[open!] it's a hard knock life

[undauntingdawn]

Who: Riku and you!
When: 3/31 ic
Where: Various places
What: Come join Riku in an exciting day filled with stunting doubling and mascara mishaps.
Warnings: n/a

a. on the set

[back in the city, back on the set. being a stunt double wouldn't have ever been his first career choice, but it's not a bad one. actually, it's been sort of fun. all it involves is pretending to get shot or drive stuff into other stuff or stuff. if the whole keyblade master thing ever gets old, taking this up as a side gig might not be the worst idea.

somewhere near the pleasure district is where today's filming is taking place. who is he a double for? a premier soap opera star. yup. some long lost cousin who turned out to actually be the twin brother of the husband of-- whatever. riku stopped paying attention halfway through the synopsis. apparently the long lost cousin whatever is getting 'killed' this episode and then dropping in to ruin the wedding of his baby mama to his murderous best friend next one (sorry, spoilers).

riku can be found various places during today's shooting and is dressed in a very snazzy tuxedo, with the itchiest blond wig in the world to go with it.

maybe you catch sight of him at the crew food table munching on a bagel. maybe you saw him get 'shot' atop a tall building and fall off. weirder yet, maybe the falling involved no safety equipment and him vanishing briefly before appearing safely on the ground seconds later. or maybe you're a fan of the show who wants backstage access and thinks the stunt guy might be able to pull some strings for you. good luck with that.]

b. ViViDa

[stunt doubling it up, not bad as it is, lacks too much in the way of effort or real exercise. what he really needs is a work out. only a complete lazy bum would let themselves sit still after that jungle adventure the other day. why not vivid? riku hasn't been back since that fun retro gaming stint. someone mentioned it not being AS glitchy normally so why not? worst comes to worst he ends up eating garbage again. please let that not happen. it took 3 days to get that smell off.

impressive is the first word that comes to mind upon stepping inside.]

They went all out with the place, huh?

[what a shame they couldn't have wasted the money on toning down on the near death experiences. there's definitely a lot to take in, almost too much. observing things a little might make things easier. he'll stand and watch some other people's games. sorry about the audience if someone happens not to like it.]

ViViDb

[watching people doesn't make the level choosing any easier. there's still so many options, even with just fighting stuff. options aren't bad. question is which of these options won't glitch him into a second date with a dumpster?

why not get a second opinion? chatting people up can lead to some interesting information, too, especially with so many different worlds all dragged into one. without much more of a second thought, riku casually approaches whoever's close by.]

So which one of these levels do you like?

c. around the residential district

[stunting falls under the fun job umbrella. testing mascara? not so much. or at all. the job got clicked accidentally upon arrival and the tester kept on spamming him with 'we need you!!' messages at all hours of the day. riku yielded, if only to get the guy off his back. that earned him a nice reward, one in the form of stabbing himself in the eye with a mascara applicator. rewards like this are definitely ones he could do without. how people manage to apply this stuff without losing an eye...

it's this deep philosophical thought that preoccupies his mind on the way back home. riku can be seen walking while grumbling under his breath and blinking his left eye far too much, an eye that's really red. doing so makes him pay way less attention than normal while walking. did he walk into a pole? only once. trip over a bump in the sidewalk? maybe twice. walk into a person? possibly.

oh and maybe he forgot to wash off that mascara, too. whoops. at least his eyelashes look fabulous.]

Comments

C

[braavado]

[There's only so many times you can watch a guy run into and trip over things before you become slightly concerned for their safety. Or maybe even yours, when the guy nearly swerves right into you.

Korra leans back while steadying Riku with a hand on each shoulder before he can really crash into her.]

Careful! [She peers at him curiously.] Uh, maybe you should find a place to sit before you hurt yourself. What happened, anyway?

[He doesn't look injured exactly, but there must be a reason for his odd behavior.]

[undauntingdawn]

[sorry about that swerving!! having your vision go from 20/20 to pain/20 makes seeing straight a little tricky. he appreciates korra stopping the crash from happening, too. the last thing he needs right now is breaking something... or breaking something on someone else.

after the near collision, his gaze shifts from the ground and at her. one eye looks fine; the other's really red and squinted. both look stunning with the added flair of mascara. he gives her a wry, if apologetic smile.]

It's a little too late for that.

[the horribly red eye ought to say as much. he sighs while bringing up a hand to rub at it. bad idea, maybe, but it's irritating and this helps for all of two seconds.]

Simply put, I got tangled up in one mess I shouldn't have.

[braavado]

Yikes, what happened to your eye?

[At this distance, it's hard to miss, especially when he's looking straight at her. She pauses, curiosity momentarily overriding the concern when she notices something else about his eyes.]

Huh. You're wearing eye makeup. Not a lot of guys I know do.

[Actually there's just the one, and Riku's already way more pleasant than that one is. She might be slightly biased against a certain Wolfbat, but only slightly.]

[undauntingdawn]

[thanks for not discriminating against mascara wearing men all because of one bad egg, korra. riku really appreciates it, though he appreciates the commentary on it a little less. it really is that obvious he has the stuff on, isn't? a small, if exasperated sigh comes before he speaks up.]

That's all part of that mess I mentioned. Trust me, I'm not wearing this because it brings out my eyes.

[even if it really does. the guy kept saying that to the point riku wondered if maybe his gorgeous eyes broke his brain.]

[braavado]

[She can't resist an opportunity like that, even if Riku's a stranger.] That's too bad because it really does bring out your eyes. [Totally grinning as she says it.

The smile loses some of its mischief after a second, though, and she goes right back to being concerned.]

A make up mess, huh? I know how that one goes. Did someone just try to force it on you or something...?

c;

[bropane]

[ ... what the hell happened to you? you look like a goth clown or something, riku. this of course, fills him with concern and he sends his st. bernard cybuddy straight towards riku as he walks slowly towards the younger man.

before riku can say anything, he's already been scanned. ]

You have a sore eye. Do you want an eyedrop?

[undauntingdawn]

[gothic clown at least sounds cooler than mascara tester who nearly blinded himself. riku squints down at the thing that approached him. that's... one of those cybuddy things, if one who likes stating the obvious. eye drops, however, sound divine.]

I won't pass up the offer if you got some on you.

[it's then that he notices someone else approaching. glancing up reveals a familiar face, one last seen in not the most pleasant of circumstances. the alive look definitely suits you better than the charred look, tadashi. riku might actually look a little relieved upon catching sight of him. hiro's probably happy, too.]

Is this guy yours?

[bropane]

Made him myself.

[ he stops in his tracks to let the robot get to work. by that, i mean the cybuddy opens its barrel around its neck to reveal some eyedrops. demo then barks at riku to tell him to get the eyedrops. sorry, tadashi's still working on how to actually make the dog put eyedrops on people. ]

[undauntingdawn]

[hey, the important part here is the eye drops and not the delivery. even riku could exert the strenuous effort to bend over and pick that up himself, which he does and eagerly begins to put the stuff to work.]

So you and Hiro both have that genius thing going for you.

[now that he thinks about it, there's a definite resemblance, too. hmm he's gonna make a little bit of leap, but also not too far-fetched a one with this next comment.]

Little bro following in big bro's footsteps?

C

[cresthopes]

[And here Takeru and Patamon were just minding their own business before they heard a loud sound nearby. Without a second thought, the both of them quickly turned their head to find a rather familiar looking boy.

Of course now, it was a familiar looking boy with some rather...interesting marks around his eyes]

...Riku-san...? Are you okay? You don't look so good, you got a lot of stuff around your eyes!

[undauntingdawn]

[the familiar voice comes with a familiar face. riku's about to open his mouth but pauses at the last part. stuff around his eyes. ...he forgot to wash it off, didn't he? of course he did.]

Yeah, I bet I do. [he sighs before before speaking up again.] It's that noticeable, huh?

[the guy DID sing his praises after putting the stuff on. something about 'such a perfect tester!!' and 'no, really, you are perfect!! you must return!!' and other stuff that completely ignored the whole 'the perfect tester nearly lost an eye' deal.]

[cresthopes]

Yeah it is but it doesn't look that bad? You didn't get into a fight did you? It's one of those things uh...

It's a black eye isn't it?

[Close enough! Although, as the boy looked a bit closer, he just raised an eyebrow at him]

...Or maybe it's one of those things that my mom likes to put on! That make up where it gives you a black line or something!

[undauntingdawn]

[a black eye at least has some level of coolness to it. blood shot eye thanks to makeup mishap is about as uncool as it gets.]

Or something is right. [something that never should have been...] But yeah, you nailed it with the second guess.

a.

[souperb]

[ if anyone were to ask about milla's guilty love for shitty soap operas, shitty romcoms, trashy romance novels--she'd fervently deny it. right now, if anyone were to ask about why she's even here, on the edges of the film set, looking around curiously... she'd blame wanting to know what the noise was all about, and nothing else.

it's not at all to get an autograph from the star of her shitty soap opera, which she catches when she can, all the while insulting it and thinking how can anyone buy this stuff? ( she does. ) it's that thought that makes her rather rushed while she's here, the risk of being caught an embarrassing prospect. so, when she sees riku from the back, she automatically assumes he's who she's looking for.

stunt doubles. how should she start this.... ah... how should she even go with this? ]

Excuse me. [ ... ] Look, I have a friend, so if you could do me a favor--

[ there we go!! ]

[undauntingdawn]

[it's in the middle of a bagel biteful that the surprise company comes by. her speaking up gets him to turn around and eye milla briefly. blushy and awkward. not hard to guess what her angle is, either mistaking him for the real thing or wanting the fake to deliver the real thing on a silver platter.

an eyebrow is quickly arched, almost as if in amusement. friend. right. which is why she's acting like a school girl approaching her crush to borrow a pencil. good try, but bad delivery. the bagel gets swallowed before he speaks up (hey, he does have SOME manners, just not a lot).]

Let me guess, a favor that involves getting this 'friend' backstage access?

[or maybe she really does want to borrow a pencil. hell if he knows.]

[souperb]

[ ... no, just kidding, but she does consider it.

her yelling bloody murder is more like a harsh exhale of surprise, as it takes a moment to sink in that this person she's talking to? is not actually the person she thought she was talking to. actually, riku's face looks kind of familiar, in the-- can't really put her finger to it kind of way, and in the "not actually a soap opera star" kind of way. also in the "way that he says friend implies he's on to her" kind of way, which is really the most horrifying thing right now. ]

--No. [ that's said pretty quickly. ugh. bullshit excuse, bullshit excuse... ] ... No. My friend's already on set. I just need you to deliver a message to her.

[ yes, genius. ]

[undauntingdawn]

[that would've earned milla a bagel to the head. stunt doubles are not punching bags!! ...except when they are, but details details.

bullshit excuse is right. is this girl for serious? ...probably. any good liar wouldn't have made it that obvious. hopefully she's not trying to convince the lead to give her a role in the show. going off this little display, she'd probably act as well as a porcupine. riku, being the good samaritan that he is, decides to help dissuade her from any potential acting attempts by calling her out on this bullshit. best way to do that? punch a hole through it and without even wasting a beat.]

Right. [he sounds SO convinced.] And does this friend have a name?

[got an answer for that, oh genius one?]

c!

[immobileyes]

[ Truly, those are some fabulous eyelashes. Or so Mary would acknowledge, if she had seen them, and had not just been walked into while she's heading back home.

Instead, she's stumbling backwards with a yelp, tripping over some apparent crack, and whoops, down she goes.

HAS THE MASCARA TAKEN YOU, RIKUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-- ]

[undauntingdawn]

[staring at the ground results in him completely failing to notice the girl walking ahead trip and start falling backward toward him. might be better this way, at least for the tripee. him not noticing means he keeps right on walking which means mary's fall is broken by riku's chest instead of cold ground. how lucky.

the sudden trustfall exercise causes riku to start, reaching a hand out instinctively to steady her as soon as he realizes what happened. any good knight in shining armor would ask the fair maiden if they were all right. sadly, this doesn't apply to knights in shining mascara.]

You really should hold off on falling for people until getting to know them first.

[riku.]

[immobileyes]

Wh-- fall-- falling-- I-I'm not--!

[ Don't drop her, Riku, she's already trying to lurch herself upright and away with windmilling arms. ]

[undauntingdawn]

[ajgda mary, you are just making the falling situation worse. thankfully, riku keeps right on supporting her throughout the windmill impersonation.]

You might wanna stop falling first before trying to claim that.

vivid b

[zerotohiro]

I haven't really played any of them, to be honest. [And he seems a little embarrassed about that. He's not wearing his usual armor today and he actually had his back to Riku since he was looking at something else and thus didn't realize who he was addressing. When he turns and sees the guy though his eyes light up in recognition and he grins a little more. Things are a little better now that they're out of the jungle, it seems.]

But I've heard it's pretty fun no matter what you end up choosing. You know. When it doesn't glitch out. [He tilts his head a bit in thought.] What kind of games did you play back home?

[undauntingdawn]

[the way hiro reacts, with eyes lighting up and that little grin, definitely is a step up from the boy holding a charred body in the middle of the jungle. ...make that more like 20 steps up. it's enough to get a grin out of riku in return. was he maybe the slightest bit worried about how hiro ended up after that whole mess? nah. ...well, maybe a little.]

I played around on an island most of the time.

[nothing too exciting, nothing like vivid anyway. it was just him and sora and kairi and everyone else messing around there most of the time. did they do other things? sure, but so much of their free time was spent there. hah, it's funny, in a way, just how fondly he thinks of the island now as compared to before. so many precious memories were made there, so many precious people live there and yet he still used to loathe it. how things have changed. how he's changed.]

You?

[zerotohiro]

An island? [It sort of fits into what he knows about Riku (which, admittedly isn't much) but he knows the guy's not used to tech at all. It's not so much that Hiro's adversed to going outside but he's spent way more time in his room than most boys his age.] Guess that would make things a little harder when it comes to video games. I mean I'm from a city. We don't have too many islands around where I'm from.

[The question about the games though has him thinking for all of ten seconds.] MMOs mostly...it's basically an online game where you can play with a bunch of people all at the same time with all kinds of settings and characters and objectives. And I've played RPGs and first-person shooters and sometimes puzzle games. Like that one with the blocks we were all stuck playing in ViViD last time around. [He stops then before shrugging.] I haven't even tried most of the stuff ViViD offers, but apparently it's a lot.

[undauntingdawn]

[lucky hiro. cities definitely have a lot more to offer than his home. then again, he wouldn't trade it for the world at this point. ...even if those games do sound fun. riku makes a note to check them out here if he can. maybe if he's lucky, they won't end up trying to kill him, either.

so neither of them have had the un-crazy vivid experience yet, huh? why not fix this. they're both here and, who knows, maybe without the whole life or death puzzle games it could be fun.]

Wanna give it a go? Between a genius gaming sage and a keyblade master, tackling ViViD should be a piece of cake.