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lena-in-a-red-dress · 1 year

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AU where Lena is questioned by Colonel Haley in regards to her relationship with Supergirl, with Haley certain that Lena is close enough to her by now to know her real name. Or at peast hold some clue that could lead Haley to answers.

Lena doesn't help herself any by deflecting any and all questions ("a clandestine government organization illegally detaining a private citizen without due process, not a good look for you" / "bold of you to assume a Luthor and Super share anything beyond a superficial working relationship"), which only serves to both frustrate Haley and embolden her to taunt Lena with her executive order *from the president* and the fact she has carte blanche to get answers.

Eventually, Haley breaks out the truth seeker. But to her consternation, Lena is able to resist its influence by dissociating and squirreling herself away in one of her famous boxes. It doesn't negate the physical effects of the truth seeker, but does prevent the spilling of any secrets. (Lena doesn't know Kara's secrets, but she knows a bigot when she sees one, and has enough loyalty and affection towards SG that she refuses to give ANYTHING.)

Which means hours later, after Haley withdraws to let Lena suffer alone with the truth seeker still on her arm, Alex hears a whisper of Lena's detainment at the DEO and storms into the interrogation room. She finds Lena sweat soaked and shuddering where she's cuffed to the table, barely conscious.

Haley calmly walks in when Alex demands that Lena be released and the truth seeker removed. The Colonel declines at first, until Alex leverages Lena's celebrity against them ("do you really think the president will stand behind you when people ask why Lena Luthor died in federal custody?").

In the end, Lena is released, and Alex takes her to Kara's to recover. Where Kara comes home (from searching the city for Lena, who missed a lunch date with Kara) and nearly explodes when she finds out what's happened. At this point, Alex has no memory of Kara being an alien, and she thinks Kara doesn't know that she's not an FBI agent. So she confesses everything right then and there, and Kara has to pretend she didn't know.

Kara diligently watches over Lena until Lena wakes briefly, confirming to them that she's on the mend. Only then does Kara leave, spinning into her supersuit and slamming into the DEO, radiating rage. With dozens of weapons pointed at her, she zeroes in on Haley with eyes aglow.

"Lena Luthor is off limits."

Haley scowls. "You're hardly in any position to make demands, Kryptonian."

Supergirl's head tilts, before she disappears in a blur of motion. In a blink, a pile of weapons are at her feet, and a squadron of stunned agents struggle to register how their guns left their hands.

"Think again." Supergirl's hands curl into fists at her sides. "Come near her again, or anyone else I love, and I will grind your entire organization into the ground."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise."

Taking a step backwards onto the balcony, Kara holds Haley's gaze for a pointed moment, before launching into the sky faster than the human eye could follow, cracking concrete in her wake.

#supercorp #truthseeker au #slight whump #i mean... this would have been an excellent damsel arc for lena #plot relevant for the entire season #potentially deepening the relationship btwn lena and sg #giving kara an opening and a reason to tell lena her secret #just saying

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eolewyn1010 · 2 years

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"Incorrect Tatort quotes"

Lena: My biggest talent is being stress.

Johanna: Don't you mean stressed?

Lena: No.

Kopper, tired: No.

#Tatort Ludwigshafen #Tatort incorrect quotes #Lena is a distressing damsel #pour one out for Kopper #for sticking with her for twelve years #and another for Johanna. let's see how far she makes it #incorrect Tatort quotes

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ramonag-if · 7 months

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I think you can high combat MC more choice like you add high polictics MC can read Lena when they interrogate her. For high combat MC maybe you can add when MC meet Emos again MC can break his arm or kick him BUT if you don't comfortable to write it you can add just MC dodge or block his punch instead but if Emos must beat MC up i think after dodge or block his punch, Emos get angry and he going to punch MC again, so MC try to find way to escape or fight back (High combat skill MC don't have to be only hit or stab people. They can find way to escape or trick enemy to run away too it count as a combat)

Also what will RO+Dena react if Emos punch MC and MC was fall on the floor? (Emos punch MC already not just going to punch)

I do plan on providing more options for an MC with high combat stats. It'll just have to wait for edits and in those dreaded combat scenes 😆 I've already written the meeting Emos' scene and unfortunately, plot reasons renders the MC as a damsel in distress. You will get an option on how you feel about being rescued, but you won't be able to punch Emos 😋

#crown of exile #answered asks #emos

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ekingston · 9 months

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30. If you could Supercorpify any movie, book, or TV series into a perfectly written, beautifully executed, multi-chapter AU fic, what would it be?

oh this one was FUN! it’s odd, considering many AUs i read are based on a different existing piece of media, that i’ve never thought of doing that myself—until you sent me this ask, and now i want to write about nine of them immediately. these are in my top 3, in no particular order:

Star Trek Discovery. Per IMDb’s synopsis: Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer (Lena Luthor, obviously) learns to understand all things alien (eyebrow waggle). i honestly would love to read supercorp in a sci-fi set in space.

Twister. Kara and Lena Luthor-Danvers, advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes. I’d cast Kara as Jo and Lena as Bill and Andrea as Lena’s new fiancée. i mean:

Kara, in the middle of an argument chasing the first tornado, veering off the road, "Do you want me to drive?"

Lena, looking at Kara instead of the road, "No!"

Kara, seeing they are heading for a large combine parked along the side of the road, "Then would you?"

you can see it, right??

Bound. An ex-con and her lover concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money. again, why haven’t i written this yet? maybe it’s because i’m not decided on the casting—traditionally Kara would be the soft butch handyman and Lena the femme mobster girlfriend, but i personally can not resist the idea of many, many intimate close-ups of (a tattooed and pierced) Lena Luthor putting her hands to work while Kara performs her damsel-in-distress act for Caesar (Mon-El)’s bosses.

Mon-El: "What did she do to you?"

Kara: "Everything you couldn't."

YES.

send me writer asks!

#thank you for this question it gave my brain something to chew on for sure!#ask me things!#vampire-chunks #ask meme

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pan-de-queer · 9 months

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ngiti mo'y 'di ko na makalimutan (supercorp)

THIS FIC IS IN ENGLISH

Genre: Philippine AU, Uni AU, Fluff (and sweat)

Summary:

“I wouldn’t be a very good protestor if I left a damsel in distress now would I?”

“I didn’t know protestors were knights in shining armor now.” Lena quirks a brow, enjoying the way the other woman grins and teases in a way that makes her forget the sweat clinging to places Lena didn’t even know could sweat.

“Well, of course we are! We fight for those in need, have a strong set of morals, and take down bad guys when we can.”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

Or: Lena joins a protest (by accident), Kara joins a protest (on purpose), and they still fall in love.

Author’s Note: since today is a “treat yo’ self” day for me, here’s the supercorp philippines uni au that runs constantly on my mind on loop. tbh i consider this fic pretty rough but i wanted to post something before the day ends! so, here’s a rough glimpse of life in metro manila during 2016! title from Anghel by The Juans (thanks to my babe for picking this!!!). translations for everything (including the title) at the bottom 💕

ngiti mo'y 'di ko na makalimutan

Lena may not be the best at speaking the language just yet, but she knows enough to know that the crowd marching the streets are not happy.

“Makibaka!” The front of the group yelled, signs and flags and fists raised under the humid Philippine heat.

Still, the rest of the crowd replied, “Huwag matakot!”

Lena understands the latter half of the chant, but considering her Filipino tutor didn’t really account for protest chants in her vocabulary, she doesn’t really understand what the entire call-and-response is about.

She can see signs—can hear the current president’s name being thrown around every now and then—but she doesn’t understand much of the local news even when she makes an active effort to watch the morning reports.

Which is a shame, really, because then maybe she’d know how to pass through the sea of protestors (boarding school never prepared her for this). But Lena was nothing if not stubborn as hell, so she squared her shoulders, tightened her grip on her backpack, and tried to weave through the crowd of angry, sweaty people.

Trying is as far as she gets, though.

“Marcos! Duterte! Diktador! Tuta!” the crowd chants around her as she finds herself moving forward with the group instead of through them. No one pays much attention to her other than a quick tilt of the head, but that also means that no one tries to make way for her to get through.

She tries the first phrase her Filipino tutor taught her, but her “tao po” is drowned out by the angry chants and yelling.

She marches for a good five minutes before she finally hears someone speak English.

“Oh, hi!” the girl is tall, tan, and blonde. Absolutely gorgeous and not very Filipino-looking, but Lena knows better by now than to guess someone’s nationality in this country. “Are you part of one of the youth organizations?”

Lena sighs in relief at the pretty friendly face. “No, I’m not a part of any organization. I’m not actually supposed to be at this protest.”

“Ooh, secret protesting? Respect,” the woman nods and Lena feels a little bit like she should just go along with it. The woman’s got broad shoulders and a dazzling smile and Lena’s pretty sure she could spend a whole day watching the way the sweat rolls off this woman’s sculpted arms.

But.

Lena’s also sweaty and hot and all around very confused and uncomfortable.

She thinks she can sacrifice this pretty girl’s respect (and gorgeousness) for the cold comfort of her apartment (maybe).

“I meant, actually, I’m not supposed to be part of any of this? I kind of got swept into the crowd when I was trying to pass through to get to my apartment.”

The woman pauses, brows furrowing into a deep cute crinkle before a lopsided smile twists her lips. “Are you telling me that you’ve been marching along this protest for almost fifteen minutes because you haven’t been able to walk your way out?”

Lena huffs and rolls her eyes before she pauses and lets that sentence play again. Smirking, she asks, “You’ve been watching me for fifteen minutes?”

The somehow blushes despite her cheeks already being red from the heat and she laughs awkwardly, very obviously caught. “I mean—not, like, stalkerishly. I was just—I noticed you. Cause, like, you look new. To this whole protesting thing—which I was right! But not like I thought. So. Not a stalker!”

Lena laughs, endeared and a lot less bothered by the heat when it looks so good on this woman. “I’m teasing, but thanks for the assurance. Now, can you help a girl get out of a protest march?”

The woman taps her chin with a hum. “I don’t know… All this teasing’s made me forget my north from my left.”

Lena does her best not to laugh, valiantly schooling her features to jokingly grumble, “Well, if you can’t help me.”

“Woah there, now hold on,” the woman laughs, smile wide as she shakes her head. “I never said anything like that. I wouldn’t be a very good protestor if I left a damsel in distress now would I?”

“Well, of course we are! We fight for those in need, have a strong set of morals, and take down bad guys when we can.”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

They share a laugh as they continue to march forward, comfortable despite the angry yelling all around them (Lena doesn’t bring up getting out again. She thinks she can handle a couple more minutes. They couldn’t be marching that far, right?).

“Oh, what’s this protest about anyways?” Lena asks after another few minutes have passed with the woman joining in the chants every now and then.

“Oh! You don’t—okay, so, like, how much Philippine history do you know?”

“Little to none.” She answers honestly. She’s read one textbook and a half to prepare herself for the move and that was about it.

“Right, okay, so, we're protesting Marcos's burial in, uh, the National Cemetery for Heroes. Normally, that’s the cemetery for, like, military veterans and national heroes and such, but Marcos—yeesh. He’s like, a Grade-A dickhead. Ever heard of Ferdinand Marcos?”

Lena shakes her head—no. At least, not that she remembers. The name sounds familiar, at least.

“Ferdinand Marcos is the country's ex-president that declared martial law, plundered the country into horrible debt that’s still being paid off today, and then was banned from ever returning to the country."

“Yikes.”

“Big yikes. But the new president is friends with the Marcos family—who also did a ton of shit stuff, especially the wife—and so he’s the one who declared that the ex-dictator be buried in Libingan ng mga Bayani.”

Lena was captivated by the way the woman spoke—passionate but casual and warm. She knew so much about the country despite looking a lot more like Lena did than the people she was protesting with, and yet she spoke with such a faint accent that Lena wondered if she grew up here. Wondered if the passion she had came from personal experience. Wondered about her past. Wondered if she could fit into the woman’s future.

A square shadow hanging over her head interrupts her thoughts, and Lena looks up to see the woman holding her protest sign over her head.

The woman simply smiles and shrugs. “For the heat.”

They continue to march on with the crowd for a few more minutes, the woman explaining a few of the chants being shouted and some of the organizations part of the protest. Lena learns that the woman is from the University of the Philippines—all the way in Quezon City. She learns that the woman is a journalism major and was technically attending the protest with some classmates, teachers, and friends. Lena learns that she grew up in California but that her parents used to work in the Philippines before she was born. Lena also learns that she’s been studying in the Philippines since she was in high school. But in the moment, the most important thing Lena learns is that the woman’s been marching for more than forty minutes and that the march is heading towards EDSA station to take a bus into Taguig City.

The woman explains, “It’s around a 40 minute walk.”

"Fuck,” Lena mutters, realizing she’s fucked herself into a corner all because she got distracted by a pretty girl.

“You okay?” the woman asks.

“I don’t think I can walk another 40 minutes.”

“Oh! Oh, right! I’m so sorry,” the woman apologizes, wrapping a strong arm around Lena’s waist and pulling her through the crowd to the other side. “I forgot that’s what you first asked me. I’m so sorry, really. I got dis—anyways! Do you need me to book a Grab?”

Lena blinks at the way a strong, sturdy arm had enveloped her one second and was gone in the next. She doesn’t really understand what just happened. But she isn’t opposed to it happening again.

“At-Miss?” Lena shakes her head, trying to get her bearings. “Ma’am are you okay?”

“Lena,” she finally breathes out after a long, slow minute. “My name’s just Lena.”

“Lena,” the woman repeats, her soft voice somehow audible past the last few protesters at the end of the line. “I’m Kara.” The woman—Kara—lets the word soak in the air before asking, “Are you okay? I didn’t pull you around too hard, did I?”

She bites her tongue from saying anything inappropriate and shakes her head. She barely knows this woman. She can’t just go around flirting with every pretty blonde girl she meets. Even if they have the sweetest smile and biggest heart.

“Good,” Kara sighs, smile flitting back to her lips before she pulls out her phone. “Let me book you a Grab. What address do I put?”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. I can book one for myself.”

“No, let me! I’m the one who forgot to help you even if it was the first thing you asked me for.”

“Kara.” Lena can’t help but smile—the name tastes sweet on her lips. “It’s fine, really. You’ve been kind enough to give me shade and keep me from getting crushed by all the protestors.”

“But—”

“Nope! No buts.” Lena pulls out her phone and makes a couple swipes and taps. “There, see? Grab booked.”

Kara puts down her phone with a roll of her eyes, a smile still quirking her lips despite the dramatic huff she just let out. “Alright, alright. But I’m staying with you until your ride arrives!”

Lena agrees, because she doesn’t actually want this day to end just yet despite knowing that she’ll be redder than a lobster for the next couple days. Spending this time with Kara was worth it.

They sit on a parking curb under the tiny shade of Kara’s protest sign and talk about anything and everything. Lena’s degrees, Kara’s sister, Lena’s latest engineering project, Kara’s last news report, and on and on they go until Lena’s ride arrives with a shrill phone call.

Lena pulls out her phone to see the driver calling and she answers just to hear the driver say the usual “nandito na ako ma’am.”

She stands and sees the orange Toyota Vios waiting by the side of the road. She waves at the driver to let her know she sees him before turning to Kara and ending the call.

“I have to go,” Lena sighs, hitching her bag strap higher on her shoulder. “It was really nice to meet you, Kara. Thanks being my protestor in sweaty jeans.”

She’s teasing, but she means it as well. Definitely worth the sunburn she’s pretty sure she has.

“It was my pleasure, Lena.” Kara ducks her head, smile wide as she shrugs.

“I hope this isn’t the last time we meet,” Lena adds, already backing away towards the tiny sedan, knowing the driver can’t wait forever.

Kara looks like she wants to follow her. “I hope not either.”

And then Lena gets into the car, focus divided between the driver’s questions and Kara’s puppy-like stare.

With a sigh, Lena leans back in her seat and closes her eyes. She’ll just have to find an excuse to text Kara something one of these days so she could see her again. Yeah, that was a good plan. A solid plan.

Except.

Except, as Lena drove closer to her apartment and further from Kara, she realized she forgot to ask for one important thing.

Kara’s number.

Well, fuck.

She’s going to need a Plan B.

Translations (roughly done by me):

ngiti mo'y 'di ko na makalimutan - Your smile is something I’ll never forget again

Makibaka! Huwag matakot! - a common political chant used during protests. “Makibaka” means to get ready to fight or stand together to fight. In a number of instances it can also just mean “fight.” “Huwag matakot” means don’t be afraid/scared.

Marcos! Duterte! Diktador! Tuta! - another political chant that was originally “Marcos! Hitler! Diktador! Tuta!” in which ferdinand marcos was compared to hitler, a dictator (hence diktador) and also calling him a “pet” of the USA (tuta means puppy). In this new protest chant (which is real), Duterte replaces hitler to show that he’s just as much of a fascist dictator as the president he wants to bury in the national heroes cemetery.

Tao po - it’s what we say instead of “excuse me.” Although a direct translation would be “i’m a person” or “is there a person/human there?” (used to be asked/said to ensure that when you visit someone’s house or when someone’s visiting, the person who answers is actually human instead of a folk creature (i will not go into detail on that bc i’m a city kid so those stories were rare to me))

Libingan ng mga Bayani - National Cemetery for Heroes

Grab - Uber but not (uber used to exist here but I can’t remember if grab bought them out or they just decided to leave SEA???)

nandito na ako ma’am - I’m here ma’am/I’m here already ma’am

#cw supergirl #supercorp #lena luthor #kara danvers #my writing #queer bread writes #supercorp fanfic #supercorp fic #i consider this fic super rough and when i post it on ao3 it might look really #REALLY different #anyways enjoyyy!!#this is my bd treat to myself lol

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samlamwambam · 5 months

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Roundtable Presentation: We Don't Need Another Superhero

How do structural mythology, cultural studies, and cultural history reflect the series’ world and world-building around superheroes?

Supergirl’s true identity is Kara Zor-El, with her earth name being Kara Danvers. The show takes place in National City, and besides this world’s advanced technology and interaction with the extraterrestrial, it reflects a world much like ours. The politics of this world is similar in the sense that there are “anti-alien” political groups that lead the aliens of this world to find refuge in their own bars, neighborhoods, etc. In fact, Kara’s best friend, Lena Luthor, develops a piece of technology meant to identify who in a crowd is alien and who is not, a severe form of othering.

In what ways are the superheroes and their abilities informed by their racial, gender, sexual, and cultural identities?

One of the main challenges for Supergirl is coming to terms with her identity and finding space for herself in a world dominated by male superheroes, specifically her cousin, Superman (aka Clark Kent). During the destruction of their planet, a teenage Kara is sent to earth to protect baby Clark. However, Kara arrives on earth much later than Superman because she ended up trapped in the Phantom Zone, a dimension of space where time doesn’t exist. Thus, although Kara is older, Clark is already an adult while Kara is growing up with her adoptive family. In a world where a male superhero with identical powers is established, Supergirl has to work twice as hard to make sure she isn’t just known as “Superman’s cousin.”

Another way Supergirl is informed by her gender is through her interaction with other male characters. Most Superman narratives don’t typically focus on Superman’s love interest, and even if it does, it rarely has a large enough focus to affect the trajectory of Superman’s abilities. Contrastingly, the TV show Supergirl is packed with “damsel in distress” storyarcs, where she is often saved by one of her love interests. This is interesting considering one of the main themes of the show is feminism.

In what ways do costumes and concealing identities further separate the superheroes from normal society? How necessary is it for the superheroes to hide their true identities to successfully achieve their goals?

Supergirl's costume separates her completely from her actual identity, Kara Danvers. The importance of the costume especially comes to light when she is interacting with her boss, Cat Grant, and her best friend, Lena Luthor. Both characters have very different attitudes when it comes to Supergirl versus Kara. Cat Grant idolizes Supergirl and aims to secure interviews with her for her magazine while treating Kara, her assistant, with little acknowledgement and appreciation. Lena Luthor, who begins as friends with both of Supergirl’s identities, becomes both vengeful and terrified of Supergirl and strains their relationship even further by developing anti-alien technology that could dampen Supergirl’s abilities. As for her relationship with Kara, the two are the bestest of friends until Kara reveals her superhero identity to Lena, leading to an extreme loss of trust between the two. For Supergirl, it’s extremely important for her to maintain a hidden identity so that her complex work relationships do not get mixed up with her personal ones.

How do the economic, political, and social events that occurred during the series’ creation and broadcast cultivate and inform the superheroes’ decisions and actions?

Supergirl aired in 2015, and in 2016, the election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was the topic of the year. Thus, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that season two of Supergirl had more episodes surrounding the president than any other season. The President in the world of this series was a woman named Olivia Marsdin. However, one of the biggest shocks of the entire series was in the season four premiere, where The President was revealed to be a shapeshifting alien herself. This is especially interesting considering Trump’s stance on immigration during this time. In the world of Supergirl, this revelation threw the public into utter chaos and shock, especially because of the anti-alien sympathizers spread throughout the country. Although the President shows no immediate threat and has been running the country with its inhabitants best interests at heart, both human and alien, the Constitution leaves no room for the President to not be a natural-born citizen, let alone an extraterrestrial. The revelation tarnished the image of aliens all over the country, including Supergirl, and anti-alien extremist groups gained even more support, with one of the leaders, Agent Liberty, becoming the primary antagonist of the season.

How do the superheroes question themselves, each other, and their obligations and duties to the people around them?

Because she has to keep her identities separate, Supergirl often has to hide parts of herself from the people closest to her. Thus, when she’s able to share her full self with someone, it takes an extra emotional toll on her to lose them. During an invasion, Supergirl has to choose between saving the people of Earth from becoming mindless drones or losing the love of her life, Mon-El. Ultimately, she of course chooses to save Earth, but there is a moment where Supergirl questions whether all she has sacrificed for this world both physically and emotionally is worth it or not.

@theuncannyprofessoro

#oxyspeculativetv

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fieldofdaisiies · 2 years

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Azriel headcanons

when he is deep in thought his fingers often trace over his scars; he absentmindedly does that sometimes also picking on the skin (& every time Cass sees him do it it sends a bolt of pain to his heart)

Damsel in Distress ( @ofelia-writesxox wrote that first) but Azriel somehow has this saviour/protector instict in him. He saved Mor, Elain and Gwyn (& I also made him safe the OC in my fanfiction and at that point had not even thought about that); I think he feels good when he can save and protect people —> like it is something he has to do; He probably feels the need to do this as he could not really protect his mother from what had been done to her

Talking about his mother I believe he regularly goes to visit her; they often just sit in silence with a bit of music in the background or Azriel will tellher something about life in Velairs or his missions (obviously he will always leave out the details that will make his mother worry about his safety

Azriel loves sitting in his room listening to soft, calm music and just forgetting about everything around him

when going through the reports of his spies he will often tap a random rhythm with his pencil

Azriel secretly loves to cook - even though the House provides them with food he often makes food for himself

ship Gwynriel or not but I do believe Azriel is actually quite proud of Gwyn turning into this strong female and also winning the Blood Rite; I think it makes him happy to see her grow; he had seen her at her worst and shattered and now she is this strong and joyfull female

I also do believe he is proud of Nesta

And speaking of Nesta he values his friendship with Nesta a lot —I do believe he actually likes her quite a lot as well

And also concerning Nesta; I believe it hurt Azriel quite a lot when seeing Nesta’s darkness and her struggles with her life as it reminded him of his own darkness

This male loves long baths; his head placed on the tub wall, his sore neck relaxing when it touches the warm water and his wings soaking the hot liquid

At first he is really insecure about holding Nyx “He is so tiny and fragile“ but once he opens up and gets more confident he will be such a proud uncle (maybe even a little tear escaped his eye when he holds him first)

I also maybe do more NSFW ones at some point….

~~~~~

tags: @juulle987 @marimorena06 @danikasthings @younxii @nightcourtwritings @mrofontaine @lunalilyf @whor-3-crux @tired-all-the-time @anni-was-here @ummmmmwat @azbracadabra @j-pendragonx @hollyismentallyillhelp @famousbasementpainter @bsenpai @lena-davina

#azriel #azriel shadowsinger #a court of silver flames #azriel headcanon #azriel headcanons #gwynriel #acosf #acotar #shadowsinger

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xxonceuponafuckxx · 3 months

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send me “plots please”

1.) Obviously, I have to say it... There's something to multiverse Wanda. Maybe she goes through the multiverse and finds a version with the perfect life. Smutty, dark option there for sure.

2.) Sabrina is another one that might be interesting to toss at her. Because Sabrina struggles so much with humanity and witchcraft. Could be interesting as a student. Because Wanda sees so much of herself in Sabrina's struggle.

3.) Not sure who, could be anyone. We could go either under Wanda's spell or someone using Wanda like how it was in Ultron. Morgana/Lena would be a good match for the one keeping her prisoner.

4.) Wanda would also be interesting with Yuna or Rapunzel. They're both very damsel-in-distress muses, which I think is fun.

#answers #out of storybooks #illbringthechaosmagic

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fpere2023 · 1 year

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Critical Project: Empowerment in Horror

youtube

Introduction

“…the majority audience, perhaps even more than the audience for horror in general, was largely young and largely male-conspicuously groups of boys who cheer the killer on as he assaults his victims, then reverse their sympathies to cheer the survivor on as she assaults the killer. Young males are also, I shall suggest, the slasher film's implied audience, the object of its address.” (Corrigan 514)

“Between 1974 and 1986, however, the formula evolved and flourished in ways of some interest to observers of popular cul-ture, above all those concerned with the representation of women in film.” (Corrigan 516)

Due to an increased awareness/acknowledgment of female horror fans, the portrayal of female characters has developed into one that is more respectful and empowering.

How Annihilation Subverts the tropes of the Final Girl:

“…the victim is eternally and prototypically the damsel.” (Corrigan 516)

In Annihilation the crew that embarks on the journey is made up of specialist and veteran women who desire to learn more about the phenomena. They are not damsels in distress but scientists who hunger for answers. (Garland, Annihilation, 21:05-24:08)

Dr. Ventress - psychologist (team leader)

Cassie Shepard - Geomorphologist

Josie Radek - Physicist

Anya Thorensen - paramedic

Lena Double - Biologist

“…a blatantly phallic murderer, even gurgling orgasmically as she dies.” (Corrigan 516)

The deaths in Annihilation (focusing on the female team) occur both on and off screen. The first death occurs off screen. Cass Sheppard is found in the forest by Lena Double where her body is mutilated but not in a sexual manner. Her throat is bit open exposing gore that makes the viewer turn away in disgust. However, Sheppard is left closed with eyes staring wide at the sky above. The second death is brutal and quick as Anya Thorensen is mauled by the bear-human hybrid. Her face is torn in half leaving gore and the character once again staring wide eyed at the ceiling. The third death occurs off screen but is not as violent or as shocking as the others. Josie Radek accepts the metamorphosis she is undergoing within the shimmer and becomes one of the humanoid plants sprawled across the village. The fourth and final death of the female scientist occurs within the center part of the creature controlling the shimmer. The lead scientist, Dr. Ventress accepts her death and is evaporated by the light being expelled from her body. Non- of the deaths should arouse desire or satisfaction form viewers. They can either be brutal or beautiful but they are not sexual.

(Garland, Annihilation, 1:02:03-1:02:3) [Shepard]

(Garland, Annihilation, 1:16:20-1:16:50) [Thorensen]

(Garland, Annihilation, 1:18:40-1:21:39) [Radek]

(Garland, Annihilation, 1:30:26 - 1:33:30) [Ventress]

“As E. Ann Kaplan sums it up, "within the film text itself, men gaze at women, who become objects of the gaze; the spectator, in turn, is made to identify with this male gaze, and to objectify the woman on the screen; and the camera's original 'gaze' comes into play in the very act of filming." (Corrigan 517)

Because the main character is female the story is told from her perspective allowing the gaze to be her own. During one of the flashbacks (affair scene) Portman's character is shot from behind around eye level. Her back and face are shown in two separate shots showing her dominance in the bedroom and within the affair. She is in control. Her character is not sexualized as other female leads are in other horror movies (full body shots, breast exposed, loud orgasmic screaming) she is quietly pleasing herself while also dealing with the inner turmoil her actions have caused her. (Garland, Annihilation, 29:05 - 29:25)

“She is introduced at the beginning and is the only character to be developed in any psychological detail. We understand immediately from the attention paid it that hers is the main story line.” (Corrigan 518)

The other characters (Kane, other female leads) receive development as the story progresses allowing the audience to empathize and mourn each.

“When De Palma says that female frailty is a predicate of the suspense genre, he proposes, in effect, that the lack of the phallus, for Lacan the privileged signifier of the symbolic order, is itself simply horrifying, at least in the mind of the male observer.” (Corrigan 521)

Although it is brought to attention the limited strength of the female characters (gun pickup scene). The characters are proven to be capable of protecting themselves when the situation calls for it. (Portman scenes shooting the alligator at eye level). (35:40) (Garland, Annihilation, 36:08-36:38)

“The cinematic gaze, we are told, is male, and just as that gaze "knows" how to fetishize the female form in pornography (in a way that it does not "know" how to fetishize the male form) so it "knows," in horror, how to track a woman ascending a staircase in a scary house and how to study her face from an angle above as she first hears the killer's footfall.” (Corrigan 521)

The characters are not hypersexualized in the film. They are allowed to have messy buns and wear baggy clothes because they are meant to survive. (Garland, Annihilation, 27:38 - 28:57)

“…boyish: because they are transformed males.” (Corrigan 522)

Although they do take the place of the ale team they are not reflections of them. The women have their own reasons for entering the shimmer and are able to progress to the end (two of them)

“…victim-hero…” (Corrigan 526)

None of the women are victims because they chose to enter the shimmer and continued forward knowing the danger.

“Abject terror, in short, is gendered feminine…” (Corrigan 522)

Most of the women are stoic throughout the film or show some moments of weakness but they are not screaming and sobbing throughout the film. They work to survive. (Garland, Annihilation, 44:35-47:08)

(Garland, Annihilation, 1:10:56 - 1:14:30) Madness scene

How annihilation fulfills the trope of the final girl described by Clover:

“Brian De Palma elaborates:…you fear more for her than you would for a husky man."(Corrigan 516)

Hitchcock…'Torture the women!' The trouble today is that we don't torture women enough.” (Corrigan 516)

The team of women in Annihilation suffer both grotesque physical and psychological changes due to their time in the shimmer. The audience is disturbed by their suffering and sympathizes with their struggles. However, the horror is not solely experienced by them. As the film progresses the viewer learns about the fate of the Male team which acts as a catalyst to the true horror of the shimmer.

“The killer is often unseen or barely glimpsed, during the first part of the film, and what we do see, when we finally get a good look, hardly invites immediate or conscious empathy.” (Corrigan 518)

Because it is not humanoid, the entity controlling the shimmer creates no connection with the viewer. Only confusion and fear.

“No male character of any stature lives to tell the tale.” (Corrigan 518)

None of the male team survives to explain their experience in the shimmer. All that remains is the footage they recorded. (Garland, Annihilation, 47:28-48:55)

“-we see through his eyes and (on the soundtrack) hear his breathing and heartbeat.” (Corrigan 518)

Beginning shot of Kane's clone returning home. But it is brief and Pormans characters perspective is the one we focus on. (Garland, Annihilation, 6:27-7:30)

“The last point is the crucial one: the same female body does for both. The Final Girl (1) undergoes agonizing trials, and (2) virtually or actually destroys the antagonist and saves herself.” (Corrigan 524)

The body shifts due to shimmer, the psychological torment Portman's character faces due to her guilt and experience in the shimmer as well as her battle against her clone in the heart of shimmer qualifies her for 1. The destruction of the shimmer through the clone is 2.

“At the moment that the Final Girl becomes her own savior, she becomes a hero; and the moment that she becomes a hero is the moment that the male viewer gives up the last pretense of male identification.” (Corrigan 524)

By burning the shimmer, Portmans character is able to do the thing her husband, Kane, could do, essentially making her the final girl. However she is ultimately changed forever.

Sources

“Annihilation.” Box Office Mojo, https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1057129985/.

Clover, Carol J. Her Body, Himself Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. 1992. Princeton University Press. In Critical Vision in Film Theory (2011). Corrigan, et al. Bedford/St.Martins, p. 511-530

“The Most Surprising Horror Movie Statistics and Trends in 2023 • Gitnux.” GITNUX, 13 Mar. 2023, https://blog.gitnux.com/horror-movie-statistics/.

Published by Statista Research Department, and Jan 5. “U.S.: Horror Films' Popularity by Gender 2022.” Statista, 5 Jan. 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1342707/horror-movies-theater-viewing-gender-united-states/#:~:text=As%20of%20October%202022%2C%20approximately,added%20up%20to%2021%20percent.

Annihilation. Directed by Alex Garland. Performance by Natalie Portman Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac. Paramount Pictures. 2018. Film

#Youtube #annihilation #Carol J. Clover #Horror #final girl

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danawinter · 2 years

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Now that it's been a week since I've seen DS2, I think I wanna write down some of my thoughts. It will probably get unnecessarily long, so I'll throw it under a cut.

To just give my overall thoughts: I really liked the movie. I don't think it is objectively one of the best MCU movies ever, but I don't objectively enjoy things, I subjectively enjoy them, and this was definitely a treat.

I really like Doctor Strange in this movie. I thought his first movie worked, but it did kinda feel like it was setting up a lot of his stuff for Infinity War, so I liked seeing something that seemed to be a bit more seperate from setting up all these other things. Though I do wish it would've given us a bit more of Doctor Strange struggling with or questioning his decisions he made with giving up the time stone. There were some hints at this with his former collegue mentioning losing his sibling for example. But I feel like we didn't go exactly as deep as I wanted them to with all of that.

I appreciated his relationship with America. America herself felt a bit damsel-in-distress-ish, so I hope in her future projects she gets a bit more agency, but it was a fine enough character introduction I guess. But to see our Stephen be the one to actually give America the faith she needed to do what needed to be done to overome Wanda. My personald theory of why this Stephen could do what no other Stephen could, is because he had Spider-Man. Of course he can't remember Peter Parker, but just like MJ still has the necklace she got from him, Stephen should still subconciously have the lessons he learnt from working with Peter. And we know that there was probably no Spider-Man in the other Stranges' universes where America had been, or at least none that were close to that world's Strange, because America had never heard of any Spider-Man before. So I think that our Stephen's experience with working with Peter in Infinity War and No Way Home, gave him more knowledge about how to treat America in the way she deserved.

When the trailers were coming out, I though (like many people) that the Strange from What If was going to show up. I'm happy that ended up not happening, because the movie was already pretty crowded. But I like that conceptually, that Strange still felt connected to this movie, since the arc he went through in that episode was pretty similar to the arc Wanda had in this movie; lose one or multiple loved ones, reach out to a dark source of magic to get them back, however, when they reach them, their loved one(s) don't recognize them anymore and don't want anything to do with Strange/Wanda anymore. It ties this movie to that show without being over-referential, and it also ties Stephen and Wanda to each other as characters.

Which brings me onto Wanda. My feelings about her are... complicated to say the least. I think Scarlet Witch was amazing as a villain, but part of me wonders if that could've felt even more satisfying if the build up to that could've been even longer. I know that the Darkhold corrupted her, just like it did Agatha and other universe's Strange, so it all made sense logically. But for me it didn't fully satisfy me emotionally, because it still felt like they took a bit of a shortcut. The Scarlet Witch could've been a fantastic villain for an Avengers team-up story, but now that she's been used as a villain in this movie that can't happen anymore (probably).

And maybe part of what frustrates me is that I've seen this happen too much with villains, especially with female villains. My two favorite Katie McGrath characters are Lena Luthor and Morgana Pendragon. But writingwise both of them suffer from starting out as an ally to the protagonist with a possibility to turn dark, but then have their turn happen really quickly and mostly off screen. And this movie feels like it did a similar thing, though to a lesser extent because WandaVision at least gave some context to what's going on.

However, like I said, Wanda as a villain was amazing and got me super hyped. I'm usually not a big fan of horror stuff, but I felt like this movie did a fun job playing around with some of the tropes without going too far to the point where I couldn't enjoy it anymore.

I guess my main gripe with the movie as a whole is that I feel it was so fast-paced that a lot of the emotional beats didn't really hit me as hard. And a lot of times, it wasn't until a few days after I watched the movie until I'd have the realizations about what certain things meant, or what the depths behind some things were. Such as how Doctor Strange was the one to give the time stone to Thanos, which then led to Wanda having to see Vision die twice in a matter of seconds. Or how Wanda wanting to be able to travel to any universe for any cure seems intense, but with the knowledge that anyone who Wanda has ever loved ended up dying, her wanting to take these extreme precautions does make a bit more sense. But by those thoughts not hitting me until after the movie was over, the movie didn't impact me as much while watching it a first time. Though maybe I should just go watch it again.

#doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #ds2 spoilers #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch

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