Welcome. Another AU from me since I'll wait until Season 3 starts in Canada before I start writing non-Au fan fiction. Enjoy.
A. Nigma Studios
It was the fall of 1939. America was making it big in the motion picture business with films like "The Wizard of Oz", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Stagecoach" and "Wuthering Heights." In the shadow of American films one British film called "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" had made it big and in the shadow that one specific British film… films from other countries: India, Turkey, Italy but most specifically Canada.
A. Nigma studios had been founded in 1926 by Alexander Nigma. Four years later, Nigma died. He had been terminally ill with throat cancer from heavy smoking and having some fake snow on the set of one of his company's films. Nigma was succeeded by R. Wurst, who suffered from a mental breakdown six years later, and was himself succeeded by Wendell Barrage. Barrage was a former war veteran who had suffered major injuries in World War I. This resulted in him looking… very intimidating.
The studio made westerns, film serials and B movies with plenty of mystery and action. The westerns had made stars out of Lee Ping and Brandy Silver. Lee was a former stunt man, Brandy just an actress and script writer. They were always cast as love interests and Brandy had become convinced that she and Lee were in love. Over on at the B movies, the same thing had happened with Brad Von Chilstein and Tina Kwee, only in reverse! Brad had convinced himself that he and Tina were in love. Brad was the son of silent film actor Ace Von Chilstein, and became an actor to continue the family legacy no matter how delusional he became. Tina had been a script girl but had since become script writer and actress when Brad saw her.
As for the serials they had actors such as Camilio Martinez, Biffy Goldtsein, Chaz Moneranian and the extremely unlucky Basil Hagen. Why was Basil so unlucky? Well, he was the inventor of Theater-in-the-Square where no one got a good seat! Theater-in-the-Round wouldn't be invented for another eight years so people would keep reminding Basil of his failure until then. But enough of his failures when it comes to inventing ways for the stage! What everyone talked about was him ticking off Cheeta the Chimpanzee at MGM so much that the beast tried to rip his arm off! That's what all of his co-workers talked about! Basil the Failure aside, Camilio Martinez or simply Cam as he preferred to be called would always end up playing monsters that showed up in the serials. Cam had an interest in politics and was only going to be working at A. Nigma studios until he had found a way to become the first black politician in a white politic world. As for Biffy, he had been a gangster but had since become an actor and costume designer.
Also working at the studio was Holger Holgaart, a dance choreographer, Lynch Webber, a film crewmember, Ed McFeeney, the head of the music department, and Veronica Victoria, a female director. There were many other people but not many were credited.
Over in the western department, the movie "Showdown" was being filmed. Lee was a cowboy Brandy was a dancehall queen the two loved each other… Lee wanted to kill himself. One more movie as Brandy's leading man and he'd probably go insane. It was like eating the same thing day after day after day or being in prison! This was a fate worse than death!
Lee looked at the guns in his holsters. If only the bullets weren't rubber.
Over at the B movie department where the film "The Lion Man" was being filmed, Tina was going through something similar. Always being the leading lady to a delusional nut job of an idiot was tiring. It felt like her life was being sucked out of her. Brad might as well have been a vampire. If he were then Tina could have just drove a stake through his heart, cut off his head and then fill his mouth with garlic.
At the serial department, all of the actors were taking a breaking from filing the third episode of "Speed Crabbe." The actors who had no love for Brad had taken one of his pictures and started throwing darts at it.
"Brad is such a jerk!" Cam threw his dart at Brad's picture. It hit Brad's nose. Cam was in a gorilla suit but at least had taken the mask off. The sight of a gorilla playing darts would cause someone who had just walked in to wonder if they were hallucinating.
"He's not just a jerk, he's Nazi party material!" Basil, dressed as the serial's villain, threw his dart only for it to miss and hit Chaz in the rear. Chaz, who was the hero 'Speed Crabbe' turned around and threw the dart at Basil, which missed Basil and hit Veronica Victoria's chair. Basil just stood there smiling, his costume looking one third Fu Manchu based, one third Devil based and one third military dictator based.
Chaz's misfortune caused laughing from all present. Biffy gave Basil a pat on the back, which caused Basil to fall down. "Basil, you just keep missing and you just keep hitting something that isn't the target!" Bifyf's teasing was playful and had a point. He had once been hit by a pie from Basil that had been meant for someone else. It caused Biffy to wonder if Basil would miss a target if it were one foot away from him. "So, we know Lee likes Tina and Tina likes Lee so how about we get them-"
"Oh, ar son De!" Basil threw a dart violently. It didn't hit the picture of Brad but it did end up breaking a prop ray gun. Cam gave Basil a look that clearly said "But it was my turn!" Basil started to storm off only to turn around. "Lee and Tina, Lee and Tina, Lee and Tina! That's all you three ever talk about! Getting those two lovebirds together! What about me?"
"What about you?" Cam brought up a good question. What about Basil? What did he have to be angsty about?
"I don't know but I'll think of something!" And with that Basil left to do something.