don't ask.
Oct. 29th, 2003 01:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaydeefalls
I have no idea where this came from, or if it's any good. But it came, and I said, meh, okay, why not. Anything to help me get rid of the Writer's Block of Doom.
And![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shanalle, I know I'm late for the Two Lines challenge, but I do indeed have a fic for it. I'm just not finished tweaking it yet. I sorry.
So. Right. Random!fic. Here.
Title: Alternate
Rating: PG
Summary: Series of drabbles, AU, gen. One movie and the nine actors who were almost-but-not-quite cast in it.
Feedback: Sure.
Disclaimer: Obviously, they were all cast in the movie, so this must be bullshit.
Notes: This is weird, but it wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out of my system.
When Harry tells him about the Rings movie thing, Elijah isn't really listening. He's a teen star on the up-and-up and the last thing his career needs is for him to drop off the face of the earth for two years. Besides, everyone knows fantasy movies don't sell.
When Harry invites him along to the Rings premiere, Elijah agrees to go. The movie is pretty fucking good. At the party afterwards, Elijah tries to chat up the guy who played Merry, but the hobbit foursome is impenetrable and he loses his nerve. He sleeps alone and dreams of missed opportunities.
*
Sean is offered the role of Sam, but he and Christine talk about it all night and decide that with Ally so young and New Zealand so far away, family just has to come before work. He never regrets the decision. New Zealand would have been a beautiful place to live, and the movie would have been good, but he wouldn't trade away a single moment with his daughter. She's growing up too quickly as it is. How could he pull himself away for sixteen-hour workdays, six days a week?
They watch the movie together, and he holds Ally tightly.
*
Dom oversleeps that morning, misses the train into London, and is forty-nine minutes late for his audition. He's wired on tea and nervous energy. Flustered, he flubs his lines and painfully overacts, but can't recover.
Not too surprisingly, he doesn't get the part. But he nails Monsignor Renard, and picks his next few auditions carefully. A choice role in a British film by a previously unknown director lands him unexpectedly in the mainstream, and suddenly the offers are pouring in.
The Rings movie would have been great, but there are other routes to superstardom, and Dom found the best one.
*
Billy lives for the theater. He's done his small share of television and movie roles, but they don't even come close to the exhilarating rush of live theater, on stage in front of a real audience. None of that ridiculous posturing in front of a camera, twenty takes of one facial expression. He wants to take a character on one breathless ride, no chance to stop and call for lines memorized ten minutes earlier.
A castmate leaves his copy of the Tolkien epic lying open in the dressing room, and Billy thumbs idly through the pages. It's a good story.
*
Stuart's a little younger than Peter had had in mind, but he isn't likely to find a better Aragorn at the eleventh hour, so he sticks with the original casting.
Stuart never realizes how close he came to being sacked. He's a bit standoffish by nature, but as time goes by, the rest of the cast warms up to him. In front of the cameras, he wears Aragorn like an expensive coat one size too large – it looks good, but never fits quite right.
Somewhere across the globe, Viggo paints uninterrupted in his studio. His phone doesn't ring that day.
*
The Rings shooting schedule seriously conflicts with X-Men, and when you get right down to it, Ian's not sure he really wants to portray another cultural icon. He spends a long afternoon pondering it, discussing the strain of bringing all too beloved characters to life with Patrick between takes, and finally decides to respectfully decline Peter's offer.
He sits with boytoy-of-the-moment in a crowded movie theater when Rings finally comes out and knows he would have been the better Gandalf. The thought gnaws at him for a while, but there's no use crying over spilt milk. And other such nonsense.
*
Orlando isn't exactly terrified at the prospect of the Rings audition, although it's the biggest chance of his life. He's just desperate enough for moral support that he spends two full weeks convincing his best friend from drama school to come with him. Together, they will knock the figurative socks off these New Line bigwigs.
After the initial screening, Orlando finds himself reading for Faramir, while his friend is given pages for Legolas. Thank god they're not competing for the same parts. It would be so awesome if they both pulled this off!
His friend gets the call. Orlando doesn't.
*
After the first makeup tests, it's obvious that John has some serious unforeseen allergies. His choice: spend the next fifteen months peeling his skin off every day, or save face (literally, ha) and drop out.
The actor originally cast as the Tin Man had to quit The Wizard of Oz due to makeup allergies. He probably spent the rest of his life in a pub bemoaning his decision. "I coulda been a Tin Man" doesn't quite have the ring of the Marlon Brando line.
Neither does "I coulda been a dwarf," so John only says it when he's really drunk.
*
Sean Bean is at an awkward point in his life when the Rings job comes along. Things are very rough with the third wife, one of his daughters is going through a where-are-you-when-I-need-you-Dad phase, and fifteen months spent on the other side of the world would probably damage those relationships permanently.
Besides, the last thing he needs is yet another accusation that he's always running away when things get ugly. Tempting though New Zealand might be – and oh, it's tempting – he can't afford the escape this time. Temporary unemployment is much, much cheaper.
There will always be other jobs.
*
By chance, nine completely unrelated actors pass through an airport waiting room in New York at the exact same time.
Elijah is visiting Hannah in college.
Astin has a fundraiser for arts education.
Dom is en route from London to L.A.
Billy has tickets for a Broadway play.
Viggo has a poetry reading in Union Square.
Ian just finished his own Broadway run.
Orlando has another audition doomed for failure.
John is en route from Philadelphia to London.
Bean just visited some old friends.
They all pause for a second, suspended by a tantalizing sense of might-have-been.
The moment passes.
*
And
shanalle, I know I'm late for the Two Lines challenge, but I do indeed have a fic for it. I'm just not finished tweaking it yet. I sorry.So. Right. Random!fic. Here.
Title: Alternate
Rating: PG
Summary: Series of drabbles, AU, gen. One movie and the nine actors who were almost-but-not-quite cast in it.
Feedback: Sure.
Disclaimer: Obviously, they were all cast in the movie, so this must be bullshit.
Notes: This is weird, but it wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out of my system.
When Harry tells him about the Rings movie thing, Elijah isn't really listening. He's a teen star on the up-and-up and the last thing his career needs is for him to drop off the face of the earth for two years. Besides, everyone knows fantasy movies don't sell.
When Harry invites him along to the Rings premiere, Elijah agrees to go. The movie is pretty fucking good. At the party afterwards, Elijah tries to chat up the guy who played Merry, but the hobbit foursome is impenetrable and he loses his nerve. He sleeps alone and dreams of missed opportunities.
*
Sean is offered the role of Sam, but he and Christine talk about it all night and decide that with Ally so young and New Zealand so far away, family just has to come before work. He never regrets the decision. New Zealand would have been a beautiful place to live, and the movie would have been good, but he wouldn't trade away a single moment with his daughter. She's growing up too quickly as it is. How could he pull himself away for sixteen-hour workdays, six days a week?
They watch the movie together, and he holds Ally tightly.
*
Dom oversleeps that morning, misses the train into London, and is forty-nine minutes late for his audition. He's wired on tea and nervous energy. Flustered, he flubs his lines and painfully overacts, but can't recover.
Not too surprisingly, he doesn't get the part. But he nails Monsignor Renard, and picks his next few auditions carefully. A choice role in a British film by a previously unknown director lands him unexpectedly in the mainstream, and suddenly the offers are pouring in.
The Rings movie would have been great, but there are other routes to superstardom, and Dom found the best one.
*
Billy lives for the theater. He's done his small share of television and movie roles, but they don't even come close to the exhilarating rush of live theater, on stage in front of a real audience. None of that ridiculous posturing in front of a camera, twenty takes of one facial expression. He wants to take a character on one breathless ride, no chance to stop and call for lines memorized ten minutes earlier.
A castmate leaves his copy of the Tolkien epic lying open in the dressing room, and Billy thumbs idly through the pages. It's a good story.
*
Stuart's a little younger than Peter had had in mind, but he isn't likely to find a better Aragorn at the eleventh hour, so he sticks with the original casting.
Stuart never realizes how close he came to being sacked. He's a bit standoffish by nature, but as time goes by, the rest of the cast warms up to him. In front of the cameras, he wears Aragorn like an expensive coat one size too large – it looks good, but never fits quite right.
Somewhere across the globe, Viggo paints uninterrupted in his studio. His phone doesn't ring that day.
*
The Rings shooting schedule seriously conflicts with X-Men, and when you get right down to it, Ian's not sure he really wants to portray another cultural icon. He spends a long afternoon pondering it, discussing the strain of bringing all too beloved characters to life with Patrick between takes, and finally decides to respectfully decline Peter's offer.
He sits with boytoy-of-the-moment in a crowded movie theater when Rings finally comes out and knows he would have been the better Gandalf. The thought gnaws at him for a while, but there's no use crying over spilt milk. And other such nonsense.
*
Orlando isn't exactly terrified at the prospect of the Rings audition, although it's the biggest chance of his life. He's just desperate enough for moral support that he spends two full weeks convincing his best friend from drama school to come with him. Together, they will knock the figurative socks off these New Line bigwigs.
After the initial screening, Orlando finds himself reading for Faramir, while his friend is given pages for Legolas. Thank god they're not competing for the same parts. It would be so awesome if they both pulled this off!
His friend gets the call. Orlando doesn't.
*
After the first makeup tests, it's obvious that John has some serious unforeseen allergies. His choice: spend the next fifteen months peeling his skin off every day, or save face (literally, ha) and drop out.
The actor originally cast as the Tin Man had to quit The Wizard of Oz due to makeup allergies. He probably spent the rest of his life in a pub bemoaning his decision. "I coulda been a Tin Man" doesn't quite have the ring of the Marlon Brando line.
Neither does "I coulda been a dwarf," so John only says it when he's really drunk.
*
Sean Bean is at an awkward point in his life when the Rings job comes along. Things are very rough with the third wife, one of his daughters is going through a where-are-you-when-I-need-you-Dad phase, and fifteen months spent on the other side of the world would probably damage those relationships permanently.
Besides, the last thing he needs is yet another accusation that he's always running away when things get ugly. Tempting though New Zealand might be – and oh, it's tempting – he can't afford the escape this time. Temporary unemployment is much, much cheaper.
There will always be other jobs.
*
By chance, nine completely unrelated actors pass through an airport waiting room in New York at the exact same time.
Elijah is visiting Hannah in college.
Astin has a fundraiser for arts education.
Dom is en route from London to L.A.
Billy has tickets for a Broadway play.
Viggo has a poetry reading in Union Square.
Ian just finished his own Broadway run.
Orlando has another audition doomed for failure.
John is en route from Philadelphia to London.
Bean just visited some old friends.
They all pause for a second, suspended by a tantalizing sense of might-have-been.
The moment passes.
*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-10-28 11:30 pm (UTC)Elijah tries to chat up the guy who played Merry, but the hobbit foursome is impenetrable and he loses his nerve. He sleeps alone and dreams of missed opportunities.
This little bit gave me chills.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-28 11:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 01:52 pm (UTC)Seriously, yo. *grins* I almost tried to work slash in, somehow, just to justify the whole RPS thing, but it just didn't work. I'm glad you gave it a try anyway!
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Date: 2003-10-29 01:17 am (UTC)It was slightly chilling - what might have been. The fact that they were all so plausable... Aren't you glad those little things were different?
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Date: 2003-10-29 01:54 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2003-10-29 02:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:*shivers*
Date: 2003-10-29 05:46 am (UTC)Re: *shivers*
Date: 2003-10-29 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 06:21 am (UTC)Nothing new to say here but I'll say it anyway, very orginal (bravo!) and the last few lines were just perfect.
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Date: 2003-10-29 02:10 pm (UTC)Seriously, thank you! I'm glad you liked.
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Date: 2003-10-29 06:58 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2003-10-29 07:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 02:16 pm (UTC)Whee, thank you!
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Date: 2003-10-29 07:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 03:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 09:20 am (UTC)thanks! great read!!
no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 03:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 09:33 am (UTC)And so believable, almost every one - so much so that I found myself questioning why some of them (Elijah, Sean, Billy) went and did it!
The only exception? *G* Ian - never in a million years would he have given up Gandalf to focus on Magneto. Now, the strain of moving to NZ and giving up comforts at his age? That I could believe. *S*
But the others? Heavens, I do wonder how Sean Astin gave was able to take on such a role at such a time in his daughter's life - thankfully, he made it work - and I'm often amazed at Billy doing these long, involved movies, when he seems to live for the theatre.
Incredible - great story.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 03:59 pm (UTC)Actually, he did initially have a problem with the shooting schedules overlapping, since he'd already committed to X-Men. I just took it a step further... (In other words, dammit, I really couldn't think of a good reason for Ian to have turned down Gandalf. Cut me some slack here! *grins*)
Thank you! I'm glad you liked.
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Date: 2003-10-29 09:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 04:01 pm (UTC)Sometimes I really wonder if Rings didn't hurt Dom's chances at a career more than help him...
Thank ye kindly!
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Date: 2003-10-29 10:16 am (UTC)And my personal favourite? Definitely the Orlando piece. I've often wondered "What if?" when it comes to his role as Faramir. It's fascinating to think how things would be if he hadn't auditioned for Legolas's role at all. Would we know him?
I can't but love this :) Wish I could say more but most of it has been said already.
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Date: 2003-10-29 04:04 pm (UTC)I don't think it would have been a disaster -- just very, very different.
It's fascinating to think how things would be if he hadn't auditioned for Legolas's role at all. Would we know him?
That kid was SO LUCKY when he got Legolas. Honestly, he's hot, but would anyone have ever discovered him if it weren't for Rings?
Thank you! I'm glad you liked. *grins*
oooh
Date: 2003-10-29 10:16 am (UTC)Re: oooh
Date: 2003-10-29 04:06 pm (UTC)Thank ye, Tash!
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Date: 2003-10-29 11:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 04:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 01:42 pm (UTC)what an excellent (if frightening) idea. *nodnod*
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Date: 2003-10-29 04:08 pm (UTC)were scared byliked it. ;)no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 03:56 pm (UTC)I almost skipped this one, but I saw your name, and remember reading something by you before so I clicked in. I'm so glad I didn't miss it!
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Date: 2003-10-29 04:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2003-10-29 05:41 pm (UTC)I have to admit, there's not much for me to say that's not already been said. But I don't mind repeating. Wow. And Wow. I agree, it's completely scary to think what if? And I also agree that Viggo's is extra scary because it too easily could have been that way. I think we have ol' PJ's perfectionism to thank. And thank you for writing this random!fic as you call it. It's incredible.
Methinks you are helping to cultivate a new breed of AU. Go you!
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Date: 2003-10-29 08:11 pm (UTC)Meep, yes.
Methinks you are helping to cultivate a new breed of AU.
Heh. Somehow I doubt that, but 'twould be cool.
Thank you!
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Date: 2003-10-29 06:34 pm (UTC)Elijah tries to chat up the guy who played Merry, but the hobbit foursome is impenetrable and he loses his nerve. He sleeps alone and dreams of missed opportunities. Practically made me cry.
He wants to take a character on one breathless ride, Truly incredible line, because you can see it, feel it, and it makes so much sense.
And the whole last section- there are no words. It's so striking, and as everyone else said...a little bit shiver inducing. Lovely!!
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Date: 2003-10-29 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-30 12:23 am (UTC)This is very, very well written. I like the idea of taking a scenario that everyone knows by heart and messing with it right out of the box, and very few people do it without employing a massive sledgehammer drive to the head of obviousness (e.g. "Whew! It's a good thing that bullet narrowly missed President John F. Kennedy just now!"). You underplay it, and you shake the audience up immediately. Good work.
Then, I particularly like your Viggo and Sean segments. They play logically, and they flow. Some of your segments are halting, but these lilt and twist perfectly, and you never once interrupt the audience's train of thought or lose them with bad rhythms.
That said, there are a few things I'd fix. First of all, it's much too short. Of course, it might actually make things worse to expand, given that the story is all about split-second thoughts and decisions. I'd like to see more, but maybe more isn't the point.
Easier to fix is the pace and beat of some of these segments. Check out John and Sean's pieces in particular. I quote: "Sean Bean is at an awkward point in his life when the Rings job comes along." It may be just me, but that feels like the first line of an interview in Details, and it flows into the next sentence awkwardly. Both segments also suffer from awkward sentence structures. You have long sentences, which isn't a bad thing, but you break them up with hyphenate phrases and parenthetical statements, both of which could easily be expressed in their own sentences. These feel out of character for both the narrative voice and the voice of the characters, and while the sentiments need to be there, they should be phrased more flowingly. Would Sean Bean really say "going through a where-are-you-when-I-need-you-Dad phase?" These segments seem to be said in dual narrative voices, both of the character and of the narrator, and this is part of their charm. Consider how you phrase everything before you put the ideas in, because there are some lovely things here.
I like the idea of the last paragraph, especially the way you broke the movements of the nine into nine seperate lines. It's clever, and controlls the reader's eye. The only problem with this is that you'll tire your reader out. There's usually two paragraph breaks per page, and you've just handed them thirteen. It's much harder to read, and as a result it breaks up the emotional impact when the reader finally makes it to that last powerhouse of a statement. Condense the space in this part, expand what they're doing in New York, and then break those last two sentences into their own sentences. Because, wow, are they heartbreakers.
Overall, a wonderful idea, very well executed. A few trims and a few grafts, and it could be excellent. You're an exceptionally readable writer, which is a rarity, I must say.
(And now, Endnotes, because I'm like that. Read, or not. If not, then Neener.)
Oh, and Buddy Ebsen was the guy who dropped out of Wizard of Oz. He never ever had time to complain, because he was in a little show called "The Beverly Hillbillies" which made him a multimillionare.
Also, wouldn't it be brilliant for that last scene if, you know, Elijah was to go up to Sean and say "I really loved you in GoldenEye," or something like that. That's just my own sick and twisted take on what could have happened, because I'm just like that. Which reminds me of one other thing: some of these actors knew each other before "Rings," which would mean that they'd at least say hello to each other in the terminal. Not really sure if you'd wanna run with that, but there should be some acknowledgement. Okay, I stop now.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-30 12:58 am (UTC)A lot of the problems you mention go along with the style I chose -- for example, you said it was too short. A drabble is 100 words, no more, no less. I decided to assign one drabble per actor, plus the tenth mishmash one, because...well, because that was the sort of thing I felt like writing. I wasn't up to exploring the whole thing further (although I might, in the future, because it interests me), I just wanted to show a glimpse of each actor's story.
Easier to fix is the pace and beat of some of these segments. Check out John and Sean's pieces in particular. I quote: "Sean Bean is at an awkward point in his life when the Rings job comes along." It may be just me, but that feels like the first line of an interview in Details, and it flows into the next sentence awkwardly.
Good point. I had trouble with those two -- John's originally came in at about 40 words too long, and Sean's at 20 words too short. I didn't do a very good job of pulling them into the 100-word limit.
It's much harder to read, and as a result it breaks up the emotional impact when the reader finally makes it to that last powerhouse of a statement.
I worried about this, but I couldn't think of a good way to fix, so I left it be. It still bothers me a little. Hmm. Must ponder.
You're an exceptionally readable writer, which is a rarity, I must say.
*does a little dance* Thank you. That means a lot, especially coming from you, my non-fanfic-reading hypercritical friend. *grins* Seriously. Thank you.
Oh, and Buddy Ebsen was the guy who dropped out of Wizard of Oz. He never ever had time to complain, because he was in a little show called "The Beverly Hillbillies" which made him a multimillionare.
I didn't know that, although I'm not surprised that you did. Fascinating.
Which reminds me of one other thing: some of these actors knew each other before "Rings," which would mean that they'd at least say hello to each other in the terminal. Not really sure if you'd wanna run with that, but there should be some acknowledgement.
Neener.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-04 12:31 am (UTC)I love this story. I love the different effects of the alternative paths you've given them, the way for some it seems to be the right decision, and for others there's this nagging feeling of having missed out on something. I like the diversity.
I agree with almost everything that's been said by others, but I couldn't resist pointing out one thing I don't agree with: For me the last paragraph works beautifully, because it has a different pace. All those drabbles have the same pace, they flow from one to the other, and then in the last one you sort of 'gear down' and the story comes to rest with 'The moment passes'. I liked that.
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Date: 2003-11-04 12:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-04 06:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-04 06:46 pm (UTC)