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abnerkrill · 2 years

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💥Joy List - Musical Edition💥

tagged by my beloved @salzundhonig to make a list of musical things that make me happy!!! i love music and honestly could not survive without it so here we go, in no particular order <3

-the entirety of Handel's Messiah is just, literally, the sound of a cozy, safe, warm Advent season with my family. my mother (a complete music nerd!!) used to host a Messiah singalong every year, and I was in a youth orchestra that played songs from it so I still have all the Violin 1 parts etched into my muscle memory, especially perhaps For unto us a child is born

-my favorite violin concerto of all time, the Butterfly Lovers by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, + my favorite violinist of all time, Gil Shaham = !!!!!!!!!

-the Au fond du temple saint duet by Bizet... pro tip: I am one of the violinists in this performance ;) you can spot me being somewhat unsure of the bowings lmao don't tell my conductor

-and the Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes. (I'm not in this performance but my orchestra did play it!!) GOD when the harmonization at 1:05 hits...

-gotta have my girl Hilary Hahn on here, performing my other favorite violin concerto, the Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams. I played this age... 12? 13? and reveled, at least for a few years, in the fact that I was a violin prodigy. Now I'm 24 and I can't play it anymore. sigh. hashtag gifted kid jkdfsjkfdskjds

-the theme from Pacific Rim by Ramin Djawadi + guitar solo by Tom Morello, obviously. (I have... also played this in my youth orchestra. because I arranged it. that was a wild time.)

-speaking of my man Djawadi, the Clash of the Titans soundtrack SLAPS, especially freaking Scorpiox. Ramin can do no wrong!!! doesn't it make you wanna rampage through the desert with a sword killing giant scorpions sent by the gods to destroy you??

-because I am a basic violin bitch, as all prev. classical pieces prove, this piece I giorni by Ludovico Einaudi performed by Daniel Hope........ gets me every time. there is nothing like a good violin solo, babey!!

-speaking of violin solos, the version of Sleeping At Last's Saturn with a violin solo by Tim Fain??? took a literally perfect song and made it absolutely, breathtakingly transcendent.

-SPEAKING OF VIOLIN SOLOS, all the violin parts from the 2011 Jane Eyre............ phenomenal. but especially this piece, Awaken by Dario Marianelli, with violin solo by Jack Liebeck. and yes. I have performed it, on orchestra tour in Hungary. (this is a common theme here!! i love a song, i learn it, i play it, i never forget it.) start at 3:06 for the sexiest part.

-i got hooked on Celtic Woman at a young age, for some reason, but honestlyyyy their stuff goes so hard. like. tell me this doesn't make you want to go perform a pagan ritual in the woods under the full moon?? or that this doesn't unearth an ache of homesickness you never could hope to articulate?? excuse the general 2010s aesthetic and hairstyles but like. the music is GOOD.

-as much as I love and adore Marina's music, my favorite song with her is actually... a Gryffin song she just features on?? anyway i listened to this over and over and over and I still adore it. there's also an orchestral version that slaps!

-in this house we are aware that mumford & sons politics are real bad :((( but below my feet still slaps. i have (re?)claimed it to be about my faith deconstruction journey :)

-phildel's whole melodramatic tragic witchy thing is on point but i especially love glorious and union stone. to be entirely, embarrassingly honest, along with phildel, i collect part-asian singers whose work really speaks to me, so see also moon and moon by bat for lashes, this far by kina grannis, first love / late spring by mitski. something about seeing myself/hearing myself through other mixed-race women with theatrical, dramatic, self-expressive tendencies, and a deep unresolveable yearning to be seen and understood..........

-i do not, generally, listen to sinead o'connor—nothing against her, just generally don't vibe with her music—but inexplicably she has written exactly two (2) songs that appeared in the end credits of otherwise unremarkable (maybe even bad!) films. only you from the young victoria, and i'll be singing from wild mountain thyme. they are both perfect, beautiful, extremely ~me~ songs, but nothing else i've ever heard from sinead really appealed to me?? idk why this has happened! (if i had a dime for every time a sinead o'connor song that appeared in the end credits of a mediocre-to-bad emily blunt movie became a favorite song of mine, i'd have two dimes, etc.)

-hadestown in its entirety but especially the original cast wait for me and wedding song. damon daunno orpheus and nabiyah be eurydice, my beloveds!!

tagging @stillshewanders @writingwanderlust @hergnomieness @quillonalark @mythcas and anyone who would like to do this esp my beloved mutuals!! i want to know what music you love <3

#long post #this was sooo fun i got to revisit so many old faves that spark joy!!!!#wow I really could do so much more at age 14 violin-wise than I can do now lmaoooo #time really does fly. just yesterday I was a 13 year old performing the theme from Schindler's List in concert right? right??#now that I think about it. growing up a Very Talented Young Woman really messed me up.#but i will save that thought for my therapist wink wink #okay but there really is a special relationship between a musician and the songs they've performed a bunch.#i know lark ascending and butterfly lovers inside out. i'm basically married to them.#there was a time in my life where i could've picked up a violin and played the whole thing unprompted.#anyway................ time to look at my violin case with a mixture of grief and love..... i love u i'm sorry i didn't keep up with u :'(

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tkc-info · 2 years

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4) favorite character you’ve written 5) character you were most surprised to end up writing 9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration? 24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story? 25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

istg Tumblr doesn't notify me of this lol

4) Favourite character you've written

Uuuh, that's a hard one. Lately, it's been Morgan because I just finished writing something about her. I also really like Madeleine because of the Victorian aesthetic. And, well, Cal is widely based on of myself (up to a point) so I'm kinda fond of her, especially when I began writing, but at the same time my opinion of her is widely influenced by my opinion on myself, and lately... ALSO DARIO VIVA ESPAÑA

5) Character you were most surprised to end up writing

Can't answer this, it's a huge spoiler :)

6) What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

I'm going to pull an i'M nOt LiKe oTheR GirLs and say pay attention to philosophy lessons and religion/ethics (?) because my atheist ass makes up stories with that perception of God. Also: read and twist the book's characters into mine (sometimes, I also have characters that are mine *mine*) so that the only thing that truly remains 'original' is a vaguely-similar appearance

24) Have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

100% historial fashion. Mainly 19th century fashion in the West. I wouldn't say I'm knowledgeable in anything though, with what I write I doubt any amount of research I do can make me an 'expert' but I have acquired lots of tidbits of information thanks to tkc

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you're particularly proud of

"Dad is having a nightmare."

Cal jumped back in surprise; cursing profusely but hastening to shut up when she realised who had spoken.

Min was standing on the threshold, dressed in a ruffly, pink nightgown that probably belonged to the 1800s. The pigtails Hunter had tied before bedtime had come undone, and now her black hair framed her face in a ghostly manner. Because trails of dried tears ran down her cheeks.

#the kinship chronicles #Wagner!

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blysse-and-blunder · 4 years

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just for the fuck of it

just for the fuck of it - give a ted talk on a topic of your choice

yesssss I was just thinking about what I’d do for this one! It very much became a rant rather than an organized and educational Talk, but whatever.

Rant about gender and film scores below the cut

(Hozier quotes asks)

There are a handful of film composers I know tumblr knows about. I’m talking your John Williams, your Howard motherfuckin’ Shore, your Hans Zimmer. You know them, you love them. I know them! I love them! But hey, tumblr? Your favorite movies and tv shows aren’t all by these three!

It seems sometimes like it’s a fairly limited set of names that come up again and again when we’re talking about film scores, so I know you can learn a few more. Can I interest you in my friend Alexandre Desplat? How about some James Newton Howard, some Michael goddam Giacchino? Someone here I’d like you to meet by the name of Harry Gregson-Williams! oh look, James HORNER Is out there, Dario Marianelli is out there, Alan Silvestri, bless him, is at least OUT THERE. Thomas Newman and Danny, I repeat, Danny ELFMAN. Each of these dudes can have, has had, a recognizable and distinct style! It is fun and interesting to listen to them, ask yourself what sets them apart, notice that they don’t all do like Zimmer does! and that, believe me, is a good thing.

It has been said before, better than I can, that recent movies (especially MCU fare) tend to all sound the same– that a reliance on temp music during editing ends up with directors and productions demanding scores that all mimic each other– themes that aren’t memorable or unique, because they’re trying too hard to repeat what worked before. At the same time, movie music itself is increasingly anodyne and trying not to be memorable or distracting or surprising in the context of a scene. That’s all legit criticism, and I’m not here to deny it (though I will say, to the video I linked above, I very much can sing the Avengers’ theme cold without hearing it first; again, I’m a nerd about this stuff and also love steve rogers very much. Moving on.) What I’m here to say is, MAYBE IF YOU HIRED A BROADER RANGE OF COMPOSERS, THIS WOULDN’T HAPPEN SO MUCH.

In the context of different middle and high school bands, I’ve played music by almost every single one of the composers listed up there (sorry, Dario). Because I was a nerdy youngling and paid attention to this shit, I got used to noting who composed what, and would recognize them in other movies– Film music is a GREAT choice for young players, because it’s so exciting to hear yourself Doing the Thing– you recognize the theme from your favorite movie, and suddenly practicing is more fun, performing is more fun, you feel like you have a connection to the film AND to the composer or the performers on the recording. Do I still remember finally getting the sheet music to John Williams’ Olympics theme song circa the Salt Lake City games in 2002? fuck yea I do. Did I as a sixth grader ask my band teacher for copies of the 8th graders’ music so that I could play Lord of the Rings stuff well above my age level? FUCK YEAH I DID.

But you know what else I noticed, as I was getting fond of my movie composers and learning to recognize a Danny Elfman weird-ass waltz or a Hans Zimmer choral part or the twinkly shit Harry did for Narnia? Yeah, I was noticing that none of them are women. You best believe that as a tiny girl-child who was very excited about music, if I could have had a single school band piece composed by a woman, but especially a movie score, it would have meant the world to me. Reader, I can’t remember a single one.

I looked this up to be sure: the 2019 Oscar for best Original Score went to a woman, Hildur Guðnadóttir. Lamentably, it was for Joker, but this isn’t the time. Before her, the last female composer to be nominated was in 2016 (Micachu, a.k.a. Mica Levi, for Jackie). Before her? YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO 2000 before a woman is even NOMINATED (Rachel Portman, Chocolat). For sixteen years, the ‘top’ of the game has been dominated by a handful of the same men, which means that the scores that are then popular and which become big enough to be adapted for school children to perform, are also dominated by the same men.

Obviously just hiring more women isn’t going to solve all of film music’s problems: there’d still be the pressure to match a director’s ‘temp music’ and preconceptions, there’d still be the pressure to follow and mimic what’s been successful before. But women are out there, working and honing their own styles, and part of getting out of the pablum of current movie music is to hire people who are bold and original with their sound. Hildur Guðnadóttir, in this extremely cool but frankly upsetting piece about the female composers trying to get recognized, explains that “People approach me looking for a specific type of sound, or feeling…They don’t come knocking on my door for, like, a John Williams score. So that also puts me in a really good position, because I’m normally allowed to be myself.”

In conclusion: let your hearts, dear viewers, dear listeners, be open to a wider variety of sounds and names when it comes to film music. Stream and purchase soundtracks by more than just our fave three, let studios and execs see that there is value in hiring composers and then letting them be themselves. Especially if they’re women, especially if they’re POC!

(Fun fact: the liner notes for the soundtrack of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movies has all the members of the orchestra listed with fun pirate nicknames as well as their full names. How do I know? because little!me was gonna be one of those performers, and read through them all looking for the best ones. Anyway.)

#ask meme #answered #girlfriendsofthegalaxy

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creativity-is-rebellion · 4 years

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More Top 20 Must-See Horror Movies

Especially now we are in isolation, who doesn’t crave a good horror movie to watch? To that purpose, I have created yet another top 20 must-see horror movies, along with why you should be watching them. So get into your comfy clothes and blanket, grab some popcorn, and settle in to watch these horror gems (WARNING: May contain spoilers).

1) Ginger Snaps (2000)

I first saw this movie when I was fifteen years old, and, watching it recently, I was still impressed how it handles the perils of transitioning from teenhood to womanhood. Ginger Snaps follows the story of two outcast sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), in the mindless suburban town of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger's first period, she is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger Snaps is a terrifying movie with good character development, acting is convincing and it has a fast-paced story line. If you're into well-done horror movies Ginger Snaps is the movie for you. It is one of the best modern werewolf movies I have seen.

2) Annihilation (2018)

Drawing on mythology and body horror, Annihilation is an intelligent film that asks big questions and refuses to provide easy answers. It is Sci-fi horror at its best, boasting a very intriguing and unique idea whilst entertaining the viewer throughout the film. Definitely a must-watch.

3) Green Room (2015)

A punk rock band becomes trapped in a secluded venue after finding a scene of violence. For what they saw, the band themselves become targets of violence from a gang of white power skinheads who want to eliminate all evidence of the crime. Influenced by exploitation movies of the 1970s (and punk music of the 1980s), this horror-thriller is rooted in a gripping, grisly kind of realism without resorting to lazy coincidence or stupidity. This is again a fresh take on horror and worth a view.

4) 1922 (2017)

I learned from a great film critic many years back that your own best judgement of a movie is best discovered when you realise that you are still thinking of it many days later. This Stephen King film stays true to the iconic master with all the tell-tale signs of a Kings classic: A haunting grimness that lingers throughout the movie, a tragedy and of course, outstanding performances. The mother that returns from the dead leaves you in a crazy suspense of whether it is simply a dream, a man’s demented insanity, or an actual reality. Thomas Jane’s performance was stellar and totally believable as a farmer in rural America in 1922. He actually takes you through the movie as if you were part of him and what is going on. The message that Stephen King leaves you with is dreadfully powerful of how greed can destroy all. Definitely worth the watch, especially for Stephen King fans.

5) Evil Dead (1981; remake 2013)

Both versions of this movie are great, but I have a special fondness for the original, which was Sam Raimi’s directorial debut. The camerawork is amazing for a low-budget film, and the creepy atmosphere is eerily accurate. We feel Ash’s pain when his friend, sister and girlfriend are one-by-one changed into Deadites, and the ending keeps you guessing, and wanting, a sequel. I am quite a fan of the Evil Dead franchise actually, and have just finished watching the TV adaptation Ash vs. Evil Dead. I’m savouring the last episodes, and am sad that it got cancelled. I look forward to more from this franchise, hopefully in the not-to-distant future.

6) Get Out (2017)

This film is unique, telling the tale of young black man who meets his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Jordan Peele’s film delivers a chilling satire of liberal racism in the US. More than just a standard-issue thriller, this brutal, smart movie is impeccably made, as well as surprising, shocking, and funny, while also offering a compassionate, thoughtful look at race. Expect only the very best a film has to offer, with a nasty twist at the end that you won’t see coming.

7) Hell Night (1981)

One of the best things about this movie which follows fraternity and sorority pledges who spend the night in a mansion haunted by victims of a family massacre is that it stars legendary Scream Queen of The Exorcist fame, Linda Blair. Other than that, prepare for a fun, wild ride, the way every good slasher movie should be.

8) Insidious Part 2 (2013)

I actually enjoyed this sequel more than the first movie, as it was less plodding and more action-packed, with an intriguing antagonist in the form of the mysterious “Bride in Black,” who turns out to be the evil spirit of serial killer Parker Crane, who, as we know from the previous movie (SPOILER ALERT) has taken over the body of Josh Lambert, and is fighting for control of his soul. I enjoyed seeing the return of Elise Rainier, who was (SPOILER ALERT AGAIN) killed off in the previous movie. James Wan directed this second helping even more masterfully than the first. A must-watch.

9) Sleepaway Camp (1983)

This is a campy slasher gem, where they cast real teenagers, which elevated the drama of the plot somewhat. Sleepaway Camp tells the story of a young girl named Angela who goes to Camp Arawak with her cousin Ricky. Once the two arrive at camp, a series of events/killings leads the campers to discover that there is a killer on the loose. Sleepaway Camp is not in any way intense or fast paced. However, even though many initially might look at as a “rip off” slasher film, the movie does get creative when it comes to the brutal killings and certain aspects to the film that no one saw coming. Including the jaw-dropping twist at the end. I’m not giving it away. You just have to watch it.

10) Cold Prey (Fritt Vilt) (2006)

This movie takes full advantage of its snowy, secluded set-pieces, using Norway’s harsh winter landscape to masterfully build tension and heighten the sense of isolation. As horror movies go, Cold Prey is a slow-starter, committing the first third of its running time to investigating the signs of violence scattered throughout the hotel, allowing the characters to theorise about what pernicious acts may have taken place before the hotel’s abandonment. It begins at the intriguing yet deliberate pace of a psychological horror film as the sequestered friends, initially inebriated and giggly, explore the hotel and sharing secrets, but the movie’s party-hard atmosphere bursts open at the 40-minute mark to reveal a black horror centre. Slick and stylish, Cold Prey is a genuine pleasure to watch.

11) The Hills Have Eyes (1977; remake 2006)

Even if it echoes a better film (namely, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the original movie is still an important one to view for lovers of the horror genre. This is a sometimes ghastly - and occasionally absurd - shocker that really gets under one's skin. Though many critics initially despised the original outing, it has since been called one of the best horror movies of the 1970s. Scary-movie specialist Wes Craven made this viscerally-violent feature on a low budget, and some horror connoisseurs call it his best. Ultimately the "normal" people strike back with a ferocious blood-lust they didn't know they had, and the question is how much a "civilised" person can be pushed before one becomes a savage. Are the Carters really all that much "better" than Jupiter and his spawn? That is a question that you, as the audience member, are required to ponder.

12) The Dawn of the Dead (2004)

This remake of George A. Romero's 1978 sequel to Night of the Living Dead soups up the zombies, cranks up the gross factor to 11, and has a lot of cheeky in-jokes about its predecessor. In comparison with the original, out are the shrieking blondes and rampaging looters, in are smart, controlled Ana (Sarah Polley as a believable nurse not afraid to wield a fire poker) and Kenneth (Ving Rhames), who is exactly the kind of cop you want walking beside you if you are facing scores of the undead.

The zombies are a bit spryer in this film, and the pregnancy of one of the main characters is not the life-giving promise it was in the first movie. But the ending is what differs most from the original. If you're a fan of the horror genre, then this flick is a welcome, if derivative, fright-fest in the school of Romero's classics.

13) The Cabin in The Woods (2011)

What starts out as another five-band teen getaway to a cabin in the woods ends up becoming a fresh take on the trope, with puppeteers behind what is taking place, in a twisted game of Choose Your Adventure. The ending is fittingly grim, but you won’t be disappointed. Definitely worth one hour and thirty-five minutes of your time.

14) The Babadook (2014)

The feature debut of writer-director Jennifer Kent is not just genuinely, deeply scary, but also a beautifully told tale of a mother and son, enriched with layers of contradiction and ambiguity. It presents grief as a demon, questions reality, and creeps out the viewer by making psychopathology seem like something that could happen to anybody. The style of the film is not teasing exactly - it's too sad and lonely - but there is certainly a hair-pulling mixture of glum laughter and vast apprehension. Is the demon real? Does it matter? That’s for you to judge. Either way, if it’s in a word, or if it’s with a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook.

15) Suspiria (Original and the Remake - 1977 and 2019 respectively)

Suspiria is a baroque piece of esoteric expressionism that you enter - and exit - without understanding so much as feeling. It's always fascinating to watch; the thrills and spills are so classy and fast that the movie becomes in effect what horror movies seemed like when you were too young to get in to see them. Director Dario Agento works so hard for his effects -- throwing around shock cuts, coloured lights, and peculiar camera angles -that it would be impolite not to be a little frightened. This entry stands out as it is a visually beautiful horror movie, a bright fantasy that lives off its aesthetic. If you are a horror fan and haven’t seen this movie yet, then you’re not living right. The remake is also worth a watch, something that is oftentimes unique in the horror genre.

16) A Quiet Place (2018)

This gripping, clever monster movie is one of those rare genre treats that seizes on a simple, unique idea and executes it so perfectly and concisely that it elicits satisfying squeals of delight. It's directed and co-written by Krasinski, who's best known for his work in comedy but translates his experience in that genre to the expert building and releasing of tension here. A Quiet Place is, in many ways, like an extended classic horror movie sequence, such as famous ones in The Birds or Aliens, wherein the heroes must try not to disturb packs of resting monsters.

At the same time, Krasinski uses his quiet moments like music, ranging from moments of restful beauty -- including a father-son trip to a waterfall, where it's noisy enough that they can talk and even shout -- to moments of pause. A loud noise can cause a jump, but it's immediately followed by tension and dread: Will the creatures come this time? The real beauty is the movie's primal quality, based on the most basic elements of life, such as survival and protection of the species. No explanation is given for the monsters' existence; they, like us, are just here. Images of water, sand, bare feet, crops, and plant life serve to underline the theme of life itself. A few overly familiar horror movie clichés keep it from being perfect, but otherwise A Quiet Place is so good that it will leave viewers speechless.

17) The Exorcist (1973)

Once famously dubbed ‘the most terrifying movie ever made,” this movie is steeped in urban legend, especially concerning the unfortunate happenings that occurred when it was being made.

If you think your teen is ready for this shocking film, keep in mind that some audience members in the '70s reportedly fainted after seeing Dick Smith's grisly makeup effects on Blair. In some extreme cases, viewers even required psychiatric care. Also, the moans, snarls, and profane utterances from Regan (most are actually the dubbed-in voice of a well-known older actress, Mercedes McCambridge) amount to some of the most chilling audio ever done for film.

Thanks in part to Linda Blair's wrenching, Oscar-nominated performance, The Exorcist was a huge hit, earning back 10 times its $10 million budget (a then-lavish sum, outrageous for a "mere" horror flick). Movie historians cite it (along with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) as the conclusive end of old-school spook shows featuring Dracula and Frankenstein and bobbing rubber bats. If you haven’t watched it yet, you may have your horror movie fan card revoked.

18) The Final Destination Franchise (2000 - 2011)

If I had to list all of the movies in the Final Destination franchise in order of quality, I would say 5, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Fourth instalment withstanding, the series is a formidable addition to the horror genre, as the invisible killer, Death Itself, stalks its victims and kills them off in creatively gruesome ways after they initially cheat death. The fifth addition contains an awesome twist at the end which in hindsight you should have seen coming throughout the entire movie. Pay close attention. The only downside is (SPOILER ALERT) that none of the characters throughout the series really survive.

19) Let the Right One In (Lat den Ratte Komma In) (2008)

Please watch the Swedish version, and power through the subtitles. This is a horror movie that is tragic on multiple levels, as it deals with a lonely and bullied boy who so happens to live next door to a pubescent vampire. When her benefactor dies, we see how the main character’s life will also unfold, and what lies in his future. A must-see film that is more than just your average horror movie.

20) Terrifier (2017)

This movie definitely gets back to basics by paying homage to the original slasher classics. Art the Clown, who we are originally introduced to in the 2013 movie All Hallow’s Eve (also worth a watch), is a vicious horror movie villain who kills just for kicks. He also subverts the horror movie trope by using a weapon which was previously considered off-limits to horror movie villains, especially those with supernatural abilites (mostly, anyway). This movie also contains one of the bloodiest deaths in recent horror movie history. I like the use of practical effects over the often-overdone CGI. What is Art the Clown? Deranged killer? Demonic entity? Who cares? Its all good fun. Watch it now on Netflix.

I’ll probably be back again some time in the future with a further 20 horror movies that are worth a watch, because there are so many of them. To everyone, take care during these uncertain times.

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thegreatlibraryfangirl · 5 years

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Khalila/Dario Kink List

This only covers Khalila/Dario (and Dario/the world, i.e. Dario’s fondness for violent gangbangs), since adding Anit and Jess in would be A Lot.

and it’s already a Fucking Lot.

Ass Play (Any kind! Doesn’t even have to be penetrative! Do your characters like it? Hate it?)

Khalila: She’s not a fan of vaginal penetration, at all, thanks to many factors including a very tight hymen and mental baggage around baby fear (fun fact she doesn’t think she wants a baby until she sees another of the Pack with one (exact culprit currently undecided)) and an absolute hatred of her periods, so the back passage is the, uh, penetration channel of choice. At first this is just … she thinks she has to offer it to Dario? Because Obviously penetration is the Correct way to sex? (*sighs* my darlings your wedding night is going to be a sappy disaster I’m so looking forward to it.) But she decides she quite likes it, particularly on her back.

Equally, she enjoys being touched there when Dario is eating her out. This also translates nicely into anal beads – it’s pretty common for Dario to be told to pull them out while he’s giving her head, and she uses them to masturbate with too.

Now, as far as rimming is concerned – as a sensation, she fucking loves it. But she has a massive cleanliness thing about that area, and so can only either give it or receive it when she knows everything is (excessively) clean to her satisfaction. As a result, they don’t ever do this on a whim. (She also doesn’t kiss Dario when he’s back from a solo night until he’s both promised he didn’t rim anyone, and brushed his teeth and swished his mouth out. If he did rim someone, there is a more extensive mouth-washing procedure that she has to watch.)

She also loves just squeezing Dario’s bum and looking at it and nibbling the cheeks. Her having a thing about his bum is canon ok.

Dario: YES EVERYTHING. NOW.

As I’ve said in my long Dario-specific list, being the penetrator can be a bit of a soft limit if he’s playing as a sub. He does enjoy the physical sensation, but he does have a strong penetration = ‘in charge’ bias going on. He’ll fuck Khalila because ha, if you think Khalila is any less dom on her back being fucked you are Incorrect, and Jess because, hey, we all know these two have an interesting competitive dynamic.

He likes rimming. Unlike Khalila, he likes it partly because of the taboo, and the risk, and the ‘filthiness’ of it. But he’s a good boy and respects her rules. (Ok, he did once lie about solo rimming adventures but she was so distressed when she found out that he would never do it again.)

He can also be a little bit of a size queen – it’s all sensation + overwhelm. But most of that is fantasy (HOW MANY COCKS) and Khalila has been known to do things like wave a monster dildo in front of his face and then actually slide in with a smaller one, etc. He has experienced DP (double penetration) a few times though.

Anal beads don’t do very much for him, but plugs? Oh yes. He likes the stretch, but more than that he likes the sensation of them being in. It becomes an anti-anxiety tool, especially when she’s away, to have a plug in all day.

Bondage (There are lots of different ways to restrain your character, from just their own willpower to chains or Saran wrap. Does anything ring a bell?)

Khalila: Has absolutely no reason to be restrained during her sex life, doesn’t find it arousing. If she’s absolutely out of her mind with stress she’ll occasionally ask Dario to pin her to a hard surface and let her struggle until she cries, but that’s a very private and non-sexual thing.

She enjoys pinning Dario against walls and tables as a quick show of dominance, and she’s a big, big fan of forcing him to stay still through mental bondage (hand here, had here, don’t move, or, hold this scarf with bells on it and every jangle is another minute on the edge)

Dario: He likes the challenge of Khalila’s demands, but he can’t float off into his head with them (which is, of course, the point, Dario); being tied down with straps and cuffs while he gets pounded is one of the fastest ways to space him out.

Chastity (Denial of orgasms. Can be long-term, short-term, honour-bound, or physical cage.)

So, I’m also going to fold edging and orgasm control into this heading, because I can, because I wrote this damn list.

Ok, but first, actual chastity. This is short-term, with a stated end-date, and honour-based. Khalila thinks using a cage is cheating (As a result, wet dreams technically are allowed, although Dario’s been known to lie). They both like the way that it intensifies Dario’s arousal, and Khalila thinks a bit of denial of something he usually gets so readily is good for him. Occasionally they’ll do this when she’s away, but that’s more usually:

Orgasm control. This starts popping up (lol) almost as soon as they start taking D/s out of the bedroom. It’s pretty simple. Dario has to ask to come. She’ll almost always give permission, but she very much appreciates that she gets the say. It’s very much a taking/giving control thing.

It can vary, sometimes he’ll ask in the morning for blanket permission for that entire day, sometimes he asks with each individual sexual session. Solo nights he asks before he leaves, and if she’s feeling a bit mischievous she’ll say, “No, but you can ask again later.”

A partner disrespecting this arrangement is a safeword, blacklist, try not to punch them sort of situation. (They can both see red and need held back on this, because they both see it as direct disrespect of the other one (of Khalila’s authority, of Dario’s consent and autonomy, respectively))

Edging: it’s Khalila’s favourite thing. She loves the noises he makes and the desperation and the knowledge that the only thing stopping him from coming is his obedience to her (she doesn’t bind him for edging, that would defeat the point), and she loves having a control over such an intimate thing as an orgasm.

It’s also kind of the pinnacle (lol) of their ‘being able to read each other’s body language’ thing – for those of you who’ve not been around me since March, or who, perhaps, don’t care enough to remember all my fucking minutiae, fancy that, Maz, these disaster darlings have a slightly rocky start to kinking up their relationship because they both get too proud of being able to read each other’s body language and stop communicating verbally as much as they need to. But here, they can fully exercise that style because literally the only thing that can go wrong is Dario comes.

They once completely missed a fire alarm and had to be interrupted by an incredibly embarrassed servant, because not only does Dario bliss the fuck out and give himself over completely, Khalila’s focus narrows and intensifies down to Dario’s every twitch and moan, feeling it as if it’s her own body, dancing the edge like a knife blade. (It’s topspace. It’s intense. She needs a while to get out of it. She’s been known to get violent towards anyone touching Dario at this point).

Obviously it’s not that intense for them both every time, but it can be if they have the time and the energy.

Degradation (making a character feel lower in status/dehumanising them.)

Khalila: uh no. Hard limit. Respect and politeness is a big thing for her, outside of sex and kink as well as inside. She might be approaching someone of higher status but she expects to be listened to and considered.

Dario: This tends to only happen in a High Garda-type scene. Lots of talk about how weak he is, or else focusing on him as a series of holes to be used and discussed rather than a ‘real participant’. He finds it very hot in this context. Before this switches from fantasy to RL, Khalila also provides a little of this kind of dirty talk. Later she invents a weird cutesy hybrid where she coos over, basically, what a good dildo he is or whatever. He fucking loves that.

He’s got a hard limit (soft with Santi) on being called pathetic or useless. Because fuck my headcanon of Dario’s dad.

Exhibitionism (You know what this is, right? Doing naughty things in front of other characters.)

Khalila: Same as @blessedharlot here – hard no for Khalila on showing any more skin in public than she usually would – even in a safe situation where Dario is happily naked.

Dario: is 100% willing to do pretty much anything, anywhere. And that’s when he’s not melted because some nice dommy soldier’s just grabbed him in the right way. He’s not at all fussed about who might see him. Khalila enlists spies and enforces rules here more strictly than she does elsewhere just to stop him from getting arrested tbh.

Fisting (Inserting an entire hand (and etc) into arse/vagina. Sometimes used in f/f ABO fanfic, if I may go a bit niche with my examples.)

Khalila: Has tried receiving it a couple of times. Finds it overwhelming and is only very rarely in the mood.

Dario: Surprising no-one, he loves it. Hits size queen, helplessness and sensation all at once. This is a pretty early addition to their sex life, before a lot of the other kinky stuff comes up. (Khalila has very small hands. He gets a shock later on lol.)

Genital sado/masochism (Causing pain to the genitals. So many options! Ginger/mint/chilli, physical beatings, stretching, constricting … I could go on)

Khalila: Absolutely not. She also wouldn’t want to inflict this upon Dario. She’s not a sadist, and in fact can have real mental trouble with the concept of Dario being hurt (especially if he’s stiff and bruised).

Dario: Accepts some fairly extreme pain, by his standards, during High Garda scenes. Ball squeezing, cock hitting etc. But doesn’t enjoy it for its own sake.

Hair-pulling (What is says on the tin. Can be loving, can be about control, can be about pain. Can also remove hairs and damage neck if done wrong, so be careful with your characters! This gets underestimated!)

Khalila: Not hair pulling as such, but she loves a good sensuous head massage.

Dario: This is like, his subby switch. Pull it just right and he’s on his knees waiting for instructions without engaging the higher brain functions at all. It’s a show of control thing, as well as a loving thing with Khalila (and to a degree Jess).

CURLS that is all *cries*

Impact Play (Hitting or being hit with pretty much any implement you can think of. Can be gentle and used for tickling and light sensations, or can cause bruising and bleeding and welts depending on implement and force (and technique).)

Khalila: no desire for this at all. Struggles for a while to provide this to Dario at even the low intensity he likes while maintaining her own mental health (see ‘can’t deal with Dario in pain’), until she incorporates her sword training into her technique. Now she feels like she’s on familiar ground, it gives her control back.

Dario: He likes a good solid thud, in a steady rhythm, so heavy floggers and paddles are ideal. It crosses a few wires in his brain with getting fucked hard, even when it’s on his back/shoulders.

Nothing stingy and sharp, that sets off the bad fight or flight reaction and makes him anxious.

As a sensation whore, he’s also a very big fan of being caressed with bumps/ridges/fur etc. (Having now seen a sensuous caning display I am tempted to try this on him, but Khalila couldn’t do it.)

Jealousy (Most lists put ‘Japanese bondage’ here, but that felt like such a cop-out. How do your characters deal with relationship jealousy? This can be made more complicated: Are they poly (in multiple relationships)? Do they swing (have sex with multiple people)? Are they into cuckolding? (one character ‘consensually cheats’ while the other one watches?) Do they have any rules on what ‘counts’ as cheating?

Khalila: I haven’t ironed out how they get set up yet dammit, but Khalila ends up in a poly relationship with Jess. As a demisexual, she doesn’t have sex with people she doesn’t love. (Note, Anit is a play partner and a sub, and Khalila’s body is totally out of bounds for any kind of sexual contact)

As far as jealousy goes, she’s not generally very territorial of Dario’s body as such. (With the exception of the rare times she lets herself ride the top-space high mentioned above, when she is all MINE BELONGS TO ME PART OF ME DON’T TOUCH I’M WATCHING HIM BREATHE).

She can be a little bit territorial of Dario’s submission when she’s hormonal lol. She doesn’t like restricting him because of her stupid brain, but if Dario notices the signs he usually tweaks himself for the few days necessary.

At first she doesn’t let Dario do anything without her being literally right there, but as they find problems and create rules to sort them, she gets more confident in leaving him alone, at first in the same room and then completely in a different building. This is helped along immeasurably when they find the core three or so High Garda who are trustworthy to enact Dario’s fantasies.

Dario: Dario’s monoamorous but enjoys slutting around. He deals with fairly constant low-level insecurity about Khalila loving him, even outside of any other factors.

Goddd I have yet to figure out how Dario gets over his Jess-complex enough to allow Jess and Khalila to get together. Send help. Dario and Jess eventually hook up, with Dario making the first move.

Tldr; Khalila is poly, Dario swings, Jess is An Issue.

Kneeling (What it says on the tin! Can have so very many elements, submission, denial, degradation, pain (make your masochists and brats kneel on Legos I’m just saying), swearing loyalty, etc.)

Khalila: Not for her – except for once or twice she’s used it as a deliberate shock tactic to stop Dario when he’s about to be/midway through being self-destructive. She very much enjoys Dario kneeling for her, particularly on command.

Dario: Loves kneeling. Crave it, as the easiest way to show submission. He can do it multiple ways properly and prettily, but really that’s for Khalila’s high protocol kink rather than him, he’s just content to be positioned deferentially in any way. Sitting at her feet while they eat is a big thing. He doesn’t find kneeling degrading at all, (even for Jess) and in fact if he ever does, that’s a red flag for that situation/person.

Leather (Do your characters have a thing for leather? The feel/smell/look, etc. Do they like wearing it? Kissing it?)

Khalila: Not really, though she does like the look and feel of the gloves she gets as part of her role-play High Garda outfit. So when the need for that role-play fades, the gloves stay around. She’s even got a pair with a reinforced thumb/palm area, which helps her last longer when her hand is bad.

Dario: Complete fetish for it, thanks to the whole soldier thing that he’s been brewing since he was about 11, the smell of leather will get him hard in seconds. One of the many things he has done in the dungeon is cleaned boots with his mouth. (Khalila considers this on par with rimming in terms of potential germs squick.) Leather gloves in his mouth is one of his favourite experiences.

Muzzles (Can be part of petplay, or leather fetishes, or sensory deprivation, or power exchange, or, hell, one character just won’t shut up. Deprives characters of speech in more of an overwhelming way than a standard gag, in my humble opinion)

Khalila: No. Also doesn’t like doing this to Dario, since she gets off on his lovely noises – and, again, what’s the fun in gagging/muzzling him when she can just order him not to talk and watch him strive to obey?

Dario: Actually rather likes the experience of being gagged, and will occasionally ask Khalila to do it if he wants help keeping his mouth shut. Often an anxiety thing, sometimes a guilty ‘I was a complete bastard’ thing that he needs out of his system before they can talk about it. Otherwise, it’s a gangbang helplessness thing. Often a sock.

(He will, of course, always let himself be gagged by a cock. Erect or flaccid, flesh and blood or inanimate.)

Nipple clamps (Self-explanatory? Good for masochist characters or for punishment!)

Both: They don’t really play with nipple clamps as such, too sharp a pain, but Dario’s nipples are pierced and they both enjoy making them extra sensitive and achy (Khalila’s not sadistic but oh the noises Dario makes when she grazes them with her teeth). Dario’s jewellery pile includes some very large, heavy bits of nipple jewellery for this effect.

Objectification (Treating characters like objects – e.g. chairs/footstools/toilets/dildos. Does not apply if your character is already an object – although actually even there’s probably sentience to ignore.)

Khalila: Has a habit of objectifying the people who play with Dario, at the start of his dungeon experiences when she’s not entirely comfortable with the idea yet; ‘You’re just a tool I’m using to please my boy’ etc. There are more than a few subs who very, very much enjoy this treatment and she doesn’t realise for a while. Bless.

Dario: As I mentioned he quite often gets dehumanised while he’s getting kicked around by the soldiers. He’s also quite fond of being used as a footstool, it fulfils the same kind of “I am doing my one task and that’s all I have to think about” niche as cock-sucking/being put between Khalila’s legs.

Punishment (This can either be actual punishment, for disobeying pre-arranged rules, in which case generally no character involved enjoys themselves, or ‘funishment’, which is what you’ll see commonly in fics, where one character teases and goads the other into giving them what they wanted (often involves Impact Play or other masochism)

Ok, so.

They don’t do funishment, these two. Dario can only tease her so far, and she decides what happens if anything does. So, like, Dario could deliberately spend all day driving her wild suggesting getting pegged, and she could come home and order him to spend the whole evening ‘fixing this mess’ between her legs instead. Or cleaning the kitchen. She enjoys screwing with expectations like that.

As far as punishments go … they do do them. But they aren’t pain-based. Impact play as a punishment would probably send them both into simultaneous panic attacks. No, these are pre-agreed as ‘fair and proportionate’ punishments for breaking rules. For example, swearing when he’s not supposed to? Might be washing his mouth out, might be he doesn’t get any of his favourite foods and any drink other than water for a day or two, depending on the infraction. Receiving an ‘unfair’ punishment is Dario’s hardest limit tbh.

Withdrawing her attention is the harshest punishment of the lot, and it utterly fucks them both up. Khalila did this when Dario didn’t tell her about rimming someone, for example, because she couldn’t get him to take it seriously any other way.

Queening (Character with a vulva sits on other character’s face – can also be done through seat with holes in and so on. Good for suffocation kinks, for power exchange, or just focusing a character’s mind into giving v gd head)

They both very much enjoy this, for the sensation and for the power dynamic they impart to it. (It’s also the closest Dario gets to breath-play with her). I do think they eventually acquire a special chair for it.

Rape play (Setting up a scenario in which one character pretends to rape another. This can tie into a whole lot of things)

Khalila: Is this the place to put Khalila’s ‘molesting helpless people’ fantasy? I kind of think it might be? It’s her sweet-talking and molesting a semi-conscious/unconscious person until she comes, at which point she generally takes care of them too. ‘Taking care of’ is a theme here. But not quite as much as the helplessness. Ahem.

The general way she keeps being able to live with herself and still get off to this in her head is to think, well, if they were able to consent, they would. But they can’t right now. What a pity.

Dario and Anit set up a scene for this, right, which involves them drinking fake sleeping potions and ‘being found’. Dario, who has been begging Khalila to fuck him while he’s asleep for literally years, is like, but why don’t I just drink a real one?

Anit: *shrug* Ok. Ask her.

Dario: Noooo, it’ll be a surprise.

Anit. *blinks* I’ve only been playing with her for like 7 months and I’m absolutely certain that if she finds out your consent is invalidated – and you know she’ll see it like that – once she’s already started she’ll forget how to breathe for like an hour and also avoid touching you for like a week.

Dario: *horrified back into thinking with the correct head* … ok yes that’s accurate.

Dario: He’s an enthusiastic participant in ‘oh no I don’t want to be fucked by all these people’ *struggle struggle shout* High Garda gangbangs. This was a very large percentage of his masturbatory fantasies as a teenager, thanks to the multiple degrees of taboo (rank/class, penetration/degradation/controllable ‘non-consent’/helplessness etc)

Safeword (This is a word that your characters use to pause or halt the activity if for whatever reason something like ‘Stop’ wouldn’t be effective. Red is a very common safeword. Your character can pick literally any word they want. There can also be non-verbal stop signals, for if the character’s mouth is otherwise occupied (see Muzzling, Queening, Bondage.)

Thanks to their non-verbal beginnings (as stated above they didn’t use their words enough at the start of all this), they pretty much only use a tap (or slap. That kind of sound/strength)

“Tap check”: check in, tell me where you’re at.

Other participant must raise and flex their hand, to prove they understand and can follow the instruction.

Green, continue: no further motion

Amber, pause of some kind required: single tap

Red, stop immediately: double tap.

When they’re in the Hive dungeon, they’ll make use of the ‘Burner’ safeword if necessary.

Fun fact: both of these stupid fucks are more likely to safeword for each other than they are for themselves. Though to be fair, Dario does make good use of ‘Time to pause’ and rarely needs to double tap as a result. Khalila can be absolutely shit at realising that she’s not in the right mental place to play, particularly impact play, and for a while Dario insists they ban playing with anything other than their own bodies for the four-day dangerous hormone period.

Topping (There are two different meanings for this, which can overlap confusingly. Some communities/age groups use ‘top’ to mean the person who receives control in a power exchange (D/s) type thing. Others use it to mean ‘the one performing an action on another person’. The character performing the action does not have to be the one calling the shots. Plz mix it up.

Khalila: is almost always both kinds of top, apart from when Dario gives her head or fucks her. She’s always the domme. By about 5 or 6 years down the line neither of them would be comfortable trying to take the dynamic out of their sex life.

Urethral sounds (Originates from a medical context. This is inserting thin (usually metal) rod into the urethra. Can be done purely for the sensation, or for pain, or for controlling purposes.)

Khalila: Is pretty unnerved by it as applied to herself, no thank you. She finds it fascinating on Dario, though, since it alters his penis, something she which she thought she knew every inch of.

Dario: WAIT I HAVE ANOTHER HOLE????? He finds this distinctly overwhelming (which is his thing, of course) and will only do it with Khalila.

Violet wand (A tool used with electrodes to deliver targeted electrical shocks to … many potential places. Painful!)

Khalila: Is in the middle of a debate with several Medica about whether this might help her cramps.

Dario: hard no. Sharp, shocky, bad.

Wartenburg pinwheel (Also often seen in medical roleplay, because it originated as a tester for neurological sensitivity, this is a spiky wheel which can be rolled across the skin. Fuck with your blindfolded character’s mind.)

Khalila: She’s not entirely averse to a light rolling as a sensation.

Dario: Nope, not his thing. Finds the sensation either too sharp, or too tickly.

X - wildcard. Doesn’t everybody love a wildcard?

nope not me

do you know how long this is already

too long that’s how long.

is anyone even still reading

Y is Yearn/yawn (idea built in a conversation with @thegreatlibraryfangirl. Name a thing the character yearns for and a reason they don’t have it. Also, something they tried that didn’t work:)

Khalila’s yearn: She’s yet to admit to Dario that she’s fantasied about making him wet himself in the shower. (Has to be in the shower, because, cleanliness freak) Because desperation and begging and control. She’s not sure if he’d find it humiliating or not.

(Khalila. You know Dario has let soldiers piss on his torso. Just broach the subject!!)

Khalila’s yawn: Plugs. She thought she’d like them, since she likes so much anal play, but they just feel heavy and uncomfortable and her body is like, is this a poo? Is it a period cramp?

Dario’s yearn: He wants Khalila to choke him/otherwise restrict his breathing. A) it intensifies sensation and b) in his mind it’s the ultimate submission – she’s in charge of when he breathes.

He doesn’t have it, physically around his throat anyway, because she doesn’t think it’s possibly to do it safely enough. He gets a little bit with various types of oral, and sometimes she will literally order him to breathe in and out in a weird way until he’s light-headed. She’s trying, Dario, stop being a fuckwit about this.

(other yearns: Khalila fulfilling that damn fantasy on him. She has woken him up with sex a few times, but on the whole she’s skeeved out enough by herself to not feel able to bring it into RL. Also, in some of his deeper fantasies he’s a 24/7 slave, but that’s definitely fantasy-only)

Dario’s yawn: rope play. He appreciates that he makes a pretty picture, but unless he can twist it in an objectification way, his mind can’t settle during it.

Zentai - full body skin tight outfits, often used for cosplay or video special effects. Typically, zentai suits today are made of nylon/spandex blends.

And taking a leaf out of @blessedharlot book here with mummification-analogy.

Khalila: Absolutely not.

Dario: Enjoys having his head and groin free, and everywhere else wrapped. It’s nice and hot and secure and tight and helpless.

#khalila/dario #kink list #kink and bone verse

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seungcheolrk · 5 years

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UPDATE: JANUARY 2019 !

LAST UPDATE NONE

* CONVEX —

going to jeju on january 10th for the samsung new year special is his first time on a plane, so he’s understandably shaken. it’s not so scary with good company, though. small victories are just as important as big ones.

he worked really hard to perfect their mr chu performance especially, it being his first major chance to show that he’s more than meets the eye and worthy of his place in convex. and whilst he feels really happy with how it went personally and as a group, he doesn’t think it’s really planted the seed he hoped it would. regardless, he isn’t discouraged! he loved performing it and felt really energised by how it went and the welcome they got on stage from fans.

they also performed mansae as a group and ah yeah as a unit and he felt happy with how they went, too! he strangely felt like he missed dancing in his ah yeah performance because he worried he was a little awkward not having too much to do with his body but watching it back later, he doesn’t think he did too bad given the little choreography filled a lot of the gaps.

he’s been a little unnerved about the free time they’ve been getting, because he feels like he should always be practising to be better so he doesn’t so obviously fall behind. he thinks jihoon’s ( @jacerk ) workaholic tendencies might’ve rubbed off on him a little.

following romeo’s ( @rkromeo ) leave on january 23rd ( though not publicly confirmed until early february, and not discussed until their vlive channel announcement with their manager on february 6th ), seungcheol spent the rest of the month worried about what it would mean for them as a group both publicly and more importantly, privately.

now, he doesn’t have such fond memories of their unit performance at the samsung new year special, remembering it as the last time they were a team. he doesn’t imagine he’ll have much affection for their first performance as three either, but he doesn’t know when that’ll be just yet. maybe sphere will have mercy and give their wounds time to heal.

he’s been strikingly inactive online ( especially compared to the other members around the time of the samsung show ), though from his previous activity over the years, it’s not really a surprise that he’s been absent from his instagram. that being said, jihoon posted a few pictures of him from jeju! and he commented on the former, so he isn’t entirely a ghost, he’s just reasonably quiet. he hopes to improve that over the next month or so, but the events with rome have him a little on edge even about a simple selca or thanking for support.

his focus in training in december & january has been live performance skills ( achs live singing, hip hop dance, pts charisma ) ★

* RELATIONSHIPS —

after a late night call with his parents just after the turn of the new year, he’s realised how his relationship with his parents became strained as he fell more into working on convex’s debut preparations and then promoting with them. his most important new year’s resolution is to keep in touch with them more regularly and frequently, and he does his best to call them a few times a week, particularly in the almost three weeks following the samsung show.

that being said, he didn’t tell them about rome ( at least, not until february when the official article dropped ) because he wasn’t sure how much he was allowed to tell them.

he was really proud of ( and highkey heart eyes at, i’m sorry ) woohyun ( @rkxroyal ) for literally every second from the announcement of his duet to about a week after the performance. he’s so happy members are getting the love they deserve!!!!

* PERSONAL —

as mentioned above, he’s been a little nervous about enjoying their down time, feeling like he has to be working at all times or he’ll fall behind.

it seems he’s back in ( never left? ) his ‘I’m not worthy of a place in convex’ mindset, though getting given a line in their mr chu distribution that showcased his vocals helped numb these thoughts for most of the first half of this month.

fortunately, his physical health is in good shape given how much and how hard they’re all working.

he hasn’t talked to anyone yet about his feelings regarding rome’s departure and he doesn’t really want to, so he’ll probably bottle it up. he feels like there’s a lot of unanswered questions so far and he doesn’t know what’s going to happen when it all goes public. he’s basically just overall a big bunch of nerves and uncertainties because his mind tends to wander to worst case scenarios when he doesn’t know the full picture.

still, he’s sure there’s a logical explanation for everything, so he’s trying to be patient until everything is explained and things feel more organised. who’s going to be their unit leader now???

* OBSESSIONS —

music 2cm by minseo & paul kim, even so by luna

movie really sad he didn’t get to see bumblebee, but he’ll survive

score train heist by john powell ( from solo: a star wars story ) also dad’s old videotapes by dario marianelli ( from bumblebee )

misc an oversized, warm star wars hoodie his parents gifted him for christmas

* IMPORTANT DATES —

1st — new year’s day ; called his parents, celebrated the turn of the new year with convex as a group.

10th — leave for jeju ; first time flying, really nervous but would’ve been a lot worse without convex.

12th — samsung new year special ; performed three songs with convex, really happy with how it went overall.

13th — fly home to seoul ; second time flying, still nervous but still would’ve been worse without convex.

23rd — rome leaves convex ; confused, scared, on edge. hopes they get some answers soon.

#cheol;update #( bear in mind that this is for january only!! )#( things like picking a new leader will be in his february update! )#( i think i covered everything but i've probably missed something knowing me otl )

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bedbellyandbeyond · 6 years

Text

Characters

Time for a character bio update!

Dario “Dari” Collins Age: 24 Height: 5'3” Ethnic background: Greek/Welsh Relatives: Milo (son), Ari (daughter)

Bio: Dari was abducted at the age of 14. He spent 9 years as a breeding slave for extraterrestrials after teeth implanted in him a womb and a gamete converter (a device that converts body cells into egg cells). He was rescued by Yulinian forces and returned to Earth physically and mentally scarred. He met his boyfriend Fay at the Extraterrestrial Immigration Department (EID) where Fay worked and Dari was brought to him to be rehabilitated. Fay is Dari’s 'guidance counsellor' of sorts, despite the policy against dating patients. Together they are raising their daughter Ari and son Milo. Dari deals with depression, anxiety and PTSD on a regular basis but is recovering and often finds joy with his loved ones. He has trouble being among strangers more than one person at a time but is adjusting to Vi and Lino’s company. Dari holds a dual Canadian/American citizenship. He was born and raised in the US but his mother was born and raised in Canada. When he was rescued, he was brought to the EID in Canada and was only able to remain there because of his dual citizenship. Otherwise, he would've had to return to the US where it would be uncertain if he would have had the same access to rehabilitation (and almost certainly not for free).

Fay Demers Age: 28 Height: 5'8” Ethnic background: Merperson/Siren Relatives: Ari (daughter)

Bio: Fay started working at the EID to meet new species and help people. Being a siren, he has the ability to bewitch every person he meets to some degree of fancying him. He also has the ability to understand all languages within a few moments of listening to them and can rapidly learn to speak them (should they fall within his vocal range). While water does prompt his tail to return, he can resist it to some limit (such as in rain). The fish associated with his race is the betta fighting fish. While his species is polyamorous by nature and social necessity, he is not against monogamous relationships and feels a strong will to stay loyal to Dari and their growing family. While he is teaching them sign language, he is the only way for Milo and Dari to properly communicate with each other. Being a resident of the sea, Fay has the right to any citizenship he desires around the world (with the exception of landlocked nations). He was born near France and therefore identifies most with that country as his origin but does enjoy working in Canada with EID. He is currently pregnant with his and Dari’s second biological child together, making it his fourth pregnancy.

Milo Age: 7 Height: 7’ Ethnic background: Arna/Greek/Welsh Relatives: Dari (father), Ari (sister)

Bio: His alien species paid to have Dari bred with their own kind and Milo was the result. Being half human however allowed him the higher problem solving intellect to escape from his owners to Earth to find sanctuary. By luck, he was reunited with Dari and with a lot of help from Fay, came to live with him. Dari and Fay are teaching him to understand English but he must rely on sign language to respond as his vocal cords were not developed for human vocalisations. His paternal species is three times his size. He has a keen sense of smell and the development level of a teenager but the emotional level of his age. Some features he gets from Dari are his smaller size, his human ears, and the diamond shapes under his eyes imitating Dari's freckles. The dark gem like structures on his body are as hard as diamond.

Arianne “Ari” Demers Age: Baby Height: Baby size Ethnic background: Merperson/Siren/Greek/Welsh Relatives: Dari (father), Fay (father)

Bio: Dari’s only child born on Earth, Fay’s ninth child and the only one he’s inclined to raise, and Milo’s little sister. She’s new. Little is known of her so far but she seems to dislike diapers and enjoys being held up high by her super tall big brother.

Camilo “Cam” Ferrer Age: 19 Height: 5’7” Ethnic background: Venezuelan

Bio: He’s a young university student working at the EID as a junior assistant. He’s a big nerd, and while he can be very socially awkward, he has very little problem with the extraordinary. He actually requested to be Fay’s assistant because he was a merman and had access to the aliens at the EID. After a pretty bad break up, he’d put aside romance to take care of himself and the last thing he’d expected was to fall for a man in an alien body. He finds he shares a lot in common with Rheni and the two understand each other quite well. He’s a bit of a neat freak and frankly can’t figure out why he’d fall in love with a literal mess.

Arrhenious “Rheni” Age: ??? Height: Depends but usually around average male height Ethnic background: ???

Bio: A man in the body of a slime alien. His past is unknown as he only remembers fragments from before his consciousness was but in the alien form. He doesn’t like to talk about his lack of memory as thinking too hard on usually makes him confused and flustered. He’s certain he’s a human man though and must’ve lived in North America based on his voice and accent. He has mixed feelings about his new body as he’d rather be human but also enjoys some of the abilities he gained through having a fluid body, mainly shapeshifting, the inability of being harmed by physical attacks or injuries, and not needing to exercise. He was cooped up in the EID basement for many years until he met Camilo. When the EID found out about their budding relationship, they unloaded him on Camilo. Now they’re living together and taking it day by day.

Lino Mannan Age: 20 Height: 5’9” Ethnic background: Indian/Italian Relatives: Dante (brother), Marco (nephew)

Bio: Lino lives with his boyfriend Vi in the house next door to his brother Dante. He dropped out of college and makes money helping with his boyfriend’s work as a multiplier. Lino is a mean spirited young person without much reason to be. He just seems to like to get people mad and is often the slang definition of ‘little shit’. The only time he managed to make Vi mad was when he drugged him with fertility hormones causing him to hyper-ovulate but even then the Yulinian was only mad for a few minutes and it’s part of why Lino loves him. Together, they are expecting their first child surrogated by Yori as neither can carry children. They own two chicks named Bacon Cheeseburger and Matilda. This does not change Lino’s mind about eating chicken. He shows very little respect for Ruben.

Vi Fyse Age: 87 (equivalent to 29 Earth years) Height: 6’2” Ethnic background: Fyse Clan, Yulinian

Bio: Vi lives with his boyfriend Lino. He works as a multiplier which essentially means that his reproductive abilities enable him to produce multiple offspring for clients of other species. He came to live on Earth mostly because he likes snow and his planet doesn’t do that. He also felt outcasted by his people due to his lower perception of spirituality, a key part of their knowledge and culture. Vi is very kind and makes friends with pretty much everyone he meets. Yulinians don’t have genders but when he registered for documents on Earth, he chose male because ‘it felt safer’. He really likes chickens and would never dream of eating them especially now that he owns two chicks. With Lino, he is expecting their first child surrogated by Yori as neither can carry children.

Yori Age: ??? (adult) Height: Short and ¾ Ethnic background: Dog Spirit Relatives: Marco (son), Skylar (daughter), Rowan (son)

Bio: Yori came to live with Ruben and Dante because of the wishes they made on a wishbone a couple Thanksgiving’s ago. Technically he came to be Ruben’s boyfriend and Dante’s dog however their relationships have become more complicated than that. He gave birth to Marco, Skylar, and Rowan by Dante, Ruben and their previous landlord apparently and respectively. Yori doesn’t have a last name because he doesn’t have a last name. He is usually very calm and reserved, but it has come to light that he feels uncertain of his place in the family now that Dante and Ruben are together and they have the kids that turn into puppies.

Ruben de Vries Age: 28 Height: 6’Douche & ½ Ethnic background: Dutch Relatives: Skylar (daughter)

Bio: Ruben lives with Dante and Yori in their apartment. As a rowdy child, he got into trouble a lot despite often having good intentions. This led him to bad friends and just shitty relations and circumstance which ultimately led to his parents kicking him out when he came of age. Despite getting his life straight, he still resents his parents for not helping him. But now he has his own new family to deal with. He wished for a partner on a wishbone because he’s always had very poor luck when looking for a life partner. He was into Dante since he moved in as his roommate but never told him because he’d never told anyone about his interest in men and didn’t want to jeopardise their living situation. Yori’s arrival basically outed him however and since then he has grown much closer to both of them. He does not get along with Lino.

Dante Mannan Age: 26 Height: 5’10” Ethnic background: Indian/Italian Relatives: Lino (brother), Marco (son)

Bio: Dante lives with Ruben and Yori. Dante is a nerd with an affinity for late night gaming. He makes money as a programmer and minor internet personality. He didn’t always like Ruben. In fact, he only let him move in with him because he really needed the extra money at the time. They butted heads often at first due to conflicts in the living situations, but compromise was made and since then he has developed fondness for Ruben’s generally honest character. Dante wished for a dog because his landlord didn’t allow pets, thus Yori became the solution to that problem. Now he is very much in love with the both of them and has put aside a lot of his slacker lifestyle to organise their lives with the kids.

Marco Age: Toddler Height: Toddler size Ethnic background: Indian/Italian/Dog Spirit Relatives: Yori (‘mother’), Dante (father), Skylar (sister), Rowan (brother), Lino (uncle)

Bio: Dante’s son and Yori’s first born of triplets. Little is known about him. He seems to enjoy being a pup more than a baby. So far he’s the one most like Yori in both appearance and personality.

Skylar Age: Toddler Height: Toddler size Ethnic background: Dutch/Dog Spirit Relatives: Yori (‘mother’), Ruben (father), Marco (brother), Rowan (brother)

Bio: Ruben’s daughter and Yori’s second born of triplets. Little is known about her. She inherited Ruben slight immunodeficiencies thus is more prone to illness than her siblings.

Rowan Age: Toddler Height: Toddler size Ethnic background: ?(some brand of human)/Dog Spirit Relatives: Yori (‘mother’), Marco (brother), Skylar (sister)

Bio: Yori’s third born of triplets and assumed son of Dante and Ruben’s ex-landlord. Little is known about him. He seems to enjoy being a pup more than a baby. He has yet to meet his biological father.

#lore #implied mpreg #Dari #Fay #Milo #Ari #Camilo #Rheni #Arrhenius #Lino #Vi #Yori #Ruben #Marco #Skylar #Rowan #Fari #Rhenilo #ViLino #RuDanYo

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Behind the Scenes on Inside No. 9’s Most Terrifying Episode

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Warning: contains spoilers for Inside No. 9 ‘The Harrowing’

“It was ‘WTF!? Oh my God! I’m not going to sleep! Why did you do that to me?!’” The moment the credits rolled on Inside No. 9’s series one finale ‘The Harrowing’, director David Kerr was deluged with messages. “People were very responsive,” he laughs. “We’d gone for something bold that was properly horrible and would haunt them. There’s not much out there that scares a horror fan because they’ve seen it all so many times. That’s the challenge. You want to hit people with a visceral, palpable gut punch that they didn’t see coming.”

Job done. The final shot of 2014’s ‘The Harrowing’ is truly deserving of the episode’s title. A schoolgirl, stripped, bound to a chair, gagged and anesthetised, whimpers in terror as the filthy curtains surrounding a four-poster bed begin to part. One necrotised cloven foot touches the floor, followed by another. A contorted, emaciated figure emerges, naked but for a soiled nappy, with curling fingernails and clouded eyes in a grey pock-marked face. It staggers towards the helpless girl, hissing a single world with demonic glee: “Mischief”

Kerr describes the image as “pretty strong meat” and few would disagree, especially considering that the meat in question was paid for by a comedy budget. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s anthology Inside No. 9 has never fitted neatly inside either the stall of comedy or drama. It’s one, the other and both at the same time. “Unfortunately, there isn’t a channel that has a horror department in the same way as comedy,” says Kerr. “That’s what we need to get going!”

Helen McCrory and Reece Shearsmith (BBC)

Kerr directed every episode of Inside No. 9’s first series: six half-hour films, each with a different setting, cast of characters, and tone. ‘The Harrowing’ is Shearsmith and Pemberton’s tribute to horror cinema classics, a specialist subject. Before starting work on the series, Kerr anticipated being schooled by the pair in obscure 1970s horror and rare Giallo movies they wanted to reference, but that wasn’t how it went. “’The Harrowing’ was very much a full-on genre film, and indebted to the Hammer tradition and the Amicus tradition of portmanteau horror, and though they have a tremendously deep knowledge of all that material – more so than me – Reece and Steve were actually very non-prescriptive.”

The script came to Kerr in a perfect state with plenty of detail, he remembers, but aside from some specific Vincent Price nods in costume and make-up, the creators were open to visual ideas – as far as the cash would stretch. “Always with Inside No. 9, budgetary challenges rear their head. You’re trying to make something that feels like a film, but you’re trying to do that on the budget of an episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys”.

It was clear there wouldn’t be the money for a full-body VFX transformation for the demonically possessed Andras who makes such an impression in the final scene. Like most limitations in Inside No. 9 though, it turned out to be a creative blessing, says Kerr.

Andras is the eldest of the three Moloch siblings, brother to the vampiric-looking Tabitha (Helen McCrory) and Hector (Reece Shearsmith). He lives in an upstairs room of their freezing Gothic mansion, kept tied to the bed and fed like a baby on milk formula and Rusks. Fifty years earlier, we’re told, Andras was possessed by mischief demon Castiel, an infernal spirit now in search of a new home – hence the anesthetised babysitter, Katy (Aimee-Ffion Edwards).

“You’re always wary of showing the monster, but we knew that we did want people to see Andras. A lot of the conversations ahead of the shoot were about what we could do with our limited pocket of money to make him properly scary, but in a way that you could still feel that he’s human. He’s right on the border between a poor, neglected sibling who’s just been left to stagnate in this room with a dirty nappy and untrimmed toenails. We wanted him to be just at the outer limit of the neglected human, but not to push him into a totally risible demon caricature state.”

Director David Kerr and actor Sean Buckley (David Kerr)

Casting Sean Buckley in the role was key to keeping a grip on the character’s pathos, says Kerr. He describes Buckley, who sadly passed away in 2016, as a hugely gifted physical performer. “He had a great physique and an amazing face, and he really understood the kind of contortions that would be useful for Andras when he was writhing and for his walk. The main thing was the physical tautness that he was going to be feeling when he’s writhing in the bed in chains. Sean just got it.”

As reference material for Andras’ look, Kerr and the team went to a range of sources: The Pale Man from Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, Dickensian ghosts and the Pee Pee Demon from Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt’s Angel. The character’s make-up was the work of Lisa Cavalli-Green, who brought in skilled prosthetics designer Kristyan Mallett to create Andras’ horrific set of teeth. “We went for details,” says Kerr. “Planning a shot, it was very much about half seeing him through that veil. As ever with horror and comedy, you’re just holding back the reveal. Again – testament to Reece and Steve – they didn’t give Andras tons of dialogue. Less was definitely more.”

The opposite applied to the episode’s Gothic location; in that case, more was definitely more. Kerr remembers his first look at the 19th century Highgate mansion that served as the Moloch house exterior (16 Broadlands Road, N6, if you’re planning a visit). “It was a real ‘we’ve got to use this’ moment. Reece would like to live there, incidentally, that’s going to be his home one day.”

For the interiors, it all came down to the staircase. Inspired by the grand staircases in films like The Others, The Orphanage and The Woman in Black, Kerr’s team went looking for similar. Another reference was more comic-horror. “For Reece and Steve, the characters of Tabitha and Hector felt a little bit like Addams Family characters. I found one of the original Charles Addams cartoons with a staircase in it and then found Langleybury and the staircase was almost identical. That was a real Eureka moment.”

Charles Addams cartoon and Langleybury (David Kerr)

The interiors were filmed in Langleybury, near Watford, which has also been used in the filming of Harlots, a 2011 Great Expectations and feature film The Little Stranger. The atmospheric, dilapidated interior with a galleried area and a series of ante-rooms was perfect for Shearsmith and Pemberton’s script. “You just felt – what could be behind those closed doors?”

Taking viewers up to those closed doors were Steadicam shots by specialist operator Alf Tramontin, whose previous work includes the Harry Potter films and Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. Kerr aimed to achieve “a prowling point of view” and designed shots very specifically to draw the eye through the house and give the impression there were whole rooms and wings that were rarely used. John Carpenter’s Halloween was an inspiration for the choreography of those shots. “It’s all about the girls, Katy and Shell (Poppy Rush) creeping up the stairs and just not being able to quite see past the corner, putting the audience in their point of view in terms of what might be behind a door, or a covered piece of furniture beneath a dust sheet.” The dusts sheets covering the furniture fed into the unsettling idea that you’re not quite sure what lurks beneath, says Kerr, before adding with a laugh, “that was also so that we could just put any old crap underneath without having to rent a lot of expensive props!”

Custom props were made for the hellish pictures on display in the Moloch hall. Production designer Brian Sykes had reproductions made of 15th and 16th century paintings depicting the Harrowing of Hell. “That was tricky, because really you wanted a whole gallery of these things, just to feel they were everywhere, but the flip side of that is if Tabitha and Hector had this stunning art collection, maybe they wouldn’t live in such a ratty house. The fact they only have a few of those paintings makes you think ‘are they for real? Is this all a bit of a con?’ And that’s what you want the audience to be asking themselves.”

A crucial part of directing the audience’s feelings in the episode is the work of Inside No. 9 composer Christian Henson. “He’s so inventive and brilliant,” says Kerr. “None of those films sound alike from a score point of view.” For ‘The Harrowing,’ Henson drew inspiration from the Giallo vintage synthesizer used in the Goblin score for Dario Argento’s Suspiria, and once again, from Carpenter’s famous Halloween theme.

Poppy Rush and Aimee Ffion-Edwards (BBC)

That’s a lot of horror talk for 30 minutes of television commissioned under a comedy banner. The comedy though, is very much there in ‘The Harrowing’, which begins as a fond pastiche of the kind of lurid characters found in Hammer Horror films such as Roger Corman’s Vincent Price-starring House of Usher. Kerr knew that guest star Helen McCrory had the colours to make Tabitha something special. “Helen just took to it and had that voice and poise. The character’s this sort of grande dame, larger than life.” McCrory and Shearsmith’s performances are expertly pitched to riff on the theatricality of those stars of vintage horror.

“So much of the film plays in a fairly camp register. You meet Hector and he’s Vincent Price-ish, a slightly campy eccentric. Tabitha is almost like a sort of Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard, shuttered in the chateau. They’re oddballs, and they’re funny and bicker like an old couple. By the time Hector pulls out the guitar and is singing Lord of the Dance, you’re thinking ‘this is bordering on ludicrous!’, and then it’s about how far can we push that comedy and turn the corner to something properly dark. The Lord of the Dance silliness takes your guard down, I hope, so that by the time Aimee-Ffion Edwards’ character is sitting there and Castiel in Andras’ body is advancing towards her, it’s properly horrifying, and you’re thinking ‘I didn’t see this coming’.

“They are twins, comedy and horror. They’re both the cinema of sensation, you’re trying to create a visceral reaction from people. Fear and laughter are proper physical reactions in people, rather than intellectual ponderings. You want to incite those reactions and you do that by getting ahead of the audience and not letting them get ahead of you. And that’s always been the genius of a script by Reece and Steve. That’s what they do.”

David Kerr’s festive film Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse will air this Christmas on Sky One and NOWTV.

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Inside No. 9 is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.

The post Behind the Scenes on Inside No. 9’s Most Terrifying Episode appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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xnwritten · 4 years

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Grey Hairs and Life Stories

by Alexis Cinco

Work Immersion was a two week service for the graduating batch of Senior High School to the society. In this piece, I will narrate the journey of the immersionists in St. Joseph’s Golden Home Foundation. As you read through this story, I hope you will be able to immerse yourself into our journey as well.

On the 20th of January, 2020, the graduating batch of Corpus Christi Senior High School, Macasandig Campus immersed themselves in the reality of life in various centers. I joined the batch of students assigned at the St. Joseph’s Golden Home Foundation, Inc. which consisted of Rio Legaspi, Daniela Flores, Alexis Cinco, Dale Legaspi, Lauren Galdo, Sean Belderol, and Ben Macasero. With 11 clients, 9 females and 2 men, the private institution provided more than just experience to the immersionists.

Nanay Fe, a former director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, is short-tempered and witty. Despite her personality, she has grown fond of the gentle Rio. The younger girl shared infectious laughters with the woman for most of their time together and helped her with her meals which were surprisingly in large amounts despite Nanay Fe’s rather small size. She was bubbly when Rio was around. It was a great contrast how she was before we got there and how she acted after.

Nanay Elsa who unfortunately lost her vision was an interesting experience as well. Despite her condition, she memorized all the song numbers in the karaoke; reciting them from the back of her head with ease and even remembered every crook and corner of St. Joseph’s and her belongings. It was surprising that she knew each student’s names despite her old age. She livened up the center once in a while with her divine singing and once in a while, she’d showcase her dance moves. It goes to show that one’s struggles and limitations are not an excuse to enjoy things in life. During our free time, she enjoyed gossiping with Lauren.

Tatay Dario and Nanay Amay had similar stories. Both suffered from stroke like Nanay Fe, but instead of allowing this incapacity to dictate their selves, they were indeed jolly and cheerful during the students’ stay. They always laughed at the smallest mistakes, and sometimes they would even accidentally shoot grains of rice whenever Ben or Dale fed them because they could not muffle their giggles. One could clearly see the joy in their eyes when there were creases near their eyes and by their wide and toothless (literally) smile.

Nanay Sol was the life of the party at St. Joseph’s. Her childish personality brightened up the room and made it easier for the Grade 12 to be comfortable in performing their service. According to the staff at the centers, she worked at the medical field until she had Alzheimer’s; therefore, it explains her carefree nature. Although being off-key, she loved to sing along Nanay Elsa’s karaoke events or with the students’ little jamming sessions, which, little did she know, was a preparation for the Culminating Activity by the end of the Work Immersion. At times, she had tickle fights with Alexis.

Tatay Opong was another story. He was not from Cagayan de Oro. Rather, he was from Bohol. He ended up in the city due to job hunting. He was a hardinero, which in the end caused him to have difficulties in walking. He had problems with hearing and vision as well. It was a screaming party to talk to him, but that made it entertaining, because whenever Sean said something into his ear, he would shout a loud “Ha?” with his chin up and lips pouted, and he would nod despite that the question couldn’t be answered with yes or no.

Of course, one cannot appeal to everyone. Nanay Sofia and Nanay Tina were both quiet and reserved. Nanay Sofia, a nun, sometimes rattled the students whenever she sent a sharp glare their way whenever they interrupted her rosary prayer, but somehow, Rio had managed to charm her way to the old lady’s good side. Indeed, it was a mystery. Although Nanay Tina was strict-looking, she was just an introverted woman. During one talk with Lauren, she disclosed that she experienced the tribulations of World War II; how they had to walk numerous mountains under the burning heat of the sun and the turmoil of those times. She was nice, really. When escorting her to her room, she teased Dale on not knowing the difference between wala and too which is left or right in Bisaya. She kept repeating “I dunno, I dunno” to annoy her.

Some clients had worse conditions than others. Nanay Ching, who was 104 years of age, had become bed-ridden due to breaking her bones. She was once a Religion teacher, and though she may be very old, she can still hear well, see in one eye, and still speak coherent sentences. Another client was Nanay Merta who had mouth cancer. Her lower mouth was mostly damaged due to the merciless disease. As a result, she was only to be fed with liquid food which even pained her every time. The students would sometimes witness it with concern and empathy in their eyes and a sad frown. It was heartbreaking to watch, but it was admirable that Nanay Merta was still a strong fighting spirit.

The elders’ routine was all the same daily; bathe, eat breakfast, watch television, eat snacks, pray, eat lunch, rest, pray, eat snacks, watch television, eat dinner, watch television, eat dinner, sleep, repeat. It was the same thing over and over again, more like a system. However, with the immersionists around, activities in the center varied quite a bit. Some visitors from Xavier University spiced things up a little in St. Joseph’s with a small program, along with other visitors such as birthday celebrants and the two batches of On the Job Training caregivers. Other than that, the service of the Grade 12 students were peaceful, especially that the ambiance was full of vibrant trees and flowers that danced with the wind and singing birds that passed by.

Not only did the students establish rapport with the clients, but they also got along with the staff members. Oftentimes, they would eat at the kitchen together and tell their tales of woe. Even the nuns who managed the place would sometimes join in with the fun.

As the two weeks of service was coming to an end, the St. Joseph’s batch prepared their simple Culminating Activity. The immersionists sang an acoustic version of Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko whilst giving the elders roses, performed the famous dance challenges named Tala and Catriona, gave a heartwarming speech, and fed them an appetizing dinner. Most were teary-eyed and some even shed some tears during their last moments of the Work Immersion. There were bittersweet smiles on everyone’s faces as they bid their final farewell. It was truly extraordinary to immerse into the lives of these people for a brief moment, though it has created such a gigantic impact on the lives of the students. One could see the change in them after all the realizations and lessons from St. Joseph’s Golden Home Foundation, and hopefully they would be able to carry these as they enter the real world and into the future in order to help for the better of not only oneself but to serve the people.

#literaryreportage

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tkc-info · 3 years

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Arash Khosravi

Suddenly, Diana's gaze landed on a boy. He was looking at her with a questioning face, but his eyes quickly widened in recognition. He nudged his companion, and pointed at Diana.

In a moment, Diana found herself shaking the hand of the boy. "You must be Diana Zubairu, right?" he was saying. He spoke with a bit of an accent "I'm Arash, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Arash Khosravi is the second youngest son of the host branch of the Khosravi family, and Sohrab Khosravis’s host.

Being the son of the Gatekeeper of the Symbiotic Branch of the Archaic Army, Arash’s life can’t be said to be difficult —although marked by rigorous training not many would be fond of.

As is tradition in the Khosravi family, Arash formed a symbiotic relationship with his ‘destined brother’ Sohrab after years of training together and —in Parisa and Mehran Khosravi‘s opinion— whining that the moment was still too far away. Ever since then, his opinion that Sohrab is the most important person in his world hasn’t but strengthened. Although of course, Arash wouldn’t be apathetic to having a girlfriend, marrying, and forming a family; if only he didn’t have the bad luck of falling for unapproachable girls who most often than not are lesbians.

Like most of their siblings, Arash and Sohrab wish to one day succeed their parents and become the symbiotic gatekeepers (position that has remained in their family for centuries). But they know this dream is but wishful thinking, and their oldest sisters will most likely become the next gatekeepers.

Arash's height in unremarkable in how average it is; however, he is said to be surprisingly bulky.

He has a kind face made ever the more so by his cloud of black, wavy curls. His eyes are dark brown, while his skin is naturally tanned.

Arash likes to synchronise his clothing choices with his imlium Sohrab. More often than not, their clothes (normally from the late 20th century; especially from the 1980s) will be identical if not for the fact that they're of different colours --though these are always complimentary.

Compared to his imlium, Arash is the shyer of the two, yet more energetic. Even if he has no problems making friends, he's easy to fluster and prone to stumble on his words if he's saying something vaguely resembling of romance. Arash is possibly one of the kindest people you'll ever meet.

As he always puts it, Arash has been 'punished with heterosexuality'. Never has someone seemed to have feelings for him but once; Arash remains bitter till this day that the person in question was a boy and therefore impossible for him to be attracted to (nevertheless, that didn't stop him from professing his deeply felt thanks to the guy).

Arash is a host (learn more about hosts)

His imlium is Sohrab Khosravi

He was born the 18th of January of 2004 in Mirror Tehran

He knows English, Sazla, Farsi and Arabic

He speaks English with an accent

Arash doesn't usually enjoy reading, but he is a fan of epic poetry

His favourite epic poem is the Shahnameh

Arash hopes to name his first son 'Esfandiyar' after his favourite hero from the Shahnameh

He hopes to name his first daughter 'Ziba' after the heroine of the Ziba-nameh (an epic poem written by a Saz author in 827AD)

Arash is fan of football (soccer)

He likes to play as striker

Arash is a fan of Barcelona FC

He and Sohrab have been trying to get Dario (their Spanish classmate) to take them to a Barcelona-Real Madrid match since 9th grade

His lockscreen is a picture of him and Sohrab sleeping while holding hands as babies

Arash doesn't listen to music, therefore his favourite song is whatever Sohrab likes

Though he doesn't have a problem with sleeping, he always sleeps better pillow-hugging Sohrab

Arash is a very good singer, but he sings very rarely and usually when there's just Sohrab to hear him

#the kinship chronicles #the kinship chronicles characters

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pawprintsandthumbnails-blog · 7 years

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I Am Incurious: Giallo

Well, giallo....

For the uninitiated: a category within Italian horror movies, giallo films are primarily taken up with the synthesizing of the horror and crime genres, and are named for the practice by Mondadori, Italy's largest publishing house, of marketing mystery and thriller paperbacks in bright yellow covers (giallo being Italian for yellow). Officially beginning with Mario Bava's 1963 La ragazza che sapeva troppo (aka The Girl Who Knew Too Much and The Evil Eye), the onscreen gialli in general employ a number of tropes that are pervasive within the subgenres's visione del mondo. They include phallic knives and blood-smeared razors, black leather gloves and trenchcoats, eyes that follow intended victims with fixated fascination, and a multitude of corpses resembling nubile starlets. Though its adherents are among the most genuflecting of genre enthusiasts, giallo, I have to confess, is a branch of the horror thicket that produces little curiosity or enticement in me. The films are nothing if not exploitative, offer little in the way of vigor, pace, and individuality, and are almost impatiently indifferent to storytelling clarity. (Italy's horror films are not unlike its operas; the narrative is nothing, the set pieces--the murders, usually, and the gaudier the better--are all.)

However. If Bava can be credited with bringing a certain level of art to the combination of pulp, paranoia, and pasta, then Dario Argento, that overstimulated madman, has taken the giallo approach over the top, kicked it down the other side, and smashed it to bloody, derivative bits. It's often stated that he hit his filmmaking peak with the 1977 Suspiria, an occult thriller that its long-ago viewers sometimes mention with an almost ghostly sense of recall, the way many of us remember old, puzzling dreams. But it's Argento's 1970 directorial debut, L'ucello dale plume di cristallo (aka The Bird With the Crystal Plumage), that interests me (in shards, at least). More than most gialli, this one is directly rooted in crime novels--it's an uncredited adaptation of the 1949 pageturner The Screaming Mimi by Frederick Brown, a highly entertaining paperback author whose specialties include detective thrillers, science fiction, and casually derogatory dialogue that's terse, smart, and chewy. The Screaming Mimi was first filmed by Gerd Oswald under Brown's title in 1958, to no great advantage. That version's few distinctions: the blonde, vavoomish female lead, Anita Ekberg, is terrorized in a shower a mere two years before Hitchcock staged the same scene for all time with another, better blonde, Janet Leigh; it was shot in uncostly circumstances by a resourceful cinematographer, Burnett Guffey; and is enlivened by an intense performance from Harry Townes who plays a shifty psychiatrist and seems to be occupying a far more astringent production than the one his costars are struggling through.

Argento's remounting isn't very much better overall, but it has two points of intense interest. The first is a sequence in which the hero, an American writer (Tony Musante) living in Rome, witnesses a murder attempt taking place in an art gallery, and tries to assist the victim (Eva Renzi) who is stabbed and left for dead by her attacker. While entering the building, Musante becomes confined in its foyer between two sets of glass doors, both locked. With no way of reaching Renzi, who has collapsed and is bleeding copiously, he keeps an anxious eye on her and monitors the street for passers-by, hoping someone will appear and summon the law. Until then he can only wait and watch as Renzi, shedding blood, cries out for help. A promising scenario for suspense, yes, but the most significant aspect deals with the dimensions of the setting. The gallery's interior is rectangular and its walls are white--it resembles a movie screen, and the various pieces of statuary within it (contorted, grotesque figures, a gigantic set of bird claws) are like visions from a horror film. With either much conscious cunning or obsessive, unwitting creative drive, Argento has given us his own distillation of the moviegoing experience, and has constructed his striking tableau around the premise that watching films is a helpless, hypnotic undertaking, as well as its own form of entrapment. The entire setup is one of the few superbly inventive components of the movie, and truly Hitchcockian, evoking the dilemma faced by James Stewart in the 1954 Rear Window: while snooping on his neighbours, Stewart uncovers a homicidal situation in the apartment across the courtyard, but is unable to prove it. He, like Musante, is watchful but powerless, and caught up in his own private movie, one that’s come to life. (Especially redolent of Hitchcock's technique is the way in which Argento's art gallery episode secretes its own compound character.) L'ucello dale plume di cristallo, with its preponderance of spying, staring, and the dangers of observation, appears to be all about viewing horror movies. (Its other predominant subject, an uninvitingly tutorial one, seems to be How To Kill Pretty Girls, but movies, especially those with horror subjects, are incorrigible about mixing their gems with their garbage.)

My remaining complimentary remarks are for composer Ennio Morricone, whose score has moments of cold, airborne eeriness, and particularly for the cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, who gives the film its only other great highlight: a nocturnal chase scene, smartly shot and edited. At the core of it are Musante, who has been investigating the murders on his own, and his paramour, Suzy Kendall, both of whom are being chased by a hired assassin. (Why the killer, who has no difficulty in dispatching each female victim, would risk engaging a sidekick to dispose of the hero and his girl isn't explained, but neither is a good deal else.) Though Argento, for the most part, doesn't give the film much oxygen, Storaro provides plenty of welcome atmosphere. Under his touch, Rome becomes a contrarian spectacle in which urban decay becomes vividly decorative. A shot of a timeworn building has a ruined, eye-catching splendor; the harsh street light and discoloured old stone create a sly, almost painterly effect (the stains creeping down the walls might have been borrowed from a handsomely debauched watercolour). In some images the dark appears to have condensed into a rarefied, burnished blackness, and Storaro's fog looks both gauzy and murky, as if it drifted in from two different sources. His tony treatment of the locations in this segment catches up with the lead performers too as Musante, an actor too good for the nonsense at hand, and Kendall, one of the most poised British starlets of the day, acquire an intent, headlong snap as they dash across the cobblestones and prowl through the gloom. They become more fun to watch (and somehow more licentious) while sprinting for their skins than when grinning fondly as they nuzzle in bed.

Otherwise? All else in this movie is done for either sheer effect or unconcerned sequential necessity, and the director's eroticization of the murders is too stupid and rebarbative to be worth discussing. Having said this, I should perhaps admit to a grudging fondness for Argento's 1993 Trauma, which is more or less a comedy about decapitation, though I can't actually defend it.

And, possibly, of some minor incidental value: in 1992, I interviewed Argento for a now-defunct video magazine, and was unsurprised to find him a most pleasant man. Every professional Hyde requires a serving of social Jeykyll to call upon, surely...?

(Posted: 08/04/2017)

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