Characters 101 - Asarai

Each month this blog will feature a character from one of the SFF productions.  This month we’re taking a look at one of the few female villains – Asarai from The Dragon & The Unicorn, played by the amazing Annamarie MacLeod.

 Asarai is on the surface a dark, sexy ancient vampire who has been aliveish since shortly after the dawn of time (the breakfast of time?).  She’s deliciously wicked and delights in torturing people and playing games using her considerable intelligence.  However, she’s evil because she was born to be that way.  In a battle between Light and Dark she was made to embody the Dark.  Sure the perks of living forever, brilliance, and immense wealth (not to mention the minions) are great, but after several thousand years it gets boring and a little lonely. 

History

Asarai’s origin is very mythical.  A goddess toyed with the affections of two gods and they fought over her, killing each other.  As punishment the other gods cursed the goddess’s offspring – twin daughters – to fight each other until one of them destroyed the other.  The infant sisters were cast out of the heavens and left alone on earth.  A shepherdess named Dotalia (aka Dottie) found them and raised them as her own, only later did she come to learn about the curse and discover her own role in it – to raise and teach the sisters throughout time as they fight each, to make sure they are equally matched. When Dotalia learned this from a messenger from the gods, she was given two magical amulets – one with a dragon and one with a unicorn, as well as two magical daggers that would become their ceremonial weapons.  The dragon was given to Asarai and the unicorn to Leona.  Asarai was born alive but when she died at nineteen years old she was resurrected by the curse and forced to live an undead immortal existence.  Her sister, Leona, could die but was resurrected a hundred years later to continue the fight.

 For a long time Asarai loved the gig, being consequence free and doing whatever she wanted.  She was even worshiped as a minor deity in some places.  That changed when she fell in love with a Roman soldier named Julius.  She took him into her cult and he joined her willingly, but she did not turn him.  She loved him too much to make him a vampire and trap him into her cursed existence.  


She tried hard to keep him away from her beautiful sister, fearing they would fall in love and he would get trapped in the curse.  One day her fears came true.  Julius meet Leona when she came to challenge Asarai.  She and Julius fell in love and got married which permenantly tied Julius’s soul to her own and his fate to theirs – they were destined to fight over him as their fathers had done over their mother.  Asarai begged Leona not to marry Julius, but she refused to give him up. 

 For the next three hundred years Asarai refused to fight Leona, because Julius was reborn as well and he and Leona always found each other again.  Asarai couldn’t stand the sight of either one.  Eventually she was finally able to fight them again and did so with a vengeance.  She used whatever means she could to destroy both of them and make each suffer – especially her sister.  During the Renaissance, Asarai managed to poison Leona and Julius promised her his life and servitude if Asarai would save Leona and let them live a happy life – she could collect him when he died. Asarai quickly agreed, but Leona tried to stop it by killing Julius before the deal was complete.  She failed and both she and Julius died.  Julius was resurrected as a vampire and for the next six hundred years he stayed by Asarai’s side.

Each time Leona is reincarnated, Dottie finds her, gives her the amulet, and trains her to fight Asarai.  As soon as Leona puts on the amulet, Asarai can find her.  When Asarai tracks down Lily- Leona’s reincarnation in the movie – she immediately sees that Lily is different from her past lives, she’s special somehow.  Asarai knows the final fight is coming and whoever wins this fight will be the eternal victor.

Appearance

Asarai is a little over five feet tall, with dark curly hair, pale white skin and sort of gothicy make-up.  She primarily dresses in black, gold, and shades of green, and always wears her amulet – she never takes it off.  Sometimes she wears red, and of course she often adorns her clothing with dragon motifs.  She has been alive for thousands of years and has built up a considerable amount of wealth so she likes to look elegant, dangerous, and sometimes sexy.  She has a flair for the dramatic and likes to incorporate fashion styles of the past into her modern wardrobe with vests and poufy shirts and such.

Personality

She is brilliant, beautiful, bad, and bold.  She loves to make trouble and cause mischief.  But petty little games of turning people against each other only hold her attention for so long.  What she loves is making up complicated plans that lead whole kingdoms into war.  She adores games that require both strategy and intelligence such as chess, senet, and go. However, she has a softer side as well.  She doesn’t kill children unless she sees that they will have a miserable life and then she kills them to save them from the suffering – ie that she wishes she could escape her fate and been destroyed as an infant.  

She punishes stupid people when they fight over dumb things – like men fighting over women or women fighting over men, etc.  Ironically she ends up being one of those stupid women fighting over a man when she falls in love with Julius.  Although she’s officially the Evil One, she has the benefit and wisdom that comes with living for thousands of years which allows her to see the big picture when all Leona can see is the small one.  When Asarai falls in love with Julius she is smart enough to realize that he’s in danger just because she loves him – the curse threatens to engulf him.  She tries to protect him but when he and Leona decide to get married she begs – literally begs Leona to let him go and live life together without being married.

Even when she wins Julius’s soul and resurrects him as one of her undead minions, she still loves him.  She treats him like crap sometimes, but still loves him.  In the end she is just tired of being alive and has come to realize that the only way to end the curse is to stop fighting the only way fate will allow – by letting Leona kill her.  She waits until she finds a Leona she doesn’t mind losing too basically, and throws the fight.  Asarai is inside a wounded, scorned lover who has always been second best to her perfect sister.  

Abilities

 That’s pretty much already been mentioned – she’s brilliant, brave, resourceful, a great fighter, and a heavy drinker.  She survives/exists by eating and drinking human flesh and blood, and converts people into vampires to build a minion army so she always has plenty of people to mail packages for her and do the dishes.  She very persuasive and she has a gorgeous voice that can lure men to their doom like a Siren.  She has studied alchemy and chemistry and can make potions and poisons.

Additionally she has the magic amulet she was given when she was a little girl – the Dragon pendant – which sustains her life and keeps her cursed.  She can’t take it off, only Leona can tear it off of her.  She also has the ceremonial dagger, which is the only weapon she can use to kill Leona, no other weapons will work.  Her dagger is made of silver and steel and is encased in a green and gold scabbard.

Relationships

Normally this is divided into Allies & Enemies but one of her enemies is sort of an ally and one of her allies would rather be an enemy.

Leona is her twin sister and is the younger of the two by a few minutes.  Leona is quite literally the Good sister and is some of her lives gets very moralistic with Asarai which irritates the Evil One.  Given their cursed existence, they have a natural animosity which is compounded by the sibling rivalry that is to be expected, especially when one sister is a wicked hooligan and the other is seen to be perfect.

Lily is the current (and last) reincarnation of Leona.  She is the first and only version of Leona to reject her fate and try to get out of the curse without fighting.  Of course she can’t and Asarai ends up bullying her into the fight by killing her adopted parents.  Lily is born with all the knowledge and experience of her past lives once she is trained in how to access the memories, so she is the first Leona in a long time to pose a challenge to Asarai.  She’s also younger than most of the Leona’s that Asarai has challenged and defeated.  Because of all that, especially the fact that Lily tries to fight her fate, Asarai ends up feeling a strong respect for her and decides that this time their fight will end the curse once and for all. 

Julius/JJ is the love of her life.  Once he fell in love with and married her sister, Asarai tried to hate him, but she couldn’t.  She hated Leona, but was never able to hate Julius.  When Julius was reborn he would always be given a name that started with a “J”, such as Joseph, John, and Jeremy.  So Asarai just ends up calling him JJ as a nickname.  The reason she fell in love with him in the first place is because he was the first man who really saw who she was – he didn’t see her as evil or wicked or wanton, he saw her as a woman who just wanted to love and be loved in return.  They both knew deep down that ultimately he would never love her like she wanted to be loved or deserved to be loved and that he would never love her as much as she loved him.  He was far more interested in her a friend then a lover – which was strange to her – and being a very intelligent man he was a match for her intellectually as well.

When they made a deal and she won his soul and his servitude forever, she tried to make him love her but they both knew that it wasn’t something that could be forced.  She abuses him physically and verbally a lot because she’s frustrated that all they can ever hope to be is friends –not that it’s okay to abuse anyone, but she is supposed to be the embodiment of Evil remember.  He takes it with good grace and unlike any of her other minions, he knows what to say and do to calm her down.  When she is angry or upset he’ll tango with her to take her mind off her worries.  So they have a very complicated relationship.  If he wasn’t the man who broke her heart they would be best friends.

Dottie is her mentor and was trained by the gods themselves in order to train the sisters to fight each other.  She’s also the only mother Asarai has ever known.  Leona, in all her various incarnations, has had lots of foster mothers, but Asarai has only ever had the one.  

In the beginning Dottie trained Asarai and Leona equally, training Leona when she found her current incarnation until she was ready to fight Asarai, then training Asarai once Leona was dead while they waited the hundred years for Leona to be reborn.  Eventually Asarai no longer needed Dottie’s training and even surpassed Dottie’s fighting ability in the end.  Dottie stopped training her and focused all her attention on the current Leona, and preparing for the next Leona to come. This naturally make Asarai jealous, but Dottie always tried to be involved in both their lives.  During the long decades between fights, Dottie and Asarai would often hangout and play cards or games, go to the movies, cruise to Alaska, etc.

Dottie is the person Asarai turns to when she has no where else to go and needs a shoulder to cry 
on.  When Julius and Leona 
fall in love, Asarai goes to Dottie for comfort and help.  She convinces Dottie to try to talk Leona out of marrying Julius, but it doesn’t work.  Dottie tries to warn Asarai that maybe this was always meant to happen – maybe Julius was fated to be a part of their curse and be fought over.  Asarai hates to hear that and tries to deny it, but in the end she realizes that Dottie is right.  While Asarai spends her three centuries in mourning, refusing to fight Leona because she can’t stand even looking at her, she goes back and forth between wanting to be alone and clinging to Dottie like a lifeline.

            

At one point Dottie became so over-protective of a certain incarnation of Leona that Asarai’s jealousy nearly destroyed all three of them.  Dottie challenged Asarai to a game, betting her own soul in exchange for Leona’s incarnation being allowed to live a full life and only fight when she was ready to die.  Asarai won the game, slaughtered Leona, and turned Dottie into a vampire.  However, since Dottie has a link to the gods above she was allowed to challenge Asarai again and win her soul and sovernty back.  This ended up becoming something they did several times, betting Dottie’s soul for minions’ freedom or a longer life for one of Leona’s incarnations.

    

Dottie is not just Asarai’s mentor and mother, she’s Asarai’s best friend and in many ways her source of comfort.  Dottie will be revived as soon as Lily dies or will be allowed to rest forever if the curse is broken. So when Asarai tries to quit in the middle of the final fight, Dottie forces her back into it.  Asarai lashes out in anger and stabs her, killing Dottie.  As soon as she strikes, she wants to take it back – there is a look of surprise on both their faces and Asarai’s expression quickly turns from surprise to remorse and she apologizes.  Dottie tells her to just “finish it”, and Asarai does.  

Eek & Squeak are two of Asarai’s oldest minions, having been vampires for two or three thousand years.  They were nicknamed Eek and Squeak for how they sound when startled.  They’re her faithful servants, but get a little silly and eventually senile after a while.

Minions are just fun.  And are sometimes boy scouts.  She likes to have servants and an audience so minions are a necessity for her.  However, they are not stupid and when the fighting starts between Asarai and Lily they disappear from the scene quickly.

Production Diary – Trojan Women

Once a month I’m going to talk about a specific production, what it was like to film it, and what was involved in making it happen.  This month I’m going to talk about Trojan Women

Trojan Women is a short film that very few people have seen but it’s an important production because it’s the only short film that was shot in a studio.  It was produced as a final project for a class on Studio Production.  I had the chance to do whatever I wanted as a final project and decided to do a scene from Trojan Women because I adore the script.  I chose the scene where Menelaus talks to Hecuba and allows her to confront Helen.  It’s a very dramatic scene with some dynamic elements and fun chance to play with camera angles and subtle blocking.  However the scene is about 2/3 through the script and doesn’t really end it just goes on to another scene with a smooth transition.  I wanted more of a poetic wrap up for the end with Hecuba delivering a speech.  I found a speech in the play that sort of worked and rewrote it, adding a few bits, to make it feel more final and dramatic.

I cast Annamarie as Hecuba because she’s awesome and can carry a scene and Chris Hutchens as Menelaus because he’s very talented and has good on-screen chemistry with Annamarie.  Originally Jill Hutchison was cast as Helen of Troy, but in the end she was not able to make it to the shoot, so at the last minute (the day before I think) Morgan Dietkus agreed to take on the part.  She does a great job, especially considering how little time she had to memorize the lines.  Unfortunately she did not have enough time to memorize the very long speech that Helen makes in her own defense so that part doesn’t make a lot of sense.  She begs Menelaus to let her speak, then says “I do not wish to speak”, but it was all we could think of at the last minute to work it without the monologue.  

The cast had the script a week or two before filming and we had one rehearsal a few days before the shoot.  Unfortunately we had to do a little re-blocking outside the studio to adjust for Morgan because we had rehearsed with Jill.  Also, Annamarie was sick on the shooting day.  I think she had a bad cold, but I know she was a little hoarse and she wasn't happy about it, although it made her sound more like the old woman Hecuba is supposed to be.

I remember having the actors run through the scene in the hallway outside the studio because I had to assist another student with his production.  The actors got ready in the costumes provided and I slipped out to style some hair while the set was changed.  I had to bring in my own pillars, which I had used for the production of Trojan Women I had directed for the stage at my high school in my senior year. 

We were running late and I remember getting in trouble with Tim, the teacher, because I wasn’t ready on time.  Finally everything was set – we had great lighting thanks to Tim and a student named Jeff – and the actors took their places.  We only had time to test the ending effect with the fire before we began shooting.  The whole scene was done in one take with three cameras.

It was a really awesome to direct a studio production and I had a lot of fun.  Thanks to the super cast for participating and helping me ace my final project.  If you want to see the scene then check out the video below.

I have always wanted to produce a full version of Trojan Women shot on location at a beach.  Maybe some day I will.

Interview with Syndi Eller

Each month we'll interview a member of the Sine Fine Film company, asking the same or similar questions, and learn more about the actors and crew. 

This month I'm interviewing Syndi Eller who's been with the company since the fall of 2002.

Q: How did you get involved in SFF? (And what possessed you to keep coming back for more torture?)

A: I was Pete Castel’s manager at McDonalds and he just randomly asked me if I wanted to do it and so he brought you down and introduced you to me. I think it was just a fit made in heaven. 

(What makes me come back is) The people and fun, I mean torture is overrated.

Q: What was your favorite part to play?

A: Well since I’ve only played a few, I would say probably Atropos because I got to make the character mine. 

Q: What was your favorite filming day?

A: My favorite filming day? C2! It was just fun, light and airy, like no real pressures for time, and I finally had more lines than just like two or three.  Or Goddess Anonymous, I don’t know-probably C2.

Q: What was your least favorite filming day?

A: Fort De Chartres. It was cold.

Q: What’s your dream role?

A: Well, I told you about my dream role. Writing a script about,- you know, the wish thing? (Fortunate Ones) – and how it would be cool to play a person that wished they were famous for singing and to be able to see how that goes.

Q: What’s your favorite production to watch?

A: Favorite one to watch? Probably Destiny – not Destiny, holy crap! – the Cursed Destiny of Pandora’s Gift Box.  I knew Destiny was in it.

Q: What’s your favorite costume, accessory, or prop?

A: Well, I liked the dress – the burgundy dress I wore that in the dance scene, and I also like my coat. Well, my coat and sunglasses I guess, they’re a duel piece.

Q: Who’s your favorite actor co-star/actor you’ve worked with?  Who would you like to work with in the future?

A: Favorite? Brittany, because she’s just hilarious, and when she goofs up it’s really funny.

There are four people (I want to work with more/in the future) – Nina, Annamarie, Russell, and Morgan.  Russell because, well because he’s Russell – he’s just amazing, and Morgan because I just absolutely love Morgan, she’s just so great - I want to pick her up and put her in my pocket. Nina because Goddess Anonymous was fantastic. And Annamarie – I’ve only worked with her once, but she’s just got that presence that brings greatness out in everybody I think. 

Q: Sum up each production you’ve been in using only one word or short sentence.

DREAM CHASERS 

I understand it but everyone else was confused. (There’s nothing coherent about it – if you’re trying to find coherency in Dream Chasers it’s just not gonna happen. It’s gonna confuse you even more, so if you just accept it for

what it is, it’s fantastic.)

EIDOLON

Long

THE CURSED DESTINY OF PANDORA’S GIFT BOX Charlie’s Angels, baby!

                                           TWISTED TALES: LITTLE RED 

I was really scroungy looking.  That coat was humongous.

TWISTED TALES: CHARMING

Rachel Zoralee is hilarious

GODDESS ANONYMOUS 

Carrot chips, Shoebee and Boobee, and my fantastic altar ornaments.

FORTUNATE ONES: ONLY YOU

Smokey!

C²

DBNS (faux product line)

Q: Top 5 favorites: (not SFF related)

Favorite Color - Green

Favorite Movie or TV Show

Favorite Move? Anything with Judy Garland in it. Favorite TV? If I had to pick one out of all the ones I like right now it would be Big Bang Theory (Go Sheldon!)

Favorite Song or Band/Artist

What I Am by Amy ? and New Bohemians

Favorite Food or Drink 

I looove Chicken Catjatorie. Favorite Drink? Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Favorite Holiday – New Year’s Eve!

Survivor's Club - The Muddy Road Home

There are a lot of days when we film in bad weather - days so hot your eyeballs feel like they're frying, days so cold your hands might fall off, and rain pouring so hard you could almost drown on set. Each month we'll remember one of those horrible weather days and celebrate the survivors who braved the elements in order to film.  Why would we want to remember those days?  Because going through hell on set has a way of bringing everyone closer together when they can say they survived mother nature AND filming on a Yibble set.

THE MUDDY ROAD HOME

Rain was forecast for the afternoon of the day we filmed Twisted Tales: Cinderella, so we filmed the outdoor scenes first.  The sky was cloudy and filming took quite a while, but it didn’t really rain until after lunch. We filmed on the Kansas City Renassiance Festival grounds and it was a bit of a hike from the office where we had lunch to the building where we were going to shoot the inside scenes. 

It had rained a few days before and the ground was a little wet, but – being the off season when the festival was closed and knowing the people who worked there – we were allowed to drive a van through the faire grounds to the shooting location. We parked outside the building a little ways away, and it started to really rain as we where heading inside.  By the time we were ready to shoot it was pouring. 

We filmed all the scenes we needed to and the rain varied between a light drizzle and a downpour, but since we were inside it didn’t really make a difference.  As soon as we were done, we packed up and waited for the rain to ease up before we went out to the car.  When we got to the van there was mud everywhere and as soon as we tried to drive back we quickly realized the car was stuck.  

By this point the rain was starting to get worse again.  There were four of us and it took everyone to help shove the car out the mud ditch we found ourselves in (well, one person was driving while everyone else pushed).  We finally got it unstuck with a big splash of mud all over us (well me at least, the others got out of the way quickly enough to avoid it).  Zan drove it back to the office and picked up her jeep to come back for the rest of us as we started walking through the deserted faire grounds, heading back.  By this time it was pouring.  Everyone was muddy and soaked (and of course I was worrying about one of the costumes while the van was stuck rather than the actress inside it – sorry Bri!).

Although the situation was certainly miserable, we were pretty much laughing and joking on the way back.  When Zan picked us up we gratefully climbed into the back of the jeep, then cleaned up at the office as best we good and headed home.  It was a rainy, messy day at the end but it was still a lot of fun and I loved working with these wonderful gals.

To those who survived the Muddy Road “Affaire”, I thank you and salute you:

Bri Arnold

Antatia Powers

Zan Powers

I’m sorry we all lost our dignity in the mud but we don’t have to time to go back and find it now.  Here’s a towel instead.