Ubiquitous: /yo͞oˈbikwətəs/ Adjective: Present, appearing, or found everywhere: “his ubiquitous influence”

Just like these actors that I think would make excellent leads if I were to cast for my story Serious Game 2.0.

But I’ve jumped the gun a little. Let me explain. Alexis Fittinger is hosting the epic and amazing Now Starring blogfest today. The concept is pretty simple, and one I adore:

1. Choose 4-6 of your lead characters.
2. Let us know a little bit about what each of your characters looks like.
3. Then, pick any actor or actress, they’re all at your disposal.
4. Finally, apart from their appearance, what about this particular performer makes you think they’ll do your baby justice. What’s that special something that makes them perfect for the part? Their attitude? The way the walk? Their voice? Let us know.

The story itself isn’t anything like Uriel’s Fall. It’s contemporary fiction:
Zach and Scott have it all: money, fast cars, and their pick of women. When the betrayal of a childhood friend threatens to destroy the software company they built from scratch, they realize being at the top means a longer fall before hitting rock bottom. Now they have to decide if it’s worth the effort to rebuild both the company and trust they’ve lost, or if simple surrender is the quickest route to the inevitable conclusion.

Mackenzie didn’t think following the URL on that dollar bill was big deal. It’s thrown her world into disarray, threatening her notions of reality, conspiracy, and one-night stands. Meeting Scott complicates things further. She’s struggling to find answers running out of time in a world where online media has made instant gratification an expectation. If discovering the truth behind the online infection doesn’t kill her, her love life probably will.

Here’s my cast of main characters. Of course, none of these images are mine. I found them all through the friendly world of Google images.

Jude Law as Zach Johnston

I admit, it took me a long time to find an actor for Zach. He’s blond, he’s about 5’10”, and he’s got this attitude about him that means he can sell anything to anyone. Except when Rae’s involved, but that’s part of the fun.

Then Ay said “Jude Law. Perfect choice.” I saw those gorgeous eyes, and I knew she was right. I’m a sucker for pale eyes against a dark pallet. And there’s something about the way he holds himself, even in still shots you can see that confidence, tinged with something more passionate underneath.

Nathan Fillion as Scott McAllister

This was a tough call for me. I tried to fill the role by searching for ‘sexy brunette male’ and it just didn’t do it. And no offense to Nathan Fillion – because I adore the person he projects to the public – but he’s a little older than my characters, so it’s not quite the perfect match. All my people are in their late 20’s.

But everything else about him is so Scott. Scott is just a little taller (maybe 6’0″) and was a quarterback in high school. He played football for his dad, but kept (mostly) in shape even after he left home. He’s a solid, hard core, gaming geek. But since he grew up with money, and with Zach as a best friend, he’s picked up some habits a lot of the more timid gamers of the world don’t exhibit. It’s a graceful combination of awkwardness and arrogance. And if you’ve read his guest posts, you know I adore him.

Charlize Theron as Lorraine (Rae) Dillon

Like with Scott, I did a search for ‘blond’. And did not expect to find this. Chalize Theron has some distinct facial features and I wouldn’t have imagined Rae looking so…exotic is the only word I can think of for it. But I found this picture and knew it was right. The haircut, the smile, the clothes, it’s all Rae.

Rae is shorter, maybe only 5’4″. In high school she went through a phase where she was hooked on Japanese cartoons, and dyed her hair blue and picked up the nickname Rae, because it was much more distinct than her boring old real name. For the most part she’s soft-spoken. Except when she’s around Zach. Something about him brings out the inner rage and she can’t help but fight back, so she has to be be both demure and spunky depending on the situation.

Jewel Staite as Mackenzie (Kenzie) Hatch

I didn’t actually set out to make this a half-Firefly cast. But I’d been trying to find the right person for Kenzie, and no one I looked at was quite right. Then Kaylee (Jewel Staite) came on screen and I knew that was it. The perfect look for Kenzie.

Biggest difference, Kenzie has multi-colored hair. Green, red, and purple, that she frequently pulls back into pigtails. She’s aggressive, intelligent, and frequently perceived as rude because she insists on honesty. But she can be sweet when the mood is right.

So that’s my cast of characters. Do you have any tricks for getting a clearer image of your characters when you’re writing?

And don’t forget to go check out all the other celebrity shots on everyone else’s posts.