Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Casual Headlessness is Casual

I feel like having a headless character in a story with magic is a trope more commonly used than you would think. There is the story of The Headless Horseman, Nearly Headless Nick from Harry Potter, anything with zombies, mummies, and other traditional supernatural creatures, and anytime you need to conveniently roll a strike in bowling (Men in Black Three). It of course gives the people involved and/ or the viewer a shock that THIS CHARACTER JUST GOT THEIR HEAD SEVERED FROM THEIR BODY, or that it's just plain old missing. I feel like it is a quick way to establish that yes this is a world with magic and your sciencey laws need not apply. It's straightforward and to the point. I also think that in some stories it is a little noncommittal, the character sustained a fatal blow but didn't die, putting into question all character deaths in the story and any sense of danger depending on which rules for magic were used. But it is a good way to establish the rules of magic. Magic might only work on that one character, it might be a spell, it might just be part of the character's anatomy. It could be the opposite of an Achilles' Heel, only their neck is protected from a fatal blow. I feel like it is a unique, but simple, way to get information to the viewer and other characters.


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