#can you tell i used to want to be a playwright
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@mickeysgaymom OK SO WELCOME TO TODAYS INSTALLMENT OF ACHILLES THE PLAYWRIGHT. THE GANG FAKES A DEATH AGAIN!! this is long so under the cut it goes!!
one of the disappointments for me regarding s10&11 is that they totally dropped mickeys cartel storyline. like the only time its even alluded to is when mickeys being racist (toward the Mexican family living with the Gallaghers & him throwing a fucking tortilla on the ground to "make it look like Mexicans" robbed the bike shop...) but i cant imagine a drug cartel not even trying to track down someone that rolled on them. so yes i think it makes sense for mickey to fake his own death to lose some heat. obviously this would be similar to the frank plotline in s1e6&7. sorry if that sounds like ~recycling stories~ believe it or not different characters can experience the same things.
so anyway this would definitely need to be a lot more planned out and involving more people than s1. the cops would definitely need to be in on it. cue everyones fav corrupt cop: tony!!! yes i would 1000% bring tony back for this storyline. we need more than just rookie cop/bartender carl, and i imagine tony could be easily persuaded (bribed) to help out some old friends. i imagine hed gone up in rank since we last saw him in s6, which makes his cooperation even more important.
ok. phase 1: the plan. stage a murder scene somewhere mickey usually isnt at (it would be pretty odd if mickey got murdered in their apartment and then he showed back up a month later.) tony finds ian and breaks the news. im very sorry mr gallagher but i need you to come with me. theyve found a body in the Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve and we'd like you to come with us to identify the body. sorry ian but mickey knows youre a bad actor and didnt tell you ahead of him that his plan to get the cartel off his back included faking his death because the body cam footage wouldnt be believable at all!! bring ian and the rest of the immediate family to the precinct to meet a disguised mickey in the basement and get the dl on whats going on give statements
sorry for scaring you! i love you! no i couldnt have told you, mr play what cool, you wouldve blown the whole plan immediately! dont ask where i got the cadaver from! btw tell liam and carl i owe them big time
the story. some old friend of terrys heard the milkovich queer was moving back to the southside and wasnt too happy. him and his buddies grabbed mickey while he was walking to the L, drove him to a secluded area, and shot him with a pistol+silencer. liam an anonymous eyewitness called in the kidnapping this morning from a payphone. sandy's old fling a UIC criminology student was jogging in the reserve when she saw a shoe and what she believed to be fresh drag marks in the wet grass off the walking path. she followed it to find a gruesome scene. carl's old partner was one of the first on the scene and recognized him from the alibi. blah blah blah okay time to start phase 2.
phase 2: the funeral. this would be the most similar to s1, except with a cadaver instead of raw meat. the wake could be at the gallagher house like before (if they still own it) or they could p easily pay off a small funeral home to hold a little service. as silly funny goofy it would be to see mickey pretend to be dead like frank did, i imagine that if any cartel members did come, theyd want proof. it would be pretty suspicious if they went to cut off an ear and the body started gushing blood, so cadaver lookalike it is! makeup and maybe even prosthetics to make the body look believable. in my head, i imagine a scene of a couple cartel members coming to "pay their respects" only to find a closed casket wake. they try to "get one last look at our uhh old friend from jail" but the mourning family doesnt want to see mickeys injuries (they're scared shitless that mandy and debbies collective makeup skills arent believable enough) until a fight breaks out and the cartel guys knock over the casket. to their surprise, out rolls mickey milkovich with a hole in his head! awkward silence. debbies award winning acting skills save the day by leading the gallaghers and (very few) milkoviches in getting upset, crying and yelling at the men for "ruining a beautiful service to remember a beautiful man!!" the cartel guys awkwardly put "mickey" back in the casket and reset the scene, whispering in Spanish to each other, bickering about what the fuck they're gonna do now, before one of them decides to quickly cut off an ear, shoving it in his pocket, and closing the casket. they apologize and are forced out of the funeral home by a wave of screeching and kinda-shittily-fake-sobbing gallagher-milkoviches. the guys get their hands on crime scene photos and the body cam footage and decide yeah this bitch is dead. they have the body cremated and scattered in "mickeys favorite place" the lake for obvious reasons
phase 3: cleaning up the tracks. dont tell anyone who doesnt need to know. and DEFINITELY dont tell anyone who cant keep their mouths fucking shut. keep funeral VERY lowkey. if the wrong person hears about mickeys death and then sees him walking around totally alive later, things will get MESSY. no obituary in the paper, nothing posted on social media. take this shit to the GRAVE. NOBODY can know of this fake death plot.
as for the murder part of this? doesnt even go to trial. the idiot cops cant find the perps. just another example of negligent pigs unable to do their job. mickeys just gotta lay low and should probably finally get that last name changed. personally i love the idea of gallavich having a hyphenated last name but i think for the sake of mickeys safety, he should just drop the milkovich altogether.
ok thats pretty much it. end of episode. bye
#who wanna hire me for their show#can you tell i used to want to be a playwright#i wish i could take the scenes in my head and project them for you so you know exactly what im seeing#mickeysgaymom#shameless meta#gallavich meta#a.txt#gallavichmeta
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The Arcana Mini-HCs: Brainrot's Masterlist, Pt 3
When MC loves all animals
M6's child has the Devil for a patron
Dipping the M6
When MC chugs their drinks
MC with agoraphobia
When MC's familiar is a hive of bees
M6 when MC gets COVID
MC who pets all animals
Ice skating with M6
M6 with an expressive drunk MC
When M6 catch their kids sneaking out
MC asking for a fake breakup so they can enjoy sad songs
M6 with a pirate MC
Pre-plague friendships with M6
When MC has a cute sneeze
M6 getting a surprise water call from MC
Hearing MC sleep talk about them
M6 when their kid has body image issues
M6's teen gets a surprise tattoo
When MC is half-blind and has facial scars/paralysis
When MC comes home in a cast
MC showing M6 favoritism
Wrapping M6 in a weighted blanket when they're panicking
When MC has a twin who is their polar opposite
M6 when MC makes excuses about treats
M6 helping MC cut their hair
Brainrot and the M6
MC with "unusual" top surgery scars
When MC's heard something hurtful
Seeing MC belly laugh for the first time
M6 realizing how much they love MC
When MC's body insecurity makes them embarrassed
Stargazing
M6 accidentally feeding MC soap
When MC goes into the cold in a T shirt
M6 when MC makes lame jokes
M6 saying "they asked for no pickles" for MC
When MC is a blacksmith magician
MC squeaking when they fall out of bed
M6 find their child's diary
Playing with M6's hair
MC and M6 have surprise twins
MC bringing home random animals
Orpheus and Eurydice crossover
When MC tells a dirty joke
M6 when their kid has a fictional crush
M6's kid saying their first swear word
MC with a scar on their chest
Nonverbal "I love you"s
M6 when their kid's tamagotchi dies on their watch
Neko!MC
When MC gets sleepy-cute
MC cuddling M6 on their chest
When MC twitches as they fall asleep
M6 when their kid calls them the coolest
M6 when someone lies that they cheated
MC hiding an injury because they think they'll get lectured
M6 hearing MC say "tarot deck" in a Kiwi accent
M6 with a biology nerd
MC with arthritis
When MC bakes after dark
M6's dancing styles
M6 and their kid's birthday party
When M6's kid says they have raisins because they're a unicorn
MC falls down the stairs and pretend they're fine
MC falling asleep on M6's shoulder
When MC accidentally says "you're so beautiful" out loud
M6 when MC sleeps on the floor
MC is a Malfetto
With a detective MC
When MC keeps M6's picture in a locket
Sitting in M6's lap
Yearly Valentine's traditions
When Artist!MC gets frustrated and screams
M6 when a kid says they'll marry MC
MC using incorrect item names
MC wearing sfx makeup that makes them look hurt
Nicknames
M6 when their kid gets stood up
When M6 overhear rude comments about MC
When MC is really good at rhythm games
MC makes their own card deck
How many kids the M6 want
MC is a playwright
When MC is a psychology nerd
People-pleaser MC says "no"
When MC is struggling with LEGOs
M6's kid copying them swearing
M6 when their kid bids at an auction
MC gets temporary amnesia
When MC leaves M6 little love notes
M6's kid covering themself in temporary tattoos
When MC has a hard time reading out loud
M6 with a super smart MC
When MC is alone on Valentine's Day
M6 being lied to about MC cheating
M6 when their kid puts everything in their mouth
M6 in a haunted house
#ask arcana brainrot#the arcana#the arcana headcanons#the arcana hc#the arcana game#asra the arcana#julian the arcana#nadia the arcana#muriel the arcana#portia the arcana#lucio the arcana#asra alnazar#julian devorak#nadia satrinava#muriel of the kokhuri#portia devorak#lucio morgasson
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Rhysand x Playwright! Reader (Enemies to Lovers)
“You’ll regret it, darling…” The voice reverberated in her head, but Y/N batted it away. The last thing she needed was Rhysand’s phantom voice today haunting her. Especially today. Because today she’d be unveiling her newest creation to the High Lord of the Day Court, Helion, his court, and all of his people.
The Night Court weren’t necessary enemies with the Day Court, but Helion and his people certainly got a good laugh at her plays poking fun at the brooding High Lord. Best of all, if Helion liked her play, then she would get the Helion Award for Playwriting Excellence. Maybe then she could use that clout to write about whatever she wanted.
The Day Court had a rich culture, and history, and Y/N yearned to write plays about those. Unfortunately the only way in to the world she loved so much was to create works honoring Helion, and making sure he came across the best out of all the other High Lords.
Surely Rhysand’s threats at the ball meant nothing, she thought as she straightened the jacket of the actor playing him backstage, just for something to do. He just wanted to seem scary. Which was entirely the point of tonight’s play. To take the wind sails out of him. Once people laugh at something, they cease to fear it. She hoped it would work on her too. She’d paced the rooms of one of the Day Court’s many libraries in anticipation of this night. She’d be damned if Rhysand found a way to ruin it.
~
Thousands of miles away, Rhysand primped in his bedroom at his well-lived in townhouse in Velaris, the City of Starlight. A city that the rest of the Night Court, and the rest of Prythian in fact, including the part Y/N lived in, did not know existed.
Aside from a whole city, the rest of the world had no idea of the genuine friendship Rhysand had with his tight knit group of friends he called his Inner Circle. They weren’t afraid of him. Not in the slightest.
“Please let me come along,” Mor said with a grin, settling on Rhysand’s bed as he got ready for his not-so-welcome guest appearance at Y/N’s play.
“Mor,” Rhysand began, but then Cassian poked his head in too.
“An entire play devoted to making fun of you? Tell me again why I can’t come,” Cassian drawled, barely containing his laughter.
“I won’t look as intimidating if I come in with other people,” Rhysand said unconvincingly.
“It works for the people of Hewn City,” Mor protested, twisting her long blonde locks. “What about if we go in through the back, and Cassian pretends he’s in costume, or something?”
“People don’t usually go in costume to watch plays,” Rhysand replied, brushing invisible lint off his jacket.
“Rhys, have you been to a production of Rocky Horror in Velaris?” Mor asked, shocked.
“Oh, he’s a Rocky Horror virgin?” Cassian grinned. “As soon as you kidnap that girl, we should take both of you. Rocky Horror is the place to hook up.”
Rhysand tried to laugh off his best friends’ comments. “What makes you think I want to hook up with her?”
Morrigan gave Rhysand a knowing look. “Anyone else you would have killed. Well, in the Court of Nightmares anyway. Anywhere but here. What’s so special about this girl?”
Rhysand thought about it for a second. “We met at one of Helion’s balls, and when I threatened her with certain death to stop, she still didn’t back down.”
“Seems like theater is very important to her,” Mor noted. “That or pissing you off.”
“I like her already,” Cassian crowed. “Promise we get to meet her soon? We can give her some new material for her next plays? Azriel and Amren too once they get back from that mission.”
“No,” Rhysand insisted. “She can’t meet you guys right away. Especially not you and Azriel. She has to be scared of me and think she’s coming here to be punished.”
“Well, we can,” Cassian began, but Rhysand interrupted, “No,” firmly.
“Don’t be too hard on her,” pleaded Mor. “You should know what it’s like to love something so much you’d do stupid things for it.”
“I do,” Rhysand admitted. “You know, I still don’t have a mate yet.” Cassian clapped his back at this and chortled. Rhysand continued, “If she’s willing to make an enemy of me, the most powerful High Lord in Prythian, over this, then she can be just brave enough to be High Lady of the Night Court.”
~
Backstage at Helion’s Theater, Y/N joined hands with her actors. She did not tell them about the threat she got from Rhysand, or mount even more pressure on them by mentioning the award they might possibly get. That way, she decided, they would perform their best and not be nervous. She passed the energy to the male next to her that she got from the female on her other side. It was a beloved, time honored tradition that Y/N was eager to partake in.
Her heart was in her throat as the play started, but as it went on, she started to relax a little. The roof didn’t cave in from shaking mountains so close by. She didn’t get any jump scares backstage.
Then Act 3 came. Everyone was laughing at the actor in the Rhysand costume talk about feminism as if he’d only taken a freshman year womens’ studies course at the local university. It was to poke fun at how behind womens’ rights were in the Night Court compared to…at least the Day and Dawn Courts. Y/N was grateful that since Helion was queer himself, everyone in his court was made to feel comfortable to be their true selves publicly. Rhysand would probably have them hung up and shamed publicly. So he deserves this, she thought.
Suddenly a huge thunderclap sounded through the theater. Then came a swirling black cloud onstage. Oh fuck, Y/N thought. There was only one person who could make an entrance like that. The actors were frozen with fear. Hmmm, maybe in hindsight I should have told them that Rhysand threatened me, Y/N thought.
Rhysand didn’t say anything for a while, drinking in everyone’s fear. He’s probably loving this, Y/N thought, rolling his eyes.
“Helion,” he announced. “I’m surprised at you. If you wanted war, you could have just said so.”
Helion scoffed from the balcony. “Come on, Rhysand,” he shouted from the balcony. “Can’t you take a joke?” But there was a tremor in his voice.
“I let this go on for much longer than you deserve, Helion,” Rhysand said steely. “I demand retribution, if you really don’t want war.”
Helion sighed as if this was a big favor, probably to look good in front of all his people. “I suppose. What do you want?”
“The writer of this play,” Rhysand said simply. “Or everyone here will die.”
Oh shit, he was serious about that? Y/N thought frantically.
“Oh good,” he said as if reading her mind. “She’s here. Come on out darling. I won’t bite...here.”
I could run, she thought. I could make a run for it. But then he’d catch me since he could hear my thoughts.
“You’re right,” he chuckled, to the confusion of the audience. “Should I give you until the count of 3? I could kill three people as I do so.” He surveyed the audience of now frantic theatergoers. “Will that be funny enough for you?”
Fuck, she thought as she reluctantly stepped out onstage. She could see Helion with his head in his hands in the balcony, narrowly avoiding a political disaster. She guessed she would be the sacrificial lamb for that. And to think doing the plays for Helion was going to be a way to catapult me into a better life of creative expression and freedom and making change through art.
Now she would be sentenced to torture in the Night Court, all because Helion wasn’t brave enough to take on Rhysand. But she was. “So what?” she demanded. “You’re going to kill me? Go ahead. Then everyone will see how horrible you are and how right I was.”
She closed her eyes, bracing for impact. The she felt something horrible. Her mind being cleaved open and something creeping in.
~
You’re really not afraid of me, are you? Rhysand thought, and it echoed inside her head.
No! she shot back. But then she thought about the legendary Court of Nightmares and it took everything in her to keep from trembling. She couldn’t live like that forever.
So you are scared, Rhysand taunted, raising an eyebrow.
Please don’t take me there, Y/N relented. Just kill me now. Make an example of me, or whatever. Please just don’t let me-
But Rhysand merely said, “I warned you, darling.”
Y/N’s heart started beating faster and she started looking for a prop dagger, hoping if she stabbed it into herself hard enough, she could take herself out of this. It would look bad for both Helion and Rhysand. But Rhysand wrapped an arm around her, whispering “Oh no you don’t” and the black cloud that circled him before started circling both of them. When they were out of sight of everyone else, he whispered, “It won’t be that bad. There was no need for you to try that. Not that it would have done anything.”
“I hate you,” Y/N said, truly dreading her time at the Night Court with this monster. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt swirling winds.
“I know,” Rhysand replied as Y/N stopped feeling the whipping wind against her face and her nose was engulfed with, rather than burning flesh, notes of jasmine and freesia.
(1642 words.)
#enemies to lovers rhysand#rhysand#a court of thorns and roses#acotar#rhys acotar#rhysand headcanons#rhysand imagines#rhysand x reader#acotar fic#acotar fanfiction#acotar x reader#acotar imagine#acotar x you
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#RWRBMovie: deleted scenes
Matthew López:
The Cornetto scene. The breakfast scene at Kensington Palace. Everybody’s wondering what happened to the scene [at] the campfire. You know, in the course of making a movie and in the course of telling a story — runtime is less important in the streaming age than it is in theatrical distribution, but what was important to me is that the film be the right length. You cut things for pacing. You never want the audience to get ahead of you, you never want the audience to be bored.
You know, there was originally a whole scene where Alex comes to the polo match. He meets Princess Bea. Henry and Alex have a little exchange after Henry gets off the horse. They go to the tack room together. What we found as we were watching the film was that Nick and Taylor were so good together in the scene prior, in Alex's bedroom. And actually when we did a version of that scene in Alex's bedroom, we got a note from the studio, from producers, asking if we could try and make that scene shorter. “It’s good, but it’s long.” So we did our first test screening and I did a shortened version of that scene in Alex's bedroom. I was really hesitant to cut it back. But I wanted to be a good collaborator and prove that I can take a note and I'm willing to try things. We actually got more than a few comments back literally saying, “We wish that scene were longer.” So that, of course, was great for me. That scene in Alex's bedroom is the entire scripted scene. There's not a single cut from the script to the final cut. As a consequence, though, of that being a rather lengthy scene, I needed to then regain momentum. We've spent it all on this scene and it's worth it because that scene between the two of them is so dynamic and wonderful. But now we gotta get things going again.
So, I had a new editor come in halfway through because my first editor, Christina Heatherington, who's wonderful, had another project that she had committed to doing. And our post dates got extended a bit and she had to leave, so Nick, my new editor coming in, took a look and he says, “I wanna try something with that polo match.” He spent a weekend of his own time doing something, and then he was ready to show me. He sat me down and said, “I’ve done something crazy.” I’m like, “Great. We love crazy.” He showed me what was largely the version of the polo match that is in the film and with that music. I was laughing with glee the whole time I'm watching it. He was nervous, 'cause he is taking like six minutes of story and condensed it into two and a half minutes. But it has so much drive. It's sexy. It tells the story. It was a real lesson for me as a first time filmmaker: if you expand time, then you need to maybe also learn how to contract time. So that was a big lesson to me in pacing.
With the Cornetto scene — that scene in Kensington Palace Gardens, it does everything I needed it to do. Weirdly, the Cornetto scene actually relieved some of the tension between them. I was like, look, if you take the Cornetto scene out, then the tension from that first scene remains when they go into the interview scene. I learned a lot of it is about taking the energy from one scene and using it to help you get into the next scene. One of the things I learned as a playwright, which I found was applicable to cutting a movie, is if a scene isn't working, it might not be the scene itself. It might be the scene before. “Why isn’t the interview scene playing as well as we think it should?” Look at what came before: the Cornetto scene … The Cornetto scene is charming. But we also understood, narratively speaking, it was unnecessary. And more to the point, it sapped the tension out.
(source)
#rwrb movie#red white and royal blue#interviews#matthew lopez#pls prime we need these deleted scenes
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Hi, fam! Okay, so I'm going to be out at an appointment tomorrow morning, so I'm kicking this off a little bit early. It's technically Wednesday in several timezones and very nearly Wednesday in mine. I'm... also a bit eager to share this, ngl.
I know that I've shared a lot of angst lately, but I swear that's not all I'm doing. 😅 In fact, the actor/playwright AU decided to wallop me in the face out of nowhere after sitting in my WIP folder for months. I'm really excited about it, so I'm gonna share the first scene!
(Also, those of you who have been to New York with me will recognize my favorite brunch spot in this scene lmao.)
---
You probably didn't even know I was in the room, but I noticed you straight away. You were talking with your friends, happy and animated and fully alive—a person living in dimensions I couldn’t access—and so beautiful. Your hair was longer then. You were the center of attention, but you weren’t afraid. You had a yellow ipê-amarelo in your pocket. I thought, this is the most incredible thing I have ever seen; I'd better keep it a safe distance away from me. I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire.
INT. MOM'S KITCHEN & BAR - HELL'S KITCHEN - LATE MORNING
"I'm telling y'all," Alex is saying, punctuating with dangerously large bites of his pancake burrito. "The dude's a dick."
It's been two hours since the nightmare audition, but Alex has been on this tirade since June and Nora first slid into the retro diner chairs across from him (at least forty-five minutes ago).
They're at Mom's: a restaurant-bar in midtown that can only be described as millennial nostalgia incarnate. The trio fell in love with it two years back—post-karaoke, stumbling in right before closing—when Alex saw God in their Fruity Pebble pancakes. Since then, it's been his favorite place to eat his feelings.
Mom's is just really fucking comforting in general, honestly; whether it's the televisions cycling through episodes of 'Rugrats,' 'Dexter's Laboratory,' and 'Hey, Arnold!' or the rainbow straws and Lisa-Frank-looking menus, Alex can't be sure. It doesn't hurt that they've made friends with several of the waitstaff, including an eccentric bartender, Pez, whose pink hair and painted nails fit right in with the decor.
Today, it's the combination of breakfast sausage, bacon, eggs and cheese wrapped up in a syrup-soaked pancake that's really doing something for him. It could also be the margarita the size of his face, which Pez placed in front of him before making himself uncharacteristically scarce. But it's fine. He's probably just busy.
Alex won't admit it out loud, but what really helps is having June and Nora here to talk to… even though Nora is scrolling on her phone.
"I'm sorry," June says. She pokes an ice cube with her straw, and Alex watches as it bobs around her mimosa like a buoy. "That sounds like it sucked, but if he's really that rude… maybe you didn't want to work with him anyway."
Nora doesn't look up as she pops a home fry into her mouth.
"Several sources say he's difficult to work with," she adds, evidently reading about Henry on the internet. "Though, in his defense, his dad did just die, like, three years ago… and there was that whole thing when he came out after. Remember?"
Alex does remember. Henry's grandmother, Mary Mountchristen, runs a pretty major company that used to own half the theatres on the West End. When Henry came out last year, she tried blacklisting his shows from her properties to punish him—which totally backfired when it got around. At least a dozen other queer writers and producers started talking about how they were also denied the space, and Mary was stoned on the streets of the theatre district. Like, metaphorically.
Alex, Nora, and June had just moved to New York, but between June's position at Newsday and both Alex and Nora on the audition circuit, it was all anyone in their new circles could talk about. They were some of the first to know when the Mountchristens were bought out of their properties and Henry moved to the States.
This show is the first of Henry's being produced here—and it's autobiographical, which Alex has to admit is pretty fucking baller. So, yeah, Nora's not wrong. He has reason to be standoffish. Still, it doesn't explain why Alex was only halfway through his audition monologue when Henry abruptly stood up and exited stage left as if pursued by a bear.
He shoves another forkful into his mouth. "It's just, like, they're the only people who let me into the room," he says, barely finishing chewing. "Nobody wants to take me seriously, and I really thought this was my shot, you know?"
June and Nora both know Alex is having a hard time landing serious roles after growing up on a sitcom—Nora more than most, as his former co-star. What they don't know is that losing this role, specifically, feels like a kick to the stomach. From the moment Alex saw the script, he wanted to be a part of it. He can't even explain why, and now he'll never figure it out. Henry wouldn't give him a chance.
"It wasn't your only shot, and you know it." Nora fixes him with a look. "Seriously, I get it—I do—but it's just one play, buddy."
June nods. "Something will happen for you, baby brother."
At that, Alex finally groans. "Okay, calling me baby brother doesn't help me feel better about the entertainment industry infantili—"
"—itty bitty, teeny weeny—"
Alex throws a home fry at her face.
It bounces off her forehead and into the giant gauntlet holding her mimosa with a very unappetizing splash. Just as Alex throws his hands into the air with a victorious whoop, his phone buzzes on the table.
A glance is all it takes for him to see that it's his agent, Zahra.
"Damn," he says, deflating. There goes that upswing. "You answer it."
June balks. "Me?"
"I don't need to hear how fucking badly it went. Trust me, I got the message." Alex blinks innocently, like he's six years old again, asking her to lie to their mom about that broken vase. "Please, Bug? Besides, Zahra actually likes you."
"Everyone likes me." June rolls her eyes, but she caves—answering the phone with a haughty, "Alex Claremont-Diaz's office," before breaking into a smile. "Yeah, Z. It's me… No, Alex is feeling a little sensitive today."
(He throws another home fry at her. This one misses.)
To her credit, June's face remains totally blank as Zahra no doubt tells her how Alex insulted Henry Fox's name and all of his inbred ancestors just by showing up, or whatever—which is extremely annoying and unhelpful—but, once she says goodbye and sets the phone back down on the table, her face breaks out into a grin.
"Guess you didn't suck too bad," she says. "They want you for the part."
He doesn't know if it's Nora throwing herself at him or the shock that knocks him onto the floor.
Tagging some lovelies. If you haven't been tagged and you want to be, consider this your tag!
@anchoredarchangel, @barbiediaz, @cha-melodius, @cricketnationrise, @guillermosfamiliar, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @hippolotamus, @inexplicablymine, @jettestar, @junebugclaremontdiaz, @kiwiana-writes, @lizzie-bennetdarcy, @missgeevious, @mulderscully, @myheartalivewrites, @ninzied, @nontoxic-writes, @notspecialbabe, @priincebutt, @rmd-writes, @rosedavid, @three-drink-amy, @treluna4, @vanillahigh00, @welcometololaland, @orchidscript, @ships-to-sail, @stereopticons
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*SPOILERS*
Aaron Schimberg kept it brief in his introduction before A Different Man had its world premiere January 21 at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival: “This is the one time I have to be able to show a film without anybody knowing anything about it.” A hush fell over the Eccles audience as the writer-director said that. It’s true. There’s before you see A Different Man, and then there’s after. The before is full of anticipation for the complex drama starring Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson, and Renate Reinsve. The after is a rush of heart-clenching realizations about your own sense of self-worth, the true values of society, and questions about the ownership of your identity and story — even if you aren’t sure you want to own it yourself.
Edward (Stan) is an actor...
with a facial disfigurement who sticks to himself, doesn’t fix the leak in the ceiling of his apartment, and books parts in training videos for companies to learn how to treat people with disabilities just like everyone else. When his doctor tells him of a new experimental procedure that can “cure” his appearance, he decides to try it so he can be treated normally, like the people in the horrific training videos he shoots.
As Edward’s facial growths start to peel off — in a scene one can only describe as a moving Francis Bacon painting — instead of feeling relief, he still feels the need to hide who he is from everyone. That includes his playwright neighbor Ingrid (Reinsve), who has thrust herself into Edward’s orbit without fully letting him into hers.
His solution? To fake his own death and reemerge as a new “normal” guy hastily named Guy. This shedding of his skin seems to be working — he gets a new job as the most shiny of real estate agents and has a new, fancy loft apartment — until he sees that Ingrid has followed through on her goal to write a play with a part for him. Unfortunately, the play is about him, her dead neighbor, and their relationship through her eyes.
This is where A Different Man starts to fold in on itself in a brilliant meta statement about representation and authorization within the entertainment industry.
“[The film] is playing with various disability tropes,” explains Schimberg during the post-premiere discussion. “Like the sad disfigured man in his apartment, and playing around with those elements.” Since Edward’s story starts with that trope, it leaves the viewer uncomfortable and upset when we see Ingrid using these same tired storylines. It proves that she never really knew Edward, but had no problem using his disfigurement to push through a play about her being a “good person.”
But, wait, weren’t we introduced to Edward in the same fashion? The film doubles down on this complication by having Edward-presenting-as-Guy beg his neighbor to let him play her version of himself within her off-Broadway show. Even with the face of an actual Hollywood movie star, Edward is bending his life around the preconceived notions of others. His desire to be both the before and after Edward is complicated further when Oswald (Pearson), an effervescent and charming man with similar facial disfigurements as the original Edward, enters the theater during rehearsal and proceeds to take his role and his relationship with Ingrid away.
On the subject of casting this complicated weave of an identity story, Schimberg recalls how thorny that was even within his own singular vision: “I thought you’re caught in a bind because some people said that casting Adam was exploitative, and then on the other hand casting a Hollywood star and putting him in prosthetics is also the opposite of what we think of as representation, even though it’s still very commonly used. So I was caught in a bind and I just thought: I’m going to do a movie that does both. I’m going to have a Hollywood actor in prosthetics, I’m going to have Adam be Adam and see what comes of it and build some kind of path forward.”
That path forward is a masterful film filled with tension. But while it might seem like the struggle is going to be between Edward and Oswald, A Different Man’s only true tension is within Edward himself. Stan excels as he wrestles with embarrassment and longing for his former face. Every time someone comments on Oswald’s appearance to Edward while he’s passing as Guy, you can feel the hot anger within him because they assume he agrees with their vile opinions. “Suppression is a really bad thing,” Stan says, passionate about his character and this creative journey. “That was my take on [why Edward hid his true identity]. But I think, sometimes, when you spend so much time denying yourself you don’t have the courage in those moments to speak up.”
“That was kind of the hook we gave to Sebastian,” Pearson continues. “Yeah you don’t know what it’s like to have a disfigurement, but you do know what it’s like to not have privacy and to have your life constantly invaded, for better or worse.” Stan nods his head emphatically, “Public property, right?”Pearson nods back at him down the line. “Yeah, those are the kind of chats we had to get it right.” He pauses and chuckles.
“I’m glad it wasn’t a physical battle because I would have lost that one.”
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Zawe Ashton Covers AMAZING Magazine | Issue 4
Actor, author, playwright and new mum Zawe Ashton adds another string to her bow: supervillain. As she joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she tells AMAZING about her love of poetry, getting physical on the set of The Marvels and the unwavering support of her own parents.
Zawe Ashton is no stranger to playing the antagonist. From her very first film role as rude schoolgirl Bianca in 2009’s St Trinian's 2: The Legend Of Fritton's Gold, to playing the intimidatingly cool Violet “Vod” Nordstrom in four seasons of student sitcom Fresh Meat and – more recently - as the rejected Julia Thistlewaite in 2022 period drama, Mr. Malcolm’s List, Ashton has a knack for taking on characters who appear unlikeable on paper… and making audiences fall in love with them. However, for her latest role as Dar-Benn in The Marvels, she had to go full villain.
“Very little can prepare you to have to embody an antagonist at this level, in a Universe that is literally not known to anyone – like our Space - and to make it real and impactful,” says the London-born actor, a new recruit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “There's something deeply humbling about having to return to the sandbox; you have to go back to the playground and that was something I was not expecting. You have to indulge in adult play and it’s surprisingly vulnerable. I know that there are gamers out there, there are cosplayers out there, there are adults who have managed to keep that level of childlike play going and I respect it so much. There's a self-consciousness that can take over if you are not careful. Trying to react realistically to a laser coming towards you is not something I’d done since I was seven years old, and I had to get to that level of childlike confidence to just delve into the imagination. Once that was all clearer, the villainous elements came so much from the physical world, with costume and hair.”
For 39-year-old Ashton, adult play will likely become a more frequent fixture in her life, thanks to her most exciting new role – as a mother. She welcomed her first child in 2022 with fiancé Tom Hiddleston, her co-star in the 2019 revival of Harold Pinter's Betrayal on London’s West End, later transferred to Broadway. “What has genuinely surprised me about motherhood is how much I don't feel ready to talk about it,” she laughs. “And this isn’t to shut down the conversation. I have gained so much insight from public people who have this incredible candour and this disarming, relatable dialogue about it very early on, but it's something that I am just dedicating time to absorbing. I’m listening rather than expelling energy. That genuinely has surprised me, because it's something you want to shout from the rooftops about; it's the most unparalleled, most important role in my life. The surprise has been how quiet I want to be about it. Maybe that's also me as a writer and this is something that will come through the pen at some point.”
Ashton attended London’s Anna Scher Theatre School from the age of six and was a member of the National Youth Theatre, before getting her degree in acting at Manchester Metropolitan University, but writing has always been significant in her life. She won the London Poetry Slam Championship in 2000, becoming the event’s youngest winner, at 17. “I may have been knocked off that pillar long ago, but in my head I'm still the youngest,” she laughs. “I love poetry. I had not written for a really long time; during the pandemic I lost a huge chunk of my creative soul when it came to putting pen to paper, which was really scary and was clearly the fallout of being in survival mode and feeling quite fearful. People's attention spans just went all sorts of different ways, didn't they? It was very hard for me to read, and it was very hard for me to write, which is very strange for me.
“More recently, a friend of mine from drama school who I used to do open mic nights with in Manchester – I used to perform poetry and she used to sing - asked me to write a poem for her wedding. I had a few moments where it was really tough, but I did it. I love her and I'm so happy for her, and being inspired enough to get a poem out and read it aloud really opened the floodgates. So, weirdly enough, I've been writing a lot of poetry recently and found a new love for it. I will always continue to use poetry as a way to understand the world. It's just so much part of who I am.”
For Zawe's full interview and shoot, order your copy of AMAZING issue 4 now. The Marvels is out now.
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SYNOPSIS: Lyney never feared the sight of the tank, but his "Father" changed that for him. (gen. neutral reader) [ IDENTITYV AU ]
CW/s: Drowning (or almost drowning), ooc Lyney? (he's shaken up oops), depiction of Knave! Lyney/Harbinger! Lyney, near death scenario, reader gets hurt in helping survivor! Lyney (part 2 of 3)
The familiar thumping of one's heart was something Lyney is quite used to. To him, as a magician, he would only have those when performing tricks that are impossible— only for them to work as the audience began to shower him with praise.
As an illusionist, he knew well that miracles are akin to magic tricks. That is what he was raised to believe, but outside of his job, there are things far more cruel than he may say.
So when he felt himself getting dunked into the tank his sister used in one of their shows, he felt the air leave him as he was put inside.
He banged on the glass as he saw his Father? leave, the illusion fading into a sight he can discern. He thought it was her?, but the familiar coat and attire betrayed his expectation.
It was… Himself?
… As the Knave.
He felt his eyes widened. Was this suppose to be him?
If Father gets replaced or dies, will he become like this?
The hunter turned his head to see the stunned illusionist, water pouring down to fill up the tank. And for a sheer glance alone, he could see him mouth the following words that shocked his core.
And then, he left.
His siblings are far from where he was chaired. And Heaven forbid will he let them rescue him like this.
The water is filling up to his knees.
Was this the end? He couldn't tell anymore.
After all, he knew he can turn the fates in his favor. He knew that, he was a magician! And by God will he just stop because he's stuck in a water tank!
As he felt his legs grow damp, he began to do anything in his power to get out. He tried to push the lid, perhaps use his own tricks to disappear from the tank.
He wanted to get out of this blasted tank. He was growing desperate.
At times like these, he wished he had his vision on his person.
But alas, no such luck.
His efforts rendered futile, and his desperation gnawed at him alive.
...
It's rising to his waist.
...
He wanted to crumble.
He couldn't hear the faint calling of a familiar voice— and a yelp from the hit by the grim-malkin cat. The one he had from his tricks.
He can vaguely recall how some of his tricks failed. How he and Lynette endured to get a sliver of fame, to even get a chance to perform.
This was one of those times.
He knew this moment awfully well. And the familiar despair began to get to his head.
...
It's rising to his chest.
...
Was this it? Is this the end of the road?
It can't be. I can't die here. I can't.
I can't stop here— why can't I do something? Why is there no exits here?
I can't simply drown in this tank and disappear. I don't want to disappear!
No, no, no—
Please, I need to see my sister again. I need to see my siblings again.
I refuse to sit here, and yet...
... I don't know what to do.
Can I even escape from this glass prison?
Can I escape the same prison I've been destined to be trapped in?
...
Then, it rises to his neck.
…
...
…
The seal of the tank opens.
Two hands grabs him, and with one full swoop, the playwright pulls the illusionist out as a way to rescue him.
Lyney was stunned when he felt the water leave him, and albeit he is dripping, he could smell the scent of parchment and ashes.
(Name).
"Are you okay, Lyney?" he heard them asked, watching as the tank closes but the water level remains the same. "Here," they added, handing him a syringe that they retrieved from the chests.
Am I okay?
"Come on, let's go—"
They yelped and went down as the hunter— himself— loomed over them, sighing.
"Oh, my dear poupée, you should've learned not to turn your back on a hunter!" his hunter identity said, but the playwright turned to wince and glare at him.
"Hah— and you should learn not to be so cocky."
Then, the sirens blared. And detention got ahold of the Knave.
With adrenaline, they shoved the now coherent illusionist.
"Run!" you yelled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him with them out of the big tent. "Detention will last in 2 minutes— and we'll both die if we get caught by him!"
And as soon as the two of you fled, the survivors could hear the ever familiar yet chilling laugh as the Knave is in pursuit of his showstopper.
No man will be left alive.
Not on his watch.
@.enxgmx-wrxtxr | do not republish, repost, or copy my works anywhere | 2023
#☁️ | drafted anecdotes#genshin impact#genshin#genshin impact lyney#genshin lyney#lyney#genshin impact x reader#genshin impact au#genshin angst#lyney angst#genshin x reader#genshin impact lyney x reader#lyney x reader#genshin lyney x reader#astronetwrk
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alright so can i ask another part on my old request which was genius reader x Nikola and the scientist/male reader who is basically William James Sidis.
so like what if male reader never turn his back on science and knowledge and just did it in secret without Nikola and the other scientist knowing
(this was after they knew male reader was smart if not more smarter then them:
it happened when one of them said "if only there where other geniuses we knew…that can help us with this"
because they're having trouble with both a invention and mathematical problem and male reader heard this and said "more geniuses? i know people that might help!"the other scientist looked at male reader confused, because they thought, they where the only geniuses he knew,
so male reader led them to his laboratory/research area which they never knew and when they asked him why he didn't tell them about this, male reader hit them with the classic "because you didn't ask!"
the door looked like a big clock which made the other scientists confused on how they didn't see this! so when the hand hit 12 the clock door opened
the inside was a large steampunk looking laboratory with thousands of books reaching the ceilings making it look like a library, paper scattered the floor, inventions left and right
and having two floors! and having rooms like a chemistry room, craft room basically everything you need! basically a genius paradise!
as well as having a very large chalkboard ware Gottfried Leibniz and Goethe,Johann Wolfgang von was writing theories
on the side was leonardo da vinci painting a large mural on the side of the wall and Marilyn vos Savant was on the second floor and was talking with Ada Lovelace and Hypatia, Ettore Majorana was sitting down on one of the chairs reading a book and writing theories talking with charles darwin
and Mozart was playing the piano on a little stage to the side filling the room with a beautiful Melody
as well as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson AND Andres Bonifacio as well as Jose Rizal himself taking to each other about they're respective revolution's and politics,
here's the list of everyone there!
the list:
1.) leonardo da vinci
iq:180-220
title:greatest inventor and painter of his time
2.) Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
iq:210-225
title:A German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and crit
3.) Marilyn vos Savant
iq:180-228
title:the smartest woman to have ever lived
4.) Gottfried Leibniz
iq:182-205
title:Russian Privy Councillor from Peter I as well as Privy Councillor at the Imperial Court in Vienna.
5.) Ettore Majorana
iq:183-200
title:the scientist who disappeared without a trace/the one who possibly discovered neutrons
6.) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
iq:150-155
title: the greatest and most well known composer in history
7.) Alexander Hamilton
iq:120-160
title:secretary of the treasury and one of the founding fathers
8.) Benjamin Franklin
iq:130-160
title:the father/discoverer of lightning and one of the founding fathers
9.) jose Rizal
iq:150-160
title:Father of Filipino Nationalism/the one who started the Philippines revolution
10.) andres bonifacio
iq:100-140??(not sure)
title:the Father of the Philippine Revolution/The Great Plebeian, Supremo of the Katipunan
11.) Thomas Jefferson
iq:160-175
title:one of American Founding Father/the principal author of the Declaration of Independence
12.) charles darwin
iq:150-165
title:the father of evolution /the one who put light on human evolution
13.) Hypatia
iq:170–210
title:the greatest Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician of her time
14.) Ada Lovelace!
iq:170-200
title:mother of computer/the one who revolutionized computer programmer
(you can search their names if you want to know more)
and turns out all of those geniuses and male reader are literally the bestest of friends! like all of them yelling theories and opinions left and right and basically teaching and helping each other so that they can understand there respective fields/talents.
and turns out reader and the 14 geniuses would often hang out in reader's laboratory/research area, almost everyday because of how frequently they use his lab/area.
and so how would the other scientist and Nikola react to seeing male reader being the best of friends with the most important and greatest minds in history and how would they would they feel about it?
-It had been a few weeks since you showed off your intelligence, fixing a problem that your friends, Nikola, Marie, Isaac, and Thomas had been tearing their hair out over.
-It was a slow process for you to open up, helping them out with more of their problems and questions, as past trauma made it a little scary for you.
-However, once you started, you remembered how fun it was for you, working with complex problems, asking all sorts of questions, and discovering new breakthroughs.
-Nikola patted you on your back, looking proud as he looked over the newest equation you had been working on with Isaac, “This is amazing Y/N!”
-You gave him a warm smile and Marie, who was nearby, finishing her own research, “How did you not go crazy while not doing this stuff? I get antsy after just a few hours if I don’t work on something.”
-You just grinned, offering them a break and you led them down a long hallway, “There were other things to keep my mind busy- not just science and questions. And I had some help with it.”
-They came to a stop in front of a large metal door, covered with intricate clockwork mechanisms and you knocked before opening the door and their eyes went wide.
-Before them were so many more geniuses, not just scientists, but geniuses in their own fields, like Mozart, who was playing on the piano, greeting you as you walked in as he paused, writing a few more notes on his sheet music.
-You passed by Charles Darwin, greeting him who paused to greet you, as did Ettore Majorana, before returning to their conversation.
-You stopped at a large wall, seeing Leonardo Da Vinci painting a massive but stunningly beautiful mural, “Looks good Leo- you’ve been working hard!”
-Leonardo looked down, seeing you and the new guests, “Ahh hello my friends! I’m glad you like it- it will be even better once I’ve finished everything!”
-Thomas was in awe, seeing more of histories’ geniuses, just relaxing and working around the room, like Gottfried Leibniz, Goethe, Marilyn Vos Savant, Ada Lovelace, and Hypatia to name a few, and soon you were by yourself, speaking with Leonardo, as your friends had rushed to talk with the others in the room.
-You couldn’t help but grin, shaking your head like you were exasperated, seeing everyone quickly getting hyper- all of them enjoying having new faces and fresh minds to have discussions with.
-Your friends were quick to discover that while you weren’t working on science, or at least the science they were used to- you kept your mind sharp with your fellow brilliant minds.
-You sank into a nearby chair, leaning your cheek on your fist, a smile on your face- things were going to be loud for a while- but you didn’t mind, seeing the others all so happy as well.
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This isn’t a question as much as it is an agreement with your last ask (talking about how romance is both looked for and expected from IFs). I’m personally pansexual and love a good harem, but it is growing more and more evident that that is what readers/players are expecting from our stories/games. Maybe it’s a maturity issue with the fans begging for more romance options and the anger when a plot point doesn’t play out the way they want; but you also see that with grown adults in other fandoms—namely Star Wars or A Song of Ice and Fire.
I enjoy writing romance and I do write it, but that is not the only thing my stories are about. It gives me anxiety when my readers expect more than what I’ve promised. And I always gaslight myself into thinking that I should be giving them what exactly they want instead of writing for myself.
I suppose I do have a question: how do you maintain fan expectations in your IF and stay true to your vision with/without worrying about their opinions? <3
Unfortunately, there is no way to stop your audience from having expectations that don't match up with the story you want to tell or where you want to take your characters. This is a normal part of writing fiction--everyone is going to have an opinion, everyone is going to want different things, and some people are going to be disappointed when you don't follow through with the thing they imagined in their head.
And, as an author, it can be a lot to handle.
Managing feedback--whether it's criticism, wildly off the charts expectations and assumptions, hate messages, or actual constructive critique--is a skill. It takes time to learn how to manage it without feeling like you're attacked and need to go on the defensive. It can also be really hard not to sit with all of this feedback and want to change your whole story to fit your audience's demands.
There's no easy way to get used to this. I think a good starting place is to have a dedicated beta group--either your playtesters, an editor, a few trusted friends with whom you share in-development things--so you can get genuine feedback before you put it into the public eye. It's really easy for writers to isolate themselves because it's a one-person job, but you need to have people with whom you can safely share the unpublished stages. Once something gets published, it's a free-for-all and you can't control how people react to your work, positive or negative. You cannot rely on that for the kind of feedback you would get from a beta group.
Furthermore, you are not writing for one person, regardless of how many times they ask (if they want something personalized, they can commission you). A lesson that was stressed to me in grad school is how fragile a playwright's new work can be when it is in the workshop/staged reading stage. People are giving you their opinion constantly. You make changes, you make edits, you come back one day with a whole new draft of Act 2 and the actors have to adjust. It's really easy to want to make changes to the characters so they better suit the actors originating them. Sometimes actors make demands because they had an idea about the character they are playing and they were really excited about it and they come to you with questions. The fate of a play is that it will be performed multiple times by many actors, not just the first one.
My supervisor told me: "Don't write the role for the actor--their job is to play the character you wrote, not the other way around."
And I think this can be applied to IF. Be clear about the direction of your game from the beginning. If players want something that isn't part of your vision, it's OK for them to voice that--but they may also have to accept that this isn't the type of game for what they want.
At the end of the day, you need to let your audience have their opinions on your work. That doesn't mean you're obligated to listen to them.
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I just stumbled onto your page and I love reading your insights and analysis of Young Royals. I’d like to hear your take on this if you don’t mind ofc.
When Simon tried to tell Marcus that he was not ready for a relationship, Marcus ignored him and said that they could take things slow with no stress and that he can wait. And when you wait for someone, there are two outcomes, either they’ll get together or they won’t. And in this situation where Simon said that he’ll never be ready, it was obviously not going to happen. They never had a mutual discussion about them being exclusive (boyfriends) and Simon made no promises to Marcus. So what was Marcus expecting?
My question is why was Marcus pissed at Simon in the end? Marcus was the one who said that he could wait for someone who would never be ready. Ig the only thing that Marcus can be angry about is Simon using him at the ball. But he barely talked about it and instead insults Simon with assumptions about who Simon is even though Marcus knows nothing about him.
Thanks anon! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my analysis!
So I’ve already written a bit about the breakup scene. I think Marcus is exhibiting some subtle classism and racism in his reaction to the breakup, and I also think Marcus is operating on a very heteronormative relationship timeline which impacts how annoyed he gets with Simon.
But I thought your question might be a good excuse to talk about character and scene writing in a more technical way, since people still have questions about Marcus’s motivations. I am a playwright and I like thinking and talking about this stuff a lot.
So, when we design a character in playwriting and screenwriting, we always think about their goals. These are big desires that help motivate a character over the course of the whole script. (Or in this case, season of television). But in any specific scene, a character isn’t usually thinking about their big, defining goal. They’re dealing with the small piece of that desire that is right in front of them. Usually they’re interacting with another character, and they want something from that other character that is going to get them closer to their big goal. That little want is their objective, and the way they go about getting it drives the scene. A character usually doesn’t try just one method for reaching their objective; they’ll try different techniques, rephrase their words, etc. All of those methods are called actions.
(By the way, when people say that scripts require conflict to work, this is what they mean. Characters always have objectives and want something from each other. It doesn’t mean they have to be fighting; their objective could be to make friends. But that exchange is necessary to make a scene work).
This is pretty abstract, so let’s do a silly example to make things clearer. Meet John, my made-up character. John’s overarching goal is to have a closer relationship with his dad, who is a chef. In the scene I’m writing, John wants his dad to try the brownies he just baked because he thinks they will impress his dad. That’s his objective. He might try different actions to get that to happen. First he might set up a fan so the delicious smell wafts over to his dad. He might eat one in front of his dad and remark upon how delicious they are. If neither of those things work, he might resort to begging his dad directly to just try one!
But what if John’s dad still refuses to try his brownies? He’s probably not going to keep trying. After a certain point, trying more and more actions against an unresponsive scene partner feels unrealistic. So John’s objective might change. He might say to his dad: “Mom will eat these and tell me how great they. She’s a better parent than you.” Boom. New objective: make Dad jealous. It still connects to John’s overarching goal. If Dad gets jealous of John’s connection with Mom, he might invest more in his own relationship with John. It’s not a smart or emotionally healthy or reasonable tactic! But you can see how someone who is upset might resort to it.
Scenes can be broken down into smaller units called beats. A new beat starts whenever a character switches to a new action (so using the fan, remarking upon the brownies, and begging would all be distinct beats). Switching to a new objective would also create a new beat. You can think of a beat as the smallest unit of dramatic writing.
(This is not to be confused with the stage direction “he takes a beat” which is sometimes just used interchangeably with “he pauses before speaking”. Confusing but true).
Thank you for hanging with me through that extremely goofy example I just made up. Now let’s use these concepts and see if they can help us understand Marcus as a character and the way that his relationship with Simon unfolds.
I would say that Marcus’s goal across season 2 of YR is to make Simon his boyfriend. Marcus is a pretty minor character, all things considered, so I don’t think his goal needs to be very complex. (If we were talking about Wilhelm or Simon’s goal in the season, it would probably be a lot harder to summarize so succinctly.)
We don’t know a ton about Marcus’s backstory, but we know a few things that might point to character motivation that would make this goal make sense. He’s an older kid, with his own apartment and car. He’s at the point in his life where he might really want a partner to fit in with this grownup conception of himself. And he likes Simon!
So how does he accomplish his goal? In early scenes his objective is to get Simon to like him. He offers to drive him to campus, he asks him to karaoke, he invites him over. Those are all pretty simple actions. And they are at least partially successful! Simon agrees to go out with him.
In that first awkward hookup scene, his and Simon’s objectives are in conflict. Simon is there to hookup and forget his problems. Marcus is there to make Simon his very serious, very committed boyfriend, which to him means no sex yet. So it makes sense that Simon makes a move and that Marcus shuts him down. Those conflicting actions are a good example of how conflict drives a scene forward.
Ok, now let’s look at the scene in 2.3 where Simon first tries to break up with Marcus. Now Marcus’ objective has changed a little bit. Instead of trying to create the relationship with Simon, he’s trying to prevent Simon from ending it. (Simon’s objective in this scene is to breakup with Marcus). There are a few different beats in this scene where Marcus tries different actions to get Simon to stay. First, he offers Simon time. He’ll wait until Simon is ready. When Simon says that he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be ready, then Marcus compares himself to Wilhelm. He tries to make himself seem a safer and better person than Wilhelm (“I won’t hurt you like he did”). When Simon acknowledges his goodness (“I think you’re like, perfect”) but that doesn’t change his mind, Marcus brings up Simon’s family. Marcus asserts that Simon must not recognize how lucky he is to be dating Marcus because Simon’s parents didn’t model a healthy relationship. Marcus ends up “winning” this scene; after those three beats Simon agrees to keep dating him.
Now we’re at the final breakup scene in 2.6. Things have really changed when this scene opens. Marcus already knows that he has failed at his goal. Simon hasn’t been talking to him, and he knows that he hooked up with Wilhelm in some capacity. So Marcus goes through a pretty dramatic shift here. Instead of trying to win over Simon, I think his main goal is now to try to preserve his own feelings. That’s pretty relatable if you’ve ever been broken up with. You’re just trying to get out of there with your heart as intact as possible. A great way to do this is to make it very clear that the breakup was not your fault. That way you don’t have to accept any blame or feel guilty. I would say that this is Marcus’s objective in this scene: make it very clear that the breakup is Simon’s fault, not his. The first action that he tries to accomplish this is to blame Wilhelm. Marcus is a great guy, but how was he supposed to compete with a prince, especially when Simon is clearly just starstruck by Wilhelm’s status? (This is not true of Simon, I would say, but remember that we’re just in Marcus’s head trying to think of ways to deflect blame right now). Here's where the scene shifts in a really interesting way. Instead of just accepting this, Simon pushes back with a new action of his own. He directly points out the ways that Marcus is at fault for their breakup: Marcus didn’t listen to Simon when he said he didn’t want a serious relationship. That’s a new beat in the scene, and I can almost physically see Simon lob the blame back over the fence onto Marcus (good for him tbh). So now Marcus is on the back foot. He’s about to totally fail to reach his objective in this scene. No more Mr. Nice Guy, time to play dirty. So he reaches for the most effective action he can think of, insulting Simon directly. More specifically, he accuses Simon of the thing that he himself is doing: deflecting blame. He even says to Simon “everything just happens, and it’s never your fault”. Simon plays the victim, he’s turned on by drama, so this breakup MUST be Simon’s fault. And then he tells Simon to get lost, effectively ending the scene on that final, very strong action. He makes sure he gets the last word.
I hope that helps explain why Marcus reacts so angrily, even if his anger doesn’t seem reasonable to an outside, neutral observer. Everything Marcus does is motivated by his larger goal. Every action he takes, even the ways in which he insults Simon, are tactics he uses to try to meet his objectives in each scene. If you’re living inside of Marcus’s head, all of those steps make perfect sense.
This is a good technique to use in general when you’re trying to understand and evaluate a dramatic text (Play, movie, tv show, etc). Does each character have a goal? Does each scene have distinct objectives for all of its characters? Do the actions they take align with those objectives? Asking these questions will help you understand characters but also help you evaluate the overall strength of the writing. Obviously I think Young Royals does a great job with this generally, and I had a good time breaking down Marcus into his component parts so to speak.
Thanks for the ask!
#young royals#ask box#my meta#marcus young royals#simon eriksson#writing breakdown#in which I wear my playwright hat for a bit
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'David Tennant bounds into the room, friendly, super articulate and energetic.
The actor and Doctor Who favourite, regularly voted the best Doctor by fans, is set to appear once again as the Time Lord in the forthcoming 60th anniversary specials.
The ongoing actors' strike prevents him from talking about those (Doctor Who is now a BBC/Disney co-production and US actors' union Sag-Aftra has been on strike since July).
But we're together, in a room full of books and leftover croissants - clearly actors need sustenance - to talk about Shakespeare, a playwright Tennant calls a "genius" who "had a particular sense of what it is to be a human" and expresses it "in a way no one else really does".
Tennant, who is an associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, is steeped in the Bard. One critic described his Hamlet, which aired on the BBC in 2009, as "theatrical history in the making".
He excelled as Romeo and Richard II and, when we met, had just finished his first day of rehearsals for an already sold out run of Macbeth at London's Donmar Warehouse.
He's no-nonsense about the superstition of only referring to this most atmospheric work as the "Scottish play". Tennant freely uses the word "Macbeth".
But he admits to terrible nerves ahead of the show - however successful you are, it never gets any better, he says.
Renowned actors have been in his shoes; famously Lord Olivier was Macbeth to Vivien Leigh's Lady Macbeth in 1955, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench had their turn in 1976 and Sir Antony Sher and Dame Harriet Walter in 1999.
For Tennant, Shakespearean roles are like "Olympic events for an actor".
"The idea that you're being invited to stand next to these greats and sort of challenge yourself, test yourself against them and see if you've got something new to bring to that… that's part of what's exciting about it."
West Lothian-born Tennant "always wanted to be an actor" (his childhood obsession with Doctor Who had a big part to play in that) and from the way people talked about the plays, "I knew there was something magical about Shakespeare."
But that didn't mean he was immediately hooked when introduced to Macbeth at school - although he's at pains to praise his teacher.
He says the plays were written to be performed and it's "a shame that the first experience of Shakespeare is sitting in a classroom, trying to mouth these words that don't sit in your mouth and don't necessarily make a lot of sense to you at the age of 14".
"That's why a lot of people fall out of love with Shakespeare before they've really had a chance to fall in love."
Tennant fell in love when TAG, a Glasgow theatre company, brought As You Like It to his school's assembly hall. "I didn't necessarily understand every word and some of it felt perhaps a little unnatural and foreign to me". But the teenage Tennant was transported "because it was live and it was happening".
Now his head is brimful of a play that opens with three witches plotting and takes us on a journey of murder and guilt. Tennant says Shakespeare's take is "incredibly modern".
"The way he expresses Macbeth's fear of never sleeping, the torture of being in the restless ecstasy of never being able to close your eyes."
Even for Tennant, though, Shakespeare needs decoding. He tells me, when he opens one of the plays, he "100%" puts the modern translation next to the old. He deciphers the language so theatre audiences don't have to.
"If we're doing our job halfway properly, you shouldn't have to worry about understanding every syllable. You will be transported by it."
There can, though, be layers of meaning that still surprise you 10 weeks into a run, he says. "Usually on a wet Wednesday afternoon matinee, you'll suddenly go 'oh, that's what that line means.'"
Macbeth is one of 18 Shakespeare plays that would have disappeared if, seven years after his death, the actors John Heminges and Henry Condell hadn't published their friend's greatest plays in the First Folio.
That book was the first time the plays had been put together.
Before then, only 18 had been printed, in small paperback editions known as quartos.
The First Folio was registered for publication on 8 November 1623.
There were 750 copies made. Without it, we could have lost all the unprinted plays, around half of Shakespeare's works, including not just Macbeth but Julius Caesar, The Tempest, As You Like It and Twelfth Night.
Four hundred years on, 235 original First Folios are known to survive - 150 are in the US, and about 50 in the UK and Ireland.
The BBC is running a huge amount of content to mark the 400th anniversary. The celebratory season will include the 2018 adaptation of King Lear starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Shakespeare Live! from the RSC, and a semi-fictionalised comic drama on Radio 4 about the creation of the First Folio.
Tennant says: "The reason that those plays are still performed around the world and the reason that Shakespeare is the cultural colossus that he is, is because that book was published."...
For Tennant, Shakespeare is "weirdly modern" because he captures how complicated it is to be human.
"He writes about the moment he was in, which seems to, by dint of his genius, also be the moment we are in."
Tennant is one of the UK's most exciting actors, known to wider audiences not just for Doctor Who and Broadchurch, but his film role as Barty Crouch Junior in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
But you get the sense that there's even more magic, for Tennant, in performing Shakespeare.
It's why he is celebrating the anniversary of the First Folio, that book that was the first step in creating a legacy for the greatest playwright in the English speaking world.'
#Shakespeare#David Tennant#Macbeth#Donmar Warehouse#Doctor Who#Broadchurch#Barty Crouch Jr.#Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire#60th Anniversary#Richard II#Romeo#Hamlet#RSC
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Comte’s Drama CD: Track One, Prologue
Since I got the Comte drama CD and there’s nobody around to stop me from inflicting that on everyone else, it’s time.
The premise of the entire recording is that MC and Comte spend a day together, so it’s basically Comte non-stop simping for nearly an hour. As you can imagine, I had an excellent time and I hope you will too.
I will say I did enjoy a few of the tracks more than others, only because he’s the most dramatic man alive and I love him. His head is empty and he’s the only one for me!!! More seriously though, there are also a lot of sweet moments that really speak to how vulnerable and real he is with her--and I’m always really drawn to that duality in him. Yes we all mask the true nature of who we are to a degree, but I think there is something to be said for the effort he makes to be honest with her; especially considering how deeply rooted that instinct to conceal is for him.
Without further ado, I will go through each track with little snippets of actual dialogue in the CD. Please note again, I am by no means a professional or a perfect translator; I’m just too obsessed to be stopped.
The rest is under the cut to avoid spoilers, also because it’s long meta/squealing fest:
So the first track is called “Prologue” and as you can imagine it is exactly as it sounds. There really isn’t a whole lot to this one, as he basically recaps all the things we learn in his main story route. I do want to comment mostly on the beginning and the end of it though, since it’s exceedingly cute and makes me want to kiss him.
His spoken lines at the beginning are as follows:
So this is where you were. Were you looking at the moon from the balcony?
…Indeed, it’s true. It’s hard not to be captivated by such a beautiful crescent moon.
Usually it would be time to go to bed, but it’s such a lovely moonlit night. Let’s stay up a little late tonight.
We could have a glass of wine, or play a game? What would you prefer?
...huh? You want me to tell you a story?
Like. There are so many moving parts here, I don’t even know where to begin. The fact that he’s always seeking her presence (this can easily be corroborated by dozens of event stories). The way that he’s also drawn to the moon, the little silence there speaks to his thoughtfulness and musings of his own that are unknown to us. What does it evoke for him? Is he, too, reminded of the night they first met (hoping MC is thinking of the same)? Can you tell the thought alone is killing me?
The fact that he wants to spend that time with her, lingering beside her and unwilling to part. The way he always gives her a choice, always wants to know what she wants too. The audible surprise when he’s like ????? Storytime? And mind you I don’t think it’s because he thinks it’s immature, rather that he wasn’t expecting it. In a life surrounded by people--both purebloods and humans alike--that are entertained by so little, it’s heart-warming to be with someone who looks for something deeper, something closer to the soul. That, in a way, she’s asking for the gifts of his mind and voice, two things entirely unique to him.
I weep.
He goes on to say:
(his laughter SOBS) That’s a very sweet request…not at all, of course I don’t mind.
I am neither a playwright, nor a novelist. I don’t know if I can tell a good story.
I hope I can fulfill my princess’ expectations.
…Hm, what should I talk about?
Well then…what about a man who lives forever?
So many things going on here, and no I will not remove my commentary because it’s essential to recreating the experience for the poor souls who will never hear the majesty of his seiyuu’s acting. Truly Horie-san exists to bring Comte to life and I hope he knows I owe him a blood debt.
ANYWHO so like. The way he’s delighted to indulge her (screaming and crying and throwing up why is he so cute??????). But not only that, the self-conscious bent of how he says “I don’t know if I can tell a good story.” I feel like it’s easy to forget that Comte is very much the type of person who prefers to blend into the background; he doesn’t seem to like or be in the habit of drawing a great deal of attention. He likes MC’s attention but I think that’s not really comparable, he’s very specific about who he shares himself with/seeks attention from.
Also I will say. I’ve never really been the type to like the term of endearment “princess” (he literally says hime in the CD) but. Because it is Comte and his adorable face that I want to squish between my hands, I will allow it. He’s a silly goose and he’s more than enough, I love him sm.
Following that he goes into his life up to that point, and because a lot of it is a bit repetitive I might leave bits and pieces out. I do want to highlight a few lines--mostly because they give insight into his character construction that might not have been as obvious in the main story.
A long time ago, so far away that even memories can grow dim…a man was born into a certain aristocratic family.
The family had a great secret. They weren’t human--they were pureblood vampires.
A person who was born with the promise of eternal life.
A person who had the capacity to pursue every pleasure in this world forever.
…But there are always two sides to everything.
…The endless life was, in other words, a prison made of time.
To have met and parted countless times with his loved ones,
The man’s chest ached with loneliness, overwrought by the emptiness.
He had no choice but to watch the world pass him by in endless hours.
I think there is. Something so haunted and fascinating in the words “But there are always two sides to everything.” Even more so because in his literal main story, he openly says “The brighter the light, the deeper the shadows”; always returning to this idea that all things in life are dual in nature. For all that you see one quality, the opposite exists as well. Interesting too because I feel like it explains a lot of his deep-seated anxieties about waiting for the other shoe to drop. Where love exists, loss exists as well. Where joy exists, so does pain. Where fulfillment is possible, so is emptiness. I think it makes a lot of sense that, when you live in an endless expanse of time, perhaps the scariest aspect of it is the constant fluctuation and change. Life is fun when things are going well, but what happens when the painful parts stretch so long? How do you cope?
Just things that keep me up at night yk.
I also think it’s fascinating the way he speaks about his immortality. In Leonardo, we see him address it as something that is monstrous and unnatural. He feels it is an abomination, something to be rectified or removed, almost. Comte doesn’t seem to share that view entirely. He says “He had no choice but to watch the world pass him by.” The removal of agency here is something that I want to highlight. Leonardo sees immortality and his identity as something that has to be reviled; there is a self-retaliatory nature to it in my view. Since he can’t fight against it, he fights against himself. Comte’s words speak more to dissociative terror; to force disconnection from your own body/mind because the pain of your entrapment or the threat to your life is so great. And tbh it’s brilliantly tied back to his lifestyle.
Comte uses the repercussions of his trauma two-fold. To seek out parties and novelties on one level expertly cloaks him in the mien of someone who is a devil-may-care product of overwhelmingly sustained privilege. But on another, I think it’s reasonable to argue that he seeks these things out with two other motives in mind; protection and grounding. He openly tells MC that his greater motive in attending parties is to seek out information to understand who to support on the world stage. This tells us that he does operate on a political level, if only to ensure the safety of his family--but I suspect it is also his way of moving the tides of fate around him in more benevolent directions. Furthermore, keeping himself engaged in something ensures that he is not left alone with his thoughts for too long and keeps him rooted in the present moment, something he also admits to struggling with. (And is a core feature of more extreme dissociation, the endless struggle to live in the present moment.)
I suppose I’m just incredibly interested in the way Leonardo regards himself with such self-hatred and revulsion, where Comte just seems so…removed. Not that Comte is empty of self-contempt, only that it does not feel quite as charged as Leonardo’s. I guess for me it more evokes the image of a child locking himself in a secret hideaway. Where Leonardo lashes out, Comte is the opposite; he retreats/hides. The only time he chooses to fight is when he’s protecting someone else (screams and cries, pls don’t get me started on his righteous fury I could go on for years, every time I remember Jeanne’s rt I’m 👌🏼 close to sobbing).
I also still don’t know how to reconcile the fact that his room is deadass filled with hourglasses (bruh), yet he says “…The endless life was, in other words, a prison made of time.” Like. Something something is his room considered the prison made of time ????? Because if that’s the case my god I’m throwing them all out. Then again it could be his attempt at controlling that which he fears, which I can respect considering I too delude myself into thinking I can control shit I can’t to face the impossibilities of the universe…
After that, Comte starts to explain the agreement he and Vlad made. Honestly it really is a summary for the most part, but there is a section I find worth discussing:
They wanted to create a person who would not die, and would continue to shine with their unique talents.
Without realizing how arrogant it was, they tried to find meaning in this life lived forever.
But…it didn’t go well.
Until there was a sizable rift between the old friends--and they parted ways.
They both loved humans, and worried about their future…they should have felt the same way.
…regardless, all that was left was a door that could cross time and space freely.
What I find interesting about all this is how Comte processes the conflict that transpired between them. Granted there is always the possibility that he’s not addressing everything he’s feeling (the man is REPRESSED) but there’s something that stands out to me when he says “they should have felt the same way.” I feel like when people have a fight with someone they tend to be pretty preoccupied that the other side was wrong; Vlad certainly is desperate to prove he was in the “right.” Comte doesn’t seem interested in that at all. He seems more confused, as if he simply doesn’t understand who Vlad is anymore. Like he doesn’t recognize the person who once cherished human life as much as he did (which I do have some contention with; I’m really not sure Vlad ever did love humanity the way Comte did. Perhaps Comte had believed it was so because he so deeply wished to have friend to comfort and understand him in his pain). I don’t think it’s that Vlad isn’t capable of caring about humans, more that--following the massacre of his clan at the very least--he has too great an interest in retaliation to be able to interact with them without power abuse happening.
I do say this fully understanding that Vlad probably saw some fked up shit, I’m just saying objectively the man sees humanity in an adversarial lens, an oppositional force. Comte tends to be more neutral/positive; he’s more interested in working to a common goal and identifies more closely with them psychologically speaking.
I also find it interesting he says their goal was “arrogant.” Recently I’ve been thinking about the complexities of arrogance. I think it can be easy to oversimplify it as shallow motives that are only focused on self-aggrandizement, but I think it can develop in even more complex situations--often with the best of intentions. I think Comte is trying to say that, while they wanted to preserve lives that were inspiring and uplifting to others, there is folly in the idea that only a few people can manage that.
People and life in general are multi-faceted things; so many influences and variables act upon them. It is more sustainable to be a single unit of immovable, radical mindfulness and extend that outwards. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people working together to achieve that goal, only that the responsibility for changing the world can’t fall on a handful of shoulders. It requires everyone to care and think more critically about their behavior, with the help of the people around them (ideally). There is arrogance in the belief that they had control over the fate of the world--an arrogance Vlad will not relinquish, one that continues to get him into trouble and lost him his oldest friend.
Aight and because that’s enough of my brainworms, this track ends with:
And the door brought another important encounter…that’s you. :>
Now, you know what I mean, don’t you? That’s right…that’s the story until you and I met each other in our destiny.
But that was only the beginning…now, we move forward together.
Our very sweet, and happy love story.
I just…………like I know I say it over and over again, but the way he just fills me to bursting with uwus. Another important encounter, a life-changing one for him…that a new story is being written, one that they get to write together. That “we move forward together” in a “very sweet, and happy love story.” It’s nearly like a fairy tale but somehow it doesn’t feel contrived or hokey when he says it, it just fills me with warmth. I think I just love that, for all his initial hesitations, he really doesn’t waver when he’s decided on something he wants. And if MC is willing to bet on him, he’s ready to up the ante.
All right well that about sums up track 1, next one to come is track 2! Enjoy these musings until then~
#ikevamp#ikemen vampire#ikevamp comte#ikevamp saint germain#ikevamp meta#ikevamp drama cd#fangdad propaganda#oh yeah and some leonardo meta if you squint#ikevamp leonardo#honestly i'd like to thank cybird for giving me a hundred more reasons to love comte#it's not like i necessarily needed more fuel but by god do i go feral#especially since he gets a bit more monopolizing as the event stories go on#MMMMMM BOY I DIE#god and kazuma horie..........#the way he is just so good at the 'hahahahaha court jester aristocrat' to 'baby girl/panty smashing ho'#the man sends me to the stratosphere i sincerely can't imagine comte with any other voice at this point#when he laughs im just 'i need a moment' **bawls my eyes out**#truly a man who understood his assignment#that being said stay tuned for the other six tracks#ya girl is off to take a nap#being comte's simp is a full time job and i am dedicated
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Show vs Tell
or "Tell me something, without telling me something"
You may have seen people talking about showing vs. telling and how this can strengthen your writing. Originally attributed to Russian playwright Anton Chekhov with the quote, "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass", the idea can cause a lot of confusion amongst writers. After all, isn't all writing telling?
A typical response to avoid 'telling' is to start 'showing' everything. Overly long descriptions of simple acts, such as opening a door, end up clogging up the page and slow pacing, and ultimately don't actually show much at all.
I've heard it said that one should typically 'tell' actions and 'show' emotions, but again I think this skirts around the real question, which is:
What do you actually want to tell the audience?
Trying to tackle "show vs tell" without first knowing what it is you want to tell, can leave you floundering in a sea of undirected clenched fists and smooth, cool doorhandles.
This is where TikTok comes in. And that's only half a joke!
You might have seen that TikTok trend, "tell me without telling me", which I think is a brilliant summary of what show vs. tell actually means; perhaps understandably, as the phrase was originally associated with visual media.
For those who haven't seen one of these videos, they tend to follow the format of someone talking to the camera, asking a tongue-in-cheek question such as: "tell me your boyfriend won't cheat on you without telling me your boyfriend won't cheat on you". It then cuts to someone else's clip of said boyfriend, excitedly describing his model figure collection or some other such thing.
What they tell us, in a light-hearted way is "I don't think my boyfriend would cheat on me because he's an adorable nerd, too involved in his own hobbies to be out searching for other partners behind my back", but what they show us is him being an adorable nerd. We are told through the showing, and this is exactly the same in writing.
Do you want to tell your audience that two characters have been best friends for years? Maybe you would show them having in-jokes and being visibly relaxed in each other's presence.
Do you want to tell us that your MC has a crippling fear of the dark? Maybe you'd show them being hesitant to go into that dark room where the lightbulb has blown even though all their friends are fine.
Do you want to demonstrate that your setting is the home of someone very wealthy? Perhaps you would then describe that beautifully carved, oaken door, polished to a bright shine with a golden handle. Or perhaps you would show us how their staff members act in their presence.
Whether it’s a relationship, an emotion, a setting, a skill-set; everything we show tells the audience something more. It's like a lens focusing in on an important detail, so we only want to use it for things that are really important for the audience to know.
In summary, focus on figuring out the key things you want to tell your audience first, then play the game — how can you say those things, without ever saying them at all?
Thanks for reading, and I’d love if you want to re-blog this with some of your own examples! I’m going to do one of my own.
Wren
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Casting Call: Season Five
Saffron and Peri: Season 5 Casting Call
Saffron and Peri is coming back with a fifth season and we need more voices!
If you’re interested in lending your voice to the fifth season of Saffron and Peri, we have a form for you to fill out, and a list of characters for you to get acquainted with.
Once your form is filled out, and an mp3 file of your audition is ready, please email us at SaffronAndPeri @ gmail.com (no spaces).
Please note that your audition has to be crisp and clear, and it is very much preferred if you have access to recording equipment.
The deadline to submit your audition is Friday, August 25th.
Feel free to leave me a message if you have any questions. Good luck!
Character List
The Seven Dwarves:
Sunny Day:
Gender: Any
Description: Dwarf, Copywriter at the Ad-a-Day Agency
Personality: A self-proclaimed poet. A bit dreamy and easily confused.
Lines:
I brought another poem.
This is dedicated to a true friend and honorary dwarf *Ahem*
Snow White, Snow Bright,
Still your star shines oh so Bright.
Minnie Day:
Gender: Female
Description: Dwarf, Receptionist at the Ad-a-Day Agency
Personality: Self-obsessed and dramatic. If you like, you can try a stereotypical valley girl accent
Lines:
Hey guuurrrll, Snow, you look so good for a dead person!
As you probably already noticed, the first thing upon entering is me, Minnie Day. The face of the company.
Tutu Day:
Gender: Female
Description: Dwarf, Fashion Consultant at the Ad-a-Day Agency
Personality: Condescending and snobby. Thinks she knows best. The type of person who calls everyone “dear” and never means it.
Lines:
Oh yes, your complexion is as blindingly pallid as the first time we saw you.
Seven League Boots are SO last season, dear. Perhaps you should pop those in the donation bin?
Wendy Day:
Gender: Female
Description: Dwarf, Graphic Designer at the Ad-a-Day Agency
Personality: Morose and very prone to crying. Some lines of dialogue will just be incomprehensible sobs.
Lines:
Sn-Snow, I want you to know.. *weeps*
*weeps like she’s trying to say something*
*weeps more desperately*
Arthur Day:
Gender: Male
Description: Dwarf, Accountant at the Ad-a-Day Agency
Personality: Polite, non-confrontational. A very practical dwarf who’s very good at math.
Lines:
Magic? No no, it’s not magic. Excellently crafted, yes, but not magic.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh - OOOF. *bumps into a wall here*
Farah Day:
Gender: Female
Description: Dwarf, Talent Scout at the Ad-a-Day Agency
Personality: Outgoing, a go getter, and never misses a chance to do business. Likes to encourage people to be as motivated as she is.
Lines:
Ignore Minnie! Hi, I’m Farah. Farah Day of Ad-a-Day Agency. Did anyone ever tell you that you have a gorgeous profile? And your friend here has the most beautifully manicured claws I ever saw! Did you two ever think of modeling? Our card.
Sadie Day:
Gender: Female
Description: Dwarf, Manager at the Ad-a-Day Agency
Personality: Full of eldest sibling energy. Organized and meticulous, but still makes the business feel like a cozy family affair. A little sarcastic.
Lines:
Welcome to the Ad-a-Day Agency! Founded by seven siblings - we apply our dwarven diligence and craftsmanship to create top notch, top trending advertising campaigns.
Other Characters:
Grock:
Gender: Male
Description: Rock Troll, Secretary/hired goon/transportation at the Detective Agency.
Personality: An intellectual snob who thinks very highly of his own “genius”. Constantly neglects his job to work on his plays. Abrupt and insulting, he does not take kindly to interruptions or criticism.
Lines:
Silence! The muse has called to me! I must write!
Interior: detective office. An under-appreciated and undiscovered playwright stares soulfully out the window. Enter: two hooligan youths. Youth 1: Hark noble faced Sirrah, word of your wordsmithing and crime solving has reached us in yonder far away lands
That, you myopic munchkin, is precisely the point!
Prince Bartholomew:
Gender: Male
Description: Prince and ex-husband of Snow White.
Personality: Has courtly manners and a gentle spirit.
Lines:
AAAAGGHHH. ULP (like he’s being choked. In this scene, he’s attacked and the attacker goes for the throat)
Forgive me if this is crass, but isn’t Snow White dead?
Thank you, your majesty, for allowing us to join you today.
Mrs Garden:
Gender: Female
Description: Human, Grieving mother. Middle aged
Personality: Usually quiet and soft-spoken
Lines:
I can’t imagine anyone heartless enough to do such a thing!
Now, now, let’s not be too hasty.
Mr. Garden:
Gender: Male
Description: Human, Grieving father. Middle aged.
Personality: More talkative and action-oriented. A good foil to his wife. Grief translates to anger for him.
Lines:
If I ever get my hands on whoever did this….
Donna:
Gender: Female
Description: Human, young college student.
Personality: Usually kind, but has a dark side that comes out when someone hurts her friends.
Lines:
*grief stricken* I tried! I tried! I tried everything under the sun! Nothing would work.
Have you ever heard of the “quiet ones” who suddenly go violent? That’s me.
Rhubarb:
Gender: Female
Description: Fairy
Personality: Dramatic as all fairies in this universe are. Hot-headed and jumps to conclusions frequently.
Lines:
Ahhhh! Thank you both so much for coming!!
Oh, I’m so glad that stereotype about how teenage girls love to solve mysteries is true!
Agghhh, okay, so I threaten to do creative and violent things sometimes! But what fairy doesn’t??
Guard:
Gender: Any
Description: Prison Guard.
Personality: Stiff and rule-abiding.
Lines:
you have fifteen minutes. No funny business.
Saffron and Peri Voice Actor Form
When emailing us your audition, please fill out the following form and include it in your email.
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(If you don’t want to use your actual name and have a stage-name you would prefer to go by, please state it here.)
Part(s) auditioning for:
(Please list the part or parts you are auditioning for.)
Previous Experience:
(If you have had any previous experience lending your voice to a podcast or other such project, please list them here.)
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#casting call#saffron and peri#audio fiction#podcasts#comedy#fantasy#audiodrama#fiction podcast#voice acting#auditions
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Michael Sheen: ‘I find it very hard to accept actors playing Welsh characters when they aren’t Welsh’
Has he taken the concept of authentic casting to a whole new level? Ahead of his latest BBC drama Best Interests, the star explains all
Michael Sheen has had it with the Prince of Wales. Not the man, but the title. “I think it’s ridiculous,” he says. “It’s just silly. I see no reason why the title should continue. Certainly not with someone who’s not Welsh.”
“That’s not the majority view,” he adds, with resignation. “So, whatever the majority of people want, I’m sure will continue.”
The star of Frost/Nixon and proud son of Port Talbot is chatting via video from a bucolic spot close to his hometown (a deer has just wandered into view), but even at a distance, it’s not hard
to see that Sheen is a man ofstrong convictions.
He has spoken in the past about the opportunity to retire the title after the death of Elizabeth II, as a gesture to “put some of the wrongs of the past right”. In 2020, he returned the OBE he was “honoured” to have received in 2009 when he felt it would make him a hypocrite to give a lecture about how the English king Edward I “put a stranglehold on Wales” at the turn of the 14th century.
When we chat, he’s about to begin shooting his TV directing debut The Way – co-created with playwright James Graham and documentary-maker Adam Curtis, about a family caught in a civil uprising, set in and around Port Talbot. The BBC project is the first from the production company that he set up with Sherlock producer Bethan Jones to focus on telling Welsh stories because, “You can shout about how bad it is, but if you want to see something be different then do it, you know?”
The 54-year-old is one of the actors of his generation, a stage star in his twenties (The Telegraph’s Charles Spencer called him “outrageously charismatic”) who went on to create unforgettable screen portraits of Tony Blair (The Queen, The Deal), Chris Tarrant (Quiz) and Brian Clough (The Damned United), alongside his David Frost in Peter Morgan’s play and film about the 1977 interviews that brought down the US president. Recently, Sheen has gained a whole new tranche of fans playing a very arch angel opposite David Tennant’s insouciant demon in Amazon’s Good Omens – not technically gay characters according to the Terry Pratchett-Neil Gaiman source novel, but seemingly in love.
Tennant and he have a natural chemistry on and off screen, Sheen says, adding that “he stops me being too grumpy”. He is a little on the grumpy side. In one exchange, in which I suggest he is a supporter of Welsh independence, he responds hotly: “Show me where it says that. I don’t believe I’ve ever said that.” Sam Mendes compared Sheen to fellow Welsh stars Anthony Hopkins and Richard Burton – “fiery, mercurial, unpredictable”.
But he shares a warm screen chemistry with Sharon Horgan in Jack Thorne’s moving new four-part drama Best Interests. They play the parents of a child with cerebral palsy, the adorable Marnie (played by Dublin actor Niamh Moriarty), who suffers a seizure that leaves her without brain function. The couple find themselves on opposite sides of an unbearable decision: whether or not to switch off their daughter’s life support. Very few will make it through the drama without tears, but the issues it raises will be familiar to all who have followed recent legal battles over 12-year-old Archie Battersbee and baby Alfie Evans.
Best Interests is “heartbreaking” at times, he admits, which makes the humour that he and Horgan bring to it all the more important. They hadn’t worked together before. “That relationship had to do a lot of heavy lifting. Sharon and I didn’t know each other very well … but straight from the off, we had a very similar sense of humour and made each other laugh.” Moriarty’s is a break-out performance – one scene involving make-up beautifully captures the parent-child relationship. She has cerebral palsy that affects her legs, a condition called spastic diplegia, but she’s not the only disabled actor in the piece.
Bafta-winner Lenny Rush, 14, who in real-life has a condition that affects his growth, is brilliant as George, who sets his cap at Marnie. Mat Fraser, who plays a legal advocate in Best Interests and portrayed Shakespeare’s Richard III in 2017, has a thalidomide impairment, which likely gave him an insight into Richard’s sense of “my deformity”.
Thorne, who experienced a chronic medical condition in his twenties, has said in the past that disabled people have been “utterly and totally” failed by the TV industry. In Best Interests, one parent of a child with a disability states baldly that people “hate” disabled people. “I think people can feel very uncomfortable around people with disabilities,” Sheen says. “A lot of the time it’s just to do with ignorance about, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t know, what should I do?’ It can make interaction quite awkward at times, and it can bring out people’s fears.”
The fact that there were several people with disabilities working on the project, he says, was striking because it brought home how rarely he had seen it before. It leads into a discussion of how far actors can credibly play identities they don’t personally inhabit. Sheen has thought about it: “You know, seeing people playing Welsh characters who are not Welsh, I find, it’s very hard for me to accept that. Not particularly on a point of principle, but just knowing that that’s not the case.
“That’s a very different end of the spectrum, but a part like Richard III is such a great character to play, it would be sad to think that that character, you know, is no longer available or appropriate for actors to play who don’t have disabilities, but that’s because I’m just not used to it yet, I suppose. Because I fully accept that I’m
not going to be playing Othello any time soon.
“Again, it’s not particularly a point of principle, but personally, I haven’t seen many actors who have come from quite privileged backgrounds being particularly compelling as people from working-class backgrounds. If you haven’t experienced something, you know, the extreme example is, well, if you haven’t murdered someone, can you play a murderer?”
In 2021, it was reported that Sheen intended to be a “not-for-profit” actor, after selling his own properties to ensure the Homeless World Cup that he had organised in Cardiff in 2019 went ahead when funders withdrew. So, what is a not-for-profit actor?
“There’s no such thing,” he says. “In that interview, I talked about how the ideal I was aiming towards was working like a not-for-profit company. When I put the money into the Homeless World Cup, since then I only owe money, so in terms of profits, there are no profits. I put as much of the money I make as I possibly can into
either funding and supporting what other people are doing
that I believe in, or starting up projects myself.”
It’s a measure of Sheen’s confidence that he knows the parts will keep coming. He has become a father again in his 50s; he and his partner, 28-year-old Swedish actor Anna Lundberg, have two young daughters. “My knees creak a lot more,” he says. “It’s a lot harder to get up and down off the floor when you’re playing with the baby.”
Sheen also has a grown-up daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, 24, from an earlier relationship with British actress Kate Beckinsale. “When my eldest daughter was born, I was still trying to make my way in my career and having to make harder choices about whether to work away from home and how much time to be away and all that stuff,” he says. “This time around, that’s not as difficult as I’m more established as an actor. Physically, it’s hard. But the one thing that is always the same is, you know, poo doesn’t smell any better.”
#Michael Sheen#Interview#Best Interests#the joys of fatherhood#you can feel his enthusiasm#I'm not sure this interview will help him to promote his future projects
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