[Log] My life is a dark room...one big, dark, room.

[deadlyvu]

Who: Lydia Deetz deadlyvu and Open
Where: Aquares Ixen, House B-13
When: Month of June
What: Lydia's turning the basement into a dark-room, and hunting for supplies.
Warnings: None yet?



Lydia had planned for a while to adapt the basement into a dark room, but with the murders happening (and her offer to help by photographing scenes if needed) meant she was finally moving to look into it. As in, find chemicals and things she could use to develop her film, as well as the supplies for a dark-room. Glad now that she'd learned to do it herself, as none of the convenient pre-mixed blends of developing fluid and rinse were available.

Not that there was much time before the 'curfew', but Lydia was making the most of her time after school. Out on her bicycle shopping, or sending BP on errands. Definitely a month-long project.





Sorry housemates in B13, Lydia is cleaning out the last of anything Henry had left (after working with Nanami before to clear out the dangerous stuff). She's also taking down tables, and installing some long lines to hang photos from, and playing around with lighting. Sorry for the noise, but the curfew is at least giving her a lot of time to spend at home.

Comments

[nomorecowbell]

[Yeah Nanami (or her player at least) missed that.]

"But why does it need a special room?"

[deadlyvu]

"Have you seen film before?" Lydia was happy to explain, pulling over a stool and nudging one towards Nanami. "I can't really show you until I have everything I need, but once I do I'll let you watch if you want." A friendly smile, before launching into details.

"Basically the film when you get it, is in little rolls and you load those into the camera. Inside that roll is what will be negatives. Camera's work by use of light and contrast. If you ever look at a negative, it's like a really dark brown opposite-colored picture of whatever you took. It's also really small. To get actual photographs as we know from it, you need to have special chemicals and tools to help copy and reverse these images, and make them larger, and it has to be done without bright lights or the images will fade. A dark-room can be made entirely dark, although a red-light is often used as it doesn't affect things the same way."

Not entirely accurate, but hopefully accurate enough.

"Basically if I took my film, and exposed it in a normal room, it would just turn entirely white and I'd have no picture."

[nomorecowbell]

"I've seen film," Nanami said impatiently. "I've just never known how they go from that to pictures."

[deadlyvu]

"Well, if you promise to follow my directions, when I develop my pictures you can come watch and maybe help." Lydia wasn't sure--everyone was from different times and places here. "Photography was my big hobby back home."

[nomorecowbell]

"Why?" Nanami asked. "And why learn how to develop the film yourself, instead of havign someone else do it?"

[deadlyvu]

"I enjoy it." Lydia murmured, wondering a bit when Nanami asked. "Haven't you ever had a hobby before?"

[nomorecowbell]

"Mostly I tried the same hobbies that m older brother did," Nanami said. Because it meant spending more time with him and having things to talk about.

[deadlyvu]

Hmm, that could make sense to Lydia she guessed. Maybe if she had siblings she'd understand it better. "What about things that you want to do?" It was said without judgement, just curiosity.

[nomorecowbell]

"I never thought I needed it. We had parties." Mostly to show off, and to centralize the jockeying for social status at school as measured by the influence of Touga.

[deadlyvu]

Huh, honestly Lydia had thought before that Nanami might have a lot in common with Clair Brewster. Except that Nanami had always been nicer to Lydia, and less inclined to the mean-girl games... Maybe it was being on Crystallis, maybe not.

"What about here? Haven't you found anything you enjoy doing for fun here?" Lydia really wasn't trying to judge. On reflection, it was kind of sad if Nanami hadn't--had she ever bothered to form her own identity before?

[nomorecowbell]

It probably was mostly Crystallis. Nanami had grown up to fall into a certain role and here she had 'being a hero' instead of being the younger sister of the student council president and general hottie. "I was too busy learning how to be a Hero. And keeping up school," Nanami said a bit defensively.

[deadlyvu]

Lydia held up her hands placatingly. "Easy Nanami, I really was just curious." Genuine smile too, as she really didn't mean to judge. "You're still welcome to watch me when I develop my pictures. Or join me for other projects, if you wanted to." Lydia meant it.

[nomorecowbell]

"Maybe for a bit. If it's not boring." Nanami said, trying to regain some sort of social equilibrium.

[deadlyvu]

"Some of it can be. But I'll try and make sure you get to see the exciting parts." Lydia promised. She didn't personally understand why the social standing was so important.

Well, ok--maybe a little. When she thought about the times Claire just got to her, and she did stupid things like invite everyone to a Halloween party she wasn't supposed to have. That her mother insisted on making her a costume for--where Lydia would be embarrassed forever.

Okay, so she did get it a bit. Being the 'weird' kid for your interests was one thing. Being the weird kid and outcast because your mother thought you were five, was just humiliating.

[nomorecowbell]

"What are the exciting parts?" Nanami asked.

[deadlyvu]

"It's actually really kind of neat, seeing how the pictures go from being tiny sepia-colored negatives, to color photos. It takes time though, and chemicals, but I think it's really cool when you see a shot that you were worried about show up just as you wanted it to." Then there was capturing those shots in the first place. The memories made, and sometimes just the amazing way the composition could look of light and dark, scenery and empty space!

It was clear Lydia was saving herself from going on, but that she was passionate about her hobby.