" likeable.....but a true hero. And it takes a very. Special. Actor. To pull that shit off. And this is it. This is the guy. He was hired to play an Iago-esque gay villain type in Versailles, STOLE THE SHOW OUT FROM UNDER GEORGE BLAGDEN (no mean feat as Blaggy was giving a hell of a performance) and made his character a beloved icon. Yeah....I trust him to lead a show. I trust him to be Lestat.

Nicholas L'enfant:

Okay not gonna lie I struggled with this one. There was someone else I wanted to see in this role....but I decided he was better employed elsewhere. And this is who I ended up with:

Yep. George Blagden. See...in the grand scheme of things Nikki is a very low-screentime role that has a LOT of impact on the story. And who better to trust with low screentime that the god of grantaires, who took a few small shots and lines and GAVE US A FULLY CHARACTERIZED GRANTAIRE in the Les Mis film. He is very sweet faced, and easy to like, can make being an on screen depressive fascinating instead of dull and has proven time and time again that he is the master of the complete mental breakdown, complete with horrifying but tragic crazy eyes. Also.....he bears a strong enough physical resembles to.....

Louis!!!!:

Our beautiful depressed dark angel with a vampire eating disorder who has no self esteem and is still in love with his abuser needs nuance. He needs soul. And he needs a sweet and delicate beauty. And so:

Alexaner Vlahos!!! The soulful eyes!! The delicate bone structure!!! The slight tones of simmering resentment!!! The ability to play a character that could have become VERY one note VERY quickly with goregeous amounts of nuance and sympathy!!! Vlavla has quite the varied resume. Mordred. Phillipe. Romeo. Captain Hook. To put it lightly he has a LOT of range and the one through line is he is NEVER boring. He plays a lot of roles that could very quickly become boring and one note (Romeo? Captian snooze right there!). But every second he's on screen or stage he is so completely alive in whatever he is feeling. I TRUST him to keep the entirety of Louis's brooding nuanced and fascinating for an audience and to physically and facially convey Louis's very important internal monologue that we will not be able to hear because this version is going to be from Lestat's point of veiw. I toggled with the idea of making him Nikki for a while....but ended up with Louis for 2 reasons. 1) he doesn't need the scripted plot drama Nikki has written in to make a compelling character and 2) he and Williams share such beautiful chemistry. Whenever they're together, even off screen, their focus shifts so that they orbit each other like bianary stars and any director can see that that's something that should be explored and exploited to add demension to the Louis/Lestat relationship and justify why they keep coming back to each other.

(And so ends the Men of Versailles segment of my fancast. So sue me. There's some incredible actors there.)

Let's return with

Gabrielle De Lioncourt:

The incomparable Alex Kingston, lately of River Song fame, though I met her as Elizabeth Corday, and Doctor Corday is driving this casting choice. I wanted an actor who was an appropriate age to play Williams's mother cause we don't fuck with that women are "old" at 30 shit in this house. And she can carry off the kind of "I will not hesitate to kill a man" BDE that Gabrielle requires without trying, but she's also proven herself comfortable and competent with the level of CAMP that VC requires. I can see her easily showing up on set for a few scattered episodes, slipping easily into the verse, and nailing the kind of woman who can put Lestat in his place then run back off to the jungle. Also....that De Lioncourt hair!!!!!

Marius "Daddy" Romanus:

Yep. This fuck. I can hear it now.... "Why isn't he lessssaaaat??? He's so blonde and prettttyyyyy????" Well....mainly because....I ain't sure this lil fuck can run a show as a very despicable but likeable hero yet. He's admirable. A good actor. A great villain. But not a hero and not heroically likeable. Personally, I'm of the opinion that in 10 or 15 years he will have grown into the ability to play something as complex as Lestat with likability....but for now.....DAMN is he a creepy imperial thing. He's got that "My house, my rules" vibe down. He's preditory. He's distinguished. He is Marius. And he's go the best Roman coin profile I've ever seen.

Armand:

N/A

Ok. Controversial decision....but I want to see a complete unknown as Armand. Send casting out to cast a wide net, scour the world for the Botticelli death machine. But definitely don't pull him from the pool of already famous younguns. Because your Armand needs to be deep. Skilled. And primarily UNSPOILED by the school of child acting that is forced upon child actors. (I was a commercial kid and child stage actor. It was terrible.) Go out and get some twinky fresh faced raw talent so you get depth.

Claudia:

N/A

Big old ditto on what I said above about child actors. A nice doe eyed unknown, preferably without a stage mom.

AKASHA:

Yikes. So many amazing choices!!! How do you follow Aliyah??

With literal human perfection Gina Torres of course!!! Again....I wanted to go with an older woman. Someone who would be seen as an authority to all vampires. Someone god damnned goregeous. And someone who I find intimidating. Also, since I'm skewing a little tall with this cast (at least as TV actors go) I wanted someone who comfortably stands among and above most of them! She's a seasond tested actor, and certified badass. And we know she can steal a scene. Besides if she can look regal as a queen in that weirdass dress they gave her in the serenity movie she can pull off whatever monstrosity costumes comes up with to follow the Aliyah getup.

Khayman:

Don't @ me but....I have a LOT of feelings about Khayman. I love his particularly breed of immortal insanity. I love the way immortality drove him mad into a childlike enjoyment and curiosity. And I knew exactly who has to be casted to play that combination of intimidating ancient and innocent curiosity:

This is Howard Charles. He is capable of playing both an intimidating giant and a sweet soulful cinnamon roll at the same time. I cannot sing this man's praises enough. Am I scared of him? Do I want to hug him? Both? He's also one of the best scene SHARERS I've seen on screen in a long time and that's very important in a supporting role.

Maharet:

Just because Anne Rice doesn't know shit about Mesopotamia doesn't mean we have to follow her in that. I wanted to pull from Middle Eastern or Indian populations for her to best reflect the look of the region in a time that's roughly in line with the pre-dynastic Egyptian mish-mosh associated with Akasha.

So I'm gunning for Indira Varma. When I say this woman has timeless beauty.....I mean timeless. She's as prehistorically hot as she is today. And she's such a strong actress, I want to give her a role that isn't 50% sex scenes. She's got both the warmth and the commanding strength to play Maharet. I would ideally like to get a dancer to play Mekare....someone who can handle the physical interp of the role. Probably an Indian dancer to match Indira Varma.

David Talbot:

In the newly declared tradition of Doctors playing Talbot:

This is the only current Gif I could find of Sylvester McCoy. Known to many as the Seventh Doctor. And to many as Ratagast the Brown. He embodies that sort of huffy aging britishness that David projects, but has the over the top personality that can give us those hints of the vitality of David's youth. Basically I can see this man telling stories about hunting tigers in India. Then when he gets the hot young Raglan James Body:

Luke Pasqualino. Swarthy young troublemaker. But for all the youthful good looks, he proved that he was able to play grace and gravitas as D'artagnion in the final season of the BBC Musketeers. I'd love to give him a chance to explore that deeper part. I also trust his ability to match the energy of a cast, which he did repeatedly on musketeers, and portray both the impulsive self aggrandizing Lestat in the Raglan James body and to play the DarkAU Musketeer type that is Raglan James himself.

That's literally all the Gifs I can put in a post. I know I skipped Daniel......but that's because I have surprisingly few opinions on Daniel.......he's very much a vanilla audience connecting character. I'd almost like to see an unknown in that role....just to see what we a new face could make.

And thus ends my casting of the Vampire Chronicles!!

[haydennation]

A Star Reborn: Elle Magazine Interview (February 2008)

No matter how romantic, dissolute, or beatnik he played it, Hayden Christensen just couldn’t lose the long arm of Star Wars. Until, that is, he starred in this month’s hotly anticipated, Jumper and ditched Darth Vader for good. Interview by Sarah Bernard When George Lucas plucked Hayden Christensen from teen-TV obscurity to play Darth before he was dark in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it was a career making break. It was also the kind of opportunity that could set up a young actor to fail spectacularly. Christensen wouldn’t have been the first 19 year old to let fame turn him into an intolerable party boy, or the first to flame out, Mark Hamill-style. But Christensen’s post-Vader life hasn’t followed either of those scripts. Since hanging up his lightsaber, he has made a handful of small films, the best of which was Shattered Glass, which he also produced. His portrayal of journalist-turned-plagiarist Stephen Glass, complete with dorky glasses and khakis, was a perfectly creepy rendering of ambition and desperate defiance. In Factory Girl, the Andy Warhol biopic, he played a Dylan-esque musician. The movie was so god-awful that Christensen has never seen it. “And I don’t think I ever will,” he says. He had originally signed up to play Bob Dylan, but Dylan didn’t like the way the film portrayed his relationship with Edie Sedgwick and threatened to sue. “The producers called a week later saying, ‘We can’t call him Bob Dylan.’ I said, ‘Okay, I can play Bob in my head,” says Christensen, who more or less worships the singer. But Dylan saw the final cut and still wasn’t pleased. Most of Christensen’s scenes had to be scrapped, and those that did survive had to be completely redubbed so that he sounded less Dylan-like. “It was really depressing,” the actor says. In 2007’s Awake, he played a wealthy businessman (his wife is played by Jessica Alba) who finds himself conscious during heart surgery. The film came and went in a weekend. When Christensen tried to bolt from the premiere’s screening, he says Harvey Weinstein, the film’s producer, told him, “I’ll sit next you with handcuffs if I have to.” In this odd collection of projects, there is a through line: characters who are not quite what they seem at first, possessing a mix of innocence and malevolence. Those are the parts that Christensen loves to play and what attracted to the starring role in this month’s Jumper, a sci-fi thriller about a bank robber with a talent for teleportation. It’s directed by Doug Liman, who turned Matt Damon into an assassin with a soul in Bourne Identity and matched Brad and Angelina in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  “I think people who see this film will view Hayden as having emerged they viewed Matt as having emerged…[But the reality is, both Matt and Hayden had done phenomenal work before,” says Liman. “You just had to look at Good Will Hunting and Shattered Glass to see there was a star there.” Christensen is not one of those celebrities who always craves an audience, as he sits in a Tribeca bar in New York City answering questions, he’s wearing a Bathing Ape baseball cap pulled low over his brow. His features are so delicate, they’re almost pretty. In fact, he was the face of Louis Vuitton Menswear in fall-winter 2004-2005. (“He reminds of a young Paul Newman,” says Simon Kinsberg, who co-wrote Jumper as well as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the third installment in the X-Men franchise.) The actor’s idea of fun is manning the excavator on the farm he recently bought an hour north of Toronto, the city where he grew up and where his family still lives. Like any good Canadian kid, he was hockey-obsessed and dreamed of playing for the Maple Leafs. He also played competitive tennis, and when he was a ball boy at the Canadian Open, he was nearly clocked with a racquet hurled by a tantrumming John McEnroe. (A clip of the near miss made the nightly news.) Christensen’s mother, Ali, and father, David, ran a communications consulting business together. He has an older brother, Tove (who now heads, with Hayden, a production company, Forest Park Pictures), and two sisters: Hejsa, a former junior world trampoline champion, and Kaylen. The whole clan spent time in Australia during the filming of Star Wars, where Christensen’s sisters even became tight with George Lucas’ daughters. When Lucas invited the girls along on a yacht vacation, Hejsa really hit it off with the boat’s captain. They married a year and a half ago in Antigua, with Lucas in attendance. “She’s sort of responsible for me having the career that I have,” says Christensen, “and I’m indirectly responsible for her family.” Listen to him talk, and it’s hard to believe he isn’t just a farm boy himself. For one thing, he mumbles. He also slurps his Coke like a little kid. Then orders another.

“I thought I had a sense of what it meant to be a down to earth, regular actor,” says Liman. “Then I met Hayden, and suddenly everyone else seems like a primadonna.” During one of many reshoots, Liman realized his star’s hair has gotten longer and lighter from the sun. “Hayden’s like, ‘no problem,’” says Liman. “He gets the scissors and the trimmer out and cuts his own hair in my bathroom! I’m terrified because we have some shooting coming up and if I mess up his hair, someone’s going to kill me. I go, ‘Are you sure you should be putting those scissors to your hair?’ He goes, ‘I was cutting my hair through the whole movie.’” “He is so sweet and so humble and approachable, and loving,” adds Jessica Alba. “He literally hugs everybody on the crew and knows all their first names, every day. He’ll say good morning, give everyone a hug. He’s so present and happy and sweet. It’s crazy. And then you’re like ‘Oh, he’s Canadian.’” ‘Menschy’ is how Kinberg describes him. “So much that wondered when I’d get to see the other side.” It’s an earnestness with an edge, like a scrim that’s hiding something uglier, messier, darker. “He’s incredibly good at lying,” says Jamie Bell, his Jumper costar. “That element of ‘I’m totally pulling the wool over your eyes.’ He’s good at that.” Darth Vader is a cartoon version of this of course. There were lots of intense stares and heavy brows in that performance. But to be fair, Star Wars has never been known for its thespianism, and delivering stilted dialogue with imaginary droids against a green screen doesn’t leave an actor much room for subtlety. Maybe Christensen was reacting to that when he played Sam Monroe, the pill-popping part time prostitute teenage son of Kevin Kline in 2001’s Life as a House. In the opening scene, Sam wakes up, sniffs a rag doused with paint thinner, sticks his head through a noose in his closet, and jacks off, until the clothes rack collapses on top of him and his mom opens the door. And that’s before the title sequence is finished. Christensen threw himself into Sam both emotionally and physically. He says ‘It was my means of rebelling,” from Star Wars one assumes. He shed 25 pounds on a diet of salad and water, dyed his blond hair black and cobalt blue, and shaved his legs to look as young and sickly as possible. The result was a performance with vulnerability and angst and full-fledged rage, all twined together like a heap if twisted steel. And because Life as a House came out before Attack of the Clones, it was actually Sam in all his Goth glory (piercings, eye shadow), not the falling Jedi Knight, who introduced the actor to the movie going public. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his work in House, as well as a fair amount of tortured teen credibility. At that point, tortured teens were something of a Christensen specialty. In 2000, the year he got Star Wars, he was living in Vancouver and playing Scott Barringer, a drug addicted, sexually molested teenager on Fox Family’s Higher Ground. When he was summoned to Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Northern California for a face-to-face reading with Natalie Portman, he threw up on the ride there. It was his and Portman’s chemistry that the unknown Canadian was the one. “Hayden is immediately appealing, both in person and on screen, because he knows how to balance his strength with his sensitivity,” Lucas emails. “I think he has a great acting career ahead of him.” The filming of Attack of The Clones and then Revenge of the Sith consumed a good five years of Christensen’s life-an eternity in the career of a hot young actor. He tried moving on, focusing on indie films, sharing the stage in London in 2002 with Jake Gyllenhaal in Kenneth Lonergan’s This Is Our Youth, a play about three rich-kid slackers in 1980s New York. Still he could not get away from Star Wars. Boxes of paraphernalia continued to arrive. “They have to send me one of everything produced,” he says. “It’s nuts. The first I opened: ‘Oh that’s cool. A little figurine of me,’ All sorts of lunch boxes, potato chips. I don’t even open them anymore. I had to get storage space because my parents’ basement overcrowded. My mom was like, ‘Enough!’” So when his agent told him about Jumper, he didn’t jump at it. “They said it was sort of science fiction, there was a franchise possibility,” he says. “And I was like, ‘does this really sound like something I’d be keen to do? I was franchise scared.” Then he found out it was being directed by Doug Liman, who has a way of infusing an emotional quotient into the star roles of his big budget action pictures. The first meeting between them was, according to both, like a great first date. Christensen has a farm. Liman has a farm. Christensen was off to a flying lesson that day. Liman is a pilot. The director invited Christensen to his apartment in New York, where they met with Kinberg and with Bell, who’d already been cast. (Liman had begun filming Jumper with Tom Sturridge as the lead, then halted production because Sturridge looked too young for the part, Kinberg says.) Christensen plays Davey, a callow young guy with a sweet, sexy girlfriend (Rachel Bilson) and the secret superpower to ‘jump’ teleport himself anywhere in the world by picturing the place. Thinking he’s the only one with such skils, Davey is blithely breaking into banks and living the high life in Manhattan when one day, a white-afroed Samuel L Jackson (Christensen’s Star Wars costar) shows up and tries to get medieval on his ass. Jackson, part of a jumper secret police, doesn’t want rogue teleporters jumping about. Disrupts the universe, you see. Liman and the crew discussed the script and debated what a jump would look like. “We started improvising, throwing out ideas,” says Christensen. A week later, Liman called and asked him back to do it all again. When Christensen was finally offered the part, the group continued to meet as a collective several times a week. “My character’s way of dealing with things is he doesn’t confront his problems. He’s always avoiding them. One day I was saying to Jamie, ‘My superpower is I can run away from anything.’ And Doug was like, ‘Wait, wait, wait! That’s your character! The fundamental undercurrent.”   It is the perfect superpower for a guy: the ability to literally bail when things get tough. “A very guy thing, yeah.” Christensen says with a laugh. Jumper was the opposite of the closed door ways of Star Wars, where they’re George’s characters,” the actor says. “I was stepping into something preexisting.” Now he was getting to be part of that defining process and he was thrilled. Not that Liman’s defining process is any cake walk. For him, scripts are never finished and actors are ever in discovery mode. Often they’d shoot a scene one way, discuss it, come up with a better idea, and shoot again. This happened whether they were on a soundstage in Toronto or on location in Tokyo, Paris, Prague, London, or Rome, where they got permission to film inside the Colosseum, the first film to do so in decades. Liman is also spontaneous, to the extreme. Driving through Times Square with Bell and Christensen, he decided that it would be good to get them fighting in traffic. So he stopped the van, ordered them out, and manned the camera himself as his starts rolled around on the pavement mid the cars and pedestrians. A good portion of the film has Christensen pummeling himself onto the floor, up against walls. Says Bell, “Hayden was tortured on this movie.” Well, not entirely tortured. Reports are that Christensen and Bilson are dating-there are pictures of her feeding him, of her puppy getting into his Ferarri, of her and Christensen running errands Best Buy-but he refuses to discuss it. What he will say is, “She’s awesome. She’s a very, very beautiful girl. She’s special. She’s one the sweetest, most gentle, kindhearted people I’ve ever met.” Christensen’s Jumper performance may be the one that finally overrides everything else on his resume. “Doug is really good at making guys look cool,” says Kinberg. Liman couldn’t agree more: “I have the reputation for getting just the right actor at the right point in their career. I think people will say I just did it again.” But even a director as self-confident as Liman is no match for the Force. Christensen tells how, on a recent head clearing trip to the Bahamas, he stopped in at a ‘really local, really basic market’. And there on the shelf was an ancient box of cereal with his mug as Anakin in that signature shag. Says Christensen; “I wanted to go up and ask the guy, ‘Are you sure that should still be on the shelf?’”

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

NOTE: Snippets of the actual game script used in this chapter, with slight alterations. You know the drill.

CHAPTER TWO

                           ~ x JUDGMENT x ~

"Wait," Sae snapped at her younger sister. "That isn't fair. You have no idea what kind of stress I had been under that day - and to top it off with a forced cold shower…"

But Makoto only shook her head. "I didn't say it was fair or unfair, or that you were trying to hurt me. Only that it happened. Are you saying it didn't?"

"Of course not. But you paint me as some kind of, of… unfeeling monster!"

"No, I'm not. Really. Only a big sister who sometimes doesn't listen to her little sister."

For the first time, the elder sister looked vaguely less than self-assured. Her nimble fingers clutched the pen, thumb flicking over the button to retract and produce the nib. Trying to release pent-up nervous energy. Then she whispered, "Maybe… I am unduly harsh with you. On occasion."

"It's alright. I know you're under a lot of stress; you don't think I know that? Especially after everything?" As Sae's lips set in the thinnest of lines, she said, "Now, do you want me to continue?"

"By all means. We don't have all day."

"Fine. If I have no choice, I would rather finish this." She cleared her throat and stared downward. "So I was distracted by worrying about the hot water heater, and your approval. That kept my brain spinning for a few days…"

                          ~ x The Priestess x ~

My friend Ann Takamaki also looked preoccupied. She did from time to time; she had a lot on her mind between modelling and school-related issues. And that's without her best friend being put in the hospital by Kamoshida. That bubbly blonde is the proof that things aren't always what they seem, since she routinely plastered a big smile over her inner strife.

"Hey, do you even hear me?"

"Huh?" I asked, then bowed slightly as we walked toward the courtyard. "I'm sorry, Ann. What did you say?"

Ann nodded back toward the stairs so hard that her big puffy pigtails bounced all over the place. She was almost like a living cartoon sometimes, with those ample curves and baby blue eyes - now rolling toward the ceiling. Maybe that's just because I don't know anyone else who's even part-white like her, much less an actual foreigner.

"I said, it's weird because she never takes a day off."

"Who?"

"Miss Kawakami!" Her fist drifted up to knock against my temple as she giggled, "Helloooo, Makoto-chan? The light's on but nobody's home!"

"Stop," I half-chuckled, swatting her hand away. "Sorry, I'm just… really spacing out today. Got a lot on my mind."

A long sigh issued from her pouty lips. "You and Ren both. Maybe you guys could start a club; the 'Big Bang Burger Brain Club For Space Cadets'."

"What does that even mean?!" But we were both laughing by now. I like Ann, but sometimes I just really can't understand her because we're very different people. "But what do you mean, he was spacing?"

"Like you were. Ever since Mr. Kobayakawa came in to tell us Miss Kawakami wouldn't be in, he kinda seemed to… shut down? Y'know, like one of those little toy robots when you just…" She mimed flicking a switch to the 'off' position.

"Ohhh… but that's odd. I wonder why?"

Not that I was going to tell Ann I already had my suspicions. While she was shrugging, I was already deciding that I needed to speak with Ren as soon as was possible.

Which happened right after lunch that day. I found him in the hallway and tugged him aside. "Do you have a minute?" He nodded. "Ann told me you were spacing out earlier today. Is… there a reason?"

Ren stared at me through his spectacles, expression as unreadable as ever. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I always had the impression that during every conversation, whenever he was asked a question, he was debating between two or three different answers to give - and he was never sure which to choose right up until he did so. Probably my imagination.

"It's Miss Kawakami."

"Right," I sighed, looking away. "I heard about that. Do… you know what happened to her?"

Another pause. "I heard it was exhaustion."

"Exhaustion?"

"Yeah. That she was hospitalised for exhaustion. I was thinking about going over there after school."

"Oh." My heart bypassed my stomach and shot straight through the floor. "Miss Kawakami's in the hospital? It's that bad?"

All I could think about was the way she had looked so tired. And I added to that fatigue. Even if it wasn't much… maybe if I didn't go see her that day, she wouldn't have needed to go recover in some hospital bed. And what if it got so bad that she died? It would make me a…

"Well, if you do go and see her," I managed to whisper when he didn't answer, "will you tell her that we all hope she feels better? I would appreciate it." He nodded. "Thank you. Um… if you'll excuse me…"

                          ~ o ~

But by the end of school, I felt a little differently. The idea of going together with Ren seemed awful. Kawakami wouldn't want to see me after the way I behaved. Not that I blamed her - not at all! My questions were too harsh, even if I did want to investigate.

Moreso now than ever. Already, my suspicions were high with the glances between my friend and his teacher, but now he was going to visit her in the hospital? They had to be closer than they were letting on.

Once classes ended, I staked out the Shujin entrance gates and waited for Ren to show up. He was talking with Ryuji Sakamoto. They became fast friends very soon after Ren transferred to our school, so that was nothing unusual. What was unusual was that Ryuji headed for the subway station while Ren headed to the streets.

Aoyama Hospital came into view soon enough. I had a copy of Vague Magazine in front of my face so Ren wouldn't spot me following him; I felt more guilty about doing it now than I had before we became friends, but this was too important to back down. Maybe I couldn't face her directly, but I needed to know her situation, and if there was anything I could do to help.

I was able to hear Ren give the receptionist the room number he intended to visit, but then lost track of him because I was trying to be too sneaky. Some Phantom Thief I would make; couldn't even tail a single suspect. But I was able to eventually slip up to her floor and find Kawakami's room. Once there, I perched outside the curtain around her bed and strained to overhear.

And there were definitely more than two voices. I didn't recognise the other two, but I could certainly make out every word thanks to their carelessly loud tones.

"You never learn, do you?" said a man as he laughed harshly. "And after all you did to him…"

"I'm sorry," Kawakami said in the most defeated tone I had ever heard from her. Since she's an underpaid high school teacher, that's saying a lot.

Now an older woman spoke up. "So? When are you going to transfer the money?"

"I should be able to send it out tomorrow…"

"Don't pay them a dime," Ren said - and I was shocked at how firm, how commanding his tone was. To an adult? What was he doing?! This was going to be a repeat of his run-ins with Coach Kamoshida all over again - and he was already on probation!

"Amamiya-kun…" That was real gratitude in my teacher's voice, even if it was also surprised.

"Stay out of this!" snapped the older woman.

"Don't act so tough, kid," the man said. "Our precious adoptive son, Taiki, died because of this woman. Honestly, she should've been fired."

My heart froze, my hand over my mouth as I gasped and listened to Kawakami mutter a few protests. What were they talking about? I never heard of any incident involving a student dying because of her. That was crazy! But she was reacting as if these were stone cold facts and she had no choice but to accept their admonishments.

"It's not like we're trying to extort you," the nasty woman was saying in a would-be reasonable tone when my ears tuned back in. "But who was it that convinced Taiki to start studying when he needed to be working? The schoolwork on top of his part-time jobs overwhelmed him, which led to that accident. Poor Taiki… it's almost like he was murdered!"

"So you no longer feel regret?" the man - her husband? - demanded. "In that case, perhaps we should sue the Board of Education. Or should we have a chat with your school? Either way, your days as a teacher would be over."

"I…" Kawakami sighed, long and wearily. "I understand. I will pay you. So…"

"Well, we're looking forward to receiving your payment. Soon. So quit being lazy and laying around in bed and make sure we get it."

Hastily, I stuffed my nose back in my magazine as the two walked past me and out of the room. A brief glance showed me a very normal-looking middle-aged couple. Their expressions were pretty smug, but otherwise I never would have guessed they were capable of being so, so… greedy. And monstrous. From what I could glean, she had been trying to help their son learn. They said 'accident', so it wasn't as if she killed him in cold blood. But I would have to learn more before I could fully understand this situation.

"I have to figure out a way to make more money," poor Kawakami was saying now. "I guess transferring to our sister company is the only way."

"Sister company?" Ren asked. Honestly, it was exactly what I was thinking at that moment.

"They're affiliated with the one I'm at now. I can make a lot more there." Brief hesitation. "You can… pretty much guess the type of services they provide, right? That's the only way I can make more money."

Ren was still sighing in despair when I drew my feet up into the chair, hugging my knees to my chest. I had no idea what she was talking about, but it sounded like the absolute last resort for her. Was this another school? A cram school - maybe one that was less than reputable? Dealing drugs like Adderall, or letting students pay their way to better marks on their exams? That would explain why she didn't want to transfer there. And of course, she wouldn't want to relocate…

But the terminology didn't make sense. Weren't schools mostly funded by the government? What company was she "affiliated" with?

"You know what?" she suddenly piped up. "I'm gonna stop worrying about it! The money, I'll pay it. I'll do everything Master tells me to do!"

Master?! What was she talking about? The two ungrateful parents? But I didn't even have time to worry about that before she was emotionally collapsing again.

"I'm so tired. If they demand more money, then I just have to pay them."

"Just rest for now," Ren insisted. The tenderness in his voice surprised me - and my suspicions that they might be up to less-than-platonic activities heightened. He cared about her. Not just as a person, but as someone who was part of his life.

"Sorry, I'm not quite back to a hundred percent yet, so my thoughts are all over the place. I'll get some rest; I promise." A little warmth returned to her own tone as she said, "I appreciate you coming to visit me today. It made me really happy."

Then she was falling victim to a coughing fit. "Kawakami-sensei," Ren breathed, and the way the shadow shifted on the other side of the curtain, I was sure he had put a hand on her shoulder or something.

"I'll be released first thing tomorrow morning, so don't worry. The IVs here are top notch. And visiting hours are over, so… get home safe, okay?"

"Alright. Take care of yourself."

"I'll try."

Luckily for me, Ren was too preoccupied to notice me curled up in that chair in the corner by the vacant bed. I didn't even think to hide my face again.

Sadayo Kawakami was a fine teacher, and an institution at Shujin. Whatever was going on with these two, that Taiki's guardians, made her think that she wasn't - that she owed them some kind of restitution for an accident that wasn't even her fault. Maybe it was my usual paranoia acting up again, but this felt like a shakedown. They were bleeding a hard-working teacher dry. I vowed then and there to never let Sadayo Kawakami out of my sight again.

"Hello?"

Only when she called out to me did I realise I had been crying. She heard it through the curtain. I fell quiet and held very still for a moment.

"Is someone there?" Before I could try to come up with a plan to creep out of the room, her hand was swooshing the curtain aside. "Wha…?"

"U-um…"

"Niijima-san?!"

"Hello, Kawakami-sensei," I attempted with a small smile as I sat up a little straighter, trying for a polite smile. It probably looked fake.

"What are you doing here? Wait…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "There's nobody else staying in my room. So you can't be… visiting…"

My heart hurt so much when I saw the outrage and anger taking over her expression. "I can explain-"

"I think you should leave. Now."

"Miss Kawakami, what's going on? Are those people giving you financial trouble? Mayb-"

"You have spied on me for long enough," she snapped, looking away. Her face was so drawn and pale, and the simple white shirt above the bedclothes only made it worse. "Seriously, if the potato wants me gone that bad… oh, maybe I deserve it. But I'm too tired to deal with you right now."

My throat tightened, my pulse raced. And then I shut down, like always. Just like when being yelled at by another female authority figure in my life…

"I understand, Kawakami-sensei." My bow was stiff and formal as I rose to my feet, and I held it for a long few seconds. "My mistake, I didn't mean to upset you while you're recovering. I won't trouble you again. Please get well soon."

Her hand waved my formality away. "Don't be so starchy all the time. I'll see you in class. Just… please, stop this snooping around, alright? It's not healthy for either of us."

"Of course."

What a lie. But it was one I had to tell to her and to myself so I could make myself get out of that hospital room without bursting into tears.

                          To Be Continued…