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#superantural themes discussed
mittensmorgul · 4 years
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A few thoughts on unusual shots in 15.06 that I find visually interesting and worthy of consideration. I’m not suggesting that any or all of this means anything in particular, but while going through the episode very slowly last night and writing the transcript, these were things that stood out to me in particular. These things grabbed my attention. I figured other people would be interested in them, too.
During the gas station scene, Sam is framed throughout their conversation with the red and blue QUALITY SureGas sign over his shoulder, while Eileen is in front of a window that says "Thank you for shopping." The whole station has an American flag theme to it, which is reminiscent of all the Americana and flag themes from back in s10. This is just a gas station I don't recall seeing in Superantural's world of Gas N Sip, you know? Interesting that this one is different. Also while we're here, don't forget to sign up for the SureGas rewards program! Or so the banner at the top of the station advises.
In the first shot we see of her, the Witch Mother is watching Sam through a ripply mirror. You know, that cliched effect I mockingly describe with accompanying harp sounds as a character flashes back to the past? Like that, but on a mirror spying on Sam. She looks like she stole Little Red Riding Hood's costume and has laid a trap for what she presumes is the big bad wolf.
Aah, the shot that prompted me to make this list in the first place. Inside the Witches' van (again, labeled "Keep 'er Movin' you GO we PACK." Sam recovers from the effects of the hex bag the witches planted on the Impala. Inside the van, we're getting Sam's pov via the camera-- everything is blurry and jumpy and unclear. Sam doesn't know where he is. The camera even rotates 90 degrees as Sam sits up, candles twisting in a blurry glow as he sees the witches holding him captive. He tries to get up, but can't seem to. The camera shifts back to his pov again, and the clarity has improved a tiny bit after he asks, "Who are you?" The witch mother holds up a hand and says, "Rowena McLeod is dead." The camera to this point, while on Sam's pov, has been blurry, shaky, and unclear, with weird magical ringing sounds. (think: that scene in 14.07 in the hallway where Rowena was discussing Jack's condition, and Dean's vision went all weird and blurry and shaky and the sound went all angel-ringy the moment she said the word "archangel." It was visually and thematically reminiscent, and considering Sam's mysterious "connection" to Chuck right now, and the visions/dreams he'd been having, this is potentially a clue about THAT, but also considering this is all about witchcraft, a clue about something else entirely). 
After that line, though, even when the camera returns to Sam's pov, there is no lingering strange effect, no blurriness, and no audio ringing noise. The ONLY weird camera angle we get in the van after that point is the very high dutch angle on shots of Emily playing with her voodoo doll and just creepily staring at Sam like Missy Bender (and heck this is the second episode in a row I've been reminded of the Benders at some point). (Also is it still called a dutch angle when it's off-kilter in a left-right rotational way but also shot from a high angle? I don't know enough of the technical terms to describe this correctly, but it's WEIRD and leaves us with the impression that Emily is younger and more childlike-- I mean she's playing with a doll and wearing Mary Janes and tights. She already looks like a five year old even though she is physically an adult (according to the actress's IMDB page, she's 25), as well as making us wary or uneasy about her (thanks, dutch angle!), even while in the wide shots of the entire room Sam is framed as "lower" than the two women, and Emily is framed from behind and far larger than even Sam, taking up nearly a third of the shot. She's also entirely dressed in white. But all the other Sam POV shots are normal.
(also of note, the actress, Jodelle Ferland, was previously in 1.19, as Melanie Merchant, the murderous ghost-girl haunting the painting, who was finally defeated when Dean burned her doll before she could kill Sam and Sarah Blake, so the fact she's clutching a doll she's using to repeatedly hurt Sam throughout this episode, where Sam’s female hunting companion is instead the ghost, is interesting.)
The final scene of the episode, where we open on Dean alone with his dark thoughts about everything in general (basically his mindset since 14.20, mulling over everything), is sitting at the war room table with his feet up, shot from between the bars on the landing above with the shadow grid surrounding him. When he starts talking with Sam, he's shot in plain light-- no bars, no grid.
This scene is also interesting for the beer they're drinking-- one I don't recall having seen before. "Flatz pale ale." And just, first off, "Flatz" sounds like a TERRIBLE name for a beer, right? But that's how Dean's kinda been lately-- Flat. Flat of mood, affect, hope... okay back to the shot itself.
We get that high angle shot, Dean imprisoned by the bars and grid again after Sam says this line:
Sam: We have moves to make here, Dean. We do. I mean, do you think Chuck wanted me to shoot him? Of course not.
The moment Dean begins to reply, it cuts back to that high shot JUST for this part, before returning to a different angle and normal lighting again:
Dean: You sure about that? Maybe that was part of the plan, you know?
But behind Dean during the rest of that line, you can see a row of three warmly glowing library table lights and the big blue telescope in the distance:
Dean: That's the thing man. I don't know what's God and what isn't, and it's driving me crazy.
(with a tiny aside to alert everyone who is insisting to me that it’s obvious what Chuck’s actual plans are, and it’s obvious what Chuck is and isn’t manipulating, this is the visual narrative telling us not to believe that)
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system-of-a-feather · 5 years
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Day 19+20/30 of DID
I am doing two since one is really quick and easy.
Have you ever met another multiple offline? Tell us about it.
Nope. Technically I have met two people that MIGHT be, but other than that no. My fiance thinks his mom (who dissociates and has a few other disorders that are common with C-PTSD) might have it from some things she’s asked him to get for her therapy and just how similar a lot of our symptoms are but thats just speculation. My oldest sister PROBABLY does, but hasn’t gotten treatment and currently isn’t in a place to actively be involved with it as I am. She does keep an eye out for it though.
Do you have a favorite book or TV show about or including DID?
I have a few books that I plan to read regarding DID or things similar to it but book wise, not particularly. To be entirely honest, when it comes to the media I consume, I tend to forget it shortly after so I can’t elaborate beyond my general main take away’s and impression it left me with. I will probably forget one big one, but ya know. 
For me - while they are by far not 100% accurate and have problems in their own (and one isn’t even meant to be DID, it is literally demonic but just reminds me of DID) - two shows that feature / sort of feature DID in a way that has been good for me is Kuroko no Basket and Owari no Seraph. ((yes I watch anime))
Kuroko no Basket is a basketball anime with the main antagonist (Akashi Seijuro) being a character that canonically has two personalities and thus is heavily implied to have DID or at least OSDD due to lack of memory barriers. Personally speaking, Akashi has honestly played a huge role in my life and coming to understand myself and even further in trying to understand my DID and generally my trauma and how to work around it and really has been one of the characters / inspirations to how I wanted to shape myself and my life.
I have actually done a decent length analysis on his psychology and what not and compared and contrasted it to DID / OSDD and it does decently follow a good amount of the check list for things needed for DID / OSDD including childhood trauma and the personalities follow suit to match with the trauma that he had experienced as a child. Of course I do have two problems with it from a DID depiction stand point in that 1) It is exaggerated like all animes do - but on the same coin they make basketball look like war so... and 2) The not-normal-Akashi personality “Bokushi” while not as bad as most media is kind of in that “crazy kinda violent” alter personality. For the second one though, it kind of fits when you take into consideration everything, except for a moment or two that were just a bitttt over the top.
Even though I have some gripes with the depiction, Akashi has honestly been by far a huge importance to my mental health recovery and holds a special place in my heart - thus why I chose to make him the small image on my blog page for those that might have noticed.
As for Owari no Seraph, I am specifically talking more into the Light Novel where they go more into the demonic possession and how all of that works. It is BY NO MEANS discussed as DID or meant to be DID from the sounds of it, but while reading it, a lot of it rang home to have a lot of feelings that related to DID - especially in the sense that the demonic possession in this book were less “MUAHAHAHA! EVIL DEMON I AM DANGEROUS” and more of a spirit that fed on desire that lived in your body and head. This spirit pretty much would frequently tempt you to give into your desires and in exchange gave you powers and the theme / idea that really felt a bit relatable was how humanized the demons were and how the trick to mastering the power the best was to bond with the demon.
In that later phase it just kind of really felt like a superantural-tied DID / OSDD for me and I really kind of related and resonated with it even if it wasn’t MEANT to be DID or OSDD.
I also really enjoy Danganronpa, but Toko and Genocider Syo I have way too many gripes with the presentation to be able to mention it here. In Another Episode, the dynamic Toko and Syo has is very reminiscent of alters pretty accurately, but the way DID was depicted in Danganronpa 1 and the whole “sneezing” and “electrocution” to switch thing is just way way way too bad and not excusable as a DID thing imo. I still enjoy their characters but it is poor representation in all ways outside of Toko and Syo’s interpersonal dynamic in a spin off game to actually mention beyond this on my DID blog.
WAIT. I don’t remember SHIT about it, but I was playing through Kingdom Hearts 3 and spent a portion of it going like “I feel like this is a DID analogy” but I don’t really remember what. I think it was the part with Sora and the hearts and communication or something? I really don’t remember #DissociativeAmnesia
-Riku (Host)
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