101 in 1001 - Write 25 Poems (No. 21 - 25)

An unrelated picture I took of the sea/clouds

This is part 4/4 for goal 21 on my 101/1001 list:

021. Write 25 poems.


With this set of poems, this goal is complete!  You can read the first six here, the second six here, and the third eight here.

You can read the last five under the cut below↓↓↓

101 in 1001 - Mindhunter

Mindhunter

Mindhunter is a show I watched recently as part of the 101 in 1001 goal:

• 067. Watch 5 new (to you) TV series (all current episodes). 

Year: 2017

No. of Seasons: 1 (Season 2 will be released later in 2018)

No. of Episodes: 10

Cert: 18

Genre: Crime, detective, dark humour, psychological thriller

Language: English

Holden Ford, Dr. Wendy Carr and Bill Tench

Cast (main):

Jonathan Groff as Holden Ford

Holt McCallany as Bill Tench

Anna Torv as Wendy Carr

Plot:

In the late 1970s two FBI agents - street-hardened professional Bill Tench & enthusiastic but inexperienced Holden Ford - and a sociologist/psychologist/researcher Dr. Wendy Carr expand criminal science by investigating and exploring the psychology of murder. As part of the Behavioural Science Unit, the team use their encounters with killers to both build profiles of the people who commit violent crimes and to help solve current cases. 

Holden interviewing Ed Kemper, the "Coed Killer"

Overall: It was enjoyable, for the most part, and I appreciated that they based the main characters on people who were working in the field at the time (Holden is based on the FBI agent John E. Douglas and Wendy's character is inspired by psychologist and scholar Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess). The way the killers are portrayed is interesting as well. Even though they've done horrendous things and aren't shown as sympathetic or empathetic characters in any way, there is a kind of sympathy for most of them and what they've been through until that point. As Mindhunter is a show dealing with the psychology of criminals, I think it was important that the writers did that.

Best Bits:

Holden fanboying over and getting excited about meeting some of the serial killers before the interviews amuses me, especially when combined with Bill's disgust and disapproval. Also, the parallels between what happens in Holden and Bill's (and eventually Wendy's) private lives and what they encounter during the interviews/cases are also interesting. In addition to that, I like that they use music, and cars from the 70's in the show and talk about/meet fictionalised (but accurate) versions of real-life serial killers from the era and slightly before. It's very effective for world immersion.

Interview with mass murderer Richard Speck

Worst Bits:

Some of the interactions that Holden has with his girlfriend, Debbie, are superfluous to the plot and offer little to either character or plot development. In contrast to that, some of the conversations between other characters feel extremely unnatural, as they have to convey certain pieces of information or explanation of technical terms during them. Neither of those things render the show unwatchable though, and it does improve as the season progresses.

Watch It If You Like:

Serial killer-themed plotlines, detective shows, criminal psychology, behavioral science and the evolution of criminal profiling, shows based on criminal history, dark humour, the 70's.

101 in 1001 - Make a Website

A screen of the site

The above is a screencap of my shiny new site, which I made for the 101 in 1001 goal:

• 012. Make a website.

My site can now be found here:

The Paracosm

Honestly, I thought I might fail this goal, as I've been putting it off for ages. It's done now though and I'm so glad it's off the list! Feel free to stop by and say hello~♥

101 in 1001 - Monochrome Memories

Monochrome Memories

From the old stage plays to films to dolls and everything in between, Pierrot is a character for whom I have a fondness. Of course, I like some interpretations much more than others, but I have an attachment to and sympathy for the character in general. With that in mind, I decided to draw a version of him for my 101 in 1001 goal:

• 032. Finish 10 digital paintings

Drawing clothing is not my strong suit, but his face came out quite well, so I don't mind this one so much.

Details:

Face close-up

Harlequin mask detail

Columbine / aquilegia flower detail

Four down, six to go!

101 in 1001 - Agaric, The Mushroom Man

Agaric, The Mushroom Man

This is Agaric, a mushroom man of many eyes and tiny frame. I drew him as a character design at the end of last month, but I'm including him in the goal:

• 032. Finish 10 digital paintings

Originally, I wasn't going to give him clothing (since he's a mushroom!) and he looked like this:

Natural Agaric

But I decided he looked a bit plain without some form of covering, so he evolved into the finished design instead.

Three done, seven to go!

101 in 1001 - Serious Curls

Serious Curls

This is a digital painting I did in January, but somehow forgot to post until now! It's for the goal:

032. Finish 10 digital paintings. 

There's a lot wrong with it - e.g. her ears are very messy because I forgot to blend them - but it's not so bad.

So that's two down and eight to go!

101 in 1001 - Grow 5 Types of Fruit & Vegetables

Seed packets

Above are some seeds that I got for number 14 on the 101 in 1001 list:

014. Plant and grow 5 types of fruit & vegetables.

Spring onions, spinach, kale and kalettes

I planted them yesterday, so it will be a little while before I find out whether or not they're growing. If they don't, I have some seeds leftover, so I can amend my growing technique and try again.

Peas

Kale & kalettes

Last week, I also planted two shallots, as they had already started sprouting in the vegetable cupboard!

Shallot in the back garden

Shallot in the front garden

One was planted in my front garden and the other in a pot in my back garden. I'm not sure which way is best, but both of them have grown a lot since being planted, are now headed straight up instead of to the side, and seem to be doing well (the front garden shallot was bigger to start with).

Shallot growing in front garden

As I had an avocado seed I looked up how to grow them. It seems that the best way to germinate them is in water, with the root side down and the sprouting side facing upwards. The water should only cover the very bottom of the seed and needs to be changed every 2 days. Apparently avocados take 3-6 weeks to start showing any signs of growth, so we'll see what happens!

Avocado seed "planted" in water

I also grow potatoes, apples, strawberries and blackberries, but I'm not including those in this goal because I started doing that a long time before I began the list.

101 in 1001: Watch 20 Short Films (1-10)

Over the past few months I've been watching lots of films that are under 40 minutes long for the 101 in 1001 goal:

• 069. Watch 20 short films.

My watching choices were decided by keyword searches, intriguing looking thumbnails, random related finds, and just arbitrarily choosing things on a whim. Hopefully that means that I haven't ended up with twenty films that are all the same. Thanks goes to my friend Kei for linking me to the My French Film Festival site, where I watched all of the French shorts. And with that, in no particular order, here are the first ten films:

Short film 'Teaspoon'

Title: Teaspoon (2015)

Director: Aban Bharucha Deohans

Language: Hindi

Genre: Family drama, drama

Runtime: 20 minutes

Plot: Kavita, husband Rajiv and his father, live together in an apartment. Kavita works from home as a cosmetics company representative and takes care of Rajiv's elderly, disabled father, whilst Rajiv travels a lot for his work. Due to her father-in-law, Kavita can rarely leave the house, as he cannot be left alone. When her father-in-law wants something, he has a habit of frequently tapping a teaspoon loudly, even if it's often just to complain or to have attention, rather than because actually needing anything. He never does it when Rajiv is home, and so Kavita's husband cannot understand her frustration.  Due to this, the couple have an argument over dinner one night, which leads the story to take a darker turn.

Thoughts: This is very much a story about the way in which stress, lack of understanding, feeling powerless/trapped, and isolation can lead someone to do something completely out of their nature, which they ultimately regret/feel guilty over. The characters and their relationships were well-developed, the plot made sense and it had a conclusion that was sad, but somehow inevitable. The acting was a little shaky/melodramatic at times, but overall it was a good film.

Short film 'Nu'

Title: Nu [Now] (2003)

Director: Simon Staho

Language: Swedish

Genre: Drama, experimental

Runtime: 29 minutes

Plot: A man and a woman meet in early 1960's and marry due to societal expectations. They have genuine affection for one another, but don't know how to interact, neither emotionally nor sexually, and they grow distant, even after having a child together. The husband meets another man and the two begin an affair. The wife is distraught, leading to distressing consequences.

Thoughts: The film is largely without dialogue, switches between the present (when they are much older) and the past, and has some experimental scenes. However, the plot is still very easy to understand and the film manages to convey emotion and interactions, even without dialogue. The acting is fairly solid and the cinematography is beautiful.

Short animation, 'World of Tomorrow'

Title: World of Tomorrow (2015)

Director: Don Hertzfeldt

Language: English

Genre: Sci-fi, drama, comedy, animation

Runtime: 17 minutes

Plot: A little girl is taken to her distant future, where a clone of herself gives her a tour of the "wonders" and technology of the time.

Thoughts: The animation style and Emily Prime's way of thinking/talking is simplistic, but effective. It contrasts well with the somewhat disturbing future world, being presented to a child not fully comprehending what is happening. The main character's voice actor was the director's four-year-old niece, who he recorded whilst she was playing, and built into the storyline. This means the dialogue is really natural and her responses to questions are exactly how a child that age would react. It brings comedy to an otherwise bleak view of things, which is very enjoyable.

'Belle à croquer', short film

Title: Belle à croquer [Delectable You] (2015)

Director: Axel Courtière

Language: French

Genre: Romance, comedy, surreal

Runtime: 15 minutes

Plot: Oscar Mongoût (play on words of "mon goût", French for "my taste") a gourmet cannibal, falls in love with his neighbour, Melle Carotte (Miss Carrot). However, when he finds out that she is a vegetarian, he becomes distressed as he has a phobia of vegetables. Miss Carrotte invites Oscar over for dinner one evening, and things take a dramatic turn.

Thoughts: The colourful cinematography and whimsical set design/costuming in this film are absolutely gorgeous! I suits the mood of the film well - bizarre, funny and quirky. Also, here is very little dialogue, but the feelings of the characters are made evident through facial expression, body language, and even use of music. It reminded me somewhat of old silent movies, but brought into glorious technicolour. Some of the themes in the film (semi-stalking, murder, cannibalism etc.) are actually quite dark, but the whole thing somehow manages to stay light-hearted and amusing.

'Ettertanke', short film

Title: Ettertanke [Afterthought] (20??)

Director: Axel Courtière

Language: Norwegian

Genre: Family drama, drama

Runtime: 7 minutes

Plot: Thomas struggles to reach out to his father, and to let go of a time long gone.

Thoughts: This is a very short film, but it manages to tell a fairly interesting story during that time. The pacing can seem a little slow at first, but it was necessary for character / situation establishing. For much of this film, it seems like Thomas is simply a discontent young man having problems with his family. However, during the last few minutes the truth is revealed and it completely changes all the scenes that have preceded it. 

'Uncanny Valley' short

Title: Uncanny Valley (2015)

Director: Federico Heller

Language: English

Genre: Sci-fi, dystopian

Runtime: 9 minutes

Plot: "In the slums of the future, virtual reality junkies satisfy their violent impulses in online entertainment. An expert player discovers that the line between games and reality is starting to fade away." (3DAR's Vimeo)

Thoughts: The documentary style interviews with the players are a clever way of exploring the problems with the future society and each person's motivations for entering the virtual world, without overtly including it the film. The idea of blurring the lines between reality and the games is done very well, as at the end you're left unsure which people/characters really existed and which were simply virtual constructs. The soundtrack sounded very much like an action game soundtrack in places, which also helped to set the mood of explored ideas.

Short film, 'Planet ∞'

Title: Planet ∞ (2017) [Alt. title: Planet Infinity]

Director: Momoko Seto

Language: N/A

Genre: Sci-fi, virtual reality, animation

Runtime: 7 minutes

Plot: "In a world in ruins, only fungi and mold grow among gigantic carcasses of dried-out insects. A meteorological change takes place as rain irrigates the barren planet, progressively flooding it. A new ecosystem grows in the water, in which giant carnivorous tadpoles thrive."

Thoughts: This was an interesting film to watch/experience. Throughout the various futuristic and fantastic environments you're able to move the camera around 360 degrees, enabling you to look at/focus on whatever you wish throughout. From giant fungi to ladybird rain to giant sea monsters, it's a fascinating world to explore and no two times watching it are the same.

'Ámame por siempre' short

Title: Please Love Me Forever (2016) 

Director: Holy Fatma

Language: French

Genre: Romance, fantasy, horror

Runtime: 27 minutes

Plot: Lili, a 14-year-old albino girl, lives alone with her mother Claudie, who keeps her from the outside world under the guise of protecting her (from the sun and other people). Claudie is image-obsessed and replaces the aging parts of her face frequently, in her operating lab. Lili is forbidden from leaving the house, but manages to befriend her neighbour Lyesse. Lili dreams of being with Lyesse forever, but her intense love scares him and he rejects her. Isolated from the world, with only her mother's twisted worldview to guide her, Lili's devastation over the rejection leads her to take drastic measures to find out why Lysse doesn't love her...

Thoughts: The visuals in this film are enchanting and it looks quite beautiful. It's a horror with a fairytale-esque feel and some touches of body horror thrown in for good measure. But it isn't overly graphic and really it's a story about a girl who just wants to be loved. Lysse is only 16, which explains his less than subtle reaction to Lili's confession. Also, he tries to be her friend at first, even when he sees some very odd things at her house, and doesn't intentionally hurt her. So he didn't deserve what happened to him at all. Despite what Lili ends up doing, I felt bad for her too, because she genuinely doesn't understand that what she's doing is wrong until it's too late. 

Controller short

Title: Controller (控制者) (2012) 

Director: Saman Kesh

Language: Chinese (Mandarin)

Genre: Sci-fi, action, romance

Runtime: 8 minutes

Plot: A girl that can control everything, perpetrates her own rescue by taking control of her boyfriend.

Thoughts: The plot was intriguing and action scenes and soundtrack were entertaining and I liked the ending. Also, the flashbacks of her relationship with her boyfriend were important for character building and to help the audience to care about the two of them, so I can understand why so many of them were included. However, whilst I realise that the film was only 8 minutes long, it would have been nice to have more information about why the girl was able to control everything in the first place. Apparently this short is being made into a full-length movie, so hopefully there will be more details and explanations in that. It was still an enjoyable watch though!

Short film 'The Birch'

Title: The Birch (2016) 

Director: Ben Franklin, Anthony Melton

Language: English

Genre: Horror, folk horror

Runtime: 5 minutes

Plot: "A bullied schoolboy takes drastic measures against his tormentor, summoning an ancient being in the woods using a spellbound book passed down through the generations of his family."

Thoughts: I adored the sound and effects/creature design in this short! Both were used sparingly throughout, but brought to the forefront of the film for the ending. This made it a great horror short that told a creepy story with both limited time and sparse dialogue.

And that concludes this section of the short film posts; I'll post the last 10 very soon!

101 in 1001 - Food Foraging: Dryads Saddle

Dryads Saddle (Polyporus squamosus)

Whilst out for a walk this afternoon, I came across some fungi growing on a tree stump. As it was Dryads Saddle (Polyporus squamosus), decided to take a small amount of it to make something for the 101 in 1001 goal:

091. Go foraging and make something with the resulting finds.

I found it growing on a tree that had fallen across a stream in the area below (forgot to take a photo of it from far away):

Stream

Me (left) walking along the river path

There were countless insects - especially bees, beetles, hoverflies and butterflies (orange tips, commas, peacocks, and holly blues) - and the trees were ringing with all kinds of birds/birdsong. It was so beautiful and peaceful. 

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album)

Peacock Butterfly (Inachis io)

I also spotted a buzzard in the sky, being chased off by a carrion crow several times, as it was circling above.

Crow (Corvus corone) and Buzzard (Buteo buteo):
After a swooping crow attack

After collecting some Dryads Saddle and returning home, I then had to decide what to do with it.

Dryads Saddle, looking like pizza slices

As I was preparing them for other people as well as myself, I decided to make something with a somewhat stronger flavour than the traditional "fried in butter and lemon" recipe. I opted for something  similar to a vegan tagine in the end:

Using the Dryads Saddle

Truthfully, these mushrooms are quite chewy when picked at the age (a little older) these were, but the flavour of them really came through and complimented the dish. Whilst I don't think I'd eat these regularly, I'm glad I tried them!

101 in 1001 - Finish 5 video games: Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends

Dynasty Warriors : Xtreme Legends 

Let me start this post by giving an obligatory apology for any ridiculous babbling that might occur here. However, despite the subject - Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends [Japan: 真・三國無双7 猛将伝 / Shin Sangoku Musou 7 Moushouden] (and the related games/ game franchises) - being a hack 'n' slash, highly dramatic & (at times) ridiculous "trash" game, I absolutely love it, so I'm not really sorry! Also, it's going to be my thoughts about the game, rather than a proper review, just so you know what to expect.

Sima Yi: Describing both this post and my gameplay style

This expansion for Dynasty Warriors 8 [Japan: 真・三國無双7 /Shin Sangoku Musou 7] - I've finished both, and DW: Empires, but I'll just include Xtreme Legends - is the first game I'm counting towards my 101 in 1001 goal of:

• 046. Finish 5 video games

The game is available on PS3, PS4, PS Vita and Windows platforms, with the first three being cross-platform save/co-op compatible. I have this title on the PS4, but I've also played games in the related franchises on the PS4 and PS2 as well.

The Wei faction's leader, Cao Cao

Dynasty Warriors is set in the Three Kingdoms era of China - beginning with the end of the Han Dynasty and ending at the start of the Jin Dynasty - and features characters who are loosely based on real historical figures.

Zhang Liao (Wei / Lu Bu), Lu Bu, and Chen Gong (new character and one I really like)

The concept of the main story mode is fairly straightforward: you play through various scenarios as characters from each faction and try to unite the land. However, all the factions have different approaches to unification/ruling the land in general and this inevitably leads to conflict.

Zhuge Liang (Shu), Liu Bei (Shu), Zhao Yun (Shu), and Sun Sun Shangxiang (Wu/Shu)

Every story is from the perspective of the side you're playing as, rather than a one-dimensional view. This is interesting, as it allows you to see the reasons behind what's happened and doesn't paint anyone as a completely evil character, despite their actions.

Sima Zhao, Sima Shi and Jia Chong (Jin). Jia Chong: cold in the most Utilitarian and practical of ways

I prefer the Wei faction (and the later Jin faction that emerges out of it, which is my favourite) and don't really like playing as Shu, but every side has interesting characters and plots. Shu is an important part of the overall story, and Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and Wei Yan are some of the officers I enjoy being, so it's still fun.

(Clockwise) Wei Yan, Liu Bei, Pang Tong, Huang Zhong and an enemy commander. Hooray for Liu Bei, I guess?

In addition to Story Mode, there are also three other modes: Free Mode, Ambition Mode, and Challenge Mode. In Free Mode you can replay some stages from Story Mode and play additional unlocked stages as some of the characters, other than those who were originally available. 

Chen Gong and Diao Chan, from Lu Bu's narrative

Ambition Mode gives you the option to play as any character you want in a storyline in which your character must strive to unite Han China. 

Jia Chong (Jin) with Wang Yi (Wei) in the background

In addition to fighting battles, you also have to construct a town with various facilities, create bonds with the other officers, and forge new, improved weapons. To improve weapons, you can combine them with other weapons or upgrade them with gems you find on the battlefield.

Zhou Tai (Wu) and Zhang He (Jin) creating weapons

You're able to switch characters as often as you like in this mode, but I opted to play the first part of it as Zhang He and the second as Jia Chong. After the first half of the story, you will have to choose which officer to play as again. If you select another officer, you may not be able to select the initial character again, as most of your officers leave at this point.

Wei officer, shameless narcissist, and my long-time favourite character, Zhang He

 Of course, I thought it would be a good time to switch to Jia Chong for one battle, but then couldn't continue as Zhang He, as he never returned. Jia Chong was new in DW8 as a playable character and has become one of the characters I like the most as well, but I just prefer finishing the whole thing with same person. My wisdom is truly boundless!

Gan Ning and Ling Tong of Wu (from Story Mode); another accurate description of my gameplay choices

Lastly, in Challenge Mode you have to go through a number of challenges - Rampage, Bridge Melee, Speed Run, Arena, & Inferno - trying to beat the pre-set scores as you go. There's absolutely no story in this mode, it's just fighting enemies and trying to do better than the last time/get higher in the rankings. That may sound boring, but it's actually very entertaining.

Wang Yi (Wei): vengeance might not be hers, but at least she got the record!

Most of the battles in  the game are playable in co-op, either online or local, though there are some in Free Mode and Ambition Mode that have to be completed solo. I played the majority of DW8:XL with a friend in local co-op, which is split screen for the battles and operated by the main controller during other parts of the game.

Gan Ning and his jingling bells: making noise, and Ling Tong angry

My friend has also played the other related titles and so we had a lot of fun and were very silly about some of it, because it's just better that way! Most of our amusement was due to some of the silly/overly dramatic dialogues and because of two of the voice actors in it who have played other characters in something else (I won't mention which characters they are, but one of them is a favourite of mine in this game, and the other...isn't. haha).

Pang Tong (Shu) and Xu Shu (Shu/Wei), being sad and naïve...again

Overall, I liked DW8:XL just as much as, if not more than, the previous DW titles and still don't care that it's seen as a "trash" game by many people. It's not trash, it's melodramatically fantastic. :P If you enjoy hack 'n' slash combat combined with historical dramas, featuring some unusual characters, set in China, then play it for yourself and see! If you prefer things set in Japan, then you could play Samurai Warriors / Sengoku Musou [戦国無双] instead, as it's just as fun.

Sima Shi, because I like his half-mask & gloves and he's also a great character
(This sums up the feeling I'll have once I publish this post, too)