#Cristine Face Powder

[manfashion003]

Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder

Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder in Pakistan

Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder emerges as a game-changer in the beauty industry. Its mattifying effect, long-lasting finish, and inclusive formulation make it a must-have for makeup enthusiasts. Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder is a revolutionary cosmetic product designed to provide a mattifying effect while being free from oils. It caters to individuals seeking a long-lasting and natural finish without the unwanted shine associated with traditional powders.

Importance of using oil-free face powder

Understanding the importance of using oil-free face powder is crucial for those looking to control excess oil, minimize pores, and maintain a flawless complexion throughout the day.

Benefits of Christine Oil Free Face Powder

Mattifying Effect

One of the standout features of Christine Oil Free Face Powder is its exceptional mattifying effect. The powder absorbs excess oil, leaving the skin with a smooth, shine-free finish that lasts for hours.

Long-lasting Finish

Unlike some powders that require frequent touch-ups, Christine Oil Free Face Powder boasts a long-lasting formula, ensuring your makeup stays fresh and flawless throughout the day.

Suitable for All Skin Types

Whether you have oily, combination, or sensitive skin, Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder is formulated to cater to all skin types. Its lightweight texture ensures comfortable wear without clogging pores.

Understanding Your Skin Undertone

Choosing the right shade involves understanding your skin undertone. Whether warm, cool, or neutral, selecting a powder that complements your undertone enhances the overall makeup look.

Testing the Powder In-store

For an accurate shade match, testing the powder in-store is recommended. Many beauty retailers offer testers, allowing you to apply a small amount and assess how well it blends with your skin.

Online Shade Matching Tips

If in-store testing isn’t feasible, online shade matching tips can be a game-changer. Look for swatches on different skin tones and read customer reviews to gauge the accuracy of the shades offered.

Application Tips for a Flawless Finish

Prepping Your Skin

Before applying Christine Oil Free Face Powder, proper skin preparation is essential. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin to create a smooth base for the powder.

Using the Right Tools

Investing in quality makeup tools, such as a fluffy powder brush or makeup sponge, ensures an even application. These tools help distribute the powder evenly, avoiding patchiness.

Makeup Oil-Free Loose Powder

To set your makeup, lightly dust Christine Oil Free Face Powder over your foundation. Focus on areas prone to shine, such as the T-zone, for a polished and oil-free finish.

Tips for Oily Skin Types

Managing Oiliness Throughout the Day

For individuals with oily skin, managing oiliness throughout the day is a common concern. This section will provide practical tips and tricks to maintain a matte finish.

Touch-up Techniques

Incorporating touch-up techniques using Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder ensures users stay fresh-faced, even during long days. The article will detail easy and effective touch-up methods.

Avoiding Cakey Appearance

One challenge faced by those with oily skin is the risk of a cakey appearance. Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder’s lightweight formula minimizes this risk, and the article will delve into techniques to avoid a cakey finish.

[schoolbagx]

Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder

Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder in Pakistan

Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder emerges as a game-changer in the beauty industry. Its mattifying effect, long-lasting finish, and inclusive formulation make it a must-have for makeup enthusiasts. Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder is a revolutionary cosmetic product designed to provide a mattifying effect while being free from oils. It caters to individuals seeking a long-lasting and natural finish without the unwanted shine associated with traditional powders.

Importance of using oil-free face powder

Understanding the importance of using oil-free face powder is crucial for those looking to control excess oil, minimize pores, and maintain a flawless complexion throughout the day.

Benefits of Christine Oil Free Face Powder

Mattifying Effect

One of the standout features of Christine Oil Free Face Powder is its exceptional mattifying effect. The powder absorbs excess oil, leaving the skin with a smooth, shine-free finish that lasts for hours.

Long-lasting Finish

Unlike some powders that require frequent touch-ups, Christine Oil Free Face Powder boasts a long-lasting formula, ensuring your makeup stays fresh and flawless throughout the day.

Suitable for All Skin Types

Whether you have oily, combination, or sensitive skin, Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder is formulated to cater to all skin types. Its lightweight texture ensures comfortable wear without clogging pores.

Understanding Your Skin Undertone

Choosing the right shade involves understanding your skin undertone. Whether warm, cool, or neutral, selecting a powder that complements your undertone enhances the overall makeup look.

Testing the Powder In-store

For an accurate shade match, testing the powder in-store is recommended. Many beauty retailers offer testers, allowing you to apply a small amount and assess how well it blends with your skin.

Online Shade Matching Tips

If in-store testing isn’t feasible, online shade matching tips can be a game-changer. Look for swatches on different skin tones and read customer reviews to gauge the accuracy of the shades offered.

Application Tips for a Flawless Finish

Prepping Your Skin

Before applying Christine Oil Free Face Powder, proper skin preparation is essential. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin to create a smooth base for the powder.

Using the Right Tools

Investing in quality makeup tools, such as a fluffy powder brush or makeup sponge, ensures an even application. These tools help distribute the powder evenly, avoiding patchiness.

Makeup Oil-Free Loose Powder

To set your makeup, lightly dust Christine Oil Free Face Powder over your foundation. Focus on areas prone to shine, such as the T-zone, for a polished and oil-free finish.

Tips for Oily Skin Types

Managing Oiliness Throughout the Day

For individuals with oily skin, managing oiliness throughout the day is a common concern. This section will provide practical tips and tricks to maintain a matte finish.

Touch-up Techniques

Incorporating touch-up techniques using Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder ensures users stay fresh-faced, even during long days. The article will detail easy and effective touch-up methods.

Avoiding Cakey Appearance

One challenge faced by those with oily skin is the risk of a cakey appearance. Christine Oil Free Loose Face Powder’s lightweight formula minimizes this risk, and the article will delve into techniques to avoid a cakey finish.

[rogue-jester365]

His Tears, Her Demons(Castlevania Fanfiction)

Author: Rogue-Jester365 (on my Wattpad account with the same and on my account on Deviantart called DecemberOwl)

Disclaimer: As all of you know, I do not own Adrien "Alucard" Tepes. He belongs to the creators of the Castlevania games and show.

___________________________

Chapter 9: Restrained Confessions

Narration

It was currently dark outside, but no one was asleep. Cristine became paranoid after what happened; which didn't help with her sickness, Alucard had canceled that day's training for Taka and Sumi after what had happened, and Taka and Sumi were discussing an alternative way to handle the two hosts.

___________________________

Cristine remained in her room, wide awake when she was told to sleep. But how could she after today? She was almost raped by the two people she began to enjoy knowing. Her mind was racing with many thoughts: "Why didn't she trust her instincts when they tried to warn her? Why did she trust Sumi and Taka's words for anything?... Why didn't she tell Alucard what had happened when she had the chance?"

Who knows what would have happened if she did. Would he deny? Would he not? It was no doubt that the two guests would deny it.

She wished that she told him at that moment he held her close, so safe and secure. She felt so powerless the moment Taka and Sumi were above her. Vulnerable. Frightened. Speechless. Every emotion anyone would feel if they were in her position at that moment.

Tears rolled from her eyes as she turned to lay on her side. She whimpered from the memory of what had almost happened to her. She tightly gripped the sheets that were currently over her body and curled into a ball, holding her legs against her chest with her free arm.

Cristine shut her eyes again and shivered when she heard the door open, fearing that it would be Taka or Sumi. Slow but somehow light footsteps approached her, causing her to shiver harder. She stopped when she felt a gentle and familiar hand placed on her shoulder. She slightly opened her eyelids and looked up. She was relieved for it to be only Alucard.

He looked down with a soft expression and held a bowl of what appears to be soup." I brought you dinner.", he told her.

" Did-... Did they take part in making it?", she stuttered to ask, referring to the only other two people in the castle.

" Neither of them did, I made this myself.", he answered her. Although he was curious to ask why she would be concerned if the two apprentices were involved, he didn't push it since she was under a lot of stress and sick.

She nods her head slightly in approval then attempts to sit up, she winced in pain as she did. Alucard set the soup aside and assisted her into a sitting position." Thank you, Adrien.", she told him.

He gives her a nod in response.

After seeing she still lacked the strength to move, Alucard had begun to feed her. He had fed her slowly so she wouldn't choke on her food or made a mess of herself. But after only a few bites, she end throwing it up into the bowl. His eyes widened with surprise from what had just happened. She then began coughing up a bit. Alucard set the now tarnished soup aside to lay her down to be more comfortable.

Cristine looked up at him with tired eyes when she stopped finally coughing." I'm sorry... My stomach is just hasn't been feeling right since I became sick.", she explained to him.

" It's alright, it's not your fault.", he told her with his sweetest smile then gently stroking her cheek. Cristine smiled back up at him while weakly lifting her arm to grip the hand that was placed on her cheek.

He removed his hand and sat beside her. His eyes left her direction for a moment as his smile then disappeared. He was looking at the spot he saw Taka earlier when Cristine had her seizure, thinking of what Sumi had told her. When his eyes returned to Cristine, she looked at that same spot too but was visibly more troubled and conflicted.

" What's wrong?", he asked her.

" I... I can't.", she said in a small tone of voice. She wanted to say it to him, she wanted to admit to what happened. She just didn't know how to say it or how he would respond. She didn't even look at him as she said it.

" Why?", he continued to ask, only wanting to know what was wrong with her.

She shook her head then responded in the same tone of voice as before," I don't want to talk about it... I'm afraid..."

" Afraid of what, Cristine?", he asked further," Tell me, what is wrong?". But she shook her head again.

" I can't...", she refused again.

" Yes, you can. Just tell me, please.", he begged in a voice that gave out his deepest sincerity. She looked up at him and saw it in his eyes. He immediately picked her up and held her close the moment her tears began to show. He had her head against his shoulder to cry on, his arms wrapped around her body to support her from falling to the side with the sickness keeping her maintaining balance. " Shh...shh... Cristine, it's alright. Take the time you need. I'll wait for when you are ready.", he whispered to her. One of his hands was now holding the back of her head and stroking it with his thumb.

After a short while, her cries mellowed down enough for her to speak. " Taka...", she began in a whisper," And Sumi tried to...". She stopped again when her tears start returning.

Alucard pulled away for a moment and held both sides of her face. Only a few tears were currently streaming from her face. Her eyes were looking down from him. He stroked one tear from her left cheek with his thumb." Cristine...", he whispered to get her attention," It's alright, I promise you that whatever happened to you, I will fix or at least make it easier for you. You have nothing to be afraid of, not while I'm around.".

She tilted her head to the side a little, leaning into one of his hands. " Would you like to tell me later?", he asked her. She shut her eyes for a small moment then nodded.

" Alright, I will wait for when you are ready.", he told her softly. He then kissed her head again and they just embraced each other.

___________________________

An hour and a half later...

Alucard was in the library trying to figure out what the white powder from earlier was. He'd ask Taka or Sumi, but a small part of him thought that there was something strange about them and this powder had something to do with it and it wasn't for any good intentions. He searched through the books and so far he didn't find anything.

He was leaning over the table with his hands as support while reading the pages of the books below him. He focused on every word that was written down.

He was so focused on the pages, he didn't even bother noticing the two people walking through the door. Not until he felt one of their hands on his left shoulder. He turns his head towards the person who owns that hand and saw Taka with a calm expression with his eyelids half-closed but not in the sense that meant he was tired. He looked towards his other shoulder to see if Sumi was there, and she was with the same unreadable facial expression.

" What are you two doing up this late?", he asked with his eyebrow slightly raised since it was almost midnight.

" You've been so busy lately.", Taka explained as he pushes the books aside," We thought you could use a break.".

Just when Alucard was about to grab the books, Sumi grabbed his hand by the wrist. When he looked at her, she was smiling up at him." Come now, Alucard you should relax.", Sumi tells him with a honeyed tone of voice as they both push him down the table," You deserve some quality time."

Just when Sumi leaned in to kiss him, Alucard stopped her by having one of his hands in front of his face. He then gently pushed her face away and gave them a serious look as he stood up. He said," I would prefer it if neither of you attempted that."

Taka then held Alucard's chin with his thumb and index finger, turning the dhampir's head in his direction. He contained the same smile as Sumi's was before." Come now, you've done so much for us. You should be rewarded.", he said before Alucard tugged his face away from Taka's hand.

" You can do that without being physical with me.", Alucard sternly stated as he walked to the other side of the table, picking up the books that Taka pushed away with no care.

" Besides, you two have each other. You can be physical all you want. Just leave me out of it.", he then added as he stood up and was about to walk to the door.

The two looked at each other with confusion then back to Alucard." Where are you going?", Taka asked Alucard, who was just about to exit the room.

" To room where I can research in peace.", he responded, not referring to his bedroom. He figured that they would possibly try again there.

" Why? What's your problem?", Sumi added to the questions. Sighing in annoyance, Alucard turned his head towards them with a half angry and half bored look on his face.

" My friend is sick and has become paranoid for almost a week now, for reasons she refused to tell. She hasn't gotten any better. I am trying to figure it out before she likely dies. So what the Hell do think my problem is?!", he ranted at them. His nails became sharper, his golden eyes began to dimly glow, he was getting angry. Which was something he normally wouldn't do. It would have almost been strange for anyone who knew him well.

" Why help her if she refuses to let you?", Sumi questioned. Alucard rolled his eyes and tapped the book with his fingers, visibly showing that he was getting impatient.

" Why waste time for someone like that?", Taka then added; resulting in Alucard becoming more impatient with them," It's not like you love her--"

" Yes, I do!", he thundered, silencing Taka before he could say more. Both Taka and Sumi looked at him with wide eyes and in silence.

" You both heard me: I love her.", he continued his eyes still narrowing at them," More than either of you could ever imagine. More than I ever thought I could dream."

" How-- How can you?", Sumi asked him, confused by this harsher and uncalm side of him then stated," You have only known each other for about a month now."

Alucard looked away, feeling much calmer than before. His angered facial expression changed into a soft one, something he rarely showed to people.

" From what I learned from all this time", he began in a softer tone before turning back to the two with a more stern look on his face," is that days in isolation will feel like years to anybody. That's how Taka.". He then left them both in silence, not even telling them a good night, not like they deserved one after what they tried to do......and what they could have done.

___________________________

Alucard paced to Cristine's bedroom, wanting to be close by her and to research quietly.

Christine wakes up from her deep slumber once she heard the door open. She squinted her eyes from how tired she was and how the moonlight coming from the window was bright enough to light the room. Even though her vision was blurry, she still recognized the person at her door.

" Adrien?", she groaned as she used her arm for support to lift herself," What is wrong?"

" Nothing", he answered as he entered the room and shut the door. He then walked over to the other side of her bed and placed the books on the side table. Cristine's head followed his direction to see what he was doing.

" I just wanted to avoid our two guests.", he then finished as he walked towards the chair and sat down. He looked out the window with the same annoyance he had before, not directed at her. He had his arms crossed as he leaned back on the chair and deeply sighed.

" What happened?", she asked him, tilting her head a little.

He didn't answer her, at least not at that minute. Remained silent for the time being. After shutting his eye along with a much calmer sigh, he turned to her and opened his eyes as he responded with," Best not to worry about it, Cristine. I promise you that it is nothing. Just rest your head, you need your rest."

Although she doubted his response, she still nodded and laid back down to sleep, trusting his words as she often did. She laid her head on her pillow then closed her eyes, falling back to her dreamless sleep almost instantly.

Alucard then turned away from her, staring back out the window. But as he did, couldn't help but think about turning back her direction, to look at her sleeping form at least once. He tried to think of something else since would have been wrong to look at her while she slept.

His eyes then led his direction back to her, feeling that there was no harm doing it once. His usually emotionless facial expression practically vanished and turned into one with awe. He couldn't help but stare at the small yet peacefully sleeping woman in the bed.

The small moonlight shined on her snowy pale skin making it practically glow, her long lashes touched her rosy cheeks, her soft; long dark auburn hair draped over half her body. She looked as innocent as a child while she slept. He couldn't help but think of this," So beautiful, so pure". With the desire to touch her, he carefully got off the chair and quietly walked over towards her. He knelt in front of her. He lifted his right hand while the left one rested on the knee that touched the ground. He then allowed the back of his fingers to gently stroke her cheek while also pressing a strand of hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

A small smile formed from the sleeping woman's pink lips and made his heart flutter. He couldn't help but smile at the results. He felt like could see this for hours if not days.

Shaking his head back to reality, his smile then leaves him and he turned from her again. He took one of the books he brought to the room and sat down back on the chair to look for more information on the white powder he found as a distraction.

He kept on looking for a long amount of time and found nothing so far. That was until one page caught his attention.

" Cyanide,", it was written," a very toxic white powder that has a bitter almond-like odor, but not always. It can be exposed by breathing it, drinking it, touching it, or eating it. Can be extremely deadly depending on how much is exposed. Symptoms may include dizziness, fatigue, body sores, headaches, nausea, loss of consciousness...". He stopped before even finishing the list of symptoms.

He looked towards Cristine with worry, noticing that these symptoms match hers. Remembering how strange everyone's behaviors were, he added the pieces together and realized what was going on.

" Taka and Sumi...", he muttered to himself to not wake Cristine," They are behind this... But why?". He closed the book then sets it aside. He got off his chair then walked towards the bed, looking down at Cristine with gentle sorrow. He lifted his hand and gently stroked her cheek with his knuckles, with the feeling of guilt for not seeing this sooner.

[sanderssideswriting]

Youtuber Life Chapter 4

Ships: familial sleepxiety and eventual Prinxiety

Words:???

triggers: attempted suicide mention

first  last  next

Summary: Remy Sanders is a famous beauty vlogger and just moved to LA with his teenage son Virgil after their location was leaked by fans. Remy AKA CoffeeAddiction has several million subscribers. Virgil also has a secret Drama channel, where he doesn’t show his face and uses a voice modifier. He just hit a million subs and grows more everyday because of the level of production his videos have, the mystery around who he is and the fact that he ALWAYS has the latest information regarding youtube drama.

“Welcome back to another episode of “the fuck did she say now? I have a DID drama update. I’ve been waiting awhile to gather information to do a long segment. Since she first came out about having DID which has been disproven time and time again she’s tried to make it more believable in the stupidest way possible. By reviewing Chick-Fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich, five fucking times. I watched all those videos plus others to see if she’s trying to keep up the lie. She’s really not. I swear every time I have to give her my views to tell you all what’s going on I die a little inside.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“DAD! Read the fucking sign! I’m recording!”

“Are you talking about Trisha?”

“Yes dad, now let me tell them about her.”

“She’s a total bitch! I fucking hate her!”

“WE KNOW! Damn it, now I’m going to have to edit all this out.”

“I’ve been looking into DID. And it’s actually a very interesting topic, and I encourage everyone to learn more about it. There will be links to videos and article on DID in the description. DisociaDID has not been on social media very much since all of this. I know they attempted suicide. Not because of Trisha or atleast only partly. Nin the systems host was dating someone in another system called Team Piñata who was discovered to be doing some shit I will not mention because it’ll get demonetized. I actually feel really bad for they system, it seems like they have been going through a lot recently. Now for all the OTHER shit Trisha has said and done over the past few weeks.”

Virgil edited the video and posted it, making sure to edit out the bit where his dad interrupted him and called Trisha a bitch.

Roman texted him.

Roman: You’re a meme Virgil: I’m well aware, fucking Jake Paul Roman: I thought you hated the guy, why are you fucking him? Virgil: I’m so fucking done with you

“VIRGIL!”

Virgil rolled his eyes “What?”

“I have in idea for a video get your ass down here!”

Remy was in front of the camera “K, so what if I mixed all of my eyeshadow together into one?”

“First of all Cristine did that with nail powder and polish and Safiya did that already in one of her weird make up science videos. Second, scraping the eyeshadow would kill you to watch.”

“UGH! You’re right, what else could I do?”

“A Bob Ross painting on your face. you could use only drug store products for something,”

“Bob Ross painting with drugstore shit!”

Virgil shrugged “yeah sure, you could also get lip gloss mix it together and try to make something really fucking weird, or do that with gel polish”

“I refuse to touch lip gloss, it’s fucking gross.”

“Bob ross painting not on your faces with lip gloss and other lipsticks.”

Remy nodded “thanks Virgil, you’re helping my buy it later.”

“No, people at school could see me, you can order it,”

“that’s less fun though,”

Virgil rolled his eyes “fine dad, I just need to make sure that no one can recognize me.”

He was ready pretty fast, with a light brown wig and blue contacts he also had close that where black and purple reserved for the occasion.

“Hello everyone! We are in the car today at our local Walgreens because we’re going to be buying lipstick, lip gloss and lip liner to make a Bob Ross painting!” 

“Not on your face.”

“Not on my face, fuck lip gloss.”

“I wasn’t aware that was a kink or whatever.”

Remy glared at Virgil “smartass, you can walk home.”

“Gladly, I’ll be laughing when I see you trying to film and carry everything and talk and pay the cashier. You’ll be a meme.”

“You already got memed once this week, I’ll meme you myself if I have to. Or I could turn you into an E-Girl, you did lose that bet.”

“I absolutely despise you,”

Remy laughed “no you don’t.”

“I really do, and you can’t make me e an e-girl.”

“No, but the people can, there’ll be a poll right here, vote should my intern be an e-girl for the day?”

Virgil groaned “times like these make me wish I was aborted.”

Remy laughed.

The rest of the video went ok and no one recognized Virgil.

Raccoon: I hate life Dukey: I saw, I voted yes, you’d make a wonderful e-girl hiss hiss motherfucker: so did I, suffer bitch Raccoon: you’re both traitors  hiss hiss motherfucker: at least we’re not going to be an e-girl

Virgil was pissed the whole week. “What’s up with you Dr. Gloom?” Roman asked.

“Made a bet with Remus, and lost, I’m going to commit toaster bath.”

Roman made a face “why would you make a bet with my brother? nothing good comes out of it.”

“I thought I’d win, turns out he’s totally willing to eat deodorant if it means I’ll have to dress like an e-girl for a day and make a tiktok.”

Roman laughed “I cannot wait to see you dressed as an e-girl.”

“I can, I’ll be locking myself in my room all day.”

“I’m surprised Remus didn’t say you’d have to walk around in public like that.”

“He did, but he can’t see me, so I’ll be in my room.”

Remy was in front of the camera. “Time for you to become an e-girl!”

“I’d like to say a very special fuck you to everyone who voted yes and that after this I’m going to commit toaster bath,”

“It’s one day, you’ll be fine.”

“One day in my room with the door locked and curtains closed.”

Remy laughed “oh no gurl, you’ll be going out, I suggest you make plans.”

“WHAT? That wasn’t part of the deal!”

“I thought it would go without saying you’d have to go outside.”

Virgil just glared, happy his face wasn’t in frame.

The makeover took well over an hour. when it was over he looked almost unrecognizable, thankfully.

Virgil: Hey, anyone want to hang out, my dad’s kicking me out of the house for the day says I need to be “social” whatever the means Princey: So you do need to go out as an e-girl Virgil: unfortunately, anyone free? Logan: I have to study and Patton is out at the animal shelter volunteering, Roman? Princey: I’m free, meet you at the mall? Virgil: Sure

“Dad! I’m going to hang out with Roman see you later.”

“Have fun on your date!”

“dad! It’s not a date!” He slammed the door and left.

Virgil waited in a café for Roman. He got an iced coffee as always.

Someone shoved him while he was waiting in line.

“What are you? A boy or a girl make up your mind,”

Virgil didn’t look up from his phone “gender is a spectrum and gender norms are fake and I refuse to give into toxic musicality and if you have a problem with that you can leave because I already ordered and payed for my drink and am not leaving until I get it.”

“You can’t change your chromosomes, it’.” the guy said in a feeble attempt to get back at Virgil. basic biology

“How about you stop relying on basic biology and come back when you can argue the same statement with complex biology. If you really knew anything about biology more then the basics you’d know that scientifically there are at least three genders according to chromosomes. Male, female and intersex, and that once again biology isn’t fucking basic otherwise everyone would be a biologist. I can wear a skirt if I want to.”

He grabbed his coffee and left, Roman had arrived a few minutes prior.

“Damn emo nightmare I didn’t think you’d go all out on the E-girl look.”

Virgil shrugged “go big or go home, and I was kicked out for the day so I had to go big. Dad said I needed to go outside. For some reason, no idea why. I mean last time I left the house of my own free will not for school was only six months ago.”

Roman looked at him in doubt “I’m pretty sure you’ve been outside of your own free will sooner then six months ago.”

“Outside? Yes, of my own free will? not so much. Oooh hot tpic.”

Roman laughed.

“Shut up princey, they have cool stuff, including gay stuff.”

Roman shrugged “could be gayer.”

“You’ve been in hot topic?”

Roman shrugged “a few times with Remus, he makes me go, bribing me with Disney.”

Virgil smirked “why am I not surprised you can be bribed with Disney?”

He started looking around at My Chemical Romance t-shirts and other things. He also grabbed some purple hair dye.

“Where to next princey?”

Roman shrugged “Game stop?”

“Sure,”

They hung out at the mall for awhile longer before guess what another youtuber came.

It was Safiya doing a weird makeup science vlog.

“Virgil, planning on becoming a meme again?”

Virgil rolled his eyes “no, besides Safiya’s cool, I like her make up science videos. I just hate vloggers who do shitty content and make to much money through it.”

They left shortly after going their separate ways.

“How was your date?” Remy called from the basement.

“Not a date! You made me get out the house!”

“Come down here and finish filming!”

“So, how was your day of being an e-girl?”

“Got harassed about my gender and whatnot, I fucking destroyed the idiot, that was fun.”

“And who did you hang out with?”

“I told you and again, it wasn’t a date, everyone else was busy.”

Remy looked towards the camera in doubt.

“Well I’m never doing this again, I’m going to go change.”

The video went viral when it was posted several days later.

I saw a kid at the mall dressed like an e-girl a few days ago. They got harrassed at the Starbucks.

[cristineee]

"Step-by-step Procedures on How to Cook and Prepare Dinakdakan"

By: Cristine Joy G. Acosta of 11-HUMSS-1

Naimas! An Ilocano term for delicious. I am eager to wholeheartedly share how an Ilocano cook Dinakdakan. It is an interesting Ilocano dish that is made of grilled and boiled pig parts-it works as a delicious and tasty appetizer, too! The pig's head, ears, and brains are some of the ingredients incorporated so as not to waste any part of the animal. It looks like sisig except that the ingredients in this recipe are not finely chopped. Cooking methods such as grilling and boiling are used in making this dish because it makes the preparation of the dish much simpler. Adding chili also gives it a bit of a bite, making it the perfect pork dish to eat with loads of rice.

Photo credits to panlasangpinoy.com

Dinakdakan Recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 minutes

Cooking Time - 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time - 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 6 persons

Ingredients for Dinakdakan:

1 lb. pig ears

1 lb. pig face maskara

6 ounces pig liver

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 medium red onion sliced

6 green and red chili chopped

4 tablespoons white or cane vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder optional

1 tablespoon minced ginger

3 pieces bay leaves optional

1 tablespoon whole peppercorn optional

3/4 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

 Instructions:

Step 1: Pour 6 to 8 cups of water in a cooking pot. Let boil.

Step 2: Once the water starts to boil, you have the option to add dried bay leaves and whole peppercorn. Add-in the pig ears and face. Set the heat to low and continue to boil for 50 to 60 minutes.

Step 3: Discard the water and let the excess water drip. Rub a little bit of salt all over the boiled ears and face. Rub the ginger powder on the liver.

Step 4: Heat-up the grill. Grill the ears and face for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until it turns a bit crisp, but not burnt. Grill the liver for 5 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness.

Step 5: Remove the grilled pig parts from the grill. Let it cool down and start chopping into bite-size pieces.

Step 6: Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Stir. 

Step 7: Add some ground black pepper. Continue to stir until the ingredients are well blended.

Step 8: Add the ginger, chili, onion, and garlic powder (optional). Toss.

Step 9: Add more salt if needed.

Step 10: Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve.

Share and enjoy!

[thegrandtortoise]

The Exchange Students

Chapter: 3/?

Adhira POV

Fic Summary: Hogwarts decides to create an Inter-House exchange program, and the fifth years of Slytherin House get two unexpected visitors: Enter Adhira Nazari- perceptive, nerdy, Hufflepuff, and Scorpius Malfoy- mysterious Gryffindor that’s caught the eye of Albus Potter. (Alright I’m giving up with this summary there’s like five important characters and I’m too lazy to describe them all. Basically it’s next-gen, there’s a lot of fluff and romance and lgbtq and I’ll try to make it funny okay thanks I hope you like it)

Chapter Summary: It’s fluffy and fun.

Word Count: 1940

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Spoilers (I will add more as I add chapters so keep a lookout)

A/N:   This chapter was originally going to be am angsty Scorpius POV chapter, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I give you whatever the hell this is.

(ao3 link)

(read from beginning)

Chapter 3: Adhira

            It’s been a few days since I came to Slytherin, and so far it’s been pretty good (aside from a few catfights between the third year girls and the snarky comments that come my way occasionally). It’s Saturday today. A day off, and I had set the day aside to write.

           I’m sitting on my bed, laptop open with a blank word document shining at me. My mind is as empty as my screen. Damn you, writer’s block. I’ve been hoping to get in another chapter of my story today, but it looks like it’s not happening.

           I need inspiration, I think, and open up the Internet.

           My mother told me that when she went to school, electronics didn’t work. Thank god that they do now- I don’t know what I’d do without the Internet.

           I type ‘YouTube’ into the search bar and pull my headphones out from my desk drawer. Lila is trying out a new makeup look in the bathroom and has dragged Tina with her to be her assistant. They haven’t noticed what I’ve been doing. Rose and Veronica are out, probably in the library studying and doing homework.

           I scroll through the list of recommendations, until I finally land on the thing I’m looking for: A new SimplyNailogical video. I’ve been watching her for a couple years now, and she never fails to make me laugh and give me a little push for my writing.

           I’m about halfway through the video, and I guess I laughed out loud because now Tina is standing next to me, looking at the screen curiously. I pull out my headphones and pause the video.

           “What are you watching? Is that a movie?” Tina asks, sitting beside me. Has she never heard of YouTube before?

           “Not exactly. Are you pureblood?” I ask. She nods. Well, that would explain it.

           “Um, it’s this thing called YouTube. People make videos and upload them so anyone can watch them,” I explain.

           “What’s the point of that? Are they like stories?” Tina asks.

           “No, not really. Some people make funny videos, or they rant about stuff. Other people do makeup tutorials, or they just tell people about their life. There’s all sorts of things out there.”

           Tina’s eyes light up. “So, what are you watching right now?”

           I look back at the screen. “This is SimplyNailogical. Her real name is Cristine. She makes nail art tutorials, except they’re really funny and entertaining. She swears a lot though,” I say.

           “Can I watch?”

           “Sure.” I unplug the headphones and turn up the volume. As Cristine buffs in nail powders into her nails and makes drug jokes, I hear Tina chuckling next to me.

           “This is really cool!” she says, leaning in. “Can you show me other videos?”

           Before I can answer though, Lila’s screech erupts from the bathroom.

           “Tina! What are you doing? Leave that poor girl alone and come help me with this! I need to test out this highlighter on you!”

           Tina grins. “Yo, Lila! Come here, I want to show you something cool!”

           “What could possibly be more important than Rihanna’s ‘Trophy Wife’ highlighter?”

           “Just come here, will you?”

           Lila huffs, and sets down her beauty supplies, stalking over. She looks like a ghost with her pale white face, dark drawn out eyebrows and no color on her cheeks.

           “What is it?” she asks, crossing her arms and jutting out her hip.

           “Tell her what you told me,” Tina says, elbowing me in the waist. I repeat what I said to Tina, but don’t get to finish because Lila interrupts me at “makeup tutorials”.

           “Makeup?” she says, that same hungry gleam that I had seen on the first day in her eyes. “Show me.”

           I hurriedly type “Nikkie Tutorials” into the search bar and pull up her page of uploads to show to Lila.

           “Pick one,” I say, gesturing at the screen.

           “These are all makeup looks? And this person will show me how to do it?” Lila asks skeptically, scrolling down the page of thumbnails.

           “Yep.”

           Lila scrolls through a bit more, and settles on a dark red, smoky look that would look absolutely stunning on her. She clicks on the video, and pretty much shoves Tina off the bed and pulls the laptop into her lap. She’s completely engrossed. I open my mouth to explain a little bit more, but she shushes me immediately.

           I hear the door click open, and look up to see Rose and Veronica walk in carrying their bags.

           “What’s going on?” Rose asks us, setting her stuff down on her bed and walking over to join us. Lila shushes her without even looking up. Rose looks at me and Tina questioningly.

           “Lila just discovered YouTube,” I explain quietly.

           “What’s YouTube?”

           “Rose, you pickle, I’ve already told you about this before,” Veronica says. Then she turns to me. “These purebloods, honestly.”

           I’m taken aback. “Are you not pureblood?”

           Veronica shakes her head. “Half-blood, same as you.”

           “What’s YouTube?” Rose asks me again, and Veronica sighs.

           “I’ll explain it to you, dear. I imagine Adhira’s tired of having to explain it,” Veronica offers, and I look at her gratefully as she pulls Rose aside and begins speaking quietly. I definitely like Veronica.

           A loud gasp comes from behind me, and a loud exclamation of, “I HAVE THAT PALETTE!”

           Lila jumps up from the bed (taking the laptop with her, mind you) and begins to search through her bottom dresser drawer, which I recently learned is her makeup drawer. That first night when Lila went to take a shower, Tina had pulled me aside and said, “Rule number one: Don’t touch Lila’s makeup drawer. Ever. You’ll regret it.”

           “Why? Did something happen?” I had asked.

           Tina grimaced. “It was the middle of third year. Rose had this boy she was trying to impress, so she went looking for concealer or something. Ended up in Lila’s drawer. Lila caught her in the act, and all hell broke loose. Rose couldn’t even go near Lila’s bed for two weeks without getting yelled at, or at least a nasty look. It was terrible.”

           I now have no intention of going anywhere near Lila’s dresser. She can do what she wants with her makeup.

           Lila seems to have found her eyeshadow palette, because now she’s standing back in front of the mirror, switching between watching the video and applying makeup to her eyelids. It takes another couple minutes, but soon Lila looks like she’s done with one eye, and satisfied. She comes back with the laptop, half her face made up and the other half a ghost.

           “Adhira, you are an angel,” Lila declares, handing the laptop back to me. “These videos are absolutely incredible. Are there more people like this?”

           I blush a little at her compliment. “Oh, it’s nothing. And yeah, there’s actually like this whole beauty community on YouTube, and they all have different styles of makeup looks and they do reviews of new products too. I can show you if you’d like?”

           Lila smiles widely. “Well, I’m going to finish this makeup look first and perhaps take a couple photos, but perhaps later tonight? You’re such a darling!” Then she bounces back to the bathroom and continues on to her other eye.

           “Look at you, already on Miss Kim’s good side and not even a week in. Quite an achievement, I have to say,” Tina remarks, clapping a little. “So, are you going to show me some other videos or what?”

           A couple hours later and the five of us have settled onto the floor, lying down around my laptop watching Dan and Phil play games.

           “They’re so cute! Are they dating?” Rose asks, leaning on her elbows. I laugh. She would fit in perfectly with the online fan base.

           “Well, not officially but lots of fans think they are. A lot of people ship them,” I answer.

           “What’s shipping?”

Me and Veronica exchange knowing looks and laugh a little more. Perhaps we should keep shipping a secret for now.

           “…Let’s not get into that right now.”

           “Oh. Okay.” Rose says, turning her attention back to the screen. I’m surprised by her complacency, but I don’t question it. Rule number two: Don’t question Rose.

           Phil closes the video by putting his hand over the camera lens and the screen goes black.

           “Do you guys want to watch more?” I ask. I usually don’t watch more than two or three videos per day- mostly just the new uploads from the channels I’m subscribed to, but today we’ve watched about fifteen already.

           “Yes!” comes the unanimous answer, and I smile and shake my head. They were going to be addicted for a couple weeks now. Oh well, what can you do?

           “Can we watch another makeup video?” Lila asks and the rest of us groan.

           “We’ve already watched three, Lila! Can’t you give it a break?” Veronica moans. “Here, give the laptop to me, Adhira, I want to show you something.”

           I push the laptop towards Veronica and watch as she types something into the search bar.

           “What are you guys doing?”

           I snap my head up to look at the open doorway where Kaito and Matt are standing, their eyebrows furrowed. I immediately sit up on my knees and pull my headscarf tighter. It’s become a habit now, adjusting my headscarf whenever there were boys in the vicinity.

           “Hey, guys,” Tina greets.

           “Adhira’s shown us the YouTube,” Rose answers, without looking up.

           Veronica snickers. “’The YouTube.’ Rose, you popsicle stick, it’s just YouTube, not ‘the YouTube,’” she corrects. I’m really starting to enjoy her creative name calling.

           “What could possibly be so interesting that Veronica’s put down her book?” Kaito asks, leaning against the door and raising a brow. I look over at Veronica and yes, she has in fact abandoned her book. She must like YouTube a lot. She finishes typing in her search, clicks around a little bit, and turns the laptop around so Kaito and Matt can see.

           “This.”

           Another hour has passed. Matt and Kaito have joined us, as well as the other boys. Veronica introduced us to animation YouTube (we binged through five Domics videos), moved on through gaming (I thought the boys might like this better, though they’re a little too screechy for me), had a brief interval with Dude Perfect which Sebastian seemed to enjoy, and now we are in the middle of a mind-twisty video by KickthePJ.

           “How did we not know about these before?” Matt asks, putting his chin in his hand. “These are so cool.”

           “Y’all are just hella oblivious,” I say, and immediately realize how weird that sounded coming out of my mouth, because everyone turns to stare at me. “Sorry, sometimes my American slang comes out of nowhere,” I say quickly.

           Matt just smiles his super-cute, Charming TM smile and shakes his head a little bit, turning his attention back to the screen.

           “That was an experience,” Tina murmurs, wiggling her brows, still watching the screen.

           “What other surprises does our little Adhira have in store for us?” Sebastian wonders aloud, and I can’t help but giggle.

           I hadn’t had a lot of friends back in Hufflepuff. They were all put off by my quietness and my reserved demeanor. But here, looking around at my new housemates all enthralled by a video playing on a screen, I can’t help but feel that I’ve come to the right place. That I’ve come home.

           The PJ video finishes, and the room is silent for a moment.

           And then: “Can we watch a makeup video?”

           “Lila, you spork.”

[hopefuldreamerpatrol]

ABOUT JAX

Seven is an enigma. A motorcycle club princess. The daughter of a notorious gangster. The best friend of the deputy mayor. A coffee shop owner. The single mom of two young, adopted children. She’s colorful, in every way possible—from her attitude to her piercings and bright pink hair—and she’s a woman on a mission with the power to help broker a clean break between a powerful motorcycle club and a South American drug cartel. But not all players are ready for the game to change, including the ones she can’t see like the CIA.

Jax Michaelson has a bad attitude and a good shot. The former Navy SEAL has been on Titan’s problem list for running his mouth since the day he showed up for work, but he does a hell of a job, and they’d never let him go. Call him cocky, that’s fine, because then you’d have to admit he’s the best at anything and everything—except diplomacy.

When Titan is forced into the seedy drug world filled with cartel glitz and Harley-riding MCs, Seven and her family become an unexpected bargaining chip right after she and Jax find a way to stand each other—in bed.

Will friends become lovers? Or are they too far gone to be opposites that attract? Is Jax nothing but a bad boy who leaves her hoping for a military hero when the burden of living as Mayhem royalty backfires and her children disappear.

JAX is a standalone romantic suspense novel by New York Times bestselling author Cristin Harber. It features characters from the Titan, Delta, and Only series, but readers do not have to have read those books to enjoy this one. There’s a guaranteed happily ever after and no cliffhanger! Enjoy!

Get your hands on JAX now!

Amazon / iBooks / B&N / Kobo

Add JAX to Goodreads!

EXCERPT

Jax opened the door, and it jangled with old country-store bells. Inside, the coffee shop was filled with lively decorations and signs, mismatched chairs, and tables combined with clashing coffee cups, glasses, and absurd plates and bowls, partnering with seamless effort. He liked it.

Where was Seven sitting? He scanned the tables, and the Sunday crowd fit no set rule. A young couple with a baby sat in their Sunday best next to a guy who Jax was sure was a Mayhem gang member and his old lady. Tables were filled with every spectrum in between, but Jax didn’t see Seven.

“Hey, you.”

Jax pivoted, surprised to see her behind the counter. “I didn’t expect you so fast.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’re working?”

Truth was, he had no idea what Seven did for a living. Why hadn’t he asked that before? All he knew of her were smiles and attitude, and that had been enough for him. Maybe not enough for her, and that was why he’d gone home alone. But he would’ve pegged her as… well, hell.

If he’d never spoken to her before and just saw her across the room, Jax would have wagered that Seven would make a terrific art teacher. But knowing the full power of her sass and spark, he could see her as a litigator. Though she would have been fresh out of law school, and he wondered how many law firms in Iowa would hire a magenta-haired, obviously pierced new attorney. But seeing as her best friend was the deputy mayor and her affiliation with Mayhem would likely bring in many clients, maybe she would have been a hot commodity.

He was positive law school hadn’t been her calling, especially as she slung a hand towel off her shoulder, mopped the counter, then meticulously folded the towel, avoiding eye contact. “The coffee and crumpets aren’t going to make themselves.”

Had he embarrassed her by questioning where she worked? Damn it. “This place reminds me of you.” In addition to the décor, the coffee house smelled like sugar and caffeine. Both were intoxicating like her—vibrant and exciting. He inspected the pastries and muffins behind the glass then turned back to her at the counter. Even the cash register was colorful.

“How do you like your coffee?” She finally met his gaze when she put her hands over the hand towel, pressing it to the counter, and, maybe nervously, awaited his walk back. “It’s on the house.”

Coffee normally would sound great, but the flare of the hangover he would never admit to made him hesitate. “How about…” What sounded good when he would rather be asleep? Jax ran a hand over his chin, thinking something cold and with sugar would help the small headache and lack of sleep.

“Or not,” she said, studying him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.” That he planned on sharing, that is.

“Oh, you feel like crap, don’t you?” She turned from the counter toward a blender. “I have a hangover cure.”

Jax pulled his poker face on. “I didn’t say I have a hangover.”

“Oh, you do, Jaxxy, my dear.” Playfully, she spun. “I have a killer smoothie that’ll cure what ails you, whatever that is.” Seven paused, casting a quick glance over her shoulder. “But you have to trust me. The color of it alone will be enough to trigger your gag reflex.”

“No, thanks.”

Seven tossed an amused look over her shoulder, challenging him to say no again, but she did seem to pick up on his thanks. “You’re most welcome. ‘Cause I’m still making it.”

Surrendering, he half-grinned. “On one condition.”

“Sure.” But that didn’t slow her down any as she scooped powders and poured liquids into the blender. “And what’s that?”

“Never say Jaxxy again.” He waggled his brows. “Deal?”

The corners of her eyes crinkled. “Deal, so long as you drink the whole thing.”

He shook his head, eyeballing the green goopy mess in the blender. “Really. I’m good.”

“This is for me, Jaxxy. I don’t want to hear you bitch and moan while I have to talk to you.”

The corners of his lips quirked, denying his ability to negotiate. “Sounds selfish, princess.”

“You bet your ass, when I have to be.” She played with her tongue stud for a second, turned back around, and flipped on the blender. “Since you don’t have a hangover, I’ll just put this baby on high.” She turned the blender on to a louder mode. “Did you say something, Jaxxy? I can’t hear you.”

Standing with an empty cup in her hand and a blender on high, Seven waited casually. He forced nonchalance as the blender ran out of things to crush and simply whirled and whined. Jax’s head throbbed. Really, the girl knew how to torque the hell out of him. Standing there, hand on one hip, glass in the other, torturing him, she was hot as hell. Pin-up girl material. Pouty lips and a come-at-me attitude.

“I’ll drink the whole thing for you, babe.”

About Cristin Harber

Cristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes sexy, steamy romantic suspense and military romance. Readers voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.

Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Team Titan Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

    FOLLOW ME :… @tfaulc (click links below)

      {EXCERPT REVEAL} JAX by Cristin Harber – @CristinHarber @inkslingerpr

[a2thefilmperspective]

Task T: Evaluation

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MY SHORT FILM AND LINK TO FOCAL FILMS

Micro Technical Analysis

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Extreme Close Up and Close Ups

Extreme close-ups and Closes ups are used to show things in extreme detail. These types of shots I used in the film are either slow and fast paced since they are only there to highlight key scenes. I wanted to create a sense of intimacy between the characters and the audience in order for the audience to relate to the characters in the film. I wanted to include extreme close-ups to add variety and because they are visually intriguing, especially with the soft focus of certain areas and the use of shallow depth of field that such a close-up shot creates for the background of the shots. This shallow depth of field makes the focus of the shot even more distinctive and clear. 

LINK TO FOCAL FILMS

Here are examples of extreme close-ups and close-up shots in Fincher’s films: Gone Girl and Fight Club. By having such an extreme close-up, the audience is able to see every detail of the character’s face/emotions and what is surrounding them. It shows how it is the focal point of the scene and emphasises its importance. 

Medium Close-ups

A medium close up allows for the person in the shot to be clear, however, it also allows for the background to be shown. This gives the audience some context as to where the character is, and also makes the shot less dominant and the subject of the shot becomes less explicit. By this, if you have a close up of someone frowning, it creates a mood of loneliness, but this as a medium shot makes the mood less obvious. I used this shot type a few times throughout my short film as it allows the audience to see the protagonists and their expressions, without using an excessive amount of close-ups, which can make the film look repetitive and might disinterest the audience.  

LINK TO FOCAL FILMS

Medium close-ups allow the audience to see the detail of the characters face and expressions, while at the same time being able to see the surroundings that they are in. It is also a good shot type to use when using ‘rule of thirds’ to frame the shot. This shot type is used in Gone Girl to show the audience where the characters are in each scene and highlight what is going on as well as the audience being able to witness their emotions. 

- For the cinematography in my short film, I decided to keep the shots as aesthetically pleasing as possible, but at the same time really attract the audience to what emotions, expressions and events that are happening at the time of watching. I’ve incorporated a lot of Fincher’s style of directing a scene, as he doesn’t particularly shoot a scene with hand held. This is why I only shot a scene or two using hand held effect. Most of the footage was shot using a tripod to attain a stabilised footage.

MISE-EN-SCENE

In regards to the mise-en-scene used in my film, I’ve heavily relied on making sure it is aesthetically pleasing when shot. The use of candles scattered around the table helped in creating the natural bokeh effect in some shots since the lighting is reflecting in the camera. It also enhanced the footage to look more visually dramatic, since the use of childhood photos connotes innocence and purity. There are also subtle hints in the props used, such as the poison pills scattered near the photos, it is a quick shot which if the audience is not paying attention, they could easily miss it.

SOUND

For my short film, I have decided to have characters exchange dialogues. This is also one of Fincher’s styles in filmmaking. He loves exposition between characters. This allowed me to set the mood between the two characters and the conversation that they are having may relate to the audience due to the topic of sisterhood and reminiscing old memories. I used a microphone to re-record the dialogue between the sisters to better my audio quality, as I want the audience to hear the conversation properly without the heavy background hiss. 

I’ve also used a soundtrack in my short film to help develop the emotions in my film further. The used of this soundtrack helped me gradually get to the climax of the scene (Camille dying) with a heavy orchestral to highlight her death and the emotions behind it. 

EDITING

My short film includes the use of continuity editing. The use of continuity editing allowed me to deliver the conversation between the two character smoothly, therefore achieving my goal of making the audience think that they really are having a conversation together, when in fact, the two characters are not since one of them is dead. In the first scene, Camille is shown writing and looking torn about what she’s writing. It also cuts to her in the same scene pouring herself a drink, which creates a sense of continuity so the audience is tricked into thinking that this is a linear narrative. The pouring of the drink in her mug is also one of the first scenes, which is a very important aspect of the entire short film, as it will eventually lead to her death. 

Macro Concepts

AUTEUR THEORY

My creative investigation focussed on the auteur status of David Fincher. Directors that are argued to be the auteur of their films are said to have a “distinctive style” and have “consistent” themes throughout their body of work. I, therefore, took influenced from these factors that can be argued to make Fincher the auteur of his films. However, the counter argument to auteur theory I the use of consistent collaborators. For example, Fincher has used the same cinematographer, Jeff Cronenwethi, for many of his films. This could discount him as the auteur of his films as it is not only his “personal vision” for his films. I was the only person making my film. I wrote, shot, directed and edited the film myself meaning that you could argue that I was the auteur of the film since it was my “personal vision” however this does not make me an auteur as you need a larger body of work with a larger audience reception, like David Fincher.

Narrative

The narrative of my film is non-linear which reflects two of my focal films, Gone Girl and Fight Club. When watching the film, the audience is first tricked into thinking that the characters are together in one room, when in fact, Cristine is just responding to the pre-recorded questions of her sister that she is watching on the phone she’s holding. After the reveal, the audience can navigate through the film and understand the characters and the narrative as it ends. 

The location I’ve used is limited. The whole film was shot in our house. I was sceptical about this idea because I wasn’t sure if it would be interesting enough, however, despite this, I decided to take matters into my own hand and create a very striking visual. I decided to scatter our pictures on the table and use candles and other props to attain a certain aesthetic that would fit the theme of the film.

Narrative theory

Todorov’s Theory of Equilibrium - My short film will not follow an explicit narrative but still follows some of the conventional stages. For example, at the beginning of the film, you see the protagonist writing a note and pouring herself a drink, which could imply that she’s in a content state in her life. She smiles as she drinks the contents of her mug and begins the conversation by asking: “Do you still remember that time when I punched our cousin because he was teasing you?” It opens the conversation between the sisters before Cristine (me) responds to her question and it shows the audience that the two sisters are just reminiscing old memories together. It will then show short shots of our childhood pictures together, which will illustrate the bond and intimacy between the sisters, therefore striking the audience with emotions, which they should be able to relate to. However, there is a dark turn in the film when Camille pours the powder in her drink (implied as poison) and once she drinks the contents of it, you can clearly see her slowly becoming dizzy and her breathing is slow. The sisters will continue to have a conversation, with Cristine telling her sister that she doesn’t want Camille to “leave.” Camille responds with: “Don’t worry about me, this wouldn’t hurt me at all.” Before she finally loses consciousness and dies. It will then show a close up of Cristine holding her phone looking at the same shot of Camille dying, which will show the audience that Camille has been dead all along and that Cristine was just answering the questions her sister recorded when she died. They never really had a conversation together, apart from the flashback, which is the last scene. The flashback will show Camille’s first question of: “Do you still remember that time when I punched our cousin because he was teasing you?” This could imply that she might have wanted to reach out to her sister before, but decided not to do it as the flashback ends with her saying: “Nah, you’ll be fine without me.”

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Some examples of how the course has influenced me:

One of the biggest influences from my course was learning about Section A of the second year exam which focuses on authorship. In particular, we focused on the director Stanley Kubrick, regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Not only did I take influence from his own style, for example, the use of lingering, panning, voyeuristic directorial style, but I learnt about authorship and auteur theory which intrigued me into researching the work and director David Fincher. I learnt about auteur theorists like Francois Truffaut and Andrew Sarris. This intrigued me to apply the theory to Fincher’s work and create counter arguments.

The short film sequence that I produced in the first year of the course was a totally different style as to what I did for my second year. My first film was still heavily influenced by Fincher, but the theme and genre are entirely different. My second-year film is much more intimate and dramatic compared to my first short film. What remained the same, however, is the use of one location only. In both films, I shot the entire scene inside a house. Both have that close space vibe which can become overbearing, but I think worked well in both films because it needed to have that overbearing atmosphere. Not only are my films focusing on topics such as psychological issues and depression, it also tackles intimacy and relationship between characters and their inner turmoil. 

Below are screenshots of my AS and A2 Film Coursework. It shows how much I’ve developed when shooting in close-up and extreme close-up. In my A2 coursework, you could clearly see the use of shallow depth of field. I believe this demonstrates how technically I have developed from my AS film as the use of the depth of field is much more pronounced and soft in my A2 film.

Not only that, I have also become much more confident in using colour grading my film. Back in AS, I heavily relied on getting away with using bad lighting by applying Black and White in my film. This allowed me to get the darker tones more pronounced without having to tweak the colours manually, unlike in my A2 Film Coursework where I had to find the ‘right�� colour tone that I wanted to suite my film. 

[a2thefilmperspective]

Task J: Initial Ideas

My creative investigation focuses on the director David Fincher and determining whether or not he is an auteur. In order to reflect this in my short film, I am going to take influences from his style, collaboration and themes. I will try to emulate his style to the best of my efforts, but at the same time also make my short film my own.

David Fincher is known to work across many genres ranging from drama, mystery to action/adventure. I would say drama is embedded throughout many of his films, most notably, Fight Club, Gone Girl and Panic Room.

I believe creating a dramatic short film would be best suited when creating a piece that has been influenced by the work of Fincher as his style is a lot about visuals and sound as well as his common use of unclear narrative meaning. I would like to create a short film that is influenced by his style but at the same time not copying his unique visual aesthetic that his films have. It would be experimental due to the non-linear and unconventional narrative style. Even though the narrative would be non-linear, there will still have to be a basis for the film to go from. There are many common themes across Fincher’s work. In Fight Club and Gone Girl, Fincher has psychological themes embedded within it as the film questions the mental aspects of the main characters within the film. I would like to explore this within my own short film, focusing two sisters sharing a conversation about their past experiences together and the need to keep those memories embedded in their lives and never forgotten. I also want to tackle the idea of depression and suicide.

NARRATIVE:

The film itself will follow two sisters as they have a meaningful conversation together. It will showcase photos of them as they were children to show their innocent and happy side. This will show the audience the dramatic theme and how the sisters value each other dearly as the close up (intimate shots) shows their faces as children together, smiling happily without a care in the world because they know they have each other. 

One of the protagonists of the film will be my sister, and parts of the narrative that I have developed for the film are true. For example, photographs that you will see in the scene are real, from mine and my sister’s past. It will mostly show our pictures when we were younger around the age of three to eight. This will highlight how innocent and natural those shots will be, as it focuses on the purity of children, which links to the dramatic theme. 

The location I’ve used is limited. The whole film was shot in our house. I was sceptical about this idea because I wasn’t sure if it would be interesting enough, however, despite this, I decided to take matters into my own hand and create a very striking visual. I decided to scatter our pictures on the table and use candles and other props to attain a certain aesthetic that would fit the theme of the film.

My short film will not follow an explicit narrative but still follows some of the conventional stages. For example, at the beginning of the film, you see the protagonist writing a note and pouring herself a drink, which could imply that she’s in a content state in her life. She smiles as she drinks the contents of her mug and begins the conversation by asking: “Do you still remember that time when I punched our cousin because he was teasing you?” It opens the conversation between the sisters before Cristine (me) responds to her question and it shows the audience that the two sisters are just reminiscing old memories together. It will then show short shots of our childhood pictures together, which will illustrate the bond and intimacy between the sisters, therefore striking the audience with emotions, which they should be able to relate to. However, there is a dark turn in the film when Camille pours the powder in her drink (implied as poison) and once she drinks the contents of it, you can clearly see her slowly becoming dizzy and her breathing is slow. The sisters will continue to have a conversation, with Cristine telling her sister that she doesn’t want Camille to “leave.” Camille responds with: “Don’t worry about me, this wouldn’t hurt me at all.” Before she finally loses consciousness and dies.  It will then show a close up of Cristine holding her phone looking at the same shot of Camille dying, which will show the audience that Camille has been dead all along and that Cristine was just answering the questions her sister recorded when she died. They never really had a conversation together, apart from the flashback, which is the last scene.  The flashback will show Camille’s first question of: “Do you still remember that time when I punched our cousin because he was teasing you?” This could imply that she might have wanted to reach out to her sister before, but decided not to do it as the flashback ends with her saying: “Nah, you’ll be fine without me.” 

LINK TO CREATIVE INVESTIGATION -

Narratively, my film will explore the themes of mental issue and drama, which goes well with Fight Club and Gone Girl. The unclear narrative goes well with the non-linear narrative of both Gone Girl and Fight Club as they tackle on flashbacks and memories of their characters. In Fight Club, the narrator and Tyler Durden is revealed to be one character as its twist. While in my short film, Camille is revealed to be dead even though it was shown that she was “having” a conversation with her sister. 

The links between them are also about the style. In Gone Girl, Fight Club and Panic Room, the use of colour grading is very important. In my edits of my film, I have decided to use two colour grading: Warm Tone and Cold Tone. I decided to use the Warm Tone for the conversation of the sisters and the Cold Tone for the flashback. CONVERSATION:

FLASHBACK:

THEMES:

The following themes that I will embed into my short film are present in Fincher’s own films.

Isolation

Nostalgia

The film will the sister’s looking back and talking about their past, implying how important it was for them and how much they both miss those moments together. It will be shown visually and through the mise-en-scene through the use of old photographs at various moments of the film. 

Mental Instability

The film has underlying tones of depression and mental instability. It is shown through subtle shots such as extreme close up to highly the sadness and loneliness in Camille’s face as she battles with her decision to commit suicide, which links to Fight Club and Gone Girl has both films have unstable main characters who are damaged because of personal experiences. 

STYLE:

I am very much taking influence from the style of David Fincher. Some of his auteur features include the use of steady shots, visual aesthetics, depth of field and the warm and blue tone which is very important in most of his films. 

AUTHORSHIP:

For my film authorship, it will link to style as auteurs are said to have a distinctive and unique style to their films. I very much like the cinematography within Fincher’s films and the work of Jeff Cronenweth (a common collaborator of Fincher). I am definitely going to employ his use depth of field into the film as this is an auteur feature of Fincher’s work and is something that I aesthetically like in his films. David Fincher is a director whose work means something to him and he is personally involved with all of his films; as opposed to a ‘metteur on scene’ who is making films to just make money. He is known for his meticulous style and is known for making actors repeat scenes until he is satisfied that it is captured to his taste.

LINK TO CREATIVE INVESTIGATION -

Fincher is a filmmaker who is personally heavily involved in making his craft. Fight Club and Gone Girl has been known as films which Fincher kept actors to repeat certain scenes until they achieved what he wanted. Also, Fincher’s use of colour grading in his films is very important. He has this golden/yellow/warm tone that he almost always uses in most of his films, as well as the cold/blue tone that contrasts the warm tones in his films. 

This relates to my own short film because I plan on using the same colour grading as Fincher. I want my short film to have scenes where it highlights the warm tone and gives off a very intimate vibe as well as the cold tone to contrast the intimacy of the warm tone in my film just like Fincher’s films. 

AUDIENCE:

The target audience of my film will be niche. This is because not only is it a short film, a form that is not mainstream or garners such an audience unlike blockbuster films, as well as my short film having a non-linear narrative. This is unusual for a mass audience. However, by using such a popular platform like Youtube, the audience grows due to the popularity and accessibility of it. My target audience will include people who are fans of multiple forms and genres of film, film students who research and watch short film for inspiration and people who can identify with the key themes in the film.

MESSAGES AND VALUES

Message - ‘thematic statement’ of the film (i.e. what are the filmmakers trying to communicate to the audience

The message (’thematic statement’) of the film is that despite having a close relationship with someone, no one really knows who the other person is better than that person. It highlights that no matter how much you think others are like, it might be far from who they really are and what they are going through. This shows the main character’s depression/mental instability because even her sister who she is very close to did not foresee her death even if she was hinting at it. 

This relates to Fincher’s themes of isolation in Fight Club and Gone Girl, as the main characters both faces obstacles in their life, which makes them do very questionable things. It also highlights that you don’t really know the person you might think you know, like Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, who is first presented as this happy and perfect woman.

Values - resulting ideology of the film

The relating values of the film include that anyone/everyone can go through the problems and crises. Therefore resulting in the ideology that anybody goes through problems, depression and contemplating whether or not they want to continue on living.