Morosoph’s Odyssey, Part One

The following was written in situ, during the event or shortly after. In some cases (specifically, parts of the final chapter), there was enough time between the event and my recollection of it that I stray into rambling territory. (My apologies.) All changes are grammatical or completions where I used shorthand. All conversations and observations are made from memory and perception. These are the events of two days in winter, as I lived them.

♩♬

Part One

The sea swells and bashes into barriers, threatening to flood their wards—and in some cases, succeeding. Gale force winds pour into cities. They whip vast waves of rubbish into a frenzy. Rain not so much falls as it is swept into your face. Transportation services are cancelled, and for those who are lucky, only delayed. Newspapers report of the worst weather in three decades.

Well, it’s England, all right. And this will be Intronaut and Scale the Summit’s backdrop.

Right now, my rear end is sore. I’ve been travelling in some form for the past four hours, and will evidently do so for some time more. I’m one of the lucky travellers whose train was merely delayed, you see, and whose hopes of sitting on the bands’ soundcheck may very well have been dashed. (As ever, it is a train that will rob me of the elusive meaningful time with Intronaut.¹).

The sky is a deceptive blue, hovering over foreboding clouds on the horizon that seem to angrily stifle meek rays of sunlight. It’s a welcome patch of calm, but we know it won’t last: it’s that foreboding horizon into which we ride.

Off-Screen Tales, Seven: Captain Benjamin

(Source: http://screenmusings.org/)

Off-Screen Tales, Six: More

(Source: http://screenmusings.org/)

Off-Screen Tales, Five: Doc on Life

(Source: Giasen)

Off-Screen Tales, Four: Bill

(Source: http://screenmusings.org/)

Off-Screen Tales, Three: Vincent and Jules

(Source: http://screenmusings.org/)

Off-Screen Tales, Two: Joe's Fear

Off-Screen Tales, One: Bill & Alice

(Source: http://screenmusings.org/)

Off-Screen Tales, Zero: Introduction

I've often wondered about the unseen lives of our favourite characters; their unfilmed scenes, untold stories.  Of course, the fact that film is limited by time constraints means writers have to take care with the material they put into a script.  In fact, a rule you're often told to follow rigidly is, "If you don't NEED it, CUT it."  Many screenwriters live and die by this rule, the rest merely abide by it.  It's unfortunate, to be honest, because your life story isn't filled with necessary plot points and things you "need" - in the grand scheme of things, really, it's quite boring.  The only time waking up, brushing your teeth, eating, or traveling to work are ever relevant is when they affect you. That is, you wake up late, and get reprimanded; get food poisoning; get into a car accident.  Things like that.

If you're in the mood to ruin the melody your enjoyment of your favourite movie or TV show, try this experiment: take note of the scenes involving everyday occurrences, and see whether it affects the plot.  In most cases (almost all), I'm willing to bet it does.  I can give you two examples:

Millennium.  Frank Black's daughter has to go to the hospital, and while sitting there watching her, he gets an idea that results in catching the killer.  His daughter's grave injury has no purpose but to serve as a plot device; it doesn't contribute to character development or affect the overall arc of the story.  It's never mentioned again.

The Mentalist.  Almost every character introduced in an episode has some relevance to the plot.  Whether they turn out to be the killer, a way to catch the killer, or some way for Patrick Jane to prove he's an all-around good guy.  One can look at the example of Kimball Cho's girlfriend; the character is introduced early on, but we never see her.  The only time we see her is so she can get attacked by a group of thugs and send Cho on a vigilante mission.  After that, no mention again.
(Full disclosure: I have not seen the 3rd season.)

One is over a decade old, the other is recent, just to give some perspective.

The thing is, this is a personal gripe.  I understand that there's only so much time; in the case of an hour-long drama, it's 40-odd minutes.  You don't have time to weave a tale with multiple, unnecessary characters.  You have to spend what little time there is on the ones that count.  Nevertheless, it annoys me, and where I can, I break the don't need it, cut it rule.  I believe it makes the story better, that in order to weave a great story, you need a few "unnecessary" yarns.

The point I'm coming at is that space is limited, and, much of the time, so are the stories.  What can be told has to be told within the confines of the opening and closing credits.  Ultimately, there is no true end to a story, as the film is merely a snapshot of some point in the characters' lives.  After the scene has faded to black, and the credits have rolled, life goes on.  That magical wedding becomes a memory as the realities of marriage settle in; you learn to deal with that shocking death.  Off-Screen Tales, then, is an exploration of that.  A look at the lives of our favourite characters after the camera has long since stopped rolling.