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Post by Wakana Waka on Jul 10, 2021 7:03:27 GMT -8
”Yeah, it’s like… when I’m ‘round you… I get all warm ‘n’ fuzzy, ‘nd stuff…”
Back flat on the floor, laid out on a tatami mat – yeah, this wasn’t so bad. Not the first time she’d been wiped out in a dojo, for sure. But, she had a serious adversary this time, not some martial artist punking her.
”I’m rough, but – ’s talk, right? I’m still… a girl, y’know. Even with the ears ‘n’ tail…”
Right, the kid who was supposed to have sent her crashing down like this – he really was just a kid. Practically half her size, with neat chocolate hair; he didn’t have a sliver of steel in his whole body. It was like one of her trashy novels right now, for sure, but she had to admit… she wasn’t really feeling a thing.
”I… I think it might be… p-puppy love.”
But, it was a little hard for her to take it seriously when she could see the edges of the plywood backdrop.
”Ugh, cut – cut right there!”
Damn. They’d been here for an hour already, and it was all on her back.
”I know you’re an amateur, but – you had such a different expression in the Tea’s work, don’t you see? You need to lighten up! The rough edge is important for the rest, but you need to let it down if we’re going to capture the moment. We can’t even have a supporting member look bored by her own show!”
”Right, but, I… it ain’t exactly…” Waka tried to give some sort of response, but couldn’t manage any kind of reasonable excuse – she just wasn’t an actor! S-She wasn’t sure how she even get into this mess. Being in a movie’s background had seemed like a favour rather than an effort on her part, and being in some weak advert was fine; but in a serial’s pilot? Even if it was just stitched together to impress the execs, it was way above her grade. ”…Sorry, boss. I’ll keep try’ng to figure it out, as long as you’re trying to shoot it, okay?”
”Sure, very well. So long as you’re taking this seriously. For now – let’s take a break, everyone!”
The director’s announcement was a relief for the cast and crew – and Waka was no exception. Ah, maybe she’d be best off snooping off set while things were so quiet… as much as a seven-foot tall fox could be stealthy.
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In the absence of a green room, the eclectic cast and crew gathered around the sets with their various forms of afternoon tea; thankfully all in the same boat – this director was known for being a wildcard, so a lot of them had never even been on a television set before. This meant that Waka wasn’t totally the odd one out; especially as many of the other unlikely participants were similarly odd at a glance. For once, being a huge and heavy fox didn’t make her completely stand out. Hm, but, she got the feeling she might be tying for first place with the alligator cyborg. Yeah, she was pretty sure he’d be the crowd favourite, though.
Still, she wasn’t exactly fitting in, either. Haunting around the edge of the set, and looking a bit comical with a tiny pink boba tea in her hands; she was sulking just a bit. This hold-up was on her head, after all. Romance, huh… she’d chased it for a while, but she didn’t have a damn clue about it. No amount of books could teach you how to act it, anyway. She didn’t make sense of half the similes in ‘em at the best of times. She ought to ask the director for tips… but, she was pretty sure she’d be out of a contract if she admitted that much.
Though some of her peers had zipped away to change, Waka was still wearing her costume from the shoot – it was pretty close to her usual, anyway. She was still meant to be playing a high schooler, though the blazer was a lot fancier than her sweater, and the shade of light pink… um, she didn’t think it had much of a slimming effect. Oh well, it wasn’t like she was any stranger to tight clothes. The fox scouted over the crowd as she wavered by the sidelines – the advantages of her size shining through, she didn’t have to look up one bit.
She needed a mentor for this moment. Someone who looked like a pro, huh? A couple seemed like real people-persons, and some of the crew clearly knew a thing or two; but she needed one of the actors instead. Ah, hey, someone else lurking about – that blue Namekian, he’d been hard to miss earlier, too. He was looking real serious, so that was a start. Not too out of place, and he acted like a bit of a pro when he was talking contracts earlier, didn’t he? Tall bug, too… Waka couldn’t say she’d had great experiences with Namekians before, but, she’d try anything once. And, wasn’t exactly like she had anything to lose.
Waka never bothered with much poise or grace – no doubt her unlikely co-worker would be able to see the huge fox coming from a mile away as she crossed the set. She looked a little bashful, but she wasn’t exactly subtle. ”Hey, mister all-bus’ness. Yeah, I’m sorry ‘bout the hold-up… but, I’m not some kid. I’m look’ng f’r tips, right? Bett’r to get us all out of here on time. So… I don’t think I got your earlier scenes, but you seem to walk the walk, right?” Not the most graceful introduction, but she wanted to get to the point quickly.
”I’m used to bein’ a punch’ng bag, not an emotion’l roll’rcoast’r. So, you know your stuff – what’s your approach to rom’nce, huh?”
Hm, it seemed like the room was kinda quiet aside from them, all of a sudden.
[999/4000]
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Post by Bass on Jul 10, 2021 8:35:19 GMT -8
The early days were brutal. When Momentum Financial collapsed at a corporate level, hundreds of workers across dozens of locations were about to lose their jobs. As the Manager of Momentum Financial South City- the Namekian couldn't live with the financial ruin that'd be bestowed upon his precious coworkers. Now in the past, the shell of Momentum Financial was rapidly becoming The Momentum Corporation. Bass was the Chief Executive Officer of a global consumer initiative, rising to the occasion given the South City branch had been the best performing branch in the world- and he led it. What came next was an onslaught of work. Relevant, because some of that work required building rapport led the Black Heart Namekian to the very studio being filmed in. Having his face on the big screen would do a lot to boost his companies reputation in the early days, especially in foreign markets when The Momentum Corporation would eventually seek to expand. He'd had some earlier scenes on the show, playing the part of the weird neighbor- he couldn't expect much more given until this point he'd had absolutely no acting experience. The casting had been done basically with their natures in mind for the most part, but it was incredibly difficult to act 'natural' in front of rows of cameras, boom mics and props. His own scenes benefited from his awkwardness on camera, making his character out to be shady and strange. The scene that was playing out before him as he spoke with one of the directors did not benefit from the same effect. Pushing a clip board in front of the guy sitting on a stool, he'd be about to cut in when he heard; " Ugh, cut - cut right there!" Needless to say it wasn't the best of times. Folding his arms, he'd look towards the other actors on set. He felt bad given the pressure of being behind cameras, he figured this was a low budget production and that was why they were even here in the first place. The Namekian contemplated how he could help the situation, little did he know he'd end up getting his opportunity much sooner than he anticipated. After the back and forth between the director and Waka, Bass would follow up with what he was seeking once the actors dispersed and the director had nothing to do. " Hey pal, I know you brought me here as an actor, but I do run a company. I'd be willing to sponsor the set if that interests you, all it'd take on your end is adding The Momentum Corporation in the shows credits. Simple, yeah?" There was a pause as the director picked up the clipboard. It contained the amount The Momentum Corporation was going to offer, in addition to all of the legal nonsense that came as part of it. The numbers seemed to talk louder than the voice of caution in the directors head, a few too many zeroes to pass up. " Sure, take this to the board room after shooting's done and we'll talk it over. I don't want to talk contracts without legal council." The director said, hopping off of the stool to similarly go for his own break. " Also make sure you nail your scenes next time, the awkwardness won't do you any favors once the plot rolls forward enough." Needless to say, Bass gave a curt nod and cursed to himself internally. He was terrified- honestly terrified that his first acting experience was going to be a disaster. Though maybe it just took a change in perspective, and perhaps the voice that pulled his attention was a blessing in disguise to get his mind off of the small things. Turning around, wow. He'd been away for most of the time he didn't have any scenes, and when he was there Waka'd been far away and laying on the ground. Seeing her standing right in front of him was different, forcing the Namekian to have to look up just slightly to make eye contact- something that honestly really made him uneasy given how rarely he has to do so. Nevertheless he was rational enough to not let instinctive feelings effect his actions all the time, it was more the question she asked him that threw him for a loop. Her question alone was one thing, but he had that feeling when one too many sets of ears had picked up an interesting couple of words. The room was pretty quiet, prompting the Namekian to naturally speak in a bit lower of a voice. He couldn't just ignore them, after all. " I... I'm not all business..." He started whilst rubbing the back of his neck. " If you want to call me Bass you can, pretty Bassic name, like the instrument or the fish." He said. While the words spoken were purely genuine in nature, there was the small part of their purpose being to stall for time so he could figure an answer out to her question. Romance? Namekians didn't... Well, couldn't... Reproduce like Earthlings and such could. He never had the same impulses, but as it crossed his mind he saw no reason why a Namekian couldn't love. He didn't want to let them down, it was clear at a moments glance it'd been a hard day for her. Looking a little flustered at the suddenness of it all, he'd speak. " Well. For your question... Love is like..." What was it like? What? " -a Burrito. You can't approach love, you have to seize it and own it." Bass had no idea what he was saying, but unknowingly he was inspiring himself a little bit with the last line. Before he got into more details, he figured it'd be best to get away from all the gossip. He'd gesture for Waka to follow him to a little less open location. He was now on a roll, having kicked himself into at least a state where any advice he'd give wasn't all bad. " I think it's spontaneous, it comes from deep within and when you least expect it. It kind of just happens, but your problem isn't love, it's faking love, right?" He said, he definitely knew that much considering the scene. " Then it's easy. Profess your emotions to something you do love. What do you love? Doesn't even need to be a person, it could be like... Your antique watch passed down for three generations, or your favorite food. I think if you imagine the other actor as something you truly love, you'll be just fine." Bass surprised himself, it honestly wasn't terrible advice in his own humble opinion. " What do you think? That make sense?" He hoped it being insightful wasn't just in his own head- after all, he was winging this stuff. He felt like he could profess his love to a Burrito naturally- or was that just his weirdness... He checked his watch to determine how much longer the break was. " Ten minutes. Maybe that's enough time to rehearse?" He asked, raising a brow. " Though maybe not, a break should probably be a break. Up to you." 1188 | 2187/4000 Wakana Waka
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Post by Wakana Waka on Jul 13, 2021 5:38:01 GMT -8
Bass’s immediate awkwardness was especially entertaining to Waka, as per usual – putting people on ice was one of life’s little pleasures. His pun did not go awry either; she might not have chuckled one bit, but the slight twinkle in her eye in spite of her bored expression gave at least a hint that it hadn’t failed to land. ”Bass, huh? You tryin’ to save me giv'ng you a nickname? Nice try. If you don’t like ‘all-bus'ness’, I’ll just have to consid'r someth'ng worse… I’m thinkin’, ‘Twofish’? See'ng as the colour’s too obvious…~” Waka looked quite pleased with herself – well, as much as someone who could barely emote could, anyway. ”But, you’re an up-and-comer, aren’t you? Now that I hear the name, I’ve seen you in a web magaz'ne before. I’m not the most savvy invest'r, but they said you were gonna sink or swim… I’m not gonna say where I put my stock options, but you wouldn’t let me down, right?”
Putting her hands on her hips, she revelled in her bullying for just a moment before the matter at hand took priority. She first looked even more uninterested than usual, but Bass’s metaphor seemed to get her attention – well, again, as much as a perpetually lazy-looking fox could look attentive. She’d listen quite politely as he made his way through his explanation, though she’d meet his request for a reply with a long pause before speaking up. Was she just trying to bide her time to be polite, or was she actually thoughtful…? At the very least, she closed her eyes, so maybe she really was pondering it.
”Right… you’re messy, but I think I get what you’re goin' for. Pretend'ng to be in love isn’t it – it’s pretend'ng to pretend to be in love. Doing what people think it is, rather than what it actually is. That – ain’t a bad angle.” rumbled the girl, her stance relaxing a little as she seemed to fall deeper in thought. ”I’ll ov'rlook the assumption that I’m think'ng about food since you’re tryin' your best. Hmhm, though, imagin'ng that kid as someth'ng I love – sounds dang'rous, Twofish. But, not bad advice. I’ll play ball with that. You look like a suit, but you’re not all gone in the head yet – good for you. Your heart, though – we’ll see, huh?”
The comment about a rehearsal did something terrible, though. Sparks glittered in Waka’s eyes, and her look became a leer. ”Oh, so soon? Fine, fine.” replied the girl vaguely… before then slamming a hand against the fake wall right by her unfortunate coworker’s head. It wasn’t harsh – but it was forceful. Her eyes narrowed like knives, betraying her lazy looks for a moment… and that dreary expression gave way to a tiny devilish smirk.
”Yeah – so, it’s like this. When I’m ‘round you… I just get out of hand, you know? I nev'r learnt to play nice with others, so when it comes to things like that, I just take what I want.”
For once, it really wasn’t Waka’s size that was intimidating – instead, her intensity was what was off-putting.
”I’m rough, and I don’t like pretend'ng. Yeah, I’m not about to tell anyone they’re someth'ng special, and I don’t believe in love at first sight. Life’s too short for soulmates.”
She gently turned her head away, finally relaxing her demeanour as she closed her eyes – a sliver of unease leaked through it all. Her ears slumped, and her tail halted in the midst of its lazy swings.
”…But. I’m still a girl, y’know.”
Pausing there, Waka hesitated for a few seconds… before she opened an eye to peek at her unfortunate plaything. ”…Harr harr. You like it? You’re not my type, Twofish, but I believe in cred't where cred't’s due. Mm, you kept your eyes on mine for more than 50% of the convers'tion, too, so I don’t mind play'ng around a little bit with a good boy.” Standing back up and shaking off her arm, she looked mighty smug once again – no, even more so, this time. ”Good pract'ce. I wish the direct'r would let me play rough instead of being a softie, but… I don’t mind too much. Your advice wasn’t bad. So, if I mess up again, then I’ll at least owe you whatev'r hours come after.”
[729/2916/4000]
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Post by Bass on Jul 13, 2021 7:56:01 GMT -8
He was curious about how his winged advice would land, and at first it didn't seem too bad. Though when Waka decided he'd get a downgrade in nicknames, he opened his mouth to try and object- though if anything, he realized at the last second doing so would only end him with a nickname like... His thoughts at that moment were a bit of admiration, coming up with nicknames like that wasn't as easy as the beastly majin made it seem. He didn't want to put her skills next for another, more humiliating iteration. Twobass it was, it was better than Fishman or something- hey, there was one. As she started to talk about magazines- business magazines no less, and stocks, he was honestly surprised. Truthfully, he knew nothing about those nuances, he often handled his business here and now, and didn't particularly follow what the media or investigative journalists cooked up about him. Though he was certainly a little intrigued that magazines in West City were talking about him, even if they were web magazines as Waka had put it. Now stuck with Twobass, he sure did miss All Business. He'd give a thumbs up as she checked if she wouldn't let her down. Surprisingly she was pretty down to Earth and invested in day to day living. He did t he same thing until his company practically collapsed, and as hardheaded as he was, he brutishly wrangled together the pieces as the new CEO instead of going back on the job hunt. He certainly had advantages everyday people did not. He seemed to smile when she actually got something out of his advice. Truthfully he'd started out absolutely hopeless in his mind, but he'd ended somewhere confident but worried. He seemed reassured, to say the least, that he wasn't too out there to where it'd all be for naught. The smile seemed to leave when she mentioned him assuming she was thinking about food in particular. On the spot he raised a hand slightly as if to object, and it was only after a half-commitment that the idea crossed his mind that arguing even if he was in the right might cause more problems than it'd solve. Still, he'd committed so far. " I-I just figured it was an option. I usually think about food, it's the highlight of my day. I uh-" He felt like he was pushing his luck. " -also mentioned a family heirloom or something." He seemed to quiet down, letting her continue. But then it happened. The seemingly reserved and punkish person he'd just met a while ago had an outburst. It didn't just feel like a tantrum either. Despite their differences, the slamming of her fist into the wall paired with the glare did wonders to genuinely concern and even intimidate the Namekian. For the moment, regardless of how strong he may or may not be, she genuinely had him on the ropes in a battle of emotions given the suddenness of what'd just happened. By the time she'd gotten to smiling, he'd recovered and his eyes narrowed back to their normal disposition as opposed to having been a bit wider out of surprise. " Around me in particular or...?" He wondered if it was his power signature. She was mighty strong herself, he assumed she might not have been used to something like him. Before he could address her comments about playing nice, she was already continuing. He quietly let her continue, it was only then that he considered that she was putting another spin on the scene when the topic of romance came up. He was more stunned at that than anything. He just let her continue, and he... He really couldn't tell if she was acting or not. The wall certainly disagreed, as that was a prop that'd cost real unaccounted for zeni to fix, but... Even so. His expression almost followed along with what she did, brows furrowing when she seemed bashful and receded from her act; genuine or not. When she asked a question of him, he blinked. What she said was pretty much true, he didn't have a reason to outright cower a way, and he had too much pride to pretend he was scared enough to look away. The choice of the words 'Good boy' seemed to be a blow to that same dignity however, but he quickly scrambled the impulsive emotion after a brief brow twitch and gave a smile. Clashing at every step of the way would just make things odd. Any confrontation required some give and take, while a tool in business, Bass learned it just from living among people. He'd speak, still recovering from it all. " I... I thought you were serious- I actually still think you were to be honest, but that was amazing." He admitted. " I think you'd be surprised, you should go ask him. You could get the role you really want if you assert yourself like that, I was stunned- I'm not going to lie haha." He'd say, rubbing the back of his neck. " I really thought I might've lost my head there for a sec'." He'd remark, though... He was definitely playing it up a little bit. " I can give him a word as well, maybe two would work better than one." Regardless of what happened, it was up to Waka to bring it all home. " Well. You'll be up soon. I never did get your name? I doubt you'd like to be called..." He thought about it for a moment. Once again, he admired the hidden talent she had. " You're really good with those nicknames by the way. How would you rate... Big Gloom...? Also can we negotiate, I like All Business better." Regardless of her answers, the show would be on soon. He'd give his word to the director if Waka was open to the idea, but that was the last thing he'd be able to do then and there to help. The rest was on her to bring it home. Whilst he watched her scene, he'd quietly drop a 10,000z bill in the hole that was the wall prop. That'd need replacing. 1,030 | 3,946/4,000 Wakana Waka
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Post by Wakana Waka on Jul 16, 2021 22:03:37 GMT -8
Admittedly, Waka hadn’t intended to be quite that rough, but the art of the ‘kabe-don’ wasn’t exactly in her usual wheelhouse. Of course, what pleased her much more was that fact that her unlikely company was left fairly speechless, and even a little shaken after it all… see, see? She still had it in her! Not too old to date just yet. Or, maybe you could say, you can still teach an old dog new tricks? High on her ego for the moment, she’d completely miss that Bass was acting a bit himself – though, to be honest, she wasn’t the finest at picking liars at the best of times.
”Oh, I’m sure I can get the role if I assert mys'lf, sure. But, I like a mutu'lly ben'ficial arrangem'nt, right? Doesn’t do my rep well if the direct'r’s on wheels for the rest of his life.” remarked Waka slyly, letting the flattery wash over her before giving any kind of actual response. But, she certainly seemed in better spirits than before, no matter the calibre of her acting or the size of her head. ”I’ll say someth'ng to him – you’ve done plenty.”
The subject of names and nicknames made her raise an eyebrow, though. She liked to think she was pretty good at that stuff, but it was mostly to amuse herself, so she never expected it to be commented on. Of course, she had a pre-prepared answer… but, she hadn’t gotten to use it for many years until now. ”I’m Wakana Waka… should be no lack of easy jokes with that one, huh? But, that’s the thing about nicknames – you don’t get to pick ‘em, Twofish. Should always make the subj'ct twitch, ‘til they’re whittl'd down to the bone… then, if they’re still stick'ng 'round, they’re prob'bly okay with it anyway. Harr harr.”
She paused, suddenly falling into deep thought. ”…’less they’re a masochist. Dammit… that line doesn’t work at all, does it…?”
She’d quickly focus herself again, though – the deep and meaningful could wait until another time. ”Big Gloom, huh? It’s not bad. Ah, is it for me? I don’t really think I’m a down'r, but I know the face is a bit of a bore…” mused the fox, folding her arms – she didn’t seem satisfied, but it was probably for the best she left it there, lest she ate her own words. ”Right. We’re gonna be here all week if I don’t get in gear. I’m gonna give the boss some inspir'tion. With both hands…”
Judging by the way the director jolted, she probably wasn’t kidding.
------------------------------- The change in direction was – dramatic. Waka felt a lot more comfortable when she wasn’t on her back on the floor, but… she felt even more bad for the poor kid she was looming over now. A change in places certainly spun the power dynamic around… and just made him look even more puny. Not that she’d usually complain about that, but there was now a camera right by her cheek, so it was a little harder to fully commit to the role…
G-Guh. She was trying hard to think about food or something instead, like Twofish had said, b-but here she was getting all self-conscious. D-Dammit, she was gonna be blushing all over TV ---!
”--- Cut! That’s it, that’s it. You finally got it in you. Your delivery still needed some work, but the fluttering eyelids and red cheeks were exactly what we needed. Alright, we’re done for the day, everyone!”
Thankfully, Waka’s arm did not give out from embarrassment and flatten her co-star, but she did want to disappear in that moment. As did most of the rest of the cast, who just wanted to be out the door.
But, in the meantime, Bass would not be able to beat quite such a speedy retreat. ”Hey, Mister Bass – right?” piped up the director as soon as things began to pack up, rounding on the Namekian before he could hope to leave in peace; ”We had a meeting planned, hm? I keep a close eye on my casting. I saw what you did back there. So, while I won’t say I don’t expect more from you as an actor, and I was pretty suspicious of your sponsorship talk, but… I respect someone willing to put that effort into my work.”
The man paused, before shooting his company a smirk. ”I’ll bring the nice lawyer this time, I reckon. Alright, let’s see if you advertise just as good in the board room!”
[764/4710/4000]
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