#dismemberment as a metaphor for vulnerability

[i-eat-leaf-mold]

Will I be pretty once I've skinned myself alive? Once I've laid my guts out, all for the world to see. Once I’m nothing more than a carcass, a stray cat hit at the side of the road? When I'm benign, just a myriad of human flesh An amalgamation of remains rollicking about a brumal linoleum floor What a terrible fate that is Gasping for air over a lost love Curled in a ball, on that floor Though what's lost was never the person It was the idea that the love could be given to someone And I know I'll never be loved in the way I can love To never have the reciprocation of skinning ourselves down to the bosom of our esse Beyond picayune exploits To be stripped down to the plinth of our beings To cavort as muscle and bone To lay our lives out and gralloch ourselves for no other reason than the warmth and intimacy of our carcasses intertwining in danse macabre Even surpassing the conviction, the proclivity of closeness I'd never once been a muse Not a soul engulfed in desire at the conception of our skin meeting Not one personnage desperate enough to become a beggar, Infatuated enough to outwardly crave converging substance Deeper than physical intimacy, Not a soul coveting the abstraction of our thoughts entwining about each others And I'd always wanted to be loved in the grueling, gruesome way. Teeth bore into skin. But holy water could never cleanse the marks left there by the hands of those who've “loved” me.

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: The Green Inferno

Much like his mentor Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth (Hostel, The House with a Clock in Its Walls) has never been one to shy away from wearing his influences on his sleeve. This is perhaps best exemplified by his 2013 effort, The Green Inferno; the unabashed love letter to cannibal films of the late ‘70s and early '80s notably draws inspiration from Cannibal Holocaust - the title The Green Inferno even comes from the film within the film - along with the likes of Cannibal Ferox and Last Cannibal World.

Like those cult films to which it pays tribute, The Green Inferno is a gruesome, exploitative exercise on the surface that also has a message at its core. In this case, Roth makes a thinly-veiled statement about so-called “social justice warriors,” a pejorative term for people who advocate for activism on social media. Roth’s social commentary is never preachy, nor are his criticisms entirely unfounded, but the characters in the film actually get involved in a cause, so at times Roth comes off like a curmudgeon yelling at kids to get off his lawn. That said, it serves as an effective setup for a cannibal film, and its themes are perhaps even more relevant in today's culture.

Roth may be a bit out of touch with today’s youth, as made further evident by the film’s unnatural dialogue, but his embracing of new media is commendable. The activists’ only weapons against an armed militia are their cell phones, which are utilized to shame the perpetrators by live-streaming the events. Impressively, the production predates Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and even Periscope. Roth goes so far as to feature the cast members’ Twitter handles in the end credits.

The film follows impressionable college freshman Justine (Lorenza Izzo, Knock Knock), as she joins a local activist group on a trip to the Peruvian Amazon in order to protest the bulldozing of the rain forest and the extermination of its indigenous tribe. After a close call with the militia, the protesters are involved in a harrowing plane crash reminiscent of the opening of Final Destination. The surviving members are captured by the very people that they sought out to save, who believe them to be the enemy responsible for destroying their habitat. They’re brought back to the village in a particularly chaotic scene, culminating with one of them being killed and eaten before their eyes.

The group doesn’t arrive in the Amazon until about 45 minutes into the 103-minute runtime, but the pace is so brisk you’d never know it. Once there, the action is virtually nonstop. The Green Inferno feels less gritty than its grindhouse brethren, but Roth and director of photography Antonio Quercia (Knock Knock) embrace a frenetic, cinéma vérité style of handheld camerawork with shallow focus for most scenes involving the cannibals. Its illustration of intensity - which, thankfully, is not overly shaky - offers a stark contrast to the rest of the film’s more traditional cinematography. The location - an actual Peruvian village which had never seen a movie before - provides immense production value.

This may be Roth’s goriest effort to date, which is saying a lot for the guy behind Hostel and Cabin Fever. Special effects makeup is expertly handled by legends Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger of KNB EFX Group (Kill Bill, Scream). There are several brutal death scenes, most notably the first dismemberment at the hands of the cannibals. Unlike the ominous locales of Hostel, however, The Green Inferno takes place in broad daylight. While the bright surroundings are a welcome change of scenery, it shines a bit too much light - quite literally - on the prosthetics, causing some effects to look fake. Further diluting the impact is the fact that several of the most intense scenes are undermined by moments of sophomoric humor that follow, from a diarrhea gag to stoner comedy.

Roth and Izzo were dating during the making of The Green Inferno - and they later wed, then divorced - but Izzo is far more than just the director’s girlfriend. Her character is vulnerable and on display, both literally and metaphorically, and Izzo is fearless through it all. Between The Green Inferno and Knock Knock, in which she was sinister and in control, Izzo shows impressive range. The standout cannibals, Bald Headhunter (Ramón Llao, Aftershock) and The Elder (Antonieta Pari), are appropriately intimidating, covered in striking body paint and ornate body jewelry. The rest of the tribe members are played by actual villagers.

Ariel Levy (Aftershock) is charming enough, but he ultimately lacks the charisma for which his role as the activist group's leader calls. A handful of other activists are given some dimension - including Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids) as the stereotypical stoner - but even more have virtually no personalities. Singer Sky Ferreira (Lords of Chaos) overacts and brings an awkward screen presence to her small role as Justine's roommate. Richard Burgi (Hostel: Part II) makes a brief but strong impression as Justine’s father.

The Green Inferno is the most modern title to join Scream Factory's esteemed line of Collector's Edition Blu-ray releases, having hit home video a mere three years ago. The film was shot digitally, so the picture quality is identical to the previous release, but fresh special features make it worth an upgrade. A new interview finds Roth discussing every major set piece and sharing anecdotes from the making of the film for 50 minutes. The production is fresh enough in his mind that the filmmaker is able to recall every detail, yet it's far enough in the past that he can reflect on the experience more objectively.

There's also a 35-minute featurette consisting of new interviews with actors Izzo, Sabara, and Kirby Bliss Blanton (Project X), who discuss how they got involved, their introductions to cannibal films, and the trials and tribulations of shooting in a secluded village. Nearly an hour of behind-the-scenes footage offers a fascinating, fly-on-the-wall perspective of the cast and crew working on location. A CD featuring Manuel Riveiro's never-before-released, tribal-inspired original motion picture soundtrack is included.

All of the previous special features are ported over as well: a lively audio commentary led by Roth, who is accompanied by Izzo, Blanton, Sabara, and fellow actor Aaron Burns; a 16-minute making-of featurette with Roth and several cast members; three minute-long promotional pieces largely comprised of footage from the aforementioned making-of; the trailer and TV spots; and five galleries: stills, behind-the-scenes, village construction storyboards and makeup tests, and publicity photos.

If you’re able to get past the baggage that comes with the film - which, to be honest, shouldn't be very difficult - you’re left with a badass, true-to-form cannibal flick, the likes of which hasn't been produced in decades. The Green Inferno is not the strongest effort in Roth's oeuvre, but it does feel like the most “Eli Roth” movie he’s made to date. Although unlikely to win over any new admirers, Scream Factory's Collector's Edition release allows fans to revel in its macabre spectacle.

The Green Inferno will be released on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray on June 25 via Scream Factory.

[youngster-monster]

he wips too many for he gotdamn free time (send help)

do you like my writing? do you have Opinions™? then boy do i have something for you

i have too many fucking things to write! and not a lot of time! or motivation! art school is physically killing me and i’m just standing around all like ‘i don’t know which wip to work on first so i’m not gonna work on any of them’ and then i go play destiny 2 or some shit

but look at the clock — that’s right. it’s Democracy O’Clock. time to vote my lil’ buddies. tell me which wip i should work on in the tags/reply/by ask/instant messages/pigeon mail, whatever works for you

Please Help Me

list of my wips under the cut

world of warcraft

cardinal sins, deadly virtues - kael’thas/illidan

remember that ‘kael’thas is a patient man’ peace talks au thing i wrote a while back? let’s make it longer. let’s make him punch illidan in the face. they’ll both love it i promise.

insom(a)nia/blind faith - kael’thas/illidan

monachopsis’ next part. kind of a filler: what happened between w3 and burning crusade (or rather, the illidan novel), the growing relationship between the two, illidan’s trauma and kael’s grief, etc.

i love you (despite the warning signs) - falric/malwyn

dear god i still haven’t finished this. so: the last chapters of this one-week challenge that i still haven’t finished. i’m so sorry.

dead friendship - one-sided arthas/kael’thas, kael’thas & sylvanas

kael’thas meets arthas as a child and they are friends for most of their life, arthas arboring a strong but hopeless crush on the elven prince. when he goes all lich-king, instead of fighting illidan, arthas immediately kills kael and raises him as a death knight, ripping his soul/spirit out and binding it to an amulet. kael’thas goes years as a mindless servant of the lich king, until arthas is defeated and sylvanas finds an amulet bearing his face on a beach.

ft. your friendly neighbouring ghost kael’thas haunting sylvanas into helping him, arthas being a Creepy Motherfucker, and undead bullshittery (including but not limited to: having to sew back one’s beheaded head every other day, tactical dismemberment)

fake dating au - kael’thas/illidan

modern au. magic professors kael’thas and illidan are great friends, so when malfurion drops by on a surprise visit, pretending they’re married sound like a fun way to get back at him. obviously, it gets out of hands.

gladiator pain - kael’thas/illidan

named this way because every time i try to write this i either lose motivation or everything i’ve written and everything hurts.

in an alternate universe where the kaldorei are a continent-wide empire and the blood elves are not considered worthy of citizenship, a mysterious fighter enters the yearly Elune Tournament, which guarantees its winner a single favor from Empress Azshara — whatever it might be. ft. politics, way too many fighting scenes, illidan trying to make everyone’s life a little worse for knowing him, fantasy racism.

kingdom hearts

cut your faves - vanitas/riku

riku loses an arm. vanitas is given the mission to use his vulnerability to seduce him to the dark side, and ends up being the one who’s seduced into changing his ways. it’s literally just pure hurt/comfort and fluff. also, riku being a badass and vanitas being the worst kind of stray cat in the world (but only metaphorically)

referee au - vanitas/riku

professional football/soccer au where vanitas tries to fuck riku into turning a blind eye to his Extremely Bad Sport Practice. does it work? no. is it an opportunity for porn? you bet your ass it is.

medical malpractice - vanitas/riku

after the Big Showdown, vanitas kind of tags along/stalks the keyblade wielders. this is just a Very Long story about his and riku’s reluctant partnership, then friendship, then romance, along with a Metric Shitton of kingdom hearts headcanons

devil may cry

devil will cry - dante/doomguy

the marine comes back to earth. dante flirts shamelessly and ends up pinned to a wall but like, in a sexy way not a rip-and-tear way

nephilim au - dante/nero

nero isn’t half-demon: he’s half-angel. it’s literally just a wingfic. with eldritch angels. and grooming.

a demon by any other name - dante/nero

dante woos nero, the demon way. meanwhile, nero tries to be the kind of guy dante would be into. mutual pinning, just two bi idiots trying to seduce each other.

[vampire killer playing in the distance] - dante/nero

nero is a vampire. that’s it. that’s the plot.

i will fear the night again - v/nero

pure angst. summon too many demons and you get burned: v gets possessed and nero has to deal with it.

vvoice - v/nero

five times v’s voice had some kind of effect on nero, and one time he took full advantage of it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

overwatch

wanted - john morrison/gabriel reyes

god i’m so sorry. this has been a wip for more than a year. i have 15k of the second chapter written and it’s still far from done. i need to finish this shit.

but yeah police au reaper76. it’s a thing.

dear evan hansen

the blank page - connor/evan

a fusion with a french one-shot comic. evan wakes up one day without any memory of who he is as a person. connor ends up trying to help him remember. friendship is magic and so is this amnesia because no one knows how the brain works and especially not me

[i-eat-leaf-mold]

And I know

And I know Ill never be loved in the way I can love

To never have the reciprocation of skinning ourselves down to the bosom of our esse

Beyond picayune exploits

To be stripped down to the plinth of our beings

To cavort as muscle and bone

To lay our lives out and gralloch ourselves for no other reason than the warmth and intimacy of our carcasses intertwining in danse macabre