#BECAUSE SHE LIKE. ACTIVELY CHOSE TO GIVE HIM VISUAL TRAITS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO CERTAIN ANTISEMITIC CARICATURES

[somelazyassartist]

What do I have to do to never see graphic novel Taako ever again (/nbh)

[shadowed-dancer]

Quirk Questions 2: Electric Boogaloo

Followup to this post, inspired by this series. Once again, this is all just for fun

World Building

Is EVERY teacher at UA a pro hero? UA isn’t just a hero school, they have Business courses, Support courses, and General Studies. While we know support kids have a pro teacher (Mr Powerloader), and I could see the Business kids MAYBE having a pro, I thought it was implied that General Studies is totally unrelated to hero work. So do they just have random pros teaching them? Or do they get actual teachers?

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What the heck do copyright laws look like regarding a hero’s name? I understand Iida taking “Ingenium” because it’s a family thing, but Deku legit though that “Super All Might” and “All Might Jr” would be acceptable. And Red Riot is OBVIOUSLY copying Crimson Riot, so where does it become ok?

Building off of that point, how about hero names in relation to other pieces of media? Eraserhead is the name of an ACTUAL FILM but Aizawa is allowed to use it no problem, so does that logic apply to fictional characters? Deku implies that comics and stuff existed before quirks, and that their world was essentially identical to ours, so at one point were there heroes that named themselves after fictional comic characters like Iron Man and Wonder Woman? Mina even tries naming herself “Alien Queen” and the issue isn’t “that’s from a movie”, it’s that it’s too scary.

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It’s unclear who gives quirks their names, but judging by the fact that Endeavour’s quirk is canonically called “Hellflame”, I can guess that the person chooses the name themselves. Question is, do your children have to use the same name you chose? Like certain things are easy, Bakugo’s kid probably wouldn’t change “explosion” because it’s very on-the-nose. But if Endeavour had a kid that made orange fire just like him, would that kid be forced to call their quirk “Hellflame” too? Or could they opt to just call it “fire”.

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Does hair colour actually have any bearing on what quirk a child gets? Using the Todoroki’s as an example, the one’s with (mostly) white hair got ice quirks, Shoto has his hair split down the middle with ice on the white side and fire on the red, and Touya had with red hair and a fire quirk. We also saw this is Jiro, since she has her mom’s hair colour AND quirk. So, in universe, can parents guess their kid’s quirk based on which hair/physical traits they got?

Bakugo

Does Bakugo just leave nitroglycerin everywhere he goes? And isn’t that dangerous? What happens if he’s on the subway, gets some sweat on the pole, and then someone with an activated flame/heat quirk touches it? Would he get in trouble for the ensuing explosion? Has this ever happened??? In the movie “Two Heroes” we see Todoroki ignite some of Bakugo’s sweat, so we know it can be activated by other heat sources. I just feel like that’s SO DANGEROUS.

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Similar to the previous question, but what about the food he cooks? I’d hope he washes his hands, but if some sweat manages to get in some bread dough (for example), and then he puts it in the oven, wouldn’t that cause an explosion?

Best Jeanist

Best Jeanist controls clothing fibres, but that’s really vague. Can he control the fibres of a wool sweater? And if so, where is the line? Can he control wool while it’s still on the sheep?

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Mirio’s costume is said to be made out of his hair, so could Best Jeanist control it? It’s clothing, but it’s not clothing fibre.

Twice

In my previous post, I wondered if a clone of Hagakure would turn into visible mud upon destruction. But now I’m wondering: could he even make a clone of her in the first place? He can’t technically see her, so he’s missing the visual component, and even if he got exact measurements there’s no way for him to know details like face shape.

Followup, I guess technically he could cover her with paint and then clone her, but the manga says that the clones come out in the same state as when he took the measurements, meaning the clone would be covered in paint. However, could that clone wash off the paint and then be invisible?

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Can Twice make a clone of someone if he doesn’t know their quirk? He says he needs as much information as possible, “you name it, I need it” but does that translate to things like quirk information? And if it IS possible to make a clone without knowing the quirk, will the clone possess it anyways?

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How long do the clones last if they aren’t destroyed. He says his clones were hanging around for 9 days, so could he just send one out into the world to live its life? And if it lasted long enough without getting destroyed, would it age?

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How EXACTLY is Twice aware of the state of his clones? He berates Dabi for his clone getting taken out “by a magic scarf” but like... how did he know that? I can assume he felt the clone get destroyed (like some sort of intuition), but how’d he know the details of the scarf? Can he see through their eyes or something?

Assorted

If Hagakure gets cut, is her blood visible? And are her... other bodily fluids visible? (She’s running around naked, this is something she should think about at least once a month).

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You know that dude who worked with Overhaul who could “steal things people have equipped”? Where the hell is that line drawn? He’s able to steal the stuff Tamaki manifests ON HIS BODY, but what else is considered stealable? Could he steal Twice’s clones? Could he steal fire? Could he steal clothes? Could he steal clothes and drag the person along with them?!?! Like Aizawa’s scarf is a perfect example. Technically it’s a weapon he has “equipped”, but it’s also wrapped around his neck. If he tried to steal it, would it drag Aizawa long with it? How about weapons that are strapped to the body like Kaminari’s aiming disks?

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You think Shigaraki ever just... accidentally disintegrates his clothes in public? Like, he has no control over his quirk. You think he ever just accidentally put his hands in his pockets, accidentally touches the fabric, and then boom his hoodie is gone.

[lizz-revs]

Hatoful Boyfriend

This is both a (satirical) otome game and a rather long mystery/thriller visual novel.

Story

You are a hunter-gatherer human, who lives in a cave, and you were accepted into the prestigious St. PigeoNation’s Institute. As you master your studies and your private life you can choose to get close to a bird you desire (otherwise it’s looking bad for you because everyone needs a friend). After getting every happy or not-so-happy ending with the birds you chose, you may read the True Story, if you’re brave enough. While romanticizing birds is fun and happy, the truth is far more depressing than you might have thought.

Characters

Hiyoko Tosaka

A teenage girl, who is in her sophomore year in St. PigeoNation's and accustomed to her life alone in a cave, while the only “people” she sees every day are birds. She isn’t really smart, but somehow very lively and cares about her childhood friend very much. The main character is a curious girl, who isn’t prejudiced against people (as you can see because she doesn’t trust the rumours about the school’s doctor) and has the ability to befriend everyone. She is very open-minded and chooses her activities based on the birds she has an interest in.

The Birds

Ryouta Kawara, a rock dove

He is the main character’s childhood friend and often has to go to the infirmary to get painkillers. Therefore, he is a good acquaintance of the school’s doctor Shuu Iwamine.

Sakuya Le Bel Shirogane, a fantail pigeon

He is from a French aristocratic family and very full of himself. He thinks that he is smarter than everyone else (, which is also kind of true), but boasts too much about it. That’s why the most birds don’t really like him.

Yuuya Sakazaki, a fantail pigeon

He is Sakuya's older half-brother and pretty much the polar opposite of him. He is very popular, mostly with the girls, and flirtatious. Sometimes he acts very secretive though.

Nageki Fujishiro, a mourning dove

He is very quiet and loves books. He actually seems never to leave the library.

San Oko, a fantail pigeon

He is part of the track club and very athletic. Oko’s major obsession is pudding (I kind of can relate).

Anghel Higure, a Luzon bleeding-heart

He is very eccentric and behaves like he is part of a fantasy role-playing game, where he has to save the world.

Kazuaki Nanaki, a button quail

He is very kind, but almost always falls asleep while conversations (or lessons). Nanaki is the protagonist's homeroom teacher.

Azami Koshiba, a Java sparrow

She is a takoyaki salesperson, who has somehow a similar mentality as the protagonist and acts like her mentor.

Shuu Iwamine, an adorable chukar partridge

He is the school's doctor (and your hidden desire, I know it). Most of the time he is doing some experiments or thinking about doing experiments. He isn’t social at all, but he thinks of the heroine as “an interesting specimen”.

My Opinion

This game is great.

That has two reasons:

First about the otome game: I really liked the characters and the stories because they were short, but hilarious. In addition, I think it was a good idea to use common otome troupes and interpret them rather satirical. And I am amazed that they actually used birds as your romantic interest. (Those birds had still more personality than the characters in some otome I know…). Actually, I also liked the characters even if it wasn’t for the satirical aspect of the game, especially Shuu. They all had distinct personalities and their own story, which seemed very detailed and well written.

However, what I liked the most is that this game stayed realistic. When there were things hinted at and the main character didn’t believe it, it didn’t end with the world being wrong or the romantic interest suddenly changing out of love and affection for the main character. No, it still ended like it should. I think there are a lot of games that would instead just gloss over the bad traits of a chosen partner and twist around the plot and reality so much just to get a happy end. People need games like this, which just tell them “No, you won’t change this person into something better just by wishing it. If he is satisfied with it himself, if he doesn’t want to change himself, you are not going to matter”. Another important message was that you can’t just force your chosen partner to stay with you, if he has another goal in life without making them unhappy. Because in this game this person would still choose his goal over you and it’s kind of a healthy choice in my opinion because giving up their dreams in order to stay with someone is a very high price. However, some otome seem to imply, if a person doesn’t do it, they don’t love you, which is I think simply wrong.

The second reason I like this game is the True Story. After reading through the otome game route, I found myself reading a rather dark thriller. It was both interesting and depressing at the same time. However, it had a philosophical idea behind it and this idea is somehow sad, if you think about it. I’d say read this for yourself and then you will see, what I mean. What I can only add is that the True Story engrossed me totally and I read it in one go. It’s written not only in the protagonist’s, but also Ryouta’s perspective, and you can see, how good the writing actually is because the style completely changes depending on the character, who is telling the story.

To summarize: This game is amazing. It succeeds in the rather satirical interpretation of an otome game and tells a story with a philosophical message at the same time. It is a lot deeper than it seems at the beginning and has a lot of hidden messages that it wants to share with you.

You will actually fall in love with a bird.

You will not regret falling in love with a bird.

And you will never forget neither the game nor that bird.

(I’m still calling almost all doves Ryouta, so even my friends, who never played this game, know that name by heart now)

And after falling in love with a bird, you can choose to play the sequel:

Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star

This is a very short game, including a few short stories about the Hatoful Boyfriend Universe. These stories are more of a further explanation of the main story than a sequel.

First there is the story about Christmas and two birds, who make a lot of mischief. The next story is about saving the school (or the world) as Sailor- I mean Magical Birds (?). And the most famous story is the story of the King of another planet.

The story of the King is actually also the story, which provides the background information for the True Story in Hatoful Boyfriend from another perspective. It is also a very tragic story as I might add and features a lot of resentment and some more mature contents like depression and suicidal thoughts.

After finishing the short stories, you can also read some short episodes, where you can actually have a date with your chosen bird at the shrine (he can also look like a human, not a bird, in the scene).

About new (major) Characters

The King

He is very welcoming at first, but then starts to be more evil towards the guests of the planet. As you progress through the story, you learn about his tragic past and about how he became king of the planet.

The Traveller

He is a nice fellow, who helps you throughout the travel on the king’s planet and is a free spirit wandering from planet to planet. But, he is as stuck on the king’s planet as you are because the king doesn’t want to let anyone go.

(And also there is Tohri, who is the antagonist of the second story and is the self-proclaimed rival of Iwamine Shuu. Yes, I know Tohri would hate being mentioned like that, but what can I say, he just chose the wrong bird to bicker with.)

My Opinion

You should also buy this game, if you liked Hatoful Boyfriend because it’s as well-written as the first game and additionally provides you with details about the True Story and the main characters. Again, this games deals with heavy topics in some of the stories, so it’s like the first game not that happy and carefree as it would seem on the first glance.

Somehow, I even thought this game is more depressing than the True Story because of the King’s story. However, in contrast to that the “dates at the shrine” are more than enough to get everything back on the “it’s your typical otome game” track, plus the other stories weren’t that dark and more satirical as well.

If you thinking about buying this game, maybe buy the DLC as well, if you want to have some goodies and a background of your favorite partridge.

[legit-min-yoongi-trash-tho]

BTS Intro Post

Title; BTS Intro Post

Genre; Info(??)

Type; Intro Post

Group/Member; BTS – OT7

Authors Notes; Enjoy! I’m soo terribly sorry it’s so late! Hope it’s what you wanted!! 😊 Also this is a rlly rlly long post with lots of facts and photos so um ye...have fun. Tbh all this post does is just prove what a big ‘ol piece of trash i am because 95% of these facts were from memory, I typed all dis shit out guys...im fuckin dead now. These are all facts from websites that I remember, certain nicknames are not necessarily what I call them but some dso. kbye 😊 x

{Requested}

oKAY SO SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, AND GET YO FEELS READY FOR BTS AKA BANGTANSONYEONDAN AKA BULLETPROOF BOY SCOUTS, AKA BEYOND THE SCENE, AKA THESE 7 DORKS WE STAN FOR SOME REASON!!

First up is Kim Seokjin {Jin, Jinnie, Mamma Jin, Princess Jin, Eomma/Eomma Jin, Pink Princess, Eat-Jin, Third Guy From The Left, Car Door Guy, Mr Worldwide Handsome, Seokjinnie}. Jin is the oldest brother, the oldest hyung in BTS and is basically their mother and let’s be honest our mother too.

Some facts;

 Born in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea – it looks like dis;

 He’s got a papa, mamma, and hyung

 He majored in film at Konkuk University

 BTS be placin’ him as #1 visuals…I mean…he is gorgeous

 He has the longest legs & widest shoulders (60cm)

 He does this “traffic dance” which is adorable and you should go check it out, you won’t regret it

 He speaks a lil Chinese (Mandarin)

 Lil Jinnie usually cleans up the dorms (because he’s literally bangtans mum)

 He also rlly likes Disney princesses which is adorable

 He’s a v v good cook and has said he’s happiest when he’s with food (relatable jin m8)

 Fave number = 4

 Fave colour = blue (used to be pink, I think he still has a soft spot for it tho)

 Fave weather = spring sunlight

 Jin started playing Super Mario at like age 5 and Maple Story in Seventh Grade (Year 7) and he still plays them 😊

 When he’s hungry his left eye blinks a lot

 Fave foods = lobster, meat, Naegmyun, chicken, and greasy foods

 He’s friends with Jin Hyosang (Kidoh) from ToppDogg as Kidoh was under Big Hit Entertainment but left in 2012 and switched to Stardom Entertainment

 His role model is T.O.P from BIGBANG (same boi, same)

 He has lots of Nintendo games and Action Figures

 When he was younger he wanted to be a detective

 He wears rlly strong prescription glasses but doesn’t like wearing them because he’ll become insecure (I think we can all agree that Jinnie bean would look absolutely adorable in glasses??)

 He has a cute lil dog named JJanggu

 He likes Alpacas

 Jin can play guitar and piano

 He says V is the member he’s the closest to

 Jin says if he’d get a day off he would want Suga to be his servant so he an order him around

 If he were a girl, he said he would date Jimin because he is shy and someone like Jimin would help him open up and be social

 Jungkook and Jin bicker a lot, and a taxi driver once thought they were twins because of their nonstop bickering

 He likes strawberries but not strawberry flavoured things (yO SAME THO)

 He makes a lot of dad jokes (goals)

 Suga is the only one who doesn’t laugh when he makes dad jokes

 Jin said that looking at bugs isn’t scary, but if they get on his body, that’s rlly scary

 He dieted for a year, only eating chicken breasts ☹

 He is friends with B1A4’s Sandeul, they even went to an amusement park together

 He’s also friends with VIXX’s Ken and Lee Won Keun

 Jin sang the OST of “Hwarang” alongside V, which is Part 2 – “It’s Definitely You” (can find it here)

 He was casted in Law of the Jungle in Kota Manado but left earlier than the other cast because BTS had an abroad concert that time

 After BTS attended the BBMAS (Billboard Music Awards), Jin got a lot of attention (internationally) for his v good looks

Other members about Jin;

 Jimin; “He’s the oldest, but he likes to whine” [after school club] / “He’s like a grandma”

 Jungkook; “Jin-Hyung looks manly and he’s chic like a wolf but personality-wise, he’s carefree so he’s sloth-like (laughs). He’s really nice and he’s also a good cook, so we call him ‘granny’ between us”

 Suga; “A wolf”

 V; “Prince”

 J-Hope; “A princess”

 Jin’s ideal girl is a girl whose looks and personality is similar to that of a puppy, who’s hood at cooking, kind and takes good care of him

Summary; Literal princess, BTS & army’s mother, loves food and cooking, a beautiful man wHO NEEDS MORE RECOGNITION PLS AND MORE LINES ISTG I WILL WALK ALL THE WAY TO SOUTH KOREA FROM ENGLAND ALL THE WAY TO BIG HIT AND DEMAND THIS SHIT

Okay so next up is my ultimate bias (in case you couldn’t tell) Min Yoongi {Suga, AgustD, Yoongles, Min PD, Syub Syub, Motionless Min, Genius (self-proclaimed but I can reveal that this is a true fact m8), Min Monarch, Min Suga, D Boy, Sub-Energy}. Yoongi is the second oldest in BTS and probs the most savage human upon the planet, he often seems like the grandpa of the group but he can also be kinda childish and lively sometimes ^_^

Some facts;

 He was born in Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea – it looks like dis;

 He has a pappa, mamma, and hyung

 He attended/attends Global Cyber University

 Yoongles is usually in charge of fixing the things Rap Monster breaks. He changes lightbulbs, fixes the toilet etc (handyman ayyee 😉 )

 He is like the father or grandpa of BTS

  Although Rap Monster revealed that he sometimes acts like a 5 yr old (same m8, same)

  He usually scolds and nags the younger members when they make mistakes

  Yoongi chose to become a rapper after listening to “Fly” by Epik High

  His role models are; Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne, and Hit Boy

  He has a driving license but doesn’t usually drive

  Yoongi loves to play basketball and when he was a trainee he played basketball every Sunday

 He is quite blunt and straightforward, a trait of many ppl from Daegu

 When he was younger he wanted to be an architect

 His hobbies include reading comics, basketball, playing games, and taking pictures

 He writes/composes lyrics daily, and even writes lyrics when he’s in the waiting room, car, or even the toilet (dedicatioooon)

 He wrote the song ‘촣아요’ (Like It) under 40 minutes

 If he has a problem he usually talks to Rap Monster because their age gap is small, they have things in common, and they’ve known each other for quite some time

 Fave food = meat, meat, meat (same tho)

 Fave number = 3

 Fave colour = white

Suga comes from a poor family, in an interview he disclosed; “After we debuted, I went back to the dorm and sat there blankly staring. I could not believe that me, a kid from a poor daegu family, would be able to make it”. (you made it bby, so proud omf)

He speaks with a satoori accent when he’s nervous and when he cries ;-;

His ideal date would be something simple, “For me, just an ordinary date...I want to watch a movie, walk and would like to eat together”

When asked which member would he bring on a deserted island for 3 years, he answered Jimin.

Suga; “Jimin. To boss around. (LOL) Just kidding. I don’t talk a lot, I’m not the fun type, but Jimin is pleasant and mature, so I think it’d work out.”

Would date Jin if he were a girl

He loves taking photos (same)

His bad habit is biting his nails (also same ;-; )

3 things he likes are; sleeping, quiet places, places with no people

3 things he dislikes are; dancing, loud places, places where there are people crowding around

Fave weather; where you can wear short sleeves in the day and long sleeves at night

He thinks his looks are 50 out of 100; “Truthfully, when I see myself I think I’m ugly” (um liess boi, ur fuckin gorgeous so like…ye)

Other members about Suga;

Jin; “He likes being attached to his bed. He has a variety of knowledge and always gives help with that knowledge. I’m fascinated as to where he gets that weird knowledge from.”

J-Hope; “Is cool. His personality is quite strong on his own thoughts. Pretends not to care when he does. Seems like he’s all over the place, but is quite careful. That kind of personality. (Ah!! Personality where he only just shows strength ㅋㅋ)”

V; “He really has a lot of knowledge. He’s quite cool on stage. Cool and amazing. No answer to him being lethargic.”

Jeongguk; “He’s like a grandpa. But his passion towards music is overflooding. He also has a lot of knowledge. But he’s still a grandpa.”

Rap Monster; “Lingers on things more than you would think. He’s really timid once you get to know him. Full of random information. Grandpa. Although he seems cool – never… no no… Wants to be loved. Likes music. Has passion and stubbornness. Says what he wants to and can say everything well in front. Has style.”

Jimin; “He talks too much in front of you. He doesn’t hesitate, and although this is my personal thoughts, he likes being loved by the members ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

His ideal type is a girl who likes music, especially hip hop. He says he doesn’t really care about looks. He also wants a girl who can be very active when he wants to and very silent when he wants to. A girl that will always be by his side (boy im here, sign me tf up)

He has a male doggo named Holly and she’s deffo his weakness

Summary; The lethargic turtle of BTS with a both a savage side and a cutesy side that spits literal fire that needs to be protected imo. He is a lil been who can act 5yrs old one second and then act like an 80yr old man the next.

Now we have the actual sun personified, Jung Hoseok {J-Hope, Hobi, Hopi, Hoseokie, Sunshine boy, Your Hope, Your Angel, Hope, J-Horse}. Hobi is basically literal sunshine and so sweet. He has the voice of an angel and can also rap like a gOD, he’s also the main dancer for BTS and he has major skillz m8.

Some facts;

Born in Gwangju, South Korea

He got a mamma, pappa, and noona

He went to Gwangju Global High School; & Global Cyber University

Before he debuted, he hated doing aegyo but now he’s changed his mind (and we love his aegyo obvs)

Hobi and B.A.P’s Zelo went to the same academy for rap and dance in Gwangju

In his pre-debut days, he was part of a street dance team called NEURON

He won an underground dance battle and even performed at a festival (go hobiii) 😊

Initially he auditioned for JYP Entertainment, together with B.A.P’s Youngjae and Halo’s Dino

Fave colour = green

He has a cute doggo named Mickey

Hobi hates working out and exercising (I relate)

Used to be a tennis player in elementary school and played in competitions. He once received a bronze medal, out of 3 team competitors

He rlly likes melodramatic movies and remembers watching a lot of DVD’s when he was a kid, since his father also likes movies

His role models are; A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Beenzino, G.D

He says he is closest to Jungkook

J-Hope’s motto “If you don’t work hard, there won’t be good results”

He likes visiting the Fancafe when he has time because he needs to know what are fans saying (always there for us armies)

When having problems or worries he would share them with Rap Monster or Suga (so cute 😊 )

When he was younger he was quite famous in the Gwangju dance underground

Things he wants to steal from other members is Jimin’s chocolate abs, Rap Monster’s rap skill and his good English

His ideal date; “I love the sea, I would like to walk down to the beach and hold hands (laughs)”

Other members about J-Hope;

Jimin’s first impression about J-Hope; “The first person I met was J-Hope. He was very friendly to me, ‘Excuse me, Jimin.’. So, I remembered J-Hope the most.”

Jimin about J-Hope’s mean side; “J-Hope is bright guy, laugh a lot and has become hopeful like his name. J-Hope has good energy that effects everyone in a good way and I think J-hope is awesome. And people think he’s always nice and innocent. But, inside his smiley face, there’s an evil living there. J-Hope winds me up all the time but never stop smiling even when he does that. But you can never punch someone who looks so happy like that. One day, I was sleeping and all of sudden he poked me and shook me saying,

‘Jiiiimiiiiiiiin, wake up and play with me!!!!’

So, I woke up. But right after I opened my eyes, he just grinned at me and went back to sleep like nothing happened. So, I thought,

‘Uuuugh! I can never say anything to him cause he’s older than me!’.

And once he told me he would give me a massage and started squeezing the back of my neck, and that got tighter and tighter! He was smiling at then too! At the end, I was getting upset but he didn’t stop it. He was doing it even harder and said,

‘This will relax your muscles.’

When I was sitting down at the rehearsal room during the break, he head locked me. He hit me once and left the room so I looked at him with a serious face for a second. J-Hope, the timid, came to the room only after three seconds and gave me some mischievous hugs and said,

‘Jimin! Are you upset at me? Are you?? You are not! Aren’t you??’

Chuckling hard, he left room after 10 seconds. What should I do with him?”

Rap Monster; “There’s something he always says whenever we make a comeback or wrap up our promotion. He says that we got to make a comeback or successfully complete the promotion, thanks to the love shown by our fans.”

Suga; “I’m not good at expressing how I feel with words. But Jimin and J-Hope are good at expressing themselves. I envy them for that.”

Hobi’s ideal type is a girl who loves him, is good at cooking, and thinks a lot

Summary; he’s literally sunshine and he has one of the biggest hearts ever. Dancing machine Hobi is such a lil bean and he deserves the world, honestly 😊 alSO DESERVES MORE LINES!!

Kay so now we have the intellectual, the very philosophic Kim Namjoon {Namjoon, Joonie, Joonbug, Moni, Rap Monster, Rap Mon, Namjoonie, Leader Mon, God of Destruction, The Destroyer}. Smol dorky bean with dimples and a v v high IQ of 148. Also, literally a Rap God whose life is about philosophy, BTS, and music.

Some facts;

He was born in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-d, South Korea

He got a mamma, pappa, and lil sis

He went to Apgujeong High School

Rap Monster studied in New Zealand and lived/stayed there for 6 months. :O  

He’s currently enrolled to Global Cyber University

Pre-debut he had already been performing as an underground rapper, with several tracks released informally, including a collaboration with Zico (Block B)

He’s really smart with an IQ of 148. He was previously ranked in the top 1% of the nation in his high school exams (so fuckin smart m8)

He speaks English fluently (he does so well omg ;-; )

Rap Monster’s TOEIC (The Test of English for International Communication) score was 900.

There was a rumour among the Korean fans that at the age of 15, Namjoon had a heart surgery with a 30% chance of living (but that’s probs legit just a rumour)

Hobbies include surfing the web

He’s a great supporter of Gay/Lesbian’s rights 😊 😊

He has a younger sister the same age as Jungkook but when asked if he would introduce her to him, he said N.O (ehehe)

His image before debut was a neat and quiet student

He started to write lyrics since he was in school, on his textbook

Rap Monster has composed/produced 100+ songs (y’all needa check out his solo raps n mixtape boisss)

Clothes matter to him (yo I live for his daily kim posts)

Fave food = Kalguksu (Korean knife noodles)

Fave colour = black

Fave number = 1

Fave items = clothes, computer, books

Despite Moni’s rough and tough image, he is v playful n relaxed

He likes clear weather

If he were a girl he said he would date J-Hope because he’s like the mother at the dorm

Role models; Kanye West & A$AP Rocky

Rap Monster wrote the lyrics of ‘No More Dream’ because he had no dreams when he was in school ☹

He, along with Jung Hunchul (ex member of Bangtan) wrote a Brave Brother/YG diss track called ‘Hook’ (check it out here man)

He wants to be a rich Rapper in 10 years

He has a dog, whose name is RAP MON

He would like to make a sub-unit with Jungkook

He was the first member to join BTS

He likes to imitate his members

Rap Mon said that he and GOT7 Jackson are good friends. He said Jackson is very handsome and really good at dancing

 His ideal date; “It’s like the ordinary college student date. We can see a movie together, eat together, walk together. I want to have love like that. It’s because I can’t at all (laughs)”

Some of his popular quotes are; “Jimin, you got no jams” and “Team work makes the dream work”

Other members about Rap Monster;

Suga; “On the stage, Rap Mon wears sunglasses and has a powerful image but actually he likes cute things. He keeps the ‘Pocket Monster Ball’ on his bed that he received at a fansign”

Jin; “The Baby Dinosaur Dolly. He shakes his tail and crushes things

Jimin;” In the fact, he gets hurt easily”

Rap Mon’s ideal type; “Sexy, even to a brain. Someone that is thoughtful and confident”

Summary; lil dimpled smol bean Moni is all about his music and his groups and fans. He’s chilled and relaxed but has a powerful image on stage. Literally the god of destruction and could probs just look at something and it’d break (that’s what happens to me anyways)

oKAY so next up is lil squishy sinful bean Park Jimin {Jimin, Chim, Chim chim, Chiminie, Mini, Jiminie, Mochi, Sexy Mochi, Jiminie Pabo, Christian Chim Chim, Kumquat Mochi, Mang Gae Ddeok. Oh, and I regularly call him Chim Cham/Chim Chams}. Such a smol chubby lookin bean but then he turns into the personification of sin itself on stage and I literally cannot deal with it man…kills me

Some facts;

Born in Busan, South Korea

He has a pappa, mamma, and lil bro

He attended/attends Busan High School of Arts; Global Cyber University

Pre-debut Jimin entered Busan High School of Arts as the top student in modern dance, but later transferred to Korea Arts High School with V

Fave colours = blue & black

Fave number = 3

Fave foods = pork, duck, chicken, fruit, kimchi jjigae

Chim Chams used to view himself as “fat” and he was self-conscious of his looks and cheeks (which were adORABLE)

When he viewed himself as “fat” (he doesn’t anymore)…(I hope) he went into depression and starved himself T_T

He prefers sunny and cool weather

Is known for his impressive abs (*dies*)

He likes to jokingly hit the other members as a way of showing his affection for them

If music is playing he will start to dance no matter where he is 😊

When the weather is sunny and cool, Jimin likes wearing earphones while listening to music that gives a good feeling.

Jimin became interested in a singing career after watching a Rain performance

Once he wrote some lyrics and gave them to Suga. Suga said; “You called these lyrics?!” (the lyrics sounded like a children song). Suga asked him to redo the lyrics, but in the end, he still couldn’t use Jimin’s lyrics ☹

Jimin’s role models are; Rain, Taeyang (Bigbang) and Chris Brown

He is most confident in his eyes

He enjoys reading comic books. He said that comic books influenced him a lot

Jimin usually solves his problems himself. If he can’t solve it, he will share it with V and ask for his advice

Jungkook is always teasing Jimin about his height

In the dorm, Jimin in charge of the kitchen (chef chim doe??? 😊 )

Things he wants to steal from other members are; Rap Monster’s height, V’s talent and gaze, J-Hope’s cleanliness, Suga’s diverse knowledge

Jimin’s ideal date; “Sitting on the bench, drinking together… I would like to have a countryside date. We would also walk holding hands…. (Laughs)”

If he’d get a day off, Jimin jokingly said he wants to go on a date with Jungkook while holding hands together. And when Jungkook talked about his wishes, Jimin shouted; “Live happily together with me!” (fucKIN SHIP)

He felt a bit hurt when Jungkook ranked him the last in terms of looks. Jimin thinks the 1st is Jin while the 7th is Suga. (He was going to rank Rap Monster as the 7th but he changed his mind saying that recently Rap Monster got better-looking)

He has to use eyeliner while practicing the choreography, else he can’t seem to show strong expressions and he will get shy

Jimin appeared in GLAM’s MV Party (XXO). GLAM disbanded, they were under BigHit.

Jin chose Jimin as the member who has changed the most since debut😊

Other members about Jimin;

Jin; “Comes at you really cutely. It’s like being attacked by a puppy. Can’t refuse requests because he’s too nice.”

Rap Monster; “Basically kind and gentle. Is very considerate. Isn’t as timid as you would think. Likes clothes and style (same with me). But even though he responds well, there are many times where he doesn’t actually do it. Is quite stubborn. Is the effort-type.”

Suga; “Follows the hyungs’ words well, isn’t the personality where he’ll receive dislike somewhere, puts in effort to live his hardest”.

J-Hope; “Is kind, listens to his hyungs well, has a lot of greed, and has a personality where he makes sure to do his part, and he has a really good personality where he likes me the most and his faith towards me is very strong~~ ♥♥♥♥”

Jeongguk; “He’s the effort-type along with being a triple blood-type A, timid, shameless, and hates losing.”

V; “Cute. Only the amount of him losing his temper is excessive, he’s kind and a friend that’s trustworthy. I talk to him the most, and if I have any worries, he’s the friend that I tell it first to”

His ideal type is a nice and cute girl who is smaller than him

Summary; uuggggh he’s just so fuckin cute and he deserves all the love in the world. He loves the others so much and cares for them loads. He’s a squishy bean in the streets and a sinful bean on stage. Everybody needs a lil chim in their life 😊

Up next is the animal loving, sweetheart, 4d alien Kim Taehyung {Taehyung, Tae, Tae Tae, Taehyungie, 4D alien, Blank Tae, 4D, Alien, CGV, Gucci Boy, Gucci Prince, V} dis bean is crazy and extra as hECK. He’s also super adorable and his laugh is probably the best thing ever omfg.

Some facts;

He was born in Daegu, South Korea.

He has a mamma, pappa, and lil bro

He attends/attended Korea Art School; Global Cyber University

Tae Tae can speak Japanese fluently :O

Fave colours = black, green, and white

Fave number = 10

V’s favourite items are = his computer, big dolls, clothes, shoes, accessories, and anything unique (like himself lol)

It is said that when his teaser image was released 5 personal fan clubs were created 😊

He has been in the group for a while, but fans didn‘t know or hear of him until the time around his debut

He likes anything that is unique

His favourite artist is Eric Bannet

His role model is his dad. He wants to be a dad like his dad, someone who takes care of his children, listen to everything they say and encourage & advise them in their future plans (so fuckin cuuuute)

He has the same hobbies with Jin

When V has a problem, he will share it with Jimin and Jin. But he thinks it’s easier to talk to Jimin since they have the same age

Fans said V looks like Baekhyun (EXO) and Daehyun (B.A.P.). He said Baekhyun is his mother and Daehyun is his father. (it’s true tho)

V is a mood maker in BTS, along with Suga (daegu princessss)

V’s motto; “I just came up with it but let’s life coolly to the maximum. Since life happens only once, waking up at ease in the morning and working doing your best”

According to Yahoo Taiwan poll, V is the most popular BTS member in Taiwan

In the dorm V is in charge of the washing machine

When V celebrated his Birthday (131230 at MBC Gayo Daejun), he felt very happy because he able to share birthday with K.Will. K.Will’s waiting room was beside BTS’s room. So, K.Will came to him and said, “Hey, is it your Birthday today? It’s mine too! Let’s blow the candle together.”

V likes amusement parks. He especially likes the gyro drop, gyro swing and roller coasters (boi we can go together because same)

V can climb a tree but he can’t get back down (such a dork omg 😊 )

V comes from a poor family; “I came from a poor family and I never thought I would become famous.” He grew up under a family of farmers and often takes pictures of the farm they own

He revealed in an interview with ‘The Star,’ “[Being an idol is] a lucky chance that will only come once in a lifetime. If I wasn’t in BTS I would probably be a farmer. I’d be pulling out weeds from a farm with my grandmother.” (farmer tae doe can you imagine… :O )

V acted in the Korean drama “Hwarang” (2017-2017) (if you haven’t already watched it, y’all needa do so)

V sang the OST of “Hwarang” alongside Jin, which is Part 2 – “It’s Definitely You”.

If he’d get a day off, V wants to see his parents (he’s literally so cute tho omg)

V said the 3 requirements for his happiness are; family, health and honour.

V’s ideal date; “Amusement park. But nearby park is also good. I think that it’ll be nice if holding hands. My ideal is cute dating.”

Other members about V

Rap Mon about V’s cooking; “Honestly, we’d love try it. But V’s cooking is too great, we might end up crying. That’s why up till now we haven’t tried it. If V can roll the seaweed a little better, we will definitely give it a try.”

Jimin about V’s cooking, “We’ll try V’s cooking sooner or later. I just hope, V will stop stealing the food when I’m cooking.”

Jin ranked V as the noisiest member; “First, there’s V. I’m not kidding. He’ll be sitting in the dorms, then suddenly he’ll run around going ‘HO! HO! HO!’. He’s really weird. He’s like a different species. Do you know what he does alone at our house? ‘Jimin, I love you!! Oppa, I can’t! Jimin, I love you!! (Imitate V’s alone conversation). Seriously...”

Jin; “Although he seems weird, I think it’s a concept. He asks before he does something, he’s very detailed.”

Jungkook; “Although he’s a hyung, I have no answer to describe his personality.”

Suga; “Compared to his age he’s immature and isn’t able to become serious. It seems he doesn’t care what others think.”

Jimin; “He has a cheerful personality and really doesn’t notice his surroundings. He likes playing around. He’s innocent.”

His ideal type is someone who takes care of him and love only him and who has a lot of aegyo

Summary; le 4D extra alien who is suuuuuuch a family man which is so adorable is such a soft bean I can’t deal oh god. He’s v v sinful on stage tho so watch out…he’ll pull you in with his cute charms and then BAM hipthrust muthafucka

Okie dokie! Last but not least it’s time for the lil bun bun Maknae Jeon Jungkook {Jungkook, Kook, Kookie, Jungkookie, Bun, Bun Bun, Golden Maknae, Triple Threat, Muscle Pig, Jeon Cena, Ironman, Bunny, Seagull, Justin Seagull, Living Meme, Meme Child, Baby, Jungshook, Nochu

Some facts;

Born in Busan, South Korea

He has a pappa, mamma, and hyung

He went to Seoul School of Performing Arts and graduated in February 2017

He attended Baek Yang Middle School

He has an older brother named Jeon Jung Hyun

Fave foods = anything with flour (pizza, bread etc)

Fave colours = red, black, and white

He loves playing games, drawing, and soccer (football)

He has a weird habit where he sniffles a lot because of his rhinitis. He also wriggles his fingers a lot

His shoe size (U.S. conversion) is 7.5

Would date Jin if he were a girl

He likes the number 1

Said to be a very skilled cook

He likes shoes and makeup

He dislikes tasteless things, bugs, getting hurt, studying

He speaks Korean, Japanese and English (basic)

In 7th grade Jungkook learned B-boying in a club with some friends and hyungs

He knows Taekwondo (he has a black belt)

Before joining the group, he was a handball player

His favourite weather is a sunny weather with a cool breeze

In 10 years Jungkook wants to be the owner of a duck meat restaurant or a tattooist (fuCKIN TATTOOIST JUNGKOOK THOOOO

In middle school, he went to Superstar K auditions but failed to pass the elimination round

On the way back home, he received offers from eight different entertainment agencies

After randomly seeing and falling in love with future member Rap Monster’s rap, he decided to join Big Hit Entertainment (so cute)

Jungkook’s role model is G-Dragon (BigBang).

His dream, when he was younger, was to become a badminton player.

In the 1st year of High School he listened to G-Dragon’s songs and changed his dream to becoming a singer.

His motto is; “Living without passion is like being dead”.

Jungkook wants to go on trip with his lover someday.

He loves reading comic books.

Jimin says that Jungkook smiles when he swears.

About school subjects, Jungkook dislike everything except Physical Education, Art, and Music Class.

He doesn’t like bugs, but he likes cool bugs like (stag) beetles. He used to have a stage beetle when he was younger, but he didn’t take care of it well, so it died.

He said he usually doesn’t exercise a lot but started working out after seeing Taeyang and Jay Park.

The member who’s most similar to him; “V Hyung. He’s random, our comedic cords match well, and I think our personalities are similar.” (Profile written by Jungkook)

He is friends with GOT7’s Bambam & Yugyeom, Seventeen’s DK, Mingyu & The8, and NCT’s Jaehyun (a.k.a. ’97 line).

Jungkook, GOT7’s Bambam & Yugyeom, Seventeen’s The8, Mingyu, DK, and NCT’s Jaehyun (the ’97 liners) are in a group chat. (Jungkook and Bambam mentioned the ’97 liner squad in their ‘thanks to’ in their recent albums)

Jungkook’s ideal date; “Walking along the beach in the night.”

Things that he wants to steal from other members are; Rap Monster’s knowledge, Suga’s diverse knowledge, J-Hope’s positive mind, Jimin’s persistence and his effort, V’s natural talent and Jin’s wide shoulders.

Other members about Jungkook;

Suga; “Jungkook has a good memory so he can imitate us well. And I remember that when Jungkook first came, he was shorter than me. Seeing him grow taller makes me feel like I’ve raised him.”

Jimin; “I’m 2 years older than him but he keeps making fun of me for my height.”

Jin; “He’s quite bad at refusing requests.”

Rap Monster; “Individualistic, doesn’t share clothes. Washes his clothes separately. A slight timid-ness that’s like a maknae. Although he wants to seem manly, he’s actually a cutie. Although his passion overflows, it doesn’t go on long. Puberty, rebellious, but it seems cute.”

J-Hope; “He’s the maknae who talks backs a lot and doesn’t listen. Although his personality is quite kind… I also have no answer for his personality”

V; “Truthfully, he’s the same as me. I have no answer.”

Suga; “Because he’s the youngest, he’s still immature. However, he clearly shows what he likes and what he dislikes.”

Jimin; “He’s kind, innocent, and is bad at expressing his feelings. That’s why he’s cute. Jeonggukkie’s mine.”

Suga about Jungkook entering High School; “Jeongguk was the most handsome one there.”

V about Jungkook entering High School; “It’s not that the other students were ugly, but JK was most noticeable because he’s tall.”

Ideal type; someone who’s at least 168cm but smaller than him, is a good wife, good at cooking, smart, has pretty legs, and is nice. Also, a girl who likes him and is good at singing.

Summary; he’s a smol, innocent bun who is also a coMPLETE MEME CHILD HOLY FUCK NUGGETS. Hella tall bean with killer thighs and a v v disrespectful attitude on stage…I cri ever-tim ;-; 

OKAY SO THAT’S BTS HAVE FUN WITH THAT INFORMATION GO NUTS, HAVE LE FEELS, BECOME TRASH. LIKE I SAID IN MY NOTES THIS POST JUST SHOWS HOW MUCH OF A PIECE OF TRASH I AM OH GODS... 

{Request anything you want guys}

[imogenbennettblogsdp]

Moving image and Semiotics - Session 4

Todays session was focused on the moving image and semiotics within it, at first the word semiotic scares me, mostly because it is a word I am not familiar with. so how do we conquar that issue? well we learn the word.

Semiotics (noun) - the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. 

so what does that mean? well I think it means, what the viewer takes away from the image (eg, what they think the message is). I did some digging on the web and found this website (which pretty much confirms what I suspected the word means). “the relationship between a sign, an object, and a meaning. The sign represents the object, or referent, in the mind of an interpreter. “Interpretant” refers to a sign that serves as the representation of an object.”  

Moving on from that, I was presented with this image:

instantly I think of Authority and western cowboys, because the American police force wear badges and they are massively represented in film and tv (more than UK police) you will probably recognise this phrase “hand in your gun and badge” for police getting fired more than you'll recognise “your fired fellow policeman, hand in your baton”. (well I do anyway). and cowboys are from America which leads me to think of America when I see this image. 

I found this little task interesting, it made me notice how much thought I can generate from looking at one image. and that the power of what films can do as well and how I can study them. This links to Metonymic meaning (a psychological approach to studying screen).

Synecdoche (another big scary word) which is a figure of speech that relates to a whole thing (eg, If I was to say “gimme a slice” you would auto-magically think of pizza, and would hopefully give me that slice) and this is important for film. (as described in the slide) we can use it to determine on screen characters, I use this in “Joker”(2019,Philips) 

as when he has the faceprint on we can say its a mask/ trying to make people happy - using semiotics that what we see when we see clowns 

From this image alone I can see that joker is wearing clown makeup which makes me think that his character is using a mask to hide who he really is and to put a ‘face’ on that he feels other people will like, this gives me the feeling that his traits are venerable and sad. He is using Clown makeup to make people laugh/ happy, using Semiotics its what we relate Clowns to (or use to). Clowns are made to make people laugh and happy which is what joker is portraying. (if I was to go deeper into this I would relate laughter to madness and so forth but this isn't an essay... although I did enjoy this little break down). 

This is all pretty similar to what I explored in session (blog) 3. connotation and denotation with looking at images and exploring the messages behind them, only difference is in this session i’m looking at moving images. (I did touch on semiotics but it wasn't my main focus of that blog - hence why I go into more detail in this one). 

Stuart Hall & Encoding and Decoding. This is slightly related to Synecdoche and semiotics in terms of interpretation but this has a twist, it's more of an active spectatorship. My summary - when your presented with messages from tv or film you will interpret it depending on your experiences/ background etc, its quite interesting as its a more risky approach to decoding. Risky as in someone can take total offence in something or they might not react to it at all. Risky. 

Then I was shown a video Close Reading - Jennine Lanouette’s Visuals and Action on an analysis of a scene from ‘Mad Max’. I paid a lot of attention to this video essay and found it really helpful to see the theories I've been looking at in action. (I like to analyse scenes/ films and she had some really good points). I like her decoding of the bad guy:

She touched on the fact that the viewer sees an dirty/ intimidating car with a skull mounted on the front and those images register in our unconscious and we know the car is not friendly. (she plays on the viewers interpretation) and inside we see a man whose face is covered with a mask and sunglasses - which we instantly don't trust as we cannot see his eyes (my words - which is the window to the souls and his is blocked... prompting the idea ‘does he have a soul?’) I liked her technique of watching the scene first all the way than going in detail through each frame/shot looking at each detail (which is good at gathering detail but thinking of it that can be very time consuming, so perhaps every other shot). 

This leads me to my next task... Decoding in groups. We were given scenes from different films. Okay so in the class I did the ‘Phoney’ scene from Grease but I didn't really enjoy it personally (not my type of film, which I know is very unproductive and silly as all film analysis is analysis. looking back I wish I gave it more of a chance but I couldn't decode much). So for my analysis here I am going to talk about ‘Garden party’ scene from Get Out. as I saw a lot of potential in this film and picked out quite a bit. 

Now for this analysis I will be giving away spoilers... as I have already watch this film (and loved it) so to reference Stuart Hall theory my interpretation will be different as from experience I know the plots. 

starting off we see Chris (protagonist) and his girlfriend introducing him to a couple, Rose is wearing red which represents danger whereas it contrasts with Chris’s blue (blue = calm like water) shirt. so on the first bat we register that there is some type of danger emitted from rose, making us not fully trust her. 

The couple that Rose and Chris talk to are ironically wearing black which makes us think of a funeral attire, relating to death. but what has died? is it psychical or mentally? or are they simply dressing for the future?. and with my dramatic irony knowledge the “black is in fashion” line the man says is quite cynical as these people will take the bodies of the people who are of different colour to them. so saying that a body is in fashion makes me not trust these characters and also dislike them too. 

Chris holding this camera makes me think of him as an observant character, he is constantly taking stuff and ‘has a good eye’, from my knowledge he ‘may’ be the one to escape (no spoiler there). But notice how everyone else is watching him, like he is a piece of art... or more relatable to the situation, a piece of meat (or a pair of trainers) it makes the viewer uncomfortable and almost want to shout to Chris “Its behind you!!” (from personal experience it won't make a difference, he can't hear us).  The background is also interesting, the dense forest makes us feel like we're trapped and isolated “middle of nowhere” springs to mind. (the lady in the back is also wearing red to represent danger).

I will also like to talk about this interaction “Good to see another brother around here” I find this scene to be most intriguing when you have seen the film, only because it adds to the dramatic irony of the scene. Andre (I had to research his name as the woman doesn't introduce him, which is interesting in itself to make me think she doesn't see him as a person more of an accessory, referencing back to the line “black is in fashion”) his body language is off, he is acting like an old man (no offence to old men) from being slightly hunched over and the way he holds his drink, His costume design also points me in that direction of old man (again no offence) the sun hat to blazer with a sandy colour. it is a big contrast to Chris who supposedly is around his age (psychically).

I found this task interesting, its nice to dive into a scene and focus on detail and using decoding to... decode it. This experience was different to how it was in class where I was working in a team which is a 50/50 for me as I didn't have the freedom to dive deep and develop my ideas as much as I did right now, alone. And in that particular team discussion we weren't really productive, I wanted to focus on the task but I could sense that wasn't the same for the rest of the team. Whereas it can be productive, you see things you didn't see before, and relating to the Stuart Hall theory, they would have different experiences to me which means a variation. 

Next task in teams we looked at fairytale writing, Going against type and changing an already well known character/story. Being the classic teenagers we chose to focus on Jack in the beanstalk but instead of beans...its drugs. (so “jack and the drugs” has more of a ring to it if you ask me. Part one of the task was to think of the details, location - Bristol (because Bristol is apparently the capital city of cocaine, and myself being from Bristol I don't agree with this but I find it funny to take the mick out of where I live...who doesn't) but I found this fun and essentially the best part of story witting. setting up the scene or painting the canvas, picking out the legos before you use them.

Then as a group started to write the story using the Pixar prompt story structure  by Ken Adams. 

it is a bit messy but to admit to you we were having a little bit too fun with it and focused a little too hard on task one. But reflecting on this if I did this task alone I most likely would of struggled to think of what to do as I do find it difficult to pin an idea down and stick to it whereas in the team I had the opinions and help  from my team to focus and develop an single idea. I also had fun doing this which isn't it the whole point? to have fun and enjoy it. 

[ekniemisba1b-1]

‘Only in Animation’

To what extent does this Paul Wells quote apply to your chosen film? Explain how the medium and materials enter, shape, and define the narrative. If your chosen film subverts or ignores conventional expectations of a ‘plotted’ narrative, identify the strategies employed in its place.

Anomalisa (2015) is a stop motion animated film based on play written by Charlie Kaufman. The film is directed by Kaufman and stop motion animator Duke Johnson, from animation production company Starburns Industries. I will explain how the medium of stop motion and the materials used enter, shape and define the unconventional, but very human narrative of Anomalisa. I will investigate why it can be considered unconventional due to its deviation from expectations of a ‘plotted’ narrative, and what alternative strategies are put in its place, as well as detailing why the plot events can only be achieved through the medium of animation.

Live action film is usually a default for film makers as it is easy, well understood and culturally ingrained. When animation is used, especially stop motion which is rare for a feature film, it is usually an artistic choice to best suit the narrative. In Anomalisa, realism is part of the style of the piece by using realistic puppets with 3D printed faces and life like sets that pay very close attention to detail. According to Carol Koch, the character sculptor on Anomalisa, Kaufman and Johnson could “with a few simple words, draw very concrete pictures in your head” (Variety, 2015). The figures’ realism is a result of a combination of design choices for the materials. Each hair follicle was individually punched into the silicone skin on the arms, eyes and head. The main characters Lisa and Michael had mohair and alpaca hair respectively (Schildhause, 2015).  The eyes were a big focus for the directors who obsessed over making them “very reflective and look moist” in order to avoid uncanny valley and make them “feel alive” (q on cbc, 2016). Another step to avoid uncanny valley was to have bigger heads, hands and stubbier legs that aren’t proportionally human. In another example of hyper realism, the directors chose to show the physical seams of their puppet’s face because it “related to the themes that were in the story” (Smith, 2016). The silicone skin and 3D printed faces have a Caucasian flesh tone and an opaque quality that realistically reflects the light off the skin. The shape of the sculpt also implies a distribution of body fat that resembles a normal human body type. Finally, the doll sized clothing and props for the cast of puppets had a design that specifically complemented the personality of the character, like the long sleeves of both Bella and Lisa which they persistently tug at to show their nervousness.

In Anomalisa there is a heavy focus on the human condition: the film makers use the hyper realistic puppets as a tool to express this, knowing that the audience are innately drawn to faces. All characters apart from Michael and Lisa share the same face and are voiced by Tom Noonan. Using a 3D Program, the puppet makers generated an average face from composites of employees (Schildhause, 2015). With this cast of figures that share the same voice and removable 3D printed face, the directors are able to break the fourth wall in a way that can only be done through this medium. For example, when Michael is losing his mind, he starts peeling back the printed face to reveal the clip mechanism inside his head, then replaces it upon hearing Lisa’s unique voice. This direct acknowledgement of its own medium of puppetry and stop motion has a direct influence on Anomalisa’s narrative, although Kaufman declared that animation was “just another medium to explore”. His main focus was on presenting the narrative so that there is an “interaction between the person who’s viewing it and the piece”, hoping that it was layered enough so that “people can come away with separate and individual reactions to it” (q on cbc, 2016). I believe animation was key in shaping Kaufman’s plot because, in the words of Jennifer Jason Leigh, the voice actor for Lisa, stop motion is “evocative” since we can “project ourselves in a way that you can’t do maybe when it’s a real person” (ScreenSlam, 2015).

Anomalisa was originally a play written by Kaufman resembling a radio play with the actors sitting still on the stage with scripts, and with Carter Burwell’s original score the audience would create the imagery themselves. The same three actors Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Thewlis and Tom Noonan, voiced their characters before any creative design, and recorded them all interacting together. This voice over technique and production order is very unusual for animation, which usually has voice actors alone in booths recording after the animation has been made. Anomalisa’s narrative also ignores conventional expectations in terms of plot structure and its characters. A conventional story is about change, however this isn’t the case for Anomalisa’s main character Michael. Michael is a motivational speaker with a trait akin to the Fregoli delusion, where he sees everyone as the same person and can’t tell them apart. He is stuck in a cycle of loneliness, with an “inability to connect despite being more connected than ever” (Johnson, q on cbc, 2016). This state of mind is questioned when Lisa is introduced into his life: thinking he has finally found someone unique, he showers affection onto this insecure woman, nicknaming her Anomalisa, insisting on her singing for him and proceeding to have sex. However, in the morning she starts to become like everyone else to him; bland and uninteresting, she takes on the face and voice of the crowd, leaving a disappointed Michael to return home. In terms of narrative structure the turning point, Lisa, causes no change or resolution for the protagonist Michael, since he returns home the same as he was at the beginning.

A conventional plot gives us a complete, emotionally satisfying experience with no loose ends, but Anomalisa’s lack of resolution denies the audience this. Michael is also a very unlikable character, fetishizing this low self-esteem woman and dumping her as soon as he’s had his way. Some reviewers believe him to be a narcissist, “using the concept of mental illness as an excuse to treat others interchangeably” (Film Formula, 2016), theorising that Michael may not visually see everyone as the same but it’s how he thinks of them. Alternatively, there is a noticeable change in Lisa, the supporting character, who is shown in the final scene to be pleased with her nickname of Anomalisa, which translates as Goddess of Heaven in Japanese, being visibly more confident and happy. The strategies employed in the absence of these conventional expectations is in the attention to detail in the film’s medium, materials, true to life themes and natural comedy that comes from three talented actors performing together in real time. However, the narrative can also be perceived as conventional in the commonality of loneliness and isolation, making us pity Michael but also fear becoming him. This theme can make the narrative quite a common one, but viewers who look for the finer details find a possible second narrative.

It’s widely hypothesized there are two perceivable narratives within Anomalisa. Taken at face value, Michael meets a unique woman Lisa, spends a night with her, then in the morning they go their separate ways. Prior to the meeting, he drunkenly purchases an unusual antique while looking for a souvenir for his son: a Japanese sex doll. The next time we see the doll is when he presents it to his disapproving son. As it sings a traditional Japanese folk song his wife comments on the semen like substance coming out of it. The last time we see Michael, he is sitting opposite the doll staring at it as it sings with its unique voice. The second narrative hypothesis is that Lisa was this unusual Japanese sex doll. There are plenty of similarities between the two and clues to suggest that they are one and the same, and we must remember that we are seeing the story through Michael’s unreliable eyes, where things are not what they seem. “Characters are interesting when there’s friction between ‘what’s seen’ and ‘what is’” (White, 2016) and Michael is a perfect example of this. The initial piece of evidence is when Michael hears Lisa’s voice for the first time, during the sequence where he is losing his mind and peeling back his own face.  This is the trigger point where he starts to fantasise that Lisa is a real person. Lisa and the sex doll share a scar on the same side of their face, have a unique voice and both sing for Michael. They also have the same attitude towards Michael, “as a product the doll’s imperative is to please the consumer, just as Lisa supplicates Michael by trying to change herself and her behaviours according to his liking” (Film Formula, 2016). However, the most important piece of evidence is the sex scene and its aftermath. This scene is a long and continuous, focusing entirely on realism between these two characters, but they take no precautions and Michael ejaculates inside her. Kaufman pays very close attention to small details and Johnson “wanted it to be a natural progression” (q on cbc, 2016), so when Lisa has just met this man after not being sexually active for 8 years, you would expect precautions would be on her mind. By choosing not to include this, supports the second narrative since in Michael’s last scene, semen comes out of the doll as it sings. Anomalisa’s two different narratives within one, ignores conventional storytelling but this was exactly the intention of Kaufman so that viewers would have an individual reaction to the piece.

In conclusion, Anomalisa’s attention to detail in its medium and materials perfectly enters, shapes and defines Kaufman’s unconventional narrative, making it so painfully human in its realism, its animation, characters and story. However, despite its realism, Anomalisa still provides a unique experience thanks to the elements that are only available in animation.

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