#catriona carver

[aondaneedles]

Ah, the Fosters. What a beautiful mess they are...

As you can see, Zelda never married but eventually had a son with her teenage sweetheart (and long-time lover) Marcus Irving. Laurie (Romance/ Knowledge) decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a musician himself. He eventually fell in love with a fellow romance sim, Hattie Kicklighter and even wanted to marry her. She left him at the altar, though, and he ended up marrying one of his other loves, Anita, a popularity sim, on a rebound. Nevertheless, they've been rather happy, eventually having a son named Bruno.

Maisie married Luis Carver and had two sons with him. The eldest, Hamish (Popularity/ Family), also decided to follow in his father's footsteps and recently took over his businesses after he passed. He married Cleo Irving (Fortune/ Popularity) and had two daughters with her, Catriona and Isobel. He has recently caught Cleo cheating with Johnny Youngblood and they got divorced. However, there might be a reunion in the works.

Hamish's younger brother Fergus lives on a farm across the road from the Foster Family Farm. Hamish and his family lived with him but after Fergus' wife had the twins, I made the executive decision to move them out and back into the main household. Fergus (Fortune/ Family, just like his mother!) met Rosemary at Agave Bar and they have been besotted with each other ever since. She's a family sim as well (primary, though) and so they had a lot of children to no one's surprise. Rosamund and Hadley are already well into their teenage years, while twins Brandon and Florence were a bit of a surprise to everyone, but they are about to grow up soon as well, hopefully giving everyone on the farm time to... actually work the farm.

All three boys of generation two actually grew up together as Zelda and Maisie decided to share the farm rather than one of them moving out. They are also quite close in age since Zelda had Laurie late in life. Imagine my surprise when Bruno and Isobel had two bolts (they're second cousins on both sides... yay). It's a weird situation and I'm interested to see how it'll play out. They were each other's first kisses and I was horrified.

[curiousthimble]

Fictober Day 3

Fictober Day 3: I've Waited for This Fandom: Dragon Age II Characters: Catriona Hawke, Merrill Tags: Breaking up is hard to do, unrequited feelings, Merrill's girlfriend

Read Fictober2021

“You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?” Merrill asked with wide eyes. “When did you get back together? I didn’t even know you’d spoken to him at all!”

Catriona sighed and put the bundle of herbs she’d just sniffed into her basket. “No, I’m not sleeping with him,” she argued quietly.

“Oh, so you leaving Anders’ clinic in the small hours of the morning was just my imagination?” the elf said archly.

Catriona sighed, selected a final bundle, and paid the vendor. “How do you even know I was there?”

A faint blush stained Merrill’s cheek. “Eribella was there with her son. I wanted to check in on them.”

“At four in the morning?” Catriona teased. “One would think you’d gone for a quick tryst in the pantry.”

Merrill’s blush deepened to a perfect imitation of a tomato. “Catriona Hawke! How dare you… Oh, bugger it. Eribella asked if I might stop by late last night. Peregrin is doing much better and she wanted some company.”

Catriona laughed and bumped her hip against Merrill’s. “Company, all right. Are you sleeping with her yet?”

Merrill’s embarrassment dissolved as the corners of her lips turned down. “No. She’s worried what Peregrin will think, his mother becoming involved with me. Cat, I want to be with her so badly I can hardly think of anything else when she’s around. Last night we were kissing and her hands were on my backside and it drove me wild!”

Catriona smiled and touched her friend’s arm. After Carver had joined the Templars, he’d cut off all communication with Merrill, and that had hurt her deeply. Cat and Merrill both knew it was for their own good, but he and Merrill had been sweet on each other, and to see him just ignore them both so suddenly… Well, it had broken Merrill’s heart.

“Give her time,” Catriona advised gently. “Peregrin is only six, and she’ll find a way to help him understand.”

“I hope so,” Merrill sighed. “What I have with Bella is so...well, I’ve waited and waited for this, and I just want it to work.” She was silent a moment, her eyes passing over produce without actually seeing it. Shaking her head, she looked back to Catriona with a small frown. “What were you doing at the clinic if you aren’t sleeping with Anders, anyway?”

Catriona struggled to keep her face straight. She and Anders had gone down into the sewers, looking for alchemical ingredients. It hadn’t been easy, gangs roving the underground had attacked them randomly, they’d been accosted by several packs of feral dogs, and had needed to dig through piles of offal to get what they’d needed.

The fact that at one point Anders had pressed her to a wall and kissed her until she was dizzy and wanton hadn’t made the night any easier, either. She was going to have to sort out her feelings about him before they met up later that night.

“He sent me a note last week asking for some help with the Underground,” she said, not exactly lying.

“How was that?” Merrill asked. “Being with him again?”

Memories of the night before flashed through her mind: Anders laughing, holding her steady while she leaned far over a midden pile, picking through it with a stick; every inch of his body pressed against hers, those tiny moans of his filling her ears as he bit her neck. It hadn’t mattered that they both smelt like a chamber pot or that they hadn’t touched one another in over a year.

She wanted him, but if they succeeded in his insane plan, she might not get a chance to act on it.

“Weird,” Catriona said honestly. “Weird and exactly the same.”

[robynthomsonnapierfilm]

Film Adaption - workbook part 1

‘Doughnuts & Champagne’

Why did I choose Careful out of all of Raymond Carver’s short stories? When first reading Careful, I could picture it so clearly in my head. I could see the small uncomfortable space that Lloyd lived in, the tired way Lloyd goes about his day, the way the landlady is lying unconscious on the floor as Lloyd looks in on her. I immediately loved the idea of developing what I could picture and adapting it into a short film to bring Careful to life.

Pre-production/creative development Once deciding on Careful once and for all, I set forward with brainstorming ideas for the look of the film. This involved building up mood boards, which featured photography, film stills, and colour palettes.

Here is the mood board I created on Pinterest featuring photography, film stills, and colour palettes as inspiration for ‘Doughnuts & Champagne’. (https://pin.it/7zx1jV3)

I also looked into inspiration for the making of the film, researching other films for influence in terms of editing, set design, cinematography, etc. 

The biggest influence that stuck out to me from the very beginning was Amelie, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the editing style and how characters are introduced very much plays into how I imagined this film to play out when first reading Carver’s short story Careful (https://youtu.be/MrImvgAYtHo & https://youtu.be/mmllotLUU38 are some examples)

The colour palette was another big inspiration, hence why it features so heavily in my Pinterest mood board and has led to me looking into other films with a similar look. This is because I don’t want my adaption to be quite as serious as Raymond Carver’s original story, and so, in order to keep the melancholy feeling of the narrative but add my own slightly less dark spin on things, the playful colour palette of Amelie is one I have looked to as influence.

I wanted Lloyd’s character to come across how I imagined him to be when I first read Careful – fed up, but still headstrong and determined to live how he wants because of his now independent lifestyle. To do so, I thought about the themes I wanted this film to convey (isolation, melancholy, etc.) and the ways in which Lloyd’s actions and reactions would lean into these themes. On top of this, I looked into the film ‘Naked’ (Mike Leigh, 1993) after my lecturer Catriona suggested a similarity between the lead character’s personality (Johnny, played by David Thewlis) and how I’ve pictured Lloyd to be. Here is a link to some scenes from Naked that capture the character Johnny’s personality well: https://youtu.be/YA47TzEeA_4

I also created some story boards for ‘Doughnuts & Champagne’ to bring to life how I was picturing it in my head, making the pre-production and script writing process easier with a visual aid to help.

Thoughts and reflections After sharing my idea with the class, I had a tutorial with Catriona in which she gave me feedback and suggestions on changes I could possibly make. One of these suggestions was for me to consider the reasoning behind Lloyd’s actions. For example, why doesn’t he care to immediately see if the landlady is okay? We discussed the idea of him possibly having OCD, which would explain why he so desperately has to leave to eat his doughnuts and champagne/why that is the same meal he eats for breakfast each day – because of this habitual routine he has fallen into. After considering this idea, I decided against it because I feel I am not educated enough on OCD to portray it in Lloyd’s character and wouldn’t want to inaccurately depict it in my film. Therefore, after brainstorming Lloyd’s character, I decided that the reason why he is so desperate to flee the situation with his landlord is because he is so set in stone with his daily routine. Since he doesn’t have much control over the rest of his life, such as his recent divorce, alcohol problems, and unfortunate living conditions, he is trying to take control back by setting this routine. However, we do come to realise he does feel guilty but. Because his habits are so strong, he still can’t break the routine.

From this stage onwards, my plan is to keep revising the script if it gets chosen as an idea after I present it to the class, in order to improve it and continuing to develop both the characters and narrative of ‘Doughnuts & Champagne’.

[laurabercebal]

FILM ADAPTATION - FIRST IDEAS

After reading Short Cuts by Raymond Carver, I wrote down the stories that caught my attention. I then watched the adaptation of Short Cuts by Robert Altman and Jindabyne, an adaptation by Beatrix Christian. Even though it was a long film, I enjoyed Short Cuts. It was interesting to see how Altman managed to connect and intertwine all those different stories. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like Jindabyne. I thought the characters weren’t well thought and the editing kind of took me out of the story. However, it was good to see the differences between Altman and Christian’s adaptations.

Having read and seen all the materials, I started to think about what story I wanted to adapt. Apart from that, I also I kept in mind Covid-19 restrictions, so the least characters that were involved in the story, the better. Finally, I decided to work on the story ‘Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?’. It follows Ralph and Marian and how they both deal with the fact that Marian cheated on Ralph years ago. These past weeks, I’ve been watching all the short films and clips that Catriona showed us, trying to decide how I would adapt the story. Actually, it was really helpful to see Her Friend Adam, which has a similar theme to the story I’ve chosen. I wanted to keep the original essence, but with a few changes. I was sure that I wanted to focus on both characters instead of just him, because I found the original story quite misogynistic (and also racist). I didn’t want to specifically demonise one of them. I wanted to show that they are struggling, and they are both mean to one another.

This week, I’ve been able to think more about it. I’ve decided to portray Ralph and Marian as a young couple in their mid 20s that have been together since high school. Ralph is a bit older than her, which I think is important because it helps to explain why he is so condescending with her. I’ve written a first draft of the scrip, trying to keep the dialogue really natural and real. While the trigger of the fight is Marian’s affair, more of their past and unsolved problems come to light. I really want to show how tired they are of pretending that their relationship is stable and safe, that they’ve been unconsciously denying their issues. I’ve also written a first draft of my pitch, which I intend to film this weekend. Hopefully Catriona gives me some advice tomorrow so I can keep developing my idea.

[film-adaptaton-abbie-jamieson]

Week 1: Ideas for Adaptation

Stories Catriona recommends for adaptation 

So Much Water So Close to Home

Neighbours

Collectors 

Careful - another short story by Raymond Carver

build up of ear wax shows the lack of communication between them

even when she unblocks his ears, Lloyd still does not listen and talks about things that are not related o what she is talking about

the food and drink selection is strange 

champagne is associated with celebration, Lloyd doesn't have anything to celebrate

- lunch meat and donuts for breakfast show he inst coping well, he is not looking after himself

he only realises that he isn't coping well when someone else is around him, it is then brought to his attention because he has someone else to see him - a different perspective 

he has been stuck with his own thoughts in such a confided space, away from the world

possible ideas off of these points

a story about a recluse, and Lloyd refuses to to see his wife - she is left outside

what if the genders were reversed - would the narrative change? 

what if he was living in a different space? what if he wasn’t living in the attic, it could be even worse conditions 

what if Lloyd had failed in his career, maybe he was very wealthy or maybe even famous, and one small mistake resulted in his demise - he has lost a lot

he story could take a darker turn, maybe the couple had lost a child or were involved in a traumatic event that ruined their relationship

[pwhelpfulstalker-blog]

Something is going down between Tyrael Carver and Catriona Wood-Coburn. 

Find out what here: http://www.pottersworld.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=330835

[curiousthimble]

Fictober Endings!

The ends are here! I fell hopelessly in love with Duran and Natia, so there will be more of them in the future! I hope you've enjoyed this year as much as I have.

Read Fictober 2021

Day 26: I Am Sure This Has Never Worked. Ever Characters: Alistair, Morrigan, Duran Aeducan, Natia Brosca

Natia laughed, watching Alistair and Duran literally climb a tree. Morrigan, in spider form, taunted them, raising up on her back legs and waving too many arms at them. Her spider was bigger than anything Natia had ever seen, and Duran had let out a high-pitched scream when Morrigan put a segmented arm on his shoulder just a moment ago.

Which would have been bad enough, had her sweet, teasing voice not been coming out of the spider’s mouth at the same time. “The only way to cure your fear is to face it, Prince Duran,” Morrigan crooned, tapping on the tree trunk. “Come down and play with me.”

“No thank you!” Duran said shakily, tucking his feet under him. “Witch, stop!”

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Day 27: You Could Have Died! Characters: Duran Aeducan, Natia Brosca

Natia dragged Duran by the ear out of camp, ignoring the laughter of their friends. “What were you thinking?” she asked, tossing him to the ground.

“Ow! Dammit, Duster, you could have taken my ear off!”

“You could have died, you idiot!” she screamed. “Why would you run into a room full of werewolves alone?”

Duran looked a little ashamed of himself— as he damned well should, she decided. He’d stupidly run ahead of the group, chasing after a lone wolf that turned out to be leading them right into an ambush.

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Day 28: I Don't Have To Explain Myself Characters: Sebastian Vael, Catriona Hawke, Anders

Anders set his jaw and met Sebastian’s glare. All around them there were screams and cries for the Maker as fire and ash rained down in a mockery of winter snow. Catriona was on her knees, healing a mage that had been struck by a Templar blade before they’d retreated.

“Cat, get him away from me,” Anders said in a cold, steady voice. “He’s never going to understand.”

“Do not bring Catriona into this!” Sebastian shouted, spittle spewing from his lips in fury. “She is innocent!”

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Day 29: Why Are We Whispering Characters: Duran Aeducan, Natia Brosca

Duran nodded his thanks to Alistair before grabbing Natia by the arm. “Come on, Duster,” he said, pulling her to her feet.

“What are you doing? I have watch tonight,” she said, digging in her heels.

“Not tonight, Nat,” Alistair said, wrapping his cloak around him and settling himself on a stump. “I’ve got it.”

Duran gestured to his friend. “See? Alistair’s got it. Now come on, I have something for you in my tent.”

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Day 30: Don't Ruin This Characters: Duran Aeducan, Natia Brosca

“Hey, Duster.”

Natia turned, surprise lifting her eyebrows at the voice. “Advisor Duran,” she said with a nod of acknowledgement.

He scoffed and waved a hand at her use of his new title. “Don’t even start with that garbage. You know me well enough to know how long that’s going to last.”

A grin teased the corners of her mouth, remembering his on his knees with his hands tied to the bedpost. “Yes, I do indeed. What can I do for you?”

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Day 31: Take Me With You Characters: Anders, Justice, Catriona Hawke

Catriona watched Anders pick up his coat and dust it off. “Where are you going now?” she asked.

It had been a week since they’d left Kirkwall; Varric, Merrill, and Aveline had already left to go back and help rebuild, but Isabela had hidden her ship in a small harbor off the Storm Coast and had offered to take them anywhere they wanted to go. Catriona had thought about going to Carver in Amaranthine, but Anders had yet to make a choice.

A part of her was terrified that his choice wouldn’t include her.

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