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germanpostwarmodern · 6 months

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Chilehaus (1922-24) in Hamburg, Germany, by Fritz Höger. Photo by Carl Dransfeld.

#1920s #office building #brick expressionism #expressionist #architecture #germany #architektur #hamburg #fritz höger

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dashalbrundezimmer · 1 year

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bugenhagenkirche // barmbek süd

the mighty structure of the church made of clinker brick with its cubic shape, which ends in the enormous tower, dominates the street front. the only sculptural decoration are the larger-than-life ceramic figures of hamburg's reformers. in front of the building, one simply feels tiny and humble. i can imagine that this was also the intention of the builders, to show how small man is before god.

architect: emil heyen

completion: 1929

art in architecture by alphons ely, richard kuöhl & friedrich wield

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dlyarchitecture · 1 year

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#Best in class #Brickwork. Breslau Brick Expressionism

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lactoseintolerentswag · 7 months

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Rise Characterizations Pt. 4!!!!

Nearing an end with writing notes for turtles. Thinking of posting about April and Splinter separately, and then a big post for side characters.

Raph, Leo, and Donnie here. Now let's start with

Mikey Character Notes

Language Habits:

Catchphrase: "razzmatazz"

Tendency to "hoo-ha!"

Uses aave/bae

Like Raph and Leo, he will verbalize his attacks, but notably less than the aforementioned two. His most common phrases: "power whip jitsu" (chain moves), and "power fun jitsu" (use of his fire)

Shortens words/phrases in his excitement (i.e. the famous omigosh), but lengthens words in his wonder/amazement like drawing out wow into wooooooow

Uses a lot of idioms, i.e. "give us the 911", "hit the bricks", "you've been workin' a nerve"

Uses a lot of alliterations, especially when describing something

Refers to splinter as "pop" or "dad", with the rare "father" (usually for dramatics)

Will refer to others using "chico", "dude", or "man"

Answers the phone with "shell-o"

Personality:

Oblivious. A lot of stuff goes over his head, or he'll pick on the wrong thing to focus on. Like thinking they're part imitation crab men

Passionate. He throws himself into everything, whether that be cooking, fighting, or art. Sometimes this focus comes at his own detriment (i.e. forgetting to tell his brothers that Meatsweats mutated on t.v. bc he was cooking his pork risotto)

Optimistic, a dreamer. Not one to back down from doom and gloom, and is often among the first of the brothers to take action. Has a lot of perseverance

Believes the best in everyone. He can easily connect and empathize with others, most notably Draxum

Blunt, he doesn't hide his opinions and can accidentally be a little too harsh. On the other hand, he uses his persona of "Doctor Delicate Touch" to purposefully use his bluntness. He doesn't really much to hide on what he thinks about people

Sensitive, he's easily swayed by the emotion or pathos of others (read: gullible). This also mean his ego is easily damaged, which can contribute to his competitiveness with Leo at times and his inferiority complex with Raph babying him

The emotional heart of the team, he keeps the brothers grounded in empathizing with others

Energetic. Mikey's the wildcard. No one can guess what's coming out of his mouth next, and his fighting style is very innovative. All his energy gives him a charming amount of "razzmatazz"

Firey. Mikey's a pretty expressionate guy. He doesn't hide his emotions, and he doesn't really hide his anger. Sometimes this comes out in his bluntness, and sometimes this comes out in strained rage that has a boiling point

Looks up to his brothers. He has a lot of admiration for his older brothers. Whenever he's put in a corner he thinks what would Raph do, he's grateful for Leo's advocacy, and likes spending a lot of time with Donnie and his inventions. He also has a need to prove himself to his older brothers due to his admiration

Miscellaneous:

First to unlock mystic powers

Nicknames/code names: "Doctor Delicate Touch" and "Doctor Feelings" are self-proclaimed titles, "orange pawn" code name by Donnie, "Michael" nickname by Donnie, and "Flavortown" is his video game handle

Named his piggy bank "Mrs. Porky Coin"

Only chooses scissors in rock, paper, scissors

Has the top score in "Pance Pance Revolution" (rise's equivalent of DDR)

Well that's all the turtles for reference notes. I think I'll post Splinter next :)

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt michelangelo #character analysis #long post #fanfic #writing #critter talks

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amorchai · 2 days

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hii !! i was wondering if i could mayyyebebee request an abed nadir x reader fic?:??::??. there’s nothing of him at all and i love him so bad:( just like go crazy lol:) i would love a romantic relationship in it and preferably with a gender neutral reader please<3 thank you so so so much i appreciate u!!!!

abed finds out you like him.

pairing(s): abed nadir x reader

words: 738

warnings/tags: mentions of neurotypical, abed not understanding, i try to write abed as accurately and appropriate as possible i hope my depiction of him is okay!

abed wasn’t one for social cues. you knew this from the start of being in the chaotic study group. whenever someone was sarcastic, he thought they were serious. and if someone was unhappy with him it sometimes took abed a while to notice.

however, you trying to let abed know you like him through simple signs was hellish. even a neurotypical person may not even get the signs, therefore poor abed nadir never stood the chance.

troy, as the role of abed’s best friend – practically platonic boyfriend – did notice the signs. watching as you took more than an interest in his movie rants than even troy could sometimes bear, bringing him hot chocolate in the morning, or asking him fitting questions and smiling lovingly as you watched him go into overdrive and talk it out.

annie and troy would fangirl over it, fawning over their best friend having a love interest. oh how badly they wanted abed to have someone, especially someone like you, who treated him just as well as they did.

troy had been desperate to tell abed, knowing you struggled on that end. but after months, annie had begged troy not to ruin the story and that it’ll happen when it’s meant to.

however, his promise to keep it to himself didn’t last long. since, one day, after you left their shared apartment – all lovey dovey eyed after hours of watching abed’s favourite movie per your request – troy immediately let it spill.

annie was smiling, watching abed as the door clicked shut and troy reluctantly set his third chocolate cake slice down to the side, “y/n likes you!”

immediately, annie’s smile drops, landing a swift smack against troy’s arm from sitting beside him, “troy! what did i tell you?” they bicker slightly, at first not noticing their best friend’s confused expression.

“what do you mean?”

annie sighs, looking over to abed who is trying to process the news in his own way – which seems to be slightly confusing but overwhelming him all at the same time.

“… what troy’s trying to tell you is that y/n likes you, like… in a romantic way abed.”

abed’s eyes are darting, eyebrows frowned as he continues to intake the words his friend’s tell him. “in a ‘let’s get together’ way?” asks abed, and they both nod in reply, expectantly watching his expressional response.

abed didn’t depict this in their television show, although he did portray you as the ‘pretty one’ or as the ‘caring and kind’ one of the group which he is now realising is because he thought those things himself.

so, without responding, abed stands, shocking his friend’s as he runs to the door and quickly down the hall. “abed! abed, where are you going?” troy yells desperately, worried tones while annie mutters, “look what you did.”

he doesn’t stop, reading the front door wedged open with an old brick and towards your frame, now opening your car door to drive home. “y/n!” you hear and pause, turning to see abed trudging over.

“abed- whats going on-?” your interrupted as abed kisses you, short but slightly breath-taking as your mind goes blank, in disbelief. once he pulls away, abed says nothing, making you speak first, “is that one of your movie character moments or…” you trail off, unsure what else it would be.

“you like me.”

you groan embarrassed, “i’m gonna kill troy i swear.”

“i like you.”

you pause, looking up at his daring eyes, scanning your confused expression, “y-you do?” you ask him.

“yeah… i think so.”

usually, that answer would worry you, but it was different with abed, it was a major moment between you both in that moment. abed nadir hardly admitted feelings, especially in a romantic sense, unless he was depicting a character.

“do you think annie and troy will be watching us from the window?” you ask with a giggle and abed smiles, immediately responding, “absolutely.”

you lean up, pressing a long and heartfelt kiss to abed’s cheek and you watch his reaction, taken aback but a small smile still covers his face. his fingers touch the spot, his cheeks heating up like a furnace while you spin round to your open door to your car.

“i’ll see you tomorrow, abed, okay?”

“okay.” abed replies, waving you goodbye as you drive off, knowing he will go back into chaos of annie and troy squealing and celebrating their friend’s newfound romance.

amorchai masterlist . taglist form

#— ꒰꒰ ➵ my works ｡˚ ꒱꒱#community┊ ➶ ˚⊹ abed nadir ⊹#abed nadir #community nbc #troy and abed #nbc community #community tv #abed nadir x reader #abed nadir fanfiction

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salantami · 6 months

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Böttcherstraße Bremen

Böttcherstraße is a street in the historic centre of Bremen, Germany. Only about 100 m (330 ft) long, it is famous for its unusual architecture and ranks among the city's main cultural landmarks and visitor attractions. Most of its buildings were erected between 1922 and 1931, primarily as a result of the initiative of Ludwig Roselius, a Bremen-based coffee-trader, who charged Bernhard Hoetger with the artistic supervision over the project. The street and its buildings are a rare example of an architectural ensemble belonging to a variant of the expressionist style. Several of the houses can be classed as Brick Expressionism. Since 1973, the ensemble has been protected by the Monument Protection Act

Photo by: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0eBH52CqTS/

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homomenhommes · 6 months

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this Art is called "Brick Expressionism"

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mikuteit · 4 months

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Brick Gothic Expressionism - "Abspannwerk Scharnhorst", Berlin.

Built between 1927 and 1929 by Hans Müller, architect of the municipal electric utility company BEWAG and Josef Scherer.

Twinlens Rolleiflex, Zeiss Planar f 2.8/80 and Kodak TMY 6053 (TMax 400), developed in Tetenal b&w reversal kit, scanned with Epson Perfection V850 Pro. Foto: © Wolfram Mikuteit

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save-the-villainous-cat · 1 year

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ARE WE ACCEPTING CAT PICS AS A CURRENCY NOW?

How many cat pics do you want for telling me a little about Germany's cities (not only tourism, but how's living, pros and cons)?

Of course, Berlin, Monique, Frankfurt... But I would appreciate anything you say!

Here's the cat pic:

Germans complain a lot. Like, a lot a lot. So, what may seem positive to you, might be criticised by…me. :)

Personally, I do not live in a very big city. But I live by the sea, so that makes me very happy and I can only say little about big cities like Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt.

Berlin is my number one when it comes to hatred. I hate Berlin with a burning passion. That’s just me, though. A lot of kids my age enjoy Berlin a lot because it’s very international and kind of crazy. I’d say it’s a silly city and though I would like that, I do not appreciate the garbage and trash that marks the capital (like all big cities).

The only thing I like about Berlin is the literature period of Expressionism that was mainly centred around Berlin and other big cities and the truly beautiful museums this city has to offer. Other than that, Berlin is dirty, crazy, confusing, stinky but also full of life and party. I do not like socialising and I guess it’s still a big difference whether you are in West or East Berlin but the art and supposed freedom Berlin offers, is something very unique. Its history is something you should look into and please be respectful when you visit Holocaust memorials and keep in mind what kind of relationship Germany has to its past.

The Southerners do not really interest me, their type of German confuses me and makes my very stoic Nordic brain steam. So, Munich is very pretty, I guess, because most German cities are. History and Germany are tied together and make up lots of the architectural landscape but I suppose Munich is also very modern, but I’ve actually never been there so I can’t say lots about it.

And Frankfurt is the material girl of German cities. Skyscrapers and money surround this place and it just makes you feel like you’re somewhere completely else — or so I’ve heard. It’s the German Wall Street, I suppose? But I’ve never been there either so you just have to take my word for it lmao. In general, Germany is surrounded by history and every city has its own unique past (which is more than just the time from the 1930s/40s). For example, my town got its municipal law in 1218 and you can just see by the architecture that people have lived here for a long time.

If you like a somewhat good health care system where you don’t have to pay for an ambulance and where most of your suffering is cared for by your insurance company, then Germany is the perfect place for you. If you like punching your walls, Germany isn’t a good place for you. There are bricks in our houses, y’know.

I, for myself, prefer to live at the beach where no one can disturb me and I can look at the sea, longing for the endless cold of the dark depths where the creatures are calling me home. Lmao I’m so funny.

#no writing #an answer for an ask #send the cat pics now #hope this helps

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char1ottee · 3 months

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New York City Culture🗽

New York City is frequently the setting for novels, movies, and television programs and has been described as the cultural capital of the world. In describing New York, author Tom Wolfe said, "Culture just seems to be in the air, like part of the weather."

The city is the birthplace of many cultural movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art; abstract expressionism (known as the New York School) in painting; and hip-hop, punk, hardcore, salsa, freestyle, Tin Pan Alley, certain forms of jazz, and (along with Philadelphia) disco in music. New York City has been considered the dance capital of the world.

One of the most common traits attributed to New York City is its fast pace, which spawned the term New York minute. Journalist Walt Whitman characterized New York's streets as being traversed by "hurrying, feverish, electric crowds". New York City's residents are prominently known for their resilience historically, and more recently related to their management of the impacts of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. New York was voted the world's most resilient city in 2021 and 2022 per Time Out's global poll of urban residents.

Theater🎭

The central hub of the American theater scene is Manhattan, with its divisions of Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway. Many movie and television stars have gotten their big break working in New York productions.

Broadway theatre is one of the premier forms of English-language theatre in the world, named after Broadway, the major thoroughfare that crosses Times Square, sometimes referred to as "The Great White Way".

Forty-one venues mostly in Midtown Manhattan's Theatre District, each with at least 500 seats, are classified as Broadway theatres. The 2018–19 Broadway theatre season set records with total attendance of 14.8 million and gross revenue of $1.83 billion Recovering from closures forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022-23 revenues rebounded to $1.58 billion with total attendance of 12.3 million.

The Tony Awards recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre and are presented at an annual ceremony in Manhattan. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances at the 41 eligible Broadway venues. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award.

Architecture

New York has architecturally noteworthy buildings in a wide range of styles and from distinct time periods, from the Dutch Colonial Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House in Brooklyn, the oldest section of which dates to 1656, to the modern One World Trade Center, the skyscraper at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan and the most expensive office tower in the world by construction cost.

Manhattan's skyline, with its many skyscrapers, is universally recognized, and the city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world. As of 2019, New York City had 6,455 high-rise buildings, the third most in the world after Hong Kong and Seoul.

The character of New York's large residential districts is often defined by the elegant brownstone rowhouses and townhouses and shabby tenements that were built during a period of rapid expansion from 1870 to 1930. Stone and brick became the city's building materials of choice after the construction of wood-frame houses was limited in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1835.

In contrast, New York City also has neighborhoods that are less densely populated and feature free-standing dwellings. In neighborhoods such as Riverdale (in the Bronx), Ditmas Park (in Brooklyn), and Douglaston (in Queens), large single-family homes are common in various architectural styles such as Tudor Revival and Victorian.

Arts🩰

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, anchoring Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is home to numerous influential arts organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic, and New York City Ballet, as well as the Vivian Beaumont Theater, the Juilliard School, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Alice Tully Hall. The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute is in Union Square, and Tisch School of the Arts is based at New York University, while Central Park SummerStage presents free music concerts in Central Park.

New York City has more than 2,000 arts and cultural organizations and more than 500 art galleries. The city government funds the arts with a larger annual budget than the National Endowment for the Arts. The city is also home to hundreds of cultural institutions and historic sites. Museum Mile is the name for a section of Fifth Avenue running from 82nd to 105th streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in the upper portion of Carnegie Hill.

Nine museums occupy the length of this section of Fifth Avenue, making it one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Its art museums include the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Neue Galerie New York, and The Africa Center. In addition to other programming, the museums collaborate for the annual Museum Mile Festival, held each year in June, to promote the museums and increase visitation. Many of the world's most lucrative art auctions are held in New York City.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the Americas. In 2022, it welcomed 3.2 million visitors, ranking it the third most visited U.S. museum, and eighth on the list of most-visited art museums in the world. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments, and includes works of art from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt; paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters; and an extensive collection of American and modern art. The Met maintains extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine, and Islamic art.

Fashion🛍️

New York has frequently been ranked the top fashion capital of the world on the annual list compiled by the Global Language Monitor. New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is a high-profile semiannual event featuring models displaying the latest wardrobes created by prominent fashion designers worldwide in advance of these fashions proceeding to the retail marketplace.

NYFW sets the tone for the global fashion industry. New York's fashion district encompasses roughly 30 city blocks in Midtown Manhattan, clustered around a stretch of Seventh Avenue nicknamed Fashion Avenue. New York's fashion calendar also includes Couture Fashion Week to showcase haute couture styles. The Met Gala is often described as "Fashion's biggest night".

Parades

New York City is well known for its street parades, the majority held in Manhattan. The primary orientation of the annual street parades is typically from north to south, marching along major avenues. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the world's largest parade, beginning alongside Central Park and proceeding southward to the flagship Macy's Herald Square store; the parade is viewed on telecasts worldwide and draws millions of spectators in person. Other notable parades including the annual New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade in March, the NYC LGBT Pride March in June, the LGBT-inspired Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in October, and numerous parades commemorating the independence days of many nations. Ticker-tape parades celebrating championships won by sports teams as well as other accomplishments march northward along the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway from Bowling Green to City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan.

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moss-flesh · 1 year

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Unusual OC Appreciation!!

was tagged by @beastofmoss !! thanku!! im gonna tag @n7viper @arlathen @theharlotofferelden

of course without pressure ! only if u have time and wanna do this! and u can do however many you want <3

im gonna do my main 3 DA ocs <3 but i honestly wanna do this for my other ocs coz this is so cute!!

Aila Amell

she/her

seasoning: black pepper

weather: rainstorm

colour: blue

sky: clear night sky with stars

magic power: shes a mage but she focuses on spirit and entropy magic

house plant: violets

weapon: staff! but she also has a dagger

subject: i guess like ? if magic studies is out of the equation, than astronomy? or history?

social media: in a modern au this woman has like no technology skills at all she stays AWAY from that shit! she would have a pinterest to look up recipes!

makeup product: eyeliner or eyeshadow! womans got dark circles and she multiplies them

candy: dark chocolate

fear: accidentally blowing up at her loved ones and leaving her alone

ice cube shape: ice orb

method of long distance travel: get this woman in a carriage PLEASE she walks EVERYWHERE and HATES IT

art style: ohhhhh romanticism i think

mythological creature: KELPIE!!!! something about how she changes herself based on her surroundings ect ect water being emotional land being grounded and collected, the fight between ect ect

piece of stationary: if its modern au my girl would love a highlighter, annotating ass bitch

celestial body: constellations !! which i know is multiple but whatever, if were picking one than the moon

Erynne Hawke

she/he/they

seasoning: chili

weather: hot summer day

colour: brick red or a mauve purple

sky: burning orange sunset

magic power: babygirl is primal and force mage, she likes explody and power

house plant: algaonema

weapon: staff baby which she loves to beat people with, and their FISTS !! plus an obligatory dagger just in case

subject: FUCK SCHOOL this bitch HATES studying

social media: ifunny because theyre literally the worst

makeup product: really fucked up bad looking eyeshadow

candy: rock candy, let the man crunch

fear: getting her loved ones killed by being stupid

ice cube shape: the horrible kind u get from a shitty tray

method of long distance travel: on foot baby, if he totally has to she will ride a horse

art style: abstract expressionism

mythological creature: PHOENIX !

piece of stationary: a fucked up pencil she refuses to get rid of

celestial body: the planet mars, i will not elaborate

Adahlen Lavellan

she/they

seasoning: basil <3

weather: sunny spring day with a cool breeze

colour: shes basically all red but thats not her fave color her fave is green

sky: clear and blue

magic power: rift magic baby <3 and a touch of blood magic she prefers to keep under wraps

house plant: peace lily

weapon: staff! and a dagger just like my other mages but she never uses the dagger and uses acrobatic type skills to avoid close combat

subject: philosophy <3

social media: she is a creature who only knows how to scroll on tumblr and pinterest

makeup product: chapstick

candy: basically any candied fruit!! mostly candied oranges

fear: being a monster

ice cube shape: those rlly crunchy fluffy ones from fast food places

method of long distance travel: Halla !! or a Hart?? idk im confused about whether the dalish ride the halla theres conflicting sources

art style: impressionism !!!!

mythological creature: nymph!!! omg!!

piece of stationary: parchment that she doodles all over

celestial body: SUN !!!

heres the blank prompt!

(without breaks so u can just copy n paste)

seasoning: weather: colour: sky: magic power: house plant: weapon: subject: social media: makeup product: candy: fear: ice cube shape: method of long distance travel: art style: mythological creature: piece of stationary: celestial body:

#aila amell #adahlen lavellan #erynne hawke #tag games #oc prompts

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germanpostwarmodern · 6 months

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Inner Courtyard of the Sprinkenhof (1927-43) in Hamburg, Germany, by Hans and Oskar Gerson with Fritz Höger. Photo by Carl Dransfeld.

#1920s #office building #brick expressionism #expressionist #architecture #germany #architektur #hamburg #hans gerson #oskar gerson #fritz höger

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dlyarchitecture · 1 year

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#Brick Expressionism in Frankfurt #Germany shot by @boluddha

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winchester-reload · 2 years

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hi! thank you for that long response to that other anon, it’s really helpful to read! please feel free to not answer this one if you don’t have time/don’t want to but i have a question about finding your own creativity… ive always wanted to be good at drawing but i just find that i don’t enjoy it, so i never practice. i don’t know if that’s because i’m too hard on myself with what i’m making (I’m 23 and a complete beginner) or that i’m just… naturally a consumer rather than a creator? what drives you to keep on going? do u believe everyone can find a craft and enjoy making things?

There's something to be said about the frustrating nature of *learning* to make art, but I have to say, anon, if you don't get any satisfaction or sense of accomplishment from doing it EVER, then this particular approach to art might not be for you.

Fortunately, there are many, many different ways to make art, so maybe you just haven't found your particular niche of creativity yet. Which I guess kind of answers your last question here: Yes, I absolutely believe everyone can find a craft they enjoy. I think people inherently like making things and expressing themselves. You don't need to limit yourself to portraiture or, even, figures at all. You can explore color and space through abstract expressionism, or you can explore the boundaries of art altogether like people did through dadaism. Don't limit yourself! You can get inspiration through portraits or drawings you find online and reinterpret them through your own wild means.

Remember, art isn't everything, but it CAN BE ANYTHING, so expand your mind. Don't let a pencil and paper stop you. But also, don't have any disillusions. It takes time, work, and dedication to build your skill. It doesn't come easy to any of us. For every piece of art you see, there are countless invisible hours of work behind it. But, we all have to start somewhere, right? and since the only way to build a house is brick by brick, the only thing that really matters is getting that first brick laid. Age and experience level aren't important. You can start exploring your creativity at any point in life, so don't get hung up on the details of things like when "Artist X" started their journey comparatively.

Worry only about laying those bricks.

I can't wait to see what kind of house you build, my friend. Happy arting.

#asks #art asks

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lettadalokislayter · 1 year

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11 Elements of Writing Noir

((Disclaimer, I'm copy and pasting this from a blog because a friend can't access it for some reason. Credit to ChellaWrites of Wordpress))

Noir has its roots in hardboiled fiction, such as Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain. This detective fiction then influenced cinema and became film noir, developing the tropes we’re familiar with from Humphrey Bogart and co. Cinema then influenced fiction again to create noir fiction, which differs from hardboiled, as it doesn’t put the detective at the centre of the story.

There is more to noir than trilbys, trench coats and femme fatales, so let’s break it down:

The Outsider: the noir protagonist is an outcast – perhaps a soldier coming home after the war, a released prisoner or just a stranger in town. Traditionally the lead is male, but a noir such as Mullholland Drive puts women firmly in the centre, so feel free to deviate from the usual.He or she is a dropout, a loser and nobody cares about them and this sense of alienation pervades the whole story.

No Heroes: they may be central to the story, but the noir protagonist is no hero. They are driven by revenge, greed, lust or all of the above and they cross a moral line to get what they want. In fact, there are no heroes here and the only way is down. They look for answers in the bottom of a bottle of whisky and ask questions with a gun. However, we do empathise with our anti-hero and we want her to win, even though it won’t get her anywhere. Give your protagonist a glimmer of hope that they will succeed, this is what keeps them going and keeps the reader hoping along with them, only to have it torn away at the end.

Fatalism and Nihilism: hope has forsaken the world of noir. This is the American Dream gone wrong and exposed as an illusion that’s not for the likes of us. It’s the Western, once we’ve woken up from the lie that every town has a hero willing to fight the bad guys, when actually the bad guys win and the rest of us suffer. The world-weary noir protagonist is on a fatal path, due to a doom of their own making. Remember, this is not a tragic hero who the fates seem to conspire against, despite their good intentions. The doom could be cheating at cards, stealing or murder and it sets the wheels in motion. The joy of noir is watching the moral breakdown of a character as they desperately try to escape their fate.

The Femme or Homme Fatale: the fatale brings sex and lust into the equation. The attractive stranger appears to be vulnerable or there to help the protagonist, but it turns out he’s just there to seduce and wrong-foot our anti-hero. Traditionally, the femme was a woman who manipulated the man to kill her husband or follow the wrong trail of clues, but readers expect this trope, so you can play with it or reverse the gender roles.

Creatures of the Night: noir fiction gets its name from a style of cinema created by European directors fleeing from WWII. They brought German expressionism to Hollywood – namely, extreme camera angles and high-contrast lighting, which cast angular shadows – to great cinematic effect. Hence, film noir is associated with the night, when the streetlights reflect on rain-slicked streets and the underworld comes out to play. However, Chinatown and Brick are both noir that bathe their characters in California sunshine for most of the film, but still hit the beats we expect from the genre. Your protagonist doesn’t have to be nocturnal, but it helps for adding atmosphere and mood, especially if you’re writing for a visual medium like film or TV.

First-person: we’re all familiar with the hardboiled narration of the noir detective – ‘If looks could kill, I’d have been laid out in the city morgue, right then. She was the kind of woman….’ That’s pretty terrible, but you get the idea. The first-person puts the reader right in the protagonist’s head, which adds to the claustrophobia you need to create for noir. It also allows you to play with the unreliable narrator technique. Is the ‘hero’ telling it how it really happened or are they deluded, confused or just plain lying? Don’t feel that you have to stick with first-person, though. Choose the POV that serves your story best.

The Mystery: as I’ve already said, you don’t need to have a private eye or a world-weary police officer investigating a murder, but these staples still work as an easy way to insert a mystery. Classic noir usually starts with a dead body (usually a woman) or at the very least a missing person, but the development of neo-noir offers writers a broader scope. The mystery can be less about a straight murder investigation and more about preventing a murder or just an amnesiac trying to piece together their fractured story – of course, the nihilistic nature of the noir hero means they probably killed someone, but it’s the journey that adds the mystery.

City Streets: some may argue that noir has to be in an urban setting, but I don’t agree. Whilst the noir of Chandler and James Ellroy tend to focus on the streets of L.A., the Cohen brothers (masters of neo-noir) prefer wide-angle shots of a rural setting for their characters, adding its own sense of alienation and desperation. There can be something even more unsettling about a noir in the suburbs or hiding in the countryside. And although noir is pure Americana, Scandi-noir authors, such as Stieg Larsson’s ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ proves that you can take the genre to any setting and it will work.

Broken Noses: violence is an essential part of the noir tradition. It’s the symbolic darkness of the world made real. The protagonist will get a crack on the back of the head with the butt of a gun or wake up with a broken nose, tied to a chair. There are bodies to be buried, illuminated by the car headlights and the bad guys will catch up with the protagonist and give them a beating. That’s just the way it is because life is shitty and noir is telling us how it really is.

No happy ending: did I mention the part about leaving hope at the door? Noir is the boulevard of broken dreams, so don’t expect to let your protagonist get the guy and skip off into the sunset. That’s not going to wash in noir. Your lead may die, either literally or metaphorically. Maybe they lose everything – family, job, grip on sanity. Or maybe they just lose the object of their desire – money, revenge, fame. Whatever happens, make sure the protagonist is no further ahead by the end. So, they solved the mystery, but it turns out the girl of their dreams killed that guy or they still lost all the cash and they’ve got to leave town. No sunsets, no kisses and definitely no wedding – this is noir, not Jane Austen.

Pared Back Prose: when it comes to noir fiction, keep your prose simple, direct and hard. No florid descriptions. Our association with noir is extended metaphors, but unless you’re doing a period piece, that style has had its day. No describing the city like a woman or the night like a cloak of darkness. Just get to the point and make it snappy.

As you can see, noir is more complex than a guy with a gun, a hat and a woman. It’s a complex genre with a simple message and that’s why I love it. As a genre, it’s not without its problems, namely a preoccupation with fetishizing dead women – see L.A. Confidential. And then the femme fatale herself, the very embodiment of a sexual woman as manipulating or evil. Despite these troubling tropes, I love noir and never get tired of its examination of the darker side of life.

Notable noir fiction:

Anything by Raymond Chandler –The Big Sleepand Lady In the Lake). Chandler is the master of the hardboiled quip, complex plots and sparkling prose.

Dashiell Hammett –The Maltese Falcon. Sam Spade was the blueprint for Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, starting a tradition of cynical detectives that survives today.

James Ellroy –The Black Dahlia. Ellroy is the new king of L.A. noir, mixing social commentary in with the death and darkness.

Believe it or not,women write noir too. Try Megan Abbott’s award-winning Queenpin or something by Patricia Highsmith, who wrote the inspiration for famous films, The Talented Mr RipleyandStrangers On A Train, but remains relatively unknown next to Chandler and the boys.

Notable film noir:

Brick is aneo-noir set in a modern American high school and does it so stylishly. It’s an hommage to film noir without being derivative.

For two classic femme fatales, jump intoThe Postman Always Rings Twice(either version) and Gilda. Both films have iconic screen entrances from the femmes, Lana Turner, in Postman and Rita Hayworth as Gilda.

The Big Sleep has everything you’d expect from film noir, plus brilliant performances and dialogue. It’s a classic for good reason.

#Noir for Nicky

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salantami · 6 months

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Böttcherstraße Bremen

Böttcherstraße is a street in the historic centre of Bremen, Germany. Only about 100 m (330 ft) long, it is famous for its unusual architecture and ranks among the city's main cultural landmarks and visitor attractions. Most of its buildings were erected between 1922 and 1931, primarily as a result of the initiative of Ludwig Roselius, a Bremen-based coffee-trader, who charged Bernhard Hoetger with the artistic supervision over the project. The street and its buildings are a rare example of an architectural ensemble belonging to a variant of the expressionist style. Several of the houses can be classed as Brick Expressionism. Since 1973, the ensemble has been protected by the Monument Protection Act

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