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mythgirlimagines · 3 years

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Time for this Tuesday’s Talentswap! Here’s an original talent this time! Introducing Myth, the Former Ultimate Architect!

—————————————————————- BACKSTORY AND TALENT

Ever since Architect!Myth was young, she had two major passions in life: art and aesthetics. While she also has a penchant for fashion and watercolour painting, it’s the art of buildings that really called to her. Due to her wealthy family travelling a lot during vacations, she saw buildings of many different styles and seeks to replicate them all in her sketchbook. She found her true calling when she was asked to sketch a new design for her town’s new daycare. Many of the town’s citizens loved her designs and soon, more and more people came to ask her to design buildings for their various businesses. Her popularity soon spread across the globe, reigniting her interest in traveling. With all the traveling that comes with her popularity, she views her time at Hope’s Peak as a rare chance to stay on solid ground for once. She is now settling down in a self-designed penthouse and trying her best to interact with the colorful denizens of the town.

——————————————————————

RELATIONSHIPS

Wyre Anon, Former Ultimate Comic Book Artist

Myth and Wyre have been best friends ever since grade school, having bonded over their shared love of art. But because of their different career paths and Myth’s regular travels, they’ve grown apart over the years. But ever since they have reunited in Hope’s Peak and are now sharing a penthouse, their friendship has slowly, but surely been revived.

Anon Scar, Ultimate Historian

Anon Scar, or as she likes to call herself, “The Demon of Time”, hasn’t exactly captivated Myth, or as Scar christened her “The Demon of Shelter”, with her constant spiels of time spells and demonic contracts. But they have bonded over their travels, and Scar was definitely impressed by the amount of travels that Myth undertook.

Fusion Anon, Ultimate Storm Chaser

Because of Fusion’s weather-based talent, he regularly warns Myth of upcoming storms and has saved many soon-to-be-built buildings from being demolished by a tornado. He also loves giving Myth rides on his biplane to give her a bird’s eye view of the town’s buildings. But Myth still wonders to this day how Fusion manages to tame his wild mane of hair.

Fusion Anon II, Ultimate Journalist

Myth is still wondering to this day how two unrelated Anons manage to have the same name. This sassy muckraker manages to get some giggles out of the otherwise serious architect with her sardonic social commentary and amusing town gossip. What Fusion II doesn’t know though, is that Myth has some dirt on her too. (Note: She has accidentally called Fusion ”dad” a couple of times!)

Just Anon, Ultimate Train Engineer

Myth’s attempts at socialising with Janon have, quite frankly, been fruitless. This foul-mouthed and listless conductor doesn’t seem to be a fan of socialising with anyone, let alone Myth. But if Fusion II’s testimony is true, he seems to have a bit of a soft side around the Jr. Ultimates.

Sparkle Anon, Former Ultimate Organiser

The normally serious Myth was shook when she saw the state of Sparkle’s penthouse. It’s very clear that Sparkle takes great care in making everything as immaculate as humanly possible. Sparkle is also a great party organiser, making great, if over-the-top, opening ceremonies for Myth’s buildings.

Egg Anon, Former Ultimate Oceanographer and Wet Sock Anon, Former Ultimate Groundskeeper

“The Freak Twins“, as some Anons have coined, aren’t particularly known for their social skills, and it’s not hard to see why. Neither of them understand the concept of thinking before your speak, and they have some really disgusting and cursed thoughts, to which Myth had to have witnessed first hand. At least Wet Sock is good at maintaining the town’s expansive park.

Curious Anon, Jr. Ultimate Carpenter

To say that Myth was surprised when this small and svelte middle schooler made a majority of the wooden buildings and sculptures, would be the understatement of the century. Curious is hospitable and easy to get along with, allowing Myth to socialise with Curious easily. Myth definitely understands why Fusion II thinks Janon has a crush on them.

Anon Nerd, Former Ultimate Golf Pro

Myth found it very hard to socialise with this explosive and confrontational athletic prodigy. For some reason, Nerd’s face tends to turn bright red when around the architect. He claims that it‘s just his scouter, but Fusion II and Wyre think otherwise.

Eldritch Anon, Ultimate Biochemist

Because Eldritch never leaves his penthouse and his distrusting and paranoid nature towards anyone other than his girlfriend, Myth wasn’t given many opportunities to socialise with him. Most of Myth’s info on Eldritch comes from either his girlfriend or Fusion II’s testimonials.

Dream Anon, Ultimate Ghost Hunter

Functioning as a bit of a conduit between Eldritch and Myth, Myth wonders how someone dealing with the dead on a daily basis manages to be this chipper. Myth recognised Dream from one of Wyre’s favorite reality shows: “NRG: Spirit Busters”. Myth managed to get an autograph from Dream and Wyre‘s happiness skyrocketed through the roof!

Iris Anon, Jr. Ultimate Police Officer

With her optimistic and exuberant attitude, this cheery cop-in-training managed to charm Myth with her clumsy and justice-seeking antics. Myth, in a way, is a bit like a mother figure to Iris, making sure that Iris remains safe and in one piece. Because Iris is a major fan of Wyre’s comic series, Myth managed to get Wyre‘s autograph for her, securing the Myth-Riri friendship for life.

Purple Anon, Ultimate Chess Grandmaster

Because of Purple’s timorous nature, Myth doesn’t socialise much with her. She loves Purple’s gothic lolita ensemble though; it makes Purple look like a little chess piece! Myth is surprised that someone this timid could not only stand up to real chess champions, but to also be this fashion-foward.

————————————————————- APPEARANCE

This professional and serious architect has to also look the part. Architect!Myth wears a maroon overcoat with golden buttons and cuff links, over a white button-up shirt and a red tie with a building design on it. Architect!Myth also wears a matching maroon pencil skirt, black stockings and red Mary Janes. Her pencil skirt is held up by a black tool belt with a golden buckle. Architect!Myth’s hair is up in her signature ponytail, but her pink hair tie contains backup pencils, in case the pencil behind her ear runs out of graphite. ———————————————————- PERSONALITY

Because creating buildings is such a precise craft, Architect!Myth is more of a seriously-minded perfectionist, obsessively checking and double-checking if she made any mistakes. But because her line of work means that she travels regularly, she doesn’t really get to make or keep many friends. This resulted in Architect!Myth not exactly having the best social skills or awareness of romantic attraction (much to the dismay of Nerd), very much unlike Romantic!Myth. Her more socially-versed drawing buddy, Wyre usually does the talking for her. She’s trying her best to socialise with the town’s denizens though, and this is where her secret dorky side shines through. She also has an odd passion for fashion, and she can be a bit like the Fashion Police when it comes to the more fashionably-challenged citizens of town.

———————————————————-

How do you like Architect!Myth? What do you think of the talents that the other Anons have in this AU? Could you picture Architect!Myth’s friend-making adventures as a full-blown series? See you next Tuesday with a brand-new talentswapped Myth!

-Fusion Anon

—

I very much like this one! I can definitely picture Architect!Myth’s friendship adventures as a series, haha, you’re really great with those

#submission #anon #fusion anon #art #not my art #i speak #anon kg #talentswap tuesday

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thecarmillacurator · 5 years

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Marriage of Convenience - Carmilla Fic Review & Recommendation

Title: Marriage of Convenience

Author: RunWithWolves on Ao3 and @ariabauer on Tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4016743/chapters/9027772

Word Count: 111K

Chapters: 20

Rating: T

Ship: Hollstein

Tags I’d Assign: #fake dating #fake engagement #mutual pining #best friends to lovers #angst #hurt/comfort #politics #hollstein

Trigger Warnings: abuse, childhood abuse, emotional abuse, mental abuse

Author’s Synopsis: Her scheduled weekly Thursday night video calls with her old college roommate are Carmilla's favourite part of the week. However this week's conversation veers off the rails when Carmilla tells Laura that if she doesn't get married soon, Carmilla's going to lose everything she's worked for.

Thankfully, her mother's provided a list of suitable candidates.

Readability: Prose reads smoothly. There are quite a few minor typos, but they’re not distracting and given that the author was writing this for us in the midst of doing one of her Carmilla-writing-a-thon sessions, who the heck cares?

Reviewer’s Plot Summary: Non-supernatural AU. The author’s synopsis doesn’t begin to cover the meatiness of the story. Carmilla is running for MP in a bi-election, and polls reflect that Carmilla’s youth, combined with her single status, have her perceived as being possibly too young and unstable for the position. Her mother, driven to make sure Carmilla is elected, insists she become temporarily engaged for public relation purposes. And it’s here Carmilla pulls the only maverick move she’s ever dared to where it comes to her mother: Rather than choosing from her mother’s “list,” she asks her former university classmate, former roommate, and still-best friend, investigative journalist Laura Hollis, to take the part before her mother can object. Together, the two end up on a parallel journey, individually wishing everything about their engagement were real, while at the same time, it becomes apparent to Laura that Carmilla is not simply influenced by her mother’s intensity, but that she’s actually been conditioned through decades of mental and emotional abuse (I would argue even physical abuse) into a disturbing, programmed-like obedience. Laura does her best to help Carmilla stand, and knows Carmilla needs her strength and support more than ever, but Carmilla has a history of leaving Laura whenever her mother’s influence demands it. Ultimately, Carmilla will have to decide if she has enough courage to finally say “no.”

Review: This one hits deep. You want a Laura and Carmilla absolutely wrecked for each other and broken-hearted when first their own fears, and then later, Carmilla’s mother and her abuse, literally rip them apart? Well, you have it here. You want a Laura who has courage, who is willing to fight for Carmilla? Well, you have it here. You want to see good overcome evil, and chains get broken? Have a read. And yet, thankfully, there is mutual pining and fake-dating fluff throughout a majority of chapters so the weight of the main struggle doesn’t become too depressing.

The story is written in third person limited, alternating Carmilla/Laura POVs.

The Good: The story has substance and takes full advantage of the core characteristics of canon Laura and Carmilla’s backgrounds: Carmilla is the puppet daughter of a villainous, powerful, cunning mother. Laura is a truth-seeking, justice-demanding investigative reporter with the tenacity of a dog on a scent. Laura’s goodness and dorkiness (and love of sugar) endear her to Carmilla. Carmilla’s depth and quiet steadiness make her Laura’s rock. The main difference between canon Hollstein and this version of them, though? Laura for once is willing to put Carm above her need to out the truth and right the wrongs. And (Ahem, glaring at you, canon-Laura Hollis), it still works out in the end!

The romance unfolding between these two feels more sweeping than we usually receive in a Hollstein fic. I think a few things accomplish this. First, setting this against the stretch of a political campaign adds a certain built-in sense of time and weight. Second, more of their romance is conveyed and developed through actions than through the simple narration of their private feelings. (The first being a significantly stronger writing style, and one I’m perpetually envious of.) The date Laura sets up for Carmilla, the melt-down disaster that happens at the dress shop, Carmilla flooding the newpaper’s lobby with cupcakes or buying them greasy burgers from their old college favorite burger joint, the lightning storms… they all speak volumes without having to rely on internals. And, in turn, they result in evocative physical reactions by the characters and amplify the particular relationship-aspect being highlighted at the time, either through using mirroring metaphors or contrasting metaphors.

In that same vein, locations and things have weight given to them as well, rather than being simply included as background detail. This isn’t a fake-dating plot that could take place just anywhere, or which could theoretically be limited to a few typical, hum-drum locations. The locations and weather (the lake, the city, the newspaper lobby, the dress shop, the frozen river, the cafe, etc.), the literal atmosphere (Fall, stormy nights, crisp days, snowflakes, a chilly sunset seen through the glass windows of a broken down boathouse), and objects (a black swan paddle boat, the ring(s), Sir Bearington, cue cards), all are presented with vivid imagery and matter as to why the characters respond a certain way in that moment. All of this adds a definite theatrical/visual dimension to the story. That is great writing.

The Concrit: Perry, LaF, Kirsc… They feel a little like throw-aways. That’s not too big of a deal, since that is already the case in many Hollstein fics. But, I would have appreciated a bit more of them mattering in small ways. Matska didn’t have a huge word-count, and yet, her presence was *felt* in the same way the setting, items, and atmosphere mattered to the plot: Her absence would have changed the story. And even Danny, though she only had one scene and a minor role in it, mattered in a tangible, if still small way. The other three, not so much (despite the whole period-table analogy LaF tried to share with Laura).

Secondly... While I’m not sure how accurate Carmilla’s (verbal) conditioned responses are, this is fan fiction and I don’t think the author was making any claims to be an expert. (And, as it went, it definitely worked well as a plot-device to flag for the reader when Carmilla was in one of her regressive episodes.) But that being said, it was a disconnect for me how normal-functioning Carmilla was in the absence of (or triggering by) her mother. Yes, we’re told she had some self-worth issues, but aside from being told that, really, she seemed just fine.

Finally, I would enjoy an epilogue. Although, as written, it definitely stands on its own without one.

NEXT IN THE QUE: We’re still on the fake dating / fake relationship au binge for the next two weeks!

Remember: If you enjoy the stories I review and recommend- whether you’ve only just read them because of my reviews or you’ve read them in the past and these rec’s remind you of them- stop by the authors and send them some love. They’ve given a tremendous amount of their time, effort, and passion to provide us with high-quality, free entertainment that keeps Carmilla alive for us. Let’s thank them. You don’t even have to mention this blog: JUST LOVE ON THEM!

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mautadite · 4 years

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may book round up

24 books this month, a pretty good stack. even though i’m working from home i keep expecting work to swamp me and leave me with no reading time but... that hasn’t happened yet? so, good.

silver moon - catherine lundoff ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a paranormal novel about a small town in which certain women who reach the age of menopause find another change happening to their bodies. i.e. they become werewolves. i fucking adored this concept and there was f/f romance, but the execution and the writing was sadly pretty boring.

no-no boy - john okada ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ post-wwii, following a young japanese american man who was just released from prison. called a no-no boy because like all other japanese men at the time, he was asked two questions: will you serve in the armed forces and swear loyalty to the us? he answered no to both questions and was detained. the novel follows him grappling with that decision after the war, looks into his friends, family life, race relations, and what it’s like living in a country that despises you. enjoyed it a lot.

the husband gambit - l.a. witt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the kind of tropey romance nonsense that i live for. contemporary m/m slow burn fake marriage between a struggling actor, and the son of a famous hollywood producer. there were some meh parts (like, the plotting and the reasoning behind why they had to get fake married was like... are you SURE marriage is the best way to fix this) but i really liked it for the romance and the tropes.

drive your plow over the bones of the dead - olga tocarczuk ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary polish mystery fiction, following an old woman living in a secluded community in the woods, when poachers and prominent hunters begin turning up dead. really interesting writing and format, and a really excellent protagonist. not sure how much i liked the actual mystery.

the babysitter - jack harbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ quick and dirty m/m romance, a literature-loving babysitter falls for the divorced father of the kid he babysits. pretty fun.

zipper mouth - laurie weeks ⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary fiction that follows a queer, mentally ill woman as she hurdles through life, unrequited love, jobs, and lots of drugs. i enjoyed the themes when there was a coherent one, but i really didn’t gel with the style. i guess it was trying to be stream of consciousness, which i have read and enjoyed in the past. but this didn’t do it for me. interesting tho, and honestly, i just might not have been the audience for it.

spirits abroad - zen cho ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a PHENOMENAL collection of stories drawing inspiration from malaysian spirits, culture and folklore. absolutely loved it, fave read of the month for sure. loved the use of language and dialect, and the writing was simple and precise and wonderful. and there were some great f/f stories in here.

a cat, a man and two women - junichiro tanizaki ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the setting: 1920s japan. the characters: lily, a fat tortoiseshell. shozo, her lazy, well-meaning, but ineffectual cat-dad. fukuko, his hot young former mistress, current wife. shinako, his strong-willed, slightly bitter ex-wife. the plot: shinako decides, HEY ACTUALLY FUCK YOU KEEP YOUR HOT WIFE BUT I WANT THE CAT. a great novella about loneliness and comeuppance and marriage. the best part was the cat lol.

the terracotta bride - zen cho ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ really interesting novella about a young dead woman living in chinese hell. she’s married, and her husband has three wives. the first: estranged, conniving, distant. the second: herself, unwilling but resigned. the third: newly arrived, and made out of terracotta. very interesting novella, beautifully written, grim but hopeful, f/f romance on the side.

king and the dragonflies - kacen callender ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ wonderful queer children/YA book about family, grief, racism, coming to know yourself and also accepting yourself. contemporary, but it almost FEELS like a fantasy/magical realism book.

orphan number eight - kim alkemade ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a novel about an orphaned woman coming to terms with experiments done on her as a child, when she encounters the doctor who performed said experiments, dying in a nursing home. the writing in this was pretty so-so, did a lot of head-hopping which is my biggest pet peeve. i liked the concept, but the plot and the follow through were meh. loved that the main character was a lesbian though, and some of the writing was great.

firm hand - nora phoenix ⭐️⭐️ meh... not for me. m/m contemporary romance following a guy recovering from the car crash that killed his best friend, and his best friend’s son. it went some places that i’m just not up for, lol.

meet cute club - jack harbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REALLY adorable m/m romance, following a dorky, earnest romance novel lover, and the new cashier at his favourite book store. they end up trying to revive the main characters struggling book club, and falling in love along the way. very fun and sweet.

mrs. mix up - candice harper ⭐️⭐️ the concept sounded so so cute: an f/f romance about two librarians with similar last names that go to a library convention and the staff mistakenly thinks they’re married and book them into one room. but the writing and chemistry were lacklustre and it was extremely poorly edited. it’s a shame, i could have liked this.

mine - kim hartfield ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a sexy f/f romance that i liked a LOT, about a young woman who after a traumatic event in her life decides to quit her job and go volunteer on a farm in the middle of nowhere. she ends up falling for her sexy lesbian farmer boss. it got deep in some areas i wasn’t really expecting it to, though it was a tad... idk, preachy? and the conflict at the end was annoying. enjoyed it a bunch tho.

the hobbit - j.r.r. tolkien ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ nth reread! i’ve been listening to this on audiobook around bedtime since like... march, i think, it’s just such a comfort read for me.

the knight and the necromancer 1-3 - a.h. lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a very solidly good fantasy m/m romance series, about a young prince and a necromancer in a war against an invading sorcerer. sorta enemies to lovers? the three books span their relationship and the war, and though it was only a few weeks in time, it didn’t feel insta-lovey at all. liked it a lot.

the fake game - kim hartfield ⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary f/f fake dating office romance! pretty cute; didn’t blow me away but i solidly liked most of it.

what the wind knows - amy harbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ historical time travel romance centred around the aftermath of the ireland easter rising. i spend so much time reading solidly gay stuff that it’s so weird reading things where the existence of queer ppl isn’t even acknowledged lol. anyway this was pretty good, i liked it mostly for the historical facts and aspects, but the romance was pretty touching too.

the golem of mala lubovnya - kim fielding ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ LOVELY m/m romance in a small jewish community between a newly created golem and a stonemason. lovely writing and atmosphere and characters. i had my nitpicks with the resolution but holy heck i’m so happy with this.

the electric heir - victoria lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the second part of a queer YA duo-logy that i started earlier this year, set in a future dystopian magic-riddled US, dealing with abuse and trauma and survivors. extremely difficult to read, almost unenjoyable at times (because god these kids go through so much) but very very good.

first everything - kim hartfield ⭐️⭐️ aha, possibly my last try with this author, though i liked the first book i read by her so much i might read one more! f/f romance between a journalist and a fictional first daughter (who’s also like, a domme, lol). the plot was fine but a lot of the character stuff and the shitty parent stuff really bothered me.

and that was may! for june i’ll... read lots of queer stuff, but i mean i do that every month. i also want to try to read less romance, more thriller and historical and just general contemporary? i feel like i say that all the time, but i’ll try. (though i did just get my first ever advanced reader copy from netgalley and it’s f/f romance, so... exciting!) currently reading the 7 deaths and evelyn hardcastle, a thriller. pretty okay so far.

#book talk #long post

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abunchofcrazyweirdos · 5 years

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OOC:

If youre checking out my muses page: PLEASE Ignore my blank muses. I am redoing everything and it’s in the works. Here are my muses in case you’re wondering and would like to know who they are. I do have another page of muses that is perfectly alright. If you’re wondering who they’re FCs are I will let you know too.

Noah Puckerman: (S1-6 or college).

Jake Puckerman: Womanizer of McKinley High School. Dancer/Singer.

Mason McCarthy: Twin brother to his sister Madison. He wishes that she would let him live his own life. He’s a cheerleader and singer.

Kitty Wilde: Head Bitch in Charge, her role model is Quinn Fabray. In Glee and a cheerleader.

Derek Hough: Lives to have fun and dance. Professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars. Passionate, Dedicated, and joker.

Kevin Matheson: Video game programmer, nerd, diligent, resourceful and sensible.

Brian Kinney: CEO of Kinnetik and owner of Babylon night club. Self-made millionaire. He will often put his foot in his mouth, and say things without thinking

Riley Matthews: Ball of energy. Outgoing and Bubbly. Loves her family and friends. Will try something new even if she fails.

Lucas Friar: Moved from Texas to New York. Champion bull rider, compassionate, intelligent, noble, athletic and a gentleman.

College FC for Lucas

Farkle Minkus: Boy genius. Nerd. Loves school. The teachers pet and he rather be studying than out partying with friends.

Ashton Irwin: Drummer for 5SOS. Aussie Native. Singer. Punk rocker, passionate.

Calum Hood: Bass player for 5SOS. Singer, Adventurous, Aussie

Luke Hemmings: Lead Singer, Guitar player for 5SOS. Dedicated and Aussie.

Michael Clifford: Vocals and Guitar player for 5SOS. Aussie, Punk rocker, joker, shy at times.

Harry Styles: . ¼ of One Direction. Singer plays piano and guitar. Cheeky, lovable, Baby Tarzan and curly.

Louis Tomlinson: Joker. ¼ of One Direction. Singer. Guitar player and Piano.

Liam Payne: ¼ of One Direction. Beatboxer, Singer, Batman (secretly) and Daddy Directioner. Lovable.Adorable, Puppy.

Niall Horan: Food lover. ¼ of One Direction. Drums, Singer, Guitar, Piano.

Zayn Malik: A former member of One Direction. The rapper, Singer, Doing my own thing, the tattoo artist.

Alec Lightwood: Shadowhunter, reserved, logical, charming, imaginative. Don’t mess with him. Overly protective of his sister and loved ones.

Billy Nutter: Punk, protective, impulsive, devoted, uncertain and sassy.

Nikko or Hunter Clarington: Singer, bad boy, adventurous, passionate and lives life to the fullest.

Oliver Queen: Athletic. The Green Arrow. Independent, Strong, hard-headed, stubborn and will do anything to save his family and friends.

Ethan Snow: Hard headed, bad boy with a soft side. Once his mind his made up, that’s it. He won’t budge.

Trinity White: Sweet, lovable, warm, singer and a bookworm. Can be hardheaded at times.

Evie: She will always be in the library, or with a book in her hand. She is very driven and passionate. Very intelligent.

Felicity Smoak: Team Arrow. Graduate of MIT and a hacker.

Caitlin Snow: Bio-engineer for S.T.A.R. Labs. Easily hurt so she guards herself and her heart. Killer Frost

Steve Rogers or AKA Captain America. Kicking ass and taking names. Loves to have a good time and joke around.

Clint Barton or AKA Hawkeye. Sneaks up on you if you’re not careful. Will kick your ass if you get on his bad side.

Cisco Ramon: Mechanical Engineer at S.T.A.R Labs. Intelligent, joker, laid back and Vibe.

Clary Fray: Promising art student, intelligent, guarded. Shadowhunter

Cole Pendery: Member of IM5. Dorky, a child at heart and very lovable. Cuddly panda.

Jackson Whitmore: Cocky, competitive, has a lovable side to him. On the lacrosse and swim team. (Verse: Roy from Arrow as well)

Lindy Sampson: Born in Chicago now lives in New York City. Works at NYPD in the Cyber Crimes Division. Hacker, MIT Drop out. Quick to take the blame.

Tommy Calligan: NYPD Detective with the Cyber Crimes Division. New York City born and raised. Witty, Smart and tough.

Jake Bolin: Aussie born and raised but moved to New York for job. Lawyer. Has a temper and will snap easily.

Gabe Morales: Member of IM5. Bad Boy but lovable too. Cocky.

Iris West: Daughter to Joe West. Journalist, Graduate Student. Witty, Passionate, easily will defend friends and family. Brother: Wally West.

Jace Wayland: Determined, narcissistic, expert Shadowhunter.

Connor Walsh: Law Student. Sly, Sexy, Smart, Narcissistic

Veronica Mars: Private Eye. Will accept any job that is offered to her. Dedicated to her work, family, friends and partners.

Oliver Hampton: Computer Nerd and hacker. Falls in love easily. Has to learn how to guard his heart.

Logan Echolls: Known as the resident bad boy of Neptune. Does not apply himself, smart, sarcastic attitude,tough exterior but troubled inside.

Grace: Gentle. Kind. Positive outlook on life. Surfer. Sweet.

Mack: Leader. Smart. Confident. Determined. Surfer. Singer.

Aiden: Passionate. Driven. A leader. Smart. Hardheaded

Simon: Intelligent. Finds humor in any situation. Loyal. Vampire or Human

Izzy Lightwood: Kick ass. Comfortable in her body. Keeps people in check. Breaks rules, will speak her mind.

Image result for raphael shadowhunters

Raphael: Well-dressed. Handsome. Protective.

Image result for lydia shadowhunters

Lydia: Driven. Bad ass. Vulnerable. Harsh.

Image result for Magnus Bane

Magnus Bane: High Warlock. Glitter. Perfection.

Jason: Mechanic (Motorcycles)

Josh: Tattoo Artist.

Neal: Informant for FBI.

Image result for Jess Mariano

Jess Mariano: Writer. Smart. Witty. Hot-headed/Temper

Image result for Logan Huntzberger

Logan Huntzberger: Smart. Charming. Flirty.

Image result for machine gun kelly

Ty: Your typical bad boy.

Image result for tyler young

Tyler: Closeted gay. Foster child. Dad is MIA and Mom is sick.

Image result for brent antonello

Jude Kinkade: Vice President of Devils Basketball team

Zero or Gideon: Member of the Devils Basketball team.

Noel Kahn: Your typical charming guy with a bad side. Throws wild parties.

Wyatt Casey: Outsider. Likes to keep to himself mostly.

Diego: FBI Agent.

Barry Allen or Sebastian Smythe: Singer, Forensic scientist and Student

Danny: Hockey Player.

Mickey

Ian

Chelsea

Ben

Deran

Andrew

Jughead.

Jay

Thomas

Stiles

Ethan

Derek

Theo

Liam Dunbar

Corey

Mason

Pol. Student.

Buck: Firefighter.

Ricky

Carlos

Aria

Marley Or Kara

Chris

Moose:

Cami:

Sean or Eddie:

Andie:

Blaine Anderson:

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purplesurveys · 5 years

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A bunch of name surveys just because.

Do you know people with these names? For each name, say if you know someone with that name and how you know them.

Aaron: Aaron’s a good friend and a part of my high school friend group. We don’t see each other anymore but we’ll sometimes bump into each other on campus. Adam Aisha Alanna Alex: There’s someone in my college with this name. She sings and is taking up broadcast communication. Alexa: Someone from my high school batch. Was a popular girl and a little too sassy for my liking. I think she’s moved to Australia now. Alexandria Allegra Allie: It’s spelled Alli, but she’s a member of our rival org. She’s the fakest bitch I know and ugh, she’s just so rotten and loves to talk shit about people behind their backs. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s said anything about me. Allison: This was the name of my Comm 100 instructor. I found her really pretty but she doesn’t teach very well. She’s also taking up her Masters in the same department, which explains why she did one sem of teaching.

Alondra Amanda: I have an orgmate named Amanda. She’s taking up engineering but I’ve forgotten which sub-branch. Super quiet girl but I found her reliable in the few times I worked with her. Amber Amie: It’s spelled Aimee but whatever. Rich girl, is the equivalent of a white girl where I live. Is dating one of the star basketball players from Ateneo. Ana Anaïs Andreas Andrew: Dude from my course. Likes wrestling, is funny and has good insights, but is a little too clingy for my liking. Also feels as though he’s friends with everyone which can feel a tad bit invasive. Angela: My best friend’s name is Angela. Angelica: Sweet girl from my course who is super passionate about science journalism. A little dorky but I like her, and I find her really sweet. I admire her for always sticking up for what she wants and believes in. She’s really resilient and adventurous; she always signs up for conferences, seminars, workshops, and stuff, whether local or abroad. Her mom’s a famous journalist in the country. Anna Annie: One of my grandma’s close friends is named Annie but I haven’t seen her in a while. I don’t even know if she’s still alive? Ari: I have a friend-ish who has a little sister nicknamed Ari. I’m not close with her enough to know Ari’s full name lmao. Ashley Ashna Audrey: Someone from my batch. She stayed in UP Los Banos for a while, but she’s since moved to my campus but I’m not sure what course she’s taking. My bets are Math or Architecture, but I can be wrong. Austin Becky: Nasty fake bitch from my AJPunk days. I had a close-knit group of friends during these days and we were all brought together just by our love for wrestling and our favorite ship at the time. She was a part of it too, but someone discovered her private Twitter and it was just her saying a bunch of mean, nasty things about everyone else in the group, including me. When we confronted her about it, she blocked us. Messy times, lmao. Ben

Berkeley Beth Bobby Bolor Brendan Bridgid: I dunno if this counts, but I had a batchname with the name Bridgette. I don’t know much about her other than the fact that she once dated a dude from one of the popular bands from our scene who played the saxophone. Britney Brooke Cal Callie Cam Cameron Camille: When I was younger, I used to ride the school bus with an older girl named Camille. She was 3-4 years older, I don’t really remember; but she was one of the nicer older students and always spoke to us on the bus. She’s since moved to California and I never got to talk to her anymore. Camryn Carmen Caro Caroline: Jane’s middle name is Caroline. Casilda Cecile Cecily Chanel Chloe: Another high school batchmate. I remember her as being kind of a snob and would look down on people who weren’t popular. She was always kind to me though so that was nice. She’s taking up Psych in my school now but I’ve never seen her around. I also know another Chloe from communication research, but I don’t talk to her. Chris: Not the same spelling, but I know a Kris. She’s one of Gabie’s two best friends. All I know about her is that she likes doing outdoor stuff, like hiking and going to the beach; but she’s too extroverted for me to wanna hang out with her all the time. Christina: We all call her Tina but this is her whole name. She’s the new VP for Publicity in our org. Real sweet girl, not a bad bone in her body. She’s also one of the more mature people I know. Christopher: My uncle’s whole name is Christopher, but he’s Tito Perry to me. I have no idea how his nickname turned into that. He works abroad so I don’t see him much but I know he’s hilarious. Claire: Ms. Claire was the guidance counselor assigned to my batch for several levels. I didn’t really cultivate a relationship with her as much as I didn’t with all the other mentors/teachers in my old school. Claudia: Her name was Klaudia and she was an It girl all the way from preschool to the second we graduated high school. She was really mean when she was a kid but I think she’s been nicer in high school and now that we’re in college. Typical rich kid who has snooty tendencies, but I appreciate the one time she said hi to me on campus haha. She’s taking up a course in economics now. Claudine Cole Connie Connor Courtney Cyrus Daisy: My 6th grade Math teacher had this name. She did not teach well and I mostly got bad grades in math that year. Dakota Dana: If you mean Danna, then I know someone I went to grade school with with the same name. She was...honestly a little weird, and knew so many sexual innuendos at like, 10. That creeped me out and I didn’t hang out with her a lot. But if you mean Dana with a long A, I know a Deina too; different spelling but whatever. I don’t know much about her but we’re course mates and I’ve been classmates with her a few times. She had a dog who died recently :( Danielle: She goes by Giana but her middle name is Danielle. Sweet girl from my high school, but never really got to hang out with her since our personalities are super different. She’s taking up philosophy in my school. David: Callo’s foreign boyfriend is named David but I’ve never met him precisely because he lives somewhere in like Europe and only comes over to the Philippines a couple times every year; Patrice’s boyfriend is also named David and I’ve met him a few times. Nice dude. David’s also the name of one of my groupmates from my communication research class. He sucks and barely contributed anything. Delilah Diane: Dianne’s someone I went to high school with. We were never close but we were always friendly to each other when our paths would meet. Super smart–she’s taking up business administration and accountancy also in my schoool–and is a beast at dancing. Diego: A high school batchmate has been going out with a dude named Diego in the last 5 years. Donald Doug Duncan Dylan: My sister went to high school with a girl named Dylan but that’s all I know. Eleanor Elijah: I have a cousin named Elijah and also a high school batchmate with the same name. The first Elijah’s really quiet and likes to keep to himself, preferably with a book; the second one I’m not very close to. All I remember is that she kept on having these really bad allergies when we were in kindergarten but that’s about it lmao. She also goes to the same school I do and I think she’s also taking up business ad. Elise: Some girl a batch higher than me in college who served in the student council. Never talked to her. Eliza Elizabeth: See Ellie haha. Ella: Angela’s family nickname is Ela. Elle: I had a former batchmate whose middle name was Elle but we all called her Rielle. Insanely rich. Moved to Nevada when we were all still kids. Ellie: It’s spelled Ely, but I had a class with her just this semester. She’s soft-spoken and I found her to be really elegant. Elliot Emerson Emily Emma Eric: My godfather and uncle is named Eric. He was the funny uncle when I was a kid but I never really see him anymore. Erika: There was an Erycka from my high school batch but I genuinely dislike her. She was rich, liked to brag, and to look down on those who weren’t on her level. Acted like hot shit because she was in a band. She asked me to drive her along with her other (much nicer) friends for the Paramore concert last August, and as much as I didn’t want to, I had to say yes because I had no reason to decline the request. Ethan Faith Fiona: One of my sister’s closest friends is named Fiona. Francesca: Such a common name. Francesca is my friend Michelle’s middle name, and the first name of my close friend from Batch 2017 in high school (I’m from Batch 2016) as well as the names of two girls from Batch 2019. I also have a distant cousin with the name. I’m sure there’s loads more with this name. Franz George: Weird dude I was classmates with in a history class this semester. It’s the kind of weird that you know just how smart he is that you just accept the weirdness and go lmao. Ginny Giselle Grace: One of my great-aunts is named Grace. Graham Hadley Hailey: Not a person, but one of Angela’s shihtzus is named Hailey. Hannah: Orgmate, groupmate, classmate, and a good friend of mine. Also not a bad bone in her body. She’s a born performer and has a massive crush on David Archuleta. Havana Helen Henry Hugo Huma Ilana: Close enough. I know an Ylona but we all call her Summer. Guessing she got that nickname as she was born in April. Indra Isabel: High school batchmate who I mostly remember because she’s super religious, which is also why I didn’t really want to be close to her. She’s really nice though. Isabelle’s also my middle name. Isabella: One of Gabie’s sisters is named Isabela. Itza Ivy: This is the name of my professor in feature writing. Really good at what she does and I’ve always enjoyed her writing. Izzy Jackie Jacob James: I have a younger second cousin named James. I’ve only seen him once though, when he visited the country last December for Christmas, because he’s been raised in New Zealand and Vietnam his whole life. Jamie: She was one of my groupmates in an English class. I found her hardworking so I liked her. She was also my classmate in a pol sci class but I think she dropped it halfway through. Jason Jennifer: One of my teachers in kindergarten. She was very maternal and always looked out for me knowing how shy I was as a kid, which I’ve always appreciated. Jenny Jess Jhadha Joe John: I know a bunch of Johns but the most prominent one is my older cousin that I’m closest to; his first name is John. Jonathan Joseph: Dude from my course. Kinda cheery dude, always active and in a good mood. Sometimes he’s too extroverted for me. Joyce J.P. Jude Julia Julie Justin: Some dude from the org I used to apply for. I didn’t last very long in the application process so I only know him by name. Kaan Kai: One of my sister’s best friends from school is named Kairin but she goes by Kai. She’s also a neighbor of ours. Karina Kat: I had an internet friend back in like 2012 named Kat. She was mysterious and had a twin sister, but she disappeared and had her Twitter deleted not long after. Kat’s also the nickname of my cousin’s girlfriend. Kate: One of the best friends I’ve made in college. We started out as orgmates and didn’t really talk for two years, but we got closer since we were both vice presidents and had to work a lot with each other. She’s graduating next month and I’m really sad about it. Katherine Kinaya Kira Kristie Lanie Laura Lauren: A batchmate from high school. She studies med in college now. We were close from Grade 3 to 4 but grew apart as our circles and interests changed. Had a slew of boyfriends and girlfriends in like 6th grade and was one of the girls who started drinking early lol so she was one of the pretty cool kids for those. Leah León Lexxi Liberty Lisette Louisa: One of my good friends in college is named Luisa, who I also met from our org. She graduated last year but we still keep in touch in groupchats and I’ll also see her from time to time in sports events since she covers the sports beat. Luca Luis: A close friend that I met in high school. We were part of the same friend group, and now he’s taking up architecture in my school with Angela. Lynette MacKenzie Maddie Maggie: There was a girl from two higher batches with this name. I also have a younger cousin we call Maggie. Makena Manlio Margaret: Yeah, my cousin Maggie’s first name is Margaret. Margo: Used to go to grade school and ride the school bus with a Margo. She would let me listen to her MP3 when we were in 3rd grade; her favorite album at the time was Ashley Tisdale’s Headstrong because that’s all we would listen to hahaha. Maria: This is the most common name in the Philippines and I literally know like 50 people named Maria. Marianna Mariely Martha Martin Mayuri McKinley Megan: A high school batchmate’s middle name is Megan, but her first and chosen name is Denise. Meredith Mia: I know a Mia but only from mutual friends. We’ve never talked to nor met each other. Michael: See Mike. Michelle: Yup, she’s my orgmate and a friend of mine. I’m also gonna be working with her in the next executive board term in the org since we were both elected as VPs. Mike: He was my almost in high school. We met each other at a soiree and hit it off really well from the start. I was considering it for a while and he even asked me to senior ball, but it clashed with me getting back together with Gab while all of that was happening. Minah Miranda Molly Morgan Nadia Nancy: We had a bus mother we called Manang Nancy and she practically raised me my whole childhood. I changed school buses when we moved houses and never really was able to get back to her, which I continue to feel sucky about. She’s really old now and highkey not even sure if she’s still alive, and it’s why I’d love to see her again. Natalie Nathan Nathanael Neoma Nichole: I had an annoooooooying bus mate named Nicole. She was the kind of kid that would do all kinds of stuff just to grab your attention and to have you look at her. I think she graduated this year. Nico: One of my high school batchmate’s went out with a Nico for a really long time. I don’t think they’re together now though cos its been ages since she posted about him. Nikki: Old high school batchmate, but she moved out early to transfer to a science high school. Noah Noelle Octavio Olivia Orion Owen Paige Pam: Again, another girl from high school. I also had a classmate named Pam in my broad comm class this semester, and she was always nice to me and helped me out a lot whenever I needed it. Pat: I know a bunch of people named Patricia who go by Pat. Patrick: Audrey’s boyfriend. All I remember about him is that he gets annoyingly aggressive when he’s drunk. Paul: An alumni of my org. Was a former president, too. He’d show up to org events here and there. Paula: I went to elementary and high school with a girl named Paula. She was painfully quiet for the most part but I think she’s blooming a lot in college now. Pauline: My 4th grade social science teacher was named Pauline and she was also one of my first woman crushes lmao. I also used to go to school with two Paulines; one was really girly and a little snooty, and the other Pauline is one of the most talented artists I know. Peter Phoebe: There are two Phoebes in my college. One is taking up journ and the other is from broad comm. Phong Price Quinn Rachel Rai: A girl from one of my old broad comm classes. That was really the only time I encountered her. Railey Raquel Ray Rayne: There was a Raine from my old school. Smart, talented, very tall, hilarious, clever, cool girl. She’s the daughter of one of the more popular national basketball coaches. Rebecca Rebkah Regina: She goes by Reggy but this is her full name. She’s the beeeest baker I know. She’s had her own successful baking business since high school and I’m just glad it’s going nowhere but up for the last five or so years. Reilly Remy Ren Rhianna Robert Rohini Roither Rose: Marielle’s (my lifelong enemy lmao) first name is Rose. Ruby Ruilin Sabrina Sakura Salim Sally Sam: Sam is a really popular white girl name in the Philippines and I know so many of them. Sapna Sarah Savanah Sebastian Shani Shannon Siena Snigdha Sofia: Gab’s youngest sister is named Sophia. My old best friend is also a Sofia. Sophie: ^ It’s the former’s nickname. Soren Spencer Summers: Close, but I know a Summer from my college and org. Sydney Taran Taylor Tessa: My prof in PR class is a Tessa. Thea: Another girl from high school. She was a teacher’s pet even though I always found her to be a bit snobby and having a little atittude. Theo Theresa: My profs in PR and Newsroom classes are Theresas. Tim Tom Tori Ural Victoria: I had a groupmate in civic ed whose middle name was Victoria, but we all called her Kristine. Viviane Walter Will Willa William Yujin Yuta Zac: I think one of my cousins has Zachary as his middle name, but I’m not so sure hahaha. Zoe Which names do you prefer?

Alice or Allana? Allie or Andie? Alexandra or Anastasia? Anna or Angela? Annie or Angelica? Ana or Ashna? Audrey or Ashley? Ansel or Annika? Brooke or Britney? Berkeley or Bella? Bo Chao or Beatrix? Camille or Camryn? Cristina or Casilda? Chloe or Courtney? Charlotte or Carol? Cleo or Chanel? Davin or Dillon? Delilah or Dutra? Erin or Elina? Emin or Emerson? Emily or Emma? Erika or Estelle? Faith or Frannie? Fernanda or Francesca? Georgina or Gracie? Gabriela or Gina? Hailey or Hannah? Hadley or Havana? Indra or Isabel? Indiana or Ivy? Jenny or Jessie? Julia or Joyce? Jasmine or Jackie? Jamie or Jennifer? Kimia or Karina? Katerina or Kate? Kira or Kristie? Lia or Lily? Lauren or Lynette? Liberty or Leila? Margaret or Martha? Michelle or Mackenzie? Mia or Michaela? Morgan or Maddie? Maya or Mayuri? Megan or Makena? McKinley or Margo? Nikki or Natalie? Nadia or Nancy? Nicole or Olivia? Rachel or Rebecca? Remi or Rosie? Ruby or Reine? Ren or Sakura? Sapna or Snigdha? Sally or Stella? Sophie or Sydney? Sophia or Solana? Skye or Sierra? Serena or Savanah? Sarah or Sabrina? Tara or Taylor? Vittoria or Yahs? Yoonju or Yukine? Aidan or Austin? Alan or Andrew? Aldo or Alexx? Ben or Brian? Billy or Brodie? Corey or Carlos? Coleman or Connor? David or Dylan? Eli or Eric? Franz or Fernando? Gabe or Graham? Holden or Hudson? Jacob or Justin? Jack or JP? Jimmy or Jared? James or John? Karm or Kian? Lou or Lenny? Michael or Mickey? Nick or Nathan? Peter or Pierson? Rai or Rafael? Sanjay or Supawat? Will or Wynn? Zachary or Zack? Girls’ Names - This or That?

Aisha or Allana? Alex or Alexa? Alexandra or Alexandria? Ali or Allie? Allegra or Allison? Alondra or Amanda? Amber or Amie? Ana or Aneka? Anaïs or Anh? Angela or Angelica? Anna or Anne? Annie or Ashley? Ashna or Aziza? Astrid or Audrey? Beatrice or Beleicia? Becky or Berkeley? Bethany or Bethlehem? Bo-Chao or Bolor? Bridgid or Brooke? Britney or Brittany? Callie or Carlie? Camryn or Camille? Carmen or Casilda? Carol or Caroline? Catherine or Charlotte? Cecile or Cecily? Chanel or Chloe? Christina or Claire? Claudia or Claudine? Connie or Corrine Courtney or Cristina? Daisy or Delilah? Dana or Danielle? Dakota or Diamond? Diana or Diane? Eleanor or Elizabeth? Elise or Eliza? Elle or Ella? Ellen or Evelyn? Emlyn or Emerson? Ellie or Elly? Emily or Emma? Erika or Erin? Fiona or Francesca? Faith or Frances? Gabi or Grace? Gardenia or Giselle? Ginny or Genesis? Hadley or Hailey? Haley or Hayley? Harriet or Helen? Hannah or Heather? Havana or Haligan? Ilana or Isabel? Indra or Itza? Ivy or Izzy? Isabelle or Isabella? Jackie or Jamie? Jasmine or Jeanne? Jenna or Jenny? Jen or Jess? Jennifer or Jessica? Jae-Min or Jhadha? Julia or Julianna? Jude or Joyce? Judy or Julie? Karina or Kinaya? Kat or Katherine? Kate or Katie? Kyra or Kira? Kiki or Kristie? Lily or Leah? Laura or Lauren? Lexxi or Lizzie? Lisette or Lynette? Louisa or Lucia? Lanie or Liberty? Maddie or Maggie? Mackenzie or Makena? Mallory or Margaret? Madeleine or Megan? Margita or Maria? Marie or Martha? Marianna or Mariela? McKenna or McKinley? Miranda or Meredith? Melissa or Michelle? Margo or Marianne? Mariely or Mayuri? Minh or Mitsuki? Molly or Mia? Morgan or Marge? Nadia or Nina? Natalie or Natasha? Neoma or Naomi? Nancy or Nicole? Nichole or Noelle? Nikki or Nelsy? Olivia or Oratilé? Paige or Phoebe? Paloma or Pamela? Pam or Price? Paula or Pauline? Rachel or Rebecca? Rayne or Reyna? Raquel or Rebkah? Regina or Rita? Railey or Rhianna? Remi or Ruby? Ruilin or Rohini? Rose or Rosie? Sabrina or Sydney? Sadie or Sally? Salomé or Silvia? Sara or Sarah? Shannon or Simone? Shu-Shu or Sakura? Siena or Sofia? Sophie or Sophia? Soren or Summers? Swapnika or Snigdha? Syd or Savanah? Taylor or Tori? Tessa or Theresa? Victoria or Viviane? Waverly or Willa? Yasmeen or Yvonne? Yoonju or Yujin? Yahs or Yukine? Zoe or Zoey?

#survey #surveys #took me the whole damn AFTERNOON to take these

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haydennation · 7 years

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A Star Reborn: Elle Magazine Interview (February 2008)

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

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

#hayden christensen #elle magazine interview February 2008 #interviews

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