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david-talks-sw · 2 years ago

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Okay so I watched Inside Man on Netflix. It's interesting. More importantly, it's a masterclass in crafting likeable characters and how the POV we follow in a scene affects the way we see a character. Also, this somehow relates to the Star Wars Prequels, I promise! 😆

The moral of the series is that "everyone is a murderer, all it takes is a good reason and a bad day." The main characters are:

A vicar who - through a huge misunderstanding - has now locked his son's tutor in his basement and doesn't know how to get out of this situation, played by David Tennant.

A convicted murderer and ex-criminal psychology professor who solves crimes from his cell, as he waits for his execution, played by Stanley Tucci.

So a man who locked a woman in his cellar and a guy who murdered his wife. In any other movie, these guys are the villains. Yet, both of these characters are extremely likeable!

This is achieved through how relatably they behave in their relationships (kind, humble, humorous)...

... and through the emotion and/or charisma brought by the actors playing them (it's THE DOCTOR/CROWLEY and Stanley Friggin' Tucci)... but also through the amount of screen time they get.

We're with them for most of the show. There's other characters (the journalist, the trapped tutor and the vicar's wife) and subplots, of course, but they're our two anchors.

So when I'm watching David Tennant lock his son's tutor in his cellar and consider if he should free her - only to see him and his wife make things worse - I'm not thinking "you monster" like I do when I see Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs for example.

No, I'm thinking "goddammit vicar you're making things worse, it'll come back to haunt you, there's still a chance to turn back, please!" I'm rooting for him to make the right choice because I'm seeing him struggle and despair and hesitate throughout many scenes.

When I'm watching Stanley Tucci guiltily say he deserves death, after being so darn charming, humble and in clear possession of a moral compass, my instinct as a viewer isn't to go "he's right".

It's to go "aaaw, no it's fine, everyone makes mistakes."

And these characters remain likeable and/or relatable for a huge chunk of time... until, every once in a while, the show reminds you that, "remember, these guys are criminals."

"One of them's killed his wife then decapitated her, and the other one is contemplating murder, so they did/are doing evil stuff, they're the villains and you shouldn't grow fond of them."

Then it goes back to making you empathize with them again.

It's quite the emotional roller-coaster, very intriguing yet frustrating, which I have to guess is exactly what the show is going for.

But the point is: the amount of time we spend with these characters is partially what elicits this emotional reaction out of us.

If we consider the tutor's character:

For all intents and purposes, we should feel sorry for her, or full-on fucking love her. Objectively-speaking, she's:

smart but obviously scared,

we establish early on that she has a brave heart and stands up for oppressed women,

she thinks she's trapped by a pedophile or a man defending a pedophile, figures he'll inevitably try to murder her, yet manages to stay resourceful, determined and cool-headed despite it all.

She's an absolute superhero.

But that's not how the narrative frames her.

She's framed as an antagonistic force, in the vicar's subplot.

She may be the one tied up in a basement, but she's in control and the vicar is not. She's almost framed as being in a position of power (when she's really not), which leads the audience to view Tenant's vicar as an underdog.

When the vicar is trying to look for alternatives to end this situation so that he doesn't have to kill her, she's unhelpful,

and even starts pitting the vicar and his wife against each other.

Again, in-universe, she's scared shitless and in "fight-or-flight" mode. She's putting up a front because she's just trying to get outta this alive. She's the victim, here, not the vicar who captured her.

But as a viewer, you don't feel that, despite objectively knowing that. Why and how?

Because we barely see this character, compared to Tenant's vicar. So we have more time to grow to feel for him. There's "why".

Also 90% of what we do see of the tutor is her being aggressive, manipulative, sometimes downright merciless and we're seeing her from the POV of the vicar or the vicar's wife. There's "how".

Result: the viewer feels sorry for the captor and frustrated towards the captive.

This isn't a rational reaction, it's an emotional one (the goal of any visual artform being to get an emotional reaction out of the viewer).

Which means the series and Stephen Moffat effectively did their job.

How does this relate to the Prequels?

Well, a lot of people see the Jedi in a negative light in the Prequels, and Anakin in a more sympathetic one.

Even though the Prequels are about how a good man becomes bad, and even though the Jedi embody one of the major Star Wars themes (selflesness) as opposed to Anakin who clearly displays the anti-theme (selfish)... a majority of fans feels more for the latter than the former. Why?

Because the Prequels unintentionally do what Inside Man does purposefully. You react to Anakin like you react to the vicar. You react to the Jedi like you react to the tutor.

Simply put: Anakin has more screen time than the Jedi. And we don't just see him more, we see him struggle, we see him about what he knows to be morally right vs what he really wants, we see him be overtaken by his own fear...

... and just by contrast, that makes him more relatable than the Jedi, who have already overcome their character arcs and mostly all learned to keep their flaws in check.

The narrative doesn't intend to frame them as antagonistic. We do see them talk about how worried they are, we do see them emote.

And if you think about it, it's easy to see why:

their entire way of life is going to crap,

their values are being corrupted as they're forced to fight and die, alongside their clone brothers, in a war they wanted no part of,

they sense that the Force is close to the breaking point and that the galaxy's inhabitants are suffering on the daily.

But, for example, when Mace or Ki-Adi Mundi are shown expressing concern in the Prequels... as worried as they are, in-universe... out-of-universe, their measured reactions doesn't emotionally impact a viewer as much as Anakin's intense ones do.

So a big chunk of the audience will sympathize more with him than them. But like the tutor in Inside Man, the Jedi are objectively the victims and Anakin is objectively an unstable space-nazi who betrayed and destroyed them.

Just because we're not shown these characters be worried beyond just monotonously saying "I'm worried" doesn't mean they're not actually worried as Anakin is in Revenge of the Sith (if not more).

However we don't see it.

Because these three films aren't about the Jedi Order, they're about the Republic and about Anakin and about how each of these two beautiful things were corrupted (by Palpatine and by themselves) into becoming the very thing they stood against.

The Jedi aren't a factor in either of those two themes set up by George Lucas.

They became a factor when fans - who despite not liking the Prequels, still admirably chose to engage with the material - made the Jedi be more important to the narrative of the Prequels by re-framing these films as "The Failure of the Jedi".

Now, should Lucas have recognized that most fans wouldn't give two shits about why a Republic falls or the "matinee serial" format, and would've rather he focused on the Jedi, and developed them accordingly? Probably.

But good luck telling an indie filmmaker with a bunch of money how to tell the story he wants to tell.

Could Lucas have done more with the Prequels to highlight the fact that the Jedi are the underdogs of the story, not Anakin's oppressors? Yes.

But, firstly, he probably didn't think that was a point that needed explaining. And secondly, as he explained at Cannes, in 2002, feature films are a very limiting format to tell a story, especially one of the Prequels' scale. If it doesn't directly contribute to the story you're telling... it's gotta go.

A limited show would've been better to cover every aspect of the Prequels more in detail and avoid confusing the audience re: who they should be rooting for.

Which is why it's interesting, to me, that Stephen Moffat used his limited show to INTENTIONALLY confuse the audience! 😃

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midnightgrimoire · 6 months ago

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Tom Riddle x twin reader (fem) (AU)

Cowritten by @chxrrybomb22 @midnightgrimoire

[ Sorry if there are spelling mistakes we did go did poof read it and we are both dyslexic feedback would be Appreciated any reposts would also be appreciated ☺️)

18+ warning - We don’t know what warning to add. (Just so you know, it will be dark, just not yet) (first ever fic posted) ~ (P.T 1 remake)

The moodbord was made by both of us x

(Tom Riddle) - {Christian Coulson}

( Adelaide Riddle) - {Lily Collins}

(Alexander McLaggen) - {Hayden Christensen)

Story:

Tom and Adelaide Riddle are like a ying and yang one represent the good and one represents the evil. They have had a shit childhood and that putting it lightly. From their mother drugging their father with a love potion which has only effected tom not Adelaide ( nobody knows for certain why) as Tom has grown to become obsessive and controlling over Adelaide.

Living in an orphanage was not all sunshine and rainbow as Adelaide was bullied for being ‘weaker than Tom and more valuable’. If you are wondering what happened to their mother and father you will be shocked that their mother loved a muggle who didn’t love her back so she drugged him with a love potion and once she given birth the potion worn off and their father fled in fright as he ‘woke up from a sleep’ and he was terrified to find out he was married to a woman he didn’t know and has just given birth to his ‘twins’.

Once Tom and Adelaide were 11 they were approached by a man called Dr.Dumbledore. Who they thought was a doctor to help Tom after he had ‘accident’ with an other child in the orphanage after Adelaide kept playing with the child everyday and not Tom unknowingly putting that child in risk. People were often too scared to approach Adelaide when tom was lurking about which confused the poor girl as to her he was the best brother and twin anyone could ask for ( not knowing how evil he truly was. Completely convinced the ‘accidents were just that accidents’}.

(Time jump to first year in hogwarts after being sorted into different houses)

To say tom was livid was an understatement of the century would not be accurate to the rage he was feeling after hearing the sorting hat split him and his precious twin “ how would she survive without him?” Whyl he was simmering with rage she was content to have made new friends as back in the orphanage she had no friends due to toms actions.

At the hufflepuf table Adelaide was happy to be making friends and having playful conversations with people who didn’t run away in fear of her brother. And this is when she met her future best friend and soon to be lover Alexander McLaggen. For the poor boy it was love at first sight when he saw Adelaide and her soft, warm doe eyes, the complete opposite of Toms cold and calculating eyes. He was completely enamoured which her.

And yes if you are wondering his great-nephew is Cormac McLaggen, the only difference is Alexander was raised right. He felt more comfortable with Adelaide knowing she was ‘ment’ to be in Slytherin with her twin, Knowing they were in the ‘wrong house’ as his family before him were all in Gryffinod the pressure was immense.

Half way through the year tom confronts his sister and warns her to stay away from the boy “not only are we not in the same house but now you’re talking and hanging around MCcLaggen. That childish twat doesn’t stop talking about quidich and doesn’t even know basic potions”

And her response were “so what if he doesn’t stop talking about the things he’s like i mean look at me i love to talk about animals and plants, dose that mean there is something wrong with me? Do I annoy you too? Tom? I am also bad at positions dose that mean I’m stupid?’

“ no your not don’t say something like that your not stupid or annoying you’re my sister, my twin, two half of one soul i could never get mad at you” but what he didn’t say was ‘but i can get mad at everyone else who got in my way to you’.

{ time jump to their 3rd year Tom find out they kiss }

Now they been at school for 3 year everything was going smoothly tom doesn’t know about Adelaide and Alexander secret meetings for the last to years outside the common rooms. ( the only time they get to see each other is in the common rooms as tom makes sure to keep them both separated from each other).

Tom demanded Adelaide to meet him in the library for a study session “what do you mean you don’t get it Adelaide we have been over this you add the water after the trolls snot”

“ but its too hard to remember how do you remember it? It’s too hard can’t we just go in the gardens and looks for bunnies?”

“ you know better than anyone else ‘bunnies’ wouldn’t be on hog warts grounds the womping willow will kill them all and-“ and this was when tom was interrupted by a Cher air and oblivious Alexander not knowing tom hated his guts. “ Adelaide fancy seeing you here i thought you said you don’t like to read?”

At this point you can see this is were tom anger started to boil “ well she needs to learn somehow and no thanks to you.”

“ ok not gonna lie that was a bit harsh but what can you do? We all cant be good at everything like you mister perfect.” Watching the pissing match between the two boys Adelaide had enough and decided she was finished watching them metaphorically go at each others throats. “ ok, ok, ok, Enough i get it, I get it your both the pretty girls. But i need to go and i have had it with you and all your bickering. McLaggen i will see you in the common rooms later after class, don’t forget you need to give back that ‘ book you borrowed’” she quickly got up and headed off the common rooms all the why’ll tom was giving both of them death glares. “ sure ill go get it now” they both race off together to the common rooms to avoid toms glare.

After Tom sneakers in the hufflepuff common rooms to see Adelaide he notice she not there and he starts to panick as it is past curfew set by the teachers, as he starts to franctily search around the common room only to come across fain noise in one of the alcoves on the wall. Pulling the curtain with a greate amount of force only to find not to ind his twin, his other half with none other than that low life boy!!!!!.

Adelaide and Alexander were in their own world completely unaware of tom presents. As Adelaide was telling Alexander all about the new bird she had found.

“I was shocked because it’s not everyday you see a Red-Baked Shrike” Adelaide spoke with so much enthusiasm it was almost like her eyes were sparking. “So what is a red-Baked shrike? And were did you find it?”

“A Red-Baked shrike is a little off white bird with brown wings and back line a cross it eye s almost as if it doesn’t want you to know who it is ~” she slowly stops talking only to see Alexander is staring at her lip with such a intense gaze it could have melt ice and all Alexander could think was how stunning her brown eye look and how the colour in her eyes looks like the most inviting hot cup of hot coco (her favourite drink). Alexander couldn’t help him self from starring at her and thinking when he is around her time stops as if he had the choice all he could listen to was her voice for all eternity. “Can i just say you have the most welcoming and softest voice i have ever had the pleasure of hearing in my life” as he basked in her inviting aura. “ I-I-I don’t really know how to respond s-s-sorry?”

“ let me respond for you-“ before he new it he had worked up the courage to lean over and give her a kiss.

Her lip were Devine, the softest of any silk and My God she tasted better than he could have ever imagined. Adelaide was at shock at first because she didn’t think her best friend and her long time crush would like her never mind kissing her. ( The woman was stunned to speak)she was stunned in to silence and then she returned the kiss with just as much if not more passion. They broke apart from their kiss looking at each other as if they were the only ones left in the world. “Can i just say that was the BEST kiss I’ve ever had in my life” that statement caused Adelaide to ruin the mood by lauhing out loud and Antalya saying “that WAS your first kiss you have nothing to compère it with.”

Unknown to them tom was watching the whole scene go down. He was all but ready to rag that little shit to the forbidden forest and feed him to the monsters that lay within. The amount of rage he was feeling was incomprehensible the only thing that stopped him from confronting them. Was the fact that they were in the Hufflepuff common room as well as the prefects finish the rounds of the castle for the night. Once tom finally makes it to his room he begins to make plans on how to separate that little cunt and his pressure little Adelaide.

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