Now Starring, a Blogfest

Oh, wow. It's been a while since I've blogfested, particularly because I stupidly figured that I wouldn't have time to do the A-Z this month. I now bequeath to you this. I'm currently in Nowra, which is tubuggery, so I'm hoping that in timing this post, it'll actually appear in time. The rules? Six characters max (Good thing, since my main cast is six), I must describe their appearance, then cast them, then describe reasons why I've selected said actor.

Ready? Break.

anna blackley

The youngest of the team at eighteen, Anna is in possession of the most developed of their Gifts, illusion. She is an empath and able to generate wormholes through her illusions. She's curious, meddling, sensitive and hyper-active. She exerts a fistful of quirks in almost everything she does. She curses like a sailor, if they substituted swears for others such as 'smurf' and 'buttnugget'. She also forms portmanteaus mid-speech and is overly loquacious.

description: Remarkably small, Anna is commonly referred to as pixie-like. She isn't striking, her face round and darkly freckled, and she hasn't quite grown out of that overbite. Her eyes are wide and oversized, with arching eyelashes. And her most unmistakable feature is her hair, impossibly thick and vibrant red, falling loose in untameable curls.

actress: Felicity Jones

why felicity?: I've encountered Felicity quite a bit in my Brit-Film travels (Doctor Who, Cemetery Junction, Brideshead Revisited, Chalet Girl) and she's proven herself to have a vast range which is integral for a temperamental character, such as an empath. She has an deeper understanding of what's necessary on an emotional level for a character, and her mannerisms are quite suitable for Anna. She has great comedic timing in general, her whole demeanour exuding the misplaced, quirky adolescent that's a little immature.

alternative: Emily Browning

will cooper

Wilhelmina "Will" is the only non-Gifted Gardien, of a genius-level IQ (187), eidetic memory and incredible physical combat capabilities and experience. Her mother died when Will was young, a genius war veteran who served in conflicts disguised as a boy. Will was shipped to Liechtenstein to an accelerated, elite academy, and forced her body and mind to reach unattainable goals, striving for perfection. Linguistics, martial arts, armed combat, weapons manufacturing, engineering and physics - she took a MGB GT apart and put it back together, aged eleven. Her explosives instructor smuggled her out soon after when he departed to carry out a ground-level mission amidst the Chechen conflict. She escaped to the Alps with a bounty hunter team of embittered ex-militants as a renegade. Will is stubborn, manipulative, worldly, judgemental, volatile, desires efficiency and suffers from a specific and unique PTSD. She uses wild finger spells and evocative gestures when she speaks and is a smoker.

description: Will has an average appearance held by many Australian youths. She's the tallest of the female Gardiens, has a heavily toned body, with eyes a little wide apart, a crooked nose and thick, blonde hair. She has tattoos (Southern Cross on her right wrist, three black stars on her left earlobe, a series of rings tattooed on her right ring finger, OK on her right little toe), piercings (three hoops in her right ear cartilage, scars from her eyebrow, nose and lip) and a branding from the organisation she joined in Thailand.

actress: Teresa Palmer

why teresa?: More commonly known as Number Six from the recent Alex Pettyfer film, or that girl in December Boys or from the Sorcerer's Apprentice, Teresa is a BAMF Aussie actress. It seems appropriate to cast an Australian in the role of one (though most of the Gardiens are Australians). I know she can pull off action sequences, has the appropriate facial expressions, and I'm presuming that she can play a vulnerable emotional role as well. What I like about Teresa is that she can seem very ordinary, both in manner and appearance, which is something I wanted for Will. Will has had a really eventful life and is one of the more complex characters, so in order to not make her go overboard, I wanted an actress that could wear near to no makeup on-screen and focus on her purpose and her personality.

alternative: Katie Cassidy

arden grigoriadis

The protagonist, Arden is a telekinetic and neurotic to a near-OCD level. She has been a Gardien longest, for about thirteen years, and is the maternal personality on the team. She's nagging and didactic, taking charge and is concerned for the wellbeing of the others over herself. But that's not to say she won't slap one. She has a knack for making people feel guilty, and is also highly strung. She's a humanitarian, desires control and is highly emotional, with little interest in romance. Arden has a fear of physical pain, water, vulnerability, heights, disability and burning alive to a crippling extent.

description: Arden is incredibly average, of below-average height, with broad, boyish shoulders, a small waist and wide hips. She descends from Greeks and Italians, and gives no thought to her figure besides the exercise regime that comes with being a Gardien. She has features that hint at her heritage, with a straight nose, high cheekbones and dark, dull eyes. Her hair is thick, unruly and bothers her; she cuts it into a sort of long bob whenever she is pissed.

actress: Sophia Bush.

why sophia?: Regulars will know how much I love Sophia's talent. I know that she could carry a whole film based on her emotional scenes alone. And for Arden, there are a lot. Arden is a very emotional character, between her relationships with the Gardiens and her neurotic tendencies, she'd be quite a bother for her portrayer. Sophia has a way of delivering lines in the middle of confrontations that is so effective, and she has a real BAMF attitude that would serve well in a great deal of the film. Her skills would allow these scenes to lose any possible cheesy nature they could accumulate.

alternative: Emmy Rossum

micah konstantinov

The oldest of the Gardiens, Micah is a technopath and is able to shape-shift into a large canine. He was born into ancient wealth in the Russian country, where his lifestyle was more to that of Regency England than the late twentieth century. Because of close conflicts, he was moved to Venice where he remained for two years before being located to Northern Italy where he was raised in a fortress in the countryside. He lived a traditional childhood, figuring out early that he had a high to near-genius intellect and soon English became his first language after being taught by live-in English tutors. He's lost nearly all of his formative accent since then, though in certain instances the Russian comes through. Defying all cultural stereotypes, Micah is not loudmouthed or overly friendly. Instead, he is eerily calm and collected. He's an introvert, a nebbish, with the desire of peace. His shape shifting is triggered by a raised heart beat, so he has learnt to control himself. He is chivalrous, fears abandonment, and is prone to sulking and frustration. He fears ignorance and the loss of his humanity, going wolf forever. He is rather cynical about this change, believing himself to be a monster, and continually executing black humour. He boycotts shoes all the time recites lines of poetry under his breath to calm himself down, is a well-practiced violinist and a misanthrope.

description: Micah doesn't care much for appearances. He doesn't comb his hair, won't tuck in his shirt and holds himself like a scarecrow. He relies on Arden to cut his hair in tufts of James Dean-esque nature. He is lanky and not very muscled, terribly unfit and has a scar from his right eyebrow to the bottom of his right cheekbone and scars from a psychometric, which are dark ornate curls that appear as oddly shaped shadows. Years of practice have now allowed Micah to position his face into a scowl or a pout when it's seemingly relaxed.

actor: Ben Barnes

why ben?: Ben has a generally quiet demeanour, and I'd think he'd pull of the Byronic hero-type pretty bloody well to be honest. He's Prince Caspian, Dorian Gray - and from the interviews that I've seen, he's an intelligent bloke. I don't think he'd sound uncomfortable in a character who uses verbose, archaic language and he's got the right kind of tonal quality to his voice that would serve the dialogue well. And given his Narnia films, he's no stranger to action sequences, despite the fact that he'd rarely be in them as a person, given his shape shifting-ness.

alternative: Paul Wesley

lachlan trafford

The leader of the Gardiens, Lachlan isn't even his real name but one that his father devised for him when he left home to join the team. Raised in a single-parent home under a military-like rule, as his father was a soldier, Lachlan has developed a complex that nearly enables him incapable of losing. The Gardiens describe him as "tyrant", "psychotic", "callous", "caged" and "overly-devoted". His Gifts include muscle mimicry, healing of both himself and others, and transmutation, which other characters deem him an "alchemist" because of. He broadcasts himself as a gentleman to the public, Will even calls him a knight in white satin. He is, however, rather asexual, never interested in anything beyond the next mission, the last mission, the current mission.

description: Lachlan's formative years were akin to a bootcamp, consequently, he holds himself as someone with military training does - upright, posture-perfect, tidy. His healing has an effect where he never needs to cool his body down, so he never sweats - enabling him, even in the Australian summer, to wear a full suit. Which he always does. Tailored, expensive, he wears Rat Pack-like clothing. He is tall and narrow-shouldered, the most muscular of the Gardien boys and the best-presented. He is exceptionally average, enough to draw the eye perhaps, but never enough to make a lasting impression. His features are typically Anglo-Saxon, and his has blue eyes with cropped, dark hair and not a scar on his body.

actor: Max Irons

why max?: A new actor, there isn't much known about Max's repertoire. I, however, think that I've seen enough of him of Dorian Gray and what I've managed to glimpse Red Riding Hood to cast him. Despite being Jeremy Iron's son, he's got a good approach to acting and genuinely wants to get into it. I can really picture him playing the focused, successful hero, and being a little callous and domineering whilst doing it. He might have to tone down his accent though, maybe pick something a little north of London?

alternative: Chris Hemsworth

wesley whishaw-flyte

Wes is a trickster, a glory-seeker and a flirt - or, just a no-good womaniser. He's intangible and a teleporter, and uses both all of the time, especially when it's inappropriate or certain to scare someone, if only to get a rise out of the Gardiens. Some would refer to Wes as manipulative, her prefers the term 'seductive charm'. Many a girl has fallen prey to his brilliant smile and blue eyes, not to mention his general body structure and superhero body. He has an addictive personality, smoking, drinking, with a continual stream of overnight guests. A reformed art thief and general cat burglar, Wes is bursting with sarcasm, cynicism and will tease, debate and prank until executive action is taken against him. He does have a temper, and isn't one to check himself before throwing a punch. He's not much of a talker in heart-to-hearts, more obscene and dismissive. He's shallow, tortured, flippant and fidgety.

description: Wes is the same height as Lachlan, but is leaner in every muscular regard. He is toned without any added bulk, as it's much easier for him to transport himself around. Broad-shouldered, he has defined features with a chiselled face and ever-present shadow on his jaw and lip. Arden is always teasing him about the fact that he's got satellite-sized ears and is always nagging him about the unruly nature of his hair. He wears very average clothing, mostly knitted sweaters and jeans.

actor: Alex Pettyfer

why alex?: Oh, Alex. He seems to have only improved over the years, and I didn't flinch at his acting once in I am Number Four. I think he'd pull of the debauched, tortured and witty hero pretty well, I'd think. He's got the right tonal quality to deliver this Englishman's lines, and a general attitude that would meld well with the character. He's no stranger to action sequences, and I'd like to see how he'd pull of the teleporting.

alternative: Hayden Christensen

Aha, yes. So this is me done, about to drive to Nowra and a little CBF to put in gifs of the actors like I was planning to. Enjoy. If you have questions, remarks, or swooning/flaming to do, the comments are all yours.