2025-09-10: Event Horizon
- Log: 2025-09-10: Event Horizon
- Cast: Minako Arisato, Fuuka Yamagishi
- Where: Iwatodai Dormitory, Port Island
- OOC Date: September 10, 2025
- IC Date: July 09, 2012
- Summary: In an effort to bond, Minako brings Fuuka a familiar movie to watch. Minako is not prepared.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako told Fuuka that she wants to be friends. And, in the way of Minako Arisato and her efforts to live up to that, she dug up something that she hopes will help: a movie! It's one from the late 1990's, titled 'Redshift,' about a beleaguered spaceship that encountered a black hole.
And, supposedly, the crew finds it to be a gateway to hell.
She holds the DVD case up and beams, as she stands inside the common room of the Dorm. The redhead grins at Fuuka. "I'm not sure if you saw this... I never did, but I heard it's really cool."
A beat.
"And scary. It's supposed to be super scary." She hesitates. "So I thought... maybe we could watch it, since... uh. It'd be fun, right, Yamagishi-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka has been rather quiet about her own interests. She's been more inclined to go along with what others are talking about than bring up conversation topics of her own to try to fit in. As a result, one might be a little surprised to discover that Fuuka Yamagishi...
...actually really enjoys science fiction. It's one of her favorite genres. As such, she's seen Redshift before. Multiple times, in fact, in different languages. But is it really a normal thing for a girl her age to be interested in...? And so, when Minako displays the DVD case for her approval, several impulses war within her one after the other.
1. Pretend she's never seen it. ...Unlikely to work. When she doesn't react as expected at the climactic points, it might lead Minako to think she isn't enjoying the movie, and she doesn't want to disappoint her.
2. Gush about the movie's production and the remarkable work for the time that went into the special effects. ...No. She doesn't want to weird her out.
3., and the option that ultimately wins out...
"I've seen it before, yes..." Fuuka confirms with a nod. "But, um... It's really good. I'd love to watch it with you."
...She can't lie, she is kind of interested to see it again through the eyes of a first-timer.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako can't quite catch the mental conflict inside of Fuuka Yamagishi. Nor does she quite catch how much Fuuka loves Redshift -- even if she says that it's really good. That keeps Minako from deflating a little, since she thought she found a rare science fiction movie.*
* Minako, it's a famous cult classic, it's not rarely seen.
She smiles at Fuuka and nods her head, eagerly. "Sure!" she says. "I'll put it in, then!"
She grabs the remote, fiddles with the DVD player, and then she sits down on the sofa. When she does, she looks at Fuuka -- pausing as she considers. And, as it happens, she doesn't hit play yet.
"Should we get popcorn?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Okay." Fuuka replies, returning Minako's smile with one of her own. Minako moves to insert the DVD and Fuuka is about to move to join her on the couch...
...at least until Minako brings up an important point.
Popcorn!
"Maybe we should. Popcorn is important part of sharing movies with friends." Fuuka replies, saying it as if reciting something she's read before. Which means she probably did. She pauses, though, as she considers another point. "...Do we have any in the dorm?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako cracks a smile when Fuuka says it almost formally. Like she almost thinks, for a second, that Fuuka is telling a joke. But...
She seems serious.
"Let me check," Minako says, and she hops up and walks into the kitchen. A moment later, she pokes her head around the column. "We've got the microwaveable kind! I'll toss some in."
There is the sound of crinkled plastic being opened -- then the beeps of the microwave -- and then the tell-tale pops of the cooking popcorn. Minako puts a bowl down with a 'clink,' then she walks around the corner.
"It's almost like we're going to the movie theaters," she says. "When did you first see Redshift, anyways?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Minako goes to check, and Fuuka takes a seat. They do in fact have popcorn, as it happens, and it isn't long before the telltale sounds emanate from the kitchen.
"Almost. It's a little exciting." Fuuka agrees with a small laugh - and then considers the question. When did she first see it...? "A few years ago, I think. I'd heard a lot about it, and eventually got the chance when it showed up at the film festival."
Going in person was nervewracking, and she almost expected to be turned away at the door...
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Mm-hm!" Minako agrees, with another cheerful smile. Those come awfully easy to her. "That sounds like fun. I heard the film festival in Iwatodai is really something. When I lived here before... ah, I was too little to really remember much about it. I think my parents went."
She shakes her head.
The microwave 'dings' -- and then she grabs the popcorn bag, tears it open, and pours it out into the large glass bowl. Then, she comes over and sits down, putting the bowl on the coffee table in front of them.
"Okay!" she says. "You ready? I'm excited. I heard it's really scary, too!"
This doesn't seem to bother Minako in the slightest.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"It is. I always try to go at least one movie whenever it comes around." Fuuka replies. Minako was too little to remember it, though, when she lived here. Her parents... Fuuka offers her a small smile. "Then... We should go together, next time it's on. We can pick a few out."
There's a 'ding' and, soon enough, Minako returns with the bowl of popcorn.
"I'm ready. It is, but... I'm excited, too." Fuuka replies. Minako seems almost excited by the prospect of scariness... Well, that's a good energy to have for a movie like this. She's looking forward to her reactions.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Do you like movies a lot, Yamagishi-san?" Minako asks. Then she blinks at the offer -- and there's a smile, and a quick nod of her head. "That would be great. I'd love to."
She nods her head, then, and looks serious. Minako lifts her left hand, makes a fist, and pumps it -- like she can pump herself up with that, too. Her eyes focus on the TV in front of them both...
...and she hits play.
At first, she follows along -- but it seems normal. A spaceship goes on a rescue mission for a ship at the edge of the solar system. The intrepid crew approaches that ship, the Redshift, which isn't responsive. But then, the first truly scary and tense moment comes:
When a crew member gets sucked into space without a helmet and their eyes explode.
"Holy crap," Minako whispers, jaw agape.
Last connect was from c-69-138-215-77.hsd1.md.comcast.net on Wed Sep 10 15:29:29 2025.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"I do. They're really interesting, like a peek into another world similar to our own, but just slightly different. I always find myself wondering about them..." Fuuka replies. Minako wants to go, though, and Fuuka smiles, feeling just a little proud of successfully asking to do something with a friend... even if that something is a while out yet.
Minako pumps herself up and Fuuka follows suit with her own serious look, turning back to face the television as she presses play.
She watches the screen intently, focusing on all the detail going into the movie. She remembers the events keenly, so she knows it's coming up.
But. Even though she knows, and even though her attention is partially on Minako to judge her reaction...
...She still jumps at that scene. Every time.
"It stuck with me for days the first time I saw it..." Fuuka comments with a sheepish laugh, her heart still pounding a little.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Me, too," Minako says. "Movies are a good window into whole other lives. It's fun to think, 'What if I was there?'"
She may not have that with Redshift by the end.
Minako gasps, but she doesn't mind. After all, she likes scary movies -- and getting scared is the whole point. She shakes her head a few times. "I bet. That was scary. And COOL," she says. "You like scary stuff, huh?"
She grabs a handful of popcorn, and munches on it -- as the movie continues, the unfortunate repair-astronaut being rushed to medbay.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Mm-hm. I find myself wondering it's like - how everything in that world works." Fuuka agrees with a nod.
...Most of the time. Some, she's fine leaving as they are. ...Like this one.
Cool... It looks like she was right on the money.
"Sometimes. I have to be in the right mood for it, but... It can be nice to be scared from a... safe distance." She replies. Her capacity for scary media has definitely increased lately, though. "...And, it's always fascinating to think about how they pulled off the effects. How much thought must've gone into every frame."
The movie continues, and Fuuka joins Minako in taking popcorn.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Mm-hm," Minako murmurs. It's different when things are really scary -- like Dark Hour -- and being scared in a controlled way is fun. She looks sideways at Fuuka for a second. "This was before computer graphics could do much, right? All... uh... make-up and stuff?"
She doesn't know the term 'practical effects.'
The movie continues. They investigate the Redshift -- and one crewmember is tragically caught in the gravity drive, and rendered catatonic. And then, the crew find a video of what happened.
It is, of course, the infamous and bloodiest scene in the movie. The Redshift's crew goes mad and murder each other -- the results of being dragged into a hellish dimension by their drive -- and it ends with the captain screaming in Latin (with the original actor, rather than the Japanese dub) while holding out his own eyes.
Minako makes a face, yelping in shock, and throwing some popcorn in a fight-or-FIGHT response. The popcorn bounces off the television screen.
"Kyaaaah!" she yells. "H-How did they do that!? Oh my gosh--that was amazing!"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Yes. It's... very different, when it's right in front of you." Fuuka replies, and she nods. "Yes. CGI was in some use, but it was very expensive, especially if you wanted to make it look convincing. You'd have to use a lot of tricks, but mixing in some practical effects can do a lot to sell the illusion."
She's so caught up in it that she doesn't get a chance to think she might be over-explaining and spiral about it - especially when that scene happens.
She probably /really/ should not have been allowed into the theater! But that's what happens when your staff is often comprised of bored teenagers just looking for a paycheck and/or an increase in their social stats.
The popcorn is thrown, scattering everywhere. Fuuka laughs just a little - but she's still on edge, herself.
"It's... really impressive, isn't it? After you get over all the, um... Everything." Fuuka replies. "There might be a 'Making Of' feature on the DVD."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Mm-hm, I see what you mean. The effects wouldn't be the same," Minako says with a laugh.
She does wonder -- after she gets past the scare -- how old Fuuka was when she saw this. But, she seems like she came out fine! She laughs, and leans back into the sofa, as the movie keeps playing.
The finale is starting, even. But Minako glances sideways at Fuuka and nods. "Yeah, it's really impressive! I had no idea," she says. She considers. "You want to watch that next?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"They wouldn't be. ...They might have still been memorable for other reasons, though." Fuuka replies with a small laugh.
The film continues, and the finale begins.
Fuuka nods.
"Yes, let's." She agrees... and then pauses, considering the popcorn currently scattered across the floor.
"We should, um... probably clean up after the movie, first, before anyone else comes in..." She admits with a sheepish laugh.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"This is definitely memorable," Minako says, with another grin. She looks sideways at Fuuka, then, and she nods.
Though she considers her point for just a moment. Then, she nods again.
"Good point," she says. "Kirijo-senpai wouldn't be happy if we left popcorn all over the floor!"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Definitely..." Fuuka agrees with a sheepish laugh - and then, she nods.
"No, probably not..." She agrees. ...It's a scary thought, perhaps even more than the movie they're watching - and one she'd rather not learn the consequences of...