Crazy casting couch! Casting The Nightrunner series, Part 1

Sometimes, you do stupid things. Like doing your own ice cream, and then put the freezing bowl into the freezer, instead of moving the ice cream into a different container. It took 2 hours last night no get the ice cream soft enough to scoop. As I STILL didn’t move the ice cream into a new container, I’m looking at 2 hours of idly waiting for my ice cream… *sigh*

I intend to use these two hours to do a crazy casting couch. And with crazy, I mean that I will not cast actors as characters (well, that too), but characters as characters. Where, or even why, I got this idea, I don’t know. I just can’t explain it. This is part serious, part humor, but mostly serious. Only, as you can’t really cast characters that doesn’t exit as characters in other movies as characters that doesn’t exist…. Let’s just say, take it with a grain… no… truckload… of salt.

I intend to do one casting couch on each book I own, unless they are straightforward series or something. No point casting every Nancy Drew book I have. Yeah… I have those, too. I’ve been a kid.  I have over 400 books, and I will try to look at them all. First I thought I’d look at them in the same order as they stand in my book shelves, but as my immediate inspiration is The nightrunner series, I’ll just take it backwards instead. My book are sorted according to size. Largest (Tallest) book at the top left, smallest (shortest) book at the bottom right. Actually, Nightrunners is 6th from the bottom right, so I’m cheating a little. I’ll take the other 5 too, don’t worry.

Today’s exercise: The Nightrunner series, book 1: Luck in the Shadows, and book 2: Stalking Darkness.

So, I’m currently reading the Nightrunners now for the 4th time since I discovered them in, well, actually it was during the Pride in Stockholm 2012. The bookstore had Casket of souls out special for the occasion. That’s when I wanted to read it. Didn’t buy it until my birthday in March this year, so 4 times since March. So… Thank you Lynn Flewelling, for writing the best fantasy series I’ve read for the last 10 years. That it’s yaoi is just a great bonus.

So, let me run this down for everyone who hasn’t read them:

Young northerner Alec, wanderer, hunter, orphan, is thrown into Asengai’s dungeons. Exactly who Asengai is, I don’t know, but probably some lord with a holding in the North. (Don’t ask why I capitalize North. I don’t think the author did.) There, he is joined by another prisoner who doesn’t intend to stay in prison for very long. The second prisoner, later known as Seregil, who is an Aurënfaie (essentially: elf (Tolkien, not Santa)), takes Alec with him on a whim, they head down to a town called Wolde, steal a wooden coin, meet up with a friend of Seregil’s called Micum Cavish, gets ambushed, Micum parts ways with them, and Alec and Seregil goes on by boat towards the country, and it’s capital, where Seregil lives. Seregil dresses up as a woman for the passage on boat, witch… Yeah… well, fools everyone until the captain finds him with his pants down… eh… skirts up… Oh, and during this time, he’s also sick and half mad, because of that coin. Left to try to fend for them both alone, Alec manages to take them to Skala and its capital city Rhiminee (wonderful name, by the way), where he is met by the wizard and old friend of Seregil’s, Nysander, and the wizard’s apprentice, Thero. They soon get Seregil to his feet. Did I mention Alec chanced a meeting with the youngest(?) princess of Skala on the way down, and carried out a whole conversation about horses with her, without ever realizing Klia was a princess? This story could have ended right there, but… No way, we’re barely beginning. Back on his feet, Seregil installs himself and Alec at the inn The Cockerell and then, it’s back to business. Seregil is known in certain circles as “The Rhiminee Cat”. That’s who you contact when you need something done of the… shady sort. Recovering compromising letters, spying, the occasional love token delivered. All under the cover of darkness, of course. He trains Alec, and as a… graduation… he gives Alec the solo mission of burgling a house in the Noble Quarter, without telling him he’s burgling Seregil’s own home, or that Seregil will be inside, throwing a party. What a ruse…

                             Anywho, so Seregil is a lord, kin to Queen Idrilain of Skala, a nightrunner and a Watcher. The watcher are the Queens spies, thieves, advisers, whatever she needs, but they also have a greater purpose. The wizard Nysander has in his possession 2 items, one of them that cursed wooden disk, of deadly danger. He is trying to protect the items, and all the people in Skala, from a foe Seregil and Alec made themselves up in Wolde, the Plenimaran lord Mardus. Mardus intend to take possession of the 2 items, and some other, and finish the Helm of Seriamaius (did I spell that right? *shrugs*), the… death god? Of Plenimar. Necromancy and stuff. Killing a million people with a thought. Are you noticing that I’m running out of steam? Court intrigues, Seregil gets implemented, they clear his name, Alec and Klia are almost killed in a fire, stuff, secret stuff, more stuff, Seregil tells Alec that Alec is a faie, (ok, he is, because humans are called Tirfaie by the Aurënfaie, but Alec is probably (really, we get to know later) Hazadrielfaie), Alec and Seregil confess their love, bittersweet ending, fin books 1-2. (Yeah, I know. Go read the books if you want to read more.)

That’ll do for now. Let’s put a cast to this heavy-hitter.

Casting the North

The North isn’t all that character-heavy, as it were. I’m a bit torn as to put Seregil here or not, but I think I will, just because it’s where he and Alec meet. There are, of course, a handful of minor characters, but I won’t even bother with them. So the line-up stands as follows:

Alec (later known as Alec I Amasa of Kerry and Alec of Ivywell): Cloud Strife. Now here me out on this, because I know it’s a weird thought. BEFORE Cloud became the moping emo he is today (basically, before the end of FF7 and Sephiroth did that… thing…) Cloud was very much the wide-eyed optimist. Without being gullible, he took life and the world in a stride without lingering all that much on the past. While I’d argue that Alec’s “growing-up”-curve is much steeper than Cloud’s, and Cloud’s “growing-up”-curves final point is rather on the catastrophic side, somewhere mid-stories they seem rather equal. That’s why I think Cloud could pull of playing Alec in a movie. I can’t answer for his archery skills, though…

Seregil I Korit: Here’s probably the weirdest casting choice ever made: Clopin from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. You know, that guy that tells the story in the beginning, with that epic song, and… well. Both are pretty much the high-spirited rogues, with a streak of deadly serious. Seregil has no problem going between his roles as nightrunner, watcher, lesser lord or any other that he “plays to the hilt”, and I just get the feeling that Clopin wouldn’t either. Maybe we need to shed some years from Clopin before giving him the role, Seregil being the perpetual youth.

Captain Rhal of the “Darter”: Ok, this was hard. I thought about this for four days before coming up with a solution. Admiral Hackett in Mass Effect crossed with Long John Silver in Disney’s Treasure Planet. Here’s my reasoning: If you’d cross them, they would look the part. And with shrewdness and humor of Long John Silver and the authority commanded by Hackett, this would work wonders. And as Silver was voiced by Brian Murray in English and Sven Wollter in Swedish, and Hackett was voiced by Lance Henriksen… *fangirl dreaming*.

Casting the villains

As we meet our first villains in the North, Wolde to be exact, I’ll just cast them now.

Duke Mardus of Plenimar: This Plenimaran bastard is a bit hard for me to grasp. But I see someone imposing. Like… Shan Yu, you know, the Hun leader in Disney’s Mulan. Clean him up a bit, cure him of whatever weird sickness he has in his eyes… yeah, I can see that.

Vargûl Ashnazai: Tim Curry! This was actually the first one I settled on. The first role I remember seeing him in was as the Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers from 1993 (Another Disney movie… what’s wrong with me?) and he was just so deliciously devious and creepy. He just needs to shrink a little, then he’s good to go as this Plenimaran bastard of a necromancer.

Irtuk Beshar: Female (? *nods*) corpse (?) =) Yeah, she was once a pretty woman, I think. I’m thinking ice queen like Cersei Lannister or something Nicole Kidman could pull off. For her later appearance… Nicole Kidman as a mummy, anyone?

Casting Watermead

Ok, so, Seregils friend Micum Cavish they met in the north, that’s why I opt to take Watermead before Rhiminee.

Micum Cavish:  Another very weird choice: King Triton in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Micum is kindhearted, calm, pretty much Seregil’s opposite in temper. But still a badass warrior if need-be. King Triton is all of these, and with only three daughters to contend with instead of 7, I think he’d call it vacation. I also imagine Triton as being a red-head, like his youngest daughter, and lite Micum.

Kari Cavish: Micum’s wife. Another no-brainer. Lady Catelyn from Game of thrones. Kind, caring, strong, bunch of kids… Yeah. Perfect. She looks the part too. I’m not sure, though, whether I want Lady Catelyn or Michelle Fairley to play the part.

Becka Cavish: This feisty read-headed wannabe soldier, oldest daughter to Micum and Kari, and after having spent a couple of weeks training together, Alec’s almost-sister, should be played by Aveline in Dragon Age 2. They’re actually so much alike, although Aveline being, what, 10 years older than Becka, that I sometimes wonder if the DA2 writers didn’t read this book before creating her. Maybe it’s just me.

Elsbeth Cavish: Hello, little mouse. Ok, I doubt she’s a mouse, but she is the quiet, book-smart middle daughter of Micum and Kari. Seregil tends to spoil her with books. For this role, I cast Sophie Hatter of Miyazaki’s Howl’s moving castle (which is based on a book. Go read. It’s really good.) before she is turned into a little old lady. Quiet, a little mousy, but I’m sure she can bite back when she needs to.

Illia Cavish: This was SO HARD I needed help. So thank you all in my forum-thread at Familjeliv who came up with great suggestions! I finally settled on Kajsa Kavat (known as Brenda Brave to all you englishspeakers reading my blog). Kajsa in the short TV-movie is only four, but I think she would be great as the high-spirited, chatty 7- (or was it 6 or 8) year-old girl.

Casting the Orëska House

Nysander: I thought about this for the better part of four hours until I came up with: Liam Neeson. I think this is my love for voices shining through. I think what made me go there was Neeson’s portrayal of Ra’s al-Guhl in Batman begins, which is a complete oxymoron. Nysander is kind, compassionate and intelligent, all he has in common with Ra’s is intelligence. The other tings Ra’s is not. I think. Never saw him as such at any rate. But on the other hand, Nysander can be just as deadly, so I think it’s a good match.

Thero: Nysanders apprentice Thero is quiet, a little stuck up and he and Seregil HATES each other. Well, maybe hate is a bit harsh. They are more like... Jealous brothers, vying for their father’s attention. This is another that gives me grief. First thought: David Krumholtz, as seen as Bernard in The Santa Clause. Second thought: Antonio Banderas, if he was 20 again. Third thought: Lightning Farron in the beginning of Final Fantasy XIII. Then I gave up. So maybe all three of them, as a hybrid…

Magyana: Wynne in Dragon Age Origins. We don’t get to know much about Magyana in these two books, but my feeling of her is that she is a lady that is nice and kind and can handle herself. Like Wynne.

Ylinestra: Another ice queen, at least that’s my impression. Sure, she seems kind and compassionate and more than a femme fatale, but something was always off-putting about her to me. Like… The White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Tilda Swinton was great, but so was Barbra Kellerman. Very different from each other, but still great.

Now, I need a rest, if I can ever sleep in this clammy weather we're having. I'll take the rest later.

All respect to Lynn Flewelling, and a great "thank you". It's been a while I had this great a time reading a book. I mean no harm in this Casting couch, just some fun, and I do want people to read your books.

Thanks to these users of Familjeliv.se, for giving me ideas for casting Illia: Sticka, Stumpan83, elyse, OLilly, Juniana, and especially Toppen9 for suggesting Kajsa Kavat. 

Working on my next post... Have some yaoi while you wait...

As you may recall, we left Eldril and his band of misfortunate in the Silveroak Woods, just off the Hematite gate. Well, here's what happened next:

The Silveroak Woods stood tall and dark around the four city dwellers. Looking back now towards the Hematite Gate, they couldn’t see neither the guards nor the carriage. Everything was quiet, if there were woodland animals or birds close by, they were hiding, only the rustling of leaves could be heard over their breaths and pounding silence in their ears. A pale full moon shone down on them, its light broken by the branches of the tall trees. The play of light and shadows and the stillness lent a ghostly air to the woods. They stood in that stillness, looking at each other for a moment. Then Adomorn broke the silence.

“So, what now”, he asked. “Which way do we go?”

“Nowhere, for tonight”, suggested Elril. “It’s almost midnight, and it’s damn cold. Aylonna has the tools we need for a fire. Let’s find something to make a fire from.”

           The others agreed. They spread out, searching for fallen branches and dead underbrush, and soon, they had collected a pile enough for a fire to last them 'til morning. Aylonna passed out food and passed her water skin around, despite the other’s protests.

“So”, she said, staring into the fire. “Barring you lot being dead in the morning, Adomorn did raise a good question before. Which way do we go? South is barred from us, but that still leaves east, west and north.”

           Zanedithas, sitting opposite her with his arms around his knees, nodded.

“Well, we have woods to the north. And to the east, and to the west. So our options are into the woods, into the woods or into the woods.”

“The directions won’t matter much”, said Adomorn. “You, I and Elril will die of cold, thirst or hunger, and Aylonna will die of thirst or hunger. Or cold, if she’s lucky enough to live until winter comes in Winmath. By rights, we shouldn’t be here”, he locked eyes with Elril. “If you could only have kept your mouth shut.”

“I know”, said Elril miserably, hanging his head. “I know this is my fault. I should be here alone, you should be home in your comfortable, warm beds.”

“Yes, we should”, Adomorn shot back at him. “You should be alone, with no friends in the world to die a miserable, cold death, and the crows should be picking over your bones once you’re dead. I should take Aylonna’s knife and kill you right here and now. At least that would give us more food and water.”

           Aylonna stared at him, shocked at the hostility in Adomorn’s voice. She had pictured the three of them as being friends. Elril didn’t look up, he felt more than deserving of the berating he got. Zanedithas wouldn’t stand for it, though. He jumped to his best friend’s defense.

“You could have walked away, if it didn’t suit you”, he said. “You knew the penalty. You knew the risks. You also know that the law is totally unfair and wrong. You even said it yourself.”

“I shouldn’t be punished for sitting next to someone committing a crime. And you”, he rounded on Elril. “You shouldn’t have committed that crime in the first place! You’re so damn stubborn and such an idiot!”

           Elril cowered in his long shirt, but made no motion and spoke no word to defend himself.

“Guys”, said Aylonna quietly. “This is not helping. Let’s just get some sleep. It’ll be easier in the morning.”

“Aylonna is right”, said Zanedithas. “Let’s just sleep.”

           Adomorn turned his back to the fire and lay down to sleep, Zanedithas turned so he could see Adomorn. Right now, he didn’t trust his friend one bit. Sighing, Aylonna turned to Elril.

“Aren’t you going to lie down, to?”

                             Elril shook his head without looking up. Aylonna shrugged and lay down. For a while they twisted a bit, trying to find some comfort. Slowly they each fell into uneasy sleep, all but Elril, who sat watching the moon set in the west and the stars wheel toward home. The constellation called Nimris’ eye looked down at him, reminding him of the thing his father had once said. “They may not like our history or fairy tales, but still, they won’t change the names of the stars or the days or the months. They can’t deny all history.”

Adomorn was the first to wake next morning. He sat up and looked around. Aylonna and Zanedithas were sleeping, the fire had gone out. Elril sat huddled up staring into the ashes. Adomorn felt guilty for his outburst last night. After all, Zanedithas was right, he could have walked away. He hadn’t because he knew Elril and his father were right. No one had ever been harmed by their fairy tales, not until they were found out, sentenced and sent here. And right now, the worst that had come out of this crime was the chill he felt in his long shirt after the fire had gone out.

“Elril, I’m sorry”, he said. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”

                             Elril looked up, taking a ragged breath.

“You were right”, he said. “I should have been more careful. I should have kept my mouth shut.”

“No. Your fairy tales were a good thing. Everyone in our neighborhood think so. So can you forgive me?”

                             Elril smiled slightly.

“Of course. Friends for ever, right?”

“Yes. Friends forever. Even with that lazy dandy over there,” he flicked his thumb towards Zanedithas. “Poor bastard, he must miss his duvet and his breakfast served on his bedside by now.”

           Elril grinned, misery chased away for now.

“And his warm bath and his silk slippers”, he laughed.

“And his doeskin breeches and emerald ring.”

“And his marble and obsidian chess set”, snickered Elril.

“And his leather boots and his sword and his privy”, Zanedithas voice came from across the fireplace. “Especially his privy.”

           Adomorn made a grimace.

“I so don’t want to know.”

“Well, at least you seem to have made nice”, Zanedithas rose and stretched. “I’m hungry, thirsty and cold. I’ll take a little walk to warm myself. Call me when you got the fire going again.”

           He walked off. Elril looked after him. Zanedithas was always so cheerful, so carefree. He was also handsome with that long, dark hair tumbling over his shoulders, his hazel eyes, sharp facial features, his lean, strong body. Being born a noble and raised a swordsman he had a graceful stance and assured movements, and lately, his mere presence made Elril go a little tingly. Guiltily, Elril turned back to the newly awakened fire.

Irestor woke from being buffeted in the face by a squirrel. Irritated with himself, he smoothed a strand of his long, golden hair out of his face, He shouldn’t have fallen asleep, he never had before while keeping vigil. And now one of the younglings had wandered off. Torn between keeping an eye on the group and finding the wanderer, he groaned, fished up his bow and quiver from a lower branch and cast about for the man he had lost sight of. Irestor didn’t see him, so he closed his eyes and reached out with his other senses. He became one with the tree that had lent its branches for him to rest in, felt its roots reach the rich soil and all its living beings. He could feel the other three, their anxieties and their hopes. Reaching farther he could feel the trees and the bushes around him, and the ants and the adders and the rabbits in their holes and the foxes in their dens. And there he was, the wandering city boy of human decent. Opening his eyes again, Irestor followed him, navigating the canopy as though he was born there. He hadn’t gone far before the youngling came back, at a dead run, screaming in terror at the top of his lungs. He had all right to scream, as well. After him tore a forest bear. The large, strong animal raced straight through the little encampment, scattering the friends and burning its paws on the fire. It howled. Irestor quickly climbed down from the trees and reached out to the bear with his mind. He felt another’s mind trying to do the same. The girl had magic. The bear, maddened with pain and something else that Irestor knew all too well, turned and charged the girl. Having little choice, Irestor raised his bow, sent a silent prayer to Skai, the god of the hunt, and released his grouse-fletched arrow. He hit true, the arrow embedded more than half its shaft in the bear, felling it mid-stride. He strode up to it, pulling a long dagger from his belt, and slit its throat for good measure, and to help drain the blood. Then he rounded on the four others. Locking eyes with the one the bear had chased, he said:

“You are far too reckless.” Turning to the others, he added: “And you are far too careless. You will never survive in these woods.”