This story was written for @the-craftsman as part of the TF Community Secret Santa in December 2017.
The news that Warcraft was going to be getting a sequel was a surprise to quite a few people in Hollywood considering the first hadn’t exactly been a box office or critical smash but there were still plenty of people showing an interest in it.
One such person was Hugh Jackman, an actor who was no stranger to tackling challenges. After his time with the X-Men franchise was over he was looking for new avenues to explore and the option to portray a character made through computer-generated imagery certainly sounded interesting. His agent was a little apprehensive to get in touch with the production company behind the Warcraft franchise but Jackman insisted, declaring that he was certain about it.
Meetings with the production company followed and they were understandably excited by the prospect of having such a well-established actor on board. After all, as a Golden Globe winner he had a considerable amount of clout in the industry and when he was invested in a project, hugh always gave one-hundred-and-ten percent. He lived and breathed his craft and as long as he was surrounded by a crew that felt the same way he was able to invest in anything put before him. Just talking with the director and screenwriter assured him that the project was in good hands and he had nothing to be worried about.
Once his manager had read through the contract and assured him that not only was it incredibly fair but he would actually be earning a considerable sum of money for his involvement in the project, Hugh signed his name on the dotted line and shook hands with all of the top dogs involved. His next adventure was just beginning and he was already looking forward to getting started, rewatching the first movie and even getting invested in the World of Warcraft game as research methods.
The character he had signed on to play was an Orc chieftain who would be the villain of the film, flexing his power over his subjects and causing a number of issues for the protagonists. Although he was easily best known as playing the hero in the X-Men franchise, Hugh was no stranger to playing an antagonist and in some ways he actually found it preferable. After all, people did say that villains had more fun, and from his experience that was just as true for the actors portraying those characters.
Described as seven foot tall with two large tusks protruding from his lower row of teeth and sickly green skin, Hugh’s character sounded like quite the beast. He chuckled at the news that he would be receiving his very own action figure, something he certainly wasn’t a stranger to considering his past career. Determined to do his character justice, Hugh began putting in multiple hours every do into his orc character on World of Warcraft, versing himself in the lore of the universe and everything he would need to truly believe every line of dialogue he delivered for the film.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for Hugh was how much of an obsession the game became for him. On days when he wasn’t expected to make any social appearances on chat shows or at premieres, he could be found sat at his computer running dungeons and hoarding gold to make sure his orc was equipped with the best armor the in-game currency could buy. The movie producers were more than impressed with his dedication to the product and even got in contact with the game’s creators to supply him with some exclusive gear that really set him apart from the millions of others playing alongside him. None of them had any idea they were playing with the Hugh Jackman, legitimate movie star, but his own identity never mattered to him when he was playing. As far as he was concerned, he was nobody more than his character.
When the call came through for Hugh to attend a make-up testing session, there was no hesitation prior to his agreement. Despite knowing that his role would be done using motion capture, he was willing to help the production in any way he possibly could. Warcraft had taken over his life and he was determined to make the sequel as much of a success as it could possibly be. Nobody had ever been able to question Hugh’s commitment to his work but this project took things to a whole new level. It became an unconscious obsession as every aspect of his life became dedicated to this one franchise.
Arriving at the studios, the actor was quickly whisked away to the make-up department where he was greeted by a group of six young men, all handsome and very clearly with some interest in him. Being in the presence of so many gay men hardly troubled Hugh - after all, he had worked in musical theatre for a long time so he was more than used to it - and the men gathered around him all had such spectacular manners that he considered them nothing but good company. Their contributions to discussions were delightful and Hugh found himself settling in quite easily as he was directed towards a plush make-up chair in front of a mirror.
A glance at his reflection proved a lot of the things that were commonly said about him - charming, rugged, handsome. The list no doubt went on but aside from making sure he appeared presentable for the rest of the world, the actor did not put much thought into his looks. As far as he was concerned, it was the quality of the human being that really affected how their life was lived, not how good looking society deemed them to be.
Within mere moments Hugh had been presented with a drink - a smoothie with a thick green texture, much like how he imagined his character’s skin to be. “What’s this?” he enquired, accepting the drink and sniffing it. There was a strong smell radiating from it, some combination of a burning fire and the sweaty odor of a gym locker room. The composite should have repulsed Hugh but instead the actor found it surprisingly arousing, although he was hardly going to admit that to the folks around him.
“Oh, it’s just a shake to help you relax,” one of the make-up assistants declared, smiling politely, “We call it Essence of Orc.” A giggle broke out around the room and Hugh couldn’t help but join in, amused at the silly name they had given their creation. It tapped into his newfound obsession with the Warcraft Orc culture though and was the deciding factor in winning him over, prompting him to bring the glass to his lips and take a big gulp.
The green frothing liquid slipped past the actor’s lips and down his throat with such ease that he hardly recognized he had consumed the whole thing. As he pulled the glass away from his lips, he was stunned by a loud burp that escaped unconsciously and immediately began to chuckle. “Sorry about that.” None of the other men seemed troubled by it, giggling along with him as they started to get to work.
While he sat in the make-up chair, Hugh was greeted by an overwhelming warmth that began to grow inside him. It spread throughout his body, from his chest down each limb and all the way down to his toes. A fire burned inside of him, one that he couldn’t quite explain, and it was causing quite the stirring in his crotch area, leaving him tenting his jeans and hoping that nobody had noticed his growing ‘situation’.
As the professionals worked around him, Hugh admired the green hue that spread across his body. It appeared first in his hands, spreading up across his hairy forearms and large biceps until it began painting his whole body. Even his face became that sickly green color that Hugh had begun to connect with so easily over the past several weeks. He only realized once his reflection displayed his whole body as being the perfect orcish green tint that none of the make-up assistants had touched him once. His skin had changed colour completely by itself.
While Hugh struggled with that confusing revelation, his progression into the perfect visualization of his character continued with the thickening of his fingers. The nails cracked and became a putrid yellow with the perfectly moisturized skin of his hands became weathered and rough. Even the very size of his hands seemed to have grown, leaving him with no question that something very strange and unnatural was happening to him. Despite that, the smoothie he had consumed made him feel completely calm and instead he merely smiled to the men around him, wanting to reassure them that he was perfectly fine.
The changes continued with the broadening of his arms, his already meaty forearms, biceps and triceps exploding with power and almost doubling in size. A newfound strength burned inside of him and he was sure that should life find him punching at a tree for whatever, he would break the whole damn trunk in two. So strong, he mused to himself, lifting his arms and flexing them for a moment. The action earned a round of applause from the other men in the room and he smiled at them, pleased to see them so entertained.
His hands and arms weren’t the only parts of his body to change, with the expansion spreading throughout his torso and lower half, leaving them both inflated with more muscle than he could ever possibly hope for. His shirt was shredded by the growth of the two solid slabs of muscle that were his pectorals, while his trousers split before the pressure of his beefy thighs and calves. As the transformation spread through his legs, he felt them stretching several inches while still packing on muscle, pushing him towards a stunning seven feet tall.
Hugh’s shoes were utterly helpless against the rapid growth of the feet that they enclosed and found themselves torn to shreds as his feet grew several sizes and fought back against their imprisonment. Thick toes pushed through the leather of the shoes as the actor let out a grunt of surprise. Busting out of his clothes and shoes was hardly a feeling that could be compared to anything he had experienced before but it was undeniable that the whole experience was far more arousing than he ever could have predicted. His whole body felt warm and totally wired, ready to explode at even the slightest touch.
Finally Hugh was left in nothing but his boxers, admiring a body that was now a proud shade of green and had grown in every way imaginable. His boxers, stretched to their very limit, revealed an obscene bulge as Hugh now packed a twelve-inch monster of a cock, pulsating every second as it begged for release.
“How do you feel, sir?” one of the young men around him asked, batting his eyes and flashing his most charming smile.
Hugh paused to consider his answer for a moment before realizing there was only one correct thing to say - “Strong.” His body radiated strength like never before and he realized with surprise that he had an intense desire to fight and wage war. He needed to prove that he was the strongest being around and that orcs like himself were not to be overlooked, certainly not by puny men who dared to think that they could match up!
Rising from the make-up chair, Hugh’s seven foot stature took him far above the mirror and he towered over all of the men in the room. They complimented him by touching his body, tracing his large muscles with their delicate hands and causing him to chuckle. His voice echoed around the room, deeper than it had been before and lacking the distinct Australian accent that he had entered the room with. This time though there was no thought about changing his voice or intonation as it all happened naturally, feeling just right for the character he was going to be portraying.
As the countdown towards filming began, Hugh was satisfied by being granted unlimited access to one of the most expensive gyms in downtown Hollywood where he found himself towering over his fellow A-Listers and asserting his dominance. He wasn’t just an orc chieftain, he was a god and he fed off the fear in human’s eyes as he sauntered past them, a seven-foot monster with unbelievable muscles.
Determined to make sure that the Warcraft sequel was a complete success, the producers had hired a number of warlocks and witches to try and eliminate how much computer-generated imagery they used in the movie. Audiences wanted as much of the movie to be real as possible and thankfully creating an orc army out of the actors and extras they had hired was an easy first step. Soon Hugh was joined by the likes of Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Dornan, who would play commanders in his army, and the hype for Warcraft’s sequel truly began.
The producers had pulled out all the stops to make sure the movie was as much of a success as possible and thankfully they had an A-List star on their side, every bit as committed to making sure audiences knew that the orcs were the real powerful ones of the story!