39 39. A Guided Tour and The First Fanmeet.
Disclaimer: The story that I have written here takes on the names of real people, but it is not intended to represent them or make any commentary on them whatsoever. This story is entirely fiction, and it should be viewed entirely as such.
I own nothing but my original characters and works. If you recognize it from somewhere else, surprise, it isn't mine.
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Recap of the previous chapter -
The live auditions begin, and we see how Wendell's life changed from joining Mark and how Mark has hired him to become his chief casting director and also to teach Kevin the ropes of the job.
Then the legend, Johnny Depp himself, comes to audition for Blanc's role. After becoming impressed by Depp, Kevin and Wendell pass him to the final round. Mark observes this from the back of the theater.
Mr. Depp recounts how he and his other two friends were big Marc Spector fan's, especially River. When River arrives, he says that he was selected and that he had gotten a wake-up call after speaking with Mark.
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~ Mark's POV ~
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Date: 2nd May, 1990.
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Location: At his office, in Eidolon HQ.
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Time: 11:08 am.
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Mark couldn't believe his luck, he really felt blessed by the creator gods. He didn't just meet the legendary Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp, but also the 'Star that never was' - River Phoenix. After talking with him for a while in private.
Mark had realized River's problem, his ability to read people, was just getting better and better and added with the CE skill. His ability to see through people's intentions and lies were godlike.
First he checked his moral score which was around 91, that was actually pretty good for a Hollywood celebrity. He then checked his character panel, which allowed him to at least somewhat see the problems that plague him.
The mental health which was a new addition to the panel showed a below average score according to Vani. His "thoughts about Mark" section showed admiration and hope.
This allowed Mark to understand him and give him a pep talk to inspire him. Check his character panel later when he was leaving showed that it worked, but more effort will be needed to put in if he wants to save River from his tragic death.
Talking with River has also led him to know that the trio of friends - Johnny Depp, River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves were the fans of Marc Spector. This will make his work of building a close relationship with them much easier.
Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves were some of the few to reach superstar status in Hollywood, and River had the potential to surpass them all. He now had a close "in" with them and if he can successfully bring them to his side, his future in Hollywood would be even more of a smooth sailing.
Janet had taken care of her part of the pre-production of Knives Out. So he had given her a new task, she was now in-charge of managing the tour of the fans who had won the golden ticket. She arranging their itinerary and preparing a proper timetable for the fan meet.
The idea of the ticket had come to him, when he remembered Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. A beloved movie that made him feel like a kid again. So he organized the golden ticket event.
The fact that it would help in marketing their Studio Eidolon and his first movie was just the cherry on top. Exactly 20 tickets had been made, when compared to the 10 million copies of Runeterra that had been printed.
This would give every buyer a 1 in 500,000 chance at winning a golden ticket. But because this was a publicity event, he allowed every winner to bring along 4 members of their family and 3 friends along for the tour.
Janet had decided to divide the winners in groups of five, so along with friends and family, there will be a total of 40 people in a single group. Today was the first tour with group 1 with people from L.A. There were also a few reporters mixed in for publicity.
The deal with Universal had already taken care of the marketing for his film, and his studio getting a passive boost was only great planning. He still had sometime before he would have to meet his fans, he had prepared something special for them.
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~Third Person POV ~
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Date: 2nd May.
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Location: Outside the Eidolon HQ.
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Time: 10:00 am.
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Janet had a great time taking the group on a tour around the set of Knives Out. The teenagers were especially excited after they saw the props, saying that it looked exactly like how they imagined.
They were now making their way back to the studio for the second half of the tour. She had been asked by the parents why Mark Spencer, the man of the hour, was missing, as she couldn't reveal much.
All she told them was he was waiting for them at the studio with a special surprise. The kids and young teenagers of the group hounded for answers, but honestly, even she couldn't help them. As Mark had planned, it to be a surprise for all.
They reached the studio after a short while, they were awed by the huge structure that she now called her own. She led them to an open area, it looked like an odd combination of a film theater and a seminar hall.
Mark was sitting on a comfortable looking single sofa with a small coffee table in front of him. He looked at peace reading a book while enjoying his coffee. The silence was broken by the previously shown fanboy as he asked her.
"Is that Marc Spector?" his showed his nervous excitement.
She looked down at him with a kind smile. "Yeah, he had been waiting for you all here, with a surprise, so why don't you all go talk to him. I am sure he would love that, just remember to not swarm him all at once."
She reminded them at the end and nodded at the parents, and then told them that there were staff members (interns) to help them with any problems. The aforementioned staff members came along to take them to their designated seats.
They were told that they would be taking turns to ask him questions one on one and that they could ask him anything as long as it wasn't too personal. The group of people in the first row of fans weren't even 2 meters away from where Mark was sitting.
After the people sat down, Mark pulled out a microphone from behind him and introduced himself briefly, and then gave them the floor. They could ask him questions from their seats using the provided mics, but requested them to go one by one and raise their hands for permission.
After seeing the crowd nod in agreement, he asked, "so who would like to go first?"
He saw almost everyone raised their hands and then picked a teenager in the front row. It was the previously shown fanboy, he looked a bit nervous but somehow gathered his courage spoke into the mic.
Asking about how Mark became so good as a writer and that he wanted to become one in the future as well, maybe even try his hand at becoming a director.
Mark was wearing his mask, so they couldn't see his expressions much, but they could tell that he was pondering on the question. After a few seconds of silence, Mark asked him how old he was. The fanboy replied that he was 17 years old.
Mark told him that to become a master at something, one needs simply needs time and practice. Time one needs to put into their craft, learning it, mastering it, reaching as close to perfection as humanly possible.
Mark told him how the number of hours one requires varies from person to person. Because despite what people will say, unfortunately not everyone is born equal. Some are simply more talented than others at something.
But being talented doesn't mean they can disregard the importance of hard work. A person who is less talented can easily surpass someone who is more talented, by putting in more effort than the talented person.
He told them that he started writing Ben 10 when he was 10 years old after being inspired by movies like – Star Wars and Alien, and It had been nearly a decade now.
And he had accumulated over 18,000 hours, spent theorizing about the plot, character arcs and the message of his stories. He couldn't see any exponential growth in his skills anymore.
He explained how everyone at a certain point reaches a plateau and a few years back he had done the same and how his writing wasn't improving much anymore, so he wanted to try something new. Movies had always inspired him to write, so he thought why not make movies.
He told his fan that he had learned musical instruments as well, but that wasn't his niche. He was successful in learning them, but they took more time and effort. Likewise, he told them how even after spending over 7000 hours all together he had only mastered the piano, guitar and drums.
He told the kid that he should start early and put in a few hours of practice every day if he wanted to master a craft. At the end, Mark asked for his name.
The boy replied, "I am Rian Johnson and I wish to become a writer and director just like you one day."
Mark chuckled and nodded at his answer, inwardly surprised that the person he was talking to was Rian Johnson himself, the original director of Knives Out. He told him that he would be waiting with a spot in his studio if he ever tries his luck in Hollywood.
Most people in the audience thought it was just a celebrity saying some kind words to his fan. But no would have expected this teenager to become the director of a billion dollar box office earning movie in the future.
Mark did though, so he was already laying the groundwork, a few more hands were raised asking questions like what inspired him to write knives out? What was his IQ, and if he was really a genius?
Some woman even asked him if had a girlfriend, he replied politely that it was too personal of a question, and he didn't feel comfortable sharing that kind information to the public.
One of the older gents sitting in the second row asked a question that he was hoping to not answer. He asked Mark if he believed in Christianity and if he was a religious person, as he had given praise to the lord in the PREFACE of his latest book.
Mark was all serious as he answered. He spoke to them carefully in a measured tone that he believed that god exists and he was a free practitioner. That he didn't go to church but prayed whenever he got time, after all god is everywhere. All, he needs is belief and good deeds.
Thankfully, the gentleman seemed satisfied with his answer and sat down. The discourse went on like this until a little girl of 7 requested Mark to play an instrument.
Mark smiled and told her that it was going to be a surprise for later, but he could give her a sneak peek. He went off-stage for a bit and came back with a guitar. He smiled and asked the girl if she wanted to come closer.
She hesitated for a moment but then nodded and said "yes."
Her mother took her to the long couch which was on the other side of the small coffee table and sat her down. As her mother was telling her to behave, Mark told her that she could stay if she wanted.
Mark came closer and went down on one knee, now face to face with the adorable child. He asked her which song she wanted to hear, he told her that she could ask for any song, and he would play it if he had heard it before.
She thought for a while and asked him to play an original. He asked her if she knew what that meant, she smiled and answered him that she does, her father was a music producer and that he told her "any" song, so she wanted to hear one of Mark's own.
Mark told her that she got him there, she grinned at him in victory. As a man of his word, he would keep his promise, but stage whispered to her asking for a pinky promise to not tell others that he was a singer as well.
She and said "yes," excited to hear Mark sing. Seeing her excitement, Mark told her that he was pretty average as a singer, so she shouldn't get her hopes high. All the while, a few assistants were setting up the mic stand and checking the sound quality.
Mark sat down again with the guitar in his hands, he looked at the crowd and told them that this song was a few years old and that he wasn't in a good place when he wrote it, but he had hope.
How he just wanted a friend, somebody who would come through for him. So he named the song "come through". He struck the strings and hummed the first verse of the song, as if to get himself in the zone and then begun.
♪♪ I might lose my mind
Waking when the sun's down
Riding all these highs
Waiting for the comedown. ♪♪
♪♪ Walk these streets with me
I'm doing decently
Just glad that I can breathe, yeah.
I'm trying to realize
It's alright to not be fine on your own. ♪♪
♪♪ Now I'm shaking, drinking all this coffee
These last few weeks have been exhausting
I'm lost in my imagination
And there's one thing that I need from you,
Can you come through, through?
Through, yeah
And there's one thing that I need from you,
Can you come through? ♪♪
♪♪ Ain't got much to do
Too old for my hometown
Went to bed at noon
Couldn't put my phone down
Typing patiently
It's all the same to me
Just names on a screen, yeah. ♪♪
♪♪ I'm trying to realize
It's alright to not be fine on your own.
Now I'm shaking, drinking all this coffee
These last few weeks have been exhausting
I'm lost in my imagination
And there's one thing that I need from you,
Can you come through, through?
Through, yeah. ♪♪
♪♪ And there's one thing that I need from you
Can you come
Through, through
Through, yeah
And there's one thing that I need from you,
Can you come through? ♪♪
As his fingers stopped playing, an odd silence seemed to fill the crowd. Most of them were just dumbfounded by what they had just witnessed. It was broken by an applause and then everyone stood up as they clapped and gave a standing ovation to Mark's performance.
The little girl on her mom's lap was the happiest, she was clapping along with the crowd. After a while, the staff got the crowd under control and all was back to normal. They could see Mark blush even through the mask, as he wasn't used to the praise.
Mark said after catching his breath, "I think you guys really liked the song. Thank you for the applause, I really appreciate it. It's the first time I sang in front of other people, so I was a little nervous, but I think I did ok."
He told that he had saved another song for the end of the meet. He asked for the next question and a man in his mid 30s raised his hand, by the way he was holding the little girl's hand he appeared to be her father.
The man asked why he doesn't try to become a professional singer or release an album of his songs. Mark just said that to him, singing was only a hobby, an outlet for him to express his emotions.
He didn't want to earn money through it and also that he didn't really feel confident in his music as singing wasn't his strength. The man told him that, it is something for the fans to decide, his lyrics were beautiful and while his vocals were average.
The song he presented was top class, he told Mark how he was a music producer in Hollywood and if he released "come through" it had the potential to be a billboard top 100.
Mark told him that while he was flattered by his proposition. He still couldn't accept it as he was already quite busy with the pre-production of his new film.
The man thought about leaving his business card behind before he left, in case Mark changes his mind. And the Q&A began once more, this time they asked why he wore the mask, what were his intentions with his film, etc.
He succinctly explained how the mask was for his protect his privacy and how he wanted to create a studio that would create high quality films. Especially focusing on bringing his already existing works of fiction to life on the big screen.
A few more questions are answered, with some being asked by press present as well. They asked him about his deal with Universal, he gave non answer he was told by Universal that he couldn't reveal anything about the deal for now.
Then Mark performed his second song, he explained how the song is about a guy he once knew who didn't really have much luck with finding love. Then the guy finally met a girl, he seemed to like but was unsure about, so he proposed. But he left the decision up to the girl.
Mark was strumming the chords and humming again, it had become like his ritual to hum the first few lines of the verse and play the guitar.
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♪♪ It's you, it's always you
If I'm ever gonna fall in love, I know it's gon' be you
It's you, it's always you
Met a lot of people, but nobody feels like you.
So please don't break my heart, don't tear me apart
I know how it starts, trust me, I've been broken before. ♪♪
♪♪ Don't break me again, I am delicate
Please don't break my heart, trust me, I've been broken before.
I've been broken, yeah, I know how it feels
To be open and then find out your love isn't real
I'm still hurting, yeah, I'm hurting inside
I'm so scared to fall in love, but if it's you, then I'll try. ♪♪
♪♪ It's you, it's always you
If I'm ever gonna fall in love, I know it's gon' be you
It's you, it's always you
Met a lot of people, but nobody feels like you.
So please don't break my heart, don't tear me apart.
I know how it starts, trust me, I've been broken before. ♪♪
♪♪ Don't break me again, I am delicate
Please don't break my heart, trust me, I've been broken before
I know I'm not the best at choosing lovers (oh)
We both know my past speaks for itself. ♪♪
♪♪If you don't think that we're right for each other.
Then please don't let history repeat itself
'Cause I want you, yeah, I want you, yeah
There's nothing else I want
'Cause I want you, yeah, I want you, yeah
And you're the only thing I want. ♪♪
♪♪ It's you, it's always you
If I'm ever gonna fall in love, I know it's gon' be you
It's you, it's always you
Met a lot of people, but nobody feels like you.
So please don't break my heart, don't tear me apart
I know how it starts, trust me, I've been broken before. ♪♪
♪♪ Don't break me again, I am delicate
Please don't break my heart, trust me, I've been broken before
Baby, I want you, baby, I want you x3
You, you, 'cause I want you
Baby, I want you, baby, I want you x3
You, you…. ♪♪
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And once again the crowd was amazed, the applause rang out once again, while the reporters in the crowd had a crazed gleam in their eyes from the excitement. They couldn't wait to go back and start writing an article on the Hollywood's new, Versatile Superstar Director.
They were betting that Mark's new film was going to hit hard and become a box office hit. Furthermore, they couldn't wait to hype up the news, it's what they had been paid by Universal to do, but now, now they had a juicy story to sell.
With that final performance the Q&A was over and Mark left the crowd, a lady seemed to struggle with some kind of internal decision but then her face grew determined. With her mind made up, she sneaked out of the crowd and headed towards Mark.
Mark was making his way towards his office to relax for a while, interacting with the crowd had left him somewhat exhausted. He heard his name be called from behind, when he looked back it wasn't a staff member he was expecting but a beautiful woman from the earlier crowd.
He stopped and allowed her to catch up, he asked what she was doing here as it was employees only. She told him that she had a proposition for him and also wanted some advice.
He thought he knew her from somewhere, but he couldn't recall where, so he asked for her name. The lady blushed, apologized for not introducing herself earlier.
"Hi, my name is Sofia Vergara," she said in a slightly thick Columbian accent. The moment Mark heard her name, he was able to connect the dots. The woman before him is will become a TV icon, but due to her poor financial situation could never grow beyond being a TV actress.
She immediately drew his interest, as he wanted to see how far she could go with his help. But first he will have to ensure her loyalty towards his himself and his organization. It wouldn't do to make her a star and then have her stab him in the back.
He replied, "it's a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Vergara. But you see I am a bit exhausted, so I need to rest, how about we have this discussion in my office?"
Sofia hesitated for a second before nodding and following behind him. She had no idea that this one decision changed her life forever.
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{Author's Note: So two new celebrities have been shown in this chapter - Rian Johnson the OG director of Knives Out or Fanboy and Sofia Vergara the Columbian Bombshell, "The Milf" or should i say future milf (◠‿◕). Anyways this chapter was fun to write with each chapter new celebrities will be added, not every chapter but yeah.
Also this was just a teaser for Rian Johnson's appearance in this book, history is being remade. So changes will be there, I hope you like the journey of our Fanboy Rian as well. Stay tuned for in the next chapter, we will see what scheme Mark will cook up next.
Once again, thanks for reading my work. I am entirely motivated by interaction, suggestions and feedback. So please leave a comment or review and I will probably write faster.
If you like my work please throw a power stone my way so my book can climb the rankings. Slurp some nice ramen and I hope you all have a beautiful day
Update schedule for this book: 1 chapter every 2 days.}
