#I cannot wait to get to analyse the costumes for this show!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tinyyoungblood · 3 years

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how ab a headcanon where the avengers all take a trip either to disney world or on a disney cruise? i’m a whore for the idea of everyone, especially peter and y/n, just acting like kids again

pairing: peter parker x avenger!reader

a/n: i like this prompt so much!! i’ve never been to disneyland, but i hope this is accurate enough lol. i also turned this into a vlog bc someone had to record this mess and since it can’t be me, i’m giving filming privileges to bruce

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the avengers in disneyland

everyone is very very excited and the days before they leave pass in a flurry of excitement, but peter has never been to disneyland, so he’s THRILLED beyond means

peter’s jumping up and down while everyone’s loading the van and he keeps asking them if they’re ready for this “life-changing field trip?????”

sam is genuinely afraid that if peter jumps any higher he will bounce off earth, so he grabs peter by the middle and carries him horizontally into the car

steve gave a whole lecture on not getting lost the day before and since tony couldn’t resist it, he is dressed head to toe in neon yellow and grinning cockily

nat steps into the van, sees him, and turns around with her hand over her eyes like she’s been blinded

bruce brings his video camera with him and records everything. first thing they do is hit up a gift shop and it is better than any oscar nominated movie

everything they pick up is subjected to a thorough label reading and some kind of commentary

“steve, show them what you’re getting!!” “slippers” “what kind of slippers” “uh...soft”

thor on the other hand takes it very serious and his commentary ends up being very ~shakespearean~

peter and y/n get matching friendship bracelets for everyone

loki: “i’m not wearing that”

y/n: “that’s alright-“

loki: “no tie it on for me”

bucky wouldn’t have come along if it weren’t for steve and sam, but now he’s taking it upon himself to make sure that everyone stays in good condition so they don’t miss out on training

the whole team gets hourly text messages from him in the group chat

bucky: “There’s a water leak in Mickey’s Toontwon. If any of you slip and hurt yourselves I will kill you.”

y/n: “love you too buck”

(they know it’s his way to express his love for them so every message almost makes them tear up)

loki really wants to go on splash mountain but since he doesn’t want to get his clothes wet, he asks the guards how ~splashy~ splash mountain gets

they don’t take him seriously and it infuriates loki because it’s a perfectly reasonable question but it quickly turns into a passionate argument that holds up the entire line

“I DEMAND TO KNOW HOW HIGH THE RISK OF GETTING WET IS, YOU INCOMPETENT FOO—”

*cue y/n and nat dragging him away while bruce runs after them to zoom in on loki’s pouty glare*

they get him a green rain poncho with black polka dots from one of the gift shops, and he’s still glowering but he puts it on without protest before each ride that involves water

normally the avengers would easily get recognised but since everyone is walking around in costumes, people approach them for several other reasons

thor is just peacefully standing in life, staring at the incredicoaster like it’s the love of his life, when a little kid tugs at his cape

“excuse me sir, why are you so tall?” “good question, why are you so short?” “hmm” “hmm”

they find a micky mouse whac-a-mole and everyone is having Fun but something possesses tony and clint and they are really going for it

tony is a 5 foot tall ball of stress and competitiveness and he is yielding that plastic hammer like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do

clint on the other hand is starting to feel the numbness in his arms

y/n, with sarcasm: “you can do it, clint!”

clint, with spite: “i cannot do it, thanks”

*y/n stares into the camera*

they also make up a rule that if you are in a 5 meters radius of one of the theme park characters, you HAVE to snap a picture with them

steve, who gets constantly shoved nudged by bucky into some character’s path, ends up taking a picture with almost every single disneyland character

at some point, he’s just downright sick of it and there’s a 7 min video of steve zooming across the lot while goofy and woody run after him with wide open arms

bucky is doubled over with laughter in the background while sam is standing beside him and wiping away his own tears

the avengers also buy all the pictures that are taken of them on the rides and even stop at some photo booths so they can send them to wanda and vision who are both vacationing on hawai’i <3

thor, peter, and y/n run themselves ragged and their legs almost give out but they will not stop until they have been on every ride that disneyland has to offer

the others think it’s obnoxious but they follow and join them without hesitation

tony is secretly trembling with fear. doing loops in the air at the speed of light is fine and so is battling aliens, but getting on a rollercoaster ride is just heart-stopping horrifying

it’s not that he doesn’t like rollercoasters, (that man has no self-preservation skills, anything that resembles plummeting to death will be gazed at with big heart eyes) but he just doesn’t trust them

if he didn’t build it or prove it, he doesn’t trust it. period. but the avengers are just so excited and happy that he can’t find it in him to sit out

that quickly results in thor and tony re-enacting very impressive Shouting Contests on each ride without fail

tony is screaming and clinging onto whoever is sitting next to him for dear life because he’s Petrified™️

and thor is screaming, because he’s having The Time Of His Life

he’s feeling the wind in his hair, his heart in his throat, and if he’s not shredding his vocal chords and flinging his limbs around, what’s the point of it all

after 20 different rides, tony is sick of pretending and just trudges through disneyland, the happiest place of earth, like it’s the sole cause of all suffering in the world

nat rejoins the group after she mysteriously disappeared for a moment and her hair is tossed, there’s ash on her face, and half of her clothes are wet

bruce, startled: “where have you been??”

nat, beaming: “there was a ride that spat fire from all sides and people jumped out of nowhere to scare you while the whole place was filled with hot water!!!”

bruce, concerned, zooms in on nat’s excited face

“nat i think you went to hell”

sam is big on merry-go-rounds so he drags everyone with him and while some one them first don’t seem to enjoy it, they change their mind once they see bucky’s little smile

(they go on at least ten more rounds until it starts to get dizzy)

a little girl trips over her princess gown and falls close to where steve is waiting in line, and steve immediately abandons his spot to rush over

bruce zooms in on them bc steve has always been kinda awkward with kids, but here he is, crouching down and comforting that little girl, and it’s so unashamedly soft and sweet

they can’t hear what steve is saying but she’s BEAMING now and even giving him a wobbly courtesy while he claps proudly

bruce turns the camera around and both he and clint are lowkey in TEARS like “why are we crying?? we didn’t even fall down” “i KNOW!!”

nat gets a hold of the camera and she’s on a mission to get the most embarrassing greatest footage possible

“bucky, go stand next to moana” “why?” “it’s moana go stand over there” “but i don’t know-“ “bucky.” *cue bucky, awkwardly standing next to moana while nat grins broadly*

when he’s back with the team, sam just stares at him blank-faced, clearly waiting for bucky to ask why he’s looking at him

eventually bucky caves in with a long sigh

“what” “i can’t believe you don’t know who moana of montunui is. she restored BALANCE to the WORLD. put some RESPECT ON HER NAME”

no one knows why but there’s footage of y/n, thor, tony, and loki strutting up and down in the middle of the lane in minnie mouse plush shoes like it’s a catwalk

sam, bucky, and nat are holding up their fingers to score them while steve is staring at them like he’s analysing their fighting stances

bruce, clint, and peter are standing on the sidelines and cheering them on as they should be

they end their day by digging into an unholy amount of fries that even steve can’t resist because they’ve been walking the whole day

a questionable amount of cotton candy also end ups in their possession and the footage of that is just mostly everyone trying out each other’s cones while the camera is passed between them

soon after, the avengers are back in their van to drive home and bruce zooms in on the row of seats where y/n has her head on peter’s shoulder while the others are also half-lounging on each other, and everyone is asleep <3

* * *

guess what i’m about to say?

stay hydrated pals

hc masterlist

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floof-ghostie · 3 years

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On a similar note from my post comparing class 1-A and B's girls, I'm also cackling at how deep the male cast of 1-B is.

Top of the list is Monoma, the most dramatic person in the world. By all accounts, he should be an ass, yet he isn't. One of the smartest characters on the show, always analysing. Supports anyone that isn't in the rival class. His hero costume is basically "Phantom of the Opera" meets "Pocket watch collector". It's great. He's also a huge fan of french comics, or "bandes dessinées". Iconic as hell.

Kuroiro is the embodiment of darkness and schemes, constantly talks in a melodramatic fashion, and basically started a rivalry to "Out-Goth" Tokoyami. The guy literally thinks he came from the void, he's that goth. Yet he goes soft and shy for one person (Komori). Literally my favourite trope in the entire world.

Kamakiri is brash, violent, and won't hesitate to cut a b*tch. His favourite hobby is collecting bugs. One of the most hardened, most violent characters on the show, and his side hustle is collecting bugs. One of the calmest hobbies that requires a cool head to handle the critters. Beautiful.

We got Shishida, who's quirk is called "beast". Pretty self explanatory; he can go feral at any given time. But when he's out of beast mode? Most respectful, and eloquent person we've ever seen. Most put together person. Probably does his taxes for fun. Refers to the girls in his life as "Lady (insert name here)".

Shoda is class vice rep, respectfully holds the brain cell of the class and respectfully gives it to Kendo when she needs it, and on his downtime is into wrestling. Also hella smart, probably analyses a lot of fights, so he can better use his quirk. Held no ill will towards the people who best him in a fight.

Honenuki has a skeletal appearance and is a recommendation student. Very versatile quirk, flexible way of thinking, gives his classmates massages if they're cool with it. All around good guy. His hero name you ask? Mudman.

Awase? Chile, anybody who follows me knows how much I love him, but we're gonna keep this short. Cusses on the regular, and is so good with his quirk that he managed to detain the most volatile and dangerous student in his grade without getting hurt. Cool headband, cynical, will outright refuse to be used as a welding tool. All these traits cannot disguise the fact that he's an absolute dork, referred to Kendo's dress as, and I quote "Kinda sexy". Was 100% ready to lay down his life to save a girl that he barely knew, and caught feelings for her as a result.

Kosei Tsuburaba, the ride-or-die man of class 1-B. Honestly, he might be almost as detailed as Monoma. Loves special effects in superhero movies, enjoys ball games, and is a hopeless romantic. I'm not kidding, he's constantly bending two of his classmates' ears with talk about romance. Dirty minded, but still extremely respectful.

Show me a side character who represents the duality of man more then Sen Kaibara. I'll wait. Has rbf 24/7, and is chill until it's time to fight. Then he's all smiles and excitement. My man is completely chill and generally doesn't give a damn unless it's time to fight. Phenomenal. If he was in the spotlight more, he'd be too op, and Hori knows that. Loves cameras and photography, probably takes candid shots of his friends.

Hiryu Rin, one of the only two canon foreign transfer students at U.A. Comes from China, his costume is modelled after a kind of Chinese zombie. Is that one friend who's always cold. Minds his business all the time.

The gentlest giant in the entire show is Kojiro Bondo. The guy makes model figures in his spare time, and is the sweetest soul. No further explanation.

Manga Fukidashi. Where do I even start with this dude. My guy has a whole speech bubble for a head, and that isn't even part of his quirk. This dude is always joking around, and basically wants to scream Onomatopoeias for a living as a hero. Loves kids, is probably going to be a hella popular hero, just you wait. He'll be one of the big three, mark my words.

And finally, the man, the myth, the metal: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. Got shot several times during the attack on the camp, and still kept fighting. Got set on fire, and still didn't relent. You'd think a guy like him would be mean and brash, but no. This dude legit gets sparkly eyes whenever he sees Kendo use the brain cell of the class. Supportive as hell, will always cheer you up.

So yeah. A nuanced class of good boys. And do you know what's even better?

They all chug that Respect Women Juice with every meal.

#bnha #class 1-b #neito monoma #shihai kuroiro #togaru kamakiri #jurota shishida #nirengeki shoda #juzo honenuki #yosetsu awase #kosei tsuburaba #sen kaibara #hiryu rin #kojiro bondo #manga fukidashi #tetsutetsu tetsutetsu

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formenis · 3 years

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Anon asked “Can you do one shot were before the Kira case L and reader were trying for a baby but after he takes the Kira case they agree to stop and after L meets Light reader finds out she is pregnant. L tries to send her away but she refuses and they end up fighting in front if the Task Force and that's how they find out L and reader are married and that she is pregnant “

pairing: L x fem!reader

warning: mention of food play

requested: yes

A/N: I apologise for the mistakes you will find in my stories but English is not my first language. Sorry ^^”

Y/A = your alias

Negative.

Y/N sighed placing the pregnancy test on the sink. It was the second one that week with that same result…Y/N started to believe either she or L were able to have a child.

After a little time off, she washed her face, now her S/C skin was flawless and smooth, and then the teeth. She brushed her H/C hair and took a moment to observe her own reflection: the exhaustion in her E/C eyes was clear (and her job wasn’t helping her) and even her skin lost a bit of colour. In moments like those Y/N wondered what someone as the greatest detective in the world found attractive in her.

Her negative thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

«Miss Y/N? It's Watari, I brought you breakfast» the kind voice of L's right-hand man showed a hint of concern and this made Y/N smile. Watari was always by her side, God blessed him.

«Thank you Watari» before leaving the bathroom she threw the pregnancy test in the bin and adjusted the PJs. Once outside the bathroom she saw Watari serving the breakfast in the cart: fried eggs, sausages, back bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread and a slice of white pudding; it was accompanied by tea and hot, buttered toast. To sum up: a typical British breakfast.

«Watari, you don’t have to spoil me like that…» Y/N told him already drooling.

«Miss Y/N, I believe you need some fresh air and relax. Please, enjoy me this afternoon at the shopping centre, I will need your precious advices» and then the old man placed a hot cup of tea on the cart with the rest of the breakfast.

It was not the first time Watari would make such an offer, he knew very well that being L's wife could be stressful. Yes, you heard right: Y/N L/N was L's wife. Despite the young age, both of them got married few years ago and they couldn’t be happier. Well, actually there was something that would make them happier: a child. Both L and Y/N wanted their own child despite the Wammy's House had many orphans.

«They're not orphans, Y/N. They are all adopted by me» L said few months after the marriage when the topic popped out in a conversation. He considered those children as his own, he loved being surrounded by their presence. Maybe because L was a bit childish himself.

However, despite their strong desire to have a kid on their own, it seemed nature didn’t agree with them.

But back to the present. Y/N was thinking about Watari's offer. If people considered L's life as secretive, his wife's one was twice as secretive but Y/N accepted it when she married him: she knew the risks and the conditions of being the greatest detective in the world's partner. So when Watari asked her to go with him at the shopping centre she seized the opportunity and said yes.

Disguise check. Sunglasses and hat? Check. F/C wig? Check. Y/N was ready to leave L's secret base with Watari.

«Are you ready Miss Y/N?»

«Of course, Watari. Let's go!~»

Unaware of Miss Y/N, Watari hadn’t to buy anything at the shopping centre. It was an excuse to let Y/N leave the base, a chance to get some fresh air. He pretended to buy some stuff for him: a new fedora and raincoat to be precise. He would need them for the new case L was going to take.

«Are you feeling better, Miss Y/A?»

«Yeah! Thank you Watari! I really needed to leave that place» Y/N was smiling again, her skin had a more healthily colour and all the tiredness in her eyes was gone. Watari smiled too. «However…»

«What is it, Miss?»

«Today's test was negative again and…» Y/N sighed and checked the time on her phone.

«If I could dare an advice, Miss, things will come when you stop looking for them. So don't be sad, it only means it's not the right time…»

Y/N looked at him and smiled. «You're right, Watari»

♰ TIME SKIP ♰

December 2003. L was going to take part at one of those boring ICPO meeting. An emergency Interpol meeting, with delegates from all around the world, held in order to discuss a rather strange situation that was occurring in Japan. They are convinced that something was happening but cannot be sure what it is.

L was going to take the floor but before that he called Y/N.

«Did you call me?» Y/N entered the private and empty room that was L's personal "office": a desk, a fancy armchair and many many computer screens at their highest brightness level.

«Yes. Please, come closer» L replied. When he was with her, his usual monotone voice would become warmer and gentler, something reserved to his wife only.

Y/N walked towards him, next to his armchair waiting for an explanation. «Y/N, this case seems quite interesting. I think sooner or later we have to move»

«We?» she was surprised. Was she really going to go with him? It would be the first time.

«Indeed. If you agree, obviously»

«Of course I agree. I'll help you as always, L»

He smiled and took her hand, kissing tenderly the knuckle. «So would you agree with me if I say that it's better stop trying to have a baby, my dear?»

Y/N thought for a while, calculating every scenario. «Yes, you're right»

L smiled again, this time wider. «Thank you, my love»

Y/N smiled as well and L returned to his bright screens. Then she noticed his personal stash of sweets beside him and took the opportunity to steal a Bon Bon Cherry (A/N: they are shortbread cookies wrapped around a cherry and topped with cherry frosting).

«Y/N, those are mine»

She snorted but ate the sweet regardless of L's warning.

♰ LATER THAT NIGHT ♰

«Are you coming to bed, L?»

«Not now, Y/N»

She walked closer to him and hugged the detective from behind. «But I prepared some creme pat~»

At those words L froze. Those words meant one thing: food play. And L couldn’t renounce to food play. «How much?»

«Two bowls…one has chocolate too~» she whispered alluring to his ear. In one swift movement, L was already up with Y/N in his arms –bridal style- leading towards the bedroom.

♰ TIME SKIP ♰

Japan was so full of life, wherever you turned you would be surrounded by different cultures. And the people was so kind and polite, they had a very high respect of other costumes and traditions. Y/N loved everything about Japan, she wanted to visit each district of Tokyo: from Akihabara (Tokyo's Anime & Gadget Town), to Shinjuku (Culture Clash) and to Kichijoji (a glimpse of Japan’s rural life within the city). She even prepared a tour on foot for each of them.

But at this point a question could arise: what was Y/N's job? Everyone who had the opportunity to work with L knew that each of his "co-worker" had a specific task to fulfil. So what was Y/N's real task? To be L's shadowy wife? Oh no, nothing like that.

Her role was very important in the couple: she "filtered" the information from Watari to L, she represented L in many circumstances and helped him in solving cases. In other words, Y/N was a sort of "Watari 2.0".

Once the couple moved to Japan, they booked a room at the "Imperial Hotel", one of the fanciest hotel at Tokyo. Until the construction of the new Japanese HQ wouldn’t be complete, L and Y/N had to change often hotel for safety reasons. But Y/N didn’t mind, for her it was the chance to visit the city.

"Kira…eliminating those FBI agents has got to have put you on the defensive. What are thinking right now?" L thought while looking outside the window, in front of him a breathtaking view of Tokyo at night but he wasn’t focused on it.

«Ryuzaki, are you still awake?» Y/N entered the room, she was already wearing her F/C PJs.

He nodded and watched her walking closer through the reflection of the window. She hugged him from behind and observed the scenario outside the window.

«Tomorrow you'll meet your task-force, you have to sleep»

«Maybe later, Y/A»

They stood there, their bodies were hugged together but their minds had different thoughts. Between them, a pleasant silence filled the air, the couple was enjoying each other presence.

However, Y/N had to break said silence. «Maybe I'm intolerant to soy sauce»

«To soy sauce?» L asked concerned.

«Yes…today I ate the famous Kobe meat but not much after that I threw up»

L stood in silence, deep in thought for a while. In those minutes he was analysing the current situation: what if Kira found out Y/N's true identity? Would he use her to blackmail L? He was so focused on those things that he almost didn’t notice Y/N was leaving.

«I'm going to bed, dear» Y/N kissed his cheek on tiptoes. «Please, rest for a bit alright?»

L smiled at her taking her hands in his. «Good night, my love» and then he kissed first the knuckles and after her lips. From this point of view L was really romantic despite his external cold behaviour.

Y/N smiled at him and left the room, now L was alone again with a new thought in his mind: «Since when Y/N is intolerant to soy sauce?»

January 2004 could be sum up with three major events: Raye Penber and Naomi Misora's deaths and the surveillance at Yagami and Kitamura's households. In particular, L's suspects moved to the son of Soichiro Yagami, Light. Technically he had access to the police's private dossiers and database since his father was the Chief and most importantly…he was too perfect according to L.

«Y/A, I don’t want you to meet Light-kun»

«Do you really think he is Kira?»

«It's not an assumption but a matter-of-fact. Of course he is»

However, it was inevitable. Light noticed Y/N's presence at the hotel and he wanted to meet her. He had to. So he "pretended" to be lost and asked Y/N for directions.

«Excuse me, Miss. I think I'm lost, do you know where room 684 is?»

Y/N, with one of her disguise on, turned towards the teenager: in front of her a young man, standing at above average height with light-brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a school uniform with a bright red tie.

«Uhm no sorry…but if you follow the numeration on the doors it must be easier for you» and with that Y/N left an astonished yet angry Light Yagami in the middle of the hallway.

She hadn’t the time to think about him, she had a more important thing to do. Since December, she missed her period twice: at first she thought it was because of the sudden trip to Japan but it was already the second time it happened. Could it be…?

«Such a bad timing…» she said out loud once in her room. However, she couldn’t hide the nervousness: she agreed with L to stop trying to have a baby before the Kira case and if the test she bought was positive…what would be L's reaction?

«"Get rid of the cause and you get rid of the problem" they say…let's do this then»

The task-force was working quietly in L's room, sharing information and dossiers. However, that atmosphere was abruptly interrupted by someone that thrusted open the door.

«Ryuzaki! Ryuzaki! I have something important to tell you!» Y/N appeared in the room, tears in her eyes and a wide smile on her face.

The entire task-force looked at her in awe and confusion. Who was that woman?

L turned towards her as well. Of course when she barged into the room he was shocked not only because of that sudden appearance but because now the task-force knew about her. There must be a really good reason for that.

He stood up and walked towards her. «Please Y/A, not now. You'll tell me later»

«No Ryuzaki, you need to hear this now!» she was so excited that she couldn’t be still.

«Y/A, it's not the right moment. You have to leave, please» L insisted trying to guide her towards the door.

«Ryuzaki stop! I'm your wife and you need to listen this!»

The task-force behind them stared in shock (and Aizawa almost spilled all his coffee). Did they hear right? Wife? What? Someone like L…married?!

«No Y/A, you have to stop. Your behaviour is highly unprofessional. Moreover, you don’t have the permission to stay here so please leave» L was becoming more and more bothered and it was clear by the tone of his voice, deep and fierce at the same time.

«Ryuzaki, I'm pregnant!»

Silence.

It was so loud that you could hear a pin falling down.

Heavy and tense air was breathable, even the task-force noticed it. Y/N was there, with her heart in her throat, waiting for a reaction or a word from L. Fear was soon replaced by terror because L wasn’t saying anything.

«Are you…?»

Deducing what he was going to ask, Y/N showed him the test: two blue lines. At that sight L hugged her tightly, starting spinning together. Y/N burst in a resounding laugh, all fears and nervousness were gone.

«Oh my, Y/A. Finally! I knew it was not intolerance at soy sauce» he placed the forehead against her own and smiled widely.

They stood hugged together for a while and in the meantime the entire task-force was complimenting them about that news (especially Soichiro).

«We have to tell Watari too» L added shortly after the hug.

«Yes, he is going to become a grandpa after all»

#death note #death note headcanons #l lawliet #watari #l x reader #l x y/n #l x you #reader insert #female reader

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a-little-slice-of-fandom · 4 years

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Opinions on Sixway

Don’t worry, they’re mostly positive

So obviously Six made its broadway debut yesterday and I’m so happy for both the queens and for Toby and Lucy. It’s amazing to see how far this production has come since May 2019 and I seriously hope the show continues to grow even more.

Before I start, can I just reiterate that I have no bias towards any cast of Six? Anything I say here are genuine things I’ve noticed and I’m not trying to favour one cast over another.

Things I liked!:

The new costumes for Aragon, Boleyn, Seymour, Cleves and Howard! They’re all just improved versions of their old costumes that are better suited to their body types and more glitzy for broadway. What’s not to love?

In fact, I know this might be an unpopular opinion but I actually really dig Britt’s new Cleves costume and it fits with Britt’s more melodramatic and grandiose version of Cleves, and those make me gayer by every second. Although I don’t really see other versions of Cleves wearing this outfit, I think Britt suits the new additions. And again those boots

THE LIGHTING!!! They seriously must be going for an award at the Tony’s for their lighting, because a) it’s referenced a lot more throughout the show and b) they’re making a lot more use of it during the megasix.

I swear there’s been really small additions to the band arrangements(I come from a musical family so I pick up on these things) but, for lack of a better way of describing it, they’re mostly to do with bulking out the sound of the music than changing the songs (if that makes sense) and they’re actually really good so no complaints here.

The stage didn’t look nearly as big as I worried it would be. The stage in Boston seemed so massive but this one doesn’t seem nearly as big, which is good because sometimes big stages with smaller shows don’t work well together. It’s bigger than the arts, but nowhere near as big as the Sydney opera house so 🤷🏻‍♀️

The queens are just so confident. There’s no broadway nerves in sight and that’s great. Seeing how far they’ve come from the first sixcago performance only a few months ago is amazing and I’m so happy for all of them. From the moment they step on from Ex-wives they own the stage and kill it.

This is more of a general US observation but I like it so I’ll mention it but Andrea’s very quick and snappy as Boleyn. She’s not waiting about to think of her insults, she’s saying them really rapid fire and without hesitating. It offsets Abby’s more awkward and apologetic version of Seymour and just works as a good contrast between the two.

Also the queens backing up Andrea in DLUH seem so personally invested/offended by everything she does. Like almost screaming “WHAT?” And sounding so confused at “YOU’RE LIVING WITH HIS WIFE”. Idk if there’s like anything to analyse here but idk I liked it so I’m mentioning it. Deal with it.

Heart of Stone made me cry. ‘Nuff said.

THEY WENT FOR HOH AND I’M HERE FOR IT. IT IS SO FUCKING LOUD AND SO OVER-EXAGGERATED AND ITS AMAZING!

(in fact everything is louder and more over-exaggerated which was definitely needed for this bigger theatre imo)

“But we cannot guarantee that you’ll still walk at forty :)” Miss Abby Mueller you never fail to deliver on that line.

Wow I really love Brittney Mack.

That’s it.

That’s the point.

Okay but real talk her Cleves was always so melodramatic but they’ve taken this to the next level and I’m for it. Idk what exactly she does at the “take my fur” bit for Get Down but the crowd went WILD so I can’t wait to find out!

I think there’s been small, subtle changes to the backing vocals of AWYD but they really work. Plus, I’m a massive fan of the more angry and betrayed Howard’s in general so Sam delivers as always. She’s the only Howard I know to literally cry on multiple occasions and I love her for it.

I just hope we get more Mallory Howard’s in future because I’d love to hear her rendition of AWYD.

The argument after AYWD makes it seem seem like the queens are 30 seconds from ripping each other apart. Like they’re all at the end of their sanity and about to explode and honestly? I think that works more for the American queens.

That random fucking cowbell before IDNYL. It literally made me cry with laughter and makes me wonder what the fuck Parr’s original song was going to be. I know they’re still in preview stage for the show so I’m excited to see if any more extra lines or gags like these are added into the show as time goes on.

In fact that cowbell features at other points too I think, along with extra cymbals. And they crack me up. Seriously they’re so random.

Speaking of IDNYL, Anna seemed to be leaning into the softer side of Parr than she usually would and I’m here for it! US Six always had a more melodramatic than friendly Cleves and a more angry Howard, but something is needed to offset these characteristics. A softer, more insecure Parr is exactly what’s needed here.

Also the extra beats (idk how to phrase it) in the reprise of IDNYL were a really unexpected change but they work so well. Again, it’s bulking out the sound of the show but in a good way. Nothing seems cluttered which can be an issue when stuff is added to an arrangement.

Bonus mention goes towards the alternates. They haven’t actually done anything (since they weren’t on last night) but I love them so I’m mentioning them anyway.

Things I’m not so sure about:

The playbill/promotional pictures. This sounds so random but like,,,Anna, Adrianna and Brittney look very whitewashed in these pictures, especially Anna. I seriously hope this was just the result of a really really badly chosen filter and nothing more.

The Parr peplum. I genuinely do not understand why they had to change Anna’s costume because it was pefect as it was. The changes to the other costumes? They all make sense to me and I love them. But this...it’s just odd to me. Maybe it’s because I love both Anna and Parr’s OG costume anyway but it’s something I personally dislike and I don’t apologise for my opinion.

Not being allowed to film the megasix... but lets be real here who is actually listening to that rule?

#six the musical #six #sixthemusical #sixway #broadway #adrianna hicks #andrea macasaet #brittney mack #abby mueller #sam pauly #samantha pauly #anna uzele #mallory maedke #nicole kyoung mi lambert #courtney mack

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nodesiretogrowup · 4 years

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ok, I think I’m ready for my in depth recap/analyse/review of today’s episodes, one by one

hopefully this shows up in the tag because my last few posts haven’t for some reason

Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!:

Frank-This season is about legacy. The first word we hear-LEGACY

The graduation ceremony took me back to my Girl Scout days. And is pretty accurate to the graduation ceremonies I did in scouts, though they had more levels. And the names of their ranks made more sense than the Girl Scout ones. Not sure how the Boy Scout ones work.

Poor Donald. Though from what we see in this episode, it might be better to not be a Woodchuck. They’re a bit...intense.

RETURN OF THE FANNY PACK

Launchpad’s notes were great. He totally wrote them, hence the grape jelly stain

THE LITTLE BABY SCOUTS ARE SO CUTE

The title is a lie. They’re trying to become Senior Woodchucks. And the challenge itself was called the Junior Woodchuck Wilderness Challenge

Poor Huey, that’s always awkward

DUCKTALES SAYS GAY RIGHTS

LENA SAYS GAY RIGHTS

Lena cheering Violet on was ADORABLE

The “I’m with Dad” shirts...chef’s kisses. I now want them to make NEVERENDING DAD JOKES

Vi’s little blush DAAAWWW

Why would Huey have seen her at scout events? I thought Violet had just moved to Duckburg, though I might be remembering wrong. Even then, Duckburg is a fairly large city she might have gone to events closer to where she lived

That fold out sash is DOPE

“DEWEY’S BROTHER!” Ouch, Launchpad.

Huey’s little wave

PROUD MAMA DELLA MODE ACTIVATED

DELLA’S IN THE THEME SONG! We all knew it would happen, but still. I NEED more Della/Launchpad interactions. They look like they’ll have a fun dynamic

He probably isn’t, but I’m gonna pretend that little asian scout is Russel from Up

Webby is a good friend

When Launchpad took Huey’s guidebook it reminded me a lot of whenever someone took the Journals away from Dipper. Complete with self doubt

Dewey is a horrible pep-talker

“Show the other nerds that you are king nerd.” Louie is actually a pretty good pep-talker. He could be a motivational speaker

I like Violet’s quirk of calling the others by their full name (ie Webbigail, Huebert)

Lena takes her new big sister role SERIOUSLY

I really like that the person Scrooge looks up to is a woman. And him sharing a room with his parents was a nice touch

“Story about Scrooge as a kid in 3..2..” Louie knows the formula (probably why he just accepted the sitcom lol)

The bee one made me laugh because alliteration...and bees

How did that map/painting work? It looked like she was actually holding it but the picture still looks fine after Scrooge peels the map off

“OOO, TWIST” I love you Della

I love the Tittertwill and its song and dance. I want it as my ringtone. And I want plushies. STAT

“I’m speechifying” I’m gonna use that next time someone interrupts me

I hope someone gets a good screencap of that post. I want to see what all is on there

Violet trash-talking is ADORABLE. She wants to fit in

“CALL HIM A CLOWN!”

When they tried handshaking...too cute! I don’t really like shipping the kids because of how young they are and that they haven’t had much experience in the crush/romance department...but Huey and Violet are adorable and I think they both have crushes on each other

I kind of wonder what Launchpad was doing while everything was going on. Also he looks SO HOT in that uniform

I didn’t notice it the first time, but all three groups took a different path. Neat

I got upset when Huey used his water bottle to make a compass. Now that lid is dirty and the rest of your water will spill

Violet dots her i’s with a Mickey. The note also made me think of the halfway there joke in an episode of Spongebob

“Do you feel appropriately razzed?” This girl is too sweet

Huey going back to pick up the note so he doesn’t litter

The little growls Donald was doing while swatting at the mosquito were cute. Also FUCK MOSQUITOS

Dewey INSTANTLY forming a connection with the bird is great

“Aw, they’re both cute” My thoughts exactly

“It’s JUST a mosquito, you should give it some of your blood”

I like that over the episode we see Huey continue to forgo the rules to try and boost his chance of winning while Violet follows them

WHY THE FUCK IS THERE LIGHTNING RAIN?!

In Huey’s panic he forgets what he knows. I feel like that’s gonna come back

“That was the smack-talking” Vi is extra adorable in this episode

Webby’s disappointment in the lack of actual giants, cute

Donald and Della should start a slapstick comedy duo

“YOU WANT US TO FOLLOW YOU ON A BRAND NEW ADVENTURE, WELL LET’S GO”

I love when Huey sings

Huey needs to see a therapist cuz that shit ain’t normal

I like him giving the guidebook a soothing, southern voice. Did anyone else think of Ratatouille when the book showed up? Like how Remy imagined Chef Gusto

“Well that’s a pickle of a different color” Oh southerns and your weird expressions

My sister kept saying that the bear looked like it was mixed with a hyena and I can totally see it. Maybe he’s a lost Wuzzle lol

“THAT BEAR DON’T CARE FOR BOOK LEARNIN"

“I’m the food"

VIOLET HAS A KNIFE

Even though I knew it would happen, I was still very disappointed in Huey for not helping Violet. That’s a dick move

“CURSE MY FLAWLESS SLAMS”

God, poor Donald

WHY DO YOU WANT YOUR FAMILY TO DIE, SCROOGE?

I love how blunt Louie is

“EVERYONE FOLLOW THAT BIRD” *Blue Bird of Happiness flashbacks*

WHY THE FLYING FUCK IS THE LAST MARKER IN A GODDAMN ACTIVE VOLCANO?!

“Where you go I cannot follow” I love JW

“I DON’T KNOW, I’M GONNA THROW THIS ROCK” That’s how I solve my problems

HUEY’S LOSING HIS GODDAMN MIND

“I’m so mad I can’t even aliterrate”

“I’m cold and terrified, sounds like an adventure to me”

“Poppycock, whoever told you that?” “YOU”

“So let’s rewrite history” That was last season, Dewey

Scrooge doing the song and dance was great

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” “I DON’T KNOW, WHY ARE YOU IMAGINING THIS?!” That’s some fucked up shit right there

“Wait, there’s a failure badge?” I would like one

I’m glad they clarified that the challenge isn’t a one time only thing because I was confused

I like that this show included the lesson that it’s ok to fail. I still struggle with that to this day

Violet opening up to Huey is sweet. And offering to share the win. She’s a good noodle

“I thought this would be more climatic” BITCH YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ACTIVE VOLCANO! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?

“I RESPOND TO AUTHORITY” And she just pats him on the head

“LAUNCHPAD?!” “LAUNCHPAD?!” “Hey, I’m Launchpad” COMEDY GOLD

I KNEW DELLA WAS GONNA BE THAT MOM! I NEED MORE OF IT!

“YEAH, CUZ YOUR A...” “Lena, please”

Launchpad giving Huey one of his failure badges is kind of adorable. Though I thought you could only earn one of each badge. Then again they have a failure badge so normal scout rules probably don’t apply here

Dude, that DEATH GLARE Della gives Launchpad. Something tells me this isn’t over yet. I hope this means Della is gonna see Launchpad as her Sitcom Nemesis while he’s completely unaware of it. Like DW and Gizmoduck

The Sabrewing family is ADORABLE and MOST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS

JW returning as a ghost. I’m not sure if that’s funny or dark

I feel like the Duck family finding the journal is...unfair in a way. Like Violet got to become the Senior Woodchuck but Huey and his family are gonna find tons of treasure/get rich and famous

I think we’ve got some future episode titles in there

I thought Goldie said she found the fountain of youth, why was it in the journal

“MY NAME IS DEWEY”

OMG FOWL!!! I think it’s funny that Phantom Blot is still wearing his FunZone mascot costume

And now we know what this season’s goal is

Seeing Della with her family was great. Like everyone has said, it feels like she was meant to be there the whole time. Her and Donald were great. It was nice to see them being all sibling-y. I heard that this wasn’t intended to be the season opener but you could of fooled me. This sets up everything so nicely for the season. Huey is going to question who he is and what defines him. We have a list of treasures to be discovered. And we see the FOWL are after those treasures too. This was a solid season opener that has me excited for the journey ahead.

#ducktales #dt spoilers

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butimacommander · 5 years

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A very long thank you post

It’s been a week since the last episode of skam españa s2 came out and i just can’t get over this show and i felt the need to thank everyone, so here we go:

Thank you moviestar+ for deciding to remake skam and to do the evak storyline with a wlw couple. Thank you for hiring two bi teenagers to play two bi teenagers and for giving them a storyline that fits them. Thank you for getting educated on MIs and BDPs, hiring psychologists, and talking with teens with BDP to get things as accurate as possible. Thank you for using your platform to spread awareness. Thank you writers, the director(s), the producers, makeup team, costume team and every single person who has worked on this amazing show. And thank you for putting the clips up on youtube for us and for not geoblocking them.

Thank you translators for doing the most important and selfless job. This show could only have had the international reach that it has because of you. People who translate the youtube clips, you are amazing. You work so fast and so well, and we don’t even know who you are. You are appreciated. Thank you to everyone who translate the texts/instagrams/cast tweets/etc, you’ve saved us a lot of google translating and misunderstandings. Also, thank you to everyone who use their local knowledge to give us cultural context, which is absolutely necessary to fully understand the show.

Thank you gif makers, edit makers, crack makers and all you amazing artists, you guys are the people who keep the fandom alive and who gave birth to it in the first place. As someone who cannot do any of the things mentioned above, i’m amazed daily by your talent, creativity and vision. I hope that all of you (if you haven’t already) get jobs as graphic designers and what not, since you all have such talent. Please keep doing your amazing work even though we are on hiatus, we appreciate it so much and all of your edits are honestly what’s getting me through my crisana withdrawals.

Thank you irene and tamara for joining this project. Sadly since wlw’s have had such bad representation in the past, and so little of it, any actually good wlw reps are met with some ridiculously high expectations to meet all of our 1000 wishes and demands. Add all of our wlw tv trauma to that and i think it’s safe to say that we are one chaotic fandom (mostly good chaotic, but sadly not always). Thank you for dealing with us and for delivering some of the most amazing wlw performances. We couldn’t analyse every frame of every clip if the acting wouldn’t be as amazing as it has been. Also, thank you for being open about your sexualities, it’s taken the effect of this show to a whole new level and is making wlw tv history.

And thank you to the fandom. This fandom has been (and still is and will be) such a pleasure to be a part of. I’ve learned so much about Spanish culture and the importance of wlw representation, and i’ve learned a lot about BPD, something i hadn’t though of much before. A massive massive thank you to those people in the fandom that have BDP and have educated all of us about it. You guys are the real heroes. Also, I’ve made some of my first online friends from this fandom and i’ve learned to recognise so many of your urls and icons and seeing people interact here makes me so happy! Ah! Lets keep it up! And on a personal note, thank you for liking the stuff that i post, i appreciate it so much.

So, now that we’ve gone through the thank yous, i’d like to say some things for the future. Because sadly (as for example the 100 fandom is currently showing), fandoms can turn toxic really fast. Lets try our absolute best to keep our tags as wholesome as Cris and Joana on a thursday morning. So please, lets not unnecessarily compare the remakes and casts and lets let everyone have their favourites, lets not encourage canceling culture which doesn’t help anyone or any cause, and lets not respond to negativity with more negativity. Usually the best way is just not to give the negativity the attention it wants.

And lastly, lets treat the cast and crew and the people close to them with absolute respect and just use our common sense on social media. Sending negative comments to people is never justified, nor is bombarding them with questions about their private lives. We’ve been blessed with the most amazing group of teenagers and lets let them live their lives as ones. And then, i’ve seen fandoms destroy friendships between actors, so lets just imagine what damage we could do to irene and tamara. Lets use our common sense, be respectful, and in the words of Noora, be kind, always.

Can’t wait for season 3, and i’ll keep on analysing every frame of s2 until we get there <3

#this turned into a bit of a rant didn't it #but THANK YOU #skam españa #skames #crisana #croana #cris x joana #cris soto #joana bianchi #irene ferreiro #rizha #tamara ronchese #rizhene

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thorinkingoferebor · 5 years

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lady-carvenstone replied to your post: lady-carvenstone replied to your post: since i am...

THEY WILL BE RESPECTFULLY MARRIED TO EACH OTHER lol yes to all this like SHE IS THE SHYEST PERSON IN THE WORLD AND DONT LIKE SPEAKINF IN FRONT OF PPL AND THERE SHE GOES ALL GRAND AND HARD TO DEFEND HIM WHO ELSE DOES THAT????!!!! AND HER BEING ALL “UNCOMFORTABLE” BECAUSE SHE HAS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE FEELINGS ON THE BATTLEMENT WHILE HE JUST COMPLIMENTS HER!!! AND THE KNIGHTING SCENE IS JUST SO DREAMY AND BEAUTIFUL HE LITERALLY GAVE HER EVERYTHING SHE EVER WANTED. AND THEY ARE GOING TO DIE IN LIKE AN HOUR. BUT STILL SHE HAS GOT HER KNIGHTHOOD FROM HIM!!!! and she's beaming and smiling and so damn happy and he's just FUCKING PROUD!!! like lbr I had my doubts about jaime surviving next ep but thanks to the bts scenes they all have different costumes which they didn't wear in the show yet SO THERES SO MUCH HOPE!!!! TBH I REALLY DONT CARE ABOUT PPL SAYING ITS ALL TO SAPPY AND STUFF. LET ME JUST HAVE A HAPPY ENDING FOR FEW OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS SO I CAN GO LIVE MY LIFE IN PIECE, GODDAMNIT!!!

I honestly don’t care how much of a cliche any of this would be! I want all those tropes! like last glances before the attack, a silent (or not so silent) “don’t die” or something along those lines, them checking that the other one is still alive at various points throughout the battle, frantically searching for each other and the relieved look once they see the other person is still around, if worst comes to worst i’m even taking the whole “dying in each other’s arm bit”. I’M 100% HERE FOR THE BRIENNE/JAIME SOAP! (& i have like 0 hope that jaime will make it out alive but that hasn’t stopped me from reading fan theories and interview analyses all day to convince myself that YEP! THEY’LL MAKE IT! THEY’LL GET THEIR HAPPILY EVER AFTER!) I agree though about them not dying next week, there have been reports of them shooting at locations that aren’t winterfell and it WOULD BE A SUCH A WASTE! they can’t keep them apart for years and then have them find each other and then kill them within 24h! that would be so unsatisfactory. i mean, yeah they love their “shocking character death” trope too much but at this point they must know they’d piss people off by not giving these characters a proper sendoff... ANYWAY, I CANNOT WAIT FOR WHAT COMES NEXT! NOW THAT THEY DON’T HAVE THE ‘uhhhh but we’re on opposite sides and I see her/him like once every other year’ EXCUSE ANYMORE THEY’LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THOSE PESKY EMOTIONS!!!!!!!!! :))))))))))))

#lady-carvenstone #replies by thea #got spoilers #AND BTW considering GOT's track record wouldn't a happy ending be the most shocking development?????#JUST LET THEM DIE OF OLD AGE ON TARTH YOU COWARDS!

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anxiouslyfred · 6 years

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To Scare or Be Eliminated

you know last week I brainstormed all the prompts I had left and this would have been entirely different then, but the day after I got this idea because of how the prompt ‘The Big SPOOK’ sounded when I said it out loud.

Here is the time Roman wanted to judge a TV style talent show and everyone else happily joined in over Halloween

@spookylissawho @sanderssidesspook

Thomas had always enjoyed watching talent competitions, whether it be baking or performing or something else. The tension and thrill of seeing people go up in front of experts in their fields had always fascinated Roman and so Thomas, while Patton loved just seeing how well the contestants did, always cheering them on and Logan would analyse the techniques used by each person. In fact the only one of Thomas’s sides who treated it as the mindless entertainment people referred to it as was Virgil, claiming the time as a chance to relax.

That couldn’t work when Roman got inspired by it all in the approach to Halloween. He’d been itching to do something similar even since they did Thomas’s learning to cook video and now thought he had the perfect plan.

“A talent show for the villains of my realm!” He called out, appearing in the living room and making everyone jump slightly at his loud announcement.

“Geez Princey, what the hell are you so excited about?” Virgil snarked, tugging on the strings from his hoodie.

There were equally confused looks coming from Patton and Logan so he grinned before explaining more. “I want to be a judge in a talent show, not like we did for the video where Thomas competed but actually judging one, so I thought, let’s put one on for the monsters and villains which plague my realm. You’ll join me as judges right?”

“You want the villains of your realm to perform songs, dances and animal tricks for us to judge them on?” Logan queried, frowning a little as he thought about the enemies Roman had imagined in the past. “Just what talents do dragon witches and manticore-chimeras have for something like that?”

“He meant in scaring us, I think, L, though perhaps their singing is bad enough to be included.” Virgil rolled his eyes, “But that does sound fun, I guess. Do we get to chose our own ways of judging, because I have some pretty high standards for scaring people.”

“That sounds like so much fun! When should we do it?” Patton trilled, grinning at his family.

Roman nodded, raising his arms with a guffaw. “Worry not, Padre. I’ll arrange everything to perfection for the night of Halloween, what could be more festive that that?”

“That should be adequate time for me to make up a scoring system, then.” Logan nodded, “Would any of you like to use one as well, or do you intend to form your own?”

xxXXxx

When the night arrived none of the others were sure what would happen as they entered into the imagination and realm Roman kept formed for fantastical adventures.

“Let’s go and find him, Kiddos. Roman did say we’d spot it straight away, and that there’d be no death dealers around.” Patton insisted, carrying on as he walked forwards, hands catching Virgil and Logan’s.

Logan just looked around, subtly guiding them towards the “Are you two positive that you don’t want to use my categorical scoring system? It takes account of all the things which factor into fear and scariness.”

“I think I know scariness, Logan. It was my entire aesthetic for ages, after all.” Virgil smirked, only to blink at having arms wrapped around him immediately after.

“No, you’ve always been my kiddo.” Patton insisted, but gasped before he could say more at the sight of a stage draped in black, dark blues, purples and greens, each with a velveteen sheen to them. “That must be where Roman’s decided the talent show to be.”

The trio was silent as they approached it, taking in all the drapes and hanging bats around, snickering a little at the lights shaped like jackolanterns. Roman wasn’t to be spotted until they were in the audience area arranged, where he could be spotted hanging a few extra lights made of pumpkins to light their podium.

“Princey, please tell me you haven’t just carved our faces into those, because that would just be tacky.” The comment had him looking down, holding his chest in one handed affront.

“You wound me, Stormcloud. I merely used our logos to show our approval.” Roman declared, letting himself down a rope hanging nearby. “But everything is ready now.”

Logan nodded, glancing at the watch he wore. “What time did you schedule it to start?”

“In half an hour, when everyone is here.”

xxXXxx

The show had begun easily, but by the third act, everyone was looking carefully at Virgil for how scathing his remarks had been over the monsters which had been on stage.

“Everything alright, Virge?” Roman asked while the next act set up, a little shocked he wasn’t the harsh judge he’d expected to be.

The darker side just shrugged, “I’m just not impressed by people who can barely get the reactions of fear I got when I wasn’t even trying to scare you. Seriously guys, if you think they’re scarier than I used to be then I’m insulted.”

“Are you actually watching their performances or just focusing on our reactions, because the latter does seem vaguely insulting given the effort they are putting in.” Logan asked, trying to understand that view to the contest, before the spotlights on the stage came up again.

A couple of acts later and Patton had his head hooked over Logan’s shoulder. “Seriously gone in depth with that fear research, Lolo?”

“Of course. I have to properly judge their performances after all. This way I can average out how well they fare over appearance, volume, unnervingness, difference from reality, shock factor, as well as danger.” The explanation was concise to fit into the pause.

As the manticore chimera took the stage, Logan’s head fell into his hands. “I don’t even know where to start with how incorrect this is as a mix of different mythological creatures, Roman. Seriously what lead you to have one in your realm?”

“Shut up, Calculator Watch, and enjoy his performance for he is a fearsome foe.” Roman hissed back, eyes narrowing at the stumble revealing the others words had been heard.

As the performance ended and the being stood waiting for his criticisms there was still a dejected look in his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Kiddo, you had me shaking in fear. It’s a 10 from me.” Patton cheered, trying to encourage him and ignoring the flabbergastered looks the others gave him.

“Unlike my soft hearted counterpart, I was not compelled by your performance to experience fear in its many forms, and must give you a 4.” Logan shook his head, dismissing the situation as Roman and Virgil gave their scores beyond leaning over to whisper, “You cannot just increase their score because they look upset Patton.”

“I can if I want to.” Patton insisted, sticking his tongue out, before refocusing on what was happening before them.

The only time any of the others got a full insight into how Roman was judging was after the Dragon Witch performed the last act of the evening. “My Dear, I know your usual outfits can be grand, but tonight you’ve outdone yourself. However it must be noted that this costume limits the techniques which make you so terrifying to my people as well as would leave me with an advantage were we to battle now. I simply cannot give you as high a score when taking that into consideration. Appearances can be frightening but not if they limit your ability to carry out a threat.” He lectured, before scoring her and retaking his seat.

“So what would I have been scored if you still saw me as a villain trying to harm Thomas?” Virgil hissed as they were supposedly deliberating the final winner, though that had been kept track of by one of Roman’s pages throughout the show.

“As frightening as you could be, I’d say a solid nine when you put in the effort, often going up to ten, but only a six or seven if you weren’t trying to scare us at all.” Roman muttered, scrunching his face a little in thought, and trying to ignore Patton’s protests at Virgil ever calling himself a villain.

Virgil nodded, glancing around at the citizens of Roman’s realm, some of which were laughing and joking together while others were comforted from the frights they’d had. “This was actually pretty good fun, Princey.”

#scare talent shows #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #spookysides

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dylanmurphybth · 6 years

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Why are Films from the same Genre the same?

Introduction

In this blog I will be informing you on some of the narrative theories I have found from my analysis of fictional films from different genres (horror and action), there are a different range of codes and conventions for the different genres I have chosen. I will also be detailing how different camera and sound techniques, models and theory's are used by the director and writer to give a certain message/feeling to the audience, using certain detailed examples from the films I analysed.

Visual Storytelling

Narrative structures are used in all the films i have analysed they are essential to any film. They make sure the stories and plots work and that the audience aren’t left feeling confused about what they just watched. However, story and plot are two different things:

The story of a film is the continuous events you see on the screen, the actions and what the aftermath is.

The plot is what the audiences feels and infers from the story and the actions in it.

Plot devices are commonly used in films, they are good devices which entice the audience:

A plot twist is when something unexpected happens and it flips the film on its head. This is done to shock, surprise and grab the attention of the audience. They are normally done at the end of the film to give a shock ending and so the audience couldn’t have guessed it. E.g. in the ending of Seven, Mills and Somerset take John Doe to a random location and he teases Mills about a box and what is in it. We then find out Mills’ wife’s head is in the box, Mills then shoots Joe Doe.

A McGuffin is something that all the character’s want to acquire. This means it is the most important thing in the film and the film is normally the journey to get the item. E.g. in Lord of the Rings Frodo has a ring that everyone is trying to kill him for, he is defended because he has the ring and must destroy it before anybody else gets it.

Deus ex machina means ‘God from the machine’, this means that God intervenes in the film to change an outcome/event. E.g. in Donnie Darko when the car runs over Gretchin, this scares the thieves that are about to hurt Donnie, this was because God intervened.

A Red Herring is something used in a film to throw the audience off from solving the mystery. E.g. in The Usual Suspects Verbal Kint tells the story about Soze to the police and is let go but it is then revealed that Verbal is Soze. The red herring is that Kint was talking about Soze like he is a different person.

In Media Res is where the film starts in the middle of the story. E.g. in Pulp Fiction the film’s scenes are all mixed up and the first scene links should be at the end of the film.

Match on action shots are used when two locations are used to seem like one both on the exterior and interior. It is done showing characters walking into one location from the outside and they are seen walking into the second location from the inside.

Shot reverse shot is used normally when there is a conversation between characters. It goes from a shot of on character to the other then back to the first character.

Eyeline match is where we see a character look at something and then we see what the were looking at.

Lighting is important to any film as if we couldn’t see the film then we wouldn’t understand it or enjoy it. In action the lighting is high key so everything is seen and so nothing is hidden from the audience. In contrast, in horror films there is a lot of low-key lighting so the audience doesn’t see hidden things in the film.

The Horror Genre

Horror films are known for having similar consistencies in each film. This is a negative as this means that the audience know what to expect most of the time. Also, it means all the films are the same which means there is a lack of individuality in this genre. This could be seen as a positive as it clearly shows the genre as when you see theses consistencies you know you are watching a horror film.

Hush

‘Hush’ is about a deaf writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears in her window.

There are two main characters in the film:

Maddie Young is a writer who is deaf and mute. She lives in a isolated house in the woods. She is at a disadvantage from the start as she can’t hear the man or see the man so must outsmart him to survive.

The man is a psychotic serial killer who tries to toy with Maddie so he can torture her mentally before he tries to kills her. The man is very strange and we learn little information about him (including his name).

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is important in all films and is also essential in Hush:

The film is entirely set in/around an isolated house in the middle of the woods in America. This gives an eerie feel to the film instantly as Maddie is very isolated and she is so open for attack so the audience is nervous from the off set. The colour of the house and the woods make the fill look quite dull. This could link to how Maddie (later on in the film) has to dull her emotions and has to compose herself to try and kill her intruder.

The man’s mask is a very important piece of costume used to make him more intimidating and frightening as his face isn’t seen (temporarily), showing that we don’t know his identity. The mask also blocks the audience from seeing the killer’s emotions. This is important as we can’t see if the man is serious, joyous, upset, satisfied, etc, this makes the man scarier as we can’t tell his reasons for the killing he is doing as we can’t see what he feels after he does it. Maddie is dressed in casual clothing to show that this attack was random and was an unexpected surprise (which makes more terrifying).

An interesting prop used in Hush is the corkscrew which is used in the end of the film by Maddie to kill the man. It is interesting as it is foreshadowed at the start of the film as we are given a close-up of the corkscrew to let the audience know it is important.

Camera Techniques

Camera techniques are important for every film. Without these we would not be able to watch the film and see what is happening in the scenes. Some interesting techniques were used in Hush. Some are:

A tracking shot is used to follow Maddie as she walks around her house and we follow her from behind. This creates tension as the audience are anticipating a jumpscare of Maddie getting attacked by the man and are waiting for the attack. We are behind Maddie so Maddie will take the attack face on (if there is one), something we cannot see. Staying with her and waiting makes the audience build tension in themselves, this is important for a horror film as tension building makes scenes more horrifying and memorable.

There are some shaky movements when there is a chase, action or an attempted escape. This shaking connects to a person’s head when they run as it slightly shakes. It also shows the victim is desperate as it looks like they are shaking their head to mean no to the man and the violence he wants to inflict on them.

A crane shot is used when Maddie and the man are on the roof and there is a chase in the window. This was used as a crane could get to the correct height so it is level with the characters. A tracking shot is used in the same scene as the man climbs up to the roof and chases the injured Maddie into the window.

A close- up is used by the director to convey Maddie’s emotions to the audience. This is because all her emotions are racing around in her head as she is stuck in this unthinkable situation. It is also used to show how oblivious she is of the man being outside her house after he killed Sarah the neighbour next to Maddie’s window.

A medium close-up is used to show the audience the window and the potential risk of the man smashing the glass and entering to kill Maddie. It also sets up a jump scare which the director could use to scare the main character and the audience so the audience feel like they are in the film and are in Maddie’s position.

An unusual dutch tilt shot is used when Maddie picks up a weapon. This could show us how Maddie’s head is spinning, possibly from the blood loss or the adrenaline as she can now defend herself from the man or attack the man.

Narrative Theory

Narrative theory is essential for any film, without these theories the audience wouldn’t be able to follow or understand what is going on in the film. Some theories used are:

Todorov’s theory:

Opening, establishes setting and introduces character. E.g. we meet Maddie and see her house and the open surroundings (the woodland).

Build up, Relationships established. Development of characters and their world. E.g. we see Maddie debating to call Craig who is most likely her ex-boyfriend. We also meet Sarah and see her friendship with Maddie.

Problem, a dilemma or series of complications. Characters are faced with an obstacle to overcome a mystery to solve, or often more than one. E.g. we see the man kill Sarah outside of Maddie’s window and then Maddie notices the man outside her house.

Events, a series of events/action as characters try to overcome obstacle, solve problem, discover truth and so on. Further complications may arise in the process. E.g. we then see Maddie trying to appease the man. Their are also a few moments of action/violence. John then goes to Maddie’s house to find Sarah but speaks to the man, which ends in the man killing John but he put up a good fight.

Resolution, the protagonists are victorious, problems are solved, truth revealed. E.g. Maddie and the man finally fight, it ends with Maddie stabbing the man in the throat with a corkscrew.

Ending, characters reflect on events, reinstate relationships and look forward. E.g. the emergency services arrive at Maddie’s house and we see her contemplating recent events on her porch steps.

Levi-Strauss’ theory of binary opposites:

Good (Maddie) vs evil (the man).

A person with a disability (Maddie) vs a person without a disability (the man).

A victim (Maddie) vs a murderer (the man).

A woman (Maddie) vs a man (the man).

Protagonist (Maddie) vs antagonist (the man).

Propp’s Character Types:

The Hero - Maddie Young

The Villain - The Man

The Helper - the voice in Maddie’s head

The Good Neighbor

‘The Good Neighbor’ is about a pair of mischievous high school kids try and create the illusion of a haunting on an unsuspecting elderly neighbor while keeping his every reaction under surveillance. A series of coincidences leads to tragedy.

There are two main characters in ‘The Good Neighbor’:

Ethan is a confident young man who is an aspiring filmmaker and he thinks that filming the so called ‘haunted project’ is a step to further his career. He seems to have a good friendship with Sean, however, he always wants to push the project to its limits (even if that means crossing the legal line). He lives with his mother and has an absent father, which seems to be a huge factor in the way he behaves.

Sean is the more intelligent and sensible out of the two friends and constantly questions the project, its purpose and how far to push Harold. Sean is very cautious of when the project crosses the legal line too far. Sean also supplies the equipment for the project from his wealthy father. This shows that Sean isn’t really doing the project for his benefit but more for Ethan.

Seeing the basement is an interesting McGuffin in the film as both Sean, Ethan and the police officer want to get in the basement. This intrigues the audience and makes them ask question like, what is in the basement? and what is Harold hiding?

Mise-en-scene

The film is set in the American suburbs which throws the audience off from the start as they expect the suburbs to be a peaceful and calm place and when something traumatic happens they are surprised. The suburbs are quiet bright places with good weather (depending on the season), however, the colours are fairly plain and the houses are the same build and colour. This could be supposed to show the audience that everyone in the suburbs is the same but this quickly changes as the film progresses.

All the characters wear similar clothing: a flannel, a t-shirt and jeans. This could be to show that the characters are more similar than they’d like to admit and that Ethan and Sean shouldn’t be doing this to Harold.

Sean and Ethan’s camera is used a lot in the film. They pass it back and forth and we can see what they choose to record and what to leave out in the project. This is evident when Sean confronts Ethan about the reason behind why Harold is the subject for the project, Ethan doesn’t want the conversation to be recorded and calls for the camera to be turned off because of this the audience doesn’t see the conversation, just like the camera. Harold’s wife’s bell is also used very importantly in the end of the film as Ethan moves the bell from the basement to the living room table. This cause Harold to commit suicide and we later learn that it was because he thought his wife was a ghost and he wanted to be with her again.

Camera Techniques

Close-ups are used in the film to show the character’s emotions after certain events and to also direct the attention of the audience to an object so they know what to focus on/look at.

Medium close-ups are used to show a character’s behaviour as this shot doesn’t show the audience too much to focus on but also brings their focus to a certain character and their mannerisms.

A very long shot is used in ‘The Good Neighbor’ to see the whole of the character including their costume and any props they might be carrying. This is important as if you only see the characters from the shoulders up, you may get the wrong image of the character in your head.

When Harold is watching the cop go through the items in his basement there is a slow zoom in and very dark low key lighting which builds a lot of tension and could also convey that the the mystery is getting closer to be solved. This shot also puts questions in the audience’s head, e.g. is Harold going to attack the cop before he finds something? This shot also makes Harold look like the villain in the film, however by the end of the film we learn this was just misdirection from the director.

Hand held is used in the film as it gives us the perspective of a character and makes the events to come more personal for the audience. It also suits horror genre perfectly s this shot is used in many horror films, such as the Paranormal Activity series. This technique also means there is shaky movement from the camera which makes the scene more realistic, it also shows the nervousness of a character and shows how scared they are.

A box frame is put around some scenes (when Ethan and Sean are they subjects) which could connote that they are in their own bubble/box and if they believe their project is a good thing to do then they will be surprised about the repercussions they receive.

Comparison between the two films in the Horror Genre:

Both films use the setting of a large house as another character, as one character is stuck inside the house and another is trying to break into it or do something to the house.

In 'Hush', the house is almost like a safe house that Maddie is trapped in as the man is outside and is ready to attack and kill her, so she has to try and outsmart him so she can survive.

In contrast, in 'The Good Neighbor' the house is seen as a place of mystery to Sean and Ethan (mainly because of the basement). They also want to break in and out of the house quietly, when needs be, e.g. to adjust a camera.

They both use low key lighting to hide things from the audience and to make it harder for the audience to fully grasp what's going on in the scene so they are always left not knowing the whole story so they continue to watch to understand what happened and what is happening.

'Hush' tries more than 'The Good Neighbbor' to put the audience in Maddie's position so they feel more sympathy for her and are therefore more invested in the film so it is easier to use a jump scare to keep the audience on the edge of the film and to remind the audience that the film is a horror and anything could happen at any time. 'The Good Neighbor' rarely used jump scares, there were times in the film, however, where the director tried to make the film darker in both look and feel.

The Action Genre

Action films may vary in story but they all have similarities that make the audience know that they are watching an action film. These similarities range from the high key lighting to the violent props used e.g. guns and knives. Action films are one of the most popular genres and may films come from this genre, this contributes to the fact that they will have some similarities.

Ride Along

Security guard Ben has tried to convince James, a veteran cop, that he is worthy of James' sister, Angela. When Ben is finally accepted into the police academy, James decides to test him by inviting him along to scare the trainee. However, events take an unexpected turn when their wild night leads to a notorious criminal.

There are two main character’s in ‘Ride Along’:

James Payton is a hero in the sense that he is a very good police officer but when it comes to his relationship with Ben he is very harsh and becomes a lot less likeable. He is a hard man that doesn’t show a lot of emotion however when it comes to his sister he is very protective.

Ben Barber is the comic relief of the film. With so much action and violence Ben is refreshing for the audience. Ben is hard-working and despite his failure he keeps trying and stays positive, this proves his love for Angela.

Mise-en-scene

The film is set in Atlanta, USA. This is a modern city with a high crime rate, which is appropriate as there is a lot of crime that needs to be solved. The high rise buildings tell you it is a city.

James wears big sunglasses and a leather jacket to show he is a smooth police officer who breaks some rules to get the job done. His flashy car also shows he is a good police officer as the car would be expensive. The fast car also shows James’ quick temper especially with Ben. Ben wears a dri-fit shirt to show his intelligence when it comes to minor details. He is also given a police jacket to show he isn’t as smooth and subtle as James.

A prop that consistently pops up in the film is a gun to clearly show the action drama and the violence that will be shown in the film. It also shows the serious consequences of violence.

Camera Techniques

Shot reverse shot is used in the film to show conversation and the contrast between Ben and James through their dialogue and interactions. Close-ups are used to show the character’s emotions so the audience can build a connection with the characters and can see them as real humans.A camera is mounted in/ on the car to show how James acts in a high intensity situation, and by his behaviour he is very successful in them and is a veteran in what he does at the Atlanta Police Department.

There is some shaky camera movements in the film which could connote that James and Ben's relationship is very shaky and may sometimes come of course but in the end they settle their differences and the shots are then smoother. There is also some smooth camera movement when James is the object to show James is smooth and confident in his job and what he does.

A jib camera is used in the big fight scene when Ben is crawling. This is used to show us action and the position of the characters. They are trapped behind crates and it looks unlikely for them to succeed but they do.

There was a POV shot when Ben is on the hospital bed with his gunshot wound. There is also a bit of sway in the camera from the POV angle, this shows that Ben has lost a lot of blood and he is going in and out of consciousness. It is also a low angle shot looking up at James, this shows us that Ben looks up to James and aspires to be like him one day.

Narrative Theory

This film is single stranded and closed as it has an ending, which everything is resolved. Ride Along is a realist film as there are believable scenarios and there aren’t any out of the world characters.

Todorov’s theory:

Opening, establishes setting and introduces character. E.g. James is seen doing police work, ending up in a car chase, then an arrest. Ben is seen playing a video game and being in a relationship with Angela.

Build up, Relationships established. Development of characters and their world. E.g. Angela and Ben are looking to get married, Ben needs James’ blessing. James is a veteran cop and Ben aspires to be a cop.

Problem, a dilemma or series of complications. Characters are faced with an obstacle to overcome a mystery to solve, or often more than one. E.g. Ben does his best to be a real cop with James but fails. The search for Omar is being investigated.

Events, a series of events/action as characters try to overcome obstacle, solve problem, discover truth and so on. Further complications may arise in the process. E.g. Ben gives James accidental clues along the ride along, James and Ben find where Omar’s deal is going down and Ben pretends to be Omar to save James but the real Omar appears. A fight breaks out and James and Ben are victorious.

Resolution, the protagonists are victorious, problems are solved, truth revealed. E.g Omar gets arrested.

Ending, characters reflect on events, reinstate relationships and look forward.

Levi-Strauss’ theory:

A stubborn person (James) vs a docile person (Ben).

A veteran (James) vs a recruit (Ben).

An intimidating cop (James) vs an unthreatening cop (Ben).

Good (James and Ben) vs evil (Omar).

Traditional (James) vs modern (Ben).

A cop (James) vs a criminal (Omar).

Propp’s Character Types:

The Hero - James Payton.

The Helper/Donor - Ben Barber.

The Villain - Omar.

The Princess - Angela Payton (Angela is a clear example of Mulvey’s theory that female characters are put in films so men can look at her and be attracted to her. This is clear with Angela as she is mostly seen wearing small amounts of clothes).

The Dispatcher - Lieutenant Brooks.

Die Hard with a Vengeance

John McClane, officer of the NYPD and hero of both the Nakatomi Hostage Crisis and the Dulles International Airport Crisis, must join forces with a Harlem shop owner to prevent Simon, brother of the late Hans Gruber and serial bomber, from stealing billions of dollars worth of gold from the Federal Reserve Building in New York City.

There are three main character’s in ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance’

John McClane is a police officer who is treated like royalty for his heroic duties in the previous two films. He is definitely the hero of the film who solves the mystery eventually despite bumps in the road. He is involved in all the action in the film and seems to beat all the bad guys he faces. Despite being the hero, he is no role model and is quite an unstable person with a lot of issues, including his marriage.

Zeus Carver is an ordinary man living in the poor neighbourhood in Harlem, who saves John McClane from getting beat up. Since this event McClane seems to trust him and Zeus follows McClane through the rest of the film helping him solve the mystery like a sidekick.

Simon Gruber is the villain in the film who toys/ controls McClane with a game of Simon Says with severe consequences. This distraction allows him to act out his real plan. He is a intelligent yet violent and dangerous man who isn’t bothered about his soldiers. In the end of the film he is outsmarted and then killed by John McClane.

Mise-en-scene

The film is set in New York City, a busy city which is crowded all the time, which is the perfect place for Simon Gruber to act out his plan. The city is surrounded by tall buildings which look quite plain with colours of brown and grey which make the city dull. There are also a lot of vehicles and people there, which makes it easy to blend in with the crowd. Nothing important or interesting is on the outside of the buildings but inside the bank and underground, there is lots of gold. This could signify that not everything is as simple as it looks and you need to see what is in the inside to truly see what things behold.

John McClane wears a simple shirt over a vest with long pants to make him look like a normal guy on the street but really he is a very complicated character who is quite extraordinary. Zeus Carver wears a similar costume to John McClane to show that they are quite similar despite the different jobs and attitudes. Simon Gruber wears a vest with pants by the end of the film to show the similarity between him and McClane, despite them being enemies. McClane’s costume gets increasing more dirty as the film progresses with blood, dirt and debris.

There are many guns in the film to clearly show the action genre and to show the serious consequences of McClane’s actions (if he puts a foot wrong he will be killed). A phone is used to connect McClane and Gruber in conversation so the story can progress. A briefcase is used to hold a bomb to show the casual nature of violence going on around McClane.

Camera Techniques

During a car chase scene the camera is mounted on the dash looking out on the road, to show McClane and Zeus’ view of the chase. There is also a camera mounted on the back of a car which drives in front of the cars which moves like a car with a shaky movement to give the audience a feeling like they are in a nearby car and are witnessing the action taking place and shows us all of the action taking place in the cars, as we can see the whole of the two cars and the road. A cameraman is then placed in the back seat to see all the action going on in the car between McClane and Zeus.

A tilt down is used when the security guard notices the boots on the German who walked in with a suit. There is then a pan to another German wearing the same kind of boots to show the audience. Tracking shots are used to follow the main characters and it also shows us how the characters behave. A crane shot is used as Gruber and his henchmen walk into the bank to show the size of the bank and to show the setting of an important place in the film. A jib camera is used when John and Zeus look over the side of the bridge at the cargo ship to show the size of the ship, the water and the distance of the fall.

In some scene the camera’s movement is quite shaky when the objects are John and Zeus, this could connote that there relationship is quite shaky, they don’t always agree and have different views. The way they have been brought together was also very unusual, like the shaking of the camera. It could also show how their situation is awkward as they are strangers that have to get along to be successful in the objective, to find Gruber. The awkward situation also links to how it is awkward to watch the scene as the camera is shaking and the audience aren’t use to that.

A match on action shot is used when Gruber and his associates walk through an entrance of two doors and then appear in a huge open bank. The exterior and interior of the bank are most likely to be different places but appear to be the same place to the audience as they assume the two places are connected.

There is a very long shot when Gruber and his crew walk in to the bank to set the scene and where the action will now take place. Also the fact we see the whole of the bank could tell us that Simon knows everything about the bank and has a vast knowledge of how to exploit it.

Narrative Theory

Todorov’s theory:

Opening, establishes setting and introduces character. E.g. it is clearly shown that the film is set in New York City, then there is a bomb explosions. This introduces John McClane and Simon (only his voice at first), who will progress the film along.

Build up, Relationships established. Development of characters and their world. E.g. there is a unknown connection between John McClane and Simon. Simon is the clear antagonist and McClane is the clear protagonist.

Problem, a dilemma or series of complications. Characters are faced with an obstacle to overcome a mystery to solve, or often more than one. E.g. Simon sets McClane challenges to complete and if he fails then there will be serious consequences. McClane meets Zeus doing a challenge, (Zeus saves John).

Events, a series of events/action as characters try to overcome obstacle, solve problem, discover truth and so on. Further complications may arise in the process. E.g. The challenges get harder and the audience sees Simon’s real plan is to steal gold from the Federal Reserve Bank.

Resolution, the protagonists are victorious, problems are solved, truth revealed. E.g. John and Zeus realise what Simon’s real plan is and try to stop him. He escapes but not long after McClane kills Simon to bring peace once again.

Ending, characters reflect on events, reinstate relationships and look forward. E.g. McClane tries to call his wife so they can solve their issues.

Levi-Strauss’ theory:

Good (McClane) vs evil (Simon).

An American (McClane) vs a German (Gruber).

Protagonist (McClane) vs antagonist (Simon).

A cop (McClane) vs a criminal (Gruber).

Propp’s Character Types:

The Hero - John McClane.

The Villain - Simon Gruber.

The Helper - Zeus Carver.

The Dispatcher - Inspector Cobb.

Comparison between the two films in the Action Genre:

Both films have the core story that there are police officers/detectives that are trying to find and arrest/kill a criminal. In 'Ride Along' James and Ben are trying to identify and arrest the mysterious Omar. In 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' John McClane is trying to find Simon Gruber before something bad happens.

This storyline is followed in a lot of action movies, this is done as this make it more realistic and justifiable that there would be so much action going on in the film between the police and the criminals.

Both films use high key lighting, like most action films, this is done so all the action is seen by the audience. It is also done in contrast to the violence, as the lighting is bright and the violence is dark.

'Die Hard with a Vengeance' is a more violent and dark action film than 'Ride Along'. This is evident as in 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' there are bombs that are placed on trains and even in a school full of children, whereas, in 'Ride Along there are just guns and explosions which are considered less violent and dark then bombs.

Comparison between the Horror and Action Genre:

The action and horror genre are two of the most popular genres as they are the most intense and exhilarating movies you an watch that keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole film. The fact that people keep watching these genres is because each film has some features that are the same. However, the differences in the action and horror genres are clear.

Lighting is the most obvious difference as action films stick with their high key lighting and horror movies stay with their low key lighting. These different lighting choices are definitely the correct moves for these genres as if you watched a dark action film then you would be struggling to see all the information shown on screen and the feeling given off from the film would be too dark and intense. In a similar way watching a bright horror film would make the film so much less scary as the audience can see everything in the scene and nothing would shock or surprise the audience.

On the other hand, there are small similarities between the films. One of them is the violence and action in the films. The audience are shown props early in the film so they know a character is prepared for any attack or violence that is headed for them, e.g. a gun.

Conclusion

Films from the same genre may be similar and some may be the exact same just with different names. This may be bad and boring as you watch the same film from the sae genre over and over again. However, when you notice that unique and revolutionary film it stands out from the rest and changes the way to make movies from that genre forever until somebody new does the same thing.

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angry-senpai-writing · 7 years

Text

Writing Prompt: My Hero

I passed by him today. He’s rather plain looking, with big brown eyes, and golden hair. He wears a hoodie and glasses, and I could smell the cologne that he’s dumped all over himself.

And I got this feeling. This feeling in my chest that longed and reached out and wanted to grab his shoulder. I could feel my heart pounding faster and faster.

I know who he is. I’ve seen him somewhere, somewhere online, or social media or...

It doesn’t matter. The feelings in my chest settle down. My vision clears and my calling is finally audible.

This is it.

This is my superhero.

***

I learned that I could fly at age 12.

I learned that my uncle was killed at age 12.

I learned that people were helpless at age 12.

I became a hero at age 12.

When I first began protecting the city, it felt stupid. Every day, after school, I would fly around the city, watching for crimes, manslaughter, bank robberies; basically anything that could harm another human. That wasn’t the stupid part. Imagine flying in the air with leotard tights and a cape. Imagine people looking up at you and calling you “Birdman”. Imagine having to stare at some poor man pee in his pants because he’s so scared of your leotard costume.

But it got better over the years. Children came up to me and begged for autographs. My fake name made it onto newspapers and social media. I was revered as the world’s first hero.

That’s every boy’s dream, isn’t it? I finally got to live it. I loved helping people who needed me. The fame wasn’t why I loved the job, but it was all the little pictures the children would draw of me, all the delighted smiles, the relieved tears of the citizens... I loved it.

This was my city. And no one was allowed to harm it.

I entered my home through the window, quietly closing the door and peeling off my costume. My room was a mess. Clothes covered the gray carpet. My bed was littered with papers. The only thing that was clean was my wooden desk and its three drawers. I tucked the gifts from today into the middle drawer and slid it shut.

I’m known to the world as Lumos, the man who brought light into the world of crime. I can fly, and I seem to be the only human who is able to do so. I help not because my parents force me to, but because it’s only proper that with my powers, I helped people. I don’t want the tragedy of my uncle to happen again. I want to stop crime.

My parents, however, don’t really know what I do in my spare time. Sure, at times I come home bruised and battered, but they think I am really clumsy. I don't want the world to know who I am, as a normal person. Let the name Lumos glow, let that be the bane of the demons, but I cannot let them know who I really am.

My secret identity is actually an eighteen-year-old boy, attending a normal high school, for normal high school kids. I have a small group of friends who don’t know who I really am. I’m not the future valedictorian or the homecoming king. I do two sports. My grades are average. I cannot let that go out to the world. False lenses cover my true identity to avoid being compared to the maskless Lumos. I enter school with them on, and I leave with them on. I never take them off when I am not saving the city.

It’s not like they hurt my eyes though. They are more of a comfort than a burden to me.

It’s just another normal school day, and I’m simply rushing to get home. The bell has already rung- I’ve made it to my locker already. I grab my stuff and turn around, only to see a girl behind me, waiting patiently.

“Um, sorry to interrupt. Are you in a rush right now? I need some help.” She says, lowering her blue eyes.

“No, I’m not really in a rush,” I say, closing my locker gently. “What can I help you with?”

She turns beet red. “Um, can we please talk in private?”

“Certainly, lead the way.”

Her face is absolutely bright red now, a red traffic light among the crossroads of high school students. She leads me back onto the first floor, into the little cafeteria, and into the back kitchen. The kitchen is in an awful wreck, with forks littering the counters. Pots and pans sit on burned stoves. I pick up a ladle covered in goop.

Looking at the girl’s tomato face, I could understand why she was so embarrassed, asking a random student to clean the horrible kitchen with her. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you clean it up.”

The door to the back kitchen closes. Her face fades back into a normal skin colour. She tucks her short hair behind her ears and comes towards me, taking the goopy ladle and scrubbing it in the sink. I take the pots and pans, wiping them down, dumping them into the sink, and repeating.

Minutes pass, but they feel like decades. I want to leave badly, but I can’t leave a fellow student in this mess. The aura in the room has changed too. The girl is blushing less, her freckles more visible against her pale skin. She hasn’t acknowledged me after we started cleaning. Her concentration must be amazing.

Scoop, place, wash, dry. Those four steps are embedded in my hands. At 4:00, the kitchen is finally shining. I stand next to the girl, who has returned back to ignoring me and blushing.

“I’m sorry, but it is time for me to take my leave now.” I request gently, slowly turning towards the door.

The aura in the room changes. “I know who you are.” The girl whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear it. The aura had changed around her as if she knew something about me that she shouldn’t know. I become uneasy.

“I don’t really understand what you mean?” I swallow, hoping that she would just let me go.

“I know who you are. You’re Lumos, aren’t you?”

“What? N-no I’m not! That’s honestly a little f-far fetched, doncha think?” I stutter.

“Oh, don’t give me that crap.” She says, pulling out her phone. I see lines of binary code crossing the screen. She taps an icon and photos of me, of Lumos, comes up, flashing across her screen. I see voice analyses done on both identities. Video cameras, police footage, show me as Lumos as I fly off into the distance. So much evidence is on that phone. My heart races and I step back towards the door, curling my hands on the doorknob.

“Wait, why-? How did you-?”

“I mean, I promise I’ll burn this phone. And I promise I won’t tell anyone.” She adds quickly, turning red. “I’m so sorry for introducing myself like this. I mean, it was a little obvious. You have a very distinct walk...” She trailed off, lowering her eyes. Her cheeks and her blush glow a little.

I slowly begin to turn the doorknob subtly. I have to get out of here as fast as I can. This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening-

“Oh right, I want to make a deal with you.” She held my other hand to her lips, then held them close to her chest.

“A... Deal?” I question her, gently pulling my hand away. She stays firm on her grip though, and I only barely succeed so that my hand is closer to me than it is to her.

The kitchen hum suddenly stops, and suddenly, she is all I can focus on. “Yes. I won’t tell anyone your secret identity, but I get something in return.”

“What do you want?” I demand, my brow creasing.

She leans in closer. She smells like a strange combination of lemons and Doritos. She has long eyelashes with short hair, and her freckles shine like artwork on her face. Her eyeliner is really thin, which draws out her gentle, blue eyes. I feel my heart beating faster and faster as her face gets closer to mine.

She’s less than 15 centimeters away.

10 centimeters away.

5 centimeters.

I feel her breath on my cheek as she whispers softly into my ear.

“I want to be your supervillain.”

#writing #writing prompt #writing practice #hero #boku no hero academia #super villain #evil #my hero academia #kc senpai #short story #lame #repost #apple

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satyr-syd · 7 years

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He's lying in the dark, alone. He hears something stir behind him, a presence that sends prickles down his neck. He tries to pick himself up, but his arms are pinned to the ground; he can’t move a single muscle, trapped by the weight of his own costume.

He can sense the presence getting closer. He wills his arms to move, even a single finger, but he’s paralyzed.

Warm breath puffs across his face. A rough tongue scrapes his cheek, rigid surface tearing through his skin. He can’t flinch, he can’t force himself away, he can’t fight back.

Even if you could fight back, what’s the point? You’re not a real hero, Tenya. You’ll never be a real hero.

The voice dances off the tip of the tongue that violated his face. He can’t even open his mouth to protest. His helmet holds his jaw shut, the pressure of living up to his brother’s heroism fixing him in place.

He can’t move. He can’t move he can’t move he can’t -

Iida wakes with a start. He sits up, panting.

Stumbling out of bed, he heads for the light switch. The lights flicker on, revealing his room, looking just as it always does, not a single pair of glasses out of place. With a shaking hand, he clutches at his shirt. It’s damp with sweat.

Breathe in, breathe out.

He grabs a pair of the glasses from his shelf and shoves them on his face. He glances at the clock.

3:39 A.M.

It would be wise to go back to sleep. Growing students need a proper eight hours of sleep to maintain top-notch form!

He glances at his bed, at the covers bunched up and tangled in a pile in the middle. As tired as he is, Iida isn’t eager to lay back down and invite another nightmare to visit him.

Instead, he heads downstairs. Staying hydrated is also important!

Iida makes his way to the kitchen. He prepares himself a glass of orange juice. The first sip feels heavenly running down his throat.

This isn't the first time Iida has had a nightmare like this. Even months after the incident with Stain, at the start of second term, these types of nightmares plagued him from time to time. Sometimes it was about paralyzed, like tonight, and sometimes it was about something else. Logically, he knows his nightmares are a natural reaction to the trauma he faced, and are not a sign of weakness, but he still feels shame in them. He’d tried talking to Midoriya and Todoroki about them, but he wasn’t about to wake them up in the middle of the night just to talk about his problems. Problems that a true hero should have gotten over by now.

You’re weak. You and your brother are weak.

Iida’s clutches his heard as the words echo through his skull. His muscles clench up. Stain’s actions and words humiliated him long after the villain was locked behind bars.

Orange juice in hand, Iida takes a lap around the kitchen. He just has to keep moving, and prove to himself he still has full control over his body, that he’s not weak, that Stain is wrong.

He steps into the common room and jumps - he’s not the only one here.

Sitting on a cushioned chair in the far corner is Bakugou. His legs are curled up to his chest, and his chin rests on his knees. At the low table in front of him lies the chest set he and Yaoyorozu play on every night, pieces spread out and frozen mid-game. Bakugou stares unsteadily at some point just above the chess set, his eyes nearly as red as Aizawa-sensei’s.

Iida was aware that Bakugou was a night owl, but this was absurd. Was Bakugou really staying up this late? Or did he get up in the middle of the night like Iida had?

Iida points his arm in Bakugou’s direction. “What are you doing up? It is important to get a proper eight hours of sleep each night!”

Bakugo looks over and finally acknowledges him. He looks him up and down with a lazy glare. “What the fuck are you doing up, then?”

“I...was simply getting a glass of orange juice.” Iida holds up his glass proudly. It wasn’t a lie, even if it wasn't the entire truth. “Heroes must stay hydrated!”

“Then take your juice and fuck off.”

Though the language he used to convey his point was vulgar, Iida agreed with his sentiment. Even if he didn’t want to go back to bed, Iida had no desire to sit down here with Bakugou.

“You should get to bed as well,” he tells Bakugou, gesturing toward the stairs.

Bakugou doesn’t answer him, so Iida takes his leave. He heads back to his room, juice in hand, left with questions about that odd encounter.

Limbs pinned to the ground by an invisible force. He tries to lift his leg – his foot – his toe – but the ground holds his body close like the embrace of a possessive lover.

He watches because that’s the only thing he can do.

Three dark figures clash together, a katana glinting in the moonlight as it slices through the air, too close to the other figures for comfort. Yells echo through the alleyway, bouncing off the walls and absorbed by his ears where they bounces around in his head.

Iida – let’s go! Midoriya shouts.

I can’t move…I can’t…

The large figure pounces on Midoriya, a blade slicing across his leg.

No!

Todoroki comes up from behind, flames spouting from his left side, lighting up the alleyway to reveal a thick, purpled tongue licking chapped lips.

Stain’s blade slices into Todoroki’s arm.

NO!

Todokori and Midoriya’s screams are swallowed up by the darkness, and Iida is powerless to help them. He can’t move he can’t move he can’t move…

Though Iida cares deeply about all of his classmates, he is not particularly fond of Bakugou. He made being class president a challenging job; though Iida appreciates the learning experience, handling Bakugou could be rather exhausting. Iida admires his skill, but he reckons Bakugou could learn proper manners and respect.

So when he runs into Bakugou early in the morning a second time, Iida isn’t quite sure how to react.

“I see that...you are here again,” Iida notes.

Bakugou sits in the same chair as last time, in the same position, too. He glances at Iida. “The fuck do you want?”

“Nothing," Iida says, waving his hands back and form. "Nothing at all.”

He thinks of what he told Midoriya, about opening up to your friends. He knew Bakugou wasn’t exactly a friend, but he was his classmate, and a fellow hero in training.

He lingers in front of Bakugou for another moment before decisively sitting down across from him. He places his juice on a coaster next to the chess set. He takes a deep breath, and sets his hands on his knees. “Actually, I...have been having nightmares as of late.”

Bakugou’s eyes widen minutely. “Congratulations fucktruck.”

“And I need someone to listen, so - ”

“Wait a fucking minutes, I didn’t - ”

“ - since you are here, I might as well tell you.”

Bakugou doesn’t say anything. Iida’s not sure if he’s simply shocked or he truly wants to listen, but he takes this chance to keep talking.

“I am sure you are aware of the incident with the….with the H-hero Killer S-stain,” he says, voice shaking slightly. He takes a deep breath to steady himself. “Todoroki-san, Midoriya-san, and I ran into him before Endeavor captured him. I can’t tell you every detail. However, during that incident...I was paralyzed by Stain’s quirk.”

He glances up. Bakugou doesn’t appear to be listening, but he hasn’t told him to stop either, so Iida goes on.

“I am loathe to admit this, but it was a quite…terrifying. Before Endeavor arrived, Midoriya-san and Todoroki-san were fighting him off, in my place. I was the reason we got involved, and my friends ended up getting hurt because of me. And I could not even fight back. I had to lie there and watch, unable to do anything…”

Iida takes a sip of his juice. He holds onto the glass like a lifeline, letting condensation drip over his hands. “In my nightmares, I am always paralyzed. I cannot do anything, I have no control over the situation, and that is much more terrifying than fighting and failing. I know it is not real, but in the dream it is highly realistic and - ”

“You got out of the paralyzed state, right?”

Taken off guard by Bakugou’s interjection, Iida glances up at him curiously. He still has that tired, almost calm look to him.

“Yes…? It was after some time - ”

“That just means you need to be ready,” Bakugou tells him. “It’s just because of Stain’s quirk, so you know you won’t be paralyzed like that forever. All that matters is that you’re ready to fight as soon as you can.”

Iida analyses his words and admits that makes a lot of sense, contextually. He hopes he can remember that the next time he has a nightmare.

“Thank you for listening, Bakugou-san. I appreciate your - ”

“Just fuck off already.”

Iida smiles. There was no venom behind Bakugou’s words.

Iida heads back to bed, feeling a little bit better. It’s not something he can quantify, but he can tell something’s different when he lies back down for the night and doesn’t hesitate before turning off the light.

These late night - or perhaps early morning is the more correct term - conversations begin to occur on a semi-regular basis. Every time, Bakugou says, “I’m not your fucking counselor,” but every time, he sits there and listens, offering advice if he has any. By no means have Iida’s fears disappeared, but he finds his nightmares more manageable than before.

It is a strange relationship. In the day, Iida will usher Bakugou into line, while at night, Iida spills his deepest fears to him.

But the more he talks to Bakugou, the more Iida worries about him. He dances around the question of why Bakugou is even awake at all, not wanting to scare him off or disturb him, but Iida is genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. The bags under Bakugou’s eyes are becoming more prominent these days, and he seems less focused than before, so much so that he failed his hero license exam.

Was it because of Kamino Ward? Had being captured by villains taken more of a toll on Bakugou than he let show during the daytime?

One night, Iida simply says, “If you ever want to talk about what keeps you up - ”

“Fuck off,” Bakugou hisses. There's a fire in his eyes as bright as his explosions, emotion that he never normally showed during their sessions. “There’s nothing keeping me up! I stay up late because I want to, so just - I don’t need your fucking pity!”

“I meant no offense!” Iida tells him, waving his arms apologetically. “It was only an offer. You are free to take it or refuse it.”

“You can take your offer and shove it right next to the stick up your ass!” Bakugou snarls. He leaps out of his chair and storms up the stairs. It's the first time Bakugou went up to his room before Iida had.

The common area feels lifeless without the exploding hero. The chair where Bakugou sat had a permanent indent from Bakugou sitting on it.

By this point, Iida had considered informing an adult several times. Each time he had decided not to, because he was afraid Bakugou wouldn’t take kindly to help, and because Iida wasn’t sure if Bakugou considered their talks confidential and didn’t want anyone else to know about them.

Next time I’ll tell someone, he says to himself. Next time.

There’s a figure in the alleyway that Iida doesn’t recognize. He can’t make out any details amid the black aura that swirls around it in a violent rage. The figure marches forward with a purpose, teeth bared and eyes blazing.

I won’t forgive you, it shouts. I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you…!

The raw malice in the voice sends shivers down his spine. The figure steps closer and closer but Iida can’t move back. He can’t even close his eyes.

Light from the moon spills onto silver armor. The figure steps fully into the light.

It’s himself.

Being taken in by the hatred before you and trying to fulfill your own desires – that is the furthest from what a hero should be, Stain’s voice proclaims in the background.

It’s himself, but it’s not himself. This is a being that’s fueled by hatred and anger, a being that’s out of control.

Tenya...why did you try and avenge me, Tenya…

His brother’s voice bounces off invisible walls, echoing into the darkness. The being doesn’t listen. It bares its teeth and roars about revenge.

He’s mine! I’ll get him…I’ll kill him!

The real Iida shrinks in on himself. He knows what happens next, he knows that this being will cause his friends to get hurt, he tries to say something but his shouts are drowned out by the unintelligible screams of the other Iida.

What have I become…?

This is a nightmare Iida hasn’t had in awhile. In the month after the Stain incident, it had thankfully only plagued his sleep a few times. Thankfully, because it was the most terrifying nightmare of all.

Iida almost doesn’t go downstairs. But his throat is dry and he desperately needs a distraction.

He gets his regular glass of orange juice and sits in front of Bakugou.

Iida takes a shaky breath in, and lets it out. He’s talked about this before, with Midoriya and Todoroki, but never when he felt this vulnerable. It was months since the incident, why is he still bothered by it? The shame at feeling the way he feels almost overwhelms him and sends him running back upstairs with his tail between his legs.

“What is it this time?” Bakugou asks.

“I am afraid of my own hatred,” Iida blurts. And just like that, the words come spilling out. “When Stain nearly killed my brother, I…I lost control. My hatred blinded me to my selfishness and irrationality. Looking back is scary because when I look back I do not see me. I see a child lost in their anger. A child who wields power but does not know what to do with it, who cannot follow the rules and only cares for himself.”

Iida flexes the fingers of his left hand; he’s long used to the strain and delay whenever he moves it. The price he paid for losing himself.

“I – I am supposed to be disciplined and organized and level-headed but in that moment, when I saw Stain…I lost all of that. I was not me. Knowing that that happened, that it could happen again…it is terrifying. People got hurt because of my selfishness and anger. Because I was weak.”

He takes a moment to look up at Bakugou. His usual look of contemplation is twisted by something else Iida can’t place. He doesn’t think it’s anger – is it pain?

Iida waves his hands. “I apologize if this is causing you distress – ”

“I’m fine!” Bakugou shouts, crossing his arms defensively across his chest. “It’s fine. I’m not distressed, Four Eyes, so chill the fuck out.”

Iida points at him firmly. “As long as you are positive.”

“I’m as positive as a fucking proton, alright?” Bakugou says. He leans back into his seat and clenches his thumb and finger over the bridge of his nose. “Look. Has anyone ever told you you’re a control freak?”

Iida frowns. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re a control freak,” Bakugou says. “And I don’t just mean you’re bossy – which you are – I mean you always have to have complete control over everything in your life at every fucking moment. That’s why you wanted to be class president, and why you’re scared shitless of being paralyzed. You need to chill the fuck out. What’s wrong with letting your control go once in a while?”

Iida rises to his feet. “Just because you have no control over your emotions does not mean you can tell others to do the same!”

Bakugou leaps up, mirroring him. “The shit do you mean?!”

“I am saying you have a record for letting your emotions get the best of you,” Iida asserts. “Whenever it comes to Midoriya, you have no control over your actions. From the very start, we lost the battle training simulation because of your impulsiveness. I am unsure as to why I am even talking to you about this.”

“Fuck you!” Bakugou snarls. “Fuck you. I’ve listened to your problems every fucking week and been your fucking therapist. Now you don’t want me to listen? Fuck off.”

Iida presses himself into the back of the couch, stunned by Bakugou’s words and the weight of truth they hold.

“I am sorry. You are right,” Iida admits. Bakugou may be everything Iida said he was, but he was also the one that Iida put this on, that he chose to go to. This isn't the time to complain.

Bakugou collapses back into his chair. “Look. Things will happened that you never expected to happen, that you never wanted to happen and it will fucking suck and your emotions will get the better of you. But it doesn’t fucking matter as long as you pick yourself back up. You’re not weak for losing control. You’re weak for expecting to have it all the time.”

Iida looks at him curiously. Iida didn’t expect Bakugou to spout something insightful like that so quickly after their argument, let alone something insightful at all.

It may be insightful, but Iida doesn’t fully agree with him.

“Is there something wrong with wanting to be in control?” Iida asks.

“Did you even listen?” Bakugou says, rolling his eyes. “It’s only wrong if you try and control a situation you have no control over. You’ll just make yourself angry. Just let it happen. You’re not a bad person for messing up once.”

Iida has no clue what to say to that. So he stands up, whispers a quick thanks to Bakugou, and stumbles up to stairs.

Iida sits on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. He’s not sure what to think about Bakugou’s words. He needs time to analyze them carefully. He hopes thinking about that will keep the nightmares away.

But wouldn’t doing that be doing exactly as Bakugou said? Trying to control a situation he has no control over?

So instead of distracting himself, Iida lets the reality of the nightmare wash over him. The fear, and emptiness, the shame floods his senses and pushes him just past his tipping point, and he starts to cry.

He lets the tears flow. He throws off his glasses and grabs his pillow, hugging it close to his chest for comfort because his dream was scary and he’s so confused and he just wants to get some rest but he can’t go to sleep now. He sobs loudly, hoping he doesn’t wake Kaminari or Ojiro. He thinks of the stresses of his current internship, he thinks of his brother and the name he left Iida to live up to, and he thinks of Stain and his declaration that Iida wasn’t fit to be a hero, he thinks of himself losing control and he remembers how he gained it back.

He doesn’t know how long he cries for, but eventually the tears subside and silence takes over.

He better understands what Todoroki had said the other day about heroes needing to cry, too. Though he still feels the pressure of all of his stresses and fears, his burden feels lighter than before. It feels manageable. It feels like he’s in control.

He decides that tomorrow, he’ll thank Bakugou. Even if he didn’t completely agree with his words, it was because of Bakugou he’s feeling lighter than he has in ages.

When Iida comes down the next night, Bakugo is asleep on his chair.

He pours himself a glass of orange juice and sits across from Bakugou. He smiles to himself, glad that Bakugou’s getting much needed rest.

Then Bakugou starts twitching. His eyes screw shut, brows furrowing deeper than they do when he’s awake. His lip twitches, and he curls in on himself.

Iida watches as he begins tossing and turning around in his chair, unsure if he should wake him up. Iida puts his orange juice down and takes a step toward the thrashing boy.

He hovers over him, and places a hand on his shoulder. “Baku - ”

Bakugou’s eyes fly open. His eyes burn bright, not with anger but with fear. Iida freezes on the spot. Lips jittering, mumbling spills from his mouth, much like Midoriya’s, but much more unsettling.

“I was supposed to be the best, so why...why was it me...why was I the reason...it’s my fault...I wasn’t good enough...not the best…”

Bakugou’s hands dig into the chair, no doubt leaving burn marks if the small streams of smoke trailing up from his hands are anything to go by.

He gestures for Bakugou to calm down, telling him a soothing voice, “Bakugou...it is okay, it was just a dream.”

Bakugou continues mumbling to himself, panting heavily, suffering from the aftermath of a too-realistic dream. “If I had taken fucking Deku’s fucking hand…none of this would have happened. All Might wouldn’t have lost his power. If it hadn’t been fucking Deku…I could have done it if it wasn’t him…but it was and I didn’t take it and its my fault…”

It occurs to Iida in that moment that he has been using Bakugou. The real reason he didn’t inform anyone about Bakugou’s condition was because he was afraid to lose the person who he’s been relying on to listen to him.

A wave of guilt crashes over him, as strong as it had been after the incident with Stain. Clearly Bakugou needs help, he’s needed help for a while, yet Iida had stood aside and let his mental state come to this.

He thinks of Bakugou’s words and understands them a little better now, considering who they were coming from. Iida and Bakugou were two opposite ends of a spectrum – one a complete control-freak, the other completely out of control. Perhaps there’s a balance in the middle. As a hero, he has a duty to help Bakugou find it, and put Bakugou’s needs above his own.

“Bakugou – ”

“Fuck off!” Bakugou shouts, kicking out at Iida. “Fuck off, fuck off…”

Iida backs off, keeping his hands up as he slowly sits in his regular place across from Bakugou. “It is alright Bakugou, you are awake now. Would you like a glass of water?”

Bakugou’s pants begin to slow, and he finally focuses on Iida. The fear in his eyes begins to subside, slowly being replaced by anger.

“Bakugou?”

Bakugou explodes out of his seat, racing up the stairs at an incredible speed. Iida considers going after him, but decides against it. Bakugou obviously doesn’t want to talk to him right now. What he needs – and what Iida probably needs, too – is professional help.

Iida is slammed against the wall on the backside of the U.A. building. He grunts upon the powerful impact. “What the fuck did you tell Aizawa?” Bakugou spits in his face.

This wasn’t how he expected his lunch break to go, but he isn’t surprised, either. Of course Bakugou would be angry that Iida’s confession to Aizawa-sensei resulted in both of them getting extra sessions with the resident therapist.

Still, being at Bakugou’s mercy was slightly concerning, considering he hardly had any. “I simply relayed what has happened during out nighttime conversations – ”

“Why?!” Bakugou shouts, eyes blazing. “He’s got me in fucking therapy like I’m some crazy nutjob!”

“I am attempting to help you,” Iida says calmly.

“I don’t want your fucking help!”

Iida notices the tears welling up and beginning to leak out of the corners of Bakugou’s eyes.

“Bakugou. Listen to me,” Iida says. “You told me it is okay to lose control sometimes.”

“No shit.”

“It is okay to take control too. You do not have to let your emotions take the wheel. You can do something about it.”

Bakugou’s eyes grow wide, and he releases his grip on his blazer and takes a step back.

“…fuck off,” he mumbles, wiping his face with his sleeve. He stalks away, hands shoved low in the pockets of his slacks, shoulders hunched over.

Iida straights his blazer and tie, checking himself over for burn marks. He doubts he’ll ever see Bakugou in the common room at 3 A.M. ever again. But that’s a good thing – for the both of them.

ao3 | based on this hc | more like this

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha fanfiction #bnha fic #mha fic #bakugou katsuki #iida tenya #adventures with bakugou #my writing

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ladyeomine-blog · 7 years

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Let’s analyse : That’s Not How the Story Goes

As the Hideous Hiatus looms above us, let’s take a look at the parting song of A Series of Unfortunate Events. It is now well known that this story tends to expose the “behind the scenes”, hence theatricality being a core aspect of the whole series, especially through the character of Olaf. He may be a very bad actor but he still is an actor. The TV show really captures and enhances this feature, take for example the song It's the Count or all for Olaf’s disguises. The links with drama and theater are numerous : Beatrice is said to have been an actress, Lemony a theater critic and at the end of the show, a long zooming in shot really emphasized the appearance of Lemony and Olaf on the photo of the drama club. This theatrical feature resonates with the choice to end the season on a song : it is like the whole cast is back on the stage to perform the finale, as if they were addressing a moral just like in plays or operas. The chorus really has this “moral” feature : That’s not how the story goes, which is enhanced by the change at the end That’s just how the story goes. The fact that they sing it together makes it very communicative, like a melody you would repeat after them. And this purpose is well achieved since a lot of people probably still have this song stuck in their heads. The lyrics themselves follow the theatrical logic as illustrated by this central line : The curtain rings down on the stage. Indeed, the play, or rather this act, is over. The symbolism of the curtain ringing down is conveyed through the eye closing at the end of each episode. Here again, the link between eye and theater is very strong. The viewer really is put in the position of the spectator. Lemony’s and Olaf’s asides follow this idea too. And indeed this song is primarly addressed to the viewer. The construction of the lyrics involves the viewer : You may think that the Baudelaires ought to prevail etc. All the propositions involving the viewer are made on the same principle : the happy ending the viewer would like for the characters VS the reality of the bad ending :

You may think that three children would live pleasant lives but that’s not how the story goes.

The conjunction “but”, which is everywhere in the song, always is the word of rupture and an open door for tragedy. If we make a parallel with drama, a tragedy, particularly the ones ancient Greeks wrote, is a play where the audience is aware since the beginning that the story will not go well and that everything is already written. As I mentionned in my previous post, since Lemony tells us this story, it has already reached its conclusion when we hear it. The idea of the story following its way without anything that can be done to stop it is transparent with the chorus : That's not how the story goes The story cannot move away from its path no matter how much the characters and the viewer would like it. The entire song is a very good summary of the show’s themes : Sorrows and woes / Gloom and despair. But also humor thanks to Mr. Poe. The chorus’s shift from That’s not how the story goes to That’s just how the story goes conveys the whole symbolization of the show through the ending song. It is also interesting to see that unfortunate events not only happen to the good characters but also to the villains, think about Dr. Orwell’s fate. The looming presence of tragic and inevitable fate is underlined by the symbolism of the place where they are : the Austere Academy, which is shaped just like a graveyard but is also revealed to be the place where Olaf and Lemony studied together so in a way, where it all begun.

This song is a moment of suspension which summarizes all the characters and their role. What they sing is strongly linked to who they are. Lemony starts the song because he is our guide. His towering posture mirrors his role as narrator : a narrator lays out a story in front of your eyes. Since he also is a character, he is affected by the tragic tone of the whole song : I once loved a girl and she thought well of me, we thought we’d be happy together but now I’m alone as you can well see and she’s cold in her grave forever. His intervention is constructed in the same manner as the ones concerning the Baudelaires : two propositions cut down by the “but”. Even our narrator has a unfortunate backstory which is the motive for his story telling in the first place. The Baudelaire children have a very specific way of singing. They have a rather neutral face and this echoes the fact that they endure the events without a real possibility of fighting back. They look resigned in front of all the bad things that keep happening to them. Their position is similar to tragic heroes harassed by Fate. They were named Baudelaire after the French poet Charles Baudelaire, a major representative of the « poètes maudits » (cursed poets), appeared in the 19th century. A poète maudit usually feels resent towards society because it doesn't accept him for who he is, which leads to a tragic life. The theme of sorrows and woes is linked to this aesthetic. As if they were led by their name, the Baudelaires cannot escape their tragic fate. Poe's appearance in the song also mirrors his role. He is the bearer of ill news, his name being linked to the raven : “I'm sad to say I have bad news for you, the curtain rings down on the stage.” This line is a reference to his first appearance but also indicates to the viewer the bad news of them : season one ends now. As a character, Poe always listens to the song of despair and stays perfectly oblivious to it. He listens to this song on the radio and just sings along, like an outsider, much like in the actual story. He is not mainly concerned by it. Poe is a comic character and he is here to counterbalanced the tragic with humor : But to me there’s nothing but gloom and despair ! It allows the viewer to be relieved of the tragic tension. Finally, Olaf's depiction in the song is quite paradoxical. He appears in a dressing-room which is literally the place where an actor goes from themselves to a character and vice versa. Thus, Olaf is « in-between » : the large shot allows you to see his wigs and costumes around him.

At this moment, he is not playing a character, not even his Count Olaf character. Olaf is aware of the eyes of other characters constantly being on him when we see him on screen so he plays his “Count Olaf” part. But here, we see him in a slightly different position, it is as if he was almost vulnerable. This song made Olaf's personnality even more interesting. Since he is « himself », he reveals yet another side of his psyche. In the second shot in which we see him, we actually see his reflection in the mirror.

Olaf sings to his reflection which symbolises the way he sees himself. The staging on these shots is very reminescent of a theatrical soliloquy, the villain pondering on himself. (I am strongly thinking of Richard III’s soliloquies here). Pay attention to the lyrics he sings : he is the one to first introduce the chorus and all its tragic impact. Now you may think that they chose these words for him because after all he is the villain and responsible for all the sorrows and woes the Baudelaires have gone through and will encounter. It is of course the first meaning. But if you listen closely to the way he sings, you hear a very melancholic voice. And the sentence the world is a pair of ill-fitting pants and other dire hideous clothes highlights a particularly salty vision of life. This casts a very different light on this character : he also is a tragic character. The climax of this idea is reached with this line : Some people laugh I suppose. If there is a character who could laugh because of the mess he makes, it’s him. But here he clearly states that he is not part of “some people”. If he cannot laugh, it means he leans towards tragedy. It is not rare that the characters who make you laugh - in ASOUE, Olaf being so theatrical - are actually the most tragic ones. Olaf has a tragic side because he never gets want his wants, his plans to steal the Baudelaires’ fortune always fail. Beyond that, he has an entire backstory full of unfortunate events. The book readers may remember a very particular scene towards the end of the series where the Baudelaires understand all the tragedy behind Olaf. If you cannot wait for season two, you might want to read the whole book series to know more ! It is a clever thing that they already introduce this side of Olaf early on in the TV adaptation. Overall, this song delivers a bittersweet ending, especially because of the melancholic melody highlighted by the humming and whistling at the end. The all tone may be very tragic but hope shines too : “Some people smile at the end of the day !”, Lemony sings. And if “there’s no happy ending not here and not now”, there may be later. Don’t be shy and come ask me if you have questions !

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s0022219asfilm-blog · 7 years

Text

P. Evaluation

1. What were the aims of your artefact?

In my brief I stated “I will create a film sequence totaling no more than two minutes in duration that is based upon / influenced by aspects of my textual analysis and my planning” My main research for the textual analysis is about how my two focal film represented a character with a mental health disorder.I wanted my short film to involve the themes of ‘Man vs Himself’ due to the danger that the character is in due what is inside their body, which is also shown through the two movies I have spoken about in my textual analysis: 6 Souls/Shelter (Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, 2010) and Orphan (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2009). I also stated that: “short horror /mystery/drama film” that I wanted my film to be like, this is due to they are all the main genres of a psychological thriller film.

Through my textual analysis, I wanted to research how my two focal films represent how characters are shown through mental health disorders, this is the key narrative that are identified clearly in my two chosen focal films. 6 Souls/Shelter and Orphan both take a larger literal interpretation of my macro concept, themes and genre, that go through the same concept of Illusion. Which is something that I wanted to really show through my short film- Illusion, however, issues seep through due to the production, as my short film is not a budget film, so I don't not have money to buy expensive equipment unlike my two focal films.

In my textual analysis, I have identified through the use of Freud’s theory as I spoke about a lot of psychological terms. Freud’s theory: “The hidden depths of film show us the neurotic in society, the sociopath, the damaged individual and how trauma from childhood always haunts the adult” it also says, “Repression occurs when the individual occurs when the individual locks traumatic memories inside - and the film can unlock them”, this is shown through the film Psycho, one of Hitchcock’s finest films. However, my focal films can link to this theory due to Esther living a child all her life, having to go in an asylum, which is a key term/stereotypical location in a psychological film, this is also shown in 6 Souls/Shelter when David is being spoken to by the Dr. Cara he seem child-like but scared, as this is a soul trapped inside his body, he mentions his home, then begins to cower down as she mentions Adam (which is a different souls) it shows that David fears him. As I have used my two focal films that involve mental health disorders, however they are both different, this means that I have been able to discuss different terms on how they are effected, as Esther suffers from Hypopituitarism, this makes he look like a child, however, as she is stuck in a child's body, means she suffered mentally as in the film she wanted love from an older man however she never got it as the older men think she is a child, this make her feel unwanted and made her turn murderous. Whereas, in the film 6 Souls/Shelter, the character suffered from a multiple personality disorder. So for my own film, I would like to make m it be as similar as possible in the psychological term.

In more terms of what I want to achieve in my film is getting the right iconography and conventions from my two focal films, as well as a more conventional psychological thriller genre, which I have mentioned in my genre research. Throughout my planning, I did consider using the idea of the scene from 6 Souls/Shelter, that my character would be investigated, however, I realised that it would be impossible as I do not have any opportunities to get to a room exactly like that, so I have used a similar location to Orphan, which is a house inside the woods, however I have not used a house, mainly just the woods and an attic.

2. What codes and conventions identified in the textual analysis were used in your film?

Genre

In my textual analysis, I did not talk about the codes an convention in a psychological thriller and the iconography as that was not my macro element that I chose. However, I mentioned at some points in my textual analysis, and the genre research. I have spoken about the codes and conventions within the four micro concepts, which are:

Cinematography.

Sound.

Mise En Scene.

Editing.

As I was writing my textual analysis, I commented on how the micro elements in different paragraphs, along with photographic evidence to give a more easier and visual representative of my analysis.

Death is one of the most common theme in the psychological thriller, this is show in the focal film, Orphan, however, I can’t exactly show death in my short film, as I do not have a makeup and costume team, which are the professionals, so I decided against death, even though I did consider a death on my first idea for my short film, which is shown on my initial ideas. I always thought that Beverley Westwood was the place to film due to the perfect mise-en-scene that the location delivers, due to the trees making my film look like a typical psychological thriller/horror, this is shown in the film:

This made my film create the audience to feel unnerved, which is usually the feeling that occurs when you’re lost and trapped in the woods on your own.

Cinematography:

In my short film, I tried to replicate camera shots and movement which is identified throughout the whole of the two focal films, 6 Souls/Shelter and Orphan. Both my short film and my two focal films involve a high angle shot which makes the audience look down onto the characters, for my film with it is used show make the character (Ruth) bee seen as a lost and vulnerable character, which is similar to how Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein made David (6 Souls/Shelter) look vulnerable when he was questioned about his past, which is Freud’s theory about how a mental health disorder is triggered due to something in their childhood, which is why David never really spoke about his past. Whereas the high angle shot can be analysed in a different way, I analysed it as how people would first emphasis with Esther due to how she was an orphan child, and that they would immediately over-look how a child may be dangerous as they are usually seen as innocent and vulnerable. Both of my focal films use close ups, Orphan shows how Esther is becoming the protagonist when the camera focuses on the mascara falling down her face, staining with the black creating the sense of how her only light (hope) of having a man who loves her will never happen. Whereas, the close up of David shows how he is surrounded in darkness, that there is no escape for him, as the protagonist is latched onto him, this I much more like the character in my short film as she has no escape from the protagonist.

You will see how I have compared specific camera shots with my short film and my two focal films, below:

https://prezi.com/gjoyyhfwrqab/comparison-of-my-short-films-and-my-two-focal-films/#

Mise En Scene

Mise en scene was one of my micro concepts that I wanted to focus on as I was influenced by the two focal films that I talk about in my textual analysis. The mise en scene in both of my focal films where modern. Orphan and 6 Souls/Shelter both have a realistic aspect on the film, the mise en scene is mainly shown effectively when Esther smashes a mirror, which links with the cinematography creates a more intense scene with the fast paced pans, close ups on a smash mirror of her face which symbolises how her character has broken, but also how the mise en scene in my short film is more similar to 6 Souls/Shelter as it doesn't look as expensive, but also the forest looks more like the forest in my short film. For costumes, Esther is usually seen in black and red, which symbolises danger and lust, this means, like my film, that the darkness (antagonist) is always following the character around the film, there is no escape, this is also like the character (David and Adam) are stuck inside a antagonistic character. I tried to follow as close as possible to my focal films in my textual analysis by involving darker clothes to portray an antagonist, I used this to show clear links and understanding to my knowledge about how a psychological thriller can be shown as.

Sound

I was influenced by the sound in my two feature focal films as they both mainly contain diegetic ambient sound which is the sound of trees and birds in the background, which I think in my opinion is symbolic to the feeling of lost and tranquility. I was not just influenced by my chosen focal films, I was also inspired by my short film research, I was inspired by the short film Inside as the beginning sequence shows a man in a dark room, however, there are voices used as non-diegetic sound which can be classed as asynchronous sound as the audience cannot see it. The sound from Inside made the voices become too unbearable, which I have tries to mimic in my short film as I thought it was effective, also when the audience usually watch a psychological thriller that involve voices inside someone's head, they immediately wait for an over-whelming impact on sound, this is why I used it. I as also influenced by one of the scenes from 6 Souls/Shelter as it involves a tracking shot or a zoom which goes down an empty hall, towards a day, a build up of non-diegetic dialogue play, which eventually becomes over-whelming, but comes to an immediate stop to the next scene, as I was watching the scene I immediately thought that the voices which got louder closer to the door held the character who suffers from a multiple personality disorder due to many different pitches in the voices, this is also what I tried doing in my short film. I also used a number of instrumental track (non-diegetic sound) to make my short film have more emphasis as my first edit didn’t feel like it hit the psychological thriller concept as the psychological thriller films usually involve intense instrumentals to create a more suspense feeling. This is why I have edited a lot of non-copyright soundtracks as they all have different meaning, the first soundtrack was mainly there to set up the start of the film, it also gives clues to something is going to happen as in my opinion I consider the music as a mysterious sound. The next song is a more intense and fast pace, this is to link with the running sequence, I just thought that it links well to my sequence, this makes my film more effective to the audience as the music is overplayed with heavy footsteps and breathing, which is more of a Foley sound as I recorded this in as a separate file, so I was then able to take away the wind in the background of my scene as I made my actress run past a sound recorder which was on the floor so it took away any unwanted noises like rattling of bags or the wind.

Editing

Looking at my short film, I compared my editing to the focal film that I have wrote about in my textual analysis which are 6 Souls/Shelter and Orphan, this is shown with the fast paced editing that Orphan uses in the scene that Esther trashes her room, my fast pace editing is mainly used to show how Ruth wants to escape the darkness, whereas, the audience can interpret Orphan in many ways, one is that Esther is the darkness herself due to destruction always follows Esther around the film as something bad always happens, but you could also say that Esther wants to take it away hence-wise she only attacks her room at first, but as she looks in the mirrors she's covered by darkness, meaning that the evil has taken all of Esther's hope of being normal away.

3. How were the planning materials used in the construction of the artefact?

I had chosen Orphan and 6 Souls/Shelter to talk about in my textual analysis that are both based on the genres mystery, horror and thriller. I have had to create my short film to follow the genres as to an extent. In my textual analysis I looked at the key codes and conventions within the four main micro concepts which are: Cinematography. Mise En Scene. Editing. Sound. I thought that it was obvious how my films would link well together, however, I started to realise how some shots have contrasting ideas to one another, which allowed me to talk about how two different mental health disorders can give differentiating ideas. After watching both films, they gave me a clear view on how to portray a psychological thriller as I learnt that the sound is certainly a key code and convention of this particular genre as it creates more feeling to the film as it creates a bundle of tension, mystery and dramatic to the scene, through the use of non-diegetic sound, a score, which is frequently using the contrasts between a high pitch and a low pitch frequency.I had picked these two films as I consider both films to be similar as they both talk about a character having multiple personality disorder (6 Souls/Shelter) the other is a disorder that effects their looks which is to look like a child (Orphan) which made Esther become a killer as the older men she liked never liked her as they believed she was a child.Once I understood my two focal films, which was after I watched them both, I discussed with my teacher the possible macro concept that I could use for my textual analysis, which is the representation of mental health disorders, with descriptions of Freud’s theory. I chose this as my macro concept as both of the focal films gives a more obvious approach of how someone acts with a mental health disorder, but it may seem as an exaggeration as it needs to be clear for an outsiders a approach - which is the audience. After I knew my micro concept I created a question for my textual analysis: “Discuss how the representations of the characters that portray a mental health disorder through the movies: Shelter and Orphan.”

Before I started to film my short film, I needed to plan and research many things, this was spread out on numerous tasks that I had to complete before I started to film. The tasks were based on my focal films that are mentioned in my textual analysis, the genre my short film is going to be. The chosen genre was ‘Psychological thriller’ and my two focal films are Orphan and 6 Souls/Shelter. Both films involve key themes which are: Death, identity, existence, reality and purpose. All of the themes are clearly notable in my focal films, for example: Orphan uses death when one of the women from the orphanage was killed with a hammer by Esther. 6 Souls/Shelter uses identity, due to the multiple personality disorder as three different characters are in one body, which shows that they don’t really know themselves, and how other people would only be able to identify as them being one person. Both films involved a dark forest, which many things happened in them, in 6 Souls/Shelter, another soul appears in the dark depths, which shows the more antagonist character, Orphan shows a lot of murders, as the forest is extremely hidden, know one will ever find the bodies, this made me like how a forest is well hidden, so my idea came to the conclusion how Ruth is trapped in the forest. Also, forests are usually a typical convention of a psychological thriller as it gives a theme of lost, making the character seem isolated, with no one there to help them.

My very first plan was to have two characters who find each other in the forest, one was the character who suffered from a mental health disorder which was schizophrenia, then the other character bumps it to them. Th character with Schizophrenia was dressed in black to show how the antagonist was latched onto her, whereas the other character was going to be dressed in light to show how they are a protagonist. However, I changed this idea as I thought it would make the audience’s focus drift away from the macro concept of how characters are represented with a mental health disorder. So this is how I got to the character who suffers from a mental health disorder to be called Ruth. This helped my film stick on the story line of a mental health disorder. Other ideas that I thought of while I was watching my two focal films for my textual analysis made me want to do one with a house in the woods, which is impossible for me as the forests near me do not have anything like that, and I wasn’t able to go to other places in England as I could not afford the travel and neither did my actor - this idea was significantly from Orphan as they had a house in the forest, but also there was a tree house, which gave a more chilling effect to the film as they a typically found in films with genres of: psychological thriller, horror, mystery and suspense. Other ideas were from the film 6 Souls/Shelter, where a character is questioned by an older character, about typical question about how they are coping and other experiments like Dr Cara uses objects like pictures and asks what the patients see, as it gives a clear understanding of how their minds work. However, seen as my film is now Hollywood budget, or any budget for that matter, this was impossible to create, as I do not have contact with an older actor, or a professional therapist room.

Overall, I think that the most valuable piece of planning and research was my genre research as it gave me many ideas on what my film should be about. Before my research, I only believed that psychological thrillers are mainly built up on the sound, due to films that I have seen like The Shinning. However, I learnt much more than that, I knew the actors that are typically seen in the genre, especially Jack Nicholson as he is by far (in my opinion) a fantastic actor. I then studied the codes and conventions of a psychological thriller, which mentioned a lot of the iconography along withe the micro concept, and what is typically found within the themes: Death, identity, purpose, existence and reality. All of these helped me develop further ideas for my short film, as I like to say how I became more educated for the genre, meaning that my short film will be more accurate than before I started planning and researching.

Below is my original script that I was going to follow, however, as we were filming I changed my ideas:

The link below is a presentation on the question: How the Cinematography is influenced by my textual analysis?

https://prezi.com/t0ltrfv8pp2w/how-the-cinematography-is-influenced-by-my-textual-analysis/

The link below is a presentation on the question: How the Sound is influenced by my chosen short films?

https://prezi.com/ywboqvwb2q7l/the-link-below-is-a-presentation-on-the-question/

The link below is a presentation on the question: How the mise en scene is influenced by my textual analysis and short films?

https://prezi.com/qcbjcwej6c9c/how-the-mise-en-scene-is-influenced-by-my-textual-analysis/

4. How successful was the artefact in achieving the aims?

In the end, I believe that my short film was rather successful to be sticking to the psychological thriller conventions, I believe that I have learnt a lot more by researching my focal films and watching the whole films in more depth, this helped me with my textual analysis. In the first place, I did understand the fact that my short film will not be a Hollywood hit film, this is due to it being my first proper film that I have directed, created a cast, edited and wrote, but it is also due to my film not being a budget film. My short films duration is 2 minutes and 2 seconds, which abids by the duration limit. In my opinion, i consider my sound to be my biggest strength, this is all because I followed through my research of the whole film of 6 Souls/Shelter, due to the scene just before the scene that I write about in my textual analysis, involves a large build up of non-diegetic sound of the voice overs, loud whispers which were used as a build up of tension as the cameras focal point was on the door, as it got closer to the door, the whispers were getting louder, this immediately made me consider that the sound and cinematography (camera movement) is allowing the audience to follow the narrative.

FEEDBACK:

As I listened to my feedback for my first edit, I was hoping that it is clear for my audience to see the new improveents on my second and my final edit. These are most of my messages that held the improvements that I needed to do in my next filming session.

If I had the chance to improve my short film, I would want to think into more detail how my short film could involove more elements hat my focal films involved that I spoke about in my textual analysis. However, as I was writing my textual analysis I was considering the fact that I wanted to do a drama instead, this is because I thought it would have been much more easier for editing as I would not have to worry about the editing of sound, making my time schedual quicker rather than having to edit loads of different voices at a time, however, my overall conclusion came to the fact that I consider a psychological thriller, in my opinion more gripping, making the audience feel more apart of the film.

If I had to re-shoot, I would make my short film involve more high angle shots, this is mainly because my character felt more vulnrable, that is why I know there should not be any low angles, due to the character never having the triumph feeling. This helps the audience understand and feel more empathy for the character. I would also add more diegetic sound with the charcetr shouting help a lot more while she is running as it gives the scene more depth to the film, I would have also put non-diengetic sound of other people rather than just Callum Sholtysek, this is because my first idea for my film was to have a necklace in the woods and as she touched it, loads of voices from a woman was detected, they would have been more strong to show the womans authority, due to the impact the character - Ruth - would have fallen.

The screenshots above are feedback from the public on Facebook which is about my final edit, the feedback was uplifting as it started taking away my doubts about the film, as there are so many positive comments and no negative.

Directors Commentary:

This is my directors commentary, through my commentary I will be discussing how my short film uses the micro concepts, which are: Cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene and editing, and how they make my film fit in with the codes and conventions of a psychological thriller genre. I have linked within my two focal films: Orphan and 6 Souls/Shelter. But I have also linked with my short films.

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dweemeister · 3 years

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NOTE: Despite the fact The Magic Flute was originally released on Swedish television on January 1, 1975, it debuted as a theatrical film in the United States later that year in November. As per the rules I set out for this blog, Bergman’s The Magic Flute will be treated as a theatrical film.

The Magic Flute (1975, Sweden)

I imagine that when some people read that this film review concerns an adaptation of an opera, they will stop reading at the word, “opera”. As someone who was taught classical music from an early age, I get it. Opera seems inaccessible, and a several-minute aria just to get a plot point across can seem daunting (not just for the audience, but the performer too). But as with any artistic medium, there will always be points of entry for newcomers. Ingmar Bergman’s 1975 adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute is one of them. The Magic Flute is one of the more accessible and most performed operas in Western classical music, and it just so happened to be Ingmar Bergman’s favorite. Bergman saw the opera when he was twelve years old, leaving an immediate impression. Unable to afford the record, he attempted to recreate The Magic Flute with marionettes at home. By the mid-1970s and having cinematic and stage production experience in his oeuvre, Bergman dared to imagine filming his favorite opera.

There are numerous cinematic opera adaptations. But they are underseen and largely unavailable to North American viewers – I am not including filmed opera performances in this distinction (e.g. the Metropolitan Opera’s popular live feeds that are presented in movie theaters and public television). Invariably, Bergman’s The Magic Flute is mentioned on the rare occasions when opera films are discussed. Sometimes, due to contempt for opera or a lack of understanding about classical music, it is the only such opera film discussed, and usually never from a musical lens.

In this adaptation, Bergman attempts to meld the distinct artifices of cinema and opera together. The viewer is never transported to a fantastical world, as the film possesses no “fourth wall” to begin with. We see an audience – look closely and you will see Bergman and cinematographer Sven Nykvist in the audience – waiting in anticipation during the overture, and the action takes place on what appears to be a homely community opera house. On occasion, we will see the performers backstage preparing for their musical entrances. When their performance begins, they inhabit the world of the opera.

This peculiar dynamic Bergman creates is less believable on a more gargantuan stage. The stage’s production design and deliberately low-budget (but charming) costume design suggests we are experiencing a performance given by a small community opera company. La Scala this is not, nor is it the Met or Paris Opera. Bergman wished to shoot the film at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre in Stockholm, a small eighteenth-century theater that still uses mechanisms dating back to its inception. Unfortunately, that theater was deemed too fragile for film equipment. Nevertheless, Bergman and production designer Henny Noremark (who also served as co-costume designer along with Karin Erskine) concocted a workaround. On a soundstage at the Swedish Film Institute, the production design team painstakingly crafted a facsimile of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre’s interior. The Magic Flute appears to be an inexpensive production, but it is anything but. The stage is intimate, inviting, personable.

In brief, Mozart’s opera is set in Egypt and concerns a mother-daughter dispute rife with misunderstanding. The protagonist, Prince Tamino (Josef Köstlinger), is contacted by the Queen of the Night (Birgit Nordin). She asks him to free her daughter Pamina (Irma Urrila) from the clutches of a high priest named Sarastro (Ulrik Cold; doesn’t that sound like a villainous name?). After being shown a portrait of Pamina, Tamino falls instantly in love with her – that’s opera logic, you know. Tamino is joined in his adventures by Papageno (Håkan Hagegård), an overly talkative bird-catcher dressed like a bird. But Tamino will learn more about Sarastro’s priestly order and becomes interested in joining. The Magic Flute has been interpreted as heavily influenced by Masonic themes, and modern analyses clash as to whether its portrayal of the Queen of the Night is misogynistic (see: Sarastro’s belief that Pamina should not be subject to the Queen’s feminine manipulations) or proto-feminist.

Also featured are the conniving Monostatos (Ragnar Ulfung) and, in the second act, Papagena (Elisabeth Erikson). The Magic Flute benefits from an excellent recording by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Eric Ericson.

Opera films tend to adhere closely to the work composer and librettist. Bergman exercises some liberties with Mozart’s music and Emanuel Schikaneder’s libretto*. Instead of the original German, this film uses a Swedish-language libretto by the poet Alf Henrikson (this Swedish-language version debuted at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1968). No offense against the Swedish language, but this Swedish-language version of The Magic Flute makes the musical phrasing awkward. Mozart’s opera was composed with German in mind. German may not be a listenable as Italian in an operatic setting (it could be worse, it could be English – as in the otherwise excellent 1951′s The Tales of Hoffman, adapted from Jacques Offenbach’s opera of the same name), but this should have been Bergman’s first choice.

The decision to cast singers with sweeter voices rather than full, unamplified ones assumes that an audience cannot tolerate a soprano’s high notes. "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" – commonly known as the Queen of the Night aria – demands full-bodied womanly rage to sing. The soprano should sing this forcefully, but not harshly. It feels like Bergman is asking Birgit Nordin to hold back her vocals during the aria (which also sounds rushed in the second half). Whether in an opera or an operatic adaptation for film, this is not an aria that should be sung with anything less than full power. Bergman should let Nordin sing this aria as it should be sung. To do so invites a starker contrast between those few minutes and the rest of the film – a show-stopper as Mozart intended it to be. Nevertheless, Bergman’s decision to prioritize acting over musicality – however it grates upon my senses – works for all the other roles. Nykvist’s cinematography pulls close to the actors’ faces, demanding more facial acting from the cast (who are all lip-syncing) than they might be used to. The cast succeeds in this challenge, approaching a type of acting they are unaccustomed to.

The setting of Bergman’s Magic Flute strips away much of the opera’s original Egyptian setting and settles for a vaguely European design. The Queen of the Night-Sarastro conflict becomes a parental dispute, as Bergman makes Sarastro Pamina’s father. A few trios in Act II have been eliminated. Also in Act II and to the film’s detriment, Bergman changes the order of appearance of two Papageno-centric scenes to the point where they no longer make any narrative sense.

Where Bergman’s The Magic Flute triumphs is its representation of the nature of live opera (and, by extension, live theater). When one experiences an opera or theater, everything onstage is an interpretation, a living fiction. The events onstage and the music transport one from reality, without ever truly leaving that reality. Moments in which Swedish text of the libretto appears in front of the actors (sometimes held by the actors themselves) precede the creation and widespread use of surtitles in opera houses today. By making somewhat indistinguishable the actors’ transition between the “real” and operatic worlds (during the intermission’s last moments, we see actors smoke a cigarette and two others playing chess), Bergman shows that the viewer is as much a part of the performance. We assign as much meaning to the unreality of an opera as the actors. The whimsical comedy of The Magic Flute – one filled with imperfect protagonists and subplots that never quite cohere – makes Bergman’s metatextual commentary more apparent and approachable.

The Magic Flute followed two heavy Bergman dramas in Cries and Whispers (1972) and Scenes from a Marriage (1973). Having watched twelve of his forty-five feature films, The Magic Flute is, by some distance, the liveliest Bergman film I have seen. I do not expect any others to be as light, as comedic as this – the key difference might be that Bergman is adapting material, rather than using an original screenplay of his. It is refreshing to see an Ingmar Bergman without a gripping existential crisis, mentally disturbed characters soliloquizing their plights.

In The Magic Flute, the relationship between our lived reality and theatrical artifice holds for every person that engages with the performing arts. Debuting in Vienna in 1791, The Magic Flute, Mozart’s final opera, was not composed for aristocratic patrons, but commoners. Almost two centuries later, the in-film audience of Bergman’s adaptation is comprised of various genders and races. That universality of the theatrical experience is reflected in their faces, interspersed on occasion alongside scene changes and still moments. The universality of Western classical music, in this case Mozart’s, is etched in their gazes. Nykvist’s camera keeps returning to one young girl in particular. She is always smiling, obviously enchanted by The Magic Flute. Perhaps she is feeling things akin to Bergman the first time he experienced The Magic Flute – unburdened by cynicism, more accepting of unreality.

My rating: 7.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

*A librettist is the opera term for a lyricist. The Magic Flute is a Singspiel opera, which means it contains snippets of dialogue. Schikaneder wrote both the lyrics and dialogue.

#The Magic Flute #Trollflöjten #Mozart #Ingmar Bergman #Josef Köstlinger #Håkan Hagegård #Birgit Nordin #Irma Urrila #Ragnar Ulfung #Ulrik Cold #Britt Marie Aruhn #Kirsten Vaupel #Birgitta Smiding #Elisabeth Erikson #Emanuel Schikaneder #Alf Henrikson #Sven Nykvist #TCM #My Movie Odyssey

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