tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60277097424265622752024-03-05T13:08:53.997-05:00Stranger DreamingOf strange dreaming, and a stranger's dreams. A place for a storyteller to tell her (true!) stories, and to talk about stories in general.Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-22012227410055860512014-11-03T16:57:00.000-05:002014-11-03T16:57:00.093-05:00Any Last Words? A Farewell PostAt last, the farewell post I've been promising (and procrastinating on) for months. Maybe I have a problem with saying goodbye. Maybe I don't like burning bridges. Or maybe I'm just lazy.<br />
<br />
At any rate, what's said is said, and it's time to finish saying it and get on with things. Yes, Stranger Dreaming is going to stop updating for the rest of the foreseeable future; they say never say never, but for the moment, at least, this dream has run its course. However, I'll leave the old content up for anyone still interested in perusing it; meanwhile I will still be rambling on (hopefully for a long time) at my new <a href="http://workplaykim.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Workplay Blog</a> and at my game charity blog, <a href="http://arcadeactivist.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Arcade Activist</a>.<br />
<br />
I thought about making this a list post, or something of that nature, but in the end goodbyes simply aren't meant to be dragged out, so let me simply say thank you to everyone who read this; your time and attention, even if they were anonymously given, have not gone unappreciated. As for the final word? I'll leave that up to a couple of long lost, but never forgotten, master wordsmiths, who know far better how to wrap things up than I<span class="st"></span><span class="st"><em></em></span>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."<i> -- </i>Emily Bronte,<i> Wuthering Heights</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Come, children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out." -- William Makepeace Thackeray, <i>Vanity Fair</i> </blockquote>
Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-41096811302026113792014-08-17T01:26:00.000-04:002014-08-17T01:26:44.548-04:00A Bittersweet Paradox: Grief, Hope, and Robin Williams<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Nearly a week has passed since it happened, and I still can’t
– or don’t want – to believe it. Robin Williams, gone? It’s like being told the
sun won’t be rising anymore. You take it for granted for the majority of your
life, stopping only now and then to bask in its glow, finding comfort and joy
in its warmth, and never really bother to question what life might be like
without it. Then one dark morning it’s not there, and you panic, because you realize
too late what you’ve lost. I’ve lost public icons I cared about before, but not quite
like this. Though I’m not among the lucky few to have known him personally (I’m
not even sure we were ever even in the same <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">city</i>
together, let alone the same room), the loss I feel is personal.<br />
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Like many others of my generation, he and his characters
have been there for me every step of the way. As a child, Genie and Batty were
my imaginary friends and consciences, reminding me to “bee” myself and teaching
me about how important it is to take care of this wild and wonderful ecosystem
we call home. During my early teens, I and my classmates passed many a free
(read: substitute teacher) day watching hand-me-down VHS tapes of <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flubber</span></i>, <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jack</span></i>, and, whenever the curriculum cycled back around to Holocaust
Remembrance Day, <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jakob the Liar</span></i>. In
high school, <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Will Hunting</span></i>’s Sean
Maguire taught me something about the meaning of life and the beautiful chaos
that comes of sharing our “weird little worlds” with one another, and in
college Chris Nielsen’s courage in <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
Dreams May Come</span></i> helped me come to terms with death, loss, and my own vague
sense of spirituality. <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Birdcage</span></i>
and <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mrs. Doubtfire</span></i>, of course, were
always good for an easy laugh.<br />
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I first heard the news of his passing early Monday evening,
before more specific reports had begun to surface. All we knew was that he was
gone. It ached in the way I imagine an organ suddenly disappearing would – it
left an empty space in my gut that I didn’t know how to fill. But I didn’t cry.
Recalling that he’d had serious heart surgery in the not-too-distant past, I figured it was probably some sort of physical malfunction. I told myself a
bedtime story about it, that he’d been so excited about something, so unbearably
happy, that his heart hadn’t been able to take it. I liked to think he died as
he had lived on film: with joy and a twinkle in his eye.<br />
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I turned to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
Dreams May Come</i> that night, and it helped a little. Until, while searching for news
about the lovely tributes that had already begun to spring up, I ran headlong
into a couple of hard, unforgiving words. Hanging. <i>Suicide</i>. Everything stopped, or at least it should have. My
bedtime story fell apart. I broke down.</div>
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A several-hours-long phone conversation with a close friend
later, I found myself sitting in my backyard, staring bleary-eyed up at the fading night
sky and watching the shooting stars of the Perseid meteor shower pass me by. I
wondered if Williams could see them, too. I wouldn’t remember until several days
later the quote from <i>The Little Prince</i> which his daughter Zelda posted on her twitter feed the next day.</div>
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“You – you alone will have the stars as no one else has them.
... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing.
And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky
at night … You – only you – will have stars that can laugh.”</div>
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Never in my life did I imagine losing someone I cared about
to suicide. This loss, even at such a distance as there is between a fan and a
celebrity, surprised me with how devastating it felt – how much more
devastating, in particular, than merely the news that he had died. It is not
that I’m religious and believe that what he did sent him to hell or something like
that, but the thought that someone so brilliant and beloved found himself in a
place so dark, so lonely, that death seemed brighter than any other path is
unbearable to me.</div>
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I can’t begrudge someone for wanting to choose their own
end, especially when faced with something as serious and difficult as Parkinson's. I don’t think less of him, or that he was weak, or that he committed some
sort of mortal sin. But I, like most of us, do wish our heroic clown was still here, that
something, anything, could have stopped him or changed his mind and kept him
with us a little longer. More than that, I wish he could have found a
better way out of his situation, something that would have helped him find
peace and hope without taking his life from him, and him from his family and
fans. But since that point is moot now, I wish instead that he finds, in the
great unknown beyond, the solace and joy he deserved so much in life.</div>
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Since his death, I’ve watched a different film of his every
night. It’s my version of a week-long wake, I guess. I was afraid at first –
afraid that I would look back and suddenly see his suffering somehow
reflected in his eyes, afraid that every laugh I used to love to listen to would
sound hollow, fake. But the truth is, as Williams himself stated in the past
when discussing his depression and substance abuse, acting and making people
laugh were among the few things that kept him going when nothing else could. So
that spark we all saw in his eyes on the silver screen was likely true, if only
fleeting. The movies were fiction, but the laughter was real.<br />
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It’s a strange thing to find comfort coming from the same
source as your grief, but that’s how it is for me right now. Rather than making
bereavement more acute, watching his past alter egos laugh and dance and sing
for all the world to see reminds me of how many times his lovable mug pulled me
through my own dark places in the past, and how many people besides me feel the same. I hope, above all else, that some small voice in his head, even
if in the end it wasn’t loud enough to win his final inner battle, never quite
let him forget all the people he saved in big and little ways over the years.
He’s part of the reason I’m still here, and I know I’m not the only one. </div>
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That’s where the bittersweet paradox comes in. Even after death, he’s still inspiring so much good. Droves of devoted admirers leaving
flowers, quotes, and thank-you notes in makeshift memorials, pouring generous donations
into charities and non-profits like the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
he cared so deeply about – it’s enough to make you believe there might be hope
for our mad little species after all. Perhaps most importantly, it’s sparked a
long-overdue public discussion about depression and suicide prevention, raising
some much-needed awareness, not to mention funding.</div>
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In my heart, I would rather he still be here. I would rather
these changes for the better come from some other, less painful origin. But it is
what it is, and all we can do now is try our best to make the most of what good
can be wrangled from this tragedy – for his sake, for ours, and for the future.
May we make our fallen Captain proud, and honor his memory by making this world
a place <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">worth</i> living in.</div>
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Rest in peace, chief. You will be missed.<br />
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Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-86809760046601390072014-01-11T17:49:00.000-05:002014-01-11T17:49:09.844-05:00Any Last Words?: Thoughts on Endings<i>(The second post slated for December was cancelled due to a rash of visiting relatives and friends, followed by a rather harrowing bout of the flu, which I am still getting over. However, from now on we should be back on schedule with regular monthly posts, starting with today's.)</i> <br />
<br />
Recently I read through all of Meredith Ann Pierce's <i>Darkangel </i>trilogy, and it got me thinking about how stories end -- or, more precisely, where authors decide stories should end. (Because, of course, no real story ever truly ends.) And also, where a storyteller's responsibilities lie with regards to that ending.<br />
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Despite the infinite possibilities of storytelling, in truth there are only two ways a story can end: satisfactorily, or unsatisfactorily. Satisfying endings are the deep breath after the storm has passed; all major questions are answered (or are rendered irrelevant), central conflicts are resolved, and the tension, like a fever, is finally broken. That is all that really needs to be said about them; satisfying endings tend to speak for themselves.<br />
<br />
Unsatisfying endings, on the other hand, come in two flavors: intentional, and unintentional. Cliffhangers, for example, are obviously intentional; in such cases, the ending is meant to leave the audience in a state of suspense intense enough to compel them to read, watch, listen to or play the next part of the narrative. TV series use this type of ending especially often (though usually the final episode switches back to the satisfying ending), as do books in a series (again, the final book is an exception). More rarely, a story may end on an extremely ambiguous, open, or even frustrating note, averting the usual catharsis of a satisfying ending, because it is more suited to the story's plot or themes. (In such cases, the ending is unsatisfying in that it leaves us wanting more, but still fitting and therefore not objectionable.) <i>Waiting for Godot</i> is probably the most famous example of this.<br />
<br />
Then, of course, there are the unintentionally unsatisfying endings, the finales that mean well but fall far short of expectation. Unless, of course, you were expecting a terrible ending (<i>Twilight: Breaking Dawn,</i> here's lookin' at you, kid). Movies like <i>Swing Vote</i> and <i>The Forgotten</i> go under this category for me, and let's not even talk about what the writers did to <i>Dexter.</i> Many people would argue the finale of <i>Lost</i> goes here as well, but I am not those people. It's abysmally disappointing when a good story goes sour in its final moments, either because the "twist" is terrible or because the ending doesn't really <i>end</i> anything.<br />
<br />
Which brings me back to the <i>Darkangel </i>trilogy. (Beware of spoilers if you haven't read it yet.) While <i>Pearl of the Soul of the World</i> hardly ended the way I thought I wanted it to because I am a sucker for happy endings, it's not a bad conclusion, and I definitely respect Pierce for taking the path less walked, considering how young adult fantasy novels usually end. However, it is not by any means a satisfying conclusion, especially after three books' worth of suspense.<br />
<br />
Whether this was intentional or not, however, is a bit complicated. Pierce herself is quoted as having said this about the finale (though I have yet to find the original interview this is from -- if you find it please share):<br />
<br />
<i>"Anybody who considers that a satisfying ending is nuts. Take heart! I
intend to shift focus to Irrylath and show him as a very human character
coming to grips with a life of duty, devoid of personal satisfaction or
love. No longer overshadowed by Aerial, Irrylath must forgive himself
for his crimes as a darkangel, regain his wings and discover the secret
that will set both him and Aerial free. Aerial will learn the high
personal cost of surrendering herself, however nobly, to Ravenna's
planetary rescue plan." </i><br />
<br />
<i>Pearl</i> was also (supposedly) meant to end with the lines, "Here end for a time the adventures of Aerial. The adventures of Irrylath have only begun."<i> </i><br />
<br />
Now, had those adventures followed as promised, the conclusion of the third <i>Darkangel</i> book would be perfectly fine as an intentionally unsatisfying break between Aerial's journey and Irrylath's. In fact, if those books had been published, this entire post would probably never have been written.<br />
<i> </i><br />
But here's the thing. The<i> </i>last book in the trilogy was published way back in 1990, over <i>twenty </i>years ago. If Pierce really is planning on writing sequels, she sure is taking her time. And if she never writes them -- or, indeed, if that quote is false and she never meant to in the first place -- then I revert to my initial reaction to the ending, which was, simply, "This <i>can't</i> be how it ends."<br />
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The problem isn't that it ended on a tragic note, or that the union which the entire trilogy seemed to be leading up to only lasted a single night (hence the tragic note). The problem is that while Aerial's narrative does feel complete, if heartbreaking, Irrylath's really has only just begun, and ending the story with such a central character in an emotional shambles, having been literally brought down to his knees in a fit of sobs, just feels -- wrong.<br />
<br />
Of course, this is as much a matter of taste as anything else. Many online reviews express a deep satisfaction with the ending, praising Pierce for not giving in to cliche and taking what always seemed to be a star-crossed love to its inevitable conclusion. But I repeat: Irrylath's journey feels incomplete to me, and leaving him in such a state at the end of the tale left me with an incredibly uncomfortable squirmy sensation in the pit of my stomach.<br />
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As I considered the ending (trying, and so far failing, to come to terms with it), I got to thinking about the responsibilities of storytelling. When crafting a tale, who is<i> </i>all that work <i>really</i> for? One of the first things almost any given writing resource will tell new authors is to consider the audience, to keep in mind who will be experiencing the story and what they will be expecting from it. Is the story, then, an author's gift to the audience, something mined from the teller's heart that then must be refined into a gem worthy of the recipients? Yet time and again, the masters of the craft tell beginners to write for themselves. "I will not reason and compare; my business is to create," one of my favorite quotes, comes straight from a William Blake poem. On her official <a href="http://annerice.com/Chamber-OnWriting.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a>, Anne Rice dispenses similar advice, "Write the book you would like to read." Does this mean the work should be primarily tailored to the author's tastes, and external approval comes only secondary?<br />
<br />
I have a slightly odder view on the subject. When I'm in the process of making up stories, I'll readily admit that I don't give a flying Frisbee what anyone else might think of my ideas. Exactly as Rice put it, I'm coming up with all the things I wish someone else had already come up with, so that I didn't have to do all the work myself. That's often how I get story ideas, actually; I'll be reading or watching something and think, "Hmmm, but what if they'd done this? Wouldn't this have been cool?" And it evolves from there. I don't start second-guessing myself and worrying about how others will perceive it until later, when I'm actually writing it.<br />
<br />
However, I think my ultimate responsibility, as far as telling the story well and finishing it properly, isn't really to myself, nor is it to my (potential) audience, though of course a lot depends on them and a lot of gratitude is owed to them for any success, however small. In the end, I believe a storyteller's ultimate responsibility should be to the story itself. Whether it pleases the masses is secondary; whether it pleases the teller is slightly more important, but still secondary. Whether the story works within its own confinements, and whether it is crafted to the best of the teller's abilities and with the best possible result, transcends both wish fulfillment and popularity. Stories are sacred; treat them as such.<br />
<br />
Now, I understand all too well that sometimes the story just won't come out right, and of course no sequel is generally better than a terrible one. Not to mention two decades is a long time to spend outside of a story; I can only imagine how difficult it might be to return to a narrative so long set aside. But here's another odd thought. If you absolutely can't bring yourself to give a story its proper due, whatever the reason, maybe it's time to<i> let someone else do it for you.</i> I realize many an author probably cringed at that; in a world of copyright infringement and the banning of fanfiction, most writers probably feel very uncomfortable with (if not downright insulted by) the thought of some bumbling stranger getting their grimy hands on a precious work of art, particularly with the aim of professional publication. But that story isn't going to write itself, and if you won't, why not let someone else have a go?<br />
<br />
It's not really that radical an idea. Even ignoring the reams of unsanctioned classic sequels one can find on any given bookstore's shelves, there are always the shared universes to point to as prime examples of the benefits of passing a story along. Think about comic books; if Stan Lee never let anyone else play in his sandbox, there wouldn't a million and three issues of the <i>Avengers</i> (not to mention each character's separate series). And, quite frankly, I <i>prefer </i>Kieron Gillen's take on Thor and Loki to their original 1960's incarnations. <i>Dragonlance </i>is another example; instead of Laura and Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis keeping that wonderful world to themselves, over 190 novels set in Krynn have been published with the help of a myriad of guest authors. A story doesn't necessarily have to end with the author's interest in it or their ability to continue it.<br />
<br />
So while, as a member of Pierce's audience, I am frustrated with the ending of <i>Pearl of the Soul of the World</i> on my own account, far more egregious is the failing I perceive in her duty to the story. The <i>Darkangel</i> trilogy is a beautifully crafted narrative, and Irrylath is a complex and intriguing character -- and they both deserve a better conclusion. So, Ms. Pierce, if you happen to be reading this, please, please, <i>please</i> write those sequels. Or, if you can't bring yourself to bridge that twenty-three year gap, pass the torch on to some lucky, willing artist you deem worthy of handling your story. It'll be okay, I promise.Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-67877402587671454512013-12-21T17:59:00.000-05:002013-12-21T17:59:21.685-05:00Scrooge Does Not Approve: A 'Carol' SamplerEver heard of moving day? Well, last month was moving <i>month</i> for me... yes, it really took about that long. Hence the lack of a monthly post. However, this month I'm compensating with a nice double-post, one for today's holiday, and one for the other big holiday next week. (Hint: it's probably not the one you're thinking of.)<br />
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What's today, you ask? Why, it's Humbug Day, the happiest day of the year! Apparently today is the one (and only?) day everyone is allowed to vent their holiday frustrations with up to twelve other grumps, in honor of the grumpiest grump of them all, <i>A Christmas Carol's</i> Ebenezer Scrooge. So, to celebrate, I've decided to share some of my favorite adaptations, each a vastly different representation of the same exact story. Now, there have been approximately a gazillion versions of <i>A Christmas Carol</i> produced since it was first published back in 1843; according to the all-knowing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_A_Christmas_Carol" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, it's been turned into plays, musicals, operas, movies and TV specials, and even graphic novels. Obviously I haven't seen or heard them all (I doubt <i>anyone</i> has, but feel free to prove me wrong), so forgive me if your personal favorite doesn't appear here.<br />
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A more appropriate post for the day might have been a list of the worst adaptations and why they were terrible -- but since there will be so much complaining today anyway, I figured I should leave the grouching up to the expert, Scrooge himself.<br />
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<b>The Creepiest: <i>Scrooge </i>(retitled <i>A Christmas Carol</i> in the U.S.) (1951) </b><br />
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Although most of us think of <i>A Christmas Carol</i> as a heartwarming holiday tale, the fact is, folks, it's a ghost story. Yes, the ghosts in this tale are the good kind, traveling all the way back from death to life to save a man from an eternity of hellish repentance, but that doesn't mean they can't be creepy. This black-and-white British adaptation, starring Alastair Sim as the Scroogiest Scrooge of all, is considered by many to be the best version to date. While it's not necessarily my number one, it is certainly one of the most memorable ones I've seen. Unlike most of the more family-friendly versions, <i>Scrooge</i> actually conveys several of the more terrifying moments from the original story, such as Scrooge's first encounter with his long-deceased friend, Jacob Marley. The sound of chains dragging over steps, the ominous chiming of the grandfather clock, the spectral moaning of a ghost trapped in eternal agony -- you can practically hear Vincent Price laughing maniacally somewhere in the distance. It's the stuff of horror movies, and it makes the warm-and-toasty, family-by-the-fireplace ending all the more comforting by contrast.<br />
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<br /><b>The Earwormiest: <i>The Stingiest Man in Town</i> (1978)</b><br />
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This musical production first aired as a live episode of the <i>Alcoa Hour</i> back in 1956, starring Basil Rathbone and Vic Damone as old and young Scrooge, respectively. I have not had the privilege of seeing that version; however, I can say the animated remake by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass is pretty much wonderful. Rankin/Bass productions hold a very special place in my heart, and while this one may not be my absolute favorite, it's certainly one of the catchiest. It's also got the most music of all their movies, featuring almost no spoken dialogue; this is likely due to the company's efforts to retain as much of the original music as possible. It's also one of their few traditionally animated works, and there's something about they way they drew Scrooge to match his voice actor, Walter Matthau, that is just utterly amusing to me.<br />
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<b>The Family-Friendliest: <i>Mickey's Christmas Carol</i> (1983)</b><br />
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Mr. Mouse-Ears may have wormed his way into every single classic story ever by now -- but at least he does it well. As a kid, I saw <i>Mickey's Christmas Carol</i> so many times I probably could have reenacted it myself as a one-actress play. While as a <i>very</i> small child, the scene with the open grave freaked me the heck out, one must remember that (a) I was really little, and (b) I was the scarediest little scaredy cat you ever met. So in spite of a few childhood nightmares, I have to say that overall, this is still the most family-friendly version I've ever seen, and probably the sweetest. Mickey is the obvious choice for Bob Cratchit, and we have this movie to thank for Scrooge McDuck, who was so awesome he got to stick around long after his debut. Seriously, he's one of the best Scrooges <i>and</i> Disney characters out there. And that's with knighted actors like Sir Michael Caine and Sir Michael Gambon for competition, not to mention Bill Murray! Speaking of which, next on our list is...<br />
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<b>The Craziest: <i>Scrooged</i> (1988)</b><br />
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Another film that I've watched so many times I sometimes forget I wasn't actually there <i>in</i> it. Featuring a greedy, misanthropic television producer named Frank Cross as the Scrooge stand-in, this modern-day retelling is by far one of the best things Bill Murray has ever done with his life. Adding more than a dash of the ridiculous to the plot, the ghosts in <i>Scrooged</i> include David Johansen as a mad cabbie moonlighting as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and the ever-insane Carol Kane as the (literally) slaphappy Ghost of Christmas Present. Best of all, Bobcat Goldthwait appears as an emotionally disturbed employee of Frank's named Eliot Loudermilk, who is fired by Frank on Christmas Eve. This is not the Bob Cratchit you're used to -- that is, a sweet, unbelievably understanding man with few funds but a wealth of love. This is <i>Bobcat Goldthwait</i> we're talking about here -- could we expect anything less than pure, unadulterated insanity? Rather than take his unfair dismissal lying down, Eliot drinks himself into a rage, buys a shotgun, and attempts to murder his Grinchly boss in the producer's office. What ensues is the best, craziest, most hilarious scene in the whole movie, a physical manifestation of humor which could only be topped by a true master of laughs. Such as...<br />
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<br /><b>The Funniest: <i>Blackadder's Christmas Carol</i> (1988)</b><br />
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Or, the story of how Ebenezer Blackadder became a heartless bastard. In this finest of parodies, Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder is visited by only a single ghost, The Spirit of Christmas (played by <strike>Hagrid</strike> Robbie Coltrane). Since Blackadder is already a decent man to begin with, the Spirit comes not to cause a change of heart, but to congratulate him on his generosity, showing him visions of his vicious and greedy ancestors for comparison. The visitation backfires, and the result is a side-splitting reversal of the classic story as only the best of British comedy can deliver.<br />
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<b>The Timey-Wimeyest: <i>Doctor Who</i>'s "A Christmas Carol" (2010)</b><br />
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It's an unwritten law of the universe that every long-running show must, as some point, do a <i>Christmas Carol</i> episode. Few, however, are as strange or touching as this Eleventh Doctor special, penned by the divinely clever Steven Moffat. Set back when the Ponds were still Ponding around (ah, the good old days), the Doctor must convince the miserly Kazran Sardick (a.k.a. this story's Scrooge) to use his weather-controlling machine to prevent a ship from crashing -- a ship on which, of course, companions Amy and Rory happen to be on. Probably one of the most surreal adaptations out there, this version involves flying fish, holographic "ghosts," and cryogenics, not to mention the Doctor's usual time-space-continuum-stretching shenanigans. A given in almost any given Moffat episode, there are as many laughs as there are heart-wrenchers, and Katherine Jenkins' vocals as Kazran's musically gifted love interest are hauntingly beautiful, to say the least. Even if you've never watched an episode of the show in your life, <i>watch it</i>. And be sure to have the tissue box handy.<br />
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<b>The Classic: <i>The Muppet Christmas Carol</i> (1992)</b><br />
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Yep, the Muppets. How could it be anything less than fantastic? Narrated by Gonzo and Rizzo, this version's Scrooge is none other than the lovely and extremely talented Sir Michael Caine. As with any Muppet production, there are a few good musical numbers thrown into the mix, especially the opening song (guaranteed to be stuck in your head for days -- not that you'll mind), "Scrooge." My one gripe about this version is the Ghost of Christmas Past, a feminine, childlike spirit who just so happens to be the most unintentionally creepy Muppet ever. Though true to the original character in form and function, there is nevertheless something about her that just feels a little <i>off</i>, and it's a real relief when the jovial, rosy-cheeked Ghost of Christmas Present finally takes her place. In spite of her, however, the overall film is pure Muppet magic, and it remains, in my mind, the best adaptation yet.Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-63416659549623669572013-10-31T16:00:00.000-04:002013-10-31T16:00:00.032-04:00Stranger Nightmare XIII: Creepypasta FavoritesAt long last, the end is in sight. Lucky number thirteen, indeed. And the final Stranger Nightmare of the season is... a delectable serving of creepypasta. Is it a trick, or a treat? Now in five fearsome flavors! <br />
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<b>1. The Dare</b><br />
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Arguably the least terrifying of the bunch, creepypasta "dares" are, by my own definition, anything that reads like an instruction manual from hell. Often referred to as "ritual pastas," most of these don't really scare me, since (a) they tend to be rather lacking in the story department, and (b) they tend not to work. But my favorite thing (about the well-written ones, anyway) is the way the writers tease the audience, like that one jerk kid daring you to go into the haunted house right after telling you all about how an entire family was murdered there last week. Now, while there is a creepypasta called <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Dare" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Dare"</a> (which is actually pretty decent, as far as creepypasta goes), it doesn't actually fall under this category. At all. But if you're looking for a quick test of courage, try <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/the-code-of-mirrors/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Code of Mirrors"</a> and its sequel, <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mirror" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Mirror."</a> While the first one doesn't actually qualify on its own, the second one definitely does, and they're much better read together.<br />
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<b>2. The Childhood-Ruiner</b><br />
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Though prone to rather silly extremes, childhood-ruining creepypasta (like the Garfield one I mentioned in <a href="http://stranger-dreaming.blogspot.com/2013/10/stranger-nightmare-vii-dark-side-of.html" target="_blank">Stranger Nightmare #7</a>) can be devastating when done right. The trick of it lies in taking that safe, happy place in our memories and turning it into a landscape of atrocities, twisting our inner comfort zones into something dark and deeply disconcerting. <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Squidward%27s_Suicide" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Squidward's Suicide"</a> is considered a classic, though for me, I find it pales in comparison to <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rugrats_Theory" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Rugrats Theory"</a> (be sure to scroll down to the tweaked version), <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Dead_Bart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Dead Bart,"</a> and the aforementioned <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Garfield_Is_a_Lie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Garfield is a Lie."</a> For the full personal effect, however, be sure to look up your own childhood favorites and see if anyone has ruined them for you yet.<br />
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<b>3. The Lovecraftian Brainscrew</b><br />
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Generally, these have the best writing of the bunch, both grammatically and narrative-wise. Unlike most creepypasta, Lovecraftian brainscrews rely less on zingers and more on a buildup of slow, creeping dread, which is often left open-ended. They also tend to be among the longest, which is unfortunate for my short internet attention span. Somewhat like the childhood ruiners, these tales take the familiar and transform it into something disturbing or grotesque -- but whereas the former works its magic on fiction, these very special stories warp the reality around us, making us question the very fabric of our existence. Of the ones that I have read, <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Kaleidoscope" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Kaleidoscope"</a> is by far the most Lovecraftian of all, with some of the prettiest writing I've yet to see in creepypasta. <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/string-theory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"String Theory"</a> is longer -- and even weirder. Or, if you're craving something with a bit more bite, try <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/the-guardian-angel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Guardian Angel,"</a> which never fails to make me do the look-over-your-shoulder double-take every time I read it.<br />
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<b>4. The Parody</b><br />
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If you can't beat 'em, point and laugh at 'em. Creepypasta parodies are a nice break from the authors' usual doom-and-gloom attempts at terrorizing the audience, and nothing breaks the tension like a real heartfelt guffaw. Of course, timing is everything, and all too often these parodypastas miss their mark, but now and again you'll come across a gem like <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/the-vacation/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Vacation"</a> or <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/the-vacation/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Boy Who Loved to Read."</a><br />
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<b>5. The "Gotcha"</b><br />
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The undying king of zingers, the "gotcha" story hinges on the last lines, which are usually a big twist and always, always induce a serious case of chills. The set-up can be trash or gory gold, doesn't really matter which, but if the ending doesn't get you, it's a failure. The best tend to be the briefest, since in essence these are campfire stories by electronic light. <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/lightning/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Lightning"</a> and <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/the-reflection/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Man in the Snow"</a> are urban legendary classics, but if you want a real shocker of a finish line, check out <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/the-girl-in-the-picture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Girl in the Picture,"</a> <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/the-message/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Message,"</a> or (the shortest but the sweetest) <a href="http://www.creepypasta.com/in-the-kitchen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"In The Kitchen."</a><br />
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Did I mention these are all true stories?<br />
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<i>Gotcha.</i><br />
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Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-65924141408020018952013-10-31T14:00:00.000-04:002013-10-31T14:00:01.127-04:00Stranger Nightmare XII: TerrordromeFor our twelfth Stranger Nightmare -- and the second part of today's Trinity of Terror -- I bring you what can only be described as the best thing since Freddy Krueger fought Jason Vorhees (and totally won, in his own weird way).<br />
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Welcome to the <a href="http://www.terrordrome-thegame.com/game.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Terrordrome</i></a>, an arena of horrors where both victors and victims include some of the most memorable villains of all time. A free and "homebrewed" retro-style 2D fighting game made by fans for fans, <i>Terrordrome </i>pits classic fright-fest icons like Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, and yes, even Herbert West, against one another in fight after fight to the death. It's pretty much a horror fanatic's wet dream -- er, nightmare.<br />
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Thanks to Huracan Project putting some serious effort into the game's development, all of the characters' catchphrases and movements feel stripped straight from their source material. So, rather than being an average game with cookie cutter fighting moves and familiar faces copy-pasted Frankenstein-style onto typical martial artists' bodies, <i>Terrordrome </i>really feels like the ultimate showdown (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WgT9gy4zQA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">of ultimate destiny</a>) between all the greatest movie monsters. My favorite moments are the most nostalgic ones, like Freddy's arm suddenly reaching all the way across the screen to hit a foe with a surprise slash, or Herbert summoning up a re-animated corpse (yes,<i> </i><a href="http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/i_sing_anyway/16980846/912573/912573_original.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>that</i></a> re-animated corpse) to attack enemies with his surprisingly deadly intestines. It really is the little things, you know?<br />
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It's not a perfect creation -- for one thing, the controls for whatever
reason appear to be shot to hell (since when is "T" the select button?)
-- but damn it, it's Halloween, and this is a free ticket to the horror
fan's version of heaven. Go ahead, <a href="http://www.terrordrome-thegame.com/download.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">download it</a>. You know you want to.Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-66480171339128080362013-10-30T23:54:00.000-04:002013-10-30T23:54:53.530-04:00Stranger Nightmare X: An Evening with Alice CooperMusic (good music, anyway) always has a tale to tell. Alice Cooper, one of the best best storytellers in the biz, knows how to set the stage like no one else -- which is why Stranger Nightmare #10 is dedicated to a recent experience I enjoyed featuring the king of nightmares himself, the founding father of shock rock (not to mention "Golf Monster").<br />
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This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to finally cross off one big item on my bucket list: attending an Alice Cooper concert. During <i>Halloween</i> <i>week</i>, no less. Following a sunset drive and a quick preemptive explanation of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ2Fhl8ORSE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Dead Babies,"</a> a friend and I found ourselves at the one and only Hard Rock Live venue, she looking vaguely lost (she hasn't been too exposed to the Coop's genius -- yet) but still pretty excited, and I grinning from ear to ear and dressed to kill (not literally -- maybe) in faux leather and lots and lots of hairspray. In short, we were ready to <i>rock</i>.<br />
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I wasn't quite lucky enough to get front row seats, but we had a pretty darn decent view, and in as small an auditorium as that one, there really weren't any bad seats to begin with. It was a little disappointing that the crowd didn't jump up out of their seats and lose it -- as it was, I must have looked like a loon rocking out in my chair -- but the screams were wild, the applause deafening, and in the end I know I wasn't the only one who walked away with a twisted, satisfied smile and a head full of dancing demons.<br />
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While the Evening's setlist didn't lend itself to as obvious a narrative as album-based shows like the <i>Brutal Planet</i> or <i>Nightmare </i>concerts, running through all the old (and new) classics was like a creepy nostalgic graveyard tour of Alice's evolution -- one long, terrific crazy train of thought weaving in and out of time, a nightmare which started all the way back in the '70s and from which we've never completely woken -- and, deep down, don't really want to.<br />
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"Hey, Stoopid," "Poison," "Feed My Frankenstein," "The Ballad of Dwight Fry" -- they were all there, all the standards in their full grimy, gory glory, along with fan-favorite props like the super-sized <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qaP2HweTHc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FrankenAlice</a> and ye olde reliable <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joqeGnUOD7c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">guillotine</a>. Playing every song I wanted to hear simply wasn't possible (it would take days), but every song he played was one I wanted to hear. Or should I say, experience? Because the thing about a Cooper concert is, it's not just music (though that part stands alone quite well, thanks very much). It's theater, the art of the horrorshow, and it's every bit as brutally beautiful now as it was when it began.<br />
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I can't <i>wait </i>to do it again. Except next time, I'll be sure to snag a spot in the splatter zone.<br />
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<i>". . . I am the Moriarty of rock. I am the consummate villain. I am the Hannibal Lector
of rock, and I play it like that. Alice just seems like an arrogant
bastard or villain who is making the audience feel as though they are
lucky to be there when in reality that is exactly the opposite of my
personality. With Alice though…it is great to play him or portray him as
an Alan Rickman type character who is very condescending. That’s what makes him fun to watch — he's Captain Hook." -Alice Cooper</i>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-7252624995340626072013-10-25T22:42:00.001-04:002013-10-25T22:42:30.066-04:00Stranger Nightmare IX: I, FrankensteinHappy Frankenstein Friday! Tonight's nightmare is, appropriately, related to that memorable Monster which Mary Shelley and Victor Frankenstein unleashed onto the world back in 1818. It is also, due to time constraints relating to life getting in the way, rather a brief nightmare, as most of the talking will be done by the following trailer (which I caught during the previews before last weekend's showing of <i>Carrie</i>):<br />
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A friend who accompanied me that night harbored a less-than-optimistic prognosis for <i>I, Frankenstein</i>, apparently finding the trailer somewhat uninspiring. One can hardly blame him, though, after the high hopes we had a while back for <i>Snow White and the Hunstman</i> were, mostly thanks to Kristen Stewart and her non-acting, pretty much dashed to bits upon the sharp, cold rocks of disappointment.<br />
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I, on the other hand, am every bit as excited -- at least for the moment -- as I was when I first saw the trailer for <i>Van Helsing</i>. And no, that's not sarcasm, either; though I'm well aware a baffling amount of people didn't exactly enjoy the 2004 take on Dracula and his oldest nemesis, I personally put it on the top shelf of my mental collection of Halloween favorites, and hardly an October goes by without at least one viewing. Also, remember <i>Underworld</i>? (No, not the sequels, just the first one. You know, the good one.) <i>I, Frankenstein</i> is being produced by the same team -- so there's hope for it yet.<br />
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While I admit I find Aaron Eckhart a rather surprisingly pretty choice to play the undead patchwork creature that is Frankenstein's Monster, it <i>could </i>work... maybe. At any rate, the guy can definitely act, and the rest of the movie -- what with the effects and the fact that, for once, it's not just a bloody remake (also, GARGOYLES) -- looks like it could be seriously wonderful. Or seriously terrible. Here's hoping for the former outcome.<br />
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Of course, we're going to have to wait until 2014 to find out. In the meantime, however, you could always check out the <a href="http://ifrankenstein.thecomicseries.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">graphic novel</a> the movie is apparently based on. I haven't read it yet, but from first glance, it looks pretty neat.Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-65238395865427693632013-10-20T15:27:00.000-04:002013-10-20T15:27:35.533-04:00Stranger Nightmare VIII: Carrie (and Randy)On Spirit Day, the color purple is worn to signify support for LGBT victims of bullying. These days, the official date is set to October 17th. However, the first observance, organized by Brittany McMillan in response to a number of bullying-related suicides back in 2010, actually <a href="http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/m/article/2010/10/spirit_day_to_honor_recent_homosexual_suicide_victims" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">took place on October 20th</a>.<br />
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So, to show this blogger's support, today's (spoiler-free!) nightmare is also linked to bullying -- albeit of a straight main character. Her name is Carrie White; you might have heard of her.<br />
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But before we get to that, in the true spirit of Spirit Day I want to make quick mention of a movie you might <i>not </i>have heard of: <a href="http://redheadrandy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Red Head Randy</i></a>. An under-hyped indie flick about a high school student whose homophobic classmates' bullying pushes him beyond his limits, <i>Red Head Randy</i> may not be the first anti-bullying horror movie, but it might be the first to feature a homosexual main character (feel free to correct me on that). Promotion for the film is a bit of a mess -- though the release is only a little over a week away, there are no real trailers to speak of, and what little insight one can glean from the cast spotlights is nowhere near enough to get a real feel for what the movie will be like once it does come out. But, at the very least, the creators' hearts seem to be in the right place. The film is touted as an anti-bullying feature, and a series of events, including a release party on the 31st, a Bowling Against Bullying tournament (date TBA), and a New Year's Party (again, details TBA), have been scheduled as part of the Red Head Randy Stand up to Bullying Tour.<br />
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Now, on to the main attraction...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOFsUP51oYUAkFOekXHkhinIuyYpBMaZvlbAKeZsfl-fvaYSJjcMqwtpC_G3AJ-gwkTV8PEjcgCjYL51eRXiWzSFDL7xgYb-ZOs7Tepz0FtuIpMV4F70ugumCwbi4yOezFNPtlMjcbWzM/s1600/carrie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOFsUP51oYUAkFOekXHkhinIuyYpBMaZvlbAKeZsfl-fvaYSJjcMqwtpC_G3AJ-gwkTV8PEjcgCjYL51eRXiWzSFDL7xgYb-ZOs7Tepz0FtuIpMV4F70ugumCwbi4yOezFNPtlMjcbWzM/s320/carrie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For any poor, uncultured fool who hasn't seen it yet and never read the book by Stephen King or watched the original <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSF6WVx_Tdo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1976 film adaptation</a> (or at least the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNfr8ZSkyzc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2002 version</a>, or even the -- shudder -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxOjHiiGMUk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">musical version</a>), and has somehow managed to miss all one million and three advertisements for it, <i>Carrie </i>is the story of a painfully shy, awkward high school girl who is abused by her fanatically religious mother and tormented by her unsympathetic classmates. It is the story of what happens -- or at least, what <i>could</i> happen, if you believe in telekinesis -- when bullying goes too far. Desperate times, after all, call for desperate measures.<br />
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Now, on the bright side, if you really haven't read or seen any of the other versions you're probably going to enjoy the new one more than I did. I don't know about the 2002 or musical versions, but I do know that once you've seen Sissy Spacek play the lead, there's no way not to compare every other Carrie to hers. And sadly, despite my initial overwhelming joy at seeing <span class="st">Chloë Grace Moretz cast in the role (not to mention Julianne Moore as her momma), even "Hit Girl" couldn't quite measure up. </span><br />
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<span class="st">That's not to say the new <i>Carrie </i>isn't good. It has its moments, and despite my preferences I'd definitely say it's worth a watch. Judging by the (very loud) gasps I heard rippling through the audience on more than one occasion, I'd say it even has a few good jumps in it (though if, like me, you're a bit more jaded, you might find the audience's reactions more amusing than the actual "scares"). The writing is good, supposedly closer to the book than other adaptations, and the acting is solid. Julianne Moore is probably the best, craziest momma White ever, and that's including Piper Laurie in the original. In fact, if you see it for no other reason, see it for her -- the amount of attention to detail in terms of the mother's character development this time around is spine-tingling perfection. </span><br />
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<span class="st">As for Carrie herself, while she does follow the basic arc from the original story -- shy, quiet misfit to freakishly powerful avenging heroine -- Moretz's Carrie seems stronger than the others from the get-go, and she begins to lash out much earlier and with more force than Spacek's timid, fragile-seeming girl-child. This probably sounds like a better idea than it actually turned out to be; while for the most part it's preferable to have a strong, sensible heroine (particularly in a horror movie), what I found so hard-hitting about Spacek's performance was how utterly terrified and vulnerable her Carrie was throughout the film. Moretz, on the other hand, seems to have a very strong personality, and it can't help but show a little even through her best attempts at defenselessness. Her strength was what I loved about her in <i>Kick-Ass</i> and <i>Dark Shadows</i>, but here it takes a little away from some of Carrie's weakest moments. However, on the flip side, she is a very likeable Carrie, and watching the inevitable, terrible conclusion to her almost-fairytale ending still hurts, if not in quite as poignant a way. And heck if she isn't bloody believable once she does go into full vengeance mode.</span><br />
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<span class="st">As I said, however, if you don't have a reference point prior to the film, it's probably much more enjoyable, and for all I know I might have loved Moretz's Carrie a lot more if I'd been able to forget Spacek even for a minute. But original-to-remake comparisons aside, there's one other problem I had with the film (not counting a very stupid Sue moment wherein she forgets how useful cell phones are -- the fact that she didn't even attempt to use hers during a crucial moment really, really bugged me). As is so often the case, it has to do with the special effects.</span><br />
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<span class="st">As far as looking good, I have to admit that generally they did a pretty great job. Unfortunately, the SFX team did exactly what I feared and hoped they wouldn't do and fell into what I like to call the Lucas trap. Yep, I named it after George Lucas, because if he'd paid a little more attention to the writing (and, you know, directing) instead of getting wrapped up in all the CGI, the <i>Star Wars</i> prequels might have actually stood a chance of living up to our dreams. But that's another rant for another time. Anyway, the effect isn't nearly as bad in <i>Carrie</i>, but it <i>is</i> there.</span><br />
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<span class="st">While the effects don't take over the movie, when they are used the emphasis occasionally comes on a little too strong -- to me, it's like the difference between an actually creepy experience and an amusement park ride. The latter might be a more visually impressive because it's showier, but it's also safer and much less scary than a real, dangerous situation. Similarly, if directors want their special effects to add to the creep factor of their movies, they really need to stop going, "Look at this! Aren't these effects amazing?!" and just let the moment happen instead of trying to show off. I suppose they think it looks cool, and maybe to some people it does, but unless the movie is supposed to be slightly campy it's usually just an annoying distraction. In <i>Carrie</i>, this only happens once or twice, but it's once or twice too many, and it's a bit disappointing to find it in a movie that had the potential to do so much better. </span><br />
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<span class="st">However, if you're looking for a decent Halloween movie this October -- a soda-and-popcorn-flavored horrorshow evening in the presence of good company -- <i>Carrie</i>'s probably your best bet this year. It's especially fun to take your jump-scare-prone friends along with you; just remember to keep a firm grip on the popcorn bag.</span>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-78767309358238109902013-10-19T12:00:00.000-04:002013-10-19T12:00:05.244-04:00Stranger Nightmare VII: The Dark Side of GarfieldTwenty-six years ago today, the stock market crashed and burned in an event financiers fearfully refer to as <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/49476696#49476696" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Black Monday</a>. Of course, this wasn't the first, nor even remotely the last, stock market crash -- nor is it the only day to be saddled with that ominous moniker. In fact, if Wikipedia is to be believed, there are as many as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">19 different occasions</a> which have been dubbed "Black Monday," including the original Black Monday in 1929, as well as massacres, natural disasters, riots, assassinations, and worst of all, the first day of school after the holidays.<br />
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However, today's nightmare isn't about stock market crashes -- or any of those other things Black Monday stands for. It's not even about Black Monday. (In fact, if you haven't noticed, today isn't even a Monday at all.) Rather, today's nightmare is dedicated to a certain furry feline with a particular grudge against that day of the week. Yep, that's right: Garfield.<br />
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What's so scary about <i>Garfield</i>? Not much -- not usually, anyway. Over the course of a thirty-five year career (yes, really), the beloved orange furball has seen his fair of Halloween specials. Aside from countless comic strips featuring Garfield and company cavorting about during the holiday (collected in a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=garfield+scary&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Agarfield+scary" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ton of books</a>), the original TV show <i>Garfield and Friends</i> included a recurring segment titled "Garfield's Tales of Scary Stuff," and a separate special, <i>Garfield's Halloween Adventure</i> (originally called <i>Garfield in Disguise</i>) aired in 1985, featuring one of the cat's darkest -- yet still kid-friendly -- animated tales.<br />
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If the words "kid-friendly" leave a bitter taste in your mouth, however, there's always the legitimately creepy stuff -- and no, I'm not kidding. I'm not even talking about <a href="http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Garfield Minus Garfield</a>, which does occasionally shift from the usual sad/funny tone to <a href="http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/page/23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">just plain WTF</a>. Check out this set of Garfield comics dating back to October 1989 (click for full size):<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sgCgUEUJ_7YZ2R5_4qZPkrlq-yG_ZMhwOaoNngikcgQkRCUV43T51ncVja0DopNpEDpSAGiRbltp6OhTa176w3H6jJWiYOE5sWQ7oDfMNX0FdI3XUadqQCnunR24o6lc3Zc_L7X0baZQ/s1600/garfield_1989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sgCgUEUJ_7YZ2R5_4qZPkrlq-yG_ZMhwOaoNngikcgQkRCUV43T51ncVja0DopNpEDpSAGiRbltp6OhTa176w3H6jJWiYOE5sWQ7oDfMNX0FdI3XUadqQCnunR24o6lc3Zc_L7X0baZQ/s640/garfield_1989.jpg" width="353" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can also read a colorized version in the <a href="http://www.garfield.com/comics/vault.html?yr=1989&addr=891023" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">official Garfield archives</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Needless to say, fans sorta freaked out over this. Quite a few people pointed out the similarities in the arc to the "Valse Triste" segment of the Italian animation <a href="http://blip.tv/juantx3/allegro-non-troppo-1976-6279810" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Allegro Non Troppo</i></a> (which I haven't yet mustered the courage to watch), though <a href="http://subjunctive.net/klog/2006/08/jim_davis_on_scary_g/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jim Davis says</a> he was not aware of the connection and did not base the strip on it. Rather, according to a caption from <i>Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection</i>, Davis drew inspiration from a common fear:<br />
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"During a writing session for Halloween week, I got the idea for this
decidedly different series of strips. I wanted to scare people. And what
do people fear most? Why, being alone. We carried out the concept to
its logical conclusion and got a lot of responses from readers."<br />
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No kidding. The comics led many to speculate that it wasn't just a dream, or a random non-canonical aside, but that <a href="http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/417/the-death-of-garfield" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Garfield is dead</a>, or <a href="http://nowiknow.com/starving-garfield/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">starving to death</a> (possibly in a post-apocalyptic universe), and that everything else in the strip consisted of the poor cat's twisted hallucinations and desperate attempts to cope with his horrific fate. Taking things one step further, it even spawned the creepypasta <a href="http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Garfield_Is_a_Lie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Garfield is a Lie,"</a> which argues that the entire strip is Davis's way of dealing with his overwhelming guilt over the murder of a friend, and that the 1989 "Alone" series sprang from a mental breakdown from which Davis never recovered. (Needless to say, all of this would be news to Davis. At least, I <i>think</i> so...)<br />
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Thing is, this wasn't even the first time Davis went over to the dark side. October of 1984 saw the publication of <i>Garfield: His 9 Lives</i>, a graphic novel compilation which told the tales of the cat's past lives, including commentary from present-day Garfield explaining how his past affected his personality. While most of the stories stuck to the strip's usual lightheartedness, two notable exceptions included "Lab Animal" and "Primal Self," pictured below (again, click for full size):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_z6Bb2zYAyKIOZBtvJFvpgfYITlAXV8L_qRWv31ZFpn0Pqd3McqZB1z8tuECt3PaV7xj3NJG1BFKNOBoft1IBE_JPykwY9s_GZrAtnm6jlUzldnIOYvBkd61Gc0Z1Z2mYwqGrZ_eJaKW/s1600/garfield_1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_z6Bb2zYAyKIOZBtvJFvpgfYITlAXV8L_qRWv31ZFpn0Pqd3McqZB1z8tuECt3PaV7xj3NJG1BFKNOBoft1IBE_JPykwY9s_GZrAtnm6jlUzldnIOYvBkd61Gc0Z1Z2mYwqGrZ_eJaKW/s320/garfield_1984.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
Not all cats go to heaven? At any rate, this story marked Garfield's sole totally serious (in both subject and look) foray into the horror genre -- in some respects, it totally beats the "Alone" strip on the freaky scale. In fact, when the collection sparked a TV special in 1988, "Primal Self" didn't make the cut, and has never appeared on television. Interestingly enough, "Lab Animal" <i>did </i>make it into the special -- perhaps the nicer-looking art style (reminiscent of Disney's <i>Oliver and Company</i>) distracted the producers from the actual content? If you snoop around on YouTube, you can probably find a copy. Here's one that I found (let's see how long it lasts before the copyright gestapo find it):<br />
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Cutting "Primal Self" left "Lab Animal" to fend for itself as the sole source of creep-factor in the adaptation -- unless, of course, you count the part where (spoiler alert?) Garfield and Odie <i>die </i>during Garfield's 9th life and find themselves standing before God, who sees fit to grant them both nine extra lives. What appears to be a generous gesture on the Almighty's part, however, quickly starts to seem like some sort of underhanded punishment when God, who already had a pretty scary voice to begin with, turns out to possess glowing yellow cat-eyes of death:<br />
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So there you have it. Beneath the fair facade of family-friendly fun-times and comfortingly familiar humor, buried way deep down in his little kitty heart, Garfield has some pretty heavy issues to deal with, including possession, gene-splicing, and the ever-present possibility that his entire existence has all been a lie. Kind of like your childhood.<br />
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(You're welcome.)Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-73900471312729798742013-10-18T14:25:00.000-04:002013-10-18T14:33:24.022-04:00Stranger Nightmare VI: Moon FaceTonight is a very special night. Not only is it time for the <a href="http://fullmoonphases.com/hunters-moon/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blood Moon</a> (or Hunter's Moon), October's full moon -- it's also going to be a <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/penumbral-lunar-eclipse.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">penumbral lunar eclipse</a>. Sooo, you can probably guess what the theme of today's Stranger Nightmare is, can't you? Nope, it's not <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Werwolf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">lycanthropy</a> (too easy!). Nope, not the <a href="http://www.penumbragame.com/ageGate.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Penumbra</a> video game series either (though trust me, I was tempted). You're thinking too hard. Try the most obvious guess of all. Yep -- it's the moon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp9wsR8V3jaap3XGUAF4p5cJSBTpCwGr33nsoLzfbLL5jSGDuOu-sAuAnLwLr904v1RNKbvV6v_9ErzHRQVx9zZAF4yjYia7vGqt7ORdAglFVcEnEKYlFSwisGWdZUcW8LOXs0p8R4L2p/s1600/moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp9wsR8V3jaap3XGUAF4p5cJSBTpCwGr33nsoLzfbLL5jSGDuOu-sAuAnLwLr904v1RNKbvV6v_9ErzHRQVx9zZAF4yjYia7vGqt7ORdAglFVcEnEKYlFSwisGWdZUcW8LOXs0p8R4L2p/s320/moon.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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Now, there have been stories about the moon and its effects on the world since there were creatures on Earth capable of telling them. Ancient (and some not so ancient) religions personified and deified the moon, and many rituals and sacrifices were performed in its (sometimes His or Her) honor. Other, less flattering tales, told of changes coming over people sensitive to the moon's influence; since the days of Aristotle and Pliny, it has often been <a href="http://moonphases.info/why-the-moon-is-sometimes-associated-with-madness.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">associated with madness</a> (hence, lunacy), and of course, rumors of men (and women) that transform into wolves in the night have persisted through the ages. And don't even get me started on all the <a href="http://www.trutv.com/conspiracy/phenomena/moon/gallery.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">conspiracy theories</a> concerning that big round shiny thing that shows up in the sky after the sun goes to bed.<br />
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Some of the creepiest ideas about the moon manifest themselves in the superstitions surrounding it. Of course, not all of them are scary -- some, like the idea that the new moon can bring you fortune, or that getting your hair cut during a particular phase is lucky, are even downright optimistic. But then you've got stories like the one where sleeping with the light of the full moon on your face means you won't live to see the end of the year, or that the moon turning orange is an evil portent. Or the ones (yes, more than one) where the Man in the Moon is someone trapped there as a form of eternal punishment. Or the other one, from Inuit mythology, where he is the keeper of the souls of men and animals. Or the <i>other </i>other one where he's a hunchback plaiting a fishing line. A rat gnaws the line, and a cat chases the rat, and as long as this cycle continues the universe is safe -- but if the fishing line is ever completed, the world ends.<br />
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Cheery stuff, no? While browsing through these today I stumbled on a story which, as far as I can tell, is not rooted in any particularly old or commonly-held superstitions -- however, it is a story about superstitions, and after reading it you might acquire a superstition of your own concerning mirrors and the moon... and dead things.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scaryforkids.com/moon-face/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a>, if you dare, to read "Moon Face." (Bonus points if you read it in the dark, at night, near a mirror, and aren't overcome with the urge to cover that mirror up <i>immediately</i>.)Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-61396545660704084072013-10-16T12:00:00.000-04:002013-10-16T12:00:06.269-04:00Stranger Nightmare V: Freaky FashionOn this day in 1793, Marie Antoinette lost her head to a French guillotine, having been sentenced to death for treason. Since one of the Queen's most memorable traits was her affinity for high fashion (to the point of inappropriate extravagance -- because never mind the starving populace, this wig is FABULOUS!), today's nightmare is a spooky cornucopia of painted faces, gorgeous garb, and just a dash of sparklies.<br />
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And before all my anti-fashion readers go running for the hills, a disclaimer: we're not just talking pretty clothes here, we're talking weird, wild, and wonderful. Photography, Tim Burton, fun facts, the most ridiculously expensive costume (hopefully ever) -- it's all fair game. Because fashion isn't just about what you wear -- fashion, done right, tells a story. It says something about who you are, or who you want to be; it can scream or it can whisper, conceal or reveal more than just skin. I'm no fashionista, but even I can appreciate a well-conceived outfit -- and when it comes to costumery, be still my beating heart. So, for today's post, I scoured the internets to find the prettiest, strangest, spookiest fashion-related gems. Enjoy. :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/tim-burton-halloween-fashion-1009#slide-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tim Burton's Magical Fashion</a><br />
Now, this article may be a few years old, but it feels no less relevant this Halloween -- and dammit, it's wonderful, so I'm including it. This Harper's Bazaar slideshow features 13 goth-grandiose looks put together by the master of the delightfully odd, Tim Burton, who even appears in several shots as one of the models. As inspired as it is inspiring, some seriously sweet costume ideas could come from a quick gander.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/laurelstar/halloween/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">High Fashion Halloween</a><br />
Burtonesque not quite your style? Check out this Pinterest page, the contents of which span the spectrum between crocheted ribcages and beautifully haunting fairies draped in gauze. Even if you're not dressing up this Samhain, some of the photography alone is worth a thousand words (at least).<br />
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<a href="http://www.thefashionhive.com/2013/10/halloween-fashion-fun-facts.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Halloween Fashion & Fun Facts</a><br />
Head to The Fashion Hive for a few more pretty pictures, as well as a handful of interesting facts concerning the history of Halloween. And yes, there's even a Tim Burton quote in there, too. (Face it, he's still the face of the season, whether you like him or not.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.morphsuits.co.uk/million-pound-morphsuit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Million Pound Morphsuit</a><br />
If high fashion is too serious for you and something along the lines of "utterly preposterous" is more your game, take a look at this shiny-beyond-all-reason morphsuit. Why you would want to look like a human-shaped disco ball -- or why you would willingly spend <span class="st">£1,000,000 (or $</span><span style="word-break: break-all;">1,599,000) to do so -- is far beyond my comprehension, but if you happen to be a misanthropist with a stupidly excessive amount of cash burning a hole in your pocket, this might just be the perfect fit.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.cracked.com/article_16734_the-35-most-insane-halloween-costumes-from-around-world.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="word-break: break-all;">The 35 Most Insane Halloween Costumes From Around The World</span></a><br />
<span style="word-break: break-all;">For something potentially just as crazy (but on a reasonable budget), steal an idea from this list on Cracked.com. Some are hilarious, other just hilariously bad, and others still are so damn creepy (in a bad way) you kind of worry about the kind of person who would come up with them.</span><br />
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<span style="word-break: break-all;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MichellePhan/videos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Phan</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/extremesfx/videos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">extremesfx</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MACcosmetics/videos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MAC Cosmetics</a></span><br />
<span style="word-break: break-all;">While YouTube is littered with makeup tutorials and a quick search will probably find you at least one that would work for almost any costume idea you could conjure up, Michelle Phan is the queen of cosmetics, and her channel is a good place to start if you don't know what you're looking for (or if you do know, and want the best). She's done a ton of videos over the years, many of which were completely un-Halloween-related, but she's got quite a few costumes and characters under her belt as well, including a seriously creepy <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk6lWXSE5IY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gothic Lolita doll</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebcc1WXJS6A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mulan</a>, and a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHkJpjjPIvM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">zombified Barbie</a>. (Also check out her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQfmFI1inzg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Halloween Favorites</a>, a mash-up of fashion tricks and sweet treats.) There's even an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8BcNxuRjwo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"R" (from <i>Warm Bodies</i>) tutorial</a> for the guys. Speaking of which, if you're either looking for more gruesome options (or, again, if you're a guy -- these channels cater more to both genders) check out the extremesfx or MAC Cosmetics channels. The former features a few neat tutorials using latex, prosthetics and more, and the latter just started testing out a handful of really beautiful/creepy looks courtesy of Rick Baker, a professional Hollywood makeup master with a ton of films under his belt, as well as an Academy Award and even a star on the Walk of Fame.</span>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-29630314184186522502013-10-13T17:24:00.001-04:002013-10-13T17:26:48.604-04:00Stranger Nightmare IV: The Slit-Mouthed WomanIt might not be Friday, but it's still the thirteenth of October (incidentally, this is also exactly the thirteenth post of this blog) -- which means it's high time for another nightmare. Today's Stranger Nightmare is an urban legend hailing from scary story central, a.k.a. Japan.<br />
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<b>Don't Talk to Strangers Wearing Masks: The Legend</b><br />
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Kuchisake-onna, or the Slit-Mouthed (or Split-Mouthed) Woman, is an evil spirit who, at first glance, appears to be a beautiful woman wearing a surgical mask. Here in America she'd stick out like a sore thumb -- random woman creeping around at night with a mask covering half her face? No thank you -- but in Japan wearing a surgical mask (especially during flu season) to prevent the spread of germs is an extremely common practice. This lady, however, isn't politely protecting you from disease; the mask covers up her hideously disfigured face, which has been split from the corners of her mouth to each ear in a terrible <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_smile" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cheshire grin</a>.<br />
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Like any urban legend, there are numerous variations on what exactly happens during an encounter with the Slit-Mouthed Woman. <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2005/06/07/issues/have-you-heard-the-one-about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">One version</a> casts her as an archetypal Hitchhiker of Death, garbed in long, flowing white robes (a funeral kimono, perhaps?) and with a simple white cloth in place of a surgical mask. (Check out <a href="http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/get_topic/f/91/t/000759.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this snopes thread</a> and <a href="http://obake.wikispaces.com/Kuchisake+Onna" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this obake wiki post</a> for even more details and variations.) The most popular version, however, has her wandering the streets of Japan at night, specifically preying upon young children walking home from school.<br />
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In almost all versions, the encounter goes something like this. The hapless victim meets the woman, who for all accounts and purposes seems to be normal -- i.e. alive and human. The woman asks the victim, "Am I beautiful?" Regardless of the answer (or often, before one can be given) she rips off her mask, revealing her deformity.<br />
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At this point in the hitchhiker story, she starts repeating, "Am I beautiful?" over and over again as the driver screams (and, I assume, dies in either a panic-induced accident or by other, more supernatural, causes). In the street encounter, however, she asks, "How about now?" and waits for an answer. And, of course, there are a lot of wrong answers. If you tell her she is not beautiful, she kills you with an over-sized pair of scissors -- by beheading in some stories, by cutting you in half in others. If you try to get on her good side by insisting she is still beautiful, she carves an extra-wide smile just like hers into your face. Running doesn't help either; after all, she <i>is</i> a ghost. She will simply appear in front of you again and, probably, kill you.<br />
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Supposedly, there is only one right answer. The legend says that if you respond to her question by saying something like, "You're only average" or "so-so," she will be confused long enough for you to escape with your life (and your face) intact. A slightly sillier rumor also has it that you can throw fruit at her (or, if you're a child, your favorite brand of candy) to distract her and get away.<br />
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Of course, the ensuing nightmares would probably be a lot harder to get rid of. <br />
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<b>Wanna Know How I Got These Scars?: The Origins</b><br />
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Like Heath Ledger's Joker, the Slit-Mouthed Woman has acquired numerous origin stories over the years, and of course no one knows which story, if any, is the true one. Some say she acquired her scars during a plastic surgery gone wrong; others say it was a car accident, or the result of an assault by a biker gang, and still others say she is an escaped mental patient who carved the smile herself. A much older and more elaborate take is that she was an adulteress whose samurai husband, upon discovering her infidelity, carved up her face and demanded, "Who will think you're beautiful now?" She eventually died, either from her wounds or by committing suicide, and became an <i>onryō </i>(a vengeful spirit).<br />
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The origins of the legend itself are likewise difficult to pinpoint. Though the version featuring the samurai's wife supposedly dates back to Japan's Heian period (794-1185), the tale of the Slit-Mouthed Woman seems to have stayed largely in the shadows until the late 20th century. Toward the end of the 70's, rumors of a mutilated woman stalking schoolchildren began to spread like wildfire, and in 1979, something of a panic broke out in the Nagasaki prefecture. Reported sightings grew so frequent that the local police began regular patrols, and schools assigned teachers to walk students home in groups after class for safety reasons. The woman, of course, was neither found nor arrested, and after a while the panic died down, ending as quietly and mysteriously as it began.<br />
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(An interesting side-note: it just so happens that around this time, between 1977 and 1983, at <i>least</i> <a href="http://www.rachi.go.jp/en/ratimondai/jian.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">seventeen Japanese citizens</a> were reportedly abducted for spy-related purposes by the North Korean government, which so far admits to thirteen of the kidnappings. Though all except one of the officially recognized victims were adults at the time and don't exactly fit the profile for the legend, I find it interesting that these disappearances -- which may have unofficially numbered in the <i>hundreds </i>-- occurred around the same time that the "panic" in Nagasaki really took off. One wonders if perhaps the real danger of abduction somehow attributed to the legend's sudden popularity. It has also been speculated that the rumors sprang from some real-life incident of a woman attacking a child, though no specific incident has, as far as I can tell, been identified.)<br />
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In 2007, it is said (though I haven't found any real evidence yet to confirm this) that a coroner found some records dating back to the late 70's which discuss a woman with a history of violence towards small children; while chasing some kids, she was hit by a car and killed, and her mouth was -- you guessed it -- torn open from ear to ear.<br />
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While I have yet to dig up any actual news articles about the panic (please share if you find any!), pretty much every overview of the legend refers to it, and some blog posts (like <a href="http://horrornews.net/30080/frightful-japan-the-torn-mouth-woman-kuchisake-onna/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a>) even share first-person accounts and relative's memories of what it was like going to school with the fear of the Slit-Mouthed Woman following them every step of the way.<br />
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<b>How About Now?: The Modern (Slit-Mouthed) Woman</b><br />
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If you're not creeped out enough yet, feel free to go look up one (or all) of the many films portraying the gruesome legend. Since the release of <span class="st">Teruyoshi Ishii's <i>Kuchisake-onna</i> in 1996, at least seven live-action movies have been made featuring the Slit-Mouthed Woman, with the most recent one being </span><span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">Jun'ichi Yamamoto's <i>Kuchisake-onna</i> (2012). A few manga and anime adaptations also exist, and several others including <i>Hell Teacher Nube</i>, <i>Hanako and the Terror of Allegory</i>, <i>Franken Fran</i>, <i>Occult Academy</i> and <i>Toshi Densetsu</i> feature her briefly. In the original <i>Ringu</i>, one of the main characters refers to an urban legend about "The Ripped-Mouth Woman," explaining that the story began circulating following a car accident in the Gifu prefecture which left a local woman brutally disfigured. Earlier in the movie, one character theorizes on where such stories come from:</span><br />
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<span class="itemprop" itemprop="name"><i>"This kind of thing -- it
doesn't start by one person telling a story. It's more like everyone's
fear just takes on a life of its own . . . Or, maybe it's not fear at
all. Maybe it's what we were secretly hoping for all along."</i></span><br />
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<span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">In 2004, <a href="http://seoulistmag.com/articles/read/the_red_mask_girl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the legend spread from Japan to Korea</a>, where sightings began popping up all over again (though, as far as I know, it never hit panic levels). Re-dubbed <a href="http://blog.torgodevil.com/archives/00001122.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Red Mask Ghost</a> (or The Red Mask Girl), in Korea she wears a red surgical mask and is said (in one of the variations) to be a Japanese woman whose scars were caused by failed cosmetic surgery. Sometimes she is said to target children, other times it's men, and her weapon of choice may be either scissors or a scalpel. It is said that she may be scared away by tracing the Chinese character for dog on one's hand (though the legend generally makes no mention of a dog, or China) -- however, in some versions, there is no escape.</span><br />
<span class="itemprop" itemprop="name"><br /></span>
<span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">In every version, the single constant is her haunting question, to which, truthfully, there may be no right answer: "Am I beautiful?"</span>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-15768258967778054082013-10-07T21:09:00.000-04:002013-10-07T21:09:52.386-04:00Stranger Nightmare III: The Tell-Tale HeartSince 7 is such a magical number, today we have a special nightmare double-feature, commemorating not only yesterday's Mad Hatter Day but also in remembrance of the great Edgar Allan Poe, who passed from this dream to the next 164 years ago today. <br />
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As such, our third nightmare happens to be my personal favorite Poe story, the haunting "Tell-Tale Heart," first published in 1843. Now, the original story is widely considered to be a Gothic horror classic, and though it's been adapted and rewritten and referenced at least a million and three times, it just so happens that, now and again, someone actually hits the mark.<br />
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In this case, that someone is none other than the late, great Vincent Price -- the face that launched a thousand B-movies, the voice that haunted a thousand dreams. If there's one voice that was <i>meant </i>to tell scary stories, it was his; if I had to pick only <i>one </i>tale to hear him tell, it would be this one.<br />
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Do yourself a favor. Turn the lights down, turn the volume up, grab a glass of wine (or a bit of Halloween candy -- or both), and savor the sinister delight of the first recitation from Vincent Price's <i>An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe</i>.<br />
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(Below is "Tell-Tale Heart" as uploaded by YouTube user mirkodamian. Because sadly, the original film doesn't appear to be very available... anywhere, really.)<br />
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Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-27589297572424123232013-10-07T18:21:00.000-04:002013-10-07T18:27:53.119-04:00Nightmare II: McGee's HatterFor our second Stranger Nightmare, it's time to celebrate <a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ari/madHatter.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mad Hatter Day</a> (one day late -- because, you know, time can be funny in dreams) with a character spotlight on one of my personal favorite (creepy) incarnations of He Who Wears Big Hats. Without further adieu, I present to you the maniacal mechanical wonder, the Mad Hatter from the <i>American McGee's Alice</i> and <i>Alice: Madness Returns</i> games.<br />
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(Once again, beware the spoilers -- although really, if you haven't played the <i>Alice </i>games yet, you probably don't deserve a disclaimer.)<br />
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One of the most intriguing characters in McGee's twisted Wonderland, this Hatter (voiced by the deliciously demented-sounding Andrew Chaikin) is far from the travel-sized, gnome-like little man found in the <a href="http://www.goldmarkart.com/all-art/all-artists/john-tenniel.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Tenniel illustrations</a> that first accompanied the original novel by Lewis Carroll. According to <a href="http://noctalis.com/dis/alice/dev2k2.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a quote from an interview</a> with Jay Brushwood, who worked as a 3D modeler/animator on the first game, research for the character design began with reading the books and browsing through Tenniel's works as well as other works based on the books and ended up somewhere between Tim Burton, Salvador Dali, and <i>Spawn</i>.<br />
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The result was a lanky green half-man, half-machine mongrel sporting spats and a stovepipe hat. The amount of detail that went into the design alone is -- teehee -- to die for; everything from the teacup-tipped cane, to the checkerboard pattern on the hat, to the clockwork gear sticking out of his back, is a wonderfully nightmarish twist on everything that was once familiar about the classic version of the character.<br />
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His role in the series is equally fascinating. In the first game, he is largely portrayed (pun intended) as one of the villains of the story, a murderous madman grown to enormous proportions who, in his first (rather shocking) appearance in the game, ruthlessly squishes the White Rabbit beneath one of his oversized soles. He is eventually defeated by Alice in order to free the Dormouse and March Hare from his torturous experiments and to protect the rest of Wonderland from meeting similar fates.<br />
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However, it is also true that the Hatter is one of the characters responsible for saving Alice from the fire which took her family. During the "Smoke and Fire" sequence, he and the White Rabbit are the first characters to notice the danger; panicking, the White Rabbit cries out, "We must save Alice!" and the Hatter's screams of "Wake up, Alice! Wake up!" are in fact what finally rouse her in time to escape and survive.<br />
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When he returns in the sequel, his role changes yet again. Apparently back to his old self, he appears as a victim of the Dormouse's and Hare's cruel revenge. This time, he is rescued by Alice and proceeds to act as a strange sort of guide for a time, even scolding Alice in an oddly mentor-ish fashion for allowing Wonderland to get so out of control.<br />
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Victim or villain, friend or foe, this Hatter is as much a fantastic reinvention of an iconic character as he is a new, original being, and his presence alone could have made the series worth playing. (Luckily, the rest of the games are just as darkly, delightfully surreal.) Hats off to American McGee and Rogue Entertainment for giving gamers one of the best horror game characters <i>ever </i>to play with.<br />
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<i>"Everything's a nail, is it, Miss Hammerhead? First it was your
search, freighted with fear and fragmented memories. Now it's the train!
Never time for tea. While your brains on holiday, we're ruined! Now
we're all mad here and that's a good excuse for going to hell in a
teapot, but not for forgetting what your senses saw. Forgetting is just
forgetting, except when it's not. Then they call it something else. I'd
like to forget what you did. I tried, but I can't." -</i> the Mad Hatter, <i>American McGee's Alice</i>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-17964809333904471392013-10-01T23:02:00.000-04:002013-10-01T23:14:27.148-04:00Nightmare I: Amnesia: A Machine For PigsA few weeks ago I had the incomparable honor and pleasure of reviewing <i>Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs</i>, the highly anticipated semi-sequel to one of my favorite video games of all time. Enchanted to the point of gushing, I wrote as much about it as I could without giving too much away -- spoiling such a beautifully horrifying experience would be worse than treason.<br />
<br />
However, there is so much more that can and should be said about it, and so for this first nightmare I wanted to revisit the game and peel a few more layers back, this time sans length and spoiler restrictions. Enjoy, and feel free to share your own comments or constructive criticism regarding this monster of a masterpiece.<br />
<br />
BE YE WARNED: BEYOND THIS POINT, THAR BE SPOILERS. For an absolutely spoiler-free look at the game, feel free to check out my original <a href="http://www.indiegamemag.com/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-review/" target="_blank">IGM review</a>.<br />
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<b>A Fever-Dream: Oswald's Psychosis</b><br />
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Aside from the monsters, what gamers probably remember best about the first <i>Amnesia </i>is the sanity meter. While <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SanityMeter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">not the first game to use this mechanic</a> (some memorable precursors include <i>Clock Tower 3</i>,<i> American McGee's Alice, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem</i>, and <i>Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth</i>), it was one of the few to use this tool to its best advantage, pitting players' natural fears of both deadly enemies and the unknown darkness against one another in one epically diabolical catch-22. It's fair to say that most fans of the original (myself included) were probably betting on finding a similar feature implemented in the sequel.<br />
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Instead, we got Oswald Mandus and his unreliable-yet-indestructible electric lantern. Unlike previous protagonist Daniel's severe nyctophobia, which caused increasingly distressing hallucinations and even blackouts if he was deprived of light for too long (or attempted a staring contest with a monster), Oswald's psychological issues were presented in a more subtle, organic fashion. From the start of the game there is an inkling that something is terribly wrong -- what sort of man voluntarily sleeps in a cage? -- but as the story unfolds, his god complex and repressed guilt over dreadful past crimes mix with fevered visions to produce one interesting cocktail of crazy.<br />
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That being said, I can't help missing that meter just a bit -- or, more specifically, the hallucinations. I imagine it's been harped upon a lot across the internet, but there really was something special about how elegantly the first game trapped players into terrible, unforgiving situations with no right answer. While it certainly would have been a bit cheesy to give Oswald the exact same brand of insanity as Daniel, I don't necessarily think removing the mechanic entirely was the only solution. For example, Oswald hinted several times at harboring strong sentiments (not unlike those of a phobia) towards dirt and decay. This could easily have translated into a sanity mechanic in which the player could not endure the sight of blood, corpses or derelict environments -- not to mention the Manpigs -- for too long without experiencing some sort of breakdown. Oh, what fun we could have had in the bowels of the Machine, where blood flows like water and virtually every surface is coated with a fine layer of rust, dust and porcine refuse!<br />
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Still, Oswald's visions (or were they ghosts?) fit the bill as far as spine-tingling observable representations of Our Beloved Protagonist's deep mental scars -- and I admit without shame that those first few fleeting glimpses of the children nearly sent me into cardiac arrest.<br />
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<b>Look, Don't Touch: Environmental Interactivity</b><br />
<br />
Strangely, the lack of a sanity mechanic (which didn't even occur to me until more than halfway through the game) didn't bother me nearly as much as the significant decrease in environmental interactivity. The first game allowed the player to pick up, carry, toss and even damage or destroy most objects in any given map, including a lot of objects that had little, if anything, to do with the current objectives. (Fans of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PewDiePie</a>'s and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TobyGames" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Toby Turner</a>'s "Let's Play" videos, for instance, fondly remember "Stephano" the statuette and "Boon" the rock, neither of which helped with actual progress but nevertheless served as oddly comforting inanimate companions during the playthroughs.) While not a necessary mechanic, this level of semi-realistic interactivity boosted the game's already sky-high immersion levels -- not to mention starting some amusing cheat/glitch theories, including one which stated that a desk drawer could serve as a successful shield to hide the player from monsters.<br />
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In <i>A Machine For Pigs</i>, very few non-essential objects can be manipulated by the player. This, for me, presented multiple problems. First and foremost, I couldn't throw those damned pig masks across the room or out the window, no matter how very, VERY much I wanted to. Nor could I toss some breakable object down the hall as a means of distracting an enemy -- a tactic which has saved my life more than once in the world of survival horror. Furthermore, after discovering most objects were not interactive, I assumed that I would only be allowed to play with essential items, which led to some confusion when I encountered a moveable hatch with no in-game purpose, or an cage door that could be opened but not entered. <br />
<br />
But most importantly, not being able to pick up even small, easy-to-handle objects felt distracting. I've grown so accustomed to it since the first installment that when I first realized this small privilege had been revoked, it actually briefly took me out of the game. Mind you, the very next creepy sound effect dragged me right back in, but that tiny, disjointed moment is exactly the sort of thing Frictional Games and the chinese room have been trying to avoid in their quest for ultimate gaming immersion.<br />
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On the other hand, I might have been very easily distracted by my personal vendetta against those masks I mentioned -- perhaps <i>not </i>allowing players to whip them about like Frisbees wasn't such a bad idea.<br />
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<b>Heart of Darkness: The Monsters and the Machine</b><br />
<br />
Despite these minor -- not even complaints, let's call them <i>critical observations</i> -- <i>A Machine For Pigs</i> is a breathtakingly deep, layered experience, an unflinching expedition into the dark, dank core of human psychology and history. The sheer amount of research that clearly went into the concept and writing is inspiring, and investigating the multitude of references and real sources behind the already complex and enigmatic fictional surface of the game has proven as diverting for me as the actual game itself. Many a passage in Oswald's journal will sound awfully familiar to anyone who ever read Upton Sinclair's <i>The Jungle</i> -- the phrase "so very human" takes on a new and especially haunting tone in the context of the game -- and the look and feel of the worlds both above and within The Machine are so spot-on Victorian it's difficult <i>not </i>to suspend disbelief.<br />
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But even beyond this, what impressed me the most about the game was how extensively layered and complex the story was. The first, most obvious example of this is the Machine itself. With only the title and a few years of horror gaming experience to go on, my first instinct was to imagine the Machine as some sort of mass production version of a butcher shop; the English major in me added that it would probably symbolize everything wrong with capitalism/industrialization/society/etc. Not far off the mark, really, but still off.<br />
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It turns out the Machine isn't just for pigs. In fact, in the eyes of the Machine, we are all pigs. And yes, it's a criticism of society and industry and the pursuit of progress for the sake of progress without consideration for the consequences or collateral damage -- but between fantastic writing and a wealth of excellent historical/literary backup, the argument is both sound and poignant, and every bit as deeply horrifying as the game itself.<br />
<br />
Worst of all, however, is the true nature not of the Machine, but of the monsters it spawned. At first glance it's pretty obvious that once again our feared enemies come from vaguely human origins. Just like the Grunts and Brutes of <i>Amnesia: The Dark Descent</i>, these Manpigs appear to be part person, part something utterly other, and in general it's the "other" part that seems to be in control. Yet the chinese room takes this idea one step further in the sequel; this excerpt from Oswald's diary says it all:<br />
<br />
<i>". . . I watch them sleep and eat and play and they are so very human, so very
childlike. And I will not think of what I have seen, of the chairs and
the cages, and I will not think of how such monsters may be sculpted."</i><br />
<br />
The full meaning of this entry is not revealed until a later stage of the game. The secret is this: the Manpigs are not merely people-pig abominations (which, let's face it, is terrible enough on its own), but really something more akin to pig-<i>children</i> hybrids. During one memorable sequence, the player catches glimpses of the creatures going about their daily lives; one can be seen playing with blocks, just like a human child. While the exact origins of the Manpigs are never completely revealed, it is speculated that they may actually be indirect descendents of Grunts and Brutes.<br />
<br />
Personally, however, I linked them with the countless orphans who died in the bowels of the machine, hired for their small stature and youthful agility to clean the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies deep within. Like the real-life chimney sweeps of the 19th century, many of the orphans died on the job, and new, younger recruits would then be sent in to clean up the mess. Though nothing in the game definitely points to this, I can't help but think that the Manpigs and the orphans are connected, either spiritually (possession?) or physically (my first reaction was to think that the Manpigs were literally mash-ups of pigs and the dead children -- waste not, want not, right?). Whatever the case, the monsters of the Machine, these children of Oswald's nightmares, may not be quite as obviously scary as their predecessors, but casting them in such a pitiable, even sympathetic light somehow makes them infinitely more disturbing.<br />
<br />
Seriously. The scene from which that journal excerpt was taken will haunt my dreams for years to come.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>In Conclusion: I Double-Dare You</b><br />
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It's not for the faint of heart, and if you're more interested in panic attacks than slow-developing philosophical dread, you'd best turn elsewhere. (Like <i>Slender</i>. That's about as shock-scary as you can get without a shred of actual in-game story.) But Halloween ain't Halloween without a few good psychological scars, and <i>A Machine for Pigs</i> definitely cuts deep. Really, anyone who doesn't give it the ol' college try is truly missing out. At the very least, check out a bloody walkthrough on YouTube or something. Just don't forget to turn the lights off and the volume up.Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-1228086601018657142013-10-01T15:59:00.000-04:002013-10-01T23:13:42.043-04:00October Special: 13 Stranger NightmaresHas it been forever and a half since the last update? Perhaps. Time got very wibbly-wobbly these past few months; between long spans of absolutely-nothing-interesting and a few sudden, violent spats of madness, it's easy to lose track of things. However, October is upon us, and being that it is unquestionably the best month of the year, it's about time to try something special.<br />
<br />
So, this month I'll be doing special features on some of the best stories the horror genre has to offer. Any medium goes! Hint: the topic of a post that (with any luck) will be up by tonight is a certain recently released video game. If you know me at all, you probably know what's coming.<br />
<br />
And yes, as this post's title suggests, the series shall be called 13 Stranger Nightmares. Expect irregular but ominously timed posts; one for the witching hour, perhaps, and hopefully a Frankenstein Friday special. Thirteen is a bit much for one month, so also expect these to be a bit shorter than the usual posts. But after so many months of silence, it's time to make a little noise.<br />
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See you in your dreams...<br />
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Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-13523394012992965882013-05-25T02:51:00.001-04:002013-05-25T02:51:32.475-04:00Geekception: Happy Geek Pride Day!In my reality, geek pride day is pretty much every day of the year. But I can’t resist a fun holiday, and besides, any excuse to be extra geektacular is a good excuse -- so happy Geek Pride Day, everypony!<br />
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I considered picking a favorite geeky topic to write about, but the confustication of choosing just one was too much for me. So instead, I decided it’s time for a little lesson in geekology -- rather than looking outward at our collections of figures, books, movies, and prop replicas, I’m asking my fellow geeks to look inward and consider: what does being a geek really mean?<br />
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Of course, everyone’s going to have their own answer, and it might even change per person from one day to the next. But wisdom is rooted in knowledge -- the more the better -- so before you answer, consider this utterly useless and yet utterly fascinating information I have unearthed about the origins and story of the word “geek” for your reading pleasure.<br />
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<b>Origins: The Beginnings of Life, The Universe, and Everything Geeky</b><br />
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According to the <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geek" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary</a>, the origin of the word geek is "probably from English dialect <i>geek</i>, <i>geck</i> fool, from Low German <i>geck</i>, from Middle Low German" (meaning a fool or simpleton), and its first recorded use was in 1914. Even more interesting, the dictionary gives us not one, not two, but three meanings to choose from:<br />
<ol>
<li>a carnival performer, often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting off the head of a live chicken or snake,</li>
<li>a person, often of intellectual bent, who is disliked, or</li>
<li>an enthusiast or expert, especially in a technological field or activity.</li>
</ol>
So, if you imagine concerts are like carnivals in that they're both theatrical-type shows, what this tells us is that it's <a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/ENT/502270318&nclick_check=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">perfectly correct</a> to call Ozzie Osbourne a geek.<br />
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Seriously though, according to <a href="http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/09/where-the-words-geek-and-nerd-came-from/" target="_blank">this article</a> by Daven Hinskey, the first definition is actually where the word started. Basically, "geeks" were the maddest of the mad in the freak-shows -- the ones that were fun to gawk at and make fun of, but you would never want to have tea with, or run into in, say, a dark, deserted alleyway. Their antics were entertaining to the public, but the geeks themselves were considered fools, if not outright lunatics. Sound familiar?<br />
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<br />
<b>"Geek" Over Time: Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey Stuff</b><br />
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Of course, pretty much no one thinks of carnies when they think of the word geek. If you're not thinking of yourself, you might be imagining someone you've seen in movies or on the street, someone obvious and memorable. A cosplayer, perhaps, in full Klingon mode (speaking the <i>language</i>, no less), or a <i>Big Bang Theory</i> character, complete with a Marvel or DC t-shirt and a room full of movie collectibles and comic books. Or maybe it's just that girl that sat across from you in algebra class doodling <i>Sailor Moon</i> scribbles all over her perfect-scoring homework and muttering "baka" every time someone gave a wrong answer or asked a stupid question.<br />
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Thanks to the skyrocketing popularity of things like superheroes, epic sci-fi/fantasy/adventure films, graphic novels, and big-name conventions like San Diego Comic-Con, the term geek no longer seems to be as universally pejorative as it used to be, often implying instead something between teasing and tolerance. (Though, now and again, I do still come across the <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/why-the-fake-geek-girl-meme-needs-to-die" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">girls-aren't-geeks</a> stereotype, or the equally infuriating <a href="http://whysfreallyisthatbad.com/part-i-geeks/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">geeks-are-all-socially-inept-losers</a> theory, and have to take a deep breath and remind myself that, "anger, fear, agression; the dark side of the force, are they.")<br />
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But not so long ago, in a galaxy not that far away at all, geek culture was something Mainstream World pointed at and laughed at as it passed by on the street, on its way to more Serious, Real-World Activities (like shopping sprees, watching football, and number-crunching? No thanks). Sort of like fair-goers making faces at carnies. The main gist of the scoffing seemed to be aimed at the idea that geeky interests were not applicable in real life and not useful towards creating a successful lifestyle -- not to mention being labeled a "geek," even by association, was social suicide. At least, that's what high school movies tell us -- at least 99% of them, whether seriously or satirically, include a popular cheerleader or jock explaining to some well-meaning high-school newbie that if they sit at the geek/weirdo table, no one will ever talk to them again. <i>Ever</i>.<br />
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So what changed? Most articles, like <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/2003-10-22-geek-chic_x.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a> from USA Today, point to Jobs, Gates, and the computer revolution. Everyday treasures like iPods, Disney/Pixar movies, best-selling literature, and all the best scary stories were created by self-proclaimed geeks and nerds who turned their "obsessions" into high-flying careers. I mean, J.K Rowling has her own <i>theme park</i>, for crying out loud. You can't get much more successful -- or geeky -- than that.<br />
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Their success gradually changed the public image of the geek as a painfully awkward loser with no future to, at the very least, an awkward fanboy/girl with a potentially extremely lucrative future, and pulled geek culture out of the basement and into the blinding limelight of mainstream-land. This results in more than a few caricatures, but also much more widespread acceptance than ever before. And that's just what Geek Pride Day is all about: accepting your inner geek and/or the geeks around you (if you haven't already) and being proud of your passions and interests what make you who you are. A little showing off wouldn't be totally frowned upon, either.<br />
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<b>The Cake is [Not] a Lie: Celebrating Geek Pride Day</b><br />
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Obviously, there's no one right way to celebrate any holiday, especially one as open to interpretation as Geek Pride Day. In fact, the reason (or at least one of the reasons?) May 25 was chosen for the holiday is that the date is attached to three separate significant events. The first <i>Star Wars</i> film, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>A New Hope</i></a>, debuted on this day in 1977. It is also officially <a href="http://towelday.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Towel Day</a>, in honor of Douglas Adams and his masterpiece of a series, <i>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</i>. Finally, fans of Terry Pratchett's <i>Discworld </i>novels know it as <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/wear-the-lilac" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Glorious 25 May</a>.<br />
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If you're at a loss for how to celebrate, you could start by honoring your favorite of these, or all of them. Or you could familiarize yourself with the one(s) you've yet to have the pleasure of watching/reading. You could dress up as a Jedi, buy a new towel (because you never know when you might need a backup), or wear a sprig of lilac.<br />
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Really, anything and everything that comes to mind is probably acceptable. You could organize a 24-hour gaming party with friends -- either virtual or in person, with some nice 20-sided dice and a good dungeon-master -- or a costume party with an appropriately awesome theme, like 80's glitter fantasy or Marvel vs. DC. Bake a Portal cake (or not and say you did). Try a recipe for lembas bread. Get a little Ghibli with a Miyazaki marathon. Stock up on shinies by taking advantage of special offers, like <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/blog/2012/05/geek-pride-day-is-friday-may-2.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ThinkGeek's Geek Pride Day giveaway</a> thing. Cast a spell with a homemade wand. Take some notes for your next cosplay while watching a season or two of <i>Face-Off</i>. Or, if you're not a geek yourself (or a new recruit) and looking to learn more about the culture, you might want to start by looking up some of the awesome references I just made.<br />
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The sky is not the limit, because there are no limits. If you can imagine it, you can do it. And if you build it, they will come. Happy celebrating, everyone -- may the Force be with you, the odds be ever in your favor, and, as Neil Gaiman once said, "May your <span class="st"><i></i>coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness." Also, tribbles. Lots and lots of tribbles.</span><br />
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<i>Me? I'll probably be gaming, chowing down on some pocky, enjoying a sweet anime marathon, and/or curled up with a good graphic novel. What are YOUR plans for May 25, 2013? Inquiring minds wish to know!</i>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-19352670378145444342013-04-23T03:47:00.001-04:002013-05-22T23:28:33.062-04:00Storyteller Spotlight: Jan ŠvankmajerApologies for the unannounced and unexpected hiatus;
end-of-semester stress plus post-graduation disorder and disarray equals extra
insomnia. Add to that my continued work with <i>IGM </i>and life’s usual curveballs,
and you have one very confusticated me, and I confess for quite a while there that even as I kept on plotting posts I never got around to writing, I
considered throwing in the towel.<br />
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But if, dear reader, you are in fact not just a figment of
my imagination, fear not -- I’m baaack. And I bring with me a souvenir from the land of the madder than mad.<br />
<br />
I’ve been in a Wonderland mood lately (it happens
from time to time), and during one of my many trips down the rabbit-hole that
is internet research, I came across a man whose works boggled my mind almost as
much as the pronunciation of his last name.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jansvankmajer.com/" target="_blank">Jan Švankmajer</a> is a
Czech surrealist who has directed, written and animated a fair few films, and
is known for his unique animations and style. His filmography includes several literary adaptations, not the least of which being a couple of Edgar Allan Poe stories -- but after watching his 1988 film, <i>Alice</i>, and then his 1971 short, <i>Jabberwocky</i>, I've been too traumatized to look up the rest of his stuff.<br />
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Švankmajer's vision of Wonderland isn't exactly a pretty sight. I sought out <a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Alice/60000309" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Alice</i></a> (original title: <i>Něco z Alenky,</i> "Something from Alice"<i>) </i>expecting a darker version of Carrol's world, but ignorant of how seriously insane it was truly going to be. Of course, it's supposed to be mad -- but through Švankmajer's lens, it becomes a dangerously disturbing place that threatens to haunt the dreams of any poor soul foolish enough to step through the looking glass. If that sounds a bit dramatic, consider this: the white rabbit is played, thanks to the creepiest stop-motion animation <i>ever</i>, by a (REAL) stuffed rabbit who bleeds sawdust all over the place throughout the film. And whatever you do, don't ask me about the skeletons. I might cry.<br />
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When I first watched the film, I couldn't wait for it to be over -- especially once I realized the rabbit really was a dead rabbit, and I'm pretty sure the skeletons are real too -- but in retrospect, I have reasons to appreciate both the artist and the experience (even if I never, ever want to repeat it for as long as I live). I can't help but take issue with casting dead animals' remains in a movie, but the methods behind Švankmajer's madness intrigue me.<br />
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He has stated in <a href="http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/features/2011/06/14/interview-with-jan-352vankmajer/" target="_blank">interviews</a> that his problem with previous adaptations was the tendency they all exhibited of interpreting the Alice books as fairytales, stories with strange but nonetheless linear plots and, more importantly, morals. He argues that Alice's adventures are dreams and, thus, are fundamentally different from fairytales, in that they wander and jump around at the whim of the subconscious, and are totally devoid of any moral agenda. In <i>Alice </i>(as in many of his works), nearly everything is crafted from everyday objects and materials, mirroring the way dreams rearrange familiar images into foreign, sometimes even incomprehensible visions.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QgC9_lFllo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Jabberwocky</i></a>, in some ways, took this even further. Švankmajer short, experimental film reminded me in thirteen bewildering minutes of why the man behind the camera scares me -- and why I don't usually watch experimental films. Call me low-brow, but when I walk away feeling vaguely nauseous and wondering WTF I just subjected my eyeballs to, I start to wonder if maybe I shouldn't have just watched a Disney movie instead.<br />
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I can't tell you what <i>Jabberwocky </i>was about, because I honestly have no clue. What I can tell you is that it involved spanking someone's naked bum (that's the very first thing you see in the film, actually), a startling black cat that seems to have a grudge against mazes, macabre porcelain dolls, and a wardrobe that doesn't lead to Narnia (probably), but <i>can </i>go wherever the heck it wants, thanks to its magical ability to walk, or glide, or something. While <i>Alice </i>at least gives the impression of some sort of followable narrative, <i>Jabberwocky </i>is a collage of indecipherable imagery and insanity. Though thankfully devoid of taxidermy (as far as I recall, anyway), it is nevertheless just as disturbing as its feature film follow-up, and a thousand times more disjointed and perplexing.<br />
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In spite of my qualms, I still wanted to share Švankmajer's work with you all, especially my fellow Wonderland fans. At the end of the day, I do admire Švankmajer's daring originality, and I respect him as a master of dream-world conjurations -- even if his penchant for dead things does give me nightmares. <br />
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<i>Seen </i>Alice <i>and/or </i>Jabberwocky<i>? Have questions or comments about Švankmajer's works? Comment away! If you'd like to see the films for yourself, they can be a bit difficult to find -- at least in the US -- but a grinning cat once told me it's possible to find them on the internet, if you know the right places to look...</i> Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-87932181870141350402012-10-31T23:08:00.001-04:002013-05-22T23:27:34.577-04:00Halloween Nostalgic Top FiveHey everyone, been rather incredibly busy this month -- aside from all my Halloween partying, I've recently begun working as a writer for <a href="http://www.indiegamemag.com/">The Indie Game Magazine</a>, plus there's school -- so unfortunately this post will be fairly brief. Normally it's against my code to work on All Hallow's Eve, but I just couldn't let the holiday go by without a single post. Sooo, I present you with the five stories that, in my humble opinion, most perfectly embody the time and place that was my childhood Hallowe'en. (If you didn't grow up with most of these, I offer you my most sincere condolences -- and a gentle reminder that it is always better late than never.) <i>It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown</i> gets an honorable mention, because I can't stand <i>not </i>to mention it. Happy Halloween, dear readers. <br />
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<b>#5: Tim Burton's <i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i></b><br />
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Really now, no list of this nature would feel complete without good ol' Tim Burton. This 1993 stop-motion masterpiece was and always will have one of the best Halloween themes -- thank you, Danny Elfman -- and Jack and Sally are still one of my favorite couples. And honestly, what could ever beat the perfect combo of two of the most fun holidays ever? (Well, except for maybe Talk Like a Pirate Day.)<br />
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<b>#4: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson</b><br />
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Back when TV music channels still played, you know, <i>music </i>videos, I remember seeing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA" rel="nofollow">this one</a> a lot around the end of October. Another classic Halloween theme, "Thriller" is as much of a treat for the ears as it is for the eyes. Zombies, werewolves and Michael Jackson, oh my! And it comes with a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B90hHmWvkK0">universally loved</a> dance that's just... to die for. (Yes, I really had to.)<br />
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<b>#3: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</b><br />
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I don't even remember where I first heard of this, whether it was the Disney animation or the <i>Wishbone</i> version or some verbal reincarnation of the <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/310/2/2.html">original Washington Irving short story</a>. In the end, it really doesn't matter. For as long as I can remember, the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman has been a part of Halloween tradition. My favorite incarnation is, unfortunately, not one that I can share, except as an anecdote: My fifth grade teacher gathered the class around him, legs crossed and sitting on the floor, and sat down to tell us the tale in his best creepy elderly man voice. He then told us about how he and his son went to the place the story was based on. (Here, he held up a paper bag with something bulging inside of it.) While they were there, his son discovered a strange, spherical object just off the road... At this point in the story, he yanked the strange round something out of the bag and <i>tossed it into the crowd</i>. The boy next to me caught what appeared to be a disembodied head, and we all had just enough time to yelp and start to scramble away before the boy pulled the Halloween mask off of the basketball and started to laugh. The moral of the story? Playing terrible tricks on small children ultimately makes for the best Halloween memories. Also Washington Irving is awesome.<br />
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<b>#2: <i>Hocus Pocus</i></b><br />
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There are so many good things in this movie it's difficult to decide where to begin. Both Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker witch about in my favorite roles of theirs to date, and Jason Marsden provides the voice for Thackery Binx, the first talking black cat -- protected by magic, thank goodness -- I ever loved. Billy is one of the very few truly likeable zombies that comes to mind, and the film teaches kids a valuable life lesson: NEVER LIGHT THE BLACK FLAME CANDLE. At least not until <i>after </i>you have sex.<br />
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<b>#1: Ray Bradbury's <i>The Halloween Tree</i></b><br />
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Neil Gaiman <a href="http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2012/06/ray-bradbury.html">put it perfectly when he said</a> that Bradbury was the author who truly made Hallowe'en a place you could visit whenever you wanted, not just one magical night of the year. And for me, the first chill of autumn, that first golden afternoon of fall will always have the same glow as that of the jack-o-lantern filled Halloween Tree. It's hard to say which is better; Bradbury is a master of prose, but in the film you get to hear him basically read his story aloud to you as the narrator of the film, and bonus: Leonard Nimoy is Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, possibly the coolest cloaked old dude to ever fly backwards in time. It's a little bit of history, a little bit of mystery, and everything I loved first and best about All Hallow's Eve. My pumpkin this year, a copy of Pipkin's in the movie, is dedicated to the man whose voice is forever linked in my mind with bags of candy, carved pumpkins, and the red and gold of the leaves that change in the north.<br />
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<br />Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-83554185872946886352012-09-30T03:18:00.002-04:002012-09-30T03:18:52.191-04:00Delicious & Fictitious: The Culinary Art of StorytellingWith Halloween right around the corner, I thought I would give my readers (both of you) a brief, lighthearted break from my usual morbid tendencies. Last week, as I was trying and somewhat failing to follow an online recipe for <a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Lembas">lembas bread</a> -- to celebrate <a href="http://www.americantolkiensociety.org/hobbit_day_and_tolkien_week.htm">Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week</a>, of course -- it occurred to me that food is not just a basic human need. Sometimes it serves a decorative or social purpose, such as impressing dinner guests. Sometimes it tweaks our chemical balances and comforts us, like a flavored security blanket. And sometimes, it tells a story.<br />
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<b>The Nostalgia Factor, AKA the Obvious</b><br />
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It's become a mark of civilization, or at least post-caveman development, that our food serves a purpose beyond immediate consumption. We dress it up with frosting and garnishes, we give it away as a friendly or romantic gift, we buy it and leave it in the back of the fridge and forget to eat it until the expiration date has passed and we have to throw it out.<br />
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Most of all, we make memories with it. We celebrate holidays by eating (often too much), sometimes assigning specific foods to specific days. For me, Thanksgiving will always taste like turkey and my mother's homemade bread -- which, for your information, happens to be the best damn bread in the entire universe. We celebrate birthdays with presents and cake, and <a href="http://comedians.jokes.com/jim-gaffigan/videos/jim-gaffigan---cake" rel="">as Jim Gaffigan says</a>, "Hope it's chocolate for me!" And it brings us together -- we bake cookies with friends, go out on dates to fancy restaurants, and the highlight of every wedding is the reception, even if most wedding cakes do taste terrible. Two of my clearest childhood memories are kneading bread dough with my mom, standing on tip-toe to reach the kitchen counter, and making s'mores for the first time with my dad in the backyard one summer night.<br />
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It's no surprise food memories are strong ones. Smell, arguably the second most important element of a meal after taste, is the sense which is most directly connected with emotion; just a whiff of a dish associated with a strong emotion, good or bad, is often more than enough to trigger a vivid memory.<br />
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<b>Food as (Sort of) a Family Heirloom?</b><br />
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OR: "This method of choosing a favorite food has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" (Kudos to my fellow <i>Fullmetal Alchemist</i> fans who got that.)<br />
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Aside from another obvious food fact -- it has specific cultural and religious associations, not the least of which being <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communion">communion</a> -- there have been <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/04/taste.perception/index.html" rel="">studies</a> that show food preferences can be passed down, somewhat, matrilineally. Many infants exhibit preferences for flavors related to the meals their mothers ate while pregnant. On the other hand, food in the form of family trade and business is often (though not always) passed down patrilineally, from father to eldest son. In Japan for example, where this is a traditional practice that remains popular, master sushi chef <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/11/jiro-ono-considered-to-be-the-world-s-greatest-sushi-chef-is-subject-of-new-documentary-jiro-dreams-of-sushi.html">Jiro Ono</a>, founder and owner of the Michelin 3-star restaurant <a href="http://www.sushi-jiro.jp/eng-index.html">Sukiyabashi Jiro</a>, has been training his eldest son Yoshikazu for decades to take over the restaurant when he retires. This story was featured in the recent documentary <i>Jiro Dreams of Sushi</i>, which brings me to my next point...<br />
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<b>"I Love Rocky Road": Food Entertainment</b><br />
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Nope, I'm not talking about how mashed potatoes can be your friends (that could be a whole article by itself); this form of food fun is a little less literal, but possibly even more popular. Think of the Food Network. Think of Gordon Ramsey and <i>Ace of Cakes</i>. Think of all the TV shows and channels and documentaries and books and blogs (like <a href="http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/">Bittersweet</a>, <a href="http://www.foodforthoughtmiami.com/">food for thought</a>, and <a href="http://stickyrice.typepad.com/my_weblog/">Stickyrice</a>) dedicated to the creation and criticism of all of the most delicious concoctions we can conjure up. Food isn't just edible -- it's entertainment.<br />
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And beyond the world of nonfiction, food has surprising narrative potential as well. Just look at all the books -- <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i>, <i>Dandelion Wine</i>, <i>James and the Giant Peach</i> -- and films -- <i>Ratatouille</i>, <i>Chocolat</i>, <i>Julie & Julia</i> -- that feature eatables as a central plot point. Many of Alfred Hitchcock's movies connect the action of eating with sexual appetites and psychology; <i>Psycho</i>'s Norman Bates, for example, can be repeatedly spotted munching on Halloween candy, reflecting both his stunted emotional growth and the horror aspect of the story. Everyone who saw Disney's <i>Lady and the Tramp</i> (and lots of people who haven't) remembers exactly what they ate on their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Er8wXuqdEY" rel="nofollow">doggie dinner date</a>, and the song from the famous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC8xcagMcTY" rel="nofollow">"Be Our Guest"</a> sequence of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. <i>Oliver!</i>, the 1968 musical adaptation of the Dickens novel <i>Oliver Twist</i>, opens with the catchy number <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly7PONiKGUs" rel="nofollow">"Food, Glorious Food,"</a> followed by possibly the most memorable food-related quote of all time: "Please, sir, I want some more!"<br />
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Food is often played for a laugh: in 1993, Weird Al released a compilation of his most delectable hits, called <i>The Food Album</i>, and Bill Watterson's masterpiece of a comic strip, <i>Calvin & Hobbes</i>, often featured Calvin's seemingly endless supply of alternately disgusted and disgusting <a href="http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Dinner">reactions to unknown food substances</a> at the dinner table. Food is also just as often suspicious, if not outright dangerous. Almost everyone (including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANNqr-vcx0" rel="nofollow">Jefferson Airplane</a>) is familiar with the numerous "eat me" and "drink me" food tags Alice encountered in Wonderland, and of course anyone who has read or watched <i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> (or the <a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/419516/september-26-2012/sign-off---turkish-delight" rel="nofollow">September 26, 2012 episode</a> of <i>The Colbert Report</i>) is familiar with the evil temptations of Turkish delight.<br />
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The list goes on and on -- the possibilities, it seems, are endless.<br />
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<b>"What About Second Breakfast?": Fictional Food and Reality</b><br />
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Perhaps the most interesting and unusual storytelling aspect of food is how it transfers from page and screen to the (real) third dimension. Countless food products and recipes now exist that reference memorable treats and dishes from popular stories. You can walk into many Muggle-owned snack shops now and buy a bag of <a href="http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Bertie_Bott%27s_Every_Flavour_Beans">Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans</a> (at your own risk), and thanks to the internet, you can pick almost any fictional food or drink you can think of -- be it <a href="http://pendragon.wikia.com/wiki/Sniggers">sniggers</a>, <a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Miruvor">miruvor</a>, or <a href="http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Uncommon_Taste#Sunlight_Souffle.27">sunlight souffle</a> -- and you're sure to be able to find at least one real-life recipe for it. Or you could make up your own.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf-dlkQ_sXdMhvl-ekw0cOphUP7-rcva2wFdy7v6fY7kF0yehUK51sE9OEamSifGXv7-l2K99y2eGZ6XjAHAlbLWLLKV9w5DA9NKUGVWRBE3B8VsaBQ3bjg3oPVzcjtXYmgQOGsEvA7eK/s1600/alice-cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf-dlkQ_sXdMhvl-ekw0cOphUP7-rcva2wFdy7v6fY7kF0yehUK51sE9OEamSifGXv7-l2K99y2eGZ6XjAHAlbLWLLKV9w5DA9NKUGVWRBE3B8VsaBQ3bjg3oPVzcjtXYmgQOGsEvA7eK/s320/alice-cupcakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I celebrated the release of <i>Alice: Madness Returns</i> with cupcakes.</td></tr>
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Most of these can be used for any occasion, whether it's an awesome birthday party, a premier or book release celebration, a holiday dinner, or just some good, random fun. Regardless of situation, the underlying motivation is the same: it allows us to connect on a deeper (read: gustatory) level with our favorite stories and characters. As Crystal Watanabe of <a href="http://www.fictionalfood.net/">Fictional Food</a> said in an <a href="http://bites.today.com/_news/2012/03/30/10873085-game-of-thrones-among-fictional-works-inspiring-recipes?lite">interview </a>earlier this year, "When Harry is on the train to Hogwarts and has money to spend on treats for the first time, you can almost taste those pumpkin pasties with him. It's as though you share that moment of joy with them." By bringing a little piece of that other world to life, we get to close our eyes and pretend, if only for one mouth-watering moment, that we're actually there.<br />
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It's even better when shared in good company. A friend and I once made a <a href="http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Alchemy">transmutation circle</a> birthday cake for a mutual buddy of ours; not exactly a canon recipe, but any excuse for chocolate cake and an <i>FMA</i> reference is a good one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ed Elric would be... unimpressed. But he'd eat it anyway.</td></tr>
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Another time, a bunch of us got together one time and attempted to recreate the <a href="http://kingdomhearts.wikia.com/wiki/Sea-salt_ice_cream">sea salt ice cream</a> that <i>Kingdom Hearts</i> misled us to believe would be totally delicious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuoY3V2AWN1OhKvUwm7p9H-DSUfB2ZTYlAC1NXByeZkUnKhZJ1pm6mCK3vjey8ldkj0OsSIHXAto7qCCEE2O4yNwmtnsDKVI9CFKvFS-7bKiH9UHW49v9AMW0lYszfroO2_2UI-FKvpmj/s1600/seasalticecream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuoY3V2AWN1OhKvUwm7p9H-DSUfB2ZTYlAC1NXByeZkUnKhZJ1pm6mCK3vjey8ldkj0OsSIHXAto7qCCEE2O4yNwmtnsDKVI9CFKvFS-7bKiH9UHW49v9AMW0lYszfroO2_2UI-FKvpmj/s1600/seasalticecream.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teal is SUCH an appetizing color.</td></tr>
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The ice cream was pretty horrible, actually. But the memories were sweet enough to make up for it (<i>awww</i>) and last a lot longer than any frozen treat. Especially in July.<br />
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<i>Have stories, trivia, or fictional food recipes you'd like to share? Comment away! The more delicious, the merrier! :)</i>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-58882849031975326192012-08-29T20:44:00.002-04:002012-08-31T02:16:47.163-04:00O Teacher, My Teacher: A Story About Mentors (One, in Particular)<i>"If there's nothing you're willing to die for, what the hell are you living for?" -David Menasche</i> <br />
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Today, instead of just talking about stories, I would like to tell one. This story is about a personal hero of mine, a teacher who has spent the past six years of his life fighting to stay alive.
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Now and then, when we get lucky, a stranger walks up to us and ends life as we know it. It is not usually a sudden, meteor apocalypse sort of thing. It creeps, slow and sinuous, the way cats do (especially the talking, protected-by-magic kind). Just the moment of realization is abrupt; we blink, look up, look around, and only then do we understand that the landscape of life has changed around us while our attention was diverted. It is the same principle that makes a talented magician's sleight-of-hand trick so convincing.
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I am lucky enough to have met several such strangers over the years. One was my 11<sup>th</sup> grade AP English and Composition professor, Mr. David Menasche. While, as I said, change is hardly ever instantaneous, I knew from the beginning that his class would be something special. I have one of my high school journals sitting in front of me as I write this (yes, I keep diaries; no, you can’t read them), which is filled to bursting with memories. Towards the top of my entry for August 24, 2007, in big, bold letters, I see the words, "HE IS THE COOLEST ENGLISH TEACHER EVER!" Yes, I was (?) a bit of a nerd.
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There are so many books (like <i>Freedom Writers</i>), shows (like <i>Glee</i>) and
movies (like <i>Dead Poets Society</i>) about awe-inspiring, stick-it-to-the-man type professors who challenge the status quo and teach their students important life lessons that it has almost become cliché – and in fact, such characters in fiction are their own literary archetype known as <a href="http://www.thewritingnut.com/ramblings/mentor-archetype/">the Mentor</a>, sometimes also referred to as Wise Old Man/Woman. (TV Tropes, as always, also has a detailed <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mentors" rel="nofollow">section about this archetype</a>.) From Mr. Miyagi and Obi-Wan Kenobi to as far back in history and fiction as Merlin and the original <a href="http://www.maicar.com/GML/Mentor4.html" rel="nofollow">Mentor of Greek mythology</a>, there have been teachers for as long as there have been would-be heroes and heroines in need of them.<br />
<br />
Well, I'm no Harry Potter, and Mr. Menasche is certainly no Dumbledore – he hasn't got the long, white, old wizard beard, for one thing – and he never taught me how to raise phoenixes, brew Felix Felicis, or cast the perfect Patronus charm. Even so, his lessons were nothing if not magical; he made every day of junior year an adventure, and every day since, a little bit richer. It was in his class that I raised my hand willingly for the first time. I was always the shy, quiet kid, and I hardly ever spoke in class except practically under pain of death. He made me want to speak up, reminding me always that I had a voice worth hearing. Anticipation for the next lesson kept me coming to school even on the days when I could barely convince myself to crawl out of bed. The one time I did commit the mortal sin of being absent, it was only for one day, and only because I had been afflicted with the worst kind of flu, the kind that left me curled up in a fetal position in the middle of my bed wondering if I had the strength left to write down my last will and testament. When I dragged myself back the following day, he told me that since my fever broke around noon, I should have made it to his class.<br />
<br />
By the end of the first week of school, I had already decided he was my favorite teacher of all time. It made the news I discovered during the second week that much harder. My late-night entry for August 30th, 2007, began with the following words: "I just found out the worst secret – the absolute worst news I've ever heard in my life... the best English teacher in the world... has a brain tumor."<br />
<br />
Mr. Menasche was diagnosed with brain cancer the day before Thanksgiving of the previous year. In retrospect, I suppose the large scar on the side of his shaven head should have been a pretty good clue, but I believe my very naive theory at the time was that it was from a skateboarding or rock-climbing accident, or something else with an equally interesting story. He certainly did not seem sick. He has always been one of the liveliest people I know, and by the time I met him he had already perfected the art of hiding his condition, like making grand gestures or casually stepping out of the room for a moment to conceal minor seizures. He very rarely missed work. I can remember only a handful of days when he left us for testing or treatment. Last year, regardless of rigorous chemotherapy treatments, he managed to have a perfect attendance record, something even completely healthy teachers seldom achieve. <br />
<br />
He always said that he would keep teaching as long as possible, until the day finally came when he simply could not do it any longer. That day arrived much sooner than any of us wanted; last year was his final year teaching at Coral Reef Senior High School. He was still undergoing chemotherapy this summer when he suffered from what turned out to be a seizure that robbed him of much of his eyesight and functionality on his left side. The man who I have always believed could see through any lie and anyone (myself included) now has a field of vision so restricted that he can no longer drive. He is the strongest person I know, and now he walks with a cane.<br />
<br />
Yet somehow, he endures, and deep down I cannot help but believe – I have to believe – he is still the same man with the same attitude, the same self-proclaimed strut, that he has always been. For the lost little girl I was when I first wandered into Room 211 five years ago, he was a compass; he gave me direction when I needed it most. To this day, even when I feel the most lost, I no longer panic because his lessons still guide me. I recall when I asked for advice at the end of my senior year, he told me: "Don't look back... Go forward, always forward. Like a shark. You stop moving, you die."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpQutTE1CYMQzgqfHeDxedsvxnPOCOed8mwj3fDKhfkkRRZqXjZ8huettZVNIlb-UlgJ_SBav4OfJNCJI9sUXA0e77grRFji4PlQZcNAzD2ydhhoqZThUJY_ll1-uHJQdaR3GZHIiYRum/s1600/DSC_0036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpQutTE1CYMQzgqfHeDxedsvxnPOCOed8mwj3fDKhfkkRRZqXjZ8huettZVNIlb-UlgJ_SBav4OfJNCJI9sUXA0e77grRFji4PlQZcNAzD2ydhhoqZThUJY_ll1-uHJQdaR3GZHIiYRum/s1600/DSC_0036.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Menasche and I, on my last day as a high school student in 2009.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After all that cancer has taken from him, it is his turn to move forward in search of a new direction.<br />
<br />
As always, he has chosen the most interesting (and in this case, most literal) method in which to do it. On November 2, 2012, he will be setting out for a grand adventure he has fittingly dubbed his Vision Quest. He will be traveling across the United States from the east to the west coast to set his eyes on a sight they have yet to behold: the Pacific Ocean. However, the journey, not the destination, holds the most significance. Along the way, he will be visiting many of his former students who, within hours of receiving news of his expedition, generously offered up their spare rooms and couches for his use. As he said in a recent <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/david-menasches-vision-quest/to-clarify/493772613983763" rel="nofollow">Facebook post</a>: "Please know that although I would like to see the Pacific, that is
not the point of this Vision Quest. The point is to find them and
redefine me."<br />
<br />
Since he can no longer lecture in a classroom, he searches now for other means of teaching. He will keep us all up-to-date on the Quest via blog entries on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DavidMenaschesVisionQuest">official Vision Quest Facebook page</a>. He hopes to turn his journey into a full-length documentary – not just a video scrapbook or memoir, but something substantial that will bring new meaning to his life and help others find the meaning in theirs. With the help of close friends, he is currently running a <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/10f18k" rel="nofollow">Vision Quest GoFundMe page</a> to collect donations. As I am writing, so far there have been over $16,000 in donations, largely from former students (myself included) and their families. Many of the donations are tagged with loving messages of optimism, nostalgia, and most of all, gratitude <br />
<br />
With any luck, he will have raised enough (about $50,000) by the departure date to cover pre-production costs for the film, so that this incredible journey can be shared with the world. If you are interested in helping out, please head over to the donation page link above right away – any and all support would be greatly appreciated. Even if you do not donate, it will only take a few seconds to share the story and the links with others.<br />
<br />
If you would like to know more about David Menasche and his Vision Quest, take a look at the official pages mentioned above. You can also check out several interviews: Jennifer Reeves of <a href="http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/South-Florida-Teacher-With-Brain-Cancer-Is-Raising-Money-For-His-Vision-Quest-165791386.html" rel="nofollow">NBC6 posted an article</a> about him online, Tonya Sholz and Maria de Los Angeles of "Social Chats" conducted <a href="http://radio.securenetsystems.net/radio_player_large.cfm?stationCallSign=SCHAT-OD" rel="nofollow">a radio interview</a> with him on August 21 (you may have to scroll through a few more recent ones to find it), Summer Knowles <a href="http://miami.cbslocal.com/video/7672349-teacher-fights-cancer-one-couch-at-a-time/" rel="nofollow">interviewed him</a> on CBS4, and a <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/28/2971722/man-on-a-mission.html" rel="nofollow">story by Lidia Dinkova</a> appeared in the Miami Herald. If you or someone you know would like to conduct an interview or write an article or blog post about the Quest, please do not hesitate to ask!Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-33096249434945519972012-07-29T02:35:00.001-04:002012-07-29T16:24:39.763-04:00Reflections (Double Feature!): Limbo and Slender<br />
Ever play a creepy video game in the dark with headphones on
in the middle of the night? Here’s a tip: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t
do it</i>.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for my mental health, I travel down that
rabbit hole a bit more often than I should (I give myself very good advice, but
I seldom follow it). Recently, I found myself playing indie games <a href="http://limbogame.org/" rel="nofollow"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Limbo</i></a> and <a href="http://www.parsecproductions.net/slender/" rel="nofollow"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Slender</i></a> far past even the most ungodly hours of the night, when all
the good little boys and girls are asleep, and all the rest of us are staring
at screens with bloodshot eyes and wondering how the sun managed to come up
without us noticing. (And whether or not we’ve developed fangs yet, or
perhaps severe allergies to garlic, sunlight or crosses.)<br />
<br />
Generally, when I write reviews (which I will refer to as “reflections,”
since I am neither an expert nor a proper critic of anything whatsoever), I’ll be
writing them in a rather more conventional manner: one at a time. But in this
case I simply couldn’t choose, so I’ll be writing a bit about both Playdead’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Limbo</i> and Parsec Productions’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Slender</i>. However, I
want to emphasize that these games are two very different animals, and
therefore my goal here is not to choose one as being “better” over the other. I
am simply comparing the ways in which elements like vagueness and the creep
factor function in these two fantastic games.<br />
<br />
Also, I got lazy and didn’t feel like writing two separate
posts.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Presentation Points: Fancy versus Free</b><br />
<br />
I'd like to start off by mentioning the fantastic presentation of the recently released <i>Limbo: Special Edition</i>, which happens to be the particular copy of the game I purchased. The hardcover box is nicely done, with awesomely gruesome cover art that just makes you want to smile and twirl your twisted (possibly imaginary) black mustache in anticipation. The extra goodies are nice as well: it comes with several delightful little art cards (perfect for decorating any room you don't plan on sleeping in anytime soon), a sticker of the main character's silhouetted head, a digital copy of the short but haunting original soundtrack, annnd (drum-roll, please)... a pair of blue and red 3D glasses. Yep, you can now experience the morbidity of <i>Limbo </i>in Stereoscopic 3D! Of course, anyone who remembers that kind of 3D knows it's pretty hard on your eyes (what kind of 3D technology isn't?), but it's definitely an interesting way to play the game, and I highly recommend trying it, at least in small doses. The game itself is pretty short (I played it through to the end in one sitting), but also pretty satisfying, and a good game with neat extras is well worth the $24.99 price tag. (You can also buy a downloadable full version of the game, sans bells and whistles, from <a href="http://limbogame.org/" rel="nofollow">the official site</a> for an even cheaper $9.99.)<br />
<br />
<i>Slender</i>, on the other hand, is available only as an internet downloadable, with no hard-copy releases that I'm aware of yet. However, this is only fair, since the game is also completely <i>free.</i> You can download the latest version of it for PC or Mac from <a href="http://www.parsecproductions.net/slender/" rel="nofollow">the official site</a>, or from various mirror sites floating around the internet. And really, the last thing any <i>Slender </i>player needs is a pair of 3D glasses; if two dimensions nearly gave me a heart attack, three would probably make my soul implode. Or explode. Or something else extremely and violently unnecessary.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Putting the "Fear" in "Atmosphere"</b>
<br />
<br />
One thing that the two games have in common is a nice and creepy atmosphere. As I mentioned earlier, my edition of <i>Limbo </i>came with a digital copy of the soundtrack, which I think would make for fantastic use as ambiance at something like Halloween Horror Nights. It's not melodic in the sense that most movie soundtracks are - there's no particular theme, and it would be rather awkward to hum along to. But it achieves exactly what it's meant to, subtly adding to the player's sense of eerie isolation and of being utterly lost in a strange, unwelcoming land. The industrial effects in "Rotating Room" are particularly well-suited to the latter parts of the game, where the wilderness of the woods begins to give way to what appear to be the remains of man-made buildings and machines. Even if you were to play the game with the sound off, however, the imagery alone is still likely to do a number on your brain. There's no color whatsoever, just silhouettes, shadows, and the occasional (usually quite small) light in the darkness, making the whole game a sort of shadow-puppet play, giving your mind more free reign than most games do to impose your own personal fears and interpretations on the game as you play. There is also a foggy feel to everything, especially the background - and, as anyone who's ever seen <i>The Mist</i> or played a <i>Silent Hill</i> game knows, fog is never a good sign. (Of course, the prospect of a gruesome death following a single wrong step or foolish mistake generally doesn't make for comforting thoughts, either.)<br />
<br />
<i>Slender</i>, once again, is more simplistic in this respect. There is no soundtrack to speak of, but this works for the game, not against it: <i>not </i>being able to hear Slender Man pursuing you, but knowing he could be anywhere (like RIGHT BEHIND YOU) is one of the scariest things about the game. What you <i>can </i>hear is the crunch of dirt and grass under your feet as you walk around, and your in-game breathing as your stamina begins to run low (especially if you panic like I did and start running about blindly like a crazy fool). And, unlike a lot of games where it's somewhat comforting to die (since after you've done it once, you know what happens), finding out for the first time how abrupt and horrible it is (without knowing when it will happen) actually might make it even <i>worse </i>to try and play a second round. The setting is pretty basic: a dark forest, with lots of trees and the occasional abandoned car (there's also a terrifying tunnel and a horrific and oddly labyrinthine bathroom), but like <i>Limbo</i>'s silhouettes, this lets your imagination run wild, and you begin imagining your dear friend Slendy waiting behind every tree and around every corner - and don't even <i>think </i>about looking back.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>With Great Vagueness Comes Great Interpretability</b><br />
<br />
Aside from the creep factor, something else these games have in common is the ambiguity of their respective stories, though the effect achieved by this differs. Like everything else about <i>Slender</i>, the plot is pretty straightforward: you're lost in the woods, and you must collect eight notes while avoiding running into the enemy that is pursuing you. (Sounds a lot like <a href="http://www.superfriendshipclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=117" rel="nofollow"><i>Hide</i></a>, by the way, though I do believe <i>Slender </i>is the better of the two.) This leaves a lot for the inquisitive mind to wonder about (like why you would get yourself into this situation in the first place), but these questions aren't likely to come to mind until much later. During the game, the sparse details and lack of exposition only work to heighten the tension, as there are no plot twists or nagging mysteries to distract you from your fear.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, <i>Limbo </i>is anything but simple. Sure, the basic idea is plain enough: a boy searching for his lost sister. But there is a definite depth to everything in the game, a sense that everything has a meaning, though some of it may be difficult to discern. Having played it through twice, I'm still not sure exactly what was going on, although I have a pretty good idea of what I think happened to the boy and his sister. According to <a href="http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/162457/hanging_in_limbo.php" rel="nofollow">Christian Nutt's interview</a> with the co-founders of Playdead, Arnt Jensen and Dino Patti, the game was purposely designed to be as ambiguous and open-ended as possible: they find it "scary" when gamers come close to correctly interpreting the original idea, "because," as Jensen says, "then there's too many clues." For me at least, being lost in terms of the plot just added to the feeling of being lost in the world of <i>Limbo</i>, and it sure makes for some interesting post-game reflecting as well. (I have notes on what I've figured out so far and everything. Yes, I am that much of a nerd.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Final Thoughts: To Play, Or Not to Play (Hint: It's the First One)</b><br />
<br />
The main point of all my rambling and meditating on these two games is this: if you haven't played them yet, you darn well should... unless you're prone to night terrors or have a preexisting heart condition, in which case, stay far, far away from them. <i>Slender </i>will make you jump and/or fall out of your chair (and possibly scream like a little girl), while<i> Limbo</i> leaves you with more of a lingering, haunting feeling afterwards (though there are a couple of at least minor jump moments in it as well). <i>Limbo </i>is a creepy good time, even if the trial-and-death method of solving puzzles can get a bit frustrating at times, and <i>Slender </i>is one small step in gaming, but one giant leap for the terrifying <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/creepypasta" rel="nofollow">creepypasta</a> genre. I highly recommend both, although I'd also recommend you keep a box of kittens close by for comfort afterwards.<br />
<br />
<i>Also fun: watching <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGtDesNPl2o" rel="nofollow">Tobuscus</a>' and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZMBG4Pn3Sg" rel="nofollow">PewDiePie</a>'s "Let's Plays" of </i>Limbo <i>and </i>Slender<i>, respectively, on YouTube. Just be ready to turn the volume down when necessary; they both have a tendency to scream. A lot. :)</i>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-46141278023757900722012-06-12T03:37:00.000-04:002012-06-12T03:38:16.879-04:00Fanfiction as a Legitimate Literary Tool (Not an Instrument of Torture)I admit it: I write fanfiction.<br />
<br />
Not <i>only</i> fanfiction, not all the time, and certainly not always well. I've also read my fair share, and ogled more fan art than I dare to contemplate. I love it - it's fun, it's rewarding, and I usually manage to entertain at least one or two other people in the process. But when I tell people in person that I write fanfiction, I always end up tagging it on the end of a sentence or story like a footnote or the butt of a bad joke. It's not because I look down on fan-works or the people who create them - it's because I know there are so many other people who do.<br />
<br />
But today I am going to do something different. Today, I'm going to <i>defend</i> fanfiction. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Fairy Gold: Why (Some) Fans Hate Fanfiction (and Why They Shouldn't) </b><br />
<br />
A lot of people who have come across fanfiction on the internet will want to rant and rave and pull their hair out if you mention it to their faces. (Like the author of <a href="http://www.mellzah.com/?p=1071" rel="nofollow">this blog post</a>.)They will tell you that it is a waste of time, both to write and to read. They will complain about the arrogance of amateurs who claim to "fix" the ending of a story. They will groan over the innumerable sins fanfic authors have committed: two-dimensional characterizations, non-canon pairings, a deus ex machina swooping in at the last moment to magically prevent a canon death, and an overindulgence in sex, violence, and melodrama, to the point where even a soap opera writer would be rolling his/her eyes and snorting derisively. And the list goes on.<br />
<br />
The sad thing is, they would be right. <i>Some </i>of the time.<br />
<br />
I should know; I probably (definitely) wrote some pretty terrible fanfiction in my day. I've also read (and gagged over) a lot of fanfics by other people that manage, almost impressively, to live up to every single one of these accusations and then some - the wince-inducing sort that would probably fail <a href="http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm" rel="nofollow">The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test</a>, and make good additions to <a href="http://kaction.com/badfanfiction/" rel="nofollow">The Terrible Crossover Fanfiction Idea Generator</a>. <br />
<br />
But I think it's a mistake to dismiss fanfiction in general, and to make the generalization that most fanfic authors have their noses up in the air and their heads up their arses. Personally, I never pretended to be better than the original authors. I admit that in the past I have carelessly claimed I was going to "fix" canon events, and I apologize now for the heresy. But like me, I think most of the time when people say this it is more a failure in phrasing than an honest boast. What I really meant was: "This plot point upset me deeply enough that I felt like I needed to create an alternate universe." It was, like most fanfiction is, a labor of love. Trying to save canon characters (probably the most common "fix") means that character pulled some serious heartstrings. This does not necessarily make for good writing, but it can be a valid form of venting frustration and grief... and hey, if someone else happens to enjoy reading it, bonus.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, hating fanfiction because you were exposed to your worst literary nightmare is like hating music because you feel that if you hear Katy Perry's "Fireworks" on the radio one more time you might just blow a fuse. Not all fanfiction is literary gold – many are fairy gold, pure wish-fulfillment which at best leave readers wanting and, at worst, make them feel an urgent need to take a shower (or several). But there are just as many formally published authors whose works which have the same effect, yet they are rarely (and should never) be denied their right to write and share their stories. Just because it's out there doesn't mean you have to read it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Invasion or Ovation?: Authors' Opinions</b><br />
<br />
I can only imagine what it's like the first time you read a fanfic based on your work. It must be an odd moment, seeing your characters, your worlds, your stories pouring out of some stranger's fingertips onto their keyboards and, subsequently, onto the internet. If it happens to be of the "Worse than a B-Movie" variety, I can easily see revulsion (and possibly rage) as a first-instinct response. (Orson Scott Card and Anne Rice, for example, violently oppose fanfiction.) While some authors just plain don't get it (how does fanfiction pose any threat whatsoever to one's livelihood?), I do understand <i>some</i> authors’ qualms. Yes, writing original works would be more productive, and I
can easily imagine how frustrating (even creepy) it could be to watch
strangers take your beloved, original characters and twist them into something you never
intended. Ursula K. LeGuin (as quoted in <a href="http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/68332629.html" rel="nofollow">this list</a> of several authors' attitudes to fanfiction) once described it as "an invasion" of the worlds she has created. This isn't surprising; after all, the stories you write always contain bits and pieces of you, and to see those bits and pieces in someone else's (usually less capable) hands could be quite discomfiting.<br />
<br />
But again, I have to emphasize that fanfiction (and any fan-labor) is largely a byproduct of the fans' sincere love. And the point of publishing is to share a story... so <i>share</i> it. Let the fans do what they will; after all, without them, an author would have no livelihood to be concerned about in the first place. As long as fanfiction remains nonprofit and informally published (except in the case of the original author’s sanction – or if it’s based on something so old both the copyright and the author are deceased), it does no harm, but a world of good... both for fans (letting off steam is a <i>good </i>thing, believe me) and authors. Fanfiction and fan art, especially the good kind, can be a fantastic form of viral marketing, if you simply sit back and let it work its magic.<br />
<br />
But don't just take my word for it. Lev Grossman (best known for writing <i>The Magicians</i>) wrote <a href="http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2081784,00.html" rel="nofollow">this article</a> about fanfiction for <i>Time</i>, in which he not only defends fanfiction but also touches on some interesting tidbits about the history and evolution of fan-works (they've been around longer than you probably think - Grossman mentions examples dating as far back as <i>ancient Greece</i>). He talks about the origins of the term "slash," the difference between fics that follow canon versus AU (Alternate Universe) fics, and the various (largely false) generalizations and stereotypes that have developed over time. Not all creators of fan-works, for example, are hyper-hormonal pre-teens with no talent: Grossman makes a nice point of mentioning that Darren Criss of <i>Glee </i>fame, for instance, got his first break in a fan-production called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk" rel="nofollow"><i>A Very Potter Musical</i></a>. (If you're a Potter fan, by the way, you haven't lived until you've seen it.)<br />
<br />
Grossman is <a href="http://fanlore.org/wiki/Professional_Author_Fanfic_Policies#Authors_Who_Support_Fanfic_About_Their_Work" rel="nofollow">not the only famous person</a> who has come out in support of fanfiction. Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, D.J. MacHale, Stephanie Meyer, Tamora Pierce, Terry Pratchett, and J.K. Rowling all give their fans the green light, and Anne McCaffrey has <a href="http://pernhome.com/aim/anne-mccaffrey/fans/fan-fiction-rules/" rel="nofollow">an entire page on her site</a> listing the rather lengthy (but relatively fair) rules for creating fan-works based on her stories.<br />
<br />
Joss Whedon, who has openly voiced his support on several occasions, puts it perfectly: "That's why I made these shows. I didn't make them so that people would enjoy them and forget them; I made them so they would never be able to shake them. It's the way I am as a fan. I create the shows that would make me do that."<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Consider: A Final Note on the Subject (and Recommendations)</b><br />
<br />
Not everyone loves, or even likes, fanfiction, and not everyone needs to. Even amongst the fans, there are always going to be differing opinions, and that's not a bad thing. But to dismiss fanfics entirely because of a few misinformed stereotypes and a handful of terrible examples is at best lazy, and at worst, ignorant and prejudiced - especially if you are a storyteller who is lucky enough to have fans that have been so moved by your work as to make something of their own from it. Also, while producing original work is, of course, preferable in the long run, fanfiction can be great practice, especially for beginning writers, and, occasionally, can even be inspiring in its own right.<br />
<br />
My attitude is pretty much the same as Whedon's. If I ever do manage to finish and publish a story worthy of generating fanfiction, or any other kind of fan-work, I can guarantee that my first reaction will not be to dash to the phone for an immediate conference with my agent about the copyright implications. At first, I would be stunned: just the idea of it produces a slight nervy, tingly emotion in my stomach. But then I think I would pull a Cheshire Cat smile, and I would be thinking something along the lines of, "Best... day... <i>ever</i>." Consider: if I manage to write something interesting enough to incite a complete stranger to create their own interpretation... I've clearly done <i>something </i>right.<br />
<br />
In the spirit of support, I shall finish this post off with a (relatively) brief list of a few of the best fan-works I have come across thus far, whilst gallivanting across the vast (and occasionally terrifying) landscape of the internet. (The <i>Very Potter Musical</i> is not included here only because I already linked to it.) Enjoy.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://flipation.deviantart.com/art/Amnesia-the-dark-descent-210576682?q=boost%3Apopular%20amnesia&qo=22" rel="nofollow">Amnesia, the dark descent</a> - Fantastic fan art in which the protagonist of the PC game (of the same title) is imagined, rather well I think, as being played by Ben Barnes. <br />
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<a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2868725/1/" rel="nofollow">Bad Intentions</a>, <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2907313/1/" rel="nofollow">Reading Room</a>, and <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2735204/1/" rel="nofollow">Truce</a> - Three one-chapter fics which have nothing much to do with each other, but are all written by the same author. The first two are based on the show <i>Lost</i>; the first one is stronger, but "Reading Room" is one of the better examples I've read of meta-fanfiction. "Truce" is a great little fic about a Cat and a certain Parrot... the bird which belonged to Cotton in <i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bornofhope.com/" rel="nofollow">Born of Hope</a> - A brilliantly executed fan film about Aragorn's parents, and certain events which took place prior to the events of <i>The Lord of the Rings.</i><br />
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<a href="http://pika-la-cynique.deviantart.com/gallery/772068?offset=192#/d17iejl" rel="nofollow">Girls Next Door</a> - An ongoing fan-comic, inspired by another fan-comic called <a href="http://asherhyder.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=288#/dz0amg" rel="nofollow">Roommates</a>, based mainly around the characters Jareth and Sarah (from the Jim Henson film <i>Labyrinth</i>), and Erik and Christine (from <i>Phantom of the Opera</i>). Crossovers and comedy are plentiful, and the art, though it started out a little rough, is pure pro at present.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/943664/1/" rel="nofollow">Gone </a>- A short fic about Severus Snape (from <i>Harry Potter</i>, of course) being offered a wish granted by fairies, in return for a favor he has done them. It's not perfect, but it's an interesting and beautiful idea.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4912038/1/" rel="nofollow">Hands Off</a> - One of my favorite satirical fanfics, this one takes a shot at all the fluffy romance fics about Rorschach that flooded the internet when the <i>Watchmen </i>movie was released. It's short but sweet, in a beautifully brutal sort of way.<br />
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<a href="http://sullen-skrewt.deviantart.com/art/Harley-Quinn-162027132?q=gallery%3Asullen-skrewt%2F20940&qo=59" rel="nofollow">Harley Quinn</a> - Here's a lovely, creepy fan art for the Harley Quinn and the Joker fans. This artist does a LOT of fan art, but her original work is even more amazing. Make sure to check it out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp1BYzIVi0U" rel="nofollow">One Man Disney Movie</a> - A Pixar animator named Nick Pitera, who has a voice like multiple angels, sings various Disney songs as heroes and heroines, villains, <i>and </i>supporting characters... all in one glorious video that is nearly as much fun to watch as it is to listen to.<br />
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<a href="http://jackieocean.deviantart.com/art/Portrait-of-a-Phantom-14479124?q=gallery%3Ajackieocean%2F29210012&qo=2" rel="nofollow">Portrait of a Phantom</a> - A stunning fan art of the <i>Phantom of the Opera</i>. Definitely be sure to check out her other artwork (which includes a lot of original work in addition to fan art) as well.<br />
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<a href="http://valadilenne.deviantart.com/art/Sunny-Disposish-Chapter-1-54176050" rel="nofollow">Sunny Disposish</a> - An impressively well-written (and ongoing) fanfic somewhat inspired by another fan-comic, <a href="http://curiousinsane.livejournal.com/" rel="nofollow">When Curiosity Met Insanity</a> (also a great, fun read, though it suffers from long hiatuses on a fairly regular basis), which in turn was inspired by the Disney version of <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>. Since the copyright for the original Alice story is long dead, I'm hoping this one gets published once it's finished.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1877767/1/" rel="nofollow">Technically Dead</a> - A short and delightfully disturbing fic written from the point of view of the character Barry the Chopper, from the anime and manga, <i>Fullmetal Alchemist.</i> <br />
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<i>There is so much more I have seen that was worth checking out... but if I listed it all</i>,<i> the internet would likely break. Also, please be aware that some of these fan-works I've listed may contain adult content and/or spoilers.</i>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6027709742426562275.post-19349589634028813302012-05-18T19:49:00.002-04:002012-06-06T21:06:14.952-04:00Begin at the Beginning: Or, What Exactly IS a Story?First of all, in order to truly begin at the beginning, I suppose I should start by saying: Hello, and welcome to my blog!
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All right, enough with the formalities. Time to write! Generally, a blog's historic first post tends to be a description of what's going to discussed on the blog, who the author is, and all that jazz. But if you've read the introduction (on the right side of the page), you already know what we're here to do. In case you missed it, or are too lazy to glance up and read it now, the gist of it is: this is a blog about stories and storytelling.
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Sounds simple enough, no? (Not to mention broad enough that I shall never run out of post ideas... Muahaha.) So rather than go on and on about how stories (like friendship) are magic, and how a good yarn can change a person's life, or even the world... I'm going to start with the most basic question of them all: What, exactly, is a story?
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<b>Diverse Definitions</b>
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According to the <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/story" rel="nofollow">online Merriam-Webster Dictionary</a>, "story" can be a noun or, apparently, a transitive verb. ("See you later, Ma, I'm off to go storying!") Although verbing words weirds language in a fun way (thank you, <a href="http://madshakespeare.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/calvin-and-hobbes.jpg" rel="nofollow">Calvin and Hobbs</a>), let's just focus on the noun.
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The origin of the word seems to be linked to the Latin <i>historia</i>, and indeed, you can't spell "history" without "story" (or "hi," for that matter). However, stories aren't just about the past, and they aren't all true, either. A "story" is defined by the dictionary as both "a statement regarding the facts" (the term can be applied to history as well as news articles) and "a fictional narrative." Stories about the future float somewhere between the two categories until the future becomes the present. (Orwell's <i>1984</i>, thank goodness, turned out to be just fiction. But Robertson's <i>Futility, Or The Wreck of the Titan</i>, written fourteen years prior to the wreck of the <i>R.M.S. Titanic</i>, resembled the incident so closely it bordered on prophetic.)
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If you head over to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> and look up "story," you can be redirected to either the entry for Time or the entry for Narrative, along with many other slightly less relevant pages - including, interestingly, a tennis player and a doctor/astronaut. If you look up the word on Google... well, you'd probably get even more results. (Only a few billion or so, and at least one billion of them are probably useless.)
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The point is this: there are a gazillion and three ways to look at the meaning of story, 99% of which are valid. (The other 1% come from people who write about sparkly vampires, and whoever is responsible for reality TV.) The real question is: which ones apply to <i>this</i> blog?
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<b>The Fruit of the Epipha-tree: Story as a Found Object</b>
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According to Stephen King (<a href="http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2012/04/popular-writers-stephen-king-interview.html">as interviewed by Neil Gaiman</a>), stories aren't made, but rather found. A lot of writers probably disagree with this, but they are all wrong. (Just kidding; to each their own. After all, a lot of people also don't think Stephen King has any talent as a writer... of course, they actually <i>are </i>wrong. They're just jealous.) I personally couldn't agree with King more; I'm not saying that writing is a walk in the park, or that plagiarism is okay - that's a resounding NO - and neither is the master of horror. What it means is that a story, at least as I see it, is not something that is forced out of your brain, but rather something more like a small epiphany, an "A-ha!" moment which is born of external influence and inspiration as well as internal thought processes and creativity. The hard part, no matter what kind of story it is, is actually putting it together and making it work.
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<b>More than the Sum of its Parts: Story vs. Plot</b>
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Thomas Grip of <a href="http://www.frictionalgames.com/site/">Frictional Games</a> offers up another interesting point on the subject. In <a href="http://frictionalgames.blogspot.com/2010/10/story-what-is-it-really-about.html">this post</a>, he discusses the common mistake of using "story" and "plot" interchangeably. According to Grip, the difference between the two is that plot refers purely to a sequence of events, whereas the essence of a story actually depends more on the feel of the story - such as the emotions a story conveys to or instills in the reader, or the locations (and, perhaps more importantly, the atmosphere of those locations). While I do think plot matters (especially if we're talking in terms of written narratives), it doesn't necessarily have to be complex to be intriguing, and I agree with Grip that story and plot are two very separate things, and the more vital of the two is the story. This is the reason why remakes work (or don't work); the idea with these isn't to perfectly replicate the original, but rather to retain the essence of the story while creating something new and different with it. It's like trying out different recipes for the same dish or drink; the chain of events (and even some of the ingredients) may be changed, but in the end you're still making butterbeer. (Or whatever else you want to make. I just picked butterbeer because I have seen about a hundred different recipes for it, and so far only one has come out decently for me. But that's another story for another day.)
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<b>So... What is a Story?</b>
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So what is a story? It is something which encompasses a moment, or many moments, in time, and is comprised of at least one event, one character, and one location. A story can be captured with words, images, sounds, or even textiles (remember <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Bunny-Touch-Feel-Book/dp/0307120007" rel="nofollow">Pat the Bunny</a></i>?), scents, or tastes. Regardless of medium, a story is something which makes us <i>feel</i>, and think about our emotions and <i>how</i> we feel, whether those feelings are as simple as, "Hey, cool, I learned something different today!" or something as complex as <i>la douleur exquise</i>, the emotional agony of loving and longing for someone you cannot be with. Just as humans are often part of the stories they create, stories are also part of human nature; we cannot help but coexist, and either one would be lost without the other.
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Stories are also almost always the product of some sort of collaboration, and so I will wrap up this post (and most likely many more) the way it began: with a query. (Only this time, you get to do the work of answering, and I get to sit back and read at my leisure.)
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Do you agree? Do you disagree? (Violently? With the passion of a thousand flaming suns?) What do YOU think a story is?
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<i>Comments and commentary (not to mention back-links and sharing) are forever welcome, along with any questions you may have... I will do my best to reply when needed. Keep an eye out for poll questions on the right-hand side of the page; the plan is to have a new poll question every month. Blog updates should also be just about monthly; sometimes they will be more frequent, but once again the plan is to have at least one post up by the end of each month.</i>Kim B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11673418887225037222noreply@blogger.com0