The director smiled

"Yes. Yes indeed." he said. "Capital!"

Shawn read the lines briefly, looking up. Soon, the director signaled for the camera to start rolling.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Presence + Expression + 1 (Specialty) + Striking Looks +2 (good impression from director) with the following results {Willpower may be used}

0 Successes: A total bomb. Shawn fails. The director puts out the word. Shawn might be blacklisted for a while

1-3 Successes: Shawn is competitive and ends up in the top 3. Shawn finds out who else are his competitors. The director will choose after another running of try outs.

4+ Successes: Shawn nails it. The part for Kid Knight is his. Mom is thrilled and Shawn may ask a favor of her. The favor will be granted.

Shawn put on a show like a professional. Nothing earth-shattering, but very good, especially for a kid.

00:06, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 3 successes using 13d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more with rolls of 1,7,6,9(+10,2),2,8,6,2,4,7,1,4,7.  Presence + Expression + 1 (Specialty) + Striking Looks +2 (good impression) + WP.

"Capital!" The director remarked, after the reading. He turned to his assistant. "Add this boys name to the list. I want to do a few more try outs and then we'll close out. There's no sense in staying around too long when we've already had 3 or 4 more children. What did one shepherd say to the other shepherd?: Let’s get the flock out of here."

The assistant came forward with a smile congratulating Shawn on making the first cut, and with that, a fresh round of paperwork, signatures needed.

With a grateful smile, Shawn dutifully took the paperwork to his and went to give it to his Mom. He was still too young to sign things.

Shawn got to his Mom she was sitting on a well-worn brown couch. Next to her was some great big fat woman, busy scolding her child about having not made the cut. On the other side of Mom, a black woman was combing he daughters hair, looking like she was being to rough with the brush.

Mom's eyes smiled at Shawn, her arms outspread, waiting to embrace him.

"There's my Hollywood star!" she said as Shawn came forward with the papers.

Shawn spreads his arms and happily accepted the hug. Making Mom happy always felt nice, regardless of anything else. Eventually the embrace ends and he handed over the paperwork. "Mom, I made the list!"

"I know! I know!" Mom said, getting ready to sign the papers, but then putting her hand on Shawn and looking him straight in the eyes, squeezing his shoulder tight.

"Believe in the best...have a goal for the best, never be satisfied with less than your best, try your best, and in the long run things will turn out for the best." she said, reciting a well-worn phrase she used with Shawn before. It roughly translated as 'this isn't over yet' even though he could tell she was happy.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:16, Tue 21 Mar 2017.

Shawn looked up at her, face filled with determination. "I'm going to keep going until I get that role!"

"Shawn this is so much the result of our...your hard work. Remember. You need to place most of your effort in acting Shawn if you want to be a star." Mom was so overcome with joy, Shawn could tell it was time for one of her short life-lesson moments. Wisdom from a parent that had lived longer than most kids, flowing out of her.

"A lot of stars live lonely lives, even if people love them. They have a burden to bear, being famous and being loved. And being famous and loved is more important than having close friends. You can reach more people with fame than you ever can by just being a normal, regular person. People with fame are more important Shawn, they're more valued, and they're more special." She advised. Shawn also got the sense that Mom would love him more if he achieved the sort of fame she was talking about.

Shawn nodded seriously at his Mom's speech. He'd heard variations on it before, and his Mom knew more about this sort of thing than he did, so it must be true. He wasn't sure that he personally wanted that life for himself, but that wasn't really relevant. At the very least, if he got the big important role, Bobby would be able to stick around.

"And then there's Bobby..." Shawn's Mom added, as if reading his mind, or least tapping into something she knew he thought was important. "Just think of how much he and your other friends would love to see you on TV!" she added. It sounded like for a second she was going to talk about how Bobby could stick around if Shawn did well. But that seemed to be of less concern to Mom than the idea that Bobby might share the same joy that she would have: seeing Shawn on the Big Screen.

Shawn would've liked it better if his Mom had reiterated her promise to let Bobby stay, but if he squinted she had kinda implied that it was still in effect. Right? He wasn't going to bring it up, just in case it made her change her mind. Instead, he kept the conversation on something she could agree with. "Or even the big screen, right Mom?"

"Oh! The Big Screen!" Mom gushed. "I think Bobby would love that. Just think how much you'd just benefit from Bobby and from kids like him. Everyone would think that you would be the best kid. A kid with a real future. Not someone who stays at home or works in a cubicle. That would be the worst."

"Bobby would love to see you on the Big Screen. Just imagine you and him going to see you!! Going to the movies with your friends to see yourself. You would be the most popular kid in the whole schools, the whole town! I mean, Shawn, can you imagine having a future like that?"

"I can imagine it - and I think I can do it more than I could yesterday." Shawn gave her an excited look, which was real, but probably not for the reasons Mom might think it was.

"I know you can." Mom agreed. "Now get back out there and make something happen!" She rejoiced. But there was a sense of expectation in there too. A sense that Mom's future approval and perhaps mood would depend heavily on the outcome.

"Cramer....Shawn..." A voice called out from the corner, Mom busily working the papers

Shawn nodded seriously. He knew from experience and precedent that Mom's happiness and affection required him to earn it, and that's what he intended to do. He heard the voice, and looked over to see who was calling him.

It was the stiff-looking assistant again. A woman with a round face, spectacles that hung on the edge of her nose.

"Cramer, Shawn." She said, emotionless.

All around kids were moving back and forth behind the stage where Shawn was. A kid was crying, his mother trying to care for him in a soothing way. Obviously, he hadn't made the cut. Another kid was hopping along, frantically trying to get ready for the next try out, one leg in his costume, one jumping up and down as he tried to balance.

Shawn made the very subtle transition from the (somewhat faked) open excitement he showed his Mom to the more reserved enthusiasm he used for auditions and meetings. It was about seeming professional but still excited, otherwise they'd think you didn't care about the role. He walked over to the bespectacled assistant and gave her a cheerful smile. "Hi, I'm Shawn Cramer."

The woman nodded, and Shawn heard the crisp sound of a pen on paper, the woman looking down with her spectacles, scratching off something on her clipboard with a flourish.

In the corner, next to a kid that was getting dressed, a radio was playing, A Total Eclipse of The Heart. One of the stage workers walked by and turned it off, the remaining kids now getting ready for the next try out.

The woman led Shawn back on stage, and the Director seemed pleased to see him again.

"Shane! You're back. No surprise really. You had an outstanding audition. This is the part where we separate the remaining kids trying out as we get a better feel for what might be a good fit artistically." He explained. Shawn had noticed that in between takes, the Director was now donning a gray beret.

"So, now I will ask you to read the part of the villain Kasamere. He is the main antagonist in the movie. He is the one that the Kid Knight must face off against to save the princess."

Shawn gave the director another 1000 watt smile and somehow amplified his visible excitement even further. "The villain sounds like it'd be a fun part to play. Really different from Kid Knight, but my teacher says I've got range, so I'll do my best!"

"Capital!" the Director shouted, seemingly agreeing with Shawn. "Capital!"

The director signaled for the camera to start rolling with a lazy wave of his hand.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Presence + Expression + 1 (Specialty) + Striking Looks +2 (good impression from director) with the following results {Willpower may be used}

0 Successes: Failure. Shawn fails. Shawn doesn't make the movie

1-3 Successes: Shawn is competitive and ends up in the top 2. The director will choose after another running of try outs.

4+ Successes: Shawn nails it. Shawn gets to choose which part he wants, the villain or the hero.

Shawn was competent and professional in the role of Kid Knight, but as Kasamere it's like he's channelling someone else entirely. He's spoiled but sympathetic, arrogant but vulnerable, and above all those things, dangerous. It's hard to think of him as anything else but a villain now.

OOC: 22:37, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 6 successes using 13d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more ((9(+1),1,4,10(+2),7,3,5,10(+5),10(+9,10,2),3,7,2,6)).

"The perfect Kasemere!" the Director said after the scene was over. The lights came on with a bright flash. The camera man stepped out from behind the oversized camera--his mouth agape, jaw slack, eyes wide. Shawn could even see the bespectacled assistant gave a smirk of approval at Shawn's performance.

A single pair of hands could be heard clapping. Followed by another. And soon more. Eventually, Shawn saw the whole crowd--really only 10 people and one of them was a kid his age--all clapping.

It took Shawn a few seconds to break character, but once he had he breathed out a sigh of relief - he'd gotten his first real big part. But he quickly realised there wasn't time to just rest on his laurels. He was being praised, and he had to accept it the right way. He had to look pleased, but not arrogant or conceited.

"Capital!" The Director emphasized. "Just Capital!"

OOC: Shawn Joins Thread

Shawn: Grandpa is Getting Senile