Twen Club ~ Chapter 1
Story: Twen Club
Type: multi-chapter
Genre: drama/comedy/life
Rating: T
Chapter: 1
Credits: characters and storyline are the result of my imagination and thus mine, so don't even think of stealing or copying
Comments: First story since over a year. It's been that long already... Either way, I had the idea in mind for months already but never the time to write it down. But now I do. Let's hope for a creative year 2008 with this chapter being the first of hopefully many~. ^^
1 ~ What is the reason?
The room is a sight for itself. A mixture between classic and modern elements with high walls, tasteful painting on the ceiling which is accompanied by fragile chandeliers, probably made of expensive crystal. One wall is covered by mirrors and the floor is clearly meant for dance practices given the used material, parquet. Honestly, I've never seen a room this huge. And still it wasn't big enough to have enough room for all the people crowding it. Some are humming or doing whatever kind of silly voice practice, others practicing moves in front of the mirror... or constantly checking their appearance. I'm pretty sure that the girl across from me has applied new lipstick for at least ten times already. Not that I count along but her sight cannot be ignore, simply for her bright pink outfit. Don't get me wrong, I like pink myself, but not so much in such a shade. It's like an accident, you want to look away badly but your eyes always wander back to the impossible sight. And she isn't the only one which could classify as an, well, accident. The room is full of them. Sighing, I drop my head on my knees. Sitting here in this room, secluded in a far corner where there's hardly anyone except from carelessly dropped bags to keep me company, I ask myself how I ended up in this mess. I don't fit into this selection at all.
"You're so different from all the others, you need to take part."
Different for sure. The only question was, in a good or a bad way? Glancing up again and seeing all these incredible slim bodies makes me feel like throwing up. Compared to them I may appear like an elephant as I have that what others call a healthy weight but in truth it's still too much to fit into the fashion clothes displayed in stores and beauty magazines. The fate of most normal people. On one side you're constantly told that your weight and figure is more than perfect, mostly by relatives and friends, but on the other side you're still too imperfect to be actually considered stylish or slim. In order to compete with any of these beauties, I first need to loose about 20 pounds. Meaning nothing to eat except for raw fruit and vegetables along with water and soup. What a thrilling thought. So, why was I here again?
"You have no talents? Still, don't you want to sign up anyway?"
Actually I had plans for a very relaxing afternoon. I had discovered a nice cafe the day before in a more calm part of Shibuya and wanted to give it a try. While enjoying a piece of cake with a mug of tea I had wanted to sort out the pictures on my digital camera. Nothing exciting at all but I didn't expect my plans to be thrown over this easily. Everything went fine until I crossed the lobby of my hotel. I literally ran into a display which was seated in the middle of said lobby. Whoever had this idea is a real genius. Not. Getting over the first shock, I noticed the english words on the display, announcing a talent casting of some agency which was seemingly affiliated with the Sony label. At least, that's what I concluded from the images beyond the announcement. I couldn't have cared less had not someone suddenly appeared in front of me, giving me the second shock within a minute. That person belonged to that agency and asked me to sign up as well. My look right then must have been quite dumb. For one, he addressed me in English and then he asked me to take part in a casting. I never considered myself a person for this kind of thing so I declined. Only to be told I have something special about me. And that opinion didn't change even when I insisted that I have no talents at all.
"Aren't you just a little curious? This is your chance to see how a casting is like."
In the end, my defense broke down and the next second I found myself seated in the application area, holding a form with a long list of questions. While working myself through it, I had my doubts. They say, curiosity kills the cat. I wonder, does that count for this situation as well? But before I could contemplate about that, the form was snatched from my hands and scanned quickly but carefully. An approving nod and I was given a sheet and sticker with a number, urged to go through the door which had a sign with the words 'Waiting/Group Training' imprinted on it. Only to end up in a room with people who are serious about the casting and not there out of sheer curiosity. Like me, for instance. Despite the impossible big crowd of people and constant chattering flying through the air, my arrival didn't go by unnoticed. What followed was the typical impression check. Given the looks most girls gave me I knew the result instantly. For them I was not a rival in any way simply because... well, I mentioned that before, didn't I? Thus I retreated into the corner where I'm still sitting. And I thought I would never fall for sweet encouraging words. Today proved me wrong. I might have thought that I could live through this until I had consulted the sheet handed to me earlier. Only to realize that I was in for two days of torture.
"Despite saying you have no talents, I'm sure you have at least one. You just need to find it."
Day 1. Interview, approximately ten minutes. I wonder why I bothered to fill out a form when I'm still in for a long interview. First sorting. What, they don't need prove of any talents to decide who can continue to the next step? Individual casting in the areas of singing, dance and acting. I might survive the dancing part but singing and acting? I only sing in the shower and the last time I acted was nearly ten years ago in college. How nice. Second sorting and announcement of competitors for second day. Competitors? This looks more like a competition instead of a casting. Day 2. Group casting in the area of dancing. Duo casting in singing and acting. Last sorting and announcement of the winners. I cannot suppress a sigh. This is simply lovely. So much for trying out. The interviews had started about an hour before I entered the room and thus I' used to the sight of people coming and leaving, literally. And I'm impressed at how many people were actually dismissed after the interview. In numbers, I'd say that out of ten people at least three have to go. Shouldn't I be happy then? This increases the chances of me getting out of the casting earlier than thought. But still, I feel slightly uneasy. A feeling which increases when my number is called. Maybe I want... more?
"Most important, you have to be yourself. The rest will fall into place."
Maybe I want... to prove that even I climb up this ladder, even by one step. For it has always been a dream of mine. To be a part of this business.
Type: multi-chapter
Genre: drama/comedy/life
Rating: T
Chapter: 1
Credits: characters and storyline are the result of my imagination and thus mine, so don't even think of stealing or copying
Comments: First story since over a year. It's been that long already... Either way, I had the idea in mind for months already but never the time to write it down. But now I do. Let's hope for a creative year 2008 with this chapter being the first of hopefully many~. ^^
1 ~ What is the reason?
The room is a sight for itself. A mixture between classic and modern elements with high walls, tasteful painting on the ceiling which is accompanied by fragile chandeliers, probably made of expensive crystal. One wall is covered by mirrors and the floor is clearly meant for dance practices given the used material, parquet. Honestly, I've never seen a room this huge. And still it wasn't big enough to have enough room for all the people crowding it. Some are humming or doing whatever kind of silly voice practice, others practicing moves in front of the mirror... or constantly checking their appearance. I'm pretty sure that the girl across from me has applied new lipstick for at least ten times already. Not that I count along but her sight cannot be ignore, simply for her bright pink outfit. Don't get me wrong, I like pink myself, but not so much in such a shade. It's like an accident, you want to look away badly but your eyes always wander back to the impossible sight. And she isn't the only one which could classify as an, well, accident. The room is full of them. Sighing, I drop my head on my knees. Sitting here in this room, secluded in a far corner where there's hardly anyone except from carelessly dropped bags to keep me company, I ask myself how I ended up in this mess. I don't fit into this selection at all.
"You're so different from all the others, you need to take part."
Different for sure. The only question was, in a good or a bad way? Glancing up again and seeing all these incredible slim bodies makes me feel like throwing up. Compared to them I may appear like an elephant as I have that what others call a healthy weight but in truth it's still too much to fit into the fashion clothes displayed in stores and beauty magazines. The fate of most normal people. On one side you're constantly told that your weight and figure is more than perfect, mostly by relatives and friends, but on the other side you're still too imperfect to be actually considered stylish or slim. In order to compete with any of these beauties, I first need to loose about 20 pounds. Meaning nothing to eat except for raw fruit and vegetables along with water and soup. What a thrilling thought. So, why was I here again?
"You have no talents? Still, don't you want to sign up anyway?"
Actually I had plans for a very relaxing afternoon. I had discovered a nice cafe the day before in a more calm part of Shibuya and wanted to give it a try. While enjoying a piece of cake with a mug of tea I had wanted to sort out the pictures on my digital camera. Nothing exciting at all but I didn't expect my plans to be thrown over this easily. Everything went fine until I crossed the lobby of my hotel. I literally ran into a display which was seated in the middle of said lobby. Whoever had this idea is a real genius. Not. Getting over the first shock, I noticed the english words on the display, announcing a talent casting of some agency which was seemingly affiliated with the Sony label. At least, that's what I concluded from the images beyond the announcement. I couldn't have cared less had not someone suddenly appeared in front of me, giving me the second shock within a minute. That person belonged to that agency and asked me to sign up as well. My look right then must have been quite dumb. For one, he addressed me in English and then he asked me to take part in a casting. I never considered myself a person for this kind of thing so I declined. Only to be told I have something special about me. And that opinion didn't change even when I insisted that I have no talents at all.
"Aren't you just a little curious? This is your chance to see how a casting is like."
In the end, my defense broke down and the next second I found myself seated in the application area, holding a form with a long list of questions. While working myself through it, I had my doubts. They say, curiosity kills the cat. I wonder, does that count for this situation as well? But before I could contemplate about that, the form was snatched from my hands and scanned quickly but carefully. An approving nod and I was given a sheet and sticker with a number, urged to go through the door which had a sign with the words 'Waiting/Group Training' imprinted on it. Only to end up in a room with people who are serious about the casting and not there out of sheer curiosity. Like me, for instance. Despite the impossible big crowd of people and constant chattering flying through the air, my arrival didn't go by unnoticed. What followed was the typical impression check. Given the looks most girls gave me I knew the result instantly. For them I was not a rival in any way simply because... well, I mentioned that before, didn't I? Thus I retreated into the corner where I'm still sitting. And I thought I would never fall for sweet encouraging words. Today proved me wrong. I might have thought that I could live through this until I had consulted the sheet handed to me earlier. Only to realize that I was in for two days of torture.
"Despite saying you have no talents, I'm sure you have at least one. You just need to find it."
Day 1. Interview, approximately ten minutes. I wonder why I bothered to fill out a form when I'm still in for a long interview. First sorting. What, they don't need prove of any talents to decide who can continue to the next step? Individual casting in the areas of singing, dance and acting. I might survive the dancing part but singing and acting? I only sing in the shower and the last time I acted was nearly ten years ago in college. How nice. Second sorting and announcement of competitors for second day. Competitors? This looks more like a competition instead of a casting. Day 2. Group casting in the area of dancing. Duo casting in singing and acting. Last sorting and announcement of the winners. I cannot suppress a sigh. This is simply lovely. So much for trying out. The interviews had started about an hour before I entered the room and thus I' used to the sight of people coming and leaving, literally. And I'm impressed at how many people were actually dismissed after the interview. In numbers, I'd say that out of ten people at least three have to go. Shouldn't I be happy then? This increases the chances of me getting out of the casting earlier than thought. But still, I feel slightly uneasy. A feeling which increases when my number is called. Maybe I want... more?
"Most important, you have to be yourself. The rest will fall into place."
Maybe I want... to prove that even I climb up this ladder, even by one step. For it has always been a dream of mine. To be a part of this business.