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queerchoicesblog · 5 years ago

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The Courage of Our Hearts (BB, a Kamilah Sayeed fanfic)

This fanfic is my last entry for the @choicesjulychallenge : thank you so much my dear friend and brand new graduate @kinda-iconic for hosting this! It was a lot of fun!

I’m not gonna lie: writing this was tough because it got deeper than I first expected. But I kept wondering about such a crucial - and brave - moment in Kamilah’s story: her decision to betray Gaius. We get to know more about their toxic relationship but we only got a glimpse of the deep suffering and turmoil Kamilah went through before stabbing him. I’m not sure I truly made her justice, Kamilah is so complex and guarded that as a writer I always feel like walking on thin ice when I try to catch her voice...I did my best though. Hope you enjoy this fic and the past reference I included!

Sense8 fans will probably recognize the quotation that inspired this work: “In the end, we will all be judged by the courage of our hearts”. I also quoted the lyrics of the song Yes Girl by Bea Miller because to me it portrayed Kamilah’s feelings perfectly.

Disclaimer: the present fanfic deals with themes like an abusive relationship and psychological manipulation; if you’re not comfortable with this kind of content, by all means, SKIP this work

Prompt: Endings

Word Count: 2245

Perma Tag: @brightpinkpeppercorn @bhavf @melodyofgraves @abunchofbadchoices @silverhawkenzie @begging-for-kamilah @kennaxval @strangerofbraidwood @crazypeanat @desiree-0816 @universallypizzataco

___________________________

I never wanna live in fear...

So time had come at last. Time to make a decision. The decision that would change everything.

As Kamilah put on the finishing touches to her makeup she stared to her reflection in the mirror of her vanity. Who was that woman? Did she know anymore?. She grimaced at the thought and put down her lipstick, unable to continue. There was still time to get to the meeting summoned for that night. But that reunion wouldn't have been just a meeting. The future of all of them, of humanity and vampires as well, depended on it.

Adrian came to find her earlier that day. She found him in her office waiting for her just as she arrived. The secretaries weren't there yet: Kamilah always took great pride in being the first to arrive and the last to leave the skyscraper of Ahmanet Financial. The look on his face was grim and tensed: no good news was to be expected. Without thinking, she locked the door of her office despite the fact that no one else was around. Then he told her. He told her what was going to happen that night: mutiny, rebellion. Murder, if necessary: Gaius would have never gone down without one hell of a fight. Their own lives would have been on the line, knowing how easily the wrath of their King lead to bloodsheds.

"Kamilah, I know I'm asking you so much but...we need you. Believe me, I wish we didn't have to go this far but he's out of control. We must stop him." he said, wincing.

The words were painful to him too and left her shaken. She had had a bad feeling about that unexpected meeting and now she understood why her sixth sense warned her. She stood frozen in place in front of her library, unable to find words to translate the turmoil inside her. The shock, the fear...a most aching hope. Adrian sighed forlornly and pressed a quick kiss on her cheek before wearing his hat and leaving.

Now his words echoed in her head again and wouldn't go away. Revolting against Gaius, killing Gaius...it sounded risky. Scary. Just as scary as Gaius' plan. Kamilah was frightened and she hated felt this way: fear was an uncomfortable thing. A most uncomfortable thing.

She remembered that a long time ago she cheered and raised a chalice when one of her spies informed her of the fate of Julius Caesar: the man who seduced and clouded her cousin's judgment only to put his greedy hands over their land had been hopelessly grasping for air in a pool of his own blood. Twenty-three stabs pierced his flesh as he walked into the Senate: people were now feasting over his dead body singing "the tyrant is gone in the end, freedom to Rome".

Since Gaius announced his grand secret plan to "finally get rid of humans" that involved mass murder, torture and exploitation of mortals, she found herself comparing him with his old enemy. As much as she had a thousand reasons to hold a grudge to humans and vampire butchers cult that called themselves The Order, she couldn't help but think that after all this was what a scumbag like Caesar had in mind for her people, the ones she made an oath to protect at all cost as a nomarch. A much uncomfortable thought crossed her mind as she considered Gaius' words: the Order was an army of brutal fanatics beyond repentance as she had experienced first hand...but what would have she done if she were in their place, full knowing that the other side waned no less than your annihilation? Exactly what Gaius was doing: protect your people and destroy the enemy. She knew well that their King was inclined to violence and how strong his hatred for mortals was...but so far he had only claimed that all he did was to protect them, to offer vampires a well-deserved safe haven after the persecutions and suffering they went through in Europe. This new plan was different though: this was murder, mass murder of both actual enemies and innocent people, not mere defence. Kamilah's lips twisted in displease: Gaius was a Roman, after all. Back in her mortal days, she once asked her spymaster her opinion on the Roman. Her face hardened as she said: "Never trust Romans, under no circumstances. Their honeyed words always hid the most potent poison".

Her spymaster was right. Gaius' words were smooth before every assault and raid. He hardly shouted orders and was quick to punish whoever crossed him.

When they dragged him into her tent, he was extremely calm and even conciliatory. Reminiscing her loyal spymaster's warning she kept her distance and didn't fall for his act, even though he didn't seem a threat. Then he suddenly changed. He broke the chains, murdered the guards and transformed in front of her eyes. He laughed as he effortlessly held her in place and plunged his fangs deep into her neck, satisfying his thirst of blood and taking her life. Kamilah had been a vampire for so long and sometimes removed that moment. Not now: now she remembered that she didn't ask for any of this. None did Adrian and almost every vampire she knew turned by Gaius.

Yet "her King" kept reminding her how lucky their encounter was: he found a Queen and finally unleashed the immense potential dormant inside her. That consideration generally came after praises for successful - and brutal- raids and slaughters when he was still high for the mix of adrenaline and blood overdose. But it wasn't potential what he saw. It took centuries to Kamilah to realize something that probably she always knew, deep inside her: all Gaius saw was the amount of grief and anger that was tearing her troubled soul apart after the loss of her family and the hurtful certainty of a defeat, the concern for her people and her own future as she could barely find the will not to walk into the Nile and let all the pain disappear. He used her sorrow, her vulnerability as leverage to fuel her darkest instincts and called them power.

"I sensed the power inside you, my Queen, you know? Yes, since the first moment I saw you. I had to free you from what was holding you back" he would comment, a dreamy look in his eyes.

A few times Kamilah tried to contradict him. He would shake his head and move closer, taking her hands into his despite her resistance. He would look at her right in the eye and note as if she was a child throwing a silly tantrum to a caring father:

"As I said you had potential. You have potential, my Queen. But you should clear your mind from thoughts like this. Because you know what happens when you let them get under your skin, right? People you care about die. Your brother, your friends, that Italian painter you grew so fond of. You lower your guard, you act as one of those humans" -his mouth twisted in displease when he pronounced that word- "again, you regress and this is what happens. You know, I'm right. You're no longer one of those weaklings, you're superior: you're so close to perfection, to be truly invincible...embrace the power inside you, don't fight it"

Then he would grab her wrists and held them so firmly Kamilah would wince in pain as his tone turned more coercive.

"Aren't you grateful for the power, my Queen?"

He wouldn't release without an answer so Kamilah would just nod to avoid facing his mind control which was extremely hurtful. She hated herself for how meek and submissive she became: she wasn't like this before him. She was the one giving orders and speaking her mind. Now she took orders and hid certain thoughts afraid of what he could do if he heard her questioning him.

A wave of growing anger filled her chest as she collected all the words she had buried inside her: why couldn't he call her Kamilah more instead of "my Queen"? "His Queen" was Rehya, he confessed it once...so that made her a mere projection of a long lost love of him. Of someone who was gone and whose mask she was now wearing against her will. Again. Why Gaius was so repelled by mortals to seek the company of vampires only? True, he wouldn't object to Kamilah indulging in a human lover's company...a fact that surprised her at first: knowing how possessive he was, she would have expected some jealousy. "Jealous of a mortal? And what for?" he laughed "Their lifespan lasts a blink of an eye, I am forever".

That's why he couldn't hide his resentment when he heard the news of the turning of the Italian painter: an immortal rival was a threat. Kamilah caught herself wondering if he was the one who informed the vampire hunter who murdered Artemisia. The only one offering her shelter and a shoulder to cry on as she left Italy was Serafine. Good old quirky Serafine. Kamilah enjoyed her company: she always knew how to make you laugh and was the life of the ball. She also proved to care for her...whenever Gaius allowed the two of them to spend more than a bunch of minutes together. God knows where Serafine was now: she heard that she returned to Europe against her warnings. She missed her: she was the closest she had to a true friend in centuries after Gaius alienated her to most of the people she used to know. They only attend parties together and she couldn't blame Priya for calling her "the master's puppet".

"You know you're not his possession, right?" Serafine once whispered into her ear pretending to kiss her cheek on a ball.

But Gaius was already marching towards the two of them, a honeyed dashing smile on his face. Instead, the joy the sight of Serafine gave Kamilah immediately faded away.

No, Kamilah wasn't a master's puppet. I played the part for too long, she thought, throwing a raging look at her reflection.

I got you figured out You need to have control You think that I don't know you, I know you, I know

Tryna tell you now, I've been doin' what you want But I won't be your yes girl, No, not anymore

All of a sudden another image, another memory from the past appeared. It was the last time she saw Lysimachus. They were at the docks over Nile, her little brother was securing his armor before leaving for the war. Kamilah was standing in front of him, following his moves full of concern.

"Here, let me help you" she sighed, as Lysimachus struggled to reach a string on his back.

"Oh thank you, sis"

When she was done, she patted his back and he spun to face her.

"Thanks...what would I do without you sis, huh?" he flashed her a quick smile that quite didn't reach his eyes as his jaw tensed.

"You don't have to do this, you know that? I could find you another position away to the battlefield where you can still fight against the Roman. You could work with me, you could-" her voice was a plea but he shook his head and interrupted her.

"No, I have to do this. This is our land, they can't set foot her and say that our fields, our streets, our rivers now belong to Rome. I told you already: I can't just stand there and do nothing about it. I'm not as smart or wise as you, sis, but I know how to fight. And I'm ready to do my part to prevent them from taking away what's ours, who we are..."

"I know but you're so young..." Kamilah winced.

At that very moment, the sound of military trumpets announced that their time was running out. As a man started shouting orders, Lysimachus reached for his sack and searched for something as if his whole life depended on it.

"Lys, you're still in time to step back, please" Kamilah begged, stroking his arm.

The news she had gotten over the past few months about the area his brother was about to sail to were discomforting: the enemy army was advancing fast and defeating all the troops they sent there. Their best soldiers, their boys filled with anger and foolish braveness. But Lysimachus wasn't listening to her anymore.

Instead, he threw his sack over his shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug.

"In the end, we will all be judged by the courage in our hearts" he whispered and a tear wetted Kamilah's tunic.

As he parted, he let his old toy horse slip into her hand and gave her one last smile.

"Goodbye, sis. I'll come back, I promise"

A lump formed in her throat reminiscing that broken promise but his words, his determination hardened her own. You were right, Lys, we can't let anyone take away who we are, she said to herself, opening the secret dresser where she hid her daggers. If blood has to be shed tonight, I should be the one making the cut. No one else.

Her fingers hovered over her weapons, almost grazing them.

In the end, we will all be judged by the courage of our hearts.

I promise you, Lys. My heart will be brave, just like you taught me...

#choices july challenge #bloodbound #kamilah sayeed #gaius augustine #playchoices

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kellylouise-blog · 5 years ago

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Learning How To Idea

A few weeks ago, an ad on Facebook caught my attention. It was an ad for a writing course specifically about how to conjure ideas! Clearly Facebook knows all because that’s (shockingly) something I’ve always struggled with. My ideas for writing tend to just show up when I’m not looking so this was a new challenge to actively seek them out!

The course was called “Seven Ideas in Seven Days” and was offered by Writers HQ. It was short and sweet but I honestly learnt so much from it; about how ideas are literally everywhere, in everything you hear, see and think about. The structure of the course meant I got a new idea every day! I unfortunately caught the flu half way through which threw off my writing storm a bit but I made it through and honestly think I have some good ideas on my hands!

I wanted to post what I’ve written here (below the cut), with a brief look at the tips in the course! If you choose to glance through the ideas I came up with, let me know if anything looks promising to you or if you have any other ideas or feedback, anything is appreciated!

DAY ONE (take a mundane event or everyday task and look at it from different perspectives):

Channel 0: [omniscient] A large family is only ever together at funerals (and weddings, stuff like that.) The youngest sibling has recently died after a tragic accident. There are six siblings in total, their parents long gone.

Channel 1: Viewpoint of the second youngest sibling, Matthew, who was closest to the deceased and considered his brother to be his best friend. The duo were inseparable and he is heartbroken to be without him. He hasn’t seen any of his other siblings in over two years, since the death of their mother (the father having died years before that). And he doesn’t want to see them, either.

Channel 2: Viewpoint of the deceased brother - a kind of ghostly perspective. He looks over the scene of his funeral, introducing his siblings to the reader, critiquing them and silently joining their awkward conversations.

Channel 3: Viewpoint from the eldest sibling, who is dying from terminal cancer. She too, notices how seldom she sees her family and notes that she likely never will again.

Channel 4: Game-of-Thrones style perspective switch between each of the characters throughout the day of the funeral.

DAY TWO (use a random literary quote generator online and take the last couple of words as a title! Then visit Flickr and take the third featured image as your book cover. Now, what’s the story?)

R1 (developing the story, random ideas):

A detective story or murder mystery. A body is discovered in a marshy, boggy, forest area by passerbys (hikers? joggers?)

Maybe someone who’s been missing a while - search party discovery

Maybe something more supernatural - a group or couple out hiking and then, suddenly, one of them disappears. Found later, butchered.

More horror film-esque - a night camping in the woods

A serial killers territory or dumping ground

Or the moor is alive - it swallows you whole

R2 (favouring supernatural idea): Who - A group of friends (18-25yrs) out camping. The forest/moor is rumoured to be haunted and dangerous. Amy is the most scared and skeptical of the group. But boyfriend Tom promises to protect her. (see where this is going?)

Two groups of couples (one hetero, one homo) and two single, “platonic” friends.

One of the “platonic” friends (Sophie) is first to disappear - later found by the other singleton James.

Throughout the night, the group starts to disappear, one by one, murdered by unknown forces. Eventually, it’s just Amy and Tom. But in the end, the moor gets him too as it swallows him whole, faster than quicksand.

Finally, Amy makes it out of the living moor, but just barely. The lone survivor.

Pitch:

The Moor is a suburban legend, a myth, a mystery and naturally … a tourist attraction. A group of fearless young people decide to investigate the legend of the “living moor”, treating it as nothing more than a regular camping trip. Amy tried to warn them.

The Moor is a living thing. And you just walked right into its mouth.

DAY THREE (Image Prompt):

Where are they/it? Suburban. London.

When is it?- 1940’s

Why is it/they there? A young woman packs her belongings into her suitcase. She contemplates one last time about her decision to leave home.

Who are they? This young woman has had enough of her rough home life. She wants to see more, she wants to experience the world. But still, she is afraid. She has never done much of anything on her own, having gone straight from school into a less-than-loving marriage.

What happens next? She finally makes the decision to leave home, packing what clothes and other things she can into her suitcase. And she’s not about to leave the dog behind with that man, either, no siree. She and her dog make their way to the train station, their destination unknown.

Abigail Winston has not had the easiest life. But then again, she can’t complain, it could’ve been much worse. Mother always said that once she had a roof over her head, she had nothing to be sad about. And yet there she was, crying her heart out into her pillow, a pillow which has soaked up far too many of her tears over the years under this blessed roof. She could hear the music blaring from the gramophone downstairs. It was the same as always, the same tune, the same routine. She made her way home from her day job as a seamstress to be met by the backside of his hand for whatever reason he could pluck out of thin air. The dinner wasn’t done. The dishes were dirty. The dog was barking. The neighbours were noisy. The floor was a mess.

“Why do you make me do this?” He asks, seeming to be genuinely perplexed at her nature. His hand is red raw from slapping her thricefold across the face. “You know I don’t want to hurt you.” He says, as he pulls her in towards him and kisses her right where he had just slapped her. His lips sting.

But finally, as if some kind of cosmic epiphany had just hit her, she decided that she had had enough. It wasn’t her fault, it never had been. There was nothing wrong with her, it was all him. It was all down to the voices in his head that told him it was his right to treat her this way, she was his wife after all, his property.

But no more.

She scribbled a note upon her vanity table, almost deciding to throw it into the bin altogether. Maybe it would be better to leave without saying anything. What would be the point in trying to explain her reasons for leaving? He would never believe them. He wouldn’t care. But she wrote it anyway, trying to keep her words as devoid of emotion as possible.

She didn’t love him, perhaps she never did. Marraige is just something everyone has to do, right? What a world.

She pulled out the suitcase from the closet and threw in her most prized possessions, but mostly clothes. She hurried down the stairs, knowing he’d be back from the public house any time soon now. Pausing at the door, she turned around to find him standing there; Toby … the dog.

“He’s never been kind to you, either, has he?” She found herself asking. The dog yapped and ran towards her and the decision was made. She wouldn’t be alone after all.

She made her way down the suburban street with little Toby running along beside her. She caught the questioning glances of many neighbours as she passed them. Of course, she could not hope to leave unnoticed. Jonathan would be well informed of her departure, suitcase and all. But still, she carried on and tried to ignore the ball of anxiety building in her stomach.

A half hour later, she had finally reached the gates to the train station. “Where am I even going?” She thought to herself. She hadn’t thought this far ahead. It had been a spur of the moment decision in the end. Maybe she should turn back. Yes, back to what she knew, that would be best.

Toby yipped up at her, snapping her to attention. No, this was the right thing to do. She had to leave. She needed to get on the soonest train, that would take her farthest away, somewhere he would never guess to look for her.

Cornwall. She had never been there. She barely knew where it was, only that it was pretty far out of London. She didn’t allow herself to hesitate and bought herself (and Toby) a ticket. A one-way ticket. There, she had done it. There was no going back now.

Her heart hammering in her chest, she turned towards the gate leading to the train at a steady pace. Perhaps she wasn’t paying enough attention to her surroundings as suddenly, someone bumped into her, causing her to drop the suitcase and for it to burst open, spilling out some of her hastily packed things.

The stranger stopped and bent down to help her. “So sorry, miss! I should’ve been looking where I was goin’! You alrigh’?” That voice. It couldn’t be.

She looked up at the strangers face and realised he was no stranger at all. “Well, I’ll be … Abigail. It’s been an age.”

DAY FOUR (choose an emotion that you want to invoke in the reader and work backwards)

Emotion: Inspired

Need to experience: Success in the face of adversity. A hopeless situation turned hopeful. Perseverance. Never giving up, despite the odds being stacked against you. Succeeding. Leaving behind a good legend. Paving the way for others.

Who: A homeless person with a wacky invention idea. A single mother on the cusp of poverty who’s just trying to do right by her kids. A severely bullied kid who intervenes in someone else’s bullying. A political activist who keeps going despite being arrested, even beaten, a number of times. A dystopian world where the smallest voice can be the loudest.

I can often feel inspired to suddenly change my life, to stop just accepting how things are and do something about it. I am in control. But they want to take that control away from me.

Young girl in a world that wants to suffocate all that she is. A very strict world with lots of rules and regulations. Akin to a dictatorship.

A single mother, Margaret, circa 1960’s Ireland who had to have her child in secret as she was unmarried. She leaves home, determined to protect her child. The father doesn’t know. How far can she go before the child is discovered and they are ultimately pulled from each other? She finds friendship in an older woman who was once sent to the “mother and baby” home after her own unmarried pregnancy in her youth. “It’s like a prison,” she says, “A torture chamber … under the guise of God’s work.”

She fears every day for the life of her child. But it won’t stop crying. She tries to keep it happy but its screams echo right through the walls. She can’t stay in one place too long, lest somewhere see her and report her. Her family have reported her missing, her face is plastered across every town that she can get to. She alters her appearance as drastically as possible, new haircut, new hair colour, different clothes. She has barely any money to her name, and she can’t get a job since she needs to mind the child constantly. She turns to prostitution, a quick job with high pay. Anything for the child.

The older woman tells her all about her time in the home, of the daily routine and the daily “retribution”, the punishment for having betrayed her promise to God.

As she listens to the stories, Margaret becomes determined not only to save herself from the grip of the Church but to save other mothers too from their righteous judgement. She tries to find others who have survived the homes and learns more and more horror stories from them. The babes were stricken from their breasts, never to be seen again. Those that died in infancy were tossed aside in a mass grave, little more than garbage in the eyes of the nuns.

Margaret starts to draw up flyers, leaflets and posters to alert people to the real goings-on in the homes. The homes designed to “reform” and “rehabilitate” wayward women. The propaganda must be subtle at first, a whisper in the collective unconscious until more and more women wake up to the problem in their society. The propaganda must be spread without its source being known. Margaret’s connection to it can never be discovered because of course, the child would be too.

She develops a steady group of friends, women who have all been subjected to the Church’s law. One such woman, Josephine, only 15 years old, was impregnated by her local priest. Together, they round up more and more women and stage a protest outside of the home. They infiltrate and extract the imprisoned mothers and snatch up the innocent children. The mass grave is discovered and the Church’s secret is revealed.

In the end, Margaret and her group of friends set up a real home for unmarried mothers where both woman and child are cared for until they are able to care for themselves.

DAY FIVE (take a paragraph from a book you’re reading and pose what-if questions)

A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow

Pg 75

The queen-to-be invites a traitors daughter to supper.

What if the daughter bears the queen ill will?

What if the queen bears the daughter ill will?

What if the queen is worried that the daughter (a servant) will cause the king to stray?

What if the queen fears that the daughter, too, will prove to be a traitor?

What if she is a traitor?

What if the daughter uses the invite as an opportunity to enact a plan against the queen or some other vendetta?

What if the supper goes horribly wrong and the queen is murdered and the daughter is accused?

DAY SIX (Analysing the ideas):

Idea One: The Family Funeral

Idea Two: The Moor at Night

Idea Three: Abigail

Idea Four: Mother and Baby

Idea Five: The Queen and the Traitors Daughter

IDEA #1:

What interests me about it?

I’ve thought about this idea for a while, sparked by an observation on my own family. I come from a pretty big family and the prospect of only ever seeing them at certain events such as weddings and funerals is disheartening. But I think it’s something most families can relate to, especially as the children get older and separate into their own lives. We all get too busy to meet up until ultimately, we lose our last chance to see each other at all. Writing this story would be interesting to explore family dynamics and how they can be affected by tragic grief.

Will I be interested in it long term?

I intend for this to just be a short story so it shouldn’t take more than a few weeks/months of my time once I get down to it.

Is there an obvious journey?

I see this as a scene in the funeral home with the family reuniting. I would like it to show the frayed family coming together again in the face of their united grief, choosing to set aside their differences and grudges because life is short.

Has it been done before?

I guess that episode in “Haunting of Hill House” (episode 3?) is rather similar with the family, once torn apart, coming together for their sisters funeral. Tensions are high, and they argue quite a bit but ultimately, it’s a lovely reunion. I guess it’s likely it inspired me subconsciously to think about this story and my own experiences. But I wouldn’t quite go down the spooky route with my story!

What about the research?

I guess it would be worthwhile to seek out other people’s stories of how their families reunited and came back together after a tragedy - or perhaps the very opposite. I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to quiz my own family about how they feel!

Why do I need to write it?

Because yes, life is busy and we all have our own things going on but family is important. You never know when someone may be taken from you, tomorrow is never guaranteed. I want people to pause and think about their relationships and whether they’re holding onto unnecessary anger. If that person was gone tomorrow, could you live on knowing you’ll never make amends?

Who’s going to care about it?

I think this is something a lot of people - particularly those from larger families - can relate to.

Is it a goer?

I think this is a great opportunity to explore characterisation and storytelling so yes, I intend to work on it!

#2: The Moor at Night

What interests me about it?

I’ve always wanted to write a spooky horror story. I love watching horror stuff - especially supernatural stories - although I haven’t read many.

Will I be interested in it long term?

This is a fairly fresh idea and I think it’s a little too “cliche” yet and needs something else to really interest me.

Is there an obvious journey?

Uh, everyone dies?? Except the girl who was warning everyone that the Moor is serious business. So, not really, other than the survival. Or maybe Amy starts out extra scared but has to become brave to escape, yadda yadda, who knows.

Has it been done before?

In the sense of a devouring swamp, I don’t think so. It makes me think of the Blair Witch stories that I loved to read growing up. But it needs something to pull it out of being a “basic horror” monster eating story.

What about the research?

I think I need to sink my teeth into more horror stories if I ever hope to write one. I watch plenty of movies but finding a book that is actually scary is rare, I think. And well, movies are all about the cliche so maybe more novels can open me to new ways of thinking about horror and how to scare! That, and research into pananormal/supernatural stuff could breed new ideas!

Why do I need to write it?

This one would just be fun to write, I think.

Who’s going to care about it?

People who like horror stories, I suppose??

Is it a goer?

Not sure yet. Think it needs a lot more development or rethinking more creatively.

#3: Abigail

What interests me about it?

I like writing stories that show characters coming out of a bad place and into a better life. I think this story could show people that they are in control of their lives. Too many people settle and just “make do” with their life situation even though they’re desperately unhappy.

Will I be interested in it long term?

Hmmm, again there’s not much here in terms of a “story” just yes. A traumatised, abused woman finally leaves her unhappy home behind and … what?? She meets an old friend at the train station, perhaps a past sweetheart. What happened there?

Is there an obvious journey?

This would be quite a character driven story. Abigail’s goal is to get out and make a new life for herself. Does this make her into a sort of outlaw? Does she have to fashion herself a new identity? Likely, her past will eventually find her again. What lengths will she go to to escape it? Hmmm, maybe there is something here….

Has it been done before?

Given how bare-bones this idea is, most probably. The story of an abused woman running from home has likely been done to death (although I can’t think of any in particular). So I’d have to find something to let this stand out.

What about the research?

I think I should start by reading similar stories, particularly non-fiction books of women who have escaped abuse for extra inspiration.

Why do I need to write it?

Again, I think people need to realise that they are in control of their own destiny. You don’t have to just “put up with it.” This would be a story about empowerment and learning to put yourself first.

Who’s going to care about it?

I guess this could cater to the feminist cause and female empowerment.

Is it a goer?

Again, not quite sure until I’ve developed the idea a little more but I think there might be something there, alright.

#4: Mother and Baby

What interests me about it?

This is a topic that’s quite prominent in the Irish consciousness. The whole scandal around the mother and baby homes won’t be forgotten anytime soon. This idea was born out of a “what if” really concerning that topic. What if we had known sooner? Could we have stopped these terrible things from happening?

Will I be interested in it long term?

Not too sure, this one isn’t drawing me as much as the other ideas I’ve had. Yes, it’s an interesting topic and one we should never forget but I’m not sure about this story.

Is there an obvious journey?

This story is quite about empowerment as well, standing up for what you believe in and refusing to back down. It’s about change and fighting for the greater good. Many of the characters involved will go on their own journeys of growth.

Has it been done before?

Of course, the Magdalene Sisters covered this topic pretty well (although I haven’t actually seen it) but that story takes place entirely within the home itself. So, it’s similar but doesn’t mean this story is invalid. This idea also makes me think of Fantine in Les Miserables who went to such depths for the sake of securing her daughters livelihood.

What about the research?

Being related to an actual event, I would have to do a good bit of research for accuracy. But that actually sounds exciting! Love me some research. Most importantly, I would seek out stories from women who actually experienced these atrocities and go from there.

Why do I need to write it?

Because we can’t forget what we, as a nation, did to so many women and innocent children all in the name of “God”.

Who’s going to care about it?

I should hope mostly anyone.

Is it a goer?

Maybe??

#5: Queen and Traitor

What interests me about it?

This was mostly a bunch of what-ifs but I think the scenario of the Queen being murdered at their dinner together could be interesting. The daughter is already of ill-repute thanks to her family and is naturally accused. This is, of course, a period story and that could be quite interesting to look into medieval stuff and how the royals live and lived. Of course, the daughter did not kill the queen, so it would also be a story about judging a book by its cover.

Will I be interested in it long term?

This idea sounds like a classic whodunnit, something I’ve always wanted to write. And in a period, medieval, royal setting? That could be interesting. But again, this seed is so little I can’t say if it will bear fruit just yet.

Is there an obvious journey?

The daughter will have to prove her innocence and discover the true perpetrator in the process.

Has it been done before?

I don’t think so? Whodunnit’s are a genre unto themselves and I’ll have to investigate the likes of Agatha Christie to see what’s been done (and hasn’t!)

What about the research?

Loads of research here into royalty and medieval life. But again, I love research so that just makes this idea even more appealing!

Why do I need to write it?

A good old murder mystery would just be fun to write!

Who’s going to care about it?

Wannabe Sherlocks?

Is it a goer?

I kind of want to develop this a bit more and see where it takes me!

DAY SEVEN (Idea Development):

I chose to focus on the murder-mystery actually as it excites me the most!

There’s a hero! Something happens and her life totally changes. She’s now got a problem to solve. Shit!

So, the hero is the daughter, perhaps a princess or just someone who lives at the palace. She comes from a family of ill repute. Her father previously betrayed the trust of the Queen and was extradited. But the Queen is loving and forgiving and takes his daughter under her wing. But no one else in the palace trusts her nearly as much. The Queen invites the daughter to supper with her. This is a rare occurrence as the daughter would usually sup alone since the rest of the palace people disliked her so. The supper is going well and everyone is having a good time until suddenly - tragedy strikes and the Queen begins to sputter and choke. She falls facedown onto the table, dead. The stain on her lips and wineglass make it clear that she had been poisoned. All eyes fall on the daughter as she is instantly accused of the crime. Guards are called and she is instantly pulled away into the dungeons before she even has a chance to defend herself.

She tries to solve the problem.

Not only has she been accused of murder, but she’s also locked in the dungeon! She has to find a way out and prove her innocence. She befriends someone in the cell beside her. A young boy, around her age. He’s been here a while, locked up for snatching a piece of bread that he swears he never touched.

Somehow or other, they get out of the dungeon. Maybe they trick a guard or find a hollow point in the wall. But they remain in secret while the girl tries to find clues to clear her name. She listens in on conversations around the castle, discovering all sorts of goings-on.

She fails miserably at solving the problem, or she solves it with unexpected consequences, and the story pivots and there is a new, bigger problem to solve.

She eventually discovers the true culprit! It’s not someone anyone would’ve expected. But, boneheadedly, she decides to confront him alone but he gets the better of her and knocks her unconscious. She wakes to find herself tied up and helpless once again. This man is someone of power, high up in the hierarchy of the palace and has everyone wrapped around his little finger. It will be difficult to prove him guilty.

The problem is fixed or remains unfixed. The hero is happy or unhappy. She is CHANGED in some way.

She eventually gets to expose the true culprit to the other people in the palace and clears her name in the murder. Of course, she is disgruntled that everyone immediately turned on her without giving her a chance to defend herself. She opts to leave her life in the palace behind and with her captive friend, they seek out a simpler, happier life together.

#whq #writershq #writeblr #irish writers #writers #ideas #story ideas #writing #originalblog

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gridlords · 7 years ago

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Best comics / publications of 2017

Foreword:

This last year at Gridlords we didn’t make a 2016 Best of the Year post. The four of us all had various life alterations, things pulling us in other directions and time was thin. There certainly was a heavy amount of great books in 2016 and we regret not shining light on them.

We were maybe not going to put the time in this year either, but I, “the Sean part” of Gridlords, am inspired. I perused the other lists online, at first for the general selfish reasons, i.e. "Did my little graphic novel get in anywhere?" and "Did any Gridlords books get praise?" (Our own Dylan Jones got mention is the Best American comics anthology)

Everyone's lists I saw were nearly identical: almost no self-published material on any of the lists, and even small press had almost no representation.

In the worst case I saw Vice's list. I shouldn't have even looked. It's my assumption that the comics “editor” of Vice is insecure and deflecting the reality that they are a slow reader or read little at all despite working for a magazine. It could also be that their reputation has caught up with them and they are not getting comics submitted to them so often anymore, so all that are listed are those few alumni that parted on good terms and a few superhero rags of old. I doubt they go out of their way for material past what is put under their noses for free.

Either way leave it to them to be needlessly offensive with their defensive personalities. Calling them anything else would only get them off. Boring.

This brought me to remember what it's all about for Gridlords. We like to show love for all the great artists out there doing their own thing and making wild beauty and throwing the cookie cutter out the window. We like artists who make passionate works that are personal and aren’t looking for some commercial responsibility. We at Gridlords also like to shine a light on exciting work that maybe didn’t make much noise beyond its home origin or didn’t have a print run of more than 10 and we got lucky and nabbed one.

I am not solely covering comics and never have in previous years as comics isn't solely what Gridlords is about. Some are art books, zines, and art objects and an occasional music release that if you look into it you’ll see it all makes sense. But I’ll start with comics just to correct the wrong of Vice. A side note: there are so many publications from 2017 that I wish I'd gotten my hands on that I haven’t yet. These are the best of what I got.

I implore that you copy and search for these artists for future releases and get what you can of these. Many are online via the various channels. Support those you love.

In no order

Jazz comics - Jason T. Miles (goat comics)

Marcie is still worried - Liz Yerby (self published)

Sleepy thoughts (words and drawings forced out before sleep. Never intended to be seen by other eyes) all 5 issues - Spencer Scudder (self published)

Drifter - Anna Haifisch (perfectly acceptable press)

Farmer Ned’s Comics Barn - Gerald Jablonski (FU comics)

Wet Earth - Lala Albert (Sonatina)

Tears of the Toad - Nick Norman (self published)

Journal of Smack - Andrea Lukic (I don't have issue 1 and if any of you have an extra or know where I can get one let me know :) )

Ne’er - Do - Wellers - by Mark Beyer

Cecil’s Riddles - Jason Murphy (STiLLiFE)

Easy Rider - Jaakko Pallasvuo

Wrestling - Johanna’s comics (Colorama)

Gaylord Pheonix 7&8 - Edie Fake (Perfectly Acceptable / Pegacorn Press)

Mr. Colostomy - Matthew Thurber (self published)

Locals only - Ian Sundahl (self published)

Art comic issues 4&5 - Matthew Thurber

Super Towers - edited by Vincent Fritz (self published)

Give and take - Milena Bassen (Colorama)

The Nearest Sea - Scott Longo

Town - Chou Yi (self Published)

Garbage Can Faerie - Wure (Bred Press)

Songy of Paradise - Gary Panter (Fantagraphics)

Freakers unltd issue 3 vol1 (Ddoogg)

Held - Spencer Scudder (self Published)

Should I enjoy my life or not - Jon Michael Frank (self published)

Tack Piano Heaven one - Christopher Adams (self published)

Spine - Noel Friebert (Bred Press)

An Exorcism - Theo Ellsworth (Kus)

Soft city - Hariton Pushwagner

The whole year subscription from Ron Rege! Absolute delight!!! Especially reprints of Andy Remembers. (self published)

Now art books and Zines

Susias - a screen printed art anthology of Queer, Latinx, and womxn artists curated by Chloe Perkis

Cragslist Free - an art zine of cragslist free photos curated with a mindful eye by Maura Campbell Balkits

Suburban Lawns - collected print material about the band by artist Justine Reyes (a brilliant zine publisher making some if the best stuff)

Bathtime - art by Brie Moreno

Life is a fucking scam - an anxiety freakout zine by Karissa Sakumoto

Yung Zine volume #1 issues 1-6 2013-2015 by Kenna Jean (love these so much)

Best is man’s breath quality - book made of performance by Sara Magenheimer. (A real inspiration)

Love wins (2017 issue un-numbered. Tim Goodyear writes a letter in it that got me in tears and Jason Miles’s art is really phenomenal & life affirming here)

Sleep Walk - Yasuke Nagaoka (so beautiful)

Cafe Avatar - essay & graphic art by Sonnenzommer, Nick Butcher & Nadine Nakanishi with Perfectly Acceptable Press (super thoughtful with breathtaking print)

Reference Material - Lasse Wandschneider ( a dreamy collection of Lasse’s hand in pencil)

Eat me to become you - Jeffrey Kriksciun published with Slow Editions (one of my favorite pink art zines ever)

Vanity of Vanities, all is vanity - Adrienne Kammerer published with Color Code. (One of my new favorite glamorous artists and one of my favorite ever publications)

Visions of the Future - Stefhany Y. Lozano publushed by Colorama (I still can’t believe this is real!)

Accursed - Daria Tessler published with Perfectly Acceptable press (easily one of the most insane print productions of the year. Bells on spine/die-cut metallic ink cover/ riso multi-color madness)

Kat Rose untitled hand drawn & colored zine edition of 1 each (cutest ever)

Raw Velocity - Matt Lock published with Woodchips Books ( tattered futurism, an incredible ride)

Broken Trash Angel - x by Wure published by Justine Reyes (yes the same one who made the Suburban Lawns zine I KNoW INCREDIBLE!!!)

Nezha was here - Yusuke Nagaoka (delicious art)

Eileen Chavez - untitled comics & painting sketchbook collection. (A real dream!)

Out The Window - by Jess Scott ( million drawings in Jess’s hand busting through and occasionally lounging in windows. A real passionate inspiration to take control of one’s life)

Okay these 2 are from 2016 but are important art books!!!

Suellen Rocca - retrospective via Mathew Marks Gallary (I am madly in love with her work. So madly!)

The Drawings of Susan te Kahurangi King - published with the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (got some words from Gary Panter about Susan’s great work)

some music that has ties to visual art I love:

MR. Wrong

https://mrwrongwitches.bandcamp.com/album/babes-in-boyland

waveform transmission

https://astralindustries.bandcamp.com/album/ai-08-v-20-29

woolen men

https://woolenmen.bandcamp.com/album/lucky-box

strategy

https://geographicnorth.bandcamp.com/album/the-infinity-file

Eric Copeland

https://ericcopeland.bandcamp.com/album/goofballs

Odwalla88

https://odwalla1221.bandcamp.com/album/lilly-23

Mega Bog

https://megabog.bandcamp.com

beat detectives

https://beat-detectives.bandcamp.com/album/nypd-records-volume-one

Baronic wall

https://baronicwall.bandcamp.com/album/paracrystaline-domains

Felicia Atkinson

https://feliciaatkinson.bandcamp.com/album/hand-in-hand

Matt Carlson

https://shelterpress.bandcamp.com/album/the-view-from-nowhere

v1984

https://v1984.bandcamp.com

vi rei

https://virei.bandcamp.com

Giant Claw

https://giantclaw.bandcamp.com/album/soft-channel

elevator teeth

https://superdarkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/elevator-teeth

Macula Dog

https://haord.bandcamp.com/album/natural-dog-ep

elrond

https://elrond.bandcamp.com/releases

Mike Cooper

https://room40.bandcamp.com/album/raft

wagon 70s Floyd life

https://colossaltapes.bandcamp.com/album/70s-floyd-lite-c36

Love

Gridlords

Sean

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cassatine · 7 years ago

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Okay so! THE LAST JEDI. I wanted to do a coherent post and all but hings happened so. Spoilers ahead. Like a lot of spoilers. I recommend not reading if you haven’t seen the movie. No really don’t.

The [tl:dr]: I loved it! I’m also glad I saw it twice. First viewing felt like a weird mix of things I’d expected (including things I expected two years ago and had started thinking would Not Happen) but the way it all worked together was a punch to the gut. Also I cried a lot, which is not great for visibility. Second viewing was more enjoyable. There’s something very smoke and mirror to the story; it plays with expectations and then turns things on their head. It’s a very clever movie, tho it’s definitely got its flaws. I hardly felt the two hours and a half, could actually have done with a longer runtime because some things moved really fast. It’s also very funny, when it’s not breaking your heart and stepping repeatedly on it. In a (mostly) good way.

The more or less good:

Starting with that assault on the Dreadnought and Paige Tico’s death, the Resistance plot went where SW rarely does. Poe learning to look at the big picture and the sad economics of war and resistance, the bleeding out of Resistance forces, the unsurprising reveal that god guys and bad guys buy their military hardware from the the same sources, it’s a relentless onslaught. The New Republic is a non-entity, the First Order has weapons aplenty, and the stage is set for a new Empire to be born and a new Rebellion to rise, and it’s all very tragic, but it’s a Star Wars, so of course the good guys live to fight another day light the spark at the end, a source of inspiration for every child escaped from a Dickens novel across the GFFA

Finn and Rose’s plot was lovely - Rose was altogether amazing, and her line about fighting to protect what you love rather than destroy what you hate is... a tad cheesy i guess but in the best of ways. I love that she wants to protect her sister’s memory and that it’s freeing the farthiers that makes the Canto Bight events worth it (i mean they’ll probably be caught again in less than a week because that’s the way of the world, but attagirl!), and that “I saved you, dummy” line. That one reviewer that called her the heart of the movie was pretty much right.

Luke throwing the saber behind him. Mark Hamill was nothing short of great, but this moment was so very understated and yet so defining, so meaningful. also: Rey’s reaction.

Actually everything to do with Luke was pretty great. His backstory was kept sparse, but he’s basically following in his master’s footsteps by exiling himself on a nowhere planet after a massive fuck-up, very poetic. Being a Skywalker he’s got to take it one step further drama-wise, with the whole *the Jedi will die with me* thing. Vanity!, screams ghost Yoda.

I love that it’s fundamentally a movie about failure, and what you do after. Luke’s failure of Ben looms large, and behind it there’s the Jedi Order’s failure but he’s not the only one. Poe fails at being a leader. Finn and Rose’s mission fails. Rey fails to turn Kylo, who kind of fails as a general rule. He failed and was failed by Luke, and he kind of failed Snoke as an apprentice, from a certain point of view. All the Resistance’s plans fail. Snoke fails and die. Chewie fails at keeping porgs away. It’s a debacle left and right, and then the 3D-marionette-Yoda gives us deep words of deeper wisdom than even Rose’s, reminding us that in every failure there’s a lesson. When it doesn’t kill you or you’re not a casualty for someone else’s lesson at least hahahaha.

The Jedi Order’s founding texts and Yoda’s “page-turners they are not” yes thank you

Snoke and his playing up Kylo and Hux against each other. From the moment he humiliated Hux publicly to his final words, Snoke is skin-crawling awful, moreso than in TFA. There’s not one moment I don’t want to point to and go “eeeeew” about, srsly.

Chewie eating a porg. I feel so validated.

Kylo’s epic love story with bad choices. Attaboy.

Force Bond. CAN YOU PUT ON A COWL SOMETHING thanks for this most cliché scene straight out of a romance novel I AM LIVING!!! fucking hell. On a similar note, Rey and Kylo’s handsex. fingertips sex? whatever, it was just wow, tag ur metaphorical porn star wars, please. also: Luke’s reaction.

Vice-Admiral Holdo is the lady of my heart and if she had to die I guess her death scene was a crowning moment of awesome at least. I wonder if the discourse will now feature fights about “if it was that easy they’d have done it with the Death Stars” and “why didn’t they.” Not looking forward to that. Not looking forward any of the discourse. At all.

The Rey parentage reveal. The scenes on Ahch-to with the dark side spot calling to her and the vision were some of my favourites, and well, Rey Random’s always been my horse, so! Very satisfying. I’m kind of wary at this point, and not sure how much trust I can put in Kylo’s words tbh, but I’m choosing to believe.

THE THRONE ROOM FIGHT WITH THE LOBSTERGUARDS??? The beginning with Rey and Kylo back to back was EVERYTHING and the whole thing was just perfect G O D

And then the Kylo/Luke fight happened and wow

RENPEROR i mean - this is the one thing i wanted and had stopped believing in and i got it, he turned against Snoke in yet another crowning moment of awesome (HIS REAL ENEMY!!) and made Hux go long live the supreme leader - at which point i started to pity Hux. He’s having a no good, very bad, terrible day and he suffers so much it’s all kinds of amazing. Anyway, by the end of TLJ, Kylo’s more sympathetic than he was in TFA imo (for general audiences) and graduating to big bad. I kind of expected one or the other, but both at once?

Something in me is disappointed at the Force plot - I wanted weird eldritch Force shit, and I guess I got some on Ahch-to, but nothing to do with Snoke. As much as I like pretty much everything, including how Snoke’s death subverted expectations and changed the game, I kind of miss the road(s) not taken.

Speaking of subverted expectations - I think I need (more) sleep and another viewing or two or three to decide how much I actually like it all, but expectations were masterfully subverted. Who Snoke is doesn’t matter because he’s dead, Kylo is still conflicted, Rey kind of became a Jedi but wow does she flirt with the dark side, and Rey Skywalker was found dead and butchered in Miami. The Resistance ends up in tatters, Luke is busy with self-exile and never technically leaves Ahch-to

REY STOLE THE BOOKS oh my girl lbr i would have too

Luke’s final projection act and how beautifully set up it was and his reunion with Leia. Insert river of tears.

The more or less bad and the stuff that made me sad:

Yoda looked fugly. I can’t not say it.

I loved Amilyn, and her death was a crowning moment of awesome, but also, a woman died so a man could learn a lesson

on a similar note, a species (nick)named the Caretakers made up of feminine aliens engaged in (mostly) feminine-coded activities

DJ was rather underwhelming as a character

Rey went really fast from murderous snake monster to ~touching Kylo’s hand - timeline wise, all this happens in huh less... than... 18... hours?? though Ahch-to is like, a vergence, which means time passes differently there, it’s just never made explicit, and it’s still less than 18 hours for Kylo Ben - head hurts - in any case just one more force convo laden with tension could have helped

*Everything* happened really fast tbh. There were a lot of twists and turns, and as I said it’s very clever, but sometimes at the expanse of character growth? it’s a bit bumpier a road

FUCKING INTENDED BOOK BURNING WHAT IS IT WITH YOU STAR WARS WEREN’T THE JEDI ARCHIVES ENOUGH??

RENPEROR yeah it’s both in the good AND the bad because: i wanted it, i wanted it dearly, but also: what. no really, what.

noooooo rey don’t close the door on kylo don’t nooooo

Okay that’s not much on the bad and there’s things i’m undecided on but that’s long enough.

#star wars #the last jedi #spoilers #i need a bucketful of coffee and for my hangover to go away #meta #lol more like a lot of squee #i'll be more critical later probably #when i'm done with the squeeing

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robbyrobinson · 7 years ago

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Mermaids. Ever since The Little Mermaid, many people have come under the assumption that mermaids are benevolent creatures. In the old myths...no, they were not. They drowned people, hunted sailors, lured people to their watery graves with their voices....Just, oh god. Pirates of the Caribbean was what really sell this for me. I do like the franchise, even though most of the movies recycle plots, but the one movie that I am absolutely terrified of was On Stranger Tides. In it, Jack Sparrow is forced to help the infamous Blackbeard search for the Fountain of Youth. Now Blackbeard himself is intimidating, what with him setting one of his crewmates on fire twice, and has no qualms with endangering his daughter's life as long as he benefits. But no; what did it for me was the mermaids. The scene starts out with a crew of pirates drifting in a life boat. You see a ripple in the water, and something slowly slither around the boat. Of course, it turns out to be a mermaid, but automatically I knew something was going to go down. At some points, you see that the mermaid's tail was underneath the boat, meaning that she could upturn it at any moment. I was in my seat quietly dreading the moment that she would do so...but it never happens. And then more mermaids come up to the surface, flirting with the men....and then the lead mermaid reveals that she is a bloodthirsty predator as she tries to pull one of the pirates into the water. Even till this day, I am still scared about watching that scene wherein the mermaid reveals her fangs. Oh, and there were also those mermaids from that mockumentary Mermaids: the Body Found by Animal Planet. Uncanny valley much?

I am a fan of Stephen King. Granted, I haven't read most of his books as they are hundreds to thousands of pages long, but I do respect the man. Heck, half of what I write was inspired by his style. The first movie I watched based on one of his books was 1990's It. You know, about an interdimensional demon that feeds on children? Nowadays, I find the movie hilariously bad, but back then, I would get terrified whenever my aunt would pop the movie into the VCR. And this is from someone who isn't afraid of clowns. The scene where blood rises up the sink drain as well as the photo album was enough to send a chill down my spine.

The Brave Little Toaster. Okay, I hadn't watched the film for myself, but I do know about it. Basically, you have these appliances - a toaster, electric blanket, radio, lamp, and vacuum cleaner - and their journey to find their master. A strange idea for a story, but it was entertaining. Despite being a children's film, there were several dark moments. There's the "It's a B Movie" section in which appliances are butchered for parts, or the flower that the Toaster encounters. The flower falls in love with the toaster when it sees its reflection, but when the toaster rejected it, it basically killed itself from a broken heart. What....Oh, and there's the air conditioner angrily blowing itself out. And who could forget the "Worthless" scene? After the appliances are taken to the junk yard, there is a musical sequence consisting of various cars singing about who they used to be, what they were made for, as they are being picked up and placed on a conveyor belt leading to a crusher. And then that magnet...god. If continually trying to crush the main characters wasn't enough, he places their owner on the conveyor belt as well. What kind of movie was this?

Princess Mombi. Hey, remember that happy 1939 movie the Wizard of Oz? You know, with the singing Munchkins and the like? Well, what if I told you that an unofficial sequel was made to the film, and what if it involves Dorothy getting electroshock therapy. Family movie, yay! After returning to Oz, Dorothy finds the Emerald City destroyed, her friends turned to stone, and freaky humanoids on wheels roam the streets. Anyway, here is Princess Mombi: Mombi is a witch who takes her vanity to the next level. She cuts the heads off of pretty girls, which are still conscious mind you, and she can change into a different head much like how someone would go through their wardrobe for new duds. Dorothy escapes her imprisonment in the search for the "Powder of Life" to bring a creature known as a Gump to life. Unfortunately, the powder is found in Mombi's cabinet, meaning that Dorothy needs to be especially quiet when retrieving the magical substance. But then she accidentally wakes up the main head, which proceeds to shout "Dorothy Gale" at the top of its (nonexistent) lungs, which alerts the other heads. And then Princess Mombi wakes up - headless - and she tries to make a grab at Dorothy.

While the Plague Dogs isn't a kids' movie, I still watched it. The movie begins at a research center where we see a dog being drowned...only to be revived, and we never get an explanation for it. That dog escapes with another dog, but they find themselves being hunted by the militarty who fear that they might be carrying some strands of the bubonic plague. The movie has many soul-crushing scenes, but one memorable scene involves a hunter calling one of the dogs over. This guy seemed like the best choice for a new owner after everything the two dogs have been through. And so, the dog runs to him...only to step on the trigger of the gun, which shoots the poor guy in the face. Worse is when a man assigned to assassinate the two dogs perishes from a fall off a cliff. As the dogs are starving, and this body just happened to be there....

I love Coraline, though I didn't get to see it in theaters when it first premired. Everything about this movie was terrifying to me. The thought that some evil witch was luring kids into another world, and giving the kids their heart's desires just disturbed me to no end. But then when the witch gives the kids the chance to stay with her forever, they must sew the buttons over their eyes...upon which, the witch (or Beldam) gets bored of them, drains them of their life sources, throws them out like a broken toy...and then begins to search for her next meal. Be careful what you wish for indeed.

The Nightmare Before Christmas: I loved this movie. I love the songs; heck, I listen to "This is Halloween" whenever it's nearing Halloween, or I would sing the Oogie Boogie Song a few times. Now, I didn't have any nightmares about this movie. For the most part, the residents of Halloween Town were friendly, albeit in their own way. Not so with Oogie Boogie: he stands as the only truly evil character in the movie. He is a sadistic gambler who had killed people prior to the film, and is planning on eating Santa Claus. That, and the scene with Sally's leg....no thank you. What made me horrified however, was Oogie Boogie's death; his burlap sack acts as his skin, so Jack basically flayed him alive, and then you see all the bugs acting as his body before falling into the stew below. I could've sworn that he always said "My bones, my bones" when he was dying and his voice was getting more higher pitched.

The Leprechaun movies are terrible, but I liked them. One in particular was Leprechaun in Space. In it, a man gets transformed into a fleshy half-man, half-spider abomination with a demonic voice. And then when that liquid nitrogen was used on him, his voice was so squeaky, it made me nearly need a new pair of undies.

2 Stupid Dogs: The episode that freaked me out when I was younger was the one where the two dogs and Red come upon a witch's gingerbread house. The witch tricks the dogs into fattening Red up, and when the time came, she eats her. As she was steal hungry, well, she makes a meal out of the two dogs. It was scary to see these characters possibly get digested alive by this witch, but now it's morbidly fascinating to me.

Courage the Cowardly Dog: Yes, one of those messed up shows that made you wonder how it was for kids. I was never really afraid of this show, but one episode I watched was the final one named "Perfect." In it, Courage is saddened that he can' t do anything right, so he imagines a strict teacher to help him with his problem. The scene in question is when Courage was trying to sleep perfectly. You hear the music lull Courage to sleep, and then without warning, some freaky CGI-fetus looking monstrosity pops onto the screen telling Courage that he wasn't perfect. And then it's never mentioned again. It's low on the list because while creepy, I had seen the episode at around 13 or so. Had I been younger, this would've been more effective.

E. T. and The Iron Giant: A tie. It comes off as silly now, but when I was a kid, I used to be frightened by these two characters in different ways. For E. T., there was the fact that he was just ugly. He looked like a wrinkled raisin or something. Besides that, there was his raspy voice and the glowing finger. That finger freaked me out. I couldn't even watch the movie in one sitting until I was about 16 years old. As for the Iron Giant...he was a giant robot from space. What more do you need? Well, besides that, it also turns out that he was created to be a weapon of mass destruction - at least until he got amnesia. Which may or may not have been nullified when he was reassembling himself at the end.

#childhood #childhood trauma #trauma #scary #scarymoments #nightmare fuel #nightmarefuel #austindr #robbyrobinson #robby robinson

1 note · View note

samuelmmarcus · 6 years ago

Text

Beautiful Homes of Instagram

Hello, my wonderful friends! I am very happy to be back with a new post after a needed short break and it’s an honor to be featuring Erica Rigdon of Style and Grace Interiors (@style.and.grace.interiors) on our “Beautiful Homes of Instagram” series. I think you will feel very inspired by her home and will learn a thing or two with her decor skills!

Hello and welcome! I am Erica Rigdon! Owner/Designer of Style and Grace Interiors! I am so excited to be a part of Home Bunch and its “Beautiful Homes of Instagram” series!

Our home has been a labor of love from the start! We moved in March of 2005. The minute I saw it, I knew I had to have it! It had good bones, good character and an all around good feeling about it!

Now, that being said, there was PLENTY of things that we wanted to change right off the bat, but we knew that the end result would be worth it! So off we went! With the plan in motion to make this the home of our dreams!

Read on!

Beautiful Homes of Instagram

So let me set the scene! Who are we? We are Kerry and Erica Rigdon and we have been married for 20 years! We have two beautiful girls! Olivia who is 17 and Paige who is 15. I own and operate my Interior Design business and my husband who I lovingly refer to as, The Handy Hubs, actually has a real job. When he isn’t helping turn all my crazy design ideas into a reality, he runs his own full service window cleaning business as well as running his commercial cleaning business! The perk? I always have clean windows, so that is a win for me! Truth? The guy is seriously busy but still makes time to meet me on my own job sites and help out when needed! He even recently climbed the trees in our backyard to hang chandeliers in my trees! Yes, chandeliers!

Well, that’s enough bragging on my hubby, he’s great and I couldn’t do any of this without him!

Front Door

When you walk up the path to our home, my goal is that you feel warm, that you feel welcomed! Hopefully the layers on the front porch pull you in and leave you wanting to stay a while!

Front door paint color is Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black.

House Color is Sherwin Williams Fencepost White.

House Trim is Sherwin Williams Coconut Grove.

Hello Doormat is from Target.

Leaf Doormat is from Target.

White Stools are World Market.

Candle Holders are from Target.

Chandelier is from Lowes – similar here.

Sconce Lights are from Home Depot.

The faux Magnolia 24″ wreath are from Pier One.

Black Planters: Here.

Foyer

We recently replaced the tile in our entryway with this amazing brick inspired tile! We had it installed and laid on a herringbone pattern and I couldn’t be happier!

Round Stone Table is a vintage bird bath with glass top.

Similar Console Table: Here, Here, Here & Here.

White Urn is from Home Goods (Similar 1) (Similar 2) (Similar 3)

Light over White Urn is vintage (Similar)

Mirror is Vintage (Similar).

Stair Runner

Stair railing and post are painted in Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black and the herringbone carpet on the stairs is from Langhorne Carpet.

Paint Color

Wall color is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Door Paint color is Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black.

The brick-inspired tile on the floor is from Northcraft Tile and Flooring – similar here.

Home Office

Right off the entry, is my office! I love having an at home office where I can invite my clients in to dream up their own BIG PLANS for their future homes! The hope is that when they are here, walking around our home, they feel inspired. That they feel like you can live in a home that is styled but also feels comfortable and lived in!

Wall Paint is Sherwin Williams Dover White.

Desk is from Nebraska Furniture Mart – Beautiful Desks: here, here, here & here.

Rug is from Target.

Pillows are from Home Goods (Similar 1) (Similar 2) (Similar 3).

Chairs are from Target – similar here, here & here.

Floral Art is from Home Goods – similar here, here & here.

Similar lamps can be found here, here & here.

Chandelier is from Wayfair.

Dining Room

What a beautiful dining room. Notice the trim millwork! Trim and wainscotting are painted in Sherwin Williams Dover White.

Dining room chairs are from World Market.

Dining Table is from Nell Hills – Beautiful Dining Tables: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Bench on opposite side of table is vintage (Similar).

Plates on the wall are vintage.

Black Hutch is Vintage – Beautiful Cabinets: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Rug is Home Goods – Beautiful Rugs: Here, Here, Here & Here.

Similar lighting can be found here.

Wall Paint Color

Wall color is Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.

Silver Stand fruit is in is from Pottery Barn. Stand next to that is also from Pottery Barn.

Lamp is an old Coffee Pot from an Estate Sale.

Similar Gold Mirror: Here.

Kitchen

The kitchen. This was a big renovation for us. In 2017, we made the decision to update our kitchen. I had mentioned to my husband that I really wanted floating shelves which would mean we would have to remove a large portion of our existing upper cabinets! Let’s be honest, he didn’t love the idea. It’s not for everyone…. but boy, we do not regret the decision for one second! It instantly opened up our kitchen, leaving it feeling stylish and fresh! Best design decision thus far!

Wood shiplap is called Weathered Gray from Home Depot.

Countertops are Quartz.

Backsplash & Shelves

Backsplash is white subway tile from Home Depot.

Similar Shelves: Here – Brackets: Here.

Kitchen Paint Color

Cabinet color is Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray.

Island paint color is Alabaster by Sherwin Williams.

Chandelier is from Wayfair.

Similar Arm Sconces (above shelves) can be found here.

Layout

The kitchen opens to a gorgeous dining area.

Breakfast Room

Our eat in kitchen is the perfect gathering place! When we have friends over, this is where everyone goes. This is the heart of our home! Wall paint color is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Ceiling treatment is tongue in groove painted Sherwin Williams Dover White.

Dining Room Chairs are World Market.

Similar dining table: here.

Cabinet is vintage.

Chandelier: Wayfair.

Dining Rug is from Overstock.

Fireplace Mantel Decor

Lanterns are from Pottery Barn and similar cutting boards can be found here.

Living Room

This is one of my favorite rooms in this home! Built-in Cabinets are Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore.

Coffered Ceiling is SW Dover White.

Similar Ottoman: Here, Here, Here, Here & Here.

Coral Pillows on Couch are Pottery Barn.

Other Pillows are from World Market.

Paint Color & Flooring

Paint color is Benjamin Moore HC-172 Revere Pewter.

Hardwood Flooring: Hickory hardwood floors – 6-inch planks – similar here.

Upstairs Landing

Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter; which is the best neutral paint color by Benjamin Moore in my opinion, brings a sense of calmness to this space. I also love the decor! That bench by the window seems to be the perfect place to read a book.

Guest Bedroom

Our guest room doesn’t get much attention since we are lucky enough to have all of our family living so close to us, but we are ready for guests anytime! “Be our Guest” is our motto. Stay a while, make yourself at home. Everyone is always welcome!

Black Interior Black Door Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black

Paint Color

Wall Color is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Headboard and lamps are vintage.

Beautiful White Nightstands: Here.

Master Bedroom

Our master bedroom/bathroom is another space that we recently remodeled. Shiplap was the plan and it really helped to warm up the space! This bathroom needed some character and these linear boards did the trick! The separate vanities were a must! Having your own space in an area like this is key to a happy marriage! Haha! All kidding aside, we really love the way this room turned out! If you look closely, the long piece with the butcher block top was actually our old double vanity!! I convinced my husband to take the top off and make us a custom wood top to give this little old vanity a warmer feel. This way we still could have storage and fill the space with a nice looking piece!

Similar Two gold Tables: Here.

Bed is from Thomasville.

Paint Color

Master Bedroom Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom features shiplap and engineered hardwood. Stunning!

Dressing Table is vintage.

Shiplap

Custom Shiplap walls are painted Sherwin Williams Antique White.

Bathroom Vanities

The grey vanities are from Home Depot (on sale now!).

Mirrors are Pottery Barn (no longer available) – similar here.

Rug is from World Market.

Similar Barn Light Sconce: Here.

Similar Shower Tile: Here & Here.

Affordable Black Faucets: Here.

{Photo by homeowner}

Basement

This place is perfect for entertaining. Wall color is Sherwin Williams Neutral Ground.

Backsplash is brick – similar here.

Flooring is Luxury Vinyl Tile – similar here.

Lights above Shelves can be found here.

Rug is World Market.

Similar Metal Stools: Here.

Island: Here – similar here.

Charcoal Paint Color

Beadboard and cabinets are painted in Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze.

Similar Plaid Pillows: Joss & Main.

Similar Striped Pillows: Joss & Main.

Mudroom

This was a coat closet that we took the door off of to make this open concept closet.

Pillows and Sign are from Home Goods – See cute pom pom pillows here.

Similar Baskets: Here, Here, Here & Here.

Wall Sign: Home Goods – Inspiring Wall Signs: here.

Backyard

The new outdoor space. What can I say? I AM IN LOVE. End of story. We had been wondering what to do with this space that is right off the back of our garage. A few months before my daughter’s graduation party, we took the leap. We decided to add on a fully functioning outdoor living space. Complete with sofas and a 70” tv for those movie nights that we absolutely love to have outdoors. We even hosted a wedding here this summer. A real wedding complete with 150 guests. It was the perfect night to have the perfect wedding. Chandeliers and all. It was the start of a happily ever after for some dear friends of ours and we were happy to host this special day for them! If you head over to my Instagram you can see footage in my story files of this magical day!

Back Porch Inspiration

Floor is 2×4 Pine Decking – similar here.

Gray Stools are World Market.

Imagine having a tv in your back porch. Who needs go on a vacation with a back porch like this, right?

Sofas

Similar Couches, Chairs and Coffee Tables: Here.

Blue Pillows On Couches: Here.

Pink Pillows on Chairs are from World Market.

Rug on Covered Porch is also from World Market.

Paint Color

Structure is painted Sherwin Williams Alabaster.

Drapes on Covered Porch are World Market.

Striped Throw is Pottery Barn.

Chandelier is Wayfair.

Nighttime

This house helped me found my design style that essentially launched my professional life into a completely different direction than I ever dreamed of! I am thankful for our home and the people that live in it and I hope that all of you have the same feeling inside your own homes!

Make sure to follow Erica Rigdon of Style and Grace Interiors on Instagram to see more of her beautiful home.

Photography: Jill DiMartino.

Summer Best Deals!

Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

Wayfair: Up to 70% OFF – Huge Sales on Decor, Furniture & Rugs!!

Joss & Main: Once-a-Year Celebration! Up to 80% Off!!!

Pottery Barn: New Arrivals!!! Up to 70% Off!

Serena & Lily: 20% OFF EVERYTHING! Use code: 4TH

West Elm: Mega Sale – 70% Off sales!

Caitlin Wilson: Beautiful Rugs & Pillows. 15% OFF Sitewide. Use Code: FREEDOM15

Anthropologie: Extra 40% Off Sale Plus 20% Off Furniture + Decor.

Urban Outfitters: Hip & Affordable Home Decor – Big Summer Sales!!!

Horchow: Flash Sale: Up to 55% Off!!!

One Kings Lane: Save Up to 70% OFF! Free Standard Shipping on Orders over $99!

Williams & Sonoma: Spring Clearance: Up to 75% OFF!.

Nordstrom: Up to 40% OFF!

Neiman Marcus: Designer Sale: Up to 40% OFF.

Pier 1: Summer Sale: Up to 50% Off!

Posts of the Week:

Interior Design Ideas: California Coastal Home.

Custom Home with Artisan Craftsmanship Interiors.

New-Construction Modern Farmhouse Inspiration.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Andrea McQueen Design.

Texas Gulf Coast Beach House.

Interior Design Ideas: House For Sale.

Beautiful Home of Instagram.

Florida Family Home Interior Design Ideas.

Georgian-Style Manor with Traditional Interiors.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Interior Design Ideas: Colorful Interiors.

Farmhouse with Front Porch.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: California Beach House.

New-Construction Home for First-time Home Buyer.

California Beach House with Beautiful Coastal Interiors.

Florida Empty-Nester Home Ideas.

Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina Home Design.

Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Small Modern Farmhouse with Front Porch.

Texas Acreage Modern Farmhouse.

Interior Design Ideas: House Renovation.

New-Construction Family Home Design.

Newest Interior Design Ideas.

Kitchen and Dining Room Renovation.

Interior Design Ideas.

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

Popular Paint Color Posts: The Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors

2016 Paint Color Ideas for your Home

Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Pictures

Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Ideas

Inspiring Interior Paint Color Ideas

Interior Paint Color and Color Palette

New 2015 Paint Color Ideas

Interior Paint Color Ideas

Interior Design Ideas: Paint Color

Interior Ideas: Paint Color

More Paint Color Ideas

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

Interior Design Services within Your Budget

Come Follow me on

Get Home Bunch Posts Via Email

Contact Luciane

“For your shopping convenience, this post might contain links to retailers where you can purchase the products (or similar) featured. I make a small commission if you use these links to make your purchase so thank you for your support!”

from Home http://www.homebunch.com/beautiful-homes-of-instagram-64/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

0 notes

dawnjeman · 6 years ago

Text

Beautiful Homes of Instagram

Hello and welcome! I am Erica Rigdon! Owner/Designer of Style and Grace Interiors! I am so excited to be a part of Home Bunch and its “Beautiful Homes of Instagram” series!

Our home has been a labor of love from the start! We moved in March of 2005. The minute I saw it, I knew I had to have it! It had good bones, good character and an all around good feeling about it!

Read on!

Beautiful Homes of Instagram

Well, that’s enough bragging on my hubby, he’s great and I couldn’t do any of this without him!

Front Door

When you walk up the path to our home, my goal is that you feel warm, that you feel welcomed! Hopefully the layers on the front porch pull you in and leave you wanting to stay a while!

Front door paint color is Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black.

House Color is Sherwin Williams Fencepost White.

House Trim is Sherwin Williams Coconut Grove.

Hello Doormat is from Target.

Leaf Doormat is from Target.

White Stools are World Market.

Candle Holders are from Target.

Chandelier is from Lowes – similar here.

Sconce Lights are from Home Depot.

The faux Magnolia 24″ wreath are from Pier One.

Black Planters: Here.

Foyer

We recently replaced the tile in our entryway with this amazing brick inspired tile! We had it installed and laid on a herringbone pattern and I couldn’t be happier!

Round Stone Table is a vintage bird bath with glass top.

Similar Console Table: Here, Here, Here & Here.

White Urn is from Home Goods (Similar 1) (Similar 2) (Similar 3)

Light over White Urn is vintage (Similar)

Mirror is Vintage (Similar).

Stair Runner

Stair railing and post are painted in Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black and the herringbone carpet on the stairs is from Langhorne Carpet.

Paint Color

Wall color is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Door Paint color is Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black.

The brick-inspired tile on the floor is from Northcraft Tile and Flooring – similar here.

Home Office

Wall Paint is Sherwin Williams Dover White.

Desk is from Nebraska Furniture Mart – Beautiful Desks: here, here, here & here.

Rug is from Target.

Pillows are from Home Goods (Similar 1) (Similar 2) (Similar 3).

Chairs are from Target – similar here, here & here.

Floral Art is from Home Goods – similar here, here & here.

Similar lamps can be found here, here & here.

Chandelier is from Wayfair.

Dining Room

What a beautiful dining room. Notice the trim millwork! Trim and wainscotting are painted in Sherwin Williams Dover White.

Dining room chairs are from World Market.

Dining Table is from Nell Hills – Beautiful Dining Tables: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Bench on opposite side of table is vintage (Similar).

Plates on the wall are vintage.

Black Hutch is Vintage – Beautiful Cabinets: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Rug is Home Goods – Beautiful Rugs: Here, Here, Here & Here.

Similar lighting can be found here.

Wall Paint Color

Wall color is Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.

Silver Stand fruit is in is from Pottery Barn. Stand next to that is also from Pottery Barn.

Lamp is an old Coffee Pot from an Estate Sale.

Similar Gold Mirror: Here.

Kitchen

Wood shiplap is called Weathered Gray from Home Depot.

Countertops are Quartz.

Backsplash & Shelves

Backsplash is white subway tile from Home Depot.

Similar Shelves: Here – Brackets: Here.

Kitchen Paint Color

Cabinet color is Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray.

Island paint color is Alabaster by Sherwin Williams.

Chandelier is from Wayfair.

Similar Arm Sconces (above shelves) can be found here.

Layout

The kitchen opens to a gorgeous dining area.

Breakfast Room

Our eat in kitchen is the perfect gathering place! When we have friends over, this is where everyone goes. This is the heart of our home! Wall paint color is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Ceiling treatment is tongue in groove painted Sherwin Williams Dover White.

Dining Room Chairs are World Market.

Similar dining table: here.

Cabinet is vintage.

Chandelier: Wayfair.

Dining Rug is from Overstock.

Fireplace Mantel Decor

Lanterns are from Pottery Barn and similar cutting boards can be found here.

Living Room

This is one of my favorite rooms in this home! Built-in Cabinets are Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore.

Coffered Ceiling is SW Dover White.

Similar Ottoman: Here, Here, Here, Here & Here.

Coral Pillows on Couch are Pottery Barn.

Other Pillows are from World Market.

Paint Color & Flooring

Paint color is Benjamin Moore HC-172 Revere Pewter.

Hardwood Flooring: Hickory hardwood floors – 6-inch planks – similar here.

Upstairs Landing

Guest Bedroom

Black Interior Black Door Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black

Paint Color

Wall Color is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Headboard and lamps are vintage.

Beautiful White Nightstands: Here.

Master Bedroom

Similar Two gold Tables: Here.

Bed is from Thomasville.

Paint Color

Master Bedroom Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom features shiplap and engineered hardwood. Stunning!

Dressing Table is vintage.

Shiplap

Custom Shiplap walls are painted Sherwin Williams Antique White.

Bathroom Vanities

The grey vanities are from Home Depot (on sale now!).

Mirrors are Pottery Barn (no longer available) – similar here.

Rug is from World Market.

Similar Barn Light Sconce: Here.

Similar Shower Tile: Here & Here.

Affordable Black Faucets: Here.

{Photo by homeowner}

Basement

This place is perfect for entertaining. Wall color is Sherwin Williams Neutral Ground.

Backsplash is brick – similar here.

Flooring is Luxury Vinyl Tile – similar here.

Lights above Shelves can be found here.

Rug is World Market.

Similar Metal Stools: Here.

Island: Here – similar here.

Charcoal Paint Color

Beadboard and cabinets are painted in Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze.

Similar Plaid Pillows: Joss & Main.

Similar Striped Pillows: Joss & Main.

Mudroom

This was a coat closet that we took the door off of to make this open concept closet.

Pillows and Sign are from Home Goods – See cute pom pom pillows here.

Similar Baskets: Here, Here, Here & Here.

Wall Sign: Home Goods – Inspiring Wall Signs: here.

Backyard

Back Porch Inspiration

Floor is 2×4 Pine Decking – similar here.

Gray Stools are World Market.

Imagine having a tv in your back porch. Who needs go on a vacation with a back porch like this, right?

Sofas

Similar Couches, Chairs and Coffee Tables: Here.

Blue Pillows On Couches: Here.

Pink Pillows on Chairs are from World Market.

Rug on Covered Porch is also from World Market.

Paint Color

Structure is painted Sherwin Williams Alabaster.

Drapes on Covered Porch are World Market.

Striped Throw is Pottery Barn.

Chandelier is Wayfair.

Nighttime

Make sure to follow Erica Rigdon of Style and Grace Interiors on Instagram to see more of her beautiful home.

Photography: Jill DiMartino.

Summer Best Deals!

Wayfair: Up to 70% OFF – Huge Sales on Decor, Furniture & Rugs!!

Joss & Main: Once-a-Year Celebration! Up to 80% Off!!!

Pottery Barn: New Arrivals!!! Up to 70% Off!

Serena & Lily: 20% OFF EVERYTHING! Use code: 4TH

West Elm: Mega Sale – 70% Off sales!

Caitlin Wilson: Beautiful Rugs & Pillows. 15% OFF Sitewide. Use Code: FREEDOM15

Anthropologie: Extra 40% Off Sale Plus 20% Off Furniture + Decor.

Urban Outfitters: Hip & Affordable Home Decor – Big Summer Sales!!!

Horchow: Flash Sale: Up to 55% Off!!!

One Kings Lane: Save Up to 70% OFF! Free Standard Shipping on Orders over $99!

Williams & Sonoma: Spring Clearance: Up to 75% OFF!.

Nordstrom: Up to 40% OFF!

Neiman Marcus: Designer Sale: Up to 40% OFF.

Pier 1: Summer Sale: Up to 50% Off!

Posts of the Week:

Interior Design Ideas: California Coastal Home.

Custom Home with Artisan Craftsmanship Interiors.

New-Construction Modern Farmhouse Inspiration.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Andrea McQueen Design.

Texas Gulf Coast Beach House.

Interior Design Ideas: House For Sale.

Beautiful Home of Instagram.

Florida Family Home Interior Design Ideas.

Georgian-Style Manor with Traditional Interiors.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Interior Design Ideas: Colorful Interiors.

Farmhouse with Front Porch.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: California Beach House.

New-Construction Home for First-time Home Buyer.

California Beach House with Beautiful Coastal Interiors.

Florida Empty-Nester Home Ideas.

Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina Home Design.

Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Small Modern Farmhouse with Front Porch.

Texas Acreage Modern Farmhouse.

Interior Design Ideas: House Renovation.

New-Construction Family Home Design.

Newest Interior Design Ideas.

Kitchen and Dining Room Renovation.

Interior Design Ideas.

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

Popular Paint Color Posts: The Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors

2016 Paint Color Ideas for your Home

Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Pictures

Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Ideas

Inspiring Interior Paint Color Ideas

Interior Paint Color and Color Palette

New 2015 Paint Color Ideas

Interior Paint Color Ideas

Interior Design Ideas: Paint Color

Interior Ideas: Paint Color

More Paint Color Ideas

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

Interior Design Services within Your Budget

Come Follow me on

Get Home Bunch Posts Via Email

Contact Luciane

from Home http://www.homebunch.com/beautiful-homes-of-instagram-64/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

0 notes

screen-universe-official-thingie · 6 months ago

Text

Plague Doctor Cindy!

Hi, I drew this concept art sheet thing shortly after drawing the Butcher!Aurora art and I took a break after that. Sorry I didn't post this one immediately.

Edit: Some close ups and extra commentary have been added

Rambling below (TW: medical subject matter like diseases and surgery, death, delusions, and cannibalism)

Meta wise, she started out as a mad scientist for the sake of being a mad scientist by listening to Novocaine by Cree-P and GHOST, and Black Box Warrior-OKULTRA by Will Wood. I just imagined Cinderella going too hard or harsh on Lady Tremaine, her patient/ser-worker/co-star, with her research, experiments, and surgeries out of frustration, stress, and madness. Hell, I would not be surprised if she tried lobotomy at some point during her side jig/job as a doctor.

But ever since I listened to Butcher Vanity by Vane and Flavour Foley, Cinderella later grew to be more than just a plain old mad doctor as I revisited her Screen Universe para concept and explore what her deal is. From why exactly did she fall into this path, to her relationships with the characters related or relevant to her story. She became another tragic character. This time, someone who developed an obsession with finding a cure for the prions after it "ate up" her once villain co-worker friend with in-character or canon compliant delusions.

Some close ups

The other state was meant to say production as well, but I'm too lazy to fix the typo now

Cindy with the Bok-su pose is slightly cursed ngl, but it keeps living in my head rent free. The fact that they're both doctors doesn't make it any better ToT

Eldritch Cinderelly (the note says healthy because their true forms's color and brightness changes if they get certain health conditions. In this one, she should have been a bit dimmer and grayer due to the Discontinuation Rot)

Herbs and spices stuffed in the beak like a true plague doctor. Though, Cindy does this for different reasons. Instead of the original reasoning where the herbs will ward off the plague, she does this to replace the smell of burning and rotting flesh with as much fragrance as possible. It also puts her at ease

Stolen Ideas Inspo :>

How it'd look like under her apron/dress thing

Goggles stuff for eye protection

Eyes. Eye eyeballed (eh? eh?) her eye color because I can not find a good proper close up of her face and eyes in the official material and the coloring in the og movie looks a bit inconsistent at times.

Screen shots from the ID server itself again of course

OKULTRA cranking up the mad doctor inspiration (ft. Novocaine starting the whole thing prior to listing to OKULTRA)

I think this one is still pre-butcher vanity arc

meme

Typical Disney para behaviour

more Cinderella angst lore because yes

A shit ton of other paras have not so healthy relationships with their characters at this point. They include, but not limited to some Pokemon characters, and SpongeBob.

Health anxiety go brrrr

This is from when Butcher Vanity arc or obsession hit around. It expanded her lore and everything. It was a game changer for this specific para tbh. I think this is about four months after posting the past Cindy rambles shown in the previous screenshots

Ok, this one is from an ID adjacent server, but I feel like this is still a bit relevant to the whole thing

(Also from the ID adjacent server) Ok, this one is kinda complicated since I mentioned another para who had something to do with a different Disney centered subplot that somehow affected the plot and lore of the entire paracosm. Basically, Snow White helped one of her ser-workers to found a cult and... everything went downhill and batshit insane from there. Ruined or fucked over the entire government and all... you may either dig through my casual account for the answer or ask through the Screen Universe blog about it.

Bonus: A joke relevant to the whole Cinderella x Sleeping Beauty ft. prion plague debacle arc/subplot (I found this god damn image from Pinterest and I captioned it as "Cinderella and Aurora")

TLDR: 1950 Disney princess becomes a mad plague doctor, grows into another tragic para, becomes vegan as a trauma response, loses her villain patient to the plague's delusions, goes off into a deep end after burning said patient, despises cannibals, and turns into their world's equivalent to a veteran in a "has seen the origins of modern day problems and the horrors of war" way but the war is the plague from the distant past.

#screen universe #immersive daydreaming #art #paracosm #daydreaming #digital art #disney princess #cinderella #plague doctor time

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ripstocking · 7 years ago

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Paris: I had not foreseen the fact that Dominique Nabokov might have taken a trip to Cuba with my housemate’s father back in the ‘90s, but then I shrugged: he’s an Italian writer living in Paris and Dominique, after all, seems to know everybody within a certain international cultural milieu. Her late husband, Nicolas, was Vladimir Nabokov’s first cousin; he was also good mates with the philosopher Isaiah Berlin, the composer Igor Stravinsky, the poet WH Auden, and so on and so forth. In 2013 she published a collection of photos of staff and contributors at the New York Review of Books, taken between 1980 and 2009: Joseph Brodsky in a fur hat looking pensive on a New York street, Milan Kundera debating Philip Roth, drinks in hand.

Dominique began her career in fashion photography before shifting her focus to editorial, portrait, and travel work. Then in 1995 came a commission from the New Yorker to shoot a photo essay of local living rooms. And thus began a project that has evolved for more than 20 years to become a sort of holy trinity of interior photography books, capturing the living rooms of a cultural elite in New York, Paris, and now Berlin. Shot from two sides of the living room, nothing added, nothing altered, she calls these pictures her interior ‘portraits’. Some spaces are indulgent and ostentatious, others shelter the bare necessities—though Dominique herself seems uninterested in passing judgement on the way people carve out their living space. Her photos are a beautifully executed what-you-see-is-what-you-get-type story, told with a frankness and kindness that’s equally evident in their author.

I wanted to start with your own personal background a little bit. Were you born in Paris?

I was born in Paris and I grew up in France. I came to New York because of my husband, who was a composer and also an American citizen. But he worked on both sides. He was director of the Berlin Festival, and that’s how I was first acquainted with Berlin. That said, it had an atmosphere that was unique even—even more so—when it was divided. But I was not a photographer at that time. I didn’t work, I was very young, he was older than me, and we lived between Berlin, New York, and Paris.

So when did you become a photographer?

When Nicolas, my husband, died. I’d always wanted to be a photographer—I already had a camera, a Leica. I had done a few photographs, but not at all professionally. Then I decided, ‘Well, this is my chance’. Not my chance because Nicolas had died, but it was an opportunity, so I was going to do it. I had a very, very rich carnet d’adresses because he knew everybody, so it helped, especially in New York. I started as an assistant to the fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier for two years. Then I knew I didn’t want to do fashion photography, but it was a good introduction—also on how to approach the business—and then I went on to photograph mostly writers, artists that I knew.

I built an archive, and then for 10 years I had a contract with Condé Nast in New York, for Vogue, Vanity Fair, House & Garden. The New Yorker was bought by the Condé Nast group, and finally Tina Brown proposed that I photograph writers’ rooms. I said, ‘I’ve been photographing writers for so many years now, I would be more interested to peep into the interiors of other people’, so she agreed. I had an assistant, and we tried to do it in black and white, but we were not completely pleased with New York.

How come?

Well, we were not. We wanted something original and had the idea of that Polaroid film. The colours were eccentric, bizarre, and it gave you the idea that the pictures had been taken in the past. We did a few tests and Tina loved it, so we went on. And then I did Paris

What was your house like growing up in Paris?

No, I didn’t grow up in Paris, I grew up in Compiègne in a very traditional bourgeois house.

What did you parents do?

My father was a restaurateur and my mother was the head of an accounting department, but I didn’t grow up with them. It’s not interesting; it has nothing to do with what I became. I was obsessed with movies, and I loved magazines when I was young. That’s where the inspiration came from to be a photographer.

It’s interesting that you focus on a very cultural elite in your photos.

Well, the New Yorker wouldn’t have published anything else. It was a cultural nomenclature, that was the point of it. It was not the butcher, the baker. One could do that, but it was not the idea. The start came from Tina Brown: she got me a few names, and I wanted to do the cultural nomenclature, too, because I knew them. It was the world I was a part of, so that was the world I could describe.

How many living rooms do you think you’ve photographed now?

I don’t know. How many are there?

You mean you’ve put everything into the books?

I always put in every person I do. It’s a principle—even if you might be disappointed by the look. I don’t go for decoration, I just go for the person, and I’ve published everybody I’ve photographed.

Have you always been to the house before you’ve photographed it?

No, many times I’ve never been to the house. I’d never been to Pierre Bergé’s house; for Nan Goldin it was the first time.

And so were you ever really surprised by what you saw?

Yes and no. It’s nothing to do with decoration, and I say to people when they’ve suggested somebody, ‘Don’t think of décor, it’s not decoration!’ I was interested in what they did: a poet, a writer, a musician, a movie director, that’s the world I like.

I recently read a book by Georges Perec, called Les Choses. It struck me as a similar sort of principle, in that it tells a story of two people but describes the couple through their material setting. He wrote about objects to describe the people.

Yes, that’s right! In a way the best thing to do with the photos would be not to have the name even—just the number and a reference at the end. Because in a way if you see it without a name—the exhibition is like that—you think, ‘Who could it be, what do they do?’ This is the idea, yes!

Right, and in the same way Perec uses objects to describe the way people were living in the ‘60s, have you noticed a change in the way people are living and presenting their homes between 1995 when you first started in New York and 2014 when you were shooting in Berlin?

Well, I don’t think that way. I think the French, the Germans, and the Americans are very different. I think in New York, anything goes. In Paris, it’s very bourgeois. Berlin is a city in reconstruction, full of foreigners; I think there’s only one person born in Berlin in the book. Berlin looked a lot more egalitarian, and you don’t have the feeling these people spend much time in their places. It’s extremely organised, precise.

One that I really liked very much was Michael Kewinig. At first for two years I couldn’t photograph his living room because it was being done, so finally he let me photograph and I thought, ‘Well, his office, his living room, he’s there all the time’. I was absolutely fascinated by the perfection: the pens were put like that, and the papers were put like that.

But when I was young I loved movies. My sister is actually a movie director. When I came to visit my parents in Paris I used to go to the magazine stands; they had all the American magazines, and I was fascinated by the way the movie stars lived: the house, the swimming pool. It came from there—the desire to see how it is on the other side of the fence. From Tony Curtis or Eddie Fisher, Frank Sinatra—to glimpse something of the aesthetic in those days. It was in the ‘60s, you didn’t go to America just like that.

Do you think your apartment in America accurately reflects who you are now?

You have my apartments there at the end of each book. This is my apartment in New York: one floor of a brownstone. I don’t know; tell me! I took a picture and that’s it. But actually I like to live in an environment that I like, I do. But I’m not very rich, so there are lots of things I’d like to have that I don’t, like a wonderful sofa and beautiful carpet.

It’s funny, once I started working I suddenly had to make all these choices about what I brought into my home, which used to be based only on necessity.

But in a way it’s very strange. You never choose what happens, but somehow the way you put it together reflects you. And sometimes it works.

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