I'm currently considering a rework on my script and was wondering about one part. The idea concerns using shiny "pajamas" like a mirror to reflect a light-based radiation my kid super heroes need to use their powers. The key point is that the kidnappers know about the weakness, but not that it will take two or three hours to neutralize their abilities. The kids do know of the time lag. The original idea had the kids being drugged and then put in their PJ's while they are unconscious. I got thinking about a another post about killing children. Would the idea of dressing them have a negative impact. Would it be better to get them into the outfits and then put them to sleep?
. . . wow. Yeah, I have nothing constructive, important or helpful to say. This idea is just so-- non sequitur to the universe.
Dressing, feeding and bathing children are very intimate tasks. If they are done by a stranger and for the ultimate bad of the child I can see it striking a nerve. But maybe that is your intention?
I think it would have a definitive negative impact, unless you were doing something like the PJ's over their normal clothes? I don't know, anyway. I fully intend to dress my progenation in tailor-made suits from the age of three.
What my intentions are is to do a movie that deals with the issues of child abduction. Powerful and seemingly invincible, the kids should be out battling aliens, super villains, and in general saving the world. Instead they fall victim to child abduction. A childless heiress having them abducted to serve as surrogate children. Dressing, as well as the feeding as you mentioned, are meant to stress their helplessness. A factor that is enhanced by the fact that they think she has been kidnapped too and don't know that they are being brainwashed into accepting her as their new mother. The idea I want to convey is that even with their amazing abilites, not even twelve year old super hero are immune to the dangers of child abduction. I just want to do so without making it too adult.
I see where you're going, but in the spirit of fair warning, in the world of pedophiles and perverts and those who deal with them, feeding and dressing (especially dressing) have sexual overtones. For a number of potential readers / viewers, you would be brushing up against dark fetishism. If that's what you want, cool. If that's not what you want, maybe not so cool.
You have posted part of the story before, right? I'm sure I remember reading something along those lines. The easiest way I could think of doing this is by locking the child superheroes away in a room and throwing the clothes in with them, then the kidnapper could refuse to feed the children until they wore the clothes. Feeding could be done in several ways, one way would be to pass food to them through a hatch to their cell, another and more graphic way would involve strapping the children to the seats and force feeding. I know I have seen something similar done in a film before but that involved a disruptive and aggressive child that was actually the parents own.
The problem with this is they can use their powers to escape. Getting some of them to put on the outfits, with plans to remove them before it's too late, could work, but I think it'll have a bigger impact if they wake up in them with their powers being nuetralized as they slept. Strapped to beds they can't remove them to escape. As for feeding them, the childless heiress behind their abduction will spoon feed them in the beds like babies. And as they think she's been kidnapped too, they won't suspect that they are being brainwashed to accept her as their new mother. It's a work in progress.
Just to clarify the point. The work is a film script and no actual dressing of the heroes will be shown. Furthermore, the task will be done by "Nurses" hired to care for them. If I could figure out a way to realistically get them to put them on, I'd go with that angle. And two shows I'd like to point out. In "Firestarter", when Charlie and her dad are captured. The first time we see her afterward, she's wearing a robe. So she was apparently "dressed" by somebody unless she changed clothes before trying the door. In the British series "The Tomorrow People," Carol was taken out of her space suit and put in a dress by the bad guys while she was unconscious.
When ever you put childern in an abducted nature you're going to venture sensitive areas that will have to be handled carefully, adults- whether they have kids or not- get over protected on these matters. More so- as long as you dont show anyone dressing the kids; like you said, the kids just waking up in those clothes. I believe you should be fine. Just this last month Monsters vs Aliens the gaint girl woke up in new clothes. This being a childerns movie even, we all know she didnt dress herself. In regards to having the strapped I would be careful about that too. It may make the childern seem TOO helpless. Then again that may be what your going for. However, if they are already in confinements why would they need to be strapped down? Though, I do believe if it's written carefully this could be a very well written script.
Well, some people will be sensitive no matter what you do. You'll have to use judgment as an author about how much you want to show. IMO, if the actual dressing isn't shown, you're good. Even if it was, you could work it. Afterall, the scene doesn't strike mas glorifying abuse but rather simply telling the story of it. Life isn't all peaches and roses and if you would have to not tell your story to avoid those who expect peaches and roses from attacking it, you might as well not tell your story. Anyway, from what you tell me, I don't think it's a problem at all. Not by any stretch. If you do it right(and it sounds like you are), I think you'll be fine. (Then again, what you're doing to your kid characters is a bear hug compared to the fate I sent some of my kid characters to, lol)
