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Still_I_Cry

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The best lyrics I have ever heard..and read

From Mozart's Requiem

I. Introit: Requiem
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam,
ad te omnis care veniet.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.
You are praised, God, in Zion,
and homage will be paid to You in Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer,
to You all flesh will come.
Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them.
II. Kyrie
Kyrie, eleison.
Christe, eleison.
Kyrie, eleison.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
III. Sequence
1. Dies irae
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
teste David cum Sibylla.
Quantus tremor est futurus,
quando judex est venturus,
cuncta stricte discussurus!
Day of wrath, day of anger
will dissolve the world in ashes,
as foretold by David and the Sibyl.
Great trembling there will be
when the Judge descends from heaven
to examine all things closely.
2. Tuba mirum
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
per sepulcra regionum,
coget omnes ante thronum.
The trumpet will send its wondrous sound
throughout earth's sepulchres
and gather all before the throne.
Mors stupebit et natura,
cum resurget creatura,
judicanti responsura.
Liber scriptus proferetur,
in quo totum continetur,
unde mundus judicetur.
Death and nature will be astounded,
when all creation rises again,
to answer the judgement.
A book will be brought forth,
in which all will be written,
by which the world will be judged.
Judex ergo cum sedebit,
quidquid latet, apparebit,
nil inultum remanebit.
When the judge takes his place,
what is hidden will be revealed,
nothing will remain unavenged.
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
quem patronum rogaturus,
cum vix justus sit securus?
What shall a wretch like me say?
Who shall intercede for me,
when the just ones need mercy?
3. Rex tremendae
Rex tremendae majestatis,
qui salvandos savas gratis,
salve me, fons pietatis.
King of tremendous majesty,
who freely saves those worthy ones,
save me, source of mercy.
4. Recordare
Recordare, Jesu pie,
quod sum causa tuae viae;
ne me perdas illa die.

Quaerens me, sedisti lassus,
redemisti crucem passus;
tantus labor non sit cassus.

Juste judex ultionis,
donum fac remissionis
ante diem rationis.

Ingemisco, tamquam reus:
culpa rubet vultus meus;
supplicanti parce, Deus.

Qui Mariam absolvisti,
et latronem exaudisti,
mihi quoque spem dedisti.

Preces meae non sunt dignae,
sed tu, bonus, fac benigne,
ne perenni cremer igne.

Inter oves locum praesta,
Et ab haedis me sequestra,
Statuens in parte dextra.

Remember, kind Jesus,
my salvation caused your suffering;
do not forsake me on that day.

Faint and weary you have sought me,
redeemed me, suffering on the cross;
may such great effort not be in vain.

Righteous judge of vengeance,
grant me the gift of absolution
before the day of retribution.

I moan as one who is guilty:
owning my shame with a red face;
suppliant before you, Lord.

You, who absolved Mary,
and listened to the thief,
give me hope also.

My prayers are unworthy,
but, good Lord, have mercy,
and rescue me from eternal fire.

Provide me a place among the sheep,
and separate me from the goats,
guiding me to Your right hand.

5. Confutatis
Confutatis maledictis,
flammis acribus addictis,
voca me cum benedictus.

Oro supplex et acclinis,
cor contritum quasi cinis,
gere curam mei finis.

When the accused are confounded,
and doomed to flames of woe,
call me among the blessed.

I kneel with submissive heart,
my contrition is like ashes,
help me in my final condition.

6. Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa dies illa,
qua resurget ex favilla
judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus,
pie Jesu Domine,
dona eis requiem. Amen.
That day of tears and mourning,
when from the ashes shall arise,
all humanity to be judged.
Spare us by your mercy, Lord,
gentle Lord Jesus,
grant them eternal rest. Amen.
IV. Offertory
I. Domine Jesu
Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,
libera animas omnium fidelium
defunctorum de poenis inferni
et de profundo lacu.
Libera eas de ore leonis,
ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum.

Sed signifer sanctus Michael
repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam.

Quam olim Abrahae promisisti
et semini ejus.

Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
liberate the souls of the faithful,
departed from the pains of hell
and from the bottomless pit.
Deliver them from the lion's mouth,
lest hell swallow them up,
lest they fall into darkness.

Let the standard-bearer, holy Michael,
bring them into holy light.

Which was promised to Abraham
and his descendants.

2. Hostias
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine,
laudis offerimus.
Tu sucipe pro animabus illis,
quaram hodie memoriam facimus.
Fac eas, Domine,
de morte transire ad vitam,
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti
et semini ejus.
Sacrifices and prayers of praise, Lord,
we offer to You.
Receive them in behalf of those souls
we commemorate today.
And let them, Lord,
pass from death to life,
which was promised to Abraham
and his descendants.
V. Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis
peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis
peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis
peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem sempiternam.
Lamb of God, who takes away
the sins of the world,
grant them eternal rest.
Lamb of God, who takes away
the sins of the world,
Grant them eternal rest.
Lamb of God, who takes away
the sins of the world,
grant them eternal rest forever.
VI. Communion:
Lux aeterna
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
quia pius es.
Requiem aeternum dona eis, Domine,
et Lux perpetua luceat eis,
cum Sanctus tuis in aeternum,
quia pius es.
Let eternal light shine on them, Lord,
as with Your saints in eternity,
because You are merciful.
Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and let perpetual light shine on them,
as with Your saints in eternity,
because You are merciful.
30 Comments

Not a TL:DR. Hooray!

That being said, it is still kind of a work in progress. I am not sure if I am happy with the way it sounds yet. And of course, to those that do read it, I hopeat least some of you like it, just a little bit :P

---------------------------------------------------

Weary and wilted, the rose sags.

Only rose in the sunken valley,

[Reticent remorse.] No recourse. It cries

Tiny grey petals. In the morning

Harrowed dew drops drip down the stalk.

Life seeps, sticky and viscous from xylem severed,

Each day fed upon by ravenous bees.

Shuddering in the shade of a hill up high,

Shivering in the frigid breeze.

Under the gaze of the shining sun,

In full bloom, it’s siblings bend skywards,

Catch and soak up the life giving rays.

In shade, grey and darkening, the rose looks

Down upon the decaying petals it has cried, it’s legacy.

Evening creeps, still, the rose weeps.

[Night slinks down upon the valley.

The rose’s head lolls,

The stalk gives way,

The last petal falls

And lights upon the ground

In front of the other roses,

Closed and cloaked against the chill

winds. Unnoticed,

The petal is whisked away into the night

On a gently sighing breeze].

28 Comments

TL;DR.

Not much to say beyond this: If you don't feel like reading something kind of long then run away, run far away.

To those that do read it, I hope you like it, I did a lot of editing. I am trying to make it just right. I am not sure if I have reached that point yet. I may edit it more, although I don't want to over-edit. I will have to look at it tomorrow, I suppose and see if I still think it is ok. And the format got messed up..so it loses that..

Anyone know how to make paragraphs work in here ?

:)

---------------------------------------

Thump. A chasm opens.

The beast’s mouth gapes, inching towards me.

Grey eyes glisten hungrily-

Closer! Look closer!

Just a door. Calm down.

Not much more.

Thump. The darkness comes.

Ashen tendrils reach from the depths

Of corners unfathomably deep-

Twisting and twirling in the air,

Writhing along the floor.

I hide my face under the covers.

Supportive, soft, white.

My only shield,

I shall not yield!

Creeeek.

Cowering, the unborn fetus in it's mother’s womb.

I hold my shield true.

The Darkness slithers along the floor; I dare not peek.

Dust fills my mouth; I dare not speak.

Thump!

Quiet! Quiet! Why must you beat so loud?!

[Bravery. A gift of which I was not endowed.]

Escape!

The frightened deer, I make my move.

Vaulting and stumbling up the mountain, the stairs,

On my heels the shadows swallow the dull nightlights,

[Safety fleeting and shallow]

The gateway to heaven lay ahead,

I’m almost there; the safe haven awaits the frightened deer

Not a year beyond seven.

The light shimmers brightly as I

Stumble in, sputtering and shaking.

The shadows burst like bubbles at it’s touch.

Safety is here.

Greeted by a tender embrace, gentle hands

Wipe the dew off my face.

They cannot slither in here.

In here, there is no fear.

My mother, a beacon of light,

A mighty Valkyrie they dare not challenge-

Creeeek. They come [a decade gone].

I cower again. The aborted fetus. Malformed, limbs bent.

They swirl and whirl outside my shield

[A thin grey sheet, once white, so many years ago].

This time, I fear, I shall yield.

I try to

Scream out in fright.

Beg to banish the night.

A gentle hiss

Slips out into the nothingness.

A whisper, light and lisping,

Airy and vacuous,

Lights upon my ears,

“The Valkyrie’s bravery has all been spent”

Fear.

It’s grip tightens around my throat.

I pushed her away, my Valkyrie.

She withered, shriveled and was blown away.

A stifled whimper escapes my heart.

The last sigh of a drowning woman

Enveloped in a sea, viscous and grey-

Gentle laughter echoes hollowly,

A thousand tiny voices.

They know she can no longer save me.

They know.

The haven lay in ruins, the home of shadows now.

The shield,

Too weak to hold them back

Falls under relentless attack.

I beg anyone left to save me [please hear!]

But no one is there..

No one is there..

5 Comments

Short Storyish Not Prose format kinda thing. (TL;DR Warning)

Hope whoever reads gets some fun out of it. I am still trying to figure out of the ending works or if it is too abrupt. (I took the time to space out the stanzas, hope it doesn't get messed up into just a wall ): )

Edit: It got messed up into a wall D:

Edit 2: Fixed an inconsistency.

Edit 3: Fixed the wording a bit, "the infidelity" is now just, "infidelity."

I.

[A sea of deep red

Crashes upon itself in swells,

The ship is shattered,

It now floats in pieces scattered.

The few survivors

Are all out of breath,

Their lungs are stifled by salty death.]

I, I have landed on a foreign shore.

I hear desperate cries,

Gurgling softly, so softly,

As they are silenced by the crimson tides.

My last memory is hazy.

I recall the ship sailing swiftly,

Manned by my first mate [Desire].

Waves batter the shores,

Crash upon them with deafening roars.

A velvety whisper lights upon my ears,

“Here live The Many,

Be vigilant,

The Promise is not far.”

I gaze upon the sandy beach

Where grey bodies crawl

On hands and knees.

Legs fused together,

A chain winds up the beach

To a single, gargantuan post

Where a white angel stands-

A white angel?

A shimmer, glimmer,

I see only a twisted beast

Wielding a whip linked

Together with broken hearts.

The beast reaches down towards

The nearest figure,

Plucks out the heart,

It quivers and withers.

I hear only the wail

Of a thousand souls

Ending in a whisper,

“Lust, the ever present rust,

The beast that corrodes hearts

Until they turn to dust.”

Quickly to my feet I rise,

Running. Kicking up sand in

Misty clouds.

I pass the lost, wandering,

[They have lost the trail]

Their mouths sown shut so they may not wail,

From their heads, their eyes have been shorn.

“They are lost without a sense of purpose,

This is infidelity, they are cursed to wander here, forlorn.”

[Before me the path of Fidelity

Lay unhindered,

Straight and clear, made of

Golden sand finely ground.]

I travel the path, nerves trembling,

My legs shaking.

To either side,

Sunken furrows.

Within, mounds of bodies.

A single sign reads,

“Here Lie The Weak.”

From their remains failure reeks.

In each ones’ tattered grasp

Tightly gripped, a beating heart

With edges serrated,

Greedily drinking up the oozing life,

That leaks from their hands.

Hurrying along the path,

I reach the end, here stands tall

A white mountain.

Inlaid cleanly upwards with

Stairs, of the same shade of white.

I climb.

On the far end,

In a rocky crevice,

A choir of

Sirens call.

With seductive whispers

They enthrall.

[I am deaf to their song.]

Cursed, they cannot escape their prison.

For The Promise, they long.

At their feet lie carcasses

With eyes clouded and grey.

“These are the tired. Unwilling to remain vigilant,

They have been slain by that which they admired.”

Breathless, I reach the top.

The sky entwined with shades of red

Swirls in a frenzy above my head.

The voice returns-

“Steadfast have you remained,

Draw near to the heart so pure,

The Promise you so long for."

On a pedestal raised up high,

An angel looks upwards at the sky.

Through her skin, glassy and white,

I see a heart beating, unshattered and pure.

[I inch nearer, tentatively.]

Her skin twists and curls upon itself,

Dull flames eat at the curling edges.

Flesh turns to ashen nothingness.

Coldy she offers a smile,

A shiver tears down my spine.

My legs quake, I shiver, shake.

The velvety voice returns,

Now laced with malice.

The mouth a twisted caricature,

Contorts. A maggot peeks out, curious.

[Her heart blackens.]

“You have arrived at Promise’s elusive gate.

But my dear lover,

You have arrived far too late.

And now my hunger shall you sate

For repentance, it is far too late.”

[Her eyes, flaming embers

Melt away his skin,

Revealing the contrite heart within,

Revealing his hidden sin.

For Desire steered his ship askew,

Under the guise of love, pure and true.]

16 Comments

Are you better than her, or him, or them?

I was walking through the city stree- No I wasn't, I was/am sitting in a building, in a hallway, waiting for class..

You came because you wanted to see if you were better than the unnamed people in the title didn't you? I bet you did. Before you accuse me of having a misleading title, bear with me for a moment or ten.

Ever hear someone say, "Gah, such and such must have had a 3rd grade education in whatevercountryhe/sheisfrom?" Of course you have, no experience is unique. There is only the illusion of uniqueness that individuals fabricate to make themselves feel special about their lives. Anyway, I loathe when people say this. The reason I loathe this is because the individuals [two women, gruff and marble voiced, you know the type] decided the woman in charge of cleaning the staff bathroom left something where they didn't like it. Something? Yes, something. That is awfully vague you say? It is, but this "something" is of no consequence, it was minor, a detail that need not be focused on. It really was nothing, I assure you. You will have to trust me.

After grating on about how this something inconvenienced them, they stated the woman [I assume the woman was of Spanish origin, they referenced San Domingo] had a third grade education. I don't understand what makes them think this. There is likely a language barrier, maybe the accused woman is working on learning English, maybe not, maybe that should be a requirement for individuals who, in their work, interact with English speakers. I have heard many a tale of people coming to the United States, well educated in their country, and being denied jobs because their degree is not recognized in the United States. Is the degree simply not up to standards? Maybe. Another scenario: People work lowly jobs in order to fund their education, we know someone who has been there, or we have been there ourselves. What gives them the right to insult the woman, behind her back, because she may have faltered in a meager task due to a language barrier, maybe not, maybe she was lazy.

Regardless, there are scenarios that exist in which baseless insults, are not all insults baseless? Yes, if they had base, they would not be insults would they? I apologize for the redundancy in that case! There exist scenarios in which people who have not had to work to achieve their goal [work as in, work at a lowly job] who deem themselves the judges, worthy of the title because they presume they are more educated. Sometimes this is justified, now, in this scenario, I cannot say whether it is or not. I can say they do not sound educated when they do nothing but assert and rant about something that is really nothing. Such assertions are not fair to the woman and it is wrong to assume you know her level of education and her city, country, birthplace. Your knowledge is based solely on the language she speaks. It really is not knowledge though, is it? There was no gathering of information, but what can we call it? Your uneducated thoughts perhaps? There are variants of Spanish, don't you know? No, you didn't. Not you, them, they didn't know I am sure of it! Had they known, they would have been able to accurately state where the object of their frustration had come from. They say, with authority, that she is from San Domingo. Is she Dominican? I don't know, maybe she is. Not all Dominicans come from San Domingo and I doubt- No, I am sure, they had not conversed with her before spouting their refined, superior, educated statements.

Oh well. This is the world, don't you agree? Can we fix it? No. What should we do? Nothing. Yes, nothing sounds perfectly fine to me.

Anyway, this must be wearing thin. Yes, it is, too much conjecture, too much what if, not enough facts at the table for the intellectual feast. I did not offer you a place at my table though, for my table is sparse and barren, there is no feast here. I simply posit the point that I do not believe such statements are fair and they only serve to debase the one who spouts them, for it is uneducated and ignorant to do so in many situations.

Oh, look at me! Judging, presuming, asserting, I am guilty of it too!

I feel it is good to end here, no explanation will resurrect my point, my standing has crumbled to pieces, there is no rebuilding it.

Move along, you are not welcome here any longer. I do not have food for your thoughts! Please, move along.

53 Comments

God Bless America (Thoughts on the Movie, TL;DR Kinda Stuff)

"God Bless America" started out promising with an internal monologue from the anti-hero Frank. He speaks in a soft, almost defeated tone, fed up with his inconsiderate neighbors and their disregard for others. A hilarious sequence where he goes next door and shoots the neighbors and their baby follows. Exactly what I paid to see!

The story is fairly simple, a man whose life has gone to hell, sick of people being inconsiderate, decides to start killing off all the people who create, feed and live in the machine that is the American Media. That's fine, it works.

The characters start out fairly relatable and even likable, I won't discuss Frank further for fear of revealing too much and/or becoming redundant. The other main character is a seemingly normal high school girl called, "Roxy." When she is introduced she comes off as crazy, energetic and for lack of a better word..fun. From the moment she is introduced, making a snide remark to Frank and flipping him off, to shooting off a ridiculous list of people she thinks should die (this includes people that high five, wear crystals and people who like NASCAR). There is a nice connection between the two that develops as well, as Frank, estranged from his daughter, has found a new one in Roxy. It is only when Roxy becomes a spout through which the writers direct hatred towards those who are not liberal does she begin to grate on one's nerves. To be honest, I wouldn't mind a fine double edged critique of both parties, but in this film the critique is not double edged and from here it begins to slide..

It began from the part that mocked the conservative show host, to the part where a man was gunned down for "hate mongering" when he verbally attacked(rightfully) an ACLU spokesman on his TV show. It continues on with the vicious verbal attack on those who do not agree with homosexual marriage and a plethora of other conservative ideals at the hands of Roxy and the mockery of Conservatives who do not support the Healthcare Bill. All done at the hands of those who are allegedly fed up with the zombie like attitudes of Americans. In the process of this critique though, the movie evolves from good ol' fashioned satire, to one of those hated "fear mongering" ministers preaching to his mindless flock. But alas! I digress..

The effects are fine, there really aren't any besides bullet wounds and what you would expect from a movie like this.

The characters don't seem to develop much beyond their desire to kill everyone that the Average Joe wants to kill. As long as that Average Joe likes the grass on the left side of the fence more than the right in some cases. They do form a bond as the movie progresses, though that bond is highly predictable from the moment Roxy is introduced. I didn't find myself caring much about their little killing spree or thinking about how media is brainwashing the American populace or how inconsiderate people are. Nope, move along..

Furthermore, I would like to add that I have no issue when political views are satirized. When the satirization becomes offensive, as in, unnecessary and mean spirited just because it can be..(tea party members harassing an elderly man suffering from Parkinson's Disease? Come on now..) and one sided (I failed to see any skewering of liberal ideals), it comes off as just another movie shoving political jargon in my face (with a side helping of, "hey we should also throw in the murder of some people that everyone hates so the movie is not too political!"). I personally did not and do not like this.

This reminds me..I also disliked the preachy monologues by the characters on many occasions. Frank goes on a diatribe comparing American Idol to the Colosseum, which was actually somewhat funny and true but he continues on about a host of other things and it soon feels like he is simply rambling. The monologues often times did not come off as witty, intelligent or in any way funny. I felt as if the movie decided to make definitive statements about certain subjects, such as children with cell phones, while failing to actually point out the real issue. The statements felt thrown out there, as if the writers/director expected the audience to already agree with them before seeing the movie.

In the end, I can't say I found what I was looking for in this film. I came in looking for a movie mocking media, the people that can't seem to think without it and all those who annoy their fellow human beings by being inconsiderate. Instead, I got some of that (which was great when it was there) a healthy serving of how the director views Conservatives and not a whole lot else.

Summary:

Positives:

  • Funny when it is dealing with what it promised to in the trailer.
  • Does a great job at skewering pop culture when it feels like it.
  • You'll get some good laughs in..regardless of political affiliation.

Negatives:

  • Misrepresents Conservatives and their ideals.
  • Not a double edged satirization, which makes it come off as one sided and overly political.
  • Becomes hypocritical, as Roxy and Frank criticize popular bands while declaring their love for Alice Cooper.
  • Conservatives will likely feel that it favors Liberal ideals.
  • Dialogues beat certain subjects into oblivion and beyond.
  • Frank's monologues, what few there are, tend to run on too long.

In conclusion I give this movie a 3.5/5.

8 Comments

A Casualty..

I first acquired an Xbox 360 around 5 years ago, it was the nice, shiny white arcade version. We played together frequently, every day nearly, one could almost consider it a relationship. One day though, his heart stopped, around 3 years after the day we first met, he was beyond resuscitation and I buried him in a garbage bag with some of his electronic disfigured brethren, tossed him in a pail and waved goodbye. I mourned this loss, though I almost immediately replaced him with another shiny white new pal and another relationship began. I forgot about the old one, he didn't matter anyway, just another mash up of plastic and metal and electronics, confusing and impossible to understand. This new one worked perfectly, as new things are apt to do, until about 6 months ago that is, he began acting quite strange. All of a sudden, tasks that he accomplished easily before became difficult, he began to stutter annoyingly (like the puttering of a dying motor) and he became irreproachably stubborn when it came to obeying my requests. So, I put up with it, even though it became worse and worse as the months passed and finally he simply refused to acknowledge any of my requests [my commands].

I looked at the shiny black, slim, sleek models in the stores, online, imagined finally breaking down that barrier and striking up a new relationship. For some reason or another, I was hesitant to make the change, to throw that stubborn, repulsive mass out, rid my life of him. A few weeks ago, the frustration and aggravation reached a climax, as he outright refused to do anything short of glancing back at me nonchalantly with his smug little green eyes, as if to say, "you are no longer the master of me." That was it, it was it, I stormed out and picked up his replacement, it had been a long time coming. I told him and he didn't believe me. I moved all of the things of mine that he owned out, moved them in with my new, sleeker, more attractive model. I glanced at the old one, no longer looking at me with that smug glow and thought to myself, "simply removing him is not enough, no, no, he must suffer for the months of torment he poured upon me". With that, I took him out into the back, alone, a hammer concealed, and when I was satisfied with the distance from my home, I struck, and struck. The case shattered, scattered plastic in all directions, I continued hitting until he was nothing but a useless heap. Only then, was I satisfied with my work, I put him and his parts in a bag [indistinct from every other, filled with refuse]and threw him in the garbage pail.

Now, what is the point of this? Here lies the tragedy..

I had spent at least 40 hours finely crafting my Nordic warrior on Skyrim, she was perfect, agile and deadly. Now with my new relationship going well, I decided that it was time to revisit her. I started up the game, looked for her, but she was gone. She vanished, I swore I had moved her, though she was nowhere to be found. She had abandoned me, or I had abandoned her, either way, she was no longer a part of my life. To me, she was[is] dead and I miss her dearly.

[In Memory of..]

1 Comments

I suck at titling things so this is my title.(It is a TL;DR)

Tried my best. Hope whoever reads it gets some form of enjoyment, whatever it may be, out of it.

Edit : Fixed some of the typos I found. I also changed whatever was there before frayed to..well..frayed :)

Edit 2: Fixed more typos, changed a few words around.

Edit 3: Changed some more words, fixed some punctuation, tense and word errors.

The maid.

Walks me to the study, I observe,

There is nothing unique about her physique.

Stump legged, stout, plain faced, pale.

Plain.

She gurgles a common courtesy

Of which I care not to acknowledge.

With a sigh of contempt, or perhaps

Not contempt, it matters not to I.

Dismissed!

Now I, I reside on this lush armchair,

So very plump, glutted with the feathers

Of one avian creature or another.

You greedy little chair!

The stuffy study

Suffocates me with the

Odor of musty books. The shelves bursting with theology

Seem to stare, nay, glare my way. I ask of them,

“What need have I of John, Epistles or Deuteronomy?”

God does not call, or visit, or write.

Lord knows! He has my number, my address.

I see no need to talk to or visit him in turn,

Such is the way of a healthy friendship.

[Are we friends God? Answer me!]

I snort in derision. I need no God.

I am God, my own God.

The Devil quakes, I perceive. He fears me.

[What nonsense! A creation of theologians and nothing more]

A curious rattle from-

From the as of now fringed contempt,

As of soon-

An odor.

Cloying and viscous,

Heavy and sulfurous,

Assaults my senses, my very being [insidious].

The air.

Now curiously thin and

So very curiously invasive!

The vapors crawl along

My sweaty, clammy flesh.

Sentient, they seek my deepest secrets,

The darkest recesses of my intellect.

They work their way into my veins via my pores

And deviously invade my heart, my mind.

The books.

Gone, nay, replaced.

Dante’s Inferno, Milton’s Paradise Lost,

The writings of De Sade in gold embossed.

“Good day, Good day!

A satin voice rends the air,

Cheery, light,

Neatly laced in decay.

A gentleman

[Elegant in ensemble.

In custom and manner, he is well versed]

Leans casually on the ash colored door frame.

Now I, I cannot act.

Restrained upon my throne

By skeletal fingers wrapped in

Rosary beads and flayed Bishop vestments.

“Do you believe in Satan?”

Frantically, fearfully, I shake my head “No”.

“Ah, good! He was but a counterbalance. A concoction

Created by the minds of desperate theologians to explain Evil.

Those clever, clever men!

Your parents and your priests

Who professed for Me, My love for you, all of you.

Who are you, you whom I created in my visage,

[To which you disgrace me, may I add]

To speak of My intent towards you?

Humanity begs and grovels when it fits their needs,

Sing my praises when they have nothing for which to plead!

They curse me[heathens] when I sit and watch

Them, their families, swept away, crushed,

Poisoned, victimized, cancer ridden, in a hospice bed they lie.

Die.

Filthy, spoiled, transparent, self-entitled bastards!

You who mock me, you who worship me, you who

Know not if I am.

I am Who am!

Your parents, Bishops, priests, those who scorned,

Those who mocked, those who denied, those who worshipped,

They now dine at my table!

Laughing, jubilant,

With Judas, Lucifer, Hitler and Stalin.

Oh, you may ask them yourself when you arrive!”

I quiver, quake, shrilly cry.

My legs flare, reduced to ashen dust

My body-

[The maid hears the cry.

She finds only a mound of dust,

Brushes it up. Tosses it out

The open window, to be swept away by the frigid morning air.

She swore, to God no less,

That she had beheld a face in the dust as it was whisked away.

She claimed that, though I doubt, it seemed to be wailing in despair.]

16 Comments

Quarantine 2: Terminal

The structure will be as follows: First, I will discuss (or critique) the acting, then the dialogue, character development, the story/plot, the camera shots (I am not a film student nor am I versed in film techniques, just thought I'd say what I thought about a few of the shots, anyone not interested can skip the section titled "camera") and lastly, the special effects/make-up (I don't believe I am doing the artists a disservice by putting the two together).

Before I really begin, I would like to start by saying that I'm not sure if it was in the best interests of those who titled the movie to call it "Quarantine 2". This is for the following reason, the movie it is a sequel to is filmed in a style known as "found footage," so I am not sure why they thought they should stray from that style(this movie is not in the found footage style sadly) and still use the name, as the name carries the baggage of certain expectations with it.

Acting: The acting was fairly decent on all accounts, slightly above OK would be the best way to describe it. I didn't really see any instances in which the acting was so atrocious that I cringed but I also wasn't "wowed" by any of it either. That being said, the main actress did a great job, easily the best of the bunch, which isn't a bad thing seeing as she was in most of the shots. The acting on the part of the rest of the rag tag group of passengers was good enough that you could believe they were frightened, tense etc. The acting on the part of the zombies was what you'd expect from people acting like zombies. They did a good job with the grunting and the crazed behavior (I would know or rather, I should know what zombies act like, as I have seen many a teenager shuffling down the middle of the street late at night, incoherently mumbling, grunting as he/she trips up a curb, stumbling in a state of stupefication.). I would also like to address one complaint I have seen that really irked me, I believe it went something like, "Ah, the zombies used handrails! Why would you do that if you were crazed?!" Well, the handrails do offer some form of forwards propulsion, that's why us sane,uninfected individuals use them to get up stares when we are in a hurry.

Dialogue: Eh. Well, it was dialogue! It served a purpose, though primarily it was used as a vehicle to explain why the characters were moving somewhere. I have realistic views, this is a horror movie, so I wasn't going in expecting Shakespearesque soliloquies, who does that?! It was was decent, neither superb nor witty, nor was it as laughably cheesy as the dialogue found in 80's B level action movies (not that this kind of dialogue doesn't have its place!).

Character Development: As I said, it is a horror movie. This may seem like I am using it as a cop out but there are certain things one expects from horror films, especially zombie films, and superb character development is not one of those things. That is not to say it isn't welcome, but it is not the status quo as far as I am aware of. You get some of the background of the characters, you learn some things about their lives before they boarded the plane and that is about it.That being said,there is enough character exposition and development regarding the characters that you are meant to care about to make you want them to make it out alive.

Story/Plot: As one can surmise from the title, "Quarantine 2:Terminal," the story takes place in a plane/terminal. It is loosely tied to the original "Quarantine" through some passing remarks about the apartment building in LA in which the events of the first take place. Other than that the story is basically, group of rag tag people surviving something akin to human rabies/the rage virus in 28 days/weeks later. Not much else to say here other than it serves the purpose of giving the film creators an excuse to show people being killed by zombie like things. This film also has a needle scene that will make Trypanophobes (yes, I did just put that word there because I like the way it sounds), also known as those who have a fear of needles, queasy and squirm with unease.

Camera: Not much I can say here, as I mentioned in my opening I am not anything close to resembling a film student. I wanted to mention that in some scenes the director decided that cutting to thermal vision and showing it from the perspective of the character was odd. It was not so much the choice that threw me off, as it was the times it was used. In some cases it was used well, other times I found myself wondering why not just show what is happening in the dark? Perhaps the use of the "first person thermal vision" was an attempt to hearken back to the style of the original, though I feel better choices could have been made in regard to dealing with when to use it and when not to. This is a minor complaint though and highly opinion based/preferential.

Special Effects/Make-up: The make-up artists did a great job with the infected, their eyes look bulbous and bloodshot, their veins bulge due to the increased blood flow the infection causes (I guess?) and their skin looks sickeningly pale. The make-up artists also did a nice job with the face of a character who had been bitten, I found myself wincing at the mangled strands of flesh hanging off her face (though the camera doesn't linger) and blood gushing out. There were some special effects, I believe gunfire counts as such? If so, it was done fine, as were the bullet wounds, the gore and so on. Again, nothing amazing. At least one scene featured the nicely done sound of bones crunching, which is a plus.

In conclusion, this was an OK zombie film, pushed ever so slightly slightly above mediocrity by the great make-up and some decent acting. Perhaps I am being too generous in retrospect but I believe this films deserves a score of a 3.5/5.

A final thought: I honestly wish they would have stuck to the found footage style, especially seeing as one of the characters had a hand held camera with him. In my opinion, which is of course subjective, some of the scenes would have benefited greatly from an up close and personal point of view. You simply cannot beat the frantic camera movements of someone running away in fear after seeing his/her friend being dragged away by infected.

1 Comments

Narative Poem Thing, Life and Random Music

I know it isn't perfect but I'm trying :D

It was for an assignment. It could only be around 30 lines.

..

A sigh? Mine. Soft. Thick. Laced with lament.

Her favor. Lost. Stature tall. Her dress rent.

Instigator. The beast. Victorious.

Perverse guardian. [S]he is Glorious.

In all his [my] repugnancy. Breathless.

He lumbers forward club of oak [Digress]

Dress dragging along the grass. Sticky. Red.

Failed! She saunters, graceful. Quoth she, “Not dead?”

The spotted beast, colors mismatched. White skin.

Coarse fur singed off? My love? Shuddering within.

For her delicate feet, sticky palms reach.

A cloven hoof shakes the ground. [I beseech]

Spare me! She looks down. A frown. Nose upturns.

My sword [heart] lay, shattered. Can’t reach. She spurns

My intent. Kicks it away. The beast stands

Unharmed. Golden locks on the beast? In strands

They cascade down spring-like. Horns protrude now?

Fetid breath. Flowery scent. Quoth she, “How

Like you this fair knight?” Rattling breath. Death.

Claws, curved and jagged grasp my shallow breath,

Caress my flesh. She stands. I cannot run.

Gentle hands raise the club. Thy war is done

Find no peace! I. Hunter. Deceived by fair

Appearance. My last moment is despair.

[No more can the knight say, for the fair beast

Ends his life. Stops his heart. Begins its feast.]

Music Videos!

The first one is one that I saw on the Skyrim boards. I thought it was pretty amazing ( thanks BlinkyTM and MB for posting it).

I liked the Resident Evil movies (free country!) so here is the theme song from Afterlife. It is a remix of the song Outsider by A Perfect Circle. I like this video and this version better but here is the NSFW original video and song. (Under the Remix video). The Safe For Work video, as in the one without the bikini clad females, is under the original version.

So..What have you been doing?

Oh, I'm glad you asked. Well actually, if you made it down this far you have earned a medal of valor (images don't like me so you'll just have to imagine your own).

I've been busy with finals. Papers, stacks of papers. I don't mind writing papers, I really don't but when they all fall on me at once like (insert witty weight related remark) then I hate them. I guess everyone feels this way but I'm a special snowflake that you should care about so.. :)

I have been playing Skyrim quite a bit and enjoying it. I'm only level 35 and I'm about 40 hours or more in. Switched out Lydia because she was useless even as a pack mule. Bought a house and promptly decorated it as much as I possibly could because I'm manly like that.

Something odd overtook me today though, I felt like tormenting myself by shoving Battlefield 3 into my 360. Well, I wish I could survive getting slashed in the face by a knife 3 times! I really do..

I have also been playing a free to play RTS game on Google Chrome called Seven Dragons. Yeah, cool name..I know :D

Here is another song that I found cool as a reward for making it all the way to the bottom. Maybe it is more of a punishment for some..oh well!

9 Comments
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