Ragnarok

One of the things that I find interesting in Norse Mythology is how some myths relate to real life. Of course, not in a literal sense, because if it was literal, then you would hang out with Odin in the Valhalla for real , or party with Frigga in her realm; Thor would actually ride a chariot on the clouds pulled by goats and using Mjolnir ( the hammer) to make lighting, and giants would exist. Some elements about Norse mythology have some (metaphorical) parallelism with real life (like what Indiana Jones says about El Dorado in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, in which he realizes that El Dorado mythical city was not made out of gold, but was a center of learning which for the Incas and Amazonian tribes was the most valuable wealth.). One example of the Norse parallelism is the Ragnarok, which is the Norse apocalypse in which the gods are engaged in a final battle.

In mythology, the Valkyries (the warrior goddesses) go down to earth in the battles, and select those who are going to die in battle, half of those killed in battle are taken by the Valkyries to party with Odin in the Valhalla and prepare for the Ragnarok, and the other half are going to Frigga to rest. Then, the last humans that are left in the world, Lif and Lifthrasir,  go to have shelter in the a tree from all the events in the Ragnarok which is followed by the arrival of three winter with no summers between (in other words, a three-year winter). During this long winter, Fenris the wolf escapes his bonds, Loki (god of mischief) escapes his prison, The ice and fire giants rally against the gods, the dishonoured dead spirits from the Underworld turn against Asgard led by Hel, and the World Serpent rises up, then all of go to assault Asgard and when Heimdallr (god guardian of Asgard) sees them coming, he will blow his horn to warn the gods for a last battle.During the battle, Odin is swallowed alive by Fenris (the wolf) who is killed by one of Odin’s sons, Thor kills the world serpent, but shortly dies because of the poisonous bite that the serpent gave to Thor. Heimdall, dies while slaying Loki, and Tyr (god of bravery) dies slaying, Garm, the Hellhound. Then starts raining ice and fire, the earth sinks into the sea and the nine realms in the Yggdrasil crumble, and giant wolves eat the sun and the moon, leaving the earth into darkness. Then the world rises from the sea, Lif and Lifthrasir (they are boy and girl) get out from the three and repopulate the earth, the surviving gods meet in a field (Where once was Asgard) and tell memories, and everybody enjoys the new world that emerges from the sea after the Ragnarok.

Thor against the A̶P̶ ̶e̶x̶a̶m̶s̶ world serpent.

The mythological event of Ragnarok, looks (metaphorically) almost the same like the last nine weeks of senior year, which also happen to be the last grading period of all High School for the class of 2015. Because you see, this is the time of the year when senioritis hits, therefore those who feel confident about their success are going to feel comfy and start to slack off now that they think that they have nothing to lose, then before spring break, three cold fronts came to the valley and there were only around twelve hours (at most) of sun between each cold front, then teachers prepare their most difficult and nasty exams designed especially from keeping students from graduating, for example, my math teacher designed an unresolvable problem that he nicknamed “The beast” (Fenrir), my CNA teacher gave us a long list that we need to get checked off at the clinical’s site before the first week of April if we want to get CNA certification (the ice and fire giants), my biology teacher is giving us quizzes every class (the dishonoured dead spirits led by hel), In art class we are going to have this ugly, nasty final in which we need to draw a self portrait of our self in detail (Loki escapes his prison), and AP exams (the world serpent). Then when we came back from Spring break, whoever is the one whose job is to ring the bell, that one will ring the bell to mark the beginning of the last nine weeks, and with them, the beginning of the end and the warning of our last battle (Heimdall blows his horn). During this period, students will suffer great amounts of stress, and some are going to fail important and decisive exams. According to a teacher in Med High, statistically the average number of seniors who don’t graduate is five, (which is more or less the number of gods that died during the Ragnarok). Then if you don’t graduate, your parents, teacher, and friends are going to make a big deal about it and they are going to remember you like the dumb student that didn't graduated on time, and everything will turn dark against you (ice and fire rain, earth submerges into the sea, Yggdrasil crumbles, and wolves eat the sun and the moon).
But those who prepared well and made it to the graduation will live to see the new beginning, which is college life, life away our parents (for those leaving the valley), and freedom to live for ourselves, starting a new life in which we, the students, will start independent lives and be responsibles for ourselves (world rises from the sea, and Lif and Lifthrasir will come out from the tree). And finally those who made it will attend Class reunions to tell memories from High School (meeting of the surviving gods where once was Asgard). The real life Ragnarok will not be a literal battle, but rather a new beginning that will be good for us and will be a turning point in our lives.

Asgard’s L̶G̶B̶T̶ ̶p̶r̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶a̶d̶e̶ bridge, Bifrost. The rainbow bridge joins together the nine realms of the Yggdrasil.

The new world that rises after the Ragnarök.

Top 10 favorite games

Everybody needs games, because if people don’t play, then people get mad, bored, and then start to do bad stuff, and like a saying says “ Ocius is the mother of all sins.”. This list is about my favorite top 10 games, and includes both video games, and board games.Dear reader, if your parents have told you that video games are bad for you or they are going to cook your brain, or stuff like that, I can say with all the freedom of the world that such arguments ARE BULLSHIT!. There is no scientific evidence that proves this, in fact science demonstrates the opposite, for example it has been demonstrated that video games improve brain capacities, besides, video games are a form of art because it tells you stories in the game, they have a plot and you need actor to play the voices in the game. Position 1 is my Favorite game.

10.- Chess

Classic game, for people who actually are clever, and one of the few sports that heavy and unfit people can play. The game itself is epic because it recreates a battle between two armies. It is so epic that once during the cold war, an American player, and a Soviet Player were playing the final match in a chess world cup. the American won.

9.- Risk

Like chess, but the difference is that the board is a world map. It was based on the Napoleonic era, so the game figures look like soldiers from 1800’s.  The objective of the game is to lead your armies and become the next Napoleon (not Napoleon Dynamite) and conquer the world. Easy, right?

8.- Uno

The classic card game (for non-gamblers) to play after a semester exam in class, and also to break up friendships as well. You have 7 cards and you have to get rid of all of them first, but if you have one left you have to say “Uno” or you have to grab seven more.

Friends? That is the last thing you have when you play Uno...

7.-Mario Kart DS

Mario -who has decided to stop looking for the d̶u̶m̶b̶ Princess Peach who has been kidnapped by Bowser more times than Liam Neeson's daughter in the Taken franchise- now plays karts race. In this game, you drive a kart and like in all race games, you have to make it first to the goal to win, but is not that easy, because the other players are such an <insert rated R word here> , and they will throw at you bananas, turtle shells, lightings, ink, bullets, and other stuff to win the race in a u̶n̶honorable way. Dear reader, if you choose to play Mario Kart DS (start playing Mario Kart version for DS or newer, the older version’s graphics are crap), choose Yoshi, he is the most complete racer.

6.- Scrabble

Always that I play scrabble, I play it in Spanish because it is the only version that I have. In scrabble you grab seven letter from a bag and try to form words, and according to the letter you use you get points, and the winner is the one who has more points, you can form any word you want, but unspoken rules t̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ say that “Thou shall not use the f-word, s-word, a-word, p-word, c-word, d-word”, and the rules of the game say that you cannot form Proper names such Alejandro, Microsoft, Mcallen, etc. You get the idea.

5.- Clue

The game in which you play to be Sherlock. You have to solve a murder case about who killed a millionaire and with what weapon where. I have The Simpsons version, so you have to find who killed Mr.Burns and with what weapon (poisoned doughnut, Saxophone, etc). Like chess, and most games from Parker Brothers, this game is so epic and you will have a great time with it.

Oh my Gosh! I need that version of clue! Imagine Dwight K. Shrute looking for the murderer of Toby Flenderson. That is what I call creativity.

6. Conker's Bad Fur Day

A video game for Nintendo 64 and Xbox. It is about a red squirrel named Conker who tries to find his way to his home with his girlfriend after a night at the bar, but gets lost and gets into many ordeals to save his life and find his way back to home, like in a greek epic, but also like in a greek epic, it has a lot of gore and dark humor, so it is rated M for Mature audiences, and kids should not play it b̶u̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶,̶ ̶t̶o̶d̶a̶y̶'̶s̶ ̶k̶i̶d̶s̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶n̶a̶p̶r̶o̶p̶i̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶w̶a̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶i̶n̶n̶a̶p̶r̶o̶p̶i̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶v̶i̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶i̶n̶n̶a̶p̶r̶o̶p̶i̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶n̶e̶t̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶e̶s̶?̶.

5.- Mario Party (Nintendo 64)

Another mario game. A kind of board game in which if you win minigames you advance in the board, and you win if you collect so many stars. Enjoyable, although like in Mario Kart, the opponent will do anything possible to win, even if it means to steal your stars, have you eaten by Bowser, roll over you by a train, etc. Make sure to play Mario Party 3 or newer, older versions are bad.

Look at them, trying to save their lives from falling in the lava by running on the top of balls. Like SAW, but for children.

3.- Frontline Commando D-day

Dear reader, if you are a history fan like me, and admire Captain America, then you will love this game. This games is a mobile game in which you are an American Soldier during World War II, and your first battle is in Normandy in the D-day. Your mission is to advance in France and defeat the Nazis as you advance. Exciting!

2.- Monopoly

The most popular game from Parker Brother which is the most effective weapon to destroy friendships and families since the Great Depression. The game is about how fast can you be the next Bill Gates or the next Prince of Saudi Arabia, and is by buying properties, railroads, services, and by putting hotels and houses on your properties, so when your rival falls in your property he can go to bankrupt. A fun game (to my taste) which also teaches you a lesson: do your taxes, and if you want to be billionaire you have to become a douche (like Macbeth).

Mr. Uncle Pennybags, who some speculate that is based on J.P. Morgan, who is properly rocking the Monopoly mustache.

1.- Minecraft

Without any doubt, Minecraft has well deserved the position number 1. It is the most exciting, epic, and entertaining game that I have never seen. The reason on why I love Minecraft is because I like scouting outdoors and exploring my surroundings like an explorer, and whenever I do that I feel like a Spanish (or should I say Mexican) Conquistador or like Eric the Red when he arrived to Vinland (North America). Unfortunately, because of a̶n̶ ̶e̶v̶i̶l̶ ̶i̶n̶v̶e̶n̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ homework ,I don’t have the time to do these things so I stay at home, but with Minecraft I can explore forests, deserts, oceans, caves, mines, mountains, and a lot of biomes and you can even build your own buildings and make a city with your own hands brick by brick, raise cattle, breed cattle, domesticate wolves, build railroads, make bombs and make them blow and nobody gets hurt(if that is your thing) and start your own hormone-free organic farm. 
There there is also survival mode in which you have to make an intelligent use of your resources, and survive in your little world(is not that little, in fact it is infinite in the PC and Xbox versions) against zombie attacks, skeleton archers, creepers (which are some sort of plant with legs according to science) that explode, Endermen (A version of Slenderman), bad wolves, and zombie pigmen (Biped zombies with humanoid body and pig head). Minecraft is also educational, because it teaches you about using your resources wisely and not to waste it, making out of you a better person for the planet, plus I remember that one day, I had to take the AP Environmental Science, and I had a question that asked about the layers of the ground, so I remembered from Minecraft that on the top most part of the soill is dirt, then solidified sand, and then the bedrock. There was another question about about how to get minerals out from the ore (such gold from gold ore), and I remembered that in Minecraft I have to clean the ore by heating it, so I put it as an aswer and I got a three on the AP (which is good). Also some people especulate that Minecraft also helps you to improve your SAT scores, but there is no proof yet. Also there are some codes called mods that you can install in the program and you can do an infinity of possibilities such mine Uranium, install electricity in your buildings, build a ship, launch nukes, have a shotgun, etc. I love this game because you can many things that are dangerous for people, but the beauty is that nobody gets hurt (like in The Simpson's episode in which Homer creates an alternative universe in which everything is made of legos, and "nobody gets hurt", according to Ned Flanders).

A nuke in TNTs

Ship built by me.

King Tando’s palace in the capital city of Trolledo, in the Tandolish Kingdom. I built the palace, Trolledo’s buildings and the Tandolish Kingdom by myself brick by brick. The part that is on the very top of the palace is a pool, and the water that runs from below the palace is a waterfall.

Top 10 Movies

Another List! I so love doing lists because it keeps me entertained and organized, also I feel like an important businessman by doing lists (lists on my college choices, p̶o̶s̶s̶i̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶d̶a̶t̶e̶s̶, ideas for movies, etc.).  This list is about the movies that I saw during High School, same thing as the last list, Position number one is my most favorite.

10.- Scott Pilgrim vs. The world

Sometimes people are held back by ghosts of their pasts and doesn’t allow them fully enjoy life, well, Scott Pilgrim Vs, The World touches this theme. It is about a guy named Scott Pilgrim that is broken hearted because his girlfriend dumped him because of other guy, so Scott Pilgrim tries to look for consolation by dating a High Schooler, but then he meets Ramona Flowers and falls in love with her, but if Scott Pilgrim wants to date her, then he needs to defeat Ramona’s 7 evil exes (6 ex boyfriends and 1 ex girlfriend). The movie is funny, and also epic, because Scott Pilgrim uses different weapons to defeat the exes, such a battery cymbal, skateboard, his own fists, a cup of half and half coffee, bare hands, sound waves, and a katana (Samurai sword). It has action, love, and comedy, which is something very rare in movies. Also Scott Pilgrim fights Captain America and Superman in the movie, and although he defeats Captain America, he also beats super bad Superman (I would only watch a superman movie if I had a gun in my head.)

9.- Guardians of the Galaxy

A Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. It is about Peter Quill (Chris Pratt, who happens to also be Emmet in The Lego Movie, and also appears in Parks and Recreations), a human from earth that got kidnapped by alien mercenaries, and is trained to be a thief. One day, he steals something that is not supposed to be stolen and an alien dictator wants the object as a weapon, so Peter Quill allies with Gamora, Drax, Groot (a giant talking tree who only says “I am groot” and starred by Vin Diesel, because you know, Vin Diesel acts like a piece of wood), and Rocket raccoon (Who is a racoon) to keep the thingy safe. Because it is in the Cinematic Universe, it is related to The Avengers.

8.- Boyhood

Nominated for best movie in the Oscars of 2015, but won Birdman (Birdman wasn't that good, honestly). The footage took around 12 years, which is admirable because a lot of things can happen in twelve years (such a Black president, Alien Invasion, Mayan apocalypse, Nuclear war, an actor dies, money runs out, etc), therefore the same actors are used for twelve years, it takes place in Texas, and around many Texan cities such Houston, San Marcos and H̶i̶p̶s̶t̶e̶r̶l̶a̶n̶d̶ Austin. It is about the story a teenage guy and its struggle within (And the outside world), it reflected the battle that we, teenagers have during our teenage years and all of those changes.

7.- Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)

An Argentinian-Spanish dark comedy film nominated for best film in other language than English in the Oscar 2015. Produced by the famous Spanish director Pedro de Almodovar (who is one of the most recognized filmmakers in Spanish speaking cinema). It is a compilation of different episodes with a different story between them, but the theme in common is anger and what people can do when they lose their heads. There is a story of  someone who is angry at the world so he packed everybody who has hurted him in a plane and crashes the plane, there is other one about a cook who poisons a dude who hurted her co worker, there is an story about road rage that goes wrong, there another one about an engineer who blows buildings loses everything he has (his job, his family) because of a parking ticket, and the stupid bureaucracy of the government, so he puts a bomb in his car which blows up in the impound yard when is taken by the police for not parking correctly, etc. Despite of the fact that most of the characters die, it makes you laugh with the dark comedy.

6.- Thor: The Dark World

Usually sequels are crappier than the first movie (like in Transformers, Narnia, etc.), of course there is an exception to the rule, and Thor: The Dark World is an example. Like Thor, it inside the Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, and the events in Thor 2 are related with The Avengers, even in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are mentioned such events. This movie is about a threat of the dark elf that threatens to destroy Asgard with a gem (it’s not only a gem, it is an infinity gem, like the Tesseract, and the weapon in Guardians of the Galaxy), So thor has to stop him with the help of Loki. In the movie, it is played a lot the concept of portals, which are used to travel thru the Nine Realms of the Yggdrasil (The Norse tree that holds Asgard, Jotunheim, Midgard (Aks. Earth), Helheim, Vanaheim, Muspelheim, etc.)Like most Norse-related stuff, it was epic.

5.- Beowulf

Filmed in 2007 (so is not that new). By the same director who brought you Back to the Future. It is about the poem Beowulf, but like most movies based on literature, some things are inaccurate. Anthony Hopkins who was the god Odin in Thor and in Thor: The Dark World, is the king of the Danes, Hrothgar. It is epic, I enjoyed it and despite it is inaccurate and I really wanted to see how Beowulf grabbed the sword forged by giants in Grendel’s den used to kill Grendel’s mother and cut off Grendel’s head (like in the poem), I liked how they related the dragon of the end of the poem and Grendel’s mom, which turned out to be Angelina Jolie.

4.- Accepted

One of the most hilarious teen comedies that I have seen. It takes place in Ohio, and it is about these high school seniors who were not accepted in any college, so they decide to found a hoax university to avoid the shaming of their parents and relatives of not being accepted to college, so they found the South Harmon Institute of Technology. It does not only makes you laugh and gives you a good time, but also touches themes about honesty, education, and about those so-called “honorable men” who bully those who consider inferior to them (Fraternity Hazing).

Like the University of Arizona, but in a fictional universe...

3.- The Perfect Score

One of the most hilarious teen comedies. It was filmed in 2004, so it’s not that new. It is starred by Captain America and Black Widow (watch the movie and look up the cast in Wikipedia) as high schoolers. It is about a bunch of High school teens that boomed their SAT’s and then realize that they are doomed to not going to their dream colleges or not going to college at all, so they all plan to break into the College Board’s headquarters to steal the next SAT’s answers. Captain America in this movie makes his debut as The Sentinel of Liberty by fighting for the American people against an evil organization seeking world domination (not HYDRA, but the College Board). The movie criticizes what I have always criticized: the College Board is a Monopoly who doesn't care about education, but cares about the private interests of companies and University Presidents (you don’t believe me?, look up why The College Board put a writing section, and why they are going to take it away).

“Don’t you find it ridiculous that from day one they tell us to be unique, they tell us to be individuals, then they give us a standardized test that makes us all one faceless herd?”- C̶a̶p̶t̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶ Chris Evans in The Perfect Score.

2.- Les Miserables

Nominated for Best movie in the Oscars 2013, but the Academy gave the award to Argo (Argo wasn’t that good to win this award, Les miserables was better).  Based on the play Les Miserables, which is based on the book Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It is the story about Jean Valjean, a convict who is granted parole in France 1915, Jean Valjean breaks his parole and years later is now the Mayor of a town in France, but Inspector Javert learn that the mayor is Jean Valjean and goes after him. Jean Valjean adopts Cossette, and takes her with him. Then the revolution of 1936 strikes in Paris and the rebels make barracks in the streets of Paris. It is like an opera in Movie because all the dialogues are sung.

1.- Captain America: The First Avenger

Epic of epicness. I have made several references to Cap in this scrapbook, do I need to explain why is position number 1?

How to write an Screenplay

Dear Reader, If you are reading this from the future, then somehow you ended in this blog, I was probably a great movie director that filmed a sitcom named Social Studies, but If I didn’t and instead I turned out to be a great lawyer, or unemployed, drafted by the US Army, kidnapped by Aliens, lost in the sea, traveled in time to France in July 14th, 1789, or just a boring person with a white collar job in an office in some big city with a wife, children, and debts, then I obviously didn’t turned out to be a movie director, but whatever is the case I leave this knowledge to you so you can use it and write your own amazing blockbuster. Who knows? Maybe you turn out to be the next Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Kubrick or (in the worst of the cases) the next Michael Bay. Maybe you will film the next Pulp Fiction, 2001: Odyssey in the Space, The Avengers, The Wizard of OZ, Psycho, or (in the worst of the cases) the remake of Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, or Transformers. If you are someone who is grading this scrapbook as an English IV assignment, then the information will be useful. In this entry you will learn the structure of a Screenplay. As example I will use one of my favorite movies (not Beowulf): Captain America: The First Avenger (How many references to Captain America I have made in this blog?).

WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST  AVENGER YET, THIS ENTRY MIGHT BE A SPOILER ABOUT THE PLOT, SUCH CAPTAIN AMERICA’S FRIEND (BUCKY BARNES) DIES BUT RETURNS IN THE WINTER SOLDIER WITH HIS BRAIN BRAINWASHED BY HYDRA WITH ORDERS TO KILL CAPTAIN AMERICA, RED SKULL  GETS THE TESSERACT, AN ITEM FROM ASGARD (THOR’S WORLD) IMPORTANT IN AVENGERS AND IN MARVEL’S CINEMATIC UNIVERSE MOVIES, ROGER’S LOVE (PEGGY CARTER) GETS HER HEART BROKEN WHEN STEVE ROGERS GETS LOST IN THE SEA AND IS NOT FOUND UNTIL THE END OF THE MOVIE (WHICH IS LIKE 60 YEARS AFTER WORLD WAR II), AND CAPTAIN AMERICA GETS INTO THE AVENGERS TEAM BY NICK FURY (SAMUEL L. JACKSON). THAT BEING SAID, YOU MAY CONTINUE.

First, a screenplay is divided in three acts: ACT I, ACT II,  and ACT III. ACT I lasts about ¼ of the duration of the film, for example, a 120- minute movie’s ACT I lasts 30 minutes. In the ACT I, it is introduced the Ordiary World, which is the hero and the characters’ normal place. In Captain America, it is shown Johann Schimidt (Aka. Red Skull) hunting the Tesseract in Norway, which he gets, being the war the Ordinary World of Johann Schmidt. Then it is shown Steve Roger’s Ordinary World trying to get into the army, and getting beaten up in the alleys and always saved by Bucky Barnes. Then there is a Call to Adventure, in which the hero is called to enter to the Special World to solve a problem; in Captain America, the call to Adventure is when Steve Rogers goes to the fair with Bucky Barnes and some girls , and Steve Rogers separates from the group to go to an Army’s draft booth in the fair. Then there is usually a Refusal to the Call by the hero, in movies such The Patriot, Mel Gibson does not want to get involved into the war initially, however Steve Rogers is a willing hero that seeks to go to the Special World, but there is still a Refusal to the Call not by Rogers, but by Bucky Barnes that finds him and tries to discourage him to go to war, telling him that he will only find death in the battlefield. When there is a Willing hero in a movie, there will always be someone who tries to discourage the hero ( check out Dance with Wolves, it is the same thing as in Captain America).

Then the hero has an Encounter with the Mentor, who sometimes is a Merlyn-like figure that encourages the hero to go into the Special World. In Captain America, Rogers meets Dr. Abraham Erskine, who finds him, talks to him, and encourages him (more) to join the Army, telling to Rogers “We already have many big guys, maybe we will need a little one”, so Dr. Erskine takes Roger’s file and approves him to join to the army, Crossing the First Threshold to the Special World. The Cross of the First Threshold is the final event of ACT I, solving the hero’s decision to enter to the Special World.

ACT II deals with the hero’s actions in the Special World, and it starts with the meeting of Tests, Allies, and Enemies. Here, the hero is tested to prove his (or her) worth, also he meets Allies, and Enemies, which would be the boot camp, where Steve Rogers faces several tests such taking down the flag to earn a rest from the training, and the bravery tests made by Col. Phillips, that throws a fake grenade to prove that Rogers is a coward wimp, but Rogers proofs his bravery by jumping to the grenade to protect his peers and the Agent Carter (his crush), also Dr. Erskine talks to Rogers about his Enemy, Johann Schmidt, who was administered the same serum as Rogers, but it had side effects in Schmidt. Dr. Erskine tells Rogers this to tell to Rogers why he was chosen, because despite his is asthmatic and wimpy, he has a good heart and is not rotten as Schmidt, then Peggy Carter, takes roger into the secret lab where the serum is going to take place, the serum is administered, and Rogers now has abs. But a HYDRA spy kills Dr. Erskine, and steals a bottle of the formula, Rogers hunts him down and asks him “Who are you?!”, and the spy responds “The first of many. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA!”, and the spy commits suicide by eating a pill of cyanide. Then Steve Rogers learns that HYDRA was responsible, and he wants to fight it, but he is dressed with bars and stars and give shows in order to sell War Bonds. Moreover, the hero Approaches to the Inmost Cave, which is the most dangerous place in the Special World. Rogers goes to the frontline to entertain the soldiers, but then he learn that Bucky was captured by HYDRA, and he goes into HYDRA’s factory to rescue Bucky, he figures out the locations of the other factories, takes Schmidt's mask off, becoming now Red Skull. Then there is an Ordeal, a battle in which it is unknown what is going to happen

with the hero. Captain America rides HYDRA’s train, but he finds someone who is actually trying to kill him,

then an accident happens, and somehow Captain America finds Bucky hanging from the train and is facing death by falling from the mountain in which the train is traveling.  Unfortunately, Bucky falls (but doesn’t die, he returns as the Winter Soldier in the sequel). Captain America continues with the battle and gets the Reward, which is Dr. Arnim Zola, one of HYDRA’s top officers. The Reward is the consequence of the ordeal, sometimes is an object (such in the poem Beowulf, which is Grendel’s head), a person (Such in Captain America), the enemy’s plans (such in Star Wars IV), however, the Reward is the consequence, therefore sometimes it can be a negative consequence, such a delusion, for example (I know it’s a horrible example, but it’s the only one I came out) in Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan loses both her friendship with the “plastic girls” and her friendship with her real friends, showing that popularity went to Lindsay Lohan’s head (I don’t remember the name of the characters). With the reward, ends the ACT II, and starts the ACT III. ACT II lasts 2/4 of the duration of the film, which is more or less around 60 minutes in a 120-minute film.

ACT III last the remaining ¼ of the movie, or the last 30 minutes, and deals about the consequences of the deeds done by the hero in ACT II and here is where the climax of the whole film is. The first thing that happens in ACT III is The Road back, which are the consequences of obtaining the reward and the forces disrupted by such action. Sometimes is a chase scene (Such in Star Wars IV), other is the exile of hero from the Special World after making a mistake (such in The Lone Ranger,  or Django), but in Captain America’s case, it is a setback from the hero’s good fortune; Captain America feels guilty about losing Bucky in the Train attack, but Peggy Carter comforts him, and encourages him to go after HYDRA for Bucky by telling him “You will not be alone” (I so love the quotes of this movie!). Then the Climax comes, or in other words the Resurrection. The Resurrection is the final attempt to make a change in the Special World, when the hero is exiled, he (or she) returns reloaded, such in Scott Pilgrim vs  The World, that Scott pilgrim comes back with to face a last ordeal with Ramona’s 7th ex-boyfriend (Ms. Hudler, you MUST watch this movie, it is so epic), in A Million Ways to die in the West, the coward cowboy returns with a bullet dipped in poison to kill the antagonist; In Captain America, Steve Rogers decides to bring down HYDRA for once, and enters in Red Skull’s headquarters to capture him, but Red Skull captures Captain America, and when Red Skull is about to kill Cap, the army breaks into Red Skull’s Headquarters to bring down HYDRA. Red Skull runs away, but Cap goes after him ,and sneaks into the plane that Red Skull gets into (after receiving a kiss from Peggy Carter. Well done, Cap!). Red Skull fights Cap in the plane, Red Skull touches the Tesseract but gets burned (or tele transported by a portal to space. Some people speculate that we will see again Red Skull in one of the movies following Captain America). The Tesseract falls into the ocean, and Captain America has to sacrifice himself by putting the plane into the ocean to save America from a catastrophe (the plane carried weapons to

destroy the major American cities). Cap and Peggy Carter have this talk in which both agree to meet again for a date (by using the radio of the plane), although both know how it is going to end, and show us implicitly that Captain America and Peggy Carter love each other, and Captain America gets lost in the frozen sea. After the resurrection, it is followed the Return with the Elixir, in mythology was the item that the heroes were looking for, for example in Norse Mythology (which is going to be my freebie in the next issue) Thor retrieves his hammer, after having fighting with the Giants of the Jotunheimr that stole his hammer Mjolnir. But the elixir is not always an object, sometimes is a lesson learned by the characters after the experience of the Special World, for example,  in the poem Beowulf, Wiglaf learns that Beowulf was a great hero that fought for the good of his people, and he (Wiglaf) gives to Beowulf a honorable monument after he has died and he decides to follow Beowulf steps. But in Captain America, the world realizes what Captain America had to do to save the free world, Peggy Carter misses Cap, and Captain America is found 60 years after World War II by SHIELD, and he finds out that most of his friends are dead (Almost. Peggy Carter returns in The Winter Soldier as an old lady with Alzheimer). But Captain America’s elixir is the honor of the people that give to Captain America, and the knowing that his deeds to save the free world were not in vain because the Nazi party falls, and HYDRA also(Apparently. In The Winter Soldier, HYDRA somehow filtrates in SHIELD, but still, Captain America defeated HYDRA in World War II). And finally ends with the credits, which are the images of World War II propaganda posters (I loved the credits).

This structure is not only found in movies, but also in mythology, epic poems, books, The bible, etc. Although this structure is a clear way to build an story, you can always defy the archetypes by being iconoclast and doing something different. That’s why Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, is a classic of Cinema, it changed a little this structure by building a frame story which events do not happen in chronological order, but the events somehow fitted in the structure and still made sense.

FADE OUT. (FADE OUT is something that is typed in a screenplay to indicate that the movie is over, and so this entry).

Fandom theatrical poster of Captain America: The First Avenger. Vintage edition of 1940’s for Hipsters (Although Marvel is probably too mainstream).

Nick Fury as Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp fiction. After being a gangster, he decided to do the right thing and decided to put the Avengers together.

The Writer’s Journey. A Bible for every writer. It doesn’t only teaches about how to write, but also teaches about life.

Macbeth

In March of 2015, my English class was assigned to read Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This play is about an Schottish knight that is told by three witches (aka. The Weird sisters) that he is going to become king of Scotland, so he (Macbeth) kills the king in order to crown himself and also kills many other people in order to keep himself in the throne (It is Shakespeare’s bloodiest play. You just open the book, and blood will come out like in the scene of the blood elevator scene of The Shining). I found a repeating pattern (aka. motif) about blood . According to an English teacher in Med High, the word “blood” is repeated more than 100 times thruought the play. So I dipped in this ocean of blood and gore to find quotes about this motif to see what it means (I need to test myself for AIDS).

In Act III, scene IV, lines 122 to 126, Macbeth says “I will have blood, they say; blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak; Augurs and understood relations have by maggot pies and choughs and rooks brought forth the secret’ st man of blood.” To understand this quote we need to have in mind what happened in the play. After killing the king, Macbeth orders to some murderers to kill  Banquo, Macbeth’s closest firend, and his son, Fleance, because he fears that Banquo will kill him first in order to put Fleance in the throne. The murderers kill Banquo, but Fleance  escapes, and the murderers inform Macbeth that Fleance has escaped. In the quote of above, Macbeth fears that Banquo’s death will be revenged by some kind of karma in which Macbeth will be murdered, and when that happens, all the nasty, bloody, and despicable deeds that Macbeth has done in order to get where he is now will be exposed. In this phrase, mainly, the word “blood” is used to mean death by violent means (such murder).

Another example is in the same act, and in the same scene, but in lines 135 to 140. Macbeth says “For mine own good, all causes shall give way. I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er. Strange things I have in head , that will to hand, which must be acted ere they may be scanned.” In this quote,  besides that Macbeth is saying explicitly that he has issues (“Strange things I have in head…”), Macbeth realizes that he has already done so many nasty things, but he can’t stop, because if he does, he will lose everything. Therefore he has to continue and he must protect himself by doing whatever he has to do in order to remain in the power. Like in the  first phrase, “blood” is used to refer to violent deaths.

In conclusion, the motif of blood is used to refer of the murders that happened, are happening, and are going to happen; all of them caused by Macbeth’s ambition for the throne. This motif indicates us that Macbeth is about murderes, treason, and bad stuff, but also it makes to ask to the audience “How far is a person willing to go because of ambition?”.

This is how the stage ends by the end of Macbeth.