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bird-inacage · 9 months

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Only Friends: Sand is becoming Ray's addiction

Something that leapt out to me from Episode 2 is that Sand is becoming Ray's new addiction, and the motif of fire/smoke is used to mirror the dynamic of their relationship.

Sand is the fuel to Ray's fire

When Sand lights Ray's cigarette in Episode 1, that was the official kindling of their relationship. They settle their differences and start afresh on a more amicable note. Sand agrees without protest because it's a genuine gesture of making peace. The act of igniting also parallels this being the first encounter where Ray appraises Sand through the lens of attraction. He eyeballs him as he leaves, as if seeing him in a new light.

In Episode 2, Sand once again lights Ray's cigarette. He is what fires Ray up, and will continue to fuel him. This is in reference to the sexual undertones in their relationship but also the care-taking dynamic which is developing between the two. When Ray feels down or lonely, Sand immediately extends his friendship or tries to cheer him up. He will be a light in the darkness that keeps Ray going.

Ray's nature is closely reflected in his addiction to alcohol. He needs a crutch; something to provide him with solace and reassurance. But due to the way he is, he has a tendency to become unhealthily attached to that very something.

Sand is very happy to be a source of support for Ray, but I don't think he's fully absorbed the extent of Ray's admission, "If you're my friend, you have to look after me in every way." Ray doesn't require his basic needs met as his circumstances do that already. So what Ray is referring to here is everything else: attention, love and care. Whereas Sand has offered his company within the confines of friendship, but nothing more. Sand doesn't seem to know about Ray's crush on Mew, which would give him an indicator that Ray has precedence of falling for his friends. Regardless, their respective stances on what constitutes a friendship are at odds with one another. 'I want you to give everything' (despite us just being friends) VS 'I'm not offering you everything' (in spite of us being friends).

Ray struggles to maintain boundaries without getting emotionally involved (because anyone who genuinely cares about him is seen as a form of love). Sand is trying to uphold boundaries whilst his actions say otherwise (his care for Ray derives from his impulse to be considerate, but that's not exclusive and it doesn't mean he intends it to come across as love).

When he's flirting with Ray, he stokes the fire, he quips back like-for-like because he doesn't want to be outdone or out-manoeuvred. But telling an addict "you're gonna keep wanting me" is playing precisely into Ray's weakness. Sand will eventually be both the object and enabler of Ray's addiction to him. And we know this because Sand already finds it very hard to say no to Ray, which means he won't be able to adhere strictly to the boundaries he set. He's going to contradict himself, and therefore seem like he's giving Ray mixed messages.

Fanning the Flames

Ray has a fiery personality, and his eagerness and passion are contagious. We see this in their love scene. Sand repeatedly hesitates. But Ray has a particular talent for riling and stirring him up through his continual flirting, and Ray knows it too. This fearless, upfront and confrontational quality in Ray is what Sand is massively attracted and drawn to, (which he gladly exploits to get Sand to give in), but is also the source of the fire that could potentially destroy them both.

I mentioned in a response recently that Ray has a 'fuck it' mentality, and Sand has a 'fuck that' mentality. Ray tends to throw caution to the wind and acts first, thinks second. 'Why not? What have I got to lose?' (Funny how the name of the bar is YOLO huh?) Whereas Sand is more rational, his 'fuck that' mentality means he tends to take a step back and observe, to call out behaviour that he doesn't agree with or he doesn't believe is 'right'. But what happens what that person is himself? What if he's not sticking to his own rules? What then?

"Yes, it's possible. But you need to be careful. Don't feel more than that. It's like playing with fire." Sand looks visibly troubled after he says this, as if he's recalling something specific in his mind. This line can be read in reference to either character. The most obvious being Ray as the source of fire. Which would mean Sand is saying this in response to previous bad experiences he's had and doesn't want to risk repeating. Alternatively, the more unlikely but intriguing option would be Sand as the source of fire. If so, this is a warning. He's aware that someone being entangled with him may end in disaster or self-destruction. Perhaps a sign that Sand can be irrational or unpredictable when in love, a stark juxtaposition to his usual, overly-rational persona.

Foreshadowing: Going up in smoke

Though Ray's attachment to Sand may not occur to him immediately (as Ray is stunted in the emotional maturity department), it will hit him hard when it does. The thing about an addiction is once you've realised you're hooked, it's far too late. It creeps up on you slowly. And that's why it's dangerous. Part of addiction is denial. Denial that you have a problem. Denial that you are drawn to the crutch you've come to rely on. You convince yourself that you can easily quit, that you can easily operate without it. And because of that, Ray is going to hurt Sand first. And when he does, Sand may choose to back off and put some distance in between them as an ultimatum.

If things do lead in that direction and Ray becomes aware of his reliance on Sand, suddenly having that torn away from him is going to cause a huge emotional upheaval. Like an addiction to anything, without it he won't be able to cope. He'll spiral. Withdrawal at it's worst.

There is the common saying that when something 'goes up in smoke', it's when all efforts have come to nothing. We could see both Ray and Sand's attempts to maintain just a 'friendship' backfire in their faces. And judging by how quickly things are moving in this show, this is going to happen sooner than we think.

#only friends #only friends the series #ofts #only friends meta #ray x sand #sand x ray #raysan #sanray #khaofirst #firstkhao #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #angst is waiting to enter the chat #fire puns aplenty #i love how they are wasting no time in getting things going in this show

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thatgirl4815 · 9 months

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Characterization & Relationships (Ep1)

Since we (finally!) have a reasonable look at each of the characters in ep1, I thought I'd try to sort out what's driving them and where the majority of their conflicts will stem from.

Up first:

Ray

What a disaster. The promotional material has done an excellent job of catering to the facet of Ray's personality that he would like others to see: rich, popular, suave, sexy...essentially someone whose got it all put together. But the Only Friends PR is as much a guise as this "rich Ray" personality. In actuality, he's drunk for 99% of the episode, he's sassy, and he's pitifully jealous of Top's relationship with Mew. I'd also wager that his apparent alcoholism extends beyond a "college kid who likes to party too much." Whether or not this becomes a major talking point in the series remains to be seen; not to get into theorizing territory too much, but I suspect part of Ray’s conflict with Sand will be that Sand exposes Ray’s flaws a lot (namely, just how much attention he needs). We already saw that a bit with episode one. But hopefully in drawing out this trait, Ray will change for the better.

All in all, it's clear that Ray is drowning. I think what Ray wants most is company. He might delude himself into thinking he only wants someone of a certain "caliber," given his own wealth and supposed status, but as Khao said, he's someone who needs love. (I also have thoughts on why Ray would have a crush on Mew in particular that might be best-suited for a different post, which—if you’re interested—you can find here!)

I have to admit too that I was honestly expecting to hate Ray, especially in episode one. He was certainly arrogant (for example: automatically assuming that Sand must have slept with him when he was drunk). But all in all, my thoughts on Ray were a mixture of pity and humor. Whereas Boston is shameless in his pursuit of Top (screwing over Mew in the process), Ray spends the episode chaotically pining after Mew, squabbling with Sand, and puking on floors.

^I do know that I want to protect him from whatever it is that's making him sob like this (unless, of course, it's his own asshole-ish behavior towards Sand, in which case it's probably deserved).

*Side Note: I'm wondering at what point Ray's friend group will make mention of his bad drinking habits as a sign of some greater mental issues...I'd expect Mew to bring it up at greater length soon, but maybe he thinks Ray will get defensive. Food for thought.

Sand

Oh Sand. Starting beef in the bathroom right off the bat (pun intended). He’s headstrong and—as I assume is the point—seems to have his life together where Ray does not. He also alludes to his unfortunate financial situation and seems to dislike Ray immediately because of it (perhaps without meaning to).

Sand’s conflict, as far as I can tell, is all physical—financial. But Ray’s is inside. I’d argue that Sand realizes that on some level. I think he’s fascinated by Ray. Once he gets over his annoyance, there’s a hint of curiosity there, maybe even pity.

From Sand’s standpoint, it’s easy to get mad at people like Ray. But we see he’s also forgiving (he states that he doesn’t like to hold grudges), sincere, and helpful. Rather than let Ray attempt to drive home alone (or fall asleep in the bar parking lot), he takes him back to his place, pats his back while he vomits in the toilet, gives him a place to sleep on the couch with new clothes, etc. So really what I’m saying is that Sand is the perfect boyfriend.

At least as far as Ray and Sand are concerned—I’m ready to fight for either one of them. They’re different enough that I think their dynamic will be one to progress slower than the other couples, but in a very meaningful way.

Top

In my opinion, Top is the most difficult character to read. As opposed to Ray's chaotic arrogance, his is dripping with composure. He gives an air of maturity that the other characters lack, and it's the perfect cover for his supposedly dishonest sleeping habits. I think the opening verse in "Let's Try" speaks to him well--he doesn't seek out other men for love. I don't think he's fully committed to being in a relationship with Mew at this point, but his curiosity has been piqued enough to give it a chance. To put it bluntly: he's challenging himself to see just how long it takes to get into Mew's pants. (Part of that challenge might have to do with Boston, to prove that he can make Mew more than a one night stand.)

I wonder if Top gets frustrated by his lack of (physical) intimacy with Mew and that's what drives him back to Boston. He rejected Boston pretty hard in ep1, but I'm curious to know how long that will last. I'd say the earlier the better when it comes to salvaging Top and Mew's relationship.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from TopMew's relationship to start with, but it's taking off at a relatively fast pace status-wise. By the end of the first episode we have Top asking Mew to be his boyfriend, which will surely stir up drama and will likely send both Ray and Boston stumbling into Sand and Nick's arms.

Mew

Mew has been regarded in the fandom as a bit more than he seems. But besides the end-credits clip of him sitting alone, I'm not getting any mysteriousness (yet) from his character. From his interactions, we can tell he has strong values, an intuitive mind, and a distinct sense of self. He knows who he is. (Again, I think these traits connect directly to why Ray is so interested in him.)

I see Mew and Namchueam as the anchors of the friend group. While Ray and Boston are chaotic and self-centered, these two are both looking out for everyone. I also have to admire Mew's conviction when saying no to Top--he isn't going to cave and have a one night stand with a hot, popular guy just because his friends tell him to.

All of these attributes point to one hell of a revenge plot when Top inevitably wrongs him. But despite how reserved and composed Mew seems now, I wonder if that will be what pushes him over the edge and scares away his "nice boy" persona. Mew's composure now could lead him to have the biggest spiral later.

Boston

To put it bluntly: Boston is exactly the kind of playboy dick-face I thought he would be. Neo plays him perfectly. He's arrogant, confident, self-centered, and attention-seeking.

If Top is "the top of the top" (again, pun intended) as far as FWBs go, then Boston can't stand the thought of Top settling for someone he views as lesser-than. Boston's inflated ego is like a blinding light in this episode. While Ray is jealous of Mew and clearly wants to drive Mew away from Top, Boston evidently has no problem directly sabotaging the relationship. The last scene between Boston and Top in the bathroom is proof--if Top had initiated anything, Boston would have had no problem sleeping with him and talking to Mew later as if nothing had happened.

Nick

Nick seems to be unfortunate collateral in Boston's egotistical destruction. At the moment, it’s a beneficial relationship for both of them. There's a spark between them, plus Boston needs another buddy to keep his mind off of his failing pursuits with Top. We haven't seen much of Nick yet besides his *ahem* blatant interest in Boston, so I can't say much beyond that. But from what we saw of his character in the tech store, he seems a little absent-minded, helpful, and generally friendly. I'm interested to see what more of him we will see.

Namchueam

Maybe it's because we haven't seen much of her background yet, but she seems to be the most put-together out of the friend group (with the exception of maybe Mew, but he has his own problems too). It's clear she looks out for her friends and wants what's best for them. Seeing her hyping Mew up about Top was endearing, because it's clear she truly wants him to be happy and live on the edge a little more. I want to know how she's going to get wrapped up in all this mess.

~ X ~

Ok, that's my basic analysis of the characters and core relationships from Ep1. I think everything is developing at a quick pace with a lot of drama already in the works. Excited to see where it goes from here and what everybody else's thoughts are on this mess/+ of a plot, lol.

P.S. me after every new episode of OF:

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idleorbitals · 9 months

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only friends ep 3 watch through (part 1/2)

!! the mess is here. the mess is here and so am I

we open on nick catching even more feelings over bostonnick sex montage. oh this is painful to watch. lmao @ the of directors being the ones to give nick the tweet replies he doesn't want to hear though

I have to say I am such a sucker for the kind of aw noise boston makes at 2:26 it would get me too. but right after this he sits up and says the most manipulative shit about ~we might become something more~ nick baby. get out of there

raysand softest wake up together scene. this is very tender for a one night stand situation. my expectations for what we're supposed to want for them keep getting overturned. what I want for them has remained consistent but not bc of anything rational just bc I'm a simp

moment of silence for first kanaphan special acting ability where he manages to look like he's gazing softly up at khaotung's character while towering over him

moment of silence for sand who is already gone for ray and realizing it a little

moment of silence for ray who is still flirting having fun and feeling fancy free. oh boy when you torpedo this everyone will suffer you included

The Friends (tm) are eating and planning a pool party. they are having a fun chat about all the crazy things the cctv they want to put in is going to pick up. you know when you create all these opportunities for the narrative to screw with you it will babes.

ray remembers he knows a hot musician and volunteers to take care of the djing in a way that is so sus that the rest of the friends get comic whiplash sound effects and an eagle scream about it

topmew date time. sorry legitimately the only thing I can think about in this scene is how if everyone is dancing to different music everyone will look foolish as heck. forcebook really selling it here

I lied I have another thought and it's that these lyrics they are singing make me feel like the narrative is slapping me in the face

everyone regards me as a bad guy / I'm a villain, no matter how much I love you, I must die eventually / in the end, he's the one who has your love / I want to be a hero, but villain is my role

ok calm down top

if some of that's not metaphorical tho...yikes yikes

*begin vid section [2/4]*

an old familiar hookup comes to flirt with top in front of mew. can't totally read this dynamic. mew is clearly a little jealous but doesn't really have the standing to say anything. much like top's encounter with boston in the shower last week he's pushing away just a little but not putting his arm into it. top what is your game here?

nick getting boston to help him move lmao. that's right use him babe

sand is connecting dots. about bostonnick and about the hostel. ding ding ding baby you're all tangled up in this thankless situation. I wish I could have hope about sand and nick being good for each other bc they seem like the two most sympathetic characters this storyline currently has to offer but unfortunately my guess is they will both be too hung up on other people to be any real help to one another. and/or nick's going darkside idk you guys I'm starting to wonder. more on that coming up

ray wants to hire sand for ~party fun times~ so he goes to his work mom yo to clear it with her first. she says /why are you trying to get me wrapped up in your mess I'm a pure character/ and ray, about his intentions toward sand, rasps out "nothing is suspicious" while clearing his throat and shaking his head very quickly to indicate that nothing is suspicious.

yo's bf arrives on the scene to act as another character pointing out ray's day drinking. sorry ray the narrative agrees it's problematic to hang out at a bar all day when you're not sleeping with someone on staff. yo and bf have a cute moment and ray goes sweet and starry eyed about it.

ray: "can I get one like that?" p'yo: "here comes sand"

sorry I legitimately cannot continue without taking a moment for sparkly princess ray here. wtf. this look is, of course, aimed at sand but honestly that's not even what's important to me right now

cut to sand doing some of the most inefficient chopping work known to man while ray stands around flirting prettily with him and asking for favors.

trailer teasing us yet again on their dynamic. ray is the first one to say "you think I want you as my boyfriend? of course not!" while sand takes a long sip of his water and stares into the middle distance. oh sand.

sand calls him an asshole (affectionate)* again and gets up to go. ray grabs him by the arm and asks with feeling if he is really okay with this, which is the narrative reminding us that we are still allowed to sympathize with him even when he's being a little shit bc he understands consent. they have a nice little ~what are we~ conversation which, like—even though we know it's not actually going to work out ok for either of them even over the course this episode—is some pretty healthy communication, especially stacked right up against everything we've had from boston and nick this week. I'm honestly consistently surprised ray is being allowed to be a decent person but I'm not complaining

*nearly every time the subs say "dickhead" "asshole" etc what the characters are actually calling each other is สัตว์ "animal". I get that this is a more commonly used insult in thai but I think it almost holds up as a direct translation in terms of relative weight and I sort of wish it was glossed more consistently somehow. idk someone come tell me more tho

back at the pool nick meets top, who he recognizes from the photo booth pictures he found at boston's. they get a set of villain zooms, one each top and nick. nick baby don't do anything sand wouldn't do ok?

back to one of nick's online-in-a-dark-room moments. he's stalking top and finding boston comments all over his ig. the camera is not looking kindly on him here. something something the toxicity of jealousy and obsession. nick has real feelings involved so he's already at a disadvantage in his dynamic with boston, but suddenly I get the sense that boston is not necessarily safe, even if he's not going to catch feelings

how is sandray of the messy unrequited friend thing the only safe dynamic of the Big Three

(part 2) (all ofts watch throughs)

#ofts #only friends the series #sandray #raysand #firstkhaotung #ofts meta #part 2 incoming #next week shorter i'm promising myself now. next week the recap might just be sandray + other scenes of note bc there's Too Much Happening #ofts watch through

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heretherebedork · 8 months

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I see Ray and Boston being different sides of the same coin aka diametrically opposite of each other.

I mean, Boston is filled with love. His parents both love him. His dad thinks he's doing a fantastic job in school and his mom wants him to live in New York with her. They're supportive of his artsy dreams. Boston is even full of self love! He doesn't sleep around because he's sad, he sleeps around because he's happy and he thinks it's fun and he deserves to have a great time in his great life.

Ray has no love. He has no familial love, no friend love, no self love. He's not having any fun.

I don't know what you mean that they have the same tragedies. I think they see the truth in each other but not because they're similar at all.

I don't think Boston is as loved as his father implies. His father is proud of him, yes, but really only in terms of what he thinks he's doing. He's, rather obviously, long used the idea of sending him to America as a threat for not acting within the lines he's set up for him to fit in order to support his campaign.

And how much do we know about Boston's mother loving him? Just because he can be sent to her in America doesn't mean she's loving and waiting eagerly for him. In fact, it sounds like they've had very, very little contact in the time.

I read his relationships with his parents (and theirs with him) extremely differently than you do. And that's okay.

But I see Boston as trapped not just in his father's expectations but in the knowledge that his father is merely waiting for him to fail with the exact certainty that he has already fully accepted that he cannot succeed and will be sent overseas to his mother because he cannot uphold the image his father wants him to hold up.

I did not think Boston's dad was genuinely supportive of his son's photography so much as he wants to know what Boston might be hiding from him. Because he is proud of him, yes, but he is proud of him more in terms of how he can use him for his campaigns.

Ray does not have family love but there is definitely implications in his father speaking to Sand that there is love there that is not being expressed in any kind of healthy way.

I just view Boston's family dynamics very differently than you. I do not think that Boston's relationship with his parents is anywhere near as good as you think or is meant to be read that way.

I also view his sleeping around very differently. He's so malicious about so much of it and so uncaring, avoiding connections entirely because he knows he isn't going to stay there and isn't going to make anything that lasts a long time because nothing can last a long time. His reaction to Top was not happy and fun and he is not just enjoying himself. He is confident in sex, yes, but that's the one thing he seems actually confident in.

#asked and answered #i really read the family dynamics differently #but i will not argue this #only explain my POV

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raimispiderman · 3 years

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From the booklet which comes with the Spider-Man Trilogy Limited Edition Collection blu-ray!

This talks about the making of Spider-Man 3, here’s the bit about the first Spider-Man movie and here’s the bit about Spider-Man 2.

Click for a transcript:

OLD FRIENDS… AND NEW FACES

“The heart of the Spider-Man films has always been the depth of the characters and their interconnected lives. Peter’s love of Mary Jane Watson and his friendship with Harry Osborn have always been the richest parts of our stories,” said director Sam Raimi.

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker faces his biggest challenge to date – and the greatest battle of all is the battle within himself.

“We wanted to explore the darker side of Peter’s character,” said producer Laura Ziskin. “When his suit turns black, it enhances and emphasizes characteristics that are already in the host. In this case, it makes him stronger and quicker, but also more prideful and aggressive.”

“When I read the script I was really excited about the different direction we were going with Peter Parker and the other characters and storylines,” said Tobey Maguire, who returned to the role of Peter Parker. “We are covering a lot of new ground here, with a fresh take on the story while maintaining the continuity of the characters from the previous two films.”

In Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man takes on two classic villains: Sandman, who first made his appearance in the fourth issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man” and Venom, one of the comic book’s most memorable villains.

“Marvel comic books – and especially the Spider-Man books – have always had a great bunch of villains to choose from,” noted Raimi. “So many great Marvel artists and writers developed these characters. It was a very easy task to pick up these wonderful tales and images and develop our story from them.”

Thomas Haden Church played Flint Marko, a man haunted by the mistakes of his past, who is caught in a physics experiment gone wrong. “I consider it an honor, really,” said Church, an Academy Award nominee for his role in Sideway, on joining the franchise. “The Spider-Man films stand tall in the pantheon of superhero movies. Many are called, few are chosen, and I’m proud to be one of the few.”

“Flint Marko becomes Sandman when he stumbles into a radioactive test site where they’re performing a molecular fusion experiment and he accidentally becomes fused with sand,” Church added. “As a result, he can change his shape and adapt to his environment. He can be 10, 30, 80 feet tall. He can form giant sand fists, hammers, a mace. He can shift into a sand tornado, or sift into sand. He is as malevolent and menacing as any villain can be.”

Church spent over a year preparing for the role, with a physical training and diet regimen which led to his gaining about 20 pounds of muscle before shooting began. “In the comic book, Sandman was a bulky-muscled guy – he looked like a guy out of the WWF,” said the actor, “For the movie, we decided on a leaner look – street hardened, like Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront.”

Topher Grace joined the cast as Eddie Brock, a character in some ways similar to Peter Parker, who transforms into Venom – Spider-Man’s arch-nemesis. “When I was first talking about the movie, Sam asked me if I knew what ‘arch-nemesis’ meant. I thought it meant a huge villain, but Sam pointed out that it really means a villain who has the same powers and abilities as the hero, but uses them for evil,” said Grace. “Sam has gone to great lengths to make this character Spider-Man’s equal and opposite. You might say that Eddie is the guy that Peter would have been if he didn’t have the good fortune of having Aunt May and Uncle Ben to bring him up.”

Grace, a self-described “skinny guy,” put on about 15 to 20 pounds for the role, working out during the several months before shooting began. During pre-production, Grace was subjected to body scans and motion capture data analysis for use by the costume and visual effects departments.

“They were doing a scan of my body, and someone mentioned that the scan would be really helpful for making my action figure. My action figure!” recalled Grace. “It hadn’t even occurred to me that I would become an action figure! It was very exciting.”

“The Spider-Man books have probably the greatest rogues’ gallery of any superhero comic – there are so many memorable villains throughout the books,” said executive producer and Marvel’s president of production Kevin Feige. “With the villains in Spider-Man 3, we wanted to continue the tradition – following the Green Goblin and Doc Ock – of presenting villains that not only provide spectacle and a physical challenge to Spider-Man’s abilities, but characters that are multi-layered and conflicted.”

“At the beginning of Spider-Man 3, we find Peter Parker pretty much where we left him at the end of the second Spider-Man story,” said director Sam Raimi. “He is coming to terms with what it means to be a hero and the sacrifices he has to make to do the right thing. Peter has never had anyone look up to him as someone they admire. Certainly, he’s never had anyone cheer for him before. This has an unexpected effect on Peter: it stirs up his prideful self. This is the beginning of a movement toward his dark side in this film.”

That dark side is brought to the forefront when he comes into contact with a black substance that attaches itself to Peter’s Spider-Man suit. When the substance turns his suit black, he finds he has greater strength and agility than ever before… but also the substance brings out his pride and his vengefulness. “In the climax, Peter has to put aside his prideful self. He must put aside his desire for vengeance,” Raimi continues. “He has to learn that we are all sinners and that none of us can hold ourselves above another. In this story, he has to learn forgiveness.”

Another fan favorite, Gwen Stacy, made her film debut in Spider-Man 3. Well known to fans of the comic books, Gwen made her first appearance in December 1965 “The Amazing Spider-Man #31” and quickly became Peter Parker’s first love. Bryce Dallas Howard took on the role. Despite the differences between the comic book and screen versions of her character, Howard was able to use the comic book as inspiration in bringing Gwen Stacy to life. “There was a very deep relationship built into the comic books – that became my foundation,” said the actress. “This a person who, had things been different, could have been a good mate for him. Because her father is a police captain, she’s accustomed to someone leaving and putting his life in jeopardy every day and loving him unconditionally. I was able to build on that, to play the character that was written in the comic book.”

“It’s wonderful to bring new actors into the series because, although you have an existing set of rules and storylines you want to adhere to, at the same time you need to shake it up, bringing new voices and energies to the film that we haven’t experiences before, “noted Raimi. “It gives the audience a new experience, with the characters they love, but with a new energy dynamic, with those new faces on screen with them.”

“In terms of logistics and scope, Spider-Man 3 is by far the largest of the three films,” said Ziskin. “Sam has really upped the ante for this film, in terms of action sequences and visual effects involving Sandman and Venom, so it is a gigantic endeavor, with over 1,000 people working towards that goal.”

During production, Raimi relied on key members of his filmmaking team to bring to life before the cameras as much of Peter Parker’s story as possible. “Whenever it’s safe and practical, I like to capture the action in camera,” said Raimi. “Visual effects are an amazing tool for action that human beings can’t do – but if a human being can do it, let’s do it.”

The talented team of stuntmen was ready, but so was the cast. Bryce Dallas Howard, especially, surprised the filmmakers by being game for anything they could throw at her. At one point, the actress found herself hanging from a harness.

After performing several portions of the sequence on soundstages in Los Angeles, Howard was eager to get in the harness again to fly with Spider-Man over Sixth Avenue. “What’s so great about movies is you get to really experience these crazy, crazy stunts, things that you would never emerge from alive in real life,” says Howard. “I knew I would be 100% safe because Sam and the stunt team really protect the actors. So I tried to do as many things as possible, because it’s really fun and a great adrenaline rush!”

Thomas Haden Church was also up to the challenge – in fact, even more so. Whether it was being yanked five feet in the air so he could do a face-plant in the mud, or being chased (and caught) by dogs, or dangling off the side of a set, or falling onto train tracks, or having his face smashed into a pane of Plexiglas, the actor found himself bruised and battered repeatedly, but was ready for anything. According to producer Grant Curtis, “It wasn’t intentional, but it seemed sometimes like if any actor was required to get beat up in any way, Thomas was always drawing that short straw.”

Two members of the production team that played key roles in ensuring that these action sequences were both as safe and as spectacular as possible were special effects supervisor John R. Frazier (who previously served in the same capacity on the first two Spider-Man films) and second unit director Dan Bradley (a veteran of Spider-Man 2). “Working with Sam is like going back to school,” said Frazier. “You have that moment where you say, ‘Oh, this is going to be really, really hard, but a lot of fun.’ It’s not unusual for me to be on a movie like Spider-Man 3 for nine months, from the beginning planning stages through production.”

One scene that highlights their work is the Subway Drain portion of an elaborate fight sequence between Spider-Man and Sandman. Raimi worked closely with Frazier, Bradley and visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk on the sequence, in which Sandman is blasted by the force of a burst water pipe and, quite literally, goes down the drain. Sam wanted Sandman to melt away, in essence, during this sequence.

“This is the largest water gag for one shot I’ve ever done for a film,” recalled Frazier, who had previously supervised the special effects for Poseidon. “We used 50,000 gallons of water, shooting out of a pipe which blasted the rear of the set fifty feet away. When you see this sequence, the water appears to be a six-foot-thick column of water; however, we made the center of the pipe hollow, and used a restrictor plate to control the size of the column of water. The water is recirculated using pumps, which are able to pump 3,000 gallons a minute. We can fill both tanks in about five minutes, so that we are ready for another take.”

The sequence was covered using eight cameras, according to Stokdyk. “This sequence is where Spider-Man discovers Sandman’s weakness – water. We had to put a CG Sandman in here because the velocity of the water is too great to have Thomas Haden Church or a stuntman perform portions of the sequence. Water is a huge challenge for visual effects, especially on a large scale, so our goal here was to seamlessly integrate the elements for the sequence between practical and CG.”

Bradley and Frazier’s work is also on display in an action sequence during a bank heist, in which a security guard (played by none other than producer Grant Curtis) falls victim to Sandman’s wreath. “As a producer, Grant is uniquely qualified for guarding money,” laughed Bradley, “so Sam typecast him and invited him to spend a lot of time on set being buried underneath tons of sand as one of the armored car guards.”

Apprehensive as he might have been about performing the stunt, Curtis says that it would have been pointless to argue. “I’ve worked with Sam for ten years, so I know that once a decision’s been made, he’s going to get his way,” he said.

The sequence begins spectacularly, when Sandman smashes into the top of the armored call with his fist – which, in reality, Frazier’s team made of polyurethane foam. It was eight feet tall, six feet wide, and weighed over 500 pounds. Then, debris – sand – came flying at Curtis. “On the first take, I anticipated the crash and reacted too early,” he remembered. After an adjustment, he nailed the second take.

At the end of the sequence, the guard is buried in sand. To film the scene, the armored car was lifted and tilted at a 50-degree angle so that the sand could be dumped in and fill the car but with a fraction of the pressure on Curtis. The producer soon found himself beneath 4,000 pounds of ground corncob – the filmmakers’ ingenious substitute for sand.

The idea of using ground corncob as a double for sand did not come immediately to the filmmakers. The first man charged with investigating what kind of sand would make Sandman or solving any number of other costuming challenges, Acheson’s motto was: when in doubt, go back to the original text. “We derive our inspiration, as always, from the comic,” he said. “Sandman is one of those remarkable characters who can change shape, dissolve, disappear, grow, or become mud or concrete. We designed various stages and different scales of Sandman’s evolution, working with wonderful sculptors to create maquettes, small statues of Sandman in his various appearances.”

As much as Sandman required each of the departments to step up their game, so, too, did Venom – Spider-Man’s equal and opposite. Acheson and his team created various stages of Venom’s look, working with Raimi to create a tension in the sculpting of the suit. “It was important to Sam and to James that we keep the suit really sharp and aggressive, as with the tendrils that crawl across Venom’s face at points,” said head specialty costumer Shownee Smith, whose company Frontline Design worked under Acheson’s direction to manufacture the specialty costumes for the film.

For scenes where Brock transitions into Venom, Grace spent an hour being placed into the suit, which added between 120 and 140 pounds to his weight. The actor then spent an additional four and a half hours in makeup for the addition of appliances, including special sets of teeth worn by Grace to give the character the illusion of a larger, more menacing mouth. The filmmakers also attached monofilament to the skin on Grace’s face so that they could pull and distort the character as he makes his transformation.

“At one point while shooting the transition scenes, I thought, ‘What have I signed up for?!’” Grace laughed. “I had black goo poured all over me, wires attached to my face that people with fishing poles were pulling up, and other people below me were pulling down… When you see my character in pain, well, there wasn’t a whole lot of acting required.”

Also interacting with each of the departments was production designer J. Michael Riva, the member of the team responsible for bringing Raimi’s stylish vision to life. Riva was especially proud of his work in cresting the construction site that serves as the arena for the film’s final battle. “Making a construction site doesn’t sound very difficult, but if you have only eight weeks to design and build, it’s practically impossible,” he said. “We used over 20 tons of steel, 100 welders, and 200 carpenters working around the clock, seven days a week to get it done! But we all did it.”

The set took six weeks to complete, using tons of steel from a cancelled building project. A construction elevator, complete with operator, transported cast and crew to the various levels of the elaborate set. For the extensive lighting and electrical needs required for the sequence, a labyrinth of connections was designed and installed 80 feet above the stage floor, using over four miles of electrical cable. By the time the set was ready for shooting, Stage 27 was outfitted with approximately 21,000 amps, enough power to service over 200 homes.

“The great thing about a construction site is that it’s a very dangerous place. First, besides the implied height of the set, you have a lot of steel and rebar lying around at such a site. You can always rely on Sam to see opportunities and come up with an effective way to use these set elements to enhance the danger in a scene,” said Riva. “Second, it was an open structure, pretending to be 50 stories high, open on all sides. It offered Sam a jungle gym of possibilities to web up and down, to do a chase all over the face of the steel structure. The higher they go fighting their way up the building, the more the danger and tensions increase. It’s a long way to fall if you’re not Spider-Man!”

For visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk – the man charged with bringing the visual effects to the screen – those words were the beginning of a two-year process to develop the technology that would make Spider-Man 3 the most visually stunning film in the series so far. “When we began the pre-production process, the computer programs had not yet been developed which could achieve the look of Sandman and his capabilities that Sam wanted to see,” recalled producer Grant Curtis. “However, Scott Stokdyk and his team created new technology to manipulate every piece of sand on our character. The existing technology allowed management of thousands of particles at once – but to animate Sandman the way Sam wanted to, we would have to be able to render billions of particles. In the end, the new software they wrote required ten man-years to code.”

Stokdyk says that he and his team prepared for the challenge by first observing how sand moves in the real world. “One of the first things we did was to organize a sand shoot with Sam and Bill Pope, the difrector ofg photographer,” Stokdyk continued. “We shot footage of sand every way we would need it – thrown up, thrown against blue screen, over black screen. John Frazier, the special effects supervisor, shot it out of an aero can at a stuntman. Anything we could imagine sand doing in the film, we shot.”

“There’s a character the, emoting, but it’s just a pile of sand,” said Stotdyk. “If we’ve pulled together enough grains of sand to make feel something, then we’ve pulled it off.”

In the end, the artists were all extremely proud of their creation. “Sony Pictures Imageworks delivered on Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, but for Spider-Man 3 it changed the industry standard,” said Curtis.

Sandman, of course, was not the only character that posed a considerable challenge for Spencer Cook; animating the black-suited Spider-Man required subtle changed to reflect the character’s more aggressive personality, “He’ll move a little quicker here and there, hunch his shoulders a little more, put his elbows up a little higher when he’s stuck to a wall. We tried to find poses that the classic Spider-Man would not do – where the red-suited Spider-Man was graceful and elegant in his motions, black-suited Spider-Man is more blunt, rough, and reckless.”

In creating Venom, Stokdyk notes that the character has at least three different stages. First, of course, is the initial transformation, in which Topher Grace’s skin is pulled away from his body and tendrils of goo cross his face until they completely envelop him. “As he gets angrier, he turns into more of a monster, more of a beast,” Stokdyk noted. First, he becomes a kind of double for Spider-Man, played by Grace. By the very end of the film, he becomes an entirely CG character – the classic Venom from the comic books, with a menacing, unhinged jaw and a full mouth of very sharp teeth. “Everything is alive on ‘comic-book Venom,’” Stokdyk continued. “The challenge was to make a character that was monsterous, very detailed, very kinetic – but not delicate. Despite all the detail, he’s still menacing.

Stokdyk was also determined to break new ground in terms of live-action integration with the visual effects. The supervisor was on hand during production so that he could be ready to take the ball as soon as the scenes were filmed. “It was important to Sam and me to incorporate as much live-action into the CG as possible,” he said. “The typical reason a shot is animated is because a person can’t do all of it. We wanted to find a way to have an actor or stunt person do part of the action, and synthesize the rest. The goal was to find a balance between keeping the shot real and making it exciting and cinematic.”

One dramatic example of this idea comes early in the film, as Peter Parker finds himself ambushed by the New Goblin – his friend, Harry Osborn. “It was Sam’s idea to show Peter fighting as Peter not as Spider-Man,” said producer Avi Arad. “It’s a terrific amount, because it brings home what a personal battle this is for Peter when you can see his face.”

Tobey Maguire and James Franco completed much of the aerial stunt sequence themselves, doing wire work suspended high above the stage floor. “Tobey is really handy with stunt situations, and he picks it up really quickly,” said stunt coordinator Scott Rogers. “James is also terrific – he’s got a great attitude. Both actors are used to the type of physicality required for their roles, and they excelled.”

For Stokdyk, achieving such great heights would not have been possible without the contribution from his team at Sony Pictures Imageworks, assembling, in the end, between 200 and 250 people to complete more than 900 effects shots. “You live and die by your team,” said Stokdyk. “They were always ready to respond, always on their toes. That’s bit of the process of working with Sam, you have to be flexible and ready to deliver.”

“When developing this third installment, we asked ourselves, ‘What does this young man still have to learn?’” said director Sam Raimi. “We placed him in situations where he’d be forced to confront his absences of character – obstacles that, in previous stories, he might not have been able to surmount. In this way, he would either be defeated or grow into the heroic person who might be capable of overcoming these obstacles. As the depth of our characters grow, they become richer human beings and can achieve more than in the previous films.”

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jjoutermaybanks · 4 years

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With You In My Head || Rafe Cameron x Reader

part one part two part three part four part five part six part seven part eight

summary: it’s going to be a long summer. living in the Outer Banks with your trailer park mom and fancy mansion dad, you know it’s going to be a tough three months. things only get harder when your best friend’s brother, the notorious Rafe Cameron, begins to complicate your life even more. but will the island’s biggest wildcard successfully steal your heart, or leave you more broken than before?

word count: 3k

warnings: violence

*not my gif, credit to owner*

PART TWO

You had no idea where you were going. You only vaguely knew the area, and even if you did have a sense of location you still would have struggled to think straight over the sound of your slamming heartbeat. Your feet carried you to the one place you knew you needed to go: far away. Soon you were jogging, trying to put as much distance between you and the horror scene you’d left behind. Ward’s cold little chuckle echoed in your ears as you ran, streaking through the warm air. Eventually you landed at the beach, and already the sound of crashing waves began to calm you.

Inhaling deeply, you took a minute to catch your breath. You were pissed at yourself for even thinking for a second that your visit with your father could be normal. Just being in the same room as him made your skin crawl, not to mention his creepy house guest Ward. It was a doomed situation from the start, but you’d foolishly believed that maybe it would be different this time.

The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, and the world was blanketed in a pale orange glow. No one else was around, a fact you were grateful for. You needed time to recover from whatever the hell that was.

Unfortunately, you weren’t alone for long. As you kicked off your shoes and walked along the sand, a figure appeared over the small hill beyond the dunes. You paused, watching as whoever it was approached. Groaning inwardly, you braced yourself and slapped on a smile, determined to be polite no matter how exhausting it would be.

But then you could actually make out who it was, and your phony small fell immediately. You recognized those board shorts and that pastel pink shirt. It was Rafe Cameron, in all of his country club glory.

His smirk was wide when he finally reached you, hands casually in his pocket as his eyes scanned you up and down. Brows raised, he asked, “Have you seen a ghost, or something?”

“No,” you rebutted. “Just my father.” Biting your lip, you winced. Why would you tell him? you screamed at yourself, wanting nothing more than to dive into the water and disappear. You did not need to be sharing your personal life problems with Rafe Cameron.

He looked a little surprised at your admittance himself. “Really? What was that like?”

Frowning, you looked away from his piercing blue eyes. His gaze made your skin crawl. “What do you care?” Normally you wouldn’t be so hostile for no reason, but a mix of Sarah’s influence and your current nerves had your patience worn thin. Besides, you were sure Rafe could use a little rudeness to teach him some humility.

Rafe chuckled, shrugging in response. “I don’t know, you just look a little upset.” He didn’t sound particularly mocking, which was mildly surprising.

Sighing, you turned to walk towards the shore. “He tends to have that effect,” you grumbled, not expecting Rafe to be able to hear. But he’d actually followed you as you walked, shocking you yet again. You paused a few meters from where the tide hit, and settled down into the sand. It was warm from the sun’s heat, and felt like a soft blanket underneath your skin. Out of the corner of your eye, Rafe sat down beside you, linking his hands around his knees and gazing out at the calm waters.

It was incredibly strange to be so close to someone you thought you disliked. Sarah had told you so many stories about her brother that you thought you knew him pretty well, but whoever this was didn’t exactly fit into that version.

The silence wasn’t helping your anxiety, so you asked, “What are you doing out here anyway?” You knew the Cameron’s lived fairly close to your father, but you’d figured Rafe would be with his friends or at some party instead of wandering the beach alone.

“Thought I’d get a stroll in before I headed over to Kelce’s,” he told you. “I need to clear my head sometimes too.” Normally you would’ve rolled your eyes at the thought of Rafe having actual problems, but then you remembered who his father was. Ward wasn’t much better than your own father, and you had a feeling Sarah didn’t let on to how hard it was living with him.

You nodded, squinting at the sun rays bouncing off the water. “I can’t seem to clear my head at all these days,” you confessed, deciding to just let go of your inhibitions and speak freely. It was just Rafe; what’s the worst that could happen from talking to him?

“So you and your dad aren’t good?” he guessed, giving you a sympathetic smile. You felt your guard fly up instinctively at this question, wary of divulging secrets to a guy you barely knew.

Rafe caught on to your hesitation, and rolled his eyes. “Come on, Y/N. It’s not a big deal, I was just asking.”

A frown still pulled at your lips, and you replied, “Why would I talk about this with you? We don’t know each other.” You also didn’t know he’d go blabbing to, surely spreading your secrets across the whole island.

“That’s exactly why you should tell me,” he countered with a smirk. “It’s so much easier talking to someone you don’t know, because then there’s no bias or baggage. Consider me your therapist.” He shifted position to face you better.

Brows knitting in disbelief, you couldn’t help but laugh. “A therapist? You’re Sarah’s brother, Rafe, not a complete stranger. I’m sure there’s a little bias here.” Even so, it was a tempting offer. Opening up to an idealist like Sarah was hard, and Rafe was sort of a stranger.

“I swear, absolutely no bias here.” He put his hands up for effect. “I’m also extremely bored, and focusing on someone else’s problems for a while might clear my head.” His smile was hard to say no to, especially in such a serene atmosphere as the beach at sunset. It was too perfect a moment to pass up, so you sighed and gave in.

“Fine, what do you want to know?”

Rafe rubbed his hands together, pretending to contemplate this. “Well, I think we were talking about your dad.” It stunned you a little how forward he was, wasting no time before diving into the tough subjects.

You picked at a small pebble in the sand, an image of your father’s face flashing in your mind. “He isn’t even really my dad at this point. To me, he’s just the guy that ruined my mom’s life and left us in the dust.” This was the first time you said the words aloud, and hearing them actually felt sort of freeing.

His smile fading, Rafe looked out at the distant shore. “Sarah mentioned your parents are divorced.” You raised your eyebrows at him, puzzled. When did he talk to Sarah about you? Rafe sensed your confusion and added, “You’re her best friend; you’re bound to come up in conversation at least once.”

You wondered what Sarah had said exactly, and how much she’d revealed. Truthfully, even Sarah didn’t know the full story since you liked to keep it to yourself. “Sometimes I feel like I’m living two lives, like I’m two separate people. There’s the me that lives with my mom, hangs out with Sarah, enjoys the summer. Then there’s the me that my dad expects to see, a perfect loving daughter to fill up his giant mansion and boost his ego.” Your voice got steadily more bitter as you spoke, and you dug your hands into the sand.

“I feel like that with Ward sometimes,” Rafe admitted. “As long as I don’t screw up his country club membership he tolerates me.” His confession was unexpected, since you thought you were the only one who’d let your guard down.

Biting your lip, you said softly, “You call your dad ‘Ward?’” It was so detached and impersonal, not at all a loving father-son dynamic. Rafe just chuckled darkly at your comment, confirming your suspicions that their relationship was more than a little rocky.

“Either that or ‘sir’. The Cameron’s aren’t a warm and fuzzy bunch, I’ll tell you that.” He tried to say it jokingly, but there was an underlying sadness to his words. You knew Sarah loved her father, despite his many oddities. But you also sensed she was a little brainwashed by him, and John B. had spent most of their relationship trying to help her gain some independence. Clearly Rafe was not under Ward’s spell, as he spoke about his father in a cold, unfeeling tone.

He glanced over at you, eyes thoughtful. “How does your mom feel about all of it?”

The mention of your mother twisted your heart painfully. You realized how disappointed she’d be when you told her how horribly tonight had gone. “She’s...really good at faking it,” you finally stated, thinking of her forced smiles and half-hearted enthusiasm. “But you should see the dump she lives in. I mean, I don’t know how she isn’t furious at my father for what he did.” Referring to your home as a “dump” was a little much, but it wasn’t exactly false. Your mother deserved a house, not a trailer.

Rafe considered this. “And you live with her? Over in The Cut?” You nodded shyly; this meant admitting you lived in a dump, too, and Rafe didn’t usually interact with anyone other than stuffy Kooks. But he didn’t appear to be judging you, instead just soaked in the information you gave him with a slight frown.

During this brief pause you took the opportunity to study Rafe. His posture was relaxed, his usually gelled hair slightly messy and blowing in the gentle breeze. His blue eyes reflected the paling evening light, and you noticed the way his lashes fluttered when he blinked.

Your scrutiny didn’t go unnoticed, and when he turned to look back you quickly diverted your gaze. Rafe’s smile was lopsided, and for a second it actually felt like you were just talking to a friend.

A friend. Could Rafe ever be your friend? He was much better than you’d previously thought, but there was still a lot you didn’t know about him. And despite his easy-going demeanor, you didn’t trust him fully. Talking to him helped lift some weight off your shoulders, but you hadn’t let him in all the way yet. Maybe if you talked like this more you’d steadily begin to trust him.

While you were busy in your head, you hadn’t realized Rafe was also studying your face. Blushing, you pushed a lock of hair behind your ear and cleared your throat. “Shouldn’t you be going to Kelce’s soon? Don’t want to keep him waiting.”

Rafe waved you off. “Nah, he can wait, especially if you have more to talk about. I don’t know about you but I’m having loads of fun discussing our issues.” You laughed, actually a little guilty that you’d suggested he leave. Even so, you knew this had to end soon, so you got your feet and brushed the sand off your legs.

“I’m all out of issues for the night, but if any more come up I’ll let you know,” you informed him, and his eyes glinted with amusement.

“Yeah, I’d love to do this again.” His voice was earnest now, despite being humorous just a second ago. You smiled at him, unsure how to respond. Rafe was becoming more confusing than ever, and you knew you’d need a while to mull this all over.

You both walked back up to the main path, and before leaving you said, “I’ll see you later.”

Rafe nodded, hands in his pockets as he walked backwards in order to continue facing you. “I hope you do.” With that, he finally turned and you were cut off from his mesmerizing blue eyes.

Needless to say, the walk home was spent scrutinizing your conversation with Rafe. It had been incredibly freeing as well as confusing, a mixture of pleasant surprise and nervous apprehension. It almost felt like a dream, especially with the soft orange tint all of your memories had. When you thought of Rafe, you could only see him as he just was, bathed in sunset light and surrounded by the peaceful ocean. You liked imagining him this way, and the image didn’t leave your head for most of the walk home.

Only when you passed by JJ’s did the picture in your mind dissolve. By now it was nearly dark, but you could still make out the blonde frantically rushing out of his house. He looked determined to get wherever he was going as fast as possible, and when he neared you caught the intensity on his face.

“JJ?” you said tentatively. He looked shocked to see you, brows pulling low over his eyes.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?”

“Walking home--”

“Have you heard from Sarah?” he interrupted, making you frown. You hadn’t heard from Sarah since earlier in the day. Shaking your head, JJ sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s John B. Apparently Topper felt the need to assert his dominance, and he brought his cronies over to the Chateau to harass him and Sarah.”

At the mention of Topper’s “cronies”, you quickly said, “Can I come?” Topper was one of Rafe’s best friends, so you guessed it was Kelce and Rafe who were helping him fight John B. This frustrated you, and reminded you of the Rafe that Sarah talked about. Topper was pathetic, and anyone who helped him was delusional. Rafe didn’t seem that delusional on the beach, you reasoned, but angrily pushed the thought away. You had no reason to defend Rafe, not after one measly conversation.

JJ looked surprised at your request. “I mean, yeah. Might get ugly, though.” He grinned at this, and you shuddered. JJ liked himself a good brawl, and you knew a simple argument could escalate into physical blows within seconds.

Getting to the Chateau took only a few minutes, but by the time you arrived you could already hear shouting. A few voices were arguing, and one you recognized as Kiara.

“Seriously guys, this is so juvenile,” she complained as you and JJ burst into the yard. Kiara was standing with her arms folded beside a furious Sarah. Pope was shoulder to shoulder with John B., squaring up in front of Topper. Rafe and Kelce flanked him from behind, so far outnumbering the Pogues three to two. But then JJ joined the guys and the fight was even.

When you entered the yard, Rafe tore his eyes away from the Pogues and stared at you incredulously. He looked startled to see you here, and his jaw clenched tightly before turning his glare back onto John B.

“Go home, Topper,” Sarah cried out, sounding exasperated. You joined her and Kiara, staying far enough out of the boys’ way to avoid any punches that might be thrown.

“This isn’t about you, Sarah,” Topper snapped. “Not everything is about you.” Sarah scoffed at this, and you saw a flicker of amusement cross Rafe’s face. You scowled at this; shouldn’t Rafe defend his sister over her ex-boyfriend? Why wasn’t he on her side?

Sarah snorted, placing her hands on her hips. “You are such a child. Get over it already.” John B. glanced back at his girlfriend, trying to hide his smile. You could sense the love between them just from a glance.

Topper pouted, and actually did sort of look like a little kid. He was fuming like a toddler throwing a tantrum. “Sarah, will you shut the fuck up for a second?”

John B. immediately reacted to this, going chest to chest with Topper. “Hey, don’t talk to her like that.” Topper glared down at him, shoving him back roughly. John B. stumbled slightly, and JJ took a threatening step forward.

“Oh hell no, you do not get to shove us, prissy boy,” he hissed, sizing up Rafe as John B. approached Topper. Even Pope and Kelce were on the verge of fighting now, and the tension in the late night air was palpable.

Topper’s smirk was oily as he said, “You know John B., you gotta learn how to keep that mouth of her’s shut. And I know the perfect way to shut up a slut like Sarah.”

That was it. In an explosion of grunts and swear words, the two groups descended on one another in a flurry of fists. John B. and Topper pummeled into one another, ripping at shirts and tearing at faces. Pope swung at Kelce, landing on his jaw but suffering a hit to his chest. Topper attempted to headlock John B., but the latter twisted out of his grip and hooked his right fist into Topper’s cheek. Bones cracked and split through the quiet night air, making you jump back.

Kiara looked like she was holding herself back from joining, desperately watching Pope and Kelce duke it out. Sarah held her breath, but John B. appeared to be winning against Topper. Pope landed hit after hit on Kelce, using his speed to his advantage and leaving the other boy confused and angry.

But JJ wasn’t as successful. Rafe was almost animalistic in the way he attacked the blonde boy, landing punches with such force you almost felt them yourself. JJ was no weakling, and you’d seen him beat guys twice his size in fights before. But now he was struggling, blood bubbling up in his mouth as Rafe pummeled his stomach.

“Oh my god,” you breathed, barely believing your eyes. Blood was flying out, staining Rafe’s shirt and dripping down JJ’s chin. One of his eyes had turned black, and he looked unsteady on his feet.

Rafe’s fists were relentless, and for a minute you thought he was going to kill JJ. The Pogue was a rag-doll in Rafe’s hands, suffering blow after blow. You remembered how kind he had been on the beach, how understanding he was. You pictured his easy smile, his bright blue eyes. Those blue eyes you’d admired earlier were now black with a deadly intensity, and fear like you’d never experienced struck your heart.

And then Topper was on the ground, scrambling to get away from John B. Kelce had shied away from Pope, helping Topper up and breathing hard. Realizing his friends had lost, Rafe stopped his fist in midair, looking behind him with wild eyes.

John B. spit on the ground in front of him, lifting his chin in victory. “Get out of here, before I actually get mad.” His eyes were steely as Topper stumbled back, using Rafe and Kelce to support him. Rafe was the only one of the three not out of breath or visibly injured, his face oddly blank for what had just happened.

And then his eyes connected with yours, only for an instant. He must have seen the pure terror on your face, because his expression slackened and something like guilt flashed in his eyes. Lips parting, you almost wanted to beg him to explain himself, to tell you what the hell had happened between your talk at the beach and the fight just now. It frightened you that someone could change on a dime like that, especially someone you were trying to trust.

Whatever guilt he felt wasn’t strong enough to make him stop. Instead, Rafe just looked away from you and focused on Topper, and soon enough the three boys had disappeared from view.

But even though he was no longer in front of you, you knew you’d never forget the way he looked tonight: terrifying.

~ ~ ~

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jisssooyah · 4 years

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Hi you... if you were going to curate a little season of films for me, which ones would you choose and why? They don't need to be horror, I'm just curious what you would choose 🌸

I don’t know if you’ll like these movies, or if you’ve already watched them, but after i watched these films, i felt like they might need to belong to you now. i hope they make you smile, roll your eyes, and cry just as much as i did.

1. city of god (2002): this is one of the most immersive and gorgeously shot films i’ve ever seen. it’s set in rio de janeiro during the 60s and spans decades exploring the drug culture in the slums and how this can affect kids just as they are trying to figure their own selves out. the way this film is shot, feels like you were at the sea with them as the sand crunched underneath your feet. but the way that the director captures these individuals, makes you so fucking relieved that you don’t live through any of the circumstances that they go through.

2. the dreamers (2004): set in 1968, this film follows three students in Paris who come of age and explore one another and their limits during the revolution. while these students prop themselves up as individuals obsessed with sex, running underneath themselves is a current of jealousy, obsession, and blurred familial relationships that made me increasingly uncomfortable. you find yourself feeling bad for the children, and ultimately upset at their upbringing because of their parents.

3. if beale street could talk (2018): this movie is based off of james baldwin’s titular 1974 novel. in it, the director expertly and vigorously explores love: a love that feels so real that it hurts. the cast is what sold this film to me. the way they talk, laugh, cry, and smile at one another is achingly beautiful and terrifyingly sad. i wanted to transport myself back to their time period and watch the main characters fall in love because the film didn’t seem like enough.

4. the neon demon (2016): this film follows an emerging model who sacrifices herself to the demands of the industry in order to be attractive and beautiful. there are so many stunning colors in this film that it makes you dizzy, like you’re in a trance and that’s what this world is for the main character: a trance. as she oscillates between reality and fantasy, her world and the characters in it, increasingly seek out to alter her personality.

5. death becomes her (1992): a deliberately ultra-campy parody of trashy, pandering "women's pictures," soap operas and paperbacks from the '80s and '90s. The three leads all do some of their best work - it's hilarious watching Meryl Streep play a terrible actress, Goldie Hawn is particularly hilarious during her character's cat lady phase, and all around just a really fun and eccentric film.

6. princess cyd (2017): i can’t think of anything to write for this but i just wanna say that this is literally one of the most pleasant movie experiences i’ve ever had. so much light and genuine interaction in warm sun rays radiating positive energy and an openness that is far too uncommon in movies nowadays. people talk, people connect, people grow bonds and are allowed to be sexual or intimate or personal without an air of shame or judgement. just pure kind and curious human association.

7. spiderman: into the spiderverse (2018): the message of Spider-Verse is not "gentrify yourself! stop expressing your personality and just conform to what society wants you to be!" After all, what makes you different makes you Spider-Man, and Miles' final expression of himself as a superhero still retains much of his personality and individuality...they're just being used in more productive and fulfilling ways. It's the little things that drive the point home, like noticing that the title page for Miles' finished Great Expectations essay has been stylistically doodled and colored like street art. Rather than seeing his artistic gifts as an opposition to his schoolwork, Miles infuses them together to make the best of the hand he's been dealt.

8. my life as a zucchini (2016): initially heartbreaking and sad, but slowly becoming more joyful and heartwarming as the plot moves along. The film really feels like it captures the essence and child like wonder of these kids, all of them going through hardships but managing to find something to help each other out. It’s so refreshing to see the actual orphanage portrayed in a more positive light, not the usual horrid dump that a lot of lesser movies play them out as. The animation is stunning. One of the best uses of stop motion I’ve seen, everything is so colourful and detailed. There’s some moments set in snowy mountains and these look incredible. There’s clearly been so much love and care put into each and every scene here. The music too, sounds spectacular, it really works well with each scene.

9. lovesong (2016): Mindy and Sarah have that type of relationship where they don't need words because they speak in a language made out of glances and touches. This movie is about the fear of ruining a meaningful friendship and losing an important person, about love that is so complicated that one might not even try because the outcome seems to be so obvious.

10. her (2013): Heartbreak is formative: it changes you heart side out, and leaves your muscles a little stronger, your skin a little thicker, your bones easier to repair. Before this film, I’d never seen anything constructive in having your insides pulled apart by the seams by another person, but this film taught me how. Being in love and then being forced out of it is an experience that changes you fundamentally, but Her taught me its purpose – you don’t need them to leave you so that you can find someone who’s a better fit, because perhaps you never will. You need it to participate in humanity. The common denominator is being hurt, and without it, you’re barely alive.

11. shoplifters (2018): bittersweet and richly transportive, Shoplifters is a film that nonchalantly eases you into its tragic beauty in a way that doesn't punch you hard until the end. It simultaneously made me want to be part of the film's world and also very glad that I'm not. The setting the characters live in is messy and cluttered and full of dysfunction and lies, but it's also got family, and laughter, and fist-bumps, and slurping warm noodles while rain pings on the tin rooftop. So nuanced, so many tiny moments of delicate beauty and unassuming heartbreak, so many people making terrible decisions with good intentions.

12. god’s own country (2017): though it is a love story between two men, this aspect is only addressed briefly in a single scene. Rather, the film is about finding someone who makes you want to be a better person, someone who comes into your life just when you needed it most. Gheorghe helps Johnny open up and realize the beauty of the simple life. From this relationship, Johnny begins to feel comfortable with expressing himself, and his love and gratitude towards others. He also begins to appreciate life in the country, surrounded by stunning landscapes and the beauty of simplicity. Addressing the Yorkshire countryside, Gheorghe says "It is beautiful, but lonely." Johnny is presented with the notion that he doesn't have to be cold and miserable, slaving and drinking his days away. He is presented with the possibility of no longer being alone and finally finding happiness and contentment - and it is more than gratifying to see him accept it.

13. disobedience (2017): a tender star-crossed daydream. the three main character dynamics are special enough on their own, but the romance that blooms at the center is cathartically intimate and even magical: a reunion that feels so inevitable. catching glimpses of a past life, details we aren’t privy to. all the stolen kisses and whispers and promises. a bond so strong that they fall back in sync with each other like second nature, even if they try to fight against it. even if it won’t work. and yet they choose each other, even if for a few minutes.

14. raw (2016): this film is so gross and I like that. There is tons of blood and unique body horror and it all works perfectly for the tone the film is attempting to set. The use of color, specifically neons, creates a constant feeling that you are traveling through some sort of weird ghost world, which I really like. Overall, it's a very well put together film with flashes of brilliance.

15. the night is short, walk on girl (2017): what an absolutely magical adventure of a film. Essentially this is a heavily episodic look at a night in the lives of several people, centered on a woman and a man as she gleefully floats from event to event while he neurotically obsesses over how to "coincidentally" talk to her. The storytelling is incredible; while the overarching narrative is simple there are countless threads woven together to connect everyone in the story to each other. That in itself is a big theme: connections between people, how everything is interrelated, and what a large impact seemingly insignificant things people do can have an impact on everyone around them.

16. coraline (2009): Coraline is the best stop motion movie ever made in my opinion. Before the film released in 2009, I read the book and was completely blown away by its creativity and story. It’s a pretty dark tale featuring many scenes of fright that work well in both a horror setting and an animated kids setting. On surface value, this film is quite horrifying, which is something I’ve always loved about it. While it does make a few minor changes to the book, it improves upon a piece of art that was already jaw-droppingly good. Coraline feels like a real little girl with some real problems. She’s selfish but likable which is something most films cannot translate well. Of course, she has a pretty awesome arc as well which brings this movie to a perfect close for her character. The other-mother is also perfectly done. She is almost exactly how I imagined her in the book and the animation on her is spookily gorgeous. There is not one dull moment in this film. It is literally a perfect piece of cinema.

17. the third wife (2019): haven’t seen a film this visually delicate in a while. Ash Mayfair works with the looming mountain surroundings to make her characters —these women, these girls— as small as possible, as isolated as possible. Uneasiest of all is the protagonist May, so young and so weighed by responsibility, her position blurs between being one of the wives and being one of the daughters. It’s an extremely bleak tale of circumstance. An old tale, certainly, but so beautifully crafted it doesn’t matter. Mayfair holds a fearful tension throughout, and it only ever shatters in the cruelest of ways.The abundance of women and display of sisterhood begin as a comfort, but horror takes over as we realize how conditional and fragile that comfort is. Even the daughters are subconsciously aware, one of them praying to the gods to grow up and become a man, shearing her hair off in naive triumph. It’s a doomed cycle of girls performing roles which are unfortunately their best option, right up until the final scene of May with her daughter, still in their mourning clothes. She, like the older wives, finally realizes they’re the same as the cattle laying on their side for too many days.

#asks #shortcake-kaspbrak

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jimlingss · 6 years

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Hi, if you don’t mind me asking um I’m finally writing my first very own fanfic and I’m excited but when you introduce a character, are you quick and brief? Or do you go into lots of details?

HUhuhuhuhmmmmm…..well, the first fanfic is always exciting, I’ll start off by saying that. It’s your first milestone!! If you keep going and you find a liking for writing, then in the future you’ll turn back and be like ‘wow, I made it a long way’. As for introducing a character, lots of people like to do it in different ways. Keep in mind, there is never a right or wrong with writing and that’s why it’s so fantastic. You can do whatever the hell you want to.

For me personally, I kind of just merge my character into the story. When I begin a story, I want to make it feel like this world has already existed and I am only beginning in the middle of their lives. Usually when you begin writing, you’re not writing from the point where the character is born. If you’re doing a College!AU for example, then this character has been through a lot of shit already, they’ve lived like…18 years and they have friends and experiences and they’ve been through much schooling. I’ll use examples so it makes more sense:

“Taehyung!”

As his expression blanches and he tries to make a run for it, you’ve already caught up. The honey brown haired boy sulks, slumping his shoulders. “How did you find me?”

You ignore him, gleaming irises pinned on the tall man beside him. “Who is this?! You’re handsome!” Taehyung’s friend with the blonde locks widens his eyes at your bluntness. You bat your eyelashes back and forth, standing on the tips of your toes. “Can I have your number?”

“No.” Taehyung answers for his friend. “He’s not free.”

“You’re not single? Aww…” Your pout returns and your best friend shakes his head with his infamous boxy grin.

“Namjoon’s too busy to be dating. He’s a new engineering friend by the way, met him by the vending machines.” Tae turns to the boy beside him who’s watching the two of you bicker back and forth in amusement. “Namjoon, this is Y/N. She’s a high school friend-”

You interrupt, “best friend!”

“Ah, debatable.”

“Is not!” You stamp your feet. “Kim Taehyung that is not debatable!”

This is part of my fic ‘Love So Shallow’ and it’s the first time I introduce Taehyung. I don’t have any long descriptions about how they met, what Taehyung’s personality is like, what their character dynamic is. Instead, I choose to utilize dialogue. Always show, never tell - it’s the #1 writing tip. From the above small blurb, you learn that OC and Taehyung are both best friends. You learn that they have a playful relationship. They banter a lot and they’re close, high school friends. Later on in the story, they tell other people how they met.

When you’re introducing a character for the first time, there’s no need to go in-depth right away into explaining what the character’s backstory is, what their goals are, what their quirks and flaws are. That’s the good stuff you want to sprinkle throughout. Why would you want to dump all that good stuff all at once?

The way I introduce Taehyung is somewhat seamless and that’s due to the fact that Taehyung has been a part of OC’s life for a long time and they’re comfortable with each other. No need to have some kind of epic introduction where the wind blows through his hair and OC’s jaw drops. It makes it seem like OC sees Taehyung on a regular basis. It makes it seem like this world has begun long before the story has.

Here’s another example and instead of the characters already knowing each other, here’s where they’re meeting for the first time….

The moment you open the door, you’re met with a taller, blonde boy standing in front of you. He’s looking at you expectantly, suppressing a huge smile with lips upturned. Without a doubt, he’s cute; dashing to say the least and outwardly handsome, even a blind person would agree. But you were too tired to ogle him for long and you were already popping your head out the doorway, darting your eyes around. Where was the package?

“Hello.” The delivery man grins and you look back at him, wondering why he was wearing a fancy, black suit.

“Hi…” You grumble out with your sleepy voice. “Do you have something for me?”

“Have something for you…?” He tilts his head, a bit confused. “Oh! Should I have gotten you flowers?”

“What?”

“I’ll keep a mental note to get you flowers next time.” He beams at you. “What kind of flowers do you like?”

“Wait….” Your frown deepens and your temples begin pulsing. Hoseok giggles on the phone. “I’m going to have to call you back.” You mumble, quickly hanging up. The stranger blinks with a charming smile. “Who are you?”

“Oh!” He jumps. “I haven’t introduced myself at all, huh? I deeply apologize! My name is Kim Taehyung!”

I actually had a pretty hard time looking for this next example because I’ve written first-meetings in a lot of different ways. This is the first time Taehyung is introduced in ‘Rent-A-Boyfriend’. When I introduce him, I don’t introduce his backstory, his personality, his flaws, his abilities…it’s straight up from OC’s perspective and you can see how for the most part, she’s underwhelmed. At most, she thinks he’s handsome. Typically when I introduce a character, I just introduce their appearance…like their hair, eye colour, if they’re smiling or not, and what they’re wearing. Think about when you meet someone for the first time, you know nothing about them but they’re outer appearance so I do the same thing when I introduce a character.

I almost always describe appearance right away so that the reader can envision what the character actually looks like inside their minds. Makes it more immersive instead of the readers left wondering what the hell they look like.

It’s actually harder to introduce a character if they have no previous relationship with your main character because then it’s up to you to build that relationship.

Here’s a last example:

He glares down at you, travelling away from your patheticness. “Last one for today.” Lieutenant Min reads the name next to yours on the list. “Jeon Jungkook.”

A boy no more than your age steps up. He speaks no words, simply lifting the bag over his shoulder. It takes no effort for the male to walk the twenty meters. When you turn to him, frozen in your spot, he ignores your existence. Jeon Jungkook places the sand at the top of the stack of boxes you made. He jumps up the wall, fingers curled at the edges to lift himself up.

The gasps of others are faint to your ears.

The male who stands on the ledge, looks down at you. The rays of the beaming sun piercing your eyes. You can barely make out what you see. His irises are a dark hue of cinnamon, coal locks that sweep his forehead. Sweat drips down the side of his sculpted face. His lips are parted, soft inhales and exhales releasing between them as his chest heaves. The man with doe eyes gazes at you for less than half a second before he turns and carries the bag across the rope.

Then…he falls.

Almost too easily. As if on purpose.

No one seems to notice this as the new recruiters gives a sound of disappointment at his failure, others a sigh of relief that he didn’t manage. Jungkook groans on the ground and Lieutenant Min nods his head. “Alright. Off to your bunks. Tomorrow, we’re beginning hard training. Some of you especially need it.”

The Lieutenant disappears and Jungkook brushes past you. “Wai-” He ignores you completely.

Here’s a pretty different example. It’s part of ‘A Piece of the Moonlight’. It’s a much more impactful first introduction. There isn’t a lot revealed by dialogue. It’s description, but rather than describing Jungkook’s backstory or history, his personality or quirks, I describe his actions. I describe his appearance. I describe how OC feels about him. I kind of show how OC is impressed/in awe by Jungkook. Also, there’s some foreshadowing in there too.

It’s actually a pet-peeve of mine if a character is introduced with their entire backstory revealed. It just feels boring to me, like I’m being spoon-fed and it’s too much. An example:

When you open the door, Park Jimin is standing right there in front of you.

He has ebony locks that sweep along his forehead, rounded eyes that stare back into yours, pinks cheeks that look like they’ll burst any second now. He’s cute, especially with his oversized sweater hanging off of his frame, only for his jeans to be fitted around his legs, showing his hobby of going to the gym.

But the cuteness is only part of the outer appearance. You know he’s considerate, kind, but he is also no-nonsense and strict. Jimin is stubborn to a fault and worse of all, he has a bad-temper. It’s not like you ever get to witness the temper first-hand, but his fists are almost always bruised. It hurts to his face puffy and purple, for his skin to bloom in ugly shades of blue.

But that doesn’t stop the fact that he’s your best friend.

Park Jimin is your best friend ever since you were born. You’ve been through thick and thin, through all the highs and lows. You can remember when you were ten years old at the playground, crying because of some bullies, but he swooped in and saved the day. You can remember being sixteen and feeling conscious about your body, but he told you that you looked beautiful no matter what. You remember the sleepovers, sharing beds, giggles, laughter, every childhood memory, sad or happy.

Maybe it’s fate that you were supposed to be together. After all, his parents were friends with your parents. They were childhood friends, grew up together, went to the same college, even settled down in homes next to each other. Maybe you were always supposed to be with Jimin.

And maybe you were always meant to be in love with him.

Okay, so this blurb isn’t bad per-say, but eh. It could be better. I would do this kind of writing if it was a short story. If I wanted to make it longer, more immersive, I would’ve used dialogue by the second paragraph. And I would never do this much explaining. I mean…I just threw a lot of facts at the readers.

New character is Park Jimin.

Description of his appearance.

Description of his personality + his flaws.

Jimin gets into a lot of fights.

Main character is best friends with him.

They’re childhood friends and have been through a lot of shit together.

Main character’s parents are best-friends with Jimin’s parents.

They live beside each other.

Main character is in love with him.

Like…that’s a lot of shit. I could’ve used dialogue instead and established their relationship more naturally that way. All that’s actually fucking happened in this blurb is that OC opened the door. LOL I could’ve written a scene where both families had dinner together to establish parents are best friends. I could hint their past throughout the rest of the story. I could’ve shown his temper in a lot of creative ways, etc, etc.

There’s a lot of different ways to introduce a character and you can do it however you want. However it fits into your story. If the character is a main character or not. If the character isn’t important, I might write one or two paragraphs about their role and how they met the main character.

What I recommend is reading and finding out what you like as a reader and then do that. If you like it when you know some backstory, then write some backstory! If you don’t like it then don’t do it! Look at your story from the perspective of a reader - it helps a lot.

You can do whatever you want. Brief. Long. Descriptive. Detailed. Quick.

There is no wrong. There is no right.

To Summarize:

Show, don’t tell.

Use dialogue to your advantage.

Description is for appearance or action only.

No need to delve into backstory or character personality/flaws.

Do what feels right.

Ignore the rest of this and do what the fuck you want

For more shitty writing advice: click here. or https://jimlingss.tumblr.com/tagged/writing-advice

#this got REALLY out of hand #i'm sorry #I just was in a rambling mood #hope this helps #goddamn I didn't mean for this to be so long #I'm sorry #the short answer is do whatever you want #Jimlings #Anonymous #writing advice

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muffin-n-waffle · 6 years

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Channy Watches Anime Sometimes And You Should Too: Summer 2018 Edition

With the ending of spring, summer obviously comes in its wake, as well as the ever pressing need for it to just be fucking fall already! But aside from heat, bugs, and disappointing family vacations, summer also brings a whole new onslaught of anime. As usual, I have some specific as fuck tastes, and not all the time in the world to watch every single show airing this season, but I decide to compile a list of the ones that I plan on watching.

This list is a little different this time around since I’ve decided to give some different anime a chance, so this time I’ll be putting these shows in a list from what I’m most likely to finish all the way through to least likely. Here we go!

Banana Fish

Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of "Papa" Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands—and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance...

This anime is awesome so far! The animation is fluid, the writing is amazing, and the story sucks you in from episode one. I feel like this one is going to hurt a lot, but I’m so looking forward to following along each week with every new episode.

Hataraku Saibo

This is a story about you. A tale about the inside of your body... According to a new study, the human body consists of approximately 37 trillion cells. These cells are hard at work every day within a world that is your body. From the oxygen-carrying red blood cells to the bacteria-fighting white blood cells, get to know the unsung heroes and the drama that unfolds inside of you! It's the oddly relatable and interesting story that is the life of cells!

I present to you, Osmosis Jones: The Anime! Except, not really. This slice of life comedy follows the cells inside of a human body, and all of the triumphs and tribulations they have to go through with each passing day, whether that be fighting off germs, or even dealing with a small scrap. This one is pretty funny so far, and I definitely love the dynamic that’s been set up with one of the white and red blood cells.

Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro

This is a story of a nerdy bookworm girl on her way to school, and yes, that's the entire premise, as she's not getting to school any time soon. Taking her "usual" route to school, it becomes an increasingly unusual adventure, and all the more ridiculous as it carries on. It takes an unpleasant sentiment many can empathize with, the feeling of tardiness, and brings humor to it—making it a hilarious situation to look back upon.

This season is filled to the brim with bizarre comedies it seems, which suits my tastes just fine, since aside from romance, comedy is one of my favorite genres. There’s not much plot to speak of, but each episode follows the lead, Chio, as she makes her way to school everyday. The premise is simple, silly, and great for a laugh.

Asobi Asobase

Hanako, an athletically proficient, yet thick-headed student with a weird fashion sense, plays a game with the American transfer student Olivia. However, their vigor irritated their classmate Kasuki who dislikes playing games since she has always been teased by her sister for being bad at them. With a turn of events, it was found out that Hanako is terrible at English. Thus, she asked her foreign classmate Olivia to help her, but Olivia, who is only born and raised in Japan with foreign parents, can't actually speak English at all! Watch over these three girls' surreal school-life comedy.

Another bizarre comedy! This one also doesn’t have much plot to speak of, and follows these three girls through school and the different situations they find themselves in. The faces that are drawn on these girls at times are hysterical, and it’s also been just a great show to sit down and simply laugh with.

Hanebado!

Ayano Hanesaki, a first-year student at Kanagawa Prefectural Kitakomachi High School, has a badminton ability able to surpass others effortlessly yet avoids playing the sport. She meets Nagisa Aragaki, a third-year student who practices day and night aiming to become the best player in Japan. Encouraged by coach Tachibana Kentarou, supported by club colleagues, and fired up by various rivals, the two engage in their youth and adored sport so thrilling like a shuttle flown at high speed!

I don’t delve much into the world of ‘sports anime’, but after I saw the animation on this one, I just had to give it a chance. This one can be a bit melodramatic at times, and I’m sure it’s just some dumb misunderstanding that’s causing all of this drama in the first place, but so far i’m enjoying watching some really well animated badminton.

Harukana Receive

The story takes place in Okinawa, where Haruka forms a beach volleyball pair with Kanata. Kanata, who couldn't handle the pressure put on her by her short height, had given up on beach volleyball already but is convinced by Haruka to step back on the sand once again and aim for the junior tournament.

My second shot at a sports anime! This one is all about cute girls and beach volleyball, though of course it isn’t without it’s melodrama as well, though this one seems to be handled a little better at least. The animation is cute, and it really has a fun, summer feel to it.

Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger

The series takes place in the Imperial Capital of 1930. A group of people known as "Jaegers" landed on Tokyo Station. They carry musical instrument cases and came to hunt vampires. A man named Yuliy stood among them with a striking serenity and unusual aura. Known as a werewolf who had his home village destroyed by vampires, he and the Jaegers engage in battle against the mysterious holy arc known as the "The Arc of Sirius". What truth awaits them?

This one is pretty good so far. It’s action packed, and has awesome animation, as well as a decent plot it seems. It’s so far down on the list because I’m only two episodes in, and my fear is that the story is going to end up disappointing me, or become boring.

Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki

The scary great king comes from the other side of the sea… The big incident ‘Genkou‘ that shook medieval Japan is being drawn in an original way in this historical anime, along with the beginning of the Samurai…!

A samurai historical about the Mongol invasion of Japan. Lots of action, and decently animated so far, but might not continue with it if it starts to really bore me. I’m also secretly hoping for some romance between the two characters featured on the poster.....

Grand Blue

Among the seaside town of Izu's ocean waves and rays of shining sun, Iori Kitahara is just beginning his freshman year at Izu University. As he moves into his uncle's scuba diving shop, Grand Blue, he eagerly anticipates his dream college life, filled with beautiful girls and good friends.

But things don't exactly go according to plan. Upon entering the shop, he encounters a group of rowdy, naked upperclassmen, who immediately coerce him into participating in their alcoholic activities. Though unwilling at first, Iori quickly gives in and becomes the heart and soul of the party. Unfortunately, this earns him the scorn of his cousin, Chisa Kotegawa, who walks in at precisely the wrong time. Undeterred, Iori still vows to realize his ideal college life, but will things go according to plan this time, or will his situation take yet another dive?

Yet another comedy! I think this one is aimed at a younger generation of boys though, but so far facial animations are funny, and it’s been good for a laugh with one immature gag after the other. I may not stick with it, but I’ll give a few more episodes just to see if it’s worth my time.

Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes

Based on mystery novels written by Mochizuki Mai.There is an antique shop in Kyoto's Teramachi Sanjou shopping district. High school girl Mashiro Aoi unexpectedly runs into Yagashira Kiyotaka, the son of the shop's owner, and ends up working part-time at the shop. Kiyotaka is called the "Holmes at Teramachi Sanjou," and he and Aoi solve odd cases brought to them by various clients.

This one probably should have been a little higher on the list, but considering I forgot about it until just now, maybe it doesn’t.... I decided to check this one out purely based on my love for Sherlock Holmes. The animation in this one is just okay, and the cases, while only two episodes in so far, are so predictable that it’s almost laughable. I’ll probably stick with this one since it’s easy enough to get through, and while it’s more of a slice of life, I am sort of hoping for a romance between Aoi and Holmes.

Aguu: Tensai Ningyou

The series is about a missing genius whose mysterious disappearance becomes a shady secret among the successful members of society.

Last one on the list, and only one episode for this one so far. It has some pretty odd animation, so much so that it nearly through me off. I suppose it speaks well of the story that I stuck around despite that. I know the plot synopsis above is pretty short, but it’s hard to explain what this wild show is about, and it’s better if you just check out this weirdness for yourself.

#anime #banana fish #hataraku saibou'#chio-chan no tsuugakuro #asobi asobase #hanebado!#harukana receive #tenrou: sirius the jaeger #angolmois: genkou kassenki #grand blue #kyoto teramachi sanjou no holmes #aguu: tensai ningyou

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doomonfilm · 3 years

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Review : Chaos Walking (2021)

It seems that two types of films emerged from the depths created for the entertainment industry by COVID-19. The first were the films too big to release in the midst of a pandemic : movies like Black Widow, A Quiet Place II and No Time To Die already had promotional campaigns in place prior to theaters and studios grinding to a halt. The second type of film, however, were the notorious properties studios had wrapped production on but were afraid to pull the trigger on. Previously, I covered one of these films in the form of The Woman in the Window, and I found that not knowing about the film’s rocky path towards release helped me enjoy it on its own merits. This is what built my fascination for Chaos Walking, a film that took nearly a decade to release and another couple to see the light of day.

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There are some good ideas going on in this film. For starters, the premise of the noise is definitely one that works in narrative form, but with the old adage of film being “show, don’t tell”, translating this concept to a visual medium is already an uphill battle. There is quite a bit of inconsistency in how this device is used… not so much from person to person, as it is explained numerous times that some men are better at hiding their noise than others (a nod to how well some men swallow their trauma rather than address it), but mostly in the portrayal of Todd, our protagonist, who is prone to fits of random explicit language in his normal processing, but completely silent in a life or death fight, where I feel the noise would be savagely overwhelming and distracting. The noise works the best as a tool for examining the patriarchal framework, be it David Prentiss and his fatherhood figurehead status backed with ideals, Todd and his toxic disillusionment in regards to what makes a man, or perhaps most tragically, in the form of Aaron, a supposed man of faith filled with a rage caused by his maniacal obsession with the possible demonic origins of his noise. Maybe the analogy is a bit heavy-handed, especially when held in comparison to the women, whose silence seems to imply either a devious nature or a lesser prowess in terms of whatever symbol of thought the noise portrays, but with the film acting as a hopeful entry point for a supposed trilogy, one can hope and/or assume that this dynamic would be flipped in terms of examination eventually.

Where the film really falters, however, is in the number of elements it tries to hang importance upon, as the imbalance comes off as distractions in the bigger picture. Perhaps the biggest of these unnecessary elements is the entire idea of the new planet and the unfulfilled threat that is the Spackle. Like some sort of antagonist straw man, the Spackle are presented as a genocidal threat, positioned as a possible moral dilemma via their existence at the same time a hint of their ability to be a threat is shown, but in the end, they have such little impact on the story that the film may as well take place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. If anything, having Viola arrive via a spacecraft is redundant, like bringing sand to a beach (even if she is a woman)... perhaps she could have been a humanoid alien, or an alien mimicking humans, especially in light of the fact that isolated colonies with completely different political and social structures exist in this world. The number of conflicts that exist in the film work for a long form story, but come off as a bit convoluted, with Todd’s mother and father’s past, the dark history of Prentisstown, the inherent conflict from the community of Farbranch and even the Spackle all deserving more time and focus in a non-shared capacity. The community of Prentisstown was also a bit too populated for a community full of men, and would have been better served to be David Prentiss, his son, a handful of faithful followers and Todd, the reluctant adopted son of someone surviving on the outskirts of the community.

The special effect meant to symbolize the noise worked very well all things considered, thought the logic of people being able to project multiple objects that will physically impede another individual is a bit far-reaching, especially when the average visual is a small multi-colored haze. For small-scale action, the sequences do add a boost of energy into the somewhat monotonous story arc, with the overarching narrative really only consisting of 2 or 3 significant beats. The special effects used to create the environments are able to simulate believable worlds that mirror aspects of Earth, but with an overrun or uncharted feel being the dominant environmental presence, mostly to a great effect. The tower set and the downed spaceship near the end of the film in particular serve as two very memorable locations in terms of their aesthetic quality and utility in terms of progressing the narrative. The worst part of the disarming production design for the Spackle was that it was underused. The writing is ok, with a few good ideas present, but it is 100% elevated by the cast.

Tom Holland has the troubled youth role on lock these days, with Chaos Walking continuing to show his range in terms of teenage angst, uncertainty and fear about supposed accepted illustrations of manhood. Daisy Ridley does find herself being used mostly in a modified “damsel in distress” capacity, leading to most of her important story beats serving as reactionary to Holland’s characterization of Todd... perhaps she was to have more to do in the following films, but likely, these films will not be made, leaving her character the most underdeveloped of the film. Mads Mikkelsen brings a heightened sense of dignity meant to mask a troubled and deeply regretful leader who has bought too far into his own lie to face the truth. Nick Jonas, though entertaining in his oafishness and bruteness, also falls a bit into the one-note category. David Oyelowo brings the most personal tension to the table of all the characters, with his faith working in tandem with his fear to tear his soul and psyche apart. Kurt Sutter and Demián Bichir play the adoptive fathers to the Todd character, with Bichir especially getting moments to shine in terms of showing parental unconditional love and compassion. Cynthia Erivo turns in a brief but powerful performance as the antithesis to the Prentiss presentation of women, while Ray McKinnon, Bethany Anne Lind, Harrison Osterfield and others round out the remaining cast.

While Chaos Walking isn’t the disaster that the masses are chalking it up to be, it is a movie with obvious flaws that, unfortunately, will not likely get a chance to redeem itself via sequels. With a wealth of dystopian YA films already out on the market that have explored the complete spectrum of teenage issues, Chaos Walking doesn’t bring enough new to the table to stand out from the crowd, and if not for a stellar cast, it would likely be as forgettable in theory as it is mocked in reality. Seeing that I went into the viewing expecting bad, I can say that I actually enjoyed my watch, but I couldn’t honestly tell you if or when I would revisit this film.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #PatrickNess #ChristopherFord #ChaosWalking #TomHolland #DaisyRidley #MadsMikkelsen #DemiánBichir #CynthiaErivo #NickJonas #DavidOyelowo #KurtSutter #RayMcKinnon #BethanyAnneLind #HarrisonOsterfield

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