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silver-wield · 4 years

Note

If you don't yet have an analysis of when Cloud saves Tifa from the collapsing staircase, I'd like to hear it!

Sorry this one took awhile, Nonny, I was gonna do it yesterday, but I got super tired and then I was gonna do it earlier but I got pissed off and had to walk away from the internet before I threw my computer through a window.

So, the collapsing staircase aka the cloti hand grab. Bring it!

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be long and awesome! Because I saw things and I have suspicions!

Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.

You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Please check my master post to see if I've already covered your question, thanx

Let's mosey!

Recap time!

Let's backtrack a tiny bit first. Cloud's making his way up the pillar, had his bro moment with Biggs – damn you Square – and he's heading up to where Barret is on the top level.

Reno and Rude are in their chopper, throwing shade at Shinra while doing their jobs. I love how idgaf Reno is during this bit. Like, honey, you not even trying.

As Cloud comes into view on the staircase, Reno spots him and it's time for revenge! Nothing personal, bitch!

Ok, nothing very special here. SOLDIER!Cloud taking a look about for whatever resources he has to hand – none – and we've got Reno in the background waiting for him to get in range. (Yall also almost ended up with my gif of Nyx Ulric loool he pretty but Cloud’s prettier)

Reno's impatient. He fusses with the joy stick, drums his fingers, then puts his arms behind his head. The fact he's done this last move suggests he has no doubt he'll be gunning Cloud down sooner or later. We can see Rude keeping his eyes front – you can just catch the direction of his gaze behind the left lens of his sunglasses.

HOLY SHIT! Rude blinked! Like several times in quick succession! (gotta slow the frames down to 0.25 to catch it btw) Now, this could be nothing since Rude is very hard to read and has even smaller micro-expressions than Cloud does, but when someone blinks like that it usually means they recognise the person they're looking at. He's seen Tifa running up the stairs. I don't know why he might recognise her, aside from having a headcanon about it, but I'm telling you, I saw him do several rapid blinks when he caught sight of her, then draw Reno's attention to her. His eyes behind those sunglasses are ever so slightly wider than usual btw. It's really hard to see, but there seems to be a definite look of “I know you” about him.

Reno shooting at her might have been a mistake on Rude’s part. He could have forgotten himself in that moment of recognition and didn't mean to direct Reno to a new target. That would explain why he pulled away from the attack and made up an excuse about his hand slipping.

This makes me excited to find out if Rude knows her and what the deal is with that OG crush. My headcanon? He's a former student of Zangan too and helped get Tifa to Midgar when she was injured. She doesn't remember it since she was at death's door for most of the trip. I saw a bit saying Zangan had to use a lot of healing materia on her and she stayed in the hospital too, so it's reasonable she wouldn't recall Rude. But, we don't know for sure yet, which is why headcanon.

Still exciting though!

Cloud's heard footsteps on the stairwell, so turns to see who it is and you can just catch a glimpse of Tifa appearing through the metal slats. This is the first time Cloud spots her. The camera then pans up to the helicopter again where Reno prepares to shoot Tifa.

I don't wanna say for sure that Rude's jaw clenched here. The lighting is suspect because of the angle it strikes his face. He did something. I noticed something, but it's so utterly subtle I can't tell what. He either clenched his jaw for a brief second or his lips firmed, again for a brief second. It's probably easier to catch if you slow the frames down then don't look at Rude and rely on your peripheral vision to see it. That's how I end up replaying things a million times because I saw something and then have to spend half an hour trying to find it again lol

Reno definitely smirked, I caught that no problem.

So yeah, moving on from Rude's super micro-expressions, before Reno's even finished speaking he's pulling the helicopter away from Tifa. Like, Reno's still saying “bullets” when it happens. That's a very snap decision, especially with how fast Reno talks usually. And the entire time Reno's speaking Rude is looking at Tifa. I mean, he's expressionless – he could give Cloud lessons – but there's also emotion coming from him. I kinda feel a bit sad looking at him in this screen.

Guess we'll get more Rude backstory in part 2!

Reno bangs his head and I always laugh at that part. Get rekt!

Cloud's all da fuq? since it's so very obvious Reno was lined up to shoot and then suddenly not. But there's no time to think about why because Tifa's still running up the stairs.

Omg I'm so good I even impress myself sometimes! Check either side of the screen. Tifa at one edge and Cloud at the other, already in motion to save her as the first bullets from Reno's miss start destroying the staircase. You could not get closer to the start of this catch!

Tifa's foot is on the second step here. That's not even a second after the last screen. Her sub isn't even fully solid that's how soon she yelled for Cloud. Going by common sense, the staircase is collapsing to her right and she needs to get up another 12 steps? In a couple of seconds? Yeah, she knew that wasn't happening. She needed him. I question how she knew he was there. She couldn't see him from where she was. Maybe she guessed the chopper was shooting at him, but it could've been anyone from Avalanche. She's not looking up the stairs, her eyes are at her feet.

I think she yelled for Cloud because that's who she wanted. Like Aerith said to follow her heart, Tifa's heart cried out for Cloud when she was in danger.

Well, if that isn't a look of surprise right there. She really didn't expect him to be right there at that moment. She was screaming for him, hoping he'd save her and there he was. Her face goes from this tense “I'm about to die” look, to this wide eyed shock that there he is, right in front of her, reaching for her. Right when she needed him most. If he wasn't there she'd have been shot and the last thing she said would've been his name. That's how important it is that she screamed for him there. It wasn't that she knew he was waiting for her. She didn't know he was there at all. She just wanted him to be the one to save her so desperately and he came through.

So I bet a lot of people have looked at this so romantically that he's reaching for her. Hell yeah in a way, but what makes it even better is when you remember you're looking at Cloud through Tifa's eyes. This is how she sees Cloud looking at her in this moment, all heroic and brave and just right there for her. That confident stance, totally out from behind any kind of cover, just waiting and reaching for her. It's funny she never calls him a hero in the game, except as a motivator at the end when he's dangling off a building, because he absolutely is pulling off the hero moment here. She called his name and he appeared to save her. It's exactly how she said during their promise.

He is taking her hand. That's his fingers wrapping around hers, while hers lay open against his palm. She is the passive party in this hold, while Cloud is the active one. She could've mutually grabbed him, but she didn't. This is him saving her. This is not an equal grab. This is Cloud grabbing Tifa. Only after his fingers close over her hand do hers do the same back.

Cloud backs up, dragging Tifa up the last of the stairs to safety, while keeping himself safe as well. There, he spins her around and puts his free hand on her back, while keeping hold of her other hand in his. He doesn't let her go at all during that move. In fact, you can also see that Tifa now has both hands on Cloud. The one he took is still holding his and she's put her other hand on his arm. She was likely very scared during that moment he saved her and she's holding onto him as an anchor to feel safe. Cloud saved her and she feels safe with him.

Cloud's expression is wary and alert, since he's focused on the danger, while Tifa's is scared. Just because she can fight, doesn't make her a fighter.

Cloud lets got of Tifa's hand so he can lean out from behind their safe spot and check on the danger, but he's left his other hand on her back. During this moment, Tifa actually leans back which would increase that contact.

Her face is quite blurred since we're focusing on Cloud in the foreground, but her expression seems to hint at a “thank god I have you” look.

Oh look, the camera refocused. Definitely a “thank god I have you” look, not to mention the tears in her eyes. She was terrified.

Also, that hand is still on her back.

But, she can't be weak in front of Cloud. She wants to prove she's his equal, that she doesn't need a hero. She just wants him. I mean, before he turns to look at her, she's staring at him like he set the stars in the sky for her.

As he takes his hand off her back and pulls out his “what the hell?” line, which is clearly him mad at her for being so reckless and almost dying on him, she gives him a brave smile and puts on her own persona as someone who can totally handle all this chaos. Scared? Tifa? Noooo.

She says “nice catch” all casual like she wasn't petrified and screaming his name less than thirty seconds ago and he is not impressed by this one bit. He's unconvinced Tifa's as blasé about this as she's acting, which is why he continues to challenge her. Which isn’t the first time he’s done it. He doesn’t let her bullshit him.

Basically, she's trying to be brave and support him, but he doesn't want her to put herself in danger because he wants to protect her. They're both trying to prove they're worthy of each other and doing stupid shit in the process.

This is actually a very good moment for them because we know Cloud pretty much does whatever Tifa wants because he wants to make her happy, but this shows he's not above arguing with her or challenging her when she's being reckless and endangering herself. He's not got her on a pedestal. She's not some unobtainable dream woman. She's real to him and he feels comfortable getting mad and showing negative emotions to her. That's why he can call her crazy without worrying it'll sour her opinion of him.

Remember, Tifa is non-confrontational by nature. She doesn't like fighting and will usually agree or let things go for the sake of an easy life. But, she disagrees with Cloud or tells him off several times throughout the game. This shows she's comfortable having confrontations with him. She's not worried about upsetting him and being rejected during a typical interaction. She worries about scaring him away when she’s unsure he’ll stay, but once he’s said he’ll stick around she relaxes and doesn’t seem as worried about him leaving her. It was only when she tried to move their relationship from friendship to more during alone at last that she worried about rejection.

Tifa accepts Cloud's feelings, even the negative ones and deals with them in a mature way. She doesn't dismiss him or ignore how he feels. She just relates her feelings to his and points out that he's still going up the pillar, so she will too. She wants to stay by his side. Her heart led her to him. If he's going, then so is she. Her expression is earnest here. There's nothing more than what she says. She's not leaving. Nothing can change her mind.

OK WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, RUDE?! DO YOU KNOW TIFA?!

He swallowed! His mouth tensed and he swallowed! Lips pulled down. Behind those sunglasses I caught movement. There's definitely something going on with Rude here and it's something that Reno doesn't know about since he doesn't recognise Tifa and he has no idea why Rude did that.

Ok, one last quick shot of yet more unnecessary touching between Cloud and Tifa. Why is he doing that? Literally to keep her within arm's reach. She said she's not leaving, so he's gonna keep her safe no matter what. To do that, he needs to know exactly how far away from him she is. Also, he wants to touch her lol

Conclusion

Well, there was lots of good stuff hidden in there and I'm even more convinced that Rude knows Tifa after I caught some of his micro-expressions. I'm excited to see if it's true in part 2, but more so the fact that we're gonna get the Turks characters' fleshed out compared to OG. We've already learned that Reno while not giving a fuck, also actually really gives a fuck. I love him. He's such a snarky butt.

But, this was about Cloud and Tifa, not Rude.

Yeah, she literally couldn't see him at any point when she was running up that staircase. She screamed his name because that's who she wanted in that moment to appear and save her. The surprise on her face is genuine. She didn't know he was there. Cloud's in full “I must save Tifa” mode, so it's real!Cloud motivating SOLDIER!Cloud to do what he doesn't think he's capable of. They then have a lover's spat about Tifa being reckless and show the healthy disagreement side to their relationship by not screaming and shouting at each other or being sarcastic – like Cloud is with someone else. While Cloud might not like Tifa going with, he understands her need to. She's also put it in terms that he can understand, but part of him is very unhappy about it, which is why in that last shot we see him with his hand on her arm ready to protect her at a moment's notice. He's not letting her out of sight or arm's reach.

It's some damn good solid relationship building from them during a tense moment.

#final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #scene analysis #hand catch #cloti #cloud/tifa #cloud strife #tifa lockheart #wtf is up with Rude tho

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izzyizumi · 4 years

Video

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Digimon Adventures ~ x Kagerou Project “ Otsukimi Recital ” [ Moon-Viewing Recital ] AMV [ music ( C ) Jin, singer: IA / Vocaloid ] ( K@gepros [subbed] video for Comparing: watch here ! ) featuring DUO/SHIP: Taichi Yagami [“Tai Kamiya”] x Koushiro(u) Izumi [“Izzy Izumi”] [Taishiro(u)]

PAST AMVS / VIDEO EDITS IN THIS SERIES: Kagerou Daze (Heat-Haze Daze) / Children Record [+Adv Chosen] / RED / Additional Memory and Imaginary Reload music edits for KageDaze / Days (short edit) / Lost Time Memory / Yesterday Evening / Summertime Record / Shounen Brave [+Jou] / Outer Science [+Villains] / Headphone Actor (short edit) / DAZE (short version / TV Size OP) / KOUSHIROS ? CYBER JOURNEY [+Maki] / Brave Heart x Kaien Panzermast [+Chosen Children] / Night Tales Deceive [Yobanashi Deceive] / [KOUSHIRO’S] Imaginary World / Mekakushi Code [Blindfold Code] [+Yamato&Sora&Adv Chosen] / Ultramarine Rain [+Mrs Yoshie Izumi; Izumis] / Imagination Forest [+Mimi&Jou] / Transparent Answer [TaiKou+Meiko] / Jinzou Enemy [Artificial Enemy] / DEAD and SEEK (short edit) / Headphone Actor (Full version Preview) REPEATVERSE/EXTENDED STORY INTRODUCTION: HERE ( *note: extended summary contains some spoilers for the fic ) [ however, it also explains the worldbuilding involved and plot setup ! ] ( * It’s ok to start on/only watch this current AMV ! ) [ *You may understand the story/implied timeline of things better if you begin from my “Kagerou Daze” AMV, though it’s also not required! “Children Record” is also recommended as a starting point/upbeat song! ]

Basic Summary of This Video:

{ NOTE : PLEASE read my FAQ and “about” sections BEFORE interacting directly with me, my contents / fanworks / this series, or my blog !! ! } { IF YOU IGNORE THIS WARNING AND I NOTICE ( UPON VETTING YOUR BLOG ), YOU WILL LIKELY BE HARDBLOCKED. DON’T DO IT } { IF YOU FIT ANYTHING IN MY DNI, THESE CONTENTS ARE NOT FOR YOU !!! }

part of my Taishiro [Taichi x Koushiro] REPEAT?_ ficverse (please note any and all notes/trigger warnings for said ficverse!!) [seriously, please note the warnings, the plot is kinda heavy] (please note any and all warnings for K@gepro’s plot too if you look into that!!) - no, it’s NOT a direct parody (but v[ERY] inspired) (if you can’t tell) - watching it in HIGH(ER) QUALITY at the original Youtube link is encouraged! - to do so, go to the original youtube link, click “HD” button, then “ 1080p ” !

{ Additional note: this post/fanworks series is mainly intended TAICHI x KOUSHIRO [Taishiro], please remember + respect this when interacting please tag ONLY as “Taishiro” for ship and not just “brotp” or the like, thank you! } [ * it is ok to tag as “friendship” along WITH the ship name ! ] { * I don’t mind if others have differing LGBTQIAPN+ headcanons for them, please simply respect mine ! }

- short version of implied story/plot of this series: T I M E L O O P S - Tri ( and as of lately, um, KIZUNA [AUs?] ??? ) is here because … ah... - let’s just say it’s probably AT LEAST ONE part of the “start” of it all ah - KOUSHIRO IZUMI VOICE : ( ‘ W H Y ’ ) - DO THEY MAKE IT TO THE END - @ TAICHI & KOUSHIRO, ARE YOU SURE YOU /WANT/ TO ——-

- TBH HOW MUCH do KOUSHIRO or TAICHI even REALLY REMEMBER - MUCH LESS THE REST OF THEM - who even knows after a certain point anymore - timeloops are fun !! ! ! ( this particular AMV also explains SOME of it … )

Spoiler warnings for Tri / Kizuna / DigiAdv 2020 scenes used + Further notes/warnings & LYRICS under ‘read more’!

A.M.V. Summary: - is it TAICHI HELPING KOUSHIRO or KOUSHIRO Helping ..... - WELL YOU GET THE IDEA BY NOW IT'S LIKELY ( BOTH ) - oh Tri!Taichi is Kinda here too ( BRIEFLY ) { AS AESTHETICS } ( PLOT RELEVANT THOUGH ) ;;;; - tbh there's some too-slow scenes here I wanna Replace later if I remake this but ( wHEN WE GET MORE INTERACTIONS ) { HOPEFULLY }

LYRICS PREVIEW: (if you click the ‘lyrics’ link and ‘English translation’ tab on that Wiki, full lyrics there as well!):

" OH , WHATEVER I DO NOW , IT’S ALL P O I N T L E S S "; I SAW YOUR DISTRESSED FACE , And I knew just saying " DON’T GIVE UP !!! " WASN’T GOING TO CUT IT !!!!

FEELING BLUE IN THE SUNLIGHT , I’M GENUINELY CONCERNED FOR YOU! YOUR EYES GET WATERY, " I’M SURE IT’S NO USE FOR A WEAKLING LIKE ME ..... "

FEELING BLUE IN THE EVENING , As THE SUNLIGHT is LOCKED AWAY , IN A MOMENT YOUR FACE LAMENTED , AND SOUNDLESS TEARS SPILLED AND F A D E D . . . THIS TERRIBLY SMALL WORLD BARES ITS BIG FANGS, THINKING " I WANTED US TO BE TOGETHER , " IT WEIGHTS DOWN ON YOUR HEART . . .

EVEN IF MY MEAGER WORDS CAN’T GET THROUGH ANYMORE , I WANT TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH ! " - I WANT TO HELP YOU. - PLEASE , GRANT MY { WISH } !! " " I BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU !!! " SAY IT LOUD AND MEAN IT !!! " IT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT HOPELESS !! IF YOU { WISH } FOR IT , YOU’LL M E E T AGAIN !! " TAKING A GREAT BIG BREATH , YOU TIMIDLY FACED THE DISTANT M O O N , AND SHOUTED , " I’LL GIVE IT A SHOT !!! " ... Did THAT sound kinda " COOL ? " * " ... I / GUESS / " !!

* TAICHI VOICE “ SUGOI ” !!! = {COOL / AWESOME / AMAZING} { GIF BY ME } { PLEASE DON’T REPOST } { Thank you !!! }

[ Note: commenting/tagging positively/respectfully is ok !! ]

FULL LYRICS: [ VERSE 1 ] " OH , WHATEVER I DO NOW , IT’S ALL P O I N T L E S S "; I SAW YOUR DISTRESSED FACE , And I knew just saying " DON’T GIVE UP !!! " WASN’T GOING TO CUT IT !!!!FEELING BLUE IN THE SUNLIGHT , I’M GENUINELY CONCERNED FOR YOU! YOUR EYES GET WATERY, " I’M SURE IT’S NO USE FOR A WEAKLING LIKE ME ..... " " THEN YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR SPIRITS UP , Or else TOMORROW WILL DAZE YOU TOO !! " WITH THAT , I TAKE YOU ALONG , PERHAPS A LITTLE F O R C E F U L L Y ... " FEELING BLUE IN THE EVENING , As THE SUNLIGHT is LOCKED AWAY , IN A MOMENT YOUR FACE LAMENTED , AND SOUNDLESS TEARS SPILLED AND F A D E D . . . [ CHORUS 1 ] BUT I BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU ! SO WHY NOT LOOK AT WHAT’S AHEAD ? WHEN THINGS ARE TRULY H O P E L E S S , I’LL GIVE YOUR HEART THE SUPPORT ... IT NEEDS !!(?!) DON’T GIVE UP with " MIGHT AS WELL "s, That's a big NO-NO !! HEY , CAN’T WE GO AHEAD TOGETHER ?? LET’S DESTROY ALL THESE LONESOME FEELINGS ! [ VERSE 2 ] " I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON , " ... You say as you HOLD IN TEARS A G A I N , SIGHING ALL THE TIME and SHUTTING YOUR EYES ;

YIKES , this is DESPERATE ! [ INTERLUDE VERSE ] " IF YOU DON’T GIVE IT ALL YOU’VE GOT , YOUR MEMORIES WILL VANISH INTO YESTERDAY ! " So we DASH DOWN THE STREETS , No doubt AGAINST YOUR WILL (?) ... [ INTERLUDE VERSE 2 ] FEELING BLUE IN THE EVENING , As THE SUNLIGHT is LOCKED AWAY , IN A MOMENT YOUR FACE LAMENTED , AND SOUNDLESS TEARS SPILLED AND F A D E D ... [ CHORUS 2 ] THIS TERRIBLY SMALL WORLD BARES ITS BIG FANGS, THINKING " I WANTED US TO BE TOGETHER , " IT WEIGHTS DOWN ON YOUR HEART ... EVEN IF MY MEAGER WORDS CAN’T GET THROUGH ANYMORE , I WANT TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH ! " - I WANT TO HELP YOU. - PLEASE, GRANT MY { WISH } !! " [ FINAL CHORUS ] " I BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU !!! " SAY IT LOUD AND MEAN IT !!! " IT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT HOPELESS !! IF YOU { WISH } FOR IT , YOU’LL MEET AGAIN !! " TAKING A GREAT BIG BREATH , YOU TIMIDLY FACED THE DISTANT M O O N , AND SHOUTED , " I’LL GIVE IT A SHOT !!! " ... Did THAT sound kinda " COOL ? " " ... I / GUESS / " !! * SPOILERS / NOTES: this one is . Overall, Major Spoilers free but TINY scenes for: ( Bokura no Mirai ) an aesthetic shot of Taichi simply just, glaring - the background scenery kind of spoils a bit but not a Lot - ( Kokuhaku ) ending Taishiro interaction moments ( Kyousei ) not majorly spoilery Taishiro by campfire with Concerned!Taichi seeing Koushiro's face ( less spoilery Tri things ) just like an aesthetic shot of Taishiro being Silly { Saikai ; long before any battles }: ( Movie 1 near end ) TAICHI VOICE ' FOOD ' + ( from Movie 1 start ) aesthetic scenes of Tri!Taichi, at the lake Brooding + { early on from intro scenes } Lifting His Head ( Kizuna ) ONE shot of Taichi during a battle moment but not The Battle Scenes but it technically is because all he's doing is reaching out but you can see a tiny bit of context of What's Happening to him ( DigiAdv 2020 ) Eps 01~03 scenes & Ep 14 Sad!Koushiro moments yUP ok but this one is MOSTLY scenes from pre Tri Advs + DigiAdv 2020 /For Once/

{ PROBABLY THE BIGGEST SPOILERY MOMENT }: ( Tri ) Movie 6 / Bokura no Mirai - Taichi; Not Long Before The Ending except it's not The Ending Battle Scenes ( more specifically if you've already seen these in the past AMVs, you know it ) : when he's in . ( scroll for spoiler ) . . . the Capsule . . .

DISCLAIMERS re: the original K@gepros video: - the duo is Slightly Controversial in that fandom now because we were Not Given Aged Up Designs after nearly 10 years and Yeah No Comment on original duos status bUT ;;;;; IN GENERAL... IN GENERAL... MY FAV... CHARAS - Interlude before final chorus bit gore-y - POLES - TIMELOOPS SERIES

#taishiro #izzyizumi amvs #izzyizumi posts #repeat taishiro #taichi x koushiro #otp: shall we go together #amv: otsukimi recital #repeat adv taishiro #repeat tri taishiro #repeat kizuna taichi #repeat 2020 taishiro #repeat izumi family #repeat 2020 koushiro #(HAPPY ROSH HASHAN@H)#(IT IS ALSO SHABB@T)#(AND MY J.EWISH DADS' BIRTHDAY TOO)#(AND EVEN MAMORU HOSOD@s OF OUR WAR GAME TAISHIRO INTERACTIONS FAME all these in one day aHA)#(PLS ENJOY HAPPY!TAISHIRO AMV)#(A LOT OF THE FICVERSE AND PREVIOUS AMVs LEAD STRAIGHT TO THIS ONE)#(WOW A GOOD END ????)#(I TOLD YOU THEY'D GET GOOD THINGS TOO)#(ANYWAY yes it is My Dads Birthday so i need NICE THINGS Today)#(OH THERES ALSO THE NEW DIGIADV 2020 EP TONIGHT)#(OK BUT Pls @ my dash seriously PLS Stay Chill today and tonight Pls)#(I SPENT THE LAST FEW DAYS MAKING THIS SPECIFICALLY SO I COULD HAVE A GOOD DAY TODAY OK)

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stagedelight · 7 years

Note

Hi, I'm a big fan! As an aspiring actor, I was very interested to read your post about portraying different castes. Since I don't really have the resources to go to acting school right now, could you recommend some media where they get it right? Maybe also some examples of particularly funny ways actors get things wrong about playing other castes?

It would be my pleasure! :)

For good portrayals, if I had to pick three (and keeping myself to things which should be relatively easy to obtain), I think I’d choose:

1. If I Could Fly(You want the original, not the remake; they’re frequently mislabeled online, but if any of the reviews describe it as “heartwarming,” you’ve got the wrong one.)

The story centers around three women, each of whom has lost an infant – the yellow was a surrogate, the blue’s baby died, and the gray’s was taken away because she didn’t have a credit. It’s intended as a gentle exploration of variations in the grieving process, and while the different kinds of loss are central to that, there’s also thoughtful and sensitive portrayals of how caste plays into the nature and expression of grief.

This one is my top choice, both for its quality as a work of art, and for the threefold structure, which offers good opportunities to do the sort of comparing and contrasting I’ve talked about in previous posts.

2. Future Imperfect

Fair warning on this one: it’s not, as a TV show, very good.

It’s not painfully bad, either; just mediocre. I wouldn’t usually recommend it, but I wouldn’t feel compelled to go turn it off if I walked into a room where it was playing in the background. (I’m sure there are people who very much like it, and that’s fine; I’m terribly picky about TV and movies.)

Nevertheless, it has to make the list here. For some reason, while the producers couldn’t be bothered to come up with a halfway original concept (“poor hardworking purple and rich lazy blue fall in love at first sight”) or any kind of character development (no one ever changes) or more than the one plot they use in every single episode (they’re finally ready to tell the world about their love! oh no hilarious misunderstanding will they break up? no wait they made up in the last five minutes) – despite all that, for some inscrutable reason, they insisted on absolute realism in the portrayal of castes and of intercaste relationships.

So do your best to tune out the plot, and pay careful attention to the little details. Watch different people ordering coffee in the intro to the first episode: yes, of course you’ll be able to see Rich Lazy Blue is the love interest from a mile away, but the way he orders coffee compared to the orange before him or the green before her is absolutely impeccable. Similarly, you’ll want to pay attention to the episode in the second season where the two leads get lost in a yellow neighborhood. And there are a number of episodes in which the two families have to interact for one reason or another, all of which are worth watching.

3. After the Beep

This one’s a radio show, for a change of pace! Old episodes go up free online after thirty days, so there’s an archive of about a hundred now which anyone can access. It won’t help you with anything visual, of course, but it’s excellent material for studying speech patterns (which are easily overlooked – actors get careless and rely on the scriptwriters. But even the best scriptwriter can’t do your accent and intonation for you.)

The episodes are entirely composed of fictive messages left on the characters’ answering machines (hence the title). It’s a lovely twist on an epistolary format that makes brilliant use of the medium, and creates a mysterious, surreal atmosphere which is perfect for a narrative set in an eerie postapocalyptic world. (Do listen to the episodes in order; there aren’t big twists, exactly, but there’s a definite accumulation of information about the setting.)

Like If I Could Fly, this show would merit a recommendation if you were just looking for pleasure listening; but it also features excellent examples of different dialects and registers, including some belonging to demographics which are shamefully underrepresented in most media (rich rural purples! yellows in healthcare!) And because it’s so low-budget, and by nature features a lot of brief cameos, they were able to get actual members of the appropriate demographics for many of the briefer appearances; they weren’t going to reach anyone’s income cap.

Finally: bad portrayals are harder to avoid than come by, of course, but if you want something which had me giggling the entire time from the sheer magnitude of catastrophe, I’d recommend:

4. Adrift: First Fall

As the title suggests, it was meant to be the first movie in a quatrology; but (thankfully) that never came to pass, because literally no one has ever watched Adrift and come away thinking “gosh, we should make a sequel to that.” Also, hardly anyone has in fact watched Adrift; you’re most likely to recognize it from that one reaction gif of a cardboard tree falling over and hitting a blue on the head while he’s in the middle of proposing marriage. (Yes, that was in the final cut. No, it wasn’t intentional.)

I genuinely cannot describe what a catastrophe this movie is from beginning to end; exactly one actor who appears in it ever got hired for anything else, and that was the director’s daughter who was half a season old and appeared in one scene where they needed a baby. (She actually went on to a perfectly respectable career; I assume she doesn’t list Adrift on her resume.) The entire animation team quit the moment their contracts were up, and went off and started a rock band together. (It’s not a great band, but their music is still better than Adrift.)

Besides all the other ways Adrift is a disaster (the lead wore bunny slippers for all the filming, and they didn’t always manage to keep them off camera! the plot ends with half an hour left and so a new and completely unconnected plot starts and then after half an hour the movie ends without any kind of attempt to resolve it!), the attempts to portray different castes leave you wondering if the entire cast was composed of blind aliens who got “castes” confused with “ice cream flavors.” Words genuinely fail me; you’ll have to watch it for yourself. (Or, more prudently: don’t.)

#amenta rp #standard boilerplate: this is an in-character blog set in a fictional universe; it is filled with lies

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