Expressions

Rough Turnaround

Rough Character Construction

Rough Story Development "The Nefarious Butler"

 This is a rough introduction to my short story. I'm still unsure about the transitions between the different Acts and how I want to second Act to play out. At this point, my character is very internal and I'm still trying to devise how to best convey his personality through facial expressions and body movement.

Act I

The dart flew gracefully through the air as it reached its intended destination on the dartboard...right between the eyes of an image of Everett Lawson. Simply thinking the name of his employer brought a miffed expression to Desmond Rippner’s face. Desmond stared back at the dartboard, now full of darts piercing Everett’s face. The image made him smile.
    He rose from his chair and sighed deeply, recalling all that would be required of him for the following evening. His lovely boss, Everett, also-known-as the thorn in his side, was hosting an important dinner in the hopes of schmoozing with former associates of his deceased father, Nathaniel. Desmond was essentially in charge of making sure that the whole thing came together without so much as a hiccup...like any good butler would. With the dinner scheduled for the following evening, Desmond still had much to complete. Unfortunately, his mind was occupied by much more devious thoughts, more specifically, how he was finally going to get rid of his boss. Six months he had spent serving that dimwit  and he could stand it no longer. Desmond considered himself to be a pretty patient person, but the way he saw it, he would be doing the world a favor. Yes, Desmond could be quite generous when he wanted to be.
    His eyesight deviated from the dartboard as his gaze then fell upon the cork-board that hung to its left. For weeks he had been wracking his brain, trying to come up with the perfect way to finally end Everett’s life. His cork-board was littered with various scenarios of how he could possibly kill Everett. Desmond had been stewing over different plans of attack, from dismemberment to disembowelment and from hanging to eye gauging. Despite his many ideas, Desmond had yet to come up with the perfect scenario.
    Walking over to his dresser, Desmond's eyes fell on the wallet of the man he’d killed the day before at the toll booth. He grabs the wallet and opens it; staring down at the drivers license he sees the image of his unlucky victim. The memory calmed him as he relished in the spontaneity of the kill. He found himself somewhat grateful that the day, which was supposed to be his day off, had not been completely wasted. At that moment, the proverbial light bulb went off in his head. His eyes widened and his smirk deepened. In his possession, he had the perfect, fresh ingredients at his disposal. The mere thought of Everett and his dinner guests unknowingly eating human flesh warmed his heart. While it was not exactly a plan to murder Everett, Desmond saw no problem in having a little fun with his prey first.

Scene cuts to walk-in freezer (basement area?) and we see Desmond lift open the lid of a large ice chest. Inside the ice we see the dismembered body of his victim. We zoom on the victims face and make the connection that he is someone Desmond has killed.

We then see Desmond, still in the walk-in freezer, with a cookbook in one hand and a severed body part in the other. (What I'd like to do with the end of Act I is make the connection that Desmond will be using his victim as ingredients, although I'm still a bit unsure of how I'd like to visually portray this.)

Act II

The second Act would be the following evening, the night of Everett's dinner. The scene opens with Desmond in the kitchen, preparing the main course. Desmond is standing over the stove, sautéing away. On the counter, various cuts of meat can be seen, known to be human remains. Due Desmond's quick change regarding the dinner's menu, he's rushing to get the meal served on time. Desmond's haste to get the meal done is somewhat the "obstacle" for the second act, although I'm not entirely sold on this.

Act II would end with Desmond placing Everett's plate in front of him and a knowing smile on Desmond's face.

Act III
For the third act, the resolution to Desmond's problem would be to finally kill Everett and would take place once all the guests had left.
We find Everett in the kitchen, tie gone, shirt slightly unbuttoned and rumpled, with the sleeves rolled up as he serves himself a last glass of wine. As he brings the glass to his lips he hears a noise coming from the basement. Ever the curious man, he makes his way down the basement steps. He makes note of the ice chest and walks over to it. He opens it and discovers dismembered body parts. As a horrified expressions crosses his face, we see Desmond behind him, knife in hand. *cue sinister music*

Now, my dilemma for the end is whether or not I want to actually show Desmond kill Everett. When it comes to crime/murder shows/movies,etc., there are some kills that aren't really shown, but rather implied. There are times when I prefer those more, because they allow the viewer to make it as violent/not violent as they want.

The third act would end with the audience knowing that Desmond kills Everett, whether it's shown or not...perhaps with a bloodied hand lying on the ground...?

Desmond Rippner Character Development

    There was no childhood trauma that made him what he was, no neglectful parents or harsh upbringing. Thirty-eight year old Desmond Rippner actually had a very pleasant childhood, with doting parents who loved him dearly. Martha and Thomas Rippner were the perfect parents and if Desmond were able to muster up any semblance of human emotion, he’d almost be able to say that he loved them...but he didn’t. Instead he pitied them, because who wouldn’t pity a mother and father whose son showed more interest torturing their neighbors cat than playing with his toy trains. At the end of the day, Desmond paid no attention to the origins of his...special hobby. As far as he was concerned, the skill with which he slaughtered his victims was a work of art and if you were to ask him, he would tell you that it was a gift.
    As Desmond grew older he soon realized that neighborhood pets and the average squirrel were not enough to quench his desire to murder living things. It took an immeasurable amount of  self-control to hold off on his desires for human flesh until he could finally rid himself of his godforsaken hometown. If there was one thing he could thank his parents for, it was the fact they were very fiscally responsible and had saved a pretty penny, thus allowing Desmond to attend almost any college of his choosing. Demond’s first choice: medical school. He wasted no time in putting his home and family behind him and thoroughly enjoyed seeing them both disappear in his rearview mirror.
    Getting away from home was one of the best things that could’ve happened to Desmond and going to medical school was the icing on his three-tiered cake. He considered the schools campus to be his own personal buffet and it wasn’t long until he found his first human victim, and his second, and his third...and so on. Of course he thought to spread out his excursions so not attract unwanted attention his way and often ventured to neighboring to extract his pound of flesh. His affinity for human anatomy brought him to the top of his anatomy classes. His intelligence, along with his charismatic demeanor, made him a favorite among his professors. The ease with which he wore the mask of a normal human being was so convincing that no one would ever guess that he often used to anatomy lab for his own extra curricular activities. Easily stealing the janitors keys allowed him to come and go as he pleased.
    It wasn’t until halfway through his third year of school that Desmond approached a little bump in the road. That bumps name was Nolan Aldrich-the proverbial thorn in his side. Whatever high exam mark Desmond would receive, Nolan was never too far behind. Nolan was convinced that Desmond had cheated his way to the top and had no problems making his dislike of Desmond known. Nolan Aldrich would have been the perfect victim...if only he wasn’t the son of a very important donor to the school. So Desmond kept his mouth shut and the anatomy lab tables remained Nolan-free. Unfortunately, Nolan couldn’t stand being second best and used his family’s connections and deep pockets to set Desmond up for cheating by having Desmond’s midterm essay replaced with a copy of his own. The school was quick to expel Desmond for cheating and the Alrich family made sure that Nolan appeared to be very much a victim.
    Having been kicked out of his dorm accommodations and no longer being employed at his school’s library, Desmond found himself no longer with a home or a steady income. Refusing to go back to the place he once called home, he hitchhiked his way from city to city and used his meager savings to acquire sustenance. Not long after being booted from school, Desmond found himself sitting in pub, devising a strategy to get himself out of his current predicament. It was there that he a overhead a discussion about the arrival of a prominent figure who would be moving into the classier part of town. According to the rumor mill, widower Nathaniel Lawson  would soon be coming to town and the Lawson mansion was slightly understaffed. It was there that Desmond saw an opening; he’d be more than willing to suffer through a menial job if it meant having a more than adequate roof over his head. It didn’t take Desmond long to locate the Lawson Mansion. Dressed in his best suit, Desmond plead his case to the current Lawson butler (minus the med school expulsion) and with luck on his side, his charming persona helped him acquire a meeting with Nathaniel Lawson. Despite his youth, Desmond’s intelligence and wit allowed him to procure a low-ranking position on Nathaniel’s staff.  Desmond could put up with being an errand boy if it could get him proper lodgings and much to his delight, it gave him some rare but treasured time to return to his more carnivorous pursuits.
    The best part about working for Nathaniel, Desmond discovered, was that Nathaniel remind him very much of himself. Nathaniel’s sophistication and cold, icy appearance were to be admired, as far as Desmond was concerned. Desmond couldn’t have asked for a better employer or role model. The manner in which Nathaniel domineered and ruled over his staff were qualities that Desmond hoped to acquire for himself. As time wore on, Nathaniel developed a fondness for Desmond, a fondness that was even lacking in the relationship with his estranged son, Everett. Desmond’s routine at Lawson mansion kept him satisfied for years, but as with all good things, this too came to an end.
    The death of Nathaniel Lawson stirred up new feelings in Desmond. It was the closest he would ever get to feeling sorrow or grief. Those feelings soon dissipated with the arrival of Everett, Nathaniel’s only heir and now the rightful owner to all his possessions and property. Filling his father’s shoes quite nicely, Everett made swift changes to his father’s staff. Along with other employee’s Everett was quick to fire his father’s previous ninety-something butler and fill his vacant spot with Desmond. Despite being estranged from his father, Everett was still privy to his father’s affairs and quickly discovered the bond that had existed between his father and Desmond. In Everett’s mind, assigning Desmond as butler was the most demeaning thing he could do to him.
    Six months later, this is where we find Desmond, at the beck and call of someone who might as well be a clone of Nolan Aldrich. Everett Lawson was arrogance, obnoxiousness, and stupidity all wrapped in one. Finding himself running thin on patience, Desmond’s mind begins to wander and the odds of Everett making it to his next birthday appear bleak at best.




Character traits:
sociopathic
intelligent
medically knowledgeable
charismatic
charming
witty
sarcastic
emotionless
perfect memory
cunning
resourceful
culinary skills
avid reader


Toll Booth exercise:

Sundays were the best days. Sundays were to be filled with relaxation and leisurely and sinister activities. Some might say that Sunday was the Lord’s day. These were the thoughts of Desmond Rippner as he drove well out of town, on his only day off per week, to acquire the ingredients for Everett’s highly expensive business dinner that was to take place in the coming week. Of course Everett just had to give Desmond this errand on his day off. Everett loved nothing more that to exert his authority over those he thought to be beneath him. Thankful that the roads were empty on this Sunday evening, Desmond allowed his thoughts to wonder, once again, to how he'd finally like to rid himself of Everett. Simply killing him seemed far too generous. Approaching an automated toll booth, Desmond pushed his thoughts away and quickly searched his coat pocket for the appropriate change. It didn't take long for him to realize that he'd left his wallet back in his bedroom. In the midst of his irritation about having to waste his Sunday evening, Desmond remembered that his wallet sat on his dresser, right next to a book of recipes he'd assembled over the years. As he checked his pockets once again, another car pulled up behind him. The driver, possessing little patience, began honking. The incessant noise only added to Desmond's mounting irritation. In a rare moment of rage, Desmond reached into the glovebox and pulled out his all too familiar knife. Once again grateful for the lack of cars on the road, Desmond made his way over to the annoying passenger. Before the unlucky driver could role up his window, Desmond swiftly plunged his knife into the mans chest. A few twists and gurgling sounds later, the man was dead and Desmond relieved. Not one to stand by and waste time, Desmond knew he had to make a clean getaway. Reaching into the pocket of the now deceased, Desmond removed his wallet and checked its contents. As he quickly pocketed the wallet, Desmond realized two things. One, he now had money for the toll booth and two, he had just acquired fresh ingredients for his employer’s dinner.

Concept #5 Environment concept

A setting/environment I'd like to explore takes place in woods. This was loosely scratched on scratch board. At this point it is still a very loose idea, but I'd like incorporate mausoleums and grotesque statues.

Concept #4 "The Nefarious Butler"

Years and years of service have taken their toll on poor Desmond and have driven him quite mad. He's grown sick of his employer and the horrible way he's treated him that Desmond finally knows how to repay him.