#i just realized only tisha has colored eyes

[this-is-snekky]

Trying to fight art block by drawing twisteds....might draw more twisteds...I'm very tired and eepy rn...

I think it would be cool if Twisted Cosmo had special dialogue if you were playing as Sprout. Totally not for fruitcake purposes.

[kallynkaa]

A friend asked me about the sexual orientations and experiences of my characters annd I felt like posting them on here too so here we go:

|Arria|

Pansexual. Her eyes tended to lay on women more than on men when she was a teenager, but soon discovered before her twenties, that she didn't care much about the gender of the people that attracted her. She had few sexual partners (3 maybe 5 or 6 at max) and even though she is quite flirty and teasing at times, she is rarely seeking sexual acts. Not to say that she doesn't enjoy it or doesn't have cravings, quite the opposite. She just has them and truly enjoys it with people she actually likes, loves even.

|Aaron|

Bisexual. He discovered his attraction to his own gender during his highschool years, where he shared one with a teammate of his. He truly has no gender preference. The thing tipping off the balance being the intelectual connection he manages to establish or not with his partner. He had his fair share of sexual relationships. More than his sister for sure but not an astronomical amount either. He struggles though, to actually fall for someone. He often genuinly likes his partners and enjoy their company but never manage to truly open up and thus actually build lasting relationships. He also sadly stumbled upon shallow people maybe too often. Leaving him bore of the "relationship" sometimes really fast.

|Liv|

Asexual. She understood she was after her first time with a man she felt confortable with and was more than respectful with her. Though at first a little curious about it, (Because of the hype around it, the way she felt about her body and how society depicts it) she felt pressured in a way to try it and it was a terrible experience that left its scars in the end. That being said he didn't force her to do anything and she doesn't hold grudges against him to this day. She felt her heart flutter at times with very few people (that she quickly dismissed for nothing much *cough*Theodora&Aaron*cough*) and tends to find women more attractive but never in a sexual way. She had so far never been in a "real" relationship and doesn't particulary seek one.

|Tisha|

Bisexual. And a raging one at that. She discovered her sexuality quite early, easily befriending people of many ages and backgrounds that helped, with a truly openminded mother, in her upbringing. She enjoys exploring her sexuality and is open to many things, though she actually falls in love quite rarely but hard in every sense of the term. Her first real relationship was with a woman that she was with for a few years. It is arguably possible that she is actually Polyamorous/sexual. Fact that funnily wouldn't surprise her much but baffles her as well, in the sense that she would have bet that some of her friends were but not her.

|Damjan|

Aromantic. Gender, just as many things in life, is to him of near to none important when he is seeking a sexual partner. And once again, just as with many things in life, he is quite picky with who he decides to share his bed with. Making on an outsider viewpoint his sexual life somehow tame, adding to the fact that he doesn't like nor do talk about it with others. Though he would take offense if called a prude, which he isn't from far judging his pronounced tastes, he as well isn't one to feel a strong need to this kind of things in general especially since he takes great care in chosing his "lovers". He has never been in a relationship because he knows he can't give to his partner things they'd come to want in time and thus doesn't seek one. Perfectly content with his very few but strong friendships and his occasional flings.

|Theodora|

Lesbian. Tricky subject with her. So far in her life, she had experiences with both genders though not often sexual ones. She actually rarely feels that kind of attraction, but does when she truly bonds intellectually and emotionally with someone. Intellectually being the major point for her to begin to feel some sort of sexual attraction. It doesn't mean that she doesn't know what she likes in that matter. On the contrary. But comming back on her orientation, and even if she didn't mind being with men thus far, she actually is truly attracted romantically to women only. Maybe qualyfing her as a closeted lesbian though she always acknowledged her attraction to her own gender.

|Minjun|

Pansexual. His sexuality and upbringing is actually one of the biggest factor in the turn his mental health took when he was younger. Minjun understood quite early and to his dread that he wasn't heterosexual and was, during his highschool years and two years beyond, in a sort of denial. Or to be more exact, living with the knowledge that he was something that didn't conform to the norm of the asian family and culture he grew up into, not acting nor ushing a word about it. It was only around his late-twenties that he came to term with it and understood that he actually was pansexual. Accepting it didn't come easily. And the struggle his family (still) had with it being what fueled his uneasyness with his profound love for them, hardly went away until recently, where all that matters now is the person and not the gender he falls for.

|Noah|

Polyamorous Homosexual. (I can hear him sigh for putting him in a "case" lmao) Noah never really fretted on his sexuality. Being a firm believer that it was fluid from his teens to this day and being quite evasive when asked about it. To him, sexuality is like colors and tastes. Everyone has different ones, and they could even change with time passing by. In his case, he liked every colors and shapes. Or more precisely, could grow to love them all, and even more than one at the same time. But when it comes to a more physical approach, the model can't deny his attraction to men and men only. He isn't ashamed of it and never was. He just knew for a fact that he could fall in love with a woman's mind and personnality too even if he couldn't share more than hugs or kisses with her. He had his share of experiences and even enlightened some of the others about their sexuality, since he always was at ease with his own.

|Saengdao|

Lesbian. It was like an evidence when she realised she was with the help of Arria. Saengdao always found girls so very pretty when she was younger. More then men. And even if she tried to date a boy when she was around fourteen, it didn't go really far and didn't lasted too long either. Boys used to make her laugh and shake her head where girls made her blush and giggle. And so did Arria, when she first met her under the coaching of Hyejin. Her initial admiration growing tenfold as the first signs of a crush started to squeeze her heart. And if it scared her at first, it went away with the help of the one that made her realize who she was. Her sexuality is somehow taboo to her family which pains her. But they're comming around with it. She had a few girlfriends so far. But they didn't compare to the unrequited love that she has yet to get over for a certain florist and painter.

[margot81]

MMS 173 Assignment 1b: Knowing Where I'm At (Part 2)

Our photos are reflections of our lives.  Looking at the pictures presented by each one is like looking into someone's photo album.  Each picture made me feel like I am looking into my classmates’ lives... what they value and what makes them happy.   

Learning about my classmates thru their photos is a little bit addicting.  So I went thru all the photos as well the stories with gusto.   While I believe that many of my classmates selected their top 5 based on the lessons in Unit 1,  I think that most of us took pictures or selected pictures based on what has appealed to us emotionally and aesthetically. This means that photography is all about capturing emotions and beauty in still images.  And I believe that we all have this understanding because I felt it in our photos.

I was impressed with everyone’s work but I did not find anyone who is at a professional level.  We are in the same boat just taking pictures of things/people/places that matter to us.  However, if I were to judge the best collection, I will pick that of Alexandra Nicole Nacpil and Emmanuel Luis Ramirez.  Alexandra’s work appealed to me because of the way she captured colors, texture, and form.  For Emmanuel, I liked how he used perspective, overlapping and lines.  But in general, I feel that everyone shows genuine interest and passion in taking photos so I believe that everyone in the class will do a great job.  

Photo Evaluations

Since it was very difficult to choose, I randomly selected a name from the class list and chose a photo from there:

1.  Nino Lauro Aquino -  Madinah Road Jeddah, KSA

This photo highlights the Line as a design element.  It is effective in drawing my attention towards the end of the road which triggers a sense of movement and direction.   I like that this photo makes me feel like I am traveling in a car.  However, I am curious as to how it will look if it was taken from a different angle.  I feel like this photo is facing the side of the road where cars are parked.   The vehicles are distracting and have the tendency of removing the audience’s focus on the road.  Would it have been a better shot if it was directly facing the road?  

2.  Alexandra Nicole Nacpil - Bonfire

This photo features the design element - Color.  I like that the color was able to effectively represent fire and heat.  Just like the example in the reading, this photo is not at all colorful but the red-orange color dominates the whole picture.  The combination of red and black gives a feeling of warmth and danger.

3.   Rafael Aaron Paul Desamito - ARRR

I like how this photo used the Principle of Design - Emphasis.  it is obvious from the photo that the focal point is the board game pieces.  I like that photographer has blurred the rest to keep the attention on the object of interest.  This photo was also able to capture the element of texture.  By looking at this photo alone, I can feel the rough chipping of the wooden platform.

4.   Clement Ereck Dula - Hindu Temple inside the Prambanan Temple

This is another photo that features the element of texture.  The photographer did a great job taking this photo because by just by looking at this picture, I can feel the cold, rough and hard blocks of the temple.  However, this picture was not able to accurately capture the subject.   I was able to determine that the picture is a temple because of the description.  Otherwise, I would say that it is an old building made of stone bricks.  I also believe that improving the lighting would have made the photo more interesting.  The lighting makes the photo dull especially since gray is already lifeless color.

5.  Fedwilyn Sabolboro  - Gateway Arch

I like the way this photo captures my eyes to follow the arch.  The photographer also did a great job making the clouds more dramatic.  However, I feel the “incompleteness” because the light post, as well as the trees, has been cut-off.  There is still space at the top and I feel that the picture would have more impact if the ground has been captured as well.  

6.  Leah Jane Corpus - Antidote Bar, I’M Hotel Rooftop

I love city lights and night lights.  I like this photo because it captures the glamour of Makati City.  However, I find an imbalance in the picture because of the large space at the left.  The center of the photo are the buildings.  I feel that this picture would have been better if is symmetrical.

7.  Arvin Esturas - Bird’s Nest

I love the story behind the picture.  The photographer was very enthusiastic in documenting how he discovered a bird’s nest and how he supervised their development.  I am not a fan of this picture primarily because of the lack of unity.  Initially, I was confused as to what the picture is all about.  The picture is “noisy” and the elements in the frame are all over the place. 

8.  Tisha Nami Martinez Castillo - Take it Black

I like the harmony of elements in this picture.   The objects are organized so that each element does not compete but actually complete the whole picture. I also like that it was shot diagonally to direct the viewers eyes towards the coffee and the newspaper.

Self Evaluation

As noted at the start of this blog,  I believe that everyone is in the same level in terms of skill level.   This is not at all bad because we will be learning at the same pace and that we will come out of this course better equipped in knowledge and skills.

Doing the critique of the work of my classmates made me realize my areas of improvement.  Those areas that I taken for granted when taking photos.  Initially, I thought that this will be an easy course because I would only be required to take photos anyway.  However, I have have come to understand that there is a difference between just taking photos and taking great photos that convey meaning, beauty and emotion.  That skill and understanding is necessary and not just pure luck and timing.

Therefore, it is my commitment to take this course seriously.  I will not just take photos for the sake of completing the course but take photos that others can appreciate.  Photos that capture not only images but emotions, beauty and life.