#why theyre so short lasting in the rare cases this does happen
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Developing the random card au sekai mini stories a bit more and I'm loving the comedy Im building with Kanade and Honami. Honami vc this girl lives out in the middle of nowhere near an area where ghost sightings have been reported, and she's so deathly pale and almost dead looking, that nearby ghost must have rly gotten to her :(
#rat rambles#random card au#sekai posting#to be fair. ghosts are like stupid rare and only barely documented in any concrete sense but still only vaguely because of how rare they are#plus even with the few documented ghosts they varry Wildly in almost every regard due to the nature of them being unintended side effects#of different rare events thatd effect your soul and thats assuming that damage is enough to keep them around for more than a few seconds#souls are Not made to survive without some sort of body and can basically only exist outside of it if it cannibalizes itself and you can see#why theyre so short lasting in the rare cases this does happen#kanade is a very special case and even she is holding on by a thread and by being barely well known enough to draw in some curious ppl#otherwise she would have long faded but even with the occasional visiter she is rarely very awake#its a bit completely exactly how she works but long story short her soul kinda canibilizes on other ppls souls alongside her own so she can#survive much longer than your average ghost#its non concious but surprisingly effective with only needing a few days of contact to survive her a few years#but rly the only reason it is that effective is that shes been around long enough for her soul to sort of recalibrate kinda#and the only reason shes been around so long was from her being around a bunch of ppl for a while when she first died#she fled to the mountain she continued to reside in immediately after realizing that she was kind of killing ppl#by then she had already slurped up a Lot of soul juice so she ended up not instantly disolving#as she grows weaker and weaker so does her soul's ability to emulate a humany body#so usually when shes starving she is barely properly concious and is just autopiloting a routine#this is the state honanmi first found her in and she ended up deciding to help her out a bit since she was in rly bad shape#kanade started to perk up a bit a few days after but since she was still very groggy from being on resource reserving mode for so long it#didnt quite hit her what was going on until honami's own health started deteriorating#at that point she freaked out and tried to rush her out of the mountains but due to both of them being in not the best of states she lost#honami while traversing over one of the areas that the void place melted through a bit#and then honami dieded rip#again no sekai characters are super important in the random card au theyre just here for funsies and so that I can play around with#worldbuilding so most of them are either dead or pretty irrelevant to any main plot#if this was Their au Id be a bit nicer but its not so sucks to suck lol#kanade might mildly come up or be mentioned by the exiled trio but thats abt it for these two#the exiled trio being lisa eve and arisa to be clear since they have to move through some of the mountains in the area
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STUDY : JESSE MCCREE
BASICS.
IS YOUR MUSE TALL / SHORT / AVERAGE? jesse stands at 6′2 without his boots on. he was pretty average height for most of his life but had a huge growth spurt when he hit 16.
ARE THEY OKAY WITH THEIR HEIGHT? yeah, he doesn’t mind. briefly hates it as he sometimes smacks his head on doorframes, but other than that, he likes being tall.
WHAT’S THEIR HAIR LIKE? chestnut brown, it has slight waves to it and curls up at the ends. he has shaggy bangs and ofc his dumb middle part, and it’s a little less than shoulder length by the end of recall. he grows it out more as he gets older, eventually keeping it about mid back length ( almost like the van helsing hair ) . also often has a nasty case of hat hair cause uh. he has a hat on most of the time. sometimes when he’s alone he keeps it in a teeny weeny ponytail.
DO THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THEIR HAIR / GROOMING? not unless he has a reason to. when it’s just him by himself on the road, he really doesn’t care that much at all. if he needs to freshen up for a job or assignment of some kind then he will, or if he has a personal obligation to like a date or special occasion of some kind. that and his hair is kinda hard to style with the way it is in recall bc it’s at a pretty annoying length, but he’ll slick it back if he needs to or smth. as he grows it out he’ll braid it pretty often though, just cause.
DOES YOUR MUSE CARE ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE / WHAT OTHERS THINK? only if those people are people that he’s interested in romantically or physically in some way - he worries a lot about what his romantic partners think of his appearance just bc his self esteem is pretty meh and he wants to look good for them when he can. otherwise, though, he could care less what people think.
♡ PREFERENCES.
INDOORS OR OUTDOORS? outdoors
RAIN OR SUNSHINE? sunshine
FOREST OR BEACH? forest
PRECIOUS METALS OR GEMS? precious metals
FLOWERS OR PERFUMES? flowers
PERSONALITY OR APPEARANCE? personality
BEING ALONE OR BEING IN A CROWD? alone
ORDER OR ANARCHY? anarchy? though i guess anarchy to him is order ...
PAINFUL TRUTHS OR WHITE LIES? white lies
SCIENCE OR MAGIC? magic
PEACE OR CONFLICT? conflict
NIGHT OR DAY? night
DUSK OR DAWN? dusk
WARMTH OR COLD? warmth
MANY ACQUAINTANCES OR A FEW CLOSE FRIENDS? a few close friends
READING OR PLAYING A GAME? reading
♡ QUESTIONNAIRE.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSE’S BAD HABITS? he has a lot, the most pressing being his smoking and drinking. his drinking isn’t really out of control or anything, he just drinks a lot and frequently, and uses it as an emotional crutch to cope with things. smoking is the same deal for him, and he’s been doing it so long that his lungs are starting to feel the repercussions ( coughing fits, sometimes struggling to breathe when things get really intense, nicotine withdrawals when he doesn’t smoke for a few days )
jesse just doesn’t take great care of himself in general, just by the lifestyle that he lives. he struggles to talk about his issues and things that upset him, which usually ends up in him leaving the situation altogether ( walking away in the middle of an argument or in a situation that’s grating him ) or lashing out with anger. he is incredibly hesitant on creating lasting relationships with people because he is absolutely terrified he will lose them in one way or another.
he struggles a lot with his self worth and the fact that he matters.
HAS YOUR MUSE LOST ANYONE CLOSE TO THEM? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED THEM? he wasn’t at all close with his father, but jesse did love him despite how awfully his father treated him and his mother. he was his dad, after all - when he died of alcohol poisoning it left jesse with a lot, A LOT, of anger in regard to the lack of closure he got about why his father hated him so much. that anger caused most of his behavioral problems as a child, including the decision to run away, and it’s a burden that jesse still carries as an adult.
most of the important relationships in jesse’s life have ended with some sort of loss. he often laments how he and ashe parted ways and the way that their relationship has turned from family to rivalry, and the only person from the blackwatch team that he didn’t lose was genji ( who admitted he left blackwatch and never looked back anyway ) . the most profound losses though for him were ana and gabe; ana because jesse specifically was tasked with finding her but never could, and gabe bc jesse looked up to him so much like a mentor and a father figure. losing them was traumatizing to the point that he hesitates on returning to overwatch, for fear of it happening all over again.
he’s lost pretty much everyone, and as much as he likes to pretend he’s a social butterfly, its crippled him emotionally.
WHAT ARE SOME FOND MEMORIES YOUR MUSE HAS? he has a lot of fond memories with his mom and little sisters when he was very small, but those are fleeting and at this point he hardly remembers them - good memories after that were few and far between after his father’s death.
jesse has some fond memories with the gang, though most of them have been tainted by guilt over the years. most of the fond memories in his life came from blackwatch - playing cards with the crew, pranking gabe and jack just for the hell of it, his friendship with genji once he got him out of his shell ... he has a lot of fond memories with overwatch. he struggles to keep them pure.
IS IT EASY FOR YOUR MUSE TO KILL? yeah. he was desensitized to death from a very early age and you can tell; he literally kills for a living. if he believes someone needs to die, he will kill them. simple as that.
WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOUR MUSE BREAKS DOWN? it’s incredibly rare and it takes a lot to push him to that point - he’s only had a real breakdown a couple times in his life ( those being losing ana, gabe, and when he lost his eye and his arm ) and it takes a lot of pushing to get to him to that point. he will usually, if not always, have panic attacks after nightmares and night terrors, but its rare that they ever push him this bad.
it usually starts with him being really vacant, to the point that he stares at walls or floors completely motionless for minutes or sometimes hours on end. he’ll cry, usually for a long time depending on what it is that even triggered this in the first place, and as that slowly dies out he’ll start drinking. again, depending on the trigger, he can easily get through a bottle or more of whiskey in a night. then he passes out and, unless he has some very pressing responsibilities to people that he cares about, will likely stay in bed for most if not all of the following day.
IS YOUR MUSE CAPABLE OF TRUSTING SOMEONE WITH THEIR LIFE? he is, but he doesn’t do it often. jesse has some pretty major trust issues as a result of his trauma so it takes a lot to get him to that point, but it’s certainly possible with the right people.
WHAT’S YOUR MUSE LIKE WHEN THEY’RE IN LOVE? jesse softens up, a lot, with someone he loves. he looks at that person with a sparkle in his eye, often hinting at his affection with sweet soft touches ( tucking their hair behind their ear or brushing it out of their face, a hand resting on their lower back in idle conversation, patting their shoulder as he laughs at something they said ) and he smiles a lot more. not quite the charming grin that he’s so known for, but something sweeter and more genuine. he also really ramps it up with the pet names ofc, the obligatory darlin, sweetheart, honey, and so on, but he also often has individualized nicknames for the person based on their name, some facet of their personality, something he associates w them, etc. he’ll sing soft songs under his breath in their presence and offer to take them places that are relevant to their interests - he could listen to them talk about the things theyre passionate about for hours.
all in all love makes jesse a better person. when he loves someone, he loves them hard, and its really hard for him to let that go.
♡ TAGGED BY : @adversitybloomed and @koeii thank u weenies ♡ TAGGING : u
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March 21st, 2019 CTP Archive
The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on March 21st, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Asteroid 8082 by Will Quinn.
Featured Comment:
Chat:
RebelVampire
COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!
Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Asteroid 8082 by Will Quinn~! (https://asteroid8082.com/)
Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!
QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?
my favorite scene is probably at the beginning when corrina is getting a tour of the colony. i really love the design for the colony and how theres just like this conveyor belt that goes through the whole place. for the life of me i never wouldve thought of a design like that but it works so well in making it feel familiar, foreign, and futuristic
but i also like the door designs you see as they pass by because it still has that mark of needing to be kind of a sterile and effecient environment
but all around i really enjoyed how quickly and simply it built up the world in the background and really kind of drove home how corrina is in an entirely new situation
Knytt
Hmm, that's good to hear. I was worried about the sterility being too much
i mean, I'm used to drawing outdoor environments, so it was a challenge
Oh! I'm Will Quinn, by the way!
...
sorry, I forgot that wasn't clear on Discord.
RebelVampire
thank you for coming~! its nice to see a creator come by.
Knytt
well, I usually lurk around here
...but rarely comment
thank you for having me!
RebelVampire
another scene that i really enjoyed was the one where theyre kind of bantering over the hoverbike and corrina accepts the challenge and is like "nah i can drive." that was the moment where i truly felt that corrina was indeed a kid since she was trying so hard to look cool. but it was also a nice moment of vulnerability too in that way. like showing that you can be as mature as you want, but that doesnt mean peer pressure isnt there
Knytt
Yeah. Corrina really does try to act cool
And before that scene I guess she succeeded
RebelVampire
idk if she succeeded so much as a lot of scenes her uncoolness felt like it came from a different place of insecurity. like not so much peer pressure, but more from being alien to a new place and being insecure in her own adjustment
Knytt
Hmm, that actually reminds me of something.
When my spouse was reading the comic, she saw Corrina as the main character.
But my original idea was that Iris was (my spouse is an immigrant)
So I've always been curious about how people saw that
RebelVampire
i personally saw corrina more as the protagonist myself. not that iris wasnt a main character. but corrina felt more like the main of the main characters. but this is inherent bias that between the two, corrina was introduced first.
Knytt
I see!
Thank you
I should mention that chapter 3 was originally supposed to be the first chapter
RebelVampire
hmm, interesting. that def would have changed things then cause itd have been a lot more even.
but it is pretty even between the two as is. i just connected a bit more with corrina. i think it also has a lot to do that corrina feels like the more grounded character between the two. Iris as been on the asteroid for years upon years so none of the culture stuff feels weird to her or anything. Whereas Corrina is like "yup this is weird." and as an earthling who doesnt live on an asteroid, that is basically how you feel seeing everything. so corrina provides a really needed grounding influence for that reason. its a lot easier to understand how she feels in regards to the world and shes easier to sympathize with from the immediate start cause its kind of a fish out of water intro.
mathtans
Made it here. I rather liked the "no use of ozzes", just as one-off comedy.
Also the conversation near the start of "you live in one building?" "oh no, no... three".
Checking the backlog now. Yeah, the conveyer belt was a neat idea too. There's a lot of interesting science happening behind the scenes that comes out every so often, which is pretty neat.
RebelVampire
QUESTION 2. The comic’s setting is quite futuristic and different from Earth, causing a number of culture clashes for the characters. What ways of life on the asteroid interested you the most? What sorts of details did you notice in general in how the colony was culturally and physically structured? Of the culture clashes that occurred between the characters, which one did you find the most compelling and why? Which culture similarities did you notice remained between Earth and the asteroid colony? Why do you think those cultural elements and traditions stood the test of time? Last but not least, how similar or different do you feel other colonies would be?
hey math~!
i did enjoy that joke as well about the nah we live in three buildings
like that was supposed to be marketably better XD
mathtans
I think I see Corrina as the main, in large part because we see her arrive as the outsider. Outsiders are generally mains in stories, because stuff needs to get explained to them the way it needs to get explained to readers.
Also, she's from Earth, and so are we.
Hi Rebel & creator!
Knytt
Hi!
mathtans
One of the things that I found kind of interesting was the whole planet/asteroid loophole issue. Hadn't thought about how governing would work in that sense.
But there were also subtle details, like the colour of the sky on Earth.
RebelVampire
yeah i was really interested in the politics. especially cause they briefly mentioned a war and like...man. space wars already. thats a pretty heavy thing to admit in passing.
but it was interesting to see that there is some complicated governance stuff going on cause i feel thats reflective of how itd probably be in life
mathtans
I'm not sure I even picked up on the war aspect. It was more the trying to get rights and using ships as bargaining points.
It makes sense but I doubt I'd have thought of something like that.
Knytt
I'm glad someone liked these science/future bits, because I definitely spent a lot of time planning them! (compared to how often they come up, of course.)
And Math, there was a war mentioned briefly
mathtans
Yeah, that's always the lament of worldbuilding, you do all this stuff and then it never really comes up. The short strip about the gravity thing in between parts was a good way to do it though.
Oh, I don't doubt it, just mean it kinda sailed over my head.
Knytt
Actually, Iris's father was closely involved in the war, btw
RebelVampire
thats fair cause when i said it was mentioned in passing, i really mean it was mentioned in passing. but it was bad enough to cause some long lasting political effects for even their asteroid. and considering their asteroid is kind of out there, you can only imagine the effects it had on bigger colonies.
that is an interesting factoid
mathtans
Iris' father does seem the type
Knytt
I made an upcoming short comic where Corrina talks more about it
The war, I mean...
But it'll be in a printed anthology
mathtans
I wonder if the spacers know about trees and plants and stuff.
Though that reminds me of another interesting aspect, that whole idea of "wearing the clothes of another culture". And Iris is like, wear whatever.
RebelVampire
yeah i really liked how thinking of things like "oh that person is japanese" is considered archaic by iris
cause it opens up the question of at what point in someones heritage do they stop being one nationality and become another
and i liked seeing how that question had evolved in regards to space travel in the comic
cause space travel comes with a lot of huge punches in that arena
mathtans
Yeah, it's sort of a planet culture rather than a country culture.
But an asteroid isn't even big enough for a planet culture, so it's more of a mixed bag.
RebelVampire
yeah, but still i think the point stands. in that the comic really makes you think about what constitutes a culture and how a countries culture may no longer matter in the future. it may come to be entirely about each particular communities culture.
speaking of culture, i really liked the bit with corrina and iris arguing about child labor laws. i thought that was such an interesting piece of culture. but also sensible because generally a colony would need everyone pitching in to survive so it makes sense iris would help. not to mention i cant imagine theres much for a kid to do on an asteroid. yet, i also understand corrina's point. so it was just an interesting argument where both sides had some fantastic points even though nothing was solved.
mathtans
Community, that's a good way of putting it. And yeah, nice to have those grey debates where neither side is necessarily right.
Also, the way Iris summed it up later as "she concluded she was smarter than me" (or whatever it was) felt true to the age (whether it really is I dunno, but it felt that way).
Knytt
When I was writing a lot of these scenes, I was worried people would take it the wrong way, politically. I was trying to have sort of "grey" debates like you said, and I'm glad that came through
RebelVampire
yeah i think the comic did a great job of being more thought provoking than anything when it came to these sorts of areas. cause theres a lot to dissect.
like another moment i really enjoyed was how even though the asteroid is seemingly very disconnected from a lot of earth culture, everyone was still super stoked to watch some sports. so it was interesting to see how even when separated, older cultural phenomenons still kind of continue to be present. not to mention theres lots of one culture affecting another, even though its earth culture affecting colony culture in this case.
mathtans
That reminds me, the asteroid was always seemingly having internet troubles, yet the door to the food station room said "free wifi". I found that funny.
Knytt
Oh, that's right!
mathtans
It was also a bit amusing that when they finally got to watching the sports game, there was almost more interest in the field and the spectators.
RebelVampire
tbf wifi and internet are separate entities. you can have wifi without the internet. so not false advertising, just a useless service.
mathtans
Indeed!
I figure they bought the door surplus. One of those items they were paid money to take off someone's hands.
RebelVampire
QUESTION 3. Though filled with lots to say about culture, the story also has a strong focus on character. For what reasons do you feel Corrina and Iris struggled with their relationship initially? Between the two, which one did you identify with more in regards to their feelings? By the end, did you feel the two characters truly overcame their issues with one another? Or, did you feel that there would still be many moments of strife between the two? Equally so, between all three children characters, how do you think their perceptions of each other changed over the course of the story? Finally, which character did you enjoy the most overall and why?
mathtans
I will say that as soon as Corrina confused Iris for a boy, I was shipping them. Or a future them in a few years, at any rate. Gotta get my ships in there.
Though I think wondering if Iris was a "fanboy" was almost the greater faux pas. With the implication of Corrina's popularity in there.
As to which character I enjoyed more... that's tough. It really kind of depends. I think maybe overall I prefer Iris, but she does go a bit too far sometimes - or in the case of giving up on fruitcake, maybe not far enough - and in those cases I'm more for Corrina.
Knytt
Heh, if I ship them too, is that canon?? I definitely identify with Iris more, but I like Corrina better I think
RebelVampire
i think i overall identified more with corrina more just because i felt corrina was trying hard at least to make friends while looking cool. whereas iris was just a grumpy bear of insecurity. so between the two corrina felt more sympathetic. not to say corrina was perfect cause that whole "fanboy" thing made me think "girl turn it down a notch we get it youre very cool"
Knytt
Yea, both of them need to take it down a notch...
RebelVampire
but tbf, i think the reason that they struggled with their relationship is that theyre super similar. cause they both seem to be insecure and have a desperate need to appear cool to each other. but because theyre trying to achieve the same thing, they both come off kind of pompous and butt heads. cause even though they have the same goal, they each handle it super differently. cause corrina is focused on kind of raising herself up to appear cool whereas iris feels like she wants to just not be looked down on.
Knytt
I worked as a teacher before doing this, so I tried to make them seem like the kids I taught
in terms of their insecurities
mathtans
Heh, canon ship is now in. Yeah, Corrina's more sympathetic, but I kind of like how Iris is outspoken at times, like even speaking up about politics and things.
I teach high school, so I kind of know the feeling.
Meanwhile the guy is just basically clueless to all that.
Superjustinbros
Hello!
I hope I'm not too kate~
RebelVampire
hey super~!
yeah i agree, between the two i felt iris was perhaps more worldly and that while she might know all the tech stuff corrina does, shes way more versed in like social and political situations than corrina
Superjustinbros
...Wow I'm amazed at how much progress this comic made in only about almost a year of production.
And it finds a way to work in monochrome as well
mathtans
I'm with the commenter on that one strip by the way, where Joe was saying to Iris "Corinna's the only cute girl out here", I'd have kicked him.
RebelVampire
i really do think the black and white suits the world too. makes it feel more space like.
i was super surprised joe got away with that XD
mathtans
Yeah, that's a good point, what with space being black.
RebelVampire
not that i dont understand where joe is coming from. not that iris isnt cute, but iris is also his bestie so automatically not available or even on the consideration block.
Superjustinbros
“i really do think the black and white suits the world too. makes it feel more space like.”
I second that- makes me wonder what will happen if the main cast ever lands on a regular planet- will the story suddenly shift to color?
mathtans
Oh yeah, I get it, guy be clueless because he grew up around her. I suppose I shouldn't complain, he'd spoil the Iris/Corinna ship.
Knytt
I'm not sure I'd be good at drawing Luna or Mars...
There's a short comic about Corrina on Earth though
(also black and white)
Superjustinbros
oh lol I didn't realize the creators were here, heh.
Knytt
Hiya!
Superjustinbros
Well I think the black and white works regardless
Hiya!
There's a good usage of clever shading to show depth
mathtans
I kinda wonder what it is they study out there. Aside from each other.
Superjustinbros
(also I'm in love with the simple character designs and the bead eyes, they fit the style of the comic)
RebelVampire
yeah i was wondering that too. especially in regards to what corrina did to get labeled a genius and made an intern despite her age.
Knytt
Corrina's main area of study is physics
specifically "gravity manipulation", a relatively new field that Iris's father helped develop
Superjustinbros
Sorry if I'm not focusing on the questions atm, I'm kind of stuck in conversations in other chats.
mathtans
So she understands the gravity of the situation.
Superjustinbros
"gravity", heh.
Knytt
slow claps
RebelVampire
yes, so im sure shell stay grounded in her studies
mathtans
I suppose gravity's lighter on an asteroid, must make things easier to monitor for fluctuations.
RebelVampire
this reminds me that one moment i found really funny was when they were fixing the tower and then the thing they used to fix it was a fraction of the size of the original
Knytt
Yep. That's how technology!
RebelVampire
QUESTION 4. As a slice-of-life, sci-fi, there is a lot to be said about the comic’s approach to life. In what ways did you see our present day lives represented in the comic? Additionally, how did the comic affect how you think about the way we live life right at this moment? Given this comic is also set in the future, what scenarios from the story do you think are the most plausible that we’ll see in real life once we reach that level of space travel? Alternatively, what scenarios do you feel might change due to the length of time it’s going to take for us to get to that future? Overall, what is your ultimate take away from the comic’s message about life, people, or anything related?
yeah. that was a moment i indetified with iris tho. cause it made sense cause that is how technology do, but i was equally confused how it was meant to be replaced at first when they didnt have a giant thing with them
mathtans
That remark reminds me of the fear of heights. It's nice to have little things like that which characters have to overcome, or otherwise delegate.
Superjustinbros
If the future happens I don't want it to be on nothing but meteorites and other extraterrestrial masses of land.
Feels... lonely too in a way
mathtans
I like how they still do stuff we do, like try to watch sports, or bake fruitcakes. Even if they don't necessarily do it often.
(Resulting in ghosts speaking to you, eerie.)
RebelVampire
i enjoyed that fruitcake was still considered mostly awful
except by joe who has nostalgia glasses for it
mathtans
Heh, yeah. Also, Christmas, still a thing.
(Who won the 'war on Christmas' then?)
Knytt
I thought "of course they'll still have Christmas"! We don't sacrifice a goat anymore, do we??
Superjustinbros
lol
Space Christmas: The holiday of the Future
mathtans
Well, in Sweden they kind of do. (Google 'straw goat'.)
Knytt
I've seen those! they're cool
RebelVampire
speaking of xmas i found it kind of humorous that iris kind of assumed joe was just in some sort of cult
Knytt
Oh yeah, the Pilgrims
I imagine any religion would seem a bit cultish to Iris.
RebelVampire
tbf tho there is kind of a fine line between a cult and religion in some respects. so it makes sense for any child to not really necessarily understand the difference.
Knytt
yea
mathtans
As to character bonding, the ship is maybe starting at the end there with the having something to drink together while watching the fruitcake.
RebelVampire
of the scenarios we see, i actually think the lack of attachment to nationality is the most plausible for a real life future for us. cause its hard to be attached to that when the world is spread out.
you mean your corrina iris ship?
mathtans
yis. must have yuri ships.
Superjustinbros
I second that, Rebel.
RebelVampire
https://asteroid8082.com/comic/chapter-2-page-11/
cause personally i thought that ship started there
cause knowing iris' personality she tots thinks that looks cute but wont say so
mathtans
Heh. I'd forgotten about that moment. It was nice too.
Iris probably kept the clothes in case Corrina changed her mind.
RebelVampire
tbf where would the clothes go otherwise?
its a 3 building colony that doesnt sell anything according to iris XD
mathtans
Maybe someone will offload some dept store dummies.
Superjustinbros
oh boy we got ships in this comic? owo
mathtans
We can ship Joe with one of the dummies.
Knytt
Iris think she's cute. pay attention to the phrasing: https://asteroid8082.com/comic/chapter-3-page-7/
mathtans
Finally a cute girl.
Good point there.
Incidentally, I wonder if 8082 has any particular significance.
RebelVampire
look at that ship sail
Knytt
the number 8082? hmm, not a lot
Superjustinbros
space ships
ba da ching
Knytt
I wanted it to be like "there are a lot of other asteroids; it's not important enough to have a name"
RebelVampire
that is the impression i got. that it was just a no name number cause heck there be a lot of colonies and asteroids and stuff
mathtans
I wondered if there was some kind of filing system, like it was system 80 and they were on the 82nd rock or something.
Knytt
There is a system! Asteroid 8082 isn't the 8082nd asteroid.
RebelVampire
the 82nd rock from the sun
Knytt
the 8 at the beginning is the number designation for that charter
so that's right!
There are 8 charters. think I mentioned that... so there are no asteroids in the 9000's
RebelVampire
interesting
https://asteroid8082.com/comic/chapter-4-bonus-2/ off topic but before i forget, i really liked this bonus comic. it was nice to see that there was kind of no reasonable expectation for the kids to fix it. and it more seems like adults being adults and just wanting the kids out of their hair so they can work.
Superjustinbros
Yeah.
mathtans
Ahh, that makes sense.
Yeah, that extra comic was fun, but I think in part because they were keen on the outcome too. Happy ending all around.
(Until they learn of the crash.)
RebelVampire
yeah i was kind of sad we didnt get to see them react to that
the adults
cause i bet that was a scolding about hovercraft safety
Knytt
I thought of making a bonus comic where Joe gets his hat back...
mathtans
Other ship: Joe and his hat.
It was nice that Iris cared about getting it back, when he couldn't seem to vocalize it.
Before the end, also want to mention that some of the science behind the scenes is cool. Like what happened when that hatch opened, I hadn't thought about that stuff.
RebelVampire
yeah i was a little surprised corrina was so cold hearted seeming about it. not that i didnt understand her point, just was surprised. especially considering corrina was the one who was like "lets make fruit cake for joe"
mathtans
Also the initial visual of walking away from the ship itself is interesting, what with wondering about being able to breathe.
I don't think Corrina was cold hearted, it was more, I'm busy trying to fly this thing, let's deal with that another time.
Superjustinbros
Anyways since the CTP is ending soon, I'd like to wish the authors luck on the rest of the comic- it's coming along great so far and the artstyle is amazing and well-drawn.
mathtans
Woohoo for bonus content.
Knytt
Thanks everyone for coming and talking!
mathtans
Thanks for creating!
Knytt
Oh, and if anyone's interested in that prequel story on Earth, it'll be in this kickstarter anthology (we just went live today!) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/386994989/planetside-anthology?ref=cbco55
RebelVampire
COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!
Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Will Quinn, as well, for making Asteroid 8082. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Will Quinn’s efforts however you’re able to~!
Read and Comment: https://asteroid8082.com/
Will Quinn’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/willquinnart
Will Quinn’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/willquinnart
#ctparchive#comics#webcomics#indie comics#comic chat#comic discussion#book club#bookclub#webcomic bookclub#webcomic book club#comic tea party#ctp#asteroid 8082#will quinn
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'I completely lost it': the movie scenes that made our writers weep
New Post has been published on https://writingguideto.com/must-see/i-completely-lost-it-the-movie-scenes-that-made-our-writers-weep-2/
'I completely lost it': the movie scenes that made our writers weep
From Toy Story 2 to Under the Skin, writers pick the cinematic moments that made them cry and explain why. Spoilers ahead
Aunt Lucys trip, Paddington 2
youtube
On the face of it, Paddington is a fairly broad kids film franchise about the hijinks of a CGI bear, and so probably shouldnt make a grown human cry hot, salty tears. But that description ignores the fact that Paddington is a really, really well-made kids film franchise about the hijinks of a CGI bear, one that completely gets the pathos of its central character, a little lost immigrant searching for something resembling a family. Both films ably tug at the heartstrings, but the second film got me sniffling as early as 15 minutes in when Paddington imagines giving his only living relative, Aunt Lucy, a tour around London, something that in reality is impossible as shes stuck thousands of miles away in darkest Peru. When at the end of the film spoiler alert Aunt Lucy arrives on the Brown familys doorstep and she and Paddington hug, I completely, unapologetically lost it. Lord knows what surprises Paddington 3 has planned for my tear ducts. GM
When She Loved Me, Toy Story 2
youtube
Just before writing this, I put When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 on YouTube once again, just to check. Yep. Just as always, I choke up, in the same abject, lip-wobbling, head-bowed way. It still has that terrible power.
When She Loved Me is the song written by Randy Newman and sung by the devastated toy cowgirl Jessie and in fact performed, beautifully, on the soundtrack by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan. The song is Jessies way of telling Woody why she has grimly decided to submit to the airless world of the toy museum, because it is better than the inevitable heartbreak and delusion of loving a fickle human child. She reveals her anguish that her owner, Emily, has fallen out of love with her outgrown her, in fact. As Emily entered the world of adolescence, pop music and boys, Jessie was left under the bed and finally dumped.
When I first saw this scene and misled by the size disparity between toy and owner I thought it was a parable for a childs anxiety over being abandoned by the parent. But now that I am a parent I can see the truth which is completely the opposite way around. It is about the parents fear of being abandoned by the child: the terrible fear, actually the terrible certainty, that the kid one day wont want to play with you. They will grow up and want something else. This song is utterly devastating. It is modern cinemas equivalent of the Vesti La Giubba aria from Pagliacci the tragic clown smiling on the outside but crying on the inside. Im afraid to watch it too often. I dont want to break down over and over again. But I also want to preserve its power over me. PB
Ruths death, Fried Green Tomatoes
youtube
In many respects, Fried Green Tomatoes is not a movie for the modern age. It is a story about racism in the deep south told largely by way of eliciting our sympathies for wealthy white characters; it is a story about a lesbian relationship that had to slide its lesbian relationship in unnoticed, by presenting it as a very close friendship fulfilled by food fights, poker games and heads leaning meaningfully on shoulders. But I am deeply fond of this 1991 Sunday afternoon classic. Ive seen it more times than is healthy, and so I know exactly what is coming and when, and yet am still unable to resist the inevitable guttural sobbing that comes with the death scene.
There are plenty of teasers for it, too: Buddy on the train tracks, even Mrs Threadgoode talking about the death of her adult son. Nothing, however, can prepare the viewer for Ruth asking Idgie to tell her the old story about the frozen lake thats now somewhere over in Georgia. It doesnt so much pull on heartstrings as play a full symphony on them, and its devastating. As Sipsey puts it, a lady always knows when to leave. RN
The rooftop dance, Eat Pray Love
youtube
While I was repelled by the mere existence of the Eat Pray Love book, I found something strangely charming about its big-screen translation. It was a mixture of glossy food porn, glossy travel porn and glossy Julia Roberts emoting porn (she remains one of the best fake criers in Hollywood) all wrapped up in a rather unique tale of a woman trying to unshackle herself from the men in her life. But while that all provided mostly surface-level enjoyment, one scene cut deeper and the extent to which it cuts surprises me still.
As is often with the case with movie tears, these were tied to a real-world experience that had happened not long before I sat down to watch. I was dumped by a long-term boyfriend without much of an explanation and without any sort of warning. I was heartbroken and seeking some form of closure that was kept cruelly out of reach. I didnt understand why it had happened and it was the not knowing that felt harder than the break-up itself.
In the film, Roberts character has left her flighty husband and remains haunted by the heartbreak shes caused. On a rooftop in Delhi, a vision of him appears and they dance to Neil Youngs heart-grabbing Harvest Moon, the song that was supposed to accompany their first wedding dance. She reminds him that she did love him. He tells her he still loves and misses her. They cry and continue to dance. At the end, she tells him that it wont last forever, nothing does. Its a short scene but it hit me like a bus, it still does now. My tears are for the film but theyre also for something deeper: the sting of loving someone who stopped loving me and the ache of an ending I was never allowed in real life. BL
The thunderstorm, Click
youtube
Adam Sandler can make me cry harder than hes ever made me laugh, the true test of a clown. Yes, even in the underappreciated comedy Click about a dad who finds a magical remote control in the Beyond section of Bed Bath & Beyond.
Sandlers workaholic architect fast-forwards through the worst parts of his day the dull weeknight frozen dinners with his family, the repetitive arguments, the gross times everyone gets knocked out by the flu in order to get to his next promotion so he can buy his kids whatever they want. His plan doesnt go well, of course. But whats shocking is how gut-rippingly painful it is to see Sandler hit play on his life only to realize hes skipped past everything that matters. His bodys been present, the bills have been paid, but his emotional engagements been staticky a trade-off too many of us can understand.
In the climax, old man Sandler sobs in a thunderstorm as he arrives at his daughters wedding only to learn shed rather her stepdad walk her down the aisle, and his son has grown up to mimic his job-first, family-second example. I rarely cry at unavoidable tragedies where no ones at fault. My weakness is characters regretting choices they cant rewind. Click isnt Ingmar Bergman Sandler gets a happy ending but I barely saw his relief through the rainstorm on my face. AN
The courtroom, Kramer vs Kramer
youtube
By all accounts, Robert Bentons film Kramer vs Kramer skews heavily toward Dustin Hoffmans Ted, whose wife Joanna has left him and their six-year-old son Billy. Billy and Ted make french toast together, or argue about eating ice cream before dinner, or visit the nearby jungle gym. Were it not for Meryl Streep and the trenchant, intuitive way she humanizes a woman who, in the 70s, would have otherwise been made to seem mawkish and unstable Kramer vs Kramer might be just a schmaltzy panegyric on fatherhood.
But leave it to our greatest living actor to turn a film on its head with a single scene. You know the one: Joanna, during the custody hearing, is subjected to a string of sexist questions about her failure as a wife and a mother. When asked why shes seeking custody of Billy, she blinks three times, beginning the monologue Streep herself wrote in an effort to redeem her character, who she initially perceived to be an ogre, a princess, an ass.
Billys only seven years old. He needs me, she says, reciting the word need with a whispery uptick as she glances at her ex. Im not saying he doesnt need his father. But I really believe he needs me more. After catching her breath, she becomes more emphatic: I was his mommy for five and a half years. Since I was about Billys age when my parents got divorced, ergo, too young to understand or even care, Ive always been astonished and, by proxy, moved by how compassionately Streep plumbs the depths of Joannas truth. JN
The beach, Under the Skin
youtube
Little focuses the mind more effectively on human distress than the arrival of your own kids; scenes in films which I might once have snoozed through now induce boggle-eyed terror OH MY GOD, DONT LEAVE THAT BABY NEAR THAT COFFEE TABLE, IT HASNT GOT A CORNER PROTECTOR! But nothing has topped at least, not yet the scene in Under the Skin where Scarlett Johansson murders a swimmer and drags him off to eat him.
Its not the murder thats so epically upsetting, though its gruesome enough: Johansson, playing an alien visitor permanently on the lookout for human nutrients, simply bangs him over the head with a large stone as he lies prone and exhausted on the beach. Its what goes on in the background that is so awful. A woman goes into the water to try and rescue her drowning dog, and her male partner instinctively rushes in after her, leaving their toddler alone high on the shore. Johanssons chum the only other adult on this lonely Scottish beach goes to help too.
With the speed of falling dominoes, a nice little day out unravels: the mother and father are swept away to who knows where, and the alien takes her chance to acquire their would-be rescuer as a food source. Meanwhile, the suddenly abandoned kid is shrieking in terror as the night closes in. Another, less astute film-maker, might cap the scene with the alien scooping the kid up and adding him to her dinner menu, but what Glazer contrives is absolutely horrifying. Johansson-alien simply ignores it, and leaves it alone. The film moves on, this incident consigned to the past.
I have to confess I was absolutely blindsided by the scene; mostly, I think, because of the its sheer unexpectedness. I think I was gripped by a kind of internal hysteria: shock, hyperventilation, a feeling the back of my head might explode. (I cant say I actually cried though I may have, but in the confusion I cant really remember.) I certainly had to hold on to the seat to stop myself bolting out of the cinema then and there. I am aware theres a some degree of self-indulgence here: the fact that my daughter was about the same age as the kid in the film undoubtedly super-sensitised my reactions. But everyone has their weak spot; this is very much mine. AP
The birth, Cheaper by the Dozen 2
youtube
Cheaper by the Dozen 2, if you havent seen it you probably havent, why would you have? is the sequel to the remake of family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, and Im sure it was made because Steve Martin, the star of the franchise, needed to pay his mortgage. The main gist of the movie is that Martin and his wife, played by Bonnie Hunt, have 12 children who get into various japes. Its asinine. But during a time in my life when I was making a lot of transatlantic flights, Cheaper By the Dozen 2 was always an option on the British Airways seatback televisions, and one day I found, because of the frequency of my flights, I had watched all of the other films.
What choice did I have? At the climactic scene, where the oldest daughter, played by Piper Perabo, gives birth, and then names the baby after her father because he has shown her that there is no way to be a perfect parent, but a million ways to be a really good one, I cried so much the man sitting next to me regarded me with what appeared to be real concern. There may have not been enough cocktail napkins on the whole plane to dry my tears. Was it the recycled air? Was it the two miniature bottles of white wine? Or was it that a joyful childbirth scene can warm the cockles of even the coldest of hearts? JHE
The accidental reunion, Manchester by the Sea
youtube
Weve got a real talent for repression back in Massachusetts. Kenneth Lonergans searing Manchester by the Sea plays out a 15-minute drive from my childhood home and, true to life, the characters all struggle to articulate the perfect storms of emotion raging within them.
When Lee (Casey Affleck) has a chance encounter with his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams), the shared history between them is literally unspeakable. They sputter out fragments of sentences that act as a shorthand for vast reservoirs of guilt and self-loathing they cant bear to express, and because they know one another so intimately, they can intuit all the meaning they have to. Theyve both shoved a lot deep down inside just so they can look at themselves in the mirror, and when in the presence of the only other person on the planet who understands what theyve been through, some of it has to come out. Randi does most of the talking, inviting Lee to lunch so they can get some closure, and he ends the conversation by walking away. Shes ready to face her past and be fully present in the new life shes built for herself. Lee, a North Shore boy born and bred, feels more comfortable starting a bar fight as his form of therapy. CB
The hotel, Unrelated
youtube
Joanna Hoggs first film, Unrelated, has had something of a second life on account of being the debut of Tom Hiddleston, and set during a Tuscan summer, which means swimming pool, which means toplessness, and lots of it. Its nice to imagine the Loki-lovers streaming this masterpiece of English upper-middle-class excruciation. As its ending shows, specificity is no barrier to emotional oomph.
The story sees a woman in her early 40s, Anna (Kathryn Worth), holidaying with old friends and their teenage children. She finds she prefers the company of the kids, especially the charming Oakley (Hiddleston, then 26, playing eight years younger). The holiday implodes. Anna goes to stay at a grim airport hotel. Her friend visits, crossly wanting to know whats behind her behaviour. Anna explains that, quite recently, she thought she was pregnant but no, in fact, it was an early menopause. Shell never be able to have children. She sobs and bends double on the bed. It is shot in one take, from the middle distance, acted with a banal frankness which feels like eavesdropping.
When I saw it a decade back, it floored me: a twist I hadnt foreseen, a pain I could only imagine. A few years ago, I began consciously avoiding the film, fearful a similar fate awaited me. Now I can safely watch it again or, I thought I could, but Hogg is much too superb and mysterious a film-maker for that. It isnt simply the information which is terrible, it is the dreadful catharsis of its expression, coming after so much obfuscation. The stifle has gone; instead there is the most awful sadness. Buttoning up is often the bravest way. CS
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us
0 notes
Text
'I completely lost it': the movie scenes that made our writers weep
New Post has been published on https://writingguideto.com/must-see/i-completely-lost-it-the-movie-scenes-that-made-our-writers-weep/
'I completely lost it': the movie scenes that made our writers weep
From Toy Story 2 to Under the Skin, writers pick the cinematic moments that made them cry and explain why. Spoilers ahead
Aunt Lucys trip, Paddington 2
youtube
On the face of it, Paddington is a fairly broad kids film franchise about the hijinks of a CGI bear, and so probably shouldnt make a grown human cry hot, salty tears. But that description ignores the fact that Paddington is a really, really well-made kids film franchise about the hijinks of a CGI bear, one that completely gets the pathos of its central character, a little lost immigrant searching for something resembling a family. Both films ably tug at the heartstrings, but the second film got me sniffling as early as 15 minutes in when Paddington imagines giving his only living relative, Aunt Lucy, a tour around London, something that in reality is impossible as shes stuck thousands of miles away in darkest Peru. When at the end of the film spoiler alert Aunt Lucy arrives on the Brown familys doorstep and she and Paddington hug, I completely, unapologetically lost it. Lord knows what surprises Paddington 3 has planned for my tear ducts. GM
When She Loved Me, Toy Story 2
youtube
Just before writing this, I put When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 on YouTube once again, just to check. Yep. Just as always, I choke up, in the same abject, lip-wobbling, head-bowed way. It still has that terrible power.
When She Loved Me is the song written by Randy Newman and sung by the devastated toy cowgirl Jessie and in fact performed, beautifully, on the soundtrack by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan. The song is Jessies way of telling Woody why she has grimly decided to submit to the airless world of the toy museum, because it is better than the inevitable heartbreak and delusion of loving a fickle human child. She reveals her anguish that her owner, Emily, has fallen out of love with her outgrown her, in fact. As Emily entered the world of adolescence, pop music and boys, Jessie was left under the bed and finally dumped.
When I first saw this scene and misled by the size disparity between toy and owner I thought it was a parable for a childs anxiety over being abandoned by the parent. But now that I am a parent I can see the truth which is completely the opposite way around. It is about the parents fear of being abandoned by the child: the terrible fear, actually the terrible certainty, that the kid one day wont want to play with you. They will grow up and want something else. This song is utterly devastating. It is modern cinemas equivalent of the Vesti La Giubba aria from Pagliacci the tragic clown smiling on the outside but crying on the inside. Im afraid to watch it too often. I dont want to break down over and over again. But I also want to preserve its power over me. PB
Ruths death, Fried Green Tomatoes
youtube
In many respects, Fried Green Tomatoes is not a movie for the modern age. It is a story about racism in the deep south told largely by way of eliciting our sympathies for wealthy white characters; it is a story about a lesbian relationship that had to slide its lesbian relationship in unnoticed, by presenting it as a very close friendship fulfilled by food fights, poker games and heads leaning meaningfully on shoulders. But I am deeply fond of this 1991 Sunday afternoon classic. Ive seen it more times than is healthy, and so I know exactly what is coming and when, and yet am still unable to resist the inevitable guttural sobbing that comes with the death scene.
There are plenty of teasers for it, too: Buddy on the train tracks, even Mrs Threadgoode talking about the death of her adult son. Nothing, however, can prepare the viewer for Ruth asking Idgie to tell her the old story about the frozen lake thats now somewhere over in Georgia. It doesnt so much pull on heartstrings as play a full symphony on them, and its devastating. As Sipsey puts it, a lady always knows when to leave. RN
The rooftop dance, Eat Pray Love
youtube
While I was repelled by the mere existence of the Eat Pray Love book, I found something strangely charming about its big-screen translation. It was a mixture of glossy food porn, glossy travel porn and glossy Julia Roberts emoting porn (she remains one of the best fake criers in Hollywood) all wrapped up in a rather unique tale of a woman trying to unshackle herself from the men in her life. But while that all provided mostly surface-level enjoyment, one scene cut deeper and the extent to which it cuts surprises me still.
As is often with the case with movie tears, these were tied to a real-world experience that had happened not long before I sat down to watch. I was dumped by a long-term boyfriend without much of an explanation and without any sort of warning. I was heartbroken and seeking some form of closure that was kept cruelly out of reach. I didnt understand why it had happened and it was the not knowing that felt harder than the break-up itself.
In the film, Roberts character has left her flighty husband and remains haunted by the heartbreak shes caused. On a rooftop in Delhi, a vision of him appears and they dance to Neil Youngs heart-grabbing Harvest Moon, the song that was supposed to accompany their first wedding dance. She reminds him that she did love him. He tells her he still loves and misses her. They cry and continue to dance. At the end, she tells him that it wont last forever, nothing does. Its a short scene but it hit me like a bus, it still does now. My tears are for the film but theyre also for something deeper: the sting of loving someone who stopped loving me and the ache of an ending I was never allowed in real life. BL
The thunderstorm, Click
youtube
Adam Sandler can make me cry harder than hes ever made me laugh, the true test of a clown. Yes, even in the underappreciated comedy Click about a dad who finds a magical remote control in the Beyond section of Bed Bath & Beyond.
Sandlers workaholic architect fast-forwards through the worst parts of his day the dull weeknight frozen dinners with his family, the repetitive arguments, the gross times everyone gets knocked out by the flu in order to get to his next promotion so he can buy his kids whatever they want. His plan doesnt go well, of course. But whats shocking is how gut-rippingly painful it is to see Sandler hit play on his life only to realize hes skipped past everything that matters. His bodys been present, the bills have been paid, but his emotional engagements been staticky a trade-off too many of us can understand.
In the climax, old man Sandler sobs in a thunderstorm as he arrives at his daughters wedding only to learn shed rather her stepdad walk her down the aisle, and his son has grown up to mimic his job-first, family-second example. I rarely cry at unavoidable tragedies where no ones at fault. My weakness is characters regretting choices they cant rewind. Click isnt Ingmar Bergman Sandler gets a happy ending but I barely saw his relief through the rainstorm on my face. AN
The courtroom, Kramer vs Kramer
youtube
By all accounts, Robert Bentons film Kramer vs Kramer skews heavily toward Dustin Hoffmans Ted, whose wife Joanna has left him and their six-year-old son Billy. Billy and Ted make french toast together, or argue about eating ice cream before dinner, or visit the nearby jungle gym. Were it not for Meryl Streep and the trenchant, intuitive way she humanizes a woman who, in the 70s, would have otherwise been made to seem mawkish and unstable Kramer vs Kramer might be just a schmaltzy panegyric on fatherhood.
But leave it to our greatest living actor to turn a film on its head with a single scene. You know the one: Joanna, during the custody hearing, is subjected to a string of sexist questions about her failure as a wife and a mother. When asked why shes seeking custody of Billy, she blinks three times, beginning the monologue Streep herself wrote in an effort to redeem her character, who she initially perceived to be an ogre, a princess, an ass.
Billys only seven years old. He needs me, she says, reciting the word need with a whispery uptick as she glances at her ex. Im not saying he doesnt need his father. But I really believe he needs me more. After catching her breath, she becomes more emphatic: I was his mommy for five and a half years. Since I was about Billys age when my parents got divorced, ergo, too young to understand or even care, Ive always been astonished and, by proxy, moved by how compassionately Streep plumbs the depths of Joannas truth. JN
The beach, Under the Skin
youtube
Little focuses the mind more effectively on human distress than the arrival of your own kids; scenes in films which I might once have snoozed through now induce boggle-eyed terror OH MY GOD, DONT LEAVE THAT BABY NEAR THAT COFFEE TABLE, IT HASNT GOT A CORNER PROTECTOR! But nothing has topped at least, not yet the scene in Under the Skin where Scarlett Johansson murders a swimmer and drags him off to eat him.
Its not the murder thats so epically upsetting, though its gruesome enough: Johansson, playing an alien visitor permanently on the lookout for human nutrients, simply bangs him over the head with a large stone as he lies prone and exhausted on the beach. Its what goes on in the background that is so awful. A woman goes into the water to try and rescue her drowning dog, and her male partner instinctively rushes in after her, leaving their toddler alone high on the shore. Johanssons chum the only other adult on this lonely Scottish beach goes to help too.
With the speed of falling dominoes, a nice little day out unravels: the mother and father are swept away to who knows where, and the alien takes her chance to acquire their would-be rescuer as a food source. Meanwhile, the suddenly abandoned kid is shrieking in terror as the night closes in. Another, less astute film-maker, might cap the scene with the alien scooping the kid up and adding him to her dinner menu, but what Glazer contrives is absolutely horrifying. Johansson-alien simply ignores it, and leaves it alone. The film moves on, this incident consigned to the past.
I have to confess I was absolutely blindsided by the scene; mostly, I think, because of the its sheer unexpectedness. I think I was gripped by a kind of internal hysteria: shock, hyperventilation, a feeling the back of my head might explode. (I cant say I actually cried though I may have, but in the confusion I cant really remember.) I certainly had to hold on to the seat to stop myself bolting out of the cinema then and there. I am aware theres a some degree of self-indulgence here: the fact that my daughter was about the same age as the kid in the film undoubtedly super-sensitised my reactions. But everyone has their weak spot; this is very much mine. AP
The birth, Cheaper by the Dozen 2
youtube
Cheaper by the Dozen 2, if you havent seen it you probably havent, why would you have? is the sequel to the remake of family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, and Im sure it was made because Steve Martin, the star of the franchise, needed to pay his mortgage. The main gist of the movie is that Martin and his wife, played by Bonnie Hunt, have 12 children who get into various japes. Its asinine. But during a time in my life when I was making a lot of transatlantic flights, Cheaper By the Dozen 2 was always an option on the British Airways seatback televisions, and one day I found, because of the frequency of my flights, I had watched all of the other films.
What choice did I have? At the climactic scene, where the oldest daughter, played by Piper Perabo, gives birth, and then names the baby after her father because he has shown her that there is no way to be a perfect parent, but a million ways to be a really good one, I cried so much the man sitting next to me regarded me with what appeared to be real concern. There may have not been enough cocktail napkins on the whole plane to dry my tears. Was it the recycled air? Was it the two miniature bottles of white wine? Or was it that a joyful childbirth scene can warm the cockles of even the coldest of hearts? JHE
The accidental reunion, Manchester by the Sea
youtube
Weve got a real talent for repression back in Massachusetts. Kenneth Lonergans searing Manchester by the Sea plays out a 15-minute drive from my childhood home and, true to life, the characters all struggle to articulate the perfect storms of emotion raging within them.
When Lee (Casey Affleck) has a chance encounter with his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams), the shared history between them is literally unspeakable. They sputter out fragments of sentences that act as a shorthand for vast reservoirs of guilt and self-loathing they cant bear to express, and because they know one another so intimately, they can intuit all the meaning they have to. Theyve both shoved a lot deep down inside just so they can look at themselves in the mirror, and when in the presence of the only other person on the planet who understands what theyve been through, some of it has to come out. Randi does most of the talking, inviting Lee to lunch so they can get some closure, and he ends the conversation by walking away. Shes ready to face her past and be fully present in the new life shes built for herself. Lee, a North Shore boy born and bred, feels more comfortable starting a bar fight as his form of therapy. CB
The hotel, Unrelated
youtube
Joanna Hoggs first film, Unrelated, has had something of a second life on account of being the debut of Tom Hiddleston, and set during a Tuscan summer, which means swimming pool, which means toplessness, and lots of it. Its nice to imagine the Loki-lovers streaming this masterpiece of English upper-middle-class excruciation. As its ending shows, specificity is no barrier to emotional oomph.
The story sees a woman in her early 40s, Anna (Kathryn Worth), holidaying with old friends and their teenage children. She finds she prefers the company of the kids, especially the charming Oakley (Hiddleston, then 26, playing eight years younger). The holiday implodes. Anna goes to stay at a grim airport hotel. Her friend visits, crossly wanting to know whats behind her behaviour. Anna explains that, quite recently, she thought she was pregnant but no, in fact, it was an early menopause. Shell never be able to have children. She sobs and bends double on the bed. It is shot in one take, from the middle distance, acted with a banal frankness which feels like eavesdropping.
When I saw it a decade back, it floored me: a twist I hadnt foreseen, a pain I could only imagine. A few years ago, I began consciously avoiding the film, fearful a similar fate awaited me. Now I can safely watch it again or, I thought I could, but Hogg is much too superb and mysterious a film-maker for that. It isnt simply the information which is terrible, it is the dreadful catharsis of its expression, coming after so much obfuscation. The stifle has gone; instead there is the most awful sadness. Buttoning up is often the bravest way. CS
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us
0 notes