#the ending scene is heavily inspired by one of the cases in psycho-pass season 1

[chaptersinprogress]

sweet skies & floral lies

There were 2 things: 1) Tsuna had a secret 2) Skull, who he'd all but formally adopted, was in on it But the truth (the whole truth, and nothing but the truth) lay beneath sweet smiles and the scent of rotting flowers

Rating: T

Warnings: implied violence and murder

Pairings: Skull & Sawada Tsunayoshi; brief Skull/Viper; brief 1827

Prompt: @khrrarepairweek 2021 day 3 | secret/hidden skillsets

“Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna!” Skull shouted as he burst through the shop door, the bell hanging above it jangling wildly.

The man in question startled violently, almost dropping an exquisite and very breakable ceramic vase. “Skull?! What’s happening?!”

Skull skidded to a stop at the counter from which the florist was staring at him with no small amount of alarm.

“I-” he announced, puffing up. “Have scored a date with Viper! Tonight! In 2 hours!”

Tsuna stared for a moment longer before heaving a sigh of relief.

“Skull!” he scolded lightly, placing the vase he’d narrowly rescued from utter destruction on the countertop. “With the way you barged in, I thought something bad had happened.”

“Oh…” said Skull, deflating.

He ashamedly scuffed his boots on the floor and fiddled with his lip ring, all the while looking like a kicked puppy.

Shaking his head fondly, Tsuna gave the teen a warm smile. “That’s really great news. Did they like the last gift you gave them?”

Skull immediately perked up.

“Ye-p!” he exclaimed, popping the ‘p’. “They were so impressed with how detailed the bleeding heart pendant on the necklace was! Man, that was one of the hardest metalworking projects I’ve done.”

“That’s wonderful!” Tsuna leaned over to ruffle the teen’s spikey purple hair. “Good job!”

Skull drew back and pouted. “Not a kid!”

“You’re 19, Skull,” Tsuna pointed out with an amused smile. “Still a teenager.”

“Am not! Maybe you’re just old,” Skull sniffed haughtily.

Tsuna gasped dramatically.

“You take that back!” he demanded in mock affront.

“Nope!” said Skull, eyes lighting up. “You’re old, Tsuna! Soooo ooooold!”

Narrowing his eyes, Tsuna took off his apron and laid it on the counter. “I’m warning you Skull…”

“Whacha gonna do? Make me?”

“That’s it!” Tsuna exclaimed. “You’re in for it now!”

He lunged across the counter and Skull leapt back with a delighted laugh, Tsuna’s fingers missing his shirt by centimeters.

“Catch me if you can old man!” he crowed and raced across the room.

Tsuna promptly gave chase. “Oh, it’s on!”

The two of them ran around the flower shop in a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse, ducking and weaving between the multitude of plants while remaining mindful of not damaging any of them.

“You!” Tsuna cried, chest heaving as they paused to size each other up.

Skull laughed gleefully. “Old man, old man!” he chanted and stuck out his tongue.

“Get back here!”

The teen turned around and ran for it, Tsuna hot on his heels. As they chased each other, they failed to register the light tinkling of the bell at the entrance.

Cackling madly, Skull didn’t notice the person who had stepped inside until he nearly crashed into them, barely managing to duck around them in time.

Tsuna skidded to a stop right in front of the newcomer. “Kyo-kun!”

Hibari Kyoya looked at him, then at Skull, then back at Tsuna, before raising an eyebrow.

“Tell him, Kyo!” Tsuna said indignantly. “Tell him I’m not old! I’m 27 for Kami’s sake!”

Hibari shot Skull a brief glance. Then smirked at Tsuna.

“You’re old.”

Tsuna’s jaw dropped as Skull gasped in delight before doubling over laughing.

“BETRAYAL!” Tsuna cried out, jabbing a finger at the traitor.

Hibari’s smirk softened into a tiny smile. Grasping the outstretched hand gently, he pressed a soft kiss to the inside of Tsuna’s wrist before sliding an arm around his waist and dragging him in to kiss him properly.

“Ewww, I’m still here you know?”

The couple broke apart and Tsuna stuck out his tongue at Skull over Hibari’s shoulder.

“You’re just jealous that I’ve been happily married for over 7 years now.”

“Rude! But fair.”

Hibari tugged on a lock of Tsuna’s gravity-defying hair. “I have a present for you in the usual place,” he said quietly when Tsuna turned to him.

“Aw, Kyoya you do love me!” said Tsuna delightedly.

Hibari huffed and flicked his forehead. 'Of course I do', his unimpressed expression screamed.

“You two are soooo sappy,” grimaced Skull. “I hope I get a love like that someday,” he added, a little bit wistful.

Tsuna clapped his hands as Hibari moved away. “Well if this date goes well, maybe you will!”

“Good luck,” said Hibari, briefly resting a palm on the top of Skull’s head before disappearing through the back leading to the home upstairs.

“Oh. My. God.” exhaled Skull shakily. “I have no idea if that was meant to be encouragement or a threat. Scary murder husband is SCARY. Tsuna, are you sure he’s Carabinieri and not a hitman,” he called out.

Tsuna laughed as he studied the assortment of flora in the shop. “Yes, Skull. I’m sure.” Then cocked his head. “Hmm… maybe roses? Roses are a classic.”

Picking a brilliant red one, Tsuna moved back to the counter. “Do you want a single flower or a bouquet?” he asked absentmindedly.

Skull followed him over. “Ah, actually…” he trailed off.

Tsuna paused and waited for him to continue.

“Couldyouturnitintoglass?” Skull rushed out.

The florist blinked. “Skull, I did not catch a single word of that.”

“Could you like… maybe… turn it to something fancy… like before?”

Thrown, Tsuna frantically looked around before hissing, “Skull! You weren’t even supposed to see that!”

“I know, I know! I’m sorry!”

Rubbing his temples, Tsuna sighed. “It’s ok. Just, don’t go around telling people about it?”

Skull nodded so fast Tsuna had a brief moment of worry that he’d accidentally break his neck. “Promise! My lips are sealed!”

“Alright,” Tsuna whispered conspiratorially, gesturing for Skull to come closer. “Watch.”

He spun the rose between his thumb, index and middle fingers.

Skull’s eyes widened as bright gold spread across the dark green of the stem, winding up to the flower where the blood red petals turned clear crystal, exploding into a myriad of brilliant fractal colours that shimmered and shifted with every change of light.

“Woah,” he breathed out. “That is so cool! Can you do others?”

“Only if the flowers are fresh,” Tsuna admitted. “Doesn’t work on dried or preserved plants and have no idea why.”

With a final twirl to show off his handiwork, Tsuna presented the rose to Skull.

“Now run along and impress your date. It’s on me,” he waved off when Skull made to reach for his wallet.

“Thanks Tsuna!” the teen shouted, beaming widely as he rushed out. “You’re the best!”

“Drive carefully!” Tsuna called out, following the other to the door. “And text me when you get home!”

Smiling, he shook his head as Skull raced off on his motorcycle, the rose safely tucked inside and zipped up in the latter's jacket.

When the teen vanished around the corner, Tsuna let the door fall shut and switched the store sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED'. Then made his way to the storage room where the bouquets stored in the cold cabinets and various gardening implements were kept.

Closing and locking the door after himself, Tsuna hummed a cheerful tune while walking to the lone empty cabinet without shelves in the corner with a sad 'OUT OF ORDER' sign pasted on the glass.

He pulled the door open and keyed the passcode into a lock concealed at the side. With a hiss, the back of the cabinet swung open to reveal a dark set of stairs leading down. Unbothered by the lack of light, he continued humming as he descended till the stairs levelled off into a cavernous basement.

The sides of the room were filled with human statues and sculptures of different mediums: crystal, porcelain, glass, stone, clay and more. Bright spotlights shone down on them, throwing their lifelike features into stark relief.

Their subject matter, however, was horrifying.

But Tsuna gave them nary a glance while making his way over to a small pit in the center of the room, the top barred with steel rods - spaced across such that it was possible to slip an entire arm between them.

The woman inside whimpered softly, eyes wide with terror.

“Oh my, you’re a pretty one!” Tsuna exclaimed quietly, eyes lighting up. “Kyoya has such good taste, he knows exactly what I want for new material! Did you see my collection? I had so much fun creating them.”

She shook violently, shrinking away from him.

Tsuna smiled gently. “Don’t worry. It’ll be over quick.”

[abrigailcinema]

Final: Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was considered the “Master of Suspense” and some of his most well known films include Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960). I will be mainly focusing on Hitchcock’s 1954 film, Rear Window. Although Hitchcock moved to Hollywood at the beginning of his career, many mannerisms in his films come from his roots in London, England.

His career began in London, when Paramount Pictures was just opening a studio there. He worked as a co-writer, art director, and production manager for over a dozen silent films. Hitchcock then moved to Gainsborough Pictures in Germany after Paramount had pulled from London. He worked on minor films there, until he moved to Hollywood in 1939, where he completed several films throughout and after the time of World War Two. The most successful years of his career ranged from 1954 to 1964. His films following this period were known, but not entirely successful. In his late life, he was knighted in 1980, and due to his health declining, passed away a few months later. Hitchcock distributed his films in Hollywood through various production companies such as Warner Brothers, and in the instance of Rear Window, Paramount Pictures. His filming techniques were unique, to compel the audience to experience the film as if they were immersed in the story. In the case of Rear Window, many of the shots in the film involved the camera panning across the screen, through the eyes of the main character.

Rear Window was nominated for multiple Oscars in 1954, including best cinematography, best writing (screenplay), best sound, and Alfred Hitchcok was nominated for best director for the film. But, to the surprise of everyone, did not receive any of those awards, only the nominations. Alfred Hitchcock did not write the film from scratch; he had an inspiration - a short story, The short story was titled “It Had To Be Murder” and was written by Cornell Woolrich as part of Dime Detective, in February of 1942. It runs an hour and fifty two minutes, and takes up twelve reels of film. Despite being filmed in the early 1950’s, the film was shot completely in color. Alfred Hitchcock was actually enthralled in the writing process, sometimes more than filming itself, because that’s when all of the great “lightbulb” ideas happen. In an interview with Hitchcock himself, he describes why he loves the writing process so much. He states:

“The most enjoyable part of making a picture is in that little office, with the writer, when we are discussing the story-lines and what we’re going to put on the screen. The big difference is that I do not let the writer go off on his own and just write a script that I will interpret. I stay involved with him and get him involved in the direction of the picture. So he becomes more than a writer; he becomes part maker of the picture.”

The film itself revolves around L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries, a New York magazine photographer stuck in his home during the summer due to a broken leg. To pass the time, he sits in his wheelchair and stares out of his apartment window at his neighbors. He is visited by his nurse, Stella, who disapproves of his spying, and his girlfriend, Lisa, who is a model. His neighbors all have personas created by Jeff, such as Miss Lonely Hearts, who often entertains an imaginary dinner date. Miss Torso was a dancer, juggling between three men. There was a traveling salesman, living with his bed-ridden wife, and a struggling composer that plays the piano. Jeff does more observing, and after a few suspicious events happen in his neighborhood, he believes that the salesman, Lars Thorwald, murdered his wife. After numerous attempts to find clues leading to Thorwald being guilty, tension builds as the audience wonders what will happen next (and no… I will not be spoiling the end of the film).

One of the most intriguing parts about Rear Window is the fact that Jeff has the ability to observe much more clearly in his apartment than he would if he were out and about. Observation was one of the main themes of the film, because without slowing down, nobody picked up on anything that Jeff did. Alfred Hitchcock’s repertoire of mystery thrillers is vast, but in my opinion, the scariest part of this film is the fact that sometimes it doesn’t take deep investigation, but observation. Imagine how much people would be able to learn just from stopping and looking around themselves.

In terms of technique, Alfred Hitchcock wanted to capture the film through the eyes of the main character. Typically, he would use the camera to show what the main character was looking at, as if it were through their own perspective. Another popular technique that Hitchcock used was creating montages during his films, including a series of close up shots that were right in the actors and actresses faces. He would use cameras to almost pan around a character to capture every detail about them. For example, the opening scene of Rear Window includes shots of each person’s apartment, panning from one neighbor to the next. It would cross through each apartment, as if someone were looking around (using his own technique of creating a character's perspective) and then swing around to reveal Jeff. The camera followed Jeff’s leg starting from the foot and led all the way up past his wheelchair right up to his face.

Another interesting part about Alfred HItchcock’s films were his decisions when casting. A lot of times, he would work with one or two actors and use them in multiple of his films. He would initially grow a personal relationship with the people he was filming and directing, and then after growing fond of them, he would want to use them in another work of his. However, as much as he might have favored them and used them in his films, he didn’t necessarily think highly of them. There was one instance where he actually referred to his actors and actresses as cattle, because they needed a lot of direction. He tried to hire people that were easily manipulable, and could be as much of a blank slate as possible when working with him. That way, he could turn them into the characters as closely as possible, rather than interpreting the characters a certain way and acting in a way that Hitchcock didn’t like. Something interesting about his casting was that he almost always cast blonde females in his work. Even though it’s a completely ridiculous thing to think, he believed that blondes appeared less suspicious than brunettes did. For that same reason, when a blonde does something deceitful or unexpected, he thought it was a greater shock than when someone with dark-colored hair did the same exact thing. Although this is completely untrue, he believed this and it heavily impacted his casting for all of his films, just to increase the amount of suspense or shock that he wanted to capture for the audience.

In this particular film, L.B. Jeffries was played by James Stewart, better known as Jimmy Stewart. He was in multiple Hitchcock films, including Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Rope. But, one of his most famous films that he was in is still regularly watched during the Christmas season - It’s a Wonderful Life. Lisa is played by Grace Kelly, who was also in To Catch a Thief, Dial M for Murder, and Terror in the Aisles, all creted by Hitchcock. Stella, the nurse, is played by Thelma Ritter. Despite being a famous actor during the time, this was the only film that she was cast in directed by Alfred Hitchcock. As you can see, there is a pattern as to whom Alfred Hitchcock wanted to work with. Rear Window is only a small inside look to how often Alfred HItchcock actually used the same actors and actresses in numerous films of his.

Alfred Hitchcock focused some of his films on the idea of voyeurism, which is the desire or behavior to observe people. Typically this would be used in the context of spying on people undressing or being naked, but this wasn’t the particular case in Rear Window, as Jeff was just spying on all of his neighbors in general. Voyeurism is a global issue, often seen in criminals who are either stalkers or pedophiles. Although Jeff’s instance is not nearly at this level, in the modern world we live in, it is a problem that unsuspecting people have endured. Voyeurism can be seen in a handful of Hitchcock’s films, but is the most apparent in this film. Jeff’s ability to “spy” on people provides him with entertainment while being held up in his home until his broken leg heals. Through this, he finds some satisfaction in finding out information about his neighbors that other people normally wouldn’t pick up on. However, there is some controversy as to whether Jeff is doing something illegal by spying on his neighbors or if he is simply observing his neighbors in the sense that he is a photographer looking for inspiration. The central idea of voyeurism in this instance isn’t to give Jeff pleasure, it’s to satisfy himself in being able to create his own entertainment.

Overall, I highly recommend this classic mystery-thriller to anyone that enjoys watching films. It takes you through a journey of emotions, between the collection of drama and suspense during the film. Alfred Hitchcock created an incredible, spine-tingling repertoire of work, but I believe that Rear Window was a breakthrough, beginning the peak of his career and exemplifying the themes of some of his most popular work.

VIDEOS:

https://youtu.be/m01YktiEZCw

https://youtu.be/j9lZRDAoecs

SOURCES:

Teachout, Terry. “The Trouble With Alfred Hitchcock.” Commentary, vol. 127, no. 2, Feb. 2009, pp. 43–46. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.libserv-prd.bridgew.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=37360095&site=eds-live.

Lawrence Howe. “Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window.’” College Literature, vol. 35, no. 1, Jan. 2008, pp. 16–37. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.libserv-prd.bridgew.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.25115476&site=eds-live.

DeRosa, Steven. “Writing with Hitchcock: John Michael Hayes and the Making of Rear Window.” Worcester Review, vol. 38, no. 1/2, Jan. 2017, pp. 110–120. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.libserv-prd.bridgew.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=134934180&site=eds-live.

“Rear Window.” (1954) - Turner Classic Movies, Turner Classic Movies, 1 Jan. 1970, www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/87777/rear-window/#overview.

Mikulec, Sven. “'Rear Window': Hitchcock's Cinematic Exploration of Voyeurism Disguised as a Top-Notch Thriller • Cinephilia & Beyond.” Cinephilia & Beyond, 12 Nov. 2020, cinephiliabeyond.org/rear-window-hitchcocks-cinematic-exploration-voyeurism-disguised-top-notch-thriller/.

North, David. “Voyeurism and Subjective Understanding in ‘Rear Window.’” University of Chicago Philosophy Review, 17 Apr. 2019, ucpr.blog/2018/12/13/voyeurism-and-subjective-understanding-in-rear-window/comment-page-1/.